Archive: August 2009 (105-117 of 129)

Aug 5 2009 03:35 PM ET

Press Tour Diary: 'Trauma'

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Categories: Trauma

trauma-cast_lWHO: Anastasia Griffith, Derek Luke, Cliff Curtis, Jamey Sheridan, Taylor Kinney, Kevin Rankin, and exec producers Peter Berg, Jeffrey Reiner, and Dario Scardapane.
PREMISE: ER only completely outdoors. (It follows first responder paramedics.) Despite the impressive pedigree — Berg and Reiner hail from FNL — I just can’t get excited about this show. Probably explains why I haven’t watched the pilot yet.

12:10 pm/PST: “We’re not going to blow up the world every week,” says e.p. Dario Scardapane. “But there will be an intense event that these people will respond to.”

12:14 pm: Press tour makes you smarter. I just learned that MCI stands for mass casualty incidents.

12:24 pm: A question about the abundance of medical shows yields this unchecked statistic: There are 26 medical dramas on TV at the moment, a fact that Berg finds shocking. “There are 26 medical dramas on TV?” he marvels. “That’s a lot.”

12:29 pm: Press tour makes you smarter. I just learned that Anastasia Griffith (Damages) is British.

12:32 pm: Press tour makes you smarter. I just learned that PTS stands for post traumatic stress. Just kidding. I knew that. I’m just bored. And hungry. Speaking of which…

… it’s lunchtime!

Aug 5 2009 02:51 PM ET

Press Tour Diary: 'Community'

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Categories: Community

community-Cast_lWHO: Joel McHale, Chevy Chase, Alison Brie, Danny Pudi, Gillian Jacobs, Ken Jeong, Yvette Nicole Brown, Donald Glover and exec producers Dan Harmon, Joe Russo, and Anthony Russo.
PREMISE: Picture The Office in a community college setting. My second favorite new comedy after ABC’s Modern Family.

11:21 am: Doesn’t the show make fun of community college students? Exec producer Dan Harmon, a community college alum himself, insists it does not.

11:24 am: Daily Show John Oliver will return as Professor Duncan for two of the first 12 episodes.

11:31 am: McHale will continue to host The Soup on E!, but he’ll have less time to screen clips and stuff beforehand.

11:33 am: Chevy Chase just made a masturbation joke.

11:35 am: The cast loves picking Chase’s brain on the set. “He literally knows where all the bodies are buried [in Hollywood],” says Yvette Nicole Brown. Adds Ken Jeong. “I’m like Chris Farley on SNL. ‘Remember in Fletch when you… ‘” The lovefest continues. “This is the best cast… We were just hoping [co-star] Alison [Brie] would put out a little more.” Paging Human Resources…

11:41 am: On getting McHale to play the lead, e.p. Harmon deadpans, “He had a talent deal at NBC. I didn’t even like him.”

11:45 am: Danny Pudi’s character may or may not have Asperger’s Syndrome. “He’s just a unique guy,” says e.p. Harmon, “with strange social mannerisms.”

Aug 5 2009 12:43 PM ET

Press Tour Diary: NBC bosses tout plans for 'Chuck,' 'FNL,' 'Southland,' Paula Abdul, and more!

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Categories: Chuck, Friday Night Lights

chuck-friday-night-lights_lWHO: Peacock entertainment prez Angela Bromstad, alternate programming and production VP Paul Telegdy, and the ghost of ex-chairman Ben Silverman.
PREDICTIONS: Silverman postmortem, lots of chatter about the late-night wars and Leno’s move to 10 p.m., possibly some Paula Abdul reaction…

9:44 am/PST: Not even the promise of a “hot breakfast” could drag me to this morning’s Wake Up With Al [Roker] panel. Don’t we already wake up with Al? The whole thing is confusing to me.

9:48 am: Appropriately, the first two words uttered are “Ben” and “Silverman.” The context: Why didn’t any of his summer experiments (Merlin, The Philanthropist, etc) work?

9:52 am: The Paula Abdul question! Might she come work for NBC? “Paula is an exceptional talent,” says Telegdy. “We have no specific plans for her, but I read the breaking news last night and wouldn’t rule anything out.”

9:53 am: On losing Bryan Fuller again on Heroes, “He was there to get them back on track,” says Bromstad. “Our deal with Bryan now is development. We’re looking forward to his development…. He’s no longer in the writing room and the show is doing exceptionally well creatively.”

9:54 am: Bromstad says it was always Silverman’s plan to come in, run the network into the ground, and then walk away in disgrace. Here’s how she actually put it: “This has always been Ben’s plan to transition back to his entrepreneurial roots. I don’t think he was looking to be at NBC for a long-term thing.” (This gets a huge laugh in the ballroom.) READ FULL STORY »

Aug 5 2009 12:32 PM ET

Ratings: 'America's Got Talent' still on top Tuesday

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Categories: Reality TV, TV Ratings

A two-hour installment of America’s Got Talent helped NBC take Tuesday night in the ratings, as well as the 9 and 10 p.m. hours. ABC fared worse with a supersized 90-minute edition of The Superstars, which attracted only 2.8 million viewers. Fox’s plus-sized Bachelor, More to Love, held on to its audience to match last week’s premiere.

