April 2011

April 5, 2011

Maksim explains his "Dancing" fall with Kirstie Alley
"It was like a charley horse. You know, it just gave out," he tells "GMA." PLUS: Kirstie got an "Unbroken" tattoo after last night's show.


"The Karate Kid's" Johnny Lawrence makes his "Dancing" debut

Watch Daniel-san's bully judge Ralph Macchio.


"The View" reunion: Star Jones goes on Joy Behar's show

Said Star of their reunion after five years: "Since the day I walked out of the show… You didn't call, you didn't write. They cracked my chest," Star added of her open-heart surgery, just a year ago. "You didn't send a flower."


Tina Fey: My Sarah Palin impression may have hurt "30 Rock's" ratings

"My TV show still enjoys very low ratings," Fey writes in her new book "BossyPants." "In fact, I think the Palin stuff may have hurt the TV show. Let’s face it, between Alec Baldwin and me there is a certain fifty percent of the population who think we are pinko Commie monsters."


ABC taps Ty Pennington to host "The Great Big American Auction"

The new reality show is set at a high-end auction house.


"Glee's" Sue Sylvester & Mr. Schue carpool together

For a Funny Or Die video.


Snooki is done with wrestling

She'll now concentrate on "Jersey Shore."


Miley Cyrus & Charlie Sheen: Twitter buddies

Miley returned to Twitter calling herself "the Sheenius." To which Sheen responded: "Always felt you were epic… Now you proved it! Thanks for the love!"


Take a look at the "Grey's" and "Private Practice" weddings

Check out Callie and Arizona, and Dr. King and Dr. Freedman.


Wanda Sykes to judge "Drop Dead Diva"

She'll guest on episode six of the new season as Judge Yvonne Wright.


Discovery changes Science Channel's name to "Science"

The new Science will feature a logo that is constantly morphing.

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April 4, 2011

Kirstie Alley takes a "Dancing" tumble as Maksim's thigh gives way
Maks blamed himself for tonight's fall, saying his thigh "just gave out." PLUS: Wendy Williams shows off her busted feet.


A reality show starring Heidi Montag, Jake Pavelka and Danielle Staub!?

The trio of reality TV has-beens were spotted in L.A. Monday filming an as-yet-to-be revealed reality show.


Amy Poehler to address Harvard graduates

The Boston College alumna is this year's Harvard Class Day speaker. She'll follow in the footsteps of Ali G, Conan O'Brien, Will Ferrell and Seth MacFarlane.


Martin Luther King Jr.'s son launching Bounce, a broadcast network for blacks

Martin Luther King III and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young are developing Bounce, an African-American network that would target the 25-54 demo.


Billy Crystal joins Twitter

Crystal used his first tweet to promote a Funny or Die project debuting on Wednesday.


Miranda Lambert's childhood to become an ABC Family drama

The series will focus on the country star's childhood in small-town Texas, where her father worked as a private investigator.


Charlie Sheen creates an "unedited" video spoofing his "20/20" interview

Meanwhile, E! will debut a new "True Hollywood Story" to reflect Sheen's recent adventure on Wednesday.


American-made "Torchwood" is sexier, with money for biger stunts

Starz's involvement has resulted in a budget that is three times bigger than usual for the sci-fi series. Or as John Barrowman put it, "for me on a personal level the move to America has been f*cking amazing." PLUS: Check out the new "Torchwood" poster.


Sarah Silverman hooks up with a unicorn

Watch her bizarre new music video.

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April 4, 2011

"The Kennedys," "The Borgias," "The Killing" all start strong
The 1.9 million who watched "The Kennedys" set a new record for ReelzChannel, while "The Borgias" had Showtime's highest premiere ratings in seven years. PLUS: "Camelot" also debuts well.


Charlie Sheen discusses his quick tour revamp

"There's a couple things here I've got to f–king work out," he says.


Katie Couric: If I ran CBS, I would've fired Charlie Sheen a long time ago

The CBS News anchor also voices regret with the way things worked out with CBS Evening News.


"Glee," Olivia Newton-John's daughter, Paris Hilton get Oxygen reality shows

"The Glee Project" and "The World According to Paris" will join a reality show starring Olivia Newton-John's daughter ("Lost Angels"), "My Post Grad Life" and "Maids of Drama." In addition, "Hair Battle Spectacular" has been renewed.


Snooki's managers defend her $32K Rutgers payday

First off, she only pocketed around $25,000, and that was for two shows of 80 minutes, which is a lot more taxing than a commencement address.


