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zaterdag 3 maart 2012

'Got to Dance' final live video feed to be streamed on Zeebox

'Got to Dance' final live video feed to be streamed on Zeebox

Sky1 has announced plans to run a live video feed on Zeebox for the Got to Dance final this weekend, as part of the satellite broadcaster's tie-up with the social TV mobile app.

Viewers of the reality show final on Sunday will be able to access an exclusive live videostream through the Zeebox mobile app, which launched last year offering a 'virtual couch' on iPhone and iPad.

The Zeebox Showtime page for Got to Dance will host the backstage video featuring the 2011 winners, Chris & Wes, reacting in real time to the performances of this year's finalists, including ballet dancers Tayluer & Elliott and all-girl hip-hop crew Boadicea.

Using Orca Digital's showcaster platform, the stream marks the first time that live video has been incorporated into Zeebox, the service which allows TV viewers to interact with programmes via social media networks.

Earlier in the year, Sky paid an undisclosed multi-million pound sum to take a 10% equity stake in Zeebox, and has since been integrating the service into its programmes and mobile apps.

Season three of Got to Dance has also seen a 'social wall' in the studio featuring comments about the show from viewers posted on Twitter, Facebook and Live Chat.

These comments are sometimes read out by host Davina McCall, and the social wall is also mirrored on the Got to Dance Zeebox page.

Other supported features on Zeebox include iTunes links for users to purchase songs featured on the show via the app's new 'click-to-buy' system.

Sky's head of digital entertainment Aidan Conway said: "As we continue to find fresh ways of weaving social media interactivity into our shows, the Got to Dance final presents a great opportunity to capitalise on the online buzz and excitement around who will steal Chris & Wes's crown through Zeebox's engaging second-screen technology, and we hope to take this excitement to a new level by integrating a live feed of Chris & Wes backstage into the showtime page.

"With the show simulcast on Sky 3D as well as Sky1 HD alongside a comprehensive second screen experience, we're confident that this year's final will be the most immersive and interactive ever."

The Got to Dance final will air on Sky1 and Sky 3D this Sunday (March 4) at 6pm. Zeebox is available to download now from the iTunes app store.



Nicola McLean: 'Denise Welch CBB clash didn't trigger bulimia relapse'

Nicola McLean: 'Denise Welch CBB clash didn't trigger bulimia relapse'

Celebrity Big Brother star Nicola McLean has denied that her clash with Denise Welch on the show triggered the return of her eating disorder.

The glamour model admitted to making herself sick in the house due to "the stress" of their infamous 'pantsgate' argument, but later assured fans that her bulimia was not back.

Recalling the fight to Now, McLean said: "I love Denise and admire her on Loose Women but it really got to me that she seemed to think because we've posed in magazines we wouldn't mind showing our bodies in the house.

"My eating disorder's been well documented in the past but, although I thought I'd beaten it, I actually made myself sick in the house that night.

"I felt so desperately upset - it was my only way of coping. The rest of the housemates thought I was just crying in the toilet."

After the story was published, McLean took to Twitter to clarify that she only went "back to old habits" that one night and had been healthy since she left the house.

"My eating disorder is not back," she wrote. "I'm fine I was sick once in the bb house as anyone with an eating disorder knows there's certain triggers.

"And the stress of the house plus What Denise had said about me which wasn't shown! Made me go back to old habits ONCE !! I'm fine now."

McLean finished seventh in this year's series of Celebrity Big Brother, which Welch went on to win.


'American Horror Story' season two to centre on Jessica Lange

'American Horror Story' season two to centre on Jessica Lange

Ryan Murphy has said that season two of American Horror Story will focus on Jessica Lange's character.

The series creator, who announced earlier this month that Lange would be returning to the FX horror show, revealed that the season's storyline will revolve around the new character that Murphy has created for Lange.

"We have designed the second season of American Horror Story completely around her character," Murphy told Entertainment Weekly.

"Last year Jessica came in with Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott. This will really be the Jessica Lange show so I'm very excited about it."

Murphy continued: "We are designing this amazing new opposite of the Constance character for her. She and I have spoken about different things. She has a lot of ideas, and has a lot of input into her character.

"She told me some things she has always wanted to play as an actress. She's a great collaborator and a great friend."

Star Trek's Zachary Quinto has said he would love a role in the second season of American Horror Story.


Ryan Murphy has said that season two of American Horror Story will focus on Jessica Lange's character.

The series creator, who announced earlier this month that Lange would be returning to the FX horror show, revealed that the season's storyline will revolve around the new character that Murphy has created for Lange.

"We have designed the second season of American Horror Story completely around her character," Murphy told Entertainment Weekly.

"Last year Jessica came in with Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott. This will really be the Jessica Lange show so I'm very excited about it."

Murphy continued: "We are designing this amazing new opposite of the Constance character for her. She and I have spoken about different things. She has a lot of ideas, and has a lot of input into her character.

"She told me some things she has always wanted to play as an actress. She's a great collaborator and a great friend."

Star Trek's Zachary Quinto has said he would love a role in the second season of American Horror Story.

'Pillars of the Earth' follow-up, 'Labyrinth' to air on Channel 4

'Pillars of the Earth' follow-up, 'Labyrinth' to air on Channel 4

Channel 4 has picked up the rights to Pillars of the Earth follow-up World Without End and John Hurt series Labyrinth.

World Without End, based on the novel by Ken Follett, focuses on a young woman called Caris who urges the residents of her medieval town Kingsbridge to save their community from forces including the Church and Crown.

Wuthering Heights star Charlotte Riley will play Caris, while other stars involved in the eight-part series include Cynthia Nixon and Miranda Richardson.

Spooks actor Peter Firth and Mad Dogs's Ben Chaplin are also featured in the drama.

Meanwhile, Labyrinth is based on a novel by Kate Mosse and intertwines stories from the present day and the Crusades, as two heroines from the different periods have to work together to stop a 4,000-year-old secret from being unveiled.

John Hurt, Harry Potter's Tom Felton and Gossip Girl star Sebastian Stan will appear in the drama alongside Downton Abbey's Jessica Brown-Findlay, Great Expectations actress Vanessa Kirby, Janet Suzman and Threesome and Game of Thrones actor Emun Elliott.

Merlin's Katie McGrath, who will also appear in Labyrinth, previously told Digital Spy that the show has a sense of "gritty realism" with "blood, guts and gore".

Channel 4's Tim Highsted said: "We are delighted to build on the success of last year's The Pillars of the Earth and to continue to work with [production company] Tandem. These epic historical dramas combine compelling storytelling, top-notch casting and excellent production values."

Both World Without End and Labyrinth will air on Channel 4 later this year.


American Idol: Top 13 to sing Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder tracks

American Idol: Top 13 to sing Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder tracks

American Idol's Top 13 finalists will perform songs by Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder on next week's milestone 400th episode.

Season 11's finalists were announced on Thursday night's (March 1) episode following two nights of live performances from the Top 13 boys and Top 12 girls who made it to the semi-final.

Ten contestants were voted through to the next stage by the American public, while judges Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson chose three more acts as their wildcard picks.

Fox has now confirmed that the Top 13 will perform tracks by Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder on Wednesday, March 7. The female contestants will take on the late Houston's songs, while the men will tackle the Wonder tracks.

Mary J Blige will mentor all contestants throughout the week.

Houston passed away at the age of 48 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles on Saturday, February 11.

American Idol's host Ryan Seacrest had previously hinted that the show planned to honour her impact on the music industry, saying: "We are trying to figure out how we can go in and obviously pay tribute [to Houston] in some way and acknowledge the impact that she had on popular singers, popular music and young singers that are trying to make it."

The Top 13 contestants are: Hollie Cavanagh, Colton Dixon, Heejun Han, Jermaine Jones, Skylar Laine, Joshua Ledet, Shannon Magraine, Phillip Phillips, Jessica Sanchez, Elise Testone, Erika Van Pelt, Jeremy Rosado and DeAndre Brackensick.

