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TV Review: Fox's 'The Wanda Sykes Show'
just now
Allow me to begin my discussion of Saturday (Nov. 7) night's premiere of Fox's "The Wanda Sykes Show" with a caveat: It's completely unfair to critique a talk show on the basis of any one episode, especially its first episode. I know this fact, but in the past six months, I've provided this sort of initial evaluation (sometimes calling them reviews, sometimes not) for Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno, so if I didn't do the same for Wanda Sykes, I'm sure she'd be offended. [Well, she probably wouldn't actually be offended. Not by me allowing her time to find... »
- Daniel Fienberg
Quick Bits: Pattinson, Stewart and Taylor at the 'New Moon' TV press day
2 hours ago
Summit Entertainment ran a wonderfully smooth TV press day today for "The Twilight Saga: New Moon." The talent seemed calm and carefree even after a full day of TV interviews in rooms that can get as warm as a sauna because of those pesky hot nights. Video interviews of all the talent should begin being posted tomorrow evening and Monday, but in the meantime, here are some quick impressions and recollections from a busy few hours with the "New Moon" crew. - Robert Pattinson was sipping tea while we spoke. He still insists he's floored by how bit the "Twilight"... »
- Gregory Ellwood
Kristen Stewart surprises revealing secrets of 'New Moon' and 'Eclipse'
8 hours ago
What a difference a year makes. During the press train for "Twilight" 12 months ago, Kristen Stewart looked increasingly ill at ease whether she was doing a one on one interview, appearing on a TV talk show or making a public appearance to promote what became one of the surprise blockbusters of 2008. With the sequel "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" part of the media spotlight since production was announced soon after, Stewart hasn't gotten much of a break from the public eye. That sort of pressure could drive many actors to become even more distant and cold with the press,... »
- HitFix Staff
Box Office: Not a very merry 'Christmas' for Jim Carrey, but 'Precious' astounds
12 hours ago
When you combine the elements of popular movie comedian Jimmy Carrey, blockbuster and Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis, the appeal of 3-D CG animation, Charles Dickens' popular tale "A Christmas Carol" and the Disney brand together in one package you should have a big hit on your hands. Most of America would have agreed as "Walt Disney's A Christmas Carol" was polling from anywhere to a $40-50 million debut weekend. After Friday's $9 million opening, that's going to be quite a difficult trick to pull off. No one can say yet why "Carol" didn't have a bigger Friday, perhaps adults were scared... »
- Gregory Ellwood
TV Ratings: ABC's Rihanna interview threatens CBS Friday supremacy
12 hours ago
Fast National ratings for Friday, November 6, 2009. ABC's "20/20" got a Friday ratings bump from an exclusive interview with pop star Rihanna, which wasn't enough to claim the night overall, but it did give the network a rare Friday split. Among adults 18-49, ABC and CBS both averaged a 1.8 rating to win the night in the key demographic. NBC was a close third with a 1.6 rating, with Fox's 1.2 rating and the 0.9 rating for The CW trailing. Overall, though, CBS averaged an estimated 7.87 million viewers to go with a 5.1 rating/9 share, holding... »
- Daniel Fienberg
HitFix Interview: Wanda Sykes of 'The Wanda Sykes Show'
22 hours ago
It's not just you. Wanda Sykes actually is everywhere. She plays Barb on CBS' "The New Adventures of Old Christine." She pops up on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" whenever Larry David needs the perfect actress to play Wanda Sykes. She's the voice of a cow on Nickelodeon's "Back at the Barnyard." She's high on every talk show host's lists of favorite guests. And she just earned some of the best reviews of her career for the HBO comedy special "Wanda Sykes: I'ma Be Me," in which she discussed everything from Barack Obama to parenting to belly fat. Naturally, what Wanda... »
- Daniel Fienberg
How Taylor Lautner avoided recasting and became a 'New Moon' heartthrob
23 hours ago
