'Top of the Pops' to launch live theatre show

Top of the Pops has been turned into a new stage musical.

The live show version of the iconic television series will premiere on October 18 at the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne.

The theatre piece will contain a cast of singers, dancers, music, presenters and a live band, together with some memorable material from the BBC's Top of the Pops archive.

The show has been produced by Derek Nicol and Paul Walden, who created worldwide smash Thriller LIVE based on Michael Jackson's back catalogue of hits.

The popular production's director/choreographer Gary Lloyd will also work on Top of the Pops LIVE.

The new musical will screen vintage footage from Top of the Pops as part of a chart rundown covering three decades of hits.

Gary Barlow: 'Commonwealth Diamond Jubilee trek was sometimes s***'

Gary Barlow has admitted that his travels around the Commonwealth to compose Diamond Jubilee track 'Sing' were often "a bit s**t".

The Take That star visited Australia, Kenya, Jamaica and the Solomon Islands to find musicians for the track, a collaboration with Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber to celebrate The Queen's 60th year on the throne.

Speaking at a screening of accompanying documentary Gary Barlow: On Her Majesty's Service, the singer confessed: "It wasn't always nice. It was lots of times s**t, it was a bit s**t."

However, Barlow clarified that he still found the eye-opening experience "really motivating".

"Sometimes we didn't know what we were going to get when we landed in places and [often] discovered better stuff than we researched," he said.

"I've made hundreds or records. I've never done anything like this before... I found it really motivating, incredibly different. It sort of brings out a new side of you."

The X Factor judge also said that he relished the rare opportunity to visit exotic locations and interact with new people.

"It wasn't even a musical achievement for me at the end of the film," he said. "I just loved meeting the people.

"There are few times I'm able to go, whether it's abroad or in this country, and actually enjoy meeting people. I often spend most of my time avoiding people if I'm honest.

"The fact that I could go up and shake people's hand and meet them and discover about their lives, I really enjoyed it - I wouldn't do it again, but I really enjoyed it."

'Sing', which also features Gareth Malone and The Military Wives Choir, will form part of a commemorative Jubilee album by Gary Barlow & The Commonwealth Band released on May 28.

The composition will be performed at the Buckingham Palace Diamond Jubilee concert on June 4 that Barlow, who begun auditions for the latest series of The X Factor today (May 23), is curating.

Gary Barlow: On Her Majesty's Service will air June 3 at 7.30pm on BBC One.

Giving Character Actors Their Due

Years ago, I came up with a TV concept for an awards show called “The Character Actor Awards.” Why honor character actors? Because they are tried and true, immensely talented actors who, time and again, give the most memorable performances yet never get the accolades they deserve.

I liked the idea of finally having overly praised A-listers pass the baton to the podium and give character actors one night in the spotlight. Character actors have mantles too, after all.

I spent months researching and preparing my pitch for this show, but I knew from the get-go that this was not going to be an easy sell.

Typically, networks don’t think the risk of spending a lot of money on a one-off special is smart business. When they do spend the money, it’s in order to ‘rent’ big names for the night and put them on their network in hopes of a rating win. It’s basically a promotional opportunity.

I was also up against market saturation, the perception that there were already too many award shows on TV. I agreed, there were too many awards shows -- too many that honor the same .5% of the actors working in Hollywood, that is. There was not one awards show that honored the other 99.5% of working actors. I understand the power and draw of lead actors; that’s why the .5% would be invited to present the awards to their character actor peers. See, everybody wins!

Before I pitched, I thought it would be smart to prove to potential buyers that people would tune in. But how? This wasn’t the type of show where I could shoot a seven-minute presentation tape or package attachments. I couldn’t rely on past successful, original character-actor-driven content to point to, because nothing like what I was proposing had been done before.

I decided to get clever and call on my knowledge of marketing and my relationships with the entertainment media to conduct a field test of sorts. My approach was simple: to pitch the press on the concept of the show, and if they wrote about it, that would prove that the topic was relevant to their readers. If it was relevant to readers, then it would substantiate my argument that the show would be relevant to the network’s viewers.

