Majel Barrett Roddenberry in costume as empath Lwaxana Troi, pictured with husband and 'Star Trek' creator Gene Roddenberry

Wife of creator contributed to series’ legacy

By Matthew B. Zeidman

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Today) 1/5/08 – Majel Barrett Roddenberry, the late wife of the creator of “Star Trek,” who embraced and took part in her husband’s creative vision, was honored in a memorial service held Sunday.

The event took place at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, commemorating the life of Roddenberry, 76, who succumbed to cancer on Dec. 18 and was buried at the Los Angeles memorial park.

Roddenberry frequently appeared in various roles on the original 1960s TV series and in its countless TV and film spinoffs, including the starship Enterprise’s first officer in the shelved pilot whose footage was utilized later in the show, as well as the legendary vessel’s Nurse Chapel in future episodes.

Roddenberry also gave a voice to countless computer systems throughout the entire history of “Star Trek,” including the upcoming big-screen prequel, and gave empathic diplomat Lwaxana Troi a flamboyant flair on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.”

Over the years, she was a frequent speaker at conventions attended by fans of the series and often mingled with vendors and aficionados afterward.

Roddenberry’s husband, sci-fi luminary Gene Roddenberry, died of heart failure in 1991 at the age of 70. She is survived by their son, Eugene Wesley Roddenberry, Jr.

A Long Time Coming But Cardinals Advance

By Bryan Mongeau-Eastmond

NEW YORK(Hollywood Today/ RushPRnews) 01/04/09-First home playoff win in 61 years.When two teams are mere mirror of themselves, more often then not, it comes down to who wants it more. Who is willing to go that extra mile and advance to the next playoff round? After seeing Arizona’s performance against the Atlanta Falcons Read the rest of this Hollywood Today story »

By Keith Williams

Marley a season winner

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 1/4/09 — Pet adoptions soared across America as Marley and Me munched its way through an estimated $24 million this weekend for a total of $106 million after only two weeks, with Bedtime Stories nipping at its heels for $20.3 million and Benjamin Button still drawing the curious with $18.4 million.

Yet again the Jennifer Aniston/Owen Wilson starrer proved itself the alpha male of the box office pack, testimony to Fox’s uncanny ability to deliver mass family pulp for Christmas (step down from the witness box Alvin and the Chipmunks and Night at the Museum). After a pretty dismal year kicking off with the universally hated Alien vs Predator: Requiem and ending with, ahem, Australia, at least there’s some cheer on Pico to start this new year off with. For Adam Sandler too, Bedtime Stories has brought festive goodwill, even if the film sounds like the saner version of what Terry Gilliam would have done in the past. In its second week, the fantasy/comedy has now taken $85.3 million, so membership of the $100 million club will be soon welcoming readers as well as puppies.

Benjamin Button looks a likely candidate for future membership too with a total to date of $79 million, an astonishing figure given it was all but expected to be an arthouse rather than mainstream hit. After the box office disappointment of the exemplary Zodiac, David Fincher’s chances of Oscar nominations for his gentle fable must now be considered far less remote than before, with memories of the ill-fated Alien 3 finally laid to rest.

Yes Man continued to attract affirmatives from Jim Carrey fans, dropping 16.9% in its third week for $13.8 million, Valkyrie ziegheiled $14 million on a 36% decline, Seven Pounds, one of Will Smith’s more Read the rest of this Hollywood Today story »

Selena Gomez and Drew Seeley star in the direct-to-video Disney sequel

Selena Gomez takes up Hilary Duff’s torch in home-video sequel

By Matthew B. Zeidman

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 1/3/08 – Selena Gomez has been labeled by some pundits as the heir apparent to “Hannah Montana” actress Miley Cyrus and her wild success as a sitcom star, singer and all-around entertainer. Her latest foray into the ‘tween market, however, has her taking the torch from the Disney poster child of yesteryear—Hilary Duff.

“Another Cinderella Story,” released recently on Blu-ray and DVD, sees Gomez headline a modified version of the classic story that helped revive the Disney brand in 1950.

Unlike Duff’s 2004 release, “A Cinderella Story,” which was essentially a modern retelling of the fairytale, this title could best be described as “Cinderella” meets “Step Up.” Unfortunately, the filmmakers’ attempt to add a hip twist to the beloved children’s tale works poorly.

The first major crack in the façade is Jane Lynch as a middle-aged pop star to whom Gomez’s character is some sort of indentured servant. While Lynch’s two daughters often compete for the attention of the film’s proverbial Prince Charming (Drew Seeley), it is Lynch, herself, who is Gomez’s chief rival.

Lynch constantly tries to convince an unwilling Seeley, also a singer and dancer, to appear in her latest sultry music video and give her career a boost. The viewer is left wondering why the onstage antics of an apparently successful 40-something resemble those of Britney Spears and if this was intended as some sort of tacit parody of Madonna.

