June 2007 Archives

by Jamal Munnerlyn, TV-One Access co-host

I've recently had the pleasure of becoming involved with an amazing organization called The Tiziano Project. Please log on to www.TizianoProject.org and see the great work that is being done in Rwanda.

The organization is running a pilot program that is helping the youth of Rwanda get the tools they need to tell their stories to the world. The tools I'm talking about are cameras and Internet access, two things most people take for granted everyday.

The "media" may not always tell all sides of a story and it is critical that during times of crisis everyone is heard. Once interest is lost the cries for help should not be forgotten.

By now most people have heard something about the Rwandan genocide of 1994. An estimated one million people were killed in one hundred days. It frightens and flat out scares me to think about having to experience something like this. I couldn't imagine having to endure such an atrocity and then just moving on with my life.

Breaking news from the set of "Nip/Tuck." I'm first on the set this morning where I've learned that Rosie O"Donnell is definetly returning to "Nip/Tuck" for several episodes as lottery winner Dawn Budge.

O'Donnell will play the love interest to guest star Oliver Platt. Platt plays the Executive Producer of a tv show in which the docs of McNamara/Troy become creative consultants. Platt's character is loosely based on "Nip/Tuck" creator Ryan Murphy.

An on set source tells me Rosie will come to Dr. McNamara and Dr. Troy for a procedure where she will end up having to have her mouth sewn shut! She's forced to communicates with them through a dry erase board. She'll appear in episode four, which will begin filming in mid to late July. They want her back for more episodes after this but they have not been written yet and need to check Rosie's schedule.

There had been talk of O'Donnell getting her own spinoff series which I can confirm is definitely not happening.

Access Hollywood Field Producer Steve Harding, our cameraman and soundman have been outside the Century Regional Detention Center in Lynwood, California since 9PM Pacific, waiting for Paris Hilton’s impending release.

At last count, more than 100 members of the media, over 40 still cameras, 25 video cameras and 12 satellite trucks were on scene. “There are more cameras than at a premiere,” Harding writes from his spot behind the yellow police tape.

Below is Harding’s account from the scene:

So, I'm driving this morning to rehearsals for the upcoming "American Idols Live" Tour when an email pops up on my blackberry.

As soon as I arrived to my destination, I park the car and read my email informing me that auditions for "American Idol" Season Seven begin July 28th in San Diego.

My first response out loud was, "Oh Gawd No!"

Just when it ends, it begins again!

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows I am a big fan of the Disney Channel and its stars. Rather than churning out child actors who turn into trouble makers, party girls or those who need rehab, they've managed to produce a string of successful, clean cut kids. Case in point: Dylan and Cole Sprouse. Talk about your media moguls. These fourteen-year-old twins not only star in their own TV show, "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody", they have a surf/skate/snowboard clothing line for Val Surf and are about to release a series of books through Simon and Schuster.

I got the chance to meet the boys, last week, when they were filming an episode with special guest, Jaden Smith. Jaden's the son of Will and Jada Smith and made his feature film debut in dad's film, "The Pursuit of Happyness." It turns out he always dreamed of being on "The Suite Life" and when he and his dad appeared on the Today Show last December to talk about the film, Will told Matt about Jaden's wish.

Lots to report today from the "Heroes" front! Production on NBC's crazy popular Sci-Fi adventure series started up two days ago. This morning NBC held a press conference to announce the news that the cast would be traveling on a 7-day, 7-city world tour co-sponsored by Nissan to help promote the Season One DVD and the launch of the show overseas. I spoke to the entire cast after the press conference. All the scoop on what I learned for you "Heroes" worshippers.

* The tour is set for the end of August to coincide with the August 28th release of the DVD and HD DVD. The DVD will feature the entire 73-minute uncut version of the pilot and 50 deleted scenes!

* Whether Adrian Pasdar's character Nathan Petrelli will be back is still fuzzy (pun intended!). He still has the crazy beard that he claims was for a movie role he shot during hiatus.

5:42pm, Saturday, June 9, 2007

“Hey Daddy-o, Miss Bella did a poopy” is usually how I am awakened Saturday mornings by my wide-eyed, 2-1/2 year old daughter Bella, her beautiful, innocent face on the edge of the bed just inches from my bleary-eyed mug. I'm horizontal . . . melted into the bed. She's vertical and rarin' to go. It's usually 6:30AM.

