Categories
Television

Go and knock on their door…They’ll be waiting for you

NBC Plans THREE’S COMPANY Movie
Do you picture yourself as a John Ritter-type? Well now’s your chance to play him, as NBC is developing a tv movie about THREE’S COMPANY.
Fans of ’70s TV will be interested to know that come Aug. 6, Hollywood will be hit with a wave of John Ritter, Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt wannabes. It’s an open casting call for “Three’s Company Revisited,” producer Stan Brooks’ NBC movie about the behind-the-scenes intrigue on the ditzy hit sitcom. A theater for the auditions has yet to be announced. Brooks notes that Ritter, Somers and DeWitt “were unknowns who became big stars. Now we’re looking for unknowns to play them.”
Brooks also reveals that DeWitt will serve as narrator of the flick, which is targeted for a late August production start. According to descriptions of the script, it’ll show the “greed, manipulation and avarice of Hollywood managers and network producers when they get their hands on a runaway hit.” Says the producer, “It’s based on interviews and research, with all of us involved being big fans of the show. I actually was friends with Don Knotts’ son when I was growing up, and I’d go to the ‘Three’s Company’ Friday night tapings.” Knotts, you may recall, played the ever-harried Mr. Furley on the show.

Categories
Movies

He’s Captain Picard!

Stewart Preps For X2 and NEMESIS
Patrick Stewart told the British DreamWatch magazine that X2óthe upcomimng sequel to X-Menówill hinge on his character, Professor X, according to a report on Cinescape Online. “The story goes in a direction that I thought was quite unexpected, which is always a good thing,” Stewart told the magazine. “It involves my character a good deal more than the other movie did. Unlike the first X-Men, where he was just out of the movie for a big chunk of time, he is consistently active. I think it’s looking really promising.”
Stewart also said that the upcoming 10th Star Trek movie, Nemesis, will combine many of the elements fans have been looking for. “I think it’s possible that there might be more to anticipate and to be excited about with Nemesis than with any of our previous movies, including everybody’s favorite, First Contact,” Stewart said. “I think we’ve got the mix right, in terms of a strong story. … There are two storylines running side by side, interconnecting at different times. We have a very strong action base as well for this, which means that the dialogue scenes are broken up with really quite effective sequences of action. It has romance in itóin fact, it’s probably the sexiest movie we’ve done in some respects, although unfortunately none of this involves me. It has a psychological aspect to it, too, which is interesting and potent. And there are surprisesóthe kind of surprises that, while we were shooting it, we were licking our chops with glee at the thought of these things that were going to surprise people.” Nemesis opens Dec. 13; X2 is currently in production for a 2003 release.

Categories
Movies

Lower Your Expectations and you will love it!

Can ‘Austin’ Power Box Office?
Last weekend’s threadbare box office looks likely to prove a one-weekend shortfall if New Line Cinema strikes the kind of motherlode that’s predicted for “Austin Powers in Goldmember.”
The studio bows its third-in-a-franchise spy spoof in 3,613 theaters Friday, with industryites forecasting a three-day haul comfortably above $50 million.
And that could be good news for more than just New Line, as conventional wisdom says buzz generated from such big bows has a beneficial effect on other current releases.
“It gets people wanting to go to the movies,” said DreamWorks distribution president Jim Tharp, whose reigning champ “Road to Perdition” is entering its third weekend.
The original “Austin” debuted with $53.9 million in May 1997 and the first sequel opened at $54.9 million in June 1999.
“You always want to do better than the last one,” said New Line distribution president David Tuckerman. “So that’s our expectation.”
New Line offered 2,416 “Austin” sneak peeks Thursday night, but those grosses won’t be reflected in weekend totals.
Also bowing in wide release Friday is Disney’s kids-and-parents affair “Country Bears,” tagged for 2,553 locations. It will compete for the same crowd as Sony’s “Stuart Little 2,” which opened disappointingly last weekend.
Meanwhile, Paramount will try to salvage a decent sophomore session from its sub drama “K-19: The Widowmaker” after a poor launch last weekend. The modestly budget horror picture “Eight Legged Freaks” (Warner Bros.) will seek to avoid a drop from the top 10 in its second frame.
And DreamWorks adds about 100 engagements — for a total 2,250 — for “Road to Perdition.” The studio appears well validated in its strategy of adding playdates this week and last after securing a solid second-place bow over the July 12 frame. Gripping but dark, the mob-themed adult drama finished No. 1 last weekend and now seems headed north of $100 million domestically.
“Country Bears” is a modestly budgeted live-action adaptation of a Disney World theme-park attraction of the same name. Never intended as a box office behemoth, “Bears” will likely remained caged in the single-digit millions over its opening weekend.
Sony marketing and distribution president Jeff Blake expressed hope that “Stuart Little 2” would follow the trajectory of its 1999 predecessor, which ended up with an impressive $140 million tally after opening with $15 million. The costly sequel opened with $15.1 million, just behind “Perdition,” but has out-performed the market each weekday since then.
“But as always, we’ll have to wait to see how it does this weekend,” Blake said.
Industrywide, the box office was off 18% last weekend from the same frame in 2001. But 21 of the preceding 22 weekends had seen year-over-year upticks, and industryites are hoping the frame was a mere aberration.
“It’s my impression that it was just a one-weekend thing,” DreamWorks’ Tharp said, noting mid-week grosses have shown signs of renewed vigor. “But people aren’t really sure why that was last weekend.”

