Not Just TV: CW's Potentially Deadly Faux-Pas

With spring comes green-light new TV pilots season. I mostly don't give a hoot about this unless one of them features an admired actor/actress or is tackling an issue of interest to me. But I do read EW.com (Entertainment Weekly). And this announcement caught my eye:

"Pilot Intel: CW Develops Six New Dramas; Fate of 'Melrose Place' Unknown"

After emitting a pleased cackle at the fact that the idiocy known as 'Melrose Place' 2.0 might go under, I noticed the thing about this item about something called "Nomads." Then my mind just hit the floor (not literally, of course). Here is my problem with it.

"Nomads" is basically about backpackers performing odd jobs for the CIA abroad in the hopes that they'll get formally recruited and trained. Problem is, assuming the show does well and gets high visibility, it will alter a sizable portion of the public's perception about (1) backpackers and (2) the ulterior motives of young idealists. This public will probably include at least some people abroad. So this is totally going to put actual real-life backpackers - most of whom are not in fact working for the CIA as spies and minimally trained covert operatives - in danger. We already have teens and 20-somethings being kidnapped and held abroad for months and years on end. Seriously, I know this is "just TV," but you know, most of the time, it really isn't.

ENTERTAINMENT OP-ED: Tyra Banks puts on a show and show's off her ignorance

So Tyra Banks and her "America's Next Top Model" crew decided to plaster colored skin creams all over their contestant's faces in an effort to make them look, as one contestant put it, "so exotic." Some are calling it a return of the hated blackface. Others argue it's just acting. All wonder if it's going to even be a controversy.

I've detested this show since it was first a twinkle in the WB/CW's eye so nothing they do that's offensive or controversial really surprises me since I find the whole concept and industry behind high-end fashion modeling offensive and degrading, but this is just astounding because for all my hate on Tyra Banks and the fact that young women actually eat her superficial crap up, I kind of figured that she and her peers were just working with what they've got and are savvy enough to use society's obsession to their advantage, but this just makes them flat out stupid, in my opinion.

I mean, really? How does this not ruffle anyone on set's glittered feathers? Is such acceptance of such ignorance and consumerism over humanity really so pervasive? Heck, as noted in EW, they even mixed up racial identity with national and cultural identity, telling the aspiring models that Hawaii's a melting pot of races so they're each going to portray a jumble of Greek/Mexican, Moroccan/Russian, Botswana/Polynesian, Tibetan/whatever individuals.

Shows like Ugly Betty try to show the intelligence and thought process behind fashion shoots, the covering of all bases and being smart about it. These showrunners didn't even bother, reducing Native Americans to an eagle-staring people and Tibet to a stereotype of tranquility and oppression.

"Smashing Pumpkins" Sue Virgin Records

Written by: Heather Chin

(Previously published on March 25, 2008 @ http://thecelebritycafe.com/features/14832.html)

The hit rock group is suing the major record company, claiming illegal use of their name and reputation.

The New York Times and the AP report that longtime rock band, Smashing Pumpkins, is suing their record label for allegedly using their name and music without consent, thus illegally, and in the process, hurting the band’s credibility with fans.

The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Supreme Court on Monday, cites “breach of contract.” Band members stated that they have “worked hard for over two decades to accumulate a considerable amount of goodwill in the eyes of the public,” and that their reputation for “artistic integrity” was threatened by Virgin’s use of their music in promotional ads for Pepsi Co. and Amazon.com.

Although Virgin has distributed Smashing Pumpkins’ records for over 17 years, the lawsuit claims that there was never any agreement or “authority granted to Virgin, or any other entity,” to use either the music or the band in any promotional campaigns for outside products. The band maintains that the only active agreement made was a deal with Virgin to sell digital downloads of Smashing Pumpkins songs.

The lawsuit demands that Virgin pay the band with the profits that were earned in the contested promotions.

BREAKING: Casting Update on Whedon's "Dollhouse"

By Heather Chin

According to the Ausiello Report, there are three new casting confirmations for Joss Whedon's upcoming Fox series, "Dollhouse."

