Leno Agrees To Pay Striking Staff
Talk show "host" Jay Leno has agreed to pay laid-off members of his Tonight Show staff - after he was heavily criticized for not offering to pick up their paychecks amid the ongoing writers' strikes.
Unlike peers David Letterman and Conan O'Brien, Leno - who makes an estimated $27 million a year - had refused to cover the salaries of his show staff out of his own pocket after they were made redundant on Friday. But after facing a severe backlash from striking workers, the star has relented and agreed to pay his staff a week's wages, according to celebrity blogger Perez Hilton.
The lay-offs at the Tonight Show are the latest casualties in the ongoing battle between the Writers Guild of America and producers over royalties. The strike immediately shut down the late-night comedy shows and has gradually affected the production of many network-produced prime-time series, including Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives.
Another unwitting "Borat" cast member files lawsuit
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The creators of the hit film "Borat" were sued again on Tuesday, this time by a driving instructor seen in the comedy admonishing the fake Kazakh reporter for yelling insults at other drivers.
Michael Psenicska was duped into participating in the film after it was described to him as a "documentary about the integration of foreign people into the American way of life," he said in a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court.
The suit named British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, who plays the title role, One America Productions and the film's distributor, 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp. It also named Todd Lewis, a representative of One America who is listed in other lawsuits as Todd Lewis Schulman.
Psenicska said he was paid $500 in cash to give Borat a driving lesson. He described the experience as "surreal," saying Cohen drove erratically down residential streets, drank alcohol and yelled to a female pedestrian he would pay her $10 for "sexy time."
The lawsuit seeks $400,000 in actual damages and additional punitive damages for misleading Psenicska and for emotional harm he continues to suffer. Psenicska said if he had known the true nature of the film, he never would have participated.
The comedy has grossed $270 million at the box office, plus more than $60 million in DVD sales, the lawsuit said.
Fox said the lawsuit was without merit, calling Psenicska a willing participant who was paid to be in the movie.
"The fact is that Mike Psenicska gave the producers his consent," the studio said in a statement. "He signed a release and we have an agreement. Now, 2 1/2 years after giving his consent, and more than one year after the movie was released, Mr. Psenicska has decided to file a lawsuit, citing the financial success of the film, in spite of our agreement."
"Borat" has been sued at least four times already.
In June, a man seen in the film running away from Borat down the streets of New York City sued Fox in federal court in Manhattan.
In February, a judge threw out a lawsuit brought in Los Angeles Superior Court by two college fraternity members shown guzzling alcohol and making racist remarks. They claimed the scenes tarnished their reputations.
Last year, two residents of a Romanian village sued Fox for $30 million, claiming the film wrongly depicted them as rapists, abortionists, prostitutes and thieves. Scenes depicting Borat in Kazakhstan were filmed in Romania.
A South Carolina man also sued over a deleted scene.
IT'S OSCAR SEASON
Oscar prognostication is not a sport for the faint of heart - at this point last year, it looked like "Dreamgirls" would win Best Picture, and it ended up not even getting nominated.
This year's race, if anything, is even crazier, with no single picture a lock for a nomination out of a very strong and crowded pack, and many more contenders opening late in the year than in 2006.
Still, I get the big bucks for predicting the Oscars, so I'm going to offer my fearless assessment of what I think will get nominated - not, it should be emphasized, what I think should get nominated.
Oscar predicting is largely about finding historical models for winners, and there's a very good model for my presumptive front-runner, "Atonement."
A sweeping World War II story of doomed love with a faultless literary pedigree and starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, it's this year's counterpart to the 1996 Best Picture winner "The English Patient" - though if you ask me, it's a much better movie.
Very often, the flick with the most nominations gets the prize, and I can see 10 or more for "Atonement." Not only the leads and stunning supporting performances by Vanessa Redgrave and newcomer Saoirse Ronan, but direction, the script and sterling contributions in the crafts like cinematography, set and costume design, and sound editing.
The only thing that worries me about "Atonement" is that it's been out in front since it debuted in Toronto in September. Focus Features has been trying to low-key the campaign, wary of repeating what happened two years ago, when the same studio watched its supposedly sure-thing "Brokeback Mountain" go down the tubes at the Kodak Theatre.
