michael.ausiello

What You Didn't See at the Globes!

Merriam-Webster, listen up. At last night's 60th annual Golden Globe Awards, Chicago champ Ren&eacute;e Zellweger came up with the perfect word to describe all those self-important celebrity "escorts" (i.e. publicists, agents, more publicists) who whisk the winners around backstage after their moment of glory. "They're shufflers," she cracked to reporters after picking up her trophy for best lead actress in a movie musical or comedy. "They're shuffling me around [tonight] with great urgency." Not to mention danger. At one point, Zellweger's handlers — having decided that the actress's one-on-one interview with Access Hollywood's Billy Bush had gone on long enough — practically strong-armed the petite blonde, insisting she needed to be somewhere else, like, now. Well, where Zellweger nearly ended up was on the

Mon, Jan 20, 2003

24 Spoiler Alert: The President Speaks!

The 24 cast knows the drill: When talking to the press, never, ever leak any key plot developments. Lucky for TV Guide Online readers, Golden Globe nominee Dennis Haysbert — who plays President David Palmer on Fox's serial thriller — broke that cardinal rule during a recent interview. After some good-natured prodding, Haysbert revealed that shortly after 24 returns on Feb. 4, Palmer will be calling the shots from a new location. "We're getting out of the Operations Complex and moving to Air Force One," he teases. "I think they got [the set] from Harrison Ford's movie, Air Force One. That's going to be very cool." Let's hope Palmer won't be taking estranged wife Sherry along for the ride. On Tuesday's knockout episode, the wannabe first lady was reve

Fri, Jan 17, 2003

Ka-Pow! Batman Wings it Back to TV

Here's a twist on the increasingly popular TV reunion: Legendary dynamic duo Adam West and Burt Ward — who became pop culture icons via their respective roles as Batman and Robin in the classic '60s series Batman — are reteaming for an upcoming CBS special that is neither a clip-filled retrospective nor a cheesy sequel chronicling the superheroes' much-later years. No, Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt is a tongue-in-cheek comedy adventure in which West and Ward, playing themselves, stumble upon a diabolical plot to steal the original Batmobile from a charity benefit. Talk about silly! "We decided to do something that was fresh, innovative," says West, "a modern-day caper with [me] and Burt and maybe with an occasional allusion to or reference to some of

Thu, Jan 16, 2003

Nathan Lane Throws a Political Party

Four years after getting booed off stage as the star of the NBC sitcom Encore! Encore!, Nathan Lane is finally ready for his curtain call. CBS has elected the Tony-winner to play a freshman congressman in the midseason comedy Charlie Lawrence. And this time around, Lane insists, he got it right. For starters, while Encore! cast the openly gay Birdcage thesp as — gasp! — a skirt-chasing opera singer, Lawrence finds Lane in more familiar territory. "He's an openly gay actor who ends up getting elected to Congress," the 46-year-old performer tells TV Guide Online. "I thought this was an interesting venue, to put a gay character into the world of politics." In addition to starring in the series, Lane also serves as an exec producer and writer. In other words, if Lawrence is a flop, he has no one to blame but himself. "The first time around, I was terribly na&#239ve," he laments of the Encore! deba

Thu, Jan 9, 2003

Christopher Walken: Self-Professed Oddball

Christopher Walken is the first to admit that, well, he's an odd bird. "Sure, I'm a little weird," he confesses to TV Guide Online. "But we're all a little weird." Of course, the 59-year-old Oscar winner's choice of film roles — from a sadistic Italian in 1991's Comfort of Strangers to a menacing angel in 1995's The Prophecy — has only upped his strangeness quotient. Although Walken came back down to earth to play Leonardo DiCaprio's endearingly mischievous old man in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can, the onetime lion tamer's head remained in the clouds at the film's recent press junket. Don't believe us? Well, here are four reasons Walken's kooky rep makes total sense. (Warning: This story contains a Catch spoiler!) 1. Walken had no clue that Frank Abagnale Sr. — the real-life character he plays in Catch — actually passed away more than 30 years ago. In fact, Abagn

