Tony Romo To Jessica Simpson's Dad Joe: 'Back Off!'

Jessica Simpson reportedly has her meddling father Joe to thanks for driving her relationship with Tony Romo to breaking point.

Matters apparently came to a head when Joe offered to broker a money-spinning deal to sell the couple’s (as yet non-existent) engagement and wedding to a magazine.

"'If you guys have a marriage, I can do the same [sell it] that I did with Ashlee,'" a source quotes Joe as saying.

Papa Simpson - who manages the careers of both Simpson sisters – also encouraged Romo to ditch his current agent so he could take over his NFL career and $67.5 million contract, according to a report in Us Weekly.

Joe defended allegations of his controlling ways to the magazine, insisting, “It’s unfair to criticize me for what every manager does for his or her clients.
And in this business, where people can quickly turn on you, who better than a parent to be working for his children?"

Despite Joe's best efforts, Jessica and Tony are said to have reunited - but only on the condition that dad back's off!

Toronto plays itself in two new CTV fall shows as network focuses on Canadian fare

TORONTO - CTV, the private broadcaster often criticized for padding its primetime TV schedule with American hits, focused on its made-in-Canada programming on Monday, bidding an emotional adieu to the beloved "Corner Gas" while celebrating two new and unmistakably Canadian dramatic series.

"Our strategy is to originate more of our own programs, in order to better control our destiny," Ivan Fecan, president and CEO of CTVglobemedia, told a crowd laden with advertisers at the network's fall launch.

Last summer, Fecan said, CTV put a lot of money into four new pilots so that "foreign" stakeholders wouldn't insist on diluting the Canadian flavour of the shows.

"These pilots were proudly all-Canadian - cast, writers, producers - and they were visibly all set here," Fecan said. "Two of them - 'Flashpoint' and 'The Listener' - were home runs and we immediately gave them series orders."

Those shows, in fact, have been picked up by two major American networks. "Flashpoint," about a crack response unit inspired by Toronto's own emergency task force team, premieres next month on CBS and CTV. "The Listener," about a young loner who hears the thoughts of people around him, is slated to air on NBC some time next year.

The producers of both shows said earlier Monday that they were determined that Toronto - from its leafy neighbourhoods to its rattling streetcars and gleaming skyscrapers - played itself instead of standing in for an American metropolis.

"We really are taking a feature film-ic approach and we're showcasing Toronto in a very beautiful way which we're very proud of," said Anne Marie La Traverse, executive producer of "Flashpoint."

Her co-executive producer, Bill Mustos, said CBS officials asked him if he was determined to set the show in Toronto when they were negotiating a deal with the network amid the run-up to the prolonged Hollywood writers' strike earlier this year.

"We said it's how we envisage the show moving forward and we have no desire to relocate it," Mustos said, adding the network was fine with his decision.

Christina Jennings, executive producer of "The Listener," was also adamant about celebrating Toronto and not trying to disguise it as an American city once it sold to NBC.

"We're showing the streetcars and the CN Tower and the beaches - we're showing Toronto as Toronto, not as any other city," said Jennings, head of Shaftesbury Films.

This year's fall launch from CTV was in stark contrast to previous years, when a parade of Hollywood stars came north to promote their shows to a Canadian audience.

Because of a potential strike by the Screen Actors' Guild in the weeks to come, many U.S. shows are currently in production and frantically trying to finish shooting in time for the fall. Luring stars to Canada likely would have proven difficult for CTV, although network officials say they had no plans to invite U.S. celebrities to the launch this year.

Susanne Boyce, head of programming for CTV, said the private broadcaster made a conscious decision this year to celebrate its Canadian success stories.

"We love doing Canadian shows," she said. "It's kind of the year of Canada for us because we've been building shows, and creating shows for MTV. We've got more stuff happening - it's all part of our plan."

The day also marked another "Corner Gas" love-in, as the stars of the beloved sitcom kicked off the launch festivities to discuss the final season.

"We wanted the last season to be the best one ever," Brent Butt, creator and star of "Corner Gas," told a news conference. "I was tempted to do a major cash grab and do another season, but outside of a bank heist, it's never a good idea to do something just as a cash grab."

Butt has another comedy pilot in the works for CTV, and added that a "Corner Gas" film was a definite possibility.

"I would not be surprised if at some point in the future there's a 'Corner Gas' movie - it should come together," said Butt, who became emotional later in the day at the downtown opera house as he thanked the cast of the show.

Also airing on CTV and its complementary A channel this fall:

"So You Think You Can Dance Canada," the Canadian version of the hit international show;

"Fringe," a sci-fi mystery/drama from J.J. Abrams of "Lost" fame, starring Canadian actor Joshua Jackson;

"Eleventh Hour," a drama from Jerry Bruckheimer about what happens when biology is placed in the wrong hands;

"The Mentalist," about a man who uses his acute observational skills to solve crimes;

"Star Wars: The Clone Wars," a new animated series.

American favourites like "Lost," "Grey's Anatomy," "CSI: Miami" and "Desperate Housewives" are also returning to CTV.

Shows in development include the new Butt series and "The Marilyn Denis Show," a new daytime show airing on CTV and starring Gemini Award winner Marilyn Denis. On the A channel, there will be all-new season of "Canada's Next Top Model."

The new projects join "Spectacle," the previously announced CTV music/talk series starring Elvis Costello, currently in production and set to premiere later this year.

News from �The Canadian Press, 2008

See Also

• Scrubs star Braff eyes new TV show
• Labradford / Surfers of Romantica
• Man Dies At Uk Music Festival
• Women take the documentary helm at Tribeca fest

Lux Ferre

   
Artist: Lux Ferre

   Genre(s): 
Metal: Death,Black
   

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Discography:


   
 Antichristian War Propaganda

   Year: 2004   
Tracks: 9

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Is Chez set to go it alone?

Glastonbury Festival registration opens

Ticket registration has opened for this year's Glastonbury Festival.
Fans who want to get hold of one of the 137,500 tickets must provide contact details and a passport photo in order to receive a registration number.
The number does not guarantee entry to the festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, however fans will not be able to buy a ticket without one.
They have until Friday 14 March to register their interest via the festival's website. Tickets will then go on sale on Sunday 6 April.
Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis has confirmed legendary US crooner Neil Diamond will play the Sunday headline slot.
Eavis also said this year's Saturday headliner was a hip-hop "legend" from New York, but wouldn't confirm or deny if it was platinum-selling recording artist Jay-Z.
He said: "We're trying to get youngsters to the festival this year. Hopefully the headliner will appeal to them. Traditionally we've had a very white line-up and I'm moving away from that."
The Glastonbury Festival will take place from 27 to 29 June.