L A Starz - Award Shows and the Stars Who Attend Them

GOODBYE WB, UP 'n AWAY with UPN

Someone needs to knock some sense into the execs in charge of The WB programming. Not only did they lose Buffy the Vampire Slayer to UPN, they cancelled Roswell, which UPN immediately snapped up and paired with Buffy on UPN's Tuesday night lineup. ``Anytime they would like to give up a fabulous program that directly connects with an audience, we're happy to take it,'' said UPN president Dean Valentine.

Defending The WB network's decision not to outbid UPN for Buffy, Suzanne Daniels, co-president of entertainment for WB, said the network did not want to deplete its resources and noted that the teen audience, which WB emphatically courts, was declining. Uh, Ms. Daniels, according to our research, your shows were not losing a teen audience, they were actually gaining viewers in the desirable age 18 - 49 demographic. Obviously a point UPN didn't miss.

It would be ironic if the show or Buffy's ensemble cast, including Sarah Michelle Gellar in the title role, Anthony Head, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Amber Benson, James Marsters and Emma Caulfield, are finally recognized for their talent or Joss Whedon's writing, by, oh let's say ... the Primetime Emmys or a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Anyway, if Buffy and Angel had to break up (in the broadcast sense), backing Buffy up with Roswell is a smart move. UPN will have strong viewship at least one night a week, with legions of fans following not only the Buffy cast but Jason Behr, Brendan Fehr, Shiri Appleby, Majandra Delfino, Nick Wechsler, Emilie de Ravin, William Sadler and Katherine Heigl of Roswell over to the new network.

The WB also cancelled two of it's funniest shows, Grosse Pointe, starring Lindsay Sloane, and Popular, which had a strong cast including Ron Lester, Tamara Mello, Christopher Gorham, Bryce Johnson, Sarah Rue, Diane Delano, and the wickedly funny Tammy Lynn Michaels and Leslie Erin Grossman, yet they kept the obnoxious Sabrina the Teenage Witch and are producing a second season of those wannabe Pop Stars. The WB was on the right track, at least for a short while, when they paired Grosse Point and Popular on Friday nights, providing a refreshing end to long work weeks and 90 minutes of thoughtful drama mixed with just the right amount of pop culture and humor. Hey UPN, are you listening???

The WB had a good thing going but now wants to change direction in an effort to attract more male viewers (while UPN's goal is to draw more female viewers, lol). At least they had the smarts to retain Angel, starring the multi-dimensional David Boreanaz in the title role, Charisma Carpenter, Alexis Denisof, Christian Kane, J August Richards, and Andy Hallett with guest appearances by Eliza Dushku, Juliet Landau, and Julie Benz. It's a show that easily appeals to both sexes and, yet again, those18 and over are tuning in.

SUMMER MOVIE NEWS

Former Buffy "Scooby" Seth Green appears in July's release America's Sweethearts, which stars Christopher Walken, Stanley Tucci, Hank Azaria, John Cusack and a couple of beautiful newcomers (j/k), Catherine Zeta-Jones and Julia Roberts. According to IMDb.com, Seth will return to television this fall in a little ditty called Greg the Bunny.

Angelina Jolie will add heat this summer in two releases, the anticipated blockbuster Tomb Raider coming June 15th and August's Original Sin co-starring Antonio Banderas and a young man named Thomas Jane, who is currently filming The Sweetest Thing with Cameron Diaz.

Benicio Del Toro fans might want to seek out Bread and Roses, opening in limited release on May 18th. While Benicio's part amounts to a cameo appearance, his audience knows he always turns his screen time into something memorable.