With this week’s opening of “Star Trek Into Darkness" holds somewhat of a monopoly over the box office this weekend. It’s playing in 37-hundred regular theatres and another 336 IMAX locations. Deadline.com reports over 400 showings are already sold out for the weekend, and estimates are the movie will open with over $80-million bucks. (It cost $190 million to make, but will most likely break even by next weekend when you add in the overseas markets.) And, adding in that overseas market, after just 23 days in theaters, "Iron Man 3" crossed the $1-billion mark yesterday.
The sci-fi flick's only notable competition aside from "Great Gatsby" and "Iron Man 3." Is the limited release drama/comedy "The English Teacher" stars Julianne Moore, Nathan Lane, and Lily Collins. Moore plays a 40-year-old, single high-school english teacher whose life takes an unexpected turn when a former student, now in his 20s, comes back into her life.
NBC says SHAKIRA and USHER will be returning to "The Voice" -- but just not next season. The pair are taking some time off but will be back for season six in the Spring of 2014, replacing CEE LO GREEN and CHRISTINA AGUILERA so they can take some time off, too. However, ADAM LEVINE and BLAKE SHELTON apparently have signed and will stay on for both Season Five and Season Six as well. This means Adam, Blake, Cee Lo and Christina will be on hand for the blind auditions which begin again Jul 08 just three weeks after the current season’s finale on Jun 18.
Last night’s American Idol wrapped up season 12 with a finale that included performances by judges KEITH URBAN and MARIAH CAREY, former judge Jennifer Lopez, ARETHA FRANKLIN, PITBULL and yes, Psy, doing his new single, "Gentleman." And when it was all over 23-year-old CANDICE GLOVER was named the winner of Season 12 – becoming the first female singer to win since JORDIN SPARKS in 2007.
The world’s most famous Korean rapper also set to perform this weekend at the Billboard Music Awards – that will be handed out this weekend in Vegas. Madonna will be there to pick up her Top Touring Artist honor and a rare appearance by Prince who will accept the Billboard Icon award and perform as will Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Selena Gomez and Nicki Minaj. Presenters include Cee-Lo Green, Carly Rae Jepsen, Alanis Morisette, Shania Twain, Kesha, Miley Cyrus, Celine Dion and Psy. The Billboard Music Awards will air live Sunday at 8 on ABC.
The New Broadway Cast Recording of the musical "Pippin" will be released digitally on June 4th, followed by a CD on July 9th. You get all 16 songs from the show, including ANDREA MARTIN's show stopper, "No Time At All," which features a 700-member amateur chorus. The album also features four songs from the show without vocals, so you can do your own "Pippin" karaoke.
The last episode of "The Office" was on last night --and STEVE CARRELL paid a surprise visit for the final episode, and Steve's character, Michael Scott, was the best man when Dwight married Angela. And while the show's over, there's still collectibles and t-shirts available from NBC, so you can get your boss that "Dunder Mifflin" coffee mug....
Also Sunday night- this could be interesting -- Oprah and Dr. Phil talk about how to play big and become the star in your life by defining success, spotting obstacles and harnessing the right tools to get what you want. on Oprah's Lifeclass Sunday at 9
It’s the number-one most-downloaded app of all time, so you gotta wonder how the Angry Birds movie will do… all we know so far is that Sony Pictures is working with Rovio, the company behind the game, it’ll be a 3-D film, and should hit theaters July Fourth weekend in 2016. No word yet on any voice talent, although Daily Variety says it’s being produced by the same guy who did "Despicable Me"
The Hollywood Reporter says HBO has ordered seven episodes of JAMES GANDALFINI's series, "Criminal Justice." --which originated on the BBC, but will run as a limited series. On the show, Gandalfini plays a jailhouse attorney who get involved in a case where a guy wakes up after a night of partying with a stranger to find her stabbed to death and is charged with her murder.
CW network’s "Sex and the City" prequel, "The Carrie Diaries" will be adding a young Samantha Jones. The Hollywood Reporter says, producers are casting for the younger Samantha, originally played by KIM CATTRELL on the HBO series. for the upcoming second season of the show. Viewers will get to see how the pair met on the new show, and eventually, if the show keeps getting renewed, how all the characters met.
