day 2.84

is katherine heigl the new reese witherspoon?

apparently. the grey's anatomy actress has snagged the lead in one for the money, the first movie in a potential series about a fashion buyer-turned-bounty hunter based on the stephanie plum book series by janey evanovich. reese witherspoon was originally attached to star in the series when it was developed in the legally blonde days, but dropped out when the project kept stalling. lucky for heigl. while i don't think katherine has the charm and presence as reese, i think she's a better fit for a role like this. if one for the money does well at the box office there is potential for 15 more films - yep, 15! the 16th book hits shelves later this year. if the rumors that katherine will finally be let out of her grey's anatomy contract at the end of this season are true, then she's going to need some steady work. katherine currently has two romantic comedies out for release this year - killers opposite ashton kutcher and life as we know it with josh duhamel. this role is also set to be the first that pays katherine for her box office pull -her last film, the ugly truth, made more than $200 million worldwide, which equals a double-digit pay day.

just a thought...

i really like kirstie alley. i know she's abrasive and sometimes labeled "crazy," but she's honest. her new show, kirstie alley's big life, is set to debut on a&e march 21st and the trailer just dropped online. i like that she says she doesn't embrace being "full figured" or flaunt her fat. i don't really think anyone enjoys being fat all the time. and i don't think being "fabulous and thick" should be touted as a healthy lifestyle. if you're ok with your body image, then good for you. but let's be real here - being obese has never and will never be healthy. that's why i like kirstie. she's willing to show people who have probably just accepted that they're fat and think that they're ok with it that it's hard work, but doable, to change. well, hopefully. she hasn't finished filming the show yet and who knows if its working. i'm not saying everyone has to be a skinny minnie (definitely not), but everyone has a healthy weight range and we shouldn't ignore that. i know i'll be tuning in to see kirstie's journey (the most overused word in reality show weight loss). well if i can figure out which channel a&e even is.

day 2.70

martha stewart pulls a conan

martha stewart is leaving nbc. the lifestyle guru is making like oprah (and tyra) and taking her daytime talk show, the martha stewart show, off the free airwaves and moving to cable. martha signed a deal with hallmark channel this morning that has her producing programming for the net for the next 3 years starting this fall. the martha stewart show will be the foundation for the network's new daytime block and will be followed by an hour and a half of original programming from martha's company. that means you'll have to pay for gems like the one above from now on. while this move is sure to be financially successful, i don't exactly see viewers moving with martha. she's not the kind of television presence that has a following (i.e. oprah). yes, her shows have always been watched, but i would venture to guess it's by people who just need to kill time. i know i've watched martha because there is absolutely nothing else to watch when she's on. i don't really like the show. when it first started, the show was supposed to be a traditional talk show. now it's all about forcing celebrities into awkward craft situations and doing hours devoted to cats. not my cup of tea. not my cup of tea at all. sorry, martha, but i won't be following you to the hallmark channel. at least not on purpose. should my cable mislead me to believe golden girls is on, then maybe i'll accidentally see you.

just a thought...

i still haven't seen this movie, but that doesn't mean i can't talk about it. avatar really isn't as successful as we've been led to believe. at least not in the fact that it's the biggest movie ever. while it is the highest grossing film, avatar is not the most watched. the hollywood reporter compiled a list of the biggest movies of all time according to ticket sales. the ranking system we have today bases who places where by total revenue. seeing as avatar is playing in mostly 3-d theaters with a ticket up-charge of anywhere from $3 to $15 (in imax) and the money is never adjusted for inflation, avatar is the #26 biggest film of all time. it definitely has time to crack the top 20, and shows no signs of slowing down, but i don't expect it to be the next gone with the wind. yep, that's right - gone with the wind is the biggest film of all time.

day 343

just a thought...

am i the only one who doesn't get ricky gervais? i understand he's the creative force behind the office and the show has a big cult following (i'm an occasional viewer, but the mockumentary style can be nauseating - as can michael scott) and is revered in britain, but i just don't get his appeal. all of his movies - from ghost town to the invention of lying - have been relative flops and his two "critically acclaimed" seres (the uk version of the office and hbo's extras) both ended their runs after 13 episodes (i.e. before their staying power could be established). and, when the award shows roll him out to present an award, his jokes just fall flat or come across as harsh, which i guess is the "british humor" americans just don't get. the reason i'm writing this is because ricky has been tapped to host this year's golden globe ceremony, an awards show that hasn't had a host since 1995 (and that's the way i like it). the golden globes is one of my favorite shows because it honors both tv and movies, with categories for comedies and dramas in each. the fact that they are host-less is a plus, too; it means i don't have to sit through awkward jokes that slow down the show. but, come this january 17th, i'm going to have to sit through ricky gervais making awkward and annoying commentary throughout the show. am i alone in this boat or are there other people who just don't get gervais?

