In what was hardly a surprise announcement in light of its recent American Idol-goosed ratings, Fox's House has been picked up for a third season. In its sophomore run, the series has averaged 14.1 million total viewers and as of late has retained more than 70 percent of the Tuesday-night Idol's audience — most impressive, considering that other Idol lead-outs are lucky to keep half of the viewers. It's enough to make the dour doc sing. Almost.
The upcoming Casino Royale will present a completely new version of Agent 007, and not just because it's Daniel Craig's debut. Tracing the spy's not-so-super beginnings, the franchise's 21st entry will open with a black-and-white prologue, depict James Bond's first two hits — one of which goes awry and is thus "very messy" — and show him earning his license to kill, ultimately leading to "the emotionally shut-down beautiful machine that Bond has become," director Martin Campbell told reporters this week. What's more, Royale will feature neither Q nor Moneypenny, and will employ only "a little bit of gadgetry." Sounds like Q has been replaced by Zzzzzz.
Ghost Whisperer executive producer John Gray promises "a big surprise ending" to the just-renewed CBS series' first season, setting the stage for a sophomore year with "darker elements." "We're not going to mess with our formula too much," he tells Sci Fi Wire. "At the same time, we don't want it to get stale." Citing as examples the mysterious entities he calls Laughing Man and Wide Brim Hat Man, Gray says, "We're going to be giving some explanation for their presence." What, they're not just ogling Jennifer Love Hewitt like the rest of us?
In 1992's The Cutting Edge, Moira Kelly's ice-cold skating queen reluctantly partnered with D. B. Sweeney's fallen hockey star to pursue Olympic gold — but also find love — as a pairs team. Fourteen years later, ABC Family's The Cutting Edge 2: Going for the Gold (premiering Sunday at 7 pm/ET, following an airing of the original) finds Kate and Doug's way-older-than-14-(but-deal-with-it) daughter, Jackie, lamenting her own shattered ice dreams, only to eventually join with Alex, an in-line skater, to seek Winter Games glory. Playing young Ms. Dorsey in this follow-up is Christy Carlson Romano, with whom TVGuide.com traded Qs and As. TVGuide.com: So you're w
Can Ayrica juggle practice and tending to her baby sister? Will Ryan choose her boyfriend's basketball game over a team formal? Does a bad grade mean the boot for Amanda? It's Bring It On meets Dawson's Creek when Lifetime premieres Cheerleader Nation (Sunday at 10 pm/ET), an eight-episode series chronicling the Dunbar High School (of Lexington, Ky.) cheerleading squad's pursuit of a third straight national championship. Perhaps no one on the team has it as rough as sophomore Ryan Shea Martin, whose mom, Donna, is the varsity coach! TVGuide.com talked to the duo about bringing their real mother-daughter issues to reality TV. TVGuide.com: When you signed on for this, were y
Nick Lachey is in talks to star in She Said, He Said — not, as you may be thinking, a Newlyweds follow-up about his pending divorce from Jessica Simpson, but the new CW network's first comedy pilot. But yes, as you also may be thinking, it's a slow news day.
ABC's Invasion is back with a bang tonight (10 pm/ET), sharing the first of two new shocker-filled episodes... before taking a five-week break. (Do not get me started.) Still, what's ahead is super stuff, led off by this week's episode, which is fittingly titled "The Fittest." TVGuide.com enjoyed a rather candid convo with none other than shady Sheriff Tom Underlay himself, film vet William Fichtner. TVGuide.com: Invasion is so much fun. You must be camped out by your mailbox waiting for the next script, eh?William Fichtner:
Rob Corddry, a correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, follows in the footsteps of such comedic peers as Conan O'Brien and Saturday Night Live's Amy Poehler when he lends his voice to The N's O'Grady (Fridays at 9:30 pm/ET) this week. Here's what he had to tell us about his animated gig, advising Jon Stewart on the Oscars and more. TVGuide.com: On O'Grady, who or what are you voicing? A news reporter, perhaps?Rob Corddry: No, actually
Why was The King of Queens conspicuously MIA from CBS' recent announcement of its renewed series? According to the New York Post, the holdup may be the result of a "holdup," seeing as contracts are up for stars Kevin James and Leah Remini, who each currently make about a half-mil per episode. "If I were on the air for so long [eight seasons], I'd be asking them to back the truck up to the bank," one insider tells the Post. A spokesperson for CBS had no comment on the sitch, but negotiations with the two actors are supposedly underway.
