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2006-12-10T22:01:00.000-08:00

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I Knew That! Question #1791
(Monday, Dec. 11, 2006)
Question #179`:
Which of the following holidays DOES NOT occur in December?
a. Candlemas
b. Kwanzaa
c. Feast of St. Nicholas
d. Boxing Day

Answer #1790:
King Wenceslas (of "Good King Wenceslas")
was king of which country?

Bohemia
Mr. Mike got it first, then Troy, Luther & Polly

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#3105(C. Wayne's $.02 Worth )
Dec. 11, 2006
"Doing easily what others find difficult is talent;
doing what is impossible
for talent is genius."
-Henri-Frederic Amiel
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Perlman: Hellboy Was Heaven Ron Perlman, who s...

2004-03-24T08:44:00.000-08:00

Perlman: Hellboy Was Heaven

Ron Perlman, who stars as the title character in the upcoming comic-book adaptation Hellboy, told SCI FI Wire that the finished film exceeded his highest expectations. "Wow," he said in an interview while promoting the film. "How cool. You know, it's always a pleasure to see a Guillermo del Toro film. It's more so when you're involved in it. It's the most it can be when you're the title character." Perlman was the first choice to play Hellboy for del Toro, the film's director, and Mike Mignola, creator of the original comic book. Perlman said that he had no trouble identifying with the big red guy. "Let's examine, if you will, what Hellboy does in this film," Perlman said. "He drinks beer. He smokes cigars. He f--ks around with the guys he works with to the point where he drives them up the wall. He's a wiseass. He's a wisecracking dude. He trash talks the people that he's fighting against for life or death. He's constantly in this kind of mode like, 'Is that all you've got?' There's nothing similar to him and me." In Hellboy, Perlman plays a demon conjured by the Nazis, but raised by a kindly professor to protect the world from evil as an agent of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. For the actor, the character was not only personally gratifying, but also reminiscent of one of his most notable roles: Vincent in the 1980s television series Beauty and the Beast. "It's weird that I got to play the Beast, and it's also weird that I got to play Hellboy," he said. "Although, maybe not so weird, because, you know, there's my whole life, particularly the real early years, growing up, finding a way to manage what I felt was monstrous about myself. ... Grappling with what I thought was monstrous about me was ultimately the most defining thing about who I ended up being in life. And I have a true attraction to the people who are grappling with that problem." Hellboy hits theaters April 2.

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New Programs on Tap for Discovery Networks

Discovery Networks is heading into its 20th year with a promise of delivering hundreds of hours of new original programming across its 14 channels. In its upfront presentation to advertisers Tuesday, Discovery executives put the spotlight on new programs and branding campaigns for existing channels. Among the new entries on the flasgship Discovery Channel will be "N.O.W.," an acronym for No Opportunity Wasted, with host Phil Keoghan surprising participants by making their wishes a reality. Discovery Networks president Billy Campbell said this is the show he is most excited about. It has several BBC co-productions on tap for the coming year, including "The Last Days of Pompeii" and "Genghis Khan: Rise of the Conqueror." "Alien Planet," from the creators of "Dinosaur Planet," will look at what life may be like in other galaxies. Discovery's TLC said it will have 850 hours of new programming. Building on the success of its home decorating hit "Trading Spaces," TLC will air in June "Trading Spaces: Unglued," a special looking at unseen moments in spaces literally traded across the country. Another new series on TLC is called "Plastic Surgery," a look into everyday happenings at a plastic surgery practice. Smaller digital networks like Discovery Times, will air a new series of documentaries called "Discovery Times Screening Room," and talk show "The Political Dish" with hosts such as journalist Thomas Friedman and Todd Purdum from The New York Times.

