Archive for the Casting News Category

‘American Idol’ Officially Announces Its Season 10 Judges

Steven Tyler is in! Jennifer Lopez is in! Randy Jackson is in!
Posted by: Trent on September 22, 2010| 15 Comments

Last month we learned that Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler had signed on to judge the upcoming 10th season of American Idol on Fox. A couple of weeks ago, we learned that Jennifer Lopez had, too, signed on to judge the upcoming season of AI. Today, Fox made that news official when it revealed LIVE via online video stream the new judging panel for season 10 of American Idol which, very confusingly, still includes Randy Yo Dawg! Jackson:

Golden Globe-nominated actress, platinum-selling recording artist, movie producer and entrepreneur Jennifer Lopez and multiple Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Steven Tyler, the frontman of Aerosmith – the best-selling American rock band of all time – have joined AMERICAN IDOL as judges. Lopez and Tyler will join returning IDOL judge Randy Jackson for the 10th anniversary season, which premieres January 2011 on FOX. In addition, Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, co-founder of Beats Audio and one of the world’s most successful and prolific music producers, will join AMERICAN IDOL as an in-house mentor. Throughout the season, IDOL will go behind-the-scenes to feature Iovine working with and lending his expertise to the contestants as they compete to become the next American Idol. As part of Universal Music Group’s long-term alliance with AMERICAN IDOL, Interscope Geffen A&M will market, promote and distribute albums globally from AMERICAN IDOL finalists and winning contestants across a broad array of retail and new media platforms. “For nine years I’ve enjoyed watching artists compete to get a meaningful chance to achieve their dreams,” said Lopez. “I know from my own experience how hard it is to succeed, and I’m looking forward to discovering and nurturing that spirit in the many AMERICAN IDOL contestants I look forward to meeting this year.” “I’ve been on tour for most of my life in a band with four guys who judge me every day. Sometimes it hurt, but it only made me stronger,” said Tyler. “I want to give everybody a little love before I decide who goes home heartbroken. If you don’t like what I say, don’t get mad, get better. I’m ready to bring some rock to this ‘roller’ coaster and show these kids if they have the dream, the talent and the drive, they will be the next American Idol.” “I can’t believe it’s been 10 years of the greatest show in the world,” said Jackson. “I am looking forward to this next season; we are going to knock it out of the park. Season 10 is going to be hot!” “We are all thrilled to have Interscope Geffen A&M now be the distributor for AMERICAN IDOL’s music,” said Iovine. “I’m looking forward to working as a mentor on the show, where I’ll work with the talent to help them develop and grow week to week. This will also give the audience a deeper look into the artists’ abilities and give viewers more insight when making their choices.” “Our 10th season begins with a completely invigorated panel of judges with Jennifer and Steven joining Randy. This is combined with the world’s most successful and brilliant music executive, Jimmy Iovine, becoming the contestants’ special mentor,” explains series creator and executive producer Simon Fuller. “AMERICAN IDOL in 2011 promises plenty of surprises and positive changes, and we look forward to continuing to innovate and lead the way for others to follow.”

I have to say, as a non-watcher of the show, official news of this casting does nothing to make me want to start watching the show. This seems like such a mismatched group of folks … I just don’t get it. But, Fox is really counting on this casting to help revive the once hugely popular show. After the jump, check out video from the live stream announcement that took place online just moments ago … More »

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Is A New ‘Bill & Ted’ Sequel In The Works?

