Sep 1 2010 03:24 PM ET

Eddie Izzard and Frances Conroy join 'United States of Tara'

by Lynette Rice
Categories: Cable, Casting, News, TV Biz, Television

Frances-ConroyImage Credit: Chris Hatcher/PR Photos; Albert L. Ortega/PR PhotosShowtime announced today that comedian/actor Eddie Izzard and the Emmy-winning Frances Conroy will guest star on United States of Tara during its third season. Izzard will appear in eight episodes and Conroy in one episode opposite star Toni Collette (Tara Gregson).

Izzard will play Tara’s psychology professor who becomes fascinated with Tara while Conroy will star as Max Gregson’s (John Corbett) mother, a recluse with a compulsive hoarding problem.  Production on season three begins mid-September in Los Angeles for a 2011 premiere.

Sep 1 2010 02:53 PM ET

J.J. Abrams to pitch new drama about Alcatraz Island

by Lynette Rice
Categories:

jj-AbramsImage Credit: Armando Gallo/Retna LtdEW has confirmed that uber-producer J.J. Abrams, together with Lost executive producer Elizabeth Sarnoff, are gearing up to pitch a new show called Alcatraz, a drama about the infamous prison in the San Francisco Bay. The news was first reported on Deadline.com.

Abrams will produce the project through his Bad Robots shingle based at Warner Bros. TV. Sarnoff, who joined Lost in its second season, wrote the spec script. The duo is expected to make the rounds to the broadcast networks.

Bad Robot already has two series on the air: Fringe on Fox and the upcoming drama Undercovers on NBC.

For more on Abrams:

EW’s Jeff Jensen chats with JJ Abrams and Joss Whedon at Comic-Con

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Sep 1 2010 02:08 PM ET

Fox orders sketch comedy from Jamie Foxx

by Lynette Rice
Categories: Fall 2010 Development, News, TV Biz, Television

Jamie-FoxxImage Credit: Glenn Harris/PR PhotosFox announced today that it ordered the Jamie Fox Project (working title), a half-hour sketch comedy series from Executive Producer Jamie Foxx that’ll debut in prime time sometime during the 2010-11 season. Affion Crockett (The Boondocks) will star in and also serve as a producer in the comedy, which the network says will offer a “fresh take on pop culture, including spoofs of movie trailers, commercials, TV shows, and music videos.” The yet-to-be-named cast will include up-and-coming comedians.

Fox also promises that some of the “biggest names in Hollywood” will stop by and participate in the show.

“Jamie Foxx’s brilliance first shined on Fox, so it’s fantastic to welcome him back to the network,” said Kevin Reilly, Fox’s entertainment president, in a statement. “Jamie is an undeniable comedy powerhouse both as a performer and a producer, and teamed with the outrageous next-generation comedy of Affion Crockett, we look forward to the next wave of sketch comedy on Fox.”

Foxx was a co-star in Fox’s In Living Color from 1991-1994.

Sep 1 2010 01:56 PM ET

HBO orders third season of 'Hung'

by Lynette Rice
Categories: Deals, News, Television

hungImage Credit: Lacey Terrell/HBOHBO announced today that it has ordered a third season of Hung, the half-hour show starring Thomas Jane as Ray Drecker, a failed pro athlete and bored high school coach who takes advantage of his, um, endowments. The second season runs through Sept. 12, and the third season of 10 episodes will likely bow next summer.

The show also stars Jane Adams (Tanya Skagle), Anne Heche (Jessica Haxon), Eddie Jemison (Dr. Ronnie Haxon), and Rebecca Creskoff (Lenore Bernard). The series comes from creators Colette Burson and Dmitry Lipkin.

Sep 1 2010 01:30 PM ET

First Look: Sela Ward in 'CSI: NY'

by Lynette Rice
Categories: News, Television

csi-ny-sela-wardImage Credit: Cliff Lipson/CBSSela Ward is back! EW obtained this exclusive first look of Ward as Jo Danville, a former FBI agent from Washington, D.C. whose work is driven by her empathy for victims in the new season of CSI: NY. She’s pictured here with Gary Sinise as Det. Mac Taylor.

