‘American Idol’ finished as the highest-rated show on US television.

According to Deadline, here are the full US ratings figures:

Adults 18-49
FOX:  3.5/10 (-5%)
CBS:  2.9/8 (-9%)
ABC:  2.5/7 (-7%)
NBC:  2.3/6 (-15%)
UNI: 1.5 (+8%)

Adults 18-34
CW: 1.0/3 (-9%)

Total Viewers
CBS: 11.6 million (-3%)
FOX:  9.8 million (-3%)
ABC:  8.5 million (-2%)
NBC:  7.0 million (-16%)
UNI: 3.7 million
CW: 2.0 million (even)

Median Age
CBS: 55
ABC: 51
NBC: 49
FOX: 45
CW: 34

Source: Deadline

Cancelled

• 24 (Seven)
• Brothers (Nine)
• Dollhouse (Foxtel/Ten)
• Our Little Genius (?)
• Past Life (Nine)
• Sit Down, Shut Up (TEN – TBC)
• Sons of Tucson(TEN)
• ‘Til Death (Nine)

Renewed

• America’s Most Wanted (Foxtel)
• American Dad (Seven)
• American Idol (Foxtel)
• Bones (Seven)
• The Cleveland Show (TEN)
• Cops (TEN)
• Family Guy (Seven)
• Fringe (Nine)
• Glee (TEN)
• The Good Guys (TEN/Foxtel)
• Hell’s Kitchen (Nine)
• House (TEN)
• Human Target (Nine)
• Kitchen Nightmares (Nine)
• Lie to Me (TEN)
• The Simpsons (TEN)
• So You Think You Can Dance (TEN)

New Shows

• Bob’s Burgers (TEN/Foxtel)
• Raising Hope (TEN/Foxtel)
• Lonestar (TEN/Foxtel)
• Mixed Signals (TEN/Foxtel)
• Ride-Along (TEN/Foxtel)
• Running Wilde (Nine)
• Terra Nova (TEN/Foxtel)

Note: Ten and Foxtel have a first  and second option agreement. That means shows marked Ten/Foxtel will screen through both networks. However, depending on the agreement for the particular show, one will air as a  first run window and then screen sometime after that on the other network. This has been done with Better Off Ted (screens first on Foxtel, later on Ten) and Modern Family (screens first on Ten, later on Foxtel). This section will update once an agreement has been reached.

New Series

Bob’s Burgers

Bob's Burgers

“Bob’s Burgers” is a new animated series about a man, his family and a burger joint. A third-generation restaurateur, Bob Belcher (H. Jon Benjamin, “Family Guy”, “Archer”) runs Bob’s Burgers with the help of his wife and their three kids. Bob has big ideas about burgers, condiments and sides, but only a few thoughts on customer service and business management.

Despite his greasy counters, lousy location and occasionally spotty service, Bob is convinced his burgers speak for themselves. Even though business is slow, Bob gets to work with his family. His wife, Linda Belcher (John Roberts, “The Christmas Tree,” “Jackie & Debra”), supports Bob’s dream through thick and thin (but truth be told, she’s getting a little sick of the thin). Their eldest daughter, Tina (Dan Mintz, “Important Things with Demetri Martin,” “The Andy Milonakis Show”), is a 13-year-old hopeless romantic with minimal social skills. Middle child Gene (Eugene Mirman, “Flight of the Conchords,” “Aqua Teen Hunger Force”) is an aspiring musician and a prankster who serves up more jokes than burgers. Their youngest, Louise (Kristen Schaal, “Flight of the Conchords,” “Modern Family”), is the most enthusiastic about her dad’s business, but an off-balance sense of humor and her elevated energy level make her somewhat of a liability in the kitchen.

Beyond the restaurant is a city rich with character. Next door to Bob’s is It’s Your Funeral Home and Crematorium; down the street is Wonder Wharf, the oceanside amusement pier; and a few blocks away is Wagstaff Middle School, where Bob and Linda’s kids go to school. And across the street is Jimmy Pesto’s Pizzeria, Bob’s Burgers’ main competition and the thorn in Bob’s side.

“Bob’s Burgers” is a 20th Century Fox Television production from creator Loren Bouchard and executive prodcuers Loren Bouchard and Jim Dauterive.

Raising Hope

Raising Hope

“Raising Hope” is a new single-camera family comedy from Emmy Award winner Greg Garcia (“My Name Is Earl”) that follows the Chance family as they find themselves adding an unexpected new member into their already terribly flawed household.

At 23 years old, Jimmy Chance (Lucas Neff, “The Beast”) is going nowhere in life. He skims pools for a living, parties every night and still lives at home with his family, including his Maw Maw (guest star Academy Award and Emmy Award winner Cloris Leachman); his mother, Virginia (Martha Plimpton, “How to Make It in America”); his father, BURT (Garret Dillahunt, “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” “Damages”); and his cousin, Mike (Skyler Stone, “The Mentalist,” “Dollhouse”).

Jimmy’s life takes a drastic turn when a chance romantic encounter with Lucy (guest star Bijou Phillips, “Choke,” “Almost Famous”) goes awry once he discovers she is a wanted felon. Months later, when Jimmy pays a visit to the local prison, he discovers Lucy gave birth to their baby, who he is now charged with raising. At home with his new daughter, Jimmy’s family is less than enthusiastic about a new addition to the household. His parents, who had him when they were 15, never knew anything about raising a child and have no interest in trying again. If Jimmy can work up the nerve to ask her out on a date, he might get some help from Sabrina (Shannon Woodward, “The Riches,” “ER”), a sardonic checkout clerk he met at the supermarket. Cousin Mike is only concerned about how the baby is going to affect their social life, and out-of-touch Maw Maw is no help either. But Jimmy is determined to take care of his baby – whom Virginia thinks they should name Hope.

With very few useful skills but their hearts in the right place, will the Chance family be successful when they step into the unpredictable and immensely challenging world of parenting?

“Raising Hope” is a Amigos de Garcia and 20th Century Fox Television production from writer/executive producer Greg Garcia.

Lonestar

Lonestar

From Chris Keyser and Amy Lippman, the creators of “Party of Five”; Marc Webb, the director of “(500) Days of Summer”; and creator Kyle Killen, comes “Lonestar”, a provocative soap set against the backdrop of big Texas oil.

Robert/Bob Allen (newcomer James Wolk) is a charismatic and brilliant schemer who has meticulously constructed two lives in two different parts of Texas. He’s juggling two identities and two women in two very different worlds – all under one mountain of lies. As “Bob,” he lives in Houston and is married to Cat (Adrianne Palicki, “Friday Night Lights”), the beautiful daughter of Clint (Jon Voight, 24, “Midnight Cowboy”), the patriarch of an ultra-wealthy Texas oil family. More than 400 miles away in the suburban west Texas town of Midland, he’s “Robert,” living a second life with his sweet, naive girlfriend, Lindsay (Eloise Mumford, “Mercy,” “Law & Order: SVU”). In Midland, he plays the perfect boyfriend while secretly bilking local investors of their savings. In Houston, he’s a devoted husband, charming Cat and her family to cement his position in the rich family business he aims to clean out.

Bob has lived both lives successfully for years without arousing any suspicions…so far. While one brother-in-law, Drew (Bryce Johnson, “Popular,” “The Mentalist”), admires Bob, his other brother-in-law, Trammell (Mark Deklin, “Nip/Tuck,” “Desperate Housewives”), is suspicious of his motives. Bob begins to fear his secret lives may unravel. With the cons closing in on him, Bob is divided by his love for two women; his loyalty to his father and mentor, John (David Keith, “An Officer and a Gentleman,” “The Class”); and his respect for his father-in-law, Clint.

Now as he tries to hold his two lives together, while fending off angry investors and the suspicions of those around him, Bob puts it all on the line hoping he can beat the odds, leave the schemes behind and keep two separate relationships afloat.

“Lonestar” is 20th Century Fox Television, Depth of Field and Keyser/Lippman production, from creator Kyle Killen.

Mixed Signals

Mixed Signals

“Mixed Signal” is a new comedy series about three longtime friends and their attempts to reconcile the irreconcilable: to balance their relationships with their need for freedom. The series reveals how friendships and romances enhance – and further complicate – the lives of men and the women who love them.

Ethan (Kris Marshall, “Human Target”, “My Family”) is the perpetual bachelor. He loves women, and when he’s in, he’s all in – at least for three weeks. Charming, genuine and hopelessly independent, Ethan is finding out that as he gets older, the pool of women who are willing to take things day by day is rapidly evaporating.

Adam (Nelson Franklin, “The Office,” “I Love You Man”) recently moved in with his girlfriend, Callie (Alexandra Breckenridge, “Family Guy”, and is learning how vastly different “she comes over a lot” and “she lives with me” really are. Adam is discovering there isn’t much “me” time any more, there’s only “us” time.

Mike (David Denman, “The Office”) is a married lawyer still trying to figure out the male-female dynamic. He wants nothing more than to be a good family man to his wife, Lisa (Liza Lapira, “Dexter,” “Dollhouse”), and his infant son, but he’s also trying to carve out a little space for himself. Currently that space is in his car, where he watches action movies in 15-minute chunks while telling his wife he’s stuck in traffic.

“Mixed Signals” is a 20th Century Fox Television and Keshet Broadcasting Ltd. production. The pilot was written by Bob Fisher, who serves as an executive producer along with David Hemingson, Avi Nir, Ran Sarig, Adir Miller, Elad Kuperman.

Ride-Along

Ride-Along

The city of Chicago is a paradox that serves as the setting for “Ride-Along”, a new drama from Shawn Ryan (“The Shield,” “The Unit”). During a ride-along, a civilian spends a shift in the passenger seat of a squad car, observing the work day of a police officer. But in this series, the audience is the passenger, taking an unpredictable ride through the streets of Chicago and navigating crime and corruption with the most respected – and notorious – cops in the city.

Jarej Wysocki (Jason Clarke, “Public Enemies,” “Brotherhood”) is a local legend and larger-than-life veteran of the Chicago Police Department. Like the city of Chicago, Jarek is razor blades and brass knuckles wrapped in politeness and egoless charm – a man who throws away partners the way others throw away tissues. Teresa Colvin (Jennifer Beals, “Lie To Me”, “The L Word”) arrived at the pinnacle of the Chicago Police Department in a short period of time. She’s determined to implement changes before the mud that is Chicago politics clogs her office. As a result of Teresa’s difficult choices, she has made some powerful enemies along the way, including two street gangs, the police officers’ union and a city alderman who proves to be a dangerous adversary.

