Ken Russell Was Hoping to Remake 1976 X-Rated Alice Musical... with Lady Gaga

When the late filmmaker Ken Russell passed away last week at the age of 84, he’d been planning to remake the infamous 1976 X-rated Alice in Wonderland musical in which Alice is taken on a tour of Wonderland by a randy White Rabbit. Ahem. And who had Russell hoped to bring along on his naughty trip down the rabbit hole? Lady Gaga, of course! Well, kinda; The Guardian reports that Russell, according to producers who are still moving forward with the project, had hoped to bring Gaga and Rihanna aboard to contribute songs to the musical, penned by composer Simon Boswell. Roger Daltry, who starred in Russell’s film adaptation of The Who’s Tommy, had been asked to play the Mad Hatter; is it much of a stretch to envision Lady Gaga as the White Rabbit, guiding young Alice along in an erotic romp through Wonderland? The producers are currently seeking a new director to take over from Russell, who left behind a near-complete script. More details over at The Guardian, but in the meantime, check out a peek at the infamous 1976 Alice (Sample ditty: “What’s a nice girl like you doing/on a knight like me?”) for a taste of the raunchy fantasy that inspired the project: Raunchy Alice musical could be Ken Russell’s final legacy [Guardian]

'Laugh-In' Comic Actor Alan Sues Dies at 85

LOS ANGELES (AP) Alan Sues, who brought his flamboyant and over-the-top comic persona to the hit television show "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" in the 1960s and 1970s, has died, a close friend said Sunday night.Sues died of cardiac arrest on Thursday at his home in West Hollywood, Michael Gregg Michaud, a friend since 1975, told The Associated Press."He was sitting in a recliner watching TV with his dachshund Doris who he loved in his lap," Michaud said.Sues had various health problems in the last several years, but the death came as a shock to friends, Michaud said. He was 85.A native Californian who moved to NY in 1952, Sues began his career as a serious actor and in 1953 appeared in director Elia Kazan's "Tea and Sympathy" on Broadway.But he would be remembered for his wild comic characters.They included "Big Al," an effeminate sportscaster, and "Uncle Al the Kiddies Pal," a hung-over children's show host, on "Laugh-In," the TV phenomenon that both reflected and mocked the era's counterculture and made stars of Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin and many others.Sues also donned tights as the commercial spokesman for Peter Pan peanut butter, and appeared in the popular 1964 "Twilight Zone" episode "The Masks."Fellow cast members and crew from "Laugh-In" remembered him as even more entertaining behind the scenes."Alan Sues was one of those guys even funnier in person than on camera," Ruth Buzzi, a co-star who appeared in many skits with Sues, said on her Twitter account. "Across a dinner table, over the phone ... hysterical. We'll miss him."Executive producer George Schlatter, who would eventually bring Sues to "Laugh-In" after seeing him alongside future co-star Jo Anne Worley in the Off-Broadway comedy "The Mad Show," said Sues was "a free spirit," an "outrageous human being" and "a love child.""He was a delight; he was an upper," Schlatter told the Los Angeles Times, which first reported the death. "He walked on the stage and everybody just felt happy."Sues would always be best known for "Laugh-In," which he left in 1972 before its final season.But Michaud said the Peter Pan spots brought Sues nearly as much recognition in later years.And he said the "Twilight Zone" episode brought him appearances at sci-fi and autograph conventions for decades."Fans of 'The Twilight Zone' are cuckoo," Michaud said.Michaud said that while Sues was always cast as the stereotypically gay character, he believed he needed to hide his own gay identity during his years on television."He felt like he couldn't publicly come out," Michaud said. "He felt like people wouldn't accept him."Sues was grateful for "Laugh-In," but wasn't happy he was typecast in his comic persona as he sought to return to more serious acting.He got one chance that he cherished in 1975, the serious role of Moriarty with the Royal Shakespeare Company in "Sherlock Holmes" on Broadway.He stayed with the show until it closed the following year, then went out to perform it with the touring company.In later years he would make many more theater appearances, do voiceover work for television, and appear in guest spots on TV series like "Punky Brewster" and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch."Sues is survived by a sister-in-law, two nieces and a nephew.There were no immediate plans for a memorial.Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. By Andrew Dalton December 5, 2011 LOS ANGELES (AP) Alan Sues, who brought his flamboyant and over-the-top comic persona to the hit television show "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" in the 1960s and 1970s, has died, a close friend said Sunday night.Sues died of cardiac arrest on Thursday at his home in West Hollywood, Michael Gregg Michaud, a friend since 1975, told The Associated Press."He was sitting in a recliner watching TV with his dachshund Doris who he loved in his lap," Michaud said.Sues had various health problems in the last several years, but the death came as a shock to friends, Michaud said. He was 85.A native Californian who moved to NY in 1952, Sues began his career as a serious actor and in 1953 appeared in director Elia Kazan's "Tea and Sympathy" on Broadway.But he would be remembered for his wild comic characters.They included "Big Al," an effeminate sportscaster, and "Uncle Al the Kiddies Pal," a hung-over children's show host, on "Laugh-In," the TV phenomenon that both reflected and mocked the era's counterculture and made stars of Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin and many others.Sues also donned tights as the commercial spokesman for Peter Pan peanut butter, and appeared in the popular 1964 "Twilight Zone" episode "The Masks."Fellow cast members and crew from "Laugh-In" remembered him as even more entertaining behind the scenes."Alan Sues was one of those guys even funnier in person than on camera," Ruth Buzzi, a co-star who appeared in many skits with Sues, said on her Twitter account. "Across a dinner table, over the phone ... hysterical. We'll miss him."Executive producer George Schlatter, who would eventually bring Sues to "Laugh-In" after seeing him alongside future co-star Jo Anne Worley in the Off-Broadway comedy "The Mad Show," said Sues was "a free spirit," an "outrageous human being" and "a love child.""He was a delight; he was an upper," Schlatter told the Los Angeles Times, which first reported the death. "He walked on the stage and everybody just felt happy."Sues would always be best known for "Laugh-In," which he left in 1972 before its final season.But Michaud said the Peter Pan spots brought Sues nearly as much recognition in later years.And he said the "Twilight Zone" episode brought him appearances at sci-fi and autograph conventions for decades."Fans of 'The Twilight Zone' are cuckoo," Michaud said.Michaud said that while Sues was always cast as the stereotypically gay character, he believed he needed to hide his own gay identity during his years on television."He felt like he couldn't publicly come out," Michaud said. "He felt like people wouldn't accept him."Sues was grateful for "Laugh-In," but wasn't happy he was typecast in his comic persona as he sought to return to more serious acting.He got one chance that he cherished in 1975, the serious role of Moriarty with the Royal Shakespeare Company in "Sherlock Holmes" on Broadway.He stayed with the show until it closed the following year, then went out to perform it with the touring company.In later years he would make many more theater appearances, do voiceover work for television, and appear in guest spots on TV series like "Punky Brewster" and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch."Sues is survived by a sister-in-law, two nieces and a nephew.There were no immediate plans for a memorial.Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Rankings Corporate Jungle: CBS CSI: NY Hits Low, NBCs Family Pic Tanks Wheres Grimm?

