Archive: June 2009 (1-10 of 99)

Jun 30 2009 09:27 PM ET

Susan Boyle will not appear on 'Ugly Betty'

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Tags: , , News, Television

It seemed perfect: The rumor mill (specifically Perez Hilton) reported today that ultimate underdog Susan Boyle was inking a deal to appear alongside Mode underdog Betty Suarez in an upcoming episode of Ugly Betty. But unfortunately for fans of the Britain’s Got Talent break-out, it won’t happen. ABC reps say the rumor is entirely false.

Jun 30 2009 09:12 PM ET

Exclusive: Liza Minnelli, Delta Burke are dueling 'Divas'

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Delta-Burke-liza_lNow this is the kind of screwball casting I can get on board with: Liza Minnelli and Delta Burke are set to play dueling sisters on Lifetime’s upcoming legal dramedy Drop Dead Diva, sources confirm to me exclusively.

On Diva, which premieres July 12, Minnelli plays a psychic who takes her sister (Burke) to court after she opens a competing psychic shop directly across the street from her store. Their episode airs Sept. 20 and also features an encore appearance by Rosie O’Donnell as a judge.

Wait, there’s more…

The following week (Sept. 27), Nia Vardalos guest stars as an offbeat (duh) office temp who discovers that she was switched at birth.

Drop Dead Diva, the brainchild of former CSI/Bones exec producer Josh Berman, tells the story of a vapid model who dies in a sudden accident only to be reborn in the body of a brilliant, plus-size attorney (Brooke Elliott).

Might be time to introduce my FauVo to this mysterious Lifetime channel.

Jun 30 2009 08:57 PM ET

Ratings: 'Talent,' Fawcett and Jackson specials dominate week

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Finally! A week when a CBS repeat did not take the top ratings spot. For the week ending June 28, the Tuesday premiere of NBC’s America’s Got Talent finshed No. 1, reeling in 11.5 million viewers. The show’s second airing of the week also fared well on Wednesday, drawing 10.4 million viewers to land at No. 3. (For the record, a CBS repeat — of NCIS — did finish second.)

Last year’s Talent premiere nabbed 12.8 million viewers, so this year’s premiere was down by a startling 1.3 million viewers. So much for that supposed Susan Boyle effect! (Many had speculated that all of the Boyle hubbub would goose the ratings for the American version of Talent.) Still, AGT did help prop up the Wednesday premiere of No. 16 The Philanthropist, which drew 7.1 million viewers.

The biggest entertainment news stories of the week — the deaths of Michael Jackson and Charlie’s Angels star Farrah Fawcett — had a big impact on television ratings, as the networks scrambled to put together specials that celebrated the entertainers. ABC’s 20/20 earned the largest audiencefor their Thursday night special about Fawcett (which landed at No. 8 with 8.2 million viewers). CBS News, serving up a special on Jackson on the same night, clocked in at No. 13 with 7.5 million viewers.

In other new shows for the week, Fox’s two editions of So You Think You Can Dance appeared at No. 11 and 18 with 7.6 and 6.9 million viewers, respectively. The full listing — with viewership totals — is after the jump.

1. America’s Got Talent Tuesday | NBC | 11.5 million
2. NCIS (R) | CBS | 11.1 million
3. America’s Got Talent Wednesday | NBC | 10.4 million
4. The Mentalist (R) | CBS | 9.1 million
5. 60 Minutes (R) | CBS | 8.8 million
6. CSI (R) | CBS | 8.7 million
    Two and a Half Men (R) | CBS | 8.7 million
8. 20/20 Special Edition: Farrah Fawcett | ABC | 8.2 million
9. CSI: Miami (R) | CBS | 8.0 million
    Wipeout | ABC | 8.0 million
11. So You Think You Can Dance Wednesday | Fox | 7.6 million
      Criminal Minds (R) | CBS | 7.6 million
13. CBS News: Michael Jackson | CBS | 7.5 million
14. CSI: NY (R) | CBS | 7.4 million
15. The Big Bang Theory (R) | CBS | 7.2 million
16. The Philanthropist | NBC | 7.1 million
17. 48 Hours Mystery Tuesday (R) | CBS | 7.0 million
18. So You Think You Can Dance Thursday | Fox | 6.9 million
19. The Bachelorette | ABC | 6.8 million
20. Dateline Friday | NBC | 6.7 million

More TV ratings from EW:
Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett continue to dominate with viewers
Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett specials dominate Thursday night
NBC’s ‘America’s Got Talent’ helps out ‘The Philanthropist’
‘The Bachelorette’ scores, ‘I’m a Celebrity…’ snores on Monday

READ FULL STORY »

Jun 30 2009 03:18 AM ET

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's twin girls: The first official photo!

