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News Flash!!!

October  27th 2002

On June 6th, 2002, The Ultimate Columbo site was the first and only source to reveal the news that "Columbo Likes The night Life" would be the next Columbo movie - here are some additional details:

"Columbo Likes the Nightlife" will bring back Peter Falk as the famous detective, who finds himself investigating the dubious "suicide" of a tabloid reporter. His lead suspects are rave promoter Justin Price (Matthew Rhys, "The Lost World" ) and his girlfriend Vanessa Farrow (Jennifer Sky, "Fastlane"). The case gets even more complicated when Vanessa's ex-husband disappears. Not only was he bankrolling Price's new club, but he's also the son of a notorious mobster.

The television movie also stars Julius Carry ("Two Guys and a Girl"), Douglas Roberts ("Auggie Rose" ), Carmine Giovinazzo ("Black Hawk Down" ) and Steven R. Schirripa ("The Sopranos").

Monday, February 19, 2001

AT LAST!!! “Murder With Too Many Notes”

“The Ultimate Columbo Site” has learned that ABC has currently scheduled “Columbo: Murder With Too Many Notes” to air across the USA on Monday, March 12, 2001, 8:00 to 10:00 pm, as The ABC Monday Night Movie.

The Columbo production office confirms that the March 12 date is “pretty definite”, and we have seen publicity materials for television reviewers, announcing the date.

The only cautionary note is that ABC has re-scheduled the broadcast twice before, so it is impossible to rule out the chance of another last-minute change. However, ABC is now committed to showing it, so any change in date should not be too major.

This is the long-awaited 68th episode of “Columbo”, directed by Patrick McGoohan, filmed late in 1998. The episode has been the subject of much frustration for fans, as ABC and the production company failed to reach an agreement for a broadcast date. Early last year, it was shown in Belgium, in Switzerland, and in France.

Billy Connolly plays the killer, Findlay Crawford, an award-winning Hollywood soundtrack composer.

A press release describes the plot:

To keep the world from knowing that his apprentice is really the talent behind his success, a famous composer of movie scores murders the young man. What could have been the perfect crime is unmasked as murder when Columbo is assigned to the case.

Friday, February 16, 2001

Peter Falk Update

From Army Archerd's column, February 16, 2001:

Thursday night, Peter Falk winged out to New Zealand to star in the newest version of "The Lost World," this one for the BBC/A&E. Bob Hoskins and James Fox co-star along with the prehistoric critters [dinosaurs].

Falk quickly returns here to start another "Columbo." Is this his last? "I doubt it," he said -- and denied any reports he wanted out of the series, which started in 1968.

Falk also just wound his role in Walter Hill's big screen "Undisputed" shooting in the High Desert State Prison, 40 miles outta Las Vegas. He says he plays "the Kosher slice of the mob" who promotes a fight in the prison between inmates Wesley Snipes and Ving Rhames. And just prior to this pic, Falk starred in "Corky Romano" at Disney with "SNL's" Chris Kattan.

"Columbo" fans might recall that columnist Army Archerd appeared, as himself, in the 1975 episode "Forgotten Lady".

Tuesday, January 30, 2001

“Corky Bonono” is now “Corky Romano”

In July, we reported that Peter Falk was set to film a movie called “Corky Bonono”, with Saturday Night Live’s Chris Kattan. Peter plays a mafia chieftain, who sends his son (Kattan) to infiltrate the FBI for information.

Now, the movie has been officially re-named “Corky Romano”, and there are reports that the studio is considering shortening the name to just “Corky”. It seems there is a real-life crime family named “Bonano”, and they didn’t appreciate the free publicity.

The movie is set to be in theatres this Summer. We are hoping that Peter Falk will host “Saturday Night Live” when the movie opens!

