BITS AND PIECES 10/25
PUSSSYKATT
--AFTER less than a year at the helm of ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," executive
producer Daniel Kellison is leaving the late-night talk show. He will be
replaced, at least temporarily, by Duncan Gray, the former British TV executive
hired last November to work on ABC's alternative and specials offerings.
Kellison elected not to renew his contract, which is set to expire in January,
according to an insider. He is said to want to move back to New York, where his
ex-wife and child live. "Kimmel" is produced in Hollywood. The ratings for
"Kimmel" have been solid if not spectacular. For the week of Oct. 13, the show
earned a 0.7 rating in the key adults 18-49 demographic in direct competition
with "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" (2.0) and "Late Show With David
Letterman" (1.3). During its premiere week Jan. 27-31, "Kimmel" notched a 0.8.
Kellison remains a partner with Kimmel and "Loveline" co-host Adam Carolla in
Jackhole Prods., which produces "The Man Show" and "Crank Yankers" for Comedy
Central. Kellison was, at one time, the executive producer of "The Rosie
O'Donnell Show." He was said to be in a rehearsal Thursday afternoon and could
not be reached for comment.
Las Vegas Review-Journal/NORM CLARKE....
--Pop singing legend Michael Jackson will be making special appearances at the
Art of Music in Desert Passage today between 5 and 7 p.m.
--The group Aerosmith plans to attend today's qualifying action at AC Delco Las
Vegas NHRA Nationals.
--CBS' "60 Minutes" is airing a segment on Yucca Mountain on Sunday.
--Texas Rangers superstar Alex Rodriguez, joining 100 patrons in the ESPN Zone
(New York-New York) Thursday night in a screening room to watch Game 5 of the
World Series. While taking photos and signing autographs, he was rooting for
the Yankees because of his friendship with New York shortstop Derek Jeter. ...
--Shaquille O'Neal, deejaying at RA nightclub at the Luxor early Friday.
Teammate Derek Fisher came along. ...
--Joe Perry from Aerosmith, jamming in the Nightclub at The Stirling Club on
Thursday night. ...
--Aerosmith, Kiss and their entourage, getting a private performance of "La
Femme" at 1 a.m. this morning. ...
--Comedian Yakov Smirnoff took in "La Femme" earlier. ...
--"This film cost $31 million. With that kind of money, I could have invaded
some country." -- Clint Eastwood
By Roger Friedman/FOX NEWS.....
--Next week in New York there's a lot of exciting music in town. Paul Weller,
whose group the Jam was a seminal influence in the late '70s and early '80s,
plays Irving Plaza and Town Hall on Monday and Tuesday. Almost overlapping him,
Cyndi Lauper plays back-to-back dates Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Now Lauper,
like Boy George, was one of the "characters" who transcended the 1980s and
became indelibly linked with the fashion and culture -- just like Madonna. Like
George, but unlike Madonna, Lauper could sing. Her voice has been praised for
years, and even though she's released two or three exemplary albums in the last
decade, the fans still associate her with "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." Her
new album, "At Last," hits stores on November 13. Lauper and producer Russ
Titelman are definitely capitalizing on the Rod Stewart phenomenon of the last
year by covering 14 songs Lauper really loves, all classics. It was a smart
idea and makes for an entertaining, sophisticated album. Cyndi's voice is
richer than ever, and she uses it on these songs to dispel the whole "She Bop"
association. "At Last," I think, will push her into the same category as Annie
Lennox, Natalie Cole, and other popular "adult" singers. Just wait 'til you
hear her re-interpret "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "La Vie en Rose."
This is the kind of album that every person over 30 who only bought the Rod
Stewart albums will scoop up immediately. There's also a version of "You Really
Got a Hold On Me" that rivals the previous classic by Laura Nyro (from the
"Gonna Take a Miracle" album). Meantime, Joe's Pub is sold out, but I always
say, where there's a will, there's a way. Someone I know hid in a bathroom
stall at Yankee Stadium last week after slipping unnoticed by security and
getting in for free. Can you do that at Joe's Pub? I don't see why not. It will
be worth it.
