TV Stations Getting Rich From Misleading Super PAC Ads, Watchdog Group Says

Television stations are getting rich by airing political ads from Super PACs and other outside groups that station officials know are misleading, a Washington public interest watchdog group charged Thursday.

In an e-mail blast, the watchdog group Free Press asked the public to protest the broadcast industry's refusal to check facts in ads sponsored by independent political groups during the current election cycle.

Some political analysts project that TV stations will reap more than $3.3 billion in political ad revenue by election day next month, with up to half of that projected to be chipped in by Super PACs and other groups with no direct affiliation with the candidates.

The watchdog Center for Responsive Politics says that, as of Oct. 18, there were 942 Super PACs, and those groups had spent a total of $393 million.

One of the biggest Super PACs, Restore Our Future, which supports Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, had spend $97.3 million as of Oct. 18, the center said.

Priorities USA Action, which supports President Obama’s re-election campaign, had spent $44.3 million as of Oct. 18, the center said.

Under the law, broadcasters are legally obliged to run ads from political candidates themselves, even when those spots include blatant falsehoods. But the law says that broadcasters can reject deceptive ads from Super PACs and other groups not directly affiliated with candidates.

“The problem is not a lot of stations are doing that,” Timothy Karr, Free Press senior director of strategy, told TheWrap.

To combat the misinformation, Free Press is asking the public to weigh in, and Free Press has volunteered to deliver the messages to the Big 4 TV network affiliated stations in the top 50 markets, where most of the political ad dollars are being spent.

 “Our campaign hopes to convince stations to do the right thing by connecting them with many of the outraged viewers in their markets,” Karr told TheWrap.

Dennis Wharton, a spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters, declined to comment to TheWrap.

Under a landmark 2010 Supreme Court decision, Super PACs are allowed to raise and spend as much money as they like during campaigns -- as long as they don’t contribute money directly to the candidates.

'Copper' Gets 2nd Season From BBC America

"Copper" has locked up another run.

BBC America has given the green light to a second season of "Copper," the first original scripted series for the network.

The renewal comes ahead of the season one finale of the series, which airs Oct. 21 at 10 p.m.

The series stars Tom Weston-Jones as detective Kevin Corcoran, a rugged Irish immigrant cop who's seeking justice for the powerless in 1864 New York City.

The order expands the second season to 13 episodes.

Since premiering in August, "Copper" has drawn more than a million total viewers each week, with its series premiere pulling in 1.8 million total viewers.

Calling the series "the perfect fit for the channel," Perry Simon, General Manager, Channels for BBC Worldwide America added, "Our viewers have made it our highest-rated series premiere ever and highest-rated drama series ever."

Dara O'Briain to host 'Science Club' for BBC Two

Dara O'Briain is to host a new six-part science series for BBC Two.

Science Club will feature reporters and expert guests exploring fascinating facts and tackling unexpected questions.

Each week, the team will take a subject, such as extinction, Einstein, space exploration or sex, and examine it from various angles with in-depth studio discussion, films and on-the-spot reports.

Example topics include: 'Did you know that the bicycle has done more to improve the human immune system than any other invention in history?', 'Are computers ruining music?' and 'Do smart drugs really make you brainier?'.

O'Briain, who has a degree in mathematics and theoretical physics, will be joined by materials scientist and engineer Mark Miodownik, neuroscientist Tali Sharot, physicist and oceanographer Helen Czerski and journalist Alok Jha.

There will also be special guest appearances from Marcus Brigstocke, James May, Jessica Hynes, Mark Steel, Josh Widdecombe and Ed Byrne.

O'Briain said: "I'm very excited to be opening the doors to my brand new Science Club on BBC Two. It's for anyone who, like me, is curious about space, brains, extinction and sex and all the great ideas about how the universe works.

"And if that doesn't grab you, we'll show you how to measure the speed of light using cheese on toast or find your DNA with strong Polish vodka."

Dara O'Briain's Science Club will air on BBC Two in early November.

Tulisa 'angers X Factor bosses with late-night parties'

The X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos has reportedly angered bosses by hosting late-night parties in her dressing room.

The N-Dubz star has apparently been smoking backstage and allowing friends to hang out with her until the early hours.

