Lights Out @ "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"

The most anticipated new show of the 2006-2007 season, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" from the brilliant mind of Aaron Sorkin, that quickly turned into the biggest flop of the season (at least from a Nielsen perspective) quietly ended its run on NBC last night with a happy-ending.

The drama gave pleasant conclusions to its open plotlines with Danny celebrating his fatherhood as Jordan came up with adoption papers for him to sign. Matt and Harriet also got a schmaltzy resolution - she decided to spend the rest of her life with him, they confessed their undying love to each other and made out like crazy.

As for the ratings, although the 4,25 million people who tuned in was a far cry from the 13+ million who sampled the pilot back in September 2006 when the behind-the-scenes drama debuted with promise, the series finale did ironically manage to win the timeslot in the 18-49 category.

I bet Steven Weber's hilarious character would be happy to hear that.

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I-Phone? You're Not Getting One!

There is a really fun article over at Variety about why many Hollywood showoffs won't be putting their greedy fingers on the phone that is all the rage this week. Is Apple's I-phone really worth all the hoopla?

According to the magazine, studios, networks and agencies have been busy informing employees that, despite the frequent pleas, they can't replace their Blackberry with the phone everyone seems to be drooling over.

Companies including HBO and Warner Bros. sent memos to all employees telling them to stop bugging the IT department - they're not getting an I-Phone because "it lacks key security features which make it unsuitable as a corporate email device."

The new device is also criticized for its high price ($500-$600), compatibility issues (such as not running on 3G network), being sold exclusively with plans, touch-screen keyboard which got mixed reviews, etc.

And if all that isn't enough - have you seen the lines for this thing?! Sure, you may think it looks like the coolest product on Earth, but seriously - would you wait in line for days to get a mobile phone? That's just insane.

The Variety article goes on to conclude all the ritzy-blitzy Hollywood people will, of course, get one anyway. After all, it's not only about keeping up with the Jones'. In Hollywood, one needs a phone to do all their booty calls on, and they may as well do that in style.

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Paris Hilton Gives Larry King a Boost

Paris Hilton gave Larry King his best ratings in two years helping veteran talker beat FAUX News' Billo.

3.2 million people tuned into the interview on an hour-long talk show that averaged only 1.4 million viewers just a day earlier.

King's highest rated recent telecasts were "Emergency Landing of a Jet Blue Airbus 320 in LA" (9/21/05 - 4.9 million viewers) and Star Jones interview (6/29/06 - 3 million).

As for the Paris Hilton interview, I couldn't help but crack up when King asked Paris why she chose to speak up and she said "Because you're such an icon, Larry".

Yes, that and the fact that NBC turned the Hilton family's $1 million offer down.

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Madame Tussaud's Unveils VIP Room Wax

Madame Tussaud's New York has unveiled new wax figures of Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Usher, Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton and Madonna for the opening of their club MTNY VIP room. Take a look, after the jump.

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Isaiah Washington Says ABC Racist, Rehab Crap

The day will come when shamed "Grey's Anatomy" star Isaiah Washington will stop being entertaining and I will ignore his rants. Today is not that day. Oh, no. In his new interview, Washington calls his rehab "crap put out by ABC".

You have to hand it to this guy - he sure knows how to spark up controversy. Too bad the most dramatic moment of his acting career may actually take place off-screen.

In a new interview with "Newsweek" magazine, Isaiah claims he was fired because of racism. He also says there is no rehab for homophobia - it was just "crap" put out by the network.

"I went into an executive counseling program which many people in this industry know about and go to. They knew what the program was but chose to call it what they wanted to fit their agenda. And more importantly, I volunteered for it because I wanted to understand my fight with Patrick and how it got out of hand like that. I thought [ABC] sending me meant they actually wanted me to succeed and come out on the other end."

Washington then attacked ABC saying race played a significant role in the decision to let him go:

"Someone heard the booming voice of a black man and got really scared and that was the beginning of the end for me. It didn't help me on the set that I was a black man who wasn't a mush-mouth Negro walking around with his head in his hands all the time. … I had a person in human resources tell me after this thing played out that 'some people' were afraid of me around the studio. I asked her why, because I'm a 6'1" black man with dark skin and who doesn't go around saying 'Yessah, massa sir' and 'No sir, massa' to everyone?'"

