News for 9/21/2005


Weekend Boxoffice

Witherspoon's 'Heaven' Tops Box Office


LOS ANGELES (AP) - Reese Witherspoon led her new movie "Just Like Heaven" to a divine opening weekend. The film took in $16.4 million to win the top spot at the box office.

The romantic comedy, co-starring Mark Ruffalo, did well enough to banish "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" to second place with $14.9 million.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Monday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.:

1. "Just Like Heaven," DreamWorks, $16,408,718, 3,508 locations, $4,678 average, $16,408,718, one week.

2. "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," Screen Gems, $14,851,719, 2,983 locations, $4,979 average, $51,561,110, two weeks.

3. "Lord of War," Lions Gate, $9,390,144, 2,814 locations, $3,337 average, $9,390,144, one week.

4. "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," Universal, $5,967,005, 3,006 locations, $1,985 average, $90,726,553, five weeks.

5. "Cry Wolf," Focus/Rogue, $4,428,209, 1,789 locations, $2,475 average, $4,428,209, one week.

6. "Transporter 2," 20th Century Fox, $4,012,866, 2,805 locations, $1,431 average, $36,495,152, three weeks.

7. "The Constant Gardener," Focus, $3,618,254, 1,387 locations, $2,609 average, $24,289,337, three weeks.

8. "Red Eye," DreamWorks, $2,859,529, 2,455 locations, $1,165 average, $55,185,874, five weeks.

9. "The Wedding Crashers," New Line, $2,527,642, 1,807 locations, $1,399 average, $203,620,728, 10 weeks.

10. "March of the Penguins," Warner Independent, $2,518,327, 1,876 locations, $1,342 average, $70,393,482, 13 weeks.

11. "An Unfinished Life," Miramax, $2,052,066, 753 locations, $2,725 average, $3,370,348, two weeks.

12. "The Man," New Line, $2,009,547, 2,040 locations, $985 average, $7,149,964, two weeks.

13. "The Brothers Grimm," Miramax, $1,970,306, 2,002 locations, $984 average, $36,225,567, four weeks.

14. "Four Brothers," Paramount, $1,877,892, 1,509 locations, $1,244 average, $71,065,317, six weeks.

15. "Sky High," Disney, $805,146, 795 locations, $1,013 average, $61,706,274, eight weeks.

16. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," Warner Bros., $737,101, 651 locations, $1,132 average, $203,563,984, 10 weeks.

17. "Valiant," Disney, $723,140, 949 locations, $762 average, $18,399,969, five weeks.

18. "The Skeleton Key," Universal, $627,195, 896 locations, $700 average, $46,853,185, six weeks.

19. "Broken Flowers," Focus, $541,302, 372 locations, $1,455 average, $12,379,258, seven weeks.

20. "Venom," Miramax, $519,489, 489 locations, $1,062 average, $519,489, one week.



Fishburne Tells 'Landlord's Tale'


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com)- Laurence Fishburne has optioned the novel "A Landlord's Tale," with an eye toward developing the project into a feature.

It's unclear if Fishburne plans on merely producing the film through his Cinema Gypsy Prods. shingle or if he intends to direct, star or write.

Gammy L. Singer's "A Landlord's Tale' was published this spring. Set in the '70s, the story focuses on Amos Brown, a gambler and low-level con, who inherits two brownstones in Harlem. With the property, of course, come the wacky residents, including a voodoo practitioner and a kind-hearted drag queen.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cinema Gypsy just finished work on "Akeelah and the Bee." The "Matrix" co-stars other production credits include "Hoodlum" and the telefilm "Miss Evers' Boys." He wrote and directed 2000's "Once in the Life."



UPN Juggles Thursday Comedies


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) "Everybody Hates Chris" is staying put, but UPN has rearranged the rest of its new Thursday lineup behind the critically lauded comedy.

In making the moves, the network has moved "Eve" back from 8:30 to 9 p.m. ET Thursdays, giving UPN an established show to lead off the monstrously competitive 9 p.m. hour. Rookie show "Love, Inc." gets the 8:30 spot behind "Chris," while "Cuts" drops back a half-hour to 9:30.

UPN also thinks that "Love, Inc.," a romantic comedy that stars Holly Robinson Peete ("Like Family") and Busy Philipps ("Freaks and Geeks") as employees of a matchmaking agency, will flow better out of "Chris" and into "Eve" and "Cuts."

However the night is scheduled, UPN will be in a heated battle for ratings on Thursdays. No one figures to challenge CBS' dominant lineup of "Survivor," "CSI" and "Without a Trace," but with NBC's once-powerful schedule on a downswing, the other networks have made aggressive scheduling moves on Thursdays.

"Chris" and "Love, Inc." will face cult hits "Alias" and "Smallville" along with FOX's young-adult magnet "The O.C." at 8 p.m. The 9 p.m. race for third features ABC's "Night Stalker," The WB's "Everwood" and FOX's "Reunion" in addition to "Eve" and "Cuts."

Advertisers apparently believe that at least "Chris" will hold its own. The Chris Rock-produced and -narrated show, based on his life as a teenager, has earned raves as one of the best new shows of the season and is commanding UPN-record prices of nearly $180,000 for a 30-second commercial.



'Everybody Hates Chris' Is Ready to Rock

By Jay Bobbin


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - If everybody loved Raymond, a lot of people hated Chris Rock as a child, at least in Rock's own view.

The comedian's youth fuels "Everybody Hates Chris," the promising new UPN sitcom that Rock narrates in his typical shoot-from-the-hip style. He's also an executive producer of the sitcom that premieres Thursday, Sept. 22, as it recalls the young Rock of the early 1980s (as portrayed by Tyler James Williams). Newly relocated with his family to the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, N.Y., he faces numerous household and school challenges.

His days start with a long bus trek to his classroom, since his forceful mother (Tichina Arnold, "Martin") insists he attend a good school in the South Shore. His quick wit helps him survive bullies who lie in wait for him, and he even makes some pals along the way. At home, while his father (Terry Crews, who worked with Rock in the recent movie remake of "The Longest Yard") and mother are occupied with work, Chris serves as an "emergency adult" for his siblings (Tequan Richmond, Imani Hakim).

