HOLLYWOOD (AP) - Greg Kinnear has been signed by the History Channel to play John F. Kennedy and Katie Holmes will play his wife, Jacqueline, in the 8-hour mini-series “The Kennedys” to air in 2011. Also in the cast, Kate Hudson as Marilyn Monroe, Antonio Banderas as Fidel Castro, Jason Alexander as Nikita Khrushev, and Kirstie Alley as The Bay of Pigs.
NEW YORK (BBC) - Former “Tonight Show” host Conan O’Brien spoke out for the first time on Sunday’s 60 Minutes, telling interviewer Steve Kroft that his relationship with NBC was “toxic.“ To say the least. To get him to step aside and return the “Tonight Show” to Jay Leno, they threatened to make him host “The Marriage Ref.”
NEW YORK (BBC) - Former “Tonight Show” host Conan O’Brien spoke out for the first time on Sunday’s 60 Minutes, telling interviewer Steve Kroft that his relationship with NBC was “toxic.“ To say the least. To get him to step aside and return the “Tonight Show” to Jay Leno, they threatened to make him host “The Marriage Ref.”
NEW YORK (AP) - Talks between United and Continental Airlines continue in earnest and industry analysts say a merger is almost a certainty. According to a reliable inside source, financial terms have been agreed upon, but the parties can’t decide whether to call the new company “ContaUnental” or “UnientiContal” Airlines.
ORLANDO, FL (AP) - Several prominent divorce lawyers estimate that Ulin Woods’ divorce settlement against Tiger could exceed half a billion dollars -- which would make the award the most costly marriage dissolution in the history of English Common Law -- not counting, of course, Henry VIII‘s wives.
NEW YORK (BBC) - In his return to Broadway in “Fences,” Oscar-winner Denzel Washington received sour reviews as Troy, the role made famous by James Earl Jones. Among the jibes, “His Troy is smaller than Jones’s,” “He seemed hollow,” and “He has difficulty modulating his theatrical intensity.” “Darth Vader?” Denzel screamed at his agent. “I thought you said I was following James Spader!”
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From THE LAUGH MAKERS (page 33)
While Hope sketches were broad, farcical and in the opinion of some, too silly, he had definite ideas about how he wanted them played. Most of the guests followed his directions to the letter, but once in awhile he’d run into a problem case — one like former model Susan Anton. Susan was cast on one of our football specials as a scientist hired by the NFL to test the safety of the equipment. Hope answers her want ad for a guinea pig and is put through a series of punishing tests. Susan was going with British actor Dudley Moore at the time, and he was never far away during rehearsal. During the read-through, Hope had warned Susan not to laugh at her own lines while putting him through the wringer — literally. In one sequence, he’s in a stretching “machine” we had designed like a magician’s trick. Following our diagram, the prop department built a box with hidden shelves and dummy pants, legs and shoes that would appear to belong to Hope. But despite his advice, Susan insisted on injecting a series of giggles before, during and after every one of her lines. Bad enough during rehearsal, but later in front of an audience, her giggling if anything, increased. Repeatedly, Hope stopped the taping, called her off to the side and whispered instructions. Then she’d go over to Dudley who’d give her more tips — apparently to keep up the good work. Finally, Hope surrendered and finished the sketch, hoping that Susan’s delivery could be fixed in post. But no amount of editing could save her performance, and we lost a perfectly serviceable eight-minute sketch — not to mention an opportunity to introduce the world to a human stretching machine that would have made Dick Cheney proud.
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NEW YORK (BBC) - In his return to Broadway in “Fences,” Oscar-winner Denzel Washington received sour reviews as Troy, the role made famous by James Earl Jones. Among the jibes, “His Troy is smaller than Jones’s,” “He seemed hollow,” and “He has difficulty modulating his theatrical intensity.” “Darth Vader?” Denzel screamed at his agent. “I thought you said I was following James Spader!”
________________________________
From THE LAUGH MAKERS (page 33)
While Hope sketches were broad, farcical and in the opinion of some, too silly, he had definite ideas about how he wanted them played. Most of the guests followed his directions to the letter, but once in awhile he’d run into a problem case — one like former model Susan Anton. Susan was cast on one of our football specials as a scientist hired by the NFL to test the safety of the equipment. Hope answers her want ad for a guinea pig and is put through a series of punishing tests. Susan was going with British actor Dudley Moore at the time, and he was never far away during rehearsal. During the read-through, Hope had warned Susan not to laugh at her own lines while putting him through the wringer — literally. In one sequence, he’s in a stretching “machine” we had designed like a magician’s trick. Following our diagram, the prop department built a box with hidden shelves and dummy pants, legs and shoes that would appear to belong to Hope. But despite his advice, Susan insisted on injecting a series of giggles before, during and after every one of her lines. Bad enough during rehearsal, but later in front of an audience, her giggling if anything, increased. Repeatedly, Hope stopped the taping, called her off to the side and whispered instructions. Then she’d go over to Dudley who’d give her more tips — apparently to keep up the good work. Finally, Hope surrendered and finished the sketch, hoping that Susan’s delivery could be fixed in post. But no amount of editing could save her performance, and we lost a perfectly serviceable eight-minute sketch — not to mention an opportunity to introduce the world to a human stretching machine that would have made Dick Cheney proud.
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