Alec Baldwin's NYC Mayor Interest 'Very Real,' Brother Says

Alec Baldwin's interest in running for mayor of New York City is "very real," says his younger brother, actor Billy Baldwin.

The just-married elder Baldwin, in the headlines in recent weeks for run-ins with photographers stationed outside his Greenwich Village home, said last year that he was ruling out a run for mayor in 2013. He said in December that he wasn't "horny" for the office like other candidates.

That announcement came after a raft of bad publicity following his meltdown on an American Airlines flight.

But Billy Baldwin said on CNN's "Piers Morgan Live" on Tuesday that his brother remains interested in the office.

"I think on one level it’s very real. I think he’s very committed and extremely bright and knowledgeable and I think he could do it and he could run,” Billy Baldwin said. “On the other hand, I’m not quite sure if he’s cut from the proper cloth because it requires a lot of tolerance and a lot of patience and…"

Morgan cut in to note that the elder Baldwin has a reputation for being "a bit hot-headed."

Billy Baldwin replied: "Let me remind you that John McCain and Rudy Giuliani are quite the same and they are very successful and highly effective politicians."

Baldwin returns to NBC's "30 Rock" in the fall for the show's abbreviated final season.

'Big Brother' Introduces Format Shake-Up, New Houseguests

"Big Brother" has found a way to distinguish itself from that pesky look-alike show "The Glass House."

CBS, which is currently embroiled in a legal entanglement with ABC over the similarities between its own "Big Brother" and that network's "The Glass House," announced a format shake-up for its upcoming 14th season on Thursday. The network also revealed the identities of the new competitors for the  season, which premieres July 12.

For the first time, "Big Brother" will bring four of the most successful players from previous seasons back on the show to compete against each other in a separate competition for their own prize.

The four returning contestants will be introduced during the show's season premiere.

The network also introduced the 12 new houseguests who will populate the "Big Brother" house this season. The incoming contestants range from the former bass player for the female metal group Kittie to a house-flipper from Bennington, Vt.

For the record, the decor theme of the "Big Brother" house this season will be "urban pop culture," with three-dimensional, white “wave wall” covers in the living room. Of course, it's the waves that the contestants will make among each other that will most draw viewers' interest.

Meet the new "Big Brother" contestants below. Which contestants do you hope to see return for the new season? Have your say in the comments section.

Jenn Arroyo, 37
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Current City: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Musician / Former Bass Player for the Female Metal Group “Kittie”

Joe Arvin, 41
Hometown: Lexington, Ky.
Current City: Schererville, Ind.
Chef

Frank Eudy, 28
Hometown: Marion, Ark.
Current City: Naples, Fla.
Unemployed

Jodi Rollins, 42
Hometown: Englewood, Colo.
Current City: Calipatria, Calif.
Restaurant Server

Willie Hantz, 34
Hometown: Vinton, La.
Current City: Dayton, Texas
Tankerman

Wil Heuser, 24
Hometown: Louisville, Ky.
Current City: Louisville, Ky.
Marketing Consultant

Ashley Iocco, 26
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Current City: West Hollywood, Calif.
Owner of a Mobile Spray Tanning Company

Shane Meaney, 26
Hometown: Bennington, Vt.
Current City: Bennington, Vt.
House Flipper

Kara Monaco, 29                                                                
Hometown: Orlando, Fla.       
Current City: Los Angeles, Calif.         
Model         

Danielle Murphree, 23
Hometown: Grant, Ala.
Current City: Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Nurse

JoJo Spatafora, 26
Hometown: Staten Island, N.Y.
Current City: Staten Island, N.Y.
Bartender

Ian Terry, 21
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Current City: New Orleans, La.
Engineering Student

'Smash' star Katharine McPhee: 'We're excited to have Jennifer Hudson'

Katharine McPhee has said that she is "excited" to work with Jennifer Hudson on Smash.

Hudson signed on to appear on the NBC series' second season as Tony-winning Broadway star Veronica Moore, who impacts the lives of Karen (McPhee) and Ivy (Megan Hilty).

McPhee has admitted that she is unsure what Smash execs have in store for Veronica but revealed that she and the rest of the cast are looking forward to Hudson's arrival.

"I do know she's going to be more of an iconic Broadway figure who has interaction with me and Megan but I don't know what that means yet," McPhee explained to Parade.

