Friday, January 30, 2009

Best Celebrity Families



This really isn't celebrity news, just a short rant of mine.  So I'm kind of torn between two families here but, I am pretty much convinced that Gwen and Gavin have the cutest little boys in all of Hollywood.  Kingston has such sass in his adorable little outfits and Zuma is just a freakin adorable infant.  They are always playing at the park together and Gwen and Gavin are always with them.  The kids are rarely photographed without their parents and just a nanny.  I think this is great parenting for the crazy world of Hollywood.  Next, I am obsessed with the Jolie-Pitts.  If there is anyone that I'd like to be adopted by, its them.  They are so multi-cultural and adorable.  There are so many of them they could start a family band like the VonTrapps (if indeed they do have singing talent).
And last but not least, my other favorite celebrity family is a bit under the radar and not everyone may know them, but it is none other than The Gosselins of Jon and Kate Plus 8.  Those sextuplets are so cute I just wanna squeeze them or perhaps just sit and let them talk to me for hours.  They say some of the funniest things EVER and I just love them. If you've never seen them, check out this clip:
http://dsc.disco.com/dd/dd/dd?playerId=1842754387&titleId=1890043205

I'm bored and love talking about all the celebrity children I'd love to babysit for. The end.

Gilmore Girl back to the Small-Screen


Gilmore Girls fans rejoice! Lauren Graham (Lorelai) is coming back to the small screen. Graham will star in a pilot on ABC about a self-help guru/talk show host who gives relationship advice to woman only to have her "perfect" beau give her the boot. Graham will also serve as a producer on the show currently titled Let it Go.
I'm thrilled that Graham is coming back to television and hope that the new series can bring with it half of the witty charm that made Gilmore Girls a seven year staple. Lorelai's character always carried the series for me as Rori (Alexis Bledel) lost me with age. ABC needs a new comedy to compete with rival network NBC who seems to have a monopoly on them right now thanks to The Office and company.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Kelly Clarkson...back?


Kelly Clarkson pole-vaults to the top of the Billboard charts in a history making leap from 97th to No. 1 within the course of a week! Her new single "My Life Would Suck Without You" holds the No. 1 spot on the Digital Chart as well, also selling 279,605 downloads in a mere week, which just happens to be the third biggest digital song debut for any female artist. The single track comes from Kelly's fourth album, All I Ever Wanted, which is set to drop March 10.

The question is whether or not the former American Idol can re-captivate audiences with the rest of her album. Needless to say, My December, was a flop...especially having ridden the coat tails of an uber-successful sophomore album. "My Life..." appears to give a nod to Kelly's roots. The dramatic pop is what got her to the top, hopefully it's what will keep her there on this latest album. I was disappointed with Clarkson's last attempt. I'll be willing to write it off as a mid-career crisis, though if "All I Ever Wanted" brings her former spark back.

Hilary Duff...More Small Screen News


Last year she turned down the lead in the new 90210, but this year Hilary Duff is seemingly sweeping up every opportunity to be on the small screen. The former tween queen not only inked a deal for which she’ll star in her own sitcom on NBC, but she also just cemented herself a guest spot on the CBS drama Ghost Whisperer. Duff will play a young woman who may or may not be involved in the death of a man.
Television isn’t the only place where Duff is making headlines…reports claim the star has signed on to play Bonnie alongside Kevin Zegers in a remake of the classic “Bonnie and Clyde”. Tonya S. Holly, who is directing the indie drama "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde," stresses that the new film is not a remake and will showcase periods in the couple's lives not seen onscreen before.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Deja Vu? Is Hannah Montana just a backwards Lizzie McGuire?

