'Survivor: All Stars' cast revealed
Is the world ready to see Richard Hatch naked again? We'll soon find out as eighteen former 'Survivor' castaways try to 'outwit', 'outlast' and 'outwit' each other again on ''Survivor: All-Stars'.
CBS has formally announced the identities of the eighteen (rather than the usual sixteen) players who will compete in the eighth installment of the popular reality show series which debuts following Super Bowl XXXVII on Feb. 1st.
The list includes four previous 'Survivor' winners - Richard Hatch ('Survivor: Pulau Tiga'), Ethan Zohn ('Survivor: Africa'), Jenna Morasca ('Survivor: Amazon') and Tina Wesson ('Survivor: Australia') - and possibly the most popular 'Survivor' of all time: Rupert 'Blackbeard' Boneham of 'Survivor: Pearl Islands'.
Despite rumours following his comments on the 'Survivor: Pearl Islands' finale, Jon ('Jonnie Fairplay') Dalton is not a part of the cast and neither is winner Sandra Diaz-Twine.
Returning to the Pearl Islands due to conflicts with the original Pulau Tiga site, 'Survivor: All Stars' will feature three tribes that will eventually merge into two on the fifth or sixth episode.
The three tribes are...
CHAPERA TRIBE (Red):
1. Amber Brkich: "SURVIVOR: THE AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK".
2. Tom Buchanan, "SURVIVOR: AFRICA"
3. Alicia Calaway, "SURVIVOR: THE AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK".
4. Rob Cesternino, "SURVIVOR: THE AMAZON"
5. Sue Hawk, "SURVIVOR: PULAU TIGA"
6. Rob Mariano, "SURVIVOR: MARQUESAS"
SABOGA TRIBE (Yellow)
1. Rudy Boesch "SURVIVOR: PULAU TIGA"
2. Rupert Boneham "SURVIVOR: PEARL 3. ISLANDS"
3. Jenna Lewis, "SURVIVOR: PULAU TIGA""
4. Jerri Manthey, "SURVIVOR: THE AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK""
5. Tina Wesson, "SURVIVOR: THE AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK""
6. Ethan Zohn, "SURVIVOR: AFRICA""
MOGO MOGO TRIBE (Green):
1. Colby Donaldson, "SURVIVOR: THE AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK"
2. Richard Hatch, "SURVIVOR: PULAU TIGA"
3, Shii Ann Huang, "SURVIVOR: THAILAND"
4. Jenna Morasca, "SURVIVOR: THE AMAZON"
5. Lex van den Berghe, "SURVIVOR: AFRICA"
6. Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien, "SURVIVOR: MARQUESAS"
Filming of the series began on Nov. 3rd and finished on Dec. 9th and since that time, a number of startling rumours have cropped up on such leading 'Survivor' spoiling sites such as 'SurvivorNews.net'.
The primary ones being that contestant Jenna Morasca had to leave the series before it was finished filming due to the death of her mother, the former winners don't fare well at Tribal Council and that there will be no 'Ghost Tribe' this season.
The Couch Potato Report
This week in The Couch Potato Report – Freddy, Jason and English. Johnny English.
Rowan Atkinson, one of the world’s funniest performers, is the titular twit.
Mr. Bean is known around the world, and because of the role so is Mr. Atkinson.
It’s a legacy that most performers who have a signature role might not be able to rise above. But Atkinson hasn’t spent his career trying NOT To be Mr. Bean, he’s enjoyed a successful run in movies and TV shows playing a variation of the Bean person we know and love.
Rowan Atkinson has made me laugh for years in movies such as FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL, LOVE ACTUALLY and RAT RACE. And before he was ever even thought of as Mr. Bean he performed in such BBC shows as BLACKADDER and NOT THE NINE O’CLOCK NEWS.
But its because of Mr. Bean that he’s beloved worldwide.
It’s also because of Bean that a film like JOHNNY ENGLISH is worth seeing.
Rowan Atkinson stars as JOHNNY ENGLISH in this spoof of James Bond and other spy films.
