Brit awards 2012: nominations in full

Brit awards 2012: nominations in full

Full list of all the artists nominated in categories for this year's awards, the award show will air on the 21st of february 2012.

British male solo artist

Ed Sheeran (Atlantic Records/Warner Music)
James Blake (Polydor/Universal Music)
James Morrison (Island/Universal Music)
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds (Sour Mash)
Professor Green (Virgin/EMI Music)

British female solo artist

Adele (XL Recordings/XL Beggars)
Florence + the Machine (Island/Universal Music)
Jessie J (Island/Lava/Universal Music)
Kate Bush (Fish People/EMI Music)
Laura Marling (Virgin/EMI Music)

British breakthrough act

(Top five selected by Voting Academy. Category promoted by BBC Radio 1.)

Anna Calvi (Domino Records)
Ed Sheeran (Atlantic Records/Warner Music)
Emeli Sandé (Virgin/EMI Music)
Jessie J (Island/Lava/Universal Music)
The Vaccines (Columbia/Sony Music)

British group

(Top five selected by Voting Academy. Category promoted by BBC Radio 2.)

Arctic Monkeys (Domino Records)
Chase & Status (Mercury/Universal Music)
Coldplay (Parlophone/EMI Music)
Elbow (Polydor/Universal Music)
Kasabian (Columbia/Sony Music)

British single

(Top 10 British singles based on commercial radio airplay and sales in the calendar year are automatically nominated. Promoted by Capital FM and iTunes, listeners and users will vote for their favourite single of the year.)

Adele Someone Like You (XL Recordings/XL Beggars)
Ed Sheeran The A Team (Atlantic Records/Warner Music)
Example Changed The Way You Kissed Me (Ministry Of Sound)
Jessie J Ft B.o.B. Price Tag (Island/Lava/Universal Music)
JLS ft Dev She Makes Me Wanna (Epic/Sony Music)
Military Wives/Gareth Malone Wherever You Are (Decca/Universal Music)
Olly Murs ft Rizzle Kicks Heart Skips A Beat (Epic/Sony Music)
One Direction What Makes You Beautiful (Syco Music/Sony Music)
Pixie Lott All About Tonight (Mercury/Universal Music)
The Wanted Glad You Came (Global Talent/Island/Universal Music)

Mastercard British album of the year

(Supported by the Sun Bizarre column and ITV1's Daybreak.)

Adele 21 (XL Recordings/Beggars)
Coldplay Mylo (Xyloto Parlophone/EMI Music)
Ed Sheeran + (Atlantic Records/Warner Music)
Florence + the Machine (Ceremonials Island/Universal Music)
PJ Harvey Let England Shake (Island/Universal Music)

International male solo artist

Aloe Blacc (Epic/Sony Music)
Bon Iver (4AD/XL Beggars)
Bruno Mars (Atlantic Records/Warner Music)
David Guetta (Positiva/Virgin/EMI Music)
Ryan Adams (Columbia/Sony Music)

International female solo artist

Beyoncé (Columbia/Sony Music)
Björk (One Little Indian)
Feist (Polydor/Universal Music)
Lady Gaga (Polydor/Universal Music)
Rihanna (Mercury/Universal Music)

International group

Fleet Foxes (Bella Union)
Foo Fighters (RCA/Sony Music)
Jay-Z/Kanye West (Mercury/Universal Music)
Lady Antebellum (Capitol/EMI Music)
Maroon 5 (Polydor/Universal Music)

International breakthrough act

Aloe Blacc (Epic/Sony Music)
Bon Iver (4AD/XL Beggars)
Foster The People (Columbia/Sony Music)
Lana Del Rey (Polydor/Universal Music)
Nicki Minaj (Island/Universal Music)

Outstanding contribution to music award

Blur (EMI Music)

Critics' choice

In association with War Child. Identified by a panel made up of media music critics.

1st: Emeli Sandé (Virgin/EMI Music)
2nd: Maverick Sabre (Mercury/Universal Music)
3rd: Michael Kiwanuka (Polydor/Universal Music)

British producer

Paul Epworth
Flood
Ethan Johns

Showtime's 'House of Lies' More Realistic Than You Think

Showtime's 'House of Lies' More Realistic Than You Think

"Lies" is based on a "a book written by an angry little man who is bitter and works all of the time," says author Martin Kihn.

To hear Martin Kihn tell it, Showtime’s consultant comedy House of Lies is truer to life than many would like to believe.

On stage at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour with the cast and producers of the series inspired by his book, House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal your Watch and then Tell you the Time, Kihn insisted that the lifestyle portrayed was in fact his reality. Or at least the workplace aspect of it, as his opinion is that little of what a consultant does occurs outside the office.

According to Kihn, a self-described consultant-turned-consultant hater, tell it, the series is "toned down considerably" from the real thing. "This book is a book written by an angry little man who is bitter and works all of the time," he admits, referring to himself. "I think that Matt [Carnahan] and the writers did everyone a big favor by changing it a little bit -- adding things like personal relationships, having sex occasionally. Consultants don’t have sex with anybody, including their spouses, we’re just too tired."

Kihn says his book was initially conceived as a "Consultant to English dictionary," but evolved into something more in the writing process. It was that language and what the show's producers dub the "absurdity" of the lifestyle that made it ripe for series adaptation, and provocative enough to draw actors like Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell. To draw viewers --some 2 million when Showtime factors in replays-- the show about a team of management consultants has been reframed as a show about big business.

"I read it [in one night] and I felt this needs to be a show," Carnahan says of the book, noting that the book provided him with a world and a lexicon rather than characters. The result: "I wasn’t strictly adapting a book, I got to cherry pick the fun stuff and create characters out of whole cloth."

The result dances between comedy and drama, a cable-friendly form that greatly appeals to its actors, which Kihn claims are much like consultants. "The skill is not to solve a business problem or to have the expertise," he quips of his former craft. "The skill is to be able to present oneself as someone who could solve a problem or may potentially have the expertise."

TV Land Renews 'Hot in Cleveland,' Greenlights Spinoff to Series

TV Land Renews 'Hot in Cleveland,' Greenlights Spinoff to Series

The concept for the untitled Cedric the Entertainer series was conceived last year.

TV Land has given the green light on a fourth season of Hot in Cleveland and has moved forward with the Cedric the Entertainer spinoff series, a source confirms.

Hot in Cleveland, which won an award at Wednesday's People's Choice Awards, has been a regular ratings performer for the cable network hovering around 1.8 million total viewers in its third season. That is well below the series debut, which lured 4.8 million in June 2010.

The timing could not be more appropriate: Betty White's 90th birthday special on NBC will air Monday and her hidden-camera series Off Their Rockers will also be previewed.

The untitled Hot in Cleveland spinoff stars Cedric the Entertainer as Rev. Boyce and was co-written by Cedric and Cleveland creator Suzanne Martin. TV Land ordered a pilot last year after the concept originated in episodes of the flagship series.

“Cedric is hilarious and I’m so happy to do this show with him,” said Martin in April. “We are going to have a lot of fun developing and exploring his role as a minister.”

Martin serves as an executive producer on the show, along with Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner.

Cleveland co-stars Valerie Bertinelli, Wendie Malick and Jane Leeves.

TV Land has been expanding its original programming with comedies like The Exes and Happily Divorced.

Geoff Stults, TV Veteran, Makes a Play for Leading Man With 'The Finder'

Geoff Stults, TV Veteran, Makes a Play for Leading Man With 'The Finder'

A frequent causality of the tube, the actor tells THR about the different set of expectations he's encountered starring in the "Bones" spin-off.

Geoff Stults is something of an unrealized leading man.

