'The Big Bang Theory's' Sheldon Meets His Idol: Stephen Hawking

'The Big Bang Theory's' Sheldon Meets His Idol: Stephen Hawking

On Thursday's episode, the theoretical physicist and cosmologist guest stars when Simon Helberg's Howard gets the chance to work with his friend's hero.

CBS' The Big Bang Theory follows one epic guest star with another this week when Stephen Hawking arrives at the university.

With the theoretical physicist and cosmologist's brought in to work with Howard (Simon Helberg), Sheldon (Jim Parsons) is going to go to great lengths to meet his hero during "The Hawking Excitation."

Hawking has been a frequent subject of conversation on the CBS hit about four lovable science geeks, with the Chuck Lorre/Bill Prady series first mentioning the renowned brainiac in the pilot, with Sheldon most recently tricked into going to the airport in the middle of the night to meet him during an episode in the show's fourth season.

"When people would ask us who a 'dream guest star' for the show would be, we would always joke and say Stephen Hawking -- knowing that it was a long shot of astronomical proportions," Prady said in a statement earlier this month when the casting was announced. "In fact, we’re not exactly sure how we got him. It’s the kind of mystery that could only be understood by, say, a Stephen Hawking."

Hawking's appearance comes a week after Big Bang Theory featured Star Trek legend Leonard Nimoy guest voicing a tiny Spock action figure. The series has also welcomed astronaut Mike Massimino in a cameo as himself earlier this season.

'Home and Away's Sharni Vinson: 'The Shire' will be great'

'Home and Away's Sharni Vinson: 'The Shire' will be great'

Sharni Vinson has lent her support to upcoming Australian dramality show The Shire.

The 28-year-old Aussie actress, who is best known for her former role as Cassie in Home and Away, grew up in the Sutherland Shire region and said that she thinks it will make "great" viewing.

Vinson told The Daily Telegraph: "Heaps of my friends auditioned for it actually, but the ones that made it through have since pulled out. I keep telling them to do it though because I think it will be great. Why not?"

The Shire has been surrounded by controversy since it was first dubbed as an Australian version of Jersey Shore.

The mayor of Sutherland Shire revealed that she is vehemently against the Channel Ten project, saying: "I just don't think this show will support us. It'll just be very negative... [I'll] put a boom gate on the Captain Cook Bridge... and keep them out."

Ten bosses blamed a "misleading" promo for the backlash, saying: "It is disappointing the councillors have made assumptions about The Shire before discussing it fully with us. Their concerns appear to be based on footage that was leaked online... [and] mischievous reporting."

Rove McManus talkshow 'Rove LA' picked up by TV Guide Network

Rove McManus talkshow 'Rove LA' picked up by TV Guide Network

Rove McManus's chatshow has been picked up for broadcast in the US.

The Australian TV personality, whose last series Rove LA was aired in his home country last year, will now feature on cable channel TV Guide Network.

According to TV Tonight, the network will air 10 episodes from the first season of Rove LA, where he interviewed celebrity guests such as Justin Timberlake, Hugh Jackman, Eva Longoria, Steve Carell, Pink and Lisa Kudrow.

They have also signed on to air the upcoming second season of the Los Angeles-based programme, which begins filming for Fox8 in September.

TV Guide Network chairman Allen Shapiro said: "We are continuing to invest in original series and exclusive programming that will draw entertainment fans closer to their favourite stars.

"Rove LA will offer viewers fresh comedy programming with some of the best-known celebrities in Hollywood today, as well as up-and-coming talent."

McManus, who relocated to the US with his second wife Tasma Walton last year, is fronting Foxtel's Olympics coverage later this year.

He is also among the stars presenting awards at the Logie Awards in Australia later this month

Syfy Will Bring International Hit "Total Blackout" to America

Syfy Will Bring International Hit "Total Blackout" to America

There is nothing more terrifying than being in complete darkness. When the lights go off, our imaginations take hold and our nightmares come to life. Starting Wednesday, April 25 at 10PM (ET/PT), Syfy will plunge contestants into blinding darkness to confront their deepest fears in the new weekly, unscripted competition series, Total Blackout.

