Well, the pressure is really on the studios now. Today, 21 TV blogs will go un-updated in support of the writers strike. If the literally dozens of people affected by Ducky Does TV.com going down for the day doesn’t convince the producers to settle, we don’t know what will. [TVWeek]
Let’s take a trip in the way back machine: In August, Keith Kelly reported that David Bianculli, The Daily News TV critic, would not have his contract renewed after 14 years with the paper.
At the time, a source “familiar with the situation” told Kelly, "I assume it is a money thing. They'll probably replace him with some blogger who sits around in his pajamas."
In Bianculli’s farewell column today, he announced that he will become one of those bloggers who sits around in his pajamas. He is launching tvworthwatching.com, a TV blog.
Not having his contract renewed must have been rough. But on the plus side, now that Bianculli is reporting on TV for his own blog, he will have no reason to put on real pants ever again.
• Jessica Simpson might have to pay yet another group of whining bitches. [TSG]
• Leif Garrett gets sentanced to jail, while Kate Moss is still roaming free. [AP]
• Supposedly she's roaming right back to Calvin Klein. [Socialite's Life]
• Mischa Barton hopes to break her "teen brat" typecast. And acting like a spoiled bitch is supposed to accomplish that. [SBN]
• Now that The Da Vinci Code court case has been decided in Dan Brown's favor, can we please, please see the movie? [Sky]
• Next week's issue of New York predicts the most fought over paparazzi photo ever will be the Brangalina baby … but with Katie Holmes' alien child scheduled to pop out first, it's gonna' be a close call.
• Tom Hanks goes to Japan and talks to the Prime Minister. Of all the crucial topics to discuss, they chose hair. [Defamer]
When we first saw this, it was like, "holy crap! Vince Vaughn finally popped the question to Jennifer Aniston!" Then we realized that the "Biggest Loser" part was in italics, and they meant those former fatties from TV.
Vince better hurry up — Jen only has like six good baby making months left in her.
Biggest Loser Couple Engaged [People]
• Isn't just great when the paparazzi brings lost souls together? Kate Moss and the cops … it's just like cream cheese and lox. [The Sun]
• Tracy Morgan pleads not guilty to DUI charges. Guys, he wasn't drunk. He always talks like that. [MSNBC]
• Terrell and Derell Brittenum won't continue their American Idol dream. Because they'll be in jail. [People]
• Why is Colin Farrell having so much trouble with that homemade porn flick? Uhh, he wasn't wearing his lucky underpants. [Sun]
• Seriously? Clay Aiken is gay? [Page Six]
• The secret service decked out in club wear? Yep, everyone has pretty much given up on the Barbara and Jenna Bush twins. [Page Six]
Because Life magazine prints its covers two weeks in advance, there was really no way to foresee ABC's shocking move to pull Heather Graham's much hyped TV show Emily Reasons Why Not. After airing one single episode.
The Life cover praises her as "TV's sexiest star" — unfortunately, that still wasn't enough to keep the actress around for longer than a one night stand. Though the network filmed six episodes, the spot was cancelled on the first shot.
We have to wonder who this situation is more embarrassing for: Graham or Life? We decided to go with Graham. After all, when playing Roller Girl in Boogie Nights, is the definitive moment in your career, you basically have to take your top off in everything for people to watch you.
Remember Jennifer Connelly in Requiem for a Dream? And how everything else after that was a total disappointment? Yeah, this is the same thing.
'Life' and Death: Heather Graham's Sit-Com Axed Too Late to Halt Magazine Cover [E & P]
• They will get married, they won't get married, they did get married … enough. We've seen the tattoo baby stomach, now, and that's all we need. No wonder her kid is always sticking his tongue out at everyone. [R & M]
• Crazy French people. Carl Swanson can not tell a lie!. He works at New York, ok? He's got that Bernard-Henri Levy francias babble on tape. [Page Six]
• James Frey somehow agreed to appear on Oprah's show today, where he managed to get bitch slapped, paddle whipped, and ass spanked all at the same time. Oprah, meanwhile, only got "duped." [CBS]
• Warning: reading Augusten Burroughs might make you actually run with scissors. Straight into James Frey's "you just ruined every book" guts. [Page Six]
• Like brother like sister. It really is sweet in a meta gross celeb family sort of way. [OMG Blog]
• Who's older you or Al Roker? Well, at least you've only been putting up with him for 10 years. [AP]
At the risk of sounding like total groupies, how excited are we that Megan Mullally (the most hilarious Will & Grace character) is shopping a daytime talkshow?
