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Saturday, June 30, 2012

'Ted' Scribe Alec Sulkin Touts his New Book of Tweets, Talks About the Movie

Robots feel nothing when they hold hands Cover - P 2012

Family Guy writers Alec Sulkin, Artie Johann and Michael Desilets have joined together for Robots Feel Nothing When They Hold Hands, a collection of their best tweets over the last few years.

Rounding out the volume are illustrations by Joe Vausx and Dominic Bianchi, who draw for Family Guy. Seth MacFarlane wrote a foreword for the book.

STORY: Ted: Film Review

The book is really funny. Family Guy fans will love the humor and the book does have a great throwback feel to the great kids joke books of the 70s and 80s the kind of thing that is perfect to pick up for a quick laugh.

Sulkin had the initial idea for the book (and he has the largest twitter presence with about 360,000 followers) and then he convinced his fellow Family Guy writers to pool their best tweets together.

PHOTOS: 10 Inappropriately Sexy Cartoon Characters

Sulkin says the key to a good tweet is brevity, because even at 140 characters people get reading fatigue. But the real standard is if it makes him laugh. Whereas in real life, Sulkin curses and uses foul language all the time (who doesnt?) on twitter he tries to be funny without cussing.

Sometimes his Family Guy writing and his tweeting intersected. There are things that Ive tweeted way back when I didnt have many followers and then I would pitch them to family guy knowing full well that theyve already gotten a good response on twitter, he told the THR. Occasionally, the writer uses stuff that gets cut from the show on twitter.

He says the hardest job went to the artists, who had to figure out a way to illustrate the tweets on the basis of just the suggestion to just illustrate the ones they really liked. Sulkin calls the resulting illustrations like an R-rated Far Side.

Sulkin is also the co-writer of the new comedy Ted (along with MacFarlane and another Family Guy writer Wellesley Wild), which opens June 29. The movie stars Mark Wahlberg as John, a guy who has a teddy bear that walks and talks (voiced by MacFarlane).

He talked about writing the scene in which Mark Walhbergs character and the bear gets scared by a thunderstorm so they sing their thunderbuddy song.

Sulkin says, its literally just this gobbledygook thing that I wrote in probably 2 minutes that people totally love, and I think its because its just so childish and it incorporates the swears and its just a funny moment in and of itself. You know what Ive noticed the most from screenings and such is that people just love Ted the bear, its like almost like an R rated ET type thing. They really care about him, hes cute but totally R rated and it just feels like a new type of thing, I cant think of a character like that from a movie.

Since were both from the Boston suburbs, I jokingly point out that the Wahlberg and the teddy bear both seem to embody a certain kind of masshole humor.

Sulkin laughs at the idea. Boston comedy is kind of like taking over. Threes so many people that I meet out in LA that are from the Boston area and weve all shared common experiences and find the same kind of stuff pretty funny, and I think that youre right about the global massholization of comedy. I mean with Family Guy, you get some of that with Peter Griffin, but this movie is totally immersed in it. It relies on that Boston cadence and Boston wise-ass kind of thing, and it really carries the film. Reactions to the trailer has been really positive, so I have faith that we are starting to see a globalization of this masshole style comedy.


MTV's Awkward Posts Double Digit Growth With 2.2 Million Premiere

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Matthias Clamer/MTV

MTV's Awkward scored some pretty comfortable numbers during its second season premiere on Thursday night.

The series brought in 2.2 million viewers and a 2.2 rating among the targeted group of people 12-34. Those numbers are on par with last year's September finale, and both mark a 29 percent growth from the 2011 series premiere.

With subsequent encores, the episode drew a gross of 3.8 million viewers -- and scored its best ever showing among teenage females.

Prior to the 10:30 episode, MTV aired the second outing of Jersey Shore spin-off Snooki and JWoww to somewhat smaller numbers than last week's premiere.

A new Snooki and JWoww slipped just 350,000 viewers for a haul of 2.05 million.


'Revolution's' 'Lost' Reunion: Elizabeth Mitchell Joins J.J. Abrams Drama as Series Regular

Elizabeth Mitchell
Elizabeth Mitchell

It's a Lost reunion for NBC's Revolution.

The upcoming freshman drama from Lost's J.J. Abrams and Supernatural's Eric Kripke has brought in former Lost star Elizabeth Mitchell as a series regular, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

STORY: Fall TV Pilot Preview: NBC's 'Revolution'

The adventure drama, starring Twilight's Billy Burke, is set in a world that exists after every piece of technology including cars, planes, computers, phones and lights mysteriously black out forever and follows a family struggling to reunite in the post-apocalyptic world.

Mitchell will play Rachel Matheson, mother of Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos) and Danny (Graham Rogers), who is described as a beautiful and warm parent who's terrified of the ordeal that her children will face as they navigate the dystopian world. Mitchell (Gia) will appear in flashbacks.

PHOTOS: NBC's 2012-13 Season: 'Revolution,' 'The New Normal' and 'Go On'

She'll replace Andrea Roth, who played the role in the pilot, and join new castmember Daniella Alonso, who will play a new character, Nora, a rebel fighter.

Mitchell played Dr. Juliet Burke on Abrams' ABC island-set drama Lost from 2006-10. The Revolution role marks her first series regular gig since she spent two seasons starring as Erica Evans on ABC's V reboot. More recently, she appeared in a guest stint on NBC's Law & Order: SVU.

Mitchell is repped by IFA Talent Agency, Kritzer Levine and Hirsch Wallerstein.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit


It's Official: CBS Revives 'Unforgettable' for Summer 2013

Unforgettable Season Premiere Al and Carrie - P 2011
CBS
"Unforgettable"

It's official: CBS is bringing Unforgettable back from the dead.

The network announced Friday via Twitter that it is reviving the Poppy Montgomery drama with a truncated 13-episode order for summer 2013.

"Hey Unforgettable fans. It's official, the series will return to CBS for summer 2013," CBSTweet wrote Friday afternoon.

PHOTOS: Broadcast TV's Returning Shows for 2012-13 Season

The series about a female detective (Montgomery) who remembers everything except the day her sister was murdered was canceled in May to clear space on the network's schedule for the four drama pilots the network ordered to series.

The drama from Ed Redlich, Carl Beverly and Sarah Timberman had been a steady performer at 10 p.m. Tuesdays, averaging 12.1 million viewers and a 2.5 rating in the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic.

STORY: CBS Renews 'CSI: NY,' Cancels 'CSI: Miami,' 'Gifted Man,' Unforgettable,' More

The series was one of two at the time (including CBS' A Gifted Man) that hailed from EPs Beverly and Timberman to end their run in May. However, the duo's Sherlock Holmes dramaElementarywas one of the network's hourlong efforts to land a series order. They will now have two series on the air.

Unforgettable, which co-stars Dylan Walsh (Nip/Tuck), joins Fox's Christian Slater workplace comedy Breaking In, which the network brought back from the dead after canceling it in May 2011.

STORY: 'Unforgettable': CBS May Revive Poppy Montgomery Drama

Breaking In was canceled (for a third time) in May after it failed to attract viewers in its prime post-New Girl slot on Tuesdays, drawing around 3 million viewers.

Breaking In hailed from Sony Pictures Television, which produced Unforgettable with CBS Television Studios.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit


Lifetime Yanks Bristol Palin From Primetime, Replaces Her With 'Dance Moms' Repeats

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Lifetime

After exciting a lot of people with the potential showcased by her high-rated turn on Dancing With the Stars -- and the accompanying media circus -- Bristol Palin may not actually be cut out for reality television.

The 21-year-old daughter of former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin debut her new Lifetime show to rather bleak numbers last week -- and now the network is moving her out of the time period.

STORY: 'Bristol Palin: Life's a Tripp': What the Critics Are Saying

Lifetime confirms to The Hollywood Reporter that Life's a Tripp will now air at 11 p.m. on Tuesdays, an hour after its broadcast of the first two weeks. In its place, the network will air encores of the considerably more successful Dance Moms.

Life's a Tripp, which follows Palin and her son's lives in Los Angeles, debuted to just 726,000 viewers before sinking to 586,000 in its second week.