Categories
Movies

Hey Dan, what did you think of “Goldmember”

It is definately better the second time.
My thoughts on AUSTIN POWERS IN GOLDMEMBER after I saw it the first time are easily summed up in Roger Ebert’s review. He may be no Gene Siskel (RIP) but for the first time ever he crystalizes my thoughts exactly, after the first time I saw it that is.
I defer to something my friend Chris wrote about the movies to sum up my thoughts on GOLDMEMBER after my second viewing:
“I think these movies (the Austin Powers films) really get better with repeated viewings – I did laugh the most of all three movies (on first viewing).”
He is right. After 2 viewings, I can tell you it is hilarious. After one viewing, well you might agree with Roger Ebert’s review.
Enjoy the popcorn and I’ll see you at the movies, baby!

Categories
Music

Maybe now we’ll find out whatever happened to Baltimora, Sly Fox, Mens Room…

Shatner Praises One-Hit Wonders
William Shatner says musicians shouldn’t take offense if they’re featured on his new VH1 documentary show, “One Hit Wonders.”
The “Star Trek” star, who has poked fun at his own cover versions of “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and “Mr. Tambourine Man,” said the show is a tribute to unforgettable tunes by artists who never repeated the same success.
“In the world that we inhabit, having one hit is a lot better than having no hits,” Shatner told The Associated Press this week.
Despite the show’s lighthearted approach, he added, it illustrates the difficulty of achieving success in the music industry.
“This show is about the kind of songs you like and can sing, but you can’t remember the artist because maybe they never caught on again,” Shatner said. “We give those artists some renown.”
Derived from a five-part VH1 special, the new half-hour show will debut next Monday on the music channel with new episodes scheduled weekly. About four songs will be featured on each show. Special episodes will focus on disco, heavy metal, New Wave, TV themes, novelty songs and celebrity singers.

Categories
Music

!??!?!

WTC Song Features Victims’ Families
Several relatives of World Trade Center victims have recorded backing vocals and will be in a video for a hip-hop song about the Sept. 11 attacks.
The song, by the group Angels with Broken Wings, is called “Wake Up Everybody.” Producer Terry Lewis said a portion of the royalties will be donated to a coalition of victims’ families.
Bill Doyle, who helped organize the relatives who participated, said the money would be used for family members’ health care costs and other needs.
Lewis also produced another song about the attacks, called “I Cried.” Both songs are expected to be released in August.

Categories
Television

9/11

REMEMBERING
NBC announcing plans to air a prime-time concert on the first anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Associated Press reports. First lady Laura Bush will appear on NBC’s Concert for America at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., but no official word yet on who will be performing. ABC and CBS, meanwhile, are both planning news programming for that night.

Categories
Television

If its time its time

GOODBYE RAYMOND?
Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal telling reporters that the upcoming seventh season of Ray Romano’s CBS hit could be its last. “I love Les [Moonves, president of CBS], and they’ve been incredibly supportive,” he told Daily Variety. “But when it’s over, it’s over. You don’t want to get repetitive, and I’ve never seen a show get better after seven seasons.”

Categories
People

Affleck’s People Have Confirmed This

IT’S OFFICIAL
Jennifer Lopez filing for divorce from her hubby of 10 months, Cris Judd. Lopez and Judd, who confirmed their breakup last month, have already filed their settlement agreement, and lawyers say all of their issues are resolved. The divorce becomes official in six months.
BEN’S TURN?
The New York Post reporting that Lopez and Ben Affleck “kissed, cuddled and made goo-goo eyes at each other” during her surprise 32nd birthday party Wednesday at the Park restaurant in New York.

Categories
People

I take her seriously, don’t you? And she has a sweet ass!

Tennis Anyone?
Anna Kournikova seems to spend her life launching impassioned defenses of her sporting credibility.