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Tag: ABC

  • Cheryl Burke Condemns Body Bullies Who Attacked Her on Facebook

    Cheryl Burke recently condemned those who posted rude comments on her Facebook page after she shared photos of herself in Cabo San Lucas.

    Burke began sharing photos from her trip on July 6. It didn’t take long for the weight-related comments to start.

    When Burke posted a photo captioned “First dinner in Cabos,” one fan commented “Eat something good. You don’t look like Cheryl to me.”

    When Burke, who is known for interacting with fans on social media, replied “I don’t look like me?” several fans jumped to her rescue, but one qualified her compliment by admonishing Burke not to lose more weight.

    The comments only got worse from there, with some accusing Burke of having plastic surgery on her face and one commenter asking “What the heck happened to your lips???”

    Post by Cheryl Burke.

    “It’s one thing to see negative comments about yourself in the press, it’s another to be criticized by individual people on your own social media pages,” Burke said. “It’s much more personal. It hurts.”

    “I’ve had some time to think about it all and I’ve found strength in just letting it go. I can’t let myself get hurt by it. I also can’t shut down and not post anything online,” she continued. “There are all different types of people out there who are going to say all kinds of things, online and in real life. The important thing is to know which ones to listen to.”

    It’s not the first time Burke has spoken out about public criticism of her weight. In May she posted a defense of her weight loss on Facebook following an appearance in People’s “Most Talked About Bodies” issue.

    Burke posed in a bikini for the spread, revealing she’d went from 135 pounds to around 120.

    Post by Cheryl Burke.

    Besides eating smaller portions of healthier food, Burke said morning workouts with friend and neighbor Leah Remini have contributed to her slimmer, more defined figure.

    Burke, 30, was the first female professional dancer to win Dancing with the Stars and the first professional to win two consecutive seasons. She won season two with dance partner Drew Lachey of 98 Degrees and followed up with a season three win when she partnered with retired football player Emmitt Smith.

    Burke has danced every ensuing season of the show. Season 19 is set to premiere on ABC in the fall. Cast members haven’t been officially announced.

    Image via Instagram, Cheryl Burke

  • Ashley Tisdale Will Share Kiss With Emily Osment on ABC’s Young & Hungry

    Ashley Tisdale’s next Young & Hungry episode will feature a kiss between two women. If that doesn’t interest you, she also cut her hair recently.

    It’s now a long bob, or “lob” for short.

    Maybe Young & Hungry is a little bit more interesting topic after all.

    Tisdale also happens to be the producer of the show. It was picked up by ABC Family back in January, and places like Just Jared Jr. were pretty excited about it. Mostly they were interested in the stars, Emily Osment and Jonathan Sadowski, but they were excited nevertheless.

    More excitement arose recently, this time from the Hollywood Reporter, when they caught word Tisdale appearance on the show’s episode Wednesday, called “Young & Lesbian”. Tisdale plays Logan Rawlings, a “fiesty” magazine editor who shares a kiss with Gabi, Osment’s character on the show. From the photos the kiss leans more on the goofy, comedic side rather than sensual, sexy, natural, or loving. But the episode hasn’t aired yet, so who knows?

    The show, described as“a rich girl who hires a young blogger to be her personal chef” is a source of pride for Tisdale. She share her personal life and her life on the show side by side. Naturally, the network tends to be a little more focused on the show itself and not so much behind the scenes where Tisdale is many times.

    Social media being what it is, sometimes Tisdale’s status as a celebrity outshines the her work. News seems to be broken whenever she and her fiancé Christopher French go out to buy groceries. KDrama Stars described this exact scene for their readers:

    Christopher looked totally manly as he carried their two grocery bags, as they casually walked on the sidewalk that super hot afternoon. Ashley was carrying her water bottle and was wearing a cute and casual ensemble of black tank top paired with shorts. She also had on her usual high bun.
    The two seems to be getting real cozy with each other as their wedding gets near.

    They were also quite tickled with this Instagram post:

    But nothing about her work, let alone Young & Hungry.

    Image via YouTube

  • Elizabeth Lail Cast as Anna in ‘Once Upon a Time’

    Elizabeth Lail Cast as Anna in ‘Once Upon a Time’

    Even though almost every single scientist and liberal on the planet continually warn of the dangers of global warming, the pudding shows that the world has been #Frozen over since November 27, 2013 with Disney’s release of Frozen, the story of a princess with magical ice powers who needs help from her sister, a bumpkin named Kristoff, a reindeer, and a talking snowman to stop the entire kingdom from being frozen over.

    Since its release, Frozen has infiltrated every aspect of pop culture, with its soundtrack reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 and going platinum and merchandizing galore. Now, Frozen has even infiltrated the TV, becoming part of the Once Upon a Time Universe.

    Frozen was first hinted to become part of Once Upon a Time at the end of Season 3, when a blue puddle transforms itself into Elsa, who is facing away from the audience.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PPw2XrYYLI

    While we still do not know what Elsa is truly going to look like or who is going to play her, the world now knows who is going to play her sister, Anna, and Anna’s love interest, Kristoff.

    Elizabeth Lail, who has yet to star in a major role for any medium, has been cast as Anna. While Lail has not had any big screen experience, her North Carolina School of the Arts profile states that she sings soprano, can juggle, and is certified in unarmed combat, along with knife, small sword, broad sword, rapier and dagger – all characteristics an Anna in real-life would possess.