Studio staff can't close the building until the parties have finished because she refuses to leave, The Sun claims.

"It's just not very professional. She's smoking in her dressing room in the breaks and it's full of her chavvy pals all drinking from her minibar," a source said.

"When they won't leave it means the security staff are stuck there waiting to lock up."

Producers apparently want the judges to set better examples for their acts after Rylan Clark and Lucy Spraggan were kicked out of London's Corinthia Hotel. It is feared all the contestants could be asked to leave over their increasingly wild behaviour.

Andy Samberg to Star in Mike Schur Police Comedy

Andy Samberg definitely isn't letting the grass grow under his feet after departing "Saturday Night Live."

Samberg, who left "SNL" in June, has signed on to star in an upcoming project from "Parks and Recreation" co-creator and showrunner Mike Schur.

The untitled project, which has received a pilot order from Fox, is about  a diverse group of police detectives in New York City. Schur is co-writing the project with "Parks and Recreation" writer Dan Goor; both will executive-produce.

The single-camera comedy has received a put-pilot commitment from Fox, meaning that the network is subject to financial penalties if the pilot doesn't air.

The comedy comes from Universal Television and 3 Arts Entertainment.

Samberg will also be starring in the upcoming BBC 3 comedy series "Cuckoo," as a slacker full of outlandish, New Age ideas who marries a British woman, much to her parents' dismay.

Deadline first reported the news of Samberg joining the Schur project.

Chris O'Dowd to shoot wife Dawn Porter for charity

Chris O'Dowd will shoot his wife Dawn Porter on TV for charity.

The actor will perform the stunt using a paintball gun with the help of illusionist Derren Brown.

Chris O'Dowd and wife Dawn Porter arriving for the premier of The Sapphires at the Odeon West End, London.

O'Dowd hopes to raise up to £10,000 for Channel 4's Stand Up to Cancer charity campaign through performing the stunt.

He will be offered five guns, with four being empty. However, one will be loaded and O'Dowd must correctly choose this gun to secure the money for charity.

The couple married in August this year and Porter has recently changed her Twitter name to Dawn O'Porter.

O'Dowd tweeted ahead of Friday's stunt: "This Friday I will #StandUpToCancer. I may get knocked down, but i will stand up again."

The couple are the latest stars to join the campaign which was set up by Gwyneth Paltrow and Cancer Research UK.

'Grand Designs' 100th edition enthrals over 3 million

Channel 4's Grand Designs celebrated its 100th edition with an audience of over 3 million viewers last night (October 17).

Kevin McCloud's architecture series, still one of the broadcaster's best performers after 13 years on air, achieved a series high of 3.05m (13.5%) in its traditional Wednesday 9pm slot, also adding an impressive 553k (3.5%) on +1.

Then 10pm's Shameless, which was recently cancelled, climbed to 989k (6.5%).

Meanwhile, ITV was given a big boost by Emmerdale's hour-long live episode, as All Star Mr & Mrs (3.8m/16.7%) and DCI Banks (4.36m/19.2%) both lost viewers week-on-week. Mrs & Mrs had a further 228k (1%) on +1, and Banks added 206k (1.3%) on timeshift.

Over on BBC One, Watchdog (4.72m/21.3%) won its 8pm slot, while Who Do You Think You Are? mustered 3.38m (14.9%) for the tale of John Barnes's family history.

At the same time, Welcome to India interested 1.74m (7.7%) on BBC Two, standing as the channel's best-rated broadcast of the night. An hour earlier at 8pm, Great British Food Revival served up 1.72m (7.8%).

Elsewhere, Dallas took 1.19m (5.3%) for Channel 5 at 9pm (+1: 130k/0.8%), prior to which 1.07m (4.9%) watched Emergency Bikers.

Overall, ITV1 topped primetime with 22.9% (+1: 1.1%), ahead of BBC One's 18.4%, Channel 4's 7.2% (+1: 1.2%), and Channel 5's 4.2% (+1: 0.3%).

The Only Way Is Essex continued on with 794k (1.7%) on ITV2 at 10pm, appealing to a further 175k (1.9%) an hour later, while Jo Brand's sitcom Getting On returned to BBC Four with 517k (2.9%).

