| | |
| Lisa Kudrow signs on for ABC's 'Scandal' Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 06:23 PM PDT  By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Lisa Kudrow is ready to get "Scandal"-ized. The former "Friends" star has signed on for a recurring role on the ABC drama "Scandal," an individual familiar with the casting told TheWrap on Wednesday. Kudrow will play a politician on the drama. It's not known how many episodes Kudrow will show up for on the series, which returns for its third season October 3. The series stars Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope, the manager of a crisis management firm. Full Story | Top |
| 'Breaking Bad' Mexican restaurant reports surge in tableside guacamole orders Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 06:22 PM PDT By Brent Lang LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The Mexican restaurant that factored into last Sunday's "Breaking Bad," reports a surge in orders for tableside guacamole since the appetizer was prominently featured on the AMC drama. Garduno's' dip was a recurring punchline during an excruciatingly tense exchange that found meth-dealer Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and his wife (Anna Gunn) involved in a tense standoff with his brother-in-law, a DEA agent named Hank Schrader (Dean Norris). As tempers flared, a Garduno's waiter keeps butting in at inopportune times to talk up the restaurant's ... Full Story | Top |
| Kris Jenner talk show is not canceled, says 20th TV Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 06:21 PM PDT  By Jethro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Don't count Kris Jenner out quite yet. Reports of her talk show being "canceled" are false, a 20th Television representative told TheWrap. "It's too early to make a decision," the rep continued. Representatives of the show took to Twitter, as well, to deny Wednesday reports citing sources that said that low ratings during its six-week test run left the show dead in the water. "Rumors flying are false but glad everyone is still buzzing about our 6 week summer run!!!!," the Kris Jenner Show account tweeted. ... Full Story | Top |
| Matt Damon in talks for directorial debut, also joins Christopher Nolan's 'Interstellar' Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 06:20 PM PDT  By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Matt Damon is in early talks to make his directorial debut with "A Murder Foretold," and has joined the star-studded cast of Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar" for a small role, people close to the respective projects have told TheWrap. Written by Oscar-winning "Argo" scribe Chris Terrio, "A Murder Foretold" tells the true story of a man who's gunned down in Guatemala, and leaves behind video evidence implicating the South American nation's president, his wife, and other close aides. ... Full Story | Top |
| Valerie Harper, fighting cancer, joins 'Dancing With the Stars': report Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 06:18 PM PDT By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Valerie Harper, who earlier this year announced that she'd been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, has signed on for the upcoming season of "Dancing With the Stars," TMZ reports. The former "Rhoda" star, 74, revealed her diagnosis in March, saying doctors had given her as little as three months to live. That period has passed, and Harper signed on in late July to star in the television film "The Town That Came A-Courtin" opposite Lauren Holly. That project will air on the cable network UP in January. ... Full Story | Top |
| George Eads to be M.I.A. from 'CSI' for part of season Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 06:16 PM PDT  By Tim Molloy NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - "CSI" star George Eads will be absent from several episodes of the show this season after an argument with a writer on the show. "George Eads will not appear in several episodes during the first half of the season," CBS Television Studios said in a statement. "We look forward to him returning to 'CSI' very soon." Eads, who has played Nick Stokes on the drama since its 2000 premiere, had a non-physical fight with the writer. CBS declined to comment on the details of the altercation. "CSI" returns Wednesday, September 25. Full Story | Top |
| Rebecca Hall: Strong female characters ain't saints - 'we need to be villains, too' Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:38 PM PDT  By Brent Lang LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Rebecca Hall thinks Hollywood gets it wrong when it comes to women. Strong doesn't equal saintly. "There's been a sort of trend for a while of people writing strong women as women who are morally right, which is so uninteresting, " Hall told TheWrap. "It's no fun and frankly it's a massive disservice to womankind. It boxes us in to making these sort of slightly dull, virtuous choices." The English actress' search for a character who was prickly and flawed led her to the legal thriller "Closed Circuit," which opens Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Michael Phelps dives into 'Suits' guest-role Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:36 PM PDT  By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Michael Phelps is hoping to make a splash on "Suits." The Olympic swimmer has booked a cameo on the USA Network series, a spokeswoman for the network told TheWrap on Wednesday. Phelps' guest spot will air during the mid-season premiere of the series, which will air in the first quarter of 2014. The episode will film this week in Toronto. In the episode, Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) comes face-to-face with Phelps, the one sports client he could never land. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Twerking' added to Oxford Dictionary (Thanks, Miley Cyrus?) Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:33 PM PDT  By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Parents trying to keep up with Miley Cyrus' shenanigans are getting a helping hand from Oxford Dictionaries. The company announced quarterly additions Wednesday to its Oxford Dictionaries Online - "twerking" among them. According to the Oxford scholars, "twerking" refers to dancing "to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance. ... Full Story | Top |
