Scarlett Johansson gets ‘Under the Skin’

Image Credit: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic.comToday, Scarlett Johansson’s rep confirmed with EW that the actress had been cast as the star of Under the Skin, in which Johansson will play a sexy space alien who kidnaps human hitchhikers and sends them back to her home world to be served as exotic hor d’oeuvres. It sounds like a direct-to-video plot more suited for Species star Natasha Henstridge, except the director is none other than Jonathan Glazer, the hipster auteur behind 2000's stylish British gangster movie Sexy Beast, as well as 2004's Birth, the creepy drama that had Nicole Kidman falling in love with a 10-year-old boy. Apparently, this dark sci-fi comedy has been on the English director’s to-do list for years, but now, with a genuine starlet attached, it actually looks like it’s going to happen sometime in 2011.

Personally, I’m interested in whatever sort of weird movie Glazer decides to make, but I can’t help but wonder if, after the critical disappointment of Iron Man 2, Johansson should be avoiding skin-tight outfits and superhuman powers for a while. But what do you think, PopWatchers? Is this a good career move for Scarlett or not?

Read more:
Anne Hathaway, Scarlett Johansson to host SNL in November
Scarlett Johansson and Blake Lively compete for Alfonso Cuaron’s next project: ‘Gravity’

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Sean Young on ‘Skating With the Stars’: ‘I’m surprised I am the most famous person’

Image Credit: Rick Stephens/PR PhotosSean Young was busy playing a scheming heart-breaker named Meggie on The Young and the Restless when she got the call to join ABC’s inaugural Skating With the Stars. It wasn’t the first time the net’s reality suits had attempted to recruit the No Way Out star: Young was approached in 2007 to participate on Dancing With the Stars, but she didn’t make the cut. “They picked the lady with the one leg over me,” Young tells EW, in reference to the ex-Mrs. Paul McCartney, Heather Mills. “I couldn’t quite understand. I was like, ‘What?’ You can understand my confusion. But that’s show business for you.”

So when Young got the call to do SWTS, she was understandably reticent. “I said, ‘You have to give me Skating With the Stars, but you couldn’t give me Dancing with the Stars?’” Young says, laughing. It took an hour-long training session with Randy Gardner (who was offered up by ABC) before Young would commit to the six-episode run of SWTS that begins Nov. 22. She joins musician Vince Neil, reality star Bethenny Frankel, All My Children‘s Rebecca Budig, Olympic skier Jonny Moseley, and actor/rapper Brandon Mychal Smith.

“This has been a very challenging and really rewarding experience so far, and that’s the God’s honest truth,” says Young, who began rehearsals with her partner (whose identity she’s not allowed to divulge) two weeks ago. “I haven’t fallen. I’m pretty coordinated, I’ve got the knee pads and all that kind of stuff. I meditate. I don’t call it prayer, I call it living in the attitude that I’ve already accomplished what I’m here to accomplish. So I use that type of meditation to prepare myself for practices.”

Not that she’s imagined herself performing a double Salchow during her first week on the show. (Each participant is expected to complete a 90-second routine.) “I’m open to the possibility that miracles can occur, but I’m not placing any stress on myself. The whole competition element is not where my consciousness is. I look at competition as sort of a TV gimmick. I’m approaching this in terms of learning something.”

One thing she’s learned: She’s certainly the biggest household name among the first group of SWTS victims contestants. “I’m surprised I am the most famous person, but I guess it’s relative,” Young says. “Reality TV is a different animal than show business. I told them I need poodle care on this. I want to be treated like I’m a cute little poodle that needs special food, a special leash, everything to make me happy. And they have.”

Meanwhile, Young’s six-month run on Restless finishes up this week.

More on Sean Young from the EW archive:
Sean Young: ‘I’m a comeback waiting to happen’ (Sept. 2007)
Sean Young extends her stay on The Young and the Restless (July 2010)

More on Skating With the Stars from EW:
ABC schedules ‘Skating With the Stars’ and ‘V’
ABC to air ‘Skating With the Stars.’ Whose double Salchow are you dying to see?

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Bristol Palin Didn't Turn in Her Absentee Ballot - ABC News

Bristol Palin has been so busy practicing her moves for "Dancing With the Stars," she apparently forgot to send in her absentee ballot.

The 20-year-old daughter of former Gov. Sarah Palin, who campaigned for candidates across the nation in this election, told the syndicated TV show "Inside Edition" after Tuesday's night show, "I did not send in my absentee ballot in Alaska. I'm going to be in trouble. Sorry, Mom!"

Bristol Palin also voiced her opinion on whether she thinks her mom should run for president in 2012.

"Of course I do. I know that she's great and she'd be great for our country," she said.

Palin will be one of five people returning to dance Monday on "Dancing With the Stars."

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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MGM files for bankruptcy protection - Los Angeles Times

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the fabled studio whose origins go back to Hollywood's earliest days, filed for bankruptcy protection, sagging under a mountain of debt.

The filing, made Wednesday morning in New York, came after MGM's leading creditors struck a deal with corporate raider Carl Icahn, who had amassed about 15% of the company's debt and was previously pushing for a merger between MGM and rival studio Lions Gate Entertainment.

Instead, Icahn agreed to support a plan under which the chief executives of film production and finance company Spyglass Entertainment will run MGM when it exits Chapter 11, which could occur as quickly as next month.

Under the prepackaged bankruptcy plan, MGM's $4 billion in debt will be swapped for more than 99% of the equity in the reorganized company. Spyglass principals Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum will become co-chief executives and co-chairmen, managing a smaller studio with lower overhead and producing fewer movies.

As part of an arrangement struck late Tuesday night, Icahn agreed to swing his support behind the Spyglass plan and not challenge it in Bankruptcy Court — a possibility that could have delayed any reorganization.

