“Glee” star Chris Colfer said his favorite childhood memories are going to the bookstore at midnight to get the next “Harry Potter” book.
“Just being there with everyone happy and dressed up, and those were just really happy moments for me,” he recalled in a recent Associated Press interview.
It makes sense then that the 22-year-old would want to contribute to that world. He has written his own children’s novel called “The Land of Stories,” which is now in stores.
The book is about twins Connor and Alex, who find themselves sucked into their favorite book of fairy tales, suddenly face-to-face with the characters they grew up reading about.
Mr. Colfer said he came up with the idea as an inquisitive child who questioned the fairy tales his mother would read to him.
“I used to ask, ’Mommy, who’s the man in the mirror? Why’s he talking to the evil queen? Why’s she so evil? Why does she hate Snow White so much?’
“I just tried to clarify the questions that I had as a kid,” he said.
If the book were adapted into a movie he would love for Meryl Streep to play the various fairy tale characters.
“I think ultimately I would love to see Meryl Streep play every role, just because I think, ’Who would not want to go see that movie? Who would not want to go see Meryl Streep playing the Big Bad Wolf or Red Riding Hood?’ I mean it would be great.”
Mr. Colfer said he wrote the book last summer during the “Glee” world tour.
“I was writing constantly in my hotel room and under the stage during performances even, and I’d be singing, ’I Want to Hold Your Hand’ and I’d think of something really witty for Connor to say. Had to run downstairs to the changing booth, type it into my computer, run off and do ’Single Ladies’ in leotard. It was an interesting summer. I don’t think I’ve mentally recovered from that time.”
He already has a deal to write a sequel to “The Land of Stories” where Alex and Connor will be older.
He also has written a movie screenplay for a psychological drama that he hopes to star in, and he adapted a pilot for the Disney Channel based on Florence Laughlin’s children’s book “The Little Leftover Witch.”
A film he wrote and starred in called “Struck by Lightning” that debuted at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival will hit theaters in December.
Viacom resumes streaming of ’Daily Show,’ ’Colbert Report’
Viacom has decided to let new episodes of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report” be shown on its websites, easing a blockade of online viewings that it imposed last week in a fee dispute with DirecTV.
Tuesday’s move came a day after both shows resumed new episodes. The blockade had affected all online viewers, not just DirecTV subscribers.
Mr. Stewart ripped the Comedy Central network owner in a segment that aired Monday night, saying: “You’re pulling shows from the Internet? Viacom, what are you, China?”
Viacom Inc. said it hopes the decision is helpful to its fans who subscribe to DirecTV.
Since last Wednesday, some 20 million DirecTV customers have been without Viacom channels including MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon, while the companies haggle over a new contract.
Showtime’s ’Weeds’ tapes milestone 100th episode
“Weeds” is part of a rare group of cable TV shows: The Showtime series starring Mary-Louise Parker celebrated the taping of its 100th episode.
Showtime’s entertainment president, David Nevins, told the “Weeds” cast and crew Tuesday that only a few cable series have reached 100 episodes. Among them is “Monk.”
Miss Parker and her co-stars, including Kevin Nealon, marked the event with cake and champagne while shooting on location in Los Angeles. The actress was dressed casually in the blouse and cutoffs that she had worn for a scene taped earlier.
Miss Parker plays a pot-dealing suburban mom in “Weeds,” which will end its eight-year run in September.
Miss Parker and the show’s creator, Jenji Kohan, grew emotional as they celebrated the series’ milestone. Two more episodes remain to be taped.
Charlie Sheen: Judging ’Idol’ ’could be radical’
Could Charlie Sheen be a judge on “American Idol”? The actor said he’s game.
In an interview Tuesday on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show, Mr. Sheen said “Idol” producer Nigel Lythgoe publicly threw his name out there as a possible judge and the idea piqued people’s interest — including his own.
“It seems so out of the blue that it almost made perfect sense. I thought this could be a lot of fun,” he said. “Seriously. … I’m genuinely interested. It’s so different, it could be radical.”
Mr. Sheen also told Jay Leno on Monday night on “The Tonight Show” that his two demands would be that FX and his “Anger Management” team “would have to be into it” and there would need to be a charitable component to him taking the job.
He may not have music experience, but neither did Ellen DeGeneres before she was named a judge for season nine. She left the show after one season.
Last week, both Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler announced they would not be returning for the show’s 12th season.
Other names that have been kicked around as possible replacements include Mariah Carey and former “Idol” runner-up Adam Lambert.
Pete Rose, fiancee to star in reality show on TLC
Pete Rose is taking a swing at his own reality TV show.
Cable’s TLC network said it has started production on an unscripted series to chronicle the lives of baseball’s all-time hitting leader and his fiancee, model Kiana Kim.
The series will follow the couple as they plan a wedding and go through the process of blending their respective families. The show is so far untitled.
The network announced Wednesday that TLC has ordered five episodes to air late this year.
The 71-year-old Mr. Rose is banned from baseball for betting on games when he was the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. The ban has left him ineligible to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
He leads baseball with 4,256 hits in his career.
• Compiled from Web and wire reports
Please read our comment policy before commenting.