Nipping at the heels of "Atonement" is the thriller "No Country for Old Men," one of only two hits among the unprecedented number of prestige films that were rolled out this fall.
This one has a trio of powerhouse performances (Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem and Tommy Lee Jones), stunning cinematography and the best script and direction from Joel and Ethan Coen since "Fargo" (which lost to "The English Patient" except in the Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay categories).
The main drawback of "No Country" seems to be its controversial - some say confusing - ending.
The other specialty hit also likely to be nominated is "Michael Clayton," the first directorial effort of Tony Gilroy, hugely respected for writing the "Bourne" flicks. This potent thriller is the most successful of the season's many '70s-style character dramas and provides a career-best role for George Clooney as a morally ambiguous lawyer.
Clooney gets points from the Academy for consistently embracing challenging material. But will it be too dark and challenging for nominators?
"American Gangster" is, in some ways, this year's "The Departed," a sprawling crime picture with impeccable performances by Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe as a Harlem drug lord and an honest cop, and an impressive re-creation of the 1970s.
But director Ridley Scott's reputation has suffered since "Gladiator" won Best Picture six years ago, and the picture will have to get past the Academy's weighted voting system, which can reward pictures with smaller passionate followings at the expense of those respected by many.
In my mind, this year's "Little Miss Sunshine" - only, again, better - is the serious comedy "Juno," opening Friday. This one has been flying under the radar, but early audiences have been stunned and seduced by 20-year-old Ellen Page's performance as a pregnant teenage wiseacre and the fresh, knowing script by stripper-turned-screenwriter Diablo Cody.
But as I said, the situation is extremely unsettled at this point.
There are five other pictures that are playing well to awards voters, and I wouldn't be shocked to see any one of them work their way into the five Best Picture nominees:
*"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly." Entirely in French, but with an American director and Steven Spielberg's longtime producer. Ecstatic reviews and also a highly moving experience. Art with a capital A.
*"The Kite Runner," opening Dec. 14. This schmaltzy adaptation of another best seller about someone who spends a lifetime regretting a childhood mistake (as in "Atonement") is largely in foreign languages and has a cast of unknowns, but there has been a lot of sobbing at screenings.
*"Sweeney Todd," opening Dec. 21. This extremely bloody and emotionally remote adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical will likely divide critics, but its supporters are going to be quite vehement, and Johnny Depp certainly has his fans in the Academy.
*"There Will Be Blood," opening Dec. 26. Paul Thomas Anderson's flick, to my mind, jumps the shark in the third act. But it's hard not to be hugely impressed by its "Citizen Kane''-like ambition, a towering performance by Daniel Day-Lewis as an ambitious oilman, or the stunning, dialogue-free, 20-minute opening sequence.
*"Charlie Wilson's War," opening Dec. 21. The only one of this fall's many Mideast-related flicks with a prayer of making money, it's got two of the most popular Oscar winners of recent years (Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts), a respected veteran director (Mike Nichols) and lots of laughs. But is Aaron Sorkin's script too lightweight and politically timid to capture a nomination?
Stay tuned.
OKAY, AND THE NOMINEES WILL VERY LIKELY BE...
BEST ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood.'' There is his extraordinary, visceral turn as an early 20th-century oilman and there is everyone else. A winner for "My Left Foot,'' it's Day-Lewis' race to lose.
James McAvoy, "Atonement.'' Another British actor, best known as the faun in "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,'' moves into the major leagues as a falsely accused sex criminal turned soldier on the beach at Dunkirk.
Denzel Washington, "American Gangster.'' As he showed with his previous winning performance in "Training Day,'' Washington's great when he's bad and he commands attention as a Harlem drug lord.
George Clooney, "Michael Clayton.'' As an ethically challenged former prosecutor, Clooney takes the sort of emotional journey beloved by Oscar voters.
Tommy Lee Jones, "In the Valley of Elah.'' The movie tanked, but Jones' portrait of a former MP investigating his soldier son's death is not easily dismissed.