Adding insult to injury, Palin and Life's a Tripp producers now face a lawsuit from co-stars of her unrealized reality series for BIO. Brothers Christopher and Kyle Massey, the latter being one of Palin's Dancing With the Stars castmates, claim the Lifetime series was their idea.

And that's not much to brag about right now.


Friday, June 29, 2012

'I'll Have What She's Having': 7 Great Parodies of Nora Ephron's Famous 'When Harry Met Sally' Deli Scene (Video)

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The "I'll have what shes having" scene in the Nora Ephron-scripted When Harry Met Sally remains one of the most memorable moments in romantic comedy history. And sure enough, Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal's exchange -- along with the classic line spoken by director Rob Reiner's mother -- have generated their fair share of parodies:

PHOTOS: Nora Ephron's Movie Posters: Snapshots of a Legendary Career

Craig Ferguson
The talk show host plays both parties and delivers the famous line as well. But in Ferguson's version, the Sally role is occupied by the talk-show appearing as Sean Connery, much as depicted on Saturday Night Live's "Celebrity Jeopardy"; Harry is British spy character Harry Palmer, originally played by Michael Caine.

Muppets Tonight
In the Muppets parody, Miss Piggy plays opposite the actual Billy Crystal, who was the episode's guest star. As the original scene is not appropriate for the Muppets' young demographic, Miss Piggy instead shows Harry how well women can fake a sneeze, prompting a twist on the famous final line.

Comedy Central's The Comedians of Comedy
Stopping in New York City with the Comedians tour, which was documented as a 2005 TV series, Zach Galifianakis and Maria Bamford visit Katz's Deli, where the original scene was filmed. In a straight gender reversal, Bamford assures Galifianakis that men cannot fake it, but he tries his hardest to prove her wrong. Jon Glaser picks up on the reference.

ZACH Galifianakis Harry met Sally - watch more funny videos

Lifetimes "Hollywood Tails"
One surefire rule of the internet: if something was funny originally, it'll be funny with talking dogs, too. In this spoof, part of a web video series produced by Lifetime, "Hairy" watches "Shaggy" give her convincing performance. A French-accented and bespectacled canine auteur gives commentary -- "Mademoiselle, she is out of control!"

"When Harry Met Star Wars"
Never underestimate the power of overdubbing. In a deli not so far away, Harry finds Sally's lack of faith disturbing,but when she pretends to feel a tremor in the Force, her voice sounds a bit unusual.

Mike and Mal's Radical Remakes
Not a parody but a "tribute," this independent video was created by two Australian guys who recreate the scene for the surprised patrons of a real-life diner. After a few concerned stares, their audience catches on.

Family Guy
In this 2007 episode -- the show's 101st -- Peter Griffin has just shot the diabolical Stewie and is looking for an appropriate one-liner.


TNT Renews 'Dallas' for Second Season

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Zade Rosenthal/TNT
"Dallas"

TNT is going back to Dallas.

Moments after giving the green light to a fourth season of Rizzoli & Isles on Friday, the network announced a renewal of Dallas for a second season.

The reboot is averaging 6.9 million viewers to date, with the Turner-owned cable network ordering 15 episodes of the drama to air next year.

"Dallashas been a success for us on every level: pitch-perfect writing, smart directing and buzz-worthy performances by a new generation of stars and their iconic counterparts," said Michael Wright, president and head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM)."With Dallas' top-flight ratings, robust growth through time-shifted viewing and the extensive online buzz, it's clear the Ewings of Southfork have once again captured the imagination of viewers.

So far this season, Dallas -- starring Josh Henderson, Jesse Metcalfe, Jordana Brewster, Julie Gonzalo and Brenda Strong and featuring the return of original castmembers Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray and Larry Hagman -- ranks as basic cable's No. 1 new series. The June 13 premiere of the Warner Horizon Television drama opened to 7.8 million viewers when factoring in Live+3 data.

The series gives TNT the No. 1 new show on basic cable for the third year in a row, behind Rizzoli & Isles (2010) and Falling Skies (2011). Dallas was considered a big bet for TNT and came with an established audience with fans of the original 1978-91 primetime soap tuning in to revisit characters including Hagman's J.R. Ewing.


Comic-Con 2012: ABC's 'The Neighbors' Gets Interactive Booth (Exclusive)

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ABC's Comic-Con "Neighbors" shirts

Comic-Con attendees, prepare to learn the ways of Earth as taught by the aliens from ABC's The Neighbors.

STORY: Fall TV Preview: ABC's 'The Neighbors'

As part of the freshman comedy's Comic-Con booth on the convention floor of next month's San Diego convention, attendees will experience what the aliens of Zabvron must do in order to fit in on a foreign planet.

The freshman comedy starring Jami Gertz, Lenny Venito and Simon Templeman revolves around the Weaver family who move to a gated area in New Jersey who learns that everyone in the community is an alien from the planet Zabvron named after famous athletes.

STORY: Comic-Con 2012: The TV Lineup

As part of the Comic-Con booth on the exhibit floor, convention attendees will get a free t-shirt, a special Earthling name and complete an "Earth training session" as well as a preview of the comedy, which launches in the fall on Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. in the prime post-Modern Family slot.

The Neighbors Comic-Con event is similar to the network's Pan Am booth last year when, rather than host a panel screening and Q&A with the cast, ABC brought in part of a replica plane for the airline period drama that took convention-goers through the 1960s-set action.

Comic-Con runs July 11-15 in San Diego.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit


Menudo Alum Gives 'X Factor' Judges 'Very Sexy' Audition

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Getty Images

Former Menudo star Troy Kurtis crooned his way into the TheX Factor auditions in Providence, R.I., on Wednesday.

Kurtis, 31, reportedly seduced judges Britney Spears and Demi Lovato with a hot performance, singing entirely in Spanish, reports People.

Spears said the singers audition was very sexy, and judge L.A. Reid teased that Lovato was sweating and giggling due to Kurtis commanding stage presence.

PHOTOS: An 'American Idol' to 'X Factor' Timeline

Kurtis told the judges of the Fox show that being a member of Menudo wasnt as glamorous as one would expect.

"I never had any mentors," he said. "I left my house at 16 because my stepfather told me to shut up when I would sing. I feel like I'm just getting started."

Meanwhile, reports are swirling that Spears may be emerging as a tougher judge than Simon Cowell. Spears has been quoted as telling hopefuls that they are too boring" and that they "have potential ... [but just are not] great."

Here is a look at the judges arrivals in Providence on June 27, courtesy of The Providence Journal:


Thursday, June 28, 2012

'Anger Management' Premiere: A Softer (and Similar) Charlie Sheen

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FX

If anyone was unclear about the content of Charlie Sheen's new FX sitcom, Anger Management, before its Thursday premiere, they had good reason.

Despite the series' cinematic roots, months of dialogue and a slew of publicity, the actual meat and potatoes of Sheen's Two and a Half Men follow-up was absent from promos which instead highlighted the star's penchant for second chances with an exploding CGI train.

TV REVIEW: "Anger Management"

But when the one-hour premiere kicked off at 9 p.m., Sheen returned to TV in a vehicle eerily similar to the one we last saw him in. After a few cracks at his old gig -- "You think you can just replace me with some other guy?" -- the boom of a laugh track sounds and the frame opens up to reveal the quintessential living room of a multi-camera sitcom.

His name is still Charlie, but, thankfully, he's not wearing any bowling shirts.

References to his high-profile fallout with the CBS sitcom he starred in for eight seasons are mostly brushed out of the way in that opening scene. The essence of Charlie Harper, however, seems unavoidable. FX is banking on the rather large audience that flocked to his brand of middle-aged hound dog with a curious knack for bedding attractive younger women. And that's what the show delivers.

Still, he does seem to have a slightly bigger heart. This new Charlie, while insisting he wants a casual relationship with friend/therapist Kate (Selma Blair), is visibly attached to the romantic lead. And to the show's credit, there's also chemistry with ex-wife Jennifer (Shawnee Smith) -- if only comedic.

STORY: Charlie Sheen on 'Two and a Half Men': 'It All Got Icky Because of Me'

This more sensitive Charlie, grappling with his own titular rage issues, shows an even softer side with the series' "Half." His daughter's (Daniela Bobadilla) obsessive compulsive disorder -- which may well vanish after the first episode -- prompts two humanizing moments that would have been more than uncharacteristic for his previous incarnation.