Hosted by Jaleel White (Family Matters, Dancing with the Stars), Total Blackout is a half-hour, extreme game show in which contestants battle each other and their fears in a series of challenges. However, all the challenges are played in complete darkness. There are no lights, no blindfolds and no-holds barred as the players face their anxieties and unexpected surprises in a series of nerve-wracking games.

The international hit series is produced by FremantleMedia North America (American Idol, The X Factor) and was created by Henrik Nielsen (Can You Duet?, Danish versions of The X Factor, Got Talent and Pop Idol). Nielsen and Jeff Apploff (Million Dollar Money Drop, Don"t Forget the Lyrics) serve as executive producers. Jack Martin (Who"s Still Standing, Deal or No Deal) is co-executive producer.

Total Blackout joins Syfy"s growing roster of popular reality series such as Face Off, Ghost Hunters, Face or Faked: Paranormal Files, Hollywood Treasure, Haunted Collector, Destination Truth, Ghost Hunters International, Paranormal Witness, Monster Man and Dream Machines, which will premiere Tuesday, April 10 at 10PM.

BBC America's First Original Drama, "Copper"

BBC America's First Original Drama, "Copper"

1860s New York City drama from Emmy(R)-winner Tom Fontana, Academy Award(R)-nominee Will Rokos and Academy Award(R)-winner Barry Levinson

BBC AMERICA has announced the channel's first original drama, COPPER, set in 1860s New York City, will premiere Sunday, August 19, 9:00pm ET/PT.

Tanya Fischer (The Defenders, Life on Mars) joins the cast of COPPER as Molly Stuart, an ambitious courtesan at Eva's Paradise. The 10-part drama centers on Kevin Corcoran (Tom Weston-Jones, MI-5), an intense, rugged Irish-American cop working the city's notorious Five Points neighborhood. Corcoran is struggling to maintain his moral compass in a turbulent world, while on an emotional and relentless quest to learn the truth about the disappearance of his wife and the death of his daughter. His friendship with two Civil War compatriots - the wayward son of a wealthy industrialist and an African American physician who secretly assists Corcoran with his detective work - takes him to the contrasting worlds of elegant Fifth Avenue and an emerging African-American community in rural northern Manhattan. The three men share a secret from their experience on the battlefield that inextricably links their lives forever.

The series is created by Emmy(R)-winner Tom Fontana (Oz, Homicide: Life on the Streets, St. Elsewhere) and Academy Award(R)-nominee Will Rokos (Monster's Ball, Southland) and among the executive producers are Academy Award(R)-winner Barry Levinson (Good Morning Vietnam, Rain Man, You Don't Know Jack), Cineflix Media Co-CEO Glen Salzman, Cineflix Studios President Christina Wayne (Broken Trail and executive in charge of Mad Men), Fontana and Rokos.

The previously announced cast includes Franka Potente (The Bourne Supremacy, Run Lola Run) as Eva Heissen, a shrewd businesswoman and the madam of Eva's Paradise; Kyle Schmid (Blood Ties, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) as Robert Morehouse, a handsome bon vivant and part of Manhattan aristocracy; Anastasia Griffith (Royal Pains, Damages) as the sophisticated and spirited Elizabeth Haverford; Ato Essandoh (Damages) as Doctor Matthew Freeman, who secretly assists Corcoran with his work; Kevin Ryan (Tripping Tommy) as Detective Francis Maguire, Corcoran's closet friend and partner in the 6th Precinct; Dylan Taylor (Covert Affairs) as Andrew O'Brien, colleague and companion to Corcoran and Maguire; Ron White (The Line) as Captain Ciaran Joseph Sullivan, who is more often concerned about his reputation than seeking justice for victims; Kiara Glasco (Angel Duty) as Annie Reilly, a young runaway forced to grow up too quickly; Tessa Thompson (Heroes) as Sara Freeman, the fearful and anxious wife of Dr. Freeman; and David W. Keeley (Rookie Blue) as Sergeant Padraic Byrnes, a corrupt and contemptuous cop.

