tim.williams

American Idol Changed My Life

After they're booted off American Idol, the rejects always go down promising they'll score a major record deal, despite what Simon says. Here, TVGuide.com catches up with six of last season's AI finalists, who are all still chasing the impossible dream.Jasmine Trias, 3rd PlaceAge: 18 From: Mililani, Hawaii Before Idol: She was a high school senior singing at birthday parties and weddings. Life change: "Suddenly, everybody knows who you are. I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, this is so weird.' Because I was never very popular in high school — I always kept to myself." Up next: "I just did a McDonald's commercial for the Philippines. I had no idea American Idol was being watched in another country! I'm also working on a new album in L.A." Advice to hopefuls: "Stay close to your family. With all the hype, you really need people wh

Mon, Feb 28, 2005

Lily Tomlin's Favorite Flop

Back in the '60s, Lily Tomlin burst on the scene in the flower-powered series Laugh-In, where she created classic characters like the precocious Edith Ann and phone-operator-with-attitude Ernestine. But the quirky Tomlin has never been just a comedian. Her performance in Roger Altman's 1975 film Nashville made it clear she had more than sketch comedy on her mind. With I Heart Huckabees (out this week on DVD), Tomlin again shows off her crafty acting and takes on some serious existential questions. Here, the ex-hippie treats TVGuide.com to some groovy gossip. TVGuide.com: Huckabees looked fun to make. Had you and Dustin Hoffman worked together before?Lily Tomlin: No, but we came close one time, back when Robert Evans was producing Popeye. They wanted Dustin as Popeye and me as Olive Oyl, but that never happened. Dusti

Wed, Feb 23, 2005

Creedence Clearwater Star Hits Crossroads

John Fogerty has created some great American music, first with his band Creedence Clearwater Revival ("Proud Mary," "Traveling Band," "Who'll Stop the Rain") and later flying solo ("Old Man Down the Road," "Centerfield"). Next up, the 59-year-old swamp-soaked rocker — whose current album D&eacute;j&agrave; Vu All Over Again has him on tour — takes a trip down CMT's Crossroads (Saturday, 9 pm/ET) for a rollicking jam session with country singer Keith Urban. Here, TV Guide Online talks to Fogerty about what it's like to be a legend in your own time.TV Guide Online: Did you enjoy doing Crossroads?John Fogerty: Oh, yeah, I'm a big fan of Keith Urban. I admire his guitar playing and he's a real good singer. This show was really nice because we got to hang out for about four days. I think it's an interesting musical combination and not just a showbiz thing. TVGO: Keith Urban was obviously excited

Mon, Feb 21, 2005

Creedence Clearwater Star Hits Crossroads

Fri, Feb 18, 2005

American Idol's Most Winning Rejects

Wild-eyed Virginian Mary Roach performing a possessed version of "I Feel the Earth Move." The rhythmically challenged accountant Sundeep Achreja serving up his punchy version of "Eye of the Tiger." We love those American Idol performers who dare to be different. And as Idol prepares to pick its top 24 finalists, we give the last word to some of the unique talents who got cut early. Do any have what it takes to be the next William Hung? You be the judge. Derek BraxtonAge: 20 From: Silver Springs, Md, The sound: Toni Braxton trapped on a cheap hotel vibrating bed. Getting the boot: "I think I used too much vibrato in my voice, and I probably picked the wrong song ["How Could an Angel Break My Heart"]. I don't see what all the fuss is about. I really wasn't that bad." Don't judge me: "Paula said I didn't speak in English. Simon was

Tue, Feb 15, 2005

Don Ho Meets Scooby-Doo

Don Ho still hits the stage every week in Hawaii, singing "Tiny Bubbles," raising a glass to the vacationers and exclaiming, "Suck 'em up!" But it's the laid-back vocalist's 1972 Brady Bunch appearance (the one where Greg wore that spooky necklace) and a surreal daytime variety series, The Don Ho Show (with Ho more interested in his drink order than talking to his guests), that secured his spot as the tiki god of lounge culture. Next up, the King of Waikiki teams with a cartoon legend in Aloha, Scooby-Doo!, an animated adventure (out this week on DVD) that's almost as colorful as the 73-year-old island icon himself.TV Guide Online: How long have you been performing?Don Ho: I've been doing it for 44 years and I'm going to keep on doing it until I get it right! [laughs] Doing the show at the Beachcomber Hotel is good for my health. Really, I think it's good for me, the singing, the socializing with the crowd and the laughing.

