Posts Tagged ‘NBC’

All kinds of craziness is going on in the last few days of 2011 for television watchers.  Here’s what you’ll have to look forward to next year!

Sadly, HBO just axed three (three!) of it’s series; “Bored to Death,” “Hung,” and “How To Make It In America” were all cancelled to make room for many more new shows.  I’m most excited about “Luck,” a look at the seedy side of horse racing starring Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte, debuting January 29.

NBC is offering up three new shows I’m interested in:

A new musical drama, “Smash,” starring former “American Idol” contestant Katharine McPhee and Debra Messing.  It may not be the next Glee, but I’m all for more show tunes on TV.  ”Smash” premieres February 6.

“Fashion Star,” a mix of “Project Runway” with “X-Factor”  pits fashion designing wannabes against each other with the aid of mentors including Jessica Simpson and Nicole Richie (I’m sooo watching this one!)  ”Fashion Star” premieres March 13.

“Are You There, Chelsea?” starring Chelsea Handler and Laura Prepon from “That 70’s Show,”  is based on Handler’s book, “Are You There Vodka?  It’s Me, Chelsea,” and premieres January 11.

There’s just one more show I’m aching to see…”GCB.”  It’s going to air on ABC and it stands for “Good Christian Bitches,” based on the book.  It’s The Real Housewives of Dallas mixed with a little bit of Desperate Housewives; love.  It premieres March 4.

What shows are you looking forward to midseason?  Leave us a comment and let us know!

We’re in the thick of the fall television premiere season, and I can’t help but notice most new shows star females in lead roles!  Girl power!  Here’s a list of the heroines dominating the small screen this fall:

Charlie’s Angels, ABC Thursdays: Minka Kelly and two gorgeous newbies take on the classic show, with lots of kick-butt action.

Hart of Dixie, CW Mondays: Rachel Bilson takes on the old storyline of doc from a big city sent to Nowhereville, USA, to care for the toothless hicks.  Only in this version, the doc is a hot young chick, and the locals are just as good looking.

New Girl, Fox Tuesdays: Zooey Deschanel anchors this dramedy about a recently dumped girl who finds her three male roommates on Craigslist.  While the guys bring the funny, Zooey is a darling with her zany personality and made-up songs she sings to herself.  (Anyone else do that too?  I’m raising my hand!)

Prime Suspect, NBC Thursdays: Maria Bello plays a tough NYC cop…real tough.  And real pretty too!

Revenge, ABC Wednesdays: Emily VanCamp, formerly of “Brothers & Sisters” stars in this soapy, secret-filled drama.  She’s out to get revenge, get it?

Ringer, CW Tuesdays: Sarah Michelle Gellar is back!  Need I say more?  And she’s playing twins!  Love!

Up All Night, NBC Wednesdays: Christina Applegate and Will Arnett co-star in this parenthood comedy, but Christina looks to lead in the traditional man’s role by going back to work while her hubby stays home.  Maya Rudolph also gets lots of screen time as Christina Applegate’s boss/talk show host. Ladies, winning!

Whitney, NBC Thursdays: Whitney Cummings stars as “Whitney,” in a sitcom based on her stand-up act.

What do you think about these shows so far?  What other shows are starring females that you’re looking forward to?  Leave us a comment and let us know!

And as always, be sure to check back to Positively Celebrity for more of the latest tv/movie news and reviews from Megan Stecher!

Jessica Simpson may be preparing for upcoming nuptials, but she’s also prepping for her new reality show!  (And if you’re counting, that would be number three).

NBC announced yesterday that Jessica would be joining their new series, “Fashion Star,” as the celebrity mentor for aspiring fashion designers.  The designer who proves that they can mix fashion and business in the best way will be the winner.  Brought to you by the same producers of mega-popular “Project Runway,”  and also hosted by a supermodel (this time, Elle Macpherson), the show will differ from “Runway.”

For one thing, NBC is calling it a “true spectacle,” as the show will be taped in front of a studio audience, and include music, dancing and models.  Ummm, isn’t “America’s Got Talent” already on NBC?

