NBC Sports Gets in the Game With Major League Soccer

NBC Sports Gets in the Game With Major League Soccer

There's a new team in Major League Soccer this year, and we're not just talking about the Montreal Impact, MLS's 19th franchise. NBC now shares English-language TV rights with ESPN and will air 41 regular-season games on the NBC Sports Network (the channel formerly known as Versus) and three on NBC proper.

Season 17 kicks off this weekend, and the first nationally televised game features two strong contenders, FC Dallas hosting the New York Red Bulls (Sunday, 3/2c, NBC Sports Network). "You've got a lot of firepower in this match-up, and these two teams reflect the general ethos of the league this year, which will be [to] attack and produce entertaining soccer," says Arlo White, who will serve as the main play-by-play announcer for NBC/NBC Sports Network. He'll partner with analyst Kyle Martino, who will be sitting at field level during the game.

White, a former BBC Radio announcer in his native England, won kudos in Seattle for his work on local telecasts for the Seattle Sounders and has seen MLS steadily improve in quality on the field. "I can tell you having spent three months in the UK during the off-season, that Major League Soccer is mentioned more times in the English football media than I've ever heard before," he says. "The league has gone from something of a joke overseas to something approaching legitimacy in the eyes of soccer fans around the world. People have seen that it's being done correctly, that it's not beating its chest and shouting from the mountain top that they're the best."

American fans have become just as soccer savvy as their international counterparts and White promises that NBC's coverage won't insult their intelligence. "Soccer fans are very sophisticated in the United States," he says. "They don't need to be spoon fed. So don't expect many explanations of the offside rule. We're going to be covering it as if people know this sport."

Here are some upcoming nationally televised games:

Monday, March 12: Philadelphia Union at Portland Timbers (9:30/8:30c, ESPN2)

Sunday, March 18: Colorado Rapids at Philadelphia Union (4/3c, NBC Sports Network)

Friday, March 23: Houston Dynamo at Seattle Sounders (10/9c, NBC Sports Network)

Sunday, March 25: Colorado Rapids at New York Red Bulls (4/3c, ESPN)

Once Upon a Time's Mama Drama: Will Emma Finally Learn the Truth?

Once Upon a Time's Mama Drama: Will Emma Finally Learn the Truth?

Dealing with family can often be challenging, but in the world of Once Upon a Time, the element of magic has made the family dynamic even more complicated.

Jennifer Morrison's down-to-earth Emma had previously lived a rootless existence, but now she's decided to stay in Storybrooke long-term, and her presence has begun to chip away at the curse the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla) had unleashed on the town. While this has caused the residents to see changes in their lives that have put them on the path to learning their true fairy tale identities, Emma is also undergoing her own transformation. Although she's currently unaware that the alter ego of her roommate Mary Margaret (Ginnifer Goodwin) is actually both her mother and Snow White, living with her has made an impact.

"In the beginning of the year, Emma was a person with walls up, who didn't let anyone in," executive producer Edward Kitsis tells TVGuide.com. "We always said she's a character looking for home, but she doesn't know where that is because she's never experienced it. Now, through the year, we've seen Henry [Jared Gilmore] and Mary Margaret poking at that wall. Underneath that wall is the role of being a savior, and who wants the job of saving everybody when you can't save yourself?"

Though Emma has been mainly working to uncover the true motives of the mayor Regina -- who is in fact the Evil Queen and therefore Mary Margaret's stepmother --  as the series heads towards its first season finale, Emma's emotional journey will come back into focus. "She's going to have to make a decision what she wants out of her life, if she wants to stay in this town and what her role in this town is going to be," executive producer Steve Pearlman says.

In particular, the upcoming Wonderland-themed episode on March 25 will mark a turning point for Emma in whether she truly believes in the curse or not. "She obviously doesn't believe in any of this, but now there's been enough people who have said enough things that there's enough cracks for her to start to figure out that something is going on," Morrison says. "She's slowly, but surely broken down to possibly believe."