| OWN orders reality series 'Crazy.Sexy.Life.' Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:31 PM PDT By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Oprah Winfrey's OWN has ordered a new "docu-series" entitled "Crazy.Sexy.Life.," the network said Wednesday, giving the reality show about "four fabulous friends living in New York City" a straight-to-series order. ... Full Story | Top |
| Golf Channel's 'I have a dream' tweet not up to par Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:28 PM PDT By Tim Molloy LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - What does the 50th anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" speech have to do with golf? Nothing, but that didn't stop NBCU's Golf Channel from clumsily trying to get into the spirit of the day. "Tweet your 'golf' dream on the 50th anniversary of MLK's 'I have a Dream' speech using: #DreamDay: I have a dream that ________" the channel tweeted. Some of its fans played along, tweeting things like, "I have a dream that no man, regardless of creed, will ever bogey" and "I have a dream that one day, no one in any sport will ever have a handicap. ... Full Story | Top |
| Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream turns 50: How the networks are covering Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:26 PM PDT  By Sara Morrison LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s historic "I have a dream" speech turns 50 on Wednesday. Its anniversary will be celebrated in Washington D.C., where it originally occurred, with speeches by Presidents Clinton, Carter and Obama. Members of King's family and civil rights leaders will also be in attendance. Obama's speech will be delivered at the Lincoln memorial - from the same spot as King's - at is set to begin at 2:45 p.m. ET. ... Full Story | Top |
| Matt Damon defends Ben Affleck Batman casting Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:24 PM PDT  By Brent Lang LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Matt Damon has a message to comic book fans who are distraught over the surprise casting of his "Good Will Hunting" pal Ben Affleck as Batman. Relax, he's got this one covered. "I think it will be great. It will be terrific. I know there are a lot of people grousing on the internet. I just think it's kind of funny," Damon told the Times of India. "You know, he's not playing King Lear. It's Batman! Certainly within his skill set. ... Full Story | Top |
| Justin Timberlake defends Miley Cyrus: 'It was the VMAs, what did you guys expect?' Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:22 PM PDT  By Tony Maglio LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Justin Timberlake defended Miley Cyrus' MTV Video Music Awards performance to Jim Douglas of Fresh 102.7 in New York City Tuesday. "She's young, she's letting everyone know she's growing up," Timberlake said. Sunday's Video Vanguard recipient also pointed to the venue as an important factor in this conversation, saying, "It was the VMAs, what did you guys expect?" Timberlake continued, "It's not like she did it at the Grammys. Let her do her thing." Cyrus' twerk-heavy, racy performance is certainly not the first controversial one in MTV VMA history. ... Full Story | Top |
| 20 shows not to miss this fall, from 'mom' to 'dads' Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:21 PM PDT By Tim Molloy, Jethro Nededog, Tim Kenneally and Tony Maglio NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - TV networks are rolling out some big guns this season, from a superhero spinoff to Robin Williams to what may be Seth MacFarlane's most offensive series so far. But after months of following the new shows from pilot to pickup and finally to their premieres, TheWrap's TV team has developed some strong opinions about which ones are actually worth your time. If you don't watch to watch all 42,000 new shows this fall, maybe just check in on these 20. ... Full Story | Top |
| Telluride's lineup: 'Gravity,' 'Inside Llewyn Davis,' 'Nebraska' Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:19 PM PDT By Steve Pond LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity," Jason Reitman's "Labor Day," Alexander Payne's "Nebraska," the Coen brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis" and J.C. Chandor's "All Is Lost" are among the films that will be trekking to the Colorado mountains for the 40th Telluride Film Festival, which will also present special tributes to Robert Redford, Iranian director Mohammed Rasoulof and the music/movie collaborations of T Bone Burnett and the Coen brothers. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Walking Dead' star David Morrissey signs on for AMC drama pilot 'Line of Sight' Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:17 PM PDT  By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The Governor has been elected for a second consecutive term with AMC. David Morrissey, who plays the Governor on the cable network's hit zombie drama "The Walking Dead," has also signed on to star in AMC's drama pilot "Line of Sight." The pilot, which is created, written and executive produced by Blake Masters ("Brotherhood," "2 Guns"), follows Lewis Bernt, a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator who survives a mysterious plane crash and is determined to discover the accident's cause. ... Full Story | Top |
