Alyssa Milano Joins the Rina Mimoun Drama
02/28/2007 - movieweb
Angie Harmon has signed on to star in another ABC drama pilot, Women's Murder Club; from 20th Century Fox TV, it centers on homicide inspector Lindsay Boxer (Harmon), who teams with her three girlfriends to solve murder cases. Brian Austin Green, Jessica Capshaw and Vanessa Lengies have landed three of the four leads in CBS' untitled Kohan/Mutchnick comedy pilot. The show is about two friends and writing partners, one straight and one gay (Green), and the women working with them (Capshaw, Lengies). Carlos Jacott and Samantha Bee will star in Fox's comedy pilot, Two Families. The show revolves around two sets of adult siblings who didn't know they shared the same father (Beau Bridges). Jacott and Bee will play twins from one of the two families. Johnny Messner has landed a lead role in ABC's drama pilot, Judy's Got a Gun; it's a procedural drama about Judy Lemen (Louise Lombard), a detective and a single mom. Messner will play a recent transfer to the police department, a hothead who shares a spark of attraction with Judy. Danny Comden has been cast in ABC's comedy pilot, The Call. The show revolves around a group of unconventional paramedics, one played by Comden. Liz Vassey is set to co-star on Fox's drama pilot, The Cure; it centers on a group searching for miracle cures. Vassey will play a top biotech scientist. Bruce McGill has joined NBC's comedy pilot Area 52, an office comedy set at a secret location in the Nevada desert; McGill will play Gen. Keller, a military journeyman. Will Yun Lee has come on board NBC's, The Bionic Woman. It's a re-imagination of the 1970s series and stars Michelle Ryan in the title role; Lee will play a field leader. In other pilot-casting news, Molly Stanton is set to star in Fox's untitled Liz Meriwether comedy pilot. Ben Feldman has joined Fox's drama pilot, Them. Ava Gaudet and Stephen Rannazzisi have joined ABC's comedy pilot, See Jayne Run. Aaron Paul has been tapped to star opposite Brian Cranston in AMC's pilot, Breaking Bad T.J. Miller has come aboard ABC's comedy pilot, Carpoolers

MILANO HELPS HURRICANE VICTIMS
09/20/2005 - contactmusic
Milano, ex-girlfriend of pop heart-throb JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, has taken time out of her busy schedule to help hand out necessities to the many displaced residents of America's Gulf Region. Her CHARMED co-star HOLLY MARIE COMBS says, 'She's actually in Houston at the Astrodome, handing out debit cards to people who are in need. It's very important to her to do that kind of stuff with her life. It's important to her happiness.' Milano follows in the footsteps of a host of stars, including MACY GRAY, SEAN PENN and FAITH HILL, who have made a journey to the affected region to lend a helping hand.

