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From "Tea With Ted" at E!Online:

Holmes Run

Let's whip things up, shall we, and get to some delicious dessert?

Everybody and their nanny seems to have emailed me about just who the hell that Garbo-in-training, Katie Holmes, is dating--and, darlin's, just for your dining pleasure, I have a clue, somewhat fishy as it may be.

K.H. and that delectable pie serving from American Penis (or whatever), Chris Klein, were munching on things besides lobster at the Reel Inn in Malibu mere days ago.

In a word: steamy.

The two cutie-wooties were totally giggly, love struck, all decked out in T-shirts and sipping Sierra Nevadas straight out of the bottle. And, babycakes, their eyes never veered from each other.

Giggle this, cuddle that, smooch this...oh, I'm going to puke all over my bib.

Mercy, me. Something tells me we'll be munching on another serving of these two real soon.

Frequent Admirers

Don't think for a minute we're letting the rest of the hot little cast of Dawson's off so easy. Let's go poke into someone else's hormones, is what I always say (at least where potential hickeys are concerned).

Like Josh Jackson's, sweet little thang that he be.

Josh has a tart in his life. At least, a gal who plays a tart type, I should say.

You got it, babes--Brittany Daniel, Josh's Dawson's Creek costar, is the lucky lady.

"They are definitely a thing," said a friend of the cuties.

"He couldn't stop calling her," pooped a source at a photo shoot, where J.J. didn't cease chatting with B.D. on the cell.

They must have been planning a little Thanksgiving to-do. Lord knows they have so little time together--he living primarily in North Carolina, and she opting to spend most of her time here in L.A., thanks to a less time-consuming filming obligation.

Love (and mileage) conquers all.

--- Do I think this is true? Hmmm, I'm inclined to take it as just a rumour... it is Ted after all!!

Just when you've got this young actress pegged, Michelle Williams evolves into a real Hollywood player. Fast gaining celebrity as naughty Jen, on DAWSON'S CREEK, 19-year-old Michelle Williams has up and sold a spec script, DON'T BLINK, to The Good Machine Production Company, which has previously produced the acclaimed ICE STORM, RIDE WITH THE DEVIL and(gulp) HAPPINESS. OK, so she's a teenager and already a hyphenate, but is she just a writer/actress?

Hardly. It's true Michelle co-wrote the script with pal actress/writers, Amy Danles and Megahn Perry, but this Creekstar is set to also star in the flick and ex-produce as well. BLINK, is the story of 3 young women who look to make some quick money by working in a Nevada brothel. But alas, DON'T BLINK, is currently shopping around for a suitably hip director. Michelle's diverse bio already includes roles in HALLOWEEN: H20, DICK: THE UNMAKING OF A PRESIDENT, and a nude scene in the off-Broadway play, KILLER JOE. (Michelle, don't forget to bring your clothes with you on your way to the top) The meek may inherit the Earth, but it's the bad girls who conquer in Hollywood.

Steve and Meridith got married!

Meredith met 28-year-old Steve, a masseur who is studying to be a paramedic, through a mutual friend in New York nearly four years ago.

She's said they were soon "majorly in love," and they became engaged last February.

Meredith also credits her new hubby with helping her stay in shape for her role as the love interest of co-star Joshua Jackson's character on the sexy drama.

"I do abdominal crunches I learned from Steve," she says. "He's a massage therapist, so he likes to stay fit, too."

The happy couple share a home in Los Angeles with their two boxer dogs, Jackson (not named after Joshua Jackson) and Jezebel. And they also spend a lot of time in Wilmington, N.C., where the show is filmed.

"It's definitely taken some getting used to," says Steve. "This has been a whirlwind. But it's such a blessing for her to have her first big job away from New York and L.A. and the whole scene."

Landing the part was especially sweet, since Meredith feared she'd blown her tryout -- although Steve knew better.

"He went with me to the audition," recalls the actress, "and he said, 'Meredith, every time you think you do horrible, you do great.' And I'm like, 'No, this time's different. I really did horrible.' "

Fortunately, Steve is used to dealing with actors -- his brother, Andrew Kavovit, spent five years playing Paul on As the World Turns.

