A weblog of TV news and criticism
"Dancing" security will be on red alert tonight for Sarah Palin
"SNL's" musical guest will be Kanye West when Bryan Cranston hosts
Ryan Seacrest: Getting engaged to Julianne Hough?
Check out "Smallville's" Chloe in comic book form
David Alan Grier nabs "SVU" guest spot
CBS' "Hawaii Five-0" remake is a vacation for the brain
"'Hawaii Five-O' is nothing but entertainment. It's eye candy," says Tim Goodman. "Waves, sun, island culture, Park. A bad guy surfaces, McGarrett goes to work. Danno books him. End of story. Sometimes there are gunbattles. Fists fly. That's all there is, folks. It's not rocket science. True, watching the original is more fun. And more cheesy. But waves are waves. Hawaii is still pretty. And if you're looking for anything deeper than that, you've landed on the wrong island. "Lost" is over. Let your mind take a break."
Loud and overwrought, and not enough Hawaii // Finally, an Alex O'Loughlin hit?
Forget Alex O'Loughlin: Scott Caan is the true star of this show
"5-0" is "Lethal Weapon with a tropical twist, an '80s throwback // Then vs. Now
Fox's "Lone Star": Too good for network TV?
"I worry a bit about this promising Monday night drama that follows a handsome young Texas swindler as he tries to sustain his elaborate con," says Hank Stuever. "It's better than almost anything new this season– which isn't saying much; this season goes wanting for standouts. Yet I fret because "Lone Star" seems to be made by sane people who believe in the art of good television. In a parallel world, "Lone Star" could fit on HBO or Showtime, but here it is, duking it out with 'The Event' and 'Hawaii Five-0.' Sigh — it looks doomed."
Best pilot episode of the season // "Big Love" meets "Dallas" // Too many plot holes
Dallas portrays Houston and Midland, Texas // "Lone Star" is so unique for its genre
NBC's "The Event" is exciting to watch, but is it another sci-fi flash in the pan?
"It's entirely possible that 'The Event' will crash and burn like many a mythology show to come before it, but for this week at least, the show is filled with promise based on an exciting premiere (that's complicated enough but not overly complex," says Rob Owen. "That's a fine line to walk and 'The Event' deserves props for walking it as well as it does."
Be ready for "FlashForward"-type disappointment // Ably fills "Lost's" shoes
11 secrets of "The Event" // Lacks characters to care about
NBC's "Chase": A really bad cop show
"Is there anything more useless than a pedantic cop show?" says Robert Bianco. "If you're looking for a quick refresher course in what the U.S. Marshals do for a living, or just need to know how many fugitives they caught last year (more than 90,000), Chase could be the show for you. But if you're looking for actual TV entertainment? Heavens, no."
"Chase" isn't a bad show, it's just unremarkable // It spins a good yarn
"Chase" is like "Trauma" — an NBC placeholder // What's a USA show doing on NBC?
CBS' "Mike & Molly" is an old-school sitcom — not for the "30 Rock"-obsessed
"A comedy about life lived not in the low triple digits of the bathroom scale," says Ginia Bellafante, "this is network television of the old school: a half-hour of laugh track, bright lighting and a living room that could not be mistaken for one in Architectural Digest. 'Mike & Molly' is part love story, part self-help session, and it is not for everyone, meaning it is surely for no one who can quote whole chunks of dialogue from '30 Rock.'"
Don't pretend to care about these fatties // Half of pilot is brilliant, half is mediocre
Sweetly amusing // Fat jokes will go away after a few episodes
ABC reviving Pan Am for 60s-based series
The "Mad Men" era-set drama, from "The West Wing's" Thomas Schlamme, will revolve around the pilots and flight attendants who flew Pan Am, which ceased operations in 1991.
Ja Rule working on a hip-hop sitcom and a reality show
The rapper says: "We got a situation that we’re working with, where its Hip-Hop based and we are focusing on my new talent. Harry O, Montana, and Life."
Will CBS and ABC let Katie Couric do "Dancing with the Stars"?
"My secret fantasy, sadly, is to be on 'Dancing With the Stars,'" says the CBS News anchorwoman. PLUS: Why Rachael Ray turned down "Dancing."
