Midnight

ABC could be revving up for a tasty treat. Word is that Warren Littlefield and some former "King of the Hill" writers are developing a sitcom about food trucks, those mobile purveyors of sustenance. Comedian Al Madrigal would star as a man who takes over the family food truck biz. [Vulture] More American Country Awards performers are signing up. Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and The Band Perry will join the previously announced performers for the two-hour special on Dec. 4. [ACAs] "The Walking Dead" is ambling to a close in its first season, and this may be the end of its writing staff as well. Showrunner Frank Darabont has reportedly fired the entire writing staff and will farm out individual episodes of Season 2 to freelancers. Not sure how we feel about that, but we're waiting for confirmation from AMC before we panic as if we're in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. [Deadline] Trinity still holds the record, but "Dexter's" latest episode, "In the Beginning" could presage big numbers for the upcoming Season 5 finale. "In the Beginning" drew the second-highest number of viewers in the ratings history. Approximately 2.54 million tuned in Sunday (Nov. 28), just shy of the Season 4 finale audience of 2.57 million. The show has shown steady growth as well, it's up 43 percent from the Season 5 premiere, and is up 20 percent from the previous week. [Showtime] "Ugly Betty" star Michael Urie, Jed Rees and Lindy Booth have joined the TBS pilot "Brain Trust," a comedy starring D.B. Sweeney as a police detective who's aided by three geeks played by the aforementioned trio. Meanwhile, on sister network TNT, Wynn Everett, William Ragsdale and Suzy Nakamura have jumped aboard the Eliza Dushku small town cop drama "Bird Dog." [Deadline] Spike TV has bagged more "Auction Hunters." The network has renewed the reality series for a 20-episode second season. The show originally debuted on Nov. 9. [The Hollywood Reporter] Reiko Aylesworth (best known for playing Michelle Dessler on "24") has landed a potentially recurring role on "Hawaii Five-0," as Malia, Chin Ho's (Daniel Dae Kim) ex-fiance. Malia is a doctor who Chin Ho runs into when a case leads him to the hospital. This isn't the actresss' first time in Hawaii; She played Dharma member Amy on "Lost."[Movieline] View full article

Fast National ratings for Monday, Nov. 29, 2010 ESPN will most likely end up having Monday's biggest audience thanks to "Monday Night Football." Among the broadcast networks, though, CBS led the way with 8.65 million viewers and a 5.5 rating/9 share in households. ABC (6.7 million, 4.4/7) took a big tumble from its Monday average now that "Dancing" is gone. NBC took third with 6 million viewers and a 3.7/6 as all three of its shows were up a bit compared to recent weeks. FOX (5.7 million, 3.5/5) came in fourth. The CW (2 million, 1.3/2) was also up some over recent weeks. CBS also led the adults 18-49 demographic with a 2.4 rating. FOX grabbed second in the demo with a 1.9, narrowly beating NBC's 1.8. ABC was fourth with just a 1.3, while The CW earned a 1.0. Monday hour by hour: 8 p.m. CBS: How I Met Your Mother rerun (8.5 million viewers, 5.3/8 households)/ Rules Of Engagement rerun (7.8 million, 4.8/7) ABC: "Skating With the Stars" (6.19 million, 4.2/7) NBC: "Chuck" (6.17 million, 3.7/6) FOX: "House" rerun (5.1 million, 3.2/5) The CW: "90210" (2 million, 1.3/2) 18-49 leader: "How I Met Your Mother" (2.7) 9 p.m. CBS: Two and a Half Men rerun (11.25 million, 7.0/11)/ Mike & Molly rerun (8.9 million, 5.6/9) ABC: "Skating With the Stars" (5.8 million, 3.9/6)/Special - "CMA Country Christmas" (7.2 million, 4.7/7) FOX: "Lie to Me" (6.3 million, 3.8/6) NBC: "The Event" (5.8 million, 3.6/5) The CW: "Gossip Girl" (2 million, 1.4/2) 18-49 leader: "Two and a Half Men" (3.0) 10 p.m. CBS: Hawaii Five-O rerun (7.7 million, 5.1/9) ABC: "CMA Country Christmas" (7.4 million, 4.8/8) NBC: "Chase" (6 million, 3.9/7) 18-49 leader: "Hawaii Five-0" (1.9) Ratings information includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change. Source: The Nielsen Company. View full article

