Posts Tagged ‘Tom O’Neil’

Diva SmackDown at the Tonys? Not even this titillating headline can get us to care about the Tonys. Sorry, Tom O’Neil.

Another Person Younger Than Us Has Just Made A Killing: According to Jay A. Fernandez: 28-year-old screenwriter Barry Schwartz has sold his original script Parents Weekend to Arnold Kopelson, “Oscar-winning producer of Platoon, The Fugitive and Se7en, for low-six figures against mid-six figures. Schwartz describes his R-rated comedy as ‘a life-event milestone movie, like Meet the Parents or Knocked Up, that takes place during the 48 hours when ‘the kids and the parents get to see each other as independent people for the first time ever.’” If you need us, just tap on the oven door.

Is George Stephanopoulos Sean Hannity’s Bitch? Probably not. But we can’t get enough of this story.

We’re determined to find out what Gary Busey meant when he menacingly told Ryan Seacrest that he’d been looking for him for years. When Seacrest asked what he’d done, Busey said, “It’s what you haven’t done.”

What hadn’t he done? Our only guess is that he hadn’t asked the questions his researchers prepared for him — how else to explain so many celebrities’ perplexed faces? (George Clooney bought a house on a whim in Malibu?!)

Tom O’Neil thinks Busey was pissed because Seacrest didn’t recognize him on the Red Carpet.

Whatever Seacrest was guilty of, poor Jennifer Garner got in the middle of it like a 4-year-old girl outside the wrong house during a drive-by.

Funniest Lede: Deborah Netburn wins the kiss with this lede about how depleted our TiVos have become during the writers’ strike: “Boop. Boop. Boop boop boop boop boop boop boop boop. BONK.” OK. It was funny to us.

Fin: Jill Grey has filed for divorce after 25 years of marriage to Paramount Pictures head Brad Grey.

I’m Mad As Hell And … Whatever: Tom O’Neil is embarrassed by the Golden Globes fiasco. Again, we gotta ask, is it really a shock that the network would forgo “news” for fluff?

The Envelope returns at the LA Times, and it’s all gussied up. As we all know but are reminded by Rob Barrett:

The Envelope has made the Los Angeles Times the frontrunner for unique coverage of the race from the inside.

Right you are, if you think so.

John T. O’Loughlin, the SVP/Marketing, Planning & Development, sends the memo:

Our interactive colleagues have completely redesigned The Envelope’s homepage to bring yet more entertainment industry leaders and avid entertainment enthusiasts to the site–offer better usability, increased news coverage, and upgraded news features, including the new Contender Countdown. In addition to these enhancements, there are also new online editorial voices, including Todd Martens and Pete Hammond. The site is live, so check it out.

You had us at “interactive colleagues”.

On Wednesday, we’ll begin producing The Envelope print series once again. Now in its sophomore year, there are plans for 11 issues this season and this week’s debut issue will be a 40-page Award Season Preview, followed by the Best Actor issue the following week.

New for 2008, we’re extending The Envelope brand a step further by creating an experiential event program called The Envelope Screening Series. We’ve also secured Mercedes-Benz as the series’ presenting sponsor ensuring this new addition to the Envelope family is again capturing alternative and incremental revenue. Starting Wednesday and running through mid-December, this exclusive invite-only event will showcase some of the top films from this year’s awards season and will feature Q&A sessions moderated by editorial staffers from The Times and The Envelope, including John Horn, Pete Hammond, Kenneth Turan, and Patrick Goldstein.

So who’ll be invited to these events? Academy voters? And why Q & As with people who write about the movies, as opposed to those who make them? Call us when Tom O’Neil is on deck.

Tom O’Neil clues us in on the backstory to Melissa Rivers’ comment on his LAT blog:

What Melissa’s referring to in her gruff blog comment about “going to the mat” for me has to do with the battle among producers whether “that expert sh*t” belonged on Joan and Melissa’s Oscar show. Some producers just wanted the show to be about fashion and celeb fawning, but Joan and Melissa — much to their credit — wanted to have real awards dishing, too. When the gals moved to TVG from E! they asked me to go with them to keep that balance going. It was a tough choice to make for me. It meant I had to give up being the resident awards expert at a large cable channel for a smaller one (I couldn’t do both), but I did it because I loved working with them and the team of ace producers that went with them. Yeah, there were those Rivers’ diva antics behind the scenes, but, come on, that’s to be expected. They’re celebrated for being divas and they’re entitled. The main problem at TVG was Melissa’s manager, who she eventually ditched.