JOHNNY ENGLISH isn't as funny as Mr. Bean, or BLACKADDER or NOT THE NINE O’CLOCK NEWS for that matter, but it is funny.
Not as funny as Mike Myers’ AUSTIN POWERS, but funny.
While Myers created a whole new character for Austin Powers Rowan Atkinson has just given his JOHNNY ENGLISH the best characteristics of his past work.
From Mr. Bean JOHNNY ENGLISH gets his muscle and face twitchings and helplessness, and courtesy of BLACKADDER he is equipped with plenty of nasty but harmless remarks.
There are also elements of Peter Seller’s Inspector Clouseau. JOHNNY ENGLISH is an 'idiot' who happens by sheer good luck to solve a case against all the odds. Like Clouseau he also has an annoyed superior and a faithful deputy who inevitably saves the day.
The story in JOHNNY ENGLISH is uneven in places, but through sheer good luck it all works out fine at the end.
John Malkovich plays the villain and pop singer Nathalie Imbruglia is quite good as English's sidekick.
Plainly stated, JOHNNY ENGLISH is a funny movie. It’s Rowan Atkinson's movie, tailored for his abilities and talent, one that will leave you with a genuine smile. Maybe even two.
You likley won't smile as funny is not a word many would ever use to describe the horror movie franchises A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET or FRIDAY THE 13th.
In the 80’s and early 90’s these movie series raked up big bucks no whammies at the box office.
But as the nineties drew to a close their returns continued to diminish. In an attempt to capitalize on the continuing popularity of the two series’ anti-heroes Freddy Krueger, of the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET films, and Jason Vorhees, from FRIDAY THE 13th, they have been put together in a film that is creatively titled FREDDY VS. JASON.
In FREDDY VS. JASON Jason and Freddy battle from Elm Street to Crystal Lake. if you don’t CLEARLY UNDERSTAND that reference, then you should probably stay away from this film.
If you do get it, and you want to know if this horror film is any good, well I’ll say this: I have no regrets about seeing it and I’m glad I did. Good? Maybe not. Satisfying? Definitely!
JOHNNY ENGLISH and FREDDY VS. JASON are available to rent and own at a video store near you right now.
Coming Next Week On Video and DVD
In 2003 Kevin Costner returned to the directorial form he displayed with DANCES WITH WOLVES. It came in a beautiful western called OPEN RANGE. Shot right here in Western Canada it also stars Robert Duvall and Anette Bening.
Also next week, Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek and Johnny Depp star in the conclusion of director Robert Rodriguez’ Mariachi trilogy. This follow up to EL MARIACHI and DESPERADO is called ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO.
Enjoy the movies and I'll see you on the couch!
'GUY': IT'S ALIVE!
'THE Family Guy" is coming back from the dead.
Talks are under way with both Fox - which canceled the cartoon series two years ago - and the Cartoon Network - which airs it in reruns now - for new episodes of the show, Seth MacFarlane, creator of "Family Guy," told The New York Post.
No matter what, MacFarlane says, production will begin soon - even if he doesn't know exactly where they'll end up.
"We're sort of waiting on an official word, but to the best of my knowledge, the plan is to start producing a batch of new episodes without necessarily knowing where they're going to wind up," he says. "It's sort of a new format that really hasn't been tried before, and it's based on the DVD sales."
DVD sales of the canceled show have been huge - and in no small part is fueling talk of reviving the series.
"It's insane. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that it would have this kind of afterlife," MacFarlane says. "It's just a shock to everybody who worked on the show."
The show follows the misadventures of the Griffin family - bumbling dad Peter, his good-natured wife Lois, their two teens, a cynical dog who is smarter than everyone else, and an evil baby bent on world domination who makes numerous attempts to kill his parents and siblings.
When "Family Guy" aired on Fox from 1999-2002, many attributed its low ratings to not having a secure place on the network's schedule. The show was kicked around so much, one of its writers once complained that even his own mother didn't know when it was on.
