Britney Spears’ “Circus” tour, her first major tour in five years, has encountered a few obstacles in Australia. After a show in Perth on Friday night, Australian media reported that some of the 17,000 fans in attendance stormed out after Spears lip-synched a few but not all of her songs. The Spears camp countered that the lip-synching element of the show was never hidden and that no fan would leave after paying between $200 to $1,500 for tickets. Plus, isn’t the on-stage train wreck element kind of part of the show? You can’t leave. You can barely look away. [Reuters]
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Filed Under: circus, australia, britney spears, circus tour, lip-synching, music, perth
 BuddyTV | Mad Men, 'Shut the Door. Have a Seat': Reviewing the season finale The Star-Ledger - NJ.com John Slatter and Jon Hamm in the "Mad Men" season three finaleSpoilers for the "Mad Men" season three finale coming up just as soon as I clean the carpets... "How long do you think it'll take us to be in a place like ... Mad Men: Shut the Door. Have a Seat. - Review Sterling Coup: A terrific ending to the 'Mad Men' season 'Mad Men' finale: Are you sitting down? |
The Bomb: Jake Gyllenhaal is taking a look at Source Code, a sci-fi thriller about a soldier who wakes up in the body of a commuter whose train is bombed. Gyllenhaal’s character has to relive the bombing until he can figure out who did it. So kind of like Groundhog Day meets Early Edition. [Variety]
Scary Shady: More than seven years have passed since 8 Mile, but Eminem is ready to give acting another try. This time around, the rapper will appear in an eponymous 3-D horror movie, Shady Talez, which will also become a four-part comic book. Come to think of it, the music video for “Stan” was kind of a horror film. [MTV]
Demons: Man on Wire documentary filmmaker James Marsh will try his hand again at directing a feature film. Marsh tried once before with The King starring Gael Garcia Bernal in 2005, but that film flopped pretty hard. Now Marsh is going to give feature directing another shot with The Vatican Tapes, a thriller about an exorcism gone wrong — an inauspicious plot line for a previously failed feature director, no? [THR]
The Right to Curb: TV Land and TV Guide Network joined forces to purchase the basic cable rights to the first seven seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm. The networks are expected to have paid something less than $600,000 per episode. Pretty good. Pretty, pretty good. [THR]
Two for Three: The Disney Channel has ordered a second season of Jonas, the Jonas Brothers’ comedy series. The show will take on new executive producers for season two: director Paul Hoen and showrunner Lester Lewis, who worked as a producer for The Office earlier this year. [THR]
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Filed Under: the industry, curb your enthusiasm, eminem, jake gyllenhaal, james marsh, lester lewis, man on wire, paul hoen, shady talez, source code, the disney channel, the jonas brothers, the vatican tapes, tv guide, tv land
Fortuitously enough, just after Jared Kushner announced Kyle Pope’s appointment as the new editor of the New York Observer, Peter Kaplan, the man whose name became practically synonymous with the job after more than a decade in the role — the longest-serving Observer editor of all time — was sitting down to record an hour with Charlie Rose. Kaplan also previously worked as the executive producer of The Charlie Rose Show. Everything from the changes to the Observer's front page to the Internet's assault on print and, yes, Kyle Pope was on the docket.
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Filed Under: ink-stained wretches, antidotes to the new york times, charlie rose, kyle pope, microcosms of power, new york observer, peter kaplan
Guiding an indie movie from the festival circuit to nationwide box office success is a tricky charge. But Precious, which Lionsgate picked up at Sundance for $5.5 million, is off to a great start after bringing in $1.8 million at just 18 theaters in four cities when it opened this weekend — a record for average take by any movie opening at more than six locations. This opening weekend success might stem from Lionsgate’s decision to target theaters in African American areas and affluent moviegoers, who are more likely to choose a movie based on reviews (Precious received a mountain of positive press). But will Precious become the next Slumdog Millionaire or the next The Aristocrats, which did well in limited release and then tanked? This Friday it will open in five new theaters and then nationwide one week later. Then we’ll know for sure.
