Surrounded by family and friends, ABC's beaming and insightful movie critic Joel Siegel has died in New York, after a long and remarkably courageous struggle with cancer, at the age of 63. Both colleagues and fans delighted in his unique way of blending cheerful good humor and piercing critical acumen in reviews that made them instantly clear to anyone. You knew exactly what he thought -- often with the bonus of a good laugh. In a statement today, ABC News President David Westin said, "Joel was an important part of ABC News and we will miss him. He was a brilliant reviewer and a great reporter. But much more, he was our dear friend and colleague. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

Joel Siegel's battle with colon cancer was borne with such astonishing courage and humor that he almost tricked his colleagues around the office into forgetting his struggle.

Still at work only two weeks before his death, he had this reporter and several others chortling in an elevator over a line he was about to broadcast about there being so many new penguin movies lately that soon they would outnumber the penguins themselves.

With his trademark style -- a bright but very business-like cheerfulness -- Joel Siegel delivered his swift judgments with a self-confidence and wit so finely phrased it made his reviews a pleasure to listen to just for the quick precision of his language.

He was the master of the unambiguous thumbnail review, whether delivering flowers:

-- "The Pursuit of Happyness" gets a C for spelling and an A for acting. It could also get an Oscar for Will Smith."

-- "Letters from Iwo Jima" is the only contemporary film I've ever reviewed that I felt safe calling a masterpiece. It's not about the enemy, it's about humanity, and Clint Eastwood proves you don't have to understand the language to understand the heart."

... or bombs:

-- "The appeal of Matthew McConaughey has long evaded me both as a pinup and as an actor. His constant ticks, bad hair and strained syntax as a coach fumble what should have been the tragic and inspirational story of the rebuilding of Marshall University's football team after a devastating plane crash."

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Evan Almighty Tops Box Office

Evan Almighty topped the box office this past weekend, making $31,192,615. The reviews were terrible and the film cost $175 million to make, so producers were not happy with the opening figures. But the word of mouth is good and it's going to make a fortune on DVD, especially when people find out that it's actually family-friendly, unlike the Jim Carrey original.

In second place was 1408, the horror film starring John Cusack and Samuel Jackson, which made $20,617,667. In third place was Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, which made $20,009,476. In fourth place was Ocean's 13, which made another $11,411,268, in its second week. So far the film has earned $91,079,577.

Also opening this weekend was the Angelina Jolie-starrer A Mighty Heart which absolutely tanked, making only $3,948,863. It has favorable reviews, but audiences stayed away in droves.

Posted on June 27, 2007
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Christina Aguilera is Reading Scripts

The Associated Press reports that Christina Aguilera wants to be a movie star and she is busy reading screenplays.

Christina Aguilera says she's reading scripts in search of the right role to launch an acting career.

"I am looking forward to moving into another form of what I feel is another creative outlet for me and that would be acting," the singer, 26, said Monday in Shanghai, where she was to perform her first mainland China concert.

Aguilera said she was taking her time understanding the film industry.

TMZ.co is warning Christina Aguilera to avoid films other music stars have made like Mariah's Glitter and Britney Spears' Crossroads. Hillary Duff, who is more established as an actress, also had a film one called Raise Your Voice that was more watchable than these two. Will Xtina's first film be another film where a young woman finds her path to music stardom? We will hold out hopes for more but we won't hold them too high.

Posted on June 25, 2007
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Larry King Gets First Paris Hilton Interview

CNN's Larry King has landed Paris Hilton's first post-jail interview. Paris said:

"I am thrilled that Larry King has asked me to appear on his program to discuss my experience in jail, what I have learned, how I have grown and anything else he wants to talk about. Larry King is not only a world-renowned journalist, but a true American Icon. It will be an honor to do his show."

The interview will air Wednesday, June 27th on CNN. She'll have the entire hour -- and boy are they going to have to screen those calls.

