Filed under: Celebrities, Reality-Free

I love Cosby sweaters–those loud, patterned fashion monstrosities that look good on no one. Bill Cosby is auctioning off three sweaters from his days as Heathcliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show. Proceeds from the eBay auction will benefit Hello Friend/The Ennis William Cosby Foundation, which supports education. Cosby started the foundation in 1997 to honor his son’s memory.

The auction will run from June 2 to June 18, with opening bids starting at $5,000 per hideous sweater. It’s all for a good cause, though. Hello Friend donates books to underfunded schools and helps train teachers, among other things. Ennis Cosby was studying to be a teacher at the time of his death, and his family wanted to continue his work.

Continue reading Get your very own Cosby sweater

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Filed under: Late Night, TV Royalty, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, Reality-Free

Here’s who’s on the late night shows tonight.

• Charlie Rose: Sarah Jessica Parker and Michael Patrick King
• The Daily Show: Richard Clarke
• The Colbert Report: David Sirota
• The Late Show with David Letterman: Robert Downey Jr. and Alicia Keys (repeat)
• Jay Leno: Jack Black and Clay Aiken (repeat)
• Jimmy Kimmel Live: Ryan Seacrest and Clay Aiken (repeat)
• Tavis Smiley: Carole King (repeat)
• Late Night with Conan O’Brien: Will Ferrell, Rashida Jones, and Fred Simmons (repeat)
• The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson: Kal Penn and Lake Bell (repeat)
• Last Call with Carson Daly: Sheryl Crow and Romany Malco (repeat)

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Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Video, Celebrities, Reality-Free

We’ve all seen the thousands of comedy videos that people upload to YouTube. Some of them are good, most of them are awful, and there are very few that you would describe as “brilliant.” This guy is the latter.

They’re from 17 year-old Bo Burnham, a Massachusetts teen who started uploading wacky songs a while back and became a viral video sensation. How much of a sensation? Hollywood agent Douglas Edley (who also reps Dave Chappelle and Drew Carey) saw the videos and called up Burnham. He’s now his agent, and Burnham was signed to Comedy Central. He recently recorded an album for them and has filmed some comedy segments for the channel.

After the jump are a couple of samples of Burnham’s work (check out more at the link above, especially “Cookout”). Warning: these are NSFW, or school, church, or ice cream social for that matter. But they are undeniably funny and very clever, and Burnham has the musical chops to back up the words.

Continue reading Comedy Central signs YouTube teen - VIDEOS

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Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Celebrities, Pickups and Renewals

Rapper T.I. is turning his recent conviction into a reality show for MTV.

The show will feature the hip-hop artist performing his 1,000+ hours of community service, which precedes his one-year prison sentence. Shot documentary style, the series will last eight episodes and will detail his daily routine while serving part of his sentence

Continue reading Rapper to serve community service on MTV

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Filed under: OpEd, Doctor Who, Celebrities, Reality-Free

According to Rich Johnston at Comic Book Resources, new Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat has put forth a request to legendary writer Neil Gaiman to pen an episode for the 2010 season. I will step back while you shriek with excitement.

Neil Gaiman first garnered fame for his comic book of the 80’s and 90’s, The Sandman, which endeared him to all sorts of people who are now influential in the entertainment industry. He has written novels (one of which, Stardust, was recently adapted into a movie). He has written movies (most recently Beowulf). He has written for television before as well (the Babylon 5 episode “Day of the Dead”).

I hope this rumor is true. Gaiman is well-versed in the fantasy genre and would add a great deal of knowledge and depth to the program. Given how the Doctor is portrayed more or less as a wizard with his sonic screwdriver doubling as a magic wand, perhaps Gaiman could add some more fantasy elements to it. Perhaps the Doctor could even meet Death.

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Filed under: CSI, Celebrities, Reality-Free

On Monday, April 28, CSI star Gary Dourdan was arrested in Palm Springs, California. He was asleep in his car and when a police officer approached, he found Dourdan disoriented. The actor was arrested after the cop found cocaine, heroin, Ecstacy, miscellaneous prescription drugs and paraphernalia in the car. Despite pleading guilty to drug possession today, Dourdan will not have to do any jail time. In fact, in the deal his lawyer struck with prosecutors, Gary will get treatment for his drug problems. Basically, he lucked out.