"I don't know what kind of character she is yet but I'm very excited to have her on the show. I've met her several times and she's very sweet. We're all excited to have her!"

Hudson recently described her role on Smash as "the perfect opportunity" and confessed that she is slightly "intimidated" to join the show.

'Kick-Ass' star Clark Duke in talks for 'The Office'

Clark Duke is in talks to join The Office as a series regular.

The NBC comedy will undergo a partial reboot for its ninth season, with several cast members departing.

Kick-Ass actor Duke will play a new employee at Dunder Mifflin, according to TVLine.

The 27-year-old actor's recent television credits include a starring role on ABC Family's Greek and a guest appearance on Fox's New Girl.

His film roles include 2007's Superbad, 2008's Sex Drive and 2010's Hot Tub Time Machine.

Rainn Wilson (Dwight) is expected to leave The Office next season to star in his own spinoff series, while Mindy Kaling (Kelly) will also depart for her new Fox show The Mindy Project.

B J Novak (Ryan) has also stepped down from a full-time Office role, with Catherine Tate (Nellie Bertram) rumoured to be joining as another new regular.

However, stars Ed Helms (Andy), John Krasinski (Jim) and Jenna Fischer (Pam) are all expected to return full-time.

Looking back at The Legend of Korra

I am a fan of children's entertainment that dares to be real. I don't believe in talking down to children or making things easy for them: I believe in being honest about the world in which they live. It's why I loved Avatar: the Last Airbender, a show that begins with the genocide of an entire nation of people and deals with themes far more mature than anything you'll ever see on Spongebob Squarepants. My favorite series of all time is Harry Potter, which never hesitates to point out that there are costs of war and people die. And it was this same sense of maturity that drew me into The Legend of Korra, which proved itself far darker than its predecessor and far more willing to deal with complicated moral themes.

One of the biggest themes the show dealt with was obviously the conflict between benders and the Equalists, and the show never backed down from dealing us a complicated story that left it hard to tell what is right. The point I keep coming back to over and over again is the fact that the Council, which seems to function as the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of Republic City's government all in one, is currently full of benders. Not only are the non-benders being taxed without representation in their own government, but from what I can gather from Yakone's trial, people accused of crimes are tried by that same body of government. Forget being tried by a jury of their peers or even a jury of both benders and non-benders alike: citizens of Republic City are tried by the same body that makes and enforces the laws.

None of this seems fair and throughout history, we can look at revolutions and see a mixture of peaceful and violent protests. Some have succeeded, some have not, but there's no hard and fast rule as to which kind of protest will have which result. So is it really that hard to understand - however much you might disagree - the fact that a group of people got tired of being oppressed and decided that those in power deserved a taste of their own medicine?

And while you're looking through your history books, take a look at any number of dictators and marvel at the fact that in nearly every case, they take a look at an unhappy population, find a scapegoat for their problems, and gain power on a platform of destroying those who've been blamed. We see two examples of this in the series, once disturbingly through Tarrlok as he ruthlessly imposes curfews for all non-benders, cuts their power, arrests an entire city block of people, and refuses to let any of them go. His aborted rise to power is based on blaming all non-benders on the extremist actions of a few.

The other example, is of course Amon, who appeals right into the psyche of the non-benders who are dissatisfied with the current way of life. If non-benders can't be elevated to the level of benders, then he will drag benders down to the level of those who can't. It's a sick side of the darker parts of human nature and sometimes I still can't believe that it was showcased on a children's show.

Through this, Amon - just like so many dictators who came before him - inspires the people. Korra rightly points out that his true power is not his exceptional skill at bloodbending, it's his ability to spur thousands of people into action. And it's because he convinced them all so thoroughly that he was right - because he made each and every one of them genuinely believe that what he was doing was best for the world - that his fall from grace cuts them so deep. We see up close the reaction of his lieutenant who angrily shouts that he dedicated his entire life to Amon. The truly scary thing is that he means it, and that there are people in our own world just like him.

Ultimately, I can't hate the Equalists - it's not that hard for me to understand how a population with legitimate complaints could fall for the lies of Amon. Their central point wasn't wrong--they're treated unfairly and something has to change.

This is a show designed for children that is actively engaging with oppression, classism, ableism, and other sociological concepts that even at age twenty-five, I still struggle with myself.

