AOL
Mail
- You might also like:
- Music |
- Movies |
- Celebrity
- and More

TV Squad

TV News

NBC Cuts 'Chase' Episode Order, CW Preps Series Based on DC Comics Character Raven and More

by Chris Harnick, posted Dec 3rd 2010 6:00PM

'Chase' fans, your show is in trouble. NBC has cut the order of episodes from 22 to 18.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the series has struggled in ratings and come January it will go against Fox's 'American Idol.'

The drama about U.S. Marshal Annie Frost (Kelli Giddish) and her squad of fugitive chasers has failed to deliver in the coveted 18-49 demographic. Its most recent episode brought in a 1.6 rating in adults 18-49.

In other TV news ...

• Rapper/actor Method Man is guest starring on 'The Good Wife.' CBS has teased the actor may play a prison friend of Peter Florrick (Chris Noth). [CBS]

• Jeremy Irons has been tapped by 'Law & Order: SVU.' The Oscar-winner will play a sex therapist who runs a sex addiction clinic. [TV Guide]

• The CW is preparing a drama based on the DC Comics character Raven. The character, known for her demon origins, has been a mainstay of 'Teen Titans' for years. Diego Gutierrez is writing the project and will serve as executive producer if the script order turns into a pilot. [Variety]

Filed under:
TV News

'Saturday Night Live' Promos: Robert De Niro Does His Best De Niro Impression

by Jean Bentley, posted Dec 3rd 2010 4:00PM

0 Comments

No one can do a better Robert De Niro impression than Robert De Niro.

But kudos to Kristen Wiig for trying in these funny new promos for this weekend's 'Saturday Night Live,' featuring De Niro as host and Diddy Dirty Money as the musical guest.

If Diddy has something to say about it, though, he'll take part in some skits too. The musician-turned-actor tweeted earlier this week, "OK SO DENIRO DONT KNOW IT YET BUT WE DOIN A SKIT TOGETHER ON SNL. BECAUSE I SAID SO. ITS LIVE TV SO IMMA BUMRUSH THE STAGE LILMAMA STYLE LOL."

Watch the video after the jump.

Filed under:
TV News

Family TV Round-Up: More 'Harry Potter' for ABC Family, New 'Dinosaur Train' and More

by Rich Keller, posted Dec 3rd 2010 3:30PM

0 Comments

The two part 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' will be coming to ABC Family in 2013.

Welcome to the Family TV Round-Up, a recap of all kid-friendly programming across the television universe. We'll sum up all the news related to children's programming, as well as profile the people and shows that your kids, tweens and teens are talking about.

We start with ABC Family and their love for the Harry Potter movie series. Last week, the cable outlet signed a deal with Warner Brothers to acquire the rights to the last two entries in the franchise -- 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2.' The agreement, which will give ABC Family first-run rights on basic cable, allows the network to run Part 1 of the movie in the spring of 2013, with part two to air in the winter of that same year.

Filed under:
Features
TV News

Watch Glenn Close, Jason Alexander, Ricki Lake and Other Random Famous People Lip Sync 'Let It Be'

by Jean Bentley, posted Dec 3rd 2010 2:40PM

6 Comments

The Norwegian TV station TV2 must have a GIGANTIC promotional budget, because there's no other explanation for how they managed to gather so many random famous people to lip sync a cover of The Beatles' 'Let It Be' to promote their 'Golden Times' program.

We're not actually sure what 'Golden Times' is, but somehow such luminaries as Glenn Close, Jason Alexander, Ricki Lake, Dolph Lundgren, Tonya Harding, Malcolm Jamal Warner, Roger Moore, Huey Lewis, George Wendt, Steve Guttenberg, one half of Milli Vanilli and SO MANY MORE PEOPLE got paid to shill for it. They even tracked down the little boy who played a young Forrest Gump.

No words can really do this justice, so please just watch the entire 6 minutes after the jump.

Filed under:
TV News

Conan Wears Jeggings, Leaves Little to the Imagination (VIDEO)

by Donald Deane, posted Dec 3rd 2010 2:00PM

1 Comments

Conan O'Brien makes good on a promise he made during an interview with Tim Gunn to wear a pair of Jeggings for the length of an entire show on 'Conan' (weeknights, 11PM ET on TBS.)

