Top Story
If he wants to, Pierce Brosnan can keep playing Agent 007 for as long as he likes. With the tremendous success of Die Another Day, the producers of the franchise are very happy with their star. Producer Barbara Broccoli told The Associated Press, “It’s like asking a bride as she’s going up the aisle who her next husband is going to be. I mean, he is James Bond. He’s our guy. And until he’s no longer James Bond, we ain’t looking anywhere.” Day was Brosnan fourth time up to bat as James Bond. He also starred in Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough.
Celebs
Benjamin Bratt and his wife actress Talisa Bratt (formerly Talisa Soto) welcomed their first child, a girl, Dec. 6 in New York, Reuters reports. The couple announced the birth of Sophia Rosalinda Bratt on Monday, her father’s 39th birthday. It is the first child for both.
Michael J. Fox can now lay claim to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where he received his own star Monday, AP reports. “It’s a great thing to do for a living,” Fox said posing next to his star on the sidewalk outside the Hollywood Galaxy Theater on Los Angeles’ famed Hollywood Boulevard.
Movies
A movie buff and DVD collector is suing MGM and several video retailers for false advertising. According to AP, Warren Eallonardo, 28, claims DVDs he recently purchased that say they offer “wide-screen” viewing formats (showing the film as it appeared on the large movie screen), are actually just “standard” versions (showing the film as it would appear on television) chopped up to look like a wide-screen format. “He [feels] like he is being ripped off,” Eallonardo’s attorney told AP.
Tube
Al Gore scores one with the Nielsens. His recent stint as host of Saturday Night Live gained the show its highest ratings this season and ranked as the show’s best performance since an episode hosted by Britney Spears last February, Reuters reports. The former vice president’s appearance on the show coincided with his announcement this weekend he wouldn’t be running for president in 2004.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the guy behind all those action movies and the TV drama CSI, is getting into the sitcom business. He is teaming with Shrek writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio to create the comedy Furious George, a show about a man who is determined to fix the wrongs of the world–as a personal injury lawyer.
ABC has quickly pulled the plug on their new show Dinotopia, based on the popular miniseries. The network originally ordered 13 episodes but shortened it to six when the show did poorly in the ratings. The last show will air Thursday, Dec. 26, at 8:00 p.m. ABC has thus far canceled all their new dramas this season, including Push, Nevada, That Was Then and MDs.
Music
The Recording Industry Association of America is coming down hard on about 78 small retailers–mostly gas stations, convenience and grocery stores–for selling pirated CDs. According to Reuters, the RIAA has asked these establishments to clear their racks, tell them where they got the CDs and pay damages to the five largest record labels. If the retailers fail to comply, they could face civil penalties up to $150,000 per title, the RIAA stated in a letter sent to the individual stores. Of course, you realize, this means war.