I landed serious press: E! Online, The New York Post, Media Week, The Orange County Register and several others. The positive press response proved that this topic had mass appeal. But was it enough?

I was ready to pitch. With my treatment and the press I had generated I thought I had a very strong package. I set up meetings with the networks and cable channels. Everyone passed on the show. Behind the scenes, I got pats on the back and was told the concept was solid and approaching the press was creative and impressive -- but not one offer.

Years later, I still hold out hope that one day something will rekindle this show.

I don’t know … maybe a well-placed blog on a reputable entertainment website?

Interesting metaphor: an industry that makes billions on stories about underdogs achieving success and they have the opportunity to highlight these very underdogs in the form of the Character Actor Awards and they take a pass?  Or do they …

Jim Parsons Comes Out as Gay

Jim Parsons has skipped the "I'M GAY!" magazine cover approach to coming out: Far down in a New York Times profile Wednesday was the subtle mention that the two-time Emmy winner has been in a same-sex relationship for a decade.

The blink-and-you'll miss it aside appeared in a story about Parsons' starring stint in the Broadway production of "Harvey."

Discussing Parsons' small role in the play "The Normal Heart" -- about gay men dying of AIDS -- the story noted: "'The Normal Heart' resonated with him on a few levels: Mr. Parsons is gay and in a 10-year relationship, and working with an ensemble again onstage was like nourishment, he said."

Parsons played young gay activist Tommy Boatrwright in the play.

While this may be the first official confirmation of Parsons' sexuality, the National Enquirer attempted to "out" the actor in 2010 by writing that he was engaged to his boyfriend, Todd Spiewak.

Showtime to Court Emmy Voters With Free Preview Weekend

Showtime is hoping to drum up enthusiasm among Emmy voters for "Dexter," "Homeland," "Shameless" and its other series with its "Best in Sho" campaign, which will offer free previews in June.

"Best in Sho" will offer marathons of the above shows, plus "House of Lies," "Nurse Jackie," "The Big C," "The Borgias," "Weeds" and "Californication" from June 15-17 in New York and Los Angeles. The previews will be available via Time Warner Cable and DirecTV.

Though the previews will be accessible to more than 20 million homes, Showtime is specifically targeting Emmy voters with the campaign, which comes during one of the key Emmy voting periods.

"Given our incredibly strong slate of original programming this year, our goal was to cut through the clutter and create seamless access for Emmy voters to view as many back-to-back episodes of our critically-acclaimed series as possible," Showtime's executive vice president of corporate communications Trisha Cardoso said. "This free preview weekend complements our online streaming efforts – now voters have a chance to watch our award-winning series on air and online."

The campaign will mark the first time that a premium network has offered a free preview for the Emmys.

Last year, Showtime launched a  "for your consideration" campaign that slapped Emmy ads on more than 100 buses in Los Angeles throughout the month of June.

Big Brother will have regular live feed for new series

Big Brother will have regular live feed throughout the upcoming summer series, it has been confirmed.

After a successful trial run during the January Celebrity edition, Channel 5 will be rolling out regular hour-long sessions of live feed on sister channel 5* following eviction shows.

Host Brian Dowling said: "Live feed is back after every live show. There will be an hour on 5*. We did that in January and it worked. When we did live celeb nominations I think over a million watched, which was record-breaking for 5*.

"I think people realised then that there really was an interest in live feed."

Fans of the show have protested on Twitter, Facebook and the Digital Spy forums for the return of a permanent live feed, but Channel 5 has refused to change its stance on the 24/7 coverage.

Big Brother returns for a 13th series on Tuesday, June 5 at 9pm on Channel 5.

