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Fox Adding A New Drama And A New Comedy
15 May 2008 (StudioBriefing)
Fringe, a new sci-fi drama from J.J. Abrams of Lost fame, and The Inn, a comedy starring onetime child star Jerry O'Connell (Stand by Me), are set to make their debut on Fox in the fall season, the network said Wednesday. Its hit 24 will also be returning in 2009, along with its other hit lineup that made Fox the top-rated rated network this season, including the unscripted shows American Idol, The Moment of Truth and Hell's Kitchen and dramas House and Bones.

Shatner Fumes Over 'Star Trek' Snub
23 November 2007 (WENN)
Actor William Shatner is furious producers of the new Star Trek movie failed to offer him a role. Shatner, who played Captain James Kirk in the original TV series and movies, is desperate for a part in the new version, directed by J.J. Abrams. And the 76-year-old is stunned he has not been offered a lead part in the upcoming film. He tells TV's Extra, "How could you not put one of the founding figures into a movie that was being resurrected? That doesn't make good business sense to me! I've become even more popular than I was playing Captain Kirk. I'm good box office and I get publicity… But, they are going in a different direction and it'll be a wonderful film." Shatner's Star Trek sidekick Leonard Nimoy will be the only original cast member on board for the prequel - he'll reprise his role as Mr. Spock in the film.

Ryder To Play Spock's Mother
12 November 2007 (WENN)
Hollywood actress Winona Ryder has signed up to star in the new Star Trek movie - as the mother of Mr. Spock. The Heathers star will join Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, British funnyman Simon Pegg as Scotty and Heroes actor Zachary Quinto as Spock for the 11th big screen outing of the cult TV show. It remains to be seen if Ryder will be playing the Vulcan mother of Spock, as initially reported by Variety. According to Star Trek lore, Spock's mother was human, played by Jane Wyatt in the original series and in one of the feature films. Directed by JJ Abrams, the film will focus on the early journey of the original Enterprise crew and is due for release in December next year.

Bana To Play 'Star Trek' Villain
15 October 2007 (WENN)
Troy star Eric Bana will play the villain in the new Star Trek movie. The Aussie actor has signed on to play Nero in Lost creator J.J. Abrams' much-anticipated new film - a prequel to the Star Trek television series of the 1960s. Black Hawk Down actor Bana will join Heroes star Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and Anton Yelchin on the cast of the new sci-fi film, which will also feature original Star Trek regular Leonard Nimoy. The film is expected to hit cinemas on Christmas Day, 2008.

Saldana To Play Trek's Uhura
19 September 2007 (WENN)
Zoe Saldana is to recreate Nichelle Nichols' iconic Lt. Uhura role in J.J. Abrams' upcoming Star Trek epic. The New Jersey-born actress, who co-starred with Britney Spears in Crossroads and played Anna Maria in Pirates of The Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, is the first woman to be added to the cast of the new sci-fi film. Nichols played Uhura in the original Star Trek series and reprised the character for the first six movies. She also made history with the character when her on-screen kiss with co-star William Shatner's Capt. Kirk became the first interracial TV smooch. Saldana joins Heroes star Zachary Quinto, who has signed on to play Spock, and Anton Yelchin, who will play Chekov. The original Mr. Spock, Leonard Nimoy, will also play a cameo in the much-anticipated film.

Paramount Defends New Effects for Original 'Star Trek'
27 July 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Paramount Home Entertainment said Thursday that complaints about the decision to add digital special effects to the high-definition DVD release of the original Star Trek series are fading. "Once people started to see what it is, the knee-jerk reaction has died down and people are starting to get excited about it," Jason Hillhouse of New Wave Entertainment, which added the effects, told Home Media magazine. Ryan Adams of CBS DVD said that the addition of the special effects is "definitely appropriate." Indeed, he remarked, the show "screams out for it." The 10-disc set is scheduled to be released on Nov. 20, priced at $217.99, in the HD DVD (but not in the Blu-ray) format. Meanwhile, Leonard Nimoy, who portrayed Mr. Spock in the original series, appeared Thursday at Comic-Con, the pop-culture convention in San Diego, where he forecast that the upcoming Star Trek film, set for release next year, will "be a great movie -- and I don't say things like that lightly." Nimoy is expected to have a cameo role in the film. He was joined by Zachary Quinto, who will portray Spock as a younger man. Director/co-producer J.J. Abrams said that he also expected that William Shatner will be added to the cast of the film.

