Wed, 22 May 2013 19:33:22 -0400
By Jethro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - There was some top secret excitement on-set of NBC's "The Voice" on Tuesday, which TheWrap learned was caused by none other than Oprah Winfrey. She was on-set shooting for an episode of "Oprah's Next Chapter," which will air Sunday, June 2 at 9 p.m. ET/8c on OWN, confirmed representatives from NBC and OWN. The talk host and cable network's founder interviewed the NBC talent show's coaches Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Shakira and Usher, as well as host Carson Daly and social media correspondent Christina Milian. ...
Wed, 22 May 2013 20:35:07 -0400
By Steve Pond LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - It was an adventure that somehow turned into a career. When Sofia Vergara got a call to audition for a Barry Sonnenfeld movie called "Big Trouble" back in 2001, the 29-year-old Colombian wasn't an aspiring actress. She was a TV hostess on the Spanish-language Univision network, a former dental student who'd fallen into modeling and then hosting for the Latin market. She had dreams of fame and fortune, to be sure, but most of them didn't focus on the United States, and they certainly didn't include acting. ...
Wed, 22 May 2013 17:40:01 -0400
NEW YORK (Reuters) - British CNN host Piers Morgan is writing a book about his career, his job as news show anchor and his interviews with Hollywood stars and world leaders, his publisher said on Wednesday. "Shooting Straight: Guns, Gays, God and George Clooney," to be published in October, will be written in a diary format and delve into the controversy surrounding his gun control campaign and love affair with America. "Piers Morgan is honest, forthcoming, and fearless. I fully expect 'Shooting Straight' to enlighten some readers and enrage others. ...
Thu, 23 May 2013 14:06:09 -0400
By Jethro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - It came as a surprise to the "Falling Skies" fandom (and some within TNT) when news that the series' showrunner, Remi Aubuchon, had resigned ahead of Season 3's June 9 premiere date. Aubuchon decided to leave the show after two seasons to pursue his dream of writing a science fiction novel - something that he would be unable to do while on the very challenging show. "This is a very difficult show to work on," Aubuchon admitted to TheWrap. "And the truth is I did feel burnt out after this season. ...
Wed, 22 May 2013 01:08:34 -0400
By Andrea Burzynski NEW YORK (Reuters) - Country singer Kellie Pickler won the 16th season of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" on Tuesday night, winning over judges and TV audiences with her graceful style and high-jumping jives with partner and professional dancer Derek Hough. Pickler, who first grabbed attention as a contestant on "American Idol" in 2006, screeched and jumped up and down when she learned she had won. "This is amazing! Oh, my God!" she exclaimed, before fellow finalist and NFL player Jacoby Jones hoisted her on his shoulders to celebrate. ...
Wed, 22 May 2013 20:46:28 -0400
By Tim Molloy NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Robin Roberts will release a memoir in April 2014 detailing her battle against her life-threatening illness and return to the "Good Morning America" anchor desk. Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, is publishing the book, which Jamie Raab, president and publisher of Grand Central Publishing, will edit. "I am humbled that many have an interest, and draw strength from my ongoing journey," said Roberts. "I'm grateful for the prayers and well wishes of so many people. ...
Wed, 22 May 2013 20:41:01 -0400
By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The Tony Awards are sticking with CBS. The network has reached a new agreement with The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing to broadcast the Tonys through 2018. "The Tony Awards give viewers across the country the opportunity to experience the excitement of Broadway theater from their very own living rooms," said Jack Sussman, executive vice president of Specials, Music and Live Events for CBS Entertainment. ...
Tue, 21 May 2013 20:53:03 -0400
By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - HBO's "Girls" is getting a little extra oomph for its third season, in the form of Jon Hamm's gal. Jennifer Westfeldt, known to jealous women everywhere as the gal who's romantically attached to "Mad Men" star Hamm, has booked an appearance on the HBO series, the premium cable network told TheWrap on Tuesday. News of Westfeldt's appearance on the show first broke when the actress - whose own acting credits include 2011's "Friends With Kids" - was photographed shooting a funeral scene with "Girls" star Adam Driver in New York. ...
Tue, 21 May 2013 20:45:16 -0400
By Jehtro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Fugitives, beware. "Dog and Beth" fans, rejoice! CMT has ordered 11 more episodes of bounty hunters "Dog," Beth and Leland Chapman's new series bringing its Season 1 order to 22 episodes. Production on the back 11 episodes will begin immediately. "We knew Dog and Beth would shake up the programming landscape at CMT and they've done just that, more than doubling our quarter-to-date prime average," said CMT's executive vice president Jayson Dinsmore in a statement on Tuesday. ...
Tue, 21 May 2013 20:46:43 -0400
By Lucas Shaw NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Ricky Gervais' "Derek," a new Netflix series from the creator and star of "The Office" and 'Extras," will premiere on Netflix September 12. Netflix will release all seven episodes at once, the same approach it has taken with its latest original series "House of Cards" and "Hemlock Grove." Gervais wrote and directed the show, which he also stars in as the title character. Derek is a sweet, selfless but meek man who works in a retirement home alongside Dougie (Karl Pilkington) and Hannah (Kerry Godliman). ...
