Luke, I Am…Your Director:
After much speculation, Disney has revealed that J.J. Abrams will be directing the long-awaited seventh film in the “Star Wars” saga. Because Abrams is also the director of the recent “Star Trek” reboot and its upcoming sequel, this casting has perpetuated the rift between devotees of the two sci-fi franchises.
Other critics claim that a seasoned science fiction director like Abrams is less interesting than an unproven talent or even reported second choice Ben Affleck. Furthermore, Abrams insisted to reporters last year that he would not direct this film. Money talks, it seems.
Kimmel-napped:
For 10 years, Jimmy Kimmel has concluded his late-night talk show by jokingly apologizing to Matt Damon for running out of time to interview him on the air.
The fake feud came to a head last week as Damon “hijacked” Kimmel’s show for an entire episode, mercilessly taunting his gagged “nemesis.”
Damon also brought along a cavalcade of his Hollywood friends, replacing Kimmel’s band leader Dicky Barrett with Sheryl Crow and his sidekick Guillermo with Andy Garcia.
The show concluded on an appropriate reversal: Damon asked Kimmel to comment, then snatched the mic away and exclaimed, “We ran out of time!”
Comeback Kids:
Pop music lovers have experienced an onslaught of comebacks in the last few months, with Justin Timberlake, Destiny’s Child and David Bowie surprising the world with new singles. While Timberlake’s “Suit and Tie” (a collaboration with Jay-Z) failed to dazzle the way “SexyBack” did at the start of his last album cycle, the suave superstar’s new album “The 20/20 Experience,” out March 19, promises to be a pop event. Bonus: It will include a duet with his “My Love” collaborator T.I. Meanwhile, Destiny’s Child will promote their reunion song “Nuclear” with an appearance during Beyoncé’s Super Bowl halftime set.
Flop Times 43:
If you’ve ever wondered “How many movie stars can I embarrass over the course of 90 minutes?” you may have something in common with Peter Farrelly.
“Movie 43,” Farrelly’s collection of loosely connected outrageous comedy sketches, has attracted some of the most vehemently negative reactions in recent memory.
The movie took nearly four years to complete in order to accommodate the sprawling cast’s conflicting schedules, but even the likes of Emma Stone, Kate Winslet, Hugh Jackman, Anna Faris, Elizabeth Banks, Terrence Howard and countless others failed to save this January dreck from box-office disaster or critical abuse.
Goodbye Laughter:
While the last few years have seen a resurgence in the quality and diversity of TV comedy, viewership has steadily declined as options like Hulu, Netflix and On Demand siphon viewers away from real-time viewing.
The ratings downturn were on display this week, as ABC axed “Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23” after a season and a half, and Fox bid an apologetic goodbye to its sweet freshman half-hour “Ben and Kate.”
Both shows attracted too few viewers to justify their positions on the air, but the remaining episodes will likely air this summer.
mlieberman@theeagleonline.com