It may not have been the life Rock envisioned for himself at the time, but it certainly helped shape his comedy. He reflects, "I grew up in a very loving two-parent household in the middle of one of the worst ghettos in New York City. I was bused to school, but I had so much love in my house, it's really weird. I didn't know I lived in the ghetto until I was, like, 19 or 20. I came to L.A. with Eddie Murphy and stayed at hotels and all this stuff. When I got back and saw what my neighborhood looked like, I started getting scared." (Read More...)



News for 9/13/2005


Mario Van Peebles carves out 'Wood' deal

By Borys Kit


LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Mario Van Peebles has signed to direct "Yellow Wood," a mystery thriller that marks a follow-up to "Baadasssss!" his acclaimed 2003 homage to his pioneering filmmaker father, Melvin.

The story centers on a woman who is haunted by the long-ago murder of her older sister. Working with a radical researcher, she travels deep into her dreamscape and is able to relive and change the past, but things don't work out as planned.

"It's where quantum physics meets spirituality, and there's this tricky nebula of parallel lives," said Van Peebles, who will also take a role in the film.

Scripts piled up for Van Peebles after the success of "Baadasssss!" but he chose "Wood" because of its spiritual themes.

"It was something that I had been researching," he said. "I had spent time in India. I've gotten to study spirituality with different folks, and I was interested in the concept of reincarnation and parallel lives, our perception of God and self. It was an area that I wanted to explore more, and this was an interesting venue. I'm attracted to art that makes us think."

He also said he hopes to be in production by Christmas. The project is set up at Disney-based Spyglass Entertainment, the firm behind "The Pacifier" and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

Van Peebles, who had already established himself as an actor, segued into directing with "21 Jump Street" and "Wiseguy." His first feature was "New Jack City." "Baadasssss!" -- released by Sony Pictures Classics -- earned three Independent Spirit Award nominations.

Van Peebles co-stars in the upcoming "Carlito's Way: Rise to Power" opposite Sean "Diddy" Combs and Jay Hernandez. He played Malcolm X in Michael Mann's "Ali."



Mr. T, TV Land 'Pity the Fool'


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) "The A-Team" may or may not ever take its place in the pantheon of classic TV shows, although viewers of a certain age (that'd be about 28 to 36, men in particular) tend to remember it fondly.

One of the show's stars, though, may soon make it onto classic-TV network TV Land. Mr. T has signed a deal to star in a pilot for the channel called "I Pity the Fool," in which he'll dole out advice and try to help people in difficult situations. Lions Gate TV is producing the project.

It's presumed that in the course of helping people get their lives right, no jibba jabba will be allowed.

"We are very excited to work with Mr. T and Lions Gate on 'I Pity The Fool,'" says Sal Maniaci, head of development for TV Land. "By putting Mr. T in an unfamiliar environment, viewers will have the experience of seeing him back up his famous words and attitude with concrete actions."

"I Pity the Fool" will find Mr. T acting as a "motivational guru" helping people improve their personal and professional lives. Mr. T will use his own varied life experience as basis for his strategy to help others.

The pilot is set to go into production in October. Stephen Belafonte ("Thank You for Smoking"), Ken Druckerman and Banks Tarver ("Growing Up Gotti") will serve as executive producers.



Outkast Musical Comes to Universal


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com)- Universal Pictures has snagged worldwide distribution rights to HBO Films' upcoming untitled musical from the Grammy-winning duo Outkast.

The film, which stars Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000 in Outkast, but more recently a "Four Brothers" co-star) and Antwan Patton (Big Boi), was written and directed by Bryan Barber. It's the feature film debut for Barber, who directed Outkast's highly regarded videos for "Hey Ya" and "The Way You Move."

"Andre Benjamin and Antwan Patton are artists without parallel on the cultural landscape," gushes HBO Films President Colin Callender in a statement. "Together with director Bryan Barber, their videos have taken the synthesis of music, cinema and style to a whole new dimension. We are proud and excited that they have chosen to work with HBO to bring their unique vision of an original musical to the screen, and we are delighted to be working with Universal Pictures -- whose unbridled enthusiasm for the film promises to turn this into a major motion picture event."

HBO Films financed the project. The movie features new Outkast songs and a soundtrack album will drop at the end of 2005, to be followed by the release of the film in early 2006. Charles Roven ("Batman Begins") and Robert Guralnick produced for Mosaic Media.

Set in the South (and shot in North Carolina), the film takes place in a 1930s speakeasy and follows Percival (Benjamin), the club's piano player, and Rooser (Patton), the club's lead performer, through intersecting stories of love and ambition.

The strong supporting cast includes Ving Rhames ("Mission: Impossible"), Terrence Dashon Howard ("Hustle & Flow"), Faizon Love ("Elf"), Malinda Williams ("Soul Food"), Paula Jai Parker ("She Hate Me"), Jackie Long ("Lovewrecked") and Cicely Tyson ("Fried Green Tomatoes"). Musical veterans like Patti LaBelle, Macy Gray and Ben Vereen also appear.

"Seeing a very rough cut of this film was an incredibly exciting experience," say Adam Fogelson, president of Universal Pictures Marketing and Eddie Egan, co-president of Universal Pictures Marketing. "We very much wanted to be part of bringing this film to a wide audience, and we're delighted to be partnering with HBO Films and Charles Roven."



Weekend Boxoffice

'Exorcism of Emily Rose' Bedevils Rivals


LOS ANGELES (AP) - The drama-horror film "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" banished its competition at the weekend box office, taking in just over $30 million.

Starring Oscar nominees Tom Wilkinson, Laura Linney and Shohreh Aghdashloo, the movie knocked "Transporter 2" from the top spot and allowed "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" to sneak back into second place.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Monday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.:

1. "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," Screen Gems, $30,054,300, 2,981 locations, $10,082 average, $30,054,300, one week.

