Joe Jonas’ stint on Brothers & Sisters has been cut short. Very short. As in, it’s not happening.
Sources confirm to me exclusively that plans for the singer to guest star as a young version of Balthazar Getty’s Tommy have fallen through. Make It or Break It‘s Cody Longo has been tapped to replace him.
What happened? READ FULL STORY »
A minor traffic infraction lands Sheldon in court in the March 1 episode of The Big Bang Theory, but it’s what Jim Parsons calls his “lack of delicacy with the English language” that prompts the judge to throw him in the pokey (thus causing him to miss meeting his idol, comic-book legend Stan Lee.)
“He gets pushed to his limits and gets cross with the judge,” Parsons explains. “The phrase ‘catching more flies with sugar than with vinegar’ makes no sense to him. The truth is really all that matters.”
His stint in jail is cut short when READ FULL STORY »
Without a Trace grad Enrique Murciano has joined the cast of the Shonda Rhimes-produced ABC pilot Off the Map, sources confirm. READ FULL STORY »
Talk about deadline pressure. ABC’s decision to not only cancel Ugly Betty but to reduce the show’s episode order from 22 to 20 has left producers racing to tie up four years’ worth of story lines in just a handful of episodes. The first order of business: straightening out Betty’s unresolved dental issues. READ FULL STORY »
True Blood has found its next bat-bleep-crazy villainess. READ FULL STORY »
As ABC announced last week, Bachelor producers are busy preparing for the Jason Mesnick-Molly Malaney nuptials on March 8 – the first-ever wedding to come out of the seven-year-old series (Ryan and Trista Sutter met on The Bachelorette). But in some ways, the wedding opens old wounds for producers — specifically how the spoilerific blog realitysteve.com, run by Steve Carbone, accurately revealed last year that Mesnick would first propose to Melissa Rycroft and then dump her for Malaney on a shocking After the Final Rose special. So far this year, Carbone’s blog has already leaked several details about the latest season of The Bachelor starring Jake Pavelka (pictured), including locations of dates, which contestants received “date roses,” and who would be sent home. He’s even posted spoilers about who he claims will be the final two women standing, and who ultimately gets the final rose.
“That’s something that kind of bugs us,” executive producer Mike Fleiss told EW exclusively. “In some ways, it’s just more promotion. We would like to find out [who his source is].” While Fleiss says the show has taken extreme measures in the past to track down leaks — “We spent a lot of money and we hired these guys from the Israeli secret service to shake down people and look at phone records and stuff like that. We ultimately found out who it was. That person no longer works for us.” — he has not gone to such lengths to suss out Carbone’s mole. “We would love to know if anyone knows [who the source is]. I’m offering a $25 reward!” Fleiss’ laissez-faire approach to the leak is due in part to the fact that the realitysteve.com spoilers did not keep fans from tuning in to Jason’s season: The After the Final Rose bombshell scored 17.5 million viewers last March.
As for Carbone, the blogger says he relies on several tipsters who “just fell into my lap.” A former sports talk deejay from L.A. — he’s now living in Texas while working as a national sales rep for home furnishing companies — Carbone says that while he wouldn’t want to read spoilers on his favorite shows like Survivor or American Idol, he likes to “one up” The Bachelor simply because he can. “I don’t go looking for this stuff, it comes to me because I’m willing to throw the show under the bus,” he explains, adding that he’s never received a complaint from ABC or Fleiss. Since his site gets only about 400,000 to 500,000 page views a week, Carbone doesn’t believe it impacts the show negatively. “I spilled everything about this season on Jan. 6, and I don’t think the ratings have suffered. People are still watching because they want to see it play out.”
And (once again), he’s right about The Bachelor: The audience for the Feb. 1 episode grew by 200,000 viewers for a total of 11.7 million, and the show is up 10% in viewers versus the same time last year.
To hear more from Fleiss on the Mesnick-Malaney nuptials, pick up the next issue of Entertainment Weekly, on stands Feb. 5.
Got a scoop request? An anonymous tip you’re dying to share? Just want to say hi? You can send any/all of the above to ausielloscoop@ew.com
Question: Anything good coming up for Alex on Grey’s Anatomy? —Jesse
Ausiello: I don’t know if Izzie would consider this good, but the Feb. 18 episode will answer this burning question: Which of Seattle Grace’s other female docs has Alex hooked up with in the past?
