Church inspires country-Elvis TV
A late-night glimpse of a Pentecostal church inspired Billy Ray Cyrus to dream up a TV series that the CMT network said Thursday will become part of its schedule early next year.
Cyrus will star in the comedy “Still the King” as Vernon Brown, a country star turned Elvis Presley impersonator who becomes a minister at a church outside of Nashville.
Cyrus, the father of Miley Cyrus , was a frequent presence on CMT when his “Achy Breaky Heart” was a hit two decades ago. He said that one night when his tour bus made a gas stop on the Gulf Coast, Cyrus walked with his dog and saw a church in the distance, and things came together in his mind when the bus ride resumed.
“I was sitting there with a notebook scribbling out idea after idea,” he said. Since Cyrus is a country singer with a career of ups and downs and the grandson of a Pentecostal preacher, he said he was in “write what you know” mode.
“Vernon has a great heart and really means to do good,” he said. “But sometimes he just can’t help himself. Once you’ve pretended to be the King, where do you go from there?”
Barker joins game show joke
Bob Barker returned to “The Price Is Right” on Wednesday to host a portion of the show for April Fools’ Day.
When current host Drew Carey was introduced, 91-year-old Barker walked out instead.
Barker started hosting “The Price Is Right” in 1972 and retired from the job in 2007. On Wednesday’s show, he handled the first item up for bid and Carey resumed hosting after the first commercial break.
This wasn’t Barker’s first recent TV appearance. A few weeks ago, he reunited with comedian Adam Sandler for a rematch of their fistfight in “Happy Gilmore.” The sketch was part of Comedy Central’s “Night of Too Many Stars” telethon raising money to support programs for people with autism.
SNAPSHOTS
Vanilla Ice: The 47-year-old rapper, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, has accepted a plea deal in West Palm Beach, Florida, to perform community service after being arrested over the break-in and theft at an abandoned home.
Patricia Arquette: The actress who received an Academy Award in February for her performance in “Boyhood” has a deal with Random House for a memoir about her “unconventional family.” Arquette, who turns 46 next week, is the granddaughter of character actor and “Hollywood Squares” celebrity Cliff Arquette (aka “Charlie Weaver”) and the daughter of actor Lewis Arquette . She has been married twice, including to actor Nicolas Cage .