Yo! Joey Scores "Friends" Spinoff
Joey Tribbiani is leaving his Friends behind and heading to Hollywood.
Matt LeBlanc, twice Emmy-nominated for his role as the dim-witted wannabe actor, is going solo, inking a deal with NBC and producer Warner Bros. Television to star in a Friends spinoff, the parties announced in a joint statement Thursday.
As part of the package deal, LeBlanc will also star in two upcoming Warner Bros. movies.
In Joey, set to debut in Friends' longtime 8 p.m. Thursday slot starting in fall 2004, Joey heads out West to pursue his acting career.
"I'm pleased to say that NBC's wonderful relationship with such a once-in-a-decade series as Friends will continue in a sense but in a new direction that will keep it fresh," says NBC programming chief Jeff Zucker in a statement. "Matt's lovable character of Joey Tribbiani has come into his own in recent years on the series, and Joey's progression will continue as he emerges more on his own--we know that everyone will be rooting for him."
The idea of a Joey-centric spinoff were first floated last fall, with plans going into overdrive once LeBlanc and his Friends pals agreed to disband in May 2004 at the end of the upcoming 10th season.
With the Ross-Rachel storyline played out and Monica and Chandler married off, Joe became the show's most compelling character, and the perfect subject for his own series, the network says.
The network is hedging its bet for Joey by signing on Friends executive producers Kevin Bright, Scott Silveri and Shana Goldberg-Meehan to helm the spinoff.
For his part, LeBlanc says he can't wait to get started (and apparently bolster his already hefty bank account in the process).
"Matt is thrilled. Over the last couple of seasons, Joey has grown into such a rich character," said LeBlanc's publicist and lawyer on behalf of the actor, who is out of the country and unavailable for comment. "LeBlanc's arrangement with Warner Bros and the network is a complex deal of unprecedented proportion and includes, among other elements, a significant ownership position."
In other words: Cha-ching!
Of course, LeBlanc is going to have to prove he can score sans his Friends. So far, his non-Friends track record is abysmal. With the exception of his cameos in the two Charlie's Angels flicks, his film résumé includes such lowlights as Ed, the baseball comedy in which he starred opposite a chimp; the box-office black hole Lost in Space; and All the Queen's Men, where he starred as a soldier in drag.
But NBC is banking on the Friends pedigree. As the anchor of the Peacock's "Must-See" Thursday lineup since 1994, the show has won several Emmys and is up for 11 more this year, including Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for LeBlanc, his second straight nod. The sitcom remains TV's top-ranked sitcom and has averaged a whopping 21.8 million viewers during its nine-year run.
With both Friends and Frasier (which is, of course, the hugely successful spinoff of Cheers and what NBC hopes is a blueprint for Joey) on their way out at the end of the season, and CBS' CSI-Survivor Thursday roster seriously challenging in the Nielsens, NBC is desperate to come up with a new comedy franchise.
Already, the network's gambit seems to be working. Fans are peppering Internet chat boards with pro-Joey notices, delighted that Friends will live on, at least in part.
"Howww youuu doin'?" cheered one fan on a Yahoo board. "That's great--he's the best character on the show."
Missy Elliott Works MTV Vid Noms
Yeah, it's worth it for Missy Elliott to work it.
The rapper's efforts on her boot-knocking anthem "Work It" from her 2002 album, Under Construction, have paid off--she leads the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards Nominations with eight nominations, the music network announced Thursday.
Elliott's freaky music video, which features bumble bees, twisted trees and 360-degree head spins, is up for Video of the Year, Best Female Video and Best Hip-Hop Video. In the techie categories, it's nominated for Best Direction, Special Effects, Art Direction, Editing and Cinematography.
Close behind is Justin Timberlake with seven nominations for clips from his debut solo album, Justified (say bye-bye-bye 'N Sync), including two nods for his disco hit "Rock Your Body" and five for his lost love lament "Cry Me a River," featuring the boy bander's revenge on a cheating Britney Spears look-alike.
Next--and we're not making this up--Johnny Cash's version of the Nine Inch Nails song "Hurt" racked up six nominations, including Video of the Year, Best Male Video and Best Direction.
"I am overwhelmed by this great honor," the unlikely VMA candidate said in a written statement. "I thank you all for thinking of me. It's been 48 years since I cut my first record and it's nice that people are still digging them up."
At this point you may be wondering just who determines the nominees? The selections are made by a pool of 500 music industry types and viewers, according to MTV. Fans will get their chance to weigh in by voting on the Viewer's Choice and MTV2 Awards categories.
Elliott, Timberlake and Cash will go head-to-head with Eminem's "Lose Yourself" and 50 Cent's "In Da Club," for Video of the Year. Both rappers received five nods apiece.
