Archive: December 2008 (1-10 of 78)

Dec 31 2008 07:14 PM ET

Just in time: My best in show in '08!

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Ausiello2008_lLet me set the scene for you: I’m sitting at home, enjoying my last vacation day of 2008, when it hits me like a ton of bricks — I totally forgot to tell you what/who rocked my casbah in TV this past year. So in the spirit of getting the job done before the clock strikes midnight, I’ll dispense with formal commentary and just give it to you straight. But feel free to justify my selections for me in the comments section.

Best Drama Series: The Shield
Runners-up: Friday Night Lights, Lost, Gossip Girl, Mad Men, True Blood, Life on Mars, and Eli Stone

Best Comedy Series: Chuck
Runners-up: Little Britain USA, The Big Bang Theory, The Office, Pushing Daisies, 30 Rock, Ugly Betty, How I Met Your Mother, and Family Guy

Best Lead Actor in a Drama: Michael Chiklis/The Shield
Runner-up: Kyle Chandler/Friday Night Lights

Best Lead Actress in a Drama: Connie Britton/Friday Night Lights
Runner-up: January Jones/Mad Men

Best Lead Actress in a Comedy: Kaley Cuoco/The Big Bang Theory
Runner-up: America Ferrera/Ugly Betty

Best Lead Actor in a Comedy: Jim Parsons/The Big Bang Theory
Runner-up: Zachary Levi/Chuck

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama: Walton Goggins/The Shield
Runner-up: Michael Emerson/Lost

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama: Lisa Edelstein/House
Runners-up: CCH Pounder/The Shield and Leighton Meester/Gossip Girl

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy: Neil Patrick Harris/How I Met Your Mother
Runner-up: Michael Urie/Ugly Betty

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy: Amy Ryan/The Office
Runners-up: Ana Ortiz and Vanessa Williams/Ugly Betty

Agree with all my picks, or only certain ones? Did I forget anything/anyone? Interested in sharing your own best-of list with the AF crowd? Get thee to the comments section at once. Time’s running out!

More Best/Worst:
Ken Tucker’s top 10 of ’08
The best episodes of ’08

 

Dec 31 2008 06:18 PM ET

'Gossip Girl' hires a new (hot) teacher

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They’re rarely seen in class, but the teens of Gossip Girl are finally getting a teacher — a hot, very young-looking one. On Jan. 19, Laura Breckenridge (Related) joins the CW series for three episodes as Rachel Carr, an Iowa native who lands her first big job schooling Gossip’s kids in English. While she mentors both Blake Lively’s Serena and Penn Badgley’s Dan (whose relationship with the new teacher draws ­jealousy from his ex), Rachel is the one who learns a little lesson in Upper East Side bitchery after she gives Yale-obsessed Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) a — gasp! — B. “Blair thinks she can kind of use her typical powers of persuasion, but Ms. Carr has a lot of integrity and does not go down without a fight, which only escalates the stakes,” says executive producer Stephanie Savage. She adds that the storyline will lead into an important arc for TV’s most competitive private-schoolers. “We’re ramping into the part of the season where everyone is going to find out where they’re getting into college and we’re setting them up for next year.”

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Dec 29 2008 09:49 PM ET

Scoop: Is 'Brothers & Sisters' disowning Balthazar Getty?

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I smell fresh Emmy material for Brothers & Sisters matriarch Sally Field.

According to sources, Balthazar Getty, who plays the Oscar winner’s eldest son, was informed last week that producers were not planning on picking up his option as a full-time series regular next season. However, that doesn’t mean that Tommy’s place setting at the Walker dinner table is being permanently removed. Not yet, anyway. Per a B&S source, Getty is currently in talks with the show to stay on in a reduced capacity, perhaps as a recurring guest star.

While a rep for the show declined to comment, Getty’s spokesperson denies that the actor is leaving.

Rumors about Getty’s possible exit have been grist for the gossip mill for months. The actor’s real-life drama — the collapse of his marriage and ensuing tabloid-ready romance with Sienna Miller — has allegedly alienated him from his co-stars, many of who had grown close to his wife, Rosetta, and their four young children. What’s more, according to E! Online‘s Marc Malkin, Getty has been showing up late for work and proving increasingly “difficult” to work with.

But per multiple sources, Getty’s sorta-departure is not the result of any one issue but a combination of factors that also includes budgetary and storyline considerations. Tommy has long been considered the most disposable of B&S‘s siblings. Removing him, at least as a regular presence, frees up the show to introduce some new blood.

In any case, don’t expect Tommy to exit by way of a casket. Although an ABC insider says the idea of killing off a Walker has been discussed, the network would likely view such a twist as “too morbid.” As a result, Tommy is likely to either relocate with his wife and baby, or just drift into the background and reappear for the occasional disastrous dinner party.

