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Archive: September 2011 (79-91 of 328)

Sep 22 2011 06:34 PM ET

'The Vampire Diaries': Nina Dobrev teases tonight's episode, says drama with Stefan will 'come to a head'

by Sandra Gonzalez

Categories: Television, The Vampire Diaries, TV Scoop

Image Credit: Quantrell D. Colbert/The CW

When we left Mystic Falls last week, Stefan and Elena shared an emotionally-charged (not to mention one-sided!) phone call that, as Nina Dobrev tells EW, gave Elena just the boost she’d need to continue looking for Stefan (Paul Wesley) in tonight’s episode. “If anything, this phone call was a sign that — despite everyone in her life trying to tell her to back off — she has to keep fighting and fight what she cares about and fight for her love. She’s a very determined young woman,” says Dobrev.

And the second episode shows just that, as Elena and Alaric (Matthew Davis) set off on a road trip to follow up on a lead she has on Stefan’s whereabouts — despite some initial resistance from Alaric. READ FULL STORY »

Sep 22 2011 06:28 PM ET

'Parks and Recreation': A celebration of every ill-fated exploit of Jerry Gergich

by Dan Snierson

Categories: Parks and Recreation, Television

Image Credit: Byron Cohen/NBC

In just a few short hours, Parks and Recreation will return to NBC with its fourth season premiere, which means, to borrow a phrase from Leslie Knope, “Yay! Making fun of Jerry is back!” Indeed, one of the many reasons to love this underdog local-government comedy lies in the portrayal of Jerry Gergich (played to resigned perfection by Jim O’Heir*), a human punching bag who has a true talent for botching words (“murinal”), bumbling into trouble (coffee, meet face), and just being the wrong person at the wrong time.

Perhaps it’s little surprise to learn that the Parks department employee who once bent over during a presentation to find his misplaced glasses, only to wind up splitting his pants and farting, serves as prime humor fodder for the show’s writers. “Jim is a very likable actor, so it’s endlessly fun to take a completely inoffensive person and turn them into an object of complete and utter ridicule,” shares executive producer Mike Schur. “More than any other kind of joke, we’ve had to take ‘Jerry is a moron’ jokes out of our scripts because it’s just too easy to write them. If we had allowed every Jerry joke we’ve ever written to be in the script, the show would be called Screw You, Jerry.” READ FULL STORY »

Sep 22 2011 06:00 PM ET

'The Mentalist' scoop: Star from 'The Shield' to recur

by Lynette Rice

Categories: Casting Scoops, The Mentalist

Image Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images

EW has learned that Catherine Dent — best known for her memorable run on FX’s The Shield -- will recur as an assertive FBI agent named Susan Darcy on CBS’ The Mentalist.

Dent will begin her arc in episode 107, which will be directed by star Simon Baker and will air Nov. 3. She is brought in to help work on the Red John serial killer case with Jane (Baker) and Lisbon (Robin Tunney). She suspects there is more to the case than the duo is telling her.

“Over the course of the season she will try to get under Jane’s skin and inside his head to find the truth,” said Executive Producer/Creator Bruno Heller. “Jane’s not the only one who knows how to use deception and mind games to crack a mystery.”

Dent’s other recent appearances include stints on NCIS, Law & Order: LA, Lie to Me and The Closer.

Sep 22 2011 05:29 PM ET

'Drop Dead Diva' gets fourth season

by James Hibberd

Categories: Drop Dead Diva

Image Credit: Lifetime

Drop dead? Not yet. Lifetime is getting a fourth season order to Drop Dead Diva.

The body-swapping drama series received a 13-episode order. “Drop Dead Diva is a signature series for Lifetime that continues to resonate with audiences with its heart and humor,” said Lifetime president and GM Nancy Dubuc. “We are thrilled to bring it back for another season.” The show has averaged 2.3 million viewers and its third season finale is this Sunday.

