Development Update: The 20th of January

ASSISTANCE (NBC) - Leslye Headland's single-camera comedy - about "an idealistic working girl assistant who is pulled between her colleague and her real life fiance while trying to manage a demanding boss" - is the first of the Peacock's three pilot orders today. Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Chris Henchy, Jessica Elbaum, Owen Burke also serve as executive producers on the half-hour, from Gary Sanchez Productions and Universal Television. (Deadline.com)

DONOR PARTY (NBC, New!) - Alex Schemmer has booked a pilot order from the Peacock for a new comedy about "an irresponsible man forced to grow up when he discovers he has children resulting from his days as a sperm donor." Lionsgate Television, Media Talent Group and Universal Television are all behind the single-camera project, which tracks the "new family unit that develops when a single mom contacts him and he begins to have a relationship with her and the son he never knew he had." Geyer Kosinski is also an executive producer. (Deadline.com)

DRACULA (NBC) - Jessica de Gouw ("Arrow") has booked the female lead on the upcoming drama, which introduces Dracula (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) as "an American entrepreneur who maintains that he wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. In reality, he hopes to wreak revenge on the people who ruined his life centuries earlier. There's only one circumstance that can potentially thwart his plan: Dracula falls hopelessly in love with a woman who seems to be a reincarnation of his dead wife." She'll play said woman, Mina Murray, "a striking brunette medical student who is engaged to Jonathan Harker." Universal Television, Carnival Films & Television, Flame Ventures and Playground are all behind the 10-episode series. (Deadline.com)

MASTERS OF THE AIR (HBO, New!) - Donald L. Miller's book, subtitled "America's Bomber Boys Who Fought The Air War Against Nazi Germany," has been optioned by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television and Tom Hanks's Playtone as part of their proposed follow up to "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific." Said effort, which may be joined by other source material, will follow "a cross section of officers and enlisted men who served in the Eighth Air Force and fought in the air war against Germany." Gary Goetzman also serves as an executive producer alongside said duo. (Deadline.com)

MCCARTHYS, THE (A.K.A. UNTITLED BRIAN GALLIVAN PROJECT) (CBS) - Brian Gallivan's comedy - about "an Irish-Catholic, sports-crazed Boston clan and the gay son whose greatest sin is not his sexuality but his desire to spend less time with his family" - is set to join the Eye's pilot lineup. The single-camera project comes from the Sony Pictures Television-based Olive Bridge Entertainment with the company's Will Gluck and Richie Schwartz serving as executive producer and co-executive producer, respectively. (Deadline.com)

ORDAINED, THE (CBS, New!) - Newcomer Lisa Takeuchi Cullen has scored a pilot order from the Eye for a new drama about "the son of a Kennedy-esque family who leaves the priesthood and becomes a lawyer to prevent his politician sister from being assassinated." Said effort is set up at CBS Television Studios with The Kennedy/Marshall Company's Frank Marshall, The Shuman Company's Larry Shuman and A.B. Fischer executive producing and Cullen and Robert Zotnowski serving as co-executive producers. (Deadline.com)

SUPER CLYDE (A.K.A. UNTITLED GREG GARCIA PROJECT) (CBS) - Greg Garcia's single-camera comedy - about "a meek, unassuming fast food worker who decides to become a super hero" - has scored a pilot commitment from the Eye. Garcia penned said half-hour and is executive producing for CBS Television Studios, home to his overall deal. (Deadline.com)

UNAUTHORIZED GREG GARCIA PROJECT (CBS, New!) - Greg Garcia ("Raising Hope") has likewise received a pilot order from the Eye for a new multi-camera comedy about "a recently divorced man whose life is complicated when his parents decide to move in with him." CBS Television Studios is behind the project, which Garcia wrote and will executive produce. (Deadline.com)

UNTITLED ROBERT PADNICK PROJECT (NBC) - The Robert Padnick-penned comedy - about "the trials and tribulations of dating in your twenties as explored through a group of friends" - has been tapped for a pilot order at the Peacock. Universal Television is behind the single-camera project with 3 Arts Entertainment's Howard Klein and Deedle Dee Productions' Greg Daniels and Tracy Katsky also among the executive producers. (Deadline.com)