In his first big interview since being diagnosed with throat cancer earlier this year, Michael Douglas admits that the disease and intense treatment he's undergone have taken a toll, but he says he's "on the upward curve" now. "To be able to sit here and talk to you, I'm so happy." [Hollywood Reporter] David Cassidy -- or rather his lawyer, acting on Cassidy's behalf -- pleaded not guilty to a DUI charge in a Florida court on Tuesday (Nov. 30). Cassidy was arrested earlier this month but maintains his innocence; he's due back in court in January. [TMZ] Mariah Carey has started having some pregnancy cravings, but they're not the sterotypical ones. "My taste bud situation is unparalleled," she says. "I don't know what it is, but I'm just about fruit for some reason." [People] NFL/VH1 star Chad Ochocinco put weeks of rumors to rest Tuesday by confirming he's engaged to another VH1 regular, Evelyn Lozada of "Basketball Wives." "It's time for me to sit down," he says. "I'm 32, you know, my days are over." [On-Air with Ryan Seacrest] View full article

Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) come up with a plan to break the spell cast over vampires and werewolves so that Elena (Nina Dobrev) is no longer an essential part of Klaus's diabolical scheme. "Ergo, you live," Damon quips. There are a few things that stand out to us about this clip. One: Why is Bonnie agreeing to open the tomb up? Of course Elena is her best friend, but this is a spell that actually killed her seasoned, practiced grandmother. Wouldn't she demand they find another way? Two: Katherine is starved for blood. They'd better have a damn good method of keeping her in that tomb because once Bonnie breaks the spell, she basically turns into a juicy steak on a plate. With Katherine's vervain tolerance, almost nothing will be able to stop her from tearing a piece out of Bonnie and any other living person in that tomb. Three: Elena is probably right. Klaus has been alive a thousand years -- if he's got anything, he's got time on his hands. He'll be perfectly content to come whirling through Mystic Falls, killing off every person who had a hand in messing up his plan... and maybe a few extra for good measure. Four: Okay, let's talk about that look Elena gives Damon when she says, "Everyone that I care about, including the two of you." Elena is pointedly making sure Damon knows that she cares about him again, Damon is stunned by it, and Stefan goes on talking like there are no meaningful gazes around at all. Hmmm. I'll say this: it's only been 10 episodes since Damon snapped Jeremy's neck. He's making pretty good time. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! View full article

And let us all now praise Timothy Dalton. There could have been easier ways for the character of Volkoff to go in this episode -- the psycho part of him could have melted away in favor of the lovesick part -- but to his immense credit, Dalton played crazy-in-love about as well as I've ever seen it played on television. "Chuck" hasn't really gotten any recognition from the Emmys in its first three seasons, but Dalton gave an award-worthy performance here -- funny, scary, intense and great. While we still don't quite know what Mary Bartowski is up to -- she says her mission is to take down Volkoff's network, but do we want to take her at her word? -- "Leftovers" at least gave us a great sense of why she's stayed embedded with Volkoff for so long. He has a blind spot for her, and she's (presumably) been using that to gather intel on his operations. Sarah recognizes her dilemma, and she helps talk Chuck down a little after he finds out the reason Volkoff is so single-minded in his efforts to get Frost out of CIA custody. Speaking of Chuck himself, this was Zachary Levi's second episode as a director, and it had some common threads with last season's "Chuck vs. the Beard." Like that one, we got a huge dose of key information that deepens the "Chuck" universe, and curiously enough, both episodes involve enemy agents taking over the Buy More and imperiling Morgan. This one, however, was a little smaller in scale and focused more on the actors, and Levi got strong performances all around (including himself). And that's four sizable paragraphs in without even mentioning that, oh by the way,Chuck has the Intersect back. It seemed like kind of a roundabout way to get it back to him -- among other things, why would Steven Bartowski go through Ellie and risk her falling into the spy world? -- but the excited-relieved-nerdy smile on Chuck's face as he said "I know kung fu. Again" was enough to patch over those holes. So where does all the activity of "Chuck vs. the Leftovers" leave us? Volkoff now knows Frost is Chuck's mom, and that her son works for the CIA. He can't be so deep in Mary's thrall that he's willing just to leave Chuck and Sarah alone -- and it's equally hard to believe that Chuck will let things lie. He may trust his mom again, but that seems like all the more reason for him and the team to go after Volkoff and try to take him down and free her from the situation she's been in for so long. On the real-life side of things, too, here's hoping that "Chuck" can get Dalton and Linda Hamilton back for some of the back 11 episodes. Their primary arc will likely be done by episode 13 -- that's all the episodes the writers had to work with at the start of the season -- but as with Shaw last season, it's easy to see a way for them to pop back up in the second half of the season. Fingers crossed that everyone's schedule works out. Other thoughts on "Chuck vs. the Leftovers": The show has gone to the "Die Hard" well before, but Morgan's John McClane impression tonight was just brilliant. The tank top, the bare feet, the hobbling with the gun taped to his back, the not being able to reach the gun because he taped it too low -- note-perfect.Chuck told Devon he needed to be awesome, and he was -- both in helping Chuck and Sarah call in backup and in resetting the boundary between Chuck-world and family world. Awesome can't really unlearn what he knows about Chuck's work, but his setting a line with Chuck and refusal to be informed about the new Intersect was a great way to show how much he cares about Ellie and wants to protect her and their child (aside from asking her to drive a minivan).How strong must the sedative Volkoff's advance woman used on Jeff and Lester have been? It's been a running joke on the show that Jeff does not go down easily, but he faded away in seconds with this stuff.I really, really hope that we get to see the machine guns hidden in the Buy More ceiling again before the season ends.What did you think of the episode? How are you going to pass the time between now and when "Chuck" returns? View full article

