Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Has 'Heroes' lost its powers?

With the new TV season 2 weeks old, one thing is obvious. One time fan favorite 'Heroes' has continued to bleed viewers and it's prospects of a 5th season seem unlikely at this point.

'Heroes' earned a 3.6 rating/5 share, according to Fast National ratings from The Nielsen Co., staying even with its young season average so far.

Aside from the CW network, 'Heroes' was the lowest rated show in the 8pm timeslot on Monday night. It was beat by rating's powerhouses 'Dancing with the Stars' on ABC, and 'House' on Fox. CBS's comedy block also handily beat 'Heroes.'

'Heroes' ratings in it's first season were as high as 16 million viewers, and were as high as 10 million viewer at it's high point last season.

The show cannot continue at this pace, and if the ratings do not improve over the course of this season, it will likely not return for a 5th season.

Charlie Sheen to quit 'Men?'

Charlie Sheen has been dropping hints that this season may be his last on the CBS hit series 'Two and A Half Men.'

"I've got five kids, I've got an amazing wife. There is life outside of show business. It's been a great run. This is my last contract year," Sheen is reported as saying.

This could all be a ploy to get more money from CBS with a new contract extension.

Sheen is already the highest paid actor on TV, with a reported $825,000 per episode. With syndication deals, Sheen could easily never work again.

Despite regular ratings success on the show, Sheen insists he could walk away when his current contract expires.

CBS to spin-off 'Criminal Minds'

CBS is planning a spinoff to it's hit procedural crime drama 'Criminal Minds.' The show will be created by the show's executive producers Ed Bernero and Chris Mundy.

Mundy will be penning the pilot, which will air as an episode of 'Criminal Minds' in the spring.

The show will feature a new set of FBI agents and not any of the current characters.

A 'Criminal Minds' spinoff has been discussed for more than year, but CBS decided to go with an NCIS spinoff instead. NCIS:Los Angeles debuted last week as the seasons highest rated new drama with 18.7 million viewers.

'Criminal Minds' has also gotten off to a strong start this season, debuting with 15.8 million viewers.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Jennifer Morrison leaving 'House'

Michael Ausiello from Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Jennifer Morrison has left 'House' and that the decision was not hers.

Morrison, the first of the show’s original cast members to depart, shot her last scene earlier this week and her final episode will air in November. Producers are calling this a "creative decision."

Last week, the show had a premiere screening in Hollywood and Morrison was conspicuously absent. This did raise suspicions, which apparently are now proving correct.

Producers insist that her character, Cameron, will not be killed off and they have left the door open for her to make a guest appearance later on this season. Her on screen love interest, played by Jesse Spencer, is not leaving the show.

Shocking news to say the least for 'House' fans. The show has gotten off to a fast start with a great premiere. Hopefully this news will not hurt the show.

'Damages' adds some big names for Season 3

FX announced that the show has added 4 big names to the cast for Season 3.

Martin Short, and Campbell Scott have been added to cast as regulars, while Lily Tomlin and Keith Carradine are joining as guest stars.

The show premiered in 2008 to great ratings for the FX network and continues to perform well. Glenn Close has won an Emmy for her performance as ruthless attorney Patty Hewes for 2 straight years.

'Damages' has become one my favorite shows and this news has me looking forward to another great season. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of seeing this show, do yourself a favor and rent the DVD's to catch up. You will not be disappointed.

The show will begin filming it's 3rd season this week, and is scheduled to return in January.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Heather Locklear is returning to Melrose Place

The CW network announced Tuesday that Heather Locklear, 47, will be reprising her role as Amanda Woodward on the new CW version of the show. Her first appearance on the show will be November 17th.

"We're ecstatic to have the chance to bring Amanda Woodward back to Melrose Place," executive producers Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer said in a statement. "Heather's involvement in the show is something we've been working on for some time as we couldn't imagine creating and producing this show without the iconic character's inclusion."

Before 'Melrose,' Locklear had been a regular on the cop show 'T.J. Hooker' and the glamorous melodrama 'Dynasty.' She later co-starred with Michael J. Fox on the sitcom 'Spin City.'

She will now be joining original 'Melrose' castmates Laura Leighton, Thomas Calabro, Josie Bisset and Daphne Zuniga in the CW's updated version.

'Glee' gets full season order

Fox has given a full season order to the freshman series 'Glee.' This really comes as no surprise. The show has done well for the network and has been a critical darling ever since it's pilot episode premiered last spring.

'Glee' is the first show of the new season to get a full season order. Series creator Ryan Murphy said, "It's fantastic to be the first show picked up, and that this underdog series, like its characters, will get the chance to keep singing. There are so many more stories to tell."

'Glee' premiered to Fox's highest numbers for a new scripted show in three years. The first episode drew 7.3 million viewers, which won its Wednesday time slot in the adults 18-49 demographic, and notched an impressing 3.5 rating.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Jordan Lloyd wins Big Brother 11

Jordan Lloyd, the 22 year old waitress from Matthews, NC overcame huge odds and took home the $500,000 prize on Big Brother 11.