So will Anger Management work for FX? If a significant portion of his enduring fanbase knows enough to tune in, sure -- though they'll all probably be a little confused come 10:01 p.m., after the credits roll and the grown man in the dog suit comes on screen.

Did you watch Anger Management? Sound off in the comments.


'Bones' EP Stephen Nathan Inks New Two-Year Overall Deal With 20th TV

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Stephen Nathan

Stephen Nathan is staying put at 20th Television.

The Bones executive producer has inked a new two-year overall deal with the studio behind the veteran Fox drama starring David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel.

"We're very happy to been in business with Stephen," 20th Century Fox TV chairman Dana Walden tells The Hollywood Reporter. "He's a fantastic guy, a great writer who's incredibly versatile. You can tell from the writing on Bones, which is a very unique tone that mixes great drama and very emotional relationships along with a terrific amount of humor -- and that's what Stephen does particularly well."

STORY: David Boreanaz Hints Endgame for 'Bones' After Season 8

Under the pact, Nathan will continue to serve as showrunner Hart Hanson's second in command on Bones, which is heading into its eighth season, as well as develop projects for the studio.

"While we hope he will continue to keep an eye on Bones, we're very open to his development and look forward to having the opportunity one day to be making overall writer deals to support Stephen's own shows," Walden noted.

The executive noted that Hanson and Nathan's partnership helped set the model for what the studio looks for in writing duos and helped the showrunner focus on other projects for 20th TV, including last season's short-lived Bones spinoff, The Finder.

STORY: 'Bones' Creator Hart Hanson on a Two-Season Pickup, Those Extra 4 Episodes

"The fact that Hart trusts Stephen as much as he does has enabled Hart to focus on some of his development and focus on The Finder last year after Stephen took greater control of the reins of Bones," Walden said. "That Stephen has provided Hart with so much support over all of these years has made that writers room and that staff such a happy place to be. As the studio that produces the show, that's the kind of environment we're looking to create on all of our shows."

While star Boreanaz hinted that the upcoming season of Bones might be its last -- the Fox series was among the first to earn a renewal in the spring -- Walden said she hoped the show continues beyond Nathan's two-year pact.

PHOTOS: Broadcast TV's Returning Shows for 2012-13 Season

"I would never say never with Bones," she told THR. "I don't know right now that I can say exactly when the end is for Bones; we're going into an exciting new season with great new dynamics between the characters on the show, and it's hard to say right now when the end might be. I hope it goes on for a very long time."

Nathan, an accomplished singer and actor, turned to writing and producing in the late 1970s. His credits include Laverne & Shirley, Everybody Loves Raymond and Joan of Arcadia.He's repped by WME.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit


Life After 'Today': Ann Curry and the Fate of Ousted Anchors

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Getty Images

If Thursday's announcement offered visible evidence of any backstage drama, then Ann Curry's sudden ouster from the Today show was a doozy and a half: given just a few minutes to say goodbye, the embattled co-anchor appeared destroyed and defeated, tears welling up in her eyes.

Astonishingly, Curry conceded defeat after one year of co-anchoring alongside Matt Lauer.

"This is not easy to say but today is going to be my last morning as a regular role of Today," said Curry, addressing viewers at 8:50 a.m. while Lauer sat beside her with a calm expression, as if to downplay the awkwardness of the situation.

"This is not how I expected to ever leave this couch after 15 years. But I am so grateful especially to all of you who watch, we often call ourselves a family, but you are the real Today show family," she continued with brutal honesty, adding: "I'm sorry I couldn't carry the ball over the finish line."

VIDEO: Ann Curry: 'I'm So Sorry I Couldn't Carry the Ball Over the Finish Line'

After having the most coveted gig on the No. 1 morning show in the country, losing that position must be painful -- and Curry admitted as much in an interview with USA Today this week in which she confessed that she was "hurt deeply" by tabloid leaks of her impending exit. (Sample leak: a June 21 report in TMZ that Curry's predecessor, Meredith Vieira, was asked to return to co-anchors' desk but declined the job; Vieira left her post in June 2011 after nearly five years with an extended farewell from cast and crew.)

Curry, who's been at Today 15 years and is expected to be replaced at the co-anchor's desk by Savannah Guthrie, will remain with NBC News as a national and international correspondent as well as Today's anchor-at-large (presumably, with a multi-million-dollar consolation prize attached).

But Curry is not the first high-profile female anchor to leave Today under less-than-stellar circumstances. See also: the departures of Jane Pauley, co-host from 1979 to 1989, and Deborah Norville, who replaced Pauley in 1990 and did not return after going on maternity leave in 1991.

ANALYSIS: Did NBC Just Botch the Ann Curry Issue?

Pauley resigned to host a primetime show on NBC called Real Life With Jane Pauley, which ran from 1990-1991, amid speculation that she'd been forced on to make way for the younger Norville, a Today newsreader; after executives promoted Norville to the post, she debuted as a co-host with Bryant Gumbel to hostility from the media and viewers who apparently disliked her.

"Within weeks of my joining the show opposite Gumbel and Jane Pauley, the press sniping started," Norville recalled in her THR essay, "Why Women Lose the Morning TV Wars.

"They said I was younger and blonder than Pauley and scheming to steal her job. No one criticized my performance. Heck, I won an Emmy during all the craziness. But the press chorus grew louder and more negative. I begged the communications experts at the network to let me grant the many interview requests coming in. They forbade me to speak to anyone, saying, 'Trust us, we're experts at this sort of thing.' I followed their orders and kept quiet. So did everyone else. No one said a word on my behalf. The result was a huge erosion of ratings and eventually the end of my days at NBC, just a year and a half after I got the job."

STORY: 10 Things to Know About Savannah Guthrie

Ratings began to rise when Katie Couric, beloved by Lauer and Today's audience during her tenure, filled in for Norville, and was later given a permanent spot. She left on her own accord in 2006 to anchor CBS Evening News; she's since left that job and jumped to ABC, where's she is preparing to launch a syndicated daytime talk show, Katie.

Norville is the long-time anchor of Inside Edition and author of The New York Times best-seller Thank You Power; Pauley co-hosted NBC's Dateline from 1992 to 2003, and hosted a short-lived daytime talk show that lasted one season in 2004.

Twitter: @ErinLCarlson

Email: erin.carlson@thr.com


David Letterman Mocks Ann Curry-NBC Situation, Alludes to His Own Troubles (Video)

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CBS/NBC

When there's strife at 30 Rock, you can bet David Letterman smells blood from his CBS studio ten blocks north in Manhattan.

The Ann Curry situation -- which was finally laid to rest on Thursday with the Today Show anchor announcing her departure -- provided a perfect target for the comedian. Recalling the Tonight Show issues with the network that saw him flee to CBS, Letterman poked fun at NBC's public fumbling of Curry's fate.

"There's been some trouble at the Today Show, I don't understand, I don't know the specific dynamic, I don't know what hte problem is," he said during his monologue. "But they're going to fire Ann Curry, get rid of her, push her out the door. But, she got a huge cash settlement. But I was thinking, when I got fired, when Paul and I got fired, all I got was a four pack of lightbulbs and the makeup on my face."

Letterman then speculated that Hoda Kotb (a Star Wars character, as he called her) would move from the show's 10 am hour, allowing Regis Philbin -- one of his favorite targets, whom he said once hunted vampires with Abraham Lincoln -- to re-team with Kathie Lee Gifford.

"NBC has been very coy about this, keeping their cards close to their chest. But you can tell, just by watching, that something's going on over there," he teased. "All of a sudden, it's very, very difficult."

Letterman then showed a re-cut video of Lauer stepping all over Curry; watch it below. The Curry talk starts at 1:40.


OWN'S Lisa Ling Criticizes Kardashians After Oprah Interview (Video)

Lisa Ling
Michael Tran/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Lisa Ling may be on Oprahs payroll, but that doesnt mean she agrees with the media moguls recent decision to highlight the Kardashian family on Oprahs Next Chapter.

PHOTOS: Inside Kardashian Inc.

