Dancing On Ice, X Factor the most complained about reality TV shows of 2011

Dancing On Ice, X Factor the most complained about reality TV shows of 2011

Dancing On Ice and The X Factor have topped the list of this year’s most complained about reality telly shows. Both ITV1 shows racked up hundreds of emails to Ofcom over the past 12 months, while an unusually tame Big Brother saw just 85.

Jason Gardiner’s comments to Johnson Beharry and his subsequent argument with head coach Karen Barber on Dancing On Ice back in January was the most complained about moment, with almost 800 complaints. It was also the second most complained about TV moment of the whole year, behind only Channel 5′s day time chat show The Wright Stuff.

The X Factor meanwhile managed an impressive total of just under 700 complaints from some 15 separate incidents, from judge Tulisa’s salute to some of the guest performances.

Britain’s Got Talent saw 198 complaints from four incidents, while Strictly Come Dancing had just 38 emails to TV watchdog Ofcom.

23 people complained about I’m A Celebrity, while not a single complaint was lodged about either this year’s Apprentice or Junior Apprentice series.

Celebrity Big Brother 2012 line up: The rumours so far!

Celebrity Big Brother 2012 line up: The rumours so far!

Celebrity Big Brother 2012 kicks off in just under three weeks time, so let’s take a sneak peak at the celebrities we can expect to see entering the house next month…

First up is another reality TV star, in the form of Kirk Norcross. The TOWIE cast member is set to following in the footsteps of Amy Childs and quit the ITV2 show to appear on Celebrity Big Brother in January.

He’s rumoured to be joined by X Factor flop Frankie Cocozza, who has reportedly signed a £30,000 deal to take part after wooing bosses by promising to have sex in the house.

Natasha Giggs and WAG Nicola McLean are also both tipped to enter, with producers apparently hoping the rowing pair will continue their Twitter arguments on the show!

Former Eastender Natalie Cassidy and Loose Woman Denise Welch are both on the short list too, packing their bags ahead of the show’s launch on January 5.

Others said to be in talks include Boy George, who was previously banned from taking part in the 2010 series due to his probation restrictions.

Former I’m A Celebrity contestant Freddie Starr has said he’d love to take part, following an early exit from the jungle last month after suffering illness.

Finally, tipped to be joining them today is rapper Tinchy Stryder, according to The Sun.

Others linked to the series also include Lindsay Lohan, Imogen Thomas and TOWIE babe Sam Faiers.

Celebrity Big Brother 2012 stars on January 5 on Channel 5.

NBC Buys Kelly Oxford Comedy

NBC Buys Kelly Oxford Comedy

NBC has bought a half-hour, single-camera ensemble comedy from writer Kelly Oxford that counts "Friends" veteran Ira Ungerleider among its executive producers.

The show, which is untitled, is about a divorcing couple and the wife’s overbearing sister, who try to raise their families together.

Oxford, keeper of a popular blog and the author of the upcoming book of humorous essays "Everything is Perfect When You're a Liar," sold a comedy spec pilot to CBS last year. Harper Collins will publish her book in mid-2012.

Besides Ungerleider, the NBC show's executive producers are Christina Weiss Lurie of the Oscar-winning "Inside Job" and Alan Barnette of Lurie/Barnette Productions; Richard Gelb; and Karey Burke an Todd Holland (Dark Toy Entertainment).

Oxford is repped by WME, and Ungerleider by UTA.

'SNL' Tebow Skit Is 'Anti-Christian Bigotry,' Pat Robertson Says

'SNL' Tebow Skit Is 'Anti-Christian Bigotry,' Pat Robertson Says

"700 Club" host Pat Robertson says a "Saturday Night Live" skit in which Jesus urged Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow to give him some space amounted to "anti-Christian bigotry that's just disgusting."

"If this had been a Muslim country and they had done that, and had Muhammad doing that stuff, you would have found bombs being thrown off... and bodies on the street," said Robertson, an influential figure among conservative Christians and former Republican presidential candidate.

The skit, which aired Saturday, featured Jesus visiting the Broncos locker room and explaining that he mostly answers prayers now wherever he gets them most -- places like beauty pageants and football games. He says that he's been influencing the outcome of Broncos games, but only in the fourth quarter, when Tebow most needs his help, and jokes that New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is the devil.

He also urges the Broncos to work a little harder, telling Tebow to read the playbook.

"The Holy Bible is my playbook," says Tebow, played by Taran Killam.

"That's great," replies Jesus, played by Jason Sudeikis. "But you need to read the regular playbook. Seriously, okay? I'm doing all the work here."

Jesus also credits kicker Matt Prater for the Broncos success, telling him, "I pray to you, brother."

"Wow, you pray to me?" says Andy Samberg's Prater. "I didn't know that."

"That's because I'm not in everyone's face about it," Jesus responds, looking pointedly at Tebow.

Magic Johnson Expanding Role on NBA Pregame Show

Magic Johnson Expanding Role on NBA Pregame Show

ESPN and ABC's NBA pregame show is expanding Magic Johnson's role and moving to Los Angeles.

Beginning Christmas Day at 2 p.m., the "Kia NBA Countdown" will originate from the ESPN Los Angeles Production Center at L.A. LIVE – across the street from Staples Center. Johnson will become a featured analyst -- joining Jon Barry, Michael Wilbon and Chris Broussard. He will also continue to interview NBA stars and provide analysis on "SportsCenter" and other ESPN shows.

The show has previously aired from Bristol, Conn. and New York City.