Just kidding, here’s the explanation from NBC:

The series will give 14 unknown designers the chance to win a multi-million dollar contract to launch their lines in three of America’s largest retailers. Each week, the show will kick off with an exhilarating fashion show unlike anything seen before featuring musical performances, dancers, and models in front of a live studio audience. Every fashion show will be built around a weekly challenge that is designed to further develop and expand the designer’s brand.

Anyways, the winner gets a really sweet deal.  The judges (not yet announced) will be buyers for three major retailers, and the winner will get to launch a line for them!  Better yet, each week’s designing winner’s duds will be available for immediate online purchase (hence, why the show is being taped ahead of time).  No air date has been announced.

I think Jess will actually have some great advice for the contestants, what with being the head of a near billion dollar fashion brand!  I’m suddenly very curious to see how this idea pans out…what about you?  Will you be watching “Fashion Star?”  Leave a comment below!

Lauren Graham is not only one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, but also one of the most talented. The star of NBC’s drama Parenthood has proven time and time again in her career that whether it be on the small screen, the big screen, or the theater, her acting chops are second to none.

Now we can add author to Graham’s long list of achievements, as the stunning actress has just signed a deal with Random House to be published!

Announced via Random House’s twitter, Graham, who has starred on the big screen in Bad Santa alongside Billy Bob Thornton as well as in one of our favorite movies, Evan Almighty alongside Steve Carell, has been signed on to be published with her first novel, entitled “You’ll Never Make It”. As described by the company, the novel “is semi-autobiographical about struggling actress in NYC in mid-90s who waits tables as she hopes for big break.” The book will be released both in digital and traditional format.

Graham, who rose to fame playing Lorelai on the long running television show Gilmore Girls, has been extremely busy as of late, with Parenthood completing it’s second season (with the season finale pulling major ratings), her charity work and a new movie in the works.

All of us here are incredibly impressed and can’t wait to read “You’ll Never Make It” when it’s released.

Be sure to check back for more of the latest celebrity news and features from Richard Munassi right here at Positively Celebrity!

The Glo Bag is flat out the best gym bag that I have ever seen (Glo stands for gym locker organizer). Developed by Jennifer Koutouras and Kendra Cunningham (two workout-loving moms/entrepreneurs from suburban Chicago), the Glo Bag is perfect for anyone living an active lifestyle and is definitely the perfect accessory for 2011!

I heard of the Glo Bag through a friend of mine who told me about her amazing new gym bag that could do it all. Intrigued, I got a hold of the Glo Bag and from my first minute with the product I was blown away.

The Glo Bag is big (18″h x 9″w x 14″d), but for a reason: it holds absolutely everything you would need on a trip to the gym. There are pockets everywhere, from the one on the strap that can hold a cellphone to one on either side (which I used for my keys and my ipod/headphones) and even a mesh pocket on the side to hold your water bottle or a rolled up yoga mat.

Aesthetically, the Glo Bag is beautiful. Made with durable ballistic nylon, the bag is available in black with three different accents and manages to look sleek and modern while being perfectly utilitarian. The padded shoulder straps were a very good touch, as they don’t seem to dig into your shoulders or chest even with the bag being completely filled with clothes and workout necessities.

The bag is specifically made to sit or hang inside of a gym locker and be fully accessible to everything inside (there are three different straps on the top of the bag to hang on any type of hook inside of a gym locker). In fact, the interior of the bag is really what makes the Glo Bag stand out from your everyday gym bag.

With two shelves that create three different compartments, the Glo Bag has an area for your shoes (up to a men’s size 14 or a women’s 16!), an area for your fresh set of clothes and even a seperate area for your toiletries bag or for your wet dirty workout clothes after you have showered and changed (the Glo Bag includes a wet bag which will keep your dirty clothes from sullying the rest of your belongings). The interior is also vented to keep things light and airy inside and has a small pocket which I used to hold my jewelry.

Surprisingly, even with a Glo Bag full of an extra set clothes, a pair of shoes, toiletries, a towel, my weight lifting gloves, knee brace and my workout towel, there was room to spare! As an alternative on one of my workout days, in lieu of extra clothing and a towel I managed to fit a basketball into the bag as well as my normal gym equipment.

