Entertainment.

[yudansha]

Entertain us! Either the news from the entertainment industry or just anything you find entertaining (it MUST be fun!)

I'll start off with some news:

Siegfried & Roy will never return to the stage, spokeswoman says
BERLIN (AP) - The Siegfried & Roy show will never return to the stage after Roy Horn was mauled on stage by a tiger last year, a German-based spokeswoman for the duo was quoted as saying Tuesday.

Illusionists Siegfried Fischbacher, left and Roy Uwe Ludwig Horn pose for photographers with a white tiger cub. (CP/AP/Neil Jacobs)​

Horn "has good and bad days," the German weekly Neue Post quoted spokeswoman Claudia Dressler, as saying. "Nobody knows if he'll ever the be the same old Roy again. But one thing is for sure: Siegfried & Roy will never return to the stage with their show."

The show at The Mirage hotel-casino in Las Vegas was shut down after Horn was attacked by a white tiger during an Oct. 3 performance. Horn and his stage partner Siegfried Fischbacher have lived for 35 years in Las Vegas, where Horn has been recovering.

Horn is still using a wheelchair, the Neue Post reported. He is having twice-weekly physical therapy to strengthen muscles in his left leg and is able to walk several hundred steps with a walker, it added.
_________

From HBO (hbo.com): Sopranos creator can take his time on Season 6, HBO chairman says

NEW YORK (AP) - No Sopranos family members will be knocked off in 2005. That's because HBO has announced that the sixth and final season of the popular mob drama won't premiere until sometime in 2006.

Emmy award winning actor James Gandolfini appears in a scene from HBO's "The Sopranos," in this undated publicity photo. (AP/HBO, Abbot Genser)​

"It's like the Harry Potter book," HBO chairman Chris Albrecht said last week. "You'll wait very long and be happy when you get it." The announcement was made during the Television Critics Association press tour in Los Angeles.

Albrecht said The Sopranos creator and executive producer David Chase can take all the time he needs to write, hinting the final season could become longer than the 10 episodes Chase committed to in January.

The Sopranos wrapped up its fifth season recently.

"Until the last episode of The Sopranos airs, I'm always hopeful," Albrecht said.

Other HBO shows that will live on include a fifth season of Larry David's comedy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and sophomore seasons of the dark dramas Carnivale and Deadwood.

 

[Reservoir Dog]

No more Bond for Brosnan

Report: No More Bond for Brosnan
Tuesday July 27 1:55 PM ET

Pierce Brosnan appears to be turning in his license to kill, says Entertainment Weekly. "That's it," Brosnan told EW.com. "I've said all I've got to say on the world of James Bond."

In an interview on the magazine's Web site, posted Tuesday, the Irish-born actor said 2002's "Die Another Day" was his last mission on her majesty's secret service.

"Bond is another lifetime behind me," Brosnan said.

But the 51-year-old's statement might be a negotiating ploy. Original Bond Sean Connery quit for a whole movie before being lured back for bigger bucks. If true, England-based Eon Productions, which produces the Bond flicks, must find another star to carry 007's Walther PPK in the 21st Bond movie, scheduled for release next year.

Speculation surrounds Brits Clive Owen, Ioan Gruffudd, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Gerard Butler, Jude Law and Ewan McGregor, as well as Aussies Hugh Jackman, Heath Ledger and Eric Bana.

For Brosnan, playing Bond will always be a fond memory.

"We went out on a high," Brosnan said, "and I look back affectionately at that time and doing those four movies. But I've said all I gotta say on it."

___

 

[Serena]

It would be nice to think Roy could come back on stage one day, though from everthing I've been reading, and even here, it still looks doubtful.

Never saw the Sopranos. Or Sex in the City. Don't get that pay station. Never cared that I missed either of them.

Brosnan's an okay Bond. His Bond movies have been enjoyable, but to me he's always lacked that oomph. He's kind of little.

Nice thread, yudansha. Good articles, both of you. Thanks.

 

[yudansha]

Thanks, Serena. I thought some might enjoy it.

