'Entourage' got a Golden Globe® nod for Best Television Series - Comedy, and Jeremy Piven was tapped for the second year for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Ari Gold. Check out the other HBO nominations. (photo: Chris Weeks/WireImage.com)

King of Comedy

Michael Patrick King is taking a break from series writing ('The Comeback' and 'Sex and the City') to direct Kenny Mellman (of the downtown cabaret act Kiki & Herb) and performer Bridget Everett in 'At Least It's Pink.' King penned the script and Mellman and Everett wrote the tunes that together tell the tale of Everett's raunchy journey from Manhattan, Kansas to Manhattan, NY. The show will run for 8 weeks at Ars Nova in New York City starting in January. (photo: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage.com)

[Variety]

Author Author!

HBO writers are gathering laurels to perch on — the network was the only one to have two shows nominated for Writer's Guild Awards in both the drama and comedy series categories. Scribes from 'Deadwood,' 'The Sopranos,' 'Entourage,' and 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' will be gathering in Los Angeles February 11th to see who takes home the prize. (photo: Bobby Bank/WireImage.com)

[Reuters]

The Wiggles

Ricky Gervais on his early days

As he prepares to take the U.S. by storm, appearing in yet another film ('Night at the Museum') and debuting 'Extras' in January, Ricky Gervais dropped by for a visit with Jon Stewart and talked about how far he's come. Now living in a "huge house," he vividly recalled his first London flat, where he and his girlfriend slept in a single bed adjacent to the fridge. To avoid climbing down two flights to the communal bathroom in the middle of the night, Gervais would stand on his tiptoes and "give himself a wiggle" in the kitchen sink. And despite his girlfriend's sleepy pleas to avoid the dishes, he couldn't always abide...though urine is sterile, he insists. "Obviously now you have people to come in and urinate on your dishes for you," replied Stewart.

As for the girlfriend, miraculously she stuck with him. Twenty years later they're sharing a mansion, and as the British press writes, "he's decided to settle down with her." To which Ricky responds: "At 20 years, surely that's settled enough?" (photo: Ferdaus Shamim/WireImage.com)

[Comedy Central]

Bridget Moynahan and Jamie-Lynn Sigler at Art Basel in Miami Beach. (photo: Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage.com)

Leading Man

Jeremy Sisto as 'Movie Hero'

If you missed Jeremy Sisto playing the ironic leading man in the indie film 'Movie Hero,' you can now catch it on DVD. Reviewer RJ Carter extols it's virtues: " 'The Movie Hero' is a gem — cut, polished, and dazzlingly set — and my only regret is that I didn't get to see this one sooner..."

Sisto plays a man who believes he's the hero of his own movie (don't we all?) and sets out to hire a Sidekick (Brian White), follow Suspicious Character (Peter Stormare), and woo the Love Interest (Dina Meyer). Someone breaks the fourth wall, but will Doomed Fiance get the girl? (photo: Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage.com)

[The Trades]

Adam Beach Leads by Example

"When I first started acting," said Saulteaux Indian Adam Beach and star of Clint Eastwood's 'Flags of our Fathers' and HBO Films' upcoming 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.' "I wondered why we [Native Americans] couldn't make it in Hollywood, as movie stars or on TV."

In Minnesota for the filming of Native American director Glenn Gould's 'Older than America,' Beach and his fellow cast members sat down with some young Native Americans from Carlton County's Fond du Lac Ojibwe School. "Everyone asked me how I was going to make it in this industry, but that actually made me stronger because I felt I had nothing left to lose."

With the film industry now abuzz over a possible Oscar®-nomination and already the winner of Hollywood Life's Breakthrough of the Year Award for his work on 'Flags,' Beach told the students, "Sometimes we tend to put ourselves in a position where we're defeated before we start, and we have to fight that sort of defeat. You can do that just by finishing high school. And if you need someone to look up to, just look what I did when no one thought I would succeed. Don't ask why — ask why not?" (photo: John Sciulli/WireImage.com )

[The Pine Journal]

Bracco's New Leaf

Playing a psychiatrist wasn't always therapeutic for Lorraine Bracco. In her downtime between shoots for the final season of 'The Sopranos,' the actress has been speaking out about the depression she faced just as she landed her lauded role as Dr. Melfi. "Depression is not cured by good things happening to you — which is why it's so hard to get a handle on," she recently shared with the Dallas Mental Health Association, speaking about her memoir, 'On the Couch.' "My depression responded to real treatment, not the glimpses of psychotherapy people have seen on TV."

