Keely's Korner

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 1/2/14)
ABC: The Taste (Premiere) at 8pm
ABC: The Assets (Premiere) at 10pm
ANIMAL PLANET: Wild West Alaska (Premiere) at 9pm
ANIMAL PLANET: Cold River Cash (Premiere) at 10pm
BRAVO: Toned Up (Premiere) at 10:30pm
ID: Frenemies: Loyalty Turned Lethal (Premiere) at 9pm
NAT. GEO.: Do or Die (Premiere) at 10pm
NBC: Community (Premiere) at 8pm
REELZ: Steven Seagal Lawman (Premiere) at 10pm
TRU TV: Impractical Jokers (Premiere) at 10pm

Duck Dynasty‘s Phil Robertson, whose anti-gay remarks in GQ magazine prompted A&E to put him on “indefinite hiatus,” will be back in 2014. “After discussions with the Robertson family, as well as consulting with numerous advocacy groups,” said a statement from A+E Networks on Friday, “A&E has decided to resume filming later this spring with the entire family.” The company also announced the launch of a public service campaign “promoting unity, tolerance and acceptance among all people… these PSAs will air across our entire portfolio.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

CBS News correspondent John Miller is leaving television for an anti-terrorism role in the New York Police Department, where William Bratton is returning as NYC police commissioner. Miller worked for Bratton during his first go-round in Gotham, as well as during Bratton’s stint in LA. “When you get a call and you get the chance to serve the largest city in the world, potentially the greatest terrorism threat in maybe the greatest police department in the world,” said Miller, “it’s hard to say no.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Thirty-five years after its launch, The Dukes of Hazzard returns to TV on CMT Monday, January 6 at 8p. This time around, fans can follow the show on Twitter using #DukesofHazzard.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The most pirated TV show of 2013 was once again HBO‘s Game of Thrones, with 5.9 million worldwide downloads. In second place was AMC‘s Breaking Bad, with 4.2 million downloads.
(Source: Cynopsis)

E! is launching a social media scavenger hunt to promote upcoming series #RichKids of Beverly Hills. Luxury items will be hidden in cities across the country, with clues to their location posted on Instagram. Details on Twitter: @RichKidsofBH; show premieres Sunday, January 19 at 10p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

UP original movie The Town That Came A-Courtin’, starring Valerie Harper and Lauren Holly (NCIS), premieres Sunday, January 19 at 7p, with encores at 9p and 11p. The Odyssey Media Inc. production, based on a novel by Ronda Rich, “showcases how a community’s spirit and goodwill can help people connect and find each other,” said UP EVP of programming Leslie Glenn Chesloff.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Cold War spy drama The Americans returns for a sophomore season on FX Wednesday, February 26 at 10p. The series stars rumored real-life couple Keri Russell (Felicity) and Matthew Rhys (Brothers & Sisters).
(Source: Cynopsis)

Time Warner Cable and Viacom reached a new multi-year distribution agreement. TWC will be able to distribute all of Viacom‘s channels, which include MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon, on its tablet apps, an arrangement the companies had not agreed on in the past. Now, however, the strategy is to deliver what the announcement of the deal describes as an “enriched multiplatform experience.” TWC will also offer Viacom’s EPIX on demand.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Nickelodeon ordered a second season of superhero comedy The Thundermans for 2014. Created and exec-produced by three-time Emmy winner Jed Spingarn (Big Time Rush, Jimmy Neutron) and exec-produced by Dave Hoge and Dan Cross (Just Jordan, Pair of Kings), the scripted half-hour series follows a pair of superhero twins with opposite personalities. The Thundermans airs regularly Saturdays at 9p; season to date, it averages 2.1 million total viewers and has posted double-digit gains with K2-11.
(Source: Cynopsis)

There’s a doctor in the house. Disney Junior is bringing one of its most successful iOS apps, Doc McStuffins: Time For Your Check Up!, to Android devices in Google Play and for Kindle tablets in the Amazon Appstore. Apple just named the activity-based app its 11th most popular paid iPad app of 2013.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Pretty Little Liars fans who visit the show’s Facebook page through Jan. 7, the date of the ABC Family series return, can unlock special content including photos, script excerpts and videos each day via the Pretty Little Answer Ball app. After interacting with the answer ball, fans will automatically be entered for a chance to win a trip to LA for a “Pretty Little Liars” set visit.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The Ellen DeGeneres Show earned its highest HH rating ever the week of December 9 (3.2), during its 12 Days of Giveaways, jumping 14 percent week to week in W18-49 to score a 1.6 rating, tops in the demo among talk shows.
(Source: Cynopsis)