The Glo Bag is already resonating within the celebrity circuit, with co-anchor and national correspondent for NBC’s Today Show Natalie Morales giving it the following ringing endorsement: “The Glo Bag is perfect for my lifestyle and keeping my workouts organized. It’s also great for any other activities you have planned. We took it with us skiing and it was great for the kids helmets and boots and couldn’t be happier with it. You’ll be very happy with all the Glo Bag can do.”

I personally plan on using the Glo Bag for my daily workouts, as well as for quick overnight trips out of town. With it’s many storage pockets, large interior and “shelves” for organizing, it is perfect for a trip to Bikram, some time on the basketball courts or a trip up the coast! With every Glo Bag currently coming with the Glo Hanging Toiletry Bag (perfect for your shower sundries) and Wet Bag (to compartmentalize any wet clothing), you shouldn’t hesitate to make it part of your accessories collection today!

To order one of these amazing gym bags please visit http://www.shop.theglobag.com!

A percentage of profits from sales of the Glo Bag and accessories will be donated to Girls in the Game, a Chicago-based non-profit dedicated to year-round, multi-sport and wellness programs for girls and young women. To learn more about this great organization please visit http://www.girlsinthegame.org.

All of us here at Positively Celebrity laud Jennifer and Kendra for their ingenious gym bag, and thank them for making our lives easier with the organization and convenience that the Glo Bag has to offer!

Be sure to check back for more of the latest celebrity news and features from Richard Munassi right here at Positively Celebrity!

Conan O’Brien has had a very interesting year. 10 months ago the gangly human cartoon was fired from his dream job as host of the Tonight Show, famously ousted after just 7 months on the job.  After securing an excellent severance package from NBC for himself as well as his staff, Conan embarked on a nationwide comedy tour entitled the “Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour”, which sold out almost immediately.

During the tour, Conan was courted heavily by Fox, Comedy Central and TBS to host a new late night talk show on their respective channels. Ultimately TBS won out, largely due to comedian George Lopez lobbying Conan to join him at the cable channel. “I said let’s take the party and make it bigger … everybody’s heard of ‘I’m with CoCo’ but now everybody can ‘Go LoCo’,” Lopez stated in April.

Even with the ups and downs of the last year, O’Brien has kept his head held high and stayed focused on the future, letting bygones be bygones with NBC. “I feel like I’ve come a long way in putting it behind me…I’m really proud of the work I did at that company for a long time,” O’Brien stated. With the start of his new show, entitled simply Conan, right around the corner, the Harvard graduate and former staff writer on The Simpsons as well as Saturday Night Live is ready to get back to work. “My goal is to seize this opportunity (and) make some interesting television. I do want to try new things.”

TBS has been heavily marketing the new show, building an entire website dedicated to Conan (www.teamcoco.com), flying an orange blimp around the country and placing billboards and advertisements in various publications. No one, however, seems to be looking forward to the start of the new show more than O’Brien himself. “Even just doing the test shows, I felt like a duck getting back in the water. I like being in front of audiences,” he stated. ”There’s nothing like getting your (butt) in gear. I’ve got a show to do.”

Positively Celebrity is rooting for Conan to succeed beyond anyone’s wildest expectations! Conan premieres Monday, November 8 on TBS. Check local listings for time.

The Hollywood Foreign Press recently announced the nominees for this year’s Golden Globes airing on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 8 p.m. on NBC. This year’s Golden Globes has special significance because last year the winners were announced during a lackluster press conference due to the writer’s strike. 

Usually, the Golden Globe nominations and winners are a good indicator of who and what will be nominated for the Academy Awards. So if you haven’t seen these movies or TV shows yet, now is your time to start checking them out.

MOTION PICTURES

Drama

Best picture

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Frost/Nixon”

“The Reader”

“Revolutionary Road”

“Slumdog Millionaire”

Positively fact: Kate Winslet has two chances to be in a Best Picture winner. She stars in “The Reader” and “Revolutionary Road” where she is reunited with “Titanic” costar, Leonardo DiCaprio.

Best actress

Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”

Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”

Meryl Streep, “Doubt”

Kristin Scott Thomas, “I’ve Loved You So Long”

Kate Winslet, “Revolutionary Road”

Positively fact: While all the other actresses are previous nominees, this is Hathaway’s first Golden Globe nomination.