American Idol airs Wednesdays and Thursdays on Fox.

'Glee' returns to Sky1 with 400,000 viewers

'Glee' returns to Sky1 with 400,000 viewers

The return of US show Glee drew over 400,000 viewers last night, according to overnight data.

The latest episode averaged 406k (1.7%) across the 9pm hour on Sky1, though numbers are down when compared to the season three premiere.

Celebrity Juice, however, dominated the multichannels with 1.61m (8.6%) on ITV2 and a further 267k (2.5%) on timeshift.

On the terrestrials, ITV1's Kidnap and Ransom's second episode remained steady with 4.37m (18.8%) from 9pm (+1: 219k/1.2%).

The Kimberley Nixon drama beat MasterChef on BBC One (4.15m/17.8%). Earlier, BBC One's The Great British Countryside took 3.36m (14.1%) from 8pm.

Channel 4's Location, Location, Location grabbed 1.56m (6.5%) in the 8pm hour (+1: 261k/1.1%), followed by Make Bradford British with 2.29m (9.9%) and 234k (1.3%) on +1.

Our Man in... Ibiza had 1.25m (7.3%) from 10pm (+1: 167k/1.8%).

BBC Two aired Raymond Blanc: The Very Hungry Frenchman (1.43m/6%) and Children of the Tsunami (918k/4%).

Channel 5's The Da Vinci Shroud - Revealed was watched by 706k (3%), with The Transporter averaging 964k (4.6%) afterwards.

Overall, ITV1 won primetime with 22.7% (+1: 0.7%) ahead of BBC One's 19.5%. Channel 4's 6.8% (+1: 0.9%) beat BBC Two's 5.2% and Channel 5's 3.4%.

Fall Pilots 2012: CW

Fall Pilots 2012: CW

Here is the full list of the CW fall pilots for 2012.


CULT (Fake Empire, WBTV)

After a rash of disappearances and a likely murder, an inquisitive, young female production assistant on a wildly popular television show called "Cult" joins a journalist blogger in investigating the rabid fans of the series who might be re-creating crimes seen on the program, in real life.


ARROW (Berlanti Productions, WBTV)

Based on the DC Comics comic book, published by DC Entertainment, a modern retelling of the legendary character Green Arrow


THE CARRIE DIARIES (Fake Empire, WBTV)

Based on the novel by Candace Bushnell, a young Carrie Bradshaw comes of age in the 1980s, asking her first questions about love, sex, friendship and family while exploring the worlds of high school and Manhattan


BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (CBS Television Studios)

Loosely based on the CBS’s Beauty and the Beast series from the 1980s, this is a modern-day romantic love story with a procedural twist.


THE SELECTION (WBTV)

Based on the forthcoming series of books by Kiera Cass, The Selection is an epic romance set 300 years in the future which centers on a poor young woman who is chosen by lottery to participate in a competition to become the next queen of a war-torn nation at a crossroads.


FIRST CUT (working title)

Glad to leave her nerdy past behind for a fresh start in the adult professional world, a newly minted doctor discovers that, sadly and comically, life at the hospital where she works is no different than high school.


SHELTER (Bad Robot Productions, Mastermind Laboratories, WBTV)

Drama set at an historic New England summer resort where the new and returning staff attend to the practical, emotional and often comical needs of the guests while navigating friendships, rivalries and romances of their own.


JOEY DAKOTA (CBS Television Studios, Harmon/Tannenbaum)

Based on the Israeli format Danny Hollywood.  In this romantic-time-travel-musical, a documentary filmmaker travels back in time to the 1990’s where she meets and falls in love with the rock star subject of her film. When she unexpectedly returns to present day, she must find her way back to the past to reunite with her love and prevent his untimely death.

'Walking Dead' Blu-ray ad reveals plot twist?

'Walking Dead' Blu-ray ad reveals plot twist?

An advert for a Walking Dead Blu-ray boxset may have spoiled an upcoming plot twist.

The ad for the limited edition set, which appeared on the official AMC site, may have revealed the fate of Shane (Jon Bernthal).

The production description boasted that the set would include "bonus features such as: the making of the barn, an extended zombie gut scene [and] Shane's last episode".

The post was later removed from the AMC store, with a spokesperson for the cable network calling it "completely unauthorised".

"The matter is currently under investigation," The Hollywood Reporter was told.

Rumours of Shane's demise began to circulate when it was revealed that Bernthal was in talks to appear in former Walking Dead showrunner Frank Darabont's new TNT pilot L.A. Noir.

Discussing Bernthal's future with the show, new exec producer Glen Mazzara later said: "I don't want to say anything about secrets or spoilers or anything like that, but I think fans will be satisfied with our story, and I'm just going to focus on that, not other material."

The Walking Dead continues on Sundays at 9/8c on AMC. In the UK, the show airs on Fridays at 10pm on FX.



Janet Jackson: 'X Factor USA judging role just wouldn't be possible'

Janet Jackson: 'X Factor USA judging role just wouldn't be possible'

Janet Jackson has officially turned down a role on The X Factor USA.

The actress and singer sister of the late Michael Jackson revealed that although she was considered to replace either Nicole Scherzinger or Paula Abdul on the show, she would not be able to fit it into her schedule.

ackson told The Insider that she was "very flattered that X Factor let me know that I was being considered for next season, but it just wouldn't be possible".

The star spoke about her previous commitment to her 'Number Ones Up Close and Personal Tour' - which resumes in the summer - and projects with the Lionsgate studio. She said that as a result, taking on a TV gig would be "unrealistic" at the moment.

While Jackson confessed that a talent show stint would not be an option if X Factor boss Simon Cowell offered it, representatives for the star have said that they have no reason to believe she was even in the running.

A statement from Jackson's team added: "There have been absolutely no meetings between Janet and anyone with regard to X Factor."


'The Office' exec 'expected James Spader exit'

'The Office' exec 'expected James Spader exit'

The Office's Paul Lieberstein has discussed James Spader's impending exit from the show.

Spader - who plays the eccentric Robert California - will depart the NBC comedy in the eighth season finale.

"We always kind of thought of this as a transition year," Lieberstein told Vulture. "It was just kind of fun, living in the moment and just enjoying [Spader's] presence, and not really planning what it was going to be like in seasons to come."

The actor and executive producer praised Spader's performance, calling California a "bizarre, fascinating character".

"I thought we found a lot of interesting things to play with him; as his life changed, opened up, we learned about his marriage, his divorce," he said. "And I loved his relationship with Andy (Ed Helms) too."

While The Office is yet to be picked up for a ninth season, Lieberstein added that he is "optimistic" about the show's future.

"I see another year - a full year, and a great year," he said. "There are negotiations going on, but I don't think they feel different than other shows that have negotiations in their later years."

The Office continues on Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC.


'Project Runway: All Stars' recap: 'When I get My Dress In Lights'

'Project Runway: All Stars' recap: 'When I get My Dress In Lights'

We're nearing the finish point on Project Runway: All Stars with just five designers still in the running to scoop the grand prize.

So, what will Jerell, Mondo, Austin, Michael and Kenley have to do this week? It's the "biggest test of their skills so far", according to Angela, who reveals that they will have to incorporate light technology into their designs. Tomorrow night's runway will be lit by backlight and they will use lighting in their designs to create an avant-garde look.

Just to add a bit of extra pressure, she reveals that this week's guest judge is Pharrell Williams (once voted best-dressed man in the world), who will be incorporating the winning design into the work of one of his artists.

They've got $300 to spend on lighting and $300 to spend on material, although Kenley soon learns $300 isn't enough to cover an entire garment in lights so they'll have to get creative. At the lighting store we also learn from Mondo that he thinks Austin is becoming "high maintenance".