Interestingly enough Washington acknowledges his on-set temper troubles (which, in addition to homophobic-slur-fiasco, appeared to have played a significant part in the decision to terminate his employment) with the following statement:

"I have a mind of my own and I do speak it when I feel it's right. In this business that's considered being difficult and hard to deal with."

Although Washington did not mention his last week's theory about the conspiracy created by T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl, he does seem detemined to take everyone down with him as he descends into a PR-grave he has dug out for himself.\

Meanwhile, ABC has declined to comment.

Call me superficial, but I can't wait to see the actor's appearance on Larry King LIVE on Monday. Oh, boy! The fun has only begun.

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Posh Spice Gets "Ugly"

"Ugly Betty" people are in talks with Victoria Beckham's people trying to arrange the Spice-Girl-turned-fashion-designer's appearance on the award-winning ABC comedy.

Actor Eric Mabius, who plays fashion magazine Mode's editor-in-chief Daniel Meade in the hit series, let slip that bosses have made initial steps to secure Victoria - who is moving to America in July when husband David Beckham begins his contract with MLS soccer team Los Angeles Galaxy - for a cameo role.

The comedy set in the fashion business is known for notable guest and cameo appearances - Martha Stewart, Project Runway's Tim Gunn, American Idol runner-up Katherine McPhee, Rebecca Romijn's fiance Jerry O'Connell, Tony winners Patti LuPone and Kristin Chenoweth, Rebecca Gayheart ("Vanished'), Gina Gershon ("Melrose Place"), Lucy Liu ("Ally McBeal"), Cristian de la Fuente, Bond-girl Ivana Milicevic, Colombian "Betty" Angelica Vale, not to mention producer Salma Hayek, "Who's the Boss" star Judith Light, "Jake 2.0's" Christopher Gorham - the list goes on and on.

Mabius said: "Victoria is keen and so are we. We can see her fitting in as a cameo now she is about to be big in the US."

The "football wife" is currently working on a new jeans collection which she is expected to release under her own label DVB.

She stars in her own NBC prime-time special "Coming to America" which airs Monday, July 16 at 8/7c.

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"Football Wives" Alive

ABC's dead pilot "Football Wives" (US adaptation of the British soap hit "Footballers' Wives") starring James Van Der Beek, Lucy Lawless and Eddie Cibrian may not necessarily be that dead after all.

I am of course very excited about this, because - from what I heard - although the pilot did not seem set to win any awards, it did feel like an old-fashioned trashy "Melrose Place"-style campy fun. And as you can imagine - I was a sucker for "Melrose Place". Well, in seasons 2-5 anyway. Besides, how can you go wrong with the double hunk power of James Van Der Beek and Eddie "The Dimples" Cibrian?

Despite its initial buzz mainly generated by those who were familiar with the British original, ABC decided not to pick up the pilot and make it one of its 11 new fall shows next TV season.

Now Hollywood press reports ABC Studios, which produced the pilot, has extended its options on the show's cast that also includes Gabrielle Union ("Night Stalker"), Kiele Sanchez ("Lost"), Arielle Kebbel ("Gilmore Girls") and Ving Rhames ("Mission: Impossible III").

The pilot was directed by Bryan Singer ("Superman Returns").

ABC has not made its final decision about the show which could end up on the network as midseason replacement, but even if it does pass on it, Hollywood Reporter claims NBC and FOX are interested in picking it up. Fingers crossed!

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"Spice Girls" Return (VIDEO)

I really wanna zig-zig-ha! I wanna zig-zig-ha all over again!


The rumors are true! Scary, Baby, Ginger, Posh and Sporty - the award-winning all-female pop-phenomenon Spice Girls are coming back for an 11-show round-the-globe reunion tour to commence in Los Angeles on December 7, 2007 and close in Buenos Aires on January 24, 2008.



According to reports, Mel Chisholm (Sporty) was the only one of the girls who was opposing the reunion, but had a change of heart recently. Geri Halliwell (Ginger) who generated headlines in 1998 with her much-publicized departure due to alleged differences with Melanie Brown (Scary) is also on board.

The group broke records with the first two blockbuster albums Spice (1996) and Spiceword (1997) generating sales of over 53 million records worldwide. Their final album Forever (2000) released by the 4 remaining girls failed to match the massive success of their previous outings.

Earlier today, the girls arrived for the photo call at the Greenwich Royal Observatory in London in separate cars to formally announce their reunion and the upcoming world tour. The girls however stressed this would be a one-off event and they would not be reuniting for good. Bummer.

