Rupinder Gill Memoir Lands CBC Development Deal

Rupinder Gill Memoir Lands CBC Development Deal

Indie producer Amaze Film + Television is adapting "On The Outside Looking Indian" as a possible sitcom for the Canadian public broadcaster.

Never mind getting old: former Canadian TV publicist Rupinder Gill is an ambitious adult attemping a second childhood in her comic memoir On the Outside Looking Indian.

And now her life could become a Canadian sitcom after indie producer Amaze Film + Television optioned the memoir and snagged a comedy development deal with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

Amaze Film+TV executive-produced the HBO Canada comedy Call Me Fitz, which stars Jason Priestley.

The memoir by the former BBC Canada publicist has Gill making up for lost time as an adult by tackling what she wasn’t able to do as a child in a cloistered East Indian Canadian home.

The book option deal for On The Outside Looking Indian was brokered by Toronto’s Jennifer Hollyer Agency and The Rights Factory, acting for Gill.

Canadian film and TV producers are doing a nice business these days adapting homegrown memoirs.

The latest will see Jay Baruchel star in The Rebel Kind, a theatrical feature from director Reginald Harkema about Buck Cherry, the lead singer of the 1980s Vancouver punk/new-wave band The Modernettes.

TV Tonight 27th of December 2011: Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia.

TV Tonight 27th 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.

    Bleach (JP) S16E12: "Ichigo vs. Ginjō! To the Game's Space"
    Bomb Patrol Afghanistan S01E10: "The Firefight"
    Celebrity Mastermind S10E01: "Series 10, Episode 1"
    Coach Trip S08E12: "Series 8, Day 12"
    Come Dine With Me S17E99: "Celebrity Christmas Special - 2"
    Days of our Lives S47E34: "Ep. #11744"
    Deal Or No Deal (UK) S07E105: "Episode 1785"
    Dirty Jobs S08E03: "Doomsday Seed Banker"
    EastEnders S27E208: "December 27, 2011"
    Emmerdale S40E304: "December 27, 2011"
    Extreme Couponing S03E02: "All-Stars: Chris vs. Michelle"
    Extreme Couponing S03E01: "All-Stars: Carla vs. Faatima"
    Frozen Planet S01E00: "Christmas Special"
    General Hospital (US) S49E187: "#12461"
    Great Expectations (2011) S01E01: "Episode 1"
    Hardcore Pawn S05E06: "TBA"
    Hidden City S01E04: "Atlanta"
    Hollyoaks S17E257: "December 27, 2011"
    Jeopardy! S28E72: "Show #6277"
    John Bishop's Britain S02E07: "Christmas Special"
    Kimi to Boku S01E13: "The Sunshine Song"
    Morita-san wa Mukuchi S02E13: "Episode 13"
    My First Place S20E15: "First the House, then the Wedding"
    Nederland van boven S01E04: "Vrije tijd"
    NFL Films Presents S45E17: "A Real Life Heaven Can Wait"
    One Life to Live S44E114: "Ep. #11093"
    Perez Hilton Superfan S01E04: "Enrique Iglesias"
    Ruben vs Sophie S02E03: "Season 2, Episode 3"
    Shinryaku! Ika Musume S02E12: "Episode 12"
    Storage Hunters S02E06: "TBA"
    Storage Wars: Texas S01E04: "Mo' Money, Moe Prigoff"
    Storage Wars: Texas S01E05: "The Good, the Bad, and the Hungry"
    Swamp Loggers S04E11: "The Tipping Point"
    Teen Mom 2 S02E05: "No Looking Back"
    The Bold and the Beautiful S25E196: "Ep. #6225"
    The Young and the Restless S39E193: "Ep. #9808"
    Thuis S17E87: "Season 17, Episode 87"
    Top 2000 S13E03: "Top 2000 à gogo"
    Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood S06E05"
    University Challenge (1994) S18E33: "Christmas University Challenge Final"
    What Not To Wear (US) S09E14: "Christine"

Vienna Girardi Storms Off 'Relationship Rehab' Set

Vienna Girardi Storms Off 'Relationship Rehab' Set

It hasn't been an easy holiday season for reality show star Vienna Girardi. After flaunting their relationship on "Bachelor Pad 2," Girardi split from boyfriend Kasey Kahl in November and reportedly moved back to the peanut farm her parents own in Geneva, Florida.

