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Jackson Family Reality Series Debuting in December
Shove over, Jon & Kate. Here come Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Randy.
The brothers Jackson are finally getting ready for their closeup with A&E officially unveiling the debut date for the family's long-in-the-works reality series.
Filming on the series, focusing on the siblings and their respective families, actually began nearly a year ago. The project was shelved after Michael scuttled a proposed Jacksons reunion concert, but got renewed interest after his shocking death in June.
Producers scrambled to retool the series to include the family's reactions to Michael's passing. There has been conflicting signals from A&E about whether the show will include video of Michael's three children, superstar sister Janet or family matriarch Katherine.
The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty will premiere on Dec. 13 with back-to-back hourlong installments and ultimately run a total of six episodes.
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Check out Michael Jackson's life in pictures.
David Hasselhoff Bringing His Unstoppable Trainwreck to TV
Viewers, prepare your TiVos: there's a sure-to-be shambolic new reality show in the Hoffing.
A few weeks ago, reports surfaced that David Hasselhoff might be bringing his trainwreck life to the airwaves (spurred on by his daughter's since-rescinded Twitter claim that the show was a done deal). And while no air date has been set you, the reality project appears to be inching its way toward, well, reality.
"We are in discussions about the possibility of a series, but nothing official at this time," a rep for A&E tells E! News.
Well, somebody's gotta replace those Gosselins.
Teenage Hoffspring Hayley and Taylor, no strangers to candid-camera footage, are expected to appear alongside their dad, a detail seemingly corroborated by Hayley earlier this month.
"The Hasselhoffs signed the deal with A&E…Get readdyy for it," she tweeted in a post that has since been removed from her page.
Ex-wife Pamela Bach, it should surprise no one, will not be appearing in the show. Apparently, you don't hassle an ex-Hoff, either.
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No doubt this show will generate plenty of superlatives but spooky won't be one of them. So check out the Spookiest Show on TV already, won't ya?
Back in Black! MiB 3 Ramping Up
Agent J and Agent K could soon be back on the beat.
Sony Pictures is beginning to assemble the pieces for Men in Black 3, per the Hollywood Reporter, already lining up director Barry Sonnenfeld and screenwriter Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder) to dream up a close-encounter scenario reuniting stars franchise stars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones.
The original Men in Black (1997) was a critical and commercial hit, grossing $589 million worldwide and spawning a 2002 sequel that tallied $441 million.
If everything stays on target, Men in Black 3 will start shooting in 2010.
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Who is Thor's daddy? What's Reese's next movie? Check out the Casting Couch gallery.
Jackson Estate Admits to Doing New Tune Paul Anka's Way
All is well once again in Michael Jackson Litigation Land—but things were looking dicey for a minute.
Crooner Paul Anka, who perhaps most famously penned the lyrics to the Frank Sinatra standard "My Way," says that Jackson's estate has apologized to him for releasing the single "This Is It" without properly acknowledging Anka as a cowriter on the tune.
After publicly griping and threatening legal action if the matter of compensation wasn't taken care of, Anka said Monday afternoon that estate administrator John McClain called him up make amends.
"I said, 'It's fine if it's an honest mistake. These things happen,'" Anka told the New York Times. McClain told him, he said, that the estate had presented Sony with 50 songs and "This Is It" was the most distinctive—for good reason, so it turned out.
In a statement, the Jackson estate said it in no way meant to put one over on the prolific singer-songwriter.
New Criminal Intent Cast on Order
Looks like early retirement for some of the stars of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
Per the Hollywood Reporter, the Dick Wolf-helmed franchise is preparing for yet another major cast overhaul, with four Criminal Intent's regulars headed for the door next season: Vincent D'Onofrio (Det. Robert Goren), partner Kathryn Erbe (Det. Alexandra Earnes), Eric Bogosian (Capt. Danny Ross) and Julianne Nicholson (Det. Megan Wheeler).
Picking up the slack on New York City's Major Case Squad will be Jeff Goldblum, who joined the series this season replacing Chris Noth's Mike Logan. Goldblum's Det. Zach Nichols will take over team originally led by D'Onofrio's character. No word yet exactly how CI's writers will phase the foursome out.
A little bloodletting perhaps?
Despite Appearance of Hypocrisy, MTV Looks to Air DJ AM Sobriety Show
With the Kanye West-powered VMAs in the pop-culture rearview mirror, MTV execs are apparently looking beyond the grave for their next publicity-grabbing show.
According to the The Hollywood Reporter, the network is planning to air the DJ AM-fronted Gone Too Far, the intervention-styled reality series he shot just before his death last month from a suspected drug overdose.
MTV has reportedly been in talks with AM's family about the idea and won't announce an air date until his estate officially signs off on it. An MTV spokesman declined to comment on the story.
All told, DJ AM appeared in eight episodes of Gone, which was supposed to debut Oct. 5 but indefinitely shelved after he was found dead on Aug. 28.
Even though the notion of the demon-battling AM (real name Adam Goldstein) as a tough-love, clean-and-sober consigliere confronting abusers to help them overcome their addictions might seem hypocritical, MTV has never been shied away from controversy.
And capitalizing on dearly departed celebs is nothing new. For weeks now, Sony has been tirelessly hyping the Michael Jackson concert doc This Is It, debuting next month.
So much for resting in peace.
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E! Online remembers the late turntable star in our DJ AM memorial photo gallery.
