'All-American Muslim' Canceled by TLC

'All-American Muslim' Canceled by TLC

"All-American Muslim," the TLC reality show that gained attention when hardware chain Lowe's pulled ads under pressure from an evangelical group, will not be back for another season, the network said Wednesday.

The show, which followed Muslim families in Michigan, was targeted by a Florida group that claimed it was "propaganda clearly designed to counter legitimate and present-day concerns about many Muslims."

Lowe's almost immediately buckled, canceling its ads. Celebrities including Jon Stewart, Mia Farrow and Russell Simmons then came to the show's defense, painting its critics as intolerant. Thousands of people signed an online petition calling for Lowe's to resume its ads, and Farrow and Simmons called for a Lowe's boycott.

Stewart mock-challenged TLC to perpetuate more stereotypes, saying on "The Daily Show" that TLC's "Little People, Big World" should feature more characters who whistle while they work and make candy for Willy Wonka.

But not all of the division over the show was about its lack of stereotypes.

The travel site Kayak said the attention on the show prompted it to examine whether it should continue airing advertising on it. Robert Birge, Kayak's chief marketing officer, said he decided to pull ads not because "All-American Muslim" was propaganda, but because "the show sucked."

Though the show completed its first season, its finale had 729,000 total viewers, a 58 percent decline from its premiere.

Ellen DeGeneres: 'Bully' Movie 'Can Save Lives,' Should Be Rated PG-13

Ellen DeGeneres: 'Bully' Movie 'Can Save Lives,' Should Be Rated PG-13

Ellen DeGeneres spent a little more than a minute advocating for The Weinstein Company documentary "Bully" on her nationally televised talk show Wednesday.

"Last month I got to see a new documentary that's coming out called 'Bully,'" DeGeneres said. "It's an important movie for everyone to see -- especially kids. The problem is, they've given the movie an R rating."

DeGeneres said that "there is some language in the movie. It's mature but it's not gratuitous because it's part of the real story of bullying and it's real language that bullies are using -- but having an R rating makes it difficult for anyone under 17 to see it."

The talk show host said that "after seeing it, I can tell you that the lessons that the kids learn from this movie are more important than any words that they might hear -- and they're words that they know already anyway."

She said that "You can't show R rated movies in schools -- and that's exactly where the movie needs to be shown. So I think it's important for the movie to be rated PG-13."

In the audience for the taping was Katy Butler (right), a 17-year-old Michigan girl who started an online petition through change.org to change the rating to PG -- and who delivered more than 200,000 signatures to the MPAA headquarters on Wednesday morning.

"I have signed the petition," DeGeneres said. "And I hope you will, too."

See DeGeneres talking about "Bully" and welcoming Butler here.

'Mad Men' creator Matthew Weiner: 'I quit the show'

'Mad Men' creator Matthew Weiner: 'I quit the show'

Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner has admitted that he briefly quit the show.

Weiner was involved in a dispute with AMC and Lionsgate TV, which led to the fifth season of the '60s-set drama being delayed.

"I quit, at the negotiation," the showrunner told The New York Times. "And in the end, everything worked out."

Weiner added that he had "come to terms with the fact that [Mad Men] was over" after four seasons.

"I always end every season like it's the end of the show," he explained. "There was a terror in me that someone else would come in and do it. And I don't know how they would do it, but I would have to live with that."

He added: "I did not feel that it was worth going back to work to make a show that was not the show I'd been making."

Mad Men star Jon Hamm (Don Draper) recently criticised the "billionaires" he believed to be responsible for the 18-month gap between Mad Men's fourth and fifth seasons.

"When billionaires fight, it takes a lot longer to... settle," he said. "So we had some very wealthy people determining how long we would be off the air."

Mad Men returns to AMC in the US on March 25 and will air in the UK two days later on Sky Atlantic.

Developement Update: the 8th of March

Developement Update: the 8th of March

AMERICANA (ABC) - Christine Adams ("Terra Nova") and David Alpay ("The Tudors") have both been cast in the drama pilot, about Robert Soulter (Anthony LaPaglia), creator of the most iconic fashion brand in the world. She's on board as his current wife Sierra Delon-Soulter, an ex-supermodel whose legendary cat-like eyes still sparkle; while he's set as Robert's grown son Jesse, who serves as the co-president of Americana. The previously cast Natalie Mendoza plays Robert's ex-wife Wendy, with whom he has an eight-year-old son; with Emilie de Ravin as Jesse's sister Francesca, who come from Robert's first marriage. Writer Michael Seitzman and director Phillip Noyce are behind the ABC Studios-based project, which also stars Annabeth Gish, Ashley Greene, Ken Olin and Tiffany Hines. (Deadline.com)

