The HOT Report - by Craig Hill

TV - The HOT Report

Another Writer Claims Hannah Montana

January 28th 2009 09:34

Another writer has filed a lawsuit claiming he pitched the original script for what ultimately became the hit Disney Channel series starring Miley Cyrus about a so-called average teen who moonlights as a pop star.

After the complaint filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by TMZ.com, Richard Fronduto maintains he penned a script in 1990 titled The Secret Life of Sindi (never mind that that sounds like porn), which later was retitled Family Business.

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Posted By: KC Hill - Category: TV, Celebrities, USA

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Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Report

January 26th 2009 10:33

At points it seemed as if the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards was following the same script as the Golden Globes Awards that took place two weeks ago, but the ceremony did feature a few variations, despite the fact that Slumdog Millionaire, Heath Ledger, Kate Winslet, Mad Men and 30 Rock still won a whole new slew of shiny trophies.

As Slumdog Millionaire continued to bust out of its little-film-that-could shell by winning the evening's final award, Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, Ledger and Winslet racked up more supporting-actor ammo heading into next month's Academy Awards.

Winslet was honored again for her role as a former concentration camp guard who has a lusty affair with a teenager in The Reader (a role for which she's competing in the Best Actress Oscar race), while Ledger seemingly cemented his Oscar-frontrunner status for his still-resonating performance in The Dark Knight.
Meryl Streep Kevin Winter/Getty Images

"It is a great honor to be asked to accept this on behalf of Heath," said costar Gary Oldman. "He was an extraordinary young man with an extraordinary talent. And it is wonderful that you have acknowledged that and honored that talent tonight. On behalf of Heath, his family, and his family on The Dark Knight, I thank you."

30 Rock Cast At The SAG Awards

But Winslet couldn't make it a double Sunday because it was the grande dame of nights such as these, Meryl Streep, who won for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for her turn as a strict and relentless nun in Doubt.

"I didn't even buy a dress!" a breathless Streep exclaimed. "I'm really, really, really shocked! And even though awards mean nothing to me anymore, I'm really happy."

"Can I just say, there is no such thing as the best actress," she continued. "There is no such thing as the greatest living actress. I am in a position where I have secret information, that I know this to be true. I am so in awe of the work of the women this year—nominated, not nominated. So proud of us girls!"
Sean Penn Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Taking some of the wind out of Mickey Rourke's sprint to Oscar, meanwhile, was Milk star Sean Penn, who took home Lead Actor prize for playing pioneering gay politico Harvey Milk.

"Thank you, and good evening, comrades," Penn began. "That was for O'Reilly." (Bill, we presume.)

As for the rest… lots of déjà vu all over again.

Tina Fey and her merry band of 30 Rockers continued to feel the love this awards season. The NBC sitcom snagged its first win for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a TV Comedy, as well as Fey's second straight win for Lead Female Actor in a Comedy and Alec Baldwin's third consecutive victory in the Lead Male category.

"I don't know who I want to make out with more tonight, [Anthony] Hopkins or Diane Lane—Tony looks so good!" joked Baldwin before going on to thank his fellow castmembers.
30 Rock, Screen Actors' Guild Awards AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Fey, meanwhile, dedicated her win to her young daughter, Alice, and Jane Krakowski did the honors when 30 Rock won SAG's equivalent of a best comedy series award.

"A great ensemble should be better than the sum of its parts, and that is definitely the case here because some of these people are just weirdos we picked up off the street," Krakowski said, pointedly adding, "Jack McBrayer," under her facetious breath.

John Adams' first couple, Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney, also relived their Golden Globes glory, sweeping the performance categories for acting in a TV movie or miniseries.

Not that the members of SAG agreed with the Hollywood Foreign Press about everything. The cast of Mad Men was singled out for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, while House cornerstone Hugh Laurie notched his second consecutive SAG win for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series.

"I fancied I knew instantly that this was an extraordinary character that could go the distance," Laurie said. "That was a complete lie. I had no idea, and this is absolutely amazing to me now to look back."

And while the good doc is known to thank those members of the crew who are often overlooked come awards season, Laurie gave a shout-out this time to the couple who run the set's craft services table, the purveyors of the "finest cheesy eggs this side of the Rio Grande."

Seven-time nominee Sally Field then won her first ever SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama for playing Brothers & Sisters matriarch Nora Walker.

"I've been an actor for 45 years," said the reliably long-winded Field. "I am so proud to be an actor and so proud that my fellow actors would give me this. We inspire, we provoke, we entertain, and never before has that been so needed in the country than it is right now."

