Entertainment

Latest news & movie, music, event and restaurant listings for Jersey

A news flash that really, should be no surprise to Hollywood observers: Once the right amount of compensation was mentioned, Fox has, as expected, withdrawn its legal objections to Warner Bros. releasing "Watchmen" on March 6.

Glad that's settled. Now fanboys can go back to worrying about the important stuff, like how cool the costumes are (it's hit or mess, frankly), how good Billy Crudup is as Doctor Manhattan (very) and whether the ending works (we're concerned, but reserving judgement).

Interesting article in today's Wall Street Journal about upcoming marketing plans for Bruce Springsteen's new album "Working On A Dream."

The article, written by Ehtan Smith, is headlined "Born to Run -- and Promote. After stumping for Obama, Bruce Springsteen launches a campaign for a new album."

It explains the Wal-Mart deal for releasing a new Greatest Hits CD and other plans, including an upcoming tour.

Kimora Lee Simmons is reportedly expecting a baby with boyfriend of two years Djimon Hounsou, Usmagazine.com.

Simmons, who has two daughters from her marriage to rap mogul Russell Simmons, has said that she'd like to have more children. This is not the first time that she's been rumored to be pregnant; Usmagazine.com says it heard the news from the ever-chatty "source close to the couple."

The bicoastal couple probably won't be making New Jersey their home. Kimora Lee and Russell Simmons lived in a lavish Saddle River mansion for most of their marriage, but the house has been on the market for about two years. It's now priced to sell at $19.8 million, down from $23.8 million.

For future reference, if you're ever in England and get a hankering to chain up a Norweigan male escort ... don't. The British justice system does not look kindly upon this, as former Culture Club frontman Boy George has discovered.

A judge sentenced the singer to 15 months in jail following his December conviction for falsely imprisoning Auden Carlsen, the Associated Press reports.

Continue reading "Boy George sentenced to 15 months for imprisoning escort" »

When he is sworn-in next week, Barack Obama will be the first President to take office with a carefully considered Arts Platform. Many artists and arts advocates are enthusiastic about what his administration will mean for culture in this country, and are gearing up to push for advances, changes and -- naturally -- money.

Several online reports shed light on Obama's ideas about strengthening American arts and supporting the country's artists, including his propsed Artists Corps, a Secretary of the Arts, and including money for struggling arts organizations in federal stimulus legislation.

Continue reading "President-elect Obama and the Arts" »

Last day of the tour, and I'm at the zombie stage at this point, just moving from place to place and trying not to eat too many brains.

I have still more writing to do this morning, so I want to link to Lisa de Moraes' account of the NBC exec session, and, after the jump, a run-down of the ABC/Disney day...

Continue reading "A day in the life of press tour: ABC" »

"Earth."

This was the last word recited on the last episode of "Battlestar Galactica" to air, back in June. It also was the name of the place the show's characters had been trying to find for nearly five years - their last, best hope for salvation after the human race was nearly wiped out.

Continue reading "Sepinwall on TV: 'Battlestar Galactica' returns to a world of pain" »

This is a transcript of an interview I did with Diablo Cody earlier this week, shortly after a press conference to promote her new Showtime series "United States of Tara." If you just want the highlights of our conversation, you can read today's column.

Some brief background is in order first. "Tara" (which premieres Sunday at 10 p.m.) stars Toni Collette as a suburban mom with Disassociative Identity Disorder (or DID), who retreats into other personas (or "alters") in times of stress, including a slutty teenage girl named T, a perfect 1950s housewife named Alice, and a gruff, male, Vietnam veteran named Buck. John Corbett plays her husband Max, Brie Larson and Keir Gilchrist their teenage kids, and they all have to roll with the punches in this odd family situation.

Continue reading "United States of Tara: Diablo Cody Q&A" »

LOS ANGELES - Tara Gregson, the heroine of the new Showtime dramedy "United States of Tara," suffers from a severe case of what's commonly known as multiple personality disorder. In moments of severe stress, she transforms from average suburban mom into an obnoxious, hypersexed teenage girl named T; or into Alice, a happy '50s homemaker in heels and pearls; or even into Buck, a hard-drinking, hard-smoking, shotgun-toting man.

Diablo Cody, the Oscar-winning "Juno" screenwriter responsible for crafting much of Tara's life and her world, knows something of what it's like to play multiple, seemingly incongruous, roles. She's been a stripper. A blogger. Celebrated as the toast of Hollywood. Derided as the symbol of all that's wrong with Hollywood. A celebrity. A recluse.

So how, I ask, did she settle on the specifics for Tara's "alters"?

Continue reading "Sepinwall on TV: Diablo Cody talks 'United States of Tara'" »

I realize I not only buried the lead in my earlier post, I left it out altogether by neglecting to mention that NBC renewed "The Office" and "30 Rock" (and, for that matter, "Biggest Loser") for next season. In the spirit of the joint renewal -- and because I'm in the late stages of press tour brain melt -- I'm going to renew both of last night's episodes quickly in the same post, just as soon as I get my compound bow... Continue reading "The Office, "Duel" & 30 Rock, "Flu Shot": Silent but deadly" »