Michael Caine On Playing The Anti-James Bond in "Ipcress"

The Times of London has a sweet anecdote by Michael Caine about getting the lead as a mousy, realistic spy -- 003 1/2 joked one review -- in "The Ipcress Files." One typical moment:

Sidney Furie, the director, came to me and said: “I’ll tell you what I think of this script, have you got any matches?” and he burnt the script on the floor of the studio at Pinewood. This was meant to be the start of my big-time movie career and nobody liked the script.

"Sybil" -- Do We Really Need A Remake?

"Sybil" -- the Sally Fields TV movie about a girl with lots and lots of personality -- is being remade with Jessica Lange as the psychiatrist and Tammy Blanchard (of "Life With Judy Garland: me and My Shadows") as Sybil. Is this really necessary?

Oops! "Glory Road" Edges Past "Hoodwinked"

The final, final tally for the four day box office weekend is in. And the top two movies were so close, there's been another switch in the Number One slot. "Glory Road" beat "Hoodwinked" by less than $50,000 when all was said and done. "Hoodwinked" will have to settle for a greenlit sequel called "Hood Vs. Evil" with double the budget (that means it'll cost $30 mil instead of $15). Given the advances in computing, it should look four times as good.

"Billy Elliot" Leads UK Theater Award Noms

Nominations for the Oliviers -- the UK equivalent to the Tonys -- are just out and the delightful musical "Billy Elliot -- The Musical" leads with 9 nods. I saw it in London and it was an improvement on the film. Always fun and sometimes thrilling, with a seriously socialist bent, frankly. It's gonna do well once it comes to America. It takes three young actors to alternate in the role and -- remarkably -- all three have been nominated for Best Actor. The other best actor nods go to Ewan McGregor and Douglas Hodge in Guys & Dolls. I saw that one too -- McGregor has a modest voice but coasted by on his considerable charm. Hodge, however, was one weak voice too many -- I don't mind a movie star lead, but he should be surrounded with strong singers. (It's good, but should not try and come to America where it would pale in comparison to the memories of Nathan Lane and Peter Gallagher's revival. My biggest regret is not seeing two acclaimed plays: Derek Jacobi in "Don Carlos" and Janet McTeer in "Mary Stuart." Both hopefully will make it across the Pond.

Open Thread

Problems with my server kept me offline this morning.

Late Night Open Thread

Jon Stewart has L. Paul Bremer, who's in the awkward position of being an apologist for himself over Iraq. Jay has a disappointed Heath Ledger. Dave has author Jeff MacGregor (who has written about NASCAR). Conan has a great musical guest, the Soweto Gospel Choir. And ESPN2 has more tennis from the Australian Open.

Open Thread -- "Love Monkey"

Is "Love Monkey" a bad name for a good show or an odd name for a bad show?

Open Thread -- "Scrubs"

How fares the born-again Cheryl Hines?

Open Thread -- "American Idol"/"Gilmore Girls"

If you were going to audition for "AI," what song would you sing? Me, it would be my karaoke showstopper by Rush, "Tom Sawyer." (Though, actually, in my case, my mind is for rent.)

Primetime Preview

"American Idol" isn't the only show airing tonight; it just seems that way. On "Gilmore Girls," Luke finally gets caught out for failing to mention to Lorelai the tiny detail of his 12 year old daughter. Plus, two more episodes of the soon-to-be-gone "Scrubs" (with the first featuring Dr. Cox's born-again sister -- and I bet the show is smart enough not to make her the butt of their jokes), Golden Globe winner Geena Davis (great speech!) dealing with the Koreans on "Commander in Chief," Michael J. Fox still guesting on "Boston Legal," Forest Whitaker facing off with Vic on "The Shield," and the new dramedy "Love Monkey" starring Tom Cavanaugh. Set in New York in the music industry, "Monkey" has one good thing going for it: the show's musical consultant is Nic Harcourt of NPR favorite "Morning Becomes Eclectic."

I Read The News Today, Oh Boy

39 years ago today, John Lennon sat down with the January 17, 1967 edition of the Daily Mail and got inspired to write "A Day In The Life," the penultimate song on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Now the handwritten lyrics to that song are up for auction (closed bidding ends on March 7) and could fetch millions. The line "I'd love to turn you on" prompted the BBC to ban the song for promoting drug use. Ain't that quaint?

Wanna Pick A Fight With Bill O'Reilly?

After David Letterman's smackdown (which one friend thought was an unfair sandbagging by the normally placid Dave), Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly is ready for some more tussling. If you've ever yelled back at the tv screen over his comments, this is your chance. He's looking to debate six viewers. Email your particulars and the topic you'd like to debate to oreillycontest@foxnews.com by Feb 8. NOTE: you have to scroll down most of the page on that link to find video of O'Reilly and Dave.

"Star Trek's" Patrick Stewart Returns To TV

And the far right is not going to be pleased. Patrick Stewart -- who brought gravitas to the role of Captain Picard in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" -- has returned to TV in a British mystery series called "Eleventh Hour." Stewart plays a no-nonsense man of science (and a godless one at that) who investigates spooky crimes for the British government. His sidekick is Ashley Jensen, who was the best thing in Ricky Gervais' "Extras." They've filmed 4 episodes (90 minutes each), with Stewart brusquely correcting a policeman who refers to 27 babies found buried in a field (they're fetuses until born, he says, and then they're babies). And when Jensen says "God help us," at one point, he snaps, "Please don't involve God. It's science we're talking about. It's far too serious to bring God into it." Guess we shouldn't hold our breath waiting for a touching Christmas episode. "Eleventh Hour" premieres in the UK on ITV1 this Thursday.

James Frey: Real Memoirists Weigh In

One good thing about the James Frey scandal. At least his lies have inspired some good writing from other, more truthful authors. Mary Karr (author, ironically, of "The Liar's Club") wrote a good piece on Frey (and JT Leroy) for the New York Times. Even better is NPR commentator Heather King's piece for Publishers Weekly on "Why James Frey Doesn't Get It." My favorite quote:

As John Cheever said, "I lie, in order to tell a greater truth." But Frey lied to tell a lesser truth: he lied to make himself look like a hero. He lied—about the crimes he supposedly perpetrated and the tragedies that befell him—because on the one hand he wants the reader to feel sorry for him, and on the other he wants to be held in awe.

Which raises one final thought. Isn't Frey damaging his own recovery by repeatedly lying about his drunken exploits? Surely an important step (if not one of the 12 steps, exactly) is to stop lying to yourself and others.

(Re) Enter The Wu-Tang Clan

The seminal hip-hop act the Wu-Tang is reuniting for a tour beginning February 7 in that seminal rapper community New Haven, Connecticut. (Apparently, Martha's Vineyard was already booked.) One of the few hip-hop acts to perform well live, but it won't be the same without the late Ol' Dirty Bastard.

UK Box Office: "Jarhead" Hits Number One

Jake Gyllenhaal has two movies in the Top Five in the UK: "Brokeback Mountain" and new Number One "Jarhead." Director Sam Mendes is now saying Americans didn't "get" "Jarhead," because we're not used to movies that are ambivalent on war. Gee, and I thought it was because the movie was dull and routine. (Though Gyllenhaal was brilliant in that Santa hat.)

"American Idol" Returns

Ok, Aaron aka Richboy is the reality show buff. But I'm a shameless fan of "American Idol." The new season begins tonight with the usual audition shows. I keep thinking they push the awful auditions too much -- the show isn't about making fun of people who suck; it's really about finding people who can sing and watching them get better week by week. However, the first few shows are always filled with lunatics who shouldn't sing in the shower.

Don't dismiss "AI" as just a gimmick. Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Fantasia, and Clay Aiken are just some of the ones who are in it for the long haul. Runnerup Diana DeGarmo is joining the cast of Broadway's "Hairspray." (The total who have charted is easily 10 or more.) Even people who don't make it to the final three can flourish. Jennifer Hudson was dumped way too early in one season -- but she beat out winner Fantasia for the lead role in "Dreamgirls," one of the most anticipated films of the year. Of course, not everyone makes it. Remember JPL (aka Jon Peter Lewis)? A delightfully clueless Mormon who couldn't sing worth a lick on the show, he got far on his dorky charm. And he's still at it, posting a single online that one fan rightly calls Supertramp-esque. I'm not saying it's good; I'm just saying it's out there. NOTE: Priv8pete pointed us to JPL's home page at MySpace with lots of other songs, including his Christmas single (if only I'd known before making my annual mix tape). DOUBLENOTE: Hey,the Christmas single wasn't half bad.

Bye-Bye "Malcolm" and the "70s"

In sad news to no one, both "Malcolm in the Middle" and "That 70s Show" end their runs in mid-May. (Cancelled seems too strong a word for shows that will hit 150 episodes and 200 episodes respectively.) "Malcolm" began brilliantly and has an excellent cast. But it listened to the wrong-headed reviews and morphed from a genuine, realistic comedy into a live-action "Simpsons." "That 70s Show" was disposable fluff but will be remembered by the tabloids for launching Ashton Kutcher and by the rest of us for launching Topher Grace, a very good actor. When someone can maintain their dignity on something like "That 70s Show," you know they've got something and Topher has proved it in films like "Traffic," "PS" and "In Good Company." The Jack Lemmon of his generation? He'd like to be and he's that versatile.

At The Watercooler: "24"

They don't waste any time, do they? As always, "24" gets off to a great start, launching some evil scheme (the assassination of former President Palmer and the taking of hostages at an airport to scuttle a treaty between the US and Russia) that is merely a diversion for an even more evil scheme down the road. Connie Britton of "Spin City" caught directorboy's eyes -- he thought she was the only good thing in "The Brothers McMullen." Her son with bee-stung lips and a pouty manner (Brady Corbett) was good in the terrific "Mysterious Skin." And Jean Smart had a great scene as the First Lady forcing a staffer to do what she wanted with the threat of yelling "rape." And with Sean Astin at CTU, we now have two hobbits in primetime! No overnight ratings (the Mediaweek people are at a convention touting midseason shows), but Sunday night's two hour premiere did gangbusters. Most TV shows never know when to quit -- here's hoping they wrap things up with style this season and launch that movie franchise. Finally, the very "24" inspired "Prison Break" will join "24" on Mondays starting March 20. Is that too much cliffhanger-ing for one night or a good pairing?

"The Courier" -- The Latest One Minute Films No One Will Watch

OK, so an elaborate product placement called "The Courier" is billed as a micro-series on CBS. Mostly just intended to promote the Pontiac Torrent, even if it were actually interesting would anyone watch it? It airs for seven nights over nine days during the first act break (around 9:08 p.m.?) beginning Jan. 24 on "CSI: Miami" and ending on Wed. Feb 1 during "Criminal Minds." Except of course for Sat. Jan 28 and Tuesday Jan. 31 when it doesn't air at all and Sunday Jan. 29 when it airs after "Cold Case." Why do they bother?

"Emily" Ran Out Of Reasons

"Emily's Reasons Why Not" is cancelled after one episode.

This is why I don't own a pet

Especially a parrot.

"Today"/"GMA" Open Thread

It doesn't make sense, but waking up on a Tuesday for a four day week is even more annoying than waking up on a Monday for a five day week.

Open Thread

Great. I've got a million things to do and now I'm watching the Australian Open. (I usually see more of this Slam than any other tennis tournament because the live coverage appears late at night.) Lleyton Hewitt is in the fifth set and he's such a jerk both on and off the court, there's no one I'd rather see get beaten.

NOTE: The punk Hewitt wins. But more astonishing was the fact that ESPN2 lost the feed...on match point!

Olympian Bode Miller Pulls A Springsteen

Olympic hot dog Bode Miller scores the rare hat trick of appearing on the cover of Time and Newsweek at the same time (something that rarely happens for sports/entertainment figures who don't make headlines by winning the Super Bowl, having a Number One movie or the like). You better start ignoring him or start loving him now.

Open Thread -- "Golden Globes"/"24"

My picks to win:

MOVIES

Drama -- Brokeback Mountain RIGHT
Comedy: Walk The Line RIGHT
Actor/Drama -- Philip Seymour Hoffman RIGHT
Actress/Drama -- Felicity Huffman RIGHT
Actor/Comedy -- Joaquin Phoenix RIGHT
Actress/Comedy -- Reese Witherspoon RIGHT
Actor/Supporting -- Matt Dillon WRONG -- George Clooney
Actress/Supporting -- Michelle Williams WRONG Rachel Weisz
Director -- George Clooney WRONG ANG LEE
Screenplay -- Crash WRONG Brokeback Mountain
Song -- A Love That Will Never Grow Old from "Brokeback" RIGHT
Score -- "Brokeback" WRONG --Memoirs of a Geisha
Foreign -- "Joyeux Noel" WRONG Paradise Now

TV

Drama -- Grey's Anatomy WRONG Lost
Comedy -- My Name Is Earl WRONG - Desperate Housewives
Miniseries -- Into The West WRONG -- Empire Falls
Actor/Miniseries -- Kenneth Branagh WRONG Jonathan Rhys-Myers
Actress/ Miniseries -- S. Epatha Merkerson RIGHT
Actor/ Comedy - Jason Lee WRONG Steve Carell
Actress/ Comedy -- Mary Lousie Parker RIGHT
Actor/ Drama -- Hugh Laurie RIGHT
Actress/ Drama -- Glenn Close WRONG -- Geena Davis
Actor/ Supporting -- Jeremy Piven WRONG -- Paul Newman
Actress/ Supporting -- Sandra Oh RIGHT

Cheaters Often Prosper

The National Book Critics Circle announced their nominations today. And apparently James Frey isn't the only one to benefit from lying. Should-have-been-disgraced historian Doris Kearns Goodwin got a nomination for her look at the Lincoln presidency, "Team of Rivals." (The book is Number 8 on the NYT charts.)Goodwin, of course, admitted plagiarizing chunks of "The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys." (Whoops! she apologized. It's very hard to keep track of what you wrote and what came from other books -- especially when you're paying people to do the research and writing for you.) Hat tip to blogger Ed Sikov for pointing out this irony.

Primetime Preview

"24" can't stop the clock -- two more episodes are on tap, with poor Jack Bauer already sore from screaming out hoarse orders. Richboy, aka Aaron, will have a chance to catch up with the "Bachelor in Paris" premiere he missed while on vacation. Late night, Jay has all three judges from "American Idol" so I guess I'll have to tune in. And we'll all be watching The Golden Globes. Normally, I only watch the Big Four -- the Oscars, the Emmys, the Tonys and the Grammys -- because, frankly, none of the other award shows matter and why spoil the fun of hearing someone's well-rehearsed spontaneous acceptance speech at the Oscars by hearing it first at the Globes? But this year, a friend has two or three commmercials airing during the broadcast. So make sure you don't fast forward through the Loreal ads and let me know what you think.

Oprah's New Book Pick: Wiesel's "Night"

Elie Wiesel's famous work is an unintentionally intriguing choice for Oprah: based on his experiences at the Nazi death camp Auschwitz, it is sometimes labeled an autobiographical novel and sometimes (by Wiesel himself) a memoir. So does that buttress James Frey in his contention that people don't expect memoirs to be true, just "truthful?" Nope. What Frey doesn't seem to understand is that if people discovered the author of a Holocaust memoir never actually went to Auschwitz, they would feel betrayed and furious. And that's how Oprah should feel about Frey.

Box Office: "Hoodwinked" Number One!

The final box office figures for the four day weekend are in and Popsurfing was the first to predict the (commercial) success of the indie CGI flick "Hoodwinked." It cost less than $15 mil to make (a stunningly low number, though it shows in the details, or lack thereof) and grossed more than $16.6 mil to beat all comers. Lou Lumineck of the NY Post gets it just right with a 2 1/2 star review: "This relatively crude-looking cartoon, with animation that wouldn't look out of place on TV, is no "Shrek" -- but it has more wit and laughs than two of last year's big-budget CGI hits, "Chicken Little" and "Madagascar," combined." Expect everyone to express surprise. Not us. It had a funny trailer and was the most appropriate family fare out there. "Brokeback Mountain," by the way, had the highest per screen average in the Top Ten and has done well in every single market.