Jarek’s new partner, Calev Evers (Matt Lauria, “Friday Night Lights”), is a smart and observant young detective who desperately wants to prove himself. He is savvier and more observant than most people give him credit for, and just might make the perfect yin to Jarek’s yang. Also in Jarek’s charge is his niece, Vonda Wysocki (Devin Kelley, “Tease”), a rookie beat cop whose father, Jarek’s brother, was killed in the line of duty when she was young. Jarek keeps close tabs on her and is less than thrilled to discover she’s falling for her partner, Isaac Joiner (Todd Williams, “In Plain Sight,” “CSI”), a charismatic cop who takes unnecessary risks on the job that land him and Vonda in some dangerous situations.

Alderman Ronin Gibbons (Delroy Lindo, “Kidnapped”) is a building-magnate-turned-politician who has ruled his ward with a velvet glove for three decades. Jarek and Teresa are convinced Gibbons and his cohorts, including Liam Hennessey (Billy Lush, “The Black Donnellys”), an Irish tough guy in Gibbons’ construction empire, are dirty to the core, but they’ve never had the evidence to prove it. When a murder investigation leads them to Gibbons, they are determined to bring him to justice and clean up Chicago – if that’s even possible.

“Ride-Along” is a 20th Century Fox Television and MiddKid production, from creator Shawn Ryan and executive producer Charles McDougall.

Running Wilde

Running Wilde

From the Emmy Award-winning creator and the star of the critically acclaimed FOX series “Arrested Development” comes “Running Wilde”, a romantic comedy starring Will Arnett (“Arrested Development,” “30 Rock”) as Steve Wilde, a filthy-rich, immature playboy trying desperately to win (or buy) the heart of his childhood sweetheart, Emmy Kadubic (Keri Russell, “Waitress,” “Felicity”), the uber-liberal humanitarian who got away – all told through the perspective of a 12-year-old girl.

Steve Wilde has never performed a selfless act. But why should he – he’s rich! The son of an oil tycoon, Steve hasn’t had to work a day in his life and has always gotten everything he’s wanted – with one exception: the love of Emmy. The daughter of a former Wilde housekeeper, Emmy is an earnest do-gooder who has spent her adult life trying to save the world. And though Emmy is content living with an indigenous tribe in the Amazon rainforest, her 12-year-old daughter, Puddle (Stefania Owen, “The Lovely Bones”), just wants to be a normal kid experiencing her adolescence in a normal place. And she would speak up except for the fact that she hasn’t spoken in years.

When Wilde Oil’s expansion in the rainforest threatens her adopted tribe, Emmy decides to attend Steve’s self-thrown “Humanitarian of the Year” award ceremony in hopes of convincing him to help her cause…and also maybe because she still has a thing for Steve. But same-old Steve is unwilling to help because fighting Wilde Oil (a/k/a Dad) means putting his meal ticket in jeopardy.

Rather than run the risk of letting Emmy slip away again, Steve pulls out all the stops to win her heart. To do so, he enlists the only other people in his life who can help: Migo Salazar (Joe Nunez, “Superbad,” “Prison Break”), Steve’s employee/sidekick/errand-boy, and Gertie Stellvertretter (Jayne Houdyshell, “Law & Order”), Steve’s nanny-turned-head-of-security as well as the biggest protector of Steve…and her own job. Despite having everything he ever wanted, Steve knows he can’t buy love and happiness, which falls in sharp contrast to Emmy, who has nothing but love and happiness.

So with Emmy committed to doing good for nothing, and Steve being a good for nothing, will this hopelessly mismatched pair ever be able to reconcile their differences?

“Running Wilde” is a Tantamount Studios, Five Hole Pictures, Principato-Young Management, Lionsgate Television production. The series was created by Mitch Hurwitz, Jim Vallely, Will Arnett, who serve as executive producers on the series.

Terra Nova

Terra Nova

From executive producers Steven Spielberg, Peter Chernin, Brannon Braga (24, “Star Trek: Enterprise”) and David Fury (“Lost,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) comes an epic family adventure 85 million years in the making. “Terra Nova” follows an ordinary family embarking on an incredible journey back in time to prehistoric Earth as a small part of a massive experiment to save the human race.

In the year 2149 the world is dying. The planet is overdeveloped, overcrowded and overpolluted. With the majority of plant and animal life extinct, devotion to science has brought mankind to the brink of destruction, but has also provided its only hope for salvation. Knowing there is no way to reverse the damage to the planet, a coalition of scientists has managed to open up a fracture in the space-time continuum, creating a portal to prehistoric Earth.

This doorway leads to an amazing world, one that allows for a last-ditch effort to save the human race…possibly changing the future by correcting the mistakes of the past. The series centers on the Shannon family as they join the tenth pilgrimage of settlers to “Terra Nova”, the first colony of humans in this second chance for civilization. Jim Shannon a devoted father with a checkered past, guides his family through this new land of limitless beauty, mystery and terror. Jim’s wife, Elisabeth Shannon, is a trauma surgeon chosen through a global lottery as a new addition to Terra Nova’s medical team. Josh Shannon is their son, mourning the girl he left behind, as he’s torn between two role models – his father and the charismatic Commander Frank Taylor, the leader of the settlement, and the heroic first pioneer through the time portal. Maddy Shannon, Jim and Elizabeth’s teen daughter, is as independent and adventurous as her parents, but her distrust of authority soon leads her on a dangerous path.

In addition to blue skies, rolling rivers and lush vegetation, “Terra Nova” offers new opportunities and fresh beginnings to its recent arrivals, but the Shannons have brought with them a familial secret that may threaten their citizenship in this utopia. Additionally these adventurers soon discover that this healthy, cptfc vibrant world is not as idyllic as it initially appears. The areas surrounding Terra Nova are filled with dangerous dinosaurs, and other prehistoric threats, as well as external forces that may be intent on destroying this new world before it begins. But perhaps even more threatening than what lies outside the protective walls is the Shannons’ realization that something sinister may be happening inside “Terra Nova” as not everyone on this mission has the same intentions of how best to save mankind.

“Terra Nova” is 20th Century Fox Television, DreamWorks Television, Kapital Entertainment and Chernin Entertainment production. Executive producers on the series include Steven Spielberg, Peter Chernin, Craig Silverstein, Kelly Marcel, Brannon Braga, David Fury, Aaron Kaplan, Katherine Pope, Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank.

New Series Previews

Bob’s Burgers

Raising Hope

Lonestar

Mixed Signals

Ride Along

Running Wilde

Adam Lambert

‘American Idol’ runner up, Adam Lambert, is set to visit Australia next week as part of a local promotional tour.

Lambert will visit Sydney and Melbourne, with live performances scheduled for Ten’s ‘So You Think You Can Dance Australia’ on March 5, as well as Seven’s ‘Sunrise’.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing Australia and meeting my fans Down Under! I know it’s going to be so much fun!” said Lambert.

The trip will coincide with the Australian release of his debut album ‘For Your Entertainment’, which is out next Friday, March 5th.

The Australian version of the album will feature an exclusive bonus track ‘Voodoo’, which is a collaboration with ARIA-nominated singer, Sam Sparro.

Source: Sony Music Entertainment

Guy Sebastian new single "Art Of Love" is out now.

Guy Sebastian has released his new single “Art Of Love”, featuring fellow ‘Idol’ alum Jordin Sparks.

The duet is the second single from Sebastian’s fifth studio album “Like It Like That”, which was released earlier this month.

The single/EP also includes three acoustic covers of Michael Jackson’s hit songs “Ben”, “Man In The Mirror”, and “The Way You Make Me Feel”.

Guy recently flew to Los Angeles to shoot the video for “Art Of Love” with Jordin. It was directed by TWiN and produced by Christoffer Salzgeber. Check it out here.

Buy “Art of Love” on iTunes.

Monday, Jan. 4:
7:30 pm-CC ET – TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL (LIVE)

Monday, Jan. 18:
8:00-10:00 pm – 24 (2-Night / 4-Hour Season Premiere, Part 2)

Mondays, beginning Jan. 25:
8:00-9:00 pm – HOUSE
9:00-10:00 pm – 24 (Time Period Premiere)

Tuesday

Tuesday, Jan. 5:
7:30 pm-CC ET – FEDEX ORANGE BOWL (LIVE)

Tuesday, Jan. 12:
8:00-10:00 pm – AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part 1)

Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 19:
8:00-9:00 pm – AMERICAN IDOL (Time Period Premiere)
9:00-10:00 pm – OUR LITTLE GENIUS (Time Period Premiere)

Tuesdays, beginning April 13:
8:00-9:00 pm – AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 pm – GLEE (Time Period Premiere)

Wednesday

Wednesday, Jan. 13:
8:00-9:00 pm – AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part 2)
9:00-10:00 pm – OUR LITTLE GENIUS (Series Premiere)

Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 20:
8:00-9:00 pm – AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 pm – HUMAN TARGET (Series Premiere)

Thursday

Thursdays, beginning Jan. 14 (no change to lineup):
8:00-9:00 pm – BONES (All-New Episodes)
9:00-10:00 pm – FRINGE (All-New Episodes)

Thursday, Feb. 4:
8:00-9:00 pm – BONES
9:00-10:00 pm – FRINGE (Winter Finale)

Thursday, Feb. 11:
8:00-10:00 pm – PAST LIFE (Two-Hour Series Premiere)

Thursdays, beginning Feb. 18:
8:00-9:00 pm – BONES
9:00-10:00 pm – PAST LIFE (Time Period Premiere)

Thursdays, beginning April 1:
8:00-9:00 pm – BONES
9:00-10:00 pm – FRINGE (Time Period Premiere)

Friday

Friday, Jan. 1:
8:00 pm-CC ET – ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL (LIVE)

Fridays, beginning Jan. 8:
8:00-9:00 pm – BONES (Encore Episodes)
9:00-10:00 pm – DOLLHOUSE (All-New Episodes)

Friday, Jan. 22:
8:00-9:00 pm – BONES (Encore Episode)
9:00-10:00 pm – DOLLHOUSE (Series Finale)

Fridays, beginning Jan. 29:
8:00-9:00 pm – HOUSE (Encore Episodes)
9:00-10:00 pm – KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (Season Premiere)

Saturday

Saturdays (no change to lineup):
8:00-8:30 pm – COPS
8:30-9:00 pm – COPS
9:00-10:00 pm – AMERICA’S MOST WANTED
11:00 pm-Midnight – THE WANDA SYKES SHOW
Midnight-12:30 am – SIT DOWN, SHUT UP

Sunday

Sunday, Jan. 10:
8:00-8:30 pm – THE SIMPSONS (450^th Milestone Episode)
8:30-9:30 pm – THE SIMPSONS 20^TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: IN 3-D! ON ICE!
9:30-10:00 pm – THE CLEVELAND SHOW

Sunday, Jan. 17:
4:00 pm-CC ET – NFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF (LIVE)
8:00-9:00 pm – HUMAN TARGET (Series Preview)
9:00-11:00 pm – 24 (2-Night / 4-Hour Season Premiere, Part 1)

Sunday, Jan. 24:
6:00 pm-CC ET – NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GamE (LIVE)

Sundays, beginning Jan. 31 (no change to lineup):
8:00-8:30 pm – THE SIMPSONS (All-New Episodes)
8:30-9:00 pm – THE CLEVELAND SHOW (All-New Episodes)
9:00-9:30 pm – FAMILY GUY (All-New Episodes)
9:30-10:00 pm – AMERICAN DAD (All-New Episodes)

Sunday, March 14:
8:00-8:30 pm – THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 pm – SONS OF TUCSON (Series Premiere)
9:00-9:30 pm – FamILY GUY
9:30-10:00 pm – THE CLEVELAND SHOW (Time Period Premiere)

* All times ET/PT except as noted

Media Release

FOX ANNOUNCES 2009-2010 MIDSEASON SCHEDULE

FOX is announcing premiere dates of new and returning series as well as revisions to its 2009-2010 midseason schedule. FOX also has ordered a full season of the sophomore drama LIE TO ME.

