June 30, 2005
Patrick Dempsey Tops ''50 Sexiest Men on TV''; INSIDE TV's July 4-17 Special Double-Issue Cover Story (on Newsstands June 30)
businesswire.com
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 30, 2005--"Dr. McDreamy, that's what I call Patrick's character," says "Grey's Anatomy" star Ellen Pompeo, about her blue-eyed TV boss/boyfriend, Dr. Derek Shepherd, played by Patrick Dempsey. "He's gorgeous, he's got a great body, and he's got damn fine hair."
INSIDE TV agrees. In a special double issue, the new weekly magazine for women who love television releases its first annual tribute to the "50 Sexiest Men on TV" - the hottest hunks on the small screen; the men who keep viewers' pulses racing week after week. INSIDE TV picked hottie handymen, dashing doctors, cute cops and bad boys grouped thematically in ten categories listed below.
In conjunction with INSIDE TV's double issue, TV Guide Channel is airing an original one-hour special, "Sexiest Men on TV," on Sunday, July 3 at 8 PM (ET/PT), hosted by Kimberly Caldwell. The special will feature interviews with many of the sexy picks and commentary from INSIDE TV editors.
THE HOTTEST YOUNG STUDS: Adam Brody (The O.C.); Jesse Metcalfe (Desperate Housewives); Jesse McCartney (Summerland); Ryan McPartlin (Living with Fran); Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill).
WE KNOW THEY'RE NOT GOOD FOR US...BUT WE WOULD ANYWAY: Josh Holloway (House); Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck); Chris Noth (Sex & the City); Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men); John Stamos (Jake in Progress).
EVEN MOM WOULD APPROVE!: James Denton (Desperate Housewives); Taye Diggs (Kevin Hill); Josh Duhamel (Las Vegas); Peter Krause (Six Feet Under); Scott Patterson (Gilmore Girls); Doug Savant (Desperate Housewives); Jack Weber (Medium).
WE'D PLAY DOCTOR WITH THEM ANYTIME: Omar Epps (House); Hugh Laurie (House); Goran Visnjic (ER); Noah Wyle (ER).
WE WOULDN'T MIND GETTING ARRESTED: Gary Dourdan (CSI); Mark Harmon (NCIS); Anthony LaPaglia (Without a Trace); Jesse L. Martin (Law & Order); Chris Meloni (Law & Order: SVU); Adam Rodriguez (CSI: Miami).
WHO BETTER TO HELP AROUND THE HOUSE? Nate Berkus (Oprah); Tyler Florence (Food 911); Carter Oosterhouse (Trading Spaces); Ty Pennington (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition).
THEY MAKE US LAUGH...: Jason Bateman (Arrested Development); Zach Braff (Scrubs); David Letterman (Late Show); Conan O'Brien (Late Night).
THEY MAKE US THINK...: Anderson Cooper (360); Matt Lauer (Today); Jon Stewart (The Daily Show); Bradley Whitford (The West Wing).
THEY JUST GET BETTER WITH AGE: Tony Danza (Tony Danza Show); Dennis Farina, (Law & Order); John O'Hurley, (Dancing with the Stars); Williams Petersen, (CSI); Jimmy Smits, (The West Wing).
RESCUE US, PLEASE!: Kiefer Sutherland (24); Tom Westman (Survivor); Eddie Cibrian (Third Watch); Naveen Andrews (Lost); Matthew Fox (Lost).
HE'S THE ONE!: PATRICK DEMPSEY (Grey's Anatomy).
ABOUT INSIDE TV:
INSIDE TV (www.insidetv.com) is a weekly entertainment magazine designed exclusively for women who love television. Created by the TV Guide Publishing Group, INSIDE TV provides breaking news and stories featuring television's hottest shows and stars, as well behind-the-scenes information on the latest styles, fashions, and trends influenced by television.
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'Hotel Rwanda' Wins Humanitas Prize
By RYAN PEARSON
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES -- The screenwriters of "Hotel Rwanda" won the Humanitas Prize on Wednesday for their story based on a hotel manager's efforts to shelter victims of Rwanda's 1994 genocide.