2. "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," Universal, $7,717,530, 2,974 locations, $2,595 average, $82,126,560, four weeks.

3. "Transporter 2," 20th Century Fox, $7,389,470, 3,320 locations, $2,226 average, $30,321,471, two weeks.

4. "The Constant Gardener," Focus, $4,726,644, 1,381 locations, $3,423 average, $19,017,317, two weeks.

5. "Red Eye," DreamWorks, $4,470,741, 3,076 locations, $1,453 average, $51,174,155, four weeks.

6. "The Man," New Line, $4,065,014, 2,040 locations, $1,993 average, $4,065,014, one week.

7. "The Brothers Grimm," Miramax, $3,343,644, 2,750 locations, $1,216 average, $33,295,113, three weeks.

8. "The Wedding Crashers," New Line, $3,252,154, 2,181 locations, $1,491 average, $200,021,913, nine weeks.

9. "Four Brothers," Paramount, $2,946,003, 2,093 locations, $1,408 average, $68,271,343, five weeks.

10. "March of the Penguins," Warner Independent, $2,639,936, 2,403 locations, $1,099 average, $66,979,768, 12 weeks.

11. "The Skeleton Key," Universal, $1,510,180, 1,876 locations, $805 average, $45,821,815, five weeks.

12. "The Cave," Sony, $1,355,355, 1,871 locations, $724 average, $13,702,364, three weeks.

13. "The Underclassman," Miramax, $1,243,374, 1,132 locations, $1,098 average, $4,636,984, two weeks.

14. "Sky High," Disney, $1,131,891, 1,206 locations, $939 average, $60,711,608, seven weeks.

15. "Valiant," Disney, $1,123,546, 1,633 locations, $688 average, $17,449,423, four weeks.

16. "An Unfinished Life," Miramax, $1,008,308, 139 locations, $7,254 average, $1,008,308, one week.

17. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," Warner Bros., $992,389, 1,013 locations, $980 average, $202,596,015, nine weeks.

18. "The Dukes of Hazzard," Warner Bros., $793,197, 1,245 locations, $637 average, $78,583,769, six weeks.

19. "Broken Flowers," Focus, $753,289, 425 locations, $1,772 average, $11,551,236, six weeks.

20. "Salaam Namaste," Yash Raj Films, $504,897, 63 locations, $8,014 average, $504,897, one week.



News for 9/4/2005


Freeman Auctions Movie, TV Tickets for Katrina Relief


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - In "Batman Begins," Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox helped the Dark Knight fight the forces of evil. Now the Oscar-winning actor is lending a helping hand to the Katrina disaster relief efforts with a charity auction.

Freeman is leading an online auction that will include more than a hundred lots that include airplane, concert, TV show tickets and various other entertainment items on CharityFolks.com.

All fees have been waived, so 100 percent of the final bid for the items will benefit the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which will provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Some of the lots include: a pass to attend the premiere of Freeman's "An Unfinished Life," co-starring Jennifer Lopez and Robert Redford; tickets to attend the taping of "That '70s Show," the "Jimmy Kimmel" show and a set visit to Nickelodeon's "Drake and Josh"; and VIP tickets to Fashion Rocks, which will feature performances from David Bowie, Destiny's Child, Duran Duran, Alicia Keys, Tim McGraw, Billy Idol, Gwen Stefani, Joss Stone and Rob Thomas.

Non-entertainment items up for bid are two first class Virgin Airlines tickets, four nights at a Prince Suite at the Princeville Resort in Kauai and a getaway at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York.

Freeman, 68, opened the Ground Zero Blues Club and the restaurant Madidi in 2001 in Clarksdale, Mississipi to preserve traditional Southern culture. Hurricane Katrina devastated many parts of the South on Monday (Aug. 29), hitting Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.



Jaden Smith Joins Dad in Happyness

Source: Variety


Variety says that Jaden Smith, the 7-year-old son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, has been set by Columbia Pictures to make his screen starring debut in the Gabrielle Muccino-directed The Pursuit of Happyness. He'll play the son of Smith's character.

Written by Steve Conrad (The Weather Man), the film stars Will Smith as a marginally employed salesman who gets custody of his son just as he is about to begin a career-making stock brokerage intern program.

Shooting begins right away for a 2006 release.



Raven Symone Goes Double Dutch

Source: Variety


Variety reports that writer Tyger Williams has made a deal with Disney for Double Dutch, a pitch for a starring vehicle for Raven Symone. The project sets Disney Channel fixture Symone in the world of competitive jump roping.

Williams has also made a deal with Paramount and MTV Films for Street Soldier, a vehicle for former B2K bandmates Marques Houston and Omarion Granberry, who starred in You Got Served.

Williams previously wrote Menace 2 Society. He was also just set by Paramount and MTV to rewrite The Ballad of Walter Holmes, a Saturday Night Fever-like drama that has Usher and director George C. Wolfe attached.



Morgan Freeman plans Katrina relief auction

Actor, who lives in Mississippi delta, will help raise funds on Web site

The Associate Press


NEW YORK - Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman has helped organize an online auction to raise funds for disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

The auction, which also includes corporate-donated items, will open Friday on the Charity Folks Web site, an online auction venue, and run until Sept. 16, it was announced Wednesday.

Items include the opportunity to attend a screening of Freeman’s upcoming film, “An Unfinished Life,” a resort getaway and memorabilia packages from various movies.

Proceeds will go to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

“It’s sort of well-known that anytime any catastrophe happens anywhere in the world, they can count on the United States for help,” Freeman told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

“Now, charity begins at home, so we call on anybody who has even the thought (of giving) to get beyond the thought and help these people,” the 68-year-old actor said.

Freeman, who lives in the Mississippi Delta, said his property missed the brunt of the hurricane, getting just rain and high winds.

The actor last year helped establish the Grenada Relief Fund in response to the devastation wrecked on the Caribbean island by Hurricanes Ivan and Emily.

Freeman won an Oscar for his role in “Million Dollar Baby.” His screen credits also include “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Driving Miss Daisy” and “Street Smart.”