    Kristoff is going to be played by Scott Michael Foster, whose credits include ABC’s Greek, Californication, The River, and currently AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire. Much like Lail, Foster brings singing talent along, being the lead singer in a small, indie band called The Sirens.

    While many fans have expressed their worries and concerns with integrating Frozen into the Once Upon a Time universe, Executive Producer Adam Horowitz is confident with the decision to merge the two worlds: “We are dealing with the world of Frozen. We are honored to be allowed to do it. We loved the movie. We fell in love with it when it came out last year like everyone did, and we want to do our best to do it justice.”

    Once Upon a Time has yet to cast the character of Elsa, but Executive Producer Edward Kitsis does know how they want to portray the Ice Queen:

    [What] we loved so much about the character of Elsa was that she was considered a villain but she never really was. She was misunderstood. That, on our show, speaks to us so strongly, that it was a toy we had to play with.

    Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff will all make their first appearances on Once Upon a Time when Season Four begins on ABC this fall.

    Image via YouTube

  • Alyssa Milano Shares Photo of Son Snuggling Her Baby Bump

    Last week Alyssa Milano shared a photo on Instagram of her almost-three-year-old son Milo snuggling her bare baby bump.

    Milano captioned the photo:

    “#MomAndBaby are doing fine. Families everywhere should be able to say the same …” and posted a link to the official website of USAID.

    In March Milano and husband David Bugliari announced they were expecting their second child together.

    In May Milano revealed that the baby was a girl.

    She announced the happy news by filming a video set in her Mistresses dressing room and uploading it to YouTube. The video was simply and aptly titled “Baby Bugliari Gender Reveal.”

    Milano and Bugliari, a Creative Artists Agency agent, met in 2006 and married in 2009.

    “He is one of the funniest people on the planet,” Milano has said of Bugliari. “And he’s a great, great, great, great father …”

    The family currently lives in a gated community 45 minutes northwest of Los Angeles with four chickens, four horses, and a vegetable garden.

    Milano, who is well-known for her previous roles on Who’s the Boss? and Charmed, is currently starring in the ABC drama Mistresses.

    Currently in its second season, the series features an ensemble cast, which Milano says “meant I was going to have time to spend with my boy.”

    She takes Milo on set with her regularly:

    “… I feel so blessed as a mom to be able to do that, ’cause there aren’t many jobs that allow that.”

    Milano will soon be heading to New York to shoot season four of Project Runway: All Stars after successfully hosting and judging season three.

    When she’s not acting, Milano stays busy running her successful Touch by Alyssa Milano sportswear line, contributing to the Hacktivist comic book series, and acting on behalf of humanitarian organizations such as UNICEF.

    Image via Instagram, Alyssa Milano

  • Kerry Washington Hits Red Carpet Post-Baby at BET Awards

    Kerry Washington stepped out on the red carpet Sunday night for the BET Awards in Los Angeles.

    The event marked Washington’s first live television appearance since giving birth to daughter Isabelle Amarachi on April 21. The child is the first for both Washington and her husband, former San Francisco 49ers cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.

    Observers said Washington looked “slim, fit, and healthy” in a brightly-colored floral strapless Dolce & Gabbana dress, white Jimmy Choo pumps, and the bare minimum of jewelry.

    Washington was nominated for a Best Actress award this year alongside Angela Bassett (Black Nativity, American Horror Story,) Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave,) Gabrielle Union (Being Mary Jane,) and Oprah Winfrey (The Butler.) Lupita Nyong’o won.

    Washington won the BET Best Actress award in 2013.

    Washington, 37, and Asomugha, 32, married in a small, private ceremony in Hailey, Idaho in June 2013. The notoriously private couple managed to keep the wedding secret for over a week.

    The couple kept their daughter’s birth from hitting the news for an impressive 11 days following her birth.

    Washington began acting in 1994 and landed small television and film roles for the next few years, including parts in Mr. and Mrs. Smith with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt and The Last King of Scotland with James McAvoy and Forest Whitaker.

    In 2012 she gained notoriety for her performance opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, and Christoph Waltz in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.

    Also that year she landed the lead role in ABC’s hit series Scandal. Thanks to her role as Olivia Pope, Washington is now a household name. The term “gladiators” and the phrase “It’s handled” have become synonymous with the series and millions of viewers covet Olivia Pope’s wardrobe.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • ‘Girls Meets World’ Debut Draws Big Numbers

    ‘Girls Meets World’ Debut Draws Big Numbers

    Almost everyone today between the ages of 20 and 30 can attribute their moral compass to one source – Boy Meets World. The TGIF ABC sitcom that ran between the years 1993-2000 followed the life of young Cory Matthews (played by Ben Savage), an average boy trying to find his own way through the world, along with best friends Topanga Lawrence (Danielle Fischel) and Shawn Hunter (Rider Strong). In the seven years during the shows run, the world was able to see Cory grow up before its eyes and learn the same life lessons Cory found so valuable toward his growth and development. In some ways, one could say that Cory Matthews is the Jiminy Cricket of Generation Y. Fortunately for those who fall just outside that generation, there is a new, yet familiar, moral compass currently airing on the Disney Channel.

