Source : Contact Music

LATEST: The bosses of hit American TV show DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES are laughing at British press reports CAMERON DIAZ is being lined up for a cameo on the show.

TOUCHSTONE TELEVISION chiefs insist the rumour is nothing but a joke perpetrated by journalists fishing for post-Christmas stories.

A spokeswoman for the show says, "Cameron Diaz has not been booked for the show. There are no plans for her to appear on Desperate Housewives."

Source : East Valley Tribune

For the fashion-obsessed, TV just hasn’t been the same since Carrie Bradshaw was mugged for her Manolo Blahniks. But that hasn’t stopped us from looking for the next ‘‘Sex and the City.’’

Channel-surfing for trendsetting TV is leading many viewers to ABC’s ‘‘Desperate Housewives’’ and Fox’s ‘‘The O.C.,’’ both evening soap operas about stylish suburban subcultures.

On a recent episode of ‘‘Desperate Housewives,’’ the minivan moms of Wisteria Lane walked the runway in a charity fashion show modeling gowns by Bradley Bayou for Halston. That collaboration was scripted, but in the wake of the housewife hype, costume designer Cate Adair is receiving an average of 50 unsolicited samples a week from designers hoping to get their clothes on the show. Retro aprons, gingham dishwashing gloves, Peanuts T-shirts and more have been shipped to the Universal City set from Texas and beyond.

The show’s biggest fashion moment to date came a few weeks ago, when Bree (Marcia Cross) tried to seduce her straying spouse clad only in a fur coat, pearls and a red lace La Perla bra and panty set. Bloggers on fan sites went wild, and a spokeswoman from La Perla says the $265 lingerie set has since sold out. The company does a lot of TV and film placement, she says, including the orange bikini Halle Berry wore in the last James Bond flick, but nothing as successful as this.

On the other end of the age spectrum is teen dream ‘‘The O.C.’’ Now in its second season, the show has been buoyed by the personal style of its young stars Mischa Barton, whose relationship with the fashion house Chanel (they dress her for public appearances) translates into costumes for the show, and Adam Brody, whose signature geek chic (sweater vests over polo shirts) has even trickled down to the racks at Target.

A new subscription-based Web site — www.theoc insider.com — and a companion magazine launched last month offer fashion and makeup tips written by the show’s staff, among other things.

The site also sells clothes that the characters could wear. A best seller is the ‘‘Mrs. Seth Cohen boybeater’’ tank top, a riff on celebrity-wife T-shirts that refers to Brody’s character. In the works for spring is a high-end apparel line from the Warner Bros. division responsible for the vintageinspired Looney Tunes line.

" ‘The O.C.’ has a lot of impact on our readers,’’ says Amy Astley, editor in chief of Teen Vogue. ‘‘After Mischa Barton carried a Chanel tote as her school bag, it was considered highly desirable. Of course, not everyone can afford Chanel, but the trend went away from the backpack to the tote anyway. It’s also the impact of the actors themselves, like Adam Brody with his Mr. Rogers cardigans. When we shot him for the cover of the magazine, we didn’t change the way he was dressed at all.’’

‘‘Desperate Housewives’’ also has fashion potential, Astley says. ‘‘I think their hotness may have hit them by surprise. But the leading ladies are attractive, and they are already somewhat identified by their clothes.’’

Bree, the consummate perfectionist, always has to match. Gabrielle is more fashion-forward. ‘‘There’s a lovely line in an upcoming episode where she complains that her shoe shopping has been curtailed by Carlos’ antics,’’ costume designer Adair says.

As consumers grow immune to traditional forms of advertising, television placement becomes a lucrative alternative.

Halston’s Bayou, who provided five gowns for the episode of ‘‘Desperate Housewives,’’ says he had calls to his L.A. studio about the dresses before the episode aired, just from the advance publicity.

For Raquel Krouse, coowner of the Camp Beverly Hills label, placing a tank top on the season premiere of ‘‘The O.C.’’ translated into a 100 percent increase in hits on her Web site and a 30 percent increase in sales at key stores. ‘‘Our product was popular in the 1980s, but these young kids weren’t around in the 1980s, so being part of the show has helped us introduce the line to another generation.’’

Source : Contact Music

Movie beauty CAMERON DIAZ is such a huge fan of TV show DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, she's reportedly signed up for a cameo role.

