Archive: January 2011 (105-117 of 323)

Jan 21 2011 11:36 AM ET

'Idol' tops Thursday; 'Parks' returns to series high

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Categories: Television, TV Biz, TV Ratings

Michael Becker / Fox

Night 2 of Fox’s American Idol took an expected ratings hit as the reality show dove into tougher competition on its new night.

The one-hour Idol was seen by 22.9 million viewers and drew a 7.8 adults 18-49 rating — down 20 percent from its Wednesday premiere and dropping 23 percent from its second episode last year. Idol then boosted Bones (10.9 million, 3.6).

Meanwhile, CBS and NBC breathed a big sigh of relief since most of their comedies held up well against TV’s toughest competition, with the time-period premiere of the Peacock’s new Olivia Munn sitcom improving greatly on its December preview.

Big Bang Theory (13.6 million, 4.2) and $#*! My Dad Says (10.3 million, 2.7) were both only two-tenths away from last week’s adult demo rating. Insiders expected Big Bang to hold up fine, but the surprise here is that more CBS viewers didn’t flip the channel to Fox at 8:30 p.m.

Last night marked the debut of NBC airing a whopping three hours of comedy originals. (The network has been running repeats in the 10 p.m. hour as a warm-up.) So how that work out for them? Pretty good, actually. READ FULL STORY »

Jan 21 2011 09:00 AM ET

'Castle,' 'Parks and Recreation,' 'Detroit 1-8-7,' 'Justified': Find out what's next in the Spoiler Room

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Categories: Being Human, Casting, Casting Scoops, Castle, Chuck, Detroit 1-8-7, Fringe, Glee, Greek, Justified, Parks and Recreation, Smallville, Sons of Anarchy, Television, The Big Bang Theory, The Big C, The Spoiler Room, TV Scoop, White Collar

spoiler-roomImage Credit: Byron Cohen/NBC; Bob D'Amico/ABC; Prashant Gupta/FX I feel all tingly inside, Roomies — and that’s not just my body responding to that Swanson I ate for breakfast. Frankly, it’s because TV shows are coming back from their breaks (a.k.a. the cold, dark months of TV hell), and there’s a lot to be pumped about.

First up this week, we have Castle scoop, info on Detroit 1-8-7 (SAVE IT!), and what you can look forward to from Pawnee (besides a sunnier life in general) now that Parks is back. There’s also casting bit on Smallville, Chuck EP Chris Fedak responds to our cries for justice, Chris Colfer weighs in on Kurt’s return to New Directions, and much more. Eat up. Go ahead. Make a pig of yourself. All I ask is that you feed me your scoop requests in return. (E-mail them to spoilerroom@ew.com or Tweet them to me directly @EWSandraG.)

‘CASTLE’: PREPARE TO FAN YOURSELVES

It’s almost here, Castle fans (who have been begging me all week for dish on the show’s big Jan. 24th episode). Almost. Here. The smooch you’ve been waiting for. And I’m happy to say that the episode is completely worth the wait. But not so fast. Don’t start picking out china patterns for the pair just yet. While the kiss is, indeed, not a dream, you know that this is still Castle. This is still Beckett. And there’s still a very important case — the one of Beckett’s mom’s murder — being investigated. That’s all I can say. On that note, however, the kiss, in my opinion, isn’t even the best part of the episode. (You probably guessed that they wouldn’t put the best part of the episode in promos, right?) I’d say there are two better moments. The first comes before the smooch when Castle is talking with his mom about his most recent brush with death, and he admits to her (in his Nathan Fillion melt-me-into-goo voice) that his time with Beckett is “*** ****t *** ****s **y****.” And the other comes sometime after the roughly 13-second smooch. After the episode airs, be sure to check EW.com for my exclusive chat with Andrew Marlowe and Will Beall, who penned the episode. READ FULL STORY »

Jan 21 2011 12:01 AM ET

InsideTV podcast: is 'Idol' better without Simon and 'Jersey Shore' better with Deena? Plus: 'Glee' brings flaming boobs to Super Sunday!

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Categories: American Idol, Glee, InsideTV Podcast, Jersey Shore

Image Credit: Michael Becker/Fox; Solarpix/PR Photos

We’ve finally gotten our first glimpse at the new, revamped American Idol judging panel. And it has Annie Barrett wondering: Could the show have actually improved with the loss of Simon Cowell? Crazy, right? You know what’s even crazier? Tim Stack is kind of thinking the same thing! They’re in cahoots, these two! On the latest edition of the InsideTV podcast, I tell Annie and Tim just how wrong they are while explaining what’s missing from the kinder, gentler Idol. The one thing we all can agree on, however? Too many teenagers! (And yes, we’re talking to you, Victoria Huggins.)