January starts off on a high note when the ninth season of AMERICAN IDOL, television’s No. 1 series, begins with a two-night premiere Tuesday, Jan. 12 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Wednesday, Jan. 13 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). Immediately following AMERICAN IDOL on Jan. 13 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), FOX unveils the not-to-be-missed series debut of OUR LITTLE GENIUS, a new unscripted series that features America’s most gifted kids as they are tested with some of the most challenging and difficult questions that only a remarkable little genius could answer.

A special extended primetime event on Sunday, Jan. 17 kicks off with the NFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF (4:00 PM-CC ET live/1:00 PM-CC PT live), which leads into the explosive series preview of HUMAN TARGET (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), the new full-throttle, action-packed drama about a unique private contractor (Mark Valley) who will stop at nothing – even if it means becoming a human target – to save his clients. The special primetime event concludes with the first installment of the pulse-pounding two-night, four-hour premiere of 24 (9:00-11:00 PM ET/PT). The season premiere of 24 clocks in for two more hours of action Monday, Jan. 18 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), and the season premiere of HUMAN TARGET airs Wednesday, Jan. 20 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) following AMERICAN IDOL (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT).

On Sunday, Jan. 10, FOX presents a special SIMPSONS event beginning with the animated series’ milestone 450^th The Simpsons 20^th Anniversary Special: in 3-D! on Ice! (8:30-9:30 PM ET/PT). The documentary special examines the global phenomenon that is THE SIMPSONS and serves as the momentous conclusion to the “Best. 20 Years. Ever.,” a year-long global celebration of THE SIMPSONS that launched in January 2009. episode, “Once Upon a Time in Springfield” (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT), in which BART (Nancy Cartwright) and MILHOUSE (Pamela Hayden) try to help KRUSTY (Dan Castellaneta) regain his popularity after network executives force him to restructure the format of his television show by hiring a female sidekick, PRINCESS PENELOPE (guest voice Anne Hathaway). Then, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (“Super Size Me,” “30 Days”) will present

Chef Gordon Ramsay steps out of his own kitchen to serve up a new season of KITCHEN NIGHTMARES on Friday, Jan. 29 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). Each week, Chef Ramsay will try to help turn around some of the most unsanitary and unsuccessful restaurants in New York, New Jersey, Florida and California on the verge of closing their doors forever.

PAST LIFE, a new drama series inspired by the book “The Reincarnationist” about detectives who investigate the world of the unexplained, will bow with a two-hour series premiere Thursday, Feb. 11 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and will make its time period premiere Thursday, Feb. 18 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

SONS OF TUCSON, the new family comedy from Emmy Award winner Todd Holland (“Wonderfalls”) about three young brothers who hire a charming, wayward schemer to stand in as their father when their real one goes to prison, debuts Sunday, March 14 (8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT).

AMERICAN IDOL sings on Tuesdays (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) when it makes its time period premiere Jan. 19 followed by the time period premiere of OUR LITTLE GENIUS (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), and 24 syncs up for its time period premiere Monday, Jan. 25 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

After its fall finale Wednesday, Dec. 9 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), GLEE returns from its interlude with a score of all-new episodes on a new night beginning Tuesday, April 13 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). FRINGE delves into its winter finale Thursday, Feb. 4 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and then resurfaces with new cases beginning Thursday, April 1 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). Joss Whedon’s DOLLHOUSE goes out with a bang with its series finale Friday, Jan. 22 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

Note: ‘Lie to Me’ and ”Til Death’will return return in Spring with return dates yet to be released. ‘The Cleveland Show’ will occupy the post ‘Family Guy’ slot.

Source: Fox Broadcasting Company

The season finale of 'MasterChef Australia' ranks as one of Australia's most-watched programs in a decade.

FOX have picked up the ‘MasterChef’ cooking show format for next season, with Gordon Ramsay set to co-produce and star.

“['MasterChef' is] a huge reality format that works great in other countries plus Gordon Ramsay guarantees success,” said FOX’s president of alternative programming, Mike Darnell. “Gordon is like our ‘CSI.’ ”

While details are still being worked out, the network are believed to be basing their US edition on Australia’s overhauled version, which amped up the drama in the kitchen.

The show will join FOX’s other Ramsay projects, ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ and ‘Kitchen Nightmares’.

“‘Hell’s Kitchen’ is about finding a head chef that can work in a restaurant,” Darnell said. “['MasterChef'] is about creating the perfect dish, and the contestants can be plucked from anywhere.”

FOX are ordering a relatively small amount of episodes (between 12 and 15) compared to Australia’s edition, which aired six nights a week. The format will be restructured to suit FOX’s schedule.

“Hell’s Kitchen” is FOX’s second-most-popular reality series behind mega storm ‘American Idol’. However, it’s a much more solid performer, with the network changing its time slot multiple times, yet continuing to performs competitively.

“Because we’ve had such success with cooking reality, we’re the best place to make this into a big show,” said Darnell.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

MEDIA RELEASE

ELLEN DEGENERES JOINS “AMERICAN IDOL” AS NEW JUDGE

Ellen DeGeneres

Emmy Award-winning talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has joined AMERICAN IDOL as a fourth judge. DeGeneres will sit alongside Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi and offer her own unique perspective to the contestants throughout the competition.

The ninth season of AMERICAN IDOL premieres January 2010 on FOX. DeGeneres will join the judges’ panel after the auditions, which will feature appearances by guest judges Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Kristin Chenoweth, Joe Jonas, Neil Patrick Harris, Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry and Shania Twain.

“I’m thrilled to be the new judge on AMERICAN IDOL,” said DeGeneres. ”I’ve watched since the beginning, and I’ve always been a huge fan. So getting this job is a dream come true, and think of all the money I’ll save from not having to text in my vote.”

“I could not be more excited to have Ellen join the AMERICAN IDOL family,” said creator and executive producer Simon Fuller. “Ellen has been a fan of the show for many years, and her love of music and understanding of the American public will bring a unique human touch to our judging panel. I can’t wait for this next season to begin.”

“We’re all delighted to have Ellen join our ninth season of AMERICAN IDOL,” said executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz. “Beyond her incredible sense of humor and love of music, she brings with her an immense warmth and compassion that is almost palpable. She is one of America’s foremost entertainers, and we cannot wait to have her join our team.”

Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment for FOX added, “We are thrilled to have Ellen DeGeneres join the AMERICAN IDOL judges’ table this season. She is truly one of America’s funniest people and a fantastic performer who understands what it’s like to stand up in front of audiences and entertain them every day. We feel that her vast entertainment experience – combined with her quick wit and passion for music – will add a fresh new energy to the show.”

A beloved television icon and entertainment pioneer, DeGeneres’ distinctive comic voice has resonated with audiences from her first stand-up comedy appearances through her work today on television, in film and in the literary world. DeGeneres has made a home for herself in the daytime arena with her hit syndicated talk show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” The show, now entering its seventh season, won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host four years in a row and has earned a total of 29 Daytime Emmy Awards.

DeGeneres was recently included in Forbes’ Top 5 “Most Influential Women in Media” and was voted “Best Daytime Talk-Show Host” by Parade.com readers. In addition, DeGeneres has been voted “Favorite TV Personality” by The Harris Poll’s annual favorite television star list beating out Oprah Winfrey and Jay Leno. DeGeneres was included in MSNBC’s “Power players who shape your TV habits.” DeGeneres also was honored with Television Week’s Syndication Personality of the Year and voted No. 1 in Oxygen’s “50 Funniest Women Alive” special in the company of such comedic legends as Carol Burnett and Lily Tomlin and has been included in TIME’s 100 Most Influential People.

DeGeneres had the honor of hosting the highly rated 79th Annual Academy Awards and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety or Music Program. This follows her 2005 stint hosting the Primetime Emmy Awards, which marked her third time hosting the show. Her performance hosting the 2001 award show garnered her rave reviews for providing a perfect balance of wit with heartfelt emotion to the post-September 11 telecast audience. DeGeneres won an American Comedy Award for her inaugural effort hosting the show in 1994. Additionally, DeGeneres co-hosted AMERICAN IDOL’s very successful IDOL GIVES BACK special that raised money for children in extreme poverty in America and Africa.

In 2008, DeGeneres became the newest face for CoverGirl. The national print and commercial campaign for Simply Ageless Foundation premiered in December and the product quickly became No. 1 in the marketplace, outperforming expectations. DeGeneres partnered up with American Express in 2005 where she appeared in their ad campaign “My Life, My Card,” including a national commercial and a print campaign. DeGeneres later appeared in the national commercial “My Life Goal: to work with animals” which won a Primetime Emmy Award.

Prior to the launch of her talk show, DeGeneres scored simultaneous achievements on stage, film and in the literary world. She enjoyed unprecedented popular and critical response to her character, Dory, the fish with extreme short term memory, in the blockbuster animated feature film, “Finding Nemo.” At the same time, DeGeneres crossed the country on a 35-city stand-up comedy tour, entitled the “Here and Now” tour. Her stop at the famed Beacon Theater in New York was turned into an HBO special and was subsequently nominated for two Emmys. Finally, in October, Simon & Schuster published DeGeneres’ second book, “The Funny Thing Is….,” comprised of the author’s comedic short stories and essays. The book hit the New York Times’ Bestseller list upon its release. In 2005, DeGeneres was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for the audio version of the book. Her first book, “My Point…And I Do Have One,” published in 1995, debuted at No. 1 on the The New York Times bestseller list.

