Gossip Girl tonight!
Can't wait!
Oh and p.s...due to the perfect Spring NYC weather, I sat on the steps of The Met this past weekend Gossip Girl style, (while sporting a Blair Waldorf-inspired headband mind you) waiting to catch a glimpse of one of my fav. Upper East Siders, and nothing! So disappointed!
TV is back!
After two months of repeats due to the writers' strike, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and Late Night With Conan O'Brien will return with all-new episodes Wednesday, January 2. "We are are not using writers," a NBC rep says. In a statement, O'Brien said, "An unwritten version of Late Night, though not desirable, is possible — and no one has to be fired. I will make clear, on the program, my support for the writers and I'll do the best version of Late Night I can under the circumstances." Added Leno, "We fully support our writers and I think they understand my decision." Guest lineups for the shows will be announced at a later date, NBC officials said. Meanwhile, eager to air new episodes as well, David Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants, may negotiate an independent, interim agreement deal with the Writers Guild of America, Worldwide Pants Chief Executive Rob Burnett said in a statement. "It is our strong desire to be back on the air with our writers, and we hope that will happen as soon as possible."
Fielding questions once again about just how “real” her reality show is, Lauren Conrad admits some scenes on The Hills are re-enacted if MTV’s cameras happen to miss the original interactions. Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Conrad, 21, specifically addresses “nail-polish-gate” — a sequence of scenes in one episode that were supposedly shot on one night, but in which Conrad’s red nail polish disappears over time. Conrad says the later scenes, with her on the phone with Brody Jenner, were indeed re-enacted the next day, because the cameras had stopped rolling before the “real” phone call. “Anyone who has worked on a reality show knows how they’re filmed,” Conrad says. “I basically had to go and call [Brody] again, have the exact same conversation on camera. I mean, it’s not lying to anyone, it’s telling what really happened, but it’s just the way they film reality shows.” Conrad doesn’t see anything wrong with that, as long as the re-enactments stay true to the characters’ real lives. “Basically what they’re doing is taking our lives and telling a story,” she says. “They’re telling exactly what happened.” She adds that MTV has orchestrated run-ins between Conrad and Heidi Montag. “But they only set that up because it was happening off-camera,” she says. “We were getting into these situations where we were running into [Heidi and Spencer], and [MTV] kept missing them.” Conrad also remarks on how popular it’s become — to the point that the stars had to move apartments to keep from getting harassed. “Whether they were drunk or just crazy, people would come and knock on our door,” she says. “It was scary for us. So we switched apartments but continued filming in front of the other one so people wouldn’t know where we lived.” Through it all, she remains a bit mystified by the show’s appeal. “People are just obsessed with other people’s lives,” she says. “I don’t know whether it’s kind of a way to escape their own, or something to follow. … I really couldn’t tell you.”
Just how real is The Hills? According to model Gavin Beasley - you may remember him as Lauren Conrad's date - the MTV show isn't as real as the network or its stars would like you to believe. Take the scene at Brody Jenner's barbecue on this Monday's episode. "[MTV] totally set up the BBQ scene for Brody and I to meet each other and talk because, as they said, 'The audience would get a kick out of seeing the ex talking to the new guy,'" Beasley tells Best Week Ever's blog. "Brody would talk all this sh**, then be like, 'Sorry about that, we're just trying to make good television,'" says Beasley. "He creates drama and a storyline. That's why he is there." As for his date with Conrad: "[Conrad]'s kind of a conversation killer, and when the cameras are rolling, all conversation is kept firmly on the surface," Beasley says. So what did they two talk about? "I don't know - pop culture, Red Bull, stuff like that. In fact, the most interesting thing I got out of her was that she isn't allowed to eat ice cream because her trainer told her she can't... What you see is really what you get with these people. The lack of depth was actually uncomfortable for me. Like, how can nothing be everything you talk about?"
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are making their first joint producing effort (after Shiloh, that is) with a series project at HBO. The Bourne Ultimatum co-writer Scott Burns is penning the untitled drama, which will explore the behind-the-scenes politics of an international aid organization and chronicle the lives of humanitarian workers assigned to dangerous zones and the people in need they assist. Jolie, Pitt and Burns, producer of the Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, are executive producing. The series has been a passion project for Jolie since she did the 2003 feature Beyond Borders, a drama about disaster-relief workers in war-torn countries. The aid-workers series marks Jolie's return to HBO 10 years after her breakthrough starring role in the cable network's biopic Gia, which earned her a Golden Globe win, a SAG Award and and Emmy nomination. Pitt is already in business with HBO. Along with Edward Norton, he is executive producing the HBO/National Geographic miniseries Undaunted Courage, now in development, which tells the story of the legendary journey across the western U.S. by explorers Lewis and Clark.Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are making their first joint producing effort (after Shiloh, that is) with a series project at HBO. The Bourne Ultimatum co-writer Scott Burns is penning the untitled drama, which will explore the behind-the-scenes politics of an international aid organization and chronicle the lives of humanitarian workers assigned to dangerous zones and the people in need they assist. Jolie, Pitt and Burns, producer of the Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, are executive producing. The series has been a passion project for Jolie since she did the 2003 feature Beyond Borders, a drama about disaster-relief workers in war-torn countries. The aid-workers series marks Jolie's return to HBO 10 years after her breakthrough starring role in the cable network's biopic Gia, which earned her a Golden Globe win, a SAG Award and and Emmy nomination. Pitt is already in business with HBO. Along with Edward Norton, he is executive producing the HBO/National Geographic miniseries Undaunted Courage, now in development, which tells the story of the legendary journey across the western U.S. by explorers Lewis and Clark.