Watch "The Governator" trailer, featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Larry King

Schwarzenegger says he hopes the Stan Lee cartoon character helps change his image.


Marvel hires "Heroes" brothers

Adrian Pasdar and Milo Ventimiglia's voices will star in new animated series for, respectively, Iron Man and Wolverine.


Flavor Flav denies handing out bad checks to his chicken employees

Flavor Flav's Chicken just opened, and some of its employees say they are having troubling cashing their checks.


Patricia Heaton: Ray Romano is never coming on "The Middle"

There will be no "Everybody Loves Raymond" reunion on her Fox comedy, she says, because "a Ray Romano crossover to 'The Middle' might be too much. It would probably break some kind of time-space continuum."


Pirates getting a drama series

The makers of "Camelot" will next tackle 17th century pirating with "Port Royal."


Steve Martin roasted Elton John in song after "SNL"

Yes, Martin really did jump on a table.


"Top Gear's" Mexican jokes were okay, UK's TV watchdog rules

Britain's FCC counterpart had received 157 complaints.


Rachael Taylor will be back on  "Grey's," despite "Charlie's Angels"

Shonda Rhimes says "she's contractually obligated to us for the rest of the season," once she's done filming the "Angels" pilot.


"Dr. Drew" makes his HLN debut tonight

Watch him talk extraterrestrials with Sammy Hagar.


Meat Loaf melts down on "Celebrity Apprentice" over Gary Busey

"Meat, don't do it!…."


The son who  co-created "Skins" with his dad departs the show

Jamie Brittain, who was in his early 20s when he co-created "Skins" with dad Brian Elsey, is leaving the series. Over the last year, Brittain was at the helm of the British "Skins" while his dad ran the MTV version.


VH1 reality star Megan Hauserman pleads guilty to DUI

The former "Rock of Love" star won't go to jail as part of a plea deal.

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April 4, 2011

Coming to reality TV: "Wrestler Wives"?
VH1 is set to produce a WWE take on the "Basketball Wives" and "Real Housewives" franchise.


Watch the "Thundercats" trailer

Cartoon Network's reboot of the '80s cartoon debuted at WonderCon over the weekend.


Cat Deeley joins Ricky Gervais' new sitcom

The "So You Think You Can Dance" star in Gervais' "Life's Too Short," her first big acting role.


Stevie Wonder wants "X Factor" job

"Simon should give me a buzz," says the legendary musician. "I love X Factor and to be a judge would be great. Seeking out for new talent? I have an ear for it."


L.A. Reid reveals Cheryl Cole as 3rd "X Factor" judge

British "X Factor" judge Cheryl Cole, a singer with the band Girls Aloud who is dating Derek Hough from "Dancing with the Stars," has been rumored to be a judge from the get-go. But there have been concerns she's too much of an unknown — and hard to understand — for an American audience.


"Glee's" Ryan Murphy regrets saying "f*ck you" to Kings of Leon

"I didn't speak with as much clarity as I would have liked," the "Glee" creator says of slamming the band. "Who am I to say 'F–k you?' That's not what I meant."


Captain Phil's name brough up in "Deadliest Catch" spat

Watch as Captain Phil's replacement says, "Phil's not here, he's f**king dead, okay?"


"Everybody Loves Raymond" getting Israeli and Polish versions

Following the success of the Russian version, which spawned a documentary, the "Raymond" franchise is expanding internationally.


Watch Snooki's amazing Wrestlemania flip move

She backflipped and attacked.


HBO's "Talking Funny" comics talk about their first bit

Watch another preview from the special starring Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Louis CK and Ricky Gervais.

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April 3, 2011

"Detroit sucks": Chicago cheers Charlie Sheen
Chanting "Detroit Sucks," Chicagoans embraced a shirtless Sheen on Night 2 of his tour, a show that was completely shaken up and revamped from the night before. As Steve Johnson reports, "Instead of the disjointed exercise in hero worship he had presented on night one of his theatrical tour in Detroit Saturday, Sheen mostly sat and fielded an interviewer's questions, bantering with the crowd, dropping the F-word, and actually seeming to satisfy, if not amaze, concertgoers." Sheen also told concertgoers he'd gladly return to work, even though he still hates Chuck Lorre. "If they say 'Here's your job back,' I'll go back to work," he said. PLUS: "Gouging"!: Programs cost $20.