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John Stamos Apologizes for Bizarre Behavior

"ER" star John Stamos was quite a bit on the tipsy side during his bizarre appearance on an Australian morning chat show causing a stir Down Under.

The actor's rep Lewis Kay, however, blamed it all on his jet leg and following Stamos' departure said in a statement:

"John has been traveling extensively for the past few weeks in Greece, Egypt and Tokyo and had a difficult time adjusting to the time difference in Australia, which in turn led to many sleepless nights since his arrival."

Rumor has it though, when Stamos arrived in Australia on June 21 he was in high spirits at the Sydney strip club Pure Platinum.

Four days later he appeared on the popular program Mornings with Kerri-Anne, bleary-eyed and shabbily dressed. That must have been one nasty jet lag.

Needless to say, all subsequent interviews had been canceled and Stamos was put on the next flight back to the US.

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StarPix Wednesday: Late Edition

Eva Longoria mobbed, Mariah Carey arrives in France and Madonna meets up with her ex.

Britney Spears went grocery shopping under the watchful lens of the paparazzi on Tuesday. The trashy pop-star is back in the recording studio trying to put together her new album which is said to be delayed until 2008.

Will they kill Nicolette Sheridan off of "Desperate Housewives" or not? The actress who was spotted on Tuesday looking chic going to Il Pastaio restaurant in Hollywood is said to be coming back for sure. Let us hope she won't be joining Brenda Strong in the voiceover booth.


Meanwhile, her co-star Eva Longoria went to get some hot hairstyling at the Ken Paves salon in LA as the countdown to her July 7 wedding continues. The petite actress burst into a laughter when she got mobbed by the paparazzi who seem to be going berserk over her in recent days.



Gwen Stefani's "The Sweet Escape" tour continued in Santa Barbara on Tuesday night. The singer's critically-acclaimed tour hit a high this past weekend in her native Orange County in California when her band "No Doubt" reunited on stage for the first time in 3 years.



Actress Jennifer Garner is still enjoying herself on her holiday with hubby Ben Afleck and friends in Hawaii. The former "Alias" star was snapped doing some grocery shopping on Tuesday.



The funny lady Jenny McCarthy showed her lighter side on Tuesday afternoon while enjoying the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage in Disneyland with her 5-year old son Evan working on her best Nemo impression. The image is however a part of an official Disneyland publicity campaign.


Actress Lindsay Lohan is doing much better after her Memorial Day passing out in a car and has decided to extend her stay in the "Promises" rehab center in Malibu. The actress turns 21 on Monday.


Mariah Carey is in Paris where she greeted her fans upon her arrival at the hotel. The singer who recently launched her first fragrance "M by Mariah Carey" is in France to perform at One Mighty Party in Disneyland Paris on 29th June 2007. Carey's performance will celebrate the European debut of One Mighty Party which began as an annual event at The Walt Disney World Resort Orlando, USA and benefits the Elton John AIDS Foundation.



Finally, Her Madgesty was back to her glamorous self on Tuesday as she satisfied her craving for Starbucks coffee in New York. The superstar was spotted a day earlier jogging in Central Park with the father of her daughter Lourdes, the hunky fitness expert Carlos Leon.

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Daily Eye Candy: Milo Ventimiglia

Today we flash back in time to see how cute and adorable "Heroes" star Milo Ventimiglia used to be before he saved the cheerleader. The actor was known to "Gilmore Girls" fans across the world as Jess, before he was cast in his signature role as the flying hero Peter Petrelli.

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"Brothers & Sisters" Spoilers: Justin & Rebecca?

Will the alleged real-life sweethearts Dave Annable and Emily Van Camp get to play out their passion on-screen when the second season of ABC's family drama "Brothers & Sisters" premieres on September 23? Sophomore scoop, after the jump.

When we left off the sharp-talking and wine-drinking Walker clan of California, they had jumped into their pool bringing a year of compelling storytelling, that began with their patriarch's death in that very pool, into a full circle.


Call me a pervert, but ever since Emily Van Camp's Rebecca joined the show in March and created a special bond with her half-sibling Justin (Annable) I could smell incest in the air. As TV Guide reports today, that may just be the path the show is going down as the producers appear to have noticed the chemistry between the two actors who are said to be dating in real life.

