Celebrities: Untouched

It never ceases to amaze me the wonders that photoshop can unfold. In today's image obsessed society, I find it more and more important for people to see the face BEHIND the magazine cover or fashion photo shoot. Dove has done a great job of this with their Dove Real Beauty campaign as seen in the video below. For a closer look at the retouching of some of our favorite celebrities, please visit this site and click on "Portfolio." Scroll through the almost two dozen celebrities and see the real photos and the final printed product. With images like these, its no wonder young girls are starving themselves as young as 8-yrs-old to be beautiful. Beauty of this caliber is a truly unreachable goal. It really does not even exist in the natural world and yet people are still struggling to achieve it. It makes me sad.

SATC Movie

So as I'm sure you've heard by now, the new "Sex and the City" movie begins filming this week in NY. While my anticipation for this has been a long time coming, I have to say recent reveals have made me a little uneasy about the whole thing. If they're gonna do, they sure as hell better do it right. This show holds such a place in women's hearts having had such a lasting impact on how female television is made. This movie better live up to the same standards and innovations that its precursor did and that's all I've got to say about that. So what sparked this rant? Everyone's favorite shoe-obsessed waif Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) has a personal assistant...and she will be played by the lovely and talented Jennifer Hudson. This has commercialization written all over it...

Happy Birthday, Hayden!

She's legal ya'll! Young starlet Hayden Panettiere celebrates her 18th birthday today, but not before she made this adorable appearance on Letterman last night in NY. I don't know why, but I believe in Miss Hayden. I think she's got a strong head on her shoulders and won't throw her life away like so many other young stars (**cough*Lohan*cough**). And hell, she's spending her 18th birthday working with "Declare Yourself," where she is an official spokesperson spreading a strong political message for people her age to go out and VOTE in the upcoming 2008 presidential election. Go Hayden!

HSM2 Mania!

Disney Channel's "High School Musical 2" broke all kinds of records over the weekend with the highest cable premiere of ALL TIME. It just goes to show you that the tween audience is a force that cannot be denied.

A whopping 17.2 million people tuned in to see what Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and the rest of the gang had to offer. Simply amazing. It was the most watched Friday night telecast in more than 5 years, not to mention the most watched basic cable movie ever, pulling in almost 38% MORE viewers that the previous record holder.

It hit Disney Channel's key demographic perfectly, proving itself to be an incredible marketing machine (most watched TV telecast ever in kids 6-11, and 2nd most watched in tweens 9-14). Now I've been expecting this, having seen firsthand the crazy popularity "High School Musical" garnered. I mean the soundtrack alone last year was the NUMBER ONE SELLING ALBUM OF THE YEAR. This auspicious debut really should come as no surprise to anyone. I'm awaiting the numbers on the encore premieres on Saturday and Sunday night, assuming that it too was capable of breaking all kinds of records.

Congratulations, my friends!! You deserve it!!!

**UPDATE** I was right, the rebroadcasts of "High School Musical 2" (A Sing-A-Long) on Saturday and Sunday averaged a whopping 8.44 and 7.54 million viewers respectively, making Saturday's broadcast the 4th most watched telecast ever and Sunday's the 9th. That's a grand total of 33.22 million viewers in ONE WEEKEND for the made-for-TV movie. Think about that...if this had been a theatrical release with ticket sales averaging around $8, it could have grossed over $265 MILLION. That's significantly bigger than the opening for Spiderman 3, which had the highest opening to date with $151 million. Craziness. Needless to say, this movie bumped cable channel Disney Channel into the No.3 network spot for the week, averaging more viewers than basic cable networks NBC, ABC, or the CW.

Oh Mandy!

There will always be a soft spot in my heart for Mandy Moore. She started out as just another teenage pop star with her single "Candy" back when Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, and Christina Aguilera's bubblegum pop was all the rage. Back then I wasn't too keen on the blond teenage queen...but then she did something interesting. She went back to her natural hair color and landed herself the starring role in the Adam Shankman directed A Walk to Remember. Now, I hate chick flicks, but this one in particular has an undeniable pull, and there's something about Mandy that just radiated off the screen. She then abandoned her popstar status for a more lucrative film career. While she sticks mostly to the romantic comedy genre, I think her amazing on-screen presence could really lend herself to a strong role someday. Plus, I can honestly say that I think she is the nicest celebrity I ever met. Back when I interned at a boutique PR firm I got stuck with wrangling talent onto the red carpet (some of those guys are pretty sneaky). Mandy was so friendly and sweet, chatting with me casually while waiting for her turn with the press flashes. There are so many likeable qualities about Mandy in general... she never "rebelled" as a young teen actress, she never "sluts it out," she is always the epitome of elegance and class, charity and warmth. And she's always SMILING!! Plus, she had a huge arc on "Entourage" playing the former love of Vincent Chase's life, a fitting part indeed. Anyway, I just wanted to shower her with praise b/c its a crime she hasn't already been mentioned on my site.

