The Block 2012 couples revealed

The Block 2012 couples revealed

Seven teams set to tackle Nine’s Reality series, The Block, have been revealed.

They include a mother and son and a father and daughter team.

They are:

SOPHIE & DALE

Newlyweds, live in Melbourne

Style: Recycled vintage

Married less than a year ago, they have hopes of fixing up a house in the country and raising a family.

"Dale will spend the days tending to our organic vegie patch while I sew clothes and illustrate children's books,'' Sophie said.

She is a graphic designer turned primary school teacher, he is a landscape gardener with a shared passion for the environment.

BRENDAN & MICHELLE

Youngest couple, married, live in Melbourne

Style: Contemporary coastal

Both 22, what these newlyweds lack in age and experience they make up for in confidence.

"Brendan's a real handyman - he picks up skills very quickly,'' Michelle says, describing her husband as a "mix of McGyver and Bear Grylls.''

She is a project support officer with the CFA and Brendan is a youth worker and part-time model.

LARRY & JESSIE

First father and daughter team on The Block, live in Brisbane

Style: Rustic elegance

Jessie, a 22-year-old full-time student originally planned to audition for the show with her mother Michelle.

Tragically, she was killed in a plane crash in March 2011, leaving her family searching for ways to get through their grief together.

"Dad knew how much she wanted to do it and could see how much I loved The Block and said he would do it with me - for my mum.''

BRETT & RANA

First mother and son team on The Block, live in Melbourne

Style: Inviting elegance

Brett, 26, is the apple of his mother's eye.

"I might be biased, but look at him ... he's cute as! And while he can be impatient, stubborn and quite bossy at times, he's also incredibly thoughtful, caring and generous,'' Rana, 46 said.

The mother of three sons wants to study interior design after selling her homewares and fashion business, while Brett, a drainer and machine operator, is currently renovating a house he bought three years ago.

BRAD & LARA

Dating, live near East Maitland

Style: TBC...they're still deciding

Met five years ago in a pub near their home town of East Maitland, bonding over a shared love of Bon Jovi, The Foo Fighters and sport.

They have jumped into renovating boots-and-all, having relocated and refurbished two houses on vacant land, as well as adding an extension to a third property.

Brad is a fitter and machinist in a local mine, while Lara is a physical education teacher at the local high school.

Under pressure is worried about his other half: "she's got great organisational skills, but can become a little erratic and emotional if things start to go wrong.''

ANDREW & MIKE

Brothers, Andrew lives in Byron, Mike in Bondi

Style: Rustic warmth with contemporary touch

Andrew, 37, is a project manager who has left love behind to join The Block. He proposed to girlfriend Emilie the same day he scored a spot on the show.

Mike, 29, lives in one of the Bondi houses he restored with his big brother, leaving Dee, his girlfriend of six years. They spend their weekends together treasure hunting.

"It's paid off, with Mike putting himself through a business degree and then music diploma on the proceeds from "restoring things I found.''

BRAD & COURTNEY

Dating, live in WA

Style: Modern with a vintage twist

After a bumpy start - meeting on a bus trip with mutual friends - the pair have been inseperable ever since.

They have big dreams to renovate their own home, but have settled for small jobs on the house they rent from her parents..

"We're fast learners and we know that we'll gain invaluable experience on The Block.''

She's a speech pathologist and he's a project manager for a commercial property provider.

Only four will make it through to being awarded a property for renovation.

The South Melbourne properties used for the series are close to completion, including exterior facades.

The show will launch after Easter.

All About Soap Awards 2012: Full winners list

All About Soap Awards 2012: Full winners list

The winners of the 2012 All About Soap Awards have been announced today - with EastEnders and Hollyoaks picking up the most prizes.

For our main article about the results - with pictures and quotes from the major winners - head over to the main news section.

Here, though, Soap Scoop presents the full winners' list.


Best Actress

EastEnders: Jo Joyner - WINNER!

Emmerdale: Chelsea Halfpenny

Hollyoaks: Claire Cooper


Best Actor

Coronation Street: Chris Gascoyne

EastEnders: Jake Wood

Emmerdale: Danny Miller

Hollyoaks: Emmett Scanlan - WINNER!


Best Episode

EastEnders: Pat's funeral

Emmerdale: Cain's attack

Hollyoaks: Halloween murder - WINNER!


Best Villain

Coronation Street: Frank Foster

EastEnders: Derek Branning

Emmerdale: Cain Dingle

Hollyoaks: Silas Blissett - WINNER!


Best Mystery

EastEnders: Who's stalking Phil?

Emmerdale: Who attacked Cain? - WINNER!

Hollyoaks: Who's the father of Mercy's baby?

Home and Away: Who attacked Bianca?


Best Dressed Soap Star

Coronation Street: Michelle Keegan - WINNER!

EastEnders: Jacqueline Jossa

Emmerdale: Natalie Anderson

Hollyoaks: Jorgie Porter


Best Comeback

EastEnders: David Wicks - WINNER!

Hollyoaks: Steph Roach

Neighbours: Mal Kennedy


Best Couple

EastEnders: Max and Tanya - WINNER!

EastEnders: Zainab and Masood

Home and Away: Brax and Charlie

Ratings: Fringe and Supernatural Fall, CBS Wins with March Madness

Ratings: Fringe and Supernatural Fall, CBS Wins with March Madness

Fringe couldn't compete with CBS' March Madness coverage, hitting a season low in its spring return.

The sci-fi series grabbed 2.88 million viewers and a season-low 0.9 rating in the adults ages 18-49 demographic for its first of eight new episodes.  Supernatural also fell to 1.57 million viewers, but Nikita rose to 1.56 million viewers.

Fringe finally answers to the season-long question of how Peter will get home

CBS' March Madness coverage easily won the night with 6.53 million viewers and a 2.2 rating.

8 p.m.
CBS: NCAA Basketball 6.5 million viewers (2.2 demo rating)
ABC: Shark Tank 5.9 million (1.5)
Fox: Kitchen Nightmares 3.06 million (1.0)
NBC: Who Do You Think You Are? 5.7 million (1.0)
CW: Nikita 1.5 million (0.5)

9 p.m.
ABC: Primetime What Would You Do? 5.1 million (1.6)

FOX: Fringe 2.8 million (.9)
NBC: Grimm (R) 3.3 million (.7)
CW: Supernatural 1.5 million (0.6)

10 p.m.
ABC: 20/20 5.4 million (1.6)
NBC: Dateline 4.3 million (.9)

Alcatraz Scoop: Tommy vs. Rebecca and 6 More Spoilers from the Season Finale

Alcatraz Scoop: Tommy vs. Rebecca and 6 More Spoilers from the Season Finale

Spectacular. Kinetic. Breathtaking. These are just a few of the words that the cast and creative minds of Alcatraz used to describe the two-hour season finale of the Fox mystery series, airing Monday at 8/7c. The season-ender finds Rebecca (Sarah Jones) finally confronting Tommy (David Hoflin), while the team comes one step closer to discovering who's behind the mass disappearance that sent more than 300 guards and prisoners from 1963 into the future. Get the scoop on the finale below:

1. Tommy vs. Rebecca: Rebecca and her ageless grandfather will finally come face-to-face after a spectacular car chase — said to pay homage to Steve McQueen's Bullitt. Before that though, "We find out a little more about Tommy's involvement in the big picture that makes us go, 'Wait a minute,' and that leads to the hunt down," Jorge Garcia says. (Though Tommy seems to be on the losing end in this promo, Rebecca looks way worse for wear here.)

2. The mystery door: As TVGuide.com first reported, Crimson Tide's Matt Craven will play a new character who happens to be behind the mysterious door downstairs. Whether he's actually the Warden's boss remains to be seen. "The interesting part between the warden and that person is who truly has the power," co-creator Steven Lilien says. "It's their own power struggle for what may be happening. He actually will provide us with some really big answers, which will launch us into Season 2." The good news: The door will be opened in the season finale. The bad news: There's also a third power player in the game.

