A weblog of TV news and criticism

Kim Kardashian joins "Drop Dead Diva"
She'll play a love interest for Ben Feldman in a Season 4 recurring role.

NBC will allow "Fear Factor" to air a donkey semen-drinking stunt
According to TMZ, the Peacock seriously considered cutting out the stomach-churning challenge.

"Alias" alum Kevin Weisman returns to TV in ABC's "Awake"
"Marshall Flinkman" will play a character named "Mr. Blonde."

Apple files a patent for a touchscreen TV remote
Is this part of the new Apple TV?

"Buffy" alum Azura Skye joins "Grimm"
Most recently seen on "American Horror Story," Skye will reunite with "Buffy" exec producer David Greenwalt, who produces "Grimm."

CBS picks up mommy P.I., '60s cowboy, "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" knockoff
One pilot, "Quean, sounds a lot like "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."

"Welcome Back, Kotter's" Juan Epstein dies
Robert Hegyes, 60, died this morning of a heart attack.

[Permalink]

Letterman will celebrate his 30th anniversary in late-night with Howard Stern
"Late Night with David Letterman premiered on Feb. 1, 1982, and Wednesday marks Dave's 30th anniversary of him being on in late-night. To mark the occasion, Howard Stern will make his 41st appearance as a guest on Letterman's shows.

Could "Idol" lose its status as TV's No. 1 show?
In its 11th season, "American Idol" looks as vulnerable as ever. PLUS: Why aren't there more terrible singers?

Ellen gets a "SYTYCD" 54th birthday present from a dress-wearing Jimmy Kimmel
Watch today's birthday surprise.

"Falling Skies" sued over its credit sequence font
TNT misused the Anthropolymorphics font software, according to the lawsuit, which demands $200,000 plus a permanent injunction.

Bebe Neuwirth joins "The Good Wife"
The "Cheers" and "Frasier" vet will recur as a judge.

"Glee" newbie Grant Gustin recalls getting death threats over Twitter
He got death threats just for coming between Blaine and Kurt. PLUS: Lea Michele does sexy Candies ad campaign, and preview "Glee" in Spanish.

Penn Badgley uses NYC mayor's "Gossip Girl" press conference to promote "Occupy"
Check out his "mini protest" of Mayor Bloomberg with a "We are the 99%" shirt.

Rachel Nichols to star in "Continuum" on Canadian TV
"24" Emmy winner Jon Cassar is behind the project, which has Nichols playing a cop from 2077.

Details of Kate Gosselin's $5,500 cruise revealed
You'll be able to go on a shore excursion with Kate and play games with the former TLC star.

Drew Carey has already found a new girlfriend
After breaking up with his fiancee of nearly five years, Carey is dating a woman 22 years his junior.

"Becker's" Shawnee Smith lands a co-starring role on Charlie Sheen's sitcom
She'll play Sheen's ex-wife on "Anger Management."

Trekkie who built a "Star Trek Apartment" may lose it in divorce
"House-modder" Tony Alleyne doesn't actually own the "Trek" apartment. His wife does.

Jennifer Love Hewitt strips and sings to promote "The Client List"
Watch her sing "Big Spender" for the Lifetime series.

Fran Drescher: I was abducted by aliens
The "Happily Divorced" star says the alien abduction incident in junior high led her to her future ex-husband.

"Game of Thrones" meets "The Goonies"
What does Chunk think of this mashup?

[Permalink]

"Dance Moms" spawns "Ice Moms"
Lifetime is expanding its hit franchise to figure skating.

LMFAO to perform at Super Bowl halftime with Madonna
That's according to Will.I.am.

"Ferris Bueller" is making a comeback in a Super Bowl ad
Matthew Broderick teases that he's reprising his famous role more than 25 years later.

Meet the cast of NBC's "Fashion Star"
The 14 designers join Elle Macpherson, Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie and John Varvatos on the NBC reality show.

"Modern Family's" Rico Rodriguez gets asked about "The Hot TV Mom Dilemma"
TMZ asked the 13-year-old: "How do you control … having a really hot mom?"

After diabetes revelation, Paula Deen chows down on a burger
The Food Network star was photographed on a cruise Monday eating a burger and fries.

