ENTERPRISE Sets Premiere Date
UPN has announced that their new STAR TREK series, ENTERPRISE, will premiere its second season on September 18th at 8 PM EST. Cast and crew have already returned to the set to begin filming new episodes and will film the premiere, “Shockwave, Part II” shortly.
ENTERPRISE co-creator Brannon Braga said that the second season will deal with the Temporal Cold War and the foundation of the Federation.
I’ve Often Thought Of Them As Cartoons Anyway
Homer Simpson is joining The Rolling Stones.
ANNA NICOLE SHOW Set for August Premiere
In E!’s quest to find characters more outrageous than The Osbournes, the network has been following around former PLAYBOY Playmate Anna Nicole Smith for a look at her private life.
Set to premiere August 4th at 10pm, THE ANNA NICOLE SHOW follows Smith from trips to the dentist, dating and taking driving lessons, to her Hollywood parties and charitable events, as well as the raising of her 16-year-old son, Daniel.
Other regulars on the show include Smith’s attorney Howard, her purple-haired assistant Kim, and her toy poodle, Sugar Pie.
GARBO SPEAKS
About 40 minutes of questioning by Ted Koppel was cut down to 22 minutes, and tonight ABC finally gets David Letterman onto its late-night schedule.
But while ABC suits were willing to sacrifice “Nightline” newsman Ted Koppel for the honor last year, it is Koppel who brings CBS’ tormented late-night funnyman to the network for his first sitdown interview since 1997.
When it airs tonight at 12:05 a.m. on the debut episode of Koppel’s new show “Up Close,” it will have been more than 12 days since the highly anticipated interview was conducted, shortly after the June 26 edition of Letterman’s “Late Show” finished taping.
“It was very casual,” a source told The New York Post.
Koppel, dressed like a war correspondent in a khaki jacket and pants, conducted the interview at the Ed Sullivan Theater on the set of Letterman’s show, while Letterman – wearing a navy sweater and khaki pants, reclined comfortably in a director’s chair.
The source said the two spoke for more 40 minutes, but the interview itself will be edited down to less than 22 minutes when it airs tonight on the half-hour show.
It is not known what they talked about, but it’s a good guess that last winter’s fiasco – when ABC tried to steal Letterman away from CBS to displace Koppel’s “Nightline” at 11:35 p.m. – was a hot topic.
In the end, Letterman agreed to a deal under which CBS will reportedly pay him $31.5 million annually for about 5 years, Koppel got “Up Close,” and Bill Maher’s “Politically Incorrect” was canceled.
Norville Gets ‘Early’ Wakeup Call for Tryout
Former “Today Show” anchor Deborah Norville will be a morning person once again — for a week, that is.
In what is widely perceived as a test-drive as “The Early Show” co-host, Norville, currently the host of syndicated newsmagazine “Inside Edition,” will appear with co-anchor Jane Clayson beginning Monday.
Ever since Bryant Gumbel vacated his seat last May, there has been some heated speculation surrounding his replacement on the third-place breakfastcast.
Former guest hosts — or candidates perhaps — who have appeared include “This Week in History’s” Josh Bingswanger, CBS White House correspondent John Roberts, “Hollywood Squares” host Tom Bergeron and CBS weekend anchor Russ Mitchell.
Bergeron has gathered some heat, but some dismiss his chances because he’s not a newsie.
Of course, former morning mainstays David Hartman of “Good Morning America” and Hugh Downs of “Today” didn’t come from news, either: Hartman was an actor, Downs a “Tonight Show” laffalonger to Jack Paar.
But Norville is perhaps the most high-profile to appear in Gumbel’s chair so far. She replaced Jane Pauley as a “Today Show” anchor in 1989 for two years. (When the baton was handed off, the two exchanged gifts: Pauley forked over a broken alarm clock, Norville a set of knives.)
In 1995, Norville succeeded Bill O’Reilly as host of “Inside Edition.”
Her weeklong stint will also reunite her with executive producer and “Today Show” alum Michael Bass.
Head for Who?
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER’s Anthony Stewart Head may be taking on the legendary role of Dr. Who.
News hit these green shores this morning which seems to solves the problems of the world – or at least a few sci-fi franchises.
On one hand, The BBC want to continue ‘Doctor Who’ but up the budgets, which isn’t feesable without an American audience.
On the other hand, Anthony Stewart Head wants to spend time in the U.K with his family, but loves the cult audience that ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ brings him. With t Whedon and the BBC STILL to announce a date for ‘Watcher’ ‘Giles’ or ‘Ripper’ – he may have found the perfect answer…
in a feat of impreccable casting, someone decided to put those hands together and consider something that makes this fanboy sign in post-orgasmic fullfillment: Giles taking on The Daleks!!!
But the BBC’s Dr. Who Website suggests all this is fairly premature:
Following the usual media frenzy regarding this weekend’s rumours of new Doctor Who, we’d just like to clarify a few things.
Dreamwatch magazine, Ananova and the Daily Express are all reporting that we’re making plans to involve actor Tony Head and members of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer production team in a new 22 part series to celebrate the Time Lord’s 40th anniversary.
Dreamwatch quotes Buffy producer David Fury as saying: “They want to do what we do on Buffy, produce 22 episodes a year and sell them internationally. I’m helping to take Doctor Who into a new universe.” Whilst the Cult team quite like the idea of Tony Head as the Doctor in a show guided by members of America’s finest fantasy production team, the BBC aren’t currently making any such plans.
Sarah Michelle Gellar talks about the possibility of Britney Spears joining the cast of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER.
You just don’t mess with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Britney Spears has discovered. Speaking about the rumour that Britney was to make an appearance on the TV show, Sarah Michell Gellar said, ‘Our producers were saying she was gonna do it and I was saying, “I don’t think so.”‘ (Sun)…
I Remember Watching The Night He Made His Fateful Comments
“Politically Incorrect” was politically annihilated.
Springsteen to Play Boardwalk Gig
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform live from the boardwalk on July 30 for NBC’s “Today” show, his publicist confirmed.
Springsteen will perform several songs from “The Rising,” his first studio album with the E Street Band since 1984, set for release that day.
“Today” will broadcast in its entirety from the boardwalk in Asbury Park, highlighted by Springsteen’s “Today Summer Concert Series” performance from the adjacent Convention Hall, his publicist said Wednesday.
Katie Couric and Matt Lauer will co-host the broadcast from the beach and take a tour of Springsteen’s adopted “hometown.”
LEFT OUT?
The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences accidentally left out Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s musical episode, “Once More with Feeling,” when Emmy nomination ballots were mailed out to voters earlier this month.
The Academy insists the problem was immediately corrected, but some say the snafu could hurt the show’s Emmy chances. Others say the show’s chances were hurt by the show itself.