Monday, August 25, 2008
"Dancing With the Stars" announces new contestants
This morning, ABC announced the celebs competing on this season of "Dancing With the Stars." Here they are, in alphabetical order, along with their day jobs:
Lance Bass, singer
Toni Braxton, singer
Brooke Burke, model
Rocco DiSpirito, chef
Maurice Greene, Olympic gold medalist in track
Kim Kardashian, stylist/actress
Cloris Leachman, actress
Cody Linley, actor
Susan Lucci, actress
Misty May-Treanor, Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball
Ted McGinley, actor
Jeffrey Ross, comedian
Warren Sapp, NFL star
We'll get to see these 13 and their partners in action September 22.
Labels: Dancing with the Stars
Monday, August 11, 2008
RIP, Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes
Two African-American entertainers passed away over the weekend ... first, actor-comedian Bernie Mac died August 9 of complications from pneumonia. One of the original "Kings of Comedy," Mac starred in his own show from 2001 to 2006, earning two Emmy nominations, and appeared in
Ocean's 11 and its two sequels. Mac was 50.
A day later, Isaac Hayes died of unknown causes. The longtime actor-singer won an
Academy Award and a Grammy in 1971 for the theme to
Shaft, and also voiced the role of Chef on
South Park. He was 65.
Labels: Bernie Mac, Isaac Hayes
Monday, August 4, 2008
Morgan Freeman seriously hurt in car accident
Morgan Freeman was injured in a car accident in Jackson, Mississippi. The 71-year-old actor was taken to a hospital in Memphis, where he is in serious condition, a hospital spokesman said. The accident happened shortly before midnight in rural Tallahatchie County in the Mississippi Delta, and did not appear to involve any other cars. My best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery.
Labels: Morgan Freeman
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Peter Bogdanovich appears on NPR's Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me
Just got done listening to
Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me, the weekly news quiz on NPR. This week the special guest was none other than writer-director-actor Peter Bogdanovich, who tackled three questions about the news and chatted about early fame, one-time flame Cybill Shepherd (who, as it turns out, chose Bogandovich over Elvis), "turning down" a chance to direct
The Godfather, and acting on
The Sopranos. To hear the interview, click the below link (scroll down to "Not My Job"):
Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me! (July 26, 2008)Labels: Peter Bogdanovich
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
"Dark Knight"' star accused of assaulting mother, sister
Christian Bale was arrested by London police after allegations that he assaulted his mother, Sharon Bale, and his sister, Jenny Bale, Sunday night. Police questioned the
Dark Knight star for four hours, but released him on bond without filing any charges. Bale's law firm issued a statement saying no assault had taken place; Bale's mother and sister (or at least people who appeared to be his mother and sister) had no comment. Fortunately for
The Dark Knight's producers, Bale doesn't have to return for more questioning until September, meaning he won't have to leave the movie's European premiere tour.
Labels: Christian Bale
Getty of "Golden Girls" dies at 84
Estelle Getty, best known as Sophia from
The Golden Girls, died around 5:30 this morning in L.A., her son said. Although Getty was in her 60s during the show's run, to me she was perfect for the role of the feisty octagenarian. But don't take my word for it -- watch the below Season 1 highlights clip:
"The only comfort at this moment is that although Estelle has moved on, Sophia will always be with us," co-star Betty White told the Associated Press. Amen to that.
Labels: The Golden Girls
Monday, July 21, 2008
Court tosses Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction" fine
Good news for CBS today, in the form of a federal appeals court decision that threw out the FCC's $550,000 indecency fine for Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. The FCC had argued that Jackson's nudity was graphic and explicit, thus meriting the maximum fine against the network and its stations. However, the court ruled that the FCC had deviated from its usual policy of imposing fines only in instances where the indecent programming was "pervasive".
"The Commission's determination that CBS's broadcast of a nine-sixteenths of one second glimpse of a bare female breast was actionably indecent evidenced the agency's departure from its prior policy," the court said in its ruling.
There is no public comment yet from the FCC, though I can't help wondering if their private reaction included any "indecent" use of language.
Labels: CBS, FCC, Janet Jackson, wardrobe malfunction
Sunday, July 20, 2008
TV picks for July 20-26, 2008
My picks for this week's TV viewing:
Sunday, July 20: Start off the week with
The Simpsons Movie (
HBO, 10:15 p.m.). It's only an hour and a half -- you'll be in bed by 12.
Monday, July 21: If you want to know whether any of the gadgets in
The Dark Knight could actually work, check out
Batman Tech (History Channel, 9 p.m.)
Tuesday, July 22: Superspy Mike Myers faces off against evil genius Mike Myers in spy spoof
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (
FX, 8 p.m.). Groovy, baby!
Wednesday, July 23: The top eight perform on
So You Think You Can Dance (
FOX, 8 p.m.).
Thursday, July 24: Robert De Niro fights other boxers and his own demons in
Raging Bull (IFC, 9 p.m.)
Friday, July 25: Heath Ledger's breakthrough role as a gay ranch hand came in
Brokeback Mountain (Bravo, 9 p.m.).
Saturday, July 26: The Red Sox and the Yankees continue their three-game series at Fenway Park (FOX, 3:55 p.m.).
"Dark Knight" sets box office record
Move over, Spidey. Batman's back, and he's kicking box-office booty. According to current figures,
The Dark Knight took in $155.34 million its opening weekend, beating the previous record ($151.1 million) set by
Spider-Man 3 last May. (That number could go up when the final numbers are released tomorrow). The latest
Batman movie, which was
Heath Ledger's last role, also pulled in $67.85 million on Friday, which bested the previous opening-day record (set by
Spider-Man 3 by almost $8 million.
Overall, Hollywood has had a healthy weekend, with estimated revenues of $253 million from Friday through today, more than half of it from
The Dark Knight.
Labels: box office, The Dark Knight
