David Anders

TV Guide.com has confirmed that David Anders will be joining the cast of  The CW’s ‘The Vampire Diaries’.

The 28-year old, who previously had recurring roles on ‘Alias’ and ‘Heroes’, will play Jonathan Gilbert, Elena and Jeremy’s uncle.

Anders will make his first appearance in The CW’s April 15th episode and will recur throughout the remainder of the season.

‘The Vampire Diaries’ episode 14 “Fool Me Once” airs 8.30pm tonight on GO!

Source: TV Guide.com

Sony's Emmy Award winning XMB (XrossMediaBar) interface.

Things are really heating up in the IPTV arena. Today, Sony unveiled its new lineup of Bravia televisions, most of which include internet connectivity for IPTV.

As part of the unveil, Sony also announced a partnership with Yahoo!7 to deliver content from the Seven Network and other providers directly on Bravia Internet Video capable sets.

18 of Seven’s top television shows will be available, including ‘30 Rock’, ‘Border Security’, ‘City Homicide’, ‘Heroes’, ‘Sunrise’, ‘Seven News’ and some of those already available on PLUS7. More shows are expected to join the lineup over time.

Yahoo!7 will also provide a number of TV widgets including weather, news, and Flickr, with select Bravia models including additional widgets for Facebook and Twitter.

Other content providers, include SBS, Billabong, Wired, Golflink, eHow, Epicurious, Style.com, Blip and YouTube.

Content will be accessed via Sony’s Emmy Award winning XrossMediaBar (XMB) interface, which PlayStation 3 customers will already be familiar with.

Sony said that they’re in talks with other TV networks and content providers to bring to the service later this year.

There will be 15 channels available from launch, with plans for pay-per-view movies and content in the future.

They also promised that more devices (presumably Blu-ray players and set top boxes) will come with the Bravia Internet Video service in the future.

Source: Gizmodo Australia

I apologize for being a bit late to the party with this, I was intending to post this last week but for some reason it just flew by me. Anyway, unless you have been asleep for half a month, NBC has decide to end their primetime talkshow experiment by axing ‘The Jay Leno Show’. Hopefully, I will have a bit more on that in the coming days.

So now NBC has released their 10pm replacements and for those scripted fanbois, there is more scripted programming than previous rumours suggest. A few weeks ago, new NBC chairman Jeff Gaspin claimed a current affairs program ‘Dateline,’ will be occupying the majority of the 10pm timeslots, this has now changed but it doesn’t get any better with Law and Order occupying two of the five free slots.

NBC scheduling chief Mitch Metcalf said, “This is a schedule that, given the situation we’re in, we’re really proud of, It has a nice balance of scripted, unscripted, new and returning. No schedule is perfect, but this will serve the needs of our affiliates really well.” And I whole heartedly agree, given the short notice, they have managed to shift ‘Parenthood’ and ‘The Marriage Ref’ to the weekday slots, maximising their potential by providing both with the best lead in possible. The former will lead out of NBC’s biggest show ‘The Biggest Loser’ with the later proceeding NBC’s Thursday comedy block. ‘Law and Order: SVU’ has been moved back to 10pm and the original ‘Law and Order’ will move to Mondays.

Here’s the press release via NBC:

NBC PRESENTS POST-WINTER OLYMPICS PRIMETIME SCHEDULE BEGINNING MARCH 1

New Premiere Dates Set for “Parenthood” (March 2) and “The Marriage Ref” (March 4); New Series Join the Lineup Including “Who Do You Think You Are?” (March 5) and “Minute to Win It” (March 14); “Friday Night Lights” Returns April 30

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – January 14, 2010 – NBC unveiled its new post-Winter Olympics primetime program schedule today. The new drama series “Parenthood” will premiere on Tuesday, March 2 (10-11 p.m. ET) and the comedy panel series “The Marriage Ref” from Jerry Seinfeld will premiere Thursday, March 4 (10-11 p.m. ET) after its sneak preview on Sunday, February 28 (10:30-11 p.m. ET) following NBC’s coverage of the Closing Ceremony of the Winter Olympics.

In addition, the new alternative series “Who Do You Think You Are?” from Lisa Kudrow will premiere Friday, March 5 (8-9 p.m. ET) and the new game show “Minute to Win It” joins the lineup on Sunday, March 14 (8-9 p.m. ET). Also, “Friday Night Lights” will begin a new broadcast season on NBC on Fridays (8-9 p.m. ET) starting April 30 after “Who Do You Think You Are?” concludes its run.

The long-running series “Law & Order” continues its 20th season debuting on a new night with a two-hour telecast (9-11 p.m. ET) on Monday, March 1 before settling into its regular time period the following week, Monday, March 8 (10-11 p.m. ET). “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” will move to Wednesdays at 10-11 p.m. (ET) beginning March 3. Encore episodes will air at 9-10 p.m. (ET) followed by original episodes (10-11 p.m. ET). “Trauma” returns to the schedule Monday, March 8 (9-10 p.m. ET).

“Parenthood” is a one-hour drama inspired by the box-office comedy hit of the same name that debuts Tuesday, March 2 (10-11 p.m. ET). The re-imagined and updated production introduces audiences to the large and colorful yet imperfect Braverman family and features an all-star cast that includes Lauren Graham, Peter Krause, Craig T. Nelson, Erika Christensen, and Bonnie Bedelia among others. Serving as executive producers are Oscar winners Ron Howard and Brian Grazer (“A Beautiful Mind,” “Frost/Nixon”), Jason Katims (“Friday Night Lights”) – who wrote the pilot episode – and David Nevins (“Friday Night Lights,” “Arrested Development”). Emmy Award winner Thomas Schlamme (“The West Wing”) is the director and executive producer of the pilot. “Parenthood” is from Imagine Television and Universal Media Studios.

“The Marriage Ref” – which has a special sneak preview following the Closing Ceremony of the Winter Olympics on February 28 – is NBC’s new comedy panel series about the unpredictable and hilarious institution commonly known as marriage. It features comedian/actor Tom Papa, who was personally selected by executive producer Jerry Seinfeld to host and serve as the “marriage ref.” The show will premiere in its regular slot on Thursdays (10-11 p.m. ET) beginning March 4.

“The Marriage Ref” is produced by Seinfeld’s Columbus 81 Productions and Ellen Rakieten Entertainment. Seinfeld, Ellen Rakieten (“The Oprah Winfrey Show”), Shed Media’s Nick Emmerson (“Supernanny”) and Jennifer O’Connell (“Supernanny”), Al Berman (“The Biggest Loser Live Finale,” “The Celebrity Apprentice Live Finale”), Howard West (“Seinfeld”) and George Shapiro (“Seinfeld”) serve as executive producers. International distribution is by Endemol.

“Who Do You Think You Are?” premieres Friday, March 5 (8-9 p.m. ET) and gives viewers an up-close and personal look inside the family history of some of today’s most beloved and iconic celebrities. Among the celebrities featured are Matthew Broderick, Lisa Kudrow, Spike Lee, Sarah Jessica Parker, Susan Sarandon, Brooke Shields and Emmitt Smith. Ancestry.com is NBC’s official partner on the series. From executive producer Kudrow (“Friends,” “The Comeback”) – in conjunction with her production company Is or Isn’t Entertainment and the U.K.’s Wall to Wall productions – “Who Do You Think You Are?” is an adaptation of the hit BBC television documentary series created and executive-produced by Alex Graham.

“Who Do You Think You Are?” is produced by Wall to Wall productions (a Shed Media Company) in association with Is or Isn’t Entertainment. Alex Graham and Lucy Carter from Wall to Wall and Lisa Kudrow, Dan Bucatinsky and Don Roos from Is or Isn’t Entertainment are the executive producers. Bryn Freedman is the co-executive producer.

All-American chef and television personality Guy Fieri (“Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”) will host NBC’s new game show “Minute to Win It” as it debuts on Sunday, March 14 (8-9 p.m. ET). Fieri will serve as master of ceremonies and will lead competitors through a series of simple, yet nerve-wracking games that can reward them a $1 million prize. Over eight one-hour episodes, competitors will face 10 challenges that escalate in level of difficulty using everyday household items. Each game has a 60-second time limit and failure to finish the task on time will eliminate the contestant. At various points throughout the game, the contestant can walk away with the money earned up to that point – but it’ll take nerves of steel to complete all 10 tasks to win $1 million.

“Minute to Win It” is produced by Universal Media Studios with Friday Television. Craig Plestis, Tim Puntillo (NBC’s “Identity”), Mattias Olsson and Jock Millgardh serve as executive producers.

The new post-Olympics program schedule grid follows (all times ET); new series are in upper case.

