Stay Tuned
Reviews, previews and much more on "The Real Housewives," "How I Met Your Mother," "NCIS" and many more of your favorite shows. This is the place to talk about all of the things that make us "Stay Tuned"…

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

"X Factor" Shocker: Why Paula?

Last night when I left you guys, Steve Jones and Nicole Scherzinger were both out at “The X Factor.”

So when I scanned the subject lines in my email inbox this morning, I was surprised to see one that said, “You’ll never guess who’s not returning to ‘X Factor.” I couldn’t figure out how anyone could be surprised that Steve and Nicole were gone…

And then I saw the words that explained what they meant. Simon Cowell had fired Paula Abdul.

Nope. I wouldn’t have guessed that one…

So what’s going on here? My best guess is that Simon is angry. He’s angry that he didn’t best “American Idol” and he’s pulling out all the stops to do it next season. But why take his anger out on Paula?

“The Hollywood Reporter,” which originally reported the story that Paula had been let go, speculates that Paula was irrelevant last season. And since all of her groups were eliminated early, I could agree with that. But that wasn’t her fault. Not enough decent groups auditioned and Paula was stuck with a bunch of hodgepodge groups stuck together at the last minute.

There’s also speculation that Simon was looking for some freshness instead of reminding viewers of his relationship with Paula. That may be true, but I don’t like it. Paula was a good mentor and judge and she deserved another season. “The X Factor” has a lot of issues, but Paula was not one of them.

By the way, it looks like L.A. Reid will be staying on as a judge, which makes sense since he and Simon stirred up most of the drama.

So who will fill the empty chairs? I still say Mariah Carey plays in there somewhere. Kelly Rowland has also been rumored as a possibility…

What do you guys think? Do you even care about “The X Factor” anymore without the Simon-Paula dynamic?

Monday, January 30, 2012

Breaking News: More "X Factor" Changes

The “X Factor” changes just keep rolling in…

The Hollywood Reporter” is reporting that FOX has confirmed the exit of Nicole Scherzinger as a judge.

According to one report, Nicole is leaving to concentrate on her music career with Simon Cowell’s blessing. I’m thinking Simon gave more than his blessing to her departure…

Nicole’s debut album has been delayed repeatedly, so I can understand the whole music excuse, but I’ve got to believe she saw the writing on the wall and that she knew she was on Simon’s hit list.

No word yet on possible replacements, but I’m willing to bet money that Mariah Carey is on Simon’s short list…

Photo Credit: Ray Mickshaw/FOX

Breaking News: Steve Jones Out as "X Factor" Host

It's official. Steve Jones is out as the host of "The X Factor"...

Jones himself reported the news via tweet, according to "The Hollywood Reporter": "I won't be hosting next seasons XFactor which is a shame but I can't complain as I've had a great time. Good luck to everyone on the show."

No word from FOX on what's next.

As I've said before, Jones is a super nice guy. But he was not cut out to host a live show. I wish him the best...

Photo Credit: Nino Munoz/FOX

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

"Touch" Review: Can I Ever Forgive Tim Kring?

Tonight is the night Kiefer Sutherland officially returns to television…

If you missed it, here were my thoughts about the show from my “Stay Tuned” column last week. Remember that the show airs tonight (Wednesday, January 25th) at 9 p.m., after “American Idol.” Please note that the show will run until 10:07 p.m…

At least once a week, I say to someone, “It really is a small world, isn’t it?” Sometimes it seems like we’re all connected in some way.

And that’s part of the premise of the new FOX drama, “Touch.” There are patterns and numbers that connect people and events, but only a special few can see those connections.

One of those people is 10-year-old Jake Bohm (David Mazouz), who has never spoken a word to anyone. His father, Martin (Kiefer Sutherland), struggles to take care of him and connect with him. But when Martin realizes there is a pattern to Jake’s strange actions, he discovers that Jake has been communicating with him after all.

