December 2009

Ricardo Montalban (b. 1920) (actor) The Mexican-born Montalban made several films in Mexico and the U.S. from the 1940s through the ’60s before gaining some of his major pop-culture status starting in the late ’60s. In 1967, he guest-starred on Star Trek as the villainous Khan, a role he would reprise in the 1982 feature film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. In the ’70s, Montalban’s smooth voice helped make the “soft Corinthian leather” of the Chrysler Cordoba well known through television commercials. During that decade he also began his most famous TV role, as Mr. Roarke on Fantasy […]

When you’re about to release a book decrying the onslaught of bad behavior in society, it’s helpful to have Kanye West commit the biggest awards-show faux pas in recent memory. But Deborah Norville saw the need for a book like The Power of Respect long before the rapper butted in on Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards. Disturbed by the erosion of simple civility and respectful interaction, the longtime newswoman and Inside Edition anchor set about exploring how respect not only is the right thing to do, but it can have benefits that improve lives at […]

Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh are a lot like the kids who love their hit TV show — they want nothing to do with school. That’s why they originally decided to set Phineas and Ferb during the “104 days of summer vacation.” So it’s no surprise that the guys have decided to do a holiday episode. After all, as Povenmire notes, Christmas vacation is “just another summer vacation, it’s just colder outside.” Or, as Marsh puts it, “It’s a whole other terrain to play in.” That terrain includes lots of snow, some guest voices — Clancy Brown, Malcolm McDowell, […]

After a four-year hiatus from television, Everybody Loves Raymond star Ray Romano is finally coming soon to a small screen near you. On Dec. 7, TNT will premiere Romano’s newest labor of love — and angst — the hourlong drama Men of a Certain Age. Yes, you read that right: Like his new TV home, Ray Romano Knows Drama. And, though the network is has long been running humor-steeped promo clips, Romano wants you to know that his tale of three lifelong buddies teetering on the brink of midlife crisis is NOT Everybody Loves Raymond’s Friends. Channel Guide: Congratulations on […]

“If you’re going to reimagine something, it has to be something somebody already knows,” says writer/director Nick Willing. “It has to be iconic, and very, very famous.” Willing’s assessment makes perfect sense, and he followed that advice to a very successful conclusion with his hugely popular reinterpretation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as SCI FI Channel’s Tin Man back in 2007. Since that time, “SCI FI” has done its own reimagining of itself as “Syfy,” and the newly branded network is ready to once more bring us a December miniseries after taking last year off. Again, they’ve brought Willing […]

Jadagrace Berry is just 9 and already savvy enough to thank her agent for helping her land her debut role as Star in Terminator Salvation, though the agent only opened the door for her. Jadagrace and her mother did the rest. The result was a chance to work alongside Christian Bale and Anton Yelchin in the recent addition to the blockbuster Terminator franchise. When we spoke by phone, she’d just finished a day at school and was riding home with her mother. How did you find out about this part? What was the audition like? Jadagrace Berry: My manager got […]

For those who have watched Steven Seagal deliver bone-crushing beatdowns to bad guys on the big screen and wondered how he’d fare in the real world, a new series has the answer. Steven Seagal: Lawman, which airs Wednesdays beginning Dec. 2 on A&E (HD), shows the action star going on patrol with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office near New Orleans — something he’s been doing for about 20 years. Around the time that Seagal was making Hollywood take notice with hits like Above the Law and Hard to Kill, legendary Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee asked Seagal to demonstrate some […]