Hayden Panettiere will play Amanda Knox in Lifetime movie
"The Amanda Knox Story" will chronicle the American college student who is serving a 26-year jail sentence in Italy for the murder of her roommate.
"Last Call With Carson Daly" is only about the music from now on
With his 10th season debut, Daly's late-night show will revolve entirely around music, from live performances to behind-the-scenes profiles.
USA taps Callie Thorne to play a football team's therapist
The "Rescue Me" star is set to top "Necessary Roughness."
Showtime buys Iraq War POW drama from "24" producer
"Homeland" centers on an MIA American soldier who emerges after 10 years claiming to have been a prisoner of war, though some fear he is really a terrorist.
"Friday Night Lights" alum Gaius Charles: Trading acting for the ministry?
The actor who played Smash Williams is studying for his masters degree in divinity.
Peter Coyote joins "Law & Order: LA"
He'll play the district attorney.
"Dancing with the Stars" spoilers revealed: Will Bristol Palin wear a skimpy dress?
And what song is David Hasselhoff dancing to?
Watch Letterman's Twitter "Conversation" at Ball State University
Dave returned to his alma mater Friday night to interview Twitter co-founder Biz Stone (watch Dave's speech talking about his son.). PLUS: Letterman's Top 10 list turns 25 years old.
Meet the newest NYC "Real Housewife"
Her name is Cindy Barshop, says Us Weekly, and she's a single mom who owns a chain of day spas.
FX's "Lights Out" boxing drama: Watch the trailer
"Lights Out" debuts in January, focusing on a retired boxer with dementia who tries to make a comeback in the ring.
It's official: "Community" will do a stop-motion animated episode for Xmas
"It's going to be like a timeless Christmas classic in the stop-motion medium that used to give us so much happiness as children," says "Community" creator Dan Harmon.
"Shark Tank" recruits Mark Cuban
The Dallas Mavericks owner will appear in three episodes as a guest venture capitalist.
"Raising Sextuplets" dad arrested
Brian Basche, the 32-year-old WE reality star, was charged last week with resisting arrest, disoderly conduct and threatening domestic violence.
Ricki Lake's home burns down
Nobody was injured when her Malibu beach rental burned down Saturday.
Christine O'Donnell has a "Politically Incorrect" past
The Tea Party candidate from Delaware appeared on Bill Maher's show multiple times, once to talk about dabbling in witchcraft.
Andy Whitfield's cancer recurs — he won't return for "Spartacus" Season 2
The actor, who was given a clearn bill of health to return to work, will now have to resume his battle with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. "It's with a deep sense of disappointment that I must step aside from such an exceptional project as Spartacus and all the wonderful people involved," Whitfield said in a statement.
"As the World Turn's" globes stops spinning after 54 years
This afternoon's final scene closely paralleled the soap's very first scene with a goodbye and goodnight. PLUS: Remembering "ATWT's" secret affairs, its celebrity past and its major milestones.
ABC lands James Cameron's "True Lies" remake
But can a super-spy drama work in wake of "My Own Worst Enemy" and the upcoming "Undercovers"?
Watch the Simpsonized "Glee" in action
Do the "Gleeks" look like their yellow counterparts?
Expect Sarah Palin in Monday's "Dancing" audience
According to TMZ, secrurity is being beefed up for the former VP candidate's arrival. TMZ also reveals that Bristol will dance to a special "Mama" song.
Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert's rallies are expecting 25,000, permit application reveals
Comedy Central submitted a permit application on Sept. 8 for the "Rally to Restore Sanity" and "Keep Fear Alive" rallies. A permit hasn't been issued, but a National Park Service spokesman says, "we do not see any hugely outstanding issues that would prevent or bar the signing of a permit."
"Fantasia for Real" returns, with her suicide scare
Watch a preview of Season 2, which stars Sunday on VH1.
"Big Bang" to shut down production as Kaley Cuoco is expected to miss a few episodes
"The Big Bang Theory" will go on hiatus for at least one week so that producers can try to explain why Cuoco's Penny isn't appearing on screen.
Will Don Pardo retire from "SNL" yet again?