3. The '63s' return: "They're not coming back at the same time, and I think they all expected to come back together," teases executive producer Daniel Pyne. "They didn't really know how it was going to work, and the way it worked was they've come back at different times. If they couldn't predict how they were going to come back, then they can't really predict a lot of other things about coming back and what happens." Also, look for the final hour to reveal the origins of the mysterious blood and the colloidal silver.

4. Doc's inadequacies: After believing that he knew everything about the Rock, Diego has spent much of the season discovering, well, that he didn't really know anything. "He's dealing with it," Garcia says. "I have a great moment in the two-hour finale where he's resigned to the fact that, 'Of course something's going to happen contrary to anything that I know about because everything that's happening to me, I'm discovering, is contrary to everything I thought was true.'"

5. The '63s' mission: Some of the '63s have returned intending to carry out certain missions, like Jack Sylvane (Jeffrey Pierce) hunting down the silver key and Ernest Cobb (Joe Egender) shooting Lucy (Parminder Nagra). "You'll start to understand there are people helping them," co-creator Bryan Wynbrandt says. "The final two episodes will answer the questions of why they're coming back and doing the things they're doing, what is at stake and what's behind all of their actions thus far. Some of them come back with specific instructions and some don't." Adds Lilien: "Some '63s are chosen very specifically, and we'll see that with Tommy Madsen."

6. Hauser (Sam Neill) and Lucy's reunion: Now that Lucy has awoken from her coma, the star-crossed lovers will finally reunite, but don't expect the two-hour finale to showcase their first reunion after the mass disappearance — that's something the producers are planning for later, should the series get renewed. "We talk about it a lot, and how it happened," executive producer Jennifer Johnson says. "Them reuniting in the present day, which would probably be about six to eight months ago, we'll hear the story at some point."

7. Rebecca's past: The mystery of what happened to her parents will be touched upon in the finale. Interestingly enough, Tommy will be the one who broaches the subject. "You'll definitely get some information about Rebecca's parents," Wynbrandt says. "It's an interesting question that asks bigger questions."

The two-hour season finale of Alcatraz airs Monday at 8/7c on Fox.

Dancing's Cheryl Burke: The Crowd Reaction "Blew Us Away"

Dancing's Cheryl Burke: The Crowd Reaction "Blew Us Away"

Cheryl Burke is pretty sure she's gotten her hearing back. When Tom Bergeron merely mentioned her partner's name, telenovela star William Levy, on the Dancing with the Stars season premiere, the crowd erupted in eardrum-bursting screams usually reserved for the likes of Justin Bieber — and they continued throughout their rehearsal package, their routine, critique and judges' scores. "Oh my God! The screams were so insane!" Burke tells TVGuide.com. "I thought I was gonna go deaf. I probably did for a second." The adoring shrieks were a welcome surprise for Burke, who wasn't sure how the audience would react to her ostensibly unknown partner. See what else she has to say about Levy, why he's a rule-breaker and if he's the next Gilles Marini.

Have you ever heard such loud screams before?
Cheryl Burke: Uh, definitely not on the show for one of my partners. [Laughs] That was wild. I couldn't believe it. And it wasn't just once — it was constant.

Tom told me that a lot of ladies on staff were ogling him, so did you have any inkling that he would trigger this type of reaction?
Burke: No. I didn't really know what to expect. I knew he is very popular in the Latin market, but I didn't know how they were gonna react when they saw him here. And our show is obviously in the U.S. I was a little bit surprised. I didn't think no one was gonna cheer for him or everyone was gonna cheer for him, but I was more like, "We're just gonna go out and dance." So having that support blew us away and I think really made us dance ever better.

You guys did great for rehearsing for only two weeks.
Burke: Actually it was only 10 days. I think they had been wanting him to come on the show and this time he said, "OK, I can do it, but I can't start rehearsals when everyone else is" because he was finishing up his contract. We started later than everyone else. I was a little nervous. First of all, I didn't know who he was. [Laughs] I just knew he was Latin and was thinking that hopefully he'll have some natural rhythm and musicality. And thank God he did! If he didn't, we probably would've looked like a disaster.

You always get partners you don't know, but I don't think you were the only one in this case.
Burke: [Laughs] Yeah. Well, I don't know anybody. I had to Google Emmitt Smith! I basically Google every one of my partners. I think when I was a kid, I just always danced and never really watched much TV. When it comes to pop culture and who's famous and not famous, I have no idea.

A lot of fans took issue with not having enough big names in the cast too.
Burke: Right. I actually was nervous about that too. It was like, "Oh my gosh! Is this gonna be the season where ratings are not great?" And it turns out that everyone is incredible and there's more excitement about this cast than ever. We may not have the biggest celebrities this season, but what makes this show so great is that you grow to love everybody, even if they might not be big star. You grow to love their personality and their journey. We've never had a season like this where the first week everyone is fantastic. I was gonna be happy with three 7s and for us to get three 8s across the board was pretty amazing.

Everyone's saying William could be the next Gilles Marini. Do you think so?
Burke: I definitely think he has the same type of charisma and the same type of passion that Gilles does, and the ladies love him too. It's too soon to really say anything right now, and everyone's different. I'm trying to make him the best possible dancer he can be. Obviously, it doesn't hurt that he's good-looking! I think what would be easiest for him is that he could characterize each dance because he's an actor. He'll be able to get a feel for each dance.

How's the quickstep coming along?
Burke: We're working on it. It's tough because everyone started earlier on their second dances too because they had the full three weeks, so we're really working hard on this quickstep to make sure it's as perfect as can be.

Have you adjusted your teaching method because of the reduced rehearsal time?
Burke: Not really. Right now, we're concentrating on his technique. He doesn't like rules when he dances. [Laughs] I don't think anyone does, but in ballroom, there are rules. I think everyone knows he can do the Latin dances and move his hips, but this week is the quickstep and he needs to be able to do both styles of dances. ... I think this week will be crucial for everyone. I think some people may be better in Latin than ballroom and vice versa, and some might be good in both. Everyone has their own edge and that's what makes the season so interesting. Normally, you know the first few who might go, but we have no idea this season. Tuesday's gonna be so nerve-wracking. No one scored lower than a 6. That's crazy! Usually we only get 6s and 7s.

Were you surprised by the high scores? Do you feel more pressure now? They usually do give you room to grow.
Burke: When you start out so high, it's more pressure on us because you constantly have to live up to that. There's only one way to go, which is down. [Laughs] I don't think William is thinking too much about that. He's just focusing on the quickstep. There are more rules in the quickstep than cha-cha, so he really has to train his body and his muscles to do them. He's a quick learner. I don't think he ever expected the show to be as intense as it is. I don't think he's ever seen a full show before and I don't think he realizes how much goes into the show. He's exhausted. He's like, "I'm tired. I'm tired." I'm like, "I know, but we've gotta get through this." The quickstep's made him even more tired because he's jumping around for four hours a day. On top of that, everyone wants to get to know him. No one knows him, so I'm sure the press he's doing is insane right now, but I think he will figure out how to manage it all.

You're pretty busy too. How are your studios?
Burke: Studios are still doing great. I have two in the Bay Area. I also just partnered with Veet, a hair removal product and I just signed a new deal with Macy's. I'm their face of their new fitness line called Ideology, so yes, I've got my plate full too!

Japan's Yoshimoto Kogyo Partners With Taiwan's Azio on New Pan-Asia Cable TV Channel

Japan's Yoshimoto Kogyo Partners With Taiwan's Azio on New Pan-Asia Cable TV Channel

Yoshimoto Kogyo is to provide content to the new channel, which will initially reach 13 mil households in China.

Japanese talent agency powerhouse Yoshimoto Kogyo is to continue its aggressive overseas expansion with a tie-up on a new cable/satellite channel with Taiwan's AZIO, the two companies announced at the Okinawa Intl Movie Festival on Sunday.

The new channel, Yoshimoto AZIO TV, will begin broadcasting on April 1 in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, as well as in limited distribution in other Asian territories, Europe and North America. Total initial audience will be over 15 million households.  

