Drop Dead Diva Star Previews New Series

• Jul 10, 2009 03:40 PM ET
• by Gina DiNunno

Brooke Elliott and Rosie O'Donnell

Drop Dead Diva (premieres Sunday, July 9 at 9 pm/ET on Lifetime) is giving its viewers a twist on how beauty is defined. The premise is simple: A vapid, skinny-mini model is horrified when — after a wacky series of events — she winds up in the body of a brilliant, average-sized lawyer. TVGuide.com met up with Brooke Elliott, the show's star, to learn how one plays a character inside a character, what big-name guest stars will make an appearance and what "rare message" the show sends about self-acceptance.

Watch a preview of the premiere

TVGuide.com: How would you describe your dual role on Drop Dead Diva?
Brooke Elliott: Well, there are two characters. There's Deb — a tiny, thin, model who's vapid and self-obsessed. Then there's Jane — an average-sized woman and brilliant lawyer who's trying to become a partner but doesn't really have the self-esteem for it. Through a series of events, they both die at the same time. Deb refuses to accept she's dead, and is sent back — except in Jane's body. ...

Meet the Cast of Project Runway Season 6

• Jul 9, 2009 03:02 PM ET
• by Gina DiNunno

Project Runway Season 6

Meet the sixteen designers who will strive to "make it work" come Season 6 of Project Runway.

Check out pictures of Runway styles from last season

Lifetime Network, Runway's new home (after a long, drawn-out legal dispute with Bravo), announced the contestants, who range in age from 24 to 50 and come from diverse backgrounds.

Find out more about the battle for Runway

Here's your first look at the new competitors:

Althea Harper
Age: 24
Hometown: Dayton, Ohio
Profession: Recent graduate/fashion designer
Snap Judgment: Sweet; very girl-next-door
Click here to watch her video.

Check out the other designers after the jump.

Meet the Cast of Top Chef: Las Vegas

• Jul 8, 2009 05:24 PM ET
• by Gina DiNunno

Toby Young, Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons

Seventeen new cheftestants are prepping to compete for the ultimate jackpot as they face off in Top Chef: Las Vegas (premieres Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 9 pm/ET on Bravo).

Get updates on past Top Chef winners

The Season 6 contestants include everyone from two chefs who are brothers to a "freelance chef," who recently lost the lease to her restaurant. Bravo even threw a French native into the mix — no doubt aiming for some Fabio-style culture clash.

Check out photos from last season's Top Chef: New York

Watch the chef introductions after the jump.

What to Watch: A Compilation of Michael Jackson Programming

• Jun 26, 2009 05:22 PM ET
• by Mickey O'Connor

Michael Jackson

Here's a roundup of all the Michael Jackson-themed programming planned for this weekend (all times ET/PT unless otherwise specified):

Sunday, June 28

Noon
E! will air True Hollywood Story: Michael Jackson

1 pm
TV Guide Network will air Michael Jackson: His Musical Legacy (repeats at 3, 6 and 9 pm)

2 pm
TV Guide Network presents Michael Jackson: The Life and Times of the King of Pop.

Ellen's Bigger, Longer & Wider Show Takes on Chicago

• Jun 26, 2009 04:01 AM ET
• by Gina DiNunno

Kanye West and Ellen DeGeneres

Daytime diva Ellen DeGeneres is taking her Bigger, Longer & Wider TBS variety special to Chicago. 

Take a look back at DeGeneres through the years

"I love Chicago, and if it weren't for the weather, I'd live there," said DeGeneres. "And you know I've ... read more

Army Wives' Star Dishes on Denise's Affair

• Jun 26, 2009 04:00 AM ET
• by Gina DiNunno

Terry Serpico

We're only a few episodes into Season 3 of Army Wives, but the drama is already at an all-time high in the Sherwood family. TVGuide.com caught up with Terry Serpico, who plays the stringent Frank Sherwood, to find out what he thinks drove Denise to have an extramarital tryst, why her best gal pals are giving her the cold shoulder and what's next for the troubled couple.