The twin revelations that Thomas wasn't planning an attack on the United States (at least not directly) and of the reason why Dempsey was after Leila and her little sister gave the show a nice note on which to go out. But they were more "Hmm" than "Whoa!" as these things go, and while they worked, it's hard to say whether they worked well enough to keep fans on the hook until late February. That the show won't be back until then is not The Event's fault, of course, and if it were coming back sooner, then this would have been a fine bit of teasing to tide us over till, say, mid-January. But that's not what's happening, and NBC's decision to hold off longer could end up hurting the show. So, about those two revelations. Midway though the episode I wrote the following in my notes: "This nuke is going to launch at the fade to black, isn't it?" That the show chose not to do that -- and that it wasn't a nuclear missile Thomas launched after all -- is a big plus to its credit. The question now is why Thomas and Isobel were being so secretive about their plans with Sophia. Is he transmitting a homing beacon, a distress signal or a call to arms into space, and regardless of which it is (or if it's something else altogether), why is that something that needs to be hidden from Sophia? She wants to return to wherever it is they came from, but is that necessarily mutually exclusive from what Thomas is doing -- especially since they don't quite have the technology here on Earth to make it happen? As for the other big moment, seeing that Michael Buchanan hasn't aged in 50-plus years answers a couple questions while raising others. We now know why Dempsey has been kidnapping little girls -- they're the daughters of sleepers, and he's using them somehow to supply his young-making coffee additive. It makes them age prematurely, as does whatever was in the syringe Sean injected into Dempsey's goon. Now that we know -- or at least can very strongly assume -- that Michael is an EBE too, it does explain how he was so certain that the helicopters that came for the Avias passengers weren't friendly. What it doesn't explain is Crazy Journalist Lady's info-dump to Sean and Leila about Michael's Mt. Inostranka research. Mostly likely Michael was just lying about having seen the facility from the air a couple years back, but that's an odd red herring to throw in. It does seem to mean, though, that unless Leila's mom is also an alien, that humans and the EBEs can procreate, and the resulting offspring are different -- at least different enough for Dempsey to want to round them up and experiment on them. Again, if these questions were going to be answered in a couple weeks, or even a little more than a month from now, we'd be more sanguine about where "The Event" was headed. This was a pretty solid episode, one of the better ones it's done in recent weeks. But the fact that we won't find anything out until three months from now takes away from its impact some, and that's a shame. View full article

