Torn from the week’s showbiz headlines…
Original cast members Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara, and Winona Ryder have signed on to do a “Beetlejuice” sequel that will come out next year, with Jenna Ortega of “Wednesday” as Ryder’s daughter. This time, Alec Baldwin accidentally shoots Geena Davis, but nothing happens cuz she’s already a ghost.
CBS has announced that, beginning in the fall, “The Amazing Race” and “Survivor” (the only two reality shows I watch) will be supersized to 90 minutes each week. Whether that’s the network planning ahead to avoid the impact of a long strike by the Writers Guild or an admission that execs can’t come up with enough compelling content to fill the third hour of primetime, I’m not unhappy with the decision. As long as the extended episodes don’t fill the extra time with Jeff Probst yelling at “Survivor” players while over-explaining everything, and “The Amazing Race” doesn’t pad the show with even more repetition of teams explaining what they’re doing or just did.
Ben Affleck made a movie about the guy who developed the idea for Air Jordans at Nike. Now Eva Longoria is going to do a feature film about the inventor of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Still no word on Adam Sandler’s biopic about the Nabisco exec who came up with Double Stuf Oreos.
Responding to demands from exactly no one, NBC is planning a spinoff of “Deal or No Deal.” I’m guessing it will be a weekly drama about how hard it is to be a supermodel whose only responsibilities are holding and opening a suitcase on camera. Or maybe a behind-the-scenes origin story about the one poor little suitcase who never gets picked.
My age might have been showing the other day when I saw an item about tickets going fast to see Renaissance. I immediately thought Annie Haslam — she of the five-octave range — had gotten her old prog-rock band back together and hit the road. It turned out to be another global tour by Beyonce.
It took me exactly one episode to dislike the reveals of where the Daily Doubles are on the primetime “Jeopardy! Masters” tournament. It doesn’t ruin the game, it’s just a waste of time that is of no benefit to the viewer or contestants. Executive Producer Michael Davies and his team should stop trying to monkey with a format that’s been perfect for decades. Also on the “Jeopardy!” front, I was very disappointed that Ken Jennings crossed the WGA picket line when Mayim Bialik refused to on a day when this season’s final episodes were recorded. If only Johnny Gilbert could introduce Jennings thusly: “And now, here’s the scab of Jeopardy, Ken Jennings!”