day 259

just a thought...

it's been a while since i did a "just a thought..." piece, so here we go. disney, i really don't know that it's necessary to make your stars do every and anything. not all of them are as talented in all aspects as others. for example, let's listen to the latest musical offerings of selena gomez. i'm all for selena acting; i actually think she has talent and will have longevity as an actress. but, because she's part of the mouse-house machine, gomez is now also a "musician." other disney stars - like miley cyrus and demi lovato - were originally brought to disney because singer/actor combos were necessary for the projects (hannah montana and camp rock). therefore, it's understandable that they would put out records while continuing to act. however, selena gomez was brought to disney because she can act. hell, it took two failed different pilots (one a spin-off of lizzie mcguire, another a spin-off of zack and cody) before a vehicle - wizards of waverly place - was chosen for selena. obviously the company had faith in her acting abilities and wasn't looking for a singer. they're very much turning selena into a hilary duff; she acts and kind of sings. it's one thing to be able to carry a tune, which selena obviously can, but another to be a singer. demi lovato definitely has some singing chops (though they might be a big rough) and miley is...well, she's just being miley and is disney's major cash cow so there's no explaining her other than she's a phenomenon. to drive home the hilary duff comparison, selena was even cast as hilary's successor in the cinderella story franchise. plus, selena's song kind of seem like demi's cast-offs; not-quite-moody-enough tween pop-rock up tempo ballad-ish things. why stretch one star so thin when there are plenty of other talented artists out there? i understand that disney basically used hilary duff like a guinea pig (and pretty much effed up raven's career) and struck gold with miley, but not everyone is going to fill that mold. get some musical artists on hollywood records that aren't necessarily actors/only promoted on disney. doesn't it seem weird that no one on hollywood records ever gets airplay on a station other than radio disney? it seems like disney could make even more money if they had an artist who was successful without having to be a disney darling. hell, even the one act they had - the jonas brothers - were forced into their own sitcom and, let's all face it, are headed towards some sort of dissolution post-kevin jonas marriage. isn't it creepy that a married 20something is playing a high schooler on a children's program? it's one thing on the cw, but disney should actually use teens. just a thought.

oh, and i feel bad for brenda song. she's been with disney since, let's face it, she was a fetus and they gave her the crapiest role on their crapiest sitcom. and no record deal!

day 202

just a thought...

i already don't understand twilight's kristen stewart.  and, the fact that she has been rocking the 7th grade tied t-shirt look lateley?  it's not helping her case. 

i'm a hostage...i can't get out of here!

that's what nbc's i'm a celebrity ... get me out of here! is starting to look life.  after being forced to spend 2 nights in a cramped "torture room" as punishment for quitting the show, heidi montag-pratt has been rushed to a costa rican hospital after having convulsions and vomiting.  the reality star had the same rations as the celebs not in isolation - water, rice, and beans - but somehow suffered a stomach ulcer.  nbc reportedly wanted the whole infection/pain to play out on screen, offering incentives to speidi to not go to a hospital.  not surprisingly, the duo turned them down.  while heidi and spencer have been pretty douchey over the course of the show this far, i'm not sure letting someone die makes good tv.  when news broke of heidi's ailment to the rest of the cast, the remaining celebs reportedly banned together in an attempt to get off the show.  unfortunately for them, they have contracts with nbc and their passports have been taken away.  so, they really are hostages!  spencer - again, not surprisingly, wants off the show once again and has fired his most recent lawyer, who was asking speidi to stay with the show.  the couple is looking into legal action against nbc, but they do have an iron clad contract with the net.  i think filming the hospital drama would probably make a great companion series to i'm a celeb.  

day 134

real housewives get real 

bravo's real housewives of new york city are not having the best of luck lately.  newest cast member kelly bensimon was arrested at the beginning of the month for assaulting and punching her longtime boyfriend nick stefanov.  bensimon's now ex didn't show up to his recent court date about the situation and, if he doesn't show to the rescheduled june hearing, the case will be dismissed.  if he does show, kelly faces up to a year in jail.  i smell spinoff for bravo! love-to-hate-her crazy woman alex mccord was recently let go from her position as a "visual merchandizer" (i don't know exactly what that entails) for victoria's secret and is on the search for a job, but can't quite seem to catch one because of her on-screen persona.  and the third, and so far final, victim of this bad lick is countess luann de lesseps.  lulu announced today that she and her husband, the count, will be splitting after 16 years of marriage after he recently admitted to being unfaithful to his fourth wife and mother of his children.  does she still get to keep her title? that i don't know, but that could be a bit of a problem when her book on manners, class with countess, hits bookshelves later this year.  hopefully the bravo series will catch all this drama for the next season, though it probably won't - they tend to only film in then summer.  i wonder if luann's little announcement was made today just to see if viewership would increase for tonight's new ep. 

