FOX has canceled their legal drama HEAD CASES after only two episodes, making it the first casualty of the new season. Actually, it was dead on arrival. Variety reports the show barely registered a Nielsen pulse with a 1.2 rating/3 share. I never got a chance to see it — then again, I’m hardly alone.
In the Trades Today
Been There, Done That
Variety reports that NBC is adapting the movie FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS into a TV series. The thing is, they’ve done it before. But you can’t blame them for not remembering AGAINST THE GRAIN. No one else does, either, except maybe Ben Affleck, who was one of the stars. The series only lasted for eight episodes on NBC back in 1993…
Whedon Goes to Mars
Zap2It reports that BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER creator Joss Whedon will guest-star in the sixth episode of VERONICA MARS this season as a rental-car manager.
Pass the Razor, Please
Danny Bonaduce slit his wrists during the production of his new VH1 reality show. You’ll be tempted to do the same thing if you watch it. Brian Lowry at Variety says:
it’s hard to imagine a shower long enough to wash away the experience of simply
viewing the show, much less having produced, programmed or participated in
it.
I felt the same way about THE HIGHWAYMAN.
Different Diff’rent Strokes
Remember DIFF’RENT STROKES? Now imagine it as a drama. Variety reports that UPN has signed producer Darren Star to produce two pilots, one of which is described as:
Neither Sony nor UPN would comment late last week, but it’s believed the
project being penned by [Dan and Ashley McDermott] concerns a pair of orphaned teens who end
up living with their wealthy New York aunt and uncle.
WGA Still Doesn’t Get It
Variety reports that The Writers Guild of America’s board voted 11-3 to rescind their decision to honor ex-WGA president Victoria Riskin with the Valentine Davies Award for her contributions to the industry and the community at large.
The big question is why they voted in favor of it 7-6 before, considering that Riskin resigned in a scandal that revealed she wasn’t an active member and, therefore, was never qualified to be President in the first place (Her successor Charles Holland was forced to resign two months later when the LA Times revealed he’d, um, fictionalized his military service record and his college football achievements).
Despite the vote, there are still members of the WGA leadership… including secretary-treasurer and current presidential candidate Patric Verrone…who don’t get why it was a really, really stupid idea to honor Riskin so soon after she’d embarrassed the Guild with her actions.
Allan Burns [Chairman of the Awards Panel] told Daily Variety he was "stunned" at the board’s vote. He
insisted the awards panel tapped Riskin strictly because of her qualifications
and asserted that there was no concern that naming Riskin would create any
subsequent controversy."It’s a slap in the face to the awards committee," Burns added. "I don’t
think the board understands what the award is about."
How clueless can Burns be? He didn’t realize the choice would create controversy? How couldn’t he?? Apparently, even Dan Petrie, our current president and a man I greatly respect, doesnt’ get it either. He told Variety:
"I would hope that these judgments would be tempered by compassion for someone
who has already suffered and, for that matter, for a Guild that has already
suffered."
She brought the suffering on herself by running for office when she knew she wasn’t qualified to serve. And The Guild brought the suffering on itself by not doing their job confirming her work status before she ran and, now, by naming her for this award so soon after the scandal. I won’t even go into the miss-steps surrounding Holland and their vote of confidence in someone who was so clearly being dishonest. I haven’t been very proud of my Guild membership lately.
But some good has come out of this latest embarrassing episode: It’s going to help me, and a lot of other members, make up our minds about who to vote for in the upcoming election.
Killshot Shot
Variety reports that production has begun in Toronto on KILLSHOT, the Weinstein Co. adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel. Diane Lane, Thomas Jane and Mickey Rourke star in the movie, which was written by Hossein Amini and is being directed by John Madden.
For the most part, adaptations of Elmore Leonard’s contemporary novels over the last twenty years have sucked unless they are written are written by Scott Frank or Quentin Tarantino. Remember BE COOL? Or BG BOUNCE? Or CAT CHASER? Let’s hope this one breaks the curse.
Million Dollar Baby Bond
Oscar nominated screenwriter Paul Haggis ("Million Dollar Baby") has been hired to rewrite the Neal Purvis & Robert Wade ("Die Another Day," "World is Not Enough") screenplay for the Bond movie CASINO ROYALE. The search is still on for the new Bond, though I hear it’s between Steve Carrell and Will Smith.
Harvey Weinstein has PANIC attack
Variety reports that The Weinstein Company has optioned author Jeff Abbott’s thriller PANIC, which just hit the shelves today.
Book, published by Dutton, follows young docu
filmmaker Evan Casher as he goes on the run from a dangerous spy ring after the
murder of his mother. He learns that most aspects of his life have been total
fabrications.Abbott has written eight mystery and suspense novels, most recently 2003’s
"Cut and Run," the third volume in his Whit Mosley series.
Battle of the Network Stars
Variety reports that Paramount is launching a big-screen version of the cheesy 70s reality show "Battle of the Network Stars."
Etan
Cohen is writing the script, and Jimmy
Miller will produce through Mosaic. Barry Frank, who created
the show in 1978, will be exec producer.Pic will revolve around a disgraced network exec who must claw his way back
to respectability by winning the contest. Concept was hatched by Cohen.Original show bowed in the late ’70s, with teams of series stars from ABC,
NBC and CBS squaring off against one another in athletic events. Howard Cosell
presided over the proceedings as soberly as if he were hosting the Olympics.