As first teased in last week's Ausiello Report, Oscar winner Susan Sarandon has signed on for a three-episode arc on FX's Rescue Me. The actress who made The Hunger so memorable will play Alicia, a successful older woman who seduces Daniel Sunjata's Franco. She first shows up in the second episode of Season 3, which is now in production and due to premiere in early summer.
The romantic comedy Prime, now out on DVD, pits Bryan Greenberg between two very imposing women: Uma Thurman as the WASPy (and 14 years older) stunner he dates, and Meryl Streep as his Jewish mom — who also happens to be Uma's therapist. Playing traffic cop in this tricky triangle is writer-director Ben Younger, who was more than happy to talk to TVGuide.com about his second big-screen adventure. (Oh, and did I mention he's dating Las Vegas' Vanessa Marcil?) TVGuide.com: How does one make the leap from 2000's gritty Boiler Room to this?Ben Younger: I had the idea for Prime before I made Boiler Room; I just wasn't in a place to write it. Prime was much more difficult to write. TVGuide.com: Is Prime based on any real-life experience? Have you ev
Last week, actress Kristy Swanson and Olympic medalist Lloyd Eisler saw their on-the-ice partnership result in a championship on Fox's Skating with Celebrities, as they edged out sportscaster Jillian Barberie and pro John Zimmerman. While Swanson balked at discussing her and Eisler's reported off-rink romance — "I don't really want to get into my personal life," she deferred — everything else was fair game in this TVGuide.com Q&A. TVGuide.com: Wasn't there a gossip item weeks ago that Jillian Barberie and her partner had won Skating with Celebrities, and it leaked out because there would be hubbub since she had training as a kid...?Kristy Swanson: I know that ever since we shot the last episode, we had to keep [the outcome] a secret. There were photographs of us wearing the medals and holding the trophies, and the producers were afraid that it could get
President David Palmer's loyal constituency need not give up all hope. Dennis Haysbert, who played 24's popular POTUS, is back in a big way as Jonas Blane, the leader of a supercovert missions team on CBS' The Unit (premiering tonight at 9 pm/ET). How does it feel to be championing democracy in a more hands-on manner than he did on 24? TVGuide.com spoke to Haysbert about that, his dissatisfaction with Palmer's death and more. TVGuide.com: I'm very excited to take this phone call. I feel like I'm in a locker room after winning the World Series.Dennis Haysbert: [Laughs] I appreciate that. TVGuide.com: Having been in the biz some 25 years, did you find that do
Tonight's two-hour 24 "event" (beginning at 8 pm/ET on Fox) will host a parade of faces new and familiar, including Elisha Cuthbert's return as Jack's beleaguered daughter and the debut of C. Thomas Howell as Kim's (overdue, if you ask me) therapist. The evening also introduces us to Vice President Hal Gardner, who has been choicely cast with Ray Wise, a star of the Oscar-nominated Good Night, and Good Luck and who is familiar to TV fans as Twin Peaks' very bad dad, Leland Palmer. TVGuide.com welcomed the chance to ask Wise about his 24 VP, working with George Clooney
CBS announced on Monday that it has renewed 14 prime-time — shows to the tune of 13 hours of programming — including freshman series How I Met Your Mother, Criminal Minds and Ghost Whisperer. Also getting the nod for the 2006-2007 season are all three flavors of CSI, Without a Trace, Numbers, Cold Case, 60 Minutes, Two and a Half Men, NCIS and the reality contests Survivor and The Amazing Race. No Close to Home? Bastards!