On another note entirely (no pun intended), Mandy has turned back to singing and released an album "Wild Hope" earlier this year. She is currently on a national tour with Paula Cole and Rachel Yamagata. She, like so many singers this summer, has just released a cover video of the ever-popular Rihanna Song "Umbrella." Mandy's cover of the instant classic song is just lovely. See below:

Fall 2007 New Series

So in case you were all interested, below is a list of the networks new shows for the fall, when they're airing, and who the stars are. I've taken the liberty of highlighting the shows I have any interesting in watching based on my opinion of the pilots and what their scheduling is. Some are shows that I think I'm gonna love to hate like "Gossip Girl" and "Chuck." We'll have to wait and see once everything airs b/c that an awful lot of tv on top of my current faves "Lost," "Heroes," "The Office," "30 Rock," "Cold Case," etc.

NETWORK NEW ORIGINAL SERIES—FALL 2007

ABC
Big Shots—Thurs/10 (Michael Vartan, DylanMcDermott, Christopher Titus, Joshua Molina, Nia Long, Paige Turco, Peyton List, Wendy Moniz, Jessica Collins, Amy Sloan)

Carpoolers—Tues/8:30 (Jerry O’Connell, Fred Goss, Jerry Minor, Time Peper, Faith Ford, Allison Munn, T.J. Miller)

Cavemen—Tues/8 (Nick Kroll, Bill English, Sam Huntington, Kaitlin Doubleday, John Heard, Stephanie Lemelin)

Dirty Sexy Money—Wed/10 (Peter Krause, Seth Gabel, Glenn Fitzgerald, Samaire Armstrong, Zoe McLennan, Natalie Zea, Billy Baldwin, Donald Sutherland, Jill Clayburgh, Laz Alonso)

Eli Stone—MS (Johnny Lee Miller, Natasha Henstridge, Victor Garber, Loretta Devine, Sam Jaeger, Laura Benanti, James Saito)

Miss/Guided—MS (Judy Greer, Brooke Burns, Krostoffer Polaha, Jonathan Sadowski, Earl Billings)

Private Practice—Wed/9 (Kate Walsh, Paul Adelstein, Amy Brenneman, Tim Daly, Taye Diggs, Audra McDonald, Chris Lowell)

Samantha Who?—Mon/9:30 (Christina Applegate, Jean Smart, Jennifer Esposito, Barry Watson, Melissa McCarthey, Tim Russ, Kevin Dunn)

Cashmere Mafia—MS Tues/9 (Frances O’Connor, Miranda Otto, Lucy Liu, Bonnie Somerville, Peter Hermann, Julian Ovenden)

Women’s Murder Club—Fri/9 (Angie Harmon, Paula Newsome, Laura Harris, Aubrey Dollar)

Pushing Daisies—Wed/8 (Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Swoosie Kurtz, Kristen Chenowith, Jim Dale)

NBC
The Bionic Woman—Wed/9 (Michelle Ryan, Chris Bowers, Miguel Ferrer, Molly Price, Will Yun Lee, Lucy Hale)

The IT Crowd—MS (Joel McHale, Richard Ayoade, Rocky Carroll, girl TBD)

Life—Wed/10 (Damian Lewis, Sarah Shahi, Adam Arkin, Melissa Sagemiller, Robin Weigert)

Lipstick Jungle—MS (Brooke Shields, Kim Raver, Lindsay Price)

Journeyman—Mon/10 (Kevin McKidd, Moon Bloodgood, Gretchen Egolf, Reed Diamond, Charles Henry Wyson)

Chuck—Mon/8 (Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strzechowski, Adam Baldwin, Joshua Gomez, Sarah Lancaster)

FOX
Canterbury’s Law—MS Thurs/9 (Julianna Margulies, Linus Roache, Ben Shenkman, Trieste Dunn, Jocko Sims)

Back to You—Wed/8 (Kelsey Grammer, Patricia Heaton, Fred Willard, Josh Gad, Ty Burrell, Laura Moreno)

K-Ville—Mon/9 (Anthony Anderson, Cole Hauser, Maximiliano Hernandez, Blake Shields, Tawny Cypress, John Carroll Lynch)

New Amsterdam—Tues/8 (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Zuleikha Robinson, Alexie Gilmore, Stephen Henderson)