MONDAYS
8-9 p.m. – “Chuck”
9-10 p.m. – “Trauma” (beginning March 8 )
10-11 p.m. -”Law & Order” (returns March 1 with two-hour episode, 9-11 p.m. (ET); resumes in regular time slot March 8 )

TUESDAYS
8-10 p.m. – “The Biggest Loser”
10-11 p.m. – “PARENTHOOD” (premieres March 2)

WEDNESDAYS
8-9 p.m. – “Mercy”
9-10 p.m. – “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (encores beginning March 3)
10-11 p.m. – “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (originals beginning March 3)

THURSDAYS
8-8:30 p.m. – “Community”
8:30-9 p.m. – “Parks and Recreation”
9-9:30 p.m. – “The Office”
9:30-10 p.m. – “30 Rock”
10-11 p.m. – “THE MARRIAGE REF” (premieres March 4; sneak preview February 28 )

FRIDAYS
8-9 p.m. – “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?” (premieres March 5; “Friday Night Lights” returns on April 30)
9-11 p.m. – “Dateline NBC” (begins March 5)

SATURDAYS (all beginning March 6)
8-9 p.m. – “The Biggest Loser” (encore episode)
9-10 p.m. – “Law & Order” (encore episode)
10-11 p.m. – “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (encore episode)

SUNDAYS (all beginning March 14)
7-8 p.m. – “Dateline NBC”
8-9 p.m. – “MINUTE TO WIN IT” (premieres March 14)
9-11 p.m. – “The Celebrity Apprentice” (season premiere March 14)

The Seven Network, in partnership with Yahoo!7, have followed through with their plans to launch a new catch-up TV portal. The service launched today, under the name PLUS7.

The service, similar to ABC’s iView, will allow viewers to catch-up on all Seven’s most popular television shows online.

The shows will be free and ad-supported with an estimated 3-4 mid-roll ads per episode. The latest episodes will become available immediately after broadcast and remain online for 7-28 days (depending on online delivery rights).

Shows currently on offer are 30 Rock, Airways, Better Homes and Gardens, Border Security, Brothers and Sisters, Castle, Cougar Town, Criminal Minds, Desperate Housewives, Flash Forward, Gangs of Oz, Grey’s Anatomy, Heroes, Home and Away, LOST, My Kitchen Rules, Parks and Recreation, Private Practice, RSPCA Animal Rescue and Ugly Betty.

Seven have yet to partner with any ISPs (unlike ABC iView), so viewers should take note of the expected data requirements per episode. A 22 minute episode will consume between 45mb and 160mb, while a 42 minute episode will consume between 90mb and 370mb.

PLUS7 can be accessed from yahoo7.com.au/plus7

MONDAYS

8-9 p.m. — ‘Chuck’ (begins Jan. 11; two back-to-back season-premiere episodes on Jan. 10 from 9-11 p.m.)

9-10 p.m. — ‘Parenthood’ (premieres March 1)

10-11 p.m. – ‘The Jay Leno Show’

TUESDAYS

8-10 p.m. – ‘The Biggest Loser’ (its new season premieres on Jan. 5)

10-11 p.m. – ‘The Jay Leno Show’

WEDNESDAYS

8-9 p.m. – ‘Mercy’

9-10 p.m. – ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’

10-11 p.m. – ‘The Jay Leno Show’

THURSDAYS

8-8:30 p.m. – ‘Community’

8:30-9 p.m. – ‘Parks and Recreation’

9-9:30 p.m. – ‘The Office’

9:30-10 p.m. – ‘30 Rock’

10-11 p.m. – ‘The Jay Leno Show’

FRIDAYS

8-9 p.m. — ‘Law & Order’

9-10 p.m. — ‘Dateline NBC’

10-11 p.m. – ‘The Jay Leno Show’

SATURDAYS

8-11 p.m. — encores of dramas

SUNDAYS

7-9 p.m. — ‘Dateline NBC’ (through March 7, then moves to 7-8 p.m. beginning March 14)

8-9 p.m. – ‘The Marriage Ref’ (debuts March 14)

9-11 p.m. — ‘The Celebrity Apprentice’ (premieres March 14)

Media Release

NBC ANNOUNCES NEW MID-SEASON PREMIERES FOLLOWING THE WINTER OLYMPICS AS ‘PARENTHOOD’ AND ‘THE MARRIAGE REF’ DEBUT WHILE ‘THE CELEBRITY APPRENTICE’ AND ‘THE BIGGEST LOSER’ RETURN

“Parenthood” Debuts Monday, March 1 (9-10 p.m. ET) While “The Marriage Ref” Premieres on Sunday, March 14 (8-9 p.m. ET)

“The Celebrity Apprentice” Premieres Sunday, March 14 (9-11 p.m. ET) and “The Biggest Loser” Begins a New Season on Tuesday, January 5 (8-10 p.m. ET)

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – December 14, 2009 — NBC revealed its mid-season and post-Winter Olympics schedule today as the new drama “Parenthood” debuts Monday, March 1 (9-10 p.m. ET) while “The Marriage Ref,” a hilarious comedy panel series from Jerry Seinfeld about marriage, premieres on Sundays (8-9 p.m. ET) beginning March 14.

In addition, “The Celebrity Apprentice” returns in its third installment with an all-star lineup of celebrity candidates on Sunday, March 14 (9-11 p.m. ET). Likewise, the ninth edition of the popular “The Biggest Loser” kicks off on Tuesday, January 5 (8-10 p.m. ET) with 11 family teams of two ready to transform their bodies, their health and ultimately their lives. Other January programming includes “The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards” hosted by Ricky Gervais on Sunday, January 17 (8-11 p.m. ET) and “The AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships” on Saturday and Sunday, January 23-24 (9-11 p.m. ET).

“Parenthood,” from Oscar winners Ron Howard and Brian Grazer along with fellow executive producers Jason Katims (”Friday Night Lights”) and David Nevins, is inspired by the box-office hit of the same name and features a star-studded cast. The series assumes the Monday (9-10 p.m. ET) time slot beginning March 1 following the season finale of “Heroes” on Monday, February 8 and NBC Universal’s exclusive coverage of the Winter Olympics from February 12-28. “Chuck,” as previously announced, will return with a two-hour premiere on Sunday, January 10 (9-11 p.m. ET) before moving to its regular day and time Monday, January 11 (8-9 p.m. ET).

The new mid-season additions to NBC’s program schedule grid follows (all times ET).

A couple of notes, ‘Heroes’ ends its run on February 8 and there is no news on the extra episodes of ‘Trauma’ NBC ordered.

‘Friday Night Lights’ which is currently airing on DirecTV is scheduled for summer.

Source: NBC

Sendhil Ramamurthy as Mohinder in 'Heroes'.

With limited opportunities to showcase his talents, Sendhil Ramamurthy aka Mohinder Suresh from ‘Heroes’ has signed on to another NBC dramedy, ‘Rex Is Not Your Lawyer.’

‘Rex Is Not Your Lawyer’ follows Rex Alexander – David Tennant (Doctor Who), a top Chicago litigator who begins suffering panic attacks and takes up coaching clients to represent themselves in court.

Ramamurthy is cast as a lawyer who previously played second fiddle to Rex until Rex leaves, things get complicated when he falls for a Rex’s friend’s fiancee (Abigail Spencer).

‘Rex Is Not Your Lawyer’ is produced by Universal Media Studios with the David Semel directing the pilot. Scripts will be by Andrew Leeds and David Lampson and Larry Schindel, Semel, Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun and Gene Stein will serve as executive producers.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Hayden Panettiere

The CW is hoping to snag just a little bit of the ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ crowd next year with the new medical school drama ‘HMS’, from ‘Mystic Pizza’ writer Amy Holden Jones.

The ensemble drama, which follows a group of students at Harvard Medical School, will mark ‘Heroes’ star Hayden Panettiere’s producing debut.

The project was recently brought to The CW’s attention, after originally being developed for The WB Network in the 2004-05 season.

Panettiere will co-executive produce the Warner Bros. Television project with Jones.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Adrian Pasdar

Adrian Pasdar is leaving sci-fi drama ‘Heroes’.

Rumours began circulating early last month of a major character’s death and departure from a former hit series, these latest reports seem to confirm that ‘Heroes’ was in fact the show in question.

NBC would not confirm Pasdar’s exit, however a TV Guide source has since confirmed his departure.

Pasdar was apparently quite blindsided by his ousting, the actor only finding out when he read his characters sudden death the script.

“He was hurt that the producers didn’t tell him first,” said an Entertainment Weekly source. “He deserved better.”

Word is, actors on ‘Heroes’ have long been frustrated by the lack of communication between the set and production office. But, as the insider points out, “This was low even for them.”

Source: TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly

MORE: Read about the launch of Seven’s new free-to-air digital channel – 7TWO

'Ugly Betty' headlines the new channel, launching November 1 on channel 72.

