“Gossip Girl” Picked Up For Full Season
“Gossip Girl” Picked Up For Full Season
We’re already well into the new fall season of television, and one show is head and shoulders above the rest of the newcomers. “Gossip Girl” is an immediate hit, and critics say it shows some serious potential for longevity.
The CW network is so pleased with the show that they’ve already ordered more episodes, making it the first new series this season to get a full-season pickup.
Part of the reason for the CW’s enthusiasm has to do with the buzz “Gossip Girl” has been getting on the internet at outlets like iTunes. Reportedly, the show’s past two episodes are ranked in the Top 5 downloads on the Apple site.
CW exec Dawn Ostroff told press, “People everywhere are talking about ‘Gossip Girl,’ and we believe this show will continue to build audience as it builds buzz. Schwartz and Stephanie Savage have created an incredibly heightened-reality world that viewers are locking into, while advertisers, affiliates and press have also embraced the show. The series has earned its early pickup, and we look forward to a long run on the CW.”
Madonna’s Directorial Debut
Madonna’s Directorial Debut
With the film festival season raging on, one Material Girl stood head and shoulders above the rest in Berlin on Wednesday - Madonna.
The “Like a Virgin” singer is enjoying the premiere her new movie “Filth and Wisdom” at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival in Germany, and it has been her most positive foray into film yet.
During an interview, Madge told press, “I have always been inspired by the films of Godard, Visconti, Pasolini and Fellini and hope that I may one day make something that comes close to their genius.”
In the liner notes to “Filth and Wisdom” Madonna wrote, “I have always admired the art of filmmaking and the ability to tell a good story. After almost three decades of being in front of a camera, I decided to put my money where my mouth is. ‘Filth and Wisdom’ was essentially my way of putting myself through film school.”
A Boss Backing for Obama
Does the opinion of Heidi Montag mean nothing to Bruce Springsteen?
In an open letter to "friends and fans," the rock legend said Wednesday he was backing Sen. Barack Obama for president.
"Like most of you, I've been following the campaign and I have now seen and heard enough to know where I stand," Springsteen wrote in a post on his website. "Sen. Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest."
The endorsement comes two weeks after The Hills' Montag made it known she totally liked Sen. John McCain for the Oval Office.
While Montag said she favored McCain because he's a Republican, like her, Springsteen said he favored Obama because, essentially, he's an E Streeter, like him.
"He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years," Springsteen wrote.
Obama returned the compliment.
"The America that Bruce Springsteen has spoken about through song is one of big dreams, unyielding hope, and a resilient, hardworking people who struggle and sacrifice for a country as good as its promise," the senator said in a statement from his campaign.
In his letter, Springsteen implicitly defended Obama against recent attacks over his former pastor's sermons and the senator's own "bitter" people comment, saying the criticisms were "distract[ing] us from discussing the real issues."
Springsteen has long been a critic of President Bush. His 2007 CD, Magic, was an album-length comment on the Iraq War. On 60 Minutes last fall, he dismissed the suggestion that his protests were unpatriotic.
"It's unpatriotic at any given moment to sit back and let things pass that are damaging to some place that you love so dearly," Springsteen told the newsmagazine.
While Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." was a hallmark of President Reagan's 1984 reelection campaign, much to the annoyance of its author, the musician didn't formally enter presidential politics until 2004, when he granted his first-ever White House endorsement to Sen. John Kerry.
Springsteen's name didn't get Kerry over the hump, and his endorsement comes too late to help Obama in the singer's home state of New Jersey, where Sen. Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary over Obama in February. Obama, nevertheless, said he was "honored" to have the rocker's support.
In backing Obama, Springsteen joins Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Ed Norton, Larry David and Kal Penn as one of the senator's celebrity campaigners. Donors, per the tracking site FundRace, include Jamie Foxx, Garry Shandling, Linda Ronstadt, Paul Newman, Will Smith, Geena Davis, Grey's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo, ex-Grey's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington, and Clinton's own Bosnian travel partner, Sinbad.
Clinton's A-list corner includes Barbra Streisand, Rob Reiner, Ted Danson, Ugly Betty's America Ferrera and Magic Johnson. Financial donors include Tom Hanks, Billy Crystal, Bette Midler and Chevy Chase.
Tobey Maguire and Ben Stiller are among those who have cut checks to both Obama and Clinton, the site's records show.
In addition to Montag, McCain has been hyped by 61-year-old Rocky star Sylvester Stallone, and supported financially by 80-year-old singer Andy Williams.