Monday, January 11, 2010

NBC believes it didn't breach Conan's contract — could he be kept off air?
The NY Times is reporting that there will unlikely be a prolonged contract dispute if Conan decides to leave for Fox, but they won't want to pay the $45 million penalty and they could try keeping him from starting a Fox show for a year. The Times reports: "The contract, NBC is arguing, guaranteed Mr. O’Brien would be installed as host of “The Tonight Show” — and unlike many other deals for late-night stars, Mr. O’Brien’s contract contains no specific language about the time period the show would occupy, NBC executives said."

Watch Conan blast NBC: Porn, he says, is classier than the Peacock
He also listed his options (watch the video), among them: "Convince NBC to let me keep this time slot if I can gain 10 pounds of chin." Conan also said, "Everybody now wants to know what my plans are," he said. "All I can say is, I plan to keep putting on a great show night after night while stealing as many office supplies as humanly possible. I'm gonna rob this place blind."

Jay Leno reacts to 10 o'clock cancelation, takes potshots at NBC
"NBC said the show performed exactly as they expected it would and then canceled us. Don't confuse this when we were on at late night and performed better than expected and they canceled us. That was totally different," Jay quipped. Leno also said, "I leave NBC prime time the same way I found it — a complete disaster."

Simon Cowell: My "X Factor" deal wasn't going to happen on Sunday night
He tells his "Extra" ex-girlfriend that the contract was literally a last-minute deal.

Study: Watching TV could shorten your life
A study in the "Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association" journal found that every hour in front of the TV was associated with an 11 percent increased risk of death from all causes, a 9 percent higher risk of cancer death, and an 18 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) related death.

Maura Tierney headed to the stage
The former "Parenthood" star is well enough to appear in the play "North Atlantic."

TV Land sitcom unites Betty White, Valerie Bertinelli and Jane Leeves
Wendie Malick will also star in "Hot in Cleveland," which revolves around three 40-something friends who are stuck in Cleveland and end up staying there when the locals realize they are glamorous.

Jon Gosselin plans to file criminal complaint against ex-girlfriend
Hailey Glassman allegedly trashed his apartment over the holidays.

Kiefer Sutherland absolutely would return for another "24" season
"This is one of the greatest gifts of my life," he says, "the ability to do 24. So for me, yes. It is something that is absolutely open. I have always said that as long as people wanted us to make it, people wanted to watch it. I would be interested." PLUS: Kiefer says Jack Bauer last smiled in Season 3.

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Letterman jokes about the Leno/Conan fiasco
"Well, ladies and gentlemen, once again, I did not get 'The Tonight Show,'" Dave said during Monday's monologue, according to a CBS transcript. “That’s not all, listen to this:  today, NBC announced that they are bringing back Johnny Carson and they’re putting him on at 10 p.m." Letterman added that "the problem is my mother is now all confused."

Check out "The Simpsons'" Seth MacFarlane joke that never aired
Last night's parting shot at MacFarlane was shown in "The Simpsons" episode given to the media.

Fox: We've talked to Conan's people, but…
"He needs to make a decision" before we can engage in serious talks, Fox entertainment chief Kevin Reilly told TV critics. "I love Conan personally and professionally," he said. "We've talked to his people. We've had some informal conversations…mostly to commiserate. Until he makes a decision, we can't do anything."

Report: Simon has talked to Paula Abdul about becoming an "X Factor" judge
They talked just late last week, according to TMZ.

"Bachelor" bootee: "I absolutely feel betrayed by the show"
Rozlyn Papa says "absolutely not," she did not have sex with a producer on "The Bachelor. "No. … I made good decisions. I did not choose to have sex with someone else," she says. "I absolutely feel betrayed by the show. … They want the ratings, and that's what they're getting." PLUS: Jake says he had "feelings" for Rozyln.

Richard Hatch had a "Survivor" chat with Russell, whom he says "went too far"
"I don't think he played as well as I played," says Hatch, "and I think the reason is because he lost some of the subtlety of the game and I explained that to him. I think he lost sight (of) how he himself, while playing well, impacted jurors, his peers who then have to decide how he lives or dies at the end. And that’s a crucial part of the game.” PLUS: Hatch, TV star?: "I have projects in the works right now on TV," he says.

