Hayden Christensen Scores Partial Victory in 'Royal Pains' Lawsuit

Universal Television must have been left smarting a bit over the USA series "Royal Pains" on Tuesday morning.

Hayden Christensen's production company, Forest Park Pictures, scored a partial victory in its lawsuit over "Royal Pains" on Tuesday, as an appeals court vacated an earlier decision granting Universal's motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

In its complaint, filed in 2010, Forest Park maintained that it had pitched USA an idea for a series titled "Housecall" in 2005 that bore striking similarities to what would become the USA series "Royal Pains," without receiving compensation for the idea.

Universal countered with a motion to dismiss, claiming that Forest Park's breach of contract complaint is preempted by the Copyright Act, which was granted by a district court. However, on Tuesday U.S. District Court of Appeals for the second circuit in New York vacated the earlier court's decision, finding that Forest Park "adequately alleged a contact that includes an implied promise to pay. Because this claim is based on rights that are not the equivalent of those protected by the Copyright Act, [Forest Park's] claim is not preempted."

USA has not yet responded to TheWrap's request for comment.

According to Forest Park's complaint, the company submitted a written treatment for a proposed series, "Housecall," about a doctor who, after "being expelled from the medical community for treating patients who could not pay, moved to Malibu, California" and becomes "a 'concierge' doctor to the rich and famous."

Forest Park says that, after submitting the treatment, it met with USA's Alex Sepiol, who admitted that he had never heard of concierge doctors but "thought it was a fascinating concept for a television show."

"Royal Pains" centers around a doctor who, after being wrongly blamed for a patient's death, moves to the Hamptons to become a doctor for the rich and famous.

In its motion to dismiss, USA argued that Forest Park's complaint was inadequate because the two parties hadn't come to an agreement on price terms. However, the appeals court determined that in California, where the bulk of the meetings took place, a lawsuit can prevail if an idea is submitted with the understanding that payment is expected if the idea is used, and that [a]n express condition or promise of payment is not required."

