matt.mitovich

Vargas Milks "Breast-Feeding" Pic for Laughs

Accompanying an interview with ABC News' Elizabeth Vargas about the motherhood-and-career balancing act, next month's Marie Claire presents a pic of the journalist breast-feeding at the anchor desk. What's the big deal? Vargas never posed for it, meaning it's a Photoshopped photo op. At least she has a sense of humor about it: An insider tells the New York Daily News that the newswoman joked that 1) her real son was way cuter than the tot "she" is providing for in the pic, and 2) if she were to ever sit for such a shot, it wouldn't be in some ugly gold top.

Wed, Nov 15, 2006

Borat Makes Romania See Red --- and Green!

In the wake of Borat's success, residents of the Romanian village of Glod, which stood in for the title character's Kazakhstan hometown in the comedy, are suddenly miffed that they generated more laughs than revenue. "We want to sue [the filmmakers]," a local gypsy told the Associated Press. "They made the world laugh at us... without paying us money!" Aw, get in line, lady. The U.S. government's been doing that to us for years.

Wed, Nov 15, 2006

Mike Tyson, Brigitte Nielsen Face Sad Realities

Anything for a buck, right? Having put in a guest appearance on a fellow class act's reality show, Being Bobby Brown, Mike Tyson wants a series of his own, the New York Daily News reports. The boxer even recruited daughter Mikey (a designer of plus-size fashions) and her gal pal Nathalie (aka Don King's daughter) to humiliate themselves alongside him. Meanwhile, the News adds, celebreality mainstay Brigitte Nielsen is developing a new program in which she'd run  wait for it  a male e$cort service. The working title? Stud Farm. Yes, indeed, anything for a, um, buck.

Wed, Nov 15, 2006

Cut-Off K-Fed Forced to Fetch Dawgy Bags

A source tells Us that suddenly single Kevin Federline is so broke sans Britney's ample greenbacks that when he and his crew hit a Gotham burlesque club for a comped dinner, "He just kept ordering more and more food, and then asked for it to be put in containers so he could take the food with him. Then he started putting napkins in the tops of the tequila and vodka bottles and stuck them under his coat trying to sneak the liquor out with him. It was really unbelievable to watch." Oh, I think I might have believed it.

Wed, Nov 15, 2006

Top Model "Eva the Diva" Pulls a Naomi on Tyra

That's gratitude for ya. Eva Pigford, the winner of America's Next Top Model, Cycle 3, has canned both of her managers, Benny Medina and (gulp!) Tyra Banks, the New York Post reports. Further, she's finally trading her oinker of a surname for her middle name, Marcille. "She's looking for a fresh start," an insider tells the paper. Meaning, she's tired of the paparazzi calling out, "Here Piggy, Piggy!"Wednesday's Today's News column was written by Ben Katner.

Wed, Nov 15, 2006

The Office's Big Merger: Is It Double the Fun?

Thanks to the Peacock, I've been supersized! Monday was a sweet day, as the kind folks at NBC floated me screeners for all three of this Thursday's super-sized shows: My Name Is Earl, The Office and 30 Rock. Being just as genteel as the folks at NBC, I handed Earl off to Sabrina Rojas Weiss, who provides commentary on it for TVGuide.com, and I'll probably get to 30 Rock this evening. My priority, after all, was watching The Office.This week's 40-minute outing, "Merger," has the motley crew from the Dunder Mifflin branch in Stamford (Go, Westhill Vikings!) migrating to their assigned desks in Scranton. As you can imagine, Michael makes quite an impression on his new charges, ranging anywhere from "borderline amusing" to "enough to make a person quit" — and one of them does. Sorta. (Yet Michael even screws that up.)Although I was put off when I first read about the prospect of the Stamford paper-pimpers invading Scranton's hallowed halls, I am happy to report that "Merger" lite...