New HBO Comedy Series "Veep" Debuts April 22

New HBO Comedy Series "Veep" Debuts April 22

Armando Iannucci, Frank Rich And Christopher Godsick Executive Produce

Former senator Selina Meyer was a rising star in her party, a charismatic leader who seemed to have unlimited potential. Some pundits thought she might even occupy the White House some day.

Then she became vice president.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Emmy(R) winner for "Seinfeld" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine") stars as Selina Meyer in VEEP, the story of a woman who becomes vice president, only to discover the job is nothing like she expected, but everything she was warned about. Created by Armando Iannucci (Oscar(R) nominee for co-writing "In the Loop").

VEEP follows the whirlwind day-to-day existence of Vice President Meyer as she puts out political fires, juggles a busy public schedule and demanding private life, and defends the president's interests, even as she tries to improve her dysfunctional relationship with the chief executive.

The ensemble cast of the show also includes Tony Hale ("Arrested Development") as Gary, her right-hand man; Anna Chlumsky ("In the Loop") as Amy, her chief of staff; Matt Walsh (HBO's "Hung") as Mike, Vice President Meyer's weathered spokesperson; Reid Scott ("My Boys") as Dan, an ambitious political aide; Timothy C. Simons ("Days Together") as Jonah, a young and somewhat clueless White House liaison; and Sufe Bradshaw ("Overnight") as Sue, Vice President Meyer's executive assistant.

In addition to Armando Iannucci, directors include Chris Morris and Tristram Shapeero; other writers besides Armando Iannucci include Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche, Sean Gray, William Smith, Roger Drew and Ian Martin.

Ratings: CBS Wins Night With ACM Awards; 'GCB' Slips

Ratings: CBS Wins Night With ACM Awards; 'GCB' Slips

Though down slightly from last year's presentation, the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards performed well enough to give CBS an overall win Sunday night, while ABC's "GCB" and Fox's Sunday night animation block both took hits, according to preliminary numbers.

CBS took first in the advertiser-cherished 18-49 demographic and total viewers with an average 26 rating/7 share and 12.2 million. "60 Minutes" at 7 drew a 1.3/4 in the demo and 9.9 million total viewers. The 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards telecast from 8 to 11 was down 6 percent in the demo from last year's broadcast, drawing a 3.1/8. It had 13 million total viewers. Even with the slight dip, the awards show was the night's highest-rated and most-watched program of the night.

ABC came in second in the demo and total viewers with an average 2.1/6 and 6.7 million total viewers. Following an "America's Funniest Home Videos" repeat at 7, "Once Upon a Time" at 8 was down slightly with a 2.7/8 and 8.2 million total viewers. "Desperate Housewives" the following hour was flat with a 2.6/6 and 8.4 million total viewers. "GCB" slid 10 percent to a 1.9/5, and 5.8 million total viewers.

Fox took third place in the demo and fourth place in total viewers with an average 1.7/5 and 3.6 million. After a "Simpsons" repeat at 7, "The Cleveland Show" at 7:30 was down 20 percent with a 1.2/4, and 2.8 million total viewers. Another "Simpsons" repeat followed at 8. "Bob's Burgers" at 8:30 slipped 20 percent for a 1.6/4, and 3.6 million total viewers. "Family Guy" at 9 was down 11 percent to a 2.5/6, and 5 million total viewers. "American Dad" at 9:30 performed flat with last week, receiving a 2.5/6. It had 4.2 million total viewers.

NBC came in fourth in ratings and third in total viewers with an average 1.6/4 and 5.6 million. "Dateline" was steady with last week for a 1.0/3 and 4.6 million total viewers, while "Celebrity Apprentice" from 8 to 11 was also even with last week, posting a 1.8/5 and 5.9 million total viewers.

