matt.mitovich

National Lampoon, Playboy and More Short Cuts

Comedy Central has proactively snapped up broadcast rights to three upcoming National Lampoon films: Bag Boy, Ratko: The Dictator's Son and The Legend of Awesomest Maximus Wallace Leonidas (a spoof of 300).... Kim Kardashian will grace Playboy's December cover and inside will unveil one girl and her back porch, a source tells Us.... Super Bowl MVP and former Giants QB Phil Simms will appear on As the World Turns Oct. 8.... Planet Terror, Robert Rodriguez's half of Grindhouse, arrives on DVD Oct. 16 in a two-disc, extended and unrated version.

Fri, Sep 21, 2007

Ratings: Kelsey Grammer Beats Up on CBS' Kid

Wednesday's ratings highlights: This just in.... Fox's Back to You, starring Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton, premiered to 9.44 million total viewers, winning its 8 pm half hour (in key demos, as well). 'Til Death lost 18 percent of that lead-in audience, drawing 7.76 mil. CBS' Kid Nation opened its frontier doors to 9.07 million. But did it deserve all the controversy? Vote here. UPDATE: CBS will rebroadcast the Kid Nation opener Saturday at 8 pm. Last Comic Standing delivered its last laughs to 7.13 mil, besting Kitchen Nightmares (6.64 mil) along the way. Top Model returned to an audience of 5.15 mil, down just a hair from the previous cycle's opener. Gossip Girl had 3.65 mil talking, matching One Tree Hill's 2006 season premiere and faring a bit better than that Pussycat Doll search.

Thu, Sep 20, 2007

Ratings: Kelsey Grammer Beats Up on CBS' Kid

In the Works: High-school Musical Doc and More

Showtime, Lionsgate and Spitfire Pictures have teamed up on an as-yet-untitled documentary offering a behind-the-scenes look at the cutthroat world of high-school musicals at Southern Indiana's Floyd Central, New Albany and Jeffersonville high schools.... Fox is developing Raffik, a Borat-flavored cop show about an Albanian detective who baffles his LAPD partners, says the Reporter.... A Season 2 pickup for AMC's glorious Mad Men is expected imminently, as first teased/buried in Wednesday's Ask Ausiello.

Thu, Sep 20, 2007

Shark's New Ex, and Other Casting Quickies

Orla Brady (Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise) will play James Woods' ex-wife in several episodes of CBS' Shark this season. The role was filled in the pilot by Lindsay Frost.... Also from the Reporter, Tony winner Christian Hoff (Jersey Boys) will play the vice principal — and Donal Logue's nemesis — in the Fox comedy pilot Hackett.... Jennifer Aspen, Brendan Sexton and Sean O'Bryan are William H. Macy's younger sister, nephew and younger brother on the TNT drama pilot Family Man.

Thu, Sep 20, 2007

Vanessa Hudgens, Beaver and More Legal Briefs

High School Musical starlet Vanessa Hudgens is being sued by her former lawyer, Brian Schall, who claims that out of the five percent of the $5 million she has earned since he came onboard in October 2005, he still has $150,000 due him. Per the AP, Hudgens' rep has yet to comment on the legal action.... Ken Osmond, aka Leave It to Beaver's Eddie Haskell, has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit seeking unpaid royalties form the Screen Actors Guild. Now a retired police officer, Osmond contends that the union has collected $8 million-plus in foreign residuals, but has yet to pass on the coinage to its members. SAG's general counsel tells the Reporter he has not seen the complaint, and thus has no comment.

Thu, Sep 20, 2007

Vanessa Hudgens, Beaver and More Legal Briefs

Shopoholic Isla, Narnia 3 Delay and More Film News

Wedding Crashers nymph Isla Fisher has signed on to star in Confessions of a Shopoholic, a Disney com based on the Sophie Kinsella novels (shop Amazon).... Also per the Reporter, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of Dawn Treader has had its release pushed back a year to May 7, 2010, due to "the challenging schedules for our young actors".... Leslie Nielsen, Marion "Mrs. C!" Ross, Jeffery Tambor and Brent Spiner have joined Josh Bell and Sara Paxton for the Scary Movie-esque action-hero spoof Superhero.... Tom Hanks is producing a thriller based on the new bio Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love and Betrayal.... The AP reports that Matthew McConaughey will replace Owen Wilson in Tropic Thunder.... To avoid a May 2009 showdown with James Cameron's Avatar, Variety says DreamWorks has moved up its own 3-D pic, Monsters vs. Aliens, to March 27.