This morning however, I slipped outta the house at 5:45AM to exhange Miss Bella's “steamers” for yak hair, glued to my face.

Go back and re-read that line. I kid you not. Yak hair. Glued to my face.

And believe me, that's a fair trade because today I became Noah.

Yep, we flew in the folks who made Steve Carell into Noah for the film, “Evan Almighty” to make me into Noah. I was warned it would be a three hour process -- lots of glue, a little bit of pain and some bondo...(seriously, they have a can of this stuff and on the label it sez, “bondo”!), but hey, how often do you get the best special fx makeup/hair folks on the planet to work on ya'? And, better yet, turn you into Noah?

The answer is, NEVER.

It seems that opening a briefcase and looking pretty while doing it can give you a nice boost in the entertainment industry.

Several of the original models on NBC's popular "Deal or No Deal" game show are moving on to greener pastures in the acting, modeling and hosting world. This is good news for anyone who has always dreamed of hearing Howie Mandel say to them, "open the case."

Producers are holding open casting calls next week in Southern California for anyone who thinks they have what it takes. Sorry guys, it's just for the girls. I'd try out myself but I don't think Access Hollywood would appreciate it.

Plus, I don't think I could walk down those stairs in high heels.

For casting call dates and times, CLICK HERE!

by Maria Menounos

My experience here on Capitol Hill has been positive, overall, but overwhelming for sure. I’ve never had to do anything like this. Politics is an altogether different beast than reporting so I was quite nervous but excited to be part of the day. It was encouraging to see so many people invested in the issue of diabetes, particularly for someone who has been affected by the disease firsthand as I have been, with my Dad being Type 1.

There were several things I needed to accomplish with regards to the disease during my trip to Washington and through my meetings on Capitol Hill. We need to change the way people think and act when it comes to diabetes. We need to take this disease seriously, get tested and be on the lookout for symptoms. Physicians need to be as educated as possible about the disease and the newest methods and techniques to treat and better manage it. And from a government standpoint, we need to shift from just treating diabetes to preventing it. The good news is that we weren’t out there asking for more money. We already spend $80 billion dollars annually on treatment for diabetes; we just need to spend more of those dollars on prevention. If we just really enhance the interdepartmental coordination we can apply our resources better and lower the risks, complications and even occurrences. Type 2 diabetes is largely preventable, and by better educating people on Type 2 diabetes we can lessen the risk and complications of it, and thereby lessen the healthcare costs of treating it.

Ok, so I'm a little too young (fortunately) to remember the original "The Bionic Woman" series. I'm sure I was probably more interested in "Sesame Street" at the time. Just the fact that hearing the name "Bionic Woman" brings up an emotion to me shows the impact it had on pop culture. Don't believe me? There is actually a convention celebrating all things bionic called, I kid you not "Bionicon." Their second annual convention is right here in beautiful Burbank, June 29th through July 1st. Last year they had the original and iconic Bionic Woman herself, Lindsay Wagner, as a special guest. This year they have lined up the "Six Million Dollar Man", Lee Majors aka Col. Steve Austin. There is even a Bionicruise scheduled for next year!

Will a crowd so enthralled with a TV show they would throw a convention embrace a brand new Bionic Woman? This remains to be seen as NBC's updated version won't premiere until the fall. If the internet buzz is any indication then NBC could find themselves with a "Heroes" size hit on their hands. The woman picked to fill Lindsay's shoes and step in as Jamie Sommers is British import, Michelle Ryan. A complete unknown in this country, Ryan does have a nice following over in England thanks to five years on the widely popular UK soap "EastEnders."

Last night, I got the call to cover the Women In Film 2007 Crystal + Lucy Awards which honors outstanding women in the entertainment business. Another event. Another red carpet. Red carpets are my least favorite assignments. You stand around for hours in a tight space with up to 30 other camera crews and journalists. You have to somehow be able to entice witty banter out of the celebrities brave enough to talk to an increasingly tabloid hungry media corp.

99 percent of the time attending a red carpet is never about talking about the event. It's about following up on an interesting news story. Last night that story was "Grey's Anatomy." It was announced last week that Isaiah Washington was not being asked back to the show. One of the honorees at the awards was Grey's Executive Producer Shonda Rhimes. She was the hot story everyone wanted... the first reaction to Isaiah's firing.

