BritneySpears-related stories
Posted Jul 1st 2009 8:25AM by Danny Gallagher
Filed under: News, Web, Celebrities, Reality-Free
Keith Olbermann! Come on down! You're the next TV celebrity whose death has been falsely reported on the Internet!
The MSNBC Countdown's Wikipedia page reported he had died earlier this morning, possibly due to complications from celiac disease.
I sent emails to two networks officials to confirm this jarring claim. Jeremy Gaines, MSNBC's vice president of communications, responded that he is certain the entry is a "hoax" and that he and other network officials were working to correct it. The section on Olbermann's death has since been removed from the page.
Continue reading Exclusive! Keith Olbermann is not dead
Posted Dec 31st 2008 9:00AM by Brett Love
Filed under: How I Met Your Mother, Festivus, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free
Does the title of this post have you groaning and asking yourself, "Why are we talking about this again?" If so, I'm familiar with the feeling. It's how I felt earlier this year as the gossiperati (for lack of a more disparaging term) were putting the full court press on
Britney Spears. And that was just because she went shopping, or bought a Slurpee, or something ... I didn't really pay much attention to those reports.
Suffice it to say, while it may have been for all the wrong reasons, Britney had once again captured the attention of the public at large. It's an important bit of this story, because it speaks to both why she was brought in to guest on HIMYM, and why I hated it from jump street. I certainly wasn't alone in that, as most of the TV Squad staff, and 36.9% of the readers that voted, named her for the What The *#@#%! Were They Thinking Award.
Continue reading Top TV Stories of 2008: Britney on How I Met Your Mother
Posted Nov 30th 2008 10:03AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: News, Programming, OpEd, Celebrities, Pickups and Renewals
When I heard that
TMZ had been renewed for two more years, I thought, yeah, I get that. In my neck of the woods, the show airs at 7:30 p.m. every weeknight. Tabloid TV has gotten to the point where it's no longer relegated to a 3 a.m. timeslot. Now it airs at a respectable hour, which has somehow made the show respectable, too.
So what IS it about the rich, famous and screwed-up that we find so fascinating? Other than the fact that it's just plain fun to gawk at these folks, I've come up with a few reasons why
TMZ is one of the best things to enter our lives in years:
1. TMZ shows us that even though the rest of us might be struggling out here, we're still way better off than the people on TMZ's radar. That's comforting in a weird way.
Continue reading TMZ renewed for two more years ... it's all good!
Posted Sep 10th 2008 3:40PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Interviews, How I Met Your Mother, Reality-Free
Yes, I know:
I just spoke to Carter Bays a couple of months ago, right before
How I Met Your Mother's season finale. But there was so much news coming out about the show over the summer --
The Bro Code,
a wedding, self-contained episodes,
Regis -- that I felt I had to speak to him again before the fourth season started on Sept. 22.
(Well, I actually wanted to talk to both Carter and his show-running partner Craig Thomas, but, as usual, the mystery man was elsewhere. I've met him more than once, though, so I know he does exist.)
Anyway, I could have spoken to Bays at the CBS press tour party in July, but I wanted to get a bit more in depth, so we arranged a phone interview; that took place a couple of weeks ago, right after the third episode of the fourth season wrapped. He was a bit more evasive about those topics than he's been in the past, but he still provided me some good information about the upcoming season, the "haunting" singing voices of his male stars, and what it's like to see his show being played on an airplane. Interview is after the jump.
Continue reading Carter Bays of How I Met Your Mother: The TV Squad Interview
Posted Sep 4th 2008 10:38AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Awards, Reality-Free
It looks like after some divisiveness on the subject (including a
report confirming her non-appearance), Britney Spears will in fact be
making an appearance at the 25th MTV Video Music Awards this coming Sunday in Los Angeles. Britney has been nominated 16 times for VMAs but never won a Moon Man.
This year she has three nominations. With that, I don't know why anybody would think she wouldn't show up. I realize that many thought her last VMA appearance/performance was a trainwreck, but look at what she was going through at the time.
Britney does not have a performance scheduled and I would guess that her appearance will likely be more demure (if MTV is capable of such a thing). I presume she'll just be accepting the award (I think she'll win something. It would be a good career boost. Even Scorsese won an award eventually). Of course, I could be complete wrong. Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of MTV executives?
My question is: will Britney's appearance at the VMA's make you more likely to tune in?