Believing that the curse is real, and that the Storybrooke residents are actually fairy tale characters, means that Emma will have to accept that her new best friend, Mary Margaret, is actually her mother, whose actual identity is also Snow White — both of which the roommates often joke about in passing. "Ultimately, there's going to be a point where that has to happen," Morrison says. "I think we're headed toward those worlds having to be exposed in some way. Emma can't be skeptical for six years."

As Emma continues to butt heads with Regina, the producers plan to juxtapose their often hostile relationship with that of Snow White and the Evil Queen. "The parallels between all those characters, and the fact that they're all one big dysfunctional, twisted family is something we're playing into in a big way," executive producer Adam Horowitz says.

Those parallels will play heavy into an early April episode, where the audience will finally learn the catalyst of the Evil Queen's hatred for Snow White, which ultimately lead to the curse. To tease the upcoming reveal, Kitsis asked fans to ponder this: "Why was the Evil Queen so unhappy at their wedding? Why did her very wedding make her so upset?" Adds Horowitz: "True love seems to piss off the Evil Queen, why is that?"

"It's a real gift to the audience that we're going to tell that story this season," Goodwin notes. "It's a very important piece of the puzzle, and folks will sympathize with the Evil Queen in ways they're not expecting."

As previously reported, that episode will flash back to a young Evil Queen — and a young Snow White not played by Goodwin — and the Queen's own mother, Cora (Barbara Hershey). "Cora helps me understand Regina more because the way Regina is with Henry — we see that she loves her son, maybe not in the healthiest way, but she does and that's very similar to how Cora loves Regina," says Parrilla, who also teases that we may see more heart-crushing before the season is up. "Cora loves her daughter, but she wants the best for her and she controls and manipulates the situation in the same ways that Regina does with Henry."

While Parrilla was shy to say whether Regina might ultimately change her mind about the curse, she noted, "There are some concerns and questions around the curse that you'll see, like, who really made that curse and what was in that curse?"

Still, the curse may be affected in other ways as the producers plan to call back to the premiere's pivotal clock-ticking moment in the finale. "It's huge," Pearlman says of the season-ender. "It's quite large in typical Lost fashion. With Emma coming to town in the pilot, she got the clock to start ticking, which started to affect everybody in the town in different ways. In the season finale, there will be something that will happen that will affect everybody in the town."