Kenley:

Kenley wanted to be fun and innovative and to really push herself (with a shout out to Isaac on the final point!). Pharrell liked the shape of the outfit but wishes she'd used the lights in the piece more rather than draped around, although it's one of his favourites. Isaac calls it divine and says she pulled off volume on the top and bottom. Georgina agrees the proportion is great, while Angela says the red and yellow tape combined to make plaid is very thoughtful.

Mondo:

Mondo didn't want to just apply lights on top of the garment so he made casings for them. Georgina sees him in the dress but thinks the tracks should have been brought in at the waist more to stop the model looking so straight up and down. She says the outfit is Tron-esque. Isaac loves the use of lights but wonders how avant-garde the design is. Angela says the breast shape is very strange, which prompts Georgina to compare it to Madonna and Isaac to liken it to a Teletubby!

Jerell:

Jerell wanted to create an ethnic tribal feeling with fibre optic lighting: tribal meets technology. Georgina likes the movement but feels it has a "rave" feel, like you'd find the model dancing in a tent at 6am. Isaac thinks the light in the model's mouth is "weirdly sexy" but some parts of the outfit look like they could have been bought at a joke store, especially the shoes and glasses. Angela can't understand the long black skirt under the outfit. Jerell says he didn't want bare flesh on the runway, but all the judges think the model looks better when the skirt is pulled up and her legs are exposed.

Austin:

Austin loves stars so he found fibre optic lights and fairy lights that would reassemble a "heavenly galaxy" around his model. Angela can see that but would have loved the lights to have been incorporated into more of the outfit, maybe with layers over them. Isaac loves the whole look, saying it's "mysterious", while Pharrell calls it "beautiful" and Georgina says it is "so romantic". She thinks that in reality it's just lights put on top of a gorgeous dress but it's so pretty that doesn't matter. "I'm enchanted," she says.

Michael:

Michael wanted an avant-garde futuristic, neon, ninja warrior princess. Isaac likes the idea but thinks the execution fell short, especially with the tape which just looks like tape on a dress. He also thinks the shoulder lights are noisy and doesn't like the flashing lights at the waist, saying no woman would want to draw attention to that area. Georgina says he maybe took on too much with the time constraints. Angela, however, likes the shoulder lights and ninja theme. Pharell says all he can see is Mortal Kombat meets Grace Jones and says the design is more fit for Comic-Con.

Austin is the winner of the challenge and will have his design featured on one of Pharrell's artists. Kenley and Mondo are also through to the next round, which means Michael and Jerell are the bottom two.

Michael utilised the technology well but his execution fell short, while Jerell's design had great movement but was "half an outfit". Jerell is eliminated.

He says: "I don't beat myself up over woulda, coulda, shoulda. What is important is that I like what I do. Going out, I can't be mad because I did Jerell... I really, truly believe everything happens for a reason and I'm very proud of myself for making it this far in the competition, especially with the calibre of designers I was competing against."

'Titanic': Julian Fellowes's new series tells a 'very different story'

'Titanic': Julian Fellowes's new series tells a 'very different story'

Julian Fellowes has promised that his ITV1 Titanic miniseries will tell "a very different version" of the story behind the famous ship's sinking.

The 1912 tragedy has been adapted many times, most famously as 1958's A Night To Remember and James Cameron's 1997 Oscar winner Titanic, but the Downton Abbey creator insisted that his show would have a fresh slant on the events of the ship.

Speaking at the miniseries launch in London yesterday, producer Nigel Stafford-Clark said: "We took the decision right at the start that we were making a very different version of the Titanic story and therefore while we were extremely grateful to Cameron for developing the technology that enabled us to do it, we weren't going to parallel ours to his."

Fellowes said: "This is a portrait of a ship in a way that other versions haven't been. Right from the start we set out to tell the story of the whole ship. It's a great tragedy, obviously, but I was thrilled by the idea of having a chance to shape another version of it."

The self-confessed Titanorak continued: "There are certain disasters that seem to latch on to our psyche. The Titanic is the perfect disaster - it has everything in a compact form. There are rich aristocrats, movie stars, bankers. In steerage, there are all of these desperate people heading for new lives. They took their whole families and they were wiped out.

"It is all tragic. You almost can't bear to think about it. They weren't tragic people, they were people who got caught up in a tragedy. I find that very moving."

Stafford-Clark confirmed that the series would feature a mix of real and fictional characters, adding that he and Fellowes didn't decide on which fictional parts should survive until they reached the end of the third episode.

"We duly got together when we got to that point, only to find that we didn't want anyone to die," he said. "It took quite a long time for us to work it out."

The four-part miniseries will air in April to mark the landmark 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking. It will be shown on ABC in the US.


The Voice's WADE: 'I'm nervous but confident about battle rounds'

The Voice's WADE: 'I'm nervous but confident about battle rounds'

The Voice contestant WADE has said that he is looking forward to the upcoming battle rounds.

The 18-year-old became the last singer to secure a spot on Cee Lo Green's season two team on Monday night (February 27) with his blind audition performance of 'Rehab' by Amy Winehouse.

Discussing his blind audition, he told reporters: "I tried not to focus on the chairs and just play to the audience, but it's hard not to think [about the coaches].

"In those first couple of seconds of the performance I was like, 'Somebody, come on, turn around!' Then finally when Cee Lo pressed his button it was that internal sigh of relief and made things a lot easier."

WADE added to reporters that he "almost stopped singing" when the 'Forget You' singer turned his chair around, but managed to compose himself and finish the performance.

As for the upcoming battle rounds, he said: "I'm sort of nervous because I don't know who I'm going up against and all of Team Cee Lo is just awesome, but I'm also confident I have what it takes to make it to the next level."


Fall Pilots 2012: Fox

Fall Pilots 2012: Fox

Here is the full list of the Fox fall pilots for 2012.


THE ASSET (20th Century Fox)

A character-driven drama set in the CIA's New York City station focusing on a female agent with a very specialized and controversial area of expertise.


GUILTY

After being falsely convicted of fraud and stripped of his legal license, a brilliant, morally questionable defense attorney uses his unorthodox methods to solve the cases he's been prohibited from handling and to ultimately exact revenge on the man who set him up.


UNT. BERMAN/WRIGHT PROJECT (Sony)

A young female thoracic surgeon with Bridgeport roots is split between two worlds as she juggles her career and her lifelong debt to the South Chicago mob.


UNT. KARYN USHER PROJECT (20th Century Fox/21 Laps)

The orphaned 17-year-old daughter of a CIA operative encounters a mysterious rogue agent/assassin who serves as both her surrogate father and professional mentor in the spy world.


UNT. KEVIN WILLIAMSON PROJECT (WBTV)

An edge-of-your-seat thriller about the complex relationship between a diabolical serial killer and the damaged FBI agent who took him down. After the killer escaped, the agent is reactivated and discovers that he is no longer just hunting one man, but a massive cult of serial killers created and manipulated during his time in prison.


BEN FOX IS MY MANNY (20th Century Fox/Chernin)

Under the guise of being his niece's nanny, a free spirited young guy moves in with his type "A," tightly wound sister and in the process will help her re-enter the world.


EL JEFE (Sony)

Tossed out of his Brentwood home, an affable but lost 30-year-old guy moves in with his longtime Latin American nanny, goes head to head with her strong-willed son, and finds himself in a family and worklife very different from the one he grew up in.


THE GOODWIN GAMES (20th Century Fox, 21 Laps, Adelstein, Hat Trick)

High-concept family comedy about a father who leaves his fortune to his 3 children only if they agree to his terms.


LET IT GO (Sony/Fedora)

An ensemble comedy told through the perspective of a young father who is strongly committed in his beliefs and will go to any lengths to prove his point to his family and friends.


LIKE FATHER (WBTV/Doozer)

Comedy centering a on father-son relationship, inspired by Lawrence's real-life experiences.


LITTLE BROTHER (20th Century Fox, 21 Laps, Adelstein, Hat Trick)
A boisterous ex-con moves in with his level-headed brother and his family.


