October 2010

"Deadliest Catch" trio patch things up with Discovery, will return to the show
Captains Sig Hansen, Johnathan Hillstrand and Andy Hillstrand say through a rep: "We're happy we worked everything out with Discovery. A deal's a deal. We're heading up to Dutch Harbor to start filming the new season of 'Deadliest Catch' and hopefully it will be the best one yet."

ABC orders 20 more "Melissa & Joey" episodes
That brings their first season total to a whopping 30 episodes.

ABC orders "Suburgatory"
What happens when a teenager girl moves to her version of hell — the suburbs? PLUS: ABC Family orders "What Would Jane Do," about a teenage design assistant.

PBS loses its L.A. affiliate
KCET has decided to go independent.

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"CSI" suffers its worst ratings ever
Meanwhile, "The Big Bang Theory" continued to dominate its Thursday slot while "$#*! My Dad Says" continues to bleed viewers. PLUS: When is NBC going to put "The Apprentice" out of its misery?

"Whale Wars" star accused of sinking his own boat to generate publicity
Pete Bethune, the captain of the Ady Gil — the boat sunk after colliding with a Japanese whaling boat — is now saying he was ordered to sink the boat.

"Law & Order: CI" bringing back Kathryn Erbe
She'll reunite with Vincent D'Onofrio for the 10th and final season.

Why can't Jimmy Smits land the right starring TV roles?
From "Cane" to "Outlaw," Smits hasn't been able to catch a break as the star of his own show.

"Big Bang" forces George Takei & Katee Sackhoff to wear their sci-fi costumes
Check them out in their iconic uniforms. PLUS: Too much Sheldon this season!

Did "30 Rock" and "The Office" lobby for "Law & Order's" comeback?
It sure seemed that way after "L&O" was name-dropped last night on both shows.

Watch the Salahis as they begin their White House gate-crashing
Last night's "Real Housewives of D.C." finale showed the beginning of their gate-crashing. PLUS: What we learned from "Real Housewives of D.C."

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Jane Lynch: Hosting "SNL" is a "preposterous fantasy"

Listen to "Glee's" cover of Ike and Tina Turner's "River Deep/Mountain High"

Tina Fey has man hands for the cover of her book, "Bossypants"

Little people serenade Simon Cowell for his 51st birthday

Ellen creates a show for her mom: "$#*! Mama Says"

[Click to read the rest of Odds & Ends]

Rick Sanchez: "Rick Sanchez screwed up"
The fired CNN anchor made his first TV appearance this morning on "GMA," and called Jon Stewart the "classiest guy in the world."

"Two and Half Men's"  teen star is set to earn $7.8M in the next 2 years
Angus T. Jones, age 17, has signed a contract that could make him as much as $14.4 million over the next four years — $300,000 an episode plus a $500,000 signing bonus.

Dr. Oz's wife wants her own talk show
Lisa Oz is shooting a pilot in which the author of "US: Transforming Ourselves and the Relationships That Matter Most" helps solve relationship problems.

"Survivor's" Jimmy T: "I played the game in a genuine, sincere way"
He also says of Jimmy Johnson: "I knew he was phony."

"Glee's" Mike O'Malley: I'm not playing a ghost
"There's been some conversation about whether or not at the end of (this week's) episode, I did indeed move my finger," says O'Malley. "I did move my finger."

Ryan Seacrest & J.Lo make fun of their diva "feud"
Jennifer Lopez says their supposed "diva battle" is "hysterical." (MP3 link)

Coming soon: Celebrity bowling?
Celebs such as Shannon Elizabeth, Flava Flav and Terrell Owens are set to compete on "Stars & Strikes," a celebrity bowling show that is being shopped for syndication.

USA announces January returns for "Royal Pains" and "White Collar"
"Royal Pains" returns Jan. 20, followed by the premiere of Sara Shahi's "Fairly Legal." "White Collar" will be back on Jan. 18.

Lauren Conrad films a PSA for fashion-challenged
"When it comes to fashion…the more you know…the further you'll go."

"The Walking Dead" will be turned into a series of novels
The comic series is set to make its book debut next year, following its TV debut.

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Ryan Seacrest wants to launch his own cable network
The Ryan Seacrest Network?: Seacrest is in preliminary talks with talent agency CAA and entertainment company AEG for his own pop-culture/music/lifestyle channel.

Jane Lynch: I'm dressing as Don Draper for Halloween
The "Glee" star says of her Halloween costume: "I love Jon Hamm and I love his performance and I got this suit, I've got a silver tie and a white shirt and I’m gonna grease my hair back."

