A Little Of The Old In And Out



(image via adpulp)

In: Lisa Ling. The classy Lisa Ling always struck us as being a bit too brainy for The View (Sorry, Whoopi; sorry Babs). But everyone has to start somewhere, right? But The View's lowest common denominator formula of dignity-crushing "let them eat controversy" didn't quite mesh with Ling's natural gravitas.

Executing the perfect exit strategy -- equal parts grace with gratitude -- was no easy task, considering how notoriously messy Babs "endings" have been, historically. The path leading outside the orbit of Planet Barbara is steeped in peril, mired in complexity. Many have tried, few have succeeded. Ling took a pay and "status" cut by doing documentaries for NatGeo. And it turned out that that was a good thing (although it didn't look so at the time). Then came Oprah and a return of "face". Now, she moves over to CNN, where she tackles the most serious planetary issues of our time. Not bad, kid. From TheHollywoodReporter:

''Oprah' special correspondent and National Geographic host Lisa Ling will join CNN for a documentary this year that follows up on the network's 'Planet in Peril.'

"Ling will report from countries where battles are being waged over oil, land, water and food. Also reporting for 'Planet in Peril: Battle Lines' will be anchor Anderson Cooper and chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. It will be televised in high definition at year's end."

Out: Beverly Hills Cop, IV. We have only the modest success of Rocky V and, we suppose, the box-office blowout that was Indy 4 for this upcoming natural disaster of epic proportions. If there were justice in the world, meh 80s character Axel Foley (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment) would have taken his fake cop pension and gone into faux private security in Beverly Hills. But, no. And as if that isn't bad enough, Brett Ratner might be on board. From E! Online:

"The heat is back on for Axel Foley.

"More than a year after signing Eddie Murphy for another go-round as the wisecracking Detroit detective who prefers getting his hands dirty in SoCal, Paramount is now eyeing a summer 2010 release date for the fourth installment in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise.

"Variety reports Brett Ratner, who added his frenetic touch to the Rush Hour trilogy and X-Men: The Last Stand, among others, is in talks to direct."