I had my issues with the Kardashians, absolutely, said Ling during an appearance on Access Hollywood Live. I think theres so much wrong with how they are the most revered family in the country, but they are, nevertheless. So I get why Oprah wanted to interview them. I mean, they are icons in pop culture right now.

People are interested in what they think about things for some strange reason, she added.

The timid jab was quickly followed by more thoughtful conversation about Lings OWN series, Our America, and her recent episode on teen motherhood.

PHOTOS: Oprah Through the Years

I don't even think Id be able to do this kind of work on a news network, because now news has become so loud and obnoxious, but Oprah has given me a chance to do this documentary series, she said. I really dont think Id be able to do this work elsewhere, so Im really grateful for this opportunity.

Love them or hate them, the Kardashians pulled in impressive ratings for the network. The second of the two-part interview brought in 1.2 million viewers, growing 9 percent from its predecessor. The Sunday, June 24, episode now ranks as the fledgling networks third most-watched broadcast ever.

Watch Lings Access Hollywood Live appearance in the video below. Our America airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Oxygen's 'Glee Project' Grows to 640,000 Viewers, Skews Younger in Season 2

The Glee Project Samuel Larsen - H 2012
Tyler Golden/Oxygen Media

Four weeks into its sophomore run, Nielsen gives Oxygen's The Glee Project its strongest numbers of the season.

Up 31 percent from the previous week, Tuesday's episode, which featured an appearance from Glee star Naya Rivera, was watched by 640,000 viewers. Of that number, 259,000 were among the targeted adults 18-49 (up 11 percent from last week) and 190,000 were women 18-49 (up 27 percent).

PHOTOS: 'Glee' Season 3 in Pictures

The numbers, while a far cry from the record-breaking 1.2 million haul of the freshman finale, are consistent with the modest performer's growth in the early part of the season.

With live plus seven days data now available for the June 5 opener, The Glee Project season premiere brought in 813,000 total viewers -- up 38 percent over last year's debut that went up against similar fan base draw, the Tony Awards. The season premiere was up 33 percent over last year among adults 18-49 with 365,000.

Of those viewers, the average age was 34.6 years old. The series premiere brought an average of 40.2.

The next episode of The Glee Project brings a guest appearance from Glee cast member Kevin McHale to help the competitors in a challenge about "adaptability."


'Happy Endings' Sets Outfest Premiere for Unaired Episode

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ABC

A few fortunate eyes will catch the unaired episode from Happy Endings' second season this summer.

Outfest, the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, announced Tuesday that the extra episode will screen during the series July 22 panel at the Director's Guild of America.

Q&A: 'Happy Endings' Creator David Caspe Talks Renewals, Sitcom Romance and Unaired Episodes

"KickBall 2: The Kickening," an homage of sorts to The Bad News Bears, sees the gang getting uncharacteristically athletic, with Adam Pally's Max taking on the role of coach.

"Its actually one of my favorites of the season," creator and executive producer David Caspe recently told The Hollywood Reporter. "The whole group enters a local Chicago kickball tournament. Lance Briggs from the Chicago Bears is on it. Its really fun."

Following the Outfest screening, Caspe, Pally, Casey Wilson (Penny), recurring guest Stephen Guarino (Derrick) and executive producer Jonathan Groff will participate in a panel discussion and Q&A.

As for the episode's official air date, ABC is likely to plug it into the new season when Happy Endings moves to Tuesdays this fall.


Oprah Winfrey's Kardashian Sit-Down Brings Bigger Ratings in Second Week

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Kim Kardashian brought in a bigger audience the second time around on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Sunday's second installment of the Oprah's Next Chapter sit-down with the entire Kardashian clan managed to grow 9 percent among total viewers, bringing in 1.2 million viewers. Without the heavy competition of the first week -- which aired against broadcast network's NBA and PGA coverage -- part two now ranks as the third most-watched broadcast in OWN history and earned high marks in all key female demos.

PHOTOS: Inside Kardashian Inc.

It sits just behind the Oprah's Next Chapter interview with Joel Osteen (1.6 million) and the network's exclusive with the family of the late Whitney Houston (3.5 million).

Winfrey, who debuted Next Chapter on Jan. 1 of this year, has seen ratings on her young cable network grow significantly since upping her presence after struggling in its freshman year. (Other recent Next Chapter outings included segments with Carrie Underwood, Neil Patrick Harris Paris Jackson and 50 Cent.)

And though the moves can also be attributed to new syndicated content during the daytime hours, the network just posted its second consecutive quarter of double digit growth. Compared to the same period in 2011, primetime is up 11 percent in total viewers to 283,000 (10 percent among women 25-54 to a .22 rating), while daily viewers are up 31 percent to 179,000, with a 25 percent jump to a .15 score in the demo.


'Weeds' Star Hunter Parrish Releases Debut Album

Hunter Parrish CD cover P

Hunter Parrishmay be best known for playing the enterprising and hunky offspring of pot-dealing mom Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) on Showtimes hit series Weeds, but as it turns out, the actor also moonlights as a singer, releasing his first EP Guessing Games on iTunes today.

Parrishs pop-folk debut features love songs reminiscent of the sound of John Mayer or Jason Mraz. He co-wrote the EP with Daniel James and Leah Haywood, who most recently worked with Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez and Nicki Minaj.

VIDEO:New 'Weeds' Season 8 Teaser Tracks Nancy's Wicked Ways

A lot of the music is about love, Parrish recently said. Some of it is just love for my momma, and there are some ex-girlfriends Ive been writing about. Although the actor is keen to point out that he appreciates fans that come through his work on Weeds,he also wants the songs to speak for themselves. The truth is I want to make music that people enjoy.

VIDEO:'Weeds' Kevin Nealon and Justin Kirk Discuss Season 7's Successes

Indeed, the 24-year-old doesnt plan on employing a typical music marketing campaign. There wont be much of a U.S. tour, outside of a few small venues (including a special record release show on June 29 at Los Angeles' Hotel Caf), and Parrish is currently obligated to the TV show set. Still, Parrish, who has appeared on Broadway as the lead in the Tony Award-winning Spring Awakening, and more recently, Godspell, hopes to release a full-length album later this year.

For now, you can catch him as Silas on Weeds, which returns for its eighth season on July 1.

Twitter: @THRMusic


Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Justin Bieber Explains Decision to Address Baby-Daddy Allegations in New Song (Audio)

Justin Bieber Bethenny Frankel - H 2012
Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.

Listen up, Mariah Yeater. Justin Bieber has a few choice words for you.

And though the 20-year-old quietly dropped her paternity case against the singer back in November, Bieber hasnt dropped the subject. On his newly released album, Believe, the 18-year-old superstar sings about Yeaters accusations that he fathered her child after a backstage tryst during one of his concerts.

PHOTOS: MuchMusic Awards 2012: Justin Bieber, Carly Rae Jepsen Perform

Cleverly losing the h from his accusers name, Maria undeniably fires back at the young mother with lyrics such as, That aint my baby, that aint my girl and Why are you trying to lie girl when I aint never met you at all. The tune begins with snippets from reporters, including Todays Matt Lauer, discussing the case on air.

I wanted to do something that was likea little shocking, Bieber told Bethenny Frankel during an appearance on her new talk show. It was something that Id been feeling and wanted to tell people. Because at the end of the day, you know things happen and I dont get to really talk about it. People twist my words.

One things for sure: Biebers not mincing words on this track.

PHOTOS: Justin Bieber By the Numbers: 18 Key Stats From His Music Empire and Beyond

Im really able to explain my side of the story, he added.

Though the case was ultimately dropped, Bieber still submitted to DNA testing in order to prove that he was not the father to Yeaters infant son.

In April, he taunted Yeater via Twitter with a little help from Borat linking to a video of Sacha Baron Cohens character repeatedly saying you will never get this. Dear Mariah yeeter we have never met so from the heart I just wanted to say Bieber wrote.

It may not be a love ballad, but the Biebs did indeed pen a song just for Yeater, which is more than most Beliebers can boast! Listen to Maria below.


Kristin Chenoweth Joins 'The Good Wife' in Recurring Role

Kristin Chenoweth

On the heels of announcing two big roles filled to be filled by Maura Tierney and Marc Warren, The Good Wife is adding another big name to its large roster of guest actors in the upcoming fourth season.