MGM's leading creditors agreed to amend their reorganization plan. Most notably, 15 titles from Spyglass' library will no longer be combined with MGM's catalog. Spyglass' Barber and Birnbaum, who were to get nearly 5% equity in the company, will now get 0.5%, in exchange for bringing movie projects to MGM that they had in development.

Icahn had opposed MGM's acquiring the Spyglass library titles, which included "The Sixth Sense" and "Seabiscuit," contending they were overvalued.

In addition, Icahn will be allowed to appoint one person to MGM's nine-person board. Barber and Birnbaum will also each have a seat on the board.

Once MGM exits bankruptcy, the creditors have also agreed to negotiate "in good faith" with Lions Gate or any other interested party about a potential merger or acquisition. The creditors had previously rejected a proposal by Lions Gate that would give them 55% of the equity in a combined studio.

It has taken MGM creditors more than a year to hammer out a reorganization plan that would keep the 86-year-old studio as a stand-alone company. Earlier, they had rejected a $1.5-billion bid by Time Warner Inc. as too low.

Barber and Birnbaum will face formidable challenges in rebuilding MGM, a studio that more than any other captured Hollywood's golden era of the 1930s and 1940s but for the last 20 years has been shuffled through a series of mergers, acquisitions, buybacks and buyouts and until it was stripped away to a skeleton of its former self.

Finally, in 2005 a consortium of investors including Sony Corp., Comcast Corp. and private equity firms acquired MGM for nearly $5 billion. Their stakes will be wiped out in the reorganized MGM, which is being valued in the bankruptcy plan at $1.9 billion.

The studio's primary asset, its library of more than 4,000 titles, has fallen precipitously in value recently as consumers have cut back on DVD purchases. The library in 2008 generated $557 million in cash flow. This year, according to according to bankruptcy documents, it will generate $228 million.

In addition, the company's financial woes have meant it was barely able to produce or distribute any films in the last year under motion picture Chairwoman Mary Parent, who recently left. Barber and Birnbaum will be looking to raise $500 million once MGM exits bankruptcy in order to fund operations and the production of new films and television shows.

According to the bankruptcy filing, MGM's initial release slate for 2012 is projected to include five to six new movie productions and two acquisitions of completed films. The company estimates it will ultimately spend $300 million annually on production and $340 million on worldwide advertising and prints.

The studio will look to produce a James Bond sequel every other year starting in November 2012.

Perhaps most valuable of all, MGM owns half the rights, with Warner Bros., to two "Hobbit" films that will begin production in February for release in 2012 and 2013. After having already invested $40 million in pre-production and development, MGM is seeking a lender to provide the $265 million to $275 million it estimates it will owe for its half of production, along with its half of marketing expenses.

The bankruptcy documents indicate that MGM's head count will drop to about 320 employees in 2011 from more than 400. Barber and Birnbaum, who employ about 30 people at Spyglass, are expected to bring over their own production team headed by Jonathan Glickman.

ben.fritz@latimes.com

claudia.eller@latimes.com

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‘CSI’ scoop: Marg Helgenberger talks about her contract, her TV boyfriend and William Petersen

Image Credit: Sonja Flemming/CBSCSI stalwart Marg Helgenberger thinks its “kind of remarkable” that her procedural has held up so well after so many years. But even if it remains a global phenom (and one of CBS’ top performers), it’s hard for her to imagine working on the veteran show beyond this year. ”I’m only actually negotiated for this season. That’s all I’m really thinking about right now is just finishing up this season,” Helgenberger told EW at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Presents: Primetime TV Crimefighters event on Monday in California. “So no, I don’t … not much longer. Not much longer.”

Helgenberger admits that working with Laurence Fishburne  (“the consummate professional”) has been fun, and that her co-star should have no concerns about CSI’s former leading man William Petersen coming back for an extended stay. ”If I were to put money on it, no. He would never come back on any kind of full-time way,” she said. “He might come back to do an episode or two towards the end of the entire run, but no. He was ready to go.”

The actress teased that pin-up model Dita Von Teese is doing an upcoming episode. “I’m assuming she’s playing a burlesque character,” the actress says of Von Teese, who is a friend of CSI co-star Eric Szmanda and is known for her ”woman in a giant martini glass” routine.

Helgenberger is particularly thrilled with her storyline this season. ”I’m getting the opportunity to play different colors this season because I have a boyfriend on the show, played by Alex Carter. He’s been great. I’ve enjoyed it because it hasn’t been like all cerebral stuff. It’s been passionate. It’s been vulnerable. It’s been emotional. It’s been taking me to places that I don’t get to do on the show. That’s kept it fresh. And I enjoy working with him.” – With reporting from Vlada Gelman

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'DWTS' Watch: Brandy & Jennifer Grey Tie for First - OK! Magazine

Dancing with the Stars brought back some of the show’s favorite celebrities from various seasons to celebrate the 200th episode on Monday night. And as part of the festivities, each of the six remaining couples did a group cha cha plus an individual dance based on an iconic DWTS performance from the past — with the original celebrity acting as guest judge.

OK! GALLERY: THE DWTS GUYS DO A FOOTBALL DANCE

New front runners Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Jennifer Grey and her partner Derek Hough tied for first in the two combined scores, both getting 64 out of 70. Meanwhile, Bristol Palin could be eliminated on election night tomorrow after she and pro Mark Ballas scored the lowest — 57 out of 70.

For the group dance, the six couples were divided into teams, with Bristol, Rick Fox, and Kyle Massey performing for team captain and DWTS alum Kristi Yamaguchi and Brandy, Jennifer, and Kurt Warner for another show veteran, Apolo Ohno. Kristi’s group got 24 points, while team Apolo triumphed with 27.

Then, all the celebrities had the difficult task of reinterpreting a famous DWTS performance from a former season to pay tribute to the show’s 200 episodes (in which 121 celebrities have appeared).

