Category: - News (1-10 of 4677)

Feb 8 2012 07:12 PM ET

The CW's hot pilots rundown: 'Selection,' 'Beauty and the Beast,' more

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The CW’s dry spell might be over. Lacking a big breakout hit since 2009′s Vampire Diaries, the network boasts a pilot roster this season filled with head-turning ideas from top producers like J.J. Abrams and Greg Berlanti. “The overall quality is as high or higher than we ever had,” said CW’s development head Thom Sherman. “Everybody is really jazzed.”

The first full CW slate developed under the network’s new entertainment chief Mark Pedowitz, the lineup aimed for broad-appeal, promotion-friendly concepts while still sticking within the network’s adults 18-34 demographic. Noted Sherman: “When people came in to pitch ideas we asked them, ‘What’s the billboard?’”

Below, Sherman offers some tantalizing new details about each of the projects. There’s a Sex and the City prequel on Carrie Bradshaw’s high school years, a grounded adaptation of the DC Comics hero Green Arrow, a future-set fantasy that’s “The Hunger Games meets The Bachelor,” and even a time-traveling musical. READ FULL STORY »

Feb 8 2012 06:04 PM ET

Fox's 'House' will end this season

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Image Credit: Fox

Dr. House is hanging up his cane.

The network will conclude the long-running medical drama House this season.

“The decision to end the show now, or ever, is a painful one, as it risks putting asunder hundreds of close friendships that have developed over the last eight years — but also because the show itself has been a source of great pride to everyone involved,” said executive producers David Shore, Katie Jacobs and star Hugh Laurie in a joint statement. “The producers have always imagined House as an enigmatic creature;  he should never be the last one to leave the party. How much better to disappear before the music stops, while there is still some promise and mystique in the air.”

House is produced by Universal Television and the question has been raised in the past if the studio’s sister network NBC would pick up the show if Fox cancels it. Sources say there’s no plans to take the drama to NBC, however, and NBC entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt said last month it was unlikely the network would pick up the show given its age and cost. It also seems rather unlikely a cable network would be able to afford the show. READ FULL STORY »

Feb 8 2012 05:19 PM ET

'Days of Our Lives': See the debut of Ian Buchanan! -- EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

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Soap veteran Ian Buchanan — who’s had memorable roles on General Hospital, The Bold and the Beautiful and All My Children — comes to NBC on Thursday to play Ian McAllister on Days of Our Lives.

In this exclusive clip, Buchanan shows up as a very shady character from Madison’s (Sarah Brown) past who seems to have a strong hold over her and her company. As time goes by, we’ll also see that McAllister has a mysterious connection to Kate (Lauren Koslow), and that his presence in Salem will have an impact on Brady, Victor and Sonny. Oh my!

This isn’t Buchanan’s first time on the DOOL set. Previously, he performed a cameo as Lord Sheraton back in the late ’90s.

READ FULL STORY »

Feb 8 2012 05:01 PM ET

'Being Human' renewed for third season

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Syfy is ordering a third season of Being Human.

The network made the announcement after just four episodes into the second season of the vampire/werewolf/ghost threesome story. Syfy is lining up another 13 episodes for the third round.

Viewership for the second season has rose 27% in Adults 18-49, with the show averaging 2.4 million total viewers. Also, the network likes us to point out that women comprise 52 percent of the show’s audience, making it the channel’s most female-skewing scripted series ever.

Read more:
‘Being Human’: How did it compare to the British version? Will you continue watching?
Syfy’s ‘Being Human’ more ‘gritty’ than ‘Twilight’?

Feb 8 2012 03:52 PM ET

'Carrie Diaries' scoop: Bradshaw's first love isn't a boy...

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Filed under: Scoop

Carrie Bradshaw’s first love isn’t a boy…

The CW’s Sex and the City prequel pilot The Carrie Diaries stars a young Carrie Bradshaw coming of age in the 1980s. When the project was first announced, some readers wondered how it would distinguish itself from Carrie Diaries executive producers’ Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage’s other CW soap Gossip Girl (romantic prime-time soap, New York City setting, voiceover narration…). CW’s development head Thom Sherman ran down the ways that Carrie Diaries will feel unique from the network’s previous shows.