Most of us hit up Groupon for a bargain on pizza or carpet cleaning, but the discount site has much more to offer --like a chance to meet a real-life superstar! The UK's Daily Mail reports 60 fans of GWYNETH PALTROW's Goop website were offered the chance to fly to New York for a VIP event with the actress where they would get two nights lodging, spa treatments, dinner at a French restaurant and an autographed cookbook for just $2-thousand dollars. Sorry, but the offer sold out in record time.
New in theaters today…. Star Trek Into Darkness – which actually opened at midnight… and has a load of showtimes today if you’re a big Trekkie and cutting work or taking a long lunch. In this latest adventure, The Enterprise enters a war zone to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction. Starring Chris Pine, Benedict Cumberbatch, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, John Cho and Bruce Greenwood.
Tonight, for one night only, “Rockshow”- the 70’s concert by Paul McCartney and Wings . Here’s the link for theaters and times http://www.rockshowonscreen.com
"Star Trek's" CHRIS PINE and JAKE GYLLENHAAL are reportedly in talks to join the cast of Disney's film adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical "Into the Woods," which already stars JOHNNY DEPP as The Big Bad Wolf and MERYL STREEP as the witch. Deadline.com says Pine and Gyllenhaal would take on the roles of Cinderella's Prince and Rapunzel's Prince.
The biopic of the late Casablanca Records founder NEIL BOGART will start shooting early next year. The Hollywood Reporter says JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE has signed on to play the music mogul in "Spinning Gold." They're still trying to find the right director for the project. RCA Records has already agreed to release the soundtrack, which will probably feature some of the artists Neil made famous, including KISS, DONNA SUMMER and the VILLAGE PEOPLE.
CBS unveiled their new fall schedule yesterday – and it didn’t include the much-talked-about EDDIE MURPHY's reboot of "Beverly Hills Cop." The network says, they were more interested in a half-hour comedy. So is that it? Well, no because now it appears that "Beverly Hills Cop" could show up on another network --or maybe even cable.
An amazing number of season finales tonight--- on ABC Grey's Anatomy; Scandal. On CBS: Big Bang Theory; Elementary. On CW: The Vampire Diaries; Beauty and the Beast. FOX: American Idol (2-hr season finale). NBC: After nine seasons, "The Office" closes tonight with a final 75-minute episode.
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and Boston's DROPKICK MURPHYS have teamed up for a special charity EP to help out the victims of the Boston Marathon Bombings. The Boss and the Murphys have recorded a new version of the band's song, "Rose Tattoo." The EP also includes acoustic versions of "Jimmy Collins's Wake," and "Don't Tear Us Apart." This is a digital-only release and you can get it right now from iTunes.
To go along with their 20th anniversary tour, the BACKSTREET BOYS will also release a new album. It's called "In A World Like This," and is due out on July 30th. The first single is title track, and you'll be able to download that on June 25th. Plus, if you buy tickets to see the Backstreet Boys, you'll get a free download for another track on the album, "Permanent Stain."
NICOLE KIDMAN has already modeled for Chanel and now she has been tapped by Jimmy Choo shoes to be the face of their fall ad campaign. The ads have already been shot and will debut in August.
Original supermodel CHRISTY TURLINGTON BURNS is returning as the face of Calvin Klein... 25 years after she first struck a pose for the brand. Women’s Wear Daily says she just shot a full underwear campaign that will start appearing on billboards and in magazines in September. (And she doesn’t look like she’s aged at all.) Christy first modeled for Calvin Klein back in 1988 for their “Eternity” fragrance.”
Congratulations to AMERICA FERRARA, who is set to graduate from the University of Southern California tomorrow. The actress revealed on Twitter that it "took me 10 years, but it feels great!" America is receiving her bachelor's degree in international relations and enrolled at the prestigious college back in 2002, but took a leave of absence when she landed her plum role on "Ugly Betty."
Another celebrity Twitter hack- or maybe it was just a joke but yesterday’s tweet from Sean “Diddy” Combs read: "MY BIG NEWS: So happy to announce that Im a series regular on DOWNTON ABBEY-my favorite show” The show’s logo was added as his picture on the account as well. But PBS has released a statement that no, he won't be joining the cast of Downton Abbey.
