September 2007 Archives

DON'T you just love "Saturday Night Live"? :) Here's SNL's take on what "High School Musi cal 3" might be like. Vanessa Anne Hudgens sure had an interesting summer, huh? :)

By Nestor Torre Inquirer MANILA, Philippines--On Monday, Sept. 24, two fantasy series started telecastin g on local TV screens: ABS-CBN 2 fielded âLastikman,â while GMA-7 launched âZai do.â Which new series made a better impression on its opening telecast? Letâs s ee how some relevant factors play themselves out: âLastikmanâ has good star value in the person of title role player, Vhong Navar ro. And its opening sequence last Sept. 24 was visually impressive, with a giga ntic waterspout destroying everything in its path, and Lastikman vanquishing an all-powerful villain. Leader After that exciting start, however, the show slowed down when it recalled how L astikman was born on another planet, of a human mother (Dawn Zulueta) and a lea der (Tonton Gutierrez) of that other civilization in outer space. The backstory was told in too detailed a fashion, so this viewerâs attention wa ndered. We noted, though, that the seriesâ visual effects were otherwise quite on the up-and-up. For its part, âZaidoâ told the story of an otherworldly Galactic Force threaten ed by the onslaught of an evil planet bent on pillaging other worlds. This prompted the Force to form a new corps of space police made up of stalwart , young fighters led by the character played by Dennis Trillo. To start its storytelling on a high note, the new series made use of shots of p lanets in deep space, state-of-the-art spaceships, and futuristic sets. The effect was fine, except it felt a little âborrowedâ from such iconic refere nce points as âStar Wars.â Still, it was good to see that our visual scenarists could rise up to that level, even if not mainly on their own creative steam. The turn-off here was the inconsistency between the productionâs glossy sci-fi effects and some warriors still resorting to dated martial arts stances and swo rdfights. You would think that advanced civilizations capable of teleportation would have developed the art of warfare to a similarly more high-tech level! Decoration Some aspects of the production design were also distracting, like Diana Zubiri âs sporting a necklace-like decoration that was arranged like a sort of mask ar ound her -- face! The âfacelaceâ looked exotic but ungainly, and detracted from the actressâ appeal, instead of enhancing it. But, thatâs a mere detail. The more important question is, which of the two new series made the better imp ression on its first telecast? We have to go with âLastikman,â since âZaidoâ an d its âspace patrolâ concept felt a bit dated and borrowed. On the other hand, we must again note that âLastikmanâ is prone to slow storytelling, so it has to pick up its pace if it intends to sustain its initial momentum. Having said all that, we must further note that the current glut of fantasy pro ductions on local TV, further abetted by these two new shows, isnât healthy vie wing fare for TV fans. It encourages them to remain passive, to escape into fantasy worlds, to refuse to confront real life and issues. Sure, many people watch TV to switch off rath er than to turn on, but if this becomes a habit, it canât be good for the natio nal life and psyche. In the past, rulers bent on subduing the populace would opt for âbread and circ uses,â or would smugly intone, âLet them eat cake!â Letâs hope that their present-day equivalent isnât âLet them view TV fantasy se ries!â