"It’s been a lot of fun working with ESPN and its NBA team the last four years,” said Johnson.  “I’ve enjoyed it so much I’m looking forward to making even more appearances this season and I’m very excited about the show moving to L.A."

NeNe Leakes To Play Swim Coach on 'Glee'

NeNe Leakes To Play Swim Coach on 'Glee'

Watch out, Sue Sylvester-- The caustic coach of McKinley High's cheerleading squad is about to get a brash new rival in the form of The Real Housewives of Atlanta's NeNe Leakes!
Related News

The casting news was announced on Watch What Happens Live! Monday night by Glee's Lea Michele and Chris Colfer, spilling that the outspoken Bravo alum will play a swim coach named Roz in a few upcoming episodes.

Leakes later confirmed the news via Twitter, adding a few juicy details:

"The secret is out! YES I hav a recurring role on GLEE! I'm coach Roz Washington the synchronized swim coach! So honored."

"Running through the house screaming Gleeeeee! Coach Roz Washington is gonna get that Sue Sylvester! I'm so proud of myself."

"Studying lines now! My memory is just gone LOL! Gotta head right back 2 the Glee set after the holidays."

NeNe's pal Lala Anthony tweeted her congrats soonafter:

"Congrats @NeNeLeakes!!! That's amazing!! Ur going to be outstanding on GLEE! CONGRATS!!"

CNN's Morgan denies phone hacking in testy appearance

CNN's Morgan denies phone hacking in testy appearance

Talk show host Piers Morgan told a British judicial inquiry on Tuesday he had never sanctioned phone hacking during his time as a tabloid editor, as he faced tough questions over his involvement in the "dark arts" of journalism.

Morgan, now a high-profile CNN talk-show host in the United States, edited the Rupert Murdoch tabloid at the heart of the hacking scandal, the News of the World, from 1994 to 1995 before going on to edit the Daily Mirror newspaper from 1995 to 2004.

Morgan has consistently denied any involvement in the practice which resulted in the closure of Murdoch's Sunday tabloid but politicians had called for him to appear before the high-profile inquiry after his name became associated with the scandal.

Asked why he had previously given interviews in which he said that everyone knew about phone hacking, Morgan said he was merely repeating rumors at the time and that no one at the Mirror had been found guilty.

"Not a single person has made any formal or legal complaint against the Daily Mirror for phone hacking, not one," he said, in often testy exchanges with the lead prosecutor in the inquiry and the judge, Brian Leveson.

Referring to Clive Goodman, the one journalist who went to jail for hacking, Morgan had said he had been made a scapegoat. But he said that still did not mean that he had had any prior knowledge of the issue.

"The Fleet Street rumor mill, which is always extremely noisy and often not entirely always accurate, was buzzing since this blew up with just endless rumors that it spread a lot further than Clive Goodman," he said. "I felt sorry for him."

Much of the questioning centered on an article Morgan wrote for another newspaper, the Daily Mail, in 2006 in which he made reference to how he had listened to a phone message left for the ex-wife of former Beatle Paul McCartney.

The article was written in 2006 and before any allegations of phone hacking had surfaced and caused such trouble.

As the scale of the phone hacking problem emerged this summer, McCartney's ex-wife Heather Mills gave an interview about the incident and said that a senior journalist at the Trinity Mirror Group had admitted hacking her phone.

Mills said the journalist had confronted her with details of a message left by McCartney in early 2001 following a row between the couple. She said the journalist was not Morgan, but that he was editor of the paper at the time.

Asked about the incident, Morgan refused to say who had played him the recorded message and said he did not think it was entirely unethical to listen to someone's voice message.

The phone hacking scandal, which severely damaged the reputation and value of Murdoch's News Corp at the height of the scandal this year, has largely focused on the malpractice at the News of the World.

But the allegation by Mills briefly turned the spotlight on the behavior of other tabloids, which have for years competed ferociously to secure front-page stories.

It also turned the spotlight onto Morgan who took over from Larry King as he developed a high successful television career in the U.S. with the "Piers Morgan Tonight" show.

News Corp has accepted that people working for the News of the World hacked into the phones of celebrities, politicians and the victims of crime to generate stories. It said earlier on Tuesday that it had settled legal claims with a further seven people as it works through the separate allegations.

The scandal, which dominated news headlines in July, has also damaged the reputations of British politicians and police, who were all shown to be too close to Murdoch's media group.

At the height of the scandal, News Corp closed the 168-year-old News of the World and pulled its most important planned acquisition in Britain in decades, the $12 billion purchase of the rest of BSkyB it did not already own.

"Dexter" writers considered incest storyline for years

"Dexter" writers considered incest storyline for years

(Spoiler warning: discloses what happens in season finale) "Dexter" is a show obsessed with blood. So maybe fans shouldn't have been so surprised -- to say nothing of shocked, baffled, and repulsed -- by the so-called "incest" storyline between siblings Dexter and Deborah Morgan this season.

The pair aren't blood relatives, after all: Show runner Scott Buck tells TheWrap that writers have considered the possibility that Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) might carry romantic feelings for Dexter (Michael C. Hall) almost since the start of the show, even though it took her until Sunday's season six finale to truly realize it. (Carpenter and Hall must have seen the possibilities; they were briefly married during the show's run.)

"It's an idea that has been talked about in the writer's room, I think, from at least season two," Buck said Monday. "It just felt like those kind of feelings were very integral to the character of Deborah, that she was in love with her brother without even realizing it. It's something we'd always talked about and it just felt like it was time to finally deal with that issue."