FLEMING (BBC America) - Annabelle Wallis ("Pan Am") has scored a role on the four-part drama, which stars Dominic Cooper as Ian Fleming, a charming, sophisticated maverick whose dilettanti, pleasure seeking life was turned around by WWII and led to the creation of the best known spy the world has ever known. She'll play Muriel Wright, "a woman with whom Fleming had a love affair and who some believe to be the original inspiration for the Bond Girl." Mat Whitecross is helming the project off a script by John Brownlow and Don MacPherson for Ecosse Films. (Deadline.com)

HOSTAGES (CBS) - Toni Collette ("United States of Tara") has been tapped for the lead role on the drama pilot, about "a family caught in the middle of a grand political conspiracy that will change their lives forever." She'll play Ellen, "a successful surgeon living in Washington, D.C. who is selected to operate on the President of the United States. She is thrust into the middle of a political conspiracy when her family is taken hostage, and it is up to her to save the lives of her husband and children." Warner Bros. Television-based Jerry Bruckheimer Television is behind the hour, which has a pilot commitment. Jeffrey Nachmanoff will write, direct and executive produce alongside Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, Omri Givon, Rotem Shamir and Chayim Sharir with Alon Aranya and KristieAnne Reed serving as co-executive producers. (Deadline.com)

UNTITLED MICHAEL J. FOX PROJECT (NBC) - Betsy Brandt ("Breaking Bad") has joined the cast of the Michael J. Fox-led comedy, about a husband and father of three in New York City juggling the challenges of family and career while dealing with Parkinson's disease. She'll play his tough and loyal wife who works at their daughter's high school. Wendell Pierce, Katie Finneran, Conor Romero and Jack Gore also star in the Sony Pictures Television-based half-hour, the pilot of which will be directed by Will Gluck from a script he co-wrote with Sam Laybourne. (Deadline.com)

Mark Salling Sued by Ex-Girlfriend for Sexual Battery

Mark Salling is being sued by his ex-girlfriend for sexual battery, TMZ reports. Roxanne Gorzela claims that she began dating the Glee star in Sept. 2010, but in March 2011 Gorzela asserts that she consented to have sex with Salling, but only if he wore a condom.

According to the suit, filed by Gorzela's lawyer Philip J. Layfield, Salling ignored the request and went on to "insert his penis into [her] vagina without a condom." The actor reportedly pulled out after Gorzela protested, but then continued to have unprotected sex with her.

Gorzela says she suffered emotional distress and worried about "health concerns" following the incident, but when she went to confront Salling, she found him in bed with another woman. She immediately demanded that Salling prove that he didn't have any STDs, after which Salling allegedly pushed her to the ground. That same day, Gorzela filed a police report against him.

Salling's publicist Janice Lee told the website, "There is no truth to this. It's the textbook case of a disgruntled girl looking to cash in on a TV star's success."

Salling added on Twitter, "I always have and always will appreciate your support. Terror and intimidation are things ill never subscribe to. Love y'all so much."

CBS Orders Pilots From Greg Garcia, Will Gluck and Frank Marshall

The network on Friday handed out four pilot orders, including two to the "Raising Hope" showrunner under his new overall deal at CBS Television Studios.

CBS is betting big on Greg Garcia, ordering two comedy pilots from the Raising Hope showrunner as well as a comedy executive produced by Easy A's Will Gluck and a drama about a Kennedy-esque family from Frank Marshall.

'Raising Hope's' Greg Garcia Inks 4-Year Deal With CBS Television Studios
For Garcia, the two comedies come eight months after the former My Name Is Earl Emmy winner jumped ship from 20th Television and inked a rich four-year overall deal with CBS Television Studios.

Garcia's first project, Super Clyde, revolves around a meek, unassuming fast-food worker who decides to become a super hero. Garcia will write and executive produce.
The second comedy, being dubbed the "unauthorized Greg Garcia project," revolves around a recently divorced man whose life is complicated when his parents decide to move in with him. Garcia will write and executive produce the multicamera effort.