TV Tonight 3rd of April 2012

TV Tonight 3rd of April 2012

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

    112 - på liv och död S05E35: "Del 35 av 36"
    16 & Pregnant S04E03: "Briana"
    60 Minute Makeover S09E07: "Series 9, Episode 7"
    Animal 24:7 S08E02: "Series 8, Episode 2"
    Balls Of Steel Australia S02E10: "Season 2, Episode 10"
    Battleground S01E08: "TBA"
    Best Ink S01E02: "Talk Is Talk"
    Big Brother Sverige S08E39: "Del 39"
    Body Of Proof S02E19: "Going Viral, Part 2"
    Bomb Patrol Afghanistan S01E12: "Route X Part One"
    Bondi Vet S04E09: "Season 4, Episode 9"
    Breaking In S02E05: "Cyrano de Nerdgerac"
    Chopped S11E07: "Viewers' Choice!"
    Cleverdicks S01E27: "Episode 27"
    Come Dine With Me S18E68: "Series 18, Episode 57"
    Conan S02E72: "Mike Tyson, Chris Elliott, Cy Amundson"
    Cougar Town S03E07: "You Can Still Change Your Mind"
    Dance Academy S02E14: "Rescue Mission"
    Dance Moms S02E13: "Abbygeddon"
    Dancing With the Stars (US) S14E05: "Season 14, Episode 5"
    Days of our Lives S47E102: "Ep. #11812"
    Deal Or No Deal (UK) S07E201: "Episode 1881"
    Den sista dokusåpan S01E05: "Season 1, Episode 5"
    Dickinson's Real Deal S08E86: "Series 8, Episode 86"
    Doctors S14E02: "Deal or No Deal"
    Doomsday Preppers S01E09: "Close the Door, Load the Shotgun"
    EastEnders S28E55: "April 3, 2012"
    Emmerdale S41E79: "April 3, 2012"
    Facejacker S02E02: "Series 2, Episode 2"
    Fashion Star S01E04: "High-End Appeal/Mass Market Appeal"
    Four In A Bed S03E17: "Hotel La Tartana"
    General Hospital (US) S50E02: "#12530"
    Giuliana & Bill S05E01: "The Battle Begins"
    Go Girls S04E08: "TBA"
    Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden S22E152: "Season 22, Episode 152"
    Hardcore Pawn S05E16: "Family Traitor!"
    Hit the Road Jack S01E03: "Glasgow"
    Holby City S14E25: "Throw in the Towel"
    Hollyoaks S18E67: "April 3, 2012"
    Home and Away (AU) S25E52: "Episode 5487"
    Horizon S50E13: "The Hunt for AI"
    Jeopardy! S28E142: "Show #6347"
    Jimmy Kimmel Live S09E230
    Just A Minute (1212) S01E07: "Episode 7"
    Justified S03E12: "Coalition"
    Kimi to Boku S02E01: "Episode 1"
    Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness S01E24
    Last Call with Carson Daly S10E34
    Last Man Standing S01E21: "Wherefore Art Thou, Mike Baxter"
    Late Night with Jimmy Fallon S02E245
    Late Show with David Letterman S19E51
    Live with Regis and Kelly S29E156
    My Ride Rules S02E06: "TBA"
    Naruto SD: Rock Lee no Seishun Full-Power Ninden S01E01
    Neighbours S28E62: "Episode 6372"
    New Girl S01E19: "Secrets"
    Panorama S60E13: "The Great Apprentice Scandal"
    Pointless S06E36: "Series 6, Episode 36"
    Property Virgins S11E13: "Needle in a Haystack"
    Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is S06E07: "Series 6, Episode 7"
    Queen's Blade: Rurou no Senshi S03E01: "Episode 1"
    Raising Hope S02E20: "Sabrina's New Jimmy"
    Ringer S01E20: "If You're Just An Evil Bitch Then Get Over It"
    Rookie Builders S01E03: "Episode 3"
    Smugglers S02E01: "Series 2, Episode 1"
    Storage Wars: Texas S02E10: "TBA"
    Storage Wars: Texas S02E09: "TBA"
    Supersize vs Superskinny S05E06: "Chris Longley / Nathan Smith"
    Tabatha Takes Over S04E12: "TBA"
    The Biggest Loser S13E14: "Season 13, Episode 14"
    The Bold and the Beautiful S26E08: "Ep. #6292"
    The Chase (2009) S05E46: "Series 5, Episode 46"
    The Colbert Report S08E45: "Gov. Nikki Haley"
    The Daily Show S17E81: "Tom Goldstein"
    The Ellen DeGeneres Show S09E130
    The Game S05E12: "There's No Place Like Home"
    The Hairy Bikers' Bakeation S01E04: "Eastern Europe"
    The Jeremy Kyle Show S07E142
    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson S08E53
    The Little Couple S05E06: "TBA"
    The Little Couple S05E05: "Four Little Embryos"
    The Murdoch Mysteries (2008) S05E06
    The Real Housewives Of Orange County S07E08
    The Revolution (2012) S01E57: "Season 1, Episode 57"
    The Syndicate (UK) S01E02: "Episode 2"
    The Talk S02E137: "Season 2, Episode 137"
    The Tonight Show with Jay Leno S19E271
    The View S15E130
    The Voice (US) S02E11: "Week 9 Part 2"
    The Young and the Restless S40E07: "Ep. #9876"
    Top Gear (US) S02E16: "Worst Cars"
    Top Shot S04E08: "The Mad Minute"
    Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records S01E04: "Episode 4"
    Watch What Happens: Live S06E56
    Zetman S01E01: "Episode 1"
    Интерны S06E02: "Найдите управу на Быкова"

