Although several ABC shows have been recently canceled, it would appear that the network is preparing to roll out 12 new series next season.

Fans were disappointed to learn that ABC had canceled the comedies Malibu Country, Happy Endings, and Sarah Chalke’s How To Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life). The dramas Body of Proof and Red Widow were also cut from the schedule next season.

The network also announced that it will introduce 12 new series — five comedies and seven dramas — over the course of next season. All of this information was presented during ABC’s presentation on Friday.

Included in the batch of new programs is Joss Whedon’s highly-anticipated Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. The series, an extension of Marvel’s big-screen universe, follows the adventures of a secret government organization designed to keep the peace. You can find the first teaser for the drama embedded below.

Other news shows included in the recent ABC announcement were the Once Upon a Time spin-off Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, the cop show Killer Women, and Christian Slater’s Mind Games. The network is also set to debut the horror series Resurrection. Betrayal and Lucky 7 round out the new dramas.

The new comedies on-deck include Rebel Wilson’s Super Fun Night, James Caan’s Back in the Game, Mixology, The Goldbergs, and Bradley Whitford’s Trophy Wife.

In addition to the new shows, viewers will find a number of fan favorites coming back for another year. Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, Modern Family, Nashville, Suburgatory, Once Upon a Time, Castle, Last Man Standing, The Middle and Revenge are all on the schedule for next season.

Although the fate of Family Tools was undetermined on Friday, Deadline is now reporting that the series has been officially canceled. The Neighbors, on the other hand, was renewed for another season.

What do you think about the ABC shows that were recently canceled? Are you looking forward to the new shows coming next season?

ABC Shows Canceled, 12 New Series On The Way is a post from: The Inquisitr

Haayoooo! Ya ya ya ya ya ya yaaeeee!

Weather Lady Goes Crazy When Camera Falls Over During Live Broadcast!! [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Revenge showrunner Mike Kelley won’t return to the series after this season.

Kelley revealed that he intends to part ways with the program he created two years ago. Although he won’t spearhead the show anymore, Kelley revealed that he will be available to help out as a consultant. Beyond that, it would appear that his time on the program is finished.

The Revenge showrunner explained that the decision to leave the popular ABC show was mutual. However, Mike Kelley admitted that it was “difficult” to say goodbye.

He explained to Deadline:

“Helming this series has been the ride of a lifetime, and my producing partner, Melissa Loy, and I will look back on our Revenge time with deep gratitude and respect for Emily (VanCamp) and Madeleine (Stowe) and the rest of the incredible cast, our heroic crew, the dedicated and imaginative producing and writing team, and the tireless post production department.”

Kelley added that he was still “excited about finishing post production on the season two finale, which I hope will stand among the best episodes of the series thus far.”

Rumor has it that the Revenge creator was interested in crafting shorter seasons of the drama for ABC. The stress of churning out a whopping 22 episodes per season has apparently caused some tension on-set. This reportedly factored into his decision to leave the series behind.

“Mike Kelley created a distinctive series for our studio and network with tremendous passion and dedication. We wish him all the best as he moves on to his next television achievement,” ABC Studios said in a statement.

It’s believed that Revenge executive producer Sunil Nayar will take the reins as showrunner. However, nothing official about Kelley’s replacement has been revealed by ABC as of this writing.

Are you a fan of Revenge? Do you think the series will stay strong now that Mike Kelley has decided to leave?

‘Revenge’ Creator Mike Kelley Won’t Return Next Season is a post from: The Inquisitr

ABC has been sued by soap opera producer Prospect Park for breach of contract.

The network stands accused of attempting to derail the company’s efforts to bring two canceled soap opera series online. Prospect Park has launched $25 million lawsuit against ABC.

The company licensed rights to All My Children and One Life to Live back in 2011. As Prospect Park struggled to bring the shows to audiences online, they were extended a helping hand by network executives.

ABC offered to bring seven characters from One Life to Live onto General Hospital in an effort to help get viewers interested in the online reboots. However, Prospect Park stated that the network ended up killing off a handful of the characters in the process.

Producers explained that the network also moved one of the characters and his fictional newspaper company from the One Life to Live universe into General Hospital. This essentially prevents Prospect Park from using the character in its online series.

“In other instances, ABC damaged ‘One Life to Live’ characters by, among other things, creating absurd story lines, having characters do things they would never do, and destroying critical character relationships popular with soap fans,” the suit explains.

Although Prospect Park has made these allegations against the network, ABC has yet to respond to the lawsuit as of this writing.

Despite the problems associated with One Life to Live and All My Children, Prospect Park still intends to move forward with the projects. Both programs are expected to premiere on April 29.

“Over and over again our effort to bring these shows to audiences has faced challenges, and yet we along with the actors, the writers, producers and the directors as well as our fans have confronted and then overcome these challenges, and we have every confidence that we will prevail again,” the company said in a statement.

What do you think about ABC being sued by Prospect Park? Do you think the network was trying to prevent the soap operas from getting rebooted online?

[Image via Shutterstock]

ABC Sued By Soap Opera Producer Prospect Park is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Once Upon a Time spinoff at ABC — now called Once: Wonderland — has found its Alice in Australian actress Sophie Lowe, Deadline reported on Thursday.

The series will begin filming on April 7 in Vancouver, the website noted, immediately following the wrap of Once Upon a Time‘s second season.

The plot will center on Alice (Lowe), a generous girl with a hard life, who is caught between her main love interest Cyrus (Peter Gadiot) and the heartbreaking Knave of Hearts (Michael Socha).

The events will take place in pre-curse Wonderland, but it’s not quite clear how the reality-fairy tale mix the original Once does so well will factor in here — or if it will be a factor.

Zack Estrin and Once creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis will steer the Once: Wonderland ship, while Jane Espenson will lead the flagship series.

What is not known at this point is how Once: Wonderland will affect the Once Upon a Time spinoff idea that would have focused on Mad Hatter.

It’s possible ABC decided to scrap the idea when they realized the role would have to be recast since star Sebastian Stan could not commit to a full series.

Stan has stayed busy with a Broadway run, which will morph into a reprisal of his role as Bucky Barnes in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

While the network could decide to have three shows going at once, it could be ill-advised since Once Upon a Time has taken a steep dip in the ratings this season.

According to TV By The Numbers, the 3.0 rating that Nielsen reported with the season two premiere has slipped to a low of 2.2.

(Who knows where the viewers have gone — perhaps March Madness?)

Regardless, Once Upon a Time and Once: Wonderland aren’t the only tricks ABC has up their sleeves. The network recently inked deals with Christian Slater and Steve Zahn for Influence and with Jane Fonda for Now What?, a mother-daughter sitcom.

What do you think of the Once Upon a Time spinoff, Once: Wonderland — too much or can’t-get-enough?

‘Once Upon A Time’ Spinoff Finds Alice is a post from: The Inquisitr

With pilot season upon us, it’s time for big announcements for television with big and upcoming stars attached.

Last week it was announced that Entourage star Kevin Connolly would join James Van Der Beek in the CBS sitcom Friends With Better Lives. This week we have announcements of new pilots with Minka Kelly, John Malkovich and Christian Slater attached respectively to projects.

First up is Christian Slater. In the past Slater has been attached to both FOX and ABC pilots that haven’t had much luck past the first season. This season he returns to ABC with a drama called Influence. The series is created by defunct Awake show runner Kyle Killen. In the series Slater will be opposite Steve Zahn. The pilot is said to focus on a relationship between two brothers Clark (Zahn) is a bipolar genius into human psychology and Ross (Slater) is an ex-con who also heads up an agency designed to “solve their clients’ problems using the real science of human and manipulation.”

Next up is Minka Kelly who has had some success in arc-type guest stints, most notably on NBC’s Parenthood. The star, who can be seen in the upcoming flick The Butler, is heading to FOX with a new J.J. Abrams pilot. The show is an action cop series. Minka’s show centers around Friday Night Lights alum, Kelly, and her android partner Dorian (Michael Ealy).

Finally the big surprise to come out of these announcements is the unpredictable character actor John Malkovich. The actor is set to star in NBC’s  10-episode drama on the golden age of piracy going back to the 1700s. In the series Malkovich  is set to play a famed pirate, who’s story is based on the Colin Woodard novel The Republic of Pirates.

Which pilot  are you most excited for? John Malkovich, Minka Kelly, or Christian Slater? Which will survive? You decide.

Minka Kelly, Christian Slater, And John Malkovich Score New Pilots is a post from: The Inquisitr

Mandy Moore has exited ABC’s new single-camera pilot Pulling. The pilot is written by veterans Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky and directed by Jason Moore. The ABC pilot is based on the highly acclaimed British series, which debuted in 2006.

Moore was set to play the character Louise, a girl who is optimistic and desperate to find a husband.

The show revolves around three dysfunctional women in their 30s who are desperate to live their lives in their own unique ways.

According to reports, Moore’s character was reworked, and, as the character evolved, it no longer fit her personality. Speaking of her exit, Pulling producers said, “Mandy is a pro, and has been very patient and accommodating with us.”

Producers say Mandy Moore exited Pulling on her own decision, realizing that she couldn’t provide the type of character producers needed to make the show a success.

This likely is not the last we’ll see from Mandy Moore on ABC. Last year, the network produced a comedy pilot with Mandy Moore. While her original pilot did not produce a series, ABC recently purchased the rights to a Rich Appel comedy with Moore attached to the project.

Speaking about her decision to exit ABC’s Pulling, Mandy Moore said in a release:

“Many things change quickly as a pilot moves into production. And in this case, Lee and Gene moved the character in a different direction, it was clear this wasn’t right for me. Rather than jeopardize the show, I asked to step aside. They and ABC were very accommodating, and wish them all the best in the fall. It’s a terrific show that worked so well in the UK, I hope it gets the audience it deserves here.”

Mandy Moore Exits ‘Pulling’ Pilot At ABC is a post from: The Inquisitr

Please Like Me, a new Australian comedy series has been taken off mainstream television with its star and creator, Josh Thomas speculating it is because the show is “too gay.”

The show is about a young man, played by Thomas, who comes out and starts a relationship with a man. While the series does not contain any overt sex scenes, it does portray homosexual kissing and men in bed together, as well as a lot of sexual comedy and innuendo.