'Heroes' Star To Play Spock?
25 July 2007 (WENN)
Heroes star Zachary Quinto may be set to play Spock in the new Star Trek movie, according to media reports. Quinto, who plays Sylar in the hit TV show, is reported to be in final discussions to play iconic sci-fi character Spock for the new Star Trek film. Lost creator J.J. Abrams has been lined up to direct the movie, which will be released next year.

YouTube Axes Trailers for 'Cloverfield'
10 July 2007 (StudioBriefing)
YouTube has complied with a request from Paramount to remove copies of a trailer for the forthcoming Cloverfield. The trailer for the J.J. Abrams-produced movie made its first appearance last week with the debut of Transformers in movie theaters. The following day copies of the trailer, apparently shot with a camcorder, began appearing on YouTube, but they were soon replaced by a notice saying "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Paramount Pictures Corp." Paramount is a unit of Viacom, Inc., which has filed a $1-billion copyright-infringement lawsuit against YouTube. Writing on the TechDirt site, one blogger commented that the studio was obviously trying to generate buzz with the trailer. "Why is it that the studios wanna ruin their buzz?" he asked. Another blogger replied, "It makes perfect sense -- when you let lawyers run your entertainment company. Perhaps we should just be thankful that Paramount hasn't tried to have the people who filmed the trailer arrested."

Trailer Without Title Leaves Audiences Desperate for More
10 July 2007 (WENN)
A new movie trailer which fails to reveal the film's title is leaving U.S. cinema audiences desperate for more information. The strange promo, which is being shown across the country before screenings of America's number one film Transformers, features a bunch of New Yorkers enjoying a dinner party before the lights go out and fireballs drop all over the city. The trailer contains no title, but reveals a release date of January 18, 2008 and that the movie is produced by Lost co-creator and Mission: Impossible III director JJ Abrams. The film is known as Cloverfield, although Hollywood studio Paramount Pictures insists that will not be the movie's title.

Aniston, Murphy, Craig & Carell Invited To Join Academy
19 June 2007 (WENN)
Jennifer Aniston, Eddie Murphy, Steve Carell and the current James Bond, Daniel Craig, have been invited to join Hollywood's most exclusive club - the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The quartet is among the 115 actors and filmmakers invited to join the elite organization, which hands out the Oscars. Also included on the new invitation list are Aaron Eckhart, Christopher Plummer, Dreamgirls star Jennifer Hudon, Ryan Gosling, Lost creator J.J. Abrams and The Queen screenwriter Peter Morgan.

'Lost' Creators: "End in Sight"
8 May 2007 (WENN)
Hit castaway show Lost will end after three more seasons, executive producers have confirmed. In January, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse revealed they envisioned the endpoint for Lost around episode 100. However, a new agreement with ABC will bring the total number of episodes to 120. Despite the increase, both Lindelof and Cuse admit setting a three season deadline is "incredibly liberating." Lindelof says, "(It's) like we've been running a marathon and we actually know where the finish line is for the first time." Cuse adds, "(We've had) a road map for the series with all the major mythological milestones and the ending in place for a while. What we didn't know was how long we had to play the story out. By defining the endpoint we can now really map out the rest of the series in confidence. We sort of view Lost as a mosaic. Now there are only 48 more tiles that go into that mosaic, and we're figuring out, along with all the other writers, exactly where they all go." Lindelof wrote the pilot for Lost with fellow executive producer J.J. Abrams, and Cuse joined the series in October 2004.

Abrams Set for Next 'Star Trek' Film
4 May 2007 (WENN)
Mission: Impossible III director J.J. Abrams has signed on to direct the next installment of the Star Trek feature franchise after months of speculation. Star Trek XI will focus on a young James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock and chronicles their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and their first mission in space. Sources tell the Hollywood Reporter Abrams finalized the deal late last month. Abrams has been developing the project through his Paramount Pictures-based production company as a producer and writer, before deciding to also sign on as the director.