Brandy and Maks recreated the foxtrot made famous by Gilles Marini (and his then-partner Cheryl Burke). They did a near-perfect job, with Brandy making only one slight misstep which was pointed out by judges. Overall, they loved it, as did guest judge Gilles, who told them, “I felt goosebumps.”

At the 200th episode party after the show at Boulevard 3 in Hollywood, Brandy said of having a top score the third week in a row, “I try not to get too caught into the leader board thing it because it’s all about the work we’re putting into it. Just gotta stay humble and work harder. That’s it.” She added, “I want it. My eye is definitely on the [mirror] ball, but it has to be about the work before I can even tackle that type of thought.”

Her partner Maks told OK! about their re-do of Gilles’ foxtrot: “At the risk of upsetting somebody, I gotta say that I think Brandy’s foxtrot was better. I was so happy. I don’t think I’ve been that proud in a long time.”

DWTS WATCH: AUDRINA PATRIDGE ELIMINATED; GEARS UP FOR NEW REALITY SHOW

It seemed impossible to do as well as Brandy and Maks, but Jennifer and Derek managed, as their tango based on Drew Lachey’s season two performance (with Cheryl Burke) brought judge Carrie Ann Inaba to tears. Drew himself called it beautiful. Jennifer, who was shown crying and complaining of fatigue during filmed rehearsals, pulled it all together to tie Brandy for first on Monday night.

In a tie for second place were Rick Fox and his pro Cheryl Burke, who earned a combined 61 out of 70 for the two dances. Rick and Cheryl did Helio Castroneves’ quickstep (which he originally performed with Julianne Hough) — with the basketball star donning a green suit instead of the racecar driver’s famous banana yellow costume. Judges felt it was Rick’s best performance so far.

Monday night, Rick said, “I had a blast.” He told OK! he thought doing Helio’s routine, which incorporated elements of the Charleston, allowed him “to be light and playful, the fun, goofy guy that I am. That side hasn’t shown up because it’s been lost in the competitive side.”

The athlete’s girlfriend, Eliza Dushku, who accompanied him to the DWTS party, said, “I’ve seen him now in makeup and eyeliner. It’s incredible. I joke [to him], ‘every week you’re somebody else.’ He’s worked so hard. I’m so proud of him.”

However, Eliza admitted to OK! Rick’s six to seven hour a day rehearsals have been tough: “I totally miss him. I’m not going to lie but I know it’s all accumulating into such an incredible package. I’ve had a little help from my friends.”

DWTS WATCH: BRANDY TRIUMPHS; JENNIFER GREY TANKS

Kurt Warner and his partner Anna Trebunskaya tied Rick and Cheryl as they made Emmitt Smith’s tango (with Cheryl Burke) their own. Judge Bruno Tonioli called Kurt “suave and confident.” The pair wound up with a strong 61 out of 70 points for the combined dances.

After the show, Kurt told OK! “I thought tonight was a ball. It was great to see all the celebrities and all the past things that have happened on the show.” Kurt thought it was “cool” having his fellow football player Emmitt cheering him on. And for him, the team dance was “just about having a good time. Anna was all worried about the technique, but I wasn’t.”

Corey in the House actor Kyle Massey and partner Lacey Schwimmer were assigned the paso doble based on Mel B’s unforgettably sexy dance with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Kyle and Lacey got a combined score of 59 out of 70 for the group and individual parts of the night. Judge Len Goodman called the paso Kyle’s best dance.

At the DWTS party, Kyle joked to OK! about imitating hunky Maks: “It was hard because I took a poll and nine times out of ten, people said I was sexier than Maks. I really had to turn my sexy down.” But his pro Lacey explained simply, “It was a kick butt routine. It worked!”

Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas were told to reinterpret the beloved Viennese waltz of Kelly Osbourne and her partner Louis Van Amstel. Kelly loved it — while Judge Carrie Ann Inaba praised Bristol as endearing but added, “You’re still slightly detached.” She ended up with 57 out of 70 for the two dances.

After the show, Bristol told reporters, “I thought it went well. Kelly’s comments were sweet. I think I had big shoes to fill with doing the dance but I had fun with it.” The politician’s daughter admitted, however, that Kelly’s original was hard to beat: “It was so touching and emotional for her and her family and it’s impossible to recreate something like that.”

Bristol told OK! that Kelly, who made it to the DWTS finale, gave her some advice: “She just says that I need to keep showing who I am, just smiling and having fun with this whole thing and she knows exactly where I’m coming from, with no dance experience, and we both were thrown out in the spotlight even when we didn’t want to be — and we have a lot in common with that.”

She wants people to know that: “I’m working my butt off, working my a-s-s off, doing the best that I can every week.”

OK! GALLERY: DWTS CONTESTANTS HAM IT UP ON THE RED CARPET

Although Bristol is Sarah Palin’s daughter and the big midterm elections are taking place Tuesday, she told OK! she’s avoiding the hubbub: “I’m definitely not a political analyst. I’m trying to figure out a dance before I can begin to think about politics!” She even admitted she hasn’t voted for herself and Mark on DWTS! “I’m going to have to, though. I think, out of the entire cast, I do the least amount of campaigning through this entire thing.”

But, win or lose on Tuesday’s DWTS, she looks forward to seeing her mom’s upcoming reality show Sarah Palin’s Alaska, on TLC, clear up some misconceptions: “that my mom’s a diva, ‘cause she’s not. [It will show] just how real my family is. We’re off the cuff.”

Although Bristol doesn’t campaign like her mom, she’s fighting for survival on DWTS. Tune in Tuesday night to see if her low score sends her home to Alaska — or if she gets yet another shot at the mirror ball trophy in Hollywood!