Zap2it confirms that AJ has been tapped for a recurring role on her sister's series, Hellcats. AJ, who recently appeared in Disney's "Secretariat," will make her CW debut in the second half of the season as a girl who works at a record store near Lancer University. Of course, Aly and AJ are in a band together called 78violet - which was previously known simply as "Aly and AJ." When AJ's character befriends Marti, a musical connection is made, and The CW tells us that "a musical performance with the two is very likely." When Zap2it spoke with Aly at the Television Critics Association press tour over the summer, she told us that despite "Hellcats" filming in Vancouver, she and her sister remained as close as ever. "AJ is so excited about the show," she said. "She's sad that I'm in Vancouver so I'm away a lot, but we still talk every day and we're still always working on our music together. One of the major differences between myself and Marti is that her relationship with her family is really volatile and can be sort of toxic, but I've always been incredibly blessed when it comes to my family. My mom and my sister are amazing." In fact, the music clip that plays during the "Hellcats" title sequence in each episode is a 78violet special. "We are definitely excited about the fact that me and AJ did the opening credits," Aly told us. "The opening title sequence we wrote and recorded, which was a fantastic opportunity." AJ's character's name hasn't been confirmed yet -- nor has exactly which episode she'll make her first appearance in -- but she is expected to appear in several episodes. Follow Zap2it and @cadlymack on Twitter and Zap2it on Facebook for the latest TV, movie and celebrity news. Photo credit: Getty Images Source: http://blog.zap2it.c...pisode-arc.html View full article

"We were very excited that that didn't leak, somehow, because we've had that in the works for a very long time," says executive producer Kelly Souders. "It's going to have a very significant role in her life for the rest of the season. Some of it really comes to a head in episode 10. We'll see how it's impacting her and how it's going to start changing her life a bit." Episode 10, airing Friday Dec. 3, is aptly titled "Luthor." It explores not only Tess's connection to the Luthor name, but also gives us a glimpse into what would have happened if it was Lionel Luthor, not the Kent family, who found Clark (Tom Welling) in that cornfield after the meteor hit Smallville. "It's always fun to get to write these characters that we know and love in our world and sort of think about how life would've turned out differently for them with just a few changes," says Souders. "It's always one of the most fun episodes to break of the year, when we change it up a bit." In the parallel universe, Clark is a villainous murderer, and Lois is engaged to Oliver. However, back in the real world, Tess is still coming to grips with the new information about her past. "We obviously have a lot of ideas up our sleeve for the end of the season," says Brian Peterson, also an executive producer. "Having the Luthor name definitely has a profound impact on you." As we approach the last half of the final season, expect to see a lot of familiar characters return -- including everyone's favorite feisty blonde, Chloe (Allison Mack). "She'll be back in 12. She comes back in a very cool and exciting way, in addition to a very very romantic way," says Peterson. "It's very true to who Chloe is and who she's becoming." Mack is expected to appear in multiple episodes, but the showrunners don't share whether her episodes will be joined in a consecutive story arc or if they'll be scattered throughout the remaining months. "That part we can't really say right now, but she definitely will be back for several episodes in the back half of the season." Chloe's first episode back will also see the return of the Black Canary, aka Dinah Lance (Alaina Huffman). "I wouldn't say it's a two parter, but she has a quick cameo at the end of 11, which is the very last episode in this run," says Peterson. "And then she's in episode 12 when we come back. We see her in a different light than we've ever seen her before." Sounds like we may be going into the holiday hiatus on quite a cliffhanger. Another familiar face in the back nine? Look for Clark's mother, Martha Kent, to return with a mission. "Becoming a senator was twofold for Martha Kent," says Souders. "Part of it was to serve the people and part of it was to protect her son. When she comes back, she'll do both." If you're still hungry for hints about what's to come for our heroes, don't worry - we've got a few more tidbits for you. We're all looking forward to Clark proposing to Lois, but the course of true love never did run smooth. We mentioned to Souders and Peterson that we've gotten a lot of tweets from fans wondering when Lois and Clark would get back to being journalists. "You don't see a lot of them at work," Peterson says. "That's actually part of the issue between them now, is that Clark is very busy being a hero." "We can promise in the next run you'll see them back at the Daily Planet working together," Souders adds, reassuring. Of course, one of the reasons Clark has been so preoccupied lately is that he's grappling with the decision of whether or not to reveal himself as a superhero. One particular catalyst will come into play: Clark's friend Oliver. "What's going on with Oliver has a lot to do with Clark coming out, when he's going to do it, how he's going to do it, and what he needs to do before he can do it," says Souders. "Oliver really becomes a big lesson for all the people in the JLA." And as for Lex, our favorite villain of all? The bond between Tess and Lex's clone, Alexander, is growing stronger. "Lex is definitely evolving very quickly now," says Peterson. "He's got this connection with Tess, and with her being a Luthor, he's more tied into the rest of her world in this next run of episodes than he was before." View full article