Keanu Reeves reveals that a new film may be on the way
Posted by: Trent on September 20, 2010| 10 Comments

Ready for some pretty amazing news 90′s movie fans? According to Keanu Reeves himself, there is talk of making a sequel to the early 90′s films Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey! It looks like very soon we’ll be treated with another outing from Bill & Ted on the big screen:

Keanu Reeves has said that he is working with the original Bill & Ted team in the hope of making another film in the time-travelling comedy series. Reeves’s Bill & Ted co-star Alex Winter recently revealed that discussions were under way for a third movie, after Reeves himself had admitted that he was “trying” to bring the duo back to the big screen. Now, the 46-year-old has told MTV News that Winter and himself are in dialogue with writers Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon over the possible project. Reeves said: “We’re trying. Alex and I are still friends and we’re talking, and we’re talking to Chris and Ed. They’re going to try and see if they can write something. To me, I’d love to play the role. I’d love to work with Alex and Chris and Ed again. We’ll see what they do. I’m meeting people now – they’ve shown the film to their kids. We just seek to entertain.” The Matrix actor added that they would only work on the picture “if it’s a film that can stand up on its own”, before joking that he wanted German art house director Werner Herzog to take charge of the movie. Impersonating Herzog, Reeves said: “I was just pushed by the idea of this innocence being confronted by the nihilism of the world. And I thought that these two clowns could push our perspective of reality and truth to the forefront of meaning and knowledge.” The Bill & Ted movies tell the story of two Californian teenagers who travel through time in a phone booth after finding out that their rock band Wyld Stallyns is the key to the future happiness of the world.

OMG … I would seriously DIE if a new Bill & Ted movie gets made. I remember seeing the first two Bill & Ted movies when they came out originally (they were among the first films that I got to see with friends when we first started to drive) and I would absolutely love to see a new film. Will this new film show that Bill & Ted finally grew up? Or will Bill & Ted still be trying to find fame and fortune with their band Wyld Stallions? I, for one, am really anxious to see where Bill & Ted‘s time-traveling phone booth adventures will take them next … hopefully, away from having to travel by obsolete phone booth. This has to be the best news ever … I really hope that a new film will be made. Any Bill & Ted fans out there … this is great news, ain’t it?

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First Look: Cheyenne Jackson On ‘Glee’

Meet Dustin Goulsby, the new coach of Vocal Adrenaline
Posted by: Trent on September 17, 2010| 12 Comments

Glee returns next Tuesday night with the season 2 premiere ep Auditions which will introduce singer/actor Cheyenne Jackson and singer/actress Charice to the cast. You may recall that we learned back in July that Cheyenne would be joining the Glee cast as the new coach of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline and today we get to meet that new character … named Dustin Goulsby:


I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to preview next Tuesday’s season 2 premiere ep and I gotta tell ya, Cheyenne‘s introduction on the show is very funny. His part in this ep is very brief bit it’s effective and totally hilarious. I am very much looking forward to seeing more of him on the show. Charice, also featured in this new promo photo, is simply amazing in the season 2 premiere ep. If I can spoil just a wee bit … she does a duet with Lea Michele (who plays lead New Directions diva Rachel Barry) that is uh-may-zing and a solo performance that is just stunning. If you would like to know which songs she performs, you can find out after the jump … More »

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First Look: Julia Stiles On ‘Dexter’

A “psychologically and physically damaged” woman comes to town
Posted by: Trent on September 15, 2010| 5 Comments

Back in July we learned that actress Julia Stiles had been added to the upcoming 5th season of Dexter where she will play a “psychologically and physically damaged” woman named Lumen … today, we get our first look at Lumen in a few new Dexter promo images:

Her role may be shrouded in mystery (rumor has it she’ll be some sort of emotional surrogate for newly widowed Dexter), but at long last we’re getting our first look at Julia Stiles in “Dexter.” And … yep, Julia pretty much looks like she always does, which is to say sunnily projecting slightly crunchy girl next door-ocity. Although in “Dexter”-ville, no one is what they seem. Nice reporters turn out to be related to killers, nice brothers actually turn out to be killers and nearly everyone who falls in between ends up six feet under. Here’s hoping that doesn’t happen to Julia’s character, who is named … good lord, we don’t even know that?!?!