The pilot shows us the stories of several different people that seem completely unconnected. But by the end of the hour, they all come together in a really cool way. And then Jake begins a new “roadmap” for his dad and his social worker, Clea (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) to follow.

To say the show is fascinating would be an understatement. And it’s great to have Sutherland back on television with a chance to show a more sensitive side. But my enthusiasm for the show is tempered by the presence of a particular person behind the scenes—creator Tim Kring.

Kring is the man who gave us “Heroes,” the NBC drama whose spectacular flameout is the stuff of TV legend. And that’s what I fear with “Touch.” I’m afraid that the show will completely hook me and then break my heart by crashing and burning—just like “Heroes” did. And the fact that the “Touch” pilot has a real “Heroes” first season vibe to it really doesn’t help that fear.

I’m fully aware that I’m totally putting the cart before the house here and I should just enjoy the ride. But that’s how badly the decline of “Heroes” hurt. Plus, since Sutherland is one of my very favorite actors, I really want this show to succeed. If only I could read life’s patterns, I would already know how this one will all turn out.

Photo Credit: Richard Foreman/FOX

Catherine's "CSI" Goodbye

Don’t forget that tonight is the night “CSI” fans say goodbye to Marg Helgenberger and her character Catherine Willows.

Elisabeth Shue will join the show next month…

“CSI” airs tonight (Wednesday, January 25th) at 10 p.m. on CBS…

Photo Credit: Monty Brinton

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Kiefer on "Touch": "I didn't want to be sitting there watching this fantastic show"

Friday, I finally got the email I’d been waiting on ever since I’ve been doing this—an invitation to a conference call with Kiefer Sutherland…

And Monday, there I was on the other end of the phone with him. Granted, there were a ton of other reporters on the line with me, but that didn’t matter. His voice was coming through my phone.

Since I know you’re wondering, yes, I did ask him a question. No, I didn’t stutter, although my throat started to close up a little before it was my turn. And yes, he is just as gracious as everyone says he is. In fact, I would say he was the most courteous and respectful actor I’ve ever heard on a conference call.

Of course, it helps that he’s promoting something that he’s passionate about—his new FOX drama, “Touch.” And honestly, he does have reason to be passionate. If only Tim Kring wasn’t involved…

Here’s a look at what Kiefer had to say, via the official FOX transcript. I mean, you didn’t seriously think I was able to write during this thing, did you?

He talked about why he is back on television so soon, what he loves about the show and whether or not we’ll finally see him work with his father…

On what drew him to do the show: “It was funny. I was doing a play in New York on Broadway. I had a film that I knew I was going to go do and so I read ‘Touch’ almost reluctantly. I don’t think I was completely ready to go back to television yet. I was enjoying some of the different opportunities that I had had. I think it was around page 30, I remember going, ‘Oh, s--t,’ or I guess something you could print, ‘D—n it,’ which I just knew I would be so remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity that ‘Touch’ was. I identified with him out of the gate. There was something interesting because obviously this is very different than ‘24.’

Yet there is a real similar through line in the kind of character of the man. Jack Bauer would be faced with unbelievable circumstances in the course of a day and he would never win completely. And this guy is never going to win either. He’s never going to have the quintessential relationship of a father and a son.

And yet he perseveres and that’s a great kind of character statement and so I identified with him greatly on that and I think as a parent as well just the sense of responsibility combined with not knowing what to do all the time. Even though this is again a heightened experience, I think every parent feels that. I certainly can speak for myself and say that I have during Camelia’s pregnancy when Sarah was—for nine months I’d have these great fantasies of how I was going to be the greatest dad on the planet. And then she was born and a kind of fear came over me like none other that I’ve ever had in my life. I was confronted with the fact that I really didn’t know what I was doing and it was something that I was going to have to figure out as I went.

And I really relate to Martin on that level and just the dynamic between he and the son I just find so extraordinary. So for all of those reasons, those were the first things that grasped me.”