Posted on June 23, 2007
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Harrison Ford Is Indiana Jones Once Again



Director Steven Spielberg took this first photo of Harrison Ford back in the saddle for Indiana Jones IV. He looks pretty much the same, doesn't he? The official website says:

For the first time since 1989, Harrison Ford dons the familiar costume on Thursday, June 21, 2007, as the upcoming Indiana Jones adventure begins production under the direction of Steven Spielberg. The new Indiana Jones movie is set in the 1950s and stars Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, John Hurt, Ray Winstone and Jim Broadbent. The Lucasfilm Ltd. production will be released by Paramount Pictures worldwide on May 22, 2008.

Alas, Sean Connery won't be returning as Indy's dad. Connery said:

"I get asked the question so often, I thought it best to make an announcement. I thought long and hard about it and if anything could have pulled me out of retirement it would have been an Indiana Jones film. I love working with Steven and George, and it goes without saying that it is an honor to have Harrison as my son. But in the end, retirement is just too damned much fun. I, do however, have one bit of advice for Junior: Demand that the critters be digital, the cliffs be low, and for goodness sake keep that whip by your side at all times in case you need to escape from the stunt coordinator! This is a remarkable cast, and I can only say, 'Break a leg, everyone.' I'll see you on May 22, 2008, at the theater!"

We'll definitely be there!

Posted on June 22, 2007
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Jimmy Kimmel Has Emergency Appendectomy

Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel was rushed to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy.

Jimmy Kimmel's funny bone remains intact, but his appendix is down for the count. The late-night talk show host is recuperating at home after undergoing an emergency appendectomy Wednesday night in Los Angeles.

"The surgery was a success," Lewis Kay, Kimmel's publicist, said. "He is resting comfortably and is looking forward to getting back to work." The 39-year-old comedian will be taking a few sick days while he recovers from the side-splitting, if unamusing procedure. Kay says Kimmel won't be back on air until Monday at the earliest.

"The rest of this week's tapings of Jimmy Kimmel Live have been canceled until he is back on his feet," Kay said. ABC will round out the week with reruns of interviews with Geoffrey Rush, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Kevin Costner and Leslie Mann.

That sounds like no fun at all. We wish him a speedy recovery!

Posted on June 21, 2007
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Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer Tops the Box Office

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer topped the box office this past weekend, making an estimated $57,400,000. Critics hated it, but fans loved it and showed up in droves for the opening. The per theater take was a very nice $14,498. In second place was Ocean's Thirteen, which made $19,105,000, bringing its take to date to a very healthy $69,810,000. That's great for two weeks out, and you know that one will make a fortune on DVD.

In third place was Universal's Knocked Up, which made another $14,535,000, bringing the romantic comedy's take to date to $90,482,000, which is absolutely stunning for a low budget comedy. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End held on to fourth place, making another $12,024,000. The film's take to date is $273,757,000.

Also debuting this weekend was Nancy Drew starring Julia Roberts' niece Emma Roberts. The WB film earned a disappointing $7,135,000 in 2,612 theaters. Reviews were mixed, with the consensus being that the film was kind of bland. Nothing offensive, but no pep.

Posted on June 18, 2007
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The Search for the New Elvira

A "casket call" has just gone out to find the next Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. From the official release:

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, is searching for an evil handmaiden to assist with her Halloween hosting duties on the Fox Reality Original "The Search for the Next Elvira," which debuts on Fox Reality, the only all-reality, all-the-time cable and satellite network, on Saturday, October 13 at 9:00 PM PT / 12:00 AM ET. Natural 9 Entertainment ("Reality Remix," "Fox Reality Really Awards") is producing the series exclusively for Fox Reality.

On Friday, July 13, Fox Reality will host an open "Casket Call" at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA for their original series "The Search for the Next Elvira." From the hundreds of horrific hopefuls, Elvira will cut the group down to the unlucky thirteen participants, while the others will be told to "Rest in Peace." Later that evening, Elvira will be crowned with her new title "Queen of Halloween." Instructions for entering the Fox Reality Original "The Search for the Next Elvira" through the open "Casket Call" are posted on www.foxreality.com.

