matt.mitovich

Pilot News: Michael Pitt Walks Boardwalk for HBO and Scorsese

Dawson's Creek alum Michael Pitt is in final talks to star opposite Steve Buscemi in Boardwalk Empire, an HBO drama pilot to be directed by Martin Scorsese and penned by Terence Winter (The Sopranos), according to the Hollywood Reporter.Based on a book by Nelson Johnson, Boardwalk Empire revolves around Nucky Johnson (Buscemi), the head of an Atlantic City liquor distribution ring at the onset of Prohibition, and Jimmy Darmody (Pitt), his protégé.In addition to his run as Dawson's Creek Henry ...

Fri, Jan 2, 2009

Pilot News: Michael Pitt Walks Boardwalk for HBO and Scorsese

How Vanessa Marcil Went from Sassy Sexpot to Nerdy Nanny

Vanessa Marcil is playing a nanny, but not the naughty type. Rather, the Las Vegas alumna took a gamble by turning things around and playing closer to her true bookworm self in the Hallmark Channel movie The Nanny Express (premiering Saturday at 9 pm/ET). Marcil plays Kate Hewitt, an aspiring teacher who finds herself caring for the two children of a widower (Brennan Elliot). Can Kate succeed where the previous "run-out-of-town" nannies left off, all the while tending to her ailing father (Dean Stockwell)? And might she find love with her new wards' dad along the way? After the jump, Marcil shares a look at why she chose this different role.

Fri, Jan 2, 2009

How Vanessa Marcil Went from Sassy Sexpot to Nerdy Nanny

Time Warner Cable and Viacom Avoid "Blackout" with Last-Minute Deal

You can disregard Dora's tears if you still see them scattered throughout the Internet. Time Warner Cable Inc. on late Wednesday reached a deal with Viacom Inc. on carriage fees, saving 15.7 million TWC and Bright House Networks subscribers from having to see their MTV, Comedy Central and 17 other channels go dark in the new year. According to the AP, the handshake agreement ...

Thu, Jan 1, 2009

Time Warner Cable Homes Could Lose 19 Channels on Jan. 1

Time Warner Cable's 13 million subscribers will see almost 20 channels go dark when the ball drops on New Year's Eve, if a new deal with Viacom Inc. is not agreed upon on Wednesday. Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, VH1 and numerous other channels will cease transmitting to Time Warner Cable homes if the nation's second-largest cable operator does not sign off on what Viacom calls "reasonable and moderate" carriage fee increases totaling 25 cents a month per subscriber. A spokesperson for Time Warner — which primarily serves New York state, the Carolinas, Ohio, Southern California and Texas — counters that what Viacom is asking for is "an exorbitant increase," especially in light of the current economy and the sagging ratings for Viacom shows. Said TWC president and CEO Glenn A Britt in a statement, "We sympathize with the fact that Viacom's advertising business is suffering ...

Wed, Dec 31, 2008

Time Warner Cable Homes Could Lose 19 Channels on Jan. 1

Review: Lost Premiere Fires Up One Trippy New Season

The first seasons' flashbacks now seem utterly quaint. And the more recent flash-forwards? Relatively simple. As promised, previewed and teased by the producers of Lost ever since Season 4 came to a close, the next cycle of episodes introduce a new storytelling "device" of sorts that might make you want to keep a notepad and pen next to your TV remote. But enough about that. No, really — that's enough. I can't say more, given the confidentiality request that prefaced the first two Season 5 episodes made available to the press. Instead, I will simply note that the episodes "Because You Left" and "The Lie" offer compelling twists for both the half-dozen "survivors" of Oceanic flight 815 as well as those who are still on the island (wherever it may be). The first hour is the stronger of the two, if only because ...

Tue, Dec 30, 2008

Review: Lost Premiere Fires Up One Trippy New Season

Sorry, Charlie: Michael Cassidy No Longer Feels Privileged

Megan's bevy of beau toys will be number one fewer when Privileged's 15th episode sends the character of Charlie back to college. The "uncasting" decision was made due to budgetary and creative reasons as well as to accommodate the wishes of original cast member Michael Cassidy ...

Tue, Dec 30, 2008

Sorry, Charlie: Michael Cassidy No Longer Feels Privileged

Exclusive: Each Country's Superstars of Dance Are Revealed

Starting Sunday, January 4, at 9 pm/ET, NBC's Superstars of Dance - exec-produced by So You Think You Can Dance boss Nigel Lythgoe and hosted by Michael "Lord of the Dance" Flatley and Susie Castillo - will pit stellar shufflers from eight countries against each other in a competition described as "equal parts sporting event, rock concert and artistic exhibition." In addition to fielding two soloists, a duo and one group, each country will furnish a coach and a judge to serve on a multinational panel. We got a first look at who's representing for each team. Review the line-up after the jump.

