Tag: Deals (66-78 of 229)

Jun 1 2011 03:27 PM ET

'The Event' lives? Syfy in talks to pick up NBC thriller as miniseries

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Image Credit: Mike Ansell/NBC

Promising news for fans of The Event, NBC’s low-rated thriller that got axed after one season: EW has learned that SyFy is considering whether to develop the second season into a miniseries.

Okay, so maybe this isn’t GREAT news — it’s not a full season of Blair Underwood– but there’s always the chance the drama could live on if a ton of genre fans decide to tune into the miniseries. And the bar is lower for SyFy, which is an NBC-Universal owned net. When it aired on NBC, The Event only averaged 7.13 million viewers and a mere 2.4 rating/6 share among adults 18-49.

The drama lost some momentum on NBC when it was tabled over the winter months to make way for The Cape, another high-concept show that ultimately failed to rally the genre fans.

For now, an SyFy rep is saying there is no deal.

Should it close with the cabler, it’s unclear how many of the original cast members will return for a miniseries. There were a lot of them (besides Underwood, core members included Jason Ritter, Sarah Roemer, Ian Anthony Dale and Laura Innes).

Would you watch an Event miniseries?

May 24 2011 07:04 PM ET

Christopher Meloni out of 'SVU'

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Image Credit: Will Hart/NBC

So long, Det. Stabler: An insider confirms that Christopher Meloni will leave Law & Order: Special Victims Unit after 12 seasons. Apparently, the actor was offered a “generous” salary to stay with the NBC show for another year, but he made the decision to bolt, instead – which paves the way for a fresh face to join the aging franchise. (Hey, Dick Wolf: These actors didn’t get their pilots picked up. Maybe consider one of them?)

Meloni has been on the show since the beginning, when it launched in 1999. His co-star, Mariska Hargitay, recently signed a new deal to stay on the cop drama.

NBC announced last week in New York that SVU will return next fall but its sister show, Law & Order: Los Angeles, was yanked after only one season.

Meanwhile, Peacock topper Robert Greenblatt told reporters that he’s looked at Jennifer Love Hewitt as a possible fill-in next season for Hargitay, who is reportedly looking to lighten her work load (she recently adopted a baby). Love Hewitt guest-starred on the show earlier this year as a rape victim and “is someone we’ve been circling,” Greenblatt told reporters. “I don’t know whether that’s coming to pass or not.”

May 23 2011 08:10 PM ET

Ashton Kutcher's 'Two and a Half Men' deal only spans one year: report

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Image Credit: Kristy Sparow/WireImage

Before you go falling in love with Ashton Kutcher on Two and a Half Men next season, you might want to note now that this could only be a brief affair. (That’s Hollywood for you.)

According to a report on the Wall Street Journal‘s website, Kutcher’s deal to replace former star Charlie Sheen (a contract worth nearly $20 million for the season) only secures the star for a single season.

It’s worth noting, however, that Men also has only one more year under contract at CBS. Should the show get another year, Kutcher would reportedly have the option of extending his stay. But that would also mean a trip back to the discussion table, and the possibility that Kutcher would ultimately choose not to return for another season.

Attempts by EW to contact reps for Warner Bros. Television and Kutcher were not returned.

Read more:
First photos of Ashton Kutcher with ‘Men’ cast
Ashton Kutcher takes CBS stage: ‘I won the lotto’
Charlie Sheen reacts to ‘Men’ hire, Ashton Kutcher responds

May 19 2011 05:30 PM ET

Chris Vance cast as lead in 'Transporter' TV show -- EXCLUSIVE

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Image Credit: Patrick Curtet

British actor Chris Vance (Prison Break, Burn Notice) has been cast as the lead in the TV version of the Transporter action movie franchise, EW can report exclusively. Vance will play expert driver and “professional transporter” Frank Martin — the role which was originated on the big screen by his fellow Brit, Jason Statham. The show is being executive produced by Luc Besson, who co-wrote all three of the Transporter movies. The first season will be shot this summer in Canada and Europe and then be broadcast on Cinemax next year. “It’s high octance,” Vance told EW, when asked to give a flavor of what viewers can expect. “Fast-paced. Action-packed. Car chases. Stunts. Fights, Beautiful girls. Villains. Heroes. Guns. It should be a lot of fun.” READ FULL STORY »