The headquarters of the new venture will be in Hong Kong, with Yoshimoto Kogyo providing as yet unspecified content for the channel, which will run variety, comedy, food/travel shows, music, award shows and other entertainment-related content.

“The producers from the other Asian countries involved want to learn from the Japanese TV productions. We'd also like to see a lot of Yoshimoto's comedy programs and comedians on the channel,” said Grace Ko, president of Azio, in response of to a question about what Yoshimoto would bring to the table for the new channel.

Hiroshi Osaki, CEO of Yoshimoto Kogyo, said he was interested to see how the 'manzai' style of straight man/sidekick double act, which Yoshimoto was instrumental in turning into the dominant comedy form in Japan, would translate to the rest of Asia. Many of Yoshimoto's comedians have used their manzai acts as a springboard into careers in television presenting, acting and other fields.  

“On Yoshimoto Kogyo's 100th anniversary year we are are excited to both collaborate on the new channel but also do what we can to cheer up the whole of Japan after the recent difficult times,” said Ryutaro Ko, Yoshimoto's head of Asia. 

The press conference at the festival, which is organized by Yoshimoto, concluded with a contract-signing ceremony between the two companies.

MSNBC Commentator Mocks Geraldo Rivera’s Hoodie Comments, Advises Black Men to Dress Like Steve Urkel

MSNBC Commentator Mocks Geraldo Rivera’s Hoodie Comments, Advises Black Men to Dress Like Steve Urkel

Melissa Harris-Perry unveiled her “Dress Code for Black Safety,” saying it would protect black men from being attacked by strangers.

After Fox News commentator Geraldo Rivera was ridiculed for blaming a hoodie for the death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin, MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry ran with Rivera's theory, and came up with a safety tip for black men of her own: dress like Steve Urkel.

Harris-Perry unveiled the "MHP Dress Code for Black Safety," during her MSNBC morning show, “because clearly, we need one,” she said. She kicked off the segment with a picture of Steve Urkel, the famed nerd from the 1990s sitcom Family Matters.

Harris-Perry took on real-life legislation banning excessively saggy pants, and suggested black men dress like Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. if they wished to be kept safe from undeserved persecution. She then showed a 2009 picture of Gates being arrested for trying to get into his own home.

Harris-Perry noted that in the 1980s, black men were supposed to avoid wearing red and blue, because they were gang colors, and said hoodies were dangerous, because “Geraldo Rivera thinks so.”

The dig at Rivera came hours after he reaffirmed earlier statements speculating that Martin’s hoodie made the teen a target for George Zimmerman, the Florida man who shot him to death.

Friday night on Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor, Rivera advised parents of black and Latino children to stop letting their kids wear “these damn hoodies.”

"They could attract the attention not only of the cops but of nutjobs apparently like this George Zimmerman," Rivera said "And when they see and respond, it is a stereotype, it is repugnant, it is all the things that offend us, but it is real life. It is reality."

Rivera received public criticism for his hoodie talk, including from his own son and comedian Azis Ansari.

SAG Primetime Market Share Set to Fall Below 50% This Fall

SAG Primetime Market Share Set to Fall Below 50% This Fall

Newly-obtained figures show SAG’s decline, AFTRA’s rise, and other changes in the pilot process.

In a stomach-churning plunge more typical of a double black diamond ski run than a business graph, the Screen Actors Guild’s share of scripted primetime television fell from 93 percent in 2008 to about 50 percent in just three years, according to previously unreported data provided to The Hollywood Reporter by the guild.

That number will most likely drop to about 45 percent this fall, a THR review indicates, and AFTRA’s will rise to 55 percent, marking the first time in at least a decade – and perhaps far longer – that the smaller union will decisively control the scripted broadcast grid. Indeed, it wasn’t immediately possible to determine if AFTRA had ever commanded a solid majority of scripted time in the marquee daypart.

The focus on scripted programming undercounts AFTRA-covered work somewhat, because the union’s jurisdiction includes shows such as reality programming where hosts and some contestants are AFTRA positions. Unscripted programs currently amount to about a third of the approximately 87 primetime hours available. (That 87 hours is ABC, CBS and NBC at 7 days times 3 hours per night, Fox at 7 x 2 and The CW at 5 x 2.)

Unscripted work is most likely of smaller dollar value to AFTRA than its scripted work, due in part to the smaller number of covered shows and fewer union positions in each show, such as one host on an unscripted episode versus numerous actors on a scripted one. On the other hand, it represents an increase in the number of hours covered by the union, which can translate to leverage during contract negotiations.

The guild’s drop in market share is of grave concern to the SAG Pension & Health Plan, because the drop in earnings translates to a significant drop in employer contributions to the Plan. Those contributions are based on a percentage of covered earnings. It’s also of concern to SAG itself, since union dues are calculated as a fixed amount – currently $116 – plus a percentage of covered earnings.

If the unions merge, the shift in work to AFTRA becomes irrelevant to SAG and less worrisome to the Plan, since merger of the unions opens up the possibility of merger – in some form – with the AFTRA Health & Retirement Fund. The merger ballots are set to be tallied March 30, unless blocked by a pending lawsuit. The judge’s decision could come at any time.

The drop in earnings correlates closely with the drop in the number of scripted primetime hours covered by SAG:

Although the chart suggests that each hour of scripted primetime translates to about $10 million in earnings to SAG, that’s not quite the case, since TV earnings also include wages from SAG-covered basic cable and pay TV work.

The correlation implies that that work declined at a similar rate to primetime work and/or that aggregate wages from cable work are much lower than from primetime earnings. Otherwise, the correlation between primetime hours and overall earnings would probably not be so close.

SAG’s drop in series market share is a result of a drop in its share of primetime pilots. That share dropped sharply from 93 percent in 2006 – the earliest data available to THR – and then fell off a cliff from 2008 to 2009, plummeting from 70 percent to 10 percent in a single year:

That one year period was the time SAG contract negotiations with the studios stalemated. The guild worked without a contract from June 30, 2009, to almost a year later, and pilot producers fled to AFTRA. The phenomenon slowed from 2009 to 2010 when the guild came under new management, then reversed completely, with SAG’s share increasing in 2011 and 2012.

That share is still just 20 percent though, and it’s a steep hike back up to 50 percent, let alone higher. The rate of growth slowed somewhat in 2012, and there’s no assurance that SAG will ever reach 50 percent again, let alone 93 percent.

The above figures are calculated by adding up the amount of time each union controlled in primetime. On that basis, SAG’s market share in 2011 was already a tad under 50 percent, namely 49.55 percent, or 27.5 hours versus AFTRA’s 28 hours.

Counting on the basis on number of shows instead of number of hours doesn’t materially change any of the percentages, although it results in a guild market share of 48 percent in 2011, which is something of a symbolic difference. Both sets of figures differ by a percentage point or two from previously estimated figures.

Supporters and opponents of SAG/AFTRA merger draw very different conclusions from the pilot figures. Supporters point to the split earnings problem as a reason to merge, since that would eliminate the problem, if and when the two unions’ health and/or pension plans also merge. Supporters within SAG also argue that merger is the only way to stop the loss of SAG television work.

Merger opponents insist that the shift is a deliberate campaign by producers to weaken SAG because of what they describe as the guild’s stronger negotiating stance against management. Opponents accuse AFTRA of colluding with the producers in this effort. The claims seem to be made by inference: opponents do not appear ever to have publicly produced any emails or memos from producers or AFTRA that would support their claims.

The SAG figures also revealed some interesting information about pilots and series generally.

As this chart shows, half-hours from 2006 on generally got picked up at a rate of about 25 percent to 30 percent, while one-hours have about 50-50 odds. Those figures dropped in 2007, presumably on fears that the rocky WGA negotiations could collapse into a strike, as they did. The numbers rose back to pre-strike levels within a year or two.

More recently, half-hours took a jump in 2011 and one-hours a slight hit. It’s too early to know what 2012 will bring.

