TV Guide Author: rbrown

South Park Adds Disabled Character

What's with South Park co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and their seeming preoccupation with mentally retarded people? Around this time last year, The New York Observer reported that the mischievous duo had backed a Daily Show-type pilot featuring reporters with various developmental disabilities. Now they're introducing a new character on South Park, Timmy, who is mentally retarded and in a wheelchair. "Some people will misconstrue him, but we really do have a point to make with him," Parker told London's Daily Star while promoting the DVD release of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut in the UK. "He's happy to be him. That's what's so cool about him." Timmy, who made his debut on Comedy Central in a cameo during last night's episode, will soon become a major character on the show. An episode is already in the works with Timmy as the central figure. Parker

Thu, Apr 6, 2000

Garofalo Gets Something Off Her Chest

Years before Pamela Anderson Lee made breast reductions chic, a wanna-be comedienne named Janeane Garofalo quietly went under the knife to change her bra size. "Getting a breast reduction to prepare for my career was no different from people who work to get good grades to get into a good college, to get into a good graduate school, to get a good job," confesses Garofalo in Marie Claire. "I was a 36C or D, and at 5'1", I knew that being a small person with big boobs standing in front of an audience was not going to be easy." Garofalo, who had the procedure at age 20 while she was a student at Providence College, says paring down to a B cup was "the best thing in the whole world, like a new lease on life." The operation wasn't painful, she says, but there was some scarring. "I do have some unfortunate scars that I don't like anyone to see," says Garofalo, who next hits the

Wed, Apr 5, 2000

James Woods Ain't So Tough

James Woods built his movie career on tough-guy roles (The Onion Field, Once Upon a Time in America) but the actor says he's probably not the guy you think he is. "I'm really much more of a... delicate person than a strong person in a lot of ways," confesses the veteran actor on an upcoming episode of Bravo's Inside the Actors Studio (April 30, 8 pm ET/9 pm PT). "I'm finally not as tough as those characters, to say the least. "I probably couldn't have admitted this a few years ago, but I think a lot of the brash, ambitious kind of arrogance of some of the early characters I played came out of a superficial, but nonetheless essential, part of who I was at the time," he tells host James Lipton. "I probably wasn't as confident a person as I am now. I think one of the ways I hid a lot of my fears or insecurities or lack of confidence was by being almost counterphobic

Mon, Apr 3, 2000

Michael Palin Is Full of Bull

Michael Palin admits he has eaten bull testicles but the former Monty Python funnyman says he isn't by any means the ultimate authority on the deviant delicacy. Palin, who spends a lot of his time these days traveling to exotic locales and sampling the local cultures for A&E and British TV, tells Playboy that he once sampled a bull's nether region and it tastes "a bit like a slightly aging p&acirc;t&eacute;. "It's hard to compare them with anything else, because when I sampled bulls' testicles they had been cooked several hours before and had gotten rather cold," he explains. The worldly Palin, who's had his share of weird food, advises would-be travelers to be less finicky when dining abroad. "Don't get squeamish about eating testicles or snakes or

Mon, Apr 3, 2000

Phyllis Diller's Complicated Love Life

Veteran funny lady Phyllis Diller says all those jokes she made over the years about her inept husband "Fang" weren't that far removed from life with her actual first hubby. The 82-year-old comic says the over-the-top jokes masked the sadness of life with Sherwood Diller, an agoraphobic who never held a steady job during their 26-year marriage. Amazingly, according to Diller's upcoming A&E Biography (April 14, 8 pm/ET), her ex-hubby was actually amused by the Fang connection! "Sherwood loved the idea of people saying that he was Fang and thinking he was Fang," she says. "In fact, he had stationary printed with nothing but 'Fang' on it." The comedienne says the Fang jokes helped propel her to stardom while also helping her mental well-being. "I realized that all these years was great therapy, the Fang character, because here I was ranting and raving about a husba

Sat, Apr 1, 2000

Terry Farrell's Split Personality

Actress Terry Farrell has a confession to make  she doesn't really have that much in common with Reggie, the diner owner she plays on CBS's Becker. "She's more laid back than I am," the former Elite model tells the TV Guide Channel. "Terry works harder than Reggie does. Reggie's going to school; Terry's not. I have a house; Reggie doesn't. She owns a business; I don't. Reggie gets l--d; Terry doesn't." Another major difference between Terry and Reggie is that the actress still has a legion of Star Trek fans who can't seem to forget her earlier work as Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax on Deep Space Nine. The blue-eyed bombshell exited the sci-fi series to work on Becker, a career move that broke the heart of many a Star Trek fan. "They're really sweet," Farrell says of her loyal Trekkers. "They always address me as 'Miss Farrell,' or 'Oh, my gosh! You're

Sat, Apr 1, 2000

Geena Davis: Off With Her Shirt!

