matt.mitovich

Criminal Minds Trades Inigo Montoya for Joe Mantegna

Prior to the recording of this week's podcast, Ausiello said Joe Mantegna was Criminal Minds' new front-runner, and this time the front-runner actually crossed the finish line. Joan of Arcadia's pop has been called upon to fill the vacancy left when Mandy Patinkin... well, we're still not 100 percent sure what he did. "We are very excited to tell you all that Joe Mantegna is officially joining the cast," Bernero shares at the Criminal Minds Fanatic blog. "Thanks for hanging with us, everyone."In the weeks since Patinkin's defection from the hit CBS series, such big names as Michael Keaton, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel and Doris Roberts [wink-wink] were tossed around as possible subs. At this point, with Minds being several episodes into production on the new season, Mantegna is not likely to first appear until November sweeps.

Sun, Aug 12, 2007

Criminal Minds Trades Inigo Montoya for Joe Mantegna

Rome Is Burning (Or at Least Its Set Was)

A fire tore through a section of Italy's famous Cinecitta film studios on Thursday at around 10 pm, partly destroying the set for HBO's now-defunct Rome, which was once touted by the cabler as the largest standing film set in the world. Doused overnight by firefighters, the blaze resulted in no injuries, and most of the studio complex was unaffected. A studio rep speculates to the AP that the fire may have been caused by an electrical short circuit. An investigation is ongoing.

Sat, Aug 11, 2007

Rome Is Burning (Or at Least Its Set Was)

Jill Hennessy Due with No. 2, and More Love Notes

Crossing Jordan's Jill Hennessy is six months pregnant with her and husband Paolo Mastropietro's second child  another boy  she tells People. The couple have a 4-year-old named Marco.... Roseanne alum Sara Gilbert gave birth to a daughter named Sawyer on Aug. 2, Variety reports. Gilbert also has a 3-year-old son, Levi (who was carried by her partner, Allison Adler).... Emma "Baby Spice" Bunton welcomed her and beau Jade Jones' first child, a son named Beau, on Friday, reports the AP.... Christina Applegate and Johnathon Schaech's split was finalized in superior court on Friday, a year and a half after Schaech filed for divorce. The couple separated in November 2005 after four years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.

Sat, Aug 11, 2007

Jill Hennessy Due with No. 2, and More Love Notes

High School Musical 2 and Other Short Cuts

Verizon FiOS customers have the chance to see Disney Channel's High School Musical 2 as early as today, a full week before its official premiere, via its Disney on Demand service. (Psst, save yourself some coin and pay me a mere $5 not to tell your rugrats.).... Helena Bonham Carter is pregnant with her and director husband Tim Burton's second child, her publicist tells the AP. The couple have a 3-year-old son, Raymond.... The role of Notorious B.I.G. for an upcoming biopic about the ill-fated rapper will be filled via an open casting call, producers tell the AP. if you're big enough and bad enough, go here for details.

Fri, Aug 10, 2007

High School Musical 2 and Other Short Cuts

Rob Lowe Is High on New Anti-stalking Drama

Rob Lowe is deftly placing a producer's hat atop his perfect head of hair, teaming with writer Alison Cross (Commander in Chief) to create a procedural pilot for ABC. The project, says Variety, concerns the Los Angeles Police Department's anti-stalking unit, and represents the first offering out of Lowe's new production shingle. Lowe tells the trade he originally conceived the idea more than a year ago and as a starring vehicle for himself. Now it will be fronted by someone else (Andrew McCarthy? Emilio Estevez?), seeing how his dance card is full as a Brothers & Sisters series regular.

Fri, Aug 10, 2007

Rob Lowe Is High on New Anti-stalking Drama

Chris Noth Thanks Sex and the City for "Big" Favor

With the trades now confirming what Michael Patrick King told Extra earlier this week, Chris Noth is giving mad props to the Sex and the City filmmakers for squeezing in Big. "I was thrilled that the producers were able to work around my Law & Order: Criminal Intent schedule," the actor tells the New York Daily News. Noth also likes what he sees in the Sexy flick, saying, "I am happy to be back in the flesh as Mr. Big, especially after reading Michael Patrick King's script." Yeah, being surrounded by fab femmes is always a good read.Related: Sex and the City Boss Shares "Big" Film News, Will Sex and the City Film Be a "Big" Deal?