Not all pickups immediately turn into fall series; as a rough average, only about two-thirds do. The others are backup series that may turn into replacements for shows that fail to perform. Or may never actually get made, suffering the indignity of being cancelled before even having a chance to fail.

Fall series show an interesting pattern: new series make up roughly a third of all fall series, and the same holds true by format. That is, new one-hours make up roughly a third of all fall one-hours, and likewise for half-hours, at least on average. The half-hour numbers are more variable than the one-hour statistics.

And what do those series look like by format? As the chart below shows, half-hours represent about 20 percent of scripted programming time and one-hours represent the rest. (The ratio would be 30-70 if measured by the number of shows rather than amount of time.)

The shorter form showed a bit of an uptick in 2011, resulting from an increase of 3.5 hours of half-hour shows (i.e., seven shows) and a decrease of four one-hour shows.

As noted above, scripted time represents about two-thirds of all primetime.

Oprah Winfrey to Interview South Carolina Mom Who Murdered Her Two Young Sons

Oprah Winfrey to Interview South Carolina Mom Who Murdered Her Two Young Sons

"Oprah's Next Chapter" will feature an exclusive interview Sunday, April 1, with Shaquan Duley at the Orangeburg-Calhoun Detention Center; Winfrey will also speak with Duley's mom, sister and 7-year-old daughter.

Oprah Winfrey with Shaquan Duley at the Orangeburg-Calhoun Detention Center in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

Oprah Winfrey has secured an exclusive interview with Shaquan Duley, a mother who confessed to murdering her two young sons, as part of “Oprah’s Next Chapter” on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

In her first television interview, airing Sunday, April 1 (9-10 p.m. ET/PT), taking place one week before her sentence is announced, Duley will sit face to face with Winfrey behind bars at the Orangeburg-Calhoun Detention Center in Orangeburg, South Carolina.  Duley has been held without bond for nearly two years waiting to learn her fate.

During her interview with Duley, Winfrey asks the mother why she killed her two innocent children, and also talks to Duley’s mother Helen and sister Adrian, who originally told their story to Winfrey on The Oprah Winfrey Show in September 2010 one month after Duley’s arrest.  Winfrey will also meet and talk to Saniya, Duley’s 7-year-old daughter.

According to her confession and police reports, 29-year-old Duley shared a home with her mother Helen, and younger sister Adrian in 2010.  After an argument, Duley stormed out of her house taking her two sons, 2-year-old Devean and 18-month-old Ja’van, but leaving her 5 year old daughter Saniya behind.  Police say Duley checked into an Orangeburg motel, and in the early morning hours of August 16, 2010, she smothered her sons to death by placing her hands over their mouth and nose.

Then, police say, Duley buckled her sons’ bodies in their car seats and drove to a rural boat ramp 15 miles away, driving her car into the river where it began to sink. Once the car was submerged she exited the vehicle, leaving the bodies of her two sons inside.  Duley then flagged down a passing motorist claiming she had an accident and her children were underwater.  When police arrived, they say they were suspicious of Duley’s story as there were no signs of a crash.  Frantically, divers searched for the car and ultimately recovered the bodies of the two young boys.  Investigators say Duley confessed to the murders and the cover up.  On March 16, 2012, during a plea hearing, Duley pled guilty to two counts of murder and begged for forgiveness from her family, the community and the judge. Duley now faces 60 years to life in prison for the murders.

Before Oprah's Next Chapter launched, Oprah talked about two other interviews she is determined to land: Susan Smith and O.J. Simpson.

“I have a dream of O.J. Simpson confessing to me,” said Winfrey to voluble cheers from the crowd at Chicago’s McCormick Place convention center. “And I am going to make that happen people.”

“I don’t just want the interview,” she continued. “I want the interview on the condition that you are ready, Mr. Simpson.”

Similar to Duley's case, Susan Smith was sentenced to life in prison in 1995 for murdering her two young sons, 3-year-old Michael Daniel Smith and 14-month-old Alexander Tyler Smith. Smith had previously reported a black man had stolen her car and kidnapped her sons, before confessing nine days later that she let her car roll into a nearby lake with her children inside.

Oprah's Next Chapter is a new primetime series on Winfrey's OWN, currently the most-watched program on Winfrey's struggling network. The series features Winfrey stepping out of Harpo Studios for her in-depth interviews and conversations with newsmakers, celebrities, and real-world families. Winfrey recently interviewed Whitney Houston's daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, on the show -- and drew in a record 3.5 million viewers. Oprah's Next Chapter airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

OWN debuted on January 1, 2011, in approximately 77 million homes on what was the Discovery Health Channel. The network has famously struggled since its launch, eliminating 30 staff members in a recent network restructuring as well as canceling Rosie O'Donnell's five-month-old talk show. Analysts estimate that OWN could lose $142.9 million this year. 

What we’d like to see from Mad Men season 5

What we’d like to see from Mad Men season 5

With AMC’s Mad Men returning this week, we look ahead to what we’d like to see more of in season 5…

Mad Men’s season 5 promos strutted onto our tellies with a list of words: style, confidence, secrecy, debauchery, lust, deception... nouns that, with a little fiddling, could be made into Seven Dwarfs-style names for Don, Peggy, Joan, Pete, Roger et al. Except of course that one of the joys of Mad Men is that none of its characters can be summed up in a word; they’re Russian dolls, they’re hateful yet sympathetic, they’re despicable but magnetic. And much more importantly: they’re back.

Away from our screens since October 2010 while showrunner Matthew Weiner tussled with the network over budget and episode length (thankfully, he won), the superlative Mad Men returns this week for its fifth season, and here’s our wish list for the episodes to come…

Season four ended in October 1965, but it’s not so far been Weiner’s style to pick up a new series exactly where he left off. Orienting yourself in the first episode of a new Mad Men season is now something of a tradition, having to extrapolate how much time has passed by comparing haircuts and seeing how tall Bobby Draper’s gotten.

The post-1965 period brings with it a number of possibilities for the show, chief amongst them being the Vietnam War, anti-Vietnam protests and the draft, though race-riots, Thunderball, Reagan’s burgeoning political career, the first Rolling Stone magazine and (for Lane Pryce perhaps), England’s World Cup football victory could all get a look-in.

In season one she did the twist, in season three she declared, “My name is Peggy Olsen and I want to smoke some marijuana”, and in season four she fell in with a group of arty, politicised hipsters. Following that trajectory, by season seven Peggy should be a Woodstock flowerchild wearing nothing but nipple paint, but before she gets there, we’d like to see more of counter-culture Peggy, specifically seeing her reconcile her position as an evil ad writer amongst her group of revolutionary friends.

Also on the wish list for Peggy is a continuation of the entente she and Joan reached by the end of the last season (what a formidable pair, and no, I’m not talking about Joan’s… oh never mind), and a few more scenes of her saving the company at a pitch and leaving the boys behind in her wake.

Think back a little. How many of those ground-breaking presidential speeches Sam and Toby wrote in The West Wing did we actually hear? A line or two maybe, and some post-applause dissection, but never the whole thing.

Mad Men stands apart from series like it by actually showing the work done at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. The scenes are littered with storyboards, print and TV ads for Sugarberry Ham, Glo-Coat floor wax or Patio Diet Cola, alongside real ads from the period. It wouldn't be the same without them.

If only Esther Rantzen’s ChildLine had existed in the early sixties, perhaps little Sally Beth Draper could have benefitted from a friendly ear in the darkest days of her childhood, but sadly, poor Sally’s only confidante is creepy Glen.

Last season saw Sally engage in a self-administered haircut and some public self-abuse (well, who could blame her, The Man from U.N.C.L.E's Illya Kuryakin is sex on a blonde stick), so heavens knows what she’ll be up to now she’s a pre-teen. One positive repercussion of Don’s snap-decision to propose to his secretary is the potential good Megan ‘Maria Von Trapp’ Calvet could do for troubled Sally.

Call me cruel, but there is something intriguing about watching little Sally Draper being slowly transformed from child into ticking time bomb. Let’s just hope the series is still around in about 1970, to catch the fall-out from her inevitable explosion.