Report: Katie Couric will leave her CBS anchor job for a daytime talk show

The Associated Press says Couric will definitely leave her job as she searches for a talk show that could be launched in fall 2012.


Elton John upstaged by flurry of "SNL" guest-stars

Sure, Elton was the host, but he didn't even appear in the biggest sketch of the night, which was odd since it happened right after the monologue. Instead, "SNL" paraded out a bunch of big names, from Tom Hanks to Carmelo Anthony to Jake Gyllenhaal, plus Will Forte. In fact, with so many lazy gay jokes, it seemed like Elton and the writers weren't even trying. PLUS: Watch Elton perform "The Bitch is Back" after the show, show, and "SNL" unveils "Lasercats – The Musical."


Rosie O'Donnell sticks up for Chris Brown, accuses Robin Roberts of racism

Rosie "totally" thinks racism was behind Roberts' "GMA" treatment of the troubled singer.


"Chaos" disappoints

The spy series averaged 6.4 million viewers, a rarity for a CBS series.


HBO unveils the first 14 minutes of "Game of Thrones"

Watch the first scenes from the epic drama.


NBC buys reality show from its controversial ex-entertainment boss

Ben Silverman has sold the Peacock on "Fashion Star," a lower-end version of "Project Runway."


Toni Morrison: I don't know who Snooki is

The Nobel prize-winning author also said the $30,000 Rutgers paid her ($2,000 less than Snooki) was about half of her normal fee. She said she wanted to give Rutgers, where she used to teach, a discount. PLUS: Rutgers parents outraged.


Carrie Underwood duets with Steven Tyler

Watch the two "Idol" celebs sing at the American Country Music Awards.


How Taylor Hicks wound up singing "Friday" on Fallon & Colbert

"It all happened so fast," the former "Idol" champ says. "In 24 hours, I went from writing a record to doing 'Friday' with Colbert and Fallon, a beekeeper and a Yeti."


David Hasselhoff finds love in the UK with 31-year-old model

While traveling for "Britain's Got Talent," The Hoff managed to hook up with blonde Hayley Roberts.

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April 2, 2011

Charlie Sheen tour bombs as his fans boo and walk out in Detroit
As it turns out, there was nothing much to the Sheen's stage show, not even a cameo by Snoop Dogg. "Charlie Sheen stole my money!" said one Sheen show attendee who stormed out of the Fox Theater. "Sorry dude, already got your money," said Sheen. Another attendee said, "I didn't think it would be this bad." According to a blow-by-blow account, the show was full of padding and lasted just about an hour. PLUS: Watch part of Sheen's monologue, a Detoit TV news report, the goddesses kissing, the opening montage entrance and porn stars singing the national anthem. UPDATE: Watch Sheen get heckled and check out the whole debacle — Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6 with Snoop Dogg's "Winning."


Michael Vartan weds

The former "Alias" star met his new wife, Lauren Skaar, two years ago at Whole Foods.


Elizabeth Taylor's "Simpsons" episode will re-air on Fox Sunday

In the 1992 episode, Taylor provided the voice of Maggie Simpson.

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April 1, 2011

Stephen Colbert sings Rebecca Black's "Friday" — with The Roots and more
Watch the "Jimmy Fallon" performance, featuring an "Idol" twist. PLUS: Nick hires Rebecca Black to be a correspondent for the Kids' Choice Awards.


Watch Will Ferrell in action on "The Office"

"It's basically one idiot training another," says Ferrell of working with Steve Carell. PLUS: Colorado's governor formally hires Michael Scott.


Parents TV Council outraged at "Playboy Club's" nudity clause

The conservative watchdog is targeting Comcast/NBC over the clause, which actually was inserted by the pilot's studio 20th Century Fox TV.


Burt Reynolds and Christopher Lloyd land TV parts

Reynolds will star in the CMT movie "Reel Love," while Lloyd is joining a doctor family sitcom.


It's official: Jeff Daniels joins Aaron Sorkin's HBO cable news drama

He'll play an anchor of a political news show.


"Castle" gets Gene Simmons to play himself

Castle and Beckett will visit the KISS frontman at his Beverly Hills home as part of a murder investigation.


Conan is logging on to Facebook to live-blog his show

Four months after live-tweeting his show, Conan will live-blog his show on Tuesday.


Ed Helms to drop by FX's "Wilfred"

"The Office" star will guest with Elijah for one episode.


Jeff Probst: I do have a man crush on Boston Rob

"People think my man crush on you is weird," the "Survivor" host tweeted to Rob Mariano.