| Miley Cyrus' twerk-tastic VMA performance: By the numbers Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:15 PM PDT  By Tony Maglio LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Miley Cyrus is quite the popular young woman these days. The singer's racy performance of "We Can't Stop" at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards, where she shared the stage and her foam appendage with Robin Thicke, has drawn strong reaction from both viewers and the media. Love or hate the performance, it has resonated hugely across the social media landscape, and has even bolstered Cyrus' album, single and video sales. As TheWrap previously reported, Cyrus' twerking fueled a Twitter record with an unprecedented 306,100 tweets-per-minute, according to ... Full Story | Top |
| Michael Hastings' family chides media for inaccuracies, guards his legacy Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:14 PM PDT By Sara Morrison LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - In the wake of the L.A. County Coroner's report concluding that BuzzFeed journalist Michael Hastings' death was an accident, his family is speaking out about inaccurate media reports surrounding the 33-year-old's demise and doing its best to keep his legacy alive. BuzzFeed's Michael Hastings National Security Reporting Fellowship will award $100,000 plus expenses to one journalist to pursue the kinds of stories that wouldn't get written otherwise. The deadline, September 1, is coming up soon. ... Full Story | Top |
| Telluride Film Festival to offer peek at early Oscar favorites Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 04:24 PM PDT LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Telluride Film Festival, one of the United States' top movie events and early Oscar showcase, will feature films from directors Jason Reitman, Joel and Ethan Coen, and Alexander Payne, the festival said on Wednesday. Reitman's drama "Labor Day," which also plays in September's Toronto International Film Festival, will have its world premiere on Friday at the movie gathering in the Colorado town most famous for its ski slopes. ... Full Story | Top |
| Roadside Attractions acquires Elizabeth Olsen romantic thriller 'Therese' Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 04:09 PM PDT  By Lucas Shaw NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Roadside Attractions has acquired domestic distribution rights to 'Therese,' a romantic thriller starring Elizabeth Olsen, Oscar Isaac, Tom Felton and Jessica Lange, the company announced on Tuesday. Charlie Stratton wrote and directed the film, which is based on Emlie Zola's novel "Therese Raquin." Set in 1860s Paris, it stars Olsen as the titular young woman stuck in a loveless marriage to her cousin Camille (Felton). Repressed and eager for change, she begins an affair Camille's childhood friend Laurent (Isaac). ... Full Story | Top |
| Krysten Ritter drama 'Refuge' acquired by Strand Releasing Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 04:02 PM PDT By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Strand Releasing has acquired all U.S. rights to writer-director Jessica Goldberg's directorial debut "Refuge," which stars Krysten Ritter ("Breaking Bad") and Brian Geraghty ("The Hurt Locker"), the indie distributor announced on Tuesday. Goldberg adapted her own play for producers Jack Heller and Dallas Sonnier of Caliber Media. Gary Cogill and Richard Toussaint executive produced the drama for Lascaux Films. "Refuge," which premiered at the Hamptons Film Festival, is described as a tragic-comic portrait of lost souls in small-town America. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Gravity' reviews: Critics call Alfonso Cuaron's space adventure a masterpiece Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 04:00 PM PDT  By Brent Lang LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity" is heading out of the Venice Film Festival with a boatload of critical raves and a full head of steam that may carry the space opera all the way to Oscar night. Reviews for the film overflowed with synonyms for brilliant, as critics tried to find new ways to heap praise on the Mexican filmmaker and his galvanizing science fiction adventure. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Getaway' review: Too fast & too furious wild-goose car chase Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 03:56 PM PDT  By Todd Gilchrist LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Getaway" is a movie for people who think "Taken" is too complicated. Perhaps more suitably titled "GoPro: The Movie," director Courtney Solomon's car-chase movie mounts a dozen cameras all over a Shelby Mustang Super Snake, cranks up the adrenaline and offers a first-person account of a wild goose chase to rescue a kidnapped spouse. ... Full Story | Top |
| Univision adds reporters, comedians to new cable network Fusion Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 03:21 PM PDT  By David Adams and Liana B. Baker MIAMI/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Spanish language broadcaster Univision is ramping up Fusion, its new English cable news network aimed at younger viewers, hiring hundreds of staffers as it prepares to enter the crowded cable market. The network, a joint venture with Disney's ABC, will be in 20 million homes in October, but executives said it aims to be in 60 million homes. Disney, the parent of sports powerhouse ESPN, can flex its distribution muscles to get Fusion wider U.S. distribution, but for now, it will only reach a fraction of CNN's 99 million homes. ... Full Story | Top |