TV Tonight 27th of June 2012

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

    24 Hours in A&E S02E07: "Series 2, Episode 7"
    A Short History of Everything Else S01E03: "Series 1, Episode 3"
    America's Got Talent S07E13
    American Guns S02E08: "Double Barrel Cannon/His and Hers Revolvers"
    Around the World In 80 Plates S01E08: "Feeding the Demon"
    Australia's Got Talent S06E17: "Semi-Finals 8"
    Baby Daddy S01E02: "I Told You So"
    Baggage Battles S01E09: "Vancouver"
    Barter Kings S01E06: "Not-So-Easy Rider"
    Barter Kings S01E05: "Bah-Bam!"
    Bedlam S02E04: "Jude"
    Best Sandwich in America S01E05: "Mid Atlantic"
    Bethenny S01E13: "Bret Michaels"
    Big Brother (UK) S14E24: "BB 13, Episode 24"
    Big Brother's Bit on the Side S04E23: "Series 4, Show 23"
    Blockbusters (2012) S01E33: "Series 1, Show 33"
    Cajun Pawn Stars S02E09: "High Caliber"
    Cajun Pawn Stars S02E08: "Fire Sale"
    Chelsea Lately S06E105
    Come Dine With Me S19E09: "Series 19, Episode 8"
    Coming Home (US) S02E09: "Out Of Thin Air"
    Conan S02E111: "Chris Pine, Anthony Mackie, El-P"
    Coronation Street S53E122: "Wed Jun 27, 2012"
    Dallas (2012) S01E04: "The Last Hurrah"
    Days of our Lives S47E162: "Ep. #11872"
    Deal Or No Deal (UK) S07E274: "Episode 1954"
    Diamond Divers S01E02: "Let The Fists Fly"
    Dickinson's Real Deal S08E116: "Series 8, Episode 116"
    Dogs in the City S01E05: "Eating House and Home"
    Emergency Bikers S04E07: "Series 4, Episode 7"
    Emmerdale S41E148: "June 27, 2012"
    Euro 2012 S01E34: "Highlights"
    Fast 'n' Loud S01E04: "Double Trouble Galaxie"
    FBI: Criminal Pursuit S03E17: "Bombshell"
    Figure It Out S04E13: "TBA"
    Final Witness S01E01: "The Kids Aren’t Alright"
    Four In A Bed S03E38: "The Wordsworth"
    Futurama S07E03: "Decision 3012"
    General Hospital (US) S50E62: "#12590"
    Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden S22E213: "Season 22, Episode 213"
    Haunted Collector S02E04: "Priest Gun/haunted Asylum"
    Hollyoaks S18E128: "June 27, 2012"
    Hollywood Heights S01E08: "Max Questions Chloe"
    Home and Away (AU) S25E113: "Episode 5548"
    House Hunters S50E02: "Buying a Condo for 40K in Atlanta"
    House Hunters International S25E130
    I Almost Got Away with It S05E12: "Got Hammered on a Sailboat"
    Inside Nature's Giants (US) S01E06: "Camel"
    Iron Man: Armored Adventures S02E22: "Rage of the Hulk"
    Jeopardy! S28E203: "Show #6408"
    Jimmy Kimmel Live S09E273: "Matt LeBlanc, Selma Blair, Linkin Park"
    Johnny Test S05E51: "It’s An Invasion, Johnny!"
    Jormungand S01E12: "Hill of Destruction (Phase 2)"
    Late Night with Jimmy Fallon S02E296
    Late Show with David Letterman S19E95
    Live with Regis and Kelly S29E216
    Locked Up Abroad S06E10: "Son of Saddam"
    Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna S01E13
    Masterchef Australia S04E46: "Wednesday - Week 8"
    Match of The Day S47E79: "Euro 2012 - Semi Final"
    Melissa & Joey S02E07: "Mixed Doubles"
    Million Dollar Listing S05E04: "Los Angeles: Let's (Not) Make a Deal"
    Myf Warhurst's Nice S01E03: "Nice and Snappy"
    Necessary Roughness S02E04: "Slumpbuster"
    Neighbours S28E123: "Episode 6433"
    Offspring S03E11: "Season 3, Episode 11"
    Operation Repo S10E05: "Traffic Jammin"
    Property Brothers: Supersized S04E05: "Space for a Crowd"
    Real Rescues S08E13: "Series 8, Episode 13"
    Recorder to Randoseru S02E13: "Episode 13"
    Royal Pains S04E04: "Dawn Of The Med"
    RPA S18E04: "Season 18, Episode 4"
    School Spirits S01E02: "Dorm Room Nightmare"
    So You Think You Can Dance S09E06
    The Block S05E64: "Day 64"
    The Bold and the Beautiful S26E68: "Ep. #6352"
    The Colbert Report S08E83: "Melinda Gates"
    The Culture Show S17E02: "Series 17, Episode 2"
    The Daily Show S17E121: "Andrew Garfield"
    The Exes S02E02: "What Women Want"
    The Hour S08E184: "Robert Pattinson"
    The Jeremy Kyle Show S07E196: "June 27, 2012"
    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson S08E106
    The Listener S03E05: "Rogue's Gallery"
    The Project S04E152: "Season 4, Episode 152"
    The Real Housewives of Vancouver S01E14: "Reunion, Part 1"
    The Real World S27E01: "Paradise Found"
    The Revolution (2012) S01E98: "Season 1, Episode 98"
    The Soul Man S01E02: "Pastor Interference"
    The Soup S09E26: "June 27"
    The Strange Case Of The Law S01E02: "Episode 2"
    The Tonight Show with Jay Leno S20E111
    The View S15E191: "Terry Caffey, the Jacksons"
    The Young and the Restless S40E67: "Ep. #9936"
    Through the Wormhole S03E05: "What Is Nothing?"
    Watch What Happens: Live S07E09

Ratings: Already Soft 'Glass House' Plummets 20%; NBC, Fox Tie for First

ABC's controversial new reality series "The Glass House," which sparked a lawsuit from CBS due to its seeming similarities to "Big Brother," fell a considerable 20 percent in ratings Monday night from its lackluster premiere.

Meanwhile, NBC and Fox shared first place, with "America's Got Talent" scoring the night's best individual ratings, according to preliminary numbers.

NBC tied Fox in ratings with an average 2.3 rating/7 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and took first place in total viewership outright with an average 7.8 million.

"The U.S. Olympic Trials '12: Swimming Finals" at 8 p.m. posted a 1.9/6 in the demo with 6.9 million total viewers, while "America's Got Talent" the following hour showed a modest ratings increase with a 3.0/8, and drew 10.4 million total viewers (which also made it the night's most-watched program).

"American Ninja Warrior" at 10 drew even with last week for a 2.0/5 and attracted 6 million total viewers.

