• 'Dexter' is returning this summer

    Randy Tepper/Showtime

    Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan.

    By Anna Chan, TODAY

    PASADENA, Calif. -- TV's favorite serial killer is coming back sooner than expected. David Nevins, Showtime's president of entertainment, announced Saturday to reporters at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour that "Dexter" would be premiering its eighth season on June 30 instead of its usual fall start.

    "For the first time ever, we will move ‘Dexter’ to a new premiere spot in June," Nevins said. " ‘Dexter’ has already proven its value as a launch pad for 'Homeland.' ... Our plan is to harness the strength of these two shows to launch the next generation of great dramas on Showtime."

    "Dexter," which will air at 9 p.m., will be the lead in to new drama "Ray Donovan" starring Liev Schrieber.

    Though "Dexter" will be premiering several months earlier than usual, Nevins said that the show is prepared for a summer return.

    "Dexter is coming back early, but they had a lot of advance warning," he said. "They’ve known where they were going. No less production time, a little less vacation time between seasons." 

    Though producers and writers may know where the story's headed, Nevins wouldn't say whether this eighth season would be the show's last. "There’s a clear endgame in place. I can’t talk about it just yet," he said. "The decision of when to end 'Dexter' is ultimately a creative decision." He added that an announcement about the show's fate would be made before it returns. 

    But "Dexter" will have some tough competition in its new time slot. HBO's "True Blood" also airs at 9 p.m. Sundays during the summer. (The network hasn't announced a premiere date yet for the vampire saga, but it generally kicks off in June) Nevins isn't worried.


    "Sixty-five percent of the people who watch ‘Dexter’ are watching after that Sunday 9 o’clock, even when it was on in the fall," he said, and also pointed out that airing opposite Sunday Night Football in the fall was even tougher. "I think ('Dexter' and 'True Blood') do probably have overlapping audiences, and people will find them both. We’ve been through that before, the same way that people watch 'Homeland' and 'Boardwalk Empire.' They figure out how to do it. It reruns, and there’s DVR,  there’s on demand .... people don’t have to watch it in its time period."

    What do you think about "Dexter's" earlier return? Will you be watching "Dexter" or "True Blood" at 9 p.m. Sundays? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page!

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  • CBS wants Angus T. Jones back for 'Two and a Half Men'

    Cliff Lipson / CBS

    CBS president Nina Tassler says the network would like to have Angus T. Jones continue on "Two and a Half Men."

    By Anna Chan, TODAY

    PASADENA, Calif. -- "Two and a Half Men" star Angus T. Jones is no Charlie Sheen. After a video of the young actor blasting the comedy as "filth" and urging viewers to stop watching surfaced in November, the question arose as to whether CBS and Warner Bros. would want Jones back. The answer: Yes.

    "We’d like him to be part of it next year. I think he would like to come back too," Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment, told reporters at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour on Saturday. "He made his public apology and we’ve moved on."

    Tassler called the situation "a little bit of a glitch," and blamed Jones' age.

    "Kid's 19 years old," she said. "I’ve got a 24-year-old. Between the ages of 19 and 24, there have been plenty of things (my) kid has come out ... and said that I wish he hadn’t. I think the bottom line is cooler heads prevailed. (Jones has) been a beloved member of that cast for years and years and years! And he issued a public apology. ... And that’s it, we move on!"

    She added that the actor would be at the show's table read next week.


    Tassler also said that the network was interested in bringing "Two and a Half Men" back for an 11th season, and that Warner Bros. was "equally interested to do the same."

    But stars Jon Cryer and Ashton Kutcher, who joined the show in season nine after Sheen left, have not signed on yet. In fact, according to Tassler, none of the cast have put their names on the dotted line as of Saturday. 

    "We don’t have our cast deals. That’s the price of doing business every year," Tassler said.

    Do you want to see Jones back on "Men"? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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  • ABC 'disappointed' in 'Dancing With the Stars: All-Stars' performance

    Adam Taylor / ABC

    The mirror ball trophy for "Dancing With the Stars: All Stars" season.

    By Anna Chan, TODAY

    PASADENA, Calif. -- It's no secret that "Dancing With the Stars: All-Stars" didn't do as well in the ratings as previous seasons, and it's something that ABC is willing to admit.