This season saw it's share of controversy and drama. None more so then when houseguest Chima Siomone was expelled from the house for breaking the rules. That event alone skewed the balance of power in the house and changed the outcome of the game.

The final part of the head of household was your standard "finish this statement made by a juror" with two answer choices. This came down to a tiebreaker, which was won by Jordan.

Moments later, Jordan chose to evict Kevin and take Natalie with her to the final 2. This was the right move for Jordan. Kevin played a very good game and most likely would have won the majority of votes from the jury.

Here is the breakdown of the voting:
  • America's Vote - Jordan
  • Jessie - Jordan
  • Lydia - Jordan
  • Russell - Natalie
  • Jeff - Jordan
  • Michele - Jordan
  • Kevin - Natalie
One other note from the evening, Jeff won the $25,000 prize from being voted America's Favorite Houseguest.

All in all, a pretty good season. Had some good drama, and overall a pretty good group of players. Looking forward to Big Brother 12!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Leno debuts to big ratings

NBC's much hyped and much maligned 'Jay Leno Show' premiered to big ratings last night.

The show debuted to nearly 18 million viewers. That's more than 3 times the number of people who used to watch the 'Tonight' show on a daily basis.

Leno was undoubtedly helped by the appearance of Kanye West, who made headlines the day before at the MTV Video Music Awards.

For NBC the other good news was how broad the interest was in Mr Leno’s return. He scored a hit rating of 5.1 in the age group NBC most prizes - viewers between 18 and 49 (about 6.7 million viewers) - but he was even bigger with older groups, hitting a 6.2 rating among viewers 25 to 54 and a huge 10.8 rating among viewers over 50.

Leno's numbers will inevitably decline over the coming months as the competition heats up with new shows on the other networks, but his premiere numbers are impressive considering he was up against a ratings juggernaut in Monday Night Football.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Patrick Swayze dies

Actor Patrick Swayze has died after a nearly two year battle with pancreatic cancer. “Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months,” said a statement released Monday evening by his publicist, Annett Wolf. No other details were given.

His iconic performances in such films as 'Dirty Dancing' and 'Ghost' made him one of Hollywood's biggest stars in the 80's and 90's and his brave battle against cancer inspired millions.

The story from the Associated Press said:

A three-time Golden Globe nominee, Swayze became a star with his performance as the misunderstood bad-boy Johnny Castle in "Dirty Dancing." As the son of a choreographer who began his career in musical theater, he seemed a natural to play the role.

A coming-of-age romance starring Jennifer Grey as an idealistic young woman on vacation with her family and Swayze as the Catskills resort's sexy (and much older) dance instructor, the film made great use of both his grace on his feet and his muscular physique.

It became an international phenomenon in the summer of 1987, spawning albums, an Oscar-winning hit song in "(I've Had) the Time of My Life," stage productions and a sequel, 2004's "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights," in which he made a cameo.

Swayze performed and co-wrote a song on the soundtrack, the ballad "She's Like the Wind," inspired by his wife, Lisa Niemi. The film also gave him the chance to utter the now-classic line, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

A major crowdpleaser, the film drew only mixed reviews from critics, though Vincent Canby wrote in The New York Times, "Given the limitations of his role, that of a poor but handsome sex-object abused by the rich women at Kellerman's Mountain House, Mr. Swayze is also good. ... He's at his best — as is the movie — when he's dancing."

Swayze followed that up with the 1989 action flick "Road House," in which he played a bouncer at a rowdy bar. But it was his performance in 1990's "Ghost" that showed his vulnerable, sensitive side. He starred as a murdered man trying to communicate with his fiancee (Demi Moore) — with great frustration and longing — through a psychic played by Whoopi Goldberg.

Swayze said at the time that he fought for the role of Sam Wheat (director Jerry Zucker wanted Kevin Kline) but once he went in for an audition and read six scenes, he got it.

Why did he want the part so badly? "It made me cry four or five times," he said of Bruce Joel Rubin's Oscar-winning script in an AP interview.

"Ghost" provided yet another indelible musical moment: Swayze and Moore sensually molding pottery together to the strains of the Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody." It also earned a best-picture nomination and a supporting-actress Oscar for Goldberg, who said she wouldn't have won if it weren't for Swayze.

"When I won my Academy Award, the only person I really thanked was Patrick," Goldberg said in March 2008 on the ABC daytime talk show "The View."

Swayze himself earned three Golden Globe nominations, for "Dirty Dancing," "Ghost" and 1995's "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar," which further allowed him to toy with his masculine image. The role called for him to play a drag queen on a cross-country road trip alongside Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo.

His heartthrob status almost kept him from being considered for the role of Vida Boheme.

"I couldn't get seen on it because everyone viewed me as terminally heterosexually masculine-macho," he told the AP then. But he transformed himself so completely that when his screen test was sent to Steven Spielberg, whose Amblin pictures produced "To Wong Foo," Spielberg didn't recognize him.

