Archive: December 2010 (144-156 of 163)

Dec 3 2010 01:24 PM ET

'Dora the Explorer' lawsuit withdrawn

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Categories: TV Biz

Caitlin Sanchez, the 14-year-old who had voiced the popular cartoon character, Dora the Explorer, withdrew her lawsuit against Nickelodeon, MTV Networks, and Viacom, according to the Hollywood Reporter. In October, Sanchez had sued Nickelodeon for millions of dollars and accused them of denying her a share of merchandising revenue. Sanchez had been relieved of her job as the voice of Dora after her voice changed. No financial details of any settlement were announced.

Read more:
Dora the Explorer does ‘Inception’

Dec 3 2010 12:42 PM ET

'Fringe' shines creatively but falters in ratings; fans still flock to 'Grey's Anatomy'

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Categories: Fall TV, Ratings, Television, TV Ratings

thursday-ratingsImage Credit: Danny Feld/ABC; Liane Hentscher/Fox; Chris Haston/NBCIt was arguably the best, most original episode of Fringe to date. Too bad so many of you missed it: Only 5.1 million people tuned into the Fox drama Thursday night, which was also down 5 percent in adults 18 to 49 (1.8 rating/5 share) from its most recent airing on Nov. 18. If this genre series were on AMC (or featured zombies), the media world would be calling it a monster hit. Sadly, the threshold for success is far different on broadcast TV, so Fringe will always be viewed as a niche performer with a small but rabid fan base. Let’s hope it finds a far more comfortable home on Fridays where it’ll face less competition.

ABC was the network that ruled Thursday in 18-49 (3.1/8). Following the annual special Santa Claus is Coming to Town (2.3/7, 7.3 million), Grey’s Anatomy scored a timeslot-winning 4.0/10 and 10.9 million viewers,  followed by Private Practice (2.9/8, 7.9 million). NBC finished second in the demo (2.2/6) for airing originals of Community (1.9/6, 4.5 million), 30 Rock (2.3/6, 5 million), The Office (3.7/10, 7.3 million), Outsourced (2.5/7, 5.3 million) and The Apprentice (1.4/4 4 million). Fox finished third in the demo, with Bones posting a 2.4/7 and 8.8 million.

CBS was fourth in the demo (1.9/5) because it aired repeats. It came in first, however, in viewers (9 million), followed by ABC (8.7 million), Fox (7 million), NBC (5 million), Univision (3.8 million) and The CW (3.2 million). The CW won the night in teens and females 12-17.

Dec 3 2010 12:11 PM ET

Ben Sherwood, 'Charlie St. Cloud' author, sails to ABC News

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Categories: Television

ABC News has found its new president. Former Good Morning America producer Ben Sherwood is set to fill the soon-to-be vacant spot left by David Westin, who is stepping down as ABC News President at the end of 2010. Sherwood, author of The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud, and The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life, worked at ABC News before jumping on board at Good Morning America. He left the morning show in 2006 to pursue writing.

Read more:
‘The Survivors Club’ EW review
Ben Sherwood talks disaster movie survival
‘Charlie St. Cloud’ writer’s next film
‘The Man Who Ate the 747′ EW review

Dec 3 2010 09:30 AM ET

'House,' 'Dexter,' 'Bones,' 'The Closer': Find out what's next in The Spoiler Room

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Categories: Bones, Community, Dexter, Friday Night Lights, Greek, House, Leverage, Off the Map, Psych, Scoop, Smallville, Television, The Closer, The Spoiler Room

spoiler-roomImage Credit: Chris Haston/Fox; TNT; Randy Tepper/ShowtimeThe holidays are here, Roomies, and it truly is the most wonderful time of the year…. Okay, there are those crowds of holiday shoppers everywhere, all so rabidly hungry for deals that they’d trade their first born for $5 off the latest Snuggie to be pimped in a commercial by an ear-killing holiday-themed song. That does make a strong case for staying indoors, shopping online, and of course, watching TV (the only true path toward happiness — and vitamin D deficiency).

