Nickelodeon's "The Legend of Korra" to Premiere on Saturday, April 14

Nickelodeon's "The Legend of Korra" to Premiere on Saturday, April 14

The mythology of the beloved animated franchise from Avatar: The Last Airbender creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, continues with the Nickelodeon premiere of The Legend of Korra on Saturday, April 14, at 11:00 AM (ET/PT), with a one-hour television event featuring back-to-back episodes. The all-new series centers around a new Avatar named Korra, a 17-year-old headstrong and rebellious girl who continually challenges and bucks tradition on her quest to become a fully realized Avatar in a world where benders are under attack. The Legend of Korra will air regularly on Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.

"Mike and Bryan created an incredibly layered world with the animated Avatar franchise -- rich with mythology and artistry," said Brown Johnson, President, Animation, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group. "The Legend of Korra takes their vision even further, into a more modern world led by a new Avatar who is a fearless and spirited teenage girl."

The Legend of Korra takes place 70 years after the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender and follows the next Avatar after Aang - a girl named Korra (Janet Varney) who is from the Southern Water Tribe. With three of the four elements under her belt (Earth, Water and Fire), Korra seeks to master Air. Her quest leads her to Republic City, the modern "Avatar" world that is a virtual melting pot where benders and non-benders from all nations live and thrive. Korra quickly discovers that the metropolis is plagued by crime as well as a growing anti-bending revolution that threatens to rip the city apart. Under the tutelage of Aang's son, Tenzin (J.K. Simmons), Korra begins her airbending training while dealing with the dangers at large.

In the premiere episode, "Welcome to Republic City," Korra leaves the safety of her home and travels to bustling Republic City to begin her airbending training. Once there, she is shocked to find a big city full of dangers, including criminal bending gangs and a vocal anti-bending revolution. In episode two, "A Leaf in the Wind," Korra is living with her airbending teacher Tenzin on Air Temple Island. Frustrated with her inability to master airbending, she turns her attentions to Republic City's famous Pro-bending Arena. There she befriends two brothers, Mako (David Faustino) and Bolin (P.J. Byrne), who compete in professional bending matches. Korra is immediately drawn to Pro-bending's dynamic fighting style.

The Legend of Korra cast includes Janet Varney (Dinner and a Movie) as Korra, David Faustino (Married... with Children) as Mako, P.J. Byrne (Horrible Bosses) as Bolin, J.K. Simmons (The Closer) as Tenzin, Steve Blum (Cowboy Bebop) as Amon, Lance Henriksen (Aliens) as The Lieutenant, Mindy Sterling (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery) as Chief Lin Beifong, Daniel Dae Kim (Hawaii Five-0) as Hiroshi Sato, Seychelle Gabriel (Falling Skies) as Asami Sato and Eva Marie Saint (Superman Returns) as Katara. The series is co-created and executive produced by Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, co-creators of the Emmy Award-winning Avatar: The Last Airbender. Joaquim Dos Santos is co-executive producer.

Starting today, fans can work to unlock an exclusive sneak peek of The Legend of Korra premiere at korranation.com. Beginning April 1, fans may log on to nick.com for an interactive experience and introduction to Republic City. Show information, fun facts, micro games and additional new content make up this "Welcome to Republic City" online experience. Also leading up to the television series premiere, Xbox users will have the opportunity to download the first episode and trailer for free and purchase episodes from Avatar: The Last Airbender. The first The Legend of Korra episode will be available on VOD. In conjunction with the series premiere, Nick's mobile channel NIMO, will have a live simulcast of the first two episodes.

Launched in February 2005, Avatar: The Last Airbender aired for three seasons on Nickelodeon and was consistently ranked among the top five animated properties on television among boys 2-11 and 6-11. Avatar: The Last Airbender was the inspiration for the Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies live-action epic adventure, The Last Airbender. In 2007, the series was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Animated Program and took home the Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation. In 2008, Avatar: The Last Airbender won a Peabody Award.

