"The Interview" actor will star in an adaptation of Stephen King's 2011 best-selling novel 11/22/63, a what-if account about a teacher who travels back in time to prevent John F. Kennedy's assassination.
Franco will star as high school English teacher Jake Epping who tries to save the former president in the upcoming nine-hour event series.
Franco's last project, "The Interview," starred the 36-year-old actor as a journalist who was given a mission to assassinate North Korea's Kim Jong Un.
"11/22/63" comes from J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions, Warner Bros. Television, and executive producer/writer Bridget Carpenter.
We may (or may not) be getting a little insight on some of the behind the scenes happenings in a tweet from Morgan on Friday, the day after beloved New York Times columnist, David Carr died.
Killing me with charm... the email from David Carr that led to the column that led to my departure from CNN. pic.twitter.com/21wqqtEo0z
You see in the tweet that Carr reached out to Morgan to tell him what Morgan likely already knew: the CNN show Morgan headlined – the one in which, sometimes, Morgan himself became the story – was coming to a quick and unceremonious end.
Carr noted in his email to Morgan that it was "partly due to American provincialism" and partly because of Morgan's failure to assimilate. Those sentiments were echoed across many media platforms at the lowest points of Morgan's CNN tenure.
But, Carr being the diligent reporter he was, offered Morgan a chance to speak about it on the record, and he did.
In Carr's article, published almost exactly one year ago, he wrote "There have been times when [Morgan] didn't seem to like America very much and American audiences have been more than willing to return the favor."
Morgan apparently agreed – citing his ratings, which were underwater – and Carr, quite fairly, gave Morgan the benefit of the doubt:
Give @piersmorgan credit for owning his end and coming to phone. I respect ppl who don't just ask questions,, but answer them.
Carr pointed out that the British host could not both entertain and inform Americans while also vilifying them mercilessly. He punctuated that thought with this nugget of wisdom about working on this side of the pond: "if you want to stick out, you first have to work on fitting in."
When he steps down, Stewart will leave television as the highest-paid late night host after nearly 17 years on Comedy Central.
How does Stewart's paycheck compare to other TV hosts?
Last summer, TV Guide released its annual salary report, a list that rounds up the paychecks of some of television's highest-paid actors and TV personalities.
Note: We originally ran this list late last year.
[TIE] 17. Chelsea Handler: $10 million
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Handler reportedly signed a $10 million deal with Netflix consisting of several comedy specials and a talk show for the streaming service. Handler previously made between $8 million and $12 million for her E! show over the past two years.
[TIE] 17. Jimmy Kimmel: $10 million
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Kimmel's "Lie Witness News" and "Celebrities Read Mean Tweets" segments have been big hits on the ABC late-night show. His fake feud with Matt Damon is always a rating's winner.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.As "Parks and Recreation" fans mourn the end of an era, it seems the cast may be struggling most of all in coming to terms with the final episodes.
The show's Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Adam Scott, Chris Pratt, Aziz Ansari, and Jim O'Heir (yes, even Jerry) are as close in real life as the fictional government employees they play.
Last year, both Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman published memoirs — "Yes Please" and "Paddle Your Own Canoe," respectively — in which the stars recounted their favorite and most emotional memories from behind the scenes of the show.
Here are nine of our favorite stories from the set of "Parks and Recreation":
1. Before landing their roles as Ron Swanson and Ben Wyatt, respectively, Nick Offerman and Adam Scott both audioned for the part of Ann's love interest, named Josh.
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When Nick Offerman arrived for his audition, reading lines opposite Rashida Jones, he knew he was screwed. "I thought, 'Oh great. Me and Adam Scott up for the guy who gets to kiss Rashida,'" Offerman jokes. "'He's devilishly handsome and charming and funny. ... Even I — even my mom — would cast him over me.'"
2. The crew always left time for "fun runs," or improvised last takes that rarely made it on air.
After the last take, the actors tried out all the brilliant lines they had been thinking about for the whole scene. "Ninety-nine percent of the time these scenes were longer and less funny than what was written," Amy Poehler says. "But it made the actors feel funny. It kept the crew laughing and on their toes."
3. Amy Poehler's kids gave Aziz Ansari the nickname "turkey sandwich."
"I think it's because he was eating a turkey sandwich once?" Amy Poehler says. "Either way they think he is hilarious."
The cast also calls Rob Lowe "RoLo."