Mon, Dec 29, 2008

Exclusive: Each Country's Superstars of Dance Are Revealed

Alex Kingston Books Appointment for ER Return

The doctor is in. Dr. Elizabeth Corday, that is. Over the holidays, an airdate was set for Alex Kingston's return to ER as Dr. Mark Greene's widow. Kingston, whose original ER run spanned seven seasons (from 1997 to 2004), will resurface ...

Fri, Dec 26, 2008

Alex Kingston Books Appointment for ER Return

The Sopranos' "Johnny Cakes" Dies in Suicide

John Costelloe, a New York City firefighter-turned-actor who on The Sopranos played closeted mobster Vito Spatafore's lover, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. "I was shocked when I heard, and it still hasn't really sunk in," Joseph Gannascoli, who played Vito ...

Fri, Dec 26, 2008

The Sopranos' "Johnny Cakes" Dies in Suicide

Dexter Star Lands a Mysterious Ugly Betty Role

Lauren Velez, aka Lt. Maria Laguerta on Showtime's Dexter, will appear on ABC's Ugly Betty later this season in a multi-episode story arc, says the Reporter. Though details on her role are few, Velez will play ...

Fri, Dec 26, 2008

Dexter Star Lands a Mysterious Ugly Betty Role

Mad Men's Anne Dudek Welcomes First Child

Anne Dudek and her painter-husband, Matthew Heller, are celebrating the birth of their new son. The couple's first child, Akiva, arrived on Dec. 14. "He is happy and healthy," new dad Heller tells Us. "As for me, I now have a never ending smile!" Dudek, who played House's Amber until the "Cutthroat Bitch" was killed off last season, now appears on Mad Men as Don and Betty Draper's nosy neighbor, Francine.

Fri, Dec 26, 2008

Mad Men's Anne Dudek Welcomes First Child

Eartha Kitt, Actress and Singer, Dies at 81

Eartha Kitt, an actress well known for her turn as TV's Catwoman and a singer whose choral calling cards included the sultry and seasonal "Santa Baby," died on Thursday of colon cancer, says a family spokesperson. She was 81. Kitt's career spanned six decades, during which time she won two Emmys (for her voice work in The Emperor's New School, a small-screen adaptation of the animated feature The Emperor's New Groove) and collected several Tony and Grammy nominations. Kitt began her career in 1946 as ...

Fri, Dec 26, 2008

Eartha Kitt, Actress and Singer, Dies at 81

Mega Minute: NCIS Preview, Supernatural Scoop & More

Now playing in this week's Mitovich Mega Minute: • I've got preview for NCIS' fall 2009 season premiere. You read that right — fall 2009. • How will a Supernatural star's new gig affect his role on the spook-tacular CW series? • Will 90210er Jessica Stroup perform double duty on Reaper? Check out the new MMM, after the jump.

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: Is Prison Break's Bad Girl a Goner?

Warning: The following Q&A contains spoiler information from the Dec. 22 midseason finale of Prison Break. Has Gretchen committed her last double cross? For now, yes. Jodi Lyn O'Keefe's season-and-a-half Prison Break run came to a close this week when the former Company operative took a bullet in the belly and got carted away by EMTs, never to be seen again — this season, at least. TVGuide.com spoke with O'Keefe about her admirably extended stint on the Fox series where, like 24, nobody is ever truly safe. TVGuide.com: You made it pretty far; 28 episodes is pretty impressive on this show.Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: To be a bad guy, yeah.  TVGuide.com: And to be a female.O'Keefe: That's also true. I'll give myself extra credit for that!  TVGuide.com: Are you happy that they kept Gretchen alive? Do you think it was for a reason?O'Keefe: Yeah, I do. At the beginning of the year it was touch-and-go. There even was an article about how ...

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe: Is Prison Break's Bad Girl a Goner?

For ER Alum Maria Bello and HBO, Crime (Hopefully) Pays

Watch your backs, Nancy Botwin and Walter White. There's another parent-turned-felon coming to town. HBO has signed ER alum turned indie queen Maria Bello to develop and star in a new series from scribe Gary Lennon (The Shield, The Unusuals). The as-yet-untitled drama will star Bello as a mother of three teenage boys who turns to a life of crime ...

