JOEY SCOOP
The sleuths over at FilmJerk.com have obtained some casting scoop on Matt LeBlanc's upcoming Friends spin-off, Joey. His newest friends will include a hairdressing sister, a nephew described as a socially awkward Seth Cohen-type and a love interest/next-door neighbor named Allison. As previously reported, Joey will be set in Los Angeles, where Tribbs moves to pursue his acting career. Man, is he gonna be confused when he finds out Days of Our Lives tapes out there and not in New York City. |
BRITNEY, BEGONE
Still stinging from Boobygate, MTV — which produced Janet Jackson's Super Bowl snafu — is toning down its racy content. That means six spicy videos, including Britney's "Toxic," are moving from daytime rotation to the overnight period from 10 pm to 6 am. Is the network censoring itself? "Given the particular sensitivity in the culture right now," an MTV spokeswoman says, "we're erring on the side of caution for the immediate future." Other music acts bumped into night-owl rotation include Blink 182, Maroon 5 and Incubus. |
NYPD BLURRED
Speaking of Boobygate fallout, USA Today reports that ABC may cut a racy sex scene from a March 2 NYPD Blue episode in the Central and Mountain time zones — where the show airs at 9 pm, an hour earlier than the rest of the country. This follows ER's decision to delete a glimpse of an elderly patient's breast in last Thursday's episode. |
SMART MOVE
One last boobygate item: The Tennessee woman who last week filed a class-action lawsuit claiming Janet's striptease caused her "serious injury" has wisely dropped the suit. Terri Carlin said she wants to see if "remedial measures" announced by the FCC and Viacom succeed in preventing similar stunts. In the meantime, she'll try to get a freakin' life. |
STAR IS REBORN
The original Star Wars trilogy will at last debut on DVD Sept. 21. The four-disc box set will feature the rereleased special editions of all three films — not the original theatrical versions. Also included: a new documentary about the making of the films and never-seen footage. |
ART IMITATES LIFE
Oscar winner Vanessa Redgrave is nearing a deal to join the FX drama Nip/Tuck for three episodes playing the mother of real-life daughter Joely Richardson (Julia), TV Guide Online has learned. Redgrave would make her debut during the show's second season, which kicks off on June 22. |
WARDROBE CHANGE
Diana Ross was convicted Monday of DUI and ordered to spend two days in jail before March 9. She was also sentenced to a year of unsupervised probation. Arizona police arrested the 59-year-old R&B diva back in 2002 after she was caught driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit. She pleaded no contest to a charge of drunk driving. |
BIG SHOES TO FILL
Laverne and Shirley alum Michael McKean will take over the role of full-figured mama Edna Turnblad in Broadway's Hairspray beginning May 4. He'll replace Harvey Fierstein, who'll take his final bow on May 2. |
SHORT CUTS
If you want to see the WB's Angel at its absolute best, pick up Angel Season Three on DVD, which arrives in stores today... The WB has picked up Charmed for a seventh season. |
FUTURE RAZZIE NOMINEE?
Boobygate headliner Justin Timberlake is getting ready to bare his acting chops. The Grammy winner has signed on to star with Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey and LL Cool J in the upcoming feature Edison, Variety reports. He'll play a young journalist who uncovers an elite unit of corrupt cops. |