The Return of Jezebel James—MS Wed/8:30 (Parker Posey, Lauren Ambrose, Scott Cohen, Michael Arden, Ron McLarty)

Unhitched—MS (Craig Bierko, Rashida Jones, Johnny Sneed, Shaun Majumder)

The Sarah Connor Chronicles—MS Sun/9 (Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau, Richard T. Jones)

The CW
Aliens in America—Mon/8:30 (Dan Byrd, Adhir Kalyan, Amy Pietz, Scott Patterson, Lindsey Shaw)

Life is Wild—Sun/8 (Leah Pipes, K’Sun Ray, Andrew St. John, Mary Matilyn Mouser, David Butler, Calvin Goldpink, Tiffany Mulheron, Atandwa Kani, Jeremy Sheffield, D.W. Moffett, Stephanie Niznik)

Reaper—Tues/9 (Bret Harrison, Allison Hossack, Andrew Airlie, Kyle Switzer, Missy Peregrym, Ray Wise, Tyler Labine, Rick Gonzalez, Valarie Rae Miller)

Gossip Girl—Wed/9 (Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgeley, Taylor Momsen, Connor Paolo, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick, Kelly Rutherford, Sam Robards, Matthew Settle)

CBS
Cane—Tues/10 (Jimmy Smits, Hector Elizondo, Nestor Carbonell, Paola Turbay, Rita Moreno, Eddie Matos, Polly Walker, Lee Tergesen)

Swingtown—MS (Molly Parker, Jack Davenport, Grant Show, Lana Parrilla, Miriam Shor, Josh Hopkins, Shanna Collins, Aaron Howles, Brittany Robertson)

Viva Laughlin—Sun/8 (Lloyd Owen, Madchen Amick, Hugh Jackman, D.B. Woodside, Eric Winter, P.J. Byrne, Ellen Woglom, Carter Jenkins)

Moonlight—Fri/9 (Alex O’Loughlin, Shannyn Sossamon, Jason Dohring, Sophia Myles)

Big Bang Theory—Mon/8:30 (Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar)

Rebuilding HOUSE

Boo. I am very disappointed at a recent major revelation regarding the upcoming season of Fox's "HOUSE," starring Hugh Laurie. They've traded in my favorite team of young doctors with some younger models. Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), Foreman (Omar Epps), and the gorgeous Chase (Jesse Spencer) are being replaced with Kal Penn ("Harold and Kumar"), Olivia Wilde ("The OC"/"The Black Donnellys"), and Anne Dudek (White Chicks). Peter Jacobson ("Starter Wife"/Transformers)has joined the cast also. As you all hopefully know, Chase was fired at the end of Season 3, followed by resignations shortly after from both Foreman and Cameron, leaving Dr. House all alone. Now, I just naturally assumed that this would all be resolved in the start of Season 4. Not so, it seems, at least not right away. They've brought in this new team of recurring characters, probably hoping to breathe new life into the series that has run its course with the current cast of characters. I understand. Plus, its Hugh Laurie that really makes the show. It's pretty smart on Fox's part to experiment with new characters in hopes of extending the show's successes. Moreover Chase, Cameron, and Foreman aren't gone forever. They'll still be popping back in from time to time in the upcoming season...I hope, anyway. Until then, they will be missed.

Jesse Spencer, Jennifer Morrison, Omar Epps

Olivia Wilde, Kal Penn, Anne Dudek

**FUN FACT** Australian hearthrob Jesse Spencer (Chase) also starred in the aussie soap "Neighbors" that previously mentioned Michelle Ang was on. Additionally, he is engaged in real life to recent on camera sweetie Jennifer Morrison (Cameron).

Big Girl, You are Beautiful!

This just makes me happy. It's a positive step and fun music to boot.Mika "Big Girls (You Are Beautiful)"

On a similar note, newcomer Nikki Blonsky, star of this summer's much-anticipated musical HAIRSPRAY is getting a lot of positive buzz. Could she be the next Jennifer Hudson? She's pretty cute and sweet as can be. She's so well-spoken, poised, and well, Happy. She's a ball of energy and excitement and is really a joy to watch. A bit of a cinderella-story, 17-year-old Nikki found out she got the part via Access Hollywood cameras while she was scooping icecream at Cold Stone; since shooting she has even been a guest on Oprah.I'm a sucker for a good musical so I'm really excited to check this one out and see how she fairs. Plus, its got my boy Zac Efron in it, so of course I'm gonna be there to support. I really think this could be the big hit of the summer!!

Pictures Worth 1000 Words...and Stars!