The Red Cross said Wednesday it has raised $21 million, with nearly $15 million coming from individual donations through the Red Cross’ Web site.



News for 8/24/2005


'Mockingbird' Actor Peters Dies at 78


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Brock Peters, a stage and film actor who played a man falsely accused of rape in "To Kill a Mockingbird," has died at the age of 78.

The veteran actor, singer and producer died in his Los Angeles home on Tuesday, Aug. 23 from complications of pancreatic cancer, according to published reports.

Born with the name George Fisher on July 2, 1927 in New York City, Peters began his performing career early, landing a part in a 1943 Broadway production of "Porgy and Bess." He went on to hold various odd jobs, but always pursued showbiz, studying for the stage in New York and singing in a touring cabaret act.

In 1954, he made his screen debut as the belligerent Sgt. Brown in "Carmen Jones" and later as the menacing Crown in the 1959 film version of "Porgy and Bess." These roles unfortunately typecast him as angry black men for numerous roles.

His minor but pivotal role as Tom Robinson in the 1962 adaptation of Harper Lee's "Mockingbird," starring Gregory Peck, earned him critical praise. Around the same time, he starred a gay trumpet player in "The L-Shaped Room." His other film credits include parts in "Major Dundee," Sidney Lumet's "The Pawnbroker," "The McMasters," the sci-fi classic "Soylent Green," "Two-Minute Warning" and as Admiral Cartwright in "Star Trek IV" and "VI."

He continued to juggle stage work, appearing in "Othello," "The Great White Hope," "Cry, the Beloved Country," "Driving Miss Daisy" and "My Children, My Africa." He received a Tony nomination for playing the lead in "Lost in the Stars," a role he reprised in the 1974 movie adaptation.

He also enjoyed a healthy television career, appearing in "Battlestar Galactica," "Roots: The Next Generation," "The Young and the Restless" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." His deep bass voice was also featured in a number of cartoons: "Batman: The Animated Series" as Lucius Fox (a role Morgan Freeman took in "Batman Begins"), "Captain Planet," "The Wild Thornberrys," "Samurai Jack," "Static Shock" and "Aaahh!!! Real Monsters." He also voiced Darth Vader in the NPR radio version of the "Star Wars" trilogy.

He and his wife Delores Daniels, who died in 1990, started the independent production company Delbro Enterprises to produce the feature-length comedy "Five on the Black Hand Side" (1973) and the PBS documentary "This Far by Faith" (1975).

Peters was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1976 and received a life achievement award from the National Film Society a year later. In 1990, the Screen Actors Guild also honored him with an achievement award for his durability and versatility.

Peters is survived by his daughter Lise Jo and companion Marilyn Darby.



Weekend Boxoffice

'Virgin' Wins Box Office With $21.4M


LOS ANGELES (AP) - Steve Carell is no longer a box-office virgin. His debut as a leading man in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" was the top weekend movie with $21.4 million.

Wes Craven's airline thriller "Red Eye" opened in second place with $16.2 million.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. and Nielsen EDI Inc. are:

1. "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," Universal, $21,422,815, 2,845 locations, $7,530 average, $21,422,815, one week.

2. "Red Eye," DreamWorks, $16,167,662, 3,079 locations, $5,251 average, $16,167,662, one week.

3. "Four Brothers," Paramount, $12,487,537, 2,649 locations, $4,714 average, $43,118,074, two weeks.

4. "Wedding Crashers," New Line, $8,002,613, 2,920 locations, $2,741 average, $177,642,603, six weeks.

5. "The Skeleton Key," Universal, $7,725,495, 2,774 locations, $2,785 average, $30,448,770, two weeks.

6. "March of the Penguins," Warner Independent, $6,487,696, 2,102 locations, $3,086 average, $48,444,218, nine weeks.

7. "The Dukes of Hazzard," Warner Bros., $5,978,292, 3,404 locations, $1,756 average, $69,070,528, three weeks.

8. "Valiant," Disney, $5,914,722, 2,014 locations, $2,937 average, $5,914,722, one week.

9. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," Warner Bros., $4,434,453, 2,575 locations, $1,722 average, $192,638,088, six weeks.

10. "Sky High," Disney, $4,034,895, 2,145 locations, $1,881 average, $50,862,532, four weeks.

11. "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo," Sony, $3,807,221, 3,127 locations, $1,218 average, $17,381,752, two weeks.

12. "Broken Flowers," Focus, $2,349,001, 390 locations, $6,023 average, $5,977,086, three weeks.

13. "Must Love Dogs," Warner Bros., $2,241,228, 1,809 locations, $1,239 average, $39,028,308, four weeks.

14. "The Great Raid," Miramax, $1,820,664, 920 locations, $1,979 average, $6,549,818, two weeks.

15. "Supercross: The Movie," 20th Century Fox, $1,330,520, 1,621 locations, $821 average, $2,010,962, one week.

16. "War of the Worlds," Paramount, $1,057,340, 713 locations, $1,483 average, $230,614,825, eight weeks.

17. "Fantastic Four," 20th Century Fox, $1,032,450, 879 locations, $1,175 average, $150,668,328, seven weeks.

18. "The Aristocrats," ThinkFilm, $666,449, 170 locations, $3,920 average, $2,717,241, four weeks.

19. "Batman Begins," Warner Bros., $632,369, 397 locations, $1,593 average, $202,285,638, 10 weeks.

20. "Stealth," Sony, $558,334, 707 locations, $790 average, $31,200,155, four weeks.



'Freedomland' Sneaks Into Theaters Before Oscar Deadline


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com)- The long list of late-December Oscar-bait releases has just gotten a little longer, with "Freedomland" sneaking in with a limited pre-Christmas launch.

According to media reports, Columbia Pictures will open "Freedomland" in New York and Los Angeles on Dec. 23 in order to make the film eligible for Academy Awards consideration. As was previously planned, the drama will expand nationwide on Jan. 13.