A new life change, right? Not so fast: the serial reality show contestant, who first shot to fame last year when she became engaged to Jake Pavelka on "The Bachelor" -- left the farm shortly thereafter to film "Relationship Rehab" with said ex-boyfriend Kahl. (It appears the two patched things up).

Now TMZ reports that the 25-year-old Girardi has angrily stormed off set, telling producers that she "hates" them, because the producers ushered in yet another ex-boyfriend: Lee Smith, with whom Girardi was allegedly flirting with while engaged to "Pavelka."

Matthew McConaughey engaged to Camila Alves: She said yes!

Matthew McConaughey engaged to Camila Alves: She said yes!

Add Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves to the list of people who put a ring on it for Christmas! McConaughey announced his engagement to longtime love Camila Alves via his Twitter account on Sunday, Dec. 25.

"Just asked Camila to marry me, #MerryChristmas," he tweeted.

The couple lives in Austin with their three-year-old son Levi and their two-year-old daughter Vida. Alves, a model, also designs handbags and served as host of Season 3 of Bravo's "Shear Genius" hair styling competition show.

McConaughey and Alves met in 2006 in a bar. "I found the woman... I wanna make a family with, hopefully live our life out together," McConaughey recently told Esquire magazine.

TV Worth Watching This Week

TV Worth Watching This Week

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27

8 pm Glee (Fox) | You either loved “Grilled Cheesus” or you hated it. I fell into the first camp and will probably be checking out this encore.

9 pm Hardcore Pawn (truTV) | Father and son face off when a short-staffed disaster leads to a store full of angry customers.

9 pm Kennedy Center Honors (CBS) | President and Mrs. Obama are in attendance as singer Barbara Cook, singer/songwriter Neil Diamond, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, saxophonist/composer Sonny Rollins and actress Meryl Streep receive this year’s honors.

10 pm Parenthood (NBC) | This is the episode where Amber helped Max smooth things over with Jabbar, while Kristina got ready to give birth. You will bawl again.


WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28

8 pm From Dusk ‘Til Dawn (IFC) | Clooney and Tarantino as brothers? Good. Vampires? Good. Salma Hayek dancing with a snake. Goooood.

9 pm Criminal Minds (CBS) | This repeat features the Jacksonville, Fla. case that hit home for Morgan.

9 pm New Girl (Fox) | Believe it or not, kids, back when this comedy first started, there was a different third guy roommate! Tune in for this repeat of the series pilot and see if you can recognize the actor, who’s actually now on a different show!

10 pm State of Play (BBC America) | After Cal and his team corner Dominic Foy, they discover a connection between him and a firm who lobby on behalf of the oil industry.

10 pm Hot in Cleveland (TV Land) | Sean Hayes (Will & Grace) guest-stars as Victoria’s new (hand) model boyfriend.


THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29

8 pm Happy New Year, Charlie Brown (ABC) | The Peanuts gang is set to ring in 1986, and Chuck has big plans for the night: reading Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

8 pm Community (NBC) | “I am Jehovah’s most secret witness!” Journey back multiple weeks to revisit the time the study group subbed for Greendale’s glee club.

9 pm Bones (Fox) | This repeat of last season’s finale features a certain baby bombshell dropped by one Temperance Brennan. Change in the game, indeed.

9 pm The Secret Circle (The CW) | Series pilot: Hey, remember that Nick guy who lived next to Cassie…?

9 pm NY Ink (TLC) | Season 2 premiere: The Wooster Street Social Club is now the hottest tattoo shop in NYC, but more success means more problems for Ami.

10 pm Hook, Line and Sisters (TLC) | A series premiere worth noting if only (and I mean if only) because of its trying-so-hard title. (It’s about a family of commercial fishermen, fronted by two daughters.)

10 pm Beavis and Butt-Head (MTV) | The boys visit a brothel, but all is not as it seems.


FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30

8 pm Chuck (NBC) | As we explore the fallout of last week’s episode-ending reveal, Tim DeKay (White Collar) guest-stars as Sarah’s very first handler, while Cheryl Ladd (Charlie’s Angels) plays her mother.

9 pm The Life & Times of Tim (HBO) | Tim competes in a “caddy-off” with a 14-year-old; to impress Amy’s dad, Tim claims to have a lucratve career shilling sausages.

