Archive: May 2009 (40-52 of 101)

May 18 2009 06:28 PM ET

This just in: ABC cancels 'Samantha Who?'

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Categories:

Samanthawho_l
Multiple sources confirm that ABC has pulled the plug on Samantha Who? after two seasons.

The news comes as a bit of a surprise considering ABC and the show’s producers appeared to be close to compromising on a cost-cutting measure that would have shifted the comedy from its current single-camera format to the more traditional (and cheaper) multi-camera model.

On the bright side, at least there will be closure: Per an ABC insider, seven unaired episodes remain in the network’s arsenal and the last one “feels like a series finale.” Of course, there’s no telling when or where those eps will be shown.

You know what comes next: You head to the comments section to bitch slap ABC eulogize the show.

For up-to-the-minute renewal-cancellation-pickup scuttlebutt throughout
upfront week, stay close to both my blog (the one you’re reading now!)
and Twitter feed. And to track the status of your favorite bubble show, there’s my Fall TV Cheat Sheet. Finally, for the official schedule announcements (beginning with Fox today) proceed to the Hollywood Insider blog.

More TV Scoop:
NBC renews Chuck
Katherine Heigl gunning for another Emmy
Fox renews Bones for TWO seasons
ABC renews Castle, Better Off Ted
Burning Prison Break finale Qs answered
Fox renews Dollhouse

May 18 2009 05:57 PM ET

Ratings: 'Survivor,' 'Desperate Housewives' score on Sunday

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Categories: TV Ratings

ABC and CBS fought hard for domination of the TV season’s final Sunday night, with CBS eking out a slight victory (averaging 11.8 million viewers for the night, versus ABC’s 10.8 million). Reliable 60 Minutes (10 million) helped boost the Eye’s bottom line, while the two-hour Survivor finale (12.7 million) ruled its first hour on the air. But the two-hour Desperate Housewives (13.9 million) took over at 9 p.m., also beating the Survivor reunion (11.8 million) at 10 p.m. NBC was virtually invisible with a combination of Dateline (5.9 million) and special SNL Just Shorts (3.8 million).

 
   
   
      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

 

Time Show Viewers (in millions)
7 p.m. 60 Minutes (CBS)
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)
Dateline (NBC)
King of the Hill (Fox)
Jericho (The CW)		 10.0
7.6
5.9
2.5 (repeat)
.5 (repeat)
7:30 p.m. American Dad (Fox)
Movie: License to Kill (The CW)		 2.8 (repeat)
1.5
8 p.m. Survivor (CBS)
The Simpsons (Fox)		 12.7
5.9
8:30 p.m. King of the Hill (Fox) 5.2
9 p.m. Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Family Guy (Fox)
SNL Just Shorts (NBC)		 13.9
7.3
3.8
9:30 p.m. American Dad (Fox) 5.6
10 p.m. Survivor Reunion (CBS) 11.8
May 18 2009 04:57 PM ET

'Billy Elliot': Broadway producers snub one of their own young stars

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Categories: Theater

Davidbolognafrankdolce_l
There’s been much talk about the record 15 Tony nominations for Billy Elliot: The Musical and the unusual joint Best Actor nomination for the three young actors rotating in the title role. (Last week, The New York Times reported on a controversial ruling that Tony voters could vote for the Billys without seeing all three performances.)

But there has been relative silence on another curiosity concerning the Tony front-runner:
the fact that although two actors switch off in the role of Billy’s
best friend, Michael, only one of them got a nomination for Featured
Actor in a Musical. The nod went to David Bologna (left), the 14-year-old who performed on the
show’s opening night last fall (as the Tony rulebook dictates). But that leaves poor Frank Dolce (right),
the 13-year-old who sings and dances and cross-dresses up a storm in half the
performances, out in the cold. Why? Because apparently the producers
screwed up. According to a spokesperson for the Tony Awards, the
show’s producers never submitted a request to the Tony Awards’ administration
committee for a special ruling to consider both boys eligible (as they
successfully did for the three Billys, who earned joint eligibility on
Feb. 12). A spokesperson for Billy Elliot says that while the role of Billy is so physically demanding that one boy couldn’t do it eight shows a week, “you couldn’t make the same case for the role of Michael” and so producers didn’t make a special eligibility request. The spokesperson declined to say whether the producers regret that oversight now. One suspects that Bologna’s nomination might have just taken them by surprise (the London production’s Michael didn’t get an Olivier Awards nod). Still, the omission seems all the more glaring now that all five boys have been drafted to promote the show in a series of pre-Tony events.

