Bernadette Peters
Ivy's famous Broadway mom will make her debut in Monday's episode of Smash — much to her overshadowed daughter's dismay -- and it looks like she's also reserved tickets to opening night.
Bernadette Peters, who plays Mama Rose, er, Leigh Conroy, tells TVGuide.com that she'll return to the set of Smash next week to film the season finale. Is that because she's attending Ivy's big night as Marilyn? "I'm in the finale. I come to see my daughter, yes," Peters says, coyly. (No word on whether it's a conciliatory visit because, we suspect, Karen winds up clinching the role.)
We talked to Peters about her role on Smash, Karen's lack of desperation (shouldn't she be wanting that part a whole lot more?) and the perilous life of a theater performer...
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Glee, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Lea Michele and Jeff Goldblum
Now doesn't this look like one big Berry happy family?
Two days after it was revealed that Jeff Goldblum and Brian Stokes Mitchell will play Rachel's dads on Glee, the two reported to set Thursday and took part in a family portrait with star Lea Michele.
"This is definitely going to be the best day ever," she tweeted Thursday. "Getting ready to shoot my first...
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Amber Riley, Naya Rivera, Heather Morris
See, this is why you should make Christmas lists, kids!
Almost a year ago, Watercooler asked Santa for a few things in regards to Glee, and last night, we got the one we wanted the most: More Santana. In fact, it was like a "a very special Santanisode" that saw the spitfire who once declared "the only straight I am is straight-up bitch" officially embracing her Sapphic self and showcased the always-delicious Naya Rivera's ability to be all sorts of fierce, funny and believably vulnerable. Her version of "Constant Craving" with Idina Menzel? That was just extra awesome-sauce on the side.
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Zooey Deschanel
A week from now, we won't be thanking Fox for ditching its Tuesday comedy lineup to make room for another displaced edition of The X Factor (which will be shifting its schedule back a day to avoid spoiling our Thanksgiving digestion with another results show).
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Sandra Oh
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Question: Why do successful shows tinker with what is already working? Rules of Engagement has become "The Timmy Show," and The Big Bang Theory has become a show about Penny, Bernadette and Amy. What gives? — Kelly
Matt Roush: The easiest way to answer this question is to state a pretty obvious fact of TV life: If you don't tinker, you risk growing stale. In this case, tinkering means ...
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Jonathan Groff, Samuel, Damian Mcginty
Watch out, New Directions: Jesse St. James is back!
Jonathan Groff will be returning to Glee as the former Vocal Adrenaline rival and one-time New Directions co-coach. This time, however, he'll go back to being the competition. At Wednesday's celebration for the 300th musical number — a soulful, booty-shakin' mashup of Adele's "Rumor Has It" and "Someone Like You" — series boss Ryan Murphy revealed that Groff's Jesse St. James would be returning as the new coach of Vocal Adrenaline.
A note about the mashup: It looked as though the kids performing it were members of
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Vanessa Lengies
Jeers to Glee for making an off-key addition to the cast.
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In last week's season opener, Vanessa Lengies joined the show as Sugar Motta, a tone-deaf student in more ways than one. Her attribution for her lack of social graces to "self-diagnosed Asperger's" had autism-awareness advocates up in arms. Well, Sugar was back ...
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Zooey Deschanel
A week ago, most critics couldn't stop gushing over how adorable (or "adork-able") Zooey Deschanel is as Fox's delightful New Girl, and judging from last Tuesday's opening-night ratings, which actually improved over its Glee lead-in, the TV audience would seem to agree. They won't be disappointed in tonight's charmer of a second outing (9:01/8:01c). What struck me as I previewed the episode is that as easy as it is to fall for Zooey's pixie-ish pizzazz as Jess, it would hardly matter if it weren't for her invaluable back-up crew of supporting players.
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Glee
Ryan Murphy's got a plan for Glee this year. It includes a full-time writing staff and a focus on stories over artist tributes. He even knows how it all ends for the McKinley High School seniors (though not all of the kids in New Directions are seniors.)
"The season ends with the core group, with many of them graduating and figuring out what their futures are," Murphy told reporters Thursday after a screening of the Season 3 premiere. After acknowledging that he made the mistake of prematurely talking about which actors he thought about writing out after graduation — "I've learned my lesson! I'm never doing that again!" — Murphy said he's refocused.
Fall Preview: Get scoop on your favorite returning shows
"I have my passion for it back," he said. "Things took a bit of a nasty turn and now I feel great about it again." No word on who is coming or going, you'll just have to wait and see where things end up in the finale. And that spin-off you heard about is still on the shelf — and if resurrected, it might not be what you thought (originally, it centered on Rachel and Kurt making a go of it in New York.) "I don't know what it would be and I don't know who would be on it," Murphy said.
But let's talk about this season already! Spoilers from the premiere and beyond... read at your own risk:
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Idina Menzel
Idina Menzel is in final talks to return to Glee in Season 3, Deadline.com reports.
Menzel will reprise her role as Shelby Corcoran, the biological mother of Rachel Berry (Lea Michele). Her guest arc is slated for 10-12 episodes, according to the report.
"I'm really excited the that Idina is joining the family again," Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy said. "We missed her last year and we're happy that she is coming back."
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