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Leonardo DiCaprio set to star as a serial killer in ‘The Devil in the White City’

Image Credit: Lester Cohen / WireImage.comTalk about a killer role: Leonardo DiCaprio is set to star as one of the most notorious murderers in U.S. history in a big-screen adaptation of Erik Larson’s 2003 nonfiction bestseller The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America. DiCaprio will play Herman Webster Mudgett, alias H. H. Holmes, a serial killer who confessed to murdering 27 people — and may have killed as many as 200 — during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. The devilishly charming Holmes had a sick and twisted m.o., part Norman Bates and part Hannibal Lecter: He built a hotel, later dubbed the “murder castle,” to lure his victims to their death, outfitting it with a gas chamber and a dissecting table. Tom Cruise had initially optioned Devil in the White City and planned to play the role of Holmes, but DiCaprio was so determined to play the part he developed his own rival Holmes project based on public-domain materials before ultimately acquiring the book’s film rights himself. Larson’s book interweaves Holmes’ story with that of Daniel Burnham, the architect behind the World’s Fair, but it’s probably safe to assume the film version will lend more weight to the lurid serial-killer story.

We’ve seen DiCaprio play a thief (Inception) and a con artist (Catch Me If You Can), but this is his first out-and-out murderer. It certainly seems like an intriguing idea — and I personally love the idea of a serial-killer tale set in that historical period (especially since we never got to see the long-discussed, now-presumably-dead big-screen adaptation of The Alienist.) But what do you think? Do you like the idea of DiCaprio playing a serial killer? Could this be his Silence of the Lambs? While we’re at it, who would you like to see direct the movie?

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Conan O’Brien on his new show: ‘You’ll see me sink to a new low. In a good way’

Image Credit: NBCThe countdown to Coco is almost over: One week from today, Conan O’Brien unveils his new late-night talk show on TBS, mysteriously titled… Conan. To get a taste of what’s to come, you can check out “Show Zero” on teamcoco.com at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT, or you can keep reading to see what the former host of Late Night and The Tonight Show has to say about launching his new show.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How are you feeling as you prepare for your return to TV? Nervous? Nauseated? Tingling sensation?
CONAN O’BRIEN: Highly medicated. I’m on something that they use to euthanize racehorses when they break a leg. I walk around with an IV bag full of this stuff, so it’s going to be a different Conan that people see. It’s going to be a Conan that really has trouble moving, and shows very few facial expressions.

What can fans expect from the TBS version of a Conan talk show?
This is the show that someone does after they’ve survived a serious car accident. There’s a little bit of — and I think in a good way — a “let’s just go for it” kind of feel. I’ve been doing one show or another for about 17 years, and then you have this razor’s edge nine months that I’ve had recently and you think about things a little differently. So, there’s more of a feeling of “Screw it, I’m not going to second-guess anything” and “If it makes me laugh, I’m just going to go for it.” And that, I think, is going to serve me well for about 3 months.

Can you tease some surprises that will happen on the first show?
I’m hoping for it to be a very loose, silly reintroduction to Conan O’Brien — it’s me dropping by again. I want there to be some really special moments, especially near the top of the first show. We are going to unveil a major new technology that is going to turn the economy around the way Silicon Valley did in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. There’ll be some major medical breakthroughs in the first 40 minutes, which are quickly forgotten and in no way benefit mankind.

Will you be doing anything with Jack White, who’s one of the guests?
We’re going to have a special moment with him at the end of the show. We’re hoping to make it something a little unusual, maybe something that’s a little reminiscent of the tour. [O'Brien embarked on the 32-city stage show, titled "The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on TV Tour," a few months after leaving The Tonight Show.] I want to take some of that tour mojo into part of the first show, and short of having women take their tops off, this is the closest we were going to get to that.

There’s a poll on your website that asks fans to choose the first guest on your first show. Can you say whom you’re rooting for—or would that corrupt the process?
There are so many choices and there’s a lot of activity on the web. And it’s going to [put] an incredible amount of pressure on the person who wins to make an appearance…. I have a lot of things to ask the Pope, just as a kid who was raised Catholic. So I’m rooting for the Pope, but then again, I don’t want to fracture the audience. I know there are many faiths watching.

What’s one thing you guarantee about the new show?
You’ll see me sink to a new low. In a good way.

You mentioned the difficulty of the last nine months. Have the wounds healed, or do you still wake up in the middle of the night, screaming, “Leno!!!!”?
Some of it’s going to be with me the rest of my life, but for the most part I’ve been shocked at how many interesting, fun, cool, creative opportunities have come out of it all. So I prefer to look at it that way.

What lessons did you learn from that experience?
I don’t know. I do think that I went with my instinct 10 months ago, and that was the right way to go. There have got to be ways in which this has altered me a little bit, but my basic goal in television is going to be the same, which is to make people laugh and slightly irritate them at the same time.

And what did you take away from the tour?
It was really fun. I was telling people that it had a little bit of a Make A Wish feel to it. As we were doing the tour, I thought, “Am I dying and no one’s got the guts to tell me?” He hasn’t got long, everybody. He’s always wanted to play rockabilly guitar in front of huge stadium audiences. Let’s let him have this. That’s what it felt like a little bit. I got to be REO Speedwagon circa 1978 for a very short time. Okay, that’s not a good example. But it was nice after all these years of doing submarine duty on a television show where you’re in a concrete pen. Whenever we would take our show out on the road, you’d be connected to how excited the people are, and that’s a jolt of just pure energy. I think that’s what was great: I got to put my hands on a lot of the fans, and I mean that in the creepiest way possible.

NBC provided you with a lot of fodder for The Tonight Show. Will TBS offer enough stuff to poke fun at?
Oh my god, yes. Their primetime lineup is reruns. And I’m taking them to court over the claim that everything is “very funny,” using several of my shows as evidence.