And since we’re already in New Jersey for the Idol auditions, we’ll also drop by Jersey Shore to discuss whether the show traded up by losing Angelina and adding Deena. Plus, which side are you on in the big Jersey Shore feud: Team Sammi or Team JWoww? We tell you which corner we’re in. But that’s not all! Tim was also on set for filming of Glee‘s big post-Super Bowl extravaganza and tells us why we should prepare ourselves for both dancing zombies and boobs that shoot fire. No, that is not a misprint: boobs that shoot fire! In non-flaming boob related news, Tim will also be giving up some intel on when we may finally see Kurt and Blaine become a couple.

To join in the fun, just click on the audio player icon below. Or, since we’re now on iTunes, you can subscribe for free right here and take InsideTV with you on the go. No iTunes? No problem. You can also download the entire podcast right here. And to send a question to the InsideTV team, follow us on Twitter @InsideTVPodcast.

Jan 20 2011 08:34 PM ET

NBC programming exec behind 'Undercovers,' 'Outlaw' is out

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Categories: TV Biz

Undercovers-BromstadImage Credit: Justin Lubin/NBC; Inset: Albert L. Ortega/PR PhotosAnother NBC suit is leaving the programming ranks in light of the pending Comcast-NBC merger. Angela Bromstad, the Peacock’s head of programming, told her staff today that she was departing the third place net that remains in transition. In November, it was revealed that Robert Greenblatt, the wunderkind who revitalized Showtime with critical faves like Dexter and Weeds, would become Chairman of NBC Entertainment once the merger was complete. He will oversee all aspects of prime time and late night programming and Bromstad was expected to report to him.  READ FULL STORY »

Jan 20 2011 07:41 PM ET

'Parks and Recreation': Check out an extended scene from tonight's all new episode -- EXCLUSIVE

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Categories: EW Exclusive, Parks and Recreation, Television

In less than two hours we’ll elbow-deep in a new Parks and Recreation and the wait is excruciating. Thankfully, if you find yourself unable to wait, check out this exclusive extended scene from tonight’s episode featuring my hero Ron Swanson as he whips his lame excuse for a youth basketball team into fighting shape using his Ron Swanson Pyramid of Greatness. (Beware: One curse word. But let’s face it, that makes it a little more awesome.)  READ FULL STORY »

Jan 20 2011 07:36 PM ET

'Hot in Cleveland' returns strong; 'Retired' a snooze

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Categories: Hot in Cleveland, Television, TV Biz, TV Ratings

In the senior citizen ratings smackdown of the year, Betty White stomped George Segal and Jessica Walter as TV Land unleashed the second season of Hot in Cleveland and revealed new comedy Retired at 35.

Hot delivered a healthy 2.9 million viewers (here’s Tanner Stransky’s recap). As expected, that’s down quite a bit from the sitcom’s record-setting 4.8 million series premiere last year, but still in line with how the show was performing later on. Retired, about a guy who moves in with his retired parents (Segal and Walter) in Florida, lost 31% of its Hot lead-in, delivering 2 million viewers.

TV Land has plenty of Hot to come this year, having ordered 20 episodes, and plans a cross-over with All My Children.

Jan 20 2011 06:06 PM ET

ABC moves Jimmy Kimmel, shrinks 'Nightline'

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Categories: Television, TV Biz

Jimmy Kimmel Live! is taking a bite out of Nightline. ABC’s late-night show is moving from its always-awkward 12:05 a.m. start time to straight-up midnight. That’s gonna reduce the veteran news show to 25 minutes (it begins at 11:35 p.m., after local news).

“The company firmly believes Nightline is a vital part of its successful late night strategy,” wrote ABC News president Ben Sherwood in an email to staffers, somewhat unconvincingly. “[This] gives Jimmy the chance to leverage that strong lead-in more effectively with a quicker connection to late night viewers, which will help him build on the great momentum his show has experienced over the past year.” READ FULL STORY »

Jan 20 2011 06:01 PM ET

Meet Charlie's first 'Angel' (pic)

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Categories: TV Biz

ABC has made the first major casting in its Charlie’s Angels reboot.

