Fall winners and losers: ‘NCIS’ reigns supreme; ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is most-watched reality show

Image Credit: Eric McCandless/ABC; Justin Lubin/Fox; Richard Cartwright/CBS; Eric McCandless/ABCWe’ve already seen the death of six new shows (Lone Star, My Generation, The Whole Truth, Undercovers, Outlaw and Running Wilde, though Fox hasn’t officially canceled the latter) as well as the departure of some old ones (So long, Medium! Looks like you’re out the door, too, Life Unexpected!) So it probably shouldn’t come as any surprise that HUT levels among CBS, NBC, Fox and ABC (that’s “homes using television”) are down 3 percent this year (from 39.7 million to 38.5 million).

Does that mean there weren’t enough good shows to watch on the Big Four this fall? Glee, Modern Family and The Good Wife fans would probably disagree, but it’s never good when so many freshman series tank before the holidays. Here’s how all the shows ranked in total viewers from Sept. 20 to Nov. 28:

1. NCIS (CBS) 21.3 million
2. Dancing with the Stars (ABC) 21.2 million
3. NFL Sunday (NBC) 20.2 million
4. Dancing with the Stars results (ABC) 18.5 million
5. NCIS: LA (CBS) 17.4 million
6. The Mentalist (CBS) 17.3 million
7. Criminal Minds (CBS) 16.2 million
8. CSI (CBS) 15.9 million
9. Two and A Half Men (CBS) 15.5 million
10. NFL Sunday pre-kickoff (NBC) 15.2 million
11. The Big Bang Theory (CBS) 15 million
12. Modern Family (ABC) 14.7 million
13. Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) 14.6 million
14. Hawaii Five-0 (CBS) 14 million
15. 60 Minutes (CBS) 13.9 million
16. The Good Wife (CBS) 13.7 million
17. Survivor: Nicaragua (CBS) 13.3 million
18. Blue Bloods (CBS) 13.25 million
19. Desperate Housewives (ABC) 13.22 million
20. Castle (ABC) 13 million
21. Undercover Boss (CBS) 12.8 million
22. Glee (Fox) 12.7 million
23. Mike & Molly (CBS) 12.6 million
24. The OT (Fox) 11.9 million
25. The Amazing Race (CBS) 11.7 million
26. CSI: Miami (CBS) 11.6 million
27. CSI: NY (CBS) 11.5 million
28. The Defenders (CBS) 11.49 million
29. $#*! My Dad Says (CBS) 11.48 million
30. House (Fox) 11.19 million
31. Bones (Fox) 11.16 million
32. Football Night in America (NBC) 10.8 million
33. Private Practice (ABC) 10 million
34. How I Met Your Mother (CBS) 9.6 million
35. Law & Order: SVU (NBC) 9.66 million
36. The Middle (ABC) 9.64 million
37. Brothers & Sisters (ABC) 9.4 million
38. Skating with the Stars (ABC) 9.3 million
39. Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC) 9.2 million
40. The Office (NBC) 9.2 million
41. Rules of Engagement (CBS) 8.9 million
42. No Ordinary Family (ABC) 8.9 million
43. The Event (NBC) 8.66 million
44. Law & Order: LA (NBC) 8.63 million
45. Cougar Town (ABC) 8.62 million
46. Family Guy (Fox) 8.60 million
47. The Simpsons (Fox) 8.47 million
48. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC) 8.42 million
49. Better With You (ABC) 7.6 million
50. The Biggest Loser (NBC) 7.55 million
51. Medium (CBS) 7.53 million
52. America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC) 7.2 million
53. Hell’s Kitchen (Fox) 7.06 million
54. Undercovers (NBC) 7.02 million
55. Outsourced (NBC) 6.75 million
56. The Cleveland Show (Fox) 6.73 million
57. Raising Hope (Fox) 6.7 million
58. Fringe (Fox) 6.69 million
59. Lie to Me (Fox) 6.60 million
60. Human Target (Fox) 6.59 million
61. 48 Hours Mystery (CBS) 6.55 million
62. Chase (NBC) 6.52 million
63. Hell’s Kitchen Wednesday (Fox) 6.51 million
64. 30 Rock (NBC) 6.50 million
65. Parenthood (NBC) 6.4 million
66. Chuck (NBC) 6.2 million
67. American Dad (Fox) 6.08 million
68. Dateline Friday (NBC) 6.04 million
69. ABC Saturday Night College Football (ABC) 6.01 million
70. Outlaw (NBC) 5.8 million
71. 20/20 Friday (ABC) 5.6 million
72. The Whole Truth (ABC) 5.5 million
73. Crimetime Saturday 9 p.m. (CBS) 5.4 million
74. Primetime: What Would You Do (ABC) 5.46 million
75. Community (NBC) 5.4 million
76. Crimetime Saturday 8 p.m. (CBS) 5.34 million
77. The Simpsons — Sunday at 7 p.m. (Fox) 5.33 million
78. Football Night in America (NBC) 5.2 million
79. My Generation (ABC) 4.88 million
80. Law & Order: SVU — Saturday (NBC) 4.87 million
81. COPS — Saturday 8:30 p.m. (Fox) 4.85 million
82. America’s Most Wanted (Fox) 4.81 million
83. Supernanny (ABC) 4.81 million
84. Lone Star (Fox) 4.5 million
85. The Apprentice (NBC) 4.52 million
86. COPS — Saturday 8 p.m. (Fox) 4.47 million
87. Family Guy encore (Fox) 4.45 million
88. Chase — Saturday (NBC) 4.2 million
89. Running Wilde (Fox) 4.19 million
90. Grey’s Anatomy — Thursday at 8 p.m. (ABC) 4.18 million
91. Outlaw — Saturday (NBC) 4.10 million
92. Modern Family — Friday (ABC) 4.019 million
93. ABC Saturday Night College Football pregame (ABC) 4.016 million
94. The Simpsons encore (Fox) 3.9 million
95. The Vampire Diaries (CW) 3.79 million
96. Law & Order: LA — Saturday (NBC) 3.76 million
97. American Dad encore (Fox) 3.5 million
98. America’s Next Top Model (CW) 3.3 million
99. Smallville (CW) 3.29 million
100. Human Target — Friday (Fox) 3.24 million
101. House — Friday (Fox) 3.04 million
102. Supernatural (CW) 3.02 million
103. The Middle — Friday (ABC) 2.97 million
104. The Event — Saturday (NBC) 2.95 million
105. Nikita (CW) 2.91 million
106. School Pride (NBC) 2.5 million
107. Hellcats (CW) 2.3 million
108. 90210 (CW) 2.05 million
109. Gossip Girl (CW) 2.04 million
110. One Tree Hill (CW) 1.9 million