May 18 2009 04:54 PM ET

CBS picks up four new dramas, new Jenna Elfman comedy

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Categories: TV Biz

Alexoloughlin_l1_2
CBS, as expected, will pick up an NCIS spinoff starring Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J along with two new dramas from Ridley Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer, a key source said Monday. The eye won’t announce its fall schedule until Wednesday in New York, but new shows were notified today about their berth on the network’s schedule (it’s unclear for now whether they’ll bow in the fall or midseason). Among them: Scott’s The Good Wife, a legal drama starring Julianna Margulies and Chris Noth about a politician’s wife who returns to the courtroom; Bruckheimer’s Miami Trauma, a drama starring Jeremy Northam about a team of trauma surgeons; and Three Rivers, a medical drama featuring Alex O’Loughlin (pictured) and Julia Ormond about organ transplantion. The net also picked up the new family sitcom Accidentally On Purpose, starring Jenna Elfman as a single movie critic who gets pregnant by a younger man, and a reality show called Undercover Boss.

More TV news:
Fox announces fall schedule, acknowledges Whedon fans
The Ausiello Files
Ausiello’s Fall TV cheat sheet
Gallery: Inside the ‘NCIS’ spinoff
Q&A: Catching up with Alex O’Loughlin

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May 18 2009 04:38 PM ET

Fox announces fall schedule, acknowledges Whedon fans

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Categories: TV Biz

Humantarget_l
Two new comedies and a new latenight show starring Wanda Sykes will debut this fall on Fox, followed by the addition of the new action/thriller dramas Human Target and Past Life in January. Gone are The Sarah Connor Chronicles but Joss Whedon’s ratings-challenged Dollhouse is back, along with a second season of Fringe and the first-full season run of Glee, which bows tomorrow after American Idol. To help bring in more female viewers, summer fave So You Think Can Dance gets a Tuesday and Wednesday berth this fall as a lead-in to Glee, a cheeky drama from Nip/Tuck’s Ryan Murphy about a high school show choir.

"Terminator had a nice little run," explains Entertainment President Kevin Reilly. "We did see it trailing off a bit, and ultimately we made the bet on Dollhouse. That’s it for Terminator. If we canceled Joss Whedon’s show I would have got 110 million emails from his fans today."

>As for the new comedies, Brothers stars Michael Strahan (Fox NFL Sunday) and Daryl "Chill" Mitchell (Veronica’s Closet) and follows a former pro football player who returns home to his mom’s house. The Cleveland Show is an animated spinoff of The Family Guy and focuses on neighbor Cleveland Brown (Mike Henry). For dramas, Human Target is based on the DC Comics franchise of the same name and stars Fringe‘s Mark Valley (pictured) as a for-hire heavy who’ll pull out the stops to keep his clients alive. Past Life is based on the book The Reincarnationist and stars Kelli Giddish (All My Children) as a psychologist who works with a former detective to solve mysteries. For midseason, the network will unveil the quirky family comedy Sons of Tucson from Todd Holland (Malcolm in the Middle).

Sykes’ late-night show will include sketch comedy and roundtable discussions.


Monday

8:00-9:00 PM                  House   

9:00-10:00 PM                Lie to Me         

 

Tuesday

8:00-10:00 PM                So You Think You Can Dance

 

Wednesday

8:00-9:00 PM                  So You Think You Can Dance (results show)                      

9:00-10:00 PM                Glee

 

Thursday

8:00-9:00 PM                  Bones   

9:00-10:00 PM                Fringe               

 

Friday

8:00-8:30 PM                  Brothers

8:30-9:00 PM                  ‘Til Death

9:00-10:00 PM                Dollhouse                

 

Saturday

8:00-8:30 PM                  COPS      

8:30-9:00 PM                  COPS      

9:00-10:00 PM                America’s Most Wanted

11:00 PM-Midnight         The Wanda Sykes Show (working title)

Midnight-12:30 AM         Animation Domination encores       

 

Sunday

7:00-8:00 PM                  The OT (NFL post-game)         

8:00-8:30 PM                  The Simpsons          

8:30-9:00 PM                  The Cleveland Show      

9:00-9:30 PM                  Family Guy    

9:30-10:00 PM                American Dad      


Midseason schedule after the jump.