But industry execs took notice last year when the show's DVD collection surprised even MacFarlane by selling more than a million copies, a huge feat by any standard, but especially for a show that drew so little attention while it was on the air.
In the meantime, Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" late-night programming block began airing repeats last year - which attracted large numbers of young men. In time, more young guys were tuning into the cable channel to see "Family Guy" at 11:30 p.m. than for either "The Late Show" or "The Tonight Show."
Men between the ages of 18 and 34 years old are a prized group for advertisers.
" 'The Family Guy' is appealing to a young male audience in a season when nothing seems to be appealing to young men," said an industry source close to the talks.
A deal could even be announced as early as this week, according to sources. But others believe that might be overly optimistic because insiders have been claiming a deal for the prime-time return of "Family Guy" has been imminent since last November.
Several different plans to bring the show back are under discussion.
In one scenario, new episodes of "The Family Guy" would air on Fox, then Cartoon Network.
Other options include shipping the show exclusively either to Fox, Cartoon Network or elsewhere. In all instances, the ultimate destination for the episodes would be on DVD.
But if the show does return, it will likely put off a planned "Family Guy" movie, says MacFarlane.
"To do an original movie directly for DVD and the series at the same time would be a little difficult," he says. "But there's been some discussion of doing a series of episodes that would all link together to form a movie."
While canceled shows have been picked up by rival networks in the past ("JAG" jumped from NBC to CBS in 1997, for instance), no one can recall a show that has been canceled and off the air ever returning to the same network.
Friends, CSI, Pirates of Caribbean win at 30th annual People's Choice Awards
PASADENA, Calif. (CP) - The 2004 awards show season kicked off Sunday night with some of North America's favourite stars of television, film and music on hand to accept People's Choice Awards.
It was a Friends kind of night as the sitcom, now in its final season, won its sixth award for favourite comedy series. And one of its stars, Jennifer Aniston, was voted favourite female television performer. "I love my job and I love that the people have supported our show for the last 10 years," said Aniston, who didn't attend the ceremonies, but sent along her thanks and acceptance via a video message.
Friends cast members Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry were there to accept the prize on behalf of the show.
"We've had a great 10 years, but if it weren't for the brilliant people behind us - the writers - we would have been cancelled after 13 episodes," said Perry.
The 30th annual awards, held this year at Pasadena Civic Auditorium, were hosted by Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen of the new comedy Two and Half Men.
They opened the show with Cryer's declaration that this is the awards show "by the people, for the people and of the people," prompting Sheen to remark that he sounded "like my dad." It was a reference to his father, Martin Sheen, who was nominated for his role as the U.S. president on The West Wing.
He was beaten by Ray Romano of Everybody Loves Raymond, who won favourite male television performer.
Alliance Atlantis's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was the most popular dramatic show.
Pirates of the Caribbean, starring Johnny Depp, was the favourite motion picture. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers took the dramatic motion picture award, while Bruce Almighty, starring Canadian actor Jim Carrey, won for comedy.
A grinning and manic Carrey accepted the Bruce Almighty award, saying: "Not only is this an important win for the movie, it's just great to know... the whole Hollywood community has decided to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and saviour... thank you, my Jewish friends."
When Mel Gibson picked up his actor award, he seemed somewhat perplexed by the choice.
"I'm rather surprised at winning this since I wasn't actually in a motion picture much this year or last year - maybe that's why, huh?"
Julia Roberts was favourite motion picture actress, and Tom Hanks was voted all-time entertainer.
Faith Hill and Beyonce Knowles tied for favourite female musical performer; Canadian singer Shania Twain had been the third contender in the category. Tim McGraw won male performer.
Survivor: Pearl Islands was best reality-based program, and executive producer Mark Burnett accepted the prize surrounded by cast members.
"The crew is about 400 people living months on end in jungles and these people" - he motioned to the cast - "I'm starving for 39 days," he said.
"Thank you very, very much for the award, four years in a row."
Oprah Winfrey was best talk show host, beating Jay Leno and David Letterman.
"I thank you for the opportunity to speak and talk and use my voice in a way that I believe is a force for something really good on the air," she said.
