day 195

does pixar ever disappoint? 

no.  the disney-owned animation house has never had a clunker at the box office, and that stream isn't getting broken anytime soon.  disney-pixar's latest flick, up, took in $68.2 million over the weekend, only being beat by the incredibles and finding nemo in debut numbers.  but, that doesn't mean it can't be as big as those two.  up is also only the 9th release from the studio and is the only movie of 2009 to get a viewer overall score of a+, according to cinemascore.  the studio's next go around will be toy story 3.  it's teaser trailer premiered this week along with up.  the film will focus on what happens to all of andy's toys when he goes off to college; they'll be spending some quality time at a day care center allegedly.  early plans for a trip to japan to rescue a recalled buzz lightyear were scrapped when disney acquired pixar.  disney planned to go ahead with the third installment without the cgi predecessor before the two reached a settlement after the success of finding nemo.  check it out above.  behind up was another family friendly option, ben stiller's night at the museum 2: battle of the smithsonian.  for the teens and horror lovers, drag me to hell brought in a pretty impressive $17 million in third place.  it appears that we are finally into the summer movie season, ladies and gentlemen.  in just two weeks, smithsonian has taken in over $100 million, only the 9th film to gross that much this year.  and '09's top grossing flick?  star trek.  the sci-fi relaunch beat out dreamworks' monsters vs aliens, with a pull of over $200 million so far.  here's the full list of this weekend's top 10.

Up, $68.2 million

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, $25.5 million

Drag Me to Hell, $16.6 million

Terminator Salvation, $16.1 million

Star Trek, $12.8 million

Angels & Demons, $11.2 million

Dance Flick, $4.9 million

X-Men Origins: Wolverine, $3.9 million

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, $1.9 million

Obsessed, $665,000 million

don't forget that the andy samberg hosted mtv movie awards start at 9/8c tonight!

day 194

really.

there's nothing.  but, tomorrow is the mtv movie awards! woo. 

day 193

gaga goes glam

lady gaga's latest single - bound to be her 4th big hit from her debut album, the fame - "paparazzi" has just been released and, with it, comes the next music video masterpiece from the new millennium's biggest singing star yet.  now that videos barely have a place on tv, stars are spending more and more time (and their studios' money) on "masterpieces."  at almost 8 minutes, the "paparazzi" vid is pretty ridiculous; it's almost cinematic (added to by the opening credits section).  for someone who was barely known a year ago, gaga has really blown up.  check out the song and video below. but, be warned - the song doesn't start until almost 3 minutes in. 

        

day 192

candy spelling, why you crazy?
when you're the widowed wife of a tv icon with a crazy ass mansion on your hands and a daughter who doesn't talk to you, what should one do? go on the radio and blab about it, of course! promoting her new book, stories from candyland (the book's release date was moved up before tori's latest bestseller, mommywood, hit shelves), candy stoppped by a massachusettes radio station. "my daughter one day decided that she wasn't speaking to my husband, myself and my son, and that's how it's continued for the last, oh gosh, four or five years," said candy. hmm...people don't just to that out of no where. that's what killed my husband, actually. he just didn't want to live after that" wow, blaming your daughter for killing her dad? genius! i don't think saying she's reponsible for aaron spelling's death is the way to win her over. nor is saying you won't sell the mega-mansion tori lived in for a year and a half if you get to see your grandchildren. how about a surprise visit to the spelling-mcdermot house? perhaps while the tori and dean cameras are around? that episode would be huge. huge. c'mon, candy. you were married to a tv legend - you have to have some tricks up your sleeves on how to make good tv, even if it is just "reality."

chace crawford speaks!
but it's not that important. it's just about footloose. chace says that both he and "friend" zac efron have to make the best choices for their careers and, well, it just so happened that zac's right move left room for chace's. chace says his audition process was the most rigorous he's even been through, with daily 5 hour routines in front of the film's creative team. but, in the end, it was obviously all worth it. the casting team even said they knew chace was their guy. so why'd he have to go through all the craziness? did you just want to have fun with him? later this week, a decision may be made on chace's leading lady, too. chace and dancing with the stars' julianne hough will screen test together. according to insiders, julianne has a leg up on any competition; the role of ariel is the most singing intensive of any part in the film and requires a little country flavor. if you didn't know, julianne is also the most recent addition to the blond bombshell country singing club. the film recently got a rewrite from the minds behind erin brockovich (though i doubt this movie will win any oscars) to better suit chace. plus, expect a few familiar faces to pop up around the dance-free town. rumor has it that original stars, like kevin bacon and sarah jessica parker, should make cameos. one thing that probably won't be making a reapparance (at least if crawford gets his way)? the high beam flips and jumps from the warehouse scene. says chace, "“i’ve got some movement in me, but i’m not a dancer." boo you whore.

your daily funny.
last week, idol wannabeen katherine mcphee was cornered by the papparazzi in la, but was "saved" by a local homeless woman, quween. funnyordie got a hold of the two to make a fake celebrity protection advertisement. check it out below. all i have to say is "hell no letters and words. hell no."

Katharine McPhee in Paparazzi Protection from Katharine McPhee

check the twitter later for little updates, like about the rest of the cast for i'm a celebrity...

day 191

chris brown: "i ain't a monster!"
        

day 190

summer tv!