'Strictly Come Dancing' Denise Van Outen told to tone down banter?

Strictly Come Dancing star Denise Van Outen has reportedly been asked to tone down her banter with partner James Jordan.

Producers have requested the pair stop making "X-rated" jokes while their dance rehearsals are being filmed, the Daily Star reports.

The majority of footage from their training sessions apparently ends up on the cutting room floor because it's too rude to broadcast.

A source said: "They keep forgetting the cameras are there. Their chatter and jokes are quite X-rated."

Van Outen and Jordan have since promised to "keep it clean" for the cameras in future.

The presenter managed to perform on last weekend's show despite suffering from whiplash during rehearsals for the jive routine.

TV Tonight 19th of October 2012

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

    20/20 S35E06: "Season 35, Episode 6"
    7 Days (NZ) S04E25: "Season 4, Episode 25"
    A Haunting S05E02: "Angels and Demons"
    America's Next Top Model S19E08: "The Girl Who Comes Back"
    Anderson Live S02E30
    Antiques Road Trip S05E15: "Series 5, Episode 15"
    Are We There Yet? S03E25: "The Nick Gets Promoted Episode"
    Astrid in Wonderland S03E05: "Season 3, Episode 5"
    Behzat Ç. S03E05: "Öteki... Bizden Olmayan..."
    Bellator Fighting Championships S07E04: "Bellator 77"
    Better Homes and Gardens S14E38: "Season 14, Episode 38"
    Big Brother (AU) S09E60: "Daily Show 39"
    Blue Bloods S03E04: "Scorched Earth"
    Boss S02E10: "True Enough"
    Busou Shinki S01E03: "Crash! Battle Trike"
    Coronation Street S53E206: "Fri Oct 19, 2012 [Episode 2]"
    Coronation Street S53E205: "Fri Oct 19, 2012 [Episode 1]"
    CSI: NY S09E04: "Unspoken"
    Cursed S01E02: "Inherited Misery"
    Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team S07E07
    Dateline NBC S22E05: "FR2204"
    Daybreak S03E35: "October 19, 2012"
    Days of our Lives S47E233: "Ep. #11943"
    Deadly Women S06E10: "Too Close For Comfort"
    Deal Or No Deal (UK) S08E59: "Episode 2052"
    Doctors S14E114: "The Pain and the Itch"
    EastEnders S28E166: "October 19, 2012"
    Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers S04E06: "Series 4, Episode 6"
    Embarrassing Bodies S06E14: "Cancer Special"
    Emmerdale S41E248: "October 19, 2012"
    Family Guns S01E05: "One Shot, One Kill"
    Fashion Police S07E41: "Flashback Episode"
    Figure It Out S05E05: "Featuring Elizabeth Gillies"
    For Better or Worse (2011) S02E26: "Momma's Boy"
    For Better or Worse (2011) S02E25: "When Jenny Meets Harold Part 2"
    Gardeners' World S45E28: "October 19, 2012"
    General Hospital (US) S50E142: "#12670"
    Ghost Adventures S07E06: "Sedamsville Rectory"
    Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden S23E35: "Season 23, Episode 35"
    Gold Rush S03E00: "The Long Road"
    Golden Goal S13E06: "Season 13, Episode 6"
    Grimm S02E08: "The Other Side"
    Gustafsson 3 tr S02E02: "TBA"
    Have I Got News for You S44E02: "Jo Brand, Richard Bacon"
    Haven S03E05: "Double Jeopardy"
    Helicopter Heroes S06E15: "Series 6, Episode 15"
    Hollyoaks S18E210: "October 19, 2012"
    Home and Away (AU) S25E195: "Episode 5630"
    House Hunters S50E85
    House Hunters International S34E81
    I Cesaroni S05E10: "Genio tra le pagine"
    I Cesaroni S05E11: "Miracolosamente"
    Judge Judy S17E40: "Designer Shoe Deal Gone Bad; Sister-in-Law Feud"
    K S01E03: "Kitchen"
    Later... with Jools Holland S41E04