LIVING LOADED (20th Century Fox, 
3 Arts/FX Productions)

A hard-partying blogger is forced to reevaluate his laissez-faire career plan when he gets a new job as a host on public radio.


MUST HIRE (Sony/Fanfare)

A workplace comedy centered on Sean and his father Jerry, who Sean hires in hopes that his dad will be a great asset but in reality is an office clown from a bygone era.


PRODIGY BULLY (WBTV, John Wells)

A rare child prodigy with an attitude shakes up his Hogwarts-like academy, while bringing the rarified world of his school back home to his aggressive working class family in Lowell, MA.


REBOUNDING (20th Century Fox)

An uplifting comedy about a man recovering from the death of his fiancé with the help of the idiots on his pick-up basketball team.


UNT. MINDY KALING PROJECT (Universal)

Young Bridget-Jones type doctor trying to navigate both her personal and professional lives.



Olly Murs: 'The Xtra Factor return not confirmed'

Olly Murs: 'The Xtra Factor return not confirmed'

Olly Murs has reportedly denied claims that he is confirmed to host this year's Xtra Factor.

The former contestant was reported to have told fans in Dublin that he would reprise his role as co-presenter on ITV2's X Factor spinoff show this summer.

However, Murs has since told Celebritain: "I want to do it, but it hasn't been confirmed.

"It's too early, X Factor don't confirm anything until much nearer the time. There are no dates confirmed, nothing."

Murs is believed to have been told by show boss Simon Cowell that he must choose between his music career and his Xtra Factor role.

The singer hosted last year's show alongside Caroline Flack. The pair took over from Konnie Huq. Previous hosts were Holly Willoughby and Ben Shephard.


'Doctor Who' exec Steven Moffat: 'New monsters are better'

'Doctor Who' exec Steven Moffat: 'New monsters are better'

Doctor Who's Steven Moffat has hinted that the next series will focus on new monsters.

The showrunner told French websites Le Village and Reviewer.fr that he prefers devising original threats for the Doctor (Matt Smith) to face.

"I always say new monsters are better in Doctor Who because you fall in love with monsters when they're new," he explained.

"One of the temptations, particularly if it's a success is to keep repeating your hits, which means you hear it again and again and again."

The sci-fi drama's seventh run began shooting last month in Wales, with Saul Metzstein directing.

Sherlock star Rupert Graves, The Fast Show's Mark Williams and Harry Potter's David Bradley are among the guest actors confirmed to appear in the new episodes.

New executive producer Caroline Skinner recently promised that the latest series will "blow everybody's mind".

"We've got a lot of [the scripts] and the ones that are written are really, really epic and very exciting," she said.

Doctor Who will return to BBC One in the autumn.



Kiefer Sutherland's Touch to air in The Finder's Thursday slot on Fox

Kiefer Sutherland's Touch to air in The Finder's Thursday slot on Fox

Fox has switched up its midseason television schedule.

Kiefer Sutherland's drama Touch was slated to air on Monday, March 19, but will now have its premiere on Thursday, March 22, taking over procedural series The Finder's time slot.

The Finder will now start airing on Fridays after its spring finale on March 6 and will return for the rest of its season on April 6.

Gordon Ramsay reality series Hotel Hell will now have its premiere in the summer.

The Finder follows Walter Sherman (Geoff Stults), who suffered brain damage in an IED explosion during his time as a soldier in Iraq. The brain damage causes Walter to find connections between random or unrelated events, people and objects.

Touch will mark Sutherland's return to television after his eight seasons on another Fox series, 24.

In Touch, Sutherland plays a single dad to a mute son who can see into the future.


One Direction to perform at Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards

One Direction to perform at Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards

One Direction are to appear on Nickelodeon's 25th Annual Kids' Choice Awards.

The boyband will perform their debut US single 'What Makes You Beautiful' at the awards ceremony, which is being held at the Galen Centre in LA later this month.

One Direction's appearance on the Kids' Choice Awards marks the beginning of a partnership with Nickelodeon, which also sees them host the network's weekend programming throughout March and appear on iCarly.

Will Smith, who holds the all-time winning record at the Kids' Choice Awards, will serve as the host for this year's ceremony.

Miranda Cosgrove, Selena Gomez, Tim Allen and Ty Burrell are among this year's television acting nominees, while American Idol, iCarly and Kung Fu Panda are nominated in the various television categories.

Jim Carrey is nominated against Johnny Depp, Adam Sandler and Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe for 'Favourite Movie Actor'. Kristen Stewart is competing in the 'Favourite Movie Actress' category with Amy Adams, Sofia Vergara and Emma Watson.

Lady GaGa, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift are among the music nominees.

Nickelodeon's 25th Annual Kids' Choice Awards airs Saturday, March 31 at 8/7c.

'Walking Dead' exec: 'David Morrissey will be awesome as The Governor'

'Walking Dead' exec: 'David Morrissey will be awesome as The Governor'

The Walking Dead's Robert Kirkman has praised upcoming guest star David Morrissey.

The English actor will appear in the AMC drama's third season as The Governor - a fan favourite character from the original comics.

"More than any other actor, David Morrissey came in and wanted to embrace everything that there is to The Governor," Kirkman told MTV News. "He knew this is a complicated character, and he knew this was a character that people are going to hate to love."

He added: "I think he's really going to knock it out of the park. He has tremendous scale and scope to his acting abilities. I think people are going to be shocked and amazed by the things we do with The Governor in season three. I think people are going to quickly realise that David Morrissey is an awesome guy for the role."

Kirkman, who writes the Walking Dead comic series, promised that the TV series will not play down the "sadistic" side of Morrissey's character.

"It was really important to me that no-one gets the sense that we're neutering The Governor from the comics," he said. "We're definitely going to do the character justice, and season three will be that much crazier and that much more intense because of it."

The Walking Dead continues on Sundays at 9/8c on AMC. In the UK, the show airs on Fridays at 10pm on FX.


Zachary Quinto confirmed as 'American Horror Story' series regular

Zachary Quinto confirmed as 'American Horror Story' series regular

Zachary Quinto has been confirmed as a series regular for season two of American Horror Story.

The Star Trek actor has been promoted to a lead cast member following his guest appearance in four episodes of the show's debut run last year.

Quinto played the Harmon house's former co-owner Chad Warwick in American Horror Story's first season, but will portray a different character when the FX drama returns.

According to Deadline, his alter ego will be one of two male leads and the nemesis to returning cast member Jessica Lange's new protagonist.

Quinto expressed a desire to return to American Horror Story in January, saying: "I had an amazing time... Next season could get turned on its head completely, but I would love to continue work on that. It was a great experience."

Series producer Ryan Murphy confirmed this week that season two has been designed "completely around" Lange.

"We are designing this amazing new opposite of the Constance character for her," he said. "[We] have spoken about different things. She has a lot of ideas, and has a lot of input into her character."

Murphy is expected to announce the identities of three more returning American Horror Story cast members in the near future.

The show's second season will air on FX later this year.


Fall Pilots 2012: CBS

Fall Pilots 2012: CBS

Here is the full list of the CBS fall pilots.


ELEMENTARY (CBS Television Studios)

Modern take on the cases of Sherlock Holmes


BABY BIG SHOT (Sony Pictures Television/CBS Television Studios)

A working class woman uses her street smarts to compete with her more polished colleagues at a tony Manhattan law firm


TROOPER (Jerry Bruckheimer Television in association with Warner Bros. Television)


A common-sense mother turns New York State Trooper.


GOLDEN BOY (Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television)

Show about the making of a man that tracks one cop’s meteoric rise from officer to detective to Police Commissioner.


WIDOW DETECTIVE (CBS Television Studios)

After losing three partners in the line of duty, a decorated police detective becomes surrogate husband, lover and father to their families.


UNTITLED RALPH LAMB PROJECT (CBS Television Studios)

Period piece set in the 1960s centered around the true story of Ralph Lamb – rodeo cowboy turned longtime Sheriff of Las Vegas.