'Charmed' Magically Stays Alive
08/20/2005 - zap2it
Star Holly Marie Combs, who plays Piper, the eldest of three demon-vanquishing good-witch sisters, was getting a bit cranky. 'I'm not going to sugarcoat it,' she said at the time. 'I am not pleased. After this amount of time on a network, we deserve better.' Brian Krause, who plays Piper's husband, Leo, was more optimistic, saying, 'I think they'd be silly not to bring us back.' 'Whatever's going to be is what's going to be,' philosophized Rose McGowan, who plays youngest sister Paige. Alyssa Milano, who spent the better part of her 20s playing middle-sister Phoebe, worried more about the fans, saying, 'I don't get ... not giving them what they deserve for hanging in for seven years, because that's going to lose more audience.' The word finally came at the 11th hour, right before the network was to announce its fall schedule to advertisers in mid-May. Apparently, The WB was not willing to toss out the show's 3.5 to 4 million weekly viewers (who would then see promos for The WB's new fall shows). The new season begins on Sunday, Sept. 25. Says network entertainment chief David Janollari (to whom executive producer Brad Kern had made an impassioned pitch for the new season), 'The pickup of 'Charmed,' which has long been a terrific performer for us and held its ground really nicely in its seventh season, was a matter of saying, 'Let's continue to have an 8 o'clock show to anchor the night that we know performs and has a loyal audience.' The decision was also made to add a new, younger witch, Billie, played by Kaley Cuoco ('8 Simple Rules'). With Billie, Janollari wants to 'spice things up a little bit, to bring potentially a new and somewhat younger audience into the show.' And, as hope springs eternal in the network breast, Kern points out, 'Janollari has some hope, however much of a long shot, that Kaley's character, in combination with any one of the sisters, may want to come back, could keep the show going. There's always that possibility. That door is not closed.' All this happy news meant, of course, that Kern now had to dig himself out the deep dramatic hole he created for the finale. He had allowed the sisters, collectively known as The Charmed Ones, to wipe their slates clean and start new lives with new identities (played by different actresses), while also protecting the secret of their magical abilities. 'I didn't know we were coming back,' Kern says. 'What was I supposed to do? It was more of a series finale than a season finale. But there were more than enough elements in there, building blocks, to help me and the writing staff dig out of it, and we have. We've got the first six scripts written as we speak.' One might wonder, with three witch sisters and another witch on the way, why Kern doesn't simply have someone cast a spell and undo everything? According to Kern, that would be cheating, and the fans would resent it. 'Magic might be a Band-Aid,' he says, 'but it won't be the solution. Our folks wouldn't stick with us if they saw us do, 'Oh, never mind, that didn't really happen.' We have to get out of it authentically. We have to earn it. 'That turns out to be fun for the first third of the season, watching how the girls live their lives after having feigned their deaths and realizing that maybe the identity they left behind, or some part of that identity, they want back.' Unfortunately for Kern, there won't be any magical solutions for his practical problems either. Although the sisters abandoned their old lives, budget restrictions mean Kern must retain all his standing sets, including the sisters' Victorian house in San Francisco. 'Frankly,' Kern says, 'our budget was cut back substantially in order to come back. That forced my hand tremendously as far as creative choices. It's funny, that was actually my biggest concern, how can I back the stories and the characters into this new, restricted budget and not have it show?' Kern also has to find room for some new characters, starting with Billie. When original cast member Shannen Doherty left the show, her character, eldest sister Prue, was killed off, and McGowan joined the cast as long-lost half-sister Paige. Billie, though, won't be a member of the family. 'I think we've brought in enough family members over the years,' Kern says. 'She's just a young witch who has just come into her powers and thinks it's pretty cool to use them, thinks the world is one big video game. 'In order to preserve some semblance of a normal life, the girls are going to wind up having to recruit her to do some of the demonic heavy lifting. At the same time, they're going to have to teach her what a moral compass is.' Originally, Kern was planning to bring in Sugar Ray frontman and 'Extra' host Mark McGrath as a new love interest for Phoebe. But scheduling conflicts made that impossible, so now former model Jason Lewis ('Sex and the City') will do a six-episode stint as Dex, who'll be on Phoebe's romantic radar -- and it may get serious. 'We prophesied in earlier seasons that Phoebe's character is meant to have a child,' Kern explains. 'That'll have a lot to do with the first six episodes. She's going to realize that if the vision's supposed to happen, she'd better get busy soon.'

Bewitched
06/29/2005 - expressindia
She’s the fourth sexiest woman in the world according to FHM magazine and popularly known as the seductive Phoebe Haliwell of the witch trio in Charmed. But for the past four days, actor Alyssa Milano has shed her screen image to step into the role of UNICEF’s ambassador to India. Hair held back with a white crochet band, palms decorated with bridal henna she strolls out of a Chillout session with Cyrus Broacha at MTV’s Parel studio. ‘‘I’ve wanted to come to India ever since I was young,’’ says the Pandit Ravi Shankar fan, who also dabbles in Buddhism and Hinduism. The 32-year-old has eight different symbols tattooed on her body, including an Om, on her left wrist. On her agenda were the tsunami-hit areas of Cuddalore, visiting HIV affected families in Maharashtra and schools in Dharavi. ‘‘My most amazing experience was in a small village called Chinnur where they sang and danced for me,’’ adds Milano who’s also on the board of a children’s hospital back home. While in Los Angeles, the actor regularly visits a regression therapist who told her that in a past life, she was friends with Lord Krishna. ‘‘I was also completely at ease with my wardrobe here, because I wear a lot of kurtas back home as well,’’ says the yoga addict who read five books on Indian history in preparation for her visit. With nine-hour work schedules, this was no pleasure trip. The only party she attended was a small do, attended by Rahul Bose and Farooque Shaikh. ‘‘I couldn’t believe actors from Bollywood were so short,’’ she laughs. Indian food’s part of her diet with at least one greasy, spicy meal each week. But being vegetarian, it was only dals and curries at the Grand Hyatt, where she was put up. ‘‘I turned vegetarian after 9/11. A friend of mine came back from New York and said that he couldn’t stand the smell of burnt flesh. It immediately reminded me of a barbecue,’’ she shudders. When she wasn’t interacting with kids, or drawing up proposals, Milano spent her time souvenir shopping—a saree, the only Indian outfit she doesn’t own, a bunch of Ganesha wood carvings, and a sitar, which she hopes to play soon. For Buffy fans, Charmed is the next best thing. And the show appeals to her because of the strong female characters. Spook flicks have always been part of her identity, with Poison Ivy, Fear and The Ghost of Canterbury Hall on her filmography. This Charmed one is also considered the fashion icon of the show with her multiple makeovers. ‘‘I’m not really fascinated with the occult, it’s just what people like.’’ And once she returns home, it will be time for a brand new look as Season 8 hits the floors.