    This past Friday, Girl Meets World made its world debut. And while the show definitely isn’t the same as the original, show creator Michael Jacobs has created a world familiar enough to draw in millions of viewers – 5.2 million, to be exact.

    Girl Meets World follows the same premise as Boy Meets World , except with a few twists. Riley Matthews (Rowen Blanchard), Cory and Topanga’s oldest child, attempts to navigate the huge world of New York City on her own, escaping her parents’ shadows and learning her own life lessons. She gets help along the way from her own version of Shawn Hunter – Maya Hart (Sabrina Carpenter), and even already has a love interest in Peyton Meyer (Lucas Friar).

    “We’re dealing with a lot of the same issues that we dealt with on the original series: themes of freedom from your parents and individuality and family support and relying on your friends,” stated Ben Savage.

    That being said, there are some significant differences in the new iteration: “But it’s in a lot more complicated framework because the world’s a lot more complicated. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Internet — these are issues we didn’t have to deal with in the ’90s, which is shocking, but it was a totally different world.”

    Creator and writer Michael Jacobs recognizes and respects the differences between the two time periods in which the respective shows take place; hence, his decision to bring on four younger female writers.

    While the debut was successful in terms of numbers, the reviews were mixed. Many people are still basking in the aura of nostalgia, refusing to believe anything touched by Michael Jacobs and the original Boy Meets World cast could go wrong (such as this guy). Others, however, feel as if Jacobs and company have sold out to the new version of Disney Channel shows, replacing the humbleness of the original series with the glitz and glam appeal typically broadcast in current Disney Channel shows.

    And while there were some forced moments of nostalgia, cuteness, and moral prescription in the pilot, most fans would agree that the show has an upside that ensures millions more viewers for week to come.

    Image via YouTube

  • Aereo Shuts Down After Supreme Court Loss

    Aereo Shuts Down After Supreme Court Loss

    Consumers are going to have to continue to pay big bucks for their television via cable and satellite packages — at least for the time being.

    Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia announced Saturday his company would “pause our operations temporarily” after a Supreme Court 6-3 decision that said his broadcasting model infringed upon broadcasters’ copyrights.

    The 2-year-old startup was in the process of changing the way consumers received their favorite television shows. The company planned on setting up small antennas in about dozen U.S. cities to pick up broadcast TV channels and stream to computers, smartphones and other devices, at a cost of $8 per month for subscribers.

    “As a result of that decision, our case has been returned to the lower Court,” said Kanojia on the company’s website. “We have decided to pause our operations temporarily as we consult with the court and map out our next steps. You will be able to access your cloud-based antenna and DVR only until 11:30 a.m. ET today. All of our users will be refunded their last paid month. If you have questions about your account, please email [email protected] or tweet us @AereoSupport.”

    Consumers with an antenna can pick up signals from companies like ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox for free, but cable companies like Time-Warner Cable pay billions in fees for the right to include those channels in cable packages.

    Cable companies are breathing a sigh of relief following the decision. They worried that a decision for Aereo would open the floodgates for similar businesses, driving consumers away from high-cost TV packages.

    Proponents of Aereo contend the Supreme Court decision gives broadcasters more power to raise prices.

    Kanojia promises the fight may have been lost, but the war continues.

    “Keep your voices loud and sign up for updates at ProtectMyAntenna.org – our journey is far from done,” he wrote.

    Image via YouTube

  • George Stephanopoulos Promoted To ABC News Chief Anchor, Diane Sawyer Steps Down

    On Tuesday, news division President James Goldston announced that Diane Sawyer will be stepping down as a news anchor on ABC’s World News and will be replaced by David Muir. With Sawyer leaving, the TV network will be left with no female anchor in the evening news for the first time in almost 10 years.

    Sawyer, who has spent five years as an anchor on World News, will be stepping down in September. She will be concentrating on conducting major interviews and original reports. Muir, who is a co-host of ABC’s 20/20 will be the managing editor of World News starting September 2.

    “For many years to come, Diane will be a driving force at ABC News with her exceptional storytelling genius. She is one of the giants of modern journalism. Her curiosity, passion, and energy are unmatched, and I can’t wait to see where she’ll lead us next,” Goldston said.

    Although Muir got Sawyer’s chair, he will not be the chief anchor. ABC said that they are promoting George Stephanopoulos to chief anchor for ABC News. He will be in charge of handling all breaking news and special reports, aside from his duties on This Week and Good Morning America.

    The new arrangement is said to ignite a rivalry between Muir and Stephanopoulos. Reports said that Muir will not be satisfied with his new job as a “news reader.” As Sawyer’s replacement, many thought that he would get the chief anchor post, but Stephanopoulos made the chief anchor post one of the conditions on his long-term contract with ABC News.

    Goldston said in a statement, “We have an extraordinary team of anchors who are gifted storytellers and uniquely skilled broadcasters. For years to come, they will inspire us all to do our best work and set a high bar for excellence to inform, empower, and inspire our viewers.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Diane Sawyer Leaving ‘World News’ Anchor Desk

    Diane Sawyer is leaving ABC’s World News.

    On Wednesday, June 25, ABC News President James Goldston released an official statement in regards to the network’s upcoming changes, which include Sawyer’s departure.

    The news comes after months of speculation and rumors about the possibility of a transition with ABC’s anchor desk.

