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Archive: May 2011 (144-156 of 347)

May 17 2011 03:04 PM ET

Josh Charles on tonight's 'Good Wife' season finale: Not a dream sequence!

by Mandi Bierly

Categories: Television, The Good Wife

Image Credit: David M. Russell/CBS

Josh Charles is acutely aware of fans’ investment in The Good Wife. Two weekends ago, he was in Chicago for a Steppenwolf Theatre gala where he helped auction off a Good Wife set visit and made a side trip with friends to a Cubs game. “The woman who was serving us the hot dogs recognized me and was really excited and went to shake my hand and didn’t realize she had a toothpick in her hand that was very sharp and damn near drew blood. I was trying to keep it together while I was in real pain, while my buddy was complety laughing at me and this woman just rolled right through and kept talking about how much she loves the show. That’s the fascinating thing about TV. People’s reactions are intense,” he says, laughing. “It’s a sort of fine line I walk because I enjoy my privacy, but when you realize that people enjoy a show and that when they see somebody that’s in that show you can give them some happiness for a m oment, it’s a really cool thing. And most people are really, really sweet, and it’s great. But there are funny moments where you get stabbed with a toothpick or grabbed and then you have to laugh it off.”

He should prepare for more enthusiastic fan encounters after tonight’s season 2 finale. The promo alone — which shows Charles’ Will finally having good timing with Julianna Margulies’ just-separated Alicia in an elevator — sent some viewers into a giddy frenzy. READ FULL STORY »

May 17 2011 02:44 PM ET

Again! 'Game of Thrones' ratings hit season high

by James Hibberd

Categories: Game of Thrones, TV Ratings

Once again, HBO’s Game of Thrones ratings hit a season high Sunday night, climbing to 2.6 million viewers for its premiere airing.

Combined with its encore, Thrones was up to 3.3 million viewers for the night, with the show averaging 8.1 million viewers per episode across all platforms. After a somewhat middling premiere performance followed by a steady second episode, this is now the third week in a row Thrones ratings have gone up. And given the show’s storyline is picking up the pace for a dramatic second half of the season, these numbers could continue rising and turn Thrones into a bona fide hit. Intensely serialized shows like Thrones rarely climb like this, and when they do they tend to become titles that have healthy lifespans.

As Thrones ascends, Showtime’s Nurse Jackie (431,000) and United States of Tara (230,000) continue to slip — both shows hit series lows on Sunday night, with Jackie down about 40 percent and Tara off 58 percent from their averages last year.

In case you missed it, here’s this week’s Thrones recap: Episode V: The Lannisters Strike Back.

May 17 2011 02:20 PM ET

Lisa Edelstein leaves 'House'

by Kate Ward

Categories: House, Television

Image Credit: Michael Yarish/FOX

Huddy no more: EW has confirmed that Lisa Edelstein will not be returning to season 8 of House. The actress, whose contract was set to expire at the end of season 7, has decided to not sign on for the season ahead. (Colleagues Robert Sean Leonard and Omar Epps, however, have.) Edelstein released the following statement about her move: “After much consideration, I am moving onward with a combination of disappointment at leaving behind a character I have loved playing for seven years and excitement of the new opportunities in acting and producing that lie ahead.”

Sad news for Edelstein fans, but even more for Huddy fans: Those hoping Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) and Edelstein’s Dr. Cuddy would finally keep their on-and-off-again relationship on might be forced to let go. Here’s hoping there’s a treatment for post-Cuddy depression. (Additional reporting by James Hibberd)

Follow Kate on Twitter @KateWardEW

May 17 2011 01:09 PM ET

Oprah's 'Farewell Spectacular' taping tonight. We're blogging it!

by Kate Ward

Categories: Oprah Winfrey, Television

Image Credit: Art Streiber/OWN

UPDATE: Our live-blog is LIVE!

Tonight, a lucky few thousand fans in Chicago will welcome Opraaahhhhhhhh… for (almost) the last time. The talk show host — who will end her talk show after 25 seasons on May 25 — is taping two shows titled “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular,” which will air May 23 and 24 and are set to feature some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. As for who they might be? Well, that secret is being kept under lock and key — but EW will be at Chicago’s United Center tonight alongside 20,000 guests for the big reveal. So, for fans both curious and prepared to be jealous (imagine the favorite things Oprah could hand out!), head back to EW.com tonight to read our live account of what’s going down during the “Farewell Spectacular.” So exciting, the audience will stomp and cheer! See you tonight!