While favorites Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote) walked away with the top acting honors at Sunday's Oscars, Crash pulled an upset by lassoing the best-picture trophy away from Brokeback Mountain. In the supporting slots, Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener) and the never-fails-to-impress George Clooney (Syriana) grabbed gold. One of the night's other surprises came when rap group Three 6 Mafia's raucous "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" (from Hustle & Flow) merited the Academy Award for best song. (A complete list of winners can be found here.) Me, I couldn't help but be fixated on Keira Knightley's seeming inability to crack a smile for Jon Stewart. Geez, loosen up, girl.
Here we are but one week into a new round of NBC's The Apprentice, and already people are doing silly things like interrupting the Donald just as he's about to fire someone else. In this instance, a teed-off Trump instead made the call to can Summer Zervos, the gal who seemingly refused to make the calls. Did DT and "genius" project manager Tarek get Summer's number wrong? She of the luscious curls rang TVGuide.com to share her side. TVGuide.com: Help us understand exactly what you were supposed to be doing in your role for the Sam's Club task. They kept saying you were supposed to call restaurants — to accomplish what?Summer Zervos: To let them know what Sam's Club can do for small businesse
At Sunday's Oscars, will E!'s Isaac Mizrahi kiss and make up with Scarlett Johansson, whom he (uninvitedly) got to second base with on the Golden Globes red carpet? Johansson has no plans to attend the awards but still has choice words for the touchy-feely fashion designer. "It was definitely in poor taste," she tells the Los Angeles Times. "The first [Globes red-carpet] interview I do, and someone who I have never met fondles me." Make no mistake, Scar-Jo isn't avoiding I.Miz by foregoing the Oscars or any future fête. As she notes, "I can take care of myself. I'm from New York."
While all those media-maven types theorize about the true meaning of Las Vegas' time-slot change — NBC's Monday mainstay is moving to Fridays at 9, starting tonight, March 3 — Vanessa Marcil won't be bothered. As the Montecito's hostess with the oh-so-mostess, she is relishing her dream job, a role she values a distant second behind that of mother to son Kassius, who turns 4 this month. In this candid Q&A with TVGuide.com, the brunette beauty cheers "Viva Las Vegas" — and reveals at least two celebrity crushes. TVGuide.com: When I called you to set this up, it sounded a bit festive in the background. Were you at a strip club with your Vegas pals, or wer
Monday's two-hour 24 "event" (beginning at 8 pm/ET on Fox) will host a parade of faces new and familiar, including Elisha Cuthbert's return as Jack's beleaguered daughter and the debut of C. Thomas Howell as Kim's (overdue, if you ask me) therapist. The evening also introduces us to Vice President Hal Gardner, who has been choicely cast with Ray Wise, a star of the Oscar-nominated Good Night, and Good Luck and who is familiar to TV fans as Twin Peaks' very bad dad, Leland Palmer. TVGuide.com welcomed the chance to ask Wise about his 24 VP, working with George Clooney
Broadcasting & Cable reports that Stephen Bochco, who took over show-running duties from Commander in Chief creator Rod Lurie in the fall, has possibly parted ways with the currently-on-hiatus series, the result of what is being deemed a "bad fit." "Bochco just wasn't about to take notes from [ABC]," a source tells the mag. Exec producer Dee Johnson has had the helm since Bochco went into preproduction on his pilot, Hollis & Rae — and that was always the plan, ABC tells B&C, denying that Bochco is a goner. The magazine also says it remains unclear whether Commander will return on April 18, as previously announced.
Despite placing fourth last Monday with atypically low ratings for a season premiere, The Apprentice is at no risk of getting fired from NBC's lineup. "They've already started [production on Season 6]," Donald Trump tells TVGuide.com, referring to the first edition to be shot in California. Still, DT can't help but acknowledge No. 5's lukewarm debut. "I was disappointed only in that if you looked at the last show of the [previous] season, where I chose Randall, we were the No. 2 show for the week, behind CSI," he notes. "The Apprentice has always started off slower and built over the season. But I was disappointed. A lot of people are still confused with the fact that it's on Monday now instead of Thursday." If only he or the show had grabbed a headline or two in recent weeks.