Wed, Jan 8, 2003

Why Leonardo DiCaprio's Head's in the Clouds

Leonardo DiCaprio's career is taking flight — literally. Fresh off his Golden Globe-nominated turn as a faux airline pilot in Steven Spielberg's cat-and-mouse caper Catch Me If You Can, the 28-year-old actor will next portray Howard Hughes in the big-budget biopic The Aviator. "It seems like I'm going to be immersed in two films that are very much about the world of aviation," DiCaprio acknowledges to TV Guide Online. "There are no similarities in the storyline or the structure, but, certainly, [both movies] are about people taking chances that nobody else did at the time." The Aviator — which reteams DiCaprio with his Gangs of New York director

Mon, Jan 6, 2003

Leo Catches Hooters Alum

Want proof that up-and-coming starlet Amy Adams, who currently can be seen playing Leonardo DiCaprio's Southern sweetie in Catch Me If You Can, has indeed arrived? The media is scouring her closet for skeletons! Luckily, the biggest scandal the press has been able to dredge up was Adams's brief stint as a waitress at busty restaurant chain Hooters. But as the Colorado native laments to TV Guide Online, the only thing controversial about that gig was that she managed to land it in the first place! "We can all get the irony of me working at Hooters," laughs the actress, glancing down on her modest bosom. "All of the girls there were [much more]... enhanced. "I was never really good at it," she adds of the job, which she scored shortly after graduating high school. "I could never really manipulate the tips out of the customers, and I wasn't good at flirting." Adams, whose credits include The

Fri, Jan 3, 2003

Men In Black: Back for Thirds?

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones may not be done kicking alien butt just yet: Columbia Pictures is itching to re-team the duo for a third Men In Black flick, TV Guide Online has learned. "The studio wants one," confirms Walter Parkes, the producer behind the 1997 blockbuster and last summer's sequel. "We're trying to figure out the auspices of it and what to do to freshen that franchise up a little bit." Translation: Despite grossing a respectable $190 million stateside, MIB II was a dud creatively — a fact even Parkes won't deny. "It was a heartbreaking thing," he sighs of the follow-up, which scored its biggest laughs courtesy of a talking pug named Frank. "There were many disagreements among the

Thu, Jan 2, 2003

Frasier Wedding Mystery

Buzz that Frasier will cap its 11-year run in May by throwing a wedding for Kelsey Grammer's lovelorn shrink has everyone speculating about the identity of the future Mrs. Crane. Well, we can pretty much tell you who the radio caregiver won't be exchanging I-do's with: his trusty producer Roz (Peri Gilpin), who, in last May's finale, quit KACL in a jealous rage over her boss's romance with Julia (Felicity Huffman). "I'll tell you the truth," Grammer confides to TV Guide Online. "We've never actually seen [Frasier and Roz] as the ultimate relationship. It never seemed like the right place to go. But they certainly are the best of friends — and we'll restore that." But first, the tension created by Roz's lingering feelings will be dealt with in the Sept. 23 season premiere. "We will explore some of the psychological underpinnings as to why Roz acted that way," explains exec producer Christopher Lloyd. "But as far as an

Wed, Jan 1, 2003

Celebs Pick Best and Worst of 2002!

As the feud between Eminem and Moby has taught us, there's nothing more fun than watching celebs pick on each other! Surely 2003 will bring its own share of Hollywood hullabaloo, but first, TV Guide Online asked the stars to review 2002. Looking back on their fellow entertainers' projects and personalities, we asked which they loved the best  and deemed the worst! (Watch your back, Anna Nicole!) Andy Richter (Andy Richter Controls the Universe) Best: The Others with Nicole Kidman. It had a great twist ending that I didn't see coming. Oh, damn it, that's 2001. Well, you can just say my show is the best then. Worst: How about those Subway commercials with that guy who's sort of the love child of Denis Leary and Dennis Miller? Why does he give a s--t what anybody else eats for fast food? He's so smug a

Tue, Dec 31, 2002

Julianne Moore: A Big-Screen Betty Crocker?

