Stargazing - MXC objects to Wipeout, Lea Salonga stays busy
Princess Lea
Lea Salonga, the singer behind Disney classics like Aladdin’s “A Whole New World” and Mulan’s “Reflection,” knows firsthand that it’s not easy being a princess.
“My work schedule has become, if you can believe it, more busy than it’s ever been,” she told the Los Angeles Daily News. “I’ve allowed for things to get more busy now that my daughter is a bit bigger and more hardy.”
Nicole Beverly, 2, probably will be around tonight when Salonga performs at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in L.A. Then Salonga, who also played Kim in “Miss Saigon” will start rehearsals for a nine-month tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella.”
Today’s elimination…
Larry Strawther, one of the executive producers of “MXC,” isn’t pleased with ABC’s “Wipeout,” which looks a whole lot like “MXC.”
Strawther says that a video he created showing side-by-side moments from the two shows was pulled from YouTube after five days. In its place is a message saying the “Wipeout” producers filed a copyright violation. Strawther says he’s filing a counter protest; ABC is denying comment.
“Wipeout,” with 10.6 million viewers, topped the finale of “Hell’s Kitchen” Tuesday (8.8 million) on Fox where the student, Christina Machamer, 25, of St. Louis, beat out Louis Petrozza, 47, a caterer from Charlotte, N.C.
And we’re back…
Harry Shearer, who is promoting his digital comedy album “Lies of the Bushmen,” was also the bassist in Spinal Tap. He told Fox Sports that Spinal Tap is considering a comeback.
“It’s the 25th anniversary next year so we might do something big,” he said, as in a big reunion tour. It’s not certain yet but “I’m growing my beard,” he said.
And the Smashing Pumpkins’ 20th anniversary tour will begin Aug. 9 in Hammond, Ind.
“Expect a very loud and raucous show from us,” leader Billy Corgan writes on the band’s Web site. “The 20th Anniversary shows will be magical … we are already working on lots of surprises.”
Shorts
•Jay Karnes, the former KU acting student who plays Dutch on “The Shield,” will do at least six episodes of another FX series, “Sons of Anarchy.” That show about a motorcycle club trying to fend off real estate developers and drug dealers is being run by a “Shield” writer, Kurt Sutter.
•Kevin McKidd (”Rome,” “Journeyman”) is expected to do some episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy,” and Michael J. Fox, whom some tabloids had on death’s door, is talking about doing a story arc on “Rescue Me.”
•Jamie-Lynn Sigler will play herself in at least three episodes of “Entourage,” and Jeffrey Tambor of “Arrested Development” is also reportedly in talks to join that show.
•Fandango.com estimates 38 percent of its recent ticket buyers for “Batman Begins” will take time off to see the film the first day. Furthermore, some theaters are adding 6 a.m. screenings July 18 for jokers who can’t make the 12:01 a.m. or 3 a.m. screenings that morning.
Mathesar rules!
Enrico Colantoni told the Fresno Bee he was surprised he got the chance to play the head of a SRU (Special Response Unit) group of cops on “Flashpoint.”
“With this kind of show, it is usually the good-looking, chiseled guy who gets to play the cop,” the hair-challenged and not-so-tall Colantoni said recently.
“Flashpoint,” which premieres at 9 tonight on CBS, is a Canadian drama that has already aired 13 episodes there. It was one of the programs CBS bought during the strike so it would have some original programming available.
But never mind that. Colantani, who also spent a few seasons as the father on “Veronica Mars,” was also the alien leader Mathesar in “GalaxyQuest.” He delights in the positive reaction he still gets about it from little kids to 90-year-old women.
“I never get tired of talking about ‘Galaxy Quest,’ ” he said. “I am so proud of that movie. Our only fear was that we were having so much fun making the movie we got concerned it might not be as good as we thought it was going to be.”