Harry Lennix, formerly of "Commander in Chief" and a guest stint on "24," has been tapped to portray Boyd, an ex-cop who acts as a bodyguard to Eliza Dushku's Echo. Also, Miracle Laurie will play plus-sized doll November, whose comforting and radiant presence tends to get her fewer of the criminal gigs and more of the personal ones. Laurie's previous credits are unknown as of the time of this posting.

In more exciting news (at least to Whedon and Buffyverse fans), "Angel" vet, Amy Acker, will be joining the show's cast in the recurring role of Dr. Claire Saunders, the "smart yet sad looker-after of the tdtolls who may or may not have a crush on nerdy programmer Topher (Fran Kranz).

Dollhouse was pitched and given the green light back before the writer's strike went down, so casting has been able to get under way pretty quickly since negotiations concluded in March. The story is about a sort of lab - the dollhouse - where humans who have been engineered to exist without a personal identity are rented out and programmed with the persona requested by a customer's whim. Dushku, of "Tru Calling" and "Buffy" fame, is set to star as Echo, a female doll who begins to think for herself, thus threatening to blow the roof off of the Dollhouse.

Previous Dollhouse castings include Olivia Williams (who recently portrayed Jane Austen in a BBC biopic), Tahmoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica), Fran Kranz (Welcome to the Captain), Dichen Lachman and Enver Gjokaj.

Hulk Hogan Gets Sued Over Son’s Car Crash

Written by: Heather Chin
(previously published on www.thecelebritycafe.com on March 25, 2008)

Since Hogan’s son is a minor, the injured passenger considers him and estranged wife Linda liable for damages.

According to a report by the AP, Hulk Hogan and estranged wife Linda are being sued by John Graziano, a passenger in the car being driven by Hogan’s son, 17-year-old Nicholas Bollea. Graziano was critically injured in last year’s crash and will require care for the rest of his life.

The civil suit was brought this Monday in reference to the August 26, 2007 car crash in downtown Clearwater, Florida, when the wrestling icon’s son lost control of his Toyota Supra and crashed into a tree. Also named in the suit is Daniel Jacobs, a friend of Nicholas Bollea's and the driver of a Dodge Viper that was engaged in “light to light racing” in the moments before the crash, reports E! News.

Millions of dollars in damages will be sought from Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, as he and his wife are considered accountable for their son’s “reckless and negligent” driving. As Kimberly Kohn, one of the lawyers hired by Graziano’s father, put it, “[The Hogans] not only encouraged it, but they did not take appropriate action to stop it and to protect the safety of the public.”

Graziano, 23, was not wearing a seatbelt, but whether that would have any affect on the terms of his suit is unclear. After the crash, he was semiconscious and left on a ventilator. Although not being held liable in this suit, the teenaged Bollea is facing a criminal charge of reckless driving involving serious bodily injury.

Messages left with Hulk Hogan’s publicist by E! News were not immediately returned.

Hogan is currently one of the hosts of NBC’s revival of the '90s hit, American Gladiators, where contestants compete in athletic challenges, and rose to fame in the past couple of decades for his wrestling exploits with the World Wrestling Federation.

J.K. Rowling Admits Past Thoughts of Suicide

By Heather Chin
http://www.thecelebritycafe.com/features/14797.html (March 23, 2008)

As a struggling, bankrupt single mother in her twenties, the future author suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts.

Speaking with a student reporter from Scotland’s Edinburgh University, Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling revealed – for the first time – that she had contemplated suicide back when she was a struggling single mother in her twenties with no money or solid prospects, besides writing, for immediate relief.

As quoted in Britain’s Sunday Times and later in CNN, Rowling explained that “we’re talking suicidal thoughts here, we’re not talking ‘I’m a little bit miserable.’”

At the time, she was separated from her first husband and could only afford the £600 ($1,189) rent on her and her baby daughter’s small, cramped apartment after a friend lent her the money.

"Mid-twenties life circumstances were poor and I really plummeted,” Rowling said. “The thing that made me go for help… was probably my daughter. She was something that earthed me, grounded me, and I thought, this isn't right, this can't be right, she cannot grow up with me in this state."

With that in mind, Rowling said she then sought professional help. She also began writing what would become the first book in the Harry Potter series, which was published after many initial rejections in 1996. Since then, the series has been translated into 64 languages with over 325 million copies sold.