7TWO launch week schedule

Sunday, November 1

6.00pm Scrubs
7.30pm Movie: McHales Navy
9.30pm Movie: The Ringer (Premiere)

Monday, November 2

6.00pm The New Jay Leno Show
7.00pm Mel Cup Movie Special: Seabiscuit
9.30pm Movie Special: Master Spy. The Robert Hanssen Story

Tuesday, November 3

6.00pm The New Jay Leno Show
7.00pm That 70s Show
7.30pm Ugly Betty (Season 3 Premiere)
8.30pm Reaper (Premiere Double)
10.30pm Strike Force
11.00pm Last Comic Standing

Wednesday, November 4

6.00pm The New Jay Leno Show
7.00pm That 70s Show
7.30pm American Gladiators (Premiere)
8.30pm Heroes (Season 4 Premiere Double)
10.30pm What About Brian
11.30pm Commander in Chief

Thursday, November 5

6.00pm The New Jay Leno Show
7.00pm That 70s Show
7.30pm Fifth Gear (Series Premiere)
8.30pm Stargate Atlantis (Season 4)
10.00pm Strikeforce Fight Night
11.30pm Monster Garage

Friday, November 6

6.00pm The New Jay Leno Show
7.00pm That 70s Show
7.30pm Scrubs
8.30pm Lifestyle Friday: The F Word
9.30pm Fight For Life
10.30pm Lifestyle Friday: Escape To The Country
11.30pm Last Comic Standing

Saturday, November 7

6.00pm Destroyed in Seconds
6.30pm Air Crash Investigations
7.30pm Egypt
8.30pm Jamie’s Outdoor Room
9.30pm 60 Minute Makeover
10.30pm How Not To Decorate
11.30pm Last Comic Standing

Sunday, November 8

6.00pm Scrubs
7.30pm Family Movie: Kate and Leopold
9.30pm Movie: Kill Bill
11.30pm Last Comic Standing

Official show descriptions for 7TWO

Ugly Betty

7TWO presents premiere episodes of Ugly Betty. Start spreading the news! The fashion world’s beloved and terminally style-challenged not “it” girl, Betty Suarez (America Ferrera), is back and she’s packing her bags for the Big Apple! With a little help from her trusting co-worker and pregnant friend, Christina, Betty must prove to her family and the catty ego-centric fashionistas who await her every misstep that she’s all grown up and not the naive young girl from Queens any more.

Heroes

Created by Tim Kring, sci-fi drama Heroes tells the story of ordinary people who discover they have superhuman abilities. This brand new season debuts with a special two-hour episode introducing a mysterious carnival clan whose intensions are unknown, while familiar faces adjust to the new stages of their lives that will challenge their perceptions of the world and their abilities. Stars Hayden Panettiere, Adrian Pasdar and Ali Larter.

LOST

It’s been five years since Oceanic Flight 815 crashed on a deserted Pacific island enroute to Los Angeles from Sydney. In the forthcoming sixth and final season “Destiny Found”, the fate of Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox) and his fellow survivors will be revealed once and for all. See premiere episodes only on 7TWO.

24

Kiefer Sutherland stars in this Emmy award- winning drama in which the entire season takes place in one day, with each of the 24 pulse-pounding episodes covering one hour and presented in real time. “Day 8” will be framed around a peace agreement between an unnamed Middle Eastern country and the US with much of the action centred around the United Nations, which sees Jack Bauer relocate to New York for Season 8.

The Sopranos

7TWO presents the Emmy award-winning, HBO hit, The Sopranos. James Gandolfini stars as Tony Soprano, your average, middle-aged businessman. Tony’s got a dutiful wife, a not-so-dutiful daughter, a son named Anthony Jr, a pill of a mother, a hot- headed uncle, a not-too-secret mistress- and a shrink to whom he tells all his secrets, except the one she already knows: Tony’s a mob boss. These days, it’s getting tougher and tougher to make a killing in the killing business.

Six Feet Under

This hour-long series starring Rachel Griffiths takes a darkly comic look at members of a dysfunctional Los Angeles family who run an independent funeral home. With the prodigal elder son returning home for the holidays to shattering news, the family must learn to deal with the death of one of their own, while figuring out how to go ahead with the business of living. What emerges is a quirky, funny, emotional, life-affirming look at the enlightenment of a grieving American family… that happens to be in the grief-management business.

Fifth Gear

Fifth Gear is an exciting and informative motoring program presenting what’s hot and what’s not in the automotive world. Topics include the best of new car reviews, second- hand bargains and industry news with a different feature piece in every episode. Join presenters Quentin Wilson, Tiff Needell, Vicki Butler-Henderson and Adrian Simpson for an inside look at the latest offerings about to hit the road.

The Jay Leno Show

7TWO presents The Jay Leno Show hot off the satellite for the very best in comedy and celebrity guests. Recently named America’s Favourite TV Personality (2009 Harris Poll), Jay Leno made television history when The Jay Leno Show became the first-ever entertainment program stripped across primetime on US network television. Tune into see why Leno is the king of laughs.

Heartbeat

7TWO presents premiere episodes of this much loved police series which evokes the mood of the swinging 60’s in a peaceful English countryside setting. The series premiere introduces Jonathan Kerrigan, as PC Rob Walker, a new recruit at Ashfordly police station. Walker was brought up in Aidensfield but his family life was far from perfect and his father dabbled on the wrong side of the law.

A Touch of Frost

A detective with little time for red tape, Detective Inspector Frost (David Jason) solves crimes his own way. He’s grumpy, shy and difficult to work with. But at heart, Frost is a man from the old school – a street detective who prefers rolling up his sleeves and solving crimes through his copper’s instinct rather than by following procedure.

Prime Suspect

Emmy award-winning star Helen Mirren (The Queen, Elizabeth I, Calendar Girls, Gosford Park) stars as high-ranking detective Jane Tennison in this iconic and internationally successful crime series. Battling personal demons that could destroy everything she has worked so hard to achieve, she strives to solve murders in a male dominated world.

Not Going Out

This hit British comedy features flat-mates, Lee (Lee Mack) and Kate (Megan Dodds). Their easy-going, comfortable friendship is steadily moving into uncharted waters – a situation complicated by the fact that Lee’s best mate, Tim (Tim Vine), is Kate’s ex- boyfriend!

Benidorm

It’s sun and fun all the way in Benidorm, a comedy series featuring some of the finest comedic talent in the UK.

Set in the Solana all-inclusive Resort, Benidorm follows regulars and first-time holiday makers on their journeys abroad. Benidorm regulars for twenty years Jacqueline and Donald are enthusiastic middle-ages swingers who rarely leave the hotel. Known as ‘The Oracle’ because of his computer-like knowledge of trivial facts and figures, Geoff Maltby is on holiday with his mother, or PA as he calls her, but keen to hide the fact. Gavin and Troy are on their first break away together after setting up a successful hair salon.

Holby Blue

Drugs, gangs and the threat of terrorism all combine to prove that modern-day policing isn’t just about robberies and anti-social orders in this British police drama series. Holby Blue is a snapshot of policing post- 9/11; the intrepid team of officers not only have to deal with hard-nosed criminals but are also expected to help fight the war on terror on home soil.

Britain’s Best Dish

Whether a sumptuous starter, a mouth- watering main course or a perfect pudding, there is one great dish inside everyone. Britain’s Best Dish… is a dramatic and highly emotional national cooking competition, showcasing amazing amateur chefs and their delicious original dishes.

My Own Worst Enemy

Starring Christian Slater as both Henry Spivey and Edward Albright, US drama My Own Worst Enemy explores the duality of a man who is literally pitted against himself. Henry (Slater) is a middle-class efficiency expert living a humdrum life in the suburbs. Edward (Slater) is an operative who speaks 13 languages, runs a four-minute mile,
and is trained to kill. When the carefully constructed wall between them breaks down, Henry and Edward are thrust into unfamiliar territory where each man is dangerously out of his element.

Reaper

Sam Oliver’s (Bret Harrison) parents were always easy on him, letting him skate through life as a slacker. He found out why on his 21st birthday. His parents sold his soul to the Devil!

Before Sam was born, his father was stricken with a fatal illness. Satan approached Sam’s parents with a deal. He would heal his father if they sold him their first-born child’s soul. On his 21st birthday that child would have to work for him.
Now Sam must become the new Reaper, collecting escaped souls and returning them back to Hell. Also stars Tyler Labine and Missy Peregrym.

Shark

James Wood stars as Sebastian Stark, a charismatic, supremely self-confident defense attorney who, after a shocking outcome in one of his cases and a personal epiphany, brings his cutthroat tactics to the prosecutor’s office. At the end of last season Stark broke every rule in the book trying to convict a serial killer. In season two, ex-DA Jessica Devlin (Jerry Ryan) joins Stark’s team.

Tin Man

Get ready to follow a whole new yellow brick road with Hollywood stars Zooey Deschanel, Alan Cumming and Richard Dreyfuss in Tin Man, a knock-out mini-series update of the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Tune in for hordes of winged monkey-bats, a shape- shifting dog, a cyber-punk sorceress, and a vast hidden underworld.

Rome

ROME is the saga of two ordinary Roman soldiers who unwittingly become entwined in the historical events of ancient Rome. A serialized drama of love and betrayal, masters and slaves, husbands and wives, it chronicles a turbulent era that saw the death of a republic and the birth of an empire. The series begins in 52 BC, as Gaius Julius Caesar completes his conquest of Gaul after eight years of war, and prepares to return to Rome.

Make Me a Supermodel USA

It’s time to make a supermodel in the only competition that pits the guys against the girls for a shot at modeling fame. Make Me A Supermodel follows a group of beautiful and talented men and women who will compete for $100,000 and a contract with New York Model Management.

American Gladiators

Hosted by legendary Hulk Hogan, eight competitors go head-to-head against the next generation of gladiators and each other, vying for a chance to win $100,000!

Monster Garage

Presented by motorbike customiser Jesse James, Monster Garage takes the phrase “thinking outside the box”, turns it upside down, then throws away the box. What is left is an exploration of radical design and engineering, where freethinking mechanics and engineers turn run-of-the-mill automobiles into extraordinary
utility vehicles.

Source: Seven Network

Media Release

IT’S TIME!

(Friday, October 23, 2009) Channel Seven today unveiled its eagerly anticipated free-to-air digital channel 7TWO, a broad entertainment channel set to bolster Seven’s leadership in the Australian television market.