Posted Aug 28th 2008 5:25PM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: OpEd, Music and Variety, Awards
There's a difference between cheap, tawdry publicity stunts that are (pop) culturally significant and those that are just, well, cheap and tawdry. An example of the former is
Madonna's infamous VMA performance from 2003 in which she performed and locked lips with not only
Christina Aguilera, but
Britney Spears as well. An example of the latter would be basically anything involving
Katy Perry.
if you've walked past a TV, into a retail store or gotten into a car this summer, chances are you've heard Katy Perry's single, "I Kissed a Girl." There's an even bigger chance that if you just read that sentence, "I Kissed a Girl" is now going to be stuck in your head for the rest of the day. Perry is performing that song during this year's
VMA telecast on September 7th, and if you haven't already guessed, she's looking for a girl to kiss.
Continue reading Katy Perry plans to make out with a female celeb at the VMAs
Posted Aug 27th 2008 10:42AM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Programming, Celebrities, Awards
Look, I'm just going to go ahead and take credit for this one. Obviously Britney listened to me when I praised her for
her awkwardly funny VMA promos with this year's host, Russell Brand, and agreed that that was enough for this year. Her manager,
Larry Rudolph, has confirmed that despite reports, Brit will not be picking up the sparkly underwear from the cleaners in order to perform at this year's
VMAs.
Fans of unruly extensions and gum-smacking need not fear, however: there is still a good chance that Ms. Spears will make an appearance at the fête. Britney is nominated for Video of the Year for her single, "Piece of Me." Even though
Britney Spears has been nearly synonymous with MTV and the VMAs for most of her career, she's never actually won one of the coveted moon men, so I'm not sure how good her chances are of actually making an acceptance speech. Regardless, I wouldn't be surprised if producers still find something for her to do during the show; if there's one thing for which Britney can always be relied on, it's creating buzz. Well, that and
single-handedly keeping Cheetos in business.
The MTV Video Music Awards air on September 7.
Posted Aug 12th 2008 12:25PM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: OpEd, Video, Music and Variety, Celebrities, Awards
We all know the story:
Britney Spears got divorced, shaved her head, beat a car with an umbrella, went to rehab for a little while, and generally acted in an unstable fashion in front of the paparazzi. Then, last year, she was supposed to put all of that behind her and reclaim her rightful crown as a pop princess by performing her new single, "Gimme More" at the
MTV Video Music Awards.
So she opened the show--but her performance was more befitting a zombie stripper than a multi-platinum artist. Things continued to go downhill for a while, until her dad stepped in. After that, it was better extensions, visits with her kids and guest spots on
How I Met Your Mother. It was good all around.
Now, after several months of relative stability, Britney may be ready for a comeback from her comeback. Along with VMA host
Russell Brand, Spears is starring in a couple of promos for the VMAs. The videos are after the jump.
Continue reading Don't call it a comeback: Britney's VMA promos - VIDEOS
Posted Aug 11th 2008 11:23AM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: How I Met Your Mother, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free
Look, I don't know what it is, but I'm kind of obsessed with
Regis Philbin. Maybe it's the way his hair doesn't look like it's moved since 1956, or the way he doesn't even bother to hide the fact that he has no idea who half the people are who he interviews. The point is, I get really excited any time I come across some Regis news, so I'm totally psyched that he's set to
guest star on How I Met Your Mother.
Philbin is going to play himself on the sitcom's second episode of the season. Apparently the gang runs into him at Marshall's favorite NYC burger joint.
While having Regis Philbin on the show may not earn them quite the record-breaking ratings that
Britney Spears did, it does offer a distinct advantage: The possibility of one of
Neil Patrick Harris' famous Regis impressions. Harris, who has filled in for Philbin on
Live With Regis and Kelly on several occasions, is known for doing one of the best "Reeges" out there, and that, to me, beats staring at Britney's extensions any day.
Posted Jul 10th 2008 8:22AM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Scrubs, Dirt, Casting, Reality-Free
I'm a sucker for stunt casting. Sure, it can get annoying after a while, (hello
Will & Grace) but I still love seeing a Michelle Trachtenberg on
Gossip Girl or a Britney Spears on
How I Met Your Mother. So I was really excited to read that
Courteney Cox has signed up to guest star on Scrubs this season.
Cox, who was most recently seen on her FX drama,
Dirt, is returning to the small screen for a three-episode arc as Sacred Heart's newest Chief of Medicine. The position was left open after Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins) retired at the end of last season. Since Cox is only going to be on the show for a handful of episodes, something tells me that she's not going to do well in her new position. Her character is said to "ruffle some feathers," and it sounds like she's ruffling the wrong ones right out the door.