Among his earlier films, Swayze was part of the star-studded lineup of up-and-comers in Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 adaptation of S.E. Hinton's novel "The Outsiders," alongside Rob Lowe, Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Emilio Estevez and Diane Lane. Swayze played Darrel "Dary" Curtis, the oldest of three wayward brothers — and essentially the father figure — in a poor family in small-town Oklahoma.

Other '80s films included "Red Dawn," "Grandview U.S.A." (for which he also provided choreography) and "Youngblood," once more with Lowe, as Canadian hockey teammates.

In the '90s, he made such eclectic films as "Point Break" (1991), in which he played the leader of a band of bank-robbing surfers, and the family Western "Tall Tale" (1995), in which he starred as Pecos Bill. He appeared on the cover of People magazine as its "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1991, but his career tapered off toward the end of the 1990s, when he also had stay in rehab for alcohol abuse. In 2001, he appeared in the cult favorite "Donnie Darko," and in 2003 he returned to the New York stage with "Chicago"; 2006 found him in the musical "Guys and Dolls" in London.

Swayze was born in 1952 in Houston, the son of Jesse Swayze and choreographer Patsy Swayze, whose films include "Urban Cowboy."

He played football but also was drawn to dance and theater, performing with the Feld, Joffrey and Harkness Ballets and appearing on Broadway as Danny Zuko in "Grease." But he turned to acting in 1978 after a series of injuries.

Within a couple years of moving to Los Angeles, he made his debut in the roller-disco movie "Skatetown, U.S.A." The eclectic cast included Scott Baio, Flip Wilson, Maureen McCormack and Billy Barty.

Swayze had a couple of movies in the works when his diagnosis was announced, including the drama "Powder Blue," starring Jessica Biel, Forest Whitaker and his younger brother, Don, which was scheduled for release this year.

Off-screen, he was an avid conservationist who was moved by his time in Africa to shine a light on "man's greed and absolute unwillingness to operate according to Mother Nature's laws," he told the AP in 2004.

Swayze is survived by his wife of 34 years, Lisa Niemi. He was 57.

Jay Leno lucks out tonight, will you be watching?

'The Jay Leno Show' premieres tonight, and we've been hearing many things about it since it was announced. We've heard that it was going to change the face of TV, we've also heard how much of a colossal failure it will be.

I'm going to make bold prediction here and say that Jay's first week will be a smashing success.

Jay has actually lucked out with his guests tonight. First we have Jerry Seinfeld who is still a big draw and will most likely draw big viewers.

But here is where Jay gets lucky. Let's flashback to last nights MTV Video Music Awards. Taylor Swift wins for Best Female Video and in the middle of her acceptance speech, Kanye West jumps up and snatches the microphone from her and starts saying how Beyonce should have won the award, making a real ass out of himself. Well, care to guess who Jay's other guest is tonight? That's right, the ass himself, Kanye West.

Now one thing that will cut into Jay's ratings will be Monday Night Football, but Jay's premiere was going to get a lot of coverage anyway, and now will even get more coverage. So that will draw viewers for at least the rest of the week.

It will still be too early to tell how the shows long term prospects will be, but as always, stay tuned!

This Week's Premieres

Here are the shows that are premiering or returning this week:

Monday, September 14th

The Jay Leno Show - 10 pm (NBC) Series Premiere
Gossip Girl - 9 pm (CW) 3rd Season
One Tree Hill - 8 pm (CW) 7th Season

Tuesday, September 15th

The Biggest Loser - 8 pm (NBC) 8th Season

Wednesday, September 16th

The Beautiful Life - 9 pm (CW) Series Premiere
Launch My Line - 10 pm (Bravo) Series Premiere

Thursday, September 17th

Bones - 8 pm (Fox) 5th Season
Community - 9:30 pm (NBC) Series Premiere
Fringe - 9 pm (Fox) 2nd Season
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - 10 pm (FX) 5th Season
The Office - 9 pm (NBC) 6th Season
Parks and Recreation - 8:30 pm (NBC) 2nd Season
Survivor: Samoa - 8 pm (CBS) 19th Season

Friday, September 18th

Crash - 10 pm (Starz) 2nd Season

Sunday, September 6, 2009

This Week's Premieres

The new TV season is almost upon us. Here are the shows that are premiering or returning this week!

Tuesday, September 8th

90210 - 8 pm (CW) 2nd Season
Melrose Place - 9 pm (CW) Series Premiere.
Sons of Anarchy - 10 pm (FX) 2nd Season

Wednesday, September 9th

America's Next Top Model - 8 pm (CW) 13th Season
Glee - 9 pm (Fox) Series Premiere (Pilot aired in May)
So You Think You Can Dance - 8 pm (Fox) 6th Season

Thursday, September 10th

Supernatural - 9 pm (CW) 5th Season
The Vampire Diaries - 8 pm (CW) Series Premiere

Saturday, September 12th

America's Most Wanted - 9 pm (Fox) 21st Season
Cops - 8 pm (Fox) 22nd Season