So I am on IMDB a great deal, as you can imagine, since I work in casting and all. One thing I've noticed is that there are two photos that have come up in my various searches more times than ANY OTHER PHOTO, and each time I discover someone new and interesting that I perhaps had never considered before. The irony here is that both photos are publicity shots from films that I've never even heard of, let alone seen. I have a feeling neither movie is going to be all that great, but they certainly both have quite the ensemble cast so I definitely need to get on it. Anyway, I thought I'd share my discoveries with you all!
SOURCE: BRINGING RAIN
PICTURED: Niesha Butler, Olek Krupa, Adrian Grenier ("Entourage") ; middle row: Ray Santiago (Meet the Fockers), Paz de la Huerta (Cider House Rules), Larisa Oleynik (10 Things I Hate About You) ; bottom row: Rodrigo Lopresti, Merritt Wever ("Studio 60"), Ryan Donowho ("The OC"), Nathalie Paulding, Alexis Dziena ("Invasion"), Noah Fleiss (Brick)

SOURCE: DOA: Dead or Alive
PICTURED: Devon Aoki (Sin City), Holly Valance ("Prison Break"), Sarah Carter ("Shark"), Jaime Pressly ("My Name Is Earl"), Natassia Malthe (Elektra)

Both pictures contain a mixture of big stars and up-and-comers. I would definitely keep a look out for the unknowns. Who knows, maybe these pictures hold the keys to entertainment success? :)

Staging her Comeback

KERI RUSSELL is on the rise...She kinda fell off the face of the earth (only for a few years), but decidedly she's making her way back into the industry spotlight and I think she's about to hit it big once again. We saw her return to the big screen in last year's "Mission: Impossible III." Her new movie "Waitress" was the talk of Sundance this year as companies clamored for distribution rights to the film. Fox Searchlight won out, and "Waitress" opens in theatres tomorrow. Additionally, she is in production for two highly anticipated movies, "The Girl in the Park" with Sigourney Weaver and Kate Bosworth, as well as "August Rush" with Freddie Highmore, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Robin Williams. I have to say, I'm super excited for Keri Russell's return to stardom. I think she's adorable and sweet as can be. "Felicity" was an amazing show that couldn't have worked without such a sympathetic and inspiring lead actress. Now that she's matured, I look forward to what she has in store. It is my feeling that she's going to go the route of a Kate Winslet-type career. I wouldn't be surprised to see an Oscar somewhere in her future..Welcome back, Keri!

Here is the trailer for "Waitress":

The Voice of "Planet Earth"

I don't know what it is about nature and a good narrator, but the two can create a fascinating visual display that we, the viewers, cannot pull our eyes away from. The right narrator can make or break a production, especially in America. We saw this formula at work on the $100 million box office smash documentary "The March of the Penguins," (of course, it helped that it followed the cutest and most bizarre birds on the planet). Morgan Freeman's star power helped make this docu such a phenomenal hit.

On March 25th, The Discovery Channel launched the BBC series Planet Earth, with narrator Sigourney Weaver replacing David Attenborough. Since, this series has received a great deal of critical and even commercial success. Now, I love David Attenborough, but I have to admit that I am very impressed with Sigourney Weaver's performance. Her voice definitely has a calm almost melodic quality which fits in well with the spectacularly shot scenes from around the globe. You wouldn't want someone who had a distinctive or distracting voice that could take attention away from the amazing film shot by these talented british filmmakers, and I feel like Sigourney is a perfect fit. I admire her for contributing to entertainment in this way. I've always admired her as an actress--while she has done some huge box-office movies (the Alien and Ghostbusters movies), she's still been able to have a well-rounded and long-running career, being nominated for all kinds of awards along the way. Plus, I feel it always impresses me a bit more when an actor or actress can switch so effortlessly between stage and screen. She's been around for decades now, and she still has just as much of a presence as ever in all the major entertainment fields.

BTW, have I mentioned how obsessed I am with this show? Watch re-runs of Planet Earth on the Discovery Channel, or catch the concluding episode "The Filmmaker's Story" this Sunday, April 29th at 8PM and see how it all gets made!

Check out this adorable interview with her as well: HERE

Spotlight on...

DJIMON HOUNSOU
This actor has a way of overwhelming his audience with a sense of warmth and kindness through one simple look in his eyes. It was his kind-hearted character Juba that really stuck out most in my mind from the movie "Gladiator." Now, he's doing it again as the determined Soloman Vandy in "Blood Diamond." He really knows how to captivate his audience and not get over-shadowed by some serious Oscar-contending actors like Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio.