According to The Australian, Please Like Me was set to air on Australia’s mainstream ABC1 channel but was quickly shifted to the much smaller ABC2. “They told me it (the switch to ABC2) was a compliment. I don’t believe them,” Thomas said. “I don’t know if what they were really saying was, ‘Josh the show is a bit s—’ or, ‘Josh the show has too much suicide and gay sex in it’. People have suggested to me that (too gay) is why they did it (put it on ABC2). I would be shocked if that’s why but I also wouldn’t be.”

The ABC was quick to dismiss the claims that Josh Thomas’ show is “too gay.”

“The tone of Please Like Me and the issues discussed are principally aimed at an audience in their early 20s,” says an unnamed ABC spokesperson. “Since ABC1 is largely a channel of mass appeal that tends to attract an audience with an average age the other side of 35, we decided the best home for Please Like Me was ABC2.”

Josh Thomas is a popular Australian comedian and television personality and a regular participant in the popular Channel 10 celebrity game show, Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation. He also frequently appears on entertainment and social commentary style TV including The Project and has been named by SameSame, as one of the 25 most influential gay Australians. The Sydney Morning Herald notes Thomas came out on his podcast.

Like his real life counterpart. Thomas’ character on Please Like Me moves from being publicly straight to openly gay in a storyline The Australian describes as possessing “a sweetness that sets it apart from other boundary-pushing comedies such as Chris Lilley’s Angry Boys and Summer Heights High which happily found a home on ABC1.” Thomas has told The Sydney Morning Herald that an honest portrayal was the number one goal of the show.

What do you think? Is it likely that ABC moved Please Like Me to a smaller television audience because it was “too gay”?

New Australian Comedy Series May Be ‘Too Gay’ For Mainstream TV is a post from: The Inquisitr

Rob Corddry is moving from Childrens’ Hospital to ABC’s new pilot titled Spy. 

The new show is based on the British series of the same name. Corddry will play Tim, a do good father of a highly intelligent son who also happens to hate him.

The father in the original series inadvertently accepts a job as a spy for the secret service. After realizing his mistake, the dad keeps the job in order to prove his worth as a father.

Hulu Plus viewers can currently watch the British version of Spy on their various Hulu enabled devices.

Spy (US) is being written by Simeon Goulden, the mastermind behind the Sky1 UK series.

Executive producers for the ABC pilot are Jimmy Mulville and Helen Williams.

Spy will be produced for ABC Studios and Hat Trick Productions.

Corddry won’t only bring great comedic timing to his role; he is an accomplished comedy writer who has written for Adult Swim’s Children’s Hospital. Corrdry also actively works as a correspondent for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. 

Here is a short clip from the UK Spy series. In this clip Tim realizes he has been interviewing for his future spy job without realizing what he has gotten himself into:

British comedies adapted for an American audience have been hit or miss. For every The Office that makes its successful way stateside, there is a Couplings type series waiting in the wind to literally destroy what was a really funny British series.

Rob Corddry To Star In ABC ‘Spy’ Pilot is a post from: The Inquisitr

ABC will be pulling the plug on its experiment of airing Don’t Trust the B**** in Apt. 23 and Happy Endings on Sunday. However, 666 Park Avenue will not be returning.

As we have previously reported, after canceling 666 Park Avenue, the network initially planned to continue airing the remaining episodes in its original time slot at 10 pm on Sunday. However, toward the end of December ABC decided to air extra episodes of Happy Endings and Don’t Trust the B**** in Apt. 23 in its place.

The network had retained the option to continue airing 666 Park Avenue in its old slot if the two comedies did not perform well in the ratings. Both shows performed modestly in their Tuesday slots, but dipped to series lows on Sundays. But they were airing against the Golden Globes on January 13, which certainly didn’t help matters.

The network announced Tuesday that it would instead play an encore of Shark Tank.

ABC Network Groups president Paul Lee said at TCA last week, “We love those two shows. They are incredibly distinctive, they’re incredibly well-written … [but] we didn’t have much place to put them.” Lee didn’t comment on the prospects for either of the comedies, but he did say that the Sunday experiment was intended to give viewers more of a chance to see both series.

There is still a chance that 666 Park Avenue will get renewed next season if Zero Hour and Red Widow perform worse in the ratings. Zero Hour will premiere on February 14 and Red Widow will premiere March 3.

ABC Nixes Sunday Broadcasts Of ‘Apartment 23,’ ‘Happy Endings,’ But Still No ’666 Park Avenue’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

New Year’s Day has always been a big day for college football. Although the BCS Championship Series moved the Sugar, Fiesta, and Cotton Bowls to other days, January 1 is still the go to day for America’s winter pastime  This year there were five Major bowl games to choose from including the Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, Outback Bowl, Capitol One Bowl, and the Gator Bowl. While five happy teams celebrated their victories at the end of a dream day for pigskin fans, it was ESPN and ABC that went home the biggest winners with excellent ratings results.

ESPN’s Orange Bowl broadcast was the top rated program of the evening for all of television or cable with 10.562 million total viewers, up an outstanding 47 percent from last year’s game (West Virginia vs. Clemson) that aired on Wednesday, January 4, 2012. This year fans watched Florida State demolish Northern Illinois 31-10.

The Rose Bowl, one of college football’s legendary games, was a minor disappointment for ESPN on an otherwise successful day, with a 3 percent decline in viewers from last year. A total of 17.024 million viewers watched Stanford squeak to victory over Wisconsin 20-14.

Another big winner for ESPN was the Outback Bowl, which attracted 7.6 million total viewers for a substantial 69 percent increase over last years viewership. In a close game, sports fans watched South Carolina defeat Michigan 33-28.

ABC also experienced a major increase in viewers. The Capital One Bowl, in which Georgia defeated Nebraska 45-31, attracted an audience of 10.954 million total viewers, up 35 percent from 2012′s game.

The Gator Bowl suffered from an unfavorable ESPN2 broadcast schedule and experienced a 24 percent decline in the television ratings. The game began at noon, which allowed the Capital One and Outback Bowls to siphon off a large share of the Gator Bowl’s audience by starting at 1:00 pm. For the record, the final score was Northwestern 34, Mississippi State 20.

Gator Bowl Association President, Rick Catlett, discussed the possibility of changing the Gator Bowl’s play date or network for next year’s game:

“We’ve been on the deuce for three years and I think we need to be one of the top two [ESPN] platforms. There might be the possibility of changing dates to get on ABC or ESPN.”

All in all, News Years Day was a big day for college football on television. ESPN’s Orange Bowl broadcast was the star of the evening schedule with 47 pecent more viewers than last year’s game. ABC was quite pleased with the results of the Capital One Bowl and a 35 percent increase in viewers. Football fans still have plenty of great games to look forward with the BCS (Bowl Championship Series), the NFL Playoffs, and the Super Bowl all in the days ahead. January is certainly a wonderful time of year for couch potatoes everywhere.

New Year’s Day Bowl Games A Major Success For ESPN And ABC is a post from: The Inquisitr

MONTERREY, Mexico — Multi-million selling singer Jenny Rivera is missing feared dead after scattered wreckage of the plane that she was travelling on was found in northern Mexico on Sunday.

Transportation and Communications Minister Gerardo Ruiz Esparza said in a statement that “everything points toward” it being the Learjet 25 carrying Rivera and six others  (including the two pilots) from Monterrey en route to Toluca, Mexico.

Reuters reports that the US registered Learjet 25 went missing about 62 miles from Monterrey after taking off at 3:15 a.m. local time.

Rivera was on her way to Toluca in central Mexico following her performance at a concert in Monterrey on Saturday night.

Early reports of a missing plane have now morphed into a statement by Mexican authorities that there were “no survivors.”

Mexican-American superstar, Rivera, 43, and a mother of five has sold over 20 million albums worldwide and was the star in the reality show I Love Jenni — now entering its third season.

Today’s tragic news comes days after Rivera inked a deal to star in her own sitcom on ABC.

The sitcom — Jenni — would have also marked the return of leading Broadway producer Robert L. Boyett and Robert Horn. Both men were writing the series around Rivera and it would have showcased the singer as a positive Latina role-model juggling work, home and life.

Esparza told Mexican press that so little remained of the plane that he could not yet confirm Rivera’s death.

“This is what’s so regrettable, that it was so badly destroyed that there’s nothing recognizable,” he said.

A special investigation is now expected to follow in order to identify the remains of the plane and its passengers.

Jenni Rivera Presumed Dead After Plane Crashes In Mexico: Officials Say ‘No Survivors’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Josh Duhamel, Gretchen J. Berg, and Aaron Harberts are developing a new drama for the folks at ABC, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The untitled drama will reportedly follow life behind-the-scenes of a daytime soap opera. The plot will follow the show’s efforts to stay on the air as the genre itself starts to slowly fade away. Not surprisingly, the antics of the cast and crew are a bit more entertaining than the soap opera’s storylines.

Gretchen J. Berg, Aaron Harberts, and Transformers alum Josh Duhamel will develop the project for the network. Berg and Harberts, who previously worked on Pushing Daisies and Wonderwall, will handle scripting duties on the pilot.

Nicholas Pepper, The Mark Gordon Co., and actor Oliver Hudson will co-produce the project with Berg, Harberts, and Duhamel. Although Duhamel is attached to the show, chances are he won’t appear in front of the camera on a regular basis.

According to Deadline, the actor may be drawing inspiration for the untitled drama from his days working on All My Children. Duhamel was featured in 25 episodes of the long-running soap opera from 1999 until 2011.

In addition to developing TV shows for ABC, Josh Duhamel is staying busy with other high profile Hollywood projects. The actor is counted among the numerous individuals for the upcoming comedy Movie 43, a film mounted by several different directors and a ton of actors and actresses.

According to Internet Movie Database, the Las Vegas co-star will appear in directors Kevin and Michael Goetz’s Scenic Route and Lasse Hallstrom’s Safe Haven with Cobie Smulders and Julianne Hough. Both films are slated for release next year.

It’s currently unclear when the untitled drama being co-developed by Josh Duhamel for ABC will find its way onto the small screen. Are you a fan of the actor’s work? Are you looking forward to his next television project?