It seems that in choosing to share her story of surviving against the odds thanks to the serendipitous benevolence of another to an aspiring journalist, the 42-year-old Rowling is “paying it forward” even after penning the novels that have made her both famous and financially secure.

Chuck Norris A Fan Favorite and Hero For Iraqi Police

By Heather Chin

http://thecelebritycafe.com/features/14639.html (March 17, 2008)

The legend of Chuck Norris has crossed media platforms, but has now proven able to cross continents and even cultures.

Best known for his martial arts skills and tough-guy image on television and in films, Chuck Norris has apparently extended his fan base to Iraq, where some members of Iraq’s security forces have learned about the Hollywood action star from U.S. military troops.

A report by Reuters describes how the admiration for and mystique of Norris, who arose to fame fighting Bruce Lee in the 1972 film “The Way of the Dragon,” and who has visited Iraq several times and was made an honorary Marine last year, has permeated the social culture on U.S. military bases in Iraq.

There is a small cardboard shrine that bears an autographed photo of Norris at a U.S. military helicopter hub in Baghdad, where yellow and hot pink post-it notes declare, jokingly, his manliness and strength. Similar notes have been written on toilet walls across camps in Iraq and neighboring Kuwait.

Known as Chuck Norris “facts,” these sayings have long been a hit on the Internet (see www.chucknorrisfacts.com) and according to Reuters, dozens of U.S. military personnel could recite at least one “fact” on request. These included the likes of “There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq; Chuck Norris lives in Oklahoma.”

The Reuters report also describes how the strong fighter persona that Norris presents on film and in public appeals to the Iraqi security men. When American troops bestowed the nickname of “Chuck Norris” to Iraqi police trainer Mohammed Rasheed, who sports a handle-bar moustache that gives him a vague resemblance to Norris, he was at first baffled and then honored.

“Truthfully, I didn’t know who he was. I asked the Americans, and they said he was a great fighter, and that’s why they named me after him,” explained Rasheed. “They showed me a video, and it’s true, he’s a great fighter.”

Khaled Hussein, who is another police trainer, agreed, saying that Norris was a role model for the police in Falluja, a city in central Iraq which, until 2007, was an al Qaeda stronghold and the scene of violent battles with security forces.

“I’ve seen his videos [and] he’s a hero,” said Hussein, referring to Norris’ long-running TV series, Walker, Texas Ranger. “He saves the city, he protects women and children, and he fights crime wherever it is. We should all be like Chuck Norris.”

Britney Spears and Mel Gibson Break Bread; Are Friends

By Heather Chin
(previously published at www.thecelebritycafe.com on March 17, 2008)

The former neighbors, along with Gibson’s wife Robin, are on friendly terms and had dinner together at a Russian restaurant in LA.

Fresh off of filming a guest role on CBS’s comedy, How I Met Your Mother, and visiting with her sons, struggling pop star Britney Spears had dinner with friends – which included fellow celebrity Mel Gibson and his wife Robin.

According to Efluxmedia, the beleaguered singer and the actor/director met for a two-hour dinner at Romanov Restaurant and Lounge in L.A., where a restaurant source says that they “hit it off and… Britney seemed excited.” The Gibsons and Spears used to be neighbors in Malibu.

The dinner reportedly took place in a well-appointed private dining room, and Spears and a friend, Victoria, arrived at the restaurant first, with Gibson, his wife and some friends arriving shortly afterwards.

Rumors have circulated that Gibson may either be attempting to tap Spears for a role in an upcoming film or trying to bring her into his church, the ultra-conservative Church of the Holy Family in Malibu. However, the general consensus among media critics is that the Gibson family has simply befriended Spears and is now trying to help her through her personal troubles.

Gibson has experience in dealing with negative press and has stated in the past that he feels compassionate about Spears and her many plights.

Reports by TMZ describe the Gibson-Spears friendship as having been built over some time, with Gibson, his wife Robin and their kids reaching out to Britney “during her darkest days” to offer support.

Having friends who don’t want to exploit you can be a difficult thing in Hollywood, so current reports have made particular note of the fact that the two celebrities did not enter or leave at the same time, which effectively prevented paparazzi from getting shots of them together.