Susan Sarandon is to blame for the fact that Geena Davis didn't take off her top in the 1991 tough-girl flick Thelma & Louise. Davis says Thelma & Louise director Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Alien) got the idea midway through production that the buxom actress should whip off her top as she and Sarandon barreled down the open highway in their T-bird convertible. "I thought this was a bad idea but I didn't say so," recalls Davis on Bravo's Inside the Actors Studio (April 9, 8 pm/ET). "We broke for lunch and I ran over to Susan and said, 'What am I going to do? Ridley wants me to take my shirt off in this scene!'&nbsp;" Sarandon, no shrinking violet she, put a stop to the plan ? pron

Fri, Mar 31, 2000

Phyllis Diller's Complicated Love Life

Veteran funny lady Phyllis Diller says all those jokes she made over the years about her inept husband "Fang" weren't that far removed from life with her actual first hubby. The 82-year-old comic says the over-the-top jokes masked the sadness of life with Sherwood Diller, an agoraphobic who never held a steady job during their 26-year marriage. Amazingly, according to Diller's upcoming A&E Biography (April 14, 8 pm/ET), her ex-hubby was actually amused by the Fang connection! "Sherwood loved the idea of people saying that he was Fang and thinking he was Fang," she says. "In fact, he had stationary printed with nothing but 'Fang' on it." The comedienne says the Fang jokes helped propel her to stardom while also helping her mental well-being. "I realized that all these years was great therapy, the Fang character, because here I was ranting and raving about a husba

Fri, Mar 31, 2000

Rob Reiner, Forever Meathead!

Actor/director Rob Reiner says he just can't seem to shake the "Meathead" moniker given to him years ago on the 1970s sitcom All in the Family. "People still refer to me as 'Meathead,' but there's nothing I can do about it even if it did bother me," Reiner says in a new book, The Directors: Take Two (TV Books), by Robert J. Emery, producer of The Directors series on Encore. "It will follow me for the rest of my life. It won't matter what I do or what I accomplish." Reiner says the odd thing about being stuck with the name was that it incorrectly branded his All in the Family character, Michael Stivic, as an ignorant person. He says audiences seem to forget that the character who came up with the put-down, bigoted Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor), was the ignorant character on the show. "They never questioned the source of the nomenclature," says Rei

Thu, Mar 30, 2000

Andy Dick's Latest Tricks

Leave it to weirdo Andy Dick to come up with an anti-drug presentation that includes a man pretending to vomit on the former NewsRadio star. Dick, whose past substance abuse problems have been the subject of many a headline, said on yesterday's edition of Howard Stern's radio show that he's been sober for 10 months and is busy spreading his anti-drug message on the national Spitfire tour. The spoken-word tour, which played last night at New York's Wetlands Club, is hitting several colleges this spring with a changing lineup that includes Moon Unit Zappa, Ice T, Rosie Perez and Woody Harrelson. Dick told Stern that an actor pretends to vomit on him during his presentation but squashed stories that he shaves men's buttocks during the show. That act, he said, is reserved for his regular show. The outspoken funnyman also told Stern that he's not happy ab

Wed, Mar 29, 2000

Dawson's Hunk Talks Trash

Dawson's Creek star James Van Der Beek says the show's writers are partly to blame for the soft ratings of the once-hot WB teen drama. "When you start off season three with a completely new writing staff, it's inevitable that you're going to struggle to find your voice," the 23-year-old actor tells Premiere. "It's a tricky voice to get. It very easily becomes a parody of itself." Van Der Beek says he wasn't happy with one particular episode in which his character engaged in a sex act on a boat, accidentally crashed into a dock and then suffered no consequences for causing the damage. "I'm not going to lie; it's been frustrating," he admits. "I'm getting myself in lots of trouble now. I will say ? and I'm not saying this to bulls--- you ? things are looking up." Van Der Beek, who stars in this summer's big-screen flick Texas Ranger, shows he can b