TV Tonight 12th of March 2012

TV Tonight 12th of March 2012

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

    1000 Ways to Die S03E42: "Enter the Ferret"
    112 - på liv och död S05E25: "Del 25 av 36"
    71 Grader Nord: Norges Tøffeste Kjendis S03E03: "Season 3, Episode 3"
    A Question of Sport S43E13: "March 12, 2012"
    Alcatraz S01E10: "Clarence Montgomery"
    Alexander Armstrong's Big Ask S02E06: "Series 2, Episode 6"
    American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior S03E05: "The Call"
    American Pickers S04E14: "TBA"
    Antiques Road Trip S04E21: "Series 4, Episode 21"
    Bang Goes The Theory S06E01: "Fuel for Free"
    Basketball Wives S04E04: "Season 4, Episode 4"
    Being Human (US) S02E09: "When I Think About You I Shred Myself"
    Belga Sport S06E06: "Ingrid Berghmans, Het verdriet van Mevrouw Judo"
    Bethenny Ever After S03E04: "Shrink Resistant"
    Big Brother Sverige S08E20: "Del 20"
    Bizarre Foods S07E08: "Savannah"
    Blade Anime S01E09: "The Bond"
    Bondi Rescue S07E06: "Season 7, Episode 6"
    Brille S01E09: "Season 1, Episode 9"
    Caged S01E10: "Season 1, Episode 10"
    Canada's Got Talent S01E04: "Toronto Auditions (2)"
    Canadian Pickers S02E09: "Strange Animals"
    Chelsea Lately S06E49
    Chelsea Lately S06E41
    Cleverdicks S01E11: "Episode 11"
    Come Dine With Me S18E49: "Series 18, Series 41"
    Coronation Street S53E52: "Mon Mar 12, 2012 [Episode 2]"
    Coronation Street S53E51: "Mon Mar 12, 2012 [Episode 1]"
    Dance Academy S02E01: "In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated"
    Danger 5 S01E03: "Kill-Men Of The Rising Sun"
    Danni Lowinski S03E06: "Karoshi"
    Days of our Lives S47E86: "Ep. #11796"
    Deal Or No Deal (UK) S07E182: "Episode 1862"
    Der Letzte Bulle S03E06: "Es lebe der Sport"
    Dickinson's Real Deal S08E70: "Series 8, Episode 70"
    Dirk Gently S01E02: "Episode 2"
    Disappeared S04E20: "Little Girl Lost"
    Doctors S13E217: "Daddy Cool"
    Dokter Deen S01E07: "Elle de Vlee"
    EastEnders S28E42: "March 12, 2012"
    Éden Hotel S02E05: "Season 2, Episode 5"
    Embarrassing Bodies S06E02: "Thailand (2)"
    Emmerdale S41E60: "March 12, 2012"
    Empire S01E03: "Playing The Game"
    Exotische Liefde S02E03: "Season 2, Episode 3"
    Får vi följa med? S01E06: "Del 6"
    Four In A Bed S04E01: "Series 4, Episode 1"
    Gadget Geeks S01E09: "Series 1, F1 Special"
    General Hospital (US) S49E240: "#12514"
    Gintama S05E49: "New Year`s Envelopes Are Perfect for Dirty Jokes"
    Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden S22E136: "Season 22, Episode 136"
    Hacktion S02E05: "A hazugság müvészete"
    Halv åtta hos mig S08E29: "Stockholm - Konstantin"
    Helt Perfekt S02E03: "Season 2, Episode 3"
    Hoarders S05E11: "Constance/Jeri Jo"
    Hollyoaks S18E51: "March 12, 2012"
    Home and Away (AU) S25E36: "Episode 5471"
    Hotel cæsar S28E166: "Season 28, Episode 166"
    House Hunters S48E50
    House Hunters International S25E53
    Intervention S12E11: "Sean"
    Jeopardy! S28E126: "Show #6331"
    Jimmy Kimmel Live S09E217
    Karatefylla S02E04: "Season 2, Episode 4"
    Kickin' It S01E20: "The Wrath of Swan"
    Lab Rats (2012) S01E03: "Leo's Jam"
    Late Kick Off S03E09: "Series 3, Episode 9"
    Late Show with David Letterman S19E39: "Will Ferrell, Jon Bernthal"
    Little Mosque on the Prairie S06E09: "Haunted Mosque on the Prairie"
    Live with Regis and Kelly S29E140
    Mary Shelley's Frankenhole S02E08: "Franz Kafka's Jealousy!"
    Ministry of Curious Stuff S01E10: "Episode 10"
    Mr. D S01E09: "Quiz Cup"
    Mr. Young S02E02: "Mr. Spring Break"
    Neighbours S28E46: "Episode 6356"
    Panorama S60E09: "Murdoch's TV Pirates"
    Pasila S05E08: "Elämän rouva"
    Pointless S06E21: "Series 6, Episode 21"
    Pretty Little Liars S02E24: "If These Dolls Could Talk"
    Riots And Revolutions - Nel's Arab Journey S01E02: "Episode 2"
    RuPaul's Drag Race S04E07: "Dragazines"
    RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked S03E07: "Dragazines"
    Scott and Bailey S02E01: "Series 2, Episode 1"
    Skins S06E08: "Liv"
    Smash S01E06: "Chemistry"
    Sousei no Aquarion S02E11: "Episode 11"
    The Bachelor S16E12: "After the Final Rose"
    The Bachelor S16E11: "Season 16 Finale"
    The Bad Girls Club S08E08: "Sister Act"
    The Biggest Loser (AU) S07E29: "Season 7, Episode 29"
    The Bold and the Beautiful S25E248: "Ep. #6278"
    The Chase (2009) S05E30: "Series 5, Episode 30"
    The Colbert Report S08E36: "Katherine Boo"
    The Daily Show S17E72: "Grover Norquist"
    The Dales S02E03: "Series 2, Episode 3"
    The Ellen DeGeneres Show S09E119
    The Jeremy Kyle Show S07E126: "March 12, 2012"
    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson S08E46: "Leslie Bibb, David Milch"
    The Revolution (2012) S01E41: "Season 1, Episode 41"
    The Tonight Show with Jay Leno S19E255: "Jessica Simpson, Adam Carolla, Soja"
    The Tube (2012) S01E04: "Episode 4"
    The View S15E124: "TBA"
    The Voice (US) S02E07: "The Battles, Week 2"
    The Young and the Restless S39E247: "Ep. #9862"
    Thuis S17E141: "Season 17, Episode 141"
    Top Chef Canada S02E01: "TBA - Season 2, Episode 1"
    Ultimate Police Interceptors S02E01: "Series 2, Episode 1"
    University Challenge (1994) S18E44
    Watch What Happens: Live S06E45: "Nicole Richie and Sean Avery"
    Watson & Oliver S01E04: "Episode 4"
    Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal S01E47: "Yuma's Denied!? The Stolen "Kattobing"!"
    Zeke and Luther S03E22: "Inside Luther's Brain"