'Britain's Got Talent': Ryan O'Shaughnessy's 'No Name' girl revealed

'Britain's Got Talent': Ryan O'Shaughnessy's 'No Name' girl revealed

The girl who inspired Britain's Got Talent star Ryan O'Shaughnessy's song 'No Name' has been identified.

The 19-year old was seen auditioning for Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, David Walliams and Alesha Dixon on Saturday's (March 31) show with a love song he penned about a mystery girl.

O'Shaughnessy explained that the subject of 'No Name' was a friend of his and declined to give the panel any further details.

However, the girl in question has since been revealed as his "best pal" Katie Lucia Keegan - who expressed an awareness of his supposedly secret crush by outing herself on Twitter during the episode:

"This is sooooooo funny," she wrote. "#noname woooooo it's me #lolololol."

The pair are believed to have met in Portmarnock Community College, Dublin six years ago and attended their school prom together last September.

O'Shaughnessy was revealed to have received the most online searches out of any contestant from either Britain's Got Talent or rival show The Voice UK this weekend.

It has also emerged that he auditioned for both BGT and The Voice of Ireland.

Oprah Winfrey: I Didn't Know Starting a Network Would Be So Hard

Oprah Winfrey: I Didn't Know Starting a Network Would Be So Hard

"Had I known that it was this difficult, I might have done something else," Oprah Winfrey said of OWN on Monday's "CBS This Morning," admitting that she underestimated how hard it would be to launch her own cable network.

"The idea of creating a network was something that I wanted to do … I didn't think it was going to be easy … if I knew then what I know now, I might have made different choices," Winfrey said.

Winfrey's interview -- conducted by Charlie Rose Gayle King, Winfrey's best friend and "CBS This Morning" co-anchor -- follows a spate of bad news for OWN. Winfrey recently announced 30 layoffs and the cancellation of Rosie O'Donnell's OWN talk show, and the research firm SNL Kagan estimated the network could lose $142.9 million this year if its ratings don't improve.

The TV icon said she should have waited to launch OWN, as she said her friend, "Saturday Night Live" executive producer Lorne Michaels, urged her to do.

"I would have probably waited until I actually finished 'The Oprah Show,' because from the day that (Discovery Communications boss) David Zaslav came in to see me, I said to him, 'The thing that I'm most worried about is who's going to lead this train, because I can't do it,'" Winfrey said.

She also said Michaels warned her, "'Nobody wants to see you come off 'The Oprah Winfrey Show,' of all those 25 years of success, and step right into the network business. You've got to pay your dues.'"