Time Show Viewers (in millions)
8 p.m. NCIS (CBS)
America’s Got Talent (NBC)
Hell’s Kitchen (Fox)
The Superstars (ABC)
90210 (The CW)		 9.4 (repeat)
7.2 (repeat)
6.5
2.8
.9 (repeat)
9 p.m. America’s Got Talent (NBC)
Big Brother (CBS)
More to Love (Fox)
Hitched or Ditched (The CW)		 12.7
6.6
4.1
1.1 (repeat)
9:30 p.m. Scrubs (ABC) 1.7 (repeat)
10 p.m. Medium (CBS)
Primetime: Family Secrets (ABC)		 4.3 (repeat)
3.3

Read more:
Henning Fog recaps America’s Got Talent
John Young recaps Hell’s Kitchen

Aug 5 2009 11:42 AM ET

Darth Vader's in the 'House'

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Categories: House

I’m a little late with this one but legendary actor James Earl Jones will guest star in this season’s fourth episode of House, a Fox spokesperson confirms. Jones will play President Antipas Dibala, a dictator from an African country who becomes a patient at Princeton Plainsboro.

Aug 4 2009 11:11 PM ET

'Grey's' scoop: Chandra Wilson crossing over to 'Private Practice'

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Categories: Misc.

wilson-diggs_lHere’s the big takeaway from today’s Private Practice set visit at press tour (as per several eyewitnesses): Exec producer Shonda Rhimes announced that Chandra Wilson’s pulling double duty!

The Grey’s Anatomy Emmy nominee will cross over to sister show Private Practice early into season 6 (episode 3, specifically) when Bailey visits Oceanside Wellness. I’m told the READ FULL STORY »

Aug 4 2009 10:38 PM ET

Did we get punk'd by Ashton Kutcher?

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Categories: Misc.

Beautiful-Life_lTurns out Beautiful Life exec producer Ashton Kutcher wasn’t being completely honest with us this morning when he said there were “no casting changes” on The CW’s new model-centric soap. Shortly after the panel concluded, a tipster sent me the following message via e-mail:

“No cast changes? Ha. The guy at the far right in the photo attached to your post will be gone by the end of episode 2.”

That “guy” is former As the World Turns star Jordan Woolley and, upon further investigation, multiple sources confirm that he will, in fact, be off the show by the end of the second episode.

I’m going to give Kutcher the benefit of the doubt and say he probably didn’t intentionally lie to us. I’m sure he was so worried about toeing the company line on Mischa Barton that he forgot Woolley had been cut. Or perhaps he never considered him a part of the cast because he wasn’t technically a series regular. Yeah, I’m sure it’s one of those.

Aug 4 2009 07:17 PM ET

Ratings: 'America's Got Talent,' 'Bachelorette' top another week

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Categories: TV Biz, TV Ratings

For the week ending Aug. 2, NBC’s summer powerhouse America’s Got Talent was on top yet again. The show’s Tuesday and Wednesday episodes came in at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, drawing 13.2 million and 11.2 million viewers. But right on the heels of NBC’s talentfest was the finale of ABC’s The Bachelorette, which rolled in at a strong No. 3 with 10.9 million viewers — a season high for the series. Jillian’s big decision meant big, youthful ratings for the frothy summer dating show, which earned nearly 50 percent of its viewers from the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demo (where it topped Talent at No. 1 for the week) and scored again at No. 11 for its After the Final Rose special on Tuesday.

As has been the case for most of the summer, repeats dominate the Top 20. After The Bachelorette‘s Tuesday special at No. 11, the next new show was So You Think You Can Dance, which appears at No. 12 and No. 14, with 7.8 million and 7.6 million viewers for its Wednesday and Tuesday episodes, respectively. The second week of Hell’s Kitchen rolls in at No. 16 with 7.0 million viewers — a surprising 8 percent boost over the previous week’s premiere episode. (All that yelling from Gordon Ramsay in the debut did not go unnoticed by viewers!) The final new episode to make the Top 20 was the Sunday edition of CBS’s Big Brother, which appears at No. 17 with 6.8 million viewers.

The full Top 20 is after the jump.

READ FULL STORY »

Aug 4 2009 07:01 PM ET

'Criminal Minds' exclusive: D.B. Sweeney's on the case for six episodes

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Categories: Criminal Minds

DB-Sweeney_lCriminal Minds has tapped D.B. Sweeney  for a six-episode arc, exec producer Ed Bernero confirms to me exclusively. “He’s playing a U.S. Marshal who’s brought in to help with a big [case] that arcs through the first part of the season,” Bernero reveals. “He’s a contemporary of our team and knows several members of our team really well.”