7TWO is more of what audiences love about Seven. More drama, more lifestyle, more reality, more comedy, more movies . . . more first class entertainment, free for everyone.

The new channel will launch on Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 12noon on Channel 72.

Channel Seven’s Director of Programming and Production Tim Worner said 7TWO was created as a natural extension of Seven’s successful primary channel and would only increase Seven’s strong audience appeal.

“I am pleased to announce that 7TWO will be the new home for premiere episodes of our international hits including J.J Abrams’ Lost, Ugly Betty, Heroes and 24,” said Worner.

“We’ve been strategic in putting together a program schedule for 7TWO that allows us to grow our audience between our two channels, without sacrificing one for the other. It is a complementary relationship that will go from strength to strength maximising the opportunities for our audience and clients.”

Iconic programs including mob hit The Sopranos, much loved drama Six Feet Under and groundbreaking comedy Murphy Brown will screen on the channel alongside new, primetime episodes of The Jay Leno Show, five nights a week.

7TWO will feature the very best of British television from traditional, tried and true favourites A Touch of Frost, Prime Suspect, Judge John Deed, Rosemary & Thyme and Minder to premiere episodes of motoring hit Fifth Gear, Heartbeat, Holby Blue, Benidorm, Gavin & Stacey and Britain’s Best Dish.

Additional themed nights of programming include Action & Adventure, Lifestyle and Movies with the latter featuring an extensive catalogue of family titles from Disney’s studios.

Handpicked cooking programs from the world’s top chefs including Jamie Oliver, Curtis Stone, Rick Stein, Ainsley Harriott and Gary Rhodes will also feature on Monday to Friday afternoons.

A broad mix of new and classic programs – including Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Shortland Street, The Martha Stewart Show, Home and Away: The Early Years, Sons and Daughters, Magnum PI and Moonlighting – complete the channel’s daytime schedule.

Channel Seven also announced popular television presenter Tom Williams as the face of 7TWO.

With Channel Seven since 2001, Williams has reported for The Great Outdoors, the Torino and Beijing Olympics and co-hosted Gladiators. In 2005, he was crowned Series 2 champion of Dancing with the Stars.

Williams says 7TWO will have “something for everyone” catering to a range of TV tastes “from the weekend rev-head to the aspiring chef.”

“What I love about 7TWO is the great mix of the new and classic. I’m a big Leno fan so it will be great to be able catch that on a daily basis. And I can’t wait to see how the last season of Lost unravels.”

“It’s fair to say I’ll be booking in some extra time on the couch. I can’t wait for it all to kick off.”

7TWO is part of Australia’s Freeview digital television service. To watch 7TWO, tune into channel 72 on a high definition digital television or on an analogue or standard definition digital television connected to a high definition set top box.

Source: Seven Network

Heroes: An Insider’s Guide to the Award Winning Show

UPDATE: This competition has now closed. We will be contacting the winner directly via email. Thanks to everyone who entered. Stay tuned for more giveaways and competitions in the future.

Rather than letting it collect dust on our shelf, we thought it’d be nice to give one lucky reader the chance to win our review copy of “Heroes: An Insider’s Guide to the Award Winning Show”.

All you have to do is leave a comment below answering the following question — in 25 words or less:

If you could have one extraordinary ability, what would it be and why?

The winner will be selected at random. Competition closes 12am Sunday, November 1, 2009 (AEDST). Open to residents of Australia only.

Make sure you enter your real email address when posting or register an account, so we can contact the winner.

Also, keep an eye out for our upcoming review and competition for “Stargate SG-1 : Dialing Up”, the new companion book for the popular sci-fi series.

WIN: For your chance to win “Heroes: An Insider’s Guide to the Award Winning Show” — click here.

Heroes: An Insider's Guide to the Award-Winning Show

Thanks to Titan Books, we were lucky enough to get our hands on the official tie in book for the hit series ‘Heroes’.

The glossy 176 page book, written by ‘Heroes’ co-executive producer Jeph Loeb, is filled to the brim with insights into the series, its mythology and the multitude of characters which make up the ‘Heroes’ universe.

It features in depth interviews with the cast, commentary from the crew and it even takes you behind the scenes, deconstructing some of the show’s amazing visual effects sequences.

Every page is packed with stunning photographs, illustrations and production artwork, which are sure to make any ‘Heroes’ fan water at the mount.

The sheer amount of effort and attention to detail put into the design and layout of the book is incredible and makes for a truly immersive visual experience.

For fans of the show, “Heroes: An Insider’s Guide to the Award Winning Show” is the perfect companion to the hit series. For those new to the series, it’s a great way to catch up and find out all those facts and titbits you may  have missed.

“Heroes: An Insider’s Guide to the Award Winning Show” features interviews with Jeph Loeb, Masi Oka, George Takei, James Kyson Lee, Zachary Quinto, Hayden Panettiere, Santiago Cabera, Tim Sale, Ali Larter, Leonard Roberts, Noah Gray-Cabey, Milo Ventimiglia, Adrian Pasdar, Greg Grunberg, Kristen Bell, Jack Coleman and creator Tim Kring.

Pick up a copy of “Heroes: An Insider’s Guide to the Award Winning Show” at your local book store, or visit Titan Books online.

Joseph Fiennes

‘Lost’ set a new precedent for serialised dramas on network television, spawning dozens of new shows, all hoping to tap into the same addictive style of storytelling.

So with ‘Lost’ wrapping up next year, it’s pretty clear ABC are hoping to keep fans invested in the network with another ambitious project.

Loosely based on the novel by Robert J. Sawyer and developed for television by David S. Goyer (co-writer of ‘The Dark Knight’) and Brannon Braga (‘24′), ‘FlashForward’ explores a mysterious global event which causes everyone on the planet to simultaneously blackout for two minutes and seventeen seconds, giving them a glimpse into their future.

FBI agent, Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes), is mid car-chase through downtown Los Angeles when he blacks out.

Based on his glimpse into the future and corroboration with fellow FBI agents, he and his team are able to deduct that everyone’s consciousness somehow jumped forward six months during the flash forward, to the date April 29, 2010. With this vital piece of information at hand, Benford and his team begin to put together pieces of the puzzle surrounding this mysterious global event.

Ambitious is definitely a word that comes to mind after watching the pilot. It’s riddled with mystery and intrigue. The characters introduced provide a diverse range of opinions on the situation, ranging from at first what’s thought to be a terrorist attack to divine intervention.

For some, the flash forward brings something to look forward to, for others, dread. Every character’s life is thrown upside down as a result of this strange phenomenon.

Mark’s AA sponsor Aaron Stark (Brian F. O’Byrne) see his believed to be deceased daughter alive, Mark’s wife Olivia Benford (Sonya Walger) see’s herself with another man, FBI agent Janis Hawks (Christine Woods) is pregnant, despite being boyfriend-less in the present and fellow FBI agent Demetri Noh (John Cho) doesn’t see anything at all — predicting he’ll be dead in six months.

This show is definitely targeted at the same type of audience as ‘Lost’ or ‘Heroes’. The kind of fans who love coming up with different theories and drawing various connections.

There are plenty of goodies for television watchers to keep an eye out for, including an “Oceanic Airlines” billboard towards the beginning of the episode, which ‘Lost’ fans will no doubt get a kick out of.

Some may also find familiarity in the show’s score, composed by Ramin Djawadi, who’s best know for his work on ‘Prison Break’.

With such a strong emphasis on finding out answers, you really just hope the writers and producers know exactly where this show is heading. Unlike ‘Lost’, which is similar in its mysterious clue-dropping, ‘FlashForward’ has the disadvantage of its characters also trying to figure out what the hell is going on. This could be potentially problematic if the pieces don’t all fit together. It’s one thing for something to not be fully coherent as a viewer, it’s another for the story not to line up for a character.

That being said, there are plenty of great ideas here, which have potential to become truly mind blowing stuff. It’ll become more clear as the show progresses, whether this show will become the success that ‘Lost’ did.

With so many questions raised, it’s sure to have fans on the edge of their seats begging for more. But like ‘Lost’, viewers disheartened by all the mystery and lack of fast answers will most likely tune out after the initial spectacle has worn off.

‘FlashForward’ definitely has big shoes to fill, but it’s off to a great start.

4 out of 5 stars

'The Vampire Diaries' coming soon to The CW and GO!

The season will kick-off with The CW’s sophomore drama ‘90210’. You might remember that ‘90210’ premiered to The CW’s biggest numbers in history (4.65M, A18-49: 2.6/7) but those viewers abandoned it in droves with the finale only mustering a little more than half that audience (2.49M, A18-49: 1.3/3). This is a make or break season for the remake and if it continues to shed viewers it will not only damage The CW’s brand but will have a detrimental effect on the heavily promoted freshman drama ‘Melrose Place’ 2.0. The CW is pinning their hopes on ‘Melrose Place’ and their other fall freshman ‘The Vampire Diaries’, which was inexplicably added to their Thursday line-up at the expense of The CW’s highest rating drama ‘Smallville,’ which has now been bumped to Fridays. If both ‘Melrose’ and ‘Vampire’ fail, it may well be the final year for the struggling network as CBS and WB cannot continue to run a network at a loss in this sort of climate. Elsewhere, Tuesdays will be a little dull with procedurals occupying CBS and reality on ABC, NBC and Fox. However, recently the alphabet made a late change noticing a chance to pounce in that timeslot, by pushing mid season sci-fi drama ‘V’ forward for a November 3 start.