Spartacus Episode 7: Things That Made Us Go "Ew!"

Spartacus Episode 7: Things That Made Us Go "Ew!"

On Friday's Spartacus: Vengeance, we find more reasons to really hate Glaber, which means that his eventual comeuppance will be sweet... and bloody!

The praetor has begun a reign of terror that mandates that any person who's thought to be a Spartacus sympathizer will be crucified, literally. He later invites Gannicus to help lead his men to victory against the rebels. Miserable with their lives under Glaber's rule, Lucretia thinks up a scheme to get Ilithiya out of town and then makes her own offer to Gannicus: She'll arrange it so certain guards are called away, making it easy for him to kill Glaber, which will end the crucifixions. Being Gannicus, he instead slaughters the caravan bringing Ilithiya to Rome and leaves behind his rudis, a rejection of the so-called freedom they had granted him.

Meanwhile, the rebels have successfully freed a ship full of slaves who then join their ranks. Crixus isn't thrilled since they're all Germanic like Agron. He's even less thrilled when the biggest one, Sedullus, tries to force himself on Naevia. As a result, Spartacus' men and the new recruits engage in an all-out battle royal that ends only when Spartacus kills Sedullus. This apparently earns the respect of the new guys, who then pledge themselves to his cause.

The Bodies - Although we don't actually see any bumping and grinding, Ashur's continued rape of Lucretia reaches skeevy new heights now that he's playing mind games: He makes her call him "dominus" and wear the red wig that her late husband always liked on her. Sick and wrong! Later, Glaber and Seppia getting it on isn't anything gross physically, but psychologically, we're disturbed since he's the one who gleefully murdered her dear brother Seppius. Just wait until she finds out! We have a feeling her wrath will be especially fun to watch.

The Blood  - Let's count down to the worst (or is it the best?) "Ew!" death:

5. The fight belowdecks in the slave ship has plenty of bloody moments, but the standout is the guard's slow-mo fall, which allows us plenty of time to see inside his slashed and spurting neck.

4. Wow, was it a year ago that we watched the Gods of the Arena finale? Thanks for the flashback of Gannicus' insanely horrifying, jaw-breaking victory.

3. Husband of the Year Glaber begins the crucifixions by making an example of Ilithiya's body slave. Seeing the spikes getting hammered into her flesh and hearing her cries is both heartbreaking and painful.

2. Gannicus' caravan butchery is just that: butchery. Titus Andronicus and Sweeney Todd's Ms. Lovett would have their pick of limbs, torsos and plenty of entrails for pies.

1. Spartacus' face-off (ha!) with Sedullus is a blur until the end when he slices off the German's face, making him into kind of a revolting reverse TeleTubby. And just when we think we're done, the camera snaps back to that red-meat mask ringed by hair and skin... and the brain slides out of the cavity and plops to the ground.