Target actually appreciates Kristen Wiig's "SNL" Target Lady impression
Says a Target spokesperson: "As they say, 'imitation is the highest form of flattery.'"

BBC America remaking gripping French cop drama "Spiral"
The show — also known as "Engrenages" — has become a hit in Britain with subtitled on the BBC.

Did "Idol" make a mistake holding auditions in tiny Aspen?
The out-of-the-way location seemed to drive all the good singers away.

Homer Simpson-looking globule of glue is for sale on eBay
The centimeter-long globule of glue was made by an overflowing tube of Uhu glue.

Matt Smith insists he's not leaving "Doctor Who"
"I'm here for the future," he said last night. "I love working on the show. I have no plans to leave."

HBO's "Namath" doc revisits a drunk Joe Namath hitting on ESPN's Suzy Kolber
Both Kolber and Namath address the 2003 incident in the upcoming documentary on the former Jets QB's life.

Kevin Smith wanted to add a female to "Comic Book Men," but AMC said to hold off
"We sent in a version of the show with a woman," says Smith. "AMC saw it, they greenlit the show, but one of their first notes was, 'Let's save the girl for Season 2.' They said it would give us somewhere to go."

Cartoon characters inspire makeup lines
Are females more likely to buy cosmetics branded by Smurfette?

Watch the "Celebrity Apprentice" promo
Featuring George Takei, Arsenio Hall, Clay Aiken and more — "for charity."

"A Gifted Man" gets Frances Fisher to play a domineering mom
She'll guest in a March episode.

Showtime begins going "Inside Comedy"
Tonight kicks off a 10-part series featuring in-depth interviews with comics from Chris Rock to Jerry Seinfeld to Sarah Silverman to Larry David.

Drew Carey's ends engagement after nearly 5 years
Carey had been engaged to Nicole Jaracz since 2007.

If "Fat Chef" Food Network's "Biggest Loser"?
The foodie-themed weight-loss reality show premieres tonight.

[Permalink]

Jay Leno now under fire from members of British Parliament
Two members of Britain's Parliament had a motion published objecting to Leno's Sikh joke.

"Alcatraz" fans are actually breaking into Alcatraz
The National Park Service, which runs the former island prison, has found that tourists are straying from the tour to search for the top-secret room from the Fox show.

"Touch" has solid debut, "Idol" drops 14%
The Kiefer Sutherland drama, in fact, has the highest retention rate of any show to premiere after "American Idol."

CBS orders "Widow Detective," Conan's "Super Fun Night" starring "Bridesmaids" star
"Widow Detective" is from "CSI's" Carol Mendelsohn and "Super Fun Night" stars Australian-born actress Rebel Wilson from "Bridesmaids" fame.

Hallmark Channel replaces Martha Stewart with Marie Osmond
Osmond will host a daily show on the cable channel.

Ron Swanson inspires a rap song
Listen to the track from Adam WarRock, a "Parks and Rec" fan who also wrote a Leslie Knope campaign theme. PLUS: The 25 best Ron Swanson GIFs.

New "Live" guest co-hosts include Michael Strahan, Derek Hough, Jerry O'Connell
They'll co-host will Kelly Ripa the week after next.

"Once Upon a Time" nabs Sebastian Stan
He'll guest in an episode later this spring.

"Real Housewives" star Kim Richards admits: "I'm an alcoholic"
The Beverly Hills star sat down with Andy Cohen for a separate interview, which will air on Feb. 13.

Tom Selleck's 8th "Jesse Stone" movie premieres in May
"Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt" will air on May 20.

[Permalink]

Rainn Wilson: "Don't believe everything you read in the press, ok?"
That's what "The Office" star tweeted following a report that Dwight Schrute could be spun off with his own NBC comedy.

Obama vs. Bartlet: Are there State of the Union similarities?
President Bartlet's 3rd State of the Union from Season 2 of "The West Wing" said the following: "To build the new future we must boldly set aside our partisan blinders and abandon our ideological entrenchment." PLUS: "Jed Bartlet" responds to Obama's State of the Union.

Emily VanCamp is again linked to her "Revenge" co-star
Us Weekly is reporting that VanCamp has been dating co-star Josh Bowman. VanCamp, who was recently seeing "Vampire Diaries" star Joseph Morgan, has a history of dating co-stars, including "Brothers & Sisters" star Dave Annable and her "Everwood" brother Chris Pratt.