Winners were selected through a Gallup poll of the general public.
A glittering array of stars attended the event , including Mandy Moore, Lance Bass, Cuba Gooding Jr., Mary Steenburgen, Ted Danson and Faith Ford.
Winners of the People's Choice Awards, presented Sunday night in Pasadena, Calif.:
TELEVISION:
Male Performer: Ray Romano
Female Performer: Jennifer Aniston
New Dramatic Series: Joan of Arcadia
New Comedy Series: Two and a Half Men
Dramatic Series: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Comedy Series: Friends
Reality-Based Program: Survivor: Pearl Islands
Talk Show Host: Oprah Winfrey
MUSIC:
Male Performer: Tim McGraw
Female Performer: Faith Hill, Beyonce Knowles (tie)
Group or Band: Matchbox Twenty
FILM:
Favourite Motion Picture: Pirates of the Caribben
Dramatic Motion Picture: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Comedy Motion Picture: Bruce Almighty
Actor: Mel Gibson
Actress: Julia Roberts
ALL-TIME FAVOURITE ENTERTAINER:
Tom Hanks
'Big Fish' Duels 'Rings' for No. 1 Spot
LOS ANGELES - The top spot at the weekend box office was too close to call, with Tim Burton's "Big Fish" holding a narrow lead over "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."
Studio estimates Sunday showed "Big Fish" took in $14.5 million to squeak past "Return of the King," which grossed $14.1 million. But with just $400,000 separating the top films, rankings could change when final numbers are released Monday.
Final figures often end up slightly lower than estimates made on Sunday, when studios are making projections on how big an audience their films will draw on the last day of the weekend.
"This is very rare to have a photo finish for the No. 1 spot," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. He predicted that the movies would stay in the same order on Monday.
Other studios were tracking Sony's "Big Fish" and New Line's "Return of the King" at slightly lower weekend grosses. Some had "Big Fish" in first place and some had "Return of the King" as No. 1.
Rory Bruer, Sony head of distribution, said the studio's $14.5 million figure for "Big Fish" was a reasonable estimate.
This was the first weekend in wide release for "Big Fish," which stars Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor in the fanciful adventures of a man who tells larger-than-life tales. The film opened in late December in a handful of theaters for Academy Awards consideration.
Expanding to 2,406 theaters, "Big Fish" averaged $6,027 a cinema, compared to $3,999 in 3,532 theaters for "Return of the King."
The weekend's only new wide releases were two poorly reviewed movies, the Eddie Griffin comedy "My Baby's Daddy," which ranked No. 6 with $7.8 million, and Mandy Moore's romance "Chasing Liberty," which was No. 7 with $6 million.
January is traditionally a dead zone for new releases, with audiences shrinking after the holiday boom and studios dumping mediocre flicks into theaters.
The overall box office was up compared to last year, though, with the top 12 movies taking in $92.5 million, up 5 percent from the same weekend in 2003.
Distributor Sony rolled out "Big Fish" slowly to build audience word of mouth for a complex film that was not an easy sell for Hollywood's marketing machine.
"It was a tough picture to represent marketing-wise in terms of letting people know what the story was," Bruer said. "It felt like going slower with the picture would give audiences a chance to kind of discover the story for themselves."
"The Return of the King" is about to pass the total $314.8 million domestic gross of the fantasy trilogy's first installment, "The Fellowship of the Ring." The final film also is expected to top the $341.7 million haul of the middle chapter, "The Two Towers."
The serial-killer drama "Monster," which has earned Academy Award buzz for star Charlize Theron, did well expanding into wider release. The film, based on the life of executed murderer Aileen Wuornos, took in $865,160 in 82 theaters for a strong $10,551 average.
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Big Fish," $14.5 million.
2. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," $14.1 million.
3. "Cheaper by the Dozen," $12 million.
4. "Something's Gotta Give," $8.2 million.
5. "Cold Mountain," $7.9 million.
6. "My Baby's Daddy," $7.8 million.
7. "Chasing Liberty," $6 million.
