Before she was an Emmy winner for “The Sopranos,” Edie Falco was a pregnant, gun-toting cop. Before he resurrected his career saving the world, one day at a time, Kiefer Sutherland was a publicity-hungry detective. Before he became too big to do television anymore, George Clooney was an ex-con working with an attractive television writer. Before he won an Oscar for “An Officer and a Gentleman,” Louis Gossett Jr. was a black sheriff in a prejudiced Old West town.
Trio’s popular series “Brilliant, But Cancelled” returns in September with a week of pilots that never made it to the air or haven’t been seen in years. Despite being based on popular movies, having powerful producers behind-the-scenes, or featuring actors who went on to greater stardom, these pilots never got a network commitment.
The cable network will launch the new strip with “Brilliant, But Cancelled: Pilot Season,” an original documentary narrated by Paul Rudd. Over the next five days, Trio will screen nine pilots. It’s the world premiere for six of them, the cable premiere for two and the US premiere for the other.
Sutherland took on the Kevin Spacey role as Jack Vincennes in the 2000 pilot for “L.A. Confidential.” Eric Roberts also starred in the drama about the glitz, glamour and crime of 1950s Los Angeles. Trio resurrects the pilot on Sept. 1.
The 1997 pilot for “Fargo” was developed by Bruce Paltrow and Robert Palm. Kathy Bates directed Falco’s performance as Marge Gunderson, a role that carried Frances McDormand to an Oscar. Trio will show “Fargo” on Sept. 2.
ET signs Latin singer Ponce
Latin sensation Carlos Ponce has joined “Entertainment Tonight” as an on-air personality.
The Puerto Rican-born Ponce is a veteran of several Spanish-language soap operas including the telenovela “Sentimientos Ajenos,” which ran on Univision. As a recording artist, he has a double-platinum album and several awards from Billboard magazine.
He has also appeared on episodes of “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Once and Again” and “7th Heaven.” He is a guest star on the season premiere of the new ABC drama “Karen Sisco.”
“Carlos has emerged as an incredible and multi-talented Latin entertainer who has won the hearts of millions of fans,” says “ET” executive producer Linda Bell Blue. “We are extremely excited to have him join the show, where his global perspective on entertainment will be featured across many different formats.”
-Zap2it.com
Ponce, who made his “ET” debut on Tuesday, will report on film, television, music and fashion. His status as Personality means that he isn’t an anchor (like Mary Hart and Bob Goen) or a substitute anchor (like Jann Carl or Mark Steines) or a correspondent (like Maria Menounos, Chris Booker and Steven Cojocaru) or a film historian/correspondent (like Leonard Maltin).
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“E.T.’ AND POLYESTER DECADE WIN HOME VIDEO HONORS
LOS ANGELES – An alien, a band of criminals, a Greek family and four hobbits walk into a bar … OK, they didn’t really walk into a bar as much as a hotel. And they weren’t really present in person as much as in spirit.
At the Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas Tuesday, the Video Software Dealers Association’s (VSDA) 2003 Home Entertainment Awards honored “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” “Reservoir Dogs,” “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and the first “Lord of the Rings” installment.
VSDA recognizes the four titles, among 13 other videos and three video games, for achievement in home video. The winners were determined in voting by the membership of VSDA, which includes many of the nation’s video stores.
The list of strange bedfellows also includes wins for “The Bourne Identity,” “Monster’s Ball,” “Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie” and “Dahmer.” Video game awards went to “The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker,” “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” and “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell.”
In other home video news, film fans voted the 1970s as the best decade for funny movies in a Blockbuster.com survey.
The decade of leisure suits and lava lamps won with 71 percent of the vote over the “80s (10 percent), “90s (16 percent) and the “00s (3 percent).
“70s classics such as “Young Frankenstein,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Annie Hall” and “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” will be featured as part of Blockbuster’s “Comedies Through the Ages” display alongside funny films from the “80s, “90s and today.
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AP-NY-07-30-03 1626EDT
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