Article on American Eagle/DC deal
From Newsday:

STYLE FILE / COOL BY CONNECTION /
Television is turning into a major marketing tool for the fashion industry
By Diane Clehane

WHEN "Dawson's Creek," the hot-with- teens TV series, embarked on its new season last night, the young actors were wearing clothes from American Eagle Outfitters.
And that was no accident.
For the fashion industry, there is no better place to sell merchandise these days than on television. Companies are clamoring to have the stars of the most popular programs model their wares on-air and in character. Beamed into our homes 24 hours a day, television has emerged as the most desirable - and seemingly most persuasive - vehicle for product placement.
One company that's taken off within the TV arena is bebe, whose clothes have been worn extensively on Fox's "Ally McBeal," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Charmed" on the WB network, and "The Practice" on ABC. Other companies whose stars are on the rise as a result of the supporting role they have played on hit television shows include Urban Outfitters (seen on "Charmed") and Chaiken and Capone (which, in addition to being worn on the WB hit, is also used on "The Practice"). On "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," young viewers are taking their fashion cues from series star Melissa Joan Hart, who has worn bebe, BCBG, BisouBisou and Laundry. This year, according to costume designer Rachael Stanley, the character will get a more "grown-up look" with items from Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Jane Doe.
When "Dawson's Creek" went into production of its first season in 1997, J. Crew approached the show about offering clothes in exchange for having the actors model in their catalog. "I'd like to say it was more strategic than it was," says Paula Askanas, senior vice president for media relations and promotion at Columbia TriStar. "The reality is when you have a brand-new show you're looking for help ... J. Crew was there and their look was perfect. They gave us an audience we didn't have to pay for and wouldn't otherwise have had access to." Now entering its third season, "Dawson's Creek" is a bona fide hit and there's no shortage of companies willing to outfit the cast in exchange for the privilege of aligning their product with its young stars and the viewers who want to dress like them. "Everyone wants to be a part of it because it's 'cool by connection,'" says Askanas. "We're inundated with calls. It's seen as more persuasive than an ad." This season, American Eagle won out over five other manufacturers, because, she says, "the cast was already wearing their clothes and they have 400 stores - their customers are our fan base, which is a lot of young teens." Askanas declined to disclose the terms of the contract between American Eagle and Columbia TriStar, but the production company can basically call its own shots now that the show has proven to be a direct link to the highly sought-after teen market. She says the agreement calls for the manufacturer to be the "official" outfitter of "Dawson's Creek," not the "exclusive" one. The actors won't be doing any modeling - "There's an endorsement line we don't want to cross," says Askanas - but there will be what she calls a "magazine story" in American Eagle's catalog about the show. There will also be countercards in stores directing consumers to the clothes "as seen on 'Dawson's Creek.'" And there won't be special mention given at the end of the show (like the network does to promote various musical artists), just a listing in the credits with all the other manufacturers that have products on the show as required by the Federal Communications Commission.
At bebe, director of marketing Heather Vandenberghe says getting their hip, young collection on television is seen "as part of the relationship that we have with costume designers and stars." Those relationships have paid off big for the company ever since Heather Locklear began wearing the label's mini-skirted power suits on Fox's "Melrose Place." This fall the cast members of Kevin Williamson's (creator of "Dawson's Creek") new ABC show "Wasteland" will be wearing bebe. But according to Vandenberghe, it's the exposure the company has received from "Ally McBeal" that has prompted the greatest viewer response. "I get e-mails immediately," she says. "When viewers see Ling [Lucy Liu] wearing something they know is from bebe, they want to find out where they can get it." Interestingly enough, the show is poised to shine the spotlight on a new set of designers this season with the arrival of a new costume designer, Daniele King, who is planning a new look for the cast. "All the characters are going to look as if they've gone shopping in New York," she says. Gone are some of the labels (like bebe) that viewers can find at their local mall. They have been replaced with European designer labels, including Paul Smith, Helmut Lang and Jil Sander.
Will viewers follow? "I hope so," says King. "It will be interesting how they respond to the change and to see what this kind of exposure is going to do for these designers." It's the kind of exposure lots of designers would kill for. Howard Ruben, a partner in Style PR, a Los Angeles-based public relations agency, has seen such a marked increase in the number of clients wanting to make television product placement part of their marketing strategy that he recently set up a division just to handle such requests. Among early successes: a deal for Mephisto footwear to be worn on "The X-Files" by star David Duchovny.
Another of Ruben's clients, designer Karen Neuburger (whose whimsical creations have been featured on "Ally McBeal") hit the jackpot when Oprah Winfrey called her sleepwear "the best pajamas in the world." She had sent Winfrey some sleepwear and a personal note after hearing her remark on-air that she loved to lounge around in her pajamas. The talk show titan called personally the next week to thank her and Neuburger wound up a guest on Winfrey's show. "Karen was queen for a day," remembers Ruben. "Her things sold out that day at Lord & Taylor in Chicago. It put her on the map. You just can't buy that credibility." But manufacturers are trying. Another Style PR client, Generra, has inked a deal with NBC to create a line of accessories and apparel, including T-shirts and sunglasses commemorating "Saturday Night Live's" 25th anniversary in September. But there's no guarantee anything from the collection will be seen on air.
"There's nothing in the contract that says the cast members have to wear the line," says Ruben. But hope springs eternal. "We're working with the wardrobing department," he says. "Maybe a cap or T-shirts will make it on to the show. The advantage is the deal is there and people know about it. Generra benefits just by the association." Merchandise will be available in department stores, the NBC Experience store and on the network's Web site.
Some networks, like CBS, aren't about to give the opportunity to sell product directly from a show away to a third party. This summer on "The Guiding Light," a replica of a bracelet that figured prominently in the daytime drama's story line was made available to viewers for $29.95 on the network's Web site. On-air promotions touted the trinket for two weeks in hopes of fueling viewer interest. The "Humanity Bracelet" is just the beginning of a plan by CBS (and undoubtedly all the other networks) to sell the jewelry, clothes and lifestyle products tied in to its programs. "It's a whole new world that could generate a fortune for the networks," says one executive. "They just haven't figured out how to make it work yet, but they will."
Diane Clehane is a free-lance writer.