now that we know what will and won't be back in the fall, we can figure out what the hell we want to watch this summer! woohoo.  summer tv has never been that great, mostly filled with reality shows and series that wouldn't cut it in the fall season.  so, when will your summer staples and new favorites be hitting the airwaves this season?  here's some highlights.  lifetime will try their hand at the campy miniseries with maneater, which premiers this sunday, the 31st.  the program is only 2 episodes long, but comes from the mind of gigi levangie grazer, the author and exec producer on last summer's the starter wife and its subsequent short lived series adaptation, so you'll know it will be a guilty pleasure.  the series stars scrubs' sarah chalke as a young heiress in her 30s looking for love in all the wrong places.  next to the starter wife, maneater is gigi's biggest seller.  the next day, june 1st, you'll get your first look at heidi and spencer's exploits in the costa rican jungle for nbc's i'm a celebrity ... get me out of here! relaunch.  from the looks of the show's site, it still looks like nbc is hoping to cast 2 or 3 more "celebs."  joining spedi in the jungle are janice dickinson, steven baldwin (both of whom are no stranger to reality competitions), john salley, idol's sanjaya, and former "wrestler" torrie wilson.  doesn't this just sound great?  the show will air for four weeks, multiple episodes per week. so, if you want something to induce blowing your brains out, this is your best bet.  on june 7th, lifetime brings back their biggest series ever, army wives, for a third season.  check out the show's trailer here - if you haven't already watched the show, i suggest you track down the first two seasons on dvd and have a mini marathon. it's like desperate housewives, but less campy - similar in style to grey's anatomy.  not surprising since the creative forces behind those two shows are behind it. that same night, e! brings back denise richards (minus the "it's complicated") for a second season.  rumor has it that denise was kind of desperate for the show's return and took a major pay cut to keep it on the air, while sister series living lohan was kicked to the curb.  richards will, therefore, be joined by girls next door spin-off kendra, following kendra wilkinson's new life as an engaged woman living outside the mansion.  the original series will be back in the fall, following hef's new lady loves.  because we all want to watch ugly post-jail twins.  june 8th is a big night for shows.  bravo brings back emmy winning kathy griffin: my life on the d-list for a 5th season (the show's creators recently inked a deal with the reality show centric net for even more seasons and shows).  the series will look a little different though; kathy is down one assistant, jessica, who left the "company" because she didn't get a long with her former boss.  showtime's weeds returns (yay!) as well, continuing to follow nancy and her dysfunctional family as they balance life in a california/mexican border town.  weeds will be joined by edie falco (of the soprano's) new series, nurse jackie, a dark comedy about hospital life.  both should be good if you're interested in the darker side of life and want to laugh for 30 minutes straight.  june 10th leads to bravo's new show top chef: masters.  the series will be very similar to its predecessor, but have a different host (kelly choi, a supposedly well known food critic) and feature contestants who are already well known in the restaurant biz.  click here to learn more about the show.  if you're a top chef fan, you'll probably watch this.  from there, it's a little bit of a stretch until other shows premiere, starting june 22nd with abcfamiliy's the secret life of the american teenager returning post-baby and new seres make it or break it.  the latter appears to be a loosely veiled tv version of 2006's stick it.  but full house fans, you're in luck - dj tanner (aka candice cameron bure) will be a regular on the series as one of the gymnast's step-mom to be.  i doubt this show will take off like secret life and greek, though.  the peacock net brings back america's got talent for another go-around on june 23rd (around the time i'm a celebrity... ends), with sharon osbourne, david hasselhoff, and pearce morgan all back on board. mr. mariah carey, nick cannon, will serve as the show's third host (after regis philbin and jerry springer).  maybe a us susan boyle will come out of the woodwork somewhere?  (i know reading this is getting tedious, but we're almost done!).  abcfamily takes a whack at another original series with 10 things i hate about you on june 7th.  the series will serve as a remake (somewhat) of the 1997 movie. instead of cameron james being a new student, the stratford sisters (bianca and kat) will be the new girls in town.  the only returning cast member from the film will be larry miller, the girls' father.  two former children's tv stars (?) will be starring in the series, with nickelodeon's lindsey shaw as kat and camp rock's meaghan jette martin as bianca.  this show will probably be a big mess; i just don't see the movie's tone translating well to the small screen, week to week.  i mean how many stories can you tell about the sisters not getting along and not being able to date?  and over 10 years after the movie was in theaters? huh? abcfamily what are you thinking?  okay, we'll stop there - july's dates will come later.  now get to planning your tv schedule!

fyi for the summer, there will probably just be one story a day, unless i get bored.  but, i will update the twitter more often with little blurbs. mmkay? mmkay. 

day 189

happy memorial day bitches

day 188

i'm boring.

okay, i'm not really boring. but hollywood on the other hand is.  so, i've resorted to more youtube videos.  at least tomorrow we'll have the weekend box office to talk about after the 3-day weekend is over.  first up, a surprise duet from taylor swift and john mayer.  the biggest artist of 2009 invited jennifer aniston's former flame on stage to perform his hit "your body is a wonderland." it still creeps me out that the song is about jennifer love hewitt - that girl has inspired too much music with too little fame (remember all the lfo songs?).  taylor is able to country-fy the california beach sound of the song and doesn't disappoint.  though, it is a bit creeptastic to see 31 year old mayer and 19 year old swift perform together.  here ya go.  oh and don't forget to check out the dueling guitar bit near the end of the 3rd minute. and i have no clue why the fan taping the performance randomly decided to capture the back-up singers.  

        

and now the latest offering from the jobros.  kevin, joe, and nick bring you the video for "paranoid," the first single off their newest disc, lines vines and trying times.  the song is relatively good - a little more mature than their past offerings.  however, this is confusing to me; the virginal threesome recently launched their disney channel original series (called jonas, yet their last name in the series is lucas - huh?), aimed at the tween and under set, but this is obviously aimed at the teen and up group.  mixed messages much?  the best part of the video - which takes an odd reading of the word "paranoid" by putting each of the brothers in random situations - is watching joe awkwardly shimmy around for the first minute or so while nick does most of the singing.  joe is the only bro who doesn't play an instrument - besides the tambourine - so he just has to play around.  i know nick has that whiny troubled artist sound, but utilize joe or don't use him at all.  plus, i don't understand his hair - why is nick the only one who understands what to do with the curls? anyway, check it out below.  the album drops june 16th. 

day 187

no stories

i don't really have anything to talk about today, but i thought i'd post a ton of youtube videos.  how does that work for you?  first up, the trailer for vanessa hudgen's new movie, though it seems like the studio thinks aly michalka (of aly and aj) is the bigger star - she's billed first and featured more heavily in the promo.  it actually looks semi-good; like an age appropriate almost famous meets a battle of the bands competition.  

and, if you wanted a taste of the cw's new shows, clips from them have been released.  these are most likely the same ones the network showed at their upfront presentation earlier this week.  first up, the beautiful life - mishca barton's new drama.  yay! she's working again. though, it seems like the show is going to focus more on sara paxton (that blonde you recognize from various disney projects and children's movies).  i'm surprised no clips have been released that feature corbin bleu, since this is his first project away from the mouse house.  i'm surprised that in the theme of recycling old fox shows (90210, melrose place) that the ceedub didn't choose to title this models, inc, a short lived program that was spun off from melrose.  