By James Gabrillo Inquirer MANILA, Philippines--The show that has captured audiences is backâthis time wit h two of our very own TV hosts hopping along to reprezent yâall. Okay, enough of the ghetto talk. Exciting times lie ahead for fans and newcomer s to Asiaâs edition of the Emmy Award winning reality-competition series, âThe Amazing Race,â as âThe Amazing Race Asia 2â promises to be bigger and bolder, t raveling further and beyond Asia. Bar none, the original Amazing Race has given viewers a global adventure realit y show like no other. Even after 11 awesome installments, fans are not letting go of the show. The Amazing Race not only just bagged its fifth consecutive Emmy Award, it has won every âOutstanding Reality-Competition Television Programmeâ Emmy since the award genre was created. The first Asian edition too wowed the fans, with over 15 million viewers tuning in for its unique brand of entertainment. With so much behind The Amazing Race franchise, The Amazing Race Asia is set to push the envelope even further in s eason 2. So who made the cut this season? 10 feisty teams of varied nationalities and cu ltural backgrounds from a wide range of Asian nations had beaten out over 2,500 applicants (and even past participants of the original US series) to gain a ho t spot in the race for an adventure of a lifetime. Hi, Iâm a Mac, only with an R in the middle Fast forward to this exciting newsbreak! Our very own TV personalities Rovilson Fernandez and Marc Nelson form one of the two teams from the Philippines. They call themselves Team Rovilson and Marc, or Team Marc and Rovilson, depending o n who youâre asking. âWe promise to give you the most animated, the most exciting, the most lovable, huggable, most fun team youâve ever seen on Amazing Race Asia. Why do you want us? Because we are fit, we are fearless, and best of all, we are the most comp etitive ... when we are giving each other a hard time,â the duo says on their a udition video, which was inspired by the âIâm a Mac, Iâm a PCâ ad campaign of A pple. Joining the race was Rovilsonâs suggestion, Marc shares. âWe both love the race . Weâre both going through a stage in our lives where we wanted to do something out of the box, something adventurous. We have traveled together before, we ha ve a very similar sense of humor, and weâre into sports. So I was like, hell ye ah, letâs go! We originally planned to do a backpacking trip in Europe during t he time the race was taped, so it was easy to leave. We already told people tha t weâre gonna be away for a month or so. Everything really just kind of came to gether.â Watch, learn, and win? Both hosting sports-related shows on the tube, the duo didnât need to prepare m uch physically. Marc, however, had to work on an important element of the race ârunning around. âI had to work on my cardio. I hate to run, I really do. Itâs not my favorite thing. The actual running during the race scared me. I donât do the treadmill on the gym, so I had to step up on my cardio a bit. Mentally, I think I was game.â Rovilson shares, âWe had to study a lot on world things, like maps and current events.â In addition, the team fixed their strategies and psyched themselves up by watch ing a lot of episodes from the past seasons of The Amazing Race. âEvery episode we could get our hands on, we watched. Up until the plane ride going to the st arting location, Rovilson and I were viewing the show via an iPod!â Marc recall s. Boys just wanna have fun When host Allan Wu gave the go signal, the duo was immediately branded as the p retty boys of the game. Rovilson admits that he wasnât surprised. âEveryone was expecting us to be the hunks; but Iâd like to think that we were the clowns. W e were, well, the Clunks,â he shares. Marc, on the other hand, calls their duo âThe Village Idiots.â And thatâs pretty much their on-screen persona. Blasting that dumb-hunks stereo type, Marc and Rovilson are sophisticated, well-traveled, and self-deprecating. Expect the guys to put each other down a lot, all in the name of hamming it up for the cam. Rovilson shares that he felt motivated by the disappointing performance of the Philippine teams last seasonâone duo was even eliminated during the very first episode. âAbsolutely motivating. I couldnât sleep on the first night of the rac e. I was dreading that we would come in last on the very first pit stop, with A llan Wu saying âThe Philippines has done it again. You are the last team to arr ive!ââ Both guys are very confident that the audience will love them. âThe whole time, we were very aware that the camera was capturing our every move. We worked it. Hey, weâre two guys from TV, so we know how it is. Plus, Marcâs there to pose and angle for the camera on my behalf,â Rovilson says. Marc shares, âAnything that has to do with strength or stamina -- Rovilsonâs th e man. On the other hand, I have the sense of direction, and Iâm really analyti cal. So we complement each other.â He adds, âOn the show, we were the clowns whilst being very competitive. Weâd l ike to think that we had a great time. Yes, it was about winning; but at the en d of the day, you wanna have a great time. Itâs an opportunity of a lifetime. Y ouâre traveling around the world with one of your best friends. Sometimes it wa s really just about kicking back and enjoying it. Sure we play it up sometimes but when they watch the show, theyâll see Rovilson and I being Rovilson and I. Itâs who we are in real life. We are idiots.â Pretty, amazing While the previous season had contestants facing challenges at major destinatio ns in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and even the Middle East, this season, view ers will get a generous dose of adventure as The Amazing Race Asia 2 goes far a nd wide, racing across four continents. Plus, Iâve been hearing that this seasonâs cast so well. âThis is a faster, hip per, younger, more exciting batch. During our first meeting together, I swear, I thought we were in an audition for Americaâs Next Top Model,â Rovilson tells me. Marc adds, âThis is the best season of the show. It beats all the other seasons , even the ones from the US. There are some unbelievable characters in this sea son, including the other Philippine team, a couple from Cavite.â âThey are -- how do I say it -- controversial,â Rovilson says. Aside from the buzz, expect the unexpected. Expect two guys who are out there t o have fun. Expect a whole lot of laughs. Expect Team Marc and Rovilson, or Rov ilson and Marc to represent the country well. Itâs gonna be a blast. Foâ shizzle.

DID you like Ceci ly von Ziegesar's "Gos sip Girl" series of novels for teens? Did you like "The O.C."? Then maybe "The O.C." creator Josh Schwartz's new TV series based on the "Gossi p Girl" novels will appeal to you. At least, that's what the network execs are hoping. Here's a clip< /a> from TV Guide showing behind-the-scenes footage of The CW's "Gossip Girl."

LOOKING forward to the new season of "Grey's Anatomy"? Here's the "Br eathe In Breathe Out" music video from ABC to further whet your appetite.

ONE of the greatest comedians of all time, Jerry Seinfeld, will be the special guest in the Season 2 premiere of "30 Rock," which airs on October 4 on NBC. Ho w cool is that? Check out this teaser clip from NBC.