10 pm Sanctuary (Syfy) | Season finale, Part 2: Will Magnus’ plan be the salvation of Abnormal-kind… or its doom?

NBA Return Delivers High Ratings for ABC, ESPN and TNT

NBA Return Delivers High Ratings for ABC, ESPN and TNT

The Christmas opener between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks was one of the most-watched regular season games in cable history.

The NBA officially rebounded from the season-delaying lockout of 2011 on Christmas day, with five games across three networks.

Fast affiliate ratings paint a positive picture for the outings, particularly the TNT opener between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks and ABC's broadcast of the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The TNT broadcast of Knicks victory over the Celtics ranks as the fourth most-watched regular season NBA game in cable history, averaging 5.9 million viewers and earning a 3.4 households rating 3.9 million households.

The highest-rated Christmas game in cable history, it naturally did well in team towns Boston (7.8 HH rating) and New York (7.2 HH rating).

On ABC, Bulls/Lakers game generated a 6.5 rating among households overnight, making it the network's third highest-rated regular season game ever. Metered markets gave it a whopping 17.4 HH rating in Chicago.

Prior to that game, Miami and Dallas gave ABC a 5.6 households rating, a six percent jump over last year's Boston/Orlando game.

ESPN didn't have the day's big ticket games, but saw Christmas day ratings jumps with its broadcasts of Orlando and Oklahoma City at 8:00 p.m. ET (1.9 HH rating) and the L.A. Clippers and Golden State at 10:30 p.m. ET (2.3 HH rating). They were up 26 percent and 77 percent, respectively, over last year's games on the same day.

NBC Catches Jilted Packer Fan on Camera During Sunday Night Football

NBC Catches Jilted Packer Fan on Camera During Sunday Night Football

Her sign blared: "My Cheating Ex Boyfriend Is Watching From Couch Instead."

The millions of viewers who tuned into NBC's Sunday Night Football on Christmas caught a glimpse of a jilted Green Bay Packers fan wielding a giant sign directed at her unfaithful ex-boyfriend.

In a strategic act of revenge using permanent marker and a hugely public platform, the fan gleefully called out her "cheating ex boyfriend" who was stuck watching the Packers beat the Chicago Bears at home while she enjoyed the game from the stands.

'Real Housewives of New York' Star Cindy Barshop's Discrimination Case Dropped

'Real Housewives of New York' Star Cindy Barshop's Discrimination Case Dropped

The former Bravo housewife prevails over racism charges made by an employee of her Completely Bare business.

A discrimination case against Cindy Barshop, formerly one of Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York City, has been dismissed, the New York Post reported..

Barshop, who debuted last season of the reality show but was not hired for the next, runs Completely Bare, a spa-and-waxing salon with locations in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Atlanta. According to the Post, Altovise Collier, a former employee of the company, had filed a discrimination complaint against Barshop with the New York's Divison of Human Rights, alleging the ex-reality star fired her because she's black.

Among Collier's claims: she didn't receive enough employee training, which resulted in negative customer feedback. Collier also alleged that staffers joked she was hired to "inject some color" into the salon, and when she talked to Barshop about it, Barshop let her go.

The case was dropped this month, reported the Post, due to a lack of evidence that Collier was fired because of her race. In a statement, Barshop said: "I’m so happy that the truth has come out. I’ve never looked at people based on race, religion, creed, or color. I see people for who they are.”

Meanwhile, the single mother of twin girls will not return for season five of Bravo's Real Housewives New York edition. The NBC Universal-owned cable channel did not ask her back, along with Alex McCord, Jill Zarin, and Kelly Killoren Bensimon.

After receiving the news last September, Barshop told The Hollywood Reporter she was "100 percent good with the decision."

“Bravo and I parted amicably and I will not be returning for the show," she said. "And I’m absolutely thrilled with the opportunity, really am thrilled. And for me, it’s a great decision personally and for my business. It’s going to be an amazing year next year.”

Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber Top DoSomething.org's Annual 'Celebs Gone Good' List

Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber Top DoSomething.org's Annual 'Celebs Gone Good' List

The "Marry the Night" singer scores the No. 1 spot for the second consecutive year, while "Glee's" Lea Michele made her charitable debut. Also big in philanthropy this year: power couples like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert.

