CBS has picked up just one midseason show for 2010-11 so far, but that may change in the next couple of weeks.

Nina Tassler, the president of CBS Entertainment, says that 12 of the 15 pilots it ordered tested well enough to go on the air. Given that and the fact that the network currently has no new comedies in reserve and only one drama — the “Criminal Minds” spinoff starring Forest Whitaker — more pickups could be on their way in the near future.

On the comedy side, “we have ‘Mad Love’ [starring Lizzy Caplan, Jason Biggs and Minka Kelly], ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ [from the 'How I Met Your Mother' team] — there are still a lot of [choices],” Tassler says. “I don’t mean to imply anything by omission, but I think we had a very strong development season. The objective goal was we needed to have a lot of options.”

For the record, the other comedy pilots CBS ordered this year were “Hitched,” “Team Spitz,” “Open Books” and an untitled project from “Bruno” co-writer Ant Hines and director Larry Charles.

Dramas that are reportedly still in play include a medical show executive produced by John Wells and “Chaos,” about CIA agents. Tassler says she and her team will make other decisions on midseason shows when they return to Los Angeles following the upfronts.?

Source

CBS just made public its fall schedule and the Ant Hines/Larry Charles Untitled Project didn’t make the cut of the new shows. I’ve heard rumors they might unveil more mid-season orders tomorrow but there’s no word of it on their official release.

You can see the full schedule over at Televisionary.

Have you ever wanted to watch Nicollette’s first ever acting gig? But you were born after 1984 and you missed any possible reruns on SoapNet. Don’t worry because you still can!

Here Media, the world’s leading multimedia company targeting the LGBT consumer, today announced the launch of “Camp here!” a new advertiser-supported online video service. “Camp here!” premiered this month on www.heretv.com, the Web portal for here! TV, the world’s leading premium gay television network. “Camp here!” will also be accessible through Here Media’s other prominent Internet properties, including Gay.com, Advocate.com, Out.com, and SheWired.com.Under the “Camp here!” service, Here Media will air more than 100 hours of MGM television and film content. The deal gives Here Media access to classic MGM television series, including the Emmy-winning Cagney & Lacey and Fame, as well as MGM feature titles that appeal to Here Media’s core LGBT demographic, such as Foxy Brown and Muscle Beach Party, among others. “Camp here!” will broadcast the MGM content in conjunction with popular Here Media titles, including Dante’s Cove, The Lair, Another Gay Movie, Brideshead Revisited, Straight-Jacket, and The Brotherhood series.

Heretv.com visitors can easily access “Camp here!” titles utilizing the site’s high-definition video player. “Camp here!” adds diverse new titles to the hundreds of video-on-demand hours heretv.com currently offers. “Camp here!” also gives advertisers direct access to heretv.com’s engaged audience.

Other “Camp here!” MGM television series include the favorites She Spies, starring Natasha Henstridge, and Paper Dolls, with Morgan Fairchild, Mimi Rogers, Lauren Hutton, Nicollette Sheridan, Brenda Vaccaro, and Lloyd Bridges.

Award-winning MGM features set to air on “Camp here!” include The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, Bent, Pocketful of Miracles, Tom Sawyer, Savage Sisters, Coffy, and Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?

“Here Media’s brands have changed the way the gay market consumes online videos. ‘Camp here!’ offers our audience an even more diverse and eclectic programming mix,” said Here Media CEO Paul Colichman. “Additionally, this new programming provides our advertisers a unique opportunity to associate their brand with premium, award-winning titles while reaching the dynamic consumer base that visits Here Media’s online brands.”

“The incredible depth of the MGM library grants us the luxury to work with the best partners to target underserved audiences via digital distribution,” commented Yaoshiang Ho, Director of Worldwide Digital Media, MGM, who continued, “We could not be any more thrilled to be working with Here Media on ‘Camp here!’”

Source

You can watch all 13 episodes of Paper Dolls here.