What do you think? Is Tommy an integral part of B&S? Or will you not even notice if he’s missing? Also, could Getty be the subject of a certain blind item (tee-hee)? Sound off below!

More TV Scoop:
Privileged star is out
Lost star heads to Cold Case
Exclusive True Blood casting news

Dec 28 2008 11:29 PM ET

Exclusive: Michael Cassidy no longer 'Privileged'

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Privilegedjoann_dlSorry, Charlie-Megan fans, it looks like it’s the end of the road for Privileged‘s unrequited duo.

Michael Cassidy, a.k.a. the Dawson to Joanna Garcia’s Joey, is departing the show for reasons both creative and budgetary. He’ll make his final appearance in this season’s 15th episode when Charlie decides to go back to college.

“Charlie will be leaving town,” confirms series creator Rina Mimoun, “but not until some hot and heavy kissing goes down.”

Mimoun isn’t spilling who Chuckles will be heading to first base with, but, c’mon, read between the lines, people. She does reveal that the door has definitely been left open for Cassidy (whom she calls “a prince”) to return next season — assuming there is a next season.

“Right now, I’m more concerned about Privileged returning for a second season than just Charlie,” Mimoun confesses. “If everyone wants both, then I think we have a shot!”

Privileged‘s recent Monday “test drive” behind Gossip Girl yielded promising results; the show notched double-digit gains over its Tuesday average. Still, the underrated charmer is by no means a shoo-in for renewal, which brings us back to the question posed by Mimoun: Do you want to see Privileged back next season? And, if so, would a season 2 have to include Charlie — at least in some capacity? Cast your votes below.

P.S. Cassidy is not this person.

More Privileged Scoop:
The CW orders five more eps
Pete Wentz drops in

Dec 28 2008 09:46 PM ET

'Marley & Me' top dog at weekend box office

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Hollywood got just what it wanted this holiday weekend: A puppy. Marley & Me, the tale of a couple’s life with each other and their provocative pooch, easily won a robust holiday weekend at the box office, adding an estimated $37 million this weekend to the record $14.7 it fetched on Christmas day ($51.7 million for the four days). It’s a big win for man’s best friend — not to mention Friend, with Jennifer Aniston front and center in the movie’s promotional effort. A healthy $10,632 per-screen average bodes well for an extended run, particularly with no significant new competition at the multiplex until the first set of ’09 new releases arrives on Jan. 9.

While Marley comfortably led the pack, moviegoers spread the holiday cheer around to three of the four other Christmas day openers. Adam Sandler’s Bedtime Stories finished second for the weekend, tucking in $28.1 million over the weekend ($38.6 million for four days). It was also a happy ending for anticipated Oscar contender The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which finished just behind Bedtime Stories for three days ($27 million) and just ahead of it for four days ($39 million). And despite months of skepticism about its prospects, World War II drama Valkyrie‘s solid numbers ($21.5 million for the weekend, $30 million over four days) show Tom Cruise has not burned his bridges with moviegoers. 

More on the weekend box office results after the jump

The one lump of coal for new releases landed in the stocking of The Spirit.
The adaptation of the classic Will Eisner comic directed by Frank
Miller just barely snuck into the top ten (No. 9), with $6.5 million
for the weekend, $10.4 million for four days.

Meanwhile, last week’s top releases were able to hang around in the
middle of the pack despite the competition from four strong new
releases. Jim Carrey’s Yes Man fared best, finishing at No. 5 overall, with $16.5 million, just a 10 percent drop from its opening weekend. Will Smith’s Seven Pounds held serve as well, weighing in with $13.4 million, again only a 10 percent drop from its debut last weekend. And The Tale of Despereaux kept pace, with a $9.4 million weekend, only 7 percent off its three-day haul a week ago.

Meanwhile, the very limited opening (three screens) of the Leonardo DiCaprio-Kate Winslet reunion, Revolutionary Road,
took in $192,000, for a whopping average of
$64,000, a good sign for its eventual wide release. Another drama with Oscar aspirations, Doubt, starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour
Hoffman, and Amy Adams, hit the top ten after its first weekend on 1,000+
screens, collecting $5.7 million.

See the Weekend Box Office chart

READ FULL STORY »

Dec 24 2008 12:51 AM ET

Exclusive First Look: My 2008 Christmas list

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Ausiellochristmas_lWhat do you get the guy who has everything for Christmas? Plenty! Behold my 2008 wish list, reprinted below with permission from Santy Claus.