Sep 22 2011 05:18 PM ET

'Walking Dead' new promo plus behind-the-scenes footage -- EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS

by James Hibberd

Categories: EW Exclusive, The Walking Dead

Image Credit: ITV

The Walking Dead‘s second season approaches so it’s only right that we have two pieces of video for you that teases the upcoming episodes. First, we have a promo consisting of a little new footage (this ran last night during Breaking Bad, but hasn’t been online yet). The second item has the cast talking about what their characters are going through during season two. “You wouldn’t believe the amazing things I’m seeing on these monitors that we can’t show you,” creator Robert Krikman says, but here’s a peek: READ FULL STORY »

Sep 22 2011 04:20 PM ET

Official: Kiefer Sutherland, 'Heroes' creator launching Fox series

by James Hibberd

Categories: Heroes, TV Biz

Image Credit: PR Photos

Done deal: Kiefer Sutherland is coming back to Fox as the star of a new midseason series from Heroes creator Tim Kring.

Fox has been keen on getting the 24 star back on the air and leaning heavily toward giving an official 13-episode series order to his drama project Touch for months, and now things are firmly a go. Touch is about a father (Sutherland) whose autistic and mute son can predict events before they happen.

“Touch is another ambitious series from Tim Kring that is beautifully executed and has incredibly resonant themes for our times,” said Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly. “With Kiefer back on the network as the face and force behind this creative new series, I’m confident it will resonate with viewers this spring.” READ FULL STORY »

Sep 22 2011 02:58 PM ET

Sneak peek at TLC's new series 'Long Island Medium' -- EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

by Breia Brissey

Categories: EW Exclusive, First Look, Reality TV

Theresa Caputo is your average Long Island, N.Y., mom. She takes care of a husband and two kids, she goes to work, she runs errands, and she talks to the dead. Wait, what? TLC’s newest series, Long Island Medium, follows Caputo, a real-life psychic medium, who helps individuals find closure and connect with their loved ones who have passed on. While some people find her gift helpful, her family is occasionally irritated by her inability to turn her gift off.

Check out this first look video, in which a routine coffee run turns into a psychic encounter. Then, let us know what you think in the comments. Will you be tuning in to the premiere of Long Island Medium? (The series airs on TLC Sunday at 10 p.m./9 p.m. central.) READ FULL STORY »

Sep 22 2011 02:00 PM ET

'Drop Dead Diva' season-finale preview: 'This episode is three years in the making'

by Mandi Bierly

Categories: Drop Dead Diva, Television

Image Credit: Lifetime

If you’ve seen the promo for Sunday’s season 3 finale of Lifetime’s Drop Dead Diva (9 p.m. ET), you know Stacy utters the words “I’m not Deb… Jane is” to Grayson. It’s a moment creator Josh Berman knows fans have been waiting for. “This episode is three years in the making, and after this episode, nothing will ever be the same,” he tells EW. “My hope is that at the end of season 3, fans will feel exhilarated and desperate for more. I also want them to feel rewarded. I love television, and as a fan of TV, I remember growing up with series where nothing would evolve, and I felt like they would just be airing the same episode over and over. I wanted our show to take a giant step forward to really reward all the serious viewers. Like life, it’s not the same storyline over and over. For the show to grow, and to reward our viewers, something big needed to happen.”

The hour brings every character a mini-cliffhanger, Berman says. From the promo, we know Owen wants Jane to go away with him. Parker, who thought he was getting back together with Kim, finally finds out he has a son with Elisa (Brandy Norwood). And as for Stacy, who ended last episode in jail after assaulting her costar/boyfriend, Berman has this to say: “Now that she’s become the ultimate diva and hit rock bottom, it’s the time to see if she’s learned from the mistakes she’s made. And what she’s certainly learned is that she actually does have real genuine feelings for Fred. But the question is, can Fred forgive her? The relationship absolutely comes to a head.” READ FULL STORY »

Sep 22 2011 12:38 PM ET

'Community': Creator Dan Harmon gives you the scoop on season 3!

by Dan Snierson

Categories: Community, Television

Image Credit: Lewis Jacobs/NBC

Before the always-inventive Community unveils its season 3 premiere tonight at 8 p.m. on NBC, creator Dan Harmon would like to make this pledge to you. “We’re going to be weird in ways that addict you to the show,” he says. “We’re going to be weird in insanely grounded, clever ways — not weird in ways that make [NBC parent company] Comcast go, ‘Isn’t that the show where everyone’s dressed like a Viking?’” Herewith, your cheat sheet to the new season of the community college-set comedy, as graciously provided by Professor Harmon.