"Teen Mom" star is dating a convicted child molester
Amber Portwood is in a relationship with a man who is a registered sex offender.

Prestigious Canadian scientists group honors "Big Bang Theory" creators
Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady have accepted honorary membership in the Royal Canadian Institute for the Advancement of Science.

D.C. "Real Housewives" getting a 2-part reunion special — without Salahis?
All the "non-Michaele-Salahi housewives" will be there, but it's unclear if Michaele herself will make an appearance. "The Real Housewives of D.C.," in fact, has had the 2nd highest-rated debut season for a "Real Housewives" franchise, but will the Salahis be back next season?

"Pretty Little Liars" adds 2
"Veronica Mars" alum Alona Tal and Tyler Blackburn from "Days of our Lives" will shake up the cast next season.

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"CHiPs" star Larry Wilcox charged with securities fraud
The Securities and Exchange Commission is charging the 63-year-old Wilcox with allegedly set up a phony company to generate bogus stock sales.

"Modern Family" gets Danny Trejo to play a janitor
He'll play the school janitor who gets into a confrontation with Claire.

Carrie Ann Inaba will host a new version of "1 vs. 100"
The "Dancing" judge will debut next month as a game show host on GSN.

Lesbian teen banned from prom inspires ABC Family movie
Constance McMillen became nationally famous and even appeared on Ellen when her Mississippi high school banned her from prom.

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GLAAD: Only 6 out of 587 primetime characters are disabled
And only one of those six is portrayed by a disabled actor ("CSI's" Robert David Hall), according to a new GLAAD report.

Bob Newhart may return to TV, reveals his nephew is now on "SNL"
"His name is Paul Brittain and he did Johnny Depp last week, and he was great," Newhart says of his nephew, one of four newbies on "Saturday Night Live." As for returning to TV, he says there have been discussions for a TV project with Don Rickles.

FX renews "Sons of Anarchy" for Season 4
"'Sons of Anarchy' is the most popular show FX has ever had, and the #1 series in basic cable for our key demographic," FX boss John Landgraf said in making the announcement.

Max Weinberg: My open-heart surgery helped convince me to leave Conan
Weinberg insists the primary reason for leaving Conan O'Brien after 17 years was to stay close to home in New Jersey, but he reveals that two weeks after "The Tonight Show" wrapped he had his heart valve repaired in a surgery he describes as a "life-changing experience emotionally and spiritually." "I’m sure you’ll see me on television again," he adds. "You won’t see me on an episodic show, that’s for sure. I did my time. I loved it. It was great."

Conan overkill?: Conan released 5 promos yesterday, 5 new promos today
If you're counting, that's 24 promos for his new TBS show, which debuts one month from tomorrow. The promos include 13 "Missing You's," the car wash, the blimp ones, Conan dancing and Conan sitting in his chair.

Marine Corps Marathon refuses to share Porta Potties with Jon Stewart rallies
Metal padlocks will be put on some 100 Porta Potties to prevent participants in the Stewart/Colbert rallies from using them on Oct. 30, the day before the Marine Corps marathon. Comedy Central will have to get its own Porta Potties. PLUS: Stewart's rally will raise money for National Mall maintenance.

Mario Lopez's VH1 reality show gets a title: "Saved by the Baby"
Cameras will follow Lopez and his girlfriend as they become parents.

Oxygen renews "Tori & Dean," and gives them a wedding spinoff
In "Tori & Dean: sTORIbook Weddings," the couple will help other couples deal with their wedding day.

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NBC will celebrate "The Women of SNL"
The two-hour primetime special will air Nov. 1st, featuring Cheri Oteri, Nora Dunn, Molly Shannon, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Larraine Newman and, of course, Tina Fey.

VH1 rerunning the past 10 years of "SNL"
As part of a syndication pact, VH1 is airing "SNL" from the 2000s on weekday afternoon.

"Dancing with the Stars": TV's most subversive show?
From Republicans to gay-rights activists, "Dancing" unites us and represents "the best aspects of our national character," says Mary Elizabeth Williams.

Nickelodeon calls "Dora the Explorer" lawsuit "baseless"
A spokesperson says of Caitlin Sanchez's lawsuit: "Unfortunately, Caitlin's voice changed and she was no longer able to portray the Dora character, as happened with the actress who originated the role."

Wilmer Valderrama will star in an ABC comedy from "SNL's" digital shorts mastermind
There are no details of the project from Akiva Schaffer, except that it will have a musical component.