4. Vice President Joe Biden was a comedy pro.
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Season 5 kicked off with Leslie Knope meeting her ultimate crush, Vice President Joe Biden. The cast and crew filmed the scene in Biden's ceremonial office on the White House grounds.
"He was charming and funny and a true pro — he didn't even flinch when Leslie slightly leaned in for a kiss," Amy Poehler says. "That's some old-school improv commitment right there."
5. Each and every cast member made the other laugh endlessly
One of the greatest rewards of the show, Offerman writes, is "watching Amy Poehler and Aubrey Plaza stare each other down like two beautiful gladiators in a battle of mighty comedy wills."
Amy Poehler says one of the hardest times she laughed on set was when Jim O'Heir's character Jerry suffered a "fart attack" in Season 5, Episode 5 "Halloween Surprise.""Jim played it so real," she says.
6. Chris Pratt was not that different from his goofball character, Andy Dwyer.
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In Season 5, Episode 10 "Two Parties," the boys of the show went to a freaky aroma bar called Essence, where every cocktail came in some crazy form, like a mist or a lotion. Andy Dwyer ordered a "beer," which the waiter presented as a sphere of cotton candy.
"Pratt proceeded to sculpt a vagina (very masterfully; he's a talented visual artist with an apparently intimate knowledge of the female genitalia) in his cotton candy," Offerman says. "He then proceeded to subtly display his cotton candy vagina to us ... as we all tried to maintain a straight face because we were on camera performing our scenes."
7. A lot of bacon was consumed on set.
"This acting job has put more bacon in my belly than an entire butcher shop," Offerman says. "It has caused more Lagavulin whiskey to course through my veins than any well-stocked public house."
8. The cast took care of each other on- and off-set.
In her book, Amy Poehler describes how fluid their friendships were. She and Rashida Jones would sit on a fake apartment set, figuring out a problem, and then proceed to divulge about their real lives in their trailers.
When Poehler was going through her divorce to actor Will Arnett and was sad about coming back to LA, Aubrey Plaza surprised her by showing up at the airport dressed as an alien. True friendship.
9. Adam Scott expertly flirted with a very hormonal women.
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When Adam Scott eventually landed the role of Leslie Knope's love interest, Ben Wyatt, he arrived on set just as Amy Poehler was pregnant with her second child.
"If you have any doubt as to what a great actor Adam Scott is, go back and watch him join a show and immediately figure out how to flirt with a tired pregnant lady," Poehler says "It's not easy."
She adds, he also "always has fresh breath for kissing scenes and a very dry sense of humor."
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Chelsea Handler's upcoming Netflix talk show will be nothing like "Chelsea Lately," the E! talk show she hosted for seven years.
"I’m so much smarter than that show was, and I wanted to be on a show that was smarter than I was," Handler told Re/code’s Kara Swisher and Peter Kafka during the Code/Media conference this week.
Handler compared her experience at E! to being in junior high, with "people running around, throwing food, making jokes about celebrities that are stupid."
"I don’t want to have to read the New York Post, or pick up a Star magazine to read about Bruce Jenner — I don’t care," Handler added. "I don’t care, and I can say that, and I’m allowed to be honest about it."
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.At Netflix, Handler says, "It’s such a different relationship than with E!; it’s nice to be involved in a show where I do respect their opinions. It’s like going out with a guy that you’re proud to be seen with."
But Handler is taking her time to develop her new talk show.
"We don’t have a clear idea of what my talk show will be like in 2016," Handler said, "but I know what I don’t want to do and what I do want to do. I don’t want it to be just my audience that was at E!. I want to grow up."
Handler said she would like the show to include a "healthy mix of everything going on in the world," mentioning Syria and ISIS as potential subjects, "mixed with interesting stuff in our country."
She says the tagline could be: "The well-roundedness of '60 Minutes' but faster, quicker, cooler." She also compared it to "The Daily Show" in its focus on current events.
"I want correspondents going out in the field, getting information," Handler added. "And I don’t necessarily need it to be the same thing. It could be three nights a week. We have a lot of conversations about it."
We attended the event premiering the first two episodes of the series and were welcomed by a room full of monitors playing ads for new and returning Netflix series including "Daredevil" and "House of Cards." IPads on tables streamed episodes of "Friends" and the Netflix original series "BoJack Horseman."
Couches were covered with Netflix pillows, and artwork from series favorites adorned the walls.
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The coolest part of the shindig were the drinks.