Carnahan Feared Career Was Over After Quitting Cruise Movie
6 April 2007 (WENN)
Narc director Joe Carnahan feared he would never work again after quitting Tom Cruise action epic Mission: Impossible III. The filmmaker spent 15 months working on the sequel before leaving over creative differences with studio bosses - and even filmed the moment to document what he thought was the end of his Hollywood career. However, despite going on to direct Smokin' Aces, he can't watch the footage of him quitting as it still hurts too much. He explains, "I actually videotaped myself when I quit because I was so thoroughly flipped out and I saw my camera right by my bed and I turned it on. I've looked at it one time since then. It freaks me out. I'm recording what I think is the death of my career." The film was finally released last year and was directed by JJ Abrams.

Cast Set for Next 'Star Trek' Movie?
27 February 2007 (StudioBriefing)
On the heels of Paramount's confirmation that J.J. Abrams (Mission: Impossible III, Lost) had been selected to direct the next Star Trek feature, reports began circulating on several movie and sci-fi websites Monday that the studio was in talks with Matt Damon, Adrien Brody, and Gary Sinise to play the roles of Capt. Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy respectively. First reported by IGN Movies, a unit of Fox Interactive, and attributed to unnamed studio sources, the stories also indicated that James McAvoy, who costarred in The Last King of Scotland, was "in the mix" to play the role of Enterprise engineer Scotty.

Script Completed for 'Star Trek XI'
11 January 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Director J.J. Abrams has confirmed that the script for Star Trek XI has been completed, that it will concern Capt. Kirk and Spock as very young men, that shooting will begin this year, and that the movie is targeted for release in 2008. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Abrams said that the story will satisfy even non-Trekkers. "On the one hand, for people who love Star Trek, the fix that they will get will be really satisfying, '' he told the magazine. ''For people who've never seen it or know it vaguely, I think they will enjoy it equally, because the movie does not require you to know anything about Star Trek. I would actually prefer [that] people don't know the series, because I feel like they will come to it with an open mind."

Holmes Cruises Down the Aisle
20 November 2006 (WENN)
Actor Tom Cruise married Katie Holmes in a candlelit ceremony at Castello Odescalchi in Bracciano, Italy on Saturday. The couple arrived at the venue separately - Holmes first in a limousine, while the Top Gun star was briefly glimpsed in a black Mercedes van - in the afternoon, but kept press waiting until nearly 8:30pm local time to confirm they were officially husband and wife through Cruise's publicist Arnold Robinson. Holmes walked down the aisle in an Armani dress, while Cruise wore a suit by the same designer at the romantic ceremony in the 15th century castle overlooking Lake Bracciano, just north of the capital Rome. The couple wed in front of celebrity friends, including Victoria Beckham; Andrea Bocelli; Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith; Richard Gere; Brooke Shields and husband Chris Henchy; Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony; Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy and Mission: Impossible III director JJ Abrams. Also in attendance was their seven-month-old daughter Suri and Cruise's adopted children from his marriage to Nicole Kidman - Isabella, 15, and Connor, 11. Cruise was supported by his mother Mary Lee Mapother and sisters Marian, Lee Anne and Cass, while Holmes was walked up the aisle by her lawyer father Martin Holmes. Her mother Kathleen, brother Martin Jr and sisters Tamera, Holly and Nancy were also in attendance. The wedding was the first for Holmes, who ended her engagement to Chris Klein in February 2005, while Cruise has been married twice before; to Mimi Rogers from 1987 to 1990 and Kidman from 1990 until August 2001. Cruise, 44, and Holmes, 27, married on the 18th because the number holds special memories for them - they had their first date on April 18, 2005, their daughter was born on April 18 this year and the Batman Begins beauty's birthday falls on December 18. The couple became engaged at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on June 17, 2005 - just eight weeks after they went public as a couple in Rome.