Thu, Sep 20, 2007

Shopoholic Isla, Narnia 3 Delay and More Film News

Will Britney Be Matthew Perry's New TV Friend?

The New York Post's Liz Smith herself admits it's a "long shot," but nonetheless reports that some NBC mucky-mucks believe Britney Spears could be just the ticket to play opposite Matthew Perry in a new sitcom. The tentatively titled Occasional Wife has the Friends alum attached to play a guy who persuades a young, wacky artist to pose as his missus, so as to bolster his career. Assessing Spears' fit for the female lead, one Peacock insider tells Smith, "There's something about her that just connects with the audience.... They want her to succeed now in spite of her adversity." Or at least deliver one more decent music video. Speaking of which....Today's Brit bits: Spears' "Gimme More" video is not debuting today on TRL, says Extra. Barely 24 hours after a judge odered Spears to submit to random drug and alcohol testing, the pop tart was spied cruising L.A. hot spots Hyde and Winston's  but probably just to snack on buffalo wings, I'm sure. Appearing on Wedne...

Thu, Sep 20, 2007

Will Britney Be Matthew Perry's New TV Friend?

Batgirl Gets Naked, Grey's and More Short Cuts

Alicia Silverstone is not clueless but shoeless (and shirtless and pantsless... ) in a new promo for PETA. Watch the not-entirely-safe-for-work video here.... TNT's Saving Grace ended its freshman season on Monday with a series low of 4.2 million viewers.... The Shield creator Shawn Ryan has inked a new three-year deal with 20th Century Fox. Among his new projects is the supernatural Fox drama The Oaks, on which he will serve as showrunner.... Jimmy Kimmel will repeat as host of the American Music Awards this Nov. 18, on ABC.... The Grey's Anatomy Season 3 DVD set last week bumped The Office S3 from the top of the sales charts. Blades of Glory was the No. 1 rental.... DVD releases have been set for I Love New York: The Complete Unrated First Season (Oct. 2) and American Pie Presents: Beta House (Dec. 26).

Thu, Sep 20, 2007

Batgirl Gets Naked, Grey's and More Short Cuts

Ratings: Brother's Big, But Not Bigger Than Loser

This Tuesday's ratings at a glance: A two-hour The Biggest Loser matched last week's premiere audience  7.9 million total viewers  and surged to nine mil in the 9 pm hour opposite Big Brother's finale. Beauty and the Geek scored 3.34 mil on its first-ever fall date. That's a 30-percent drop from the previous season opener. Big Brother wrapped up its season with 8.5 mil, a three percent improvement on the Season 7 closer. All told, BB8 matched 7 in average audience size.

Thu, Sep 20, 2007

Ratings: Brother's Big, But Not Bigger Than Loser

K-Fed's Tree Hill, Jericho and More Casting Updates

Kevin Federline has been asked to become a regular character on the CW's One Tree Hill after impressing producers with his arc as a rocker, claims the U.K.'s Digital Spy.... A bit more info on Emily Rose's Jericho character: the John from Cincinnati actress has been booked for a five-episode gig playing an aid worker who helps with the reconstruction of the town, says the Reporter. Rose also is doing eight eppys of Brothers & Sisters, as a bad-gal pal of Rebecca's.... Rescue Me's Andrea Roth has Bridal Fever in a Hallmark movie about a wannabe bride who gets help in landing Mr. Right from a romance novelist (Delta Burke).

Wed, Sep 19, 2007

Saving Grace, the Movie! And Other Film News

Tatum O'Neal will play the title character in Saving Grace, a period drama having not a thing to do with the TNT series but that instead is about a woman released from an asylum into the custody or her sister (Penelope Ann Miller) and brother-in-law (Michael Biehn). The 4400's Joel Gretsch plays Grace's ex-husband.... Also per the Reporter, Jennifer Garner is in talks to star opposite (a presumably bare-chested) Matthew McConaughey in the rom-com Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.... Ryan Reynolds and Kristen Stewart have joined the cast of the coming-of-age comedy Adventureland, playing an aspiring rock star and a tomboy amusement-park employee, respectively.... Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer-winning thriller The Road (shop Amazon) is being brought to the big screen. Viggo Mortensen has been rumored for the lead role. Production starts in January.