How many of the characters and bits from the NBC years can you bring with you? What will we see on the new show?
You could see me get arrested on the air. We’re not sure yet exactly which characters in the past can and can’t show up. We don’t know what’s going to happen with all that, so it could end with like the end of Let it Be when the constables come on the roof. Because that’s who that other network will send over: late ’60s constables. They’ll have sticks and we’ll all run around in fast motion, and “Yakety Sax” will play.

So you’re still working out what you can and can’t use?
It’s kind of uncharted territory, so we’re going to play it by ear. Honestly, people tend to think that show business is painstakingly thought out and it really isn’t. And there are some places where we haven’t decided yet what we’re going to do. What I’m committed to doing is if something’s really funny I want to do it, or if it’s right for us, I want to do it. And I am very much committed to us coming up with new stuff, and using this as an opportunity to reinvent some of this. I’m also curious to see what friends from the past reappear. And what we call them. And how they’re disguised.

(Twitter: @dansnierson)

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Snow White is slowly taking over Hollywood

Image Credit: Walt DisneyToday’s Wrap reports reveals that Relativity Media has made a deal with director Tarsem Singh (The Cell) to direct a 3-D adaptation of the Brother Grimm’s beloved fairy tale Snow White. Production on the film — described as “an edgy, modernized re-imagining” — is slated to begin in March. Sources say that Relativity is hot to cast do-no-wrong Natalie Portman, while Singh is curious about the power of casting an unknown, à la Tim Burton’s tapping of Mia Wasikowska for Alice in Wonderland.

Meanwhile, Universal proceeds apace with their own spin on the fairy tale. Their script, Snow White and the Huntsman, is said to focus less on those family-friendly dwarves. Disney has their own Snow White project in development, though their movie will feature the dwarves as Shaolin monks. Huh? At this point, I too am developing a Snow White project, though in my script, the dwarves are actually the result of a botched cloning experiment, and they feast on bluebirds and fight each other to the death while Snow White twirls around and does the wash. It’s gold, I tell ya.

What say you, PopWatchers? The more Snow White the merrier? Is Natalie Portman the obvious choice? Are there other fairy tales that beg for treatment?

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‘Fringe’ scoop: An exclusive peek at this Thursday’s new episode (Thanks, Giants!)

Image Credit: Smallz and Raskind/FoxOn behalf of Fringe fans everywhere, I would like to thank Edgar Renteria and the rest of the San Francisco Giants for putting the Texas Rangers out of their misery and winning the World Series last night. By eliminating the need for a sixth and seventh game, the Giants insured us that Fox will indeed be able to air a new episode of the acclaimed sci-fi drama that was four episodes into its so-far sensational third season before it was rudely interrupted by the so-called America’s Pastime. (Sorry for my sarcasm. But with apologies to Tim “The Freak” Lincecum, Fringe is the only freak-of-the-week drama I want to be watching right now.)

When we last left the story three weeks ago, Peter Bishop and Olivia Dunham took their romance to the next level by finally going horizontal — except the Olivia Dunham in question is actually “Bolivia,” Olivia’s genetic doppelgänger from the imperiled parallel dimension currently at war with our own. Peter can’t tell the difference between Earth A Olivia and Earth B Olivia. Or can he? Here’s a theory for you: What if the super-smart ex-con man has long had suspicions about his FBI agent girlfriend, but he’s been trying to deny them out of fear of sabotaging his happiness with Olivia? And what if the ironic consequence of having sex with Bolivia, of taking their relationship to a deeper, more intimate level, is that Peter has the epiphany that his suspicions are actually correct? (I knew there was something strange about you, but I was never able to put my finger on it. But now that I’ve had my fingers all over you, it becomes clear to me that you’re an impostor! How dare you come over here and take advantage of me like that! Now… can we do it again?)

It will be another week before we get any more intel on the Peter-Bolivia drama, as Thursday’s episode focuses on the drama unfolding on Earth B. The Olivia Dunham of Earth A has been brainwashed by “Walternate” into thinking she’s actually Bolivia (to buy Walternate some time to study her and figure out how she’s physically capable of toggling between parallel worlds) and going on missions with Bolivia’s cohorts in Earth’s B’s own version of Fringe division. (None of them know the truth about Olivia except their supervisor, Broyles. Should he get a funky alt-world name, too? If only this Broyles had an English accent, we could call him … London Broyles!) But Olivia is beginning to crack — her brain is coughing up visions of Peter, trying to convince her that her life is a lie — and the drama intensifies in this week’s episode.

For a sneak peek at this week’s episode, check out the exclusive clip below. I’d tell you more about it, but due to one of those weird tech things, I actually can’t see it myself until I actually post this. (I can explain parallel worlds to you, but I don’t know jack about this video embedding stuff.) And then, after watching the episode on Thursday, make sure you come back here for Ken Tucker’s recap. Glad to have Fringe back — and again, thanks to the Texas Rangers for making it happen. Your lack of clutch hitting is totally appreciated!

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Conan O'Brien pulls a fast one

On Monday night, Conan O’Brien went online with a “Show Zero” — a supposed preview of what his new TBS talk show will be like when it premieres on Nov. 8. O’Brien said that things on the Internet have to “move fast,” so he was using  TeamCoco.com, YouTube, and Facebook to present “the fastest talk show ever.”

Deploying only Andy Richter and one member of his house band (Jerry Vivino), performing from a conference room, O’Brien told a single monologue joke. The show lasted four minutes, 51 seconds. Jim Parsons appeared as O’Brien’s sole guest, and said nary a word. The band Steel Train played a single chord. Richter plugged Diet Coke.

It was a delightful put-on. Looking forward to Nov. 8.

Did you watch?

Follow: @kentucker

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Cartoon scenes that make you cry?