May 19 2011 12:48 PM ET

Sports czar Dick Ebersol resigns from NBC

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Here’s another high-profile departure in the wake of Comcast’s takeover of NBC Universal: The New York Times is reporting today that NBC Sports guru Dick Ebersol resigned today after he couldn’t hammer out a new deal. Ebersol has been with the division since 1989 and was primarily reponsible for securing the rights for all those highly-viewed — but pretty pricey — Olympic telecasts.

Ebersol reportedly denied that he didn’t get along with his new bosses.

It is unclear what Ebersol’s departure means to the future of the Olympics on NBC, and whether Comcast is interest in going after the rights to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. Ebersol will stay on the job until June.

May 13 2011 12:39 PM ET

Chelsea Handler's sitcom gets greenlight at NBC

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Are you there primetime? It’s Chelsea Handler, whose sitcom just got a series order.

The project based on her book, Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea, has been picked up for next season. The semi-autobiographical comedy is about “a 20-something woman who has a very honest and provocative point of view on dating, friends and family.”

Handler will not star in the show, but will be an executive producer. Laura Prepon (October Road) will star.

NBC picked up some other new comedies. The first is Free Agents, a comedy based on a U.K. format about two co-workers who fall for one another. It stars Hank Azaria. And then there’s Bent, a single camera comedy starring Amanda Peet who falls for a sexy surfer dude she hires to re-do her kitchen. Finally, there’s BFFs, a laugher starring Stephen Schneider that’s about a woman and her live-in boyfriend who take in her pushy and distraught best girlfriend.

Read more:
NBC renews ‘Chuck’
Chelsea Handler talks 50 Cent with Piers Morgan
Which Chelsea Handler stories should be turned into episodes of ‘Vodka’?

May 13 2011 09:50 AM ET

Ashton Kutcher: The one million dollar man?

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Image Credit: Kristy Sparow/WireImage

It’s not close to Charlie Sheen money but it’s still not a bad payday to take over as a replacement: Ashton Kutcher is reportedly in line to earn nearly $1 million an episode to join Two and a Half Men. It’s not clear whether the salary includes any backend profits from reruns but it’s still hundreds of thousands more than what any A-list star would earn to join a show.

The news, which was reported today in the Wall Street Journal, comes only days after it was revealed that Hugh Grant passed up the chance to take over for Sheen on TV’s No. 1 comedy. It’s unlikely that Warner Bros. TV, which produces the comedy for CBS, will announce the hiring of Kutcher before Wednesday when the network announces its fall lineup to advertisers in New York.

On Thursday, Kutcher playfully seemed to confirm reports on Twitter, giving fans asking him about the reports a wink and tweeting “what’s the square root of 6.25?”

May 4 2011 11:41 AM ET

'Jersey Shore's 'The Situation' signs development deal with MTV

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Image Credit: MTV

Get ready for The Situation: The Series. EW has officially confirmed that MTV has signed a development deal with Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino to film a spin-off series from the monstrously popular Jersey Shore. (The network has already greenlit two other series starring Shore cast members, one with DJ Paul “Pauly D” Delvecchio and another centering on Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Jenni “J-Woww” Farley.) READ FULL STORY »

May 4 2011 10:57 AM ET

A&E announces development slate, including a 'Coma' miniseries

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A&E Network announced its programming slate today, which includes 11 returning series and the launch of 10 new ones by the end of 2011. After wrapping the first season of Storage Wars, which averaged 2.8 million viewers per episode, A&E has ordered eight episodes of the spin-off series Storage Wars: Dallas. The cable net is also picking up the new series InLaws, Ship Happens and Boar Hunters as the first of 10 new series planned for 2011. READ FULL STORY »

Apr 26 2011 03:11 PM ET

Katie Couric finally makes it official: She's leaving

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Image Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Katie Couric finally went on the record to People today to announce her decision to step down from CBS Evening News.  ”I’m really proud of the talented team on the CBS Evening News and the award-winning work we’ve been able to do in the past five years in addition to the reporting I’ve done for 60 Minutes and CBS Sunday Morning,” she told the magazine. “In making the decision to move on, I know the Evening News will be in great hands, but I am excited about the future.”