Filed under:
TV News

Congress Bans Loud Commercials, 'Dora the Explorer' Actress Withdraws Lawsuit and More

by Jean Bentley, posted Dec 3rd 2010 11:30AM

10 Comments

Did you hear that? Maybe not -- It's the sound of millions of Americans falling asleep peacefully with the TV on, then not waking up with a start when an obnoxiously loud commercial assaults their ears.

That's because Congress finally passed the bill that will make it illegal for companies to jack up the volume in their commercials, the AP reports. Senate already passed the bill in September, so it only needs President Obama's signature before it becomes law.

In other TV news ...

• Caitlin Sanchez, the 14-year-old who voiced the main character on 'Dora the Explorer,' withdrew her lawsuit against Nickelodeon. She previously alleged that she was forced to sign an "unconscionable" contract without an experienced lawyer. [THR, Esq.]

• Anna Chlumsky has signed on to play the chief of staff of Julia Louis-Dreyfus's vice president in 'Veep.' Also landing pilot leads were Dorian Brown ('Wilfred') and 'The O.C.''s Kelly Rowan ('Perception'). [Deadline]

• The Oprah Winfrey Network got its first promo spots. The commercials star Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am and Oprah herself. [NY Times]

Filed under:
TV News

Dave Price: 'The Early Show' Dismissal Is 'Part of the Business'

by Chris Harnick, posted Dec 3rd 2010 11:00AM

0 Comments

Getting fired from a job is never easy, but what's worse is getting fired and gaining national attention for it. Just ask CBS 'Early Show' weatherman Dave Price.

Earlier this week, Price, along with Maggie Rodriguez and Harry Smith, were let go from the CBS morning talk show and will be replaced with their weekend counterparts.

"Any time you get news like this it's jarring. It's part of the business. It's a cruel business," Price told the Hollywood Reporter. "But we love it anyway. And so its throws you back a bit, maybe even more than a bit."

The network said it will offer Price another position with CBS News, but Price is hesitant. "I'm going to see if any of [those proposals] are right for me," he said. "If they're not, I'll make a graceful exit."

Filed under:
TV News

Robert Kirkman Says 'The Walking Dead' Writers Weren't Fired

by Catherine Lawson, posted Dec 3rd 2010 8:15AM

2 Comments

Cast of 'The Walking Dead' Fear not, 'Walking Dead' fans. Reports of the writing staff's demise earlier this week may have been exaggerated.

Executive producer Robert Kirkman, upon whose comic books the zombie drama is based, has spoken out about this week's news that showrunner Frank Darabont had apparently fired the entire writing staff..

Kirkman told tvguide.com that this week's report in deadline.com was "premature," and said "It's kind of unfortunate that it's being reported that our writing staff has been fired because that's not the case. ... It makes Frank look bad. I don't think Frank wants it out there that he's just firing people off of a successful show."

According to Kirkman, what really happened was that Darabont's "go-to guy," executive producer and writer Charles "Chic" Eglee ('Dexter,' 'Dark Angel') chose to leave the series after Darabont decided to stay on for Season 2. The original deal had been that Darabont would be showrunner for Season 1 and then move on, leaving room for Eglee to take over.

Filed under:
Reality-Free
TV News

Netflix Is Ready for Primetime Streaming

by Harley W. Lond, posted Dec 2nd 2010 10:30PM

0 Comments

Netflix is taking over the world.

According to a report in the New York Post, Netflix is bound and determined to add current episodes of hit TV shows to its Web streaming service, a move that is already causing network executives to quiver in their boots. It's bad enough that Netflix put a dent in the home video rental business, all but putting the final nails in Blockbuster's coffin; now it's scaring Hollywood with the prospect of becoming a streaming giant.

The Post reports that Netflix is in talks with the studios about gaining access to current episodes of primetime shows and is willing to pay between $70,000 and $100,000 per episode. The company currently streams older episodes of such shows as 'Nip/Tuck,' 'Veronica Mars' and 'The Family Guy,' and recenly cut a deal with NBC Universal to stream "Saturday Night Live' the day after it airs on the network.

Filed under:
TV News

'Top Chef Las Vegas' Winner Inadvertently Starts Twitter War, 'Dancing' Wants Another Palin and More

by Jean Bentley, posted Dec 2nd 2010 7:30PM

2 Comments

'Top Chef Las Vegas' winner Michael Voltaggio got himself into hot water today when he tweeted that 'Top Chef All-Stars' "is for people that didn't win."

E! Online reports that the offending tweet resulted from several of his followers asking why he wasn't competing on the new edition of the show, which debuted last night.