Wed, Mar 29, 2000

Own a Piece of Degrassi Junior High

Fans of the old PBS series Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High ? and we know you're out there ? will soon get the chance to bid on some memorabilia from the cult coming-of-age drama. Pat Mastroianni, who played Joey Jeremiah on the long-running shows, is planning to auction off several mementos on eBay next month (April 10 to 15) to help raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society (http://www.geocities.com/patmeup/). Among the rare items will be one of his trademark hats from the series, which originated in Canada and still airs in reruns four times a day in the Great White North. Degrassi ceased original production about 10 years ago but the show's cult following just won't die. Gen-X movie director Kevin Smith often cites the show as a major inspiration. And the entire Degrassi library will be released on home video next month by Boston public TV stat

Tue, Mar 28, 2000

Bullock Fears the Pink Walrus

Sandra Bullock doesn't mind talking about her fashion past as long as you don't ask about her embarrassing "Pink Walrus" period. The actress gained about 15 pounds for her part in 1996's In Love and War and still jokes privately with pals about the pink satin Calvin Klein dress she wore for the premiere. "I'd been measured for the dress months before, so I had to pour myself into it," she tells Allure. "I was busting out at the seams ? I was a fat, shiny, pink walrus. [After the screening] I bent over to get in the car and busted the strap, and my boob fell out." Fortunately, one of Bullock's quick-thinking friends jumped out of the limo, came back with a sewing kit and mended the dress as the driver circled the area. "Do not go pulling out pictures of that night," she warns the fashion magazine. "I will never buy your magazine again if you ever...." Since her Pink Walrus period, Bullock says

Tue, Mar 28, 2000

Larry Hagman's Jeannie Nightmare

The only thing more bizarre than the genie-in-a-bottle premise behind the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie is the alleged behind-the-scenes behavior of loopy series star Larry Hagman. Jeannie co-star Bill Daily (who played Roger Healey) remembers Hagman as "a little of an egomaniac" who would sometimes act like a "naughty boy" on the set as a way of getting attention, according to a new book, Dreaming of Jeannie: TV's Prime Time in a Bottle, by Steve Cox (St. Martin's Griffin). "It all boils down to he wanted to be the star," says Daily, adding that Hagman was apparently frustrated by all the media attention placed on their shapely co-star, Barbara Eden. "He'd get weird and clam up and get angry and hide in his trailer." Even more startling revelations appear in the book cour

Sat, Mar 25, 2000

Larry Hagman's Jeannie Nightmare

The only thing more bizarre than the genie-in-a-bottle premise behind the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie is the alleged behind-the-scenes behavior of loopy series star Larry Hagman. Jeannie co-star Bill Daily (who played Roger Healey) remembers Hagman as "a little of an egomaniac" who would sometimes act like a "naughty boy" on the set as a way of getting attention, according to a new book, Dreaming of Jeannie: TV's Prime Time in a Bottle, by Steve Cox (St. Martin's Griffin). "It all boils down to he wanted to be the star," says Daily, adding that Hagman was apparently frustrated by all the media attention placed on their shapely co-star, Barbara Eden. "He'd get weird and clam up and get angry and hide in his trailer." Even more startling revelations appear in the book cour

Fri, Mar 24, 2000

Weighty Matters for Rob Schneider

Wacky Rob Schneider says he's gaining back some of the pounds he'd shed in preparation for his role in the surprise hit comedy Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo. "After the movie, I hit every Fatburger in California," the former Saturday Night Live star tells Maxim. "I gained back 10 pounds ? mostly in my ass." The muscularly challenged funnyman says he prepared for the movie's many nude scenes by working out, dieting and eating a lot of protein bars. "But I didn't go too far, because a good-looking guy naked isn't funny at all," he says. "A guy who isn't in shape is kind of funny. Unless you're really out of shape. Nobody wants to see that." Schneider never worked as a gigolo in real life but he does tell the magazine about dozens of jobs he took before finally making it as a comic. "The worst was crawling underneath houses and breaking rat-proofing material with a hammer