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SJP_Broderick_DL EW has obtained the first official photo of Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick’s twin daughters, born on June 22, 2009. In the photo, taken in New York City seven days after their birth, Parker holds daughter Marion Loretta Elwell, Broderick holds daughter Tabitha Hodge, and their son, James Wilkie, looks on.

Jun 29 2009 11:45 PM ET

Exclusive: SOAPNet renews 'Being Erica'

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Tags: News, Television

Yes, it’s true: We will have another season’s worth of time to pester
you into watching our new favorite Canadian drama, SOAPNet’s Being Erica. We’ve gushed about it extensively before,
but just to recap, it’s about a single girl named Erica who was stuck
in a nowhere job at a publishing company with a blah love life until
she met a seemingly magical therapist who could whisk her back in time
to various key moments in her life to rectify regrets. (It’s kinda like
Lost, but with shrinks and romance and Canadian accents.) Sources close to the production have told EW exclusively that Erica will
be back on U.S. airwaves for another 12 episodes — it was already in
production for Canada’s CBC, but SOAPNet will announce its stateside
pickup tomorrow. It’ll premiere early next year, which is great news,
since it left us with that doozy of a cliffhanger in which Erica messed
up the space-time continuum trying to save her dead brother, then ended
up with a creepy new magical therapist assigned to her. Sources say the next season will find Erica (Erin Karpluk) learning more about the dynamics of time travel and will reveal more about her enigmatic psychiatrist, Dr. Tom (Michael Riley).

Jun 29 2009 10:49 PM ET

Broadway (officially) lends T.R. Knight 'Tenor' role

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TR-Knight_l I can now confirm what I first (strongly) hinted at two weeks ago: T.R. Knight is headed to the Great White Way!

The ex-Grey’s Anatomy thesp, who earlier this month confirmed that he was leaving the ABC drama, has signed on to star in the upcoming Broadway revival of Lend Me a Tenor.

Knight will play the role of Max in the classic farce, which is being directed by Stanley Tucci and is scheduled to open in February 2010. Additional casting will be announced in the coming weeks.

Prior to Tenor, Knight will headline a production of Jason Robert Brown’s Tony-winning Parade at Los Angeles’ Mark Taper Forum.

Jun 29 2009 10:06 PM ET

Exclusive: 'Desperate Housewives' recruits 'Sopranos' vet Drea de Matteo

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Drea-de-Matteo_l Afraid Desperate Housewives would lose its edge without Nicolette Sheridan’s Edie around? You can fuhgettaboutit.

Emmy-winning Sopranos heroine Drea de Matteo is joining the cast as Wisteria Lane’s newest vixenish housewife, sources confirm to me exclusively.

De Matteo, who will be a series regular, will play the matriarch of a new Italian family. Casting is underway for her landscape designer husband and their tightly wound son.

Thoughts? IMHO, this is the second coolest piece of casting of the 2009-10 season (behind Katee Sackhoff joining 24, natch). Agree?

More TV Scoop:
Meet Law & Order: SVU‘s new ADA!
Chris and Mariska are staying with SVU

Jun 29 2009 09:38 PM ET

'SVU' scoop: Christine Lahti is the new ADA!

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Christine-Lahti_l More good news on the Law & Order: SVU front: The superb Christine Lahti is coming on board as the show’s newest ADA.

Lahti will appear in next season’s first four episodes, after which she’ll pass the rotating ADA baton back to the returning Stephanie March.

SVU begins production on its 11th season early next month.

More Law & Order: SVU scoop:

Chris and Mariska are staying!

Jun 29 2009 09:22 PM ET

'SVU' exclusive: Chris and Mariska are staying!

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Tags: , News

Law-and-order_l Phew, that was a close one.

After months of tense negotiations, Law & Order: SVU  headliners Chris Meloni and Mariska Hargitay have inked new deals to remain on the beat for not one but two more years, sources confirm to me exclusively.

The two-year part comes with an asterisk since, as you know, SVU has only been picked up for one more season (its 11th). Basically, if NBC renews the show beyond next season, Meloni and Hargitay are guaranteed to be a part of it.

As I reported in early April, talks hit a wall when the actors attempted to go after the show’s back-end profits, something that’s almost never granted in the L&O universe. A month later, NBC co-chair Marc Graboff told me that SVU would carry on with or without its two leads, adding that “there’s an offer on the table.”

So, who budged? Neither side is commenting, but indications are that a very happy compromise was forged that sweetens the duo’s $385K-per-episode salary. In exchange, both actors agreed to add a second year to their pacts.