Er … not true, New York Post. We know that Julia‘s character’s name is Lumen … and that she is “psychologically and physically damaged”. After the jump, check out two more promo photos of Julia as Lumen in Dexter as well as a promo video that slightly teases the upcoming new season … More »

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Jennifer Lopez Officially Signs On As A Judge On ‘American Idol’

According to TMZ
Posted by: Trent on September 14, 2010| 15 Comments

As soon as Ellen DeGeneres announced that she is leaving American Idol as a judge, we heard that Jennifer Lopez would be joining the show in her place. Then we heard that due to her “diva demands”, J. Lo would NOT be joining AI as a judge. Today, according to TMZ, we learn that Jennifer has officially signed on the dotted line and WILL join American Idol as a judge … read on:

TMZ has confirmed … Jennifer Lopez has signed a 1-year deal with “American Idol” for “a little more than $12 million” — this according to sources connected with the show. It’s somewhat surprising that the deal is only for one year … given the nature of the “A.I.” franchise. Nonetheless, it is a done deal and Jennifer Lopez is expected to be at the judges’ table for auditions next week.

Now, the folks at Fox would like us to believe that J. Lo was set to join AI all along but I don’t buy it. My guess is that negotiations stalled right around the time that Jennifer posted that tweet message that implied that she didn’t want the AI judging job anyway. My guess is that someone caved in the negotiations (J. Lo) which got the deal done. Now, last month we learned that Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has also signed on as a new AI judge … but Fox as not yet confirmed that report. For that matter, they’ve yet to confirm J. Lo‘s signing as well. But considering TMZ‘s track record with these sorts of things, I’m willing to bet that they are right about this Idol casting. Now that it’s almost certain that Jennifer Lopez will judge the next season of American Idol, do YOU think it’s enough to get people watching the show again?

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IMDB Lists Joseph Gordon-Levitt As An Actor On Upcoming ‘Batman’ Film

A casting leak or a technical mistake?
Posted by: Trent on September 14, 2010| 5 Comments

The fansite Batman Movie News stumbled upon an interesting notation on IMDB last night that associates actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt with the upcoming new Batman film. Altho JGL‘s name is NOT listed on the main IMDB page for Untitled Batman Project (2012), his name is listed on the search page results for the film … behold:

It’s not breaking news that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a leading candidate to play The Riddler in Batman 3. But IMDB is dropping a strong hint that the Inceptionactor will be involved in Christopher Nolan’s third trip inside the Batman movie universe. While searching IMDB on Monday night, I noticed that Joseph Gordon-Levitt‘s name was listed alongside Christian Bale and Gary Oldman beneath the site’s listing for Untitled Batman Project (2012). Before you wet yourself with excitement, know this — there is no mention of Joseph Gordon-Levitt if you click on the IMDB link. In fact the only Batman 3 actors listed on the movie’s main page are Christian Bale as Batman, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Michael Caine as Alfred and Gary Oldham as Jim Gordon. But this gives us at least another indication that Joseph Gordon-Levittcould be sporting question-mark suits in his future. Christopher Nolan directed the 29-year-old Gordon-Levitt as Arthur in his 2010 summer blockbuster Inception, and Nolan has a history of using the same actors in multiple films (just ask Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy and Michael Caine).

You may recall that rumors were going around last month that Academy Award winning actress Marion Cotillard, who also starred in this Summer’s Inception, was rumored to be in Batman 3 as well … but those rumors have since been shot down. It is also very possible that JGL‘s name showing up on the search results page could be a mistake … but still, any hint that he might be in the film — very likely in the role of The Riddler — is great news to me. Let’s keep our fingers and toes crossed that this IMDB hint turns into the real deal very soon.