Josh Duhamel Develops New Drama For ABC is a post from: The Inquisitr

Oh, do we love our irony here at IQ.

Let’s make ourselves clear: Nothing about Hurricane Sandy has been funny, despite the occasional forced attempt at dark humor by some popular retailers. But no one can deny that it’s at least an interesting coincidence that the super storm claimed as a victim the set of ABC’s 666 Park Avenue.

Entertainment Weekly reports that the dubiously titled supernatural-mystery-drama reported the greatest amount of set damage out of any New York-based TV show.

666 Park Avenue‘s smaller sets were completely destroyed when Cine Magic Studios on the Brooklyn waterfront was submerged in six feet of floodwater, reports MSN. The main sets didn’t come crumbling down, but they were “extensively damaged” in the wake of Sandy.

“I went to check them out on the night of the storm at 10 p.m. and they were under 6 feet of water — the entire complex,” says Peter Kapsalis, owner of Cine Magic Riverfront Studios. “It wasn’t in very good shape.”

Some sets could be salvaged. “The Daylight Studio, which carried some of the smaller sets and was a little closer to the water [was] completely demolished,” Kapsalis says. “The main sets stayed in place even with the water rushing in [but] everything is extensively damaged.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, most other New York-based productions are up and running again as of today. The Following, The Carrie Diaries, The Good Wife, Blue Bloods, 30 Rock, Person of Interest, and Zero Hour are all back on as of this posting.

666 Park Avenue might not be back to regular production for up to three weeks. In the meantime, the show’s producers are considering remote filming or relocating to Cine Magic’s SoHo studio.

Kapsalis has praised the production team and executives at Warner Bros. for their tenacity throughout the Hurricane Sandy aftermath:

“Warner Bros. has been a godsend — I don’t know how to say it. They’ve been very helpful and trying to put the show first, which as a result, is helping us a lot. [The entertainment business is] one of the strengths of New York’s economy and for it to take a hit, it will affect New York greatly.”

Silvercup Studios of Long Island — which hosts 30 Rock, Elementary, Person of Interest, and Zero Hour — is also up-and-running with co-owner Stuart Suna praising New Yorkers in general:

“I always thought that the industry — and the New York attitude — [was] very resilient,” says Suna, who was unaffected by Sandy. “We come back whether it’s a hurricane, blizzards, or, sadly, 9/11. Gov. Cuomo said it best that New Yorkers are a tough breed and that they come together in times of crisis and rebuild New York bigger and stronger.”

Are you a fan of 666 Park Avenue? Do you think the almost-total destruction of its sets by Hurricane Sandy is an ironic curiosity or a genuine tragedy? In either case, we at IQ hope that 666 Park Avenue‘s crew can get back to work soon. Good luck, guys!

Oh, The Irony: Hurricane Sandy Destroys ’666 Park Avenue’ Set is a post from: The Inquisitr

Hurricane Sandy is forcing a number of broadcasting networks to second-guess their programming plans for Monday night.

According to TODAY, CBS and CW are just a couple of the broadcasting networks that have decided to air reruns instead of their previously scheduled originals. This will only add several series to the growing pile that already includes ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Comedy Central’s Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

Hurricane Sandy is expected to cause power outages along the seaboard throughout the next day or so, and that would reduce the amount of ratings for original programming.

Even though CBS has yet to issue a formal statement on programming changes, The Hollywood Reporter has learned from multiple represenatives associated with shows from the Monday lineup that they will now be repeats. That includes new episodes of How I Met Your Mother, Partners, 2 Broke Girls, Mike & Molly, and Hawaii Five-0, many of which are Halloween themed episodes.

When contacted by The Hollywood Reporter, a rep for NBC said that no changes were currently expected for the schedule. That means the network’s typically dominant block of The Voice and Revolution will air originals as planned.

ABC is the only network with a live telecast (Dancing With the Stars) on the lineup. The two-hour episode, which films in L.A., is still scheduled to tape and air as originally planned. ABC also has an original episode of “Castle” slotted for 10 p.m.

FOX has yet to make a decision about their programming plans. The network, which just finished its postseason baseball coverage with game four of the World Series, is airing a previously scheduled encore of The X Factor between 8 and 10 p.m

Broadcasting Networks Consider To Air Reruns Due To Hurricane Sandy is a post from: The Inquisitr

Actress and activist Jane Fonda has signed on for a new mother-daughter comedy on ABC, called Now What?.

Though the 74-year-old icon hasn’t been seen much on the big screen lately, a great guest-starring role in The Newsroom as a shrewd corporate executive has lit a renewed flame of interest in Fonda, which she has apparently leveraged into the new ABC series.

Variety reports that Now What? will be in the sitcom-traditional single-camera half-hour format, and will revolve around a young women who publicly criticizes her mother in a blog post titled “Dear Mom, Here’s Why I Hate You…” Fonda’s character then winds up moving in with her daughter, refusing to leave until the two work out their differences. We guess there’s supposed to be comedy somewhere in that drama-heavy description.

One perk for the show is that there’s some serious talent behind it. Deadline reports that the show’s spec script was written by Abby Gewanter of Pushing Daisies success, and Weeds director/executive producer Scott Ellis will be co-executive producer.

As stated above, Fonda has received much acclaim for her Newsroom guest spot, and will likely drum up some further acclaim with her portrayal of Nancy Reagan next year in Lee Daniels’ White House-set drama The Butler.

Gewanter’s TV resume also included credits with David Milch’s Deadwood, John from Cincinnati, and TBS comedy Glory Daze. The writer has range, so it’ll be interesting to see how Now What? turns out.

Are you a fan of Jane Fonda? Who would work best as her TV daughter on ABC’s Now What?

Jane Fonda Signs On For ABC Mother-Daughter Comedy is a post from: The Inquisitr

Once Upon a Time’s Episode 204, “The Crocodile” continued to show why this is one of the most popular dramas on TV. Tonight was full of the action and romance fans come back every week for—and we even got to meet another new character (who happens to be totally hot, just saying).

Caution, some slight spoilers, but nothing super major.

Viewers hoping for more answers about Emma and Snow in present day Story Book Land are going to be disappointed. But fans of Robert Carlyle will love tonight’s episode, which featured not only a Mr. Gold centered Storybrooke plotline but a Rumpelstiltskin/Dark One story in tonight’s Story Book Land flashback as well.

Tonight’s episode of Once Upon a Time started in Storybrooke where Belle worries that Gold is up to his old tricks. She struggles with a boyfriend who can’t give up magic and leaves his house to sort her feelings out. Gold is so desperate to find her that he turns to her father, the man Gold took her from in Story Book Land, but when that doesn’t work he is forced to seek help from a reluctant Charming and Red. But was Belle’s dad really unable to locate his daughter, or is he up to something to try and keep Gold and Belle apart forever?

The Story Book Land flashback this week gave us more insight into a pre-Dark One Rumpelstiltskin. After refusing to fight in the Ogre Wars his wife grows to resent being linked to the village coward. She begins drinking heavily and visiting the local tavern, where she meets a pre-Hook Captain Hook (Colin O’Donoghue: The Rite, The Clinic). After Hook takes his wife captive aboard his ship, Rumpelstiltskin is forced to come to grips with his own cowardice when he is unable to rescue her.

Unfortunately for the Captain, Rumpel becomes the Dark One and happens upon him again years later. He wants revenge for Hook taking his wife as a prisoner, but was she really a captive or did she go willingly? I mean, Hook is pretty dreamy, even after the Dark One delivers the injury that becomes his namesake.

What did you think of tonight’s episode of Once Upon a Time, “The Crocodile”? Let me know in the comments below!

Featured Image by David Gray © ABC | Photo of Colin O’Donoghue as Captain Hook courtesy of Disney

Once Upon A Time 204: ‘The Crocodile’ Recap is a post from: The Inquisitr

Aaron Fisher, the first victim to accuse Jerry Sandusky of abuse, is breaking his silence in an exclusive interview with ABC’s 20/20 tonight at 10 pm.

Previously known only as “Victim 1,” Fisher has chosen to break his silence in a series of interviews with People Magazine and ABC in order to speak candidly about his ordeal. Fisher goes into greater detail in his new book, Silent No More: Victim 1′s Fight for Justice Against Jerry Sandusky, which will be released by Random House on October 23.

Penned with his psychologist Mike Gillum and his mother Dawn Daniels, Fisher’s book will not only go into further detail about his struggle to come to grips with the horrific abuse he suffered for years but also the struggle he and his mother endured after they were met with resistance by Fisher’s high school.

Aaron Fisher met Jerry Sandusky when he was 11 and he tells ABC’s 20/20 that his abuse began a year later. Fisher reached his breaking point at 15 when he revealed to his mother and his high school principal, Karen Probst, that he was being sexually molested.

Instead of receiving support from Probst, Daniels felt they were met with disbelief and resistance: “They said that Jerry has a heart of gold and that he wouldn’t do those type of things,” Daniels added that Probst told her “to go home and think about it.”

Fisher’s interview with People will hit newsstands next week. In it, he sheds light on his decision to come forward and speak about the abuse he suffered at the hands of Sandusky: “Saying sexual abuse has happened was hard … But I wanted to help people see that it is better to come forward and tell somebody than to be silent.”

Aaron Fisher’s exclusive interview with 20/20’s Chris Cuomo in which he details his struggle and ultimate decision to come forward about Jerry Sandusky’s ongoing sexual abuse airs tonight on ABC at 10 pm. A promotional video which aired this morning on Good Morning America can be seen below.

Aaron Fisher, First Victim To Accuse Jerry Sandusky Of Abuse, Breaks His Silence Tonight on 20/20 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Commentary | It’s the money shot the world had been waiting for. The first post-scandal picture of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart together.

Now, courtesy of Entertainment Tonight, that picture has arrived.

Candid shots of the couple taken in the early hours of October 14 at the Ye Rustic Inn, a bar in Los Angeles’ Los Feliz neighborhood, and subsequent photos of the couple on an informal lunch date with friends on Tuesday, confirm that the frost has officially thawed.