The odds look good for Elliott, a two-time VMA winner who's on a roll. Last week she was nominated for two Lady of Soul Awards for her sexy single; she'll appear in a Gap ad campaign, which kicks off July 28, alongside Madonna to the strains of "Get Into the Groove" remixed; Elliott's also working on her fifth studio album, which is scheduled to hit stores in November.
Other nominees with multiple chances at carrying home the gold (or at least gold-plate) include Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z, who upped their chances by collaborating on each others videos. The are-they-or-aren't-they couple nabbed four nominations for her single "Crazy in Love" and one nomination for his single "03 Bonnie & Clyde."
Alt-rock band the White Stripes bagged four nominations for "Seven Nation Army." Ditto for Radiohead, which tallied a quartet of noms for "There There." Meanwhile, newbie Kelly Clarkson managed to pick up three nods for her hit "Miss Independent" off her debut album Thankful, almost rivaling pop diva J.Lo, who earned a respectable four nominations for "I'm Glad."
Hosting the August 28 shindig is Chris Rock, with performances scheduled at New York City's Radio City Music Hall from Christina Aguilera, who scored four nominations of her own for "Dirrty," and Coldplay, which received three nods for "The Scientist."
Here's a rundown of the major categories:
Video of the Year:
* 50 Cent, "In Da Club"
* Johnny Cash, "Hurt"
* Missy Elliott, "Work It"
* Eminem, "Lose Yourself"
* Justin Timberlake, "Cry Me a River"
Best Male Video:
* 50 Cent, "In Da Club"
* Eminem, "Lose Yourself"
* Justin Timberlake, "Cry Me a River"
* Johnny Cash, "Hurt"
* John Mayer, "Your Body Is A Wonderland"
Best Female Video:
* Avril Lavigne, "I'm With You"
* Christina Aguilera featuring Redman, "Dirrty"
* Missy Elliott, "Work It"
* Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z, "Crazy In Love"
* Jennifer Lopez, "I'm Glad"
Best Group Video:
* B2K and P. Diddy, "Bump, Bump, Bump"
* Good Charlotte, "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"
* The White Stripes, "Seven Nation Army"
* Coldplay, "The Scientist"
* The Donnas, "Take It Off"
Best Rap Video:
* 2Pac featuring Nas, "Thugz Mansion"
* Eminem, "Lose Yourself"
* Nas, "I Can"
* 50 Cent, "In Da Club"
* Ludacris featuring Mystikal and I-20, "Move"
Best R&B Video:
* Aaliyah, "I Miss You"
* Ashanti, "Rock Wit U"
* Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z, "Crazy in Love"
* Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland, "Dilemma"
* R. Kelly, "Ignition Remix"
Best Hip-Hop Video:
* Busta Rhymes and Mariah Carey, "I Know What You Want"
* Jay-Z featuring Beyoncé, "03 Bonnie & Clyde"
* Missy Elliott, "Work It"
* Nelly, "Hot in Herre"
* Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell and Uncle Charlie Wilson, "Beautiful"
Best Rock Video:
* Evanescence, "Bring Me to Life"
* Linkin Park, "Somewhere I Belong"
* The White Stripes, "Seven Nation Army"
* Good Charlotte, "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"
* Metallica, "St. Anger"
Best Pop Video:
* Avril Lavigne, "Sk8er Boi"
* Christina Aguilera featuring Redman, "Dirrty"
* Justin Timberlake, "Cry Me a River"
* Kelly Clarkson, "Miss Independent"
* No Doubt featuring Lady Shaw, "Underneath It All"
Best New Artist in a Video:
* 50 Cent, "In Da Club"
* Evanscence, "Bring Me to Life"
* Sean Paul, "Get Busy"
* All American Rejects, "Swing Swing"
* Kelly Clarkson, "Miss Independent"
* Simple Plan, "Addicted"
Best Video from a Film:
* Britney Spears featuring Pharrell of N.E.R.D., "Boys Co-Ed" from Austin Powers Goldmember
* JC Chasez, "Blowing Me Up [With Her Love]" from Drumline
* Eminem, "Lose Yourself" from 8 Mile
* Madonna, "Die Another Day" from Die Another Day
Viewer’s Choice:
* 50 Cent, "In Da Club"
* Eminem, "Lose Yourself"
* Timberlake, "Cry Me a River"
* Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z, "Crazy in Love"
* Good Charlotte, "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"
* Kelly Clarkson, "Miss Independent"
MTV2 Award:
* AFI, "Girl's Not Grey"
* Interpol, "PDA"
* The Roots featuring Cody Chesnutt, "The Seed 2.0"
* Common featuring Mary J. Blige, "Come Close"
* Queens of the Stone Age, "No One Knows"
Breakthrough Video:
* Coldplay, "The Scientist"
* Sum 41, "The Hell Song"
* Queens of the Stone Age, "No One Knows"
* Floetry, "Floetic"
* Kenna, "New Sacred Cow"