{alltv} BP oil spill swamps Yahoo search engine in 2010

 

SAN FRANCISCO – It took a man-made disaster to topple a celebrity from the top spot on Yahoo Inc.'s annual list of most popular search requests.

BP PLC's massive oil spill in the Gulf Coast drew the most interest among the tens of millions of people that used Yahoo's search engine during 2010. The Internet company released its top 10 rankings Tuesday.

Michael Jackson was Yahoo's most requested subject in 2009, the year that the entertainer's death stunned the world. Britney Spears, another star-crossed singer, held the No. 1 position on Yahoo's search list from 2005 through 2008.

After falling to No. 5 last year, Spears dropped to No. 10 on Yahoo's list this year.

Although Yahoo's search engine is the second most used on the Web, it's not the best barometer of people's online interests. That's because Google fields billions more search requests than Yahoo, Microsoft Corp.'s Bing and AOL Inc. combined.

Bing and AOL released their top searches earlier this week, with reality TV star Kim Kardashian topping Bing's list and golfer Tiger Woods leading the pack of celebrities at AOL. Kardashian came in fourth on Yahoo's list and seventh in AOL's celebrity rankings; Woods was third on Bing and didn't appear among Yahoo's Top 10.

Google doesn't plan to break down its top searches until later in December so it can get an even better handle on what piqued Web surfers' curiosity this year.

As usual, pop culture dominated the rest of Yahoo's Top 10. Other celebrities on Yahoo's list included teen singer and actress Miley Cyrus (No. 3), singer Lady Gaga (No. 5), actress Megan Fox (No. 7), teen heartthrob Justin Bieber (No. 8) and TV's top-rated show, the American Idol talent competition (No. 9).

Soccer's World Cup, which drew huge crowds and television audiences in June, grabbed the second spot on Yahoo's list while Apple Inc.'s most hot-selling gadget, the iPhone, came in sixth.

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{alltv} Holbrook performs Twain on author's 175th birthday

 

ELMIRA, N.Y. – The crowd sang happy 175th birthday to Mark Twain before the lights went down at the Clemens Center, then laughed along with the nearest incarnation of the late author and humorist: Hal Holbrook.

The 85-year-old actor once again put on his white suit and makeup and reminisced, wisecracked, smoked and scolded Tuesday night in the latest, and not the last, stage re-enactment of Twain's world famous speaking engagements from the turn of the 20th century. Twain died 100 years ago in April and is buried in Elmira, home to the family of his adored wife, Olivia.

Performing at a sellout engagement at the 1,600-seat theater, relying as he has for decades on a simple set of lectern, high-backed chair and adjacent table, Holbrook assumed Twain's gravely drawl and rasped the master's ever-relevant wisdom on some favorite targets — politicians, religion and human nature itself. He slouched against the lectern, sat open-legged in the chair, shuffled in profile, cigar in mouth like a tongue sticking out.

"I wonder," Holbrook says, "if God invented man because he was disappointed in the monkey." Considering the general atrocities of the world, he declares, "It is inexplicable that God would endure all this, with lightning so cheap." Another shot: "Man was made at the end of a week's work, when God was tired.

Holbrook recited, from memory, a long passage from "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and dabbed his eyes as Twain's hero lied to authority on behalf of the runaway slave Jim. He quoted from Twain's memories of his courtship of Olivia, who came from a wealthy and respectable family that had doubts about the unpolished author and requested letters of recommendation.

Even his friends turned on him.

"They not only spoke of me with disapproval," Holbrook/Twain said, "they were enthusiastic about it."

No side of the barn was broader than our system of government. We not only have freedom of speech and freedom of worship, but the history of ignoring both. Congress, Holbrook cracked, is the "best that money can buy" and sworn to "distribute the graft."

In a quote that might have come the staff of Jon Stewart, Holbrook/Twain observes: "If you could work a multiplication table into a political platform, Republicans would vote it down."

The genius was in the words. And the timing. Holbrook recalled Twain's belief that politicians never reformed. Well, there was one politician who reformed, on election eve.

Pause.

"He died."

Pause.

"He was reformed by his friend who took him boating on the East River."

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{alltv} Sightings

 

Martha Stewart shopping for jewelry at Bergdorf Goodman. . . Hilary Swank having lunch with a friend in a corner banquette at the Crosby Street Hotel . . . Moby and Matt Dillon having dinner with filmmaker Abel Ferrara at Rice in NoLIta. . . Robert Pattinson, Colin Farrell, Jane Fonda, Will.I.Am and Jimmy Iovine at separate tables at Soho House West Hollywood . . . RENEE Zellweger stopping by Madison Avenue's Lilly Pulitzer store to buy the Bianca dress (strapless, long chiffon).