That's the true legacy of Korra. Put aside the amazing and improved animation. Take out the impressive talent of the voice cast. Ignore the fondness you still hold for the original series. At its heart, once you strip away all of that, the best thing The Legend of Korra ever did was treat us as equals. There's no pretentious mumbo-jumbo that we "just don't understand," nor does it patronise viewers. The writers respect their audience both young and old, and it is that respect that caused them to present us with the truth.

Daring to be so honest on a children's show is a bold move, one that I am constantly impressed that Nickelodeon has been willing to let Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko take. By being honest with us, they've given us the foundation for a discussion in our own world and I, for one, have had a blast talking about it with you.

Glen Mazzara talks The Walking Dead season 3

Glen Mazzara is busy overseeing the highly anticipated third season of The Walking Dead and has spared some time to talk about what fans can expect.

On the prison:

“There is no safe haven in this world. I want to make that clear. At the end of our season 2 finale that farm is overtaken and that farm was that last safe haven, and there’s no safe haven in that world. I want to be very clear about that. No one is safe. There is no safe haven.

"The prison itself will be a threatening, malevolent character. It is a challenge to live in the prison. And I think we’ve really been able to get a lot of story out of it. So it will not feel like a safe corner keeping our characters away from central action. It will really play that they are in a shark cage. Life in a prison is life in a shark cage."

Mazzara goes on to talk about characters and storylines from the comic book series and how they fit in with the upcoming season:

"We’re taking the major tent-pole characters and storylines from the comics and adapting them to our alternate universe of the TV shows. So it will be just as surprising to comic-book fans as to non-comic-book fans as to how all of it lays out.

"He (The Governor) makes a surprising appearance. I don’t want to give anything away as to the exact episode, but the audience will certainly be ready for his appearance — and they won’t have to wait too long.

"Certainly there’s challenging material in the comic book, and I would say there’s equally challenging material on our TV show. I think at the end of season 2 we showed that we don’t pull punches… We’re not going to get soft now. However, we’ll do things on our own time, or when it makes sense for the show. And we’re definitely looking at this Governor-Michonne-Woodbury-prison storyline as a long-term arc."

'Dexter' exec on season seven: 'Everyone's plot is thickening'

Dexter exec Sara Colleton has hinted at upcoming plots in the show's seventh season.

The showrunner revealed to TV Guide that Quinn (Desmond Harrington) has a past relationship with a new character, club manager George (Jason Gedrick).

"When the Miami Metro has to investigate the killing of a fellow police officer, it leads them to one of Isaac (Ray Stevenson)'s clubs that George manages," Colleton explained.

"Quinn knows George from his days in narcotics because, along with it being a driving nightclub stripper business, it's also a place where the Ukrainian mob laundered a lot of money and passed its drugs and guns and all sort of things."

Colleton added that "everyone's plot is thickening" in the serial killer drama's new episodes.

It was recently announced that Dexter will conclude after eight seasons, with Colleton describing season seven as the first half of "a two-season series-ender".

Dexter returns to Showtime on Sunday, September 30 at 9/8c. In the UK, the series airs on FX.