The following night sees the fall premiere of summer reality show, ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’  Fox’s decision to air a second cycle of ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ was quite bizarre, the show captures a solid but not spectacular audience during the summer and who’s to say airing it twice a year won’t damage the franchise? Fall has always been the achilles heel for the News Corp. Network and no doubt ‘Dance’ will improve on past year offerings, but will viewers return for future seasons? The decision to move ‘Dance’ to fall was to provide some lead-in support for freshman drama ‘Glee,’ which squandered its ‘Idol’ lead in when Fox aired a sample episode behind one of Idol’s final 2009 episodes, in the ended it averaged only 9.62M, A18-49: 4.4/11.

The aforementioned ‘The Vampire Diaries’ has its series premiere on Thursday, September 10 and it will be partnered with The CW’s other sci-fi drama ‘Supernatural’. The CW greenlighting ‘Diaries’ was no surprise as they wanted to capitalise on the ‘Twilight’ and ‘True Blood’ hype. Even though ‘Diaries’ has generated a lot of negative press, initial sampling will be large but the million dollar question is how long will the audience give it? The following Thursday sees the return of JJ Abram’s latest demo hit ‘Fringe’. ‘Fringe’ will have its work cut out going up against heavyweights, ‘CSI’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ which both return on September 24. ‘Fringe’s’ departure from a solid lead in indicates the confidence Fox has in the sophomore drama, however in comparison to Abram’s previous projects, ‘Fringe’ focuses less on mythology and more on individual episodes which should make it easier to follow but less intriguing to the dedicated fans. Another huge Thursday development is the movement of last year’s freshman hit ‘The Mentalist’ to 10/9c following CSI. CBS is grooming it as the next CSI, which I might add has lost a lot of steam since the departure of William Petersen, however the timeslot is somewhat of a bogey one for CBS as nothing has remained there for more than one year.

Thursdays also see the return of ‘Survivor’ for its 19th season, the 6th season of the Office, the 2nd season of ‘Parks and Recreation’ and the debut of critical darling ‘Community’ which all premiere on September 17. For those waiting for ’30 Rock’ it returns on October 15. The biggest premiere to Thursdays is ‘Flash Forward’, which is being promoted by ABC as the new ‘Lost.’  ‘Flash Forward’ looks to be the biggest show to come out of the states since ‘Lost’ and ‘Desperate Housewives’ and it comes with a lot of buzz. Just recently, the directors noted, they will need at least three seasons to complete the arc they have planned. In a nutshell, ‘Flash Forward’ follows the life of an FBI agent who investigates the reason for a mysterious event, which sees everyone blackout for two minutes and seventeen seconds, travelling six months into the future.

The following two Mondays see the return of ‘WTF’ (No, not What The Beep, but Watch This Fall) drama ‘Gossip Girl’ and veteran ‘One Tree Hill’. This fall, Dawn has decided to do a switcheroo with the two, moving her baby ‘Gossip’ to a higher household viewing time and avoiding direction competition with ‘House’. The aforementioned ‘House’ and the trouble ridden ‘Heroes’ both return with two hour premieres on September 21. It has been quite a steep fall for ‘Heroes’, if Kring can’t stop the bleeding, this might be the end of the one season wonder. The following Monday sees NBC launch their new high-octane medical drama ‘Trauma,’ a number of photos/clips for this show have being doing the rounds on the internet, so expect a large initial sampling. ‘Lie to Me’ will occupate the post ‘House’ slot as Fox tries to groom this as a replacement for ‘House’. Over at CBS, ‘How I Met Your Mother’ has been moved to 8/7c providing some lead in support for the dead on arrival ‘Accidently on Purpose’. ‘Two and a Half Men’ remains, but ‘The Big Bang Theory’ moves to the post ‘Men’ slot. ‘Bang’ was trialled in the slot late last year or early this year and maintained close to 100% retention, so look for ‘Bang’ to reach series highs again.

Wednesdays will be interesting for a number of reasons, ABC has a completely new line up with critical darlings ‘Modern Family’ and ‘Cougar Town’ occupying the key 9/8c and 9:30/8:30c timeslots. ‘Cougar Town’ follows Jules (Courtney Cox), a recently divorced single mother exploring honest truths about dating and aging in our beauty and youth obsessed culture, while ‘Modern Family’ explores the complications that come with being in a family in this day and age. The entrees ‘Hank’ and ‘The Middle’ debut the following week. ‘Eastwick’ a cross between ‘Valentine’ and ‘Sex and the City’ also debuts in the same week as ‘Modern Family’ and ‘Cougar Town’, but things don’t look good for the romantic drama.

The landscape for Fridays has completely changed; networks are finally getting aggressive with their programming. There is less reality from the other three networks which might finally give CBS’ combo of Ghost Whisperer, Cold Case and Numb3rs some headaches. Fox kicks off with a comedy hour with waiting to be cancelled ‘’Til Death’ and ‘Brothers’ followed by the ever improving and surprise renewal ‘Dollhouse’ which all premiere on September 25. The CW veteran ‘Smallville’ has been yanked to Thursdays along with the ever fading ‘Ugly Betty’.

Nothing much has changed on Sundays, with ABC’s ‘Desperate Housewives’ and ‘Brothers and Sisters’ starting on September 27. Fox has shuffled their line up knocking out the every reliable – ‘King of the Hill’, for Seth McFarland’s new, albeit belated project ‘The Cleveland Show’. ‘The Simpsons’, ‘Family Guy’ and ‘American Dad’ all return for their 21st, 8th and 5th season respectively. ‘The Cleveland Show’s’ pilot has been leaked for a while and it doesn’t look too different to ‘Family Guy’ or ‘American Dad’.

Finally, the biggest news this fall is Jay Leno moving to primetime, which begins daily from September 14, 10/9c. All eyes will be on the ratings for ‘The Jay Leno Show,’ but NBC isn’t expecting much, as long as it remains profitable, NBC will be satisfied. Jay Leno recently said he doesn’t expect his show to beat first run CSI, but hopes to push CSI repeats to the limit. The format of the show is: Leno will begin with a 10 second opening sequence which leads into a monologue. He will have at least one special guest a night and music will come from multiple acts. Jaywalking and newspaper headlines will be held until the end of the show to give News affiliates a strong lead in. Leno also gave us a snippet of the ‘Green Car Challenge’ where you can see, as Leno puts it, “who is faster, Shaquille O’Neal or Cameron Diaz.” There will be pre-recorded segments from D.L Hughley and Rachel Harris.As always, this is will be an interesting fall, with networks trying something different.

I hope everyone enjoys the fall TV season and wish for everyone’s favourite TV show to survive.

Premiere Dates

• ‘90210’ 2nd Season Premiere September 8
• ‘Melrose Place’ Series Premiere September 8
• ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Fall Premiere September 9
• ‘Glee’ Series Premiere September 9
• ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Series Premiere September 10
• ‘Supernatural’ 5th Season Premiere September 10
• ‘One Tree Hill’ 7th Season Premiere September 14
• ‘Gossip Girl’ 3rd Season Premiere September 14
• ‘The Jay Leno Show’ Series Premiere September 14
• ‘The Beautiful Life’ Series Premiere September 16
• ‘Bones’ 5th Season Premiere September 17
• ‘Survivor’ 19th Season Premiere September 17
• ‘Parks and Recreation’ 2nd Season Premiere September 17
• ‘Fringe’ 2nd Season Premiere September 17
• ‘The Office’ 6th Season Premiere September 17
• ‘Community’ Series Premiere September 17
• ‘Heroes’ 4th Season Premiere September 21
• ‘House’ 6th Season Premiere September 21
• ‘How I Met Your Mother’ 5th Season Premiere September 21
• ‘Accidently on Purpose’ Series Premiere September 21
• ‘Two and a Half Men’ 7th Season Premiere September 21
• ‘The Big Bang Theory’ 3rd Season Premiere September 21
• ‘Castle’ 2nd Season Premiere September 21
• ‘CSI: Miami’ 8th Season Premiere September 21
• ‘NCIS’ 7th Season Premiere September 22
• ‘The Goode Wife’ Series Premiere September 22
• ‘The Forgotten Series’ Premiere September 22
• ‘Mercy’ Series Premiere September 23
• ‘Criminal Minds’ 5th Season Premiere September 23
• ‘Modern Family’ Series Premiere September 23
• ‘Cougar Town’ Series Premiere September 23
• ‘Eastwick’ Series Premiere September 23
• ‘Flash Forward’ Series Premiere September 24
• ‘The Mentalist’ 2nd Season Premiere September 24
• ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ 6th Season Premiere September 24
• ‘Brothers’ Series Premiere September 25
• ‘Smallville’ 9th Season Premiere September 25
• ‘Dollhouse’ 2nd Season Premiere September 25
• ‘The Amazing Race’ 15th Season Premiere September 27
• ‘The Simpsons’ 21st Season Premiere September 27
• ‘The Cleveland Show’ Series Premiere September 27
• ‘Desperate Housewives’ 6th Season Premiere September 27
• ‘Brothers and Sisters’ 4th Season Premiere September 27
• ‘Family Guy’ 8th Season Premiere September 27
• ‘American Dad’ 5th Season Premiere September 27
• ‘Lie to Me’ 2nd Season Premiere September 28
• ‘Trauma’ Series Premiere September 28
• ‘Hank’ Series Premiere September 30
• ‘The Middle’ Series Premiere September 30
• ‘Private Practice’ 3rd Season Premiere October 1
• ‘Ugly Betty’ 4th Season Premiere October 9
• ‘30 Rock’ 4th Season Premiere October 15
• ‘V’ Series Premiere November 3
• Cable Premiere Dates
• ‘Dexter’ 4th Season Premiere September 27
• ‘Californication’ 3rd Season Premiere September 27
• ‘Stargate Universe’ Series Premiere October 2
• ‘Sanctuary’ 2nd Season Premiere October 9

According to the Hollywood Reporter, ‘Prison Break’ actor Robert Knepper will continue playing a bad guy as the latest addition to the cast of ‘Heroes’.

