Times Square Gossip

 **** One-of-a-Kind Christmas Special to Premiere Dec. 21 on TBS, With Encore to be Simulcast on TBS & TNT on Christmas Eve, Leading into 2016 Edition of 24 Hours of A CHRISTMAS STORY Rashida Jones, Charles Barkley & Surprise Guests Bring Holiday Joy **** Surprise: Instant Xmas Carol This holiday season, Turner's TBS & TNT are going to turn the Christmas spirit on full blast with SURPRISE! Instant Xmas Carol, an all-new music special that puts a unique twist on the caroling tradition. The one-hour special – featuring such celebrity carolers as Conan O'Brien, Rashida Jones, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, Jane Lynch, Ludacris, Kenny G, Tony Sirico, Vincent Curatola, Joseph Gannascoli, A$AP Ferg, Three Loco, Samantha Ronson, Alfonso Ribeiro, Fred Willard, T-Pain and many surprise appearances – is set to premiere on TBS on Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT). And the night before Christmas, Saturday, Dec. 24, at 7 p.m. (ET/PT), TBS ...

Steve Martin With Martin Short And Conan O'Brien Steve Martin, Martin Short and Conan O'Brien were spotted at MR CHOW at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas the other night. Photo By: Erik Kabik Photography/ MediaPunch

Conan O'Brien And Anderson Cooper Conan O'Brien and Anderson Cooper were photographed at The Paley Center for Media hosts 'Fire and Ice: A Conversation with Conan O'Brien and Anderson Cooper' in New York City. Photo By: Diego Corredor/MediaPunch 

**** THE GLORIOUS CORNER Story By: G. H. HARDING **** Conan O’Brien CONAN LANDING --- Late night talk show host Conan O’Brien will be a first-time host of the 2014 MTV Movie Awards in April, and the cablenet is turning to YouTube super group Our2ndLife for a unique series of promotions leading up to and during the event. The broadcast is set to take place Sunday, April 13, from the Nokia Theatre L. A. in Los Angeles. The MTV Movie Awards telecast will air at 9 p.m. ET/PT. “After eight years of intense negations, I am honored to announce I am hosting MTV’s second-most prestigious awards show,” said O’Brien. O’Brien, who hosts his talk show Conan on TBS, has built a large social presence on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and team coco.com — which MTV said made him a logical choice to target a millennial audience. On Thursday, after MTV announces the nominations for the awards, MTV will release “Nominee Rundown,” which will feature members of Our2...

**** THE STARS COME OUT FOR CANCER RESEARCH **** Billy Crystal Kirk Douglas Conan O'Brien Martin Short Rita Wilson Rosanne Arquette Tom Arnold Kate Capshaw Linda Thompson Leona Lewis Lori Loughlin Lori Loughlin along with Leona Lewis, Billy Crystal, Conan O'Brien, Martin Short, Rosanne Arquette, Tom Arnold, Kate Capshaw, Rita Wilson and other stars for An Unforgettable Evening Benefiting EIF's Women's Cancer Research held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Photos By: RD / Orchon / Retna Digital

Sofia Vergara Elisabeth Shue J.J. Abrams With Friend Zoe Saldana Andy Buckley Conan O'Brien With Friend Mary McCormack Jeff Probst Lauren Sanchez Andy Richter Jane Kaczmarek Michelle Monaghan Michelle Monaghan along with Conan O'Brien, Elisabeth Shue, Andy Buckley, Mary McCormack, Andy Richter, Jeff Probst, Jane Kaczmarek and other stars attended The Children Defense Fund California 20th Annual 'Beat the Odds' Awards held at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills. Photos By: RD/Orchon/Retna

Conan O'Brien Still Funny Conan O'Brien Conan O'Brien performed his “Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television show at the Pearl in Las Vegas, Nevada. The former television host is performing all over the country. Photos By: RD / Kabik / Retna Digital

**** THE WEB GOSSIP **** The guy or girl that writes this column is a very big industry insider who wishes to remain anonymous, but wants to write about all the headlines happening in Hollywood and the Music Industry. **** Roger Ebert VARIETY TAKES A DIRECT HIT --- On Monday, Daily Variety’s chief film critic Todd McCarthy and chief theater critic David Rooney were cut loose. Also gone is film critic Derek Elley as well as several graphic people. A good review from the terrific writer McCarthy was always the start of a promising film campaign. He had the intelligence as well as writing chops to really speak to a film’s strengths … and, weaknesses. His review of “The Dark Knight,” is a perfect example. His review of that movie really set all guns firing. “It’s sad,” McCarthy said. “It’s the end of something. You can say it’s the end, or you can say it’s the end of the way it’s always been done.” Reaction from the film community was one of shock and dismay. “Variety fires Todd McCarthy...

**** THE WEB GOSSIP **** The guy or girl that writes this column is a very big industry insider who wishes to remain anonymous, but wants to write about all the headlines happening in Hollywood and the Music Industry. **** Mel Gibson MAD MEL: Mel‘s back in a supremely entertaining thriller-revenge movie called Edge of Darkness. Let’s get it out of the way and say that despite the tabloid headlines Gibson’s made over the past five years (and, no, I won't go into them!) let’s put all that behind us and focus on what a truly entertaining movie presence he’s been … and, still is. This riveting new movie is based on a BBC miniseries that has been developed by director Martin Campbell and producer Graham King (The Departed). In short, Gibson’s daughter is killed at the beginning of the movie and although everyone immediately assumes that Gibson’s Tom Craven was the intended target, as Gibson peels back the layers, he discovers that it was indeed his daughter who was the target. The bril...

**** THE WEB GOSSIP **** The guy or girl that writes this column is a very big industry insider who wishes to remain anonymous, but wants to write about all the headlines happening in Hollywood and the Music Industry. **** Mel Gibson MEL’S BACK --- Mel’s newest film Edge Of Darkness is out in 2 weeks. I’ll be catching a preview Monday evening … and, cannot wait. Everyone deserves a second chance and the previews have been nothing but sterling. Warner is calling it a ‘revenge thriller’ and, well, can that be bad? While Gibson’s antics were on the front pages for weeks on end … let’s go see the movie and the man and decide from there. The brilliant Ray Winstone (The Departed) is terrifically good and his performance on this one looks to be as fantastic. Details to follow. I am a huge fan of the man; who can forget his terrific The Year of Living Dangerously and of course the original Mad Max. I wish for him all the best. **** Elton John LEON/ELTON/BERNIE --- Leon Russell was with Elton...