APPLEBAUM (CBS Television Studios)

Based on Ayelet Waldman’s "Mommy Track Mysteries" series of books in which a former public defender becomes a private investigator to keep from being bored to death as a stay-at-home mom.


QUEAN (CBS Television Studios/ The Tannenbaum Co)

An edgy and independent Millennial hacker girl teams up with an Oakland police detective to solve crimes.


UNTITLED NICHOLAS STOLLER PROJECT (Chernin Entertainment/20th Century Fox Television)

A 20-something ensemble comedy about a guy who gets his heart broken by his girlfriend and now has to work one cubicle away from her at an ad agency.


SUPER FUN NIGHT (Conaco in association with Warner Bros. Television)

A half hour multicam comedy following three nerdy female friends on their “funcomfortable” quest to have SUPER FUN every Friday night.


FRIEND ME (CBS Television Studios/ The Tannenbaum Co)

Twenty-something best friends, Evan and Rob, move from their hometown of Bloomington, Indiana to Los Angeles to begin their exciting new lives working at Groupon.  Evan is having trouble breaking his old slothful habits and rather than go out after work to explore LA and meet new people, prefers to play online poker with his buddies back home.  Rob has different plans and is determined to drag Evan, kicking and screaming, along with him.


PARTNERS (KoMut Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television)

From multiple Emmy winners David Kohan & Max Mutchnick comes this personal story of two lifelong friends and business partners.  Architects Charlie and Louis’ friendship has lasted longer than either of their romantic relationships and almost seems like a weird marriage.  When Charlie decides to propose to his girlfriend, Louis’ neurotic attempts to be supportive nearly result in the breakup of his own relationship.


UNTITLED GREG MALINS/GREG BERLANTI PROJECT (Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television)

Nick has a health scare and realizes Wendy, his best friend and business partner of 15 years, is "the one." Now he has to figure out how to break it to her.


UNTITLED LOUIS CK/SPIKE FERESTEN PROJECT (Berman/Braun i/a/w Universal Television, CBS Television Studios)

Ensemble of young people trying to achieve their creative dreams in these tough financial times.


UNTITLED DORF/FALCONE PROJECT (Warner Bros. Television)

Multi-cam comedy series about a single 37-year-old man (Ben Falcone) who loses everything he has in the real estate collapse and finds himself back home in the house he grew up in…with his parents.


UNTITLED MARTIN LAWRENCE PROJECT (CBS Television Studios)

Martin Lawrence stars as a widowed father of two teenagers who, after losing his job in construction, decides to go to the police academy and become a cop at the age of 46.


Jason Isaacs's 'Awake' launches with 6.2m

Jason Isaacs's 'Awake' launches with 6.2m

Jason Isaacs's Awake made a solid start last night, according to Nielsen overnight data.

NBC's new fantasy crime drama premiered with 6.2m (1.9), helping the network to its best performance in the 10pm hour since April 2011.

Despite contending with lighter competition, the Peacock Network's other programming continued to suffer: 3.8m (1.8) watched 30 Rock at 8pm, Parks and Recreation had 3.8m (1.7) at 8.30pm, then The Office amused 5m (2.5), and Up All Night drew 3.5m (1.6) at 9.30pm.

American Idol soared to a huge 18.3m (5.3) between 8pm and 10pm, a figure aided by the fact CBS and ABC both broadcast repeats all night.

The Big Bang Theory mustered 11.1m (3.2), hindering a new episode of Rob, which logged an all-time low of 9m (2.6) for CBS at 8.30pm.

Reruns of Person of Interest (9.5m/1.8) and The Mentalist (8.9m/1.7) followed on the Tiffany Network.

Meanwhile, Wipeout (4.5m/1.3), Grey's Anatomy (3.4m/1.1) and Jimmy Kimmel (3m/1.3) aired on ABC.

Elsewhere, The Vampire Diaries (1.1m/0.4) and Supernatural (952k/0.3) on The CW were repeats.

'Good Christian Bitches' star Kristin Chenoweth: 'I would never mock Christianity'

'Good Christian Bitches' star Kristin Chenoweth: 'I would never mock Christianity'

Kristin Chenoweth has defended her new television series GCB.

The actress and singer, who has appeared in a recurring guest role in Glee, addressed concerns that her show may offend those that practise Christianity.

Chenoweth plays a former school outcast-turned-social queen among a group of feuding church-going women from Texas in the ABC series GCB, which was originally called Good Christian Bitches and then Good Christian Belles.

She has reassured her fans and critics that she would never mock her own religion.

"I think people should give it a chance. You just can't judge a book by its cover," she told The Hollywood Reporter. "I certainly wouldn't do anything that would make fun of my own faith. This is just chocolate cake, and it's actually a love letter to Dallas.

"I think it's really funny. I remember growing up, it was always the same woman who got the solos in the church choir. And there's always the woman at the bake sale or the church dinner who wanted to outcook everyone. The thing is, just because you're a Christian doesn't mean you're perfect."

She continued: "We all are human. And so this show shows the humanity of it, and I love it. I'm one of them. I grew up in that world... It could take place in a temple, in a community, but we just set ours in a church."

TV Tonight 3rd of March 2012

TV Tonight 3rd of March 2012

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

    20/20 S34E28: "250 Episode: My Strange Affliction (1)"
    48 Hours Mystery S25E18: "The Country Club Murders"
    Area no Kishi S01E09: "Panic at the Training Camp?!"
    Bakuman. S02E22: "Hint and Best"
    Bayou Billionaires S01E07: "Southern Fried Fitness"
    Ben 10: Ultimate Alien S02E28: "The Eggman Cometh"
    Beyblade: Metal Fusion S02E30: "The Daylight Street Battle"
    Billy the Exterminator S05E07: "Backyard Swarm"
    Billy the Exterminator S05E08: "Vampires and Serpents"
    Bleach (US) S13E14: "One-to-One Fight! Ichigo vs. Senbonzakura"
    Cardfight!! Vanguard S01E61: "Feelings Toward Foo Fighter"
    Casualty S26E25: "Ricochet"
    Color Splash S10E15: "Black and White Master Suite"
    Fairy Tail S03E25: "Dawn on Tenroujima"
    Harry Hill's TV Burp S14E05: "Series 14, Episode 5"
    How to Rock S01E06: "How to Rock a Messy Bet"
    Last Exile (JP) S02E18: "Transposition"
    Let's Dance for Comic Relief S04E03: "Series 4, Episode 3"
    Match of The Day S47E38: "Season 47, Show 38"
    My Big Redneck Vacation S01E07: "Health Ledger"
    My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic S02E19: "Putting Your Hoof Down"
    Oddities S03E13: "Holly-ODD"
    Parking Wars S06E07: "Season 6, Episode 7"
    Parking Wars S06E08: "Season 6, Episode 8"
    Pokémon S15E03: "Lost at the Stamp Rally!"
    Power Rangers S19E03: "Trading Places"
    Saturday Kitchen S10E36: "March 3, 2012"
    Saturday Night Live S37E16: "Lindsay Lohan / Jack White"
    Schlag den Raab S06E04: "Season 6, Episode 4"
    Shakugan no Shana S03E21: "One Reason"
    Soccer AM S16E30: "Series 16, Episode 30"
    Take Me Out (UK) S03E09: "Series 3, Episode 9"
    Take Me Out: The Gossip S01E09: "Episode 9"
    The Bronson Pinchot Project S01E04: "Out with the New, In with the Old"
    The Firm S01E09: "Chapter Nine"
    The Football League Show S03E27: "Series 3, Episode 27"
    The Jonathan Ross Show S02E09
    Total Wipeout S05E12: "Winter Wipeout (10)"
    Transformers: Prime S02E03: "Orion Pax | Part 3"
    UFC on FX S01E03
    Vanilla Ice Project S02E09: "TBA"
    Victorious S03E06: "Tori & Jade's Playdate"
    You've Been Framed S19E23: "March 3, 2012"
    Young Justice S01E19: "Misplaced"
    Zero no Tsukaima S04E09: "Tabitha`s Coronation"

'Dexter' star David Zayas to play 'Grimm' monster

'Dexter' star David Zayas to play 'Grimm' monster

David Zayas has landed a role in NBC drama Grimm.

