Mimicry not always flattery: CBS and ABC face off over new reality series
Julie Chen returns to host Season 14 of "Big Brother"
Networks usually welcome a little bit of friendly competition. Once a new series premise is developed, other networks tend to take the idea, tweak it a little bit, and launch it on a different station.
Delightful d'Arabian: Former 'Food Network Star' winner continues to draw in viewers
“Ten Dollar Dinners” host Melissa d’Arabian, seen here in "Drop 5 Lbs"
As Season 8 of "Food Network Star" nears its July 22 finale, there is one former winner who knows first-hand what the finalists are going through at this stage of the competition.
New Releases for the week of July 8 - 15
Margaret
Anna Paquin stars as a young woman whose guilt overrides her life. Seventeen-year-old Margaret feels guilty when a small action causes a tragic car accident. As she tries to make amends for what she thinks she was responsible for, she ends up isolating herself from her friends and family who can't convince her that she didn't cause the accident.
Director: Kenneth Loneragan. Stars: Anna Paquin, Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo, Sarah Steele, Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, J. Smith-Cameron, Allison Janney, Olivia Thirlby, Kieran Culkin. 2011, 149 mins., drama.
American Reunion
It's been more than 12 years since the gang of East Great Falls attended their fateful prom and graduated. Since then, Jim Levenstein married the love of his life, Michelle, and they have two lovely children. Unfortunately, their sex life has been suffering, because of work and the amount of attention the kids need. The clan reunites for a high school reunion, and everyone puts on a happy face while trying to impress their friends and former classmates. Kevin and Vicky have long broken up, but a drunken one-night stand gives Kevin false hope of a reconciliation. Stifler hasn't changed a bit, and Finch is determined to prove to his friends that he is not a failure.
Director: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg. Stars: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Seann William Scott, Mena Suvari, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Jennifer Coolidge, Eugene Levy, Natasha Lyonne. 2012, 113 mins., comedy.
Being Flynn
Nick Flynn never really knew his father. Jonathan had run away from his family when Nick was an infant, and other than a few meaningless letters, Nick has had no contact with his father. Now an adult, Nick works at a homeless shelter in New York City, he again encounters his father, who is now without a job, income or a place to stay. A con man on the run from the police, Jonathan is a struggling poet, and he may just have to rely on his son to get back on his feet.
Director: Paul Weitz. Stars: Robert De Niro, Paul Dano, Julianne Moore, Olivia Thirlby. 2012, 86 mins., drama.
Black Limousine
At one time, Jack MacKenzie was a prolific songwriter for the big screen, and he had it all -- family, friends and a glamorous lifestyle. After his career took a downward spiral, Jack started to lose his wife, his friends and all of his belongings. Forced to take a job as a limo driver to make ends meet, he is isolated in the driver's seat, and his mind starts to wander. He soon loses the most important thing of all -- his mind.
Director: Carl Colpaert. Stars: David Arquette, Bijou Phillips, Vivica A. Fox, Nicholas Bishop, Lin Shaye, Petra Sanader, Tom Bower, Carla Ortiz. 2010, 110 mins., horror.
The Flowers of War
This film is an intense story about the strength of the human spirit. "The Flowers of War" takes place during the Japanese invasion of China, when a young girl turns to an American soldier to help her and her friends as they try to survive the invasion.
Director: Zhang Yimou. Stars: Christian Bale, Nini, Paul Schneider 2011, 121 mins., drama.
Late Laughs for the week of July 8 - 15
Live: Jimmy Kimmel
There's a great tradition in hockey. Each player on the winning team gets the Stanley Cup for a night. It's similar to what happens in the NBA, but instead of a trophy, they get a Kardashian sister.
Conan: Conan O'Brien
CBS has heart: '3' women look for love in new series
Rachel Harley, April Francis and Libby Lopez as seen in "3"
Talking Dead, on AMC
As "The Walking Dead" fans gear up for its return, host Chris Hardwick speaks with in-studio guests, including the show's executive producers and celebrity fans.