Fox will determine "24's" fate later this spring
"We collectively said, 'let’s let (Season 8 be) launched, get into Spring and sit down and talk about it,'" says Fox's Kevin Reilly.

"Brothers and Sisters" flashing back to the '70s and '80s
A special two-part episode will look at the Walker clan in 1973 and 1986.

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Simon Cowell confirms he's leaving "Idol" after this season for "The X Factor"
This will be Simon's final season on "American Idol," the "Idol" star just announced. As widely reported, Simon will be moving on to his own show, "The X Factor" on Fox, starting in fall 2011. He'll serve as executive producer and judge. "There's been a lot of speculation, partly because we didn't have an agreement," said Simon. "We reached an agreement formally at about half past 11 this morning," Simon said it was impossible to juggle both shows. "I've had the best eight or nine years doing this job. It's been fantastic," added Cowell, who signed the contract for his new show before TV critics. PLUS: Will Paula Abdul join Simon on "X Factor"? Says Simon: "Whatever happens, I will be working with her in some capacity, because I like her."

Calling all David Caruso impersonators! CBS wants you
CBS is launching a Horatio Caine impersonation contest.

"Breaking Bad" returns March 21 with a Bryan Cranston-directed episode
The 3rd season kicks off with "No Mas."

Lady Gaga, meet Oprah
The two will meet for the first time on Friday's show.

"Harry Loves Lisa": Harry Hamlin & Lisa Rinna get a TV Land reality show
The show will follow the couple sa they live the "hectic Hollywood lifestyle."

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Why Simon Cowell is about to quit "Idol"
With "The X Factor," as Richard Rushfield points out, "Cowell’s role will morph from in-house Idol diva to that of competitor trying to kill his old show." Simon, in effect, is walking away from "Idol" and challenging his biggest rival, Simon Fuller. "For years now," says Rushfield, "even as the show has continued to dominate the television landscape, life on the set was constantly tested by the love/hate battle that raged between American Idol’s creator (Simon Fuller) and its iconic star (Cowell)–a symbiotic relationship with stakes so high, few dared to imagine its end."

Fox orders "Glee's" 2nd season — search is on for 3 new cast members
"Glee" will hold a nationwide casting search to find "new fresh exciting voices" that will be filmed as part of a "Glee" special. PLUS: Olivia Newton-John coming to "Glee."

TV drama writers should stop feeding "revelation addicts"
"American television writing now needs its own equivalent of the slow-food movement, an antidote to all the OMG! pills we've swallowed each time someone turns up dead or divulges some sordid secret," Hank Stuever writes of all the revelations in this season's first two episodes of "Big Love." "What exactly is the rush? (Fear of boredom? Which leads to cancellation?)"

Taylor Kitsch leaving "Friday Night Lights"
This season will be Tim Riggins' last on the show.

"Bones" to flash back for Episode 100 with director David Boreanaz
Plus, there's going to be a "Bones" wedding.

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Conan on Fox: A demotion from NBC?
"It’s a consolation prize," says Adam Buckman, "and a weak one (at) that since Fox has no history in late-night except for its failures with Joan Rivers and Chevy Chase back in the ancient ’80s and ’90s. And there’s no guarantee the Fox affiliates even want a late-night show. Moreover, even in fourth place, NBC is the classier of the two networks."
11 o'clock Conan could be an even bigger disaster than 10 o'clock Leno
Chevy Chase defends Conan // Patton Oswalt reacts
NBC should get rid of Conan: "He's fine for the fringes of cable"

NBC was patient with Jerry Seinfeld, so why isn't Seinfeld patient with Conan?
After criticizing Conan O'Brien for not getting big ratings, Seinfeld was reminded that "Seinfeld" also struggled in its first years on the air.