British television producer Allan McKeown died December 24 of prostate cancer. He was 67. McKeown, who was married to Tracey Ullman, won an Emmy with his wife for Tracey Takes On… and created Showtime’s State of the Union.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The body of producer/director Jeffrey Ian Pollack was found on a running trail in Hermosa Beach on December 23. He was 54. Pollack’s television production credits include Fresh Prince of Bel Air and The Tyra Banks Show.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BROADWAY
Carly Rae Jepsen to make her Broadway Debut in Cinderella.
http://ppc.broadway.com/buzz/173854/call-me-maybe-pop-princess-carly-rae-jepsen-to-make-broadway-debut-in-cinderella/

Outside Mullingar with Debra Messing and Brian F. Byrne starts previews today on Broadway.
http://ppc.broadway.com/buzz/173768/debra-messing-and-brian-f-byrne-channel-the-luck-of-the-irish-as-outside-mullingar-starts-previews-on-broadway/

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 12/26/13)
NBC: The Women of SNL at 9pm
DIY: Behind The Build: HGTV Dream Home Special (Premiere) at 9pm
ANIMAL PLANET: Wild West Alaska: Grizzly Sized (Finale) at 7pm
MILITARY: Nazi Hunters (Finale) at 9pm

BROADWAY
Hugh Jackman drops out of the upcoming Broadway show Houdini.
http://ppc.broadway.com/buzz/173852/poof-hugh-jackman-disappears-from-broadway-bound-houdini-musical/

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 12/5/13)
NBC: The Sound of Music Live! (Premiere) at 8pm
BRAVO: The Millionaire Matchmaker (Premiere) at 9pm
BRAVO: Courtney Loves Dallas (Premiere) at 10pm
E!: Party On (Premiere) at 10pm
ESQUIRE: Best Bars In America (Premiere) at 9pm
GAC: Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (Premiere) at 10pm
LIFETIME: Come Dine With Me (Premiere) at 10pm
TLC: Gypsy Sisters (Premiere) at 9pm
TRU TV: Panic Button (Premiere) at 10:30pm
TELETOON AT NIGHT: Futurama (Finale) at 9:30pm

It’s game over for advertisers wanting in on the Super Bowl – the February 2 Fox broadcast of the football championship has sold out, a month ahead of CBS‘s sellout announcement last year. Doritos, Butterfinger, Jaguar and Wonder Pistachios are among the 43 advertisers that gobbled up the 32ish minutes of ad time. Everyone else? Fox is offering ad space during its livestream and pregame programming.
(Source: Cynopsis)

A week after Alec Baldwin‘s exit, Martin Bashir is out at MSNBC. Bashir’s offensive comments about Sarah Palin on November 15 sparked criticism, prompting the afternoon talk show host to issue an on-air apology, then take time off. Now Bashir has tendered his resignation. “It is my sincere hope that all of my colleagues will be allowed to focus on the issues that matter,” read a statement from Bashir, “without the distraction of myself or my ill-judged comments.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Sex Sent Me to the ER tells tales of passion gone horribly wrong. The four-part Discovery Fit & Health series (sex in a tree, ill-timed escapades) from GRB Entertainment premieres Friday, January 3 at 10p. Can’t get enough? Encore presentations on Saturdays begin January 11.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Actor Dean Cain (Lois and Clark) turns outdoorsman for 10 Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty, a competition series following teams with a major monetary incentive for finding evidence of the legendary creature. The Original Media series launches Friday, January 10 at 10p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Country stars Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan will team up again to co-host the 49^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The Dick Clark Productions event tapes in Las Vegas April 7, to air on CBS at a later date.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Old pals and duet partners Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers are featured in GAC‘s Kenny & Dolly: An Intimate Conversation. Said Parton of the pair’s chemistry: “It’s like with my husband; we’re not together that much so it works.” Special airs Monday, December 9 at 9p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

