The best and worst of 2014 Upfronts
Fox”s “Red Band Society” is the most depressing new show,, while “Intelligence” with 10.2 million viewers had the least-deserved cancelation. The luckiest show was “Glee” for surviving after terrible ratings, and Matthew Perry is the luckiest actor with his “Odd Couple” getting a guaranteed spot on air even though it”s being retooled and he”s had four failed shows in the past decade. PLUS: Lessons learned from the upfronts.
As Barbara Walters retires, the Big TV Interview seems to be on its way out, too
Big TV Interviews still exist these days – like Anderson Cooper”s interview this week with Donald Sterling – but they don”t get the kind of ratings Walters” interviews got. For instance, 50 million watched her interview with Monica Lewinsky. PLUS: Recalling Walters” biggest interviews, how Walters made celebrities cry, and Walters avoids being tripped up in “Her Story.”
“Duck Dynasty” stars to attempt to break the duck call Guinness World Record
A large gathering will blow at the same time on Sunday.
If your friends are tweeting about “Game of Thrones,” Twitter will let you know
Twitter is testing a new mobile notification that will alert you when people you follow are tweeting about certain topics.
Why can”t “The Americans” be honest about religion?
Phillip and Elizabeth behave as if there are no secular Americans.
“Key & Peele” mull ending their Comedy Central show
They still have a 22-episode season kicking off this fall, but Jordan Peele says: “If our show is to have any kind of legacy, it should be that it didn't go on too long.”
“Game of Thrones”” Sophie Turner hates the criticism of Sansa Stark
“This is what frustrates me,” she tells TVGuide.com. “People don't like Sansa because she is feminine. It annoys me that people only like the feminine characters when they act like male characters. And they always go on about feminism. Like, you're rooting for the people who look like boys, who act like boys, who fight like boys. Root for the girls who wear dresses and are intellectually very strong.” PLUS: Peter Dinklage acts out “GoT” in 45 seconds, and “GoT” meets the NBA.
“SNL”s” bloated cast has led to a fractured show this season
With so many cast members – some of whom will probably not return next season – “Saturday Night Live” served up many sketches this season that seemed to serve the individual over the ensemble, says Ryan McGee. “The 17 cast members aren”t a comedic unit-they”re individuals locked in an airtight room, each trying to fight for the same oxygen,” he adds. PLUS: Ranking the best hosts and sketches this season, “SNL”s” server contains every sketch ever written in the past 15 years, Kyle Mooney is “SNL”s” new king of digital shorts, and Noel Wells recalls practicing her audition for strangers in Central Park.
“The Amazing Race” lets David Copperfield design a death-defying task
Watch a preview from Sundays “All-Stars” finale.
“Doctor Who” getting its 1st female director in 4 years
The sci-fi drama hasn”t had many women working behind the scenes.
Jessica Simpson would never do reality TV again, but feels “blessed” for her “Newlyweds” experience
“I would absolutely not ever do reality TV again,” she tells “ET” correspondent Lance Bass. “I am blessed that I did have that show. It allowed people to come into my life, and to know me as a person, and I owe a lot of my support — my fans came from that because people could relate to me.”
Jon Hamm recalls James Gandolfini lending him his SUV 2 weeks before his death
“Take the car!” “The Sopranos” star told Hamm and his girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt. “It”s just going to be sitting here. Do you want the car? Take the car!”
“Grey”s Anatomy”s” Cristina Yang may have been TV”s strongest female character
She redefined what it meant to “have it all.” PLUS: Cristina deserved a better sendoff, and “Grey”s” cast – then and now.
Here is the collected wisdom of Stephen Colbert
Here”s Colbert”s take on comedy, cults, cynicism and more.
Robin Tunney has a “big decision” to make on “The Mentalist” finale
“There's somebody who's sort of declaring themselves, and I think there's something really flattering about that. … That's there on the table and it's real,” she says.
Report: Kim Kardashian had Joan Rivers moved away from her at NBC Universal Upfronts
The E! colleagues were supposed to sit next to each other at yesterday”s event.
John Stamos is now a songwriter
Listen to his new song, “Let Yourself Be Loved.”
Mindy Kaling: Unlikely feminist
Unlike shows like “Inside Amy Schumer,” Kaling”s “The Mindy Project” embraces girl culture instead of mocking it.
Spencer Pratt graduates from USC
“The Hills” alum, age 30, officially donned hat and gown today for his bachelor”s degree in poli sci.
“Sesame Street”s” Bert and Zachary Levi urge kids to get off social media
Watch them sing about “A Lovely Sunny Day.”
“It”s Always Sunny”s” Rob McElhenney: “Ten years later, I still can't describe what our show is about”
“For me,” he says, “the basis of its premise boiled down to one scene I'd written: A guy goes to a friend's house to borrow sugar for his coffee. The friend says he has cancer, but all the guy wants to do is get the f– out of his house. Disturbing? Yes. But I knew there was comedy there I'd never seen on TV.”
Presenting “Veep”s” most profane moments
The HBO series has become genius at cursing, and here are the 15 most profane moments. PLUS: An appreciation of “Oddball” Gary.
Julianna Margulies: “Basically, this sh*t hits the fan” for “The Good Wife” season finale
She says Sunday”s episode “brings politics back into the foreground, and it makes for a wonderful platform to jump off of for the next season.”
Melissa McCarthy on Lena Dunham: “She”s my girl crush”
“The more I watch ‘Girls,' the more I realize I'm crazy about Lena Dunham,” says McCarthy, adding: “She's smart, funny, confident, and she isn't afraid to look awkward. She's exactly who she is, take it or leave it.”
AMC calls “Walking Dead” lawsuit from Frank Darabont “ill-conceived”
The original “Walking Dead” showrunner is accusing the network of “self-dealing” in a license fee “shell game.”