Lady Gaga may sing about being one of the "Bad Kids" on her critically acclaimed album, Born This Way, but the pop star is undoubtedly good when it comes to charity.

For the second consecutive year, Gaga tops the Celebs Gone Good Top 20 list, courtesy of DoSomething.org. Hot on her heels is another pop superstar, Justin Bieber, who jumps to the No. 2 spot from last year's position at No. 10, with George Clooney rounding out the top 3.

Known for supporting gay rights, AIDS and poverty, Gaga focused much of her effort in 2011 on putting an end to bullying, even bringing her fight to the White House. This year, she also set up the Born This Way Foundation, which aims to empower youth.

Bieber continued his admirable work with Pencils of Promise this year, an organization which has built 41 schools in Laos, Nicaragua and Guatemala, founded by Adam Braun -- brother of Bieber's manager, Scott "Scooter" Braun. In the last 12 months, the 17-year-old released a perfume in his name, as well as a holiday album titled Under The Misteltoe, donating a portion of proceeds to charity. Among the organizations to receive support from Bieber's golden touch this year are the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Toronto's Daily Bread Food Bank and Children's Wish Foundation, as well as Whitney Elementary School in Las Vegas, Nevada, to name a few. For a more complete look at Bieber's charitable holiday season, click here.

Newlyweds Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert came in at No. 14, while recently separated couple Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore share the No. 12 spot. Other do-gooder couples include Will and Jada Pinkett Smith (No. 4) and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (No. 8).

"There are some interesting trends from this year's list," says Aria Finger, COO of DoSomething.org. "It's dominated by young celebrities and we also see so many couples. Last year the list had its first power couple, Ashton and Demi, and this year there are a total of four couples. Doing good is definitely fun in groups."

For the first time, DoSomething.org incorporated Facebook voting to help determine the impact of celebrities reaching an audience with their cause. Criteria required stars to do more than simply give money, but to take action such as building houses, writing articles or founding an organization. One Tree Hill actress Sophia Bush was voted the first ever "fan favorite" by Facebook users.

Other entertainers making the list are Matt Damon, who held the No. 1 spot in 2009, Shakira, Lea Michele, Nick Cannon (sans wife Mariah Carey), Daniel Radcliffe, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato and Leonardo DiCaprio.

"There are a handful of other celebrities who just missed the cut-off this year," Finger notes. "We look forward to seeing what they will do in 2012."

Among the celebs on her radar for next year are Jay-Z and Beyonce, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Zooey Deschanel, NFL star Tim Tebow and Bieber's girlfriend, Selena Gomez.

View the complete list below and for more on each honoree and their causes, visit DoSomething.org.

1. Lady Gaga
2. Justin Bieber
3. George Clooney
4. Will & Jada Pinkett Smith
5. Leonardo DiCaprio
6. Matt Damon
7. Ellen Degeneres
8. Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie
9. Dwight Howard
10. Demi Lovato
11. Shakira
12. Ashton Kutcher & Demi Moore
13. will.i.am
14. Blake Shelton & Miranda Lambert
15. Nick Cannon
16. Lea Michele
17. Daniel Radcliffe
18. Miley Cyrus
19. Coldplay
20. Taylor Swift

Holland Taylor on life, love and Charlie Sheen

Holland Taylor on life, love and Charlie Sheen

Holland Taylor offers no apologies for never settling down, getting married or having children.

The 68-year-old Emmy-winning actress, currently starring in her one-woman show "Ann" at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center, simply never had the time.

"I always did think I would be married and settled down by now but maybe I ain't ready," she said, sounding a lot like the over-the-top mother of Jon Cryer she portrays in the CBS comedy "Two and a Half Men." "Then again, maybe I won't ever be ready."

Taylor's career blossomed in her mid-30s and the New Yorker with Pennsylvania roots has been on a dizzying pace ever since, starring on the stage, in television and on film.

Having a family just wasn't in the script.

"I'm very, very happy. I just never was the marrying kind," she said. "I am a serial monogamist. I don't have multiple relationships at once.

"I've had a long life and a lot of relationships and not one of them do I wish -- well, I take that back -- there are a couple I could have done without," she added with a chuckle.

Taylor's current love is "Ann," which is based on the life of quick-witted, sharp-tongued former Texas Gov. Ann Richards.