 

Monday, January 15, 2001

'Columbo' To Visit A&E

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - A&E has attained the rights to air reruns of the most recent 25 two-hour "Columbo" movies, featuring Peter Falk in the title role, according to Variety. The cable net paid approximately $4.4 million as part of a five-year contract for the movies' rebroadcast rights. Some of the movies are currently finishing up their run on Fox Family Channel, A&E will start airing them in 2001.

"Columbo" fits in with A&E's long-standing strategy of mixing reality series and documentaries with detective series and movies in primetime -- many of them featuring English sleuths such as Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot and Dalziel & Pascoe. 

"Columbo" first aired on NBC in 1971 as part of the rotating 90-minute 
"NBC Sunday Mystery Movie" franchise. The movies never evolved into a weekly series because Falk didn't want to take on the workload, but he continued to do about six TV movies a year, both in the 90-minute and two-hour formats, on NBC through the 1976-77 season. 

Twelve years later, ABC brought back the rumpled detective for occasional 
two-hour movies, beginning in February 1989. These are the movies that A&E is buying, which includes the 23 movies already made and two more that Universal TV will produce in the next year or so. 

Sent to us by Joe Thomas

 

Sunday, July 23, 2000 

"COLOMBO" FALK TO PLAY "BONONO" THE MOBSTER 

Peter Falk is moving from odd cop to mob pop.

By: Hollywood Reporter Arizona Republic/Phoenix Gazette

"Columbo" star Peter Falk has signed on to star opposite Saturday Night Live comedian Chris Kattan in the Walt Disney Co.'s "Corky Bonono" for producer Robert Simonds.

Commercial director Rob Pritts is making his feature directorial debut on the project, which is scheduled to go into production next month in Los Angeles.

Corky, based on a character that Kattan has been developing, centers on a troubled son (Kattan) of a Mafia honcho (Falk) who is forced to infiltrate the FBI to find out what they have on his father.

Falk recently finished work on a role in Made for Artisan Entertainment.


Friday, July 21, 2000 

ABC TO RE-RUN "ASHES TO ASHES" 

Peter Falk returns as the wily Lt. Columbo Aug. 7, in a television film that reunites him with quintessential Columbo adversary Patrick McGoohan (a two-time Emmy winner for his appearances in the series). McGoohan will both guest-star and direct "Columbo : Ashes to Ashes" on ABC.

Tuesday, July 4, 2000

ROCKFORD, COLUMBO TOP FAVORITE TV DETECTIVE LIST 

Jim Rockford tops TV Guide's list of the top 25 television detectives of the past 50 years. The character played by James Garner on The Rockford Files was sly, charming and irresistible, the magazine says in its July 8-14 issue. Peter Falk's Columbo, the rumpled Los Angeles police Lieutenant always ready with one more question, came in second. "'I love him," Peter Falk says of his character.

"He has a sly sense of humor, is by nature polite and totally devoid of pretension," says Falk.

Rounding out the top five are: Frank Pembleton, played by Andre Braugher in Homicide: Life on the Street; Mary Beth Lacey and Chris Cagney, played by Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless in Cagney & Lacey;and Theo Kojak, played by Telly Savalas on Kojak.


Saturday, June 3, 2000 

CLUES INDICATE "COLUMBO" BACK 

By: Marilyn Beck, Stacy Jenel Smith and Stephanie DuBois in Hollywood 

PETER FALK will soon be back on the ''Columbo'' beat, ''if ABC and Universal end their dispute about the matter,'' he reveals.

Falk says he completed the ''Columbo'' TV movie, ''Murder With Too Many Notes,'' over a year ago, ''but the network has given us no idea when it will air. I guess ABC only has room for shows that give away millions.'' 

He adds that he has a network order for two more ''Columbo'' telepics. And that, ''I've gone over the scripts, and they're ready to go.'' 

However, he notes, ''Until the studio and the network come to some sort of arrangement about airing them, well, things are pretty much in limbo.'' 