I'd like to see Clive Owen as the next Bond. He'd make an excellent one.

 

[yudansha]

I should probably go and check this out... Who's with me? :=))

... it's only a 6 hour drive

Rarely seen photos of Beatles from 1964 restored and on display in Toronto
TORONTO (CP) - When Life magazine photographer Bill Eppridge spent three days with the Beatles in 1964, there was no indication that musical history was being captured with each click of the shutter.

The Fab Four rehearse before they made music history on The Ed Sullivan Show, February 1964. (CP/CBS Photo Archive-HO)​

Although the four young Liverpudlians were likable enough, charismatic even, the then 26-year-old Eppridge's thoughts were on his next assignment - a military hot zone in Latin America.

"I thought, well it's another group of musicians, therefore another group of egos," said Eppridge, who - along with most of the press that shadowed the band during that first American visit - was quickly won over by the fab four.

"It turned into one of more delightful assignments I've ever had, rather than something I expected to be painful."

He definitely didn't expect to be standing in Toronto, 40 years later, greeting the press and enthusiastic onlookers during an exposition of his Beatles photos.

"I had no idea that this was going to happen," said Eppridge. "If I had even thought of it, I would have signed on with them and spent a few more days."

The Beatles! Backstage and Behind the Scenes, on display at BCE Place through Aug. 27, brings together the noted photojournalist's work along with pictures from the archives of CBS to document the beginnings of Beatlemania in North America - including appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show.

But Eppridge's contributions to the exhibit were almost lost forever. Life magazine ran three of his Beatles photos that week in February 1964, and then the negatives mysteriously disappeared.

"The whole take completely vanished," said Eppridge. "It was not in the files of the Time-Life building, not in the archives. We looked for them, but nothing."

Then, some 15 years later, they "just showed up on the desk in our photo lab."

By that time, the band that had changed the course of popular music had been broken up for almost a decade. Obviously, the significance of those early photos was not lost on Eppridge.

"I said 'send them to me.' Then I said 'wait a minute, don't send them to me, I'm coming to pick them up.' "

Several years ago, Eppridge was approached by CBS to add his images to an exhibition they were planning. Using digital technology, the negatives were scanned and the pictures restored by Hewlett Packard. The 84 digital prints on display in Toronto are identical to the exhibition currently on view at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

While pictures of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in their smart suits and mop tops are by no means rare, Eppridge's photos managed to capture a more personal side of the group.

Take his snapshot of Lennon, slouched in a chair on the train from New York to Washington, legs open wide with his big black boots up against the window. It's an early glimpse of the "thoughtful" Beatle, the introspective rebel that would eventually betray the lovable mop-top image through his politics and art.

"He just found a moment of solitude," said Eppridge. "It didn't even faze him, the sound of the camera. He just kept looking out the window."

That was the photographer's approach throughout the assignment - to act as a fly on the wall and capture the band as they were.

As a result, we get Harrison dressed as a train porter, delivering sodas to his fellow passengers; the band listening to music and watching TV in their hotel room; and Starr reading a newspaper with the headline How Castro Plotted Crisis.

The latter is a sober reminder of the troubled politics of the era, and the type of story that was usually the subject of Eppridge's work.

"They were not fun times, they were not happy times," said Eppridge, who would go on to photograph war zones, the often bloody civil rights movement in the U.S. South, and the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in 1968.

"I want to try to help the senator, I can't help the senator, so I'll take pictures," is how Eppridge described the thought process behind his famous photo of a bus boy comforting Kennedy, just seconds after he was fatally shot.

"I had to force myself to do my job."

No wonder then, that Eppridge looks back on those three days in 1964 as something special.

"They were a bright spot," he said of the Beatles. "A great bright spot in the history of those times."

GREG BONNELL; © The Canadian Press, 2004

 

[Serena]

Hey--I really would like to see these! Well worth a six-hour ride. A lot quicker than the trip to the Smithsonian to see the exhibition there.

I'm a big fan of the ealry Beatles and found that was quite interesting, yudansha--thanks.

