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Reel News Tim Ryan |
Mel Gibson
shoots down
‘Magnum’ talk
Mel Gibson says from Los Angeles that he's not starring in Imagine Entertainment's "Magnum, P.I." film, despite rumors that he would play title character Thomas Magnum ... The Discovery Kids' castaway series "29 Down" is preparing to film 13 half-hour episodes on Oahu either next month or January. L.A.-based line producer Richard Bullock is here scouting locations and meeting with crew. At least 50 local crew will be hired. Angie Laprete is the show's production coordinator, the same job she did for NBC's defunct "Hawaii." Maui-based publicist Blaise Noto will do publicity.
Hallee Hirsh, one of the show's co-stars, was discovered in Florida by former Oahu casting director Garrison True when she was 3 years old ...
It's no surprise that "Lost" was picked up by ABC for another nine episodes, which means filming will finish in March. It isn't official yet, but the drama is coming back for a second season of 22 episodes. Production shuts down for the holidays on Dec. 17 and resumes Jan. 2.
Holiday travel plans for the cast include Maggie Grace heading to Ohio to see her family, Emilie de Ravin reuniting with family in Australia, Yunjin Kim flying home to South Korea and Evangeline Lilly going to Vancouver, British Columbia, for a family reunion ...
Latino and Asian-American media groups, in their annual TV diversity report cards, are calling "North Shore" the biggest missed opportunity in 2004 for its failure to employ Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) in a state whose population is more than 50 percent APAs. The groups go on to say that the hiring of APAs is "primarily restricted to guest and recurring roles with few, if any, lines, and often involves stereotypical characters." The Hawaii-based producers declined comment on the criticism.
The "Spider-Man" movie slips into the "North Shore" time slot for Thanksgiving. The series returns with new episodes, starting Dec. 2.
"John Doe" star Dominic Purcell will appear in at least three episodes on the struggling prime-time soap playing Tommy Ravetto, a world-famous chef. Purcell is the latest guest star recruited in a bid to boost the show's ratings. Its season finale is Jan. 27 ...
Contact Tim Ryan at tryan@starbulletin.com.