Monday, August 3, 2009

"Criminal Minds" star Shemar Moore breaks his leg
The actor was on his bike when a car clipped him.

CW releases pic of Mischa Barton on "The Beautiful Life"
Presumably the photo was recently taken, after her hospital stay.

CBS denies Tiger Woods farted on camera
The network says somebody else passed gas, but wouldn't say whom. (Judge for yourself)

Leno will feature young comedians, expects to go desk-less at 10 o'clock
"The Jay Leno Show" will be unlike his old show, with more interactivity, a Green Car Challenge and more comedy bits with young comedians.

Craig Ferguson won't tweet, compares his show to "Pee-wee's Playhouse"
The "Late Late" host says of his "Why Everything Sucks" rant: "One of the luxuries of doing television every night is it's like you have an outlet to just broadcast your thoughts… That's why I never would Twitter. I've got an hour to fill every f–king night. What am I going to say (on Twitter)?" He also says: "I think my show's probably closer to 'Pee-Wee's Playhouse' than anything else I've seen, and that's an aspiration." PLUS: Ferguson's Shark Puppet may get the boot.

E! will mock reality TV with "Reality Hell"
"The Joe Schmo Show"-like series will send one unsuspecting person into a competition featuring actors and ridiculous challenges.

Nobody is watching "The T.O. Show"
Terrell Owens' VH1 reality debut was ranked No. 798 among cable shows for that week.

[Permalink]

"CSI" gives Laurence Fishburne a "father figure" makeover
He'll be more in the trenches next season — without the eyeglasses and suit. Now, he’s “much more settled in his role, he’s in more of a leadership capacity, he’s more versed in language of CSI, (and) he’s had a little bit of a wardrobe makeover," says CBS entertainment boss Nina Tassler. PLUS: Nick Stokes getting a promotion.

CBS boss pokes fun at NBC
Entertainment chief Nina Tassler says of the Conan vs. Letterman ratings: "Whatever numbers, whatever ratings they get, they're going to declare victory anyway, so it really doesn't matter."

Craig Ferguson is going HD, with a new show opener and theme song
"The Late Late Show" will debut a hi-def broadcast on Aug. 31, with Craig in several iconic L.A. locations.. PLUS: Craig's "Why Everything Sucks" becomes a newspaper column.

Netflix has begun streaming early "Lost," "Grey's" and "Desperate" seasons
ABC has struck a deal allowing for the instant watching of the first five "Lost" seasons, seasons four and five of "Desperate Housewives" and Season five of "Grey's Anatomy."

"Mister Rogers" gets an iPhone App
Daniel Striped Tiger will be featured in "the first social-emotional application for preschoolers on a mobile platform."

LL Cool J loves being the "unproven guy" on "NCIS: LA"
"It's really exciting for me to finally be doing something where I'm actually, like, new," he told critics. "I'm not like the elder statesman of hip-hop walking into the room. I'm actually like an unproven guy that's trying to make something happen for you guys, and that's a great dynamic for me. If you look at it for me as a human being, it gives me a chance to grow … This is not LL Cool J solo on the microphone, you know, ripping his tank top off. This is Sam Hanna, the former Navy SEAL." PLUS: Why did Linda Hunt join "NCIS: Los Angeles"?

Reality TV's reality: Booze, little sleep, lots of misery
It should come as no surprise that reality stars have to endure stress, exhaustion and emotional vulnerability before going in front of the cameras. As one professor put it, "That helps make them more amenable to the goals of the producers and more easily manipulated."

[Permalink]

Wrestler Kurt Angle may go "Dancing"
His agent says Angle is mulling an offer to join next season's "Dancing with the Stars."

Ryan O'Neal flirted with his "Rescue Me" daughter
The actor admits he didn't recognize Taum O'Neal at Farrah Fawcett's funeral.

"The Bachelor" creator: I draw the line at Octomom and "Jon & Kate"
Mike Fleiss also tells Forbes of reality TV's biggest challenge: "The challenge is that people will become desensitized to even the craziest characters and storylines–but so far it hasn't really played out that way."