    Lightning Point S01E18: "See the Light"
    Live with Kelly and Michael S30E30: "Michelle Obama, Brandy"
    Loose Women S17E35: "Series 17, Show 35"
    Made S12E23: "Professional Wrestler"
    Mastermind (UK) S41E10: "Series 41, Show 10"
    Me and Mrs. Jones S01E02: "Episode 2"
    Monsters Inside Me S03E03: "My Face-Eating Parasite"
    Motorcity S01E13: "Fearless"
    Mystery Diners S02E01: "The Tipping Point"
    Natural World S32E03: "Queen of Tigers"
    Neighbours S28E205: "Episode 6515"
    Nikita S03E01: "3.0"
    Norske Talenter S05E08: "Season 5, Episode 8"
    NTSF:SD:SUV S02E10: "Family Dies"
    Nytt På Nytt S27E07: "Season 27, Episode 7"
    Oh Oh Europa S01E40: "Season 1, Episode 40"
    Oniichan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai Yo Ne! S01E03: "Episode 3"
    Paranormal Paparazzi S01E05: "Jersey Shore UFO"
    Pastewka S06E05: "Der Masseur"
    Piers Morgan's Life Stories S08E05: "Felicity Kendal"
    Pointless S07E38: "Series 7, Episode 38"
    Primetime S24E05: "What Would You Do? (22)"
    Psycho-Pass S01E02: "The One Who is Capable of Doing"
    QI S10E06: "Joints"
    Real Time With Bill Maher S10E31: "Season 10, Episode 31"
    Robotics;Notes S01E02: "Only if There are Romance, Hope, and Dreams"
    rodzinka.pl S03E14: "Król jest nagi"
    rodzinka.pl S03E13: "Zwierzątko domowe"
    Salatut elämät S15E35: "Lasse kuokkii vaarallista maaperää"
    Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta S04E18: "TBA"
    Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta S04E17: "Poof, There It Is!"
    Secret Princes S01E05: "Happily Ever After?"
    Senkveld S22E07: "Season 22, Episode 7"
    Shark Tank S04E06: "Season 4, Episode 6"
    SlugTerra S01E05: "Deadweed"
    Spy (2011) S02E01: "Codename: Growing Rogue"
    Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two S09E10: "Series 9, Episode 10"
    The Bold and the Beautiful S26E148: "Ep. #6432"
    The Chase (2009) S05E119: "Series 5, Episode 113"
    The Chew S02E30: "Episode 268"
    The Dead Files S03E06: "Surrounded & Hotel Hell"
    The Dr. Phil Show S11E34: "Inside the World of OCD"
    The Graham Norton Show S12E01
    The Jeff Probst Show S01E30: "What Are the Odds?"
    The Jeremy Kyle Show S08E35: "October 19, 2012"
    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson S08E160
    The Project S04E250: "Season 4, Episode 250"
    The Simpsons S24E00: "Stand Up To Cancer"
    The Ultimate Fighter S16E06
    The View S16E34
    The Voice of Holland S03E09: "The battles 2"
    The Young and the Restless S40E147: "Ep. #10016"
    Thuis S18E40: "Season 18, Episode 40"
    Transformers: Prime S02E24: "Patch"
    Trollied S02E09: "Series 2, Episode 9"
    Tron: Uprising S01E08: "The Reward"
    Van Der Vorst Ziet Sterren S06E04: "Season 6, Episode 4"
    Vocea României S02E04: "Blind Auditions #4"
    Wereld draait door, De S08E35: "Season 8, Episode 35"
    WWE Friday Night SmackDown! S12E108: "Season 12, Episode 108"
    Yukon Men S01E10: "Last Chance Part 2"
    Yukon Men S01E09: "Last Chance Part 1"
    Zetsuen no Tempest S01E03: "There Are Things Even Magic Cannot Do"

Brendan Fraser to Star in TNT Pilot 'Legends'

"The Mummy" star Brendan Fraser has a new gig all wrapped up.

Fraser will star in the TNT pilot "Legends," the network said Thursday.

"Legends," based on a book by spy novelist Robert Littell, centers on Martin Odum, a deep-cover operative who has a chameleon-like ability to transform himself into a different person for each mission.