just a thought...

why is miley cyrus, a 16 year old girl, on the latest cover of glamour?  the magazine's mean readership is women in their mid 30s! i cannot imagine they're interested in the trials and tribulations of a disney starlet.  but, whatever.  as long as the magazine sells, it's all good.  maybe glamour is trying to get more younger readers? the pics inside the mag look cute, but not women's mag worthy.  if teen people were still around, i'd say this would be a better fit.  i can't imagine glamour is the best marketing strategy for april 10th's hannah montana movie.  why not teen mags? just to give you some context, the recent glamour cover girls have included katie holmes, fergie, and christina aguilera, who are much closer in age to the mag's readers, especially when the mag targets 18 year olds at the youngest... 

day 126

efron won't be footloose

zac efron is hopping on the lindsay lohan train of torpedoing your career.  the teen fave is dropping out of sure-to-be blockbuster footloose. the kenny ortega directed flick was going to update the kevin bacon fave with the musical numbers from its broadway makeover and has always been touted as a zefron vehicle.  but, now, the blockbuster is without a star.  efron is said to be tired of all the teen roles and musicals - what a great thing to say right before your family friendly flick 17 again hits theaters! - and wants to move into more serious roles, like his turn in the period drama me and orson welles. so what does this mean for the future of the movie?  the movie was originally start production next month, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen now.  and how about the hairspray sequel?  if zac is done with musicals and teen flicks, then that definitely rules out the late 60s continuation of the musical adaptation.  is zefron stupid? he's totally shooting himself in the foot.  he's not a leading man in the sense that he can compete with the likes of leo dicaprio or jake gyllenhaal.  it'll be interesting to see how this plays out in the next couple of years.

lc loses line

lauren conrad's eponymous clothing line has officially folded. but, the wanna be designer doesn't want you to know that.  instead of admitting defeat, the star is saying the line is going under a refocusing after the current dip in sales from the economic climate.  the line, however, has never sold well - it's all cotton dresses for minimum $200! who wants that?  lauren is hoping to make the line more upscale, with higher end fabrics and additions that she was unable to use the first go around.  i say just give up and stay on tv! mtv is said to be developing other projects for lauren because they don't want to let her go.  a new show might follow lauren's real life, maybe even the development of the newly re-imagined line.  a reality star can never walk away from the cameras completely.  i imagine she'll be back in our living rooms in the fall or early 2010 with a new project on the network that launched her into the instcelebrity she has become. 

just a thought...

yay! self magazine finally did a cover a little differently.  the new issue, featuring house bunny star anna faris, doesn't 

put the actress in the dead center with warrior arms. instead, she's shown full body! but, why is she still in a bathing suit?  i guess you can't change everything at one time.  

day 74

just a thought...

there wasn't really any big stories to talk about today, so i thought i'd just do a little thought piece.  here's a pic of new mom (to twins!) rebecca romijn, who gave birth just 33 days ago.  i always think it's funny how people get all annoyed when celebs are able to drop baby weight so soon after they've given birth and ask "why did it take me so long?" or "how is that possible?"  if you had nothing other to do all day than have a nanny look after your kids and pay a personal trainer to tone you for hours on end, then you could look like rebecca, too, in that short amount of time.  i think the most ridiculous baby-body-bounce-back is heidi klum, who has gone from ginormous to petite three times in a matter of weeks.  so, the next time you think wonder hot it's possible, just know that money has a lot to do with it.  money has a lot to do with a lot of things, actually, in the celeb world.  

day 51

lautner lands moon

looks like michael copon is going to have to look for work somewhere else.  taylor lautner will keep the part of jacob black in new moon, the sequel to megahit twilight, scheduled for release later this year.  after speculation that the babyfaced 16 year old wouldn't be able to handle the "new-and-improved" jacob of the second book (in which the character grows to giant heights and has the appearance of a 25 year old), new moon director chris weitz and series auther stephanie meyer each released statements today that they believed the original cast would be the best choice for continuing the series.  lautner, in an attempt to keep the role that is sure to make him famous, has packed on 19 pounds of muscle and is willing to put on 10+ more lbs before filming of the next installment begins.  fans had also been campaigning to keep the original actor and they are sure to be happy with the choice.  this casting seems to make the most sense - why change something that's not broken? 