An award-winning filmmaker, DiMartino was a director at Film Roman for six years, working on the prime-time animated series King of the Hill, Family Guy and Mission Hill. During his tenure there, DiMartino animated and directed the short animated film Atomic Love, which has gone on to screen at festivals across the country including Sundance and the Los Angeles Film Festival. It also aired as part of the Nicktoons Animation Festival.

Konietzko began his career in animation as a character designer at Film Roman for Fox's prime-time series, Family Guy. He soon moved to the post of assistant director for two more Film Roman shows, Mission Hill and King of the Hill, working beside animation director DiMartino. Konietzko then became a storyboard artist and later an art director for the Nickelodeon animated series Invader Zim.

The Legend of Korra is being produced at the Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, Calif.

TNT Announces 2012 Summer Premiere Dates

TNT Announces 2012 Summer Premiere Dates

Lineup Includes Five Returning Hits, Four New Series and a Fond Farewell to One of Cable's Biggest Hits of All Time

The drama is back in full force this summer as TNT unveils the premiere dates for its slate of outstanding original series. Rizzoli & Isles, Falling Skies, Leverage and Franklin & Bash are among the hit series set to return this summer. They will be joined by four brand new series: Dallas, Perception, Major Crimes and the unscripted competition show The Great Escape. Certain to be one of the summer's biggest programming events, fans will also bid a fond farewell to The Closer as the blockbuster drama series wraps up its extraordinary seven-season run with six final episodes.

"Each show in TNT's summer lineup entertains in its own unique voice, but together these drama series are designed to appeal to viewers who want to be taken on a great ride," said Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). "Whether it's a clever procedural, an action-adventure drama, or a sweeping family saga, the dramas on TNT all have that popcorn sensibility. They're meant for viewers who crave smart storytelling and engaging characters, and who above all else simply want to pull up a seat and have a good time."

The following is TNT's summer schedule, including series premiere dates.

Rizzoli & Isles
· Season Premiere: Tuesday, June 5, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)
· Season 3: 10 summer episodes
For the past two summers, Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander have proven that two heads are better than one in this drama series based on the crime novels by best-selling author Tess Gerritsen. As Boston detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles, the pair share a quirky chemistry and put away some of Boston's most notorious criminals.

Franklin & Bash
· Season Premiere: Tuesday, June 5, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
· Season 2: 10 episodes
Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer star in this light-hearted legal drama as two fly-by-the seat-of-their-pants lawyers working for a button-down law firm. Malcolm McDowell plays the firm's wonderfully eccentric patriarch. Also starring are Garcelle Beauvais, Dana Davis, Kumail Nanjiani and Reed Diamond.

Dallas
· New Series, Two-Hour Series Premiere: Wednesday, June 13, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)
· Season 1: 10 episodes
This summer, Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray reprise their famous characters as J.R., Bobby and Sue Ellen Ewing return to Southfork with secrets, schemes and betrayals. This time, they're joined by the next generation of Ewings, played by Josh Henderson and Jesse Metcalfe, who take ambition and deception to a new level. Dallas also stars Jordana Brewster, Julie Gonzalo and Brenda Strong. Shot on location in the title city, Dallas comes to TNT from Warner Horizon Television, with premiere episode writer Cynthia Cidre and director Michael M. Robin serving as executive producers. It was developed by Cidre and created by David Jacobs.

Falling Skies
· Two-Hour Season Premiere: Sunday, June 17, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)
· Season 2: 10 episodes
The wait is nearly over as basic cable's #1 new series of 2011 returns to continue its extraordinary story about life and survival in the wake of a catastrophic alien invasion. Noah Wyle stars as a college professor who becomes an unlikely resistance leader in this gripping series from DreamWorks Television and executive producer Steven Spielberg. Moon Bloodgood, Will Patton, Drew Roy, Maxim Knight and Connor Jessup also star.

The Great Escape
· New Series Premiere: Sunday, June 24, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
· Season 1: 10 episodes
This fast-paced, nail-biting competition series drops ordinary people into the middle of their own epic action/adventure movie. Each week, Rich Eisen (NFL Total Access) hosts as teams of competitors try to find their way out of seemingly impossible situations for a chance to take home a cash prize. The series, from Fox Television Studios, is executive-produced by the Oscar(R)-winning team of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, as well as the Emmy-winning producers of The Amazing Race, Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri. The series is created and executive produced by Justin W. Hochberg (The Apprentice) and Charlie Ebersol (The Wanted).

