Gillian Anderson: I Was Offered A Role On
'Downton'

post from TV on HuffingtonPost.com on 15 March 2012 08:49:36 AM. © TV on HuffingtonPost.com

Gillian Anderson was offered a part in "Downton Abbey." Yep, Agent Scully almost went toe-to-toe with the Dowager Countess.

In a new interview with TV Guide Magazine, "The X-Files" star said she was offered a part in the period drama that has taken America by storm.

When Anderson was asked about the crossover success of "Downton" and whether it would help other British projects in the states -- particularly her upcoming adaptation of "Great Expectations" -- the actress said, "Hopefully people will embrace it with the same love that flowed toward 'Downton Abbey.' I was actually offered a part in 'Downton.'"

Anderson confirmed she was offered the role of Lady Cora Crawley, which is currently played by Elizabeth McGovern.

"Downton Abbey" is currently filming its third season with screen legend Shirley MaClaine playing Cora's mother. While airing in the US, "Downton" scored big ratings for PBS. Most of the cast has reportedly signed for Seasons 4 and 5 of the drama, but some very famous faces have yet to sign on the dotted line. According to reports, Maggie Smith and Dan Stevens haven't signed new contracts. TVLine reports McGovern, Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary), Hugh Bonneville (Robert), Joanne Froggatt (Anna) and Brendan Coyle (Bates) are among the cast members already signed for Seasons 4 and 5.

Since the end of "X-Files," Anderson has done quite a bit of work in Europe. She received an Emmy and BAFTA nomination for her performance in 2006's "Bleak House." Anderson also starred in BBC's adaptation of "The Crimson Petal and the White" as Mrs. Castaway. She can next be seen as Miss Havisham in "Great Expectations" on PBS on Sun., April 1, 9 p.m. ET. Now known primarily for her British TV work, Anderson told TV Guide Magazine she's had an eye on American TV, but is waiting for the right project to head back.

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'South Park' Premiere: The Toilet Ghost

post from TV on HuffingtonPost.com on 15 March 2012 08:48:16 AM. © TV on HuffingtonPost.com

"South Park" (Wed., 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central) returned with the Season 16 (count 'em) Premiere Wednesday night and showed no signs of slowing down.

The residents of South Park were visited by a spectral apparition: none other than Sir John Harington, who invented the flush toilet all the way back in the late 16th century.

Incensed that the locals were not using his invention correctly, Harington showed them just how to do it.

As he demonstrated, when doing "a Sir Harington," one should sit facing the cistern, not with one's back to it.

"So you can use the little shelf for your books and your quill and your ink." Ingenious!

When one guy observed that if you sit like that you'd have to take your pants all the way off, Harington pointed to the ubiquitous hole in the stall wall and aked, "Why do you think I designed toilet rooms with a laundry hole?"

That prompted a collective"Ooops!"

The potty-mouthed mayhem continues on "South Park" Season 16, Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

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WATCH: Anderson Cooper Tries On Wigs With Miss
Piggy

post from TV on HuffingtonPost.com on 15 March 2012 08:46:42 AM. © TV on HuffingtonPost.com

Anderson Cooper took a trip down memory lane on Wednesday when, at the behest of none other than Miss Piggy, he tried on a brown wig.

The porcine superstar will be Cooper's guest on his Thursday talk show, and in a preview video, she lamented his ever-unchanging appearance.

"You only have one look!" she cried. Luckily, Piggy had a solution: a variety of wigs. Cooper tried on the brown one (it looked a bit unnatural) and reminisced about one of his most prized former possessions: his brown hair.

"In my mind when I look in the mirror I still have brown hair, and I'm shocked every time I look in the mirror," he said. "It's kind of depressing."

(h/t Buzzfeed)

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'Tabatha Takes Over' Recap: Passive Aggressive
Tania

post from Starpulse Entertainment News - TV News on 15 March 2012 08:25:30 AM. © Starpulse Entertainment News - TV News

On Tuesday?s Tabatha, the sharp tongued stylist headed to West Hollywood, Ca?s royal dog grooming and daycare, ?Barkingham Palace.? Partners Tania and Tee are, combined, over $100 grand in debt in ...

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'CSI': Russell Interrogates Prime Suspect In
Student's Murder

post from TV on HuffingtonPost.com on 15 March 2012 08:14:45 AM. © TV on HuffingtonPost.com

In "Trends With Benefits" the "CSI" (Wed., 10 p.m. ET on CBS) team investigated the death of a recently murdered student whose photo had ended up trending on the Internet.

When D.B. Russell (Ted Danson) interrogated the prime suspect, college professor Tom Harvey (Paul Blackthorne, "The River") he discovered that having sex with students wasn't a big deal to Harvey.

The professor taught a class on "The Anthropology Of Fame," which dealt with the nature of celebrity. So Russell was therefore taken aback when Harvey played the privacy card during ther interrogation.

"After you made a career out of exposing everyone else's business. That's a little hypocritical, don't you think?"

Harvey plead guilty to the charge of hypocrisy, but wasn't admitting anything else.

Russell then put forward his theory that Harvey had panicked and killed his protege after the young man "caught you with your pants down."

"You serious?" scoffed Harvey, who pointed out that all the students he'd slept with were of age, had consented and were all female. "What scandal?" he sneered.

The "CSI" drama continues, Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

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'American Idol's' Colton Dixon Sings Hair-Metal
Hit; White Lion Frontman Praises Performance, Lays Into Steven Tyler

post from Hollywood Reporter - Live Feed on 15 March 2012 08:06:44 AM. © Hollywood Reporter - Live Feed

Shirley Halperin
"Colton has my support all the way," says Mike Tramp, co-writer of "Broken Heart" and singer of the 80s band that once toured with Aerosmith.