    "We were disappointed not to see the all-stars for 'Dancing' do as strongly as we would have liked," Paul Lee, president of ABC Entertainment, admitted to reporters Thursday at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif. "Turns out people like to see bad dancing as much as they do good dancing!"

    Bringing an all-star cast back denied viewers much of that "bad dancing," since everyone had participated before, and at least one contestant (Sabrina Bryan) had been keeping her ballroom moves sharp by performing in "Dancing's" live Las Vegas show.

    "Clearly people love to see the journey as much as they love the competition, and if you pick only the winners, for which I take responsibility, they’re all going to be great dancers," said Lee. "We can all remember many series of 'Dancing' where you’ve had people surprise you, you never thought they could do it. You’ve had people lose weight and suddenly turn out to be the fittest people as we got to the end of the series. So people want to see the journey, and that’s something that we’ve done very very well in each season, some better than others."

    To bring that journey of growth back to the ballroom, Lee said the show will focus on the new celebrity cast.

    "We absolutely are going to be casting it the way we normally do," he told The Clicker. "We’re going to look for a good cast as we go through (the casting process)."


    Another issue with the all-star season was that it skewed a little older in terms of audience, something that Lee thinks can be resolved with the casting as well.

    "I did think the all stars made it a little bit older," he said. "I think we have the ability for casting fresh, to bring in younger audiences again."

    After the all-star season ended, reports surfaced that changes were likely coming to bring the shine back to the ballroom bash, including the twice-a-year competition possibly airing just one cycle per year. Lee shot that rumor down, saying the show would still air two seasons per year.

    "We believe passionately in that franchise," he said, and later added, "We think it’s going to revitalize itself."

    What do you think was the biggest issue with "DWTS: All-Stars"? And if the show is going to cast younger, who would you like to see on the next season? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page!

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  • Chris Rock: 'You should have a mortgage to buy a gun'

    Stephane Reix / EPA file

    Chris Rock

    By Anna Chan, TODAY

    PASADENA, Calif. -- Connecticut senator Richard Blumenthal may now be calling for background checks to buy ammunition, but comedian Chris Rock was way ahead of the lawmaker on this topic.

    Rock's 1999 HBO special "Bigger and Blacker" featured the now famous joke about charging $5,000 a bullet to reduce gun violence. And while at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour Wednesday to promote "Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell," an FX comedy show he executive produces, the comedian discussed the topic of gun control again.

    When asked if he thought Blumenthal was taking the point from his joke, Rock replied in the negative. "No! I wrote a joke, it was pretty funny," he told reporters. But then he got a bit more serious.

    "The gun lobby always says people need the right to protect their property. But ... every mass shooting is done by a guy who lives with his mother," he said.

    While Rock's argument isn't to be taken literally, he explained his point, saying, "I honestly believe you should have a mortgage to buy a gun. No one with a mortgage has ever gone on a killing spree. ... That’s a serious thought! A mortgage is a real background check. They don’t just give mortgages out, you know! If you go to jail for 30 years, you still have to pay your (expletive) mortgage."


    Bell, who also participated in the panel, pointed out that one of the beauties of comedy is that it makes difficult topics easier to discuss. "Like, Chris’ joke about ammunition being ... a bullet being $5,000 instantly makes the gun debate easier to talk about," he said. "Sometimes (comics') jokes can predict the future or point the way toward the future. It doesn’t mean the comic is trying to do that, it just means … the comic is always looking for the angle nobody else has."

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  • Mariah Carey: 'American Idol' feud is 'a distraction'

    By Anna Chan, TODAY

    PASADENA, Calif. -- Season 12 of "American Idol" doesn't even kick off until Jan. 16, but for months, the reality competition has been overshadowed by numerous reports of feuding between new judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj. (The biggest fight to date came to light in October when a video of Minaj cursing out Carey during an audition surfaced online.)

    FOX

    "American Idol's" judges, from left to right, Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj at Fox's TCA panel on Tuesday.

    But are the spats just fodder for drumming up publicity for the reality competition, which isn't quite the ratings juggernaut it used to be?

    The answer: No.

    "It's authentic," Mike Darnell, Fox's president of alternative entertainment, told reporters Tuesday at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif. "There's passion from this group. They disagree about a lot of the talent, about the way to approach the talent. What the talent should be doing. It’s not just the girls. It’s everybody."

    Disagreement over a potential contestant is what reportedly led to the leaked fight between Carey and Minaj. 