This summer, the CBS drama lured the former Sisters star to join the drama as a series regular — her first such role since starring on ABC’s Once and Again from 1999 to 2002. (She had a recurring part on House from 2005 to 2006.) ”It’s going to be a whole new world,” Ward, 54, told EW exclusively. ”On Sisters, I was always in the kitchen, saying things like ‘Could you pass the cookies, Georgie?’ Now I’m going to be doing this and…oh my. I’m just stepping into a room I’ve never been in.”

The producers reassured the veteran TV actress that she won’t be replacing Melina Kanakaredes, who opted to leave the show before it started production on its seventh season (her final episode as Det. Stella Bonasera aired in May). ”We wanted to make this a unique character for Sela,” explains exec producer Pam Veasey. ”It was all so unexpected but invigorating. She’ll help revitalize and jump-start our show. We get to reintroduce it and maybe attract new audiences, now that it’s on Friday.”

CSI: NY returns to CBS on Sept. 24.

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Sep 1 2010 10:35 AM ET

'Dancing with the Stars': And the pairings are...

by Lynette Rice
Categories: News, Reality TV

The pairings for the next edition of Dancing with the Stars were announced this morning on Good Morning America. They are:

1. Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol Palin — Mark Ballas

2. Former Hills star Audrina Patridge — Tony Dovolani

3. Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey — Derek Hough

4. Comedian Margaret Cho — Louis Van Amstel

5. R&B star Brandy — Maksim Chmerkovskiy

6. America’s favorite mom Florence Henderson — Corky Ballas

7. Jersey Shore star Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino — Karina Smirnoff

8. Former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner — Anna Trebunskaya

9. Former Laker Rick Fox — Cheryl Burke

10. Former Baywatch star David Hasselhoff — Kym Johnson

11. That’s So Raven actor Kyle Massey — Lacey Schwimmer

12. Singer Michael Bolton —Chelsie Hightower

For more on Dancing with the Stars:

Bristol Palin on Dancing with the Stars: ‘I’ve been approached to do a lot of things’

Aug 31 2010 04:49 PM ET

NBC picks up sixth season of 'America's Got Talent'

by Lynette Rice
Categories: Deals, News, Reality TV

NBC announced today that it has picked up a sixth season of  America’s Got Talent. Celebrity judges Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel will return to the series, along with host Nick Cannon next summer.

“AGT continues to be a ratings sensation and has hit it out of the ballpark creatively this season,” said Paul Telegdy, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming and Production, NBC and Universal Media Studios, in a statement. “We have a dream team of celebrity judges — Sharon Osbourne, Howie Mandel and Piers Morgan – and coupled with our versatile host Nick Cannon, we’re looking forward to an even bigger summer next year.”

This is the fifth consecutive year that Talent has ranked as the No. 1 summer series in total viewers. Season-to-date, the show has averaged 11.8 million viewers on Tuesdays and 11.8 million viewers on Wednesdays.

The two-night fifth season finale will air Tuesday, Sept. 14 and Wednesday, Sept. 15. The show is from FremantleMedia North America and Simon Cowell’s SYCO Television.

Aug 31 2010 04:25 PM ET

'As the World Turns': Kathryn Hays, a.k.a. Kim Hughes, reflects on final day of taping

by Lynette Rice
Categories: Daytime Soaps, News, On the Scene, TV Biz, Television

As-The-World_TurnsImage Credit: David M. Russell/CBSEW obtained this exclusive shot of Kathryn Hays (Kim Hughes) and Don Hastings (Bob Hughes) from As the World Turns‘ last day of taping in June. In preparation for the soap’s series finale on Sept. 17, we talked to Hays about those final hours on the soap’s Brooklyn set and what it was like to say goodbye:

“The last day was poignant, and what was so incredible about it was how we shot pretty much in order that day. As each group finished with a scene, that would be the end of their involvement. But it wasn’t like tomorrow was another show, so the studio got really full. By the time they got to our scenes with Don and myself, there was hardly any room for cameras or the boom. In a way, it felt like being in a theater. We don’t normally have an audience. The stage manager asked if it was going to be a problem for us, but we both said no. It was  like everybody’s arm was around us. It was absolutely incredible, there was not a sound. It was like everyone was holding their breath. In a way, we were all doing it together. When we finished, Don and I both spoke a little bit to everybody, and the whole As the World Turns family moved to the other end of big studio where they had the world’s longest table set up, covered with champagne glasses.