The Dexter star will play a monstrous creature on the supernatural series, according to TVLine.

A troll-like creature known as a Hasslich, Zayas's character Sal Burrel will appear in the show's 19th episode.

Zayas - best known for playing Angel Batista on Showtime's Dexter - recently appeared on CBS thriller Person of Interest and also played the villain in 2010 action film The Expendables.

His Grimm episode 'Leave it to the Beavers' will air in the spring.

True Blood star Jessica Tuck also recently signed up for a guest role on Grimm. The actress will portray the mother of Claire Coffee's character Adalind.

Grimm airs on Fridays at 9pm on NBC in the US. In the UK. the show airs on Mondays at 9pm on Watch.



George Sampson, Robson Green join 'Mount Pleasant' for series two

George Sampson, Robson Green join 'Mount Pleasant' for series two

Mount Pleasant has been recommissioned by Sky1 for a second series airing this summer.

Britain's Got Talent star George Sampson and Being Human's Robson Green are new to the cast of the relationship drama, which begins shooting today (March 2) in Manchester.

Creator and writer Sarah Hooper said in a statement: "I love Robson, he is a fantastic actor and we're all delighted to have someone with his pedigree joining the cast, and with George's talent and rising star status it is going to bring an exciting new edge to our already brilliant ensemble.

"I can't wait to see the new series come to life."

Meanwhile, Sampson commented: "I'm thrilled to be joining Mount Pleasant... the cast could not have been more welcoming. The role of Gary is an amazing opportunity for me, on top of the other screen work I've done recently.

"I can't wait to explore further the comedic side of acting with this fantastic cast."

Ex-Coronation Street actress Sally Lindsay will reprise her lead role as married Lisa, who in the first series discovered that another woman was trying to seduce her husband Dan (Daniel Ryan).

Upstairs Downstairs's Pauline Collins, comic Bobby Ball, Angela Griffin and Peep Show's Neil Fitzmaurice are among the other names to return to the show.

Mount Pleasant, which achieved strong audiences for its first run last year, will be next broadcast on Sky1 in August.


'The Muppets' producers to make puppet chat show for BBC One?

'The Muppets' producers to make puppet chat show for BBC One?

The company behind The Muppets is working with BBC One to develop a new chat show.

The project, which has a working title of No Strings Attached, would be hosted by a puppet and air on Saturday evenings.

The series would see the puppet interviewing celebrities in a "quite cheeky and brash" way, Broadcast reports.

The host could be based on a real person and the show is also expected to include sketches and games with a number of different characters.

The Jim Henson Company, the team behind The Muppets, is involved and Henson's son Brian Henson has had talks with the BBC's executive editor for entertainment Karl Warner.

"It's a really early doors development, but we have high hopes," Warner said. "The idea is that it will be very firmly anchored in the world of the chat show, but based around a new character created by the Henson Company.

"The Muppets were a massive phenomenon and nobody seems to have been developing anything in this area for a long time. The Henson Company has shown us some puppets, and their versatility is very exciting, but we are still only in talks at the moment."

The Muppets have been in the news lately, following the success of the latest movie. Yesterday, it emerged that a sequel is currently in the works.

Fall Pilots 2012: ABC

Fall Pilots 2012: ABC

Here is the full list of the ABC fall pilots.


666 PARK AVENUE (WBTV, Alloy Entertainment)

Based on the book by Gabriella Pierce about a young couple who manages one of the most historic apartment buildings in New York City and unwittingly experience supernatural occurrences that complicate and endanger the lives of everyone in the building. 


AMERICANA (ABC Studios)


Soap set around a legendary fashion designer and his family and business.


BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (ABC Studios and Mojo Films)

A fantasy re-imagining of the classic Beauty and the Beast tale, wherein an embattled princess discovers an unlikely connection with a mysterious beast.


DEVIOUS MAIDS (ABC Studios)

Based on the Mexican format, this soap follows four maids with ambition and dreams of their own while they work for the rich and famous in Beverly Hills.


GILDED LILYS (ABC Studios)

An epic love story, a vicious rivalry and a scandalous secret unfold against the backdrop of the opening of New York’s first luxury hotel.


GOTHAM (20th Century Fox Television)

After pursuing a seemingly unsolvable case, a female cop discovers a magical world that exists within New York City.  A world that goes unseen by normal humans, and takes all of the familiar NY landmarks and reinvents them in a magical otherworldly manner.


LAST RESORT (Sony Pictures Television)

Renegade crew of a nuclear submarine go on the run after defying an order given under strange and suspicious circumstances to deploy their weapons. They seek refuge at a NATO listening post and declare themselves the world's smallest sovereign nation with nuclear capability. They then face the challenges of creating a new society while monitoring the movements of the world's militaries. 


NASHVILLE (ABC Studios and Lionsgate)

A family soap set against the backdrop of the Nashville music scene that follows one star at her peak and one on the rise.


PENOZA (ABC Studios in association with Endemol Studios)

Based on the Dutch format, PENOZA centers on the widow of an assassinated criminal who is forced to adopt her husband’s role in a crime syndicate in order to protect her family.


SCRUPLES (Flame Ventures LLC in association with WBTV)


Based in the 1978 bestselling book, centers on a rich and powerful clothes designer in a world of sex, revenge and scandal.
 

UNTITLED EMMERICH & KLOSER PROJECT (ABC Studios)

An astrophysics grad student in NYC learns that he is the chosen one to destroy the forces of evil.


ZERO HOUR (ABC Studios)

A bizarre twist of fate pulls a man who’s spent 20 years as the editor of a skeptic magazine into one of the most compelling conspiracies in human history.


AMERICAN JUDY (ABC Studios)


Centers on a cosmopolitan woman who gets married and becomes a fish out of water in the suburbs having to juggle step-kids, her mother-in-law, and the ex-wife of her husband who also happens to be the town sheriff.


COUNTER CULTURE (Sony Pictures Television and ABC Studios)

Three aging sisters who run their family diner together in West Texas find that sibling dynamics are always getting in the way of getting the job done. 


DUSTY GOES TO AWESOMETOWN (F/N/A UNTITLED ADAM SZTYKIEL PROJECT) (20th Century Fox Television)     

A raw, hilarious peek behind the curtain of modern 20-something relationships.


HOW TO LIVE WITH YOUR PARENTS FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE (20th Century Fox and Imagine Television)

Polly, a recently divorced single mom, moves in with her eccentric parents, Elaine and Max, a couple who's full of life but knows no boundaries.  


MALIBU COUNTRY (ABC Studios)

After her "good 'ol boy" rock star husband cheats on her and burns through most of their money, Reba divorces him and moves her three lods and mom from Nashville to the only asset they have left - a little house in Malibu. There, she'll try to reignite her own singing career and keep herself and her three kids from being corrupted by the materialistic and rarified Malibu world she now calls home.      


ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES (ABC Studios)

Based on the British format, the show follows the misadventures of two streetwise brothers who scrape by selling unreliable goods believing that at any moment they could become millionaires.      


PRAIRIE DOGS (ABC Studios)

Neil, an uncool cubicle worker ("prairie dog") at one of the coolest companies in the world, is victim of identity theft. When he discovers the thief has created a much more fulfilling, kick ass life with his identity than he ever has, he engages the charismatic conman to help him change his life.


THE SMART ONE (A Very Good Production in association with Warner Bros. Television)

Portia de Rossi stars as a brilliant and successful woman who begrudgingly goes to work for her less-brainy but more popular sister -- a former beauty queen, weather girl…and now big-city Mayor.