Five beverages had names drawn from the worlds of the Netflix series "Grace and Frankie,""Orange is the New Black,""Bloodline,""House of Cards," and "Bojack Horseman."
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Here's the full list:
Gin and Frankie (for "Grace and "Frankie") Dorothy Parker gin, honey, lemon juice
The Slammer (for "Orange is the New Black") Pueblo Viejo Blanco tequila, cranberry juice, fresh orange juice, lime juice
The Bitter Bloodline (for "Bloodline") Gordon's gin, campari, sweet vermouth, served with an orange twist
The Underwood (for "House of Cards") Evan Williams whiskey, dash of angostura bitters, sugar cube
Bojack & Coke ("Bojack Horseman") Jack Daniels whiskey, coke, served with a maraschino cherry
Our drink of choice? We went straight for coming series "Bloodline," better known as a Negroni.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.But if this was an event for "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," where was her drink?
She had a table full of popcorn and candy that included Twizzlers, Snickers, Twix, and M&Ms. (It will make more sense after watching the first episode of the series when it premieres March 6.)
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Warning: There are spoilers ahead if you haven't watched the "Two and a Half Men" finale.
The series finale of "Two and a Half Men" aired Thursday, and many tuned in to see whether or not Charlie Sheen would return to reprise his lead character of Charlie Harper.
The series finale revolved entirely around Sheen's character.
It turned out Harper was alive and was being held prisoner for the past four years in a giant pit in the basement of an obsessive lover — a nod to "Silence of the Lambs."
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.However, Sheen never appears once in the episode.
Instead, viewers are introduced to the backside of a Sheen lookalike at the episode's end. Before he can turn around, a piano is dropped onto the lookalike, killing Sheen's character for good this time.
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The camera pans over to "Two and A Half Men" creator Chuck Lorre who turns to look at the camera and says "winning," a phrase that Sheen adopted while on his interview spree in 2011.
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Right after, a second piano falls upon his head.
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It was a bizarre, strange ending to the 12-season series.
Why bother to make an entire episode revolve around a character who was killed off four years ago when he's not going to make an appearance?
Apparently, Lorre and the producers did want Sheen to come back and reprise his character.
A title card at the end of the series from Lorre revealed Sheen was asked to come back for the finale.
Here's the message that appeared on screen:
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Here's what it says in full:
I know a lot of you might be disappointed that you didn't get to see Charlie Sheen in tonight's finale. For the record, he was offered a role. Our idea was to have him walk up to the front door in the last scene, ring the doorbell, then turn, look directly into the camera and go off on a maniacal rant about the dangers of drug abuse. He would then explain that these dangers only applied to average people. That he was far above average. He was a ninja warrior from Mars. He was invincible.
And then we would drop a piano on him.
We thought it was funny.
He didn't.
Instead, he wanted us to write a heart-warming scene that would set up his return to primetime TV in a new sitcom called The Harpers starring him and Jon Cryer.
We thought that was funny too.
In an interview for the New York Times, Lorre said he never personally spoke with Sheen about inviting him to come back. Two executive producers, Jim Patterson and Don Reo, were in touch with Sheen.
Lorre also expanded on why he thought Sheen turned down the offer to return.
I can’t say. I just have to assume that he didn’t see the humor in it, which is all right. What are you going to do? We thought that was a terrific way to end the series. He certainly understood there was a huge pent-up demand to see Charlie in the finale, and there would be creative closure in that. I wanted to make that happen, but it wasn’t meant to be.
We made what I know to be a sincere effort to include him in the finale, in a way that would give him a real featured moment, and a funny moment—a self-deprecating and outrageous moment. The final moment would have been his. He chose not to do it. That was an effort not to just give him what he wanted, but to give the fans of the show what they wanted. I’m not clear on what else I could have done. I wasn’t about to turn creative control over the show to anybody, not at this point, not in the finale. I mean, why?
Lorre was also asked whether he gave any consideration to Sheen's proposed ending for the series.
"Not for a second," he said. "It just didn’t feel appropriate for what we were doing."
After watching the episode in its entirety, you kind of can't blame Sheen for not wanting to come back.
The entire episode appears to be one giant dig at the actor.
Throughout the finale, knocks were made at Sheen for his previous behavior. Plenty of jokes are made about drugs and prostitutes.