Abrams Confirms 'Star Trek' Movie
21 July 2006 (WENN)
Mission: Impossible III director JJ Abrams has confirmed he's set to save the Star Trek franchise after signing on to produce the next film in the sci-fi series. The 40-year-old Lost and Alias creator, who is a longtime fan of the cult TV show and subsequent movies, is considering directing the new Trek movie too. In an exclusive interview with America's TV Guide magazine, Abrams says, "It's sort of surreal but wonderful. I'm producing and may direct. I have every DVD of every Star Trek episode from every series. I haven't seen every episode from every series but I certainly know it well enough to be working on the movie." Abrams, who will team up with fellow Star Trek buff and Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof on the new project, initially fumed when his involvement in the new film was announced before he'd committed to it. He admits he took his time to sign up for the project: "There have been 10 films and all these different (TV) series, so it was a question of finding out what they (movie executives at Paramount) were anticipating." Abrams insists the cult following Lost has found will help him make decisions about where to take the secret storyline for the latest Star Trek film. He explains, "Fans of Lost don't compare to fans of Star Trek, but working on Lost gives us a view into how important it is to respect the fans."

J.J. Abrams, The Next Spielberg?
17 July 2006 (StudioBriefing)
J.J. Abrams, the 40-year-old writer-producer who co-created ABC's Lost and went on to direct Paramount's Mission: Impossible 3, has signed separate deals with Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. TV that together are worth more than $55 million, published reports said over the weekend. The two deals make Abrams, in the words of today's (Monday) Los Angeles Times, "one of the entertainment industry's most highly paid auteurs." Peter Roth, president of Warner Bros. TV, told the Times that "an opportunity presented itself" to woo Abrams away from Disney "and we went for it." Paramount Pictures Chairman Brad Grey added that he believes Abrams will become "the next Steven Spielberg" and called him "a triple threat: a great writer, producer and now, a first-class movie director." His first assignment for Paramount, the Times said, is likely to be a film that will revive the Star Trek franchise.

Damon's Kirk Casting in Doubt
3 July 2006 (WENN)
Filmmaker Kevin Smith has cast doubt on speculation Matt Damon is being lined up to fill William Shatner's shoes as the new Captain Kirk. Mission: Impossible III director JJ Abrams reportedly wants Damon to play the legendary character in the next Star Trek movie, which will follow Kirk and Spock's younger years at a space academy. However, Smith - who directed the actor in Dogma - insists Damon is unlikely to accept the part, as he favors more original roles in his films. The director says, "I wonder if Matt would even do it. He's usually not that interested in treading where others have trod. He likes to break new ground." Despite his doubts, Smith jokes he'd welcome a sci-fi partnership with Damon's close pal Ben Affleck: "If they wind up casting Matt as Kirk, they should cast Ben as Spock. It seems like a no-brainer!"

'Grey's' Matters -- To ABC
17 May 2006 (StudioBriefing)
In a move that is likely to touch off a run on digital video recorders, ABC announced Tuesday that it will move its highest-rated program, Grey's Anatomy, from Sunday to Thursday when the season begins next fall. It will compete against CBS's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and NBC's much-buzzed-about new series from Aaron Sorkin, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Announcing a go-for-broke strategy targeting young-adult viewers, ABC entertainment chief Steve McPherson also unveiled a slate of new shows on Thursday that will compete with CBS's strongest programming as well as NBC's revamped slate with which it hopes to regain its Must-See-TV title. Among ABC's new offerings is Big Day, a kind of 24, devoted to a couple's wedding day; Notes From the Underbelly, about a couple who are about to become parents; and Six Degrees, from Lost's J.J. Abrams, about six people who are unaware of the impact each of them has on the others. Moving into Grey's Anatomy's timeslot on Sundays will be Brothers & Sisters, a family drama in which Calista Flockhart plays a TV pundit. ABC has removed its long-running magazine show Primetime Live from its Thursday-night lineup, at least for the time being. And it dumped Commander in Chief, which started off the season like a house afire but finally sputtered out (notably when it was moved to Thursday night). McPherson indicated that the network may decide to air a two-hour movie-of-the-week version of CiC sometime during the season.

'Lost': "Greatest Finale Ever"
15 May 2006 (WENN)
TV show Lost is set to finish with a bang - the season finale in two weeks is being rated as the best ever, according to the show's co-creator JJ Abrams. Abrams tells the New York Post that plotlines that have been undecipherable so far will finally make sense. And it will be even bigger and better than last season's big finale. Abrams says, "The ending of this year in Lost blows the ending of last season out of the water. It's an incredible finale. You'll see what happens, but I can tell you that a lot of it has been there and been building from the beginning of this season. It's not out of the blue, but what happens at the very end of this year, for me, it's the greatest finale I have ever heard."

