Aransay
2
http://www.tvguide.com/newsgossip/inthenews/
A DIFFERENT KIND OF TERROR ALERT...: Save some of that duct tape for your TV, folks: ABC and NBC are threatening to air dueling Michael Jackson specials on Monday night. In response to ABC's decision to rerun the highly-rated documentary Living with Michael Jackson from 9-11 pm/ET, NBC is expanding its Michael Jackson Unmasked plastic surgery special into a two-hour edition of Dateline NBC that will also air from 9-11. And if that's not enough, ABC will kick off the night with a special PrimeTime (8-9 pm/ET) focusing on the latest controversies surrounding the Gloved One. In the end, all this matters little. Everyone's going to be watching the finale of Joe Millionaire on Fox. At least I think it's the finale.
WILL ELTON JOIN HIM?: Grammy organizers confirmed Thursday that Eminem will perform at the 45th annual ceremony, telecast live Feb. 23 on CBS. Also added to the talent roster: 'N Sync, Sheryl Crow and Lenny Kravitz. Meanwhile, Elvis Costello, Tony Kanal, Bruce Springsteen and Steve Van Zandt will take part in a special tribute to Clash lead singer Joe Strummer, who passed away late last year at the age of 50.
KELLY SHUTS UP: Kelly Osbourne backed out of her planned performance at Britain's NME Awards on Thursday over concerns of a possible terrorist attack in London. See, there is some good coming out of this new heightened state of alert.
IDOL ANGER: American Idol viewers are coming to the rescue of ousted semifinalist Frenchie Davis. More than 20,000 fans have signed an online petition (SaveFrenchie.com) protesting the producers' decision to give her the boot after they learned she once posed for an adult website. The 23-year-old college student told a Washington, D.C., radio station that she did it to pay her tuition. Hey, I have an idea: Let's start a petition to protest the producers' decision to include family members in the Coke-sponsored holding area. They're starting to get on my nerves.
ODD COUPLE: I'd love to be a fly on the wall when these two meet: Dame Judi Dench is in final talks to star opposite Vin Diesel in the upcoming Pitch Black sequel Chronicles of Riddick, Variety reports. The Oscar-winning actress will play an ethereal being who helps Riddick (Diesel) unearth his origins. In other film news, Robert Downey Jr. is in negotiations to join Halle Berry in the supernatural thriller Gothika.
CONGRATS: Former Good Morning America host Joan Lunden and her husband Jeff Konigsberg are expecting twins this summer born to a surrogate mother. The 52-year-old has three daughters — ranging in age from 15 to 22 — from her first marriage. Silly me. I always thought Joan was married to Charles Gibson.
AFTER LOOKING DOWN UNDER...: Australian police recovered more stolen Beatles tapes on Friday from a home in western Sydney. Among the confiscated items: tape recordings of the Abbey Road and White albums. (Any sign of my Abba 8-tracks? I can't find those things anywhere!) According to Reuters, detectives believe the recordings were stolen from London's Abbey Road studios in 1969.
KIDS RULE: Nominations for the 16th annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards were announced Thursday, and Jennifer Lopez and Justin Timberlake led the field with three nods apiece. Ice Age, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Spider-Man also snagged three nods, including favorite film. The Rosie O'Donnell-hosted kudocast will air live from Santa Monica, Calif., on April 12.
SIMPLY LUDACRIS: Two days after calling off his Pepsi boycott, rap bigwig Russell Simmons is once again urging folks to shun the soft drink giant. Apparently, he spoke too soon when he said that whole Ludacris controversy had been resolved. If this Simmons dude doesn't make up his mind fast, I'm going out and buying a case of Pepsi after work. Oh, wait... This just in from The Associated Press: Pepsi has agreed to donate $3 million over three years to the Ludacris Foundation and other charities, thereby appeasing Simmons and averting the boycott. I'm so confused at this point, I'm just going to drink Snapple.
DON'T MESS WITH POSH: Five men were officially charged Friday with plotting to kidnap Posh Spice (aka Victoria Beckham). The alleged conspirators were arrested in London last November and have been jailed ever since.