Halle Berry Gives Birth To A Baby Girl

By Heather Chin
(previously published at www.thecelebritycafe.com on March 16, 2008)

The actress gave birth on Sunday at Cedars Sinai Medical Center and both are doing well.

Halle Berry gave birth to a baby girl on Sunday morning at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, confirmed one of the actress’s reps to People magazine. The same rep. added that the 41-year-old star is “doing well.”

This is the first child for Berry, 41, and her boyfriend, Gabriel Aubry, 32. The two met in November 2005 and confirmed the news of her pregnancy to Access Hollywood’s Nancy O’Dell in September of last year.

“Gabriel and I are beyond excited, and I’ve waited a long time for this moment in life,” Berry gushed in the interview with O’Dell. “Now the next seven months will be the longest of my life!”

Berry, an Academy Award winner for her 2001 role as a struggling mother in “Monster’s Ball,” has always been vocal about her desire for a family. In another, earlier, interview with O’Dell and Access Hollywood in April 2007, Berry openly discussed her plans too have children.

“Not that there’s not more to accomplish, but I think I’ve arrived at a point in life that I realized I needed more to get me up in the morning. More than going to a new movie set,” said Berry. “I need something even more profound than that and that’s family. And that’s children… I’m at a point where I’m really, really ready.”

Berry, who has been married twice, is not married to partner Aubry, but in an interview with Oprah Winfrey shortly after announcing her pregnancy, said that she feels more married than she ever had before and that the two are fully committed to each other, explaining that “he really understands the spiritual connection is so much more important than the paper and the pomp and circumstance and the ceremony.”

The baby girl’s name has not yet been given or released, but is sure to be hotly anticipated as it comes in the midst of a celebrity baby boom.

David Lynch Creates Scholarships for Meditation Studies

By Heather Chin

http://thecelebritycafe.com/features/14613.html (March 15, 2008)

Surreal filmmaker David Lynch plans to donate millions towards a scholarship in meditation arts.

David Lynch is most well known for directing the “Twin Peaks” TV series and surreal, dream-like films like “The Elephant Man, “Blue Velvet,” and “Mulholland Drive,” but AP reports report that now the 62-year-old filmmaker is donating $1 million to fund scholarships for students of a particular meditation technique, which Lynch himself has practiced for a long period.

The technique, called Transcendental Meditation, is taught at the Maharishi University of Management, which was founded in 1971 in Fairfield, Iowa. The school is open to undergraduate and graduate students and offers degree programs in art, business, computer science, design, and sustainable living.

Lynch says that his $1 million donation will be made through his non-profit foundation, the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace. It is intended to support the learning of TM and to hopefully increase the number of students who meditate on the Fairfield campus to 2,000.

The university will host “David Lynch Weekend” on April 25-28, where performances by Donovan, Moby and Chrysta Bell are scheduled.

In a recent statement, Lynch explained that “America urgently needs at least one university to teach the science of peace – and to actually promote peace in the world.”

Universal Pictures and Dark Horse Sign Deal

By Heather Chin

http://thecelebritycafe.com/features/14612.html (March 15, 2008)

Hollywood movie production house Universal signs agreement with hugely successful independent comic book company, Dark Horse in a lucrative movie-comics merger.

In a mutual coup, Universal Pictures and Dark Horse Entertainment have signed an agreement granting worldwide production and distribution rights to the major Hollywood production house, and giving the big independent comic book company a well of financial support and distribution avenues.

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the deal makes Universal the studio home to Dark Horse and all of the characters and properties that it currently holds, as well as may acquire in the future. This makes the path between printed story and movie development a smoother transition and is lucrative for both parties.

The deal was brought forward by Universal’s co-chairman David Linde and their president of production Donna Langley, and is not entirely surprising.

In the past decade, many Dark Horse comics have made the leap from comic to successful screen adaptation. These include “The Mask” (1994) with New Line and “Barb Wire” (1996) from Polygram. Projects with Universal have ranged from “Time Cop” in 1994, “Mystery Men” in 1999, and most recently, “Hellboy II: The Golden Army.”