• Emmys for everyone involved with the final season of The Shield, especially series creator Shawn Ryan and stars Michael Chiklis, Walton Goggins, and CCH Pounder.
• Platinum eligibility with American Airlines.
• A storyline for House‘s backburneritis-afflicted docs Jennifer Morrison (Cameron) and Jesse Spencer (Chase).
• A lopsided victory for USC at the Rose Bowl that earns them a piece of the BCS title. (C’mon, Santa, Hermie can whip this one up in his sleep; they’re playing Penn State, for chrissakes!)
• A completed Veronica Mars movie script.
• World peace. This Smurf figurine to complete my collection.
• A Heroes volume that’s as solid in the middle and end as it is in the beginning. (Welcome back, Bryan Fuller!)
• A comeback for Nicole Kidman so ginormous it forces her mean-spirited critics to find another stunningly beautiful, Oscar-winning actress to pick on.
• No more stunt casting on 30 Rock…unless it’s Keri Russell, Lauren Graham, Cheri Oteri, or me.
• An exclusive exit interview with the fired actor who doesn’t yet know he/she has been fired.
• A fourth season of Friday Night Lights.
• A new contract that keeps Matthew Weiner calling the shots on Mad Men.
• And end to the recession. A sushi bar at the Time Inc. cafeteria.
• A Grey’s Anatomy/Ghostbusters crossover.
• A fountain Diet Coke machine installed in my office.

Okay, I showed you mine — now you show me yours. What are you asking Santa/Hanukkah Harry/Kwanzaa Kenny for this year? C’mon, don’t be shy. I know they say the holidays are about giving, not receiving, but sources confirm to me exclusively that “they” are big fat liars.

Dec 23 2008 04:03 PM ET

SAG delays strike vote

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Fierce opposition from hundreds of high-profile celebrities has prompted the SAG brass to postpone a controversial strike authorization vote in January. Voting was originally set to begin on Jan. 2nd, but now it won’t begin until Jan. 14th. Executive Director Doug Allen—together with SAG President Alan Rosenberg—hopes to use the delay to further educate the membership about the negotiations and to unify the now divided organization.

“While almost 100 high profile members and 2,524 total members have endorsed the strike authorization vote mandated by the National Board, more than 100 high profile actors and 1,373 actors have lent their names to the opposition campaign,” said Allen in a statement posted on the SAG website late Monday. “This division does not help our effort to get an agreement from the AMPTP that our members will ratify.”

Allen and Rosenberg scheduled a special National Board meeting on Jan. 12 to address the divide. In the last few weeks, two factions have emerged in favor and against next month’s strike vote, with A-listers like George Clooney signing a Vote No petition while celebs like Mel Gibson signed another one urging a yes vote. Seventy-five percent of “dues current” members must authorize a strike before the National Board can actually call for one.

SAG has been working without a contract since June. The massive actors’ union and the conglomerates remain far apart over issues involving production for new media, including TV webisodes.

Dec 22 2008 06:37 PM ET

Casting Scoops: 'True Blood,' 'Cold Case,' 'Numb3rs,' 'Burn Notice' and More!

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Faheyevebrown_lWhat do a Lost grad, a rapper-turned-actress, the ex-fiancé of a discredited CIA agent, and Matthew Fox’s We Are Marshall co-star have in common? They’re all featured in this week’s holiday-themed edition of Casting Scoops!

• Lost copter pilot Jeff Fahey has closed a deal to guest star in an early ’09 episode of CBS’ Cold Case. He’ll play the owner of a boutique motorcycle customization shop who has cleaned up from his early days as a biker.

• Numb3rs is adding rapper-turned-actress Eve to the mix for a caper-esque episode that finds the “FBI chasing a very valuable pair of sneakers as they pass through one criminal after another,” explains exec producer Ken Sanzel. Eve plays a sales rep at a sneaker company and an early suspect.

• Actress Dina Meyer (Beverly Hills, 90210, Point Pleasant) has been cast as the former fiancé of Jeffrey Donovan’s Michael on Burn Notice. She’ll show up in the season 2 finale on March 5.

• More fresh blood! Wes Brown (We Are Marshall) is the latest addition to True Blood‘s season 2 ensemble. He’ll play Luke, a God-obsessed hunk that bonds with Jason (Ryan Kwanten) at a church camp, in at least six episodes.

More TV Scoop:
First look at Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse
Samantha Who? recasts hunk
House shocker: Cameron in, Cuddy out!

Dec 21 2008 09:27 PM ET

Exclusive 'Dollhouse' video: Watch Eliza Dushku's memories vanish!

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I know we said we weren’t exchanging this year, but I saw this exclusive Dollhouse clip while out shopping this weekend and, well, I just had to get it for you guys.

The set-up: The following scene from the Feb. 13 premiere is the first time we see Echo (Eliza Dushku) wake up after having her memories wiped in the special memory-flushing chair. That leads into a discussion between lab tech Topher (Fran Kranz) and Echo’s handler Boyd (Harry Lennix) about her last “date,” delving into just what being a doll/active means.

Long story short: Coolest. Stocking. Stuffer. Ever.

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