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Latest "Fast & Furious 3" Developments

For the past few months, rumors have been flying around about what’s going on in regards to a third "The Fast & The Furious" movie and now 'Furious O'Conner' weighs in with the latest gossip he's heard from the studio and production companies involved:
"First off things with F&F3 are not as clean-cut and smooth as being reported. Second, NOTHING is set with F&F3. The project is in such an early stage of development that its basically not anything but a hope-dream as of yet nor is it being planned by Universal officially as of now. People who report these BS rumors seem to forget one VERY important thing. Universal does not own the F&F franchise, Neal Moritz Productions does. Some at Universal are pushing for the project to happen and Vin Diesel has contacted both Universal and Neal Moritz about returning for a third film. Paul Walker is NOT out of the picture as reported. He wants to see how things develop. He just doesn’t want to be typecast as his character Brian O’Connor forever. But he will not rule out a third film, especially if the pay is good. Universal STILL considers him the main human star of the franchise, as he was the top billed main star of the original and the sequel. Universal also considers Paul a VERY bankable star, even after the major failure of Paramount’s "Timeline". As for Tyrese, no one knows. But many say since the two are close friends he will probably follow Walker’s decision. So no one is contracted for a third film as of yet. Screenwriters, (that’s right, more than one) have been hired to develop storylines for a third film. Gary Scott Thomson (the story writer of the first 2 films) has a story in mind that involves Paul, Tyrese and Vin which he discussed with Neal Moritz after 2 Fast’s successful box office take last year. Nothing else is known about it. After Vin turned down 2F2F because of his paycheck, Universal prepared itself if Vin ever came calling to make a third film. They apparently offered him the following judging from the success of 2F2F without him in it: Third Billing behind Paul Walker and Tyrese, no script control and NO MORE than a $7 Mil paycheck. Let face it Vin has not turned out to be the successful blockbuster star we all thought he would be and many are nervous at the moment about Riddick’s box office potential this summer. So you can see why Vin may want to jump back in the driver’s seat. Another problem might exist. Neal Moritz has reportedly told Universal that if Paul Walker does not return he may not either. Paul and Neal have a very longstanding friendship that goes back years. So Neal MIGHT sell the rights to Universal if Walker walks. As for Rob Cohen coming back on board as director, DON’T BET ON IT. Universal was not very happy when Rob turned down 2F2F when Vin said no. And on top of that Cohen’s schedule is extremely busy. He has about four films in development to direct. But the real thing most people are forgetting here is that Paul and Vin are costars in these films. The main stars are the cars and and the action. But Universal seems that they would rather wager more money on another sequel with just Paul and Tyrese rather than Vin, since they were always friendly, willing and not money hungry for huge paychecks. Universal is also wary of Diesel because of numerous reports from the Riddick shoot in Vancouver of which there were problems with Vin and crew members including one of Vin’s stunt doubles who has since quit working for him on a personal basis. So you could say nothing is set. Only time will tell where this project goes.

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Fran Drescher Lands Hot-Mom Role in WB Sitcom

Fran Drescher, best known for her 1993-99 run on the CBS sitcom "The Nanny," has signed on for a lead role in the WB comedy "Shacking Up" The project, formerly known as "Robbing the Cradle," is about a 24-year-old man who moves back home with his mother and her boyfriend, who is six months younger than he is. Drescher will play the mother. In other casting news, Ever Carradine has signed on to the ABC comedy "Thank God It's Monday," which revolves around office-worker guys who enjoy chewing the fat about their home lives at work. Carradine, most recently seen opposite John Corbett in the FX comedy series "Lucky," will play the wife of one of the main characters. Tamara Taylor has been cast as a wife. The male leads are Ed Kerr and Louis Lombardi. Meanwhile, Stephen Root ("Newsradio") will play a befuddled dad in an untitled Fox comedy where kids know the ways of the world as well as, or even better, than he does. In UPN pilot casting news, the network has decided on two of the three leads for its female buddy comedy "Me, Me, Me," which revolves around two self-centered young women who move to New York to make it big. Julie Gonzalo ("Freaky Friday") will play the younger sister of one of the women who also heads to New York to attend medical school. Ayda Field has been cast as one of the flightier women.
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Sky Captain Crunches

