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Link Time!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:30:04 -0700

Mad Men's Christina Hendricks got hitched! Check out the wedding photos - PopSugar
Bryan Singer calls dibs on another X-Men movie - Collider
Macy's Parade turns down the cast of Glee. Huh?! - TMZ
Alicia Keys is releasing her new album on Dec. 1. Get an early listen - HitFix
Think you know your Survivor history? Take the TV trivia quiz! - TV.com
Jimmy Kimmel follows in Letterman's footsteps and admits to a relationship with a staffer - Vulture
The new Chuck season may get bumped to an earlier premiere date - Ausiello Files
Jamie Oliver is taking reality TV to America's unhealthiest city - FitSugar
The biblical story of Moses is getting Hollywood's 300-style treatment. Here are five other ancient epics that should too - Cinematical
Where the Wild Things Are and eight other books that are impossibly hard to film - MTV Movies Blog

TCA Tidbits: Private Practice, Ashton, Dancing With the Wii

BuzzSugar — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:30:12 -0700

Between Katie Holmes, Katherine Heigl, and that hilarious Scrubs panel, ABC's session at the TCA press tour has already been action-packed. And it's only getting nuttier today, when Shonda Rhimes, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, and the ladies of Desperate Housewives take the stage. Before we get to that, here are some great stories I didn't get to share on Wednesday:

One of the reasons I'm looking forward to the Private Practice panel: The show is apparently going to go through something of an overhaul. There will be a greater emphasis on strong medical cases, with the hospital playing a greater role and Kate Walsh's character getting back to doing surgery. "When it just became a soap opera about these people's lives it was just a lot of talking," ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson said. "That's not what Shonda does well."
At the start of ABC's session, a special reporter addressed the crowd. Identifying himself as "Tom Weinerman from the Sarasota Star-Herald-Tribune," he asked a series of awkward questions of McPherson, including whether ABC was courting Jay Leno and how McPherson keeps his hair so nice. The secret: "Tom Weinerman" was Jimmy Kimmel, relatively incognito as he sat among the reporters.
McPherson insisted that Life on Mars, ABC's remake of the popular BBC series, isn't troubled - despite the fact that it hasn't shot a pilot, is still casting, and only had two actors (Jason O'Mara and Michael Imperioli) in place in time for its session. The show is ABC's only new drama for Fall, so for the network's sake I hope he's right . . .

A couple of other bits, including a special treat for Dancing With the Stars fans, so just read more.

There will be some changes on Dirty Sexy Money this year, especially with new showrunner John Feldman at the helm. "I think we learned a lot from the show last year," McPherson said. He specifically mentioned being excited to have Lucy Liu on the show.
Ashton Kutcher looked less than engaged during a big part of the session for his new reality show, Opportunity Knocks, in which families are asked to play a game show all about themselves (sample challenge: a dad is given several pieces of pottery and asked to use a hammer to smash the ones that weren't made by his daughter). That said, the show actually looks like it could be pretty adorable - as in, if I were 12 years old, I'd want nothing more than for Ashton to show up at my door and pick my family to compete. Bonus points for JD Roth, who won me over during the session by showing just what it takes to be a good host. Then again, maybe I only have these relatively positive feelings because I'm not one of the critics whose lives were put on display on stage in a real-time version of the game. Ouch.
There's definitely going to be more Wipeout, though it's not clear how much or when. McPherson said he wouldn't mind having a go-to Summer show, and Wipeout could be it.
On Wednesday night, several of the Dancing With the Stars pros gave critics an informal cha-cha lesson. While that was fun(ny), it was nothing compared to watching Derek Hough play the DWTS game for Nintendo Wii (as Apolo Anton Ohno, naturally):

Photo copyright 2008 ABC, Inc.

The Man Behind the Kimmel vs Silverman Videos Gets a Movie

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:30:57 -0700

Someone once told me that to make it in Hollywood, one needs persistence, talent and a lot of luck.

Well, these days, add to that a hit viral video because the director of the "comedy shorts" known to most as the F***king Matt Damon and Ben Affleck videos is getting a shot at directing a feature film.

It never occurred to me that there might be an honest-to-goodness aspiring movie director behind those dueling videos. Turns out there was, and his name is Wayne McClammy (even his name is funny) who has worked as a writer and director on Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Sarah Silverman Program.

