As far as character names go, there is no cooler moniker on television than Captain Awesome. And Ryan McPartlin is still listing the credit on his IMDB page three seasons after winning the role on NBC's cult-favorite Chuck, which fans have famously refused to let be canceled. Believe it or not, Captain Awesome started out as a peripheral character -- the all-too-perfect boyfriend of Chuck's sister -- and now three years later, McPartlin's character has become the first person in Chuck's inner circle to infiltrate the spy world. To McPartlin, a modest former Abercrombie model from Chicago, the character's growing arc was more a result of luck than talent -- but there are a few Captain Awesome fans out there who might disagree.
Movieline caught up with the Chuck star recently to discuss a huge upcoming twist on the series, what it was like to pull down Betty Draper's panties and the embarrassing role he passed up while nearly $20,000 in debt.
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Things are getting weird, guys! Hot on the heels of Heidi Montag's announcement that she has fired husband Spencer Pratt as her manager and replaced him with a psychic, Pratt has announced that he has fired himself from The Hills (because that is how it works in TV) in order to...fight cyber crime. I know, I'm rolling my eyes at this one too, but according to People, he's been studying software engineering with a focus on encryption all this time at USC. So maybe this is a real thing? I'm not sure what to believe until I see the staged paparazzi photoshoot with Spencer (dressed in sensible grays) gesticulating wildly at a copy of Norton Antivirus that Heidi is clutching to her enhanced bosom.
Here's the full, wild statement from Spencer:
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In what will likely remain one of the most bizarre announcements this week, the New York Post is reporting that Mike Tyson -- former heavyweight champion, convicted felon, notorious ear-biter, documentary subject and Hangover actor -- will star in an Animal Planet reality show that showcases his first true love: pigeons. The boxer and the birds go way back, apparently to when Tyson, at the tender age of 10, stole milk cartons to shelter pigeons being kept in his Brownsville neighborhood as pets. But the relationship goes deeper. For instance, would you believe that the birds influenced Tyson to start fighting?
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Dreams of being cast in your first U.S. cable series can come true -- if you are a beautiful woman romantically attached to George Clooney at least. Elisabetta Canalis, the Italian actress and TV presenter best known in the states for walking her beau down the red carpet, has been cast in her first U.S. television show. Elisabetta will guest-star in five episodes of TNT's Leverage, opposite lead Timothy Hutton, as a mysterious woman named "The Italian." [People]
Celebrity Apprentice is back, and this time it has a couple of legendary Olympians to make you feel sad. Summer Sanders, Michael Johnson, and more expected reality show participants like Sharon Osbourne, Bret Michaels, and Sinbad line the proceedings. How did the debut episode fare? Julie Miller and I break it down (and have a breakdown) after the jump.
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Daytime soap operas may be on their way out as a tenable format, but if they're going down, they're going to go down swinging. The almost 54-year-old soap As the World Turns will shut its doors this fall, but before then, producers have taken a page from the James Franco playbook by reenlisting Julianne Moore, who got her start on the show playing twins Frannie and Sabina Hughes. Still, now that the first still has been released from her one-day return to the series, we can't help but wonder where all the Franco-esque flourishes and double meanings are. Don't be afraid to channel your inner Wiseau, Julianne. A Washington Post op-ed could be yours for the taking! [Soap Opera Digest]
The Amy Poehler vehicle Parks and Recreation has really come into its own this season, and wouldn't you know, that's when all the fiddling begins. Rob Lowe and Adam Scott were both added to the sitcom's cast in recent weeks, spooking fans who wondered if that might mean less screen time for the current regulars. Now, the LAT has confirmed that train of thought: Paul Schneider will be exiting the show.
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· Will Ferrell's Gary Sanchez Prods. has cast two Saturday Night Live alums in its untitled Comedy Central sitcom. Chris Parnell and Horatio Sanz join Jon Heder in the comedy, which stars Heder as a man chasing big dreams -- even as he loses his job and moves back in with his parents. Sanz and Parnell will play his friends -- one an ex-convict and the other a burned-out teacher. The three pals try to save their hometown but ultimately fail in each episode. Production on the multi-cam series, which is being written by Lew Morton (Walk Hard) is set to begin on March 31. [Variety]
NBC eyes Jack Bauer, ABC hires two Proposal stars, and more TV Bites after the jump.
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Spoilers ahead, seamsters: Movieline just checked in with the latest Project Runway contestant to receive Heidi Klum's cheek pecks of good riddance. He/she dished on Bryant Park, a "gimmicky" fellow contestant, and the problem with seeing what editors have done to your sparkling personality. Ready to meet the loser?
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Bravo's Real Housewives franchise is so riddled with catty fights, extravagant parties and shameless publicity stunts, that it is hard to decipher which tear-filled moments are genuine and which are just the creation of self-loathing PAs hired to continually escalate the drama quotient (DQ). Fortunately, Movieline is here to deliver that slap-across-the-face that each housewife (especially Ramona) deserves, with its Reality Check recaps. Each week, we will call out the truest and most fake moments from the previous night's Real Fake/Jackpot and recognize the most offensive housewives along the way. So let's begin shall we, with last night's episode, "Dueling Labor Day Parties."
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Jerry Seinfeld's The Marriage Ref has been on television for two weeks and America still does not know who Tom Papa is. But instead of giving Tom and Jerry the benefit of the doubt on their unfunny NBC venture, viewers are tuning out. Last night, the series plummeted just over 20% in ratings despite a star-studded panel including Madonna and Ricky Gervais. The third celebrity panelist, Larry David, was so disappointed with the experience that he even commented mid-show, "This is easily the most uncomfortable hour I've ever spent in my life." [THR]
The elements! Earth! Air! Fire! Water! Taffeta! The first four of those things live inside Nina Garcia's "You really wasted my time" glare, and that's worth commemoration according to Bunim-Murray. Last night's Project Runway reunited us with the immaterial world, and for that we'll always resent it a little.
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Teenage babysitters are one of the most-overlooked demographics in unemployment reports these days, but that doesn't mean they aren't suffering. Increasing lay-offs mean less date nights which means that your 15-year-old neighbor isn't saving up nearly enough cash for that Acutane treatment. But she, and all gig-less teens on your block, can rest easy tonight knowing that Jo Malone's primetime tutorial could give them the marketable skills that will make them indispensable to parents of bratty children in the future.
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Whether they serve as the marquee name on a network show or edify an ensemble with fast-deployed zingers, these women of primetime substantiate 2010 as a golden age of comedy. In our countdown we embrace live performers, scripted superstars, supporting cast members, new talent, veterans, and cable outlaws. The No. 1 pick is also our candidate for the task of Uncontested Comic Dictator For Life.
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Pop quiz: You're producing a late night talk show and one of your guests for the next night cancels. What do you do? If you're the Late Show, your talent department speed dials Regis Philbin. If you're the Tonight Show, you cue up some last-minute Headlines or text message Chelsea Handler and ask props to come up with some kinky set ideas. And if you're the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, you enlist that day's guest (Lisa Kudrow) to just tape four segments to spread across the next two shows and bribe your comedian friend to do a last-minute segment for free gin and tonics. Of course, the latter option has consequences, like a destroyed set, but those are the risks you take on CBS, as any CBS host would tell you. Click through for that clip, as well as the other highlights you missed last night while consulting your new psychic manager.
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