Who's News on 'House' and 'Southland'
Writers of the Fox drama House have been shaking things up this season and Jennifer Morrison, who plays Dr. Allison Cameron, is an unfortunate casualty of their new vision. When we talked with Morrison, right, for this week's Who's News column she wasn't aware that her time was short; the news broke as we were going to press. Everyone involved is now talking about how it's not a firing, that the plot development requires it, that she'll come back in a guest spot, blah, blah. The plot requires it? They make this stuff up! So making up stuff that requires she leave seems like an ungracious way of firing someone to me.
Also in Who's News this week:
• Actor Michael Cudlitz, who spoke to me while he was still shooting Southland, then found out that NBC was canceling the police drama before they even put it on the air this season. Cudlitz has had a long career in TV in "character" parts so he's sure to be fine. NBC, however, may not fare as well.
• Ann and Nancy Wilson, the sisters who front the band Heart, talked with me about the 30th anniversary of their hit Dog & Butterfly. I have long been a big fan of the band, so it was nice to hear how much they appreciate their fans. They'd spent much of the summer on tour and were eager to get home to their children.
• Emmy Rossum, of Phantom of the Opera fame, has a new movie and a new beau.
Don't forget you can leave me a question for the print Who's News column here.
October 20, 2009
'Amelia' star Hilary Swank says acting is a continuing education
My Hilary Swank cover story of Oct. 11 fueled some angry email in the past week from readers who saw the headlines as glorifying the idea of dropping out of high school. Swank, 35, whose new movie about Amelia Earhart opens on Friday, did indeed drop out to pursue acting, but she later earned her GED and, believe me, she is not an advocate of dropping out of school! Rather, she says she is lucky to have her life's work be a continuing education. "I am blessed that I get to go around passing as a boy and seeing what it's like to be a transgender person (for Boys Don't Cry), or learning to box like a professional boxer (for Million Dollar Baby), or learning how to fly for Amelia. My life is so full of experiences that you wouldn’t get if you weren’t telling stories for a living."
To tell the story of Amelia Earhart, Swank studied her subject inside out. Before that, "I knew what most people know, that she was a famous aviatrix; that she wanted to go around the world." But Swank learned that Earhart — along with being among the first modern celebrities (she was married to a PR guy) — was a feminist before anyone coined the term, "encouraging woman to follow their dreams and follow their hearts even if that was out of the home, out of having children, out of getting married. She didn’t discourage anybody from having a family if that’s what they wanted but she also really tried to encourage them to see the world a little first."
Come back to the blog tomorrow for more of my interview with Swank and, on Thursday, a look at the movie itself, which also stars Ewan McGregor and Richard Gere. For now, though, see the trailer below.
Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight
October 16, 2009
Drew Barrymore on skating, Deborah Norville on respect
Drew Barrymore’s new movie Whip It, out two weeks now, isn’t
getting much love from movie critics, but I admire her for putting
together a great cast, learning to skate like a roller derby dame and directing the whole thing (that's Drew, left, behind the camera.) "Everything in your brain is going, ‘This is not right,’”
she told our Jon Tollestrup about skating practice. “We all had a wall of
bruises.”
...
Drew is in my Who's News column this weekend, as is Deborah Norville, anchor of Inside Edition, with whom
since the early
90s when she began steering her career in new directions. Deborah, right, always has been quick to join me on the phone to talk
journalism, kids, marriage, or anything else, so I like
to pay her back with some press when she’s got a new show or a new book out. A new book is why we were talking for this week’s page. I’m always impressed at how smart Deborah is and how much research she does for any of her endeavors, but she really wowed me with The Power of Respect. We got talking about the dire need for manners and civility in these modern times – really, when was the last time you
said a sincere good morning to a co-worker? — and Deborah starts rattling off studies and
numbers to support her premise that respect is an integral element of success in business. She also shared a superb fresh experience of
a certain rental car company’s lack of respect for both its employees and customers
as she had just been in need of a car while settling her first son into college
down south.
Also in my column this week is True Blood’s Alexander
Skarsgard. I don’t know about you, but if I were Anna Paquin’s Sookie
Stackhouse, the leading lady in HBO's bloody land of Bon Temps, La., I’d ditch that boring Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) for the sexy mystery man, er, I
mean vamp, any night. One thing I know for sure, Skarsgard, son of Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard, is an up and
comer…Speaking of super sexy, I didn’t really see James McAvoy that way in The
Last King of Scotland, but in Atonement (in which he is pictured, left) — absolutely. And now he’s got so much
work he has to turn some away. Oh, to be so in demand.
Photos: 20th Century Fox, David Thomas and Focus Features
October 09, 2009
Who's News this week: Ana Ortiz, Anthony Edwards
Lorrie's back from her vacation on Monday, but you can read her Who's News column this weekend, where we talk with "overloaded" new mom Ana Ortiz about the return of ABC's Ugly Betty.
