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Jack BlackComic genius and musical talent Jack Black will rock the house on April 1st as the host of the 19th annual Kids Choice awards, hosted by the kid-centric Nickelodeon. We can’t imagine a better host than the energetic, always appealing Jack Black. Really, it’s enough to make us want to tune in - especially after reading Jack’s plans:

Black told E! Online that he had “a lot of secret plans for when I host the awards, but I can tell you I’m going to bring the super-duper, freaky-deaky, ultra-clowny super dance! But that’s all I’ll say.”

Nickelodeon’s executive vice president of development and original programming, Marjorie Cohn, said Black was a natural fit for the show. “With Jack as host, the surprise factor is naturally elevated. Even we can hardly wait to see what will happen,” she said in a statement.

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Bill NyeOkay, did anyone else have a crush on Bill Nye the Science guy? He did look really cute in that bow tie. An entire generation has tuned into his hybrid comedy/science show for nine years on PBS, waiting to laugh and learn. The science stud has recently wed the lucky Blair Tindall, at a ceremony that included fellow scientists and musicians. Congratulations to the lovely couple! Do you think Bill performed any science experiments at the reception?


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What's On TV

Tonight’s choices are decent, though nothing to shout about. (Unless you’re on American Idol.)

The Grammy Awards, 8pm, CBS. Crooners glitter it up on music’s biggest night.

American Idol, 8pm, FOX. The hopefuls finally make it to Hollywood, where dreams will dissolve and ears will bleed.

The Biggest Loser, 8pm, NBC. Husband and wife teams lose big to win big.

Bones, 9pm, FOX. This all new episode pits the beautiful partners against murderers and mysteries.

Lost, 9pm, ABC. Fans will surely find delight in this all new Lost.

Law & Order, 10pm, NBC. Television’s longest-running crime serial tackles all new crime tonight.


Super Bowl Grey's AnatomyWe all knew that a plush spot right after the Superbowl would help raise Grey’s Anatomy’s exposure—but who would have thought that it would do so well?  Not only did the show bring in 38 million viewers—it was the best performance for a post-Superbowl show in 5 years.  It was also the 3rd-highest rating for that slot in 18 years.  We all knew that Grey’s was hot (and last Sunday’s thriller was no exception), but it’s nice to see that a new audience may now be discovering that out for themselves.

If you would like the opportunity to watch that tense episode for the the first time (or just re-watch that shower scene sans the beer goggles)—you will have another opportunity.  ABC will milk that show for all its worth and re-air it this Thursday from 9:30-10:30pm right after Dancing with the Stars.


Television AcademyThe nominations for the Daytime Emmys were announced on Wednesday and The Young and the Restless rose to the top of the pack.  The CBS soap opera received 18 nominations and will compete for Best Soap Opera against 8-time winner . Other expected nominations went out to Ellen DeGeneres for Best Talk Show Host (one of 11 nominations overall) and to Alex Trebek for Best Game Show Host. A highlight of the evening will be the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Carol Spinney—the long-time voice behind Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.

The Daytime Emmys will air on April 28 on ABC.

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It’s a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion of sorts: Alexis Denisof, who played watcher Wesley first on Buffy and then on Angel, will guest star on the comedy hit How I Met Your Mother. Denisof has been married to Alyson Hannigan, who played Willow on Buffy and now stars on How I Met, since 2003.

Both the actors and the fans are looking forward to this delightful pairing.

“He actually just did an episode of our show. It was so much fun,” Hannigan told reporters last week during interviews for her film “Date Movie,” which opens Friday, Feb. 17. She won’t reveal who Denisof is playing on the show, but does allow that “it’s very funny and actually, he’s coming back for the next episode as well.”

“How I Met Your Mother,” which airs Monday nights on CBS, is also Hannigan’s first regular role in a TV comedy, although most of her movie work has been comedic. She says she’s enjoying the camaraderie she shares with the cast, which also includes Josh Radnor, Cobie Smulders, Jason Segel and Neil Patrick Harris.

“I was actively looking for a half-hour [show] because of the family aspect of television, going to work with the same people for the majority of the year and getting to do what I love to do,” she says.

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Raven SymoneRaven-Symone, best known for her roles as the adorable tyke Olivia on The Cosby Show, and as the lead character on the eponymous That’s So Raven, will step into more serious shoes Monday night. Based on a true story, Lifetime’s For One Night follows the story of Raven’s character, who causes violent controversy when she seeks to end her high school’s tradition of racially segregated proms.

