Archive for May 17th, 2009

UFC will induct two new members into its Hall of Fame in conjunction with the milestone UFC 100 event on July 11. According to the Wrestling Observer, the leading candidates—based on industry-wide speculation—are Chuck Liddell and the late Charles “Mask” Lewis. Competing speculation says that Matt Hughes will replace one of the aforementioned names as an... »

Though WWE’s ratings have rebounded from their recent bottoms, they are still far below heyday numbers for the company.  Pay-per-view buyrates are also falling consistently short of past years’ numbers. The recent struggles, combined with the reality that most of WWE’s top stars are aging well past their prime, have put WWE Chairman Vince McMahon... »

Sources say that The Undertaker is gearing for a mid-July return to the squared circle. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, while the return date has not yet been confirmed, WWE does want to re-establish the wrestler on television early enough to build a big angle for August’s Summerslam. With pay-per-view returns for Royal Rumble and... »

UFC 98 takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 23.  Originally expected to feature the Heavyweight title unification bout between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir, the main-event was switched to Rashad Evans vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.  When Jackson also withdrew due to injury, Lyoto Machida stepped in... »

Though The CW has not followed FOX and ABC in officially making numerous pilot pickups, Variety reports that “Melrose Place” and “Vampire Diaries” are nearly locks. Producers for both shows have been “aggressively” shopping for staff, a strong indication that they will appear on The CW’s lineup when it is announced on Thursday. The former a... »

FOX was not the only network making moves ahead of next week’s upfront presentations?ABC made decisions on fourteen total series, reports Variety. On the renewal front, ABC confirmed that freshmen series “Castle” and “Better off Ted,” along with longtime comedy “Scrubs,” will all be back next season. All had been considered bubble shows at one... »

Reports circulated Friday that FOX had agreed to renew “Dollhouse” for a second season. Despite beginning to develop–especially in the latter half of the season–the cult buzz expected of a Joss Whedon series, the show consistently underperformed in the ratings for FOX. Its finale posted a mere 1.0 in adults 18-49, which would be considered... »

Though upfronts do not officially begin until next week, FOX is leaving little mystery about its pickups for next season. The network most recently confirmed that comedy pilot “Brothers” has been granted a thirteen episode order for next season. The comedy stars Michael Strahan and Darryl “Chill” Mitchell in a comedy about a retired athlete... »

The eighth “American Idol” season finale is set. And one of the two contestants reached the show’s end against many critics’ better judgement. Though other favorites, such as Alexis Grace and Lil Rounds, received attention early, as the competition developed, it started to build towards a Danny Gokey-Adam Lambert finale. Both were polarizing (with the... »

“Party Down,” the little-known but very well-liked original comedy on Starz, has received a ten episode order for a second season. From creator Rob Thomas (”Veronica Mars”), the series focuses on a combination of Hollywood has-beens and hopefuls working for a party catering company. The half-hour sitcom stars Ken Marino, Adam Scott, Lizzy Caplan, Ryan Hansen, Martin Starr and Jane Lynch. Of the six... »

It failed to match the numbers for last week’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” debut, but the rebooted “Star Trek” performed well enough to dominate its debut weekend at the box office. According to estimates, the film grossed $72.5 million this weekend; an additional $4 million was earned during Thursday night presentations. Having landed in the high-end of... »

“American Idol” had an all-female final three in season three, but it has yet to reproduce the feat on the guy’s end. Until now. Allison Iraheta was eliminated Wednesday, leaving only Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey and Kris Allen in the competition. Lambert and Gokey have been frontrunners since the beginning of the season, while Allen... »

FOX gave an early second season pickup to new drama “Fringe,” which has performed reliably?albeit far from brilliantly?alongside “American Idol” on Tuesdays. The year’s top new show among adults 18-49, “Fringe” stars Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Lance Reddick, Kirk Acevedo, Blair Brown and Jasika Nicole. “Lost” creator JJ Abrams is an executive producer. “‘Fringe’... »

NBC demonstrated its faith in “Southland” by renewing the series for a second season Friday, a day after the show hit a ratings low. According to THR, the renewal is for thirteen episodes. “Southland” had been considered a lock for renewal by the second week of its run; in addition to its critical acclaim and broad-appeal... »

If one skims a report of Wednesday’s “American Idol” results show, learning that Matt Giraud was eliminated, he probably would not be seriously shocked. But the results show was hardly textbook. For the first time this season, Adam Lambert, who most consider one of the biggest frontrunners ever on the show, landed in the bottom... »

First dismissed as baseless fan speculation, a sequel to the critically-acclaimed “Wall Street” took a big step towards reality. According to THR, Michael Douglas, who won an Academy Award for his performance in the first film, will reprise his role as Gordon Gekko, while Oliver Stone will be back to direct. Tentatively called “Wall Street 2,”... »

Creed confirmed lengthy speculation Monday with the announcement on its website that it is reuniting for a tour and new record. A Rolling Stone feature further enlightened the situation, noting that the lead songwriting team of Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti has already compiled six demos for the new album. Recording for the album, tentatively... »

The primetime version of ABC’s “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” will return for a tenth anniversary celebration this summer. The Regis Philbin-hosted game show, which took the nation by storm in 1999, will air for eleven nights in August. Airings are scheduled for Sunday through Thursday at 8PM, with the show opening on August 9... »

A predictable “American Idol” results show left Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai out of this year’s top five. Rounds, who sang “I’m Every Woman” and Desai, who offered “Dim All the Lights,” both failed to gain unanimous approval from the judging panel and had been regulars in the bottom three. Sure enough, the two were... »

There have been results shows in which “American Idol” did not wave goodbye to a contestant, but Wednesday marked the first time the judges used the new “save” feature to keep a competitor in the running. Though his rendition of “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman” was panned by the judges last night, wildcard... »