Lionsgate planning aggressive rollout for 'Precious' after huge start [LAT]
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Filed Under: precious, box office, gabby sidibe, lionsgate, movies, opening weekend, slumdog millionaire, sundance, sundance film festival, the aristocrats
MySpace owner News Corps. is paying $1 million per month to rent an enormous office space near LAX for its social networking property. Too bad the office is sitting totally empty because 40% of the MySpace was laid off after a barrage of other shortcomings, and moving into the new space became a bad idea. The 12-year lease is worth about $350 million, and News Corps. might have to just take it on the chin.
The deal commits News Corp to 420,000 sq ft of space in Playa Vista, near Los Angeles International airport. When it was signed Peter Levinsohn, the former president of News Corp’s Fox Interactive Media unit, used a memo to staff to hail the deal as “the single biggest real-estate transaction in Los Angeles in the last 25 years.”
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Filed Under: empty space, myspace, news corp., real estate, rent
James Cameron’s forthcoming Avatar is terrifying for studio executives, and not just because Cameron himself designed the thanator, the scariest monster in the film which makes the queen from Alien look like a bunny rabbit. Executives at 20th Century Fox and its parent company News Corp. are scared because the movie has no big-name stars and is becoming one of the most expensive feature films ever made. Well, at least they were scared until they hedged hard: turning over a significant part of the films production costs, which could climb as high as $500 million, to other companies and putting Cameron under a contract that holds his share of the film’s income until the studio and others have been paid back.
There’s also one “super secret” hedge:
Taking no chances, Fox is backing up Mr. Cameron’s movie with what an executive recently called the studio’s “secret weapon.” That would be “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel,” set to open just a week after studio marketers get “Avatar” into theaters. It is the relatively safe sequel to a chipper family comedy that cost about $60 million and took in $217 million at the domestic box office when it was released two years ago.
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Filed Under: avatar, 20th century fox, alvin and the chipmunks, alvin and the chipmunks the squeakuel, james cameron, news corp., thanator, titanic
Marla Sokoloff has tied the knot!
The Practice star wed Deadsy drummer Alex Puro at Il Cielo restaurant in Beverly Hills Sunday evening in an intimate Jewish...
Sunday evening at 8 p.m., a group of writers, directors and actors convened to kick off 24 hours of playwriting and rehearsing that will culminate Monday night at the American Airlines Theater with performances of the ninth annual 24 Hour Plays to raise money for the Urban Arts Partnership. On hand this year: Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, Jennifer Aniston, Julia Stiles, Liev Schreiber, Anthony Mackie, Rosie Perez, Rosario Dawson, Sam Rockwell, Emily Mortimer and Billy Crudup, among others. Ready or not, the actors will hit the stage tomorrow in six ten-minute plays that hopefully take form throughout tonight and tomorrow. [Arts Beat/NYT]
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Filed Under: up all night, 24 hour plays, american airlines theater, anthony mackie, ashton kutcher, billy crudup, demi moore, emily mortimer, jennifer aniston, julia stiles, liev schreiber, montblanc, rosario dawson, rosie perez, sam rockwell
AP - Jim Carrey's Scrooge collected holiday donations from movie fans with his new take on "A Christmas Carol," which took in $31 million to open as the weekend's top movie.
 Boston Globe | Show will go on without Steven Tyler Boston Herald By Herald wire services Joe Perry is thinkin' that Aerosmith leading man Steven Tyler has quit!“Steven quit as far as I can tell. I don't know any more than you do about it. I got off the plane two nights ago. I saw online that Steven said that he was ... Steven Tyler Reportedly May Leave Aerosmith Steven Tyler Quits Aerosmith? Aerosmith Breakup? Steven Tyler Solo Project? |
While closing arguments were wrapping up for his former colleagues Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin in court on Friday, former Bear Stearns head of corporate strategy Steven Begleiter was gearing up for the final round of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. With $22 million in chips and a pair of queens in hand, Begleiter went all-in against Darvin Moon, a logger from Maryland, and lost it all when Moon came up with a pair of aces. Begleiter finished in sixth place out of a field of over 6,000 and walked away with $1.59 million in prize money. [Bloomberg]
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Filed Under: white men with money, bear stearns, business, gambling, las vegas, loggers from maryland, poker, steven begleiter, world series of poker
We have a feeling that Jon Corzine is going to be just fine. After his defeat on Tuesday, the governor took off for St. Barts on a private plane with his 64-year-old psychotherapist girlfriend, Sharon Elghanayan. And apparently she's the kind of 64-year-old who can still get away with wearing a bikini. [NYP]
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Filed Under: after the fall, cougars, jon corzine, new jersey, politics, sharon elghanayan, st. barts
Ever feel like you're alone in your undying adoration of all things Twilight?