Despite a highly publicized scandal, acres of commentary from outlets, ridicule from comedians, scrutiny from pundits — not to mention a tsunami of online opinion — Pattinson, 26, and Stewart, 22, are now reconciled and getting on with their lives.

Reportedly the couple were also at Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont on Saturday and, according to Us Weekly, were seen “whispering very close and intimately.” A source is quoted saying the pair were ”afraid of backlash, so they’re keeping things on the down-low.”

Yet, just 3 months ago this scenario would have seemed impossible. After intimate pictures of Stewart with Snow White and The Huntsman director Rupert Sanders went around the world in July, the death knell for one of young Hollywood’s least-likely-to-break-up relationships seemed certain.

An unseemly pile-on followed as pretty much everyone condemned Stewart’s infidelity as unforgivable, not least because of who she was unfaithful to. Pattinson, one of the most popular actors to emerge in modern times, became a poster boy for the “angry and humiliated” wronged party. Meanwhile, Sanders, 41 — a married man and father of two —  merited comparatively little public censure.

Notwithstanding radio silence from Pattinson’s camp and abject, public apologies from Stewart and Sanders, a flood of talkative and, frankly, dubious sources crawled out of the woodwork as outlets worked overtime on a godsend story. While self-appointed ‘experts’ lined up to pontificate, industry observers voiced valid concerns about how Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate would negotiate the promotional tour for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.

Conspiracy theories raged across the internet, with some declaring the scandal a publicity stunt designed to drive the last installment to a record-breaking finish. Early box office tracking for Part 2 by MovieTickets.com that revealed a 27% increase in sales over Part 1′s advance ticket stats in 2011, only added grist to that mill.

In the wake of Pattinson’s abrupt departure from the Los Feliz home he previously shared with Stewart, weeks of conflicting media reports about the state of their relationship were stopped in their tracks by Lainey Gossip’s bombshell scoop on September 10.

After Lui’s announcement that Pattinson and Stewart were back together, numerous media outlets commented on the remarkable timeliness of the couple’s reconciliation. Even though the couple are confirmed for a November 14 London premiere and November 16 L.A premiere of Breaking Dawn – Part 2 on what will be a global publicity tour, inevitably that narrative will continue.

But what is also likely to continue, is Pattinson and Stewart’s quiet defiance in the face of huge press intrusion into their private lives.

Both actors are on record clearly stating how they feel about the tabloidization of their relationship. During a press blitz of New York to promote his critically lauded film Cosmopolis, Pattinson pulled no punches in his criticism of the Fourth Estate.

The actor told the LA Times:

“Media culture is a monstrous thing. You can’t win. The annoying thing is that you can’t attack them, but you can’t defend yourself. The best thing you could possibly do is punch a paparazzi and give them their big payday.”

And in a pre-July Vanity Fair interview, Stewart declared:

“I don’t care about the voracious, starving s**t eaters who want to turn truth into s**t. Not that you can say that in Vanity Fair!”

Ostensibly talking about critics of her fashion choices, it’s likely Stewart has since extrapolated that sentiment into her position on the press in general.

With millions, possibly billions, of potential box-office within sight for Summit, no-one is under any illusions that the scandal hasn’t been good for business. Breaking Dawn — Part 1 pulled in over $138 million in its opening weekend and predictions for the November 16 denouement are on track to be even higher.

The naysayers and cynics may not be silenced by this weekend’s reveals. But if a picture does indeed say a thousand words, then Pattinson and Stewart are saying just one — emphatically. Yes.

Robert Pattinson And Kristen Stewart: Will These Pictures Finally Silence The Cynics? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Things got a little confusing on Once Upon a Time tonight in “Lady of the Lake.” With the people of Storybrooke waking up and Emma and Snow stuck in present day Storybook Land, there’s now three separate plotlines to follow. Caution: Spoilers Ahead!

With the help of Snow’s old friend Lancelot (Sinqua Wall, last seen on MTV’s Teen Wolf), she and Emma battle ogres with Mulan (the lovely Jamie Chung, who I’m thrilled to see on such a high profile show) and Aurora (Sarah Bolger, The Tudors) to find a portal to bring them back to Henry and the others in Storybrooke.

They get to Snow’s palace to try to use the wardrobe that brought baby Emma to our world, but it turns out “Lancelot” is actually Cora (an evil and power-hungry sorceress that makes her daughter Regina look like a girl scout), who admits she killed him a long time ago and has been posing as him ever since. Emma sets fire to the wardrobe to keep Cora from using it, and she poofs out in an angry huff leaving them stuck without a way back to Henry. But does Cora know something about the wardrobe’s magic the others don’t?

The Storybook Land flashback this week was the tale of how Snow and Charming were married. Charming raced to try to save his mother Ruth (Gabrielle Rose: The Sweet Hereafter, Fringe) from being killed by King George’s soldiers, but he was too late and she was struck by an arrow. They set out to find healing waters but find the lake has dried up and there is only a sip left. Despite Ruth’s wishes, Snow refuses to drink it and rid herself of King George’s curse. With the help of Lancelot, Ruth pretends to drink it to cure her wound but actually has him slip it into Snow’s glass when they toast the nuptials, taking away the barrenness the King had inflicted on her and paving the way for Emma to come into the world.

Back in Storybrooke Henry’s trying to find Regina’s vault and reunite the Mad Hatter with his daughter. He tricks Regina and steals her keys then finds the vault under her father’s crypt. Of course, going in is a silly idea because who knows what kind of evil is in that vault; luckily Charming (or I guess David on this side) stops him from getting hurt. He brings him back to school and surprises him later with a wooden sword, promising to teach him how to battle like a prince. Next week we meet Captain Hook, and he’s totally hot. I can’t wait!

Photos © ABC/Jack Rowand

Once Upon A Time 203: ‘Lady Of The Lake’ Recap is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sarah Palin took to her Facebook page to issue a defiant statement in defense of her eldest daughter Bristol, who recently received threatening packages on the Dancing with the Stars set.

Bristol Palin is currently in Los Angeles, where she is competing on Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars. Bristol hasn’t exactly proven the most popular contestant in the show’s history, and one particularly deranged viewer was driven to send a package containing a suspicious white powder to the Dancing with the Stars set at the CBS Studio Center. An accompanying note read, “This is what will happen to you if Bristol Palin stays on [the show].”

This in turn provoked a protective slam from Sarah Palin, with the conservative politician announcing on her Facebook page:

“I’m in California today to support Bristol. I’m sorry to see that she’s again getting those annoying death threats and more ‘mysterious white powder’ sent to her while on Dancing with the Stars this All-Star season. These threats sure waste a lot of time, production and public resources; but do the haters really think this will stop Bristol and Mark and the show’s producers from keepin’ on keepin’ on? Silly critics – after all these years of goofy antics like this we find these efforts are actually quite motivating! Bristol’s not letting this get her down.”

After urging fans to vote for Bristol on the show, she rounds off her post by parroting a Bristol quote about the affair:

“Hey, the haters will hate anyway; the critics will criticize, so you might as well dance!”

Will you be voting for Bristol now you’ve been put in your place by Sarah Palin?

Sarah Palin Hits Out At Bristol Haters is a post from: The Inquisitr

President Barack Obama has promised his first interview to Diane Sawyer following his widely-panned performance at the first presidential debate.

With Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan having gotten their first post-debate interview out of the way with Fox News pundit Sean Hannity, a sit-down with President Obama was inveitable: It was only a matter of whom the POTUS would sit with. The nod has gone to ABC World News anchor Diane Sawyer, who next week will interview the president for the first time since the debate. TV Newser reports that portions of the interview will air on World News beginning October 10.

According to Politico, President Obama’s first post-debate interview with Sawyer will be his first with a national, English-language news program since the attack in Libya that saw the tragic death of Ambassador Christopher Stevens. Despite a positive Friday jobs report, President Obama is yoked with a poor debate performance and growing controversy over his handling of foreign policy.

President Obama has given campaign interviews to The View, David Letterman, The Today Show, Telemundo, and Univision, as well as regional affiliates in battleground states.

President Obama’s interview with Diane Sawyer will be part of the popular “Portrait of a President” series, which ABC conducted in 2008 profiling then-Senator Barack Obama and his GOP opponent, John McCain.

Diane Sawyer Gets President Obama’s First Post-Debate Interview is a post from: The Inquisitr

Bristol Palin was apparently the target of a threatening package containing a white powder that was sent to the set of Dancing With the Stars.

As Bristol gets her dance on once again for Dancing With the Stars: All-Stars, not all fans of the show are particularly pleased to see her back on the program. One ambitious individual sent a package containing a suspicious white powder to the Dancing With the Stars set at the CBS Studio Center where the popular ABC dance competition show is filmed, reports TMZ. The threatening package was accompanied by a note that read: “This is what will happen to you if Bristol Palin stays on [the show].”

MSN notes that the powder in the package ultimately proved to be harmless, just like many others that have been sent out in what has become an occasional and disturbing trend meant to evoke anthrax-by-mail scares that peaked in the early 2000s. Bristol Palin herself has actually been sent a package like this before back during her DWTS stint in 2010.

We’re not exactly out of our depth in saying that the Palin clan is not without its outspoken detractors. Though most of the vitriol is often pointed at “mama grizzly” Sarah Palin, her daughter, Bristol, has been on the receiving end of much criticism herself. Several controversial incidents stemming primarily from Bristol’s reality show Life’s A Tripp have particularly marked her otherwise sweet and down-to-earth persona, occasionally pushing the young mom into media-pariah status.

Regardless, the threat is being taken seriously, and a full investigation is currently underway.

Maybe it’s the same disgruntled Dancing With the Stars fan from 2010? In any case, Bristol is once again safe to tango.

Bristol Palin Receives Threatening Powdery Package At ‘DWTS’ Set is a post from: The Inquisitr

666 Park Avenue, ABC’s new series about a couple living in a potentially demon-possessed Manhattan apartment building, premiered last night on September 30, 2012. So how did it do?

Ratings were lackluster, and critics tried to see the show’s potential through its tedious plot.

Though it’s being touted as TV’s next guilty pleasure, 666 Park Avenue apparently wasn’t sinful enough for some viewers. It garnered a 5.3 rating in the metered markets, and, though many shows that rise to success have often started out in a worse place, the opposite can also prove true. For instance, last year’s Pan Am started at 8.5 and lasted only 14 episodes.

