Hollywood Icon Dennis Hopper dies at 74

Dennis Hopper, whose 50-year film career spanned such classics as "Rebel Without a Cause," "Easy Rider," "Apocalypse Now," "Hoosiers," and "Blue Velvet" died Saturday following a battle with prostate cancer. He was 74.

The success of "Easy Rider," and the spectacular failure of his next film, "The Last Movie," fit the pattern for the talented but sometimes uncontrollable actor-director.   He was a two-time Academy Award nominee, and in March 2010, was honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

In a more than five-decade acting career that was influenced early on by working with James Dean and studying at the Actors Studio, he made his film debut as one of the high school gang members who menace Dean in the 1955 classic "Rebel Without a Cause."

Hopper went on to appear in more than 115 films, including "Giant," "Cool Hand Luke," "Hang 'Em High," "True Grit," "Apocalypse Now," "The American Friend," "Rumble Fish," "Speed," "True Romance" and "Rivers Edge."

But it's his role as the long-haired, pot-smoking biker Billy opposite Peter Fonda's Wyatt (Captain America) in the hit movie "Easy Rider" that gave Hopper his most enduring claim to fame.

"The impact of 'Easy Rider,' both on the filmmakers and the industry as a whole, was no less than seismic," Peter Biskind wrote in his 1998 book "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-And-Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood."

The film’s success also opened the studio doors to a new generation of long-haired young film brats who would go on to re-energize American cinema in the ’70s. But Hopper will be remembered as much for what he accomplished onscreen as behind the camera. He leaves behind a string of indelible and daring performances.

Hopper was married five times and is survived by four children, including a six-year-old daughter, Galen, born to his fifth wife, Victoria Duffy. He filed for divorce in January from Duffy after 14 years of marriage.

Gary Coleman dies at 42

Gary Coleman, who soared to fame in the late 1970s as the child star of the hit sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes" and whose adult life became fodder for the tabloids, died Friday at a Utah hospital from a brain hemorrhage. He was 42.

Coleman died at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo after suffering an intracranial hemorrhage earlier this week, according to a statement from hospital spokeswoman Janet Frank.

A resident of Santaquin, Utah, he had been hospitalized Wednesday and lost consciousness the next day. He was taken off life support Friday afternoon with his family at his side, the hospital said.

Born with failed kidneys, Coleman had undergone two transplants by age 14 and his growth was permanently stunted by the side effects of dialysis medications.  Even those trademark chubby cheeks were thought perhaps to have been a side effect to the steroids taken to ward off transplant rejection.

As a child actor, Coleman made appearances on “Good Times” and “The Jeffersons” but he’s most famous for his role as Arnold Jackson on “Diff’rent Strokes,” which revolved around a wealthy white man who adopts two African-American children. Coleman played the younger brother, while Todd Bridges played Willis, the inspiration for Coleman’s catchphrase, “What’choo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?”

At the height of his TV series success, Coleman reportedly earned $64,000 per week and is said to have made some $18 million during his TV heyday.

That included income from movies such as "On the Right Track" and "Jimmy the Kid" and TV movies such as "The Kid With the Broken Halo" and "The Kid With the 200 I.Q." — as well as the animated series "The Gary Coleman Show."

Coleman is survived by his wife Shannon Price and his parents W.G. Coleman and Edmonia Sue Coleman.

Lee DeWyze is the new American Idol

The most lackluster season of American Idol came to a close last night, and underdog Lee DeWyze was crowned the winner over the favorite Crystal Bowersox.

Whether he actually deserved to win or not is another story altogether.  Personally, I think Crystal was the better singer, not even close.  However as we have learned in the past from watching Idol this isn't strictly a singing competition.  It's also about image.  Apprently viewers felt Lee's image was more Idol-like than Crystal's.

After host Ryan Seacrest revealed him as the winner, an emotional DeWyze performed his rendition of U2's "Beautiful Day" while sparklers and confetti rained down from the rafters at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.
The finale also marked the end of Simon Cowell's nine-season run on the show as the often-critical and sometimes foul-tempered head judge many contestants both feared and respected.