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‘Dexter’ renewed for sixth season

Image Credit: ShowtimeShowtime has renewed Dexter, its top-rated drama series, for a sixth season. The network made the announcement in advance of Dec. 12's season 5 finale. The show scored its second-best audience ever on Nov. 28, with 2.54 million viewers. That’s just shy of the 2.57 million who tuned in for the shocking season 4 finale, and up 43 percent from its season 5 premiere (1.77 million).

More Dexter:
Latest Dexter recap: Losing It
All Dexter recaps and headlines

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Oprah hosts Franzen, makes new book club pick - Chicago Tribune

Oprah Winfrey and author Jonathan Franzen have put their rocky past behind them.

Franzen appeared on Monday's "The Oprah Winfrey Show," embracing his host after she chose his bestselling novel "Freedom" for her popular book club. Winfrey did not have Franzen on her show nine years ago, when his previous novel "The Corrections" was a book club selection, because he called some of her choices "schmaltzy."

Winfrey said Monday she didn't have Franzen on her show then because she didn't want him to feel "uncomfortable."

Franzen, 51, who is widely regarded as one of his generation's leading fiction writers, was branded as a snob for the comment even though he apologized quickly and repeatedly.

On Monday, he told Winfrey he considers himself a "Midwest egalitarian." The pair discussed Franzen's writing process and his visit with President Barack Obama.

"Bottomline is, I'm happy to have you," Winfrey said.

"I'm happy to be here," Franzen replied.

Winfrey said in September that she read "Freedom" after Franzen sent her a copy during the summer along with a note. She said she considered it a "tour de force" after the first chapter and called it a "masterpiece." Released in late August, "Freedom" was virtually canonized by critics before publication and has topped best-seller lists. Franzen was the subject of a Time Magazine cover story, titled "Great American Novelist."

Also Monday, Winfrey announced her 65th book club selection would be a combination of two Charles Dickens classics, "A Tale of Two Cities" and "Great Expectations."

The two novels have been issued in a single bound Penguin paperback edition of about 800 pages with a list price of $20. The electronic version, also from Penguin, sells for $7.99.

Because the copyright has long expired on the 19th-century novels, they are available through a variety of publishers and retailers. "Great Expectations" can be downloaded for free on Amazon.com's Kindle reader. "A Tale of Two Cities" costs 99 cents on Barnes & Noble's e-book device, the Nook. The novels also can be downloaded for free through the new Google bookstore.

The Associated Press reported the picks Sunday after purchasing a copy of the new Dickens volume, which has Winfrey's book club logo on the cover. Winfrey said on Monday's show that she has never read Dickens before.