Even worse, notes Headline Planet, 666 Park Avenue dropped from a 5.7 in its first half hour to a 4.9 in the latter half, meaning that people got bored with the pilot partway through. Sure, they might come back next week and give the show a second chance, but, for the pilot episode, the one that’s supposed to sell the concept of the series, that’s not a very good start.

Reviews? While EW gave several reasons why 666 Park Avenue “deserve[s] that pickup to series” it also opined that the show follows several horror cliches that it would be better off avoiding.  ”I think it’s more eerie when we see the craziness and Jane and Henry don’t. Jane having weird ‘dreams’ and not realizing how dirty her feet are in the shower will grow tedious,” they write.

NY Daily found that, while the show is stylish and visually interesting, the “challenge for 666 may lie in getting viewers to stick around for the couple of episodes it will probably take to grasp the picture.”

In short? 666 Park Avenue is no American Horror Story, but, like the FX show, it may play host to a modestly-sized and deeply devoted cult following. The show may be off to a rocky start, but I think that some of it might have to do with the marketing. For a show about success and the supernatural, why did so many of the promos look more like Dirty Sexy Money than The Devil’s Advocate?

Did you watch 666 Park Avenue? What did you think?

’666 Park Avenue’ Premieres With Soft Ratings, But Critics See Potential is a post from: The Inquisitr

Fifty years ago today, America was introduced to “George Jetson, his boy Elroy, daughter Judy, Jane his wife” when The Jetsons premiered on ABC.

America was introduced to the future on September 23, 1962 when the popular animated show debuted, showing a 21st century filled with flying cars and high collars. Being 12 years into the 21st already, the show has proven eerily prophetic, at least on the “collar-popping” side of things. Flying cars, not so much, but The Hollywood Reporter specified that original press releases indicated that The Jetsons takes place in 2062 – 100 years after its debut – so there’s a still time for us to catch up.

In any case, The Jetsons premiered at the height of the space race between the USA and then-USSR. Seven months before the premiere, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth in the Friendship 7 space capsule, and a little over a year earlier, President John F. Kennedy promised to put a man on the moon. The show was also ABC’s first to be broadcast in color.

The Smithsonian magazine blog Paleofuture calls The Jetsons “the single most important piece of 20th century futurism … that helped define the future for so many Americans today.”

According to Newsday, the half-hour sitcom aired until September 8, 1963, as a Sunday night prime-time series before “beginning endless reruns.” The original run had only 24 episodes, but later syndication in the late 80s brought the total up to 75.

Following on an earlier point: The Jetsons featured future technologies including videophones, floating chairs, household robots, and of course, flying cars. Take a look around: Do we have anything like that today? How do you think the vision of the future portrayed in The Jetsons measures up to the real 21st century? Sound off!

‘The Jetsons’ Premiered 50 Years Ago Today is a post from: The Inquisitr

Matthew Broderick has been booked for a guest spot on ABC’s Modern Family for its upcoming season 4.

The Tony Award-winning Broadway star, best known for appearances in films like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Wargames will do a single episode for the critically-acclaimed show, playing a neurotic new friend to “cool dad” Phil portrayed by Tu Burrell, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Bridesmaids star Wendi McLendon-Covey has also been booked for an appearance, and Shelley Long is set to return as Jay’s ex in the upcoming season.

Broderick does make occasional television appearances, having most recently portrayed himself in a 2010 episode of FX’s Louie.

According to CinemaBlend, one of Broderick’s Tony nominations was for The Producers, which he lost to Nathan Lane who, interestingly, has already appeared on Modern Family twice as Pepper Saltzman, one of Cameron and Mitchell’s friends. Now, Broderick will follow in his Producers and The Odd Couple co-star’s footsteps with a guest appearance on the popular ABC show.

Broderick’s wife, Sarah Jessica Parker of Sex and the City fame, will also return to the small screen with a multi-episode story arc on Glee beginning next week.

Modern Family returns on September 26 at 9pm on ABC. Other than Broderick’s casting, not much is known about his appearance, including when his episode will air.

Here’s a promo for ABC’s fourth season of Modern Family. Unfortunately, it doesn’t show Matthew Broderick.

Matthew Broderick To Guest Star On ‘Modern Family’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

The revelation comes after Maynard and Holm appeared at a Fashion’s Night Out event at New York City’s Macy’s flagship store, where they piled on the public displays of affection. However, the smiles, kisses and arm-wraps are all a show for the public, revealed US Weekly‘s source, who described how Maynard privately calls the Mormon Holm a ‘Bore-mon’.

“The things they are doing right now are to save face, because the whole world knows they are having problems. Emily even said ‘Jef’s not Mormon, he’s bore-mon.’”

Rumors about the couple’s unstable relationship reached fever-pitch three weeks ago, when Maynard was busted for cheating. Yet before Maynard’s infidelity (conducted, it seems, via racy cellphone messages) was exposed, the union was not exactly peachy. US Weekly‘s mole added:

“Even before [the cheating] happened, they were close to breaking up.”

Maynard and Holm got engaged on the July finale of The Bachelorette, but speculation suggests the couple are doomed, just two months after their on-screen engagement.

The pair appeared at Thursday’s event with the likes of Bethenny Frankel, Scott Disick, Michael Kors and other celebs. Maynard, 26, and her fiance, 28, browsed the Benefit Cosmetics stock together while having their photo taken with fans.

Do you see Emily Maynard and Jef Holm getting their made-for-TV relationship to work, and have you any idea what might be keeping them together? It certainly isn’t Maynard’s puns.

Emily Maynard, Star Of ‘The Bachelorette’, Dubs Mormon Fiance A ‘Bore-mon’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

A Joss Whedon helmed SHIELD television spin-off has just been given the go-ahead by ABC.

No, this isn’t a musical reboot of FX’s The Shield starring Sarah Michelle Gellar as “Victoria Mackey,” a corrupt cop with both stones and pipes; this is a legitimate spin-off of Marvel’s successful film franchise, phase 1 of which culminated with this year’s superhero ensemble piece The Avengers. Cult-hero Joss Whedon was the brains and the pen behind the big-screen superhero adaptation, and; though he’s currently at work on Avengers 2: Electric Boogaloo, reports have alleged that Whedon has had his sights set on a spin-off chronicling the adventures of the super-secret government organization SHIELD depicted in the movie.

Though a SHIELD spin-off has been rumored for some time, Deadline reports that ABC has ordered a pilot episode, meaning that the concept won’t become a feature film but a TV series instead. The best piece of news here is that Joss Whedon himself will be writing and producing the series and possibly directing the pilot episode.

I wish that I could report that Samuel L. Jackson has signed on to reprise his role as Nick Fury, but sadly there are no reports of that just yet. Keep your fingers crossed.

In fact, there really isn’t any casting information at all, so we don’t know if Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, or any other members of The Avengers cast will appear in the TV series or if it will fit within the canon of the Marvel Cinematic Universe at all. If they can’t manage to snag any of the film’s cast, they could always go the Nick Fury and the Howling Commandos route, casting a younger African-American actor as Fury and chronicling his days as a grunt or SHIELD’s origins and rise to prominence.

Either way, Whedon is a comic book nerd. He’ll know exactly what to do with a SHIELD TV spin-off. We just hope that this information is legitimate and not some ironic Whedonesque scam!

Joss Whedon To Helm ‘Avengers’ TV Spin-Off For ABC is a post from: The Inquisitr

Vera Farmiga is set to star in the upcoming A&E drama Bates Motel, a series which explores the events leading up to director Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller Psycho. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Farmiga, who starred in Up in the Air with George Clooney, will portray Norma Louise Bates, mother of shower stabber and frequent cross-dresser Norman Bates.

“We are delighted to welcome Vera Farmiga to Bates Motel,” explained co-creator Carlton Cuse. “She is a phenomenal talent who has demonstrated incredible range and intelligence in a number of landmark film roles, and we couldn’t be more excited to have her join our project.”

THR describes Bates Motel as being a cross between Twin Peaks and Smallville. The program will be the first project Cuse has tackled since ending his stint on the ABC drama Lost.

According to Coming Soon, the series is officially described as “an intimate understanding of how Norman Bates’ psyche developed from his childhood through his teen years. Fans will have access to the dark, twisted backstory and learn first hand how his mother, Norma, and her love damaged Norman, helped forge the most well-known serial killing motel owner in history.”

In Hitchcock’s Psycho, Norma Bates was voiced by three different individuals; Virginia Gregg, Jeanette Nolan, and Paul Jasmin all loaned their talents to the character, though Gregg would be the only one to return for Psycho II, Psycho III, and Psycho IV: The Beginning. Olivia Hussey, who starred in the 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet, was the first actress to portray the character on-screen.

As of this writing, Vera Farmiga is the only cast member announced for A&E’s Bates Motel. It will be interesting to see who, exactly, the network taps to portray Norman Bates. The series, which is being produced by Universal Television, is expected to air sometime next year.

Vera Farmiga Tapped To Star In A&E’s ‘Bates Motel’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Despite recent rumors that Saturday Night Live alumnus and late-night talk show host Jimmy Fallon would tackle hosting duties for next year’s Oscars, the professional funnyman claims he isn’t accepting the job. During his recent appearance on NBC’s TODAY Show in London, Fallon told host Matt Lauer that he wasn’t accepting the position, though it was certainly an honor to be considered for the spot.

“No, I’m not going to do the Oscars,” Fallon awkwardly explained on the program. “It’s an honor to be asked by the Academy, but it’s not my year.”

Jimmy’s time in England wasn’t all interviews and rumor control. At one point, he was able to attend an Olympic event, which obviously had a profound effect on the comedian.

“I went to an event — I went to track and field,” Fallon said. “It’s unbelievable; it’s thrilling. I’m trying not to cry, to be honest. I’m one of the emotional people. They’re running, they’re pole vaulting for their county and they get up for the medals ceremony. It’s like watching those ASPCA commercials with Sarah McLachlan. I’m just crying my eyes out. I can’t stop crying. I can’t look; I’ve just got to leave.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, Fallon’s decision to decline hosting duties may not have been his own. Apparently ABC executives and Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger weren’t too thrilled with the idea, particularly since Fallon is in direct competition with the network’s own late-night darling, Jimmy Kimmel. However, Fallon’s boss, Lorne Michaels, might still be in the running to produce the event.