Still not convinced to ride out the Yuletide retail madness from the comfort of your sofa? This week’s scoop might help. I have dish on December episodes of The Closer, Leverage, Dexter, Bones, and more. Plus, looking ahead, the lovely Lisa Edelstein weighs in on what we can expect in January episodes of House. Now, that’s something to celebrate.

Remember to keep sending in scoop requests. Twitter replies/direct messages work well (@EW or @EWSandraG). And thanks to ALS for suggesting opening up an e-mail request line. I’m happy to announce SpoilerRoom@ew.com is now up and running! Now use it!

‘HOUSE’: LISA EDELSTEIN PREVIEWS CANDICE BERGEN GUEST APPEARANCE
House has only been on break a little over a week now, but if you’re anything like me, you’re already as twitchy as House during Vicodin withdrawal. So I called in reinforcements in the form of the lovely Lisa Edelstein (up for a People’s Choice Award!). When the show returns Jan. 17, Candice Bergen guests as Cuddy’s controlling mother, visiting Princeton-Plainsboro to (what else!) pry and shake things up. “Her mother is the kind of mother who thinks the most loving thing she can do is tell you the worst things she knows about you,” Edelstein said. And Mom’s first meeting with her daughter’s surly boyfriend is far from love at first sight. (Between the scruffy face and bedside manner, are you really surprised?) Undeterred, House is determined to win over Cuddy’s mom. “House is really trying in this relationhip. He’s not brushing it off like it’s nothing.  He really wants to be that guy.”

In other familial news, House also recently cast Paula Marshall in the role of Cuddy’s sister, Lucinda, whom Edelstein has a long history with. “She and I have been in all the same casting offices for 20 years. Anybody — especially in your 20s — who’s dark-haired and funny ends up in the same room,” she joked.

One final House call: After a few episodes of peeved Cuddy giving House her dagger eyes, we can look forward to peace on the horizon. “That’s not going to last forever,” Edelstein told me. “She knows who he is. It’s just that when you’re at the beginning of a relationship, everyone is trying to be the best of themselves, and when somebody does something like he did, it’s frightening because it means that that’s still the best of what they have to offer. But she gets over it and life moves forward. Family definitely triggers a lot more stuff, but nothing that they can’t surpass.”

‘THE CLOSER’: SHAKE-UP AT THE STATION? READ FULL STORY »

Dec 3 2010 09:00 AM ET

'Glee' exclusive video: Chris Colfer and Darren Criss duet on 'Baby It's Cold Outside,' plus Lea Michele sings 'Merry Christmas, Darling'

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Categories: Glee, Scoop, Television, TV Biz, TV Scoop

Who needs a husky, bearded old dude in a red suit to deliver presents when you’ve got the equally magical folks at EW? (Also, someone sneaking into your house through the chimney is really sketchy.) In lieu of breaking and entering, EW is gifting you Gleeks with not one but TWO excellent (and EXCLUSIVE) videos from next Tuesday’s Glee holiday bonanza. First off is my personal fave of the pair: a flirty and romantic “Baby It’s Cold Outside” duet between Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Blaine (Darren Criss). Then we have now-single Rachel (Lea Michele) singing “Merry Christmas, Darling,” wearing kind of a sad, floppy hat. Hopefully, these clip gifts will provide you all with more joy than, say, a thesaurus from your grandparents or a pair of panda socks from your crazy aunt. Watch below… READ FULL STORY »

Dec 3 2010 12:01 AM ET

InsideTV podcast: EW experts chat with 'Survivor' villain NaOnka about jury controversy, talk Christmas movie cliches, and preview the 'Walking Dead' finale

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Categories: InsideTV Podcast, Survivor, The Walking Dead