Brad Garrett, Nicollette Sheridan, Nicole Scherzinger, Melora Hardin and Nia Long Among Celebrities Confirmed to Attend Art Auction to Benefit the Dream Foundation

Brad Garrett to Serve as Auctioneer for Portraits of Madonna, Michael Jackson and Princess Diana

GLENDALE, Calif., May 12 /PRNewswire/ — Art Noir, Sweet 16 will showcase the artwork of 17-year old ingenue Kinley Winnaman, during a benefit on Saturday, May 15, from 7 to 10 pm at the Willardson Gallery in Glendale, CA.  The evening’s auction will benefit the Dream Foundation, which grants wishes to terminally ill adults.  Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and music provided by Twin (featuring Jesse and Ryan Collins) will be provided throughout the evening.

Actor Brad Garrett will serve as auctioneer for a series of portraits that Kinley has created of Madonna and Princess Diana, among others,.  Celebrities confirmed to attend include Nicollette Sheridan, Melora Hardin, Nicole Scherzinger, Melora Hardin, Nia Long and Lance Bass.

The Dream Foundation is the first and largest wish organization for adults whose sole mission is to enhance the quality of life for families battling life-threatening illnesses. Dream recipients have been given a prognosis of a year or less of life.  In 2010, Dream Foundation will fulfill its 10,000th dream.  For more information lease visit www.dreamfoundation.org.

Source

I said I was going to report any official saying on the matter, even if this is a fansite for her and those statements don’t agree with her.
But from my personal point of view, just because their personal experience hasn’t been bad, doesn’t mean Nicollette wasn’t; and they don’t exactly deny Nicollette’s claims. And after all, they’re ABC & Cherry’s employees, I never expected them to do otherwise. But I agree singling out Teri on the lawsuit wasn’t appropiate.

A line has been drawn on Wisteria Lane.

Desperate Housewives stars Eva Longoria Parker, Teri Hatcher, Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffman issued a joint statement Tuesday pledging their support for show creator Marc Cherry in a lawsuit filed by Nicollette Sheridan.

“It would be irresponsible of us to let the public believe that being a part of this show from its inception has been anything but a blessing,” the statement says. “We have no first-hand knowledge of what Nicollette may or may not have experienced, but we would never characterize our set as a hostile environment.

“It is, in fact, the opposite,” the statement continues. “The friendships and support that Marc Cherry, the cast, the crew and the producers have shared for the past six years have made this a wonderful job that we are grateful for every day.”

Hatcher, who plays housewife Susan on the show, separately expressed concern that the actress was singled out in the lawsuit alleging Cherry hit Sheridan in the face and that her Edie Britt character was killed off when she complained about him. Sheridan’s suit alleged that when Hatcher went over Cherry’s head to complain about him to ABC executives, he told Sheridan, “I hope Teri Hatcher gets hit by a car and dies.”

The statement said it was “unfortunate and inappropriate” for Sheridan’s attorneys to have mentioned Hatcher without her authorization.

Hatcher says: “While my adoration and respect for the classic and dynamic chemistry of the characters of Susan and Edie is indelible, I’m honored to stand with Eva, Felicity and Marcia, as a group and clarify that our set environment is nothing less than an amazingly positive experience. I have never felt discriminated against. In fact, I have felt heard and respected by Marc and other executives in regards to both my professional and personal needs.”

Source

I’ve been debating with myself the whole weekend if I should post this. I’m not gonna re-post every article that is written about the lawsuit, only the ones with official statements either made by Nicollette, ABC or Cherry or with real developments. I will, however, comment other news about this via twitter.
But I think this article is really interesting and I’ve been told the author’s credentials are legitimate and that Nicole LaPorte is willing to attach her name to an article like this suggest it is truthful. And it also gives an insight why she’s suing for sex discrimination too.
Also, for the first time they’re not just “sources”; but, while still unnamed, we get to know what kind of work these people did on the show. Until now, everybody supposedly talking were actual employees.