"Idol" winners from previous seasons, including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks and Kris Allen, took to the stage to give Cowell a musical sendoff, while former judge Paula Abdul returned to wish him well, saying that working with Cowell gave her "immeasurable joy."  "I've loved all the fun we had together. 'American Idol' is not going to be the same without you," she said.

"I didn't think I would be this emotional, but I genuinely am," Cowell said

LOST: A Perfect Ending to an Amazing Show

Well Lost ended last night with what was, in my opinion, the perfect ending.  It had it all.  It was sad, happy, funny, scary, very well written and well acted.  It was everything you could ask for from a series finale.

Now some people may not be satisfied with the resolution of the storyline.  I was. Regardless that this theory had been floating around since the beginning of the series, it didn't matter to me.  It was the way it was presented, and the way the story came to its end that I was happy with. 

The theory being that castaways were dead and in some sort of purgatory or limbo, and that our main character Jack, was the focal point.    He was the one that needed to complete his journey so he could move on.  He needed to "let go."  The Island world, we learned, absolutely mattered to the physical fate of the survivors. In my opinion, the events we saw on that island, actually happened to these characters.  And the Sideways world, an afterlife of some sort,  mattered because it was the culmination of the lives of the characters. It was a resolution to their spiritual existence, their souls.

Some fans will complain that the Sideways timeline was bogus, because the producers said long ago that Lost wasn't about Purgatory. In fact, this theory they refuted was that the Island was Purgatory, and it wasn't.   The Island events were real life, and the Sideways events were an afterlife in some way.  By doing it this way, the producers actually managed to find a way to discredit the purgatory theory, while still using it.  The Sideways events, was the purgatory that they themselves had created in order to find one another again, to reconnect one last time with the most important people in their lives before they could move on to the afterlife.

Not everyone is going to like how it ended.   If you watched this show for the characters, then you probably will love how it ended.  If you watched the show for the intricate plot, then you will probably not like the ending very much.  Many people will not like that some if not many questions went unanswered.  In my opinion, with a show like Lost, having unhappy people and unanswered questions at the end is unavoidable.   You are not going to please everyone, it's a fact.  Many of the BIG questions were answered, and many were left open to interpretation.

Certainly people have guessed that the series that began with Jack's eye opening would end with it closing. It made perfect sense that Jack, who was meant to die at the end of the original version of the Lost pilot, instead die at the end of the series. 

But here is where I think they made the perfect ending. As Jack staggered through the jungle, he eventually found himself laying in the very same spot where he awoke on the island in the pilot.  Vincent reappeared as he had in the pilot's first minutes as well.    Before Jack's eye closed for the final time, he saw a plane fly overhead with his friends safely on board.

The actors have to be given credit too.   All of their scenes of remembering the island in last nights finale were so well done.  I had said all through this series that it boasted the best acting on television and last night just enhanced my opinion of that.

As to things being left open to interpretation, that's fine with me.  If everything was answered and tied up in a neat little package, what would fans of the show talk and debate about?  Lost fans can talk and speculate and debate about this show for as long as they want now.  For Lost fans, thats a good thing.  It's a way that the show can live on.  If all answers were given, then the speculation and debate ends.  No one talks about the meaning of the end of MASH.  We all know what it meant.

Lost was about life, death, faith, and redemption.  It has always been theorized that the title of the show referred to characters souls and not them being physically lost.  Now we now that to be true.

What I am going to miss most about Lost is not the mythology or the many questions we got each week.  I'm going to miss these incredible characters and the journey they took to get to where they were in the finale.  Never has a show had such rich and well written characters.  That's what kept me tuning in every week.

LOST was an incredible experience for me as a TV viewer, and I'm so glad that I went along for the ride.

CBS cancels 7 shows including 'Ghost Whisperer' and 'Old Christine'

CBS is moving aggressively to shake up its 2010-11 season, canceling 'The New Adventures of Old Christine,' and six other series.