The film he's set to direct is called Cool School and is about "ad executives in their early thirties who are sent back to high school to learn how to be cool again." What do you think? Is it wise to trust an entire film to a guy known mostly for short viral videos?

Jimmy Kimmel Live Celebrates 1,000 Episodes

BuzzSugar — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:31:53 -0700

It's time for Jimmy Kimmel to pop the champagne and start celebrating because his late-night show Jimmy Kimmel Live will hit the 1,000th episode mark tomorrow night.

The late-night talk show landscape is competitive, and breaking in as a newbie without inheriting a throne (see: Jay Leno taking over for Johnny Carson) is no small task. Audiences and A-listers alike usually flock toward a name they know and trust, which makes Kimmel's milestone that much more significant.

It sounds like the show had more than a few obstacles when they first started out, as described by Kimmel to The Hollywood Reporter:

Every interview turned out to be my last with almost everyone. I'm still cleaning up a lot of that mess from the first three months of the show. We forced the Rock, Dwayne Johnson, to ride a dogsled out onto the stage. He didn't want to. My producer didn't want to hear that. It became an unpleasant thing. We were overly aggressive with people. You can't do that and build any kind of goodwill. Fortunately, I think we've turned it around.

He's certainly come a long way from his shlubby, smirky sidekick persona on Comedy Central's The Man Show, and he recognizes that at first he "didn't understand the niceties of being a talk show host." But now, as the Reporter points out, Jimmy Kimmel Live has "clearly struck a chord with younger adults, who respond to the host's low-key hip approach." I myself never thought I'd be able to take Kimmel that seriously but I have to say, I'm warming up to him.

Of course, hilarious skits starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have recently helped earn him some fans and secure his credibility among Hollywood's elite. Are you won over? Where does Jimmy Kimmel rank in your mind among late-night giants like Leno and Letterman? Do you think he'll be around for another 1,000 episodes?

Source

Buzz News Roundup, 1/7

BuzzSugar — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:29:04 -0800

British actress Gemma Arterton has been chosen as a Bond girl for Bond 22, Reuters reports.
According to Variety, Marlon Wayans has signed on for the live-action G.I. Joe film.
A large collection of music from the 1970s - including music by Bob Marley and Peter Tosh - has disappeared from the archives of the former Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation, writes Billboard.
Tabatha Coffey, one of the most awesome characters from Shear Genius, is getting her own Bravo reality show, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Bravo also announced two big premieres for March, according to The Futon Critic: Top Chef 4 and The Real Housewives of NYC.
The AP reports that Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel will be guests on each others' shows to fill the gaps left by actors who won't cross picket lines to appear on the shows.
There Will Be Blood was the favorite film at the National Society of Film Critics Awards recently, writes Zap2It.

Variety has news about changes to TV schedules in the next few weeks, including the fact that Gossip Girl will move from Wednesday nights to Monday nights.

Source

Are You More Likely to Watch Letterman and Ferguson Tonight?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 06:30:00 -0800

All of the major late-night hosts - Jay Leno, David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O'Brien, and Craig Ferguson - return to the air tonight with new episodes for the first time since the Hollywood writers' strike began in November. Leno, Kimmel, and O'Brien will be winging it without their writers (and with picketing writers demonstrating outside their shows' studios).

Letterman and Ferguson, however, have their writing staffs intact after Letterman's Worldwide Pants production company, which owns the shows, cut a deal with the Writers Guild of America. That might also help the shows to get better guests since there won't be a picket line to cross - Letterman, for example, is returning with Robin Williams on the couch.

I'm wondering: Are you more likely to watch Letterman (or Craig Ferguson) because the writers' union says it's OK?

Photos courtesy of CBS

All Late-Night Hosts Might Return Jan. 2

BuzzSugar — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 12:31:02 -0800

We already knew that Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien would be returning to host their late-night shows on Jan. 2, and now it looks like all the other major talk show hosts might be ready to join them.

Jimmy Kimmel will definitely be back on the air then. He issued a statement on Tuesday saying "Though it makes me sick to do so without my writers, there are more than a hundred people whose financial well-being depends on our show. It is time to go back to work."

David Letterman and Craig Ferguson are looking to return Jan. 2 as well - but Letterman is hoping to find a way to bring their writers along, too. Letterman's Worldwide Pants production company, which owns both shows, is trying to make its own deal with the Writers Guild of America. There's at least one report that the hosts will return, writers or not, but a statement from Worldwide Pants says returning with writers is the company's only focus.