Wed, Mar 22, 2000

Davy Jones Monkees With Museum

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame could be in for some competition this fall when ex-Monkee Davy Jones opens his dream museum in Beaverton, PA. Jones, who topped the charts in the 1960s with hits such as Daydream Believer, tells TV Guide Online that he'll open his Davy Jones Rock and Roll Museum this September in a barn-like former Lutheran church in the region he now calls home. Featured bands, he says, will include chart-toppers like the Monkees and KC and the Sunshine Band that haven't made the cut into the original Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "I'm not going to wait to be inducted into that," says Jones, whose own museum will be packed with Monkees mementos plus memorabilia from such music biz pals as Pete Townshend and Neil Young. "I can't believe the Monkees are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That is a joke. We were the forerunners from the '60s." Jones hopes his museum will also play host to his many esoteric interests, inc

Tue, Mar 21, 2000

Mackenzie's Latest Drug Bombshell

Actress Mackenzie Phillips has yet another shocking revelation to make about her troubled past with famous rocker dad Papa John! "My father taught me how to shoot up," reveals the 40-year-old actress on tonight's A&E Biography (8 pm/ET). "I remember he had his half-glasses on the edge of his nose and he's looking down at my arm with the needle. That was the first person that ever shot me up." Phillips, who rose to fame as a teen actress on the 1970s sitcom One Day at a Time, has made no secret of her bizarre childhood and past substance abuse problems on TV bio-shows ranging from the E! True Hollywood Story to Lifetime's Intimate Portrait. But somehow there always seems to be a new skeleton coming out of the star's walk-in closet. Growing up in the wild Bel Air mansion of Mamas & the Papas founder Papa John, Mackenzie was experimenti

Mon, Mar 20, 2000

Rodman/Electra Nuptials Near?

Despite all their problems, former partners Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman are still considering yet another stroll down the matrimonial aisle. "We've been talking about it for a while now... but I really feel we need time to ourselves so that we can figure out what we truly want in our lives," she tells Controversy magazine. "You have to love yourself before you can love anyone else." The relationship between the former Baywatch babe and basketball's bad boy has been puzzling from the start. Nine days after their 1998 wedding, Rodman filed for an annulment. He later rescinded the annulment, and Electra filed for divorce. But the odd couple was still making headlines as recently as last November, when cops were called to break up a fight between the two of them in a Miami Beach hotel r

Mon, Mar 20, 2000

Trek Insider Tells All

Fans of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry better brace themselves for a new tell-all biography by the late auteur's longtime executive assistant. "I don't want to burst the bubble of the mystique that has built up around this gifted man who was a 20th century icon, but he did have feet of clay like anybody else," says Susan Sackett, who worked for Roddenberry from 1974 until his death in 1991. Included in her serialized online biography, available only through www.insidetrek.com, are Sackett's claims that she maintained a longtime love affair with the married producer. "It began rather early in my association with him, but it did develop into a deep and abiding love situation that continued over the course of our association," she tells TV Guide Online. "At his funeral, I was screaming inside. I wanted so much for people to know that thi

Wed, Mar 15, 2000

Sabrina's Cat Goes to the Dogs

Nick Bakay, the voice of Salem the cat on ABC's Friday night hit Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, has a confession to make ? he prefers dogs over felines. "Dogs just give it, man," says Bakay, who lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Robin, two cats and a dog. "The dog came in here three years ago and pretty much wiped the floor with the cats in the love department. "When we first got the dog, we were squeamish because dogs are just like mud creatures," Bakay tells TV Guide Online. "But it turns around completely to the point where you find yourself at pet stores buying those atrocious treats with total love in your heart. You're buying smoked pig ears and bull prostates and saying, 'My baby will love it!'&nbsp;" When he's not busy fetching bones for his dog or making wisecracks as Salem (he's also a co-producer and writer on the show), Bakay fills out his schedule with a bunch of oth

Tue, Mar 14, 2000

The Skinny on Calista's Contract

Calista Flockhart's only midway through her five-year contract with Ally McBeal but the star is already beginning to float the idea that she might not renew her contract. "It really will depend on if I even have a movie career," the skinny one tells W. "I might be tired of the part, or I might want to have a baby and keep the stability. It's been good for me. But I also love branching out into other directions. I understand why Julianna Margulies quit ER when she was being offered all that money. Obviously, she has priorities other than money." Flockhart's would-be movie career got off to a lousy start last year with the disappointing Shakespeare adaptation A Midsummer Night's Dream. "I thought A Midsummer Night's Dream would end up being a bigger deal," confesses the 36-year-old actress. "But I didn't really care. Doing Shakespeare in Italy with (writer-director) Michael Hoffman was all I cared about." Flockhart's

Mon, Mar 13, 2000