"We are thrilled to hold the 'Casket Call' on Friday the 13th at the Queen Mary a notoriously haunted LA landmark. All walks of life are welcome to see if they have what it takes to become the Next Elvira," said Carol Sherman, Executive Producer, Natural 9 Entertainment.

"The Search for the Next Elvira" is a reality series consisting of three, hour-long episodes during which contestants will compete to see if they can look the part, and present the same wit, poise and courage as the real Elvira in hopes of becoming one of Halloween's most sinful icons. Following the second episode on October 20, audience members can vote for their favorite aspiring Elvira who will be crowned as the next "Mistress of the Dark" during the LIVE finale on Halloween.

"There are simply too many ghastly engagements for one 'Mistress of the Dark' to entertain," said Elvira. "I am searching for someone to share my tricks with someone to help spread the Halloween spirit."

We're not sure how many Elviras we can stand. One seems like more than enough. Although, don't get us wrong. Her film Elvira: Mistress of the Dark really is a camp classic. And can anyone fill her costume quite like the original? We didn't think so.

Posted on June 15, 2007
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Jennifer Aniston to Produce Goree Girls

Jennifer Aniston has signed to produce and possibly star in a film set in the 1940s about one of the country's first female country recording acts, the Goree Girls, for DreamWorks Pictures.

The actress is on board to produce and likely star in the 1940s song-laden comedy about one of the nation's first all-female country acts, a group whose members were also guests of the Texas penal system. Aniston will be joined by seven other singin' and pickin' actresses cast as part of the Goree All Girl String Band, which is remembered as the Dixie Chicks of its day for the radio performances it put on from a Texas music hall.

Aniston and her producing partner, Kristin Hahn, hired Margaret Nagle (HBO's "Warm Springs") to adapt the screenplay from a Texas Monthly article. DreamWorks, Aniston and Hahn have sent the script out in search of a director with no scheduled production start to date. The group of eight female Texas prisoners performed live every Wednesday evening in the early 1940s to an estimated 7 million Americans tuned into radio station WBAP-AM in Fort Worth.

The women - some of whom were in prison for cattle rustling, robbery and murder - joined together with the hope of "singing their way out" of Goree State Farm, a few miles south of Huntsville, according to Skip Hollandsworth, who wrote the 8,000-word profile "O, Sister Where Art Thou?" for Texas Monthly in May 2003.

The women were allowed to change out of their prison uniforms (starched white linen dresses) and into light tan shirts, brown western-style skirts, white cowboy boots and, tied around their necks, brown bandannas each week for their public appearances, thanks to the Texas prison system's bid for a little favorable publicity following reports of escapes, beatings and gunfights in their facilities.

So, it's kind of like The Dixie Chicks meet Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou?. Right? We can work with that.

Posted on June 13, 2007
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Ocean's 13 Tops Box Office

Ocean's 13 topped the box office this past weekend, making an estimated $37,080,000 in its debut. The Brad Pitt/George Clooney/Andy Garcia/Matt Damon starrer has gotten good reviews and is definitely entertaining summer fare. In second place was Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, which made another $21,316,000 in its third week of release. The film's gross to date is $253,614,000.

In third place was Knocked Up, the romantic comedy from Judd Apatow. The film grossed another $20,017,000 this past weekend. In fourth place was the Sony animated feature Surf's Up, which made $18,000,000 in its debut. In fifth place was Shrek the Third which made $15,750,000, bringing its domestic gross to date to $281,892,000.

Posted on June 11, 2007
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Jericho Returns From the Dead

The apocalyptic drama Jericho has experienced a miracle: it's returned from the dead. Yes, a fan campaign to save the show actually worked and the doomsday drama is coming back.

After much fanfare-intense viewer support that came in the form of letters, petitions and lots of nuts delivered to CBS headquarters, network executives have re-grouped and decided to give the Skeet Ulrich-led drama a second chance. On Wednesday, CBS President of Entertainment Nina Tassler ordered seven episodes of the series to air sometime in mid-season, crediting the fervent cancellation protest as "creative, sustained and very thoughtful and respectful in tone."