After acquainting himself with television audiences during a recurring gig on 7th Heaven, the actor went on a nearly decade-long binge of guest appearances and leading roles in doomed series. (You may recall October Road, Reunion or Happy Town.)

He's inarguably handsome, boasts a sprawling IMDB profile and has a sense of humor that's landed him smaller parts in hits such as Wedding Crashers and The Break-Up.

Now, at 34, he finally seems poised for breakout status, taking on the title role in Fox's heavily promoted Bones spin-off, The Finder.

"You can always tell when you're doing a show," Stults tells The Hollywood Reporter, not recalling any one project in particular, "One of those 'Gee, we sure hope you do all right' shows and there aren't a lot of expectations for it."

From the sound of it, his experience on The Finder -- he plays Walter Sherman, a slightly imbalanced private investigator capable of locating anything and anyone -- has been quite the opposite.

"This is just so different," he says. "They're promoting the hell out of it, they gave us the best time slot in television and you can tell that there's a belief in it. I could tell that from the upfronts when we weren't at the very last table. By the way that we're treated, from the press to the people at Fox, there are high expectations. And I want those expectations because it means we have a good opportunity."

The time slot alone lends credit to a vote of faith from the network. The Finder's 13-episode run is scheduled at 9:00 p.m. It's Jan. 12 premiere follows the winter finale of its sister series, and starting the following week, it airs after American Idol.

Knowing that he's also already aired an episode takes a bit of pressure off as well. The Finder debuted as a backdoor pilot in an April 2011 episode of Bones, shortly before it was picked up for the midseason.

"The whole process for me happened so differently from anything else I've ever done," Stults says, noting that he didn't exactly jump on the project when it came across his table. "By being a moron, I walked myself into a fantastic job. I knew of Bones, obviously, but I'd never been a Bones watcher. I'd seen it once before we shot the episode."

As with any spin-off, having Bones around is something of a blessing and a curse for the series. On one hand, there's a built-in fanbase and infrastructure -- Stults likens it to joining a "well-oiled machine" -- and on the other, spin-offs are traditionally taken less seriously.

"Here's my little two cent description," Stults tells THR, redefining the label a bit, "It's like Bones did a crossover episode with a show that just didn't exist yet."

Not that there aren't similarities. Both shows parallel a procedural element with borderline slapstick humor. THR's chief TV critic Tim Goodman wrote that the series has "has zero pretentions of being edgy."

Still, Stults says there are depths to be explored in Walter Sherman. His abilities at "finding" are conditional on a devastating brain injury that could kill him or drive him insane with little provocation.

"We toe that line a bit," he says of the darker themes, which he thinks will be explored further if they get a second season. "Tonally, there are intense parts of the show, but for the most part its lighter so far."

And maybe you can thank him for that. The quirk seen on The Finder is very much his own.

"Originally the character was conceived to be much darker," Stults says, "but [creator] Hart [Hanson] and I chose to play a bit more with the jackassery. When you cast somebody, you write to their strengths."

TV Tonight 13th of January 2012

TV Tonight 13th of January 2012

The daily list in alphabetical order, of all the new episodes airing.

    20/20 S34E19: "Season 34, Episode 19"
    A Gifted Man S01E11: "In Case of (Re)Birth"
    A League of Their Own (UK) S04E10: "Never Before Seen Footage"
    Amagami SS S02E02: "Episode 2"
    America's Most Wanted S25E07: "Season 25, Episode 7"
    Bargain Hunt S31E10: "Series 31, Episode 10"
    Blue Bloods S02E11: "The Uniform"
    Celebrity Big Brother S09E09: "Series 9, Episode 9"
    Celebrity Wedding Planner S01E02: "Series 1, Episode 2"
    Chuck S05E10: "Chuck Versus Bo"
    Come Dine With Me S17E107: "Series 17, Episode 107"
    Confessions: Animal Hoarding S03E08: "Rats"
    Coronation Street S53E10: "Fri Jan 13, 2012 [Episode 2]"
    Coronation Street S53E09: "Fri Jan 13, 2012 [Episode 1]"
    Countdown with Keith Olbermann S10E08: "Season 10, Episode 8"
    CSI: NY S08E11: "Who's There"
    Dateline NBC S21E17: "FR2117"
    Days of our Lives S47E46: "Ep. #11756"
    Deadly Women S05E18: "Deadly Delinquents"
    Deal Or No Deal (UK) S07E132: "Episode 1812"
    Dickinson's Real Deal S08E29: "Series 8, Episode 29"
    Dr. G: Medical Examiner S06E32: "Desperate Measures"
    EastEnders S28E09: "January 13, 2012"
    Emmerdale S41E12: "January 13, 2012"
    Escape To The Country S12E09: "Isle of Wight"
    Extreme Makeover: Home Edition S09E13: "Joplin, Missouri"
    Flying Wild Alaska S02E12: "New Wings Over Alaska"
    Four Weddings (2010) S03E23: "...and A Yellow Brick Road"
    Fringe S04E08: "Back to Where You've Never Been"
    General Hospital (US) S49E199: "#12473"
    Generator Rex S03E08: "Black and White"
    Gold Rush: Alaska S02E10: "Twenty Four Seven"
    Got to Dance S03E16: "Series 3, Episode 16"
    Great British Railway Journeys S03E10: "Wareham to Portland"
    Grimm S01E08: "Game Ogre"
    Guilty Crown S01E12: "The Lost Christmas"
    High School DxD S01E02: "I Stopped Being a Human"
    Hollyoaks S18E10: "January 13, 2012"
    Homes Under the Hammer S14E169: "Series 14, Show 169"
    House of Anubis S02E10: "House of Heartbreak"
    House of Anubis S02E09: "House of Combinations"
    Hustle S08E01: "Series 8, Episode 1"
    Ich bin ein Star - Holt mich hier raus! S06E01: "Folge 1"
    Inu x Boku SS S01E01: "Episode 1"
    Jeopardy! S28E85: "Show #6290"
    Jimmy Kimmel Live S09E186: "TBA"
    Kill Me Baby S01E02: "Episode 2"
    Kitchen Nightmares S04E09: "Michon's"
    Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness S01E21: "Hall of Lame"
    Late Night with Jimmy Fallon S02E204
    Late Show with David Letterman S19E09
    Law & Order: UK S06E02: "Immune"
    Neighbours S28E05: "Episode 6315"
    Nikita S02E12: "Sanctuary"
    One Life to Live S44E126: "Ep. #11105"
    Persona 4 The Animation S01E14: "A Stormy Summer Vacation 2/2"
    Phineas and Ferb S03E20: "Tri-Stone Area"
    Pointless S05E94: "Series 5, Episode 94"
    Popstokk S02E02
    Portlandia S02E02: "One Moore Episode"
    Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is S05E10: "Series 5, Episode 10"
    Real Time With Bill Maher S10E01: "Season 10, Episode 1"
    Safari Vet School S01E02: "Episode 2"
    Saints and Scroungers S03E10: "Series 3, Episode 10"
    Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta S03E04: "Vocal Training"
    Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta S03E03: "Operation: Cinderella"
    Senhime Zesshou Symphogear S01E02: "Episode 2"
    Sicily Unpacked S01E02: "Episode 2"
    Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) S04E14: "A Friend in Need"
    Stella (UK) S01E02: "Episode 2"
    Supernatural S07E12: "Time After Time After Time"
    Sweet Home Alabama S03E01: "3rd Season Premiere"
    The Bold and the Beautiful S25E209: "Ep. #6238"
    The Chase (2009) S05E09: "Series 5, Episode 9"
    The Ellen DeGeneres Show S09E78: "Queen Latifah, Kenneth Branagh"
    The Graham Norton Show S10E11: "Madonna, Andrea Riseborough, James D'Arcy"
    The Increasingly Poor Decisions Of Todd Margaret S02E02
    The Jeremy Kyle Show S07E85: "January 13, 2012"
    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson S08E10: "Kristen Bell, Louie Anderson"
    The Life and Times of Tim S03E05: "A Tale of Two Rodneys / Keith to the Rescue"
    The Million Pound Drop Live S08E01: "Series 8, Episode 1"
    The Rosie Show S01E49
    Jay Leno S19E225: "Tilda Swinton, Jennifer Hudson, Graffiti6"
    The View S15E83
    The Young and the Restless S39E206: "Ep. #9821"
    Thuis S17E100: "Season 17, Episode 100"
    Tyler Perry's House of Payne S07E40: "God Bless the Paynes"
    Tyler Perry's House of Payne S07E39: "No More Payne"
    Wanted Down Under S06E10: "Series 6, Episode 10"
    Wereld draait door, De S07E91: "Season 7, Episode 91"
    World's Toughest Trucker S01E02: "Episode 2"
    WWE Friday Night SmackDown! S12E68: "Season 12, Episode 68"