Before we checked on Grimm a few days prior to the Christmas, the rookie NBC drama appeared to become bottoming out, holding steady week-to-week to prevent its publish-premiere slide. However the fairytale procedural was benched once for that holiday, that is understandable, and on the other hand last evening for original movie Bet On Your Existence, which isn't a lot. Last evening, the most recent from the Procter & Gamble/Walmart-funded family movies that air on NBC as time buys came a meager .5/2 in grown ups 18-49 from 8-10 PM and a pair of.two million audiences. It's tied because the cheapest-ranked such movie to air on NBC on Friday or Saturday, in- or off-season. The first, Strategies Of The Mountain, averaged a decent 1.3/5 in 18-49 and 7.8 million audiences in April 2010. The Jensen Project published a .9 and three.9 million in summer time 2010. Both broadcast on Friday. Area Of Vision (.5/2, 2.7 million) along with a Walk During My Footwear (1.3/4, 4.9 million) broadcast on Saturday earlier this summer time. To help keep airing individuals movies, NBC without doubt is earning money around the time buys (and let’s face the facts, it’s not too NBC has cabinets stacked with originals following a brutal fall full of cancellations). However I’d question the arranging option for Bet On Your Existence, which stretches unnecessarily the hiatus of the newcomer series so early into its run. With Dateline (1./3, 4 million) at 10 PM, NBC finished 4th for that evening in 18-49. CBS’ dramas published wall-to-wall declines airing against Fox’s coverage from the Pac-12 Championship Game. A Gifted Guy (1.2/4, 8 million) was lower a tenth in 18-49, CSI: NY (1.4/4, 9.8 million) was lower 18% to some series low, and Blue Bloods (1.6/5, 11 million) was lower 20%. Within the fast excellent, CBS (1.4/4, 9.six million) is tied for No. 1 around the evening in 18-49 with Fox and Univision, but Fox’s amounts are approximate since the rankings for the overall game aren't time-modified. ABC broadcast Extreme Transformation: Home Edition at 8 PM (1.1/4, flat) and also at 9 PM (1.3/4), lower 13%, and 20/20 (1.3/4) at 10 PM. The CW’s Supernatural (.7/2, 1.9 million) was steady, while Nikita (.5/2, 1.7 million) was lower a tenth within the demo.

Blackberry Maker Hit With Charge on Weak Tablet Sales

NY - Cable giants Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable along with smaller cable firm Bright House Networks have agreed to sell wireless spectrum to telecom company Verizon Wireless for $3.6 billion. The companies also struck agreements that will see the cable firms and the telecom giant sell each other's products. SpectrumCo, a joint venture of the cable companies, said Friday that Comcast will receive approximately $2.3 billion from the sale. Time Warner Cable about $1.1 billion and Bright House $189 million. "The agreement comes at a time when consumer demand for wireless services and bandwidth is increasing rapidly," the firms said. "This sale of spectrum is an important step toward ensuring that the needs and desires of consumers for additional mobile services will not be thwarted by the current spectrum shortage." Government action to free up more spectrum is expected, but the deal partners said their transaction that available spectrum is used effectively for the benefit of customers. The deal partners said Friday that they have also formed an "innovation technology joint venture" for the development of technology to better integrate wireline and wireless products and services. "We're excited to be able to offer the nation's best wireless services to our customers and to have Verizon Wireless as a sales channel for our superb wireline services," said TW Cable president and COO Rob Marcus. "We're also pleased to have obtained an attractive price for the spectrum we're selling." "These agreements, together with our Wi-Fi plans, enable us to execute a comprehensive, long-term wireless strategy and expand our focus on providing mobility to our Xfinity services," said Neil Smit, president of Comcast Cable. Dan Mead, president and CEO of Verizon Wireless, added: "Spectrum is the raw material on which wireless networks are built, and buying the...spectrum now solidifies our network leadership into the future, and will enable us to bring even better 4G LTE products and services to our customers." Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Topics