Williamson is working on a project that could be a "companion series" to "TVD," The CW's most-watched show. Deadline describes the new show as "'The X-Files' meets 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'" and says it revolves around people who track unexplained phenomena. (So, more "X-Files" than "Buffy," based on that logline.) The rather large catch at the moment is that Williamson hasn't actually written a script yet, and The CW hasn't committed to anything. Williamson may co-write it with fellow "Vampire Diaries" creator Julie Plec. "Companion series," by the way, doesn't mean "spinoff." That's TV-exec-speak for a show that people think might be a good match with "TVD" on The CW's schedule. Williamson signed a development deal with Warner Bros. earlier this month. The paranormal project is the first thing he's gotten rolling under the contract. View full article

CBS has signed the star to a talent holding deal, meaning he will headline a new project set for next fall. Sources say the actor was offered the deal the same day The CW decided to not give "Life Unexpected" a full-season order. Polaha is thus far the only dramatic actor on CBS' roster this pilot season. [Deadline] "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice" creator Shonda Rhimes is creating a new series for ABC set in the world of public relations crisis management. The show will be based on the career of legendary public relations consultant Judy Smith, who worked with Bill Clinton, Michael Vick and New York Governor David Paterson. Not much is known about the project (it doesn't have a title yet), other than it is being developed for the 2011-12 season and will revolve around the life and work of a PR pro and her dysfunctional team. [Vulture] "Lost" alum Doug Hutchinson (he played Horace Goodspeed) is heading to Lie To Me. The actor will guest star as Lane Bradley, whose rising career as a police detective comes to a screeching halt when his infant daughter is kidnapped. Bradley is described as an intense individual who is controlling of his wife and son and blames his wife for the kidnapping, but he naturally has a few secrets of his own. The episode, "Gone Baby Gone," will air later this season. [Movieline] View full article

The New York Post says the show's high-tech stunts went "completely awry," including wires dropping on the audience, scenery missing pieces and the show's star Natalie Mendoza was suspended helplessly in midair during the climatic end to Act I. As Mendoza finished the number "Rise Above" while suspended over the audience, a wire malfunction left her there -- for seven or eight minutes, while stagehands worked to figure out the problem. In the first act alone, the show was halted four times for technical difficulties. At one point, Spider-Man himself (Reeve Carney) was left dangling above the stage as backstage crew members leapt at his feet to haul him back down to earth. The theatergoers left the performance grumbling about feeling like "guinea pigs" and that the show felt like a "dress rehearsal." This was the first preview performance, with an official opening night set for Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011. Hopefully the snafus can be worked out before then. Follow Zap2it on Twitter and Zap2it on Facebook for the latest news and buzz Photo/Video credit: Vogue Source: http://blog.zap2it.c...st-hanging.html View full article

Franco and Hathaway each have a movie out right now, Franco's "127 Hours" and Hathaway's "Love and Other Drugs." Both films have been getting good reviews. Franco has even been in the conversation for an Oscar nomination, while Hathaway is considered more of a long shot. It would certainly be a different way to go from last year's hosts of Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. But after our initial surprise, we found ourselves liking the idea. Franco would certainly be a breath of fresh air, while Hathaway has proven her comedic chops in movies like "The Princess Diaries" and "The Devil Wears Prada." Hathaway would be the first female host since Ellen DeGeneres in Feb. 2006 and only the third female host since 1987 (Whoopi Goldberg being the other one). What do you think? Gutsy risk with high reward potential? Or bad idea jeans? The Oscars air Feb. 27, 2011. Follow Zap2it on Twitter and Zap2it on Facebook for the latest news and buzz Photo/Video credit: Getty Images Source:http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2010/11/oscars-report-james-franco-anne-hathaway-to-host.html View full article