DEVELOPMENT DEALS
… Might there still be life in Terra Nova? Fox has picked up Jason O’Mara and Stephen Lang’s contracts, and Deadline reports that a hunt is on for high-level writers to join executive producers Brannon Braga and Rene Echevarria for Season 2. Still, don’t get your hopes up: The network could easily pull the plug and cut their losses. (And they probably should.) [Deadline]
… “Frightening docudrama” Keeping Up with the Kardashians Paranormal Witness has been picked up for a second season. [SyFy, via press release]
CASTING COUPS
… Cougar Town is apparently still a thing, and the show is casting new episodes, even though ABC seems to not want to air the Season 3 premiere. (Guess they had to make room for the awesomeness that is Work It.) Edwin Hodge has been cast as Wade, a “U.S. soldier who gets involved with Busy Philipps’ soft-hearted bigmouth.” [TVLine]
… SNL will follow up its great Jimmy Fallon episode with a sure-to-suck episode helmed by Charles Barkley (seriously? Maybe Lorne Michaels should glance over our SNL host wish list. There’s some great ideas on there!) with Kelly Clarkson as musical guest on January 7, followed by Daniel Radcliffe (thumbs up!) accompanied by Lana Del Rey. (Don’t know who she is? She’s the girl who sings that song “Video Games” that the internet loves to hate.) [NBC, via press release]
… Looking forward to a New Year’s Eve party-for-one at home with Carson Daly? Well, we’re going to tell you who the guests are anyway. Hold on to your noisemakers! “Grammy Award-nominated recording artist Drake, British superstar Jessie J, NBC’s The Voice musician coach and three-time Grammy nominee Blake Shelton, The Voice musician coach and Grammy Award-nominated artist Cee Lo Green, NBC’s Smash star Megan Hilty, four-time Grammy-winning band The Roots, and 15-time Grammy Award winner Tony Bennett will help usher in 2012 on NBC’s New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly.” You could turn it into a drinking game and take a swig of cheap sparkling wine every time NBC tries to plug one of its shows. You’ll be hammered by 11pm. [NBC, via press release]
… Steve Jones says that the rumors that he won’t return to host The X Factor next season are absolutely not true. Except, they’re probably true. [Access Hollywood]
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
… ABC is agreeing to meet with Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation over its beyond-stupid-looking new cross-dressing sitcom, Work It. Specifically, an ad that features two men in dresses relieving themselves in urinals, which the two organizations feel encourages audiences to laugh at transgendered people. While I agree the ads and show are offensive, I’m also confident it will be off the air within three episodes, so it seems like not the kind of thing to get too worked up over. Still–ABC. WTF? [LAT]
… After last night’s episode of Next Great Baker, TLC revealed to viewers that the eliminated contestant, Wesley Durdan, committed suicide after the season wrapped. He was a former paratrooper with two young children. Very tragic. [ET]
… Another Jersey Shore lawsuit: Snooki is being sued for $ 7 milllion by SRG Ventures, a company she hired to help “contract and launch merchandising partnerships.” Apparently she was running around to other merchandising companies behind SRG’s back. We know! Snooki! Slutting around! Shocking, really. [THR]
… Pat Robertson called SNL‘s Tim Tebow sketch, starring Jason Sudeikis as a peptalk-delivering Jesus, “anti-Christian bigotry.” This is the same guy who watched Condoleeezza Rice extol the virtues of mac n’ cheese on Thanksgiving on his own show, and asked, “Is that a black thing?” [Mediaite]
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