Relieved that Chris and Mariska are staying put? Sound off in the comments!

More Law & Order: SVU scoop:
Christine Lahti is the new ADA!

Jun 29 2009 09:21 PM ET

Michael Jackson's final rehearsal: 'He was at his best,' says associate choreographer

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The associate choreographer for Michael Jackson’s comeback tour says that the 50-year-old performer “was at his best” before his sudden death last week. “He really was in good shape, he was moving well,” Stacy Walker tells EW. Walker worked with choreographer Travis Payne on the “This Is It” tour that Jackson would have headlined in London this summer. “I don’t know what he was feeling on the inside but he certainly looked good on the outside. He was very, very up and happy. We all know he wasn’t a big guy. He was always very lean. Oddly enough, his best rehearsals were his last two on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. That’s where all the magic happened. We were all like, ‘Wow!’ It was stunning and ironic that he was at his best, right before he left us.”

Walker says she and Payne were rehearsing the show’s 11 dancers at Staples Center in Los Angeles when they heard the news about Jackson. “We were waiting for Michael to come,” Walker recalls. “None of us believed it. You know, there’s so much craziness around Michael’s life, so we are pretty good at sticking with the truth. We didn’t truly believe anything until our director Kenny Ortega got an official call.”

Talks are still ongoing over whether to continue Jackson’s show in some form. “We’re hoping to still do something,” says Walker. “I don’t really know what that is at this point because it’s all very fresh, but all of us feel the need to somehow spread his message because he had a big message. It was very important to Michael for people to get along without judgment and make this world a better place. Without sounding corny, it was about taking care of each other. We’re all very hopeful we’ll be able to do something and honor his life and get his message out there.”

Jun 29 2009 09:01 PM ET

It's official: 'One Tree Hill' troublemaker returns!

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Danneel-Harris_l A One Tree Hill rep is now confirming what I first hinted at in Ask Ausiello: The bitch is back!

Danneel Harris has closed a deal to reprise her role as pot-stirrer Rachel Gatina in at least seven episodes next season, beginning with eppy 7.02.

Harris made her Tree Hill debut as Brooke’s high school nemesis in season 3 but wasn’t made a series regular until season 4. She was written out in season 5 after only a handful of episodes, an apparent victim of the show’s four-year flash forward. 

In other Tree Hill news, the last of next season’s new contract roles has gone to Nuevo 90210 grad Jana Kramer. She’ll play Alexis, a model who becomes the new face of Brooke’s clothing line. As previously reported, Lipstick Jungle‘s Robert Buckley and relative newcomer Shantel VanSanten are also joining the cast as Nathan’s sports agent and Haley’s sister respectively.

Jun 29 2009 06:11 PM ET

TV Ratings: Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett continue to dominate with viewers

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Tags: , , , News, Television

The week’s two iconic celebrity deaths continued to dominate a weekend television lineup otherwise filled with typical summer reruns and burnoffs. A repeat airing of May’s Farrah’s Story documentary, about Fawcett’s grueling battle with cancer, drew 4.7 million viewers to NBC on Friday — beating CBS’ usually solid lineup of crime-show repeats such as Ghost Whisperer (4.3 million) — while 20/20‘s hour of Michael Jackson coverage averaged 3.7 million. At 10 p.m., however, 6.6 million tuned into NBC’s Dateline dedicated to Jackson, winning the hour (and helping win the night) for the net. On Saturday, meanwhile, CBS’ murder-mystery Harper’s Island (3.5 million) continued to win the battle-of-the-canceled-shows against ABC’s Eli Stone (2.7 million) and NBC’s Kings (1.5 million)

Jun 29 2009 04:19 PM ET

Exclusive: 'Burn Notice' nabs 'Mental' case Chris Vance!

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Chris-Vance_l Chris Vance, who’s currently headlining Fox’s shrink procedural Mental, is Burn Notice-bound.

Sources confirm to me exclusively that the ex-Prison Breaker has booked a four-episode arc as Gilroy, a sophisticated and ruthless former MI-6 bigwig who now oversees freelance black ops.

Translation: He’s about to make life hell for one Michael Westen.

Vance will appear during the second half of Burn Notice‘s current third season, tentatively scheduled to air in early ’10. The gig won’t conflict with Vance’s Mental duties since production on the drama’s first (and likely only) season wrapped months ago.

Thoughts?