"Freedomland" was produced by Revolution Studios and directed by Revolution bigwig Joe Roth ("Christmas with the Kranks"). Scott Rudin is producing Richard Price's adaptation of his own novel.

Originally published back in 1998, "Freedomland" has taken a long path to the big screen. At the time, the book featured a ripped from the headlines plot about a white single mother who stirs up racial tensions in a New Jersey project by claiming that a black man kidnapped her son.

The film stars Samuel L. Jackson, Julianne Moore and Edie Falco.



Elba, Morrissey Practice 'Reaping' with Swank


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com)- British actors David Morrissey and Idris Elba are set to join Hilary Swank in "The Reaping."

Swank stars as a university professor who spends her spare time debunking alleged miracles. This hobby leads her to a small community in Louisiana that may or may not be experiencing 10 plagues that correspond with the misfortunes chronicled in the book of Exodus. Morrissey will play the man-with-a-secret who summons her. Elba will play her partner, a scientist.

"The Reaping" will film in Louisiana where the gumbo is tasty, the mosquitoes are big and the tax breaks are unbeatable.

The thriller comes to Warner Bros. Pictures courtesy of Village Roadshow Pictures, with Dark Castle and Chime Films co-financing, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis, Susan Levin and Herb Gains are executive producing.

Elba's credits include a number of British television and theater productions, but to a few HBO viewers he's most familiar for his run as wily crime lord Stringer Bell on "The Wire." he was last seen in the HBO telefilm "Sometimes in April."

Morrissey is another British television veteran, whose credits include the acclaimed "State of Play." Most recently, though, Morrissey has been making a big push into features, with roles in "Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction" and "Derailed," opposite Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston.



Fuqua to Helm By Any Means Necessary

Source: Variety


Paramount has hired Antoine Fuqua to direct By Any Means Necessary, a contemporary action-adventure film set up with Lorenzo Di Bonaventura.

The project, based on a script by Dan Pyne (The Manchurian Candidate), centers on law enforcement turning to a jailed mobster to help prevent a possible terrorist attack. Studio's aiming to begin production early next year.

Fuqua's helming credits include Training Day, Tears of the Sun and King Arthur.



'Hustle' Filmmakers Flow to Paramount First-Look Deal


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - "Hustle & Flow" director/writer Craig Brewer and producer Stephanie Allain have hustled to a two-year first look deal with Paramount Pictures.

The deal was announced by Paramount Chairman and CEO Brad Grey on Friday, July 22, the same day "Hustle" opened in national release.

"From the moment I first saw 'Hustle & Flow,' I knew that Craig was a filmmaker that I wanted to have a home at Paramount. He is an exciting new talent, and combined with Stephanie's seasoned producing expertise, they make a fantastic team," says Grey.

Hustle" stars Terrence Howard as a Memphis pimp who decides to change his life and pursue a career as a rap artist. Paramount won a bidding war for the film after its acclaimed showing at Sundance, where it won the Audience Award.

"I've found a fantastic producing partner in Stephanie. Our collaboration on 'Hustle & Flow' drove home for me the importance of having her kind of expertise and creative instincts in moviemaking," says Brewer. "We have a very unique way of storytelling that will undoubtedly push the envelope and it's good to know we have a home like Paramount that has already embraced that with us."

"We want to represent for the common folks who aspire to a higher calling no matter what their circumstance ... usually through creativity, especially music. Brad and Paramount really stepped up on 'Hustle' and we are looking forward to a good run where we can be creative and supported," adds Allain.

Brewer and Allain's new company, Southern Cross the Dog, will develop projects for both Paramount Pictures and specialty division Paramount Classics. Both Brewer and Allain hail from the South and named their company for "where the Southern Railroad met the Yellow Dog Railroad -- the legendary crossroads, where longing for your best self and creativity meet.

The first project under the production deal is "Black Snake Moan," about a blues guitarist (Samuel L. Jackson) who helps a young nymphomaniac (Christina Ricci) overcome her addiction.

In its opening weekend, "Hustle & Flow" debuted at No. 7 at the box office, earning nearly $8,000 for each of its 1,013 screens.



Cheadle Visits 'Hotel Rwanda' for 1st Time

By RYAN PEARSON
Associated Press Writer


Don Cheadle has finally visited "Hotel Rwanda."

The 40-year-old actor toured the Hotel des Milles Collines in Rwanda's capital Kigali last month, speaking with several of the more than 1,000 people who were sheltered there during the country's 1994 genocide by manager Paul Rusesabagina, the character portrayed by Cheadle in the film.

"All of their experiences were the stuff of epic films — things they had to go through in those 100 days," Cheadle told The Associated Press in an interview this week. "It was amazing."

Cheadle, who earned an Oscar nomination for "Hotel Rwanda," had never seen the hotel because last year's film was shot primarily in South Africa. Through the movie, however, he developed a new passion for the vast continent.

"I felt drawn to that area, and felt drawn in any way I can to bringing attention to the place, and any way that I can," he said.

During his 2 1/2-week visit in late July, he met with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, attended the premiere of "Hotel Rwanda" in Uganda and toured displaced-person camps in the country's northern provinces. More than 1.5 million Ugandans have fled their homes to avoid a campaign of murder, rape and abduction waged by rebel group Lord's Resistance Army. Cheadle met with young girls who said they were taken as wives by rebel soldiers.

"That was amazing, to hear these stories of these kids and what they had been forced to do, and trying to imagine ... I don't have that frame of reference," he said.

Cheadle said he's writing a book with John Prendergast of the nonprofit International Crisis Group about how individual Americans can respond to Africa's problems.

"It's really talking about my path out of apathy, and what people can do who are having the same questions and feelings," he said. "I had the same concerns and skepticism about sending aid to some shadowy situation where I didn't know if a warlord was going to get the money."

The actor said he was struck by many Africans' sense of hope.

"They believed there was an opportunity for things to get better, which was surprising," he said. "I think that's what's actually going to sustain them."



News for 8/17/2005


Weekend Boxoffice

"Brothers" Heads Off "Skeleton"

By Bridget Byrne


Business was flaccid again over the weekend at the nation's box office--down almost 15 percent from this time last year. About the best thing going for the studios is that there are only a few weeks left of the summer.

