Keely's Korner

FIRST LOOK
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ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 2/2/12)
MTV: I Just Want My Pants Back (Premiere) at 11pm
VH1: 40 Greatest TRL Moments Hour 1 (Premiere) at 7pm
VH1: 40 Greatest TRL Moments Hour 2 (Premiere) at 8pm
VH1: Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam (Premiere) at 9pm

PBS unveiled its Black History Month programming plans including several documentaries and programs profiling the culture and contributions of African Americans throughout this month (check local listings). A sampling of PBS’ February programming slate includes: Independent Lens offering three new shows with the first starting tonight with Daisy Bates: The First Lady of Little Rock at 10p; then Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 on February 9 at 10p; and More Than a Month on February 16 at 10p. Underground Railroad: The William Still Story will air February 6 at 10p, exploring one man’s mission to help slaves escape to freedom and the documentary film Slavery By Another Name is scheduled for February 13 at 9p. PBS’ programs Frontline, American Masters and Great Performances all will have Black History Month special programs in February.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Showtime granted new season pick-ups of Shameless, House of Lies and Californication. Production on season three of Shameless, season two of House of Lies and season six of Californication will begin in Los Angeles later this year.
(Source: Cynopsis)

A second season of Flip Men was approved by Spike TV. The network picked up to 12 episodes of the original non-scripted series featuring Utah-based Doug Clark and Mike Baird as they buy and flip foreclosed property. The production schedule and debut date for season two will be announced soon. Flip Men is produced by 25/7 Productions and is shot on location in Salt Lake City.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Season six of Army Wives returns to Lifetime’s lineup starting March 4 at 9p. Immediately following at 10p, Lifetime will air new episodes of the docu-series Coming Home from RelativityREAL, LLC highlighting US armed forces service members’ surprise family reunions hosted by Matt Rogers. The sixth season of Army Wives, from ABC Studios, brings back series regulars Kim Delaney, Sally Pressman, Brigid Brannagh, Brian McNamarra, Sterling K. Brown, Wendy Davis, Drew Fuller, Terry Serpico and Catherine Bell. Army Wives also welcomes former All My Children star Susan Lucci who makes several guest star appearances as Audrey, the wife of a retired Brigadier General and reunites her with her former AMC co-star Delaney.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Beginning next Monday, RLTV premieres new weekly series Your Life Redefined at 1130a. Television health expert, Dr. Anna Marie hosts the half-hour series offering better living tips to bring balance and fulfillment to viewers’ lives.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Marking Black History Month, GMC TV debuts the GMC World Premiere Movie, A Cross to Bear on February 18 at 7p with encore airings at 9p and 11p. GMC will additionally air the music special, The 27th Annual Stellar Awards Show, celebrating accomplishments in gospel music on February 11 at 7p with encore airings at 9p and 11p. Throughout February, GMC will also air movies and gospel music performances featuring Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Kim Fields, Andre Braugher, Charles S. Dutton, Mario Van Peebles, Dorinda Clark Cole among others.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Creator and longtime host of Soul Train, Don Cornelius, died yesterday morning at the age of 75. Mr. Cornelius launched Soul Train in Chicago in 1970. Soul Train and Mr. Cornelius is credited with introducing and showcasing some of the greatest African American artists such as Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Jackson 5, Al Green, The Commodores, Kool and the Gang, En Vogue and many more. Soul Train went on to become one of the longest-running syndicated shows in television. Mr. Cornelius exited Soul Train as host in 1993.
(Source: Cynopsis)

A statement on the passing of Don Cornelius was released by Debra L. Lee, Chairman/CEO of BET Networks: “We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Don Cornelius. He was a pioneer in the television and music industries and his legacy and influence on American culture will continue to live on for many generations to come. He made Soul Train a destination for lovers of Black culture and music and connected the world to our culture and we are forever grateful. We owe so much of our success to him, he built the space for the creation of a BET, built a platform for the music that our audience loves and gave a voice to countless artists that shaped black culture and beyond his impact can’t be measured. He will be missed, but remembered at every wedding, party and family reunion forever with the enduring Soul Train line.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

BET Networks furthermore will air special programming honoring Don Cornelius: tonight BET airs Soul Train Awards 2011 at 8p and also tonight Centric’s 24-hour marathon of Soul Train episodes continue (it began the previous night). Centric will also air the Soul Train Awards 2011 this Friday at 9p and the Soul Train Awards 2010 will air Saturday at 10p. This weekend, Centric will air two 12-hour Soul Train Marathons at 10a on Saturday and 9a on Sunday.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Bounce TV will pay tribute to the late Don Cornelius with Bounce TV Remembers Don Cornelius, a seven-hour marathon of Soul Train episodes this Saturday beginning at 7p. Chilli from TLC will host the marathon of Soul Train episodes including the very first syndicated episode from 1971 and others from the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BROADWAY
Raven-Symone’ is joining the cast of “Sister Act” in March 2012.
http://ppc.broadway.com/shows/sister-act/buzz/159681/thats-so-deloris-tv-star-raven-symone-to-join-sister-act-on-broadway/

