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Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg ‘Can’t Figure Out’ Why ‘Blue Bloods’ Is Ending as They Prepare to Say One Last Goodbye(12/12/24) (variety.com) After 293 episodes, is the Reagan family really saying goodbye? Well, not if the cast of “Blue Bloods” could help it.Ever since the news broke that Season 14 of the police drama would be its last, Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg and more members of the cast have been vocal about wanting to continue. But before we get to the end, let’s start at the beginning. In 2010, CBS almost passed on the police drama. “They did 10 pilots that year and it was the last one they picked up, but also the highest testing one they did,” Selleck recalls, sitting across from Wahlberg for our interview. A large reason he believes it was greenlit — legendary producer Leonard Goldberg. “Tom and Leonard were two titans in television. Sorry to embarrass you, Dad,” Wahlberg adds, looking at Selleck, who has played his father Commissioner Frank Reagan on all 14 seasons. “I think their reputations, talent and commitment to excellence got the show a chance.” “I was told on Friday before the upfronts it wasn’t going to go on the air. And then by Sunday, I got a call,” Wahlberg remembers, noting he was on the road with New Kids on the Block at the time. “I was with my band on our cruise with 3,000 fans, and they were trying to get me at sea, saying, ‘You need to be in New York at the upfronts tomorrow.’” Selleck remembers it like it was yesterday. And remembers that getting the 10 p.m. Friday night slot wasn’t exactly a hot ticket. “Imagine if you told CBS when we started in 2010, ‘Here’s a show you can program on your worst time slot. You don’t have to promote it, and it’ll win the night for 15 years.’ That’s pretty neat!” Selleck met Wahlberg once before filming the pilot episode in Toronto. The day filming began, he met Bridget Moynahan (Erin Reagan) and Will Estes (Jamie Reagan), and they were all set to be a family. It wasn’t easy — but one thing was clear: The Reagans belonged in New York City. So, it was time for everyone to relocate. Selleck had made a commitment to his family in Los Angeles but agreed to travel back and forth. “It was worth commuting for 15 years every two weeks,” he says. The Reagan dinner scenes, in which every member would join together at the table, were extremely important to him; it’s a scene featured in every episode. When Selleck first read the pilot, he warned Goldberg about the dinner scenes, telling him, “The network’s gonna ruin it, they’re going to cut the hell out of it.” Goldberg promised they wouldn’t. And he kept his word. “I was scared to death [at the start],” Selleck admits. “The director called me the night before, and he said, ‘I think you should do a New York accent.’ And I said, ‘I don’t have that in my bag of tricks. If you wanted it, you should have told me six months ago or six weeks ago!’ So that’s all I could think about. They all sound great. I sound stupid!” But Frank never sounded stupid. And Selleck, “from day one, fought for the integrity of the show,” says Wahlberg. “The show could have gone in multiple directions after it was picked up, and Tom was like, ‘Listen. It’s about family first.’ They had this big set design with a computer, and Tom was going to stand in front of the computer and overlord over New York. And he was like, ‘That’s ridiculous!’” Selleck explains that originally, Frank was to be in front of a green screen each week, running operations. But the veteran actor knew that’s not what the role of a commissioner looked like — and not what the show should entail. It’s been five months since filming has wrapped, with a two-episode finale set for Dec. 13., but it hasn’t sunk in for either of them that the show is over. Wahlberg chokes back tears throughout the interview, as Selleck admits he’s not sure what’s next. When CBS alerted them that Season 14 would be the end, it was originally set for 10 episodes to air last spring. “It really looked like the handwriting was on the wall,” Selleck says, so he went to CBS and found a way to convince them they’d actually save money if they did eight more episodes. After some convincing, they cut the final season into two parts — 10 hours aired last spring and eight, this fall. “The show deserved a legacy we’re proud of.” I bring up rumors and reports of a possible spinoff, but Selleck is still baffled about CBS pulling the plug. “I can’t figure out why they didn’t start streaming it, do 10 episodes a year. But I’m not the boss. Everybody wanted to come back. And I think with this cast, it would have been a gift for the audience,” he says. “I don’t make those decisions. I’m prepared to celebrate and commemorate this show, but I’m still getting used to it.” They’re all still getting used to it. Filming the finale didn’t even feel real. The last scene filmed, ironically, was a funeral. But it was the second to last scene — the family gathering around the dinner table one last time — that had everyone in tears. “Throughout the 14 years, at critical times — not just in the show’s existence, but in the state of our country — Tom had a knack for showing up to work and delivering a message, and oftentimes, not even in his own words. He would quote different things to leave us with something to think about and focus us on what’s important. It was a magical thing,” recalls Wahlberg, welling up. “When they said, ‘That’s a wrap,’ we all waited.” Then Selleck read Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Love Is Not All,” a poem that’s held an important place in his heart for decades, which felt fitting. It wasn’t planned, but it came to him in the moment. “I’ve always loved it,” he says. In fact, he recalls once reading it to Tyne Daly after she made a guest appearance on “Magnum P.I.” in 1982. This time, the room was crying before he could even finish it. “I didn’t make it through; I was doomed,” Wahlberg laughs, wiping his eyes. “But when Tom started saying it, literally, my life passed before my eyes. I was listening to his voice mesmerize this room and thinking about what a magical journey, and what a gift that this boy, who didn’t know where his next meal was going to come from half the time, in this scrappy family, who grew up watching this man on TV, is sitting next to him, sharing this magical moment of his wisdom and grace. I couldn’t turn off the tears for another probably two days!” Through the years, many big conversations have happened around that table, both during filming and outside of it. “Blue Bloods” has been on the air through three different U.S. presidencies and is a show about a family of cops; of course, there have been conversations about politics. And some of the Reagan family members have opposing views. “They don’t all meld with each other just because they’re family. I think there was always a respect,” says Selleck, who also believes in keeping his personal stance on politics to himself. “I can only answer for me but blowing your own horn about your own personal issue… why do you want to piss off half the country? We’re actors.” The show was also good at showing multiple points of view. “We dealt with a lot of issues on both sides, and we’re proud of that, but we didn’t rip them from the headlines, as some shows do,” he adds. “I honestly have to say that I’m not sure Frank Reagan and I vote the same way all the time, and that’s a good thing when you embrace those points of view.” It’s hard to answer the question of what’s next. For Selleck, he has no plans to stop working. “I’m not retiring. I‘ve got a mortgage; I got a ranch that I love and I love the work. Look, I’m not exactly a spring chicken in the business,” he says, aware that “the phone can stop ringing” at any time. For now, he’s looking ahead. “I’m still adjusting. I’d like to think that somebody will think of something different. A comedy would be nice.” Wahlberg and Selleck agree they’ve learned a lot from their characters and hope to only continue that down the line. Plus, Wahlberg has been inspired by Danny’s commitment to his family. “It’s not that I’m not committed to my family, but I live in a different state than my siblings. I think when you come from a big family, you can stay close but my career has taken me all over the world, and it still does,” he says. “My sister always calls and says, ‘Come on, Mom’s gone now, let’s all fly to Boston and do Thanksgiving.’ A lot of times I’m like, ‘It’s a long flight. I’ve been flying back and forth, filming and going on tour. I just want to sit at home and put on the fireplace and be with my wife and my dogs.’ Maybe I need to hop on a plane and do a little bit more of those occasions with the siblings and encourage Mark [Wahlberg] to get on a plane and do the same.” He’s also staying busy work-wise, as New Kids on the Block just announced a Las Vegas residency for 2025. But what about the next acting gig? “It feels like, I read a movie script, I’m negotiating to do a deal for the movie, and I’m walking to my agent’s office, and I keep looking back over my shoulder, hoping someone from ‘Blue Bloods’ is chasing me down the street saying, ‘Wait, we’re going to do one more season,’” he says. “A lot of times in television, 14 years in, people are running for the exit. We’re all trying to move forward now onto what’s next, but I think every one of us has that feeling of just turning back, hoping someone’s there to say, ‘Don’t sign that contract. Wait a minute!’” I bring up the idea of a spinoff again before we wrap. One idea Selleck was pitched was Frank retiring, moving up north and running a small police force. “I said, ‘That’s really good, but I’m going to do another ‘Jesse Stone’ movie. I’m going to write that,” he says of the character he played for nine movies, eight of which aired on CBS, the ninth on Hallmark. Plus, would a spinoff really work, focusing on one or two characters and not the entire family — the heart of what “Blue Bloods” is about? “It’s going to be a very delicate dance to keep that integrity. Where’s the family going to be? They can’t be in New York. I would probably drive to New York from Ohio, if I was Danny, to go to every dinner and back,” Wahlberg says of his character. “Until we know that there’s absolutely no way this show can be resurrected somehow, I think we’re all walking forward… but taking a peek back.” Donnie Wahlberg swears he was never a 'bad boy' in New Kids on the Block: 'I'm good!'(11/13/24) Donnie Wahlberg would like to set the record straight on being the so-called “bad boy” of New Kids on the Block.The Blue Bloods star, 55, explained in the new Paramount+ documentary Larger Than Life: Reign of the Boybands that, contrary to popular belief, his troublemaker persona within the band wasn't an accurate reflection of his actual personality. “No, I don’t think I was ever a bad boy. I’m good!” Wahlberg declared. “I was just trying to find myself and deal with all the fame and craziness, but also stick up for myself and my friends.” While Wahlberg might not agree with his moniker, he did have his own run-in with the law during the band's early years. The "Step by Step" singer was arrested in 1991 for reportedly starting a fire in a Louisville, Ky., hotel, but the charges against him were later dismissed after he agreed to make public service videos about fire safety, drug abuse, and drunk driving, per the Washington Examiner. During the documentary, NSYNC member Lance Bass also credited New Kids on the Block with being the first-ever boy band to create distinct “archetypes” for each of their members so that fans could easily pick and choose their favorites. “Donnie was the bad boy. Jordan [Knight] was the matinée idol. Danny [Wood] was the workout, sports kid. John [Knight] was the sensitive kid,” Johnny Wright, a former manager of the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, added. “And you have that in Backstreet Boys and you have that in NSYNC.” Bass saw the parallels within his group, too. “Justin [Timberlake] was the young heartthrob. Chris [Kirkpatrick] was the crazy one,” he recalled. “I was the shy one.” He also explained how easy it was to adopt the persona that had been created for you. “You read it so many times, you just started falling into that trope,” Bass said. “And then you started feeling like, ‘Well, this isn’t me, but this is what people want!’” Wahlberg isn’t the only boy bander who felt miscast as a bad boy. “I was the quote unquote bad boy,” Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean said, before admitting, “I’m the biggest pushover in the world. I have not a bad bone in my body.” Wahlberg previously revealed in a 2019 interview with Yahoo Entertainment that he considered his younger self to be “just as charitable” as he is now as an adult — it’s just that more people are paying attention to his good deeds these days. “If I went into a community of people shopping for Christmas, or if I donated food to a bank, it probably wouldn't get as much attention back then,” he said at the time. “The press, quite frankly, didn't really pay attention to that; it was far less eventful to talk about something charitable that I did then it would be to talk about me getting into a fight.” Wahlberg added, “I certainly have matured and grown up a lot, and I certainly can see why I might've had that reputation, but I definitely think I've always been a very generous person.” Larger Than Life: Reign of the Boybands is streaming now on Paramount+. CBS PRESENTS “BLUE BLOODS: CELEBRATING A FAMILY LEGACY,” AN “ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT” SPECIAL, TO AIR FRIDAY, NOV. 29(11/13/24) CBS announced today BLUE BLOODS: CELEBRATING A FAMILY LEGACY, a new ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT special, to air Friday, Nov. 29 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs)*.This one-hour ET news special, celebrating 293 episodes of BLUE BLOODS, includes new exclusive interviews with the stars and recurring guest stars who share favorite memories and behind-the-scenes moments from the past 14 years. Hosted by ET’s Nischelle Turner and featuring archival interviews from the ET vault, the special serves as a love letter to the loyal fans who had dinner with the Reagan family every Friday night and upheld BLUE BLOODS as one of the top series on television. Included in the show is a rare look inside the famous family dinner scene, where viewers learn family dinner secrets straight from the Reagans’ table. The special reveals new details about the first time the cast had family dinner during the pilot when they were strangers, and how that transformed the series into the global phenomenon it is today. Also, fans hear first-hand from the cast about what it is like filming on the streets of New York City and get a sneak peek at the emotional finale prior to the series send-off on Friday, Dec. 13 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. CBS Sets ‘Blue Bloods’ Series Finale & Retrospective Special Dates(11/13/24) CBS has revealed the series finale date for Blue Bloods, which is ending its run after 14 seasons. It will air on Friday, Dec. 13 at 10 p.m. on CBS. The finale will follow a retrospective special, Blue Bloods: Celebrating a Family Legacy, which will look back on 293 episodes of the beloved series, on Friday, Nov. 29 at 9 pm (also live and on-demand for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs).Hosted by Entertainment Tonight’s Nischelle Turner, the one-hour ET special includes exclusive interviews with the stars and recurring guest stars who share memories and behind-the-scenes moments from the past 14 years, along with archival interviews from the ET vault. The special also includes a look inside the famous family dinner scene, where viewers learn family dinner secrets straight from the Reagans’ table. It also reveals new details about the first time the cast had family dinner during the pilot when they were strangers. The special also will include a sneak peek at the series finale. Donnie Wahlberg Returns With ‘Very Scary People,’ Wife Jenny McCarthy Joins Him for Spinoff Special(11/12/24) (Trailer) Donnie Wahlberg is back in action as the host of Very Scary People — and come 2025, his wife, Jenny McCarthy, will be joining him for a spinoff special.Us Weekly can exclusively confirm that Very Scary People is returning to Investigation Discovery for season 6 beginning on Sunday, December 15. “This season we’re diving deeper into each case, sharing raw, first-person accounts from those directly involved,” Wahlberg, 55, said in a press release. “It’s more personal, more emotional and resonates on a whole new level.” In Us’ exclusive first look at the new season, the case of Anthony Sowell is the first to be investigated. Sowell lured women to his home in Cleveland during the early 2000s before torturing, raping and murdering them, earning him the nickname The Cleveland Strangler. (In 2011 he was sentenced to death after murdering 11 women. He died in prison in 2021 at the age of 61 after getting ill.) “Anthony was transformed into the devil,” a woman says of the killer in the trailer for the new season. “His eyes were black, like he was a demon.” The season will also dive deeper into the cases of a serial killer who posed as an FBI informant, a drug kingpin who wreaked havoc in New York City, a bodybuilding gang and a boxing star who became a killer. “Dead men tell no tales,” one woman warned in the trailer. A detective explained that during one of the investigations they “had no idea what pandora’s box we were about to open up.” The trailer also showed interviews with victims of the crimes, who described the criminals as “twisted, evil people.” “What kind of world do we live in that this can happen?” a man asked at the end of the trailer, teasing even more haunting stories. In addition to hosting and working as an executive producer on Very Scary People, Wahlberg will team up with McCarthy, 52, for a one-hour spinoff called Very Scary Lovers. The couple will cohost the special, which airs on Sunday, February 2. “Fueled by their shared passion for true crime storytelling, the husband-and-wife duo present the dark and twisted relationship of one of the most diabolical criminal couples in recent history: Benjamin and Erika Sifrit, infamously known as the ‘Thrill Killers,’” the network said in a press release. Wahlberg and McCarthy’s production company, Work Baby, in partnership with Pilgrim Media Group are the producers for both Investigation Discovery projects. Very Scary People premieres on Investigation Discovery Sunday, December 15, at 9 p.m. ET. Very Scary Lovers will air on Sunday, February 2, at 11 p.m. ET after the Very Scary People season 6 finale.
‘Blue Bloods’ Spinoff? Donnie Wahlberg Is ‘All for It’(10/17/24) The beginning of the end of Blue Bloods starts on Friday, October 18, with the first of the last eight episodes of the long-running CBS drama, but the possibility of this world expanding has come up since news of its cancellation.Rumors of a spinoff first began circulating in June, with Paramount Global co-CEO Brian Robbins hinting at the potential of one in a shareholders meeting. Then, in July, CBS Studios President David Stapf also spoke about the possibility. Nothing is in development yet. But with even talk of the possibility, TV Insider had to ask Donnie Wahlberg (who plays Danny Reagan) about it when we spoke with him ahead of the premiere. “There’s been a lot of talk about spinoffs, about various spinoffs, all types of concepts of spinoffs. I, for me personally, would say whatever happens next, if it’s done with the spirit of Blue Bloods and done with the care that we tried to put into Blue Bloods every week, it would be something that I would look forward to watching or being a part of either way,” he said. “I’ve heard stories of prequels, sequels, you name it. For me personally, I love the show. I’ve enjoyed working on it for 14 years and like I said, whatever comes next, as long as it has family at its core and the spirit of Blue Bloods, then I’m all for it.” Right now, he’s focused on these final eight episodes getting out to the fans, rather than looking ahead at any specifics regarding any sort of spinoff in which he’d be interested in participating. “There’s a final season of Blue Bloods still to air, so I’m looking forward to watching those episodes with all of my incredible fans of the show and tweeting with them every Friday night for every final episode,” shared Wahlberg. “And I think after that, we’ll see what happens next. Spinoffs, sequels, it’s all good to me. I think what I do know is there are millions of people who love this show and want it to continue somehow some way. And if there’s a way that we can give them some extension of Blue Bloods, then great. I have nothing more to offer than that, but I will be enjoying the final eight episodes with the fans. That’s my priority right now.” Blue Bloods, Season 14 Part 2 Premiere, Friday, October 18, 10/9c, CBS Vanessa Williams Guest Stars on Elsbeth(10/17/24) Vanessa Williams Guest Stars as Chic VIP Customer Roslyn and Jenn Lyon Guest Stars as Roslyn’s Friend, Celeste“Elsbeth’s Eleven” – While investigating the death of an employee at New York’s most exclusive jewelry store, Elsbeth and the team uncover plans for a gala heist orchestrated by a chic VIP customer (Vanessa Williams), on the CBS Original series ELSBETH, Thursday, Nov. 7 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*. WRITTEN BY: Zoe Marshall DIRECTED BY: Mary Lou Belli EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY: Robert King, Michelle King, Jonathan Tolins and Liz Glotzer with Tolins serving as showrunner CBS AND WAHLBURGERS BRING THE “BLUE BLOODS” FAMILY DINNER EXPERIENCE TO FANS’ HOMES DURING THE SERIES’ FINAL SEASON(10/11/24) CBS and Wahlburgers are giving BLUE BLOODS fans the chance to bring the beloved series’ iconic Reagan family dinners into their own homes across America. On Monday, Oct. 14, Chef Paul Wahlberg – brother of BLUE BLOODS star Donnie Wahlberg – will roll out the first of eight recipes aligned with the CBS series’ Sunday dinner on each episode of its final season. The show’s fall premiere (Friday, Oct. 18) will find the Reagans catching up over a hearty roast beef meal with all the trimmings; Chef Paul will release his instructional video and written recipes for a delicious corresponding meal of roast beef, roasted potatoes, green beans and carrots that previous Monday.These recipes will enable fans and food enthusiasts to cook these special dishes in their own kitchens, capturing the spirit of the Reagan family’s Sunday meals, which are much like the traditional family get-togethers cherished by Donnie, Mark and Paul, the trio of brothers who own Wahlburgers. Chef Paul invites everyone to join the BLUE BLOODS’ and Wahlburgers’ weekly tradition: Bringing family and friends together for dinner by participating in this one-of-a-kind culinary journey. Whether a longtime fan of the show or someone who simply loves an excellent family meal, this BLUE BLOODS recipe series allows family and friends to honor the Reagan family’s legacy and create new traditions with their own loved ones. To join in the celebration of cooking at home, follow Wahlburgers on Instagram, join the WahlClub or follow BLUE BLOODS’ Instagram (@bluebloods_cbs) and YouTube channels (@bluebloods) to access exclusive recipes that link directly to weekly YouTube episodes. Each episode features Chef Paul guiding viewers through the preparation of each dish, sharing not only cooking tips but also the stories and inspiration behind his recipes. “As a chef and someone who values the importance of family traditions, it’s an incredible honor to celebrate the legacy of BLUE BLOODS with some Wahlburgers magic,” said Chef Paul. “The Reagan family’s dinners have always been about more than just the food – they’re about the connections we make around the dinner table in the same way my own family did. I’m thrilled to share these recipes with our fans, and I hope they inspire families and friends to come together, just like the Reagans do every week.” “BLUE BLOODS’ multigenerational Reagan family dinners are, by all accounts, the heart of every episode – and these Sunday meals have really resonated with the shows’ devoted fans through the years – so I couldn’t be more pleased with our BLUE BLOODS recipes partnership with Wahlburgers and Donnie Wahlberg’s brother, Chef Paul, to honor BLUE BLOODS’ final season,” said Mike Benson, president and chief marketing officer at CBS. “For the first time, fans – and anyone who loves cooking – can get a preview of the Reagans’ meal to cook for a gathering or possibly eat as their own home-cooked ‘TV dinner’ while watching the episode.” New episodes of the final season of BLUE BLOODS premiere Friday, Oct. 18 on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*. BLUE BLOODS stars Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes, Len Cariou, Marisa Ramirez and Vanessa Ray. It is executive produced by Kevin Wade, Ian Biederman, Siobhan Byrne-O’Connor and Dan Truly and is produced by CBS Studios. New Kids on the Block Announce Their First Las Vegas Residency — See the 2025 Dates!(9/19/24) NKOTB is ready to bring the block party to Sin City.On Thursday, Sept. 19, the New Kids on the Block — with members Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood and brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight — announced their first Las Vegas residency at the Dolby Live at Park MGM. Named "The Right Stuff" after their 1988 hit song, the shows will run in two sessions from June 20-July 5 and Nov. 1-15, 2025. "We cherish every opportunity that we get to perform for our fans, but a Las Vegas residency gives us an opportunity to take our performance, and interaction with our fans, to the next level,” Wahlberg said in a release. The group made the announcement during an outdoor fan event in Las Vegas as a lead up to their performance at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Festival on Saturday, Sept. 21. In true Vegas style, they launched the news with a show-worthy display — arriving on a double-decker bus and leading a caravan of mobile billboards down the Strip, which was illuminated with marquees celebrating the upcoming shows. The new production will be tailored specifically for Las Vegas, and will be designed to "immerse attendees in a heart pounding night of hits, spectacle, celebration and showmanship," according to the release. The band also hints that additional events will be scheduled during the run, from afterparties to possible solo shows with some of the group members. “We plan on maximizing everything that the amazing Dolby Live at Park MGM has to offer, to create the most incredible NKOTB concert ever," said Wahlberg. "As well as everything that Las Vegas has to offer — to create multiple events to directly engage with our fans. Las Vegas will never be the same after the New Kids and the Blockheads take over the town.” Specific show dates for "The Right Stuff" residency include: June 2025: 20, 21, 25, 27, 28 July 2025: 2, 3, 5 November 2025: 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 15 Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PT at ticketmaster.com/NKOTBVEGAS, and for NKOTB fan club pre-sale beginning Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PT. It was a busy summer for the New Kids. In May, the band released Still Kids, the group's first full studio album in 11 years. The 12-track collection — a mix of retro, synth-pop songs laced with ’80s nostalgia, modern beats and a blast of K-Pop energy — included the dance-beat single "Kids" and ballad "A Love Like This." In August, they also wrapped up their Magic Summer Tour 2024 — a nostalgic nod to their 1990 stadium tour — with Paula Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff. Despite the schedules and time away from family and friends, the members say they're still excited and motivated to perform together. "Our bodies get a little older every year, but I think as long as we keep that spirit of being young and open and excited about life, we can still feel like kids even when we're 95 years old," Jordan Knight told PEOPLE in May. Donnie Wahlberg Sets Post-‘Blue Bloods’ TV Return With ‘Very Scary People’ Season 6(9/6/24) Blue Bloods may be ending this year, but Donnie Wahlberg is continuing his streak of investigating crime on TV. The actor will return as host of Investigation Discovery‘s true crime docuseries Very Scary People, which begins production on Season 6 this week.Very Scary People Season 6 will consist of eight episodes hosted and executive-produced by Wahlberg. The series “offers an expansive look into society’s most evil minds, revealing unprecedented insight into their twisted crimes through rare in-depth interviews and remarkable archival footage,” according to the series description. Season 6 will feature a story about Scott Kimball, a serial killer who acting in the guise of an FBI informant was able to roam freely and undetected for six years; Clarence Heatley, a diabolical kingpin who ran a multi-million-dollar drug operation marked by dozens of vicious murders; and David Matusiewicz, the mastermind behind a warped family unit in which he conspired to kidnap his own kids and unleashed a deadly, pernicious campaign against his ex-wife, per the network. “I cannot wait to dig in and start filming this next season of Very Scary People,” Wahlberg said in a statement on Friday, September 6. “These stories will leave true crime fans stunned as we unravel the depraved crimes and minds of frightening killers we haven’t considered before.” “Donnie Wahlberg has firmly established himself as a dynamic voice in the true crime genre, captivating audiences with his riveting storytelling,” said Jason Sarlanis, President of ID. “Donnie’s relentless pursuit of the most gripping stories has been a natural fit for ID and we are excited to deepen our collaboration on Very Scary People, bringing even more compelling episodes to our viewers.” Wahlberg has been hosting Very Scary People since it first debuted in 2019. A Season 6 premiere date will be announced at a later time. Wahlberg returns as Danny Reagan in Blue Bloods‘ final season, premiering this October on CBS. Very Scary People is produced for ID by Donnie and Jennifer McCarthy-Wahlberg’s production company, Work Baby, in partnership with Pilgrim Media Group, a division of Lionsgate Alternative Television with executive producers Desma Simon, Leigh Purinton, and Jonathan Baruch. Wahlberg and McCarthy have an overall deal with Lionsgate under which they make original unscripted programming. Very Scary People, Season 6 Premiere, TBA, Investigation Discovery Donnie Wahlberg hits the links in Michigan, helps raise $1 million for pediatric patients(8/27/24) Every single dollar raised at this big celebrity golf outing stays right here in Michigan, benefiting pediatric patients and their families.The fourth Feldman Automotive Children’s Miracle Celebrity Invitational took place on a hot and humid late August day on Monday, the 26 at the Detroit Golf Club. The Feldman Automotive Group has been the title sponsor of this event, which has raised more than three million dollars since 2021, adding more than $1 million on Monday. This is also the fourth year that the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation and the Children’s Miracle Network at Corewell Health Children’s have partnered to host a fundraising event. Mark was not able to attend this year because he’s shooting a movie in Australia, so he sent his brothers Donnie and Jim to hold down the fort. “Our foundation has been existence for almost 20 years,” Jim Wahlberg told MLive. “It has been amazing to partner with Corewell and to help kids and work with Jay Feldman and his existing event to help take it to the next level.” Donnie Wahlberg had actually just wrapped up the New Kids on the Block summer tour in Indiana the night before, taking one of his tour buses to make the morning affair. “Fortunately there are a lot of Wahlberg’s, so when one can’t make it, the others can step in,” Donnie told MLive. “I know how important this event is to him (Mark). It’s a great event, great people, great city... I’m happy to support this.” Golfers who attended this event partnered to play with a celebrity. There were around 50 in all, including many former professional athletes like TJ Lang, Sterling Sharpe, Braylon Edwards and Joique Bell. Ever dollar raised benefits the Children’s Miracle Network at Corewell Health Children’s and the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, both helping area families with pediatric patients. “We’re helping more than 200,000 families in southeast Michigan with the money,” Jay Feldman told MLive. “Everything from dog therapy to custom bicycles for those with special needs, to medications, new technologies and all kinds of things. The money stays here and we do amazing things for kids.” If you didn’t make this year’s event, but wanted to make a financial contribution, you can do that here. Lana Parrilla Joins USA Network’s ‘The Rainmaker’ As Series Regular(8/21/24) Lana Parrilla (Once Upon a Time, The Lincoln Lawyer) has joined the cast of the USA Network series The Rainmaker, based on the bestselling John Grisham novel of the same name.From writer and executive producer Michael Seitzman, the Lionsgate and Blumhouse series follows Rudy Baylor (Milo Callaghan) who, fresh out of law school, goes head-to-head with courtroom lion Leo Drummond (John Slattery) and his law school girlfriend Sarah Plankmore (Madison Iseman). Rudy, along with his boss and her disheveled paralegal, uncover two connected conspiracies surrounding the mysterious death of their client’s son. In a series regular role, Parrilla will play brash, ballsy street lawyer Jocelyn “Bruiser” Stone who heads her disgraced father, J. Lyman Stone’s strip-mall law firm. In the novel, Rudy is hired by the elder Stone, a glorified ambulance chaser nicknamed Bruiser, as an associate at his law firm. Mickey Rourke played J. Lyman Stone in Francis Ford Coppola’s big-screen adaptation of the novel released in 1997. The Rainmaker received a series order by the NBCUniversal cable network in June, capping a six-year journey by Seitzman to bring the book to TV. Seitzman and Jason Richman wrote the pilot script, with Seitzman serving as showrunner on the series. The two are executive producing with Grisham, Jason Blum and David Gernert. Parrilla most recently starred in Netflix’s sci-fi action film Atlas opposite Jennifer Lopez. Before that, she recurred in Season 2 of The Lincoln Lawyer—Netflix’s TV adaptation of the Michael Connelly novel of the same name—as Lisa Trammell, a chef accused of murder. She is perhaps best known for her years as royalty in ABC’s Once Upon a Time in the role of The Evil Queen. Additional TV credits include CBS’ Why Women Kill and Swingtown, NBC’s Boomtown, FOX’s 24 and ABC’s Spin City. Up next, she will star in the action thriller Bad Day at the Office alongside John Hannah and Radha Mitchell. Parrilla is currently shooting the indie film Dime Detective. She is repped by IAG, Untitled Entertainment and Goodman Genow. Celebrate New Kids On The Block's New Album 'Still Kids' On PBS(8/12/24) New Kids on the Block released their first new album in 11 years, Still Kids, on May 17th, and to keep the celebration going, fans can tune in to watch their exclusive iHeart LIVE show on September 6th on PBS.Still Kids features 14 new songs, including the album's single, "Kids." The record is full of pop anthems, dance tracks, love songs, and grooves that will become fast favorites for the Blockheads. "This album, more than any other, is bringing the New Kids and the fans full circle," Donnie Wahlberg, who co-wrote seven of the tracks on the new album, said in a statement. "It's about hope and possibilities and being ourselves." New Kids On The Block have been celebrating their new album and classic hits with Blockheads all summer long on their upcoming Magic Summer 2024 Tour. The cross-country tour kicked off on June 14th, with special guests Paula Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff. You can find all the details and dates about the tour, here. During the intimate iHeartRadio LIVE with New Kids On The Block, fans can see the guys perform some of their new songs from Still Kids, as well as some nostalgic favorites. iHeartRadio LIVE! with New Kids On The Block premieres Friday, September 6, 2024, at 9:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS. 2024 Imagen Awards Nominations(7/25/24) The Imagen Awards, which honor Latinos who made significant contributions to the television, film, and streaming spaces, will be handed out Sunday, September 8, at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles.Best Actress – Drama (Television) Donnie Wahlberg On Leadership, Sustainability, And His Role With Bioheat(7/22/24) (forbes.com) In the relentless pursuit of success, we often overlook the true essence of leadership: the commitment to serving others. Great leaders understand that their prominent positions are not opportunities for greater personal gain, but platforms to give back and have a profound impact in the world. We do this by aligning our activities and investments of time with our highest goals and values. Assuming of course that our guiding principles have something to do with the greater good. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."As a Forbes columnist, I frequently receive emails requesting interviews with prominent business leaders and entrepreneurs with the hope that an article would be the byproduct of that conversation. As the CEO at EXCELR8, a talent development and employee retention Saas company, my time is limited. But every now and then, one of these emails catches my eye. This article is the result of one such moment. A request to interview none other than Donnie Wahlberg. I believe wholeheartedly in maximizing focus, productivity, and output through the flywheel effect. The "flywheel effect," introduced by Jim Collins in his book Good to Great, demonstrates how sustained and incremental efforts build momentum, leading to significant breakthroughs over time. This principle profoundly resonates with my journey in building my performance management software company, where early meticulous efforts in market research and product development gradually compound to drive industry success. Similarly, writing books on achieving high performance and crafting leadership articles exemplifies the flywheel effect, as consistent, disciplined work over time builds a robust body of knowledge, enhances credibility, and fosters a dedicated readership. Together, this approach illustrates that remarkable achievements stem not from sporadic efforts but from relentless, focused actions sustained over periods of time. Often long periods of time. Donnie - yes, we are on a first-name basis now - exemplifies this philosophy in his daily actions and how he leverages his fame to have a positive influence on the world around him. In the world of entertainment and advocacy, Donnie Wahlberg stands out not just for his celebrity status but for his profound commitment to leadership and sustainability. Donnie Wahlberg is an accomplished actor, singer, and producer, best known as a founding member of the boy band New Kids on the Block and for his role in the TV series "Blue Bloods." He is also recognized for his philanthropic efforts and commitment to various social causes, leveraging his fame to make that positive impact I’m referring to. Many prominent people feel a sense of duty or moral obligation to give back to society. Altruism, the selfless concern for the well-being of others, can be a powerful motivator. This sense of social responsibility often stems from a recognition of the privileges and platforms they have been afforded, prompting a desire to make a meaningful contribution to society. His decision to partner with Clean Fuels Alliance America in representing Bioheat fuel, a groundbreaking renewable energy source, is a testament to his philosophy on personal leadership and the importance of making environmentally conscious choices. This article delves into Wahlberg’s insights on leadership, his connection to Bioheat®, and the lessons we can draw from his journey. Wahlberg’s involvement with Clean Fuels began when the association reached out to him, recognizing that his personal values and background made him an ideal ambassador. Growing up in the Northeast, Wahlberg was familiar with home heating oil, a common source of warmth during the harsh winters. This personal connection was a key factor in his decision to represent Bioheat®. He explained that the association did thorough research and realized he might be the right person to represent the product. Wahlberg emphasizes the importance of honest connection, noting that without it, involvement in any project feels pointless. So, he engaged in months of research ultimately deciding that this would be a beneficial partnership. For Wahlberg, leadership is about more than just holding a title or position. It’s about authenticity and genuine connection. His involvement with Bioheat® was driven by a sense of responsibility and a desire to make an impact. He articulated his understanding of the product and its potential benefits for families similar to his own, highlighting the deeper connection he felt towards the initiative. One of the standout aspects of Bioheat® that resonated with Wahlberg was its family-oriented nature. Many home heating oil companies in the Northeast are family-owned businesses that have been around for generations. Similarly, the soybean farmers who produce the biofuel component of the product also operates family-owned farms. This alignment with family values and traditions struck a chord with Wahlberg, who himself comes from a large, close-knit family. This familial connection enhanced the appeal for Wahlberg, making the partnership a natural fit. Wahlberg’s approach to leadership is deeply rooted in his personal experiences and the lessons he has learned over his career. He believes in setting a standard through personal demonstration understands that true leadership involves a willingness to serve others. Reflecting on his philosophy, he shared that to be a good leader, one must first be a good follower. This principle underscores the importance of understanding and empathy in leadership, where giving orders is less significant than demonstrating through actions. This philosophy extends to his work with Bioheat®, where he sees himself as inviting people to make a simple, positive change rather than forcing them into it. Wahlberg explained that many people would choose environmentally friendly options if they knew they were accessible and straightforward. The product’s availability and ease of use make it an attractive option that requires no significant changes or additional costs, merely a phone call to their home heating oil provider. Wahlberg’s commitment to sustainability is not just about promoting a product; it’s about advocating for a sustainable future in a way that is accessible and non-intrusive. He likens this approach to simple acts such as picking up trash on the street: a small, proactive step that anyone can take to contribute to a cleaner environment. He positions himself as someone who believes in common sense solutions as a practical and straightforward choice for a cleaner environment. This common-sense approach is also reflected in his personal life and routines. Wahlberg believes that maintaining personal health and well-being is essential for effective leadership. He draws parallels between personal discipline and the choice to use cleaner energy sources. Wahlberg and his wife take care of themselves by eating cleaner and healthier, which he sees as analogous to choosing a cleaner, healthier energy source for heating homes. Wahlberg’s dedication to sustainability and leadership extends beyond his personal choices to his influence on others. His involvement in supporting alternative energy solutions has also deepened his understanding of sustainability and its importance, making him more aware of the readily available options for cleaner living that many people might not know about. Wahlberg’s journey is a testament to his commitment to personal leadership, authenticity, and sustainability. His approach is grounded in the belief that true leadership involves serving others, making informed and genuine choices, and leading by example. Donnie Wahlberg’s philosophies on personal leadership and his decision to be an ambassador for meaningful initiatives offer profound insights into the power of authentic, values-driven advocacy. His commitment to sustainability, family values, and common-sense solutions serves as an inspiring example for others. Wahlberg’s platform reminds us that leadership is not about giving orders but about making thoughtful, impactful choices that benefit both individuals and the broader community. By embracing these principles, we can all contribute to a more sustainable and fulfilling future for our families, communities, and the teams we lead. ‘Blue Bloods’ Cast Marks Final Day Of Filming: Donnie Wahlberg, Marisa Ramirez & Vanessa Ray Share Moment As Series Wraps Shoot(6/20/24) Blue Bloods is wrapping up after 14 seasons and the cast of the CBS series is marking the final day of filming.Donnie Wahlberg, Marisa Ramirez, and Vanessa Ray shared a moment on social media where they were seen embracing each other. “Last day feels,” read the Instagram post Ray re-shared, adding, “I love them so much it hurts.” The long-running series will wrap in December after the second half of Season 14 airs on CBS. Wahlberg also took to Instagram to share his thoughts after he finished filming the last episode. “Last day of Blue Bloods. Not sure I have the words to describe how I feel about today, or the last 14 years on this special Blue Bloods journey, but I do know how incredibly thankful I am for every moment of it,” he shared. “To the cast, the crew, the guest cast, every background actor, writer, producer and every member of every single dept — thank you.” Wahlberg continued, “To the people of New York, in every neighborhood and borough, thank you for always showing your love. To the NYPD, thank you for your support and sacrifice, I hope we did you proud.” The actor also dedicated some words to his fans saying that without them, making 14 seasons of a show wouldn’t be possible. “Your love and support for this show has been one of the great blessings of my life. Thank you,” he concluded. Earlier this year, while making an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, Wahlberg expressed he was “upset and sad” over Blue Bloods ending. Blue Bloods Offshoot Hinted at by Paramount Exec(6/4/24) Maybe Tom Selleck was right: The Blue Bloods universe may not be finished after all.In a presentation at Paramount’s annual stockholders meeting on Tuesday, Paramount Global co-CEO Brian Robbins hinted that a new Blue Bloods series is in the works following the CBS drama’s announced end later this year. “In TV, new franchise extensions are coming for Dexter, Billions, and Blue Bloods,” Robbins told shareholders, adding that “CBS’ hit Fire Country shows huge promise.” Now we knew that new offshoots of Dexter, Billions and Fire Country were already in development, but nothing has been officially announced about a possible Blue Bloods spinoff. Yet, anyway. (CBS declined to confirm any news when reached by TVLine.) Blue Bloods, starring Selleck as veteran cop and family patriarch Frank Reagan, is set to end later this year with the conclusion of Season 14. Selleck and other cast members have lobbied for the show to continue, but CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach has remained firm that it’s time for Blue Bloods to turn in its badge. “We love this cast, we love their passion for the show. All shows have to come to an end. It’s important to us to refresh the schedule,” Reisenbach told our sister site Deadline. “We are going to end the show come December.” Selleck and his castmates might have a point, though: Blue Bloods was broadcast TV’s No. 8 most-watched program this past TV season, regularly leading Friday night in total audience. New Kids On The Block Are Back On The Charts After More Than Half A Decade Away(5/30/24) New Kids on the Block recently released their highly-anticipated new album, Still Kids. The set marks their first full-length in more than a decade, and now, following its first tracking frame of availability, the title arrives on a number of Billboard charts. Fans of the boy band–which is made up of men, not boys–were quick to snap up a copy of the pop set, and it brings them back to the weekly tallies for the first time in more than half a decade.Still Kids launches highest on the Top Album Sales chart. That tally looks only at the bestselling full-lengths and EPs in the U.S., disregarding all streaming activity. According to Luminate, the set sold 14,194 copies in its first tracking period. On the Top Album Sales tally, New Kids on the Block’s latest opens at No. 4. The new project marks the sixth top 10 for the vocal group, and it’s one of their loftiest placements yet. Still Kids is the third-highest-ranking debut on the Top Album Sales chart this week. New releases from Billie Eilish (Hit Me Hard and Soft, No. 2) and Zayn (Room Under the Stairs, No. 3) open just ahead of it. Taylor Swift rules again with The Tortured Poets Department. Over on the Billboard 200, Still Kids doesn’t fare quite as well, though it’s still a special win for New Kids on the Block, as they haven’t debuted on the list for seven years. On that tally, which does include streams, the album opens at No. 56. In total, the full-length shifted 15,349 equivalent units. Almost all of those are actual purchases. Still Kids also manages to appear on another notable Billboard albums ranking. The title breaks onto the Vinyl Albums chart at No. 12. Seven other releases debut ahead of New Kids on the Block, including the aforementioned projects from Eilish and Zayn, as well as those from a bevy of other well-known figures, like Godsmack, Ben Folds Five, and Slash. New Kids on the Block have now accrued just two hits on the Vinyl Albums chart. Before Still Kids dropped, they nearly conquered the tally with Hangin’ Tough. That title rose to No. 2 in 2019, so they haven’t appeared on the roster for half a decade. Sci-Fi Action Pic ‘Viper’ From 308 Entertainment Bites Five At Cannes(5/13/24) Peter Facinelli, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Stephen Dorff, Neal McDonough and Nathaniel Arcand have boarded Marc Furmie’s sci-fi action thriller Viper, which is being sold in the Cannes market by Solone.Furmie and Jason Mavraidis wrote the script when takes place post a nuclear holocaust. An elite team of soldiers are sent into a condemned zone to destroy a bio-weapons lab. Instead they discover that Indigenous locals have returned to re-claim their land and discovered a cure for radioactive fallout. The pic’s is billed as being a cross between such pics as Saving Private Ryan and dystopian sci-fi filmsChildren of Men and Stalker. Twilight thespian Facinelli plays Cole Vinson, the haunted captain of a team of operators sent into radiation-plagued Sector 12 by government agent Hank Reynolds (Minority Report‘s McDonough), in order to subsidize healthcare for his dying daughter. Vinson is soon confronted by a betrayal within the ranks of his own team and is forced to face the consequences of his troubled past as a soldier. Match Point and Mission: Impossible III‘s Rhys Meyers plays Trey Johnson, Vinson’s trusted commander, who has his own personal reasons for returning to Sector 12. The team is lead through the toxic zone by Jim Brave Bear (Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s Arcand), an Indigenous soldier whose allegiances are uncertain. Viper is being produced by Corey Large (Paradise City, One Ranger, Mob Land) via his 308 Ent banner alongside EPs Stephanie Rennie (Being Charlie, Where Are You) of Imoto Productions and Kirk Shaw (Battle In Seattle, Drive Hard, Personal Effects). They are joined by EPs Ram Getz (Mob Land, The Movers), Jayden Krieger, Greg Meyer (Cold Deck), Michael Mortensen (Mob Land), Jordan Wayne Nott (Cold Deck), Colin Watts (Hot Seat), Furmie and Mavraidis. The movie was made with the cooperation of the Cowichan Nation in Vacouvder. The production cast several Indigenous Canadians and Cowichan locals alongside Arcand and Dion – both of whom hail from Plains Cree Nation roots and appeared in Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. Additional photography is currently underway in Los Angeles. “As a filmmaker, it was important for me to include, represent and celebrate the people of the Cowichan Nation on whose land we were given the privilege to shoot. Each department of the production consulted closely with Indigenous Elders and we were given the honor of portraying Cowichan culture. The entire crew was welcomed warmly and blessed by the community. This was hugely inspirational to me and allowed to tell a story that had as much authenticity and realism as it did science fiction.” Says Furmie. South African-born-Australian-raised and LA-based director Furmie is a veteran of music videos, TV commercials and award-winning shorts whose first feature film, the sci-fi indie Terminus, was released by Vertical Entertainment in 2016. Furmie is also in production on The Weight of Darkness starring Angus Macfadyen, Doug Jones, Jaime King, Corbin Bernsen and Angus Benfield. Furmie is repped by Allard Cantor and Jarrod Murray at Epicenter LA. 308 Ent will soon release Cold Deck starring Dorff, Alec Baldwin, Clive Standen and Tom Welling. 