More TV NEWS

• Update: Brit 'n' Mel Become Bon Voyage BFFs

  E! Online - Thu May 15, 11:20 PM PDT
  UPDATE: A source in Costa Rica tells E! that Britney Spears arrived with Mel Gibson at 3:18 p.m. local time. Upon arrival, Britney looked calm, albeit tired, from the trip. Along with Gibson, his wife Robin and Britney's father Jamie Spears, there were some unidentified youngsters who also got off the plane. An immigration executive boarded their jet to complete the necessary paperwork and, about an hour later, the group boarded a smaller private plane and took off for the more »

• DeGeneres, de Rossi plan to marry, AP is told

  Associated Press - Fri May 16, 3:54 AM PDT
  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Ellen DeGeneres is putting the California Supreme Court ruling in favor of gay marriage into action -- she and Portia de Rossi plan to wed, DeGeneres announced during a taping of her talk show. DeGeneres was taping the episode of " The Ellen DeGeneres Show " on Thursday, the day the state's high court struck down California laws against gay marriage, and it was to air Friday, a person close to the production said. The person, who was not authorized to discuss more »

• Kelly Preston fired up for HBO suburban satire

  Reuters - Fri May 16, 3:18 AM PDT
  Kelly Preston has signed to star in HBO's pilot "Suburban Shootout," a dark comedy about a woman caught between two rival gangs of homicidal housewives. Preston will play Camilla, the formidable leader of one of the gangs. She joins the previously cast Kerri Kenney and Rachael Harris . The project is based on a British series that was picked up in the U.S. by women's cable channel Oxygen. Preston, who recently had a recurring role on NBC's " Medium ," stars more »

• USOC still working on TV network for Beijing

  Associated Press - Fri May 16, 12:59 AM PDT
  The U.S. Olympic Committee's aggressive plan to start its own cable network is moving forward, though officials are giving no indications that the network will be on the air before the Beijing Olympics, as the federation had once hoped. The USOC has secured rights to televise events from more than half the individual sports, but the strategy of bringing them to air has been slow to develop and nobody inside the organization's offices has been willing to provide specifics. more »

• Fox yells "cut" on commercials

  Reuters - Thu May 15, 11:32 PM PDT
  Fox Broadcasting said Thursday it would drastically reduce the commercial levels of two upcoming action dramas -- "Fringe" and "Dollhouse" -- in an effort to reinvigorate broadcast television. Producer J.J. Abrams ' "Fringe" will kick off with a two-hour premiere in August. Joss Whedon 's "Dollhouse," which only wrapped up its pilot Friday, will be the second project and begin in January. Calling it "remote-free TV," Fox Entertainment chairman Peter Liguori more »

• "Bachelor" reruns woo VH1

  Reuters - Thu May 15, 11:29 PM PDT
  " The Bachelor " will be looking for love all over again on VH1. The lifestyle cable network said Thursday it acquired the full library of ABC's reality competition series. VH1 -- which has set network records with its own dating reality shows, including "Flavor of Love" and "Rock of Love With Bret Michaels " -- will air the first seven seasons of "Bachelor" from June 1-7, with one season airing each day as part of a marathon. "Bachelor" debuted on ABC in March more »

• Grease Is the Word for Taylor Hicks

  E! Online - Thu May 15, 3:05 PM PDT
  Just when Taylor Hicks seemed to be in danger of being a public-eye dropout, along comes the favorite landing spot of many an American Idol refugee. Broadway. Starting June 6, the silvery haired season-five champ will jump into the role of Teen Angel , Frenchy's guardian angel and the singer of "Beauty School Dropout," in the current reality-show-fueled revival of Grease at the Brooks Atkinson Theater. Hicks is slated to Soul Patrol the stage until Sept. 7. The production, more »

• Fox schedules sci-fi and reality for new season

  Reuters - Thu May 15, 10:07 PM PDT
  Sci-fi action dramas and hourlong reality shows populate Fox's schedule for next season, which includes new shows from top producers J.J. Abrams (" Lost ") and Joss Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer"). Fox's lineup, unveiled Thursday during its "upfront" presentation to advertisers, includes three new dramas, two comedies and an unscripted series. The network plans once again to launch its fall season earlier than most competitors. During the week of August 25, more »

• Zuniga heads down aisle for "Mail Order Bride"

  Reuters - Thu May 15, 9:34 PM PDT
  Daphne Zuniga will star in the Hallmark Channel TV movie "Mail Order Bride," which is shooting in Vancouver for a November premiere. The " Melrose Place " veteran will play a woman whose friend dies before coming out West to be a mail-order bride. Her character takes her place in order to escape from a mobster (Greg Evigan) who "owns her" and keeps her involved in illegal activities that she does not want to do anymore. Zuniga most recently had a recurring role on the more »