Now that Lucky Strike has left SCDP in the lurch, there’s no reason (apart from the company’s impending bankruptcy) that art director Sal can’t return to the fold. At the very least, we’d love to see Peggy run into Sal at a ‘happening’ to find him now a happily out movie director running with the Cassavetes crowd and entertaining everyone with his Ann-Margret impression.

This being Mad Men though, a show notoriously stingy with its happy endings, Peggy’s much more likely to trip over Sal slumped on the floor shooting up in the Stonewall Inn...

Not only does Roger Sterling gets all the best sardonic quips and one-liners in Mad Men, he’s also the author of a memoir startling in its self-obsession (and in its revelations about Ida Blankenship’s youthful, ahem, passions): Sterling’s Gold. I don’t know about you, but I could stand a second instalment of Sterling’s maudlin rich boy navel-gazing.

From the witty: Peggy responding to the statement, “Your boyfriend doesn’t own your vagina” with a quick retort worthy of a copywriter, “No, but he’s renting it.” Closely matched by Don’s comment to Pete that “Sterling Cooper has more failed artists and intellectuals than the Third Reich”.

To the visionary: Bert Cooper’s eulogy for Mrs Blankenship “She was born in 1898 in a barn, she died on the 37th floor of a skyscraper. She’s an astronaut”

And the wildly metaphorical: Don’s comment about the mouse in The Suitcase, that “There’s a way out of this room we don’t know about”. You said it, man.

We’ve had the photocopier excitement of season two and the vending machine of season four, so we’re thinking it must almost be time for… the Xerox Magnatax Telecopier! “Mail letters over the phone”, its 1966 ads proudly declared (the verb ‘to fax’ being a recent addition perhaps?).

Imagine the possibilities: Don could still fax the office taglines even when he’s on his annual lost month in California, Pete could fax entitled “Why me?” whines to fellow Dartmouth alumni and Joan could fax overseas hubby Greg baby pictures: “Huh, he’s got an awful lot of silver hair for a 3 month old…”

Someone to watch an episode of The Twilight Zone and/or Star Trek

Star Trek made its debut on US TV in 1966, so technically season five would be perfect timing for a Trek-episode (we’re thinking Glen or Sally might become fans?), while it’d have to be a re-run of The Twilight Zone if my calculations are correct.

Who didn’t watch Conrad Hilton’s season three Mad Men speeches about building something meaningful without thinking of the somewhat less-wholesome modern legacy being left by the hotelier’s granddaughter?

The power of Mad Men has long been its ability to comment on modern society through the veil of the 1960s, not to mention the steady drip-drip-drip of dramatic irony running through its scripts. One of the show’s best tricks is to have its audience look depressively from then to now and ask ourselves, what’s really changed?

Advertising is based on happiness according to Don Draper, so it’s ironic he’s granted precious little of it by the show’s writers. Season four in particular showed Don not as a suave Bond-figure but alone, drunk, and fading into irrelevancy. Like many of the men around him, Don’s alcoholism and failed marriage had caught up with him for a season-long hangover.

Could the rug-pull executed in the season finale, which saw Don drop Dr Faye in favour of secretary Megan, finally mean happiness for Draper? Cynical though it sounds, I’m afraid I’m with Joan and Peggy on this one.

Oddly, this is a request that came from my husband. I’ve decided not to pursue the matter.

Mad Men returns to AMC at 9pm on Sunday March 25th and comes Sky Atlantic at 9pm on March 27th.

Titanic episode 1 review

Titanic episode 1 review

After seeing the first episode, we can now comfortably assume no Kraken, psychic space squid or warrior princesses will be popping up in Julian Fellowes’ new four-part Titanic series, so why the review on Den of Geek? Well, we have it on good authority (that of Outcasts creator Ben Richards to be precise) that there are no geeks like Titanic geeks, hence our taking a look at the Sunday night drama.

If that’s not good enough qualification for you, then who should pop up in the Titanic cast but new Doctor Who companion Jenna-Louise Coleman, whose appearance means we can treat the review as Who-related research if that helps. Coleman plays a pretty maid who slips in and out of the ship’s first-class cabins maintaining fresh-faced chirpiness in the face of both cocky Italians and ladies in extraordinarily large hats. She’ll be able to cope with the TARDIS no problem.

Speaking of extraordinarily large hats, we now know that the iceberg must only have been half the story; the weight of the marvellously sized headwear sported by the ladies of first class must have played a part at least in why the Titanic went down.

The weight of dramatic irony in the script is responsible for at least half of why the first episode of this new drama sinks. Characters from steerage to the captain’s table spend the first half hour going merrily around the Titanic taunting the gods of fate with lines like “We can’t be in any real danger, not on this ship” and “Nobody’s going anywhere near the water, to be sure” (lots of them are Irish, you see). It’s enough to have you wishing the iceberg would turn up sooner.

This opening episode introduces the Earl and Countess of Manton (Linus Roache and Geraldine Somerville), he a philandering nobleman, she an insufferable snob, and their daughter Lady Georgiana (Perdita Weeks). Lady G is about the closest thing Titanic has thus far to a warrior princess, what with her suffragettism and love of “writers and rebels angry at their fellow-man’s injustices”, though even she soon drops the sisterhood in favour of a quick fumble with a wealthy American whom she all-of-a-sudden can’t live without once the water level starts rising.

The water level seems to rise rather speedily for a four part drama (the first cry of “We’ve hit an iceberg” happens just half an hour in), until Fellowes’ multi-perspective  conceit is revealed. Next week the clock rewinds for us to watch the same period focusing on the background characters of this week’s instalment. In episode two, we presume, the snobby Countess will just be a member of the supporting cast, a wonderfully large hat hovering around in the back of the shot like a crinoline UFO…

The early-stage problem with this potentially interesting way of telling the story is that we’ve scarcely had time to say ‘How d’you do’ to any of the characters before we’re asked to care whether they meet a muddy death or not. Call me cold-hearted, but save the charms of The Catherine Tate Show’s Lee Ross, the always-great Toby Jones, and - at a push - Big Suze, I wasn’t much fussed if any of this week’s lot made it.

Fellowes’ characters, so far, are thinly drawn and too frequently mouthpieces for his chosen theme: national prejudice and class tensions. I’m not asking for mumblecore realism, but listening to Toby Jones’ character’s wife (Maria Doyle Kennedy) give stagey speeches about Anglo-Irish relations while she’s putting on her earrings is more distancing than engaging.

One positive is that the CG ship was rendered nicely enough, and won’t be shown up too greatly by the tarted-up 3D version of the James Cameron film come release date.

The galloping pace is a necessary evil - not all dramas can afford to move at Mad Men’s glacial creep -  and the show has set itself a deadline by timing its final episode to go out exactly on the 100 year anniversary of the ship sinking, but I found myself wanting either a lot more Titanic, or none at all. For a sea-faring series, this opening episode was altogether too dry.

'The Voice' UK, 'Britain's Got Talent' launch with colossal ratings

'The Voice' UK, 'Britain's Got Talent' launch with colossal ratings

New BBC talent show The Voice UK launched with impressive ratings last night.

BBC One's new singing contest averaged 8.43m (37.6%) between 7pm and 8.20pm, peaking with 9.6m (42.3%) at 7.45pm.

Notably, The Voice has premiered with a much higher audience than The X Factor in 2004 and Britain's Got Talent in 2007.

Britain's Got Talent kicked off its sixth series with 9.43m (39.2%) from 8pm, adding 567k (2.5%) on ITV1 +1 for Simon Cowell's return to the judging panel.

The ITV talent show peaked with 10.93m (44.9%) as the first auditions show came to a close.

During the pair's much-anticipated 20-minute clash between 8pm and 8.20pm, The Voice UK easily came out on top with 8.9m (36.2%) against Got Talent's 6.71m (27.3%).

Moved to a later slot to make way for Talent, Take Me Out held up well with a decent 4.48m (20.8%) at 9.20pm (+1: 227k/1.4%), then The Jonathan Ross Show ended with 2.75m (16.8%).