It's the third and final day of my trip to St. George, Utah where I've been hanging with the cast of "High School Musical 2." I realize now how special this experience has been after the numerous emails I've received from co-workers and friends with nieces, children, cousins and grandchildren. Everyone wants me to bring something back from the set for them. In the interest of fairness I decided it would be best to simply not bring anything back except my memories. That way no one will feel bad if I didn't bring them something and did for someone else. Besides won't seeing my interviews (which begin airing in July) be enough of a gift? Ok. Probably not but at least that's how I justify not bugging Zac, Vanessa, Ashley, Lucas and Corbin for autographs.

Fortunately, this was going to be a much shorter day than yesterday as my crew had a plane to catch back in Las Vegas (about a two-hour drive). We arrived to set around 9:30am after a quick stop at the craft service tent where the head cook/chef gave us a tour of his domain. I must say he was very proud of his barbeque grill which I kid you not was the size of an SUV! Then it was off to set which today was the front gates of the Entrada Country Club which is serving as the Lava Springs Country club where Sharpay and family are members and the rest of the cast are going to be working. The morning's shoot is Sharpay and her brother Ryan arriving to the club in her pimped out pink convertible.

It's day two of my exclusive visit to the set of "High School Musical 2." While yesterday was all about rush, rush, rush to fit in my interviews with Ashley Tisdale and Zac Efron...today was all about hurry up and wait. Twelve hours after arriving to the set, I finally returned to my hotel room exhausted, sunburnt and out $115.

My crew and I arrived at the set around 9:15am. First up, we head up to the baseball field where its day two of filiming the big baseball themed musical number, "I Don't Dance" that pits Lucas Grabeel's Ryan Evans against Corbin Bleu's Chad Danforth in a baseball matchup with a message. The film's director wants to keep the details of the number hush-hush but what I can tell you is that the song has a catchy hip-hop swing beat and promises to be a fan favorite. Even after listening to it nearly fifty times during the day, I never got sick of it.

It was quite a day at work on Friday.

I was in the studio taping the show and during each break, we were all running into the green room to watch the mintue-by-minute coverage of Paris Hilton being taken back to jail.

It was interesting watching the national news outlets go back and forth with the international news and the news coming out of West Hollywood, California. While Paris certainly dominated, at many points, they had to use their "split screen" - on the left had side, the latest news on President Bush's trip to Germany and on the other, Paris Hilton being placed into the police car. And Paris' screen was larger than the President's.

I have interviewed Paris on several occasions and it's a question that I have trouble answering. What is it about this young woman that fascinates us so? . . .

It has struck me that due to conduct, some big media companies have let go of some high profile people. Don Imus was released. Isaiah Washington was dropped. Mel Gibson had a deal for a TV series event pulled.

This all happened because the actions of these people did not match the principles and mission of the parent companies.

Just after 3:30 PM, PDT and the highly scrutinized LA County Sheriff Lee Baca is at the podium and taking questions. His reputation on the line, he is defending his decision to release Paris to home confinement. He is doing a good job.

Baca spoke at fair length about overcrowding and the need for cell space. I think everyone accepts that as a legitimate reason to send Paris home. She has got to be one of the least threatening people to ever be behind bars. The problem he faces is that several hours after Paris left jail, the spokesman for the Sheriff spoke only about 'medical' purposes. He specifically stated it was not an overcrowding issue. Is the Sheriff's department changing their tune to one that everybody can sing or is he adding important information to this case?

I think I speak for a lot of people when I ask, 'What on earth is this psychological problem, termed 'severe' by the Sheriff, that she can't be in jail but she can quite easily be on every red carpet, club scene and late night gig she chooses?'

Paris is a partier. Whatever medication the Sheriff claims she takes for her mental health problems certainly mix well enough with other substances. She is constantly out and partying... this all adds up to a strong feeling of disingenuous dealings by her lawyers.

I'm on set and cameraman Kev just told me the space shuttle launches in 4 hours. Thanks Paris, I had no idea.

True, that in this current Paris obsessed news cycle, I was unaware that America was returning to outer space. Is there any chance I went to sleep a few days ago and woke up on another planet... one where a delinquent socialite garners much more attention than war, NASA, missing persons, immigration law discord and setback... and on and on.

I perpetuate this material every night, but my show is called Access Hollywood... It’s in the title; this is our niche and has been for the last 11 years, back when Dennis Franz' "backside" stirred opinion on “NYPD Blue.”

There is national outrage? Is it mostly justified because people honestly feel that her "re-assignment" further disenfranchises other inmates who aren't given that option and may have medical issues too? Is it more that people just want her put down and punished?