'Lost' Creator Promises "Greatest Finale" Ever
8 May 2006 (StudioBriefing)
Lost co-creator J.J. Abrams, who temporarily left the series to direct Mission: Impossible III, says that those who took over the show have created an "incredible" season finale, due to air on May 24. In an interview with the New York Post, Abrams said: "The ending of this year in Lost blows the ending of last season out of the water." Abrams gave no hint about how the episode will unfold. "It's not out of the blue," he said, "but what happens at the very end of this year, for me, it's the greatest finale I have ever heard."

Movie Reviews: 'Mission: Impossible 3'
4 May 2006 (StudioBriefing)
Roger Ebert has clearly seen too many movies -- too many computerized ones of the action sort at any rate -- and he has become bored. The Chicago Sun-Times critic is certainly bored with the ones titled Mission: Impossible and starring Tom Cruise, and he says as much in his review of the film: "Either you want to see mindless action and computer-generated sequences executed with breakneck speed and technical precision, or you do not. I am getting to the point where I don't much care. There is a theory that action is exciting and dialogue is boring. My theory is that variety is exciting and sameness is boring. Modern high-tech action sequences are just the same damn thing over and over again." Numerous other critics have seen the same films that Ebert has and have reached similar conclusions about Mission: Impossible 3. Bruce Newman in the San Jose Mercury News writes that "many of the action set pieces fall strangely flat, and Cruise's attempt to sprint through every scene makes him look more like a wind-up doll than a recognizable human being." Several of the films suggest that M:I 3 is not much more interesting than a standard-issue Alias, the TV series that the movie's director, J.J. Abrams, created, only with more explosions. Michael Sragow in the Baltimore Sun concludes: "It's Alias all over again, without the complex rooting interest." Wesley Morris in the Boston Globe also observes that some of what he calls the "ludicrous" situations set up in the film "just seems commonplace now -- thanks in large part to Abrams and his TV shows." (Abrams also created ABC's Lost.) Still, the film receives quite a bit of applause. Claudia Puig in USA Today writes that "Abrams may have achieved the nearly impossible: taking a predictable, tired franchise and putting his signature style on it so that it feels fresh and cool." Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times praises Abrams for coming up with "a solidly crafted entertainment, a diversion that really diverts once it gets down to business." Bob Longino in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the director accomplished his mission, producing "a solid enough popcorn movie, firmly popped and professionally packaged to kick off the summer season." John Anderson in Newsday, makes a similar point, calling M:I 3 "the perfect summer movie -- fast-paced, action-packed, emotionally engaging (without demanding too much investment), and pure, unadulterated eye candy. Whattya want for 10 bucks? A quarter tank of gas?" Indeed, says Jami Bernard in the New York Daily News, audiences will get what they pay for. "The plot makes no sense ... But logic and humanity would probably gum up the (fire)works." And surely, this movie is not aimed at moviegoers' minds so much as it is at their wallets. As Lou Lumenick in the New York Post predicts, the film "will probably hit the sweet spot at the box-office -- and give Cruise a whole new reason to start jumping on couches."

Abrams Slams 'Star Trek' Rumors
27 April 2006 (WENN)
Mission: Impossible III director J.J. Abrams is hitting back at unauthorized reports he is directing the next Star Trek movie. The Alias creator is furious the news was released prematurely and is also upset that key details regarding the storyline were incorrectly reported. He explains to Empire online, "The whole thing was reported entirely without our cooperation. People learned that I was producing a Star Trek film, that I had an option to direct it, they hear rumors of what the thing was going to be and ran with a story that is not entirely accurate." Last week, Hollywood trade paper Variety, reported Abrams was on board and that the film would center on the early days of Captain James T. Kirk and Spock and that Philip Seymour Hoffman was in talks to play the ship's doctor. Abrams won't reveal the true storyline, but hints that it won't feature characters Captain James T. Kirk or Mr. Spock at all, but doesn't rule out bringing some of the original characters back for the new film, adding, "Those characters are so spectacular. I just think that..you know, they could live again."

