— The CW held its Television Critics Association panels Tuesday, and reports say that executive producer Ashton Kutcher spoke very confidently about Mischa Barton’s status on “The Beautiful Life.”
“Mischa’s in New York working today on the show,” said Kutcher. “She was never unavailable for a day of work.” He added that she has a “very prominent” part on the show.
“The Beautiful Life” is one of the network’s new series.
— “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” will not be formally screened for mainstream film critics prior to its release. While some bloggers and online movie websites have received a peak–and generally given the film strong reviews–it is generally taking the “limited review” approach reserved for horror movies.
According to a THR piece, the general feeling is that “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” proved that franchise-based action flicks can draw in 2009 without support from reviews (“Transformers” will be the biggest movie of the summer yet was panned by critics), so there was no major upside to having critical screenings, even if the reviews came in positive.
Moreover, the marketing scheme behind the film is to attract the heartland rather than entertainment/critical circles in Los Angeles and New York. Instead of setting up shop for screenings in the major city, Paramount is marketing to places like Kansas City and Charlotte; it also recently held a screening for military members.