Tickets going on sale next Monday morning at 10am for Michael Buble’s Prudential Center show on Sept 28. But coming up tomorrow in the 8:10 Showbiz Buzz, we'll be giving you another chance to win ‘em before you can buy ‘em!
The concert tour in the 70’s by Paul McCartney and Wings spawned the triple live “Wings Over America” and the concert film “Rockshow”- originally an edited version of a Seattle date, now it’s been restored to the full length concert and is hitting theaters for one night only- and it’ll play tomorrow night at a handful of area theaters. We’ve got the link for more info http://www.rockshowonscreen.com
BILLY CRYSTAL is coming back to Broadway. Playbill.com says he's set to do a 9-week run of his one-man show, "700 Sundays." Billy first did the autobiographical piece during the 2004-2005 season, and won a special Tony Award for his efforts. Previews begin November 5th at the Imperial Theater and opening night is November 13th. After touring with the show all over the world, Billy said January 5th will be the last time he will ever do it
Maroon 5's Adam Levine was the big star of last night’s 61st annual BMI Pop Awards in Beverly Hills. Not only did her get the President's Award but was also honored for co-writing the Song of the Year, "Moves Like Jagger."
We told you that CHRISTINA AGUILERA is coming back next season on NBC's "The Voice," and now we know how much money she'll be making. TheWrap.com says Christina will get $12.5-million dollars that could balloon to as much as $17-million, depending on how many hours she has to work. They’re also reporting that CEE LO GREEN is negotiating to return, while ADAM LEVINE and BLAKE SHELTON are still trying to work out new deals.
According to Us Weekly, now that Mariah Carey’s done with Idol, she might be heading for a world tour. A source says that because of the popularity of her latest single "Beautiful,"she’s getting tons of pressure to hit the road. It would be her first tour since 2004. So far, "Beautiful" has hit number-one in 25 countries and the Top 5 in 45.
RadarOnline.com reports JENNIFER LOPEZ is set to drop 10-million-bucks on a summer home in the Hamptons. The property features "breathtaking panoramic ground floor views," an edge pool, jacuzzi with waterfall, an elevator and sits on a whopping five-acre parcel.
ABC's fall line up presented yesterday and among the changes- Thursday will have the “Once Upon a Time” spinoff “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.” Wednesday has new shows from JAMES CAAN snd REBEL WILSON of "Pitch Perfect," and Tuesday night “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” will air as part of an all new line-up without the “Dancing With the Stars” results show. The new "DWTS" will be doing everything on Monday nights, performance and elimination.
Tonight on FOX, as one ends, another begins with Part One of "American Idol’s” Season finale followed by the premiere of a new season of “So You Think You Can Dance”
There's now a date for the first episode of the fourth season of “Downton Abbey” --PBS will premiere the first episode on Jan 05 and then run the rest of the episodes for eight weeks. But you’ll have to avoid spoilers coming out of England, where the season starts in September.
Not so good ratings for the premiere of TLC's spinoff, "Breaking Amish: Brave New World," which only pulled in a bit more than two million viewers Sunday night. "Breaking Amish," the show that spawned it, averaged more than three million viewers during its season. Of course, as the Hollywood Reporter points out, the lower ratings could be due to a glut of Amish programs now on various cable channels: NatGeo's "Amish: Out of Order," Discovery's "Amish Mafia" and DIY Network's "Vanilla Ice Goes Amish.
Michael Buble coming to the Prudential Center (New Jersey) Sept 28—tickets on sale next Monday 20th at 10am- but you can win ‘em before you can buy ‘em tomorrow morning in the 8:10 Showbiz Buzz.
New on DVD today… Tom Hanks and Halle Berry lead an all-star cast in “Cloud Atlas” A single story that unfolds in multiple timelines over the span of 500 years. Characters meet and reunite in different eras.
Our horror flick of the week is “Texas Chainsaw” - also available in 3-D if you want to add an extra dimension.
And the Rock back in the ring for the 29th edition of the biggest annual event in professional wrestling, Wrestlemania, that’s headlined by the Championship match pitting the reigning belt-holder, The Rock, against John Cena.The 29th edition of the biggest annual event in professional wrestling, Wrestlemania, is headlined by a WWE Championship match pitting the reigning belt-holder, The Rock, against John Cena.