FIRST LOOK
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ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 1/12/12)
NBC: 30 Rock (Premiere) at 8pm
CBS: Rob! (Premiere) at 8:30pm
VH1: Critics’ Choice Movie Awards at 8pm
ANIMAL PLANET: Snakeman Of Appalachia (Premiere) at 9pm
FOX: The Finder (Premiere) at 9pm
INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY: Sins & Secrets (Premiere) at 9pm

This spring a new PBS series hosted by Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the ancestry of celebrity guest pairings. Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. premieres nationally airing on Sundays March 25 through May 20 at 8p (check local listings). In the 10-part one-hour series, examples of the guest pairings include jazz musicians Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis; spiritual leaders Angela Buchdahl, Yasir Qadhi and Rick Warren; education leader Geoffrey Canada and media star Barbara Walters among others. Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is filmed on location across the US and is a production of Kunhardt McGee Productions, Inkwell Films and WNET in association with Ark Media.
(Source: Cynopsis)

A seventh season is on tap for USA Network’s series Psych starring James Roday and Dule Hill who announced the pickup via the show’s social media outlets earlier this week. Psych will return with 16 episodes later this year.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Univision reports the first week of its new novela La Que No Podia Amar (The One That Couldn’t Love) delivered an average audience of 4.4 million total viewers; 2.4 million with A18-49; and 1.4 million among A18-34 in the 9p time period.
(Source: Cynopsis)

On Tuesday, the fifth season premiere of The Game at 10p on BET attracted 5.3 million total viewers. The Game’s season debut also became cable’s #1 scripted series telecast among A18-49 this season and the #1 cable sitcom debut this season with households, total viewers and A18-49. The sophomore season premiere of Let’s Stay Together also on Tuesday at 11p posted 3.5 million total viewers.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The return of Lifetime’s docu-series Dance Moms on Tuesday at 9p attracted an average of 2.5 million total viewers, a 150% increase over the freshman season premiere last year. The opening episode also delivered 1.2 million with A18-49; 1.0 million with A25-54; and 997,000 W18-49. The second season debut of Dance Moms has become the series’ most-watched telecast ever and Lifetime’s best ever Tuesday season launch with total viewers.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Original series Shipping Wars debuted on A&E Network Tuesday with an average of 3.0 million total viewers over two back-to-back episodes airing at 9p and 930p, according to Nielsen Fast Nationals. The double episodes also averaged 1.6 million viewers among A18-49 and A25-54. Shipping Wars is produced by Megalomedia for A&E.
(Source: Cynopsis)

In a soap opera-like twist of fate, four of ABC’s One Life to Live characters will move from the fictional town of Llanview to Port Charles, the home of ABC’s sister soap General Hospital. Michael Easton (John), Kristen Alderson (Starr), Kassie DePaiva (Blair) and Roger Howarth (Todd) will all have their current OLTL characters integrated into the plots on General Hospital. All four actors will begin taping their General Hospital scenes this month. OLTL airs its finale on ABC this Friday.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BROADWAY
William Shatner To Star In A One-Man Broadway Show.
http://www.accesshollywood.com/william-shatner-to-star-in-a-one-man-broadway-show_article_58875

Porgy & Bess opens on Broadway tonight with Audra McDonald & Norm Lewis.
http://ppc.broadway.com/shows/porgy-and-bess/buzz/159288/porgy-and-bess-starring-audra-mcdonald-and-norm-lewis-opens-on-broadway/

FIRST LOOK
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ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 12/29/11)
TLC: NY Ink (Premiere) at 9pm
TLC: Lines & Sisters (Premiere) at 10pm

BROADWAY
Tickets go on sale now for “Don’t Dress For Dinner”.
http://ppc.broadway.com/shows/dont-dress-dinner/buzz/159135/tickets-now-on-sale-for-dont-dress-for-dinner-marc-camolettis-boeing-boeing-sequel/

Tickets go on sale now for “Harvey”.
http://ppc.broadway.com/shows/harvey/buzz/159137/tickets-now-on-sale-for-harvey-starring-the-big-bang-theorys-jim-parsons/

FIRST LOOK
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ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 12/15/11)
ABC: The Year With Katie Couric (Premiere) at 9pm
3net: Beatdown: Bamma USA Fight Night (Premiere) at 9pm
TRUTV: Impractical Jokers (Premiere) at 10pm & 10:30pm
FX: It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia (Finale) at 10pm
TLC: Cellblock 6 (Finale) at 10pm
USA: Burn Notice (Finale) at 10pm

The NFL and CBS forged a new deal encompassing a nine-year broadcast rights agreement through the 2022 season allowing CBS Sports to remain as the broadcast home of the NFL’s American Football Conference (AFC). Furthermore, the NFL’s increased “flexible scheduling” will allow CBS to broadcast games from the National Football Conference (NFC), marking the first time CBS will broadcast both AFC and NFC games in the same season. CBS additionally gained the broadcast rights to four future Super Bowl events including Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans in 2013, Super Bowl L in 2016, Super Bowl LIII in 2019 and Super Bowl LVI in 2022. This deal also has the distinction of being the longest pact made between the NFL and its broadcast partners.
(Source: Cynopsis)