Fox Announces Midseason Schedule

American Idol Fox has unveiled its midseason schedule, and not surprisingly, American Idol will fill the X Factor-sized hole on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler, and of course Ryan Seacrest will kick off the show's 11th season on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 8/7c. The Bones spin-off The Finder bows on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 9/8c. The animated Napoleon Dynamite series will premiere on Sunday, Jan. 15 at 8:30/7:30c. J.J. Abrams' Alcatraz gets underway on Monday, Jan. 16 at 8/7c before moving to 9/8c the following week. Kiefer Sutherland's anticipated new drama Touch premieres Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 9/8c, immediately following Idol. Check out the full schedule: MONDAY Monday, Jan. 16: 8:00-10:00 PM ALCATRAZ (Series Premiere) Monday, beginning Jan. 23: 8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE (Time Period Premiere) 9:00-10:00 PM ALCATRAZ (Time Period Premiere) Monday, March 19: 9:00-10:00 PM TOUCH (Series Premiere) **************************** TUESDAY Tuesday, Jan. 17: 8:00-9:00 PM GLEE 9:00-9:30 PM NEW GIRL 9:30-10:00 PM RAISING HOPE Tuesday, March 6: 8:30-9:00 PM BREAKING IN (Season Premiere) **************************** WEDNESDAY Wednesday, Jan. 4: 9:00-10:00 PM MOBBED Wednesday, Jan. 18: 8:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part One) Wednesday, Jan. 25: 9:00-10:00 PM TOUCH (Special Preview) *************************** THURSDAY Thursday, Jan. 12: 9:00-10:00 PM THE FINDER (Series Premiere) Thursday, Jan. 19: 8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part Two) *************************** FRIDAY Friday, Jan. 13: 8:00-9:00 PM KITCHEN NIGHTMARES 9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE *************************** SUNDAY Sunday, Jan. 8: 8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS 8:30-9:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW 9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY 9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD Sunday, Jan. 15: 8:30-9:00 PM NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (Series Premiere) Sunday, March 11: 8:30-9:00 PM BOB'S BURGERS (Season Premiere)

Wall Street states 'meh' to Lionsgate-Summit talks

'The Hunger Games'The prospect from the Lionsgate-Summit merger has triggered little reaction on Wall Street inside the wake of looks at the two minimajors are tease getting a merger. Shares of Lionsgate edged lower 1% on Tuesday getting a decline of 9 cents to $8.44. For your year, the stock expires 30%. Spokesmen for Lionsgate and Summit have rejected to comment since reviews of restarted merger talks emerged Monday mid-day following a market closed. Stifel Nicolaus analyst Ben Mogil launched an e-mail to traders Tuesday stating that Lionsgate will in all probability problem stock and unload TV Guide. "We view this kind of deal as getting limited operational synergies, largely foreign sales strength, although future Summit films could migrate to Lions Gate's Epix deal," Mogil mentioned. "With only one installment left inside the 'Twilight' series, earnings of the routine is pretty high and built-into valuation. The sale may very well largely involve Lionsgate stock as Summit (and Lionsgate) already carry substantial debt loads and likely accelerate an order of TV Guide." Experts have noted that Lionsgate may be reluctant to problem new stock until after March, if the opens "The Hunger Games" as an franchise starter. Mogil mentioned he is constantly rate Lionsgate just like a "hold" getting a $9 fair value estimate. More youthful crowd mentioned that this kind of deal might be then strong free earnings. "In the end will not opine round the merits until valuation is clearer, with Lionsgate stock now limited valuation, this kind of deal might well be accretive while potentially creating a strong fiscal 2013 between 'Hunger Games' and 'Twilight.'" The companies have held similar discussions formerly but people discussions have flattened over issues for instance who'd control the which makes it through entity. Independently possessed Summit introduced Tuesday that "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning -- Part 1" had hit $508 million in worldwide box office within the first 12 days. The best "Twilight" film will open November. 16. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

Selena Gomez Reveals Her Mom Is Expecting

First Published: November 25, 2011 4:19 PM EST Credit: WireImage NY, N.Y. -- Caption Selena Gomez and mother Mandy Teefey attend the 2010 Hollywood Style Awards with The Palazzo Las Vegas, Klipsch, and FRS Healthy Energy at the Hammer Museum, Las Vegas, on December 12, 2010Theres a new reason to celebrate holiday season in Selena Gomezs household the star revealed her mom and stepfather are expecting a baby. On Friday, the star announced mom Mandy Teefey, 35, is pregnant. Momma and Brian are finally letting me share the news, she Tweeted. My mommys carrying my baby brother or sister :). Posting a photo of her mother, Mandy, and her stepfather, Brian Teefey, Selena Tweeted she was thrilled about the impending arrival. Click HERE to see the photo. Im the happiest girl in the world, Selena wrote. And Selena was quickly joined in her joy by her fans as Congrats Selena quickly became a top 10 trending topic on Twitter. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.