Also possible: Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd''; Josh Brolin, "No Country for Old Men''; Mathieu Amalric, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly''; Emile Hirsch, "Into the Wild''; Tom Hanks, "Charlie Wilson's War''; Frank Langella, "Starting Out in the Evening''; John Cusack, "Grace Is Gone''; Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.''
BEST ACTRESS
Keira Knightley, "Atonement.'' Previously nominated for "Pride and Prejudice,'' she burns up the screen both in her romantic and big dramatic scenes.
Julie Christie, "Away From Her.'' A 1966 Best Actress winner for "Darling,'' this British icon has a career-capping role as a woman slipping into Alzheimer's.
Ellen Page, "Juno.'' Diminutive 20-year-old Canadian actress explodes like a supernova as a pregnant teen in a category that historically embraces young newcomers.
Laura Linney, "The Savages.'' Previously nominated in lead and support, she's at the top of her game as a self-absorbed woman dealing with a demented dad.
Marion Cotillard, "La Vie En Rose.'' She delivers the emotional goods as legendarily self-destructive French singer Edith Piaf.
Also possible: Angelina Jolie, "A Mighty Heart''; Amy Adams, "Enchanted''; Keri Russell, "Waitress''; Helena Bonham Carter, "Sweeney Todd.''
Hockey, Britney lead top Yahoo searches of 2007
The NHL has topped Yahoo Canada's list of the most searched terms for the second year in a row, the internet company reported Monday.
Other hot search items included Britney Spears, Environment Canada and two Hiltons — socialite Paris and blogger Perez.
"Canadian search results show that we are more than just a celebrity-obsessed culture," said Oliver Ho, Yahoo Canada's front page and buzz index editor, in a release. "This year's top searches also revealed a more practical and pragmatic side of our consciousness with searches for Revenue Canada, the weather and the Lottery Corporation."
The company, which compiles the top 10 based on searches on its Yahoo Canada search engine, also broke down the top searches by category.
Apple's new iPhone and redesigned iPod led the list of top searched gadgets in 2007, while Nintendo's Wii led the searches in the console wars, followed by Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's new handheld PSP and PlayStation 3 console. Rounding out the top electronics hits were accessories for Nintendo's DS handheld videogame system, digital cameras and plasma TVs.
Former MP Belinda Stronach, who withdrew from politics and battled breast cancer during 2007, led the news list, followed by the October provincial elections in Ontario, the execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and Paris Hilton's short-lived summer jail term. Also making the list were searches for the Virginia Tech and Dawson College shootings, the Robert Pickton murder trial, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the New Democratic Party and the Ontario Liberal Party.
The general search term "funny pictures" led the most-searched images, while tattoos took spots five and nine, hairstyles No. 6, and High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens made the list "clothed" and "unclothed" at spots four and seven. Funny videos in turn led the video list, with the Manitoba Bigfoot sighting, Britney Spears and movie trailers all earning places in the top 10.
In entertainment searches, which the company said consistently top the lists in both Canada and the U.S., Spears and American Idol led the list, with Canadian musician Avril Lavigne in fifth place, soap opera Days of Our Lives hitting No. 8 and the late model Anna Nicole Smith rounding out the 10th spot.
The company found Canadians also have the urge to uncover the odd online, with UFOs, giant squids, vampires, sasquatch sightings and the devil's bible all making the list of oddities.
Here Were The Top 10 searches in 2007:
1 NHL
2 Britney Spears
3 American Idol
4 WWE
5 Perez Hilton
6 Revenue Canada
7 OLG (Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation)
8 Environment Canada
9 Paris Hilton
10 NASCAR
'Law & Order' Back in Old Home
NBC's old standby "Law & Order" will return to its familiar surroundings in January.
The network says the long-running show, which is about to begin its 18th season, will premiere at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday, Jan. 2 with a two-hour episode before settling back into its long-time 10 p.m. home the following week.
It will be joined on Jan. 9 by "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." It will move into the spot currently occupied by "Bionic Woman," which has already aired its last episode completed before the writers' strike. ("Life," which currently airs at 10 p.m. Wednesdays, finishes its string this week.) "Criminal Intent" moved to USA for original episodes this season, but NBC retained the right to rebroadcast the episodes on its airwaves.