E RICA DURANCE talks about some of the things in store for her character Lois Lane in Season 7 of "Smallville," including her first encounter with Supergirl . Check out this video from The CW Source.

CHECK out this video from TV Guide.

CELEBRATE the Emmy victory of "30 Rock" as Best Comedy with this collection of clips from the first season pro vided by NBC. How about you, do you like "30 Rock"? Who's your favorite character? Season 2 will have its premiere on October 1, with Jerry Seinfeld as the guest star.

THE HOST of Air America's morning show "The Young Turks" Cenk Uygur is suing Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report," claiming that Colbert ripped off a "Klingon joke" that he told on Sept. 7 in his radio program. And he's poste d a video on YouTube to prove it. Here's an excerpt from the Associated Press report:

In both jokes, Uygur and Colbert suggest that the Republican presid ential candidates sounded like Klingons from "Star Trek" while speaking about t he value of honor. Renata Luczak, a spokeswoman for Colbert, said the comedian had no immediate co mment but will most likely address it on the show. As a mock conservative pundit, Colbert has often engaged in mock feuds. An e-mail sent to Uygur's spokesman seeking further comment was not immediately returned.

What do you think?

By Joan Ong INQUIRER.net I GET a chill down my spine every t ime I see the word "children" in a movie title. (Blame it on the 1984 Hollywood movie, "Children of the Corn.") "Final Fantasy V II: Advent Children" was no exception. But this time, the chill wasn't bro ught about by the sight of angst-ridden zombie children carving out the insides of adults. Instead, it was a pleasant kind of chill. Enter the computer-animated world of "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children" -- th e movie sequel to Final Fantasy VII, the PlayStation and PC role-playing game -- w here the visuals are absolutely breathtaking and would definitely send chills d own your spine right from the opening credits. The images are beautifully craf ted to the tiniest pixel and the action scenes make all the laws of physics jum p out the window. The events in "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children" ta ke place two years after those in Final Fantasy VII, the video game. This time, a man named Kadaj is seeking a Reunion with Jenova, a seemingly dorm ant entity that has given him great power, and is known to be the cause of the spreading disease called âGeostigma.â Cloud, a former mercenary, and his band of merry men and women are out to stop him. That's putting it mildly. Unfortunately, while the movie triumphed in visuals, it fell short in the prese ntation of the plot -- the film was drowning in details -- or maybe I'm just no t a Final Fantasy fan? I got lost in the narration of Shinra, the Lifestream, and Jenova at the beginning of the movie, and got more questions than answers a s the story unfolded and more characters popped into the picture. What's Shinr a Corporation? Who's saying "Weâre friends, right?" to Cloud, the lead protago nist? Who or what's Jenova exactly? Who was the girl at the end of the film? I must admit I had to seek the help of Google, as well as watch the special Final Fantasy VII featurette that came with the DVD, in order to underst and this mess of flashbacks. In short, "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children" would probably be more appreciat ed by the video game fans of the Final Fantasy series. As a stand-alo ne movie to a Final Fantasy virgin like me, it would seem like an exhi larating rollercoaster ride of details, details and more details that offer lit tle or no explanation -- and have I mentioned that the graphics is stunning? Nevertheless, if youâre simply looking for animated CG eye candy with fancy act ion and a cool soundtrack, "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children" is definitely a must-watch. After all, it won Best Anime Feature in the First American Anime Awards during the New York Comic Con in February 2007. Editor's note: For another take on "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children," ch eck out this review. Copyrights: © Sony Pictures Television International. All Rights Reserved. © 2005 Square Enix Co., LTD. All Rights Reserved. Character Design: Tetsuya Nomura See it now on Animax.

ONE of my favorite comedies is "My Name is Earl," which will be back for its third season on NBC on Sept. 27. Here's the "Free Earl" music video that NBC released to drum up interest for the seas on premiere. Oh, and congratulations to Jaime Pressly, who won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

By Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES--US mob drama "The Sopranos" said its final farewells when it picke d up the top award from the 59th annual Emmy awards in Los Angeles on Sunday at television's equivalent of the Oscars. The groundbreaking HBO series, which ended in June after an eight-year run, too k home the awards for outstanding drama, best writing and directing, but unexpe ctedly failed to score any prizes in the acting categories. In the comedy awards, NBC's "30 Rock," set in the offices of a New York televis ion studio, picked up the top prize, while the acting prizes were shared by Ric ky Gervais for his series "Extras" and America Ferrera for "Ugly Betty." "This is really great," "Sopranos" creator David Chase said, accepting the best drama award. "I've said it many times and I'll say it again, but maybe the bes t thing about this has been working with this cast. They are great." "I couldn't have done it by myself, it seems like I did, but I didn't," Chase s aid. "This amazing cast is really what it comes down to, the whole thing, it re ally is all about them," he said. James Spader took the outstanding lead actor in a drama award for his role as a quirky attorney in "Boston Legal," surprisingly edging out James Gandolfini, w ho had been tipped for his portrayal of mob boss Tony Soprano. "I feel like I just stole a pile of money from the mob and they're all sitting right over there," Spader said, accepting his award. Hugh Laurie had also been tipped for the award for his role as a cranky doctor in "House." "The Sopranos" had missed the top prize five times in the past, winning the mos t sought-after winged statuette of the evening just once before, in 2004. Other shows competing for the top award were ABC hospital drama "Grey's Anatomy ," lawfirm series "Boston Legal," also from ABC, Fox's popular hospital drama " House" and NBC's science fiction series "Heroes." Two-time Oscar winner Sally Field took home outstanding lead actress in a drama and her third Emmy for the series "Brothers & Sisters," edging out Edie Falco, nominated as for her role as Tony Soprano's long-suffering wife Carmela. The top comedy award was more of an open field, with strong contenders in spoof workplace documentary "The Office," which won last year, and "Ugly Betty," abo ut a smart but unattractive woman working at a fashion magazine. But it was "30 Rock" that took home the top prize. "We have the best cast and crew in all of television and on behalf of every one of them I want to thank every parent, child, spouse and gay partner of every p erson that works on our show," said creator and lead actress Tina Fey. The show also beat out strong challenges by HBO's winning "Entourage," an insid er take on the world of celebrity in Hollywood, and popular sitcom "Two and a H alf Men" starring Charlie Sheen. Fey and "Desperate Housewives" actress Felicity Huffman lost out in the lead ac tress in a comedy award to America Ferrera for "Ugly Betty." "It is truly an amazing, wonderful thing that happens when your dreams come tru e," she told the start-studded gala at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium. Ricky Gervais won the best comedy actor for his "Extras," in a surprise win. Alec Baldwin, who plays a difficult boss in "30 Rock," had been tipped for the award, along with Steve Carell for "The Office" and Tony Shalhoub, chasing his fourth win for his role as an obsessive-compulsive detective in "Monk." But perhaps the biggest cheer of the evening went to former vice president and now environmental campaigner Al Gore, accepting an award for his Current TV -- a cable channel based on viewer-created content. "We are trying to open up the television medium so that viewers can help to mak e television and join the conversation of democracy and reclaim American democr acy by talking about the choices we have to make," Gore said, after being greet ed with a standing ovation and screams from the audience.

By Associated Press LOS ANGELES--A mob family, a former vice president and the cast of "Roots" brou ght the audience to its feet at Sunday's Emmy Awards. Al Gore received a standing ovation from the Shrine Auditorium crowd as his Cur rent TV channel, which features viewer-created videos, was honored for achievem ent in interactive television. "We are trying to open up the television medium so that viewers can help to mak e television, and join the conversation of democracy, and reclaim American demo cracy by talking about the choices we have to make," said Gore, whose global-wa rming documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" received an Oscar earlier this year. Another standing ovation greeted the sprawling cast of "The Sopranos," which ga thered on stage after the drama had claimed honors for best writing and directi ng. Actor Joe Mantegna paid tribute to the show as "having changed the face of television." Queen Latifah helped salute the groundbreaking miniseries "Roots" on its 30th a nniversary. The saga about a black American family's history "brought great hon or to the art form that we celebrate tonight," she said. "Let us all work to ensure that we all honor the legacy of 'Roots' not just ton ight but in everything we do," added "Roots" star John Amos, reunited onstage w ith his cast mates to yet another standing ovation. The Emmys spread the awards wealth. Sally Field was honored as best actress in a drama for "Brothers & Sisters. " "How can that be? These wonderful actors," she said. A clearly flustered Field lost her train of thought at one point, shouting at the audience to stop applau ding while she struggled to finish her acceptance speech. The biggest laugh of the night was earned by presenters Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, after they announced that Ricky Gervais of "Extras" had won the award for best comedy series actor. "Ricky Gervais could not be here tonight. Instead we're going to give this to o ur friend, Steve Carell," Stewart said. Carell, a nominee for "The Office," bou nded on stage, sharing shared a group hug with Stewart and Colbert. Supporting actor honors went to stars of "Grey's Anatomy," "Lost," "Entourage" and "My Name is Earl." "My own mother told me I didn't have a shot in hell at winning tonight," said K atherine Heigl of "Grey's Anatomy." "This is my dream come true. I've been doin g this for 17 years." The usually staid awards needed attention from the censors from the start, with first presenter Ray Romano. He joked about his former "Everybody Loves Raymond " wife, Patricia Heaton, sleeping with her new "Back to You" co-star Kelsey Gra mmer. But he used a stronger word, which prompted Fox to black out the show for a few seconds. Heigl mouthed another expletive, which Fox unsuccessfully tried to ev ade with a different camera shot. Terry O'Quinn, who plays the mysterious John Locke on "Lost," was named best su pporting actor in a drama. "Sometimes when we're rolling around in the jungle in the mud, hitting each oth er and stabbing each other, I wonder what it would be like to bake up a sheet o f cookies on Wisteria Lane and get one of their checks," O'Quinn said, referrin g to "Desperate Housewives." "Then I think about my cast mates and crewmates, and I realize why I have the b est job in the world," said O'Quinn, whose award came in a resurgent creative s eason for the series. Jeremy Piven, who plays a slick Hollywood agent on the comedy "Entourage," was another early winner. "What an embarrassment of riches to even be able to play this role," said Piven . "I want to thank our entire crew. I don't know any of their names," he joked. Jaime Pressly of "My Name is Earl," was named best supporting actress in a come dy. "Broken Trail" was honored as best miniseries and drew awards for stars Robert Duvall and Thomas Haden Church. Oscar winner Helen Mirren ("The Queen") was honored as best actress in a minise ries or movie for "Prime Suspect," making her the category's biggest winner wit h four awards. "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" received its fifth consecutive trophy as best variety, music or comedy series. Stewart noted the satiric news show sent corr espondents to Iraq this year who "found laughs in hell. I think it's the proude st thing we found so far." In an animated opening, cartoon characters from "Family Guy" spoofed the indust ry in a song-and-dance number on a specially designed set-in-the-round at the S hrine Auditorium. Then host Ryan Seacrest took over. He saluted hosts of years past, including Johnny Carson, Conan O'Brien and Elle n DeGeneres: "Sure, they were brilliant, if that's what you're into." After bri efly bantering with audience members, including Eva Longoria of "Desperate Hous ewives," the "American Idol" host turned the ceremony over to the awards and to those with comedy on their resumes. Romano and DeGeneres did comedy bits and Lewis Black offered a mini-standup rou tine. Even Kanye West did his part, competing in a "Don't Forget the Lyrics!" spoof w ith Rainn Wilson of "The Office." Told to finish off the lyrics of West's new s ingle, "Stronger," West sang "you" instead of "ya" and Wilson got it right. "I never win," muttered West, jokingly; he's been publicly peeved over previous awards show losses.