The CHARLIE'S ANGELS actress is an avid viewer of the latest drama - focusing on the lives of five suburban women who spend their days seducing workmen - scoring millions of fans across America.

And now Diaz has managed to secure a small role in the hit series.

An insider says, "Cameron is one of 20 million fans of the show and thought it would be quite cool to play herself.

"She thinks it will be a ratings smash of the year."

Source : Tv Guide

When the 2005 Golden Globe nominations were announced last week in L.A., no one was surprised that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association lavished generous kudos on ABC's runaway hit, Desperate Housewives. After all, the shady ladies of Wisteria Lane rock!

Their freshman dramedy racked up a leading five nominations, including best comedy series, best comedy actress for Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman, and best supporting actress for notorious towel-dropper Nicollette Sheridan. But what about Eva Longoria? Her boy-toy lovin' adulteress, Gabrielle, positively puts the Desperate in Housewives. If we were her, we'd be just a little bitter.

"I really don't like to focus on me not getting a nomination," Longoria insists to TV Guide Online. "I like to focus on how all the other girls got nominated. And the show — we've only been on five or six times. We're really blessed, and I'm really excited.

"And," she adds diplomatically, "I don't want to discredit the Hollywood Foreign Press for not picking me because they obviously have good taste, picking the other women. So I'm fine. I didn't expect to get a Golden Globe nomination the first year out. I hoped the show would, and Marcia and Felicity and Nicollette and Teri have all paid their dues. It's well-deserved and very appropriate."

Bottom line: Not only does Longoria look fine mowing the lawn in a ball gown, she's a darn good sport, too.

Source : Zap2It

Late-afternoon NFL games that bled into primetime helped CBS score a sizable ratings win on Sunday.

For the night, CBS averaged a 10.4 rating/17 share -- although those numbers reflect time period only and may come down some in the final nationals -- to beat ABC's 8.0/13. NBC finished third at 6.5/10, followed by FOX, 3.3/5, and The WB, 2.0/3.

ABC scored a win among adults 18-49 with a 5.4 rating, holding off CBS, 4.6. NBC averaged 2.8, FOX 2.6 and The WB 1.3. The NFL runover leading into "60 Minutes" gave CBS a commanding lead at 7 p.m. with a 13.5/23. "Dateline," 6.5/11, was second for NBC, and ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos," 5.1/9, finished third. FOX came in fourth with reruns of "That '70s Show" and "Malcolm in the Middle." The WB trailed with an abbreviated "Steve Harvey's Big Time" and the start of the movie "The Wizard of Oz."

CBS stayed in front at 8 p.m., averaging 11.4/18 with the conclusion of "60 Minutes" and "Cold Case." A second hour of "Dateline" improved to 7.6/12 for NBC. A rerun of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" kept ABC in third. A "Simpsons" repeat, 4.6/7, and "Arrested Development," 3.3/5, were fourth for FOX. "The Wizard of Oz" posted at 2.4/4 for The WB.

"Desperate Housewives," 13.0/20, took over the lead for ABC at 9 p.m. CBS dropped back to second with the movie "Fallen Angel," 8.9/13. A rerun of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" was third for NBC. FOX averaged 2.8/4 with "Malcolm in the Middle" and "King of the Hill." The WB's movie concluded with a 2.2/3.

ABC barely held onto the top spot at 10 p.m. with "Boston Legal," 8.1/13. CBS's movie averaged 8.0/13 for the hour. A "Crossing Jordan" rerun came in at 6.1/10 for NBC.

Source : Access Hollywood

We can't enough of "Desperate Housewives" and neither can the critics. The show garnered Golden Globe nominations for all but one of the gals. Access got the story of how the show's creator and executive producer Marc Cherry went from 'destitute to desperate' with a show that almost never hit air.

"CBS said, 'Well dark, dark comedy.' At FOX they said, 'We love your writing, we just don't think it's something our network would do.' HBO said, 'We like its just not gritty enough and then Lifetime they just didn't tell me why they weren't going to do it. They just passed, which hurt my feelings," Cherry told Access.

Having difficulty finding a home for his "Desperate Housewives," Cherry needed a "desperate" partner and he found one in ABC -- the one network that needed help the most.

"I had hoped at the very least that we'd beat 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent.' And we ended up doing that, but by a few more million viewers then I thought possible and its all been terrific," Cherry told Access.

