LOOK BUSY
It looks like the party's over for staffers at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Boss Lady is heading into the office Monday for the first time since completing her five-month prison sentence — and she's inviting the press to tag along. According to a media advisory released over the weekend, Stewart — who, under the terms of her home confinement, can venture outside her New York estate for up to 48 hours a week — "will meet with employees" at 1:30 pm at her company's Manhattan headquarters. "Due to space limitations," the release continued, "credentials will be provided only to full-time journalists working for news organizations with official press passes." Or a covered dish. |
IN RELATED NEWS...
I'm the last person to knock a gimmick, but this is pretty lame even by my weak standards: Deborah Norville will anchor Monday's Inside Edition from her home on Long Island to give viewers a feel for what Martha Stewart's five-month house arrest will be like. To authenticate the experience, the former Today hostess will even get fitted for an ankle bracelet. Coming up Tuesday: Norville will anchor Edition from McDonald's to give viewers a taste of what her next job will be like. |
NOT COOL
What's the opposite of cool? Getting your ass whooped by Vin Diesel. That's what happened this weekend to John Travolta, whose Get Shorty follow-up Be Cool opened at No. 2 behind Diesel's family-friendly comedy The Pacifier. Costarring Gilmore Girls' Lauren Graham, Pacifier grossed an expectation-exceeding $30.2 million to Be Cool's $23.5 million. Hitch took the No. 3 spot with $12.5 million, followed by Diary of a Mad Black Woman (No. 4 with $12 million) and Oscar darling Million Dollar Baby (No.5 with $8.5 million). |
GETTING NASTY
Janet Jackson is seeking a restraining order against a man she says has been stalking her for nearly a decade. The Boobygate headliner claims Robert Gardner of New York faxed her several times (gross!) and last year tried to get into her Saturday Night Live rehearsal with a box cutter and knife. How stupid can one person be? Everyone knows her bra automatically snaps off when touched. |
LAW ABIDING
Law & Order: Trial by Jury is guilty — of being an early hit for NBC! After debuting Thursday night with more than 17 million viewers, Trial settled into its regular Friday time slot and averaged a winning 14.4 million viewers. |
AMAZING RIP-OFF?
What do you get when you cross Amazing Race with a good old-fashioned scavenger hunt? NBC's latest reality gamble. According to Variety, the Peacock network has greenlit Treasure Hunters, a 10-episode series in which teams embark on a global quest to solve an intricate puzzle — like, who should take the fall for LAX? |
PICTURE PERFECT
With Eucalyptus officially wilted, Nicole Kidman is focusing on her next film. The Oscar winner is in talks to star in Fur, a biopic of photographer Diane Arbus. Secretary helmer Steven Shainberg is on board to direct. |
PILOT UPDATE
Here's the latest casting news from the frenzied pilot front: Lara Flynn Boyle has been cast in the UPN drama Crazy; Beverly Hills, 90210 grads Jason Priestley and Lindsay Price have made a date with CBS' Love Monkey; and Jessica Capshaw has landed a starring role in the NBC comedy Thick and Thin. |
TOO MUCH PASSION
A man who claimed he was on a mission from God to pray with Mel Gibson was convicted Friday of felony stalking. Zack Sinclair, who was arrested in September after repeatedly going to the gate of the actor-director's Malibu estate, faces 16 months to three years in prison. |
FOX'S LATEST EMERGENCY
Hey, Denise and Charlie — help is on the way: Fox is planning a spin-off of Nanny 911 that will focus on fixing marriages in crisis. Per Variety, Marriage 911 will send in a team of "experts" to help couples get their relationships back on track. And if things deteriorate during filming, even better. |