CASSANDRA FRENCH'S FINISHING SCHOOL FOR BOYS (MTV) - Eric Garcia's drama - about a 22-year-old overachiever who gets her dream job as a lawyer for a Hollywood studio but can't find a guy ready for a real, mature relationship that decides to lock one up in her basement in order to train him to become the perfect gentleman - has been ordered to pilot by the cable channel. Krysten Ritter also serves as an executive producer on the project, which is based on Garcia's novel of the same name. (Deadline.com)

DEVIOUS MAIDS (ABC) - Brianna Brown ("General Hospital") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about four maids (Ana Ortiz, Judy Reyes, Roselyn Sanchez and Dania Ramirez) with ambition and dreams of their own while they work for the rich and famous in Beverly Hills. She'll play Taylor Slate ("beautiful and willful"), a trophy wife who employs one of them (Ortiz). Angelique Cabral, Edy Ganem and Rebecca Wisocky also star in the ABC Studios-based hour, from writer Marc Cherry and director Paul McGuigan. (THR.com)

DILFS (NBC) - Jesse Bradford ("Outlaw") has booked the remaining lead role on the comedy pilot, about a trio of thirtysomething guys who live in the same high-rise - Nick (Zach Cregger), Chris (Bradford) and Gary (Anthony Anderson) - dealing with parenthood despite the fact they haven't grown up themselves. He'll play Chris, "a handsome and recently divorced lawyer who is confident in everything except parenting his 9-month-old son, Ernie." Jamie-Lynn Sigler also stars in the Universal Television-based half-hour, from co-creators Amy Ozols, Charlie Grandy and Jimmy Fallon. Scott Ellis is directing. (Deadline.com)

DOWNWARDLY MOBILE (NBC) - Romy Rosemont and Mary Birdsong have both been cast in the Roseanne Barr-led comedy pilot, about Rose Davis (Barr), the proprietor of a mobile home park and surrogate mother to all of the unique people who live there in a challenging economy. Birdsong will play Kathie Lee, an ex hooker Rose once rescued and now totally controls; while Rosemont is set as Shelia, a lesbian nurse at an old persons' home. John Goodman also stars in the 20th Century Fox Television-based half-hour, to be directed by Gail Mancuso. (Deadline.com)

THE GILDED LILYS (ABC) - John Barrowman ("Torchwood") has joined the cast of the pilot, a period drama revolving around the family who owns New York's first true luxury hotel, the staff who work there and the people who pass through. He's set as Julius Ashford Lily ("golden boy, he's mama's favorite, charming, optimistic, lucky, and loose"), Caroline's (Blythe Danner) playboy son who helped design and staff The Lillian Hotel, the brainchild of his brother Edwin (Brían F. O'Byrne). Brigid Brannagh, Madeline Zima, Matt Lauira, Matt Long, Maury Sterling and Sarah Bolger also star in the ABC Studios-based hour, from writer K.J. Steinberg and director Brian Kirk. (Deadline.com)

L.A. NOIR (TNT) - Jeremy Strong ("The Good Wife") is the latest addition to the drama pilot, which chronicles the epic battle between Los Angeles Police Chief William Parker and mobster Mickey Cohen in the 1950s and 1960s. He'll play Mike Hendry, Mickey's second in command. Jon Bernthal and Milo Ventimiglia co-star in the project, from writer/director Frank Darabont. (Deadline.com)

MISTRESSES (ABC) - Australian director Cherie Nowlan ("90210") has been tapped to helm the pilot for the upcoming drama, which follows the lives of four female friends and their involvement in an array of illicit and complex relationships. She'll work from a script by K.J. Steinberg, who's executive producing alongside Douglas Rae, Rina Mimoun and Robert M. Sertner for ABC Studios. The network ordered the project directly to series last month. (Variety.com)

NASHVILLE (ABC) - Connie Britton ("Friday Night Lights") has booked the lead role on the drama pilot, which centers around the Nashville music scene and its stars, both rising and fading. She'll play aging superstar Rayna James, a married mother of two, who's forced to team up with teen sensation Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere) on tour to keep her label's support going. Clare Bowen, Eric Close, Jonathan Jackson, Powers Boothe, Robert Wisdom and Sam Palladio also star in the project, from ABC Studios and Lionsgate Television. R.J. Cutler is directing from a script by Callie Khouri. (Deadline.com)

OVER AND OUT (CBS) - Actor-turned-director Fred Savage ("2 Broke Girls") has been tapped to helm the Martin Lawrence-led comedy pilot, about Ray Barker, a widowed father of two teenagers who, after losing his job in construction, decides to go to the police academy and become a cop at the age of 46. Savage, who has an overall deal with producer CBS Television Studios, will work from a script by Mike Lisbe and Nate Reger. (THR.com)