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At one point, Ashton Kutcher's character receives the following text from Harper:
You despicable troll. You thought you could replace my ninja awesomeness, you lame clown. I will deploy army of assassins to destroy you, I will bring my bayonets of truth to the hexagon of death where I will carve my initials into your reptilian skull and cover you in tiger’s blood.
Jason Jones and Samantha Bee, a married couple who both acted as correspondents on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," are leaving Comedy Central after their untitled family comedy got picked up by TBS.
Jones announced the news via Twitter on Tuesday:
For 9 & 1/2 years, I have worked at one of the greatest TV shows of all time. But...It is time for me to go.1/2
The new TBS comedy, in which Jones will star, has been given a 10-episode series order.
The husband-and-wife duo will executive produce the series, with Jones starring.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view."The series, described as an honest and darkly comedic look at family, follows a couple and their two kids on a road trip to Florida," reports Variety. The show is inspired by their own family road trips.
Production is set to begin this summer, and the series is set to debut in late 2015.
The timing of the series order comes just after Jon Stewart announced his own departure from "The Daily Show" earlier this month.
Bee and Jones’ names had previously been thrown in the ring as potential replacements for Jon Stewart.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Netflix has released a list of its March releases, and there are plenty of originals coming from the video-streaming site.
Tina Fey's new comedy "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and the new drama "Bloodline" starring Kyle Chandler ("Friday Night Lights") make up five new series and specials coming to Netflix.
The list also contains many new releases from the past year along with a few films from the late Robin Williams.
The pickings look a bit slim so far, but we'll continue to update the list throughout March.
Here's what you should check out on Netflix in January:
TV
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"Mad Men" (available 3/22)
Get caught up with the latest episodes from season seven of the AMC series before the final episodes begin to air in April.
"Archer" (available 3/7)
Season five of FX's animated comedy hit following the antics and adventures of spy Sterling Archer.
"Bloodline" (available 3/20)
All 13 episodes of Netflix's new drama featuring Kyle Chandler ("Friday Night Lights") will premiere on the streaming site.
Movies
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"Patch Adams" (available 3/1)
A Robin Williams classic. Williams stars as Dr. Hunter Adams, who uses humor in his treatment of patients. Philip Seymour Hoffman also stars.
"Finding Neverland" (available 3/1)
The Oscar-nominated film stars Johnny Depp as playwright J.M. Barrie during the time in which he is inspired to write the play "Peter Pan."
"How to Train Your Dragon 2" (available 3/11)
The kids will want to watch this sequel to "How to Train Your Dragon." The DreamWorks Animation picture was nominated for best animated picture at the 87th Academy Awards.
Here's the full list of March releases:
Available 3/1
"Patch Adams" (1998) "Finding Neverland" (2004) "The Brothers Grimm" (2005) "Teen Witch" (1989) "30 for 30: Of Miracles and Men" "Evelyn" (2002) "Mercy Rule" (2014) "Monster High 13 Wishes" (2013) "Monster High: Ghouls Rule" (2012) "Rules of Engagement" (2000)
Available 3/5
"Food Chains" (2014) "The ABCs of Death 2" (2014)
Available 3/6
"Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" (Netflix Original) "My Own Man" (Netflix Original) "Aziz Ansari: Live at Madison Square Garden" (Netflix Original)
Available 3/7
"Archer" season five "Glee" season five "Mr. Pip" (2012)
Available 3/9
"The Angriest Man in Brooklyn" (2014) "Tyler Perry's the Single Mom's Club" (2014) "After the Fall" (2014) "Cesar Chavez" (2014)
Available 3/10
"Monster High: Haunted" (2015)
Available 3/11
"How to Train Your Dragon 2" (2014)
Available 3/15
"3rd Rock from the Sun" (the complete series) "A Different World" (the complete series) "Marvel & ESPN Films Present: 1 of 1: Genesis" (2014)
Available 3/17
"You're Not You" (2014) "Dummy" (2002)
Available 3/19
"Life Itself" (2014)
Available 3/20
"Bloodline" (Netflix Original) "God's Not Dead" (2014)
Available 3/22
"Mad Men" season seven, part one
Available 3/23
"November Man" (2014)
Available 3/25
"Turn" season 1 "Garfunkel and Oats" season one
Available 3/27
"Trailer Park Boys" season nine (Netflix Original) "Frankie & Alice" (2010)
Available 3/31
"Ask Me Anything" (2014) "The Man with the Iron Fists" (2012)
We will update this list as the month of March continues.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Ask any fan of "Parks and Recreation" to name their top five favorite scenes and surely, one of the following will rank among them.