He added: "It's funny to me that people could happily accept Dexter as a serial killer, but once Deborah has love for her brother, that that's where the 'ick' factor for them comes in."

It's not like television hasn't gone there before: Relations between non-biological siblings would be positively tame compared to the blood-relative incest in the latest seasons of "Boardwalk Empire" and "Game of Thrones."

Deb's love for Dexter complicates the other major development of Sunday's finale: She finally caught him killing someone (the Doomsday Killer, played by Colin Hanks). Fans and even Carpenter have long said it strains believability that Deb, a brilliant homicide detective, wouldn't figure Dexter out. Now that she has, her love for him makes the dilemma of what to do about it even more complex.

We talked to Buck about his plans for the show's remaining two seasons -- and how much of a say Hall, also an executive producer on the show, will have in the fate of his character.

TheWrap: You're the third "Dexter" show runner in as many seasons. Do you think you'll stay on the job through the show's run?

Buck: I certainly hope so. It's not necessarily in my hands but I like to think I'll be sticking around. ... The previous show runner to me was Chip Johannessen, who moved on to "Homeland," and prior to that was Clyde Phillips, who was with the show from the beginning. And Clyde lives on the East Coast. For him it was just time to get back close to the family, really.

There's kind of a "Rocky" movie question with "Dexter" -- people around him are always dying, and you wonder how much more you can raise the stakes after his wife's murder in the fourth season. His son was in danger in the latest finale -- is Deb in added danger now?

Buck: I think everyone's always in danger on this show. But we're fond of Deb so it's unlikely that we would ever take a knife to her.

Whether Deb will find out Dexter is a killer has been a major source of tension for the whole series. How big of a leap was it to commit to her finding out, with two seasons still to come?

Buck: It was a big leap, but with a show that's already been going on for five years, it felt like it was time to finally address that. You don't want to have all your big, exciting reveals in your final season or your final few episodes. We'll deal with this in a fun, dramatic way. It just felt a little dishonest that Deb was not finding out after all this time. So it was time to finally let her pull the curtain back, at least a little bit, and see who Dexter is.

This has always been a show not about plot twists and turns and action scenes, but more about the character of Dexter, this very unique character that we've never seen anything like before. It's a character that's gradually evolved over the last five years and will continue to change. There's a big creative team behind the show, a number of different writers and producers, and certainly Michael Hall has a huge voice in what happens with Dexter, so it's eventually going to come to a point where we're all going to sit down and compare notes on this.

I think fans always want the sense that you had a grand plan from the beginning, and if we'd only paid attention we would have seen it all --

As far as where we end? Absolutely. I know exactly where I want it to end. But that's where Michael Hall wants it to end, we'll have to see if we're thinking along the exact same lines. Even though I'm going to be interested in what everyone has to say or everyone has to think, it's ultimately going to be one voice that decides where the show goes.

'Glee': Supporting the Arts and Beyond

'Glee': Supporting the Arts and Beyond

From its recent "Do They Know It's Christmas" cover to the organizations the stars support, a look at what the Fox series does to give back.

When Fox announced this month that 100 percent of the net proceeds from Glee’s cover of 1984’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas” would go to The Band Aid Trust and support the same organization the track benefited more than 20 years ago, it was just the latest positive note in the show’s history.

In its three years, Glee – and its growing cast – has supported a plethora of charities, most recently providing $1 million in donations to support music education through its Glee Give A Note campaign, which saw schools in Ohio, New York and Alabama each receive $50,000 in grand prize cash.

Created by the network, Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy and the National Association of Music Education, the Give A Note campaign uses funds raised through the show’s DVD and Blu-ray sales to support struggling arts education programs across the country and, through its Web site, encourages fans of the series to do the same.

“Many of the actors on the show are the direct result of arts education programs, and speaking for myself, I would not be where I am today without these programs,” says Matthew Morrison, who plays New Directions coach Will Schuester.

In addition to the show’s efforts, several of its cast members have devoted time and energy to charities outside of the show – including Morrison, who’s involved with the Grammy Foundation, which works to promote the importance and impact of music and arts education and music preservation.

“The Grammy Foundation’s programs in schools across the country are so important because with budget cuts these days, arts programs are often the first ones to be axed,” he says. “These programs are critical for children’s education and development, and that’s one of the reasons I’m so passionate about this charity.”

Glee’s massive online popularity -- the show has more than 17 million Facebook fans and nearly 1.1 million Twitter followers, not to mention the hundreds of thousands the cast have – also has a ripple affect on the various charities the cast backs.

Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina Cohen-Chang) and Harry Shum Jr. (Mike Chang), back causes that strike a particular chord for them.

Ushkowitz, who grew up wanting to be a marine biologist, is a big supporter of Oceana, an international group working to protect the world’s oceans and says the show’s massive fan base helps to spread the word about the various organizations.

“I can thank social media – Twitter – and all our fans and followers for spreading the word and making people aware,” she says. “Our dedicated fans are our future so it’s incredibly important that they are the ones informing one another and doing anything to make a difference.”

Best known for his dancing, Shum is involved with three charities: Drea’s Dream, Invisible Children and Do Something, which help children with cancer and special needs through the power of dance; ending the use of child soldiers in Northern Uganda; and an online group looking to mobilize teens.

“We have some of the best fans, they’re so supportive of not only the show but charities we are involved with,” he says. “It means a lot to me because through social media I am able to raise awareness and introduce to people in a way they can be involved.”