Alyssa Milano admires the human spirit
06/27/2005 - hindu
'I am happy to see the kids healthy, singing and dancing. I thought the scene (after six months of tsunami) will bring more heartache. Human spirit is so amazing, especially the children's spirit,' Milano was quoted as saying in a release. The actress, who was appointed as UNICEF Ambassador in 2003, visited Cuddalore and other affected areas and undertook a journey through Maharashtra to meet HIV/AIDS affected people. 'It has always been a dream of mine to come to India and see UNICEF's work in the area of education, healthcare and HIV. These programmes which touch the lives of so many children are a hope for a bright future,' she added. This was Milano's first visit to India to witness UNICEF's work on the protection of orphans and on the work done to rehabilitate victims of the tsunami tragedy which occurred six months ago.

A 'CHARMED' RETURN
04/08/2005 - newsday
Told this, McMahon just laughs and says, 'You've got to dig a little more.' On Sunday, McMahon, the star of FX's hit drama 'Nip/Tuck,' returns to The WB's 'Charmed' to reprise the role of Cole, the half-human/ half-demon ex-husband of Phoebe (Alyssa Milano), the middle sister in the show's trio of good-witch Halliwell siblings. After Cole joined the show in its third season as a supposedly human district attorney, his romance with Phoebe went through cataclysmic ups and downs, culminating in Cole being vanquished in the 100th episode. Show's 150th eipsode In Sunday's 150th episode, 'The Seven Year Witch,' eldest sister Piper (Holly Marie Combs), dying from a demon thorn, meets Cole in a cosmic void between life and death. Piper's marriage to Leo (Brian Krause), a supernatural Avatar, hangs in the balance. Cole, wanting to restore Phoebe's faith in love, is determined to shepherd Piper through whatever she needs to do to save her life and her love. The episode is important to 'Charmed,' which at this writing was still waiting for word of renewal, so producers are hoping McMahon can supply a badly needed bump in the ratings. 'It was fantastic to see Julian on the set again,' says Jim Conway, co-executive producer. 'He just brings an energy and a magic, both for the crew, which adores him, and to the material, because his character is fantastic - diabolical and charming and funny.' 'I keep telling people,' Combs says, 'he's coming to give me hell, which I appreciate very much. We're very happy to see him. He adds an energy to the set that's just unlike anybody else.' Fresh off filming for the upcoming feature 'Fantastic Four,' in which he plays Dr. Doom, McMahon says, 'I gotta be honest with you. I was honored in a way that they called me up and said, 'Do you want to go back?' I'd been thinking about it for some strange reason. 'It's probably because I've been doing so much green-screen filming, I had this whole kind of 'Charmed' thought pattern going on. I called and said, 'I've been thinking about you guys.'' It's not as if he was all that far away. Last summer, after filming for all of its run in the San Fernando Valley, 'Charmed' moved for its seventh season to the Paramount lot in Hollywood. At that time, McMahon was just a few stages away, working on 'Nip/Tuck' as Miami plastic surgeon Christian Troy. During breaks, McMahon dropped in on his old pals. Considering Cole's evil past, McMahon likes the idea that he's lecturing Piper on love. 'He does, which is beautifully ironic, but it's very true for the character.' McMahon and Combs shot their scenes in one marathon day, actually the day after the show held its 150th episode/DVD party at Paramount Feb. 1. Love is the issue 'We did everything together for about 20 hours,' McMahon says. 'The 150th is a big episode for them, so it's got to be a big issue at stake. What bigger issue than love?' 'Fantastic Four' marks McMahon's first big-budget movie, in which he co-stars with fellow FX star Michael Chiklis ('The Shield'), who plays The Thing. McMahon is busy trying to figure out how to fill his time after the next season of 'Nip/Tuck' finishes filming. 'Things are going good,' he says. 'I'm at that precipice of a career place in which there's some movies that I really want that they don't want me for, and movies that they want me for that I don't really want, and then there's some in the middle.'