Season 5, Episode 505 "Halloween Surprise": Where Ben proposes to Leslie.
Season 5, Episode 514 "Leslie and Ben": Where the couple say their marriage vows.
Critics regard these two scenes as some of the sweetest, most romantic moments in television history. They perfectly encapsulate Leslie's quirks, Ben's sincerity, and the powerful magic of spontaneity in a relationship.
(You can watch the scenes below.)
In Amy Poehler's new book "Yes Please," the leading lady reveals the heartbreaking event that led to the writing of those two scenes.
Season 5 kicks off with Leslie visiting Washington, D.C., where Ben set up a surprise-meeting with her ultimate crush, Vice President Joe Biden.
The cast and crew, including the show's creator and head writer Michael Schur, filmed the scene with Biden in his ceremonial office on the grounds of the White House. Poehler says he charmed them all, and didn't even flinch when her character leaned in for a kiss.
As they were walking out of the building, the high from their brush with the VP came crashing to a halt. The cast and crew learned that their show, which had been talked about as a front-runner for winning the Emmy for Best Comedy, didn't even get nominated.
Schur, who cut his teeth in the writing room of 30 Rockefeller Center and went on to write and produce the American reboot of "The Office," didn't let the snub get him down. Instead, he turned to his peers and announced, "I am going to go write the scene where Ben proposes to Leslie."
He went back to his hotel room and wrote the script for these ...
Watch Ben pop the question.
And see Ben and Leslie tie the knot.
In a recent interview with Yahoo! TV, Schur says he wrote both scenes under the impression that the show would be cancelled. That is why they offer so much closure.
Schur admitted to having written five or six series finales over the course of seven seasons — one for each time "Parks and Recreation" wasn't guaranteed a renewal. "We did it midway through Season 5, and then again at the end of Season 5," Schur says. Then, "we got our back-nine order, so we just kept going."
Still, the feeling of impending doom spawned TV-marital-bliss.
"Do you see what kind of maniac I am working with here?" Poehler teases in her memoir. "I have been shoulder to shoulder with a wonderful writer and excellent boss who loves big emotion as much as I do. Nightmare!"
The real "Parks and Recreation" series finale is Tuesday, February 24. You bet we can expect more happy endings from the old sap, Schur.
In Offerman's memoir, "Paddle Your Own Canoe," the comedian recalls the gut-wrenching five months of auditioning he endured to get the role — and how a Post-it Note helped him land the gig in the end.
In Fall 2008, rumor had it that producers Greg Daniels and Michael Schur were making a spin-off of "The Office" starring Amy Poehler. Offerman and his wife Megan Mullally watched the US reboot of "The Office" religiously.
"I would often remark, 'If I'm going to make it, if I'm ever going to get my shot, it's going to be on a show like this, in a part like Rainn [Wilson]'s,'" Offerman writes in "Paddle Your Own Canoe."
At the time, Offerman had been in the industry for 12 years. The highlights reel of his career included an off-Broadway play, a recurring role on the ABC comedy "George Lopez," improv shows at Upright Citizens Brigade — the improv theatre run by Poehler — and a one-line part in George Clooney's 2009's film "The Men Who Stare at Goats."
Years earlier, Allison Jones, LA's most top-drawer casting director, had called Offerman in to read for the role of Michael Scott, the lead of "The Office." She called him in again to audition for "Parks and Recreation."
The show's creators Daniels and Schur initally had Offerman read for a different role, named Josh (who Adam Scott also auditioned for). Josh was "devilishly handsome and charming and funny," and would be a romantic interest for Rashida Jones' character, Ann.
Offerman and his wife Mullally spent endless hours reading lines in their kitchen. "This is it. This writing. Oh my god, this is it," Mullally said to him. "Don't f--- this up, fat boy."
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He didn't get the part. (The character Josh disappeared from the script.)
Producers approached Daniels and Schur and pretty much said, you're joking, right? But Daniels and Schur didn't give up. They said to NBC, "Okay. You're right, you're right, he's really unattractive. But we really want Nick on the show. We have this other part we wrote, the part of Amy's boss, so we'd like to put Nick in that part. His name is Ron Swanson."
Four agonizing months of auditioning dragged on before he (and seasoned sitcom actor Mike O'Malley) were asked to come in one last time and improvise a couple of Leslie and Ron scenes with Poehler on tape. When Schur called with the good news, Offerman cried. And cried.