Pamela Anderson signs on to judge Israel's "Dancing with the Stars"
The "Dancing" alum will guest judge several episodes of "Rokdim Im Kochavim."

Elisabeth Hasselbeck joining "GMA"
"The View" star will cover family issues for "Good Morning America."

Trump's "Apprentice" has fewer viewers than his British counterpart
"The Apprentice" UK launched its 6th season last night to nearly 7 million viewers. Trump's "Apprentice," meanwhile, debuted last month — in a country five times the size of Britain– with a mere 4.6 million viewers. PLUS: There's an "Apprentice" affair!

Current TV teams with The Sims creator for a viewer-controlled TV show
In "Bar Karma," viewers can make their own series.

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Forbes: Oprah Winfrey is only the 3rd most powerful woman in the world

"Amazing Race's" Phil Keoghan: I was detained in Ukraine during the race

Maksim Chmerkovskiy upset with "Dancing" editing and judges

Before he was on "SNL": Check out Kenan Thompson's concert rider

Syfy renews "Haven" for 2nd season

[Click to read the rest of Odds & Ends]

"Dora the Explorer's" voice sues Nickelodeon
Attorneys for 14-year-old Caitlin Sanchez claim she was exploited and duped out of millions of dollars during her stint as "Dora." She's also suing MTV Networks and parent company Viacom.

"South Park" taking on "Jersey Shore"
In next week's episode, Randy fights back against the "Jersey"-fication of the United States. PLUS: Angelina boxing.

Lifetime orders Russian (multigenerational) "Jersey Shore"
"Brighton Beach" will follow several Russian-American families who live on Coney Island.

Chelsea Handler confirms she's not dating 50 Cent
They're simply working on a "potential project," she tweeted.

"Today" beats "Regis & Kelly"
Last week, the 3rd hour of "Today" topped "Live With Regis & Kelly" in total viewers.

"Cougar Town" renames itself "Badly Titled Cougar Town"
The "Cougar" crew mocked its name once again in last night's show.

Ex-NBC boss Ben Silverman sells comedy to The Peacock
He'll produce "Party People," about entertainers who work at children's parties.

TBS unveils "Conan Blimp" ad campaign
Watch all five ads shown during last night's baseball playoffs.

"Lost" cast to reunite one more time on Spike TV
They'll appear in a "Farewell Tribute To Lost" during the Scream Awards later this month.

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NBC halts production on "Outlaw"
The Conan O'Brien-produced series starring Jimmy Smits will continue to air on Fridays — five completed episodes haven't aired — as NBC considers whether it should be canceled.

Sarah Palin: My husband turned down "Dancing"
"They wanted Todd to be on the show," Palin said today during a speech in Houston. "I think that would have been cool to see, too. But here Bristol is, out of her comfort zone, doing something all new."

"The Office" will let Dunder Mifflin staffers watch "Glee"
An entire upcoming episode is being dedicated to the staff watching "Glee," though no actual "Glee" stars will appear on the episode.

"Raising Hope" becomes the 1st new show to earn a full season
It has been retaining more and more of "Glee's" lead in. Meanwhile, "Running Wilde" has seen its numbers dwindle each week.

TV's Thursday at 8 producers enjoy a friendly rivalry
The men behind "Community," "The Big Bang Theory" and "Bones" sometimes talk to each other, via Twitter.

"Sister Wives" family hire a high-profile constitutional attorney
Law professor Jonathan Turley, who is often seen on cable news, will defend the Brown family.

Jerry Lewis' MDA Telethon cut down to 6 hours
By reducing the annual Labor Day telethon by 15 hours, to a six-hour primetime program, producers hope to attract more viewers and bigger performers.

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"Modern Family" finds Mitchell's ex-girlfriend: Chloe O'Brian!
Mary Lynn Rajskub will guest as Mitchell's high school girlfriend, from when he was in the closet.

Will TBS annoy baseball fans with too many "Conan" ads?
TBS has been known to go overboard with its baseball playoffs ad campaigns in the past, particularly with the launch of "Frank TV" a few years back. PLUS: Watch the Conan Blimp in action.

Police wrap up "Sister Wives" investigation
Now it's up to the D.A. to determine whether to file polygamy charges against the Browns.

"Dancing" will try to make Bristol Palin sexy next week
Bristol feels like she's not connecting to the audience, so Mark Ballas says we're "going to try to dive into Bristol's sexy side, tell more of a story and get a lit-tle spicy!" PLUS: Margaret Cho proud of her "Dancing" stint — and of wearing rainbow colors.