Castle Scoop: Seriously, When Are Castle and Beckett Getting Together?

Castle Scoop: Seriously, When Are Castle and Beckett Getting Together?

It's the question Castle fans have been asking since the series premiered: When will Rick Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) finally get together?

"True Caskett fans are going to be well-pleased by the end of this season," Katic told TVGuide.com just prior to Friday's PaleyFest event, which was moderated by TV Guide Magazine's William Keck. "We're well on our way in that direction."

The intrepid novelist and tough detective have been continually dancing around their feelings, with Beckett feigning amnesia after Rick told her he loved her when she was shot, and Beckett being gut-wrenched to learn that she wasn't Castle's first muse. That honor belonged to Sophia (Jennifer Beals), whom he had slept with and who also turned out to be a Russian spy.

Beckett has been wanting to tell Castle that she heard him say those three little words from the beginning. "Beckett was just wanting to find the right time to do it," Katic said. "She doubts herself a little bit in wondering whether he feels the same way. When the two-parter happened, Beckett wondered if it's all just in her [head], and she's not as special to him as she thought she was."

Meanwhile, Castle has been secretly investigating Beckett's mother's murder case, while keeping Beckett in the dark for her own protection. "There's going to be some secret-divulging before the end of the season," Katic said. "I can't imagine that it would be very comfortable to know that the guy you're in love with has been holding you back from solving the biggest case of your life."

Those secrets will come pouring out soon, with creator Andrew W. Marlowe noting that the March 19 episode, "A Dance With Death" is "the last calm episode before some interesting stormy waters for the characters. This was the season of secrets. Those secrets are going to start to come out and they're going to have repercussions for both of our characters and will lead to a very exciting, very emotional conclusion to the season."

Last season's finale was a heart-pounding game changer that climaxed with Beckett being shot at Captain Montgomery's funeral, whereas "This finale is going to be emotionally big and no fan of the series should miss it," said Marlowe. "There may be some element of [danger], but it really is about the emotional storytelling in that one."

Big Bang Theory Nabs Stephen Hawking for Cameo

Big Bang Theory Nabs Stephen Hawking for Cameo

Has Dr. Sheldon Cooper met his match?

The Big Bang Theory has finally nabbed famed theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking to film a cameo.

As first reported by TV Guide Canada, Hawking filmed a scene with Jim Parsons, a.k.a. Sheldon, Friday for the show's April 5 episode. In the scene, Hawking has a "run-in" with Sheldon.

The CBS comedy had invited Hawking to appear on the show before, but at the time they were told he was too ill to participate. Hawking's appearance will air the week after another big guest star stops by. Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy will lend his voice to the March 29 episode when he speaks to Sheldon in a dream sequence.

Hawking, coincidentally, played a hologram of himself on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and also played himself on The Simpsons and Futurama.

Are you excited to see Hawking and Sheldon together?

The Big Bang Theory airs Thursdays at 8/7c on CBS.

Kill Bill’s Michael Madsen Arrested for Child Endangerment

Kill Bill’s Michael Madsen Arrested for Child Endangerment

Michael Madsen, best known for appearing in Quentin Tarantino films Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill: Vol. I and II, was arrested Friday for child endangerment, People reports.

Madsen, 54, was booked at a Los Angeles County Sheriff's station following a fight with his teenage son. He was charged with a felony count of child endangerment with cruelty to a child and released on $100,000 bail.

He was arrested at his Malibu home by deputies responding to a family disturbance call. Detectives from the Special Victims Bureau were following up on claims that Madsen was fighting with his son while intoxicated, the Sheriff's Department told People. Madsen's son did not require medical attention.

Madsen's attorney, Perry Wander, told TMZ that the actor "found his son smoking pot and they got in an argument when he tried to take it away. It's a family matter and Michael asks that his family's privacy be respected."

Madsen has five sons, two with his second wife Jeannine Bisignano and three with his third wife, Deanna Morgan.

In addition other famous roles in films such as Thelma and Louise and Sin City, Madsen most recently guest-starred on the final season of 24 and appeared on the UK version of Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year.