By Bayani San Diego Jr. Inquirer MANILA, Philippines--Itâs official. âPhilippine Idolâsâ season 2 will be aired on GMA 7, according to Geraldine Bra vo, director of Marketing and Sales for FremantleMedia, âIdolâ franchise holder . âWe are very fortunate to find a new partner to produce âPhilippine Idol,ââ sai d Bravo in an official statement sent to Inquirer Entertainment on Friday. The first season of the reality singing contest was aired by ABC 5 last year. ABC 5 earlier insisted that it was still âdeep in discussions with Fremantle an d⦠barring any major glitch⦠[we will] still mount the second season.â Sought to comment on the new development, ABC 5, through senior vice president for Corporate Affairs Terra Daffon, said, âABC 5 is still waiting for official word from Fremantle.â Bravoâs formal announcement, however, sealed the deal with GMA 7. âIt is our in tention to make [RP âIdolâ] the biggest show the Philippines has ever seen,â Br avo said. According to various sources, the showâs target launch is February 2008. An insider told the Inquirer on Wednesday that GMA 7 had bagged the show as of Tuesday night. The source claimed that GMA 7 would treat its RP âIdolâ as a totally new show, independent of the first seasonâmeaning, Mau Marcelo would not be considered th e first winner. But another informant said, âFremantle should be the one to make such decisions .â Wilma Galvante, GMA 7 senior vice president for Entertainment TV, said, âAs far as we are concerned, this is our first partnership with Fremantle for the âIdo lâ franchise.â Bravoâs announcement, Galvante added, merely âmeans that [both parties] have ag reed that GMA 7 has the experience, resources and people to mount talent-search programs [like âIdolâ].â In the statement, Bravo said there was no problem in finding talented singers i n the Philippines. âThe challenge is to keep the show interesting, by providing the viewers with an insight into the journeys that the singers are [taking].â Galvante agreed: âThatâs the essence of the âIdolâ franchise.â However, she dec lined to comment on ABC 5âs status. âThatâs between ABC 5 and the people it was talking to in Fremantle.â According to Bravoâs statement, âFremantle has taken into consideration several parties to be the possible home of [RP âIdolâ].â The statement reiterated that Fremantle considered GMA 7 as âan excellent partner... having licensed other [ Fremantle] shows like âCelebrity Duets,â âWhammy,â and âFamily Feud.ââ One source said Regine Velasquez was being eyed as new âIdolâ host; another cla imed that Ryan Agoncillo and Ryan Cayabyab would be retained as host and judge, respectively. âItâs too early to go into such details,â said Galvante. Another question is whether Marcelo would compete in âAsian Idolâ in November. According to a source, it was still undecided whether GMA 7 would participate i n âAsian Idolâ or whether record label Sony-BMG would field Marcelo in the regi onal contest in Jakarta. Quite tellingly, Jan Nieto, Marceloâs runner-up on Idol, is also signing up wit h GMA 7.