| New York Times, Twitter hacked by Syrian group Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 03:19 PM PDT  By Gerry Shih and Joseph Menn SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Media companies, including the New York Times, Twitter and the Huffington Post, lost control of some of their websites Tuesday after hackers supporting the Syrian government breached the Australian Internet company that manages many major site addresses. The Syrian Electronic Army (SEA), a hacker group that has attacked media organizations it considers hostile to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, claimed credit for the Twitter and Huffington Post hacks in a series of Twitter messages. ... Full Story | Top |
| Clooney, Bullock launch Venice into orbit with 'Gravity' Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 01:57 PM PDT  By Michael Roddy VENICE (Reuters) - The Venice Film Festival got off to an explosive start on Wednesday with the premiere of 3D space movie "Gravity", teaming George Clooney and Sandra Bullock as astronauts imperiled by a botched Russian missile shot. Twenty films, including five from the United States and three British ones, are in competition for the Golden Lion trophy that will be awarded at the end of the 70th edition of the world's oldest film festival, on September 7. ... Full Story | Top |
| Country singer Bryan keeps top spot on Billboard album chart Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 01:33 PM PDT  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Country singer Luke Bryan topped the Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday for the second consecutive week, denying singer-songwriter John Mayer's latest album the No. 1 spot in its first week. Bryan's "Crash My Party" sold 159,000 copies in the past week after tallying 527,000 in sales the prior week, according to figures compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. Mayer's sixth studio album, "Paradise Valley," sold 144,000 in its first week on the chart. Four of Mayer's six albums have topped the weekly U.S. album chart. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nigeria arrests fake CNN correspondent Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 11:58 AM PDT YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian authorities have arrested a citizen who posed as a CNN correspondent to try to get money from politicians in exchange for interviews in oil-producing Bayelsa state. Paul Yempe was rumbled by a member of the local branch of the national journalists union (NUJ) when he approached the office of the state's energy commissioner to solicit an interview for an alleged CNN documentary. Tare Akono, state NUJ chairman, said by telephone that he had handed the man over to the police for further questioning. ... Full Story | Top |
| Stars, taboo sex and death at Venice film fest Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 10:35 AM PDT  By Michael Roddy LONDON (Reuters) - Space, stars and taboo sex will be on display in Venice this week as the world's oldest international film festival fights to keep its head above water in a city slowly slipping into the sea. The 70th Venice Film Festival will try and see off competition from increasingly popular extravaganzas in Rome and Toronto by opening with the world premiere of 3D space fantasy "Gravity", starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. ... Full Story | Top |
| Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones separated: report Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 08:17 AM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Star Hollywood couple Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have separated in what could spell the end of their nearly 13-year marriage, People magazine reported on Wednesday, and a representative for Zeta-Jones confirmed the separation. "Catherine and Michael are taking some time apart to evaluate and work on their marriage," a spokeswoman for Zeta-Jones said in a statement provided to Reuters, adding that she would not make any further comment. ... Full Story | Top |
| Celebrity chef Oliver says European migrants beat Brits at work Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 06:23 AM PDT  By Marie-Louise Gumuchian LONDON (Reuters) - Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, already under fire for criticising the diet of Britain's poor, has said all his restaurants would close immediately if it were not for European immigrants who make far better workers than "wet behind the ears" Britons. The gabby 38-year old, who inspired home cooks across Britain with his "pukka tukka" or nutritious food recipes, said European workers were tougher and stronger than their British contemporaries and willing to work longer hours in hot kitchens. ... Full Story | Top |
| A Minute With: Ethan Hawke on acting, Selena Gomez and Shakespeare Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 05:04 AM PDT  By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After taking time away to focus on family and stage acting, Ethan Hawke is getting back to film and stepping into the driver's seat in his latest role as a racecar driver trapped in a car and racing against time in the action-thriller "Getaway." "Getaway," which will be released in U.S. theaters on Friday, also stars former Disney actress and pop singer Selena Gomez, who plays a tech-savvy teenager. ... Full Story | Top |
| Poland's Cyfrowy plans early loan repayments this year Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013 04:19 AM PDT  WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's biggest media group Cyfrowy Polsat said on Wednesday it was planning early loan repayments this year, its chief executives said on Wednesday. The company's chief executive officer added that he also expected the advertising market to improve in the second half of the year. "The second half (of the year) will be better in terms of the TV advertisement market in Poland. Due to this fact, we plan a 'tv programme offensive'," Dominik Libicki told a news conference. (Reporting by Adrian Krajewski) Full Story | Top |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment