Ashton Kutcher Joins Two And A Half Men

The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Ashton Kutcher will be replacing Charlie Sheen on the hit CBS comedy series ‘Two And A Half Men.’

A deal was finally reached, but very late, as CBS recently had Hugh Grant lined up for the role.  Reportedly offering 1 million an episode, the deal fell through last minute.  Moving quickly, Warner Bros and Exec Producer Chuck Lorre were able to sign Kutcher to replace Sheen’s character.  Lorre states that that the storyline will successfully introduce the character appropriately, satisfying the network and studio.

CBS made the right move, casting Kutcher in this role.  With 6.6 million twitter followers, the actor will usher in a whole new fanbase for the series.  Kutcher also brings to the table 9.3 million Facebook fans; combined with the show’s 18.7 million fans, brings a whole new meaning to the term “social media advertising.”

Sources tell TMZ that he’ll between $625,000 and $900,000 an episode. Sheen was paid $1.25 million an episode (not including profit participation which brought that up to around $2 million an episode)

This will be Kutcher’s first return to television since ‘That 70′s Show’ and ‘Punk’d’ in which he also produced.  Recently, he starred opposite Natalie Portman in the winter hit “No Strings Attached.”

via Hollywood Reporter and TMZ

Daniel Radcliffe says he doesn’t feel snubbed by Tony Awards: “The people that do this job for awards and recognition are kind of worshipping at the wrong altar”

Daniel Radcliffe seems almost puzzled by all of the stories swirling about regarding his apparent “snub” of a Tony Award nomination. Radcliffe insists he did not get into acting for the awards ceremonies.

“I think I speak for 99% of actors when I say that… while it’s lovely to get recognized by your peers, it’s not the reason why we do it.”

The actor, who was recently recognized as the highest-paid actor under the age of 30, is currently starring on Broadway in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and he is pleased with the shows positive reviews, including those for his first lead role in a musical.

“The people that do this job for awards and recognition are kind of worshipping at the wrong altar, and I’m not really quite sure if I want to know those people.”

The actor offered up a bit of a tease regarding his “other” well recognized role: in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two, the final chapter in the wizard series, the pace moves at “200 miles an hour from the word go” Radcliffe promises.

via nypost.com

Melissa McCarthy on “Bridesmaids” and hitting her stride at 40

Most people recognize Melissa McCarthy from her role as the loveably daffy chef Sookie on the hit CW show Gilmore Girls. McCarthy’s star is on the rise and her fan base is steadily growing over her charming new hit sitcom Mike & Molly. And there is little doubt McCarthy could achieve star status after audiences see her in the new film Bridesmaids. The 40-year-old actress loves her delightfully weird Bridesmaids character Megan, she is frustrated by the of lack interesting women’s roles available on Tv and film, and is overjoyed by audiences response to her show Mike & Molly.

McCarthy was thrilled to receive a call from Bridesmaids co-writer Annie Mumolo requesting she read for producer Judd Apatow, as the actress is a fan of Apatow’s work.

“Back in 2006 I had done the table read for the first draft of the movie. Now in that one I played a completely different person. I played a bridesmaid who just kept crying all the time, who kept getting overwhelmed. Totally different character, a much smaller part. And in this party I didn’t think there was a spot for me. So when they called with this one, strangely, I think Megan is exactly in my wheelhouse. Those are the women at least at Groundlings that I spent 10 years just enjoying so much portraying. So Annie Mumolo called me and said ‘We want you to come in for this, can you come in and read for Judd Apatow and Paul Feig?’

McCarthy has no regrets that she is 40 years old and just now hitting her stride. With several projects in the works, from her hit sitcom to co- writing a comedy with Mumolo to Feig creating a romantic comedy for her,  the actress could not be more excited.

“I’m 40, I feel 22. Maybe there’s more pressure on women where their main thing is their beguiling beauty. But I’m always like ‘Oh, can I wear a weird wig and maybe black out my front teeth?’

To read more, go to: ew.com

Matthew Morrison: “I get frustrated with shows like American Idol”

As Matthew Morrison’s first solo album, Matthew Morrison, arrives in stores, the Glee star reflected on his early career and the fact that he had to work to get to where he is today.

Morrison’s career began on Broadway at age 19 and he has enjoyed a gradual rise to fame, even before the stardom that came with Glee. He says he almost enjoyed the struggle more than the success, which makes him ponder the effects of instant fame thrust upon the winner of  shows like American Idol. ”I love the journey I’ve had, really worked my way up to where I am now,” the actor says. “Sometimes, I get frustrated with shows like American Idol, shows that just create people like that, like you get instant fame. I don’t think that’s the way to go about it. I don’t think you really appreciate what you have if you can get it that way. I’ve had people ask me, back in the day, why don’t you audition for Idol? No interest at all.”

Despite Morrison’s view of American Idol, Kris Allen, one of the show’s winners, co-wrote the first single on Morrison’s album, which features duets with such musical icons as Elton John and Sting, and actress Gwyneth Paltrow. Morrison will perform Still Got Tonight on the Glee finale May 24.

via usatoday.com

Creative Ideas: We Think. Then Doubt.

This is a guest post by Anthony Meindl

The light bulb moment. The great idea. The spark of inspiration. We all have them. Thoughts that are fueled by intuition and creativity.

These brilliant flashes of genius reside within us but are connected to something much larger than ourselves.

And then we THINK about them. (Don’t do that!)

Over and over. And again and again. The more we think about the original idea, the further we move from its original intent: to take action and give birth to the idea out in the world.