The crime procedurals 'Cold Case,' 'Ghost Whisperer' and 'Numbers' will not be renewed for next season. Jerry Bruckheimer's drama 'Miami Medical' also is canceled, as is fellow freshman 'Accidentally on Purpose,' which mainly aired as part of a Monday night comedy block. 'Gary Unmarried' was also axed. 


The wholesale axings came as a surprise, given the respectable ratings earned by some of the shows and CBS' standing as the most-watched network.

2 of the cancellations were very surprising.  'Ghost Whisperer' in particular, consistently delivered promising numbers for a Friday, 8 p.m. spot, but the network still decided to pull the plug and keep a different mystery show, 'Medium,' starring Patricia Arquette. Another surprise was 'Christine,' which has been a stable if low-rated performer.

ABC almost immediately expressed interest in picking up both 'Whisperer' and 'Christine.'  'Whisperer' would make more sense for the network, which has improved its comedy offerings this season; the average rating for 'Christine' is low compared with ABC's current Wednesday comedy block.

As for 'Cold Case,' CBS was on the fence for months about the 7-year-old drama. Its ratings were admirably stable, if modest, on Sundays.

Sandra wins Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains

Sandra Diaz-Twine became the only 2 time winner in Survivor history on Sunday night when she was crowned the winner of 'Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.'


The 34-year-old bank teller from Fayetteville, N.C. beat Parvati Shallow and Russell Hantz to win the million dollar prize and also claiming the ultimate bragging right by becoming the only 2 time winner.  The final vote was 6 votes for Sandra, 3 votes for Parvati, and 0 for Russell.

"It makes me the queen," Diaz-Twine said of her two-time win.

Sandra also has the distinction of winning the game twice without EVER winning a single challenge.  "If she can win the game twice, there is a flaw in the game," a disgruntled Russell said.

Russell, who many (including me) thought should have won last season, did win an audience-voted prize worth $100,000 for the Player of the Season.

Now, i'm not quite ready to call Sandra the best Survivor ever.  I know she is the only 2 time winner.  But for my money, Parvati convinced me this season that she owns the title of best ever.    Russell was well on his way to being the best ever after last season, but he really let his ego get the best of him this season.   He alienated his fellow players, not really getting close to any of them.  His lack of a social gameplay strategy hurt him last season and it hurt him again this season.

I'm not a big fan of someone who plays the game by riding the coattails of other players.  Many people say that is a valid strategy, and it may be.  However it's not a strategy that I respect as a fan of the game.  Parvati made some real game changing, risky moves.  The moves paid off.  Sandra really made no "moves" in the game.  She really took no risks.  Yes she won.... AGAIN, and good for her.  Sandra seems like a great person, and of the 3 finalists this season, she is probably the nicest of them all.  But Survivor is not about being nice.    Much like last season, in my opinion, the jury made the wrong decision.  My vote would have gone to Parvati.

But when it comes right down to it, you are supposed to Outwit, Outplay, and Outlast everyone else in order to win the game.  Sandra certainly did that, and she did it for the 2nd time.

I will say that after 20 seasons, Survivor came through with it's best season ever.  It was an amazing season and I for one cannot wait until the fall when 'Survivor: Nicaragua' premieres.

'Law & Order' ends after 20 years

Crime drama 'Law & Order' will end its 20-year run later this month, NBC announced.

The network said that the show will be replaced next TV season with 'Law & Order:  Los Angeles.   The network said the new series would follow similar themes and stories as the New York-based original, albeit on a new coast.

In New York the series became a mini-industry, employing thousands of aspiring Broadway actors. Jerry Orbach achieved fame as Detective Lennie Briscoe, and the series helped to launch Chris Noth, who went on to further fame in 'Sex and the City' and now 'The Good Wife.'

It featured guest stars ranging from Julia Roberts to Philip Seymour Hoffman. It even helped to fuel a 2008 presidential bid by Fred Thompson, a former Republican senator who became a household name playing Manhattan district attorney Arthur Branch.

“Over the last 20 years, 'Law and Order' became a New York City institution,” Michael Bloomberg, the city’s Mayor, said. “It began filming in the city at a time when few series did, and it helped pave the way for the more than 150 television shows based here today.