Wed, Nov 15, 2006

Ratings: Howie, Heroes and Miami Hit Highs

Wow, a lot of people were watching television this Monday night: Deal or No Deal, with an audience of 17.97 million total viewers, enjoyed not just a season high but also its second-biggest audience ever, behind the June 5 first-season finale. Prison Break (9.15 mil) had its best outing since Sept. 18. Up 800,000 heads from last week, The Class (8.5 mil) earned its best grades since Oct. 16. Heroes set a new series high, with 15.01 million viewers, coming within a mil of comedy warhorse Two and a Half Men. A repeat of House drew 9.25 mil. That's 3.4 mil more than the number of people who checked out the last fresh outing of Justice. CSI: Miami's based-on-a-LaRue-story episode (18.43 mil) was its season's best. Studio 60 (7.79 million) had its best showing since Oct. 9.Playing the role of Debbie Downer in this ratings recap is What About Brian, which celebrated its full-season pickup by drawing its smallest audience of the season  5.59...

Tue, Nov 14, 2006

Will Friday Night Lights Tackle Sunday Night?

According to Reuters, in the wake of the news that the critically hailed Friday Night Lights has been picked up for a full season, there is talk that as part of a January '07, American Idol-induced revamping of its prime-time schedule, NBC might relocate the freshman drama to a Sunday berth. New series still awaiting decisions on their ultimate fate, each expected by week's end: Fox's Standoff and ABC's Six Degrees and The Nine.Speaking of NBC, be sure to check out Trivial Matt'rs for my preview of this week's supersized episode of The Office!

Tue, Nov 14, 2006

Has Katie Holmes Said "No Thank You" to Oscar?

Sources close to Tom Cruise's bride-to-be tell the New York Post's Page Six that with the Oscar nomination-hunting season now underway, Fox Searchlight Pictures offered to put Katie Holmes' name out there for consideration, for her role in Thank You for Smoking. Holmes' "handlers," however, are said to have "respectfully declined" the offer, perhaps due to the raunchy nature of her sex scene with Aaron Eckhart. You know, her career did have some potential there for a bit.

Tue, Nov 14, 2006

Babylon Carries On, with New Lost Tales

Speaking of alien encounters, production is underway on Babylon 5: The Lost Tales, a straight-to-video follow-up to the long-running TV series. Lost Tales picks up several years after the events of the series' original story, following several of its major characters  returning cast members include Bruce Boxleitner, Tracy Scoggins and Peter Woodward  in new adventures set against the backdrop of the Babylon 5 universe.

Tue, Nov 14, 2006

In the Works: January Return Set for Housewives

Bravo has announced a January 16, 2007, return date for The Real Housewives of Orange County, now entering its second season.... Lifetime has given a script order to a pilot inspired by the life of songstress Diane Warren. The hourlong drama would feature music from Warren's famed catalog, as well as new tunes penned specifically for the series.... Disney Channel is developing a TV-movie based on Neal Shusterman's The Schwa Was Here, about an eighth-grader so meek he ultimately becomes invisible. My. Life. Story.

Tue, Nov 14, 2006

The Jolie-Pitt Wedding Is (Waxed) Off!

Aww, what a handsome parafin they would have made, too. The Las Vegas Madame Tussauds nixed its plan to stage a wax depiction of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt tying the knot after a rep for the latter protested. "I personally found it a little off, re-creating a wedding that never really happened," Pitt's spokesperson tells the AP. "[It's] disturbing." The never-to-be-seen scene would have featured George Clooney as best man and Rev. Robert Schuller as officiant, with the likes (likenesses?) of Elvis, John Wayne and Frank Sinatra (surprising, seeing as Ol' Blue Eyes is said to have been Team Aniston) serving as witnesses.

Tue, Nov 14, 2006

Boston Legal Star Expecting

And no, it isn't Candice Bergen. Julie Bowen is four months pregnant with her and husband Scott Phillips' first child, People reports. Does this mean that filming scads more Lost/Jack-flashback episodes is off-limits for at least five months?

Tue, Nov 14, 2006

Short Cuts: Grey's Anatomy, Al Jazeera and More!

Grey's Anatomy is poised to enter weekend broadcast syndication in fall 2009. Remember those simpler times when Mer was man-obsessed and confused...? Al Jazeera has all but abandoned its bid to secure U.S. distribution for an English-language version of its newscast, says Variety.... The 42nd-annual Academy of Country Music Awards will be broadcast May 15, 2007, live on CBS.... In closing, I leave you with this thought: Comedienne Margaret Cho has accepted a seat on the board of directors of Good Vibrations, the San Francisco-based purveyor of "sex toys and sex-positive products."

