GUGINO, NOT GOLD
Carla Gugino is a talented actress with a string of bad luck when it comes to television. She’s been a part of two high profile flops since 2003, “Karen Sisco” and “Threshold,” which, in tv land, is enough to stick you with the infamous “show killer” nickname (see also Paula Marshall, Ted McGinley). Luckily, HBO’s Entourage doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere, and they’ve added Gugino and her great physique (oh, come on, you knew it was coming) to their fourth season cast. Gugino will play Amanda, who’s replaced Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) as Vince’s agent. She’s got some pretty big shoes to fill, replacing Gold (who will still be a character). Entourage returns Sunday, April 8th on HBO.
MICHAEL SCOFIELD’S EUROPEAN VACATION, OR, T-BAG GOES TO THAILAND
The FOX network announced they picked up Prison Break for a third season yesterday, and with the announcement came some details about the further adventures of the Fox River Eight (well, five now). Series creator Paul Scheuring says that while most of the series’ lead characters will return, Prison Break will be a “reconceptualization” and will go global for its third year. The show will also add four new characters, two men and two women, none of them American. Hey, as long as there’s a scene where Sarah Wayne Callies has to go undercover at an Ibiza beach (read: nude), you can sign me up for the next chapter in the most ridiculous(ly awesome) prison drama since Con Air.
THE END OF “EXTRAS”
The “ever-reliable” UK tabloid The Sun reports that Ricky Gervais will not produce a third season of his HBO/BBC comedy Extras, instead choosing to end the series with a one-off special sometime around Christmas. The Sun is quoting “close sources” to the production, although this makes sense – Gervais previously produced two seasons and a special of the original British version of The Office, and has said that third seasons are often a “let down.”
“HEROES” SUED, BUT NOT BY ALAN MOORE
So it turns out that some of the most beloved comics in history aren’t the only things that the hit NBC series Heroes has ripped off this season. NBC Universal and the creators of Heroes are being sued by a couple of New York artists who claim that the show stole its “artist paints the future” storyline (including the part where the paintings depict the destruction of two New York City landmarks from a painting series, short film, and story exhibited between 2004 and 2005. They also claim that two people identifying themselves as writers from Heroes creator Tim Kring’s last show Crossing Jordan (that show has writers?) visited their exhibition and made copies of the work. Should this surprise anyone? Probably not. I just can’t wait for the statement where Kring says that he’s never been to an art exhibition, he purposely avoided going to art exhibitions in order to keep from stealing stuff, and that his dyslexia keeps him from going to art exhibitions at all.
ABC’S GALAXY OF (RETURNING) STARS
ABC recently announced they were picking up 11 current series for the 2007-2008 season. In addition to America’s Funniest Home Videos, Supernanny, and Wife Swap, which had already received season pickups, ABC is bringing back Brothers & Sisters, Men in Trees, Ugly Betty, The Bachelor, Boston Legal, Grey’s Anatomy, Dancing with the Stars, Desperate Housewives, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Lost, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! With these fourteen shows, that’s pretty much 75 percent of ABC’s fall primetime schedule – good for the shows, bad for the new slate of pilots being shot right now. Fans of According To Jim, What About Brian, and George Lopez will note those shows have not yet received pickups, and for the five of you that actually watch and enjoy According To Jim, you have my sympathies. Not.
SAY AGAIN? NO, REALLY: SAY AGAIN?
Every so often, I’ll come across a piece of TV-related news that’s just so bizarre, I can’t think of any jokes to make. And when the news in question involves Aaron Sorkin, you know that it’s truly bizarre. Like the news that Wayne Coyne, lead singer of the Flaming Lips, has told EW.com that Aaron Sorkin (of Sports Night, The West Wing, and the on-hiatus Aaron Sorkin Vengance Hour) is writing the book for a Broadway musical based on the group’s 2002 album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. Des McAnuff, who directed the musicals Jersey Boys and The Who’s Tommy, as well as Sorkin’s recent play The Farnsworth Invention, brought Sorkin onto the project. While I’d rather see Farnsworth get a Broadway run (because his Farnsworth speech from Sports Night is one of the best things he’s ever written), this is truly cool, truly head-shaking news. Sorkin + Flaming Lips + Musical Theatre. Just wow.