For Mike O’Malley, who plays Burt Hummel -- aka the world’s most perfect father -- supporting his hometown plays a big role in his charitable considerations. He's donated large sums of his own money to a score of charities in his hometown of Nashua, N.H., including Marguerite’s Place and the Nashua Children’s Home, in addition to setting up two scholarships for his former theater professors at the University of New Hampshire, and a pair of foundations through Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox.

“I give to my hometown charities because I feel strongly that my town and the people there had a lot to do with who I am,” says the actor, who has donated more than $100,000 to the Adult Learning Center where his mother worked. “I want to give back to the place where I was raised even though I don’t get back there as much as I can.”

Mark Salling (Noah Puckerman) backs a pair of organizations: the Wildlife Care of Ventura County, a nonprofit volunteer group that rehabilitates native wildlife; and Child Hunger Ends Here, which turns UPC codes from ConAgra Foods products into meals for the more than 17 million kids who don’t get a proper meal every day.

“It’s the holiday season and a time for giving and it’s a really easy way for people to help out with a domestic issue like child hunger,” Salling says.

Cory Monteith (Finn Hudson) serves as an ambassador for Virgin Unite, a nonprofit that helps connect people with the right ideas for social change with others with greater resources in order to foster change.

A PETA spokeswoman, Lea Michele (Rachel Berry) is one of the many cast members active with gay-rights groups, as is Kevin McHale (Artie Abrams), who works with the Trevor Project’s Talk to Me campaign, which aims to prevent suicide among LGBT youth.

Max Adler, who plays Kurt’s reformed bully Dave Karofsky, is active with City Hearts’ Anti-Bullying initiative, most recently helping sixth graders in Los Angeles stage an anti-bullying play.

Jane Lynch has been a longtime supporter of the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center, recently earning the facility’s Rand Schrader Distinguished Achievement Award for her contributions.

And there are others. The cast -- which includes Chris Colfer (Kurt), Amber Riley (Mercedes), Naya Rivera (Santana), Heather Morris (Brittany), Dianna Agron (Quinn), Jayma Mays (Emma Pillsbury) and Darren Criss (Blaine) – are regulars at fundraisers, lending their time for projects including Education Through Music, the Alzheimer’s Association’s The Elephant Project and The Trevor Project, among countless others. 

And while the show’s fandom has helped support the individual charities the cast holds dear, it’s the show’s arts education message that ultimately benefits the most.

“Glee has brought a renewed focus on music education in the schools and overall arts education,” Morrison says. “Glee clubs have literally sprouted up across the country, and as parents and communities have seen the joy it brings to students, this has encouraged support for these programs and helped prevent funding cuts.”

NFL, NBC Sports to Live Stream the Super Bowl

NFL, NBC Sports to Live Stream the Super Bowl

The big game as well as the Pro Bowl and NBC's broadcast of Wild Card playoffs will be available on NFL and NBC sites.

For the first time in 46 years, the Super Bowl will be officially live streamed. The NFL will make the big game, as well as this season's Pro Bowl and NBC’s broadcasts of Wild Card playoff games, available on the NFL and NBC web sites through Verizon’s NFL Mobile app.

NBC and the league already live stream NBC’s Sunday Night Football. And CBS Sports has been live streaming the NCAA’s March Madness (with a “boss button”) for several years.

Still, it is an unprecedented step for the biggest television event in the country that has drawn in excess of 100 million viewers for the last two years.

Each year, the NFL and the broadcast network that has the rights to the Super Bowl fend off rogue sites that attempt to live stream it. Last year, the government seized the web addresses of nearly a dozen sites that promised to live stream the game.

The move is a sign of a tipping point in viewing habits, as more consumers watch television on mobile devices including the iPad. But it also underscores the philosophical change at NBC Sports, which in recent years has been the target of criticism from diehard sports fans for tape delaying events, especially the Olympics.

After the departure of longtime NBC Sports & Olympics chief Dick Ebersol last May, new NBC Sports chairman Mark Lazarus promised much more live streaming and has said that every event of the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in London will be live on one platform or another.

The NFL Mobile app will offer additional camera angels as well as live stats. The 2012 Super Bowl is Feb. 5 from Indianapolis.

NBC, CBS and Fox last week finalized lucrative new contracts with the NFL for close to $1 billion each and that include additional digital rights.

'X Factor': Host Steve Jones Won't Be Back for Season 2, Say Sources

'X Factor': Host Steve Jones Won't Be Back for Season 2, Say Sources

According to England's Daily Mirror, bad reviews led to the dashing Brit's alleged dismissal. The tab also puts forth the idea that judge Nicole Scherzinger could take over hosting duties.

A report out of the UK claims that X Factor US host Steve Jones will not be returning to the show in season 2 after failing to connect with American TV viewers.

The Daily Mirror cites unnamed sources and “terrible reviews” as the reason for Jones’ alleged dismissal. “There have been mistakes and he just doesn’t seem to have the knack for dealing with contestants,” writes the tabloid. “The executives at Fox have already decided not to renew his contract and so, short of a miracle happening, it is pretty much a done deal that he will not take part next season.”

Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter on December 1, Jones said he had “no idea” whether he would return for a second season. “Fingers crossed, I'd love to come back. [We’ll] see what happens,” he added, noting that no discussions as to his future on the series had taken place. “Normal protocol is that the show finishes and they assess -- if they want me back, great. If they don't, I'll do something else, simple as that.”

According to the Mirror, the 34-year-old is said to be “devastated” with the news, which comes after an effort to “de-Welsh” his accent. Indeed, it seems the Rhondda, Wales native has learned the proper pronunciation of Maryland (said Marcus Canty, a resident of the state: “It was hilarious -- I was talking about that for at least 2 or 3 weeks, but Steve is a smart man, I knew he'd figure it out”), though it contradicts his laissez-fair attitude before the start of the season.

