NEVER SAY NEVER
Friends may be there for us one more year after all. According to Variety, the buzz in Hollywood is that the Emmy-winning sitcom — which kicks off its ninth season tonight (8 pm/ET) — could very well see a 10th year. "It's going to come back," one major network exec was quoted as saying. "When push comes to shove, there's going to be too much money involved for everybody to walk away now... NBC's going to milk this being the final season for all it's worth, and lo and behold, it will be renewed for another year." Another high-placed insider says that the show's big Emmy win Sunday only increases the odds that the sextet will agree to return next fall. "The Emmy validates what they're doing," says the source. "The cast all realizes what a great gig this is. They work three and a half days a week, they're working with their best friends, and they're making an ungodly amount of money. As long as the stories are rich and funny, why not come back?" (Because they want to go out on top, silly.) |
IDOL FEAT
American Idol fans snapped up Kelly Clarkson's ghastly debut single "A Moment Like This" in record numbers — all but confirming that the pop phenom could have done a cover of the yellow pages and it would have been a smash. In its first week in stores, "Moment" sold 236,000 copies and soared from No. 52 to the No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It was the largest jump to No. 1 in Hot 100 history. |
BIG SISTER
Former Scores waitress Lisa Donahue scored a major victory last night, winning Big Brother 3 by a 9-1 margin over runner-up Danielle Reyes. Donahue walks away with $500,000 and zero dignity. |
CONGRATULATIONS!
Tuesday's much-hyped wedding between Niles and Daphne on Frasier had NBC celebrating. The comedy attracted more than 21 million viewers, its biggest audience in nearly two years. John Ritter's 8 Simple Rules..., meanwhile, held up well in its second week with 12.8 million viewers — second only to CBS's season premiere of JAG (16 million). Finally, the season premieres of Smallville and The Gilmore Girls gave the WB its highest-rated Tuesday ever in adult demos. |
HIS SALAD DRESSING IS YUMMY
Paul Newman is making tracks to the Great White Way for the first time in 40 years. The Oscar-winning legend will appear as the stage manager in Broadway's upcoming revival of Our Town. Previews begin Nov. 22; the show opens Dec. 4. The 77-year-old actor last starred on Broadway in the 1964 comedy Baby Want a Kiss. |
MUMMY AND DADDY
Mummy hunk Brendan Fraser and wife Afton welcomed their first child, son Griffin Arthur Fraser, into the world on Sept. 17. In other baby news, psychic guru John Edward is a first-time dad: His wife gave birth to son Justin Edward on Wednesday. |
HOME INVASION
Jurassic Park author and ER creator Michael Crichton was allegedly robbed at gunpoint and tied up by two men who ransacked his Santa Monica, Calif., home on Monday, The Associated Press reports. Crichton was not injured in the incident. |
NO SURPRISE HERE
The wife of Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland has filed for divorce after two years of marriage. Citing irreconcilable differences, Mary Weiland is seeking spousal and child support and full custody of their two kids. Last December, the singer — who has a history of drug problems — pleaded guilty to domestic battery after fighting with his wife at Las Vegas's Hard Rock hotel. He agreed to undergo counseling and the charges were dismissed. |
AILING
Grammy-winning soul singer Barry White, 58, is undergoing dialysis and is hoping to receive a kidney transplant, a rep for his label announced Wednesday. White's kidney failure was brought on by years of high blood pressure. |
HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN
Opie's back: Ron Howard is returning to TV — albeit behind the scenes. Fox has picked up a drama pilot from the actor-turned-filmmaker titled Arrested Development, about a well-off family rocked by an accounting scandal. |
DIXIE DETHRONED
The Dixie Chicks' three-week reign on top of the album charts has ended thanks to some Disturbed folks. The heavy-metal quartet's second disc, Believe, debuted at No. 1 with sales of 284,000 copies. The Chicks's Home slipped to second place with 168,000 copies sold. |
SHORT CUTS
Director Brett Ratner — whose Silence of the Lambs prequel Red Dragon opens next Friday — has replaced Charlie's Angels helmer McG as the director of the upcoming Superman feature... Minnie Driver has signed a deal with NBC to star in her own comedy or drama project... Sex and the City creator Darren Star is developing a new series for HBO that follows the lives of upscale families living in Pacific Palisades, Calif., according to The Hollywood Reporter. |