On whether he thinks the world really does exist with everything connected, as the show suggests: “Well, I absolutely think it does. Can one focus on every single moment of their life in this way? No, of course not, but anything as simple as someone who is late for a bus one day, all of a sudden they’re not on the bus. They’re taking up other space. They either had to get a taxi and that affects the taxi driver’s life.

So yes I do believe that there is a cause and effect and a ripple effect upon everything everybody does and they have positive consequences and negative consequences. If you start to focus on the kind of minutia of that, it’s really quite extraordinary, or should I get on the elevator now or should I wait, and obviously we can’t live our lives like that. But I do believe very strongly that all of us and all of the other things in the context of our planet with Mother Nature, all of these things absolutely have a profound effect. Some of the effects that can be felt are small and some of them are very large and it was really interesting to do a show that focused on that.”

On what made him come back to TV so soon: “Well, it was a combination of things. I had an unbelievable experience on ‘24.’ We shot 198 episodes and I was as excited about shooting the 198th as I was the first. So that experience, and I had a great relationship with Fox, both the studio and the network. And so that combined with this script, it wasn’t even really a choice anymore. It was something that I knew I had to do.

And I remember thinking about it really strongly when I was crossing the street in New York and the person who I work with Susan, I remember saying to her if we don’t do this, how are we going to feel in September watching it knowing all of its potential and how great we both think it can be. And that answered my question for me. I didn’t want to be sitting there watching this fantastic show in September if I had had the opportunity to be a part of it.

But you’re right, it certainly is a daunting thing having ‘24’ been not only the great experience on a personal level for me, but it was an incredible success. It’s nice to have that in your pocket and let it be, but this was certainly something I just couldn’t say no to, so I think it’s been a little longer than two years, but it feels a lot shorter than that now I have to say.”

On convincing “24” fans to give the show a look, even though he’s no longer playing an action hero: “I don’t know if there is convincing. I think that ultimately almost in the way that ‘24’ started, people that are initially interested, whether they’re a fan of Tim Kring or a fan of mine or like the trailer, they’ll watch it and then if they feel strongly about it, they’ll tell friends and we have to rely on that.

For me personally I feel that there is a great deal of suspense within the context of the show, even in the not knowing what the numbers are and the narrative where the audience actually knows more than the lead character. So I think that even though we’re not blowing things up, I think that there is enough excitement around the drama of this show, that people will not be that thrown by it who enjoyed ’24.’ And we really do rely on you guys telling people about it and hopefully it will be something that grows.”

On the genre the show falls into: “I’ve always felt that this was a drama. This, we’re embarking on the journey of a father trying to connect with his son and trying to have as normal a relationship as he can under the circumstances. That will always be at the heart of the show and it certainly from my perspective it would be, but it has all of those elements.

I think there is an element of science fiction. I think certainly as the show has developed, you guys have seen the first episode, which has a lot of requirements to kind of explain where the show is going. But for us in the subsequent episodes that follow, this really does have a great deal of energy, so there’s an aspect of it that I would categorize as a thriller or suspense and certainly the science fiction component as well. But at its heart it’s a drama.”

On whether guest stars will recur during the season: “The show is a procedural show. Unlike ‘24’ and unlike ‘Heroes,’ which was a serialized show, these episodes will have a beginning, a middle and an end. But it does not preclude a character who you’ve seen in one episode being able to come back five episodes down the line, and we have in fact done that. I don’t really want to say who. For the people that are going to watch it, I would like them to see that.

There also might be characters that are way in the background on an episode that will come to the forefront in another episode. But it doesn’t stop each individual episode from being its own complete little entity. And so that’s something I think Tim Kring has done a beautiful job kind of weaving in and out.”

On whether his father, Donald, might make a guest appearance: “We’re working on episodes five and six right now, but I certainly have conveyed to Tim Kring, our writer, that my father is someone who I would very, very much like to work with. My father knows of this piece and I certainly have talked to him about it. We certainly do not have a script or a story or anything like that, but it certainly is open.

I think one of the things that’s so attractive about this piece is really Tim Kring’s writing and character development. They give people an opportunity to show some stuff that they might not normally get and I would be honored to be able to do something like this with my dad.”