Image Credit: Scott Garfield/AMC; Disney Enterprises; Monty Brinton/CBS

If you thought Survivor: Nicaragua villain-turned-quitter NaOnka Mixon regrets the way she tackled a one-legged woman, berated a nice little surfer boy, stole the tribe’s food or turned on best buddy Brenda…think again! “I don’t regret s—” she announces on this week’s edition of the InsideTV podcast. NaOnka called in to discuss her impressive lack of remorse as well as whether she thought Jeff Probst would allow her on the jury after quitting (“He gave me the easy way out”) and how some parents of the kids she teaches gym to want her fired after seeing how she acted on the show. (Shocking, I know.) A clearly dumbfounded Michael Slezak and Annie Barrett also chime in about this week’s controversial episode. But that’s not all! On Sunday night The Walking Dead will finish its all too brief run of cable television dominance. We’ve seen the season finale, and will tell you what to expect not only this Sunday, but beyond for season 2 as well. Zombie guru Clark Collis joins us to break down the season so far, and reveal why you’re going to be glued to your set on Sunday. On a lighter note, ’tis the season for really horrible TV Christmas movies. There are 16 new ones heading to the small screen this month, and our man Dan Snierson watched every single one of them for our annual Holiday Movie Cliché Checklist. Dan will tell us which categories came up big winners this year (Dramatic Plug-in of Lights, Poignant Stare at Old Photo, Elf High Jinks) and which ones simply didn’t make the cut (Concern About Santa’s Diet, Orphan/Dog Given New Home). You’ll never look at holiday movies the same way again. Come to think of it, you may never look at holiday movies again—period. To join in all the fun, just click on the audio player below. And in the best news of all, we’re now on iTunes! You can subscribe for free right here and take InsideTV with you on the go. Where you go exactly is completely up to you. And to send a question to InsideTV, follow us on Twitter @InsideTVPodcast. Enjoy!

Dec 2 2010 06:10 PM ET

'SNL' exclusive promo photo: De Niro and Diddy-Dirty Money in alliteration heaven

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Categories: EW Exclusive, Saturday Night Live, Television

Dana Edelson/NBC

This weekend’s Saturday Night Live will be most excellent for those of us who love alliteration: Robert De Niro is hosting while Diddy-Dirty Money plays the role of musical guest. As you can see in this exclusive promo photo, Diddy is quite happy about this news, while De Niro is busy trying on his best Pete Campbell bitchface for size. Grrrl, you won’t want to miss this show! Who else finds themselves pulling a David Letterman looking at this photo? De Niro, Diddy. Diddy, De Niro…

Read more:
Robert De Niro’s ‘SNL’ promos: Yes, she’s talking to him
Robert De Niro, Paul Rudd, and Jeff Bridges to host ‘SNL’

Dec 2 2010 04:51 PM ET

'Cleveland Show' star Mike Henry talks about working with Kanye, Justin Timberlake, and Carl Reiner

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Categories: Family Guy, Robot Chicken, Scoop, The Cleveland Show

Mike-HenryIn 2008, when it was announced that Family Guy character Cleveland Brown was getting his own show, much of the media coverage concentrated on the fact that one of TV’s rare black sitcom lead roles was going to be voiced by a white man, Mike Henry. More than two years on, the conversation about The Cleveland Show seems to have moved on from the color of Henry’s skin to the quality of the guest stars he has convinced to visit with his Stoolbend-dwelling animated character. That list of notables includes Kanye West, LeBron James, Justin Timberlake, Hall & Oates, Arianna Huffington, and, most bizarrely, famed auteur David Lynch, who has a recurring role as “Gus the Bartender” (although, the fictional nature of Lynch’s Gus didn’t prevent one patron of the Broken Stool bar telling him to “Shut up, Eraserhead!” in a recent episode).