The 92-year-old announcer was poised to announce next season's shows from Arizona, but now there's talk that he may be done with "Saturday Night Live" after 35 years with the show. Pardo, of course, retired last year and in 2004, so nothing is certain. PLUS: Emma Stone to host "SNL" on Oct. 23.
BBC greenlights Ricky Gervais' "Life's Too Short"
The comedy starring little person Warwick Davis combines "Extras" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and is the "third in our trilogy," says Gervais.
Margaret Cho talks about returning to ABC 16 years after "All American Girl"
Cho was the star of ABC's "All American Girl" from 1994 to 95, a harrowing experience in which Cho says she was asked by the network to lose weight and to act more Asian. Nowadays, Cho says things are different: "I was a really young person then and now, you know, now I’m more experienced and now I’m doing something different — I’m dancing, which is new also for me.”
"The Apprentice" tanks as "Big Bang" rerun marathon tops Thursday
Good news for Jay Leno: "The Tonight Show" has its best numbers since early April
An homage to Lady Gaga: Kate Walsh wears sushi dress
JWoww for Playboy?: "Jersey Shore" star is set to take it all off
Where's the outrage over Bill Maher's N-word on Larry King?
"Boardwalk Empire" restores HBO to the top of the TV heap
Martin Scorsese's "Boardwalk" harkens back to HBO's glory days, says Robert Bianco. "Extravagantly produced, shockingly violent and as cold and hard as ice, 'Boardwalk Empire' brings us back to the world's former playground at the start of Prohibition — and brings HBO back to the forefront of the TV-series race. There's a growing host of homes for great series, but it's hard to imagine anyone but HBO lavishing so much money and attention on a potentially tough-sell period piece, or filling it with such an inspired array of top-level talent."
Buscemi is mesmerizing in impressive but hard-to-warm-up-to "Empire"
Too many callbacks to "The Sopranos": From casting to plot lines to certain shots
"Deadwood"-esque: "Like a good whiskey, rough and smooth in all the right ways"
"Not great," but "Board Empire" is "good" // Steve Buscemi: Miscast?
HBO is a "little nervous" after spending many millions of "Boardwalk"
Exec producer Terrence Winter on working with Scorsese: "Obviously brilliant"
"Boardwalk" spoofed // Meet characters // A.C. anticipates a "Boardwalk" bump
Claim: Letterman had no idea Joaquin Phoenix was faking it
Casey Affleck, who's admitting his new documentary on Phoenix was actually a "terrific performance," says David Letterman wasn't in on the joke when Phoenix seemed to implode on "The Late Show" in Feb. 2009. But Letterman writer Bill Scheft says Dave knew it was performance art. "Dave knew about it and Dave loved it because he could play along," he says.
Paparazzo accuses Adam Lambert of misdemeanor battery
The "Idol" runner-up was photographed (in disguise) wrestling with a member of the paparazzi yesterday on a Miami Beach. That photographer later filed a police report with the Miami police. Lambert yesterday wrote on his Twitter feed, "I lost my temper for a sec but wow it felt great lol."
Oprah will pay the taxes for her audience's Australian getaway
A certified public accountant was on hand for Monday's show to tell the 300 audience members that their taxes will be covered — unlike in 2004, when Oprah's audience had to pay $7,000 in taxes on their brand-new cars.
Jon Hamm: I'm hosting "SNL" on Halloween's eve
Hamm will host for the 2nd time this year and the 3rd time overall, he told Jimmy Fallon.
"Judge Judy" was the No. 1 daytime show, knocking off Oprah
For the first time since the 2000-01 season, Oprah wasn't No. 1 in daytime.
Only 21 survive the "Lost"-watching marathon in London
Just 21 out of 121 were left this morning after viewing 121 episodes back-to-back since Monday.
"Psych" nabs Mena Suvari
She'll be joined in the same episode by Ally Sheedy, who's reprising her role as "Mr. Yang."
"America's Got Talent" winner Michael Grimm pops the question on Ellen
"She's been there for me," he said. "Once you find that good woman you hang on to her."
CBS wins pilot from J.J. Abrams and Christopher Nolan's brother
"Persons of Interest" would, if made, become Abrams' first CBS series. He's already had shows on the WB, Fox, ABC and NBC.