Harry Hill's TV Burp went out with a whimper, drawing 3.37m (15.1%) for its 'last ever' edition at 7.30pm (+1: 329k/1.4%), prior to which 3.64m (18.6%) watched All Star Family Fortunes.

Meanwhile, BBC One's Total Wipeout returned with 3.13m (18.1%) at 6pm. In It To Win It (4.2m/17.6%) and Casualty (4.71m/21%) aired later on.

In an extremely close race, BBC One got the upper hand in primetime with 25.9% over ITV1's 25.8% (+1: 1.4%).

Davina McCall's Million Pound Drop Live started a new run with 1.28m (6.4%) from 9.20pm, but Channel 4 still could not overtake 5 as CSI: NY gave a solid 1.43m (7%) in the 10pm hour.

That meant Channel 5 claimed third place with 4.5% (+1: 0.2%), ahead of Channel 4's 4.1% (+1: 0.6%) and BBC Two's 4%.

ITV2's Britain's Got More Talent opened with a respectable 663k (3.1%), adding 156k (0.9%) on timeshift, while Take Me Out: The Gossip had 456k (2.6%).

GLAAD Honors Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, ‘Pariah’, CNN and ABC At NYC Event

GLAAD Honors Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, ‘Pariah’, CNN and ABC At NYC Event

Prolific musical producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron were among showbiz and news professionals honored Saturday night at GLAAD Media Awards celebration in New York City. Anderson Cooper 360 and ABC World News With Dianne Sawyer were also recognized for news segments. A list of winners at the New York event follows. Additional honorees will be announced April 21 in Los Angeles and June 2 in San Francisco.

    VITO RUSSO AWARD
    Craig Zadan & Neil Meron, executive producers of Smash

    SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD
    Katy Butler, openly gay 17-year-old anti-bullying advocate

    OUTSTANDING FILM – LIMITED RELEASE
    Pariah (Focus Features)

    OUTSTANDING TV MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES
    Cinema Verite (HBO)

    OUTSTANDING TV JOURNALISM – NEWSMAGAZINE
    The ‘Sissy Boy’ Experiments, Anderson Cooper 360

    OUTSTANDING TV JOURNALISM SEGMENT
    Battle Against Bullying, ABC World News with Diane Sawyer

    Related: 23rd GLAAD Film/TV Awards Nominations

    OUTSTANDING LOS ANGELES THEATRE
    No Word in Guyanese for Me by Wendy Graf

    OUTSTANDING NEW YORK THEATRE
    The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures by Tony Kushner

    OUTSTANDING NEW YORK THEATER/ Off-Off Broadway
    Southern Comfort, book and lyrics by Dan Collins, music by Julianne Wick Davis

    OUTSTANDING REALITY PROGRAM
    Dancing with the Stars (ABC)

    OUTSTANDING TALK SHOW EPISODE
    “Coming Out on the Oprah Show: 25 Years of Unforgettable Guests

    OUTSTANDING MUSIC ARTIST
    Lady Gaga, Born This Way

Simon Cowell admits 'Voice' UK is "wake-up call" for 'Got Talent'

Simon Cowell admits 'Voice' UK is "wake-up call" for 'Got Talent'

Simon Cowell has admitted that he returned to Britain's Got Talent to ensure its dominance in the ratings.

The Syco boss told The Sun on Sunday that the emergence of BBC One's The Voice has been a "wake-up call" for the ITV format.

The 52-year-old recalled: "Knowing [The Voice] was on the horizon, I got all of our team over to America last year.

"I said, 'We're in a completely different place, this show has got to be the greatest series ever produced'.

"If someone beats or competes, it means you've got to work better. And in a funny way the viewers benefit.

"I thought I'd make a difference because I was in the mood to do it."

Reserving special praise for Amanda Holden, he added: "I couldn't do it without my Amanda. Alesha [Dixon], I've been after her for a long time, and David [Walliams] I've wanted on the show for two years."

Cowell, in a fresh dig at the BBC, claimed: "They wanted to have a pop at Britain's Got Talent because it's too popular and they don't like The X Factor being as popular as it is."

'Voice' UK singer Jessica Hammond blasts 'X Factor' treatment

'Voice' UK singer Jessica Hammond blasts 'X Factor' treatment

Jessica Hammond, a singer on The Voice UK, has spoken out in criticism against The X Factor's treatment of her.

Hammond, who opted for a place on Team Jessie J in last night's show, revealed that she unsuccessfully auditioned twice for the ITV talent contest.

She told the Daily Star: "The Voice is a completely different show to The X Factor.

"The BBC were really kind, and the production team were really kind, and that does make a massive difference. On The X Factor, I had to arrive at 7am and didn't leave until 11pm.

"I was stuck in a room all day without food or water. I was just sat around waiting all day. I wasn't given a proper warm-up or the help the BBC gave me."

She went on: "On The Voice, you are given all the help and encouragement to perform well. It was an incredible moment when all four judges turned around.

"The judges on The X Factor said I was an average singer and my performance was just average. They have their opinions and I wasn't on top form that day. But they didn't make me want to give up."

Hammond added: "In fact, I went straight home and wrote a song about it called 'Try Again Tomorrow'. On The X Factor, I couldn't perform with my guitar, and I think that made a big difference."

Bravo’s ‘Shahs Of Sunset’ Slammed By West Hollywood For “Negative Stereotypes”

Bravo’s ‘Shahs Of Sunset’ Slammed By West Hollywood For “Negative Stereotypes”

The West Hollywood City Council wants Bravo’s reality series Shahs Of Sunset to change its ways and stop “perpetuating negative stereotypes about Iranian-Americans.” The pols used their jurisdiction to slam the Ryan Seacrest-produced series about Iranian-Americans living in Beverly Hills (think a milder, West Coast version of MTV”s Jersey Shore, with more money).

“The City of West Hollywood is located in close proximity to the area represented in Shahs Of Sunset and has many residents of Iranian descent,” a council resolution passed Thursday read. “Many of them and others have raised concerns about the show’s perpetuation of negative Iranian-American stereotypes.” Councilmember John Heilman said after it was adopted that “negative stereotypes disseminated about any group should raise concern as this can lead to discrimination and, in extreme cases, even violence.”

The move is the latest attempt from a city government to weigh in on such matters, after LA City Council member Jan Perry’s measure this week intended to stop radio hosts from using “racist and sexist slurs” and for Clear Channel and others to have more diversity in their workforce. The West Hollywood council said its condemnation “is consistent with past actions of the City Council denouncing negative stereotypes of the LGBT community and other groups which have faced discrimination and marginalization.” More than 700,000 people of Persian descent live in Los Angeles County. Shahs Of Sunset premiered March 11.

Chico finishes third in 'Dancing on Ice'

Chico finishes third in 'Dancing on Ice'

Chico has finished in third place in this year's Dancing on Ice grand final.

The singer was sent home after receiving the least amount of viewer votes for his self-created Happy Days routine and a repeat performance of his favourite dance to LMFAO's 'Sexy and I Know It'.

He finished in third place on the leaderboard with 56 compared to Matthew Wolfenden's 58.5 and Jorgie Porter's 59, but still managed to score his first perfect 30 for his second dance.

Christopher Dean said of Chico: "[He was a] worthy finalist, he could have gone on to be in the final, it was so close."

Chico said: "I've fallen in love with a sport that I never thought I would.

"Thank you for giving me this chance to come back and show you the real me. I love you, and thank you."

Speaking of his dance partner Jodeyne Higgins, he added: "This is the most incredible lady, truly. My wife is back there, but this one is second best."

Chico dropped Higgins during his Happy Days routine, but was praised by the way in which he instantly continued the dance.

He was highly congratulated for his second performance, and matched both Wolfenden and Porter by achieving his first perfect 30.

Wolfenden and Porter will now go on to skate Torvill and Dean's famous bolero routine to find out who will be crowned Dancing on Ice champions.