PHOTOS: Broadcast TV's Returning Shows for 2012-13 Season

Broadway veteran and Emmy winner Kristin Chenoweth, who most recently starred on ABC's axed GCB, joins the series as a recurring character during the September season premiere.

Also starring on Pushing Daisies and appearing in a string of well-received Glee cameos, Chenoweth will play a political reporter who tries to uncover profession (and personal) dirt on the secretly separated Alicia (Julianna Margulies) and Peter (Chris Noth) Florrick.

PHOTOS: Behind the Scenes of THR's Emmy Roundtable: Drama Actresses Cover Shoot

The third big addition to the upcoming season, Chenoweth will help fill the gap left by several recurring guests who have since booked new series. Repeat Good Wife actors Matthew Perry, Mamie Gummer and Tim Guinee are among those in pilots that were picked up for the new season.

Still, that hasn't stopped many Good Wife guests with other gigs. Raising Hope's Martha Plimpton and True Blood's Carrie Preston have both continued to make appearances.


'X Factor' Alum Auditions for 'American Idol' (Video)

American Idol Judges New Jersey 10
Frank Micelotta / PictureGroup for FOX

Austin Percario is giving stardom another shot.

The Bryn Mawr, N.J., teen -- who you may remember from his time on The X Factor as a member of the group "InTENsity" -- was among the 5,000 strong descendingupon the Prudential Center in Newark forthe season 12 American Idol auditions.

Percario, 16, first appearedon X Factor lastfall as part of the duo Ausem, with fellow New Jerseyan Emily Wilson. Both were eliminated in individual performances on the show, but Percario survived when he and Wilson were selected along with Montville, N.J., singer Emily Michalak to compete in the teen ensemble. Despite spirited covers of songs like the Ting Tings' "Thats Not My Name," the ten-member group did not advance.

VIDEO: 'X Factor': Britney Spears Looks for a 'Spark' in San Francisco

In other Garden State-related news, retired New Jersey Devils hockey star Ken Daneyko saw his 17-year old daughter, Taylor, make it past the first round of Idol auditions after wowing producers with her version of Norah Jones' "Dont Know Why."

"We actually now realize we don't know what we're going to find, and that makes for the best season," Idol host Ryan Seacrest told MTV News. "When we set out to find something specifically it doesn't work out as well, so when we don't know it usually works out best."

Watch a smattering of the N.J. auditions below (including one girl dressed inexplicably in a Santa Claus outfit, a would-be Michael Jackson impersonator and Percario at the 3:27 mark with a snippet of Corinne Bailey Ray's "Put Your Records On"):


Louis C.K. Spars with Jay Leno, Announces New Tour on The 'Tonight' Show (Video)

Louis C.K.

Louis C.K., by his nature as a comedian, is a man of many words. None of which are "wonderful."

During an appearance Monday on The Tonight Show -- his second stop on NBC that day as he continues to ramp up promotion for the third season of his hit FX surreal sitcom Louie -- the comedy star fretted over his status as a straight male. Having once dedicated a part of his live show to the benefits of being a white male ("I'm not saying that white people are better, I'm saying that being white is clearly better," he said in his Chewed Up special), he fretted Monday over what he says is his inability to snuggle in a male friend's armpit, tell friends he misses them and call things wonderful, among other things.

VIDEO: Louis CK Gets Today Show Introduction, Defends Sarah Palin Tweets

Still, he had reason for optimism: at least he doesn't look like Jay Leno.

"You're the weirdest looking person on the planet Earth," he told the host, who then replied with a few bald jokes. "Jay, if you weren't famous and you robbed a bank and the dude was describing you to the police sketch artist, he'd be like 'no seriously, what does he look like?' Nobody looks like you. I can't believe I'm looking at you."

Aside from his TV show, C.K. is embarking on another standup tour, to which he is selling tickets on his website; at $45 a pop, the tickets are half the price of his usual shows, thanks to his avoiding the Ticketmaster markup. It's the same approach he took to the release of his most recent comedy special, which he sold for $5 directly through his website.


'Game of Thrones': Bush Head Gets Radical Face-lift

HBO Game of Thrones Bush Head Split
HBO
The offending model, left, and HBO's edit

HBO has done a number on the controversial Game of Thrones scene depicting what resembled the severed head of former President George W. Bush.

The cable network has edited and restored the season-one finale of its period drama to its digital platforms after performing a radical face-lift on what producers acknowledged that a scene in the episode depicted a model of the 43rd president's severed head on a spike in the hour.

PHOTOS: Spoiler Alert! From 'Game of Thrones' to 'Mad Men' -- TV's Most Shocking Deaths

In the new scene, the model has a drastically smaller chin and nose and what appears to be a considerably smaller face.

HBO yanked the episode -- and halted DVD shipments of its season-oneThrones boxed set -- after showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss noted the likeness in a commentary included in the best-selling set, adding that the decision to use the model was motivated by budget and not by politics.

STORY: 'Game of Thrones' Showrunners, HBO Apologize for Bush's Head on Spike

"George Bush's head appears in a couple of beheading scenes. It's not a choice; it's not a political statement," the duo said in the commentary. "We just had to use whatever head we had around."

The duo apologized after the story went viral, with HBO issuing a stern statement condemning their actions.

STORY: HBO Yanks Bush Head 'Game of Thrones' Episode, Halts DVD Shipments

"We were deeply dismayed to see this and find it unacceptable, disrespectful and in very bad taste," the network said at the time. "We made this clear to the executive producers of the series who apologized immediately for this careless mistake. We condemn it in the strongest possible terms and have halted all future shipments of the DVDs, removed it from our digital platforms and will edit the scene for all future airings on any distribution domestic or international."

The Washington Post first reported the news.

Do you think the new model still looks like Bush? Hit the comments with your thoughts.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit


Daytime Emmys Attract Smaller Audience on HLN

Daytime Emmys  Las Vegas, June 19
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The 39th annual Daytime Emmy Awards were watched by 912,000 viewers on HLN Saturday evening.It was the first time the ceremony aired on cable after years as a mainstay of the broadcast networks.

Interest in the annual show has waned along with the daytime soap opera genre. And the ceremony included tributes to canceled soaps All My Children and One Life to Live.

Full Coverage: Daytime Emmys 2012

Last year, the Daytime Emmys were watched by 5.5 million viewers on CBS. But this year, CBS and fellow big four broadcast networks Fox, ABC and NBC declined to air the show, and many thought it would be relegated to online streaming until HLN gave it a home.

The Daytime Emmys gave HLN its most-watched regularly scheduled non-news broadcast in the networks history.According to Nielsen, 2 million viewers watched the five broadcasts of theDaytime Emmys.


Monday, June 25, 2012

Fall TV Pilot Preview: Fox's 'Ben and Kate'

Ben and Kate
Beth Dubber/FOX

With Glee headed to Thursdays this fall, Fox is turning Tuesdays into a block of four half-hour comedies. And joining Raising Hope, New Girl and fellow newbie The Mindy Project is Ben and Kate -- a semi-autobiographical effort from rom-com scribe Dana Fox (The Wedding Date, What Happens in Vegas).

The Hollywood Reporter got a chance to see the pilot before the series' official Sept. 25 debut, and we've gleaned five major points to help you familiarize yourself with the show ahead of its premiere.

PHOTOS: New Shows From Fox's 2012-13 Season

1. Despite the title and the creator's pedigree, the titular Ben and Kate are actually siblings. Based loosely on Fox's experiences with her own brother, Kate (Dakota Johnson) is a single mom whose free spirit of a sibling, Ben (Nat Faxon), occasionally drops by to share in his latest whims and wreak havoc on her dating life. They're joined by respective best friends Tommy (Echo Kellum) and BJ (Lucy Punch).

2. There's also a kid. As the pilot's original title (Ned Fox Is My Manny) better emphasized, Ben moves in with Kate to take care of her five-year-old daughter, Maddie (Maggie Jones). But potentially weary viewers should know that while Jones does play a "mature" five, she never approaches the adjective often considered the child character kiss of death: "precocious."

