day 56

all about the globes

last night kicked off the first of many real award shows of the new year, the 2009 golden globes.  after last year's canceled ceremony (because of the writer's strike), it seems like hollywood was ready to jump right back in the saddle - especially rumer willis, who got to be "miss golden globe" after she lost the chance last season.  there were upsets, unsurprises, and welcome winners to the show.  one of the biggest upsets of the night was mickey rourke's taking home the best actor trophy.  rourke, who has been a trainwreck since the 80s and hasn't worked in all that many noteworthy roles, took the trophy for his work in the wrestler, a semi-autobiographical tale of his time spent in the pro wrestling circuit, against nominees like leonardo dicaprio, sean penn, and brad pitt. while rourke is sure to get some film offers, i don't think he's all that bankable as a star or will have another big role in his career.  another "upset" was kate winslet's double win; the titanic star was expected to win the best supporting actress (drama) trophy for her work in the reader (funny story - winslet was originally cast in the winning role, had to drop out because of conflicts with revolutionary road's filming, and the role went to nicole kidman, who had to drop out because of her pregnancy, and, with the time delay, winslet was able to take the role once more), but the revolutionary road winning best actress (drama) win was a surprise.  anne hathaway was expected to take home the win for her work in rachel getting married, especially after her critic's choice awards win and the glitch on the award show's website this past week.  one of the biggest, welcome wins of the night was slumdog millionaire's best motion picture (drama) award.  the film, which features a completely unknown (at least to american audiences) cast took home the big trophy, along with 5 others (including best director). the young cast is sure to be welcomed into the world of hollywood and given opportunities they couldn't even dream of.  it was also good to see some of hollywood's shy faces, including colin farrel and sandra bullock, both of whom were looking good; colin even took home the trophy for his work in the "comedy" in bruges.  and multi winner tina fey even got to call out a few of her message board haters, telling the likes of dianefan and babsonlacrosse to "suck it."  dianefan took to the boards today to say she's happy for the fame and that she's still not supportive of the "smug smiling" star.  now it's just onto the oscars. most likely, the same people who took home the globes will not be the exact same - mickey rourke, in my opinion, is probably the least likely to take home the little gold man, let alone nab a nomination.  

new moon's new star?

with news that taylor lautner will be taking the role of jacob black once again in the twilight sequel breaking recently (lautner will have put on 30+ lbs for the role and is excited for the chance to not have to wear the ridiculous wig he sported in the first movie), eyes are turning to who will be filling the shoes of other characters in the second film.  one of those spots, that of werewolf leah clearwater, may have been cast in the form of high school musical star vanessa hudgens.  the actress who plays alice cullen in the series, ashley greene, told mtv news at the golden globes that the actress auditioned for the role and will make a great addition to the cast.  it will be interesting to see if vanessa will be able to take on the "dramatic" material, but that ability will be tested when hudgen's dramady bandslam (formerly will) hits theaters in july.  will she be able to pull of something without boytoy zac efron? we'll just have to wait and see. 

hilary duff makes a barely legal deal

former disney star hilary duff, who has been faltering in films since her lizzie days ended in 2004, has decided to return to the medium that made her a household name - television. after she made her lucrative nbc-universal development deal last year, speculation has floated as to what kind of project would she attach herself to? it looks like the star will star in barely legal,  a half-hour comedy/drama about california's youngest lawyer, 18 year old kathleen holtz. no word on whether or not the project will simply just take the idea of kathleen or actually use her name and life. the people behind brittany murphy's little black book are penning the project is slated for next fall. the show sounds like a winner, but will it take off? nbc hasn't exactly been a winner in the ratings since it lost its number one show friends in 2004, consequently the same year hilary left the tv game.  is hilary a big enough name to pull in an audience? it seems like the people who grew up with lizzie mcguire are now the right age for this show so it has a very good chance of taking off.  duff was last reportedly offered the lead in 90210, which went to shenae grimes.  barely legal definitely seems like a better fit.  

mid season shakeups

here's what's going on this half of the season on some of tv's hottest shows.  first up grey's anatomy.  while tr knight's departure is still in limbo, it seems like the show may be losing another cast member. melissa george, who plays intern sadie, won't be returning after this season.  the brit actress was originally signed up for 4 episodes, which was expanded to 8 after critical and fan reception was good.  however, abc wasn't willing to show george the money (which is interesting due to her history with the network - she was a regular in one season of alias) and she's decided to move on ... dan and serena are headed for some love woes on gossip girl. the twosome, who share a half brother somewhere out there, will have to deal with the idea of being "related." then they'll deal with not being related when news breaks of their half brother's death. but, what happens when the dead brother is still alive? that'll be resolved, most likely, at the start of season 3 ... another departure is headed to the ugly betty set. along with christina's (ashley jensen) depature, it looks like daniel's new object of affection (molly) will bite the dust before the end of the season.  how will it happen? my bet is on her ex-fiance accidentally killing her while trying to kill daniel over the split.  