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April 1, 2011

Thia & Naimi blame their exit on "Idol's" large female voting block
"(We were) a bit intimidated by all the girls watching the show and knowing that their votes are going to be going for guys," says Thia. Adds Naimi: "When it comes down to it, the reality is that more than 50 percent of the audience is little teenage girls." PLUS: Next week is Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Week, and has Steven Tyler given up as J.Lo's become a control freak?


Report: ABC may cancel "All My Children" and "One Life to Live"

According to TV Guide, the network wants to replace the longtime soaps with a talk show and a reality show.


Dr. Phil vs. Oprah?

Phil McGraw and his people are trying to "OUT SCOOP" Oprah when it comes to the Natalee Holloway case.


"24's" final season yanked from Tokyo TV over its radiation storyline

The storyline was deemed inappropriate considering the nuclear power plant crisis.


Eddie Izzard making an FX comeback

"The Riches" vet is co-creating and starring as a disgraced ex-congressman who now works as a political fixer.


See the homes of TV's late-night hosts

Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Jon Stewart all appear to be living lavishly.


"Grey's Anatomy" musical was half good, half bad

For the first half of last night's episode, the musical was "gutsy and moving and surprisingly profound (for a show that once had a character have a breakdown over the death of a deer)," says Todd VanDerWerff. "Rhimes—credited with the script—doesn’t so much create a storyline as she creates a series of vignettes where characters begin to sing, then provide the backing track for other characters expressing their grief … But the episode wore on, and Rhimes lost the courage of her convictions, and the songs got worse and worse (and more and more obvious), and the episode slowly deflated."
Musical episode just became an excuse to sing songs
Only Sara Ramirez can sing // Looking back at other TV musicals
On the set // Watch the original scenes for each "Grey's" musical song


Malcolm McDowell guesting on "Psych"

He'll hire Shawn and Gus in the season premiere.


Check out pics from "Locke and Key," "Alcatraz" and other pilots

See photos of the "Napoleon Dynamite" cartoon, Don Johnson as a hairstylist in "A Mann's World," Debra Messing in "Smash" and Adrianne Palicki outside her "Wonder Woman" costume.


Cinemax orders "The Sector" from Ridley and Tony Scott

The action-crime series will follow in the vein of Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner."

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FRIDAY ODDS & ENDS

April 1, 2011

April Fool's!: Hulu travels back to 1995 with "NewsRadio" and "X Files"

Snoop Dogg will perform on opening of Charlie Sheen's tour // Vegas = "Winning"

"Entourage" creator Doug Ellin may become part owner in the NY Mets

Without "Mad Men," Jon Hamm is bearded and slacking

Comedy Central celebrates its 20th birthday

[Click to read the rest of Odds & Ends]

April 1, 2011

"The Kennedys" is a mess, a hamfisted mess
The ReelzChannel miniseries feels "like a paint-by-numbers recitation of history and a not-very-sordid waste of artistic license," says Tim Goodman. "Do the Kennedys look bad in this miniseries? No, they look like cartoons, and anyone with enough interest in politics and family dynasties will be sadly disappointed by the caricatures … (The miniseries) can’t even make much of pill-popping and sex, let alone create much intrigue with the actual facts of an absorbing, mythic life."
Just right: The best depiction of the Kennedys ever put on TV
$30M wasted: The whole miniseries looks "pitiably cheap"
Riveting, brutally honest // It doesn't look like it has a political agenda
More concerned with looking like the Kennedys, than at them
These characters are just melodramatic ciphers in period costumes
Greg Kinnear knew there was trouble before filming started


"Chaos" is a fun spy farce that CBS doesn't want you to watch

So says Hank Stuever of the series starring Freddy Rodriguez, Tim Blake Nelson and Eric Close. "Chaos," he says, "turns out to be a tightly written, engagingly paced and fairly well-executed bit of action-comedy. Any network should be proud to have it on its schedule, yet for reasons far too Variety magazine to get into here, the network appears to think “Chaos” isn’t worth watching — why else has the show been belatedly deposited on the schedule on Friday nights at 8? (April Fool's?)"
Don't get your hopes up for this CBS "experiment" // It's not as smart as it thinks it is


