Forget health care reform. The big news last night came from Grey's Anatomy executive producer Shonda Rhimes. Via her Twitter feed, the feisty showrunner announced that the upcoming season finale is "a serious game-changer for every single character." Cue: ominous thunderclaps! Assuming this missive means something horrible will befall Katherine Heigl's Dr. Izzie Stevens—Rhimes does seem to take a certain delight in getting rid of actors she has a problem with by disposing of their characters in awful ways; see: T.R. Knight's George getting hit by a bus—what other "game-changing" surprises could be in store for your favorite Seattle Grace/Mercy West characters? To the speculation!
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Gleeks of the world, prepare to be slightly disappointed. A rumor that the live touring performances of Glee hitting the stage this spring would be expanded to a full Broadway production have been dashed. Fox spokesman Chris Alexander, told Variety that the studio is "very careful when contemplating the brand extensions of our franchises." However considering tickets for the mostly sold out shows are running as high as $9,999 on Stubhub, perhaps Fox should reconsider this stance. But, wait! Before you go running off to sing "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" into the bathroom mirror, some good news...
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We all know that Rosie O'Donnell is Team Coco, but what happens if she has to compete against him? Into the Oprah-sized hole of syndicated talk come two potential contenders: Conan O'Brien, who is said to be mulling a talker outside of late-night, and Rosie O'Donnell, who Gossip Cop claims has signed a syndication deal for the 2011-2012 season. It's said that her new series will be more political in nature than her Koosh-flinging talk show of yore. Hasselbeck for sweeps guest! [Gossip Cop]
Be excited! The cast of the The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has at last been revealed. It includes Kim and Kyle Richards, the Patty and Selma of the Hilton family, Adrienne Maloof-Nassif, whose family owns the Las Vegas Palms and the Sacramento Kings and who's married to a surgeon from Dr. 90210, Lisa Vanderpump-Todd, wife of British restaurateur Kenneth Todd whose maiden name suggests a gay Scandinavian porn star or discontinued Reebok, and Camille Donatacci Grammer, former Playboy model, wife of Kelsey Grammer, and the outspoken face of severe Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Let the IBS fundraiser-planning catfights begin! [E! Online]
This week's Project Runway loser was a particularly tragic entry: level-headed, poised to rank higher than eighth place, and committed to a hard-carved personal aesthetic. After the jump, meet the contestant who met an untimely end last night, and hear all about how Michael Kors isn't so enlightening after all.
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For many people watching Nurse Jackie last season, Merritt Wever was an unknown actress -- until she started stealing scenes from the show's title character. The New York City native has been on television before, playing Matthew Perry's assistant on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and because of her success on Jackie, Wever's schedule is filling up fast. Just last month, she appeared opposite Annette Bening in an L.A. stage production of The Female of the Species and this weekend, viewers can catch Wever twice -- in Noah Baumbach's Greenberg, which opens in theaters today and Nurse Jackie's second season premiere on Sunday.
Talking to Movieline today, Wever discussed her busy schedule, the most valuable lesson she learned from Edie Falco and the reason it was hard to return to Nurse Jackie for a second season.
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It was another momentous week for the New York City housewives. There were cat fights, brief glimpses of other C-list stars (Dina Lohan) and per usual, the only episode's wisdom was delivered by a housewife's pint-size offspring. That's not to say that the women didn't try to philosophize about their relationships -- the most valiant effort was delivered by Jill Behar about Bethenny: "I really made a deposit in that friendship bank and I feel like she took the money and ran. I feel like she cleaned out our bank account." After the jump, Movieline sifts through rest of wives' sentiments and fundraiser clashes to pinpoint the truest and fakest moments of the night.
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FlashForward's return after a three-month hiatus yielded its lowest ratings yet for ABC: 6.6 million viewers, down 10% from its last new episode back in December. First Paula Abdul pulls out of Star Search and now this? Sheesh. TV blackouts are having the worst week ever. [THR]
Project Runway's getting choked up because it loves New York. And because Michael Kors couldn't make it to the taping. No, wait, that's me getting choked up -- and downright peeved -- because we were promised full attendance from our pitcher's mound-colored maven! At any rate: Recall your favorite Carrie Bradshaw narrations and Academy Award-winning performances from Dianne Wiest, because Project Runway's tribute to the Big Apple's neighborhoods is inspired, quintessentially Manhattan, and a little hare-brained.
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Just face it, ABC is totally onto something with their live figure skating competition in which professionals shred the ice for the chance to win cash for their favorite charity: themselves. And by adding pop music, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, and a voting system for viewers at home....psssshh, who needs the Olympics? If ABC's Thin Ice (which airs tonight and Sunday) is successful, we can surely look forward to the Disney network adding popular votes to other Winter Sports. America's Next Top Luger, anyone?
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Yes, you read that figure correctly. Sarah Palin is asking $1 million to $1.5 million per episode of the reality show she is shopping with uber-producer Rob Burnett. And a few networks are considering the offer, even though they could get five Heidi Montag, Audrina Patridge and Lo Bosworth trios for the same price. (Psychic manager not included). After the jump, see which television networks are considering Sarah Palin's price tag on the real Last Frontier.
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"Hey Jimmy, do you mind wearing this celery headdress and letting us lower you into a 45,889-ounce bloody mary?" "No not at all guys, that sounds great." That is how Movieline imagines yesterday's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon pre-production meeting went. The result, as well as the other clips you missed last night while channeling Gene Kelly for advice on your career as a psychic manager, after the jump.
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· Two weeks after casting Dermot Mulroney in the leading role of the Rockford Files reboot, NBC has enlisted Beau Bridges to play Jim Rockford's father and best friend, Rocky. A truck driver for the past 30 years, Rocky regularly helps his son out of investigative jams while providing unwelcome commentary. Noah Beery, Jr. originated the role of Rocky 35 years ago. Bridges' last NBC gig was on My Name Is Earl, where he played Earl's father. [THR]
Ashley Tisdale connects with her inner Hellcat, Skeet Ulrich takes a few notes from Patrick Dempsey, and more TV Bites after the jump.
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This television season is missing a little something in the way of reality judge incoherence, and the drought continues. THR reports that Paula Abdul has passed on the gig judging ABC's Star Search reboot because producers couldn't meet the $5 million salary she'd already turned down at American Idol. Unfortunately for Abdul, that's the problem she's been encountering all over town, since no show besides television's biggest will blow its comparatively meager budget on the entertainer. Sorry, Paula...here, have a look at some babies! [THR]
If you missed last night's America's Next Top Model, you overlooked the most surreal runway mishap in any of the show's 200 cycles. Model Alexandra biffed twice during her presentation: Her first fall was a magnificent Miss Piggy faceplant down an epic staircase, but the second was a slice of gladiatorial wreckage for the ages. A giant pendulum thwacked young Alexandra into the stands, ripping her dress and dampening her competitive edge. Ahem: A PENDULUM. You may realize this is exactly like the old American Gladiators game "The Eliminator," where contenders had to dodge swinging obstacles that could feasibly knock them into a pit or concuss them for years. Insanely incredible. After the jump, we post the instant classic vid and four other ideas for withering reality shows in need of a Larry Csonka-approved overhaul.
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