"Masterpice" film will go from PBS to the big-screen
The political thriller "Endgame" is a "Masterpiece" first — it will be shown in theaters five days after its original broadcast on PBS.

PBS hopes the Obama administration increases funding
On the difference between the Bush and Obama administration, PBS' president, says: "The best way to answer that question is, coming out of the administration, we received full funding for public broadcasting for the first time in eight years."

Sugar Ray writes a song based on an O.C. "Real Houwives" star
Mark McGrath says of Vicki Gunvalson: "We wrote a song called 'She's Got The (Woo-Hoo!)' after her."

[Permalink]

Leno does "Top Gear" — says Secret Service banned some "Tonight" staffers
Jay Leno told Jeremy Clarkson on last night's show that "armies" arrived for President Obama's visit in March. And that the Secret Service told several "Tonight Show" staffers not to even bother coming to work. PLUS: Leno does Adam Carolla's CarCast.

"Top Gear" canceled?
Jeremy Clarkson fueled speculation that the show may be over, with the words he ended last night's show with — "This feels like an ending."

WGA upset over pre-taped Emmy awards
The WGA West president says the "time-shift" is a "clear violation" and a "serious demotion" of writers. PLUS: More than 100 TV writers protest Emmy changes.

Michael Hogan is the latest "Battle" star to appear on "Dollhouse"
The Canadian actor will appear in the 2nd episode.

"Hung" had trouble finding a funny, talented, beautiful actress over 40
“We auditioned a lot of people" for the role that went to Anne Heche, says "Hung" co-creator Colette Burson. “It is incredibly difficult to find beautiful, talented, funny women over 35.”

"Real Housewives" has its highest-ever premiere with Atlanta edition
Nearly four million watched last Thursday's Season 2 kickoff.

How will "Sesame Street" parody "Mad Men"?
"Sesame" producers say their "Mad" parody will be in a similar vein as "Desperate Houseplants." PLUS: 10 "Mad Men" and their Muppet counterparts.

[Permalink]

Will "Jon & Kate" fans be back for tonight's return?
Last time we saw the Gosselins, they were separating. Can the show survive with the parents divorcing?

"Sesame Street" promotes Abby Cadabby — as Elmo's rival?
The purple-and-pink pixie is getting her own daily nine-minute segment on "Sesame." PLUS: Check out 10 Muppets and their "Mad Men" counterparts.

Sacha Baron Cohen's next movie: Eurovision?
Will his "Bruno" follow-up involve the TV song contest?

People mag confirms that Screech was banned from the "Saved by the Bell" reunion
"Cast members were not comfortable with including him," a magazine spokesperson says, referring to the tell-all book Dustin Diamond is selling.

Chuck Lorre grateful for TV critics' "Big Bang" award, despite "Two and a Half" bashing
He seemed genuinely touched that the critics recognized his work, rather than deride it.

Katee Sackhoff hates wearing the same "24" clothes everyday
"I'm stuck in the CTU headquarters," the "Battlestar" alum said at the TV Critics' Awards. "And once you're in there, you can't get out for weeks and weeks. And you have to wear the same outfit every day … I want to get out there and mix it up. Give this girl a gun." PLUS: Critic saves Sackhoff from sitting by herself.

Joss Whedon: Fox told me to "do your thing" with "Dollhouse"
The network had previously suggested that "Dollhouse" do more standalone episodes, but that idea was quickly scrapped. "(Fox) saw that when we liked it (ongoing storylines), everybody liked it, so they liked it," he said. "So they stopped going, 'Let's try this, let's try that.' They said, 'You do your thing, it's not for everyone, but the people who love it, love it hard.'"
Whedon: "Epitaph One" poses a problem // Eliza Dushku reveals urinal past

[Permalink]

Fox confirms Kara DioGuardi's "Idol" return

Fox buys "That '70s Show" creator's next project: "The Rednecks & Romeos"

Claim: "The Bachelorette's" Ed is sending texts to his ex

Did Jennifer Aniston inspire Phoebe from "Friends"?

"Three Rivers" is shooting a new pilot // "Three Rivers" is making its stars healthy

[Click to read the rest of Odds & Ends]