NYC 22, on CBS
When robbers hold up a bar, off-duty cops Yoda, Tonya, Ahmad and Apple are trapped inside.
Recaps for the week of July 2 - 6
Lexi Ainsworth stars as Kristina in "General Hospital"
The Bold and the Beautiful
Hope is finally convinced that she and Liam will be happy in their new life, but Taylor continues to push Steffy to go after the man she loves. Bill seems to have a change of heart regarding Liam and Hope's marriage when he and Katie learn the sex of their baby, but Hope doesn't trust Bill's sudden flip in attitude. Brooke pleads with Hope to cut off all contact with Deacon because he is not a good person to be involved with. Karen reconsiders telling Bill and Katie about her relationship with Danielle after seeing Bill's new lease on life. Thomas and Caroline go on a double date with Marcus and Dayzee, which ends when the women start competing to see who has the better man. Later, Brooke and Katie discover that Liam has been hiding something important from Hope.
Days of Our Lives
Will gets his hands on the document proving that EJ is not a DiMera, and he confronts EJ with the truth. He declares that he will be calling the shots from now on, and EJ must teach him everything he needs to know to rule the company and the town. Sami is brokenhearted to be one of the last people to learn that Carrie is pregnant, and she assumes that Rafe is the father. When Sami and Rafe face off, Rafe's behavior makes EJ wonder if he is the father of Nicole's baby. Nicole, meanwhile, spends the night with Daniel, and the two of them have an inexplicable attraction. Andrew blackmails Gabi and tells her that he could easily convince the police that kidnapping Abigail was her idea. Cameron gets a job in Salem, while Brady's drug test comes back positive.
General Hospital
Kate struggles with haunting dreams about Connie's actions, and she turns herself into the police. Meanwhile, Heather blackmails Todd into giving her the gossip column, but Sam gets a job at the paper as well so she can keep an eye on Heather. Tracy is distraught to learn that Luke and Anna have been seeing each other, so she lies to Anna about Luke's connection to Anthony's murder. Maxie moves in with Patrick until she and Matt sort things out, but Patrick loses it when Maxie accidentally puts on Robin's bathrobe. Kristina and Trey grow closer while they work on Kristina's project, but Trey and Starr butt heads when they try to sort out their roommate problems.
The Young and the Restless
The police charge into Paul's room and take the gun away from him. Ricky has fallen out the window, and Eden in unconscious, so only a speechless Paul knows what happened. When asked where he got the gun, Lauren pulls Michael aside and confesses that she bought the gun for protection from Daisy. Victor and Ashley swear to get revenge on their daughter for her publicity stunt, and when Abby and Carmine arrive at the party, Carmine is arrested for attempted kidnapping. Ashley is served with a large fine and community service. Meanwhile, Anita keeps alluding to the fact that Jeff is Chelsea's father, and when she recalls an intimate detail about him, Gloria realizes that it could be true. Cane receives an email that makes him think Samantha is still alive somewhere.
Improvised trust: ABC's new improv show reunites 'Whose Line' vets
Wayne Brady, Jonathan Mangum and Colin Mochrie with guest performer Brad Sherwood as seen in "Trust Us With Your Life"
Acting is a tough gig. Good actors are masters of memorizing their lines and the nuances and inflections of every word they say. They're aware of the movements of their bodies and the expressions on their faces.
Q: I caught part of a kids show the other day that my daughter really liked, but I don't know what it's called. It had simplistic animation, and it was about a girl with pink hair who made up stories for her little brother to teach him lessons. They would
The show you're looking for is called "Pinky Dinky Doo," which has a pretty strong kids-show pedigree.
It was created by Jim Jinkins, based on his own books of the same name. Jinkins is probably best known for creating the popular Nickelodeon kids series "Doug" in the early '90s.
As if that weren't enough, "Pinky Dinky Doo" was produced by none other than Sesame Workshop, which you may know from a little show it does called "Sesame Street."