'Mission: Impossible III' Gets Rome Premiere
18 April 2006 (WENN)
Tom Cruise is going full steam ahead with the promotional tour for his new film Mission: Impossible III, despite the fact his fiancee Katie Holmes is ready to give birth at any moment. The actor kicks off with the movie's first premiere in Rome, Italy next Monday. Part of the film, which is directed by JJ Abrams, takes place in Rome. Paramount Pictures executives say Cruise wanted to hold premieres across the globe and will have three more premieres in quick succession. After the Rome debut, there will be a London premiere the following day, then Paris and finally May 1 in Mexico City. The film will make its US debut at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on May 3, before its release in US cinemas May 5.

Filmmakers Voice Opposition To Closing Theatrical "Window"
20 March 2006 (StudioBriefing)
Hollywood blockbusters are not likely ever to be released simultaneously in theaters and on DVD, leading filmmakers have told USA Today. In an interview with today's (Monday) edition, writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) commented, "What some people don't get is that a movie makes a much stronger connection with audiences than DVDs. ... If someone really loves something they see in theaters, they champion it in a way they don't with DVDs. ... They work harder to get people to come to theaters. And that creates a demand when the DVD finally does come out. Financially, messing with that model is dumb." Twentieth Century Fox distribution chief Bruce Snyder observed that Walk the Line, the Johnny Cash biopic, would have tanked if the window had been shut. "People didn't know the story, didn't know about the performances. It needed to be in theaters and get people talking before they were going to buy a copy to keep forever," he said. J.J. Abrams, who is director of Mission: Impossible III, remarked that he made the movie "for theaters ... not for DVD." Abrams, who also created Lost and Alias for TV, commented, "Story is important, but people also come to the theater for spectacle."

Abrams Won't Drop Rodriguez Despite Legal Woes
15 February 2006 (WENN)
Lost creator JJ Abrams insists Michelle Rodriguez will not be dropped from the hit US TV show despite facing serious drunk driving charges. The Resident Evil actress was caught speeding in Hawaii, where Lost is filmed, three times last year, and was charged with DUI offenses after an incident on November 30. But Abrams is keen to stand by the actress, who plays Ana Lucia in the show's second season. He tells the New York Post, "While we don't want to report on the fate of any of the characters on the show I would say without question, that any reports that anything that's going on with any of the actors as being problematic or resulting in changing the storyline to sort of, you know, get rid of them, is just erroneous and silliness. There's a lot of stuff that has happened that's extracurricular, and it's in the news. It becomes fodder for speculation."

'Brokeback' and 'Crash' Win WGA Awards
6 February 2006 (WENN)
The writers of gay cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain and racial drama Crash were honored at the Writers Guild Awards (WGA) on Saturday with one award each. Brokeback Mountain scribes Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana's take on Annie Proulx's short story was named Best Adapted Screenplay, while Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco picked up Best Original Screenplay for Crash. In the television categories, the huge team of writers for Lost, including creator JJ Abrams, were honored with Best Writing In A Dramatic Series, while Curb Your Enthusiasm star and writer Larry David's comedy show was named Best Writing In A Comedy Series. Other TV winners include the writers of Grey's Anatomy, House, Warm Springs, Weeds, and Late Night With Conan O'Brien.

Monaghan and Lilly Planning Family?
26 January 2006 (WENN)
Lost co-stars Dominic Monaghan and Evangeline Lilly may be planning to start a family when the hit TV show reaches its conclusion. The desert island castaways have been dating for over a year after meeting on the Hawaiian set of JJ Abrams ratings-winning drama, and British actor and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring star Monaghan is convinced he has found his "muse" in Lilly. He says, "We'll see where I'm at, at the end of Lost. Maybe one or two children of my own, and then what I really hope to do is adopt - perhaps a bunch of them."

Paramount Wooing "Hottest Producer in TV"
15 December 2005 (StudioBriefing)
Showing no let-up in his efforts to restore the prominence of Paramount in the movie and TV industries, Chairman Brad Grey has begun wooing J.J. Abrams, who, as the producer of ABC's Lost and Alias, is regarded as "the hottest young producer in television," the Los Angeles Times reported today (Thursday), citing three sources close to the talks. Landing Abrams, the Times observed, would represent "a coup for Grey -- and a major loss for Disney," which owns ABC.

