Grammer rats out new cartoon
LOS ANGELES – Kelsey Grammer doesn’t mind playing a rat. It’s no doubt a refreshing departure from the good Dr. Frasier Crane.
The Emmy-winning “Frasier” star voices the title character in “Gary the Rat,” an animated series that debuts Thursday on the former-TNN-possible-Spike-TV. It’s part of a two-hour cartoon block called “The Strip,” which also includes two “Ren & Stimpy” shows and “Stripperella,” devised by Stan Lee (“Spider-Man”) and featuring Pamela Anderson’s voice.
On “Gary the Rat,” an immoral New York lawyer literally turns into a giant rat. Guest voices include Grammer’s “Frasier” co-stars David Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney, his former “Cheers”-mate Ted Danson, Brooke Shields, Betty White, John Corbett (“Lucky”) and veteran singer-actor Robert Goulet.
Stone considering ‘Practice’ run
LOS ANGELES – Sharon Stone is considering a guest stint on “The Practice,” which would be her first TV series role in years.
The Oscar-nominated (for “Casino”) actress has met with “Practice” creator David E. Kelley about taking a role in the ABC legal drama next season, according to several news reports. The news follows reports that Stone has met with A&E about starring in a biopic about Hillary Clinton.
Kelley and Stone are both declining comment on possible talks.
An appearance by Stone on “The Practice” could give the show a boost in the ratings, something ABC would love to have after a season in which the show’s ratings dipped on Sundays, then plummeted when the network moved it to Monday nights.
Stone’s most recent credit was the HBO movie “If These Walls Could Talk 2” three years ago. She’s narrated a couple of children’s series in recent years, but her last on-camera appearance in a network series was a guest spot on “Roseanne” in 1995.
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JOINED AT THE HIP: “IDOL’ FINALISTS PLAN DUAL AUGUST RELEASES
LOS ANGELES – For three months on “American Idol,” they were the show’s odd couple, the anointed favorites and seemingly predetermined finalists. On May 21, only 130,000 votes separated them. They released singles on the same day and quickly moved to No.1 and No.2 on the charts. Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard are having so much fun with their careers intertwined that they see no reason to stop.
According to Billboard.com, Ruben and Clay will release their first albums on Aug. 19, just as their singles were released together on June 10. Though Ruben won their first showdown on national television, Clay’s single, “This is the Night” (with “Bridge over Troubled Water”) sold more than 100,000 copies in its first week, though both
“We saw the (simultaneous) releases as a way for consumers to vote with their money,” says Karen Lieberman, director of sales for the RCA Music Group. “This proves that there’s a viable market for the retail single. Consumers have been conditioned not to look for singles at retail, but (Aiken and Studdard’s) singles show people will buy the singles if they know they can find them at retail.”
Clive Davis is executive producing both albums and as Aiken’s spokesperson notes “Release dates could change.” An Aug. 19 drop would be only three months after the show concluded, a clear effort to ride its momentum. The debut album for the first “American Idol,” Kelly Clarkson was originally intended to come before the end of 2002, but didn’t come out until April.
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JAMIE FOXX TO HOST ESPYS
LOS ANGELES – Comedian-actor Jamie Foxx, a former high school quarterback, has been tapped to host ESPN’s ESPY Awards.
The awards show, which honors the top performers and plays in athletics over the past year, are scheduled to air July 16. Foxx says he’s excited to rub shoulders with the stars of the sports world.
“I’ve been a sports fan all my life,” Foxx says. “And like most other actors, I’m convinced I could have been a pro athlete if Hollywood hadn’t come calling.”
Instead, he’s had to settle for playing sports figures in some of his movies. Foxx played a pro quarterback in “Any Given Sunday,” Muhammad Ali’s corner man Drew “Bundini” Brown in “Ali” and a hapless promoter in “The Great White Hype.”
Fans will have a chance to vote on 17 best-athlete categories via ESPN.com. A panel of sportswriters and editors will choose winners in categories like best coach, best team and best play.
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AP-NY-06-23-03 1603EDT
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