If the series, which appeared to be on its way to becoming a hit in the fall and fell in the ratings after a long winter hiatus, picks up steam, the network will consider producing more episodes, Tassler wrote in a letter to the fans on its messageboard on www.cbs.com. "A loyal and passionate community has clearly formed around the show," Tassler wrote. "But that community needs to grow. It needs to grow on the CBS Television Network, as well as on the many digital platforms where we make the show available. We will count on you to rally around the show, to recruit new viewers with the same grass-roots energy, intensity and volume you have displayed in recent weeks."

"Volume" in this case is a euphemism for tons-the tons of nuts fans delivered to CBS in tribute to the show's season finale, in which Jake (Ulrich) replied "Nuts!" when New Bern's commander asked him to surrender. (In World War II, when General MacAuliffe was asked to surrender at the Battle of the Bulge, he simply replied "Nuts!"). And what did CBS do with all those nuts, you ask? They were donated to charities, such as, the Staten Island Project Homefront, which sends supplies to the Armed Forces and City Harvest in New York City. In a P.S., Tassler wrote, "Please stop sending us nuts."

Nuts, indeed. But our favorite save the show campaign was the La Femme Nikita campaign in which fans sent boxes of sunglasses to the network (Nikita always wore lots of different, cool-looking sunglasses). Network execs are no doubt worried about what bizarre item from a canceled show will be arriving next.

Posted on June 6, 2007
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New Transformers Clip



Producer Michael Bay has posted a really cool action clip from Transformers on his blog. You can see the clip of Optimus Prime vs. Bonecrusher here. Transformers won a new MTV Movie Award for the Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet, which is, like, so Zen.

Posted on June 5, 2007
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Pirates Still Rule: Knocked Up Is A Hit

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End topped the box office this past weekend, making $43,188,000, which is a big (62.4%) drop from its opening weekend. In second place was Knocked Up starring Katherine Heigl, which made $29,284,000 in an outstanding debut for a comedy. Judd Apatow, who also directed 40 Year Old Virgin is hot, hot, hot in Hollywood now.

In third place was Shrek the Third, which made $26,704,000, bringing its total take to date to $254,611,000. Mr. Brooks, the Demi Moore/Kevin Costner thriller, came in at a disappointing fourth place making $10,020,000. The per theater take was good, however, at $4,084.

In fifth place was Spider-Man 3, which made another $7,500,000, bringing its take to date to $318,264,000.

Posted on June 4, 2007
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The End of Battlestar Galactica

Michael Ausiello of TV Guide shares the sad news that next season will be the last one for last episode for the show.

Sci Fi has announced that Battlestar Galactica will come to an end after its upcoming 22-episode fourth season. The decision was made by exec producers David Eick and Ronald D. Moore. WTFrak?!

"This show was always meant to have a beginning, a middle and finally, an end," the duo said in a statement. "Over the course of the last year, the story and the characters have been moving strongly toward that end and we've decided to listen to those internal voices and conclude the show on our own terms. And while we know our fans will be saddened to know the end is coming, they should brace themselves for a wild ride getting there -- we're going out with a bang."

The fourth and final season kicks off in early 2008. As previously reported, the two-hour prequel pic "Razor" will premiere in November.

This is just so annoying. Battlestar was one of the best shows on TV until this past season when they just ruined Starbuck's character. She's the best pilot in the fleet so they make her an alcoholic, mentally unstable witch? The show became a soap opera instead of an action series. The Cylons were much more interesting than the humans by the end of the season. The idea that the storylines were exhausted is simply ridiculous.

It seems clear that the producers/writers lost focus and let the story deteriorate. Why did President Rosslyn morph from being a fascinating character into one who is just repulsive? She needs to die already. Do the writers hate women? Because what they did to the characters of Rosslyn and Starbuck is just wrong.

Oh, of course we'll tune in for the last season, but we'll be throwing popcorn at the screen and yelling if they don't get back to the cool stuff and dial down the suds. Oh, and they need to stop running out of stuff! We hate that. Find a planet and get re-supplied. Because this whole "we're running out of food" storyline is really, really lame.

Posted on June 1, 2007
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