E! announced the ninth season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians will debut in January. The reality series, from Ryan Seacrest Productions and Bunim/Murray Productions delivered 2.3 million total viewers for season eight – and that was before two high-profile separations, an engagement and a new baby. What’s ahead? “Perhaps the most tumultuous and challenging period the family have faced since the show began,” says the net.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Happy Valentine’s Day! The sophomore season of House of Cards premieres Friday, February 14, according to a trailer for the Kevin Spacey drama. All 13 episodes of the season will be available on Netflix.
(Source: Cynopsis)

TV Land renewed Soul Man, starring Cedric “The Entertainer,” for season three, reports Deadline. The Hazy Mills production has averaged a 3.0 rating among African-American Adults 25-54.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Pop culture show Charlamagne and Friends and half-hour series Ain’t That America With Lil Duval will both be coming back to MTV2 in January to launch second seasons. Charlemagne debuts Sunday, January 15 at 11:30p, right after Ain’t That America, the net’s highest-rated original series (averaging 800,000 total viewers), at 11p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The World’s Greatest Tribute Bands returns for a third season on AXS TV. New acts will include tributes to Prince, Garth Brooks and the Beastie Boys, starting Monday, January 6 at 11p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

“Rap opera” Trapped in a Closet from R&B singer R. Kelly is returning to IFC in 2014, and “his creativity is on full display,” says president and GM of IFC Jennifer Caserta. The 33 previous chapters of the Sylvester Films production will air on IFC Saturday, December 7 at 5:15p, and now on http://www.ifc.com/shows/trapped-in-the-closet.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Duck Dynasty returns for a one-hour special featuring a live Nativity, anxious Christmas shoppers and the hunt for the perfect holiday ham. The Gurney Productions show, which premiered to 11.8 million total viewers in August 2013, airs on A&E Wednesday, December 11 at 10p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Regis Philbin hosts a Christmas Eve show mixing scripture narrations, choral music and puppets performing the Nativity Story. Holiday special airs Tuesday, December 24 at 11:35p on CBS.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Alexandra Metz (The Originals) will play Rapunzel in ABC‘s Once Upon a Time. The fairytale drama airs Sundays at 8p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Kevin Rankin (Breaking Bad) and Virginia Kull (The Following) will star in Fox‘s Gracepoint, reports Deadline. The Shine America/Kudos production is a remake of Broadchurch.
(Source: Cynopsis)

McKaley Miller (Hart of Dixie) will play Kelsey Grammer‘s daughter and Danielle Watts won the part of Martin Lawrence‘s daughter on FX/Lionsgate comedy Braddock & Jackson, reports Deadline.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Elyse Levesque (Stargate Universe) has been cast in a recurring role on CW drama The Originals, says TVLine. The Vampire Diaries spin-off returns with new eps Tuesday, January 14 at 8p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Gossip blogger Perez Hilton and reality royalty Bunim/Murray Productions (The Real World) are developing a docuseries, Gay Dads of New York, says the Hollywood Reporter. Show will follow Hilton and other gay fathers as they navigate parenthood.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Bravo‘s Watch What Happens Live earned over 1.5 million total viewers on Sunday at 11p for a season high, up 13 percent from the last new episode in November. On Monday, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills delivered a season high 1.9 million total viewers at 8p, followed by Vanderpump Rules attracting over 1.4 million viewers.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BROADWAY
Outside Mullingar with Debra Messing and Brian F. O’Bryne will starton Broadway on Thursday January 2, 2014
http://ppc.broadway.com/buzz/173416/tickets-now-available-for-outside-mullingar-on-broadway-starring-debra-messing-brian-f-obryne/

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 11/28/13)
NBC: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade at 9am
ABC: Lady Gaga & The Muppets’ Holiday Spectacular (Premiere) at 9:30pm
SCIENCE: Survivorman: Lost Pilots (Premiere) at 10pm

BLACK FRIDAY COUPONS
http://blackfriday.com

BROADWAY
American Idol Finalist Syesha Mercado joins The Book of Mormon as Nabulungi in January 2014.
http://ppc.broadway.com/buzz/173346/american-idol-finalist-syesha-mercado-joins-broadways-the-book-of-mormon-as-nabulungi/

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 11/21/13)
SUPERCHANNEL: Peaky Blinders (Premiere) at 10pm
A&E: Beyond Scared Straight (Finale) at 10pm
DIY: Leave It To Bryan (Finale) at 9pm
HBO: 24/7 Pacquiao/Rios (Finale) at 10pm
USA: Covert Affairs (Finale) at 10pm