The show premieres tonight, and will repeat several times throughout the week, so be sure to check your local listings. We were fortunate enough to screen an advance copy, and it is obvious that the comedy-trained Raven-Symone could have a shining future in dramatic series. This would be an excellent film to watch with your family, and discuss the issues afterwards.

“I was so excited to be a part of this,” Raven-Symone says. “I’d always held out on doing a dramatic piece, because I didn’t want my first step into drama being a superficial, thin story. I thought this was just thick enough to show people [what I can do]. I don’t want to do pieces that don’t make a difference, and this being a true story made it even more perfect for me.”

“For One Night” may startle viewers by showing such prejudice still exists some places, but Raven-Symone maintains she isn’t surprised. “I come from the South (Atlanta), and there’s still racism there. A lot of people don’t want to open their minds to the new world, and I never said that’s everybody, and it’s not saying I think their beliefs are wrong. They haven’t opened their eyes completely. It’s not stupidity, it’s just ignorance ... not knowing the facts, not wanting to change.

“You get that sometimes, and you just have to walk away from the situation sometimes. Otherwise, you can get yourself in trouble and get your emotions tied in, then bad stuff can happen. If you can handle it responsibly, and you’re smart and educated on the subject, you’ll be OK.”

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Battlestar GallacticaThe gorgeous Amazon is back: Xena’s Lucy Lawless returns to television in Battlestar Galactica, in a reprisal of the character D’Anna Briars. Fans can enjoy Lawless’s talents for ten episodes…and will no doubt keep their fingers crossed that she will become a permanent addition to the cast.

Fans of the critically hailed show won’t have to wait to see her again, though—she’s set to make another guest appearance in an episode scheduled for Friday, Feb. 24.

Lawless’ character, a journalist, arrived on Galactica to do an expose on supposed misconduct by crew members that resulted in the death of civilians. Her piece ended up having the opposite effect, however, bridging a gap between the military and civilian survivors of humanity.

Viewers also found out that D’Anna had an ulterior motive—she’s a human-looking Cylon sent to gather information on the humans.

Lawless, a native of New Zealand, shot stardom in this country during her time as “Xena: Warrior Princess,” which ran in syndication from 1995-2000. She’s also appeared on “The X-Files” and “Veronica Mars” and starred in the short-lived WB series “Tarzan” two seasons ago.

 

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Numb3rsDashed dreams are given a chance of rejuvenation as major networks give the go ahead to previously rejected pilots. This move has been successful in the past, such as when CBS first rejected Numb3rs, but then gave it a chance to air and watched it become a hit show. Will other shows be as lucky?

The mix of second chance pilots offers a bit of everything: drama, comedy, and adventure, and producers hope that viewers will be receptive.

With a staggering amount of new material pitched every development season, the resurrection odds for an older script that already has been passed on are minimal. But there are a few factors that can increase a show’s chances.

“The key word is passion,” Fox executive vice president of programming Craig Erwich says. “Somebody—it can be the writer, an agent or an executive—has to not allow the project to die. In the back of their minds, all executives carry about 10 projects they wish they’d made.”

For eight years after CBS passed on his drama The Truth About Joey Ice Cream, writer Paul Haggis tried to get the project, about four young Irish brothers in New York, made. Finally, NBC last summer picked up the script to a pilot and later to series titled The Black Donnellys. It didn’t hurt that in the meantime, Haggis had become one of the hottest filmmakers in Hollywood after garnering critical acclaim for writing Million Dollar Baby and for co-writing and directing Crash.

Shonda Rhimes, creator of ABC’s red-hot drama Grey’s Anatomy, also is a writer whose previous work is being revisited after she made it big. Rhimes is writing a new journalism-themed drama pilot for ABC for midseason 2006-07 consideration. In reality, that project was developed a year earlier than Grey’s and now is being reworked.

We’re hopeful that we’ll find some diamonds in this so-called ‘junk pile.’ Sometimes a second chance is just what a quality show needs.


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Alert to Fox:  You may have the market cornered on aspiring pop stars, but CBS is hoping to make a name for themselves in the ROCK star division.  Following the relative success of their first attempt, CBS is ready to start the audition process for the 2nd season of their show, Rock Star.  Those who saw J.D. Fortune become INXS’s lead singer last season—replacing the deceased Michael Hutchence—know that the band has had a slight resurgence, and almost sold-out tour, since the show ended.  So is it possible that success can strike twice?  Who knows?  As things stand right now, it is not even known which band contestants will be vying to be part of. 

For those who want to chance their luck:  Auditions begin March 1 in Austin, Texas, and will be held throughout March in Boston, Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Toronto, Minneapolis, Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver and Los Angeles.


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