Also quite proud of his profession was James Earl Jones, the recipient of this year's Life Achievement Award.

"I don't mean to embarrass anybody by comparing the actor to God," the sonorous thesp began, "but once we've taken a role, we have a similar responsibility, to breathe life into that character, and only the actor can do that."

And to his fellow actors: "I love the work you do, sometimes it simply knocks me out. In this gathering of gifted artists, I'd like to raise a salute. Paul Newman, somebody down here likes you."

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Posted By: KC Hill - Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities, USA

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Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards Complete List

January 26th 2009 10:30

The following is the complete list of winners from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, 2009

FILM

Cast in a Motion Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

Male Actor in a Leading Role: Sean Penn, Milk

Female Actor in a Leading Role: Meryl Streep, Doubt

Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Kate Winslet, The Reader

Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture: The Dark Knight

Sean Penn

TELEVISION

Ensemble in a Drama Series: Mad Men

Ensemble in a Comedy Series: 30 Rock

Male Actor in a Drama Series: Hugh Laurie, House

Female Actor in a Drama Series: Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters

Male Actor in a Comedy Series: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries: Paul Giamatti, John Adams

Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries: Laura Linney, John Adams

Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series: Heroes

Life Achievement Award: James Earl Jones

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Posted By: KC Hill - Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities, USA

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Hilary Duff On Ghost Whisperer

January 23rd 2009 04:22

While Hilary Duff passes the time until her new NBC comedy, Barely Legal, kicks off, she seems to have decided to spend some time with friends..

More specifically, she a little time with Jennifer Love Hewitt, whom she'll join on the set of Ghost Whisperer, making a special appearance on the CBS drama, the network confirmed.

Her character is described as mysterious, so maybe she'll be responsible for killing someone before she becomes the youngest lawyer ever in the state of California on her own show.

Either way, with movies like War, Inc, a muffed attempt at a new single with "Reach Out" last fall and a little dirty dancing, returning to the land that made her famous in the first place, television, may help Duff rediscover the right stuff.

Hilary Duff

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Posted By: KC Hill - Category: TV, Celebrities, USA

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George Clooney Maybe Back For End Of ER

January 22nd 2009 04:07

Sources say that George Clooney will be shooting scenes this week for an upcoming episode of the hit medical series ER, which is in its 15th and final season on NBC.

The network recently ordered up another three episodes of its stalwart Thursday-night drama, raising hopes that nabbing Clooney for a guest spot was one of the reasons for the extension.

Aw, George. Is there any humanitarian cause he won't support?

The Oscar winner last appeared on ER for an uncredited minute in 2000, a year after taking off to make movies full-time, to help tie up the storyline for Julianna Margulies' departing character, Nurse Carol Hathaway, who had twin daughters with Clooney's Dr Doug Ross.

Life & Style quotes a source saying that Clooney and Margulies will reunite as "part of an effort to wrap up all of the original characters' story lines" and that their episode will air toward the end of February, during sweeps.

Whether or not Clooney would pop up one last time has been up in the air for months, despite Noah Wyle's past assurance that his former costar would return, "schedule permitting."

The Michael Clayton star's publicist didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. And an ER rep would not confirm other reports that Clooney would be shooting his scenes Thursday and Friday.

ER's series finale airs April 2 on NBC.

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Posted By: KC Hill - Category: TV, Celebrities, USA

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Golden Globes Complete Winners List

January 12th 2009 12:20

MOVIES

Motion Picture, Drama
Slumdog Millionaire

Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Director, Motion Picture
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Actress, Motion Picture, Drama
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

Actor, Motion Picture, Drama
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Actress, Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky

Actor, Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Colin Farrell, In Bruges

Supporting Actor, Motion Picture
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Supporting Actress, Motion Picture
Kate Winslet, The Reader

Best Screenplay
Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

Foreign-Language Film
Waltz With Bashir, Israel

Motion Picture, Animated
WALL-E

Original Score
A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire

Original Song
"The Wrestler," The Wrestler; music and lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

Dev Patel Freida Pinto Slumdog Millionaire

Dev Patel and Freida Pinto in "Slumdog Millionaire"

TELEVISION

Television Series, Drama
Mad Men

Television Series, Comedy or Musical
30 Rock

Actress, Television Series, Musical or Comedy
Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Actor in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Actress, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Laura Linney, John Adams

Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Paul Giamatti, John Adams

Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
John Adams

Actress in a Television Series, Drama
Anna Paquin, True Blood

Actor in a Television Series, Drama
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment

Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or TV Movie
Laura Dern, Recount

Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or TV Movie
Tom Wilkinson, John Adams

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Posted By: KC Hill - Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities, USA

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Golden Globe Winners 2009

January 12th 2009 10:15

Nudging her way into the veterans' club was Anna Paquin, a winner for Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama, for HBO's freshman vampire series True Blood.