Probably not, but if it's any consolation funnyman Jimmy Kimmel is right there with...
Irving Picard, the bankruptcy trustee responsible for liquidating Bernie Madoff’s investment firm, dropped one of twelve claims against J. Ezra Merkin, the man who raked in a large chunk of Madoff’s fake profits. The total value of the suit hasn’t changed from $564.6 million, but $279 million of that will have to come from a different place — Merkin’s Ascot, which lost all of its $1.7 billion in the scheme, instead of Ariel and Gabriel funds, which pulled their money out while the going was good. [Bloomberg]
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Filed Under: made-off, bankruptcy, bernie madoff, irving picard, j. ezra merkin
AP - Television cooking star Rachael Ray is boosting the local food supply for a struggling Ohio town.
Holiday movie season and high Oscar season have kicked off. But only one is kicking mistletoe.
While Jim Carrey's A Christmas Carol led a bah-humbug weekend with an underwhelming...
Not since the days of Will Ferrell and Tina Fey has Saturday Night Live been able to deliver a full hour-and-a-half of laughs, but leave it to Hollywood's golden girl to change all of...
Remember that knife the cops found last week on Melrose Place? Well, according to the sneak peek above from Tuesday's all-new episode, Auggie's prints are all over it! Could our nearly...
Tonight is the Superbowl for fans of Mad Men, so why not indulge in some pointless and uninformed speculation about the big change/s that are going to occur on the show's Season 3 finale tonight? It would be so fun to say "I told you so," after all (though we probably won't get to say that.) So here are some things that could happen, in ascending order of our belief in their likelihood. Remember: it's just a prime-time soap opera TV show!
5. Betty could die.
Reason it could happen: everyone seems to think it'll happen eventually, so why not now?
Reason it might not: she's so pretty!
4. Peggy and Duck could get engaged.
Reason it could happen: They're doing it. Maybe he wants to "give her a go-around like [she's] never had"...for life!
Reason it might not: Boring.
3. Don could get fired.
Reason it could happen: It's one more thing that could come crashing down.
Reason it might not: Too obvious.
2. Don and Betty could break up.
Reason it could happen: Well, it will, of course, probably, unless she dies.
Reason it might not: That's what happened last year. Old!
1. Baby Gene could die. (Or get really sick.)
Reason it could happen: Baby Gene's existence is what got Don and Betty back together before, when Betty found out she was pregnant, so he represents their love/commitment, and we know Betty's love is dead. Also, we barely ever see baby Gene, because baby actors are expensive. (It is great comic relief when they use that uncanny animatronic doll, though). Sally thinks he's evil. And, the biggest clue: that thing somebody said last week about Jackie Kennedy's baby dying? Hello! If that's not foreshadowing we don't know what is.
Reason it might not: dead babies are such downers, and the audience might not respond well to such a huge loss.
Or, alternatively, maybe everyone will get fired or die. We'll know at 11pm Eastern, when the music plays, the screen goes black, and everybody says "wow" at the same time.
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Filed Under: mad men, betty draper, christina hendricks, don draper, january jones, john slattery, jon hamm
Appearing on Fox News Sunday this morning, Joe Lieberman, whose vote as an independent would be needed to avoid a Republican filibuster, renewed his vow to personally block health care reform in the Senate if the public option is included. "If the public option plan is in there, as a matter of conscience, I will not allow this bill to come to a final vote." U.S. Health Care Measure Faces Tough Path in the Senate [Reuters]
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Filed Under: health carnage, health care, joe lieberman
Jezebel analyzes Sarah Palin's Facebook activity in the past 24 hours and concludes that Sarah thinks Pelosi's midnight deadline for voting on the health care plan was meant to keep congresspeople from realizing it's all death-panely. [Jezebel]
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Filed Under: sarah palin, health care, health carnage, nancy pelosi
If you think Kristen Stewart is protective of her private life, you ain't seen Taylor Lautner. The most famous member of the New Moon wolf pack got his hackles up Friday afternoon at a press...