In the wake of Nicollette Sheridan’s lawsuit against Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry and ABC, former staffers on the show voice their own gripes to Nicole LaPorte—describing clashes on the set, Cherry’s oft-spoken desire to kill off Sheridan’s character, and Teri Hatcher’s blueberry pancake meltdown.

Stories of diva behavior on and off the set of Desperate Housewives are by now legendary. Ever since the infamous Vanity Fair cover shoot that dissolved into a lady brawl during the show’s first season, no one has ever imagined that working there is idyllic.

But in the days following the news that former Housewives co-star Nicollette Sheridan is suing the show’s creator, Marc Cherry, and ABC Studios for assault, gender violence, and wrongful termination, among other things, it’s emerging that it’s not only the actresses’ behavior that has caused waves. Regardless of what happened between Cherry and Sheridan, and the suit’s eventual outcome, a number of sources who spoke to The Daily Beast said that Cherry does indeed create a difficult work environment in which clashes with actors and writers are routine.

“He will dress you down in front of the staff. He will assault an idea,” said one former staffer. “He is very confrontational in this way. He has hissy fits.”

Though the sources—all of whom were formerly on staff on Desperate Housewives—said that Cherry is not physically abusive and cannot imagine him hitting or slapping someone with an intent to hurt, as Sheridan is claiming that Cherry did, they unanimously say that to work for Cherry, especially if you are a woman, is to be marginalized and demeaned.

“He hates women,” said one person who has worked on set. “It’s apparent on set that he’s a fan of cute, gay men, not women.”

(…Keep reading…)

Nicollette’s rep has finally spoken about the lawsuit the actress filled against ABC and Marc Cherry.

Nicollette Sheridan won’t be surprised if ABC and “Desperate Housewives” creator Marc Cherry team up to paint her as a difficult diva who is making up claims she was physically abused by Cherry.

TMZ broke the story Nicollette is suing ABC and Cherry for more than $20 mil, claiming Cherry actually struck her in the face in anger, ultimately firing her.

Nicollette’s rep tells TMZ the actress was “a model employee” and Cherry’s behavior toward her was “abusive and appalling.”

The rep says Nicollette asked ABC for “help and protection” from ABC, to no avail, adding she did not want to file suit but felt “compelled” to do it to stand up for her rights.

The rep says, “It will not be a surprise if ABC and Mr. Cherry try to depict Nicollette to be something other than a team player and long-standing industry professional.”

Source

And this is the full statement released by Nicollette’s attorney.

“Nicollette worked very hard on the show and was a model employee. Mr. Cherry’s behavior towards Nicollette was and is nothing short of abusive and appalling. The lawsuit is not something Nicollette wanted to do; it’s something she felt compelled to do. Nicollette asked ABC for help and protection from Mr. Cherry’s abusive behavior, and ultimately, ABC was not willing or able to provide that protection. Sometimes the only way that a safe and normal work environment can be created is when a hard-working person like Nicollette stands up for herself and her rights, and in doing so helps protect others who have had to work in a hostile environment.

We expect the case to be hard fought, and it will not be a surprise if ABC and Mr. Cherry try to depict Nicollette to be something other than a team player and long-standing industry professional. She put her heart and soul into the role of the Edie character, a character that she truly enjoyed playing.”

Source

It’s a lawsuit worthy of a juicy Desperate Housewives storyline.

Nicollette Sheridan alleges the show’s creator hit her in the face on the set and that she was then fired in retaliation for complaining about him, “resulting in her losing millions in future earnings,” says the suit filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Sheridan, whose character was killed off the show last year, is suing for $20 million, alleging assault and battery, gender violence and wrongful termination. She claims series creator Marc Cherry created a hostile work environment, “behaving in an extremely abusive and aggressive manner.”