There’ll be a familiar voice in Sochi: Bob Costas will anchor NBC‘s primetime coverage of the Olympics for a record tenth time, as well as the net’s late night coverage. Costas has served as primetime anchor at every Olympics on NBC since 1992. The 2014 Winter Games begin Thursday, February 6, 2014.
(Source: Cynopsis)

TiVo announced the results of a study measuring how effective fall season TV promos were in driving tune-in. The winner: ABC‘s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Data from 48,000 TiVo subscribers indicated the premiere was watched by 27 percent of viewers who saw three or more promos for the show, followed by CBS‘s The Crazy Ones (25.3 percent promo conversion rate), Fox‘s Sleepy Hollow (20.4 percent) and Fox‘s Brooklyn Nine-Nine (20.3 percent).
(Source: Cynopsis)

Shonda Rhimes has a book deal. The creator of Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and Scandal has signed with Simon & Schuster to write a memoir, scheduled for a 2015 release. “I have made a lot of mistakes as a single mother,” said Rhimes, “and I did all of it while running a bunch of TV shows. So I’m going to write about that.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Anderson Cooper has inked a new agreement that will keep him at CNN through the 2016 presidential election. The anchor’s 8p show, Anderson Cooper 360, is up 28 percent for the year in A25-54, averaging 211,000 viewers.
(Source: Cynopsis)

USA canceled Necessary Roughness. The show debuted to over 4.5 million viewers in 2011, but by the time it ended its third season in August, the sports drama was averaging about 2.5 million.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The day after Howard Stern announced on his radio show that he’d made up his mind to return to the America’s Got Talent judge’s panel, NBC announced Heidi Klum, Mel B and Howie Mandel will also be back for the hit summer talent competition, as well as host Nick Cannon. In its eighth season, Talent averaged a 3.3 rating in A18-49 and 12 million total viewers.
(Source: Cynopsis)

New music net Revolt rings in the season with Mary J. Blige, as “The queen of hip-hop soul” offers her take on Christmas classics in a special hosted by Queen Latifah. A Mary Christmas: A Revolt Presentation premieres Thursday, November 28 at 8p, with encores later that night and through the weekend.
(Source: Cynopsis)

MTV‘s Girl Code will call on young people to “GYT” (Get Yourself Tested for HIV and STDs) in a new episode Wednesday, November 27 at 10p. World AIDS Day is December 1.
(Source: Cynopsis)

CBS announced it’s airing back-to-back episodes of The Crazy Ones on Thanksgiving, from 8:31p-10:01.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Brad Paisley will be on hand to perform, and receive the Video Visionary Award on the American Country Awards. The Fox special airs Tuesday, December 10 at 8p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Christina Aguilera and A Great Big World join Ariana Grande as performers on the 2013 American Music Awards. The Dick Clark Productions event airs on ABC Sunday, November 24 at 8p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Joan Rivers and the Fashion Police crew will keep a close eye on the DCP music fest for E!‘s Fashion Police: 2013 American Music Awards. Kelly Osbourne, Giuliana Rancic and Hillary Scott help Joan recap of the best and the worst looks of the big night on Monday, November 25 at 9p and 10p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Laurence Fishburne is attached to star in The Right Mistake, an HBO series in development from the Matrix actor’s Cinema Gypsy Productions and Fox Television Studios, reports Deadline. The drama is based on novels by Walter Mosley featuring the character Socrates Fortlow, an ex-con Fishburne also played in a 1998 HBO movie.
(Source: Cynopsis)

ABC‘s Tuesday special, David Blaine: Real or Magic?, delivered a season high for the net in the 9:30-11p time period, with a 2.6 rating/7 share in A18-49. At 8p, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. saw its first uptick week to week, to 2.4/7 in A18-49.
(Source: Cynopsis)

CW‘s iHeartRadio event with Lady Gaga drew a scant .3/1 rating in A18-49, not a helpful lead-in for Supernatural, down 17 percent to .9/3 on Tuesday.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BROADWAY
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical begins preview performances on Broadway tonight.
http://ppc.broadway.com/buzz/173215/broadway-feels-the-earth-move-under-its-feet-as-beautiful-the-carole-king-musical-begins-performances/