In announcing Garcia's overall deal in May, CBS Television Studios president David Stapf sang his praise and called him one of the "elite comedy showrunners." "He is a rare creative talent who has created successful shows in both the multi- and single-camera form across a variety of networks. It's exciting to add a star producer of his caliber to our roster."

Garcia's comedy Raising Hope is in its third season on Fox. His credits include Yes, Dear and Family Guy. He's repped by CAA and Ziffren Brittenham.

Meanwhile, Gluck will executive produce The McCarthys, a single-camera family comedy about a loud, sports-crazed Boston clan. Brian Gallivan, a writer on NBC's short-lived Are You There, Chelsea? comedy, will pen the pilot and serve as a co-exec producer on the project from Sony Pictures Television and Gluck's Olive Bridge banner. McCarthys is Gluck's latest project to move forward this season. NBC previously gave a straight-to-series order for a semi-autobiographical comedy based on Michael J. Fox's life. Gallivan is repped by CAA and manager Susie Fox.

For its part, The Ordained centers on the son of a Kennedy-esque family, who leaves the priesthood and becomes a lawyer to prevent his politician sister from being assassinated. The CBS Television Studios drama hails from Lisa Takeuchi
Cullen, who will write and co-executive produce. Marshall, whose Kennedy-Marshall inked a two-year overall deal with the studio in May, and the Shuman Co.'s Larry Shuman and A.B. Fischer are on board as executive producers. Former CBS Entertainment-turned-Kennedy-Marshall exec Robert Zotnowski will serve as a co-EP on the hourlong effort.

Cullen is best known for her work as a journalist, with stints at both Time and Money magazine, among other outlets, as well as for her 2007 book Remember Me: A Lively Tour of the New American Way of Death, about her year spent crashing funerals. She's set to debut her first novel, Pastors’ Wives, this year. Cullen is repped by UTA.

For CBS, Friday's pilot orders join previously announced comedies including Chuck Lorre's Anna Faris effort Mom, Kal Penn starrer Ex-Men and the untitled Jim Gaffigan comedy from Rescue Me's Peter Tolan. On the drama side, the network is plotting an NCIS: L.A. spinoff and has Jerry Bruckheimer's Toni Collette entry Hostages in the works.

Britain's Got Talent 2013 auditions hit London today!

The Britain’s Got Talent 2013 auditions hit London today, as they take centre stage at the city’s London Palladium.

It’s the first time that the show has visited the venue, having been staged at the Hammersmith Apollo last year.

David Walliams, Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden are all back on the series thsis year having kicked off auditions last week in Cardiff.

And TellyMix will be on the red carpet getting all the gossip from them, as well as hosts Ant and Dec and Stephen Mulhern, so if you’ve got any questions for the judges add them in the comments below!

Speaking about the new series of Britain’s Got Talent last month, Simon said he was glad the panel would be staying the same.

“I loved doing the show last year, the new panel worked really well and I’m very happy they have all agreed to come back,” he said.

The music mogul added: “Last year was a special year for talent and I hope that in 2013, off the back of an amazing year for Britain, we find another global star.”

First Batmobile Fetches $4.6 Million at Auction

The "Batman" car's price ties the 2010 record set by the Aston Martin DB5 driven by Sean Connery in "Goldfinger."

The first of six Batmobiles produced for the 1960s ABC Batman TV series has sold at auction for $4.6 million. The crowd at the Barrett-Jackson house in Scottsdale, Ariz. whooped and cheered, and the auctioneer hummed the theme to the classic show.

The car, designed by legendary Hollywood car customizer George Barris, sold for the upper end of its early estimates.
Barris constructed the Batmobile in just 15 days in 1966. It was built for $15,000 over a 1955 Ford Futura concept model (purchased for $1). It’s been in Barris’ personal collection ever since, and contains Batman gadgets such as a
Batphone and an oil squirter fashioned from lawn sprinklers. As an added bonus, it's road legal, should its new owner care to take it for a spin.
The winning bidder was Rick Champagne, a businessman and car collector from the Phoenix area who has been attending Barrett-Jackson auctions for 15 years.