Tue, 21 May 2013 20:48:35 -0400
By Jethro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Lisa Kudrow and Dan Bucatinsky-produced celebrity genealogy series, "Who Do You Think You Are?," can add a new branch to its family tree. TLC has picked up the former NBC documentary series for eight new one-hour episodes set to premiere on July 23. Production is already underway. "I've never stopped hearing about how much people love 'Who Do You Think You Are?,' and I've always known that we've had more great stories to share," said executive producer Kudrow in a statement. ...
Tue, 21 May 2013 18:58:30 -0400
By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Mia Maestro is moving on from the vampires of "Breaking Dawn" to sink her teeth into a new role with another bunch of suckers. Maestro, who played Denali coven member Carmen Denali in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn" films, has been cast as one of the female leads in "The Strain," Guillermo del Toro's pilot for FX. The pilot, based on del Toro's trilogy of novels "The Strain," "The Fall" and "The Night Eternal," will find Maestro in familiar thematic territory. The novels follow the efforts of Centers for Disease Control employee Dr. ...
Tue, 21 May 2013 19:00:51 -0400
By Lee Hernandez LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and NBC's "The Voice" both honored the victims of the Oklahoma City tornado last night on their Monday night broadcasts. On DWTS, co-host Tom Bergeron requested that the audience not applaud coming back from a commercial break during season 16's final performance show. "Here's why," Bergeron said, looking like he was on the verge of tears. "We're a live show, and as such, occasionally we go to air in the shadow of tragic events. That happened April 15, when we went to air hours after the Boston bombing. ...
Tue, 21 May 2013 14:38:33 -0400
(Reuters) - Actress and comedienne Carol Burnett will be honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the top award for American comics, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts said on Tuesday. Burnett, 80, whose Emmy-winning sketch comedy program "The Carol Burnett Show" was a mainstay on U.S. television from 1967 to 1978, will receive the award during a ceremony at Washington's Kennedy Center in October. ...
Tue, 21 May 2013 19:14:51 -0400
By Tim Molloy NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - VH1 will air the new pop culture morning show "The Gossip Table" beginning Monday June 3, the network announced Tuesday. The 9 a.m. show will group together five gossip columnists each weekday morning in June. It will fill in while "Big Morning Buzz Live with Carrie Keagan" is on summer break. The gossips are Rob Shuter from "The Today Show" and NaughtyButNiceRob.com, Marianne Garvey from the New York Daily News, Noah Levy from In Touch, Chloe Melas from HollywoodLife.com, and Delaina Dixon from DivaGalsDaily.com. ...
Tue, 21 May 2013 18:55:21 -0400
By Greg Gilman LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - When the '60s procedural "Ironside" is revived on NBC this fall, the setting will move from San Francisco to New York and the lead character will be African-American. But one thing hasn't changed: The actor playing Ironside can still walk from his wheelchair when the director yells cut. The colorblind casting is ironic to some disabled actors - who say having a walking actor play a paraplegic is as offensive as blackface. ...
Tue, 21 May 2013 18:11:06 -0400
(Reuters) - Broadcast network CBS said on Tuesday it won this season's ratings race among the 18-to-49 age group most prized by advertisers, claiming its first victory in that audience in 21 years. CBS, a unit of CBS Corp, snatched the title from News Corp-owned Fox, which had dominated the age group for eight straight years until it was hurt this season by a ratings slump for singing competition "American Idol." CBS rode hits like "The Big Bang Theory" and "2 Broke Girls" and was helped by February's Super Bowl broadcast, which attracted the biggest TV audience of the year. ...
Mon, 20 May 2013 20:38:44 -0400
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - CBS said on Monday that the network will delay airing the season finale of sitcom "Mike & Molly" in the aftermath of the Oklahoma tornados, due to similarities between the events and the episode's storyline. "Due to the tragic events this afternoon in Oklahoma, we are pre-empting tonight's season finale of 'Mike & Molly,' which has a related storyline," a CBS spokesperson said in a statement. The spokesperson told Reuters that the season 3 finale featured a tornado. ...
Mon, 20 May 2013 20:16:27 -0400
By Lee Hernandez LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - If the reports are true that Fred Armisen is following in the footsteps of his friend and fellow cast member Bill Hader and leaving "SNL," then we may have just seen the comedian's last performance on the NBC comedy sketch show's May 18th season finale. In the final minutes of Saturday night's season-ender, Armisen reprised his role as punk-rock star Ian Rubbish, the British pink rock character he introduced just over a month ago in the "History of Punk. ...
Mon, 20 May 2013 20:23:45 -0400
By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Ang Lee apparently isn't feeling very tyrannical anymore. The "Life of Pi" director has dropped out of the FX pilot "Tyrant," which would have marked his television directorial debut. The pilot, from "Homeland" producers Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff, along with Craig Wright ("Six Feet Under"), follows an unassuming American family drawn into the workings of a turbulent Middle Eastern nation. Raff created the pilot, which was developed by Gordon and Wright. ...