UPDATE: Our live-blog is LIVE!

May 17 2011 11:51 AM ET

CBS kills off 'Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior'

by Lynette Rice

Categories: 2011 CBS Upfronts, 2011 Upfronts, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior

Image Credit: Jordin Althaus/CBS

Forest Whitaker, you deserved better: CBS has cancelled the low-rated freshman drama Suspect Behavior, which was a spinoff of the Criminal Minds mother ship. The network has found great success with spinning off its other procedurals like CSI and JAG, but it just didn’t work out for Suspect Behavior, a dark drama that also featured Janeane Garofolo and Matt Ryan.

The show’s ouster should make room for either the new drama Unforgettable, which features Poppy Montgomery and is about a female NYPD detective who possesses the special ability to remember everything, or The 2-2, which is from Robert De Niro and follows six NYPD rookies as they balance their personal lives with learning the beat on the streets of Manhattan. Both dramas were ordered this week.

CBS will announce its fall schedule Wednesday in New York.

Keep up on the upfront: Follow me on Twitter @EWLynette

For more on CBS’ fall schedule:
CBS cancels The Defenders and William Shatner
Sarah Michelle Gellar – first with CBS – now heading to CW?
CBS picks up JJ Abrams drama, Kat Dennings comedy

May 17 2011 11:07 AM ET

ABC's fall video clip bonanza: 'Charlie's Angels,' 'The River,' 'Pan Am,' more

by James Hibberd

Categories: 2011 Upfronts

Here’s your first-look at video from ABC’s new fall shows, including Annie Ilonzeh kicking butt in Charlie’s Angels, the Paranormal Activity-meets-Lost adventure The River, the retro glam of Pan Am (“Are you wearing your girdle?) and more. (Also: ABC’s new fall schedule here, Angels pics here, Pan Am pics here). Without further ado… READ FULL STORY »

May 17 2011 09:12 AM ET

PHOTOS: ABC's 'Charlie's Angels' in action

by James Hibberd

Categories: 2011 Upfronts, Charlie's Angels

ABC gave us a few new looks at Charlie’s Angels this morning (along with rather gorgeous pics of Pan Am starring Christina Ricci) after announcing its fall schedule.

Here’s your first look at Ramon Rodriguez as Bosley, in addition to Annie Ilonzeh, Minka Kelly and Rachael Taylor (the show’s tagline: ‘They’re Angels, Not Saints”). Also, see the first video clip from Angels and ABC’s other new shows here. READ FULL STORY »

May 17 2011 09:11 AM ET

'The Playboy Club' star Amber Heard: 'I don't think it's that racy'

by Sandra Gonzalez

Categories: 2011 NBC Upfronts, 2011 Upfronts, Television, TV Scoop

Image Credit: Matt Dinerstein/NBC

Despite earlier reports claiming that the stars of The Playboy Club were required to sign nudity clauses, might NBC’s ’60s-era drama about Hugh Hefner’s empire lack the titillation factor some are expecting?

Yesterday, during NBC’s annual presentation to prospective advertisers, star Amber Heard said the finished product may surprise some viewers. “I think because this is character-based — it’s a group of friends who become family within this interesting, rich setting — I think the plot and stars can’t help but take center stage. The racy material, you’ll find, is not all that racy,” she said. READ FULL STORY »

May 17 2011 08:29 AM ET

PHOTOS: Want to see Christina Ricci as a stewardess in ABC's glamorous 'Pan Am'?

by James Hibberd

Categories: 2011 Upfronts

Of course you do! Below are the first just-released photos from ABC’s new Mad Men-at-30,000-feet drama series, Pan Am, starring Ricci as a stewardess in the 1960s.

Here’s some gorgeous pics (and if you want to see new Charlie’s Angels shots too, go here, and catch the first video clip from Pan Am and ABC’s other shows here): READ FULL STORY »

May 17 2011 08:04 AM ET

ABC unveils 2011-12 fall schedule

by James Hibberd

Categories: 2011 Upfronts

ABC hopes 13 is its lucky number. The network has picked up a baker’s dozen new shows to populate its fall and midseason schedule, which includes opening a new comedy block.