Image Credit: Everett CollectionThis past weekend, I found myself watching An American Tail at 2 a.m. No, I wasn’t cruising for a nice bout of depression (“Somewhere Out There,” anyone?); I simply felt like falling in love with it all over again. It was one of those random movie cravings. You know the kind.

But before I pressed play, I told myself I’d fast-forward through the especially tear-inducing parts so as not to be the person who weeps by themselves in the middle of the night. So I didn’t watch when Fievel got separated from his family, and I didn’t watch the part where a pair of bullies gave the lonely little mouse a bed of straw to sleep on. They were obviously sad parts, and I’m not into cartoon self-flagellation. (Confession: I still haven’t worked up the courage to watch Up.) Then, I was caught off-guard when I found myself weeping during the happy ending (of all things!). There was something about watching disheveled Fievel follow the sound of his papa’s voice to reunite with his family that just had me bawling.

I immediately recognized the cheesiness of the situation, but I couldn’t help it. I hadn’t anticipated being moved by a predictable happy ending. Maybe the cynical, grown-up in me thought I was beyond it. Apparently I’m not. Sometimes, you can’t help but be moved by cartoon corniness.

We all cried during Toy Story 3, during that heartbreaking Peanuts episode, during that dog episode of Futurama, and during every Pixar movie. But what I want to know, PopWatchers, is which really cheesy cartoon moments get you every time?

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Kim Kardashian To Turn Pop Star? - Access Hollywood

NEW YORK, N.Y. --

Following in the footsteps of Paris Hilton, “Real Housewives” star Kim Zolciak and Heidi Montag – Kim Kardashian is reportedly working on starting a music career.

According to People, a source claims that the reality bombshell has been hard at work in the studio with producer and songwriter Terius “The Dream” Nash.

“They’re working on some fun music,” a source told the mag, adding that they’ve been working together in New York City.

The Dream, who has a child with singer Christina Milian, has previously crafted hits for Rihanna and Beyonce.

In other Kim news, the 30-year-old star recently told Access Hollywood that despite rumors of budding romances with John Mayer and Kanye West, she’s not making sweet music with anyone.

“I am single,” Kim told Access last weekt. “I’m not dating anybody.”

Copyright 2010 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Keep your Access to everything in Hollywood! Breaking news and personal commentary from Billy, Tony, Shaun, Maria & all of our producers! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter now!

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Vote, Baby, Vote (a PopWatch PSA)

We interrupt this Election Day joyride aboard the good ship P-Dubs to bring you this important announcement from the legendary Lady Miss Kier:

The Lady speaks wisdom. Heed it.

We know return you to your regularly scheduled PopWatchery.

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‘Charlie’s Angels’: ‘Smallville’ producers talk their reboot’s creative approach, casting, and… a dog named Bosley?!

Image Credit: James Devaney/WireImage.comMiami is officially the hottest crime-fighting town on television. See: CSI: Miami, Dexter, and Burn Notice. Since you can’t have too many guardian angels keeping the peace in Miami (especially now that evil pro basketball racketeer LeBron James lives there, not to mention the occasional mischief making visit from those Kardashian sisters), TV’s sexiest and clearly most sinful setting will soon be home to the three more sentinels: Charlie’s Angels, a new television version of the classic 70s action drama slated for next year on ABC. Guiding the project will be the guys who successfully put young Clark Kent on the road to Superman in Smallville, the producing team of Al Gough and Miles Millar. Drew Barrymore—who produced and starred in two big screen translations—will serve as exec producer. Why set the show in the present-day Miami? In order to help the new show distinguish itself from its predecessors while remaining true to its core values. “Sun and surf are in the Charlie’s Angels DNA,” says Gough. “But we didn’t want to revisit Los Angeles, since that was done in both the original TV series and the movie series.”

ABC (the network home of the original Charlie’s Angels) and Sony (the studio owner of the franchise) have been keen to relaunch the Charlie’s Angels franchise, which premiered in 1976 with Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson in the leads. (Fawcett left after the first season and was replaced by Cheryl Ladd.) At one point, Lost exec producer Carlton Cuse had been recruited to help develop a new version of the show. Last fall, Josh Friedman, exec producer of Fox’s now-defunct Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, was tapped to write a pilot script, but it was never produced. Gough doesn’t want to give too many details away about the angle he and Millar are taking on Charlie’s Angels, but he would say this: “It won’t be campy or retro. The characters are real and emotionally grounded, but they still like to have fun, wear great clothes, solve crime and kick some serious ass. There are three new angels and one mysterious Charlie—and he’s still on the box, not skyping or teleconferencing.” Charlie’s lack of physical presence could be a source of mystery in the show, as Gough adds the following: “Yes, there is a reason why, and no we won’t tell you now.”

Why did the Smallville producers want to make Charlie’s Angels their next big TV project? “Because after tackling Superman, the pop culture third rail didn’t scare us anymore,” jokes Gough. “We were approached by Sony Television, and to be honest, we initially found the prospect very daunting. The question when approaching any reboot is ‘Why now?’ How do you make it relevant for today’s audiences? Miles and I believe we figured out a way to do that. We pitched it to our partners Leonard Goldberg, Drew Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen, who have been the caretakers of this franchise, and they really liked it. More importantly, ABC got excited about it.” Cynics may roll their eyes at yet another Hollywood reboot of a classic entertainment brand (hello, Hawaii Five-O)-—and Gough gets it. Still, he hopes viewers will give the show a chance. “We realize that we have a big target on our backs,” he says, “but we hope to surprise people and bring a whole new generation to Charlie’s Angels.”

