March 2007 Archives

... you probably missed "Great American Dream Vote," ABC's latest attempt to cheaply latch onto the ratings coattails of "Dancing With the Stars." The show lasted only two episodes. ABC would call that a cancellation. I call it a mercy killing. I actually watched both installments because the kids and I couldn't believe how bad it was. It was hard to look away. So host Donny Osmond goes back to calling his agent and asking, "Got anything for me?" And some schmuck named Russ is the one and only prize winner. His "dream"? To have hair again. He feels emotionally crippled by male-pattern baldness at the tender age of 22. He won a hair transplant, a windsurfer, a wardrobe, a wad of cash and a convertible, the better to test the hair implants.

"Extra" says it has the dirt on "Dirt." It says its Tuesday episode will feature a clip from Courteney Cox's FX series "Dirt" in which she and guest star Jennifer Aniston get pretty darned friendly. Finally putting an image on film that surely countless men have played out in their minds, Aniston, playing a lesbian, plants a kiss on Cox. The episode of "Dirt" airs later Tuesday evening.

Katharine McPhee, the runner up on the last season of "American Idol," is the celeb profiled on this weekend's episode of "My Celebrity Home." The show will give a tour of the house she recently bought and then use her Asian-fusion bedroom as the inspiration for a redo in a San Dimas house. Still got McFever? Check it out, 9 p.m. Saturday on the Style Network.

Just when you thought Disney had wrung everything out of the "High School Musical" franchise comes the announcement today that they're taking the show on the road, or the rink. "Disney's High School Musical: The Ice Tour" kicks off Sept. 29 and is slated to hit 100 cities around the world. Three dates are set for the L.A. area: Staples on Oct. 5, Long Beach Arena on Oct. 7 and L.A. Sports Arena on Oct. 9. Tickets go on sale April 2.
Corbin Bleu, who plays Chad in the outrageously popular made-for-TV movie, talked with me by phone a couple of months ago when the kids were in the middle of the HSM concert tour. "I think all of us going into this show were a little iffy at first because we thought, 'High School Musical on Ice.' We didn't want something like that, you know?" I know. And here's a tip for the multitalented, physically fit Mr. Bleu: If you can ice skate, don't tell anybody.

What exactly were the ramifications of the high number of foreigners among this year's Academy Awards nominees? That it signifies international unity as members of the entertainment community clasp hands, sing and sway around a naked golden guy? That the U.S. trade deficit may creep ever higher, thanks to entertainment product from outside our borders selling really well here? That the awards show might get higher ratings in Barcelona or Budapest?
All I know is it makes for either a stimulating challenge or a whopping bore for reporters in the press room where winners come back to chat and show off their new hardware.
Here is -- I kid you not -- the official academy transcript of all but one question-and-answer exchange with "Pan's Labyrinth" cinematographer Guillermo Navarro:

Q. Spanish?
A. Spanish.

Q. Spanish?
A. Spanish.

Q. Spanish?
A. Spanish.

Q. Spanish?
A. Spanish.

Q. Spanish?
A. Spanish.

Q. Spanish?
A. Spanish.

Q. Spanish?
A. Spanish.

Q. Spanish?
A. Spanish.

Hello, information? Berlitz, por favor.

Don't know about you, but we've been wringing our hands here about Star Jones Reynolds' future ever since she quit (was bounced from) "The View" last year. She's found her career safety net at the network that gave her her start in legal punditry. Court TV says Reynolds will be executive editor and host of a new live daytime talk show that will offer "a fresh perspective to the day's most talked-about crime and justice stories from the news and pop culture arenas." The show, due to hit the air later this year, does not yet have a title. And it's a good guess that the network has not yet found an assistant for Reynolds willing to accept a job description that includes lotioning Star's legs as needed.

The promotion department at KRTH-FM wins the Out of Touch Award this week. The oldies station on weekday mornings has a little call-in game named Generation Gap, which kids under 18 are invited to play with help from an adult. Morning jock Gary Bryan names two groups, one real one from the KRTH playlist and one bogus one, and he gives prizes to anyone who guesses correctly two out of three times. As a carpool driver, I can verify that the game is very popular with young listeners.
Now here's the thing that wins the Out of Touch distinction. Sometimes the contest prizes are suitable and much appreciated, but lately the station has been awarding tickets to live shows by the Doodlebops and the Wiggles, two acts that a fan outgrows around age 5. Anybody old enough to dial a cellular phone from the backseat and play the game is already past the age of caring about the prize.
I'd award a gold star, however, to the young ladies and gents who remain poised when learning of their winnings.

The Radio and Television News Directors Foundation next week will be honoring Roger Ailes, chairman and CEO of Fox News, in addition to ABC's Bob Woodruff, CBS correspondent Kimberly Dozier and Philip Balboni of New England Cable News.
"RTNDF honors leaders in media and business who have shown outstanding support for the First Amendment," the announcement read.
Ailes? Really? The head of the network that routinely cuts short anybody voicing an opinion different from, oh, I dunno, Roger Ailes? Come on...

From the Hollywood court files comes word that screenwriter Paula Neiman is suing the producers of "The Bible Experience," a wildly popular audio version of the New Testament with characters voiced by Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Angela Bassett and other stars. In the suit filed by the late Johnnie L. Cochran's firm, Neiman contends she has not been paid the 5% of the gross she is due.
My question is, if it comes time to take an oath in the legal proceedings, do those testifying swear on a stack of CDs?