Best actor

Leonardo DiCaprio, “Revolutionary Road”

Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”

Sean Penn, “Milk”

Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

Positively fact: This is Rourke’s first Golden Globe nomination, and Langella’s first nomination since 1970’s “Diary of a Mad Housewife.”

Comedy or musical

Best picture

“Burn After Reading”

“Happy-Go-Lucky”

“In Bruges”

“Mamma Mia!”

“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Positively fact: You may not have heard of some of these comedies. “Happy-Go-Lucky” came out in April and is about a woman who’s optimism has a less than cheerful effect on others. “In Bruges” was released in February and stars Colin Farrell as a hitman in Belgium.

Best actress

Rebecca Hall, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky”

Frances McDormand, “Burn After Reading”

Meryl Streep, “Mamma Mia!”

Emma Thompson, “Last Chance Harvey”

Positively fact (s): This is the first Golden Globe nomination for Hall and Hawkins. Also, McDormand is married to Joel Coen, one of the directors of “Burn After Reading.”

Best actor

Javier Bardem, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Colin Farrell, “In Bruges”

James Franco, “Pineapple Express”

Brendan Gleeson, “In Bruges”

Dustin Hoffman, “Last Chance Harvey”

Positively fact: Bardem won at last year’s Golden Globes for best actor in a drama for his performance in “No Country for Old Men.”

TELEVISION

Drama

Best television series

“Dexter” (Showtime)

“House” (Fox)

“In Treatment” (HBO)

“Mad Men” (AMC)

“True Blood” (HBO)

Positively fact: If “Mad Men” wins, it will the show’s second, consecutive win.

Best actress in a drama series

Sally Field, “Brothers and Sisters”

Mariska Hargitay, “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”

January Jones, “Mad Men”

Anna Paquin, “True Blood”

Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”

Positively fact: Jones didn’t earn a nomination last year, but the Hollywood Foreign Press must have warmed up to her portrayal of cold, isolated housewife, Betty Draper.

Best actor in a drama series

Gabriel Byrne, “In Treatment”

Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”

Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”

Hugh Laurie, “House”

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, “The Tudors”

Positively fact: Hamm won in this same category at last year’s awards.

Comedy or musical

Best television series

“30 Rock” (NBC)

“Californication” (Showtime)

“Entourage” (HBO)

“The Office” (NBC)

“Weeds” (Showtime)

Positively fact: All of these shows have been nominated before, but none have ever won. Past winners include “Extras,” “Ugly Betty,” and “Desperate Housewives.”

Best actress

America Ferrera, “Ugly Betty”

Tina Fey, “30 Rock”

Debra Messing, “The Starter Wife”

Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds”

Positively fact: Fey won last year and could be on track to win two years in a row. Messing, who also was nominated last year for “The Starter Wife,” has never won in this category despite being nominated six times for “Will & Grace.”

Best actor

Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”

Steve Carell, “The Office”

Kevin Connolly, “Entourage”

David Duchovny, “Californication”

Tony Shalhoub, “Monk”

Positively fact: All of these actors have been nominated before, but Duchovny won last year.

Last Monday former “SNL” star Jimmy Fallon started a daily video blog on nbc.com to give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at his new late night show. Let’s hope his real show is a lot funnier.

The video blogs were originally supposed to be a practice run of how Fallon’s going to host the “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” predecessor, according to Variety; but, now they are meant to be more of a free-style look at the preparations before the show debuts on March 2. Yet, the video blogs could benefit with a little more structure.

Some of Fallon’s insider information is interesting. For example, the Roots are going to be his in-house band, and every night fans of the guest band will be able to come out on the stage à la concert-style. We also got to see a model of the set including where there’s going to be trap doors for surprise guests to arrive.

Otherwise his blogs are kind of a snore. We got to watch Fallon read comments on his website where he practiced his sad face when someone called him “a douchebag who doesn’t deserve his job.” There was also the bit where he and his announcer, Steve Higgins, endlessly went back and forth about if his dismal movie with Queen Latifah was called “Taxi” or “Taxi Cab: The Movie.” We’d expect funnier from Fallon.

We’d also expect funnier when current “SNL” star Fred Armisen stopped by one night to do a mock interview with Fallon. Armisen was supposed to play the role of a bad guest to test Fallon’s interviewing skills, which just turned out to be a bad skit. 