As for the actresses who play these new century TV Angels, there have been reports that producers are looking for a multi-ethnic trio. Gough will only say that the casting process has begun. “The timetable is NOW,” he says. “Seriously, we started this week with our casting director John Papsidera (The Dark Knight, Inception). We now have the arduous task of seeing hundreds of potential Angels.” Will a recognizable star voice intone the part of the mysteriously distant Charlie? Gough is keeping mum on that one. (Dynasty’s John Forsythe, who died earlier this year, did the honors in both the first TV series and the movies.) The team is also hunting for someone to play Charlie’s liason to his do-gooding damsels, Bosley, played in the first TV series by the late David Doyle and represented in the Drew Barrymore films by Bill Murray and Bernie Mac. Gough says that in a “huge departure from canon,” the new Bosley will be… a dog. “KIDDING,” says Gough. “Unless the test audiences hate the real Bosley we cast, and then we are totally going the pooch route.”

The fundamental appeal of Charlie’s Angels? It’s about three smart, capable women who not only save the day, but also have each other’s back. It’s about friendship. It’s about teamwork. And you only have to deal with your boss via speakerphone! I think that appeal is timeless.”

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28 TV reunions you want to see

FIREFLY and BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
''It will always be Firefly for me. Such a great, funny, cast. Maybe Buffy too. Any Whedon show.'' —Josie

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Demi Lovato -- Bullying Is the Root Problem - TMZ.com

27 minutes ago by TMZ Staff   The issues that Disney superstar Demi Lovato is hoping to tackle in her treatment center all stem from a painful history of being bullied ... sources extremely close to the singer tell TMZ.

We're told Demi's issues with bullies go all the way back to middle school -- where she felt her acting career made her a target.  Our sources say Demi subsequently engaged in self-destructive behavior that is a manifestation of being bullied. 

In fact -- back in 2008, Demi told Ellen DeGeneres that she was bullied so badly in 7th grade, she pulled out of her middle school and switched to a home school program.

As we first reported, Lovato just quit her international concert tour with the Jonas Brothers ... and admitted herself into a treatment center for "emotional and physical issues."

Tags: Demi Lovato, Disney, Music

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Should Robert Downey Jr. reach out to Charlie Sheen?

Robert Downey Jr. stopped by the Late Show with David Letterman on Monday to promote his new movie Due Date (correction: to let Letterman, who loved it, promote it), and the conversation naturally turned to Charlie Sheen. Actually, Letterman did a rather abrupt segue after Downey finished explaining how he once felt like “John Savage in The Deer Hunter” at a paintball birthday party for one of his son’s friends. “Do you know Charlie Sheen? You guys are contemporaries, aren’t ya?” Letterman asked, as the audience laughed. “We were in high school together. We didn’t really hang out,” Downey answered. “I mean, it sounds like we could have really partied.”

Letterman wanted to know if Downey felt a responsibility to talk to Sheen, as someone who’s turned his life around. Downey seemed a bit uncomfortable at the suggestion, and tried to address it with humor first: “He’s a grown man … What am I gonna say? … The only advice I would give him is, you know, don’t get arrested.” Letterman wanted a serious answer. He said Downey is the guy who could call up anyone and say you’ve got two ways to go: Continue to do it your way, or, look what I did. Downey again opted for humor first, saying if he believed his own hype and started thinking that people need to listen to him, his wife would be miserable and his director would think he’s crazy. But then, he spoke from the heart: “I think the best thing I can do is just keep the plug in the jug myself and stay out of trouble.” Letterman finally agreed that leading by example was a better course of action and was prepared to change topics. Downey interrupted him: “I mean, it would have been fun to be partying with him in the Plaza, probably … but not fun, not fun,” he joked. Watch the interview below.

Letterman and Downey never disappoint: They spent nearly five minutes talking about the horses Jamie Foxx gave Downey for his 45th birthday (and Letterman’s theory about how horses want to kill their riders). They also discussed how Downey thought his Due Date costar Zach Galifianakis was a homeless person when they ran into each other before production began, as well as how Downey, who’s now filming the Sherlock Holmes sequel and has studied kung fu years, would kill Letterman.

Downey on Charlie Sheen:

The full interview:

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‘Terra Nova’ scoop: Final series regular cast

Fox has completed casting on its upcoming drama Terra Nova so production can begin next week in Australia. The last actor to join the cast of the time-traveling drama is Christine Adams (The Whole Truth), who will play Mira — a battle-hardened resident of Terra Nova who gets to know the Shannon family. Other actors who have previously joined the high-concept series include Jason O’Mara (Life on Mars), Stephen Lang (Avatar), Shelley Conn (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Mido Hamada (24), Allison Miller (Boston Legal), and Landon Liboiron (Degrassi: The Next Generation). O’Mara plays patriarch Jim Shannon.

The drama bows next May and takes place 100 years in the future.

Read more:
‘Terra Nova’ casting almost complete; production begins next month in Australia
‘Terra Nova’ debut postponed until fall 2011

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Episode Two Of 'The Walking Dead' Is 'All Action,' Says Andrew Lincoln - MTV.com

Now that "The Walking Dead" premiere is in the rearview mirror and the series is a bona fide hit, it's only natural to start looking ahead to future installments of AMC's record-breaking adaptation of of Robert Kirkman's post-apocalyptic survival comic.

When "The Walking Dead" star Andrew Lincoln dropped by Splash Page HQ, I asked him about the second episode of the series ("Guts") and where it takes Rick Grimes, which characters to watch out for, and how it differs from the pilot episode.

"Episode Two is so radically different from the atmosphere of Episode One," Lincoln told MTV News. "I think what they've done beautifully in the first three episodes is [to] just keep changing the format and the atmosphere of the episodes. But certainly, Episode Two is an all-action episode."

"You see loads of Steven Yeun," he added, indicating that the meeting between Rick and fan-favorite character Glenn is just around the corner.

In the comics, Glenn is the chief scavenger for the survivors, able to get in and out of the city and find supplies with relative ease. This could come in handy for Rick, who was left stranded inside an abandoned tank at the end of the series' premiere.