Back in July, Jones told THR, “Fox wasn't concerned, Simon wasn't concerned, I wasn't concerned. This isn’t my first rodeo, as they say. I’ve been back and forth to America for years, I've brought TV shows to the UK, I've done stuff with E!, and no one has ever had a problem with my accent.” He went on to explain that living in London for 10 years “Anglicized” his manner of speech. Said Jones: “It's important if you're on a nationwide TV show that people in Scotland, Ireland and England understand what you say. You can't risk them saying, ‘What the hell is this guy talking about?’”

But that may be precisely what happened on this side of the pond as Jones often left viewers scratching their heads. Common complaints: a lack of empathy, the occasional off-script verbal stumble (like when he told eliminated girl group Ladoka Rayne “the dream is over,” prompting 17-year-old member Hayley Orrantia to grab the microphone and correct the host with a declaration that the dream is most certainly not ending at that moment) and an awkwardness around the contestants, particularly the younger ones.

The paper also speculates that judge Nicole Scherzinger, another X Factor player the public loves to hate, could take over as host, as she was originally hired to do before a contentious exit by Cheryl Cole left an open seat at the judges table.

Time Warner Cable Drops MSG's Fuse Network

Time Warner Cable Drops MSG's Fuse Network

The cable giant and MSG have been locked into carriage talks for sports networks, but now the music channel, on which Cee Lo Green hosts a talk show, has become a victim.

Time Warner Cable has dropped Dolan family-controlled Madison Square Garden’s Fuse music network from its lineup in a broader battle over programming costs, the New York Post reported.

The paper cited sources as saying that TWC paid 8 cents per subscriber per month for Fuse, whose shows include talk show Talking With Strangers with host Cee Lo Green.

MSG and TWC have been locked into talks about carriage fees for sports networks MSG and MSG Plus, which carry games of the MSG's New York Knicks and New York Rangers basketball and hockey teams.

The dispute leaves Fuse without 7.8 million subscribers, according to the Post. It is the second time that the channel has been dropped by a pay TV giant in the past 12 months after satellite TV firm Dish Network did the same.

TWC did not comment on whether it would start carrying Fuse again if the two companies manage to settle the MSG carriage dispute, according to the Post.

HBO Renews Enlightened for Season 2, Cancels Hung, How to Make It in America, and Bored to Death

HBO Renews Enlightened for Season 2, Cancels Hung, How to Make It in America, and Bored to Death

This just in: HBO has renewed Laura Dern’s Golden Globes-nominated comedy Enlightened for a second season, the network confirmed today.

At the same time, the news was not so happy for fans ofHung, Bored to Death, and How to Make It in America, as the network announced it will not order any additional episodes of those recently concluded series.

While Enlightened’s Dec. 12 Season 1 finale averaged a mere 0.1 rating among adults 18-49, and 263,000 total viewers, it found a foothold with critics and picked up Globes nominations for Best Comedy Series and Lead Actress in a Comedy last week, an honor Dern told TVLine made HBO “very, very happy.”

TV Tonight 20th of December 2011: Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia.

TV Tonight 20th of December 2011: Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia.

The daily list in alphabetical order, of all the new episodes airing in Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia.