In one of a number of heartbreaking vignettes in the Golden Globe-nominated feature The Hours, downtrodden 1950s housefrau Laura Brown (Julianne Moore) decides that the way to her man's heart is through his stomach. Unfortunately, she quickly discovers that baking him a birthday cake isn't as easy as pie. As a matter of fact, shooting the scene was no cakewalk, either, even with a number of cooks in the kitchen. "We had lots of discussions about what the bad cake should look like versus the good cake [that Laura eventually produces]," Moore tells TV Guide Online. "And [there was talk like], 'Don't be too ridiculous about how bad the bad cake is,' because I make cakes, and I know what a bad cake looks like. I also know what a good cake looks like. They have this thing called the crumb layer, so the

Tue, Dec 31, 2002

Julianne Moore: A Big-Screen Betty Crocker?

Mon, Dec 30, 2002

Billy Elliot Returns... on Crutches!

Jamie Bell  best known for his breakthrough role as a ballet prodigy in Billy Elliot  may not do any dancing in his latest film, Nicholas Nickleby, but his talent for fancy footwork once again takes center stage. Based on Charles Dickens's classic novel, the flick finds the now-16-year-old Brit playing Smike, an abused orphan who's weighted down by a severe limp. As Bell explains, the character's disability required him to return to the dance studio. "A choreographer worked with me for about two weeks," he tells TV Guide Online. "It was actually quite nice to get back into the flow of working my body, warming up and exercising. I wanted to get [the limp] right to make it look as fluid and natural as possible  because this is so

Mon, Dec 30, 2002

Julianne Moore: A Big-Screen Betty Crocker?

In one of a number of heartbreaking vignettes in the Golden Globe-nominated feature The Hours (opening today), downtrodden 1950s housefrau Laura Brown (Julianne Moore) decides that the way to her man's heart is through his stomach. Unfortunately, she quickly discovers that baking him a birthday cake isn't as easy as pie. As a matter of fact, shooting the scene was no cakewalk, either, even with a number of cooks in the kitchen. "We had lots of discussions about what the bad cake should look like versus the good cake [that Laura eventually produces]," Moore tells TV Guide Online. "And [there was talk like], 'Don't be too ridiculous about how bad the bad cake is,' because I make cakes, and I know what a bad cake looks like. I also know what a good cake looks like. They have this thing called the crumb layer, so the first time you ice it, you get a lot of crumbs in it. The next layer of icing covers the crumb layer. "But," she adds, "I

Fri, Dec 27, 2002

Billy Elliot Returns... on Crutches!

Jamie Bell  best known for his breakthrough role as a ballet prodigy in Billy Elliot  may not do any dancing in his latest film, Nicholas Nickleby, but his talent for fancy footwork once again takes center stage. Based on Charles Dickens's classic novel, the flick (opening tomorrow) finds the now-16-year-old Brit playing Smike, an abused orphan who's weighted down by a severe limp. As Bell explains, the character's disability required him to return to the dance studio. "A choreographer worked with me for about two weeks," he tells TV Guide Online. "It was actually quite nice to get back into the flow of working my body, warming up and exercising. I wanted to get [the limp] right to make it look as fluid and natural as possible 

Fri, Dec 27, 2002

Billy Elliot Returns... on Crutches!

Jamie Bell  best known for his breakthrough role as a ballet prodigy in Billy Elliot  may not do any dancing in his latest film, Nicholas Nickleby, but his talent for fancy footwork once again takes center stage. Based on Charles Dickens's classic novel, the flick (opening tomorrow) finds the now-16-year-old Brit playing Smike, an abused orphan who's weighted down by a severe limp. As Bell explains, the character's disability required him to return to the dance studio. "A choreographer worked with me for about two weeks," he tells TV Guide Online. "It was actually quite nice to get back into the flow of working my body, warming up and exercising. I wanted to get [the limp] right to make it look as fluid and natural as possible 