Fri, Aug 10, 2007

Chris Noth Thanks Sex and the City for "Big" Favor

NBC Fall Preview Includes Heroes Host, Sneak Peeks

The Peacock is unfurling The NBC Primetime Preview Show, a 30-minute showcase for its coming season, starting Aug. 11 on select affiliates and NBCU-owned cablers (check local listings). If you're lazy like me, the special can be found Sept. 8 at 8:30 pm/ET on NBC proper.Hosted by Heroes' Greg Grunberg, the Primetime Preview will feature drop-bys from the Bionic Woman (Michelle Ryan), Chuck's Zachary Levi and others. As part of the initiative, NBC is also letting cable, satellite and telco (that Fios thing?) outlets premiere the first episodes of Bionic Woman, Chuck, Life and Journeyman two weeks early.But remember, Matt Parkman is hosting the special, so be careful with your thoughts on the new programs. He can hear them.

Fri, Aug 10, 2007

NBC Fall Preview Includes Heroes Host, Sneak Peeks

True Blood Vampire Saga Tests Positive at HBO

HBO has sunk its teeth into an order for the True Blood series, Six Feet Under creator Alan Ball's new drama based on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire novels. Set in a world where vamps can live off Japanese-produced synthetic blood, the TV adaptation stars Brit Stephen Moyer (Quills) as a vampire who falls for a waitress (Anna Paquin) who can read people's minds. Though a premiere plan has yet to be detailed, production starts this fall.Related: X-Men's Anna Paquin Banks on Blood

Fri, Aug 10, 2007

True Blood Vampire Saga Tests Positive at HBO

Ratings: L.A. Ink Is in the Pink, a Power Dip and More

• For starters, Tuesday's premiere of L.A. Ink averaged 2.9 million viewers, making it TLC's most-watched series debut since January 2003's What Not to Wear.• Moving to Wednesday night, CBS' Power of 10 (7.8 million) suffered a bit of an outage, losing 15 percent of its premiere audience. Still, its numbers were markedly higher than what the Eye was getting this summer in the Wednesdays-at-8 slot.• So You Think You Can Dance (7.6 mil), despite drawing nearer to the finale, dipped 600K. Last Comic Standing (5.9 mil) also dropped, to the tune of 900 thou.• Don't Forget the Lyrics! (8.8 mil) earned that exclamation point, adding a mil week-to-week.• ABC's Knights of Prosperity double-header averaged 2.2 mil, or less than half of what the Alphabet was drawing with Jim repeats/American Inventor. The Nine (1.9 mil) dropped 1.3 mil from its previous week's return audience.

Fri, Aug 10, 2007

Ratings: L.A. Ink Is in the Pink, a Power Dip and More

Could Lindsay Lohan's Career Be Saved by Porn?

How's that for a headline?Real quick, because I gotta jet. But I had the thought that Lindsay Lohan's "comeback vehicle," once she dries out and whatnot, could be the Jenna Jameson biopic that has been getting shopped around to assorted starlets. (For the uninitiated, Ms. Jameson is an adult film star and author of How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale, on which the film in question is based.) Scarlett Johansson has said no to the gig, as has apparently Jessica Simpson, but there is buzz that the project could prove to be Oscar fodder for the right actress (and, obviously, with an especially capable production team).Because let's face it  a lot of people have written LiLo off, arguing that she has crossed a line, partied too hard and been involved in too many infractions to be taken seriously anymore. Or at least for now.This Jameson bio, meanwhile, will likely be indie fare, so what if Lindsay came in under the radar, acted the bejesus out of the thing  g...