Wed, Feb 9, 2005

Howard Stern's Sidekick Mouths Off

Wise guy Artie Lange is on The Howard Stern Show every day, joking about hard drinking and heavy eating, because in Artie's world, nothing is ever done "light." The 37-year-old sidekick began his career as a Mad TV cast member and soon moved to movies (Dirty Work) and back to TV (ABC's Norm). But it's been with radio icon Howard Stern that Lange has hit his groove, providing his own "average guy" sensibility to the conversational mix. Lange's new DVD It's the Whiskey Talking (out today) documents his expletive-filled live act and proves that, even when the comic is flying solo, he's always got something intriguing to say. TV Guide Online: How much Jack Daniel's was consumed during the making of your DVD?Artie Lange: I'd say about four carafes. Honestly

Tue, Feb 8, 2005

Full House Star's Freaky Memories

Full House is becoming much like the Brady Bunch: inescapable in reruns and enduring in popularity. With Full House: The Complete First Season DVDs in stores Feb. 8, we asked one of the show's stars, Dave Coulier, to replay House and tell us how he made the Olsens laugh and turned Joe Pesci into a potato. TV Guide Online: How'd you come up with all the crazy stuff you did on the show?Dave Coulier: The producers would say, "Dave, do something funny here." And I would improvise, like an imitation of Joe Pesci as a potato: "I'm funny to you? Funny how? I'm a potato for crying out loud." TVGO: How was working with the Olsen twins?Coulier: Once, when they were about 3 years old, I told them that if they flapped their arms fast, they could [fly]. The rest of the day, they followed me around flapping really hard and screaming "Tweet, tweet, tweet!" TVGO: Do you all stay in touch?Coulier:

Fri, Jan 28, 2005

Survivor: Palau's Island Secrets

OK, we can tell you the new season of Survivor begins in February with 20 new castaways, and host Jeff Probst says they're not the most even-keeled group. We can also tell you that the next round takes place in the Micronesian islands of Palau. Still, you might be wondering, "What's Palau?" And "Why don't I get out of my house more often?" We can answer the first question; as for the second, you're on your own.What Is Palau? Palau (not to be confused with Survivor's first locale, Pulau Tiga) is a nation of islands located east of the Philippines and north of Indonesia. It's one of the world's least populated (about 20,000 people) and youngest nations. The economy is based on tourism, and residents of this collective of islands mostly speak Palauan and English. (One useful phrase for the new castaways: "Merkong!" Which means "Stop! That's enough!") Hollywood Highlight This isn't the first time the islands have been the backdr

Thu, Jan 6, 2005

"Happy" Clown Laughs (and Cries)

Bill Irwin is a clown. But please, don't think of that as a slam. In fact, it's the highest praise we can lay on the elastic-bodied comic, who began his career in the Pickle Family Circus back in the '70s, but by the early '80s had become a wonderfully weird presence in the New York theater world. Movies and TV would soon call for Irwin's modern-day Buster Keaton shenanigans, but would rarely utilize the full arsenal of his talents. Happily though, he's currently prepping to star in Broadway's Who's Afraid of Virgin Wolfe and gets a loving tribute tonight on PBS's Great Performances (check TV Guide listings). "Bill Irwin, Clown Prince" is a behind-the-scenes look at Irwin and his craft that proves what we've always suspected: Being a clown ain't always a load of laughs.TV Guide Online: This special offers a very intimate peek into the work behind your art.Bill Irwin: To be honest, I don't think I would have felt comfortable with anyone

Wed, Dec 15, 2004

Mary Poppins Still Flies High

Composer Richard Sherman (along with his brother Bob) has created some very memorable movie music, but none more magical than the jolly collection of songs in Walt Disney's Mary Poppins. Here, the 76-year-old Sherman tells TV Guide Online about the extra-packed Poppins 40th Anniversary DVD (out this week) and a musical legacy that's as sweet as a spoonful of sugar.TV Guide Online: How'd you like reuniting with Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews for this DVD?Richard Sherman: Dick, Julie and I share a great bond. It's like when you see an old friend after many years and the years just fall away. It seems like yesterday. They are wonderful people. What can I say? It was a warm feeling. TVGO: One DVD treat is the three of you reminiscing around the piano.Sherman: We were all very relaxed, but I was told not to ask Julie to sing because she is very self-conscious. She had an operation and now she can't sing those beaut

Mon, Dec 13, 2004

Spider-Man Still Swings

Director Sam Raimi — the genre-jumping dynamo who's done everything from bloody horror (The Evil Dead) to wild Westerns (The Quick and the Dead) — brings Spider-Man 2 back for a second spin as it hits DVD this week. And as Raimi tells TV Guide Online, he's still happy to be caught in Spidey's web.TV Guide Online: Was it fun to come back and direct a second Spider-Man?Sam Raimi: Yeah, because Tobey [Maguire], Kirsten [Dunst], James [Franco] and myself had just gotten to know each other as we were finishing the first one. So this movie was even more enjoyable than the first; it was working with old friends. TVGO: Why do audiences love Spidey?Raimi: Well, Peter Parker is very appealing because he is really one of us. In our own lives, we wrestle with doing the right thing... OK, obviously in a less dramatic way than Spider-Man. (Laughs) TVGO: Did you dig the Marvel