Tue, Nov 14, 2006

Friday Night Lights' Panthers to Play a Full Season

NBC is now confirming that which Mike uncorked two and a half hours ago: the freshman drama Friday Night Lights has been given a full-season order. In making the announcement, NBC entertainment prez Kevin Reilly hails FNL as "authentic, poignant," then notes, "Critics and devoted fans have supported the show with well-deserved praise for the executive producers, writers and exceptionally talented cast." Score yet another "W" for quality television. At this rate, Everwood will be back by mid-season.

Tue, Nov 14, 2006

Grey's Star to Marry Her Own McDreamy

Ellen Pompeo and her record-producer boyfriend, Chris Ivery, are engaged to be married, the Grey's Anatomy star's publicist tells the Associated Press. Ivery proposed to his lady love of three years on Friday, her 37th birthday, after sharing breakfast at home. This news is so going to send Izzy back into a funk. She was engaged to Denny and all. But he's dead now.

Tue, Nov 14, 2006

Sin City Siren Signs Up for Class

TVGuide.com has learned that Jaime King (Sin City, Pearl Harbor), whose last big small-screen gig was on 2005's short-lived Kitchen Confidential, has been booked for a recurring role on The Class. On CBS' freshman comedy, King will play a former art-school classmate of Kat's  one who has found much success as a fellow photographer, much to Kat's dismay. King's first appearance is scheduled to air in December.

Mon, Nov 13, 2006

Justice Doesn't Prevail, As Life of Brian Goes On

After failing to draw good numbers in two different time slots, Fox's Justice has been pulled from the schedule effective immediately, the Hollywood trades are reporting. For the next two weeks, at least, repeats of House will occupy the Monday, 9 pm slot (which ultimately, come mid-January, will be turned over to a little show called 24). Better news, though, for another Monday series: as first spilled by the Ausiello Report, ABC has granted a full-season order to What About Brian, which, despite placing a regular third in the 10 o'clock hour, has been managing solid audience retention out of lead-in The Bachelor.UPDATE: Speaking of Monday TV, the Ausiello Report has Friday Night Lights news that will make you cheer!

Mon, Nov 13, 2006

Box Office: Borat Bests Ferrell, Buffy and Maximus

Thanks to its expansion to a total of 2,566 theaters, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan topped the weekend box office for a second straight week, with a take of $29 million. Rounding out the top five were The Santa Clause 3 ($16.9 million), Flushed Away ($16.7 mil), Will Ferrell's Stranger Than Fiction (the week's best new opening, at $14.1 mil) and Saw III ($6.6. mil). Sarah Michelle Gellar's The Return debuted in eighth place, with $4.8 million), while Russell Crowe's A Good Year did not-so-good, 10th-place business, opening with $3.8 million.

Mon, Nov 13, 2006

In the Works: What If 24 Were a Medical Comedy?

ABC has given a series commitment to The Call, a real-time medical comedy from 24 creators Joel Surnow and Bob Cochran, says the Hollywood Reporter. Unlike 24, however, The Call  which centers on a pair of best friends/unorthodox paramedics  will offer self-contained, nonserialized episodes, and no one even close to being as fab as Chloe.... X-Files exec producer Vince Gilligan has received a green light from AMC for Breaking Bad, an drama pilot about a high-school chemistry teacher who manufactures crystal meth on the side. Gee, and I thought lighting a candle without touching the wick was radical.

Mon, Nov 13, 2006

At the Movies: Kate Hudson Does the Bride Thing

Per Variety, Kate Hudson will star in (and who knows, perhaps find a new boyfriend in) Bride Wars, a romantic comedy about two gal pals who clash over identical wedding dates.... Uma Thurman is a radio show "love doctor" whose advice bites her on the butt in The Accidental Husband, also starring Colin Firth, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Sam Shepard, Isabella Rossellini, Lindsay Sloane and Justina Machado.

Mon, Nov 13, 2006

Love Notes: A Spider-Baby, and a Celebrity Split

Spider-Man Tobey Maguire and his fiancée, Jennifer Meyer, on Thursday became the parents of a baby girl, Us and People each are reporting.... Jude Law and Sienna Miller have finally split for good, a source close to the pair tells People: "They tried to make it work, but it failed." Law apparently is pro-Pittsburgh.

Mon, Nov 13, 2006