"It's the best of times, readers," Winfrey said and called the books timeless classics.

Oprah's Book Club has nearly 2 million online members, according to Harpo Productions. Winfrey has said she will take the book club with her when she moves to her new cable station, the Oprah Winfrey Network, which launches Jan. 1.

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AP national writer Hillel Italie contributed to this report.

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Online: http://www.oprah.com

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'Terriers' canceled by FX

Image Credit: Jessica Brooks/FXFX has canceled its fledging series Terriers, a show starring Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James that follows two best friends who become become unlicensed private investigators in San Diego County. The series from Ted Griffin (Oceans 11), executive producer Shawn Ryan (The Shield) and Tim Minear (Dollhouse) ran for 13 episodes but only averaged about 500,000 viewers per episode.

For more on Terriers:

Terriers season finale: What did you think of the ending?

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'Tangled' Locks In Weekend Box-Office Victory - MTV.com

Although Harry Potter was able to beat Rapunzel last weekend, the boy who lived was unable to fend off the long-haired princess for a second week in a row.

Disney's "Tangled" was the big winner at the box office this past weekend, securing a solid $21.5 million total from showings on Friday through Sunday. But victory for "Tangled" came at the expense of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1," which lost to the animated Disney film by a $4.8 million margin. It was the first time that "Deathly Hallows" has slipped from first place since it opened in theaters three weeks ago.

"The Warrior's Way" was the weekend's only new wide release, but the ninja-versus-cowboys action flick landed without so much as a thud, bringing in only $3.1 million for a ninth-place finish. With a reported production budget of $42 million, "The Warrior's Way" has quite a long way to go before it comes close to recouping its costs, let alone making a profit.

Two highly anticipated movies marked their limited-release debuts this weekend, including director Darren Aronofsky and actress Natalie Portman's critically acclaimed "Black Swan." The Fox Searchlight picture, which has generated some serious Oscar buzz for Portman's performance, earned $1.4 million across 18 theaters, taking home the weekend's highest per-screen average at $77,444 per location.

"I Love You Phillip Morris" finally arrived in theaters after numerous delays, earning $113,000 across a mere six theaters. The Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor-starring romantic comedy expands to more locations next weekend.

The Box-Office Top Five

#1 "Tangled" ($21.5 million)
#2 "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1" ($16.7 million)
#3 "Burlesque" ($6.1 million)
#4 "Unstoppable" ($6.1 million)
#5 "Love and Other Drugs" ($5.7 million)

Upcoming Releases

"The Chronicles of Narnia" franchise continues next weekend as moviegoers embark on "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie go for a thrilling European getaway in "The Tourist," while Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale's "The Fighter" gets a shot at the title with a limited release in four theaters.

Check out everything we've got on "Tangled" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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‘Dexter’ producer drops clues about Sunday’s ‘Hop a Freighter,’ plus two exclusive clips from the episode!

See that over there? That’s the end of Dexter‘s fifth season, peeking around the corner, holding a needle behind its back, waiting anxiously for you. The only thing standing between you and it is Sunday’s “Hop a Freighter,” the second-to-last episode of the year. Craving a preview of the action? You’ve come to the right blog post. We give you four teases from Dexter executive producer Manny Coto—and two exclusive clips from the episode.

No. 1: “It’s a great moment of panic when you realize someone is spying on you but you don’t know who it is and what exactly have they seen. For Dexter, it’s the world’s worst nightmare…. The audience knows that it’s Liddy, but when Dexter finds out that the surveillance equipment has been checked out by Quinn, his trail leads toward Quinn. What’s Dexter going to do to stop Quinn, who he believes is on his trail?

No. 2: “Having worked alongside Deb for this entire season and slowly getting together and at the same time backing off from each other, Quinn finally bears his soul to Deb in such a way that she can no longer ignore what’s happened between them. And this is going to be complicated by the fact that Dexter believes that Quinn is spying on him.”

No. 3: “Deb narrows down the evidence against Jordan and believes she has enough to put him into custody— only to realize that it’s going to be harder than she imagined.”

No. 4: “Jordan Chase makes his ultimate gambit toward getting Dexter where he wants him. He makes a move that leaves Dexter devastated by the end of the episode.”

Now that you’ve been clued in, tell us: What do you think will happen on this week’s episode?

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Neil Patrick Harris to host Video Game Awards

Image Credit: Andrew H. Walker/Getty ImagesSpike TV has scored Neil Patrick Harris, former emcee of the Emmys, the Tonys, the TV Land Awards, and the World Magic Awards, to host its 8th Annual Video Game Awards live on Dec. 11. Some of you may be thinking Neil shouldn’t say “yes” to every hosting gig he’s offered, but I’m always a fan of entertainers championing the things they’re passionate about — even if it takes them to cable. (And with Spike TV’s Scream Awards becoming so star-studded, the network is doing something right.)