ARE you looking forward to "Private Practice," the "Grey's Anatomy" spin-off t hat stars Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh)? My wife Ellen certainly is heh : ) ABC's "Private Practice" is just one of the new shows debuting this fall in the US. Here's a season premiere sneak peek. Check out this first look at the other new shows in the fall lineup courtesy of TV Guide.

OUR favorite cheerleader, Hayden Panettiere, who plays Claire Bennet in "Heroes," got Punk'd on April 10 i n the premiere episode of the last season of MTV's hidden cam practical joke TV series. Poor Hayden, that was a pretty mean prank to play on such a sweet girl. "Do I look 28?" :)

By Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn Associated Press LOS ANGELES, California--Yes, Kelsey Grammer is coming back to television. But if you're looking for another Frasier Crane, check out his reruns on Lifeti me. With the new Fox series "Back to You," Grammer's got a brand-new bag as the blu sterous Chuck Darling, an anchorman whose big-market career and overinflated eg o take a hit when he winds up back at the struggling station in Pittsburgh wher e he started. Of course, there's one thing about Darling that's remotely reminiscent of that other baritone-voiced guy -- the man who plays him. "We quite often, on a daily basis, we say, 'OK, what would Frasier do here, and let's do the opposite,'" says Steven Levitan, series co-creator with fellow "F rasier" alum Christopher Lloyd. "Even though there are going to be a lot of peo ple who still think of him as Frasier, we hope in time that they will see him a s Chuck Darling. I know we have." Explains Grammer: "Frasier was so complicated, so messed up, whereas Chuck is r eally a simpleton. He's not the smartest guy in the world, smart enough to get by, not a bad storyteller, but he's an egomaniac where Frasier was not." Comedy in the series, which debuts on September 19 (8 p.m. EDT), comes from the clash of egos between Darling and former co-anchor Kelly Carr (Patricia Heaton ), who is less than thrilled to be sharing the news desk with him. On the set, however, there's a sense of genuine camaraderie between Grammer and fellow sitcom vet Heaton ("Everybody Loves Raymond") as they finesse their way through each scene. "What makes Patty so important to us is that she's one of those rare actresses who can go toe-to-toe with Kelsey, who can be just as strong as he is in a way that doesn't make her seem unlikable," Levitan says. "From the beginning, Kelse y locked into Patricia as the right person for that role." It didn't hurt that the two shared the same agent and had been looking for a ch ance to work together. "I thought we could be maybe two university professors or something, and then i t was sort of never spoke of again," says Heaton, her auburn hair highlighted b londe to give her a new post-"Raymond" look. "Then I was doing a play in New Yo rk last winter, got this script... and it was perfect." The series gave both actors a chance to return to television in the format they love: the multi-camera sitcom, which is presented like a play before a live au dience. The genre also offers amenable hours because each episode is shot prima rily in one night -- a plus for Heaton, who's raising four boys. "I don't want to work just for the sake of working," says the 49-year-old, two- time Emmy winner, with her eight-year-old in tow. "At this point I can be a lit tle bit choosy, and this was great because it's a lot of fun and the hours are really short." For Grammer, 52, it was a chance to reunite with Lloyd and Levitan. "When they called me last November and said we've got an idea, I said to my wife, Camille, 'Well what do you think?'" says the four-time Emmy winner. "Our kids are getting close to starting school... and I took a couple of years off, and we felt, 'What the heck? Maybe there's one more in the old boy' kind o f thing, 'let's give it a try.'" While he's aware that sitcom successes like "Frasier" and "Raymond" are rare an d getting rarer, and that stars of long-running sitcoms seem to fail more often than not in subsequent efforts, Grammer isn't deterred. "Multi-camera for me is the only world that is really funny," he says. "Single- camera shows are entertaining and thought-provoking, sometimes humorous. But fa ll down laughing out loud shows? No, I don't see it." Although Fox recently tried its hand at another series about TV news -- the uns cripted "Anchorwoman," which flopped in its first week -- Heaton believes the s cripted anchors on "Back to You" will offer a more entertaining show. "You know, I was surprised when Fox put that other show on when we're on the ne twork, too -- so I was sort of glad it was pulled," says Heaton. Besides, she adds, "So much of (the news business) is entertainment anyway, the logos and the drama and the crisis, anything to get eyes is what it is." Photo courtesy of Associated Press