Will Nate Berkus win an Academy Award?
As one of the executive producers of "The Help," the daytime talk show host is up for an Oscar.

Oprah dumps one of her most trusted executives
OWN's problems have left Lisa Erspamer, who has worked with Oprah for 18 years, out of a job.

Can Michael Madsen win "Celebrity Big Brother"? He's 1 of 3 American finalists
Michael Madsen along with former "Girls Next Door" Playboy stars Karissa and Kristina Shannon could win Friday's finale of "Celeb Big Brother."

Alec Baldwin details his American Airlines incident: "I was very, very sorry"
"You don't want to have what happened to you happen to me," he tells Piers Morgan.

Taylor Armstrong's new book goes into detail of her husband's alleged abuse
In "Hiding From Reality," the "Real Housewives" star claims Russell Armstrong beat her, called her names and spied on her.

"CSI" didn't give Marg Helgenberger the sendoff she deserved
Why Wednesday's farewell was a disappointment.

NFL will allow players to tweet as they play in the Pro Bowl
Each sideline will have a computer station for this week's game, which airs Sunday at 7 PM ET on NBC.

AMC remaking UK comedy "White Man Van"
The comedy follows a man who puts his dreams on hold to become a handyman in support of his family. (Watch the UK original)

Jennifer Aniston "trashes" her pal Chelsea Handler
Watch a preview of Sunday's "After Lately."

[Permalink]

"The Office" plans to spin off Dwight Schrute
Rainn Wilson is poised to star in what might be a family comedy in spring 2013.

Rosie's struggling talk show is shaking things up with a new set, new boss
Since debuting on Oprah Winfrey Network, "The Rosie O’Donnell Show" has received lackluster ratings.

"Lost" the No. 1 series of the past 10 years, according to IMDb
The Internet Movie Database released its All-Decade list, and "Lost" was the highest-ranked show, followed by "House," "Grey's Anatomy," "Heroes," "How I Met Your Mother" and "24."

Marg Helgenberger "felt like a big bubble over my head" filming last "CSI"
"I hope to have another experience like that in my career," she says, "but that was a rare experience to end (my time on) the show that I still have enormous love for and respect for and pride and all of that. It was great. It was beautiful. It was really beautiful. Every time I’ve like thought about that day and leaving, I well up."

Morena Baccerin is headed to "The Good Wife"
The "Homeland" star will play a high-powered executive in one episode. PLUS: Kalinda is getting a ….

"Gossip Girl" expects to end next year after 6 seasons
Next season is when the actors' contracts expire, "so that feels like probably an organic ending point," says exec producer Stephanie Savage.

Katherine Heigl: I haven't been approached about returning to "Grey's Anatomy"
"If they want me to return for an arc, I would love to know where Izzie is now," she says. "It's been a couple of years. I really hope she’s succeeding somewhere."

Check out Ryan Seacrest's resume and headshot from when he moved to Hollywood
The "Idol" host was also the host of "Radical Outdoor Challenge" and "Gladiators 2000."

Jason O'Mara wants "Terra Nova" to stop using "half-hearted dinosaurs"
If the show is renewed, O'Mara has some suggestions for change: "When we use dinosaurs, I really hope they're completely kick-ass dinosaurs — no half-hearted dinosaurs. Maybe it's better to have a totally awesome dinosaur in (just) one episode, rather than seeing a dinosaur every episode that isn’t quite there."

See "The Office" as a video game map
A YouTube user says he spent 500 hours re-creating the Dunder Mifflin offices for "Counter Strike."

NBA star Amar'e Stoudemire to guest on TV Land's "The Exes"
The Knicks star taped his episode during the lockout.

Claim: Madonna is "bringing gay to the Super Bowl"
That's what a New York Daily News reporter overheard one of Madonna's dancers say, though nothing has been officially revealed. PLUS: Cee Lo Green will join Madonna on stage.

Watch Nick Offerman & Megan Mullally sing together
In "Wings of a Dragon."

[Permalink]

PBS pulls its "Downton Abbey" jewelry after producers object
A PBS spokesperson says: "An email from the business affairs office of NBC/Carnival was received requesting that we remove these items. PBS complied immediately and the products are no longer being offered."