3. Fox -- the creator, not the network -- has a voice that seems poised to blend those of the two returning comedies on the Tuesday block. She comes from New Girl writer Liz Meriwether's school of young, funny females, but the tone of Ben and Kate is much more akin to Gregory Thomas Garcia's child-rearing sitcom, Raising Hope. Likely not coincidentally, those are the two series Ben and Kate finds itself sandwiched between this fall.

VIDEO: Watch Trailers for All of Fox's New Series

4. Speaking of writers, Ben and Kate star Nat Faxon just earned the rather notable distinction of winning an Academy Award. The triple-threat wrote the Oscar-worthy screenplay for The Descendants alongside Community actor Jim Rash, whom he also teamed up with for upcoming Steve Carell flick The Way, Way Back. And for those not familiar with his behind-the-scenes work, Faxon has appeared on countless TV series, including Up All Night, Happy Endings, Party Down and Mad Men.

5. It almost didn't happen! Ben and Kate had several bumps along the way before the pickup: most notably with one of the lead parts. Dakota Johnson (The Five-Year Engagement, 21 Jump Street, The Social Network) joined the pilot just shy of filming after Saturday Night Live player Abby Elliott exited the role of Kate.

Ben and Kate makes its Fox debut on Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. Check out the promo below and hit the comments with your thoughts.


Fall TV Pilot Preview: CBS' 'Vegas'

Vegas

CBS is hoping for a lucky role of the dice with its new cops-and-mob drama Vegas - one of three dramas the Eye is adding to the schedule for the upcoming season.

Set in 1960, the show is based on the true story of rodeo-cowboy-turned-Las-Vegas-sheriff Ralph Lamb, played by Dennis Quaid, who ran law enforcement in the city from 1961-1979.

His nemesis is fictional Chicago gangster Vincent Savino (Michael Chiklis) who arrives at the beginning of the pilot with a mandate from the mob to improve its take from the city's many legal and illegal vices.

CBS is giving the show a good lead in with its all-crime-all-the-time Tuesday lineup ofNCIS at 8 p.m. followed by NCIS: Los Angeles at 9 p.m. Vegas timeslot competition includes NBC's Parenthood and ABC's Private Practice, making it the only choice for crime fans at that hour.

Here's a rundown of five things to know about the series, based on a screening of the pilot.

1. The show marks Dennis Quaid's network television series debut.

Despite a resume that dates back to 1975 and includes more than seventy-fire roles, Quaid has never headlined a network series before. Heck, the last time he even appeared on a network series was a guest role on Baretta in 1977, although he has done a smattering of made-for-TV movies over the years and some voice work on SpongeBob SquarePants.

2. Michael Chiklis returns to playing the heavy.

Best known for his tough role as the bad cop on The Shield (2002-08), Chiklis turned to playing good guy Jim Powell, an average father heading a family with superpowers on No Ordinary Family during the 2010-11 TV season. Now, he returns to playing the heavy as Quaid's foil, a mob fixer sent to Vegas to improve operations and make more money.

3. The rest of the cast includes some familiar faces.

Jason O'Mara is back from the future (he was the lead on last season's the future-is-the-past dino series Terra Nova) to play Quaid's brother and deputy and the Matrix's Carrie Ann Moss stars as Deputy District Attorney Katherine O'Connell, who could be pegged as future love interest for Quaid. Fans of the West Wing will recognize Agent Ron Butterfield (Michael O'Neill) playing the Mayor.

4. It's a period piece.

The show takes place in 1960 when Vegas was more than the one-stoplight casino town seen in Warren Beatty's classic Bugsy but not yet the sprawling metropolis viewers are used to seeing on C.S.I. In fact, the miles of suburban housing developments that fill aerial shots on C.S.I. are owned by ranchers like Lamb, who is seen at the beginning of the pilot on a cattle drive. The pilot really plays up the old-meets-new theme with lots of shots of Quaid riding a horse juxtaposed with an airplane or the neon lights of the Strip. Plus, there's lots of Mad Men-like attention to detail in the period costumes. Indeed, Chiklis dresses like he raided Don Draper's closet.

5. The pilot script has a good pedigree.

Nicholas Pileggi (Goodfellas, Casino) and Greg Walker (Without a Trace) co-wrote the script. This is the Oscar-nominated Pileggi's second attempt at a network TV series, having created 1997's Michael Hayes, about a cop who becomes the U.S. Attorney for New York (played by David Caruso in his first post-NYPD Blue series role), which lasted only one season. Walker is a TV vet with writing and producing credits on everything from the X-Files to Smallville to Without a Trace on his resume. These guys know crime. It's not clear what either knows about cowboys though.


HBO's 'Newsroom' Opens to Solid 2.1 Million Viewers

Newsroom Cast - H 2012
Brigitte Lacombe/HBO
"The Newsroom"

HBO's The Newsroom opened to 2.1 million viewers Sunday, besting the recent bow for ill-fated horseracing drama Luck.

Factoring in Sunday's 10 p.m. premiere and encore at 11:15 p.m., the installment collected 2.7 million total viewers, with the opening hour's debut serving as the third-best drama series bow since 2008, behind Boardwalk Empire's 4.8 million and Game of Thrones' 2.2 million.

STORY: 'The Newsroom's' Aaron Sorkin on Idealism, Keith Olbermann and His Private Screening for the Media Elite

The drama about the inner-workings of a cable news show starring Jeff Daniels and from The West Wing's Aaron Sorkin also bested the series premieres of True Blood (1.4 million) and Luck, which collected 1.1 million and was immedately renewed for a second season before being axed after the deaths of three horses.

The Newsroom launch followed a new episode of True Blood, which collected 5 million viewers across two plays at 9 p.m. and 12:30 a.m.

HBO is now streaming the Newsroom premiere on multiple online and on-demand platforms, including YouTube.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit


NYC Mayor Bloomberg Lavishes Praise on Lena Dunham, 'Girls'

Lena Durham Michael Bloomberg Split - H 2012
Getty Images

From Greenpoint to Gracie Mansion?

The breakout hit HBO show Girls features young Brooklynites grasping for a sense of purpose and place in the big city, but unlike her characters, Lena Dunham is not wanting for recognition in her hometown. After a season of critical praise, criticism and notoriety, her comedy has reached the highest levels of city hall.

We love the show for inspiring people to move to New York City and become the voice of a generation, as Hannah would say, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a three-term independent, told the New York Post; Hannah, of course, refers to Dunham's memoir-writing, lost soul character Hannah Horvath, who tells her parents -- in an opium tea haze -- that she has designs on writing a book of major import.

VIDEO: Emmys 2012: Lena Dunham Says She Never Thought of Herself as a 'Funny Person'

Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson added that, "Mayor Bloomberg is well aware that the next [girl] like Hannah wants to come and move to New York and live in Greenpoint," and that members of the administration would love to cameo on the show -- if they're asked.

Bloomberg has made increasing television and film production in the city a top priority; in March, he helped open five new soundstages at Brooklyn's Steiner Studios, and has touted a report that estimated that $60 billion has been spent in the city by the film and television industries over the last decade.

He also provided The Hollywood Reporter with his top ten reasons to shoot TV and film in New York.


Sunday, June 24, 2012

Jerry Sandusky's Trial: How the Media Is Covering

Jerry Sandusky NYT
The New York Times

Media coverage of Jerry Sandusky's sexual abuse trial is in full swing despite a big limitation: no cameras in the courtroom.

While networks like HLN relentlessly rolled footage and picked apart every dramatic moment from last year's Casey Anthony case, which had allowed such coverage, the graphic testimonies of alleged Sandusky victims have unfolded in a Pennsylvania court without a single TV camera present.

Instead, coverage from ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox, as well as the cable news channels, have relied on court reports including courtroom drawings of Sandusky as well as input by legal pundits. Also: in NBC's case, the first interview with an alleged victim of the former Penn State coach, who faces 48 charges of abusing 10 boys over the course of 15 years.

PHOTOS: 10 TV Trials That Shook the World

Travis Weaver, 30, appeared on Thursday's Rock Center With Brian Williams to give disturbing details on an abusive relationship with Sandusky that began when he was 10 years old. Weaver, who met Sandusky through the 68-year-old's one-time summer camp for youth and has since testifed in a grand jury (not the current trial), echoed other court testimonies with recollections of how Sandusky expected the two to take showers together.