Fri, Aug 10, 2007

Kevin Bacon Clears the Air About Footloose Remake

While speaking with Kevin Bacon about this Monday's episode of The Closer, where he once again directed wife Kyra Sedgwick, TVGuide.com asked for the actor's thoughts on the recently announced Footloose remake starring High School Musical's Zac Efron. "I've heard about it," says Bacon, "and it's great, but of course the truth is they're not really remaking the movie that I was in. They're remaking the Broadway musical [which premiered on the planks in 1998]."In other words, what we have here is a situation exactly à la Hairspray, says Bacon. "You had a movie that was not a musical becoming a Broadway musical, and they make a movie of that."Nonetheless, does Bacon find a certain added validation in that something he did so long ago keeps on dancing? With a near-chuckle, he answers, "Um, I can find validation other ways."Look for my complete Q&A with Bacon in Monday's Interviews & Features.Related: Zac Efron Brings Home the Bacon in Footloose Redo

Thu, Aug 9, 2007

Kevin Bacon Clears the Air About Footloose Remake

Galactica Boss Inks Deal to Do Moore for NBC U

Ronald D. Moore has scored a new two-year, seven-figure deal with NBC Universal Media Studios, where he will continue overseeing Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica during its final run, as well as develop new projects. NUMS, says Variety, is hot to get a new Moore series on the air for fall 2008, perhaps a comedy ("When an Earthling and a Cylon wind up as roommates, it's pure mayhem!") or even another sci-fi redo. "It sort of depends on what it is," Moore tells the trade. "My first instinct is to do something new and of my own [creation]. But I'm not averse to doing a new spin on something else. I will be as curious as you to see what my next project is."On the feature front, Moore is at work on a sequel to I, Robot and a remake of John Carpenter's The Thing.

Thu, Aug 9, 2007

Galactica Boss Inks Deal to Do Moore for NBC U

In the Works: ABC Asks Cedric to Entertain, and More

ABC has ordered a sitcom pilot in which Cedric the Entertainer will star as a family man who becomes unsettled when his wife's hobby turns into a multimillion-dollar enterprise, says the Reporter.... Per Variety, Fox has picked up Drop Dead Diva, a high-concept pilot from Josh Berman (Bones, CSI) that concerns a model who dies and is reincarnated as a plus-size attorney.... E! is getting in bed with pal-of-Paris Kim Kardashian, who will star in a reality series centered on her and her two "fiercely competitive sisters."

Thu, Aug 9, 2007

In the Works: ABC Asks Cedric to Entertain, and More

Burn, Baby, Burn: USA Network Renews Spy Drama

On the heels of TNT extending its Saving Grace to a full, 23-episode season, USA Network has ordered a second 13-episode season of Burn Notice. The USA spy drama premiered to four million viewers. Last Thursday's episode delivered 4.4 mil, its largest audience to date.

Thu, Aug 9, 2007

Burn, Baby, Burn: USA Network Renews Spy Drama

Carla Gugino Joins the Watchmen, More Movie News

Carla Gugino is joining Zack Snyder's Watchmen, playing burlesque dancer turned costumed heroine Sally Jupiter.... Also per the Reporter, Jessica Alba, Verne "Mini-Me" Troyer and Romany Malco (Weeds) have a date with The Love Guru, Mike Myers' first original character since Austin Powers.... Colin Hanks is the male lead opposite Anna Faris in that Playboy bunny-becomes-sorority-house-mom comedy.... Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell are joining Daniel Craig in the WWII movie Defiance.... Per Variety, Andy Garcia, John Cleese and Alfred Molina are in the pink, as in The Pink Panther 2.

Thu, Aug 9, 2007

Carla Gugino Joins the Watchmen, More Movie News

Bionic Woman and Cavemen Have Got Da Buzz

According to a TV Dailies poll of 3,100 people, NBC's Bionic Woman reboot and ABC's Cavemen com are the highest-rated fall debuts in terms of viewer buzz, awareness and intent to watch. Among the 18-to-49 crowd, Jaime Sommers boasts the most awareness and intent to watch, while the GEICO-inspired Cro-Mags are tops in buzz. (I know Ausiello and I disagree on this, but I think Cavemen is kinda cute, with the Nick character being a real scene-stealer.)Placing third were Kid Nation (in awareness and buzz) and Kitchen Nightmares (in intent to watch). Coming in fourth were Pushing Daisies (awareness and buzz) and Private Practice (intent to watch).