As for her strategy going forward with OWN -- which she says is "not a failure" -- Winfrey said the network will "do what we should have done from the beginning … build one show, one hour, one night at a time, and then move to the next night."

'Take Me Out' to launch in the US: Fox commissions new dating show

'Take Me Out' to launch in the US: Fox commissions new dating show

Fox has added a new reality series to its summer schedule.

The network is to launch dating show Take Me Out, based on the popular international format.

Take Me Out will feature a group of 30 single women called 'The Flirty 30' who have to decide if a bachelor is a good match based on first impressions.

Each week, the show has the women meeting several bachelors who must individually impress them with their looks, personality and sense of humour.

Each woman stands at a lighted podium with a switch to keep the light on if she likes the bachelor or to turn the light off if she is unimpressed.

Control of the show is then reversed if more than one woman still has their lights on at the end of all the rounds. The bachelor will then narrow the field down to two women and ask a final question that will determine his selection.

After the bachelor chooses his date, the remaining 29 along with a new woman will return to the next game to go through the process again.

Take Me Out will debut on Thursday, June 7 at 8pm ET on FOX.

The network's summer schedule already includes the ninth season of So You Think You Can Dance and Gordon Ramsay's three reality series, Hell's Kitchen, MasterChef and Hotel Hell.

'The Apprentice' candidates living in £7m house

'The Apprentice' candidates living in £7m house

This year's Apprentice candidates have been living in a house worth almost £7m, it has been revealed.

The luxury home used by the 16 hopefuls competing to be named Lord Alan Sugar's next business partner has been identified as an eight-bedroom property in Westminster.

The residence - valued at £6,940,300 by Zoopla - boasts six bathrooms, three reception rooms and is located close to Kensington Gardens.

The house is an upgrade on the one leased to the 2011 Apprentice cast, which cost £4.4m and is owned by classical singer Katherine Jenkins.

Bilyana Apostolova and Maria O'Connor were the first two candidates fired from this year's competition.

Inventor Tom Pellereau won a £250,000 investment from Lord Sugar in the last series of The Apprentice and launched his nail file business last month.

'The Killing' Season 2 Premiere Falters

'The Killing' Season 2 Premiere Falters

"The Killing" must have felt a little bit wounded Monday morning.

AMC's drama had its second season premiere Sunday night, and it appears that the series has dropped a number of viewers compared to its first season premiere.

Also read: Killer Ratings for "Kennedys," "Killing," "Borgias"

The initial airing of Sunday's two-hour premiere at 8 p.m. drew 1.8 million total viewers -- a good sight short of the 2.7 million total viewers who tuned in for its series premiere last April.

With an 11 p.m. encore factored in, the premiere took in 2.5 million total viewers -- just short of the amount that tuned in for last season's premiere initial airing.

Granted, the season one premiere of "The Killing" was AMC's second most-viewed premiere for an original series in its history, behind "The Walking Dead," which averaged 5.3 million total viewers on Halloween 2010.

Sunday's "The Killing" premiere drew a household rating of 1.4 with its initial airing, and a 2.0 for the two airings.

Among the key 25-54 demo, "The Killing" drew 857,000 viewers with the 8 p.m. airing and 1.2 million overall for the night -- off just slightly from its first season average.

Last June's season finale of "The Killing" drew 2.3 million total viewers, with a 1.8 household share.

Imogen Thomas 'films cameo for Shameless'

Imogen Thomas 'films cameo for Shameless'

Imogen Thomas has reportedly filmed a cameo appearance for the next series of Shameless.

The former Celebrity Big Brother star plays herself in the scenes recorded last week on the Chatsworth Estate set, The Sun reports.

A supposed set insider said: "Imogen was a natural, you'd never know she had never acted before.

"She was really down-to-earth and up for anything. She never complained and she didn't mind sending herself up."

Last November it was reported that Thomas will play the part of sex addict Maryisa in upcoming movie Extreme.

Thomas has previously appeared in E4's Dead Set and the Welsh S4C soap Pobol y Cwm.

Shameless returns to Channel 4 for the second part of its ninth series later this year.