"He'd rub my backside," said Weaver, stone-faced. "Sometimes he'd roll over on top of me and blow on my stomach and -- rub my genitals. And -- then it progressed into oral sex."

The Weaver sitdown was shown again Friday on the Today show while rival morning programs also covered the latest news.

The second day of jury deliberations began Friday; on Thursday, Sandusky's 33-year-old adopted son, Matt Sandusky, came forward to claim that he too was abused and was prepared to testify in the trial. (Sandusky's wife, Dottie Sandusky, appeared Tuesday as a witness on the stand to defend her husband from the allegations, painting the accusers as conniving and opportunistic; the defense, in closing arguments, argued that money was a motivation in the case.)

Sandusky faces 48 charges of abusing 10 boys over the course of 15 years. In November, NBC's Bob Costas snagged the first interview with Sandusky, which backfired on the coach as he fumbled attempting to explain his relationships with young boys.

"I would I would guess that there are many young people who would come forward," he said. Many more young people who would come forward and say that my methods and and what I had done for them made a very positive impact on their life. And I didnt go around seeking out every young person for sexual needs that Ive helped."

Later, in December, Sandusky sat down with the New York Times, which shot video of the interview, in which he again denied his accusers' claims of molestation. His lawyer, Joe Amendola, was present at the time.

Twitter: @ErinLCarlson

Email: erin.carlson@thr.com


Play Ball: 'American Idol' Casey Abrams to Sing at Mets CitiField

Casey Abrams
Chris Godley

American Idol Season 10 alum Casey Abrams will honor Americas favorite pastime 7:10 p.m. tonight at Mets CitiField.

Abrams, who is set to release his eponymous debut CD on June 26, tweeted the news last night that he will be a part of New York Citys famed Subway Series ball game between The Yankees and The Mets.

PHOTOS: 'American Idol' Season 11: Top 13 Finalists

Just in : @IAmCaseyAbrams will be performing the National Anthem in a VERY 'CASEY' way @ tomorrows @yankees vs @mets game! ?subwayseries

The 21-year-old multi-instrumentalist joins a growing list of Idol contestants serenading baseball fans, including Season 4'sConstantine Maroulis, who recently appeared at the event, "Bombers Boomer Broadway Softball Classic, at Yankee Stadium (along with assorted stars Joe Jonas, Jeremy Jordan and Nick Jonas), Season 9's DiDi Benami, who belted the anthem for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Season 11s Heejun Han, singing for The Mets.

PHOTOS: Emmys 2012: Behind the Scenes With TV's Biggest Reality Players

In other Abrams news, fans jonesing for another collaboration with his fellow Season 10 soul mate Haley Reinhart can rejoice. Reinhart appears on Abrams album for a smoking hot, jazzy cover of the classic Hit the Road Jack, made famous by Ray Charles.

Listen to Abrams and Reinhart's sexy duet below:


TV Ratings: NBA Finals Drive ABC Win as CBS Encores Beat Fox and NBC Originals

NBA Finals Miami Heat Celebration - H 2012
Getty Images

Capping off the best-rated five-game series since 2004 and a record showing in the victorious city of Miami, the deciding Game 5 of the NBA Finals predictably obliterated the competition on Thursday night. Final numbers and time-zone adjustments won't bring the grand totals for several hours, but fast affiliate ratings give the game a 6.4 rating among adults 18-49 and 15.5 million viewers for ABC.

Prior to the game, Jimmy Kimmel Live! -- which has seen a basketball-aided surge -- posted a 2.4 adults rating, with Game Night and the official pregame coverage earning a 3.5 in the demo. Early numbers give ABC an average 5.3 rating among adults 18-49 for the night and 12.9 million viewers.

CBS' block of encores -- its usual Thursday lineup with the addition of 2 Broke Girls at 8:30 p.m. -- brought in a second-place showing in the demo and viewers. The network averaged a 1.5 adults 18-49 rating and 7 million viewers.

Fox's Take Me Out rose a tenth of a point in the demo from last week. The first half of the summer dating block pulled a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49, leading to a slightly stronger episode of The Choice, which was down one-tenth for a 1.5 adults rating. Fox ranked third for the night in the demo, tying Univision, with a 1.3 rating among adults 18-49. It held an average audience of 3.7 million viewers during its two hours of original programming.

Justin Bieber's young fan base did not rally for the second part of his NBC concert special. The hour earned a 0.8 rating among adults 18-49. Saving Hope fell to just a 0.5 adults rating at 9 p.m., before the network bounced back with a new episode of Rock Center With Brian Williams (0.8 adults rating). NBC averaged a 0.7 adults 18-49 rating and 3.2 million viewers for the night.

A new episode of Breaking Pointe on The CW earned a 0.3 rating with 18-49-ers.


'American Idol' Auditions: Daughter of Former New Jersey Devils Star Among Thousands of Hopefuls

American Idol Season 11 St Louis auditions P
Whitney Curtis/ FOX

Will American Idol feature the offspring of yet another famed athlete next season?

Taylor Daneyko, the 17-year-old daughter of retired New Jersey Devils star Ken Daneyko, was among the thousands of hopefuls who showed up for Thursdays Idol auditions at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., according to a report in The Star-Ledger.

Ive always wanted to be onstage," she said. She added that when she was little, she used to sing Celine Dions "My Heart Will Go On" and cry.

PHOTOS: 'American Idol' Season 11 Finale: Jessica Sanchez vs. Phillip Phillips

Daneyko and her father -- an All-Star defenseman who won three Stanley Cups during his 1983-2003 career with the Devils -- braved the East Coast heat wave, showing up at 5:30 a.m. to sing for her shot at the title.

I had a dream to be an athlete," he said. "Now she has a dream, and when they have their dreams youve got to support them."

Idol viewers are used to auditions from famous daughters. Season 11 featured semifinalist Shannon Magrane, daughter of former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Joe Magrane. Season six champion Jordin Sparks is the daughter of former New York Giants cornerback Phillippi Sparks. (Other Idol hopefuls with a famous parent include Jane Carrey, daughter of actor-comedian Jim Carrey.)

Auditions will continue on at 5 a.m. Saturday, with host Ryan Seacrest on hand for taping duties.

Patrick Lynn, a supervising producer on the show, said he saw some real talent and obvious characters during the New Jersey auditions.

We get good singers all the time," Lynn told the paper. "Were also looking for people with good personality."


Fall TV Pilot Preview: ABC's 'Last Resort'

Last Resort Scott Speedman Andre Braugher - H 2012
MARIO PEREZ/ABC
"Last Resort"

The Shield's Shawn Ryan is back at it with an ambitious new ABC drama Last Resort after two short-lived television shows (The Chicago Code, Terriers).

The premise of the show is rather complex: Last Resort centers on the crew of a U.S. nuclear submarine (led by Andre Braugher) who, after ignoring an order to fire nuclear missiles, wind up being hunted and escape to a NATO outpost where they declare themselves to be the world's smallest nuclear nation.

But the hourlong series, which caters to the male audience moreso than, say, its lead-out Grey's Anatomy, will face an uphill climb. Its time slot -- Thursdays at 8 p.m. -- hasn't been kind to rookie fare -- Charlie's Angels and Missing were the most recent casualties.

PHOTOS: ABC's 2012-13 Season: 'Nashville,' '666 Park Ave' and 'Malibu Country'

The Hollywood Reporter screened the pilot for the drama and as part of our Fall Preview 2012 offer the five things you need to know about the series before its fall launch.

1. There's something for everyone: government secrets, a rescue mission, an island standoff, a screw-up who has a drinking problem, family strife, tension among co-workers and a young couple in limbo. Because of that there is a good number of characters to keep track of on the show.

2. After playing Ben on the WB's Felicity from 1998-2002, Scott Speedman has steered clear of television, taking on roles in movies like the Underworld franchise, xXx: State of the Union and Barney's Version. On Last Resort, Speedman portrays Sam, described as the heart of the submarine and struggles with leaving his wife (Jessy Schram) behind (a photo is all he has). In fact, one of the most heartbreaking moments comes near the end of the episode.