and, speaking of melrose place, here's clips from it.   this show doesn't look to be as polished as 90210, which isn't a good thing.  it basically looks like a soap opera for primetime, instead of a primetime soap (and, trust me, there's a difference).  for example, desperate housewives = a  primetime soap.  hopefully they'll improve it a little between now and september when the show premieres.  things that bother me about this relaunch is that it won't take place in the same universe as the current 90210, even though the original series was a spin-off.  why?  because rob estes, now the dad/principal on 90210, was an original cast member on the fox version of the show, but now plays a different character in the zipcode show.  second, jessica lucas is a main cast member on the new show, but played a different character (drug detective kimberly) on 90210 in the middle of the first season.  oh well, it will probably still hold my attention for an hour.  and spoiler alert - laura leighton (as sydney, one of two returning characters to the rebuilt place) is getting killed off in the first 10 minutes of the series.  yes, they brought back an original cast member (they even brought her back from the dead - sydney was killed off in the first go around) just to kill her.  but, leighton will still be a recurring guest star, seen in flashbacks throughout the season.  okay, now that you've read my babbling, you can see the clips.

and, finally, the cw is getting on board with the twilight trend and launching a vampire series, based on the so-called "bestselling" (i hadn't heard of them until the series was being developed) vampire diaries books.  the network dived back into the canadian/degrassi casting pool to find their star nina dobrev, who most recently starred in mtv's high school musical rip off american mall (shenae grimes, who plays annie on 90210 is also a former degrassi star). dobrev is joined by former lost star ian somerhalder as the seemingly evil vampire and by paul wesley (the robert pattinson of this series), who you might know from his army wives role as the soldier who emmalin falls in love with.  here are the clips - the show looks like it's filmed really cinematically.  probably should have been a movie, but wouldn't have survived in a post-twilight world.  

day 186

clay aiken crazy

oh, clay aiken, what is wrong with you?  the american idol wannabeen reportedly showed up at an american idol taping just a few weeks ago, hoping to talk to adam lambert and his former management team (19 productions, who is behind the show) in hopes of some sort of collaboration.  well, clay wasn't even let in the building - the split from 19 wasn't exactly amicable.  so, what's a sore loser to do?  clay took to his blog to start a big queen-y feud with fellow ai runner up (and probs the object of his affection) adam lambert.  gayken called lambert's singing "contrived, awful, and slightly frightening," claiming that he only caught the contestant's performance of "ring of fire." clay also claims that he doesn't watch idol, except for one ep a season to see what they've done to the set.  what? you can google that. clay continues in his blog post - which has since been taken down - to bash the show that launched his career, saying the show is no longer about "real" people.  huh?  maybe the first 2 seasons didn't glam up the contestants as much, but i'd say kris allen, this year's winner, is pretty real.  he's from conway, arkansas, married his high school sweet heart, etc.  just because people are choosing to use idol as a launching pad instead of just heading to a bunch of record companies doesn't mean they're not real.  who is clay aiken to talk anyway?  his singing career is pretty much in the toilets and he's on broadway  - which isn't a bad thing, but it's obviously not what he originally intended to do.  just a cry for attention.  and, in case you missed it, here's my fave moment from the idol finale.  kara dio guardi joined "bikini girl" katrina darrell (by surprise) on stage to basically have a sing off...i think kara won. 

day 185

newseses

dirty laundry may or may not be able to be updated over the next few days, but i will attempt to do it.  at the least, little blurbs will be posted via my phone.  in the meantime, enjoy (?) the latest offering from beyonce.  it's called "ego" and, well, the song sounds like it's about a penis.  i don't understand this whole 3 girl thing beyonce has been doing with the "i am..." stuff - i thought we gave that up with destiny's child?  either way, she looks a little tranny.

day 184

reality craziness

with televisions biggest shows coming to an end for the season (american idol, dancing with the stars) a lot of dramz is going (and went down).  last night, shawn johnson was named winner of dancing with the stars. i know what you're thinking "what the fuck?" yeah, that's what i thought, too.  the little gymnastic munchkin didn't even appear to be a fan fave until lil kim got kicked off before her.  what was american thinking?  shawn johnson, really?  and while some people are saying that no olympian has never lost the show, that's not true.  while apollo anton ono and kristi yamaguchi did take the disco ball trophy, last season's maurice green only made it to 5th place and he's a gold medalist.  hmm. so there goes that theory.  i guess people just like little people dancing?  i was full on for melissa rycroft, last season's the bachelor "winner," but the judges kind of threw her under the bus and she only got 3rd place.  when that happened, i expected gille marini to take the trophy, but he lost by 1 percent.  oh well, better luck next season.  but, if abc is smart, i think they should buy samantha harris out of her contract (pretty much because i cannot stand the way she interviews people) and keep melissa around as the new cohost ... over at idol, kris and adam performed their final 3 songs (well, until they have to do a bunch of production numbers tonight) and i really don't care which one of them wins.  and not in a good way - i find neither of them to be american idols/pop stars.  at least kris can play multiple instruments, giving him a musical advantage.  as far as i know, adam (aka glambert) can't play any.  plus, the amount of make-up he wears just freaks me out.  i really think idol messed up this season; the voting processes were all wrong - you cannot do the show with an uneven number of boys and girls, it just doesn't work.  plus, no matter how many tween girls vote, idol will always be a girls' game - the only successful winners have been female (kelly, carrie, and jordin).  but, i guess we'll see who takes the title tonight.  hopefully whoever wins will give the boot to the winning song, co-written by new judge kara dio guardi (who is reportedly returning, which i think is a good thing.  randy jackson needs to go - kara says the same things, but with real advice for the contestants beyond "it was aight/tight/pitchy, dawg").  after the episode - which was the lowest rated idol finale ever - was finished taping last night, simon cowell's former lady love and current extra correspondent, terri seymour, was attacked outside the studio.  seymour was targeted outside the nokia theater last night because of her close association with the idol judge, according to the lapd.  seymour's attacker was a 200 lb + female (that's probably twice terri's size) who asked the tv personality if she was "that woman from tv" and if she was simon's former flame.  the woman was taken into custody right away and, as of now, isn't considered a threat.  geez, who knew a fun singing competition could get so violent.  