UNTITLED DAN FOGELMAN PROJECT (ABC Studios)

Family moves into a beautiful, surprisingly affordable gated community in New Jersey only to discover that all the neighbors are literally from another planet.


UNTITLED KARI LIZER PROJECT (WBTV)


Hilary Pfeiffer-Dunne, a high-powered executive who has dominated corporate America for years, faces the biggest challenge of her life when she finds herself unemployed and acting as a full-time mom to her two teenagers.


UNTITLED MANDY MOORE PROJECT (20th Century Fox Television)  

Newlyweds Annie (Mandy Moore) and Ben get the opportunity of a lifetime to run a hip, new restaurant in Annie’s hometown bringing her closer to her needy and high maintenance family.


WHITE VAN MAN (ABC Studios)

Based on the British format WHITE VAN MAN, the show centers on a man who is forced to put his dreams on hold in order to take over the family handyman business from his father.


'The Killing': AMC Reveals 'Moody' and 'Unsettling' Season 2 Key Art

'The Killing': AMC Reveals 'Moody' and 'Unsettling' Season 2 Key Art

The sophomore season's campaign suggests there are still some deeply buried secrets to uncover before Rosie's murderer is discovered.

With the question, “Who Killed Rosie Larsen?,” still unanswered, AMC’s new key art for The Killing's Season 2 portrays that there’s still much to uncover about the players in the case.

“All of these characters have secrets,” AMC’s head of marketing Linda Schupack tells EW, which was the first to post the art. “The tagline ‘Be careful what you uncover’ speaks to the discovery of those secrets and what unravels from their exposure.”

When Season 2 premieres, viewers will join Det. Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) as she continues the case to find Rosie’s killer after thinking it was closed – a result of possible deception by her partner Det. Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman). At the same time, the series will introduce a second unsolved case in its sophomore season.

“When we thought about the second season, we wanted something moody and beautiful and vaguely unsettling,” says Schupack. “This is a cop drama unlike other cop dramas, so our approach to the key art was to be as distinctive as the show itself.”

The Killing returns to AMC on Sunday, April 1 at 8 p.m.

'The Office' exec: 'Dwight spinoff coming next season'

'The Office' exec: 'Dwight spinoff coming next season'

The Office exec Paul Lieberstein has revealed new details about planned spinoff The Farm.

The new series would follow Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) as he runs his family's farm and bed-and-breakfast.

"Basically we have a show about a family working together and a family business in the heartland," Lieberstein, who also plays Toby, told Vulture.

"It's kind of focused on some people who are not often represented on television. I think it's really interesting; I'm super excited about it. I haven't grown up on a farm myself, so I have a lot of research to do."

Lieberstein confirmed that work will begin on the spinoff "early next season".

"We'll be able to focus on casting outside of pilot season," he explained. "We'll get to really do it right."

He also suggested that Michael Schur - who has appeared in nine episodes of The Office as Dwight's cousin Mose - is unlikely to appear as a series regular.

"We're going to have to explain why he's not there," said Lieberstein. "He will do what he can, now and then. But for the most part, he can't be Mose."

The Office continues on Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC.



'Jersey Shore' episode 9 recap: The Truth Will Set You Free

'Jersey Shore' episode 9 recap: The Truth Will Set You Free

So, we open this week's Jersey Shore with Vinny and Snooki returning to the house after their solo jaunt, and Pauly and Deena immediately pounce with their questions. Did you make out? Was there any sexual tension? Apparently not. They just played pool. Pauly still isn't impressed though! "Don't think you can just take my man on dates," he warns Snooki. "Stop trying to get in my man's pants!"

Whatever happened on their 'date', Snooki's exhausted and heads off to bed. As does Sammi. And Ronnie. And JWoww. Deena's not happy. "Why even have a shore house if you're just going to sleep?" Adding to her disappointment is the fact Joey isn't coming out tonight. Oh well, she'll have to make do with an MVPD night with the boys at Jenks.

Blast from the past! The group bump into Angelina, but apparently don't hang around for pleasantries. Pauly and Mike are too busy, anyways, having both found possible DTF ladies. Mike's particularly pleased with his efforts this evening, telling us: "I'm just so good with women there definitely should be a butter named after me because I'm so smooth."

Unfortunately for him, his smooth talking doesn't guarantee a good end to the night. His lady gets back to the house, dons his track bottoms, gets under the duvet… and announces she just wants to cuddle or talk. "It's now or never," he warns. "Situation don't do appointments for next time." Pauly isn't faring much better either. Thinking he'd hit the jackpot with a sexy Italian girl from New York, he has to send her packing when he discovers her "friend of the month" is around: "Bye bye and take your tampons with you."

The next morning Mike comes over all generous and orders in breakfast for everyone. His generosity even extends to the delivery boy, tipping him a protein shake. "In the guido world protein is like money… I'm giving out protein powder. I'm trying to better your life."

JWoww, however, has bigger things to think about than breakfast. It's her one-year anniversary with Roger which means a visit to the local sex store to pick up some supplies for her rose petals and bondage-themed redecoration of the Smush Room.

All this couple talk, however, isn't doing it for Pauly and Vinny. Too many people in the house are in relationships. "It's like couple's retreat," laments Pauly. "I feel like I need to be in a relationship to be in this house." They decide the only option is to fight the coupledom, which means moving the bed out of the Smush Room in a bid to foil JWoww's romantic night. "Ew, I just got pregnant," says a grossed-out Vinny when he touches the mattress. "I'll have some of Mike's babies on my chin."

In the end, it's a pretty inconsequential prank. JWoww moves the bed back, decorates it with rose petals and various sex toys, and gets it all done in time to answer the door bell. "Every time you answer the door you look more naked than last time," says the arriving Roger.

Before the happy couple get to try out the room, however, everyone's off for a big night out at Karma. But not before they mock Vinny's dress choice of jeans, plaid shirt and sunglasses. "Where is your tan Vanilla Ice?" says Pauly. "Your sister was nice enough to give you her whole outfit? Shoes and all?" Ronnie chimes in with, "When I'm cooking tonight can I use your shirt as the BBQ mat?" Even Roger gets a piece of the action: "I loved you in The Dukes of Hazzard."

Off to Karma and there's drama brewing for Deena. She's beginning to wonder whether her friends are right about Joey. They've been telling her he isn't the right guy for her (even Ronnie got in on the action) and she broaches the subject with him at the club. Is he using her for sex or does he like her? He thinks her questions are annoying and walks away. Poor Deena. She's over him and embarrassed but tells us she can "never win" with guys.

But that drama is nothing compared to what Mike has planned. The basic gist is he's called Unit to come down to Karma that night where they will both reveal to Jionni what allegedly happened between Mike and Snooki. "She tried to play me like a chess piece," says Mike. "She has to get her medicine."

And could he have picked a more awkward night? Jionni's MUM AND DAD are at Karma! Dancing and drinking with Snooki! The Unit's just arrived and the reveal could go down any minute! Or not. Snooki takes one look at The Unit and hightails out of the club with Jionni. Mike's undeterred, though. On to Plan B. Follow them home. The truth will come out some time, or the truth according to him, anyways.

Or not. Is there a Plan C? The Unit is drunk. Really drunk. So drunk, in fact, that he gets stopped by the police, handcuffed, and taken away to sober up. "I can't catch a break," says a disappointed Mike. "Every time I try to drop the bomb on Jionni something happens!"

There's only one thing for it. He's going to have to tell Jionni himself. And could the timing be better? The next morning he stumbles across Jionni alone in the kitchen while Snooki is still in bed. Mike asks him to step outside for a quiet word. "I want to make this as quick and painless as possible," he begins...

And we'll have to tune in next week to see what exactly happened next.