We think. Then doubt. We become fearful of what it will take to make the idea come to life. We fast-forward into the future and worry about worst-case scenarios. We over-think and then ask other people what they think. We listen to them and begin to doubt ourselves more. We come up with innumerable reasons why the idea won’t work.

And so it doesn’t. It becomes entombed. Fossilized. Buried. Shelved.

We have this amazing, creative thought. And then we have thoughts about that thought and more thoughts and more thoughts and more thoughts until the original creative idea is buried so deep within our left-brains, it has no outlet for expression.

You would need a backhoe to get it out! And who’s got a backhoe? (Well HARD HAT HARRY does but that’s another story.)
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2011 Daytime Emmy Award Nominations

Here’s a list of most of the 2011 Daytime Emmy Award nominations. General Hospital leads the pack with 21 nominations. Let’s hope ABC takes that as a hint and doesn’t cancel that long-running show.

OUTSTANDING DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES

* “The Bold and the Beautiful” (CBS)
* “The Young and the Restless” (CBS)
* “All My Children” (ABC)
* “General Hospital” (ABC)

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

* Susan Flannery, as Stephanie Forrester, “The Bold and the Beautiful,” (CBS)
* Michelle Stafford, as Phyllis Summers, “The Young and the Restless,” (CBS)
* Colleen Zenk, as Barbara Ryan, “As the World Turns,” (CBS)
* Alicia Minshew, as Kendall Slater, “All My Children,” (ABC)
* Debbi Morgan, as Angie Hubbard, “All My Children,” (ABC)
* Laura Wright, as Carly Corinthos Jacks, “General Hospital,” (ABC)

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

* Christian LeBlanc, as Michael Baldwin, “The Young and the Restless,” (CBS)
* Michael Park, as Jack Snyder, “As the World Turns,” (CBS)
* Maurice Benard, as Sonny Corinthos, “General Hospital,” (ABC)
* Ricky Paull Goldin, as Jack Martin, “All My Children,” (ABC)
* James Scott, as EJ DiMera, “Days of Our Lives,” (NBC)

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3 Clips from “Everything Must Go” starring Will Ferrell

Here are  3 clips from Everything Must Go starring Will Ferrell, Christopher Jordan Wallace, Rebecca Hall and Michael Pena.  The film is about an alcoholic Nick Halsey (Ferrell) who relapses, causing him to lose his wife and his job. At his lowest point, he holds a yard sale on his front lawn in an attempt to start over.

It opens this weekend.

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Kristen Wiig: “Comedy is tough, and sometimes the more you try, the more it doesn’t work”

Kristen Wiig came to Hollywood in her early 20s to fulfill her childhood fantasy of starring on Saturday Night Live, and right away she discovered three small problems: namely, no experience, no connections, no work.

The wannabe actress wound up working in retail for years before she figured out a way she could make a gradual transition into show business.

“You get this idea that you’ve figured out your life, and you go for it, so I moved to L.A. and immediately got scared and partially changed my mind,” Wiig says. “I thought, what the hell am I doing? I had no experience, and this city is filled with people who have experience and who are trying and going out there and auditioning and taking classes and doing plays. And I was like, ‘I took Acting 101. Hi, L.A.! I’m ready to be discovered!’ Which didn’t really happen.”

While supporting herself working in retail, Wiig discovered the Groundlings, she honed her skills and soon began to land small TV roles before she received her dream invitation: to join the cast of  ”Saturday Night Live” in 2005.

Wiig met “Bridesmaids” director Paul Feig when he cast her in her first movie role, a small part in the 2006 film ”Unaccompanied Minors.” A year later, Wiig proved herself a scene-stealer in “Knocked Up,” playing a TV exec who seesaws from aggressive nemesis to fawning all over star Katherine Heigl’s character.

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Watch Neil Patrick Harris, Jon Cryer & Christina Hendricks perform ‘Side by Side’ from ‘Company’

If you missed the all-star production of Stephen Sondheim‘s Company that was recently mounted by the New York Philharmonic (and you probably did), don’t worry – it was filmed and will be in movie theaters across the country in June!

Starring Neil Patrick Harris as Bobby, the show also featured Patti LuPone, Stephen Colbert (yes, that Stephen Colbert), Jon Cryer, Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), Craig Bierko and Martha Plimpton.

Company tells the story of Bobby, a single man unable to commit fully to a steady relationship, let alone marriage, his 5 married best friends and his three girlfriends.

Check out the video after the jump!

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WhoSay offers celebrities the right to retain control over their images

Tom Hanks likes to use Twitter to share the occasional on set photo with his 1.8 million followers. Now there is a site where those photos can be sent that allow him and other celebrities to have a new sense of control over their presence on social media.

People on Twitter can use services like TwitPic, Yfrog or Plixi to share photos with their friends and family.  Celebrities have concerns with these services because they aquire ownership rights to uploaded photos and can place ads alongside them. Enter a new company called WhoSay that offers similar services, but ownership of uploaded images are retained by the stars themselves.

WhoSay has been up and running out of the Los Angeles office building of the Creative Artists Agency since last year. CAA represents an impressive list of famous names, including Hanks. His WhoSay site includes the words “copyright Tom Hanks” along with fine print at the bottom declaring his legal ownership of all content and a warning of “fines and imprisonment” for improper use.

There are 15 people on staff at WhoSay in offices in New York, London and Los Angeles.  Creative Artists and Amazon.com are among investors in the company.
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