Brad Adgate, analyst for Horizon Media, believes the decision to go with a younger host is a sign that executives are looking to inject some new blood into the show. “The audience profile of the Oscars is getting older each year and I suppose the Academy Awards [officials] think Fallon will attract more young viewers,” Adgate explained. “Jimmy Kimmel, I am sure, is more preferable to the network.

Jimmy Fallon Will Not Host Next Year’s Oscars is a post from: The Inquisitr

“Real Housewives of Orange County” reality show veteran Vicki Gunvalson may have a break from filming the Bravo series, but the drama continues. Gunvalson and her boyfriend Brooks Ayers are fighting back at ABC and demanding an apology for a 20/20 special report which alleged Ayers is a “deadbeat dad,” Radar Online reports. Both Vicki Gunvalson and Brooks Ayers recently appeared on a Bravo “Real Housewives of Orange County Reunion”  (RHOC) segment where the reality show cast shared their feelings and a bit of alleged dirty laundry about one another – Ayers ,45, was a frequent target during the heated cast conversations.

“While we have not filed a lawsuit yet, we have written to ABC demanding a retraction and informed them that the threat of the lawsuit exists and we are currently in discussions with them. The most dangerous aspect was the program accusing him of running out on his child, which is absolutely false,” Brooks Ayers attorney Alexander Rufus-Isaacs stated during a Radar Online interview.

The ABC 20/20 broadcast which aired on June 29 spawned a possible lawsuit against both the network and Ayers’ ex-girlfriend, Nicolette Catanzarite, Radar Online notes. Catanzarite, 41, is the mother of Brooks Ayers’ 3-year-old son. During the broadcast the Indianapolis hair salon owner and model claims Ayers “bailed” on hospital and pediatrician bills. Ayers’ attorney maintains Catanzarite’s claims are a part of an ongoing legal dispute in which Ayers’ claims she refused to allow him to see their son.

Ayers’ is a businessman from Mississippi with three other children from a previous marriage. Rufus-Isaac told Radar Online on behalf of Ayers that Catanzarite visited with both Brooks and Vicki Gunvalson earlier this and denies her claims she does not know how to get in touch with him to coordinate communication or visits with their son. The attorney also noted Brooks Ayers still has the same email address and cell phone number he has used to communicate with the mother of his child in the past.

Real Housewives Of Orange County Star Vicki Gunvalson And Boyfriend Brooks Ayers Threaten ABC Lawsuit is a post from: The Inquisitr

David Cassidy of “Partridge Family” fame was denied the opportunity of a jury trial in his lawsuit against Sony Pictures Television for lost wages. The Hollywood Reporter notes the judge in the David Cassidy case that the matter “should be handled by an arbitrator.” The 1970s television star sued Sony last year claiming the former top-rated ABC series paid only a “paltry sum” to Cassidy even though his contract entitled him to 15 percent of net merchandise proceeds from the show and promotional items, according to excerpts from court documents.

In the Sony lawsuit Cassidy claim the “Partridge Family” series garnered more than $500 million from posters, games, magazines and similar items. David Cassidy also claims his employment contract with ABC entitled him to 7.5 percent of the net proceeds from the “exhibition and exploitation of underlying property rights” from the show.

During an interview about the case last year, David Cassidy told CNN he was “optimistic” and “enthusiastic” about the way a jury trial would view his claims and the Sony lawsuit went to court, according to interview excerpts republished by the Hollywood Reporter. “I don’t want to shame and embarrass and humiliate them, but I will if I have to,” Cassidy stated during the interview. While pretending to address the powers-that-be at Sony during the CNN interview Cassidy added, “You owe me a fortune- you want to go to trial, big bad Sony against David Cassidy, go ahead.”

The “Partridge Family” star may not get his day in court with Sony at all unless he wins an appeal of Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joseph Kalin’s order to honor the arbitration agreement in the contract Cassidy signed in 1971.

David Cassidy Denied Jury Trial In ‘Partridge Family’ Lawsuit Against Sony Pictures Television is a post from: The Inquisitr

Rielle Hunter has kind of embodied every “other woman” cliché since she was pegged as the mistress to former rising Democrat star John Edwards and the mother to his child born of their affair.

The relationship between Rielle Hunter and Edwards has been a lightning rod for the former presidential hopeful and running mate of John Kerry. The affair could not have come at a worse time politically for Edwards, whose wife was suffering from the breast cancer that would eventually kill her, in addition to the fact that the anti-poverty crusader had set his eyes on the White House.

Rielle Hunter says that at 43, she was as shocked as anyone to discover she was pregnant with Edwards’ child back in 2007. And as we all now know, Edwards initially denied fathering Hunter’s daughter, Quinn, now 4, after her February 2008 birth.

But ultimately, the truth came out, and John Edwards was indicted for allegedly using campaign funds to cover up his affair with Rielle Hunter. But despite the ramifications of having a mistress and love child, Hunter says, Edwards was calm and kind when she announced her ill-timed pregnancy to him.

Hunter explains that she was asked to sign a confidentiality agreement promising to never reveal Quinn’s parentage to anyone save the little girl, yet she refused.

And of the many denials Edwards issued on TV that he had fathered her little girl, Hunter explains:

“What it meant, though, to me, is that he was temporarily insane. I mean, he had really gone off the deep end a bit there,” she said, “but it was painful to witness.”

Rielle Hunter’s candid 20/20 interview airs tonight on ABC.

Rielle Hunter Dishes on John Edwards’ Reaction to Her Pregnancy on 20/20 is a post from: The Inquisitr

The aftermath of Rielle Hunter’s affair with one time presidential hopeful John Edwards is already well documented–and will be even more so when Hunter releases her “tell-all” book–but why did the affair actually begin?

In an interview with newsman Chris Cuomo on ABC’s “20/20” this past Friday, Hunter said that she accepted an invitation to join Edwards in his hotel room in 2006, when the affair began, because she believed at the time that she could “help” him, seeing as she’s a “spiritual adviser”. Right.

Hunter is well aware of her public perception, namely that she’s a home wrecker that absolutely destroyed Edwards’ political career, but she doesn’t appear to mind. She does, however, feel sorry that her child, Quinn, 4, and Edwards’ children had to pay the price.

“I feel for both my daughter and for all the kids involved, the full truth needs to be in the public domain,” she said. “Their father’s not a demon and their mother’s not a saint. And I’m not a home wrecker. We’re real human beings. And there is a real dynamic that was going on, good and bad. And we all made mistakes.”

If you’re interested in hearing Rielle Hunter’s side of the story, you can catch her book, “What Really Happened: John Edwards, Our Daughter and Me,” on store shelves June 26.

You can check out a clip from the interview below.

Rielle Hunter Believed She Could ‘Help’ John Edwards is a post from: The Inquisitr

It’s been a long road for Private Practice’s Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery. Kate Walsh, the actress who plays the raven haired doctor started portraying the doctor on Grey’s Anatomy in 2005 and managed to survive her very own spin-off. Now Walsh confirms that the shortened sixth season of Private Practice will be her last.

The actress took the opportunity to make the announcement public on Bethenny, the new talk show from reality star Bethenny Frankel. According to several sources the interview is set to air on Wednesday. During the interview Kate Walsh said, “This is my last season for Private Practice… It’s been an incredible journey an amazing ride. I’m hugely, hugely grateful.”

Her exit isn’t the only one from the medical drama. It was announced that Tim Daly was also leaving after five seasons on the show. Walsh went on to discuss her time on the show, “It’s been a long time being Addison,” she continues. “I feel incredibly grateful to Shonda Rhimes and all the fans that have been there from Day 1 to now. I’m really excited about the last season.”

Following Daly’s announcement that he was no longer going to be on Private Practice, creator and head writer of both Grey’s and Private Practice explained the changes the show has taken for the abbreviated sixth season. “There’s a lot of budgetary issues on that show,”  Rhimes continued telling TVGuide Magazine. “We need to make sure the show is viable and that we can produce it.”

Even though Kate Walsh has announced her decision to leave that doesn’t exactly mean the show won’t go on without her, Rhimes explained. “I have been told that I’m not allowed to think of us only doing 13 episodes.” Private Practice is set to return on its new day of Tuesday in a 10 pm time slot in the fall.

Kate Walsh Leaving Private Practice is a post from: The Inquisitr

Fox, NBCUniversal, and CBS are not pleased with Disk Networks new software called “Hopper” a program that allows shows which have been DVR’d to auto skip commercials if the show is not watched on the day of broadcast.

According to those three broadcast networks the new DVR technology is a violation of their copyrights and puts their quality programming in danger by underscoring advertisements which still make up a bulk of their programming revenue.

In answering the lawsuit Dish Network has filed a countersuit against the three networks and ABC in order to establish the legality of an advertisement skipping piece of software.

In filing the lawsuit executives at Fox said of the decision:

“We were given no choice but to file suit against one of our largest distributors, Dish Network, because of their surprising move to market a product with the clear goal of violating copyrights and destroying the fundamental underpinnings of the broadcast television ecosystem.”

That statement is similar to CBS chief Les Moonves‘ own comments, he recently called the Hopper program an “…attack on our ecosystem.” While Mooves has called the program “illegal” there has never been a precedent establishing the legality of such programs.

In their own court filing Dish Network says:

“This case is about freedom of consumer choice, individual families’ choice to elect, if they want, to time-shift their television viewing and watch recorded television without commercials.”

Disk Network points out that commercials are not ignored or deleted but rather the Hopper program gives users the option to skip commercials they would like ignore or fast forward through anyways.

The Hopper multi-room DVR system was released for use on May 10 and it is only currently available to PrimeTime Anytime service customers.

In the meantime Fox has already refused to air any Dish Network commercials that feature the Hopper service.

Dish Network’s Ad Skipping Software ‘Hopper’ Leads To Lawsuit From CBS, NBC and Fox is a post from: The Inquisitr

It looks like CBS’ threat against new ABC reality TV series Glass House was more than just a threat as the network on Thursday filed a lawsuit against ABC for what it calls a blatant rip-off of the Big Brother series.