--October is almost over and I've neglected to mention the music issue of
Vanity Fair. I'm usually pretty critical of this publication, especially
because they have consistently failed to put an African American on the cover
by him-or-her-self. All that aside, seeing Queen Latifah and Dr. Dre on the
music cover with Norah Jones and Willie Nelson was a nice surprise and a
welcome change for the magazine. Maybe it will lead to more good things in the
future. We can only hope. Speaking of black artists who should have been in the
music issue, Wyclef Jean put on a hot show last night at Roseland. Mixing
numbers from his new album, "The Preacher's Son," with old favorites, the R&B
genius did a lot of dancing, jumped in and out of the audience, and did some
high kicks that would impress the Rockettes. Interesting story in this week's
excellent New York Observer. Novelist Julie Hecht complains Random House has
not promoted her well-reviewed book, "The Unprofessionals." Julie, let me tell
you a secret. I was a book publicist 20 years ago. Publishers as a rule dump
books, don't promote them, and don't know what to do with them. I was surprised
to read in the same article that David Lipsky has a new novel out. You see, in
five years no publisher has sent a book to this column for review or perusal.
It's the anti-publicity method, perfected to an art form! So let's buy these
two books off of Amazon or Barnesandnoble.com this weekend and read them.
They're so good, the publishers want to keep them to themselves!
E! ONLINE....Eric Greene
--Steve Buscemi feels Lonesome. The actor-director is set to produce and direct
Lonesome Jim, starring Liv Tyler and Casey Affleck. The comic drama centers on
a midwesterner in his late twenties (Affleck) who is forced to move back to his
hometown, where he strikes up an unusual friendship with a local single mom
(Tyler). Shooting starts in February.
--Chris Klein and Brendan Fehr spend The Long Weekend together. Wackiness
ensues after one swinging brother tries to get a girl for his uptight sibling
on the most important weekend of his career. Cameras roll on the indie in
January in Vancouver.
--Taye Diggs marches to the beat of a different Drum in an indie feature based
on the true story of a Drum magazine writer who exposed the atrocities of
apartheid-era South Africa. Zola Maseko directs the film, which begins
production Nov. 7 in Johannesburg.
--Now serving at a different court is tennis legend Billie Jean King. The
six-time Wimbledon champ steps in as a judge for an upcoming ep of Law & Order.
King admits to being a big-time fan of the show. No word yet on an airdate.
--Peter Fonda, Faye Dunaway, Blythe Danner and Jack Palance are the designated
Grownups. The veteran thesps have been cast in the Hallmark Hall of Fame
telepic Back When We Were Grownups. The film follows a grandmother (Danner)
wondering what her life might have been like if she hadn't abandoned her high
school sweetheart (Fonda) three decades earlier.
--Exorcist: The Beginning gets a fresh start with director Renny Harlin. The
Cutthroat Island helmer replaces Paul Schrader on the much-delayed prequel to
the 1973 Oscar-nominated film. The project, about a priest's encounters with
Satan while performing missionary work in Africa, gets six more weeks of
reshoots beginning next month.
E! ONLINE...by Lia Haberman
--M*A*S*H star Alan Alda discharged Thursday from a hospital in Chile where he
had been recovering after an emergency appendectomy last Sunday.
--P. Diddy telling USA Today he's abstaining from sex while in final
preparations for the New York City marathon on November 2. "Two weeks is a long
time for me, because I'm a very healthy Scorpio. My hormones are raging. I'm a
young man, very passionate, very romantic. But it's for the kids."
--Following the Sci Fi channel's threat to sue, NASA releasing 36 pages of
documents connected to 1965 UFO incident in Kecksburg, Pennsylvania.
--Elvis Presley leading Forbes.com list of top-earning deceased celebrities for
the third year in a row, to the tune of $40 million. Runner-up is Peanuts
cartoon creator Charles Schulz, who earned $32 million, followed by Lord of the
Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien who rang in $22 million.
--After missing two court dates in two days to answer to charges of cocaine
possession, Eminem's ex-wife Kim Mathers has been placed under house arrest.
--Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller have been
chosen by MGM to remake the 1979 thriller The Amityville Horror. The original
film inspired seven sequels.
