It's Official: Eddie Murphy is Hosting the Oscars

I'm truly hoping that this is part of the resurgence of Eddie Murphy. After a decade of really bad movies, his new film Tower Heist actually looks funny. Now, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced that the 50-year old Murphy will host the 84th Annual Academy Awards. Airing on February 26, Brett Ratner who is co-producing the awards ceremony and Murphy's movie Tower Heist is said to have lobbied hard for the actor/comedian.

With Eddie Murphy as host, I might, for the first time, have to watch the entire show! Now, that's saying something.

The Help Still #1

Viola Davis and the girls have spent their third week at #1 in the box office. The Help is helping itself to great reviews, amazing word of mouth and a heap of success. The last movie to do linger at #1 for three weeks was Inception. The Help is holding its own without having Inception-like money. The film made $19 million over the historically slow Labor Day weekend, and has grossed $123 since it debuted. It took Inception just nine days to make that much.

Still, this is great news for the cast and especially Davis. Here's hoping she can parlay this success into more leading roles!

Glee Season 3: Chris Colfer Speaks

Chris Colfer sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss Glee's third season. Basically, he said this.

• Kurt and Blaine are still together; but Colfer was coy when it came to whether Blaine will transfer to McKinley and become a New Direction.
• Kurt is struggling with other's coming to terms with his sexuality.
• Kurt and Rachel who had been bonding over the second half of Season 2 (especially in the finale), are now BFFs.
• Sue is still running for office and he says " Wait til you see the posters!"

Wanna read the whole thing? Click here. 

 

 

 

Grey's Season Eight Premiere

Grey's Anatomy starts its eighth season on September 22nd. TVLine has 25 pics from the 2-hour season opener (click here). I've also attached the promo for the premiere. Take a look.



Here are my questions:

After 25 pictures and a 30 second promo, where in the hell is Eric Dane? Can we even get him lurking in the background somewhere?

Who is getting busy at the 14 second mark of the promo? Is that Avery? Who's he with? Then again, maybe it's not Avery? Again, who's getting busy?

Can I actually get a promo song I like? I haven't had that since How to Save a Life in Season 3!

Holly Robinson Peete - You're Fired

This is Holly Robinson Peete.

I have to admit, I've never watched even five minutes of The Talk; it reminds me too much of The View. And, if I were ever convicted of some minor infraction, I'd choose 100 hours of community service at a drunk tank on the weekends over being forced to watch a full episode of that tripe.

Having said that, those of you who watch The Talk have probably already talked about Leah "former Queen of the King of Queens and avid Scientologist" Remini's decision not to return for Season 2. Now, CBS announces that Holly Robinson Peete won't be back either.

On her blog, the former Celebrity Apprentice winner said, "After weeks in limbo, I was finally ‘officially’ given word from CBS today that I have not been picked up for the 2nd season of The Talk... While I am relieved to have this closure, it doesn’t diminish my disappointment one bit about not continuing with a show I worked very hard to launch and love dearly. But I’ve been around long enough to know that while you cannot control certain situations you CAN control how you respond to them."

Very classy response. Joining Sharon "I've made a good living off of reality TV and my marriage to an aging doddering rock god" Osbourne and Sarah "former surly daughter on Roseanne who's now known for being out and proud" Gilbert at The Talk table will be guest hosts Kris "I'm responsible for bringing all of the Kardashian girls into the world and foisting them on an unsuspecting public" Jenner, Molly "I'm a funny girl but havent' hit pay dirt since I left SNL" Shannon and comic Sheryl "I look like Wesley Snipes did in drag in To Wong Foo" Underwood. As if I didn't have enough reasons not to watch this show, the presence of Jenner and Underwood add two very big new reasons!

This is Wesley Snipes in drag ...
not Sheryl Underwood.



This is Sheryl Underwood ...
not Wesley Snipes in drag.





HawthoRNe Canceled

Her marriage might be in tact and going strong but the same can't be said for her television show. TNT has canceled HawthoRNe starring Jada-Pinkett Smith. The show ran for three seasons and TNT opted not to pick it up for a fourth.

In a statement, TNT said, “The series gave TNT the opportunity to work with many outstanding people, including Jada Pinkett Smith and the rest of the show’s talented cast, crew, producers and writers. We wish everyone involved with HawthoRNe nothing but the best.”


HawthoRNe joins Men of a Certain Age, starring Ray Romano and  Andre Brauer, earlier this year. The network  has picked up Rizzoli and Isle for a third season, Falling Skies and Franklin and Bash for a second.

Fall Movies I Want to See!

Okay, this holiday weekend, I probably won’t be at the movies. However, take a look at my Must See Movies for the fall. These are the ones I plan on seeing and, of course, reviewing.

Contagion (PG-13) A highly contagious virus kills off millions in a matter of weeks. How do they stop it??? Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law and Kate Winslet star. (September 9)

Moneyball (not rated, probably pg-13) It’s a testament to the power of Brad Pitt that I am willing to sit through a baseball movie. He plays Billy Beane, who helped rejuvenate the Oakland A’s in the early part of the last decade. Also starring Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Robin Wright (formerly Penn). (September 23)

The Ides of March (not yet rated): Politically, I’m an independent. However, if George Clooney were running for office, he’d get my vote no matter the party: Republican, Democrat, Independent, Green or Ferrets for Freedom! Ryan Gosling is the right hand man supporting the Democratic presidential nominee Mike Morris (Clooney) who learns a secret who could cost his man the election. (October 7)

Like Crazy: (PG-13) Can long distance love survive over the span of years and continents? Like Crazy won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. So I guess I’ll see it. Stars Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones. (October 28)

Tower Heist: (not yet rated) Eddie Murphy is back. After the staff at New York City’s swankiest apartment building lose their pensions to a Bernie Madoff-like character (Alan Alda), they enlist the help of a thief (Murphy) to get it back. Also starring Ben Stiller, Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck and Gabourey Sidibe. (November 4)

J. Edgar: (not yet rated) Clint Eastwood directs and Leonardo DiCaprio stars as the cross-dressing FBI director who presided over the agency for half a century and became one of the most powerful men in the country. (November 9)

Jack and Jill (PG): Adam Sandler plays twins Jack and Jill. Jill comes to visit her brother for Thanksgiving and refuses to leave. Katie Holmes plays Jack’s wife. (November 11)

The Descendants (R): I hated the movie Sideways and director Alexander Payne is back again with Descendants. George Clooney stars as a man who finds out that his comatose wife was having an affair (I’m assuming she had the affair before the coma) and tries to reconnect with his two estranged daugthers. (November 23).

The Muppets (not yet rated): I normally don’t do kids’ movies but this is The Muppets. Jason Segel and Amy Adams star. (Nov 23)

The Iron Lady (not yet rated): Meryl Streep plays former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. I smell an Oscar nom! (Dec 16)

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (not yet rated): Guy Ritchie is back with the hyped-up action version of the cerebral Sherlock Holmes. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law star. (Dec 16)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (not yet rated): Okay, I haven’t read the book. It’s rare that I ever read the book. But apparently, it’s very good and a lot of people can’t wait to see the movie about a journalist who enlists the help of a computer hacker to solve a mystery. According to Entertainment Weekly, it “promises to be violent and creepy” – that alone is enough to pique my interest. (December 21)

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (not yet rated): Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt is tracking down the culprits in the bombing of the Kremlin. Paula Patton and Jeremy Renner co-star. (December 21)

Carnage (not yet rated) – Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly face off against Kate Winslet and Chrstoph Waltz as parents who try to get along after there grade school sons get into a fight at school.