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{alltv} Leighton Meester suits up for Independent Film Awards

 

Leighton Meester wore a suit onstage with co-presenter Anthony Mackie at Monday night's Gotham Inde pendent Film Awards. A spy told us, "While presenting, they kept pinching each other, and at the table he put his arm around her waist." Also at the Calvin Klein and Russian Standard- sponsored event, Anne Hathaway gave an award to Focus Features CEO James Schamus, and thanked her for changing her career path with a role in "Brokeback Mountain," adding, "Don't get me wrong, I loved playing princesses." She con cluded, "Focus Features is a studio with balls."

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{alltv} Erica Hill has the last laugh as new anchor of 'The Early Show'

 

 

When Erica Hill left "Anderson Cooper 360" for CBS News last year, former CNN honcho Jon Klein sneered at the sassy sidekick that she was going nowhere fast. An insider says Klein told her, "Why are you going there? It's not like you're anchoring the 'Evening News.' " Photogenic Hill started as a newsreader for "The Early Show" and anchored the Saturday edition. Now, she's having the last laugh. CBS News announced yesterday that Hill and Chris Wragge will take over as the new morning anchor team, succeeding Harry Smith and Maggie Rodriguez. A source close to Hill quoted her as saying "Jon Klein is a very dear friend and he has never been anything but fully supportive of my career." An industry insider buzzed that the morning show shakeup happened partly because "CBS has no money to spend. Harry Smith was more expensive than they can afford." But a CBS News source said, "Bringing in this new team is a decision focused on improving the show. Payroll and cost were not the basis for the decision."

 

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{alltv} Kardashian courting New Jersey Net?

 

Kim Kardashian didn't spend her entire holiday weekend glued to Calvin Klein model Gabriel Aubry. She spent Thanksgiving Day with Aubry in LA, and they saw "Burlesque" there on Friday. But Sunday, the reality star sat courtside at the Nets-Trailblazers game in New Jersey to watch Nets forward Kris Humphries.Friends say Kardashian has known him a while but they could become more than friends. "She's dating a lot right now," a pal said. He could fit in with the Kardashians since his name starts with "K" and he has sisters named Krystal and Kaela. Kim's rep had no comment.

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{alltv} Sons of Anarchy: Ally Walker Discusses the Powerful Season Finale

 

WARNING: The following story contains spoilers about the Season 3 finale of Sons of Anarchy. Read at your own risk.

It was a partnership doomed to fail.

On Sons of Anarchy, there was a certain inevitability to how this season's unholy alliance between Jax (Charlie Hunnam) and Agent Stahl (Ally Walker) would end: with one person or the other dead.

And, well, Jax is the star of the show.

"Once Stahl and Jax were in business, it was kind of over, and I knew that," Walker tells TVGuide.com, noting that she knew creator Kurt Sutter was leaning toward killing off Stahl before Season 3 began. "She's such a bad, bad person that it's really hard to go anywhere else with her."

Stahl, who cut a deal with Jax to clear his mother's name and reduce the club's jail time for pending weapons charges, met her fate by overplaying her hand. Once Jax delivered on his end of the bargain — turning over Jimmy O'Phelan (Titus Welliver) to Stahl's team — Stahl double-crossed Jax by revealing to the club that he had been working for her all along.

What she didn't count on was that Jax was working a long con that ended with his non-jailbound brothers taking Stahl out. "I think she was worried about it," Walker says. "Jax had proven how smart he was to her in the interview in the jail in Season 2.  So, she was aware of his intelligence, and I think she was aware he could turn on her. She just couldn't see how. I think she figured in the end that he would do anything to get his mother off the hook, and that's what she was banking on."

But even before the double cross, Stahl was doomed in Sutter's eyes. "The thing I wanted to explore with her ... was just the idea that when you have that sort of obsessive personality and need to succeed, ultimately the pursuit of this big prize creates the alpha-cop paradox," he says. "In pursuit of the bad guy, you ultimately become more evil than the evil that you're pursuing. I don't think it's uncommon for that to happen in the world of law enforcement and that's what happened to Stahl. Ultimately, she just became incredibly evil."

The evil streak was showcased in the Season 2 finale when Stahl shot and killed an informant, then framed Jax's mother, Gemma (Katey Sagal), for the murder. It returned in Season 3's penultimate episode, as Stahl killed her own girlfriend to protect a new set of lies Stahl had created to exonerate Gemma based on her deal with Jax.

"When you have a character cross that line and do what she did, logically it's really hard to continue without being too absurd," Sutter says. "I think once she kills someone like that, at that point the danger level is so high that, whether or not it was in Jax's plan to begin with, she would ultimately have to go away."

Sutter says he also learned a lesson from the Season 2 finale, when he let his antagonist, Nathan Zobelle (Adam Arkin), get away relatively unscathed.