Yahoo Battle Continues After It Names Peter Liguori And Two Others To Its Board

Yahoo Battle Continues After It Names Peter Liguori And Two Others To Its Board

Yahoo’s effort to make peace with hedge fund Third Point, the company’s staunchest critic and owner of 5.8% of the voting shares, was a bust. The struggling Internet giant hoped to end Third Point’s planned proxy fight by naming three independent directors — including former Discovery COO and Fox Entertainment exec Peter Liguori — and giving the fund a say in the choice of two other directors. Yahoo says that ”there is value in avoiding the cost and distraction that inevitably accompanies a proxy fight.” But Third Point rejected the plan, saying that it shows “one of Yahoo!’s paramount principles of corporate governance is ‘Shareholders not welcome’.” That leaves the fund with “no choice but to take our case directly to our fellow shareholders…Yahoo!’s shareholders deserve a voice and a choice.  We intend to provide them with one at this year’s Annual Meeting.” Third Point’s slate consists of CEO Daniel Loeb, corporate restructuring expert Harry Wilson, media consultant Michael Wolf, and former NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Zucker. Last week Loeb complained that Yahoo had been “dismissive” in its review of his slate.

In addition to Liguori, Yahoo said that beginning April 5 it will add to the board outgoing IAC/InterActive Corp CFO Thomas McInerney, and American Express Chief Marketing Officer John Hayes. Yahoo said if Third Point dropped its fight, then the company would also accept Wilson and someone else who’s “mutually acceptable” to both sides –  but not one of the hedge fund’s other candidates. Yahoo said that Loeb wouldn’t end his fight “unless he personally was appointed to the Board.” But directors determined that “other candidates were more qualified for the position.” Yahoo says that it ”remains open to hearing Third Point’s ideas and to working constructively with Third Point, but believes that appointing Mr. Loeb to the Board is not in the best interest of the Company and its shareholders.” The fight comes as Yahoo struggles to chart a new course following the firing last year of Carol Bartz as CEO. Its stock is down 9.3% over the last 12 months.

Here’s Yahoo’s release about its new board members and peace effort with Third Point:

Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO), the premier digital media company, today announced that its Board appointed three new independent directors, effective April 5, 2012: John D. Hayes, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of American Express Company; Peter Liguori, former Chief Operating Officer of Discovery Communications, Inc. and former Chairman and President of Entertainment of Fox Broadcasting Network; and Thomas J. McInerney, the outgoing Chief Financial Officer of IAC/InterActiveCorp.

“Each of these individuals impressed the search committee with their demonstrable records of significant accomplishment at the highest levels of media, advertising and marketing, finance, including corporate finance and restructuring, and further insight into customers’ perspectives. Together, they bring a powerful mix of exactly the right ingredients to fuel Yahoo!’s forward momentum. Having thoroughly reviewed a broad range of highly qualified candidates and sought input from a number of major shareholders, the Committee enthusiastically recommended to the full Board the appointment of these three excellent directors,” said Patti Hart, chairman of the Board’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, which conducted the search process.

Roy Bostock, Chairman of the Board, added, “Yahoo! is moving aggressively to increase shareholder value. We have appointed a capable and dynamic CEO who is driving the business towards its next era of success. And we have reconstituted the Board of Directors with the right mix of experience and expertise to help Yahoo! build upon its very strong assets and brand base to take advantage of the opportunities ahead.”

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee conducted the search process in conjunction with a leading professional search firm and identified, interviewed and evaluated a wide range of candidates, including Third Point’s nominees. Following completion of the Committee’s evaluation process, the Committee and the Board determined that the group of candidates announced today were the best qualified, based particularly on their individual accomplishments and records of value creation in other positions with specific relevance to Yahoo!’s business and its opportunities.

At the same time, in view of Third Point’s significant ownership position and the qualifications of Harry Wilson, the Board concluded that it was appropriate to propose that Mr. Wilson and a second individual mutually acceptable to both Third Point and the Yahoo! Board of Directors, outside of the other Third Point nominees, join the Board in settlement of Third Point’s solicitation. In addition, the Board believed that there is value in avoiding the cost and distraction that inevitably accompanies a proxy fight, and determined that this proposal was in the best interest of all of its shareholders to avoid that expenditure of resources. Third Point founder and Chief Executive Officer Daniel Loeb rejected this proposal and declined to end Third Point’s solicitation with respect to its own four candidates unless he personally was appointed to the Board. Based on the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s thorough review of a broad range of candidates and their qualifications, including Third Point’s nominees, the Board determined that other candidates were more qualified for the position. The Board remains open to hearing Third Point’s ideas and to working constructively with Third Point, but believes that appointing Mr. Loeb to the Board is not in the best interest of the Company and its shareholders.

The Board continues to believe that the Company needs to move quickly to implement change and improve its performance. The Yahoo! management team is moving with a sense of urgency to reshape and refocus the Company on its core strengths, with an emphasis on redeploying resources to the most productive areas and equipping the Company to invest in growth and innovation. As now constituted, the Board has a well-rounded combination of financial, media, advertising, marketing, operating and technology expertise necessary to bring the right leadership to build value for all Yahoo! shareholders.

Mr. Hayes, one of the nation’s most innovative marketing executives with an expertise in digital marketing, has served as Chief Marketing Officer at American Express since 2003, overseeing that company’s marketing strategies and product development, as well as its global marketing, market research and publishing organizations. Prior to that, he served for eight years as American Express Executive Vice President, Global Advertising and Brand Management, responsible for brand marketing worldwide. He began his career in the brand and advertising industry and, among his senior positions, he served as President of Lowe & Partners where he led that firm to unprecedented growth through the development of product position and global campaigns for several major corporate clients.

Mr. Liguori served as Chief Operating Officer of Discovery, the leading non-fiction media company in the world, through 2011. Prior to that, he served as Chairman and President of Entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Company. Previously, he was President and CEO of FX Networks, NewsCorp’s flagship entertainment cable network. He also served in a series of positions with Home Box Office, including as Vice President, Consumer Marketing where he had responsibility for marketing efforts supporting the HBO brand and HBO original movies. He began his career in the advertising industry, including positions at Saatchi & Saatchi, Compton and Ogilvy & Mather Advertising with clients such as Procter & Gamble and Unilever. He currently serves on the boards of The Topps Company, Inc. and MGM Studios.

Mr. McInerney served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of IAC from January 2005 to March 2012. From January 2003 through December 2005, he was Chief Executive Officer of IAC’s Retailing sector. Prior to that time, Mr. McInerney served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ticketmaster and its predecessor company, Ticketmaster Online-Citysearch, Inc. He also worked as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley for 11 years, working with a wide variety of public companies across several industries, advising on restructuring, M&A, IPO and other capital-raising activities. He also serves on the boards of HSN, Inc. and Interval Leisure Group, Inc.

Earlier this year, independent directors Alfred Amoroso and Maynard Webb were appointed to the Board. With today’s appointments, the Board has added a total of five new highly qualified independent directors this year. It is expected that the majority of directors will be new to the Board in 2012 following this year’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders, and that the entire Board will be new since January 2010. As previously announced, four directors volunteered not to stand for re-election at the next annual meeting, and an additional director resigned from the Board earlier this year.

Matt Smith on 'Doctor Who': "I'm here for the foreseeable future"

Matt Smith on 'Doctor Who': "I'm here for the foreseeable future"

Matt Smith has revealed that he doesn't plan on leaving his role on Doctor Who anytime soon.

The actor, who took over from David Tennant in 2010, has enjoyed success in the role of the Eleventh Doctor alongside his companions, played by Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill.

It was recently announced that Darvill and Gillan will be leaving in the fifth episode of the new series, in a final showdown against The Weeping Angels to be filmed in New York City.

Jenna-Louise Coleman, known for her work on Waterloo Road and Emmerdale, was recently unveiled as the new companion.

When asked about Smith's role in the future of the series, showrunner Steven Moffat stated that Smith was undecided on when he'll go.

In an interview with The Huffington Post at this weekend's Doctor Who Convention in Cardiff, however, the actor divulged more on his future plans.