Report: "The X Factor" hiring Nicole Scherzinger & Derek Hough's girlfriend
It'll be a "Dancing with the Stars" reunion of sorts, with Simon Cowell set to tap the Pussycat Doll — who guest-judged the UK "X Factor" this summer — and Cheryl Cole, the girlfriend of Scherzinger's former "Dancing" partner, Derek Hough, for the American "X Factor" judging panel, according to Page Six. In fact, Scherzinger not only guest-judged "The X Factor" but was called back to fill in for Cole when the British singer came down with malaria.
Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert announce dueling Washington D.C. rallies
On Oct. 30, Stewart will hold a "Rally to Restore Sanity" against extremism. Meanwhile, Colbert announced he will helm a "March to Keep Fear Alive" on the same day.
Bob Barker OK after collapsing at a gun range
A rep for the former "Price is Right" host says he was dehydrated when he passed out today. Barker was taken to the hospital via ambulance, but he's resting at home now.
Jennifer Love Hewitt ready for a TV comeback on Fox
The former "Ghost Whisperer" is set to star in a comedy being described as a "female Big Bang Theory."
"Glee" and "24" honchos team up for a supernatural Fox drama
Ryan Murphy and "24's" Howard Gordon are working on a project in the vein of "The X-Files," centering on a psychiatrist.
"Memphis Beat's" gets a 10-episode Season 2
TNT made its pickup official today.
"Grey's Anatomy" adds a warning after a doctor is shot at Johns Hopkins
Tonight's rerun of the two-hour season finale closely parellels today's incident at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, in which a manb shot the doctor who was treating his mom. The gunman later killed his mom and himself.
Nancy Travis coming to "Desperate Housewives"
She'll play Brian Austin Green's mom (and wife of John Schneider) in a multi-episode arc.
Judd Nelson visiting "Two and a Half Men"
He'll guest as Courtney Thorne-Smith's ex-husband.
Black Eyed Peas: Super Bowl halftime performers?
The NFL won't confirm or deny, but usually reliable Sports By Brooks hears that the Black Eyed Peas will perform at next year's Super Bowl at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.
"Law & Order UK" coming to America
BBC America will begin airing the British "Law & Order," currently in its 2nd season, startin on Oct. 3.
Fox could make an "Idol" announcement before the weekend
An official comfirmation of Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler's hiring is expected by next Wednesday. UPDATE: Fox says Ryan Seacrest will make the announcement on Wednesday.
"The Good Wife" adds Elizabeth Reaser and Lili Taylor
Reaser and Taylor will recur as, respectively a new love interest for Josh Charles and a possible romantic foil for Archie Panjabi.
"Law & Order: LA" hires a new lieutenant: Rachel Ticotin
The former "Skin" and (guest) "Lost" actress will replace Wanda De Jesus as Skeet Ulrich's boss.
Fox plans to drop 5,000 wallets around the country to promote "Lone Star"
Ten cities will be the recipients of the "lost" wallets, which will contain fake IDs with real phone numbers to a "Lone" star character.
Darren Star bringing "Good Christian Bitches" to ABC
The man behind "90210," "Melrose Place" and "Sex and the City" is working on a show based on a novel that has been described as "Desperate Housewives" in Dallas.
Oprah tells Australian TV: I may stay with an Aussie
Meanwhile, one Australian tourism official is unhappy with using taxpayer dollars on her trip.
Why is the cancelation of your fave TV show so depressing?
"A TV series," explains Julia Keller, "possesses a uniquely insidious power," with its characters getting under your skin. "There's no genre quite like episodic television," she says. "And no connection quite like the link between us and a show we've loved and lost. That's because a TV series creates an ongoing and hauntingly plausible fictional world. It entices us to make a major emotional investment, it gradually and inexorably draws us in deeper and deeper, episode after episode — and then it turns around and dumps us, swiftly and coldly, with no right of appeal."
Victor Garber bound for "Stargate Universe"
So are French Stewart and Kathleen Quinlan.
Watch Conan's 1st TBS photoshoot
Check him out with and without the owl. PLUS: KNBC and NBC News to take over Conan's "Tonight Show" studio and Ellen gives Conan another present, a jacuzzi.