'Britain's Got Talent', 'The Voice': Female panellists lead searches

'Britain's Got Talent', 'The Voice': Female panellists lead searches

Jessie J, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden led online search figures over the weekend when the second episodes of Britain's Got Talent and The Voice UK aired.

Holden and Dixon were the most-searched for Got Talent judges ahead of David Walliams and Simon Cowell, while Jessie J beat all her male coach competition on The Voice, data from Yahoo! revealed.

Yahoo omg editor Julia White said: "There was so much expectation for Simon Cowell to return to Britain's Got Talent but as our searches show it's all about the girls.

"Both Amanda and Alesha received more searches, with David Walliams's popularity plummeting after being top search last week, maybe proving he was just a one hit wonder."

For the second week in a row, The Voice beat Britain's Got Talent in the overall search ratings war, though it only received 40% more searches, compared to 60% last week.

However, Got Talent's judges received three times more searches than The Voice's coaches.

'No Name' singer-songwriter Ryan O'Shaughnessy was the most-searched for contestant and the Britain's Got Talent star received almost twice as many searches as Denise Pearson, the most searched-for contestant from The Voice.

The full ranking of panellists according toYahoo's search data was as follows (last week's position in brackets):

Britain's Got Talent
1. Amanda Holden (2)
2. Alesha Dixon (4)
3. David Walliams (1)
4. Simon Cowell (3)

The Voice
1. Jessie J (1)
2. Danny O'Donoghue (3)
3. Tom Jones (2)
4. will.i.am (4)

David Hasselhoff defends 'Celeb Apprentice' co-star Jason Akermanis

David Hasselhoff defends 'Celeb Apprentice' co-star Jason Akermanis

David Hasselhoff has leapt to the defence of Jason Akermanis following his recent controversies.

Akermanis was rumoured to have been dropped from Celebrity Apprentice after threatening the show's boss Mark Bouris and teammates Nathan Joliffe and Lauryn Eagle on Twitter. He also caused outrage for describing late sports star Jim Stynes as "cruel".

Hasselhoff, who also took part in this year's Celebrity Apprentice, has hit back at Akermanis's critics, describing his friend as a "true gentleman" who was fun to work with.

The Baywatch actor told the Herald Sun: "Sometimes as celebrities we are set up to say something and the press take it in a certain way. It happened to me just three weeks ago."

Akermanis said that he was grateful to Hasselhoff for trying to defend him, but said that he hopes people will "see the real man" when they watch Celebrity Apprentice.

He added: "I've been the victim of character assassination for the past 10 years, so a lot of people have pretty low expectations of me. I don't think I abused any other contestants individually by text, but I probably said some things on Twitter that I regret."

Akermanis has since stopped posting on the microblogging site.

Kerri-Anne Kennerley: 'There's no point crying over TV axe'

Kerri-Anne Kennerley: 'There's no point crying over TV axe'

Kerri-Anne Kennerley has said that she has moved on from her TV sacking.

The 58-year-old former breakfast television host, who was recently announced as part of the line-up for this year's Dancing with the Stars, said that she was hurt when her TV show was axed but admitted that there is "no point" in dwelling on it.

Kennerley told the Sunday Herald Sun: "Oh, grow up, I've never been the sort of person to do the teary thing. To be quite frank, I don't do that and I probably don't tolerate it in a lot of other people. And there's no point crying over spilled milk. It's 'done and dusted' and move on.

"It's sometimes nice if the circumstances were ever so slightly different, [but] I had a fantastic time for nine years. Who would feel sorry for someone who had a fabulous time doing exactly what they wanted to do, who got paid well? Let's be frank, I got paid to have a fabulous time and I'm still having a good time."

Kennerley added: "I've never been the sort of person to dwell on looking backwards. The rear-vision mirror is not the way I've led my life; you hit a couple of speed bumps and that's fine.

"I didn't find [it] nearly as bad as obviously a lot of people thought I did."

Kennerley did however admit that she didn't think it would have been "too much" for the Nine Network to show her "a little courtesy" when they cancelled her show.