The show will feature 13 world premieres of games from 2011 and beyond. Confirmed so far: Batman: Arkham City, Resistance 3, and Thor: God of Thunder, as well as the next game from Studio of the Year nominee BioWare, the debut of Guillermo del Toro’s video game, and a special Gears of War announcement. Among the presenters, attendees, and nominees: Del Toro, Thor: God of Thunder video game star Chris Hemsworth, Halo: Reach star and VGA 2010 nominee Nathan Fillion (fingers crossed he and Harris plan a bit), It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia‘s Danny DeVito, Kaitlin Olson, and Rob McElhenney, Olivia Munn, 90210‘s Annalynne McCord, Dane Cook, Nick Swardson, Tony Hawk, and… Denise Richards. My Chemical Romance will perform.

Will you tune in, or will you Google Harris’ opening and closing bits the morning after?

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Reese Witherspoon Reveals Her Pet Peeve on a First Date - People Magazine

Reese Witherspoon

Lucas Jackson/Reuters/Landov

She may be happily keeping company with agent Jim Toth now, but Reese Witherspoon still remembers her share of bad dates.

"I had someone correct my grammar on a blind date once, and I knew within the first 10 minutes that the date was over," the Walk the Line Oscar winner, 34, said at a press gathering for her new movie, James L. Brooks's How Do You Know, opening Dec. 17.

Even worse, "I don't even remember what I said – I probably said 'ain't.' " But the lesson she wishes to pass on: "Just don't correct my grammar. I'm from Tennessee. I probably say everything wrong."

Onscreen, she's caught in a love triangle with Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson. But off-screen, Witherspoon's life is a lot less complicated.

The mother of kids Ava, 11, and Deacon, 7 (with ex-husband – they split in 2007 – Ryan Philippe) has been dating Toth since January, and recently brushed off engagement rumors.

"I have two kids," she said. "I have a very sort of settled down life."

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'Boardwalk Empire': Nucky break

Boardwalk Empire finished out its first season very strongly, with a finale that ended on a historical note — the election of Warren G. Harding, a Republican Steve Buscemi’s Nucky Thompson backed — as well as on a more emotional note. Nucky’s confession to Margaret about his past (his child’s death and how it drove his wife to suicide) brought Margaret back into his arms. Michael Pitt’s Jimmy tried to rekindle his marriage, but it seems such a lost cause, he was driven to find comfort in family elsewhere — with his dying father (what a wonderfully terse performance by Dabney Coleman) and, at the end, plotting with Nucky’s alienated brother, Eli, to try and take down the Nuckster.

What initially seemed like Boardwalk Empire‘s limitation — the way Nucky was an essentially passive central figure, reacting to things that happen; spending a lot of time mere glad-handing, whoring, and dispensing glib advice — ended up containing the revelation of his deepest nature. The tragedy of Nucky’s personal life is what has compelled him to be the most superficial person he can be. Buscemi played Nucky’s combination of showy bluster and hollow passivity with deceptive ease — it was a sneaky-great performance.

The season was designed, we can now see, to frame a few key supporting characters. Foremost among them was Jimmy, whose initial thuggishness didn’t square with his back-story: How did this Princeton student and brave WWI vet become such a dead-eyed lug? By the end, when Coleman’s Commodore Louis Kaestner told Jimmy his new mission should be to “take back Atlantic City for both of us,” the idea didn’t sound at all absurd or overreaching: Allied with Eli, Jimmy can indeed make a power-grab, perhaps with the aid of another ambitious young buck, Al Capone (the bullet-like Stephen Graham).

Kelly Macdonald led a small squad of strong female characters that made the show stand out among other tough-minded cable dramas in allowing Margaret’s complexity to unfold steadily. Margaret’s fears, intelligence, wiliness, and capacity for love and understanding, combined with the vivid creations of Jimmy’s common-law wife (Aleska Palladino), Nucky’s ditzy but tragic girlfriend Lucy (Paz de la Huerta) and Gretchen Mol’s mysterious, strong Gillian — all of these woman took their place as equals to the male characters to whom they were subservient in social status only.

As for the agony of Agent Nelson Van Alden (Michael Shannon), this story line continued to seesaw between scary realism and a daring cartoonishness. Shannon maintained a grimace that contorted his face into that of a “Dick Tracy” villain. His fate, after committing a murder that’s been covered up but which haunts his religious soul, will be another subplot I’m eager to come back to next season.