The Closer
· Premiere: Monday, July 9, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)
· Season 7: Six final episodes
TNT's record-breaking series returns one last time to bring its extraordinary seven-year run to an end. Emmy(R) winner Kyra Sedgwick stars as Los Angeles Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, whose impeccable investigative and interrogation skills have resulted in countless confessions and convictions. Mary McDonnell, who will continue her role as Captain Sharon Raydor in TNT's upcoming series Major Crimes, also stars.

Perception
· New Series Premiere: Monday, July 9, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
· Season 1: 10 episodes
Drama fans are about to meet one of the most unique crime solvers on television when TNT premieres this fascinating new series about an eccentric neuroscience professor who is recruited by the FBI to help solve complex cases. Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Award winner Eric McCormack stars as Dr. Daniel Pierce, who possesses an intimate knowledge of human behavior and a masterful understanding of the way the mind works. Although Pierce's mind may be brilliant, it's also damaged as he suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. Perception also stars Rachael Leigh Cook, Arjay Smith and Kelly Rowan. Produced by ABC Studios, the series was created by executive producer Ken Biller and co-executive producer Mike Sussman, with McCormack serving as producer.

Leverage
· Season Premiere: Sunday, July 15, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT)
· Season 5: 10 summer episodes
Television's coolest gang of thieves, grifters and con artists are back in the fifth season of this fast-paced, light-hearted caper series from blockbuster executive producer Dean Devlin and Electric Entertainment. Academy Award(R) winner Timothy Hutton stars, along with Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf and Aldis Hodge.

Major Crimes
· New Series Premiere: Monday, Aug. 13, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), following The Closer finale
· Regular Timeslot: Mondays at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)
· Season 1: 10 episodes
This all-new drama series is ready to take television's favorite squad of detectives into bold new territory. Two-time Oscar(R) nominee Mary McDonnell will continue her role from The Closer as Los Angeles Police Captain Sharon Raydor. Major Crimes will focus on how the American justice system approaches the art of the deal as law-enforcement officers and prosecutors work together to score a conviction. Joining McDonnell are fellow Closer veterans G.W. Bailey, Tony Denison, Michael Paul Chan, Raymond Cruz and Phillip P. Keene, with guest appearances by Jon Tenney and Robert Gossett. New cast members include Graham Patrick Martin as a homeless juvenile and Kearran Giovanni as an ambitious undercover detective. Major Crimes is produced by The Shephard/Robin Company, in association with Warner Bros. Television, with The Closer's James Duff, Greer Shephard and Michael M. Robin serving as executive producers.

TBS Puts Fanboys & Physicists to the Test in New Unscripted Competition Series "King of the Nerds"

TBS Puts Fanboys & Physicists to the Test in New Unscripted Competition Series "King of the Nerds"

TBS, which has basked in the glory of nerd-dom with the enormously popular acquired sitcom The Big Bang Theory, is now ready to take things to the next level. TBS has greenlit the new unscripted competition series King of the Nerds, hosted by two of the stars of the movie blockbuster Revenge of the Nerds, Robert Carradine and Curtis Armstrong.

TBS has ordered eight episodes of King of the Nerds, which is being executive-produced by Ben Silverman (The Biggest Loser, The Office) and Jimmy Fox (Mob Wives) of Electus, Rick Ringbakk (The Amazing Race), Tod Mesirow (MythBusters) and Craig Armstrong (Survivor) of 5X5 Media, as well as Carradine and Armstrong. The show is slated to premiere in early 2013. Electus International, the global distribution arm of Electus, will distribute the series internationally.

King of the Nerds is primed to become television's ultimate nerd-off. The show invites competitors spanning the full nerd spectrum to come together to face challenges that will test their intellect, ingenuity, skills and pop-culture prowess. The nerds will first compete as teams before moving on to individual challenges, all with the goal of being named the quintessential master of all things nerdy.