"Criminal Minds" celebrates 150 episodes
Will tonight's episode top Episode 100?

Introducing the Jon "Hamm-O-Gramm"
For $5, you can have a photo of the "Mad Men" star plus a personalized letter sent to a special someone. PLUS: In defense of "Mad Men's" 9/11 poster.

Does Sofia Vergara scream too much on "Modern Family"?
Vergara says of Gloria, "Since they discovered that I can scream like a crazy person, they ask me to scream in every episode. In my own life, I have no problems letting out a good scream. I always try to remember how my mom used to scream, and my aunt, and how women were in Colombia to make the character as funny as possible."

Colin Hanks goes from "Dexter" to "Happy Endings"
He'll play "Colin Hanks."

"30 Rock" presents "Sh*t Liz Lemon Says"
Six scandalous seasons mashed up in one video. PLUS: Alec Baldwin impersonates Piers Morgan.

ABC gets to air 1 Super Bowl ad
Volkswagen opted to air its Super Bowl "Star Wars" dogs teaser on "The Middle because it had a Passat and Super Bowl storyline.

James Franco makes USC students look bad in his new web reality show
Watch a preview of "Undergrads."

"Idol" finalist Naima signs record deal
Naima Adedapo from last year's "American Idol" has signed a deal with Peak Records/eOne Music.

Meet Randall from the Honey Badger viral videos
The YouTube sensation, who's getting his own TV show, has revealed himself to TMZ.

Conan & Andy Richter are dead-ringers for Newt & Calista Gingrich
"Enjoy your nightmares, America."

Adult TV characters and their kid counterparts
Is Jeff Winger older version of Zach Morris?

"Jersey Shore" spinoff "Geordie Shore" is launching a meat-flavored perfume
L'eau De Geordie smells like doner kebab meat.

"Gavin & Stacey" star James Corden slims down
The hefty comedian looks a lot skinnier now.

Fox orders "Cougar Town" creator's "Like Father"
The comedy is inspired by Bill Lawrence's relationship with his dad.

Watch the newest "Walking Dead" returns promo
Meanwhile, Robert Kirkman promises a "huge payoff" for the 2nd half of the season.

"90210's" Jessica Lowndes releases a music video
Watch her sing in "Nothing Like This."

Fox's "Touched" harkens back to NBC's "Heroes"
The craziness of the Fox series starring Kiefer Sutherland makes it sound something like "Heroes," says Mike Hale. He adds: "'Touch' happens to have been created by Tim Kring, the writer and producer also responsible for 'Heroes.' But the earlier show, with its unapologetic pulpiness, was initially a lot of fun. For his new show, Mr. Kring has jettisoned the crude cartoon energy but has kept the New Agey mysticism and quasi-Asian spirituality, while giving free rein to the kind of post-9/11 sentimentality you expect from commercials or earnest feature films." PLUS: "Touched" is trying to sell "social benefit storytelling," and Kiefer talks "Touched."

[Permalink]

"Teen Mom 2" star Leah Messer suffers a miscarriage
"It's a devastating experience, but all I can do is support Leah and take things day by day," her fiance tells OK! magazine. "It's hard, but we will get through it."

Simon Cowell is launching a worldwide DJ reality competition, with Will Smith
Jada Pinkett Smith will also be involved in the show seeking "the world's greatest DJs."

"Community's" Danny Pudi becomes a dad to twins
Pudi and wife Bridget welcomed James Timothy and Fiona Leigh on Jan. 12. "The 1/4 Indian, 1/4 Polish, 1/2 Irish twins are keeping us busy and we're loving every minute of it," Pudi said in a statement.

Simon Cowell hints Steve Jones won't return to "X Factor," citing a "Brit limit"
"He got a lot of stick," Cowell said of Jones. "I don't think he did a bad job but, like 'America's Got Talent,' there is a Brit limit on the show."

Which TV stars will allow you to sleep over?
Kate Walsh? Justine Bateman? Dave Coulier? Larry King!?

Pat Sajak recalls hosting "Wheel of Fortune" drunk
He would drink margaritas between shows and have trouble recognizing the alphabet.

Get the "Downton Abbey" experience for $12K
You can visit the real Highclere Castle for the price of £7,900. The tour includes tea and a meal. PLUS: "Abbey" inspires "nutty" Tumblrs.