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  1. Tuesday, May 1
    1. The Biggest Loser NBC, 8-9PM
  2. Friday, May 4
    1. In Plain Sight USA, 10-11PM
  3. Sunday, May 6
    1. The Amazing Race CBS, 8-10PM
    2. GCB NBC, 10-11PM
  4. Monday, May 7
    1. Two Broke Girls CBS, 8-9PM
    2. Castle ABC, 10-11PM
  5. Tuesday, May 8
    1. Last Man Standing ABC, 8-8:30PM
    2. The Voice NBC, 8-10PM
    3. New Girl FOX, 9-9:31PM
    4. Unforgettable CBS, 10-11PM
  6. Wednesday, May 9
    1. CSI CBS, 10-11PM
  7. Thursday, May 10
    1. The Big Bang Theory CBS, 8-8:31PM
    2. The Vampire Diaries The CW, 8-9PM
    3. The Office NBC, 9-9:30PM
    4. The Secret Circle The CW, 9-10PM
    5. Parks and Recreation NBC, 9:30-10PM
  8. Friday, May 11
    1. The Finder FOX, 8-9PM
    2. Undercover Boss CBS, 8-9PM
    3. Fringe FOX, 9-10PM
    4. CSI: NY CBS, 9-10PM
    5. Blue Bloods CBS, 10-11PM
  9. Sunday, May 13
    1. Once Upon A Time ABC, 8-9PM
    2. Survivor: One World CBS, 8-10PM
    3. Desperate Housewives ABC, 9-11PM, SERIES FINALE
    4. American Dad FOX, 9:30-10PM
  10. Monday, May 14
    1. Bones FOX, 8-9PM
    2. How I Met Your Mother CBS, 8-9PM
    3. Gossip Girl The CW, 8-9PM
    4. Two and a Half Men CBS, 9-9:30PM
    5. Hart of Dixie The CW, 9-10PM
    6. Mike & Molly CBS, 9:30-10PM
    7. Hawaii Five-0 CBS, 10-11PM
    8. Smash NBC, 10-11PM
  11. Tuesday, May 15
    1. 90210 The CW, 8-9PM
    2. Cougar Town ABC, 8-9PM
    3. NCIS CBS, 8-9PM
    4. NCIS: Los Angeles CBS, 9-11PM
    5. Fashion Star NBC, 10-11PM
    6. Private Practice ABC, 10-11PM
  12. Wednesday, May 16
    1. Suburgatory ABC, 8:30-9PM
    2. Criminal Minds CBS, 9-11PM
  13. Thursday, May 17
    1. Missing ABC, 8-9PM
    2. Community NBC, 8-8:30PM, 9-10PM
    3. 30 Rock NBC, 8:30-9PM
    4. Rules of Engagement CBS, 8:30-9PM
    5. Awake NBC, 9-11PM
    6. Grey's Anatomy ABC, 9-10PM
    7. Person of Interest CBS, 9-10PM
    8. The Mentalist CBS, 10-11PM
    9. Scandal ABC, 10-11PM
  14. Friday, May 18
    1. Nikita The CW, 8-9PM
    2. Shark Tank ABC, 8-9PM
    3. Who Do You Think You Are NBC, 8-9PM
    4. Grimm NBC, 9-10PM
    5. Supernatural The CW, 9-10PM
  15. Saturday, May 19
    1. Saturday Night Live NBC, 11:29PM-1AM
  16. Sunday, May 20
    1. America's Funniest Home Videos ABC, 7-8PM
    2. The Cleveland Show FOX, 7:30-8PM
    3. Harry's Law NBC, 8-9PM
    4. The Simpsons FOX, 8-8:30PM
    5. Bob's Burgers FOX, 8:30-9PM
    6. Celebrity Apprentice NBC, 9-11PM
    7. Family Guy FOX, 9-10PM
  17. Monday, May 21
    1. Dancing With the Stars (Performance) ABC, 8-9PM
    2. House FOX, 8-10PM, SERIES FINALE
  18. Tuesday, May 22
    1. American Idol (Performance) FOX, 8-9PM
    2. Dancing With the Stars (Results) ABC, 9-11PM
    3. Glee FOX, 9-10PM
  19. Wednesday, May 23
    1. The Middle ABC, 8-8:30PM
    2. American Idol (Results) FOX, 8-10:07PM
    3. Modern Family ABC, 9-9:30PM
    4. Don't Trust the B— ABC, 9:30-10PM
    5. Revenge ABC, 10-11PM
    6. Law & Order: SVU NBC, 10-11PM
  20. Tuesday, May 29
    1. The L.A. Complex The CW, 9-10PM
  21. Wednesday, May 30
    1. America's Next Top Model: British Invasion The CW, 9-10PM
*Times are Eastern Daylight and subject to change

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