    "The feud, whatever feuds there've been, isn't just between Nicki and Mariah," executive producer Nigel Lythgoe noted. "Keith (Urban) and Randy (Jackson) have had their fights as well."

    "The fight is what it is," Carey chimed in. "This is 'American Idol,' it’s bigger than all that. It’s bigger than some stupid, you know, trumped up thing. It’s about the next huge talent, superstar that will come from this show."

    When the subject of her fights with Minaj kept coming up, Carey said, "The whole thing is convoluted. It’s a distraction from the show. It’s a distraction from the contestants. ... It shouldn’t be about any of us sitting up here."


    Original judge Randy Jackson, who is back again, pointed out that heated moments have been around since the beginning. "First or second season, me and Simon (Cowell) had a go. That's what the show is," he said. "It's that passion, that's what you want from the judges. We're all passionate about these kids."

    Executive producer Trish Kinane said that the invested panel was a result of listening to the audience.

    "One of the things (viewers) told us on the judging panel, they wanted experts in their own right. ... They also told us they wanted honesty," she said. "We very much took that into consideration when talking to Mariah and Nicki and Keith and Randy. I think we got it. They're not shrinking violets. They say what they think, and we encourage that. We'll encourage that even more as we go into the live shows."

    "American Idol" premieres Jan. 16 at 8 p.m. on Fox.

    Do you think the fighting has already been too much of a distraction, or will it make this season more interesting? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page!

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  • 'Biggest Loser' producer: There was no bullying this season

    Trae Patton / NBC

    "Biggest Loser" may not have contestants bullying each other this season, but the topic will come up from teen participants, from left, Lindsay, Sunny and Biingo. Trainers Dolvett Quince, Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper are pictured with the kids.

    By Anna Chan, TODAY

    PASADENA, Calif. -- "The Biggest Loser" season 13 became pretty ugly at times last year, and it wasn't from the contestants vomiting due to exercising too hard. No, it was because of the bad behavior from several players -- most notably, Conda Britt -- who viewers and even trainer Bob Harper blasted as "bullies."

    But all those verbal attacks, backstabbing, eye rolling and more from the past season? Don't expect to see that this time around.

    "This season, we have not had any bullying," executive producer Dave Broome told The Clicker. "This is such a different cast this year. The tone of the show for us this season, we found very likable, rootable characters. We wanted to get back to that. We know our audience loves that, and that’s what we look hard for when we’re casting our people."

    Finding a more likable group of players wasn't a reaction to viewer outcry from the past season, though, said executive producer Eden Gaha. "One of the things we’ve always known is (fans) love great characters, wonderful people to whom they can relate," he said. And not having two seasons in one calendar year helped with that process. "We had more time to find those people. And given that time, I think we’ve found the best cast we’ve had in a really long time." 

    While there won't be any onscreen bullying, Broome said that doesn't mean the subject won't come up in season 14. Quite the opposite, as the topic will be addressed by the show's first ever group of teen participants, 13-year-olds Biingo and Lindsay, and 16-year-old Sunny.

    "These kids are being bullied now," said Gaha. "They feel like for them, they have an opportunity really now to change the course of their lives from this point forward before it’s too late. I think they’re incredibly brave to put themselves out there and to stand up and be counted and to inspire other kids. These are three of the most brave kids I’ve ever seen."

    "There’s several episodes where we actually talk about bullying, and they’re emotional. They’ll tear at you," said Broome. "And to hear it come out of the kids’ mouths and hear what they’ve been going through ... you can understand why they’re reaching out for help."

    Also seemingly prevalent last season was quitting -- and the threat of quitting due to an "unfair" (read: well-known) twist. The season 14 premiere Sunday night featured one person who quickly threw in the towel and went home. With so many viewers who would love a shot at this sometimes life-saving opportunity, why don't producers just quickly send folks packing rather than reason with them, as they did when a group threatened to walk in 2012?


    "Our job is always to try to help them understand they need to finish this process. Nobody’s trapped there. It’s not a prison. You can’t keep them there if they don’t want to stay," said Gaha. "And that was a unique circumstance whereby people felt like the rules were such that they didn’t want to be around anymore.

