MORE TIT FOR TAT
The fallout over Boobygate continues: Janet Jackson will apparently not appear at Sunday's Grammy Awards, where she was slated to introduce a tribute to ailing R&B singer Luther Vandross. According to reports, CBS rescinded her invitation in the wake of her Super Bowl striptease. The network declined to comment. Meanwhile, NBC has removed a scene from tonight's ER that would have shown a female patient's bare breast because "the atmosphere created by this week's events has made it too difficult for many of our affiliates to air this shot." Finally, the NFL has yanked 'N Syncer JC Chasez's halftime performance from this weekend's Pro Bowl game and replaced it with some Hawaiian dancers. |
GAME OVER
Bowing to pressure from the NFL, ESPN has sacked its controversial pigskin drama Playmakers. "We have decided that Playmakers will not resume production," said ESPN exec vice president Mark Shapiro. "Many considerations went into to this decision, not the least of which was the reaction from [the NFL]." The NFL complained that the series — which featured story lines built around drugs, spousal abuse and homosexuality (oh my!) — was too harsh in its depiction of pro football's dark side. "This decision is censorship, pure and simple," exec producer John Eisendrath tells Variety. "The NFL didn't like the show so it told ESPN to take it off the air, and ESPN dutifully took it off the air." |
HERE SHE IS...
Paris Hilton is in talks to host the Miss USA Pageant, which airs April 12 on NBC. And to prove that she hasn't forgotten the little people back in Altus, the Simple Life star allegedly is trying to get Chops a gig as a seat-filler. |
AND THEY'RE OFF
FX is teaming up with NASCAR for a reality series that goes behind the scenes with racing stars, Variety reports. Tentatively titled NASCAR: Drivers Unscripted, the show would premiere in May and feature such A-list drivers as Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jeremy Mayfield, Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears and Tony Raines. |
INDY ON HOLD
Looks like we'll have to wait a while longer for that fourth Indiana Jones pic. George Lucas, reportedly unhappy with the script Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) turned in, has commissioned a rewrite. Now, production probably won't get under way until 2005 — when Harrison Ford will be 63. |
BEWITCHING DUO
It's official: Nicole Kidman has signed on to star opposite Will Ferrell in Columbia Pictures' big-screen adaptation of Bewitched. But before you get too excited about this magical pairing, keep in mind that Nora Ephron — who hasn't made a decent film since Sleepless in Seattle in 1993 — is on board to direct. |
OH, WHAT A TANGLED WEB
James Brown is seeking an annulment from the same wife he stands accused of beating. The 70-year-old Godfather of Soul — who was arrested last week and charged with domestic violence — wants out of his marriage to Tomi Rae Brown because he claims she never divorced her previous husband. Good times... |
CENSORSHIP?
A spokesman for Mel Gibson declined to confirm a report in Wednesday's New York Times that said the actor-director decided to remove a controversial scene in The Passion of the Christ, his upcoming film about Christ's final hours. The Times reported that Gibson excised a sequence that featured a Jewish high priest declaring a blood curse on Jews for the death of Jesus. Jewish leaders expressed concern that the scene could spark anti-Semitism. |
LEGALLY BLONDE
Hilary Duff has signed on to star in the Miramax comedy Outward Blonde, which revolves around a materialistic New York girl who gets shipped off to an Outward Bound program after she fails gym class. |
MUST-FLEE TV
Fans of really crappy music will wanna catch tonight's Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, which features a musical performance from former Bachelor star Bob Guiney. The kissing cad and his band will sing "Girlfriend" off his debut album, 3 Sides. |