8. "Paycheck," $5.2 million.
9. "The Last Samurai," $4.53 million.
10. "Mona Lisa Smile," $4.5 million.
Ryan Seacrest Hopes to Score with the Ladies
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - It's "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest's turn to be judged Monday, when his live daily TV show debuts in syndication across the U.S.
Unlike some of the wannabe stars on the Fox talent show, the one-hour "On Air With Ryan Seacrest" does not fit easily into any immediately definable category.
"It's not talk, it's not variety, and it's not news -- it's pieces of all of the above," says Robb Dalton, president of program development at the show's syndicator, Twentieth Television. "We are creating a hybrid."
However, Dalton and executive producers David Armor and Adam Freeman have no doubts about what kind of audience they hope to attract to the show, which goes out live from a specially built multimillion-dollar studio at the Hollywood & Highland entertainment complex.
With all his "American Idol" exposure, as well as his new gig as the host of radio's syndicated "America's Top 40" program, Seacrest should be able to count on drawing an advertiser-friendly young female audience to the Fox-owned stations that are carrying the show -- but Twentieth is much more ambitious than that.
"We are looking to do the kind of show that a 17-year-old girl will watch with her 40-year-old mother," Dalton said.
To that end, Armor and Freeman, working with Seacrest, who is also executive producing, believe that they must break new ground in syndication with an ambitious mix of genres that casts a wide net in terms of audience appeal.
Seacrest will act as a sort of ringmaster to a host of different types of presentations from musical acts to celebrity interviews to on-location entertainment news reports, reviews, gags and competitions, the producers say. It's a show, Dalton says, that has "a lot of moving parts."
Industry analysts say it makes sense for Twentieth to shoot for a broad demographic but "realistically" the audience for Seacrest will be females aged 12-24 and 18-34, suggested Bill Carroll, vp, director of programing at consulting firm Katz Television in New York.
"And that younger 12-24 demographic is a notoriously fickle audience that is difficult to attract and to retain. It's an audience that's drawn to shows such as MTV's 'TRL' and to a range of other young adult cable programing," he said.
Carroll said Ricki Lake initially generated big numbers among that target young female demo, adding that Seacrest's association with "American Idol" should give him added appeal to that same 12-24 audience.
The fact that this is a show that will go out live against a backdrop of Hollywood seen through a big window a la "Today" will be a big factor in presenting something new for the highly competitive afternoon arena, Armor says.
"The appeal will be its spontaneity and unpredictability -- we are looking to try to make this an event every day that happens on live TV," he says.
The company also has provided a studio in the same complex for Seacrest's "America's Top 40." "So a guest can appear on live television and then also do a major radio show in the same visit," Dalton says. "And that will be a big attraction for many celebrities."
Although not all stations will air the show live, Dalton says: "For us, it doesn't make any difference if 20% or 100% of stations carry it live because we produce it as a live show, and there are no second chances. So when we go to the top of the hour, we have 60 minutes to get it right, and there are no second chances -- there's no saying, 'Let's repeat that."'
Some of the major Fox-owned stations taking live feeds are Dallas, Atlantis, Detroit, Cleveland and St. Louis.
Armor and Freeman say they plan to bring in viewers by providing a platform for fans to interact directly with their favorite personalities and performers. For instance, Freeman says: "We plan to do a live 'door knock' during the show from somewhere in the country. This will involve us going to a fan's home or place of work -- they have no idea we are coming -- and we reveal to them on the show that we have two tickets to fly them that night or the next night to be front and center at a performance by their favorite artist."
Seacrest also will assign fans to actually cover and report on their favorite artists' concerts and other entertainment events.
Describing the show as "fan-centric," Armor said fans will interact live via text messaging with celebrities who are appearing with Seacrest. There will be various other interactive elements to the show, he adds.
For example, Freeman says: "We were doing a show on the day the news broke that Britney Spears got married, and because we were live, we were able to react to it. And as we put our package together, we were able to have viewers vote on whether they liked it, and we could have fans talk about it on the air."