“Once Gary completes 30 hours of a diversion program, his case will be entirely dismissed,” said his lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holley, in a statement to The Associated Press. Dourdan won’t have to do any time in a drug rehab facility or behind bars, so all things considered, he’s very, very fortunate. He could have faced up to three years or more in jail .

Gary has already departed CSI, and in the season finale, his character was seemingly killed in a point blank shooting. However, when Jorja Fox returns for the fall premiere, Dourdan is reportedly in the show. And not as a ghost. So, now that he won’t be doing time, he’ll have time to film scenes for CSI and, presumably, wrap up the unfinished business of the CSI crew exposing the corrupt under sheriff.

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Filed under: Action, Casting, Sony, RumorMonger, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

A few days ago, Latino Review broke the news that Patrick Fugit was being considered as the heir to the Spider-Man throne. His suitability was hotly debated, but apparently all for nothing if the Internet is to be believed.

CHUD happened to be on set of Cirque du Freak, which Fugit has just finished filming, and one of the producers sent off an inquiry as to the truth of the casting rumor. The e-mail was the first Fugit had heard about it — which means little in the world of “insider scoops,” as Fugit could still quite possibly be on a “to be considered” list. Every 20-something male in the world could be on it. Maybe there’s a Cinematical reader just waiting to be plucked from obscurity!

Or not. According to sources over at IESB.net, which included everyone from CAA to Marvel, no actor has been approached. Not even Maguire. But so worried has Sony been about the rumor that they have supposedly been scrambling to have the Fugit story taken off the sites, down to every link and reference. A Sony rep also told IESB that the Fugit story is completely false. “No one is being considered for the role but Tobey. Period.”

Continue reading Tobey Maguire Still Top Pick for ‘Spider-Man 4′

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Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, Fandom, Newsstand, Dreamworks, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

After weeks of rumors, centering mostly on Jonah Hill, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed the cast of Transformers 2. Joining the just-announced Rainn Wilson, and the already confirmed LaBeouf, will be Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and John Turturro.

Of course, director Michael Bay is returning to helm it, as well as the original writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who are joined by Ehren Kruger.

No word on story details yet, but filming has already begun in Los Angeles. It will move to Pennsylvania, and then overseas. Photos have been cropping up on the Internet already, though largely of scaffolding and trucks at this point.

Continue reading The Gang is Back for ‘Transformers 2′

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Filed under: Action, Classics, Comedy, Casting, Deals, Paramount, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels

Wasn’t there a prophecy of Nostradamus about this? Someone go look.

Variety announced that, inspired by the success of Indiana Jones IV, Paramount has green-lit a fourth installment of Beverley Hills Cop. Eddie Murphy will return to play Axel Foley. Brett Ratner will direct. (I hear the cries of “doom!” from the Internet.) The movie is set to begin filming next year, with a 2010 release.

Murphy’s actually the brainchild behind the idea — and with the way his public image has fallen, it’s no wonder he would love a return to the role that made him a megastar. Now we know what he was doing over the holiday weekend! Watching everything from Lethal Weapon 4 to Crystal Skull, saying “I could do that … again!” (Or perhaps it was to redeem the title from Beverly Hills Chihuahua.)

Continue reading Brett Ratner Directing ‘Beverly Hills Cop 4′

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Filed under: Drama, Independent, Casting, Cinematical Indie

Sorry silicone lovers — this is not a case of actresses getting bustier, or joining a film about the porn industry or silicon implants. If you remember, last November I blogged about Ray Winstone’s upcoming films, one of which was 44 Inch Chest, which would have him acting alongside Ian McShane, John Hurt, and Tim Roth. According to Variety, even more have signed on for the British gangster film — namely, Tom Wilkinson, Stephen Dillane (who recently kicked butt as Thomas Jefferson in John Adams), Joanne Whalley, and Melvil Poupaud.

Written by Sexy Beast writers Louis Melles and David Scinto, and being directed by Melcolm Venville, the film stars Winstone as a gangster “who seeks revenge on his wife and young French lover.” I think it would be safe to say that Whalley (Willow) will play the wife, and Poupaud (Goodboy in Speed Racer) will play the lover, since, well, his name in the film is “Loverboy.”

The film is currently in production in London, and some distribution agreements have already been reached — Alliance will handle the release in Canada and the UK, and Momentum will handle Spain.

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