"He's a terrific actor," said Lincoln of the relatively unknown actor bringing Glenn to life in the series. "This is his first big role and he's going to be a huge star — believe me. He's hilarious, he's dynamic, and he looks exactly like the character in the graphic novel."

"I'm the straight man to his wise-cracker," laughed Lincoln. "He's great."

"The Walking Dead" airs Sunday at 10 PM Eastern on AMC. Keep it locked to Splash Page for comprehensive coverage of every episode this season, including reviews, previews, interviews, and more!

Let us know what you think in the comment section or on Twitter! You can also follow me, Splash Page editor Rick Marshall, on Twitter!

Tags andrew lincoln, The Walking Dead, Video

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37 unforgettable nude scenes

In Machete (2010)
Alba has admitted that she's not really completely naked in this steamy nude scene, but it's doubtful that anyone's complaining about the final CGI'ed product.

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'Fringe': Exclusive sneak peek!

Image Credit: Smallz and Raskind/FoxOn behalf of Fringe fans everywhere, I would like to thank Edgar Renteria and the rest of the San Francisco Giants for putting the Texas Rangers out of their misery and winning the World Series last night. By eliminating the need for a sixth and seventh game, the Giants insured us that Fox will indeed be able to air a new episode of the acclaimed sci-fi drama that was four episodes into its so-far sensational third season before it was rudely interrupted by the so-called America’s Pastime. (Sorry for my sarcasm. But with apologies to Tim “The Freak” Lincecum, Fringe is the only freak-of-the-week drama I want to be watching right now.)

When we last left the story three weeks ago, Peter Bishop and Olivia Dunham took their romance to the next level by finally going horizontal — except the Olivia Dunham in question is actually “Bolivia,” Olivia’s genetic doppelgänger from the imperiled parallel dimension currently at war with our own. Peter can’t tell the difference between Earth A Olivia and Earth B Olivia. Or can he? Here’s a theory for you: What if the super-smart ex-con man has long had suspicions about his FBI agent girlfriend, but he’s been trying to deny them out of fear of sabotaging his happiness with Olivia? And what if the ironic consequence of having sex with Bolivia, of taking their relationship to a deeper, more intimate level, is that Peter has the epiphany that his suspicions are actually correct? (I knew there was something strange about you, but I was never able to put my finger on it. But now that I’ve had my fingers all over you, it becomes clear to me that you’re an impostor! How dare you come over here and take advantage of me like that! Now… can we do it again?)

It will be another week before we get any more intel on the Peter-Bolivia drama, as Thursday’s episode focuses on the drama unfolding on Earth B. The Olivia Dunham of Earth A has been brainwashed by “Walternate” into thinking she’s actually Bolivia (to buy Walternate some time to study her and figure out how she’s physically capable of toggling between parallel worlds) and going on missions with Bolivia’s cohorts in Earth’s B’s own version of Fringe division. (None of them know the truth about Olivia except their supervisor, Broyles. Should he get a funky alt-world name, too? If only this Broyles had an English accent, we could call him … London Broyles!) But Olivia is beginning to crack — her brain is coughing up visions of Peter, trying to convince her that her life is a lie — and the drama intensifies in this week’s episode.

For a sneak peek at this week’s episode, check out the exclusive clip below. I’d tell you more about it, but due to one of those weird tech things, I actually can’t see it myself until I actually post this. (I can explain parallel worlds to you, but I don’t know jack about this video embedding stuff.) And then, after watching the episode on Thursday, make sure you come back here for Ken Tucker’s recap. Glad to have Fringe back — and again, thanks to the Texas Rangers for making it happen. Your lack of clutch hitting is totally appreciated!

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Oprah Winfrey's Backyard Visit with Michael Jackson's Kids - People Magazine

Oprah Winfrey (far left) and the Jacksons

Robin Layton/Harpo Productions

Relaxed, smiling and playful – that's the image of Michael Jackson's three children captured in a candid photo taken during Oprah Winfrey's visit to the Jacksons' Encino, Calif., home last month.

Prince, 13, and Paris, 12, are seen smiling as Paris reaches out to Blanket, 8, who is curled up in a lawn chair in the backyard of the home, while Winfrey and the children's grandparents, Katherine and Joe Jackson, are seated across the table.

The talk-show host was there to interview Katherine about Michael's childhood, his career, his children and his legacy a year and a half after the pop legend's untimely death at age 50.

That interview is scheduled to air on The Oprah Winfrey Show Monday, Nov. 8.
– Tim Nudd

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Introducing Hailee Steinfeld, the girl who stole the Coen Brothers’ hearts

Image Credit: Lorey Sebastian When the Coen brothers cast their net for Mattie Ross, the pivotal role in their adaptation of the beloved western True Grit, they met with nearly 15,000 girls. The one left standing at the end of the audition process was 13-year-old Hailee Steinfeld, who up until then had only appeared in a few shorts and a couple of bit parts on TV movies. Steinfeld was the greenest of the five promising child stars — Mad Men’s Kiernan Shipka, Let Me In’s Chloë Grace Moretz, Modern Family’s Rico Rodriguez, The Last Airbender’s Noah Ringer — EW recently gathered for a new twist on the actors’ round table.

Steinfeld was sweet and refreshingly innocent, clearly thrilled to sit down with her more wizened peers. “Everything I do now is a first,” she said. “I’ve never done this type of interview before.” She revealed that she had once tried out for the role in Diary of a Wimpy Kid that went to Moretz instead. When it comes to former child stars, she looks up to the likes of Jodie Foster. People tell her she resembles a young Diane Lane. (It’s true.) As you’ll hear in the video below, the road to Mattie was a long and arduous one. And when it comes to her True Grit co-star Jeff Bridges and his divine resume, she bows down before the Dude.

For more on The Kids’ Table, check out the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, and view our bonus interview with newcomer Hailee Steinfeld in the video below.

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