308 is also in pre-production on Barry Levinson’s Assassination, starring Al Pacino and Shia LaBeouf. Facinelli is represented by Paradigm Talent Agency and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller, Gellman, Meigs and Fox. Arcand is represented by Darryl Mork Talent Management and RainWolf Management. Rhys Meyers is represented by Artist International Group and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner Auerbach Hynick Jaime LeVine Sample & Klein. McDonough is repped by WME and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher. Dorff is repped by Atlas Artists and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller, Gellman, Meigs & Fox. ‘Blue Bloods’ Future Is Sealed: The Long-Running Series Will Wrap For Good In December(5/2/24) Tom Selleck may have warned CBS earlier this year that there are an “awful lot of people” who aren’t ready to say goodbye to Blue Bloods, but there are no plans to extend the police procedural beyond its 14th and final season.During a press conference Thursday to discuss the fall schedule, Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach conceded that while they will miss the series at CBS, the drama will still wrap after the second half airs this fall. The first half of Blue Bloods‘ 14th season kicked off February 16. The second half of the season will return in October. “We really want to thank the cast and crew, everyone involved in the show,” Reisenbach told reporters. “We absolutely will miss the family dinners. It is important to give show the sendoff it deserves.” When reminded that the cast has made personal pleas to the CBS brass to reconsider the cancellation, Reisenbach added, “We love this cast, we love their passion for the show. All shows have to come to an end. It’s important to us to refresh the schedule. We are going to end the show come December.” The police procedural drama has been airing on CBS since September 24, 2010. Its main characters are members of the fictional Reagan family, an American Irish-Catholic family in New York City with a history of work in law enforcement. When the show’s final season was announced, star Selleck released this statement to fans. “For the past 13 years, it has been an honor and a privilege to work on a show that not only celebrates the men and women who protect and serve in New York City, but also displayed the importance of family,” he wrote. “Working alongside these incredible actors, writers, producers, directors, and crew has been a dream come true and I’m grateful to have been a part of this extraordinary group for over 275 episodes.” Neal McDonough Joins Tulsa King(5/1/24) Neal McDonough is joining the mafia.The Arrow and Suits vet has been added as a series regular for Season 2 of the Paramount+ crime drama Tulsa King, Variety reports. He’ll play Cal Thresher, a “powerful and extremely territorial businessman in Tulsa.” Hailing from Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan, the show centers on influential New York mafia member Dwight “The General” Manfredi (played by Sylvester Stallone), who is exiled by his boss to set up shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma after serving 25 years in prison. “Realizing that his mob family may not have his best interests in mind,” per the official logline, “Dwight slowly builds a crew from a group of unlikely characters to help him establish a new criminal empire in a place that to him might as well be another planet.” ‘Blue Bloods’ Stars Donnie Wahlberg & Bridget Moynahan “Upset And Sad” That Series Is Ending: “We’ve Created Such A Family On Set”(4/23/24) Blue Bloods stars Donnie Wahlberg and Bridget Moynahan are saying a sad farewell to the CBS drama series. In an appearance Tuesday on The Drew Barrymore Show, Wahlberg and Moynahan shared a clip from the 14th and final season, which is currently airing, that features the Reagans at their weekly Sunday dinner.Barrymore asked the two how they’re feeling as the end approaches. “I think everybody’s really upset and sad, but also happy and satiated?,” she questioned. “More upset and sad,” Wahlberg said. Responding to co-host Ross Mathews when asked what it feels like saying goodbye to the characters, Moynahan explained, “I think it’s more saying goodbye to the people behind the characters. We’ve created such a family on set with each other and the crew — most of the crew’s been with us for 14 years, so we’ve been through a lot of weddings, births, deaths, and everything. We’ve been through it all with each other.” Deadline broke the news in November that Blue Bloods would be ending with a 18-episode Season 14 split into two parts, 10 episodes this spring and 8 in the fall. Multiple cast members, including star/executive producer Tom Selleck, have reportedly lobbied CBS about extending the show’s run beyond that. “They say it’s an eight-episode wind-down, and I say, ‘We’ll see,'” Selleck told USA Today. “Look, I’ll do whatever is best for the whole situation. But I love this show, obviously. And I think CBS is going to end up being very conflicted with their present plans.” According to sources, CBS is sticking to the 8-episode final installment, which is being written as a closing chapter for the venerable drama. Produced by CBS Studios, Blue Bloods stars Selleck, Wahlberg, Moynahan, Will Estes, Len Cariou, Marisa Ramirez and Vanessa Ray/ Wade executive produces with Siobhan Byrne-O’Connor, Ian Biederman and Dan Truly. ‘Blue Bloods’ And ‘How To Get Away With Murder’ Producer Charged With Sexual Assault(3/8/24) Laurence Andries, a TV writer and producer who has worked on shows including Blue Bloods, How to Get Away with Murder and The Pacific, has been charged with six felony counts of sexual assault in Los Angeles.The accuser, a John Doe, claims Andries drugged and assaulted him in June 2022 after they met for drinks. The writer-producer was arrested in August 2023 after charges were filed by the Los Angeles District Attorney. He remains free on a $150,000 bond and has not yet had a preliminary hearing, according to the Los Angeles Times. News of the charges came to light after the John Doe, a military veteran, appeared this week in an ABC-7 interview, calling Andries his mentor in the industry. “I believe that he drugged one of my drinks, took me to his place and then … I can’t say the word. I’m sorry, I can’t say it,” the John Doe told ABC-7. The charges involve sodomy, oral copulation and sexual penetration by anesthesia or controlled substance of an unconscious or asleep person, according to court documents. Andries, 66, was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2022 as part of the team behind HBO’s Six Feet Under, on which he was credited with writing three episodes. His other multi-episode writing credits include Boomtown, The Pacific, Being Mary Jane and Superstition among others. He also was a co-executive producer on series such as Boomtown, Alias, Being Mary Jane, Godfather of Harlem, How to Get Away With Murder and most recently Blue Bloods. He started his career writing the 1994 short film Kangaroo Court, directed by Sean Astin and starring Gregory Hines and Michael O’Keefe. It was nominated for the Best Live-Action Short Oscar in 1995. Blue Bloods' Donnie Wahlberg Reveals 'Bucket List' NKOTB Cameo, Hints at 'Rumblings' That Show Could Continue(3/6/24) (people.com) Donnie Wahlberg isn’t ready to close the door on Blue Bloods just yet.In November, CBS announced that the long-running crime drama would conclude with its 14th season as its last, but Wahlberg, 54, doesn’t seem to be on the same page. When asked by Andy Cohen on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live about the show’s final season, Wahlberg said it was “allegedly” the last, as he hinted at the possibilities to come for his character. “Potentially,” he teased of whether season 14 is Blue Bloods’ last. “There are rumblings, so we'll see what happens.” Wahlberg, who plays Det. Danny Reagan, the son of NYPD Commissioner Francis "Frank" Reagan (Tom Selleck), called the show’s 14-year run “absolutely crazy.” “It’s beloved,” he said of the series, before Cohen, 55, asked his New Kids on the Block bandmates — who were also appearing on the radio show — for their thoughts. Jordan Knight joked that there’ll be “a Donnie spinoff” after Blue Bloods ends, which prompted Cohen to ask why none of the other NKOTB members have made cameos on the show. “I’ve been trying,” Wahlberg insisted, before sharing that he’s particularly keen to get Joey McIntyre on the show. “It's a no-brainer for Joey to do it and I'm sure he'd be willing if there was a good part, but it just hasn't been the right thing. But our executive producer said, ‘If this is the last year, is there a bucket list item you want?’ I said, ‘Yes. Get freaking Joey on the show because you told me you were gonna get him on the show a decade ago and we're still waiting,’ so we'll see.” Having McIntyre appear is a “bucket list” item for Wahlberg, but the Waitress alum, 51, didn't sound quite as enthused. “I don't know. If he has to take my face and put it up against a car window or something like that. You know what I mean? We gotta have some soft boundaries around the role.” Wahlberg then offered another potential plotline for his bandmate. “The story line could be like, you come and are a love interest to my partner and I get jealous or whatever.” Until now, getting McIntyre on the show has been like “ships in the night,” he said. “Sometimes you go, ‘There was a thing. You should have been cast for this thing that just happened.’” Wahlberg shared one such story: “They cast a friend of his like two months ago. He was like, ‘Yeah, I'm friends with Joey.’ I'm like, ‘Why are you doing this part? It should be Joey.’ ” Wahlberg, who has been on Blue Bloods since its inception in 2010, recently recalled the feeling of getting cast on the show — and how he felt about playing Selleck’s son on screen. “I got hired on the show and [Tom] was really excited, cause he was a fan of Band of Brothers, so he was like ‘Oh yeah, this guy’s good,’” Wahlberg said on an episode of the Brotherly Love podcast. “But I walked in the room and he’s like 6’4, I’m like 5’11” I think.” “So I walk in, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, he’s got so much hair, his eyebrows are so bushy.’ I didn’t even care about the mustache,” he said. “I was like, ‘How am I this dude’s son?’ I was like, ‘They’re gonna fire me tomorrow.’ ” But after that moment of apprehension, Wahlberg met Len Cariou, who plays his grandfather Henry Reagan in the series, and felt much more at ease. “He’s shorter than me, same hairline,” he quipped. “I was like, ‘Alright, I got his genes. I’m good.’” Blue Bloods airs on Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS. New Kids on the Block Set New Album With BMG: ‘New Label, Big Tour’(2/22/24) New Kids on the Block are back. The legendary boy band is all grown up and ready for another release cycle, this time through a new global recording agreement with BMG.Through the new deal, which Billboard can exclusively confirm, NKOTB will release an eighth studio album, their first new studio LP in more than a decade, and support it with a “big” tour. “We’re super excited to partner with our new label home BMG,” the pop group enthuses in a joint statement. “We promise 2024 is going to be a big year for NKOTB and our blockheads. New label, big tour, we are just getting started! Much more to come. Very soon. And we couldn’t have asked for a better partner than BMG to usher in this new era.” The label deal follows a buzz of activity, which included the announcement of NKOTB’s Magic Summer 2024 tour, a trek that features guests Paula Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff and serves as a re-imagination of the Boston group’s sold-out 1990 tour of the same name. Soon after, the quintet celebrated the 15th anniversary of their reunion album, The Block, with special edition The Block Revisited, including remixes and guest collaborations. Blockheads were left wondering if fresh music was on the horizon. With today’s announcement, that question is answered. The as-yet untitled album is the followup to 2013’s 10, which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, one of the group’s six top 10 appearances on the tally, a list that includes two leaders, 1988 sophomore effort Hangin’ Tough and 1990’s Step By Step. Career album sales top 80 million, according to BMG. Formed in 1984 and featuring Boston natives Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood, NKOTB has landed 13 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including nine top 10 appearances and a hattrick of No. 1s: 1989’s “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever),” 1989’s “Hangin’ Tough” and 1990’s “Step By Step.” “New Kids on the Block are trailblazers in the music world – creating a blueprint for not only pop music, but pop culture,” comments Cyndi Lynott, BMG senior VP, marketing, in a statement unveiling the new recording deal. “It is an honor to be able to work with this iconic group and deliver brand new music to their passionate fanbase. BMG is full of blockheads, and we could not be more thrilled.” Vanessa Williams Books Lead In Elton John-Shaina Taub ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ West End Musical(2/19/24) (Video) Elton’s Prada has found its Devil: Vanessa Williams has been cast as Miranda Priestly in the upcoming West End production of the Elton John-Shaina Taub stage musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada.“Don’t just sit there,” demands Williams, in character as the tyrannical magazine editor at the of a new teaser trailer. “Buy tickets. Or something.” The long-anticipated The Devil Wears Prada opens October 24 at the Dominion Theatre in London. Williams, who played the similarly chic Wilhelmina Slater in TV’s Ugly Betty, said in a statement, “Bringing Miranda Priestly to life in the West End is an absolute dream come true. Gird your loins, folks.” No stranger to the stage, Williams made her West End debut in 2019 in a revival of City of Angels, and has appeared on Broadway in Into the Woods, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Sondheim on Sondheim, The Trip to Bountiful, After Midnight, and, most recently, 2022’s POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive. Based on Lauren Weisberger’s 2003 novel and the 2006 movie adaptation (which starred Meryl Streep in the Priestly role), Prada features music by John, lyrics by Taub (whose Suffs is heading to Broadway this spring), and a book by Kate Wetherhead. Jerry Mitchell directs and choreographs. Additional casting will be announced later. A version of the musical, directed by Anna D. Shapiro, debuted in Chicago in 2022, with Broadway favorite Beth Leavel (The Prom) in the Priestly role, though a transfer was, at the time, nixed when John deemed the production “not ready” for an immediate subsequent staging. Watch the teaser with Williams above. NAME THAT TUNE - TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, ON FOX(1/26/24) Wendi McLendon-Covey vs. Vanessa Williams and Howie Dorough vs. Drew LacheyTony Award winner Jane Krakowski hosts, and Grammy Award-winning producer Randy Jackson serves as band leader. Actor/Writer/Comedian Wendi McLendon-Covey, playing for Foster Nation vs. Actor/Singer/Broadway Star Vanessa Williams, playing for The Vanessa Williams Endowed Scholarship Fund and Singer/Songwriter/Actor Howie Dorough, playing for Lupus LA vs. Singer/Actor Drew Lachey, playing forLachey Arts. Each one-hour episode of Name That Tune is comprised of two stand-alone half-hour contests, each pitting two players against each other, as they race against the clock to test their knowledge of songs, performed by the live band. The contests feature a rotating variety of games from the original format, before the iconic Bid-a-Note round. Pulling no musical punches, a true battle unfolds and the player with the most money at the end of Bid-a-Note wins the game and takes his or her bank into the final Golden Medley round, for a chance to win additional cash and potentially the $100,000 grand prize for their charity in the all-new “Divas vs. Boybands'' episode of Name That Tune airing Tuesday, February 6 (8:00 - 9:00 ET/PT) on FOX. (NTU-320) (TV-PG D, L) Donnie Wahlberg Teams Up with Clean Fuels Alliance America to Drive Awareness for Bioheat Fuel(1/16/24) In a groundbreaking collaboration, entertainment icon Donnie Wahlberg and Clean Fuels create a powerful campaign to raise awareness about the transformative benefits of Bioheat® fuelJEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Jan. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Acclaimed actor and Boston native Donnie Wahlberg is joining forces with Clean Fuels Alliance America in a dynamic campaign to raise awareness about Bioheat® fuel, an eco-friendly and sustainable home heating solution derived from plants, including soybeans. Wahlberg, known for his deep ties to the Boston community, is excited to champion this initiative, reconnecting with his roots and promoting a cleaner future for the Northeast. Bioheat® fuel is a renewable energy source that blends traditional heating oil with biodiesel, significantly reducing carbon emissions and environmental impact. Donnie Wahlberg's partnership with Clean Fuels is driven by a shared commitment to promoting sustainable energy solutions and fostering environmental responsibility. "We are honored and excited to have Donnie Wahlberg join forces with Clean Fuels in our mission to promote sustainable energy solutions," said Clean Fuels CEO Donnell Rehagen. "Donnie's involvement adds a powerful voice to our campaign, bringing attention to the positive impact of Bioheat® fuel on both a local and global scale. We believe that together, we can inspire positive change and encourage individuals to make the switch to cleaner, more sustainable heating options." "I have two sons. When they come to Boston to visit my family, and they see that big oil tank in the basement, they are like, 'What is this?' How great is it that I can now tell them, 'You know what's in there, vegetable oil,'" said Wahlberg. "It's changing right under our noses we just have to realize that it's right there. To know that my kids know that I am from an older generation, even though I don't look it, but I care, and I'm doing my part to help protect their future and their children's future and that means everything to me." Visit mybioheat.com to learn state-specific information about the benefits of Bioheat® fuel. The site also offers resources, educational materials and details on how individuals can make the switch to Bioheat® fuel for their heating needs. Visit ussoy.org to learn about how soy empowers sustainable solutions in food, feed, fuel and as alternatives to industrial ingredients formerly derived from fossil fuels. About Clean Fuels Alliance America: Made from an increasingly diverse mix of resources such as recycled cooking oil, soybean oil, and animal fats, the clean fuels industry is a proven, integral part of America's clean energy future. Clean Fuels Alliance America is the U.S. trade association representing the entire biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel supply chain, including producers, feedstock suppliers and fuel distributors. Clean Fuels receives funding from a broad mix of private companies and associations, including the United Soybean Board, Nebraska Soybean Board and other state checkoff organizations. About U.S. Soy: Representing the positive global human impact of soy grown in the United States, the U.S. Soy brand carries forward soy's promise to transform global nutrition, provide climate-forward solutions, and support progress for people and their communities around the world. U.S. Soy is powered by the innovation of the industry; the unsurpassed quality, reliability, and sustainability of the soybeans grown by our farming families who invest through checkoff dollars; and the commitment of the organizations that raise awareness, build demand, develop new markets, and discover new uses for soy and soy products. THE HIT DRAMA SERIES “BLUE BLOODS” TO CONCLUDE IN FALL 2024 AFTER ITS 14TH SEASON(11/20/23) CBS announced today that its hit drama series BLUE BLOODS will return for a two-part 14th and final season starting on the Network, and available to stream live on Paramount+*, on Friday, Feb. 16, (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) and finish in fall 2024. A long-time anchor to the Network’s successful Friday night lineup, BLUE BLOODS is Friday’s #1 primetime program and the #3 broadcast drama on television.“BLUE BLOODS will forever be a beloved part of CBS’ legacy. It ruled Friday nights with unprecedented dominance since its premiere and established itself as a pillar of our winning lineup with an exceptionally devoted fan base,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment and David Stapf, president of CBS Studios. “We’ll be forever grateful to the legendary Leonard Goldberg for developing this signature series and to the amazing cast led by Tom Selleck, who America embraced as family and watched as welcomed guests at the Reagan dinner table. We also sincerely thank the incredible writing and producing teams guided by executive producer Kevin Wade, for years of compelling episodes as they conceive this final chapter that we expect to be the most satisfying season yet for our loyal viewers.” “For the past 13 years it has been an honor and a privilege to work on a show that not only celebrates the men and women who protect and serve in New York City, but also displayed the importance of family,” said series star Tom Selleck. “Working alongside these incredible actors, writers, producers, directors and crew has been a dream come true and I’m grateful to have been a part of this extraordinary group for over 275 episodes. Thank you to CBS Studios and CBS Network for their steadfast support and we offer heartfelt gratitude to the fans who gathered with us for dinner every Friday night.” “It has been a tremendous privilege these past 13 years to fill the huge canvas that Leonard Goldberg imagined: a police procedural told from the point of view of four generations of a close-knit, fiercely loyal family. BLUE BLOODS will leave behind an enduring legacy that was collectively achieved by our extraordinary cast, our talented and tirelessly inventive writers, and the best crew in the business,” said executive producer Kevin Wade. “CBS Studios and the CBS Television Network encouraged us to tell our stories in multi-layered narratives that have gone on to resonate with millions of people, and we thank them for their unwavering partnership and collaboration. We look forward to giving fans an exciting and emotionally satisfying final season, and we are forever grateful for their enthusiasm and loyalty over all these years.” For the 2022-2023 season, BLUE BLOODS was Friday’s #1 primetime program and the #3 broadcast drama with 9.54 million viewers. With live +35-day multiplatform viewing, BLUE BLOODS scores more than 11 million viewers an episode.** Since the show’s premiere on Friday, Sept. 24, 2010, BLUE BLOODS has maintained its #1 position at 10:00 PM leading the Network’s top rated Friday night lineup. Currently, BLUE BLOODS also ranks in the top 10 for series on Paramount+ based on minutes viewed, and for viewed channels on Pluto TV. Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes, Len Cariou, Marisa Ramirez and Vanessa Ray star. Kevin Wade, Siobhan Byrne-O’Connor, Ian Biederman and Dan Truly serve as executive producers. BLUE BLOODS is produced by CBS Studios. Jenny McCarthy and a Topless Donnie Wahlberg Get Naughty for Formless Beauty’s 2023 Holiday Card(11/15/23) (Card) Santa Claus is comin’ to town — as are Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg in seductive Christmas gear!The couple is back with another risqué holiday card for McCarthy's clean makeup brand, Formless Beauty, which is launching three new Holiday Bundles, including the high-shine lip glosses, Bronzed Beauty eyeshadow palette and the new Elevate mascara. Plus, they signed a limited number of copies of the card to come with a purchase of the special drop. While the pair is more clothed in this year’s ad versus last year’s viral — and totally naked — campaign, they’re still putting their sexy spin on the jolly festivities. McCarthy, 51, plays a naughty Mrs. Claus dressed in a robe and striped stockings. Wahlberg, 54, cosplays as her “cheeky” Elf, who’s clad in nothing but a pair of red-and-green striped underwear, a Santa hat, fuzzy arm cuffs and pointy shoes. And, he also bares his abs and biceps. The story is that the two are celebrating with martinis and $100 bills in Elf’s briefs until Santa crashes the party, landing both of them on his “Naughty List.” McCarthy and Wahlberg shared a behind-the-scenes clip showing how the two pulled off the photo shoot. “I am the luckiest girl in the world. I get to work with the sexiest elf you will ever see in your entire life,” the Masked Singer panelist says. She also puts a new meaning to a Christmas bundle while jokingly gesturing towards Wahlberg's nether regions while he poses with his leg up. McCarthy couldn’t resist shooting another festive campaign following the success of her and Wahlberg’s previous greeting card. “We had such a fun time and got such a huge response to our ‘Nude Collection’ Holiday Card last year, that we just had to do it again,” she shared in a press release. “Formless Beauty is truly my passion and I’m so proud of what we have been able to accomplish in two short years to create beautiful, effective products that are better for you. This is only the beginning!” The actress launched her brand in 2021 on the premise that clean beauty should be approachable. "There's been a plethora of [cosmetic lines] that have come out and said we're natural and organic, but then when you go and look at the ingredients, I'd be like, 'I can't pronounce these,'" she told PEOPLE at the time. "I felt there was a disconnect in what people really think is natural and pure, so I said 'I want to create a line that has ingredients you can actually pronounce.'" Wahlberg is just as excited about his wife’s beauty venture and will do anything — like stripping down in his briefs — to push it forward. “What Jenny has achieved with Formless Beauty is incredible,” he added in the release. “I’m so proud of her and happy to help spread some holiday cheer — even if that means baring it all for the cause.” CBS ANNOUNCES 2024 PRIMETIME PREMIERE DATES FOR ORIGINAL EPISODES OF NEW AND RETURNING SERIES(11/13/23) CBS PREMIERE WEEK BEGINS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SUPER BOWL WITH DEBUT OF NEW DRAMA SERIES “TRACKER”Click Here for the 2024 Premieres Announcement Video “Tracker” Starring and Executive Produced by Justin Hartley Premieres Sunday, Feb. 11 in the Highly Coveted Post-Super Bowl Timeslot Comedy Block of “The Neighborhood” and “Bob ? Abishola,” #1 Broadcast Series “NCIS” and “NCIS: Hawai’i” Premiere Monday, Feb. 12 Beginning at 8:00 PM All “FBI” Tuesday Returns Feb. 13 at 8:00 PM Television’s Most-Watched Comedy Block Premieres Thursday, Feb. 15 with #1 Comedy “Young Sheldon” at 8:00 PM and “Ghosts” at 8:30 PM, “So Help Me Todd” at 9:00 PM and an Encore Episode of “Tracker” at 10:00 PM Friday’s #1 Lineup “S.W.A.T.,” “Fire Country” and “Blue Bloods” Returns Feb. 16 at 8:00 PM “CSI: Vegas” Moves to Sundays at 10:00 PM Beginning Feb. 18 Following the Fourth Season Premiere of “The Equalizer” at 8:00 PM and “Tracker” in Its Regular Time Period at 9:00 PM “Survivor” Returns with Two-Hour Episodes for the Premiere on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 8:00 PM and the Second Episode on Wednesday, March 6 at 8:00 PM Followed by 90-Minute Episodes Throughout the Season New Drama “Elsbeth” Premieres Thursday, Feb. 29 at 10:00 PM “The Amazing Race” Returns with 90-Minute Episodes Beginning Wednesday, March 13 at 9:30 PM CBS today announced its premiere dates and rollout plan for its 2024 primetime schedule, which will launch immediately following the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 11. The Network will air original episodes of new and returning series beginning on Sunday evening and throughout the following week. Additional programming to be announced in the next few weeks. Previously announced legal drama MATLOCK, starring Kathy Bates, and POPPA’S HOUSE, a comedy starring Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr., are currently planned to air during the 2024-2025 broadcast season. The following is the schedule of premieres: SUNDAY, FEB. 11 MONDAY, FEB. 12 TUESDAY, FEB. 13 THURSDAY, FEB. 15 FRIDAY, FEB. 16 SUNDAY, FEB. 18 THURSDAY, FEB. 22 WEDNESDAY, FEB. 28 THURSDAY, FEB. 29 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13 ‘The December Cross’: Todd Turner Drama Scores SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement To Start Principal Photography; Jennifer Esposito, Judd Hirsch, Kellan Lutz, And More Star(10/26/23) Writer, director Todd Turner’s film The December Cross starring Jennifer Esposito (Fresh Kills), Kellan Lutz (Twilight), Judd Hirsch (The Fablemans), Grace Van Dien (Stranger Things), Neal McDonough (Minority Report), Mila Harris (No Exit), and Stelio Savante (Infidel), has landed a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement to start principal photography in Kentucky.The film is set in a town called Bethlehem, where border agents have just intercepted a coyote smuggling in a group of tired, desperate, and frightened refugees. There, an 11-year-old girl runs into a 7-year-old boy, Yosef, seeking refuge. Maya and Yosef become fast friends, and their ensuing adventure nearly kills them both but ends up warming the hearts of the townspeople with life lessons stretching far beyond their own borders. Archstone Entertainment is securing world sales rights with Joshua Harris of Gala Media Capital Financing. Turner also serves as producer through Wonderstruck, alongside Gabrielle Almagor for Urban Tales Productions and Michael Slifkin, Scott Martin, and Jack Sheehan of Archstone. Lutz is repped by Innovative and Zero Gravity, McDonough is with WME and Luber Roklin, Harris is repped by Paradigm and Complete Management Group, Savante is with Exclusive Artists Agency and Opus Entertainment, Esposito is with WME and Authentic, Hirsch is with TalentWorks, and Van Dien is with WME and Link Entertainment. New Kids On The Block Announce THE MAGIC SUMMER 2024 TOUR(10/30/23) Multi-platinum pop icons New Kids on the Block have announced THE MAGIC SUMMER 2024 TOUR. Reimagining the smash 1990 tour of the same name, Donnie, Joey, Jordan, Jonathan & Danny will bring back the magic for fans old and new, this time with very special guests Paula Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff. As announced on GMA this morning, the tour, produced by Live Nation, will kick off on June 14 and hit over 40 cities including Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.TICKETS: Tickets will be available starting with Fanclub and CITI presales beginning Wednesday, November 1. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning Friday, November 3 at 10 AM local time on LiveNation.com. PRESALE: Citi is the official card of the Magic Summer 2024 Tour. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning Wednesday, November 1 at 12 PM local time until Thursday, November 2 at 10 PM local time through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete presale details visit www.citientertainment.com. New Kids On The Block are bringing back their best moments and memories. They have promised to be performing their greatest hits, unexpected fan favorites and magical surprises for their diehard fans all across the country. The 2024 Magic Summer Tour is where the magic happens! Fans should expect a summer of fun and nostalgia as the New Kids embark on their first mostly outdoor venue tour in 15 years. NKOTB will be visiting some of the most iconic venues on this tour for a night under the stars, including some of the very same venues that they performed at on the original 1990 Magic Summer Tour. The sold-out 1990 Magic Summer Tour, sponsored by Coca-Cola & McDonalds, took place at the ultimate height of New Kids’ success, and included multi-night stops at the band’s hometown Foxboro Stadium, Dodgers Stadium, Giants Stadium and many others. The band collaborated with Harry Blackstone Jr. to stage magic and illusions within their performance, impressing fans and the Magic community alike, and even went on to win a Magic award for their contributions to the medium throughout their tour. “The true ‘magic’ of this tour is in the music, the moments and the memories that we get to create – and recreate – with our amazing fans each night,” said Donnie Wahlberg. “Feeling all the nostalgic feels of the original Magic Summer, with the bond that we’ve shared throughout the years, will make for a most magical time indeed.” Over 3 million fans attended the Magic Summer Tour worldwide, coinciding with New Kids On The Block’s number-one album & single at the time. Watch New Kids On The Block’s throwback video HERE to see all the 90s nostalgia that will be returning this summer. New Kids On The Block have come back to life as their official dolls in a brand-new promotional video in support of the upcoming tour. Watch HERE. With cameos from Andrea Barber of Full House & Fulller House (a dedicated BlockHead!) and influencer Brittany Nicole, the New Kids tease the magic in store for their fans this summer and transform into living versions of their iconic dolls. Since the 1990 Magic Summer Tour, New Kids have continued to be a force with their finger on the pulse of pop culture, making waves once again in 2008, when they reunited for smash-hit album The Block. On November 3, they will be releasing a revamped version of this iconic 2008 comeback album, The Block Revisited, celebrating 15 years since their triumphant return to the music scene. New Kids have headlined the iconic Fenway Park three times and continue to represent their hometown of Boston with pride. They have sold millions of concert tickets around the world since their return. They have traveled with their fans on NKOTB cruises, as well as held the first-ever NKOTB fan convention, BLOCKCON, which took place earlier this year. ### Date City Venue **No support acts or CITI Presale for July 1. Family Film ‘Holiday Twist’ Starring Sean Astin, Neal McDonough, Kelly Stables & Others Secures Nationwide Theatrical Release(10/18/23) ETM Distribution has set a nationwide theatrical release for Holiday Twist, a new family film starring Kelly Stables (Superstore), Neal McDonough (Yellowstone), Sean Astin (Stranger Things) and more. Marking the debut feature of Stephanie Garvin, who directed from her own script, the film will bow exclusively in 500+ theaters nationwide December 1.Pic centers on a high-powered female executive and Grinchy workaholic CEO (Stables), whose whole world comes crashing down amidst unforeseen circumstances, despite her self-perceived importance. With help from a Salvation Army Santa (Blake Leeper) and a little holiday magic, the protagonist finally realizes the key to letting go of her painful past is the answer to becoming the twinkling light that both her community and her family need. Rounding out the cast are James Maslow (Big Time Rush), Emily Tosta (Mayans M.C.), Caylee Cowan (Willy’s Wonderland), Drew Fuller (Army Wives), Brian Thomas Smith (The Big Bang Theory), Haley Reinhart (American Idol), Kelli Mi Li (Bling Empire), singer-songwriter Jake Miller, and TikTok star Montana Tucker. Producers on the project included Garvin (The Trial of the Chicago 7) and Scott Rosenfelt (Home Alone). The exec producer of the forthcoming romantic drama What About Love, starring Sharon Stone and Andy Garcia, which is slated for release on Valentine’s Day 2024, Garvin has also previously served as co-EP on titles including Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7. In a statement on the ETM acquisition, she expressed her gratitude for “the invaluable collaboration with and support from my outstanding cast, crew, and producer teams” while making her first feature. “Through many trials and tribulations, we managed to stay independent and create a family oriented movie with an original music sound track designed to be a light for people who are suffering in many ways through tough times,” Garvin continued. “It’s a story of overcoming adversity, rolling with the punches, and finding joy in the journey along the rocky road of life. It’s my personal passion that it will inspire audiences to be resilient, forgiving and transformative.” Boy Band Doc Featuring New Kids On The Block & Backstreet Boys Lined Up At Paramount+(10/2/23) Paramount+ is hangin’ tough with its latest music documentary.The streamer has lined up a new feature doc about boy bands such as New Kids On The Block, Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC and 98 Degrees that dominated the field in the late 80's, 90s and early 2000s The untitled doc has some boy band experience behind it. It is produced by Johnny Wright and Van Toffler. Wright started out as tour manager for New Kids on the Block before managing Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. Toffler, who is CEO of Gunpowder & Sky, which is producing with MTV Entertainment Studios, spent 28 years at MTV, including as President of Viacom Media Networks Music & Logo Group between 2008 and 2016, when it played music videos, many of which were by these artists. Tamra Davis, who helmed movies such as Billy Madison and Half Baked, will direct. The doc will dig deep into the love, pain and tears of joy of the boy band era with interviews from the key players. It features access to the music, band members and personalities as well as archive footage. It is Paramount+’s latest music doc from Gunpowder & Sky, which made I Wanna Rock: The ‘80s Metal Dream and yacht rock doc Sometimes When We Touch. “The ’90s boy band era made an indelible impact and will be forever woven into the pop culture landscape. Boy bands remain bonafide global sensations to this day, as seen in the fan frenzy heard around the world during *NSYNC’s on-stage reunion at this year’s VMAs and the ever-spreading domination of K-Pop’s biggest groups like BTS, Stray Kids and TXT,” said Bruce Gillmer, President of Music, Music Talent, Programming & Events, Paramount and Chief Content Officer, Music, Paramount+. “We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with Van and Gunpowder & Sky, harnessing the magic and nostalgia this golden age of boy band culture continues to elicit for the legions of fans across generation and the world.” “The ’90s boy band era was an extraordinary chapter in music where harmonies and beats came together, along with talented vocal artists who captivated the hearts of millions worldwide,” added Wright. “Their music spoke to the dreams, aspirations and emotions of the fans, creating a bond that transcended borders and language. To this day, the boy bands continue to inspire, uplift and unite – reminding us of a great time that will forever hold a special place in our hearts.” Toffler added, “If you think back to groups like The Jackson 5, who paved the way for boy bands, this music has dominated the charts for decades, but there’s always been a stigma attached. The reality is, these are insanely talented guys who led the requests each week when I was running TRL in the ’90s and early 2000s. And, just when we all think the fervor for boy bands has dissipated, One Direction or BTS emerge, and their disciples like Harry Styles and Justin Timberlake overtake pop culture.” NKOTB Announce 15th Anniversary Reissue of ‘The Block’ Album — and New Track with K-Pop Group Seventeen(9/1/23) (Audio) It's been 15 years since the New Kids on the Block stepped back onto the music scene, and they’re celebrating the milestone with a treat for boy band fans — near and far.On Friday, NKOTB announced the release of “The Block Revisited,” a special 15th-anniversary edition of their 2008 reunion album “The Block.” The deluxe collection features four previously unreleased songs, additional bonus material and a new remix of their single “Dirty Dancing” featuring Joshua, DK and Dino from K-pop supergroup Seventeen. The collaboration marks the first joint project for the two popular boy bands, who have been posting cryptic teasers for their fans (affectionately known as Blockheads and Carats, respectively) on social media. The New Kids are made up of bandmates Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood and brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, while Seventeen has 13 members — which also includes S.coups, Wonwoo, Mingyu, Vernon, Woozi, Jeonghan, Seungkwan, Hoshi, Jun and The8 — who are split into vocal, hip-hop and performance "subunits.” After a 14 year hiatus, NKOTB — who skyrocketed to fame in the late ‘80s with the release of the “Hangin’ Tough” album — reunited with a performance on Today show and announcement of their first new album and tour since breaking up in 1994. “‘The Block’ album didn’t only mark the reunion of our band, it sparked the reunion of our band with our fans!” Wahlberg said in a release. “I could never overestimate how much the songs and the spirit of this album mean to all of us.” Continued Wahlberg: “‘The Block Revisited' is a celebration of the magical bond that we’ve built over the last 15 years.” When it was originally released 2008, the comeback album featured the hits “Summertime,” “2 in the Morning” and “Single,” as well as collaborations with the Pussycat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger, Ne-Yo and then little-known singer Lady Gaga, who performed on the song “Big Girl Now” and opened for the group on their first reunion tour. The new track list also includes personal audio recordings from Wahlberg’s late mother, Alma, and McIntyre’s late father, Tom. “The Block Revisited” will be released on Nov. 3. It has been a year of celebration for the band, who staged their first BlockCon fan convention in Chicago in May and are setting sail on their annual cruise in October. Vanessa Williams Joins Producing Team Of Broadway-Bound Louis Armstrong Musical ‘A Wonderful World’ As Full Casting Announced(7/12/23) Tony Award nominee Vanessa Williams has joined the lead producing team for the Broadway-aimed A Wonderful World, a bio-musical about jazz icon Louis Armstrong starring James Monroe Iglehart.Williams’ involvement comes as producers announce the full cast for the musical: In addition to the previously announced Iglehart as Armstrong, the principal cast of A Wonderful World will feature Ta’Rea Campbell (The Lion King, The Book of Mormon) as Lucille Wilson, Jennie Harney-Fleming (The Color Purple, Hamilton) as Lil Hardin, Brennyn Lark (Six, Les Misérables) as Alpha Smith and Khalifa White (Caroline, or Change, Little Shop of Horrors) as Daisy Parker. Following Armstrong’s musical path from New Orleans to Chicago, A Wonderful World will premiere this year at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans (October 1-8) before moving to the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago (October 11-29). Producers plan to move the show to Broadway, although dates and other details have not been announced. “I became interested in joining the producing team after I worked with Carl White and Greg Rae on a play I am starring in and co-producing called One Reach Away,” Williams said in a statement. “They told me about this Louis Armstrong piece, and I had to read it. What captured me was the life of Louis was told through the perspectives of his four wives, and that’s when my producing partner Liz Curtis and I dove in.” Williams joins producers Thomas E. Rodgers, Jr., Renee Rodgers, Andrew Delaplaine, Liz Curtis, and Martian Entertainment (Carl D. White and Gregory Rae). Williams, whose TV credits include Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives, has starred on Broadway in Kiss of the Spider Woman, Sondheim on Sondheim, The Trip to Bountiful, After Midnight, POTUS and the 2002 revival of Into the Woods for which she received a Tony nomination. A Wonderful World marks her theatrical producing debut. The cast of A Wonderful World also features DeWitt Fleming, Jr., Gavin Gregory, Matthew Greenwood and Matt Wolpe, with Ronnie Bowman, Eean Cochran, Lindsey Corey, Jamal Christopher Douglas, Alexandra Frohlinger, Afra Hines, Alan Kelly, Ashley McManus, Aurelia Michael, Alysha Morgan, Jarran Muse, Aaron Michael Ray, Khadijah Rolle, Dave Schoonover, Brett Sturgis, Renell Taylor and Dori Waymer. Conceived by Christopher Renshaw and novelist Andrew Delaplaine and directed by Renshaw, A Wonderful World has an original book by Aurin Squire and features songs recorded and made popular by Armstrong. Lincoln Lawyer Season 2 Lands Netflix Release Date(6/6/23) The gavel is about to drop once again on The Lincoln Lawyer and this time, it’s going to be a two-part affair. Season 2, Part 1 of the David E. Kelley drama is set to hit Netflix Thursday, July 6, with the second half arriving a month later on Thursday, August 3.In the 10 new episodes, Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), an iconoclastic idealist, continues to run his law practice out of the back seat of his Lincoln, as he takes on cases big and small across the expansive city of Los Angeles. Based on the series of bestselling novels by Michael Connelly, the second season will tackle the fourth book in The Lincoln Lawyer series titled The Fifth Witness. In addition to Garcia-Rulfo, the cast includes Neve Campbell as Maggie, Mickey’s first ex-wife and a Deputy District Attorney known to colleagues as “Maggie McFierce”; Becki Newton as Lorna, Mickey’s second ex-wife who works as his office manager; Jazz Raycole as Izzy, a client of Mickey’s and a former addict who is charged with grand larceny to support her habit; and Angus Sampson as “Cisco,” a former biker gang member who now helps out Mickey as an investigator/bodyguard. Krista Warner, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Yaya DaCosta, Matt Angel and Angélica María also co-star, with Once Upon a Time veteran Lana Parrilla joining Season 2 in a recurring role. Kelley, Ted Humphrey, Connelly, Dailyn Rodriguez, Ross Fineman, Barry Jossen and Tana Jamieson are on board as executive producers, with Humphrey and Rodriguez serving as showrunners. Kellan Lutz, Neal McDonough And Mila Harris To Star In Pic ‘The December Cross’ For Archstone Entertainment & FilmHedge(5/18/23) Kellan Lutz (Twilight), Neal McDonough (Minority Report), and Mila Harris (No Exit) have signed on to star in The December Cross, with Archstone Entertainment securing world sales rights and Joshua Harris and Jon Gosier of FilmHedge financing.Todd Turner (Good Neighbor) wrote and will direct the film. Turner will also serve as producer through Wonderstruck, alongside Gabrielle Almagor for Urban Tales Productions and Michael Slifkin, Scott Martin, and Jack Sheehan of Archstone. Principal photography is scheduled to start September 2023 in Massachusetts. The pic is set in a town called Bethlehem, where border agents have just intercepted a coyote smuggling in a group of tired, desperate, and frightened refugees. There, an 11-year-old girl runs into a 7-year-old boy, Yosef, seeking refuge. Maya and Yosef become fast friends, and their ensuing adventure nearly kills them both but ends up warming the hearts of the townspeople with life lessons stretching far beyond their own borders. “I am really happy to be a part of The December Cross. We have an amazing cast, and the subject matter has such a unique and timely voice concerning immigration, family, and love,” Lutz said. “As an actor, I look for meaningful stories to tell and I’m looking forward to playing a character with such internal and external conflict.” Archstone most recently produced The Best Man, starring Luke Wilson and Dolph Lundgren, which was released theatrically last month via Saban. They also recently acquired and are selling Adam The First with David Duchovny, Futra Days with Tania Raymonde and Brandon Sklenar, and The Greatest Surf Movie In The Universe starring Luke Hemsworth, Kelly Slater, and Mick Fanning. FilmHedge is a fintech platform that provides private credit and financing for TV and film producers. Lutz is repped by Innovative and Zero Gravity, McDonough is with WME and Luber Roklin, Harris is repped by Paradigm and Complete Management Group, Esposito is with Special Artists Agency and Authentic, and Savante is with Exclusive Artists Agency and Opus Entertainment. New Kids on the Block celebrate NKOTB Day with live releases, giveaways and more(4/24/23) New Kids on the Block are celebrating their special day. April 24 has been NKOTB Day since 1989, when then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis declared it a holiday.This year NKOTB marked the day by releasing live versions of several tracks to streaming services, including such hits as “You Got It (The Right Stuff),” “Please Don’t Go Girl,” “Cover Girl I’ll Be Lovin’ You (Forever)” and “Block Party.” The band also celebrated the day by releasing special Instagram filters and artwork, along with sharing some live concert videos on YouTube for the first time. There’s also some special contest giveaways, including a Mega NKOTB Day Prize Bundle, which includes two tickets to the first-ever NKOTB convention, BLOCKCON, taking place May 26-28 in Chicago, Illinois. The bundle also includes two tickets to the NKOTB Cruise, a $1,500 travel voucher and a New Kids merch package. To enter the contest, fans must share a photo or video to their Instagram feed with their favorite NKOTB memory, tagging the band and using #NKOTBday. CBS RENEWS HIT DRAMA SERIES “BLUE BLOODS” FOR THE 2023-2024 SEASON(3/29/23) CBS announced today that it has renewed the hit drama series BLUE BLOODS for the 2023-2024 season. The series will return for the show’s 14th year on the Network.