  

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Midseason

 

Monday

8:00-9:00 PM                  House

9:00-10:00 PM                24             

 

Tuesday

8:00-9:00 PM                  American Idol

9:00-10:00 PM                Past Life

 

Wednesday

8:00-9:00 PM                 American Idol                   

9:00-10:00 PM                Human Target (January) / Glee (spring)                        

 

Thursday

8:00-9:00 PM                  Bones

9:00-10:00 PM                Fringe

 

Friday

8:00-8:30 PM                  Brothers

8:30-9:00 PM                  ‘Til Death

9:00-10:00 PM                Dollhouse                

 

Saturday

8:00-8:30 PM                  COPS      

8:30-9:00 PM                  COPS      

9:00-10:00 PM                America’s Most Wanted

11:00 PM-Midnight         The Wanda Sykes Show

Midnight-12:30 AM         Animation Domination Encores      

 

Sunday

7:00-7:30 PM                  Animation Domination Encores

7:30-8:00 PM                  American Dad

8:00-8:30 PM                  The Simpsons          

8:30-9:00 PM                  Sons of Tuscon

9:00-9:30 PM                  Family Guy    

9:30-10:00 PM                The Cleveland Show

For more renewals and pickups, read The Ausiello Files and Ausiello’s Fall TV cheat sheet.

READ FULL STORY »

May 18 2009 04:27 PM ET

Exclusive 'General Hospital' clip of Carly and Michael's reunion

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Categories: Television

After spending a year confined to a bed thanks to a gunshot to the head, young Michael Corinthos reawakens and reunites with his mother on today’s General Hospital. And yes, he’s clearly not just a year older.

Actor Drew Garrett is fully stepping into the role previously played by Dylan Cash. Michael, eldest child of Carly (Laura Wright) and mob boss Sonny (Maurice Benard), has gone from 12 years old to late teens. Aging up is nothing new in daytime soaps and many viewers reasoned that it was the reason, at least in part, for the move to have the child character shot and off the canvas for so long. When we spoke to headwriter Bob Guza last year, in the midst of the fallout from the shooting scene, he acknowledged that having the same actor play a character straight through
from childhood raises the dramatic potential, but said that he didn’t believe he was
necessarily locked into keeping Dylan Cash playing Michael forever. He also acknowledged that there was a concern about aging Michael, because it meant aging Carly and Sonny.
(Younger brother Morgan was also aged up, and is now played by Aaron Revfem.) Wright shares no such concerns. “I’m fine with my age,” the 38-year-old actress said.

As for any other concerns about getting a new son: “I love it. I’m a recast. I’m not gonna poopoo that,” Wright joked. “You
want to age him up, age him. Dylan is a fine actor but there’s
only so much you can do with a 12-year-old [character]. Can you imagine
what will happen when [teen] Michael brings a girl in the house?”

May 18 2009 01:50 PM ET

Cannes report: the scariest moment yet

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Categories: Misc.

No, it’s not the scenes of torture-porn mutilation in Lars von Trier’s Antichrist, although that experience is destined to stand apart as its own historic high/low in Cannes shock cinema. People are still talking and tsk-ing the day after the first screening, especially now that the director announced at a press conference this morning,"I am the best film director in the world."

But you can always close your eyes, or skip the movie altogether. What do you do, though, when someone in the row behind you in a crowded theater starts hacking and coughing like a one-woman Swine Flu Doomsday Machine? My seatmates and I cowered and covered our faces with fresh copies of Variety at our first movie of the day at 9 a.m., strangers bound together by love of movies and fear of death a la Croisette.  Truth is,  I had shrugged on the flight from JFK to France when required to fill out a form listing my seat number, hotel info, and, like, next of kin in the event of fever. Now, not so funny.