that's it for now. 

day 183

will this movie ever get made?

the musical remake of footloose sure has a lot of buzz around it, but with production supposed to start in the next month or so, the film is still without stars.  from all the news, it seems like the creative team behind the flick isn't satisfied with any of the actresses they've seen for the leading role of ariel.  actresses who have been seen by director kenny ortega and the casting department include heroes' hayden panetierre, dancing with the stars julianne hough, and even amanda bynes.  now sources close to the production are saying that the casting director really only has one name in mind for the role: miley cyrus.  miley hasn't auditioned for the part, but why would she need to?  she can obviously "sing" and dance, and fits the country girl bill to a tee.  the problem with miley?  the disney star is booked straight through the summer and fall, when shooting would need to take place for footloose.  cameras begin rolling later this summer on the last song, miley's new nicholas sparks flick (the book hasn't even been released yet) and her (possibly final) hannah montana season shoots right before and after song.  so what's the kevin bacon flick reboot to do?  that remains to be seen.  the movie doesn't even have a leading man yet - chace crawford is said to be a lock, but no contracts have been signed and derek hough is still in the running.  the production team better make some decisions fast; the studio already announced the movie will hit theaters june 18, 2010.  if miley does somehow fit another project into her schedule, i'd say male lead casting needs to be refocused; chace crawford is a little old for the 16 year old starlet, even if she dates one of his peers.  

update: chace crawford was confirmed today as the movie's frontman! i'd say go with julianne hough or amanda bynes then (but only amanda if there's some really good comedy bits)

even more fall tv changes

some of your favorite series may be goners come september.  samantha who? is no officially dead at abc, amongst others (the unusuals, cupid) and ugly betty may be headed to death's door.  the show is no longer a thursday night comedy - it's been moved to the typical "we're done with you" night of fridays, alongside supernanny and wife swap and is being replaced on thursdays by flash forward, an experimental drama (i, for one, won't be watching  - plus i don't understand a night of dramas, forward being played alongside grey's anatomy and private practice).  but, the alphabet net doesn't want us to think the worst; execs say they hope betty's move will reinvigorate the night, which abc owned in the 90s with their tgif line-up.  they're looking at cbs' ghost whisperer as an example; the show has been a ratings winner for the eye net.  ghost whisper may actually get some company on fridays at cbs; nbc decided not to pick up psychic themed medium, but cbs owns the show and thinks an other-worldly themed friday night might be great for them.  nbc also decided not to pick up my name is earl (which, in my opinion, is a move in the right direction), but it's owned by 20th century fox, who plans on shopping it to fox and abc. nbc did, however, decide to keep chuck around for 13 eps (yay!).  and, as for the cw?  they're making some changes, too.  though it has a strong fan base, the freshman dramady privileged won't be back (though many thought a midseason pick-up was possible).  instead of privileged, the ceedub has picked up ashlee simpson-wentz's starring vehicle melrose place, mischa barton's model-themed a beautiful life, and the twilight inspired vampire diaries.  the gossip girl spin-off is in limbo right now, being retooled in hopes of a mid-season pick-up.  god, fall tv is getting confusing. i have yet to see a show that i'm really excited about, but i'll give most of them a try.  remember to check entertainment weekly's cheat sheet for up-to-the-minute cancellation and pick-up news.  

day 182

christina applegate: will work for food 

okay, let's hope she's not that desperate.  but, it looks like the actress will be looking for work.  sources are saying that applegate's abc comedy samantha who? has been shut down and won't be returning in the fall.  while the sitcom was in the beginning stages of being retooled from a single-camera comedy to a multi-camera laugher in order to cut the budget by half a million, it looks like all systems are a no go.  the show, which premiered as the highest rated freshman sitcom in 2007, was kind of given the shaft by the alphabet net, moving from a cushy monday, post-dancing with the stars spot to thursdays at 7:30, up against nbc's comedy night and cbs' ncis, and was pulled from the air with 7 unaired episodes when new comedy in the motherhood didn't become a hit with audiences.  the network plans to air the final 7 episodes (allegedly the last one "feels" like a series finale) on friday nights this summer.  i don't understand why an emmy winning comedy with an a-list sitcom cast would be thrown into the tv wasteland, but i'm not a tv programmer.  i just hate when a show with good writing gets killed and scrubs, which has been dying a slow, painful death, gets renewed.  but that's because money is in syndication - the more shows produced by a series with 100+ episodes means more money in the future.  and, because sam who? is produced in house (by abc studios), chances of another network picking up the show are slim (scrubs is produced by warner brothers so abc could easily nab it from nbc).  hopefully the show won't be completely lost.  i feel like the networks don't understand that the sitcom isn't dead, just what you're doing with it is dead.  an official announcement from the network will come later this week. 

here's a list of tv finales this week:

monday: dancing with the stars, part 1; gossip girl; 24; csi: miami 

tuesday: dancing with the stars, part 2; american idol, part 1; 90210; ncis 

wednesday: american idol, part 2

thursday: ugly betty 

happy watching. click here to see when your other fave shows will be ending until the fall. 

day 181

disney's newest princess

disney hasn't introduced an animated princess since 1998's mulan (with the exception of giselle in enchanted), but this holiday season, we'll be introduced to the newest one.  princess tianna, voiced by dreamgirls' anika noni rose, is the first african american princess and will first appear in the princess and the frog. the story is loosely based on the frog princess, the old story about the princess who kisses a frog to turn him into a prince.  above is the newly released trailer for the flick and it looks like tiana will fit right inwith the likes of cinderella, ariel, and pocahontas. this is the first princess movie located in "modern-day" america, in new orlean's french quarter.  the synopsis of the film is as follows:

a prince named naveen from the land of maldonia is transformed into a frog by the evil scheming voodoo magician dr. facilier.  the frog prince asks a waitress named tiana to break the spell by kissing him. however, the kiss doesn't break the spell, but instead turns tiana into a frog as well. together, the two of them must reach the good voodoo priestess of the bayou, mama odie, while befriending a trumpet-playing alligator and a hopelessly romantic firefly along the way.