"It's been said we're living in the 'Age of the Nerd', and if so, what better way to acknowledge that than to have a competition to crown the King of the Nerds?" said Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). "King of the Nerds is a lot of fun as it not only celebrates nerd culture, but also illuminates it. We believe King of the Nerds is an ideal fit with The Big Bang Theory, and we look forward to having it on the network"

"King of the Nerds will be the first-ever nerd-on-nerd warfare competition series. Who better to have as our hosts than Robert and Curtis, the founding fathers of the Nerd Universe," said Jimmy Fox, head of creative development for Electus. "We are incredibly excited to partner with TBS to not only celebrate the nerd in each and every one of us, but to bring an incredibly fun, smart and entertaining competition series to the TBS audience."

King of the Nerds is the latest new series slated for launch on TBS. In May, the network will premiere the new buddy comedy series Men at Work, starring Danny Masterson, James Lesure, Michael Cassidy and Adam Busch. Also this summer, TBS will launch Sullivan & Son, a new sitcom starring comedian Steve Byrne and executive-produced by Vince Vaughn, Peter Billingsley and Rob Long. Later this year, TBS will debut Wedding Band, a new scripted comedy series starring Brian Austin Green, Harold Perrineau, Peter Cambor and Derek Miller, Melora Hardin, Jenny Wade and Kathryn Fiore.

Robert Carradine has starred in such hit movies as The Long Riders, The Big Red One and Ghosts of Mars. His television credits include roles on Lizzie McGuire and The Cowboys, as well as guest appearances on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, The Practice, NYPD Blue, The Pretender and Nash Bridges. Carradine has also been cast in Quentin Tarantino's upcoming western Django Unchained, with Leonard DiCaprio.

Curtis Armstrong is known for his memorable performances in Revenge of the Nerds and Risky Business. Additional film credits include Ray, Akeelah and the Bee and the upcoming Sparkle. For television, Armstrong has played regular roles in the series Dan Vs., American Dad and Moonlighting, along with guest roles on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Hot in Cleveland and TNT's The Closer.

Katie Couric Talk Show Gets a Premiere Date

Katie Couric Talk Show Gets a Premiere Date

Katie Couric's syndicated daytime talk show "Katie" will premiere Sept. 10, the show's executive producer, Jeff Zucker, said Thursday.

Zucker made the reveal via an internal webcast to stations that will air the syndicated offering. Zucker also announced that director Joe Terry, a 14-year veteran of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," and co-executive producer Kathy Samuels, an alum of "Rachael Ray" and "Access Hollywood," have joined the show's production staff of the live, weekday show.

Last year, Couric said that she hoped the show would provide a forum for "smart conversation" -- while also keeping things light and entertaining.

"Smart conversation, those are the two words that I would like to aspire to, and also fun conversation," Couric said during an interview with ABC News.

"We'll be running the gamut from everything from serious stories, like a new cancer drug, or what's going on with the deficit and trying to explain it so people can really understand it, to dealing with kids and technology and what is all this technology doing to our children's brains and ability to socialize, to bullying, to fun, popular culture stories," Couric added.

'Weeds' Creator Jenji Kohan Signs Overall Deal With Lionsgate

'Weeds' Creator Jenji Kohan Signs Overall Deal With Lionsgate

Jenji Kohan's influence at Lionsgate is growing like a robust Maui Wowie plant.

The "Weeds" creator has inked an overall deal with Lionsgate, which produces the Showtime pot series.

Under the agreement, Kohan will remain on as the show runner and executive producer of "Weeds," as well as serve as co-creator and executive producer of the upcoming Netflix series "Orange Is the New Black" and develop other projects.

"What can I say?" Kohan quipped of the new pact. "Lionsgate is my joint, yo.”

The eighth season of "Weeds" goes into production in Los Angeles next month for a July 1 premiere date.

"Orange Is the New Black," meanwhile, is a one-hour drama with comedic elements based on Piper Kerman's memoir, "Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison." Production on the series, which is also co-created and executive-produced by "House" producer Liz Friedman, is slated to begin this fall.