Thu, Aug 9, 2007

Bionic Woman and Cavemen Have Got Da Buzz

The Office, Mario Lopez and More Short Cuts

The original U.K. version of The Office is now and for the first time being offered through Netflix and Vuze.com.... Extra's Mario Lopez will host the Miss Teen USA 2007 pageant, airing live on NBC Aug. 24.... Melanie "Scary Spice" Brown, who birthed Eddie Murphy's daughter in April, secretly wed beau Steven Belafonte in June, it has been uncovered.... Bruce Willis' new mystery honey has been ID'd by Page Six as 1998 Playmate of the Year Karen McDougal. Oh, how the ladies love the chrome dome!

Thu, Aug 9, 2007

The Office, Mario Lopez and More Short Cuts

American Idol Wannabe Auditions While in Labor!

Look at what Fox's PR department just popped out:"For the first time in American Idol history"  Fox says it as if mangling Whitney Houston is known to dilate the cervix  "an auditioner went into labor while waiting with 13,500 hopefuls for her chance to become the next singing superstar. On Monday, nine-months-pregnant Antoria Gillon arrived at Texas Stadium with hopes of becoming the next American Idol. However, as the time of her audition approached, she realized she was in labor. Determined not to miss her shot at fame, Gillon sang her best while in the midst of contractions. After completing the audition and learning she will return for the next round, Gillon was taken to a local hospital, where she gave birth to a healthy son."Randy Jackson says the childbirth screams were a bit pitchy.

Thu, Aug 9, 2007

American Idol Wannabe Auditions While in Labor!

Britney's Ex Is K-Fed Up, Files for More Custody

We've all said it here, but let's say it again: Who'd have thought Kevin Federline would one day be swooping in with a cape and a Superdaddy emblem on his chest? According to TMZ and the assorted glossies, Britney's ex has had it up to his fedora with her increasingly bizarre and not-conducive-to-proper-motherhood antics, and as such has filed for an increase in custody of the couple's kids, Sean Preston and Jayden James (or as Brit calls them, "Whatshisname and that one that cries a lot, y'all").Since the couple split, they have enjoyed equal custody, though Brit's definition of "enjoyed" is somewhat off the charts.

Thu, Aug 9, 2007

Britney's Ex Is K-Fed Up, Files for More Custody

Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana Tour Together

Super-wholesome teen queen Miley Cyrus is taking her act on the road with the "Best of Both Worlds," a 54-date tour launching Oct. 18 in St. Louis and in which she will perform both as herself and as her Hannah Montana alter ego. Cyrus will open each concert with tracks from the two Hannah CDs, then finish up the night with songs from her solo album, Meet Miley Cyrus. Tickets go on sale Aug. 18, with a buck from each ducat getting donated to City of Hope.Keep an eye on the gossip columns when the tour rolls around, because sources tell me Miley and Hannah do not get along at all. Expect fireworks.

Thu, Aug 9, 2007

Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana Tour Together

Saving Grace Blessed with Extended Run

Someone up there likes Holly Hunter. TNT has granted Saving Grace a full first-season run, extending its original order by an additional 15 episodes. "Saving Grace is a wholly original, thought-provoking show with a dynamic, gut-wrenching performance by one of Hollywood's top actresses at its center," says TNT exec Michael Wright. "We're thrilled at the response to the show and happy that it has connected with its audience, and we're proud to be extending the run of this exciting new series as it continues to build on its success."Saving Grace is basic cable's most-watched series launch of the year.And again, I remind you  no naked Harvey Keitel bits.UPDATE: Speaking of Keitel, look who's the new front-runner to join Criminal Minds! (Click here for details.)

Thu, Aug 9, 2007

Ratings: Drew Carey Can't Over-Power Talent Show

This Tuesday's ratings recap: CBS' Power of 10 premiered to 9.25 million total viewers, improving on NCIS repeats by 1.5 mil and giving the Eye its best performance in key demos in the time slot since May. NBC's America's Got Talent, though, dominated the 8 o'clock hour (and the night) with a typical 10.75 mil. Just for Laughs (6.39 mil) and Big Brother 8 (7.21 mil) matched last week's numbers, while On the Lot (2 mil, down 320K) and The Singing Bee (9.23 mil, down 600 thou) both slipped. At 10 pm, ABC's i-Caught debuted to 6.33 mil, 400,000 heads better than Primetime Secrets' latest outing.

Wed, Aug 8, 2007