Mon, 20 May 2013 20:22:03 -0400
By Jethro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Discovery Channel's "American Chopper" star Paul Teutul Sr. is returning to television on a new series for CMT. Pilgrim studios will produce eight episodes of the one-hour unscripted show, "Orange County Choppers," for CMT. It starts production this summer and slated to air later this year on the cable network. "We're thrilled to be back on television doing what we do best: building outrageous custom motorcycles," said Teutul in a statement. ...
Mon, 20 May 2013 20:11:39 -0400
By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Think there's too much reality TV on the air these days? Cheer up, NBC has picked up a new scripted series - about a reality TV show. The network has picked up the one-hour drama "Siberia," about reality-show contestants uncovering dark secrets, the network said Monday. The series, which comes via Sierra/Engine Television and Michael Ohoven's Infinity Films, will premiere July 1 at 10 p.m. ...
Mon, 20 May 2013 19:58:44 -0400
By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Charlie Rose will soon be helping you get your weekend started with a bang. Rose is expanding his presence on PBS with a new series, "Charlie Rose Weekend," to air Fridays at 8:30 p.m., starting in July. The half-hour series will feature Rose focusing on the events and conversations shaping the week and the week ahead. ...
Mon, 20 May 2013 15:36:19 -0400
By Tim Molloy NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - If you can't wait until 2015 for J.J. Abrams' continuation of the "Star Wars" saga, the Disney Channel has something to hold you over: The new animated series "Star Wars Rebels" will debut late next year. The series comes as Lucasfilm Animation winds down the animated series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," which premiered in 2008. Simon Kinberg ("X-Men: First Class") will executive-produce and write the first episode of "Rebels," which will start in fall 2014 on the Disney Channel then be followed by a series on Disney XD channels around the world. ...
Mon, 20 May 2013 15:25:24 -0400
By Liana B. Baker (Reuters) - Deborah Turness, a former top TV news editor in Britain, will take over as NBC News president in August, at a time when it is looking to turn around the fortunes of its news division. Turness will replace Steve Capus, who left the network in February. She will report to Patricia Fili-Krushel, chairman of NBCUniversal News Group, who oversees the news unit's business operations. NBC is owned by Comcast Corp. NBC's broadcast news unit has stumbled of late, largely because its morning show and profit center, "Today," is sagging in the ratings. ...
Mon, 20 May 2013 02:39:37 -0400
By Jane Lee SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Humor may not always translate well, but Jon Stewart is picking up millions of fans in China, where his gloves-off political satire is refreshing for many in a country where such criticism is a rarity - especially when directed at their own leaders. A recent segment on North Korea scored over 4 million views on microblogger Sina Weibo, and even stodgy state broadcaster CCTV has used Stewart's "The Daily Show" in a report, though they wouldn't let a Chinese version of him near their cameras. ...
Fri, 17 May 2013 14:23:00 -0400
By Harriet McLeod CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - "American Idol" winner Candice Glover, whose powerful voice clinched the title of the popular TV singing show, comes from a sea island culture made up of descendants of West African slaves. "I speak another language," she said during the Fox TV show. "It's called Geechee." Some 14.2 million TV viewers tuned in to watch Glover beat Kree Harrison to win the season 12 "American Idol" crown on Thursday. Glover, 23, is a native of rural St. Helena Island in the coastal South Carolina Lowcountry. ...
Mon, 20 May 2013 20:28:00 -0400
By Jethro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Mike & Molly" fans won't be seeing Monday's season finale episode, which was scheduled to debut at 9:30 p.m. CBS has pulled it in light of Monday's devastating tornado in Oklahoma. "Due to the tragic events this afternoon in Oklahoma, we are pre-empting tonight's season finale of 'Mike & Molly,' which has a related storyline," a CBS spokeswoman told TheWrap. "A repeat broadcast of 'Mike & Molly' will run in the time period. The season finale will be broadcast at an appropriate date. ...
Fri, 17 May 2013 20:48:09 -0400
By Jethro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The gang's back together! NBC announced on Friday that pop diva Christina Aguilera and funk singer Cee Lo Green will be reuniting with pop star Adam Levine and country singer Blake Shelton for Season 5, as TheWrap was the first to report. The network also said that Shakira and Usher are set to return on Season 6, which will air in midseason 2014. ...
Fri, 17 May 2013 20:43:19 -0400
By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - After finding himself on the wrong side of the law in "21 Jump Street," Rob Riggle is joining the police force himself. The actor's set to co-star in Luke Greenfield's comedy "Let's Be Cops," which will be distributed by 20th Century Fox. Sitcom stars Jake Johnson ("New Girl") and Damon Wayans Jr. ("Happy Endings") play two best friends who decide to impersonate cops for kicks but find themselves in over their heads when they unknowingly mess with a real mobster. ...
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