The number one movie was Four Brothers, the urban tale of disreputable adopted siblings seeking revenge for their mother's death, which cleaned up a respectable enough $21.2 million.

In second place was the Kate Hudson-in-scary-mansion thriller The Skeleton Key, which turned over $16.1 million.

Rob Schneider's comic sex romp sequel Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo could only rise to fifth place with a mere $9.6 million.

Last week's top movie, the made-from-TV caper The Dukes of Hazzard crashed down 58 percent to fourth place with $13 million. However, the skirt-chasing comedy Wedding Crashers was still scoring in its fifth week, dipping only 26 percent from second to fourth place with $11.8 million.

The Great Raid, a World War II tale of heroic rescue, with a cast that includes Benjamin Bratt, James Franco and Joseph Fiennes, was finally dropped down off the shelf into a limited 819 sites, where the R-rated Miramax release managed to scrape up $3.4 million from a $4,122 screen average, enough for 10th place.

This time last year the box office was topped by Alien vs. Predator, which scared its way to a $38.3 million debut. This year, with nothing nearly as blockbuster, the ticket take dove down for a third week in a row, back to the doldrums that at one point recorded 19 downers in a row.

"People are very selective right now about how they are choosing to spend their discretionary income," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the receipt-tracking Exhibitor Relations. He noted there are all kinds of films out there, targeted at different audiences, but little is really clicking.

Four Brothers, directed by John Singleton with a cast that includes Mark Wahlberg and Terrence Howard, opened at 2,533 sites, where the R-rated Paramount release averaged $8,360.

The Skeleton Key, a gothic haunted house tale starring Kate Hudson with backup from Peter Sarsgaard and veteran talents John Hurt and Gena Rowlands, opened at 2,771 sites, where the PG-13 Universal release averaged $5,795--a figure that the distributing studio said was "roughly" what was expected, considering the overall state of the box office.

Schneider's Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo sidled into a wider release, 3,127 locations. But the R-rated Sony release only averaged $3,078, well below the $5,683 average that gave the original Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo a third place debut of $12.2 million in 1999.

The best screen average in new limited release was for the documentary Grizzly Man, Werner Herzog's exploration of the obsessive and ultimately fatal fascination that the late Timothy Treadwell had for bears. At 29 locations, the R-rated Lions Gate release averaged $9,280 for $269,131.

Also attracting some solid business was Asylum, a psychological tale of doomed love, starring Natasha Richardson . At five sites, the R-rated Paramount Classic release averaged $7,254 for $36,272. And doing almost equally as well was Pretty Persuasion, the youth culture satire starring Evan Rachel Wood. The unrated IDP/Samuel Goldwyn release averaged $7,321 at eight sites for $58,5700.

Adding 91 screens to play at 118 locations in its second week, the rueful love quest Broken Flowers, starring Bill Murray, gained 113 percent, averaging $14,553 for $1.7 million to give the R-rated Focus release a total of $2.9 million.

There was also continued good news for the smash hit nature documentary March of the Penguins. Adding 196 sites to play at 2,063 locations in its eighth week, the G-rated Warner Independent release only dropped 4 percent and one slot. Now in seventh place, the cool birds' saga earned $6.8 million from a $3,320 average to bring its current gross to $37.7 million.

The overall gross for the top 12 movies was $104.7 million, about 1 percent above last weekend, but more consequently 15 percent down on this time last year.

Here's a rundown of the top-grossing movies based on studio figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations:

1. Four Brothers, $21.2 million
2. The Skeleton Key, $16.1 million
3. The Dukes of Hazzard, $13 million
4. Wedding Crashers, $11.8 million
5. Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, $9.6 million
6. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, $7.4 million
7. March of the Penguins, $6.8 million
8. Sky High, $6.3 million
9. Must Love Dogs, $4.6 million
10. The Great Raid, $3.4 million



New Line is Building a Genbot

Source: Variety


New Line has signed Herbie: Fully Loaded helmer Angela Robinson to co-write and direct the action comedy Genbot, which she pitched with co-writer Alex Kondracke.

Variety says the story concerns a young woman who finds herself embroiled in a secret government operation that turns her into a cyborg.

Robinson has a first-look deal at Disney, but ended up taking this project, which is darker than most Disney fare, to New Line.



Sanchez, Yuan Freshen Up CBS Dramas


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) CBS is adding more new faces to its returning dramas, with "Rush Hour 2" star Roselyn Sanchez, Daytime Emmy winner Sarah Brown, Dylan Bruno ("Saving Private Ryan") and Ron Yuan ("The Art of War") all joining returning shows.

Six of the network's seven returning dramas are adding new regular or recurring characters this season in an effort to "allow new entry points and storytelling," as CBS Entertainment chief Nina Tassler puts it. Only "CSI," TV's top-rated drama, will keep its cast the same (and even it incorporated some new blood last season).

Sanchez will be joining the cast of "Without a Trace," playing a former police officer who joins the FBI missing persons team headed by Jack Malone (Anthony LaPaglia). She's coming off a starring role in USA's "Kojak" earlier this year and has also appeared in ABC's "Dragnet" and the feature films "Boat Trip" and "Basic."

"Cold Case" will add Brown, who won three Daytime Emmys for her role on "General Hospital," to its cast. She'll play Josie Sutton, a young officer who joins the cold case squad amid rumors she had an affair with her former sergeant. In addition to "GH," Brown has been a regular on "As the World Turns" and guest-starred on "Without a Trace."

Bruno, meanwhile, will play an FBI agent on "Numb3rs." He's the second new face in the cast, joining "Rescue Me's" Diane Farr, who's playing an agent who studied in the bureau's Behavioral Science Unit and joins the Los Angeles office to work with Agent Don Eppes (Rob Morrow).

Finally, Yuan will play Dr. Evan Zao, the new medical examiner on "CSI: NY." He takes over the position when Hill Harper's Dr. Sheldon Hawkes moves out of the morgue to work in the field alongside Detective Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise). Yuan's credits include "Cradle 2 the Grave" and guest roles on "Alias" and "Nash Bridges."