Joe Francis's Booby Prize? No Jail!
Joe Francis is still waiting to learn whether he's going to face any charges in that bar brawl with Brody Jenner. But he got some good news elsewhere: He's not going to prison on federal tax-dodging charges.
The Girls Gone Wild mastermind has agreed to cop a plea to filing false IRS returns to end to the tax fraud case that had been hounding him for the past two years and landed him in jail for nearly a year.
The 36-year-old Francis will make things official when he appears in Los Angeles federal court at 2 p.m., E! News has learned.
He'll plead guilty to two counts of tax evasion and one count of bribing Nevada jailhouse officials with $5,000 worth of goods in a bid to get food. In return, Francis will receive credit for 301 days served in a Nevada slammer and must pay $250,000 in restitution.
Not bad for a guy who was originally charged with owing $20 million and facing up to 10 years in federal prison.
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Get the skinny on Francis' late-night throwdown with Jenner and Jayde Nicole here.
Fo' Shizzle! Snoop Dogg Gets Big Promotion
Snoop Dogg paid tha cost and is now tha boss.
His Highness has been named the inaugural "creative chairman" of EMI Music's Priority Records.
Snoop's been charged with developing new talent for the legendary rap label, which will also release his upcoming Malice N Wonderland. The rap superstar will also supervise special legacy releases to coincide with Priority's 25th anniversary in 2010. Aside from Snoop, the label and its ancillaries distributed seminal albums from the likes Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Ice-T, Master P and Easy-E.
"It's a new partnership, a new Priority Records, and a new Snoop Dogg," says the rapper. "The Creative Chairman...the Boss Dogg...the Dogg Father."
We're not sure how Priority's new music will turn out, but the label will definitely be smokin'.
Swoosh! Nike Suspends DJ AM-Endorsed Shoe Line
Just don't do it—at least temporarily.
DJ AM was famous for his love of Nikes, having collected more than 700 pairs in his lifetime. He had such an obsession HBO's Entourage even once made light of it in an episode.
But in the wake of his tragic death, the shoemaker has decided to put the brakes on a deal for the DJ AM-branded Nike Dunks replete with his very own logo.
A Nike official tells Radar that while the company had completed a design approved by the turntablist (whose real name was Adam Goldstein), it's putting the release on hold until execs and Andrea Gross, Goldstein's mother and the administrator of his estate, can figure out how to market the limited-edition line.
The Nike deal isn't the only AM project in limbo. MTV is trying to figure out what to do with the rehab-themed reality show he had completed before he died of a suspected drug overdose a week ago.
AM was laid to rest Wednesday in Los Angeles and a star-studded public memorial took place last night at the Hollywood Palladium.
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E! Online remembers DJ AM with a special photo gallery.
Spidey and Iron Man's New Boss: Mickey Mouse
Mickey, Donald, Woody, Buzz, Kermit and Miley just got some company at the Disney cafeteria.
The Mouse House is buying Marvel Entertainment and its store of superheros for a whopping $4 billion, adding such classic characters as Spider-Man, Iron Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four, Hulk and Thor to the Walt Disney stable.
Along with taking control of all of the fanboy faves for future movies, TV shows and the inevitable theme park attractions, the purchase also sets up the (quite scary) proposition that Spidey & Co. might end up mingling with the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana in cross-promotional efforts.
We can see it now: X-Men Origins: The Rise of Goofy.
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Get the latest Marvel scoop in our Comic-Con 2009 movie gallery.
Gyllenhaal, Applegate Keep It Kosher With Grover
All we can say is Mazel Tov!
Jake Gyllenhaal, Christina Applegate, Ben Stiller and Debra Messing are among a host of celebrities joining forces with Grover and the rest of the Muppet gang for Shalom Sesame, a Jewish-themed version of Sesame Street aimed at teaching Jewish-American preschoolers about their culture and heritage.
Per published reports, the 12-part series will follow our loveable furry blue hero as he and his his A-list pals film educational segments with children in the U.S. and travel to Israel to visit some of Judaism's most prominent sites, among them the Western Wall.
Other stars aboard Shalom Sesame include Greg Kinnear, Cedric the Entertainer, and Anneliese van der Pol from Disney's That's So Raven.
The show is actually a reboot. It was first adapted from the original Sesame Street in 1986 for American public television stations and then again in 1990. Past guests have included Joan Rivers, Sarah Jessica Parker, Mandy Patinkin, Mary Tyler Moore and Jerry Stiller and Anna Meara.
No word if Cookie Monster likes Matzah. The first installment of Shalom Sesame is due to premiere around the Hanukkah holiday in December 2010.
Jacksons Reality Series: Heartwarming TV or Shameless Cashing In?
Michael Jackson's final gift to his family? Potential reality TV stardom.
After years off the media radar, the Jackson clan has been suddently thrust back in the spotlight following the King of Pop's passing. Now, a long-planned reality show focusing on M.J.'s siblings has been dusted off and getting a new life.
Per the Hollywood Reporter, A&E is moving forward with plans for the hitherto shelved series, which has morphed from a show about a possible reunion to one focusing on how the family is dealing with the tragedy.
Before Jackson's demise, several family members (but not Michael or Janet) had filmed a one-hour pilot. That is expected to air within the next few weeks, although no firm date has been set.
The network had no comment on the report.
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E!'s got the latest on the investigation into Michael Jackson's doctor here.