“On the way home, I said to my daughter that if you are gonna go out, this is the way to do it. We had been talking about making changes for a long time, so it’s not like this was a major surprise. We had been given six months warning, and our executive producer Chris Goutman absolutely insisted that we drive story all the way to the end. And I cannot begin to say how hard people were working. The writers must have felt as if they had fallen into some hellhole.  Everybody worked their buns off. When it came to the end, it felt that we had done our best.

“I think if you look beyond soap operas, you’ll see that people like to have an ongoing story. They love to read sequels of books. They like to see sequels of movies. Maybe soaps will be changed in some way. Or maybe at some point, someone will come along and say that nobody wants to watch reality shows anymore and that maybe we should try telling stories again. Soaps will come back in some way. As far as I’m personally concerned, I feel it was a major privilege to be part of this family.”

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Aug 31 2010 12:07 AM ET

Bristol Palin on 'Dancing with the Stars': 'I've been approached to do a lot of things'

by Lynette Rice
Categories: News, Reality TV

Looks like those rumors about a possible reality show starring Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston were partly true: The daughter of the former governor of Alaska told EW that she’s been “approached to do a lot of things” but she chose Dancing with the Stars because “it’s right up my alley.”

“It’s something that is family oriented, it’s positive and it’s a good competition,” she said. Palin was announced Monday as one of the 12 new celebrity dancers who will participate in the 11th season of Dancing with the Stars.

As for all those other reality show offers, “nothing was me,” Palin explained. “Nothing fit and this does fit. I don’t want my public life to be out there.” That’s about to change: If there’s any show that invites a ton of press coverage, its Dancing with the Stars.  Though it was her decision to participate, Palin doesn’t seem too thrilled about having to help publicize the new season. “I’ve always hated doing press,” admitted Palin, who appeared visibly frustrated with having to talk to reporters after the live press conference. She then looked over to group of journalists and said, “sorry, everybody.”

She also didn’t want to talk about Johnston.

Palin expects that people will question whether she has time to dance with a toddler at home. ”I’ve been asked that about 1,000 times,” said Palin, who chose to wear an understated top and jeans to the press conference – a stark contrast to the tight dresses worn by fellow Dancing participants Jennifer Grey, Brandy and Audrina Patridge. “It’s like the complete opposite (with this show). I’m going to be able to spend more time with Tripp. I worked an 8 to 5 job in Alaska for the last year, and this isn’t an 8 to 5 job. This will give me more time with my son.”

Aug 30 2010 10:00 PM ET

'Dancing With the Stars': The season 11 celebrity dancers are...

by Lynette Rice
Categories: Casting, News, Reality TV

dwts-new-castImage Credit: Barry King/WireImage.com; Chris Hatcher/PR Photos; Marion Curtis/Startraksphoto.com; Bob Charlotte/PR Photos (2)The 12 participants for the next edition of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars were announced Monday during a live teleconference in Hollywood. They are:

Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, from MTV’s Jersey Shore

David Hasselhoff, best known for his roles on Baywatch, Knight Rider, and America’s Got Talent

Rick Fox, retired pro basketball player from the Los Angeles Lakers. “They had concerns about my height,” Fox told EW after the press conference. “Jason Taylor broke a little bit of the mold, which made it possible for me. There aren’t a ton of tall female dancers, so it puts a strain on those women. But I’ve shaken a lot of the fears of whether my body could actually do some of the things I’ve seen on this show.”

Bristol Palin, daughter of ex-Alaska governor Sarah Palin. For more on her comments after the show, click here.

Kurt Warner, retired NFL quarterback

Florence Henderson, best known for her role TV’s long-running comedy The Brady Bunch

Audrina Patridge, from MTV’s The Hills. “When they asked me, I was like, `Yes, I want to do it!’  We get to learn from professionals, very talented dancers. But it is intimidating because it’s live, and, I mean, there are so many different dances to learn. I’ve never done this before!”

Michael Bolton, singer-songwriter

Brandy Norwood, singer-songwriter and star of the old UPN comedy Moesha

Margaret Cho, comedienne and current co-star of Lifetime’s Drop Dead Diva. “I’m so out of my element. Everybody is so classy,” she told EW. “If this was Dancing with the Whores, I would do better. But it’s not, so we’ll see.”

(Read full post)

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