Ghostbusters 3 Not Ruled Out Completely
Ghostbusters is one of those films that achieved perfection to the point that everyone would love to see the story continue on. Nevermind that Ghostbusters 2 didn’t quite live up to the first movie. People still want to see more of Venkman, Egon, Ray, and Winston’s antics.
Thankfully, we know the story is continuing. If nothing else, there’s the upcoming video game that features the voices of Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, and even Bill Murray, who usually doesn’t want to be bothered with the franchise from the past. Hudson says the game may not be the only possibility for the future, however, and not to rule out the idea of a third movie.
Hudson told The Money Times that, "Danny Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, I know they want to do another film. It would be great if we could get back together again." We know Aykroyd wants to do another film as well. As Moviehole points out in their reporting, it’s pretty common knowledge that the writer has scripts penned out for two more chapters in the Ghostbusters saga.
In the meantime, Hudson is happy to be a part of the upcoming video game, appeasing one of his guilts of the past: "I'm really excited about that because when they came out with the cartoon (TV series,) none of us did the cartoon and I kind of regretted that because then I thought, 'It would have been fun to do it.' So, I'm glad that the game is happening.”
So are we Ernie, so are we.
Jessica Simpson Going Country On New Album
Believe it: Jessica Simpson has decamped to Nashville to begin work on her debut country album, due sometime in 2008 via Columbia Nashville.
Simpson declined to name songwriting collaborators, but tells Billboard.com she will most definitely be involved in the creative process. "Writing is a release for me," she says. "It's a way for me to tell my story. That's not to say I wouldn't record a song that I didn't write. It's just that it has been a while since I have opened the book."
But why country, and why now? "I am a country girl," she says. "I grew up in Texas, and country music was what I listened to. I always wanted to make a country album, but I wanted to wait until the time was right."
"I think there is a strength in female country artists," Simpson adds, citing Martina McBride, Shania Twain, Faith Hill and Reba McEntire as some of her inspirations.
Asked what has surprised her most since starting the follow-up to 2006's "A Public Affair," Simpson says, "Nashville is a very warm city. The people are friendly and kind. There is a sense of community, which thrives on music. There is no animosity ... only respect for one another's talent."
It's unclear if Simpson will hit the road in support of the as-yet-untitled country project, but she says, "Since the record is in the beginning stages, there hasn't been much talk about a tour just yet."
Letterman's show returning with writers
NEW YORK - "Late Show with David Letterman" and "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" will be back with their writers airing joke-filled new hours starting Wednesday, the shows' production company, Worldwide Pants, announced Friday.
An interim agreement between the Letterman-owned company and the Writers Guild of America will allow the full writing staffs for both shows to return to work, even as the Hollywood writers strike continues to shutter much TV and movie production. Both of those CBS late-night shows have been airing reruns since the strike began eight weeks ago.
"I am grateful to the WGA for granting us this agreement," Letterman said. "This is not a solution to the strike, which unfortunately continues to disrupt the lives of thousands. But I hope it will be seen as a step in the right direction."
The deal, which restores the two shows to business as usual, gives them an enormous advantage over their competition.
NBC's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" as well as ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" had already announced they would resume Wednesday without benefit of their writing teams. Similarly, Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert" planned to return writer-less on Monday, Jan. 7.
Resisting such an arrangement, Rob Burnett, president and CEO of Worldwide Pants, had actively sought an interim deal. Talks between studios and networks and the guild broke down Dec. 7, but the guild has been pursuing agreements with several small independent producers that would allow at least some members to return to work.
"We are appreciative that the leaders of the guild dealt with us reasonably and in good faith," Burnett said.
Much speculation has been focused on how the other late-night shows will fill their time deprived of monologues, skits and other written material. All the hosts — with the exception of NBC's Carson Daly, who returned to the air Dec. 3 — are members of the guild, making those without an interim deal subject to union rules that would severely limit what they can do.
A related issue centers on whether their shows will face a problem booking A-list guests, who may not be willing to cross a picket line.
Central to the contract dispute has been compensation for work distributed via the Internet and other digital media. The guild also has called for unionization of writers working on reality shows and animation.
When writers went on strike in 1988, only two late-night shows were affected: Johnny Carson's "Tonight" show and Letterman's "Late Night," both on NBC. Carson made a deal with the guild shortly after returning to the air, but Letterman went weeks without his writers' services before the strike was settled.