I still think the decision to shoot Boardwalk primarily in the sepia tone of so many period dramas was a mistake. Atlantic City would have been better showcased, more of the character the producers wanted it to be (and distinguished from its New York and Chicago scenes) if we could have seen all the gaudy colors of the boardwalk attractions, to say nothing of the garish glow of Nucky’s red window-pane pattern suits and pearl-gray hats.

But I ended the season far more engaged by Boardwalk Empire than when it began. There’s no doubt the series transcended its initial Scorsese-influenced violence and cynicism. Even as the final episode paid off in standard HBO grisly killings, the real substance of the finale, written by Terence Winter and directed by Tim Van Patten, owed next to nothing to their previous Sopranos experience. The distinction of Boardwalk Empire was in the effulgence of the violent emotions of love and loyalty betrayed.

Did you watch Boardwalk Empire? Are you looking forward to a second season?

Twitter: @kentucker

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Johnny Cash jumpsuit brings $50000 at auction - The Associated Press

Johnny Cash jumpsuit brings $50,000 at auction(AP) – 3 hours ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "The Man in Black" was dressed in blue as he rehearsed for a 1969 concert at San Quentin.

The embroidered blue jumpsuit that Johnny Cash wore to practice caused a bidding war during a memorabilia auction Sunday, bringing in nearly 10 times what was expected.

The suit was expected to sell for $5,000, but was eventually claimed for $50,000 by a collector from Belgium, said Darren Julien, president and CEO of Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills. He would not name the buyer.

The auction of 321 lots sold for over $700,000, nearly twice what was expected, Julien said Monday.

The late country singer was photographed in the suit giving a concert photographer "The Finger."

That photo was used in a 1998 Billboard magazine ad purchased by Cash's record company to sarcastically thank Nashville and country radio after he received a best country album Grammy for "Unchained."

"Johnny Cash is highly collectible. He's got global appeal, especially for a country artist. He was the first country music artist who was collectible. He set the standard," Julien said.

An international group of fans, collectors and investors took part in the auction, by phone or in person, he said.

A poster announcing Cash's performance at the prison sold for $25,000, a 1968 passport for $21,875 and a Martin guitar for $50,000.

A shirt made by Nudie Cohn and worn by Cash when he was grand marshal of the American Bicentennial Grand Parade in 1976 brought in $31,250 and a pair of Cash's knee-high boots sold for $21,875.

Cash died in 2003 of complications from diabetes.

Because he performed at prison so often and led a rather rowdy life early in his career, many people believed he served time in prison. He did not, although he battled drug addiction over the years and received a suspended jail sentence in 1965 on a misdemeanor narcotics charge in Texas.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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Bristol Palin responds to Margaret Cho's charge that her mother forced her to ... - Entertainment Weekly

Image Credit: Bob D'Amico/ABC (2)If there’s one thing the Palin family knows how to do, it’s fire back. On Saturday night, Bristol Palin posted a 655-word retort to Margaret Cho’s Nov. 29 blog post titled “Pistol Whipped” claiming that she heard from someone who “really should seriously know the dirt really really” that Bristol only did Dancing With the Stars because Sarah Palin forced her to do it. “Sarah supposedly blames Bristol harshly and openly (in the circles that I heard it from) for not winning the election,” Cho wrote, “and so she told Bristol she ‘owed’ it to her to do DWTS so that ‘America would fall in love with her again’ and make it possible for Sarah Palin to run in 2012 with America behind her all the way. Instead of being supposedly ‘handicapped’ by the presence of her teen-mom daughter, now Bristol is going to be an ‘asset’ — a celebrity beloved for her dancing.” Bristol begins her response be reiterating the reasons she’s already said she did the show: to get out of her comfort zone, exercise, and increase her confidence. She says her mother neither forced her nor asked her to do the show. “After first worrying for me in terms of being exposed to those who hate us for what we believe in, both my mom and my dad became my number one supporters. Anyone who watched the show could tell I performed better, and I felt better about myself, when they were in the audience. I wanted to make them both proud, but politics had nothing to do with it. Loving my parents had everything to do with it,” she writes.

Continuing, she says, “It saddens me that people would think that my mom would ‘blame’ me for anything that occurred in the 2008 election — much less ‘harshly’ and ‘openly.’ I think that canard (there, I said it again), has been floating around since then also.  I will set the record straight, though my mom already did in her bestselling book Going Rogue; there were a number of reasons President Obama won in 2008, but the primary reason was that the economy was starting to falter and the majority of voters thought Obama could do a better job than my mom and John McCain. It turns out, two years later, the majority of voters were wrong, but we can talk about that another time. The point is, I seriously doubt anyone who considers herself a student of American politics truly believes I impacted even one vote in that election.”