A minor Twitter war ensued, with Voltaggio spending several more tweets backtracking and complimenting the talents of the all-star lineup.

In other TV news ...

• 'Dexter' is about to get renewed for a sixth season. According to reports, Showtime is expected to make an official announcement within the next week. [The Hollywood Reporter]

• Forget Twitter sitcoms -- the newest internet-to-TV trend is ... smartphone app to TV? The founders of Foursquare have signed a deal to integrate their social networking app into a new show. [NY Mag]

Filed under:
TV News

Would You Name Your Kid After a TV Character?

by Jean Bentley, posted Dec 2nd 2010 3:30PM

19 Comments

Let's say you love 'Glee' -- really, really love it. You watch it every week. Download the songs on iTunes. Snag some prime seats for the live tour. Start a 'Glee'-related Tumblr.

But do you really, really, really love it? Enough to name your kid after one of the New Directions singers?

Turns out more than a few parents have shown their dedication to the show in the ultimate way: naming their children after its characters. According to Linda Murray, editor of the parenting website BabyCenter, the names Finn and Quinn made the site's Top 100 list of baby names for 2010.

Also on the list: the names of characters from shows like 'Mad Men' (Betty), characters from movies like 'The Frog Princess' (Tiana), and real-life winter Olympics stars (Bode, Shaun and Apollo).

Filed under:
TV News

'The Amazing Race' Season 18 Will Feature All-Stars: Who Do You Want to See?

by Jean Bentley, posted Dec 2nd 2010 1:30PM

4 Comments

The next season of 'The Amazing Race' could feature some beloved familiar faces (and we're not talking about host Phil Keoghan's handsome mug).

According to rumors on sites like Reality Blurred and Reality Fan Forum, filming for season 18 of 'TAR' is underway and will feature a cast comprised of all-stars from seasons 12 through 17. SPOILER ALERT: If you don't want to know who's already been spotted racing (and where), stop reading now! After the jump, find out who's back to compete for another $1 million prize.

Filed under:
TV News

Sparks Fly During a Lighting Ceremony on 'Ellen' (VIDEO)

by Donald Deane, posted Dec 2nd 2010 12:15PM

1 Comments

'Tis the season for electrical fires! Ellen DeGeneres lights a string of garland to commemorate the start of the "12 Days of Giveaways" on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' (weekdays, syndicated). But, things go horribly awry when there's a short circuit and sparks fly.

Filed under:
TV News

Paula Marshall to Play Cuddy's Sister on 'House,' Kara DioGuardi is Writing a Memoir and More

by Jean Bentley, posted Dec 2nd 2010 11:30AM

0 Comments

It's time to meet the parents on 'House' -- and the rest of the family, too.

When Cuddy brings home boyfriend House during a January episode, not only will the doctor meet mom and dad, he'll meet Cuddy's sister as well. According to TV Guide, sis will be played by 'Californication' and 'Nip/Tuck' actress Paula Marshall.

Marshall joins Candice Bergen, who's been cast as Cuddy's mom.

In other TV news ...

• Rapper Nelly will appear as himself in an early 2011 episode of '90210.' The rapper will pop up when Navid and Dixon somehow get involved in the shoot for his 'She's So Fly' music video. [Movieline]

• It's rumored that Terry Wood will take over programming at Oprah's OWN network. Wood, who brought Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray to the air, quit her job at CBS earlier this week. [NY Post]

• A suspect in the murder of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen killed himself when police served him a search warrant last night. He was a person of interest in Chassen's Nov. 16 shooting death. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Filed under:
TV News

Steve Carell Sells Workplace Comedy to NBC

by Catherine Lawson, posted Dec 2nd 2010 8:15AM

0 Comments

Funnyman Steve Carell may be checking out of 'The Office' soon, but he's not leaving the workplace (or NBC). It's been reported that he's just sold a half-hour single-camera comedy to the network.

According to deadline.com, the comedy is provisionally entitled 'The Post-Graduate Project.' It's described as "a sweet and nostalgic take" on Carell's own early post-college life, during which he worked as a mail carrier in Littleton, Mass. Carell has always said he quit after only a few months when his boss told him that he wasn't a very good mail carrier.

The new comedy will center on a small-town post office frequented by a quirky but tight-knit group of local twentysomethings. Carell will serve as both writer and executive producer, alongside fellow 'Daily Show' alum Thom Hinkle.