Fox, which came in third in total viewers with 5.4 million, aired "Hell's Kitchen" at 8, which was down 8 percent in the demo with a 2.3/7 and drew 5.5 million total viewers, and "MasterChef at 9, which was also down slightly in ratings with a 2.2/6 and 5.6 million total viewers.

ABC took third place in ratings with a 1.9/6 and second in total viewers with 5.7 million. "The Bachelorette" at 8 dipped slightly from last week with a 2.2/7 and took 7 million total viewers, while "Glass House" at 10, which last week premiered with a 33 percent drop from last summer's equivalent premiere of "Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition," fell to a 1.2/3 with 3.3 million total viewers.

Univision came in fourth in ratings and fifth in total viewers with a 1.4/4 and 3.6 million.

CBS, which drew fifth place in ratings and fourth in total viewers with an average 1.2/4 and 5.2 million, ran repeats throughout the night.

Charlie Sheen Drinking Again

Charlie Sheen says he's drinking again, a year after his alcohol and drug abuse were factors in his firing from "Two and a Half Men."

The actor, who has been through several stints in rehab, talked about using alcohol in a "Good Morning America" interview with Elizabeth Vargas to promote his new FX show, "Anger Management."

In Sheen's termination letter from "Two and a Half Men" last year, lawyers for Warner Bros. TV said Sheen's "drug and alcohol abuse was not only affecting his ability to work on the show, but endangering his life." He went on several high-profile drug- and alcohol-fueled benders in the months before he was terminated.

After his firing, Sheen dubbed his home the "Sober Valley Lodge" and said he was drug- and alcohol-free.

But he told Vargas that's no longer the case with alcohol.

"So you're no longer doing drugs," Vargas asked.

"No," said Sheen.

"But you do drink?"

"Who doesn't?" he said. "You drink?"

"Some people who've been through rehab don't drink," she replied.

"I don't believe in rehab anymore. It's not for me," Sheen said. "It's not a one size fits all. ... We live in a country where it's always Miller Time. It's happy hour somewhere in the world."

Sheen also acknowledged the worries over his health last year, saying he was glad to be alive. "I'm grateful that we're able to sit here and talk about it rather than you talking about me because I'm not here," he said.

FX declined comment. Sheen's new show premieres Thursday.

In a statement, Ben Levenson, CEO of Origins Recovery Centers, called Sheen "one of the last people an addict should take advice from."

"If Mr. Sheen wants to promote his new show, great, but, I respectfully ask that he does not make blatantly false statements about addicts being able to successfully drink alcohol. For a real addict, eventually there’s a syringe or pill or pipe at the bottom of every bottle of booze,” Levenson said.

Also in the interview with "GMA," Sheen backed away from saying recently that he plans to retire after "Anger Management." He said Tuesday he may just take a break to spend more time with his kids.

Alan Partridge's Sky Atlantic show seen by 216,000

Alan Partridge's Welcome to the Places of My Life pulled in an audience of 216,000 last night for Sky Atlantic.

Written and directed by Partridge, the Pear Tree production interested an audience 73 times the population of Hemsby in the 9pm hour on Monday night, the Radio Times reports.

Welcome to the Places of My Life is also 27 times more popular than the Norwich broadcaster's previous digital vehicle, but failed to make it into the day's top 50 multichannel shows.

Military-based quiz show Skirmish aired on daytime channel UK Conquest in 2002 to an average audience of 8,000.

Armando Iannucci's political comedy Veep, which has already aired in the US on HBO, could only muster 95k (0.3%) in the 10pm slot straight after Partridge.

Earlier today, it was announced that The Alan Partridge Movie will be released in cinemas in 2013, with shooting commencing in January.

Russell Brand compares 'Brand X' role to 'Big Brother's Big Mouth'

Russell Brand has likened his new TV project to when he hosted Big Brother's Big Mouth.

The British comedian and actor's new show Brand X will involve audience participation in a similar vein to his popular Channel 4 spinoff show.

The programme sees Brand analyse and lead a debate on the reporting of celebrity and media news stories in front of a live studio audience.

Speaking to What's on TV, Brand explained of the Big Mouth connection: "It's like when I used to go in the audience on Big Brother with that daft wand talking to everybody. It is good to see what people think."

Revealing his belief that he best suits the format, the Rock of Ages star added: "I love being with an audience and I have always done stand-up because I prefer it to anything else.

"It is more direct and fun and I feel like this is what I am meant to do."

Launching in the US on Thursday, June 28 at 11pm on FX, the show will air the following Monday in the UK at 11.05pm on Sky Atlantic.