Bristol says she wanted to set the record straight, “Because it is this type of hurtful and false narrative that people promote to make my mom look bad. For 20 years my mom had my back — and for the rest of my life I will have hers.” Then, she concludes with a message for Cho, who said she considered Bristol a friend in her blog post: “To my friend Margaret Cho, if you ever have a question, call me girlfriend. Don’t ever rely on ‘sources’ who claim to know me or my family. You will be taken every time. And we need to talk. You say you ‘don’t agree with the family’s politics at all’ but I say, if you understood that commonsense conservative values supports the right of individuals like you, like all of us, to live our lives with less government interference and more independence, you would embrace us faster than KD Lang at an Indigo Girls concert.”

What do you think? I find it strange that Cho would start off her blog post saying she considers Bristol a friend, then blindside her like this. Granted, the second half of Margaret’s post was devoted to defending Bristol against those commenting on her weight (which Kathy Griffin got some boos for during last night’s VH1 Divas Salute the Troops when she referred to her as “the white Precious”) and saying how much she improved during the competition. But Bristol has a point: If you’re a “friend,” you don’t need to rely on sources, and you don’t gossip. I tuned out when Bristol took the opportunity to take a dig at Obama and try to convert Cho, but you can’t really blame her for that either: Cho opened the door to that conversation about their different political views, too. That outdated KD Lang-Indigo Girls joke, however? That Sarah should have told Bristol not to do.

Read more on EW.com:
Man pulls gun on TV over Bristol Palin’s ‘DWTS’ performance
‘Dancing With the Stars’ recap: And the winner is…
Annie’s performance finale recap: Land of the Freestyle
Photo gallery: Bristol, Kyle, and Jennifer’s Best/Worst Dances
“This is bulls—.” Maks calls in to the EW TV Insiders podcast!
Derek Hough mines for hidden gems in the ‘DWTS’ Hair Dept.!
All Hidden Gems of the Week
EW.com’s ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Central

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10 one-season TV wonders

Arguably the most influential sitcom that barely lived, F&G was a smart ? disaffected-teen dramedy that gave us Seth Rogen, James Franco, Busy Philipps, Jason Segel, and more. Oh, and exec producer Judd Apatow went on to make a few movies, too.

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Hayley Williams Calls 'VH1 Divas' Performance 'Humbling' - MTV.com

Hayley Williams proved that she's one of the new-millennium divas when she belted out Paramore's "The Only Exception" and a cover of the Foo Fighters' hit "My Hero" from Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. She and her bandmates entertained the troops there on Friday for "VH1 Divas Salute the Troops," which aired Sunday night.

(Click here to see photos from "VH1 Divas Salute The Troops".)

When MTV News caught up with the rocking frontwoman at KIIS FM's Jingle Ball 2010 in Los Angeles on Sunday, she admitted that performing for the troops had definitely been on the band's bucket list.

"Well, that was the first time we'd ever experienced anything like that," she explained. "It was so humbling, and I want to do it again."

The band has a special connection to the troops, since a few of their friends have been deployed. "We've been waiting since our band started," she said. "Especially Jeremy [Davis], our bass player, he's had friends over there since the band started since he was out of high school. So it's just really important for us to show them they're remembered and give them a night just to hang out."

Her "Airplanes" collaborator B.o.B, who was with Williams at Jingle Ball, seemed equally excited by the group's smashing performance. "Everybody gotta enjoy rock and roll. Shout-outs to Jeremy!" he exclaimed. "What up, man!"

The VH1 Divas night also included performances from the Marine Corps air hangar in San Diego by Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Sugarland, Keri Hilson and Grace Potter & the Nocturnals. Almost all of the ladies hit the stage for the night's big opening number, a new take on the classic war tune "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy."

Watch bonus performances, browse photos, read all about the most-talked about moments, and find out how you can salute the troops at VH1's "Divas Salute the Troops" hub.

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‘Glee’ rocks ‘The X Factor’ with ‘Don’t Stop Believin’

If there was any doubt New Directions could still kill with Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’”, just watch their live performance last night on Britain’s The X Factor. While Mark Salling had the best entrance (pelvic thrust!), Amber Riley stole the show by standing right in Simon Cowell’s face and belting out a couple of high notes. You may recall hearing that Riley once tried out for American Idol — and was rejected by producers, so she didn’t even get to sing in front of the judges.

More Glee:
Ryan Murphy says characters will graduate by 2012
Chris Colfer and Darren Criss duet on ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside,’ plus Lea Michele sings ‘Merry Christmas, Darling’: Watch!
Latest recap: Performance Anxiety

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Ivanka Trump blogs ‘The Apprentice’: Episode 12

Image Credit: Virginia Sherwood/NBCHi Apprentice fans!  We’re almost at the finish line for The Apprentice and I couldn’t be more fascinated by all the excitement on this week’s episode. With the two finalists being announced and former contestants returning, the game is the most cutthroat it has ever been — just the way we all like it on reality TV!