Dick Wolf explains the difference between LA and NYC cops
Wolf says he spent a year with the LAPD doing research for "Law & Order: LA." "If you took a 35-year-old NYPD patrolman and a 35-year-old LAPD patrolman," he says, "the L.A. guy looks like he could be in the Wehrmacht—razor-creased, stand-up straight. New York cops all look like they’ve got two-day hangovers. It’s a different rhythm, because New York is community policing and the LAPD is really a paramilitary organization by design."

NJ "Real Housewives" booted from table to make room for NYC "Housewives"
Bravo couldn't have "The Real Housewives of New York" sitting next to "The Real Housewives of New Jersey."

Women's group upset with Jay Leno's oral sex joke
His remark last week to Seth McFarlane about a hypothetical sexual encounter with Christine O'Donnell upset the "Name It. Change It." campaign.

Letterman apologizes to Rachael Ray
Was it wrong of him to complain about too many food shows when people are starving?

Rick Sanchez releases statement of apology
"Despite what my tired and mangled words may have implied, they were never intended to suggest any sort of narrow-mindedness  and should never have been made," the ex-CNN anchor said in a statement released today.

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British TV movie will dramatize the kidnapping of Prince Harry
What if Prince Harry was captured by the Taliban?

"Glee's" God epiosde: A big mistake?
"Grilled Cheesus," says Anthony Benigno, "was one of those hours that shows you just how back and forth a show like "Glee"  can be, and where its biggest flaw — the show's about as subtle as a sledgehammer — comes to light. When it's fun, it's fun. But when it takes on big topics, watch out, because you're getting a seminar."
Props to "Glee" for tactfully tackling a tricky subject with class, humor, grace
Most Depressing Episode. Ever. // Crammed episode felt awkward
Ryan Murphy unsure of Super Bowl episode — all potential artists have said yes!
"Glee" tops The Beatles // Parents TV Council: "Glee" is week's worst show

Son of "Dexter's" Trinity Killer sues over "Miami Medical" prop
Actor Brando Eaton says he was shocked with a real defibrillator on the failed CBS medical show.

Piers Morgan promises "Larry King Live" shakeup: More taped intervews
"The format, everything, will change," he says. "I'm not just going to be another man sitting in the CNN studio wearing red braces."

Christina Hendricks: Women, gay men hit on me
Says the "Mad Men" star: "I think it's so flattering."

NBC gets into family comedy with "Man of the House"
The project is like a modern-day "Mr. Mom."

AMC unveils 2nd "Walking Dead" trailer
"Things are different now."

Ellen Pompeo: No "Grey's" baby for me this season
"There probably won't be a baby this season, for sure," she says. "It's hard to shoot babies and deal with babies on shows, so I don't know that we'll ever actually see a baby."

"Biggest Loser" couple gets engaged
Sam Poueu popped the question to Stephanie Anderson after they lost a total of 241 pounds.

TV Land's "Harry Loves Lisa" is not as bad as it could have been
Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna's new reality show isn't a train wreck, but it is a bit sad.

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"Community's" outer space adventure sponsored by KFC
Here's your first look at the cast appearing space-y, as they prepare to enter the "The Kentucky Fried Chicken SpaceBus." "It's a tour de force of information about KFC, working to make the most delicious galaxy," says Joel McHale.

Watch Jane Lynch's "SNL" promos
Fred Armisen is not intimidated by her.

Robert Patrick joins "Big Love" as a polygamist activist
The former "Terminator" star will lead a polygamist fringe group next season.

Single mom comedienne gets her own reality show
WEtv cameras will follow Tammy Pescatelli as she tries to juggle raising a family by herself with working the comedy clubs.

Scott Cohen unites with Callie Thorne for USA's "Necessary Roughness"
Meanwhile, Sara Rue is joining "Rules of Engagement" in a recurring role.

Britain to boot "X Factor" star out of the country
Gamu Nhengu, 18, stunned audiences a few weeks ago, and is now facing deportation back to Zimbabwe.

Google TV remote is huge
It comes with a full QWERTY keyboard. (Watch "Nightline's" report on Google TV.)

"Glee's" ratings fall without Britney, "No Ordinary Family" drops 19%
Meanwhile, Fox's "Running Wilde" and "Raising Hope" also saw their numbers decline.

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Tim Gunn shoots PSA talking about his teenage suicide attempt
Watch his PSA urging struggling gay teens to reach out.