Wed, Sep 19, 2007

Saving Grace, the Movie! And Other Film News

ABC's View: Actually, We Said No to Manilow

Maybe Barry Manilow should retitle his old hit "I Rewrite the Songs." Despite Barry's blog brag about "bowing out" of his Tuesday visit to The View when the chat show refused to bar conservative Elisabeth Hasselbeck from his segment, a source close to the show says that executive producer Bill Geddie canceled the crooner rather than accede to his out-of-left-field demand.Manilow's booking had been firm since July, we're told, making his sudden objection to what he told TMZ were Hasselbeck's "dangerous views" somewhat inexplicable. We also remember Manilow's two happy singalongs in 2006, in which the cast, including Hasselbeck, were in on the fun. "This came as a complete shock to Elisabeth, who's a consummate professional," says the insider. On her Monday-night Sirius radio show, View creator Barbara Walters deemed Manilow's decision "too bad." Why'd the aging popster do it? "He's a huge friend of Rosie's, so make of that what you will," sums up our source.  Reporting by Ilean...

Wed, Sep 19, 2007

ABC's View: Actually, We Said No to Manilow

Porn, William Shatner and More Short Cuts

Penthouse is getting into the adult-TV biz, signing a 10-year, $10 mil deal with adult network developer New Frontier to create a 24/7 bow-chicka-wow-wow network as well as a VOD service, says Variety.... Fox Business Network, launching Oct. 15, has added four more anchors: former CNBC correspondent Peter Barnes, Forbes.com's Jenna Lee, Bloomberg's Nicole Petallides and The Financial Times' Cody Willard.... A Sept. 25 release has been set for a pair of Roger Corman DVDs: The Intruder: Special Edition, starring William Shatner, and Eat My Dust! Supercharged Edition, with Ron Howard.... It's never too early to not care: the 62nd Annual Tony Awardswill be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 15, on CBS.

Wed, Sep 19, 2007

Porn, William Shatner and More Short Cuts

Bruckheimer, CBS Eye Big-bucks Eleventh Hour Deal

Following a fierce bidding war between CBS and ABC, Warner Bros. has cut a massive deal with the Eye for the rights to a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced take on the British thriller Eleventh Hour, says Variety. Sources close to the deal say it is easily the most lucrative pact of the development season, with CBS greenlighting a $4 million pilot and agreeing to produce 13 episodes at a pay-or-play licensing fee of $1.75 mil per.The X-Files-esque Eleventh Hour last year aired as a four-part miniseries in the U.K., with Patrick Stewart starring as a professor called in by the government to investigate mysterious cases involving matters of science, from cloning to global warming.

Wed, Sep 19, 2007

Bruckheimer, CBS Eye Big-bucks Eleventh Hour Deal

Judge to Britney: Gimme More... Urine Samples

According to court papers obtained by the AP, Britney Spears has been ordered to undergo random drug and alcohol testing twice a week, as the singer negotiates custody with ex-husband Kevin Federline. "Based on the evidence presented, the court finds that there is habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol [by Spears]," the judge says in the documents. Spears must also meet for eight hours a week with a "parenting coach," who will observe and report back to the court on her mad mothering skillz.Federline, like Spears, is required to neither drink nor use drugs around their two children, but only Britney must submit to testing.

Wed, Sep 19, 2007

Judge to Britney: Gimme More... Urine Samples

Will Galactica Split Season 4? Plus Spin-off, DVD News

Sci Fi Channel execs continue to be at odds over whether to cleave the final season of Battlestar Galactica into two 10-episode chunks. As one source tells TV Week, "the money people" are itching to amortize the pricey series across two half-seasons. Showrunner Ronald D. Moore, however, tells the trade it might be better to run all 20 at once, "so [the fans] don't have to wait"  especially since viewers reportedly will "freak out" when they see the ending of Episode 10. A decision on the game plan may not come until January.Elsewhere, Sci Fi is said to be pondering a two-hour standalone Caprica spin-off movie that, if successful, would serve as a pilot for a new character-driven, less-action-heavy series. Also, TVGuide.com has learned that the Season 3 DVD set isn't due out until spring 2008.

Wed, Sep 19, 2007

Will Galactica Split Season 4? Plus Spin-off, DVD News

YouTube's "Leave Britney Alone" Loon Inks TV Deal

Chris Crocker, the 19-year-old Tennessean and MySpace sensation whose "Leave Britney Alone" video plea rocked YouTube the week after the pop tart's VMA implosion  to the tune of nearly eight million hits  has inked a development deal with reality-TV producer 44 Blue Productions. According to Variety, the plan is to build a "docusoap" around Crocker. "It's pretty much going to be 'the Chris Crocker experience,'" 44 Blue's prez tells the trade. "We consider him a rebel character that people find interesting. He's going to be a TV star." Maybelline's Liquid Waterproof Eyeliner is already lining up as a sponsor.

