Marg Helgenberger
It's not every job where having your boss call you "the perfect ex-stripper/cokehead" could be considered a compliment, but for 12 seasons now, that's exactly what CSI exec producer Carol Mendelsohn has thought of her departing star, Marg Helgenberger. "Some actresses might shy away from playing a part like Catherine Willows, but Marg turned all of Catherine's negatives into positives. I miss her already." Helgenberger exits the series this week after a dozen...
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Wizards of Waverly Place
There's some pretty intense competition going on among the Wizards of Waverly Place cast as they begin shooting the final episode of the hit Disney Channel sitcom. Sure, there's that whole plot point about which Russo child will win the wizard competition and keep his or her powers. Just as fierce, though, is the battle over who gets to keep the comfy lounge chair in the wizards' lair.
"Everyone's fighting over...
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Simon Cowell
Prime-time television needs another talent competition as much as it needs another rule-breaking cop, unconventional lawyer or wacky neighbor. Yet Fox is launching a U.S. version of the U.K. hit The X Factor, in which unknown singers compete for the chance to win a $5 million recording contract. "What makes this different from all those other shows? Simon Cowell," says Nicole Scherzinger, one of the show's judges, along with Cowell, Paula Abdul and Grammy Award-winning producer Antonio "L.A." Reid. "He's like the Elvis of talent reality shows. And this will be like American Idol on steroids."
Cowell, who will earn $75 million per season, is not just a judge. He's also the show's executive producer and head cheerleader and spent much of the past year traveling around America trying to drum up interest in The X Factor. He explains why he likes this show more than American Idol and how he's learned to love former nemesis Abdul...
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The Voice
Think of it as The First Supper. One night before taping the initial audition episodes of his new NBC show The Voice, exec producer Mark Burnett wanted the music competition series' four coaches — Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green and Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine — to bond. So, after handing over his personal credit card, he sent them off to L.A.'s trendy Soho House for dinner. Shelton was the first to get there, with Levine and Green not ...
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A.J. Cook
On CBS' Criminal Minds, FBI agent Jennifer "JJ" Jareau (A.J. Cook) doesn't always see the victims in her cases get happy endings. But in real life, she seems to have found one. After being let go from the show at the end of last season, reportedly as a cost-cutting measure, Cook just signed a deal to return to the series. She talked with TV Guide Magazine about her comeback.
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Jorja Fox, Laurence Fishburne and Melinda Clarke
As dominatrix Lady Heather on CSI, Melinda Clarke probably knows all too well the trouble with getting excited prematurely. So maybe that's why, when she got the call to play the character for the sixth time, she was both happy and cautious.
"I had a conversation with Anthony [Zuiker, the show's creator] and was like...
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The Voice
The future's so bright for the stars of The Voice, they've gotta wear shades.
At a recent photo shoot to promote NBC's talent competition ...
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The Middle
Even when the cast of The Middle is away from the set, they can't stop acting like a family. Patricia Heaton (Frankie Heck) gabs with her TV daughter, Eden Sher (Sue), about shopping. Neil Flynn (Mike) bonds with TV sons Charlie McDermott (Axl) and Atticus Shaffer (Brick) over who's the best shot during their on-set basketball games. We sat the close-knit crew down to swap stories about everything from the first time they met to their favorite Mexican veggie.
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Amazing Race
If at first you don't succeed, race, race again. That's the unofficial motto for the 18th season of CBS' The Amazing Race, which features the return of 11 teams that weren't able to take home the $1 million prize their first times around. "We're giving people a second chance," says executive producer Bertram van Munster. "It's the American way." Here's a look at some returning Racers to keep an eye on.
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Walking Dead
It's good to be dead. Or a vampire. Or a community college student, for that matter. At least that's the case according to the Paley Center for Media, which will pay tribute to The Walking Dead, True Blood, Community and nine other current and past TV shows at its PaleyFest 2011: William S. Paley Television Festival this March at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills.
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