"Camelot" doesn't sing, despite a sexed-up gimmick

"Don't let it be forgot that once a network finds a marketable gimmick, it hangs on long after its one brief shining moment has passed," says Robert Bianco. "For Starz, that signature gimmick is a comic-book take on old stories, spiced up with copious amounts of gratuitous violence and sex — splashing blood, flashing breasts — as in the blend that made Spartacus a hit. Alas, the trick is less adroitly played with 'Camelot,' an uninspired retelling of the King Arthur myth that hopes to modernize the tale by showing Guinevere topless."
Costumes, casting, locations and sets are fine, the writing is not
King Arthur is more "Dude Arthur" //  Meet Jamie Campbell Bower, King Arthur


"The Killing" is like "Law & Order" under a microscope

The AMC series, a remake of a Danish series, lifts the fundamentals of "Law & Order" to a higher level of intimacy, says Matthew Gilbert. "You get close to each party — the cops, the suspects, the mourning parents of the dead teen — rather than merely watching them spout clues between a pair of 'chung-chungs.'"
A murder mystery with brains and soul // Slow but compelling
Billy Campbell didn't want to know the whole story
How similar is "The Killing" to its Danish counterpart?


Showtime's "The Borgias" might be better if it were worse

The set design lavish, and so is the acting with lead Jeremy Irons. But that may be part of the problem, says James Poniewozik. The overall feel of "The Borgias" "is more somber and at times even sour," he says, comparing it to "The Tudors." "I have to wonder whether part of the problem, ironically, is that Irons is playing Rodrigo / Pope Alexander VI too well: he's dry, somber, subtle and businesslike, whereas (Jonathan) Rhys Meyers essentially made Henry VIII into a lusty bad-boy celeb with a crown—it may not have been great acting, but it worked for what The Tudors was.
What a bore! // Tries to hard to creep us out
An unholy mess // Irons came in with some concerns

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April 1, 2011

Conan O'Brien's beard transforms into a goatee
Check out the new and improved Conan.


HBO announces premiere dates

"True Blood" returns June 26, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" July 10 and "Entourage" kicks off its final season July 24.


"Mobbed" becomes a TV series after solid post-"Idol" ratings

Fox has ordered eight episodes of the Howie Mandel flashmob show.


Elton John displays "diva" behavior in his latest "SNL" promos

"Could you step out of my light," he tells Kristen Wiig. PLUS: Carmelo Anthony joining Elton on "SNL."


Watch Stephen Colbert practice Rebecca Black's "Friday"

"I'll never hit that notes."

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April 1, 2011

ABC celebrates April Fool's Day with "Snooki Blue" and "Mr. Sunsheen"
Meanwhile, Animal Planet announced it has signed a deal with the Bronx Zoo Cobra.


"Jersey Shore" stars want a raise because they think next season is the last

"They want to milk MTV … while they still can," according to TMZ.


Elton John lashes out at rock stars who bash "Glee"

"Lighten up, you a–holes," he said on Jimmy Fallon.


Do "Idol" voters hate females and minorities?

Not counting Casey Abrams, the first four "Idols" this year happen to be female and persons of color.


Donald Trump gets his own Fox News segment

The possible Republican presidential candidate will be featured on "Monday Mornings with Trump."


Rutgers University criticized for paying Snooki more than Toni Morrison

The celebrated novelist earned $30,000 for speaking at commencement, while the "Jersey Shore" star raked in $32,000 for her personal appearance. Meanwhile, the university couldn't afford to pay Aziz Ansari $75,000 to make a personal appearance.


"Grey's Anatomy" sets Callie-Arizona wedding for May 5

Bailey will officiate and Chandra Wilson will direct the outdoor same-sex wedding. "We wanted to deal with that in a way that felt relevant and real, but also allow them a really magical wedding," says Shonda Rhimes. PLUS: "Grey's" musical delivers 26% more viewers over last week.


Bronx Zoo Cobra takes over Ryan Seacrest's website and Twitter

Today RyanSeacrest.com is completely devoted to snakes.


Ke$ha to guest on Nickelodeon's "Victorious"

She'll play herself and perform.


Rebecca Black hijacks Funny or Die

Today is "Friday or Die."


Netflix to stream "Glee" and "Sons of Anarchy," plus "Ally McBeal" and "Wonder Years"

It'ss all part of an expanded deal with Twentieth Century Fox.


Chris Rock tells Letterman: "Now you the craziest guy at the network"

Watch Chris Rock's take on Charlie Sheen and his "Two and a Half Men" departure.


Genie Francis jumps to "The Young and the Restless"

The former "General Hospital" star will become a series regular on "Y&R" in May.

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