READ FULL STORY »

Sep 22 2011 11:17 AM ET

'X Factor' opens solid, but 'Modern Family' steals the show

by James Hibberd

Categories: Modern Family, The X Factor, TV Ratings

Image Credit: Fox

Simon Cowell made a solid return to Fox last night, but his new show The X Factor was no match for the Dunphys and Pritchetts (and a far cry from American Idol).

X Factor debuted to 12.5 million viewers and a 4.4 adults 18-49 rating, while ABC’s Emmy-winning Modern Family delivered 14.3 million viewers and a whopping 6.0 series-high rating. The reality competition drew about half the audience of the most recent season opener of American Idol (which delivered about 26 million viewers and a 9.7 in the demo), a point of comparison that’s inevitable, but also arguably unfair given the top-rated legacy of the other show (though Cowell himself invited the comparison in July, when he suggested to reporters that the new show might top Idol).

X Factor was significantly higher, however, than the debut of NBC’s fall singing competition The Sing Off, and was higher than the debut of Hell’s Kitchen in the slot last year. While a one-hour Modern Family not only won the night, but was up 18 percent from its premiere last fall.

“We’re happy with the numbers,” Fox’s president of alternative Mike Darnell tells EW. “The expectations were ridiculous, and internally this is our best numbers for a Wednesday during premiere week in 13 years. If we can keep anywhere close to these numbers for 40 hours in the fall, it would be amazing for us.” READ FULL STORY »

Sep 22 2011 10:54 AM ET

AMC will talk about the dead after 'The Walking Dead'

by Lynette Rice

Categories: Television, The Walking Dead

Nothing better than a good chat about zombies, eh? AMC announced that it will air a live show, dubbed Talking Dead, immediately after episodes of The Walking Dead. The half-hour shows will be hosted by Chris Hardwick and will premiere immediately following the encore of The Walking Dead on Oct. 16, when the new season begins.

Hardwick will talk to fans, actors, producers and “TV enthusiasts,” and recap the most recent Dead episode. “This half-hour after-show gives fans the opportunity to nerd out about the story in a very public forum: what they like, what they don’t like, or what questions they may have,” Hardwick said in a statement. “Additionally, it will better inform viewers on making intelligent decisions when faced with the zombie apocalypse, which will probably happen sooner or later.”

For more:
The Walking Dead season 2 poster
The Walking Dead scoop: Rescue Me star joins cast

Sep 22 2011 10:16 AM ET

'Roseanne's Nuts' cancelled after one season

by Jeff Labrecque

Categories: Cable, Documentary, TV Biz

Image Credit: Mario Perez/Lifetime

Roseanne’s nutty new show is no more. Lifetime has decided against renewing her docu-series about her Hawaiian macadamia farm that debuted in July. On Friday, the cable network aired the show’s 16th episode, completing its order, and yesterday, Roseanne tweeted, “Roseanne’s Nuts has been cancelled. thanks everyone for watching!”

Sep 22 2011 07:00 AM ET

Jeff Probst on episode 2 of 'Survivor: South Pacific'

by Dalton Ross

Categories: Reality TV, Survivor, Television

Image credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

Each week, host Jeff Probst answers a few questions about the most recent episode of Survivor: South Pacific.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: We’ve seen people constantly struggle on this show navigating the internal battle between good and evil, but I have never seen anything like what is going on with Brandon. He wants to rescue the Hantz name and be a man of God, then blatantly lies to set up Christine and Stacey, and then owns up to lying about it at Tribal Council. And I don’t even know what to make of his treatment of Mikayla, who he wants to ostracize because he is married — even though she has shown no romantic interest in him whatsoever. In 23 seasons, have you ever encountered a bigger Jekyll and Hyde character?

JEFF PROBST: Brandon is definitely unique and I respect his struggle. It’s an honest admission of internal conflict that is being magnified on Survivor. When you look at his situation, it really isn’t surprising. A former troubled kid who found God, wants to be a good “son” in His eyes but finds himself in the middle of a manipulative game haunted by the legacy of an uncle who is despised by so many. He’s wearing it on his sleeve and one thing is for certain — it makes for very compelling television. READ FULL STORY »