 

[yudansha]

Well, the exhibition will close on August 27th so you better make plans :=))

Here's something else interesting I found:

Warner Bros. plans to lend prop horse from Brad Pitt's film Troy to Turkey
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Just like its Trojan ancestors, the modern nation of Turkey is about to welcome a gigantic hollow horse into its borders.

A Trojan horse dwarfs pedestrians in downtown Tokyo. The horse, used in the latest Greek epic film, "Troy," is part of a huge promotion for the film in Japan. (AP/Koji Sasahara)​

The result this time, however, is unlikely to be as catastrophic. Warner Bros. representatives said recently the studio plans to sign a permanent loan agreement with the Turkish government to display the prop "wooden" horse from the recent Brad Pitt movie. It is expected to be showcased near the location where archaeologists believe the ancient city once stood, close to the Dardanelles, the narrow waterway through which ships have to pass from the Aegean Sea to enter the Black Sea.

There's no way to know for sure that the ruins uncovered there are the remains of the civilization immortalized in Homer's epic poem. But there are similarities between the two, and strong evidence suggests that the city that did stand there was destroyed in the beginning of the 12th century BC.

In the movie, the 10-year siege of Troy culminates with the Trojan horse concealing Greek troops who begin sacking the city.

The horse figure from Troy stands 11.5 metres high and was fashioned from steel and fibreglass designed to look like wood recycled from the hulls of ships, which was likely the only building material available to the Greeks.

It was built to be separated in two pieces for shipping.

The prop is being shipped to Turkey from a promotional stop in Japan, and will likely arrive early next week, Warner Bros. said.

© The Canadian Press, 2004

 

[yudansha]

Any Mike Tyson fans? ... would you watch him work out?

Thousands show up in Louisville to watch boxer Mike Tyson workout

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Despite past legal troubles, bankruptcy and some bizarre fights, Mike Tyson showed Tuesday he is still one of the biggest draws in boxing.

A few thousand fans packed downtown's Fourth Street Live entertainment district to see the former heavyweight champ work out for his Friday night bout against Danny Williams. Tyson, who has not fought in 17 months, is trying to earn another shot at the heavyweight crown. He is still probably the No. 2 attraction in the sport, behind Oscar De La Hoya, trainer Freddie Roach said.

"Once Mike gets active again and shows that he means business, he'll be back on top," Roach said.

Williams, who is British, worked out before Tyson and drew token applause. The crowd roared as Tyson made his way to the outdoor ring. Fans pressed to get closer, looking for autographs and photos, but police held them at bay.

"This is what it's about," promoter Chris Webb said, grinning. "This is what I wanted."

A few lucky fans got what they wanted, too, as Tyson shook hands and signed autographs after his workout.

Tyson, 38, served three years in prison for rape, has a bankruptcy reorganization plan pending in New York and once bit off part of Evander Holyfield's ear in a fight.

That didn't stop Latoyia Lackey from having her picture taken hugging Tyson as he was hustled away, through a still-under-construction bowling alley.

"He's like a legend," Lackey said, wearing Tyson's sweat on her shirt. "I don't normally get excited, but I was excited."

Roach said his fighter was overwhelmed by the support.

"Everywhere we go it's the same way," Roach said. "At first he didn't want to be here because he was a little embarrassed. He said, 'What are all these people here? For me?"'

Tyson (50-4, 44 KO) worked out for three rounds with trainer Roach, who wore padded mitts for his fighter to punch. The crowd "oohed" and "aahed" as Tyson threw combinations, making the gloves pop.

Williams (31-3, 26 KO) did a similar routine, sparring with his trainer, Jim McDonnell, and did some sit-ups and jumped rope. He seemed to take it a little easier than Tyson, working more on technique.

Roach estimated Tyson's effort at about 90 per cent.

"He's a fighter and he's a performer," Roach said. "He likes to show his stuff."

Undercard fighter Ulises Solis (18-0-1, 13 KO) of Mexico also had a short workout. Solis will challenge Puerto Rican Nelson Dieppa (20-1-2, 12 KO) for the WBO flyweight title Friday.

