· Good news for Tori Spelling fans: ABC is developing an hour-long daytime talk show for the reality star and an undetermined male co-host. While in the early stages of development, ABC is certain about one thing: they want a Will & Grace vibe between Spelling and her undetermined co-host. Another talk show for ABC means the network will have to wrestle a morning time slot from its affiliates, which is sometimes a tricky process, or else kill off one of its soaps. If neither of those options work out, ABC could sell the talk show to a cable network. [LAT]
The Duchess of York catches reality-fever, TV Land Retires at 35, and more TV Bites after the jump.
more »
American Idol's current season of contestants is spottier than a D.I.Y. dye-job., but the judging panel isn't exactly a cohesive powerhouse either. Between Randy Jackson, Ellen DeGeneres, and Simon Cowell, critiques have been vague, pandering, and suspiciously biased, respectively. Meanwhile, Kara DioGuardi has improved from her first season, now ably diagnosing issues with song choices and artistic intention. Could the withering backlash against her have had more to do with her sometimes-cloying way of addressing the contestants than with her views themselves? Here are three advantages Kara has over her fellow judges:
more »
That last week's 200th episode blow-out of South Park was sacrilegious should come as no surprise, but this was no ordinary taking-the Lord's-name-in-vain kind of sacrilege (although there was plenty of that). Instead, the anniversary episode indulged in "Buddha doing a line of coke"-level blasphemy, and it may have led to death threats for creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
more »
After a resurgent season that brought us the long-awaited Seinfeld reunion, HBO and Larry David have decided to move ahead with an eighth go-around of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Says David: "After much soul searching -- and by the way, it was nowhere to be found -- I have decided to do another season of Curb. I look forward to the end of shooting, when I can once again resume the hunt for my elusive soul. I know it's here somewhere or perhaps in the rugged mountainous regions of Pakistan." In other television news, NBC renewed Parenthood for a second season, though they didn't make an Osama Bin Laden joke while doing so. [HitFix, Variety]
Patton Oswalt may not be getting much love from NBC these days but at least the comedic actor is still getting paychecks from his dysfunctional family at Showtime. Playing the best buddy of Tara's husband Max (John Corbett) and the occasional f*ck buddy of Tara's sister Charmaine (Rosemarie DeWitt), Oswalt's character Neil has taken a few punts to the head this season, and after last night's episode, "Doin' Time," viewers learned that the beatings will not cease anytime soon. The play-by-play on Neil's latest twist of fate, and Tara's latest flying clothesline to her psyche, after the jump.
more »
Jay Leno may have successfully avoided commenting on Conan O'Brien's new TBS venture last week, but the reigning Tonight Show champion was no match for an Access Hollywood reporter staking out the TV Land Awards red carpet this weekend. There to present an award to Bosom Buddies (for a reason unbeknownst to us, and probably everyone in attendance that night), Leno finally spoke out about Conan's move to cable... and it was everything you thought it would be.
more »
You may not know this, but George Lopez is Kate Gosselin's biggest fan when it comes to Dancing with the Stars. I am not sure what he has invested in the mother of eight's win, but he has repeatedly begged his Lopez Tonight viewers to vote for her, rallied his Twitter followers and even appealed to Larry King's audience last week to "Vote for Kate!" Last night, the TBS comedian took his support up a notch by inviting Steve-O onto the show to literally staple his support. That clip, as well as the other highlights you missed last night while cursing the fact that your network forfeited Bret Michaels for nine spoiled party girls, after the jump.
more »
It's another week and another chance for Bruno Tonioli's chest to erupt in gory revolt. Welcome! Last night on Dancing with the Stars, the remaining contestants jived and quickstepped while Bruno clutched his whole body in ecstasy and waited for a ferret to fly out somewhere. To make matters more sensual, the sexy dancers performed to sexy music from famous sexy films. Bruno's torso and legs turned into an out-of-control pogostick! With eyes, feelings, and a hat! We gauge his crazed reactions and heart-attack moments from all eight dances after the jump.
more »
Only 93 days until the fourth season of Mad Men returns to AMC! Yes, it sounds like a long time, but 10 p.m. on July 25 will be here before you know it. The network announced the return date overnight, confirming the rough July projection reported here a few weeks ago; it also took pains soften show creator Matthew Weiner's suggestion the other day that Mad Men is half-over.
more »
· According to Entertainment Weekly, Kyle Chandler is very close to cementing a Friday Night Lights retirement plan. Fox has allegedly offered the actor a lucrative leading role on Terra Nova, the big budget pilot from Steven Spielberg and Peter Chernin. FlashForward's Brannon Braga has already been hired to oversee the project about a futuristic family that travels back to a time when dinosaurs roamed free. [EW]
The Hoff pulls a James Franco, TNT hires Donnie Wahlberg, and more TV Bites after the jump.
more »
Now that Glee's "Vogue" sorta-parody has become a source of viral fixation, it's time to pay dues to the other Ryan Murphy show with a lookalike Madonna tribute: Popular. The beloved '99-'01 WB series featured Melissa Etheridge's ex Tammy Lynn Michaels as high school queen bee Nicole Julian, and during one pep squad rehearsal, Nicole summoned the noir lighting and geometric poses of the Material Guru's gayest (and greatest) video. So how does she measure up to gay-and-great Jane Lynch?
more »
Kiefer Sutherland was sitting outside of a London strip club last Thursday morning at 4 A.M.: drunk, sore from being manhandled by bouncers, and exhausted from robot-dancing the night away. In a scenario straight out of a Bizarro World 24, the actor had only a few hours to sober up before promoting his Sundance bomb Twelve on one of Britain's most popular talk shows. How did the real-life Jack Bauer fare?
more »
Get ready for the Approval Matrix, a new television series from Bravo that literally rips a page from New York Magazine. The in-development show will feature four rotating pundits who categorize that week's pop culture news into the four quadrants employed by the magazine: Highbrow Brilliant, Highbrow Despicable, Lowbrow Brilliant and Lowbrow Despicable. Bravo (which, by the way, fits somewhere between the Lowbrow Brilliant and Lowbrow Despicable on the grid) says that "celebrity guests" (translation: Bethenny Frankel) will visit the show to offer their own opinions on news. Best Week Ever, anyone? [The Wrap]
Over the weekend, three of Glee's Madonna covers were released in their entirety, leaving Movieline editor Christopher Rosen in a pile of gleegasms. The full setlist has hit YouTube now, and we're picking right up where he left off. The only problem? These songs feel less like a ray of light and more like chapters in a grating bedtime story.
more »
Knowing what's good for us, Celebrity Apprentice staged another challenge that suited the talents of Cyndi Lauper and Bret Michaels. Scrumptious. This time, the teams competed to revamp young country stars for a splashy debut. The three remaining gents (Bret Michaels, Curtis Stone, and team-leader Goldberg) wrastled with the image of Elvis/Gomer Pyle hybrid Luke Bryan while the ladies (Holly Robinson-Peete, our girl Summer Sanders, a convalescent Sharon Osbourne, Maria Kanellis and team-leader Cyndi) rebooted perky-young-thang Emily West. While the dudes took another beating in the boardroom, last night's five most unprofessional moments knew no gender gap.
more »