Seconds after a recent performance at the Kennedy Center, the audience was on its feet, cheering wildly for the show and its star.

While the applause was quick that night, overall it was a long time coming for Taylor. The actress conceived the show nearly six years ago and has been researching it and writing it ever since. She admits to being captivated about the dynamic Richards, who died in 2006 of esophageal cancer.

"I had a lot of creative feelings about her," Taylor told Reuters. "If I had been a painter, it would have been a painting. If I had been a composer, it would have been a piece of music. I had to do something with my feelings about this loss."

Taylor said the idea of taking Richards' story to the stage "came to me very suddenly."

"I was literally driving to work at my television show one day and I had to pull off the highway onto the service road," she recalled. "I had the idea it should be a play because of her liveliness and her contact with the audience.

"She herself said, 'I was good as a candidate over the years only because I connect with people one on one.' I decided right then a play is how it should be done."

NO LOOKING BACK

Taylor has perfected Richards' Southern drawl and eerily looks like the Texas politician whose energizing keynote address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention elevated her to widespread prominence.

The actress insists she brought Richards' story to the stage not because she could play the role but to celebrate the politician's life.

"She was not a person who looked back. Ever," Taylor said. "She did not revisit things. She was rolling along, like a wheel that goes under and then over. Under and over. But always moving forward.

"If she fell, she fell forward. And that is not the way I am. I get very upset. I can get very waylaid. I get blue. I can become chicken little.

"And now when I do, I think, 'What would Ann Richards think of this behavior?'"

During breaks in the show's pre-Broadway tour -- it is playing now through January 15 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts -- Taylor will continue her role on "Two and a Half Men." She is glad its former star, Charlie Sheen, survived his firing and public meltdown earlier this year and has moved on.

"It was painful for me to see him in pain and he did something very, very dangerous by first of all, obviously doing drugs to that degree is dangerous, but quitting very violently is very dangerous too," she said.

"And he went through really an amazing thing out in public. I just was terrified for him. I think everybody was. But he got through it alive which is all anybody wanted."

Taylor said she would see his daily rants and described them as "very scary."

"There were a few days there where I would open the paper, and I would be so frightened to see that something really terrible happened," she said. "I'm glad he escaped that."

Holland Taylor is in a good spot these days, healthy, happy and with more job offers than she knows what do with. Just don't expect her to slow down anytime soon.

With a laugh, she said she would "commit an ax murder" before attempting to conceal her age.

"It would seem so silly," she said backstage at the Kennedy Center. "I really, truly genuinely struggled quite hard until I was in my mid-30s. "I personally was at sea.

"But that's long gone. I'm doing OK. I'm better than OK."

Winter/Spring 2012 US Premiere Dates

Winter/Spring 2012 US Premiere Dates

January

January 1:

10:00pm Angry Boys (HBO): Series Premiere

January 2:

8:00pm The Bachelor (ABC): Season Premiere

How I Met Your Mother (CBS): Return from hiatus

Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family): Winter Premiere

8:30pm 2 Broke Girls (CBS): Return from hiatus

9:00pm Hoarders (A&E): Season Premiere

The Lying Game (ABC Family): Winter Premiere

Two and a Half Men (CBS): Return from hiatus

9:30pm Mike and Molly (CBS): Return from hiatus

10:00pm Hawaii Five-O (CBS): Return from hiatus

Intervention (A&E): Season Premiere

Wife Swap (ABC): Season Premiere

January 3:

8:00pm The Biggest Loser (NBC): Season Premiere

Last Man Standing (ABC): Return from hiatus

NCIS (CBS): Return from hiatus

Switched at Birth (ABC Family): Winter Premiere

8:30pm Work It (ABC): Series Premiere

9:00pm Jane by Design (ABC Family): Series Premiere

NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS): Return from hiatus

10:00pm Body of Proof (ABC): Return from hiatus

Jamie's American Road Trip (BBCA): Series Premiere

Parenthood (NBC): Return from hiatus

Unforgettable (CBS): Return from hiatus

January 4:

8:00pm I Get That Alot (CBS): Special Presentation

The Middle (ABC): Return from hiatus

8:30pm Suburgatory (ABC): Return from hiatus

9:00pm Dog The Bounty Hunter (A&E): Season Premiere

Mobbed (FOX): Special Presentation

Modern Family (ABC): Return from hiatus

Nova (PBS): Season Premiere

9:30pm Happy Endings (ABC): Return from hiatus

10:00pm Revenge (ABC): Return from hiatus

Steven Seagal: Lawman (A&E): Season Premiere

January 5:

8:00pm The Vampire Diaries (CW): Return from hiatus

Wipeout (ABC): Season Premiere

9:00pm Grey's Anatomy (ABC): Return from hiatus

Project Runway: All-Stars (Lifetime): Season Premiere

The Secret Circle (CW): Return from hiatus

10:00pm Jersey Shore (MTV): Season Premiere

Private Practice (ABC): Return from hiatus

January 6:

8:00pm A Gifted Man (CBS): Return from hiatus

Nikita (CW): Return from hiatus

9:00pm CSI: NY (CBS): Return from hiatus

Supernatural (CW): Return from hiatus

10:00pm Blue Bloods (CBS): Return from hiatus

Merlin (SyFy): Season Premiere

Portlandia (IFC): Season Premiere

10:30pm The Incredibly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (IFC): Season Premiere

January 8:

8:00pm Once Upon A Time (ABC): Return from hiatus

8:30pm The Cleveland Show (FOX): Return from hiatus

9:00pm Desperate Housewives (ABC): Return from hiatus

The Firm (NBC): Series Premiere/Special Day and Time

The Good Wife (CBS): Return from hiatus

Downtown Abbey (PBS): Season Premiere

Shameless (Showtime): Season Premiere

10:00pm CSI: Miami (CBS): Return from hiatus

House of Lies (Showtime): Series Premiere

Pan Am (ABC): Return from hiatus

10:30pm Californication (Showtime): Season Premiere

January 9:

10:00pm Castle (ABC): Return from hiatus

January 10:

10:00pm The Game (BET): Season Premiere

January 11:

8:00pm One Tree Hill (CW): Season Premiere

Whitney (NBC): Return from hiatus/new timeslot

8:30pm Are You There Chelsea? (NBC): Series Premiere

9:00pm Ghost Hunters (SyFy): Season Premiere

Mobbed (FOX): Special Presentation

10:00pm Face Off (SyFy): Season Premiere

Law and Order: SVU (NBC): Return from hiatus

January 12:

8:00pm 30 Rock (NBC): Season Premiere

The Big Bang Theory (CBS): Return from hiatus

The Finder (FOX): Series Premiere

8:30pm Parks and Recreation (NBC): Return from hiatus

Rob (CBS): Series Premiere

9:00pm Paradise Lost 3 (HBO): Special Presentation

The Office (NBC): Return from hiatus

Person of Interest (CBS): Return from hiatus

9:30pm Up All Night (NBC): Return from hiatus/New night/timeslot

10:00pm The Firm (NBC): Timeslot Premiere

The Mentalist (CBS): Return from hiatus

January 13:

9:00pm Fringe (FOX): Return from hiatus

10:00pm Real Time (not Talk) with Bill Maher (HBO): Season Premiere

11:00pm Blade: Anime (G4): Series Premiere

January 15:

8:00pm The 69th Golden Globe Awards (NBC): Special Presentation

Undercover Boss (CBS): Season Premiere

8:30pm Napoleon Dynamite (FOX): Series Premiere

January 16:

8:00pm Alacatraz (FOX): Series Premiere

Gossip Girl (CW): Return from hiatus

Betty White's 90th Birthday Special (NBC): Special Presentation

9:00pm Being Human (SyFy): Season Premiere

9:30pm Betty White's Off the Rockers (NBC): Series Premiere

10:00pm Lost Girl (SyFy): Series/U.S. Premiere

January 17:

8:00pm 90210 (CW): Return from hiatus

9:00pm Remodeled (CW): Series Premiere

10:00pm Justified (FX): Season Premiere

Southland (TNT): Season Premiere

White Collar (USA): Winter Premiere

January 18:

8:00pm American Idol (FOX): Season Premiere

9:00pm Criminal Minds (CBS): Return from hiatus

10:00pm CSI (CBS): Return from hiatus

Royal Pains (USA): Winter Premiere

January 19:

10:00pm Archer (FX): Winter Premiere

10:30pm Unsupervised (FX): Series Premiere

January 20:

8:00pm Shark Tank (ABC): Season Premiere

January 22:

10:00pm American Idol (FOX): Special Night - Following NFC Championship

January 23:

8:00pm House (FOX): Return from hiatus/new timeslot

9:00pm Alcatraz (FOX): Timeslot premiere

Hart of Dixie (CW): Return from hiatus

10:00pm Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern (Travel): Season Premiere

January 25:

9:00pm Touch (FOX): Series Premiere/Special Night

10:00pm Real World/Road Rules Challenge (MTV): Season Premiere

January 27:

10:00pm Spartacus: Vengeance (Starz): Season Premiere

January 29:

8:00pm The 18th Annual SAG Awards (TNT/TBS)

9:00pm Luck (HBO): Series Premiere

January 31:

9:00pm Ringer (CW): Return from hiatus

February

February 5:

10:00pm The Voice (NBC): Season Premiere/Special Night & Time -- Following the Super Bowl

February 6:

8:00pm The Voice (NBC): Timeslot Premiere

10:00pm Smash (NBC): Series Premiere

February 7:

9:00pm The River (ABC): Series Premiere

February 12:

8:00pm The 54th Annual Grammy Awards (CBS): Special Presentation

9:00pm The Celebrity Apprentice (NBC): Season Premiere

The Walking Dead (AMC): Winter Premiere

February 13:

8:00pm The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (USA): Special Presentation

February 15:

8:00pm Survivor: One World (CBS): Season Premiere

February 17:

8:00pm Undercover Boss (CBS): New Timeslot

9:00pm A Gifted Man (CBS): New Timeslot

February 19:

8:00pm The Amazing Race 20 (CBS): Season Premiere

10:00pm Eastbound and Down (HBO): Season Premiere

10:30pm Life's Too Short (HBO): Series Premiere

February 26:

8:30pm The 84th Annual Academy Awards (ABC)

February 29:

10:00pm Psych (USA): Winter Premiere



March

March 4:

8:00pm Harry's Law (NBC): Timeslot Premiere

9:00pm G.C.B. (Good Christian Belles) (ABC): Series Premiere

March 6:

8:30pm Breaking In (FOX): Season Premiere

9:00pm Fashion Star (NBC): Series Premiere

March 11:

8:30pm Bob's Burgers (FOX): Season Premiere

March 14:

10:00pm South Park (Comedy): Season Premiere

March 15:

8:00pm Missing (ABC): Series Premiere

March 19:

8:00pm Dancing with the Stars (ABC): Season Premiere

9:00pm Touch (FOX): Timeslot Premiere

Scheduled to air Spring 2012, but no airdate yet:


CBS:

NYC 2-2

NBC:

Awake

Bent

BFF (Best Friends Forever)

ABC:

Cougar Town

Scandal

Apartment 23

HBO:

Game of Thrones (April)

Showtime:

Episodes

The Borgias

Nurse Jackie

AMC:

Mad Men

The Killing

Starz:

Magic City (April)

Simon Cowell Getting $42 Million for The X Factor and Other Ventures

Simon Cowell Getting $42 Million for The X Factor and Other Ventures

It turns out that the $5 million recording contract that Melanie Amaro received is a relative pittance compared to the $42 million Simon Cowell is getting for The X Factor and other enterprises.

The Guardian in London, citing corporate papers filed last week, reports that Cowell, the show's creator and alpha judge, made that amount in a deal with Sony that set up a joint venture for his entertainment businesses, which include the Fox network amateur-singing competition.

For its 50 percent share in the new Syco Entertainment, Sony anted up some $49 million and turned over its ownership stakes in two of Mr. Cowell's other entertainment properties. Cowell received $42 million of that money by handing over the shares of another company under his control.

The first season of The X Factor culminated last week with the 19-year-old Amaro becoming the champ.

Some 12.45 million viewers watched the finale, well shy of the 20 million that Cowell and Fox executives -- who called the show "the biggest show on television, the biggest show in the world ..." — predicted with great bravado last summer. The numbers were barely half of American Idol's.

The show already is slated to come back for Season 2; despite falling short of lofty ratings goals, it did better than most other prime-time programs. But some changes may be coming. There's speculation that judge Nicole Scherzinger won't return, and host Steve Jones could be going the way of Brian Dunkelman.