MIKE TYSON is getting his own animated series on the Adult Swim network next season. Tyson will voice himself as a character who solves mysteries. He'll get help from a foul-mouthed pigeon sidekick and, of course, a "magical tattoo on his face." No specifics yet on when "Mike Tyson Mysteries" will first air.
Taylor Swift guest stars on the second season finale of New Girl tonight, as a guest at Cece’s wedding…
That three-hour live staging of "The Sound Of Music" featuring CARRIE UNDERWOOD as Maria is now scheduled for Thu, Dec 05 on NBC. The network announced the date yesterday during its upfront presentation. No word on any other members of the cast yet.
FOX is bringing Jack Bauer back in a new edition of “24”launching next May. KIEFER SUTHERLAND will be back to star in the 12-episode limited series to be called "24: Live Another Day”
Set to launch in 2014- "The Cee Lo Life" will follow Cee Lo Green as he works on a new solo album, a reunion project with the GOODIE MOB, a memoir, and a sitcom for NBC. But no word on whether he’ll return to the Voice. However, after taking the season off to plug her album, "Lotus," CHRISTINA AGUILERA announcing she will be back this fall.
JOSS WHEDON has joined Twitter. It's a big deal for fans of the man who brought us "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Firefly" and will be doing the upcoming "Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." series as well. His account name is @JossActual.
BARBARA WALTERS is finally retiring from her over-50-year career in TV journalism in the summer of 2014. The legendary interviewer gracefully announced her departure yesterday on "The View," saying it had nothing to do with her health --she's perfectly healthy. This was just something she wanted to do. She might make an occasional TV appearance but mostly, she said, "I want to sit on a sunny field and admire the very gifted women --and, OK, some men, too-- who will be taking my place." She'll remain executive producer of that program, which she created in 1997. Walters began her career at NBC with the "Today Show," moved to ABC in the 1970s, becoming the first female anchor on an evening news program, but is best known for her gifts as an interviewer, having pried secrets and tears from every president since RICHARD NIXON, the world's most powerful rulers and Hollywood's most famous celebrities. She said yesterday that her career exceeded anything she ever could've imagined and hopes she inspired other women to make a career television journalism.
Michael Buble coming to the Prudential Center (in New Jersey) Sept 28. Tickets will go on sale next Monday, May 20th at 10am- but you can win ‘em before you can buy ‘em coming up all this week in the 8:10 showbiz buzz…
"Iron Man 3" is still number one after another great weekend, pulling in $72.5 million bucks at the box office. Having to settle for second place, "Great Gatsby" debuted with $51.1 million as well, no small potatoes for a first weekend.
More competition on the way as "Star Trek Into Darkness," opens this week.
Wanna take a guess at how much ROBERT DOWNEY, Jr makes per movie? The Hollywood Reporter says he pulled in somewhere around $50 million for "The Avengers" last year and he signed what’s called a "revenue-sharing contract" for the earlier "Iron Man" movies so that salary is closer to $80 million now. So he can afford to do a few "ego" movies once in a while… case in point, his next film. Daily Variety magazine reports he'll be working with "Iron Man" director JON FAVREAU on an independent comedy called "Chef," about a guy who loses his job as a chef and decides to start up a food truck franchise. Downey will be part of the ensemble cast, including SOFIA VERGARA, JOHN LEGUIZAMO and BOBBY CANNAVALE.
BARBARA WALTERS is going to officially announce her retirement this morning on "The View." Reportedly, She will continue to serve as executive producer of The View, which she created in 1997, but will no longer host after next summer. Before she steps down, she'll continue to report and anchor for ABC News, appear on The View, and host specials, including 20 Years of 10 Most Fascinating People, set for December, an Oscars special and a career retrospective set for May.
"Saturday Night Live" vet SETH MEYERS will be JIMMY FALLON's replacement for NBC's late-night slot. The Hollywood Reporter says the move will likely be announced today when NBC presents their new fall lineup to advertisers. Jimmy Fallon, of course, will be moving to take over JAY LENO's slot.
"Real Housewives" fans need not panic --the ladies from the New York City are headed back to the tube. Sources tell Us Weekly that RAMONA SINGER, SONJA MORGAN, AVIVA DRESCHER, CAROLE RADZIWILL, HEATHER THOMSON and LUANN deLESSEPS all signed on the dotted line after a 24-hour contract dispute. As we told 'ya last Friday, the women went on strike and wanted more money, while the Bravo network threatened to clean house if things weren't settled last Friday.