    At the end of last year Diane Sawyer started a conversation with Ben about one day stepping away from World News and devoting her boundless energy full time to a team which will create and commission original reporting, big ideas and interviews for all platforms,” the statement read.

    “As much as she loved leading World News to new heights – with so much important, brilliant and impactful reporting and a number one finish in the May sweep – Diane decided that now is the moment to concentrate full time on tackling big issues in new ways.”

    The network stated weekend news anchor David Muir will be Sawyer’s replacement. However, a first-of-its-kind replacement arrangement has also been implemented.

    Although Muir will be replacing Sawyer in the capacity of Anchor and Managing Editor of the program, he won’t be the main anchor covering breaking news and elections. Good Morning America co-host George Stephanopoulos will have the position of Chief Anchor for such coverage.

    The 68-year-old news anchor also released a brief statement about her departure from the ABC flagship nightly news broadcast, which she’s been affiliated with since December of 2009.

    “After wonderful years at ‘World News’ I decided it is time to move to a new full time role at ABC News,” Sawyer said in a statement. Although Sawyer will be departing from World News, she will continue to appear on a number of ABC News platforms.

    “I’ll be joined by an incredible team of journalists dedicated to enterprise reporting, innovative approaches to breaking news and new ways of thinking about big issues and events around the world,” Sawyer said. “I can’t wait to continue bringing more of my specials to primetime and appearing on all ABC News broadcasts, as well.”

    Image via Diane Sawyer, Facebook

  • Hayden Panettiere Pregnant: What Does It Mean for Nashville Season 3?

    Hayden Panettiere is reportedly pregnant with her first child.

    On Wednesday, US Weekly broke the news that Panettiere and fiancé Wladimir Klitschko are expecting a baby, quoting a source as saying that “Hayden is totally pregnant!”

    Panettiere hasn’t confirmed the report, which comes as no surprise given the fact that she took her time when it came to announcing her engagement to Klitschko.

    In April Panettiere told Parade that she and Klitschko, a heavyweight professional boxer, were postponing their wedding because of the unrest in his native country of Ukraine:

    “Everything that’s happening in Ukraine definitely put a hold on things. But we have time.”

    If the pregnancy reports are true, the couple didn’t apply the same “hold” to having a child that they did to the wedding ceremony.

    And it’s left Nashville fans wondering how the show, which ABC recently renewed for a third season, will handle Panettiere’s pregnancy.

    An obvious option is for show runners to write the pregnancy into the script.

    Season 2 ended with Panettiere’s character Juliette Barnes essentially ruining her relationship with Avery (Jonathan Jackson) by hooking up with record label executive Jeff Fordham (Oliver Hudson.)

    So would the baby be Avery’s or Jeff’s?

    As Zap It points out, Nashville is basically a nighttime soap opera. In keeping with the standards of that genre, the show could sensationalize Juliette’s dalliance with Jeff by having the paternity of her child be in question.

    From there, adoption would be a feasible option, since most viewers would agree that Juliette isn’t exactly mama material at this point on the show.

    Or Avery could forgive Juliette, marry her, and raise the baby with her regardless of who the father is.

    Another option is for Juliette and Avery to take the more traditional marriage-first-pregnancy-second route.

    And if the show runners decide not to write Panettiere’s pregnancy into the script?

    First of all, Juliette could take a leave of absence from the show in the form of an extended vacation, rehab, or an international tour.

    Or the show might follow in Scandal’s footsteps and attempt to hide the pregnancy by outfitting Panettiere in looser-fitting clothing (an option that would be rather out of character for Juliette) and strategically positioning her on set behind furniture, lamps, objets d’art, or extremely large purses.

    Image via Hayden Panettiere, Twitter

  • Chloe Bennet Says Acting Career Took Off When She Changed Her Name

    Actress Chloe Bennet believes her luck in Hollywood changed within days of adopting a new surname.

    The 22-year-old actress was born Chloe Wang, the daughter of a Chinese father and Caucasian mother in Chicago, IL.

    “I was having trouble booking things with my last name. I think it was hard for people to cast me as an ethnic, as an Asian American woman,” Bennet told The Toronto Star. “But I still wanted to keep my dad’s name, and I wanted to respect him, so I used his first name.”

    Bennet says that within a matter of days, she landed her first big role, a recurring spot on ABC’s hit musical drama Nashville.

    Bennet appeared in seven episodes of Nashville’s first season.

    From there she went on to become what some consider one of the breakout stars of the 2013-2014 television season when she landed the role of computer hacker Skye on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

    Bennet is joined on the Marvel adaptation by another actress of Chinese decent, Ming-Na Wen, who was born in Macau and lived in Hong Kong before moving to the United States as a child.

    “It’s been great to be a part of a show which is groundbreaking in terms of being an American woman and being Asian on television because there’s people who don’t see a lot of that and I’m really proud of it,” Bennet has said.

    Bennet disagrees with critics who say the cast of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is too homogenous:

    “It’s funny to see people say it’s not an ethnically diverse cast,” she says. “This is the first show where two of the regulars are Asians of Chinese extraction.”

    Far from being out of touch with her Asian roots, Bennet has embraced them throughout her life.

    When she was 15-years-old, she left her investment banker father, doctor mother, and ethnically diverse set of six brothers (“two African American, one Mexican American, and the rest half-Chinese,” according to Bennet) behind in Chicago to pursue a music career in Shanghai.

