Gawker: levar burton

LeVar Burton Did Not Write That Onion Article, Upset Fans

Ryan Tate — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:41:30 EDT

The former host of Reading Rainbow had to explain The Onion to his fans, Sarah Gilbert felt like crying and Starbucks treated Jennifer 8. Lee like a ghost. The Twitterati were exasperated.

LeVar Burton actually had to explain to people that he did not write "My Living Nightmare Of Encouraging Kids To Read Is Over" for The Onion. The actor did not seem entirely pleased to still be teaching reading comprehension, three years after Reading Rainbow was cancelled.

Ellen DeGeners bragged of her ability to get college co-eds to strip for her cameras. It would seem the intentionally-awkward TV host can get away with anything. Can you imagine Anderson Cooper pulling this off?

Sarah Gilbert: Weepy dancer.

The New York Times Jennifer 8. Lee has discovered a new lifestyle trend: Starbucks can't make coffee for Jennifer 8. Lee.

Now that Fast Company's Noah Robischon thinks about it, a tazer isn't a bad idea in the absence of an actual physical advertising-editorial wall. Like at his last job.

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What Not to Wear to Michael Jackson's Memorial Service

Ryan Tate — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:46:12 EDT

LeVar Burton called out Corey Feldman at Michael Jackson's memorial service; the New York Times newsroom filled with Jackson grief and a parody tribute was created on the fly. The Twitterati's fragile emotions were right near the surface today.

Tweeting from the Michael Jackson memorial service, geeky actor LeVar Burton took umbrage at another celebrity mourner's wardrobe choices (below, via Getty Images).

The New York Times newsroom was no haven from the Jackson telecast, according to reporter Stephanie Clifford.

It was also no haven from live tributes, Timesman Brian Stelter added.

Branding whiz Tim Siedell was all the way out in Nebraska, so he had to imagine the Jackson memorial, if only for Twitter's sake.

At Allen & Company's annual retreat in Sun Valley, Idaho, the nation's financial press pretended it was transgressive, according to the Wall Street Journal's Julia Angwin. Adorable.

Did you witness the media elite tweet something indiscreet? Please email us your favorite tweets - or send us more Twitter usernames.

'One Tree Hill' Makes It To 100 Episodes You Haven't Seen

Seth — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:30:42 EDT

· One Tree Hill celebrates its 100th episode with a very special one in which Chad Michael Murray slips into autopilot while secretly fantasizing to himself about how nice it would be to break free of The CW ghetto for the feature movie career he so richly deserves. [Variety]
· Peter Berg signs on to direct Dune for Paramount, presumably righting whatever wrongs were committed against the sacred source material by David Lynch's Sting-in-a-licorice-thong version. [Variety]
· McLovin works! The voice talents of Christopher Mintz-Plasse, along with Superbad buddy and child insult comic Jonah Hill, will be employed to thrilling effect in Dreamworks's computer-animated fantasy, How to Train Your Dragon. [THR]

· NBC gets a piece of the reality cooking competition action with The Chipping Block, starring chef Marco Pierre White as The Guy Who Yells A Lot in the Big White Hat. [Variety]
· Notoriously rep-choosy auteur Steven Soderbergh, who's had no agent or manager since 2005, has settled upon Anonymous Content's Michael Sugar. So long as he doesn't get too clingy. [THR]
· Metropolitan Talent Agency is laying off most of its staff, and is close to shutting down completely. Its clients include Peter Fonda, Michael York, Debbie Reynolds, Parker Stevenson and, finally, LeVar Burton, who'll need someone to scoop him up quickly to negotiate the deal for him to star as David Paterson in Three-Diamond Girl: Ashley Alexandra Dupré and the Fall of the House of Spitzer. [THR]

While we stand by our casting choices for...

STV — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:17:16 EDT

While we stand by our casting choices for the inevitable movie version of the Eliot Spitzer debacle, Hollywood Reporter columnist Ray Richmond has his own bright ideas. Lots of them, in fact: he's got a feature starring Kevin Spacey as the disgraced New York governor; a network TV movie featuring Meg Ryan as Silda Wall Spitzer; a Comedy Central film with Sarah Silverman as high-priced hooker "Kristen"; and the one we're personally rooting for, a BET biopic of lieutenant governor David Paterson starring LeVar Burton. "Synopsis: A film about The Man Who Would Be Governor," Richmond writes, "one that embodies the slogan, 'When life hands you a New York governorship, make New York governorship-ade.' " Throw in Burton's stylish Geordi La Forge eyewear from Star Trek: The Next Generation for the legally blind governor, and we'll even donate our next month's pay to the production budget. At least that should cover the props. [Past Deadline]