He said: "I mean, look, we've got the [50th] anniversary coming up, there's another Christmas special to shoot, we've got another season with our new companion coming in, there's a lot to be getting on with before I leave, so... I'm here for the foreseeable future."

Series seven of Doctor Who is expected to return to BBC One and BBC America in autumn.

TV Tonight 26th of March 2012

TV Tonight 26th of March 2012

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

    1000 Ways to Die S04E03: "Tweets From the Dead"
    112 - på liv och död S05E31: "Del 31 av 36"
    30 grader i februari S01E08: "Season 1, Episode 8"
    60 Minute Makeover S09E01: "Series 9, Episode 1"
    71 Grader Nord
    Alcatraz S01E13: "Tommy Madsen"
    Alcatraz S01E12: "Garrett Stillman"
    American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior S03E07: "Muscle Car"
    American Pickers S04E14: "TBA"
    Bang Goes The Theory S06E03: "Cyber Security"
    Basketball Wives S04E06: "Season 4, Episode 6"
    Being Human (US) S02E11: "Don't Fear The Scott"
    Belga Sport S06E08: "Lucien Van Impe, De val"
    Bethenny Ever After S03E06: "Maternal Instincts"
    Big Brother Sverige S08E32: "Del 32"
    Blade Anime S01E11: "The Last Sunset"
    Brille S01E11: "Season 1, Episode 11"
    Canadian Pickers S02E11: "Pick on the Strip"
    Castle (2009) S04E19: "47 Seconds"
    Check It Out (US) S02E02: "Pleasure"
    Chelsea Lately S06E57
    Cleverdicks S01E21: "Episode 21"
    Come Dine With Me S18E61: "Series 18, Episode 51"
    Conan S02E67: "Episode 67"
    Coronation Street S53E61: "Mon Mar 26, 2012 [Episode 1]"
    Coronation Street S53E62: "Mon Mar 26, 2012 [Episode 2]"
    Dance Academy S02E09: "The Break"
    Dancing With the Stars (US) S14E02: "Season 14, Episode 2"
    Danger 5 S01E05: "Fresh Meat For Hitler's Sex Kitchen"
    Danni Lowinski S03E08: "Geld her, oder ..."
    Deal Or No Deal (UK) S07E194: "Episode 1874"
    Der Letzte Bulle S03E08: "Das Killer-Alphabet"
    Dickinson's Real Deal S08E80: "Series 8, Episode 80"
    Disappeared S04E22: "Final Exam"
    Doctors S13E227: "Let Me Shipwreck"
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    Een laatste groet S01E09: "Jeroen Meus"
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    Emmerdale S41E72: "March 26, 2012"
    Empire S01E05: "Doing Good"
    Exotische Liefde S02E05: "Season 2, Episode 5"
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    Feuten S02E09: "Episode 9"
    Four In A Bed S03E11
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    General Hospital (US) S49E250: "#12524"
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    Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden S22E146
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    Helt Perfekt S02E05: "Season 2, Episode 5"
    Hollyoaks S18E61: "March 26, 2012"
    Home and Away (AU) S25E46: "Episode 5481"
    Hotel cæsar S28E174: "Season 28, Episode 174"
    House Hunters S48E60
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    Intervention S12E13: "Kaylene"
    Jeopardy! S28E136: "Show #6341"
    Jimmy Kimmel Live S09E225
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    Kickin' It S01E21: "Rowdy Rudy"
    La La's Full Court Life S02E02: "Birthday Presence"
    Last Call with Carson Daly S10E29
    Late Kick Off S03E10: "Series 3, Episode 10"
    Late Night with Jimmy Fallon S02E239
    Late Show with David Letterman S19E45
    Little Mosque on the Prairie S06E10
    Live with Regis and Kelly S29E150
    Mad S02E22: "TBA"
    Make It or Break It S03E01: "Smells Like Winner"
    Mary Shelley's Frankenhole S02E10
    Ministry of Curious Stuff S01E12: "Episode 12"
    Mr. D S01E11: "The Basketball Diaries"
    Navajo Cops S01E04: "Shallow Grave"
    Neighbours S28E56: "Episode 6366"
    Pair of Kings S02E21: "Beach Party Maggot Massacre"
    Panorama S60E11: "Murdoch's TV Pirates"
    Pasila S05E10: "Irtiotto"
    Pointless S06E30: "Series 6, Episode 30"
    Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is S06E01
    Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory S05E04: "TBA"
    Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory S05E03: "TBA"
    RuPaul's Drag Race S04E09: "TBA"
    RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked S03E09: "Frock the Vote!"
    Scott and Bailey S02E03: "Series 2, Episode 3"
    Showder Klub S09E02: "Season 9, Episode 2"
    Skins S06E10: "Everyone"
    Smash S01E08: "The Coup"
    Sousei no Aquarion S02E13: "Episode 13"
    The Bad Girls Club S08E10: "Double Trouble"
    The Big Decision S01E03
    The Biggest Loser (AU) S07E43: "Season 7, Episode 43"
    The Bold and the Beautiful S26E02: "Ep. #6286"
    The Chase (2009) S05E40: "Series 5, Episode 40"
    The Colbert Report S08E40: "Dr. David Page"
    The Daily Show S17E76: "Shaquille O'Neal"
    The Dales S02E05: "Series 2, Episode 5"
    The Dr. Phil Show S10E125
    The Jeremy Kyle Show S07E136
    The Little Paris Kitchen: Cooking with Rachel Khoo S01E02
    The Revolution (2012) S01E51: "Season 1, Episode 51"
    The Rosie Show S01E91: "TBA"
    The Secret Life of the American Teenager S04E14
    The Sheriffs are Coming S01E05: "Episode 5"
    The Tonight Show with Jay Leno S19E265
    The Tube (2012) S01E06: "Episode 6"
    The Voice (US) S02E09: "The Final Battles"
    The Young and the Restless S40E01: "Ep. #9870"
    Thuis S17E151: "Season 17, Episode 151"
    Watch What Happens: Live S06E50
    Watson & Oliver S01E06: "Episode 6"
    Wonderland (UK) S05E06: "A Very British Holiday"
    WWE Raw S20E13: "Episode #983"
    Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal S01E49
    Zeke and Luther S03E24: "Accidental Hero"
    Zone stad S07E05: "Season 7, Episode 5"

Tiger Woods Win Has CBS Looking Forward to Masters

Tiger Woods Win Has CBS Looking Forward to Masters

Some of that cheering you heard when Tigers Woods wrapped up the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournamet Sunday in Orlando may have been coming from CBS Sports.

The network will be broadcasting the final rounds of The Masters golf tournament from Augusta, Ga., on Saturday and Sunday, April 7-8. There's no doubt that having a healthy Tiger -- especially one coming off his first win since 2009 -- in its tank will provide a major boost for the tourney's ratings.

Sunday, Woods finished strong at the Bay Hill Club and Lounge to record his first PGA tournament victory in 30 months.

Last year, when a fading Woods was a non-factor on the Masters' final day, the tourney was watched in 13 percent fewer households in the biggest U.S. markets than in 2010.

CBS said that the 2011 tourney's final day drew a 10.4 percent households number in the top 56 U.S. markets, compared with a 12.0 rating in 2010, when Wood was making his return to competition in the wake of his high-profile marital problems.

The highest Masters ratings in the last decade came in 2005, when Woods won the last of his four green champions jackets.

ESPN will broadcast the opening rounds of the Masters.

'Being Human' renewed for fifth series by BBC

'Being Human' renewed for fifth series by BBC

The supernatural drama will return on BBC Three for a fifth run in 2013.

BBC Three's Twitter account announced: "**EXCITING NEWS** #BeingHuman WILL return for a fifth series!! (sic)".

"There will be a 5th series of #beinghuman - how bloody amazing! Happy dance!", the show's official Twitter page confirmed.

The fourth series finale aired on BBC Three (March 25), starring Damien Molony, Michael Socha and Lenora Crichlow.