"I cried like a little baby boy who has just dropped his bacon slice in a pile of cow s---," Offerman says.
He also learned on that call that he was destined for the role.
Schur told him that three years earlier, he was in the room when Offerman auditioned for a small guest-star part on "The Office." Although a scheduling conflict prevented Offerman from getting the part, Schur was sold.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view."He liked something about me," Offerman recalls. "So he went home and wrote my name on a yellow Post-it note and adhered it to the bottom of his computer monitor, where it remained for three years until they were creating 'Parks and Rec,' and he said, among other things, 'I want this guy on the show.'"
Offerman and his wife agreed, had he gotten any of the other major roles he auditioned for along the way, he may never have found his bliss on "Parks and Recreation."
"Everthing happened for the reason that you were meant to get this job," Mullally said to him.
The final season of "Parks and Recreation" airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC.
Netflix has announced the shows and films that will be leaving the streaming site at the start of March.
1967 Oscar winner "The Graduate" will expire at the top of the month. "RoboCop" and Muppets fans will want to check out a few installments from both franchises.
Kids will be sad to see a lot of Cartoon Network shows leave by the end of the month as well.
We've highlighted a few favorites below.
Leaving 3/1
"3 Ninjas: Kick Back" (1994) "Air Bud" (1997) "Anaconda" (1997) "Arachnophobia" (1990) "Brokedown Palace" (1999) "Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams" (1981) "Cool Runnings" (1993) "Desperado" (1995) "Dumb and Dumber" (1994) "Emma" (1996) "Fireproof" (2008) "Fright Night" (1985) "Girlfight" (2000) "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" (1989) "Jackass: Number Two" (2006) "Lords of Dogtown" (2005) "Old Yeller" (1957) "Ordinary People" (1980) "Out of Time" (2003) "Pretty in Pink" (1986) "Rachel Getting Married" (2008) "Riding in Cars with Boys" (2001) "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" (1993) "RoboCop 2" (1990) "RoboCop 3" (1993) "Saving Silverman" (2001) "Seven" (1995) "Swiss Family Robinson" (1960) "The Baby Sitters Club" (1995) "The Blair Witch Project" (1999) "The Graduate" (1967) "The Possession" (2012) "The Sweetest Thing" (2002) "Troop Beverly Hills" (1989)
Leaving 3/2
"Uptown Girls" (2003)
Leaving 3/3
"The Preacher's Wife" (1996)
Leaving 3/5
"The Muppet Movie" (1979)
Leaving 3/11
"Flubber" (1997)
Leaving 3/12
"The Grey" (2012)
Leaving 3/15
"House on Haunted Hill" (1959) "Muppet Treasure Island" (1996)
Leaving 3/16
"The Tale of Despereaux" (2008)
Leaving 3/22
"Romy and Michele's High School Reunion" (1997)
Leaving 3/30
"Adventure Time" seasons 1-4 "Ben 10" seasons 1-3 "Childrens Hospital" seasons 1-2 "Codename: Kids Next Door" seasons 4-6 "Cow and Chicken" season 2 "Dexter's Laboratory" seasons 3-4 "Dude, What Would Happen?" season 2 "Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy" seasons 3-4 "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends" season 2 "Johnny Bravo" season 2 "Regular Show" seasons 1-4 "Robot Chicken" seasons 1-2 "Samurai Jack" season 2 "The Grim Adeventures of Billy & Mandy" seasons 3-4
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.As talent drop like flies from The Reporters Who Cover Television’s Jon Stewart Replacement Wish List, Larry Wilmore really stepped up his game Monday night.
Wilmore’s already understudying Stewart as host of the lead-out program The Nightly Show, and Monday night’s episode was maybe his strongest to date.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.That includes his opening monologue, but particularly his wrangling of the panel discussion, which is one of Nightly’s least consistent features (behind only the loseable Keep It 100,) which is to Nightly what Five Questions was to The Daily Show: Fun idea on track to get old quick.
NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Kelly did everything he could to stay under the radar.
"For a year, I've had to keep everything so secret," he said. "I feel awful for having to lie, but what else could I do?"
So lie he did. And if you don't know what he lied about, you might want to stop reading right here.
Kelly, of course, rode strong on Netflix's political thriller "House of Cards" in its first two seasons as the sotto-voce psycho Doug Stamper, the glowering henchman to Francis Underwood (series star Kevin Spacey) in his rise from House Whip to vice president to POTUS.