    24 Hours in the ER S01E14: "Season 1, Episode 14"
    Best Dish - The Chefs S01E37: "Episode 37"
    Bleach (JP) S16E11: "Ichigo, Mastering the Fullbring!"
    Bomb Patrol Afghanistan S01E09: "Ambush"
    Chelsea Lately S05E191
    Chopped S09E17: "The Big Scoop"
    Coach Trip S08E07: "Series 8, Day 7"
    Come Dine With Me S17E93: "Series 17, Episode 77"
    Conan S02E22: "Patton Oswalt, Kevin Lee, Joe Mande"
    Days of our Lives S47E29: "Ep. #11739"
    Deal Or No Deal (UK) S07E98: "Episode 1778"
    Dirty Jobs S08E02: "Fossil Hunter"
    Dragon Ball Z Kai S03E14
    EastEnders S27E202: "December 20, 2011"
    Emmerdale S40E297: "December 20, 2011"
    Flip Men S01E10: "Dungeon House"
    General Hospital (US) S49E183: "#12457"
    Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Christmas S01E01
    Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Christmas S01E02
    Halv åtta hos mig S07E62: "Stockholm - Torbjörn"
    Hardcore Pawn S05E06: "Episode 505"
    Holby City S14E10: "Half Empty"
    Hollyoaks S17E252: "December 20, 2011"
    I Used To Be Fat S02E11: "Paul"
    Imagine (UK) S20E08: "The Art of Stand-Up (2)"
    Jamie's Christmas with Bells On S01E02: "Episode 2"
    Jeopardy! S28E67: "Show #6272"
    Jerusalem - The Making of A Holy City S01E03: "Judgement Day"
    Kimi to Boku S01E12: "Episode 12"
    Last Call with Carson Daly S08E308
    Late Night with Jimmy Fallon S02E192
    Late Show with David Letterman S18E180
    Life's Too Short S01E07: "Episode 7"
    Little Crackers S02E06: "Sheridan Smith's Little Cracker"
    Little Crackers S02E05: "John Bishop's Little Cracker"
    Mock The Week S10E13: "Christmas Special"
    Morita-san wa Mukuchi S02E12: "Episode 12"
    My First Place S20E14: "Buying in City or County"
    Nederland van boven S01E03: "Nederland knutselland"
    NFL Films Presents S45E16: "Colts Kicking Combo"
    Nissene over skog og hei S01E20: "Season 1, Episode 20"
    One Life to Live S44E110: "Ep. #11089"
    Pointless S05E82: "Series 5, Episode 82"
    Prosto w serce S02E77: "Season 2, Episode 195"
    Reed Between the Lines S01E23: "Let's Talk About My Old Therapist"
    Reed Between the Lines S01E25: "Let's Talk About Talking"
    Reed Between the Lines S01E24: "Let's Talk About Dating Advice"
    Rev S02E07: "Christmas Special"
    Ruben vs Sophie S02E02: "Season 2, Episode 2"
    Shinryaku! Ika Musume S02E11: "Episode 11"
    Storage Hunters S02E05: "TBA"
    Storage Wars S02E24: "The Drone Wars"
    Storage Wars: Texas S01E03: "Snake, Rattle and Roll"
    Swamp Loggers S04E12: "No End in Sight"
    Teen Mom 2 S02E04: "A Closer Look"
    Teen Mom 2 S02E03: "Intensive Care"
    The Bold and the Beautiful S25E191: "Ep. #6220"
    The Dr. Phil Show S10E71: "Happy, Healthy and Hot for the Holidays"
    The Food Hospital S01E08: "Series 1, Episode 8"
    The Jeremy Kyle Show S07E73: "December 20, 2011"
    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson S07E217: "Robin Wright, Parker Young"
    The Only Way Is Essex S03E15: "The Only Way is Essexmas"
    The Tonight Show with Jay Leno S19E213
    The Universe S06E07: "God and the Universe"
    The View S15E75: "Fred Armisen"
    The Young and the Restless S39E188: "Ep. #9803"
    Thuis S17E82: "Season 17, Episode 82"
    TNT Mystery Movie Night S01E06: "Deck the Halls"
    Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood S06E04: "Not the Whole sTORI"
    University Challenge (1994) S18E27
    Veckans brott S03E08
    What Not To Wear (US) S09E13: "Jennifer"
    Who's Still Standing S01E02: "Blonde Ambition"
    Winx Club S05E26: "Finding Your Way"
    Young Herriot S01E03: "Episode 3"

'Big Brother's' Chima on 'Real Housewives': Phaedra Ends It With Sheree

'Big Brother's' Chima on 'Real Housewives': Phaedra Ends It With Sheree

Sheree has a checkered past with attorneys and Phaedra got a little taste of this when she had to chase down one of her checks.

To further exacerbate the attorney/ungrateful-client relationship, Sheree had been bad-mouthing Phaedra’s legal abilities and Phaedra was not having that. Delayed money and soiling her reputation?!

Phaedra swiftly ended their business relationship so they can remain friends, even returning the check before it had a chance to bounce.

Kim and company busied themselves moving into her new 17,000-square-foot home. In saying goodbye to her former townhome, fuzzy vignettes of synthetic wigs featured Kim’s brief lesbian relationship, the wine guzzling sisterhood she had with Moose -- formerly known as NeNe, and snippets of her voice pre auto-tune.

She’s a pop star now and her palatial abode must reflect that so she hired “Designer to the Stars,” Kendra to create digs befitting a tour on MTV Cribs. The outcome was better suited for a reboot of “A Shot At Love With Tila Tequila.” 

Ed Hardy would have rolled over in his grave. Yes, he’s still alive, but those garish designs are dead. Kim obviously didn’t get the do-not-resuscitate decree.

The Bailey Agency debuted to a full house despite Cynthia’s belated invites and lack of RSVPs. And this party provided the perfect backdrop for the little catfight Kandi and Marlo began at Cynthia’s earlier art gallery soiree.

Seems Kandi was still bothered by Marlo claiming God is her sugar daddy in an interview Marlo did for Kandi’s web-based talk show.

Kandi has worked for her money, having written and produced for many successful recording artists (she’s now delving into country music) and wants Marlo to admit to being a kept woman, acquiring her riches while lying on her back.

Or so she heard.

In the lack-of-self-awareness moment of the night, Kim chimes in with, “I’ve heard Marlo sleeps with wealthy men and they give her money or buy her nice things. Who does that?”

You, Kim. You did that for three whole seasons. Big Poppa ring a bell?

It evidently did ring a bell for Kim, and she took it as a cue to leave when the constant mention of Big Poppa reverberated around the room and forced her out, dragging Kroy with her.

Nevertheless, this was Cynthia’s night and no tiffs or bad blood between the ladies was going to ruin it. Everyone was there to support her, to wish her well in her newest endeavor -- her mom, her ever-loyal sister Mal, and Peter. Peter? Peter?

Wait? What happened to Peter?

Cynthia was on the microphone, thanking all for their attendance and encouragement, repeatedly calling her husband Peter to the stand and he was nowhere to be found.

A man she has financially backed in many of his failed investments went missing at the most important point in her agency unveiling.

Ratings: 'Homeland' Finale Breaks Showtime Record; 'Dexter' Finale Hits Season High

Ratings: 'Homeland' Finale Breaks Showtime Record; 'Dexter' Finale Hits Season High

Showtime posted some killer ratings Sunday night, apropos of its bleak content.

The 90-minute finale of the Claire Danes terrorism drama "Homeland" was the cable station's highest-rated finale for a freshman series, drawing 1.71 million total viewers with its initial 10 p.m. airing, and grabbing 2.03 viewers overall across the night's multiple airings.