"Guys like Zobelle get away — they're almost above the law. And I think that was a very unsatisfying ending for people," Sutter says. "This season, it was organic that Stahl crossed a line and she would pay the price and therefore it was organic that she would die."

"The bad guy must go down," Walker adds. "Maybe she was on the side of right, but who she was as a human being was very vile. Ultimately, human beings create their own destiny, and I believe June definitely created hers."

But don't worry: Walker may soon live again on your TV screen. She's preparing to shoot a pilot for Lifetime called Exit 19, in which she plays a quirky homicide cop.

"I think strong women usually get relegated to being cops or doctors," Walker says with a laugh, noting her string of law enforcement roles. But her new character is funny. "[The show] is much lighter than Sons, and for me it's good to get back to doing some comedy again. ... It's not completely about violence and darkness."

What did you think of the Sons of Anarchy finale?

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{alltv} Neve Campbell, 2nd husband split

 

Neve Campbell is single again after secretly filing for divorce from her actor husband John Light in June.

The actress wed the Brit in May 2007, but they have separated after three years of marriage.

Campbell filed divorce papers in Los Angeles County Superior Court in June, citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce has not yet been finalized, reports TMZ.com.

A source tells the website, "They're still really close friends, and it was a very amicable divorce."

Campbell also specified she wants to block the court from awarding Light any spousal support.

The next hearing is scheduled for later this month.

Campbell, 37, was previously wed to Canadian actor Jeff Colt; they divorced in 1998 after three years of marriage.

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{alltv} Judge issues rulings in estate's superhero battle

 

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – A New York federal judge has weighed in on an important case that could be worth billions of dollars and impact the future of Iron Man, X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, and other superhero characters.

The case involves an attempt by the estate of comic book artist Jack Kirby to terminate a copyright grant over his work. After Kirby's children served 45 notices of copyright termination, Marvel Entertainment sued the estate in New York District Court, seeking a declaration that the creations were "works-made-for-hire" and not eligible for termination. The estate countersued, seeking its own declaration that the termination notices were served properly to Marvel.

Last week, New York federal judge Colleen McMahon rejected a bid by Marvel to throw out the Kirby estate's main counterclaim. The judge decided it wasn't a "redundant" claim, meaning she will soon have an opportunity to shake up Marvel's universe, if she so decides, with a potentially devastating future ruling.

But the judge's decision wasn't a complete loss for Marvel. Far from it.

The studio was successful in avoiding an accounting on how much money is potentially at stake. Judge McMahon agreed with Marvel's contention that it would be premature to adjudicate the issue before it's decided whether the Kirby material can be terminated.

Marvel also scored more victories in trimming counterclaims made by the Kirby estate, which is being represented by Marc Toberoff, the same attorney who is giving Warner Bros. quite a few headaches over terminated rights to Superman.

Judge McMahon has ruled that the estate's attempt to get Marvel to return Kirby's original artwork is "untimely," barred by the statute of limitations. She has also thrown out Kirby's other counterclaims of breach-of-contract and violations under the Lanham Act. The estate had argued that Kirby was not credited with being the author or co-author of works that served as the basis for recent films "The Incredible Hulk" and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

In sum, the judge has narrowed the case to its most crucial issue. Both sides disagree about Kirby's working environment in the 1950s and 1960s when he, along with Stan Lee, conceived many of Marvel's most popular characters. The judge will soon be tasked with looking at Kirby's work history and some of the loose contracts and oral agreements that guided his efforts in those years.

Finally, Walt Disney Co. will be a part of this lawsuit, whether it wants to or not. Marvel, which was purchased by Disney for $4 billion late last year, had attempted to dismiss its new corporate parent from the proceedings, shielding it from liability. Marvel had argued that the termination notices were sent a few months prior to the Disney acquisition.

However, Judge McMahon rules that it's immaterial, that Disney is now in the position to exploit Marvel's assets -- including the rights that Marvel has to Kirby-created characters -- and that Kirby's claim for declaratory relief must include Disney as well.

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{alltv} Sarah Palin's ratings recover a little from slide

 

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Sarah Palin's fortunes are improving on TLC.

Ratings for the conservative cheerleader's Alaska-based reality show grew for her third episode, reversing course after a 40% slide the previous week.

"Sarah Palin's Alaska" delivered 3.5 million viewers Sunday night, a 17% rebound. Normally when ratings go down double digits for a second episode, the third outing generally falls at least a little. Palin may also have benefited from some weaker competition (ABC had the American Music Awards the previous week). Even so, this is great news for TLC.

The Alaska episode to watch will be in two weeks, when Kate Gosselin guest stars.

The debut episode of "Sarah Palin's Alaska" drew 5 million viewers, the most-watched program launch in TLC's history.