The Commons of Pensacola will open Off-Broadway with Blythe Danner and Sarah Jessica Parker tonight.
http://ppc.broadway.com/buzz/173201/mtcs-the-commons-of-pensacola-starring-blythe-danner-sarah-jessica-parker-opens-off-broadway/

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 11/14/13)
MYX TV: Best Night Ever (Premiere) at 8pm
TBS: Ground Floor (Premiere) at 10pm
LIFETIME: Million Dollar Shoppers (Finale) at 10pm

Andy Cohen is leaving his corporate role as a EVP of development at Bravo to run his new production company, Most Talkative. Cohen has a first-look deal to develop primetime shows for the net. He’ll continue as host of Bravo’s late-night talker, Watch What Happens Live, which was renewed for two years.
(Source: Cynopsis)

NBCUniversal is now the sole proud owner of Sprout, the net for pre-schoolers it had shared with PBS and HIT Television Ventures. “We see enormous potential in Sprout,” said chairman of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Bonnie Hammer, “and we are committed to our investment in the kids and family arena.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

CBS moved up the premiere date of Intelligence. The cyber thriller, initially set to launch February 24, will instead debut Tuesday, January 7 at 9p. On January 13, the series moves to its regular time slot, Mondays at 10p. Hostages wraps up its run on Monday, January 6 with a two-hour finale at 9p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

E! documentary “I Am Britney Jean” follows Britney Spears as she prepares for her high-profile, two-year Las Vegas gig. Produced by World of Wonder, the 90-minute special airs Sunday, December 22 at 8p, five days before Spears’ Sin City opening. A rebroadcast airs at 9:30p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

FXX canceled late-night talk show Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, which had relocated from FX. While the series drew respectable numbers on FX, without a strong lead-in on FXX, recent episodes drew as few as 12,000 viewers.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Project Runway‘s Tim Gunn hosts new Lifetime fashion competition series, Under the Gunn, with a new crop of designers face challenges that test their style skills. Series from Weinstein Company and Bunim/Murray Productions debuts Thursday, January 16 at 9p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry and TLC have been added to the roster of performers at the American Music Awards, along with “a special unannounced guest.” The Dick Clark Productions event airs on ABC Sunday, November 24 at 8p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

MTV is feeding teen frenzy ahead of a hotly anticipated new film. MTV’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Fan Tribute includes interviews with the film’s stars, including Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, with the cast answering fan-submitted questions. Lionsgate film opens November 22; the MTV special airs Sunday, November 17 at 8p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

AXS TV will broadcast the 20th annual Nobel Peace Prize Concert, hosted by Clare Danes with performances by Mary j. Blige, James Blunt and Envy. The event will honor the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. “To be able to bring our audience artists of this caliber on behalf of promoting peace is truly an honor,” said AXS TV founder Mark Cuban. Show airs Wednesday, December 11 at 8p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

In the interest of giving the audience “a fresh take” on the series as it heads into its 29th season, MTV for the first time is bringing exes together under the same roof in Real World: Ex-Plosion. The reality show returns to San Francisco, where “The original seven cast members have no idea their exes will be moving in,” said creator/exec producer Jonathan Murray, forcing “many incredibly real situations that will resonate with our viewers.” New season premieres in 2014.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Friends‘ Matthew Perry and former on-screen wife Courteney Cox reunite when Perry guests on season five of Cox’s Cougartown. Cox had appeared on Perry‘s short-lived NBC comedy, Go On, in March. Cougartown returns to TBS on Tuesday, January 7 at 10p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Brooke Shields will guest star on The Michael J. Fox Show as a nerdy single mom in a story arc set for 2014, per the Hollywood Reporter. The NBC comedy airs Thursdays at 9:30p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

NBC ordered a pilot for a variety show starring Maya Rudolph, produced by Saturday Night Live‘s Lorne Michaels and SNL alum Rudolph. The two also collaborated on NBC’s Up All Night, cancelled after a year in 2012.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Ryan Seacrest‘s production company has sold 40 episodes of a children’s game show to Nickelodeon. Half-hour Go Viral (wt) has children competing in viral video challenges.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Vanilla Ice Goes Amish wrapped season one on November 9 as DIY‘s top prime time series among all key adult and female demos on the network this year. According to DIY, more than 6.6 million viewers tuned in to the show.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Actress Shirley Mitchell died on November 11 of heart failure. She was 94. While she may be best remembered for her role as Lucy Ricardo’s friend Marion Strong on I Love Lucy, Mitchell had roles on numerous comedies, including Bachelor Father, Please Don’t Eat the Daisies and The Beverly Hillbillies.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BROADWAY
Billy Crystal’s Tony-Winning 700 Sundays Officially Opens On Broadway.
http://ppc.broadway.com/buzz/172995/welcome-home-billy-crystals-tony-winning-700-sundays-officially-opens-on-broadway/