Several other new additions -- Lauren Holly and Cote de Pablo on "NCIS" and Eva LaRue on "CSI: Miami" -- were previously announced.



Jackson's 'Snakes' Thriller Sheds Boring Title

By Hanh Nguyen


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - "Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?" So says a disgruntled Indiana Jones in 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

Samuel L. Jackson, however, is psyched about the return of snakes -- in the title of his latest thriller. Although New Line has been referring to the David R. Ellis-directed film as "Pacific Air Flight 121," Hollywood's hardest-working badass insists that they're reclaiming the original, silly, yet eminently more satisfying title "Snakes on a Plane."

"We're going back. It's not 'Flight 121,'" Jackson tells Zap2it.com. "It's like, come on. You either want to see this movie or you don't. 'Snakes on a Plane.' There's no mystery to that."

On the off chance the explicit title isn't enough of a selling point, the actor launches into a pithy synopsis of the slithering tour de force.

"I'm an FBI agent transporting a witness from Hawaii to Los Angeles. The kid has witnessed a murder by a gangster who personally killed somebody -- stupid gangster -- and the kid saw it," says Jackson. "In the middle of the ocean, this crate time releases and there's 500 poisonous snakes in there and they scatter out all over the plane. We can't go back and we've got to go forward. So it's us battling snakes to LA."

He pauses for emphasis and then reiterates, "Fighting snakes to LA."

After starring in "Coach Carter," "Star Wars: Episode III" as the ill-fated Mace Windu and the recently wrapped "Freedomland," Jackson's enjoying his time on the "no-brainer."

"You don't have to think about it. There's snakes. I get to spend six and a half weeks going to set every day going, 'Ah! Ah! Oh! Ow!' I don't have to go in every day and figure out the dramatic purpose of this particular scene," he explains about working with his reptilian co-stars.

Before audiences can see him taking on snakes in the name of justice, Jackson stars in the upcoming action-comedy "The Man," which opens nationwide on Friday, Sept. 9. He plays a jaded federal agent who reluctantly teams up with a nerdy dental supply salesman (Eugene Levy) to expose a ring of gunrunners. After that, he'll get his snake on again to play a bluesman who helps cure a nymphomanic in "Black Snake Moan."



A Toni Turns Terri for 'Barbershop'

By Rick Porter


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) A little over year ago, Toni Trucks was performing in a touring company of "West Side Story" in Kansas. In a couple of days, she'll be in millions of homes as the star of a new show based on a hit movie.

Her casting in Showtime's comedy "Barbershop," which debuts Sunday (Aug. 14), has all the makings of the classic Hollywood overnight-success story, right down to her showing up for the first day of shooting without a Screen Actors Guild card. Except she doesn't really look at it that way.

"That's a lie," she says with a laugh when she's asked if "Barbershop" is her first professional acting role. "When I was in college I started to do summer stock around the country and when I graduated from the University of Michigan, I went to New York and have been working professionally there.

"But I'd never done any television. So yeah, I'm excited."

"Barbershop," created for TV by "Three Kings" and "Undercover Brother" writer John Ridley, retains the characters and setting made familiar by the two movies. Omar Gooding ("Playmakers") stars as Calvin, the owner of the South Side Chicago shop (played by Ice Cube in the movies), and Trucks plays hotheaded stylist Terri, a part originated by Eve.

She says she watched the movies, but not to see the way that Eve played the character: "It wasn't to study Terri necessarily, but I wanted to get a feel for the barbershop.

"But I've been really fortunate -- I think all of us in the cast [have been]. There's never been any pressure to use the movies as a guide. ... We've been allowed to reinvent the characters in a way and been left to our own creativity as to how they're going to develop."

Which is not to say that Terri has suddenly become a warm, giving person -- in fact, the primary subplot in the first episode is about her inability to control her anger. In person, the effusive Trucks bears little resemblance to the character, but she says there's at least little bit of tough girl in her.

"She's sassy like that, and I love that about her," Trucks says of Terri. "There are parts of me -- when I'm talking with someone and I have that choice there -- 'I'm getting mad, I'm getting mad' -- and Terri would just be mad. She wouldn't even think about it. ... That's the fun of being an actor, to do things you know you have the potential to do and play with it."

Trucks also says she enjoys the fresh starts that acting often provides -- which is particularly good in this case, since she arrived in Los Angeles just a few weeks before "Barbershop" began production. And while she has her SAG card now, she says she hasn't quite unpacked everything in her new apartment, which owes a lot to the demanding schedule of shooting a single-camera TV series.

"It's very fast, but I really like it. It challenges you," she says. "I think that a lot of times, you can get a little bit lazy in your craft. ... With this, you don't have time to diddle-daddle, there's not time to not be on the ball. ... But better that than being bored."

"Barbershop" premieres on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 14.



'Joey' Gets a New Friend


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Chandler and the old gang won't be around anytime soon, but NBC's "Joey" has found a new friend.

Miguel A. Nunez Jr. is joining the cast of the second-year comedy in the fall, producer Warner Bros. TV confirms. The former "Tarzan" and "Juwanna Mann" star will be playing Zach, a fellow actor who becomes a friend and foil for Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc).

NBC chief Kevin Reilly and the show's producers have previously said they wanted to open up "Joey's" world a little bit this year, after spending much of last season in Joey's apartment. The Zach character should allow for that, as will the fact that Joey finds some success in Hollywood and can afford to buy a house.

Additionally, Jennifer Coolidge, who play's Joey's agent, Bobbie, has been made a cast regular and will appear in every episode.

Nunez co-starred in The WB's "Tarzan" two seasons ago, playing Detective Sam Sullivan. His other credits also include "The Adventures of Pluto Nash," "Scooby-Doo" and "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate." On TV, he's appeared in the late-1980s series "Tour of Duty" and done guest spots on "Boomtown," "The Bernie Mac Show" and "The Hughleys."



