"Jersey Shore" returns: It's a complex show about the nature of sin
With Season 2's debut, we now see "Jersey Shore" in a whole different light than when it debuted just before Christmas, says Hank Stuever. "The key to 'Jersey Shore's' charm is that it's not a social study," he says. "As stupid as it looks, and as much as you can hate yourself for watching, it's a complex show about the nature of sin. There's a tendency to examine it too cerebrally in that regard, to think of "Jersey Shore" as pure performance art. Sometimes critics can be wrong in typing too many words."
Confessions of a "Jersey Shore" addict // Season 2: New vocabulary, new conflicts
Snooki "represents a tribal queen for urban homegirls of all types"
Supersized "Project Runway" is not only bigger but bitchier
The expanded 90-minute episodes means whole lot more dressing down on each episode, which makes the judges seem all the more ruthless. "When I reflect upon Season 7, we barely see the Q & A between the judges and the designers," says Tim Gunn. "We barely hear anything out of the deliberation. You get a sound bite, when in fact the Q&A and the deliberation go on anywhere from four to six hours. So you think about it, if you just want to be a fly on the wall, it's very easy to fill in that (extra) time."
Heidi Klum's dream guest judge: Michelle Obama
Tim Gunn: "I call them the crack-smoking judges"
"On the Road With Austin & Santino" is like "Runway" detox
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Report: ABC entertainment boss resigned amid sex harassment probe
Steve McPherson quit yesterday as ABC was investigating multiple harassment claims made by females executives against the ABC entertainment president, according to the Hollywood Reporter. McPherson's attorney, while not addressing any specifics, released a statement saying: "It is not uncommon for high level executives to be the subject of gossip and innuendo. That would include rumors of internal situations which can easily be misinterpreted or misrepresented."
Obama tells "The View": I've never heard of Snooki
"I'm sorry, I don't know who that is," President Obama said when asked about the "Jersey Shore" star, according to several audience members (watch a preview). "We all liked that he didn't know who she was," said audience member Nella Cerminara. During his visit today, which will air tomorrow, Obama was also asked a "pointed question" about jobs from Elisabeth Hasselbeck. PLUS: Katie Couric defends Obama's "View" appearance.
No deal yet, but "Big Bang" stars are expected back at work next week
Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco were reportedly offered $100,000 an episode one month ago, but they are holding out for more money, probably closer to $250,000 an episode. Still, they are expected to return to work next Wednesday when filming resumes on "The Big Bang Theory."
William Shatner: I'd rather we use "Sh*t" than "$#*!"
"I wish they would just call it (sh*t)," he told TV critics during CBS' portion of the TV press tour. "What's wrong with that? I've got grandchildren. I brought up three girls. Eventually poo-poo becomes (sh*t). 'Go take a (sh*t), you'll feel better.' It's a word around us, it isn't a terrible term, it's a natural function. Whay are we pussyfooting around it?" PLUS: Shatner hired a "young man" to do his tweeting.
CBS boss insists: "The Talk" is NOT a knockoff of "The View"
Does "The View" feature all moms? No! Was it created by Sara Gilbert? Nope!
"Survivor's" 3rd and 4th seasons are coming to DVD
"Survivor: Africa," featuring Ethan Zohn, and Boston Rob's "Survivor: Marquesas" will be released as part of Amazon's new "manufacture-on-demand" program, which presses DVDs on-demand using DVD-Rs. PLUS: CBS disguises the "Survivor: Nicaragua" cast.
CBS' "The Defenders" was originally a reality show
The drama starring Jerry O’Connell and Jim Belushi as macho Vegas defense attorneys was originally pitched to the network as a resility show. "It was pitched to us as a reality series, and we didn’t quite see it that way," says CBS entertainment boss Nina Tassler. "We loved the characters but used it as an inspiration to develop a scripted drama."
Simon Baker gets a "Mentalist" brother in law
He'll be played by Kevin Rankin of "Friday Night Lights" fame.
"Sopranos" producers go from anti-heroes to heroes with "Blue Bloods"
Mitchell Burgess and Robin Green were among David Chase's top writers, but with their new NYPD police family show, starring Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg, they wanted to focus on the world of heroes. PLUS: Why is Tom Selleck returning to network TV?
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Ex-staffer accuses Jimmy Fallon of sexual discrimination, favoring females
Former "Late Night" stage manager Paul Tarascio filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission alleging that he was fired from his job because Fallon "just prefers to take direction from a woman." In his complaint, Tarascio, who also worked for Conan O'Brien's "Late Night," claims that Fallon only allowed females to place microphones on him, and that he would only allow a man if there were no females available.
Eric Roberts tweets from "Celebrity Rehab"
He says, "I'd like to move out of the weed garden & into a place where things can blossom & grow."
Sara Gilbert: How I came up with "The Talk" for CBS
It was the former "Roseanne" star's idea to create a sort of mommy version of "The View," though a press release for the show wouldn't go into details about her significant other.
Did CBS offend its "young" 40-something viewers by declaring them "old"?
"Survivor: Nicaragua's" old vs. new premise has the "old" tribe consisting of "individuals over the age of 40." But on old-skewing CBS, 40 years old is actually young for the network.