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 11/7/13)
DISCOVERY FIT & HEALTH: Urban Suburban (Premiere) at 9pm
DISCOVERY: Reno vs. Relocate (Premiere) at 10pm
LIFETIME: Million Dollar shoppers (Premiere) at 10pm
SCIENCE: Mega Shredders (Premiere) at 8pm
SUPERCHANNEL: Skins (Finale) at 10pm
WE TV: Tamar & vince (Finale) at 9pm

The FCC wants TBS to fork over a $25,000 fine for an April Conan promo that included a mock emergency alert warning. “It is inexcusable to trivialize the sounds specifically used to notify viewers of the dangers of an incoming tornado or to alert them to be on the lookout for a kidnapped child,” said FCC Enforcement Bureau Acting Chief Robert H. Ratcliffe. Turner said it has since changed its review practices.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Dan Rather, who covered President John F. Kennedy’s assassination for CBS in 1963 before becoming the net’s lead anchor for 24 years, will be sharing his story with Tom Brokaw on NBC November 22, the 50th anniversary of the event that rocked the nation. Rather, who exited CBS in 2006 over a dispute about a story about George W. Bush’s military service, has said he wasn’t asked to participate in the net’s anniversary coverage.
(Source: Cynopsis)

WE tv has enlisted Traci Braxton, star of its Braxton Family Values, in the net’s efforts to support the Foundation for Women’s Cancer.
(Source: Cynopsis)

TV Land is launching new comedy Kirstie with two back-to-back episodes. In the premiere, diva Maddie Banks (Kirstie Alley) meets the son she gave up for adoption. The cast includes Alley’s former Cheers co-star Rhea Perlman and Michael Richards (Seinfeld). Premiere is Wednesday, December 4 at 10p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

American Horror Story: Coven has been renewed by FX for a fourth season. Now in its third run, the horror drama is averaging 7.74 million total viewers and 5.45 in A18-49.
(Source: Cynopsis)

TV Land‘s The Exes is coming back for an extended season three. After the comedy’s summer airing scored 9 percent above the prior year’s average in the A25-54 demo and had a 21 percent increase in total viewers, the net ordered 10 more episodes, which launch Wednesday, December 11 at 10:30p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Justified starts its season five on FX Tuesday, January 7 at 10p. The net’s highest-rated comedy, Archer, will also start its fifth season, but is moving from a Thursday slot to Mondays at 10p, starting January 13.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Netflix is launching the sophomore season of Lilyhammer on Friday, December 13. All eight eps of the mob drama will be available for streaming.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Joel Johnstone (Newsroom) has joined the cast of Lifetime backdoor pilot Deliverance Creek, says the Hollywood Reporter. The Warner Horizon Television drama is set at the end of the Civil War.
(Source: Cynopsis)

TBS has picked up a pilot from Steve Carell and his wife, Nancy. Tribeca, from Carell’s Carousel Television, is a satire of procedurals that will be written and exec produced by the couple.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Fox is developing a buddy comedy from Conan O’Brien, reports Variety. The Conaco project is about the rocky road to success, told from the perspectives of two old men.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Last week’s preemptions for The X Factor didn’t hold down Fox’s Tuesday comedies. Dads, 1.4/4 in the A18-49 demo, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, 1.6/4, held steady with their last original eps, according to Nielson, and New Girl (2.0/5) and The Mindy Project (1.5/4) both got ratings bumps to beat ABC comedies The Goldbergs (1.5/4) and Trophy Wife (1.1/3) in their time slots.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The return of The Real Housewives of Atlanta for season six on Sunday delivered 3.1 million viewers and 1.9 million A25-54, reports Bravo, making it the top show in ad-supported cable during the 8p hour in all key demos.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BROADWAY
First Date to with Zachary Levi & Krysta Rodriguez to end Broadway run in January 2014.
http://ppc.broadway.com/buzz/172897/the-bailout-modern-musical-comedy-first-date-to-end-broadway-run-in-2014/