TV Tonight 24th of May 2012

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

    Acchi Kocchi S01E08: "Summer of Homework <=> Summer of Ritual"
    Australia's Got Talent S06E12: "Semi-Finals 3"
    Awake S01E13: "Turtles All the Way Down"
    Big Brother Sverige S08E83: "Del 83"
    Blockbusters (2012) S01E09: "Series 1, Show 9"
    Chelsea Lately S06E87: "Malin Akerman, Dan Maurio, Loni Love, Mo Mandel"
    Conan S02E96: "Ep 96"
    Coronation Street S53E104: "Thur May 24, 2012"
    Danni Lowinski VTM S01E13: "Season 1, Episode 13"
    Days of our Lives S47E139: "Ep. #11849"
    Deal Or No Deal (UK) S07E245: "Episode 1925"
    Doctors S14E36: "myperfectm8.com"
    Don't Be Tardy for the Wedding S01E06: "Maid of Dishonor"
    Duets S01E01: "Season 1, Episode 1"
    Eagleheart S02E07: "Beat Shack"
    EastEnders S28E84: "May 24, 2012"
    Éden Hotel S02E47: "Season 2, Episode 47"
    Éden Hotel S02E48: "Season 2, Episode 48"
    Emmerdale S41E123: "May 24, 2012"
    Emmerdale S41E124: "May 24, 2012 [Episode 2]"
    Euro 2012 S01E06: "Preview Show - 6"
    Eurovision Song Contest S01E64
    Fake Britain S03E04: "Series 3, Episode 4"
    General Hospital (US) S50E39: "#12567"
    Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden S22E189: "Season 22, Episode 189"
    Grand Designs Australia S02E08: "Yellingbo Artist's House"
    Grandma's House S02E06
    Great British Menu S07E34: "The Olympic Feast - 34"
    Halv åtta hos mig S08E60: "Helsingborg - Peter"
    Hellstrøms Mesterkokk S01E11: "Season 1, Episode 11"
    Hollyoaks S18E104: "May 24, 2012"
    Home and Away (AU) S25E89: "Episode 5524"
    Hotel 52 S05E13: "Season 5, Episode 13"
    Hotel cæsar S29E20: "Season 29, Episode 20"
    House Hunters S48E103: "Brother vs Younger Sisters in Boston Burbs"
    House Hunters International S25E106
    House of Bryan - On The Rocks S01E08: "Floor Wars"
    Impact Wrestling S08E86: "Season 8, Episode 86"
    Income Property S06E10: "Josephine"
    Income Property S06E09: "Ross"
    Independent Lens S13E21: "Hell and Back Again"
    Jeopardy! S28E179: "Show #6384"
    Jimmy Kimmel Live S09E260: "Charlize Theron, Manny Pacquiao, Grafitti6"
    Kathy S01E06: "TBA"
    Kore wa Zombie desuka? S02E08: "Episode 8"
    Last Call with Carson Daly S10E61
    Last Chance Dogs S01E06: "Season 1, Episode 6"
    Late Night with Jimmy Fallon S02E277
    Live with Regis and Kelly S29E192
    Long Lost Family S02E06: "Series 2, Episode 6"
    Los protegidos S03E11: "TBA"
    Masterchef Australia S04E17: "Thursday - Week 3"
    Men at Work S01E01: "Pilot"
    Men at Work S01E02: "Milo Full of Grace"
    Naruto: Shippuuden S11E22: "The Secret of Impure World Reincarnation"
    Neighbours S28E99: "Episode 6409"
    Peter Andre: My Life S02E06: "Series 2, Episode 6"
    Phil Spencer: Secret Agent S02E03: "Series 2, Episode 3"
    Planet Earth Live S01E08: "Episode 8"
    Punk'd S09E09: "Mac Miller"
    Question Time S32E32: "May 24, 2012"
    Reguły gry S01E14: "Poznaj moją mamę"
    River Monsters S04E11: "The Deadliest Encounters"
    Rookie Blue S03E01: "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life"
    Salatut elämät S14E169: "Elias kiihtyy Larin mailankäytöstä"
    Sankarea S01E08: "False...Freedom..."
    Sket Dance S02E08: "Episode 8"
    So You Think You Can Dance S09E01: "Auditions #1 and #2: Dallas and New York"
    Swamp People S03E15: "Turf War"
    Swamp Wars S02E07: "Monsters in the Backyard"
    Sweet Genius S02E11: "Glowing Genius"
    Szpilki na Giewoncie S04E13: "Season 4, Episode 13"
    The Block S05E35: "Day 35"
    The Bold and the Beautiful S26E45: "Ep. #6329"
    The Chase (2009) S05E78: "Series 5, Episode 78"
    The Conversation S01E05: "Acceptance, Evolution and Becoming Whole"
    The Conversation' with Amanda de Cadenet S01E05
    The Ellen DeGeneres Show S09E167: "Charlize Theron"
    The Hoarder Next Door S01E04: "Episode 4"
    The Jeremy Kyle Show S07E177: "May 24, 2012"
    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson S08E87
    The Pauly D Project S01E09: "A Good Impression"
    The Project S04E123: "Season 4, Episode 123"
    The Revolution (2012) S01E84: "Season 1, Episode 84"
    The Tonight Show with Jay Leno S20E92
    The View S15E167
    The Young and the Restless S40E44: "Ep. #9913"
    This Week (2003) S10E30: "May 24, 2012"
    Thuis S17E194: "Season 17, Episode 194"
    Tonight S14E19: "People Power"
    Tsuritama S01E07: "Episode 7"
    Undercover Boss: Abroad S01E26: "FEDEX-EXPRESS-CANADA (Lisa Lisson)"
    Watch What Happens: Live S06E88: "Beth Ditto & Adam Lambert"

