Wednesday, September 26, 2007
The Mid-Morning Wrap Up
11:00AM Anna King | While you were sleeping: LAPD impedes Kiefer Sutherland from saving the world one DUI at a time. Mel Gibson to abandon Malibu for Costa Rica. Denise “I want Charlie Sheen’s sperm” Richards vs. Charlie “I’m just too popular” Sheen: the sleepover wars edition. It’s still good: Jason Donovan on crack: all the cool kids were doing it! Idol resumes status as a singing competition. Two Zzzz-list Aussies break it off, we pretend to weep/give a crap. More »
Kate Ritchie Announces Departure From Summer Bay
9:18AM Jess McGuire | We knew it had to happen sooner or later – Kate Ritchie has revealed she will be leaving Home and Away at the end of the year.
After playing Sally Fletcher for 20 years on Channel Seven’s hit serial drama, Kate Ritchie will farewell Home And Away in mid-December when she films her final scene.
Kate has been a permanent cast member since its pilot aired 20 years ago, in 1987.
“I have been blessed with a job that I have loved for the past 20 years and I wouldn’t take back one moment of my time on Home And Away but I feel that it is time for change.” said Kate today.
Ritchie managed to achieve the dream of every Australian actor by winning the TV Week Gold Logie earlier this year for her role on the program, and we must commend her for her bravery in leaving the soap at the height of her fame rather than run the risk of being typecast as Sally Fletcher for the rest of her life, a disastrous turn of events which would have undoubtedly occured had she chosen to pursue more than twenty years with the program.
We congratulate Kate Ritchie on a sterling career so far, and look forward to seeing where life takes her (the UK panto scene, the pop charts, a second shot at grainy video infamy, etc)
After the jump, some classic Sally moments from history!
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Kiefer Sutherland Arrested For DUI, Loses Precious World-Saving Time While Being Processed By LAPD
9:00AM Defamer Hollywood | This morning brings news that will sadden and shock Hollywood (OK, perhaps it won’t exactly shock anyone), as universally beloved, pub-crawling, America-saving rogue Kiefer Sutherland was popped for a DUI last night in West L.A., having reportedly fallen prey to the trap that has claimed untold celebrity lightweights unfit to freshen up his whiskey glass: the illegal U-turn in the sightline of a waiting police cruiser. More »
Annals Of Day-Player Nudity
8:45AM Defamer Hollywood | In parsing Good Luck Chuck’s apparent cinematic influences, an latimes.com slideshow makes this not-unexpected discovery concerning Hollywood most stubbornly never-nude (for now, at least) actress: “The first thing we noticed…was that about 30 women took off their shirts in the film and none of them was named Jessica Alba.” [latimes.com] More »
Charlie Sheen Points To His Popular Semen As Proof Of His Competent Child Rearing Skills
8:30AM Defamer Hollywood | Highest paid pom-pom-fetishist in television Charlie Sheen appeared in family court yesterday, defending himself against ex-wife Denise Richards, who sought to have overnight visits with their toddler-aged children revoked. As evidence, she once again warned the judge that they could be irreversibly scarred after stumbling onto his now well-known stash of bookmarked pep squad internet porn pages: [Sheen] fought back yesterday after Richards, mother of his two toddler daughters – Sam, 3, and Lola, 2 – asked a judge to prevent the kids from staying at his house anymore, and not to let him have his own nanny. [...] More »Mel Gibson Chooses Costa Rican Bandit Country Over Malibu Beaches
8:15AM Defamer Hollywood | We know we’re all still recovering from Kiefer Sutherland’s drunken tackling of our collective Christmas tree, but, unfortunately, nothing but more heartache awaits: as noted in the above Today clip, Malibu land baron Mel Gibson, whose despotic control of the sleepy beachside community was undermined by some ill-chosen, tequila-drenched words about his Semitic and sugar-titted subjects, is abandoning our fine city for the badlands of Costa Rica, ignoring the warnings of a government concerned for the safety of our emigrating national treasure. More »Short Ends: Clooney Intact, Charming As Ever
8:10AM Defamer Hollywood | Just in case you need to see video of a relatively intact George Clooney working his red carpet magic to know he’s really going to be OK, here you go. Say what you will about Britney Spears, but she did learn to put on shoes when using public restrooms. That’s measurable progress, even if the leap forward came because of a session with a court-ordered bathroom-hygiene coach. And while we’re talking about her, Sarah Silverman shrugs off her “adorable mistakes” joke from the VMAs. Sometimes we really worry about the folks at TMZ. We hope they run footage of the staff meeting pitch that resulted in that post on tonight’s show: “OK, remember Baby Spice? Well, she’s selling pasta sauce. What do you say we Photoshop up something where it looks like Chef Boyardee took a dump on her head?” And finally: Tiny couch lizard. More »
Phil Spector’s Innocence Is Your Friend!
8:05AM Defamer Hollywood | As the hung Phil Spector jury, sufficiently confused by the judge’s introduction and subsequent retraction of instructions, retires again to the jury room to resume deliberations (this time armed with 12 foam marital-therapy bats), a mini-controversy has erupted: [A] court official said an investigation was under way into a message that was posted Sunday on the Team Spector Web site on MySpace.com. The message, allegedly posted by Spector’s wife, Rachelle, read, “I love Phil Spector!! The evil judge should DIE!!” More »
Summer Movie Candy Tie-Ins Set To Turn Getting Fat Into An Adventure
8:00AM Defamer Hollywood | With next summer’s franchise blockbusters like The Dark Knight and Indiana Jones in the Land of the Diamond Skulls knee-deep into their production schedules, so are plans for the confectionery merchandising tie-ins coveted by shrill, skirt-tugging children and paunchy, middle-aged fanboys alike. Eschewing such creative but functionally infeasible options of the past – such as the boulder-sizedRaiders gobstopper that tragically killed 17 children in the summer of 1981 – Lucasfilm has paired with Mars to deliver a chai-coconut Snickers that simply screams “adventure in an exotic locales.” Brandweek reports: Even Mars is getting into the act with its Snickers Adventure bar containing a hint of chai and coconut. The limited edition offering ties in with Lucasfilm’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The Indy tie-in also extends to M&M’s, which will offer limited-edition Mint Crisp flavour. Reese’s [The Dark Knight] line will include bat-shaped chocolate and peanut butter pieces, and Kit Kat wafers bars will be stamped with the bat signal. More »
