.... Ellen DeGeneres Is Your 2014 Oscars Host and Other News
Everyone's favorite dancing comedienne and talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres, will return to host the Academy Awards for a second time on March 2, 2014, ABC announced .
After last year's controversy regarding host Seth MacFarlane's questionable comedy stylings, it's probably wise that the Academy went with someone who's generally considered perfect by every single human being on the planet. “She is the consummate entertainer, equally beloved by her peers in the industry, movie fans, and television viewers," ABC President Paul Lee said in a statement. "We very much look forward to having her back on ABC for Oscar Sunday.”
DeGeneres, who last hosted the awards show in 2007, announced the news herself this morning via Twitter, "It's official: I'm hosting the Oscars! I'd like to thank The Academy, my wife Portia and, oh dear, there goes the orchestra."
... Unofficial news: The 24 miniseries 24: Live Another Day will debut next April, according to executive producer Howard Gordon.
... Showtime has decided on premiere dates for three of its returning midseason shows. Shameless will return on January 12. Episodes will return on January 12. House of Lies will return on January 12. They'll all return on January 12!
... A few new details on the potential Supernatural spin-off have emerged. Executive Producers Jeremy Carver and Robert Singer say the show will take place in Chicago and feature much more of an ensemble cast, as opposed to its parent series, which travels the country (and Canada!) and concentrates on the Winchester brothers. The backdoor pilot will be introduced in the 20th episode of the Supernatural's upcoming ninth season, and if all goes well, will become its own show in 2014.
... FX's long-gestating adaptation of the Coen brothers' Fargo finally has a leading man. Billy Bob Thornton will play Lorne Malvo, a troublemaker who makes life for an insurance salesman really tough. The role is similar to the one Steve Buscemi played in the film. FX's version is planned as a 10-episode limited run that's inspired by the movie and features new characters and crimes.
CASTING NEWS
... The lovely Anna Torv (Fringe) and former Brat Packer Jennifer Jason Leigh (Some Kind of Wonderful) have joined Ryan Murphy's HBO pilot Open. The mature drama focuses on sexuality and relationships, and it stars Scott Speedman and Wes Bentley. Leigh and Torv will play a couple, and yes, no need to do a double-take, they're both girls. Torv previously played a lesbian in the original version of Mistresses.
... Showtime has a horror series in the works called Penny Dreadful, and now it has its leads: Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor) and Eva Green (Casino Royale)! The series will be set in Victorian England and weave together the origin stories of several monsters from literature, such as Frankenstein, Dracula, and Dorian Grey.
... True Blood's Janina Gavankar is ditching the sexy vampires of Bon Temps for the sexy vampires of Mystic Falls, and who can blame her? Gavankar, who got butt nekkid on the HBO series as a shapeshifter, will play a character named Tessa who arrives in Mystic Falls ready to re-spark an old love.
... Antonio Sabato Jr. will guest-star on an episode of Castle in the series' spoof on a murder involving a cast member on a Saved By the Bell-type show. Antonio will play the grown-up version of the boy-hunk from a fake series called 2 Cool for School.
... American Horror Story: Coven, the next incarnation of the FX horror series, will bring back Alexandra Breckenridge. You may recall that she played the sexy young housekeeper who waved her ass in the air in Season 1.
.. CBS's upcoming drama Hostages has replaced its First Lady! Kate Burton (Scandal) originally appeared in the pilot of the conspiracy thriller as the president's wife, but will now be replaced by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (Grimm). The series stars Toni Collette as a surgeon whose family is held hostage and won't be freed unless she kills the president in surgery.
... Netflix's Orange Is the New Black has upgraded Danielle Brooks, who plays Taystee, to series regular for Season 2. The women's prison dramedy has also added Lorraine Toussaint (The Fosters) as Vee, a former drug dealer.
... Regina King will return to The Big Bang Theory as the university's director of human resources.
... Carrie Preston is returning to The Good Wife next season, reprising her role as Elsbeth Tascioni. Preston, who also has roles on True Blood and Person of Interest, will be back for multiple episodes.
... John Lithgow will be back to play Barney's dad in the final season of How I Met Your Mother.
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