ABC Orders Two More Episodes of 'Last Man Standing'

ABC Orders Two More Episodes of 'Last Man Standing'

The additional episode pickup pushes the season's total to 24.

ABC has ordered two more episodes of Tim Allen's comedy Last Man Standing.

The additional pickup pushes the total from 22 to 24 episodes, The Hollywood Reporter confirms.

Thus far this season, Last Man Standing has hovered around 8 million total viewers for the past four episodes.

In November, ABC officially ordered a full season of the freshman half-hour sitcom, which marked Allen's return to the small screen. Several weeks later, Last Man Standing tapped a new showrunner.

The comedy made headlines when it was revealed that reality TV star Kim Kardashian would be playing herself in an episode scheduled to air in February.

'Jersey Shore' Cast Sets the Record Straight on Crazy Rumors

'Jersey Shore' Cast Sets the Record Straight on Crazy Rumors

JWoww, DJ Pauly D, Vinny and Ronnie visit the THR Cover Lounge to clear up the most outrageous gossip headlines they’ve read about themselves.

The Jersey Shore cast rose to fame by exposing their outrageous -- and sometimes embarrassing -- day-to-day behavior for all the world to see, but that hasn’t stopped fans and gossip publications from dreaming up crazy -- and sometimes true -- rumors about them.

The Hollywood Reporter gave Jenni “JWoww” Farley, Paul “DJ Pauly D” Delvecchio, Vinny Guadagnino and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro the opportunity to set the record straight on the stories during a recent visit to the THR Cover Lounge. Among the highlights: JWoww’s fried twinkie diet, nose jobs and… surprise pregnancys?

“I started doing yoga, hot yoga and a lot of cardio,” JWoww explained of her trim figure, which had somehow been attributed to deep-fried Hostess snacks. “But I also quit smoking in the past couple of weeks and quit caffeine.”

The boys addressed their bountiful dating reports, but Ronnie admits that he’s afraid of one rumor that hasn’t hit the tabloids yet.

“I’m still waiting for them to accuse one of us of pregnancy or something like that,” Ronnie said. “That’s what I’m waiting for.”

Better knock on wood!

"Today" show airs 60 years of success

"Today" show airs 60 years of success

In 60 years, television has gone from black-and-white to color, rabbit ears to satellites, analog to digital and now the iPad. Through all that, one TV show has remained much the same, which seems fitting given its name, "Today."

This week, NBC's "Today" show is celebrating 60 years on U.S. airwaves since its inception on January 14, 1952, when Dave Garroway introduced viewers to the morning news, talk and entertainment program.

It spawned copycat programs, made stars of co-hosts such as Jane Pauley, Katie Couric and Matt Lauer, and put weather men like Al Roker on the map. TV has never been the same, experts say.

"The 'Today' show created a template that everyone is still using a half-century later," said Bob Thompson, Television and Pop Culture Professor at Syracuse University.

"When you look at these morning shows, they look an awful lot like they did back on that morning in 1952 when Garroway first went on air," he added.

To celebrate its past and the impact the program has had on U.S. culture, NBC on Thursday is holding a gala red carpet party in its home city of New York, bringing back former "Today" co-anchors such as Couric, Lauer, Bryant Gumbel and Tom Brokaw.

The anchors and hosts will participate in a special lighting of The Empire State building which will shine brightly in tones of red, orange and yellow, the colors of the "Today" rainbow.

Other iconic landmarks and organizations will take part. The Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, New York City Fireboats on the Hudson River by the Statue of Liberty, and the waterfalls of Niagara also will be lit with "Today" show colors.

Thompson and others pin the show's long-running success on being a sort of hybrid program -- a mix of hard news, interviews with politicians and celebrities, and softer stories about lifestyle, travel, fashion and fitness.

"The 'Today' show is a conglomeration and aggregation of both the very serious and incredibly trivial and frivolous," Thompson said.

Todd Gold, executive editor at Xfinity TV noted that "Today" became the leader in combining the idea of informing people with a trusted, likeable group of "friends" -- its hosts, anchors and personalities -- with both hard and soft news.

"As serious as (former hosts) Barbara Walters and Hugh Downs were, you got the impression they also liked each other, and that made it really very pleasing in the morning," Gold said. "That was the template carried on right from Tom Brokaw to Jane Pauley to Matt Lauer to Katie Couric, to the present day."

Ratings: 'Chelsea' Premieres Modestly, 'People's Choice' Down as ABC Wins Night

Ratings: 'Chelsea' Premieres Modestly, 'People's Choice' Down as ABC Wins Night

NBC's new comedy "Are You There, Chelsea?' premiered with decent numbers Wednesday night, while ABC swept the top four ratings spots to win the evening, according to preliminary numbers.

CBS' "The 38th Annual People's Choice Awards" at 9 posted a 2.5/7 in the demo -- a 7 percent dip from last year's telecast. The ceremony received 8.8 million total viewers. (A "Criminal Minds" repeat preceded the awards show.)

The "Chelsea" premiere at 8:30 p.m. delivered a season high in the time slot for the network, posting a 2.3 rating/6 share in the adults 18-49 demographic and 6.4 million total viewers.

"Chelsea" was preceded by "Whitney" at 8, which premiered in its new time slot with a 2.1/6 in the demo -- an 11 percent boost from its most recent airing in its previous Thursday slot five weeks ago -- and 6 million total viewers.

Following "Chelsea," "Harry's Law" at 9 jumped 17 percent from its last original episode five weeks ago, posting a 1.4/3 in the demo and 8.6 million total viewers. "Law & Order: SVU" closed the night at 10 with a 2.0/5 in the demo and 8.3 million total viewers.

The big winner of the night was ABC, which had the four top-rated shows, with "Modern Family" leading the pack. The network's night began with "The Middle" at 8, which received a 3.0/9 and 9.5 million total viewers, followed by "Suburgatory" at 8:30, which drew a 2.9/8 in the demo and 8.9 million.

Though down 11 percent versus last week, "Modern Family" at 9 was the night's hands-down victor, taking a 5.1/13 in the demo and 12.3 million total viewers, which also made it the most-watched show of the night. "Happy Endings" at 9:30 posted a 3.1/8 in the demo and 7 million total viewers, while "Revenge" at 10 drew a 2.4/6 and 7.5 million total viewers. The network averaged a 3.2/8 in the demo. (Though it was the highest-rated network, CBS was the most-watched, with 8.87 million average total viewers vs. CBS's 8.82 million.)

Fox aired a repeat of the Howie Mandel show "Mobbed" at 8, with a new episode the following hour receiving a 1.3/3 in the demo and 3.3 million total viewers.