Should "Justified" fans read Elmore Leonard's new book "Raylan"?
Exec producer Graham Yost says: "Read it."

Kathy Griffin's new boyfriend is 18 years her junior
The 51-year-old Griffin says she won't reveal details of her relationship with her 33-year-old beau.

[Permalink]

Ex-"Dancing" NFL QB Kurt Warner to host USA's "The Moment"
On the aspirational reality show, Warner — who famously worked at a supermarket not long before winning the Super Bowl — will give people a 2nd chance at their career dreams.

"Toddlers & Tiaras" mom sues the media, claiming they sexualized her daughter
The mother of Isabella Barrett, age 5, is accusing TMZ, The Huffington Post and the Daily Mail of sexualizing her daughter by playing LMFAO song "I'm Sexy and I Know It" over her video.

New "Amazing Race" cast features "Big Brother's" Rachel & Brendon
The new cast also includes federal agents and married clowns.

Ex-"Bachelorette" Jen Schefft is pregnant again
Schefft, who has a 14-month-old daughter, is pregnant with her 2nd child.

Jimmy Fallon will do an Indy "Late Night" show hours after the Super Bowl
In all, Fallon will do four shows from Indianapolis, home of this year's Super Bowl.

Cinemax orders "Banshee" from "True Blood's" Alan Ball
Ball will juggle both "True Blood" and "Banshee," which revolves around a criminal who becomes sheriff of Banshee, PA.

James Farentino, TV actor who played George Clooney's dad on "ER," dies
Farentino, 73, also had a recurring role on "Dynasty."

[Permalink]

6 years later, Star Jones is returning to "The View"
Star Jones and Barbara Walters have apparently made up, paving the way for a "View" appearance on Feb. 22. Jones abruptly left "The View" in June 2006. After announcing her exit on air, Jones was removed from the show.

ABC follows CW in ordering a "Beauty and the Beast" pilot
The CW version is based on the 1987 CBS series, while ABC's version is "a fantastical re-imagining of the classic fairy tale set in a mythical, dangerous world wherein a beautiful and tough Princess discovers an unlikely connection with a mysterious beast."

Simon Cowell is allowing his gray hair to show
The 52-year-old "X Factor" judge is apparently not dying his hair for the "Britain's Got Talent" auditions, which are currently filming.

CW orders its own hospital drama — with hot doctors
"First Cut" follows a group of young doctors who discover that their workplace is like high school.

NBC bringing "Top Chef" and E! to the Super Bowl
NBC Universal is going all out next week for "Super Bowl Week at NBCU," with "Football Night in America's" Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison guesting on a special pregame show edition of "Top Chef."

Jay Leno sued over Sikh joke
A California man has filed a libel suit, claiming Leno is encouraging hatred and ridicule of his religion. PLUS: Leno upsets the Catholic League.

"Downton Abbey" getting an influx of Americans for Season 3
Next season will see not one but two weddings.

Adam Lambert is still waiting for a "Glee" invite
The former "Idol" star wants to play himself on the Fox series.

Watch the promos for "Glee's" Michael Jackson episode
"Michael" airs next Tuesday.

Terrell Owens: I'm broke after going through $80M
The former "The T.O. Show" star talks about how he lost all his money as he tries to get back in the NFL.

Zooey Deschanel says her "healthy weight" might be "a little weird for Hollywood"
The "New Girl" star talks about her diet and weight in the new issue of Allure.

Jeremy London charged with domestic battery for allegedly beating his baby mama
According to legal documents, the former "7th Heaven" star is homeless.

"The Walking Dead" as '80s sitcom?
Watch the opening credits with "The Growing Pains" theme.

[Permalink]

OWN expanding "Oprah's Next Chapter" to 2 nights a week
Will airing Part One on Sunday and Part Two on Monday boost ratings?

Courteney Cox joins Twitter
Here's a photo of Cox looking at her Twitter feed with "Cougar Town" creator Bill Lawrence.

"The Bachelorette" to make a lot of changes for Emily Maynard's daughter
Will production move to Charlotte? Chris Harrison says there may be a change in location. "TV-wise, it’s gonna be a very different season of 'The Bachelorette,'" he says, "again pushing the social debate of the single mom and when is it okay to bring the daughter in? Is it okay? How do you act as a mom? Is it different than as a single mom who’s footloose and fancy-free? What about the guys? How are they gonna ask?"