“The focus is so much on the Carrie Bradshaw’s character and who she was at 16, 17 years old,” Sherman tells EW.com. “We weirdly compare it to Smallville because it’s an origin story — how she started writing, how she came to love Manhattan. Basically how we frame the show is: ‘Carrie at 16 found her first love and it’s not a boy — it’s Man-hattan.’ The other unique aspect is obviously the time period.” READ FULL STORY »

Feb 8 2012 03:13 PM ET

Roland S. Martin suspended by CNN for 'offensive' tweets

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Image Credit: CNN

CNN contributor Roland S. Martin, who was accused of bullying and encouraging violence against the LGBT community after tweeting on Sunday that any man at a Super Bowl party who’s psyched for David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad should be smacked, posted his final thoughts on the controversy to his website last night. “That is furthest from the truth, and I sincerely regret any offense my words have caused,” he wrote. “I have consistently said on television, radio, and in print, that I am steadfast against bullying. As I wrote on CNN.com, as well as said on the nationally-syndicated Dr. Phil Show, I believe parents and schools need to take an active role in ending this epidemic that afflicts kids nationwide, gay or not.” [UPDATED 2/8/12, 3:10 ET: Martin was suspended by CNN, who released a statement reading, "Roland Martin's tweets were regrettable and offensive. Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated. We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland will not be appearing on our air for the time being." It is not clear how long Martin's suspension will last.]

READ FULL STORY »

Feb 8 2012 03:01 PM ET

How CW's 'Arrow' will differ from 'Smallville' -- EXCLUSIVE

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Filed under: Scoop
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Image Credit: Amell (Getty Images) / Hartley (CW)

The CW’s Arrow is going to be pretty different from the Green Arrow character on the network’s recently retired hit Smallville. Think Bourne Identity with lots of arrows.

Fans of the DC Comics archer figured they were in for a change the moment the project was announced. The producers include Greg Berlanti (Everwood), Marc Guggenheim (FlashForward), and Andrew Kreisberg (Vampire Diaries, Fringe). Then the formidable-looking Stephen Amell was cast, taking over the role from Smallville‘s Justin Hartley.

CW’s development head Thom Sherman tells EW.com there will be several other differences as well. READ FULL STORY »

Feb 8 2012 11:18 AM ET

ABC's 'The River' has murky premiere ratings

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Image Credit: ABC

This is a bummer: ABC’s promising thriller The River got off to a relatively modest start in the ratings Tuesday night.

The two-hour opener averaged 7.5 million viewers and a meh 2.4 rating in the adult demo, up 4 percent from the comparable debut of Off the Map last year. Moreover, the show lost a 10th of a rating point each half hour during its run. The news is a bit surprising considering how successful ABC has otherwise been at launching new shows this season, often delivering stronger premiere ratings than expected. This isn’t a lethal number, but I think most expected (and certainly hoped for) something bigger.

ABC also aired two episodes of Last Man Standing (7.9 million, 2.4), down slightly from a few weeks ago. The second half hour featured a guest appearance by Kim Kardashian (yes, I agree, but her episode did slightly better than the first).

So what did well last night? READ FULL STORY »

Feb 8 2012 10:30 AM ET

'Parks and Recreation' star Nick Offerman to guest on 'The Cleveland Show' -- EXCLUSIVE

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Filed under: Scoop and tagged: , ,
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Image Credit: Nicole Wilder/FOX

On NBC’s Parks and Recreation, Nick Offerman plays a hands-off boss, but he’ll be playing a different kind of man in charge later this year. It may not even be spring yet, but Offerman already has recorded a guest spot for the Christmas episode of The Cleveland Show, voicing a sexist, philandering department-store owner who requires the female elves (including Roberta) to don hot pants to attract customers. “He’s very handsome and gassy,” Offerman tells EW. READ FULL STORY »