Mondays will stay the same with Dancing With the Stars and Castle. Tuesdays will open with a comedy hour that includes Tim Allen’s new sitcom, Last Man Standing, paired with another new comedy, Man Up. Wednesdays adds new comedy Suburgatory, plus soap thriller, Revenge, at 10 p.m., with Cougar Town shifting to midseason and Happy Endings getting the Modern Family lead-in. Charlie’s Angels will go into Thursdays at 8 p.m., starting the night for Grey’s Anatomy. Longtime Sunday-night reality show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition moves to Fridays, giving Shark Tank a strong reality opening act for the first time. Sunday sees Pan Am flying into the Brothers and Sisters spot after Desperate Housewives, while fairy tale drama Once Upon a Time goes into 8 p.m.

Surprisingly, some of the new shows that received the most online buzz are not joining the network until midseason — Good Christian Belles, Apartment 23 and The River. ABC entertainment president Paul Lee told reporters he expects to expand the network’s new Tuesday comedy block to two hours in midseason — giving the network back-to-back nights of two-hour comedy blocks. Asked about canceling Brothers and Sisters, Lee said, the drama “had a great run … the finale was a great last episode and we felt it was time.”

See the first glamorous photos of Pan Am here, and some new Charlie’s Angels action shots here. And here are video clips of all ABC’s new fall shows.

ABC’s fall lineup, below, new shows in red. (And for those who missed them, here’s NBC’s schedule and Fox’s schedule). More to come… READ FULL STORY »

May 17 2011 12:47 AM ET

Hines Ward on Kym Johnson's injury: 'I was sick'

by Lynette Rice

Categories: Dancing With the Stars

Image Credit: Adam Taylor/ABC

Fans of Dancing with the Stars saw first-hand on Monday how Kym Johnson injured herself while rehearsing with partner Hines Ward last week. Cameras caught Johnson as she fell to the floor during a complicated lift – which prompted a well-publicized trip to the hospital. The pro was in fine form Monday — indeed, the couple’s first dance earned a perfect score of 30 — but video of the rehearsal was excruciating to watch. READ FULL STORY »

May 17 2011 12:15 AM ET

'DWTS': Karina Smirnoff calls Bruno Tonioli 'rude'

by Carrie Borzillo

Categories: Dancing With the Stars

Image Credit: Adam Taylor/ABC

Is it time for someone to tell Bruno Tonioli that he was hired to be a judge on Dancing with the Stars and not an Italian provocateur? A sexy salsa that was performed Monday by Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff –who wore a tight-fitting, leopard-skin catsuit for the routine – inspired Tonioli to say ”you were too rough with your pussy, darling.” The comment not only generated boos from the audience but prompted ABC to bleep out the p-word for the west coast feed.

Smirnoff responded by briefly turning her back to Tonioli, who seemed genuinely stunned by the audience reaction. He ended up giving the duo an 8 for their salsa (which earned 23 out of 30 points).

“We’ve never expected the judges to be on our side,” Smirnoff told reporters after the show. “They’ve haven’t been on our side for most of the season, but it was just inappropriate and rude and uncalled for.”

“That was just an unprofessional thing to do,” continued Macchio. “I thought the performances were great. We had a couple of days and I nursed my injury at the start of the week. We made a choice. I’ve seen this show do it a thousand times. We were shaking it and having fun and letting it out there and we went a little bigger than life because I’ve seen bigger than life work so well. We always choose elegance, reserve, classy. This was a chance to just break out and be funny. They bought it with lots of others but they didn’t buy it with us for whatever the reason.” READ FULL STORY »

May 17 2011 12:01 AM ET

'90210' finale: Scoop on the shocking cliffhanger!

by Archana Ram

Categories: 90210, 90210 Casting News!, Casting, Casting Scoops, Scoop, Television, TV Biz

Last night’s 90210 finale ended with — what else? — a shocking twist, but what’s even more shocking are the changes coming to West Bev next season. (SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t seen the episode, do not read on!)

READ FULL STORY »