Despite being sad about wrapping up nine years of her life, Bracco tells the Dallas Morning News she's in a good place with her career and her family. Beaming proud of her kids ("they're gorgeous, they're incredible"), she credits them with being a driving force for her to get better. "You're only a mom once. How sad it is to have kids walk into a house and you're down like that? They pick up on everything. Don't ever think they don't, because they do."

And after Dr. Melfi's done helping Tony? Bracco will focus on her acting and producing deal with Lifetime, as well as her line of Italian-imported wines. (photo: Bobby Bank/WireImage.com)

[Dallas Morning News]

Joe Pantoliano, Glenn Close and Marcia Gay Harden at the Creative Coaliton screening of 'Canvas' in New York. (photo: Gary Gershoff/WireImage.com)

The Adams Family

Linney and Giamatti together again

They recently paired up as a Manhattan couple in need of child care in the movie version of 'The Nanny Diaries.' But now Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti are bracing for a revolution. Linney was just cast to play Abigail Adams in the seven-part HBO miniseries, 'John Adams,' based on the David McCullough bestseller. Giamatti has been busy preparing for his role as the founding father.

Linney has her work cut out for her. The second president's wife (and sixth president's mother) was considered "one of the most remarkable, admirable, wise Americans of all time," according to McCullough. "She is a better judge of people than he was. She was a much more insightful politician, if you will." She was also ahead of her time, pushing her husband hard on women's rights: "If particular care and attention is not paid to the Laidies [sic] we are determined to foment a Rebellion," she wrote to him during the Continental Congress, "and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation."

Linney is well represented in a slate of major films on the horizon, including James Ivory's 'The City of Your Final Destination,' Sundance pick 'The Savages,' and 'Breach,' in which she plays a U.S. government agent. (photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage.com)

[Richmond Times Dispatch]

[NEH.gov]

[Wikipedia]

Casting for Outkast

When the multi-Grammy Award-winning duo of OutKast already possess more platinum albums then many mere superstars dream of, it's difficult to suddenly call them cross-over successes. But the phrase might work for Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000, right) and Antwan Patton (Big Boi) as they make the move from rap stars to Hollywood players.

This summer, the two from Atlanta starred in their film musical 'Idlewild' — and since then, Benjamin co-created the Cartoon Network's 'Class of 3000' to critical acclaim and opens in 'Charlotte's Web' starring acting sensation Dakota Fanning this month. Now, he's set to join Woody Harrelson in Will Farrell's latest comic vehicle 'Semi-Pro.' Set in the world of professional basketball, Benjamin will be playing a ladies man and star player on the fictional Flint Michigan Tropics, coached by Farrell.

Meanwhile Antwan Patton, making his big screen debut in 'ATL' earlier this year, is slated to star as a rap music mogul who joins an all-white country club in the golfing farce 'Who's Your Caddy.' Patton's role is said to be loosely based on Rodney Dangerfield's obnoxious tycoon character from the golf comedy classic 'Caddyshack.' (photo: Jim Spellman/WireImage.com)

[paramountcomedy.com]

[Contra Costa Times]

On the Beach

David Milch learns to surf

Who is John from Cincinnati, the title character in David Milch's new series about a surfing family? Standing on Imperial Beach, the show's setting close to the Tijuana border, Milch explained to the San Diego Union Tribune: "John from Cincinnati is not named John and he's not from Cincinnati. It's not even clear that this guy is from Earth."

With that cleared up, he explains that the series was originally about a junkie in New York City, far from the world of sand and surf boards. But when HBO asked for a beach setting, he turned to Kem Nunn, one of the writers on 'Deadwood' who was known for his surf noir novels. They teamed up, and now with the aid of the Fletcher family, real-life surfers, Milch is learning about a whole new world. "I've been blessed to have a lot of input from the real deal," Milch said. "I'm getting a new baptism, a baptism by water." (photo: Mark Sullivan/WireImage.com)

[San Diego Union Tribune]

Queen Latifah and Jennifer Hudson at the New York premiere of 'Dreamgirls.' (photo: Eric Charbonneau/WireImage.com)

Calamity Jane's New Calling

Robin Weigert trades drinking for whoring

She plays a post World War II Berliner who's turned to prostitution in 'The Good German,' but unlike her co-star Cate Blanchett, Robin Weigert's character warms to the career turn.