“BLUE BLOODS has dominated Friday nights since its premiere and remained an important anchor for CBS’ winning lineup,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “Led by the outstanding Tom Selleck and an incredible cast and creative team, viewers continue to embrace the Reagans, their law enforcement family and the series’ dramatic storytelling. We can’t wait to pull a chair up to the Reagan family dinner table for another fantastic season.” BLUE BLOODS is Friday’s #1 primetime program and the #3 broadcast drama with 9.54 million viewers. With live +35-day multiplatform viewing, BLUE BLOODS scores more than 11 million viewers an episode.* Since the show’s premiere on Friday, Sept. 24, 2010, BLUE BLOODS has always maintained its #1 position at 10:00 PM, leading the Network’s top-rated Friday night lineup. BLUE BLOODS is also a top 10 series on Paramount+, based on total minutes viewed. Year-to-date in 2023, BLUE BLOODS also ranks as the sixth most-viewed channel on Pluto TV. Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes, Len Cariou, Marisa Ramirez and Vanessa Ray star. Kevin Wade, Siobhan Byrne-O’Connor, Ian Biederman and Dan Truly serve as executive producers. BLUE BLOODS is produced by CBS Studios. BLUE BLOODS airs Fridays, (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and streams live and on demand on Paramount+. A new episode will be available Friday, March 31. BLUE BLOODS joins the previously announced renewals of NCIS, 60 MINUTES, CSI: VEGAS, NCIS: HAWAI’I, SURVIVOR, THE AMAZING RACE, TOUGH AS NAILS, LINGO, 48 HOURS, GHOSTS, THE NEIGHBORHOOD, SO HELP ME TODD, BOB ? ABISHOLA, FIRE COUNTRY, YOUNG SHELDON, FBI, FBI: MOST WANTED, FBI: INTERNATIONAL and THE EQUALIZER. TRACKER, a new drama starring Justin Hartley, received an early series order for the 2023-2024 season. Additional show orders will be announced in the coming weeks. CBS Renewal Status Report: ‘Blue Bloods’, ‘S.W.A.T.’, ‘East New York’ & ‘True Lies’(3/25/23) It’s been more than a month since the most recent CBS scripted renewals, of NCIS, NCIS: Hawai’i and CSI: Vegas. The three dramas that were left out at the time — Blue Bloods, S.W.A.T. and East New York — remain in limbo, joined on the CBS bubble list by new midseason drama True Lies, which debuted March 1.Business issues have been major factors in the renewal prospects for veterans Blue Bloods, currently in its 13th season, and S.W.A.T., now in its sixth season, as well freshman East New York, I hear. Amid overall decline of linear ratings, it has become common practice for broadcast networks to ask for financial concessions on long-running series, which naturally become more expensive as they age. But things are looking very good for the Tom Selleck starrer Blue Bloods, I hear. As Deadline reported last month, the size of the cuts CBS had been pushing for on the show were pretty deep, as much as 25% for some above-the-line talent, which includes actors. Blue Bloods employs hundreds of crew and other support personnel whose livelihood depends on it, and I hear the cast and producers have agreed to salary reductions in order to keep the show going. Some deals are still being finalized, but I hear they are expected to close shortly and the venerable family cop drama will return for a 14th season. Produced by CBS Studios, Blue Bloods has been a moneymaker for the company, with strong performance on CBS, in syndication and internationally. Thirteen seasons in, Blue Bloods remains a Top 5 scripted series on CBS, holding steady in viewers year-to-year, and a cornerstone of the network’s formidable Friday lineup, which was rebuilt this season with S.W.A.T. and Fire Country joining Blue Bloods. S.W.A.T., headlined by Shemar Moore, is a rare series to rise in viewership year-to-year following its move to Fridays this season, where the drama has flourished. A co-production between Sony Pictures TV and CBS Studios, S.W.A.T., like Blue Bloods, previously had received early renewals. But I hear those early renewals the last few years came with CBS keeping the license fee unchanged, which has put more and more pressure on the budget and further squeezed the show’s profit margins as costs increase every year. I hear the lead studio Sony is not willing to go for another renewal at a flat license fee (which is the amount of money a network pays to a studio for its programming) as that would compromise the show’s production quality and financial model. I hear there had been preliminary conversations, but CBS is yet to start formal renewal negotiation and the network’s exclusive window on the show might have expired. Still, sources are hopeful that the network would step up to keep S.W.A.T. on the air. That hope is shared by S.W.A.T. showrunner Shawn Ryan. Without commenting on specifics, he addressed the series’ renewal situation in an interview with Deadline for his new Netflix series The Night Agent. From a ratings perspective, it’s a no-brainer to pick it up. I think I just saw that we’re like the third highest rated show on CBS in the demo, the ratings have gone up. We live in this weird age now where economic conversations take place and take precedence over what viewers really want to watch on their screens because the show is a big hit for CBS, and hopefully Sony and CBS work out the details to bring it back because I know the fans want to. I know that it’s been a great anchor for CBS on Friday nights, it helped launch Fire Country, which has done very well as well. The whole night’s working for CBS and in the past, we’d already been picked up. But now there’s economic concerns that have to be negotiated, and we hope they get negotiated and the show can return. For cop drama East New York, starring Amanda Warren, in addition to the ubiquitous budget trims, I hear there is an additional business issue that has stalled renewal negotiations. I hear it has to do with additional streaming rights CBS has requested for the series, produced by Warner Bros. TV. I hear they go beyond the now-standard stacking, which allows networks to stream current season of their series on their digital platforms. Season 1 episodes of East New York are on Paramount+. According to sources, the ask is for previous seasons also to be made available on the Paramount Global platform — on a non-exclusive basis, I hear. This has become a hurdle as it further erodes the amount of rights a third-party studio controls. Warner Bros. TV, which has its own corporate streamer in HBO Max, recently agreed to a joint library deal for its hit ABC comedy Abbott Elementary, whose previous seasons are shared between ABC corporate sibling Hulu and WBTV’s HBO Max. Things do not appear as complicated for True Lies. The series reboot of the hit movie has not been able to find an audience, ranking as CBS’ lowest-rated scripted series of the season four weeks in. At this point, the series is not likely to return but remains on the bubble. CBS’ long-running drama NCIS: Los Angeles is ending this season, but the network also has new Justin Hartley series Tracker on tap for next season. With Blue Bloods close to a renewal, S.W.A.T. and East New York‘s odds of coming back might be tied to how many drama pilots CBS will pick up to series. The network’s 2023 slate consists of two high-profile projects: Matlock, starring Kathy Bates, and Elsbeth, headlined by Carrie Preston. In addition to NCIS, NCIS: Hawai’i and CSI: Vegas, also previously renewed by CBS for next season are Fire Country, The Equalizer, FBI, FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted, So Help Me Todd, Young Sheldon, Ghosts, The Neighborhood, and Bob Hearts Abishola. Neal & Ruvé McDonough’s The McDonough Company Secures Rights To Former Artillery Gunner Kelsi Sheren’s Memoir ‘Brass & Unity’(3/1/23) Ruvé and Neal McDonough’s The McDonough Company has secured film and TV rights to Brass & Unity: One Woman’s Journey through the Hell of Afghanistan and Back, an inspirational memoir from combat veteran Kelsi Sheren, which will be released by Knox Press on July 11.Brass & Unity delves into Sheren’s experience as a five-foot tall female artillery gunner going into battle and coming out a broken soldier, forced to rediscover her purpose in life. Sheren served with Canadian, American, and British armed forces, deploying to Afghanistan in 2009 at age 19, and upon being sent home with PTSD, embarked on a new war with herself. From the depths of despair, broken and suicidal, though, she emerged stronger than ever. Finding respite in a jewelry business that utilized spent shell casings, along with brain treatment, psychedelics, and regaining a combat community, Sheren not only survived but continues to thrive — and works tirelessly to spread the word and help others. Sheren now hosts a podcast, also titled Brass & Unity, which brings in notable guests from all career paths and walks of life to discuss issues of mental health. She also runs the successful jewelry and eyewear brand of the same name, which puts 20% of its net profits toward helping vets suffering from PTSD, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. “Ruvé and I are very excited to bring the story of Kelsi Sheren’s life to the screen. And we couldn’t be more excited to have the launch of her book coming out to coincide with preproduction on our project,” actor-producer Neal McDonough told Deadline. “To be the only female in an all male platoon in Afghanistan and what she went through is truly a project about bravery, faith, and never giving up hope. We are so blessed to be part of this team.” Neal and his wife Ruvé McDonough most recently teamed to produce Boon — the sequel to the indie thriller Red Stone, in which Neal starred opposite Tommy Flanagan and Christiane Seidel. The film, released last year by Cinedigm, had him reprising his role as Nick Boon, a mercenary attempting to atone for his life as an enforcer for a merciless syndicate. Neal also previously exec produced the Brent Christy Western The Warrant in which he starred, with Ruve as producer. He alone exec produced Red Stone, also serving in that capacity on his college football pic, Greater. Notable onscreen credits of late for the in-demand actor include Fox’s 9-1-1: Lone Star, The CW’s The Flash and Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. Neal McDonough is repped by Luber Roklin Entertainment and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman. ‘Blue Bloods‘, ’S.W.A.T.’ & ‘East New York’ Did Not Get Early Renewals By CBS – Here Is Why(2/21/23) CBS today renewed three more scripted series, dramas NCIS, NCIS: Hawai’i and CSI: Vegas. With recent Season 2 orders for breakout freshmen Fire Country and So Help Me Todd, renewals of comedies Ghosts, The Neighborhood and Bob Hearts Abishola and with the FBI franchise, The Equalizer and Young Sheldon in the midst of multi-season pickups, that leaves Blue Bloods, S.W.A.T. and East New York as the three current CBS scripted series that are yet to get word on next season.Blue Bloods is the stalwart among the three. Currently in its 13th season, the cop drama starring Tom Selleck remains a Top 5 scripted series on CBS and a cornerstone of the network’s formidable Friday lineup, which was rebuilt this season with S.W.A.T., now in its sixth season, and Fire Country joining Blue Bloods. Both Blue Bloods and S.W.A.T. are in active renewal negotiations, I hear, with proposed budget cuts among the points that need to be hammered out. Amid overall decline of linear ratings, it has become common practice for broadcast networks to ask for budget reductions on long-running series which naturally become more expensive as they age. There had been rumblings that the cuts CBS had been pushing for on Blue Bloods were pretty deep, putting the show’s future in limbo, but I hear negotiations are going in the right direction and the network is hopeful to have the show back for Season 14. Produced by CBS Studios, Blue Bloods has been a moneymaker for the company with strong performance on CBS, in syndication and internationally. S.W.A.T. is a rare series to tick up in viewership year-to-year after its move to Fridays this season where the drama has flourished. A co-production between lead Sony Pictures TV and CBS Studios, S.W.A.T. had previously received early renewals. I hear talks for a seventh season have recently started and there are no major hurdles, with sources optimistic that a compromise on budget and other points would be reached. Last year, CBS went down to the wire on four other co-productions, the three FBI series and The Equalizer, all with Universal TV, which were ultimately renewed for two seasons each. East New York is a classic bubble series and will likely have to wait for CBS brass to see how new midseason entry True Lies performs in the coming weeks and to review the two drama pilots before they make a decision on the police drama starring Amanda Warren. Neal McDonough, Sean Astin Join ‘The Shift’(2/4/23) Neal McDonough (Yellowstone), Sean Astin (Stranger Things) and Rose Reid (Finding You) will join Kristoffer Polaha, John Billingsley, Jason Marsden, Nolan North, Emily Rose and more in the sci-fi thriller The Shift, which has entered production in Birmingham, AL.The film written and directed by Brock Heasley marks the first original theatrical effort from Angel Studios, the studio behind the crowdfunded streaming series The Chosen. Plot details are under wraps. But Liz Tabish, Paras Patel and Jordan Walker Ross will also feature in the cast of the pic from Ken Carpenter’s Nook Lane Entertainment. McDonough is repped by Luber Roklin Entertainment and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman; Astin by Luber Roklin, Stewart Talent and Brecheen Feldman Breimer; and Reid by Innovative Artists and attorney Jared Bloch. Neal McDonough guests on 9-1-1: Lone Star 9/14/23(2/4/23) As Owen wears an FBI wire for his meeting with O’Brien, The Honor Dogs crash the meet-up and let them know there's an infiltrator in their midst. A frantic TK desperately searches for a missing and held captive Carlos in the all-new “Abandoned” episode of 9-1-1: Lone Star airing Tuesday, Feb. 14 (8:00-9:01 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (NLS-404) (TV-14 D, L, V)Cast: Rob Lowe as Owen Strand; Gina Torres as Tommy Vega; Ronen Rubinstein as T.K. Strand; Sierra McClain as Grace Ryder; Jim Parrack as Judd Ryder; Natacha Karam as Marjan Marwani; Brian Michael Smith as Paul Strickland; Rafael Silva as Carlos Reyes; Julian Works as Mateo Chavez; Brianna Baker as Nancy Gillian Guest Cast: Neal McDonough as Sgt. Ty O’Brien; Amanda Schull as Special Agent Rose Kacey Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg Strip Down for New Formless Beauty Launch: 'It's Fun to Bare All!'(12/7/22) (Photo) 'Tis the season for Jenny McCarthy and husband Donnie Wahlberg to ditch their clothes!In a new holiday ad announcing the drop of Formless Beauty's Nude Collection of lip glosses, the couple appear naked — with some strategically placed ribbons and puppies placed in front of certain body parts. "It was fun to bare it all with my husband for this shoot," McCarthy, 50, said. "I definitely have a thing for chestnuts roasting and large packages adorned with red ribbons." For Wahlberg's part, he said he was happy the photo shoot came while he was at his fighting weight. "I love having fun with Jenny, and she asked me right before 'in-shape New Kids Donnie' became a 'doughnut-eating Blue Bloods Donnie,' so the timing was perfect," the 53-year-old actor said. It all comes one year after McCarthy announced the launch of her clean cosmetics brand. "There are a lot of celebrity brands out there, but not all of them are vegan and cruelty-free, so I am very proud that mine is," she told PEOPLE exclusively at the time. The Nude Collection — shimmering neutral shades named Bliss, Radiance and Euphora — builds on the brand, after McCarthy released three lip gloss colors last year and two others earlier this year. The eco-friendly glosses feature a "non-sticky formula" and are made in the U.S. Each Nude Collection bundle purchase also qualifies customers for a drawing to receive a Christmas Day phone call from Jenny and Donnie. They have also autographed 2,000 of their nearly-naked holiday ads for customers. The Nude Collection goes on sale Dec. 7. Donnie Wahlberg Sells Crime Drama Projects To CBS From Writers Steven Kane & Chad Gomez Creasey(12/5/22) Blue Bloods star Donnie Wahlberg has set up two cop drama projects at CBS through CBS Studios. The network is developing Samaritan and Harbor Blue with writers Steven Kane (Halo) and Chad Gomez Creasey (NCIS). Wahlberg is executive producing both projects, which stem from his deal at CBS Studios.Written by Kane with story by Kane and Creasey, in Samaritan, after discovering a “glitch” in an app that notifies her of crimes and emergencies before they happen, a young hustler teams up with a grizzled detective to prevent the tragedies from ever occurring. Kane and Creasey executive produce with Lillah McCarthy and Rain Productions’ Jonathan Baruch and Rob Wolken. Harbor Blue is written and executive produced by Creasey. In it, a team of adrenaline-junkies form the NYPD Harbor Unit, tasked with securing and policing the 576 miles of treacherous waterfront surrounding all 5 boroughs, deliver justice to criminals on and off the water. Creasey, Wahlberg, McCarthy, and Rain’s Baruch executive produce. Wahlberg stars as Danny Reagan on CBS’ long-running cop drama Blue Bloods, now airing its 13th season. Creasey currently serves as co-executive producer on CBS’ NCIS. He was an executive producer on NCIS: New Orleans, which aired for seven seasons on CBS. Kane co-created Paramount+’s Halo series and served as executive producer/showrunner on its first season. Before that he was an executive producer on TNT’s The Last Ship. ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ Adds Lana Parrilla To Season 2(10/26/22) Lana Parrilla (Why Women Kill, Once Upon a Time) has joined the cast of Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer for Season 2 in a recurring role.She will play Lisa Trammell, a beloved chef and community advocate struggling to keep her restaurant afloat as a predatory real estate developer threatens the neighborhood around her. Based on the series of bestselling novels by Michael Connelly, The Lincoln Lawyer follows the redemption of Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), a Los Angeles attorney who regains much of what he lost due to addiction with hard work and hustle. His success is also thanks to his devoted supporters: his ex-wives Maggie (Neve Campbell) and Lorna (Becki Newton), his driver and unofficial sponsor Izzy (Jazz Raycole), and the best investigator in town—and Lorna’s newly minted fiancé—Cisco (Angus Sampson). The 10-episode second season will be based on the fourth book in The Lincoln Lawyer series by Connelly, The Fifth Witness. Season 2 will be executive-produced by co-showrunners Ted Humphrey and Dailyn Rodriguez; as well as Connelly, David E. Kelley, Ross Fineman, Barry Jossen, and Tana Jamieson. The series is produced by A+E Studios for Netflix. Parrilla is notably known for her portrayal of the Evil Queen/Regina Mills in ABC’s Once Upon a Time across the show’s 7 seasons. Most recently she starred as Rita Castillo in Marc Cherry’s dark dramedy Why Women Kill. She’s also appeared in various hit shows including Spin City, NYPD Blue, Six Feet Under, 24, Lost, and The Shield. Her film credits include 2000’s Very Mean Men alongside Matthew Modine and Ben Gazzara, as well as 2020’s The Tax Collector opposite Jimmy Smits and George Lopez. She is repped by APA and Untitled Entertainment. THE HOLIDAY STOCKING 12/3/22(10/21/22) THE HOLIDAY STOCKING (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)Airing Saturday, Dec. 3 at 10 pm In this Hallmark Mahogany presentation, RJ is a new angel who is given the chance to address his one regret: that he didn’t help his sisters reconcile while he was still alive. Returning to earth as a stranger, he gets each of them to revive The Holiday Stocking, their parent’s old tradition to encourage charity at Christmas; Nadine Ellis, B.J. Britt, Karon Riley, Tamala Jones and Mykelti Williamson star. Fire damages Mark Wahlberg's childhood home in Boston(10/2/22) A home where entertainers Mark and Donnie Wahlberg’s family once lived was damaged by fire Sunday in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, the fire department said.The blaze in a nearby home at around 10 a.m., but spread to another three buildings because of strong winds, Fire Commissioner Paul Burke said. Two firefighters suffered injuries and one resident was taken to the hospital. There was no immediate word on the cause of the fire. One of the homes involved was 25 Peverell Street, where the Wahlberg family used to live. Mark Wahlberg visited the home during the production of his Netflix movie “Wonderland” in 2018 and 2019. In one video posted on social media, the actor stands shirtless in front of the house, describing it as “where it all started.” The homes affected by Sunday’s fire were a type of classic Boston architecture called a triple decker, a three-family home that’s common in the city. “It was a total of four three-deckers that were on fire, mostly in the rear of the buildings on the porches,” the fire commissioner told WCVB-TV. “It’s a very tight street.” Boston Fire Department spokesperson Brian Alkins said 15 people were displaced by the fire. He estimated damage to the buildings at $2 million. Vanessa Williams’ Penthouse Magazine Scandal In Works As Limited Series At Sony TV With Neil Meron Producing(9/28/22) Vanessa Williams’ personal story about the scandal that forced her to resign her Miss America crown in 1984 is in the works for the small screen. Sony Pictures Television has optioned rights to her story to develop as a limited series, with veteran Neil Meron executive producing.Williams made history in 1983 by becoming the first Black woman to be crowned Miss America. Weeks before completing her reign, she was forced to resign her title under pressure from the organization when controversy ensued after nude photos of her taken prior to her Miss America win were published without her consent in Penthouse Magazine. Faced with adversity at the start of her career, Williams was able to overcome the scandal and become an award-winning actor and singer in one of entertainment industry’s most remarkable comeback stories. Zadan/Meron Productions’ Meron and Mark Nicholson will executive produce with Stephen Roseberry and Jon Carrasco of Encore Endeavor 1 (EE1), a wholly-owned subsidiary of kathy ireland Worldwide. Top Hollywood attorney Martin Singer, who has repped kiWW for years and was instrumental in making the project come together, will also serve as executive producer, with Steve Glick, EVP Content and Broadcasting for EE1, serving as producer. Williams has been a client of SWC (Sterling Winters Company), a wholly owned subsidiary of kathy ireland Worldwide, for a long time and has collaborated with kiWW in different areas. “This project is incredibly personal to me,” said Williams. “There are so many inaccurate and untrue accounts of the events surrounding this period in my life, and as a mother, and as a Black woman, it is important to me that my truth be told and be documented from my perspective. This is not just a story about racy photos, it is about misogyny and racism and I want to shine a light on that for future generations. I was not only able to survive what could have been a career-ending scandal, but rose above it and have achieved a body of work I am extremely proud of. I look forward to continuing my long relationships with Sony, Neil Meron and Mark Nicholson, and working closely with my partners Kathy Ireland, Stephen Roseberry, Jon Carrasco and Steve Glick to bring this story to the screen.” Williams, a three-time Emmy nominee for supporting actress for her work on Ugly Betty, also has received 11 Grammy nominations, a Tony nomination, three SAG award nominations and seven NAACP Image Awards. The Desperate Housewives alumna recently completed a praised run in the new Broadway comedy POTUS and has completed filming the second season of RuPaul’s Paramount+ reality competition Queen of the Universe, where she serves as a judge. Her platinum single, “Colors of the Wind,” from Disney’s Pocahontas, won the Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe for Best Original Song, and she is currently preparing to record a new album. “I am so grateful that Vanessa has entrusted Mark Nicholson and I to share her remarkable story of breaking barriers,” Meron said. “She faced a culture of discrimination and hate yet her indomitable integrity guided her to the many triumphs she has had during her remarkable career. She is a testament to living her truth and a role model for everyone. We’re thrilled to be working with Vanessa, as well as Kathy Ireland’s impressive executive team at EE1/kiWW, Stephen Roseberry, Jon Carrasco and Steve Glick.” Williams has opened up in the past about the traumatic Penthouse scandal experience, which she also recounted in an Oprah’s Master Class interview. (You can watch it below.) “Vanessa Williams is an extraordinary artist, and a great inspiration for women and girls to dream their own dreams … and live them. Vanessa morphed from a vulnerable, genius young talent to become one of the world’s most beloved pop culture icons, and successful multi-hyphenates in acting, music, dance, and production,” said Ireland, co-founder of EE1 and founder, chair and CEO of kathy ireland? Worldwide. “Vanessa brings courage to Broadway stages, films, recordings and television in her endless fight against bigotry of all sorts. Vanessa is bold, brave and brilliant.” News of the Williams’ Penthouse Magazine limited series comes on the heels of the success of another limited series about celebrities grappling with intimate private materials being made public without their consent, Hulu’s Pam & Tommy. “It’s been almost 40 years since Vanessa was crowned Miss America — the first African American woman to win the crown in the pageant’s history. Her historic win, unfortunately, was marred by the greed of people who didn’t care about the consequences of their actions on the lives of Vanessa, her family and our country. We are looking forward to working with Vanessa, Neil, Mark and Sony in bringing this inspiring story about heroism and determination to the screen,” said Carrasco and Roseberry, creative director of EE1 and kiWW and president/CMO of EE1 and kiWW, respectively. Williams is repped by Glick, SWC, UTA and Lavely & Singer. (Video) ‘9-1-1: Lone Star’: Neal McDonough, D.B. Woodside & Amanda Schull Join Season 4 As Recurring(9/28/22) Neal McDonough (The Flash), D.B. Woodside (Lucifer) and Amanda Schull (Suits) are set for key recurring roles opposite Rob Lowe on the fourth season of Fox’s 9-1-1: Lone Star.McDonough plays Sgt. Ty O’Brien, a hard-assed police sergeant who we met last season when he butted heads with Owen (Lowe). McDonough guest-starred as the character in one episode in Season 3. Woodside will portray Trevor, a wholesome, handsome, charismatic, father and preacher. His new job has brought him and his daughter to Texas, but their new city greets them with a rare and dangerous storm. Schull will play Special Agent Rose Casey, an FBI agent investigating the members of an extremist group. She believes the group is planning a dangerous attack and needs Owen’s help gathering evidence to strengthen the case. In 9-1-1: Lone Star, 9/11 firefighter Captain Owen Strand (Lowe), along with his son, T.K. (Ronen Rubinstein), moved to Austin to help rebuild a firehouse which had experienced a tragedy of its own. Gina Torres, Sierra McClain, Jim Parrack, Natacha Karam, Brian Michael Smith, Rafael Silva, Julian Works and Brianna Baker also star. 9-1-1: Lone Star is produced by 20th Television in association with Ryan Murphy Television and Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision. Ryan Murphy & Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear are creators, executive producers and writers on the series. Bradley Buecker is an executive producer and directed the series premiere. Alexis Martin Woodall, John J. Gray, Angela Bassett, Rob Lowe, Bob Goodman and Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson are executive producers. McDonough was most recently seen reprising his role as Damien Dark on this season of CW’s The Flash and played Dwight D. Eisenhower in Season 10 of FX’s American Horror Stories. On the film side, McDonough recently wrapped production as producer, alongside his wife Ruvé, and star of western The Warrant: Breakers Law, and just wrapped Boon which he starred in, wrote, and produced with Ruvé. He also just starred opposite Bruce Willis in the sci-fi action film Apex. He’s repped by Luber Roklin Entertainment and Stuart Rosenthal at Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher. Known for his work on the Emmy-winning series 24, Woodside recently completed a one-season leading role in Netflix’s The Night Agent, and also recently wrapped his final season as Amenadiel on Netflix’s Lucifer. He also previously starred as Jeff Malone on Suits. Woodside is repped by Gersh, MJ Management and Matt Rosen in Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher. Schull is known for her role as Katrina Bennett on USA’s drama series Suits. Schull recurred for six seasons on the series and was promoted to series regular for season 8 and 9. Her other credits include recurring roles on One Tree Hill and Pretty Little Liars, among others. She most recently wrapped production on Hallmark’s Marry Go Round and recurred on Netflix’s Graymail. She’s repped by Innovative Artists and Sweeney Entertainment. Lana Parrilla Signs With APA & Boards Jennifer Lopez’s Netflix Sci-Fi Pic ‘Atlas’(9/27/22) Lana Parrilla has inked with APA and boarded Netflix’s Jennifer Lopez-starring AI drama Atlas directed by Brad Peyton.She joins Simu Liu, Sterling K. Brown and Abraham Popoola in the film penned by Aron Eli Coleite and Leo Sardarian. In Atlas, an intelligence analyst gets stranded on a distant planet and must learn to fight inside a military-grade mech suit in order to survive. Parrilla played Regina Mills, aka The Evil Queen, for 156 episodes on ABC’s hit series Once Upon a Time. Her work on the show earned her the NHMC Impact Award; an ALMA Award for Outstanding TV Actress; a Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress: Fantasy / Sci-Fi; and, as voted by fans, TV Guide’s Best Villain twice. She recently starred on Marc Cherry’s Paramount+ series Why Women Kill, a role for which she received a Gracie Award for Best Supporting Actress in Comedy. She also starred alongside Bobby Soto, Shia LaBeouf and George Lopez in David Ayer’s indie thriller The Tax Collector. Prior to that, Parrilla was a series regular on ABC’s sitcom Spin City, Graham Yost’s Boomtown, 24, Swingtown, and on Jerry Bruckheimer’s medical drama Miami Medical. In addition to her on-screen work, Parrilla stepped behind the camera and went on to direct one of the final episodes of Once Upon a Time. She also executive produced the documentary Split at the Root, which premiered this year at SXSW. Parrilla continues to be managed by Untitled and attorneys at Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher, LLP. Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg & Donnie Wahlberg Sign First-Look TV Deal With Lionsgate(9/15/22) Lionsgate has signed a three-year first-look deal with Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg and Donnie Wahlberg to develop and produce unscripted/reality television, docs, and non-fiction podcasts through their newly-formed Work Baby Productions banner.As part of the pact, Lionsgate company Pilgrim Media Group will provide development support and be the production services entity for sold projects. McCarthy Wahlberg is an actress, TV personality, activist and best-selling author of 11 books. She currently serves as a judge on Fox’s The Masked Singer, which is entering its eighth season. Wahlberg stars on CBS’ Blue Bloods.The couple have been married since 2014 and created Work Baby Productions to produce new and innovative content inspired by their decades-long careers and lives in the public eye. “Our focus as a couple, and as partners, is to bring light to projects that we are passionate about,” said Wahlberg and McCarthy Wahlberg in a statement. “Our new partners at Pilgrim and Lionsgate share that passion, and we are so excited to work with them to make these dreams reality.” “Donnie and Jenny are a perfect fit for Lionsgate and our commitment to creating leading unscripted television programming,” said President of Lionsgate Nonfiction Television and Pilgrim CEO and Chair Craig Piligian. “We know they will be excellent partners, and we look forward to helping them build a diverse and hugely successful slate of programs.” Pilgrim in-house attorney David Harris negotiated the deal for Lionsgate and Pilgrim. McCarthy Wahlberg is represented by WME and Brecheen, Feldman, Breimer, Silver & Tho. Wahlberg is represented by WME, RAIN and Gochman Law. Black Theatre United Inaugural Gala To Feature Audra McDonald, LaChanze, Vanessa Williams, Many Others(9/7/22) Black Theatre United has announced the line-up for its inaugural gala next month, and it’s a stellar one: Vanessa Williams, Norm Lewis, Audra McDonald, LaChanze, Capathia Jenkins, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Darius de Haas, Natasha Yvette Williams and Lillias White, for starters.The “A Night to Remember” gala concert is set for Monday, October 3 at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in Manhattan. Hosted by James Monroe Iglehart, the evening also will feature special performing guests Josh Groban, Joaquina Kalukango, Chuck Cooper, Lilli Cooper, Eddie Cooper, with special appearances by Sara Bareilles and Gavin Creel. Jerry Dixon directs, with musical direction by Michael Mitchell. The opening act for the evening is R&B duo Lion Babe. The event is supported by philanthropic organization Business for Good. Throughout the evening, BTU will honor trailblazing leaders in Black theater. Honorees will be announced at a later date. Williams, a BTU Co-Founder, said in a statement, “Black Theatre United is thrilled to have Business for Good be our lead sponsor for our first annual concert and gala. BFG invests in people to build better businesses, stronger communities, and a more equitable world. A perfect alignment for BTU’s vision and commitment. Diversity is a fact but inclusion is a choice “ Doors to the gala will open at 5:30 pm ET, with Lion Babe kicking off the event at 6:15 pm and the “A Night to Remember” concert starting at 7 pm. Neal McDonough & ‘Riverdale’s Casey Cott Set For Ben Cory Jones’ Football Drama ‘Black Spartans’(8/15/22) Neal McDonough (The Flash) and Casey Cott (Riverdale) will headline the sports drama Black Spartans, written and to be directed by Ben Cory Jones (Insecure), which is heading into production in Atlanta this fall.Exploring the explosive era of the mid-1960s where social upheaval paved the way for a new order in college football, Jones’ first feature tells the story of the first fully integrated college football team. The film is inspired by the Michigan State Spartans team, coached by Duffy Daugherty, which forever changed the face of the sport. Jones, McDonough, Cott, David Brown, Rochelle Claerbaut, Ruve McDonough, Justin Oates-Marable and Jimmy V are producing, with Cory Wharton serving as exec producer. McDonough is an award-winning actor whose film credits include Sonic the Hedgehog, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, RED 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, Flags of Our Fathers and more. On the TV side, he has appeared on The Flash, American Horror Story, Yellowstone, Van Helsing, The 100, Project Blue Book, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Altered Carbon, Suits, Arrow, Justified and Desperate Housewives, among other series. McDonough also recently appeared in Derek Presley’s hitman pic Red Stone and reprised his role as the mercenary Boon for a sequel of the same name, which he exec produced. Cott plays Kevin Keller in The CW’s popular YA series Riverdale, based on characters from the Archie Comics universe, which will return for its seventh and final season next year. The actor recently was seen alongside Vanessa Hudgens and Kiersey Clemons in Paramount and Saban Films’ thriller Asking for It, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Additional credits include the indie All the Little Things We Kill, guest starring roles on Instinct and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and the title role in a Kennedy Center production of The Who’s Tommy, directed by Josh Rhodes. Jones is best known for co-producing HBO’s acclaimed Issae Rae series Insecure and co-creating the BET series Boomerang with Lena Waithe. Other writing credits include Games People Play and Underground. McDonough is repped by Luber Roklin Entertainment and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman; Cott by Paradigm, Industry Entertainment and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman; and Jones by Cultivate Entertainment Partners, Kaplan-Stahler Agency and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson Boards Josh Stolberg’s Horror Pic ‘Skill House’, Will Produce Alongside Proxima Media’s Ryan Kavanaugh(7/11/22) Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson (Power Book II: Ghost) has signed on to star in the horror film Skill House from Ryan Kavanaugh’s Proxima Media—and will also produce the pic under his G-Unit Film & Television banner. He joins an ensemble led by TikTok star Bryce Hall, which also includes UFC veteran Paige VanZant, as previously announced. Other new additions to the ensemble include Leah Pipes (Sorority Row), McCarrie McCausland (Army Wives), Ivan Leung (The Tender Bar), Neal McDonough (Yellowstone), John DeLuca (Spree), Caitlin Carmichael (Midnight in the Switchgrass), Dani Oliveros (Roar), Emily Mei (The Download) and Jacob Skidmore (Trinkets).The film from writer-director Josh Stolberg (Spiral) is billed as a dark satire of social media and influencer culture, and what those new to the sphere are willing to do to attain fame. Conceived as the first in a franchise, it’s currently in production in Los Angeles at the TikTok “collab house” known as Sway House. Additional producers on the pic financed by Proxima Media include Alex Baskin and Lifeboat Productions’ Amy Kim and Jaime Burke. Daniel Herther, who oversees production and creative development at Proxima, is exec producing alongside Jason Barhydt and Bobby Sarnevesht. The film is slated for release early next year. “This film is bursting with mavericks of entertainment, many of them spanning multiple genres and platforms,” said Kavanaugh. “From a global rap and hip-hop music icon to a businessman, actor, writer, and producer – if anyone knows a thing or two about breaking the boundaries, it’s 50 Cent. I’m honored to work alongside him as we watch Bryce do the same with his career.” Jackson is an actor, producer, rapper and entrepreneur who founded G-Unit Film & Television in 2005. He exec produced, directed and co-starred in Starz’s hit series Power, and closed a deal with Starz and Lionsgate in October 2018 that has seen him expand its universe as an exec producer on the spinoffs Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Power Book IV: Force. Jackson’s company also has produced ABC’s For Life and Starz’s BMF, which was renewed last fall for a second season. Jackson has also previously appeared on series like For Life and such films as Southpaw, Last Vegas and Escape Plan. He will next be seen in The Expendables 4 and the action pic Den of Thieves 2: Pantera with Gerard Butler. Jackson is represented by APA and attorney Stephen J. Savva; Pipes by Innovative Artists and Untitled Entertainment; McCausland by Bold Talent Agency in Georgia, CESD and KD Talent; Leung by DGRW, Minc Talent, STW Talent Agency and Gregg Edwards Management; McDonough by Luber Roklin Entertainment and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman; DeLuca by Bold Management & Production and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman; Carmichael by Paradigm, Vault Entertainment and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern; Oliveros by Buchwald and Brave Artists Management; Mei by CAA, manager Briana Frapart and Jason Newman at Untitled Entertainment; and Skidmore by AEFH, Ryan Artists in Oregon, and Zero Gravity Management. Epic Rights Named Worldwide Licensing Agent for New Kids on the Block(6/14/22) On the heels of their latest release, the high-octane anthem “Bring Back The Time,” and their North American Mixtape Tour, legendary multi-platinum pop artists, New Kids on the Block “NKOTB,” have appointed Epic Rights as their global licensing agent to develop a global merchandise program worldwide.Since the band first debuted in 1984, NKOTB, consisting of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood, have sold more than 80 million records. To coincide with the tour and multiple initiatives, starting in 2022 through 2024, Epic Rights will develop a robust licensing program for the band across multiple categories, including apparel, footwear, accessories, gaming, spirits, home décor, collectibles, and more. Initial product launch for some categories will hit retail shelves in holiday 2022. “New Kids on the Block is one of the most successful pop boy bands of all time with multiple #1 hits and legions of fans just as eager to engage with them today as when they first started,” stated Lisa Streff, SVP, Global Licensing, Epic Rights. “With the Mixtape 2022 tour starting in May; a cruise in October; and other initiatives in the works, we have endless opportunities to create a distinctive line of merchandise that represents the band, featuring retro nostalgia from the 80s and 90s as well as products that speak to who they are today. We are so excited to add New Kids on the Block to our roster of amazing artists.” NKOTB’s Danny Wood stated: “We can’t wait to get back on the road this summer and perform for our fans, old and new! With all of the exciting plans we have coming, we wanted to create a unique, fresh, and memorable product line, and Epic Rights is the premiere agency for artists who want to develop merchandise lines that speak to their fans. We are thrilled to begin the process with Lisa and the team to bring all of our ideas to life!” NKOTB will hit the stage on the MixTape Tour 2022 to perform fan favorite #1 hits like “Hangin’ Tough,” “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever),” and “Step By Step” while tour mates Salt-N-Pepa (“Push It,” “Shoop,” “Whatta Man”), Rick Astley (“Never Gonna Give You Up,” “Together Forever”) and En Vogue (“Don’t Let Go [Love],” “Free Your Mind,” “Give It Up, Turn It Loose,” “Hold On”) keep the party going with music that catapulted them to stardom and solidified their places in music history. NKOTB has sold more than 80 million albums worldwide — including back-to-back international #1 songs, 1988’s Hangin’ Tough and 1990’s Step By Step — and a series of crossover smash R&B, pop hits like “You Got It (The Right Stuff),” “Cover Girl,” “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time),” “Hangin’ Tough,” “I’ll Be Loving You,” “Step By Step” and “Tonight.” The group which started with humble Boston beginnings grew to shatter concert box office records playing an estimated 200 concerts a year, in sold out stadiums throughout the world. Since reuniting in 2007, NKOTB have toured consistently to sold out arenas, have sold nearly 4 million tickets and have doubled their crowd sizes. The Boston natives have been bestowed with their very own, “New Kids on the Block Day,” an honor not many can claim, and have played Fenway three times before. The group solidified their place in Hollywood with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame since reuniting and will continue representing Boston on their journey long into the future. For more information on NKOTB, visit www.nkotb.com. CBS Fall 2022 Schedule(5/19/22) CBS has unveiled its fall schedule and while there’s a few changes, it’s largely business as usual.CBS FALL 2022-23 SCHEDULE MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY CBS RENEWS HIT DRAMA “BLUE BLOODS” FOR 2022-2023(4/26/22) CBS announced today that the venerable hit drama BLUE BLOODS has been renewed for the 2022-2023 television season and will return for the show’s 13th year on the Network. Additional renewals will be announced in the coming weeks.“America’s favorite first family of law enforcement is back for season 13,” said Kelly Kahl, president of CBS Entertainment. “The Reagans possess an incredible bond with audiences literally everywhere and on every platform. And in its 12th season, with over 250 episodes, BLUE BLOODS not only continues to dominate in the ratings but excels at an exceptionally high creative level. Led by the incomparable Tom Selleck, this amazing cast skillfully brings universal and relatable personal storylines to life week after week, while executive producer Kevin Wade and the skilled writing team craft compelling episodes featuring the show’s trademark mix of family dynamics and police work. We look forward to many more Reagan family dinners next season.” BLUE BLOODS is the #4 broadcast series, averaging 9.81 million viewers. It’s also Friday’s #1 program and the time-period (10:00-11:00 PM) winner in viewers. BLUE BLOODS has amassed 5.1 billion potential social media impressions so far this season. The series originally premiered Friday, Sept. 24, 2010, and has always maintained its #1 position on Fridays at 10:00 PM. Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes, Len Cariou, Marisa Ramirez and Vanessa Ray star. Kevin Wade, Ian Biederman, Brian Burns, Siobhan Byrne-O’Connor, Dan Truly and Tom Selleck serve as executive producers. BLUE BLOODS is produced by CBS Studios. BLUE BLOODS joins the previously announced renewals of THE AMAZING RACE, BOB ? ABISHOLA, CSI: VEGAS, GHOSTS, NCIS, NCIS: HAWAI’I, NCIS: LOS ANGELES, THE NEIGHBORHOOD, SECRET CELEBRITY RENOVATION, SURVIVOR, S.W.A.T., TOUGH AS NAILS and YOUNG SHELDON. Neal McDonough To Produce & Star Opposite Dermot Mulroney In ‘The Warrant’ Sequel ‘Breaker’s Law’(3/9/22) Neal McDonough (Red Stone) has signed on to produce and star opposite Dermot Mulroney in The Warrant: Breaker’s Law, a sequel to his 2020 film The Warrant, which will see him reprise his role as Civil War hero and Sheriff John Breaker.The original film, which is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime, sees Breaker and his son reunite to arrest Union Army friend “The Saint”—now a fierce gang leader, whose raids threaten to bring the country back into conflict. In the new film set in the 1870s, Breaker is now a Federal Marshal, setting out with his loyal best friend, Deputy Marshall Bugle Bearclaw, on a mission to deliver a warrant for Henry Bronson, aka Dead-Eye. After capturing the life-long criminal, delivering him to the local Marshal in Absolem’s Hill should be pretty straightforward. But Dead-Eye just happens to be the one-eyed estranged twin brother of the notorious murdering and thieving outlaw Yule Bronson. Yule runs a gang of bandits who currently threaten the very existence of Absolem’s Hill, and they are now the obstacle standing in the way of John completing his mission. Upon arrival to Absolem’s Hill, John, Bugle, and Dead-Eye arrive to discover the town torn apart, the cemetery unusually full, white crosses as far as you can see. Through twists and turns John discovers this whole mess is actually a family affair. Not just for Dead-Eye, but for John himself. Brent Christy is returning as director of the sequel, with Shea Sizemore returning as screenwriter. Gary Wheeler and INSP will finance and serve as producers on the sequel, with The McDonough Company, Big Indie Pictures and Beta Productions co-producing. Boasting a career spanning more than three decades, McDonough’s film credits include Sonic the Hedgehog, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, RED 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, Flags of Our Fathers and more. On the TV side, he has appeared in American Horror Story, Yellowstone, Van Helsing, The 100, Project Blue Book, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Altered Carbon, Suits, Arrow, Justified and Desperate Housewives, among other series. McDonough also recently appeared in Derek Presley’s hitman pic Red Stone and reprised his mercenary role as Boon for a sequel of the same name, which he also exec produced. He is repped by Buchwald, Luber Roklin and attorney Stuart Rosenthal. Rosario Dawson & Lana Parrilla Join Border Crisis SXSW Documentary ‘Split At The Root’ As EPs(2/9/22) Rosario Dawson and Lana Parrilla are boarding the upcoming SXSW Linda Goldstein Knowlton directed documentary Split At The Root, as EPs.The pic is schedule to play in the Austin, TX festival’s Documentary Spotlight section. Split at the Root follows the emotional journey of mothers separated from their children at the U.S. border and the grassroots initiative that, against all odds, reunites those families. When a Guatemalan mother seeking asylum was separated from her kids under the Zero Tolerance Policy, a Facebook post by a mom in Queens coalesced into a movement as thousands of like-minded women across the U.S. refused to stand by quietly. Immigrant Families Together was born – a rapid response group committed to doing what the government couldn’t – or wouldn’t do: reunite parents with their children separated by the Zero Tolerance Policy. Producers for Split at the Root include Emmy Award-nominated writer/producer Marti Noxon of Tiny Pyro Productions, Noxon’s President of Production Maria Grasso, Miranda Bailey of Cold Iron Pictures. Dawson has produced fiction and nonfiction alike ranging from projects like This Is Not A War Story, nominated for The John Cassavetes Spirit Award, the award-winning documentary The Need To Grow which she also has narrated, and produced two projects for Free Speech Television, The Assembly as well as Telethon for America 2020, both of which she co-hosted. Behind the cameras, Dawson is highly active in political, social and environmental causes and has been involved with many social justice organizations including Amnesty International, Voto Latino, Save The Children, Doctors Without Borders and RESPECT! (to prevent domestic violence) to name a few. “When it comes to immigration policy in this country, it is more than just a political crisis—we’re suffering a crisis of our very humanity. And one way to change the debate in Washington is by changing the language we use and the stories we produce such as Split the Root, opening the lens wider so people get the full picture. By having those who have come to the US to seek asylum front-and-center in this film and showing how every person can make a true difference to create change is why I wanted to join the producing team of this film” said Dawson. Noxon added, “From the moment I heard the story of mothers on this side of the border helping mothers and children on the other side, I was compelled to know more. I couldn’t imagine any parent who knows the wrenching pain of being separated from their children who wouldn’t relate. And I had total confidence that Linda Goldstein Knowlton and the whole team would capture the beauty, despair, and hope of these women’s journey. I’m proud to be part of it and am so pleased to have Rosario join the team in amplifying these women’s voices and helping to shine a light on the compassionate Americans who supported them along the way.” “My intention with this film was to tell an intimate, personal story of families separated by the Zero Tolerance policy, told by powerful women from both sides of the border. I couldn’t be more grateful to Marti and Rosario for helping to make this film a reality and bring the spotlight back onto the ongoing experiences of these families” said Goldstein Knowlton. Noxon’s recent credits include HBO limited series Sharp Objects, AMC’s Dietland and the acclaimed first season of Lifetime series UnREAL, a recipient of the prestigious Peabody Award. Her additional credits include Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Mad Men, Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice, and she wrote and directed the Netflix film To the Bone, inspired by her own battle with eating disorders. Goldstein Knowlton is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker, working in documentary, scripted feature films, and television. Her award-winning We Are The Radical Monarchs, premiered at SXSW in 2019 and was released on PBS in 2020. She produced the award-winning Whale Rider and The Shipping News and began directing documentaries in 2003. For her directorial debut, she co-directed The World According to Sesame Street, which debuted at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and aired on PBS. Goldstein Knowlton directed and produced one of the six, Emmy-nominated documentaries for the PBS MAKERS: Women Who Make America series, and produced the documentary Code Black, the basis for the CBS one-hour drama. Parilla’s TV credits include Once Upon a Time, Spin City, Swingtown, Boomtown, Windfall and 24. For her turn as The Evil Queen/Regina Mills in Once Upon a Time, she won a Teen Choice Award for Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress, an ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series and a nomination for Best Supporting Actress on Television from the 38th Saturn Awards. Producer, actor, and director Bailey recently premiered her film God’s Country, starring Thandiwe Newton at this year’s Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim. She has produced over 20 films, among them the Oscar-nominated The Squid And The Whale and the Spirit Award-winning The Diary Of A Teenage Girl, as well as James Gunn’s Super, the Sundance hit Swiss Army Man, the critically acclaimed Norman, and the indie hit Don’t Think Twice. Other EPs on Split at the Root include Zak Kilberg founder of Social Construct, a bold production company dedicated to curating a range of socially relevant and impactful media projects. Amanda Marshall and Jason Beck also of Cold Iron Pictures. Split At The Root is represented by ICM Partners, CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film. Dawson is represented by CAA and Untitled Entertainment, Parilla is represented by The Gersh Agency and Untitled Entertainment; Noxon is represented by WME, Goldstein Knowlton is represented by Chris Tricarico, Bailey is represented by ICM and Echo Lake Entertainment. Neal McDonough guests on 911 Lone Star(2/7/22) When a dust-up between Owen and an obnoxious police sergeant (guest star Neal McDonough) goes viral, the existing tensions between police and fire rescue mount, leading Owen to decide they will settle the score on the softball field. Meanwhile, Grace competes against a hot shot call center night-shift operator when he moves over to the day shift in the all-new “Red vs Blue” episode of 9-1-1: LONE STAR airing Monday, Feb. 21 (8:00-9:01 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (NLS-306) (TV-14 D, L, V)Cast: Rob Lowe as Owen Strand; Gina Torres as Tommy Vega; Ronen Rubinstein as T.K. Strand; Sierra McClain as Grace Ryder; Jim Parrack as Judd Ryder; Natacha Karam as Marjan Marwani; Brian Michael Smith as Paul Strickland; Rafael Silva as Carlos Reyes; Julian Works as Mateo Chavez; Brianna Baker as Nancy Gillian Guest Cast: Neal McDonough as Sgt. Ty O’ Brien; Dominic Burgess as Dave; Andy Favreau as Pearce Risher ‘Wahlburgers’ Reality Series Heads To AXS TV(2/1/22) AXS TV has acquired all 10 seasons of Wahlburgers, the Emmy-nominated reality series that aired on A&E from 2014-2019. Starring Paul, Donnie and Mark Wahlberg, Wahlburgers will premiere Sunday, February 27, with episodes airing weekly in a four-hour block, from 7 pm to 11 pm ET.Wahlburgers takes viewers behind the scenes of one of the country’s most high-profile restaurant chains, as acclaimed chef Paul Wahlberg works to build a burger empire with the help of his own personal entourage led by his talented brothers Mark and Donnie, and their beloved mother Alma. The series provides an intimate glimpse into the inner workings of the Wahlberg clan as they balance busy kitchen life with the pressures of international expansion, menu innovation, and a side of friendly family drama. Despite the trials and tribulations of running a major chain, the Wahlberg boys keep their trademark charm and sincere love for each other intact—proving that the only thing thicker than the burgers is the brothers’ unbreakable bond. The Wahlbergs were joined by numerous famous friends and celebrities over the years, including NFL greats Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman; actress, comedienne and host and Donnie’s wife, Jenny McCarthy; Boston Bruins defenseman Bobby Orr; country music star John Rich; former Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez; pro race car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.; golf great Bubba Watson; entertainers Joey Fatone and Penn & Teller; Entourage star Adrian Grenier; and New Kids On The Block members Joey McIntyre, Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight, and Danny Wood. The show received two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program during its run. Wahlburgers replaces The Top Ten Revealed and Rock Legends, which have been airing Sunday nights on AXS TV and will wrap their seasons on February 20. “This series captured an incredible moment for us as a family, and we all had such a great time getting to share our love for this business and each other with the world,” Mark Wahlberg said. “Wahlburgers resonated with so many people during its run, and it is still humbling to see how warmly viewers have embraced all the fun, drama, and craziness that make our dynamic so special. We are proud to have the show join AXS TV’s lineup, and look forward to welcoming their audience into the Wahlburgers family.” “Looking back at this show is like exploring a time capsule that contains so many important memories for our family,” Donnie Wahlberg said. “It means a lot to us, and I know it’s come to mean a great deal to many viewers, as well. They can relate to the drama and dysfunction, but they also relate to the love and the humor that we all have for each other. It’s a really special thing, and I feel honored that we were able to touch so many lives. I hope AXS TV’s viewers have as much fun reliving these unforgettable moments as we did making them.” “The Wahlbergs are one of entertainment’s most beloved families, amassing loyal fans across the realms of films, food, television, and music,” said Sarah Weidman, Head of Programming, Development and Multi-Platform Content for AXS TV. “Despite the success they have achieved, they are still the same humble boys from Boston at heart, and that undeniable charm shines throughout the hit Wahlburgers series. This show is the perfect complement to our programming roster, and I am confident our viewers are going to enjoy watching it on Sunday nights.” Wahlburgers was produced for A&E Network by 44 Blue Productions, a Red Arrow Studios company, in association with Closest to the Hole Productions, Leverage Entertainment and Donnie D Productions. Executive producers include Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson and Donnie Wahlberg, 44 Blue’s Rasha Drachkovitch, David Hale and Sara Quick and A&E’s Devon Graham Hammonds. ‘Boon’: Cinedigm Picks Up Sequel To Neal McDonough Thriller ‘Red Stone’ For Spring Release(1/5/22) Cinedigm has acquired North American rights to Boon—the sequel to the Neal McDonough thriller Red Stone, which it released in theaters and on VOD in December. The company will release the new title, starring McDonough, Tommy Flanagan (Braveheart, Sons of Anarchy) and Christiane Seidel (The Queen’s Gambit, Godless), in theaters and on VOD this spring.In the action-thriller from returning director Derek Presley, McDonough reprises his role as Nick Boon, the mercenary trying to atone for his life as an enforcer for a merciless syndicate. Running from his past, Boon moves to a remote area in the Pacific Northwest where he meets a struggling widow (Seidel) and her son. He finds the pair living in fear of a criminal kingpin (Flanagan) who has taken up residence on their land. Knowing that their lives are in danger, Boon has no choice but to act as the pair race to defend everything they hold dear. McDonough and Derek Presley co-wrote the film, which also stars Jason Scott Lee (Mulan, Hawaii Five-0), Demetrius Grosse (Rampage, Fear the Walking Dead), Christina Ochoa (Animal Kingdom, A Million Little Things), Gabrielle Carteris (Code Black, Beverly Hills, 90210), Jake Melrose (Disney’s Secret of Sulphur Springs), McDonough’s Band of Brothers co-star James Madio and singer-songwriter Pat Monahan of Train. McDonough also produced the pic alongside Jason Starne, Stephen Endelman and Ruve McDonough. “It’s rare you have the opportunity to bring back an actor/director partnership like Neal (McDonough) and Derek (Presley),” said Cinedigm’s Chief Content Officer, Yolanda Macias. “There is exceptional chemistry on screen as well as behind the camera, and you can see there is a great deal of trust between them. The conflict and complexity of the characters give the film an added layer of depth, which separates this filmmaker duo within the genre.” “Working with Neal, to bring this story to life, allowed us to create a deeper, more complex character in Nick Boon. Even as the character is trying to reform, he finds the line between right and wrong is not easily defined,” added Presley. “As Boon once protected the guilty, he now must punish them. This natural conflict keeps the tension high. It was also great to lean on Neal for unique casting ideas, such as Pat Monahan, the lead singer of Train, who has been a good friend of his for more than a decade.” Melody Fowler negotiated the Boon acquisition deal on behalf of Cinedigm with Starne and Endelman of Boon Film LLP. International Emmys Sets ‘Insecure’s Yvonne Orji As Host; Vanessa Williams, Method Man & Dirk Nowitzki Among Presenters(11/13/21) International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has secured Insecure star Yvonne Orji to host the 49th International Emmy Awards. The in-person trophy show is set for Monday, November 22, at the Great Hall of Casa Cipriani in Manhattan.IATAS also revealed presenters for the ceremony including Vanessa Williams, Aidan Quinn, Brian d’Arcy James, Method Man, Piper Perabo, Emeraude Toubia, Wilson Cruz and Felipe Santa. Former NBA star and future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki will present the International Emmy Directorate Award to Thomas Bellut, Director General of German pubcaster ZDF. Actress and comic Orji earned an Emmy nom last year for her role as Molly opposite Issa Rae in Insecure, which is airing its fifth and final season on HBO. She also did a stand-up special in 2020 and will be part of Amazon Prime Video’s second year-end special Yearly Departed. David Tennant, the French comedy Call My Agent and Israeli drama Tehran are among those vying for prizes at the International Emmys this year. Nominations for the awards this year saw 44 nominees across 11 categories and a record number of 24 countries. The International Emmys ceremony, which will follow Covid safety protocols, will be livestreamed at iemmys.tv, starting at 7 p.m. ET. Attendees will need to show proof of vaccination and a negative test to access the event. 2021 American Music Awards: Kane Brown, New Kids on the Block and More to Perform(11/11/21) Even more star power is expected at the 2021 American Music Awards!On Wednesday, it was announced that the ceremony is introducing a new segment called My Hometown that will have artists show fans where they were raised. Participating in the segment is 15-time AMA winner Carrie Underwood, who will join fellow 2021 nominee Jason Aldean for a special performance of their duet, “If I Didn’t Love You,” while also showcasing their hometown influence and Southern roots. Additionally, five-time AMA winner Kane Brown will perform at Tennessee State University (TSU), a notable HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). Brown will give fans a look into his Tennessee and Georgia roots and personal musical journey as an artist, culminating in a performance of his hit, “One Mississippi” at TSU. And over in Boston, Massachusetts, the AMAs will have New Edition and New Kids on the Block sharing the stage for the very first time. Two-time AMA winners New Edition will make a much-anticipated return having last performed at the AMAs in 1997, while this will mark the return of two-time AMA winners New Kids on the Block, who last performed on the show in 2010. But they won't be the only big-time artists at the AMAs. BTS, Olivia Rodrigo, Bad Bunny and Megan Thee Stallion are all set to perform at this year's awards ceremony. AMA winners BTS and Megan Thee Stallion, who are both up for three AMAs this year, will deliver the world premiere performance of their hit single, "Butter." The K-Pop group last performed at the AMAs in 2020 from Korea. Rodrigo, who leads this year with seven nominations, is making her AMAs debut, while Bad Bunny returns to the AMAs for the world premiere performance of “Lo Siento BB:/.” The Latin superstar is nominated for five awards this year, and last performed "I Like It" at the AMAs in 2018 alongside J Balvin and Cardi B, who is hosting this year's awards show. "When I received the invite to host the AMAs, I was so excited," Cardi shared in a statement announcing her hosting duties. "I'm ready to bring my personality to the AMAs stage! Thank you to Jesse Collins, ABC and MRC for making this happen." Check out all of this year's nominees, here. The 2021 American Music Awards will take place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Nov. 21 at 8:00 p.m. ET. It will air live on ABC and will stream the next day on Hulu. Queen of the Universe: Trixie Mattel, Vanessa Williams Among Judges of Paramount+ Drag Singing Competition(10/28/21) Who better to select the next Queen of the Universe than a few of RuPaul’s nearest and dearest?Vanessa Williams, Leona Lewis, Trixie Mattel and Michelle Visage have been selected to judge the new Paramount+ singing competition series, which will “follow the world’s most talented drag queens as they battle it out for global domination, and countries go head to head spotlighting their top talent.” Graham Norton will serve as host. In addition to guest-judging both Drag Race and All Stars, Williams also won her episode of RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race; Mattel placed sixth on Drag Race Season 7, then returned to win All Stars Season 3; Visage has been Ru’s right-hand woman since Drag Race Season 3; and Norton has judged all three seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. In other words, most of them go way back. According to the official release, “each episode will feature the world’s fiercest queens as they debut a new musical performance in front of a live audience and the ‘Pop Diva Panel’ of judges in the hopes of being crowned the Queen of the Universe.” Contestants have yet to be announced, but we know that they will represent 10 different countries: USA, Mexico, Brazil, Denmark, Australia, Canada, England, France, China and India. Produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and World of Wonder, Queen of the Universe premieres Thursday, Dec. 2 on Paramount+, with new episodes hitting the streaming service each week. Kiefer Sutherland To Headline ’24’ Virtual Convention On 20th Anniversary Of Series’ Premiere(10/27/21) For the first time ever, 24 star/executive producer Kiefer Sutherland, joined by most of the main cast and the creative team of the Emmy-winning drama, will reunite on Zoom to mark the 20th anniversary of the Fox series’ Nov. 6, 2001 premiere.Along with Sutherland, slated to participate in the virtual 24 fan convention, which will feature multiple panels and serve as Operation Smile fundraiser, will be fellow cast members Leslie Hope, Elisha Cuthbert, Sarah Clarke, Eric Balfour, Reiko Aylesworth, Xander Berkeley, Sarah Wynter, Gregory Itzin, Mykelti Williamson, Chris Diamantopoulos, Cherry Jones, Louis Lombardi, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Tzi Ma and Sprague Grayden, among others. Interacting with fans, they will appear together on classic 24-style split screen to share experiences and stories from working on the long-running action drama series. “24 fans were the greatest I’ve ever experienced. I can’t wait to talk to you all,” Sutherland said. The cast will be joined by 24 creators/executive producers Robert Cochran and Joel Surnow, executive producer Howard Gordon, pilot director Stephen Hopkins, series directors/EPs Jon Cassar and Brad Turner, casting director Debi Manwiller, composer Sean Callery, producer Michael Loceff and cinematographer Rodney Charters. Fittingly, admission to the event will be $24, with a portion of the proceeds donated to Operation Smile, which provides comprehensive care to children with cleft lip and palate. The 24 reunion caps a #20YEARSOF24 campaign which began as a virtual discussion group that spawned a podcast, featuring more than 40 guests from the show’s 9 seasons. The 24 Virtual Convention is produced by GoTellSomeOne Podcasts, Mimetic Productions and the 24 Universe Team. The Flash Has Just 7 Days Until 'Armageddon' in First Trailer for 5-Part Superhero Team-Up Event(10/19/21) (Video) It looks as if Barry Allen has only one week to get his affairs in order, in the first teaser trailer for The Flash‘s season-opening, multi-episode “Armageddon” event.Kicking off Season 8 of The CW’s The Flash on Nov. 16 at 8/7c, the team-up event — airing across five consecutive Tuesdays — finds Grant Gustin’s Barry recruiting a cavalcade of superfriends, including Brandon Routh’s The Atom, Cress Williams’ Black Lightning, Katherine McNamara’s Mia Smoak (from Arrow), Javicia Leslie’s Batwoman, Chyler Leigh’s Sentinel (from Supergirl) and Osric Chau’s Ryan Choi (from the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event). Said assembly of heroes will face an extraterrestrial threat led by Defiance alum Tony Curran’s Despero, while Arrowverse vets Tom Cavanagh and Neal McDonough will reprise their respective villainous roles of Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash and Damien Darhk. NKOTB to headline 2022 ‘MixTape’ tour with Salt-N-Pepa, Rick Astley and En Vogue(10/4/21) Babies of the ’80s will be flocking to this new tour step by step, ooh baby.Generation X is about to get their fill of nostalgia when New Kids On the Block comes back on tour next year. The pop band will be taking the stage alongside ’80s and ’90s musical icons Salt-N-Pepa, Rick Astley and En Vogue for the Live Nation-produced “MixTape Tour 2022.” The four acts will tour 55 cities across the nation starting in May 2022. “We had a blast out on the first MixTape Tour in 2019, and can’t wait to take it to another level with our fans on the MixTape Tour 2022,” NKOTB member Donnie Wahlberg said in a statement. “Just like a mixtape, these shows are going to take audiences through all the emotions. To be able to have Salt-N-Pepa come back and now also have the iconic and legendary Rick Astley and En Vogue join the tour… we could not be more excited. Let’s GO!” NKOTB appeared on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” on Monday with Astley, Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue to announce the tour. The boy band last embarked on a MixTape Tour in 2019 to celebrate their 30th anniversary. The concert also featured Salt-N-Pepa, Naughty by Nature, Tiffany and Debbie Gibson as the other acts. Concertgoers will be front and center to a bevvy of hits including “Hangin’ Tough,” “Step By Step” and “You Got It (The Right Stuff) from NKOTB, “Push It,” “Shoop,” and “Whatta Man” from Salt-N-Pepa and “Free Your Mind,” “Give It Up, Turn It Loose,” “Don’t Let Go (Love)” by En Vogue and Rick Astley’s hits “Never Gonna Give You Up,” “Hold Me In Your Arms” and “Together Forever.” The full list of tour dates for 2022 include: Tuesday, May 10 Cincinnati, OH Tickets go on sale Friday at Ticketmaster.com. ‘American Horror Story: Double Feature’: Neal McDonough Encounters Other-Worldly Threats in ‘Death Valley’ Teaser(9/23/21) (Video) New scares await American Horror Story: Double Feature viewers in the season’s second chapter, Death Valley.FX dropped a brief teaser on Thursday revealing the the next arc of Double Feature. Following the seaside-set episodes of Red Tide, the four episodes consisting Death Valley see Neil McDonough’s character heading to the California desert to appease extraterrestrial invaders. “Whoever you are, wherever you come from, stop what you’re doing. I’m sure you can we can reach an understanding,” McDonough pleads. Like previous clips, the latest glimpse at Death Valley features both black-and-white footage, which seem to denote a past decade, and those in color representing present-day. Bloody experiments, bug-eyed aliens and more take center stage in the teaser. Also set to appear in Death Valley are Sarah Paulson, Rachel Hilson, Lily Rabe, Rebecca Dayan, Angelica ross, Leslie Grossman and Cody Fern. American Horror Story is executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Alexis Martin Woodall, John J. Gray and Manny Coto. American Horror Story is produced by 20th Television. Death Valley lands at FX on September 29. Watch the teaser above. ‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’: Lolita Davidovich, Mykelti Williamson, Guillermo Diaz & Dash Mihok Set To Recur On ‘SVU’ Spinoff(8/25/21) NBC is rounding out its Season 2 cast for Law & Order: Organized Crime. Lolita Davidovich, Mykelti Williamson, Guillermo Diaz and Dash Mihok are set for recurring roles on the upcoming season of Dick Wolf’s SVU spinoff series.Davidovich will play Flutura Briscu. Williamson will portray Preston Webb. Diaz will play Sgt. Bill Brewster. Mihok will portray Reggie Bogdani. Character descriptions are being kept under wraps. Law & Order: Organized Crime brought Christopher Meloni’s Elliot Stabler character back to the venerable franchise for the first time in 10 years, and revolves around the NYPD organized crime unit led by Stabler. Danielle Moné Truitt, Tamara Taylor, Ainsley Seiger and Dylan McDermott also star. Law & Order: Organized Crime was created by Dick Wolf, who executive produces along with showrunner Ilene Chaiken, Terry Miller, Fred Berner, Arthur W. Forney and Peter Jankowski. Davidovich previously recurred on ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder and NBC’s Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders. She has appeared as Ray Liotta’s wife on NBC’s Shades of Blue as well as Fox’s The Longest Ride. She also recurred on the second season of HBO’s True Detective and ABC’s Blood & Oil. She’s repped by A3 Artists agency and Michael McConnell at Zero Gravity Management Williamson is no stranger to Dick Wolf’s drama series, having been tapped for roles in Chicago Med, Chicago P.D. and FBI. His other television work includes series such as Boomtown, 24, Justified, Nashville, The Good Wife and Psych among others. He shared in a SAG Award nomination for his work on the Oscar-nominated film Fences. Williams is repped by Frontline Management, Paradigm and Myman Greenspan Known for his many seasons on Showtime’s Weeds and Chapelle’s Show for Comedy Central, Diaz starred as Huck on the ABC hit series Scandal and most recently co-starred in the ABC comedy United We Fall. He was also a series regular on the NBC drama Mercy and guest-starred opposite Lena Dunham in HBO’s Girls, Comedy Central’s Broad City and HBO’s High Maintenance. He’s repped by Innovative Artists, Door 24 and Meghan Schumacher Management. Mihok starred for seven seasons on Showtime’s Ray Donovan as Bunchy Donovan and recently wrapped on the final Ray Donovan movie special. He’ll next been seen co-starring opposite Ben Affleck in Deep Water, directed by Adrian Lyne. Mihok is repped by Gersh and Authentic Literary & Talent Management. ‘The Flash’: Lineup of Superheroes & Villains Revealed For 5-Part Season 8 Launch Event(8/25/21) The CW will welcome back The Flash for Season 8 with the five-part special event, “Armageddon.”Set to begin November 16 at 8 p.m. ET, “Armageddon” will feature numerous guest appearances from some of the CW’s most notable heroes and villains. Set to join The Flash team are Javicia Leslie as Batwoman, Brandon Routh as The Atom, Cress Williams as Black Lightning, Chyler Leigh as Sentinel, Kat McNamara as Mia Queen and Osric Chau as Ryan Choi. Tom Cavanagh and Neal McDonough will return as enemies Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash and Damien Darhk, respectively. In “Armageddon,” a powerful alien threat arrives on Earth under mysterious circumstances and Barry (Grant Gustin), Iris (Candice Patton) and the rest of Team Flash are pushed to their limits in a desperate battle to save the world. But with time running out, and the fate of humanity at stake, Flash and his companions will also need to enlist the help of some old friends if the forces of good are to prevail. All the information about “Armageddon” checks out with what CW chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz previously teased about the series’ kick off. During a press call about the fall 2021 schedule, Pedowitz noted that the first five episodes of The Flash Season 8 “will feature different heroes from the CW-verse.” “The idea for The Flash is, [showrunner] Eric Wallace and [executive producer] Greg [Berlanti] have come together and are talking about other superheroes from the CW-verse who will come together in each individual episode,” he said. “It will not be quite be a crossover but will have a crossover-type feel and the introduction of all these characters.” On Wednesday, The Flash executive producer Eric Wallace added the following: “Simply put, these are going to be some of the most emotional Flash episodes ever. Plus, there are some truly epic moments and huge surprises that await our fans. And we’re doing them on a scale that’s bigger and bolder than our traditional Flash episodes. So yes, “Armageddon” is a lot more than just another graphic novel storyline. It’s going to be a true event for Flash and Arrowverse fans, old and new. Honestly, I can’t wait for audiences to see what we’ve got planned.” Lana Parrilla Joins Anthony Rapp In Vivian Kerr’s Indie Drama ‘Scrap’(8/17/21) Once Upon a Time alum Lana Parrilla has been set to star alongside Anthony Rapp and writer-director Vivian Kerr in Scrap, an indie drama from producer Rachel Stander and her A Season of Rain banner. Beth Dover, Khleo Thomas, Brad Schmidt and Julianna Layne have also joined the cast of the pic, which is now shooting.Kerr plays Beth, who has recently been laid off and struggles to maintain the appearance of a successful middle-class lifestyle as she bounces around Los Angeles. Hoping to land a new job and change her situation before her estranged older brother Ben (Rapp) finds out, Beth must confront her own pride before she can reconnect with him and provide for her young daughter Birdy (Layne). Parrilla, whose most recent credits include Paramount+’s Why Woman Kill, will play Ben’s wife, a successful attorney who is secretly struggling with IVF and re-evaluating her own conflicted relationship with motherhood. Dover plays the principal at Birdy’s school. Schmidt plays Beth’s troubled ex, and Thomas is her potential love interest. Kerr’s screenplay was a finalist in Final Draft’s Big Break Screenplay Competition; it later became a short film that starred Kerr and Rapp. The adaptation is the directorial debut for Kerr, who as an actor has credits including Grey’s Anatomy, Superstore and Masters of Sex among others. Kerr is repped by Authentic Talent and Citizen Skull. Parrilla is with Gersh and Untitled Entertainment. Dover is repped by APA and Mosaic. Neal McDonough To Produce & Star In Dominic Scott Kay’s Debut Film ‘Drops Of Jupiter’(6/29/21) Neal McDonough (Captain America: The First Avenger, American Horror Story) has signed on to star in Dominic Scott Kay’s debut feature Drops of Jupiter.The film, penned by Kay during quarantine, examines the deep connection between a blind boy named Lion (Kay) and an Australian girl with hemophilia named Eloise, watching as the pair live vicariously through each other’s perspectives. In the “romantic psychological fantasy,” which is said to blur the lines between reality and imagination, McDonough will play Dia, the king of a world known as Tara. The actor will also produce the pic alongside his wife, Ruvé McDonough. McDonough and Kay previously worked together as actors on Steven Spielberg’s 2002 feature Minority Report, as well as Red Stone, one of the the first SAG movies to enter production following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. “Knowing Dominic for as long as we have, we could not be more excited or blessed to partake on this journey together,” said Ruvé and McDonough in a joint statement. “We are so proud to be producing a script like this and are really looking forward to watching these words come to life on screen. It is going to be a magical journey for all of us!” Boasting a career spanning more than three decades, McDonough’s film credits include Sonic the Hedgehog, RED 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, Flags of Our Fathers and more. On the TV side, he has appeared in American Horror Story, Van Helsing, The 100, Project Blue Book, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Altered Carbon, Suits, Yellowstone, Arrow, Justified and Desperate Housewives, among other series. McDonough is represented by Matt Luber at Luber Roklin Entertainment and Buchwald; Kay is repped by DSK Motion Picture Studios and WME. ‘Behind the Music’ Trailer: Duran Duran, New Kids on the Block, Bret Michaels Join Doc Series(6/23/21) (Video - USA Only) Paramount+ has released the trailer for its upcoming “Behind the Music” reboot, unveiling an even bigger lineup of musicians for the documentary series.As the trailer reveals, Duran Duran, New Kids on the Block and Bret Michaels will get the “Behind the Music” treatment, joining previously announced performers Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, LL Cool J, Huey Lewis, Busta Rhymes and Fat Joe. The new series comes more than two decades after VH1’s original “Behind the Music” premiered in 1997. Each episode included one-on-one interviews documenting a different musician’s rise to fame and the hardships they faced along the way. In the trailer for the 2021 reboot, which you can view above, “Behind the Music” offers even more personal reflections on the emotional twists and turns artists face in the music industry. The trailer teases insights on Fat Joe’s “painful betrayal,” while Lopez warns, “You are about to go on a ride you are not ready for.” The first installment of the season will feature the episodes centered on Martin, LL Cool J, Lewis, Busta Rhymes, Duran Duran, New Kids on the Block, Michaels and Fat Joe. The second half of the series will include Lopez’s episode, as well as “other superstar names to be released at a later date,” according to Paramount+. “Behind the Music” premieres on July 29 with two episodes featuring Martin and LL Cool J. The remaining episodes will be released every subsequent Thursday on Paramount+. Check out the new trailer above. Gary Basaraba Joins Apple’s ‘Killers Of The Flower Moon’, ABC’s ‘Women Of The Movement’(6/17/21) Gary Basaraba has a busy few months ahead. The Irishman alum is reuniting with Martin Scorsese on the Scorsese-directed Apple Original Films thriller Flowers of the Killer Moon, the adaptation of David Grann’s book, in a supporting role. Basaraba also has booked a key role on ABC’s limited series Women of the Movement.Set in 1920s Oklahoma, Killers of the Flower Moon, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro, depicts the serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation, a string of brutal crimes that came to be known as the Reign of Terror. Basaraba plays William J. Burns, a private investigator looking into the Osage killings. In ABC’s limited series Women of the Movement, Basaraba portrays Sheriff Clarence Strider, the sheriff of Tallahatchie County Mississippi and a wealthy plantation owner. Inspired by the book Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement by Devery S. Anderson, the six-episode limited series is set in 1955. It centers on Mamie Till-Mobley (Adrienne Warren), who risks her life to find justice after her son Emmett (Cedric Joe) is brutally murdered in the Jim Crow South. Unwilling to let Emmett’s murder disappear from the headlines, Mamie chooses to bear her pain on the world stage, emerging as an activist for justice and igniting the Civil Rights movement as we know it today. Glynn Turman, Chris Coy, Julia McDermott, Carter Jenkins, Tonya Pinkins and Ray Fisher co-star. Women of the Movement is set to premiere midseason on ABC. Basaraba most recently was seen on the film side as Frank ‘Fitz’ Fitzsimmons in the Scorsese-directed and produced The Irishman. His television credits include Law & Order: SVU, Criminal Minds, Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS: New Orleans, Madam Secretary and The Leftovers. He’s repped by KMR Talent and A Management. PBS’s ‘A Capitol Fourth’ Will Feature Pre-Taped Concert And Live D.C. Fireworks(6/17/21) Vanessa Williams will host this year’s Independence Day celebration A Capitol Fourth, with plans for a pre-taped concert and live fireworks from Washington, D.C.The city has lifted almost all Covid-19 restrictions, and President Joe Biden is planning an event at the White House that day, his goal for having at least 70% of the country with at least one Covid-19 shot. But producers have been planning the show for months, with Covid-19 forcing them to set aside the traditional live concert on the west lawn of the Capitol. Among those who will perform at the event are Jimmy Buffett, Cynthia Erivo, Alan Jackson, Pentatonix, Jennifer Nettles, Auli’i Cravalho, Train, Gladys Knight, Mickey Guyton, Ali Stroker, Jimmie Allen and Laura Osnes. The National Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Jack Everly, will perform John Williams’ Olympic Fanfare, honoring U.S. participation in the upcoming Summer Games. The orchestra and the Joint Armed Forces Chorus will accompany the fireworks with Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. Renee Fleming will open the show with the National Anthem. The concert will honor men and women of the military, with other participants including the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, The Joint Armed Forces Chorus and The Armed Forces Color Guard provided by the Military District of Washington, D.C. The concert, a co-production of Michael Colbert of Capital Concerts and WETA-TV, will air on July 4 from 8 PM to 9:30 PM ET on PBS, and it also will be broadcast to the American Forces Network. NPR stations also will air the event, and it will be streamed on Facebook, YouTube and PBS.org through July 18. ‘American Horror Story’ Season 10 Enlists Neal McDonough(6/15/21) Sources tell us that Yellowstone alum Neal McDonough is set to play the series regular role of Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower in Season 10 of Ryan Murphy’s FX series American Horror Story: Double Feature.We’re hearing that it’s not the 34th U.S. President that McDonough is playing, but rather a character with the same name. McDonough joins an ensemble of fresh and also familiar faces in Season 10 including Macaulay Culkin, Frances Conroy, Leslie Grossman, Billie Lourd, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Adina Porter, Lily Rabe, Angelica Ross and Finn Wittrock. AHS: Double Feature will consist of two stories: one by the sea, one by the sand. The series premieres Wednesday, August 25 on FX and will be available to stream the next day on FX on Hulu. Back in March, Murphy shared a photo of cast members Culkin and Grossman on the set in Provincetown, MA, which continues to be the location for his AHS teasers. McDonough recently wrapped filming and executive producing Boon, in which he also stars. He also recently shot the Screen Gems reboot Resident Evil: Raccoon City. His feature credits include Monsters of Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, The Warrant, Captain America, Minority Report and Game Over, Man! His TV credits include Robert Zemeckis’ Project Blue Book and Netflix’s Altered Carbon. McDonough is repped by Buchwald, Luber/Roklin and Stuart Rosenthal of Goodman, Genow, Schenkman. Alma Wahlberg Dies: Mother To Mark And Donnie Wahlberg Was 78(4/18/21) Alma Wahlberg, mother to actors Mark and Donnie Wahlberg and a regular on the A&E reality series Wahlburgers, has died from an undisclosed illness. She was 78 and her death was confirmed Sunday on social media by her sons, although her date of death was not clarified.Alma Wahlberg grew up in the Dorchester area of Boston and married Donald E. Wahlberg in 1965. They had nine children and she also worked as a bank clerk and nurse’s aide. Alma and Donald divorced in 1982, and Donald died in 2008. She became a public figure as a regular on the family’s reality show, Wahlburgers, which ran for 10 seasons from 2014 to 2019. She was featured in 27 episodes of the show, which focused on the family’s restaurant business. Alma was a greeter and hostess at her sons’ restaurants, including Paul’s Alma Nove, which was named after her. “My angel. Rest in peace,” Mark, 49, wrote on Instagram with a photo of his mother in healthier times. “It’s time to rest peacefully, mom,” Donnie, 51, wrote in a long post alongside a video obituary. “I love you, miss you, thank you and will celebrate you, today and always.” No information on survivors or a memorial was immediately available. CBS Renews 5 Series, Including S.W.A.T., Blue Bloods and Magnum P.I.(4/15/21) CBS issued a flurry of early renewals on Thursday — five of ’em in total. Among the series scoring pickups: Blue Bloods (for Season 12), S.W.A.T. (for Season 5), Magnum P.I. (for Season 4) and Bull (for Season 6).And as we reported here, NCIS will also be returning for a 19th season. They join previously renewed dramas The Equalizer (for Season 2), FBI (Season 4) and FBI: Most Wanted (Season 3), as well as comedies Bob Hearts Abishola (Season 3), The Neighborhood (Season 4) and Young Sheldon (Seasons 5-7). CBS series still on the bubble include All Rise, B Positive, Clarice, NCIS: Los Angeles, SEAL Team, The Unicorn and United States of Al Meanwhile, CBS is getting ready to bid farewell to Mom, NCIS: New Orleans and MacGyver. The cancellation of MacGyver — which was announced on April 7 — caught some by surprise, given CBS’ penchant for sticking with its reboots long-term. The final episode airs on April 30 and finds Mac and Riley (played by Lucas Till and Tristin Mays) waking up in a corn field with no memory of how they got there. The twosome then must unravel the mystery to find who took them and how to get rid of the nanotrackers in their bodies, “no matter the cost.” ‘Yellowstone’ Actor Neal McDonough To Star, Produce & Co-Write ‘Red Stone’ Sequel ‘Boon’(12/15/20) Neal McDonough has signed on to star in, produce and co-write Boon, the sequel to the actor’s movie Red Stone.In Red Stone, McDonough plays Boon, a henchman for Southern crime lord Jed Haywood (Michael Cudlitz). Boon is assigned to track Motley (Dash Melrose), who is on the run from Jed. However, Boon has just lost his brother, and only has 10 hours to bring Motley in and get to the cemetery. Over the course of one day, both Motley and Boon go on a spiritual journey as their fate brings them together for a climatic showdown. Red Stone director Derek Presley is returning to helm Boon and will co-write with McDonough. Red Stone producer Jason Starne is also returning for Boon. McDonough is shooting Resident Evil for Sony/Screen Gems. His features include Monsters of Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, The Warrant, Captain America, Minority Report and Game Over, Man! His TV credits include Robert Zemeckis’ Project Blue Book and Netflix’s Altered Carbon. McDonough is repped by Buchwald and Stuart Rosenthal of Goodman, Genow, Schenkman. Vanessa Williams recalls death threats as first black Miss America(12/3/20) Vanessa Williams made history as the first black Miss America in the ’80s, but the beauty queen- turned-entertainer recalled that not everyone wanted her to wear the crown.“I won [Miss Syracuse], Miss New York State and Miss America all within six months, so I went from my junior year [at Syracuse University] to all of a sudden, I was the first Black Miss America in 1983. And I had death threats because we’re talking 37 years ago,” she said on “The Fat Joe Show.” “A lot of people don’t like to be confronted with diversity, and I was the symbol of that, so I had to prove that I was smart enough. I was talented enough,” she said. Williams gave up her crown near the end of her reign, after Penthouse infamously published nude photos of her that had been shot in 1982. “After being Miss America, there was an issue with some pictures I had done, which did not have a release and they were sold behind my back. Six weeks before I was finishing my year [as Miss America], I resigned,” she said. Williams would eventually launch a pop career and act in movies, TV and on Broadway. “I never wanted to be a beauty queen — and, of course, I never wanted to be a scandalized beauty queen. So, I had so much judgment from a very early age against me,” she said. “I heard a lot of noes, and all the people thought I would just disappear. And I thought, ‘Once the dust settles, you’ll get to know who I really am.’ And, that’s how I live my life,” she said. Donnie Wahlberg leaves $2,020 tip again, this time on $35 bill(11/13/20) Donnie Wahlberg is continuing to shine a little light on the darkness that is 2020.The “Wahlburgers” alum, 51, generously left a $2,020 tip on a $35.27 bill to his server, Denise Andrews, at Marshland Restaurant’s Plymouth, Mass., location. “A very special thank you to our friend @donniewahlberg!” the restaurant’s Instagram account captioned a picture of the receipt. “When asked about it all he said was ‘who’s up next?!'” The “Blue Bloods” star’s tip is part of the “#2020tipchallenge.” The location’s owner, Marty Finch, later told People that Andrews divvied the hefty tip among her coworkers. “Denise was very generous. She tipped out her fellow waitstaff and the guys in the kitchen, and she actually donated too,” he Finch said. “She’s working on getting two families turkey meals during the holidays, so she’s generous herself. Donnie said to pass it on, to keep this positive stuff going, so she’s trying to do that as well.” Of the New Kids on the Block singer’s generosity, Finch added, “It was just very uplifting for everyone.” In early January, Wahlberg left a $2,020 tip at an Illinois IHOP to kick the year off right. ‘Why Women Kill’ Adds Lana Parrilla, B.K. Cannon, Jordane Christie, Matthew Daddario & Veronica Falcón For Season 2(10/29/20) CBS All Access is rounding out the cast for Season 2 of its original anthology series Why Women Kill. Lana Parrilla (The Tax Collector), B.K. Cannon (Sin City Saints) Jordane Christie (The Haunting of Hill House), Matthew Daddario (Shadowhunters) and Veronica Falcón (Queen of the South) join previously announced Allison Tolman and Nick Frost in the series that hails from Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry, Imagine Television Studios and CBS Studios.This season of the dark comedy features a new ensemble cast and storylines set in 1949 that will explore what it means to be beautiful, the hidden truth behind the facades people present to the world, the effects of being ignored and overlooked by society, and finally, the lengths one woman will go in order to finally belong. Parrilla will play Rita, the sardonic wife to the wealthy and evil Carlo Castillo. As she waits for her elderly husband to die, Rita runs the garden club with an iron fist and spends much of her time engaging in an affair with a younger lover. Cannon will portray Dee, Alma’s wry and brassy daughter who works as a waitress in a local diner. Though self-deprecating, Dee can be vulnerable under her emotional armor and finds her illicit affair with a secret lover to be both exciting and humiliating. Christie is Vern, a tough, rugged private detective. Vern is intrigued and suspicious when he’s hired to investigate Rita’s younger lover, whom she suspects is cheating on her. Daddario will play Scooter, Rita’s gorgeous, sexy and not-so-bright lover. A charming would-be actor, Scooter is well kept by Rita but pursues a secret relationship elsewhere. Falcón will play Catherine, Carlo Castillo’s spinster daughter. Prim and proper, Catherine detests her father’s gorgeous wife, Rita, and returns to town after a mysterious accident, seeking a way to destroy her. Cherry serves as executive producer alongside Imagine’s Brian Grazer and Samie Kim Falvey; Acme Productions’ Michael Hanel and Mindy Schultheis; Marc Webb and Francie Calfo. The series is produced by Imagine Television Studios and CBS Studios. Parrilla can be seen in David Ayer’s indie thriller The Tax Collector and is also known for starring on Once Upon a Time in the roles of Regina Mills and the Evil Queen. Parrilla’s other previous credits include Prior Boomtown, Windfall, Swingtown, Miami Medical, as well as Spin City and 24. Cannon recurred on Switched At Birth and was a series regular on Sin City Saints. She also has guest starred on Here and Now, Young & Hungry, The Mindy Project and The Middle, among others. Christie, a graduate of the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Arts, has appeared Off-Broadway and has guest-starred in series including The Haunting of Hill House, Atlanta, Underground, S.W.A.T and Containment. Christie is repped by APA and Authentic. Daddario recently wrapped a starring role in the third and final season of Shadowhunters. He has also appeared in the films Push, When the Game Stands Tall and Breathe In, which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Falcón’s credits include starring roles in Queen of the South, an episode of the anthology Room 104 and Perpetual Grace LTD. Most recently, she appeared in Perry Mason and can next be seen in Marvel’s Winter Falcon, as well as the upcoming films Jungle Cruise, the next installment of The Purge franchise, Ted Melfi’s The Starling and Neil Burger’s Voyagers. Falcón is repped by APA and Lasher Group. CBS Trims Episode Orders As Broadcast Series On All Nets Face Abbreviated Runs In COVID Impacted 2020-21 Season(10/27/20) The coronavirus pandemic cut short the 2019-20 seasons of most broadcast series as production shut down in mid-March. Now the continuing effects from the pandemic are altering the course of the 2020-21 season, with late launches and shorter runs for scripted series.CBS has trimmed the orders to its scripted series from CBS Studios from full-season 22 episodes to 16-18, including the NCIS franchise, Blue Bloods, Bull, The Neighborhood, SEAL Team, Magnum P.I. and Bull. (The Unicorn, which had a 13-episode initial order, will remain at 13). The network is still in conversations with outside studios, including Mom, Young Sheldon, Bob Hearts Abishola, B Positive and All Rise producer Warner Bros TV; Universal TV, which is behind the FBI franchise; and S.W.A.T.‘s Sony Pictures TV. Those series also are expected to end up producing seasons in the 16- to 18-episode range. This is not limited to CBS. With the broadcast scripted series’ start of production staggered and delayed by the pandemic leading to late-October/November season launches, most network scripted shows will air abbreviated seasons. In addition to scheduling — the late show premieres means that networks will need fewer episodes to get through the end of the broadcast season in May — the increased cost of production also is believed to have played a role in these decisions. Implementing COVID-19 safety protocols adds hundreds of thousands of dollars to the production budget of each episode this year. While some comedy series could get to a traditional full season order — ABC’s black-ish and Fox’s Last Man Standing, for example, are currently picked up for 21 episodes each — most drama series are expected to air 18 or fewer episodes this season. Here are the modified 2020-21 episode orders for CBS scripted series from CBS Studios: BLUE BLOODS (16) BULL (16) MAGNUM PI (16) THE NEIGHBORHOOD (18) NCIS (16) NCIS: LA (18) NCIS: NEW ORLEANS (16) SEAL TEAM (16) Morgan Freeman, Laurie Metcalf, Ellen Burstyn, Laura Linney, Matthew Broderick Among All-Star Lineup For Virtual Broadway Play Series(10/8/20) Morgan Freeman, Laurie Metcalf, John Malkovich, Zachary Quinto, Vanessa Williams, David Alan Grier, Elizabeth Ashley, Matthew Broderick, Lucas Hedges and Paul Mescal are among the actors who’ll take part in a benefit series of new, livestreamed stage reading productions of works by such major playwrights as Gore Vidal, David Mamet, Kenneth Lonergan and Donald Margulies.Producer Jeffrey Richards announced the new line-up of the weekly Spotlight On Plays, a web series at the recently launched Broadway’s Best Shows website. Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to The Actor’s Fund, with the livestreamed events available for a strictly limited amount of time. Productions are all-new and performed remotely, with directors including Mamet, Phylicia Rashad and Daniel Sullivan given leeway in how to present their shows. The series, which follows last May’s production of Love Letters with Bryan Cranston and Sally Field, will run from Oct 14 – December 10, with a new show premiering weekly. Tickets are sold at a “Pay What You Can” rate starting at $5. First up is Gore Vidal’s The Best Man, directed by Michael Wilson and featuring an all-star ensemble headed by Freeman, Broderick, Malkovich, Quinto, and Phylicia Rashad. Next is Lonergan’s This Is Our Youth, starring Hedges, Normal People‘s Mescal and The Meyerowitz Stories’ Grace Van Patten. Lila Neugebauer directs. Week #3 brings David Mamet’s Race, with David Alan Grier and Richard Thomas returning from the original Broadway 2009 cast. Also starring will be Ed O’Neill and Alicia Stith, with Phylicia Rashad directing. Mamet’s Boston Marriage follows the next week, with the playwright directing Patti LuPone, Rebecca Pidgeon and Sophia Macy. Next up is Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, adapted by Neil LaBute, headed up by Alan Cumming, Constance Wu and Ellen Burstyn. Directed by Danya Taymor. The series continues with Donald Margulies’ Time Stands Still, with Daniel Sullivan directing a reunion of the original 2010 Broadway cast: Eric Bogosian, Brian d’Arcy James, Laura Linney, Alicia Silverstone. The final show in the series is Robert O’Hara’s Barbecue, headed up by Metcalf, David Morse, S. Epatha Merkerson, Carrie Coon and Colman Domingo, with Robert O’Hara directing. The Spotlight on Plays series is created and Executive Produced by Jeffrey Richards and Produced by Patty Baker/Good Productions, Rebecca Gold, Jayne Baron Sherman, Iris Smith with Jim Glaub and Jacob Soroken Porter. Select productions in the series are also produced by Ken Greiner, Louise L. Gund, Terry Schnuck, Ted Snowdon and The Shubert Organization. Here’s the complete line-up. All performances begin at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT. Gore Vidal’s THE BEST MAN Kenneth Lonergan’s THIS IS OUR YOUTH David Mamet’s RACE David Mamet’s BOSTON MARRIAGE Anton Chekhov’s UNCLE VANYA Donald Margulies’ TIME STANDS STILL Robert O’Hara’s BARBECUE ‘Resident Evil’ Reboot: Kaya Scodelario, Robbie Amell, Hannah John-Kamen & More To Star In Origin Story Adaptation(10/6/20) Constantin Film has set in motion a new adaptation to add to the ever-expanding Resident Evil movie franchise. Constantin and writer-director Johannes Roberts said Tuesday that have conceived an official origin story adaptation with faithful ties to Capcom’s classic survival horror games. This story is set in 1998 on a fateful night in Raccoon City.Starring in the roles of the iconic game characters will be Maze Runner‘s Kaya Scodelario as Claire Redfield alongside Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp) as Jill Valentine, Robbie Amell (Upload) as Chris Redfield, Tom Hopper (The Umbrella Academy) as Albert Wesker, Avan Jogia (Zombieland: Double Tap) as Leon S. Kennedy, and Neal McDonough (Yellowstone) as William Birkin. “With this movie, I really wanted to go back to the original first two games and re-create the terrifying visceral experience I had when I first played them whilst at the same time telling a grounded human story about a small dying American town that feels both relatable and relevant to today’s audiences, said Roberts, the filmmaker behind shark thriller 47 Meters Down and its sequel. Franchise producer Robert Kulzer will produce again on behalf of Constantin with James Harris from Tea Shop Productions and Hartley Gorenstein. Said Kulzer, “After a dozen games, six live-action movies and hundreds of pages of fan fiction, we felt compelled to return to the year 1998, to explore the secrets hidden in the walls of the Spenser Mansion and Raccoon City. Sony Pictures’ Screen Gems will once distribute the film domestically, with Constantin handling German-speaking territories, Elevation distributing in Canada, Metropolitan in France, and Sony Pictures Releasing International handling much of the remaining territories. Constantin Film’s CEO Martin Moszkowicz and Victor Hadida of Davis Film will serve as executive producers. Alex Westmore and Colin Scully of Constantin Film are overseeing the project. Paul W.S. Anderson wrote and directed the previous six films, which were led by Milla Jovovich and made a combined $1.2 billion at the worldwide box office. It’s among the highest-grossing film series ever based on a video game. Deadline recently broke the news of a Resident Evil series adaptation, which is set up at Netflix. Scodelario is repped by CAA, Curtis Brown, and Ziffren Brittenham; John-Kamen by Paradigm, Luber RoklinEntertainment and Scott Marshall Partners; Amell by WME, Protégé Entertainment, Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson; Hopper by The Gersh Agency, Management 360, Waring and McKenna, Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer; Jogia by ICM, The Characters Agency and LINK Entertainment. SiriusXM and CNN Expand Broadcast Relationship with Launch of "CNN Originals" Channel on September 18(9/16/20) SiriusXM and CNN announced today the launch of CNN Originals, a new channel showcasing the premier non-fiction series from CNN and HLN. The programming will be available 24/7 on SiriusXM channel 121 starting September 18.For nearly a decade, CNN Original Series has developed some of the most prestigious programming on television, including the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown and the Emmy Award-winning United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell. Additional critically acclaimed series include This is Life with Lisa Ling, the 'Decades' series, American Dynasties: The Kennedys, The Windsors: Inside the Royal Dynasty, The History of Comedy, and many others. SiriusXM subscribers will now be able to hear these programs plus more from the CNN Original Series vault every day. Listeners will also gain access to docuseries from HLN Original Series that focus on stories within the crime and mysteries genre. Some of the thrilling and addictive programming includes Forensic Files II, Very Scary People hosted by Donnie Wahlberg, and How It Really Happened with Hill Harper. "CNN and HLN Original Series offer a mix of historical, culture, crime and mystery non-fiction content, so there's something for every kind of SiriusXM listener," said Amy Entelis, EVP for Talent & Content Development, CNN Worldwide. "We're thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase and introduce our informative and entertaining series to a whole new audience." "CNN and HLN have created an incredible catalog of docuseries, and we are proud to offer them, in addition to future programs, as a full-time channel to SiriusXM subscribers," said Megan Liberman, SVP of News, Talk & Entertainment for SiriusXM. In addition to the new CNN Originals channel 121, SiriusXM simulcasts both CNN (channel 116) and HLN (channel 117). CNN International is also available through the SiriusXM app on smartphones and other connected devices, online at www.siriusxm.com/player, and select SiriusXM radios on channel 454. ‘Blue Bloods’, ‘SEAL Team’, ‘Charmed’ Among Latest CBS TV Studios Series Greenlit To Restart Production, ‘Evil’ Pending(9/4/20) Most of the remaining CBS TV Studios series sidelined by the coronavirus pandemic have received a green light to return to production.The list includes CBS stalwart Blue Bloods, which is heading into Season 11, and SEAL Team, which will start filming its fourth season, as well as the CW’s Charmed and Nancy Drew. Also greenlighted to resume production are new Showtime drama Your Honor and CBS summer adventure drama series Blood and Treasure, which needs to finish its second season. Both were deep into production when the shutdown halted all filming in mid-March. I hear a production green light is imminent for two more CBS TV Studios series, CBS drama Evil and Disney+ comedy-drama Diary of a Female President. Blue Bloods and Evil film in New York, SEAL Team and Diary of a Female President shoot in Los Angeles, and Charmed and Nancy Drew are based in Vancouver. Blue Bloods, Evil and SEAL Team are all on CBS’ fall schedule. CBS TV Studios has been actively making production restart plans for their series. The greenlight decisions are being made in batches as shows are deemed ready to start filming with COVID-19 safety protocols. They are followed by a specific start date assigned to each show. I hear Your Honor is targeting a Oct. 7 return. The newly greenlighted series are expected to start production in the next few weeks, with late September and early October dates most likely. CBS TV Studios’ flagship CBS drama NCIS and spinoff NCIS: Los Angeles were the first ones to get return-to-production dates, September 9 and September 3, respectively. Bull and Magnum P.I. followed in penciling in return dates, September 25 and September 14. Of the next group, NCIS: New Orleans is eyeing a September 21 start for its seventh season; The Unicorn is looking to start filming Season 2 on October 12; and The Neighborhood is on track to have its first Season 3 table read September 16. All series will be filmed with strict COVID protocols. It is unclear yet how the pandemic-related changes would impact Blue Bloods’ signature family dinner scene and whether it would go virtual in the era of COVID. Additionally, CBS TV Studios recently hired 21CP Solutions, a law enforcement and public safety advisory group, as consultants on the studio’s police and legal dramas for this coming season. The group includes former senior law enforcement officials, civil rights scholars, lawyers, academics and community thought leaders in police reform and public safety. 'Once Upon a Time' Lana Parrilla Confronts Woman with Bat, Shotgun ... Gets Restraining Order(6/22/20) Lana Parrilla played an evil queen in "Once Upon a Time" ... so it's not surprising she's not afraid to confront trouble ... like pointing a shotgun at a woman who she claims went on an expletive-laced rant and accused her of murdering 13 children.Lana beelined it to L.A. County Superior Court for a restraining order against a woman named Antoinette Hinckley, a 50-year-old who allegedly showed up to Lana's crib twice in 5 days. According to Lana's docs, Hinckley harassed her to the point the actress was forced to show force. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, the bizarre incidents began June 9 when Antoinette was walking barefoot in front of Lana's home. Lana said hello and asked, "Are you just going for a walk?" Lana says Antoinette laughed and said, "I just wanted to look someone in the eyes" before asking Lana, "How do you sleep at night?" Lana says she responded she sleeps well. Antoinette scoffed, "f*** off!!" before walking away. The second incident went down on June 14 ... Lana -- who says Antoinette is a friend of a former male friend -- claims Antoinette rang the gate bell that morning and things quickly got crazy. Lana claims Antoinette started yelling and making up stories ... like alleging Lana owed her $400,000. She says Antoinette threatened her before making this bizarre allegation: "I have video of you murdering my 13 children last night." In docs, Lana says she was scared for her life ... she called cops but also "grabbed a bat and an unloaded shotgun and went to the porch." Lana claims she confronted Antoinette and told her she needed mental help and to "get the f*** off my property." That's when Lana claims Antoinette shot back, "f*** you. I'm going to jump over this fence and beat the s*** out of you." It's at this point when Lana claims she pointed the shotgun at Antoinette, who yelled back but walked away. Cops were called and ultimately tracked Antoinette down, telling her she'd be arrested if she threatened Lana again. But, Lana says it didn't end there ... she claims 45 minutes later a homeless man came to her gate and called for her. Lana says she fears for her life and worries Antoinette will send people she knows to her house to hurt her. Antoinette must now stay at least 100 yards away from Lana, her home and workplace. The actress has appeared in tons of TV shows ... including "Spin City," "Boomtown," "Windfall," "Swingtown," "Miami Medical" and, of course, "Once Upon a Time" where she spent 7 seasons on the hit ABC fantasy drama series. Neal McDonough To Star In & Executive Produce ‘Red Stone’ Indie(6/18/20) Neal McDonough, who has recently been seen on shows like Yellowstone, Altered Carbon and the Robert Zemeckis series Project Blue Book, has signed on to star in Red Stone, an indie thriller written and directed by Derek Presley. McDonough, who also serves as an executive producer on the film, will star alongside Dash Melrose (Little Fires Everywhere), Michael Cudlitz (The Walking Dead), Dominic Scott Kay (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End), Jason Douglas (The Walking Dead), Allie DeBerry (A.N.T. Farm), and Mike Dopud (The Predator).Filming is currently underway in Texas. The story follows Motley (Melrose), whose life spirals out of control as he’s forced to go on the run from southern crime lord, Jed Haywood (Cudlitz). Boon, Haywood’s best henchman and close friend, is tracking Motley and over the course of one day, both Motley and Boon go on a spiritual journey as their fate brings them together for a showdown. Robert Johnson, Jason Starne, and Austin Williams are producing the pic with McDonough and Alex Blackmon as EPs. McDonough, who presently can be seen in The Warrant on Amazon and appeared in Paramount’s hit feature Sonic the Hedgehog, is repped by Buchwald and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson, and Christopher. The Wahlbergs do their part to feed essential workers in NYC(5/10/20) Wahlburger and Del Frisco’s are working together to feed healthcare workers and first responders in the Five Boroughs, we’re told.The Boston-based burger chain — run by Wahlberg brothers, Mark, Donnie and Paul — has been shipping its patties to the Midtown steak house to be cooked up, and New York’s Bravest have been helping to deliver the meals. “They wanted to honor the hospital workers and first responders,” Gerard Fitzgerald, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, told Page Six. “We’re somewhat used to getting accolades, so it was nice to help champion for someone else and give them the credit they deserve.” The meal deliveries started in Manhattan last week and end in Staten Island on Monday. “Not being able [to have our restaurants] fully operational these past several weeks has been heartbreaking for our entire organization,” Mark said in a statement, “But that hasn’t stopped our commitment to supporting the communities we serve however we can.” CBS Renews 18 Series, Including Freshmen ‘FBI: Most Wanted’, ‘Bob ? Abishola’, ‘All Rise’ & ‘The Unicorn’(5/6/20) CBS has renewed 18 more series for 2020-21 including the majority of its drama lineup and a trio of comedies.The broadcaster has picked up dramas All Rise, Blue Bloods, Bull, FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, MacGyver, Magnum P.I., NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, Seal Team and S.W.A.T., comedies Bob ? Abishola, The Neighborhood and The Unicorn, news programs 60 Minutes and 48 Hours and reality series Undercover Boss. They join previously renewed for next season Evil, Chuck Lorre’s Mom and Young Sheldon — both in the middle of two-year pickups — Survivor and The Amazing Race for a total of 23 shows, scripted, reality and newsmagazines. Separately, the network has cancelled four shows: midseason sitcom Broke, Patricia Heaton’s Carol’s Second Act, Edie Falco’s Tommy and Matt LeBlanc’s Man with a Plan. As the COVID-19 production shutdown continues, the move is a major statement by CBS that it is keeping faith with its current series in challenging times when all but one of its pilots were not filmed because of the pandemic. ViacomCBS oin Tuesday announced a two-day virtual upfront for advertisers. CBS is presenting on May 19 and plans to unveil “the fall programming lineup.” There has been speculation that the network will rely heavily on returning series for its fall roster, with as little as 1-2 new series launched at the start of the season, which may be delayed because of the pandemic. CBS said today that it will announce new series in the coming weeks. The network has started to narrow down the field by passing on The Lincoln Lawyer series from David E. Kelley and comedy pilot Fun. Among the rest, the multi-cam B Positive, the only completed broadcast pilot this season, and drama The Equalizer starring Queen Latifah have been garnering a lot of buzz. CBS typically gives its reliable franchises early renewals in March-April but this season is a bit different. In addition to dealing with COVID-19, the network’s parent company merged with Viacom, which also led to delayed decisions. Many of the renewals are no surprise, regardless of the current global pandemic, with shows such as most watched drama NCIS always likely to return, alongside number one new comedy Bob ? Abishola and number one new drama FBI: Most Wanted. CBS also boasts the most watched comedy series, Young Sheldon (all in total viewers, most current). ‘NCIS’ Franchise Stars Mark Harmon, Scott Bakula, LL Cool J & Chris O’Donnell Close New Deals To Return As All 3 Series Are Renewed By CBS Also no-brainers for renewals are FBI, which has emerged as CBS’ second most watched series behind NCIS, the other NCIS series, Friday stalwart Blue Bloods and Monday anchor The Neighborhood. There was some question mark as to whether both S.W.A.T. and SEAL Team would return, but both action dramas are back alongside solid Friday entries Magnum P.I. and MacGyver. CBS is bringing back four freshman series, aforementioned FBI: Most Wanted and Bob ? Abishola, as well as drama All Rise, coming off a buzzy remotely shot COVID-19 episode, and comedy The Unicorn. Both CBS’ entire lineup of Monday shows – The Neighborhood, Bob ? Abishola, All Rise and Bull – and all of its Tuesday dramas – NCIS, FBI and FBI: Most Wanted – are returning. Seven of CBS’ returners top 10 million viewers (most current), the currency used by the network: NCIS, FBI, Blue Bloods, Young Sheldon, Bull, 60 Minutes and FBI: Most Wanted. The latter is one of a number of freshman series being brought back, a list that also includes All Rise and The Unicorn. The mass renewal comes as a number of CBS veterans are ending this season including Hawaii Five-0, Madam Secretary and Criminal Minds as well as sophomore series God Friended Me. “Thanks to these exceptional shows, we’re going to win the current season by 1 million viewers,” said Kelly Kahl, President of CBS Entertainment. “Next year, we’ll have these strong returning series as our foundation…and Super Bowl LV too. It’s a well-balanced lineup across Entertainment, News and Sports that will put us in an incredibly stable position for 2020-2021.” RENEWALS All Rise follows the chaotic, hopeful and sometimes absurd lives of its judges, prosecutors and public defenders, as they work with bailiffs, clerks and cops to get justice for the people of Los Angeles amidst a flawed legal process. Among them is newly appointed Judge Lola Carmichael (Simone Missick), a highly regarded and impressive deputy district attorney who doesn’t intend to sit back on the bench in her new role, but instead leans in, immediately pushing the boundaries and challenging the expectations of what a judge can be. The series, which aired a virtually produced social-distancing episode on May 4, also stars Wilson Bethel, Marg Helgenberger, Jessica Camacho, J. Alex Brinson, Lindsay Mendez and Ruthie Ann Miles. Showrunner Spottiswood, Len Goldstein, Michael Robin and Dee Harris-Lawrence — who also serves as co-showrunner — are executive producers for Warner Bros Television. Blue Bloods returns for season 11. Starring Tom Selleck as New York Police Commissioner Frank Reagan, the series from CBS TV Studios, is a drama about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement. Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes, Len Cariou, Sami Gayle, Marisa Ramirez and Vanessa Ray also star. The cast recently reunited for a virtual Dinner with the Reagans A Blue Bloods Special video amid the coronavirus-forced production shutdown. Procedural Bull comes back for a fifth season. Created by Dr. Phil McGraw and Paul Attanasio, Bull stars Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull in a drama inspired by the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw. Brilliant, brash and charming, Dr. Bull is the ultimate puppet master as he combines psychology, human intuition and high-tech data to learn what makes jurors, attorneys, witnesses and the accused tick. Bull is co-produced by CBS TV Studios in association with Stage 29 Productions. Glenn Gordon Caron, Attanasio, Dr. Phil McGraw and Jay McGraw executive produce. Dick Wolf dramas FBI and FBI: Most Wanted are back for a third season and a second season respectively. The mothership FBI is a fast-paced drama about the inner workings of the New York office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Missy Peregrym, Ebonée Noel, Jeremy Sisto, Alana De La Garza and John Boyd star. Dick Wolf, Rick Eid, Terry Miller, Arthur W. Forney and Peter Jankowski executive produce. The series is produced by Universal Television in association with CBS Television Studios. Created by René Balcer, FBI: Most Wanted is a high-stakes drama that focuses on the Fugitive Task Force, which relentlessly tracks and captures the notorious criminals on the Bureau’s Most Wanted list. Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television produce in association with CBS Television Studios. Dick Wolf, René Balcer, Fred Berner, Arthur W. Forney and Peter Jankowski executive produce. Action drama MacGyver, a reimagining of the 1985 show, returns for a fifth season. It stars Lucas Till in the titular role, along with Justin Hires, Meredith Eaton, Levy Tran and Henry Ian Cusick. CBS Television Studios produces in association with Lionsgate Television. Peter Lenkov, James Wan, Henry Winkler, Lee Zlotoff and Terry Matalas executive produce. Terry Matalas (12 Monkeys) joined as executive producer/co-showrunner in season 4. He replaced Craig O’Neill as co-showrunner alongside creator/executive producer/showrunner Lenkov. Magnum P.I. is back for season three. The rebooted action drama, which stars Jay Hernandez in the Tom Selleck role, comes from Peter Lenkov, CBS TV Studios and Universal TV, is set in Hawaii and follows Hernandez’s Thomas Magnum, a private investigator and former Navy SEAL, who solves crimes in the state, after returning home from Afghanistan and repurposing his military skills. Perdita Weeks, Zachary Knighton, Stephen Hill, Tim Kang and Amy Hill also star. Peter M. Lenkov, Eric Guggenheim, Justin Lin, John Davis, John Fox and Danielle Woodrow are executive producers. Flagship drama series NCIS returns for an 18th season, spinoffs NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans are back for a 12th and seventh season respectively. Created by Donald P. Bellasario, NCIS stars Mark Harmon as Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, along with Sean Murray, Emily Wickersham, Wilmer Valderrama, Maria Bello, Brian Dietzen and Diona Reasonover, with Rocky Carroll and David McCallum. Belisarius Productions produces in association with CBS Television Studios. Bellisario executive produces with Frank Cardea, Steven D. Binder, Chas. Floyd Johnson, Mark Horowitz, Mark Harmon and Scott Williams. NCIS: Los Angeles stars Chris O’Donnell, LL Cool J, Linda Hunt, Daniela Ruah, Eric Christian Olsen, Barrett Foa and Renée Felice Smith. NCIS: Los Angeles is produced by CBS Television Studios and executive produced by R. Scott Gemmill, John P. Kousakis and Frank Military. NCIS: New Orleans stars Scott Bakula, Vaness Ferlito, Necar Zadegan, Rob Kerkovich, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, Charles Michael Davis and CCH Pounder. The series is produced by CBS Television Studios. Christopher Silber, James Hayman, Adam Targum, Chad Gomez Creasey and Mark Harmon executive produce. Military drama series SEAL Team is coming back for a fourth season. Starring David Boreanaz, SEAL Team follows the professional and personal lives of the most elite unit of Navy SEALs as they train, plan and execute the most dangerous missions that our country can ask of them. Max Thieriot, Neil Brown Jr., AJ Buckley, Toni Trucks, Jessica Paré and Judd Lormand also star. SEAL Team is produced by CBS Television Studios. Spencer Hudnut, Christopher Chulack, Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly and David Boreanaz executive produce. Police drama series S.W.A.T. breaks down the doors for a fourth season. Inspired by the classic television series and feature film, S.W.A.T. stars Shemar Moore as the locally born and raised sergeant tasked with running a specialized tactical unit that is the last stop in law enforcement in Los Angeles. Alex Russell, Jay Harrington, Lina Esco, Kenny Johnson, David Lim, Patrick St. Esprit and Amy Farrington also star. S.W.A.T. is produced by Sony Pictures Television in association with CBS Television Studios. Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, Shawn Ryan, Justin Lin, Neal Moritz, Marney Hochman, Pavun Shetty, Allison Cross, Craig Gore, Billy Gierhart, Andy Dettman and Michael Jones Morales executive produce. Bob ? Abishola, from Chuck Lorre and Warner Bros Television, has received a second season. The comedy is a love story about a middle-aged compression-sock businessman from Detroit who unexpectedly falls for his cardiac nurse, a Nigerian immigrant, while recovering from a heart attack and sets his sights on winning her over. Undaunted by Abishola’s lack of initial interest or the vast differences in their backgrounds, Bob is determined to win Abishola’s heart, in this comedic examination of immigrant life in America. The series stars Billy Gardell, Folake Olowofoyeku, Christine Ebersole, Matt Jones, Maribeth Monroe, Vernee Watson, Shola Adewusi, Barry Shabaka Henley, Travis Wolfe, Jr. and Gina Yashere, who is also a co-creator, writer and producer. Chuck Lorre and Al Higgins are executive producers and co-creators, while Yashere is also a co-creator, writer and producer and Eddie Gorodetsky exec produces. It is produced by Chuck Lorre Productions in association with Warner Bros Television. The Neighborhood returns for a third season. The comedy was created by Jim Reynolds and hailing from CBS TV Studios and Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment. Tackling the culture clash of gentrification, The Neighborhood stars Cedric the Entertainer as Calvin Butler, an opinionated new neighbor of Dave Johnson (Max Greenfield). Dave’s the friendliest guy in the Midwest, who moves his family to a neighborhood in Los Angeles where not everyone looks like him or appreciates his extreme neighborliness. Beth Behrs plays Dave’s wife Gemma, and Tichina Arnold, Sheaun McKinney, Marcel Spears and Hank Greenspan co-star. Reynolds executive produces with Kapital’s Aaron Kaplan and Dana Honor as well as Kapital-based producer Wendi Trilling via her TrillTV and Cedric and Eric Rhone of A Bird and a Bear Entertainment. The Unicorn is also back for a second outing. Starring Walton Goggins, from Kapital Entertainment and CBS Studios TV, the single-camera comedy is centered around a tight-knit group of best friends and family who help Wade (Goggins) embrace his “new normal” in the wake of the loss of his wife one year ago. As a sometimes ill-equipped but always devoted single parent to his two adolescent daughters, he is taking the major step of dating again. To Wade’s amazement, he’s a hot commodity with women, and his friends explain that he’s the perfect single guy – a “unicorn”: employed, attractive, and with a proven track record of commitment. With his daughters and best friends rooting him on and hoping he’ll find happiness again, Wade and his healing heart are ready to try life… and love… a second time. The series also stars Rob Corddry, Michaela Watkins, Omar Miller, Maya Lynne Robinson, Ruby Jay, Makenzie Moss and Devin Bright. Bill Martin, Mike Schiff, Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor, Wendi Trilling, Peyton Reed and John Hamburg are executive producers for CBS Television Studios. ‘Blue Bloods’ Donnie Wahlberg Hosts A Reagan Family Virtual Dinner Amid The COVID-19 Pandemic – Watch(5/3/20) (Video) Blue Bloods‘ Reagan family is known for their family dinners, where each Friday they catch up with each other and with what’s going on in each other’s lives. With production shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, the cast has reunited for a virtual Dinner With the Reagans A Blue Bloods Special video.“I want to welcome you to our first ever, and hopefully last ever virtual Blue Bloods family dinner special,” says star Donnie Wahlberg, who led the Zoom get-together. Wahlberg started by introducing the Reagan family cast members, Tom Selleck, Bridget Moynihan, Len Cariou, Vanessa Ray, Anthony Terraciano, Sami Gayle, and Will Estes, joined by Blue Bloods showrunner Kevin Wade, who are all self-isolating at their respective homes. Wahlberg wondered how the show will handle the crisis that’s happening in real-life when production gets back up again for the coming season, which has not been formally picked up by CBS, and if it’s something that might be explored in a storyline going forward. “I’m not sure how we go back to the show without addressing it on some level, or do you just run away from it?” he asked. Said Wade, “I don’t think you can run far away from it, it’s something I’ve been talking about with our writers, with (showrunners) Warren Leight from Law & Order(:SVU) and Glenn (Gordon) Caron from Bull and with a lot of people, just how do you go back embrace it and yet how not have it drive the show, because at the end of the day we were never sort of making a documentary of life.” The current reality will find its way onto the show. For instance, the series’ signature family dinner scene, in which family members sit inches away from each other at the table, presents its own production challenge for the CBS drama in the era of social distancing. Wahlberg noted that one of the great things about the show is “we get to explore what’s really going on, but we’re not bound to it.” Added Wade: “Everything that you see on TV is all about people stepping up, and public service and sacrifice, and the people, the nurses and doctors who come from all over the country here to New York City, we wouldn’t be doing our show right if we didn’t find some way to pay respect to that from our characters.” Watch the 10-minute video above. Neal McDonough Signs With Buchwald(4/24/20) (Video) New Kids on the Block have recruited Boyz II Men for new dance anthem House Party to benefit coronavirus relief efforts.The iconic boy band teamed up with the legendary R&B group on the track, along with Jordin Sparks, Big Freedia, and Naughty by Nature, to raise funds for No Kid Hungry, a charity campaign launched by officials at the Share Our Strength organization to provide assistance to those adversely affected by COVID-19. “I was inspired. People need to be entertained, to feel light, to be happy,” New Kids on the Block singer Donnie Wahlberg said of the song in a press release. “If we can do even the smallest thing to lift someone’s day we will do that. And in doing so, we will also donate all net proceeds to benefit No Kid Hungry. All we want to do is give back in the best way we know how.” Donnie’s brother Mark Wahlberg and country singer Carrie Underwood are among the other famous stars appearing in the music video for House Party. New Kids on the Block have also put a tour package up for auction to help with pandemic relief, with bidding open until May 8. Fans can bid here. Neal McDonough Signs With Buchwald(4/2/20) Multi-hyphenate actor-writer-producer Neal McDonough has signed with Buchwald. He was previously with Paradigm.Currently, McDonough stars in Robert Zemeckis’ UFO drama series Project Blue Book for History and had a major arc on season 2 of Yellowstone for Paramount. Additionally, he’s recently recurred on Netflix’s Altered Carbon, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow as uber villain Damien Darhk, along with Syfy’s Van Helsing, and USA’s Suits. On the film side, McDonough is presently starring in The Warrant which is streaming on Amazon and most recently appeared in Paramount’s hit feature Sonic the Hedgehog and in Game Over, Man! for Netflix. McDonough continues to be repped by attorney Stuart Rosenthal at Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson, and Christopher. Donnie Wahlberg leaves $2,020 tip at St. Charles IHOP(1/1/20) A server at the IHOP in St. Charles got quite the surprise Wednesday when actor and New Kids on the Block performer Donnie Wahlberg rang in the new year by leaving a $2,020 tip.Wahlberg's wife, "Masked Singer" judge Jenny McCarthy, posted a picture of their $78 lunch bill Wednesday on Twitter with $2,020 written on the tip line. "@DonnieWahlberg starting 2020 off like the amazing man he is. #ihop #2020tipchallenge," McCarthy tweeted. Wahlberg wrote "Happy New Year" and "2020 Tip Challenge" with a smiley face at the bottom of the receipt. Wahlberg and McCarthy live in St. Charles. McCarthy was born in Evergreen Park and attended Mother McCauley High School in Chicago. Jenny McCarthy reveals life-changing Christmas gift from DonnieWahlberg (11/26/19) Jenny McCarthy got emotional as she revealed the best holiday gift she ever got from husband Donnie Wahlberg.“Before I met Donnie, it was really difficult … Being a single mom is so difficult and then a single mom with [a kid] with special needs adds another whole difficulty to the basket,” McCarthy told Page Six while discussing their partnership with French’s last week. “One Christmas, early on, Donnie handed me one of the greatest gifts ever, which was, I don’t even know how to explain it, but basically that he was taking care of Evan’s college tuition.” McCarthy, 47, said that she broke down when Wahlberg gave her that gift. “I lost it because, you know, I was so worried if I would have enough money by the time he’d be able to go [to college] and you know, [Wahlberg] kind of covered the bills and therapy and we only had just met,” she said. “It wasn’t even something like, ‘Oh, it’s five years, here’s something,’ it’s like, ‘I see that you’re hurting in this area of your life. I love Evan, and I want to do this for you both.'” McCarthy was having trouble holding it together as she recalled the kind gesture. “I’m just still so grateful. It’s so wonderful. It shows you what kind of human being he is too to just recognize something like that in a single mom and her son,” she said. “Thank you, Donnie. It was really sweet.” Wahlberg, 50, agreed that his favorite present isn’t something that can be wrapped in a bow. “Probably the best gift I think we can think of, and this might sound sappy, is that we each have given an additional parent to our kids,” Wahlberg told us. “You know, our sons have grown up together in our homes with us and Jenny’s really a wonderful stepmom to my son and I’m stepdad to her son, and giving them a unified family Christmas after years of being single parents, I think that’s really the best gift we can give each other.” The couple also shared they would be sticking to a shared family tradition: making a French’s green bean casserole. “It doesn’t surprise me that Donnie and I grew up with it, loved it, because we both grew up on a budget,” she said. “It was just something our families both had to have at our dinner table. So we continued the tradition with our combined families.” And while McCarthy takes care of the kitchen, Wahlberg is in charge of the “stealing of the crispy fried onions.” “I’m not really allowed in the kitchen during Thanksgiving. I just go in and pick at everything and that’s kind of what I did my whole life so it really works perfectly,” he said. “So we have to buy extra crispy fried onions because I pretty much eat them like potato chips while she’s making the casserole.” ‘Project Blue Book’ Season 2 Trailer & Premiere Date For History’s Robert Zemeckis UFO Drama(11/19/19) (Video) History will turn the page on Project Blue Book in two months. The cable net has set Season 2 of the UFO drama from executive producer Robert Zemeckis for 10 p.m. Tuesday, January 21. Watch the new trailer above.David O’Leary created the series and serves as writer and executive producer alongside writer-showrunner Sean Jablonski, Zemeckis, Jackie Levine and Barry Jossen. Produced by A+E Studios and Compari Entertainment, Project Blue Book is inspired by the personal experiences of Dr. J. Allen Hynek (Aidan Gillen), a brilliant college professor recruited by the U.S. Air Force to spearhead this clandestine operation — Project Blue Book — that researched thousands of cases, more than 700 of which remain unsolved to this day. The 10-episode sophomore season will find Dr. Hynek and Capt. Michael Quinn (Michael Malarkey) on a dangerous quest for the truth and delve deeper into themes of global conspiracy, touch on how UFOs have impacted the evolution of our nation’s military practices and technology and lean into the nostalgia of the 1950s. Season 2 will also kick off with a deep dive into two of the most well-known UFO cases in US history: Roswell, New Mexico, where a rancher claimed to have found mysterious wreckage on his property thought to be a UFO, and Area 51, a government-run location in Nevada historically rumored to be a magnet for paranormal events and UFO-related activity. Neal McDonough, Michael Harney, Laura Mennell and Ksenia Solo also star, with Keir O’Donnell and Jerod Haynes joining this season in recurring roles. Syndicated ‘Dr. Oz Show’ Spinoff Series ‘The Good Dish’ Eyed For Fall 2020 Launch By Sony TV(10/29/19) Sony Pictures Television is moving ahead with The Good Dish, a new syndicated daytime series from The Dr. Oz Show producers, which is on track for a fall 2020 launch.Hosted by Daphne Oz (MasterChef Junior), Vanessa Williams, Gail Simmons (Top Chef) and Jamika Pessoa (The Next Food Star), The Good Dish spinoff grew out of weekly cooking segments featured on The Dr. Oz Show. It will provide simple shortcuts, everyday recipes and trends that will make life easier, bring families together, save money and most importantly…figure out what’s for dinner, according to producers. The series hails from five-time Daytime Emmy-winning executive producers, Amy Chiaro and Stacy Rader, the team that oversees The Dr. Oz Show and ZoCo productions, Dr. Mehmet Oz’s production company. This is the third new syndicated program announced for fall 2020, joining a Drew Barrymore talk show, from CBS TV Distribution, and a Nick Cannon talker from Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury. Of the three, only the Drew Barrymore show has officially secured station clearances yet. “We have experienced overwhelming feedback from our audiences on “The Dish on Oz” cooking segments, which have been recently featured on The Dr. Oz Show,” said John Weiser, President First Run Television, SPT. “When Daphne Oz and this all-star ensemble were available, we recognized the opportunity for viewers, advertisers, and local broadcast stations. We have on-air tested this format and talent for two years perfecting this show we are now bringing to market. Spinoffs have the highest success rate of converting into multi-year franchises. In fact, spinoffs gave us the great Dr. Oz straight from Oprah!” The Good Dish is produced by ZoCo Productions and distributed by Sony Pictures Television. Donnie Wahlberg reflects on his all-consuming 'Sixth Sense' journey playing Vincent Gray(8/5/19) (usatoday.com) There are some roles actors will do anything to pull off.For Donnie Wahlberg that was Vincent Gray, the disturbed former mental patient who propels 1999's "The Sixth Sense" into darkness after he breaks in and kills his former psychiatrist, Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis), before shooting himself. The 28-year-old Wahlberg, who jumped to fame as a founding member of New Kids On the Block, had to fight to convince writer/director M. Night Shyamalan that he could take on the pivotal part – Gray serves as the tragic predecessor to Cole Sear (11-year-old Haley Joel Osment), who sees "dead people." Shyamalan's leap-of-faith casting compelled Wahlberg to take an all-consuming journey, losing 43 pounds, to enter Gray's disturbed mindset. As "The Sixth Sense" turns 20 on Aug. 6, the three-minute Gray scene remains utterly unforgettable, more so in light of how perfecting it haunted Wahlberg. "This was a game-changer for me. Every day for years people would say, 'Dude, I didn't know that was you,' " says "Blue Bloods" star Wahlberg, now 49. "At that time, I did exactly what I needed to do for the role. I had to look like I was going through hell. I went to a really dark place." Here's Wahlberg's story: He cried when he read the 'Sixth Sense' script Wahlberg, who starred as a kidnapper in 1996's "Ransom," picked up the "Sixth Sense" script during a 1998 flight and was consumed as he turned the pages. "I totally started crying on the plane," he says. But he was convinced there was not a part for him, especially not heroin-abusing, emaciated Gray. "Nothing about me was right for the part, except for my total enthusiasm for the script," says Wahlberg, who was too old for the character and too physically fit. ("I was really working out at the time.") But he flew to New York City to meet with Shyamalan, even just to profess his script love. The director calculated that conceivably Gray could be 20, a workable number. After another meeting six months later he offered Wahlberg the part. When his agent balked at the low pay offer for the day of filming, Wahlberg overruled him. "I said, 'I don’t care, I’d do it for free,' " says Wahlberg. "So I took the part and I subsequently fired my manager for telling me to pass." Wahlberg wanted to play Vincent nude During a film workshop with Willis and Olivia Williams (Malcolm's wife, Anna), Wahlberg proposed playing Gray nude rather than the goth clothing detailed in the script. "If Vincent is coming to stop his suffering and end his own life, then why is he wearing anything? To me, he strips down and is in the bathroom fully naked, clothes on the floor," says Wahlberg. "Bruce thought that was awesome and pitched the idea to M. Night, who was like, 'That's insane. I love it.' " Wahlberg now had to fully look the part. "I had to become emaciated and change my physical appearance."The actor went mad method preparing Wahlberg left his then-wife, Kimberly Fey, and two kids, moving to a sparse New York City apartment to get into the Vincent Gray mindset, bringing no credit cards. "I starved myself. I would fast for two days then only eat steamed cabbage and drink beet juice. I would chew gum all day and I would literally walk around the streets to burn thousands of calories. I didn’t shower for weeks," says Wahlberg. "I just wasn’t taking care of myself and I was a loner. That was as close as I could come to this guy. I definitely had to suffer in the only way I could." "I was so hungry. I was depressed," he says. "I cut off my life to get ready for the role." Five weeks later, he showed up to "The Sixth Sense" set having dropped 43 pounds to a scary 139. "I passed Night and he didn’t recognize me. He just walked right past," says Wahlberg. Sent to wardrobe, the actor found out that the film would be rated PG-13, so that would require clothes after all. "I was like 'Oh (expletive), I just lost 40 (expletive) pounds. And now I have to just wear clothes.' I was so conflicted," says Wahlberg. He struck a quick compromise: wearing Vincent's "tidy-whitey" underwear. "I asked to make (the underwear) look like I hadn’t changed them in, like, two years," he says. "They soiled them up. That became the wardrobe." The scene wowed Willis, Shyamalan Shooting the first take where Vincent confronts his former doctor, Wahlberg was told to cut before Vincent's final act – putting the gun to his own head. But "out of my mind" in emotion, he pulled off the whole scene. To perfection. "I fell on the floor, and I remember Bruce was like, 'Whoa!' and I was bawling my eyes out. M. Night came running over and was hugging me. He was like, 'That was so unbelievable.' I was thinking that I’m done. And M. Night was like, 'OK. Can you do it again?' I was like, 'What?' " In his consuming preparation, Wahlberg had forgotten the filmmaking process, which required a full day of specialty shots. "I thought I had to nail it in one shot," says Wahlberg. "But I had, like, eight hours of work ahead of me." He pushed through and Willis gave a speech thanking him at the end of the day. Wahlberg still looks in awe at pictures from that time. ("I looked like a crazy person.") He has never had to dig that deep for a part since. But Vincent Gray lives on with "The Sixth Sense." "The movie is such a great source of pride for me. Not just my work but to be part of that group," says Wahlberg of the film that would go on to earn six Academy Award nominations. "Everyone brought it so hard for that movie." Jason Biggs, Vanessa Williams on Match Game 6/26/19(6/12/19) “Joel McHale, Rachael Ray, Jason Biggs, Caroline Rhea, Donald Faison, Vanessa Williams” – We’ve got actors, comedians, a singer and a chef … oh my! Alec Baldwin hosts an all-new hilarious episode of “Match Game,” airing WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network, streaming and on demand. Produced by Fremantle, “Match Game” features four contestants each week vying for the chance to win $25,000, as they attempt to match the answers of six celebrities in a game of fill-in-the-blank.Celebrity panelists for June 26 include the following: Joining the celebrity panelists are contestants Rutger McKenna (hometown: Brooklyn, New York), Alex Shumway (hometown: Dedham, Massachusetts), Khary Hobbs (hometown: Harper Woods, Michigan) and Rochelle Hall (hometown: Carson, California). VANESSA RAY AMONG COVER STARS FOR THE SPECIAL “BLUE BLOODS” ISSUE OF WATCH! MAGAZINE, ON NEWSSTANDS NOW THROUGH MID-JULY(5/21/19) The special BLUE BLOODS issue of CBS’ Watch! magazine features covers with four of the hit series’ beloved stars: Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes and Vanessa Ray. This May/June issue, on newsstands now through mid-July, also includes a nostalgic look back at decades of show-stopping moments from past Tony Awards broadcasts, a celebration of 30 seasons of heart-stopping action on THE AMAZING RACE, a Q&A with ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT co-host Kevin Frazier, “24 Hours With... Heather Tom” (THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL), a guide to superb summer fashions, and much more!It’s been exactly eight years since Watch! featured multiple covers of BLUE BLOODS cast members shortly after the end of the popular show’s freshman season. For the newest BLUE BLOODS issue, Moynahan, Wahlberg and Estes were once again photographed by David Needleman, and Vanessa Ray (who joined the series in season four as Estes’ character’s cop partner, who just became his wife in the high-rated ninth season finale) was a welcome cover addition. When the cast members gathered for their shoots – Moynahan and Wahlberg one day, and Estes and Ray the next – their kinship was palpable. They were playful and supportive of each other and enjoyed reminiscing about fun/special times they’ve shared with their entire TV family. This fall, BLUE BLOODS’ Reagan clan will return for its 10th season, premiering with its 200th episode – and, as usual, Watch! will be along for the ride! Wahlberg, styled by Watch! style director Sasha Charnin Morrison, was a bundle of positive energy and cheerful collaboration at the photo studio. While being interviewed by Fred Schruers during a break at the shoot, Wahlberg talked about the evolution of his BLUE BLOODS character, how he and Bridget have had a “parallel journey as friends and have been there for each other,” how Tom Selleck encourages the improvising Wahlberg does during the dinner scenes (“What a great thing that the head of the table trusts me. It means the world to me.”), and his continued appreciation for the role: “I never could understand when an actor would say they got burnt out on a TV show…We fight so hard to get these jobs. I worked for years just to get an acting gig, and I’m hearing of actors quitting shows because they’re bored. And I think, ‘What the hell are you talking about?’” Moynahan’s modeling background was evident as she posed with a soulful vitality in an array of feminine formal dresses and tailored looks, also selected by Morrison. During her interview with Chip Brown, Moynahan discusses her childhood and early career, the inspiration for her second book, Our Shoes, Our Selves: 40 Women, 40 Stories, 40 Pairs of Shoes, a charity benefitting girls that’s receiving some of the book’s proceeds, and the boots that helped bolster her battered confidence 12 years ago, when she was the subject of a tabloid press frenzy. She also talks warmly of her BLUE BLOODS experience (“The show feels like family now”) and some of the particularly emotional moments the show and actors have tackled this past season. “There’s a level of vulnerability in some performances,” she says. “Vulnerability has a stigma of being weak, but it’s inspiring.” Estes and Ray, both styled by Christina Pacelli, each got a kick out of the glamorous shoot and offered each other heartfelt compliments about how the other looked in various ensembles. Interviewed together by Jessica Shaw, the TV couple talked about their first auditions for their roles, their initial reactions to hearing their characters would couple up (Estes: “We were nervous about what it was going to mean once we were together”), how their off-camera conversations often make it into the scripts, having some street cred with New York City police officers (Ray: “It is fun to live in New York City and hear cops in a grocery store or something going, ‘Hey, Janko [their characters’ combined name from fans on social media].’ For them to recognize anything that we do is the best thing about this job.”), and how one day in the makeup trailer military veteran Tom Selleck ended up teaching Ray how to salute and stand at attention for her role. Also, in honor of CBS’ THE 73rd ANNUAL TONY AWARDS® broadcast on June 9, writer Melissa Rose Bernardo provides a nostalgic Tony Awards Viewers Guide, which includes Tony Awards trivia, a look back at the top 10 favorite Tony telecast performances, five sensational song-and-dance moments by Tony hosts, a look at some of the most infamous Tony snubs – and 10 winning looks on past Tony red carpets. Additional stories in the issue include: Phil Keoghan, host of THE AMAZING RACE for 18 years, reminiscing about 30 seasons of racers and milestones for the show, which is currently in its 31st season. ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT co-host Kevin Frazier relaying to Brantley Bardin how he couldn’t help feeling like a regular fan while spending time with a certain legendary musician, how he’s learned to face the fact that not every interview will be perfect nor will every star love chatting with him, and how lucky he feels to be married to someone who balances what he does. “I’m interviewing celebrities while she’s out there defending people [as a Los Angeles public defender] on the worst days of their lives.” “24 Hours with…Heather Tom,” taking readers through a typical day for THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL star (who is also a rising TV director, interior designer, wife and mom). A summer fashion guide based on the vastly different signature styles of the four female characters on Pop’s hit series SCHITT’S CREEK, plus separate stories on must-have colors and looks for the season. CBS SUNDAY MORNING executive producer Rand Morrison talking about creating a blend of news, culture and quirky human interest stories. Says Morrison, “I love this show. It’s like being given a gift…We have 90 minutes. We can do almost anything, in a way that we can be proud of and our audience is happy with. We have 6 million viewers. So how can you complain?” GOD FRIENDED ME star Suraj Sharma sharing how – and why -- he’s rediscovering the power of martial arts. Novelist Mary Beth Keane talking about the inspiration for her newest book, Ask Again, Yes, and what she hopes readers will take away from it. CBS Sports lead play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz and Kerry Haigh, the chief championships officer of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America, recalling highlights of past PGA Championships. Sofia Pernas, star of CBS’ new globe-trotting adventure series BLOOD & TREASURE, revealing some of her favorites styles, designers, beauty products and accessories. Also, CBSWatchmagazine.com continues to complement the print magazine’s articles while still showcasing its own unique content, including photos and videos that are original to Watch! ‘T.O.T.S’ Renewed For Season 2 Ahead Of Toon’s Disney Junior Premiere; Vanessa Williams & Megan Hilty Join Voice Cast(5/9/19) (Video) T.O.T.S. doesn’t premiere until next month, but Disney Junior today ordered a second season of the children’s toon and added Vanessa Williams and Megan Hilty to the voice cast.Aimed at ages 2-7, the comedy follows the adventures of best friends Pip and Freddy, a tenacious penguin and a kind-hearted flamingo who are the only non-stork delivery birds in-training at Tiny Ones Transport Service, or T.O.T.S. Produced by Titmouse in association with Disney Junior, its stories suggest themes of positively interacting with and nurturing others while celebrating one another’s differences. Every half-hour episode has an original song and the recurring delivery anthem “Bringing This Baby Home.” Watch a video of the song below. Premiering on June 14, T.O.T.S. features two 11-minute stories that highlight the use of creative thinking, teamwork and problem solving to model for young viewers that there is more than one way to achieve a goal. Jet Jurgensmeyer (Last Man Standing) voices Pip the Penguin, and Christian Simon (Sydney to the Max) as Freddy the Flamingo. Williams will play Captain Beakman, and Hilty voices K.C. the Koala. Travis Braun (Vampirina) created T.O.T.S. and serves as co-executive producer along with Chris Gilligan, who also is supervising director. Vic Cook executive produces. ‘Wahlburgers’ Renewed For 10th & Final Season By A&E(4/26/19) (Video) A&E has picked up a tenth season of Mark and Donnie Wahlberg’s Wahlburgers, which will be the last for the two-time Emmy-nominated reality series. Season 10 of the series from 44 Blue Productions, a Red Arrow Studios company, will premiere Wednesday, May 15 at 9 PM on A&E. You can watch the promo below. It will be followed by new series The Employables at 10 PM.The final season will continue to chronicle the lives of Mark, Donnie and Paul Wahlberg as they balance family and their rapidly growing business, which has become one of the fastest growing and most popular restaurants in the country. Starting with one original location in Hingham, Massachusetts, Wahlburgers, the booming restaurant chain owned by Mark, Donnie and Paul Wahlberg, now has over 30 locations across the country. This season celebrates the success the Wahlberg brothers have worked so hard for, as they embark on a new frontier across the pond. Mark and Paul make their way to Germany, where they continue to work with the military to open restaurants in U.S. bases around the world. Matriarch Alma gets her own moment to shine when she is interviewed by a national morning show about her life as a mother of famous sons. Meanwhile, Donnie is under massive pressure to deliver on his promise to open his own Wahlburgers location in his hometown of St. Charles, Illinois. The series culminates with the brothers’ biggest challenge yet as they work to fulfill Alma’s dream of finally opening their namesake restaurant in their childhood hometown of Dorchester, Massachusetts. After years of hard work and personal sacrifice, the Wahlberg family finally returns home to where it all began. “Creating the Wahlburgers restaurants has been an incredible experience and we are so grateful to have shared it with A&E viewers these last nine seasons,” said Mark Wahlberg. “It’s been an amazing journey that has brought us closer together as a family and launched our little business to heights we never could’ve imagined,” said Donnie Wahlberg. “We are so appreciative to the Wahlberg family for opening up their hearts and lives to the A&E viewers over the years,” said Elaine Frontain Bryant, Executive Vice President and Head of Programming, A&E Network. “We are so excited for the fans to see what the brothers have been cooking up for the final season.” “It has been a true pleasure to bring the Wahlberg family into the homes of our viewers over the last nine seasons,” said 44 Blue Executive Producer Rasha Drachkovitch. “The goal in making Wahlburgers was to not only entertain, but also to remind people about the power of family and the joy a little laughter can bring to tough situations. With this final season, our hope is that everyone takes a bit of Donnie, Mark, Paul and Alma along with them.” Wahlburgers is produced for A&E Network by 44 Blue Productions, a Red Arrow Studios company, in association with Closest to the Hole Productions, Leverage Entertainment and Donnie D Productions. Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson and Donnie Wahlberg executive produce with 44 Blue’s Rasha Drachkovitch, David Hale and Sara Quick. ‘Very Scary People’ Gets Second Season on HLN(4/16/19) Very Scary People, which chronicles the lives of the most frightening individuals in recent history, is getting a second season on HLN. Donnie Wahlberg hosts.Season one, which began March 17 with a look at John Wayne Gacy, has six two-hour episodes. Charles Manson, the NorCal Rapist and Rev. Jim Jones are also profiled on the show. HLN said the series is on pace to be its highest rated original series in terms of total viewers and in the demo. One episode remains. Wahlberg stars in CBS drama Blue Bloods and in A&E unscripted series Wahlburgers. Nancy Duffy, VP of program development for CNN, is the executive producer of Very Scary People. HLN is part of CNN. Blue Bloods Is Coming Back for Season 10 and So Is Tom Selleck's Sweet 'Stache(4/12/19) It looks like Tom Selleck's sweet mustache will remain gainfully employed. CBS has renewed cop drama Blue Bloods for Season 10, with Selleck set to return — which means those awesome upper-lip whiskers will be sticking around onscreen for a while longer. Call your parents, because they must be over the moon about this news.Selleck stars on Blue Bloods as Frank Reagan, New York Police Commissioner and patriarch of a multigenerational family of police officers. This elite crop of law enforcement officials includes eldest son Danny (Donnie Wahlberg), a war veteran and a hardened detective who likes to bend the rules to crack his toughest cases, and Erin (Bridget Moynahan), who, as the only woman in the group, developed a thick skin which that makes her an adept assistant district attorney. There's also the resident "golden boy," Jamie (Will Estes), who graduated from Harvard Law — but rather than become an attorney, he gave that all up to continue the family's tradition of working in law enforcement. With Blue Bloods set to enter its 10th season this fall, the show will also reach a huge milestone: its 200th episode. It's an impressive feat when you consider that the series airs on Friday nights, which is generally a dead zone for network shows. Kudos! In addition, CBS has also renewed Young Sheldon, God Friended Me, Mom, FBI, Criminal Minds, The Neighborhood, Magnum P.I. and NCIS for another season. New Kids on the Block return to charts(3/22/19) Newly released 30th Anniversary Edition of Hangin’ Tough enters Billboard’s Pop/Catalog Albums chartsMulti-platinum-selling pop supergroup New Kids On The Block are back on the charts this week as NKOTB’s newly-released Hangin’ Tough (30th Anniversary Edition) enters Billboard’s Pop Album and Catalog Albums charts at No. 1 while breaking into (at No. 18) the Top 20 of the current Billboard 200. Released on March 8th by Sony Music Entertainment, the expanded 30th anniversary edition of Hangin’ Tough includes all ten original tracks from NKOTB’s career-making breakout album (first released by Columbia Records in September 1989) in addition to five hard-to-find extended versions and 7? remixes (three previously unreleased in the U.S.), and three brand-new tracks recorded by the reunited band especially for this collection. The original Hangin’ Tough peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in September 1989 and has spent 133 weeks on that chart. The new tracks on Hangin’ Tough (30th Anniversary Edition) include the latest NKOTB single, “80s Baby” (featuring Salt-N-Pepa, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, and Naughty By Nature) and “Boys In The Band,” the group’s infectious musical tribute to the history of the “boy band” phenomenon personified by NKOTB. Thirty years after New Kids On The Block first dominated the world’s pop charts, the group got together to lens a fun-packed music video for “Boys In The Band (Boy Band Anthem).” Directed by John Asher, the video takes a new generation of music fans on a journey through the history of boy bands featuring pop-culture music icons Lance Bass, Naughty By Nature, Debbie Gibson, and Bell Biv Devoe of New Edition (plus a special appearance by Joey McIntyre’s son Griffin). “New Kids On The Block are giving the youth of today a much-needed boy band history lesson in the group’s clever new video for ‘Boys In The Band (Boy Band Anthem),” wrote Rania Aniftos in Billboard while Justine Browning previewed the video for Entertainment Weekly, observing, “With the re-issue of their hit record Hangin’ Tough approaching, the group went back to school to revisit their early years as teens idols for the brand new track ‘The Boys in the Band (The Boy Band Anthem).’ Warning, it’s an earworm.” As Donnie Wahlberg said of track and video, “I wrote the lyrics to the song as an homage to boy bands, but you can’t truly pay tribute to boy bands, visually, without a little self-deprecating humor. Nobody has thicker skin than boy band members.” Hangin’ Tough (30th Anniversary Edition) is available digitally and on CD, in a collectible 2 LP picture disc vinyl package, and as a NKOTB.com exclusive cassette. Commemorative Hangin’ Tough album and merch packages, including limited edition autographed items are also available. NKOTB’s breakthrough album Hangin’ Tough produced hits like “Please Don’t Go Girl,” which became the group’s first Top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, “You Got It (The Right Stuff),” a global hit that reached No. 3 on the charts, “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever),” which became the group’s first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, followed by the album’s title track which also went to No. 1, and “Cover Girl,” a fan favorite that hit No. 2 on the charts. In addition to popular sales success, Hangin’ Tough garnered critical acclaim, won two American Music Awards (Favorite Pop/Rock Album and Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group) while earning a a Grammy nomination for Best Music Video, Long Form (now called Best Music Film). With sales of more than 14 million copies worldwide and certified 8x RIAA platinum in the US, Hangin’ Tough remains NKOTB’s best-selling album to date. Following the release of Hangin’ Tough (30th Anniversary Edition), NKOTB will embark on their epic 2019 The Mixtape Tour with very special guests Salt-N-Pepa, Naughty By Nature, Debbie Gibson, and Tiffany. Kicking off May 2nd in Cincinnati, Ohio, and continuing through more than 50 North American cities, The Mixtape Tour will include stops in Boston, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas and LA’s famed Hollywood Bowl. HLN True-Crime Show Stars Asked If Evil Exists: “Yes. Our 45th President,” Hill Harper Responds – TCA(2/12/19) CNN’s HLN network came to TCA on Monday to talk about its latest news-headlines-by day, true-crime-by-night iteration. Donnie Wahlberg came too, because the Blue Bloods star will headline HLN’s new Very Scary People debuting March 17."Are you the Masked Singer,” was the first question he took, which maybe is not what HLN was looking for when deciding to make a rare TCA appearance (mostly, news programs shun the event). Wahlberg’s wife Jenny McCarthy is a judge on Fox’s hit mystery-singers competition series, and a prevailing theory is that Wahlberg is one of the masked competitors. “I can’t answer that,” Wahlberg responded coyly. “There’s a list of boy band-ers alleged to be The Rabbit, and I’m on the list. I think I’m trending behind Joey Fatone and Joey McIntyre.” “My wife signed a non-disclosure and if it’s me I don’t know yet,” he joked. Speaking of headline, one TV critic asked the beauty pageant question – “is there evil” – to the hosts of HNL’s primetime shows. “Yes. Our 45th president,” Hill Harper responded, as TV critics gasped. Some of HLN’s primetime hosts also star/starred in primetime procedurals. Those guys were asked if they’re worried about being pigeonholed. “I sell hamburgers too,” Walhberg reminded. Conceding they’re not actual law enforcement, he argued, “but when you work on a show like Law & Order or Blue Bloods for years, if you care about your job, you focus on the police work and it brings a lot of insight to this.” Mykelti Williamson To Co-Star In ‘Prism’, NBC’s ‘Rashomon’-Inspired Drama Pilot(2/10/19) Mykelti Williamson has been tapped to co-star opposite Malin Akerman in NBC’s legal drama pilot Prism, from Daniel and Ben Barnz’s We’re Not Brothers Productions, Carol Mendelsohn and Julie Weitz.Written by Daniel Barnz, who also directs, Prism is inspired by Rashomon, the 1950 Japanese period psychological thriller directed by Akira Kurosawa. Prism is described as a provocative exploration of a murder trial in which every episode is told through the perspective of a different key person involved. Each new version of the facts ratchets up the mystery and the suspense, calling into question everything we have seen so far and asking, Is the right person on trial? Driven by an ensemble of complicated characters, the show lets the audience ask if truth matters less than who can tell the most compelling story. Williamson will play Judge Henley. Daniel Barnz and Ben Barnz executive produce along with Mendelsohn and Weitz. Universal TV produces in association with We’re Not Brothers and Carol Mendelsohn Prods. Kurosawa’s Rashomon uses a plot device that became known as the Rashomon Effect, which involves various characters providing contradictory interpretations of the same incident. Williamson recurs as Denny Woods on Chicago P.D. and previously recurred on Lethal Weapon and Underground, among other credits. His film work includes a co-starring role in Denzel Washington’s Oscar-nominated Fences. He is repped by Paradigm, Frontline Management and attorney David Fox. Vanessa Williams Nabs Lead Role in ABC Comedy Pilot Happy Accident(1/29/19) Vanessa Williams is reuniting with ABC for her next TV gig: The Ugly Betty alumna is set to co-star in the Alphabet net’s comedy pilot Happy Accident, TVLine has learned.The potential series centers on two Pittsburgh families: a father with three adult daughters and a hotel lounge singer with her med student son, who are forced together after a decades-old secret is revealed. Williams will co-star as Sheri, the aforementioned lounge singer. She joins a cast that also includes Veep‘s Matt Walsh as central dad Bud and JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Once Upon a Time) as his eldest daughter, Eleanor. The single-camera comedy hails from Modern Family executive producers Abraham Higginbotham and Jon Pollack. Though she is best known for her work as Ugly Betty‘s Wilhelmina Slater, Williams’ TV credits also include Daytime Divas, The Good Wife and Desperate Housewives. This actor refuses to kiss actresses on screen(1/8/19) He played a soldier who once killed a German with a perfect grenade lob to the head, but don’t ask him to — gasp! — kiss gorgeous actresses for the cameras.“Band of Brothers’’ and “Desperate Housewives’’ actor Neal McDonough says his religious beliefs — and undying devotion to his ex-model wife, Ruve Robertson — keep him from getting up close and personal with co-stars on screen, even if it costs him jobs and the hefty paychecks that go with them. “I won’t kiss any other woman because these lips are meant for one woman,” the Catholic actor recently told Closer Weekly. McDonough admitted that his no-lip-service stance has lost him work in the past — including an estimated $1 million gig on the set of ABC TV’s “Scoundrels’’ in 2010. At the time, the father of five refused to participate in sexy scenes with actress Virginia Madsen. “I was [surprised], and it was a horrible situation for me,” the actor said about getting the boot after just three days of shooting. “After that, I couldn’t get a job because everybody thought I was this religious zealot. I am very religious. I put God and family first, and me second. That’s what I live by. It was hard for a few years. “But I was not going to lose the fight. And it worked. My career has been phenomenal.” The actor played the husband of Nicollette Sheridan’s character on “Desperate Housewives.’’ “When [creator] Marc Cherry signed me, I said, ‘I’m sure you know, but I won’t kiss anybody,’?” McDonough said. “He was like, ‘But this is ‘Desperate Housewives!’ I said, ‘I know.’ He paused for about 5 seconds and said, ‘All right, I’m just going to have to write better.’ And we had a great time.” The 6-foot actor has been married to Robertson, a 6-foot-3 former bikini model from South Africa, since 2003. The pair met on the street in London in 2001 and it was love at first sight, he shared. “It was St. Patrick’s Day and we literally bumped into each other on the street, locked eyes, and that was it,” the actor said. “The next morning, I called the woman I was dating at the time and said, ‘I’m sorry, it’s not going to work out with us anymore — I just met the woman I’m going to marry.’?” McDonough is starring in the History Channel’s “Project Blue Book” about the US military and UFO sightings. Mykelti Williamson, Ravi Patel, Annabeth Gish, Newcomer Alex Kersting Plus More Join Mira Sorvino In ‘Butter’(12/7/18) Mykelti Williamson (Fences, Chicago P.D.), Annabeth Gish (The Haunting of Hill House, The X Files), Ravi Patel (upcoming Wonder Woman 1984), Brian Van Holt (The Bridge, Black Hawk Down), McKaley Miller (upcoming Blumhouse film Ma), Monte Markham (The Six Million Dollar Man), and newcomer Alex Kersting are set for Butter, joining Mira Sorvino in the Paul A. Kaufman-directed indie film.Written by Kaufman, based on the novel by Erin Jade Lange, the plot centers on Butter (Kersting), a lonely, obese teenager constantly bullied in his high school. Tired of his ridiculed life and his inability to lose weight, he devises a plan to eat himself to death live on the Internet. Williamson will play Professor Dunn, Butter’s music mentor and the only one in his life who shows compassion and sees his true potential. Miller is Butter’s dream girlfriend, Anna. Patel portrays Butter’s caring and offbeat Doctor who tries to make positive changes in his life. Holt has been cast as Butter’s father, while Gish will play Butter’s psychiatrist. Kaufman is producing the project, which he fully financed under his The Power Of Us Entertainment shingle. J. Todd Harris of Branded Pictures Entertainment is also producing, along with Christina Sibul. ‘False Profits’ Not Going Forward At ABC, Shopped To Other Buyers(11/1/18) ABC has opted not to proceed with comedic drama pilot False Profits. I hear the project, starring Bellamy Young and Vanessa Williams, is being shopped by ABC Studios to other outlets.False Profits was among ABC’s buzzy hourlong pilots last season. It narrowly missed the cut for a series order but remained in priority development for midseason consideration. The network in May authorized the opening of a writers room to generate three additional scripts, and ABC Studios also extending the cast of the pilot. “I just received a new script on False Profits, we’ll see where we go on that,” ABC’s President of Entertainment Channing Dungey told Deadline in August. Written by former Code Black writer-producer Kayla Alpert, False Profits is described as Desperate Housewives meets Glengarry Glen Ross. It follows a team of down-and-out women in suburban Arizona as they fight their way to the top of the cutthroat world of a multi-level marketing cosmetics business. Alpert executive produces with Jason Reed and former Desperate Housewives exec producer Sabrina Wind via Jason T. Reed Productions. ABC Studios, where Jason T. Reed Prods is under an overall deal, is the studio. ABC Studios has been able to find homes for pilots that did not go to series at ABC, including Devious Maids, which had a successful run on Lifetime, and All About the Washingtons, which aired on Netflix for one season. ‘Yellowstone’ Casts Neal McDonough(9/15/18) Legends of Tomorrow‘s Neal McDonough is set for a recurring role on the second season of Paramount Network’s critically praised drama series Yellowstone, starring Kevin Costner. Yellowstone chronicles the Dutton family, led by John Dutton (Costner), who controls the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States. Amid shifting alliances, unsolved murders, open wounds, and hard-earned respect – the ranch is in constant conflict with those it borders – an expanding town, an Indian reservation, and America’s first national park. McDonough plays Malcolm Beck, a wealthy business mogul who runs an area casino with his brother, Teal. They are power players, down and dirty fighters who know how to work the system to get what they want. McDonough plays Arrowverse uber villain Damien Darhk on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and recently wrapped animated feature Sonic the Hedgehog with Jim Carrey. He’s repped by Paradigm Talent Agency.‘Lethal Weapon’: Mykelti Williamson To Recur On Season 3 Of Fox Series(9/15/18) As Seann William Scott’s Wesley Cole settles into his role as the new partner of Roger Murtaugh (Damon Wayans) on the upcoming third season of Fox’s Lethal Weapon, the show will introduce another key figure from his past.Mykelti Williamson has been cast in a recurring role in Season 3 of Lethal Weapon, which features Cole, a disillusioned CIA agent who had served overseas in Iraq who now returns to Los Angeles to try and reconnect with his family. Williamson will play Tom Barnes, Cole’s CIA recruiter. Maggie Lawson previously had been cast as Cole’s ex-girlfriend. Warner Bros. TV is the studio. Williamson recently co-starred in Denzel Washington’s Fences and recurred on Underground and Chicago P.D. He is repped by Frontline Management and Paradigm. George Lopez, Lana Parrilla Join David Ayer’s ‘The Tax Collector’(7/26/18) David Ayer has started production in Los Angeles on the indie thriller The Tax Collector, a co-production from Cross Creek Pictures and Cedar Park Entertainment. Ayer, who wrote the script and is directing before he tackles the Bright sequel with Will Smith and Joel Edgerton, has tapped George Lopez and Once Upon A Time’s Lana Parrilla to join Bobby Soto and Shia LaBeouf. Deadline revealed the project last month. Cheyenne Rae Hernandez will also be part of the cast.Ayer produces for Cedar Park with Cross Creek’s Chris Long. Cross Creek is financing the film with senior financing coming from Atwater Capital and also iWood Studios. CAA Media Finance packaged the film and arranged the financing, will broker the domestic distribution rights deal. Ayer, Long and the production companies are repped by CAA; Parilla is Gersh and Untitled Entertainment; Lopez is UTA and 3Arts. Game of Thrones' Aidan Gillen Chases UFOs in First Project Blue Book Trailer(7/18/18) (Video) Littlefinger’s gotten himself into something a little creepy. In the first trailer for History’s Project Blue Book, Game of Thrones alum Aidan Gillen, playing astrophysicist and UFO skeptic J. Allen Hynek, is asked by Uncle Sam to disprove the existence of little green men — which turns out to be a hell of a lot easier said than done.The 1950s-set drama, created by David O’Leary and executive-produced by Robert Zemeckis, orbits Hynek’s efforts on behalf of the Air Force to, per the show’s official logline, “spearhead [a] clandestine operation that researched thousands of cases [of UFO sightings], many of which were never solved.” The 10-episode series also stars Neal McDonough (Legends of Tomorrow) and Michael Malarkey (The Vampire Diaries). Prior to its debut this winter, Project Blue Book will hold court at San Diego Comic-Con on July 21 (6:45 pm, Room A) with a panel attended by the aforementioned cast members plus O’Leary, co-star Laura Mennell, showrunner Sean Jablonski and executive producer Jackie Levine. VANESSA WILLIAMS on THE $100,000 PYRAMID(6/27/18) The Pyramid is back! As part of ABC’s “Sunday Fun & Games,” the Emmy® Award-winning pop-culture phenomenon is reimagined and better than ever with a cast of all-star celebrities who take center stage and partner with contestants from across the country with hopes of making it to the winner’s circle and the ultimate prize of $100,000, on “The $100,000 Pyramid,” SUNDAY, JULY 15 (9:00-10:00 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network, streaming and on demand.This week’s hour-long episode features two separate celebrity couples. First up, Kathy Najimy competes against Yvette Nicole Brown. Next, actress Vanessa Williams and actor Gary Cole compete with hopes of making it to the winner’s circle and the ultimate prize of $100,000.00. James Cromwell, Bruce Dern & More Join Civil War-Era Drama ‘Emperor’(6/20/18) Oscar nominees James Cromwell and Bruce Dern have signed on for Emperor, joining previously announced star Dayo Okeniyi in the Civil War-abolitionist film directed by former Lionsgate exec Mark Amin. Paul Scheer, Harry Lennix, Naturi Naughton, Mykelti Williamson, Ben Robson, Keean Johnson, and Kat Graham are also attached to co-star in the film, which hails from Amin’s Sobini Films banner.Inspired by the true story, the pic follows Shields Green (Okeniyi), who in 1859 escaped from a plantation and made a daring journey north where he met Frederick Douglass (Lennix) and John Brown. With the opportunity to continue to freedom in Canada, Green instead chose to fight to end slavery. The raid at Harpers Ferry is considered one of the sparks that led to the Civil War. Cromwell and Dern will play John Brown and Levi Coffin, respectively, two of the great heroes of the American abolitionist movement. Cromwell can be seen this weekend in Universal’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, while Dern next co-stars with Matthew McConaughey in Sony’s White Boy Rick. Known for her role in the Starz drama, Power, Naughton will play Sarah Green, the wife of abolitionist and runaway slave Shields Green. Sheer, recently seen in The Disaster Artist and Veep, will portray drunken, pretentious plantation owner Duvane Henderson. The film, co-written by Amin and Pat Charles, is currently shooting in Savannah, Georgia. Reginald Hudlin is producing for Hudlin Entertainment with Cami Winikoff and Amin for Sobini while Sobini’s Tyler Boehm will serve as executive producer. UTA is handling domestic sales. Cromwell is repped by Paradigm; Dern by Innovative Artists and Pure Arts; Naughton by Alchemy Entertainment and Bloom Hergott Diemer; Sheer by UTA; Lennix by Innovative and Brookside Artist Management; Graham by WME and Brillstein Entertainment Partners; Robson by UTA and Management 360; Johnson by CAA and Management 360. Teen Choice Awards 2018(6/13/18) Voting is open here through June 19, and the kudosfest will air Sunday, Aug. 12, at 8/7c on Fox.Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress (#ChoiceSciFiTVActress) Special Olympics 50th Anniversary Gets Entertainment Industry Boost(5/25/18) Pharrell Williams, Cindy Crawford, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Stevie Wonder are among the talents that will participate in a year-long celebration of the Special Olympics 50th anniversary.The stars and celebration leaders including Special Olympics’ Global Ambassadors’ John C.McGinley, Brooklyn Decker, Apollo Anton Ohno, Nancy O’Dell, and Vanessa Williams plan to actively promote the organization’s Inclusion Revolution campaign. The movement touts the idea that everyone can be engaged, involved, and inspired by sports for people with intellectual disabilities. Also adding their congratulations and support to the Special Olympics are Ellen Degeneres, Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Cookie Johnson, Ed Asner, Rachael Ray, Rita Wilson, Joe Mantegna, Toni Braxton, Gary Cole, Holly Robinson Peete, Gabrielle Carteris, Jenny McCarthy, Max and Charlie Carver, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Alfie Allen, Jack Huston, Gunnar Peterson, Tim Gunn, and Greg Grunberg. “Through sports, health, school and youth engagement, the Special Olympics Movement has dramatically transformed lives by unifying and empowering people with and without intellectual disabilities to end discrimination and create inclusion,” said Timothy Shriver, Special Olympics chairman. “We are reaching out to everyone to join us as we shape a more accepting and inclusive future and I am proud to announce that the Hollywood community is galvanizing for this critically important mission and milestone.” Among the organizational supporters are The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, SAG-AFTRA, The Los Angeles Film Commission, Film Independent, Penske Media Corporation, GLADD, Levity Live, The Hollywood Improv, John Varvatos, Barry’s Boot Camp, Variety and the Hollywood Teamsters. ‘False Profits’: ABC Drama Pilot Gets Order For More Scripts, Extends Cast(5/12/18) When the dust settled on ABC’s new drama series today, all of ABC’s buzzy hourlong pilots had been picked up to series with the exception of False Profits.I hear that the comedic soap, from ABC Studios, is very much alive and remains in priority development. I hear the project is opening a writers room to generate three additional scripts and the cast of the pilot — led by Bellamy Young and Vanessa Williams, who I hear both tested very well — are being extended. False Profits would be in consideration for a midseason pickup. Meanwhile, all other ABC drama — as well as comedy — pilots that did not get orders yesterday and today are dead. Written by former Code Black writer-producer Kayla Alpert, False Profits is described as Desperate Housewives meets Glengarry Glen Ross. It follows a team of down-and-out women in suburban Arizona as they fight their way to the top of the cutthroat world of a multi-level marketing cosmetics business. Alpert executive produces with Jason Reed and former Desperate Housewives exec producer Sabrina Wind via Jason T. Reed Productions. ABC Studios, where Jason T. Reed Prods is under an overall deal, is the studio. Vanessa Williams honored by Hollywood Chamber of Commerce(4/14/18) The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce presented Vanessa Williams with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award Thursday at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City, Calif.The event, co-sponsored by Variety and the Hollywood Museum in the Historic Max Factor Building, honored Williams and unveiled her portrait to mark the occasion. Leron Gubler, president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, explained that the luncheon was created in 2000 to “recognize celebrities who’ve made a difference in Hollywood.” Steve Allen, the original host of “The Tonight Show,” was the first to be honored at the event. “I ended up doing musical theater in high school and some theater in college and Broadway was the tangible goal for me,” Williams said as she accepted her award. “Hollywood was never on the radar because it was one of those things that was unattainable.” She said how she went on to exceed her expectations by singing at the Oscars in 1996 and getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 and much more throughout her career spanning over 30 years. Williams said, “Even though I feel like an outsider because this is all a dream, the fact that I can look at my life and see my achievements and know that Hollywood was such an integral part of what made me, me and what’s helped my career, I thank you.” Prior to Williams’s acceptance speech, Steven Gaydos, vice president and executive editor at Variety, introduced a video highlighting the success Williams has had in film, television, music, and theater. The montage included scenes from “The Pick-Up Artist,” “Ugly Betty,” “Desperate Housewives,” and her singing the Oscar-winning song “Colors of the Wind” and from Disney’s “Pocahontas.” In addition to giving Williams her award and portrait, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce also ushered in its new 2018-2019 chair, Donelle Dadigan, and swore in new directors and officers. Once Upon a Time's Lana Parrilla Talks Directing Debut, Bidding Regina Adieu: 'This Has Been a Huge Part of My Life'(4/13/18) (tvline.com) For this Friday’s episode of Once Upon a Time (ABC, 8/7c), original cast member Lana Parrilla found herself behind as well as in front of the camera.Making her directorial debut, Parrilla helped bring to life a revamped tale of Hansel and Gretel, the former of which we now know to be Hyperion Heights’ Candy Killer. Her first foray into directing also of course came in the nick of time, with just six episodes left in the fantasy drama’s run. Here, in TVLine’s last of so many Q&As over the years with Parrilla, she details how directing played right into her personal wheelhouse, before reflecting — Kleenex alert! — on the end of her reign as Regina fka the Evil Queen. TVLINE | I have every faith that you went into this so incredibly prepared, but even so, was there anything that surprised you about your directing debut experience? I mean, I guess what surprised me was I had no idea how much actually goes into making a television show, or a movie, or any sort of production in our industry. I didn’t realize how many times we were going to read the script every single day, with every department, and go through every single detail of it. And I actually really enjoyed that part of it, because I am so detail oriented, and breaking stuff down on that level was a good percentage of the homework. I really, really appreciated how thorough every department was and how detailed everything was. I’d been wearing the actor’s hat for so long, I had no idea there was so much that went into it. Now having worn the director’s hat, I love it. It’s right up my alley. Prep is one of my favorite things to do, so it was really aligned with my process. TVLINE | What’s a specific level of detail that the director gets involved in that we regular folk might not even consider? It varies because, as they say, film is the director’s medium, TV is a producer’s medium and stage is the actor’s medium. But what really surprised me was how open my producers were to my ideas — and I came with a lot of ’em. Especially with the gingerbread house and how I wanted the children to look, ideas for Rebecca [Mader]’s look and what happens at the midpoint in the script, and the energy and vibe I was looking for. And also visually what I wanted — color schemes, etcetera, the ambiance and the feel of a place, working with the art department…. I didn’t think that I was going to have as much input, but on Once Upon a Time they trusted me with the creative process more than I thought they would, and I was really taken by that. And very grateful. TVLINE | Were there any specific directing challenges for this episode? Any stunt work or effects-driven scenes? Chilton Crane, who plays our Blind Witch, is an older woman, and there was a stunt that she had to perform. I was a bit concerned about her athleticism, whether this was something she had ever done before…. I envisioned the Blind Witch leaping into the air and landing in front of the Wicked Witch and holding a candy cane, threatening to stab her, and I wasn’t sure if Chilton could actually do that. I designed this whole stunt in my head and worked with the coordinator, and while there were a few little things we had to shift, at the end of the day it came together really, really well. I was very pleased, and very impressed with Chilton. She did an incredible job and really hung in there. A total trouper. TVLINE | As we saw last week, “it’s personal” between Hansel and Zelena. Is that what these flashbacks are about? Yes, yes. There is a history there which you will see, while we also flash forward to Hansel seeking his revenge. TVLINE | Henry of course has been abductedd. Who all gets involved in that rescue operation? Well, there’s a few things happening there. The audience knows who the Candy Killer is, but a lot of us still don’t. Regina/Roni and Zelena/Kelly are working together to stop the Candy Killer, and then you also have the other side of it — our detectives are also on the hunt. Rebecca and I have teamed up like Lucy and Ethel. [Laughs] Or maybe we’re a little more Cagney and Lacey! TVLINE | When I was on set, to hear Rose Reynolds say “Candy Killah” in her English accent, you almost want to meet the guy. She makes it sound adorable. She’s such a cutie! I love the girls. TVLINE | I saw the video (embedded above) where you gave a speech to the fans gathered in Steveston watching filming [of Storybrooke scenes], and it was so wonderful. What specifically moved you to do that? It was my last scene in Steveston [British Columbia], and I was walking over to the green room when I saw this wall of fans. I just stood there for a minute to take it all in, and I felt so thankful and blessed that over the years we’ve had them follow us and be there to love and support us. Sometimes it can be an issue when we’re filming — sometimes we have to shift them around, etcetera — but to have a following like that is really special. I don’t know when that will happen again in my career, so I really wanted to take the time to acknowledge them and thank them. There are a lot of people who come from out of town, from all over the world, they’ve been saving all year to be there and get a glimpse of one of us…. I just thought it was really important to show my gratitude. TVLINE | Regina has been such a hallmark role for you. Has there been a moment over the past couple of weeks where it really hit you that this was coming to an end? There have been several. Several, several. In fact, there was one just a few hours ago when I called [co-showrunner] Eddy [Kitsis] at the office on the lot, and on my phone it says “Once,” so I thought, “I’m going to have to delete this number at some point!” — and it hit me again. It has come in waves, and it has been very strange, because it’s so unknown. This has been such a huge part of my life for seven years — Vancouver, the show, the character – so it feels like a big, big loss, a big shift and change. It’s going to take some time to adjust. I’ve had moments where I was really, really, really down, super-sad and emotional about it, and really felt like, “Oh my God, what’s next? What happens after this?” And I still have moments where I feel that way, but now I’m focused on the positive, which is: How lucky are we to have a show 22 episodes, sometimes 23, run for seven years? That doesn’t happen anymore, and I’m just really grateful. Aunjanue Ellis and Vanessa Williams Join ‘Miss Virginia’; Christopher Egan, Hanna Griffiths Cast In ‘Brokers’(4/10/18) Aunjanue Ellis (The Help) and Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty) are joining Emmy-winning actress Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black) and Matthew Modine in the independent production of Miss Virginia. Also, Australian actor Christopher Egan, known for his work in Letters to Juliet and Resident Evil, has joined Hanna Griffiths (Macbeth, Underbelly Rush) in the new Warren Zide and James Wallace-produced romantic drama Brookers.First, for Miss Virginia: Niles Fitch, Nadji Jeter, Amirah Vann and Michael Beasley also round out the cast in the film which is being directed by R.J. Daniel Hanna (Shelter) and produced by Erin O’Connor, Rob Pfaltzgraff, and Maurice Black of the Moving Picture Institute, Stacey Parks of Media Sparks Films and M. Elizabeth Hughes. Miss Virginia is set to commence production later this month in Los Angeles. Inspired by a true story, Miss Virginia follows a struggling inner-city single mother who moves her at-risk son from his dangerous neighborhood school to a safe — but expensive — one. Sacrificing everything but still unable to make the tuition payment, she launches a movement that could save her son’s future and that of many other children in the community. Ellis is known for her roles in feature films The Help, Ray as well as Men of Honor and Undercover Brother. She will next be seen in If Beale Street Could Talk from Annapurna Pictures, directed by Barry Jenkins. Williams is best known for her roles in the ABC TV hit Ugly Betty, and feature films Erasure and Shaft. She will next be seen in the TV film False Profits with Shelley Hennig and Bellamy Young from ABC Studios. Now for Brokers: Australian actor Christopher Egan, known for his work in Letters to Juliet and Resident Evil, has joined Hanna Griffiths (Macbeth, Underbelly Rush) in the new Warren Zide and James Wallace-produced romantic drama Brookers. Set in 1994 Sydney, Australia and New York, the film is based on a true story, written by Wallace, about the rise and fall of Kingsley Walker (Christopher Egan), the currency trading prodigy from Sydney. Walker, who was determined to prove himself in the big leagues, accepts an opportunity to move to Manhattan to run the largest currency trade ever for a reclusive American billionaire nicknamed “The Whale”. With constant temptation from his extravagant brokers, a love triangle which takes him well out of his comfort zone and a fierce battle of wits with his arch nemesis, Kingsley has everything on the line: his job, his relationship, his values and his sanity. Other cast members attached to the project include AFI Award Winner Gyton Grantley (The Dressmaker). Principal photography begins August 2018, with distribution into China, India and Australia already secured. Egan is repped by Anonymous Content and UTA. Griffiths is repped by Bohemia Group and Maverick Artists Agency. Jason Gedrick & Gail O'Grady Guest on Criminal Minds 3/28/18(3/12/18) “The Dance of Love” – The BAU travels to Chicago to investigate an unsub who leaves red roses on each victim. Also, Rossi gets an unexpected visit from his ex-wife, Krystall Richards (Gail O’Grady), on CRIMINAL MINDS, Wednesday, March 28 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.GUEST CAST includes: Linn Bjornland(Cheryl Kaline), Jason Gedrick (Craig Kaline), Gail O’Grady (Krystall Richards). ‘False Profits’: Vanessa Williams Joins ABC Comedic Soap Pilot(3/6/18) Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty alumna Vanessa Williams is returning to ABC with a co-starring role in another comedic soap. She has signed for a major role opposite leads Bellamy Young, Shelley Hennig and Kosha Patel in the hourlong pilot False Profits, set in the world of cosmetics marketing, from former Code Black writer-producer Kayla Alpert, Jason Reed and ABC Studios.Written by Alpert, False Profits is described as Desperate Housewives meets Glengarry Glen Ross. It follows a team of down-and-out women in suburban Arizona as they fight their way to the top of the cutthroat world of a multi-level marketing cosmetics business. Williams will play Suzanne, chief of a highly successful “tribe” of Brava Natural saleswomen, and she wants to add Laura (Young) to her cluster of money-making devotees. The cast also includes Kapil Talwalka. Alpert executive produces with Reed and former Desperate Housewives exec producer Sabrina Wind via Jason T. Reed Productions. ABC Studios is the studio. Williams, who received three Emmy nominations for playing Wilhelmina Slater on ABC’s, Ugly Betty, co-starred in the final season of Desperate Housewives as Renee Perry and headlined ABC’s 666 Park Avenue and VH1’s Daytime Divas. She also co-starred in the TV movie The Trip to Bountiful opposite Cicely Tyson. Williams is repped by UTA and GEF Entertainment. Donnie Wahlberg’s still got his ‘New Kids’ skills(3/4/18) Fotogs outside of Katsuya Hollywood challenged New Kids on the Block’s Donnie Wahlberg, 48.