Jon Avnet (C'71): to direct DeNiro and Pacino / "Starter Wife" debuts

Director/Producer Jon Avnet (C'71) will direct Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in Righteous Kill. According to Entertainment Weekly, Jon only (barely) reveals "They're both cops, and they're buddies".

...While we're speaking of Jon, his show The Starter Wife debuted this week. For those of you who haven't seen this on the USA network, it's kind of Sex in the City meets a bit of Desperate Housewives. Debra Messing's performance is definitely stellar here showing her Grace-like humor combined with some nice touching/authentic moments we haven't seen from her before.

From youtube, "The Starter Wife is a sexy, savvy and wickedly funny tour de force about life after divorce and one woman's quest to redefine herself after years of marriage to a Hollywood studio head. After being blacklisted from premieres to pilates, Molly Kagan (Debra Messing) searches to rediscover life after divorce. A brief respite in Malibu and some oh-so-Hollywood friends prove to be the perfect cocktail for her transformation from "Starter Wife" to her new life."

Check out a preview of the show here!

...*On another Penn related note, Chris Diamantopoulos who plays "Rodney" in the series is married to Penn alum actress, Becky Newton, C'00 (Ugly Betty)

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Jon Avnet (C'71) to serve as judge in Spielberg's On the Lot

Director/Producer Jon Avnet (C'71) will serve as 1 of 3 judges for the new Mark Burnett/Steven Spielberg moviemaking competition series On the Lot. He will serve as a judge for the series' two "audition" episodes airing Tuesday, May 22 9/8c and Thursday, May 24 9:30/8:30c on FOX. Judges for additional rounds will be announced at a later date.

Jon will be joined by actress, author and screenwriter Carrie Fisher ("Star Wars," "Postcards From The Edge"), as well as directors/producers Brett Ratner ("Rush Hour 3," "X-Men 3: The Last Stand") and Garry Marshall ("Georgia Rule," "Princess Diaries," "Pretty Woman").

...This also is a big week for Jon, as his TV series he has executive produced, The Starter Wife, starring Deborah Messing, debuts this Thursday, May 24.

Click here for a Gazette articles written about Jon.

Click here for a DP article written about Jon.


Update 5/22/07, 10:05pm:
Despite online reports, Jon was not featured on On the Lot tonight. Stay tuned for updates...

Update 5/30/07
I've been a bit behind, but I've been watching the show online and Jon is featured in Episode 2. You can watch the show online here.

READ MORE - Jon Avnet (C'71) to serve as judge in Spielberg's On the Lot