    “It was pretty difficult,” Bennet admits. “I didn’t know anyone there and didn’t speak the language. For the first few months, every day was the same: six hours of dance and four hours of Mandarin. But I had to grow up fast. I like to call it my high school job.”

    After a few years in Shanghai and Beijing, she returned to the US, changed her last name, and set her sights on an acting career.

    “I wanted to be racially ambiguous,” she says.”It must have worked. The first audition I went to was for Nashville.”

    Bennet keeps her Mandarin skills sharp by practicing with Ming-Na on the set of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

    “It’s a lot of fun,” she says. “We’ll talk in a nasty tone and pretend we’re saying bad things about the other actors when really we’re paying them compliments.”

    Image via Chloe Bennet, Instagram

  • Shonda Rhimes To Take Over Thursday Nights On ABC

    It’s that time of the year again, upfronts in New York City, where television executives announce their fall primetime schedules for advertisers. It looks like it’s Shonda Rhimes’ world, and we’re just living in it.

    The prolific showrunner and series drama creator will be taking over the valuable Thursday night time slots on ABC starting next fall.

    Rhimes’ three one-hour long dramas will run back-to-back-to-back, starting with Grey’s Anatomy moving up an hour to 8 pm then Scandal at 9 pm followed up by her newest show How to Get Away With Murder at 10 pm.

    ABC president Paul Lee said of Rhimes, “I call her the Charles Dickens of the 21st century. If Charles Dickens was black and a woman.”

    ABC has a lot of catching up to do and are clearly banking on Rhimes to come through on a premium and valuable night from an advertising stand point. The network is expected to finish in fourth place amongst the major networks this season with advertisers in that ever so important demo of 18 to 49.

    Rhimes and the alphabet network are hoping that How to Get Away With Murder will anchor the Thursday night time slot. The crime drama starring Viola Davis is described as, “A sexy, suspense-driven legal thriller about a group of ambitious law students and their brilliant, mysterious criminal defense professor. They become entangled in a murder plot and will shake the entire university and change the course of their lives.”

    Here’s a list of ABC’s Complete Fall 2014-2015 Schedule:

    Monday
    8-10 p.m. — Dancing With the Stars
    10-11 p.m. — Castle

    Tuesday
    8-8:30 p.m. — Selfie
    8:30-9 p.m. — Manhattan Love Story
    9-10 p.m. — Agents of SHIELD
    10-11 p.m. — Forever

    Wednesday
    8-8:30 p.m. — The Middle
    8:30-9 p.m. — The Goldbergs
    9-9:30 p.m. — Modern Family
    9:30-10 p.m. — Black-ish
    10-11 p.m. — Nashville

    Thursday
    8-9 p.m. — Grey’s Anatomy
    9-10 p.m. — Scandal
    10-11 p.m. — How to Get Away With Murder

    Friday
    8-8:30 p.m. — Last Man Standing
    8:30-9 p.m. — Cristela
    9-10 p.m. — Shark Tank
    10-11 p.m. — 20/20

    Saturday
    8-11 p.m. — Saturday Night Football

    Sunday
    7-8 p.m. — America’s Funniest Home Videos
    8-9 p.m. — Once Upon a Time
    9-9:30 p.m. — Resurrection
    10-11 p.m. — Revenge

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Cancelled TV Shows 2014: The List Continues To Grow

    The television network channels ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and The CW have been cleaning house. Not only have they released the names of the shows that will be renewed, they have also been adding to a growing list of cancellations due to poor ratings.

    Below is a a list of the television shows that have been axed from the networks. Hopefully your favorites did not make the list.

    ABC Cancellations
    The Assets
    Back in the Game
    Betrayal
    Killer Women
    Lucky 7
    Mind Games
    Mixology
    The Neighbors
    Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
    Suburgatory
    Super Fun Night
    Trophy Wife

    CBS Cancellations

    Bad Teacher
    The Crazy Ones
    Friends with Better Lives
    Hostages
    How I Met Your Mother
    Intelligence
    We Are Men

    NBC Cancellations

    Believe
    Crisis
    Community
    Dracula
    Growing Up Fisher
    Ironside
    The Michael J. Fox Show
    Revolution
    Sean Saves the World
    Welcome to the Family

    CW Cancellations

    The Carrie Diaries
    Nikita
    Star-Crossed
    The Tomorrow People

    Fox Cancellations

    Dads
    Enlisted
    Raising Hope
    Rake
    Surviving Jack
    The X Factor

    While we may be saying goodbye to some fan favorites, there are many others that will be making a return for an upcoming season. The network renewals are listed below.