This deal could also give hope to fans of current Dark Horse comics that their favorite characters, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, may finally end up on the big screen, or have a repeat appearance, as with “Serenity” and “Star Wars: Legacy.”

UCLA Hospital Workers Fired For Spears Medical Snooping

By Heather Chin

http://thecelebritycafe.com/features/14604.html (March 15, 2008)

Although no info was leaked to the press, several employees will either be fired or disciplined for unauthorized access to the pop star’s private info.

According to reports by the AP and the Los Angeles Times, more than 13 UCLA Medical Center employees will be fired for accessing the confidential medical records of Britney Spears, who was hospitalized twice at the center, most recently in the psychiatric ward.

The hospital’s director of human resources, Jeri Simpson, confirmed the confidentiality breach, but did not detail the exact number of employees involved, which of Spears’ files were looked at, or when they were accessed. However, the Times reported that those to be fired are various staff members, but that several others, including doctors, will be disciplined through other means.

The confidential records were accessed during Spears’ stay at the hospital in the psychiatric ward. However, the employees in question were only able to access her non-psychiatric records.

While there has been no evidence that any confidential information was leaked about Spears, whose personal life and every action is the focus of relentless tabloid attention, the snooping itself is a violation of state and federal privacy laws.

The Times reports that the Department of Public Health has opened an investigation into the hospital, where employees have previously accessed Spears’ files, back in September 2005, when she gave birth to her first son, Sean Preston.

In response to the new breach, Simpson stated that she feels “horrible” about the incident and the fact that it happened again is “is not only surprising, it’s very frustrating and disappointing.”

‘Girls Gone Wild’ Founder Pleads No Contest; Released

By Heather Chin

http://www.thecelebritycafe.com/features/14563.html (March 12, 2008)

‘Girls Gone Wild’ founder, Joe Francis, agrees to plead guilty in exchange for his freedom – just in time for Spring Break 2008.

The AP reported Wednesday that Joe Francis, the founder of the “Girls Gone Wild” video empire, plead no contest to the remaining charges against him of one count of felony child abuse and two counts of misdemeanor prostitution. In exchange, the terms of his plea agreement release him from Nevada state custody after nearly a year in jail, although he still awaits trial on charges of tax fraud.

Francis, 34, posted $1.5 million bond and returned to Florida, where he has also agreed that his company would not conduct any filming for the next three years – but only between the Florida counties of Escambia and Jackson Counties. The judge also ordered him to pay $60,000 in fines, court costs and restitution to the counties.

Despite this week’s plea, Francis maintains that he is still innocent and that he only “pleaded guilty just to get out of jail.” Additional pleas of no contest were made by him on behalf of his company, Mantra Films, on two counts of child abuse.

The “Girls Gone Wild” empire is built upon filming topless or scantily clad young women in sexually provocative positions while they are drunk, and Francis makes around $29 million a year in this endeavor.

In 2003, Francis’s company filmed underage women who had signed agreements stating that they were of legal age. His hotel rooms and corporate jets were raided, and in 2007, contraband of sleeping pills and cash were found by Bay County officials – those charges had guilty pleas entered, as well.

Whatever misfortunes he encounters, though, Joe Francis is determined to continue his life and business as usual. “I’m going to go back to making videos this afternoon,” he said.

Hoax 911 Call Claims Heather Locklear Suicide Attempt

By Heather Chin

http://www.thecelebritycafe.com/features/14457.html (March 9, 2008)

Fire department officials and paramedics found Heather Locklear alive and well after receiving a false alarm suicide call.

According to a report by TMZ, the Ventura County Fire Department and two paramedics units responded Saturday night to a 911 call made by someone reporting a “suicide attempt” by actress Heather Locklear, only to find the Melrose Place star in good health at her home in Thousand Oaks.

Capt. Barry Parker of the Ventura County Fire Department says that the call did not originate from Locklear’s home.

After speaking with Ms. Locklear, emergency personnel left the house within 10 minutes, as TMZ’s unnamed sources say there was no need to take her on a 5150 hold, which FindLaw.com describes as a California legal code for professional staff taking involuntary psychiatric custody of a person deemed mentally unstable.

Apparently, there was also no concern that Locklear was in any other danger, as a Fire Department source also told TMZ that, “If there was a problem, we would have taken her with us.”