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Noomi Rapace Has Been Cast In ‘Sherlock Holmes 2’

The original 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' will make her English language film debut
Posted by: Trent on September 13, 2010| 7 Comments

Back in May we learned that Sherlock Holmes 2, the sequel to the Guy Ritchie-directed film that stars Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law as super sleuth Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. James Watson respectively, will be released in late 2011 … today, we learn that Noomi Rapace, the star of the original Swedish Girl with the Dragon Tattoo films (currently being remade for the US audience with Rooney Mara as the lead), has been cast as the female lead in SH2:

Noomi Rapace, the Swedish star of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” has booked her first English-language role: the plum part of the female lead in Warner Bros.’s “Sherlock Holmes 2.” The sequel reunites most of the team from the original: Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. Watson. Guy Ritchie is back as director while Joel Silver, Susan Downey, Lionel Wigram and Dan Lin return as producers. The logline is being kept under wraps, although it is known Holmes will face off against Moriarty. Also making an appearance will be Holmes’ brother, Mycroft. Rapace’s role is shrouded in mystery although sources say the character may be a French Gypsy. It is unclear if the role is romantic in nature. Warners is looking to start production later this year.

Yay! This is fantastic news. I really enjoyed Sherlock Holmes and I am really anxious for the sequel. While it is widely presumed that Moriarty will be introduced in the sequel, rumor has it that Brad Pitt will be cast to play the iconic villain. I am really anxious for the US audience to get to know Noomi Rapace … I was so impressed with her work in all 3 Dragon Tattoo films that I know she will make a huge splash in the English-speaking film world. Learn her name now, Noomi Rapace … she is going to be big, y’all … just wait and see.

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Amy Poehler Will Host The 36th Season Premiere Of ‘Saturday Night Live’

Katy Perry will be the musical guest
Posted by: Trent on September 8, 2010| 11 Comments

Saturday Night Live alum Amy Poehler will return to SNL later this month to host the 36th season premiere of the show … and she’s bringing Katy Perry and her California Gurls along as the musical guest. Entertainment Weekly broke the news yesterday that Amy has been signed on to return to host SNL when the new season premieres on September 25:

EW.com has learned that Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) will host Saturday Night Live when the late-night comedy show returns to NBC on Sept. 25. Poehler, who was a member of the SNL troupe from 2001-2010, earned her fourth Emmy nomination this summer for playing Leslie Knope on Parks … SNL, which is about to begin its 36th year on NBC, will also add three featured players to the mix this season to help fill the void left by Will Forte. EW has confirmed they are actor/comedian Taran Killam, who’s appeared on Mad TV and How I Met Your Mother, Chicago-based comedians Paul Brittain and Vanessa Bayer, and newcomer Jay Pharoah, who has performed on BET’s “One Mic Stand.”

As soon as word came out that Poehler would be hosting the season premiere ep, Katy Perry posted a message on her official Twitter profile announcing that she would be appearing as the show’s musical guest:

OKAY! My BIG surprise is I’m opening the season of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE on September 25 W/SNL Alum Amy Poehler!!!

I’m loving that Amy will be hosting I’m only Meh. about Katy Perry performing … but damn that California Gurls song is catchy. For the most part, recent seasons of Saturday Night Live have been kinda Meh. over all … but we can’t forget that amazingly funny ep last season when Betty White hosted the show. Here’s hoping Amy Poehler and the new cast of SNL can set a new standard of funny when the show returns on September 25 with its 36th season! Amy is fab … I think she will bring us a fantastic show, don’t you?

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First Look: Betty White On ‘Community’

School's in session
Posted by: Trent on September 7, 2010| 4 Comments

A couple of weeks ago we got our first look at Betty White in a new promo video for the upcoming season of Community to promote her guest appearance on the season premiere ep. Today we get our first look at Betty on the show in a couple of promo pics that have been released by NBC as well as some info on what role Betty will play on the show:

Sure, summer may be over but at least you can look forward to the return of all your favorite TV shows this fall — like NBC’s Community, which just released photos from its upcoming season premiere starring hot octogenerian Betty White! Judging by these new stills, the episode featuring White as kooky anthropology professor June Bauer is going to be pretty awesome. Especially considering Community stars Joel McHale and Chevy Chase will also be back for the new season.