Writers Keir Pearson and Terry George received $25,000 in recognition of the film's "reminder of the importance and duty of universal concern," the Humanitas Prize organization said.
"Everyone knew what was happening at the time, but all the great leaders of the West did nothing," Pearson said. "This film was about an ordinary man, a hotel manager, who did do something and did something great."
More than $135,000 in prize money was distributed to 10 writers Wednesday at the Humanitas Prize awards ceremony.
For the first time in 31 years, however, voters chose not to award a prize in the sitcom category because none of the scripts submitted measured up to standards, Humanitas Prize President Frank Desiderio said.
Desiderio said the decision underscored a feeling in Hollywood that "there's a dearth of good comedies on right now. The golden age of comedy certainly isn't now."
Other winners of the screenwriting awards:
* Ruben Santiago-Hudson won $25,000 for "Lackawanna Blues," a music- and dance-filled HBO movie based on his experiences growing up in a boardinghouse in the 1950s and '60s.
* Michael Kang received $10,000 for "The Motel," a film about a lonely 13-year-old boy who befriends a resident at his parents' hourly rate motel.
* John Wells won $15,000 for an episode of NBC's "The West Wing" in which the president calls for peace talks after Americans are killed by Palestinian terrorists.
* Kelly Ward and Cliff MacGillivray received $25,000 for an episode of the animated PBS children's series "Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks" in which Piggley Winks helps a friend grieve over a pet fish's death.
* Karen Leigh Hopkins and Alan Marc Levy won $25,000 for the ABC Family TV movie "Searching for David's Heart" about a teen girl coping with her older brother's death.
* Film school graduate Erika Kennair received $10,000 for a spec script for "The Bernie Mac Show." Aspiring screenwriters write spec scripts for existing shows but they are not typically produced.
The Humanitas Prize, founded in 1974, is given annually to TV shows and films that explore meaningful social issues. Past winners include Matt Damon and Ben Affleck for "Good Will Hunting," Tim Robbins for "Dead Man Walking," David E. Kelly for "The Practice" and Tony Kushner for "Angels in America."
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June 27, 2005
'West Wing' actor looks east
by Talya Halkin
Jerusalem Post
Jun. 27, 2005 7:49
Josh Malina, 39, who plays political consultant Will Bailey on the hit US TV series The West Wing, was here last week on a personal visit hosted by the Jewish federation. Malina spoke to The Jerusalem Post about his real-life role as a Jewish, pro-Israel actor on the set of an award-winning political drama.
What brought you on this visit?
Last time I was here was 11 years ago. I feel a connection to Israel, but I think it's just not so meaningful if you don't come. I'm not a big star, but I've started to get involved with the Jewish federation, and my pet peeve has become this: Hollywood is filled with big Jewish stars, so why don't they speak out about the State of Israel? It's silly that anybody cares what an actor thinks, but since people do, it would be nice if they did.
So how did a nice Jewish boy like you get to Hollywood?
When I got out of college, I wasn't sure what to do, and my mother, who is a good Jewish mother, said: "You should call Aaron Sorkin [director of The West Wing]." He's two years older than me, but he went to high school with my cousins, and I knew him a little bit. I was moving to New York, I called him, and we became poker buddies. Next thing I knew, he was asking me to audition for A Few Good Men on Broadway and he helped me get hired. We've been friends for 17 years, and he's given me a job in every single thing he's written.
Were you a fan of 'The West Wing' before you joined it? What attracted you to the show?
For me it was the fantasy of Sorkin's world, which is filled with idealistic, passionate, committed people working very hard. I mean, Bartlett [played by Martin Sheen] is your dream of what a great democratic president is like - a smart guy that really cares about everyone. On top of that, I'm just a big fan of Aaron's writing, which is smart and fast.
What do you think has made you a good 'Sorkin' actor?
The way he writes is musical. He knows how he wants it to sound, and I know what he's hearing when I read what he's written. Part of what makes you good Sorkin actor is facility with dialogue, which is very wordy. Aaron's writing is so good there is no need to embellish it, and if you take one word out the whole thing could fall apart.