“He was getting into his [SUV] and was closing his door as they challenged him” to dance. “He jumped back [out] and proceeded to dance to ‘The Right Stuff.’” The singer then “took a camera and started filming the paparazzi. Everyone was loving it.” We’re told that Larry David was also inside the eatery, dining with a group of eight that included Jon Hamm and Doc Rivers. Gary Basaraba on Criminal Minds 3/14/18(2/27/18) “Last Gasp” – Away from the watchful eye of the FBI’s assistant director of national security, Linda Barnes (Kim Rhodes), the BAU meets in secret to investigate an UnSub who appears to be kidnapping and photographing young women, on CRIMINAL MINDS, Wednesday, March 14 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.GUEST CAST includes: Kim Rhodes (Assistant Director Linda Barnes), Gary Basaraba (James Odenkirk), Drake Hogestyn (Senator Alfred Mayhew). Vanessa Williams: Warmth comes before fashion(2/13/18) Vanessa Williams sat front row at the Pamella Roland fashion show on Thursday and told Page Six how comical it is to see girls dress for fashion rather than the cold weather.“They want to look cute but .?.?. you can see that they are cold.” And with all the TV classics coming back, Williams said, “I would love to reboot ‘Ugly Betty.’ We had a great time .?.?. I only got to keep a few dresses. A lot of the stuff was tailor-made to fit me. I do not know who’s got it, but it all fits my body, so good luck with that.” Once Upon a Time Cancelled(2/6/18) Once Upon a Time‘s “happily ever after” is coming sooner than expected; the ABC drama’s current seventh season will be its last.“Seven years ago, we set out to create a show about hope, where even in the darkest of times, a happy ending would always be possible,” Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis, the creators and executive producers of Once Upon a Time, said in a statement Tuesday. “But we never imagined the happy ending that was actually in store for all of us — years and years of adventure, romance, magic and hope. We’re so grateful to our brilliant collaborators — the cast, crew, and writers — as well as our partners at the studio and network for making this journey possible. But most of all, we want to thank the fans. Their fierce loyalty and devotion was the real magic behind Once Upon a Time. We hope they join us for these last few hours as we journey to the Enchanted Forest for one more adventure.” ABC President Channing Dungey — sister of Once‘s Ursula, Merrin Dungey — adds, “When we first heard Adam and Eddy’s pitch for Once Upon a Time, we knew it was something incredibly special. For seven years, they have captivated us with their creativity and passion while reimagining some of our most beloved Disney fairytales, creating an undeniable global hit. Saying goodbye will be bittersweet, but Once Upon a Time will forever be part of the ABC legacy and we can’t wait for fans to join us in this epic final chapter.” Once Upon a Time premiered in Oct. 2011 to 12.8 million total viewers and a 3.9 demo rating, quickly laying claim as that TV season’s No. 1 drama launch and spawning a (short-lived) Wonderland-based offshoot in fall of 2013. This season’s cast-changing “requel” storyline thus far is averaging 2.5 million total viewers and a 0.5 rating in a new Friday night time slot, besting only Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Ten Days in the Valley among ABC dramas. New episodes of Once Upon a Time — now the series’ final episodes — return Friday, March 2 at 8/7c. Donnie Wahlberg happy to expand his waistline, pick up some Patriots fans – Twin Cities(2/3/18) (twincities.com) Among other things, Donnie Wahlberg plans to loosen his belt while in town this weekend for the Super Bowl.“Once (New Kids on the Block) tours stop, I start eating whatever I want,” said the 48-year-old Boston native during a phone interview Wednesday from the “Blue Bloods” set. “I have a 32-inch waist on tour and when it’s done, I go up to 36 inches. I’m still around a 34 now, and I’m going to be eating this weekend.” Wahlberg will host the 15th annual “Leather and Laces” party Friday night in downtown Minneapolis with his wife, Jenny McCarthy. He’ll also sit in with her Friday morning at Radio Row at the Mall of America for her SiriusXM radio show. “I help her out, because she doesn’t know much about football,” he said with a laugh. “Leather and Laces” refers to the leather and lace of a football, not what attendees are expected to wear, said Wahlberg, who is hosting it for the third time. “There’s no real secret to it, it’s just a really great party,” he explained. It attracts various NFL stars and will feature a performance from rapper/singer Flo Rida. “I’m bringing some friends and special guests. Naughty by Nature is going to be there for an impromptu show.” Wahlberg emerged in the early ’80s as the first recruit of what would become the multi-platinum boy band New Kids on the Block. After the hits dried up, Wahlberg transitioned into acting and landed roles in “The Sixth Sense,” “Ransom” and several of the “Saw” movies. He has also worked extensively on television and, since 2010, starred in the CBS drama “Blue Bloods” alongside Tom Selleck. In 2008, New Kids on the Block reunited and have since successfully filled arenas with tours that are nostalgic, goofy and quite fun. “We enjoy it,” he said. “I do most of the creative direction for each tour. It’s a process finding (the balance) between campiness and sincerity and trying certain things without going overboard.” One of Wahlberg’s ideas, which has become standard at NKOTB shows, is the live camera in the group’s backstage dressing room, one of the reasons he needs to stay trim while on the road. “I don’t want the show to stop. If we have to leave the stage, why not take the audience with us? It’s like when we go to the secondary stage. We could sneak down a hallway in the dark, but we march right through the audience. That has a big impact and brings everyone a little closer to the action.” It was through NKOTB’s touring that Wahlberg found an affinity for the Mall of America. (He was delighted when he learned it was the location of Radio Row.) “My son (Elijah) has been with me on the last three tours and one of the stops we always plan is the Mall of America,” he said, adding that his visits are typically low key. “I think if Jenny and I were to walk through the mall, it’s pretty easy to pick up on us both. But if it’s me and the kid, I throw on a hoodie and shades and can be pretty much incognito.” Wahlberg is about to have another reason to like the mall. In 2011, he opened the casual dining restaurant Wahlburgers with his brother Paul (a chef) and Mark (aka Marky Mark and actor). It has since expanded into a chain and spawned an A&E series that wrapped its eighth season in September. A Wahlburgers is set to open at the Mall of America in the spring. “I was hoping to host an event there, but it’s not open yet,” he said. “I’ll probably do a walk-through, though.” It’s not just the Mall of America, however, that’s special to Wahlberg. “The New Kids always sort of felt we wanted to do really well in the Twin Cities. When we were younger, we knew that’s where Prince was from, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. We’re all huge fans of those guys. We would hear stories that Prince was coming to see us but would be in disguise. We didn’t know if it was true, but we knew we really had to be on our game.’ Speaking of games, Wahlberg said coming from Boston means following all of the city’s sports. “You grow up with all four sports team. We have four seasons and we roll with every team. If you’re a Boston sports fan, you’re equally passionate about the Sox and Celtics.” Wahlberg does go to a lot of basketball games, because, logistically, they’re the easiest for him to attend. “I’m a huge Celtics fan, but football has always been a much more emotional sport for me, going back to when I was a kid. I’ve cried over the Patriots and some heartbreaking losses. I’ve never cried over basketball.” As of now, Wahlberg is 3-2 for Patriots Super Bowls he’s been able to see in person, and he’s hoping for another win on Sunday. What should locals know about Patriots fans? “We’ve been there before, we’re happy and excited. We know how to take it all in and pace ourselves and not do anything to ruin the game,” he said. So they won’t be throwing any beer cans or batteries? “I don’t think you’ll be seeing any of that. It’s a delicate thing. I understand that Minnesota fans are not happy about the experience in Philadelphia. I’ve never had a bad fan experience in Philadelphia, but if Minnesotans are cheering for the Patriots because of the way things went in Philly, we’ll happily take them on. Everyone else will be cheering against us, so we’re very grateful if one more state will help us out.” If you go What: The 15th annual “Leather and Laces” party, co-hosted by Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy When: 9:30 p.m. Friday Where: 700 Fifth St. N., Mpls. Tickets: $25,000 (VIP cabana for 15)-$350 (general admission) via www.leatherandlaces.com Once Upon a Time's Lana Parrilla to Make Directorial Debut on ABC Series(1/16/18) Lana Parrilla is the “Chosen” one.The original Once Upon a Time cast member is set to make her directorial debut with the 17th episode of the current Season 7, series co-creator Adam Horowitz shared on Twitter Tuesday evening. The episode, titled “Chosen,” will be penned by Paul Karp (who previously wrote Season 6’s “Mother’s Little Helper”) and Brian Ridings (who co-wrote last season’s “Changelings”). No other details were shared. Currently on a three-month hiatus, Once Upon a Time returns Friday, March 2, with the 11th episode of Season 7, titled “Secret Garden.” Donnie Wahlberg and David McCallum to Narrate 75th Anniversary of D-Day Film(1/16/18) Actors Donnie Wahlberg (Band of Brothers, Blue Bloods) and veteran actor David McCallum (Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Great Escape) will lend their voice to a 75th anniversary of D-Day film focused on the 2nd Ranger Battalion’s critical mission of climbing the 100-foot cliffs of Pointe-du-Hoc on D-Day and knocking out German gun positions.The Rangers at Pointe-du-Hoc will mark the 22nd film focused on the personal stories of World War II produced by Tim Gray Media and the World War II Foundation and also the fifth collaboration with Executive Producer David F. Alfonso and TGM/WWII Foundation. Previously, David F. Alfonso has served as Executive Producer on the films Dick Winters: Hang Tough, Above and Beyond, Remember Pearl Harbor narrated by Tom Selleck and D-Day: Over Normandy narrated by Bill Belichick. Alfonso was also a key contributor to the building and dedication of the Richard D. Winters Leadership Monument in Normandy, France, which was dedicated on June 6, 2012 behind Utah Beach. When he is not backing the efforts of the World War II Foundation, David is the Executive Chairman at Empire, a private investment firm focused on acquiring business units from public and private corporations. In the past twenty years he has acquired a diversified group of 60 global companies, which in aggregate generated revenues over $5 billion annually, and employed over 15,000 people throughout the world. “David is first and foremost, an historian when it comes to World War II,” said Tim Gray, Founder of the World War II Foundation. “He has been a key supporter of our efforts because he believes, as we all do, that these stories need to be preserved for a global television audience so people don’t forget what the World War II generation accomplished. They saved the world, “Gray continued. “I am happy to be a part of this special film recognizing the 75th anniversary of D-Day and especially, the contributions and bravery of the 2nd Ranger Battalion at Pointe-du-Hoc,” David F. Alfonso said. “It is one of the most incredible stories of the June 6, 1944 Allied invasion and we have two great narrators to bring the story to life,” said Alfonso. “The veterans interviewed for this film are now all gone, but their stories will live on in history.” The Quick Overview: The incredible story of the U.S. Army Rangers who assaulted the 100-foot-high cliffs of Pointe-du-Hoc on June 6, 1944, where 6 German cannons were supposed to be located and taken out. Documentary to include: -Interviews with D-Day and Pointe-du-Hoc survivors. -Exclusive Drone footage of the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc and rare archival video. -Exclusive Drone footage of the English Channel approach to Pointe du Hoc and of the seaward side of the cliffs themselves. New Kids On the Block "Unwrap You" Official Music Video(12/17/17) New Kids On the Block "Unwrap You" Official Music Video: Video.NKTOB Unwrapped: Total Package Tour Doc(12/10/17) NKTOB Unwrapped: Total Package Tour Doc - Video.Judith Light, Vanessa Williams and More Join RIGHT BEFORE I GO. Benefit for Suicide Awareness(11/15/17) (broadwayworld.com) Producers announced today that two-time Emmy and Tony Award-winner Judith Light, multiple Grammy, Tony and Emmy Award nominee Vanessa Williams, stage and screen star Lois Smith, and Wilson Bethel will join the cast of the New York City premiere of Stan Zimmerman's Right Before I Go. Ms. Williams will serve at the host for the evening.Directed by Michael Wilson, Right Before I Go. will be performed as a one-night-only benefit on Monday, December 4, 2017 at Town Hall (123 W 43rd Street). A student panel / talkback will take place at 6:30 PM; a VIP pre-show cocktail reception will begin at 7:00 PM followed by an 8:00 PM performance. Proceeds will benefit prominent suicide awareness and prevention charities, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (afsp.org) and JED Foundation (JEDFoundation.org). Additional casting will be announced shortly. The previously announced cast for Right Before I Go. includes Elizabeth Ashley, Ellen Burstyn, Maggie Lacey, Jennifer Lim, Maulik Pancholy, and Raviv Ullman. Judith Light is known for her extensive body of work on stage, in television, and film. She currently stars in Amazon Prime's Gold Globe-winning series, "Transparent," for which she has received two Emmy nominations. On stage she received a Tony nomination for the play Lombardi, followed by two consecutive Tony Award wins for the plays Other Desert Cities and The Assembled Parties. Light starred in the television series "Who's the Boss," and received two consecutive Emmy Awards for her work on "One Life to Live." She has been a longtime advocate in the fight to end HIV/ Aids and has been a champion for LGBTQ & human rights. Vanessa Williams is one of the most respected and multi-faceted performers in the entertainment industry today. Having sold millions of records worldwide, Vanessa has also scored numerous #1 and Top 10 hits on various Billboard Album and Singles charts. Her critically acclaimed work in film, television, recordings and the Broadway stage has been recognized by every major industry award affiliate including 4 Emmy nominations, 11 Grammy nominations, a Tony nomination, 3 SAG award nominations, 7 NAACP Image Awards and 3 Satellite Awards. Her platinum single "Colors of the Wind," from the Disney film Pocahontas, won the Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe for Best Original Song. Lois Smith recently appeared in both the feature film and Playwrights Horizons production of Marjorie Prime, and can also currently be seen in the feature Lady Bird. She appeared at the Signature in Annie Baker's John, for which she received a Lucille Lortel nomination; Tony Kushner's The Illusion; and Horton Foote's The Old Friends and The Trip to Bountiful, winning many awards for the latter. Other favorite stage roles include The Grapes of Wrath and Buried Child (Tony nominations for both). Smith has been seen in countless films, including East of Eden, Minority Report, Fatal Attraction, and Four Friends. Television credits include "Sneaky Pete," "Younger," "Blacklist," "Grace & Frankie," and "True Blood." Wilson Bethel is best known for his roles as Wade Kinsella on "Hart of Dixie" and as Ryder Callahan on the CBS daytime soap opera "The Young and the Restless." He is also the star and creator of the web series "Stupid Hype" on the The CW's new online platform CWD. A student panel will take place prior to the performance, starting at 6:30 PM at Town Hall. Open to high school and college student groups attending the performance, the panel will include representatives from each of the beneficiary organizations (AFSP.org and JEDFoundation.org) along with a trained representative from the Traumatic Loss Coalition (TLC) and Wendy Sefcik of Remembering TJ. Please email RightBeforeIGo@gmail.com for more information and to reserve tickets. Right Before I Go. brings to life the last words of those lost to suicide, including the heartsick, bullied, veterans, mentally ill and the achingly lonely. This poignant, deeply moving, and surprisingly light play invokes a raw and authentic approach to storytelling in an effort to help broaden public perspective of suicide, eliminate the stigma associated with depression, and strengthen the relationship between survivors and those struggling every day. Right Before I Go. made its world premiere as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2015, where it received rave reviews. Proceeds from the evening will benefit American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the JED Foundation. Tickets for Right Before I Go. are available starting at $52 and can be purchased online at RightBeforeIGo.com or TicketMaster.com, by calling 800-745-3000, or in person at the Town Hall Box Office (123 W 43rd Street). Tickets purchased at the $252 level and above come with admission to an exclusive VIP pre-show cocktail reception. Right Before I Go. is produced by R. Erin Craig, La Vie Productions, Amy Blavin, Diane Orley, Jane Dubin, Ryan Ratelle, Melissa Chusid, Fireplay and One Company. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across the United States. If you, or someone you love, is in crisis call 1-800-273-8255. The Crisis Text Line serves anyone, in any type of crisis, providing access to free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week support and information via the medium people already use and trust: text. Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the U.S., anytime, about any type of crisis. Fore more information, visit RightBeforeIGo.com. Established in 1987, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is a voluntary health organization that gives those affected by suicide a nationwide community empowered by research, education and advocacy to take action against this leading cause of death. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, and with a public policy office in Washington, D.C., AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states with programs and events nationwide. AFSP celebrates 30 years of service to the suicide prevention movement. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report, and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. www.afsp.org JED is a nonprofit that exists to protect emotional health and prevent suicide for our nation's teens and young adults. We're partnering with high schools and colleges to strengthen their mental health, substance abuse and suicide prevention programs and systems. We're equipping teens and young adults with the skills and knowledge to help themselves and each other. We're encouraging community awareness, understanding and action for young adult mental health. www.jedfoundation.org. Daytime Divas Cancelled at VH1(11/1/17) Time has run out for the ladies of The Lunch Hour, with VH1 canceling Daytime Divas after just one season.The dramedy starred Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty) as Maxine Robinson, the host and creator of a View-esque talk show, though her scandalous personal life — which included a sordid love affair, a murder cover-up, etc. — frequently overshadowed her on-air persona. Maxine was joined at The Lunch Hour table by a parade of diverse co-hosts: war correspondent Nina Sandoval (played by Happyland‘s Camille Guaty), former child star Kibby Ainsley (Pretty Little Liars‘ Chloe Bridges), conservative icon Heather Flynn-Kellogg (Wilfred‘s Fiona Gubelmann), and off-the-wall comedian Mo Evans (Everybody Hates Chris‘ Tichina Arnold). The show’s first (and only) season concluded with a two-hour finale on July 31, during which Maxine was arrested for copping to her husband’s murder — even though it was really the work of her son Shawn (Hit the Floor‘s McKinley Freeman). “[Maxine is] very resourceful, and I think it’d be interesting to see a woman like that in prison, where her resources and access and influences are limited — at least initially,” executive producer Chris Alberghini told TVLine in July. “It’d be fun to see what she could make out of that situation.” Vanessa Williams on Me Myself & I 11/20/17(10/31/17) “Thanksgiving” – Darryl and Wendy set up Mid-life Alex on a blind date during Thanksgiving dinner. Also, Young Alex and Justin compete to impress Nori’s brother when Nori and her brother join their family for Thanksgiving, and Older Alex goes to the diner to see Eleanor on Thanksgiving Day and is surprised when Kelly (Vanessa Williams) shows up, on ME, MYSELF & I, Monday, Nov. 20 (9:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Sarah Burns recurs as Lisa, Mid-life Alex’s date.Vanessa Williams will recur on Me, Myself & I as(10/25/17) Ugly Betty alumna Vanessa Williams will recur on CBS’ freshman comedy Me, Myself & I as Kelly Frasier, the arch business rival-turned-love interest to John Larroquette’s older Alex Riley.Gary Basaraba Cast As Union Boss Frank Fitzsimmons In ‘The Irishman’(10/2/17) Suburbicon co-star Gary Basaraba has been cast in a key role of Frank “Fitz” Fitzsimmons, the union leader of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters who was Jimmy Hoffa’s gopher before being chosen to lead the union after Hoffa was convicted of fraud, conspiracy and jury tampering and ended up in prison. It was long thought that Hoffa, while incarcerated, led the union through Fitz.Hoffa got out of prison early as a result of a deal being cut and he had to resign the union presidency and also withdraw from union politics (as arranged by President Nixon’s special counsel Charles Colson). Hoffa, however, defied the agreement. He was apparently furious that he had been pushed out in favor of Fitz, who was considered to be more easily controlled. Although he was told repeatedly by the mob to stay away from union politics, Hoffa (who had brought the heat of the government onto the union) refused. Tensions continued to rise. The final straw was when Fitz’s son (also involved in union politics) was almost killed when his car prematurely blew up in the parking lot of the Detroit bar Nemo’s as he and his father were walking toward it. That set in motion the meetings between families and the “disappearance” of Hoffa only 20 days after that event. The Irishman, based on the questionable account of Frank Sheeran, is already before the cameras in New York. Sheeran’s story was that Hoffa was picked up from the Red Fox restaurant, taken to a house and murdered there and then the body was moved. The account was told to Charles Brandt who wrote the book I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank ‘The Irishman’ Sheeran & Closing the Case on Jimmy Hoffa. Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro are behind bringing this version of Hoffa’s disappearance to the big screen. But the case is far from solved or even “closed” as is touted in the title of the book. Steve Zaillian adapted the screenplay from the book. Producers are expected to be Fabrica’s Gaston Pavlovich, Jane Rosenthal, Scorsese, Randall Emmett and Emma Tillinger Koskoff. George Furla is expected as exec producer. The Netflix project is expected to get an Oscar-qualifying theatrical release. Basaraba also guest-starred as Herb Rennet on the multiple Emmy Award-wining series Mad Men and had a great run as the star of Mixed Blessings. He is repped by Kazarian/Measures/Ruskin & Associates and manager Abe Hoch of A Management Co. Donnie Wahlberg Was Trying to Be ‘Low-Key’ During New Kids on the Block Shout-Outs in ‘It’ Movie(9/29/17) Donnie Wahlberg Was Trying to Be ‘Low-Key’ During New Kids on the Block Shout-Outs in ‘It’ Movie: Video1, Video2.Wahlberg family burger chain facing financial troubles(9/23/17) Mark Wahlberg’s family burger chain Wahlburgers closed its Coney Island location this month, but sources exclusively tell Page Six that location’s not the only one in trouble.The company has said the Brooklyn location will reopen, but there have also been problems launching a Times Square location. “They have not been paying their bills,” says a source of both shops. “They were on the verge of being locked out of Coney Island” for not paying rent. We hear Wahlburgers is behind on rent on its 8,300-square-foot location at 725 Eighth Ave., owned by Thor Equities. The burger spot took the space in 2015, but has yet to open. “They’re having trouble opening in Times Square. There’s some financial issue,” a source says. Another source says staffers at the Coney Island location were stiffed and “they have not been paying their bills.” A rep for the chain commented: “Wahlburgers required its Coney Island restaurant to close due to a number of factors. The same franchise group was in the process of developing a space in Times Square. In both cases the franchisee was not operating in compliance with Wahlburgers business practices and brand standards.” The rep added, “Ownership is in the process of restructuring their business and bringing in new management to ensure that Wahlburgers Coney Island maintains the brand’s values and high criteria as both a restaurant and a workplace. We are committed to the revitalization of Coney Island and reopening there, in addition to bringing Wahlburgers to Times Square, when we’re confident the leadership, staff, and resources are in place to uphold Wahlburgers’ commitment to excellence in all regards. We have no further comment.” A rep for the Times Square landlord declined to comment. Once Upon a Time: Lana Parrilla Teases What's Next for Regina(9/19/17) It's a brand new world for everyone on Once Upon a Time, but that has us anxious about what the next steps are for our favorite characters.Some of them are just as anxious, as it turns out. Lana Parrilla teased what's coming for Regina in the upcoming season. She told us at the Television Critics Association summer press tour that she's sure the Evil Queen will probably show up at some point -- but it won't be because Regina has taken a backslide into her old ways. What does Parrilla want for Regina in Season 7 then? She's hoping for love or the next step in Regina's evolution, though she's having fun with this new bartending version of her character. We agree that it's time for Regina to really find some happiness to settle into now, especially since her son is all grown up. Once Upon a Time returns Friday, Oct. 6 at 8/7c. Vanessa Williams on Modern Family - 10/4(9/18/17) Vanessa Williams Guest Stars“The Long Goodbye” – Phil and Claire realize that Alex may be more self-sufficient in college than they give her credit for when they drop in for a quick visit. Meanwhile, Manny is determined to avoid a long tearful goodbye after Gloria and Jay move him into his college dorm. Finally, Mitch may have accidentally accelerated a planned renovation, and Hayley gets an unexpected opportunity when she befriends a wealthy female member at the country club. ‘Blue Bloods' set for Paleyfest NYMonday, October 16: “Blue Bloods,” 8:00 pmPanelists: Tom Selleck, Bridget Moynahan, Donnie Wahlberg, Len Cariou, Will Estes, and Kevin Wade (Executive Producer); Moderator: Vladimir Duthiers, CBS Correspondent Legends of Tomorrow: Snart and Darhk Return, Arthur Darvill Now RecurringSeason 3 is looking very Cold and Darhk for the Legends of Tomorrow.The CW has announced that Wentworth Miller and Neal McDonough will reprise their roles as former Legion of Doom members Leonard Snart and Damien Darhk. McDonough will be a series regular, while Miller will recur. In other casting news, original cast member Arthur Darvill will return as Rip Hunter but as a recurring guest star. Watch for Rip to butt heads with the time-tinkering Legends as the boss of the newly formed Time Bureau. As previously reported, Rip’s vacated seat aboard the Waverider will be filled by Zari Adrianna Tomaz (new series regular Tala Ashe), a Muslim-American computer nerd with a wry, combative attitude who hails from the year 2030. Also on tap for Season 3 is a mini-Titanic reunion between Victor Garber and Billy Zane, who is set to put in an appearance as politician/showman P.T. Barnum, who founded Barnum & Bailey Circus (aka “The Greatest Show on Earth”). Legends kicks off its third season on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 9/8c, following the Season 4 premiere of The Flash. ‘Chicago P.D.’: Mykelti Williamson Joins NBC Cop Drama As Recurring In Season 5Denny Woods is coming back to Chicago P.D. Mykelti Williamson is joining the cast of the NBC cop drama as a recurring in its upcoming fifth season. He will reprise the role he originated as a guest star in episode 20 of the the most recent fourth season. In that episode, Voight (Jason Beghe) dug back into an old case under the watchful eye of his former partner, Lieutenant Denny Woods (Williamson).There ate several changes on Chicago P.D. heading into next season. It has a new showrunner, Rick Eid, who succeeded Matt Olmstead, its leading lady Sophia Bush has left and one of its male leads, Jon Seda, is coming back after a brief departure to co-star on Chicago Justice. 24 and Justified alum Williamson recently recurred on WGN America’s Underground and ABC’s Designated Survivor and had a role in the feature Fences. He is repped by Paradigm and managed by Craig Dorfman at Frontline. Donnie Wahlberg Shows Love for Waffle House Staff With $500 Late-Night TipCurrently on the Total Package Tour with New Kids on the Block, Donnie Wahlberg stopped for a late-night snack at a Waffle House in Edgewood, Maryland, on Monday and ended up surprising the staff with a $500 tip.Wahlberg even shared a selfie with two employees on Twitter, thanking them for their "awesome service." Jessica Reed, an employee who works the morning shift at the Waffle House, told People, “There were two servers and a cook, and he left a $500 tip for the three of them to split, They took a picture together and he was apparently really awesome.” One of the employees who was there for Wahlberg's 3 a.m. meal tweeted a picture of the $62.75 bill with his generous tip, including a smiley face and a heart. @DonnieWahlberg is the best!!!! #FaveWahlberg -- pic.twitter.com/u8yPpJ1cer — Lisa (@BronxBombers46) June 26, 2017 Jada Pinkett-Smith, Nick Cannon, Jesse Williams and More to Present at First-Ever NBA AwardsThe 2017 NBA Awards on TNT is already turning out to be a star-studded event.Hosted by Drake, ET can exclusively reveal that presenters will include Chadwick Boseman, Monica Brown, Nick Cannon, Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Bryshere Y. Gray, Grant Hill, Dirk Nowitzki, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Jussie Smollett, John Wall and Jesse Williams. More celebrities attending the show are Chris Tucker, Baron Davis, Hill Harper, Reggie Miller, Von Miller, Isiah Thomas and Donnie Wahlberg. Model Damaris Lewis will serve as the trophy presenter for this year’s event, and Nicki Minaj will be performing. ET previously confirmed that the Inside the NBA studio team including Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal will also be in attendance. The NBA Awards on TNT is the NBA's official annual award show to honor all the league's top performers on one night, and will be presented live from New York City on Monday, June 26, at 9 p.m. ET on TNT. Awards presented throughout the night will include Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, Kia NBA Sixth Man Award, Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Kia NBA Most Improved Player and NBA Coach of the Year. Earlier this month, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant led the Golden State Warriors to defeat LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, but it was Curry's adorable daughters with wife Ayesha -- 4-year-old Riley and 1-year-old Ryan -- who stole the show. ET spoke with Ayesha, who's made a name for herself in the food and cooking world, last November, when she got candid about her husband's skills in the kitchen! 2017 Teen Choice Awards NomineesThe Teen Choice Awards air Sunday, Aug. 13 on Fox.Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress (#ChoiceSciFiTVActress) Donnie Wahlberg is co-narrating the upcoming ESPN ’30 for 30? on the Celtics-Lakers rivalryKevin McHale won’t be the only one featured in the upcoming ESPN documentary on the Celtics-Lakers rivalry who is known for his time on the block.Dorchester-born actor, burger mogul, Boston sports fan, and ’90s boy band member Donnie Wahlberg is co-narrating the five-hour film, Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies, the network announced Wednesday. According to ESPN, Wahlberg will narrate the Celtics portion of the documentary, while fellow ’90s hip hop talent-turned-actor Ice Cube will serve as narrator for the Lakers. The two-part documentary, which is part of ESPN’s acclaimed 30 for 30 series, will air on ESPN on Tuesday, June 13, and Wednesday, June 14 — the two days between what would be Games 5 and 6 of the NBA Finals. Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the 1987 Finals, Best of Enemies focuses on the peak of the heated Celtics-Lakers rivalry. However, the film begins by tracing the interwoven history of the two historic teams from the 1960s through the heydays of the 1980s. In a statement, directer Jim Podhoretz said they found the players they interviewed “to be totally engaged.” “The vivid details that they recall, the candid feelings, their hatred, their joy and their vulnerability are all out there for people to see,” Podhoretz said. According to ESPN, the film includes interviews with “key figures in the rivalry.” In December, Podhoretz told Sports Illustrated that he had already conducted long interviews with Danny Ainge and Cedric Maxwell and expected to secure sit-downs with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Johnson can be seen in a brief trailer released by ESPN. (Video) Here’s a breakdown of how the film will unfold over the two-night debut, according to ESPN: Night One: Parts One and Two of the film not only trace the history, but also present a fabulous cast of characters who would change the NBA and open America’s collective mind. At the center of it all in the 1980s was a pair of brilliant basketball talents – Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Bird’s Celtics and Magic’s Lakers circled each other for four years until they faced off in an epic NBA Finals in 1984. Night Two: Part Three picks up the story right after the thrilling 1984 NBA Finals and then explores the saga from 1985 to 1987 as the teams’ disdain for each other gradually turns to respect. The Celtics and Lakers – Bird and Magic in particular – transformed the fans’ view of the game from simple black-and-white to full-blown Technicolor. By the end of their last battle of that era in 1987, while there was still animosity, they had also developed a hard-earned respect for each other. In the final analysis, it was a rivalry that forced America to no longer view the league in black and white. Common, Mykelti Williamson, Others Round Out Cast Of Indie Feature ‘Saint Judy’Academy Award-winning musician and actor Lonnie Rashid Lynn, better known as the rapper Common, and Fences‘ co-star Mykelti Williamson has signed onto the indie feature film Saint Judy for director/producer Sean Hanish. Others that have not been announced are Leem Lubany (Rock the Kasbah), Ben Schnetzer (Goat), Waleed Zuaiter (London Has Fallen) and Aimee Garcia (FOX’s Lucifer).Others already reported to be in the film are Alfred Molina, Michelle Monaghan, Alfre Woodard, Peter Krause, Kevin Chapman and Gabriel Bateman. Saint Judy is about Judy Wood, a public defender from New Mexico who moves to LA with her 9-year-old son. After being unable to secure a job in the public defender’s office, she takes on a job working for an immigration lawyer and embraces the case of a persecuted Afghan teacher and ultimately works to change how the U.S. law is administered. Saint Judy was written by Dmitry Portnoy with Cannonball principals Hanish and Paul Jaconi-Biery producing with Kelly Kahl, Molina, Gabriela Lugo, and Jaime Surenkamp on as exec producers. Derek Beamer is co-producer. The project was developed by Cannonball with Portnoy who interned with attorney Judy Wood and told the production company about the story. Common was one of the composers (along with John Legend) of the Oscar-winning song Glory from Oscar-nominated Best Picture Selma. Common is not the only one who is musically-inclined on the set of Saint Judy. Williamson plays Dikembe Mustafa, a renowned psychiatrist in his native country who is stuck in a legal limbo without a work visa until Judy Wood enters his life; He ends up proving to be a key ally in her fight for her client. Lubany who will play Aseefa, a young Afghani woman facing deportation, previously, she not only co-starred but previously performed three songs on the soundtrack of director Barry Levinson’s Rock The Kasbah (which also starred Bill Murray). Common still has a deal at HBO to develop and produce projects for the premium cable network through his Freedom Road Productions. Williamson is in Black Entertainment Television’s TV series Rebel. UTA Independent Film Group is selling the film for domestic distribution. Margaret Avery, Xander Berkeley & More Join Taraji P. Henson In ‘Proud Mary’Margaret Avery, The Walking Dead‘s Xander Berkeley and Neal McDonough have been cast in Screen Gems’ upcoming thriller Proud Mary, starring Taraji P. Henson as hit woman Mary Goodwin. Danny Glover (Almost Christmas) has also officially joined the film along with Jahi Di’Allo Winston (The New Edition Story), Rade Serbedzija (Taken 2), and previously announced Billy Brown.Babak Najafi is directing from a script by John Stewart Newman and Christian Swegal, with production scheduled to being this month in Boston. The film follows Mary who, working as for an organized crime family in Boston, is completely turned around when she meets a young boy whose path she crosses when a professional hit goes bad. Paul Schiff and Tai Duncan are producing. Avery, who is reuniting with her The Color Purple co-star Glover in this pic, is repped Ideal Talent Agency. McDonough (DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow) is with Paradigm, Matt Luber, and attorney Stuart Rosenthal. Berkeley is repped by Paradigm, Affirmative Entertainment and SMGSB. Winston is with Abrams Artists Agency and Jackoway Tyerman. Serbedzija is repped by Innovative Artists and United Agents in the UK. ‘Fences’ Mykelti Williamson Boards Indie Pic ‘Canal Street’Mykelti Williamson, who co-starred in Paramount’s Oscar nominated film Fences, is set to join Empire‘s Bryshere Gray in Red Guerilla Entertainment’s indie drama Canal Street. Director is Rhyan LaMarr, who also co-wrote the script with Adam Key and Jon Knitter. It explores the deep-rooted divisions within the city of Chicago. Williamson will play Jackie Styles, the father of Grey’s character. Amir Windom, Adam Key, Charlie Mac, Chris Jamerson, Anita Luckett, Ronique Shaw and Reggie Hunter are producing, with filming in Chicago. Williamson currently recurs on BET and John Singleton’s new series Rebel, which premiered this week. Other recent credits include The Purge: Election Year, and the WGN series Underground. He’s repped by Frontline Management, Paradigm and Myman, Greenspan, Fineman, Fox.CBS RENEWS 18 SERIES FOR THE 2017-2018 SEASONCBS today announced early renewals of 18 returning series for the 2017-2018 season, displaying the programming depth and stability of America’s Most Watched Network. Additional returning series pick-ups for next season will be announced at a later date.The shows renewed to date include 6 comedies, 9 dramas, 1 reality series, 2 newsmagazines and a roster of hit programs across every night of the week. They also include the #1 scripted program/comedy THE BIG BANG THEORY; the #1 drama NCIS; the #1 new series BULL; the #1 new comedy KEVIN CAN WAIT; and the #1 newsmagazine 60 MINUTES. In addition, 5 freshman shows are part of the Network’s early renewals, including BULL, KEVIN CAN WAIT, MACGYVER, MAN WITH A PLAN and SUPERIOR DONUTS. Following are the renewed series to date for the 2017-2018 season: THE BIG BANG THEORY BLUE BLOODS BULL HAWAII FIVE-0 KEVIN CAN WAIT LIFE IN PIECES MACGYVER MADAM SECRETARY MAN WITH A PLAN MOM NCIS* NCIS: LOS ANGELES NCIS: NEW ORLEANS SCORPION SUPERIOR DONUTS SURVIVOR 48 HOURS 60 MINUTES CBS will finish the current season as America’s Most Watched Network for the 14th time in 15 years. The Network will announce its new fall 2017-2018 schedule on Wednesday, May 17 at Carnegie Hall in New York City. New Kids on the Block Are Back for 'One More Night' in New Video(Video) New Kids on the Block are back after a four-year hiatus with the new Thankful EP that's due out in May and its first single, "One More Night," suggests the group will be sticking around for a little longer than that.In a new music video -- premiering here exclusively with Billboard -- Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood all spend some serious time pining before its time to get to business and hit the stage. In this instance, as the iconic quintet sings the longing pop track, it seems what its members missed most of all were the bright lights and audience's affection. Thankful will be released May 12. Once Upon a Time's Lana Parrilla Previews Regina's Dilemma ('It Melts Her Heart') and the Return of [Spoiler]“Be careful what you wish for” applies to unexpected and improbable reunions, Once Upon a Time‘s Regina comes to learn this Sunday (ABC, 8/7c).Having met the Wish Realm’s alive-and-well Robin of Locksley, and then convinced him to travel to Storybrooke with her, Regina’s hopes perhaps eclipse the reality of the surreal situation. “I think she has high expectations. She really wants him to be her Robin Hood,” Lana Parrilla shared with TVLine during our visit to the set this week (where the musical episode was being filmed). “The big issue is he looks exactly like him, because he is a version of him, but he’s not real. And he isn’t Robin Hood. He’s Robin of Locksley, so Regina doesn’t even really know who this person is.” What she does know, from spending a bit of time with him in the Wish Realm, is that this Robin is more of a scalawag. “He really is,” Parrilla notes with a laugh, before serving up an impression: “‘Give to the poor? Why would I do that?!'” But as he settles into Storybrooke, other, more obvious differences come to the fore. “He doesn’t know how to turn a light switch on!” laughs Parrilla. “But I think it’s charming, and I think she has high hopes.” Said hopes may be fated to be dashed, however. “It’s quite confusing for Regina, because every time she looks at him, she actually puts him in Robin’s clothes, and that just like melts her heart,” Parrilla previews. “She feels like sh’es reliving that relationship all over again, but not — so it’s quite heartbreaking.” Adding to Regina’s near-future angst, the Purely Evil Queen is set for a comeback, and that reunion sounds like a real humdinger. Surveying the status of Regina’s doppelganger, Parrilla says, “Right now she’s a snake, but she’s not a snake for long. She comes back, and Episode 14 (airing March 26) is a big Evil Queen/Regina episode. There’s a big standoff between them, and there are a lot of words exchanged. A lot of words are exchanged! It was quite challenging, and also a lot of fun.” For the dual role, Parrilla made sure that actresses, not just stand-ins, were hired to play opposite her, to best bring both characters to life even when all we see is their backs. “I basically prep everything in advance — and I don’t mean memorization, I mean the physicality of it all. What I want Regina to do when I’m playing the Evil Queen, and vice versa,” she explains. “I’m very expressive with my arms, especially as the Evil Queen, so I wanted girls I could actually work opposite of and act with, and they were both really wonderful.” As for how the duo’s next showdown plays out, Parrilla shared this: “It gets really heated, very quickly. And both of their lives are threatened.” Wahlbergs embroiled in food fight(bostonglobe.com) Boston’s famous Wahlberg brothers, who founded their own burger chain to much acclaim, are being sued by their business partners and longtime family friends, who say they were shut out of plans to expand the Wahlburgers restaurant chain.William “Billy” Leonard and Edward St. Croix allege in a lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Plymouth County Superior Court, that Mark, Donnie, and Paul Wahlberg left them out of plans to develop Wahlburgers into a franchise operation even though they were central players in the creation of its Hingham flagship. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. The 33-page complaint offers all the drama — and possibly more — than an episode of the reality TV show “Wahlburgers,” which is now in its seventh season of chronicling the family’s business escapades. “Ultimately, the three Wahlberg brothers — whose interpersonal relationships are dysfunctional — wound up as the sole managers” of the enterprise, the lawsuit states. “They then stole the most valuable franchise opportunities for themselves.” A spokeswoman for Wahlburgers Corporate Headquarters issued a statement Wednesday calling the complaint “frivolous and unsubstantiated.” “It’s obvious that this lawsuit, with its unbridled litany of false and misleading claims, was concocted to further the plaintiffs’ own personal agendas at the expense of the truth, the Wahlberg family and other investors,” the statement read. “Family, fairness, and integrity are at the core of the Wahlburgers brand, and we are prepared to protect the values for which we stand.” Leonard, one of the plaintiffs, grew up in Dorchester with Mark Wahlberg, who made a splash early in his career as the rapper “Marky Mark” and now works as a successful Hollywood actor and producer. Leonard’s ties to the family ran deep. He was a minority owner in Wahlburgers initial location and became a regular “character” on the Wahlburgers’ TV show. The relationship has since soured, according to the lawsuit. St. Croix, a South Shore restaurant entrepreneur and a family friend of the Wahlbergs, also had an ownership stake with the brothers in two restaurants in Hingham, including the first Wahlburgers that opened in 2011. Paul Wahlberg worked there as executive chef. In the lawsuit, St. Croix said that the idea for Wahlburgers was his and that he created the “vision and strategy” for the restaurant, designing the interior, the menu, and even coming up with the idea to create a reality TV show. “Years ago, Mr. St. Croix discussed the idea with Paul Wahlberg, and they then piqued Mark Wahlberg’s interest, and later, that of Donnie,” it said. According to the lawsuit, both St. Croix and Leonard asserted they had to negotiate around the brothers’ “extreme dysfunction” to get the Wahlburgers restaurant idea off the ground. But by the end of 2012, the lawsuit alleged: “the Wahlbergs had successfully removed Mr. St. Croix as manager, installed themselves as sole managers ... and united on a common mission: cut out Mr. St. Croix and Mr. Leonard and [hoard] the bulk of the store-generated profits for themselves.” The lawsuit does not say why St. Croix was removed but alleges that changes to the company were then made without a vote by either man. By 2014, the lawsuit alleges, the company had reorganized, leaving St. Croix with a “reduced 7.87percent voting interest” in Wahlburgers and Leonard with a 3.37percent stake. The relationships devolved from there. The men claimed they did not learn about moves to expand to a franchise operation until last year when they became aware that Wahlburgers was involved in development agreements for restaurants in numerous cities including Philadelphia, New York, and Las Vegas. The lawsuit also says that Leonard and Mark Wahlberg argued on the set of the “Wahlburgers” TV show while filming in New Orleans in 2015. Wahlberg, the suit said, pulled him aside, screamed obscenities, and threatened him physically. “His relationship with Mark has not been repaired and his relationship with Paul has been strained since that time,” the lawsuit said. Vanessa Williams proud of daughter’s singing careerVanessa Williams is proud her daughter Jillian Hervey has been making a name for herself as part of the indie R&B duo Lion Babe — but says she wouldn’t be against helping Hervey’s career if needed.