On working with David Mazouz, who plays his son, and forming an on-screen bond with him when his character doesn’t speak: “He’s an amazing young actor and he’s an amazing young man. He does something that is really I don’t—I think it would be impossible to try and teach an actor to do. He has very limited physical response to anything that I do. He doesn’t talk and yet I can feel his presence even if he’s not looking at me. I can always sense that he’s listening and I think that comes across to the viewer as well. That’s a real gift.

He was the first boy out of about 25 young people that I read with and I remember thinking because I was doing the play at the same time, so I could only do five or six or seven kids a day. I remember thinking wow, this kid is amazing. If the other kids are going to be like this, we’re going to find an amazing kid.

And I remember it was around the tenth kid, I was still thinking—and all of the kids I have to say were fantastic, but there was something really special with David and then obviously we should just hire the first kid. And I’m thinking around 20, I say no, the first kid was still better. And then I read with close to 30 kids and I was finally like would you guys just please hire the first kid. He was just amazing and so that bond kind of started right away.

He works a lot of hours with us, and I’ve just been completely amazed by how focused and attentive he is and interested in it. I think that’s a big thing. He’s not being made to do this. I think he actually really does enjoy it and he’s very curious about how to get better and it’s been a phenomenal experience. I really, really do love working with him.”

On his character Martin’s journey: “I think at the beginning of the story we discover Martin who has a son named Jake who in the course or our story we realize has been misdiagnosed with severe autism and in fact is actually just a truly, truly evolved human being that is years and years beyond where my character is and our society is at.

And in an effort to communicate with my son, I discover that he has this unbelievable skill set that allows him to interpret numbers and symbols in a way that kind of explain our past and to some degree predict our future and that’s where we start the show off. My journey, very much like the Chinese fable that the story is based on, which was called, “The Red Thread” and the red thread is basically a red thread that is loosely looped around the ankles of all the people that are supposed to come in contact with each other over the course of a lifetime. This thread can stretch and it can bend, but it cannot break, and somehow in our society we have broken this and my son is taking me on a journey to try and put the thread back together.”

On the actors that will play the characters that will help Martin on his journey: “I think Danny Glover certainly is a character that is explaining his son’s condition to him, and then GuGu plays the worker at Child Services that is managing Jake’s case. Those are people that will be very important. There’s Martin’s wife who was killed on the terrible day of 9/11. Even though she is not with us, I think he speaks a lot to her. Then I think a lot is going to be between Jake and his father. I think already in the first five episodes their ability to communicate has grown exponentially. Martin starts to be able to read a lot of Jake’s physicality and understand what that is and the audience does as well even though other people might not understand it in the context of our show.

But I think one of the things, one of things that moved me the most about the piece was that I felt that Martin was terribly alone; and I think that that’s going to be an aspect of the character and certainly through the piece as well. So that’s going to play into it in a large way.”

On how playing Martin is helping him mature as an actor: “I think again I kind of referred to his loneliness earlier in one of the earlier questions. That’s a tricky thing to play because I don’t want people feeling sorry for Martin, yet I want them to understand that the further he is able to communicate with his son, the more enlightened and enriched his life will be; and he might be able to move past some of the pain that he’s experienced from the loss of his wife and his son’s condition.

Those are all real subtle narratives to play. They’re not actually written. They’re tonal qualities and that’s something that I’m trying to focus on a lot with Martin and it’s also something that I felt I really learned at least how to do better through my experience on ‘24.’ I think a lot of the things that I learned were trying to focus on little small changes within Jack Bauer, whether it was from season to season or even over the course of one of those days.

What I learned in that process is something that I am trying to bring to Martin; and so that there’s a lot going on, or a lot more going on than what is simply written on the page or what one scene might simply require. That there are through lines within the context of the character that are going from episode to episode. And if we are lucky enough to do multiple seasons, that we’d connect those as well. So that’s really an extension of a technique that I really hadn’t focused on or thought of before my experience on ‘24’ and ‘Touch’ is a perfect kind of show and Martin is a perfect character to try and weave those things in.”