The original "Law & Order" will welcome two new cast members, both of whom starred in "Kidnapped" last season. Jeremy Sisto will play Detective Cyrus Lupo, Ed Green's (Jesse L. Martin) new partner, and Linus Roache will play Michael Cutter, the new chief assistant district attorney paired with Alana De La Garza's Connie Rubirosa. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston), meanwhile, has moved up to the post of Manhattan's district attorney.
Behind the scenes, long-time executive producer Rene Balcer is returning as showrunner.
"The last time Rene Balcer was showrunner of 'Law & Order' we won the Emmy for outstanding drama series. I am thrilled he is back," "L&O" creator Dick Wolf says. "Jeremy and Linus bring a new energy to the cast, and we hope the return to our long-time timeslot of Wednesday at 10 will bring renewed success to the show."
"Law & Order" was initially scheduled to air on Sundays following the end of NBC's NFL coverage. The network hasn't finalized its midseason Sunday-night plans yet.
New CD Releases, December 4: Rufus Wainwright, Blake Lewis, Daft Punk
Rufus Wainwright "Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall"
The acclaimed singer/songwriter pays tribute to the great Judy Garland on this live set, which was recorded during a stand in New York City. "Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall" is Wainwright's second release of 2007, following May's studio effort "Release the Stars."
For those who can't get enough Wainwright on Garland, the vocalist is also releasing a live DVD of his London Garland show, "Rufus! Rufus! Rufus! Does Judy! Judy! Judy! Live at the London Palladium." The DVD is due in stores the same day as "Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall."
Wainwright will end the year, and kick off 2008, by performing a series of solo shows. The tour kicks off Dec. 20 in Stroudsburg, PA, and continues into early January.
* * *
Blake Lewis "Audio Day Dream"
The 26-year-old vocalist, who finished second to Jordin Sparks on the 2007 edition of "American Idol," releases his debut full-length CD. The first single from the album is "Break Anotha."
While appearing on "American Idol," the Washington state native distinguished himself from other competitors by including Justin Timberlake-style beat-boxing in some his songs. He further exhibited that skill, to a great extent, during this year's "American Idols Live" tour.
* * *
Daft Punk "Alive 2007"
The Parisian electronic-music duo, consisting of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, returns with a souvenir of its most recent tour. "Alive 2007" was recorded at the cavernous Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy back in June.
That Paris date was one of many high-profile gigs the duo performed in 2007. Daft Punk also played Southern California's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, marking its first stateside performance in 10 years, and the Vegoose festival in Las Vegas.
* * *
Godsmack "Good Times, Bad Times--10 Years of Godsmack"
The Grammy-winning metal combo provides fans with a proper holiday offering--a greatest hits package featuring 16 hard-rocking cuts. The disc includes such tracks as "Speak," "Awake" and "Straight Out of Line." The title track, a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Good Times, Bad Times," is a new recording. The package also features a 75-minute DVD of an acoustic Godsmack performance in Las Vegas.
* * *
Trace Adkins "American Man: Greatest Hits Vol. II"
The country crooner releases his second best-of compilation. This one includes such hits as "You're Gonna Miss This," "Hot Mama," "Arlington" and, of course, "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk."
* * *
More new releases:
James Brown, "The Singles, Vol. 4: 1966-1967" (Hip-O)
Nick Drake, "Fruit Tree" (Fontana)
Wyclef Jean, "Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant" (Sony)
Ghostface Killah, "The Big Doe Rehab" (Island)
Scarface, "M.A.D.E." (Asylum)
2Pac, "Best Of 2Pac--Part 1: Thug" (Interscope)
2Pac, "Best of 2Pac--Part 2: Life" (Interscope)
Ronan Tynan, "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (MRI)
Armin van Buuren, "Universal Religion 2008" (Ultra)
The Wreckers, "Way Back Home: Live From New York City" (Warner Bros)
Yuridia, "Entre Mariposas" (Sony)
Soundtracks and scores:
"Atonement" (Decca)
"Golden Compass: Original Soundtrack" (New Line)
"P.S. I Love You" (Atlantic)
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Soundtrack Treasures Collection" (Disney)
"Water Horse: Legend of the Deep" (Sony)