The release date for the upcoming SF live-action/animated film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow has already been bumped once, and the production is now farming out post-production visual-effects work to nearly a dozen other F/X houses, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Production sources told the trade paper that the movie is expected to contain 1,500-2,200 visual-effects shots, but as of December, fewer than 500 had been completed by the Canoga Park, Calif., visual-effects shop that houses 65 F/X artists working under director Kerry Conran's watch. Among those heeding the call for F/X assistance are Computer C.A.F.E., Gray Matter FX, Luma Pictures, the Orphanage, Pacific Title & Art Studios, Pixel Liberation Front, R!OT and Ring of Fire, all of which are working under strict nondisclosure agreements, the trade paper reported. Industrial Light & Magic has been in negotiations to work on the project, the trade paper added. A Paramount spokeswoman told the trade paper that the studio had always planned to outsource some of the effects work and noted that it was par for the course on a visual-effects-intensive movie. The dozen facilities now at work on Sky Captain, budgeted at a reported $70 million, have just two months to deliver an estimated 1,000 shots, the trade paper reported. The film is slated for a June 25 release, which was moved from June 11.

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Lifetime Snares 'Frasier' Rights

Women's cable network Lifetime has acquired the exclusive cable rights to "Frasier," which will end its 11-year network run on NBC this season. The network will begin airing the venerable sitcom in March 2006, when the local stations currently airing it lose their exclusivity. It is expected to air "Frasier" twice per weekday but has not scheduled either run. Beating out bids from Turner Broadcasting, MTV Networks and Oxygen, Lifetime landed "Frasier" for about $600,000 per episode, according to sources, as well as a barter exchange that gives the program's distributor, Paramount Domestic Television, 90 seconds of ad time per day. "As our programming evolves into an even richer mix of original dramas, critically acclaimed original movies, new reality series and off-net comedies, we anticipate 'Frasier' will be one of the crown jewels of this strategy," said Lynn Picard, Lifetime's executive vp and general manager. "The audience composition of 'Frasier' practically duplicates their audience composition," Paramount Domestic Television president John Nogawski said. "'Frasier' has very large female compositions of 18-49 and 25-54." "Will & Grace" will join Lifetime's schedule in September 2005.
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Snicket Books Sell Best

Seven titles in the Lemony Snicket series of children's books landed in the top 10 of the March 21 New York Times Children's Chapter Book List, Zap2it reported. That feat was duplicated by the Snicket series on May 5, 2002; Feb. 9, 2003; and April 13, 2003, the site reported. The March 21 list included The Reptile Room and The Slippery Slope, the site reported. The first Lemony Snicket book came out in 1999. Each of the 10 titles released so far has reached the best-seller list. The 11th book in the series, The Grim Grotto, is scheduled to hit bookstores this September, the site reported. The first three books in the series are being adapted as Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, a feature film starring Jim Carrey, which is currently in production.

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Roman Polanski Plans 'Oliver Twist' Film

Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski says his next film will be based on Charles Dickens' classic novel "Oliver Twist." "I was playing with my children and I realized that I would like to do a film for kids," Polanski told reporters. "I thought of books that I liked when I was little and remembered `Oliver Twist,' which will be my next film." Polanski spoke Monday night at a theater showing a retrospective of his work. He said shooting will begin in the Czech Republic some time in the middle of this year. He said the screen adaptation had been written by Ronald Harwood, who wrote the screenplay for "The Pianist." That film gave Polanski the Oscar for best director last year. "The Pianist" also earned Oscars for best adapted screenplay and best actor. Adrien Brody starred as Polish-Jewish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman, who eluded the Nazis in the Warsaw ghetto. Polanski did not attend the awards ceremony in Los Angeles as he faces arrest if he returns to the United States, resulting from 1977 charges of having unlawful sex with a minor. The 70-year-old director said he didn't feel his legal problems tarnished his reputation as a filmmaker. His movies include "Rosemary's Baby" and "Chinatown." "There are in America a great many filmmakers who appreciate my work and I am still very popular there. If you watched (the Oscar ceremonies) I got a standing ovation. It has nothing to do with my problems in California," he said.

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How Green Was My Hornet?