Losing DC because of WGN? Maybe not.

I've gotten a lot of e-mails from people who are losing the WB shows on WGN, and are sort of panicked about how they're going to see Dawson's Creek.
In markets where there is no WB affiliate, DC runs in first-run syndication. What that basically means that any station in the area can buy it, and air it at a time when they don't have national programming.

For example, in the mid-south, Channel 24, which is an ABC affiliate out of Memphis, TN, will be showing DC at 11:05 PM on Wednesdays. DCD reader Maggie discovered that when she scoured her local TV listings.

So, double check your TV listings. Or go to TV Guide Online, go to the listings, and do a search for Dawson's Creek (don't put it in quotation marks... it didn't work for me when I tried it that way). You may just be surprised at what you find.

Of course, you might also want to consider contacting your local cable company about carrying a WB affiliate.

Good luck!

Tabloid Tidbit

From the Globe:

A Tall Tale

Psst! Six foot tall Dawson's Creek hunk James Van Der Beek wears one inch lifts in his shoes when he shoots scenes with six foot two costar Joshua Jackson. Sources say James hates to be looked down upon and that inch gives him a mile high confidence boost

By David Hunter
Write what you know, the saying goes. Director Christopher Livingston and co-writer Jaffe Cohen's screenplay won an audience award at the 1999 Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, where "Hit and Runaway" bowed in April. Still, seeking distribution, the straight/gay odd-couple comedy, centered on the writing of a screenplay, screened again at Outfest '99.
Alex Andero( Michael Parducci) and Elliot
(Peter Jacobson) are drawn together by big-city kismet and together pursue the fame-and-fortune dream of writing a hit movie for a famous star. One is an energetic, straight Italian guy with ideas but no writing skills, while the other is a shy, gay Jewish playwright. The somewhat purple plot of their opus concerns a macho New York cop going undercover in the fashion industry.
Just earnest enough to add some emotional weight to the mildly provocative concept, "Hit" has its amusing moments and enthusiasically satirizes the film school-to-Hollywood struggle. But there's also little new or innovative in debut film maker Livingston's approach, including slick scenes from Alex's dream action movie that are neither as compelling nor as calculatedly cruddy as the real thing.
They first encounter each other in the family cafe in Greenwich Village where Alex works. Elliot has a crush on the new waiter (Kerr Smith of "Dawson's Creek") and leaves a copy of his play "Chicken of the Sea"-the name of an award-winning short film by Livingston, who is the song of actress Nancy Olson and former Capitol Records president Alan Livingston.
Spurred to action by a family connection to the business but in need of writing samples, Alex reads the play by chance and seeks out Elliot. Sprinting ahead of his classmates in a screenwriting course, including the sweet Gewn (Judy Prescott), Alex gets cracking on a spec script with Elliot.
The latter finds his love life improving as a consequence, though the collaborators are not attracted to each other in a romantic way.
After a hot date with the waiter, Elliot starts to alter the screenplay to reflect his suddenly glamorous view of himself, and the project almost falls apart. Thick-headed Alex has his eyes opened by Gwen in time for the two scribes to just avoid getting chewed up by slimy agent Ray Tilman (J.K. Simmons) when screen idol Jagger Stevens (Hoyt Richards) wants to make a deal.
Of limited interest in the best of worlds, "Hit" is most notable as a showcase for Parducci ("Gravesend") and Jacobson ("A Civil Action" and the upcoming "Cradle Will Rock"), who pull off the central relationship handily and stay away from the obvious mannerisms.