Also defending a title on the nine-match card will be WIBA super middleweight champion Laila Ali (17-0, 14 KO), daughter of Muhammad Ali, who is from Louisville. She will take on Monica Nunez (9-1, 5 KO).

MALCOLM C. KNOX; © The Canadian Press, 2004

 

[sugust]

Take a look at this!




Yippee-ki-yay!
Source: Variety Tuesday, July 27, 2004


20th Century Fox has hired Doug Richardson to rewrite Die Hard 4, which is being developed under the supervision of star Bruce Willis and his Cheyenne Enterprises partner Arnold Rifkin, reports Variety.

Richardson also wrote Hostage, the Florent Siri-directed, Stratus-financed adaptation of the Robert Crais novel that stars Willis and will be distributed by Miramax.

The trade says Richardson will be rewriting a script by Mark Bomback, who redrafted a pre-existing Fox script called "World War 3.com." Richardson will be working from the same storyline to bring John McClane back to the big screen.

John McTiernan directed the original and third installment, but it is unclear whether he will return for a third film

 

[Reservoir Dog]

Take a look at this!


Yippee-ki-yay!
Source: Variety Tuesday, July 27, 2004


20th Century Fox has hired Doug Richardson to rewrite Die Hard 4, which is being developed under the supervision of star Bruce Willis and his Cheyenne Enterprises partner Arnold Rifkin, reports Variety.

Richardson also wrote Hostage, the Florent Siri-directed, Stratus-financed adaptation of the Robert Crais novel that stars Willis and will be distributed by Miramax.

The trade says Richardson will be rewriting a script by Mark Bomback, who redrafted a pre-existing Fox script called "World War 3.com." Richardson will be working from the same storyline to bring John McClane back to the big screen.

John McTiernan directed the original and third installment, but it is unclear whether he will return for a third film

Thanks Sugust. I just saw this myself at coming attractions. I hope this Richardson guy does a good script.

 

[yudansha]

Interesting... Thanks for the update, sugust.

I haven't heard that yet. I'm not too excited about it. It didn't seem like the last one was an improvement over the one before it. I'd personally rather see Rambo4 (the only problem is that Stallone is getting a bit too old for such hardcore action again).

 

[Serena]

Who will come out of the closet in The Simpsons?
Simpsons: A Gay Old Time
E! TV Online, by Josh Grossberg,
Jul 27, 2004, 10:15 AM PT

A Simpsons toon is coming out of the closet. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Speaking during a weekend panel at San Diego's Comic-Con convention, show producers dropped a bomb: An upcoming Simpsons story line will focus on what happens when Springfield legalizes gay marriage.

"We have a show where, to raise money, Springfield legalizes gay marriage," producer Al Jean told comic book fans. "Homer becomes a minister by going on the Internet and filling out a form. A longtime character comes out of the closet, but I'm not saying who."

And with that, Simpsons aficionados got their gaydar on and began winnowing down the list of potential suspects.

The early favorite appears to be billionaire Monty Burns' ever-devoted sidekick, Waylon Smithers, who--aside from being a yes-man--has been known to collect Malibu Stacy dolls, lives in the gay part of town (where Homer once shacked up with two gay guys), has a Mr. Burns screensaver and dreams of a naked Mr. Burns jumping out of a birthday cake.

But that might be too easy. According to online fan scuttlebutt, there are other characters who might be secretly having a gay old time in Springfield, including Homer's regular-guy cohorts at the nuclear plant, Carl and Lenny, as well as Moe the bartender, the Reverend Lovejoy, Principal Skinner and Comic Book Guy. Of course, the producers didn't rule out a lesbian wedding, either.

"It's Homer!" said a joking Simpsons creator Matt Groening to conventiongoers.

The gay marriage-themed episode is scheduled to air in January.

While the coming-out comments generated the most interest, the show's brain trust also outlined some other upcoming plots. For instance, Springfield residents will also have a cow over corrupt Mayor Quimby and seek to recall him from office--a riff on California recall election in which Arnold Schwarzenegger defeated then Governor Gray Davis. No word whether The Simpsons' Ah-nuld look-alike, Rainier Wolfcastle, will be leading the effort to replace Quimby.