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Jury Enters 2nd Day Of Deliberations In
'Housewives' Trial

post from TV on HuffingtonPost.com on 15 March 2012 08:04:41 AM. © TV on HuffingtonPost.com

LOS ANGELES — The fate of Nicollette Sheridan and "Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry are in the hands of a different set of viewers than they are accustomed to worrying about – jurors.

Twelve Los Angeles-area residents will enter their second day of deliberations Thursday into Sheridan's claims that she was wrongfully terminated from the show during its fifth series. Her attorneys contend her forced departure from the show was retaliation for her complaining that "Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry hit her during an on-set dispute, but the veteran TV writer's attorney contends it was simply business.

Show business, that is.

Adam Levin, the lead lawyer for Cherry and ABC, focused on testimony during the two-week trial that indicated the decision to kill off Sheridan's Edie Britt character had been made four months before she accused Cherry of hitting her while discussing the scene. Levin argued Cherry's decision was based purely on creative reasons, and he had left Britt's character in precarious situations before "Desperate Housewives" entered its fifth season.

Sheridan's attorney Mark Baute however said jurors should award the actress nearly $6 million because Cherry and current and former ABC officials had lied about when the decision to fire Sheridan had been made. Baute said the more likely explanation was that Britt's role was eliminated in December 2008, the same month Cherry had been cleared of wrongdoing for the September 2008 spat.

"You don't make decisions on killing one of your top five actresses early," Baute said. "It's a game-day decision. You wait."

The attorney also told jurors it didn't make sense that ABC officials had renewed Sheridan's contract for the fifth season of the show if they intended to kill off her character. Her contract guaranteed her a full season's pay and a share of profits for the entire series.

Sheridan looked directly at the jurors as her attorney argued that she should be awarded millions for being dropped from the primetime comedy/soap opera.

Nine members of the 12 person panel must agree on a verdict.

Levin urged the jury to reject defense contentions that most of the witnesses they heard during the two-week trial were lying.

"If there is a conspiracy, then these are the Keystone Kops of conspirators," Levin said. He noted that the memories of several writers and producers differed on details of the decision to fire Sheridan. "The fact that these witnesses differ on small facts – it lends to their credibility."

Levin also contended Baute and Sheridan were resorting to desperate tactics.

"Desperate is claiming that 10 good citizens of California conspired to get their story straight," Levin said.

Levin said people such as former studio head Mark Pedowitz and former ABC network chief Steve McPherson had no reason to lie about giving Cherry a green light in May 2008 to kill off the Britt character.

In addition, Levin noted that two of Sheridan's key witnesses, both former writers on the show, disagreed on when discussions began about ditching the character. Jeff Greenstein said the talks began a month or two before Sheridan and Cherry had their dispute in September 2008, while Lori Kirkland Baker said no discussion occurred until December 2008.

Baute said Baker's testimony was a key to showing a conspiracy existed.

"One or two quality witnesses (are) better than five or 10 people who are spinning, finessing or lying," Baute said.

Sheridan's case initially included a battery claim, but the judge ruled Tuesday that jurors will no longer be asked to consider that allegation.

"Desperate Housewives" was a ratings powerhouse in its early years, but has seen its audience dwindle. The show is in its eighth and final season.

___

ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co.

___

Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

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Coronation Streets Bill Roache has slept with up
to 1,000 women including Pat Phoenix

It may sound unbelievable, but Coronation Street star Bill Roache ? who plays the frankly dull Ken Barlow ? says he has slept with up to one thousand women. While his Corrie character Ken Barlow has managed to have 28 girlfriends in his 50 years on the show, in real-life Roache has achieved a string [...]

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PHOTOS: January Jones' Unique Dress

January Jones is settling into her comfortable role as Betty Draper, turning up at the "Mad Men" season five premiere (we're so excited, by the way) to fete the new season alongside Jon Hamm, Alison Brie and other cast members.

Jones, a new mom and a blogger for The Huffington Post, slipped into a Roland Mouret black cutout dress that was flounced up with a white ruffle at the hem.

We dig her retro bob and glossed lips (very, uh, "Mad Men"), but still, we're not sure what to think about the dress. It reminds us of something Rooney Mara would wear, but we're not sure Jones has the same kind of cold Scandinavian charm (or something?) to pull it off.

But that's just our two cents... what do you think? Check out her frock and vote below.

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Regis Philbin Dishes On His 'Hot In Cleveland'
Role

Since stepping down as co-host of "Live!" in November, 80 year-old Regis Philbin has made no secret of the fact that he has no intention of retiring from show business.

As he told "Late Late Show" (Weeknights, 12:30 a.m. ET on CBS) host Craig Ferguson, what better place to hang his hat than "Hot In Cleveland" where he's a spring chicken compared to the 90 year-old star, Betty White.

"They've asked me to come be an actor in it," said Regis, who admitted that he's been finding it hard to get into character and actually act.

Regis plays White's hair stylist -- and possibly even her new toy boy if all goes according to plan -- in the sitcom.

He explained that White's character Elka had been under the impression for years that her straight male hair stylist was in fact gay, until things change when he makes a pass at her.

"It's hard not to!" joked Ferguson, who once received a marriage proposal from White."What people don't know, is how sexy Betty is," he said. "I know!" quipped Regis. "She's an animal!"

"Hot In Cleveland" airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. EST on TV Land. "Late Late Show With Craig Fergsuon" airs weeknights at 12:30 a.m. ET on CBS.

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