Fox edits out "Simpsons" joke targeting Seth MacFarlane
Last night's episode was supposed to end with the message: "Thanks for 20 wonderful years. Now stay tuned for three Seth MacFarlane shows."

"Parks and Rec's" mantra: "More Knope, less dope"
Co-creator Greg Daniels says of tweaking Leslie Knope: "I think what it is is we started off thinking she would be responsible for all the predicaments she got into and later we realized it was just as funny and just as irritating for her to unfairly be put into predicaments."

"Big Bang" initially wanted Johnny Galecki to play Sheldon
But Galecki says he didn't "get" Sheldon until he saw Jim Parsons play the character. In fact, Galecki doesn't mind being the straight man. "There's a very specific responsibility in it," he says. "It's like in hockey — you get a lot of credit for assists."

"Parenthood": Funnier with Lauren Graham?
The departure of Maura Tierney — who's doing fine, by the way — and the addition of Graham gave the show a chance to re-do the pilot. "I do think the newer version of the show does play lighter," says exec producer Jason Katims. "It was a rare opportunity to go back."

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"Got Talent" staffer says of The Hoff's ouster: "Good riddance"!
David Hasselhoff is said to be "deeply upset" with his ouster from the show. Says an anonymous show producer: Even when he was sober, he was usually hung over and often in a really foul mood. He was horrible to deal with, and we're all saying 'Good riddance!'"

Kristin Cavalleri admits: I'm jealous of "Jersey Shore"
"I'm not going to lie, I'm kind of jealous," "The Hills" star says of the show which has nearly double her show's ratings.

What's it like to be typecast with a TV character?
Gavin MacLeod, Barbara Eden, Dawn Wells and others talk about the TV roles that have followed them forever.

Alyssa Milano landed "Castle" role because she was on Nathan Filllion's "list"
"I didn't know this at the time," she says of tonight's guest role, "but Nathan, bless his heart, has a list of different actors he wants to guest star on the show and I was on that list." PLUS: Go behind the scenes of Milano on "Castle."

"24" used Canada to portray New York City
Exec producer Howard Gordon says some scenes were shot in NYC, but most of next season is filmed in Canada. "It was," he says, "a little bit frustrating — we explored relocating to New York, but for financial reasons, and because our whole crew is based in Canada, it was not feasible."

ABC boss feels vindicated by the success of Wednesday comedies
"The fall creatively for us was wonderful," says entertainment president Steve MacPherson. "It's really rewarding to be able to put on shows that were universally appealing and that people really embraced."

"HIMYM" at 100: Has the name become a hindrance?
"How I Met Your Mother" has been one of the best sitcoms of recent years, yet its search for the mother has become an annoying distraction.
What's Jason Segal's fave episode? // And Alyson Hannigan?

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Watch the first 3 minutes of "Futurama's" return — in black and white

"Chuck" returns with big ratings

CW is optimistic about a "Smallville" Season 10

Bank sues Shannen Doherty for $85,000

TV Guide Net adds 3-D twist to Globes with the "Hologram Glam Cam"

[Click to read the rest of Odds & Ends]

Report: Conan ready to leave NBC — he's already spoken to Fox
The Wall Street Journal, a Fox corporate sibling, reports that the network has "had early talks with Mr. O'Brien, according to people familiar with the matter." Meanwhile, the New York Post, another Fox corporate sibling, says that Conan is "ready to fly the coop." "This level of sh- – -iness was not expected," a source tells the paper. "He's done a great job for NBC. He moved his entire staff, he moved his family to LA. And five months later, they repay him like this?" PLUS: Jimmy Fallon doesn't care where he ends up, as long as he has a late-night show.

Jay Leno: "I really don't know what's going on"
Confronted by a TMZ camera last night, Leno ducked all questions about the NBC shakeup.

Simon leaving "Idol"?: Fox is set to pick up "The X Factor" for fall 2011
This season could be Simon's last on "American Idol," according to the L.A. Times, which reports: "The network and the British television personality, famous on both sides of the Atlantic, have been furiously negotiating for days, and an agreement on the new program, in which Cowell would again be a judge, could be announced as early as this week."

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