Ratings: 'Dancing With the Stars,' 'American Idol' Hit Highs - and Lows

The season finale of "Dancing With the Stars" and performance finale brought good and bad news for their networks Tuesdsay night.

ABC's "DWTS" finale -- featuring Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver being crowned the winner -- was the most-watched show of the night in total viewers, with 17.5 million, and the season's highest-rated results show. But it was the show's lowest-rated finale on record in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic. "American Idol," meanwhile, was the highest-rated show of the night and led Fox to an overall ratings win -- but it was the lowest-rated performance finale for the decade-old show.

The lows came in a season when many aging reality behemouths -- from "Idol" to "The Bachelor" -- have posted lower numbers.

Fox came in first in ratings with an average 3.6/10 share and second in total viewers with an average 11 million. "Idol" at 8 p.m. dropped 14 percent in the demo to a 4.2/13, and pulled 14.9 million total viewers. The "Glee" season finale the following hour jumped 20 percent to a 3.0/8 -- a three-month high for the series -- and took in 7.6 million total viewers.

ABC took second place in ratings and first in total viewers with an average 2.6/7 and 14.6 million. Following a "Dancing With the Stars" recap at 8, the season finale posted a 53 percent increase in the demo, hitting a season high of 3.2/9. But besides being the show's lowest-rated finale, it was down 30 percent from last May's finale.

NBC took third place in ratings and fourth in total viewers with an average 2.1/6 and 6.5 million. Following an "America's Got Talent" repeat at 8, a new episode the following hour drew a 3.2/9 and 9.3 million total viewers. the 20th anniversary special of "Dateline" at 10 posted a 1.6/4 and 5 million total viewers.

CBS, which ran repeats throughout the night, drew fourth place in ratings and third in total viewers with an average 1.5/4 and 8.6 million.

ALF Making a Comeback on the Big Screen?

Transformers, Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, The Smurfs, The Muppets … if all those '80s favorites can forge comebacks, why not ALF? That's the hope of ALF -- the character and the TV show -- creator Paul Fusco, who is about to pitch an ALF comeback for the big screen.

"I think the timing is right," Fusco told The Hollywood Reporter. "That's a big important thing, timing. There have been movies out there of characters that I didn't think were on the same parallel as ALF that got movies made, so I think it's time. I think it could be a home run on a lot of levels."

"ALF," about the furry, wisecracking Melmac alien with the anteater snoot and a love of eating cats, aired on NBC from 1986-90, while ALF was also the star of an animated spin-off series, "ALF: The Animated Series," on NBC from 1987-88.

The character was also featured in a comic book, a line of merchandise that included trading cards, lunchboxes, videogames and dolls, a TV Land talk show that co-starred Ed McMahon and commercials for the 10-10-220 telephone service.