DeGeneres’ career began as an emcee at a local comedy club in her hometown of New Orleans, which led to national recognition in 1982 when her videotaped club performances won Showtime’s “Funniest Person In America” honor. When DeGeneres moved to Los Angeles she filmed her first HBO Special, “Young Comedians Reunion,” then in 1986 “Women of the Night.” That same year, DeGeneres scored a first by becoming the first female comedian to be summoned by Johnny Carson to sit down with him after her performance. In 1989, DeGeneres received a Cable Ace nomination for her “Command Performance: One Night Stand” special. She was also named “Best Female Stand-Up” at the 1991 American Comedy Awards.

DeGeneres began her acting career in television on the FOX sitcom “Open House.” She moved on to ABC’s “Laurie Hill,” prior to being offered a part on “These Friends of Mine” by ABC. After the first season, the show was renamed “Ellen.” Running from 1994 to 1998, the show garnered record ratings, with DeGeneres receiving Emmy nominations each season in the Best Actress category. In 1997, DeGeneres was the recipient of the coveted Peabody Award as well as earning an Emmy for writing the critically acclaimed “Puppy Episode” when her character came out as a gay woman to a record 46 million viewers.

Both on and off screen, DeGeneres’ humanitarian efforts take center stage. DeGeneres is passionate about bringing awareness to the people of New Orleans, her hometown, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina and her efforts have resulted in “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” raising over $10 million to improve the lives of New Orleans residents. Overall, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” has raised over $50 million and brought attention to various causes, including global warming and animals. Additionally, DeGeneres continues to raise awareness about breast cancer, and served as spokesperson for General Mills’ breast cancer awareness initiative, Pink for the Cure, and hosted special episodes of her show to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Since she was first nationally recognized in 1982 as a comedian in New Orleans, Ellen’s many contributions to the entertainment industry have earned her numerous accolades including a Golden Apple Award as Female Discovery of the Year from the Hollywood Women’s Press Club; a Lucy Award honoring women in Television and Film, as well as an Amnesty International Award.

AMERICAN IDOL is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, founder of 19 Entertainment; and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, Inc. and Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.

Visit americanidol.com for exclusive videos, interviews and photos of the finalists, as well as special behind-the-scenes information and all of your AMERICAN IDOL news.

Now she’s back with her second album, ‘Battlefield’, and it’s a really solid album, surprisingly so for this reviewer, not many albums are that easy to listen to from start to finish, sometimes you have to be in the groove not to skip certain tracks, but Battlefield has such a good flow, from Pop/ one moment to a string of lighter R&B numbers that still pack a punch and don’t descend too much into monotonous balladeering, which is a pitfall some R&B artists fall into quite often.

The lead single ‘Battlefield’ is a pretty multilayered and epic sounding song and a great choice as first single. Written by OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder (Who has been swanning around quite a bit lately, also behind Beyonce’s ‘Halo’ and Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Already Gone’) it has had the critics raving. One reviewer, ‘Popjustice’ writes, “to start with you think ‘this isn’t up to much’ then by the end of it you think ‘this is going to be number one for precisely 2.5 months’. There is a brilliant middle eight where everything falls out and it’s just Jordin bellowing “like a battlefield! Like a battlefield!” and then it all crashes back in and then it all falls out again and then it all goes back in again and it’s all jolly good.”

The second single has been confirmed as ‘SOS (Let The Music Play)’ which is a pretty boppy R&B song laced with some great sound effects.

With so many great songs, Wikipedia notes it has been praised for having so many solid songs that any one of them could work well as singles.

General consensus on the TVAus forums is that ‘Don’t Let It Go To Your Head’ is amongst their top picks for a future Single. This reviewer if he had to pick his top most picks from the album other than ‘Battlefield’ would probably choose ‘Watch You Go’, ‘Let It Rain’, and ‘No Parade’. The first two have really good power in their beats, and the latter is a great dynamic R&B ballad sounding track.

I could also see ‘Emergency (911)’ becoming a radio favorite.

Overall a great effort by Jordin and if she keeps it up on future releases, she’s going to become quite an artist in my opinion.

A great, solid album.

Get the album on iTunes.

'The Vampire Diaries' coming soon to The CW and GO!

The season will kick-off with The CW’s sophomore drama ‘90210’. You might remember that ‘90210’ premiered to The CW’s biggest numbers in history (4.65M, A18-49: 2.6/7) but those viewers abandoned it in droves with the finale only mustering a little more than half that audience (2.49M, A18-49: 1.3/3). This is a make or break season for the remake and if it continues to shed viewers it will not only damage The CW’s brand but will have a detrimental effect on the heavily promoted freshman drama ‘Melrose Place’ 2.0. The CW is pinning their hopes on ‘Melrose Place’ and their other fall freshman ‘The Vampire Diaries’, which was inexplicably added to their Thursday line-up at the expense of The CW’s highest rating drama ‘Smallville,’ which has now been bumped to Fridays. If both ‘Melrose’ and ‘Vampire’ fail, it may well be the final year for the struggling network as CBS and WB cannot continue to run a network at a loss in this sort of climate. Elsewhere, Tuesdays will be a little dull with procedurals occupying CBS and reality on ABC, NBC and Fox. However, recently the alphabet made a late change noticing a chance to pounce in that timeslot, by pushing mid season sci-fi drama ‘V’ forward for a November 3 start.

The following night sees the fall premiere of summer reality show, ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’  Fox’s decision to air a second cycle of ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ was quite bizarre, the show captures a solid but not spectacular audience during the summer and who’s to say airing it twice a year won’t damage the franchise? Fall has always been the achilles heel for the News Corp. Network and no doubt ‘Dance’ will improve on past year offerings, but will viewers return for future seasons? The decision to move ‘Dance’ to fall was to provide some lead-in support for freshman drama ‘Glee,’ which squandered its ‘Idol’ lead in when Fox aired a sample episode behind one of Idol’s final 2009 episodes, in the ended it averaged only 9.62M, A18-49: 4.4/11.

The aforementioned ‘The Vampire Diaries’ has its series premiere on Thursday, September 10 and it will be partnered with The CW’s other sci-fi drama ‘Supernatural’. The CW greenlighting ‘Diaries’ was no surprise as they wanted to capitalise on the ‘Twilight’ and ‘True Blood’ hype. Even though ‘Diaries’ has generated a lot of negative press, initial sampling will be large but the million dollar question is how long will the audience give it? The following Thursday sees the return of JJ Abram’s latest demo hit ‘Fringe’. ‘Fringe’ will have its work cut out going up against heavyweights, ‘CSI’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ which both return on September 24. ‘Fringe’s’ departure from a solid lead in indicates the confidence Fox has in the sophomore drama, however in comparison to Abram’s previous projects, ‘Fringe’ focuses less on mythology and more on individual episodes which should make it easier to follow but less intriguing to the dedicated fans. Another huge Thursday development is the movement of last year’s freshman hit ‘The Mentalist’ to 10/9c following CSI. CBS is grooming it as the next CSI, which I might add has lost a lot of steam since the departure of William Petersen, however the timeslot is somewhat of a bogey one for CBS as nothing has remained there for more than one year.

Thursdays also see the return of ‘Survivor’ for its 19th season, the 6th season of the Office, the 2nd season of ‘Parks and Recreation’ and the debut of critical darling ‘Community’ which all premiere on September 17. For those waiting for ’30 Rock’ it returns on October 15. The biggest premiere to Thursdays is ‘Flash Forward’, which is being promoted by ABC as the new ‘Lost.’  ‘Flash Forward’ looks to be the biggest show to come out of the states since ‘Lost’ and ‘Desperate Housewives’ and it comes with a lot of buzz. Just recently, the directors noted, they will need at least three seasons to complete the arc they have planned. In a nutshell, ‘Flash Forward’ follows the life of an FBI agent who investigates the reason for a mysterious event, which sees everyone blackout for two minutes and seventeen seconds, travelling six months into the future.

The following two Mondays see the return of ‘WTF’ (No, not What The Beep, but Watch This Fall) drama ‘Gossip Girl’ and veteran ‘One Tree Hill’. This fall, Dawn has decided to do a switcheroo with the two, moving her baby ‘Gossip’ to a higher household viewing time and avoiding direction competition with ‘House’. The aforementioned ‘House’ and the trouble ridden ‘Heroes’ both return with two hour premieres on September 21. It has been quite a steep fall for ‘Heroes’, if Kring can’t stop the bleeding, this might be the end of the one season wonder. The following Monday sees NBC launch their new high-octane medical drama ‘Trauma,’ a number of photos/clips for this show have being doing the rounds on the internet, so expect a large initial sampling. ‘Lie to Me’ will occupate the post ‘House’ slot as Fox tries to groom this as a replacement for ‘House’. Over at CBS, ‘How I Met Your Mother’ has been moved to 8/7c providing some lead in support for the dead on arrival ‘Accidently on Purpose’. ‘Two and a Half Men’ remains, but ‘The Big Bang Theory’ moves to the post ‘Men’ slot. ‘Bang’ was trialled in the slot late last year or early this year and maintained close to 100% retention, so look for ‘Bang’ to reach series highs again.

Wednesdays will be interesting for a number of reasons, ABC has a completely new line up with critical darlings ‘Modern Family’ and ‘Cougar Town’ occupying the key 9/8c and 9:30/8:30c timeslots. ‘Cougar Town’ follows Jules (Courtney Cox), a recently divorced single mother exploring honest truths about dating and aging in our beauty and youth obsessed culture, while ‘Modern Family’ explores the complications that come with being in a family in this day and age. The entrees ‘Hank’ and ‘The Middle’ debut the following week. ‘Eastwick’ a cross between ‘Valentine’ and ‘Sex and the City’ also debuts in the same week as ‘Modern Family’ and ‘Cougar Town’, but things don’t look good for the romantic drama.

The landscape for Fridays has completely changed; networks are finally getting aggressive with their programming. There is less reality from the other three networks which might finally give CBS’ combo of Ghost Whisperer, Cold Case and Numb3rs some headaches. Fox kicks off with a comedy hour with waiting to be cancelled ‘’Til Death’ and ‘Brothers’ followed by the ever improving and surprise renewal ‘Dollhouse’ which all premiere on September 25. The CW veteran ‘Smallville’ has been yanked to Thursdays along with the ever fading ‘Ugly Betty’.