'Barbershop' Makes the Cut

By Jay Bobbin


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - The movies' "Barbershop" is open for business again ... on television.

The 2002 comedy, a sleeper hit, and its 2004 sequel are yielding a Showtime series. Debuting Sunday, Aug. 14, immediately after the premium cable channel offers "Barbershop 2: Back in Business," the show continues the forcefully chatty exploits of Chicago shop owner Calvin (Omar Gooding, assuming Ice Cube's movie role) and his lively staff and clientele.

The hair cutters range from ever-candid Eddie (Barry Shabaka Henley, replacing Cedric the Entertainer) to the site's sole Caucasian employee, Isaac (John Wesley Chatham, in Troy Garity's former part).

Other regulars in the ensemble cast include Leslie Elliard, Anna Brown, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Toni Trucks and Dan White. The first episode was written and directed by executive producer John Ridley, in a departure from his other duties as a National Public Radio commentator and the host of AMC's "Movie Club" review series. Also on board as executive producers are Robert Teitel and George Tillman Jr., who oversaw the "Barbershop" films as well as Showtime's series version of "Soul Food."

"I think that 'Soul Food' was a literal translation of the film," Ridley says, "and I don't think that what we want to do is be 100 percent literal. We want to do something a little bit different. 'Soul Food' came on almost seven years ago, and television has gone a lot of places in seven years. It's about how we stand up to what other shows are out there right now. For me personally, that's the objective."

In that pursuit, Ridley wants "Barbershop" to address contemporary issues while staying amusing. "Despite the fact that people often say that Hollywood is very liberal, you don't see shows like 'All in the Family' or 'M*A*S*H' anymore, at least not on broadcast. I want this to be funny, except when it's not. 'When it's not' is usually about 15 or 20 seconds, because that's all it takes to make a real point. Beyond that, we want to keep moving."

Just as racial issues were a frequent touchstone of the "Barbershop" movies, so do they figure to be in the TV series. The brother of Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. ("Jerry Maguire"), Gooding notes he and the series' other actors "just read what's been given to us, and we try to do our best with that. I personally don't want to offend too many people, but hey, stuff happens ... so we'll see."

"In terms of the kind of comedy we're doing," Ridley adds, "I don't know that in this day and age, there's really much of a divide in terms of race. If you look at 'The Bernie Mac Show' or 'Chappelle's Show' or the upcoming 'Everybody Hates Chris,' I think they cross into the same territories you would find in 'Arrested Development' or 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' or 'The Office.' Right now is really a fantastic time to be doing half-hour television."

"The great thing about being on television," Elliard says, "is being able to expand and go deeper. We have much more time, if nothing else. Even though the first cast was amazing and did what they did to open it up and [have] a crossover success, we have a chance to go in a different direction every week."

Whatever a given "Barbershop" plot might be, Gooding is always at the center of it. He reports he didn't get much advice from predecessor Ice Cube, another executive producer of the series, in preparing for the part. "He came down to the set, we shook hands and we talked briefly. He's a real serious dude. I don't know how he pulled off this comedy, but these writers are excellent. I've done sitcoms before, so the timing is there. This cast is great. They don't just look good, they're fabulous."

Filmed in Los Angeles despite the Chicago backdrop, the "Barbershop" series won't interfere with any further "Barbershop" movies, since MGM reportedly isn't planning any more big-screen editions. The show also won't incorporate any elements of "Beauty Shop," the recent spinoff film that starred Queen Latifah (who introduced her character in "Barbershop 2").

"That's not because we don't want to," Ridley says, "but there are some rights issues between MGM, which is now part of Sony, and what we're doing. For our own sake, as opposed to trying to mix and meld things when we're trying to set up our own universe, it probably is better to make some distinctions.

"I think what we're doing here is not completely different from what they did with 'M*A*S*H,' which was to take a film that -- in its time -- had a very clear statement and a very clear mission, then to repurpose that for television and make it its own beast."



L.A. to Rename Post Office for Ray Charles


LOS ANGELES (AP) - Ray Charles put his stamp on music. Now folks can buy stamps from the Ray Charles Post Office Building. Earlier this month, President Bush signed a bill into law that will change the name of a building near downtown to honor the musician, who died last year at age 73. An official renaming ceremony is scheduled next month.

"Ray Charles was a giant among artistic giants," Rep. Diane E. Watson, D-Calif., author of the post office bill, said in a statement. "It is my hope that the Ray Charles Post Office will be only the first of many posthumous honors for this great American treasure."

The post office is near the business office and recording studio where Charles produced "Georgia on My Mind" and his final album, the Grammy-winning "Genius Loves Company." The building was declared a city historic landmark last year.

"Despite his enormous success, artistically and financially, Ray Charles was a humble man," Joe Adams, Charles' manager for more than 45 years, said in a statement. "He was a man of the people, so this is a wonderful tribute."



'One on One' Enters a Different World


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) UPN has added five new cast members to its sitcom "One on One," which will undergo a major change in focus -- not to mention setting -- as it begins its fifth season.

The show, which has largely focused on the relationship between Baltimore sportscaster Flex Washington (Flex Alexander) and his daughter, Breanna (Kyla Pratt), will follow Breanna and her best friend/boyfriend, Arnaz (Robert Ri'chard), to Los Angeles, where she's attending college and he's trying to start a music career.

The show will also become more of an ensemble piece, as Arnaz and Breanna find themselves with four new roommates, and their landlord, at a house near the beach in Venice. Ray J ("Moesha"), Nicole Paggi ("Hope & Faith," "Pasadena"), Jonathan Chase and Camille Mana will play the roommates.

Kel Mitchell ("Kenan & Kel") will play the group's cantankerous landlord, a former child star whose fame didn't transfer to adulthood and who spends most days watching reruns of his old show.

Alexander, who's also a co-executive producer of "One on One," will remain with the show -- his work as a sportscaster will bring him to Los Angeles for "frequent visits," UPN says -- but may not appear every week. Former regulars Sicily and Kelly Perine are no longer with the show.