http://hollywoodbeltway.com Inside the Business that Shapes the Culture Mon, 06 Sep 2010 03:38:21 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en “Mad Men” — episode titled “The Suitcase” and written just by Matt Weiner was a winner and a return to form. A nearly all Don and Peggy episode, “The Suitcase”–Samsonite, for which the gang is trying to come up with an ad–is full of secrets (product placement?–urggggh). Don and Peggy ... http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/09/05/mad-men-don-draper-in-tears You may wonder whatever happened to “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”? It was this column that reported the scandal when stars Vincent D’Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, and Eric Bogosian were all fired. Producer Dick Wolf was all set to make Jeff Goldblum the permanent star. He filmed one season with Goldblum and ... http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/09/05/law-order-ci-could-bring-back-original-stars Say goodbye to Kara DioGuardi. Fox has sent out a press release saying she’s “stepping down” from her judgeship. We know she was fired, but heck, whatever. DioGuardi will continue to have a great career as songwriter-producer. Meanwhile, even though press reports keep insisting on Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler as the ... http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/09/03/american-idol-randy-jackson-in-the-dark-about-new-judges George Clooney’s “The American” looks like it’s in good shape to take the weekend box office. “The American” opened Wednesday and already has $3.1 million in the till. It could come out of the holiday weekend with $20 million or more. As I wrote a couple of days ago, “The American” has ... http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/09/03/george-clooney-set-to-take-the-weekend-with-american Tyler Perry is making an Oscar run on November 5th with his much anticipated “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf.” Lions Gate just announced they’ve moved up their release from a planned January 14th. The film has a bevy of possible Best Supporting Actresses including Thandie Newton, ... http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/09/03/tyler-perrys-for-colored-girls-will-have-november-debut Yes, there’s a whole new line of IPods announced yesterday. They have phones, cameras, and frappe blenders attached to them. What they don’t have is...music. Whether you listen to digital music on an IPod or — my personal favorite–a Creative Zen XFi2-- it doesn’t matter. You simply aren’t hearing what was recorded. ... http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/09/02/all-new-ipods-more-digital-music-a-generation-misses-the-point My dear Hanson fans: You are a devoted group but you’re not buying CDs. According to Nielsen Soundscan, the new Hanson album, “Shout it Out,” has sold a paltry 31,000 copies. The most recent one before that was called “Walk.” Total sales to date from 2007: 54,000 copies. The days of “MMMBop” are long ... http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/09/02/hanson-may-have-fans-but-theyre-not-buying-cds Oscar Isaac, the hot star of Madonna’s highly anticipated “W.E.,” is joining the cast of “Drive.” “Drive” stars Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, and Albert Brooks. The action thriller is based on James Sallis‘s novel. Isaac is hot as a pistol. He’s in Zack Snyder‘s upcoming “Sucker Punch.” In the last ... http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/09/02/madonnas-oscar-joining-goslings-drive What has happened to Rob Reiner? His latest film, called “Flipped,” has made just around $690,000 since its release on August 6th. It’s dead, it’s over, it’s gone. A total write off of last $25 million. “Flipped” got mixed reviews when it debuted. The trade papers didn’t like it. Some bloggers and ... http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/09/02/rob-reiners-flipped-a-major-studio-disaster-film Seal– such a good singer songwriter, has a new album coming out on September 28th. It’s called “Commitment.” Did you know about it? Of course not. It’s from Warner Music Group. The first single is called “Secret.” It was released to YouTube and other outlets three days ago. Surprise! I ran into Seal ... http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/09/02/seal-record-company-keeps-him-a-secret