Seth MacFarlane
If you haven't heard the news yet, Seth MacFarlane is hosting the Oscars.
It's a bold, surprising selection, especially since the Family Guy, American Dad and Cleveland Show creator has little to do with films, has no hosting experience and is literally not a famous face. But after you get through the initial shock, MacFarlane is almost an inspired choice by the Academy.
Don't believe us? Here are six reasons why MacFarlane is a good choice to emcee Hollywood's biggest night.
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Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen is back on TV just a little over a year after getting the boot from his longtime sitcom home, Two and a Half Men. And while many (read: anyone not living under a rock) recall the long, strange trip Sheen took from Men to his new FX sitcom Anger Management (premiering Thursday at 9/8c), we decided to retrace the career highs and lows that came long before his tiger blood-infused media rampage, his standup comedy tour, and his recent resurgence:
As Anger Management launches, Charlie Sheen makes peace with Two and a Half Men
Badlands (October 1973): Look, Dad, I can act! Sheen made an un-credited appearance as...
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Patrice O'Neal
Comedian Patrice O'Neal has died after suffering a stroke last month. He was 41.
The Opie and Anthony Show, where O'Neal was a frequent guest, announced the news Tuesday on Twitter. "Yes it's true that our pal ...
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Natalie Morales
Not every TV show wants to be more social. But a few shows get it, and are pushing the social envelope in innovative ways, making their programs much more interactive, a commodity as prized as total audience and demographic richness to advertisers these days.
We're kicking off the fall TV season with seven straight days of stories about social TV, followed by continued coverage throughout the season. First up, we compiled a list of nine shows that are breaking the social-engagement mold. We've spoken to network execs, actors, producers and other TV folk who we consider to be the industry leaders in the social TV space. Here's what we're liking right now, but it's obviously not an encyclopedic list. Which shows do you think get it?
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Alan Harper, Ashton Kutcher
They came to bury Charlie, and was anyone surprised when it turned out to be one long ewww-logy?
That's Two and a Half Men for you: proudly crude and heartily heartless. "His body just exploded like a balloon full of meat," said Rose, and that's about as sentimental as things got. (His nephew Jake promptly piped up, "Anyone else hungry?") There wasn't a wet eye in the house during the post-Charlie Sheen/Charlie Harper season opener, which began with Alan trying to read last rites over his mangled brother's coffin, interrupted by vengeful exes rattling off a gamy litany of STD jokes and a mother more interested in finding a buyer for his Malibu manse. (Among the potential buyers: John Stamos and, in the episode's best-kept surprise, Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson as an embittered version of Chuck Lorre's Dharma & Greg.)
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Two and a Half Men
This being such an epic week in the TV business, with the majority of new and returning shows premiering in the kickoff to the official TV season, I'm adjusting my "guide to the week" format all week to focus separately on each night as a whole: analyzing the programming strategies and showdowns while previewing the pilots and season openers I've seen in advance.
Monday in a Nutshell: ABC and CBS should continue to dominate. Dancing With the Stars has once again cast a buzz-worthy group — though some are wondering if they've overstepped and alienated their more mainstream fans with lightning-rod contestants like Chaz Bono and Nancy Grace. (Get over it, folks. It's a dancing show, all for fun.) And Castle makes for a fine nightcap. CBS' popular comedy lineup includes one new winner (Two Broke Girls) and one show in transition (Two and a Half Men) that's more talked about than almost any new fall series, while Hawaii Five-0 more than holds its own. Fox is shaking things up with its big-budget fantasy spectacular Terra Nova (which bows next week), which should open big at the very least. We'll see if its family-friendly tone attracts a broader-than-cult following. A Cuddy-free House (premiering Oct. 3) may be on its ...
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