Affleck Laughs Off Weekend Wedding Reports
21 June 2005 (WENN)
Hollywood couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have laughed off reports they married in West Virginia over the weekend. The Alias actress, 33, was reported to have visited Brandon Tucker's Briarwood Flower Shoppe in the town of Wheeling on Saturday and purchased a bridal bouquet of ivory Virginia roses, Casablanca lilies and "of course gardenia", as well as six bridesmaids poseys, for an alleged ceremony at the nearby Greenbrier Resort. However, Affleck's spokesman Ken Sunshine, tells the New York Daily News, "He's totally lying. The guy got more publicity than ever in his life. Ben and Jen are not in West Virginia. They did not get married yesterday. They did not get married today." Daredevil co-stars Affleck and Garner began dating in July 2004, only weeks after the actor ended his romance with Boston media sales executive Enza Sambataro and the actress split from Alias co-star Michael Vartan. Affleck reportedly proposed to Garner at her 33rd birthday party in April. The couple are reportedly expecting their first child together, although both stars' publicists have denied the claims. Despite their denials, Alias creator JJ Abrams recently appeared to confirm their baby plans, saying, "It'll effect it (the show)... I'm sure that kickboxing is probably out."

Affleck and Garner Wedding Mystery
19 June 2005 (WENN)
Hollywood couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner were at the center of wedding rumors on Saturday, after the actress was reported to have bought bridal bouquets from a florist in her home state of West Virginia. Florist and wedding planner Brandon Tucker, who owns Briarwood Flower Shoppe in the town of Wheeling, told American newspaper the New York Daily News the stunning Alias star, 33, arrived on Saturday morning to order a bridal bouquets and six bridesmaid bouquets for a 9pm wedding at the five-star Greenbrier Resort in the West Virginia mountains. Tucker says, "I was just dumbfounded. In Wheeling, not too many celebrities come in. I should have worn something different." Tucker claims Garner asked for her bridal bouquets to include ivory Virginia roses, Casablanca lilies "and of course gardenia". However, Garner's mother Pat is unaware of any wedding plans: "You know more than I do. My daughter is in New York City on a photo shoot." Daredevil co-stars Affleck and Garner began dating in July 2004, only weeks after the actor ended his romance with Boston media sales executive Enza Sambataro. Affleck reportedly proposed to Garner at her 33rd birthday party in April. The couple are reportedly expecting their first child together, although both stars' publicists have denied the claims. Despite their denials, Alias creator JJ Abrams recently appeared to confirm their baby plans, saying, "It'll effect it (the show)... I'm sure that kickboxing is probably out."

Monaghan Is Cruise's Leading Lady
9 June 2005 (WENN)
Tom Cruise will star alongside Michelle Monaghan when filming for Mission: Impossible III starts next month. The Mr. & Mrs. Smith beauty has taken over leading lady duties from Scarlett Johannson, who was forced to drop out of the project last month due to a conflicting schedule. Cruise's young lover Katie Holmes and Lindsay Lohan were also in the race to play Cruise's love interest, but Monaghan beat out their competition to be chosen by director JJ Abrams and the Collateral star.

ABC Shows Off Fall Newcomers
17 May 2005 (StudioBriefing)
Today (Tuesday) was ABC's turn to unveil its plans for the fall to advertisers. It said that it is adding five new shows to its schedule, including the sitcoms Freddie, starring Freddie Prinze Jr.; Hot Properties, starring Gail O'Grady; Commander in Chief, starring Geena Davis; plus the dramas Kolchak: The Night Stalker; and Invasion. In January, following the football season, the network plans to offer Emily's Reasons Why Not, and What About Brian (the new show from Alias and Lost creator J.J. Abrams). Being booted from the schedule are Blind Justice, 8 Simple Rules, My Wife and Kids, and Eyes. Although there had been much speculation about the possibility that ABC might yank one or both of its news magazines, Primetime Live and 20/20, because of a significant erosion in their ratings, the network granted both of them a reprieve.