Kids Choice celebs know how to shine in jeans
04/05/2005 - u.presstelegram
The denim parade of highs (Jada Pinkett Smith in slim-fitting, hip-hugging white jeans, white fitted top, beautiful bright orange jacket and several beaded necklaces) and lows (Australian singer Samantha Jade in belted low-riders with knee-high boots and peach off-the-shoulder blouse with ruffled blue halter straps) showed that the girls just wanted to have fun. Haylie Duff was having fun with her black-lace-over-rolled-up-jeans look, and Andrea Bowen (Susan's daughter Julie on 'Desperate Housewives') added spice to her rolled-up-jeans with ankle-strap sandals, a pink belt and pink ribbons tied on the sleeves of her black and white top. Always in for a bit of fun, Cameron Diaz sported a black cami with a beautiful brooch at the cleavage and a bright blue scarf for a splash of color. Hilary Duff (who won for favorite movie actress for 'A Cinderella Story'), Jessica Alba and Alyssa Milano showed their feminine sides — Duff in a white lace frock with a purple sash over black jeans, Alba in a ribbon-tied, white Bohemian blouse and Milano in a body-hugging brown halter with frills. A quartet of young stars — Blake Lively, America Ferrara, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel — starring in the summer film 'The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants,' showed a sense of style. Lively took to spring colors in a pink lace shoulder wrap, studded pink belt and a turquoise cami, as did Bledel in a purple and red flowered halter. Tamblyn dressed up her jeans with a long strand of pearls and a shear cream blouse over a white top cinched with an orange and silver belt. Bledel went with a deep coral blouse with lace trim and cropped coral and white jacket. And, as always, Halle Berry looked stunning — even in jeans, white blouse and gold and silver jacket.

Pops & Flops at PlayStation Fashion Show
03/15/2005 - elitestv
Of course, Bijou is not a professional model, like Alek Wek, who fell flat on her back and just laid there for several moments, until someone stepped out of the audience and helped her up. She then did a little jig, giggling with embarrassment. Nicky Hilton managed to get through her modeling gig with no mishaps. Sister Paris was in Mexico launching her perfume. Courtney Cox and David Arquette snuck in the back, as did Owen Wilson. Chris Kattan sat awkwardly next to Drea de Matteo and her boyfriend, who didn't take their hands off of each other. Hilary and Haylie Duff accessorized with a gigantic security guard. Wilmer Valderrama, Nicole Richie, Jessica Alba, Paula Abdul and Alyssa Milano all checked out the fashions and the addictive new PSP gadget.

Charmed: The Complete First Season On DVD, In Stores Today (02/01/05)
02/01/2005 - realityreel
Each of these characters has a special ability (stopping time, moving objects, seeing the future), and they can also combine their abilities into the 'Power of Three' to fight demons, warlocks, and other evils. Synopsis: The discovery that they are descendants of a long line of witches finds three sisters battling demons and warlocks – and occasionally each other. When the beautiful Halliwell sisters inherit a house from their grandmother and discover a secret “Book of Shadows,” they learn that they each have a unique power. The strong-willed Prue (Shannen Doherty) can move objects, reserved Piper (Holly Marie combs) is able to freeze time, and the other uninhibited Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) sees the future. Individually, each is strong, but it is only by putting aside their differences and banding together as the “Power of Three” that they will be able to protect the innocent and vanquish evil. Each exciting episode in this richly layered series is a supernatural adventure brewing with suspense and humor. Specifications : - Full Screen Format - Dolby digital – English Stereo - Run Time: 16 Hrs. 12 Min. (22 Episodes On 6 Discs) - US Rating: Not Rated - Canadian Rating: 14A – Not recommended for children/ Frightening scenes. Charmed is available from Paramount Home Video. For more information and to purchase the DVD please see CharmedOnDVD.com.

Alyssa Milano Masterbation Better Than One Night Stand
11/27/2004 - femalefirst
The 31-year-old actress, who once dated JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, finds intercourse more pleasurable when she knows her lover well, but makes up for being single by taking herself out on 'dates', her code word for masturbation. She says, 'I'm not a prude, but it's important to me to have a connection with someone before I sleep with them. 'That's not only because that's where I'm at in my life, but also because the sex is better that way. 'I take myself out on 'dates' which is what I call masturbation. So I'll do the whole dinner thing for myself, draw myself a bath...'