The special preview of “Touch” airs Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 9 p.m., following “American Idol” on FOX…

Photos Credit: Brian Bowen Smith/FOX

Thursday, January 19, 2012

CNBC Looks at How Best Buy Is Fighting Back

If you look around your house right now, I’m guessing you’ll find at least one thing you bought at Best Buy.

But if you’re like me, those purchases have gotten fewer and farther between thanks to places like Wal-Mart and Amazon.com. And that’s becoming a big problem for the company…

Tonight, CNBC’s Tyler Mathisen looks at how the company is fighting to stay relevant in the changing marketplace in the CNBC special, “Best Buy: The Big Box Fights Back.”

The hour is worth watching just to get a look inside Geek Squad City in Louisville, the place where items that need repair are sent. It’s also interesting to see how Best Buy was born from a simple music store.

But probably the most interesting part of the hour is seeing why the company has failed overseas. Turns out, it’s the same reason it’s in trouble here—savvy shoppers are doing more price comparing. And in China, it’s almost a sport to haggle stores for lower prices—and more often than not, the customers win. Wouldn’t that be fun here?

The one thing you won’t see during the special that I wish you would is some discussions about Best Buy’s customer service problems. The interview with CEO Brian Dunn—a guy you really want to believe in and root for—was clearly done before Christmas and the controversy over Best Buy cancelling Black Friday online orders. So all we see are the happy faces camping out in front of Best Buy stores Thanksgiving night. We don’t see the unhappy people who didn’t get the Christmas gifts they ordered. I would have liked to have heard Dunn’s response to that…

“Best Buy: The Big Box Fights Back” premieres tonight (Thursday, January 19th) at 9 on CNBC. You can see an encore tonight at 10…

Saturday, January 14, 2012

I Know You Know That "Psych" Will Be Back

USA announced last week that “Psych” will return for a seventh season.

The announcement was made via a special pineapple puzzle on Twitter and Facebook.

The seventh season will consist of 16 episodes. No word yet on a premiere date.

The show will return February 29th to air the final seven episodes of the sixth season.

Photo Credit:Alan Zenuk/USA

A&E Shares More About "Longmire"

During the Television Critics Association Tour last week, A&E gave more details about its new drama series based on the best-selling series of novels by Huntington native Craig Johnson…

“Longmire” will begin production in March with a premiere date sometime in the summer. The series stars Australian actor Robert Taylor, Katee Sackhoff, Lou Diamond Phillips, Bailey Chase, Cassidy Freeman and Adam Bartley.

Here’s the official description from the network press release:

“Widowed only a year, [Absaroka County, Wyoming Sheriff Walt] Longmire (Taylor) is a man in psychic repair that buries his pain behind a brave face and dry wit. Struggling since his wife’s death and at the urging of his daughter, Cady (Freeman), Longmire knows that the time has come to turn his life around. With the help of Vic (Sackhoff), a female deputy new to the department, he becomes reinvigorated about his job and committed to running for re-election. When Branch (Chase), an ambitious, young deputy decides to run against him for sheriff, Longmire feels betrayed but remains steadfast in his dedication to the community. Longmire often turns to close friend and confidant Henry Standing Bear (Diamond Phillips) for support as he sets out to rebuild both his personal and professional life, one step at a time.”

Johnson has been involved with the series every step of the way and I’m hoping to have much more about the series as we get closer its premiere…

A&E Prepares to Return to the Bates Motel

During the Television Critics Association Tour last week, A&E announced a very interesting new project it has in development…

It’s a prequel to “Psycho” called “Bates Motel.” The series would show how Norman Bates’ psyche developed from childhood to his teen years and would introduce us to his mother and her lover that helped turn Norman into the serial killer we all know and love.

The project is currently only in the script development stage…

ABC Decides "Work It" Doesn't Work

In a column last month, I predicted that ABC’s new comedy, “Work It,” would be gone by February.