day 50

the paula abdul show?

after a failed bravo tv show (hey paula!) and numerous out-of-her-mind interviews, american idol's loopiest judge, paula abdul, may be getting her own daytime talk show, joining the ranks of such "long lasting" programs as the megan mullaly show and the jane pauley show...oh, wait, those each lasted less than a season.  abdul is apparently in final negotiations with cbs/paramount to establish a daily show similar in format to the tyra banks show - more free form and tackling "issues" paula cares about.  paula has also been pushing ai's bosses for a big pay increase for the next season of the show - or else she's threatening to walk.  oh, what a tragedy that would be.  no longer would we be able to hear how she wants to rip of david archuleta's head and hang it from her rear view mirror (should this woman be driving anyway?) and making up performances in her head, like she did with jason castro's performance last season. if she doesn't get the reported $10 million asking price she wants, paula abdul will be off of idol and onto her talk show.  the reality competition really doesn't need her anymore as they have acquired new 4th female judge kara dio guardi.  

spoiler chat, usa

here's a little buzz of what's happening on some returning shows come the launch of mid season. up first is grey's anatomy - with the introduction of tyne daily as derek's mother, tensions are sure to be on the rise at seattle grace.  mother shepherd supposedly has the same "loving" personality derek's sister had towards meredith when she stopped by last season.  as well, it looks like the crew behind the show is this close to keeping tr knight (aka george) around for at least one more season ... now that gossip girl has kicked off the second half of its second season, rumors are swirling again over who will take the show into its next frontier, the spinoff.  with a deal to bring back michelle trachtenberg as uber bitch georgina sparks reportedly in the final stages, the girl everyone loves to hate is said to be the object of the cw's affections and the character the show's creative team want to carry on in her own adventures ... when 24 returns on sunday, look for some bourne identity action. chloe (mary lynn rajskub) has gone rogue with some former ctu cohorts who all believe the us government to be too corrupt to be trusted. this gives season/day 7 a supposedly renegade vibe ... and, over on one tree hill, it looks like there's about to be some brooke davis drama (what else is new?).  millicent will confess that she slept with owen to brooke, just as brooke begins seeing julian. 

day 35

simpson sisters big changes

both jessica and ashlee are making some big changes in their lives.  the elder simpson sister, jessica, is said to be actively trying to conceive a child with long time love tony romo.  sister ashlee recently had a son, bronx mowgli, last month.  but, what happened to jessica's down home values? doesn't the song go "first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes momma with a baby carriage?"  maybe jess is trying to mirror her sister's life - first get pregnant, then get married.  with this news, some of the american tabs may be more willing to get pictures of ashlee's baby; allegedly, no magazines have been interested in the baby pictures.  joe simpson, the dadager, is asking for too steep a price...i'm surprised a magazine like life & style or star hasn't jumped at the chance. ashlee's big change is not quite as drastic.  the singer/actress made the change back to blonde today after 9+ months as a redhead.  the hair color change is a little more natural (it is actually ashlee's natch color) and could be a ploy to sell the baby pics - a lot of mags haven't been all that interested in the star and her husband, pete wentz,'s "dark" looks.  either way, both sisters (and their men) are headed to waco, texas to have christmas with the simpson clan. 

jackson's lungs just fine

michael jackson is not in need of a lung transplant or in dire need of medical care, contrary to reports.  along with denying reports today, the singer's reps said the former king of pop is finalizing negotiations to go on a world tour and do a series of tv specials throughout 2009.  could this tour be the much talked about jackson 5 reunion? while michael has continually denied touring with his brother (with sister janet on board, too), it seems like the most plausible explanation - jackson would not have to be on stage for the entire show and he could showcase some of his own material.  either way it goes, the star is going to have to face a lot of press and answer a lot of questions about his wacky ass lifestyle.

tv bites

here are some spoilers (if you don't want to know, avert your eyes) coming up in 2009 on some top series:

gossip girl - something we haven't seen on tv's most scandalous show is sure to send waves through some fans' worlds.  the latest buzz is that an underground sex ring is going to start up, involving at least one of our upper east siders.  could this be the return for michelle trachtenberg's naughty georgina? another plot line coming up is college - the characters are said to be headed to at least 3 different schools, with yale most likely taking one of those spots.