So log onto nbc.com for his insider bits; but, if the comedy doesn’t get funnier Fallon will have a hard time keeping viewers awake at their laptops let alone at 12:35 a.m.

January 1 is a New Year and time for fresh starts. Those fresh starts also apply to TV Land as well with the networks shuffling up their line-ups to make sure TV watching continues to be a routine for us in the New Year. They’ll be getting rid of struggling shows, bringing in new, promising shows and otherwise just shaking up the schedule. Don’t forget to reprogram your Tivos!

NBC: Variety recently broke the news of NBC’s new TV schedule starting in January:

On Mondays starting January 5, “Superstars of Dance,” will air at 8 to 10 p.m. until its finale on Jan. 26. (It will premiere on Sunday, Jan. 4, however, with a special two hour episode.)  

Ryan Seacrest’s reality show, “Momma’s Boys,” will also air at 10 -11 p.m.

Monday night staples “Chuck” and “Heroes” won’t be shown in January but will start back up again in February. Mitch Metcalf, NBC exec VP of programming planning and scheduling, told Variety that these shows don’t repeat too well so they will take a break before airing new episodes in continuous blocks.

“Law and Order: SVU” repeats will take “Life’s” place Wednesdays at 9 p.m starting Jan. 7, and “Life” will return with new episodes in February.

The new Friday line-up consists of Howie Mandel’s new reality show, “Howie Do It,” at 8-9 p.m. starting Jan. 9. Critical hit, “Friday Night Lights” returns Jan. 16 and will air at 9 p.m. “Dateline NBC” will wrap up the night at 10 p.m. 

Meanwhile, “Deal or No Deal” is taking a break and will only air with specials or holiday episodes. It hasn’t been determined if the show will be cancelled or return again in a regular time slot. Other shows that are likely not to be continued include “My Own Worst Enemy,” “Lipstick Jungle” and “Crusoe.”

It has not been announced when the new show, “Kings,” as well as “Medium” and “Law and Order: Criminal Intent” will air.

And don’t forget about the weekends. “Sunday Night Football” will give way in January to specials including The Golden Globes (Jan. 11), “Saturday Night Live Film Festival” (Jan. 18), “The Last Templar” (Jan. 25-26) and “Super Bowl XLII” (Feb. 1). After these specials are over, regular series will then settle into their regular times slots on Sunday nights.

ABC: It also recently announced its new line-up per Sitcoms Online:

Tuesday nights will look different starting in December. “According to Jim” will return in December airing in the 9 p.m. hour, but in January it will start airing in the 8 p.m. hour before “Scrubs.”  ABC brought new life to the hospital comedy show after NBC cancelled it. It will start airing new episodes on Jan. 6 with back-to-back episodes at 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Wednesday and Thursdays are also going to look different with mysterious island survivors replacing sexy doctors. “Lost” will take “Private Practice’s” slot on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. starting Jan. 21, and the latter show will move to Thursdays where it will start airing new episodes Jan. 8. It will air at 10 p.m. after “Grey’s Anatomy” where “Life on Mars” has been.  The 70s cop show will start airing in the recently cancelled “Dirty Sexy Money’s” time slot Wednesdays at 10 p.m.

It hasn’t been determined yet what will air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. where the recently canceled “Pushing Daisies” was airing.

Meanwhile, “Pushing Daisies,” “Eli Stone” and “Dirty Sexy Money” will air the rest of its 13 episodes, but ABC hasn’t ordered more.

Hilary Duff, better known in younger circles as Lizzie McGuire, is headed back to the small screen – this round with NBC. Seems the peacock network signed McGuire to a yet-to-be-named series, in addition to signing her on with several network shows.

McGuire, who grew up before our eyes as the Disney Channel’s Lizzie McGuire, took a break from acting in TV and film to pursue (surprise!) a singing career.

Though McGuire didn’t strike the big-time with her first CD, there’s still hope for her in that department. (She’s one of the few actresses who actually can carry a tune.)

Still, apparently her past came calling – or maybe she just missed a regular gig. Whatever the reason, we’re anxious to see what NBC comes up with for the young starlet. Welcome home, Lizzie.