· Over the past two weeks, Jamie Foxx reportedly put together a trailer for a drama series called Tommy's Little Girl. The project, which was born out of an idea from the Oscar-winner himself, centers on a few older mobsters -- played by Paul Sorvino, Tony Sirico and James Russo -- and the relationship between Sorvino's character and his daughter, played by Selma Blair. After Foxx finishes editing Tommy's Little Girl, which was financially backed by a private investor, Foxx will shop it around to top cable networks. [Deadline]
Larry King totals his telethon donations, ABC reclaims a $42,000 prop, and more TV Bites after the jump.
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It's hard to believe that Glee creator Ryan Murphy could believe in the pitfalls of overexposure -- what with all those Glee soundtracks and Madonna tributes and White House appearances -- but today's news proves that Murphy thinks too much of Glee can be a bad thing. The planned Glee reality series, an American Idol-like competition that would air in the run-up to season two and cast three new roles, has been shelved. I know what you're thinking: What about all those precious MySpace audition videos? Will their wannabe stars ever make it to regionals?
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Downfall, ABC's new entry in the legacy of game shows with a "falling" conceit, debuts tonight. Could you answer general knowledge questions on a skyscraper that threatened to collapse beneath you? What if Chris Jericho was reading the questions with the ferocity of a middle-schooler who eats cane sugar for breakfast? What if the show turned into an upsetting WCW retread at a moment's notice? With Jericho, that's always a possibility. You can bow out now.
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Last Comic Standing may not have a sterling reputation, but I've never known it to actually frighten viewers. Unfortunately, the venerable standup hour took a dark turn this week, introducing us to a "futuristic" comedian named Mr. Zed who looks like a Madame Tussaud's rendering of Wink Martindale. Hide the kids! And the grown-ups.
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Dear Bravo, must you continually plumb new depths of humanity each week in your fame-monger franchise, the Real Housewives? In last night's edition of the New Jersey series, Danielle underwent a strip mall breast augmentation and Teresa -- the housewife who just declared bankruptcy - spent $100,000 on a Studio 54-themed housewarming party. But there is more showstopping entitlement where that came from! Click through to read about the other depressing threads woven into last night's faulty tapestry, "Bubbies Gone Bad," and to see which evolutionary disappointments hit Movieline's patented Real/Fake jackpot.
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The studs are getting too easy to find on The Bachelorette, America. Last night, Ali made her competing bachelors fly to Iceland, recite love poetry, and spelunk in an ice cave to win her big stupid affection. Only five of the lads can win a spot on our elite "Studfinder" list, but honestly, whittling the selection down to the perfect quintet was a cinch. Compare your hottie roster to ours!
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You didn't see any clips from Jimmy Kimmel Live in Late Night Highlights because a power outage shut down the control room, broadcast transmission center and tape operations area just one hour before the show was scheduled to tape. That was bad news for guest Seth Rogen -- who was set to premiere the trailer for The Green Hornet -- but good news for Steve Jobs, since Kimmel decided to tape the entire broadcast on his Macbook Pro webcam. And it worked! The fruit of Kimmel's labor will air tonight at his regularly scheduled time. [USA Today]
It's raining Grown Ups stars on the promotional circuit this week. Just last night, Salma Hayek stopped by the Late Show to plug the upcoming Adam Sandler film and explain what really happened during that Extra snake freakout. Meanwhile, Hayek's co-star Maria Bello tried her best to not seem humiliated while telling Craig Ferguson that she accepted a paycheck for playing a chronic breastfeeder. Click through for those segments as well as the other highlights you missed last night while praying for an apology from Val Kilmer.
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In an interview yesterday, 60 Minutes curmudgeon Andy Rooney revealed that -- shockingly -- he was not at all influenced by Amanda Bynes' sudden decision to quit the business. Said the 91-year-old CBS personality, "How long am I going to work? How long am I going to live? That's the question. [...] I will work until I drop, or until I lose my head. Until somebody tells me different, I'm not going to quit." Here's to another decade worth of viewer mail rants and complaints about crowded shopping malls. [NYP]
· Congratulations are in order for Mary Steenburgen, who has won a leading role in FX's drama pilot Outlaw Country that is already being compared to Shirley MacLaine's in Terms of Endearment. The Oscar-winning actress will play a powerful country music icon who is very protective of her daughter Annabel. The project, from Josh Goldin and Rachel Abramowitz, will follow organized crime and Nashville royalty. Shooter Jennings is involved in the project as executive consultant and music supervisor. [Deadline]
Starz explores organized crime, HBO orders more Entourage, and more TV Bites after the jump.
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Zach Galifianakis's Funny or Die interview series "Between Two Ferns" took a swift journalistic turn this past Saturday as the Hangover star interviewed NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams about pressing issues like Larry King's farts and iPhone applications. The Q&A was conducted live at the Nantucket Film Festival, where Williams's wife and kids sat nearby as Dad defended the The Suspendered One's dignity. Journalistic revelations on tap!
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Seven years after Santa Fe resident Val Kilmer told an interviewer that he lives in "the homicide capital of the Southwest" and that "80% of the people in my county are drunk," the actor's neighbors are still demanding an apology. The San Miguel County Commission recently received a permit application from Kilmer to turn his home into a bed-and-breakfast, but the actor's request is tabled until he agrees to address his remarks in front of the Board of County Commissioners. Still, no hard feelings: despite his dis, Kilmer considered running for governor of New Mexico last year. [WSJ]
(Whoops, spoiler alert.) Anyway, after Mad Men gave us a relatively underwhelming first still and season four poster, the stakes have now been upped with this first glimpse of Peggy rocking a very provocative hair helmet. What could it mean? Has there been a time jump? Is Peggy now the First Lady, somehow? Will Joan be rocking a Florence Henderson shag... and would we even be able to handle that? [THR]
24/7 movie channels are good for a lot of things -- insomnia, recording, catching up with blockbusters you didn't want to spend half a C-note to see, etc. -- but often they exhume rarities you wouldn't otherwise see or even otherwise have heard about. For starters: IFC's week-long tribute to eccentric Brazilian horror auteur Jose Mojica Marins. (And Sophia Loren's U.S. debut isn't bad either.)
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Four months after Alan Ball revealed that True Blood would enjoy a fourth season, HBO has officially confirmed the pick-up. The next 12 episodes, set to premiere in the summer of 2011, will follow the events described in the fourth Southern Vampire Mysteries novel by Charlaine Harris, Dead to the World. [USA Today]