Nothing much has changed on Sundays, with ABC’s ‘Desperate Housewives’ and ‘Brothers and Sisters’ starting on September 27. Fox has shuffled their line up knocking out the every reliable – ‘King of the Hill’, for Seth McFarland’s new, albeit belated project ‘The Cleveland Show’. ‘The Simpsons’, ‘Family Guy’ and ‘American Dad’ all return for their 21st, 8th and 5th season respectively. ‘The Cleveland Show’s’ pilot has been leaked for a while and it doesn’t look too different to ‘Family Guy’ or ‘American Dad’.

Finally, the biggest news this fall is Jay Leno moving to primetime, which begins daily from September 14, 10/9c. All eyes will be on the ratings for ‘The Jay Leno Show,’ but NBC isn’t expecting much, as long as it remains profitable, NBC will be satisfied. Jay Leno recently said he doesn’t expect his show to beat first run CSI, but hopes to push CSI repeats to the limit. The format of the show is: Leno will begin with a 10 second opening sequence which leads into a monologue. He will have at least one special guest a night and music will come from multiple acts. Jaywalking and newspaper headlines will be held until the end of the show to give News affiliates a strong lead in. Leno also gave us a snippet of the ‘Green Car Challenge’ where you can see, as Leno puts it, “who is faster, Shaquille O’Neal or Cameron Diaz.” There will be pre-recorded segments from D.L Hughley and Rachel Harris.As always, this is will be an interesting fall, with networks trying something different.

I hope everyone enjoys the fall TV season and wish for everyone’s favourite TV show to survive.

Premiere Dates

• ‘90210’ 2nd Season Premiere September 8
• ‘Melrose Place’ Series Premiere September 8
• ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Fall Premiere September 9
• ‘Glee’ Series Premiere September 9
• ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Series Premiere September 10
• ‘Supernatural’ 5th Season Premiere September 10
• ‘One Tree Hill’ 7th Season Premiere September 14
• ‘Gossip Girl’ 3rd Season Premiere September 14
• ‘The Jay Leno Show’ Series Premiere September 14
• ‘The Beautiful Life’ Series Premiere September 16
• ‘Bones’ 5th Season Premiere September 17
• ‘Survivor’ 19th Season Premiere September 17
• ‘Parks and Recreation’ 2nd Season Premiere September 17
• ‘Fringe’ 2nd Season Premiere September 17
• ‘The Office’ 6th Season Premiere September 17
• ‘Community’ Series Premiere September 17
• ‘Heroes’ 4th Season Premiere September 21
• ‘House’ 6th Season Premiere September 21
• ‘How I Met Your Mother’ 5th Season Premiere September 21
• ‘Accidently on Purpose’ Series Premiere September 21
• ‘Two and a Half Men’ 7th Season Premiere September 21
• ‘The Big Bang Theory’ 3rd Season Premiere September 21
• ‘Castle’ 2nd Season Premiere September 21
• ‘CSI: Miami’ 8th Season Premiere September 21
• ‘NCIS’ 7th Season Premiere September 22
• ‘The Goode Wife’ Series Premiere September 22
• ‘The Forgotten Series’ Premiere September 22
• ‘Mercy’ Series Premiere September 23
• ‘Criminal Minds’ 5th Season Premiere September 23
• ‘Modern Family’ Series Premiere September 23
• ‘Cougar Town’ Series Premiere September 23
• ‘Eastwick’ Series Premiere September 23
• ‘Flash Forward’ Series Premiere September 24
• ‘The Mentalist’ 2nd Season Premiere September 24
• ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ 6th Season Premiere September 24
• ‘Brothers’ Series Premiere September 25
• ‘Smallville’ 9th Season Premiere September 25
• ‘Dollhouse’ 2nd Season Premiere September 25
• ‘The Amazing Race’ 15th Season Premiere September 27
• ‘The Simpsons’ 21st Season Premiere September 27
• ‘The Cleveland Show’ Series Premiere September 27
• ‘Desperate Housewives’ 6th Season Premiere September 27
• ‘Brothers and Sisters’ 4th Season Premiere September 27
• ‘Family Guy’ 8th Season Premiere September 27
• ‘American Dad’ 5th Season Premiere September 27
• ‘Lie to Me’ 2nd Season Premiere September 28
• ‘Trauma’ Series Premiere September 28
• ‘Hank’ Series Premiere September 30
• ‘The Middle’ Series Premiere September 30
• ‘Private Practice’ 3rd Season Premiere October 1
• ‘Ugly Betty’ 4th Season Premiere October 9
• ‘30 Rock’ 4th Season Premiere October 15
• ‘V’ Series Premiere November 3
• Cable Premiere Dates
• ‘Dexter’ 4th Season Premiere September 27
• ‘Californication’ 3rd Season Premiere September 27
• ‘Stargate Universe’ Series Premiere October 2
• ‘Sanctuary’ 2nd Season Premiere October 9

Kris Allen beats fan favourite Adam Lambert as the winner of 'American Idol' 2009.

After four months of auditions, live performances and verdict shows, dark horse Kris Allen beat fan favourite Adam Lambert to become the winner of ‘American Idol’.

Sources say that out of nearly 100 million votes, only 1% seperated the two finalists in the final episode.

Both versions of the winning single “No Boundaries” by Kris Allen and Adam Lambert have been released on iTunes and can be purchased internationally.

The single has also been posted on YouTube (see below).

On behalf of TVAUSCAST we would like to congratulate Kris Allen on winning ‘American Idol’ for 2009.

24

Returning for a remarkable eighth season, 24 is one of the most innovative, addictive and acclaimed dramas on television. The suspenseful series has been nominated for a total of 57 Emmy awards, winning for Outstanding Drama Series (2006) and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for star Kiefer Sutherland (2006). For each season, Sutherland has garnered an Emmy nomination and the Season Seven prequel, “24: Redemption,” earned him Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations.

Season Eight of 24 promises to combine the show’s unique and trend-setting format with compelling new elements. Each episode will again cover one hour of real time, as viewers follow JACK BAUER (Sutherland) through another astonishing day.

Amidst the shadows of the Statue of Liberty and the United Nations, Bauer will endure another unthinkable, nail-biting day in New York City. Steadfast PRESIDENT ALLISON TAYLOR (Cherry Jones) navigates the uncertain waters of foreign and domestic policy while quirky CHLOE O’BRIAN (Mary Lynn Rajskub) and FBI agent RENEE WALKER (Annie Wersching) return. Additionally, Bollywood icon Anil Kapoor (“Slumdog Millionaire”) will make his American TV debut as ARMAN HASHEMI, a Middle Eastern leader who comes to the U.S. on a peacemaking mission.

24, created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, is a production of 20th Century Fox Television in association with Imagine Television. Howard Gordon, Evan Katz, David Fury, Manny Coto, Brannon Braga, Brad Turner, Alex Ganza, Kiefer Sutherland and Brian Grazer are executive producers, while Chip Johannessen and Patrick Harbinson serve as co-executive producers.

American Dad

AMERICAN DAD, the animated series that follows die-hard Republican and card-carrying NRA member STAN SMITH (Seth MacFarlane) and his hilariously odd family in Langley Falls, VA, is back to salute a fifth season of laughs.

Stan’s not-so-smart wife FRANCINE (Wendy Schaal) has an unfaltering loyalty that allows her to turn a blind eye toward Stan’s unabashed arrogance. Stan constantly butts heads with his 18-year-old daughter HAYLEY (Rachael MacFarlane), who knows just how to push her father’s buttons by being liberal in both her beliefs and in the amount of hippie boyfriends she chooses to date. Hayley’s 14-year-old brother is the geeky yet cocky STEVE (Scott Grimes), a kid who seems to be on the constant verge of puberty but can’t quite make sense of the opposite sex.

The Smith household is rounded out by two rather unconventional members. There’s the selfish and sarcastic space alien, ROGER (Seth MacFarlane), who lives in the attic and drinks like it’s always happy hour; and KLAUS (Dee Bradley Baker), an attention-starved goldfish with the brain of a German guy who is always willing to vocalize his opinions whether anyone is listening or not.

This eccentric family full of radically different personalities is just trying to find a way to love and trust each other during these increasingly unpredictable times. And with a guy like Stan in charge of our national security, it’s a hilarious ride.

The comedy continues this season as the series celebrates its 100th episode milestone, Steve accidentally launches a secret military drone, Roger impersonates the dictator of a tropical island and Francine and Stan renew their wedding vows.

AMERICAN DAD is a 20th Century Fox Television production. Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman serve as co-creators and executive producers, while Rick Wiener and Kenny Schwartz serve as executive producers.

American Idol

AMERICAN IDOL returns for its much-anticipated ninth season in January 2010. Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, television’s No. 1 hit series empowers contestants and viewers to share their voice in deciding who will be America’s next singing superstar. This new season promises to deliver amazing, undiscovered talent with plenty of surprises along the way.

Every year, tens of thousands of hopefuls from across the nation audition for a shot at stardom. The show’s judges – Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi – travel across the country in search of the next American Idol. They winnow down the competitors to a select group of semifinalists who sing their hearts out each week for a studio audience and television viewers.

The judges have their say after every performance, but it’s the viewing public that determines who will advance to the next round of competition and who will go home. Voting via telephone and text-messaging begins immediately after each performance show, and the results are announced during the following night’s broadcast.

Eventually the competition is narrowed down to two finalists who compete for a major recording contract and the AMERICAN IDOL title.

Past winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks and David Cook have become household names and have risen to the top of the recording industry.

Emmy Award-winning AMERICAN IDOL is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, founder of 19 Entertainment, Ltd. The series is executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America; and Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America.

America’s Most Wanted

Approaching its 23rd season and 1000th milestone episode this fall, AMERICA’S MOST WANTED is one of network television’s longest-running series and continues to be the No. 1 show on Saturday nights. Lauded by law enforcement organizations nationwide and internationally, this hour hosted by John Walsh has changed the lives of thousands of crime victims – and has put more than 1,000 perpetrators behind bars. The show is a powerful voice for crime victims everywhere.

Among its many accomplishments, AMERICA’S MOST WANTED has helped capture more than 1,060 criminals, including 17 on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list. The series has also reunited 55 missing children with their families, which is Walsh’s proudest achievement.

In 2003, AMERICA’S MOST WANTED and John Walsh made national headlines for their determined efforts leading to the recovery of kidnapped teen Elizabeth Smart. Later that year, Walsh joined President George W. Bush in a Rose Garden ceremony at the White House as the PROTECT Act of 2003, which expanded the use of Amber Alerts, was signed into law. AMW again broadcast from the White House on July 29, 2006, two days after another Rose Garden ceremony at which President Bush signed into law the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. The result of years of lobbying by Walsh and others, the new law – signed on the 25th anniversary of the abduction and murder of Walsh’s 6-year-old son, Adam – expands the National Sex Offender Registry and strengthens federal penalties for crimes against children. Additionally, Walsh continues his lobbying efforts pushing states to pass laws requiring the collection of a DNA sample from those arrested. So far, 18 states have passed such laws helping to populate the newly created National DNA Database.