Sunday night's finale also represented a 58 percent increase over the series' October premiere, and a season high for the series.

Over the course of its first season, "Homeland" has become Showtime's second-highest-rated series, behind only "Dexter."

Speaking of Showtime's veteran serial-killer drama, "Dexter" sliced a big, juicy chunk out of the ratings with Sunday night's season six finale providing Showtime with its most-watched telecast of the year.

The initial 9 p.m. airing drew 2.23 million viewers, with that number jumping to 2.71 for the night. The season has averaged 5.4 million total viewers across all platforms -- a 10 percent improvement over last season.

Most DVR'd in 2011: 'Two and a Half Men' Funeral, Super Bowl Flub

Most DVR'd in 2011: 'Two and a Half Men' Funeral, Super Bowl Flub

What do Ben Roethlisberger's Super Bowl choke and "Two and a Half Men's" send-off to deceased cad Charlie Harper have in common? They were the most-TiVo'ed moments on television in 2011.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Roethlisberger's incomplete pass to Mike Wallace during Super Bowl XLV was the year's most "time-shifted" television moment, according to DVR company TiVo's newly released annual report.

Coming in second was the eulogy for Charlie Sheen's character on "Two and a Half Men" during the show's September season premiere.

The Best Pictures Oscar win for "The King's Speech" at the Academy Awards came in third, while "Modern Family" -- a DVR favorite -- rounded out TiVo's Top 5 television moments with its "After the Fire" and "Hit and Run" episodes.

Speaking of "Modern Family," the ABC comedy has overtaken "Grey's Anatomy" as the top-ranked show on the company's "Season Pass" list, which automatically records shows week-to-week, regardless of time-slot changes.

The medical drama had held the top ranking for months. (In this case, DVR use appears to echo real-time viewing; "Modern Family" consistently leads the ratings on Wednesday nights.)

In terms of network breakdown, the most-DVR'ed series -- at least within the scope of TiVo's study -- air on the CW, with "The Vampire Diaries," "Gossip Girl" and "Smallville" being viewed in time-shifted mode more than 83 percent of the time.

This would seem to be in alignment with the CW's younger audience, which presumably has better things to do than plunk itself in front of the television in accordance with the network's dictated schedule.

NBC, Red Bull strike action sports partnership

NBC, Red Bull strike action sports partnership

NBC is getting into action sports.

Red Bull Media House and the NBC Sports Group have entered into a long-term partnership whereby NBC's broadcast and cable channels will air the "Red Bull Signature Series," a collection of action sports programming, starting in January.

Throughout 2012, NBC and its associated channels will air 35 hours of high-octane events like Red Bull X-Fighters, a global motocross competition, and Red Bull Cold Rush, a three-day skiing event.

"This is a true platform which should progress action sports on TV," Werner Brell, Managing Director of Red Bull Media House North America, told TheWrap. "This should progress how people in the U.S. view these sports and these athletes."

Of the 35 hours of programming, 20 of it will air on NBC, while 15 will air on the NBC Sports Network.

Red Bull Media House, based in Austria, launched its North American operations in January, bringing its print magazine -- Red Bulletin -- with it. It then released a documentary, "The Art of Flight," earlier this year.

Having already agreed with YouTube to curate the action sports channel, Brell said television is the next logical platform.

The first broadcast will be "Crashed Ice," a combination of ice hockey, downhill skating and boarder-cross. It will air January 21 on NBC. Here's a video promo of it.

For NBC, this represents another step towards expanding its foothold in sports programming. It has rebranded the Versus Channel as the NBC Sports Network, seeking to compete with the likes of ESPN and Fox Sports.

ESPN airs the most prominent action sports event, the X Games, of which Red Bull is a sponsor. However, Brell said he thinks NBC has shown a new level of interest in sports programming.

"NBC is really expanding their sports strategy and action sports is becoming more and more important," Brell said. "This will offer a year-round action-sports, live-event TV series."

In addition to showing the competition, the shows will take viewers behind the scenes so they can get to know some of the biggest stars in BMX, snowboarding and other sports.

'Bloopers' Returning to TV Next Fall

'Bloopers' Returning to TV Next Fall

Dick Clark Productions is reviving the iconic hidden-camera show as a weekly syndicated series set to bow next year.

More than 30 years after the original series premiered, Dick Clark Productions is reviving Bloopers.

Premiering in 1981, the original weekly series featured bloopers from film and television with actors playing practical jokes on one another. The revived Bloopers -- which has already been cleared for Tribune-owned stations in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and several others -- will feature new bloopers, hidden-camera moments and user-generated videos.

"We started Bloopers in 1981 and are delighted to bring this timeless franchise back to today's audience," Dick Clark Productions CEO Mark Shapiro said in a statement announcing the news Monday.

The original Bloopers ultimately led to a series of specials for film and television, and were ultimately merged into one series, dubbed Super Bloopers, hosted by both Clark and Ed McMahon.

Set to premiere next fall, the weekly series of 120 original half-hours set to air over the next three years will be distributed by Trifecta Entertainment & Media. The plan is to air the show back-to-back for an hour on weekends.

'Cougar Town' Creators Launch Their Own Promotional Campaign

'Cougar Town' Creators Launch Their Own Promotional Campaign

"These are not ABC events. They're 'Bill and Kevin are idiots' events," Bill Lawrence tweets of the nationwide viewing party circuit he and Kevin Biegel are planning to keep fans interested in the show, which was left off ABC's midseason schedule.