One of the guests who seems to have left the biggest impression on the Cleveland crew is legendary comedy craftsman and Man with Two Brains director Carl Reiner. “He was a d—, and a little green frankly,” deadpans Henry, who in addition to voicing Cleveland Brown and his stepson Rallo is an executive producer on the show. “No, you talk about a sharp tack. I believe the guy is 88 now and he totally understood everything we were going for, practically reading it cold. He was so good that we actually invited him to sit in our writers’ room for a few days. Not only was he a legend in telling cool stories, but he was actually pitching jokes that were funny. He has a story credit on one of our scripts for next year.” READ FULL STORY »

Dec 2 2010 02:01 PM ET

'Fringe' Scoop: Anna Torv on tonight's ep, the Olivia-Peter romance, and the move to Friday

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Categories: Fringe, Sci-Fi, Television, TV Scoop

308_entrada_fringeImage Credit: Liane Hentscher/Fox“It’s all kicking into gear,” says Anna Torv about tonight’s pivotal episode of Fringe, entitled “Entrada,” in which the season’s epic tale of conflict between parallel worlds reaches a major turning point. Peter Bishop — shell-shocked by the revelation that he’s been sleeping with the “over there” enemy Olivia Dunham — is roused to mad-as-hell action, while the “over here” Olivia, currently trapped in the alt reality, makes her move to get back home. (To read EW critic/resident Fringe recapper Ken Tucker’s rave review of the episode, click here. And have you seen the movie-style trailer Fox produced to promote the ep? If not, see it here — and begin to dream about the potential for a Fringe feature film in the future.) Prepare for an episode that deviates from the season pattern of one episode largely set “over here” followed by one episode largely set “over there.” Says Torv: “It was the first time we were playing both worlds in the same episode. A lot back and forth, and a lot of let’s-get-cracking momentum.”

Torv has been given the challenge of not just playing two different Olivias this season, but playing one Olivia pretending to be the other Olivia and playing the other Olivia as someone who’s been brainwashed into thinking and acting as someone she’s not. (I would say she’s more than risen to the task — and I hope Emmy voters are taking note.) Torv says the work “has been fun” but that it hasn’t been easy, especially since she’s learning the story and her character(s) arc(s) as the scripts come in. “It’s not always easy to see where they’re pushing things,” she says. “I try not to get too frustrated that we don’t have the time of a feature film to sit down and plot out and plan out every beat of the character,” she says. ”I often rib myself: ‘Ah! I forgot about this! I could have that!’” One of the choices she made last season when the “two Olivias” idea was introduced was to create a different kind of physical demeanor for “over there” Olivia to help distinguish her from “over here” Olivia. Not just adopting a different hair color for Fauxlivia (brunette), but a different way of holding herself — “a different silhouette,” as she puts it. “She’s got a little firefighter, a little military in her.”

In “Entrada,” Peter will confront Fauxlivia about deceiving and seducing him. READ FULL STORY »

Dec 2 2010 12:48 PM ET

CBS wins on Wednesday, thanks to those quitters

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Categories: Fall TV, Ratings, Reality TV, TV Ratings

survivorImage Credit: CBSCBS finished in the top spot Wednesday in adults 18-49 (2.5 rating/7 share) and viewers (8.7 million), thanks to one helluva Survivor episode. More than 12 million people tuned in to see not one, but two wimpy females quit the game with less than two weeks to go (for great insight into the matter, read Jeff Probst’s blog). Irritating. Anyway, the show posted a 3.6/10 in the adult demo, up three percent from its last original on Nov. 17 (last week was a clip show). It was followed by a repeat of Criminal Minds and the Grammy’s Nominations Concert (1.7/5, 5 million people).

Each 18-49 ratings point represents 1.3 million people.

Fox was second in the demo (2.1/6) and third in viewers (5.8 million), with Human Target earning a 1.6/5 and 5.7 million viewers, and Hell’s Kitchen, a 2.6/7 and 5.7 million. NBC was third in the demo (2.0/6) and second in viewers (7.7 million) with an original of the canceled Undercovers earning a 1.3/4 and 4.8 million, followed by Law & Order: SVU (2.5/7, 9.1 million), and Law & Order: L.A. (2.2/6, 9 million).

ABC finished fourth in the demo (1.5/4) and viewers (5.0 million) because it aired repeats of its comedies. That was an original of The Whole Truth, which was canceled, but it only earned a .9/3 and 3.6 million. The CW posted a 1.1/3 among adults 18-49 but tied CBS for the night among teens. It averaged 2.6 million for the night.