Since its premiere in 1988, AMERICA’S MOST WANTED’s primary focus has been to profile dangerous fugitives, and with the help of viewers, assist law enforcement with their relentless pursuit of justice.

AMERICA’S MOST WANTED is produced by STF Productions, Inc. and 20th Century Fox Television. Lance Heflin serves as executive producer, and Steve Katz serves as co-executive producer.

Bones

From executive producers Hart Hanson, Barry Josephson and Stephen Nathan comes the fifth exciting season of BONES, a darkly amusing procedural with humor, heart and character, inspired by real-life forensic anthropologist and novelist Kathy Reichs.

DR. TEMPERANCE BRENNAN (Emily Deschanel) is a highly skilled forensic anthropologist who works at the Jeffersonian Institute in Washington, DC, and writes novels as a sideline. When the standard methods of identifying a body are useless – when the remains are so badly decomposed, burned or destroyed – law enforcement calls in Brennan for her uncanny ability to read clues left behind in the victim’s bones.

Most law enforcement can’t handle Brennan’s intelligence, her drive for the truth, or the way she flings herself headlong into every investigation. SPECIAL AGENT SEELEY BOOTH (David Boreanaz) of the FBI’s Homicide Investigations Unit is the exception. A former Army sniper, Booth mistrusts science and scientists – the “squints,” as he calls them – who pore over the physical evidence of a crime. But even he cannot deny that the combination of his people-smarts and Brennan’s scientific acumen makes them a formidable team.

Aside from Booth, Brennan is most comfortable with her equally brilliant colleagues at the Jeffersonian’s Medico-Legal Lab. ANGELA MONTENEGRO (Michaela Conlin), an artist who specializes in reconstructing facial features and crime scenes, is Brennan’s earthy and bawdy best friend; “the bug guy,” conspiracy theorist DR. JACK HODGINS (TJ Thyne), is an expert on insects, spores and minerals; and DR. CAMILLE “CAM” SAROYAN (Tamara Taylor), the street-smart and centered coroner, must wrangle all the geniuses under her purview. Lending his professional expertise to Brennan and Booth is DR. LANCE SWEETS (John Francis Daley), a brilliant young FBI psychologist who is equally adept at profiling murderers and providing “couples therapy” to Booth and Brennan.

As Season Five of BONES begins, Booth and Brennan contend with the emotional fallout resulting from the sea-change in their relationship brought about by events at the end of Season Four. This includes Brennan’s request to have Booth father her child and the strange, profound, almost psychic link they shared during Booth’s coma, which left both of them wondering what thoughts and emotions the other is experiencing. While Booth endeavors to come to grips with these unleashed emotions, Brennan insists that, with the aid of her “squints” in the lab, the two of them focus their attention and energy on their main job – catching murderers that no one else can catch.

BONES is from Far Field Productions and Josephson Entertainment in association with 20th Century Fox Television. Hart Hanson, Barry Josephson and Stephen Nathan are executive producers.

Cops

Entering an amazing 22nd season, the groundbreaking series COPS – which was instrumental in launching the reality genre with its video vérité style – has penetrated the American psyche unlike any other show in television history.

Next season, the four-time Emmy Award-nominated program celebrates a remarkable milestone 800th episode, making it one of the longest-running primetime series currently airing on broadcast television. COPS continues to rank No. 1 in its time period among Adults 18-49 and key demographics.

COPS has profiled law enforcement agencies in over 140 United States cities and has also filmed in Hong Kong, London, Central and South America, Moscow and St. Petersburg. It was the first American television program to follow the police in the former Soviet Union. Next season, COPS will cover the U.S. from coast to coast, filming police activity in California, Florida, Texas, Ohio and Las Vegas.

John Langley is the creator and executive producer of COPS for Langley Productions, Inc. in association with Fox Television Studios. Doug Waterman serves as supervising producer, while Jimmy Langley and Morgan Langley serve as producers.

Dollhouse

CAROLINE (Dushku) – code name “Echo” – is an “Active,” a member of a highly illegal and underground group of individuals who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas. Hired by the wealthy, powerful and connected, the Actives don’t just perform their hired roles, they wholly become – with mind, personality and physiology – whomever the client wants or needs them to be. Whether imprinted to be a lover, an assassin, a corporate negotiator or a best friend, the Actives know no other life than the specific engagements they are in at that time.

Confined between missions to a secret facility known as the “Dollhouse,” Echo and the other Actives, including SIERRA (Dichen Lachman) and VICTOR (Enver Gjokaj), are assigned engagements by ADELLE DEWITT (Olivia Williams), one of the Dollhouse’s leaders. After each scenario, Echo, always under the watchful eye of her handler, turned head-of security, BOYD LANGTON (Harry Lennix), returns to the mysterious Dollhouse where her thoughts, feelings, experiences and knowledge are erased by TOPHER BRINK (Fran Kranz), the Dollhouse’s genius programmer. Echo enters the next scenario with no memory of before – or does she? – as she seemingly begins to remember her original memories and slowly pieces together her mysterious past.

Former FBI Agent PAUL BALLARD (Tahmoh Penikett) determined to solve the mystery of the DOLLHOUSE and find the missing Caroline, accomplished his goal in the first season finale and was convinced (or was it coerced?) to become Echo’s new handler. DOLLHOUSE revolves around Echo’s blossoming self-awareness and her desire to discover her true identity. But with each new engagement, comes a new memory and increased danger inside and outside the Dollhouse.

DOLLHOUSE is produced by 20th Century Fox Television. The series was created by Joss Whedon, who directed the pilot and serves as executive producer and writer. Liz Craft, Sarah Fain and David Solomon are co-executive producers, and Eliza Dushku serves as a producer.

Family Guy

Since its debut in 1999, the Emmy-nominated animated series FAMILY GUY has attracted an impressively loyal following of devoted fans and has sold over 18 million combined DVD units, making it the largest-selling TV series ever.

The show follows the adventures of lovable oaf PETER GRIFFIN (Seth MacFarlane) and his hilariously odd family of middle-class New Englanders. LOIS (Alex Borstein) is Peter’s loving wife, a former Miss Teen Rhode Island who rules the roost but is one step away from a nervous breakdown. Then there are their kids: frumpy, 16-year-old MEG (Mila Kunis), the family’s punching bag; 13-year-old CHRIS (Seth Green), a kid who doesn’t understand girls, much less the evil monkey hiding in his closet; and 1-year-old STEWIE (MacFarlane), a diabolically clever baby whose heterosexuality is hanging by a thread. Rounding out the Griffin household is BRIAN (MacFarlane), the family dog, a member of Mensa with a penchant for dry martinis and dumb blondes.

During the upcoming seventh season, Stewie and Brian travel through alternate universes in an homage to “Sliders,” spies Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase (guest-voicing as themselves) move into Cleveland’s old house and Stewie scores tickets to a Hannah Montana concert. Finally, the Griffin family will enter the “Star Wars” universe again with a parody of “The Empire Strikes Back.”

In addition to the regular cast, FAMILY GUY has featured guest voice appearances by a wide range of notables, including Drew Barrymore, Lauren Conrad, Robert Downey Jr., Rob Lowe, Hugh Hefner, Will Ferrell, Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, Kiefer Sutherland, James Woods, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and the legendary rock group KISS.

FAMILY GUY is a 20th Century Fox Television production. Seth MacFarlane is creator/executive producer, Mark Hentemann and Steve Callaghan are executive producers/show-runners and David A. Goodman, Chris Sheridan and Danny Smith are executive producers.

Fringe

Currently the No. 1 new series among Adults 18-49, FRINGE returns for a second thrilling season and will continue to explore the unexplained phenomena and terrifying occurrences linked throughout the world – known simply as “The Pattern” – in pursuit of a larger, more shocking truth.

Set in Boston, FRINGE formed when Special Agent OLIVIA DUNHAM (Anna Torv) enlisted the help of institutionalized “fringe” scientist WALTER BISHOP (John Noble) and his son, PETER (Joshua Jackson), to save her partner and lover from a mind-bending death. Proving that only they could conjure anomalous answers, the unlikely trio would be called upon as unbelievable events evolved, macabre crimes occurred and non-empirical mysteries threatened humanity. Through unconventional and unorthodox methods, the FRINGE team imagined and tested the impossibilities while investigating mystifying cases involving teleportation, reanimation, genetic mutation, precognition and artificial intelligence.

Agent PHILLIP BROYLES (Lance Reddick) guided the group, while by-the-book Agent CHARLIE FRANCIS (Kirk Acevedo) and Junior Agent ASTRID FARNSWORTH (Jasika Nicole) provided support and depth to the team. Underscoring the unfolding mysteries, enigmatic Massive Dynamic executive NINA SHARP (Blair Brown) proved the advancement of technology was changing the world of science, and conversely, the science of the world.

Season Two moves to uncover more about the larger threat of Z.F.T., a nontraditional terrorist cell, and the intensity accelerates as Olivia, now aware that as a child she was a test subject of Walter and Massive Dynamic founder WILLIAM BELL (guest star Leonard Nimoy), pursues information about her forgotten and perplexing past. While some questions will be answered, new ones will surface. Were Olivia, Walter and Peter brought together deliberately? By whom – and for what purpose? Meanwhile, will Walter continue to hide Peter’s otherworldly origins? As for The Observer – where and why will he (or they) appear again?

Created by J.J. Abrams & Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci, FRINGE is produced by Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Abrams, Bryan Burk, J.H. Wyman and Jeff Pinkner serve as executive producers, while Kurtzman and Orci are consulting producers. Additionally, Pinkner and Wyman serve as the series’ show-runners.

Hell’s Kitchen

World-renowned chef Gordon Ramsay is back for a sixth course of the sizzling unscripted series HELL’S KITCHEN. The show puts the chefs through a rigorous culinary boot camp as Ramsay searches for the one chef worthy of a life-changing grand prize.