As for the dance component of “Another Cinderella Story,” it also seems hollow. Gomez trains in secret behind a looking glass in her school’s rehearsal studio, in order to fight for an audition at a highly competitive performing arts college and get closer to Seeley, but this passion on paper is never really reflected by Gomez in her dialogue or stage presence.

The dance numbers, themselves, are impressive enough, as are the film’s original songs, but it’s nothing that hasn’t been seen in spades over the past decade (e.g., “Save the Last Dance,” “Honey,” “Step Up,” etc.). Additionally, the likeliness that most of the heavy lifting was done by a body double (Gomez’s face is never seen during the more difficult sequences) robs the story of the little magic it had going for it.

While Gomez is a highly charismatic entertainer, “Another Cinderella Story” is proof that a talented cast cannot save an otherwise-flawed story. The film might do well as bubblegum entertainment for those most fiercely devoted to the popular up-and-comer, but any ‘tween with even the smallest modicum of taste will be left confounded and insulted by this pop culture mishmash.

John Travolta and Kelly Preston are pictured in a 2001 publicity photo with son Jett and daughter Ella

Thorough autopsy for 16-year-old planned

By Matthew B. Zeidman

NASSAU, The Bahamas (Hollywood Today) 1/3/08 – In what was likely a rare accident, John Travolta’s son, Jett, died Friday morning after being discovered unconscious in the bathroom of his family’s vacation home on Grand Bahama Island.

Police told the Associated Press that the child, 16, was found by a caretaker at the Old Bahama Bay Hotel and rushed by emergency responders to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Though an official cause of death will not be announced until a thorough autopsy is performed, an anonymous police source told the wire service that Jett struck his head after suffering a seizure—a theory echoed by an official police statement the day of the accident.

The family’s attorney, Michael Ossi, confirmed to Reuters yesterday that the boy did, in fact, have a seizure at the time of the incident.

Jett was the only son of Travolta and wife Kelly Preston, who also have an 8-year-old daughter, Ella. Travolta is known for his myriad of popular films, including “Hairspray,” “A Civil Action” and “Pulp Fiction.” Preston has appeared in “Waiting to Exhale,” “Jerry Maguire” and “Sky High,” among other features.

Broadcasting company decides not to pull its networks
By Matthew B. Zeidman

Viacom head Sumner Redstone

NEW YORK (Hollywood Today) 1/2/08 - Fans of “The Hills,” “The Colbert Report,” and other Viacom television programs breathed a little easier Thursday, as the broadcasting company scrapped plans to yank its network feeds from Time Warner Cable (TWC).

TWC initially refused Viacom’s proposed $35- to $40-million increase in fees, Reuters reported Wednesday, leaving subscribers worried they would lose a large swath of programming as revelers rang in the New Year. However, the companies announced a tentative deal had been reached early New Year’s Day.

TWC provides cable service to approximately 13.3 million subscribers across 27 states and is the dominant provider for New York City. In 2000, networks affiliated with ABC were blocked on TWC for 19 hours, due to a dispute with the Walt Disney Company over the carriage of several specialty networks.

Viacom provides a bevy of networks geared toward teens, pre-teens and young children, including Nickelodeon, Noggin and The N, as well as mainstream powerhouses, such as MTV, Comedy Central and Spike.

Happy New Year, Hollywood style
By Karen Ostlund

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 1/1/09 — Hollywood was ringing in the new year 2009 in clubs and restaurants all around town yesterday even though the town seem to be more quiet this time than last year.
Maybe the economy or stock market has to do with that. At one point, the cherished wristbands seemed to be no longer needed for people arriving, indicating the desire to sell drinks was as large as getting a door charge.
You could notice more couples dining out that came early for drinks and dinner and then leave before midnight.
DASK yearly event,this time at Social restaurant & nightclub was one of the hottest tickets with gourmet tray passed appetizer from and a choice of two free drinks on the tickets. Pretty Partiest Macafrica threw top notch events at Vanguard and Ritual clubs.
At Par, acrobats,burlesque dancers and two dancefloors was part of the countdown of the hours left of 2008.
Paramount’s Gridlock with its stage set of New York streets attracted more than five thousand partygoers with headliner Grammy nominated Katy Perry .
Paramount Studios promised to be Hollywood’s version of Time Square with the most elaborate New Year’s eve celebration ever. It was sure Hollywood’s biggest event in size even if general admission could be freezing cold unless you warmed up at one of the multipli dancefloors or had access to the inddor viproom with open bar at stage 16.
Pop rock sensation Katy Perry climed to fame earlier this year with the hitsong “I kissed a girl” and she brought with her a long list of celebrity guests as Robert Pattison from Twilight,Tyrese Gibson from Transformers 2 and Shannon Woodward from the The Riches.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed Barack Obama's U.S. Senate replacement Tuesday, despite a uniform call by fellow Democrats to resign his own post

Illinois executive at heart of corruption scandal chooses Obama successor
By Matthew B. Zeidman

CHICAGO (Hollywood Today) 12/30/08 – In a shocking act of unmitigated gall and defiance that threatened to mar the post-election era of good feelings enjoyed by the Democratic Party, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed a successor to President-Elect Barack Obama’s post in the U.S. Senate Tuesday afternoon.