At the CW, the season premiere of "One Tree Hill" at 8 delivered  season highs for a regularly scheduled show  in the time slot with a 0.9/2 in the demo and 1.7 million total viewers. Wednesday night's episode -- the first of the show's final season -- also yielded the show's best performance in the demo and total viewership since Feb 22, 2011. A "One Tree Hill" repeat followed at 9.

Helen Mirren: 'Glee's Kevin McHale has a great voice'

Helen Mirren: 'Glee's Kevin McHale has a great voice'

Dame Helen Mirren has revealed that she is a fan of Glee actor Kevin McHale.

The actress, who recently lent her voice to an episode of the Fox musical series, confessed that while she finds it difficult to pick her favourite Glee character, McHale's Artie has a special place in her heart.

"I don't have a favourite. They're all great. I love the guy in the wheelchair, actually," Mirren told OK while attending the National Board of Review Awards Gala in New York City on Tuesday.

"They did an episode where he gets up and dances. Did you ever see that? He's got a great voice. He's a really good actor and that episode where he suddenly got up and danced, it was so moving. It made me cry.

"And he's a great dancer! You know, there's this great dancer who has to spend his life in the wheelchair..."

As for her forthcoming appearance on Glee, Mirren added: "I've done it. It was really fun. I love that show."

Project Runway All-Stars: Send in the Gowns

Project Runway All-Stars: Send in the Gowns

Fashion commandments were broken as blithely as Kardashian wedding vows on this week’s Project Runway All-Stars: Thou shalt not take the name of courture in vain. Honor thy Badgley and thy Mischka. Thou shall not commit fuggery. Thou shall not widen the hips of thy neighbor.

And yet a few truly lovely designs emerged in the midst of the ridiculous challenge parameters: Designers had only one day to create ”show-stopping ballgowns for a night at the opera,” complete with “true couture touches,” a task that human quote machine Anthony noted was an insult to the meaning of the word couture. Why not just be honest and ask them to produce “really, really, really pumped-up prom dresses,” he wondered. (Maybe because Nina Garcia signed an edict back in 2009 that results in the fashion police arresting any plebeian who dares to utter the words “pumped-up,” “prom,” “flannel, “Crocs,” or “Anna Wintour” on the Project Runway set.)

Anyhow, let’s dive deeper into the judges’ three favorite and least-favorite looks, and also determine who got robbed from a “best of the week” slot, and who was lucky to escape the critical eye of Georgina Chapman.

Judges’ Faves
Austin: I couldn’t argue with Isaac Mizrahi that the curiously coiffed front-runner made a very tasteful gown — and that’s no small accomplishment considering he used gold lamé! (What’s next, making a four-star meal using bologna and Velveeta?) That said, I thought Austin’s piece lacked the necessary drama and innovation for a first-place finish. Maybe they were rewarding Austin for prompting the quote of the week from hilariously grim Gordana, who observed his panic over the judges’ high expectations and remarked, “It shouldn’t be a big deal. Just make it. That’s that.”

Michael (pictured, center): Georgina was right that Michael’s choice of a matte jersey fabric gave his gown an added pop of sex appeal – ”she’s not going home alone in that dress,” the Marchesa designer remarked — and the exquisite fit elevated it beyond the mere gimmick of feathers and stones. So how did it place second behind Austin? I’m blaming Isaac for invoking the most dreaded name in reality TV — “Kim Kardashian at the opera!” he squawked — for keeping Michael from his rightful victory.

Anthony: The cut of his gown was equal parts unexpected and racy, and the juxtaposition of fitted and flowy was refreshing in a week where we were subjected to too many bulky silhouettes that seemed to feature every last inch of fabric that a $350 budget could buy. Still, there was perhaps a bit too much boobage for a night at the opera, with the end result bridging the gap between couture and Frederick’s of Hollywood nightgown. Maybe that’s what “the Anthony Williams Experience” is about, though?

On the Chopping Block
Sweet P (pictured, left): The judges tried to be kind — “No one uses color like you do,” said host Angela Lindvall, mercifully leaving out the implied, “and thank God for that!” — but the cut of Sweet P’s skirt was more appropriate for a Texas polygamist cult than a night at the opera. Combined with a ye-old-timey bathing suit bodice, Sweet P’s idea of a “modern-day Cinderella” garb wasn’t fit for sweeping out a chimney.

April: You knew April was in trouble the minute she heard “couture,” “opera,” and “gown,” and began excitedly uttering words like “ox-blood” and “corpse-bride.” But as the judges pointed out, while her dress wound up looking like it came from The Walking Dead night on Dancing With the Stars, it certainly had a point of view! Plus, what would the season be without five or six more weeks of April’s delightful sailor mouth? ”Who fucking cares? If you want to do red, do fucking red! Like, who cares?” she asked incredulously, after Michael changed his color palette to avoid conflicting with hers.

Kara: Alas, Kara never remedied the core issue that mentor Joanna Coles raised: How could she get her heavy floral-print fabric to spell “evening,” not “bridesmaid”?

Totally Robbed
Mila (pictured, right): Maybe this hot black number with a sequined zig-zag was a little too slick and sexy for the opera theme, but it was flawlessly constructed, and it moved like a deadly snake through a pool of champagne. (OK, that was the worst sentence I’ve written in 2012, but I’m just annoyed by the way that Mila always gets the short end of the yardstick on this show. Color blocking for the win!)

Totally Lucky
Jerell: His sack/skirt could’ve held just as many oats as Sweet P’s, it just happened to be constructed from a nicer fabric is all.

Big Brother's 'Playboy' twins throw Frankie Cocozza's clothes in pool

Big Brother's 'Playboy' twins throw Frankie Cocozza's clothes in pool

The Shannon twins have thrown Frankie Cocozza's clothes in the Celebrity Big Brother swimming pool.

As their last challenge in Jedward's 'Cheeky Cherubs' task, the Playboy duo were asked to throw all of Cocozza's garments into the cold pool.

After fellow housemates Natalie Cassidy, Kirk Norcross and Gareth Thomas alerted him to his coat, jeans and shirt floating in the water, the former X Factor star fumed.

"That's not even funny, that's my coat. What are they even doing?" he said.

Romeo Dunn, amused by the whole situation, advised Cocozza to "bite [his] tongue on this one" before chuckling while the 18-year-old used a branch to retrieve his jeans.

When Kristina and Karissa Shannon arrived at the scene, Cocozza warned them: "Don't ask me what happened, both of you.

"Just walk away. Because I'm gonna bite proper hard in a minute - I will bite so hard."

The Shannon twins' antics will be shown tomorrow night (Friday) at 9pm on Channel 5.

Showtime Boss Defends Dexter's Incesty Twist, Offers Homeland Season 2 Intel and More!

Showtime Boss Defends Dexter's Incesty Twist, Offers Homeland Season 2 Intel and More!

At the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour Thursday, Showtime president David Nevins weathered a storm of Dexter-related questions, particularly regarding that controversial Season 6 twist that found Deb confronting her romantic feelings for her adoptive brother — a creative choice the exec vehemently defends.

“I’m aware that there’s a certain taboo despite the fact that they’re not genetically related, but [this is] something that has been building over a number of years,” Nevins noted, claiming that this is “an idea that’s informed how they’ve done this show for a long time.”

Regarding the other big Season 6 reveal (i.e. Deb witnessing Dex’s Dark Passenger in action), Nevins said the turning point sets in motion “a very clear trajectory [for] the next two seasons, and it’s going to help to write with that endgame in mind. There should be fundamentally different dynamics now that Deb [knows about Dex] and it’s going to ricochet.

“I’ve been pushing to shake up [Dexter's] formula a bit… so he’s not such a lone wolf,” he added.

Speaking of the show’s “endgame,” Nevins conceded that Dexter‘s two-season pickup provides a “likely endpoint” for the saga, “but I’m allowing for the possibility that the plan can change.”