The film and television actor will play the charismatic but evil new lead villain Samuel, who has been described as a Jim Jones type (see Wikipedia) with a twisted sense on humour.

Knepper, best know for his role as Theodore “T-Bag” Bagwell on 20th Century Fox Television’s ‘Prison Break’, recently starred opposite Jason Statham in ”Transporter 3″ and in the sci-fi thriller “The Day the Earth Stood Still”.

Production on the fourth season of ‘Heroes’ will commence later later this week, with the season premiere set for September on NBC.

'Heroes' Season 3 on DVD out September 1 in North America.

‘Heroes’ Season 3 DVD

The 6-disc set contains all episodes from the show’s third season and will hit shelves September 1 in North America. Bonus features include:

• Audio Commentaries
• Deleted Scenes on every disc
• The Super Power of Heroes
• Completing the Scene
• The Prop Box
• Tim Sale Gallery of Screen Art
• Alternate Stories
• Genetics of a Scene
• The Writers’ Forum

'Heroes' Season 3 on Blu-ray out September 1 in North America.

‘Heroes’ Season 3 Blu-ray

The 5-disc set contains all episodes from the show’s third season and will hit shelves September 1 in North America. Bonus features include:

• U Control – Picture in Picture Cast & Crew Commentaries on each disc
• U Control – Hero Connections – Bios on each disc
• Deleted Scenes on most discs
• Hero Connections – Network on each disc
• D-Box on each disc
• The Super Powers of Heroes
• BD Live – Season Four Sneak Peek
• Completing the Scene
• Alternate Stories
• Pinehearst Commercial
• The Prop Box
• Tim Sale Gallery of Screen Art
• Genetics of a Scene
• The Writers’ Forum
• Building Coyote Sands

Source: TV Shows On DVD

Clockwise: Scott Porter, Nick Kroll, James D'Arcy and Nora Zehetner

Scott Porter (‘Friday Night Lights’) has joined Fox’s drama pilot ‘Masterwork’, which centers on a globe-trotting FBI agent (Australia’s Matt Passmore), a specialist in the acquisition of stolen art.

Porter will play another agent tracking down international art thieves and Passmore’s wingman.

Nick Kroll (‘Cavemen’) and Nora Zehetner (‘Heroes’) have landed lead roles on Fox’s comedy pilot ‘Cop House’, set at a halfway house for troubled cops.

Kroll will play an overzealous cop with an enormous ego and delusional fantasies. Zehetner will play the house psychologist, who runs group-therapy sessions.

‘Cop House’ will be directed and executive produced by Brett Ratner (‘Prison Break’, ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’).

Brit. James D’Arcy (‘Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World’)  has been tapped to star on CBS’ drama pilot ‘The Eastmans’, about a complicated family of doctors.

D’Arcy will play the eldest of five Eastman children, a top vascular surgeon.

It’s a news-a-palooza on TVAUSCAST Live. We delve into all the latest casting news and series renewals/cancellations. Plus we speculate about upcoming episodes of ‘Packed to the Rafters’, laugh over a Freeview spoof, answer the mailbag and of course recap on all the ratings and hot topics from the forums.

From 'Heroes', Milo Ventimiglia.

This just in…NBC are bringing ‘Heroes’ back for another season, says entertainment president Angela Bromstad.

Many had speculated the show’s demise with ratings slowing, but today’s news puts those rumours at rest.

The network plans to order 18-20 episodes of the show for next season.

Despite the ratings slide, ‘Heroes’ is still considered NBC’s top-rated series among adults 18-49 this season, along with workplace comedy ’The Office’.

NBC are also hoping to tie it’s upcoming ’Day One’ project to ‘Heroes’, should it be ordered to series. The drama, about a group of survivors in the wake of a catastrophic global event, could benefit from having an established sci-fi drama like ‘Heroes’ as it’s lead in/out.

“‘Day One’ is a big event and we’re looking at that to come into the ‘Heroes’ spot,” Bromstad said. “It’s right now being looked at as a 13-episode run — something people could commit to and we could make a big splash with.”

What an interesting fall it has been, with a number of good performances from The Mentalist, Smallville, Supernatural and Gossip Girl to name a few and many casualties in My Own Worst Enemy, Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, Pushing Daisies, Do Not Disturb, Lipstick Jungle, The Ex-List, Easy Money, Valentine, In Harm’s Way and Til Death. Here is how I rate each show.

Winners

The Simpsons: Back for its 20th season, The Simpsons has been Fox’s Sunday night stable mate pulling in an average of ~9M viewers this season. Couple this with the highest rating Treehouse of Horror episode in five years. Simpsons is definitely a winner for Fox even though the jokes seem to be recycled over and over again.

Family Guy: Has not dropped out of the weekly top 10 in the 18-49 bracket and dominates the 18-34 demo against the likes of Desperate Housewives and NFL. Has a number of years left in it.

Desperate Housewives: Now into its fifth season, the housewives seem to never age. Viewership has diminished due to a lacklustre third season (?), nevertheless it is Sunday’s night top scripted drama in total viewers and 18-49 demo.

Chuck: Against some tough opposition, Chuck managed to remain around the 6.5M mark and over the 2 rating in key demos in the fall.

Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother: Continually defies the critics, occasionally winning the timeslot in the key demos and has slowly built an audience over the fall season.

Two and a Half Men: Veteran CBS comedy which defies logic and reaps in excess of 14M viewers every week.

CSI: Miami and CSI: NY: The two spin-offs constantly pull in the masses and in Miami’s case building on its lead in.

Gossip Girl: Season 2 has been somewhat of a break through season for the teen drama, hitting series high numbers and providing a suitable and beneficial lead in for One Tree Hill.

One Tree Hill: After falling below the 3M mark during its 3rd, 4th and 5th seasons, One Tree Hill has bounced back nicely, regularly rating in the mid to low 3M range.

House: The move to 8/7c hasn’t helped its numbers, but it is taking one for the team as Fox continue to develop Fringe. Still pulls in massive demos for the news corp. network.

The Mentalist and NCIS: Against the House and Dancing juggernauts these two dramas have performed admirably, especially The Mentalist which does particularly well for the eye in the demos.

90210: Was off to a flying start, but numbers have settled around the 3M mark. Occasionally out-rates CW’s other teen dramas in One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl.

Criminal Minds: Behind the CSI franchise, it is CBS’s best rating demographic show amongst all the crime procedurals.

30 Rock: Has been nurtured nicely and off the back of the US election and Tina Fey’s extra exposure, numbers have soared to series highs.

The Office: The peacock’s best rating show in the fall, challenges the likes of Grey’s Anatomy, House and Desperate Housewives for the 18-49 crown.

ER: In its final season and still pulling in the viewers left, right and centre. Also defeats the likes of lead in assisted shows Life on Mars and Eleventh Hour in the key demos. One of NBC’s top rating shows of the fall.

CSI: Still pulling in the masses in its ninth season, also stays competitive in the demos against the demo king Grey’s Anatomy.

Grey’s Anatomy: Numbers have died down for the once ratings juggernaut, but it is still the week’s top rating demo show.

Supernatural and Smallville: Are up year-on-year and ratings can not be better with Supernatural soaring to series highs. Well deserved winners.

On the Bubble

King of the Hill: The recently cancelled animated comedy just misses out on the winners list. Regularly winning its timeslot in the 18-34 demo and hovering around the 6-7M mark week in week out. What were the execs at Fox smoking when they swung the axe?

American Dad: My favourite animated comedy of them all, does well in the demos but poor retention out of Family Guy has it a bee’s d**k away from a winner.

Amazing Race: Has slipped significantly in the demo, sometimes even dropping below the 2 rating in the 18-34 demo.

Cold Case: Solid numbers for veteran CBS, but its demos aren’t what CBS are looking for. If not for NFL overrun, CBS would be dead last in the demos on Sundays.

Brothers and Sisters: Averages 10M every week and a 4 rating in the demos, but losing a third of a compatible lead in is not good enough. Anymore it would’ve been a loser.

Heroes: Has lost a lot of steam, in previous seasons in has dominated the demos with nothing coming close to it, but this season Two and a Half Men constantly beats it in the key demos.

Prison Break: Has been stable across the fall season and regularly clears the 2 rating in the demos.

Old Christine and Gary Unmarried: Numbers for a relatively easy timeslot are soft, but CBS haven’t had another comedy block outside of Mondays, so this deserves a little credit, only just.

