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 Universal Pictures has come to the rescue! In little more than a logo switch, the studio will finance and distribute the film that MGM ran screaming from last week. Norm's next movie, co-starring Dave Chappelle, remains on track to shoot in Vancouver in four weeks. Both the writing/directing team and producer Robert Simonds have strong ties to Universal, so the future of "Ballbusted" seems secure. Simonds produced Adam Sandler's movies, and, well, "Dirty Work."
MGM has abruptly pulled the plug on Norm's "Ballbusted" after lackluster returns from the debut of "Dirty Work." The principals behind the film were told of the decision on Tuesday. "Basically, they made a movie that failed and they panicked and pulled the plug on a good movie," said a source close to the film. MGM is on the hook for pay-or-play deals worth around $5 million unless another backer materializes for the $15 million comedy. "Ballbusted" was written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski ("The People vs. Larry Flynt," "Ed Wood") -- the movie was to be their directoral debut. The duo is staying with the crew on the Vancouver set, continuing to prep the film in hopes that another studio will rescue the project. Read the story.
MGM worried "Godzilla" would stomp "Dirty Work," but it turns out a
chick had the can of whup ass. That's right, Jennifer Love Hewitt stars
in "Can't Hardly Wait" -- a movie with a grammatical nightmare for a
title, penned by 30-somethings with a John Hughes (Sixteen Candles,
Ferris Bueller's Day Off) fetish. Though it doesn't equal Hughes'
genius, it's easily won the battle for teen moviegoers. Hewitt has a lot
to do with that, riding high on the success of "I Know What You Did Last
Summer," a horror of a movie that starred both she and her breasts.
"Dirty Work," in its first weekend, only eeked out $3.6 million (8th
place) -- a disappointing debut in light of Norm's recent media
attention. "The X-Files" and "Mulan" entered the already crowded fray
over the weekend, knocking Our Hero's movie out of the top 10. It remains to be seen how the picture will play overseas. But, "screw-ball" comedies
often enjoy success on video. Either way, with a budget of just $13
million, it isn't likely to break the studio.* In fact, Norm begins
another comedy for MGM soon, currently titled "Ballbusted."
* MGM reports box-office earnings of $7.2 million in the first two weeks of release.
Don Rickles audio clip
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Chris Farley audio clip
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Is "Dirty Work" juvenile? You bet. Is it funny? Absolutely. It's a low-brow comedy that delivers gleeful laughs throughout its wisely-short, 82-minute running time. To say the least, it's not the sort of movie the average middle-aged, white-male, film critic is going to embrace. But, "Dirty Work" could garner the same word-of-mouth success as a "Ace Ventura" or "Billy Madison" -- pictures loved by audiences, but panned by critics. For this reason, MGM chose not to screen the movie for critics -- so, their opinions are just beginning to trickle in. We're keeping an archive of the so-far-so-bad reviews. Pay them no mind, however. You'll love the movie -- even wary fans say "Dirty Work" far exceeded their expectations.
Norm makes "Daily Show" history by mastering the infamous "5 Questions" -- joining the great Bill Murray. Two questions mocked his rumored affair with supermodel Elle MacPherson and his gambling addiction. He blazed through the other three without delay -- impressing Craig Kilborn with his knowledge of Shakespeare. Before the quiz, Our Hero discussed the beating of whores and murdering of animals on the "Dirty Work" set and his feelings for Kathie Lee. Check out all the fun.
Uh oh, The Weasel's in tubble. His boss, Bob Wright, has called off the "Dirty Work" blackout on NBC. Wright had not opposed Ohlmeyer's original stance because he thought the ads in question were scheduled during "Saturday Night Live." But when it became clear the spots were dropped from other shows, he decided The Weasel had gone far enough. Wright told his sales department that if MGM called to repurchase time, they were to be told NBC would agree. When MGM's Gerry Rich was informed of the change of heart, he quickly bought back the $500,000 commercial he'd lost. "All I wanted was a chance to get that spot back," Rich said. The "Dirty Work" ad is now scheduled to appear in Game 4 of the NBA playoffs.