Hefty "Mike & Molly" stars will be allowed to lose weight
The comedy may have an obese premise, but Chuck Lorre has no problem with Melissa McCarthy and Billy Gardell getting in shape. "This may sound ridiculous to some of you," he said, "but this isn't a show about weight."
"Hawaii Five-0" is a reboot, not a remake
"'Remake' suggests doing the exact same thing again," says Alex Kurtzman, who co-wrote last year's "Star Trek" "reboot." But the new "Five-0," like the new "Trek," is a modern take with the same spirit of the original franchise. "We had to make sure we stayed true to the spirit of the show but brings something new to the table that a modern audience would recognize," he says. "That's why the word 'reboot' feels more appropriate."
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CBS promises to add more gay characters
Following a failing GLAAD grade, CBS entertainment boss Nina Tassler said this morning that the network will work to add more gay characters. "We're disappointed in our track record so far," Tassler said. "We're going to do it. We're not happy with ourselves."
CBS' "The View"-like talk show will be called "The Talk"
CBS entertainment chief Nina Tassler fended off questions that she picked up the Julie Chen-fronted show because she's married to her boss, Les Moonves. "I made the decision," Tassler said. "I don’t think Les is unhappy with it,… but show screened great and tested the best of all the pilots." PLUS: Kaley Cuoco jokes about contract negotiations.
Chuck Lorre: "Big Bang Theory's" Thursday move is "a good thing"
Lorre told critics this morning: "I would be crazy to argue the choices CBS has made along the way, because it’s been wonderful (and it's worked). They think this is a good call and it’s our job is to make a good show, not to program the show. We grow the crops we don’t have the trucks to bring it to market." PLUS: Kaley Cuoco jokes about the cast's contract negotiations.
Rosie O'Donnell: I don't want to see Obama on "The View"
"I have mixed feelings about that," says former "View" star Rosie of today's taping with the president. "I don't really think sitting presidents should go do fluffy daytime TV shows. Maybe an hour on Oprah or something."
"The Hills" nixed an ending with Lauren Conrad as Brody Jenner's girlfriend
The co-creators fought over two endings, with the more "realistic" one winning out.
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Emily Procter is pregnant, but not on "CSI: Miami"
Procter, 41, is expecting her first child — but she plans to hide her pregnancy on "CSI: Miami." "We played around with the idea of my character being pregnant and the general consensus was, a pregnant woman shooting people might freak our audience out," she says.
Watch Justin Bieber's duet with Shaquille O'Neal
Their performance was taped for Season 2 of "Shaq Vs."
Laura Linney: I couldn't turn down "The Big C"
If the Showtime cancer comedy is a hit it could affect her career in the movies and on Broadway. But she couldn't turn down the show, she says, because "the subject matter is important to me personally. The undertow of it deals with all of the stuff I’ve been obsessing about anyway: time. Living. Aging. Mostly, the privilege of aging.”
"Desperate Housewives" wants Betty White, too
"I adore Betty," says Marc Cherry, a former "Golden Girls" writer. "Betty got me a seat at Saturday Night Live, so I was there when she hosted. She’s so astounding. I would love to have her do the show. She works harder than any of us. She is constantly employed. I’m trying to just see if I can get her for dinner. It’s so hard to book her!" PLUS: "Housewives" shooting a Western-themed promo.
Meet the new British boss of ABC entertainment
Paul Lee was a war reporter in Belfast, Northern Island and helped launch BBC America before revamping ABC Family. PLUS: Ex-ABC boss Steve McPherson deserves credit for "CSI's" success.
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ABC entertainment boss out, replaced by the head of ABC Family
Steve McPherson, who as head of ABC's entertainment division since 2004 oversaw the launch of "Lost," "Dancing with the Stars," "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Modern Family," abruptly resigned tonight after stagnating ratings and for allegedly being too abrasive in the job. He'll be replaced by Paul Lee, who has rejuvenated ABC Family cable network.
"Parenthood" taps Billy Baldwin to romance Lauren Graham
He'll recur as Peter Krause's boss.
Bob Barker denies dissing Drew Carey
His TMZ comment was misunderstood, says Barker. "I would not criticize Drew Carey," he says. "I would not criticize this show. I would not criticize CBS. I would not criticize FremantleMedia (which produces the show for the network) because I have a sizable royalty that I am paid every year this show is on, and it’s going on for years. I would be an absolute fool."
It's official: VH1 stars T.O. and Chad Ochocinco will become teammates
Terrell Owens has agreed to join the Cincinnati Bengals.
Watch the "Sons of Anarchy" Season 3 trailer
This got a great response at Comic-Con.
"Desperate Housewives" won't cover up Briain Austin Green's tattoos
"Brian has a lot of tattoos and agents asked us if we wanted to cover them up and the writers talked about it," says Marc Cherry. "We said no, let's leave them. I love the idea of Bree being attracted to someone who's got body art — she’s like, what the heck is that?!'"
"Mad Men" got another thing wrong: Don Draper's TV-watching
Football wasn't shown on TV on a Saturday night in 1964. Draper would've been watching hockey. PLUS: Watch every cigarette smoked on "Mad Men."
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If he was being honest to a TMZ photog, the Hall of Fame QB will become the 3rd member of the 
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