TV Tonight 6th of July 2012

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

    20/20 S34E50: "Heaven: Where Is It? How Do We Get There?"
    7 Days (NZ) S04E17: "Season 4, Episode 17"
    A.N.T. Farm S02E06: "The ANTagonist"
    Accel World S01E13: "Violation"
    America's Most Wanted S25E30: "Season 25, Episode 30"
    Avondetappe, De S08E07: "Season 8, Episode 7"
    Bethenny S01E20: "Get ready for Summer!"
    Better Homes and Gardens S14E23: "Season 14, Episode 23"
    Big Brother (UK) S14E34: "BB 13, Episode 34"
    Big Brother (UK) S14E33: "BB 13, Episode 33"
    Big Brother's Bit on the Side S04E32: "Series 4, Show 32"
    Blockbusters (2012) S01E40: "Series 1, Show 40"
    Bunk S01E05: "Dana Gould, Michael Che and Andy Daly"
    Campione! S01E01: "Episode 1"
    Chasing UFOs S01E03: "Alien Cowboys"
    Come Dine With Me S19E19: "Series 19, Come Dine With Me"
    Come Dine With Me S19E18: "Series 19, Episode 15"
    Comedy Bang! Bang! S01E05: "Seth Rogen Wears a Plaid Shirt & Brown Pants"
    Coronation Street S53E129: "Fri July 6, 2012 [Episode 1]"
    Coronation Street S53E130: "Fri July 6, 2012 [Episode 2]"
    Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai S01E01: "Episode 1"
    Dateline NBC S21E58: "Season 21, Episode 58"
    Days of our Lives S47E169: "Ep. #11879"
    Deal Or No Deal (UK) S07E282: "Episode 1962"
    Dickinson's Real Deal S08E123: "Series 8, Episode 123"
    Dora the Explorer S07E04: "Benny the Castaway"
    EastEnders S28E106: "July 6, 2012"
    Emmerdale S41E156: "July 6, 2012"
    Femme Fatales S02E07: "Family Business"
    Fish Hooks S02E22: "Little Fish Sunshine"
    Flying Wild Alaska S03E05: "Money Pit"
    Four In A Bed S03E45: "Payment Day"
    General Hospital (US) S50E68: "#12596"
    Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden S22E220: "Season 22, Episode 220"
    Gravity Falls S01E04: "The Hand That Rocks the Mabel"
    Hagure Yuusha no Estetica S01E01: "Episode 1"
    Hollyoaks S18E135: "July 6, 2012"
    Hollywood Heights S01E15: "Loren's Song"
    Home and Away (AU) S25E120: "Episode 5555"
    Hounds (NZ) S01E06: "Season 1, Episode 6"
    House Hunters S50E10: "Boston Couple Has Big Money to Spend"
    House Hunters International S34E05
    House Hunters on Vacation S02E06: "A Hollywood Getaway Among the Stars"
    Jeopardy! S28E210: "Show #6415"
    Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate S01E01: "Episode 1"
    Kono Naka ni Hitori, Imouto ga Iru! S01E01: "Episode 1"
    Live with Kelly S29E223: "Rose Byrne, Caroline Manzo, guest co-host Mark Feuerstein"
    Masterchef Australia S04E54: "Masterclass 9"
    Moyasimon S02E01: "Episode 1"
    My Babysitter's a Vampire S02E02: "Say You'll Be Maztak"
    My Yard Goes Disney S02E05: "Surf's Up with the Greens"
    Mystery Diners S01E08: "Undercover Brother"
    Neighbours S28E130: "Episode 6440"
    Parents S01E02: "Episode 2"
    Parents S01E01: "Episode 1"
    Phineas and Ferb S03E45: "Doofapus"
    Real Rescues S08E20: "Series 8, Episode 20"
    Say Yes To The Dress S08E08: "What's My Style"
    Say Yes To The Dress S08E07: "His Opinion…"
    Shaun Micallef is Mad as Hell S01E07: "Episode 7"
    Shaun the Sheep Championsheeps S01E10: "Showjumping"
    Shaun the Sheep Championsheeps S01E09: "Weightlifting"
    The Bachelor (UK) S02E02: "Series 2, Episode 2"
    The Bold and the Beautiful S26E75: "Ep. #6359"
    The Chase (2009) S05E89: "Series 5, Episode 89"
    The Dead Files S02E13: "Starvation Heights"
    The Graham Norton Show S11E00: "Compilation Show"
    The Jeremy Kyle Show S07E203: "July 6, 2012"
    The Million Pound Drop Live S10E07: "Series 10, Episode 7"
    The Project S04E160: "Season 4, Episode 160"
    The Revolution (2012) S01E105: "Season 1, Episode 105"
    The Ricky Gervais Show S03E12: "World Cup"
    The View S15E197: "Wayne Brady, Haley Reinhart, guest co-host Andy Cohen"
    The Young and the Restless S40E74: "Ep. #9943"
    Tipping Point S01E05: "Episode 5"
    Tyler Perry's House of Payne S07E74: "Not in the Cards"
    Tyler Perry's House of Payne S07E73: "Payneful Distance"
    Whale Wars S05E07: "Never Say Die"

'Community' director: 'Chevy Chase told me to f**k off'

Community guest director Jay Chandrasekhar has revealed that he once had an uncomfortable encounter with the show's star Chevy Chase.

Chandrasekhar appeared on the Sklarbro Country podcast and discussed a dispute with Chase while filming the episode 'Mixology Certification', in which Chase's Pierce Hawthorne was confined to a wheelchair.

"We were shooting a bit where he's in a wheelchair... and we shot the beginning of the bit and we shot the payoff to the bit," the director recalled.

