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Is Little Gray’s fling with Dr. Jackson Avery over before it really gets going?
Well, if you remember the steamy shower scene where we last saw Lexie (Chyler Leigh) and Jackson (Jesse Williams), you know we needn’t worry about that. It’s on. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a huge helping of awkward in the cards for the pair when Grey’s Anatomy returns for new episodes this Thursday. READ FULL STORY »
While civil war has broken out in Libya, even the cable news networks are exchanging fire. Yesterday, Fox News’ Pentagon correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported that a British airstrike on a Tripoli compound of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi had to be called off because journalists “from CNN, Reuters, and the other organizations nearby” were invited to the area by the Libyan government and then used as human shields.
CNN (which like Entertainment Weekly, is owned by Time Warner) sent its senior international correspondent Nic Robertson on that media tour and he expressed outrage over Fox’s story when he appeared on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer last night. “This allegation is outrageous and absolutely hypocritical,” said Robertson, who pointed out that Fox News had also sent a representative on the tour, though it wasn’t a professional journalist. READ FULL STORY »
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NBC is pulling Perfect Couples from its schedule early and putting Paul Reiser’s new sitcom in its place.
You may have remembered hearing about NBC developing a comedy starring the former Mad About You star around this time last year. Well, that series now has a debut date: April 14.
The actor plays a version of himself in NBC’s The Paul Reiser Show, which will replace the struggling Couples on the network’s Thursday lineup at 8:30 p.m. NBC is yanking the Couples, which co-stars Olivia Munn, with at least two episodes left in the can — which you can pretty much bet means the show is canceled.
In the single-camera comedy from Reiser and Jonathan Shapiro (Life) it’s been a few years since “Paul Reiser” and his TV show left primetime. He now lives with his wife (Amy Landecker) and kids and hangs out with a new group of fellow local dads played by Ben Shenkman, Omid Djalili, Duane Martin, and Andrew Daly.
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TNT has renewed Southland for a fourth season and picked up a new crime drama called Perception.
The network had ordered 10 more episodes of Southland, which averaged 2.9 million viewers this season, up 6% from last year.
Perception stars Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) as an eccentric neuroscientist who helps the federal government solve complex crimes. Rachael Leigh Cook, Arjay Smith and Kelly Rowan also star. The show is from Kenneth Biller (Star Trek: Voyager).
After last week’s credit card-stealing antics, on tonight’s episode, we see Jenelle homeless, penniless, and, now thanks to her mother, battling some legal issues. Tonight she finds a temporary roof above her head at the home of her friend, Amber, who gives Jenelle a little advice on remedying her situation. Check out their conversation in this exclusive clip: READ FULL STORY »
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The usual summer premiere of AMC’s Mad Men will likely be delayed. The network, series creator Matthew Weiner and studio Lionsgate are close to a deal for the upcoming fifth season, but protracted negotiations have pushed the production’s usual schedule.
The show typically starts shooting in the spring and debuts in July, but without an agreement for a new season in place the company will probably have to delay debuting the next batch of episodes. AMC had no comment. But EW recently asked star Jon Hamm at The Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump about the season’s storyline, and he said, “I don’t know if it even exists.”
“We’re still in limbo,” Hamm said. “Usually we start shooting in April or May, and it doesn’t seem like it’s happening now because the writers’ room is not in place.” READ FULL STORY »
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Rainn Wilson would prefer to joke through the pain over Steve Carell leaving The Office. “The last scene when Dwight pulled back the shotgun, put it in Michael Scott’s mouth and pulled the trigger and his head blew apart, it was moving. There was not a dry eye in the house!” Wilson told EW during the premiere of Super in Hollywood Monday. “No, that’s a terrible thing to say. There is no shootout at Dunder Mifflin. Dwight does not kill Michael. That is not how we get rid of Steve.
“Actually, the last day of shooting with Steve was more intense than I anticipated it would be,” Wilson continued. “There actually wasn’t a dry eye in the house. It was really sad. It was very difficult to make comedy when there was a heaviness hanging over the proceedings. It’s a great episode. Steve is magnificent in it. Maybe he’ll finally win that Emmy he has deserved for like seven years.”