By Marinel Cruz Inquirer MANILA, Philippines--âIf you want to excel as a hos t, be original. Offer something that hasnât been seen or heard of.â The valuable tip is from Edu Manzano, one of the busiest TV hosts in the countr y today. Known for his quick wit and infectious humor, the 51-year-old actor and current chair of the Optical Media Board hosts two game shows on ABS-CBNââ1 vs 100â an d âGame KNB?â -- plus the early morning variety program âUmagang Kay Ganda.â Speaking at the launch of V-Go energy drink, which he endorses, Edu told the en tertainment press: âAnother secret of effective hosting is, be a good listener. You should just be reacting to your guests; you let them shine.â Edu said he admired Jon Stewart (âThe Daily Showâ) for the latterâs âability to converse intelligently about any subject -- politics, entertainment, even lite rature.â He said he liked David Lettermanâs âimpeccable timing and off-the-wall style -- a little acerbic. I like that.â Other TV hosts on Eduâs list include Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters. On the other hand, Eduâs colleagues like his style. Bernadette Sembrano, a co-h ost on âUKG,â describes him as âa natural.â John Lapus, of the talk program âShowbiz Central,â says Edu is âmy male counter part -- spontaneous, funny, witty and smart.â For Rica Peralejo, another âUKGâ co-host, says Edu is the âbest host in the cou ntry.â

UPDATE: The la test Associated Press report stated that Vanessa has apologized to her fans and that Disney is sticking with her. Disney Channel spokeswoman Pa tti McTeague was quoted in the article as saying, "Vanessa has apologized for w hat was obviously a lapse in judgment. We hope she's learned a valuable lesson. " NOW this news just breaks my heart. Vanessa Hudgens is a sweet and talented actress and singer. She's one of the most r ecognizable and bankable young stars today after the enormous success of "High School Musical" and its recently released sequel. On a more personal note, she's also been a source of pride for Filipinos -- she's part-Filipina, her mother b eing Gina Guangco. And she also happens to be the favorite actress of my five-a nd-a-half-year-old daughter Sam, along with Vanessa's "HSM" co-star Zac Efron. Her promising career, however, is now mired in controversy after a nude photo o f her made its way to the Internet and the blogosphere. Now media outlets are s aying that her publicist has confirmed that the photo is indeed hers. Here's the statement published on Usma gazine.com. Some sites have been saying that Disney execs h ave fired Vanessa, but this has been unconfirmed as of this writing. Here's the report from Associated Press:

NEW YORK--Vanessa Hudgens' representative has confirmed that a nude photo circulating on the Internet is indeed the 18-year-old star of Disney Cha nnel's wildly popular "High School Musical" series. "This was a photo which was taken privately," a statement from Hudgens' spokesm an said, according to MSNBC.com. "It is a personal matter and it is unfortunate that this has become public." The photo shows the 18-year-old actress standing naked in what appears to be a bathroom, with a red shower curtain behind her. There was no immediate comment Friday from officials at the Walt Disney Co. Hudgens portrayed Gabriella, the brainy love interest of Zac Efron's basketball star in the first two "High School Musical" movies. The two are said to be dat ing in real life. "High School Musical 2" attracted more than 17 million viewers for its Disney C hannel premiere in August, the most-watched television program of the summer. A feature film "High School Musical 3" is planned.

File photo of Vanessa Anne Hudgens arriving at the Teen Choice Awards in Un iversal City, California on August 26 courtesy of Associated Press.

HAVE you ever wondered what porn stars watch on TV? Hey, porn stars are people, too, you know, and probably love the, er, boob tube just as much as you and I do. Well, instead of just wondering, TV Guide Network's "Watch This" host John Henson interviewed some of the porn stars at t he Erotica LA 2007 convention. Here's what they had to say. And if you can actually identify all the actresses he's interviewing here... man, you've been watching too much porn! :)