the film also features the voice talents of oprah (as the princess' mother), john goodman (as tiana's rival's father), and terence howard (as tiana's father).  the film is scheduled to be released december 11th with all new music by randy newman, the music man behind every one of disney's pixar hits. princess tiana (whose age was upped from the typical 16 to 19, which is a lot more reasonable) isn't the only new princess on the disney block; rapunzel is also getting the mouse house treatment.  rumor is kristin chenowith is set to voice the long-haired princess.  the movie is being done in cgi (not through pixar), but with a traditional oil-paint look.  the film will be released in november of next year.  are you excited for new disney princesses?  i think it was about time. 

day 180

scrubs lives on, amongst others
while networks like nbc plan on rolling out almost completely new line ups in the fall (see previews of shows like mercy, parenthood, and 100 questions - supposedly the new friends, but i don't buy it - here), abc will be sticking with what kind-of works. the alphabet net has surprise (well, kind of) renewed scrubs for a ninth season, featuring zach braff and sarah chalke for 6 episodes (yay! sarah can go back to how i met your mother, hopefully full time) and other castmembers, like donald faison, will be back for the full shebang, which i'm assuming will only be 13 episodes. freshmen shows castle and better off ted will also be back in the fall. castle has been a ratings winner for the net, thanks to its dancing with the stars lead-in, but ted has been somewhat of a loser. however, abc has chalked up ted's lame ratings to american idol competition and multiple postponements thanks to prez obama's national addresses, which makes sense; plus, the show stars "big name" portia de rossi, and abc probs doesn't want to lose her. sadly, one of my new fave comedies, surviving suburbia, probably won't be back in the fall. the show has been pulled from abc's schedule until later this month, when it'll burn off remaining episodes in the summer. who knows? maybe it'll be a summer success and come back. there's always hope. in other alphabet pick-up news, the net has greenlit courtney cox's cougar town, about a single mother in her 40s making her way back into the dating world. the show will costar busy phillips, who is one of those actresses you see everywhere but you have no clue what her name is (for example, she was the blonde friend in white chicks and patrick dempsey's nemesis brides maid in made of honor). kelsey grammar and patricia heaton will also be back on tv, though separately - the duo starred in a shortlived fox sitcom last year. heaton takes the helm in a family comedy called the middle about an average family living in the midwestern suburbs. therfore, the name has multiple meanings. i saw the pilot for the show and it was relatively funny and pretty quircky; reminded me a lot of malcolm in the middle, but with an adult focus. frasier alum grammar plays hank in hank, about a laid off wall street worker adjusting to family life. modern family is said to be abc's comedy goldenchild. i saw the pilot ep for this show too and, while it was a little hard to follow, when everything fell into place it was really good; it's about three suburban families who are being filmed for a documentary. i won't give away the twist, but all three families are connected in a hilarious way. eastwick is also coming to abc; it's an update of the updike novel and 80s flick the witches of eastwick, starring rebecca romijn and lindsay price. the show has been retooled from a half-hour comedy into an hour-long dramedy. one show you won't be seeing? well, at least not in the fall? lauren graham of gilmore girl's starring vehicle about an un-lucky in love self-help guru. lots to look forward to, lots to question. the networks will officially announce their fall schedules next week at the upfronts.

day 179

oh no they didn't: grey's anatomy edition 

if you haven't watched last night's grey's anatomy season finale and don't want any hints as to what happens, i suggest you don't read on.  after the finale pulled in almost 18 million viewers, entertainment weekly got an exclusive interview with the show's creator, shonda rhimes. here's what we learned from the episode and the interview: shonda says that, while rumors may be floating around that katherine heigl (izzie) and tr knight (george) want out of the show, the fate of their characters was decided far beforehand; shonda knows how each of the seasons will play out and knows what she wants to do with her characters and isn't capitalizing on tabloid rumors - she swears she doesn't even pay attention to what gets printed.  that said, both izzie and george hang in the balance, somewhere between seattle grace hospital and heaven.  but, it looks like they either will both go bye-bye or both hold on.  why? because when asked "do you know which one of them lives and which one of them dies?" shonda responded "i don't know that you should be saying 'which one of them lives and which one of the dies.' i know what happens to the characters." so somethings happening and they might not be dead or they might not be alive. inneresting, no? the only problem i have with shonda's explanation is that she says she knows how the characters will play out, but how do you explain network-enforced removals of actors isaiah washington and brooke smith (dr. hahn)?  obviously those weren't pre-planned?  but oh well.  shonda is allegedly the only person who knows what will happen to izzie and george and if anything were to happen to her, the show itself would be hanging in some weird limbo area.  and as for meredith and derek's wedding?  it looks like the post-it is as official as it's going to get, at least for a while.  shonda believes that to the twosome the post it is official and will have "big ramifications" next season.  they show is also going to have to get creative; star ellen pompeo (meredith) is pregnant and will be on maternity leave at the beginning of next season's production.  the show will only have 5 or 6 episodes finished by that time; shonda says she and the writers will decide what happens in early june when they get back from break.  my best bet is that the show will start production early, filming more episodes than normal earlier and then take a break.  there will probably be 2-3 episodes sans-meredith, and i imagine those will focus on christina or, if she survives, izzie.  i still think katherine heigl will leave the show, no matter what happens to izzie. i can see izzie living and deciding on a new life path, away from medicine and seattle. shonda also took time in the interview to semi-apologize for the amount of denny in this season; looking back, it was necessary for the story shonda wanted to tell, but she did sit down with abc head-honcho steve mcpherson and they mapped out how many episodes denny was necessary for.  other scoop? jessica capshaw (aka arizona) will most likely be back as a full time cast member next season, filling the void left by the cardio-thoracic surgeon spot (ie washington and smith).  but the introduction of a new perky blonde could also fill a heigl void.  lots of possibilities ahead - too bad we have to wait until september to find out what will happen in the world of grey's. 