That means Dave Annable is coming back for a second season, a so is Ron Rifkin (uncle Saul) as the producers are following up on his gay storyline from the season finale (yes, that also means the return of special guest star Michael Nourri ('The O.C.) as his romantic interest). But according to TV Guide one male cast member won't be that lucky.


It is obvious Rob Lowe will also make the opening credits in the 2nd season, after all his 'special guest star' tenure was the subject of intense contract negotiations this past winter and it resulted in his promotion to series regular. For this reason, I would presume Balthazar Getty (as Tommy), whose storylines some fans found boring, may be leaving the cast.

Before anyone suggests the departure of B&S gay character Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys), allow me to underline his critical importance to the show as well as the drama's strong gay base. Eric Winter who played his possible romantic interest in recent episodes may not necessarily return due to his stint in CBS' musical "Viva Laughlin," but hunky Luke MacFarlane who played the beloved Scotty is available.


The writers have recently began putting together the script for the second season premiere which will feature at least two new characters - Holly's girlfriend who stays at her place for a while and shares a funny scene with Kevin and a ruthless new McCallister campaign staff member who may bring out the Senator's dark side. As ever, thanks to KC for the scoop.

I believe the show begins shooting in a couple of weeks, under the helm of its new showrunner - Mark Perry, whose previous credits include One Tree Hill, What About Brian and The Wonder Years. Uh-oh! Is our beloved drama in trouble? The change comes as Greg Berlanti who managed the cast and crew during the inaugural season has 2 new shows to run: ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Eli Stone."

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Beyonce's Showstopping Kylie Knockoff

Singer Beyonce Knowles may have copied the opening of Kylie Minogue's 2002 performance of "Come Into My World" at last night's BET Awards, but that didn't stop the sultry 25-year old from winning big at the Tuesday night ceremony.

Knowles was given awards for best female R&B artist and video of the year for "Irreplaceable."

The singer performed her dance anthem, "Get Me Bodied," appearing on stage in gold robot gear, which she then reduced Kylie-style to a pair of funky gold lame pants and a matching bra top.

Take a look.

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MSNBC Reporter Rips the Paris Hilton Story

MSNBC reporter and commentator Mika Brzezinski declined to do the lead story on Paris Hilton Wednesday morning on MSNBC's Morning Joe show and even attempted to burn the script on air. Hey! How come no one else thought of that before? Yes! That's what we should do. Ignore Paris Hilton! Genius! I feel so liberated now. Speaking of Paris, the socialite is set to appear on the Larry King Show tonight, while...

...People Magazine has landed an exclusive interview with the heiress who was fluffing her newly replaced blonde hair extensions Tuesday at her grandfather's Bel Air mansion, just hours after her release from the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, California. US Weekly will, meanwhile, follow Mika's example and ignore Paris by putting our favorite Scientologist Tom Cruise and his daughter Suri on the cover.

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StarPix Tuesday: Early Edition

Britney sluts it up (again), Ashton Kutcher is one lucky sun of a gun, and Xtina sings for the first time in China.

Model-turned-actor and professional prankster Ashton Kutcher went out for dinner with two leading Hollywood ladies last night. Penelope Cruz (and later Shakira) joined him and wife Demi Moore in the tropical lounge of Bungalow 8 in Manhattan last night.

She may have two young sons and a career to salvage, but Britney Spears always finds time to party. Although she has recently completed her stint in rehab, the singer went bar cruising in a truly remarkable outfit last night.



While his girlfriend Angelina Jolie is busy making movies, Brad Pitt is shooting a commercial for Softbank, a Japanese telecommunications company on the set in Prague, the Czech Republic.



Award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow has recently injured her right knee, and she can now be seen going around Hollywood on a pair of crutches. She is taking a break from filming the movie "Iron Man" also starring Robert Downey Jr.



Christina Aguilera performed her first-ever concert in China on Tuesday. The four-time Grammy Award winner is currently on her "Back to Basics" 2007 world tour.


Actress Catherine Zeta Jones and husband Michael Douglas watched Race 3 between America's Cup defender Alinghi of Switzerland and challenger Emirates Team New Zealand from a yacht in Valencia on Tuesday.



Finally, singer Jessica Simpson can not even go to the gym without her Louis Vouitton bag. The singer has recently lost over 20 pounds for her role in the upcoming movie "Major Movie Star."

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