Continue reading Courteney Cox goes straight to the top on Scrubs
Posted Jun 28th 2008 10:25AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Industry, OpEd, Celebrities, Reality-Free
Despite being panned for her performance at last year's MTV Video Music Awards, it seems that
MTV wants her back. the president of MTV Music Networks Van Toffler has been quoted as saying "Everyone deserves a second or third chance, right?"
Spears "Gimme More" performance at last year's awards at the Palms Casino Resort drew 7.1 million viewers according to Nielsen Media Research. It was the show's most talked-about moment.
This year's VMA's will take place at the Paramount Pictures Studios in Los Angeles on September 7th. The show's performances will occur on the lot's various sound stages, rooftops and faux city streets.
Honestly, doesn't Britney have enough money? Shouldn't she concentrate more on attempting to see her kids? She looked pretty out of it during the last show (which is probably the source of all the gossip) and it's time for her to take a long break. Unless, of course, she's being
prepared for the harvest.
Posted Jun 14th 2008 1:24PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Emmys, Reality-Free
Either an Emmy isn't worth very much these days, or Hollywood actresses are finding that the publicity from spurning a nomination is worth more than the nomination itself. First
Grey's Anatomy star -- and last year's Emmy winner -- Katherine Heigl removed her name from consideration for an Emmy in 2008, and now another has followed suit.
Lindsay Lohan is not submitting her Ugly Betty performance for Emmy consideration. What? You don't remember Lindsay's performance, those few minutes of a flashback when Betty recalls being used as a dodge ball target in high school? Yeah, Lindsay really put in Emmy-worthy work there!
This is so ridiculous when it comes to Lindsay. There was no chance she'd be nominated, so removing her name is a stunt. On the other hand, Heigl's move is a real slap in the face to the writers of
Grey's Anatomy.
Continue reading Lindsay Lohan bows out of Emmy consideration ... really
Posted Jun 6th 2008 11:59PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: How I Met Your Mother, Celebrities, Casting, TV Squad Awards
As if Britney Spears wasn't having a bad enough year, she is also now the TV Squad staff choice for the most egregious case of miscasting during this 2007-08 season. Yes, friends, for her turns as Abby on
How I Met Your Mother, Brit-Brit is the first recipient of The What the *#@#%! Were They Thinking? Award.
Competition for this one was pretty fierce. Michelle Ryan of
Bionic Woman barely edged Spears out on the readers' choice poll, and to me she seemed like the obvious choice; there were a lot of things wrong with
BW, but Ryan's stiff performance was probably the worst of what was wrong. But by an overwhelming margin, the Squadders thought Britney's casting was the worse offense.
Looking back on her appearances, I can understand the vitrol. It's not that she was awful on the show -- opinions about that are mixed. It's the whole idea and motivation behind her guest stint that most people seem to find so patently offensive.
Continue reading The What the *#@#%! Were They Thinking? Award: Winner - VIDEOS
Posted Jun 4th 2008 10:24AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Celebrities, Reality-Free
It's no secret that the country is in severe financial straits, especially people who are caught in the real estate merry-go-round where they find themselves unable to pay their monthly mortgage. Amazingly, someone as seemingly well-heeled and secure as Ed McMahon is one of those people struggling. Johnny Carson's sidekick on
The Tonight Show is on the verge of losing his Beverly Hills home through foreclosure.Published reports claim that
Ed McMahon's home on Mulholland Drive, part of the gated hilltop development called The Summit, has been on the market for sale since 2006. Unfortunately, moving real estate in a depressed market is very tough. Complicating matters for McMahon is the neighborhood, in particular, one neighbor:
Britney Spears.
Continue reading Tough times for Ed McMahon
Posted Jun 2nd 2008 3:03PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Industry, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
I'm sure I'm not the only one who assumed the HBO nightly series
In Treatment, featuring Gabriel Byrne, Blair Underwood, Josh Charles and Dianne Wiest among others, was pretty much going to be a done in one. I really enjoyed the tension they managed to create with essentially two or three people sitting in a room and talking, and while critical acclaim pretty much affirmed that I am brilliant (like I needed their help), the ratings didn't follow.
While official word on the show's fate still hasn't come, what is trickling around is that
HBO is this close to signing Law & Order: Criminal Intent executive producer Warren Leight (see me holding my fingers really close together), with the intention of putting him on
In Treatment should it get the pick-up, which ups the odds of said happening tremendously. I can't imagine the show costs a tremendous amount to produce, aside from paying the top-notch actors they brought on board. Aside from Byrne and Wiest, we'd likely be looking at a new cast of patients with all new conflicts.
Continue reading In Treatment not officially dead yet, may get Leight injection
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