The pilot, which is produced by Fox 21, will be executive-produced by Howard Gordon ("Homeland"), Jeffrey Nachmanoff ("The Day After Tomorrow"), Alexander Cary ("Homeland") and Jonathan Levin ("Charmed").

Ratings: 'American Horror Story: Asylum' Hits Series High With Season 2 Premiere

"American Horror Story: Asylum" scared up some pretty good ratings with its premiere Wednesday night.

The FX drama and twisted brainchild of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk grabbed 3.9 million total viewers, with 2.8 million of them in the advertiser-cherished 18-49 demographic, giving the show a 2.2 rating in the demo. That placed "American Horror Story: Asylum" behind its CBS timeslot competitor "CSI," but ahead of ABC's "Nashville" and "NBC's "Chicago Fire."

Wednesday night's premiere set a new high for the series, beating out any previous telecasts from the series' first season, and beating out the "American Horror Story" series premiere last year in the demo by 37 percent and by 21 percent in total viewers.

Olympian Beth Tweddle, EastEnders' Matt Lapinskas join Dancing on Ice?

Beth Tweddle and Matt Lapinskas have reportedly signed up to take part in Dancing on Ice.

Olympic medal-winning gymnast Tweddle has started training for the ITV ice skating competition already, according to The Sun.

"Olympians are competitive people so it was a no-brainer to sign one up," a show source said. "Beth has great poise for obvious reasons and was keen to give it a go. We've seen her on the ice and she's very good. She'll be a great contender."

Former EastEnders star Lapinskas will also reportedly take part, in addition to Coronation Street actress Samia Ghadie, who plays Maria Connor on the ITV soap.

"Matt and Samia will be great too. They're good skaters and our viewers love the soap stars," the insider added.

Dancing on Ice is expected to return to ITV1 in January 2013.

'Animal Practice' Put to Sleep

"Animal Practice," a key part of NBC's strategy of unveiling broader comedies this season, is being euthanized.

The low-rated veterinary comedy, starring Justin Kirk and an adorable Capuchin monkey, is the second casualty of the fall TV season after CBS's "Made in Jersey." NBC hyped the show heavily for advertisers and critics as it promoted plans to go for broader sitcoms, rather than the cerebral, narrow comedies that have dominated its Thursday nights.

Crystal the monkey became a kind of unofficial mascot of the new, broad approach, inviting headlines both amused by the monkey and derisive from of the shift from heady comedies.

"Whitney" will take the place of "Animal Practice," on Nov. 14, which shakes up another night for NBC: "Whitney" was supposed to air alongside "Community" in a Friday night comedy block. It's unclear now whether NBC will find another show to pair with "Community," or find a new slot for the low-rated but critically beloved community college comedy.

Not to be too alarmist, but there is a precedent for NBC shuffling a show to Friday only to cancel it before it aired: It did so with "Southland," which then moved to TNT. NBC previously delayed the planned Friday premiere of "Whitney" and "Community."

Tagg Romney Wanted to 'Take a Swing' At Obama

Tagg Romney, the eldest of Mitt Romney's five sons, jested in a radio interview that he wanted to "take a swing" at President Obama during Tuesday's debate.

In an interview with North Carolina radio host Bill LuMaye, the 42-year-old was asked what it was like to hear the president call his father a liar.

"You want to rush down to the debate stage and take a swing at him," Tagg Romney responded. "But you know you can't do that because, well, first because there's a lot of Secret Service between you and him, but also because that's just the nature of the process. They're gonna to try to do everything they can do to try to make my dad into someone he's not. We signed up for it. We've got to kind of sit there and take our punches and then send them right back the other way."

To be clear, we're all just talking about rhetorical punches, right?

Tagg Romney also said his father is "absolutely" nervous before debates.

"Are you kidding? He's terrified before he gets out there!" he said. "Terrified is too strong a word. but you know, like anybody, he gets butterflies a little bit. And then once he's in it, two or three minutes, he's forgotten about the nervousness and he's amped up and ready to go."

CW's Digital Studio to Premiere 'Prom Queen,' 'CelebTV' Web Series

Both shows join CWD's slate, which includes "Hart of Dixie" actor Wilson Bethel's scripted effort "Stupid Hype."

