Archive: September 2011 (144-156 of 328)

Sep 18 2011 06:43 PM ET

Fox pressured to cut Charlie Sheen from Emmy Awards broadcast: report

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Categories: Charlie Sheen, Emmy Watch
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Image Credit: Donald Kravitz/Getty Images

Producers of the Emmy Awards have been asked to cut Charlie Sheen from its telecast, Deadline is reporting. Apparently Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre has asked John Schaffner, the chairman of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, to eliminate Sheen’s planned appearance. According to the report, Warner Bros. TV simultaneously asked Fox whether Sheen could be dropped from the broadcast, but as of now, there are still plans to have Sheen appear during the ceremony. There’s also the possibility that he will be presenting the award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, a category which includes nominees Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki from Lorre’s series The Big Bang Theory. A representative from Fox says that they are unaware of any such demands and so cannot confirm or deny the reports.

Sep 18 2011 04:17 PM ET

Alec Baldwin walks out of Emmys after Fox removes Rupert Murdoch joke

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Categories: Emmys, TV Biz
Alec-Baldwin

Image Credit: Daria Cantatore/Getty Images

Alec Baldwin has pulled out of tonight’s Emmy telecast after a joke about News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch was cut from a segment that he had recorded to open the broadcast. EW has confirmed the story, originally reported by Deadline.

On Thursday, Baldwin had tweeted “I did a short Emmy pretape a few days ago. Now they tell me NewsCorp may cut the funniest line.”

Apparently, Fox was uncomfortable including a joke that Baldwin made that had to do with Murdoch and the much-publicized phone-hacking scandal, and they had it cut from Baldwin’s script. READ FULL STORY »

Sep 17 2011 11:27 PM ET

Official from Bravo: Four ladies make 'friendly departures' as 'Real Housewives of NYC' regulars

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Categories: Cable, Casting, Casting Scoops, Real Housewives, Reality TV, Television
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Image Credit: Heidi Gutman/Bravo

The reports last week that there will be major casting changes on the next season of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City are indeed true: In a statement, Bravo confirmed to EW that Jill Zarin, Kelly Bensimon, Alex McCord, and Cindy Barshop are not currently signed to be regulars on the upcoming season 5 of the hit reality series. The network, however, claims to “continue to have on-going discussions” with the four ousted housewives.

“Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan, and LuAnn DeLesseps will be returning for season 5 of The Real Housewives of New York City,” a Bravo spokesperson told EW via email. “We’ve had a fabulous run with all the ladies and appreciate them sharing their lives with our viewers. It is a friendly departure among the other ladies and we continue to have on-going discussions with them.”

Zarin and McCord were original housewives in the first season of the series; Bensimon was added at the beginning of season 2; and Barshop officially became a housewife at the beginning of season 4, the last to air. Of those returning for season 5, Singer and DeLesseps are the only two members of the original cast remaining; Morgan joined partway through season 3.

This is not the first big defection for the series: Original cast member Bethenny Frankel completed three seasons of the show before leaving for her own show, Bethenny Ever After, which was a runaway ratings smash and was renewed for a third season back in March.

Tanner on Twitter: @EWTanStransky

Read more:
‘The Real Housewives of New York’: Now auditioning brunettes

Sep 17 2011 05:42 PM ET

The Lonely Island to perform at the Emmys -- EXCLUSIVE

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Categories: Awards Shows, Emmy Awards, Emmys, Saturday Night Live
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Image Credit: F. Scott Schafer

Get that seven-second delay ready: EW has learned exclusively that the guys from The Lonely Island will perform at the Primetime Emmy Award telecast on Sunday. The trio — Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer — will do a medley of their gut-busting Saturday Night Live tracks featuring, we’re told by a source close to the guys, “some friends.” (Please, please let one of them be Michael Bolton!)

Members of The Lonely Island were nominated for three Original Song Emmys this year — for “Jack Sparrow,” “I Just Had Sex,” and “3-Way (The Golden Rule)” — but lost to Justin Timberlake’s musical SNL monologue (the award was handed out at last week’s Creative Arts Emmys). But it looks like Samberg and Co. might just have the last laugh.

The Emmy telecast airs Sunday, Sept. 18 at 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific on Fox.

UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Maya Rudolph and Ed Helms will be performing with Sandberg. I can now add John Stamos to that list as well.

Dave on Twitter: @davekarger

Sep 17 2011 10:00 AM ET

HBO doc tracks the death of Don't Ask, Don't Tell -- EXCLUSIVE CLIP

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Categories: Documentary, EW Exclusive, First Look, Politics

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the policy barring gay people from serving openly in the military, should be history on Sept. 20. That’s when President Obama’s repeal of the law is scheduled to go into effect — and when a documentary on the controversial policy, The Strange History of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, premieres on HBO. The film, by directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (The Eyes of Tammy Faye), tracks the 17 years it took to overturn the policy — starting with President Clinton’s signature signing into law in 1993 and ending with Obama’s repeal in Dec. 2010. Along the way, it tells the history of gay people in the military as well as the stories of some of the estimated 60,000 gay and lesbian Americans currently on active duty. HBO will air a sneak preview of the doc from midnight to 1:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 19, and then will premiere the film at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20. You can watch an exclusive clip of it below:  READ FULL STORY »

Sep 16 2011 11:27 PM ET

'American Horror Story' scoop: Eric Stonestreet from 'Modern Family' to play .... -- EXCLUSIVE

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Categories: American Horror Story, EW Exclusive, Glee, Modern Family, Scoop, Television, TV Biz, TV Scoop

Looks like Cam from Modern Family is seeking a little therapy.

EW has learned exclusively that Eric Stonestreet, who plays Cameron on ABC’s hit comedy, will be appearing on Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s new FX horror bonanza American Horror Story, which premieres Oct. 5.

Stonestreet will appear in a November episode as a patient of Dr. Ben Harmon (Dylan McDermott). The reason for his shrink session? Stonestreet’s character has a fear of urban legends, like Bloody Mary and, more importantly for the show, Pigman. Stonestreet has worked with Murphy and Falchuk before on Nip/Tuck as a death row inmate.

Follow Tim on Twitter: @EWTimStack

Sep 16 2011 08:21 PM ET

'Glee': New Directions perform a cafeteria-set version of The Go-Go's 'We Got the Beat' -- EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

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Categories: EW Exclusive, Fall TV, First Look, Glee, Television, TV Biz

Gleefanatics, you’re gonna piddle your pants. As a self-confessed Gleek, I feel I can be honest with you… plus I try to use the word “piddle” as often as possible. With only days until the Sept. 20 season 3 premiere of Glee, here’s a fabulous treat to kick off your weekend: EW is exclusively premiering one of the biggest musical numbers from the premiere, a cafeteria-set cover of The Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat.” I saw the premiere yesterday with co-creator/executive producer Ryan Murphy in attendance, and I can promise you the premiere delivers the goods. (Check out my colleague Lynette Rice’s account of the Glee fun.) But don’t just take my word for it! Watch below and try not to tap your feet.  READ FULL STORY »

Sep 16 2011 08:10 PM ET

Alex O'Loughlin to fight Chuck Liddell on 'Hawaii Five-0' -- EXCLUSIVE PHOTO

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Categories: Casting, EW Exclusive, Hawaii Five-O

Hawaii Five-0‘s Steve McGarrett has likely met his match: The leader of the Five-0 team is going to face off against Chuck Liddell.

The former top MMA fighter will flex some acting muscles in an episode this fall playing himself as he fights Alex O’Loughlin’s crime-buster in a charity match.

See for yourself — here’s a photo of the two together on the set ready to duke it out:  READ FULL STORY »

Sep 16 2011 06:46 PM ET

'Blue Bloods' scoop: Bridget Moynahan's new man is...

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Categories: Blue Bloods, Casting, Casting Scoops, EW Exclusive
Fred-Weller

Image Credit: Diane Bondareff/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank via AP

Not everybody can stand up to Bridget Moynahan’s beauty but this dude is gonna try. EW has learned exclusively that Frederick Weller — best known for his portrayal of Marshall Mann on USA’s In Plain Sight — will woo Erin (Moynahan) on CBS’ Blue Bloods this season.

