What Were They Thinking???

• In a shrewd, greed-driven move, Warner Brothers has set back the release date for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (originally intended for this November 18) to next July 17. WTF!!! It would be one thing if the film were unfinished, but this ploy is purely to take advantage of the perceived movie drought next summer enabled by the recent writer's strike. This news was announced yesterday and today the Fall Movie Preview edition of Entertainment Weekly arrived at my door with a huge Harry Potter mug on the cover and a generous story inside. Great timing, Warner Brothers. At least now I know why you took so long to release the teaser trailer. If this affects the intended fall release date for The Deathly Hallows, Part One (the seventh film, due in fall 2010) or Part Two (due in summer 2011), heads will roll!
• Ever since I saw the first trailer for Beverly Hills Chihuahua I couldn't believe it was real. Those shamelessly pandering "Yo quiero Taco Bell" ads were occasionally cute, but do I really want to see an entire film about a talking chihuahua that acts like Paris Hilton's dog? No. So you can understand why is was disheartening to learn that Drew Barrymore is one of the leading voice talents on the film. Oh, Drew, why? I know she is occasionally too cute for comfort, but she seems like a genuinely sweet girl with a decent head on her shoulders, is one of the few big child star to movie mogul success stories out there, and the kind of girl it might be nice to have as a friend. (Am I projecting here? Maybe?) But there was no need for her to voice a chihuahua named Chloe! That's over the line, Ms. Barrymore!
• TNT's been running previews for it's new Law & Order clone franchise, "Raising the Bar" with star Mark-Paul Gosselaar. And his hair. Which requires it's own incomplete sentence because it is so heinous. Buddy, I know it's probably been tough to get away from your excellent altar ego, Zach Morris, and his ever-bleached blonde hair, but you've already gone brunette and put in 3 successful seasons on "NYPD Blue"; there was no need to grow a Tarzan-like coif for the role of a lawyer! Or is he a hippie lawyer? Works for the ACLU? Renegade, fighting the system troublemaker? Still - that hair must go if you plan on any of your former fans following you to TNT. This is just not gonna cut it.