"The Middle" gets a visit from Norm MacDonald
The former "SNL" funnyman will play Mike's brother.
NBC boss: "I think we've probably exhausted 80% of reality"
Future reality TV hits, says Jeff Gaspin, are "going to be fewer and further between."
The Salahis overhear Tim Gunn blast them as "sociopaths"
The D.C. "Real Housewives" couple were listening in when Gunn appeared this morning on "Access Hollywood Live." He said: "I don’t mind if the Salahis hear this – I believe that they are sociopaths…They believe their own lies."
"Survivor" is on the verge of becoming "The Jimmy Johnson Show"
The old vs. young gimmick seemed to be overshadowed by the Super Bowl-winning Johnson, "Survivor's" first bona fide celebrity. "While the episode may not have confirmed my worst fears—that it would simply become the Jimmy Johnson show—it came close enough," says James Poniewozik, "with talk after talk about what it was like to be playing Jimmy Johnson, what it was like to be Jimmy Johnson, &c. Now, I'm not a football fan, so it may be that for someone more steeped in the sport, there's a 'Wow, that's actually Jimmy Johnson on Survivor' aspect that makes it irresistible; if so, please let me know."
Johnson, a favorite? // Team Metamucil vs. Team Ambercrombie
Jeff Probst: Only old guys are threatened by Jimmy // Music a throwback to Season 1
"It's Always Sunny" is as brilliantly twisted as ever in Season 6
With tonight's season premiere, "Mac Fights Gay Marriage," "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" has "matured into a subversive, ridiculously over-the-top show that manages to keep its brain active while tweaking social and political correctness. That's no mean feat for a comedy," says Tim Goodman. He notes that the FX comedy "has always taken on hot-button issues and completely redraws the lines of acceptable behavior each season."
Danny DeVito is Gandhi II // DeVito: "Sunny" has added years to my life
Rob McElhenney hopes becoming a dad won't change his creative voice
Not so fast!: Recession-era "Apprentice" isn't feel-good at all
NBC has been trumpeting the return to the old "Apprentice" as a feel-good series to help the unemployed, yet Trump is his same old uncompassionate self. "If you think about it for more than a second," says Kevin McDonough, "even the feel-good recession-era spin of this "Apprentice" doesn't pass the smell test. After all, Trump has assembled 16 unemployed people, and he will have to say 'You're Fired' to 15 of them before the season's out. How can you be fired when you don't even have a job? Donald Trump has found a way." PLUS: No more product placement?
Trump: Lindsay Lohan wanted to do "Celebrity Apprentice"
Why is Ricky Gervais so skinny these days?
Democratic ad slams Sean Duffy's "Real World" lifestyle
"Survivor's" ratings rise 8%, "Outlaw" has a decent debut
New "Jeopardy!" record-holder is a "monster," says Ken Jennings
Susan Boyle finally sings for the Pope
Jon Stewart will visit "The O'Reilly Factor" next week
Seven months after his last visit, Stewart will return to debate O'Reilly as he promotes his new book "Earth (The Book)."
Brides-to-be will battle it out for plastic surgery on E!'s "Bridalplasty"
The winner will get a chance to become the "perfect bride."
Elle magazine denies lightening Gabourey Sidibe's skin
"The Big C's" skin appears to be much lighter on this week's cover.
Playboy TV gets "Big Brother" and "Real World" alums naked for new reality show
Michele Noonan from "Big Brother 11" and Dunbar from "Real World: Sydney" will join Pumkin from "Flavor of Love" and Heat from "I Love New York" in "Foursome," which has the reality stars doing "nasty, naked things with each other."
Spencer & Heidi back together?
They were photographed yesterday kissing as Heidi wore her wedding ring.
Check out a batch of "Grey's Anatomy" wedding pics
Including nearly the entire cast.
Lou Diamond Phillips joins Sherry Stringfield & Jamie-Lynn Sigler's Lifetime cop drama
PLUS: Patty Duke will star in Lifetime's movie based on a Garth Brooks song.
Bristol expects mom Sarah Palin to be in the "Dancing" studio
The younger Palin considers her mom her No. 1 cheerleader.
Salahis: Dumped from "Real Housewives of DC"?