For now, Wilson can’t say how Michael Scott’s departure will affect the other characters. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. We have Will Farrell for a little while and then we will have a few to shoot without a single A-list movie star. We’ve just got to see what happens,” Wilson said. “ Dwight is sad. He’s losing his best buddy and his office hero. Actually all the characters are sad to see him go as are the actors but everyone understands and we will do our best to fill the void.”
Carell’s last episode will air April 28 — three weeks before the NBC comedy’s hourlong season finale on May 19. Ferrell will guest star as Michael’s replacement for several episodes beginning in April. Carell—who has garnered five Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe trophy in the role—filmed his last scenes for the show on March 4. – With reporting from Carrie Bell
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More than 22 million people tuned into see the karate kid and a girl from “next door” on Monday’s Dancing with the Stars, according to preliminary ratings. The premiere of the 12th season, which featured Ralph Macchio and Kendra Wilkinson, averaged a 5.1 rating/15 share in adults 18-49 — down 20% from last spring’s start on March 22 but still enough to help ABC win the night in viewers (19 million) and most demos, including persons 2-11 and persons 12-34. The kids came to the show! Should some credit go to Disney star Chelsea Kane?
Thanks to the swell lead in, Castle (3.3/9, 12.7 million) was up 18% from its last original on Feb. 28 — but we’d like to think our cover story helped and got more of you interested. Last night’s results could change when the finals come in this afternoon, so it will be interesting to see if Dancing ends up averaging more than American Idol. Last week, the Fox competition show averaged 22.5 million on Wednesday and 19.5 million on Thursday. Stay tuned.
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The upcoming fourth season of Damages has added veteran actor Judd Hirsch in a key role. Hirsch (Numbers, Taxi) will play a former mentor of Patty’s (Glenn Close); a man who took her under his wing during her first job out of law school. But his situation has changed greatly over time and he now spends his time “at the bottom of a bottle.” Since CBS’ Numbers concluded in last year, Hirsch has appeared on The Whole Truth and Warehouse 13.
The upcoming season of Sony Pictures TV’s Damages will make its debut on DirecTV this summer after having run the past three seasons on FX. The new season involves a wrongful death lawsuit filed against a military contractor over an incident that happened in a war zone. Also the show will push the content envelope a bit more on DirecTV than on basic cable. Between the military crime, Judd Hirsch, more editorial freedom and no commercials … the next season of Damages sounds very tempting.
Elton John and Helen Mirren will host the first two April episodes of Saturday Night Live. John, who hasn’t appeared on the program since 1982, will host April 2, while sharing musical duties with Leon Russell. Mirren, who’s never hosted the show before, will appear April 9 with the Foo Fighters. Her movie, Arthur, opens the day before.
Jamie Oliver got himself in quite a pickle when he decided to take the second season of Food Revolution to Los Angeles, where a curmudgeonly school district banned him from its schools (How dare you try to get our children to eat healthy!). But it looks like the conflict made for some juicy drama. Below is the first trailer for the upcoming return of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, which along with ABC’s Shark Tank is an under-appreciated reality effort that was almost not renewed for a second round. People always complain about reality shows being mindless and shallow, so let’s give ABC’s smarter, socially conscious fare a shot this midseason. Here’s the trailer for Food Revolution, which returns April 12: READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Mario Perez/ABC Hottie doctor Jason George is ditching the South American jungle and heading stateside for a guest spot on Castle.
In the episode, titled “To Love and Die in L.A.,” Beckett heads to Los Angeles to track down the killer of her former mentor on the force. Meanwhile, Castle tags along to help his partner and also takes the opportunity to stop by the set of Heat Wave.
George plays an entrepreneur who meets the pair along the way, and he proves “to be a key character in solving their new case,” a source reveals. Previously announced guest star Dominic Purcell (Prison Break) will also appear, playing a movie producer.
Happy about this sorta-not-really crossover news, Castle/OTM fans?
Programming note: Spoiler Room will be back on Friday with a supersized edition! Send your questions to spoilerroom@ew.com and @EWSandraG on Twitter!
Kirstie Alley may have had the best quips — and “Psycho” Mike Catherwood, those awesome facial expressions — but Ralph Macchio was the highlight of the Dancing with the Stars premiere on Monday with his Foxtrot to “Kick in the Head.” He earned the highest score of the night – 24 out of a possible 30 — with partner Karina Smirnoff. READ FULL STORY »
James Hibberd
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Lynette Rice
@EWLynette