Dec 2 2010 12:43 PM ET

Katie Couric set to guest star on 'Glee'

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Categories: Glee, Jane Lynch, Music, TV Biz

CBS news anchor Katie Couric, a self-described Gleek who publicly expressed disappointment when three of Glee‘s cast members posed for a revealing GQ photo shoot, will make a guest appearance on an upcoming episode of the hit Fox musical, her rep confirms to EW. (The news was first reported by Deadline.com.)

Read more:
Katie Couric may guest star on ‘Glee’
Jane Lynch and Carol Burnett sing ‘Ohio’: Why, oh why doesn’t Sue sing more?
Latest Glee recap: Give Gwyneth the Emmy!
Ranking the Best Glee Guest Stars
Glee exclusive: The cast will perform Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ for the Super Bowl episode — and that’s not all

Dec 1 2010 07:36 PM ET

'The Amazing Race': Time for another all-star edition? Do we need another all-star edition?

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Categories: Reality TV

Donald-TrumpImage Credit: Robert Voets/CBS; Virginia Sherwood/NBC; Sonja Flemming/CBSCBS won’t spill a thing, but the web is chock full of spoilers suggesting that the 18th edition of The Amazing Race will feature all-stars from seasons 12-17. Rumors abound that Mike White and his dad Mel will stage a comeback, not to mention Luke Adams and his mom Margie as well as Kris and Amanda — all from season 14. If true, this would be the second all-star edition of the Emmy-winning show; the last one aired during season 11 and averaged 10.5 million. The next installment of Race is expected to bow in February or March.

So do all-star versions score that much better in the ratings? They certainly haven’t broken any records for Survivor, which has done at least three. Though the show’s first all-star edition in 2003 did pretty dang well (21.7 million), the other two have mostly been on par with the regular folk editions (Fans vs. Favorites averaged 13.6 million while Heroes vs. Villains got 13.8 million). And if the current edition is any indication, Survivor doesn’t need visits from Rob Mariano or Johnny Fairplay to juice ratings: The show is up 86 percent in viewers versus what CBS was doing in the Wednesday period a year ago. It’s also up two percent versus what the show was doing on Thursdays last season. Maybe that’s why Dancing with the Stars hasn’t bothered with an all-star edition (though who wouldn’t want to see a Mel B/Jennifer Grey showdown?)

But such stunts can do wonders when it comes to building buzz for an (aging) reality show, which is probably why the promise (threat?) of all-star and even celebrity editions always loom large in prime time. Race host Phil Keoghan, in fact, told EW earlier this year that he would “love to have a celebrity edition,” while insiders at Wipeout cop to having informal talks about putting stars on those big red balls (Michael Chiklis, we can picture you now!). And we already know that the current season of The Apprentice (1.7 rating/4 share in adults 18-49, 4.5 million) wasn’t nearly as mighty as The Celebrity Apprentice, which in the spring averaged a 3.2/8 in 18-49 and 8.2 million viewers. Maybe that’s why another celebrity version — not one featuring no-names hit hard by the recession — is coming to NBC on March 6.

Dec 1 2010 06:13 PM ET

Sean Young looks for forgiveness in Biography special! (But not for 'Skating With the Stars')

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Categories: First Look, Television

Sean Young is certainly letting it all hang out in prime time these days. First, she became one of six participants on ABC’s Skating With the Stars, and now she’s serving as an inaugural guinea pig in Celebrity Life Coach, a backdoor pilot that will air on the Biography Channel this evening at 10 p.m. ET/PT. In this one-hour special from Endemol USA, life coach Lauren Zander works with Young, whose career hit a serious wall after her good work in ’80s films like Blade Runner and No Way Out.

“The tabloids had a field day,” the A&E press release reads. “With Lauren’s help, can Sean stop her self-defeating behaviors and make it back to Hollywood?“

Now there’s a question for the ages. In this clip, Young attempts to mend fences by placing calls to certain Hollywood directors. (Yikes). If the special scores well enough in the ratings, Bio may pick up the show to series.

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