When NBC’s thirteenth season of The Biggest Loser makes a comeback on January 3 with a two-hour premiere at 8p, the participants arriving at the ranch will be in teams of two. Teams comprised of mother/daughter, father/son, brother/sister and husband/wife will arrive together though will be matched up with other participants and competing with the person they came with. Each contestant will share the same goal, to lose weight and get healthy and perhaps win the $250,000 grand prize. The Biggest Loser is from Reveille, 25/7 Productions and 3 Ball Productions.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Former Law & Order: SVU star Chris Meloni landed a series regular role on HBO’s True Blood. In True Blood’s fifth season, Meloni will play an ancient strong-willed vampire who controls the fate of Bill and Eric. True Blood is expected to premiere season five in June on HBO.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BROADWAY
“Private Lives” with Kim Cattrall and Paul Gross will close on December 31, 2011.
http://ppc.broadway.com/shows/private-lives/buzz/158984/private-lives-starring-kim-cattrall-and-paul-gross-to-close-early/

“Lysistrata Jones” officially opened on Broadway on December 14, 2011.
http://ppc.broadway.com/shows/lysistrata-jones/buzz/158943/slam-dunk-basketball-musical-comedy-lysistrata-jones-opens-on-broadway/

FIRST LOOK
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ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 11/17/11)
SPEED: Pumped! (Premiere) at 9pm
HISTORY: Big Shrimpin’ (Premiere) at 10pm
TLC: Undercover Boss (Finale) at 9pm

Third time is a charm apparently for Ricky Gervais as he will return as host for the Golden Globes in January said the Hollywood Foreign Press Association through its blog yesterday. The HFPA voted to keep Gervais as host for a third time when the Golden Globes air on NBC January 15.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The Real Housewives of Atlanta’s Kim Zolciak will have her dream wedding and the preparations leading up to it documented in Bravo’s new series Don’t Be Tardy for the Wedding. During the most recent season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, viewers witnessed Zolciak and Kroy Biermann, the Defensive End for the Atlanta Falcons, move into a luxurious home together and the birth of their son, KJ. In the new series, Zolciak works with celebrity event planner Colin Cowie to design her wedding with the auspicious date of 11/11/11. Don’t Be Tardy for the Wedding is produced by True Entertainment for Bravo.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Supermodel Beverly Johnson will be featured in a new docu-series, Beverly’s Full House premiering on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network next February. The series follows Johnson at home in Palm Springs, CA as she reunites with her adult daughter Anansa, a plus-size model, her son-in-law David, a former NFL player and their newborn baby. Despite a past strained relationship between mother and daughter, Anansa and her family move into Johnson’s home to get ahead financially and to work on their relationship. Beverly’s Full House is produced by Good Clean Fun for OWN.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Cable’s longest-running animated series South Park got an extension to remain on Comedy Central for three more seasons. The new deal between Trey Parker and Matt Stone with Comedy Central assures the series will serve up original episodes through 2016, marking its 20^th season. The duo’s current deal takes South Park through 2013. Parker and Stone will continue their present duties with the show as writers, directors and editors. South Park just wrapped its 15^th season last night which averaged more than 3.5 million total viewers per episode. Comedy Central first premiered South Park on August 13, 1997.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Yesterday NBCUniversal Domestic Television Distribution updated its clearance status for new national syndicated daytime talk show Steve Harvey that is premiering in fall 2012. The one-hour talk show produced by Endemol USA and hosted by TV personality/comedian/radio show host and author, Steve Harvey has been sold in more than 70% of the US representing 40 of the top 50 markets. Steve Harvey was sold to station groups including NBC Owned Television Stations, Fox Television Stations, CBS Television Stations, Hearst Television, Cox Communications, Capitol Communications Company, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Local TV and Lin Television. Recent station groups picking up the talk show in the last week are Gannett, Gray, Post Newsweek, Weigel and Young among others.
(Source: Cynopsis)

A spin-off series of Mob Wives is in the works at VH1. The network is in pre-production on the new series Mob Wives: Chicago slated to air next spring. Casting for the four main cast members is underway and VH1 ordered 10 episodes. The sophomore season of the original Mob Wives is due to premiere on January 1 and VH1 is bumping up its order from 10 eps to 12. The first season of Mob Wives, airing last April through June, averaged 1.3 million viewers per episode. Weinstein Co., Electus, Left/Right and JustJenn Productions are behind Mob Wives.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BROADWAY
Newsises is heading to Broadway for a limited run starting on March 15 2012.
http://ppc.broadway.com/shows/newsies/buzz/158597/extra-extra-newsies-heading-to-broadway-for-limited-engagement/