I know I'm old. And by old, I mean I was around for the Disney craze that was "Lizzie McGuire". It's been over six years, which in Disney speak is a lifetime. The fact that I'm now also in the middle of the "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus" generation provides me with a unique viewpoint. Anyone who has ever watched the Disney Channel knows that every show is just a recycled version of its predecessors. The cast changes (sometimes), the theme gets a facelift (if you're lucky), but there are only so many life lessons a show can provide-and thus you have the recycling effect.
The great thing is that every half decade or so, you take what was your most popular franchise, give it a face lift, and re-brand it into what hopefully becomes a new craze. That is exactly what happed with "Lizzie McGuire" and "Hannah Montana". The themes contained in the shows are identical (money problems, boyfriends, identity crises, bullies, etc.). The only difference is that with "Lizzie McGuire" the network pushed the show first, and the music later. With "Hannah Montana" they've pushed both at the same time.
Let's look at the movies for both successful series:
*"The Lizzie McGuire Movie". Hilary Duff and company go to Rome where she is mistaken for a famous pop star and has to make the decision whether her home or her newfound fame is more important. This movie served as a vehicle for Duff's music career as her debut album "Metamorphosis" came out the same summer, and she had numerous songs on the soundtrack.
*"The Hannah Montana Movie". Miley/Hannah get in a shoe fight with Tyra Banks causing Billy Ray to take her back to Nashville for a little down home discipline. Miley must then decide if the double life is really for her. The soundtrack to the film will feature 12 new songs and will likely sell another gagillion records.
The question is what the Hannah Montana movie will mean for the TV series..."The Lizzie McGuire Movie" marked the end of Hilary Duff's Disney run. Will the big screen version of "Best of Both Worlds" do the same for Miley Cyrus?

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Dakota Fanning to star in New Moon?


Rumor has it, starlet Dakota Fanning is in the running for a supporting role in New Moon, the second installation of the Twilight series.   Fanning is allegedly being considered to play Jane, a member of the Volturi, an Italian vampire clan who play watchdog for the worldwide vampire population. Although I am a Dakota fan,  I'm not so sure about how I feel about this.  Similar to my response to the rumor of Vanessa Hudgens joining the cast, I think Dakota has too much star power for this role.  While the cast is now pretty well-known, before the film, most of the cast were not even blips on the celebrity radar.  To put a pretty-famous child star in a supporting role takes away from the main characters roles and what they do for the film.  A star like Dakota needs to be first-billed, not a minor role halfway down the credit list.  I am by no means putting Dakota down in anyway, in fact, I think her acting chops far exceed those of basically every actor and actress from Twilight.  I really hope that this rumor remains as such, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.  

Monday, January 19, 2009

Veronica Mars Movie?




I admit that I completely missed Veronica Mars while it made its TV run. It started on a channel i didn't receive, and by the time it made the switch to the CW, it was too late. But, that doesn't mean I didn't get into it. A friend suggested I check the series out. It only took me about three weeks to plow through every season of the hit show.
The storylines were ingenious, the cast was spectacular, and combined with the other facets of production you couldn't help but want more.
Now, fans of the series might be getting just that. Series creator Rob Thomas (he was also responsible for creating the new '90210' pilot) has reported that he and series star Kristen Bell (also a Michigan native) are both on board for a 'Veronica Mars' movie. Thomas has indicated that producer Joel Silver is ready to green-light the project that would then likely move quickly up Thomas' priority list.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Amanda Bynes Dumps "Hills" Boyfriend


As of this week, Amanda Bynes is back on the market and its probably for the best.  Bynes, 22, had been dating Doug Reinhardt, a baseball player whose claim to fame was being friends with L.C. from The Hills.  The two had gone on an exotic vacation together late last year and seemed to be fairly happy, up until last week when, as People reports, both Bynes and Reinhardt had been openly upset with each other.  
While reports from friends close to the pair vary on whose to blame, I'm siding with Amanda Bynes on this one.  Reinhardt may be good looking and athletic, but Bynes has much more going for her.  She's actually got half a brain and can make me laugh til it hurts.  Nothing puts a smile on my face like Bynes dressed up as a boy in She's the Man.  If her comedic talent weren't enough to convince you to take her side, just think about the other tools that have gotten their 15 minutes of fame as a result of the hills.  Does Brody Jenner ring a bell?  If one were to look up "over-privileged tool" in a dictionary, one would find Jenner, Brody picture.  If he isn't evidence enough, just think Justin Bobby or the king of the toolbags, Spencer Pratt.   
All in all, I'm gonna give the upper hand in this breakup to Bynes.  She's probably better off staying away from fame-whores who have little to offer but good looks and money.   

Hilary Duff returns to TV!


Former teen queen and Disney channel star Hilary Duff is working on making a comeback. This time around the Duffster has shed the ears in favor of a more colorful look. She'll be joining the Peacock, NBC, for "Barely Legal". The show is about an 18 year old who passes the California bar becoming the state's youngest attorney. Duff signed a development deal with the network last year. "Barely Legal" will be the 21 year old's first ever primetime series.