Samantha Who?: Just makes it into this list, retention out of Dancing with the Stars is a paltry 50 odd percent, but nothing else has done better out of Dancing. My judgement on Samantha Who? might change when the ratings for last night are released early tomorrow morning our time.

Boston Legal: After surviving the culling last year, Boston Legal continues to out perform a number of the alphabet’s other shows even though it is in its final season.

Fringe: Still a work in progress and if it weren’t for a House lead-in would be in the trash by now. Nevertheless, does well in the demos and is Fox’s best rating drama since House itself.

Law and Order SVU: Has tumbled to series low numbers, but still a consistent performer for an otherwise struggling network.

The Biggest Loser: Constantly slides under the radar for NBC, it is one of NBC’s best performers in demos.

America’s Next Top Model: Initially numbers were soft but has built as the season progressed, with the finale pulling in 4.8M and was the night’s top rating program amongst the 18-34 demo.

Private Practice: Best of a bad bunch on a Wednesday night, numbers will improve once it proceeds its sister show, Grey’s Anatomy.

Ugly Betty: Hasn’t reached the highs of its inaugural season, but still one of ABC’s better shows.

Life on Mars and Eleventh Hour: Poor retention out of lead in, but numbers have been acceptable.

Survivor: The reality veteran continues to kick off CBS’s Thursday night with a bang.

Ghost Whisperer and Numb3rs: Solid but not spectacular Friday night performers.

Everybody Hates Chris and The Game: Numbers are down on Smackdown, but approx 1.5-2M isn’t a bad effort for The CW.

Losers

The Unit: Moving it from Tuesday night to Sundays has sugar coated some flaws but retention out of Cold Case is good, however demos are a worry.

In Harm’s Way, Easy Money and Valentine: all lasted less than 6 weeks, could only muster 1M or so viewers and couldn’t even crack a point in the demo.

My Own Worst Enemy: The recently cancelled drama had a lot of potential, but numbers just didn’t stack up.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Continues to bleed viewers from its series premiere, with its last airing netting less than 5M viewers. It might have a core fan base, but that is where it ends.

Privileged: Even though its one of my favourites of the new fall season, numbers have been poor out of a compatible 90210.

Eli Stone: Poor retention out of Dancing which eventually led to its cancellation.

Without A Trace: No longer appeals to the masses, but averages reasonable numbers for procedural kings CBS.

Pushing Daisies: Struggled in a relatively easy slot, with figures slipping below the 5.5M mark and 2 rating in the demo.

Dirty Sexy Money: Another sophomore drama culled due to ABC’s stupidity, however ratings were poor and cancellation was justified.

Stylista: What were The CW thinking here? Project Runway, Shear Genius to name a few.

Knight Rider: Exciting show which hasn’t caught on to the masses.

Life: Has lost its oomph factor from its freshman season and even with the shift to a more viewer friendly timeslot, numbers have been poor.

Lipstick Jungle: Numbers have headed south since its season two premiere.

Do Not Disturb and Til Death: Should have never green lit these two shows.

Deal or No Deal: Viewer fatigue has finally set in for this once stable performer.

My Name is Earl: Novelty is wearing off this once funny comedy.

Kath and Kim: Hasn’t worked out for NBC, but has the potential to be a good comedy.

Kitchen Nightmares and Hole in the Wall: Down year-on-year in that timeslot.

The Ex-List, Crusoe, Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader and Don’t Forget the Lyrics: Crusoe and Ex-List both couldn’t crack it on Friday, averaging ordinary numbers. The shift to Fridays for 5th Grader and Lyrics hasn’t worked out with both pulling less than its Thursday numbers.

Worst Week: Poor retention out of Two and a Half Men.

The silly season is almost here and it’s the time of the year where networks air shows which have failed during the official ratings period. Here is a list for each network (If I have left out your favourite show, just leave me a comment).

Note: I have only included new content and excluded factual shows.

Nine

ER: returns Wednesday 3rd December 9:30pm
Fringe: returns Monday 1st December 9:30pm
Gossip Girl – Season 1: premieres Wednesday 3rd December 10:30pm
McLeod’s Daughters: returns Saturday 6th December 8:30pm
Monster House: returns Friday 5th December 10:45pm
Pushing Daisies: Some time during the summer
Survivor – Micronesia: continues Monday 1st December 9:30pm and Tuesday 2nd December 10:35pm
Temptation: 7pm Weeknights
The Big Bang Theory: Sunday and Monday 30th November and 1st December 8:00pm
The Closer: returns Thursday 4th December 9:30pm
The Hills: Premieres on Saturday, December 6 at 12.30pm
Wife Swap USA: Saturday 6th December 7:30pm

SBS

Carla Cametti PD (New Aussie Drama): starts Thursday 8 January at 8:30pm
Food Safari: begins Wednesday 3rd December 8:30pm
Inspector Rex – Rex in Rome: starts Thursday 4 December at 7:35pm
Iron Chef: series returns Saturday 14 February at 8:30pm.
Long Way Down (Documentary Series): begins Wednesday 3rd December 8:30pm
Mad Men: late summer 2009
Top Gear Season 11: begins Monday 24th November 7:30pm
Wall Street Warriors (Documentary Series): begins Friday 5th December 7:30pm

Seven

24: Redemption: premieres Friday December 5th 9:30pm
Dance Machine: premieres Saturday December 6th 7:30pm
Dirty Sexy Money: begins Tuesday December 2nd 9:30pm
Eli Stone: premieres Tuesday December 2nd 8:30pm and continues on Thursday
Heroes: continues Thursday December 4th 10:30pm
Holby Blue: premieres Sunday November 30th 8:30pm
Kath & Kim (US): returns Monday December 1st 11:00pm
Las Vegas: returns Wednesday December 3rd 8:30pm
Prison Break: returns Tuesday December 2nd 10:30pm and continues on Wednesday
Scrubs: continues Monday December 1st 10:30pm
The Amazing Race: continues Thursday December 4th 9:30pm
The Unit: continues Wednesday December 3rd 9:30pm
Ugly Betty: returns Tuesday December 2nd 7:30pm and continues on Thursday

Ten

90210: returns Sunday 30th November 7:30pm Monday 24th November 7:30pm
America’s Next Top Model – Season 8: premieres Sunday 30th November 6:30pm
Army Wives – Season 1: premieres Monday 1st December 8:30pm
Don’t Forget The Lyrics - Season 2 episode 15: begins Wednesday 3rd December 7:30pm
How to Look Good Naked – Season 2: begins Wednesday 4th December 7:30pm
In Plain Sight - Season 1: premieres Tuesday 9th December 9:30pm
Out of the Blue: continues Weeknights 10:30pm
The Bold & The Beautiful: continues Weeknights 6:00pm
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart: continues Sunday 30th November 10:40pm
The Ex-List: premieres Monday 1st December 9:30pm
The Office – Season 3 episode 20: continues Sunday 30th November 10:30pm

Welcome to Australia, home of convicts, criminals and pirates. In honour of the release of Australia’s largest and most expensive film ever, go download this episode and spread the pirate cheer by sharing it on bittorrent. But only if you’re on iiNet, okay?

The trailer for the new “Star Trek” movie hits theatres this weekend in the US, infront of the new James Bond flick, “Quantum of Solace”.

It’s marks the eleventh feature film based on 60’s sci-fi series, but that’s not the only TV connection. The upcoming reboot for the “Star Trek” franchise was written and directed by TV mastermind J.J Abrams (Felicity, Alias, Lost, Fringe), and fellow scribes, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Alias, Fringe).

It stars TV’s Zachary Quinto (Heroes), Simon Pegg (Spaced), Jennifer Morrison (House), Rachel Nichols (Alias),  John Cho (Ugly Betty, Kitchen Confidential), Anton Yelchin (Huff) and Australia’s Chris Hemsworth (Home and Away). Along with Chris Pine, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Winona Ryder, Australia’s Eric Bana and Star Trek’s original Spock, Leonard Nimoy.

“Star Trek” lands in theatres May 7, 2009 in Australia. Keep an eye out for the new trailer when it hits the web next Tuesday. We’ll post a link on our blog.

The landscape of television isn’t what it was fifty years ago, so why hasn’t Australian television really evolved?

In case you weren’t aware, the internet has arrived! And yes, that means television content is no longer restricted to the tube. So why haven’t the networks here embraced the internet like many others have overseas? If you find out the answer, let me know.

In the US and UK not only can you stream all your favourite shows online the day after they air, even in HD for some networks. You can also buy them online for as little as $US1.99 or as a season pass for $US29.99 on iTunes. There are services like BBC’s iPlayer which utilises P2P technology to share video content among users. And NBC/FOX’s Hulu.com which hosts shows from multiple networks that can even be streamed straight to your television with devices like the Slingbox. Yet here in Australia, like most things, we’re left behind scratching our head wondering “what does the internet do?”

Sure some of the networks have dipped their toes in the “new-media” pond, but most of their attempts have been pretty half baked. So let’s take a look at the five free to air broadcasters and see how much or how little they’ve embraced the internet.

Starting off with the worst offender, the Seven Network. Sure they’re winning the ratings race, but their internet presence is almost negligible. The only two shows they offer free streaming episodes of are Heroes and Make Me a Supermodel, and the image quality is terrible. You’re restricted to a small video window on their website and navigating to other shows is poorly implemented. Also, where are the free streaming episodes of Packed to the Rafters, City Homicide and All Saints? You know, the Australian shows that people actually want to watch (sorry Supermodel fans)!

