Wednesday, September 1, 2010

September 1, 2010

Bryan Cranston will host "SNL"
"Breaking Bad's" creator had always wondered why the three-time Emmy winner has never been asked to host "Saturday Night Live." Now, Cranston will get his chance on Oct. 2nd.


"Top Chef": All-Stars in NYC?
According to Eater NY, next season returns to New York with familiar faces like  Spike Mendelsohn, Angelo Sosa and Tiffany Derry.


"The Sandman" may become a TV series
Warner Bros. TV is hoping that "Supernatural" creator Eric Kripke will sign up to bring Neil Gaman's iconic comic book series to the small screen.


"Glee" traveling to NYC for Nationals
"Empire State of Mind" will be the theme as the "Gleeks" travel to the Big Apple in Season 2. PLUS: Was Britney Spears a "Glee" diva?


Syfy going to "Neverland" for a 4-hour Peter Pan prequel
The writer who reimagined "The Wizard of Oz" and "Alice in Wonderland" with "Tin Man" and "Alice" is tackling an original prequel of Peter Pan.


Conan's TBS set will have a theatrical theme — yes, he'll sit behind a desk
The president of the TV Academy, John Shaffner, is, after the Emmys, busy designing a set that he says willbe keeping with the theme of the "Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television" tour. Shaffner is particularly excited about Conan's guest chair, which will be firm and deep.


"Buffy's" Nicholas Brendon gets a "Private Practice" guest shot
Shonda Rhimes, a diehard "Buffy" fan, is giving Brendon some work amid his criminal problems.


George Takei bound for "Big Bang"
The former "Star Trek" star will cameo on the 4th episode of the season.


CBS and NBC want no part in AppleTV
Neither, apparently, does HBO or Showtime, as well as Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures. In fact, some producers fear that AppleTV will cut into TV DVD profits.


Lifetime's "Army Wives" spinoff is dead
Gabrielle Union was to play an Atlanta detective in the backdoor pilot, which was marred by a controversy over a producer's racial slur.

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September 1, 2010

Police kill Discovery Channel suspect, hostages safe
James Jay Lee, 43, was shot dead this afternoon and the three hostages he held are safe after a four-hour standoff at Discover headquarters. NBC News reports that at least one explosive device went off after they shot Lee, but it's unclear if he left any other explosive devices in the building.


Harvey Keitel for "The Office"?
He's exec producer Paul Leiberstein's dream replacement for Steve Carell, and the former "Life on Mars" star is "doing TV now."


"Memphis Beat" renewed
The TNT Jason Lee drama has averaged a solid 4.5 million viewers.

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September 1, 2010

Armed gunman storms Discovery Channel and takes at least one hostage
Developing situation: Silver Spring, Maryland police say the man has an issue with the Discovery Networks, and may have an explosive device strapped to his body. Here's a photo of the gunman from above. UPDATE: The alleged gunman is James Jay Lee, who has been protesting outside of Discovery headquarters for years and has been arrested before — read his website.


Steve Jobs unveils $99 AppleTV with 99-cent TV rentals
To start off with, you'll be able to rent any episode from ABC or Fox's lineup. In making the AppleTV announcement, Jobs demonstrated how he could easily rent a "Glee" episode.


AMC gives "The Walking Dead" a 2nd season, before its premiere
Producer/Director Frank Darabont reveals his plans for the 2nd season, and says filming will begin in February.


"No Ordinary Family" gets Cybill Shepherd to play Julie Benz's mom
Shepherd will appear in an episode this fall with a TV hubby, Bruce McGill.


Jimmy Fallon ticked off NBC didn't pay for Web rights to Emmy "Glee" opener
The Bruce Springsteen number is all over YouTube, but not NBC.com because the Peacock didn't pay for the online rights to Springsteen. "That could have been worth 500,000 hits on NBC.com," says Fallon, who had trouble linking to the video yesterday on his Twitter feed. "People are looking for it. We worked so hard on it and it's our own network, and it's a good commercial for our network. It's so simple, just pay for it."


Claim: Jon Gosselin tried to extort Kate
Jon's ex Hailey Glassman says he threatened to report Kate to child protective services unless she gave him $50,000 or $100,000. Jon, she says, tried to use their daughter Mady's injury to bolster his claim. PLUS: Jon is denying the accusation.


"Dancing" odds: Brandy to win, Carol Brady will be out first
Bodog has also pegged Jennifer Grey as 2nd favorite to win.


HBO renews "Hung" despite lower ratings
Ratings are down this season, but HBO has ordered a 2nd season anyway.


Fox orders Jamie Foxx sketch comedy for midseason
"The Jamie Foxx Project" will be a current version of "In Living Color."


"Glee" hooks up with American Express for charity
Starting tonight, "Glee" stars will appear in ads promoting the credit card company's Members Project social action initiative.

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WEDNESDAY ODDS & ENDS

September 1, 2010

Stephen Colbert fans want their own Glenn Beck-style rally

Thursday is 9/02/10, or "90210" Day

J.J. Abrams shopping a drama related to "Alcatraz"

"Mad Men": Behind the scenes with Rolling Stone // "Mad Men" books

Report Simon Cowell offers Katy Perry "X Factor" gig

[Click to read the rest of Odds & Ends]

September 1, 2010

"Dancing with the Stars" partners revealed
The Situation gets Katrina Smirnoff, Jennifer Grey gets Derek Hough and David Hasselhoff will be partnered with Kym Johnson.


Condoleezza Rice, Facebook's founder, Sylvester Stallone turned down "Dancing"
Joel McHale, Drew Carey, Suzanne Somers, Richard Branson and Tim Allen were also contacted by producers. PLUS: "Dancing" divas: Bristol Palin? Michael Bolton?


"Amazing Race" teams revealed
They include a pair of Jewelry Television hosts, Ivy League a cappella singers and a mother and daughter reunited 20 years after giving her up for adoption. (watch the video)


ABC and Fox sign up for 99-cent TV show rentals on iTunes
Apple will announce today that Disney and Fox are on board its TV rental plan. PLUS: Amazon's subscription service will deliver TV shows over the Web.


Shaq takes over "Jimmy Kimmel Live"
Watch his "Shaq Vs." monologue dissing of Kimmel from last night's show.


Coming to BET: A NASCAR reality show
"Changing Lanes" will pit 30 minority drivers against each other in an attempt to increase the diversity of NASCAR fans.


HBO selling "True Blood" figurines
But only for Sookie, Bill and Eric.


NBC taps "Battlestar's" Ronald D. Moore to make an "adult Harry Potter"
Moore's new drama series will be set in the world of magic.


Teresa Giudice: Give me a raise or I'll quit "Real Housewives"
The "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star wants her salary doubled, according to TMZ, and a slice of DVD and merchandise sales.


"Full House's" Jodie Sweetin gives birth to her 2nd daughter
Sweetin, now 28, and her boyfriend welcomed Beatrix Carlin on Tuesday. Beatrix joins 2-year-old Zole.

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September 1, 2010

"Conan" is the name of Conan's new TBS show
"Simple, pure, like the man himself," Conan O'Brien says in a YouTube video announcing the "Conan" name, which he had to get legal clearance to use because it's owned by the Conan the Barbarian franchise. Conan adds that "I wanted one word that captured my essence, and 'Oprah' was already taken."