Also this weekend:
• Anthony Edwards looks around his house for inspiration for his new movie, Motherhood.
• We get to the bottom of David Caruso's marital status.
• Find out what kind of designer jewelry Emily Deschanel and Tamara Taylor wear on the Fox hit Bones.
Remember, Lorrie always welcomes questions about your favorite celebrities. Leave her one here, and don't forget to put name, city and state.
Photo by Andrew Eccles/ABC
October 02, 2009
Craig T. Nelson, Kris Kristofferson in Who's News
I used to love watching Craig T. Nelson on the football-centric sitcom Coach, and in Lorrie's Who's News column this weekend, we catch up with the former The District star about his new show Parenthood.
Also this weekend:
• Donald P. Bellisario updates us on whether we'll ever see a JAG reunion.
• With a new CD out, Closer to the Bone, Kris Kristofferson reflects on his musical career.
• Lorrie finds out why Gina Ravera was MIA from this past season of The Closer and what's next for her.
Remember, Lorrie always welcomes questions about your favorite celebrities. Leave her one here, and don't forget to put name, city and state.
Photo by Mitchell Haaseth
September 11, 2009
Oprah's in Who's News this week
Oprah Winfrey, who reportedly has been sharing some downtime with the Obamas at Camp David, has been reading books since she cracked the code as a child and she's turned millions onto the joy of escaping into fiction, both contemporary or classic. But does she get paid to endorse those books? You'll find the answer in my Who's News column this weekend, along with:
• The story on David Letterman's white socks.
• What The View's Sherri Shepherd has to say about her new comedy.
• Law & Order's Linus Roache on his career arc.
• Whether reality star Lauren Conrad, of The Hills, will return to TV.
• What screenwriter Diablo Cody did in her new film Jennifer's Body.
Plus, who shares my coming birthday, September 16th. (Hint: One of them has two cute brothers.)
September 04, 2009
Who's News this week? Jane Pauley, for one
ABC's announcement this week that Diane Sawyer, 63, would take over as anchor of its evening news broadcast when Charlie Gibson retires was interesting to me, in part because I have another seasoned broadcast journalist, Jane Pauley, in my Who's News column this weekend saying she's unemployed and finding there isn't much call for 58-year-old women in TV news. Read what Jane has to say, plus catch up on the others in this week's report:
• Michael Weatherly, the wise guy of CBS's immensely popular NCIS. Find out who's his biggest fan.
• Sigourney Weaver, who we will see at the Emmys and in James Cameron's coming Avatar.
• Ron Livingston, from The Time Traveler's Wife, still as handsome as he was in Sex and the City.
• Aimee Garcia, cast in the new NBC series Trauma.
August 14, 2009
Who's News this week includes Spinal Tap's 25th
Can you believe it has been 25 years since the hilarious movie This Is Spinal Tap was released? The three now-aging rockers Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer — all of whom have had big careers since — have been on an anniversary tour, and I've got Guest in this week's Who's News column. Also in my print column this week:
• Elizabeth Taylor, left, on her love for the deceased Michael Jackson.
• The lovely Catherine Zeta-Jones. Back to the movies?
• Sexy Timothy Olyphant on his potential new series for FX.
• Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who unexpectedly lost her Without A Trace job when CBS canceled the show last spring.
• Former presidential press secretary James Brady and wife Sarah, who are still fighting the good fight for gun control.
And I always welcome questions about your favorite celebrities. Please tell me what you want to know. Click here. Don't forget to leave name, city and state.
July 31, 2009
Who's News this week? William Sanderson, for one
Lorrie's on vacation, but you can still keep up with your favorite celebs by reading her Who's News column in the magazine. This week, you'll find:
• William Sanderson (left), the sheriff on HBO's hit True Blood, gives his opinion on why vampires are so hot these days.
• Angus T. Jones, the 15-year-old star of the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men. He tells us about his hobbies and what high school course he'd rather not repeat
• Canadian actor Craig Olejnik of the NBC summer drama The Listener. NBC pulled the show from its Thursday night lineup after this weekend's issue went to press, but fans can still catch all the remaining episodes by visiting the show's site on NBC.com.
Plus more updates on Chris Noth, Patricia Heaton and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Read Lorrie's column here, and if you have a question for her, send one to her here.
July 24, 2009
Who's News this week: TV and movie updates
Keep up with your favorite celebs by reading my Who's News column in the magazine. This week you'll find:
• Teddy Sears (left), from TNT's very good legal show Raising The Bar, who once dreamed of winning medals for swimming.
• Leon Rippy, who is Holly Hunter's Angel Earl on Saving Grace. He's funny.
• Author Jennifer Weiner's thoughts on the "chick-lit" label — is it an insult?
Plus updates on Jake Gyllenhaal, Kate Hudson, Ashley Judd and Tiger Woods. Read the column here. Even better, leave me a question of your own here.