IVANA BAQUERO
Wow, this young actress is only 12 years old, but her performance in "Pan's Labyrinth" gave me goosebumps. Its usually hard for someone so young to really grasp the emotion and depth of a character in such a complex movie, but Ivana does it seemingly effortlessly. I LOVED this movie, I LOVE this girl, and I'm sure I WILL LOVE what she brings to us next.

Predictions of Little Gold Men

The Grammy's are through (Yay, Dixie Chicks!!), so its time to look to the next extravagant awards show looming over our heads. Next up: The 79th Annual Academy Awards, held on February 25, 2007 on ABC. Below are my Oscar picks this year. The Highlighted ones are who I think WILL win, whereas the bold ones are who I WANT to win.

MY OSCAR PICKS

Best Motion Picture of the Year:
•BABEL
•THE DEPARTED
•LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
•LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
•THE QUEEN

Best Actor:
•Leonardo DiCaprio - BLOOD DIAMOND
•Ryan Gosling - HALF NELSON
•Peter O'Toole - VENUS
•Will Smith - THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS
•Forest Whitaker - THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND

Best Actress:
•Penélope Cruz - VOLVER
•Judi Dench - NOTES ON A SCANDAL
•Helen Mirren - THE QUEEN
•Meryl Streep - THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
•Kate Winslet - LITTLE CHILDREN

Best Supporting Actor:
•Alan Arkin - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
•Jackie Earle Haley - LITTLE CHILDREN
•Djimon Hounsou - BLOOD DIAMOND
•Eddie Murphy - DREAMGIRLS
•Mark Wahlberg - THE DEPARTED

Best Supporting Actress:
•Adriana Barraza - BABEL
•Cate Blanchett - NOTES ON A SCANDAL
•Abigail Breslin - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
•Jennifer Hudson - DREAMGIRLS
•Rinko Kikuchi - BABEL

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year:
•CARS
•HAPPY FEET
•MONSTER HOUSE

Achievement in Art Direction:
•PAN'S LABYRINTH
•THE GOOD SHEPHERD
•DREAMGIRLS
•PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
•THE PRESTIGE

Achievement in Cinematography:
•THE BLACK DAHLIA
•CHILDREN OF MEN
•THE ILLUSIONIST
•PAN'S LABYRINTH
•THE PRESTIGE

Achievement in Costume Design:
•CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER
•THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
•DREAMGIRLS
•MARIE ANTOINETTE
•THE QUEEN

Best Director:
•Alejando Inaritu - BABEL
•Martin Scorsese - THE DEPARTED
•Clint Eastwood - LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
•Stephen Frears - THE QUEEN
•Paul Greengrass - UNITED 93

Best Documentary Feature:
•DELIVER US FROM EVIL
•AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
•IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS
•JESUS CAMP
•MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY

Achievement in Film Editing:
•BABEL
•BLOOD DIAMOND
•CHILDREN OF MEN
•THE DEPARTED
•UNITED 93

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year:
•AFTER THE WEDDING
•DAYS OF GLORY (INDIGÈNES)
•THE LIVES OF OTHERS
•PAN'S LABYRINTH
•WATER

Achievement in Makeup:
•APOCALYPTO
•CLICK
•PAN'S LABYRINTH

Best Original Score:
•BABEL
•THE GOOD GERMAN
•NOTES ON A SCANDAL
•PAN'S LABYRINTH
•THE QUEEN

Best Original Song:
•"I Need to Wake Up" - AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
•"Listen" - DREAMGIRLS
•"Love You I Do" - DREAMGIRLS
•"Our Town" - CARS
•"Patience" - DREAMGIRLS

Achievement in Sound Editing:
•APOCALYPTO
•BLOOD DIAMOND
•FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
•LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
•PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST

Achievement in Sound Mixing:
•APOCALYPTO
•BLOOD DIAMOND
•DREAMGIRLS
•FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
•PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST

Achievement in Visual Effects:
•PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
•POSEIDON
•SUPERMAN RETURNS

Adapted Screenplay:
•BORAT: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN
•CHILDREN OF MEN
•THE DEPARTED
•LITTLE CHILDREN
•NOTES ON A SCANDAL

Original Screenplay:
•BABEL
•LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
•LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
•PAN'S LABYRINTH
•THE QUEEN

As you can probably tell by my picks, PAN'S LABYRINTH was by far my favorite movie of the year. I've seen almost every movie nominated except for "The Queen," which I'm sure influenced my choices in some ways. Overall, I feel like this year has had the best movies of recent years. The last 6 movies I've seen in the theater (The Departed, Babel, Dreamgirls, Children of Men, Pan's Labyrinth, and Blood Diamond--respectively) have all been alarmingly good. Filmmakers, let's keep up the good work!!!