Other newsy tidbits from Showtime’s exec session:

• Nurse Jackie, The Big C and The Borgias will return with new episodes on Sunday, April 8. Nevins said not to assume that Jackie‘s upcoming fourth season will be its last. “I was really pushing [for Jackie to] start facing some of the consequences of her actions and she does in a big way,” he teased,” noting that “the feel of the episodes is slightly tweaked” this year and it resulted in putting Jackie in “a very different place.” The Borgias, meanwhile, will be a “bigger show in Season 2. It’s got more action and is going in more directions… and I certainly anticipate more seasons.”

* Nevins was guarded when it came to spilling intel on Homeland Season 2, except to say, “I wouldn’t necessarily assume that Season 2 begins the day after Season 1 ended” and that the complex dynamic between Sgt. Brody and disgraced CIA agent Carrie “[has] only just begun.” Nevins noted that the spy drama faces “justified skepticism” coming off a freshman run of episodes that continually one-upped each other, but said, “The writers have some very clever answers for that,” ones that will keep the show “one step ahead of the doubting Thomases.”

• The Franchise will return for a second season with a new and “very interesting” Major League Baseball team, Nevins revealed. The financially strapped Dodgers, perhaps?

• The second season of Episodes will consist of nine installments.

• Nevins said Showtime believes it can have “real impact with documentaries,” and plans to hit the ground running with flicks based on the lives of former Vice President Dick Cheney, infamous hip-hop producer Suge Knight and late comedian Richard Pryor.

'The Vampire Diaries' Candice Accola talks Tyler, girl time, and Caroline's birthday wish

'The Vampire Diaries' Candice Accola talks Tyler, girl time, and Caroline's birthday wish

Despite her many neuroses, Caroline actually took her transformation into a vampire pretty well in "The Vampire Diaries" second season, learning to manage her cravings for blood and to stay in control. One thing she didn't really confront, though, is her immortality, and just what it means to never grow old as your friends and family move on.

In Thursday's episode, "Our Town," Caroline's 18th birthday arrives. "Caroline has a bit of an a-ha moment, as Oprah would say," Candice Accola tells. "She realizes, for the first time, really, that she's never actually going to turn 18. She's never going to turn 21, or 30, and so many things that she'd wanted for her future aren't accessible anymore."

"It's the first time, I think, for her, that she's looked at the big picture," executive producer Julie Plec adds. "It's kind of in tandem with the whole idea of senior year and what you're supposed to be going through, looking ahead toward the future being wide open. She's kind of realizing the sadness of 'Oh, I'm always going to be 17. I'm never going to do the things I wanted to do.'"

Of course, we're all very concerned about Tyler (Michael Trevino) and Caroline, whose relationship wasn't exactly on steady ground last time we saw them together. "I will say that they're in a very precarious situation," Candice says. "One of the things I love about the story is that it really reflects back on Caroline's relationship with Matt. Caroline just wanted Matt to accept her for who she is and to love her despite her being a vampire, but he couldn't do that. Now, the situation is reversed, where Tyler is saying to her 'Just accept who I am now, because I'm still the same person.'" Caroline begins to understand the outside perspective a bit.

She has grown up a lot over the last year, though, and she's not sure she's willing to devote her time to someone who is under the thumb of a villain who terrorized her town. "She didn't sign on for this," says Candice. "She didn't sign on to date a hybrid, a sired hybrid, and she has to make a decision."

"The episode is a very profound turning point in Tyler's recognition of the hold that Klaus has over him," adds Julie Plec. "As if last week wasn't bad enough, Klaus asks him to do some pretty messed up stuff in tomorrow night's episode, and Tyler finally realizes, 'Holy s***, this relationship is very bad for me, and I've got to do something about it." Over the next couple of episodes, Tyler struggles with how he can reclaim control of his life, and his choices may drive him away from Caroline further.

Don't expect her to go running back to Matt, though. "I think it would take an enormous gesture for that to happen. He really hurt her last year. He accused her of murdering his sister, he turned his back on her, it was awful. Matt and Caroline are very much in the friend zone right now," Candice says. "There are some nice friend moments for them this week."

(Matt fans -- we checked in with Julie about our favorite busboy's lifespan, and she did give us some hope for his longevity on the show. "Matt is our human, our support system, and our friends. He's this reminder of what life was like before everything went to hell, when he was the one whose life was the most difficult. To me, that's so important, and I feel very protective of that.")

With Caroline's birthday coming, we can expect some sweet moments from the often fractured group of friends. Candice teases that Caroline's reconnection with her friends in the wake of her trouble with Tyler will be a strong one -- and she and Elena will have some bonding time, particularly given Elena's tumultuous love life.

"There are some great girlfriend moments coming up, which I love, because last year I think everyone was so embroiled in their various love triangles that we didn't really see that," she says, "and I think it's really important to have those moments."

Caroline has certainly been happy to throw in her two cents when it comes to Elena's love life, so we're sure she'll have an opinion about that big Damon/Elena kiss last week. Candice says, "I think her reaction will be along the lines of 'Are you sure? Are you really, really sure?' This is a big step for Elena, she can't really go back."

As for Caroline's big birthday wishes? "Oh, I think she'd wish for an iPad," Candice jokes. "Maybe some Silly Bandz. Oh, yeah, and maybe not to be a vampire and drink blood for the rest of her life. That, too."

'Fringe' Cancellation Rumors: Executive Producers Talk Fans' Fear, What's Next For Peter

'Fringe' Cancellation Rumors: Executive Producers Talk Fans' Fear, What's Next For Peter

Thanks to baseball pre-emptions and winter hiatus, it's been two months since the last time "Fringe" (Fridays, 9 p.m. EST on Fox) aired in our universe. Given its knockout of a midseason finale (literally -- Nina Sharp and her Massive Dynamic lackeys gassed Olivia into unconsciousness and dosed her with Cortexiphan at the episode's climax), fans are understandably anxious to see what happens next.

I've seen this Friday's episode, titled "Back To Where You've Never Been," (which just so happens to be the episode that was filming when I visited the set last October) and I'm happy to report that it's one of the strongest of the season to date. You'll get a clearer idea of how Peter intends to return to "his" Olivia, new alliances will form, and in true "Fringe" fashion, there will be plenty of twists to keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. The last five minutes, in particular, are not to be missed.

To whet your appetite, above is an exclusive preview clip from the episode that sheds a little light on Peter's cunning plan. And if that isn't enough "Fringe" goodness for you, executive producers Jeff Pinkner and Joel Wyman gave more details in a wide-ranging phone interview earlier this week.

Besides the revelations in this week's episode, the pair talked about the season's overall arc and weighed in on Fox president Kevin Reilly's ominous proclamation at the network's Television Critics Association press day that "we lose a lot of money on the show" -- prompting many fans to wonder if cancellation isn't far behind.

On Sunday, Kevin Reilly managed to cause a panic among fans by pointing out that the show isn't making Fox any money and that it's once again in danger of cancellation -- what was your reaction to that?

Joel Wyman: I mean, it's funny -- if you remember, ever since we moved from Tuesday nights, people have been saying that we're gone, but here we are. We've consistently said that the network has been transparent with us always. We have no reason to believe that we're not in the same game that anybody else is in in the world of television. You've got to get numbers; you've got to do a certain number; how much does it cost to make the show? The question becomes, "Is there a way to make 'Fringe' that makes financial sense?" Jeff and I are both producers that always and have always rolled up our sleeves in order to be financially responsible. You never know.

