Jersey Shore's second season premiered, and it's already clear that some Guidos and Guidettes aren't created equal. This year, Movieline rates each of Jersey Shore's eight stars each week in terms of freshness, fresh-to-deathness, juicehead manners, and the GTL credo. Who came in at No. 1? And who fails the grade in dead last? Follow us down to Miami, b*tch.
In today's other TV Bites: Terry O'Quinn finds his first post-Lost role... Law & Order: Los Angeles enrolls another cast member... Jennifer Grey is in the House... and more ahead.
It looks like American Idol's returning executive producer Nigel Lythgoe may be one step closer to achieving his goal of wiping the judge slate clean. Ellen DeGeneres is stepping away from the Fox program after its ninth season. The network's full statement follows.
Judging from this morning's Episodes panel, no, since the 150 or so television critics spent their time lobbing Friends-related questions at the star and executive producer David Crane (who also exec produced the NBC hit series). But give Matt LeBlanc some credit... he's trying, ever so gently, to shed the Joey image in his new Showtime series...by playing himself.
Another Jersey Shore update in time for tonight's premiere: Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino wants to expand his dancefloor-igniting repertoire with a stint on Dancing with the Stars. According to sources close to the star, the decision should be finalized or called off by Monday -- though the Sitch's manager claims there are no definite plans yet. The real question: Can his shirt-ripping antics co-exist peacefully with Maksim Chmerkovskiy's? [TMZ]
Two beloved reality shows return tonight, and I am torqued. Who will offer the better advice: Tim Gunn as he eyes a shoddy hemline, or Ronnie as he mulls over falling in love at the shore? Join us for a quick rundown of tonight's best viewing options.
Jeff Probst has won the Emmy for Best Reality Competition Host both years since the category's inception in 2008, and he's very likely to win again this year, but at the TCA after-party in Beverly Hills last night, Movieline challenged Probst to pick the best candidate for a replacement winner (between Tom Bergeron, Phil Keoghan, Heidi Klum, and Ryan Seacrest) in case he finally goes home empty-handed.
As hard as the critics tried to glean a single spoiler about Dexter's life as a single parent and widower during this morning's TCA panel for the Showtime hit, the cast and executive producers remained tight-lipped. (In fact, as soon as the panel wrapped, the actors were immediately whisked offstage, as opposed to giving critics the traditional fifteen minutes for one-on-one interviews.) Still, despite their hesitation to discuss the show's fifth go-around, Movieline did manage to compile some clues.
Project Runway returns tonight. You may know that Movieline's coverage of Project Runway is flawless and Homerian and an overwrought great time, right? We start again today. Let's judge the 17 newbies.
It looks like Running Wilde is turning into Fox's answer to $#*! My Dad Says. After flipping Andrew Daly for David Cross, Vulture reports that the Mitch Hurwitz series has just recast two more performers -- Jayne Houdyshell and Joseph A. Nunez have been replaced by Robert Michael Morris and Mel Rodriguez. Will Arnett is still involved, however, so your anticipation can remain breathless. [Vulture]
The proprietors of a new premium cable series often trumpet its arrival with broad statements about the journeys the characters will go on and the high quality of the cast and the unique support it has received from such a special network. The Big C panel knocked out all three of those requirements with aplomb, but they revealed much more than their excitement to be gilding Showtime's strong-female-lead lily.
Now boasting an injury-free cast, So You Think You Can Dance tackled Broadway, Bollywood, contemporary, and an accidental new genre I call "pseudo-jazz" last night. Two dancers have to go home tomorrow. So who blew it?
After CBS exec Nina Tassler kicked off yesterday's press day by revealing that the $#*! My Dad Says pilot turned out less than optimal, critics were eager to get the show's cast onstage to ask them the hard questions (How do you make 140 characters last 30 minutes?). Fortunately for CBS though, critics did not get a chance to ask too many questions because star William Shatner was so... verbose. Herewith are five of the resulting tangents:
Just spitballing here, but: Remember when Glee creator Ryan Murphy said he was courting a "big artist" to appear on the post-Super Bowl edition of Glee next February? Well, it feels like he may have inadvertently let the cat out of the bag. Or, in this case, the Beatle out of the bag.
Last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live, High School Musical star Zac Efron promoted his latest film by discussing the tragic reality of L.A. strip clubs. Elsewhere, Carrie Fisher debuted new orgasm-related material, Luke Wilson remembered the time he bombed at Letterman and Old Spice Guy revealed his game show resume.
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