Annie Ilonzeh (episodes of Melrose Place, Entourage) is playing Kate in the series, which is a modern-day, Miami-set spin on the classic 1970s adventure show. Check out Ilonzeh after the jump…. READ FULL STORY »

Jan 20 2011 05:19 PM ET

Roger Ebert will wear prosthetic chin on new show

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Categories: Film, Television

roger-ebertImage Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty ImagesEbert Presents At the Movies debuts Friday on PBS, and the show is a return for Roger Ebert in more ways than one. In a blog post today, he revealed that he will be wearing a prosthetic chin for his “Roger’s Office” segment. “That’s not to fool anyone, because my appearance is widely known,” he writes. “It will be used in a medium shot of me working in my office, and will be a pleasant reminder of the person I was for 64 years. Symbolically, it’s as if my illness never happened and, hey, here I still am, on the show with these new kids. When people see the ‘Roger’s Office’ segment, they’ll notice my voice more than my appearance.” Ebert, whose battle with thyroid cancer left him disfigured an unable to speak without the aid of a computer, describes the two-year process of those who worked with him to create the silicone prosthesis, a device that fits over the lower face and neck and matches his skin tone. He also explains the appeal Gerard Butler’s chic mask in 2004′s Phantom of the Opera held for him. Read his full blog entry, complete with photos, here.

Read more:
Meet Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, new co-host of ‘Ebert Presents At the Movies’

Jan 20 2011 04:18 PM ET

Ricky Gervais tells Piers Morgan: 'I didn't do anything wrong' (video)

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Categories: Golden Globe Awards, Movie Biz, Television, TV Biz

From Piers Morgan’s interview tonight with Ricky Gervais (your booking team deserves a high five for that one, Piers), the comedian has a rare moment of public earnestness as he defends his Golden Globes hosting gig: READ FULL STORY »

Jan 20 2011 04:15 PM ET

Kate Gosselin gets the 'E! True Hollywood' treatment

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Categories: Reality TV

kate-gosselinImage Credit: James Devaney/WireImage.comMy, this took longer than expected to produce: Kate Gosselin will (finally!) get the E! True Hollywood treatment on Feb. 2.  The program will feature “exclusive insight” from Gosselin’s former nanny who alleges having an affair with Jon Gosselin (which he denies), along with interviews with family, friends and neighbors. It’ll also chronicle Gosselin’s childhood and her rise to “celebrity status,” E promises. “Kate has more than her hands full and is not a bad person.  To have kids is the easiest job to get in the world.  To raise kids properly is the hardest,” Eric Roberts, supporter of Natural Child Project, tells E!.

Adds Polly Kahl, author of “Jon & Kate Plus Eight: Reality TV & The Selling Of The Gosselins” adds, “Kate’s fans admire her for being a working mom, having a lot of kids, managing a household and basically doing it all…when it’s very hard even for the average mom to do it.”

Meanwhile, Kate Plus 8 specials continue to run sporadically on TLC but the network has yet to announce an airdate for the next one.

Jan 20 2011 04:00 PM ET

AMC, 'Mars' writer making music industry drama

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Categories: Television

Advertising executives, meth dealers, zombies and the music industry? Sounds about right.

AMC is developing Man with the Golden Ears, a drama series about a former superstar record executive who attempts to stave off his own irrelevance dealing with a new boss, fading clients and  three rebellious daughters, all while searching for the next big star.

Based on an acclaimed Danish TV series, the project is from Fox TV Studios and has Scott Rosenberg (Life on Mars, October Road, High Fidelity) as showrunner.

Jan 20 2011 01:21 PM ET

'Fairly Legal' star Sarah Shahi talks hooking female viewers (Men: she thinks you're easy)

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Categories: Cable, Television, TV Scoop

fairly-legalImage Credit: David Moir/USA NetworkSarah Shahi, best known for Showtime’s The L Word and NBC’s Life, stars as Kate Reed, a lawyer-turned-mediator who can fix everybody but herself, in the new USA dramedy Fairly Legal (premieres tonight, 10 p.m. ET). Shahi says she’s probably the only person in America who doesn’t like procedurals, so it’s a good thing she can describe it thusly: “It’s like if Law & Order and Sex and the City had a baby, it would be my show,” she says. In Shahi’s mind, Kate has her Mr. Big, her soon-to-be-ex-husband Justin (Battlestar Galactica‘s Michael Trucco), who she’s still sleeping with. “He’s oh so good, but oh so bad,” she says. READ FULL STORY »

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