Vanessa Williams and Michael Urie, Ugly Betty
Question: I'm very happy (and surprised) about Ugly Betty's move from Friday to Thursday nights. I'm a huge fan of America Ferrera and the original Spanish series, so I'm throwing my full support into this show. Who knows, maybe I'll even stick around and catch Grey's Anatomy afterwards. Thanks for the great column, Matt!
Answer: You're welcome, but if you really want to thank me for something, stay tuned for Grey's. You won't regret it. And if enough people follow your lead, ABC will feel justified in making this move, which I praised in the Dispatch I filed after learning of the time switch from the dead zone of Fridays at 8 pm/ET to the competitive hotbed of Thursdays at 8. On paper (or, I guess, on computer screen), Ugly Betty looks like a hard sell, but maybe there's something about this premise that will strike a chord in the U.S. audience the way it has in other cultures. We can only hope. If it holds its own and delivers at least some audience to Grey's (which will probably be a
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Paul Giamatti in Lady in the Water; Amazing Screw-On Head
Paul Giamatti's latest one-of-a-kind performance can't be seen in theaters and not even on TV, but on SciFi.com's Pulse broadband channel, which is currently offering a first look at Amazing Screw-On Head, the outrageous animated adventures of a disembodied robotic head (Giamatti) dispatched by President Abraham Lincoln (yes, that Abe Lincoln) to "suit up" and fight evildoers. The Amazing twist: Sci Fi wants immediate fan feedback on whether the pilot should go to series. (The pilot airs on Sci Fi Channel July 27.) TVGuide.com spoke with Giamatti about his small-screen world-saving as well as the many, many films —
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Paul Giamatti in Lady in the Water; Amazing Screw-On Head
Paul Giamatti's latest one-of-a-kind performance can't be seen in theaters and not even on TV, but on SciFi.com's Pulse broadband channel, which, starting today, is offering a first look at Amazing Screw-On Head, the outrageous animated adventures of a disembodied robotic head (Giamatti) dispatched by President Abraham Lincoln (yes, that Abe Lincoln) to "suit up" and fight evildoers. The Amazing twist: Sci Fi wants immediate fan feedback on whether the pilot should go to series. (The pilot airs on Sci Fi Channel July 28.) TVGuide.com spoke with Giamatti about his small-screen world-saving as well as the many, many films —
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What, if anything, do Star Wars, Mission: Impossible, and Jaws have in common?
What is the formula for blockbuster-movie success? And how does it differ from the recipe for disaster? Boffo! Tinseltown's Bombs and Blockbusters, an HBO documentary premiering tonight at 9 pm/ET — and based on the new book Boffo! How I Learned to Love the Blockbuster and Fear the Bomb, by Variety editor-in-chief and former studio exec Peter Bart — explores those much-asked questions by way of A-list talking heads and fantastic clips from films both great and... so-so.
Bart says that — especially as cohost of AMC's Sunday Morn
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What, if anything, do Star Wars, Mission: Impossible, and Jaws have in common?
What is the formula for blockbuster-movie success? And how does it differ from the recipe for disaster? The new book Boffo! How I Learned to Love the Blockbuster and Fear the Bomb, by Variety editor-in-chief and former studio exec Peter Bart, explores those much-asked questions, as does an accompanying HBO documentary, Boffo! Tinseltown's Bombs and Blockbusters, premiering June 29 and featuring almost as many A-list talking heads as fantastic clips from films both great and... so-so.
Bart says that — especially as cohost of AMC's Sunday
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Question: Huzzah to HBO for giving David Milch and fans everywhere a chance to get some closure on Deadwood. Even if it's not as good as a full fourth season, two movies are better than nothing.
Answer: I couldn't agree more. This has been a true testament to the power of the fans. I'm convinced that Deadwood would have ended with its third season were it not for the huge outcry from viewers. Extra props go to the diehards who took out that full-page ad in Variety urging HBO to reconsider its decision. I'd say that was time and money well spent.
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Question: Forest Whitaker and Kenny Johnson should be shoo-ins for best-supporting-actor Emmy nods. And if I could choose anyone to play Lem's replacement, I'd suggest Christian Kane. He's got the chops, he's in the right age group, and his time on Close to Home just came to an end. Answer: That's an interesting idea about Kane taking over for Johnson. Farmington could certainly use some eye candy. And I'm with you re: Whitaker getting an Emmy nod. Johnson, on the other hand, is a long shot. I just don't think he's on Emmy voters' radar. Heck, he's not even on FX's radar. The network's "For Your Consideration" ad in Variety this week only spotlighted Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder and Whitaker. (Ironically, those are the same three we singled out in our Dream Emmy Ballot, which, BTW, will be posted in
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Mel Gibson's Apocalypto has had its release date moved from late summer to Dec. 8, the heart of the holiday and Oscar seasons, says Variety.... William H. Macy has joined the cast of Wild Hogs, starring John Travolta, Tim Allen and Martin Lawrence as middle-aged biker wannabes.
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Question: In a recent column you answered a question about the classic Michael Caine/Laurence Olivier movie Sleuth, and it reminded me that I heard some time ago that they were remaking it with Caine in the Olivier role and a younger actor in Caine's old part. Is this true?
Answer: There's been talk for the better part of five years that Stephen Frears was going to direct a rem
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In a bid to bolster the freshman series' chances for some Emmy love, UPN's Everybody Hates Chris will shower all 12,000 TV Academy voters with a DVD set of the entire first season, Variety reports. Should that effort fail, Chris Rock himself will show up at your &@#$ing door and whoop your @#$@ing !%@.
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