After weeks of teasing and sneak peeks and whatnot, the video for Leighton Meester's song with Robin Thicke, "Somebody to Love," is now here, with us, on the internet. It runs for approximately three minutes and forty-two seconds, which is about average for a music video. In it, the Gossip Girl star moves her lips to a song (occasionally), while wearing lots of jewelry and makeup. She also writhes, and is very pretty.
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Filed Under: gossip girl, leighton meester, robin thicke, somebody to love
Top three: Disney's A Christmas Carol: $31 million; This Is It: $14 million; The Men Who Stare at Goats: $13 million. Don't these people realize they only have a few days left to see This Is It? Oh wait, nevermind. [Box Office Mojo]
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Filed Under: weekend box office, a christmas carol, jim carrey, the men who stare at goats, this is it
AnnaLynne McCord and Kellan Lutz better get in as much time together as they can these days because as we all know Mr. Lutz is pretty darn busy promoting that quiet little movie, New...
We hear the Parents Television Council is counting the reasons why Monday's touted Gossip Girl threesome shouldn't be aired. We see a like-minded group in South Carolina is making a...
The New York Times Book Review devoted space today to Hulk Hogan's new memoir, My Life Outside the Ring, and Dave Itzkoff takes Hogan to task for excessive oversharing: "His compulsive confessing feels more like an effort to pre-empt the Us Weeklys and TMZs of the world than an authentic attempt at soul-searching." But that just makes us want to read it more! Also, Hogan begins the book contemplating suicide. Bring on the Wurtzel comparisons!
Heavy Lifting [NYTBR]
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Filed Under: books, hulk hogan, wrestling
Today the New York Post breathlessly reports on a new player on the Manhattan club scene: Taek Jho Low, aka "Jho Low," who has managed to set the nightlife scene "abuzz" simply by: spending lavishly at clubs with his entourage of 10-12 people, living in the same building as Daniel Craig (the Park Imperial), and having a bunch of Escalades. The Post offers a timeline of Low's recent interactions with the rich and famous, including the time he sent 23 bottles of Cristal to Lindsay Lohan at 10Oak, the time he flew a bunch of Pink Elephant waitresses to Malaysia to party, and the time he ran up a $160k tab at Avenue -- during, of all things, fashion week! Who is this chubby, bespectacled Gatsby among us? People are starting to talk. Why, it just simply isn't done:
"One inside observer said, "Nobody spends their own money like that. It's just weird."
It is just weird! Weird foreshadowing, even: it turns out that Low has a benefactor, Kuwaiti Hamad Alwazzan, who admitted to bankrolling Low's high life, which the Post floats but does not confirm included having Megan Fox "flown in" to party with Low in Las Vegas just this month. Megan Fox! Of course. Why not? This story is ridiculous.
Big-spending Malaysian is the mystery man of the city's club scene [NYP}
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Filed Under: rich people, jho low, megan fox, nightclubs, nightlife
Rumors are swirling that Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has either left Aerosmith or (and this rumor is the funnier of the two) is being "replaced." Joe Perry says he's quit (claiming he read it online) and guitarist Brad Whitford spoke of replacing Tyler, saying he has "big shoes to fill." It all sounds like something that could be resolved by a couple of phone calls, but it's nice that these old guys still get to have some drama in their lives.
Steven Tyler Reportedly Leaving Aerosmith [Fox News]
Joe Perry Says Steven Tyler has Left Aerosmith [Spinner]
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Filed Under: aerosmith, brad whitford, joe perry, steven tyler
AP - Launching its comeback in perilous financial times, the New York City Opera might well have played it safe with a surefire crowd-pleaser, like its production of Puccini's "Madama Butterfly."
JP Morgan confirms that head Jamie Dimon has hired his 78-year-old father, Theodore "Ted" Dimon, to join Bear Stearns Private Client Services, now owned by Morgan. The elder Dimon quit Bank of America's Merrill Lynch unit yesterday to make the move. [Bloomberg]
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Filed Under: jamie dimon, bank of america, bear stearns, jp morgan, merrill lynch, ted dimon
The plan to overhaul our country's health care system narrowly passed in the House last night by a margin of 220 to 215, and is now on its way to the Senate. [NYT]
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Filed Under: health carnage, health care, the house of representatives
Aerosmith may be looking to replace frontman Steven Tyler, despite the band's 40th anniversary less than a year away.
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