Last week CBS sent ABC a cease-and-desist letter claiming that the show Glass House is “strikingly similar” to Big Brother since it basically involves a bunch of people living in a house while competing for prizes.

CBS filed the lawsuit in a Los Angeles federal court, in the filing the network’s lawyers write:

“If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then CBS should take pride in ABC’s latest reality television project, ‘Life in a Glass House.’”

The lawsuit then uses words like “carbon copy” and “an obvious attempt … to capitalize on its [Big Brothers] unique success.

CBS says the new show steals its copyright expression and explicit trade secrets.

The lawsuit also claims that ABC hired 19 staffers who at one time worked on Big Brother and that those employees knowingly disclosed trade secrets and other confidential information to ABC.

Stoking the fire further CBS claims a belief that at least one executive on ABC’s new show has been attempting to poach Big Brother employees.

CBS is asking that at least 3 former high level Big Brother  employees pay $500,000 each for violating CBS’ confidentiality clauses.

It is not just ABC employees being sued, CBS is also asking that ABC pay an undisclosed amount of money for the reasons already disclosed.

CBS Sues ABC, Claims ‘Glass House’ Is A ‘Big Brother’ Ripoff is a post from: The Inquisitr

ABC might have a lawsuit on their hands.  It seems as if their soon to released series The Glass House, which features 14 contestants living in a wired up house where they vote off one member at a time is eerily similar to the CBS smash hit Big Brother.  It doesn’t help that the producer of The Glass House is none other than Big Brother producer Kenny Rosen.

CBS fired off a legal letter to ABC letting them know that if they proceed with the airing of The Glass House there will probably be a lawsuit filed against the station.

A CBS insider told Deadline.com,

“Given their behavior in this matter, we assume ABC will have no problem when we announce plans for our upcoming new series Dancin’ Wid Da Stars,”

In the letter to Disney-ABC TV Group president Anne Sweeney and Walt Disney Co.’s General Counsel Alan Braverman, CBS’ outside counselor Scott A. Edelman directed to  Rosen,ABC’s VP Alternative Programming Corie Henson and Mike O’Sullivan, who served as supervising producer on Big Brother for at least eight years and is now involved in the production of Glass House. The Letter notes the “striking” similarities between the two shows,

One (Big Brother) based on a 1999 Dutch format and one (Glass House) billed as original — which he claims are “establishing a classic case of copyright infringement”. He also contends that the ABC series “is produced by a team of at least 18 former members of CBS’ Big Brother production stuff — all of whom were privy to trade secrets and other confidential, proprietary information and signed broad and binding non-disclosure agreements in connection with Big Brother. We believe that it is impossible for the signatories of the Big Brother non-disclosure agreements to develop and produce a show as similar as Glass House without breaching their contractual obligations by disclosing or utilizing protected information,” the letter contends. Rosen, Henson and O’Sullivan, who all signed non-disclosure agreements when working on Big Brother, have received separate warning letters from CBS today.

The letter are being sent out as a warning in hopes that ABC will cancel the show.

The letter continues,

“In the strongest possible terms, we must admonish ABC and anyone in the development or production of Glass House that they will be acting at their own peril if they continue to proceed in this manner, and that CBS has instructed us to pursue all available remedies if this course of conduct continues. We hereby put ABC on notice that its continued development and production of Glass House exposes ABC to liability, including damages and injunctive relief, for violation of the Copyright Act, including breach of non-disclosure agreements and misappropriation of trade secrets,” the letter said.

It has proved difficult for stations to sue under copyright infringement for reality shows but this case is different in that it involves non-disclosure agreements by past staff. 

CBS Threatens to Sure ABC Over “Glass House” is a post from: The Inquisitr

Well, there’s making fun of someone, and then there’s downright obliterating them.

That’s what the Kelly Clarkson judged, ABC produced, ‘Duets’ does in their 45-second promotional ad in which they are anything but nice to Fox’s American Idol, the competition that has dominated singing shows for the past decade.

Modeled after the famous Apple commercial that aired in 1984 portraying a PC  brainwashed mass population, the ABC made ad makes an attempt at depicting a propaganda laced room consumed by annoying judges that make up the magistrate that is American Idol.

“For me, it was just a little pitchy,” squeals the whimsical Paula Abdul portrayal.

“Frankly, I’ve heard 911 calls with more tonality,” barks the scowling British judge.

“It was alright, it was alright, but something was missing for me dawg,” says the Randy Jackson impersonator.

As the images seem to play over and a voice booms over the system ”In a landscape where music shows are all the same, one will break through”, in runs the Olympian style javelin thrower that proceeds to heave a microphone into the screen, shattering the stereotypical singing competition and revealing ABC’s life-saving show, ‘Duets’, including images of  Kelly Clarkson, Robin Thicke, Lionel Richie, and Jennifer Nettles, the judges of the new singing venture.

What’s interesting is the obvious history between Clarkson and American Idol in which she won the inaugural season of American Idol in 2002, launching her worldwide career in which she has gone on to win countless awards and sold millions of records.

Does Kelly Clarkson owe American Idol more than this? Or do you feel that she has paid her debt to the show and should be able to be free from the restrictions that come from the show?

Below is the ad that features Clarkson and the show ‘Duets’ which  premieres May 24th at 8/7 c on ABC.

Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Duets’ Promo Slams American Idol [VIDEO] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Television hit Desperate Housewives comes to a close this spring, and though mum’s the word on the May 13th finale, Teri Hatcher is finally starting to feel the weight of it. Hatcher has been with the show since its premiere in 2004, and after eight years with the program and a stunning final season, the fact that the end is in sight is finally starting to hit her.

“Every day it gets to be a little more real,” 47-year-old Hatcher told PEOPLE at the Wisteria Lane Block Party benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at Universal Studios in L.A. “We’ve had a lot of time to process it, so it’s not a shock. But I think you just can’t really know what it’s going to feel like until it’s over.”

Though the show’s finale marks the end of a long and successful chapter in Hatcher’s career, a few hints about the finale were gleaned from her interview. Notably that justice will be done by her character, Susan Mayer, in addition to other favorites on ABC’s hit show in the finale.

“I feel like [the finale] does a pretty good job at honoring all the different characters and their sort of unique wheelhouses that they brought … to Desperate Housewives,” she said, continuing, “Whether it be comedy or drama or physical comedy, I feel like the stories make sense. I think it will be better than some other big finales.”

Hatcher’s greatest takeaway from her participation on Desperate Housewives is perhaps her relationship with her on-screen daughter, Andrea Bowen. “I say a lot about her and I mean this so much – my [real-life] daughter could not have a better role model than Andrea,” Hatcher says. “She doesn’t have a big sister and Andrea will be the big sister.”

Bowen has said she is up for the task, which according to Hatcher includes, “all the big conversations” for her 14-year-old daughter Emerson Rose. “[Andrea] is just beautiful and talented and totally sane and grounded and fabulous,” Hatcher gushes, “I really had the best [on-camera] kids – her and Mason Vale. I had the best kids to work with.”

Will you be tuning in May 13th for the finale of Desperate Housewives?

Teri Hatcher Talks Desperate Housewives Finale, End Finally Hitting Her is a post from: The Inquisitr

While Alec Baldwin recently went on a tirade to trash Today and he has repeatedly said his time at 30 Rock is close to an end Tina Fey appeared on The View on Thursday and said the show will go on with Alec Baldwin in tow although the end is likely near.

According to Fey:

“As far as I know, he’s not leaving the show. We’re all in this together ’til the end. I think that he just maybe means that the end of the show — we’re in six years — that the end of the show is visible on the horizon. We’re all still on the show.”

Fey and Baldwin have already signed on the dotted line for a seventh season although NBC must first renew the show for another year before those contracts become valid. TV analysts believe the seventh season is all but secured and will likely be its last as 30 Rock has slipped to series low ratings.

Barbara Walters wasn’t happy about the decision but Fey put the inevitable decision in perspective:

“We can’t do this for 35 years. We’d love to keep going and see where everybody ends up, right? But you don’t want to see me with a gray stripe, eating a slice of pizza, going on dates.”

Fans of the show should definitely tune in on Thursday April 26 when another live show will air while Tina Fey promises that 30 Rock will be populated with new and former famous faces in 2012.  In what might be my favorite announcement Fey says another fake reality TV series known as Queen Of Jordan.

Tiny Fey Says End Of ’30 Rock’ Is Likely Close is a post from: The Inquisitr

Former anchor for NBC’s Today from ’82 to ’97, Bryant Gumbel, conveyed his displeasure with the incorporation of Sarah Palin into the show as a countermeasure against another former Today anchor, Katie Couric, who guest-hosted Good Morning America on the same day.

The two rival shows, NBC’s Today and ABC’s Good Morning America, have been engaged in a long-running ratings competition, which NBC has been winning since December of 1995.

According to Examiner.com, morning television network news shows are cash cows and a drop in ratings could place millions of dollars in advertising revenue at stake.

Fortunately for NBC, their decision to utilize Palin was successful as they maintained their ratings lead with 210,000 more viewers than Good Morning America.

While Today has managed to maintain ratings superiority over their rivals, Bryant Gumbel was less than pleased with NBC’s winning strategy, which he told the Daily Beast was “embarrassing.”  Gumbel was quoted having said:

“[Hosts] used to be judged not just on their popularity level but the extent to which they were capable of interviewing someone or reporting on a situation, or able to have a degree of gravitas. Now that is secondary to being popular.”

Sarah Palin wasn’t exactly what one might consider a natural when it came to co-hosting NBC’s Today show, however, there were points at which she exhibited characteristics such as charm and charisma.  Regardless of her performance on the show, she did an excellent job boosting ratings as viewers rose from 5.06 million to 5.5 million.

What did you think of Sarah Palin’s Today performance and the aforementioned remarks made by Bryant Gumbel?

Bryant Gumbel: Sarah Palin Today Show Stunt Embarrassing is a post from: The Inquisitr

Nicollette Sheridan vs. Desperate Housewives will likely be going into round two as the jury in her wrongful termination trial ended on Monday in a hung jury.