Blagojevich, who has been charged by federal authorities with attempting to trade the vacant Senate post for political favors and has fiercely refused to resign, held a press conference announcing Roland Burris, Illinois’ former attorney general, as Obama’s replacement.

“Please do not allow the allegations against me to taint this good and honest man,” Blagojevich said of Burris.

A short time later, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid issued a statement, claiming he and his fellow Democratic lawmakers would not seat Burris and that despite Burris’ exemplary record, the circumstances of his appointment would prevent him from fulfilling his duties effectively.

“[T]his is not about Mr. Burris; it is about the integrity of a governor accused of attempting to sell this United States Senate seat,” Reid wrote. “Under these circumstances, anyone appointed by Gov. Blagojevich cannot be an effective representative of the people of Illinois and, as we have said, will not be seated by the Democratic Caucus.”

The prospect of a drawn-out fight to remove Burris from his seat is especially bad news for the Democrats, who, if party member Al Franken were to win the hotly contested Minnesota senatorial election, would be only one vote shy of a filibuster-proof majority. In that case, if even one Republican senator could be convinced to cross party lines, the Democrats could force a vote on all measures brought to the Senate floor. Not counting Franken, Democrats will hold 56 seats in the Senate next term, joined by two independent politicians who caucus with them.

New parents Bristol Palin (right) and Levi Johnston welcomed son Tripp Easton Mitchell into the world Sunday

Daughter of GOP’s Sarah Palin made headlines during election
By Matthew B. Zeidman

PALMER, Alaska (Hollywood Today) 12/29/08 – Bristol Palin’s bundle of joy has finally arrived. The daughter of Alaskan governor and former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin gave birth to a baby boy early Sunday morning.

The child, Tripp Easton Mitchell, will bear the last name of his father, Levi Johnston, People magazine reported.

The younger Palin, 18, made headlines during the 2008 presidential election season when her mother announced she had become pregnant out of wedlock and intended to carry the baby to term and marry Johnston. The couple has not yet announced concrete wedding plans.

Newly-engaged Zooey Deschanel often plays the straight foil to her comic co-stars, but also has dramatic experience

‘Elf’ star and Death Cab for Cutie frontman to wed
By Matthew B. Zeidman

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 12/29/08 – Zooey Deschanel, younger sister to “Bones” actress Emily and co-star of the films “Elf,” “The Happening” and “Yes Man,” has been engaged to be married. The lucky groom is none other than Ben Gibbard, the frontman of popular indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie.

According to E!, the 32-year-old Gibbard successfully proposed to Deschanel, 28, the weekend prior to Christmas. They have yet to set a date for the wedding.

In addition to being an accomplished actress, the bride-to-be is one half of the indie duo She & Him. Besides her big-screen roles, fans of Jimmy Fallon may also remember her as the hapless girlfriend horrified by her beau’s antics in the music video for the comedian’s “Idiot Boyfriend.”

Gibbard, who is also a member of the indie pop group The Postal Service, founded Death Cab for Cutie as a solo project in 1997. They have grown in popularity in recent years and were mentioned frequently (and guest-starred) on Fox’s “The O.C.,” where Gibbard and company were the favorite band of central character Seth Cohen.

'Angel at the Fence' has been cancelled, but will live on as a film adaptation

Publisher cancels book by author featured on ‘Oprah’

By Matthew B. Zeidman

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 12/29/08 – TV personality Oprah Winfrey will surely be more wary the next time she features the writer of a non-fiction memoir on her eponymous talk show. She was already burned once by an author who admitted his tale of drug use and redemption was pure fantasy, and now another autobiographer promoted by Winfrey has come clean about his narration of love and hope amidst World War II.

Andrea Hurst, agent to 79-year-old Holocaust survivor Herman Rosenblat, said in a statement that while her client was in fact a prisoner at a concentration camp in Schlieben, Germany, the love story chronicled in his book about his relationship with the woman who sneaked him food during his incarceration was false.

The publisher, Berkley Books, said in a statement of its own that it would no longer publish the upcoming title, “Angel at the Fence, The True Story of a Love that Survived,” and expected Rosenblat to return all remuneration. Reuters reported that Atlantic Overseas Pictures planned to go ahead with a movie adaptation.

Rosenblat had claimed he met his current wife after he immigrated to America and realized she was the same person who threw him food over the concentration camp fence.

James Frey, who wrote “A Million Little Pieces” about his experiences with drug and alcohol abuse, admitted his memoir was also a phony in 2006 and appeared on “Oprah” to discuss the deception. Winfrey had previously included it in her popular list of recommended books.