As for what’s next, Couric said, ”I am looking at a format that will allow me to engage in more multi-dimensional storytelling.” Couric, who anchored the Evening News since 2006, is expected to focus on developing a daytime talk show that may or may not involve Today’s Matt Lauer. Both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that there have been discussions to reunite her with her former co-worker and friend.

CBS will likely announce Couric’s successor next week, or before its annual upfront presentation to advertisers in New York. It seems likely that 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley is the frontrunner, though CBS’s Harry Smith and Russ Mitchell have also been mentioned as possible successors.

In response, CBS News released this statement: “There is a lot to be proud of during her time at Evening News. CBS News, like Katie herself, is looking forward to the next chapter.”
Apr 22 2011 04:11 PM ET

'Glee' star Chris Colfer discusses his new pilot for Disney and Kurt's return to McKinley -- EXCLUSIVE

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It’s a good week to be Chris Colfer. Not only was the Glee star named one of Time‘s 100 Most Influential People, but the actor also made a deal with the Disney Channel for a pilot based on the children’s book, The Little Leftover Witch. It’s the actor’s second script deal; Colfer’s set to star in his own screenplay, the teen comedy Struck by Lightning, this summer once the Glee concert tour wraps. Did we mention that Colfer is only 20 years-old? In between a break on the set of Glee, EW talked to Colfer about his Disney pilot and what’s in store for Kurt and Blaine.  READ FULL STORY »

Apr 14 2011 11:22 AM ET

Doris Roberts on 'The Middle', 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Hot in Cleveland' (oh my!) -- EXCLUSIVE

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Image Credit: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images

Burning question for the broadcast networks: Why doesn’t Doris Roberts have her own sitcom? The 81-year-old co-star from Everybody Loves Raymond has no less than three appearances scheduled over the next month on ABC and TVLand.

The actress told EW exclusively that she’ll return to ABC’s The Middle – which stars her Raymond pal Patricia Heaton –to reprise her role as Brick’s teacher on May 25. “Patty and I go head to head once again,” Roberts said. “I still think I’m right about her kid and she still thinks I’m evil and mean.” Roberts will also play a patient in the April 28 episode of Grey’s Anatomy. “It is a serious problem for me. I can’t say much more than that. You will have to see it to believe it. The language I use in it is pretty wild.  It is a character who is very different from myself.”

After that, she’ll show up in one of the final episodes of Hot In Cleveland. “That’s a wild one. I get punched by Betty White,” she said. “A real pow punch and I go flying. I play a woman who had an affair with her husband in the past and she is angry.”

Good call, Doris — saving the best for last. (Reporting by Carrie Bell)

Apr 6 2011 08:29 PM ET

Matt Lauer to leave 'Today'?

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Image Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Wireimage

Where in the world is Matt Lauer going at the end of next year? Perhaps off Today. In the wake of a report that co-host Meredith Viera is planning to leave NBC’s morning show when her contract ends in September, Entertainment Tonight is reporting that the more tenured host, Lauer, 53, has informed executives at the network that he intends to leave Today when his contract expires in Dec., 2012. Today released this statement on Wednesday: “There seems to be an awful lot of speculation around news anchors these days, and it’s not our practice to comment on any of it. Matt Lauer has a long term contract with NBC News and Today.” (Lauer has co-anchored the show since 1997 and the statement appears to leave some wiggle room on whether he will stay on past the end of his current agreement.) It’s certainly been an unusually busy week for news anchors and personalities: Fox News and Glenn Beck announced that his daily show Glenn Beck will “transition off” the network, while Katie Couric is believed to be departing CBS Evening News, possibly to host a daytime talk show.

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