"Dancing" wouldn't let Kurt Warner wear pink for breast cancer awareness
Every October, NFL players wear pink to raise awareness for breast cancer, and Warner wanted to show his support. But producers didn't want the show to be about the stars promoting their causes each week.

Another blog to TV: ABC picks up "Awkward Family Photos"
Following the success of "$#*! My Dad Says," ABC is turning the popular Awkward Family Photos website into a comedy.

Check out Kaley Cuoco on her crutches
At tonight's "Big Bang Theory" taping.

Drea de Matteo will play Will Arnett's mom
"The Sopranos" alum will guest in an upcoming "Running Wilde" episode.

Fox lands Will Smith "Hitch" TV series
The network won a bidding war to remake the movie, with Smith as producer.

"Battlestar Galactica's" Ron Moore may remake "The Wild, Wild West"
It would be another remake for the man who successfully rebooted the "Galactica" franchise.

Petition started to save "Huge"
Women's website Jezebel.com is hoping to bring back the canceled ABC Family series from the dead.

Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks will become the 1st 3-D NBA game
The Dec. 17 matchup will be the first of eight 3-D NBA broadcasts on ESPN.

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CBS proving to be smart in shaking up its schedule
Bold moves like "Big Bang" to Thursdays," "CSI: Miami" to Sundays and "Survivor" to Wednesdays have been paying off as CBS is poised to win the ratings for the 2nd week in a row.

Aaron Sorkin: Billy Wilder would be working in TV, if he were alive today
"The Social Network" is so good it's almost of television quality, notes Patrick Goldstein. Aaron Sorkin sort of agrees: "If Herman Mankiewicz, Billy Wilder, Preston Sturges and Budd Schulberg were alive today, they'd be writing on TV," Sorkin told me today, phoning from Germany, where he's promoting the movie. "As a writer, you love immediacy, of being able to weigh in on something that's on everyone's mind. And with rare exception, you only get to do that with TV. With a movie, even if everything goes perfectly, I can write a joke today and have to wait two years to hear the laughter."

Kevin Bacon may star in HBO country club golf comedy
Bacon is producing a series based on the book the Member-Guest, about an over-the-hill golf pro who isn't quite ready to give up.

"Gilmore Girls" premiered 10 years ago tonight
The WB/CW series from the Family Friendly Programming Forum made its debut a decade ago tonight in the tough Thursday at 8 timeslot, where it managed to survive against "Friends." Watch the first "Gilmore" scene and the unaired pilot featuring a different Dean and a different Sookie.

Are Republicans more likely to embrace reality TV?
The casting director for "Dancing with the Stars" has tried to recruite Democrats, but so far she's only been able to hook conservatives like Tom DeLay, Bristol Palin and Tucker Carlson. PLUS: Bristol a "Dancing" disaster last night.

"The Real Housewives" franchise is the new "Dynasty"
While many scripted shows ignore older women, "The Real Housewives" basks in them. As Julie Klausner notes, "It's easier to enjoy the 'Real Housewives' if you think of it as the new "Dynasty" — just like Aaron Spelling's camp tour de force, these shows are ensemble soap operas that happen to also be comedies, starring real-life equivalents of characters played by, say, Jennifer Coolidge and Joanna Lumley."

"Caprica" returns to finish its 1st season
But does the "Battlestar Galactica" prequel resolve problems from the first half of Season 1? PLUS: Go behind the scenes.

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Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, Sarah Silverman attend Greg Giraldo's wake

More people watched Mark Zuckerberg on "Simpsons" than in "Social Network"

Sofia Vergara turns producer for ABC Spanish comedy remake

Will NBC cancel "Outlaw"? Will NBC move "The Apprentice" out of Thursday?

DirecTV sexes up "Friday Night Lights" final season promo

[Click to read the rest of Odds & Ends]

MTV reviving "Punk'd" with Justin Bieber
Ashton Kutcher will still serve as executive producer, but the 16-year-old Bieber is likely going to take over as the star in the "Punk'd" reboot.

Rick Sanchez apologizes to Jon Stewart
The fired CNN anchor's wife revealed on Facebook that two chatted on Monday. "They had a good talk. jon was gracious and called rick, 'thin-skinned,'" she wrote on her Facebook page.

"The Bachelor" seriously considered bringing back Rozlyn Papa
The booted bachelorette asked to return for Brad Womack's season. But after serious consideration, they opted not to invite her back.

Academy Awards may move to January
The movie academy might bump up the Oscars to either late January or early February. But what about conflicts with the NFL, which is likely going to expand its schedule so that the playoffs and Super Bowl are played through February.

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