By Derrik J. Lang Associated Press NEW YORK--Last year this time, "Heroes" was just anot her new show hoping to find some viewers. As everyone who owns a TV knows, it s ucceeded. Last season's top-rated freshman series, about a group of ordinary pe ople with extraordinary abilities, now has fans scratching for second-season de tails. While cast members know not to give away too much, some of them who came to New York last week to tout the show and a first-season DVD let slip a few plot tur ns. All agreed their characters will do something totally different this season . Warning: Stop reading if you don't want spoilers. "I'm just trying to get some more power," teased Zachary Quinto, who plays Syla r, whose trail of blood led off screen in the season finale, after he failed to make New York go "boom." While the bad guy will continue his evil ways -- slic ing the heads off "Heroes" and fleecing their special abilities -- there are ch anges ahead. "The point at which we left the story in Season 1, and the point at which we be gin in Season 2 are vastly different for my character, and for all of the chara cters, really," said Quinto, who'll take a leave of absence from the show to play Spock in J.J. Abrams' new big-screen "Star Trek." With time-traveling Hiro Nakamura transported to 17th-century Japan in the fina l moments of the first-season finale, that means changes for his sidekick, Ando Masahashi. The Yamagato Industries office worker from Tokyo must find a new wa y to connect with his pal. "There's going to be an interesting channel of communication," said James Kyson Lee, who plays Ando. "I can't reveal what, but it's going to be such a great w ay of storytelling. What happens in one timeline may affect the other. For Ando , I think you'll see him spending more time at Yamagato. Does he want to stay t here? Probably not, after experiencing all that he did in Season 1." Lee expects Ando and Hiro to reunite and begin a new adventure in Season 2's ei ghth episode, which has yet to be filmed. Hiro won't be the only one hopping through time. The first episode, titled "Fou r Months Later," will time-shift the entire storyline. Then, in episode eight, fans will find out what happened "Four Months Ago." This means new viewers won't feel left out if they missed the first season, sai d "Heroes" co-executive producer and writer Jeph Loeb, who tagged along on the North American leg of the "Heroes" World Tour, which dispatched other cast memb ers to parts of Asia and Europe. "For the returning fans, episode eight fills in the gaps," said Loeb. "Hopefull y, by that time, everyone will be into this mystery. When we get to the middle of November, everyone will be completely filled in and we'll move forward." One of the mysteries will be in the form of a new character, Maya, portrayed by Dania Ramirez (AJ's heartbreaker in "The Sopranos" and the super-fast villaino us Callisto in "X-Men: The Last Stand"). Maya is a super-powered Dominican on t he run from the law with her twin brother. As for her special ability, Ramirez said viewers will have to wait until the show's September 24 premiere. OK. But where's she headed, anyway? "She's going north, Ramirez said coyly. "There's a lot of injustices she encoun ters in her journey up north. She's trying to get to the US to figure out or fi nd out what's happening to her. I can't tell you what it is, but it's cool. It' s really cool." Not so cool for some others: They won't survive the season. Last year's casualties included super-persuasive Eden McCain, radioactive Ted S prague and psychic-painter Isaac Mendez. This season, expect creator Tim Kring and his writing staff to condemn more "Heroes." "This is not a show about stars," Loeb explained. "This is a show about the sho w. Everyone has the same conversation when they come on. Wherever the story tak es the writers and takes Tim is what serves that task. Keeping it very unexpect ed is part of what our audience demands of us. If all we're doing is continuing with the same characters, then we're the same as every other show. We have a p olicy in the writers' room that no one is safe." Photo of cast members (l-r) James Kyson Lee, Dania Ramirez, Zachary Quinto and Noah Gray-Cabey courtesy of Associated Press

By Bayani San Diego Jr. Inquirer MANILA, Philippines--GMA 7 has found three new super heroes in Dennis Trillo, Marky Cielo and Aljur Abrenica, who are donning the sleek spandex costumes of Zaido -- the Pinoy Shaider. The new prime time series âZaidoâ is based on the Japanese live-action series âShaider,â which ran from 1984 to 1985. âShaiderâ is part of the âMetal Heroesâ genre. Dennis is the Blue Zaido; Marky, Green; and Aljur, Red. Other cast members are Lorna Tolentino, Tirso Cruz III, Raymart Santiago, Jay M analo, Ian de Leon, Diana Zubiri, Lovi, and Kris Bernal as Amy. Diana and Karel are Dennisâ partners on the show. When Inquirer Entertainment caught up with Dennis, he had been taping âZaidoâ a nd the afternoon soap âKung Mahawi Man ang Ulapâ back-to-back for five days str aight. After a short nap, Dennis was again on the road. âIâm on my way to Laguna, to shoot a perya (carnival) scene for âZaido,ââ he re lated. âWe havenât done major fight scenes yet. But weâve been training regular ly.â Aljur has been going to the gym at least once a week, âDennis said. Aljur added: âThe three of us had the chance to bond during our martial-arts an d motorbike training.â It was Markyâs first motorbike ride. âIt was addicting,â he said. âOn my last s pin, though, I fell!â Dennis is excited that he gets to use a laser sword and gun, and do acrobatic s tunts on a harness. The award-winning actor was an avid fan of âShaiderâ when it first aired on IBC -13. âI really enjoyed the stunts,â he recalled. âAnd the story was ahead of its tim e. I was amazed by the gigantic robots fighting with the monsters.â For the Pinoy version, Dennis said the networkâs production team had âreinvente d and modernizedâ the Shaider saga. âWe want viewers to find it exciting and unpredictable,â he said. Photo of (l-r) Marky Cielo, Dennis Trillo and Aljur Abrenica courtesy of th e Philippine Daily Inquirer

YUP, we're guys, we know what we want, and we want to see it on TV, heh :) Check out these two cool clips courtesy of TV Guide's YouTube channel.