"ALF could be more outspoken now than ever, because the world is a whole different place than the '80s," Fusco said. "And I think the character still stands up and certainly has more to say now than ever. I think we would approach it in a fresh way. I don't think we would duplicate the TV show, but I think we would maybe put it in a storyline where we would explain how ALF got here and put him with a new family and let the character speak for himself."

"ALF" episodes are currently available on Hulu, and beginning on June 3, The Hub -- the kids' network that already airs episodes of retro series like "The Facts of Life," "Family Ties," "Happy Days" and "Mork & Mindy" (as well as a remake of the "Care Bears") -- will air "ALF" Monday through Thursday nights at 8:30.

NBCU Plans More Than 5,000 Hours of Olympics Coverage

The days of a few hours of tape-delayed Olympics coverage at night are over.

NBCUniversal announced Wednesday that it plans 5,535 hours of coverage for the 2012 London Olympics -- compared to 2,000 hours of coverage for the 2008 Beijing Olympics -- spread across its vast media empire.

In one sign of how much that empire has expanded, and how important cable and online viewing has become, NBCU's Telemundo will air almost as much coverage in Spanish as NBC did in English for the entire 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Telemundo plans 173 hours, compared to 176.5 hours for NBC in 1996.

This time, NBC will air 272.5 hours of Olympics coverage, the most of any broadcast network, largely because of increased daytime coverage. NBCU's coverage will also include tennis on Bravo, boxing on CNBC, and a special platform for 3D.

Olympics coverage will also air across the NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, NBCOlympics.com, two specialty channels, and its first-ever 3D platform.

“We are only able to provide this level of coverage to U.S. viewers because of the unmatched array of NBCUniversal assets,” said Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Sports Group. “Whether on television or online, on broadcast or cable, in English or in Spanish, NBCUniversal has the London Olympics covered, providing the American viewer with more choices than ever to watch the Games.”

Here are some of the coverage plans NBC announced in a news release Wednesday:

-NBCU will provide coverage of all 32 sports and all 302 medal competitions.

-NBC will broadcast 272.5 hours of London Olympic coverage over 17 days, nearly 50 hours more than the 225 hours for Beijing in 2008.

-Daytime coverage will begin on most weekdays at 10 a.m. ET/PT, immediately following NBC News’ "Today," which will originate from London.

-Weekend daytime coverage will begin as early as 5 a.m. ET/PT.

-NBC Sports Network will be the home of U.S. team sports, with 292.5 hours of total coverage, including 257.5 hours of original programming, the most ever for an Olympic cable network.

-CNBC will serve as the home of Olympic boxing, including the debut of women's boxing. It will televise 73 hours of coverage over 16 days, from elimination bouts to the men’s and women’s finals.

-Bravo will televise 56 hours of long-form tennis coverage from July 28 to Aug. 3.

-NBCOlympics.com will live stream every event and sport, for the first time ever. The site will live stream more than 3,500 total programming hours, including the awarding of all 302 medals.

-NBCOlympics.com will live stream NBCU cable channels NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC and Bravo, only making them available to authenticated cable, satellite or telco customers.

-Two apps -- one focused on live streaming, one on highlights, schedules, results, columns, and more -- will be available for mobile and tablet users.

-Specialty channels for basketball and soccer will be available to cable, satellite and telco providers, and will total 770 hours of coverage.

-As announced in January, Panasonic and NBC Sports will make the Games available in 3D to all U.S.

distributors who carry Olympic coverage on cable, satellite and telco. They will provide 242 hours of 3D coverage. -- nearly 100 percent of the multichannel industry.

-MSNBC will carry 155.5 hours of long-form Olympic programming, including up to 18 medal rounds and 20 sports, from badminton to basketball to soccer to wrestling.

NBCUniversal’s 2012 London Olympic coverage begins on MSNBC on Wednesday, July 25 -- two days before the Opening Ceremony -- when Great Britain faces New Zealand in women’s soccer, the first official competition of the Games. The game will air live from Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. PT.

Peter Kay to warm up crowd at 'X Factor' Liverpool auditions

Peter Kay will reportedly perform a warm-up gig at today's X Factor auditions in Liverpool.