One question that's still not answered: Will any of these late-night shows be able to book guests? Guests would have to cross a picket line to make their appearances, and - as with the Golden Globes - many actors might not be willing to do that.

Photos courtesy of CBS and Source

Late-Night Hosts Could Return in January

BuzzSugar — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 11:33:37 -0800

Late-night hosts have been off the air for almost six weeks now, since the Hollywood writers' strike began and the hosts refused to cross their writers' picket lines. But now there's a new report that the hosts could return in early January. Sources told Variety that since late-night ratings are plunging and an end to the strike seems so far off, the hosts are thinking it's time to come back on the air.

Nobody wants to be the first host back - well, nobody except Carson Daly, who resumed taping Last Call earlier this month and already had his show disrupted by picketers once. (Daly said he came back to save the jobs of his crew.) So, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, and Craig Ferguson might all return together so nobody has to take the hit of being first. Jimmy Kimmel's plans aren't really known, and Variety speculates that Leno and O'Brien could come back together even if Letterman and Ferguson opt out.

Something similar happened during the last strike, in 1988: Both Letterman and Johnny Carson initially went off the air, but both returned before the strike was over - Carson after 10 weeks, Letterman after four months.

What do you think? Would you be upset with the late-night hosts if they returned to work? Or do you think it's fine for them to come back after two months off the air?

Source

TV Tonight: The American Music Awards

BuzzSugar — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 08:00:49 -0800

Sure, tonight's American Music Awards are all about the music. But they also mark the first time Jimmy Kimmel will appear on TV since the Hollywood writers' strike kicked off two weeks back. So if you like Kimmel, you'll definitely want to tune in to the show, which starts at 8 p.m. on ABC; who knows when we'll see him again?

But back to the music. Tonight's ceremony features a star-studded list of performers, from Alicia Keys to will.i.am to Daughtry to Sugarland. The awards honor many different styles of music, and the nominations are really spread around this year, with Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Daughtry and Linkin Park the only artists to receive three nominations. Some of the most intriguing categories: Timbaland and Justin Timberlake facing off with Akon for Male Pop/Rock Artist, the three single-name divas - Beyonce, Fantasia, Rihanna - battling in the Female Soul/R&B Artist category, and the Daughtry vs. Norah Jones vs. John Mayer race for the Adult Contemporary Artist award. Should be an interesting night.

To see a full list of the performers and presenters, just read more

Performers:
Mary J. Blige, Jonas Brothers, Lenny Kravitz, Queen Latifah, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland, Alicia Keys, Avril Lavigne, Celine Dion, Chris Brown, Daughtry, Duran Duran, Fergie, Maroon 5, Nicole Scherzinger, Rihanna and will.i.am

Presenters:
Akon, Christina Applegate, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, James Blunt, Miley Cyrus, Matt Dallas, Fabolous, Kirk Franklin, Josh Groban, Tony Hawk, Vanessa Hudgens, Lyfe Jennings, Sean Kingston, Solange Knowles, Kellie Pickler, Ryan Seacrest, Slash, Gene Simmons, Snoop Dogg, Jordin Sparks, Taylor Swift, Ashley Tisdale, Blair Underwood, Carrie Underwood, Usher, Scott Weiland, Justin Chambers and Chyler Leigh.

Source

Jimmy Kimmel Goes Bicoastal

BuzzSugar — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:30:07 -0700

Jimmy Kimmel is about to attempt a hosting feat of Seacrest-ian proportions. From Oct. 22-26, he'll be filling in for Regis on Live with Regis and Kelly in the morning while continuing to host Jimmy Kimmel Live at night. The big catch? Regis and Kelly films in New York, while his talk show films in LA.

The solution: Kimmel will fly cross-country twice a day, preparing for his talk show on the flight west and sleeping a little on the flight east. So, not really the most eco-friendly plan there, nor the most sensible, but I'm guessing it will lead to some wacky antics as Kimmel becomes punchier and more sleep-deprived.

Why wouldn't ABC just move Kimmel's late-night show to New York for the week, a la Conan in San Francisco? Still, I'll admit I'm a little curious to see what this does to Kimmel; maybe he should plan a Morgan Spurlock-style documentary on what five cross-country flights per day does to a person's brain.

Source