How time flies. It was only back in January that it seemed unclear if Taylor Lautner would be back reprising his role as Jacob Black in "Twilight Saga: New Moon." It wasn't that fans didn't like Lautner's interpretation of the role or doubted the young actor's ability to transition the character from a youthful best friend to Edward Cullen's (Robert Pattinson) potential rival for Bella Swan's (Kristen Stewart) affections. What some doubted, though, was the 17-year-old actor's ability to suddenly become believable as a brooding hulk-turned-werewolf. The recasting was rumored, but never occurred and 11 months after his return was... »
- Daniel Fienberg
Robert Pattinson discusses pre-'Breaking Dawn' projects
6 November 2009 8:04 PM, PST
Even if none of the other actors at Friday's (Nov. 6) "Twilight Saga: New Moon" press day knew when Summit hopes to shoot the franchise's fourth installment, Robert Pattinson has "Breaking Dawn" on his schedule. "I think the tentative time for 'Breaking Dawn' is fall of next year," Pattinson says of the project, currently without a script or a director. "I think. They may well change that." While Pattinson sounds far from sure about that timetable, he knows he has projects he wants to get to first. Although Pattinson joked to reporters that he only had three days off... »
- Daniel Fienberg
Listen: John Mayer, Taylor Swift duet on 'Half of My Heart'
6 November 2009 2:37 PM, PST
John Mayer and Taylor Swift have been known to show up at each other's concerts, play some songs together and have a ongoing Twitter love fest (no, no, not dating). The pop songwriter has long threatened to have her appear on his album, and now he's making good on it with "Half of My Heart." The track will appear on "Battle Studies," due Nov. 17, which also features "Who Says," as reviewed here. The track may be called "Half of My Heart," and it is technically a duet, but don't expect the country superstar to be an half of the song.... »
- Katie Hasty
Jim Carrey admits acting is 'divine dissatisfaction'
6 November 2009 2:00 PM, PST
One of the biggest movies of the season opens today as Robert Zemeckis' 3-D wonder "A Christmas Carol" finally makes its debut. This is Zemeckis' third motion capture film and he's lucky enough to have Jim Carrey on board to provide some remarkable performances as the iconic Ebenezer Scrooge as well as six other characters from Charles Dickens classic tale. Carrey, who is currently growing a beard and gaining a ton of weight to play Curly in a new "Three Stooges" movie (something he wouldn't comment on), spoke about the difficulties of motion capture during an event for "Carol" last... »
- Gregory Ellwood
Does Carrie Underwood knock Michael Jackson off the chart mountaintop?
6 November 2009 1:33 PM, PST
Country queen Carrie Underwood is set to knock the King of Pop off his throne next week as the “American Idol” winner’s new set, “Play On,” is on target to sell up to 340,000 copies in its debut week. That’s more than twice as much as Michael Jackson’s “This is It” looks like it will move, according to Hits Daily Double, which puts the companion CD to the film at around 170,000 copies. There are plenty of other debuts to crow about: Gleeks are snapping up the soundtrack to “Glee,” which will come in at No. 3 with sales of 125,000... »
Listen: Does Rihanna get it right with 'Hard?'
6 November 2009 1:30 PM, PST
Remember those days when you bought a CD and actually got excited at discovering the songs you hadn’t heard yet? That’s rapidly disappearing. In other words, another day, another song from Rihanna’s “Rated R” has leaked. “Hard” featuring Young Jeezy is easily the catchiest of the tunes we’ve heard off of the Nov. 23 CD so far. It’s accessible and yet it has an edge. Written by Tricky Stewart and The Dream, the terrific twosome who brought us “Umbrella,” “Hard” has a much, err, sorry, harder sound than “Umbrella” and is consistent with the tougher, world weary Rihanna displayed so far... »
Mariah lands New Year's Eve gig at Madison Square Garden
6 November 2009 12:22 PM, PST
On the heels of the "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" release in September, Mariah Carey has made only four public concert appeances. On New Year's Eve, at the very least, she'll have made five. Fans may want to stretch out their typing and clicking hands: the diva will be taking the stage on Dec. 31 at New York's Madison Square Garden, with tickets going on pre-sale on Monday (Nov. 9) and general onsale on Nov. 14. Only those paying members of the fanclub will have access to presale; no word yet how expensive tickets in general will be. Carey has announced... »
- Katie Hasty
Showtime sets 'Nurse Jackie,' 'United States of Tara' returns
6 November 2009 12:19 PM, PST