ugly betty - the show seems to be doing some stunt casting, minus mischa barton.  while the oc star won't be taking a turn on the abc soap, two musical veterans will. first up is bernadette peters, who will be playing the head of yeti (the editors-in-training program betty and marc are involved with) and is sure to torture our favorite poncho wearing assistant.  nikki blonsky, known for hairspray and her airport beatdown with antm contestant bianca, will be playing an assistant at competitor magazine elle who strikes up a fast friendship with the titular character. but, as they come from two different magazines, their friendship is sure to be tested.

desperate housewives - with the show having completed over 100 episodes, some twists are a coming to wisteria lane.  first up is the reconciliation of mike and susan...to find an appropriate school for their son mj.  bree is set to be thrown into a publishing whirlwind, having been commissioned to release 3 books in one year (could she be returning to the bottle to deal with the stress?).  and gabby is going to get back to her glamour ways, getting back down to size and back to long hair.  

day 17

tv blast

gossip girl - the bitch is back. no, not blair. michelle trachtenberg's georgina sparks should be back on your screens at the end of the current season of the cw hit.  no deal has been made yet, but the producers and creative forces behind the show are actively working on getting both the star and character back on screen. of course, georgina will be back to stir up some dramz...but what will it be? let's hope it has something to do with little j, since she's gotten the bulk of this season's crazy story lines.  

the rachel zoe project - you haven't seen the last of the fashion stylist with the melting face. the "37" year old will be back on bravo for a second season sometime in the new year.  will we see nicole riche, zoe's former star client, since the two have reconciled? whatever happens, it's sure to be "bananas." click here to watch bonnie hunt's hilarious impression of rachel - just scroll down on the side bar, it's near the bottom. 

bromance - are we really ready to see brody jenner in his own starring project? the son of one-time-too-many face operation wonder bruce jenner and that blonde chick whose laid everyone from elvis to david foster is getting his own paris hilton's my new bff.  the show will feature 9 contestants in 6 episodes, with jenner eliminating them in a hot tub.  i don't know, but this sounds like the biggest sausage fest ever known to man. 

lily allen, not a crack whore

the struggling british singer lily allen looks to be on the comeback trail.  allen released her new video for the single "the fear." click here to check out the video, which has a very tongue-in-cheek vibe.  her last album was so good and, by the looks and sounds of this track, her sophmore effort will be just as good.  it's very chill, talking about a superficial life.  it's sure to be the theme for something or be featured on a tv promo, minus the not safe for work language. looks like lily isn't going down the amy winehouse path, which is where she appeared to be headed.  it wasn't that long ago that the singer was seen with pink hair exposing her lady business...

heidi and spencer...i just threw up a little

the most unnatural, disturbing couple probably in the history of the world (minus liza minelli and david gest), speidi of the hills, are on their honeymoon in "exotic" mexico.  so, they got married in mexico, came back to america to show off the tackiest wedding jewelry ever, and then back to mexico? and, of course, the couple was shot by paparazzi in some very "natural" poses. spencer also released a statement in response to heidi's mom's comments from the other day, saying he and heidi will be together for the rest of their lives and that he believes her mom is just jealous that she wasn't in attendance at the wedding. 

you can go home again...you just might not like it 

90210 and former degrassi star shenae grimes gave her hometown toronto a glimpse of her diva treatment when she came back for the holidays and gemini awards, america's hat's equivalent of the emmys.  grimes wouldn't be interviewed by any media outlets, as she saw none up to her "starlet standards," and even avoided the media room backstage, saying "i try to avoid all that shit." such a pretty little mouth she has. did she learn nothing from shannen doherty? shenae plays generally the same character as doherty did on the original zip code hit, and was removed from the show after four seasons because of her inability to get along with cast members.  since this is one of many news breaks about degrassi's darcy's behavior, i'm taking it as fact. 

the princess diaries, oscar contender? 

well, not exactly.  but, the disney franchise's star, anne hathaway, is well on her way to grabbing that little gold man. just nominated for an independent spirit award for rachel getting married, anne was named the recipient of the national board of review's best actress award for the same role.  these two award nods are usually pretty on the dot of predicting who wins what at the big show.  after being snubbed for her work in brokeback mountain, hathaway deserves this award, especially after her tumultuous year dealing with her con of an ex...hathaway's next major project is bride wars opposite kate hudson, slated for early 2009. click on the film titles to look at their trailers.