Tim Gunn: I've been celibate for 29 years
"I haven’t had sex in 29 years," Gunn said on today's edition of "The Revolution." "Do I feel like less of a person because of it? No."

"Downton Abbey" producers threaten PBS over its "Downton" jewelry line
Producers were particularly upset that the Downton Abbey Collection includes jewelry named after Lady Mary Crawley.

Bethenny Frankel gets a tryout on Fox stations
Fox will air six week's worth of Frankel's talk show this summer.

Charlie Sheen: "Two and a Half Men" should end after this season
"I just think that people are there because there’s nowhere else to go. Yet," he says.

Check out Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong on "Nurse Jackie"
Here's your first look at the punk rocker's guest appearance.

Khloe Kardashian gets a Dallas radio show
"The Mix Up with Khloé Kardashian Odom" will air every day on MIX 102.9. PLUS: Watch a preview of "Khloe & Lamar" Season 2.

TLC making a plus-size boutique reality show, from producer Stacy London
The "What Not to Wear" star will produce a reality show about a couple's plus-size clothing business.

Nick at Nite orders an 80-episode telenovela remake
The cable network will air an American version of "Reach for a Star" (Alcanzar una Estrella).

Rocco DiSpirito is getting syndicated
The former "Restaurant" star will helm his own cooking and nutrition show.

"Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" finally ends its painful season
What a long and arduous slog.

Play "Idol or Animal?"
Jimmy Kimmel's game asks the question: Is that the sound of an Idol or an animal?

"In Plain Sight" snags Tia Carrere
She'll play Stan's tango instructor.

Tracy Morgan tweets from "30 Rock"
"On the set of 30 Rock," he writes, "just walked past @alecbaldwin and said Top That!"

Funny or Die takes on Paula Deen
With Paula Deen's Diabetes Ad.

NBC will share "American Ninja Warrior" with G4
The preliminary rounds will air on G4, while the final rounds will air on the Peacock.

[Permalink]

"Desperate Housewives" to kill off a major character
ABC won't divulge who dies, but the "major character" will exit in March.

Kiefer Sutherland: "24" movie won't be in real time, starts filming in April
The film, however, will be a representation of a 24-hour day, Sutherland tells Jimmy Kimmel.

It's Joan Rivers vs. Chelsea Handler
The two comediennes are waging a war of words, via Howard Stern.

Omarosa hired as an editor at Reality Weekly magazine
The former "Apprentice" star will lend her reality expertise as West Coast editor at the newly launched magazine.

Britain's FCC clears Ricky Gervais over "mong" remarks
Gervais had called Susan Boyle a "f****** mong" on TV, resulting in an investigation by regulator Ofcom, Britain's version of the FCC.

"The Bachelor Ben Flajnik: See his high school photos
Check out his yearbook from the class of 2001. PLUS: Courtney dumped her serious boyfriend for the show.

"Family Feud" accepts "his schlong" as a correct answer
"Name something an airline pilot may be holding on a long flight."

"Homeland" Season 1, dissected
Exec producer Alex Gansa goes into detail of every episode of the first season of the Showtime series.

Conan splits his pants
For the first time in 19 years, Conan O'Brien split his pants during his show.

"Portlandia" inspires "Brokelandia"
How many parallels are there with Brooklyn?

[Permalink]

United States defends Jay Leno
The U.S. State Department told India that Leno's Mitt Romney joke about the sacred Golden Temple of Amritsar, which offended Sikhs, is protected free speech.

Peyton Manning: I was stunned when Rob Lowe announced my retirement
"I never thought 'Sodapop Curtis' would announce my retirement," the Indianapolis Colts QB said, referring to Lowe's character from "The Outsiders." "I always thought I would be the one to announce it."

Sean "Diddy" Combs to launch an urban music cable channel
Called Revolt, the urban-themed channel hopes to launch on 12/12/12.

Lawsuit accuses Jimmy Fallon of replacing male staffers with females
A former "Late Night" stage manager is accusing Fallon of gender bias, claiming he's repalced many males with females on his staff.

Tracy Morgan left Utah attached to an oxygen tank
The "30 Rock" star had a breathing tube on at the airport following his collapse at Sundance.