Wed, Sep 19, 2007

YouTube's "Leave Britney Alone" Loon Inks TV Deal

24 Clocks Back In with a Shocking Return

I will go out of my way not to blurt this out, lest someone castigate me for spoiling. But when Fox's 24 launches Season 7 on Jan. 13 and 14 with a two-night premiere, a familiar (though unexpected) face will put in an appearance. "With CTU dismantled, the show's setting moves to Washington, D.C., where Jack Bauer faces trial for his actions in the pursuit of justice," reads the Fox press release. "Bauer's day gets off to a shocking start when former colleague Tony Almeida (played by Carlos Bernard), last seen in Day 5, returns after being left for dead by a terrorist conspirator in CTU's infirmary."Say wha?! "Tony's uncertain fate... left the door open for his return," explains exec producer Howard Gordon. "And since there was no silent clock at the conclusion of his last appearance  the 24 tribute to a major character's demise  we always kept this as a possibility." Indeed, it was widely rumored (and, I believe, perhaps even filmed) that Tony was to resurface in the fi...

Wed, Sep 19, 2007

24 Clocks Back In with a Shocking Return

Heigl: Mom Said Sopranos Would Snuff Me at Emmys

As indicated in her Sunday-night acceptance speech, Grey's Anatomy star Katherine Heigl's own mother didn't think she'd walk away with a win in the Supporting Actress in a Drama Series race. Rather, Mom had either of the two Sopranos nominees to get the nod. Pops wasn't much more positive. As Heigl said calling into Tuesday's Ellen, "Even my dad was like in shock and said, 'I really didn't think you'd win.' Nobody thought I was going to win." All of which made it extra sweet when her name was called. "It's more fun that way because you can't get let down.... You can only be excited about it." I bring this story to you pretty much only for the purpose of asking: Why was Heigl the only winner to blow off us folks in the Emmys press room the other night? You win one of the industry's biggest awards and you deign to reflect on it publicly?

Wed, Sep 19, 2007

Heigl: Mom Said Sopranos Would Snuff Me at Emmys

Ratings: Prison Opens, K-Ville Gets Big, Easy Numbers

Set the fall-premiere ratings loose! Matt is officially back from Emmysland, here offering a snapshot look at Monday's two launches, both on Fox: Prison Break opened Season 3 with an audience of 7.4 million total viewers. That's a 20 percent drop from its sophomore-season debut. I blame the unsightly Bellick, stumbling around in his filthy drawers. (No offense intended, Wade.) At 9 pm, the series premiere of K-Ville welcomed 8.96 mil to its version of post-Katrina N.O. That's about 400K better than Vanished did as PB's lead-out a year ago. K-Ville bested almost all of the (mostly repeat) competition, save for CBS' rowdy Men.

Tue, Sep 18, 2007

Ratings: Prison Opens, K-Ville Gets Big, Easy Numbers

NBC Gives Lauren Graham Her Due

Emmy shmemmy! Our favorite Gilmore Girl has just scored a seven-figure development deal with the Peacock, Variety reports. "After having spent so many years representing the frog on the WB," the actress says, "I am especially comforted to be part of the only other network with an animal mascot." More importantly, it's now only a matter of time until the golden Girl is back on the tube in a new series! Yay squared!

Tue, Sep 18, 2007

Britney Update: Lawyer and Manager Quit, Bodyguard Blabs

The Britster's former bodyguard, Tony Baretto, is the no-longer-secret witness in her custody battle. The People website says he was ready to testify about the Mother of the Year's penchant for nudity and drug use, and safety issues concerning the kids, but submitted his allegations in written form instead. In other Britnews, Monday's closed-door hearing was the last for her lawyer, Laura Wasser, who insisted that she wasn't bailing on her client and that her replacement Marci Levine would do a bang-up job as her new attorney. (For the moment, though Kevin Federline is seeking primary physical custody of the kids, he and the lip-syncher are still sharing them 50/50.) Likewise, the management company she hired a month ago to help launch her new album has dropped her, explaining, "Current circumstances have prevented us from properly doing our job."

Tue, Sep 18, 2007

Britney Update: Lawyer and Manager Quit, Bodyguard Blabs