Obviously, ABC is less patient than I am…

“The Hollywood Reporter” reported today that ABC has pulled “Work” from the schedule after only two episodes and will replace it for the time being with reruns of “Last Man Standing.”

Fans of “Cougar Town” are hoping that their fave will inherit the timeslot, but ABC has not made that announcement as of yet. I have to believe, though, that ABC will finally do the right thing, stop playing around with this lame comedies and schedule “Cougar.”

But no one has ever accused ABC of doing the right thing. If they knew how to do that, they wouldn’t have put “Work” on the air in the first place…

Photo Credit: Eric McCandless/ABC

Saturday, January 07, 2012

Will I Lift My "Live With Kelly" Boycott This Week?

Readers of my “Idol” blog know that I have been boycotting “Live with Regis and Kelly” for years, because of Kelly Ripa’s treatment of Clay Aiken. But I may have to lift that boycott for this week’s episodes of “Live with Kelly”…

All of Kelly’s guest co-hosts will be sports-related this week. Tuesday, Carl Edwards will sit in with her and then Wednesday, Boomer Esiason will fill the co-host chair.

Boomer needs another gig like he needs a hole in his head, but I think he would be perfect. After all, his work on “The NFL Today” has given him plenty of practice at having a co-host that doesn’t let him talk…

“Live with Kelly” airs in Huntington-Charleston on WSAZ weekdays at 9 a.m. Check local listings for the time and station in your area…

Photo Credit: Craig Blankenhorn/CBS Sports

"Glee" Gets a Surprising New Cast Member

I’m really not even sure what to say about this one…

When “Glee” returns next Tuesday, we will be introduced to Roz, the synchronized swimming coach. And she will be played by…wait for it…NeNe Leakes.

Yes, that’s right. NeNe Leakes from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.”

I’ve heard that the role will be recurring.

“Glee” returns Tuesday, January 17th at 8 p.m. on FOX…

Your thoughts?

Photo Credit: Adam Rose/FOX

The End For Another Soap Looms...

Friday, we will say goodbye to another soap opera as “One Life to Live” goes off the air…

I’ve never watched “Life,” but I am sad to see it go because I know the heartbreak the fans are feeling. This one is especially sad because from everything I’ve read and heard, “Life” is better than ever and in fact, may be the best soap on TV right now.

And don’t get me started on that whole Prospect Park disaster…

I have no idea how the show will end, but since the finale was filmed before the Prospect Park online deal fell apart, there will probably be a few cliffhangers. I’ve heard the final week of episodes pay homage to a favorite “Life” storyline as Viki (Erika Slezak) once again visits Heaven…

“One Life to Live” airs weekdays at 2 p.m. on ABC…

The End Begins For "One Tree Hill"

The final season of “One Tree Hill” will begin this Tuesday and when it does we’ll meet a key character for the very first time…

Fans will finally meet Brooke’s father, Ted, in the premiere episode.

Now since I’ve never talked about “Hill” before you may be wondering why I’m bringing this up. That’s because Ted will be played by one of my very favorite actors, Richard Burgi.

The ninth and final season of “One Tree Hill” premieres Wednesday, January 11th at 8 p.m. on The CW…

Photo Credit: Fred Norris/The CW

David E. Kelley Revives Wonder Woman...Sort Of

David E. Kelley’s “Wonder Woman” pilot may have not seen the light of the day, but he’s found a way for the costume to live on…

It will appear on the body of Erica Durance in Wednesday’s episode of “Harry’s Law.” Durance is playing a woman who thinks she is Wonder Woman and she will be wearing the same sitcom Adrienne Palicki wore in the failed pilot.

The concept is made more interesting by the fact that Durance is best known for playing another DC Comics icon—Lois Lane—on “Smallville.”