Sheridan, a Golden Globe nominee who played sexy Realtor Edie Britt, claims that Cherry directed his abuse at other cast and crew members, even at star Teri Hatcher after she went above his head to ABC executives.

“I hope Teri Hatcher gets hit by a car and dies,” Cherry told Sheridan, according to the lawsuit.

Without Merit

ABC Studios says in a statement: “While we have yet to see the actual complaint, we investigated similar claims made by Ms. Sheridan last year and found them to be without merit.”

Sheridan, whose contract called for her to earn $175,000 an episode going up to $250,000 in later years, claimed that in the summer of 2008 she tried to meet privately with Cherry “in an effort to discuss his negative demeanor toward her and to discuss whether he had a problem with her work,” the lawsuit says.

Cherry told her he didn’t have a problem with her and apologized, only to lash out at her again, behaving in a “rude and degrading manner,” leading up to a clash on the set during a Sept. 24, 2008, rehearsal, the lawsuit claims.

“When Sheridan questioned Cherry about something that was in the script, Cherry took her aside and forcefully hit her with his hand across her face and head,” the lawsuit says.

Begging Forgiveness

A humiliated Sheridan yelled back, “You just hit me in the head. That is not okay. THAT IS NOT OKAY!” according to the lawsuit.

Cherry went to her trailer to “beg forgiveness,” the lawsuit says, but after Sheridan reported him to ABC, his behavior allegedly worsened. She was informed in February 2009 that her character was being written off the show and she was being fired, according to the lawsuit.

“The decision to kill off Sheridan’s character demonstrates that Cherry and ABC intended to and did retaliate against Sheridan for her complaints about Cherry,” the lawsuit says. The lawsuit notes that although some of the male characters were killed off the show, “none of the female characters had ever before been killed off or written out of the show.”

The lawsuit was first reported by TMZ.

Source

This is not a rumor, the lawsuit has been actually filled and can be seen here. I think it’s basically official Nicollette won’t ever be back on the show.

I didn’t think this would happen, but it seems Nicollette will appear in one of Desperate Housewives final episodes of the season.

While she waits to know if her pilot for CBS has been picked or not, Nicollette will pay a visit to her former co-stars.

It has been reported Travers will be back on Wisteria Lane and, while it’s not set in stone, there are plans for some flashback scenes between mother and son.

(…Keep reading…)

Jackie Collins has teamed with Amber Entertaiment for a feature version of Collins’ “Vendetta: Lucky’s Revenge”. Lucky has been feature in six Collins’ novels and two NBC mini series and was portrayed by Nicollette in Lucky Chances (1990) and Kim Delaney in Lady Boss (1992). Will she reprise her role of the headstrong daughter of Gino Santangelo?

‘Lucky’s Revenge’ , based on book, heads to film adaptation.

Jackie Collins and Amber Entertainment partners Ileen Maisel and Mark Ordesky are teaming for a feature version of Collins’ Lucky Santangelo character in “Vendetta — Lucky’s Revenge.”

The Lucky character, daughter of Gino Santangelo and Maria Grazione, has been featured in six Collins novels, which have collectively sold more than 30 million copies. She’s also been the basis for two NBC miniseries, “Lady Boss” and “Lucky Chances.”

Collins and Amber Entertainment will produce. Barry Krost will executive produce.

Logline for “Lucky’s Revenge” is being kept under wraps. Story will focus on themes of power, passion and deadly revenge.

“She’s a real kick-ass heroine,” Collins said.

Collins and Amber have already partnered on direct-to-DVD romantic thriller “Paris Connections,” which recently completed production in Paris and is premiering in the United Kingdom this summer (Daily Variety, Jan. 22).

Ordesky, a former New Line and Fine Line exec, who produced the “Lord of the Rings” franchise and pics like “Shine,” formed Amber last year with former New Line staffers Maisel and Jane Fleming, as well as documentary and TV producer Lawrence Elman.

Source