But before Wisteria Lane it was nearly skid row for the mastermind behind "Desperate Housewives."

"I couldn't get a job to save my life. I had sent this script out and nothing. I got nothing," said Cherry.

No one was more "Desperate" to sell his quirky soap opera than Cherry himself. Once at the top of his profession as a producer of "The Golden Girls" he was now $30,000 in debt, forced to sell his house as he suffered through a legal battle with his former agent who embezzled nearly $80,000 from Cherry.

Week after week, Cherry nails the inner voice of a housewife. Of course, it doesn't hurt that in each episode one of the fabulous five ladies is usually stripped down. This is all this from a mind of an openly gay writer who keeps the secrets of the cul de sac under wraps.

"All the big secrets will be revealed by the end of season one in a most spectacular fashion," revealed Cherry.

Stay tuned for a gun-toting Marcia Cross with her new pharmacist coming in January! Could another murder be around the corner?

Source : Contact Music

Bosses at PLAYBOY are reportedly eyeing a fresh set of women to strip for the magazine - the cast of new hit US TV show DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES.

TERI HATCHER, NICOLETTE SHERIDAN, FELICITY HUFFMAN, MARCIA CROSS and EVA LONGORIA have been catapulted to the top of America's celebrity ladder since their racy show debuted in the autumn (04), and sources say the screen stars are being pursued to pose nude.

According to IN TOUCH WEEKLY, the beauties have been offered more than $2 million (GBP1 million) each to shed their clothes for a pictorial - but only if all five agree to pose.

While sources claim the actresses are considering the offer, a representative at Playboy notes, "We never comment on stars we are pursuing."

Source : Access Hollywood

"Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria says she'll be at the Golden Globes next month to cheer for her fellow cast members.

Her ABC co-stars Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman were nominated Monday for best actress in a TV musical or comedy series, and Nicollette Sheridan was nominated for best supporting actress in a miniseries, movie or series.

"They have all paid their dues and are so awesome to work with. It couldn't have happened to better women," Longoria told syndicated entertainment TV show "Access Hollywood."

"Desperate Housewives" was nominated for best comedy or musical series.

"I am so happy that I get to go to the Golden Globes and just be a cheerleader," she said.

The Golden Globe Awards show will air January 16th.

Source : Zap2It

"Desperate Housewives" beat the finale of "Survivor: Vanuatu" head-to-head Sunday, but ABC's other shows couldn't measure up to the reality series, which gave CBS a win for the night.

CBS averaged a 10.1 rating/15 share in primetime, followed closely by ABC at 9.5/15. FOX took third with a 5.9/9, beating NBC's 5.4/8. The WB was way back with a 1.3/2.

Among adults 18-49, CBS's 6.1 rating was good enough for the top spot, ahead of ABC's 5.9. FOX averaged 3.9 in the demographic, NBC 2.9 and The WB 0.8. Late-ending NFL coverage, 10.6/16, and "Malcolm in the Middle," 9.6/15, gave FOX the lead at 7 p.m., although those numbers are likely to fall when final nationals are calculated. CBS was second with "60 Minutes," 8.9/14. "America's Funniest Home Videos" was third for ABC, beating "Dateline NBC," which finished with a 4.8/8. The WB trailed with "Steve Harvey's Big Time."

CBS moved into the lead at 8 p.m. with the first hour of the "Survivor" finale, 10.6/16. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" came in second for ABC with a 9.2/14. FOX averaged 5.2/8 with "The Simpsons" (6.3/10) and "Arrested Development" (4.2/6). NBC stayed in fourth with a showing of "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." A "Charmed" rerun, 1.7/3, improved some on its lead-in but couldn't pull The WB out of last place.

At 9 p.m., "Desperate Housewives" posted a 14.0/20 for ABC -- its lowest rating in a number of weeks but still enough to win the hour. "Survivor" finished with an 11.3/16 and highway worker Chris Daugherty winning the $1 million prize. NBC's movie improved to 5.9/9 to finish third. "My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss" was fourth for FOX. "The Mountain" barely registered for The WB.

The "Survivor" reunion show won the 10 p.m. hour for CBS with a 9.4/15, a little better than the 9.1/15 for "Boston Legal" on ABC. A rerun of "Crossing Jordan" averaged 5.8/9 for NBC.