"The fun difference between my character and Cate's is that Cate's character is more of an aristocrat by nature; she has to whore and it's very demeaning to her," Weigert, known for playing 'Deadwood' 's Calamity Jane, tells the LA Daily News. "My character — it's like she's found her true calling, her element. She has a sense of humor about occupying this station in life." (photo: Rebecca Sapp/WireImage.com)

[Daily News]

One Night Stand

Lili Taylor takes the stage without knowing her role

You show up to perform a lead role in a play, you're about to go on and realize you've never read the script and you don't know any of your lines. No, it's not an anxiety dream, but the concept behind Tim Crouch's play 'an oak tree,' which is running now at the Barrow Street Theatre in New York. On Friday Lili Taylor will take the stage in this two-"man" play which tells the story of a father whose daughter is killed in a car accident and the driver of that car (Crouch).

Taylor will play the father — but don't tell her. For each performance, a guest actor (male or female) shows up and is lead through playing the role of the father. Broadway.com reports: " 'an oak tree' is a remarkable new play for two actors...The second actor walks on stage having neither seen nor read a word of the play they're in....until they're in it. This is breath-taking projection of performance, given from one actor to another, from a hypnotist to a subject, from an audience to a person." (photo: Mark Sullivan/WireImage.com)

[BroadwayWorld.com]

[Perry Street Theatre]

Games People Play

Gandolfini wins again

Three-time Emmy®-winner James Gandolfini has collected yet another honor for his work as Tony Soprano. This time, he gets the nod for the job he did on THQ's 'The Sopranos®: Road to Respect™,' earning Gandolfini, 'Best Supporting Male Performance' from Spike TV's Video Game Awards. In 'Road to Respect,' the gamer steps into the brutal mob under-world as enforcer Joey LaRocca (the bastard son of Big Pussy) and if he survives can become a "made" member of the Soprano family. (photo: Bobby Bank/WireImage.com)

[The Sopranos: Road to Respect]

[Kotaku]

Patricia Clarkson and Noah Emmerich at the New York premiere of 'Dreamgirls.' (photo: Eric Charbonneau/WireImage.com)

Breathing Lessons

What keeps Toni Collette grounded? The actress claims it's a combo of her upbringing and her more recent yoga and meditation practices (which she got into after 'The Sixth Sense'). "I come from a very blue-collar, working class, grounded... kind of a family, which I'm very thankful for because I don't buy into what I possibly could buy into."

But it was meditating that helped her while filming her role as a rescue worker in 'Tsunami, the Aftermath' in Thailand. "I continue to meditate every day, and I think that's the answer to my happiness and good sleep and amount of energy I have and the way I see things. It's the healthiest thing I can do for myself, really."

The filming conditions were apparently difficult, and the role demanding (much of her dialogue was in Thai), but that didn't faze her. "When I take on a role it's not just about a job, it becomes this whole life experience," she told the McClatchy Tribune News Service. "I think I'm meant to have those experiences, so I don't feel upset about not getting something. I think you get what you are given for a reason." (photo: Jamie McCarthy/WireImage.com)

[McClatchey Tribune News Service via Philadelphia Enquirer]

Walk on the Wilds Side

Having survived last night's finale of 'The Wire' and with Season Five scheduled to start shooting in March, star Tristan Wilds (far right), whose on-screen life looks to be on a downward spiral, is busy improving his music chops. His school's chamber chorus recently sang at the tree lighting ceremony at Staten Island's Borough Hall. Plus, he's set to appear in a rap video: "Yeah, it's a Lil' Flip video, featuring Life Jennings, called 'Ghetto Mind State.' I'm playing Lil' Flip as a child. Lil' Flip called my manager and he asked for me." Not bad for a corner kid. (photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage.com)

[TV Guide]

Dynamic Duo

Zabriskie, Stanton Reunite

Last we saw Grace Zabriskie and Harry Dean Stanton together, she was plotting to end his reign over the Juniper Creek compound on 'Big Love.' It wasn't the first time the two came to blows. "He was my nemesis in [David Lynch's] 'Wild at Heart' too," Grace Zabriskie told HBO.com. "I got to kill him, though."

She's not so lucky in David Lynch's latest film, 'Inland Empire,' a film within a film about a young actress, Laura Dern (daughter of Bruce Dern, Zabriskie's ex-husband in the polygamy drama), who gets an ominous warning about the movie from her mysterious neighbor, "played with freakish intensity" by Zabriskie, according to Rolling Stone. As for "the nemesis," he's been de-throned in this one: Harry Dean plays the film director's assistant, and he can't stop looking for spare change. (photo: Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage.com)

[Rolling Stone]

[Indiewire]

[HBO.com]