Seven Network online presence: 2/10

Next up is Network Ten. They were the first network to jump onto the internet tv bandwagon a few years ago, with free episodes of Supernatural on their Windows-only DRM supported video player. It was a good start, but had limited potential.

Today they’ve more or less gone all streaming video. Almost all their Australian shows are available for streaming, even a couple of US imports. Unfortunately episodes are only up for a limited time, around two weeks. It’s also let down by the poor image quality and the lack of a streamlined video infrastructure. Meaning video content is spread all over their site, rather than in one place. Launching catch-up TV for one show could be on one page in a certain video player, while another show is on a different page in a different player. It’s messy and not very user friendly. You’re also restricted to watching content on your computer.

Network Ten online presence: 4/10

The Nine Network could have been one of the best, but unfortunately at the same time are one of the worst offenders. There’s no streaming video, but they provide every single episode of their current Australian dramas for free on their website through ad supported downloads, which are even legally allowed to be shared via torrents and other P2P services (which gives them huge brownie points). The image quality is great and the inserted ads are so minimal that it’s hardly an inconvenience to sit through them.

But it’s their paid content let’s them down. They were the first and only Australian commercial broadcaster to jump onto the iTunes store with episodes of Sea Patrol, Canal Road and McLeod’s Daughters, but it’s been nearly five months since TV shows hit iTunes in Australia and still Nine have only put less than seven episodes of each of these shows on the store, leaving purchasers in the lurch for the remainder of each series. It’s almost like they’ve forgotten that they even have shows on iTunes. It’s a real shame because the iTunes buying experience is so good, its easy to use and just works. Plus you have access to all your shows on your computer, iPod and even TV with Apple TV.

Nine Network online presence: 6/10

Now we’re left with the two public broadcasters ABC and SBS. Both have made huge strides to embrace television content via the internet. They seem to be the only two broadcasters that really understand where television is heading, they both have well designed online video players and have been providing free podcasts and downloads of their shows for years. Meaning content was free to played back on iPods and other devices for viewing on your television or on the go.

The ABC iView streaming video player is probably the best internet television service in Australia. It has a well designed, streamline interface in which you have access to almost all of the ABC catalogue. No need to search around for links to other shows. It’s all there in the iView player. Plus iView is quota free if you’re with iiNet, so it wont chew through your internet bandwidth. The ABC also have a reasonable selection of shows on the iTunes store, including: Summer Heights High, We Can Be Heroes, The Chaser’s War On Everything and Enough Rope. Like is said before, iTunes is so easy to use and it just works. Buying shows for playback on your iPod or TV couldn’t be simpler.

SBS online presence: 8/10
ABC online presence: 9/10

There is no doubt that tradition television view-ship is falling, but with such popular (not necessarily legal) alternatives available, the networks really don’t have an excuse for playing the “no one is watching tv anymore” card. The answer is sitting there in front of them. They just need to start embracing it, because clearly the internet is the future.

What it comes down to really is having the options available. Providing legal alternatives that hopefully over time audiences will embrace equally. We need to be given the option to decided on the way we consume our content, we can’t be forced into watching shows at a certain time or in a certain place. It needs to be flexible so suit our timetables – to suit our lives. Television is only one in a number of sources of entertainment these days, so it has to adjust with the times.

We need to see more online video content that is built on well designed and easy to use infrastructure. We need to see more online video content available for purchase from places like iTunes, so that we can take our shows with us and watch tv shows on our televisions. It even wouldn’t hurt to see an online web presence which hosts content from multiple broadcasters like Hulu.com, so that people know the one place where they can easily find content.

There’s nothing worse than clearing your schedule so that you don’t miss an episode of your favourite show, only to find out that the network had bumped the show to another night. Or going online to the shows website to catch up on the episode you missed, only to discover that the episode you wanted to watch has been taken down.

When the network’s are so unreliable, not only on air, but with their “new-media” services also, it’s no wonder people just go back to their illegal downloads, at least it’s reliable and it’s not going anywhere.

There are rumours Pushing Daisies creator, Bryan Fuller will join the Heroes crew once his time with Pushing Daisies is done. “I am exclusive to Daisies through the delivery of the 13th episode of our 13-episode order, which will be mid-January,” says Fuller. “If Daisies isn’t picked up by then, I will definitely be going back to play with my friends at Heroes.”

After walking out on Heroes to focus on Pushing Daisies, Fuller is set to return as a consultant to Tim Kring. Fuller was responsible for the most talked about episode in season one, ‘Company Man’. This is welcoming news after the annoucement of Jeph Loeb and Jesse Alexander’s exit from Heroes.

Meanwhile Pushing Daisies fans, brace yourselves for an imminent annoucement as there are rumours it has been cancelled. There is no episode this week due to the CMA Awards.

Source: EW

It has just been announced that 2 of the Heroes co executive producers Jeph Loeb and Jesse Alexander have been fired from the show over “creative differences” by the bosses and NBC.

These two producers have been with the show since day 1 working under the direction of creator/writer Tim Kring.

Whatever reason NBC has given this is likely because NBC does not like the direction the show is going with its hefty price tag, a reported $4 million US an episode.

Also, flagging ratings of about 10 Million in the US  which is down 3 million from this time last year.

Things are looking bad for Heroes and hopefully this will not mean cancellation.

Source: Zap2it.com

• 24 Season 7 will premiere over two nights with two hour movie length episodes, beginning Sunday, January 11th and concluding Monday, January 12th.

• A spokesman for 20th Century Fox TV has confirmed another network is interested in the recently cancelled animated comedy, King of the Hill. ABC is the main contender as it has acquired the rights to Mike Judge’s new animated comedy The Goode Family. The Goode Family will premiere on the alphabet midseason.

• Michael Green, the creator/executive producer of NBC’s new midseason drama Kings has signed a new two-year deal with series producer Universal Media Studios. This deal includes a hefty seven-figure pay packet allowing Green to work on his new project Kings. Kings is set in a fictional monarchy and revolves around David (Aussie Christopher Egan), an idealistic soldier who joins the court of King Silas (Ian McShane).

• Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb the co-executive producers of Heroes, have both walked out on the show due to creative differences.

• The annual Treehouse of Horror episode of The Simpsons gave the long running comedy its highest figures in nearly five years with 12.5M, A18-49: 6.2/15 and A18-34: 7.3/20.

• The CW and Media Rights Capital have canceled freshman series Valentine and Easy Money after only four episodes.

Sources: Hollywood Reporter, Variety, EW

Christian Slater stars in 'My Own Worst Enemy'.

John Eisendrath (Alias), Jason Smilovic (Kidnapped), and David Semel (Heroes and Life) have teamed up to produce NBC’s new fall drama, My Own Worst Enemy.

My Own Worst Enemy follows Christian Slater as he struggles to control his double life as Henry and Edward. Edward is employed by Janus Corporation, the government agency responsible for his induced persona. The Feds activate a chip in his head to trigger an operative licensed to kill (Edward) and inactivate the chip to disguise him as middle-class father, Henry.

Each episode involves Edward completing tasks for his company. However, when the company’s controlling device malfunctions, switching of personas can no longer be controlled. This can occur at the worst of times such as when Edward attempts an assassination or when Henry is spending quality time with his family.

As well as the missions, the proceeding episodes follow Henry as he attempts to remove the chip, but it is not as easy as it looks as Edward prevents Henry from knowing anymore.

Each episode is action packed and is slickly produced. However, the constant switching between personas may be confusing, but you get use to it after a couple of episodes.

If I were to rate the pilot on its own I would give it 5/10, but episodes two and three have been exhilarating.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Network Seven has the rights to My Own Worst Enemy with no mention of an airdate, but in the meantime catch it on NBC Monday 10/9c.

Episode 16 gets off to a false start, but we recover quickly and begin in depth discussions on the American Kath & Kim, Bogan Pride, The Mentalist, Heroes, Fringe, Prison Break and Psych. Plus we also brainstorm ideas for faltering network’s Ten and The CW. We wrap up with a broadband update and the future of the TVAus forum.

Your favourite world-saving heroes are back.

Heroes returns for its third season tonight on Seven.

It’s just one week away. So power up for the new season of Heroes, fast-tracked to your screens.

Heroes returns 8:30pm Thursday, October 9 on Seven.

Seven have debuted their new promo for the upcoming season of Heroes. The promo features Milo Ventimiglia and Masi Oka who recently travelled to Australia to promote the new season. Check it out below.

Heroes will be fasttracked to Seven in October.

NBC have released some promo shots for the upcoming season of Heroes, subtitled Villains. Check out the entire set after the break.

Heroes returns for its third season, Monday, September 22 on NBC.

After the shocker of a year that was season two. Executive producer, Tim Kring apologised to fans, openly admitting to going down the wrong path last year.

But now Heroes is back and hopes to rejuvenate itself. So how will it play out this season? See for yourself.

Will it live up to fans expectations? Let us know in the comments.

The Auscast crew return after just one week. In this slightly shorter podcast, we discuss the usual TV Ratings, Hot Topics and answer Stolen Mailbag questions. We also chat about The Librarians, Heroes, the writers strike and a random but insightful discussion about hearing our own voices.