    "Yes, they’re there for themselves but for every one contestant, there are tens of thousands of people at home saying, ‘That’s me up there.’ And so in many ways, you want to say to these contestants, ‘You owe it to yourself, yes, but you owe it to them out there because you’re their house, and that’s important.’ "

    Broome knows it's upsetting for viewers to see people give up and it's tough for them to understand why anyone would give up such an opportunity. 

    "I think we have an obligation to ... our fans, to our audience, to say, ‘Look, we want these people to stay in,’ " said Broome. "We tell these contestants on day one, ‘This is the hardest thing. You think what you watched on television is hard, you have no idea, because now you have to put the hard work in to get this done.’ "

    "It is the opportunity of a lifetime, and it’s something I think these contestants don’t necessarily want to squander," said Gaha.

    Are you glad there won't be any bullying among contestants this season? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page!

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  • Piers Morgan: It was 'a public duty' to try to get Omarosa fired from 'Celebrity Apprentice'

    Mario Anzuoni / Reuters file

    Piers Morgan, who won the first "Celebrity Apprentice," advises Donald Trump in the upcoming all-star season.

    By Anna Chan, TODAY

    PASADENA, Calif. -- "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice" contestant Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth didn't hide her distaste for challenge adviser Piers Morgan when talking to reporters at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour Sunday morning, calling him "so nasty." She also accused the former champ of returning to the show "solely to torture" her.

    It's a claim that Morgan doesn't dispute.

    "When Donald Trump asked me to be his boardroom adviser on two of the new 'All-Star Celebrity Apprentice' challenges, I realized this would give me a unique opportunity to get Omarosa fired all over again," he told The Clicker Monday. "I saw it as a public duty on behalf of all Americans."

    Omarosa knows she's come across as the bad guy on previous seasons of "The Apprentice" she participated in, but feels Morgan went overboard in his attacks on her. She had agreed to appear in the new season of the show to honor the legacy of her fiance, actor Michael Clarke Duncan, by trying to raise money for his charity, the Sue Duncan Children's Center. The "Green Mile" star was 54 when he died on Sept. 3. He had been an alumni of the charity.

    "During my task where I was raising money for one fundraiser task, (Morgan) repeatedly said, 'Why is she here, Donald (Trump)? Why do you have her here? She doesn’t deserve to be here,' " Omarosa told The Clicker. "And I’m like, 'I deserve to be here because I’m fighting for Michael’s charity.' He’s like, 'Oh use that. Say that.'"

    Omarosa, who said she was still grieving over Duncan's passing during filming, said Morgan's treatment of her became so "vulgar" some of her cast mates spoke up on her behalf. "They had to step up and tell producers and Donald and the other people to say, 'Enough is enough,' " Omarosa said. "Marilu (Henner) was probably the biggest one who went and lobbied that it just went too far."

    NBC has not yet responded to a request for comment.

    As tough as her experience was working with Morgan on "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice," Omarosa said it was worth it in the end.


    "Seeing the faces of those kids (at the Sue Duncan Children's Center) made all the hell that Piers put me through, all the insults and his put downs, the long hours, the stress ... when I saw the faces of those kids ... I mean, that made it all worth while," she told us. "I knew that Michael was smiling down and he was very proud of me."

    “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice” premieres March 3 at 9 p.m. on NBC.

    Do you think it was fair for Piers Morgan to single out Omarosa, or is it all part of the game? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page!

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  • Jillian Michaels: I'll stay on 'Biggest Loser' 'as long as you'll have me'

    Gus Ruelas / Reuters

    Jillian Michaels is back and ready to dish out the tough love on "Biggest Loser" season 14.

    By Anna Chan, TODAY

    She's baaaack! Jillian Michaels made her return to "The Biggest Loser" as a trainer on Sunday's premiere of season 14 after taking a two-cycle break from the weight-loss competition. And this time, it sounds like she won't be leaving again for awhile. 

    During a panel with the cast at the TV Critics winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Sunday afternoon, the trainer said that she was excited to be back and that "I will stay on ('Loser') as long as you'll have me!"

    "You leave the show, you want to do new things. Everyone’s like, 'That’s great! Good for you! We support you. Can you go back to ‘Biggest Loser'?' " she told reporters. "(Fellow trainer) Bob Harper and I saw Madonna in concert recently and she played new music, and we were like, 'Cool! When is she going to play 'Holiday'?' 'Biggest Loser' is sort of my version of 'Holiday.'"