HBO, as tends to be the case, was the most-winning network of the night, with seven awards, while NBC took three (all for 30 Rock) and AMC brought up the rear, thanks to its repeat Best TV Series, Drama, win for Mad Men.

Also coming out on top was Europe, which, in addition to the one-woman dynamo that was Winslet, fielded a great share of the evening's Globe recipients, including Best Actress, Comedy or Musical, winner Sally Hawkins, whose tirelessly cheerful schoolteacher powered Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky'; Dubliner Colin Farrell, who took the male counterpart of that honor for the caper comedy-thriller In Bruges; and absentee Irishman Gabriel Byrne, who swooped in (figuratively) to snatch the award for Best Actor in a TV Series, Drama, for his role as an overly involved psychiatrist in HBO's In Treatment.

"Thank you, [director Martin McDonagh], for not listening to me when I asked you to cast someone else. I've never been so at peace with being ignored in my life," said Farrell, no longer reeking from the stench of Miami Vice and Alexander. "This is at least half yours," he said to In Bruges costar Brendan Gleeson. "I'll cut if for you when I get offstage and you can have a hemisphere."

The hot 'n' steamy Vicky Christina Barcelona—not really an Oscar contender but a solid effort from Woody Allen—was the Hollywood Foreign Press' choice for the Globe-specific category of Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical.

Jeremy Piven also fell prey to the international onslaught, missing out on his second consecutive win for Supporting Actor in a Series/Miniseries/TV Movie to John Adams' Tom Wilkinson.

Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti collect their Golden Globes For "John Adams"

The seven-part HBO event about the second U.S. president, which scored 13 Emmys in September, duly won the Globe for Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for TV, as well, while Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney followed up their Emmy wins with two more respective trophies for Best Actor and Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie to help make John Adams the most winning program of the night.

"This was hell of a job, this thing, this was a hell of a job," Giamatti said. "This little costume drama we put on—it seems there were thousands of people who saved my ass...every minute of every day."

While Slumdog Millionaire and John Adams tied with the most wins with four, the three leading nominees coming into the evening were completely shut out. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon and Doubt each went 0-for-5. But at least the drinks were free.

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Posted By: KC Hill - Category: TV, Celebrities, USA

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30 Rock Rocks The Golden Globes

January 12th 2009 10:02

Tracy Morgan stole the show when accepting 30 Rock's Golden Globe for Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical.

"Tina Fey and I had an agreement," he began, "that if Barack Obama won, I would speak for the show from now on. Welcome to postracial America—I am the face of postracial America! Deal with it, Cate Blanchett!"

Further non sequiturs ensued, but really, what better example of why 30 Rock deserved to win (and sweep the lead comedy acting awards) could there be?

Alec Baldwin notched his second win for playing network exec Jack Donaghy—and purposely dated himself by reminiscing about how he used to bring Rumer Willis (this year's Miss Golden Globe) juice boxes on film sets, back in the day. Fey's hell-of-a-year continued, as well, as she notched her second consecutive win for playing neurotic TV writer Liz Lemon.

Tina Fey Accepts Best Actress (Television, Musical or Comedy) For "30 Rock"

"I've always loved the Hollywood Foreign Press. I have all the Hollywood Foreign Press action figures," began Fey, whose critically beloved NBC series saw its viewership inch up this fall due in part to Fey's other alter ego, Sarah Palin. "But I want you to know that I really know how very lucky I am to have the year that I've had...and if you ever start to feel too good about yourself, they have this thing called the Internet.

"You can find a lot of people there who don't like you," she added, before wishing all her detractors the proverbial "suck it."

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Posted By: KC Hill - Category: TV, Celebrities, USA

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Starsky And Hutch's Bernie Hamilton Dies

January 2nd 2009 13:40

Bernie Hamilton, who played by-the-numbers boss Captain Harold Dobey on the classic 1970s cop drama, Starsky and Hutch, died Tuesday night at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He suffered cardiac arrest. He was 80.

As a young actor, Hamilton made his big-screen debut in the 1950 biopic The Jackie Robinson Story, before taking over the role of Chaka in the 1960s TV series Tarzan.

While his tube resume would eventually include guest roles on The Twilight Zone, Ironside, All in the Family, Sanford and Son and The Love Boat, Hamilton earned his share of TV land immortality as the superior officer on Aaron Spelling's Starsky & Hutch opposite stars David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser.

Funeral services are set for Jan 8.