donna martin graduates...to 90210 

tori spelling is finally headed back to the zip-code that made her famous.  reprising the role of donna martin, spelling will begin filming in late january for an episode to air later in the season.  spelling had not been willing to return to the show when it was first launched when she learned that returning cast members shannen doherty and jennie garth were getting paid nearly double the salary spelling was offered. jason priestly, the original 90210's brendan, is set to direct the ep.  this should be interesting. as far as i know, only jennie garth will be on the episode alongside spelling. what will donna martin be up to? when the series was first in development, donna was supposed to be owning a "kitson-like" boutique that all the 90210-ers frequent.  oh well, it will be interesting to see what her nose job and boob job will be able to pull off in 2009. 

just a thought...

who is writing magazine headlines these days? ok magazine's latest cover has quite the incoherent title for an article all about britney: "what price fame?" um...it seems like they're missing a word there, like "what price for fame?" you'd think that before a major publication went to shelves and subscribers someone would be "that doesn't look right." maybe i'm missing something, but it just seems like something should be said about this.  

day 37

just a thought...

is it just me or are all the shape magazine covers the same?? now, i've never paid all that much attention to this particular mag, but with the surge in high profile stars on its cover, i've come to notice that almost all the covers look exactly the same.  the star poses with her hip cocked to one side, corresponding arm resting on it, in a bikini, with a big ass grin on her face.  the latest celeb to grace the cover is none other than the tiz herself, ashley tisdale.  now, it's good that all these girls have the tight abs (they should - all they have is time to work out) and good retouchers, but can't someone at the mag get some creativity? maybe the creative directors and editors just really like the look, but it seems quite boring and, if i were to get the magazine, i wouldn't be able to differentiate between the different issues...

since it's the holidays, the celebs seem to be keeping it relatively tame, so no big news to comment on today.

peace, love, and chestnuts roasting. 

day 30

dirty laundry is one month old!

j lo-veless?

it looks like soon to be once again movie star jennifer lopez may be looking for romance in more than just her films.  reports are surfacing that lopez and husband (and baby daddy) marc anthony are headed down the road to divorce.  lopez was recently spotted at the curious case of benjamin button premiere sans her big ol' ring and anthony was spotted all over vegas partying it up without his.  the problems in the marriage seem to be from control issues - lopez is an "independent" who doesn't like to be told what to do and does everything with purpose; anthony is apparently very controlling, monitoring what jennifer says and wears...if you haven't noticed, we have not seen the infamou

s lopez booty in quite some time.  

stephanie tanner's officially empty house

full house star jodie sweetin's life has taken a page from the britney spears handbook on life.  the former child actress has lost custody of her 8 month old daughter and can only see her with supervised visits.  sweetin's soon to be ex cody herpin currently holds custody and was the one to bring allegations of neglectful and unfit parenting into court.  one example herpin gave was of jodie driving under the influence with the child in the car. this is a major problem as sweetin is a recovering meth addict and alcoholic (but she is in touch with her aa sponsor).  as the divorce proceedings press on, sweetin and herpin have been asked t

o take drug tests...

britney's back. now how about kelly?

kelly clarkson is well on her way to regaining her pop princess crown.  the first american idol will be releasing a song, entitled "my life would suck without you," sometime in the next weeks, with the music video already in production.  the track is produced by the minds behind britney, katy perry, and pink's latest efforts - all of which have been radio and fan friendly.   kelly is in desperate need of a hit, after the turmoil and failure of her last album, my december, which couldn't produce even one hit.  the new album is said to be much more true to the singer's pop roots, with a sound closer to her biggest seller, breakaway.  clarkson has most recently been touring on the "two voices" tour with reba mcentire, with whom she shares a manager (reba's husband). 

batman's new stars

warner bros and franchise director christopher nolan have apparently hand picked a variety of famous actors to fill the shoes of some major characters in the batman saga for the third film starring christian bale.  according to british reports (so we'll see how accurate this all is), eddie murphy will take on the villainous role of the riddler.  batman will also get his boyish sidekick in the threequel, with shia labeouf taking the role of robin.  the studio is also trying to get rachel weisz to take the role of catwoman.  this all seems well-and-good (with the exception of eddie murphy), but i'm doubtful any of it will happen.  this seems to be quite the random assortment of actors and a "whos-who" wishlist...

update: ruffalo death

mark ruffalo's brother's death has been ruled a homicide by the coroner, throwing out the idea that he died of a russian roulette related injury...seems pretty shady to me. 

just a thought...

marking a month here, i've decided to add this new bulletin.  my first thought is "is it just me, or is jen aniston everyw

ere??" the star seems to be on every single magazine cover lately.  i know she's in a new movie (marley and me) and all, but seriously? i'm also surprised the mags haven't made a bigger deal out of aniston's film heading to the box office the same day as brad pitt's benjamin button.  the two films are set to hit theaters on christmas day and both are expected to be big...who will win will just have to be seen.