    ABC Renewals

    Castle
    Scandal
    Revenge
    Nashville
    Shark Tank
    The Middle
    The Bachelor
    Resurrection
    The Goldbergs
    Modern Family
    Grey’s Anatomy
    Once Upon a Time
    Last Man Standing
    Dancing With the Stars
    America’s Funniest Home Videos
    Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

    CBS Renewals

    CSI
    Mom
    NCIS
    Survivor
    Elementary
    Blue Bloods
    Mike & Molly
    The Millers
    Hawaii Five-0
    The Mentalist
    The Good Wife
    2 Broke Girls
    Criminal Minds
    Undercover Boss
    The Amazing Race
    NCIS: Los Angeles
    Two and a Half Men
    Person of Interest
    The Big Bang Theory

    NBC Renewals

    Grimm
    Hannibal
    The Voice
    Parenthood
    Chicago PD
    About a Boy
    Chicago Fire
    The Blacklist
    Law & Order: SVU
    The Biggest Loser
    Parks and Recreation

    CW Renewals

    Arrow
    Reign
    The 100
    Supernatural
    Hart of Dixie
    The Originals
    The Vampire Diaries
    Beauty and the Beast
    America’s Next Top Model

    Fox Renewals

    Glee
    Bones
    New Girl
    Family Guy
    The Simpsons
    Sleepy Hollow
    American Idol
    The Following
    Bob’s Burgers
    Masterchef Junior
    The Mindy Project
    Brooklyn Nine-Nine
    So You Think You Can Dance

    There are several shows that are still awaiting their fates. More information will be revealed as it becomes available.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Danica McKellar Breaks A Rib During DWTS Rehearsal

    It’s not easy to be a contestant on the reality competition show Dancing with the Stars.

    Jewel fractured her tibia in both legs. Steve-O suffered a pinched nerve and back spasms. Nancy O’Dell tore the meniscus in her knee. All of those injuries were suffered by Dancing with the Stars contestants during rehearsal.

    The injury list, in fact, is a long one. Some contestants are able to battle through the adversity, some are forced to hang up their dancing shoes.

    Danica McKellar, you probably know her best as Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years, is also on the list of dancers injured during rehearsal. The math whiz took to Twitter yesterday to relay the bad news, a broken rib.

    She followed with an update today.

    McKellar spoke at the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C. earlier today. She said that she was wearing a rib brace underneath her dress.

    So far, McKellar has been a front-runner in the dance competition. She scored all 9s last week. A couple weeks ago, she was only one point shy from being the show’s first perfect-scorer this season. The Wonder Years alum and her partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy will hopefully be able to put a routine together that won’t further hurt the injured rib area.

    You can check out McKellar’s next performance, if she’s able to dance, on Monday 8/7c on ABC. This week, Ricky Martin is stopping by to be a guest judge.

    Image via YouTube Screenshot

  • Bachelorette Contestant Eric Hill Dies

    Eric Hill, a contestant on the popular ABC marriage-game reality show The Bachelorette has passed away due to injuries he’d sustained during a paragliding accident. Hill had been cast as a gentleman caller vying for the affections of Andi Dorfman, the star of the upcoming season of the reality series. Hill was seriously hurt after his parachute collapsed and he crashed into a hillside.

    In a statement, ABC producers commented, “We are deeply saddened to hear about the tragic passing of our friend, Eric Hill. Eric inspired us every day with his passion, his courage and his adventurous spirit, and for that we are very thankful. On behalf of our cast, crew and producers, we send our love, our thoughts and our prayers to Eric’s family during this difficult time.”

    The Bachelorette host Chris Harrison commented on Hill’s passing via Twitter:

    After his parachute failed, Hill was medevaced from the scene to a Utah hospital and put into a medically-induced coma, where he later died. Utah’s Unified Fire Authority Battalion Chief Brian Anderton told US Weekly, “Due to the slope of the hill, we had a difficult time getting the patient down, so we called in a technical rescue team and some technical medical specialists.”

    Hill’s sister Tracy announced his death via Facebook, writing, “Eric shared his final journey with us this morning as all his immediate family were able to be at his side when he passed away. Thank you to all of your love and support and prayers and fasting. … He gave us such a gift of a life fully lived and fully shared, and allowed us all to be a part of his last adventure here on earth. It is hard to think of life without his bright spark, but we know he is on to new adventures. We look forward to carrying on his legacy here and greeting him joyfully again someday. I love you so much, little brother!”

    Image via YouTube

  • Aereo TV Service Threatened by Supreme Court Case

    In a case which alludes to the 1984 Betamax case, the pseudo-TV service Aereo is being threatened by a lawsuit from major cable companies. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will start hearing arguments from both sides.

    Two years ago, Aereo was brought to New York City. The concept of the company was simple, yet brilliant. Utilizing thousands of tiny, thumbnail-sized antennas, Aereo would allow customers the opportunity to view public network broadcasts on their computer, phones, or tablets through a subscription service. At the Aereo headquarters, each subscriber would be assigned their own, individual antenna by which they would receive the television broadcasts. Not only can subscribers to Aereo watch the broadcasts live, but they can also watch them at a later date due to the cloud-based DVR services offered by Aereo.

    Essentially, Aereo’s service provides public, free, network television broadcasts, through tiny antennas, to those who do not have or do not wish to have a TV or antenna set-up.

    The complaint with Aereo from the cable companies and broadcasters is that the company does not pay a retransmission fee to broadcast said channels.

    If Dish or DirecTV or Time Warner or any other cable company wants to transmit local, network television to its customers, it has to pay a retransmission fee because the Copyright Act of 1976 states that these cable companies provide a form of “public performance”, i.e. the companies show the broadcasts en masse to millions of patrons.

    The major cable companies and broadcasters feel as if Aereo should have to pay the same retransmission fee.

    “Aereo has built a business out of retransmitting broadcast television to members of the public without seeking authorization from or paying compensation to copyright holders… It is settled law that third parties must pay for the rights to transmit performances of copyrighted works to the public,” stated Washington Appellate Lawyer Paul Clement, the man representing the major broadcast companies in the suit.