Mon, Dec 22, 2008

For ER Alum Maria Bello and HBO, Crime (Hopefully) Pays

Werewolf? There, Wolf! — in New Fox Pilot

What if Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte didn't frequent their estheticians quite as often? You might end up with Bitches, the dramedy project now in development at Fox. Bitches, says the Reporter, revolves around four female friends in New York City whose bad time of the month ...

Mon, Dec 22, 2008

Werewolf? There, Wolf! — in New Fox Pilot

Mega Buzz on Grey's, Brothers & Sisters, Supernatural and More!

Senior editors Matt Mitovich, Mickey O'Connor and Tim Molloy answer your questions ... this week a couple of days early, for the holidays. Drop us a line at megascoop@tvguide.com. I heard a rumor that Sara Ramirez has been offered a TV show in which she will star. While I question the reliability of the source, I hope this is true. She is a talented actress who does not get any recognition or decent writing for her Grey's Anatomy character. — MichelleMATT: "Que sera, Sara?" you ask? Ramirez's rep tells the Buzz, "We haven't heard that rumor" about her being courted for a series of her own. In the meantime, I'm told that Grey's' bi-curious Callie will pick up where she and Erica left off, this time with the pediatric surgeon being played by Jessica Capshaw beginning Jan. 8. But contrary to what you may have heard elsewhere, these two ...

Mon, Dec 22, 2008

Mega Buzz on Grey's, Brothers & Sisters, Supernatural and More!

Prison Break Winter Finale: Can Gretchen and Linc Play Nice?

This Monday at 8 pm/ET, when Fox's Prison Break stages its annual midseason finale, the prospects for "Operation Scylla-Snatch" perhaps have never looked so bleak. Having gotten a hold of Michael and blackmailed Linc to do their bidding, the Company saddles Burrows with a most motley crew of accomplices: Gretchen, T-Bag and disgraced federal agent, Don Self. Can't these assorted archenemies just get along? "I think the Company is asking for trouble," Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (Gretchen) tells TVGuide.com. "Putting these people together ...

Mon, Dec 22, 2008

Prison Break Winter Finale: Can Gretchen and Linc Play Nice?

Blush Host Remembers Todd Homme as "Kind and Beautiful"

Former Las Vegas star Vanessa Marcil, who served as host of Lifetime's Blush: The Search for the Next Great Make-up Artist, "couldn't believe it" when she learned that one of the reality competition's contestants, Todd Homme, had died on Dec. 13, at age 23."I was totally ...

Fri, Dec 19, 2008

Blush Host Remembers Todd Homme as "Kind and Beautiful"

Kristin Chenoweth Is Mad for David E. Kelley

And the slim hopes of Pushing Daisies fans wilt just a bit more. David E. Kelley has plucked Kristin Chenoweth to co-star in Legally Mad, the Boston Legal creator's new series for NBC.A quirky legal drama (get out!) revolving around a woman who takes a job at her father's Chicago law firm, Legally Mad finds Chenoweth playing ...

Fri, Dec 19, 2008

Kristin Chenoweth Is Mad for David E. Kelley

Ratings: Criminal Minds Still Killin' the Competition

This Wednesday, every regular braodcast series took a dive... except one. Can you guess who the lucky bird is? 8 pm/ETNBC's Muppets Christmas special won the front half of the hour, earning 7.8 million total viewers to Old Christine's 7.47 mil (a 10 percent decrease from last week's season high). At 8:30, Gary Unmarried (7.55 mil, down 480K), rose to the top. By the way, Max Gail? He's killing me. Go, Wojo! Placing third, Fox's Secret Millionaire (6.65 mil) toppled 540K week-to-week. Pushing Daisies' perhaps-penultimate broadcast episode drew 4.82 mil, dipping 140K. 9 pmCriminal Minds (15 mil, including J.J.'s cute wittle bitty baby-waby) enjoyed the night's only increase, adding 300K to last week's audience. In a distant second, Private Practice (6.65 mil) dropped 200K. Life (5.19 mil) slipped 280K. 10 pmCSI: NY matched last week's audience of 13.26 mil, while Law & Order dipped 500K to fall shy of seven mil. Dirty Sexy Money held steady at 5.18 mil.

Thu, Dec 18, 2008

Ratings: Criminal Minds Still Killin' the Competition

NAACP: TV Still "Grossly" Under-represents Minorities

Prime-time TV has a "serious shortage," of minority characters, the NAACP says in a new report, calling the problem part of an industry-wide oversight. Says NAACP president/CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous, "At a time when the country is excited about the election of the first African-American president in U.S. history, it is unthinkable ...

Thu, Dec 18, 2008

NAACP: TV Still "Grossly" Under-represents Minorities