Thu, Dec 26, 2002

Steven Spielberg: Big Fat Liar

He made us believe in man-eating rubber sharks, Reese's Pieces-munching aliens and digitized dinosaurs, so really it should come as no surprise that Steven Spielberg closely identifies with Frank Abagnale, the born liar whose nine lives are chronicled in the biopic Catch Me if You Can. "When I read the script and the book," the director tells TV Guide Online, "I thought, 'I have one moment in my life when I did what he did.'" And how. The summer after his mom and dad divorced, the future helmer of Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Jurassic Park made a pilgrimage to his holy land  Los Angeles. "I snuck onto the Universal Studios lot dressed as an executive," he r

Thu, Dec 26, 2002

Steven Spielberg: Big Fat Liar

He made us believe in man-eating rubber sharks, Reese's Pieces-munching aliens and digitized dinosaurs, so really it should come as no surprise that Steven Spielberg closely identifies with Frank Abagnale, the born liar whose nine lives are chronicled in the biopic Catch Me if You Can (opening Wednesday). "When I read the script and the book," the director tells TV Guide Online, "I thought, 'I have one moment in my life when I did what he did.'" And how. The summer after his mom and dad divorced, the future helmer of Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Jurassic Park made a pilgrimage to his holy land  Los Angeles. "I snuck onto the Universal Studios lot dressed

Tue, Dec 24, 2002

Tom Hanks Declares: "Road Rules!"

Don't count Tom Hanks among those in Hollywood calling Sam Mendes's critically acclaimed period drama Road to Perdition a box office disappointment. "There's nothing worse than having a movie make $100 million," deadpans the two-time Oscar champ, who played a conflicted gangster in the summer release. "That really stings." Given Perdition's glowing reviews, not to mention Hanks's immense clout at the multiplex, industry pundits had greater expectations for the gloomy crime saga. In fact, some believe the pic's weak receipts are to blame for its poor Golden Globe showing. (Paul Newman received Perdition's sole nomination.) "I guess because it didn't do Forrest Gump's business [it's being perceived as a disappointment]," reasons Hanks. "I think it's a very beautiful art-house film that actually did fine at the box office, domestically and worldwide. We never anticipated it being a big, fat, massive thing. W

Mon, Dec 23, 2002

Golden Globe Nods: Who Won, Who Lost

Nominations for the 60th annual Golden Globe Awards were announced on Thursday, and the big surprise was, well, that there were so few surprises. As expected, Gangs of New York, The Hours, Chicago, Adaptation and My Big Fat Greek Wedding all scored multiple nods in the major film categories. The same was true on the television side, where, for the most part, old perennials like Friends, The West Wing and The Sopranos reigned supreme. But as TV Guide critic Matt Roush points out, "It's nice that TV is invited to the party, but the Globes is really a movie event. Besides, it's hard to take any organization seriously that nominates la

Fri, Dec 20, 2002

Did Titanic Curse Leo's Career?

Titanic may have made Leonardo DiCaprio king of the worldwide box office, but his rep as one of Hollywood's most accomplished thesps seems to have taken an iceberg-sized hit in the process. The same actor who won raves for his performances in such "little" films as This Boy's Life, What's Eating Gilbert Grape and The Basketball Diaries suddenly found himself lumped in with Tiger Beat's pin-up boys instead of Tinseltown's leading men. "Titanic was this monumental success, and yet somehow, it's as if he's been reassessed because of that  and not in an altogether positive way," admits Daniel Day-Lewis, DiCaprio's arch rival in

Wed, Dec 18, 2002

Cameron Diaz: Klepto in the Making?

In Martin Scorsese's hotly anticipated epic film Gangs of New York (opening Dec. 20), Cameron Diaz plays a feisty pickpocket who steals Leonardo DiCaprio's heart. It's a profession the actress admits she grew quite fond of over the course of the movie's shoot. "I can see how it would be fun, because every pocket and every victim is a challenge," she tells TV Guide Online. "I don't see how it could [ever get] redundant, unless you're picking the same pocket over and over again." Diaz mastered the art of thievery by shadowing a world-class filcher known simply as The Magician. "He was a pickpocket for 30 some-odd years," she explains of her mysterious mentor.

Fri, Dec 13, 2002