And now I can’t stop thinking of everything else that’s famously,
traditionally scary at this most phantasmagorical of film festivals.
For instance: the way stone-faced, gray-haired guards, uniformly clad
in white shirts and tan suits borrowed from the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Collection, shake their index fingers from side to side and growl "desolee"
– "sorry" — while barring journalists with lesser credentials from
entering one door or another. Or the way aggressive TV crews from
around the world, all of them toting weapon-sized video cameras capable
of bonking passers-by in the head, crowd the auditorium exits after
every big screening, waylaying stunned critics to elicit instant
reactions. Not to mention the way those journalists exiting the
theaters switch on their cell phones instantly, as if gasping
for the oxygen of feeling needed. Oh, and of course, there’s the way
sweet, bony, little old French ladies with walnut-colored skin,
Miami-colored hair, and travel-pillow-sized dogs patrol the streets of
sweet, bony, little old Cannes. Had I thought to hire one of them
as a bodyguard last year, my wallet wouldn’t have been picked.

Ah, but then, I wouldn’t have this story to tell.

The 9 a.m. movie, by the way, was I Killed My Mother, a
pleasurably stylish, impressionistic, and astute gay coming-of-age
story, all the more impressive because it’s a first feature from
20-year-old teen-ripe Montreal actor Xavier Dolan. He also stars, with
great panache. The movie ought to find a following among those who
cover their mouths with their sleeves when they cough.

More from the Cannes Film Festival:
Lars von Trier’s Antichrist: "The closest film to a scream"
Roger Ebert, A Prophet, and a trend that ought to end
Taking Woodstock = Peace and Love and Demitri Martin
Bright Star and the Scottish charms of Paul Schneider
At Cannes: Up, Tetro, and lots of balloons

READ FULL STORY »

May 18 2009 01:00 PM ET

EW exclusive: We've got the goods on 'MTV Movie Awards' presenters

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Categories: Awards Shows

MTV tells EW exclusively that Sandra Bullock, Dwayne Johnson, Sienna
Miller, Channing Tatum, Bradley Cooper, Abigail Breslin, Thomas Lennon (I Love You Man), Danny McBride (Eastbound & Down), and Sofia Vassilieva (Medium) will be presenters at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards.
Denzel Washington, Cameron Diaz, Jonah Hill, and Will Ferrell were
previously announced as presenters, along with performances by Eminem
and Kings of Leon. Saturday Night Live‘s Andy Samberg will host the show, which airs Sunday, May 31 at 9 p.m. The Dark Knight, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Twilight, Slumdog Millionaire, and Iron Man are all vying for best movie.

May 18 2009 03:30 AM ET

Bubble show updates: 'Cold Case' renewed, 'Sarah Connor' axed, and more

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Categories: Cold Case

Sarahconnorchronicles_l
I just made the following updates to my Fall TV Cheat Sheet:

• Fox: Sarah Connor Chronicles has been officially
canceled. “[Sarah Connor] has completed its run,” Fox entertainment
president Kevin Reilly confirmed at a press conference this morning. “I
think it had a nice little run. It was a good show. It was not an
either or [with Dollhouse]. We did see it tailing off a bit [in the ratings]. It had a nice creative core, but, ultimately, we made the bet on Dollhouse, so that’s it for [Sarah Connor]… We make no apologies. We gave it a lot of support and some consistent scheduling. We tried and thought it was time to move on.”
• CBS: Cold Case has been renewed for a seventh season. However, Without a Trace is looking “unlikely” to return, insiders confirm.
• ABC: The Unusuals has been officially canceled.

For up-to-the-minute renewal-cancellation-pickup scuttlebutt throughout upfront week, stay close to both my blog (the one you’re reading now!) and Twitter feed. And to track the status of your favorite bubble show, there’s my Fall TV Cheat Sheet. Finally, for the official schedule announcements (beginning with Fox today) proceed to the Hollywood Insider blog.