After announcing the end of The Simple Life, the E! network has confirmed plans for a new celebrity offspring reality series starring Kim Kardashian, the 26-year-old daughter of Robert Kardashian, one of OJ Simpson's attorneys during his murder trial. The show will center around Kardashian's Brady-Bunch style family, which includes sisters Kourtney and Khloe, half-sisters Kendall and Kylie, their mother Kris and stepdad and Olympian Bruce Jenner. Set to debut this fall, the show was created in part by Idol host Ryan Seacrest.
The Kelly Osbourne/Kimberley Stewart reality show has been quashed - by its stars. E! originally reported that the show was canned producers, who wanted the famous offspring to spend time with "real people" doing "real jobs" and make fun of them in the process. According to a source, however, Osbourne decided not to sign on after she saw the first episode, calling it "demeaning to other people and juvenile."
Comedian Whoopi Goldberg was officially announced as the new moderator and co-host of The View this morning. Picking up where Rosie O'Donnell and Meredith Viera left off, Goldberg will be responsible for steering panel discussions. She appeared on Wednesday's show for Barbara Walters's announcement. "I love this show," said Goldberg, who has guest co-hosted many times. "I love coming on it. I love hanging out with you guys." Producers at The View are also in discussions with possible candidates to fill the spot left empty by Star Jones Reynolds, including Sherri Shepherd and Kathy Griffin.
Ellen Degeneres ruled at last night's Daytime Emmy awards, scoring six trophies including best talk show and best talk-show host. Accepting one award, Degeneres gave a shout-out to View alum Rosie O'Donnell, saying, "I really am shocked... I thought Rosie brought a lot of new viewers to daytime television and it was interesting. I liked what she did. This was the year she should have won. I wanted to acknowledge Rosie because she has done a lot... I don't know who should replace her, but I don't think it should be Paris Hilton. That would not work."
More news from The View... Co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck announced this morning that she is pregnant with her second child. "Like, I'm totally three months pregnant," Hasselbeck said on today's show. "I figured that we're going to be lonely without you," she said to fellow host Rosie O'Donnell. "So, Tim and I thought we should get busy and maybe make a little co-host." Hasselbeck and her husband, football quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, will welcome the baby in November. The couple have a two-year-old daughter, Grace, and don't plan to find out the new baby's gender until the birth. ABC released the news in a statement just prior to the airing of this morning's show. In other View news, sources say Roseanne Barr is reportedly the top contender to take Rosie O'Donnell's spot on the show next year, though Barr's rep denies the story. "She's a piece of work, she's a character, she says what's on her mind and she's funny," says an insider. Barr avoided directly answering the question when asked by Larry King last week. "I'm not looking for the job," she told the CNN host. "Well, I want $10 million, like Rosie." Since O'Donnell announced her plans to leave the show last week, several big names have been circulating as possible replacements, including Joan Rivers, Whoopi Goldberg, Kathie Lee Gifford, Connie Chung, Bette Midler and Kathy Griffin.
Also in View-related news, it has been announced that Alec Baldwin will appear on the show this Friday. After Rosie O'Donnell expressed sympathy for the actor earlier this week in relation to the public release of his anger-fueled voicemail to his daughter, Baldwin called O'Donnell and expressed an interest in doing a possible phone-in segment on parental alienation. The 30 Rock actor was convinced to come into the studio to do the segment in person. Baldwin also announced this week that he has parted ways with his agents at the Creative Artists Agency for "personal reasons." The actor's rep did not elaborate.
Rosie O'Donnell will be leaving her post as co-anchor on The View this June. On this morning's show, O'Donnell downplayed the announcement, insisting she had always only wanted to do a one-year stint. "I wanted one year, they wanted three years," she said of ABC. "It just didn't work. And that's showbiz, but it's not sad because I've loved it here and I love you guys and I'm not going away. I'm just not going to be here every day." O'Donnell says she plans to fill in as a guest host and do specials on autism and depression. "They're not kicking me out. Don't worry. It's okay," she added. Show head Barbara Walters said in a statement, "I induced Rosie to come back to television on The View even for just one year. She has given the program new vigor, new excitement and wonderful hours of television. I can only be grateful to her for this year. I am very sad that ABC Daytime could not reach an agreement with her for a second year... We will all miss Rosie on The View, and hope she will be back with us often next season. She remains for me a cherished friend and colleague." O'Donnell also issued a statement to the press, saying, "This has been an amazing experience, and one I wouldn't have traded for the world. Working with Barbara, Joy and Elisabeth has been one of the highlights of my career, but my needs for the future just didn't dovetail with what ABC was able to offer me." No plans have been announced in terms of finding a new co-host for the show.