She also credited her mother with giving her her "drive" and "focus" in life, explaining: "I've seen by example that application is the key to success. I get that strength from [my] mum, there's no question.

"Mum's 90 and she is still as strong today as she was then. I'm very glad I had that [serious work ethic] instilled in me, all of us did."

'Smash' soundtrack release date revealed

'Smash' soundtrack release date revealed

A release date for the Smash soundtrack has been announced.

An LP of songs from the NBC musical series will be available to purchase in the US from May 1.

The Smash soundtrack will feature a total of 13 original tracks and covers from the show, according to its listing on Amazon.

They include cast versions of Christina Aguilera's 'Beautiful', 'Who You Are' by Jessie J, 'Haven't Met You Yet' by Michael Bublé and 'Touch Me', produced by Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic.

Smash actress Megan Hilty landed a solo record deal with Sony last week.

The show was renewed for a second season late last month.

Smash - which also stars Debra Messing, Anjelica Houston, Jack Davenport and Katharine McPhee - airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC. It will premiere in the UK on April 21 on Sky Atlantic.

Jack Whitehall sitcom 'Bad Education' dubbed new 'Gavin & Stacey'

Jack Whitehall sitcom 'Bad Education' dubbed new 'Gavin & Stacey'

Jack Whitehall's new BBC Three sitcom has been tipped to become as popular as The Office or Gavin & Stacey.

The Fresh Meat comedian stars as "the worst teacher ever to grace the British education system" in Bad Education, which he has also written.

"Jack has written a very funny series and everyone is terribly excited about it," a source told The Sun. "It could be as big as The Office and Gavin & Stacey."

Bad Education also stars Him & Her actress Sarah Solemani, Michelle Gomez of Green Wing and Mathew Horne, who appeared in Gavin & Stacey.

Details of the show first came to light in November 2011.

Whitehall is also preparing for a second series of Fresh Meat, ordered by Channel 4 last October.

'Once Upon a Time' Channel 5 premiere enchants 2.2m

'Once Upon a Time' Channel 5 premiere enchants 2.2m

Once Upon a Time debuted with a strong audience in the UK last night (April 1).

The US drama, heavily promoted by Channel 5, pulled in 2.01m (8.3%) at 8pm and 228k (0.9%) an hour later on +1.

Classic film Mrs Doubtfire also helped the station fare well, appealing to 1.3m (7%) in the early evening, adding an extra 144k (0.6%) on timeshift. Rush Hour 2 attracted 1.27m (5.6%) after Once Upon a Time.

Silent Witness proved too strong for ITV's Titanic last night as the BBC One drama - now in its 15th run - returned with a slot-winning 6.7m (26.6%) in the 9pm hour.

At the same time, Julian Fellowes's epic miniseries Titanic sunk to 4.38m (17.4%) on ITV1 and 283k (1.6%) on +1 - down a hefty 2.7m week-on-week.

However, Titanic was preceded by an audience of only 3.7m (15.7%) for ITV's screening of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, way below Dancing on Ice's figures last Sunday.

Whereas on BBC One, Antiques Roadshow (6.82m/28%) and Countryfile (6.45m/29.7%) performed solidly.

Elsewhere, Homeland took a slight dip with the latest episode drawing 1.93m (7.8%) for Channel 4 (+1: 376k/2.3%), a 250k drop on the last instalment.

Match of the Day 2 was easily BBC Two's best performer with 2.78m (15.9%) at 10pm. A second showing of Friday's Twenty Twelve was watched by 810k (8%) at 11pm.

Overall, BBC One topped primetime with 26% against ITV1's 14.7% (+1: 1.6%). In third, Channel 5 commanded a share of 6.4% (+1: 0.7%), putting it just ahead of BBC Two (6.3%). Channel 4 finished in last place with 5.8% (+1: 0.9%).

On the digital channels, ITV2's repeat of Benidorm fetched 777k (3.1%) at 9pm (+1: 224k/1.3%), prior to which 766k (3.1%) caught up with Britain's Got More Talent.