UNTITLED RALPH LAMB PROJECT (CBS) - Carrie-Anne Moss ("Chuck") has booked the female lead on the pilot, a period drama about Ralph Lamb (Dennis Quaid), the cowboy-turned-Las Vegas sheriff in the 1960s. She'll play Assistant District Attorney Katherine O'Connell ("pretty, whip smart; a woman playing a man's game"), the daughter of a local rancher who grew up next to the Lambs who's more Ivy league than Western now. Michael Chiklis and Taylor Handley also star in the CBS Television Studios-based hour, from director James Mangold and co-creators Nicholas Pileggi and Greg Walker. (Deadline.com)

THE UNPROFESSIONAL (ABC) - Greg Germann ("House of Lies") has booked a role on the Mary McCormack-led comedy pilot, about Hilary Pfeiffer-Dunne, "a high-powered executive who, having dominated the corporate America for years, now faces the biggest challenge of her life when she finds herself unemployed and acting as a full-time mom to her two teenagers." He'll play her husband Griffin ("handsome and likable - much more easy going than Hilary, but equally successful"), who has a playful relationship with the kids that sometimes makes her feel left out. Craig Zisk is directing the Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour from a script by Kari Lizer. (Deadline.com)

Lindsay Lohan thanks Zooey Deschanel for 'SNL' support

Lindsay Lohan thanks Zooey Deschanel for 'SNL' support

Lindsay Lohan has thanked Zooey Deschanel for supporting her Saturday Night Live hosting stint.

Lohan's fourth time hosting the NBC sketch show on Saturday, March 3 received a mixed reaction from viewers, with some suggesting she relied too heavily on cue cards, although New Girl actress Deschanel spoke out in her defence.

Deschanel told Entertainment Weekly: "I thought she did a really good job. Everyone reads off cue cards. There were some people saying, 'She read off cue cards!' Everyone - the cast members, the host - everyone reads off cue cards."

Lohan has now thanked Deschanel in a Twitter post, which also thanked Jimmy Fallon and Jay Leno for their support. "It meant so much to me," she wrote.

The Mean Girls star had promoted her SNL stint with an appearance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, where she asked the host if he would make an appearance in her episode.

In another message to a follower, the actress revealed her nerves at being on camera, writing: "I was so nervous at first! ahh... it's been a bit since i hosted last! (sic)"

Responding to another message of congratulations on her performance, she said: "It means a lot to know that people enjoyed it. That's why I wanted to be an actress/entertainer in the first place!"

Jonah Hill will serve as the host of this weekend's SNL, which features musical guest The Shins.

SNL airs Saturdays at 10.30/9.30c on NBC.

Fashion Star mentor John Varvatos: Elle Macpherson is enduring beauty

Fashion Star mentor John Varvatos: Elle Macpherson is enduring beauty

Fashion Star mentor John Varvatos has described the show's host Elle Macpherson as "one of the most beautiful women" in the world.

The designer will work alongside Macpherson and fellow mentors Jessica Simpson and Nicole Richie on the NBC design competition, which premieres Tuesday, March 13.

Discussing his fashion icons in an NBC video, he said: "My icons are more past icons like Steve McQueen, growing up with Robert Plant and Jimmy Paige, the rock icon, that kind of thing. Those were kind of my muses when I started out, then the fashion icons today who kind of create their own style for sure.

"To me it's not about being a follower, it's about being a leader. It's less about people in general than kind of the past and how I can bring that to the future, and in beauty, there are so many great, beautiful women out there."

He added: "We have one of the most beautiful women in the world on this show, Elle. We were sitting on stage filming the first show and I leaned over to Nicole and said, 'That's why they call her a supermodel'.

"She is so articulate and smart and gorgeous. When you talk about beauty, that is enduring beauty, that's amazing."

Fashion Star's format will see Varvatos, Simpson and Richie offering guidance to the designer contestants as they battle to win a multi-million prize that will allow them to launch their collection in one of America's top retailers.

'Misfits' US remake to shoot in late 2012?

'Misfits' US remake to shoot in late 2012?

A US remake of Misfits could enter production later this year.

It was first announced in October that Gossip Girl co-creator Josh Schwartz was in talks to adapt the E4 drama.

Clerkenwell Films, the company behind the UK series, has now confirmed that a deal has been struck with Schwartz's Fake Empire production company.

"Josh Schwartz (Gossip Girl, The O.C.) has co-written an American pilot of Misfits with [UK creator] Howard Overman," the company wrote on its website. "Production is anticipated in 2012 / early 2013."

A US broadcaster for the Misfits remake has yet to be confirmed.

A fourth series of the UK original will debut on E4 in late 2012, with three new series regulars being introduced to replace departing stars Iwan Rheon (Simon) and Antonia Thomas (Alisha).

Joe Gilgun recently announced that he will reprise his role as Rudy in the new episodes.

"I'm looking forward to [the next series] 'cos there's going to be some new characters and I think that's a really good thing," said Gilgun. "[It'll give the show] a fresh outlook."