“It also helped launch the careers of thousands of talented actors and featured many memorable performances, although my cameos are not among them.”

The 456th and final episode of 'Law and Order' will air on May 24, with a guest appearance by Lindsey Vonn, an Olympic gold-medal skier.

NBC makes it official. 'Heroes' cancelled.

NBC announced that they have decided not to renew 'Heroes' for a 5th season.

'Heroes' was a runaway hit and developed something of a cult following when it was first aired several seasons ago, but suffered a precipitous drop in ratings. Actors like Milo Ventimiglia (Peter Petrelli), Zachary Quinto (Sylar), Masi Oka (Hiro Nakamura) and Hayden Panettiere (Clair Bennet) got great exposure on the TV series.


The show never managed to recapture those stellar ratings from its critically-beloved first season, when it averaged a whopping 14.5 million. There has been talk that NBC may air a movie that allows the producers to wrap up the story, but nothing has been set in stone. NBC will announce its fall lineup to advertisers Monday in New York.

ABC gives V another season

A surprise announcement, in my opinion, coming from ABC.  The network has decided to give the sci-fi series 'V' another season.


Considered to be on the chopping block for the last several weeks, the show averaged 10 million viewers a week for ABC in its original Tuesday at 8 p.m. timeslot, but quickly fell to a 6 million per week at 10 p.m. following 'Lost,' losing huge chunks of that audience.  Dropping from a 6.7 in the key 18-49 demo to a 3.8.

Personally, I think 'FlashForward' was the show that ABC should have saved.  Much better writing, and a superior cast.   


No word yet on whether the renewal is for 13 episodes or a full 22 episode season.

ABC pulls the plug on 'FlashForward' and 3 other shows

ABC has decided not to renew 'FlashForward' for a 2nd season.

The series debuted in September and attracted a 4.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 12.47 million viewers. With a lot of buzz, it seemed like ABC had a hit. For week two, the ratings dropped to a still very respectable 3.7 and 10.73 million.

But then viewership just kept falling, hitting a low of a 2.1 in the key demo and just 7.1 million viewers. Then, ABC pulled the series for three months. The spin was that they would relaunch 'FlashForward' after the Olympics.

The network gave the return a significant amount of promotion but it didn’t help. 'FlashForward's ratings were even worse and they just kept dropping.

However, author Robert J. Sawyer confirmed in an interview that the producers of the show won't let 'FlashForward' be another show left with dangling plot. He promised that editing would be done to the finale — major, major editing — to close up most loose threads and to make the series finale more satisfying to fans.

This is a big disappointment.  I was really hoping ABC would give the show one more shot.  After a sluggish period in the middle of the season, the show has really picked up and gotten much better.

In other news from the alphabet network, it was also announced that the comedies 'Scrubs,' 'Better Off Ted,' and 'Romantically Challenged' were cancelled.  No big surprises there.  I thought 'Ted' might get another season, but 'Scrubs' should have ended last year and the Alyssa Milano vehicle 'Romantically Challenged' just didn't find an audience.

'Chuck' renewed for 4th season

Fear not 'Chuck' fans, the reluctant super-spy we all love will be returning for a 4th season.

NBC made the announcement yesterday.  The show, which has been on the bubble despite having a very loyal fanbase and big time critical acclaim, will return for 13 episodes.

'Chuck' has had steady ratings this season.  They haven't been great ratings, but they have been steady.  Considering the competition in that timeslot (House, Dancing With the Stars, and How I Met Your Mother) , the show has performed admirably.

While 13 episodes is the official order, NBC has the option of adding up to 9 more episodes.  Before Season Two, when the show had also been renewed for only 13 episodes, the network ordered a full season of the show before anything had aired after being impressed with the quality of the early episodes. A similar situation happened this season, when the network bumped the order from 13 episodes to 19 before anything had even aired.

'Human Target' & 'Lie To Me' Renewed by Fox

A bit of a surprise coming from Fox today.  Both 'Lie to Me' and 'Human Target' have been picked up for 13 episode seasons.