The Dynasty star has a daughter with recent ex, Richie Sambora, and is currently working on two new projects.

No word yet on whether there are any clues as to who made the hoax phone call and whether it was sincere or intended as a prank.

Dr. Seuss’ ‘Horton’ LA Premiere Crashed By Abortion Protestors

By Heather Chin
http://www.thecelebritycafe.com/features/14462.html (March 9, 2008)

Latching onto the newest Seuss film’s slogan, pro-life demonstrators attempted to utilize children’s entertainment for their message about children... period.

“After all, a person is a person, no matter how small.” – Horton, in Horton Hears A Who!

At the Los Angeles premiere of Dr. Seuss’ “Horton Hears A Who!” on Saturday, pro-life demonstrators arrived at the Mann Village Theater after the film screening and chanted anti-abortion slogans, which included Horton’s oft-repeated mantra in the movie. TMZ.com reports that after they stopped chanting, members of the group plastered red tape that read “LIFE” over their mouths and marched around the event area.

It seems that no police action was taken, but some people in attendance were annoyed enough that a children’s movie was being politicized that they responded with retorts such as, “How dare you?” and “This is a kid’s premiere.”

The use of themes from Dr. Seuss’ work to support the cause of particular interest groups is not new, as Seuss biographer, Philip Nel, notes in a 2004 interview with BookTalk on ABC Radio National in Australia. For example, both the theme of and main character in “The Lorax” have very obvious associations with protecting the environment and conservation (and have been targeted by logging groups and community libraries).

However, it was not Seuss’ intent for the meaning of his stories to be associated with these causes. In the case of Horton and the anti-abortion lobby, the conflict began when Dr. Seuss (aka Mr. Theodore Geisel) threatened to sue a pro-life group unless they took the slogan off their stationery (they did, but the line is still used today by groups in both the U.S. and abroad).

The 1954 story is one of many Seuss stories to be made into TV cartoons, live-action movies, and even Broadway plays. Before writing his stories, Mr. Geisel worked in advertising and as a political cartoonist.

The film, animated by Blue Sky Studio, the production arm of 20^th Century Fox, is co-executive produced by Theodore Geisel’s widow, Audrey Geisel, and features the voices of Jim Carrey, Steven Carell and Mary Tyler Moore, and is set to be released this coming Friday.

Sources:
http://cnn.comwww.tmz.com/2008/03/08/horton-hears-an-abortion-protest/

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/arts/booktalk/stories/s1096785.htm (led to from a line in here: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117936443.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&nid=2562)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horton_Hears_a_Who!#_note-0

http://www.tldm.org/News11/ProlifeHortonHearsAWho.htm

Disney Plans A Japanese “Lilo and Stitch” Program

By Heather Chin

(previously published at www.thecelebritycafe.com on March 6, 2008)

“Lilo and Stitch” TV program just one of several new endeavors by Disney to provide entertainment that accommodates the culture it inhabits.

The Walt Disney Company has announced plans to create a Japanese version of its hit film, “Lilo and Stitch.” Reuters reports that the U.S.-based entertainment and media giant will work with Madhouse Ltd., a Japanese animation company, to create a TV program for the Disney Channel. The program is set to air on Japanese satellite and cable TV, said a Walt Disney Co. Japan spokeswoman to Reuters.

Disney also plans to collaborate with Asia’s huge Toei Animation Co. Ltd. to create a robot adventure computer graphics cartoon to air later this year.

Taken in a broader context, these joint projects are examples of Disney’s innovative global effort, announced to Reuters by Disney Channel Worldwide’s entertainment president, Gary Marsh, to create local teams in Asia to provide local content that would, in turn, be released to a global audience.

Elsewhere in the world, Disney has already transplanted and localized TV programs from one country to another country’s market. This was done with an Italian series that now airs also in Britain, the U.S., and Australia, and inroads are being made with Indian TV.

The story of Lilo and Stitch is about the self-affirming relationship and misadventures of a young Hawaiian girl and the pet dog named Stitch who is really an escaped alien refugee who attracts his own entourage of comedic acquaintances. It opened in the U.S. in 2002, won 8 film awards and was nominated for 20 more.