How Aquaman Got His Groove Back

How Aquaman Got His Groove Back

Aquaman may be one of the most well known superheroes, but that doesn't mean he's one of the most popular. Though his fans know he's among the most powerful and fearless characters in comics, the general public has been laughing at the orange and green clad hero since his days on the 1970s Super Friends cartoons. Long derided because his main superpower seems to be his ability to "talk to fish," and due to his perceived uselessness out of the water, Aquaman is more associated with punch lines than punches.

But the hard luck hero has been steadily working his way onto the pop culture A-List over the past few years, and his new comic book series has turned into a best seller. "I really thought the character had tons of potential," says Geoff Johns, DC Comics' chief creative officer, who is writing the book. "Having Aquaman be the king of Atlantis but a joke on land, that's a great dichotomy for a character."

As part of a relaunch of DC Comics' entire line this fall, Aquaman was given a solo series for the first time since his last book was cancelled in 2006. Ironically, that was just as his mainstream image makeover was beginning. A guest appearance on Smallville (played by American Idol semifinalist Alan Ritchson) in the fall of 2005 was a hit with fans, and on HBOs' Entourage main character Vincent Chase got his big break starring in a (fictional) blockbuster Aquaman movie directed by James Cameron. More recently the sea king became the breakout star of Cartoon Network's Batman: The Brave and the Bold thanks to an unabashedly jolly (while still plucky) reinterpretation of his personality.

Still, Johns felt that the new Aquaman comic needed to address the hero's laughingstock history. "You have the fans, like myself, who always root for the character, and you're always on the defensive immediately," says the author, who has previously rebooted other dusty DC franchises, like the Justice Society, Teen Titans and Hawkman. "And I wanted to take that approach in the book, that he's the ultimate underdog of superheroes. He becomes much more human and relatable by being underestimated." In the first few issues, police officers have mocked him to his face, and in a recent issue of Justice League of America (also written by Johns) Green Lantern, on meeting him for the first time, says, "I thought Aquaman was a sketch on Conan O'Brien."

This honest take on the character has won raves from old fans — and brought in new ones. The first issue has sold more than 100,000 copies (an impressive number by today's standards) and with issue No. 4 going on sale this Wednesday — in comic book stores and online — the book ranks in the Top 20 for sales, according to Diamond Comic Distributors. Still, a recent cameo in an SNL Digital Short illustrates what he's up against. "It's going to take a long time to make Aquaman the coolest superhero there is, but I love fighting against that tide," says Johns, who confesses that water-themed puns are inevitable when talking about the character.

Given that much lesser known heroes like Iron Man, Thor and Green Lantern have turned into Hollywood stars, could a screen-version of the King of the Seas be far off? "You will see Aquaman in a lot of different things beyond comics," Johns promises, but, "that's all I can get into now."

One place where he could conceivably show up is Cartoon Network's upcoming DC Nation programming block, a partnership with Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics slated to launch in 2012. Sandwiched in between shows like Young Justice and Green Lantern: The Animated Series will be animated shorts showcasing DC's enormous library. "Some are reinterpretations of characters that we know," says Johns, "some of characters that we never thought we'd see animated."

That '70s Show Stars Back Together!

That '70s Show Stars Back Together!

More than three decades after the psychedelic '70s, That '70s Show's Donna and Fez are looking remarkably youthful. An episode of NBC's upcoming sitcom Are You There, Chelsea? (starring Laura Prepon as a cocktail waitress loosely based on boozy talk-show host Chelsea Handler) finds Wilmer Valderrama guest starring as a minor league baseball player.

"Wilmer comes into the bar and totally throws me for a loop," Laura teases. "We have a couple of kissing scenes, which was really weird for us." That's because all the '70s stars have remained tight and still hang out regularly.

"When Kutch [Ashton Kutcher] started doing Two and a Half Men, I went to a couple of episodes to support him," says Laura. "He shoots on the next stage over from me, so I see him all the time. Mila [Kunis], Topher [Grace], Danny [Masterson] and Wilmer all came to my set last week. We're family forever."

Laura, Wilmer, Ashton and Danny are also co-owners of several restaurants, including Hollywood's Big Wangs, which reminds Laura of the New Jersey sports bar where her character works. "People should be able to relate to this set," she says. "Like Cheers, it's a place where you grab a beer and watch the game. Except this time I'm the Sam Malone."