--Crossing Jordan's production schedule delayed after star Jill Hennessy asks
for more time off with her new baby, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The
third season of the NBC forensic drama was pushed to midseason to accommodate
Hennessy's pregnancy.
--Mexican rap-metal group Molotov and newcomer Natalia Lafourcade topping the
MTV Latin Awards on Thursday. Molotov won four of the five awards they were
nominated for, including Video of the Year, Best Group or Duo, Alternative
Artist and Best Mexican Artist. Lafourcade won for Best Solo Artist, Pop Artist
of the Year and Best New Mexican Act.
--Rapper 50 Cent releasing his group G Unit's debut album Beg For Mercy with a
little something extra inside. Four of the first 1 million albums pressed will
contain a golden ticket--anyone who finds a ticket will win a diamond-studded
medallion and chain worth $12,500.
--Dick Clark, music Industry players and online voters choosing amateur group
The Bomb Squad as winners of the third annual Coca-Cola New Music Award. The
band will be unveiled November 16 at the 31st Annual American Music Awards.
--Bluegrass picker Del McCoury being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry this
weekend. He'll perform there Friday and Saturday night.
ET ONLINE...
--BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN's wife, PATTI SCIALFA, is stealing a bit of the spotlight
tonight when her tune, "Love's Glory," is played on CBS' new hit show "Joan of
Arcadia," reports the New York Daily News. In the episode, God tells Joan to
have a yard sale and as the teen is rummaging through the garage for things to
sell, Joan discovers her mother's old paintings. The discovery forces her mom
to come to terms with her past.
ASSOCIATED PRESS....
--Ernest Hemingway is back at the bar in his beloved El Floridita restaurant
— this time permanently as a life-size bronze statute. The statute of the
late writer, who made pre-Revolutionary Cuba his home for many years, is
situated in the same corner of the bar he frequented during more than two
decades on the island. Hemingway lived just east of Havana at the farm known as
Finca Vigia from 1940 to 1961, and came into town to enjoy his favorite Cuban
drinks — frozen daquiris and sour-sweet mojitos laced with mint leaves.
"There are very few times a sculpture can be placed in the exact place he
frequented," said sculptor Jose Villa Soberon, who took eight months to
complete the work that will be officially unveiled on Monday. Soberon is
already known here as the man who sculpted a life-sized bronze statute of the
late singer John Lennon, which sits on a bench in a Havana park. The Hemingway
statute leans comfortably against the far end of the bar, right hand on hip,
left foot on the on the bar's foot rest. The establishment's bartenders promise
to place a daiquiri before the image everyday in Hemingway's honor. The author
of such works as "The Old Man and the Sea," "A Farewell to Arms," and "The Sun
Also Rises," committed suicide in Ketchum, Idaho in 1961.
--The famed Las Vegas strip has found a new way to exploit the battle of the
sexes: A scantily clad group of female "sirens" starting Sunday will fight a
male band of pirates in a sea battle on a man-made lake outside the Treasure
Island casino. Treasure Island's previous all-male pirate battle, complete with
cannons, a sinking ship and lots of acrobatics was for many years one of the
mainstays of Vegas-style over-the-top showmanship. A renovated Treasure Island
casino has redubbed itself "T.I." and its new broadside-filled show follows the
latest Vegas craze -- floor shows with large dollops of sex. "T.I" is owned by
MGM Mirage.
www.zap2it.com....
--From David St. Hubbins in "Spinal Tap" to Lenny Kosnowski on "Laverne &
Shirley" to Dr. Simon August in "Young Doctors in Love, Michael McKean is no
stranger to creating memorable character on the big and small screen. When he
drops by "Smallville," though, McKean will be playing a character already
familiar to generations of comic book, film and television fans. McKean will
make his first appearance on The WB's superhero drama on Wednesday, Oct. 29
playing a down-and-out reporter with a drinking problem. That reporter's name?