Champagne said he grew up watching the TV show and came to the auction determined to walk away with the car. Asked where he planned to store the car, the new owner joked, "in the living room. I'm going to tear down a wall and put in my living room."

The Batmobile ties the record for the highest price fetched for a movie car at auction. In 2010, the Aston Martin DB5 driven by Sean Connery in Goldfinger set the record when it went 4.6 million. In 2011, the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car auctioned for $805,000, shy of the $1 million it was expected to fetch.

HBO Plans New WWII Miniseries From Spielberg, Hanks - This Time About Air Force

Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg are developing a third World War II miniseries for HBO, this time focusing on the air war.

While "Band of Brothers" covered the war on land and "The Pacific" the sea, the untitled new project will look at the officers and enlisted men who served in the Eighth Air Force against Germany. Based in England, the men of the "Mighty Eighth" faced harsh physical, psychological and moral challenges.

The story will be based in part on Donald L. Miller's “Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany," though other books may provide source material as well, HBO said.

Hanks and Spielberg will executive produce, along with Gary Goetzman. The production companies are Playtone and Amblin Television.

"Band of Brothers" won six Emmys, including Outstanding Miniseries, in 2002. "The Pacific" win eight Emmys, including, again, Outstanding Miniseries, in 2010.

Doctor Who: David Morrissey "would jump at the chance" to return

Now a fan favourite in The Walking Dead, David Morrissey reminisces about the six months he spent as The Next Doctor...

During a chat about his fantastic new role as the Governor in The Walking Dead's third season, David Morrissey kindly answered a question or two about his time on Doctor Who.

The guest star of the teasingly-titled 2008 Christmas Special The Next Doctor, which aired just weeks after David Tennant announced he was stepping down from the role, Morrissey found himself at the epicentre of Who rumours (an experience not dissimilar to being in the TARDIS when it exploded, we'd wager).

Spinning the gossip? Russell T. Davies, who asked Morrissey to play along and deny nothing as cover for the real story...

When you were playing along with those 'Is David Morrissey The Next Doctor?' rumours, was there a part of you that would have loved them to be true?

Yeah, there was a bit. It’s a great show, and I was slightly thrown by all that. David (Tennant) announced he was going and this rumour mill began, and I couldn’t say what I knew, but it was a very fun place to inhabit for six months. When people thought it was going to be me, that was great. And also I think that Russell is just a wonderful person, so it was great to even be associated with that, but I think it’s in good hands now.

Were you a fan of Doctor Who growing up?

No, not at all. No, I was really not, it was not my bag. I was also slightly suspicious of people who were. I had one great friend who could quote passages from the books, you’d go into his house and he had all the books and he wore a Tom Baker scarf, and I loved him dearly but I was also slightly… Apart from Liverpool Football Club, I’ve never been in love with anything in that way. I was in love with acting and drama and film and theatre but never one specific genre in that way and Doctor Who, I thought it was alright, but it never got in my bones in that way.

Saying that, the relaunch did. I watched it because my kids watched it, so I suddenly got into it in a different way, but no, I was never really into it as a child. It was always on at the wrong time for me, I was always out playing football.

The Doctor’s former companions often find themselves back in the TARDIS for an episode or two, is that something you’d be open to?

Ah, I’d love that. I would absolutely love to do it again. I had such a ball doing it. Mark Gatiss says, you know, there’s nothing more blissful for him to write than “Interior TARDIS: Day” or whatever on the top of one of his scripts, it’s living the dream. And for me, when I went down and worked on it, I thought ‘This is great’, it’s a really well-run show, people take it very seriously but you have fun on it. And l loved that character, I really loved Jackson Lake, I thought he was a really interesting man, he was in some sort of trauma himself and the Doctor liberates him from that…

He was another troubled parent, like the Governor…

[Laughs] Another man going down the toilet, I wonder why! But also at the end he’s full of joy. I’d really jump at the chance to do that.

Duly noted, Morrissey. Anyone around to have a word in Mr Moffat's ear?