america's next top bitch fest

if you haven't already heard, next season of america's next top model will be down one judge. paulina porizkova to be exact.  the former model was booted from the cw reality hit after alleged budget cutting (but we'll figure out if budgets really did get tighter or not if they replace her) and is none too happy about it.  paulina claims she was fired on her birthday and keeps leaking a little bit of info about the situation here and there, none of which paints tyra banks in a great light.  paulina was given no forewarning or reason really for her firing other than money concerns, but thinks her having voiced her opinion may have been the real reason.  paulina said she took up her issue of tyra keeping the crew waiting up to 6 hours for the judging shoots with producers and didn't get back any positive responses.  porizkova admits to having mini hissyfits, screaming "we can all be here on time, why can't tyra?" but she still thinks she's been wronged and i do too.  while paulina doesn't think tyra felt threatened by her, she may have. while tyra may appear super sweet, she's a business woman and knows she has to keep herself in mind first.  so when anyone starts to take her spotlight, they get cut - including the contestants.  notice how tyra almost always picks the less-likely winner; the runner-up is almost always the stronger contender, but that means they could have success and that's just not okay.  paulina says tyra's world is very self-centered and that tyra never paid much attention to paulina.  sounds like a case of the divas to me, but who really cares anyway?  none of the antm winners do anything worth noting beyond their "my life as a covergirl" segments and the show's viewership is tanking, with this week's finale being the least watched season ender ever.  

day 178

lohan lands a job

lindsay lohan will finally get an acting-based paycheck.  ll hasn't hit the big screen since 2007's mega-flop i know who killed me (which could have been a success had her dui not taken place on the same weekend as the movie's release) and hasn't starred in a film since (with the exception of this summers abcfamily-purchased indie comedy labor pains) is set to star in the other side. linds will play a grad student (ha) working the summer on a remote island's science institute, where she'll come into contact with some strange characters - played by woody harrelson, giovanni ribisi, dave matthews, and alanis morissette - who attempt to keep ll's knowledge of the island's history underwraps.  the film is supposed to be a comedy, though the plot doesn't seem like it lends itself to that.  and, with the inclusion of matthews and morissette, i can't help but imagine some music will be involved. cameras are set to roll this fall just off the coast of massachusetts.  the film's director, david michaels, says people shouldn't be worried about linds' ability as an actress - he says "lindsay's very aware of people's perceptions of her. she's really committed to doing what she has to in order to change that." hopefully this will all pay off the for the redheaded starlet, though i can't imagine the small indie flick will be a big success. i'll have to wait and see a preview before i can gauge whether or not the movie is view-worthy.

fall tv preview

while the networks won't be revealing what will and won't be on their schedule's in the fall, here are a few scoop-lets i've picked up around the net.  abc is looking to retool two of its current comedies.  samantha who?, which recently finished up its second season, may have a new look if the alphabet net picks up the show for a third go-around. currently, sam is shot as a single-camera comedy but the network could save up to half a million each season by turning it into a traditional multi camera sitcom. the writing and the acting would be the same, but the how would take less time to make and have a more sitcom-y feel.  the producers of the show are hoping for a how i met your mother style, which is filmed on a sound stage without a studio audience.  scrubs could also go the multi-camera route; the show will most definitely be back for a 9th season.  while this past week's finale seemed like it might be for the series, zach braff and sarah chalke have signed on for 6 more episodes.  the 9th season would be a set-up for following one of the newer cast members as they move on to either a new hospital or onto medical school ... it looks like the new melrose place and vampire diaries are locks for the final 2 spots on the cw's schedule. but don't count the gossip girl spin-off out yet; it's the ceedub's only series in contention for midseason, giving them longer to work out all the details and figure out styling on the show ... fox may be doing a double-dance duty.  looking for an idol-like ratings reality winner for the fall schedule, fox is looking to double up on so you think you can dance, following this summer's season with a back-to-back fall version, allowing the network to transition the program into the fall for good ... with 5 hours of primetime programming lost to jay leno's new show, nbc is getting creative.  the biggest loser's current 2 hour schedule may be split into two 1 hour episodes shown twice a week.  the network is also very excited about parenthood, based on the steve martin 80's comedy; the only problem is that there isn't much room for the show.  to get parenthood a good slot, the current nbc schedule would have to be reworked. 

day 177

maxim's hot 100

like every year, men's mag maxim has released its list of the hottest 100 women in entertainment.  this year's top 10 includes some usual suspects, some surprises, and one very unexpected numero uno.  the top 10 starts with jennifer love hewit at the double digit spot.  little did we all no j love was still relevant. but after a public debate over her weight, it's probably fun for the ghost whisperer star to still be seen as sexy.  fast and furious babe jordana breswster takes the number 9 spot, followed by domestic abusee/singer rihanna at spot 8.  adriana lima comes takes spot 7 and eastern european named hotties eliza dushku and mila kunis follow her at 6 and 5 respectively.  watchmen ingenue malin akerman makes her first appearance on the list at number 4 while leo dicaprio's possibly former flame bar rafeali makes it into the top 3.  number 2 should be no surprise to anyone who has talked to a male 15 and older in the last year or so - it's megan fox.  and number 1? it's house's oliva wilde.  who? that's what a lot of people are saying.  but with a combo of brains and beauty, wilde is a natural topper - google her and you're sure to remember her from somewhere.  click here to see who took home the other 90 spots and see pictures from the stars' shoots.  

if you missed american idol, you missed one hell of a performance from katy perry (and one awkward one from rwandan singer [?] noah) and the reveal of the top two: adam lambert and kris allen.  here's to kris! 

day 176

one tree hill minus 2

one tree hill fans, listen up.  one of your favorite cw shows is going to a look a whole lot different come fall when its 7th season premiers.  after months of contractual disputes, series star chad michael murray and his on-screen wife hilarie burton (aka lucas and peyton) will not - i repeat, will not - be back for the next go around of oth.  that means next monday's season finale will be the last go around for the newlywed duo.  no word on whether or not the episode set them up for no return or if the missing twosome will be explained verbally in next season's premiere.  while the network has not made an official announcement about the actors leaving, you won't have to wait very long - the network's upfront presentation (where they announce the schedule for next fall and what shows have been picked up - fingers crossed valley girls, the gossip girl spin off, gets a go around) is a week from thursday, the 21st.  according to well placed sources, lucas and peyton's shoes will be filled by either introducing 2 new characters, promoting some recurring characters to regulars, or a combo of the two.  cmm's spot might already be taken; reports point to austin nichols (julian on the show) becoming a series regular next season.  this will be interesting to see take place.  the show already to a big risk by jumping five years and now, without the couple of the show/the star, will oth be able to survive?  will you watch? 

