November 11, 2004 |
SNUBBING PRIVATE RYAN
Janet Jackson's right breast strikes again! At least 19 ABC affiliates (representing 35 percent of the country) are refusing to carry tonight's unedited broadcast of Saving Private Ryan in light of the FCC's recent crackdown on indecency. The network has aired Steven Spielberg's Oscar-nominated World War II epic twice before without incident. Damn that nipple! |
THOU SHALT WATCH
George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh are producing a 10-hour project for FX that will explore spiritual and moral issues surrounding the Ten Commandments, Variety reports. The project will be set in modern times, and each one-hour episode will be helmed by a different director. |
MENTAL PICTURE ALERT
The sordid details of Liza Minnelli's looming courtroom battle with her former personal assistant are being made public, and they're pretty creepy. In a $100 million lawsuit, M'Hammed Soumayah alleges that he was "coerced" into having sex with Minnelli while on her payroll. He also accuses her of assault and battery, breach of contract, withholding payment for services rendered and sexual harassment. The allegations were made public a day after Minnelli sued Soumayah for breach of contract. |
COURT'S DAY IN COURT
Remember when Courtney Love allegedly broke into her ex-beau's home, then allegedly threw a liquor bottle at a chick she found sleeping on a sofa and chased her with a flashlight? Well, Court pled not guilty to that mess — which amounts to a felony assault charge in legalese — before an L.A. judge on Wednesday. The ex-Hole singer's still free on $150,000 bail, so Homeland Security is advising all citizens to remain vigilant. |
VIRGIN DEFLOWERED
Christmas has come early for Donald Trump. The debut of Fox's Apprentice wannabe, The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best, averaged a meager 5 million viewers Tuesday night, landing in fifth place behind WB's resurgent Gilmore Girls. Not surprisingly, Trump wasted no time gloating about his rival's misfortune to the press. "Branson's ratings were terrible, down the tubes," he told Extra. "The Apprentice is the hottest show there is. Richard Branson, your ratings speak very loudly and you just got fired!" I've said it before and I'll say it again: That Trump is one classy fella. |
INFERIORITY COMPLEX
Speaking of weak premieres, Showtime's much-hyped Hank Azaria drama Huff drew an embarrassing 456,000 viewers Sunday night. How bad is that? I'm pretty sure Bravo gets better ratings out of Manhunt. |
GET A LIFE
VH1 began taping a new season of The Surreal Life last week in Hollywood. New cast members include WWE wrestler Chyna, Go-Gos' guitarist Jane Wiedlin, actor Christopher Knight (aka Peter Brady), Mini-Me thesp Verne Troyer, rapper Da Brat and America's Next Top Model winner Adrianne Curry. Oh, how the not-so-mighty have fallen. |
MARITAL WOES
Saturday Night Live grad Tim Meadows, 43, is headed for divorce court. His wife, Michelle, filed papers in L.A. on Monday. She requested joint custody of their two young sons. No reason has been given for the split, but rumor has it she felt his Ladies Man shtick was wearing thin. |
WELCOME TO WALDENBOOKS, BITCH
It's the biggest thing to happen to the shopping mall since the arrival of Spencer Gifts: This weekend, The O.C.'s newest hunks — Nicholas Gonzalez (Marissa's lawnboy) and Michael Cassidy (Summer's nerdy beau) — will make appearances at two Texas malls. On Saturday, the duo will visit The Parks at Arlington and on Sunday they'll pop into Houston's First Colony Mall. Their whirlwind weekend will conclude with a $50 shopping spree at Kay-Bee Toys. |
HEEEEEERE'S A BIG FAT CHECK!
Former Tonight Show icon Johnny Carson has donated $5.3 million to his alma mater, the University of Nebraska. The money will support the performing-arts department and the construction of a new theater. |
END QUOTE
"I think it's normal, polite activity for a 28-year-old single man." Apprentice cad Raj discussing his post-firing flirtation with Trump receptionist Robin in an interview with TV Guide Online. To read the rest of my Q&A with Mr. Horndog, click here. |
RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES
Law & Order: Criminal Intent star Vincent D'Onofrio is allegedly taking John Kerry's defeat at the polls hard. According to the New York Post, the actor has been "losing it" in recent days, causing tensions on the Criminal set to run high. "He is so hard to work with," a source tells the paper. "No one talks to him anymore." On Wednesday, paramedics reportedly raced to the show's Queens studio after D'Onofrio passed out while shooting a scene. They reportedly found nothing wrong with him, save for that big, bloody chip on his shoulder. |
TURK'S DIGITS
Hey, Scrubs fans — here's your chance to talk to Turk! On Tuesday's show, a subplot revolved around Turk's new cell phone number, (916-CALL-TUR). Well, guess what? It actually works. Folks who call the number can hear a spirited message left by Donald Faison (Turk). In addition to touting the show's recent People's Choice nomination, Faison also reveals that Scrubs will soon be moving from 9:30 to 9 pm on Tuesday. I can't be sure, but I think Turk just gave me some scoop! |
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