Seriously? OMG! WTF?

ABC has given early pickups to three reality series. "America’s Funniest Home Videos," the longest-running primetime entertainment show in ABC history, has been picked up for an 18th season. Brit imports "Supernanny" and "Wife Swap" have been renewed for fourth seasons. "Videos" has given away more than $9 million in prize money to people submitting home videos and has evaluated more than a half-million videotapes from viewers. "Supernanny," which got its start in the U.K. in summer 2004 and debuted on ABC in early 2005, features Jo Frost dealing with difficult children. It now airs in 47 territories, almost all of them featuring Frost. "Wife Swap" debuted in the U.K. in 2003 and made its way to ABC in 2004. The show, featuring two families swapping wives for two weeks, has been sold as an acquisition or a format to more than 100 international territories.

The Hollywood Reporter

Interesting that they picked three reality shows before they picked up any scripted ones? 

"Dreamgirls," which recently received eight Academy Award nominations excluding one for Best Picture, may be headed back to the Broadway stage. Dreamgirls composer Henry Krieger told the New York Post that John Breglio — the lawyer who oversees the estate of original Dreamgirls director-choreographer Michael Bennett — will hold a meeting next month to discuss a Broadway revival of the 1981 musical. "We’re going to figure out how to do this," Krieger told the New York daily. "We think it’s time. All is good." In a written statement issued Jan. 25 Breglio said, "There’s a lot of interest in bringing Dreamgirls back to Broadway. The owners of the musical decided a year ago not to make any decision about a Broadway revival until after the film was released. As for my producing a new production of Dreamgirls, for the time being my focus is on A Chorus Line. Whether or not I want to jump into another project this soon is something I need more time to consider."

Playbill 

Who didn’t see that coming? I am just so over the trend show-movie-show or movie-show-movie…make it stop please!

Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes are in talks to star in "Mad Money," a pic to be directed by "Thelma & Louise" scribe Callie Khouri. Nu Millennium and Granada are financing the film. Glenn Gers script, based on British film "Hot Money," concerns three female employees of the Federal Reserve who plot to steal money that is about to be destroyed. Khouri did a rewrite on the script; pic will shoot in Shreveport, La. The third actress is not yet cast. Holmes, who is making her return to acting after maternity leave, has dropped out of "The Dark Knight," Warner Bros.' Christopher Nolan-directed sequel to "Batman Begins."

Variety 

I wonder if Tom Cruise knows about this?

Britney Spears will be offered the chance to play a group of sex-mad aliens on sci-fi TV show Doctor Who. Show writer Russell T Davies is a massive fan of the pop princess and wants to take the series to Hollywood so Spears can make a spectacular cameo playing a cloned extra-terrestrial. Davies says, "I’d love Britney to do it – it would be so much fun. "I’m not sure she’ll come to Cardiff where the show is shot so I’m nagging the BBC to fund a Hollywood special."

WENN

Now that is a role that is perfect for her…a sex mad alien!

NO matter how many times they get out, it keeps dragging them back in. Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, the original – and the best – Leo and Max in "The Producers," have been asked to reprise their roles one last time before the show ends its seven-year run in June, The Post has learned. They haven’t accepted the offer yet, but production sources say the plan is for Broderick and Lane to rejoin "The Producers" at the St. James Theatre in May and send the show off with a bang on June 24. Mel Brooks, the creator of "The Producers," is planning to open his next musical, "Young Frankenstein," at the St. James in October. A spokesman for "The Producers" yesterday declined to comment on the offer, but said: "Nathan and Matthew have always had a standing invitation to come back to the show whenever they would like to. They’re family, we love them, and the show will always be their home should they wish to come here." Since the holidays, "The Producers" has weakened at the box office, with weekly grosses dropping from $1 million to $600,000. Tony Danza was brought in as Max to boost ticket sales during the winter doldrums, but the general sense on Broadway is that "The Producers" has run its course. Its advance stands at slightly more than $1 million, and last fall the show posted a couple of money-losing weeks. Broderick and Lane would certainly lift the box office. Industry insiders speculate premium seats could go as high as $400, and ticket scalpers say they could get as much as $1,000 a ticket for Broderick and Lane’s final hurrah. "The sky’s the limit," says one broker. "Everybody knows this is the last time you’ll see these two guys in their greatest roles." Production sources say the two actors could command huge salaries to close out the "The Producers." When they stepped back into the show three years ago, they each earned about $120,000 a week. This time, they could get as much as $175,000 a week for their six-week stint. But will they do it?

NY Post 

I hope they do because then the show could go out in style and not saying that Tony Danza killed the show.

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