SHORT CUTS: The Westminster Kennel Club dog show attracted its highest TV audience in history, with Tuesday's USA Network telecast averaging 4.6 million viewers... Merger talks between CNN and ABC News were declared dead Thursday by AOL Time Warner... Freshman talk-show host Dr. Phil McGraw will play himself on an episode of Frasier slated to air next month, the New York Post reports.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF TERROR ALERT...: Save some of that duct tape for your TV, folks: ABC and NBC are threatening to air dueling Michael Jackson specials on Monday night. In response to ABC's decision to rerun the highly-rated documentary Living with Michael Jackson from 9-11 pm/ET, NBC is expanding its Michael Jackson Unmasked plastic surgery special into a two-hour edition of Dateline NBC that will also air from 9-11. And if that's not enough, ABC will kick off the night with a special PrimeTime (8-9 pm/ET) focusing on the latest controversies surrounding the Gloved One. In the end, all this matters little. Everyone's going to be watching the finale of Joe Millionaire on Fox. At least I think it's the finale.
WILL ELTON JOIN HIM?: Grammy organizers confirmed Thursday that Eminem will perform at the 45th annual ceremony, telecast live Feb. 23 on CBS. Also added to the talent roster: 'N Sync, Sheryl Crow and Lenny Kravitz. Meanwhile, Elvis Costello, Tony Kanal, Bruce Springsteen and Steve Van Zandt will take part in a special tribute to Clash lead singer Joe Strummer, who passed away late last year at the age of 50.
KELLY SHUTS UP: Kelly Osbourne backed out of her planned performance at Britain's NME Awards on Thursday over concerns of a possible terrorist attack in London. See, there is some good coming out of this new heightened state of alert.
IDOL ANGER: American Idol viewers are coming to the rescue of ousted semifinalist Frenchie Davis. More than 20,000 fans have signed an online petition (SaveFrenchie.com) protesting the producers' decision to give her the boot after they learned she once posed for an adult website. The 23-year-old college student told a Washington, D.C., radio station that she did it to pay her tuition. Hey, I have an idea: Let's start a petition to protest the producers' decision to include family members in the Coke-sponsored holding area. They're starting to get on my nerves.
ODD COUPLE: I'd love to be a fly on the wall when these two meet: Dame Judi Dench is in final talks to star opposite Vin Diesel in the upcoming Pitch Black sequel Chronicles of Riddick, Variety reports. The Oscar-winning actress will play an ethereal being who helps Riddick (Diesel) unearth his origins. In other film news, Robert Downey Jr. is in negotiations to join Halle Berry in the supernatural thriller Gothika.
CONGRATS: Former Good Morning America host Joan Lunden and her husband Jeff Konigsberg are expecting twins this summer born to a surrogate mother. The 52-year-old has three daughters — ranging in age from 15 to 22 — from her first marriage. Silly me. I always thought Joan was married to Charles Gibson.
AFTER LOOKING DOWN UNDER...: Australian police recovered more stolen Beatles tapes on Friday from a home in western Sydney. Among the confiscated items: tape recordings of the Abbey Road and White albums. (Any sign of my Abba 8-tracks? I can't find those things anywhere!) According to Reuters, detectives believe the recordings were stolen from London's Abbey Road studios in 1969.
KIDS RULE: Nominations for the 16th annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards were announced Thursday, and Jennifer Lopez and Justin Timberlake led the field with three nods apiece. Ice Age, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Spider-Man also snagged three nods, including favorite film. The Rosie O'Donnell-hosted kudocast will air live from Santa Monica, Calif., on April 12.
SIMPLY LUDACRIS: Two days after calling off his Pepsi boycott, rap bigwig Russell Simmons is once again urging folks to shun the soft drink giant. Apparently, he spoke too soon when he said that whole Ludacris controversy had been resolved. If this Simmons dude doesn't make up his mind fast, I'm going out and buying a case of Pepsi after work. Oh, wait... This just in from The Associated Press: Pepsi has agreed to donate $3 million over three years to the Ludacris Foundation and other charities, thereby appeasing Simmons and averting the boycott. I'm so confused at this point, I'm just going to drink Snapple.
DON'T MESS WITH POSH: Five men were officially charged Friday with plotting to kidnap Posh Spice (aka Victoria Beckham). The alleged conspirators were arrested in London last November and have been jailed ever since.
SHORT CUTS: The Westminster Kennel Club dog show attracted its highest TV audience in history, with Tuesday's USA Network telecast averaging 4.6 million viewers... Merger talks between CNN and ABC News were declared dead Thursday by AOL Time Warner... Freshman talk-show host Dr. Phil McGraw will play himself on an episode of Frasier slated to air next month, the New York Post reports.