The competing chefs have varying degrees of culinary experience, but all are incredibly passionate about food and cooking. Each week, they slice and dice for Ramsay’s attention. Demanding absolute perfection, Ramsay puts the chefs through various culinary challenges, testing them to see who will boil under the intense pressure. The competition begins when Ramsay splits the chefs into two teams that compete against each other in various dinner service challenges. These challenges test the chefs’ knowledge and experience in the kitchen, as they are asked to perform tasks such as prepare a signature dish in 30 minutes, compete in blind taste tests, feed a room of hungry firemen and sauté shrimp to perfection. While the challenges are grueling, the rewards are sweet as some winning teams enjoy seafood dinners on yachts, helicopter rides and trips to gourmet restaurants. The challenge losers do not go unpunished and are left behind to perform the mundane tasks of cleaning the dining room, ironing the linens, polishing the silver or prepping that night’s dinner service.

As the competition heats up, Ramsay winnows down the contestants and ultimately combines the teams into one. In this phase of the competition, the “steaks” are high as the chefs compete head-to-head for Ramsay’s approval. Both his sharp tongue and the contestants’ inexperience are often recipes for disaster in this pressure-cooker environment. Only one thing is certain: If the chefs can’t stand the heat, they’ll have to get out of HELL’S KITCHEN.

HELL’S KITCHEN is produced by Granada America in association with A. Smith & Co. Arthur Smith and Kent Weed serve as executive producers.

House

HOUSE, an innovative take on the medical drama, solves mysteries where the villain is a medical malady and the hero is an irreverent, controversial doctor who trusts no one, least of all his patients.

HOUSE, which celebrated its 100th episode milestone in February 2009, has been honored with three Emmy Awards and 17 Emmy Award nominations, including three for Outstanding Drama Series and three for Hugh Laurie; the 2006 Humanitas Prize and three Humanitas finalist honors; two Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Laurie; a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series; two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Television Series, Drama; a Peabody Award; two People’s Choice Awards for Favorite TV Drama; a People’s Choice Award for Hugh Laurie; the Writers Guild Award for Episodic Drama and an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Drama Series. In addition, the show has been honored by the American Film Institute as one of the TV Programs of the Year.

DR. GREGORY HOUSE (Hugh Laurie), devoid of bedside manner and dealing with his own constant physical pain, uses a cane that seems to punctuate his acerbic, brutally honest demeanor. House shepherds an elite team of experts who help him unravel diagnostic mysteries including plastic surgeon DR. CHRIS TAUB (Peter Jacobson) and enigmatic “contestant” number Thirteen, DR. REMY HADLEY (Olivia Wilde). He has a good friend and confidant in oncology specialist DR. JAMES WILSON (Robert Sean Leonard), and maintains a somewhat volatile and undefined relationship with DR. LISA CUDDY (Lisa Edelstein), the Dean of Medicine and hospital administrator. Though the two are engaged in constant conflict over House’s duties and unconventional behavior, even she would admit that his brilliance is worth the trouble. Neurologist DR. ERIC FOREMAN (Omar Epps) serves as Cuddy’s eyes and ears on House while former team members and newlyweds, DR. ALLISON CAMERON (Jennifer Morrison) and DR. ROBERT CHASE (Jesse Spencer) no longer have to answer to House as Cameron heads up Emergency Medicine and Chase is working in Surgery.

In Season Five, after the shocking death of team member Dr. Lawrence Kutner, House’s life began to spin out of control, causing him to suffer from hallucinations and to lose faith in his own mental abilities. After a challenging and brief engagement, Cameron and Chase celebrated their wedding, Thirteen and Foreman continue their romantic relationship and new mother Cuddy is unaware that House hallucinated a physical relationship with her. When the season concluded, House was finally forced to admit that he had lost his grip on reality and could no longer practice medicine. Out of options, he finally checked himself into a psychiatric hospital.

HOUSE is from Heel and Toe Films, Shore Z Productions and Bad Hat Harry Productions in association with Universal Media Studios. Katie Jacobs, David Shore, Paul Attanasio, Bryan Singer, Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner and Thomas L. Moran are executive producers.

Kitchen Nightmares

Famed chef and Michelin Star winner Gordon Ramsay steps out of his own five-star establishments and into some of the country’s most unsanitary and unsuccessful restaurants to help them turn their businesses around or close their doors forever.

Each week, Chef Ramsay will attempt to turn one ordinary and empty restaurant into the most popular, sought-after venue in town. He reveals the behind-the-scenes realities of running a restaurant and wastes no time getting down to business – implementing signature menu items, modernizing décor and making the restaurant run as smoothly as possible. With his reputation on the line, Ramsay accepts nothing less than the best when it comes to the food, staff and customer service. While still prone to the explosive outbursts and spectacular confrontations familiar to fans, Ramsay reveals a sensitive and nurturing side as he coaches, cheers and challenges the restaurant staff, all the way from appetizers through dessert.

Will the restaurants follow Ramsay’s rules, or will they continue to stumble toward closure?

The second season of KITCHEN NIGHTMARES is a co-production of Granada America and Optomen in association with A. Smith & Co. Arthur Smith, Kent Weed and Patricia Llewellyn serve as executive producers.

Lie to Me

Entering its intriguing second season, LIE TO ME is the compelling drama series inspired by the scientific discoveries of Dr. Paul Ekman, a real-life specialist who can read clues embedded in the human face, body and voice to expose the truth and lies in criminal investigations.

DR. CAL LIGHTMAN (Tim Roth) is the world’s leading deception expert. If you lie to Lightman, he’ll know it. He’ll see it in your face, in your posture or hear it in your voice. If you shrug your shoulder, rotate your hand or even just slightly raise your lower lip, Lightman will know you’re lying. By analyzing facial expressions and involuntary body language, he can read feelings ranging from hidden resentment to sexual attraction to jealousy. But as Lightman well knows, his scientific ability is both a blessing and a curse in his personal life, where family and friends deceive each other as readily as criminals and strangers do.

Lightman heads a team of experts at The Lightman Group who assist federal law enforcement, government agencies and local police with their most difficult cases. DR. GILLIAN FOSTER (Kelli Williams) is a gifted psychologist and Lightman’s professional partner who brings balance to the partnership by looking at the bigger picture while Lightman focuses on the details. He needs her guidance and insight into human behavior, whether he knows it or not. ELI LOKER (Brendan Hines) is Lightman’s lead researcher. He is so uncomfortable with the human tendency to lie that he’s decided to practice what he calls “radical honesty.” He says everything on his mind and often pays the price. RIA TORRES (Monica Raymund) is the newest member of the agency, and one of the few “naturals” in the field of deception detection. Her raw, untrained ability to read people makes her a force to be reckoned with.

In the series’ first season, The Lightman Group worked on multiple cases from determining fault in a building collapse to solving the murder of a powerful judge’s teenage daughter to uncovering money hidden in a Ponzi scheme. An arson investigation reconnected Lightman and his ex-wife, Assistant U.S. Attorney ZOE LANDAU (guest star Jennifer Beals), while FBI Agent BEN REYNOLDS (guest star Mekhi Phifer) partnered with the team to track down an elusive serial rapist and to determine who was behind a rash of terrorist bombings in the Washington, DC area.

Brian Grazer, David Nevins, Sam Baum and Shawn Ryan serve as executive producers on the series, which is produced by Imagine Television in association with 20th Century Fox Television.

The Simpsons

Now the longest-running comedy in television history, THE SIMPSONS immediately struck a chord with viewers across the country as it poked fun of itself and everything in its wake. With its subversive humor and delightful wit, the series has made an indelible imprint on American pop culture, and the family members have become television icons.

January 14, 2009 kicked off “Best. 20 Years. Ever.,” a year-long global 20th anniversary celebration culminating on January 14, 2010, exactly 20 years to the date from the original series premiere. In May 2009, THE SIMPSONS were commemorated on 44-cent First-Class Mail stamps. Featuring images of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, the stamps were personally designed by creator and executive producer, Matt Groening.

The critically praised series has been bestowed with numerous honors, including a Peabody Award, 24 Emmy Awards, 23 Annie Awards, five Genesis Awards, nine International Monitor Awards and seven Environmental Media Awards. THE SIMPSONS holds the Guinness Book of World Records titles for Longest-Running Primetime Animated Television Series and Most Guest Stars Featured in a Television Series. Recognized as a pop culture icon, Homer Simpson’s annoyed grunt – “D’oh!” – is an official word in the Oxford English Dictionary, and THE SIMPSONS has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. With record-breaking retail sales, THE SIMPSONS reigns as one the best-selling TV DVD properties of all time.

During the upcoming 21st season, HOMER (Dan Castellaneta) is cast as the lead in a new comic book feature film adaptation and hires fitness trainer LYLE MCCARTHY (guest voice Seth Rogen) to whip him into shape for the part, while BART (Nancy Cartwright) learns there is a better prankster in school and vows to take him down. In the annual “Treehouse of Horror” trilogy, the family fights to survive a zombie outbreak, Bart and LISA (Yeardley Smith) become entangled in a murder scheme and Homer’s blood becomes the secret ingredient in MOE’s (Hank Azaria) new beer.

Guest stars paying Springfield a visit next season include Seth Rogen (who also co-wrote the episode to which he lends his voice), Jonah Hill, Neve Campbell and Anne Hathaway. Additionally, Jackie Mason returns as RABBI KRUSTOFSKY, KRUSTY THE CLOWN’s (Castellaneta) father.

THE SIMPSONS is a Gracie Films production in association with 20th Century Fox Television. James L. Brooks, Matt Groening and Al Jean are the executive producers. Film Roman is the animation house.

So You Think You Can Dance

Celebrating its 100th episode milestone this summer, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE continues to keep viewers amazed and inspired as talented dancers compete in everything from Hip-Hop, Krumping and Popping to Salsa, Jookin’ and Jive to be named America’s Favorite Dancer.

As revealed by host Cat Deeley, the Season Four champion, Joshua Allen, was voted America’s Favorite Dancer and danced off with the cash prize of $250,000. Following the season finale, the finalists from the past season embarked on a cross-country, 40-city performance tour.

For Seasons Five and Six, producers travel across the country in search of dancers who represent the rhythm of America. Those who spark the interest of judges Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy are invited to call-backs, where they will work with top choreographers, including Adam Shankman, Tyce Diorio, Mia Michaels, Tabitha Dumo and Napoleon Dumo, to learn and then be judged on a particular style of dance. During the call-back week, the judges choose the Top 20 dancers who will continue in the competition.

In the performance round, the 20 finalists dance for America’s votes, and each week the six contestants comprising the bottom three couples are given a chance to perform solo routines to encourage the judges to keep them on the show. The judges then decide which dancers stay in the competition and which male and female are eliminated. If a couple is split apart, the two individual dancers who remain become a couple the following week.

Once the series is down to the Top 10 finalists, the dancers switch partners and it’s solely up to America to decide who remains in the competition. Following the performance shows, viewers can vote for their favorite couples. The live results shows reveal who keeps dancing and who goes home.