Any one else reminded of "Doogie Houser"? The real question will be if Duff can pull off an intelligent character. Her former roles haven't been intellectually stimulating to say the least ("Material Girls"?). Hopefully Hilary's return to TV will go over better than her last couple of albums.

Miley Cyrus and Jonas Brothers= Inauguration Bash




The night before Barack Obama rocks the nation the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus plan to do the same. The AP is reporting that the teen senstaions will perform Monday night at the "Kids' Inaugural: We Are the Future" event.
Soon to be First Lady, Michelle Obama and Jill Biden will host the concert that will air on the Disney Channel.
The Network will also debut a new music video from Cyrus and the official trailer for the upcoming Hannah Montana movie. All of this can be seen Monday night 8PM.

I think this an appropriate choice. Barck Obama knows what it's like to have the "Best of Both Worlds".

Speaking of Spin-offs...


Gossip Girl isn't the only popular show set for a spin-off. CBS is hoping that they can capitalize on the success of NCIS with their own spin-0ff.

Ironically enough, NCIS started as an episode spin-off of JAG. Now NCIS will host the episode that spins off a new show. CBS hasn't announced any casting progress, or given any details on how the new show will function.

Gibbs might have to pull double duty if they expect this one to work.

Gossip Girl Spin-off?!




I love Gossip Girl. But is there enough Upper-East side love for a spin-off? The folks at the CW hope so. The Hollywood Reporter is saying that Gossip Girl executive producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage are moving forward with plans for a spin-off that will follow a teenage Lily van der Woodsen through 1980s L.A. A backdoor pilot is set to air May 11.


Here is why I don't think this will work:


*Too much like Star Wars-


Going backwards in the life of a character as deep as Ms. van der Woodesen seems like trouble. We already know that she and Rufus had a thing, she got knocked up, and did some "artistic" modeling. Filling in the the rest of Lily's holes could get obnoxious. No matter where the series goes, it will have to end up in the present day or true Gossip Girl fans will be nothing but annoyed.


*A show about the past can't work alongside a show about the present.


Who wants to watch Lily van der Woodsen break the space-time-continum? On Monday nights she's in her 40s, on Tuesdays she'll be in her teens again. That's just too confusing.


*Casting-


You've already got one of the hottest casts on TV in Gossip Girl. Will the CW be able to bring the same magic to a spin-off? I doubt they'll be able to find another Chace Crawford out there. Plus the chemistry between Leighton Meester and Blake Lively is one of a kind. Try and find that in another set of teen stars and you're just asking for trouble.


*Character Sympathy-


Out of all the characters to do a spin-off with why Lily? Do we really have enough sympthy for the dysfunctional mother to want to watch her turmoil filled childhood? If the CW had wanted to give Chace Crawford his own show, I'd understand. I'd even have gotten onboard for a Bass based spin-off (they could have saved Bart's life and a potentailly awesome story-line).


Monday, January 12, 2009

The Not-So Golden Globes


As an Entertainment reporter I am supposed to care about events like the Golden Globes. They bring out the very best in Hollywood, they generally inspire a week's worth, if not more, of press coverage, and they provide a light at the end of the dim tunnel that is holiday break.
And yet, after all of those reasons and more, I still don't like awards season. This year's Golden Globes only served to reinforce that feeling.
What exactly are the standards that voters use when deciding who the winners will be? Why is it that the highest grossing musical movie of all time (Mamma Mia!) didn't take home a single award? Why is it that actor's work in big budget and high grossing films seems to always get overlooked in favor of the "out of nowhere" independent dramas (i.e. SALLY HAWKINS - HAPPY-GO-LUCKY win)?
Why is it that half of the shows/movies up for consideration have yet to saturate the public sphere? If they are so damn good shouldn't people know about them? Instead the Golden Globes sum up everything that is wrong with Hollywood: They're elitist, exclusionary, and overblown.
More articles commented on star's outfits in the post-Globes media than the actual winners and losers. What does that say?
Writers had no problem ripping apart Miley Cyrus' dress, but they didn't want to touch the fact that the 16 year old was nominated for an AWARD.