Wed, Dec 8, 2004

The Gift of Cher

Remember those special Christmas episodes of the Sonny &amp; Cher show back in the '70s? No? Well fortunately, The Sonny &amp; Cher Christmas Collection is out on DVD for those who missed 'em or just want to reminisce. "The Christmas shows are kind of like the most luxuriously produced home movies you'll ever see," Cher tells TV Guide Online. "Oh, my god, it was so much fun." Here, the sharp-tongued icon gives us an early holiday treat by fielding this very random assortment of queries. TV Guide Online: What are your holiday plans? Cher: We used to go to Aspen, but then it turned into Beverly Hills. Aspen was more fun when there were no rich people there  for the most part, I don't like rich people. (Laughs) TVGO: I don't picture Cher in the kitchen preparing the Christmas goose. Cher: I do the greatest stuffing and ambrosia, but Chas

Tue, Dec 7, 2004

Don Rickles Sounds Off

Don Rickles was tearing into celebrities before Triumph the Insult Comic Dog was even a pup. The caustic comic's appearances on The Tonight Show and Dean Martin's Celebrity Roast are legendary, and his role voicing Mr. Potato Head in the Toy Story films introduced his acidic attitude to the Disney crowd. TNT's holiday TV-movie The Wool Cap, in which Rickles plays a kindly neighbor to William H. Macy's down-on-his-luck mute, lets him show off a sweeter side. But never fear: The 78-year-old can still let fly his sharp wit.TV Guide Online: How was it working with William H. Macy?Don Rickles: He was great. He treated me royally. He and Steve Schachter, who wrote the script together, tell me they weren't considering anybody else for my part. TVGO: Who first called you Mr. Warmth?Rickles: Johnny Carson did that on The Tonight Show, and I loved it. Merv Griffin called me "the Mercha

Mon, Nov 22, 2004

Hugh Jackman's Monster Mash

Hugh Jackman has done Broadway as the Boy From Oz, but he recently told TV Guide Online about something even scarier than sambaing in tight pants to "I Go to Rio." We're referring, of course, to Wolverine's turn as that mysterious hunter of evil creatures in Van Helsing (arriving tomorrow on DVD). TV Guide Online: What did you think the first time you watched Van Helsing?Hugh Jackman: I was like, "Wow!" I had some idea what it might look like, but had no idea it was going to be such a nonstop roller-coaster ride. TVGO: Do you enjoy scary movies?Jackman: I was a big horror-movie fan as a kid, like Halloween and The Evil Dead. The skeleton in my closet is — I hate to say this, mate — I've seen all the Friday the 13th films. I haven't seen Freddy vs. Jason yet, so maybe I'm growing out of it. TVGO: Will you be playing Wolverine again?Jackman: There will be a thi

Mon, Oct 18, 2004

Garry Marshall's Raising the Roof

Garry Marshall knows how to make people laugh. The man's been doing it since he first started writing jokes for Jack Parr on The Tonight Show. From his mind sprung classic TV shows like Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley, and under his direction, films such as Pretty Woman and The Princess Diaries became Hollywood blockbusters. Here, the 70-year-old writer/director (and sometime actor) tells TV Guide Online about his film Raising Helen (out this week on DVD) and why saying his name always makes us smile. TVGO: What was it like directing Kate Hudson?Garry Marshall: She's fearless and will try anything. She has learned from her family about how to work and how to be a professional. She has a certain bubbly thing that gets up there on screen. Maybe it's because she hears music in her head a lot when she's acting. TVGO: I just hear voices.Marshall: Voices I hear also. TVGO: Do you immedi

Mon, Oct 11, 2004

A Super Big Mac Attack!