More TV Scoop:
NBC renews Chuck
Katherine Heigl gunning for another Emmy
Fox renews Bones for TWO seasons
ABC renews Castle, Better Off Ted
Burning Prison Break finale Qs answered
Fox renews Dollhouse

May 17 2009 11:55 PM ET

It's official: NBC renews 'Chuck' (but there's a catch)

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Categories: Chuck

Zacklevichuck_lNever underestimate the power of a $5 footlong.

NBC has finalized a deal to bring Chuck back for a third season, multiple sources confirm.

That’s the good news. Here’s the bad news: The 13-episode pickup came after Warner Bros. agreed to make significant budget concessions, including scaling back the number of episodes several members of the show’s stellar supporting cast will appear in and, per one insider, possibly eliminating one actor altogether (R.I.P. Anna Wu?). The show is also expected to cut two of its staff writers.

But back to the good news: Chuck lives on! Celebrate in the comments section!

For up-to-the-minute renewal-cancellation-pickup scuttlebutt throughout the weekend and into upfront week, stay close to both my blog (the one you’re reading now!) and Twitter feed. And to track the status of your favorite bubble show, there’s my Fall TV Cheat Sheet. Finally, for the official schedule announcements (beginning with Fox tomorrow) proceed to the Hollywood Insider blog.

May 17 2009 11:24 PM ET

'Grey's' exclusive: Katherine Heigl reenters Emmy race!

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Categories: Grey's Anatomy

Katherineheigl_lLadies and gentlemen, Katherine Heigl has just declared game on!

After a firestorm of controversy erupted around her decision to remove herself from Emmy consideration last go-’round, the Grey’s Anatomy heroine has reentered the gold derby this year, sources confirm to me exclusively.

Natch, cynics will snark that the 2007 Best Supporting Actress winner is back in the race because of the tensions that allegedly sprung up between her and series creator Shonda Rhimes after she took herself out of the running. (The movie starlet, you’ll recall, said at the time that she didn’t have material with which she could compete.) But I think — and I think you’ll agree — it’s likelier that even she knows that, whether viewers loved or loathed the Izzie’s-got-a-brain-tumor story, she played the frak out of it. She’s already earned one high profile endorsement…

“I think she did beautiful work,” Rhimes raved Thursday immediately following the season finale. “I think she always does beautiful work.”

Plus, if it turns out that Izzie did, in fact, take the Seattle Grace elevator straight to heaven, another Emmy would make a lovely parting gift, no?

So what do you think? Is Heigl just keeping the peace at work, or is she out to claim the statuette that, correct me if I’m wrong, is hers to lose? And what of her entry again in the supporting race? Should she have rolled the dice and bumped herself up to lead? Much to discuss, but no worries — “below” is a bottomless pit into which you can deposit your comments!

May 17 2009 12:49 AM ET

Wolverines! Chris Hemsworth nabs lead in 'Red Dawn'

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Categories: Casting

Chris Hemsworth, the doomed elder Captain Kirk from Star Trek, has landed the starring role in the remake of Red Dawn (2010). The 25-year-old Australian, who’s currently shooting the MGM/UA thriller Cabin In the Woods with director Drew Goddard (Cloverfield), will reprise the role of Jed Eckert, the ringleader of a ragtag group of small-town teenagers battling back against invading Russians. Patrick Swayze played tough guy Jed in the 1984 original. Hemsworth will reportedly also star in Kenneth Branagh’s Thor.

May 16 2009 11:56 PM ET

Exclusive: Fox renews 'Bones' for TWO seasons!

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Categories: Bones

Bonessex_lMake no bones about it: Fox is making a big-time commitment to Bones.

Following weeks of rumors that the four-year-old romantic comedy might jump networks over a license-fee disagreement, Fox has renewed the show for not one but two more seasons, sources confirm to me exclusively.

Let’s hope it doesn’t take Booth that long to get his frakkin’ memory back.

For up-to-the-minute renewal-cancellation-pickup scuttlebutt throughout the weekend and into upfront week, stay close to both my blog (the one you’re reading now!) and Twitter feed. And to track the status of your favorite bubble show, there’s my Fall TV Cheat Sheet.

More Bones:
Season finale recap

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