Perry White. Down the road, of course, White becomes the editor of the Daily
Planet and gives Clark Kent (Tom Welling) his first job. Jackie Cooper played
White in all four of the Christopher Reeve "Superman" movies, while John
Hamilton played the part in George Reeves' days in the cape. In "Lois & Clark,"
Lane Smith took the role. Since starting his career on "Laverne & Shirley,"
McKean has moved freely between film and television, appearing in a quirky
variety of projects including "D.A.R.Y.L.," "Earthgirls Are Easy" and "Earth
Girls Are Easy." He's best know for his collaborations with Christopher Guest
including "Spinal Tap" (which he co-wrote), "Best in Show" and "A Mighty Wind."
He also helped compose the songs for those three movies as well as Guest's
"Waiting for Guffman." This will also mark the first time McKean has starred on
television opposite his real-life wife Annette O'Toole, who plays Martha Kent
on "Smallville."
--Perhaps her infamous little black book is still locked away in an evidence
storage room. Maybe she's looking to boost sales of her apparel line, Heidi
Wear. Or maybe she just wants to find love, and doesn't mind if the rest of us
watch. Whatever the reason, former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss will appear on
"Blind Date" next week. And the folks at the syndicated dating show appear to
have set her up with the kind of guy she's looking for. It seems Fleiss likes
her men affluent, and the guy she dates on the show is a millionaire several
times over. Problem is, he wants someone who'll like him for the content of his
character, not the size of his bankroll. Sparks and cartoon thought bubbles are
sure to fly. The episode is scheduled to air Thursday, Oct. 30.
--Richard Roundtree will guest-star on "Alias" during sweeps. Can you dig it?
Roundtree, the original "Shaft," will appear the episode scheduled for Sunday,
Nov. 23. He'll play Brill, a freelance operative and a cat who won't cop out
when there's danger all about. In the episode, titled "Breaking Point," Sydney
(Jennifer Garner) is taken into custody by the National Security Council, which
wants to perform a radical surgery to recover her memory of the past two years.
Dad Jack (Victor Garber) and Vaughn (Michael Vartan) want to stop the surgery.
To do that, however, they have to form an alliance with the oily Sloane (Ron
Rifkin). Roundtree's character is the head of the team sent in to extract
Sydney. Roundtree burst into stardom in 1971 playing private eye John Shaft in
"Shaft." He reprised the role briefly in the 2000 remake starring Samuel L.
Jackson. Other recent credits include a stint on the CBS soap "As the World
Turns," the Showtime series "Soul Food" and the 2001 feature film "AntiTrust."
--Having assured "Sex and the City" of a TV afterlife in syndication, HBO is
now looking to sell another of its properties. Rather than pitching continuing
series like "The Sopranos" or "Six Feet Under," however, the pay-cable outlet
is shopping its acclaimed 2001 miniseries "Band of Brothers." The World War II
saga has reportedly been offered to several basic-cable networks. "There has
been a lot of interest in this project, but no decision has been made," an HBO
spokeswoman tells The Hollywood Reporter. One possible buyer is the History
Channel, which confirms it's been talking with HBO. FX has reportedly passed.
If it is sold, "Band of Brothers" could command a premium price in syndication.
The BBC paid $1 million per episode to pick up worldwide rights to the
miniseries. Based on a book by Stephen Ambrose, the miniseries followed the
paratroopers of Easy Company from their training in Georgia through the
Normandy invasion and the end of World War II. It was nominated for 19 Emmys
and won six, including outstanding miniseries.
--Have no fear, Daniel is here. "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe has
confirmed he will return for fourth installment of the sci-fi series which is
called "The Goblet of Fire." It was rumored that the 14-year-old was getting a
bit big for Potter's britches. His confirmation that he will continue to play
the child wizard for the massively successful fantasy franchise relieved many
fans. It is not known, however, if Emma Watson and Rupert Grint - who play
Potter's friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley - will return after they
finish shooting the third installment, "The Prisoner of Azkaban."
SEND EMAIL TO PUSSS...@aol.com
AGC FAQ and FUN STUFF
http://www.dreamwater.org/agc/MAINPAGES/AGCFAQ.html
BLIND ITEM REHASH:
http://www.dreamwater.org/agc/BLINDITEMS/MAINPAGE.html