Opening Boardroom
In order to select who the finalists would be, my father had the three remaining contestants join him in the boardroom and tell him why they each felt they deserved to be the next Apprentice. This was not an enviable place for Brandy, Liza, or Clint. It’s very stressful! I was interested to see what each contestant’s rationale was for why he or she should be hired, and had a strong idea of who I would choose — and it seems my father and I agreed. While Liza is incredibly talented and showed some real moxy last episode, she did not seem as consistently strong as Clint and Brandy had been throughout the season. The story of her achievements was compelling, but Brandy’s corporate experience and Clint’s self description as “a CEO in a box” were better arguments. My father fired Liza, knowing she was the weakest of the three players, and advised her to try to get along with her colleagues better in the future. I thought it was a very fair firing and that he offered her some solid constructive criticism.

I was pleased with the decision, as I truly think that Brandy and Clint represent this season’s strongest players. As my father said, however, everyone is a winner on The Apprentice as they can take the exposure that they have garnered from being on the show and can use it to make great strides in their subsequent careers.  I congratulate all of this season’s contestants and wish them great success in business and in life.

Let’s see what successes Clint and Brandy have on the two final episodes…

Galas and Tournaments
The final challenge was based on one of my father’s main passions — golf — and the two finalists found that they were going to be tested in a “real” Trump Organization setting. My father, as many people know, is a golf fanatic, and the owner of 11 top courses throughout the world. He is a world-class golf developer, marketer, and entrepreneur and any Apprentice would have to show strong skills in this arena. We really saved the toughest and the best task for last.

I met my father and Don at the beautiful Trump National Golf Club Westchester in Briarcliff, New York to deliver the final task assignment. As always, former contestants were brought back to “aid” the finalists — Mahsa, Poppy, and Steuart were one team, and Anand, Stephanie and Liza were another. Brandy and Clint had some tough choices to make — choose the more “desirable” of the two tasks or the more “desirable” of the two teams. Brandy chose what I think was the more easily manageable team (and the one with a golf star – Liza), leaving Clint with the choice between a dinner gala followed by a concert by Liza Minnelli and a VIP golf tournament featuring Kathy Griffin. Clint chose the Liza Minnelli gala. It was a solid choice in my opinion — hosting a gala featuring a world-renowned icon seems like a slightly less logically challenging proposition than coordinating the entertainment and flow of a large numbers of golfers spread out over hundreds of acres of property. That said, neither challenge was going to be an easy feat. Let the games begin!

The Fabulous Ms. Liza Minnelli
In my opinion, the key elements in event planning are extreme organization and attention to detail — without these capabilities, anybody will be crushed in a high-stress situation. My father is famous for his acute attention to detail, a trait that I have inherited, and I was impressed at how Clint exemplified this attribute in his meeting with Ms. Minnelli’s manager. Don was surprised that Clint chose the concert for the task, but I can see a bit of the showman in Clint, so I knew that he was going to be a very strong project manager and rise to the occasion.

Golf Tours and Gift Bags
Brandy was aptly nervous going into her task as she did not know a great deal about golf — but she was reassured after seeing the course and realizing that the location was spectacular and the course itself would be the event’s greatest selling point. I agree with her that Trump National Westchester is exceptionally beautiful — but I also knew that there are many moving parts to be considered for a tournament and that she was in for many challenges. Brandy, however, is a very strong competitor, and I had faith that she was up to it.

For one of the first task delegations, Brandy decided to rely on Liza to acquire gift bag items. With a healthy $25,000 budget, the team decided that it was best to get gift cards as the gift items so that avid golfers could pick and choose what they wanted.  It wasn’t the most creative decision, but the rationale behind it was strong.  Liza, however, wanted to make a bigger impact after hearing Don talk about exceeding expectations.  She disregarded what had been decided, and bought the items that she thought worked for the gift bag.  Even recognizing that Brandy hasn’t worked on a golf tournament before and Liza has experience in this realm, it was still extremely disrespectful to Brandy, her authority, and the team as a whole. What a disaster!

Close Call
On the other team, they seemed to be faring better and working more cohesively until the caterers cancelled last minute at 6:30 pm. Clint and his team handled it well and in a huge stroke of luck (and perseverance) found a caterer that could accommodate 550 people the next day. It was a close call and a good show of Clint’s drive to win. He is not someone to panic and let a setback get the best of him. I really liked seeing him come out swinging!