"The bits are in three parts: beginning, and move along, and payoff... So I said, 'All right, Chevy, it's time to shoot the second part of the bit', and he goes, 'Eh, you don't need it'. And I'm like, 'Yeah, yeah we need it, we need it'. He goes, 'Nah, don't worry about it, you don't need it'.

"And I'm like, 'Yeah, well, we shot the intro, we shot the payoff, we kind of need the move-along section'. He goes, 'Oh, I see, are you telling me about comedy?' And I said, 'Well, you know, in this case, I actually am'. He goes, 'Go f**k yourself!' And he gets up and he storms off."

Chandrasekhar went on to stress that he has no hard feelings towards Chase since the actor later apologised for his behaviour.

"I actually like and love Chevy Chase," he said.

Chase famously feuded with Community creator Dan Harmon this year, but eventually stepped back from his criticism of the sitcom.

Harmon has since been replaced by David Guarascio and Moses Port on Community, but it is not clear if the public sniping played a role in his firing.

Chase and the entire Community cast have inked deals to return for season four.

Game of Thrones season 3 casting news

Two new roles, one male and one female, have been assigned for Game of Thrones season 3…

We can expect a steady trickle of casting news for the third season of Game of Thrones to come our way over the next few weeks, as names are slowly ticked off the list of new characters arriving in season three.

First up is the man behind Brynden ‘The Blackfish’ Tully, uncle to Catelyn, Lysa, and Edmure, and younger brother to Lord Hoster Tully. Brynden appears in the first book of George R.R. Martin’s series, but has been kept off screen until the TV show’s third season.

The actor to play him? Familiar face (if not name) on TV and film, Clive Russell, most recently seen in the BBC’s Casualty and both Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes films. The 66-year-old Scottish actor will be campaigning with great-nephew Robb Stark (Richard Madden) as skilled fighter Brynden in the new season.

Next comes news that relative newcomer Charlotte Hope is to play a character named Myranda in season three. That could either mean one of three things: 1) that the first appearance of Myranda Royce, noblewoman and daughter to Lord Nestor Royce, is being fast-tracked from book four to season three, 2) that Hope will be playing an entirely new character, or 3) she’s to be a version of Mya Stone, the guide who accompanies Catelyn Stark on the treacherous path up to the Eyrie in book one.

Noises are also being heard about The Office and Pirates of the Caribbean actor Mackenzie Crook having joined the show in some capacity, in addition to The Tudors' Sarah Bolger and Hollyoaks' Nathalie Emmanuel, but we'll wait to see what's confirmed.

With the Game of Thrones ComicCon panel imminent, watch this space for more news on the next season.

'Newsroom' star hits back at criticism: 'Show is not preachy'

The Newsroom star Sam Waterston has dismissed accusations that the show is "preachy".

The HBO drama was recently renewed for a second season, but has received a mixed reaction from critics.

"I think it's aspirational," Waterston - who plays Charlie Skinner - told the Los Angeles Times.

"I would only think people would use that word [preachy] in order to dismiss it because there's a lot of opinion in it. God help us, isn't there a lot of opinion in the talking-heads world of cable television?"

The 71-year-old actor added that it is "lying" in the news business that "drives [series creator] Aaron [Sorkin] nuts".

"That's a completely bipartisan and unpreachy thing, if you ask me," he argued. "It seems to me that that's coming from some place much more visceral than where people preach from."

The Newsroom continues on Sundays at 10/9c on HBO. The series will make its UK debut on Tuesday, July 10 at 10pm on Sky Atlantic.

'TOWIE' Arg on Gemma romance: 'I don't need a storyline'

James 'Arg' Argent has dismissed suggestions that his fledgling relationship with his The Only Way Is Essex co-star Gemma Collins is fake.

The reality TV star told Heat that he did not need a 'showmance' to boost his profile on the programme.

"The great thing about us is that everything between us has happened off camera," Argent said.

"I don't like to sound arrogant, but if there's one person who doesn't need a storyline, it would be me.

"I had the most airtime of all on series five, and the Gemma situation only got revealed in the last episode. I don't need to go on camera and fake anything."

He added: "I'm really fond of her. I think she brings out the best in me. You know, the old Arg.

"I had a bad phase when I broke up with Lydia [Bright] and Gemma's the best thing that's happened to me since."