Meanwhile, celebs expected to lend their voices to the show next season include Kim Cattrall, Ray Romano, James Caan and rapper 50 Cent.

Groening also addressed the long-talked about Simpsons animated movie. He said that plans are still underway, but work on a big screen version won't begin until the tube series takes its final bow.

That could be awhile.

Now heading into its 16th season, The Simpsons is still posting solid ratings and consistently ranks number one in its Sunday time slot for adults 18-49, the category coveted by advertisers. It has also become the longest running comedy series on the tube and has spawned a billion-dollar franchise for Fox, which after some protracted negotiations, agreed to a new four-year deal with the show's six stars that gave each of them a whopping pay raise to $250,000 per episode.

Plenty of d'oh, indeed.

 

[Serena]

My two favorite shows are the top two in the ratings: CSI for drama and Two-and-a-half Men for comedy.


CSI Dead on in Ratings
E! Online, by Joal Ryan
Jul 27, 2004, 4:45 PM PT

Unlike its stiffs, CSI is no victim.

Amid the firing and rehiring of cast members George Eads and Jorja Fox and the heart ailment of leading man William Petersen, the CBS forensics show remains TV's most watched drama and the summer's biggest hit.

Last week's broadcast was watched by 13.1 million, per Nielsen Media Research. The rerun was the TV week's most watched show among all viewers, and the third-most watched show among all desirable channel surfers aged 18 to 49.

Production on CSI's fifth season is due to resume Wednesday--10 days behind schedule thanks to the aforementioned story lines. Even with the delay, CBS says the series will be ready for its Sept. 23 season premiere.

CSI's performance under fire last week helped CBS to another weekly ratings win. The Eyeball, which saw its mix of reruns and reality shows average 7.9 million viewers, was the most watched network and, in a blow to the youngster-courting NBC and Fox, the most popular network among 18- to 49-year-olds.

CBS was dominant in both categories, placing eight shows in the regular top 10, and seven shows in the Earth 2 version of the top 10. (Earth 2 being the planet where only young, still-malleable people live, watch TV and buy things they see in commercials.)

The network had the week's most watched drama (CSI), comedy (Two and a Half Men, fifth place, 10.7 million), reality series (The Amazing Race 5, fourth place, 11.1 million) and newsmag (60 Minutes, 10th place, 9.47 million).

Sister network UPN, meanwhile, had the week's most watched Star Trek: Enterprise broadcast. For the netlet, that distinction is worth about 1.6 million viewers (119th place) these days.

UPN also had the week's least watched Star Trek: Enterprise broadcast, with a 9 p.m., Wednesday repeat beaming up just 1 million (126th place).

Elsewhere:

Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie's vehicle for legit stardom, The Simple Life 2, placed 11th for Fox, attracting 9.2 million fame enablers.

Fox's new sociological experiment, Trading Spouses, in which Mommy is put on waivers and claimed by a new family, debuted before 7.5 million who just couldn't look away (23rd place).

CBS' Big Brother 5 averaged 8.9 million voyeurs for its Tuesday and Thursday outings. Saturday's installment continued to lag--58th place, 4.9 million.

Rundown kitchens provided another boost for rundown ABC, with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition cracking the top 20 (15th place, 8.4 million).

NASCAR fans revved up ratings for TNT's coverage of the Siemens 300. The Sunday night race was the most watched basic-cable show, with 6.8 million viewers.

As usual, HBO's Six Feet Under was the most watched pay-cable show, with 3.8 million.

A two-hour ABC News special on the murder trial of novelist Michael Peterson, The Stair Case, so titled because that's what Peterson said his late wife fell down on her way to becoming his late wife, was caught by 6.9 million true-crime junkies (30th place).

Overall, NBC ran second to CBS in total viewers (6.6 million) and young ones. Fox took third in the demo race, and fourth in viewers (5.1 million). Conversely, ABC placed fourth among 18-to-49-year-old viewers and third among all viewers (5.7 million).