News, News, and More News
Brandy seemed to be making good progress. She handled Kathy Griffin well, listening to her advice, and creating a program around Kathy’s suggested timing. Kathy is a real pro, and Brandy did very well to heed her advice.

Then came some news that could have been construed as good or bad. Brandy would lose one member of her team as my father wanted Liza to play with him in the tournament. In all honesty, after her behavior with the gift bags, I don’t think that it was necessarily a disadvantage to have Liza out of play, but Brandy was going to be down one set of hands.

Then came more news, this time definitely bad, for Brandy’s team: The photographer they’d hired for the golf event went to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He apparently hadn’t been told he was to be at the Westchester club. The clubs are about a two-hour drive from one another, so it would be a close call. As I said, details are one of the most essential elements in event planning, and this was a major detail to overlook.  This would be a big challenge for Brandy to overcome.

The Clincher
Plans for the gala and concert seemed to be going well after the catering issue was resolved, which seemed to point to smoother sailing. That was until they got the poster boards and place cards back from the printer and noticed that Liza Minnelli’s name was spelled incorrectly. Clint’s team had already spent money to have this printing done, and not much left in their budget to have it fixed. As they say, “the devil is in the details” and the details may be the downfall of Clint’s team!

Tune in Next Week
At the moment, both teams are having some major issues, and you will have to tune in next week to see how they are resolved. I promise, that it will be exciting and worth your while!

I look forward to seeing you in the FINAL Boardroom Thursday!

For More of Your Apprentice Fix
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Remembering Elaine Kaufman, owner of New York restaurant institution Elaine’s

Image Credit: AP ImagesI had a perfect introduction to Elaine’s, Elaine Kaufman’s legendary New York City restaurant: I was first brought there in what must have been the winter of 1980 by the late, great Claudia Cohen, then editor of the New York Post‘s Page Six. Claudia knew everybody, from Elaine’s favorite strays, seated at what was known as the Family Table, across from the bar, to all the regular bold-face names. We got our own table, not far from one that included Claudia’s recent paramour Albert Finney, then starring as Daddy Warbucks in Annie. Plunging into the banter among the tables, I instantly saw why Elaine’s was so popular — it was like a cross between the Algonquin Round Table and a raucous junior-high-school cafeteria. At one point, Finney commented that he’d always wanted to learn to wolf-whistle, so I volunteered to teach him. While demonstrating, I let out a piercing whistle. Elaine shot up and scanned the room, face clenched in irritation, ready to reprimand, and I felt her eyes settle sternly on me. Then she saw that Finney was leaning in, fingers in his mouth, obviously trying to do the same. Her entire face and posture relaxed, and I was in.

For much of the next decade, Elaine’s was an always rollicking clubhouse of writers, film directors, politicians, actors — and there was usually at least one fireman, plus the occasional priest. (The photo was taken in 1988 at the 25th anniversary of Elaine’s, with Kaufman standing between Dr. Strangelove screenwriter Terry Southern, and actor George Segal.) Some people stopped by after theater or before hitting the clubs, but many claimed a table and hung out all night, hopping from group to group and swapping stories. Literary agent Bob Dattila, whose reports of Hunter Thompson’s exploits were about the tallest tales I’ve ever heard (there or anywhere), once bet me I couldn’t do ten boys’ pushups; I was wearing a dress, but I did them. I watched famous lotharios leave with my friends, and Elaine tried to match me up one night with a future James Bond but seemed secretly pleased when I demurred. When she met my future husband, she wagged her hand in the air and roared approvingly, in her smoke-and-whiskey-cured growl, “Whatta hump!” I never get a whiff of Chanel No. 5 without thinking of her. 

I’m told I was lucky to have met Elaine when I did, because she always thought of herself as one of the guys — in fact, she always wore her diamond-encrusted Yankees World Series ring, a gift from George Steinbrenner. By the time I met her, she was fine with giving a young woman her own table for the night — indeed, no matter how many hours I lingered over my arugula salad, pasta, and the house Valpolicello, for years my bill was always $32.50. There were rumors of writers who hadn’t paid their tabs for decades on end, and I wondered how she made it work — until one night, I got to see her Robin Hood system in action: I had dinner with film director Sydney Pollack, who had recently finished Tootsie, and the bill for our two salads, pasta, and bottle of wine was several hundred dollars! “She thinks it comes out of some production budget,” Pollack said, shrugging. When asked why he didn’t set her straight, he said it was worth it to him to be able to have such a comfortable place to come whenever he was passing through town.

He was right about that. And there was a special pleasure in the ritual that occurred after the check was paid, when the waiter would return to the table and theatrically announce, “Elaine would like to buy you an after-dinner drink!” She definitely bought me more than that.

Kaufman died Friday from complications related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and pulmonary hypertension. She was 81.

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