In other Minds news, Bernero confirms that co-star Shemar Moore broke his leg after being struck by a car while riding his bicycle over the weekend. The injury will have little impact on Moore’s Minds workload, however. “We’re not even going to write it into the show,” says Bernero. “He’s going to be back to work next Monday.  It’s right under his knee and he has a walking cast. He’s just really sore right now. “

Moore’s co-star, Matthew Gray Gubler, didn’t fare as well. READ FULL STORY »

Aug 4 2009 06:44 PM ET

Exclusive: Eddie Van Halen to appear on `Two and A Half Men'

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Categories: Misc., Television

Two-Half-Men-Van-Halen_lLook who’s hot for…Two and A Half Men! Eddie Van Halen will play himself in an episode when the CBS comedy returns Sept. 21, executive producer Chuck Lorre confirmed to EW exclusively. Lorre approached the guitar god - while on his recent honeymoon, no less! – after learning he was a big fan of the sitcom. “He was gracious enough to do a cameo, which is really cool,” Lorre said.

Van Halen’s scene is expected to tape this week in Burbank, CA. And yes, promises Lorre, Van Halen will play the guitar.

Photo credits: Eddie Van Halen (Sara De Boer/Retna Ltd.); Two And A Half Men (Greg Gayne/CBS)

Aug 4 2009 05:14 PM ET

Ratings: 'Criminal Intent' grows while 'Dark' drops

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Categories: Reality TV, Television, TV Biz, TV Ratings

NBC’s decision to air Law & Order: Criminal Intent episodes on Monday nights appears finally to be paying off. The series, which only reached 2.2 million viewers last week, jumped up this week to 5.4 million, according to preliminary overnight ratings. Over on ABC, a Sugarland special failed to impress with only 4.2 million fans while dating competition Dating in the Dark, no longer benefitting from The Bachelorette as a lead-in, dropped steeply from last week’s 6.4 million to 3.7 million.

Show Title Viewers (in millions)
8pm How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Great American Road Trip (NBC)
House (Fox)
Sugarland: Live on the Inside (ABC)
One Tree Hill (The CW)		 4.8 (repeat)
4.6
4.5 (repeat)
4.2
0.9 (repeat)
8:30pm Rules of Engagement (CBS) 5.3 (repeat)
9pm Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC)
Lie to Me (Fox)
Dating in the Dark (ABC)
Gossip Girl (The CW)		 9.5 (repeat)
5.4
2.9 (repeat)
2.8 (repeat)
0.8 (repeat)
9:30pm The Big Bang Theory (CBS) 8.2 (repeat)
10pm CSI: Miami (CBS)
Dateline: NBC (NBC)
Dating in the Dark (ABC)		 7.8 (repeat)
6.8
3.7
Aug 4 2009 03:12 PM ET

Press Tour Diary: The CW executive session

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Categories: Gossip Girl, Smallville, Supernatural

Smallville-supernatural_lWHO: Network president Dawn Ostroff

11:48 am/PST: Ostroff saw an opportunity to make some traction on Friday night, hence  the decision to move “a big established hit like Smallville” there.

11:50 am: Ostroff says we’d be surprised how many 35-year-old men come up to her and admit to loving The CW.

11:52 am: “I hope it’s not the last season,” Ostroff says of Smallville. “I think the producers have come up with some really good storylines this season. I think the show has a lot of life left in it. We have high hopes for it staying on the air for a while.”

11:54 am: Ostroff also hopes Supernatural will remain on the air “for a while.”

11:56 am: Gossip Girl spinoff is “unlikely.”

11:57 am: A Melrose-90210 crossover is a possibility “down the road.”

12:01 pm: There are no immediate plans for Michael Rosenbaum to return to Smallville, but Lex’s presence will continue to be felt. “I wouldn’t rule out [him coming back],” she says. “But I don’t know if it’ll happen this season.” READ FULL STORY »

Aug 4 2009 02:23 PM ET

Press Tour Diary: 'Melrose Place'

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Categories: Melrose Place

Melrose-Place-cast_lWHO: Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, Colin Egglesfield, Michael Rady, Jessica Lucas, Katie Cassidy, Stephanie Jacobsen, Laura Leighton, Thomas Calabro, and exec producers Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer
PREMISE: “New faces, new drama, same pool.”

11:01 am/PST: “There was no downside to coming back and playing [Sydney] again,” says Laura Leighton, looking like she hasn’t aged a day in 10 years.

11:02 am: We’re only two minutes in and Ashlee Simpson-Wentz’ faux cackle is already making my ears bleed.

11:07 am: The murder in the premiere will be solved within the first couple of episodes, but “there will still be a lot of mystery and suspense,” says Darren Swimmer. In related news (spoiler alert), Sydney will continue to appear via flashback and will still “play a strong part in everyone’s lives.”

11:09 am: “The door is always open for Heather Locklear,” says exec producer Todd Slavkin. “We have a great way for her to [join] the show.” READ FULL STORY »

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