Developement Update: 3rd of March

Developement Update: 3rd of March

BAD GIRLS (NBC) - Amy Smart and Karolina Wydra have both landed roles on the drama pilot, which follows the ins and outs of a group of unlikely women at a federal correctional institute. They'll play inmates Brandi ("a perfect blonde Barbie doll from Orange County") and Kelly ("oozes sex appeal and danger"), respectively. Jurnee Smollett, Rick Gonzalez and Zoe Boyle also star in the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, from director John Dahl and writer Nancy Marie Pimental. (Deadline.com)

COUNTY (NBC) - Norbert Leo Butz ("The Deep End") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about the lives of a group of young doctors, nurses, and administrators, in a frenetic underfunded and morally compromising Los Angeles county hospital. He's set as 40-year-old intern Billy ("large and gregarious"), a former CPA who took up medicine after his wife cheated on him. Agam Darshi, Aimee Garcia, Jason Ritter, Jess Weixler and Michael B. Jordan also star in the Jason Katims-penned hour, from Universal Television. (Deadline.com)

DAKOTA (The CW) - Amber Stevens ("Greek") and Leah Renee ("The Playboy Club") are the first to be cast in the drama pilot, about a documentary filmmaker who travels back in time to the 1990s where she meets and falls in love with the rock star subject of her film only to return to present day where she must find her way back and prevent his untimely death. Stevens will play said filmmaker, Maya Beaumont ("beautiful, charming, funny"), with Renee as Kelsey O'Neal, a stunning young movie star and one of Maya's best friends. Bert V. Royal is behind the CBS Television Studios-produced hour, which is based on the successful Israeli series "Danny Hollywood." (Deadline.com)

DILFS (NBC) - Jamie-Lynn Sigler ("Entourage") has scored a role on the pilot, a multi-camera comedy about a trio of thirtysomething guys - Nick (Zach Cregger), Chris and Gary - dealing with parenthood despite the fact they haven't grown up themselves. She's set as Nick's wife Emily, who is as cute, bubbly and energetic as Nick is laid back. Jimmy Fallon, Charlie Grandy and Amy Ozols co-created the Universal Television-based half-hour, which Scott Ellis is directing off a teleplay by Grandy. (Deadline.com)

DUSTY GOES TO AWESOMETOWN (A.K.A. THE NEW NORMAL) (ABC) - Jesse Peretz ("Our Idiot Brother") is set to direct the pilot, a single-camera comedy about a group of twentysomethings in the suburbs of Seattle, a mecca for the folks who have happily put on the cruise control of life. He'll work from a script by Adam Sztykiel. Amanda Crew, James Earl III and Nick Kocher star. (THR.com)

THE GILDED LILYS (ABC) - Matt Lauira ("The Chicago Code") is the latest addition to the pilot, a period drama revolving around the family who owns New York's first true luxury hotel, the staff who work there and the people who pass through. He's set as Charlie Carnegie ("tall, dark, dashing, and very shy"), the nephew of famed steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, whom Edwin Lily (Brían F. O'Byrne) has promised the hand of his daughter - Violet (Sarah Bolger), who's in love with a servant (Matt Long). Writer K.J. Steinberg and director Brian Kirk are behind the ABC Studios-based hour, which also stars Blythe Danner, Brigid Brannagh, Madeline Zima and Maury Sterling. (Deadline.com)

GO ON (NBC) - Matthew Perry ("Mr. Sunshine") has signed on for the lead role on the comedy pilot, about an irreverent yet charming sportscaster, who after his wife dies, finds surprising solace from the members of his support group. He'll play said fellow, Ryan King ("cocky, quick with a joke; a Michael J. Fox energy"), in the half-hour, from writer Scott Silveri, director Todd Holland and Universal Television. Julie White and Suzy Nakamura also star. (Deadline.com)

LADY FRIENDS (NBC) - Minnie Driver is set to star in the comedy pilot, about two longtime female friends who are living very different lives - one has a loving husband and family, the other not so much - but couldn't live without each other. She'll play Jennifer Rensen ("40-ish, wicked smart, with imperfect hair, features, weight and life"), the latter half of said duo, joining the previously cast Andrea Anders. Driver had been under a talent holding deal with ABC but was ultimately released. Writer Kari Lizer and director Scott Ellis are behind the Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour, which also stars Danny Comden, Josh Hopkins, Rachel Dratch and Tymberlee Hill. (Deadline.com)

LAST RESORT (ABC) - David Rees Snell ("The Shield") is the latest addition to the drama pilot's sprawling cast, which includes Matt Gerald, Bruce Davison, Sahr Ngaujah, Max Adler, Andre Braugher, Autumn Reeser, Camille de Pazzis, Daisy Betts, Daniel Lissing, Dichen Lachman, Robert Patrick, Omid Abtahi and Scott Speedman. His role however wasn't specified. Sony Pictures Television is behind the hour, which follows the crew of a nuclear submarine, who, after disobeying a suspicious order become fugitives and declare themselves an independent nuclear nation. Martin Campbell is directing from a script by Karl Gajdusek and Shawn Ryan. (@ShawnRyanTV)

MALIBU COUNTRY (ABC) - Sara Rue ("Rules of Engagement") has joined the cast of the pilot, a multi-camera comedy about a woman (Reba McEntire) who divorces her broke, cheating rock star husband and moves her family from Nashville to the only asset she has left - a little house in Malibu. She's set as Kim Lassiter ("a trophy wife and a share too much person"), Reba's new next door neighbor. Writer Kevin Abbott and director John Pasquin are behind the ABC Studios-based half-hour, which also stars Lily Tomlin. (Deadline.com)

PARTNERS (CBS) - David Krumholtz ("NUMB3RS") is on track to star in the multi-camera comedy pilot, about two male architects - one straight, Charlie; one gay, Louis (Michael Urie) - whose relationship itself resembles a marriage. He'll play Charlie in the Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour, which also stars Brandon Routh, Elizabeth Regen, Lucy Davis and Sophia Bush. James Burrows is directing from a script by David Kohan and Max Mutchnick. (Deadline.com)

REBOUNDING (FOX) - Aly Michalka ("Hellcats") is the latest addition to the single-camera comedy pilot, about Danny Markle (yet to be cast), a man recovering from the death of his fiance with help from friends on his pick-up basketball team. She'll presumably play Taryn ("27, smoking hot, super secure, a female Teller"), the girlfriend of Hayes MacArthur's character, Dave Teller. Malcolm Barrett and Matt L. Jones co-star in the 20th Century Fox Television-based half-hour, from director Jason Winer and co-creators Joe Port and Joe Wiseman. (Deadline.com)

UNTITLED KARYN USHER PROJECT (FOX) - Newcomer Saxon Sharbino has booked the lead role on the pilot, a drama about the orphaned 14-year-old daughter of a CIA agent who is recruited to become an operative herself. She'll play said girl, Jane Forsythe ("earnest eyes and American freckles"), in the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, to be directed by Brett Ratner. (Deadline.com)

THE VIAGRA DIARIES (HBO) - Goldie Hawn has dropped out of the Darren Star-penned comedy pilot, about a woman who, after her husband has a mid-life crisis at 65 and leaves her, struggles with being single for the first time in 35 years. No details were given about her exit other than it is billed as mutual. Wendi McLendon-Covey also stars in the project, to be directed by Paul Feig and based on Barbara Rose Brooker's book of the same name. (Deadline.com)

WHITE VAN MAN (ABC) - Former "The Talk" co-host Leah Remini has snagged a role on the comedy pilot, about Jack Shea (Kyle Bornheimer), a man who is forced to put his business dreams on hold in order to take over the family handyman business from his father, Tony (J.K. Simmons). She'll play Tony's sister Terry ("a Patricia Clarkson type in a bohemian shirt and head scarf"), a licensed masseuse. Remini inked a talent holding deal with the network back in October. Edi Gathegi and Johnny Pemberton also star in the ABC Studios-based half-hour, from writer Bobby Bowman and director Michael Fresco. (Deadline.com)