TV stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Jim Rash score Oscar noms
"Community" star Rash is up for an Academy Award for his "Descendants" screenplay, while Wiig and McCarthy are up for "Bridesmaids," with Wiig getting nominated for her screenplay.

"Alcatraz" ratings fall 9% in its 2nd week
J.J. Abrams' drama drew 9 million last night.

"Idol" winner Scotty McCreery to perform on "Hart of Dixie"
He'll be joined in the episode by Justin Hartley.

Stephen Colbert's presidential campaign ends
Colbert opted to drop out after pulling in about 6,000 votes for Herman Cain in South Carolina.

Jason Segel named Harvard Hasty Pudding Man of the Year
He'll be honored along with Claire Danes, who was named Woman of the Year.

Paula Deen's spokesperson quits over diabetes fallout
Powerhouse publicist Nancy Assuncao didn't feel comfortable repping Deen after she decided to plug a diabetes drug.

"Hot in Cleveland" brings on Kristin Chenoweth
She'l play a friend of the girls.

Check out "Boardwalk Empire" — without the special effects
Turns out everything is fake.

Meet your new "Bachelorette"
Emily Maynard was officially introduced this morning as "The Bachelorette" on "GMA."

WikiLeaks to launch a TV talk show
Founder Julian Assange plans to interview "key political players, thinkers and revolutionaries" from around the world.

Gabriel Byrne lands a British TV role
The former "In Treatment" star will play a hero politician in "A Very British Coup."

Madchen Amick is headed to "In Plain Sight"
The "Twin Peaks" alum will guest on the 5th and final season.

Charlie Brown meets Radiohead's "Creep"
Watch the mashup "You're a Creep, Charlie Brown."

A "Walking Dead" star may jump to Frank Darabont's new show
Which AMC star is being eyed for "L.A. Noir"?

Voice of "Lost in Space" robot dies
Dick Tufeld, who also narrated the '60s series, was 85.

[Permalink]

Ben Stiller is set to become an HBO star — with Alan Alda
Stiller is directing, producing and starring in "All Talk," a comedy pilot about a Jewish family in Washington, D.C. Alan Alda is in talks to co-star.

Alec Baldwin interviews Lorne Michaels
Listen to a preview of the "SNL" boss on Baldwin's podcast, "Here's the Thing."

Jerry Seinfeld tells "Inside Comedy": I was uncomfortable with "Seinfeld's" success
"I just said, 'this is not good.' This is not where I belong," he tells David Steinberg on the Showtime series.

Claim: Jim Carrey's daughter got VIP treatment on "Idol"
Jane Carrey didn't have to camp outside like everybody else, according to Radar Online.

NBC picks up Roseanne Barr's "Downwardly Mobile" home sitcom
The Peacock also picked up two other sitcoms, including a veterinarian comedy called "Animal Kingdom."

"Grey's Anatomy" nabs Summer Glau
The sci-fi fave will guest this spring in a role yet to be revealed.

Marg Helgenberger gets a Hollywood Walk of Fame star
Two days before her final "CSI" episode, Helgenberger was honored with her own star as her castmates looked on.

Katherine Heigl: I sometimes regret leaving "Grey's Anatomy"
Heigl talked some more about "Grey's" today during a visit to "The View": "I miss my friends. It was a great work environment in that we all got along really well, and it becomes a family. I spent six years with these people every day… We grew up in a way."

Rob Lowe draws 5.8M to "Drew Peterson"
"Untouchable" was the most-watched Lifetime movie in two years.

Jay Cutler: I never broke up with Kristin Cavallari
The Chicago Bears QB took to Twitter to talk about their baby, and what happened with their relationship over the past year.

"Bridesmaids" director to tackle "The Viagra Diaries" on HBO
Paul Feig will direct the pilot for the HBO series starring Goldie Hawn.

NBC picks up hospital drama "County" starring Jason Ritter
"Friday Night Lights" and "Parenthood" boss Jason Katims is behind the series about a hospital in a struggling part of L.A.

Ryan Seacrest's Persian "Jersey Shore" debuts on March 11
Bravo's "Shahs of Sunset" focuses on six young Persian-American friends in L.A. PLUS: Watch a preview of "Shahs of Sunset."

