Boy George Breaks Up Boring State Dept. Presser
Who knew cracking wise was part of the job description at the U.S. Department of State?
After covering Iran and Afghanistan, the topic of conversation for deputy spokesman Tom Casey naturally turned to Boy George during yesterday’s press briefingor more specifically, to the burgeoning international incident sparked by the department’s visa denial for the ’80s icon, who in turn was forced to cancel the summer leg of his tour.
“Do you really want to hurt him?” cracks Casey after nearly choking on his water.
“Obviously, visa records are confidential. But I’d simply note that there often are difficulties for individuals who either are currently subject to criminal charges or otherwise may have criminal records. So I think you might want to look toward some of those reasons as why he might be having some difficulties here.”
That, and Condi Rice doesn’t cotton to “Karma Charmeleon.”
Trio Ticks to 24
Jack Bauer is enlisting the help of a Gossip Boy.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Eric Lively, Gil Bellows and Tony Todd have signed on to star in Fox’s two-hour TV prequel to 24, set to air this fall in advance of the seventh season premiere.
Lively is an L Word alum and, more importantly to a certain prized demographic, the older brother of Gossip Girl star Blake Lively. On the upcoming season, he is set to play the son of the president, who is inaugurated as Kiefer Sutherland’s alter ego takes care of international incident-type business in Africa.
Bellows, meanwhile, a TV vet best known for his role on Ally McBeal, will play a State Department officer who must serve Bauer with a Senate subpoena.
Chuck regular Todd is set to appear in both the prequel and the seventh season, signing on to play the African dictator General Juma.
Let the countdown begin.