UPN held a slight lead over the WB, 2.4 million to 2.2 million.

Here's a rundown of the 10 most watched prime-time shows for the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen Media Research:

1. CSI, CBS, 13.1 million
2. Without a Trace, CBS, 12.6 million
3. CSI: Miami, CBS, 11.5 million
4. The Amazing Race 5, CBS, 11.1 million
5. Two and a Half Men, CBS, 10.7 million
6. Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS, 10.69 million
7. Law & Order, NBC, 10.63 million
8. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC, 9.9 million
9. Cold Case, CBS, 9.5 million
10. 60 Minutes, CBS, 9.47 million

 

[TDWoj]

CBS sure knocks the rest of the net's out of the water. (Isn't Cold Case also CBS?)

 

[Serena]

CBS sure knocks the rest of the net's out of the water. (Isn't Cold Case also CBS?)

Yes, it is. I just double checked. I wonder why they didn't have it on there. I'll edit that now.
btw--it says it's shown on CTV in Canada at 8:00 p.m. Sundays.

 

[yudansha]

Two and a Half Men, Serena? You're really into that?

LOL that little kid is funny.

CSI NY is coming this fall.

 

[Storm]

Hey--I really would like to see these! Well worth a six-hour ride. A lot quicker than the trip to the Smithsonian to see the exhibition there.

I'm a big fan of the ealry Beatles and found that was quite interesting, yudansha--thanks.

The Beatles played at local nightclub Johnny's in the 60s. And The Sex Pistols made their last appearance here too i think.
I remember having Please Please Me 45 with a black label years back. No i didn't buy it at the time! I'm not that old

 

[tora]

Geez...and you really have to read all that stuff?I think I'll skip it.Next thread.Enjoy yourself.

 

[yudansha]

Apprentice to fend off newcomer to biz reality genre - American Start-Up

NEW YORK (AP) - Move over, Donald Trump. Again. Yet another suit-and-tie reality show in the vein of The Apprentice is slated to hit the airwaves.

American Start-Up, produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's LivePlanet production company, will fund eight baby businesses with $50,000 US seed capital, then eliminate them if they don't measure up, Spike TV's programming and production executive vice-president Kevin Kay announced last week. The announcement was made during the Television Critics Association press tour in Los Angeles.

"We believe in the contribution and independent spirit of the American entrepreneur," executive producer Affleck said in a statement.

Unlike the Trump-filled The Apprentice, Affleck and Damon won't tell contestants they're fired during the 10 episodes of American Start-Up. Instead, a board comprised of successful entrepreneurs, tycoons and venture capitalists will guide and review the eager contestants.

American Start-Up is the latest in a string of upcoming business-themed reality shows. This fall, ABC debuts The Benefactor, featuring Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, and Fox presents The Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best, with Virgin boss Richard Branson.

American Start-Up is expected to premiere on Spike TV in mid-2005.

 

[yudansha]

Dustin Hoffman helps allergic bee-sting victim on Malibu beach

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) - Although he once played the reluctant Hero in a movie of the same name, Dustin Hoffman wasted no time rushing to the aid of an allergic bee-sting victim.

The Oscar-winning actor's real-life heroics occurred two weeks ago when a woman walking on the beach with friends was stung by a bee near Hoffman's home in Malibu.

Lydia Graham began having an allergic reaction and a friend rushed to get help from the beach patrol and people nearby.

"I could feel my eyes starting to sting and swell and my lips starting to swell up as well," Graham said Tuesday on CBS's The Early Show.

Hoffman and his wife, Lisa, were on deck chairs outside their home when they heard what happened. Hoffman's wife, who is also allergic to bee stings, retrieved an emergency injection kit from their home and the two rushed to the woozy Graham's aid.

After she began to recover, they invited her to their deck to rest.

Graham, 36, said that as her throat was closing up, she recognized a familiar face on the sand with her.

"I did recognize that it was Dustin Hoffman but I was sure that ... I could possibly die," Graham said.