jenny's back on the block 

        

j lo is back in full force. with a new romantic comedy (the back-up plan) to go into production later this year, the selena star was already set up for a post-motherhood comeback.  but now comes this - a new song from the multi-talented lopez called "what is love?"  the song harks back to "love don't cost a thing," with a little bit slower feel.  check it out above.  the song is rumored to be park of jennifer's upcoming greatest hits collection, but might lead into a whole new album for the star.  lopez has not had a single hit the airwaves since 2005 with "get right," but even that didn't do that well.  before that, it was 2002's "jenny from the block." i'm interested to see if j lo's fanbase is still there in full force or if she has taken too much time away from the spotlight.

rihanna gets the gaga treatment

       

i don't have much to say about this one, but i think you should listen to it.  above is "silly boy," a demo of a lady gaga song featuring a duet with rihanna.  i don't know if it would do well on radio, but it's still fun to hear.  

day 175

beyonce has a diva moment

        

if something goes wrong during a beyonce convert, and you're an employee, be ready to face the wrath of lady b. ms. knowles' may 2nd concert had some technical difficulties in terms of the show's lighting set up for "diva."  being the talented artist that she is, beyonce was able to weave some new lyrics into the hit song - "lights! somebody's getting fired." at least we can now confirm she always sings live.  check out the video above and listen for b's diva tantrum around the 40 second mark. i guess some celebs can't be down to earth all the time.  click here to see another pop-diva, britney spears, have a concert freakout of her own when a fan rushes the stage.  brit was obviously not ready for any uncalled for interaction and screams while her voice mysteriously still plays over the loud speakers. interesting right? ha. a frightened brit can be seen around the 2:15 mark. 

jordin sparks is no one-hit-wonder

        

jordin sparks is set to revisit the american idol stage on wednesday, two years after taking home the top title, to perform her new single, "battlefield," off her soon to be released sophomore disc.  jordin had some major success with "no air," her duet with chris brown off her first album, so i'll be interested to see who she collaborates with on this cd.  "battlefield" is a break-up/make-up/love anthem produced by one republic ("apologize") frontman ryan tedder.  listen to the song above and judge for yourself - i'm a fan.  so much music has come out over the past week, meaning record companies are hurting and expecting these songs to bring them out of their depression. the remaining finalists on idol (chris, danny, and adam - the first all-boy final 3) will perform 2 songs this week, a judges pick and a choice of their own. 

justin timberlake pulls a paula abdul 

         

okay, but not in any way you may have thought.  new old footage of jt surfaced today of the former n'sync frontman performing a duet to abdul's opposites attract at the germantown festival in memphis, tennessee sometime in the 80s - prior to his mickey mouse club days.  check it out above. oh, nostalgia.  timberlake's voice has (thankfully) changed quite a bit - the girl overshadows him in the performance, but he sure does have the dance moves down. 

day 174

timberlake brings the funny

if you missed saturday night live last night then i feel really sorry for you.  justin timberlake hosted the show for the fourth time (i think) with musical guest ciara.  the show was probably one of the funniest in years.  the vid above is a sequel to the super popular "dick in a box" collaboration with andy samberg (which won an emmy!), called "mother lover." so appropriate for mother's day, right?  samberg and timberlake are joined by acclaimed actresses susan sarandon and patricia clarkson who know how to vamp it up as cougars - or at least it looks like it.  but, don't worry - if you missed the other hi-larious skits (including one in which justin admits to sleeping with a "virginal" britney spears) are hosted online at nbc.com.  happy laughing.

check the twitter later for updates on this weekend's box office. 

day 173

a gossip girl's professional debut

       

gossip girl star leighton meester (aka blair waldorf) has made her radio debut with the single "good girls go bad," a song by punk-pop group cobra starship featuring the actress/singer.  the song, which you can check out above, is sure to be a summer hit.  i wouldn't be surprised if it wound up being the song of the summer.  go on and jam out to it - it's hard not to get this song stuck in your head.

madonna, 2009 edition

       

it looks like madonna will do anything to stay relevant.  the material mom has teamed up with missy elliot and justin timberlake in recent years and it looks like her new duet partner is lil wayne.  the video above is a clip of a rumored new madge track, "revolver." it has a very britney spears vibe, which i guess would make sense for madonna.  i could definitely see this song being a radio hit this summer, similar to last year's "4 minutes."  the singer ends her mega-million dollar sticky and sweet tour this summer, so a new album would make total sense right about now.

don't believe the hype!

while some reports are surfacing (based off of a claim by one person) that the cw has put the kibosh on the planned 80s themed gossip girl spin off (whose pilot airs this monday as part of a regular ep of the series), the ceedub has made no official decisions - and won't until later this month at their upfront presentation.  speculation about a cancelation is surrounded by the reality of the network's fall schedule.  with already announced pick ups for almost all existing series and giving sunday nights to the cw's local stations, there is little room for new series.  to be exact, there are only 2 hour-long blocks.  problem?  the network has 3 hour-long shows in the works (aside from the melrose place relaunch which is expected to get a slot no matter what).  the gg spinoff is up against mischa barton-lead a beautiful life, a show all about model life in nyc, and twilight-inspired vampire diaries.  my thought is vampire diaries won't get picked up or will be a mid season replacement.  the gg spin off would be a hit for the net because it has a built in audience; the other two shows require predictions.  hmm...i guess we'll know by summer.  

nothing like some new music to brighten up your saturday, right? 

day 171

sorry

but there won't be a blog today. should be plenty to talk about tomorrow though so stay tuned.

day 171

abdul's "just here for the music" 