The stand-up comic will appear before the first round of filmed auditions take place today (May 23), with the new judging lineup of Gary Barlow, Tulisa Contostavlos, Louis Walsh and Geri Halliwell.

Kay personally asked producers to appear at the auditions, reports The Sun.

A close friend of Gary Barlow, Kay famously lampooned the talent show with his spoof comedy Britain's Got The Pop Factor... And Possibly A New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly On Ice in 2008.

"Peter loves reality TV. He is also good mates with Gary and wanted to have a taste of it. He rang up the producers on the show and asked to be part of the team in Liverpool," a source said.

"He'll do a few gags and he may even throw in a Take That number."

Kay branded The X Factor "as dull as dishwater" in November.

Geri Halliwell was officially unveiled as Kelly Rowland's guest replacement on the judging panel yesterday.

'True Blood' Gets a New Showrunner in Mark Hudis

Alan Ball's successor as "True Blood"'s showrunner has been chosen.

Mark Hudis, a co-executive producer on HBO's vampy hit, will take the reins from show creator Ball should the series be picked up for a sixth season.

The elevation to showrunner comes as part of a two-year overall deal that Hudis has inked with HBO.

Hudis has been with "True Blood" since last year. His previous credits include runs as executive producer on "Nurse Jackie," "That '70s Show" and "Miss Guided," as well as a stint as a writer on "Cybill," which Ball also produced and wrote for.

Hudis has also written a handful of "True Blood" episodes.

As reported earlier, Ball will step down as showrunner for "True Blood" after its fifth season, which premieres June 10. He will remain on as an executive producer to consult and advise on the show as needed. HBO told TheWrap that the arrangement is "the best possible world for both HBO and Alan Ball," adding that Ball "will be free to develop shows for both HBO and (its sibling network) Cinemax." (Ball is executive producing "Banshee," Cinemax's first in-house series.)

'Geordie Shore' looking for new castmates for series four

MTV has confirmed that Geordie Shore will be returning for a fourth series, which will feature new castmates.

The hit reality series will begin filming a new eight-episode run in the summer, following on from the 'Chaos in Cancun' summer special, which airs on June 26.

Producers have promised "a shake-up of cast members" and will be holding open auditions to find new stars for the show.

In a press release, MTV said that they were hoping to find "someone who can slut drop as well as Sophie, deliver one liners as great as Vicky and give Gaz a run for his money as ladies' man".

Jay Gardner, Gaz Beadle, James Tindale, Vicky Pattison, Holly Hagan, Sophie Kasaei, Charlotte-Letitia Crosby, Ricci Guarnaccio and Rebecca Walker are the current stars of the Newcastle-based reality series.

"It is fantastic to announce that Geordie Shore is coming back for a fourth series! The response to the show since it launched in May 2011 has been truly phenomenal - both from a ratings perspective and across our social media platforms," said Kerry Taylor, senior VP and director of television at Viacom International Media Networks.

"The success of series one and two, combined with the demand and online buzz for series three, now just weeks away, has yet again demonstrated MTV's ability to create compelling content that continues to excite young 'millennial' audiences everywhere."

'Mock the Week' returning for 11th series, 100th episode

Mock the Week will return for a new series next month, which will include a celebration for its 100th episode.

The BBC has confirmed that the satirical panel show is to return for a five-part 11th series on June 14, with the landmark episode airing on July 5.

Six more episodes will be broadcast on BBC Two from September to October and a Christmas special will also be produced.

Host Dara O'Briain and regular panellists Andy Parsons, Hugh Dennis and Chris Addison will all return for the new series.

Comedians Micky Flanagan, Greg Davies of The Inbetweeners and Nathan Caton are guests for the first episode back, while the likes of Milton Jones, Marcus Brigstocke, Zoe Lyons and Miles Jupp will feature on the summer series.

Ed Byrne and Stewart Francis are among the famous faces booked for episodes later in the year.

Mock the Week first aired in June 2005 when Prime Minister David Cameron was a largely unknown Shadow Education Secretary and Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband had only been MPs for four weeks.