The next edition of Bravo's cooking reality show, "Top Chef," will be heading to New Orleans for its 11th season. The network is also planning a "Top Chef Junior" spinoff as well, featuring contestants in their early teens. The show has never been based in New Orleans before, although the Season Five finale was held there.
Lotsa changes on TV over the weekend as the networks began announcing what they’ve cut and what will be on their fall schedules. --ABC cancelled it's midseason comedy, "Family Tools," along with "How To Live With Your Parents," "Body Of Proof," "Red Widow," and the REBA McENTIRE series, "Malibu Country."
--CBS finally pulled the plug on its long-running series, "CSI: NY," after nine seasons. That leaves only the original "CSI" on CBS's schedule, since they cancelled "CSI: Miami" last year. The network also cancelled MICHAEL CHIKLIS' series, "Vegas," and DAVID SPADE and PATRICK WARBURTON's long-running sitcom, "Rules of Engagement," after seven seasons. And also pushing up daisies: "Golden Boy," which starred THEO JAMES and CHI McBRIDE, despite having around eight million viewers a show.
--NBC canceled its primetime newsmagazine "Rock Center with BRIAN WILLIAMS." The last show will air on Jun 21. The problem: no audience on Friday nights. NBC also bagged its DEBRA MESSING /ANJELICA HUSTON Broadway musical drama, "Smash," after two seasons. The show did pretty well when it followed "The Voice," but after its move to Saturdays, it tanked. And it cancelled the MATTHEW PERRY series, "Go On," after a lackluster performance.
--TNT cancelled the LA-centered cop drama, "Southland," after five seasons. The show originally debuted on NBC, but was moved to TNT in 2010. It had around 1.8 million viewers. TNT also pulled the plug on the medical drama, "Monday Mornings," from mega-producer DAVID E KELLY and CNN staple Dr SANJAY GUPTA. The show never had any ratings to speak of and never found an audience.
--The USA network announced Friday that "Burn Notice's" upcoming seventh season will be its last. The show stars JEFFREY DONOVAN, GABRIELLE ANWAR and BRUCE CAMPBELL, and has been a big hit for the network since its premiere in 2007. Since the show will have passed the 100-episode mark during the last season, it's probable we'll see the show in re-runs somewhere.
On the plus side, -- ABC adding Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," which will be produced by JOSS WHEDON, who also directed the pilot starring former "E-R" staffer MING NA. Last week we told you ABC was also doing a series with "Pitch Perfect's" REBEL WILSON, a "dysfunctional" sitcom from "Breaking In's" ADAM GOLDBERG, and a JAMES CAAN sitcom along with RYAN SEACREST's first scripted series from the writers behind "The Hangover," called "Mixology." Friday, ABC also renewed a bunch of shows including its CONNIE BRITTON /HAYDEN PANETTIERE series "Nashville" for another season as well as picking up another season of "The Neighbors."
--CBS picked up six new shows: "Crazy Ones" (starring ROBIN WILLIAMS and SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR), "The Millers" (with WILL ARNETT), "Mom" (from "Two and a Half Men" and "Big Bang Theory's" CHUCK LORRE) and "We Are Men" (with JERRY O'CONNELL and TONY SHALHOUB). The network also sucked up two dramas, "Intelligence," (starring JOSH HOLLOWAY and MARG HELGENBERGER) along with "Hostages" from JERRY BRUCKHEIMER.
--NBC added a comedy called "Undateable," (about a group of romantically challenged friends) and two dramas: the "Chicago Fire" spinoff, "Chicago PD," which debuts later this week on the original series, and a reboot of the 1970s RAYMOND BURR series, "Ironside," this time starring BLAIR UNDERWOOD.
--TBS picked up the sitcom, "Ground Floor," starring SKYLAR ASTIN from "Pitch Perfect" and JOHN C McGINLEY from "Scrubs." It's due sometime in 2014. --And Univision, which made headlines a couple of months ago when it was revealed it had better ratings for the season than NBC, announced Friday that it'll be doing Spanish-language versions of "Gossip Girl" and "Breaking Bad." The new shows will be called "Gossip Girl Acapulco" and "Metastasis," and will air on UniMas.