Choreographers Mia Michaels and Wade Robson were honored with Emmy Awards in 2007 for their work on Season Two. Robson won the Emmy for Outstanding Choreography again the following year for his work on Season Three, while Shane Sparks and Mandy Moore earned nominations in the same category. In 2008, the make-up team was nominated for Outstanding Makeup for a Multi-Camera Series or Special (Non-Prosthetic).

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE was created by Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and comes from 19 Entertainment, Ltd. and Dick Clark Productions, Inc. The Emmy-nominated series is executive-produced by Simon Fuller, Nigel Lythgoe and Barry Adelman.

‘Til Death

‘TIL DEATH ‘TIL DEATH is a comedy about the triumphs and tribulations of marriage and friendship from very different perspectives. It’s about the funny – and annoying – things that happen between husbands, wives, parents, children, neighbors and friends day after day after day… EDDIE (Brad Garrett) and JOY STARK (Joely Fisher) are your typical long-time married couple: Eddie is the unemotional, cynical and tell-it-like-it-is husband while Joy is the caring, loving wife who on a daily basis has to put up with all things Eddie.

You could say Joy is the yin to Eddie’s yang. They’ve been through it all together – and actually survived. Joy and Eddie are the perfect fit, and as much as they gripe about their marriage, Eddie really does love Joy, and Joy, despite it all, loves Eddie for all his shortcomings.

Living in suburban Philadelphia, Eddie and Joy live somewhat idyllic lives – Eddie is a high school history teacher and Joy works in a travel agency. Their daughter, ALI, is in a long-term relationship with DOUG (Timm Sharp), whom Eddie and Joy consider unworthy of their princess. This season, Ali and Doug return from their trek in the Ecuadorian rainforest and set up camp in the Stark’s backyard.

Meanwhile, Eddie decides to write a book about the Hindenburg, and Joy comes to terms with the job market in the current economy. ‘TIL DEATH is executive-produced by Don Reo, Dean Lorey, Brad Garrett, Glenn Robbins and Doug Wald for Sony Pictures Television. The series was created by real-life husband-and-wife team Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa.

"The Observer" spotted during 'Idol', during the 'NFL' and in a scene on 'Fringe'.

FOX have started airing a new viral cross promotion campaign for J.J. Abrams’ sci-fi drama ‘Fringe’.

‘American Idol’ audiences were haunted by a mysterious bald man in a suit sitting among the audience during this week’s live performance show.

‘Fringe’ fans were quick to identify the mystery man as “The Observer” from the hit sci-fi show.

The character was never mentioned by anyone on the talent show, but instead remained seated eerily among the crowd.

This isn’t the first time “The Observer” has appeared on live television, the ‘Fringe’ character has been spotted during NFL and Yankees games; as well as during a NASCAR broadcast.

An ‘Idol’ clip has been posted on YouTube.

Rebecca Rand Kirshner Sinclair - Former 'Gilmore Girls' scribe, is set to take '90210' into the future.

Rebecca Rand Kirshner Sinclair is set to take over the reins of The CW’s 90210. The producer/scribe has inked a new seven-figure deal with CBS Paramount, to helm the high school drama for the 2010-11 season.

This new deal will most likely see current head honchos Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah step down at the end of this season.

Sinclair boarded the 90210 school bus as an executive producer September last year, and has been credited with helping the new 90210 find its feet.

But Sinclair admits her early experience on the teen series was rocky, ”I felt the show was confused and too cynical for me.”

Hooray for The CW!

The CW has pushed the season 2 premiere of Reaper forward a few weeks to March 3! Season 2 will now premiere 8/7c March 3 as a lead in to 90210. This pips the quirky drama against ratings juggernaut American Idol, fingers crossed it won’t be a casualty.

This decision comes as both 90210 and Privileged had the highest percentage of DVR viewing in the week January 12-18 (33.5% and 33.9% respectively).

Now for the bad news, a thirteen episode order still remains.

• Grey’s Anatomy lead out program Private Practice managed a healthy 9.03M, A18-49: 3.4/8, A18-34: 3.3/9 on its first Thursday night airing.

• Up against The Golden Globes and 24, Desperate Housewives hit a series low with 13.5M, A18-49: 5.2/12, A18-34: 4.8/12.

• After being off the air for 18 months, Sunday’s airing of 24 garnered 12.52M, A18-49: 4.2/10, A18-34: 3.5/10 followed by 11.95M, A18-49: 3.9/10, A18-34: 3.4/9 on Monday.

• After a solid debut Superstars of Dance on Monday fails, losing nearly 3M viewers with 7.1M, A18-49: 1.9/5, A18-34: 1.7/4.

• American Idol premiered to massive ratings with its Tuesday episode pulling in 30.074M, A18-49: 11.8/28 and A18-34: 9.9/26 and 29.854M, A18-49: 11.7/29 and A18-34: 10.7/29 on Wednesday. Casualties include 90210, Privileged, Scrubs and Homeland Security, all losing a large chunk from its previous airings.

Source: Nielsen TV Ratings

Friday, February 13th. No it’s not just black Friday, but it will be FOX’s Sci-Fi Friday. Tell your friends and family, jot it in your diary, do whatever you can to remember this date as this is the date FOX is set to premiere it’s much talked about sci-fi drama, Dollhouse. Given Dollhouse was supposed to be FOX’s silver bullet in terms of dramas, with the news corporation network having little success with dramas since Prison Break. The move to a usually low rating night is sure to anger fans of the show and Whedon who saw his previous project, Firefly fade away on the same night.

Also, recently renewed, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, has been bumped to Fridays providing the lead in to Dollhouse.

As previously reported, 24 will premiere on January 5th and from the 12th House will move into the 8pm slot with 24 proceeding. Does 24 really need the House lead in? Now I understand why FOX have little success with dramas, they just make one dumb decision after another.

FOX’s other new midseason drama Lie to Me, starring Tim Roth as a “human lie detector”, is set to lead out of American Idol on Wednesdays. Anyone else smell a Psych spin-off?

Still no news on Prison Break and the airdate for Seth McFarland’s new animated comedy The Cleveland Show. Watch this space for up to the date news for both shows.

Full FOX midseason schedule and premiere dates after the break.

MONDAY
Monday, Jan. 5:
7:30 PM-CC ET TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL (LIVE)

Monday, Jan. 12:
8:00-10:00 PM 24 (Season Premiere, Part 2)

Mondays, beginning Jan. 19:
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE (Time Period Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM 24 (Time Period Premiere)

TUESDAY
Tuesday, Jan. 13:
8:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part 1)

Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 20:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Time Period Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday, Jan. 14:
8:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part 2)

Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 21:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Time Period Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM LIE TO ME (Series Premiere)

THURSDAY
Thursday, Jan. 1:
7:30 PM-CC ET FEDEX ORANGE BOWL (LIVE)

Thursday, Jan. 8:
7:30 PM-CC ET FEDEX BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (LIVE)

Thursdays, beginning Jan. 15:
8:00-9:00 PM BONES (Time Period Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM KITCHEN NIGHTMARES

Thursdays, beginning Jan. 29:
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM HELL’S KITCHEN (Season Premiere)

FRIDAY
Friday, Jan. 2:
7:30 PM-CC ET ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL (LIVE)

Friday, Jan. 9:
8:00-10:00 PM FOX MOVIE SPECIAL: BRUCE ALMIGHTY

Fridays, beginning Jan. 16 (no change to lineup):
8:00-9:00 PM ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER?
9:00-10:00 PM DON’T FORGET THE LYRICS!

Fridays, beginning Feb. 13:
8:00-9:00 PM TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES
(Time Period Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM DOLLHOUSE (Series Premiere)

SATURDAY
Saturdays, beginning Jan. 3 (no change to lineup):
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S MOST WANTED: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK
11:00 PM-Midnight MADtv
Midnight-12:30 AM TALKSHOW WITH SPIKE FERESTEN

SUNDAY
Sunday, Jan. 11:
8:00-10:00 PM 24 (Season Premiere, Part 1)

Sundays, beginning Jan. 18:
7:00-7:30 PM HOLE IN THE WALL (Time Period Premiere)
7:30-8:00 PM HOLE IN THE WALL (Time Period Premiere)
8:00-10:00 PM ANIMATION DOMINATION
(THE SIMPSONS, KING OF THE HILL, FAMILY GUY and AMERICAN DAD)

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Grammy-Nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi has joined American Idol as a fourth judge. She will sit alongside Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson at the judges’ table and use her background as an award-winning songwriter and producer to praise or critique the wannabe hopefuls throughout the competition. The eighth season of American Idol premieres January 2009 on FOX.

“We are turning the heat up on Idol this year and are thrilled to welcome Kara to the judges’ table,” said creator and executive producer Simon Fuller. “She is a smart, sassy lady, and one of America’s most successful songwriters. We know she will bring a new level of energy and excitement to the show.”

“We had originally intended for American Idol to have four judges,” said executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz. “We’ve seen from our international series that having a fourth judge creates a dynamic that benefits both the contestants and the viewers.”

Mike Darnell, President, alternative Programming of FOX, added, “For the past seven seasons, Paula has had to endure the experience of being the only woman at the judges’ table. She’s been as an island of consideration and gentle criticism between Randy and Simon, offering her invaluable expertise as a performer and No. 1 artist to the thousands who have competed on American Idol. With Kara by her side, Paula finally has some back-up and now there is going to be a lot more ‘girl power’ on the show.”

One of the industry’s most sought after songwriters and producers, DioGuardi’s songs have appeared on more than 100 million records. Her songs have been recorded by Grammy award-winning artists including Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Celine Dion, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood, Santana and Pink. Scores of major recording artists including Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Pussycat Dolls, Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, Natasha Bedingfield, Jewel, Ashley Tisdale, Katharine McPhee, Taylor Hicks, Bo Bice, Clay Aiken, Ashlee Simpson, Hilary Duff, Jessica Simpson, Kylie Minogue, Enrique Iglesias, Nick Lachey and Marc Anthony have also released DioGuardi’s songs.

Over the last four years, she has been awarded 10 BMI Pop Awards for having written the most performed songs on radio. From her catalog of several hundred songs, over 264 have been released on major labels worldwide; and over 165 have appeared on multi-platinum selling albums. DioGuardi co-owns Arthous Entertainment, where she develops and mentors fellow hit writers, producers and artists.

It is not yet known whether FOX8 will broadcast it again next year, however it was a ratings success on Foxtel drawing in 100,000 viewers near the end of the season.

I will keep you all posted in regards to what is going on in regards to broadcasting rights in 2009.

Lets just hope that TEN don’t get control over it.