The most important thing is the following: We're not changing our plan, nor have we ever. We know where we're going every season. We believe that the most important thing to our fans is to leave them satiated and to make them feel like there's an ending that they can wrap their minds and hearts around and say, "I love that ending. I totally understand. I feel like I've watched an incredible saga and it's come to a natural conclusion that I believe in." That's our main goal. At the end of each season, fortunately for us, we've always closed a chapter and opened up a new one. We have ideas where we would go if there was a fifth season and a sixth season and a seventh season. There's plenty of story to be told. The question is, can we close a chapter and allow it to be a finale that lets everybody in their hearts go on and say, "I can imagine where it would have gone, but yet, I feel strangely satisfied." That's what we feel we have right now. We're not going to change anything. We're going to tell the story that we've been telling since the beginning. We feel that if we were the viewers and we were presented with an ending like what we have, that we would be very satisfied.

I know that you guys have always said that you've got six to eight seasons' worth of material planned out, but that you've always had an ending in mind, which is a lot more reassuring than some shows that kind of draw things out without really knowing where they're going.

JW: Yeah, since the beginning we've been setting the table for an ending that thematically makes sense, that puts the whole thing into context, re-contextualizes what you've seen, and makes you feel okay. It makes you feel like, "I love these people. I've given them so many years of my life and I really feel like everything is where it should be." That was our major plan this year in designing the season. So, if we're lucky enough to get something new, I mean there's plenty of direction that we've already discussed ... We have some things that are really far out and really fun and intriguing, compelling, but if we don't get the chance, like I said, our main concern was our hardcore fans.

Kevin Reilly told fans that he couldn't bear for them to start a letter-writing campaign, but I've heard from a lot of fans asking what they can do to help the show. Do you have any suggestions?

JP: The truth is, to a degree, as Joel said, there's some horse trading involved. Some people were shocked by the announcement; the good news is, we were not. To a certain degree, Warner Brothers produces the show for Fox; there's a license fee involved. That is always up for negotiation every year. It's what the studios and the networks do, they haggle over who's going to pay for the show and how much. Then, as Joel said, it's our job to produce the show for the budget that we're given or that we're asked to produce the show for.

As far as what can fans do ... the only real way to affect this decision is to watch the show live. We recognize that many people sort of program their own week and watch all television on DVR, so we're certainly not in the business of begging our fans to save the show by watching live. But that's always the thing the fans can do. The good news is, even in Kevin's statement, creatively they're thrilled with the show. We're not in a situation where the network or the studio are asking us to go in one direction and we're kicking and screaming and refusing and this is about creative differences. It's not at all. We've had, as Joel said, the same degree of support at the network and the studio since we began ... We're so entirely grateful. At the end of the day, it's a business decision. I think that what our fans can do is not freak out, feel secure in the knowledge that we're very, very happy with the story we're telling. We're not freaking out and if things change, we'll let them know.

JW: Have you ever met anybody with Nielsen box? I have not.

Never, actually. I've often suspected they might be a myth.

JW: Yeah, and we know lots of people, combined, I'm sure. So, if they exist ... [Laughs] No, we know they exist. But here's the thing, in our opinion, it's an antiquated way. I wish that there was a better way, because you know our [demo] number goes up to 1.9 on DVR, which is really good for Friday night. For a while there, I think that we commended the Twitter-verse and our Fringedom fandom that they were sort of writing letters or contacting the sponsors and advertisers directly and saying, "Look, I watch DVR. I don't have a Nielsen box, but you have tremendous taste because you're advertising on 'Fringe' and that allows me to want to buy your product." I think if I was somebody in that division in sales, I'd say, "You guys are pretty devoted." I mean, that's great. Does the network hear that? Not really. The truth is, I just wish there was a way in DVR that people could say this is a new way of counting an audience. [Editor's note: On Jan. 11, a report was released that only one-third of audiences are watching TV in real-time in the U.S. The majority are watching either via Internet or DVR.]

JP: But I think what we're very happy and pleased about continues to be the degree of creative support that we get. We make a very adventurous television show, which all things being equal would likely not be on a network. And yet, we are and they stuck with it at every twist and turn -- at two universes, at Olivia being captured and replaced by Bolivia, at Peter disappearing and then returning at The Observer. We consider ourselves so amazingly fortunate to be able to tell the kind of insane storytelling that we do, always grounded in emotion, which is sort of why we're on a network. We just look at each other and our staff and our production team and our actors ... We have an astounding group of people who are doing work that makes us really happy. None of us have any intention of ending it soon.

Now that Peter exists again, he's becoming more and more convinced that he's in the wrong place or timeline, and that there must be a way for him to get back to "his" Olivia and Walter. Can you confirm that his instincts are correct and that getting back is an attainable goal at this point?

JP: Well, Peter obviously has returned to a timeline where none of the characters know him because in the timeline that he has returned to, he died at age eight ... twice. So, as far as he's concerned, he's Dorothy -- sorry for the sex change -- who has awoken into Oz and he's trying desperately to find his way back home. Certainly, that's his goal. As we say and as we've said, one of the major thematics of this season is sort of like the effect that your life has had on other people. So, we're meeting a version of the characters that we've known, that Peter knew, unaffected by his adult presence. It's been really interesting to us to explore how his being there, being with them, affects them.

JW: When we first decided that the storyline was going to be where Peter would disappear as a consequence to what he had done, we knew very well what the thematic elements were that we wanted to investigate this year, and what we were trying to say together as artists about the way we see the world right now. We're really, really interested in the concept that life is valued by the connections that you make and the impact you have on others and what impact do they have on us: How do they make us better people? How do we make other people better for knowing us? We just think that's really something worthy of writing about. So, as the season progresses, you're going to really start to see and understand many more aspects and facets of that thematic direction. Everybody made such a huge deal when Peter disappeared, either they loved it or they hated it -- but there was a reason. Now, I guess you'll understand and comprehend the reasons why we did it.

Jeff and I were actually shocked that people would think for a second that we would have one of those sequences where, poof, the character is gone and everything that you knew about our characters and everything that you learned didn't really happen or is gone. We would be terribly frustrated if we came across that, being fans of television ourselves. So we would never in a million years do that. What we were really trying to do is have the audience really understand that all this stuff really did happen -- "I'm with Peter and I'm in his shoes; I want him to be able to experience what he's lost. I want to get back there and I want those relationships. I know that he belongs with Olivia. I want him back with Olivia -- I don't know how, but he's got to find his way back." That's what we had always intended, so we were a bit shocked when people thought, "They just erased a couple of years of character history." It's not true. That's not what our intention was, nor is it where we're going.

"Fringe" airs Fridays at 9 p.m. EST on Fox.

Channel 4 suffers post-Big Brother audience dip in 2011

Channel 4 suffers post-Big Brother audience dip in 2011

Channel 4's main network suffered a slight dip in its audience share following the decision to axe Big Brother, but the broadcaster saw growth across its overall channel portfolio.

Using consolidated ratings data, the broadcaster reported an 11.6% overall audience share across Channel 4, E4, More4, Film4 and 4Music in 2011, up by 0.2% on the 11.4% in 2010.

Channel 4's main network saw its audience share drop to 6.8% from 7% in 2010, which it largely put down to the cancellation of Big Brother after ten years as the channel's flagship entertainment brand.

The show has since resurfaced on Richard Desmond's Channel 5, currently airing its second run of Celebrity Big Brother.

As it developed a strategy without Big Brother, Channel 4 suffered some notable misses, including the Chris Evans-fronted Famous and Fearless, which was dropped last year after one series.

But Channel 4 noted that the percentage decline on its main network "was the least pronounced year-on-year decline in core channel share for five years", while the broadcaster was also boosted by the surprise hit Big Fat Gypsy Weddings.

The documentary occupied the first three spots in the top ten highest performing programmes list on Channel 4 in 2011, which contains just one drama, Shameless.