    Aereo’s lawyer, David Frederick, believes otherwise, however: “When an Aereo user plays her personal recording of a broadcast work and views its images and sounds over the Internet, the ‘performance’ she transmits and receives is that playback – not the broadcaster’s prior performance… Because Aereo’s technology cannot be used to transmit content other than from a user’s personal recording, it does not transmit the performance embodied in petitioners’ broadcasts… Nothing goes into or comes out of Aereo’s equipment except in response to a user’s commands.”

    http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/supreme-court-agrees-hear-arguments-internet-tv-service-aereo/

    While the case may seem fairly cut and dry, it is the lack of legal precedence or proper legislation which makes this case so interesting and confusing. Only six cases with relevance to Aereo’s case have been documented in Supreme Court history, and the rulings have been so diverse that there is no discernible pattern as to what the decision might be: “There’s nothing that ties the Supreme Court’s hands in this case, which makes it doubly intriguing,” explained Shyamkrishna Balganesh, assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s law school.

    Making the case even more intriguing is the divide among even like-minded justices. Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Stephen Breyer, both Democratic justices appointed by Bill Clinton, are expected to side with opposite parties due to the vagueness of copyright law – Ginsberg is expected to side with the Copyright Act of 1976 due to her intimate knowledge of the subject, while Breyer is expected to side with Aereo due to his lenience toward intellectual property rights.

    In the end, the decision as to whether or not Aereo will be allowed to continue is one with immense implications for the future of digital media. If it wins, Aereo and future services could change the way in which consumers watch TV forever. If it loses, cloud-storage services, such as DropBox, could face legal issues in the future due to copyright violations.

    Regardless of the outcome, Aereo has pushed-in all of its chips: “There’s no plan B,” stated Barry Diller, the man whose company backs Aereo. “If we lose, we’re finished. I can’t see any path forward.”

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  • Hayden Panettiere Not Asked to Appear in ‘Heroes’ Reboot

    Hayden Panettiere recently told Cosmopolitan that she hasn’t been asked to appear in the upcoming Heroes reboot.

    “Well, it was a shock to me, and, in fact, I believe I became privy to that through my cousin,” Panettiere said. “She sent me a text message and told me about it, and, I mean, we had nothing, nothing to do with it; it will definitely be interesting to see how they reinvent that.”

    News broke in February that NBC plans to bring the popular show back in 2015 as a 13-episode miniseries.

    When asked what she thought her Heroes character Claire Bennet might have been up to in the years since the series ended in 2010, Panettiere said she thought the miniseries would include an entirely new set of characters.

    “It’s a little bit of an interesting feeling because you go, ‘That was our show, our home, our family,’ something that we had a major part in creating,” said Panettiere. “I hope that they don’t have somebody else playing our characters, that would be a little dagger in the heart. But, you never know. I wish them success in it, for sure.”

    The original series creator and executive producer Tim Kring will work on the reboot, which is titled Heroes: Reborn.

    Jennifer Salke, President of NBC Entertainment, has said “we won’t rule out the possibility of some of the show’s original cast members popping back in.”

    Panettiere is currently busy working on ABC’s hit country music drama Nashville. She plays rising country music star Juliette Barnes opposite costar and producer Connie Britton’s more seasoned country music legend Rayna Jaymes.

    In October 2013 Panettiere announced her engagement to world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.

    She met the Ukrainian-born boxer at a book launch party six years ago and the two have dated on and off since then.

    They haven’t set a date, but Panettiere is already thinking about how she’d like to look on the big day:

    “I would like some really long, loose boho beach waves and just a nice golden tan … I want to be classy and elegant and sophisticated, but I also don’t want to forget my age. I want to be comfortable. I want it to be just sexy enough, but youthful at the same time.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Aligns With ‘Captain America’

    [Spoilers] Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a popular ABC television show in and of itself; however, the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier may ultimately lead to a further promotion of the hit television show. Executive Producers Jeph Loeb and Jeffrey Bell recently spoke with TVGuide regarding the potential influence.

    According to Loeb, “We hope people are watching the show. We don’t focus too much on where ratings are. That’s a network thing. We’re putting out a terrific show. Here’s the good news: By all indications, everyone is talking about what happened last [week]. We know that Captain America is an astonishingly good movie. Hopefully, you come out of that movie, even if you’ve never seen S.H.I.E.L.D., you’re scratching your head going, “Isn’t there a television show that’s about this?” Even if half the people are as mind blown as you are, it seems like there’s going to be a lot of what used to be called “watercooler talk” about this show, and that’s a good thing.”

    Though the interlocking storyline between Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and Captain America: The Winter Soldier may appear to flow effortlessly, Jeffrey Bell explained that a high level of collaboration was needed to achieve the coherent result.

    “What’s wonderful is the Marvel movie universe is letting us play in their world. We talked with them at the beginning of what we wanted to do, which Marvel characters we wanted to tie in. They created this universe, so we’ve been talking about it with them the whole time.” Bell said before adding, “It was also why we knew from the beginning that what the movie reveals is Hydra is everywhere. If that were true, that meant it had to be true on our crew as well. It was exciting for us that, oh my God, we have a giant secret that we’re keeping all season! But it was also hard that there was a snake in the grass that we had to build in and keep that secret the whole season.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAuxfDV1baw

    Image Via Wikimedia Commons

  • Michael Strahan to Join ‘Good Morning America’

    Michael Strahan may soon be joining the cast of Good Morning America according to unnamed sources with knowledge of ABC’s plans for the flagship morning show.