Weller will play Jacob, an international and very charismatic art curator who begins dating Erin after they meet at an art gallery. All is well — the handsome man sweeps our gorgeous brunette off her feet — until brother Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) bursts her bubble by saying Jacob is the prime suspect in a high-end art gallery heist. Dang!

Weller is expected to appear in three episodes beginning Nov. 4. Didn’t watch In Plain Sight? He also appeared on The Good Wife, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Special Victims Unit.

The second season of Blue Bloods begins on Sept. 23.

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Sep 16 2011 06:30 PM ET

'Community' scoop: 'RuPaul's Drag Race' star Shangela, a.k.a. D.J. Pierce, to guest star

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Categories: Casting, Community, EW Exclusive, Reality TV, Television
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RuPaul’s Drag Race fave Shangela is headed back to TV! EW has exclusively learned that Shangela — also known by her out-of-drag name D.J. Pierce — just wrapped a small, but important, guest spot on an upcoming episode of NBC’s comedy Community.

The episode, currently slated to air Nov. 3, finds Pierce playing a drag character, Miss Urbana Champaign, that makes a gut-busting viral video praising the use of Pierce’s (Chevy Chase) Hawthorne Wipes in a way that is not exactly how they were originally intended to be used. The video leads to the wipes gaining iconic status and propels Chase’s Pierce to throw a big party — that is, until his father Cornelius Hawthorne (Larry Cedar) shuts it down.

So just what is D.J. Pierce’s character’s scandalous use for the wipes? We can’t say exactly. But considering that Pierce is a drag queen in real life and considering that does indeed influence his role in the episode, there are just so many possibilities, right? Just think about it a little bit, people! READ FULL STORY »

Sep 16 2011 06:20 PM ET

'Star Wars: The Clone Wars': Check out the season premiere's underwater action!-EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

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Categories: Sci-Fi, Star Wars
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Tonight at 8:00pm ET on Cartoon Network, The Clone Wars gets wet. The season four premiere takes fans underwater on the planet Mon Calamari, home of future Rebel leader Admiral Ackbar, the career military-squid who we all know hates traps. It’s classic Star Wars–characters on the run, impossible odds, breathtakingly alien vistas. But animating three episodes set almost entirely underwater presented some challenges, according to supervising director Dave Filoni. “The hardest things to animate are fire, foliage, and water,” Filoni says. “Industrial Light & Magic long ago mastered fire, and in our season three finale in April we showed we could create a lush jungle environment. So all we had left to tackle was water.” Check out this video from tonight’s premiere episode, “Water War,” which features new shark-toothed villain Riff Tamson and his deadly weapons: hydroid medusae, half machine, half….monster. READ FULL STORY »

Sep 16 2011 05:53 PM ET

MTV picks up six new series

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Categories: Cable, Reality TV, Television

Coming off a fairly successful summer in the ratings game, MTV has announced plans to pick up two scripted and four reality series.

In scripted fare, there’s Underemployed and Zach Stone is Gonna Be Famous. The former comes from Emmy-nominated executive producer Craig Wright (Dirty Sexy Money, Brothers & Sisters) and chronicles the trials of post-college life. Zach Stone is a comedy series that satires “this generation’s desire to just be famous…because they can,” says a release. Viral video comedy star Bo Burnham (pictured) will star and exec produce. READ FULL STORY »

Sep 16 2011 03:18 PM ET

ABC Family orders more 'Make It or Break It,' 'The Lying Game'

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Categories: Make It or Break It, Television

It’s a busy week at ABC Family.

Following yesterday’s cancellation of The Nine Lives of Chloe King, the teen net announced today it has picked up four new series, one of which comes from Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. The network also renewed gymnastics-centered drama Make It or Break It for a third season and ordered an additional 10 episodes of The Lying Game.

Sherman-Palladino’s project, titled Bunheads, is a one-hour drama that follows a Las Vegas showgirl who married a man and moves to a small coastal town to teach at his mother’s dance school. The other drama picked up, Intercept, is about a group of crime-solving college students and comes from The Crazies writer Ray Wright.

The network also picked up two comedy pilots, Baby Daddy (relatively self-explanatory) and Village People (surprisingly not self-explanatory). The latter centers on a career-minded single woman who adopts a baby from a teen mom (no, not one of these) and ends up caring for the young mother as well.

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