The news wasn't all positive for freshman Sunday shows: The second week of History's "Top Gear" dropped 32% to only 1.3 million viewers.

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{alltv} Amy Poehler trades "SNL" skits for single character

 

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – If Captain Ahab had his whale, then idealistic but tenacious government employee Leslie Knope -- the character Amy Poehler plays on NBC's "Parks and Recreation" -- has her pit.

In the show's April 2009 premiere episode, Knope vowed to turn a gaping hole in the ground into the newest park in fictional Pawnee, Ind. -- a story thread that continues. Leslie's pit inadvertently became a metaphor for how Poehler took on the task of being the lead actor on a primetime comedy -- and it became abundantly clear when she filmed one of the first scenes in the pilot.

"The voice-over is, 'I want to build this park; it's going to be this tough endeavor,'" Poehler says. "And (showrunner) Greg Daniels is giving me directions saying: 'Just remember, this is going to be a job that is going to take a couple years, and it's going to be hard, but it will be so worth it. Think of the journey you're going to have along the way.' He's basically explaining what the show has been like."

On a friendly, relaxed soundstage, Poehler comes off as most mellow and engaging. She admits it feels like she and the rest of the production "are in a real groove" going into their third cycle, which will air midseason on NBC. Following a lukewarm reception from critics upon its debut, the Daniels and Michael Schur sitcom -- touted as their follow-up to "The Office" -- was much-better received during Season 2, garnering an Emmy nomination for Poehler.

Leaving the sketch format -- and the multiple personas she played -- last year after seven seasons on "Saturday Night Live" and inhabiting one character has been great for her creatively, Poehler says. "It has been like a time-release exercise where things are slowly revealed in a version of real time," she says. "It has been a luxury to talk about scenes and to know where she has been and where she's going.

"Leslie is the kind of person who heard Obama's speech in 2004 -- yes we can; let's make these huge changes -- and now, like the rest of the country, she's learning how hard it is to just have the smallest change," Poehler adds. "I always thought her journey would be a struggle for her not to become cynical. Some people took her optimism as a form of naiveté at the very least, and at the very worst, being dumb. I never wanted to play her like that. She's one of those rare people who thinks one person can actually make a difference."

With two cameras running and a documentary style, the show usually shoots about eight pages a day, Poehler says. She notes there's often time for a "fun run," where anything is allowed. "There's a certain amount of spirit of improvisation," she adds. "Nine times out of 10, we're like, 'Um, the jokes (in the script) are better than what we're trying to think of.' It's the same as SNL: We always had such great writers, and people always assume the actors improvise. If the show is bad, they blame the writers; if the show is good, they congratulate the actors."

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{alltv} 'Entertainment Tonight' creator dies at 80

 

HONOLULU – The Hollywood producer who created "Entertainment Tonight," "Star Search," "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," "Solid Gold," and numerous other TV shows has died in Honolulu. Alfred "Al" Masini was 80.

His publicist, Kristin Jackson, says Masini died Monday in the Hawaii city, where he has lived for years.

Masini is survived by his wife, Charlyn Honda Masini, and his sister Melba Marvinny.

In a statement to Hawaii News Now, Charlyn Honda Masini described her husband as a "humble, sweet, lovable person." She added that he loved Hawaii and its people.

In a separate statement, actress and longtime friend Carol Burnett said she was very sorry to hear of Al Masini's death. She called him a "talented producer and a fine man."

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{alltv} NYC's Rockefeller Center lit as thousands watch

 

NEW YORK – Tens of thousands of people gathered in Rockefeller Center on Tuesday night to watch the lighting of the country's most famous Christmas tree, just days after a terror scare at a tree lighting in Oregon.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg helped turn on the 30,000 energy-efficient lights dressing the Christmas tree following a show featuring performances by Jessica Simpson, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban, British singer Katherine Jenkins and teen pop star Charice.

The 74-foot Norway spruce, donated by Peter and Stephanie Acton of Mahopac, N.Y., will be on view until Jan. 7.

The event took place less than a week after the arrest of a 19-year-old Somali-American man charged in an alleged plot to blow up a car bomb at an Oregon Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland.

"It kind of crossed my mind but not enough to keep me away," said 44-year-old Lisa Kingston, who was visiting from Canada with her friend and had wanted to see the event in person after many years of watching it on TV.

Her sentiments were echoed by 41-year-old Bonnie Hixson of Lubbock, Texas.

"It's a sign of our religious freedoms and a sign of our freedom to celebrate," Hixson said. "It's what gets my Christmas season off to a start."

Police prepared for the sizable crowd by blocking off streets and urging people to use mass transit instead of cars to get there.

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{alltv} Photos: 78th annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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