We really hope it gets slotted in the Dr. Phil timeslot because if it interferes with Martha Stewart, that would be like, the worst.
The show is set to incorporate her comedy stylings, celeb interviews, and even (gasp!) real people. Though were not really sure how the whole "not sitting down" thing is going to work, we have high hopes for this post-W&G endevour. At least a lot more hope than we had for Joey.
Hey, CW networks, maybe you wanna jump on this one?
Now herrrrrre's 'Megan Mullally' [Kimberly Speight, Reuters]
• The plot of CBS's new record industry-inspired show, Love Monkey, is believable. About as beleivable as the possibly that it will relaunch Jason Priestly's career. [NYT]
• Jay-Z and Nas bury the hatchet. In the name of money, of course. [MTV]
• Oh, will Johnny Cash's daughter shut the f up already? She's like the only person in the world who didn't like this movie. Plus, didn't we learn anything this year about "memoirs?" They don't really have to be true. [People]
• Time prints a list of the "5 Voices You Need To Hear." And if that's not weird enough, Ryan Adams makes the list. (Just don't call him Bryan Adams … we hear he gets real testy about that.) [Time]
• The more we see of old artists' unreleased material, remastered albums, and outtakes, the less alluring they become. Hear that, Tupac crew? [PopMatters]
Coincidence, or total media take-over? Three stories ran today (two in the same paper) about the growing expansion of mass media in the good old U.S. of A.
• The guys in Bangalore are hitting the floor. Now, they too will have Maxim to grace the toilet tanks of India. Nope, the spread eagle of American sex doesn't end there.
• To counter balance the female exploitation that is the result of most American media influence, Russia now has their very own version of Sex and the City. And get this: it's called Balzac Age, or All Men Are Bast. As in 'all men are bastards.' Did you hear that Maureen Dowd?
• It's not just the sex, though, it's the kids, too. Nickelodeon goes to China — of course with the same amount of restrictions put on Desperate Housewives. No farts, no burping, no boobs…the basics.
Well, it's nice to see that American television is so easily adopted across the world. Maybe British Vogue will launce a magazine reality TV show, and we can find out how scary Anna Wintour is, even from across the ocean.
Maxim crosses cultures [Amrit Dhillon, Guardiean]
Like 'Sex and the City', Only the City is Moscow [Sophia Kishkovsky, NYT]
Nick's Cultural Revolution [David Barboza, NYT]
When magazines try to make the move to television, there has to be a certain, shall we say, allure. Such as following the lives of Star staffers, or drooling over the sure to be hotties on Rolling Stone's reality intern show.
But Real Simple? What would this show even be about? How to choose two colors to paint your entire house? How to make your own toilet bowl cleaner out of rose petals and ginger? To top it all off, the hosts aren't even famous. They aren't even washed-up famous.
The program, due to air on PBS January 7th, does promises to incorporate humor, however. And who knows? Maybe juggling a rubber chicken will be the funniest thing PBS viewers have ever seen.
The Real Thing [Sara James, WWD]
Earlier:Rolling Stone is looking for reality TV interns (don't mention NYT)
Star staffers will work for fame
Can you beleive it? Only one of them is wearing a fat suit.
Now that's quality programming that can make you feel good about yourself.
• Four words we just love to hear: good news for bloggers. [Forbes]
• When there's nothing left to bitch about, watch CNBC. [TV Newser]
• We couldn't pick between these media lists so we're givng you The Worst Spins and The Worst People. Rest assured, you're not alone in your contempt for Bill O'Reilly and Matt Drudge. [TV Newser, Media Orchard]
• It's not just for Bravo anymore. Turns out everyone can learn something when the gays are on TV. Just like the networks learned that Will&Grace was a friggin' cash cow. [Media Week]
• Hurry up and catch these new real estate shows before you have to sell your TV to pay rent. [WaPo]
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