The CW is shoring up web properties to launch under CWD, the network's digital studio.

CWD has acquired Prom Queen: Homecoming, the new season of Vuguru's scripted web series Prom Queen, and will launch CelebTV on The CW, it was announced Wednesday by Rick Haskins, executive vp, marketing and digital programs at The CW.

Prom Queen: Homecoming, according to the official synopsis, "takes Edward Adams High on a ride that its students will never forget. The school has not been the same since the tragic murder on prom night. Now, after this year's prom queen is found murdered, a new mystery unravels." Homecoming is the final chapter of the franchise, which was developed and financed by the Michael Eisner-formed multiplatform studio Vuguru.

CelebTV on The CW is a daily series hosted by Kelli Zink that features the network's stars, in front of the camera and off-set. Michelle Carney is executive producer.

Both web series, including previous seasons of Prom Queen, are available on The CW's official website. They join other CWD projects, including Hart of Dixie star Wilson Bethel's '90s-esque scripted parody series Stupid Hype, premiering at the New York Television Film Festival.

'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Take the Spotlight at Brand Licensing Europe Event

Co-creator Kevin Eastman and Nickelodeon's Rich Magallanes discuss the staying power of the franchise before a Turtles-themed party in London.

Nickelodeon's successful reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the franchise's co-creator Kevin Eastman were in the spotlight during a keynote appearance here at Brand Licensing Europe 2012 on Tuesday.

Eastman recalled how he and his co-creator self-published the first Turtles comic, and it sold well. "That really was a dream come true," he said. "And it is great to see that things are going so well 30 years [or so] later."

Eastman, who has remained actively involved in the franchise's creative direction, was joined by Rich Magallanes, senior vp, animation, current series at Viacom's Nickelodeon, which acquired the Turtles franchise a few years ago and this fall relaunched it with a new animated series.

"Reinventing this property was one of the most daring things we have ever done at Nickelodeon," he said. "And we did it in a way that's fresh, yet held on to the authenticity."

Asked why the franchise continues to appeal to audiences, particularly boys, Magallanes said: "It's got a lot of action in it. They are heroes, but not superheroes with superpowers. And there is humor. Comedy always sells."

He also mentioned fantasy and role play elements, relatable characters, the fact that the Turtles are a team of brothers and that they are teenagers coming into their own. "All that is relatable to teenagers' lives," he said.

The reboot also emphasizes different physical traits of the Turtles and underlines their difference in personalities, allowing viewers to identify with one specific character and the whole team at the same time, Magallanes said.

Asked how villain Shredder was created, Eastman said he and his co-creator were doing the dishes, and he ended up drying a cheese grater. As he slipped his hand inside, he said "wouldn't Grater be a great villain?" he recalled. His partner then suggested the name Shredder instead.

Tuesday evening, the Nickelodeon team invited people to London's hip Shoreditch neighborhood for a party that served Turtles-themed colorful cocktails and pizza, which features prominently in the show as the Turtles' favorite food. Four people dressed up as the Turtles were on hand for those looking for picture opportunities.

Mark Kingston, vp of Nickelodeon's consumer products business in the U.K. and Australia told the crowd that the new series has brought "new life to this great franchise."

At next month's MTV European Music Awards, the Turtles will have a presence as part of a campaign of global Viacom support.

And the animated Turtles show will in its second season feature even more villains and new vehicles, he said in addressing licensing and toy industry attendees.

The event also showed a very early brief CG-animated preview of the 2014 planned movie release Ninja Turtles from producer Michael Bay, which drew much applause.

'Hawaii Five-0' Sets 'Heroes' Reunion for Season 3

George Takei will reunite with Masi Oka in an upcoming episode of the CBS drama.

Star Trek alum George Takei will guest star on an upcoming episode in the drama's third season, CBS announced Wednesday. He will play Chin Ho Kelly's (Danel Dae Kim) uncle.

Takei -- who landed a cameo on Ryan Murphy's The New Normal -- appeared on NBC's Heroes as Kaito Nakamura, Hiro's (Masi Oka) father during the show's four-season run. Oka is a regular on Hawaii Five-0 as Dr. Max Bergman.