I think the latter prevails. There is a part of me that resents Paris for what she has given to society - sex tape, racial slurs on the Web... her main body of work is 'The Simple Life,' a reality show that derives its laughs from her mingling with the under class.

Ironically, it's partly her perceived detachment from reality [and everyday people living in it] that causes much of the vitriol.

It would be so much easier to rally behind her if she were even minorly known for giving back or charity of some kind. That's her biggest problem in this PR/image battle she is losing.

She comes off smug.

The countdown has begun to probably the most anticipated TV movie ever, "High School Musical Two."

I'd say most anticipated TV movie sequel ever but I don't think there has ever been a sequel filmed to a TV movie. In March, I spent three days on the set with the entire cast and got a glimpse into life on the set. Over the next week, I’ll share my HSM2 diary:

It's day one of my visit to the set of one of the most anticipated sequels of the summer, "High School Musical 2." Sure this is a movie that's become a phenomenon among the tweeny bopper set but I'm not ashamed to say I fell for its corny song and dance routine when I watched it too.

The sequel picks up as the high schoolers head off for summer vacation and get jobs at the local country club where Sharpay is a member. The serene setting of Southwest Utah stands in for Albuquerque, NM where East Valley High is said to be located.

I traveled to St. George, Utah where the cast has been since early February. Nestled amongst soaring red rocks sits the Entrada Country Club at Snow Canyon where filming is taking place. Today they are filming a big baseball number on the grounds but my day is all about hanging with Ashley Tisdale who plays the rich kid, Sharpay Evans and Zac Efron, the school's resident heartthrob.

Last night, the big time, A-list, Hollywood premiere was back on center stage. The Hollywood premiere of 'Ocean’s Thirteen', with stars that can still draw thousands of fans, force helicopters into the sky and shut down the blvd.

It was a night reminiscent of Howard Hughes' glamorous 'Hells Angels' premiere in the same spot over 70 years ago.

It's almost as if George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and Angelina, big stars who are far better known for their talent and charity from Darfur to New Orleans than anything else, brought the cameras back in focus on purpose... you know, away from the young destructive celebs that have dominated the news cycle as of late... its all been so depressing.

Raise your hand if you are already bored this summer? Ok wait, technically Summer doesn't even start until June 21st. Now I'm really down in the dumps. Where has all the good TV gone? Maybe it's because I live in California, where the sun is always shining, that it's harder for me to deal with the loss of my favorite shows. There is only so much outdoor activities us couch potatoes can take. I don't mind that shows like "Lost", "Heroes" or "24" take a few months off. I'd just like something to replace them instead of being forced to tune into mediocre talent shows. Don't get me wrong I'm still watching them but more so out of necessity than actual interest.

"So You Think You Can Dance" on Fox has kept me interested this year by featuring some inspiring stories like the young girl who dances with a prosthetic arm after losing her arm in car accident. There is also a girl who nearly lost her life in a bombing in Israel. The footage is heartbreaking and fascinating all at the same time. It's no "Dancing with the Stars" though by the time they get the to live dance shows. Frankly, I'd rather watch has-been stars dance than amateurs trying to be professionals but it at least fills the Dancing void.

To fill the void left by "American Idol" there is "America's Got Talent" which is returning for season two tonight on NBC. Brought to us by Simon Cowell, the show is a hodgepodge of bizarre variety acts and a few talented folks. The show did decent ratings for summer with Regis Philbin hosting. Now, Jerry Springer has stepped in and Sharon Osbourne is replacing Brandy. I think the most entertaining part of the show is seeing what bizarre behavior will come out of David Hasselhoff though. Let's hope now that he is in AA we still get a few moments of out him.

Last night as I went to bed in my soft big bed, I couldn't help but think of Paris Hilton and her family...honestly.

Soon she'll be adjusted and comfortable... The fears of prison life behind her, a whole band of prisoners having pledged their devotion to the ways of 'Hilty'. But for this moment, she was a 26 year old, child of tremendous privilege in a 12' x 8' cell trying to sleep. She is not a model citizen. In my opinion, the constant attention her antics attract, are worth shielding your children from. (Yes, my children do not watch my own show).

But these first few nights have got to be gutting, lonely, scary and accompanied by all sorts of "commitments" to become a different person.

I bet Paris is a truly sweet young woman right now. She is stripped of all her securities and relying solely on herself. I imagine she is at her most humble.