While I understand that some folks are beginning to suffer a bit of Betty White fatigue (because the Golden Girl tends to pop up on every show), I am just loving every time Betty shows up on new projects. As I mentioned before, I don’t usually watch Community but I’m planning to check out the season 2 premiere ep later this month to see Betty in action. After the jump, check out one more promo photo of Betty White posing with the cast of Community … More »

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It’s Official: Danielle Staub Is Leaving ‘The Real Housewives Of New Jersey’

Bye Bye Bye
Posted by: Trent on September 7, 2010| 25 Comments

Last month Life & Style magazine broke the news that Danielle Staub, the most controversial castmember of the hit Bravo TV series The Real Housewives of New Jersey, had been fired from the show and would NOT be appearing in any future seasons of the show. Today we learn officially that Staub has, indeed, been fired from the show. Bravo aired part 2 of the reunion special for The Real Housewives of New Jersey, which was Danielle‘s final appearance on the show. On her way out, Danielle hugged and handshaked (handshook?) with her fellow RHONJ castmembers in an apparent show of friendship … which you can see from these photos:

Bravo is cleaning house. The network announced Monday that Danielle Staub, the firestarter on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” would not be returning to the show. Throughout the tumultuous second season, Staub enraged Caroline Manzo, her sister-in-law Jacqueline Laurita and family friend Teresa Giudice, though Staub seemed to make amends at the end of Monday’s reunion episode. “The reunion was Danielle’s last appearance on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” said Andy Cohen, Bravo’s senior vice president of original programming and development who also hosts “The Real Housewives” reunion shows. “We thought the hugs were a great way to end two seasons of bitterness between the women.” … While several women are moving on from the 4-year-old franchise, an entirely new group of “Real Housewives” in Beverly Hills are preparing for their close-up , debuting Oct. 14. Cohen promised a return to over-the-top opulence and a family dynamic similar to the New Jersey series with a pair sisters who happen to be connected to the Hilton family. The Beverly Hills cast includes: Adrienne Maloof, whose family owns the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas; Camille Grammer, ex-wife of “Frasier” star Kelsey Grammer; Lisa Vanderpump, a transplanted British restaurateur; Taylor Armstrong, wife of venture capitalist Russell Armstrong and Kim and Kyle Richards, former child stars and aunts of Paris Hilton. “There’s big, big, big drama and big, big, big tension,” said Cohen. “They all live near each other, and it’s amazing. You’ll see what it means to be someone’s neighbor in Beverly Hills. You have to walk a mile to get to your next door neighbor’s house. Adrienne and Lisa live across the street from each other. I’ve never seen wealth on that scale.” Bravo is constantly searching for new cast members, both in existing and potential locales, according to Cohen. That means interviewing and filming test footage of possible “Real Housewives” with their friends and families. Cohen said the network has attempted to wrangle a Texas edition for the past two years but “never hit it” with the right group of women.

And that, my dear friends, is that … no more Danielle. Personally, this decision to cut her out of the show makes no sense to me. The whole dynamic of RHONY is all the ladies vs. Danielle … without Danielle, what is left for the other castmembers to do? Do I really want to watch the bankrupt Teresa shop? Do I really want to watch Jacqueline fight with her bratty daughter Ashley? Do I really want to watch Caroline smother and baby her grown children? No, to all of those questions. It’s starting to feel like the Real Housewives franchise is losing it’s luster … not only is Danielle leaving RHONJ but Bethenny Frankel is leaving The Real Housewives of NYC, Lisa Wu Hartwell is leaving The Real Housewives of Atlanta and crazy Lynne Curtain is leaving The Real Housewives of Orange County. The franchise will debut The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills this Fall … further saturating reality TV with more old rich women dying to be famous. Meh. Danielle Staub may have been a bit loony but she was entertaining and truly made RHONJ worth watching … without her, I’m not sure it’s worth tuning in anymore.

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