NBC picks up Dick Wolf's firefighter drama
"Chicago Fire" is set in the Chicago Fire Department.

"Alcatraz" won't do as many homages to San Francisco movie history
The pilot featured many shout-outs to San Francisco-set films. But since subsequent episodes are filmed in Vancouver, producers won't be able to do as many homages.

Watch Jennifer Love Hewitt & Joe Jonas as an engaged couple
Both guest-star on this week's "Hot in Cleveland."

"HIMYM" gets Barney and Becki Newton naked
Check out some pics from their Feb. 13 episode, "The Drunk Train."

Jimmy Fallon's producer explains how a "Late Night" show works
Exec producer Gavin Purcell live-tweeted some behind-the-scenes info last week.

[Permalink]

Tracy Morgan: I'll be back at "30 Rock" on Tuesday after suffering altitude sickness
Morgan took to Twitter this morning to address last night's collapse: "Superman ran into a little kryptonite. The high altitude in Utah shook up this kid from Brooklyn." Morgan's spokesperson says he was treated for treated for exhaustion and altitude sickness. PLUS: See Morgan shortly before his collapse, and listen to the 911 call.

"Modern Family" rejects 90% of product placement offers
The ABC comedy will only do one to three product placements a year. "We get offers constantly," says co-creator Steven Levitan. "We do very few. We try to be extremely selective."

Kim Kardashian co-hosts "Live," talks divorce
"I really didn't think following my heart would create this much backlash," she told Kelly Ripa on this morning's show.

Reality Weekly magazine sees disappointing sales
The debut issue of the reality TV magazine sold around 100,000 copies out of 500,000.

Fox will re-air last night's "Idol," which began at 10:57 PM
Despite the late start, "American Idol" attracted 19.8 million after the NFC championship game. Fox plans to air last night's episode on Tuesday in the "Glee" timeslot.

Lea Michele is coming to "The Glee Project"
The "Glee" star will guest on the season premiere as a mentor.

Watch the "Smash" pilot on YouTube
The NBC series is now available to watch on YouTube two weeks ahead of its premiere.

Rainn Wilson acknowledges that he looks like a young Newt Gingrich
"The Office" star has changed his Twitter profile pic to one of Gingrich from the '70s.

Claim: "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" stars aren't friends in real life
Bravo reportedly wants to bring in new cast members who are actually friends. PLUS: How Bev Hills "Housewives" overcame tragedy after Russell Armstrong's suicide.

Starz finds its Leonardo Da Vinci
British actor Tom Riley will star in "Da Vinci's Demons."

"The Finder" brings on Geoff Stults' brother
George Stults will play his brother's on-screen brother.

"True Blood" recasts Cousin Claude
Actor Giles Matthey will take over the role from Neil Hopkins, who played Claude in an episode last season.

[Permalink]

Jay Leno joke offends India's Sikh community
An online petition has been launched after "The Tonight Show" host showed the holiest Sikh shrine, the Golden Temple of Amritsar, as Mitt Romney's summer home.

Alec Baldwin: "30 Rock" may do a "piece of a season" next year
He tells "Access Hollywood": "I think we’re going to do some kind of season next year – they're not sure whether we're going to do a full season or maybe a piece of a season, (but) there’s going to be something next year, I believe."

Canada is getting its own "Bachelor"
"The Bachelor" franchise, which has featured Canadians like "Bachelor" Jesse Palmer and "Bachelorette" Jillian Harris, is launching a Canadian edition, which will debut this fall.

"Mad Men's" Season 5 premiere gets a title: "A Little Kiss"
Says Matthew Weiner: "I like the title to have some kind of synergy with the show so it will pique your interest."

Kevin Federline rushed to the hospital while competing on an Aussie reality show
Britney's ex reportedly suffered chest pains while competing on weight-loss show "Excess Baggage."

Kobe Bryant's wife wanted on "Basketball Wives"
Vanessa Bryant, who's divorcing Kobe, would reportedly receive an "extremely lucrative offer" to appear on the VH1 reality show.

MTV reuniting 2Gether
Will the parody band gets its own reunion special?

Ex-"Doctor Who" boss is working on "Aliens vs. Wizards"
The BBC Wales children's project is from Russell T. Davies.

[Permalink]