AMC has announced the cancellation of Rubicon after its first season.
Here’s the network’s statement: “Rubicon gave us an opportunity to tell a rich and compelling story, and we’re proud of the series. This was not an easy decision, but we are grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such a phenomenally talented and dedicated team.”
This is bad news for those of us who became enthralled by Rubicon‘s intricate tale of a small cadre of government data system analysts led by James Badge Dale. Yes, the first few episodes were slow going, and doubtless were responsible for many viewers giving up early, resulting in low ratings.
But by the end of its run, Rubicon had become a tense, witty brain-teaser, full of vivid personalities. Boy, was I looking forward to seeing how the show’s ongoing conspiracy (and a new season’s new cases) might turn out.
I know AMC is thrilled with its big ratings for The Walking Dead, and I’m not pitting one show against another, but I wish the network had found a place on its schedule for two such different new shows. After all, Mad Men and Breaking Bad are as different as possible, right?
I’ll mourn the loss of Rubicon at greater length soon.
Will any of you miss Rubicon?
Twitter: @kentucker
Angelina Jolie. Johnny Depp. They’re two of the biggest stars on the planet and, believe it or not, they’d never met before making The Tourist. Now, in this week’s Holiday Movie Preview issue, the two A-listers talk exclusively to EW about their new Venice-set romantic thriller (a throwback to glamorous Euro capers like To Catch a Thief and Charade), the struggles they faced getting the pricey movie to the screen, and, of course, a blow-by-blow account of when they finally got together for the first time.
Image Credit: Barbara Nitke/Lifetime TelevisionA Project Runway source tells EW that Heidi Klum plans to wear a different version of the black and white polka-dot gown created by season 8 runner-up (BOOOOOOOOO) Mondo Guerra to tonight’s Los Angeles premiere of Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan. Eh mah gahd, you gehs! Heidi Klum must read PopWatch! Our urgent demand in her native language — Tragen Sie das schöne Polkapunktkleid — must have really spoken to her. Gut, ja!
Oh my god! They killed Bieber! On last night’s new episode of South Park — the thrilling conclusion of the Coon & Friends trilogy — Cartman and the dark lord Cthulhu teamed up to rid the world of (Cartman’s version) of evil: the inhabitants of San Francisco, Burning Man’s hippies, Whole Foods, and, their “most challenging and most evil opponent,” Justin Bieber. “In order to save the Earth,” said Cartman as the Coon, “this little butthole had to be stopped.”
Image Credit: Michael Becker/Fox; Toby Canham/Getty ImagesWhen it comes to the new American Idol judges, so far so good, claims executive producer Nigel Lythgoe. EW chatted exclusively with the Idol guru at a red carpet event recently and he had this to say about the new panel, which is auditioning wanna-be Carrie Underwoods and Lee DeWyzes today in San Francisco.
Image Credit: Ali Goldstein/NBCWhat’s your favorite Elizabeth Banks moment? It’s not an easy question, because Jack Donaghy’s baby-mama is gorgeous, hilarious, versatile, and totally fearless. Do you go with her scene-stealing performance in The 40 Year-Old Virgin, where she ultimately turned out to be more gal than Steve Carell could handle? How about her brief encounter with Leonardo DiCaprio in Catch Me if You Can, where her gaping guffaw was the perfect punchline? Or are you such a Banks-groupie that all debates begin and end with her naughty guest appearances on Wainy Days? Oh, Shelly, you delectable slut.
Film critic Gene Shalit is seen during a toast with "TODAY" show cast and crew at the end of Katie Couric's final show, in New York. Shalit, 84, said Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010. (Credit: AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) 
Image Credit: Albert L. Ortega/PR Photos; Paul Drinkwater/NBCGoodbye Franklin Mott from True Blood, hello super-villain on The Cape! EW talked to James Frain on a red carpet recently and the English actor had pretty encouraging things to say about NBC’s upcoming drama involving a cop (Eat Pray Love’s David Lyons) who makes himself into a masked hero after being framed for a crime. NBC has yet to schedule the drama, which is slated for a midseason release.
Were you entranced by the Blaine and his Dalton Academy classmates singing Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” on Tuesday’s Glee? (Silly question, the answer is obviously yes.) While Darren Criss is undisputedly a favorite (and new inappropriate crush?) around PopWatch HQ, did you know that a real all-male a cappella group is behind the song you can’t get out of your head?
Last night’s episode of Glee was undoubtedly one of the series’ most emotional hours to date with Kurt standing up to his homophobic bully, football player Karofsky. Many viewers, including my colleague Mandi Bierly, seemed upset that none of Kurt’s classmates or McKinley High staffers came to his aid. Well, Gleeks, that will soon change: a Glee source tells EW exclusively that, in the episode airing on Nov. 23, one of the New Directions kids will come to the defense of Kurt–and will get beat up in the process. Adds the source, “Mr. Schu gets involved when he sees something done to Kurt and realizes he must take action. The episode is really about the repercussions for others…how people react to bullying when they are not the ones getting bullied.” Hopefully, this info will allow all you Gleeks to sleep a little better tonight.