Morgan Spurlock doesn't think a fast-food burger is a happy meal at all. The director and star of the documentary Super Size Me (now out on DVD), spent one month recording his downfall from consuming an all-McDonald's diet. Now Spurlock, whose gut nearly busted in the fat-fueled experiment, says he's feeling better and ready to talk about living large. TV Guide Online: Have you eaten McDonald's since you finished the movie?Morgan Spurlock: No. There are so many places to get a great burger. Why would I go to McDonald's? Those things have glow-in-the-dark cheese! TVGO: What's your favorite burger?Spurlock: The best burger is from a diner called Cozy's Soup 'n' Burger in New York. On the West Coast, I like In-N-Out, and about once every two years, I'll eat a Tommy's burger. TVGO: I take it you haven't gone vegan.Spurlock: I still enjoy a good steak, and I eat a lot of fish. When I was a kid, there was a dead animal on ou

Mon, Oct 4, 2004

Tina Fey Gets Lean and Mean

Tina Fey is our favorite TV anchorwoman. OK, we know she's on Saturday Night Live and isn't an honest-to-goodness anchor, but how many real news gals are as bright, funny and easy on the eyes as Fey? The "Weekend Update" funny girl also proved teen comedies don't have to be dumb by writing and starring in Mean Girls, which arrives on DVD this week. Here, Fey takes a break from her SNL preseason prep work for some Girls talk. TV Guide Online: Were you a mean girl?Tina Fey: I was a little bit of a mean girl. I was kind of a mean nerd. I was mean to the girls I was jealous of — girls that were better looking or going out with boys that I liked. I could be really mean behind their backs, and just talk endlessly about them, which is what we call in the movie "word vomit." TVGO: How was working with Lindsay Lohan?Fey: She's a really good actress and a lovely young woman. She was perfect for the part because s

Thu, Sep 23, 2004

Mario Van Peebles Has Soul

In his new film Baadasssss! (out this week on DVD), director Mario Van Peebles (New Jack City) explores his father Melvin's real-life struggle to make the 1971 flick Sweet Sweetback's Baad Asssss Song. Back in the day, his dad's movie was right on the cutting edge of the blaxploitation trend and the upcoming indie-filmmaking boom. Here, Van Peebles (who not only directs, but also plays his father in Baadasssss!) gives TV Guide Online the lowdown on the current state of soul cinema and how one person did make a difference. TV Guide Online: This film really shows how your dad fought to do things his way in the '70s.Mario Van Peebles: Yeah, my father insisted on having a multiracial crew. At that time, the unions were mostly all white and male. People were saying, "We shall overcome one day," but my dad was saying, "We shall overcome right now!" My father was mad at "isms" — racism, sexism and ageism, but he was never mad a

Thu, Sep 16, 2004

Gene Simmons' Sharp Tongues

To hear Gene Simmons tell it, he's the sexiest, richest and hardest-working man in show business (sorry, James Brown). And on his current DVD release, Speaking in Tongues, the demon-faced bassist of KISS documents his id-gone-wild lecture tour of Australia. Simmons is also keeping a high TV profile with a guest shot on the new season of Third Watch and a (still-in-discussion) makeover on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Seems like a good time to play a little kiss and tell. TV Guide Online: On your new DVD, you are honest about your unconventional views about relationships.Gene Simmons: I pretty much tell the truth: I love women. Gene Simmons the public person and Gene Simmons the private person are exactly the same guy. The reason the rags [tabloids] are in existence is because people have Jekyll-and-Hyde lives. I don't. TVGO: How many women have you been with?Simmons: I'm getting close to 4700. I know that b

Wed, Sep 8, 2004

Kevin Smith Dishes Bennifer

With movies like Clerks, Chasing Amy and Dogma in his filmography, no one ever accused Kevin Smith of being warm and fuzzy. But with the release of Jersey Girl, the sardonic director showed he does have a soft and romantic side. With Girl arriving on DVD Sept. 14, Smith sat down with TV Guide Online to riff about his critics, Bennifer and that buzz surrounding The Green Hornet. TV Guide Online: Jersey Girl is a different kind of picture for you.Kevin Smith: I'd recently become a father when I started writing it, and I was kind of obsessed with that subject matter. The stuff I'd done before this was kind of profane and cynical, but underneath, there's this sweetness. The movie caught people in weird ways. I got great reviews from critics who never like my movies and horrible reviews from those who thought I was "selling out." TVGO: So are you going back to profane and cynical?Smith: Oh yeah. This

Thu, Sep 2, 2004

Triumph Bites Back

How do we explain Triumph the Insult Comic Dog? He's kind of like Don Rickles with a flea collar, or a verbally abusive sock puppet. Did we mention he's made a reputation out of eating up celebrities like kibble? The Late Night With Conan O'Brien regular serves up his greatest hits on two new DVDs, Conan O'Brien 10th Anniversary Special and The Best of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, and proves his naughty late-night shtick has plenty of bite. TV Guide Online: Have you always worked blue?Triumph: In the early days of television, you couldn't say "poop." For years, I had to say "...for me to relieve myself on." Those were frustrating times for me and for Topo Gigio, who cussed like a sailor in his nightclub act. TVGO: Did you settle your feud with Eminem?Triumph: We've moved on. But I've renewed my old feud with Kermit. Do we really need new episodes of Sesame Street? By now you'd think eve

Mon, Aug 23, 2004