The full list runs as follows:

1) Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, February 8, 9.71m/32.8% share

2) My Big Fat Gypsy Christmas, December 13, 7.25m/25.6% share

3) My Big Fat Gypsy Royal Wedding, April 28, 5.32m/19.8% share

4) Embarrassing Bodies, February 4, 4.89m/18.7% share

5) Shameless, January 10, 4.49m/21.0% share

6) The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, December 27, 4.35m/16.4% share

7) Grand Designs, September 28, 4.16m/16.4% share

8) Cutting Edge: Obsessive Compulsive Hoarder, December 12, 9pm 4.036m /15.0% share

9) One Born Every Minute, February 14, 3.89m/13.9% share

10) Embarrassing Fat Bodies, June 6, 3.85m/13.5% share

Channel 4's sales had a strong year in 2011, generating £1 billion in revenue across spot advertising, online, product placement and sponsorship. It also took on the sales of advertising for UKTV's portfolio of digital channels and online services.

Film4 enjoyed the highest share growth across Channel 4's portfolio, with its share rising from 1.19% in 2010 to 1.40% in 2011 - a year-on-year growth of 18%.

Fellow digital channel More4 averaged 1.22% in 2011, compared to 1.11% in 2010, while E4 was up to 1.82% share from 1.79% the previous year. E4 achieved a 4.75% share in its key audience of 16 to 34-year-olds.

4Music reached only 0.3% of all individuals last year, and boosted its share of 16-34s by 20%, year on year (to 0.83%).

E4's Glee was the top rated programme of 2011 on Channel 4's digital channels, followed by Misfits and Hollyoaks.

The full list (which includes +1 ratings) runs as follows:

1) Glee, January 17 on E4, 3.84m/10.2% share

2) Misfits, October 10 on E4, 1.81m /8.5% share

3) Hollyoaks, November 11 on E4, 1.65m /6.9% share

4) The Big Bang Theory, November 11 on E4, 1.57m /5.9% share

5) Transporter 3, June 28 on Film4, 1.38m/6.0% share

6) Taken, June 6 on Film4, 1.23m/5.5% share

7) The Inbetweeners Top Ten Moments, August 14 on E4, 1.23m/6.2% share

8) Desperate Housewives, July 3 on E4, 1.2m/5.8% share

9) Come Dine With Me, August 7 on More4, 1.2m/6.0% share

10) Skins, January 27 on E4, 1.18m/6.0% share

'America's Got Talent' judge Howie Mandel: 'Howard Stern is brilliant'

'America's Got Talent' judge Howie Mandel: 'Howard Stern is brilliant'

Howie Mandel has said that he is excited to work with Howard Stern on America's Got Talent.

Mandel appeared on Access Hollywood Live on Wednesday (January 11) to discuss Stern joining him as one of the America's Got Talent judges.

"I think [it's] brilliant because I believe that what has gotten him to the level that he has gotten to is honesty," Mandel said. "If you can bring honesty to especially that kind of format, then that's exactly what we need."

The controversial radio host's hiring has drawn objections from the Parents Television Council, which has described the move as an "act of desperation" by the "flailing" NBC.

Mandel told hosts Billy Bush and Kit Hoover that he thinks the protests are premature because Stern hasn't even begun working on America's Got Talent yet.

He added: "People believe that maybe what he does on Sirius radio is what he's going to [do on America's Got Talent]. He's a very responsible, smart broadcaster. If you've seen him on Letterman or any of his other appearances, he has not crossed the line."

Stern has vowed to find the next "major superstar" when America's Got Talent kicks off its new season this summer on NBC.

Oh, Say, Can You See Kelly Clarkson Singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl?

Oh, Say, Can You See Kelly Clarkson Singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl?

Madonna is the halftime performer at this year's Super Bowl, but Kelly Clarkson may have the second best singing gig during NBC's broadcast of the NFL championship.

Clarkson will kick off the Feb. 5 festivities in Indianapolis by singing the national anthem, the Associated Press reports. NFL reps have not yet responded to TheWrap's request for comment.

Clarkson, the first "American Idol" winner, has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide and released her most recent album, "Stronger," in October.

Also scheduled to perform during pre-game activities at Lucas Oil Stadium, according to AP: Country singers -- and married duo -- Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, who is a judge on NBC's "The Voice."

Clarkson will also appear as a contestant mentor on "The Voice," which debuts its second season in the coveted post-Super Bowl timeslot on NBC.

'Shameless' Plans Euthanasia Storyline This Season

'Shameless' Plans Euthanasia Storyline This Season

Showtime's "Shameless" plans a euthanasia storyline later this season involving Joan Cusack and Louise Fletcher's characters.

Fletcher plays Grammy Gallagher, the hard-living mother of William H. Macy's alcoholic dad Frank Gallagher. Cusack plays the Gallagher's agoraphobic neighbor, who resolves to help Grammy Gallagher when she loses her will to live.

"I think it's something that we're all uncomfortable about, which is, there's a moment at which the person who's alive doesn't really want to be alive any more and you have no idea what to do about it," executive producer John Wells said. "They're ready to give up, it's too painful, they're tired."

He elaborated: "Joan Cusack's character makes a choice about helping [Grammy] which gets remarkably funny, and you just can't believe you're laughing at it, but at the same time you know it's very true. And that's what we're looking for: Those moments when we're satirizing... and yet there's sort of a pit in your stomach where you go 'Ooh, there's something true about this.'"

Wells and the cast of the show spoke at a Television Critics Association panel on Thursday. The show returned for its second season Sunday.

Emmy Rossum, who plays Fiona Gallagher, the linchpin of her family, said the euthanasia storyline would continue the show's efforts to take on tough issues with a mix of honesty and humor.

"I don't think we're ever going for the laugh," she said. "We're trying to tell a real story about what real people are going through. Of course it's partly satire, but I also think that it's hard to say whether it's just a drama or a comedy. And I think that most comedies that are down the middle don't deal with subject matter like alcoholism, finding your sexuality at a young age, euthanasia and things like that."

Celebrity Big Brother Michael Madsen: 'I can't take Denise anymore'

Celebrity Big Brother Michael Madsen: 'I can't take Denise anymore'

Celebrity Big Brother's Michael Madsen has admitted that he is struggling to cope with Denise Welch's behaviour.

The Reservoir Dogs actor told Gareth Thomas while working out in the gym that Welch's prying is beginning to worry him.

"I can't take Denise anymore, man. She was all over my face last night," Madsen said.

The Loose Women star interrogated Madsen over the length and details of his visits to the Diary Room.

Mimicking Welch, he went on: "'Why do you keep going in the Diary Room? What are you talking about in the Diary Room? Why are you in there so often and so long?'

"Denise, why the f**k are you worried about what I'm doing in the Diary Room? She had that desperate sound in her voice. Bummer."

Madsen added: "You know, I tried to be nice, I sat on the edge of her bed. The more you don't answer her question, the more she pumps up.

"She thinks I was secretly planning against her, and then she gets all nasty, pushed my hand away. She starts snapping at me, yet she was the one who started the conversation."

'Homeland' Season 2: 'Brody and Carrie Have Only Just Begun'

'Homeland' Season 2: 'Brody and Carrie Have Only Just Begun'

(Spoiler warning: Don't read this if you haven't seen the first season of "Homeland" and still plan to -- or if you don't want to know anything about Season 2.)

The twisted relationship between the lead characters on "Homeland" is going to get twistier, Showtime entertainment president David Nevins said Thursday.

"Brody and Carrie have only just begun, and there's an enormous amount unresolved, and I know one way or another that will be a central issue in Season 2," he said.