    Strahan currently co-hosts the network’s Live with Kelly and Michael, which runs right after GMA.

    On Wednesday, Strahan assured Live viewers that he wouldn’t be leaving cohost Kelly Rippa’s side anytime soon: “I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here on Live, okay?”

    He did, however, confirm he’s been talking with network executives about joining GMA, adding that “I don’t think I could do an everyday thing.”

    Strahan, who played for the New York Giants from 1993-2007, would appear during the first hour of GMA, an arrangement that would afford him plenty of time to make it to the Live studio. GMA airs from 7:00 am and Live at 9:00 am.

    GMA is currently coanchored by Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos. Amy Robach is news anchor, Lara Spencer is lifestyle anchor, and Ginger Zee is weather forecaster.

    The addition of Strahan to the GMA cast would balance out the male-female ratio.

    Josh Elliott left his role as news anchor for NBC Sports just last week and Sam Champion left for The Weather Channel in December after seven years as GMA’s weather anchor.

    In a staff memo regarding Robach’s succession of Elliott as news anchor, ABC News president Ben Sherwood wrote “In the days ahead, there will be more good news on the show, so stay tuned.”

    The network announced on March 24 that Sherwood would replace Anne Sweeney as Co-Chairman, Disney Media Networks and President, Disney/ABC Television Group effective February 2015.

    In the press release, Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger cited Sherwood’s success with GMA:

    “Ben is one of those unique executives who combine rich creative experience with great business acumen. He’s also focused, strategic, and competitive, as evidenced by the success of GMA, the Yahoo deal that delivered ABC News online dominance, and his vision behind our new cable and digital joint venture, Fusion. These reasons, and many others, make Ben the ideal candidate to oversee the future of the Disney/ABC Television Group.”

    As of the end of March, industry sources ranked GMA as the number one morning news program for the second straight year in both total viewers and adult viewers age 25-54.

    Image via YouTube

  • Halle Berry: First Look At Spielberg Sci-Fi Drama

    Halle Berry has teamed up with iconic director Steven Spielberg to star in his sci-fi drama Extant, which will premiere on CBS in July.

    The show will focus on Berry’s character, astronaut Molly Woods, as she comes back from a solo space mission and discovers she is pregnant. Extant will also feature Scandal star Josh Malina and Camryn Manheim.

    CBS president Nina Tassler called the show “just the perfect melding of classic Spielberg genres: It’s science fiction and it’s family.”

    Berry, who just had a baby boy five months ago, spoke recently about how her life has changed with motherhood and says she feels extremely lucky to have been blessed with another child at the age of 47.

    “I just feel great because I have another baby,” she said. “I never thought that at my stage in life another baby — and a baby boy — was coming to me, so yeah, I’m blessed.”

    The actress isn’t the only member of the family who’s gaining fame on television; her husband, Oliver Martinez, stars on the ABC series Revenge.

    “I watched his premiere,” Berry said. “I’m going to follow his little arc along. I’m very, very proud of him. I’m trying to find the balance. My baby’s always with me on the set. I bring my daughter after school. I have a nursery there and a playroom. I try to make it as nice as I can.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Once Upon A Time In Wonderland Has Been Cancelled By ABC

    It probably does not come as a surprise to most people, but Once Upon A Time In Wonderland will not be returning to ABC for a second season. The show shares certain elements, but has a completely different cast.

    The series was a spin-off from their hit show Once Upon A Time, although it was never able to pick up the same popularity that the original had. Making a spin-off can often be a risky decision, and while it has worked well in a handful of situations, some spin-offs have also failed miserably.

    There were rumors that Once Upon A Time In Wonderland was on the verge of being cancelled for a while, but the news was officially confirmed that it would not be returning in the fall by ABC on Friday.

    On Thursday night, it was also announced that next week’s episode would be the series finale, rather than simply a season finale. The series stars Sophie Lowe as Alice, and similarly to Once Upon A Time, it even introduced a former cast member from Lost, having Naveen Andrews as Jafar. Both shows share creators Adam Horowitz and Edwart Kitsis, who had worked together on ABC’s Lost.

    Despite the fact that Once Upon A Time In Wonderland recently saw its highest rating since airing in November, the show only averages about 3.3 million viewers, while its predecessor Once Upon A Time is currently No. 1 in its slot with adults 18-49 for the 3rd week in a row.

    Once Upon A Time In Wonderland has struggled with its slot of Thursday at 8 p.m., while Once Upon A Time continues to have success on Sunday nights at 8 p.m. The original story that was planned for the spin-off will have completed as a stand-alone season, but there was a hope that there could be a new tale told in the same world next season.

    Once Upon A Time has been one of ABC’s flagship series for the past three seasons, and while it has not been officially ordered for next season yet, it is expected to return. The first one did not prove to be a success, but perhaps a Once Upon A Time spin-off in another land could work out better.

    Since Once Upon A Time In Wonderland did not yield a second season, is there a Disney land that would work better? The original show has featured time in Neverland, and recently alluded to Oz, should one of them spark a separate series?

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