Meryl Streep to Present Shirley MacLaine With AFI Life Achievement Award

Shirley MacLaine will receive the AFI Life Achievement Award from Meryl Streep at the AFI Gala Tribute this year, the organization said Tuesday.

MacLaine and Streep co-starred in the 1990 Mike Nichols film "Postcards From the Edge."

“The world loves Shirley MacLaine,” AFI president and CEO Bob Gazzale said. “AFI's challenge will be how to fit it all into one evening because hers is a life that spans from movies to television to Broadway, books and beyond. Perhaps more than any other recipient, with Shirley I would underline the word life in Life Achievement Award ... Hers is a story more than just movies.   It’s an epic journey, and she has invited all of us to come along for the ride.”

MacLaine has been nominated for an Academy Award six times and won in the Best Actress category for her portrayal of Aurora Greenway in the 1983 film "Terms of Endearment."

The gala will take place at Sony Pictures Studios on June 7 and air on TV Land at 9 p.m. on June 24. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Institute's education programs and the preservation of American film history.

BBC One's 'Silk' maintains strong start despite hot weather

BBC One continues to dominate Tuesday nights thanks largely to 9pm's Silk, overnight data has shown.

Despite the sunny weather, episode two of the legal drama's second series mustered 5.3m (23.8%) in the 9pm hour, an audience far superior to any other channel at that time.

Meanwhile, ITV1's lineup performed extremely poorly, with a repeat of Martin Clunes: Horsepower scraping 1.28m (6.5%) at 8pm (+1: 116k), and Dirty Britain interesting 2.54m (10.6%) at 9pm (+1: 259k).

The Chelsea Flower Show brought 2.84m (14.3%) to BBC Two in the 8pm hour, after which the documentary series following Great Ormond Street Hospital had 1.82m (8.1%) an hour later.

Channel 4's Embarrassing Bodies dipped to 1.67m (8.4%) at 8pm (+1: 270k), then the audience dropped further to 760k (3.4%) for Hidden Talent at 9pm (+1: 153k), but the network rebounded for My Big Fat Fetish, which opened with 1.75m (10.8%) at 10pm (+1: 186k).

Dependable crime franchise CSI lit up Channel 5's schedule with 1.56m (6.9%) at 9pm (+1: 189k) and 1.1m (6.4%) for CSI: NY at 10pm (+1: 106k).

BBC One averaged double ITV1's overall primetime average with 24% against 12% (+1: 0.8%). BBC Two claimed third place with 8.4%, followed by Channel 4 with 6.2% (+1: 0.9%), and Channel 5 with 4.8% (+1: 0.4%).

BBC Three's live coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest's first semi-final pulled in 745k (3.3%) between 8pm and 10pm.

Big Brother series 13 launch date confirmed

Big Brother will return for a 13th series on Tuesday, June 5, it has been confirmed.

The reality show will be back on Channel 5 for a non-celebrity edition from early next month.

Channel 5 will launch the series with a special auditions show, hosted by Jamie East, before a one-hour-and-45-minute live launch at 9pm with Brian Dowling.

Emma Willis returns with spinoff series Bit on the Side at 10.45pm.

The first live eviction will air on Friday, June 8 at 10pm.

An extra Celebrity version of the reality show has been ordered by Channel 5 to air directly after the civilian version finishes at the end of the summer.

Michael McKean Hospitalized After Being Struck by Car

Michael McKean was hospitalized in New York on Tuesday after being struck by a car while walking. While McKean's representative told TheWrap that the 64-year-old actor is "fine," his leg was broken during  the incident.

The actor, known for playing Leonard "Lenny" Kosnowski on the '70s sitcom "Laverne and Shirley" and David St. Hubbins in the rock mockumentary "This Is Spinal Tap," is currently starring in the Broadway production of Gore Vidal's play "The Best Man."

McKean has starred in a number of Broadway productions, including "Hairspray," "The Homecoming" and "The Pajama Game."

According to his representative, this will mark the first time in the actor's career that he has missed a performance.