The show's first season of the hit terrorism drama found CIA agent Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) suspecting Sgt. Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) of plotting a terror attack -- and then sleeping with him after probing deeply into his life. Brody betrayed her trust before opting not to go through with the attack. The finale ended with Carrie realizing her suspicions were correct, just as she underwent shock treatment that made her lose memory.

Also read: Showtime Announces Dick Cheney Documentary, 'Jackie,' 'Big C' and 'Borgias' Return

The second season won't necessarily pick up exactly where the first one left off, Nevins said. Good thing, because watching Carrie wake up and say "Where am I"? for an hour may not be the most compelling television.

Nevins said he doesn't know the specifics of the season, but talks regularly with executive producers Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa. The series returns this fall.

'Borgias' Aims for 4 Seasons

'Borgias' Aims for 4 Seasons

"The Borgias" executive producer James Flynn says he hopes for four seasons of the Showtime papal drama, which is about to enter its second season.

"The overall plan in a series like this is ideally four seasons," he said Thursday. "That would be the plan, that would be the ambition."

But he said the show could potentially continue after the death of Jeremy Irons' Pope Alexander VI, by focusing on the rule of his successor, Pope Julius II.

Flynn spoke at a "Borgias" panel for the Television Critics Association winter press tour, where Irons also spoke about his distinctive voice.

Irons said that when he was 25 or 30 years old, he and John Hurt once met for coffee and bemoaned the new crop of good, young actors. He said Hurt told him his trick for sabotaging the potential competition:

"Do you know what I do to them?" he recalled Hurt saying. "If I meet one, I say, 'You know you have a wonderful voice. Have you ever listened to it?' And you know, from then on, they are fucked.'"

"The Borgias" returns for its second season Sunday, April 8.

'Oh Sit!': CW Announces Hard-Core Musical Chairs Show

'Oh Sit!': CW Announces Hard-Core Musical Chairs Show

The CW has ordered the competition show "Oh Sit!," in which hopped-up contestants will play amped-up musical chairs, accompanied by a live band.

And you shook your head at a "Battleship" movie. At least with this, you won't need a board game to play along at home.

The network announced the order during the Television Critics Association winter press tour. The news comes on the heels of CW's order of "The L.A. Complex," a Canadian soap that debuted in Canada this week and will air on CW later this year.

Never will you feel so lazy sitting on the couch -- unless you've earned in a high-stakes game of musical chairs, that is.

The orders come as CW tries to bounce back from a rough fall in which many of its returning shows shed ratings. The network has said many of its younger-skewing viewers watch its shows online.

Jared Padalecki, Ed Westwick, Shane West, Other CW Men Ask, 'What Is Badass?'

Jared Padalecki, Ed Westwick, Shane West, Other CW Men Ask, 'What Is Badass?'

CW presented a virtual buffet of beefcake-y badassery Thursday, as network stars Kristoffer Polaha, Wilson Bethel, Jared Padalecki, Shane West, Ed Westwick and Joseph Morgan attempted to answer the age-old question, "What exactly constitutes a badass?"

During a panel dubbed "Bad-Ass Boys of the CW," the group fielded questions from the assembled journalists about the nature of badassery, their own badass deeds of the past, and who they look up to as real-life badass role models. They spoke at the Television Critics Association winter press tour.

Were one to make a drinking game out of downing a shot after every time the word "badass" was uttered, it would have quickly turned lethal. At one point, in fact, "Ringer" star Polaha offered $20 to whichever of his cohorts could use the word the most in a single statement; "Hart of Dixie" star Bethel took the prize.

Asked who he considered to be a real-life badass, Padalecki -- who plays Sam Winchester on the network's "Supernatural" -- offered "our soldiers keeping us safe around the world" and later, religious-minded Denver Broncos phenom Tim Tebow. ("I always think being a badass means doing the right thing," he explained.)

Morgan -- aka, Klaus of "The Vampire Diaries" -- offered an unconventional choice in the form of ill-tempered reality TV chef Gordon Ramsay, earning the derision of his cohorts.

"I'm English, and I don't agree," "Gossip Girl" star Westwick snorted.

"Paula Deen is more badass," Padalecki scoffed.

As for the assembled actors' not-so-badass proclivities? One reporter dredged up Bethel's former life a man of letters, as the proprietor of an art and literary magazine. The reveal caught his panel-mates off-guard, but Bethel managed a suitably badass explanation.

"I only write poetry when I'm riding my motorcycle, with my shirt off, smoking weed and hunting rattlesnakes," Bethel offered.

During a second panel, the network offered a look at the upcoming reality series "Remodeled" -- which features modeling agent Paul Fisher as he embarks on a mission to "empower" small-market modeling agencies and reform the modeling industry as a whole.

Fisher -- who, despite his background, looks and sounds like an army drill sergeant (he addressed reporters as "sir" and "ma'am") -- didn't shy away from discussing the dark side of the industry. He stressed the need to protect the young aspiring models who are entrusted to his care.

Lamenting the body-image issues that the modeling industry can create, Fisher expressed concern about kids "sticking their fingers down their throat" to match near-impossible industry standards.

"Whether you believe me or not, how much money I make off the kid is one thing -- their soul is 10 times more valuable to me," Fisher asserted.

Fisher also expressed hope that, inch by inch, he can do his part to get the industry to accept models of different sizes.

"One of my dreams is to go to a Calvin Klein show and not see those size-zero models walking down the runway," Fisher said. "I can assure you it ain't gonna happen overnight, but it's a mission of ours. I'm probably going to die trying."

"Remodeled" will premiere on Jan. 17 at 9 p.m.

Heather Locklear Hospitalized After Taking Prescription Drugs, Alcohol

Heather Locklear Hospitalized After Taking Prescription Drugs, Alcohol

Heather Locklear is in the hospital after taking a combination of prescription drugs and alcohol, TheWrap has confirmed.

Police and an ambulance responded to the actress' house in Westlake after Locklear's sister called 911 on Thursday afternoon.

Captain Mike Aranda, a spokesman for the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, told TheWrap that Locklear was conscious when authorities arrived.

Paramedics determined she needed to be sent to a local hospital.

The hospitalization is the latest troubling incident involving Locklear. In March 2008, emergency responders went to her home after it was believed she had tried to commit suicide. That June, she checked into a medical facility for anxiety and depression.

Locklear was arrested on suspicion of DUI in September 2008, but the charge was later dismissed after she pleaded no contest to reckless driving.

The actress' latest project was a starring role in Lifetime's "He Loves Me," a movie that aired in 2011.

Showtime Chief: 'Dexter' Could Go Beyond 2 More Seasons

Showtime Chief: 'Dexter' Could Go Beyond 2 More Seasons

Showtime just made a deal for two more "Dexter" seasons that were widely expected to bring the series to its end -- but Showtime entertainment president David Nevins says he reserves the right to keep the show going beyond that.

"This is the likely endpoint, but I'm leaving open the possibility that plans could change," he said at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. He also hinted that going forward on the show, Dexter may not be "such a lone wolf."

The show's sixth season ended (spoiler alert) with Dexter's adopted sister Deborah accepting that she's in love with him and catching him committing a murder. Her confronting her feelings, and discovery, will shake up the dynamics between her and Dexter, Nevins said.

The presumed ending of the show also gives the writers a clear arc -- if the show does end after its eighth season.

"I think there's a very clear trajectory now of where they're going. I think it's going to help to write with that endgame in mind," he said. "I've been pushing to shake up the formula a little bit. I think there should be fundamentally different dynamics now."

He also said the divorce between the actors who play Dexter and Deb, Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter, won't hinder their relationship n the show.

"It makes for an interesting ripple in the show," he said, adding that he expects audiences to "figure in" the dynamic."

"Michael and Jennifer have a really good relationship," he said.

The show scored its best ratings yet for its sixth season, when it was paired on Sunday nights with the new hit "Homeland."