Question: Any news on who is going to play Debbie Pelt on True Blood? —Henry
Ausiello: Big news: The role’s been cast!
Question: Ausiello, I really need some Glee scoop. —Lucio
Ausiello: If you liked last fall’s “Wheels” installment, then rumor has it you’re going to love the third episode back. And by love I mean cry like a teething baby that’s just been dropped on its head. It’s probably no coincidence that both episodes share the same Emmy-winning director: Paris Barclay. READ FULL STORY »
Lost heroine Cynthia Watros has found herself one hell of a plum role on House. READ FULL STORY »
Apparently, it took CBS all of three days after the Big Brother 11 finale last September to approach Jordan Lloyd and Jeff Schroeder about competing in the 16th edition of The Amazing Race, which premieres Feb. 14. Despite attempts by fans to blow the lid off their latest endeavor, Lloyd and Schroeder couldn’t talk about their participation until now — and they’re not ashamed to admit they’ve watched about as much AR as they have BB. Which is to say, they almost never tuned in before agreeing to hit the race course. “We thought we were going to coast through it like BB, you know, like ‘oh we never saw this before’ and Jordan is like, ‘I never watched BB so I can do this, too,’” Schroeder tells EW. “But it’s a totally different game.”
Ya think? The couple can’t give discuss specifics, though Lloyd recalls having some concerns about the show’s physical demands. “I don’t like to work out. Everybody knows that. If I work out one day, I want to see results and so yeah I was worried,” she says. “Though I was more so worried about having to eat a bug or something. I would rather Jeff eat a bug than me.” When asked if the two ever got hurt, Schroeder would only say, “We are in perfect health right now.”
And apparently, so is their relationship. Though the couple definitely had their share of spats on the course, Schroeder insists their bond remains strong. “To throw a couple into a stressful situation like this, you are going to see different sides to both people,” says Schroeder. “We definitely didn’t stray from who we are. We got along, we got through it and we’re still together. It made us stronger, I think.” And now their goal is to eventually end up in the same state. Lloyd has since moved back to North Carolina, where she resumed her job as a receptionist at a hair salon, while Schroeder is back in Chicago, Ill. where he returned to his sales gig in advertising (the couple made a brief appearance on CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful in October). “This is the longest we’ve gone without being together,” says Schroeder. “One of us has to move … I’m not saying anyone’s getting engaged though, anything like that.”
For more on Lloyd and Schroeder’s participation in Amazing Race, pick up the next issue of Entertainment Weekly – on stands Friday.
Photo Credit: Monty Brinton/CBS
Sources confirm that Sarah Chalke has landed the female lead in the ABC comedy pilot Freshman.
The Scrubs vet will play Jane, a smart and funny freshman congresswoman who excels at pretty much everything except (drumroll… ) relationships! READ FULL STORY »
Virginia Madsen has landed the lead in Scoundrels, an ABC dramedy about a family of small-town criminals who attempt to go straight after the patriarch is sent to prison. Madsen would play the mom. The show — which has been picked up for eight episodes (all of them slated to air this summer) — is based on the New Zealand series Outrageous Fortune.
Tom Welling may be back on The CW next season — at least as a producer. The network has picked up a Welling-produced dramedy pilot set in world of competitive college cheerleading titled Hellcats. It’s Election meets Bring it On.
You thinking what I’m thinking? ‘Cause I’m thinking there may be Smallville-related strings attached to this deal. But that’s pure speculation on my part.
The CW has also given a green light to READ FULL STORY »
I feel like I’ve been talking about this episode for the past three months. Oh, wait — I have been talking about it for the past three months. I’m referring, of course, to next Monday’s rapturously anticipated (at least by me!) all-Cuddy installment of House. The change-of-pace hour — titled “5 to 9″ — offers a rare and fascinating peek into a day in the life of Lisa Edelstein’s long-suffering taskmistress. As a special treat to my Cuddy-obsessed brethren, I present you with an exclusive first look at the episode’s action-packed, PG-13-rated teaser after the jump… READ FULL STORY »
James Hibberd
@James_Hibberd
Lynette Rice
@EWLynette
