Matthew, Really?

Seems like my hometown is coming up in the film world. We've got two movies shooting in Cleveland right now. First is next summer's blockbuster, The Avengers with Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and a bunch of others. Now, I find out that the new Alex Cross movie, I, Alex Cross is shooting there as well. Alex Cross, if you don't remember, is the fictional detective made famous by author James Patterson. He was played by Morgan Freeman in Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. I reported on this film earlier in the year when director Rob Cohen dropped Idris Elba as the lead and replaced him with Tyler Perry. Yes, you read that right. At the time, I thought it was some kind of cruel joke, but, alas, it is true (stupid if you ask me ...but true).

Betcha he ain't smiling so pretty
with that busted lip. Don't
mess with Cleveland!

Also true is the fact that former Lost star, Matthew Fox, who was in Cleveland shooting his role in the Alex Cross film, got into a little melee over the weekend. Seems he had a little too much to drink and tried to board a party bus. The female driver, Heather Bormann, told him he could not board as the bus was reserved for a private party but Fox was not taking no for an answer. He insisted on trying to board the bus.

At this point, according to ABC News, he "punched her in the chest and stomach area" and she responded by punching him in the mouth and cutting his lip. Neither one sought medical treatment at the time, although Bormann now says she thinks she might have broken her hand in the altercation. She told TMZ she is considering pressing charges against the actor.

Cleveland not only rocks, it punches too!

Viv Gets Real about Reality Show Offer

As Vivica Fox prepares to walk down the aisle with club promoter Slimm, she told reporters at Comic Con in San Diego that she was approached about doing a reality show about her new marriage and she politely declined.

She explained, “I try not to live my life in a fishbowl. I have to turn off. If I’m on all of the time, how will my husband ever get to know me as his future wife? I have learned to turn off and to be able to hang out with my family and my friends and not be so on.”

Makes sense to me. It's hard enough keeping a celebrity marriage together and the track record of couples who do reality shows isn't that great either. Yes, I'm talking to you Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, Jon and Kate Gosselin, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, just about all of The Bachelors, and the list goes on.

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Because I honestly didn't feel this bit of news deserved its own post, I decided to tack it on here. Just as Viv decides not to do a reality show, VH-1 announces a 10-episode show on rapper T.I. after his release from prison after a year on a parole violation. The show will follow him as he readjusts to life on the outside, with his family (wife Tiny from Escape and his kids) and as he goes back into the studio. Just another reason why I rarely watch VH-1

That Krazy Katt

If you haven't seen it yet, check out Katt Williams rant in response to a Mexican heckler at a show in Phoenix. He went on for like 7 minutes. A lot of people say he went too far. What do you think?

Twinkle Toes?

Dancing with the Stars premieres on September 19th. And look who'll be dancing ...

David Arquette (actor)
Ron Artest (basketball player)
Chaz Bono (reality star and former daughter... now son of Cher)
Elisabetta Canalis (George Clooney's ex-girlfriend)
Kristin Cavallari (reality star)
Nancy Grace (TV talk show host/judge)
Robert Kardashian (reality star)
Carson Kressley (TV fashion maven)
Ricki Lake (former talk show host)
J.R. Martinez (actor/motivational speaker)
Chynna Phillips (singer)
Hope Solo (soccer player)

I'm not going to lie. I sometimes take issue with the DWTS definition of 'star' if I have to google you, your stardom is questionable. Never heard of Solo or Martinez. I only know of Canalis through the tabloids. And,  Bono? Controversial, yes. Star, no.

Could the Real Eddie Be Back?

No one can define that from the early 80's to the mid-90's Eddie Murphy was the man. He was classic on  Saturday Night Live. His concert films Delirious and Raw will still make you laugh. And, let's not forget the string of hits that gave us Trading Places, 48 Hours, Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, Harlem Nights, and Boomerang.

And then it happened, Eddie Murphy lost his mojo.

Somewhere after The Nutty Professor, he lost it. It was gone. He went all 'family-friendly', giving us tripe like The Haunted Mansion, Daddy Daycare, Dr. Doolittle and Shrek (which wasn't tripe and was actually pretty good). He sanded down his edginess and what was left, well, what was left wasn't funny.

Can anyone explain or even care to remember the craptastic Pluto Nash or the filmmaking flatulence that was Norbit or Meet Dave? Sure, he emerged for a second with a small dramatic role in Dreamgirls. But still...

So imagine my surprise when I came across this trailer for Tower Heist starring Ben Still, Alan Alda, Casey Affleck, Matthew Broderick and, you guessed it ... Eddie Murphy. Basically, Alda plays a Bernie Madoff-like character who scams people out of all of their money, including the staff at the apartment building where he lives. As the manager, Stiller vows that he will get their money back, even if he has to steal it back. So he and a team of employees (including Precious' Gabourey Sidibe) plan a heist, with a little help from you know who.



I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's actually funny. It's set to be released on November 4, 2011.

He's Really Out

Chord Overstreet, who played Sam Evans, on Glee sat down with TV Line and explained his departure from the show. First off, he was a recurring character much like Darren Criss (Blaine) and Harry Shum Jr. (Mike Chang). Unlike those two, however, the decision was made not to make him a full-time cast member this season.

He was offered an opportunity to come back on a recurring basis with the possibility of becoming a series regular later in the season but he declined, deciding instead to focus on his music career.

He told TVLine, "I did a lot of thinking and I felt like it was a good time to work on my album and focus on that avenue of my career. They offered me the chance to come back for a few episodes, but there was nothing guaranteed so I decided to dive into the music thing. And that’s been my main priority the past two months."

He will be seen later this season on a few episodes of The Middle.

So as soon as Mercedes gets a man, he drops out of the show. What does a sista have to do to get some love????

Law & Order SVU's New Cast Members

Obviously, Christopher Meloni left some very big shoes to fill when he exited Law & Order: SVU. Shoes so big that they chose two actors to replace him. Danny Pino of Cold Case fame and Kelli Giddish who starred in last season's Chase on NBC.

I guess the duo aren't actually replacing him because from what I can tell, the two will be partners. Giddish will play Det. Amanda Rollins, a former Atlanta detective with a degree in forensic psychology. Meanwhile, Pino will play Nick Amaro, a Jersey boy with a talent for interrogation.

The show debuts on my birthday, ... September 21 at 10:00 PM (NBC)

*Photo courtesy of TV Guide