'American Idol' and Fox Win Night as Several Shows Hit Lows

'American Idol' and Fox Win Night as Several Shows Hit Lows

"American Idol" powered Fox to an easy win in ratings and total viewers on a Wednesday night when seven shows hit or tied series or season lows, according to preliminary numbers.

"Idol" and Fox averaged a 5.3 rating/15 share in the advertiser-treasured 18-49 demographic and 17.9 million total viewers during the top 12 finalists performance show that aired from 8-10 p.m.

CBS was second in ratings and total viewers, averaging a 2.8/8 and 11.1 million. "Survivor: One World" at 8 had a 2.9/9 and 10.3 million. "Criminal Minds" at 9 hit an all-time ratings low with a 2.8/7 -- down 10 percent from its last original episode two weeks ago -- and had 11.3 million total viewers. (Its numbers matched the network's overall numbers almost exactly.) "CSI" at 10 had a 2.7/8 and 11.5 million total viewers.

ABC was third in ratings and total viewers, averaging a 2.2/6 and 6.4 million. At 8, "The Middle" had a season low rating of 2.1/7, and 7 million total viewers. It was down 19 percent in the demo. At 8:30, "Suburgatory" hit a series low 2.1/6 and had 6.3 million total viewers. "Modern Family" at 9 had a 4.4/12 and 10.5 million. It was the second-highest-rated and fourth-most-watched show of the night, despite hitting its season low. At 9:30, "Happy Endings" had a 2.4/6 and 5.5 million. It was up 20 percent from last week's season low in the demo. At 10, the ABC News special "Revenge for Real" had a 1.2/3 and 4.5 million total viewers.

NBC was fourth in ratings and total viewers, averaging a paltry .8/2 and 2.9 million. It was handily beaten by Univision, which averaged a 1.4/4 rating and 3.4 million viewers across the night.

At 8, NBC's "Whitney" tied its series low of 1.4/5, and had 4 million total viewers. "Are You There, Chelsea?" at 8:30 had a series-low 1.0/3 and 2.9 million. A "Law & Order: SVU" rerun aired at 9. At 10, "Rock Center With Brian Williams" tied its series low .6/2 and had 2.6 million total viewers.

BBC confirms pay TV download service

BBC confirms pay TV download service

BBC television programmes will be available in a new paid download store shortly after first transmission, director general Mark Thompson has confirmed.

The iTunes-style store, codenamed Project Barcelona, will operate in addition to the existing BBC iPlayer window and give users the option to pay for "owned" downloads of new and old TV shows.

Speaking at the Royal Television Society, Thompson said: "BBC iPlayer is the most successful and most intensively used catch-up service in the world but it's true that, after that seven day public service window, a large proportion of what the BBC makes and broadcast is never seen or heard of again.

"On television, despite all of our existing forms of public service archival and commercial windowing, the overwhelming majority of what the BBC commissions and broadcasts becomes unavailable when that iPlayer window expires.

"We want to change that and have started to talk to our partners, including the independent sector and PACT, about a proposal which we will formally submit to the BBC Trust later this year which - for reasons which escape me - we call Project Barcelona.

"The idea behind Barcelona is simple. It is that, for as much of our content as possible, in addition to the existing BBC iPlayer window, another download-to-own window would open soon after transmission - so that if you wanted to purchase a digital copy of a programme to own and keep, you could pay what would generally be a relatively modest charge for doing so."

Thompson addressed concerns that the BBC was seeking to double charge licence fee payers for content by drawing parallels between digital downloads and purchasing physical media in shops.

"This is not a second licence fee by stealth or any reduction in the current public service offering from the BBC - it's the exact analogy of going into a high street shop to buy a DVD or, before that, a VHS cassette," he explained.

"For decades the British public has understood the distinction between watching Dad's Army on BBC One and then going out to buy a permanent copy of it. Barcelona is the digital equivalent of doing the second."

The store's launch is contingent upon the BBC obtaining agreement from programme production companies and the BBC Trust.