Sorkin stopped writing for the show two years ago. How did that feel?
At first I thought that after he left that would be it for me, but John Wells has taken over and we have a whole staff of writers. I do miss my friend, but they've really kept the show true to what he created.
The sixth season, which has yet to be shown in Israel, begins with Middle East peace talks. What can you tell us about these upcoming episodes?
You guys will probably find it funny or silly or shake your heads. It is ultimately just a TV show, and maybe it's more fantasy than reality, but I give John Wells credit for it. He didn't think he would solve the problems in this region by writing two episodes that dealt with it, but it's good for America to have two hours of prime-time TV that deal with these issues in a substantive and balanced way.
Were there any debates about the political nature of these episodes?
John [Wells] told me there had never been bigger fights in the writers' room than when they were writing these episodes - they've all got their political opinions, and they really go in deep and discuss the issues.
How does it feel to be playing a character that isn't Jewish in such a fiercely political context?
When Aaron [Sorkin] first talked to me about this role, he told me a bit about it and then got very serious, stopped, and said: "I do have to tell you, the character is not going to be Jewish."
I said: "I don't care, I'm an actor."
Flash forward, I was talking to Wells about something else and told him I was going to speak to the Jewish federation, and we talked a bit about Israel. It was when he was writing the episodes about the Middle East, and next thing I know - I read the script, and it's like, "Will Bailey - a Zionist is born." John is more to the right than I am, but he's very pro-Israel.
Have there been any instances when you felt Josh Malina's real-life opinions were in conflict with those of Will Bailey?
We argue about issues sometimes on the set. I don't want to be too specific, but I've got into discussions about Israel.
If you were writing the script for next season, what would you like to see taking place in Israel?
I don't want to be one of those loud Americans who think they always have the solution. But I'd like to see peace, a two-state solution, and I pray that the disengagement in Gaza is successful and is able to be carried out in a way that isn't disastrous for the country.
People often describe the characters on 'The West Wing' as people who all have brilliant careers, but whose personal life is a total mess. Do you agree?
My reality is that it's all personal life. I don't go to Hollywood parties and premieres. I don't have the schmooze factor it behooves an actor to have, but it's not my most comfortable zone. My focus in life is trying to raise nice Jewish kids. I'm much more interested in being a good daddy than being a good actor - even though I hope I'm both.
So most evenings you're home making spaghetti?
Absolutely. I do almost all the cooking, for better or worse. I like cooking heavy Eastern European food such as cholent, stuff that sticks to your ribs. I make a lot of chicken soup, too. The truth is, all my recipes come from my mother.
June 20, 2005
'West Wing' Scores TV Imagen Honors
zap2it.com
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) NBC's "The West Wing" was the big winner at Friday (June 17) night's 20th Annual Imagen Awards, honoring Latino achievement in film and television.
The political drama was named best primetime series at the ceremony, held at the Beverly Hilton. In addition to the series win, new "West Wing" cast addition Jimmy Smits was named best television actor.
Madeline Stowe was best actress for the CBS telefilm "Saving Milly." For the third consecutive year, Freddy Rodriguez of HBO's "Six Feet Under" won for best supporting actor, while Mia Maestro of ABC's "Alias" took home her first best supporting actress prize.
CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler received a special creative achievement award as the first Latina to head a major television network and George Lopez brought the house down receiving the Hennessy Privilege Award for his outstanding contributions to the Latino community.
The Imagen Awards honored individuals and organizations for their extraordinary contributions to the entertainment industry this past year, while also reflecting upon and celebrating the advancements of Latinos over the past two decades.
"We created the Imagen Awards 20 years ago, because at the time, there was no other formal awards show to recognize top Latino entertainment talent," says Helen Hernandez, president and founder of the Imagen Foundation. "As I looked around the room on Friday evening, I saw the faces of accomplished actors, directors, producers and entertainment industry executives who have and continue to tirelessly work to advance Latinos contributions to the entertainment industry. While only a handful received awards at the ceremony, I truly believe that the accomplishments within our community make everyone that attended our affair true winners."