It was widely believed that Fox would choose one or the other from these 2 shows. In recent days it was rumored that they were leaning more toward 'Lie to Me' because it was less expensive to make.  

Thankfully they decided to save 'Human Target' as well. The critically acclaimed 'Target' is the far superior show.  Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against 'Lie to Me' but in this day and age of crime procedurals, TV needs something a little different.  'Target' is also the perfect replacement for fans of the outgoing '24.'

Survivor: Did Russell's bold move cost him the game?

Russell Hantz has continued to play Survivor unlike anyone has ever played before.  Finding hidden immunity idols, making big power moves, and building alliances. 

After Candice was voted out at the first of two tribal councils, Russell pulled a big bold move.  Russell feared Danielle and Parvati were getting too close and felt he needed to break them up.  A risky move since Russell already was in a pretty strong alliance with them.

Russell lied to Parvati and told her that Danielle wanted her out, but Parvati confronted Danielle with this information.  Danielle told her it wasn't true, telling Parvati that she felt Russell was trying to turn them against each other, which he was.  Meanwhile Russell was gathering the Heroes votes against Danielle and also convinced Jerri to vote his way.  In the end the votes came in 4 votes for Danielle and 3 for Rupert.  Danielle was going home.

This was a big bold move for Russell.  One the one hand, he broke up a very powerful twosome in Danielle and Parvati, who most certainly would have voted him out instead of each other if it came down to it.  But on the other hand, did he cost himself 2 very key votes from possible jury members?  If Danielle and Parvati both get to the jury, this move most likely cost Russell their vote. 

Of course, if Parvati is one of the finalists, then he may have only lost Danielle's vote.  Danielle most likely would vote for Parvati in this situation anyway.  Russell still has time to get some other people on his side. 

One other thing that I'm not sure Russell thought through here is that he has now given the remaining Heroes of Rupert and Colby renewed life in the game.

There are 2 episodes left this season, and it's shaping up to be a great ending to an amazing season.

'Lost' finale gets extended by 30 minutes

ABC announced that it is extending the 'Lost' finale by 30 minutes, giving the producers two and a half hours in total, and delaying stations’ local newscasts on Sunday, May 23.

A total of seven and a half hours of 'Lost' are planned that weekend, according to ABC’s schedule.

First the network will re-run an enhanced pop-up version of the blockbuster two-hour pilot on Saturday, May 22, from 8 to 10 p.m. Then on Sunday, 'Lost' takes over the schedule, starting with a two-hour retrospective of the show at 7 p.m.

The finale, titled 'The End,' starts at 9 p.m., and the local news starts at 11:30 p.m.

At 12:05 a.m., it’s time for the post-game show, courtesy of Jimmy Kimmel. He’s hosting a special episode of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live,' titled “Aloha to ‘Lost,’” featuring alternative endings to the show.

FX renews 'Justified'

FX has ordered another season of its newest critically acclaimed drama series 'Justified,' picking up a 13 episode second season.

“We are very excited about the tremendous, widespread acclaim that Justified has received from both audiences and television critics,” said John Landgraf, President and General Manager of FX Networks. “Graham Yost, Tim Olyphant, Elmore Leonard and their talented partners have crafted a uniquely ambitious and entertaining series which is everything we aspired to when we developed the show.”


Developed for television by Graham Yost and starring Timothy Olyphant, 'Justified' is based on the popular Elmore Leonard character Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens from his short story 'Fire in the Hole' and some of his other novels.

Through seven weeks, first-run episodes of 'Justified' are averaging 3.4 million viewers and 1.7 million Adults 18-49. The weekly multi-run average viewership for the series is 7.5 million total viewers and 3.9 million Adults 18-49 (six episodes). ' Justified' is this year’s number-one rated new series on basic cable in delivery of Men 18-49 (1.1 million). 'Justified' was the most-watched series premiere in FX history, with 4.9 million total viewers, surpassing 'The Shield’s' 4.8 million total viewers (3/12/02).