Circus-Cabaret Show La Soiree officially open Off-Broadway today
http://ppc.broadway.com/buzz/172873/step-right-up-step-right-up-circus-cabaret-show-la-soiree-officially-opens-off-broadway/

Il Divo: A Musical Affair opens on Broadway, featuring Heather Headley.
http://ppc.broadway.com/buzz/172891/can-you-feel-the-love-tonight-il-divo-a-musical-affair-opens-on-broadway-featuring-heather-headley/

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 10/24/13)
FOOD: Restaurant Divided (Premiere) at 10pm
LIFETIME: Project Runway All Stars (Premiere) at 9pm
MTV: Scrubbing In (Premiere) at 10pm

ABC is giving Super Fun Night and Back in the Game a little more time to grow. The net ordered two more scripts each for the rookie Wednesday sitcoms. Game scored a 2.3 rating in A18-49 last week; Fun drew a 2.6 rating in the demo.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Ryan Seacrest will keep ringing in the New Year for ABC. The American Idol host/entrepreneur started as co-host of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Clark in 2005; last year, after Clark’s passing Seacrest became the sole host, drawing 22.6 million viewers. “It’s very difficult to take over a franchise created by an icon and grow it,” said Allen Shapiro, CEO of Dick Clark Productions, announcing the multi-year pact. “Ryan has done just that.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Chuck Lorre will be presented with the Norman Lear Life Achievement Award in Television at the Producers Guild of America Awards on Sunday, January 19. Tom Hanks, Lorne Michaels and J.J. Abrams are among past recipients of the honor.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Two-time Olympian Johnny Weir announced on NBC‘s Today that he is retiring from competitive skating, but will make the trip to the 2014 Winter Games as an expert analyst for NBC. Gold medalist Tara Lipinski and silver medalist, for ice dancing, Tanith Belbin will also be on hand at Sochi.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The X Factor fans will be able to vote for their favorite singers through music and TV app Shazam starting Wednesday, November 6. Online voting for the Fox competition show will include the ability to SuperVote, or cast up to 50 votes at the same time. Online voting will be sponsored by Honda across all digital platforms.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Duck Dynasty is going mobile. The A&E hit reality show and has spawned an iOS game from RED Games, Duck Dynasty: Battle of the Beards, that involves duck calls, squirrel hunts and donut-tossing. The more challenges a player completes, the longer their avatar beard grows. The app is available at the iTunes App Store; show airs Wednesdays at 10p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Bravo is making room for another series in its hit Million Dollar Listing franchise. This time the high-end real estate is in South Florida, where World of Wonder Productions will explore swank homes and a surging market for Million Dollar Listing Miami. MDL Los Angeles debuted in 2006.
(Source: Cynopsis)

TMZ Live has been renewed by Fox Television Stations through the 2016-2017 season. The gossip news show, an extension of the TMZ web site, “breaks out of the traditional syndication model – which is clearly in need of an overhaul,” said Fox TV Stations SVP of programming Frank Cicha.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Child actor Pierce Gagnon (Looper) will play the son of Halle Berry‘s character in upcoming CBS summer series Extant. The Amblin Television/CBS TV Studios production is about an astronaut trying to reconnect with her family.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Kathryn Prescott (Skins) will star in MTV pilot Finding Carter, per the Hollywood Reporter. Prescott joins Anna Jacoby-Heron (Vegas), Zac Pullam and Nolan Sotillo (Prom) in the coming-of-age drama.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Francia Raisa (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) scored a role in Lifetime pilot Unreal, according the Hollywood Reporter. The show from Wieden + Kennedy Entertainment dramatizes life behind the scenes at a reality show.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Tricia O’Kelley (The New Adventures of Old Christine) will guest star on ABC Family‘s Melissa & Joey, for an ep airing in 2014.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Rob Lowe has a project at ABC based on his own life, reports Deadline. West Wing co-exec producer Kevin Falls will write, with Falls and Lowe exec-producing for Sony Pictures Television.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BROADWAY
The Snow Geese starring Mary-Louise Parker, Victoria Clark & Danny Burstein, opens on Broadway.
http://ppc.broadway.com/buzz/172558/the-snow-geese-starring-mary-louise-parker-victoria-clark-danny-burstein-opens-on-broadway/