CHUD has an interview with writer/director Kevin Smith, where he briefly discusses the adventures of Britt Reid. "I too expected that once that announcement was made that people would say 'There's no way, this dude can't shoot his way out of a paper bag.' The only criticisms I've read were things like 'Oh, I guess this means Green Hornet and Kato are going to have some homoerotic relationship and talk about 'Star Wars' a lot.' Whatever, I'll accept that. They haven't seen 'Jersey Girl' and they don't know what I'm going to do with 'The Green Hornet.' It's the easy shots like that, nobody going like 'This dude is inept, don't give him a movie like this.' It also helps that it's not a movie the whole world is expecting. Imagine if I'd been given 'Superman' or something. People would have gone apeshit. With 'Green Hornet,' the expectations aren't nearly as high as with most comic book movies."

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'Stealing Sinatra' to Appear on Showtime

"Stealing Sinatra," starring David Arquette, William H. Macy and Thomas Ian Nicholas as Frank Sinatra Jr., will premiere on Showtime on April 25. The Showtime original film is based on trial transcripts and various public documents on the 1963 kidnapping of Sinatra, the only son of Frank Sinatra, the cable channel said Monday. Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped Dec. 8, 1963, from Harrah's Casino in Lake Tahoe, Nev., and held for ransom. The ransom was paid, he was safely released and the kidnappers were caught and convicted.

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R.L. Stine Nightmare Hour Adapted for DVD Series

The Hatchery, the new production venture of Margaret Loesch and former Mattel CEO Bruce Stein, has cut a deal with author R.L. Stine and Universal Home Entertainment Prods. to produce a series of direct-to-DVD features based on Stine's horror anthologies Nightmare Hour and The Haunting Hour. Writer-producers Dan Angel and Billy Brown, Emmy winners for the 2002 TNT telepic Door to Door, will adapt Stine's stories and executive produce the productions along with Loesch and Stein. The deal marks a reunion for Loesch, R.L. Stine, Angel and Brown. The foursome worked together in the early 1990s on the successful Goosebumps TV series, based on a Stine property, that aired on Fox Kids Network when Loesch was head of Fox's children's programming division.

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Winslet for Fourth Potter Movie?
English rose Kate Winslet is in talks to star in the fourth Harry Potter movie - as a French wizard. The Titanic star, 29, has been asked to play Fleur Delacour in the film adaptation of JK Rowling's Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, by director Mike Newell. Filming is set to begin next month and Winslet's director husband Sam Mendes has been encouraging his stunning wife to accept, for the sake of their son Joe and her daughter Mia. Mendes says, "Some weeks ago Kate had a meeting with the director and some producers of the Harry Potter movies. She was asked to have an important role as a young French wizard or something like that in the fourth film. She is still thinking about it. I told her to do it just for the kids. Mia and Joe will thank her in the future." Winslet wouldn't be the first actress to star in the boy wizard films for her offspring - Emma Thompson signed to play Professor Sybill Trelawney in Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban to impress her four-year-old daughter Gaia.

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Robots Rampage in Independently Produced "Dalmarian Chronicles"

Jeff Haas's independent CGI feature The Dalmarian Chronicles poses an interesting variation on the premise behind Battlestar Galactica: What would happen if a society of sentient robots, after years of believing that its creators were extinct, rediscovered its old masters? But where Battlestar Galactica tells its story from the point of view of the humans and paints the androids as genocidal automatons, Haas's story puts the self-aware robots on the horns of the dilemma: Should they yield to the returning creators, or will they try to preserve their freedom by turning on them?

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An Official Clue About 'Episode III'
The official Star Wars website (www.starwars.com) has provided the first authorized clues about the content of Episode III, scheduled for release next year. LucasFilm has posted a teaser that summarizes the story line. It reads: "After three long years of relentless fighting, the Clone Wars are nearly at an end. The Jedi Council dispatches Obi-Wan Kenobi to bring the deadly leader of the Separatist droid army to justice. Meanwhile, back on Coruscant, Chancellor Palpatine has grown in power. His sweeping political changes transform the war-weary Republic into the mighty Galactic Empire. To his closest ally, Anakin Skywalker, he reveals the true nature of power and the promised secrets of the Force in an attempt to lure him to the dark side."

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It's Punky Brewster to DVD!

Dave Lambert of TVShowsonDVD.com is reporting that the first season of the hit '80s sitcom Punky Brewster is coming to DVD on Tuesday, June 1, 2004. Some extras include four episodes of the ANIMATED It's Punky Brewster! Very well done by Shout! Factory, who is releasing the DVD set.