But as Underwood schemed his way into the White House at the tail end of last season, an even more startling thing occurred: Stamper was bashed in the head with a rock by an assailant and left for dead.
Now it can be told: Stamper lives! And he, in Kelly's staunch portrayal, resumes his driven, devilish mission as "Cards" unveils its 13-episode third season Friday on the Netflix website.
Stamper's survival was a secret that, against all odds in this post-secret era, almost went the distance. A consensus held firm among the "House of Cards" faithful: Stamper was dead, with Kelly regrettably out of the series.
In Baltimore, where "Cards" was shooting its third season, Kelly had taken pains to wear a hat and contact lenses rather than his usual glasses when out in public, and if approached with the inquiry, "What are YOU doing here?" he'd explain, "I'm a producer" or "These are my friends I'm coming back to visit."
That was then.
"To be able to speak freely! It's been a year," said Kelly over omelets with a reporter recently. It was his first chance to break his silence, his first chance to explain to "Cards" fans (whose gratitude that Stamper was alive might be unsettled by annoyance at having been misled) that his survival was no cheap trick.
When the scene was shot with Stamper unconscious on the ground in woods outside Washington, Kelly said he got clear directions: "You're breathing. It's very, very shallow breathing," and he demonstrated his near-death status for his breakfast companion, complete with a microscopic twitch of an eye.
From February 2014, when Season 2 premiered, the secret held. That is, until Netflix let its own cat out of the bag. Just a few days after the chat with Kelly, Netflix inadvertently posted new episodes online in what it termed a "technical glitch," very briefly but long enough for alert Web surfers to pounce, turning a leak into a social-media geyser.
As a handful of viewers glimpsed then, and everybody else can behold now, Stamper begins the season in a hospital battered and bruised and suffering from severe brain damage. He faces lengthy rehabilitation, a state all the more cruel for keeping him sidelined from his cherished role as the president's right-hand man.
"He's so different now from the character I played the first two years!" said Kelly. "But when someone suffers a brain injury, the variables of what can happen to that person are so vastly different. Playing him, I was more challenged than I've ever been as an actor."
It was a bit more rudimentary when Kelly won the part.
"('Cards' creator) Beau Willimon told me, 'Here's the deal: I don't want to ever see you emote,'" Kelly recalled with a laugh. "I said, 'OK, I can do that.'"
Born in Philadelphia, Kelly, 45, grew up near Atlanta and, after college in South Carolina, headed to New York and studied at the Actors Studio while making ends meet with jobs that ranged from waiting tables and construction to working in a consignment shop for high-end designers "where women brought in Hermes bags they no longer wanted."
He landed roles in such films as "Man on the Moon," ''Changeling," ''Now You See Me" and "Man of Steel," and the HBO miniseries "Generation Kill," as well as being a regular on "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior." This fall he will be seen in "Everest," a historical action-adventure film in which he stars as Jon Krakauer opposite Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal and his "Cards" co-star Robin Wright.
He modestly described his career as a slow build, "little step by little step."
But it was a giant step into "House of Cards" and the chilling anti-hero he brought to life. Meanwhile, Kelly's own manner — animated, easygoing — is unexpected evidence of his skill for transformation.
"Every interview I've ever done, they say, 'You SMILE!'" Kelly noted with amusement. "But you want to know the truth? That's all I ever do. I feel so blessed to be doing what I do, it's pretty easy for me to smile."
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The Emmy-winning series "House of Cards" returned to Netflix on Friday.
The show's lead character, Frank Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey, is known for his signature asides in which he breaks the fourth wall and speaks to the viewers.
More of these moments will occur in season three, but do you know how many times it has happened on the show so far?
Best known for popularizing the character of Spock, Nimoy has made countless cameos reprising the character, including on CBS’ hit comedy “The Big Bang Theory.”
Perhaps his best appearance on the series was a voiceover cameo in which he gave Sheldon (Jim Parsons) advice in the form of a tiny Spock action figure.
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In the season 5 episode, Sheldon and Leonard (Johnny Galecki) both receive collectible "Star Trek" figurines from their neighbor Penny (Kaley Cuoco).
In a dream sequence, Spock convinces Sheldon he should open and play with his mint-in-the-box “Star Trek” toy.
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After Sheldon breaks the toy, he switches it with Leonard's, thinking he won't notice.
Spock returns in a later dream to weigh on Sheldon's conscience for switching the toys.