Jeeeeez, Melissa–I didn’t mean to ruffle your Vera Wang. I thought my report was fairly straightforward!

Earlier:
Melissa Rivers and Her Diva Antics Kept Tom O’Neil on Red Carpet

A Socialite’s Life is live blogging.

Ray Richmond’s in the press room, but not live blogging.

Tom O’Neil is live blogging and has Ryan rehearsing. And here’s a little morsel that could be taken several ways:

There have been widespread reports that Ryan will sing, but that’s not quite true. While making his welcome remarks, he’ll threaten to launch into a rendition of There’s No Business Like Show Business, but will only get as far as the first word, then cut himself off.

Then, he comes back with a medley of I Enjoy Being a Girl, I Feel Pretty and As Long As He Needs Me.

O’Neil’s touching the hem of Debra Messing’s garment, too.

The people whose jobs it is to give you the most up-to-date information possible about meaningless awards shows watched the sun rise this morning as the 59th Annual Emmy nominations were announced. Here’s a sampling of their work.

Tom O’Neil posts at 6:16 a.m. that the academy “showed a sense of saucy humor,” in nominating the Justin Timberlake’s SNL skit, Dick In A Box. Except he wasn’t allowed to print the name of the skit.

Zap2It didn’t time stamp its offering, and we have a feeling more coverage from them is TK. The site, so far, offers the recognition that 15 Emmy nominations means The Sopranos finally have a shot at getting “a more definitive ending,” than they gave viewers.

Deadline Hollywood Daily offers some thoughts, like this one written at 5:13 a.m.: “I always find it ridiculous how year after year the Emmy voters tend to favor the tried and true (and, therefore, stultifying) shows over new series that haven’t passed their expiration date and still try to push the envelope. It’s like an episode has to jump the shark before the voters will give it a modicum of respect.”

E!’s 7:10 a.m. posting declares The Office can repeat, 24 won’t.

The Envelope’s Tom O’Neil is required reading for anyone who loves television and wants to understand its inner-workings — a demographic, apparently, that includes TV network execs.

In his post Emmy Voting For Dummies, he implies (politely and with many excuses) that some of the dummies who don’t get Emmy voting procedures are the suits who really should know better.

“I’m sooooo confused,” confessed a TV network executive while chatting with The Envelope last week. “Emmy judges are viewing sample episodes to decide nominees this year just like they do winners, too, right? Or no? Wait! They’re voting but their votes only count for half this year? Would someone please explain this voting system to me?”

Sure. As soon as you explain to us how a show like Studio 60 could be canned. Harrumph.

Tom O’Neil has been getting pats on the back all over town — The New York Post, TV Guide, E! and, of course, FBLA for his scoop revealing the list of Emmy nominations on LAT’s Gold Derby blog.

And he’s happy to share the joy, telling FBLA that in today’s story “I gave you full credit here for having the GENIUS to know an important story when you saw it breaking!”

Thanks, Tom.

Check out the story here, and an important highlight here:

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The LA Times’ Tom O’Neil is way ahead of the pack on Emmy nominations:

Low-rated critics’ favorite “Friday Night Lights” made the top 10 list of Emmy finalists for best drama series, but “Brothers and Sisters” –packed with Emmy-friendly stars –did not, according to judges reporting to TheEnvelope.com. Other surprises: “Rome” –a canceled show that aired its last episode in March –is included on the drama list, but not two current series that were considered shoo-ins by some Emmywatchers: “Rescue Me” and “The Tudors.”

NBC leads all networks with 6 shows in the two Top 10s. ABC has 5, HBO 4, Showtime 2, Fox 2, CBS 1. FX network was shut out.

O’Neil’s also got some acting nominations, but makes a plea for tips.

BEST COMEDY ACTRESS
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “New Adventures of Old Christine”
America Ferrera, “Ugly Betty”
Teri Hatcher, “Desperate Housewives”
Felicity Huffman, “Desperate Housewives”
Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds”

BEST DRAMA ACTOR
James Gandolfini, “Sopranos”
Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”
Eddie Izzard, “The Riches”
Hugh Laurie, “House”
Kiefer Sutherland, “24″

BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
Minni Driver, “The Riches”
Edie Falco, “Sopranos”

BEST SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTOR
Masi Oka, “Heroes”

BEST SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTRESS
CCH Pounder, “The Shield”

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