Falk is spending the next four weeks onstage at L.A.'s Geffen Theater, playing a plain-talking police negotiator opposite Jason Alexander in ''Defiled,'' but he'll be moonlighting in ''Made.'' That's the Artisan mobster drama starring Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn and Sean ''Puffy'' Combs.

Falk plays a low-level scam artist.


Friday, February 4, 2000 

ABC on "MURDER WITH TOO MANY NOTES" 

(from a review of Peter falk's Showtime movie, "A Storm In Summer")

By: LARRY BONKO 
VIRGINIAN-PILOT (Norfolk, VA) 

At 73, Falk is fit, even bouncy, and active in his craft. He's been working in theater and films. "I've been busy, but 250 million Americans aren't aware of it," he said.

That's because the 250 million Americans haven't seen him in a new "Columbo" for quite a while. ABC says it still cherishes the "Columbo" franchise and will go forward with it. There's a "Columbo" on the shelf, collecting dust as Falk waits for ABC to announce an air date.

"When the time is right, we'll show it," said Stu Bloomberg, co-chairman of the ABC Entertainment Group.

News Update, May 2000:

Peter Falk is doing a new play called DEFILED, with Jason Alexander, at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. It starts previews the week of May 1, and runs through July 2, 2000.

He also just finished shooting a sitcom pilot with David Paymer. David Paymer might be best remembered for his Oscar-nominated performance as Billy Crystal's brother in "Mr. Saturday Night", and from the "City Slickers" movies.

David also played the cab driver in Peter Falk's classic comedy "The In Laws," and he again appears with Peter in the upcoming movie "Enemies Of Laughter," which also features Shera Danese, Judge Reinhold, Bea Arthur and Marilu Henner. And, Peter will be acting in the independent feature film MADE, written and directed by Jon Favreau.

Sorry, still no word on a broadcast date for "Murder With Too Many Notes". We will keep you advised when further info becomes available.



For all our UK visitors. Columbo "It's All In The Game" will be aired on Jan 2nd 1999 at 1.55pm on Channel ITV

For all our Italian Fans. Columbo (in Italy his name is "Colombo") episodes will be aired in Italy on Rete4 from Monday to Saturday at 7:30 pm starting from January 4th 1999.


New Columbo Episode in Production Murder With Too Many Notes


Read what Peter Falk sent to us about "Ashes to Ashes".


"Ashes to Ashes" will be aired on ABC Thursday October 8th, 9-11pm.


Columbia House is now offering an additional 10 "Columbo" episodes: Columbo VHS Tapes



Peter Falk will definitely do at least two more Columbo movies this year they have to air all three by May 31 in order to qualify as a series for Emmy purposes

1st - Movie, "Ashes to Ashes"
2nd - Movie, "Murder by the Notes"
3rd - TBA


Patrick McGoohan and Peter Falk have started working together on a New COLUMBO episode. The title of the episode is "Ashes To Ashes" Patrick McGoohan is the guest star and director of the episode. No broadcast date has been set yet. Additional guests are Rue McClanahan and Sally Kellerman.



"Peter Falk began production on March 2 on his newest 'Columbo' film for ABC, 'Ashes To Ashes,' which is being directed by frequent 'Columbo' collaborator, Patrick McGoohan ('The Prisoner,' 'Braveheart'). McGoohan also co-stars.

Columbo (Falk) is called in to investigate the disappearance of a Hollywood gossip reporter ('Golden Girl' Rue McClanahan). All evidence points to one of the last people who saw her alive -- a mortician-to-the-stars (McGoohan) with more than a few skeletons rattling around in his closet. Sally Kellerman also stars.

No airdate has been set for this film. If you can't wait till the movie airs, you have a chance to see Peter Falk on the New York stage. As soon as he wraps this project, he'll be going to NYC to appear in an all-new Arthur Miller play, 'Mr. Peters' Connections,' which begins preview performances April 28 at the Signature Theatre Company. It's his first New York stage appearance in 27years. The play opens May 10."

New Information sent to us by Pete Matzek




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