This site began as a NBC protest page called "WE WANT NORM!" -- after Norm was "reassigned" away from the "Weekend Update" anchor gig he loved. Later, when he expressed his desire to leave "Saturday Night Live" altogether, the site became "SET NORM FREE!" During those days we called The Crisis, more than 3,400 fans emailed NBC via the site. Well, weeks later, we finally got a response from "Those Weasels at NBC:"
"Thanks for your emails. We're sorry you're upset, but we get the point. I hope you continue to watch NBC. Thanks for your viewership."
Those folks over at MTV are geniuses. They created "The Grind" -- a show that showcases sexy coeds gyrating to bad music. They even improved on the formula by moving the show to the beach and establishing a strict, nearly-nekkid dress code. Just brilliant. Now there's this Carson Daly fella, who seems to be a hit with the ladies, yet, he has the wit of a trout. Anyway, MTV hauled his program out to Seaside Heights, New Jersey and stocked the beach-side set with bikini-clad babes. Oh, and there might have been a guy or two. This is were Norm spent the week (actually, the shows were taped the same day) -- chatting up "Dirty Work" and avoiding any exposure to the sun. Miss the jigglefest? Here's the Cliffs Notes.
He followed Michael Douglas. And killed! Our Hero had a big time chatting it up with Kathie Lee and Regis. Of course, the first thing they wanted to know was about The Weasel's bonehead decision. But, they were sure to note that the publicity sure hasn't hurt, "Looks like they did you a big favor over at NBC." Norm replied, "Yeah, they hate me!" From there, talk moved on to Our Hero's work at "Saturday Night Live" and, of course, the movie. And, just when the fun might have been over -- Bob Saget joins the party. Here's the highlights.
E! hosted a live Q&A with Norm. Topics ranged from the obvious -- "Dirty Work" -- to the bizarre -- Ana Icon's phone sex claims. Also, most have suspected he will be part of Howard Stern's new show on CBS -- Norm says, "I'm not going to be a regular on the show. I wouldn't do a regular role against SNL, out of loyalty to Lorne Michaels, and the writers and performers on the show who are my friends." Though he isn't a computer user himself, Our Hero seemed to enjoy chatting with his fans. E! was kind enough to provide a record of the proceedings. If you missed the chat, don't miss the transcript!
Don Ohlmeyer isn't saying much about the media-dubbed "feud" between he and Norm. But, he did have this to say to The Times, in defense of his network-wide, "Dirty Work" blackout: "If he had just come after me, this would not have happened. But he started going after
'Saturday Night Live' and NBC, and that just wasn't acceptable." Meanwhile, Gerry Rich, president of worldwide marketing at MGM, says they were surprised by the move, "It put us in a difficult situation, having to change our media plan at the 11th hour." He didn't reveal how much the studio put on the line, though it "wasn't pennies." Rich said NBC's audience is considered especially good for movie studios to reach. But he added: "We had options. We moved the commercials to Fox and MTV and other places. They were happy to take our money."
Dave fumed over Don Ohlmeyer's unprecedented move to bar "Dirty Work" ads on NBC. "This is terrorism! This is completely uncalled for," he barked. Even the audience booed. Norm, who thought his days at odds with the NBC suit were over, said The Weasel has even nixed planned interviews with network affiliates. Our Hero insists the "feud" is entirely one sided. Yet, he enjoys the irony of his movie's plot, "I get revenge against a rich jackass who makes my life a living hell." Here's the highlights.
The Weasel strikes again. Don Ohlmeyer has nixed MGM's orders for "Dirty Work" ads on NBC. The spots were scheduled to run during "SNL," "Seinfeld" and the NBA playoffs. The spot did air on NBC once, during a primetime tribute to Chris Farley. While a network's refusal of advertising is not unusual based on content -- but, a denial based on a feud between an executive and a star is unprecedented. Other networks will continue to air the ads. Read the article.
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