TVGuide.com: So where do we pick up this week with the Frank-and-Denise saga?
Terry Serpico: This week, Frank is on his way home [from his mission]. He's on his way to deal with his domestic situation under the guise of being reassigned. But the unspoken assignment is to deal with his wife. And in his return, there is the obvious confrontation where he wants to hear from her about the affair. All he knows is she's been terminated from her job and the rest is all rumors.

TVGuide.com: Why do you think Denise, who was once such a doting wife, ended up having an affair?
Serpico: Denise was kind of denied a ... read more

A Look at The Tragic Side of Comedy

• Jun 24, 2009 12:41 PM ET
• by Gina DiNunno

John Belushi, Richard Pryor

John Belushi and Richard Pryor had more in common than comedic brilliance. Each struggled with intense personal demons, detailed in the two-hour special, The Tragic Side of Comedy (Wednesday, 9 pm/ET). The BIO Channel show explores the troubled lives behind some of the most celebrated comedians of our time, including Chris Farley, Richard Jeni, Bernie Mac, and Andy Kaufman.

From SNL to Animal House, take a look back on the brilliant work of John Belushi and the struggle with drugs that led to his death-by-overdose at 33.

Watch a clip after the jump.

NYC Prep: A Real-Life Gossip Girl?

• Jun 23, 2009 11:42 AM ET
• by Gina DiNunno

NYC Prep

Once The Real Housewives of New Jersey ends, we're betting on NYC Prep (Tuesday, 10 pm/ET on Bravo) to be our next guilty pleasure this summer. On Prep, Bravo gives viewers an inside look into the lives of the privileged teens on the Manhattan prep-school scene — call it a real-life Gossip Girl. How are the two similar? Let's meet Prep's familiar character archetypes and investigate.

PC, The Bad Boy
Who He Is: PC is a popular senior whose sophistication is seen in both his dapper style and in the way he greets friends with a double-cheek kiss. So, he's kind of a d-bag. "There's a huge advantage with having money and being around money in New York City," he says.
Gossip Girl Equivalent: Chuck Bass, the teenaged CEO of Bass Industries, can charm the pants off (literally) any girl. He's a bit of a clotheshorse, and he truly believes that just about anything can be bought in this world.

Kelli, The Follower
Who She Is: Kelli is never alone, except ... read more

GOP Complains About ABC's Obama Health Care Special; Network Promises Fairness

• Jun 18, 2009 07:22 PM ET
• by Mickey O'Connor

Barack Obama

ABC has rejected a request by a Republican group to rebut President Obama's health care plans on an upcoming day of White House-themed news specials. In response, the network has stated that its coverage will nevertheless be balanced. Read on for more...

Rescue Me: Has This Season Saved the Show?

• Jun 15, 2009 10:18 PM ET
• by Adam Bryant

Denis Leary, Rescue Me

There's something different about Rescue Me this season that we can't quite put a finger on.

Maybe it's the complete creative rejuvenation of the show after a long, 18-month hiatus. Maybe it's the addition of the shockingly grotesque, wheelchair-bound Dwight, played brilliantly against type by guest star Michael J. Fox. Maybe it's that the show returned its focus to 9/11 and its lasting effects on the firefighters. Or maybe it's just because Season 4's look at a sober Tommy Gavin was a bit of a stinker.

If you ask Rescue Me's creators, they'll agree with most of all of that.

"We work in a vacuum," star and co-creator Denis Leary says. "It's impossible to tell what the audience or critics will think. Last season, we investigated places that we had to go, specifically with Tommy being sober. But it's not until it's out there that you get the reaction where people go, 'Y'know, it's really dark.'"

But dark isn't the word co-creator, writer and director Peter Tolan would use to describe Season 4. His word? Letdown. "The fourth season had its pleasures, but it was certainly not up to snuff, in my opinion, with what we had done in the previous years," he says. "We just sort of lost focus, the stories weren't as solid, and the storytelling, I thought, was a little weak. And many people noticed it. Because of that, I said to the guys that when we come back, we have to come back firing on all cylinders — we have to come back at 150 miles per hour and not stop."

And that's what they've done. This season ... read more