    Michaels also said she "greatly underestimated how inspired" viewers are by the program. "Childhood obesity of course is something we’ve all fought on myriad fronts. Bob works with the first lady. I work with the Clinton Foundation. (Trainer) Dolvett Quince does all that he does. Having a vehicle like 'Biggest Loser,' the resources and the exposure to be able to exploit that is really exciting."

    One thing the trainer is known for is her harsh words and tough love for her contestants. When asked if she thought the players would feel let down if -- thanks to her reputation -- she didn't swear at them, Michaels was quick to shoot that down. "No, I don't think they'd be disappointed at all!" she laughed.

    But there is a reason for the tough act.

    "What seems like television to the American public to us is a life or death intervention," she explained. "So when we get crazy, when we get intense, we do it for a reason." 

    "It needs to be raw. It’s brutal. You go into that gym and you don’t know if you have these people for a week or two weeks," Harper elaborated. "You have to make a difference. And Jillian and I are sensitive and extremely passionate about this. When the words are coming out, I find myself at the end of the day just going, 'Oh my god! How many times did I say the F-word?!' "


    Quince agreed, saying that the contestants do need the cold reality check the show offers in teaching players to change their unhealthy lifestyles. 

    "You push them because look at how bad they’ve been to themselves for so long," Quince said. "You see someone being gluttonous and gorging and all this over excessiveness. Why would you allow giving up to be an option? They’ve been giving up for so long!" 

    "The Biggest Loser" airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on NBC.

    Are you glad to have Jillian back on the show? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page!

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  • Omarosa: Piers Morgan 'was so nasty' on 'All-Star Celebrity Apprentice'

    NBC

    Omarosa on "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice."

    By Anna Chan, TODAY

    Get ready for drama in the first ever “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice.” And unsurprisingly to fans of the competition, it sounds like a lot of the excitement will revolve around Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth.

    “I fight with everybody,” she told reporters during the TV Critics winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Sunday. More specifically, “Lil Jon had to break up all the fights between me and crazy a-- LaToya Jackson,” she stated. (Jackson did not attend the event.)

    Old feuds will be reignited as well.

    “Omarosa and Piers Morgan, they don’t like each other. Still,” said Lil Jon, who finished fourth in “Celebrity Apprentice 4.”

    “(Morgan) said he came back this season solely to torture me, and that’s what he did, episode after episode,” said Omarosa, who finished in eighth place in season one of “The Apprentice,” and first faced off against Morgan in season seven, the first celebrity edition. “Piers is a mean, nasty person. He was so nasty. I'm not exaggerating.”

    Returning competitor Stephen Baldwin backed her to an extent. “It goes without saying, Piers is Piers,” he said. “He’s kind of good at getting in there and annoying people and causing a little bit of controversy.”

    Morgan, who was not present at Sunday’s panel, isn’t returning to try to win the $250,000 grand prize for a charity of his choice, but instead, as the winner of the first “Celebrity Apprentice,” he’s back to advise boss Donald Trump.

    Baldwin, who finished in fifth place in his season, said one of the “coolest” things about this all-star cast was that everyone had played before. But that didn’t make things exactly peachy. “For me there was a level of terror involved because the only person that I really liked during this process was (country star) Trace (Adkins),” he said. “It is the psychology of it. The only people I trusted was … no one.”

    For Omarosa, that “no one” included Baldwin himself. “He came in on day one, his mind was turning,” she said of her fellow competitor. “You know what his approach was? Stephen Baldwin will stab you in the front as opposed to the back! You watch!”

    Adkins, who was the runner-up in the first “Celebrity Apprentice,” isn’t a fan of all the drama. “(Participating in the show) puts me in a position where I’m forced to tolerate individuals I wouldn’t normally tolerate. I don’t live my life like that,” he said. “I don’t like to spend time around people I abhor.”


    But he also added that it wasn’t quite like that this second time around. “This (show) at least has a shred of nobility because of the charitable aspect. That’s the only reason I even consider doing stuff like this,” he said.

    Executive producer Page Feldman said the show raised about $3 million dollars.

    “About $30 went to charity,” joked Penn Jillette.

    “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice” premieres March 3 at 9 p.m. on NBC. Other contestants include Gary Busy, Lisa Rinna, Marilu Henner, Brett Michaels, Dee Snider, Claudia Jordan and Brande Roderick.

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