3. It's not only Speedman who should be familiar to audiences. Men of a Certain Age's Braugher is going from a (darker) ensemble comedy about men in their 40s to heading up a thriller. Schram, who plays Sam's wife Christine, is juggling several gigs (Falling Skies and Once Upon a Time). For the Gleeks out there, Max Adler (aka Dave Karofsky) makes an appearance but his fate might not be so great. Being Human/Dollhouse's Dichen Lachman also stars along with Robert Patrick and Autumn Reeser.

4. The first episode doesn't waste any time, throwing viewers into the action from the first second. It's go, go, go from that moment until the end, when we find our heroes on an island and no real way to get out safely (or without getting blown up).

5. The writers have already been plotting future episodes, updating the Twitterverse on exactly what's been going on behind closed doors. As of late, Ryan, co-creator Karl Gajdusek and company met with key cast members like Braugher, Speedman, Patrick and Schram, and had lengthy discussions about their characters and storylines. (Filming begins July 30.) The most interesting tidbit came from Patrick -- and it has nothing to do with Last Resort: "His role in Terminator 2 was supposed to be played by Billy Idol until Billy had motorcycle crash."

What are you most excited about?

Watch the trailer below:

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Emmys 2012: Six Shows in One Season? Kate Burton, Daughter Of Sir Richard, Did It (Q&A)

Kate Burton Headshot - P 2011
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Richard Burton was nominated for seven Oscars and one Emmy. His daughter and sometime costar Kate Burton got two Emmy noms as a dying mother on Greys Anatomy (2006 and 2007) and won a 1996 Daytime Emmy as a dying mother in Notes for My Daughter. But now shes done something her dad never did: she guest starred on six shows in one year, Greys Anatomy, Veep, Grimm, The Closer, The Good Wife, and Scandal. She tells The Hollywood Reporters Tim Appelo what its like to be a perennial guest star, and the offspring of one of the greatest actors in history.

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THR: Youre the guest who never leaves!

Kate Burton: This last year was so nuts. I did 13 episodes of television. Im being submitted for Emmys for Greys Anatomy, Grimm, and The Closer. I was a guest star on the Grimm pilot, and it ended up testing so well that they kept me on. So I did another episode and a flashback, and theres talk of future episodes. Right before Grimm I did Veep, which was so thrilling because I dont get to do comedy often. And then out of the blue, Scandal came along. And they said, Do you want to play the Vice President of the United States? I burst out laughing. And I did three episodes.

THR: And you came back from the dead as Meredith (Ellen Pompeo)s Alzheimer's-victim mom on Greys Anatomy.

Burton: I was like, You are kidding. They said, Theyre doing an alternate reality episode called IfThen. Its about an alternate reality if I had not had Alzheimers, and McDreamy [Patrick Dempsey] is still with Kate Walsh, Im running the hospital. It was so much fun, because I had never played Ellis Grey as a completely compos mentis woman. It was very unnerving actually, to have her be so together and ordering everybody about. Its so much easier to play her with Alzheimers because all bets were off, I could do whatever I want.

On The Closer I play the wife of a corrupt evangelist. It was very intense, and I think IIm actually forgetting I think I die in that one.

THR: You die a lot.

Burton: But then I come back. On the Greys Anatomy episode where I die, I was talking to one of the actors, and he said, Oh yeah, youll be back. I said, But, Im dying. And he said, Oh, no. Nobody dies on Greys Anatomy. They all come backghosts, dreams.

THR: The Emmy guest acting category is weird you can be on for one show, or be a recurring regular. But its interesting for actors and audiences.

Burton: I recurred on Greys Anatomy for three years, and at the same time, I recurred for eight episodes on Rescue Me. And Id recurred for nine episodes on The Practice. Frankly, the guest star is often the most compelling character. Or they start to write for you, and suddenly youre coming on more and more often. Ive really found it to be my thing. Somebody who is a regular on one of the TV shows said, Whats it like, playing eight different characters? I dont even know what its like not to play eight different characters. Thats not to say I wouldnt like to be a regular sometime in my life. And, frankly, to be a 54-year-old woman, its wonderful to get to have all these really interesting opportunities that challenge me. I did a lot of combat on Grimm.

THR: What was your best stunt?

Burton: The hardest was a fight in the Grimm pilot. We practiced endlessly with a lot of the stunt guys from The Matrix. You take stage combat in drama school, and as a woman, you think, Please, when am I ever going to use this? And suddenly, there you are, 30 years later, standing on some street corner in Portland, Oregon doing hand-to-hand combat with an ogre.

THR: Your career is like a stock portfolio: well balanced.

Burton: Im diversified. For me, hour-long drama was always the thing I felt the most comfortable doing, and Ive played so many dramatic roles in the theater. But comedy was becoming more and more elusive as I got older. But I have small parts in two films this year, Liberal Arts and 2 Days in New York, quite funny, and then Veep came along. The great thing about Veep for me is that its satire, as opposed to sitcom, set-up, laugh line. And I can do that, but its not in my DNA, exactly.

THR: Do you have an image of being nice, or dead, or nice and dead?

Burton: Well, Ellis Grey was a tough customer, tenacious. She was a bitch. And very, very hard on her daughter. I play a lot of nice moms. But I do play a lot of semi-troubled women. I do that in theater all the time. I mean, Hedda Gabler is a tough girl.

THR: What is the legacy of resembling Richard Burton?

Burton: Growing up with this titanic pop, I was always dodging questions. But nine years ago on this very strange movie Stay with Ryan Gosling and Ewan McGregor, I had to get a life cast. I told the guy putting plaster of Paris on my face that my father was an actor. He asked, Really? Whats your dads name? I thought, Well, OK, Im just going to say it: My dad was Richard Burton. And he went, Who? I said, Do you know who Elizabeth Taylor is? Yes. Well, she was married to my dad.

THR: What was it like working with him on camera?

Burton: We were doing a very histrionic scene in a crazy old miniseries called Ellis Island. [It earned Richard Burton his only Emmy nom in 1984]. He literally put me in front of the camera for the first time, in this and in the 1983 PBS Alice in Wonderland. I was playing this very troubled woman. And he was so sotto voce during the scene, I thought, "Why is he underplaying everything?" And then I had a moment of, Oh, wait a minute, perhaps I should pay attention. Another day I was very tired and I was trying to manufacture this energy, and he said, Dont. Dont worry about manufacturing it, just use your fatigue. Use where youre at right now. Which is wonderful advice for any young actor learning how to act on camera.

THR: Youre sort of quasi-British.

Burton: I do have dual citizenship. If Im with a British person I morph into Briticisms. I made a very concerted decision to go to drama school in the United States. But I did have the opportunity to go to Britains Central School of Speech and Drama, and my dad and I had a few tense words about that. He wanted me to go to British drama school. He thought that I would get a different kind of training. Meanwhile, my dad never went to drama school. So I was like, What? Get out. But I do wonder to myself sometimes, What would it have been like had I gone to school in Britain?

THR: You need an alternate reality series.

Burton: I know, I need an alternate reality Kate Burton episode.

THR: Guesting is great for TV. You see lots of famous actors and actresses of a certain age cleaning up bigtime.

Burton: I love coming onto a well-oiled machine, meeting the cast. I did four or five Law and Orders and every time I would go, Yay, meeting with the fantastic costume designer, going to Saks Fifth Avenue. And because Ive played so many legal professionals, Ive worn more Armani than you could shake a stick at. On The Practice, I bought ten of my prosecutorial suits, and I use them all the time.

THR: Isnt guest starring good, because it keeps you from getting typecast, and you never know what role will come up next?

Burton: Theres no rhyme nor reason. I auditioned for a show called Surgeons and my agent said, Dont freak out, its just one scene in the pilot. They dont know whats going to happen. She has early-onset Alzheimers. My heart sank. And it ended up becoming Greys Anatomy. It changed my life, frankly. It put me on the map in a way that I had never been.

THR: All of this great stuff -- including Emmys -- has sprung from that moment.

Burton: It did. I had done all this theater and Broadway and been nominated for Tonys, which didnt translate to anything out here.

THR: You just cant know anything in this business.

KB: You just dont.