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News, scoops, reviews and more from TV land.
Kristen Wiig returns to 'Saturday Night Live'...and Gilly, and Target Lady, and...
Photo credit: Kristen Wiig (Getty Images)
Along with a couple of surprises - a very pregnant Maya Rudolph - Kristen Wiig returned to "Saturday Night Live" last night and reminded us a.) why we miss her so much; and b) why she is irreplaceable after all.
Plus, when or if in doubt, reprise the oldies and goldies, and everything else will fall into place. Gilly...Lawrence Welk...Target Lady. Plus, a pretty cool new-comer, a star of a Disney Channel show, about a "Korean water witch..." (Gilly, in a pre-taped bit, appeared in the monologue...)
Some of the highlights...
'Smash,' 'Rock Center' cancelled
Photo credit: AP
For NBC it was the afternoon of broken dreams and busted promise - more specifically, the end of some of the most touted if not viewed series of the last couple of seasons: "Smash," "Rock Center with Brian Williams" and "The New Normal" were cancelled.
In addition, ABC ended "Happy Endings," and "Southland" - which had its roots at NBC back...
Read more »CBS to air tribute to Jeanne Cooper of 'The Young and the Restless'
Jeanne Cooper, the doyenne of TV soaps who died earlier this week at age 84, will get a special tribute on CBS -- home of "The Young and the Restless" -- later this month. The network just announced details.
It'll feature cast members and friends of Cooper, who portrayed Katherine Chancellor for over a thousand episodes on "Y&R" -- the longest-running cast member --...
Read more »Is '24' coming back as a...TV series?
Photo credit: Fox
Big, exciting, fun, thrilling -and possibly even true - news is now washing over the network upfront discussions leading up to next week's fall schedule announcements: "24" may return as a limited run series on Fox.
This broke earlier on Deadlline - which has a habit of getting things right - and my cursory explorations into the matter have turned up this: That talks are certainly going on, but that any sort of deal is "premature." Nevertheless, this is Thursday night, and Fox won't be announcing its lineup until Monday - that's all the time in the world to make something happen.
Sources say there's certainly nothing to announce at the moment, but a series - and here we sail off into the seas of speculation - would supplant, or at least supplement, the long-in-development movie that fans have long been waiting for. That movie is believed to be on hold, in part because Howard Gordon - who was writing/developing - is so busy elsewhere, notably on a third season of Showtime's celebrated "Homeland."
Is Kiefer Sutherland on board? ("Touch" was cancelled earlier this afternoon by Fox; sorry to be the bearer of bad news. This was a good series.) Another unknown.
Meanwhile, this could also be one of those big teases that Fox Entertainment chief Kevin Reilly drops on the restless crowd - just after he announces a new "fix" for "Idol" - at the Beacon on Monday. "24 is coming back!" The crowd will love the idea - except that it may only be an idea for the time being.
Randy Jackson leaving 'American Idol'
Photo credit: Fox
Randy Jackson, the last surviving link to the glory days of "American Idol," has announced his departure from the show at the end of this season.
In a resignation hand-delivered to E! Thursday, Jackson said: "Yo! Yo! Yo! To put all of the speculation to rest, after 12 years of judging on 'American Idol' I have decided it is time to leave after this season. I am very proud of how we forever changed television and the music industry. It's been a life changing opportunity but I am looking forward to focusing on my company Dream Merchant 21 and other business ventures."
"Idol" and FremantleMedia had all but fired Jackson at the end of last season, but they were forced to rehire him when talks with judge Jennifer Lopez abruptly collapsed. Jackson also had close ties with Mariah Carey, whom he managed and worked closely with for many years, going back to his days as a session musician and later as an executive with her label, Columbia Records.
Whether Jackson was annoyed by his apparent near-dismissal last summer is unclear, but there has been no evidence of any discord on the air. In fact, most of the noise -- on-screen and off -- has been generated by Nicki Minaj in her presumed feud with Carey. Both women are also expected to leave after the season ends next week, according to recent reports. The Wrap.com reported Thursday that all four judges (Keith Urban is the fourth) would be replaced.
Fox and FremantleMedia North America declined to comment on Jackson's resignation, and Jackson's management representative did not respond to an email.
NBC renews 'Parks and Recreation" but cancels...
Photo credit: AP
Knope wins! "Parks and Recreation" is coming back next season: NBC just handed the Amy Poehler vehicle another season, and it was expected. (Really, how could you cancel "Parks & Rec?") But when the network gods open a window, they close a door. Cancellation notices have gone out to "Whitney" and "1600 Penn."
Also axed: "Guys with Kids" and "Up all Night." The former is a bit of a surprise if only because it was fronted by Jimmy Fallon; the latter had high hopes and has gone through a number of revises, but...
'Princesses Long Island,' a first look
Photo credit: Giovanni Rufino/Bravo
"Princesses: Long Island" arrives on Bravo in early June, but, in the meantime, here's a quick overview of the pilot, which we've seen. (A full, very opinionated review will be coming later this month.)
As you probably already know, it's about a group of young women on Long Island who live at home with their parents in various communities (Great Neck, Roslyn, and so on). They are:...
Read more »Jessica Sanchez on 'Glee' finale
Photo credit: Fox
"Glee" wraps Thursday — as all you Gleeks well know — but for you non-Gleeks, here's something of keen interest: Jessica Sanchez, who has had one heck of a post-"Idol" career, will be on the finale as well.
So will the great Patty Duke, and as soon as I can find something, will post that too. You'd think Ryan Murphy would kvell over someone like Duke, but I guess Fox is arguing that no one in the "Glee" demo — you know, like 12-year-olds — even knows who she is. Yes, this is what American culture has come to...
But I'm off-track. Here's the clip. She's with a rival glee club, etc. It's all explained.
PHOTOS: Finals | Semifinals | Auditions | "Idol" judges past and present | Winners and finalists
'Community:' Expect a fifth season
Photo credit: Getty Images
Let's go all out here and make a prediction that we can all hope comes true Sunday night when NBC unwraps the 2013-14 fall lineup: "Community" will return for a fifth season. I could of course be wrong — there are different timelines, some evil, that could also play out.
But I think this will happen.
Tonight's the finale, and you may want to watch if you're a fan, even...
Read more »Remembering soap opera star Jeanne Cooper
Photo credit: AP
Jeanne Cooper, one of the legendary stars of the soaps, has died, her son Corbin Bersen announced via Facebook earlier today. The AP reported the following: "Cooper died Wednesday morning in her sleep, her son, actor Corbin Bernsen, wrote on Facebook. The family confirmed the death to CBS, according to a network spokeswoman. Bernsen tweeted April 12 that his mother faced an "uphill battle" for an undisclosed illness. In subsequent days he wrote of her gradual improvement and said that she'd been taken off breathing equipment."
CBS's statement: “Jeanne Cooper will be remembered as a daytime television legend and as a friend who will truly be missed by all of us here at the Network,” said Nina Tassler, President, CBS Entertainment. “She was the longest-running cast member on daytime’s #1 show, bringing indelible charm, class and talent to every episode. On behalf of everyone at CBS, we send our condolences to Jeanne's family, as well as the legions of fans she has amassed during her record 39 years on ‘The Young and The Restless,’ and throughout her career.”
Even if you are not familiar with "Y&R," you probably know the name of the character she played - Katherine Chancellor, one of the classic figures of soapdom who graced this series for its entire run, or since 1973.
More to come, but here are some clips...of Cooper, who starred in dozens of westerns back in the TV golden days, talking about Chancellor and taking questions about the role; and of Cooper, discussing the role ...