       

last night's american idol results show brought some surprises.  not only was last female contestant standing allison iraheta booted from the show, leaving adam lambert, danny goeke, and kris allen as the final 3, but paula abdul debuted her new "comeback" single, "i'm just ehre for the music."  check out the song above and her performance last night on idol here.  paula was definitely back to her 80s dancer self, with a highly choreographed routine, but she was breaking one rule idol usually doesn't allow - lip syncing.  but, what do you expect? the song is obviously computer enhanced.  i wouldn't be surprised if paula's voice is virtually shot - she doesn't just break out in vocal lessons like kara dio guardi (who is sticking around for at least another season).  i didn't really have a problem with paula, but i do have a problem with the song.  should a performer pushing 50 be singing a song probably intended for a 20something?  the lyric "sorry if i turn you on" or however is goes is just disturbing.  is paula turning anyone on? "i'm just here for the music" is the first single from paula's upcoming album hot and bothered.  okay, that's not the real title, but it should be.  

i may be back later with more. 

day 170

a gossip girl rocks out

        

cindy lou who a rocker? yep, little j - aka taylor momsen - and her band, the pretty reckless, made their debut last night at new york city's annex as the veronica's opening act.  taylor has long expressed the desire to form a band and/or launch a singing career and it's not coming true. over the past year, taylor has helped develop, conceive, and assist in picking a style and sound for the pretty reckless with the help of interscope records, with whom the band is signed.  if you want a chance to see the group perform live, just grab some veronicas tickets. taylor and her punk-rock crew will be opening for the australian sisters through the summer.  but if you can't manage that, the band's debut cd is set to drop this fall and features song writing credits by taylor.  click here to hear a leaked demo from the pretty reckless; the song's name is unknown, but i'm quite the fan.  and, remember, little j isn't the only gg star with a singing career. leighton meeser (aka blair) was recently signed to universal and will be in the recording studio this summer to get an album out by the end of the year.  click here to hear her demo of the 80s punk rock hit (and similar sounding voice to taylor momsen) "bette davis eyes." both stars' reps say their singing careers won't affect their gossip girl status or conflict with shooting schedules. no word on whether singing will be incorporated into the show though.  

that's it kiddos. check twitter for some smaller stories. 

day 169

rinse, reuse, recycle

aside from the fact that a 15 year old shouldn't be out partying and attending hollywood events (especially with her less-than-great role model sister), 45 year old sounding aliana lohan attended the haute and bothered launch party in los angeles in an outfit from lindsay's appearance on trl back i

n 2007.  what, you thought no one would see pictures.  yay hand-me-downs! now is this being a recessionista or just cheap?  and since when are midriff baring tops cool?  i don't think they've been in style since the mid 90s, and even then it wasn't that great of a trend.  while i know ali and linds constantly support their mother and say she's great, i can't help but think that there has to be a better way of handling kids in hollywood.  the 15 year old singer/actors on nickelodeon don't party (and most of the disney darlings don't either).  the reason aliana isn't getting the career success she wants is because she's not acting her age.  maybe if she actually seemed 15 then she could do well and fill the void lindsay has left for a non-tv teen star.

another video from tswift

2 in one week! taylor swift has dropped another single - and with it - a new video.  "belong with me" is a definite radio smash and stands out more so than the previously released tracks that all just kind of sounded like "love story."  i like when videos focus on the lyrics in the song, too, and aren't just stand-up performances mixed with random vignettes that don't necessarily correlate to the story the song tells (i'm talking to you kelly clarkson).  the video revolves around band geek swift's affection for her next door neighbor (hannah montana: the movie' lucas till - i guess once you're in with one hollywood starlet - miley cyrus - you're in with them all!) while he struggles with the school bitch, played by swift in a brown wig.  check it out above - you'll be entertained.  after this video, i'd be interested to see taylor's acting chops in more than just a csi role. 

today's wtf moment

here's madonna at last night's met costume gala. the banquet is supposed to honor those in fashion, not costumes. maybe madge got confused by the title? discuss amongst yourselves. 

day 168

mtv movie awards: and the nominees are...

mtv released the list of nominees for this month's movie awards today. and, to be honest, not one of the films is a shocker.  twilight and oscar darling slumdog millionaire lead the pack with 7 and 6 nominations each.  other movies being contended for the top award include iron man, the dark knight, and high school musical 3: senior year.  the part of the award show i'm most excited about, however, is one of 2 new golden popcorn trophies this year.  the first is best song from a movie (i guess to relay the fact that mtv is, in fact, music television) and the second best wtf moment.  the nominees for the wtf moment trophy include amy poehler peeing in the sink in baby mama, angelina jolie curving a bullet in wanted, the jumping in the poop sequence from slumdog millionaire (my choice to win - probs the biggest lol moment of any movie in the past year), ben stiller tasting a decapitated head in tropic thunder, and forgetting sarah marshall's naked break-up.  to check out the full list of nominees and vote for your favorites, head over to mtv.com.  the awards air may 31st live from hollywood hosted by andy samberg. voting ends the 27th, though, so head over there asap. 

jenny mccarthy gets the big "o"

haha naughty title, but it's not what you think.  the big "o" means oprah.  jenny mccarthy is the third star-in-the-making (behind dr. phil and rachael ray) to be handed a multi-platform deal with lady o's harpo production company.  until starting dr. phil's empire, harpo only dealth with oprah - for nearly 20 years.  jenny has already started her oprah life with a lifestyle blog on oprah.com.  she's also been appearing as a guest on oprah's new "friday live" show to ease her into the oprah audience.  oprah has long been a fan of jenny's best selling books about raising a child with autism and her latest book, mother warriors, is apparently what gave oprah the idea to make jenny into a daytime megastar.  over the next year, a daytime talk show will be developed for jenny that will most likely be a mix of celebrity guests, lifestyle tips, and activism segments - similar in style and pace to the rachael ray show minus the cooking.  not much else is being released about the deal, but expect a lot of jenny-oprah love over the next year. and expect jenny's longtime manfriend jim carrey to be her first guest.

a gyllenhaal gets married!

but it wasn't jake. instead, it was his sister maggie.  maggie, who took over the female lead in the new batman series from katie holmes, wed fellow actor - and baby daddy to the couple's 2 and a half year old daugher - peter sarsgaard in a private ceremony in a small italian town over the weekend.  the wedding only included a few guests, but brother jake and his lady love reese witherspoon were in attendance.  the couple has been together for quite some time now and has been engaged since early 2006, around the time maggie got pregnant with the couple's daughter.  hopefully reese caught the bouquet - wouldn't it be great to see the two of them tie the knot? well at least vicariously through one of the many celeb rags?