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Celebrity Sizzle by Mark Stone
Is the eldest Baldwin giving up acting or is he crying wolf? (photo: NBC)
In an article appearing in the Men’s Journal, the upcoming Oscar host has set a date for his departure from the limelight: March 2010, when his contract on the NBC show 30 Rock expires. Baldwin tells the magazine, “I don’t have any interest in acting anymore. Movies are part of my past. It’s been 30 years. I’m not young, but I have time to do something else.”
Is he serious? Could this man with 84 acting credits under his belt be saying goodbye to Hollywood after such a successful career? He may be serious this time, but this isn’t the first instance where Baldwin has threatened to leave the acting profession for good.
TheWrap has a piece on the subject, and notes that the man behind one of the best monologues in film for Glengarry Glen Ross has been caught twice crying wolf. In April of 2007, Baldwin told The View, “If I never acted again I couldn’t care less,” and said he was trying to get NBC to release him from his contract. Earlier this year, he told Playboy, “In March 2012, I’ll wake up and say, ‘What am I going to do now? Am I done?’ I think I will be done. I may finish a play or something, but I’m retiring at the wrap party.”
Baldwin’s done some stinkers, but generally speaking the guy has had a pretty solid film (and now TV) career. Leaving at the top of your game is never a bad idea, as long as he doesn’t make himself look like an ass in the process by continuing to threaten retirement. The public has always looked down on it; just look at Brett Favre. The league still likes him, and the people of Minnesota love him, but there are so many (especially in Green Bay) who frown upon his constant flirting with retirement.
In case it happens, allow me to leave you with a clip of his best work, the aforementioned Glengarry Glen Ross. It’s a Youtube video that I can’t embed directly, as it contains some foul language. Click with the speakers down or the headphones on if you’re at work.
Now you can bet on what will happen to Tiger Woods’ marriage
The Tiger Woods crash investigation is still going on, and everyone is still talking about it. So much so, that even the bookies are taking bets on the uncertain future of the famous golfer’s marriage.
Got a few extra bucks to wager? Head over to bookmaker.com and you can place your bets on the outcome of Tiger’s matrimonial prospects.
Your choices, from most likely to least likely:
- He will stay with his wife
- Tiger Woods was under the influence
- Tiger Woods gets a divorce
- Tiger Woods admits to having an affair
- He will buy her an expensive ring a la Kobe Bryant
But what we all want to know is: was Tiger’s wood really caught in another woman’s rough and is his marriage stuck in the sandtrap because of it? There are a plethora of ball jokes to be made here, but they pretty much write themselves so I’ll leave them to your imagination.
ABC rethinking live performance strategy after Lambertgate
In the wake of Adam Lambert’s controversial performance nine days ago, ABC, the network who prefers girlfriend-beating men to guys who kiss other guys, has decided to take additional precautions to prevent something like that from happening again. The network is reviewing the steps it takes to vet live performances by getting assurances from artists that their stage shows will resemble their rehearsals, and using contractual obligations to hold them to that.
Speaking about the decision, Disney/ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney told Reuters: “We certainly don’t want to suppress artistry at any level, but we also have to be very cognizant of who our audience is.”
Allow me to translate: “We have to be very cognizant of who our audience is, and in doing so, we must certainly suppress artistry at any level. Especially with anything dealing with homosexuality. That gay stuff will not be tolerated.”
Really, ABC? I’ll admit that Lambert went a little too far, but this new policy smacks of prejudice against gays. Sad.
Oh! Christopher Walken to appear on Broadway
In a move that I’ve been expecting ever since we found out that he could do a song and dance with the best of them, Christopher Walken is headed to Broadway. Walken will play a man searching for his missing hand in “A Behanding in Spokane,” Martin McDonagh’s black comedy opening March 4 on Broadway.
Producer Robert Fox says Anthony Mackie, Sam Rockwell and Zoe Kazan will join Walken in the play, which begins previews Feb. 15 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.
The play is brand new, so it is unknown whether it features any song and/or dance. Still, it will be cool to see Walken perform live theatre. Those New Yorkers are awfully lucky.
Also going to Broadway? Kelsey Grammer
His recent TV series Hank tanked, so Kelsey Grammer’s schedule is obviously a bit more open lately. Unlike Alec Baldwin, Grammer wants to keep acting and has accepted a role on Broadway playing in a revival of “La Cage aux Folles” next spring.
The revival of the 1983 musical will open April 18 at the Longacre Theatre. It’s based on the current hit London production and will feature that show’s British star, Douglas Hodge.
Can you see Kelsey Grammer “doing gay”? I can, and I think he’ll be good at it. Plus it will be a refreshing change for a guy who has essentially been playing minor variations of the exact same character on TV since he appeared on Cheers as Dr. Frazier Crane.
Nicole Richie is embarking on new scripted TV show
Nicole Richie has had enough of reality television and is ready to make the leap into scripted programming. The former BFF of Paris Hilton took to her blog yesterday and announced: “I am so excited to announce that I am officially working on a television project! I am creating a half hour scripted comedy for ABC in which I will be starring in, as well as producing. The story revolves around a young, modern and professional woman who must balance her business and family relationships. She must deal with, and navigate the many ideas of what a woman’s role is: modern vs. traditional.”
I wish her nothing but the best, as she seems to have turned her life around for the better. But honestly, doesn’t this sound like a very tired formula to you? How many times have we seen this on a TV show? Undoubtedly when it’s ready to film ABC will give the pilot a green light. I just can’t see it passing Go anywhere beyond the pilot stage.
What do you think? Can you buy Nicole Richie as a legitimate television comedy actress?
Hammertime for Brad and Angelina
Last night, the couple whose relationship is being scrutinized lately (especially with the unauthorized book out today) went out on a date at La Dolce Vita restaurant in Beverly Hills.
From the look of Angelina’s pants, she was obviously making a statement to the paparazzi that they “can’t touch this,” and that her relationship with Pitt was Too Legit to Quit.
Brad and Angie are Too Legit to Quit (photo: Bauer Griffin)
Tags: Adam Lambert, Alec Baldwin, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Kelsey Grammer, Nicole Richie, Tiger Woods