Image Credit: AMCBad news for Rubicon fans (however many — or few – there may be out there): AMC announced today that it will not be renewing the original series for a second season. The drama first premiered on the cable network on Aug. 1 and was from Warner Horizon TV.
Credit: FOXFOX has formally ordered a 23rd season of "The Simpsons."Sure, with the show's long-lead animation production schedule, the renewal was 100 percent a foregone conclusion, but that doesn't make the numbers for "The Simpsons" any less impressive.Currently early in its 22nd season, "The Simpsons" will have completed 515 episodes by the end of Season 23."Like many 22-year-olds, 'The Simpsons' is extremely happy remaining at home, on FOX, and hopes it doesn't have to go out into the real world for many years to come," states long-time series executive producer and showrunner Al Jean."The Simpsons" has been passing milestones left and right these past few years. In 2007, "The Simpsons Movies" finally premiered and took in more than $525 million worldwide. A ride opened at Universal Studios in 2008. Springfield's favorite yellow family was put on a stamp in 2009. And just this January, "The Simpsons" celebrated the end of its 20th anniversary celebration with the airing of the show's 450th episode. The instinct is to channel Comic Book Guy and say that "The Simpsons" isn't what it used to be back in Season 4 or Season 11 or Season 17 or whatever season you want to point to as a high point. The series still earned five Emmy nominations in 2010, including Outstanding Animated Program and won an Emmy for Anne Hathaway's guest vocal work. In all, "The Simpsons" has won 27 Emmys.While ratings for "The Simpsons" have certainly dropped in recent years, the show is still a strong opening leg for FOX's Animation Domination Sunday block and still draws big ratings among young viewers. In addition -- and you certainly don't need us telling you this -- between DVDs and toys and t-shirts and games and countless other products, the series itself is only the tip of the "Simpsons" promotional iceberg. 
Image Credit: Sylvain Gaboury/PR PhotosWe already know that Kevin McKidd can act. Now let’s see how he directs! ABC has confirmed that McKidd – aka Dr. Owen Hunt – will helm episode 13, which will air in early February. It will be his first time directing an episode of the drama.
Image Credit: Melissa MoseleyHere’s another reason to get to the movie theater early: Sprint’s latest spot for their “Silence Your Cell Phone” campaign features the iconic scene from The Notebook in which tragically parted lovers Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams are reunited in the pouring rain. (I’ll give you time to swoon for the hundredth time just thinking about it.) But the scene doesn’t quite play as it does on your DVD. Instead of hearing Gosling say, “I wrote you 365 letters. I wrote you every day for a year,” the dialogue has been replaced with, “I was at the vet’s office, Trixie ate dark chocolate. I couldn’t talk, but I texted.” (This is followed by McAdams’ character’s actual response, “You wrote me?” before the following from faux Gosling: “Yeah. And she barfed. I helped clean up.” And….scene!)
Within 24 hours of release, Call of Duty: Black Ops reached $360 million in sales in North America and the U.K. That’s a monstrous record — beating out Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2‘s $310 million for the biggest one-day sales record in videogame history. Heck, you could arguably call this the single biggest entertainment release in world history. According to Box Office Mojo, the current record-holder for a global movie release is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, with $394 million, but that was over a full weekend. So is Black Ops literally the biggest first-day thing ever, pop culture-wise?
Image Credit: Monty Brinton/CBSFabio: “I call it being cool.”
After dominating 2008 with the blockbuster Grand Theft Auto IV, and steamrolling through 2010 with the word-of-mouth sensation Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar Games is aiming to keep that momentum running into 2011 with its newest game, L.A. Noire. Due next spring, this is the rare Rockstar Game in which you don’t play a lowlife hoodlum/outlaw/gangster, but instead a detective working in late 1940s Los Angeles, a time period renown for shady dames, wide-brimmed hats, and a surfeit of darkly atmospheric crime to solve. And as the brand-new trailer makes clear, that detective is played by Mad Men‘s Aaron Stanton, i.e. Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce’s well-adjusted accounts man Ken Cosgrove. Clearly, Stanton’s new role isn’t quite as good natured. Check it out: 
Image Credit: Justin Lubin/NBCGood news regarding NBC’s Parenthood on Tuesday: The drama finished with a tenth of a point of a time period lead in adults 18-49 (2.1 rating/6 share and 5 million viewers), its most competitive finish this season. The drama’s also been up for three consecutive weeks among total viewers. The show does especially well with DVRs (up 42 percent in adults 18-49). So you’re watching it, you’re really watching it!
Dino De Laurentiis holds his Irving Thalberg Award at the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001. (Mike Blake / Reuters)Dino De Laurentiis, the flamboyant Italian movie producer who helped resurrect his nation's film industry after World War II and for more than six decades produced films as diverse as the 1954 Federico Fellini classic "La Strada" and the 1976 remake of "King Kong," has died. He was 91.