The White House gatecrashers are reportedly out for dragging down the ratings of the newest in the Bravo franchise.
Fox nabs J.J. Abrams' "Alcatraz"
All we know about Abrams' new series is that it's "A show about mysteries, secrets and the most infamous prison of all time: Alcatraz."
"House" casts Candice Bergen as Cuddy's mom
The former "Murphy Brown" will kick off her multi-episode arc in November.
"Deadliest Warrior" : The Movie
Paramount Pictures is giving the 2-year-old Spike TV series the big-screen treatment.
"The Martha Stewart Show" is getting low ratings on Hallmark Channel
Ratings for her cable premiere Monday were so low they were down 50% from "The Golden Girls" numbers in the same slot a year ago.
"Idol" auditions launch on MySpace
Will "American Idol" be able to find the next Justin Bieber?
Piers Morgan inks $4M deal to stay on British TV
He'll no longer appear on "Britain's Got Talent" due to his CNN contract, but his new deal with ITV will allow him to do 12 editions of his show "Life Stories" at about $333,333 an episode.
Danielle Staub: WealthTV star
The ex-"Real Housewives of New Jersey" star will host "Social," which will follow her as she interviews the wealthy at their lavish gatherings.
Jamie Oliver welcomes his first son
The Naked Chef, already the dad to three girls, welcomed Buddy on Wednesday.
"The Prince of Tides" is becoming an ABC drama
The project from "Arrested Development's" Mitch Hurwitz promises to be more faithful to the novel than the 1991 film starring Barbra Streisand and Nick Nolte.
Lifetime taps Lucy Liu for "Marry Me" miniseries
Bobby Cannavale, Steven Pasquale, Annie Potts and Enrique Murciano will also star in the four-hour miniseries coming in December.
"Hogan's Court": Hulk Hogan to host his own kids' game show
The former wrestler will preside over everyday sibling disputes.
Report: "Big Bang Theory" stars are poised to earn $200K to $350K an episode
That's up from the $60,000 an episode that Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco and Jim Parsons were making last season. They'll also make .25% of the series back-end, according to Deadline Hollywood, which reports that their paycheck will rise to $200,000/episode next season, $250,000 for Season 5, $300,000 for Season 6 and $350,000 an episode in Season 7.
Bill Clinton will make his 7th visit to Letterman
The former president will appear on Monday, almost a year after his last appearance. In fact, this will be Clinton's 4th September in a row that he's visited with Dave.
"Big Brother" — CBS' "summer hero" — renewed for Season 13
After a 5% jump in ratings from last season, CBS had no choice but to renew its long-running reality sow. "Big Brother is our summer hero," says CBS' chief of alternative programming.
John Larroquette joining "CSI:NY"
He'll appear in a multi-episode arc as a chief of NYC detectives.
In defense of Jennifer Lopez on "Idol"
What she has to offer, unlike previous judges, is her background in establishing her own brand package, which many "Idol" alumni seem to have lacked.
Jeff Probst: "Survivor: Nicaragua" was designed with older underdogs in mind
The "Survivor" host says that this season will be less physical with new inventive ideas, including the Medallian of Power, which a tribe can use during immunity challenges. "Finding the old tribe is what kick-started this idea because we don't often get this many good older people," says Probst. "We actually have a tribe that's strong enough that they can compete and colorful enough that the audience will root for them."
Probst: No plans to leave "Survivor" — especially with our glitzy accomadations
Ex-Nicaraguan political prisoner slams "Survivor" for picking Nicaragua
CBS: Nicaragua is a changed country // What do NFL-ers think of Jimmy Johnson?
"House" books Amy Irving and Jennifer Grey
They'll be joined by Matthew Lillard as guests next season.
Tim Curry turns down "Glee's" tribute to "Rocky Horror"
"He will not be doing it," a spokesperson for the former "Dr. Frank-N-Furter" says. PLUS: Watch a "House" preview of season premiere.
TLC renews 5 shows
Including "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant," "Toddlers and Tiara," "Say Yes to Dress: Atlanta" and "Strage Sex."
Ellen gives a giant sort of "Conan"-looking statue to Conan O'Brien
Check out the gift she gave to her new Warner Bros. lot neighbor.
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