Under that ruling nobody wins and nobody loses the case, setting the stage for a retrial at a yet to be determined time.

Following the hung jury Sheridan’s lawyer said he will re-try the case or hammer out a settlement with the network and series producers. The settlement seems unlikely after both sides failed to reach a settlement agreement last Friday.

Sheridan’s lawyer says the jury ruled in favor of Sheridan with an 8 to 4 vote, just one vote shy of winning the case. Her lawyer now says he is confident that they will get the win the second time around.

The lawsuit included an attack on Disney for which Nicollette’s lawyer said the company is the “Unhappiest place on Earth.”

In the lawsuit Nicollette Sheridan claims that ABC wrongfully terminated her role on the show after creator Marc Cherry slapped her on the set. Sheridan says she complained to the network and instead of following up on her claim they chose to fire her.

The battery accusation against Marc Cherry was dismissed by the judge on Tuesday which leaves the wrongful termination claim against the network still available for retrial.

The jury in the case were involved in 10 hours and 30 minutes of deliberations before they reported the 8-4 verdict.

Do you think Nicollette Sheridan has a chance to win the wrongful termination lawsuit against ABC during retrail?

Nicollette Sheridan Vs. Desperate Housewives Ends In Hung Jury is a post from: The Inquisitr

There’s a new comedy pilot in town and it has two huge stars, singer/actress Mandy Moore, and now Stockard Channing.

The untitled ABC comedy pilot has just announced Moore’s two parents– Channing as her mother, and Kurt Fuller as her father. This project looks into the problems that happen growing up in a family, and the new problems that arise when looking to build away from that family.

The comedy will be told from the perspective of the daughter Annie (Moore), and Ben. The two are a young newly wedded couple who get a new opportunity to run a fancy, hip, restaurant, which just so happens to be in Annie’s  old hometown and close to her needy parents who will do anything to get under her skin (not purposefully, of course).

Stockard Channing plays Barbara, the overbearing, needy, mother, and Kurt Fuller is to play her good-natured husband who gives the pants to Barbara in the marriage.

The writing will be tackled by Bob Fisher and Stacy Taub, who will also produce with Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements and Shawn Levy.

In addition to Stockard Channing, Mandy Moore, and Kurt Fuller, Roswell actress Majandra Delfino joins along with actress Erinn Hayes.

What do you guys think? Will this pilot get picked up for the fall season? Who would you like to see in the role of the husband?

Stockard Channing On Board For Mandy Moore Comedy Pilot is a post from: The Inquisitr

Looks like ABC is really going country next season, first with the controversial GCB and now there’s a new Connie Britton pilot in the works with ABC.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the American Horror Story alum will be starring in the new pilot Nashville, which will see the actress playing a music superstar  at her peak. The show is said to center around the entertainment business but with a Nashville backdrop, giving it a real country feeling that everyone seems to be craving these days.

In the show Britton’s character, Rayna has reached her peak as a singer and joins forces with another singer is on the rise, Juliette Barnes, who’s played by Hayden Panettiere, while her own records are failing to sell.

Britton, who got rave reviews for her performance in season one of American Horror Story, will also join Powers Boothe, Sam Palladio, Clare Bowen, Jonathan Jackson, Robert Wisdom and Eric Close, who will play her husband on the show.

At the PaleyFest during the American Horror Show panel Britton explained her love for television saying, “I do love to work and I love to work in TV. It’s finding something that feels like it’s going to give me something that I haven’t had yet.”

Even though Nashville looks promising for Connie Britton’s career, she admitted that there’s other TV projects still in the works, most notably an FX television cop drama that she’s been working on with David O Russell. “I was just on the phone with him before I came over here,” she said Friday. “We’re still developing that. I’ve got a couple things in development so we’ll see what lands.”

What do you guys think? Would you rather a cop drama from Connie Britton or the new country drama from ABC? Weigh in here!

Connie Britton Nabs ABC Pilot is a post from: The Inquisitr

Following in the footsteps of the ABC Player ABC Family on Tuesday announced the launched of a new ad-supported mobile application that allows users to watch full episodes of the networks popular TV programs with ad-support streaming.

The new app called the ABC Family app will allows viewers to watch popular series that include Jane By Design, Switched at Birth and The Secret Life of an American Teenager among various other ABC Family series.

Episodes are supported by ads that play periodically throughout the show and new episodes will be made available the day after they air on television.

The new app will also be the first program from ABC/Disney to offer closed captioning and it will feature the ability to bookmark playback position for iOS device users, allowing for playback from the last point of viewing when the app is closed and then relaunched.

The ABC Family App will also show a users viewing history and provide a schedule of shows on the network.

For users who wish to purchase an episode of the shows they watch the program will also offer links to the iTunes Store for iPhone and iPad users.

With more than 97 million US homes currently featuring ABC Family the family-friendly original and syndicated shows along with various ABC Family movies the free to download app could prove successful for the company.

The free app is available for iOS 5.0 or later and can play on iPhones, iPads and the iPad Touch.

Will you be taking advantage of the free ABC Family app?

ABC Family Launches Free Mobile App With Ad Supported TV Shows is a post from: The Inquisitr

It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen former The Talk host Leah Remini doing her day job — comedy.

Well now, Inquisitr has learned that Leah Remini has joined an ABC comedy pilot called White Van Man. The strangely titled sitcom is based on the British show Van, which sees a man  (Kyle Bornheimer) forced to put his dreams on hold to take care of his family’s handyman business with his father Tony (J.K. Simmons).

Where does Remini come into this, you ask? Well, Leah plays Terry, Tony’s sister who is described in the treatment for the show as a Patricia Clarkson-y type of character with a bohemian style for fashion. Tony is a man who still wants to run the business but because of a heart broken is forced to take a back seat, which is problematic when he wants to take the reigns, and it’s Terry who has to keep him in line.

A talented bunch of people will be joining behind the scenes, including Bobby Bowman (writer for Raising Hope), Mark Gordan, Andrea Shay, and Paul Buccieri with Michael Fresno on board to direct the single camera series for ABC studios.

This move comes after several months from Leah’s departure from the Sarah Gilbert run show The Talk and marks yet another return to comedy from a television vet.

What do you think about the show’s premise? Are you happy to see Leah Remini back on a comedy show? Sound off here!

Leah Remini Joins ABC Pilot is a post from: The Inquisitr

After a lot of hype, rumor and outright sensationalism, the final cast of Dancing With The Stars Season 14 has been announced.

The list is as follows:

Here’s the full list of Season 14′s celebrity contestants:

Jack Wagner, star of “Melrose Place” (pro partner: Anna Trebunskaya)
Melissa Gilbert, star of “Little House on the Prairie” (pro partner: Maksim Chmerkovskiy)
Donald Driver, Green Bay Packers all-time leading receiver (pro partner: Peta Murgatroyd)
William Levy, telenovela star (pro partner: Cheryl Burke)
Sherri Shepherd, co-host of “The View” (pro partner: Valentin Chmerkovskiy)
Katherine Jenkins, opera star (pro partner: Mark Ballas)
Gavin DeGraw, singer (pro partner: Karina Smirnoff)
Martina Navratilova, tennis star (pro partner: Tony Dovolani)
Roshon Fegan, Disney star (pro partner: Chelsie Hightower)
Maria Menounos, TV host (pro partner: Derek Hough)
Jaleel White, URKEL! Star of “Family Matters” (pro partner: Kym Johnson)
Gladys Knight, music legend (pro partner: (pro partner: Tristan MacManus)

Full “Dancing With The Stars” Cast Revealed [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Star Jones is returning to The View! The former co-host, who left in acrimonious circumstances back in 2006 (her and Barbara Walters had quite the tiff, it was reported) will appear on the daytime talk show on February 22.

Jones, one of the five original co-hosts of the show, left in 2006, taking Walters somewhat by surprise with her swift exit announcement. Reportedly, Walters refused to let her back the next day, and later revealed that Jones had asked her co-hosts to lie on her behalf, by not mentioning how Jones had undergone gastric bypass surgery while still presenting the show.

Star Jones rapidly fired back, criticizing Walters for penning an autobiography that revealed details of an affair. Essentially, the whole tiresome debate was about people sticking their noses in one another’s business.

Time heals however, and Walters will share the stage with Jones for her return. While the comeback is a one-off affair, it’s for a fine cause: Jones is appearing to promote an awareness campaign about heart disease among women.

By unhappy coincidence, Jones and Walters both underwent open heart surgery within two months of each other in 2010 – both to have faulty heart valves repaired.

And now Jones is returning to talk up her role in the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” public information campaign. On February 3, women across the States will be asked to wear red to support heart patients.

Will you be looking forward to Star Jones’ return to The View? Or do you think the show has gone from strength to strength without her?

Star Jones to Make Guest Appearance on ‘The View’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Nancy Grace, professional newschannel loudmouth, recently stirred up a hornet’s nest when she speculated that Whitney Houston could have been murdered.

Speaking to CNN’s Brooke Baldwin, Grace said:

“I’d like to know who was around her,” Grace had said Monday on CNN, “who if anyone gave her drugs following alcohol and drugs, and who let her slip or pushed her underneath that water. Apparently no signs of force or trauma to the body; who let Whitney go under her water?”

After Grace’s highly speculative comments, there was a firestorm of backlash from all over the place, including from The View‘s Whoopi Goldberg, who criticized Grace for jumping into such wild speculation so soon after Whitney’s death.

Grace may have received a health amount of backlash for her comments, but don’t expect her to apologize. Grace appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America, and GMA legal analyst Dan Abrams called her out, saying that she should apologize for inappropriate speculation.

“I understand that some people may consider that jarring or harsh, but there is nothing delicate or nice about a murder, a death, an unexpected death, or an autopsy,” Grace said in her defense.

“Can’t you just say, ‘I was wildly speculating and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it. It was inappropriate,’” Abrams fired back. Grace said it was not speculation. “They look to see if it was a homicide, if it was natural causes, or accident. I know that’s not palatable, it’s not easy going down, but that is the reality of what medical examiners do.”

via Huffington Post

Nancy Grace Defends Her Whitney Houston Death Speculation on GMA is a post from: The Inquisitr