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Disney To Release Japanese Anime Classics on Home Video
The Walt Disney Co., which has been strongly criticized for its constrained marketing and distribution schemes for the animated features produced by Japan's Hayao Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away), now plans to release three of the director's earlier films on home video. The films are 1988's My Neighbor Totoro, 1986's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds, and 1992's Porco Rosso. Although the original Japanese-language track may be played on the DVD version, the English language versions feature such voice talent as Patrick Stewart, Michael Keaton, Brad Garrett, and Alison Lohman.

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24 Babe Reborn on CSI

Although Claudia's sudden death on 24 this season ultimately freed up actress Vanessa Ferlito to take a plum gig opposite Gary Sinise on CSI: New York, the Italian beauty is still haunted by what coulda been between her and Kiefer Sutherland's Jack. "It depresses me because we were so in love," she laments. "We were supposed to end up together. It's really messed up." So, why did producers kill off Jack's Mexican mistress? And what's the scoop on Ferlito's new CSI gig? Read on...

TV Guide Online: How did you find out that you got the CSI: New York job?
Vanessa Ferlito: [Exec producer] Anthony Zuiker called me.

TVGO: Did you have to audition?
Ferlito: No. It's amazing. I read for him once, but not even for the role I got. It was for a different role, an older CSI named Stella.

TVGO: What role did you get?
Ferlito: Her name is Abigail Martin, but I don't know if they're gonna change that. She's one of four or five CSIs.

TVGO: Are you excited about working with Gary Sinise?
Ferlito: Oh, God. That's what inspires me — working with people like that. He's amazing.

TVGO: You live in New York City, right?
Ferlito: Yes. New York's my home. Born and raised. I'm a New Yorker to the bone.

TVGO: But CSI: New York is going to tape in Los Angeles...
Ferlito: It's gonna be hard, I'll be honest with you. There's nothing like New York. When I started in this business, my agents said, "At some point you might have to move to L.A." And I looked at them and I said, "Listen to me: If I'm going to make it, I'm going to make it in New York." And I never left.

TVGO: Talk about bitter irony: The project that ultimately forced you to leave New York actually had "New York" in its title!
Ferlito: Yeah, it's kinda weird. I'm going to be totally honest: It is probably going to be the hardest time of my life, up until this point, leaving my home and my family.

TVGO: You popped up on The Sopranos this season as Adriana's friend. Weren't you on the first season?
Ferlito: That was my first job ever four years ago. They brought me back [this season] for one episode. It was written as a different character, but they knew I was on the show before so they just made it the same again.

TVGO: Adriana ratted you out to the FBI in the last episode. We won't see you go to jail?
Ferlito: No, you don't see me go to jail.

TVGO: Switching gears, I was really bummed you got killed off 24.
Ferlito: I was supposed to be on the show as a regular, but I was [not given] a permanent contract. It was more like a recurring contract, where, if I got a movie, I had to let them know three weeks in advance. So, I only shot two or three episodes and I then got a movie [Cheer Up with Tommy Lee Jones].

TVGO: So, the original plan was not for Claudia to die?
Ferlito: No. I was pretty upset about that.... I really didn't want to leave but it was a big opportunity to play opposite Tommy Lee Jones.

TVGO: What would have happened to Claudia and Jack if you had stayed?
Ferlito: We would have went to the States and Kiefer and I would have ended up together. It's sad. It's really messed up.

TVGO: Her death did seem rather abrupt...
Ferlito: It didn't make sense.

TVGO: It's all your fault.
Ferlito: It is my fault. I was thinking of calling [the producers] and saying, "Why don't you just pretend that I wasn't dead and Hector hid me somewhere." But now it's too late. I was sick. When I saw my last episode I wanted to cry — I almost did. It really depresses me because we were so in love.

TVGO: Cheer Up better be good.
Ferlito: It better be good, you're right — that's all I have to say.

TVGO: I'm serious.
Ferlito: No, you're right.

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Bonus Features

Perlman: Hellboy Was Heaven Ron Perlman, who s...