Two of the most acclaimed comedies of last season will join forces when Showtime pairs "Nurse Jackie" and "The United States of Tara" next spring. "Nurse Jackie" and "The United States of Tara" will premiere their second seasons at 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Monday, March 22, 2010. That means an earlier-than-expected return for "Nurse Jackie" and a later-than-expected return for "The United States of Tara." Both shows, plus their respective stars Edie Falco and Toni Collette, are expected to be big players when the Golden Globe nominations are announced next month. Collette already snagged an Emmy win... »
- Daniel Fienberg
Jay-z announces 2010 tour with Young Jeezy
6 November 2009 12:00 PM, PST
Even as he finishes up this leg of his 2009 tour, Jay-z feels it's a good time to add more than a dozen 2010 tour dates. The rapper has tapped Young Jeezy as an opener for the 14 announced stops to promote his "Blueprint 3" album. More concerts will be added to the itinerary at a later date. Tickets go on sale Nov. 13 via LiveNation.com, while Citi cardmembers get first dibs on Nov. 10 -- see citiprivatepass.com for more details. Jigga has four more dates this month to perform: Nov. 7 in Fresno, Calif., Nov. 8 in Los Angeles, Nov.... »
- Katie Hasty
'Twilight' comes to Showtime in January
6 November 2009 11:21 AM, PST
Did you miss "Twilight" during its blockbuster theatrical run? How about during its initial best-selling DVD release? Seriously, what are you waiting for? TV? Well, Showtime finally has a premiere date for you. The premium cable network has announced that "Twilight" will have its television premiere on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010. This would be the first film in Stephenie Meyer's teen vampire franchise, the one that made $191 million in its domestic launch last fall. It's not to be confused with "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," which opens on Nov. 20 in theaters. And it's not to be... »
- Daniel Fienberg
A new trailer and an online RPG let you play 'Sherlock Holmes' with Robert Downey Jr
6 November 2009 11:15 AM, PST
Gotta say... I love this idea. By now, you've probably seen something from the new "Sherlock Holmes," and it seems like people are reacting in one of two ways: either they think it looks like fun, a logical reinterpretation of the Holmes characters and stories in a post-"Pirates Of The Caribbean" world, or they're freaked out and outraged about all the action in what is supposed to be a largely cerebral affair. After all, Sherlock Holmes is the greatest detective in the world, right? This is a man whose keen powers of observation make him appear almost superhuman to the people... »
J.J. Abrams may go 'Undercovers' as pilot director
6 November 2009 10:41 AM, PST
The busy J.J. Abrams may be spreading himself thin on the small screen, but he's apparently paying special attention to his new NBC pilot "Undercovers." According to The Hollywood Reporter, in addition to executive producing the spy pilot, Abrams is also in talk to direct. This would be his first time helming a pilot since a little ABC show called "Lost." "Undercovers," described as being in the vein of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" and "The Bourne Identity," landed at NBC after a bidding war last month. It's one of two new pilot projects for the "Fringe" executive producer, joining... »
- HitFix Staff
Katy Perry, Jay-z, Beyonce grace the MTV European Music Awards
6 November 2009 10:02 AM, PST
Berlin played host city to the 2009 MTV European Music Awards last night (Nov. 5) for the second time ever, with performers like Jay-z, Beyonce, Katy Perry, U2, Green Day and Leona Lewis taking the stage to celebrate. The ceremony coincided with the 20th anniversary of the destruction of the Berlin Wall. It looked like an American guest list for the most part, but artists did their best to bring something unique to their appearances at the show. »
- Katie Hasty
'Kick-Ass' posters debut online as the film starts screening
6 November 2009 10:00 AM, PST
Lionsgate is about to look very, very smart. Earlier this year, when "Kick-Ass" was being shopped to American distributors, several people I know saw a rough cut of the film. One of them works for a studio who did not end up with the rights to the movie, and even so, when I saw this person at a film festival months afterwards, all he could talk about was "Kick-Ass." He was positively evangelical about it. This is a film that they lost out on, keep in a mind, a film he had no stake in and that was now going to... »
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