Mission: Really Impossible for Scarlett & Carrie-Anne
6 May 2005 (WENN)
Scarlett Johansson and The Matrix star Carrie-Anne Moss have quit the second Mission: Impossible sequel because of ongoing delays. The two in-demand actresses were slated to team up with Tom Cruise in M:I 3 but director JJ Abrams reveals he has had to let them go because of scheduling problems around the film's script. He tells website About.com, "The script was rewritten. I'm a huge fan of each actor that they cast originally, but to have kept the actors when we are reinventing the story would have been an odd process. "To say, 'Write a script with these people in mind for characters that haven't been written,' just felt like we had to start over with a clean slate." Abrams, who has yet to announce his replacements for the project, is committed to starting the shoot in July.

Birthday Girl Garner Laughs Off Wedding Rumors
19 April 2005 (WENN)
Hollywood couple Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have laughed off rumors they married over the weekend - insisting they were celebrating the Alias beauty's 33rd birthday with a lavish party. The stunning actress erected a huge marquee in the garden of her Brentwood, Los Angeles home on Saturday, prompting speculation Garner would wed her Daredevil co-star. Hordes of paparazzi camped outside Garner's home as Alias creator JJ Abrams and Affleck's actor brother Casey Affleck and fiancee Summer Phoenix arrived at the bash. One guest added to the rumors when he joked to the photographers as he was leaving, saying, "that was the best wedding ever." As well as actual wedding ceremony rumors, Britain's News Of The World tabloid claimed Sunday Affleck would be getting down on one knee and proposing to his girlfriend of 10-months at the bash. Affleck's representative Ken Sunshine denied Affleck and Garner were married over the weekend.

Cruise's Big Dreams Delaying 'Mission III'
19 November 2004 (WENN)
Hollywood star Tom Cruise's extravagant plans for the long-awaited Mission Impossible III film are reportedly causing problems for Paramount Studios, who fear the budget will spiral out on control. The actor is producing and reprising his role as agent Ethan Hunt in the sequel to 2000 hit Mission: Impossible II, which is scheduled to begin filming in June 2005. According to Fox News gossip columnist Roger Friedman, Paramount is concerned because no script exists for the movie. Friedman explains, "The rest of it is in Tom's head." In July, Narc film-maker Joe Carnahan quit the project citing "creative differences", and was replaced by first-time movie director JJ Abrams, whose previous credits include directing episodes of TV drama Alias. Despite decided locations in Germany, Belgium, Ghana, Canada and the US, Paramount is reportedly getting increasingly nervous over Cruise's plans to film in 15 countries, raising the budget to $234 million. Friedman says, "I am told that Cruise actually assembled a trailer for it, including credits, voiceovers and clips that he screened for friends as a way to bolster his ego. Trailers are made after a film is completed, not before it's even been shot."

Cruise Delays 'Mission: Impossible 3'
13 August 2004 (WENN)
Hollywood actor Tom Cruise has put his plans to shoot Mission: Impossible 3 on hold, so he can team up with director Steven Spielberg on War Of The Worlds instead. First-time movie director JJ Abrams was recently signed up to take on the successful franchise, but now work is not expected to begin on the project until at least next summer. And Spielberg has also put his own untitled project about the aftermath of the 1972 Munich Olympics on hold until June at the earliest. Now that the War of the Worlds project is proceeding - following two days of frenzied discussions - pre-production will have to be rushed to ensure the adaptation of HG Wells' novel makes its November start date and 2005 release. The original HG Wells classic novel covered a Martian invasion of Earth.

Producer Contrives Special Super-Bowl Episode of 'Alias'
24 January 2003 (StudioBriefing)
The episode of the ABC spy drama Alias, starring Jennifer Garner, that will air immediately following Super Bowl XXXVII has been fashioned by the producer and writers to hook viewers who have not watched the series before and know nothing about its plotline, TV Guide Online indicated today (Friday). "It's an episode that I definitely wanted to make [accessible] to non-viewers," exec producer/writer J.J. Abrams told the publication. "You never have to have seen the show to understand it, and yet, if you have seen the show, some of the stories will have more meaning." Asked why the previously announced episode starring Ethan Hawke that was originally slated to follow the Super Bowl was postponed (to Feb. 2), Abrams replied: "Basically we wanted to feature all of our characters in a way that would allow a mass audience of new viewers who had never seen the show before to really get a taste of who is who and what the show is about."