“Harry’s Law” airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC…

Photo Credit: Vivian Zink/NBC

Oprah Reunites the "Roots" Cast 35 Years Later

Oprah Winfrey is celebrating Martin Luther King Day in a very special way…

Oprah welcomed the cast of the legendary mini-series, “Roots” into her home for an OWN special, “Oprah and the Legendary Cast of ‘Roots’ 35 Years Later.”

Cicely Tyson, LeVar Burton, John Amos, Leslie Uggams, Louis Gossett Jr. and Ben Vereen will share their memories of filming the mini-series that 80 million people watched in 1977.

The special will premiere Monday, January 16th at 8 p.m. on OWN…

Photo Credit: George Burns/OWN

Thursday, January 05, 2012

"The Firm" Review: NBC's Found a Good One

I admit it. I rolled my eyes at the thought of NBC reviving John Grisham’s “The Firm.” But after watching the two-hour premiere, the only thing my eyes are doing is anxiously awaiting the next episode.

Don’t look now, gang, but it looks like NBC has got a good one on its hands…

The show picks up 10 years after the action of the novel/film. Josh Lucas stars as Mitch McDeere, the attorney who brought down a powerful Memphis law firm. Mitch and his family are freshly emerged from the witness protection program to reclaim their lives in Washington, D.C. But unfortunately, Mitch is not quite as safe as he thinks he is as both past threats reemerge and new threats begin to appear.

The premiere jumps right into the action with a breathtaking sequence set in Washington, D.C. But then things get a little confusing as the show goes back in time six weeks to show us what led to the opening events and then back 10 years to introduce us to some of the characters. But once the back and forth stops and we stay in the six weeks ago time frame, the show turns into a solid legal drama as Mitch wrestles with defending a client he knows is guilty.

But just as you think “Firm” is going to be your normal legal drama, we get a doozy of a twist before being zipped back to the present time for a major cliffhanger.

Lucas is perfectly cast as Mitch and Callum Keith Rennie lends solid support as his brother, Ray. And it’s great to have Juliette Lewis on TV as Tammy, Mitch’s secretary and Ray’s girlfriend.

Normally, legal dramas mix in comedy to set them apart. But “Firm” combines mystery and action with the drama and that’s a solid combination. How it’s all going to fit into that six weeks timeframe, I’m not sure. But I’m willing to stick around and find out…

The two-hour premiere of “The Firm” airs Sunday, January 8th at 9 p.m. on NBC before the show moves to its regular timeslot of Thursdays at 10 p.m.

Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels 3/NBC

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

NBC Announces the Newest "Celebrity Apprentice" Cast

Today, NBC finally announced the cast for “The Celebrity Apprentice”…

The men are: Arsenio Hall, Clay Aiken, Adam Carolla, Lou Ferrigno, Penn Jillette, Dee Snider, George Takei, Michael Andretti and Paul Teutul Sr. (“American Chopper”).

The women are: Cheryl Tiegs, Debbie Gibson, Tia Carrere, Victoria Gotti, Lisa Lampanelli, Dayana Mendoza (former Miss Universe), Aubrey O’Day (Danity Kane), Patricia Velasquez (model) and Teresa Giudice (“Real Housewives of New Jersey”).

As readers of my “Idol” blog know, I am a Claymate. And my husband is still madly in love with Debbie Gibson. So we’re looking forward to seeing how this one plays out.

I’m also interested to see just how long before Teresa Giudice starts flipping tables. Since the premiere is two hours, I’ll give her 65 minutes…

“The Celebrity Apprentice” premieres Sunday, February 12th at 9 p.m. on NBC…

Photo Credit: NBC

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Is "So You Think You Can Dance" Getting an Overhaul?

Fans of “So You Think You Can Dance” will see a very different show when it returns in late May…

Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe tweeted this week that FOX has cancelled the results show: #FOX have cancelled the results show so I will have to change the format of #SYTYCD. At least we have another season at the end of MAY.

Nigel has been in discussions with fans on his Twitter page ever since, but hasn’t given any specific details as of yet. The results show was down ratings-wise significantly this past season.

Photo Credit: Matthieu Young/FOX