Feb 8 2012 09:00 AM ET

Pauly D's 'Jersey Shore' spin-off to premiere after 'Punk'd' -- EXCLUSIVE

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Filed under: Ashton Kutcher, Jersey Shore, Reality TV, Scoop
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Image Credit: Noel Vasquez/Getty Images

The man who believes his face should be in the dictionary next to the phrase ‘too much swag’ is about to get his chance to shine: MTV will premiere Pauly D’s Jersey Shore spin-off, appropriately titled The Pauly D Project, on March 29 at 10:30 p.m. The series will take viewers away from Seaside Heights as Mr. Delvecchio pursues his DJ dreams, scoring a record contract with 50 Cent’s G-Note Records and opening for Britney Spears on her “Femme Fatale” tour, all while palling around with his closest friends from his home state of Rhode Island. READ FULL STORY »

Feb 7 2012 10:55 PM ET

ABC picks up Mandy Moore pilot; orders soapy series for summer

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Image Credit: Joe Kohen/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion W

The voice of Rapunzel in Tangled just scored a pilot gig at ABC.

The network just gave a big heck yes to a new comedy that will star Mandy Moore as a newlywed who “gets the opportunity of a lifetime to run a hip, new restaurant” in her hometown. At the same time, this new “opportunity” brings her closer to her “needy and high maintenance family.” Hilarity ensues! The comedy’s from Bob Fisher and Stacy Traub.

In the meantime, ABC is keeping the love alive for primetime soaps by ordering Mistresses to series. Targeted for summer, the show from KJ Steinberg is described by ABC as “a provocative thrilling drama that finds four women with scandalous romantic lives, caught in storms of excitement and self-discovery, secrecy and betrayal, and at the mercy of the complex relationships they’ve created.”

I seem to be caught in a storm of excitement, myself, over how many more Revenge-style dramas the network has in the works for next season. Speaking of which, have you checked out Grandpa Grayson?  

Read more:
TV Pilots on EW

Feb 7 2012 07:32 PM ET

Kyle Bornheimer joins ABC comedy pilot

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Filed under: TV Pilots
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Image Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Kyle Bornheimer — last seen in Romantically Challenged, Perfect Couples and Worst Week — will join the cast of the ABC comedy pilot White Man Van.

The single-camera project from Bobby Bowman is based on the British format White Van Man, and centers on a man who is forced to put his dreams on hold in order to take over the family handyman business from his father.

White Man Van is one of eight new comedies in development for ABC’s fall 2012 lineup. If you don’t like the sound of that one, check out these others: READ FULL STORY »

Feb 7 2012 06:22 PM ET

Simon Cowell on 'Factor' judges rumors: Beyonce, Mariah, Madonna?

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Image Credit: Fox

On the heels of EW’s exclusive interview with Fox about the X Factor shakeup, Extra’s Terri Seymour has landed an exclusive interview with the show’s executive producer and top judge Simon Cowell. Fox’s reality star debunks and praises some of the names floating around in the media as potential replacements for departing Factor judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger. The interview airs on Extra in two parts starting tonight.

Cowell gives his thoughts on…

Abdul’s exit: “I would’ve liked to have kept her. She was very gracious and I said that to her. She understands it’s business; it’s never personal.”

Whether he feels pressure to bring in A-lister music stars as judges: “No. Because when we first launched [Pop] Idol in the UK years ago, we didn’t think for one second there had to be an A-list star on the panel. Everyone on the panel was really unknown … Firstly, they are incredibly expensive – that is millions you lose on something else. Secondly, they have to make the time commitment and on my show, they have to work five days a week. Thirdly, they have to be interesting … I’m not playing this game where we have to compete on the level of A-lister stars … you can lose focus on what the show is all about, and at the end of  the day the most important thing is the contestants.” READ FULL STORY »

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