SKULLS
(From USA TODAY)
By Jefferson Graham-
CALEDON, Ontario - On a sunny and windy day out in the countryside near Toronto, Joshua Jackson is taking a drive.
He sits in his car, which is being towed to simulate a real drive, as trucks loaded with movie cameras pace him and shoot from every possible angle for a scene in the feature film The Skulls.
It's just another day of summer vacation for the hot young actor, whose arm bears a colorful skull "tattoo" painted on with makeup.
"The movie sounds like a teen horror film, but it's not," says Jackson, 21, best known as Pacey Witter, the comic relief on WB's teen hit Dawson's Creek.
Skulls, due in early 2000, is described as a younger version of The Firm, about a young man who infiltrates a college's secret society, where bad things happen to him. Steve Harris (The Practice) and Craig T. Nelson (Coach) co-star.
Jackson had already done the horror flick Urban Legend and wanted a change of pace.
"Scream came out and it seemed fresh and exciting," he says during a break on the Skulls set. "And then everyone tried to copy it, so now the genre doesn't seem fresh anymore. That's the way this business works."
Jackson, a show-business veteran, began working at age 9 in commercials for Keebler and British Columbia tourism in his native Vancouver, where he was born and primarily raised. (His family moved to California early on but returned to Vancouver when he was 8.)
He has appeared in such films as the three Mighty Ducks movies, Cruel
Intentions, Andre and Apt Pupil. His next, out in fall, is Gossip, about rumors that get out of hand.
Skulls director Rob Cohen says Jackson has an Everyman quality like
Spencer Tracy and Tom Hanks that makes him appealing to all.
"I've given first parts to many young actors
like Debra Winger, Daniel Stern, Shelley Long and Karen Allen, and you can see the special ones. Josh has it. He has intelligence, charm and humor, and I predict great stardom for him."
Jackson has been back in Canada since Dawson's wrapped, spending time with his mom and pals in Vancouver before heading to Toronto for Skulls, where he'll remain most of this month. Then it's back to Wilmington, N.C., for the third season of Dawson's and the start of the 11th grade with the series gang.
Last season, after an ill-fated romance with his English teacher, Miss Jacobs, Pacey found happiness with Andie (Meredith Monroe), who moved to Capeside with her brother, Jack. At season's end, it appeared she might leave town, and an upset Pacey flunked his finals.
Fans need not fear: Andie will be back, and by the time the show opens, Pacey will have taken a second run at the finals and passed. And Pacey is expected to get a new love interest: WB isn't talking, but he'll fall for Joey (Katie Holmes) or Jen (Michelle Williams).
Jackson enjoyed working with Monroe, as both are natural cutups.
"It was fun to take Pacey, who's an oddball and always lived on the outside, and turn him into a romantic figure. Falling in love was a new direction for him.
"Off camera, it was fantastic, because we have that type of relationship. She's a goofball just like I am," he says.
Unlike most actors, who have to move to Hollywood to get their breaks, Jackson found most of them in his native Canada. He did episodes of American TV shows produced in Canada, such as Showtime's The Outer Limits and ABC's MacGyver, and was filming Apt Pupil when one of the film's writers recommended Jackson to Kevin Williamson, creator of Dawson's Creek.
"I happened to be in town working on the movie, had a day off, went in
for an audition and got the part. I always traveled back and forth,
wherever the work took me, and I got extremely lucky that I didn't have to move from Vancouver. You don't need to live in L.A. to make it as an actor anymore. Not in this age of fax machines, cell phones and videotape."
Jackson says he read more than 100 movie scripts looking for a summer project but chose The Skulls because it was a morality tale.
"The stories that are most interesting to me right now are coming of age and grappling with those questions that kids go through - having to leave home, making your first big decisions, being on your own . Every decision you make forms who you are as a man.
"The luxury that Dawson's has afforded me is that I am able to do stuff I want, instead of just what's there. I have a great day job, the bills are paid, abettend I can do a film like this. The luck of the Irish has really been looking over me and working overtime." (NOTE: SKULLS was made for 15 million smackeroos! -that's money, in case you didn't know:)

More info here: Skulls