Watch the two dream sequences clipped together below:
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Warning: There are spoilers for "House of Cards" season 3, episode 1
"House of Cards" returned to Netflix Friday.
Those who tuned in to episode one of the new season quickly learned the answer to one of the biggest cliffhangers of season 2.
Last chance to head back before spoilers.
At the end of season 2, Frank Underwood's chief of staff Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly) was brutally attacked by a woman, Rachel Posner (Rachel Brosnahan).
Though his death was never confirmed, it seemed pretty obvious that Stamper would not return for another season. After having his head beat multiple times with a rock, he was abandoned in the woods to bleed out.
So, it was a big surprise when it was revealed that Stamper actually survived.
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The entire first episode revolves heavily around Stamper and his lengthy recovery process after sustaining an injury to the left frontal cortex.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
The news was also a big surprise since it didn't get out that actor Michael Kelly was returning to reprise his character or that he was filming on set.
"For a year, I've had to keep everything so secret," Kelly told AP. "I feel awful for having to lie, but what else could I do?"
According to Kelly, he wore a hat and contact lenses in public to keep fans from noticing him on and around the "House of Cards" set.
It didn't always work.
When someone would notice him on set, he came up with a few clever lies of his own to throw people off like "I'm a producer" and "These are my friends I'm coming back to visit."
The lies worked, up until a few weeks ago when the first 10 episodes of season 3 leaked onto Netflix briefly after a technical glitch. Fans who were able to stream the first few episodes learned early that Stamper's character was alive and well.
"House of Cards" season 3 is streaming now on Netflix.
We've seen a few teasers and trailers for the upcoming show, including many images of Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) as the blind lawyer who becomes the famed vigilante.
Monday, Netflix unveiled the first image of the villain, Kingpin, who will be played by Vincent D'Onofrio ("Full Metal Jacket").
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Here's the previous teaser image Netflix released of the character.
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D'Onofrio will be the first actor to play the "Daredevil" nemesis since Michael Clarke Duncan in 2003's heavily-panned film starring Ben Affleck.
The actor tells USA Today he gained about 30 pounds and studied the comic book series for the role.
"I wanted him to have an appearance of being super-powerful so that when he throws a punch, it's a major punch," said D'Onofrio. "There's a lot of weight behind it."
Here are the release dates for the upcoming series:
"Chris D'elia: Incorrigible": April 17 A Netflix comedy special
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"Jen Kirkman: I'm Gonna Die Alone (And I Feel Fine): May 22 A Netflix comedy special.
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"Sense 8": June 5 An upcoming sci-fi drama from the Wachowski siblings.
"Orange is the New Black": June 12 Season 3 of the Emmy-winning series.
"What Happened, Miss Simone?": June 26 A documentary on the life of recording artist Nina Simone.
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"Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp": July 17 Nearly the entire original cast will return for the eight-episode miniseries sequel to the 2001 comedy.
Warning: If you haven't seen the new season of "House of Cards," there are some spoilers ahead.
The new season of the hit political drama "House of Cards" was released on Netflix this past weekend, and it's already sparking controversy.
For the most part, the show has received rave reviews — it's received an 88% approval rating on Rotton Tomatoes, and has been praised for attempting to humanize entirely unrelatable characters.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), however, is not pleased with the series' protagonist, Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey).
The series follows the ruthless Democrat Underwood and his wife Claire along their journey to dominate D.C. politics. Now, as President, and arguably the most powerful man in the world, Underwood is one step closer to his goal — but he's facing serious opposition from a Republican congress bent on preventing him from moving his political agenda forward.
His agenda is defined by one key program — America Works, or AmWorks for short — which he sells to party leaders as the "New Deal" of this generation. They're not buying it, however, mostly because of its $9 billion price tag.
Conniving and manipulative, Underwood always gets his way. Fed up with Congressional gridlock, he decides to bypass lawmakers entirely and take the needed funds from FEMA. How? He gets the mayor of Washington, D.C. to declare an unemployment "state of emergency."
As FEMA points out, the organization isn't happy with Underwood's manipulation of the term "emergency" to further his own political interests. The fictional director of FEMA isn’t enthused either. He advises Underwood that those funds are reserved for emergencies like hurricanes and floods that require immediate government resources.
While the tweet is likely just poking fun at the show, it could also serve as a warning to any President who plans to emulate Underwood's scheme: don't take our money, and we'll get along just fine.