Cougar Town could be coming to your town care of its creators.

With the series left off ABC's midseason schedule, co-creators Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel have launched what they hope is a grass roots campaign to keep fans -- and for that matter, its host network -- interested in the third-season comedy.

The campaign includes viewing parties with prizes (think penny cans) and members of the cast and writing crew at various locations around the country. Among the Dec. 27 events already unveiled on Lawrence's active Twitter feed: Altanta, Louisville and Sarasota.

Lawrence listed Conneticut, Philadelphia and Los Angeles as other likely locales, but has not yet booked dates. More January viewing party locations will be announced Friday.

Like past Cougar Town promotional efforts, these events are not being done through the network's publicity or marketing departments. "No, these are not ABC events," Lawrence tweeted Monday. "They're 'Bill and Kevin are idiots' events."

Lawrence crafted bobblehead theater productions on the show's Facebook page to remind viewers to tune in after the show's spring hiatus last season. In a revealing interview with The Hollywood Reporter in April, he stressed the importance of keeping loyal fans interested by "giving them as much access, content and interaction as possible."

He added, "That’s what I like as a TV viewer. For me, every show that I’ve felt like, 'Wow, they actually care what the fans think' or 'they’re actually writing for somebody,' I’m more loyal to."

As Lawrence sees it, it's a strategy that yielded positive results on his last effort, Scrubs.

"We gave our fans extra content and access to the cast and writers," he recalled. "And in return, we could count on them to find the show on a network that moved the show about 20 times."

'American Horror Story's' Jessica Lange, Sam Shepard Separate After 30 Years

'American Horror Story's' Jessica Lange, Sam Shepard Separate After 30 Years

Jessica Lange and Sam Shepard have separated after nearly 30 years together.

A publicist for Lange confirmed the split Monday. The news was first reported by People, which reported that the actors ended their relationship almost two years ago.

Lange, 62, and Shepard, 68, had been together since 1982 and have two grown children together.

Lange, who won Oscars for her roles in Tootsie and Blue Sky, co-stars in FX's new hit series American Horror Story. She was nominated for a Golden Globe last week for her role in the horror-thriller.

Shepard recently starred as Butch Cassidy in the film Blackthorn. He also is a playwright and author whose play Buried Child won a Pulitzer Prize.

Lange previously was married to ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov. Shepard previously was married to actress O-Lan Jones.

HGTV Star Jamie Durie Beats His Former Talent Manager In Court

HGTV Star Jamie Durie Beats His Former Talent Manager In Court

Failure to pay taxes is one of the reasons why the guy who supposedly brought Durie to American TV won't be getting credit.

A federal judge has tossed Lance Reynolds' claims he deserved "executive producer" credit and compensation for bringing Oprah Winfrey's favorite gardening expert, Jamie Durie, to American television on HGTV's The Outdoor Room.

Reynolds made his claims earlier this year, contending that through his Atlantic Talent Management company (ATM) he had helped Durie achieve fame by introducing him to television network executives. The efforts eventually landed Durie a show on HGTV. Reynolds says that Durie agreed to pay ATM 15 percent of his earnings in commissions and provide a 51 percent ownership stake in The Outdoor Room to Atlantic Films and Television (AFT), an affiliate of ATM.

In 2008, the parties disputed the business relationship and supposedly came to some sort of oral agreement whereby Reynolds was to get an EP credit and compensation for The Outdoor Room.

In the lawsuit, Reynolds claims these agreements were breached. But the case hasn't survived very far.

In a ruling last week, California judge Jacqueline Nguyen dismissed the breach-of-contract claims because the plaintiff had failed to sufficiently allege delivery of the signed agreements. The judge wouldn't accept word that the settlement agreement had been "confirmed" by emails, saying that didn't constitute sufficient delivery.

Additionally, the terms of the personal management agreement lasted through June 26, 2007. The judge finds that the statute of limitations ran out in 2009, well before the June 13, 2011 lawsuit filing date.

Among the various other reasons why Reynolds' other claims have been dismissed is that Reynolds didn't actually have standing to bring a lawsuit over deals that Durie allegedly made with ATM and AFT. Reynolds had argued that the companies were actually his fictitious business names, but the judge agreed with the defense's contention that Reynolds was trying to circumvent an "inconvenience."

Unfortunately for Reynolds, according to the decision, his companies has been suspended for failure to pay California taxes and thus are barred from bringing legal action like this. "There is simply no sufficient allegation that Plaintiff ever performed services for Defendants in his individual capacity," writes Judge Nguyen. "As such, Plaintiff may not disregard the corporate status in order to serve his own interests."

'Smash' Extended Preview Offers a Backstage Look at the NBC Drama

'Smash' Extended Preview Offers a Backstage Look at the NBC Drama

New NBC Entertainment topper Robert Greenblatt faces his first big test as a broadcast network programmer when NBC's Smash premieres Feb. 6.

Featuring former American Idol contestant Katharine McPhee leading an ensemble cast in the story of the making of a Broadway play, the fourth-place network is going all-out to promote the series, releasing a seven-minute extended sneak peek at the series.

In the clip, McPhee and co-stars Debra Messing, Megan Hilty, Jack Davenport and Anjelica Huston (among others) are joined by a "dream team" of writer-producers Neil Meron, Craig Zadan and Steven Spielberg as they discuss the concept for the series.

I've had this idea for quite a few years," Spielberg says. "I'm really interested in what happens backstage. In movies, I know exactly how to put together a story and how to put together a production but for me it's a complete mystery how they do it in theater."

Watch the extended preview below.