“I love that Jillian is doing her thing on her own,” Williams told us at New York Fashion Week. “I have never heard anyone say she reached where she is because of me — or nepotism.” The proud mom added, “But if needed I would be ready.” Williams said of her own career, “I am still doing my thing.” Vanessa Williams used a pet psychic to find her dogVanessa Williams has twice enlisted the help of a pet psychic when her beloved Yorkie Enzo went missing — with mixed results. The actress revealed on Pet Life Radio’s “Tails of the City,” hosted by Paul Shaffer’s daughter, Victoria, that the first time Enzo was gone the psychic theorized he was abducted, which wound up to be true.The next time, in 2011, the guru believed he’d fallen down a ravine, but was able to escape and was then picked up by someone on the street. Williams never saw Enzo again. 'What Do You Got to Lose?' Donnie Wahlberg Gives Joey McIntyre Life Advice in Return of the Mac Clip(Video) Joey McIntyre is being thrown back out into the spotlight — as a talk show host!In Return of the Mac, Pop TV’s scripted comedy series starring boy band heartthrob McIntyre as a version of himself alongside his real-life family — his wife, Barrett, and their three children, Griffin, 8, Rhys, 6, and Kira, 5 — the former New Kids on the Block star attempts to become a serious actor. But somehow, he finds himself reluctantly taking on the role of a talk show host. In a preview clip, McIntyre asks friend and former bandmate Donnie Wahlberg for advice. “A talk show? I want to be an actor, not interview actors,” says McIntyre. “If you ask me, I say do it. What do you got to lose?” responds Wahlberg, while painting his wife’s (Jenny McCarthy) toes. “If it sucks, nobody is going to see it anyways … You know our motto, ‘Don’t be a slob, take the job.’ ” “You never know, it could lead to bigger and better things anyway,” says Wahlberg. And apparently, Wahlberg’s attempt to get McIntyre to “take the job” works! “Alex, tell them I’m in,” McIntyre says on the phone. McIntyre, who is producing the show along with Wahlberg and McCarthy, recently opened up to PEOPLE about the filming experience he’s had with his family. “It’s been fun to see my kids and how they respond and take direction,” McIntyre, 44, says. “But, they’re moving on. When’s their next play date? It’s been fun, exciting, stressful at times trying to figure out whether it was right for the kids.” Return of the Mac premieres April 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET on Pop TV. A+E Scores Canadian DealsA+E Networks has scored a raft of program sales deals in Canada. From the scripted catalogue, Corus’ Historia will premiere Roots in French-speaking Canada while in English-speaking Canada, History premiered Six on January 18 and snapped up Knightfall in addition to unscripted hits Donnie Loves Jenny slated for Slice, and Psychic Kids headed to Own plus Crime + Investigation. Roots was also picked up for English-speaking Canada by streaming service Crave and And Then There Were None and UnReal have been picked up by SRC in French-speaking Canada. Further unscripted sales include Paranormal State, Possessed, Homegrown, Makeover and Doomsday: 10 Ways The World Will End to Blue Ant. SRC has renewed Big History, Mankind: The Story of Us and Pope Benedict for Explora.Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg Slam Mariah Carey for New Year's Eve Performance DramaJenny McCarthy is not mincing her words for Mariah Carey.The Grammy winner rang in the new year on a rocky note when she gave a shaky performance during the annual Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest. While she was slated to perform two of her career hits, "Emotions" and "We Belong Together," the songstress ultimately spent her set walking around the stage out of sync, claiming she could not hear the background track. "We didn't have a check for this song," Carey told the packed Times Square crowd as she tried to carry on with the routine despite alleged technical difficulties. "I'm trying to be a good sport here." Amid rising speculation and public criticism, the reality star later took to social media to try and shake off the snafu. "S--t happens…Have a happy and healthy new year everybody!...Here's to making more headlines in 2017," she tweeted. "I felt really bad for her, because it was that bad," the event's co-host Jenny McCarthy said of the routine on her SiriusXM radio show, The Jenny McCarthy Show. "It was a complete train wreck. And like Donnie [Wahlberg] said, being in this business, I know what it's like to have your prompter go out. I know what it's like to have my inner ears go out. It's scary, and it's like your brain malfunctions and you're on live TV. So I was like, you know what, I have sympathy for her. My sympathy stopped, however, the moment she accused Dick Clark Productions of sabotaging her performance." McCarthy was referencing later developments from Carey's camp, which claimed dcp was aware of Carey's alleged sound problems and failed to fix them before it was time to take the stage. "We told them [the stage managers] that the in-ears were not working 10 minutes before the performance," Carey's manager, Stella Bulochnikov, told Billboard. "They then changed the battery pack, and they were still not working on the frequency four minutes before the show. We let them know again, and they just kept counting her down and reassuring her that they will work as soon as they go live, which never happened—at which point she pulled them out but could not hear the music over the crowd." "After the show," she continued to Billboard, "I called [Dick Clark Productions'] Mark Shimmel and I said, 'What the f--k happened?' He said, 'Let me call you back,' then called me back and confirmed the in-ears were not working and asked if I would make a joint statement. I said, 'No way.' I asked him to cut the West Coast feed. He said he could not do that. I asked him why would they want to run a performance with mechanical glitches unless they just want eyeballs at any expense...It's not artist-friendly, especially when the artist cut her vacation short as a New Year's Eve gift to them." However, the production company had a different story. "As the premier producer of live television events for nearly 50 years, we pride ourselves on our reputation and long-standing relationships with artists," dcp said in a statement released Sunday to E! News. "To suggest that DCP, as producer of music shows including the American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, New Year's Rockin' Eve and Academy of Country Music Awards, would ever intentionally compromise the success of any artist is defamatory, outrageous and frankly absurd. "An initial investigation has indicated that dcp had no involvement in the challenges associated with Ms. Carey's New Year's Eve performance," the organization added. "If Dick Clark were alive today, I guarantee he would be on air right now fighting back. He's not, so I'm going to," McCarthy continued to sound off. "Dick Clark Productions has been doing this show for 45 years...I've never seen a production company, like Donnie said, more prepared, more supportive of their musical guests, so for her to defame them was so incredibly insulting for the group of people who work their balls off preparing and rehearsing for their musical guests." McCarthy and her husband did not take too kindly to Carey's lack of a sound check, either. "She did whatever you would call a like dance move rehearsal holding her gold microphone, and she stood off to the side of the stage while she had a stand-in do a sound check," the co-host alleged. "The buck stops with the artist," the New Kids On The Block member continued. "No rehearsal, that's on her. And to blame Dick Clark Productions and Ryan Seacrest by default who is an executive producer, too—these people have made their career on love of music and artists and respect for music and artists. Dick Clark built his whole empire on music and artists and performances. Those guys make you rehearse, and rehearse and rehearse. I heard Gloria Estefan out there rehearsing. I heard last year Demi Lovato 10 times rehearsing. "I was there for the past seven years watching band after band," McCarthy added. "Taylor Swift rehearsing her balls off. Like I said, we rehearsed for four days, 10 hours a day. We have more sound checks, satellite checks, teleprompter checks, than any show down there. I promise you that." SAG Awards NominationsThe 2017 SAG Awards will be handed out January 29 live on TNT and TBS.Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture FENCES (Paramount Pictures) HIDDEN FIGURES (20th Century Fox) MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions) MOONLIGHT (A24) New Kids on the Block announce summer tour with Boyz II Men and Paula AbdulThirty years after the debut of their first album, New Kids on the Block have still got the right stuff — and they’re taking it back on tour.The band announced the Total Package, a massive North American summer tour with special guests Boyz II Men and Paula Abdul, on Tuesday. While New Kids on the Block have been active on the tour circuit in recent years (they even joined fellow boy banders Backstreet Boys on the road in 2011), Total Package will mark Abdul’s return to the stage as her first tour in 25 years. Boyz II Men previously joined New Kids on the Block for their Package tour in 2013. “Our fans know we love to bring them a party, and this tour is no exception,” NKOTB member Donnie Wahlberg said in a statement. “It’s not just a show, it’s an experience. Paula Abdul is such a pop icon and Boyz II Men are one of the best R&B acts of all time. It’s going to be a night of hit after hit, and we can’t wait to deliver the ‘Total Package’ to our fans!” Combined, the three acts have sold 200 million records worldwide, and Boyz II Men remain the best-selling R&B group of all time. Abdul halted her music career in recent years to appear as an actress and television personality, but not before she logged a whopping seven No. 1 hit singles in the late ’80s and early ’90s, including “Straight Up” and “Opposites Attract.” The tour will kick off May 12 in Columbus, Ohio and hit more than 40 cities, including New Kids on the Block’s hometown of Boston, where they’ll perform a special set at Fenway Park. Tickets go on sale Nov. 19. Check out the full list of tour dates here. People’s Choice Awards Nominees SetHere’s another election America must undertake: Voting opens today for the People’s Choice Awards 2017. Nominees were unveiled this morning at Paley Center in Los Angeles, with online voting set to run through December 15 and winners announced during a ceremony January 18 at Microsoft Theater L.A. Live and broadcast on CBS.FAVORITE TV CRIME DRAMA ACTOR Donnie Wahlberg, Nick Lachey Team Up to Produce Boy-Band Comedy for CBSNew Kids on the Block and 98 Degrees, unite!Fellow boy-band alums Donnie Wahlberg and Nick Lachey are joining forces to produce a CBS sitcom about a reunited boy band, our sister site Variety is reporting. The single-camera comedy, currently in development and tentatively titled Encore, centers on the members of a boy-band group who reunite 20 years later. (Should sound familiar to those two.) Entourage creator Doug Ellin is on board to write the pilot and serve as executive producer, along with Wahlberg and Lachey. The two former teen idols actually came up with the idea for the show while touring together and discussing how different their grown-up lives with kids are compared to their original touring days. (Wahlberg was a member of late-’80s hitmakers NKOTB; Lachey came along a decade later as a member of 98 Degrees.) And Wahlberg is already on CBS, with his cop drama Blue Bloods currently in its seventh season. Plus, there’s another connection here: Entourage, which Ellin created, was based on the life of movie star Mark Wahlberg — Donnie’s real-life brother. Celebrity Couple Selected as Grand Marshals for Local Holiday ParadeDonnie Wahlberg, Jenny McCarthy and their family have been selected as the grand marshals of this year’s Electric Christmas Parade in St. Charles.The Electric Christmas Parade is set to be held at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26, on Main Street in downtown St. Charles. The celebrity couple currently lives in St. Charles and was married in September 2014 at the historic Hotel Baker in downtown St. Charles. Their wedding and their day-to-day life living in the suburbs has been featured on their A&E reality TV show, "Donnie Loves Jenny." “We couldn’t be happier that Jenny, Donnie and their family will be Grand Marshals of this year’s Holiday Homecoming Parade,” St. Charles Mayor Raymond Rogina said. “The city of St. Charles is appreciative of the positive light they have shed on our community and the entire Tri-Cities area with their reality show, Donnie Loves Jenny. … We are thrilled they will be a part of St. Charles’ much-anticipated holiday tradition this year.” The couple, Rogina also noted, held a benefit concert at the Arcada Theatre and a VIP event at Hotel Baker earlier this year to raise funds for Generation Rescue, an organization dedicated to the recovery of children with autism spectrum disorders. The Electric Christmas Parade is the "grand finale" of St. Charles' two-day Holiday Homecoming. "Having the Wahlbergs as the Grand Marshal is going to be so exciting," Downtown St. Charles Partnership Executive Director Jenna Sawicki. "We are ecstatic to have them a part of this community event.” Other events at the Holiday Homecoming include the Lighting of the Lights on Nov. 25, sleigh rides on First Street, visits with Santa and a holiday movie. Once Upon a Time's Lana Parrilla: Robin Hood Could Have Three Women After Him!Lana Parrilla is pulling double duty this season on Once Upon a Time.On the one hand, she's the Evil Queen again, forced from Regina's body and trying to make her "hero half" suffer for abandoning her. On the other, Regina is trying to start a new future in Storybrooke now that Robin Hood (Sean Maguire) has died. Settling down has been put on the back burner as Regina goes to war with her alter-ego to try and defeat her darker half once and for all. TVGuide.com talked to Lana Parrilla about the Evil Queen's plans in Storybrooke, what Regina needs to do next and what we can expect when Robin Hood returns later this season. The Evil Queen and Hyde [Sam Witwer] are teaming up. What draws that duo together and what makes them so formidable? Lana Parrilla: They're two villains and they're kind of one-and-the-same. They're both sort of pulled out of their lighter selves or hero selves. They're kind of like kindred spirits in a weird way. They are two villains that have one another at this point. Dr. Jekyll and Regina have linked up to try and take them down, so they're going to try and do the same thing to stop their "better" halves. Hyde has had a little more time being separated from his alter-ego. What can the Evil Queen learn from him in that regard? Parrilla: There's absolutely something that she can learn from him in regards to how do you deal with magic. If he's impervious to magic, is the Evil Queen? Maybe she'll learn that from him. With that power, what do you do with it? I'm sure she can pick up a few tips from him. If that does happen, it's something that happens off camera. It won't be something we see much of. Once Upon a Time: Emma and Hook are taking the next step! The Evil Queen has also developed a closeness with Zelena [Rebecca Mader] that Regina has failed to make happen yet. Is that a legitimate bond or is the Evil Queen only manipulating Zelena? Parrilla: I think she genuinely cares for her. I think she even genuinely is still learning what that means, though -- what it means to care for someone and what are your responsibilities to a family member. I don't think the Evil Queen has learned that lesson yet. I think she really loves having a wonderfully wicked sister. There are fantasies about them ruling and what does that look like? We are so powerful individually and together we can be even more powerful. The villains always want power, so I think she's going to want to team up with her sister and take over Storybrooke. Crushing the Evil Queen's heart didn't work for Regina. What does she need to learn to be able to overcome her darker half? Parrilla: Her biggest lesson is learning that you can't get rid of your darkness. You have to learn to embrace is and learn how to deal with it differently. Even Hyde warned her about that. Gold has been warning her all along. It's something she probably doesn't trust because she's hearing it from these villains, but that's her ultimate lesson. She's still learning it. She's in denial of that lesson. You can't get rid of your darkness. You have to learn to embrace it. You are both. Every time I read a script, or sometimes on set, I literally hear those words in my head, "We are both." The Evil Queen has threatened that Regina's darkness isn't gone and she'll never really be a hero. Has Regina fallen for that or has she maintained the confidence that she's built over the past few seasons? Parrilla: I think that Regina legitimately fears that that is her reality, that she is always going to be battling this darkness and that has the potential to grow back. That terrifies Regina. I think the Evil Queen is wanting to turn Regina evil so that she can be understood on some level. It sounds really harsh, but that's the truth. [Regina] pushed her out. She threw her away. That's how [the Evil Queen] feels. She feels abandoned. She retaliates like a teenager and is going to punish [Regina] for it, and we know she's a great punisher. Robin Hood is slated to return this season. What can you tell us about how that will happen and what will it mean for Regina? Parrilla: I am very excited that Sean Maguire is going to be joining us again. We can't wait to have him back. It's like a big family reunion for us. I have no idea how they are bringing Sean back but I know it's going to be really cool. I know he's really excited, as are we. I don't know how Regina is going to respond to Robin Hood. I have no idea how the Evil Queen is going to respond to Robin Hood. That's going to be interesting because wasn't he both of their lovers? That's going to be really interesting to find out. Then you have Zelena with the baby. It's like Robin Hood has three women after him! It's going to be fun. What do you think of the Evil Queen's plan and Robin Hood's return? Once Upon a Time airs Sundays at 8/7c on ABC. Kiefer's Designated Survivor Adds 24 Alum Mykelti WilliamsonABC’s Kiefer Sutherland-fronted Designated Survivor has set in motion its first 24 reunion, with the casting of Mykelti Williamson.Premiering Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 10/9c, the freshman drama stars Sutherland as Tom Kirkman, a mild-mannered Secretary of Housing and Urban Development who at the end of a very bad day winds up as President of the United States, following a terror attack on the Capitol. Per our sister site Deadline, Williamson will play Admiral Chernow, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who becomes one of Kirkman’s trusted advisors. And boy, will he need them! This marks the second time Sutherland and Williamson have reunited on a post-24 gig, in addition to the latter’s arc on Touch. Williamson’s previous TV credits also include Underground, Justified, Nashville, Boomtown and 2000’s The Fugitive. Donnie Wahlberg Talks Burgers and "Blue Bloods"Actor and recording artist Donnie Wahlberg has three hits on his hands at the moment. The seventh season premiere of Blue Bloods hits the small screen on September 23rd on CBS, and his other family business — the burger franchise Wahlburgers, that is, not Hollywood — is booming, too, and has spawned a popular A&E reality show of the same name to boot.“Vegas is the 11th location,” Donnie tells ABC News of the punnily-named burger joint owned by he, his chef sibling Paul, and their Transformers series star brother Mark. “There will be 15 by the end of the year, open,” Donnie adds, “and I think there’ll be another hundred within two years.” The New Kids on the Block performer says Blue Bloods is, “another incarnation for me,” adding, “for years…when people saw me in the street, they’d say, ‘Oh! My sister loved you!’ Now it’s every day — I can’t really go an hour without somebody saying, ‘We love Blue Bloods,’ or ‘the family dinner [scenes]’ or ‘we watch it together as a family.'” The series has been very popular for some time now, the actor beams, adding, “but now that it’s gone into syndication, it’s just gone to another level.” Wahlberg adds that the seventh season finds his Detective Danny Reagan, “In hot water again…because he’s sort of an old school cop in a world where those ways don’t really work — and while they may be effective in getting the bad guy, they also, you know, walk the line — and sometimes cross the line.” Blue Bloods airs on CBS on Fridays at 10 p.m. Eastern time. Mark & Donnie Wahlberg's Restaurant Chain Sued Over "Wage Theft" Claims(hollywoodreporter.com) A class action complaint filed Thursday against Mark and Donnie Wahlberg's chain of burger restaurants alleges that its Coney Island franchise "has been rampant with wage theft and violations of federal and state labor law" since it opened in 2015.The restaurant "maintained a pattern and practice of regularly shaving compensable time from the weekly hours of all its non-exempt employees, including servers, bartenders, bussers and kitchen staff, and paying them significantly fewer hours than they actually worked," according to the complaint. Wahlburgers is a Boston-based restaurant franchise that brothers Mark, Donnie and Paul Wahlberg founded in 2011. The company espouses "working class" values on its website and has active involvement from all three of its founding partners. Its day-to-day operations are helmed by Paul Wahlberg, who is the oldest of the three brothers and a professional chef. The first location opened in Hingham, Mass., just outside Boston, hometown of the Wahlberg family. The chain also lends its name to the A&E reality series that follows the brothers as they operate and publicize their business. The show is now in its sixth season and earned A&E an Emmy nomination for outstanding unstructured reality program. "The Wahlberg brothers pride themselves on taking an active role in managing their locations and insuring that their restaurants meet their high standards for customer and employee experience," the complaint notes. "Indeed, the company's slogan is 'Our family, our story, our burgers.'" Filed in federal court in New York, the complaint also alleges that the restaurant "regularly retained gratuities left by customers for tipped employees" and "repeatedly ignored the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act." The franchisee who opened the Wahlburgers' franchises in New York City and Long Island is John Cestare, according to the filing, who could not be reached for comment. "The plaintiffs first went to local management, and they didn't do anything," Mitchell Schley, lawyer for the plaintiffs, told The Hollywood Reporter by phone. "Then they complained to Paul in Boston, but they were so frustrated after months and months of hearing nothing." Wahlburgers did not immediately respond to request for comment, nor did a rep for Mark Wahlberg. Fuller House Mega Buzz: Guess Which Classic Boy Band Is Coming to Season 2Have mercy! We've heard through the grapevine that a classic boy band will be making a special cameo in Fuller House's second season. No, it's not the Beach Boys -- it's New Kids on the Block!Based on our intel, the appearance comes after Kimmy (Andrea Barber) and Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) screw up DJ's (Candace Cameron-Bure) birthday plans and try to recruit her favorite boy band of all time to make it up to her. Here's hoping that Kimmy and Stephanie can prove they've got the "right stuff" and convince the Kids to break out a few iconic dance moves for DJ. Donnie Wahlberg tweets tribute to murdered jogger“Blue Bloods” actor Donnie Wahlberg paid a touching tribute to slain jogger Karina Vetrano, calling her one kindest fans he’s ever come across in New York.Wahlberg’s cop drama, which shoots right here in the Big Apple, posted a selfie of himself and Vetrano on Twitter with the sad hashtag #RIPKarina. “I’ve met thousands of amazing New Yorkers while filming Blue Bloods – none were as kind of Karina Vetrano,” Wahlberg tweeted on Saturday Vetrano was murdered Tuesday while she was out for her regular evening jog in Howard Beach. Police are still looking for her killer. Donnie Wahlberg Gets Emotional Speaking About His Brother Mark: 'Look How Far We've All Come'With their bulging muscles and Boston accents, the Wahlberg brothers have a reputation for being one of the toughest sibling acts around – but that didn’t stop Donnie Wahlberg from tearing up when reminiscing about their humble beginnings.While being interviewed with his New Kids on the Block bandmates by his wife Jenny McCarthy on her SiriusXM show, the singer, 46, got emotional recalling how Mark, 45, credited him for his success during the band’s 2011 concert at Fenway Park. "I'm gonna cry," Wahlberg told McCarthy in front of the intimate group of fans gathered in the SiriusXM studios. "He was the original member of the band with me." According to the star, the memories of those early moments with his younger brother are especially important now that both are busy with their own lives and careers. "Obviously we're brothers and partners in business and our relationship is fine, but it's different," he said. "We've grown so far apart, just through work and career and things that are important." Wahlberg explained to his wife during the interview that Mark's introduction struck a cord because it reminded him of the band’s very first show where his brother was also the one to call them up on stage. "When Mark acknowledged that he introduced us at the first show and now it's come full circle to acknowledging us and introducing us at Fenway, I'd forgotten that he did that," he said of the moment that made him realize how much they had accomplished over the years. Added the singer: "That's what moved me. It's the look how far we've all come." New Kids on the Block LIVE on AOL BUILDNew Kids on the Block LIVE on AOL BUILD: Video.‘Rebel’ Cast Set: John Singleton’s BET Pilot Stars Danielle Truitt & Giancarlo EspositoBET has set its cast for Rebel, its two-hour police-drama pilot from filmmaker John Singleton. Stage actress Danielle Truitt is set as the lead, Oakland cop Rebecca “Rebel” Cole, and Breaking Bad alum Giancarlo Esposito will play her lieutenant. Mykelti Williamson, Cliff “Method Man” Smith and Brandon Quinn co-star.The show examines the unique and conflicted relationship officers of color have with their jobs at a time when police forces are rife with brutality and misconduct. Officer Cole has excelled by playing by the rules but always has known that she must be better and smarter on the job because she is both black and female. After her brother is killed by police, Rebel soon becomes disillusioned with the system and is forced to take matters into her own hands and become a private investigator and a champion for her community. Caught between family loyalty and the fraternity in blue, Rebel’s actions set in motion a cause-and-effect crisis that can’t be undone. Williamson will play Rebel’s father Rene Knight, a strong but broken man. Although he loves his daughter dearly, he blames her for the death of her brother, Malik. Smith is TJ, Rebel’s ex-husband. They share a history in the military that bonds them for life. Although he’s moved on, there is still a lot of passion between them, and he can’t seem to stay away. Quinn will portray Rebel’s partner Thompson “Mack” McIntyre, whose decision to shoot at Rebel’s brother places him squarely between her career and her family. Rebel is produced by Mar Vista Entertainment for BET and co-written, executive produced and directed by visionary filmmaker John Singleton; executive produced by Dallas Jackson. Production on the two-hour pilot began this week in Los Angeles. Truitt, whose TV credits include Mulaney and Super Fun Night, is repped by Coast to Coast Talent and CMA Entertainment. Esposito (Once Upon a Time, The Get Down) is with ICM Partners, Thruline Entertainment and Jackoway Tyerman. Williamson (Underground, Justified) is repped by Paradigm, Frontline Management and Myman Greenspan. Smith (Keanu, Method & Red) is with CAA, Shauna Garr and Frankfurt Kurnit. Quinn (The Fosters, Grimm) is repped by Pakula King & Associates, Gartner Green Entertainment and Stone Genow. Sequel To Cult Sci-Fi Pic ‘The Man From Earth’ A Go With Vanessa Williams, Sterling Knight Among CastA decade after the original film’s release, a sequel to the critically acclaimed cult sci-fi film The Man From Earth is in the works, with Vanessa Williams, Sterling Knight, Brittany Curran, Carlos Knight, and Akemi Look joining the cast. To be titled The Man From Earth: Holocene, the film sees the return of David Lee Smith in the lead role, and William Katt. The Man From Earth director Richard Schenkman is returning as well, with shooting set to begin in June and release scheduled TBD 2017. The original film focused on John Oldman (Smith), a man who has lived for millennia, always moving on after ten years to hide his secret. The story told over the course of an intense evening conversation between Oldman and his acquaintances. Details about the sequel are being kept under wraps, but the term “Holocene” describes the historical period stretching from the end of the most recent ice age to the current day. Schenkman is co-writing the script alongside Emerson Bixby, son of of the late Jerome Bixby who wrote the original film. Schenkman also produces alongside Eric D. Wilkinson, with Bixby aboard as executive producer through his Falling Sky Entertainment Banner. The Man From Earth: Holocene is based on a story by Schenkman & Wilkinson.Teen Choice Awards 2016 NominationsChoice TV Actress: Sci-Fi/FantasyCandice King – The Vampire Diaries Emily Bett Rickards – Arrow Danielle Panabaker – The Flash Eliza Taylor – The 100 Kat Graham – The Vampire Diaries Lana Parrilla – Once Upon a Time Jenny McCarthy Wears Prom Dress 26 Years Later: 'I Still Fit Into It - Except for the Boob Area'(Pic, Video) Jenny McCarthy just put every throwback prom photo to shame, because she just wore her original prom dress and teased Aqua Net hairdo from 1990 — on the streets of N.Y.C. The only thing she changed? Her date. McCarthy was joined by her husband Donnie Wahlberg along to promote the new SiriusXM’s Prom Radio channel.SiriusXM is launching a limited-run music channel, Prom Radio, and the hot couple took to the streets to spread the word and reminisce with about their own prom memories. Luckily, the SiriusXM host still had her strapless Murray Arbeid dress with polka dot print and oversize bow that she wore to her prom back in 1990. “I came home from college one day and my mom was having a garage sale and had it hanging on a rack for sale,” McCarthy tells PeopleStyle. “I freaked out and told her I was appalled she would ever do such a thing. So I held onto it since 1990.” And putting it on for the first time in over 26 years brought back prom night memories. “I was shocked to see how many cigarette holes were in it from prom night,” McCarthy says. “I was even more surprised I still fit into it. Well, except for the boob area, had to open up those seams a bit.” As for that teased hairdo, she says it actually looked like that daily when she was in high school. “I would wake up at 5 a.m., shower, blow dry it, spray Aqua Net, put a curling iron on it until it made a sizzling noise, like bacon sizzling in a pan, and then would hand pick the curls into the selected areas and spray them into place with blow dryer.” Even though her outfit was on point, her overall experience wasn’t one for the books. “I met my prom date on Spring Break that year in Daytona, Florida just two weeks prior. So, I didn’t really know him nor did he know anyone else at the prom so I felt more like a babysitter than a date. I was also the one ‘responsible’ for sneaking booze into the prom.” So getting to recreate prom with her husband was a cute do-over for both of them. “I almost cried. He looked so adorable [in his powder blue tux],” she says. “He never went to his own prom and I didn’t enjoy mine, so dressing up like each other’s prom dates made it actually feel like a do-over with my soul mate.” But the actual best part of the “second” prom? “Someone shouting ‘You better vote for Donald Trump!’ at us.” Once Upon a Time's Lana Parrilla Opens Up About Regina's (Karmic?) Losses, Teases Finale's 'Intriguing' Arrivals‘Tis better to have loved and lost…? If that’s what you’re selling, Once Upon a Time‘s Regina probably isn’t buying, not so soon after burying another great love.As Lana Parrilla explains in this TVLine Q&A, with Robin Hood’s selfless sacrifice, Regina has not lost just a soul mate, she’s also hemorrhaging hope, which Snow White will be the first to tell you is critical to clutch onto. Is karma at play for the formerly Evil Queen? And for the short term at least, what out-of-town caper might help distract Regina from dwelling on Robin’s death? Read on for Parrilla’s thoughts on those topics, the flashbacks that made her misty, and the new faces arriving in Sunday’s two-hour Season 5 finale (airing early, at 7/6c). TVLINE | I wanted to first rewind a bit, talk about the recent flashbacks with little Ava Acres as Young Regina, and seeing that she and Zelena were actually loving sisters at one point…. I loved that episode. I thought it was fantastic. It made me sad, that Cora was so underdeveloped on a spiritual level that she just could not figure out how to keep these two babies in her life. She was so selfish and self-absorbed, and she had her own agenda. It was heartbreaking to see her make those decisions for these two girls who had this friendship and then found out they were sisters. For both of them to have their memory erased…. I remember when I read the script, I was bawling. TVLINE | I loved, though, how when all was said and done, the Regina/Zelena dynamic was recontextualized. Yes. As soon as their memories came back and we were in that farmhouse, all three of us holding hands…. That was a special scene. I really enjoyed filming that with Barbara [Hershey] and Rebecca [Mader]. TVLINE | The three of you were just fantastic in that scene. Thank you. Thank you. I love when you have these open-ended storylines that are like, “OK where is this going? How are we going to get some closure to this?,” and then we get to actually do those scenes because it’s not only a gift for these characters but a gift for our audience that’s been following these characters over the years, rooting for their relationships. TVLINE | Turning to current events, will Regina have any time to mourn Robin? It looks like she and Emma are running off to New York on some mission. I think mourning will continue, over time. Regina is a very private person, she doesn’t really share a lot of what’s going on inside. Internally, she’s conflicted by so many things that she doesn’t even talk about. So I’m curious to see how she deals with this loss at this stage, at this time in her life. There’s been so much evolution, she’s come so far, she’s been in the shoes of the hero for the last couple of years, so I’m curious to see how she’s going to handle this big loss. TVLINE | Is there any “Woe is me,” or is she bigger than that? There’s a little bit of that. It’s not so much that she’s playing the martyr or the victim, anything like that. It’s more that she’s confused by life and feeling constantly betrayed by life. TVLINE | “No good deeds go unpunished.” Yeah. And she’s also getting to a place where she’s starting to believe in karma, and a lot of this I think is karmic for her. She’s done so many terrible things in her life — she’s slaughtered villages and hurt so many people — that these two loves [including Daniel] have been taken away from her. We touched upon that in an episode, I think last season, that it seems like no matter what she does it doesn’t really amount to anything, she’ll always be unhappy. And then she fell in love, so…. I think she’s probably back to that thinking, “No good deed goes unpunished,” but she’s also losing some hope. And that’s really our theme, isn’t it? Hope. I feel like Regina is in a hopeless place right now, and we’re going to see how she deals with those emotions in the season finale and also in Season 6. TVLINE | Sean [Maguire] told me that he was a little shocked to learn that Robin wouldn’t be surviving Season 5. What was your reaction? I was shocked, but I also understand that from this will come storytelling and the writers have a vision, and we all have to understand and respect their vision. They felt that they needed to write this story to, I think, facilitate other characters and to help move the story forward. As special as that love was for Regina and Robin, I’m really curious to see what happens with Regina from here on out — what is she going to do, and what new stories are going to come out of Robin’s death? I feel like their love transcends death; I don’t think that that love is ever going to die. He may not be on the show, but that love will still live within her. TVLINE | There are stills of Regina and Emma in Robin’s/formerly Neal’s apartment in New York. Will there be a line to address who’s paying the rent on this place, who’s stopping by to dust and ever-so-slightly redecorate…? [Laughs] It’s very funny, I was wondering that the day that we were filming in that apartment — “By the way, who’s in charge of the rent for this place? Keeping a New York apartment for this long is not cheap!” I’m guessing we have rent control. TVLINE | What all is Henry up to in New York? He’s worried that Regina will go back to being evil, so he’s out to destroy all magic? Something like that? There’s a bit of that, where it has to do with Regina, but it has to do with everything. Magic has gotten us into so much trouble. It has hurt us more than helped us. Henry understands that and sees that, so he’s taking matters into his own hands to fix the No. 1 problem, which is magic. Ultimately, that’s why he goes on this journey with his girlfriend [Violet]. And we know what [destroying magic] would do to Gold, so Gold is out hunting him down. And we know that Gold’s hunting him down, so Regina and Emma band together to find Henry and save him, to stop him from destroying magic… [Laughs] There’s a lot going on! TVLINE | Lastly, what can you tease about how the finale sets up Season 6? [Once creators] Adam and Eddy told me that Sam Witwer and Hank Harris are not necessarily playing who the press reports have said they’re playing. Will we get a sense of who they in fact are, and what the new wrinkle will be? Yes, you will get a sense of who they are in the finale. They are both really interesting characters, and both very talented actors. I was watching the finale last night, and I was extremely intrigued by both of them. In Season 6, I think we are going to see some new villains, and some old villains are going to resurface and surprise us in ways that we weren’t expecting. Vanessa Williams Joins LibrariansVanessa Williams is slipping back into the familiar role of “no-nonsense boss,” this time to keep TNT’s Librarians in line.The Emmy-nominated actress will recur on Season 3 of the action-comedy series as the brilliant-but-tough General Rockwell, our sister site Variety reports. Head of the top-secret black ops government agency known as DOSA — the Department of Statistical Anomalies — Rockwell sets out to apprehend the Librarians and get her hands on the magical artifacts inside the Library. The Librarians returns later this year. Mykelti Williamson & Russell Hornsby Reprise Roles For ‘Fences’ MovieFences is certainly swinging for the fences, bringing together one heck of a stage reunion for the feature film. Mykelti Williamson and Russell Hornsby are reprising their Broadway roles for Denzel Washington’s feature adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer- and Tony-winning play. Williamson steps into the role of Gabriel Maxson, and Hornsby will again play Lyons Maxson. In addition, Jovan Adepo (The Leftovers) will star in the pivotal role of Cory, and Saniyya Sidney (Roots, Hidden Figures) will star as daughter Raynell. They all join Washington (as Troy) and previously announced Viola Davis (as Rose).Davis, Williamson and Hornsby co-starred with Washington and Davis in a recent Broadway revival of the play that ended up winning Tonys for the two leads. Scott Rudin and Todd Black are producing the movie with Washington for Paramount Pictures. Written in 1985, Fences examines race relations and follows a man, Troy, who dreamed of being a baseball great but ended up collecting trash. Troy lives with his wife, son Cory and his younger brother Gabriel, an ex-soldier whose war injury to his head has caused him psychological damage. Lyons is a musician and Troy’s son from a previous relationship. Washington has been working with Angels In America playwright and Lincoln screenwriter Tony Kushner (who is getting an associate producer credit on the film) and had been location scouting in Pittsburgh over the past couple of months. The hope is that Fences will be made in time for this year’s awards season; the production schedule is currently set between 34-40 days. It will go before the cameras April 22. Fences has had a long history in trying to make it on the big screen. Wilson has previously mentioned that an African-American should direct the project. Washington has a deal with HBO to mount a number of Wilson plays (specifically his Pittsburgh Cycle) as features. Fences is the sixth in this series, but was excluded from the HBO deal. Williamson is repped by Paradigm, Frontline Management and attorneys Myman Greenspan. Hornsby, who stars on NBC’s Grimm, is repped by ICM Partners, Cohn/Torgan Management and Hansen Jacobson. Adepo is repped by Gersh and Powerline Entertainment. Sidney is repped by Abrams Artists Agency. CBS ANNOUNCES RENEWALS FOR RETURNING SERIES FOR THE 2016-2017 SEASONCBS Entertainment today announced renewals of the following returning series for the 2016-2017 season:BLUE BLOODS, ELEMENTARY, HAWAII FIVE-0, MADAM SECRETARY, MOM, NCIS: LOS ANGELES,NCIS: NEW ORLEANS, SCORPION, 2 BROKE GIRLS, SURVIVOR,THE AMAZING RACE. First Look: Vanessa Williams Launches Clothing Line, Where Everything Is Under $100 and Meant to 'Hide Bra Fat'(Pic1, Pic2, Pic3) Vanessa Williams always wanted to be a designer. The actress and singer worked retail in high school (at a store called Current and Casual), went on to adore intricate pageant gowns as Miss America in 1984 (her winning dress is stored at Syracuse University), and turned into a power dresser on TV (thanks to her characters of Wilhelmina Slater on Ugly Betty and Renee Perry on Desperate Housewives).Now, at 52, she’s taking a lifetime of fashion fascination to the next level by launching her first line, V. by Vanessa Williams, on the Evine home shopping network and evine.com starting March 19. “This collection is a combination of me as a professional, me as a mother, and me as what I wear for comfort around the house,” she tells PeopleStyle of the line, which she named after her lifelong signature, a single V and a period. “It’s your urban look, it’s your suburban look, it’s your casual look, and it’s your glam look, all in one.” What does that translate to? An 18-piece debut that includes jumpsuits, blousy caftans, stretch skirts, and rouched tops—all for $100 or less. (The dress she models below is the stretch-knit sleeveless knee-length style in cobalt and retails for $50.) But for Williams, she also wanted her line to act as a problem solver, “particularly for women who are 40 and up,” she says. “My friends and I complain about bra fat and loose arms. We’ve got a couple areas that we want to cover. Gone are the days when you’re 20 and you can just wear a little spaghetti strap thing and everything’s up and perky by itself. I’ve gone through my 30s, 40s, 50s and my body keeps changing with every decade. Yes, I’ve got bra fat and love handles. It’s a constant struggle. So, my view is don’t give up the fight, keep it moving, embrace where your body is going, and then dress accordingly.” That’s why she made sure every piece is cut so bras fit comfortably underneath and the straps will be covered. Armholes are looser. Sizes go up to 24 and 26. Overall, the pieces are complementary to the areas we are trying to hide,” she explains. “We don’t want to mask them and we don’t want to disappear in loads and loads of fabric and look like were wearing a muumuu. I want women to look the best they can.” Her final touch to make this especially Vanessa: Choosing her favorite colors, embellishments, and prints and then “adding a bit of glam,” she says. “I love animal prints, grays, greens, khakis, and blues. I love that I got the chance to have a little color—but nothing that’s multiple leopards on top of each other—or, really, anything too cougar.” Vanessa Williams To Star In ‘Satan’s Sisters’ Drama Series At VH1Vanessa Williams is set to star in Satan’s Sisters, VH1’s hourlong scripted drama series based on the 2011 book by Star Jones, one of the original co-hosts of The View.The series centers on daytime TV talk show The Lunch Hour and the fireworks that ensue each weekday when the co-hosts discuss life, love, family, politics and gossip. Williams will play Maxine, the show’s creator and host, a formidable, powerful and decisive woman who fears she’s being put out to pasture. Slated for a 2017 premiere, the series will focus on Maxine and her co-hosts, five women with very different points of view. On the small screen they’re best friends and colleagues. Behind the scenes, however, they’re “Satan’s Sisters” — an off-camera world filled with power struggles, personal demons, diva fits, love affairs, man troubles, cat fights…and cocktails. Williams received three Emmys for her role as Wilhelmina Slater on Ugly Betty. She was seen most recently in the final season of Desperate Housewives, ABC’s 666 Park Avenue, in guest-starring roles on Royal Pains and The Good Wife and the Broadway, Los Angeles and Lifetime Television productions of The Trip to Bountiful, opposite Cicely Tyson. Jones executive produces Satan’s Sisters with Josh Berman (Drop Dead Diva, CSI), Suzanne de Passe (The Temptations, Lonesome Dove) & Madison Jones, and Susan Levison. Amy Engelberg and Wendy Engelberg write and exec produce. Suzanne Coston serves as co-executive producer. The series is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television. Voices For Season 4 of Disney Junior’s Doc McStuffinsEllen Pompeo (Grey’s Anatomy), Anthony Anderson (black-ish), Molly Ringwald (Sixteen Candles), Gabourey Sidibe (Empire) and Vanessa Williams (The Good Wife) will lend their voices to Season 4 of Disney Junior’s Doc McStuffins, airing this summer.Major Crimes First Look: Meet Tao's Ex-Partner(Pic) Lt. Tao is about to get a blast from the past on Major Crimes.Murder One and Boomtown star Jason Gedrick will guest-star on the final five episodes of the TNT drama's current season as Mark Hickman, the estranged ex-partner of Tao (Michael Paul Chan), and we've got your exclusive first look at the pivotal character above. As we previously reported, the five episodes will tell one serialized story, as the team investigates a the connection between the present-day murder of a young woman and her 3-year-old son and a cold case murder of an off-duty cop and a deputy district attorney 12 years before. And as you can see in the photo, Hickman isn't exactly interested in helping his old crew. "He was fired from the LAPD for perjuring himself on the stand in an effort to put away a killer who was about to walk because their evidence had been screwed around with," executive producer James Duff reveals. "He believes all the other cops are corrupt and he just got caught, and that he's being made to pay the price for what they all did. It's an unusual character to see in our version of the LAPD because he is so, so politically incorrect." And while Hickman has zero interest in working with Tao ("Tao refused to back him up... [and] Hickman believes all the murders that happened afterwards are attributable to Mike Tao wanting to protect his pension," Duff says), he will enter into a "off-the-books partnership with someone on the Major Crimes squad -- even though contact with Hickman has been expressly forbidden. "Taylor doesn't want Hickman approached or dealt with because of the way he left the LAPD and because now he consults with lawyers in discrediting LAPD officers on the stand during the trials of criminals," Duff teases. So, what's Hickman really up to? Find out when Major Crimes returns on Monday, Feb. 15 at 9/8c on TNT. Lana Parrilla Is Really Excited About Going to Hell (on Once Upon a Time)Only on TV will you find somebody excited about going to hell. But that's TV—specifically Once Upon a Time's Lana Parrilla—for you!"We're taking everyone to the underworld. So, we're basically entering hell, which is really exciting because there are a lot of characters who have died on the show that are going to make an appearance in the second half of the season," Parrilla, the (maybe not so) Evil Queen Regina on OUAT, told E! News' Sibley Scoles at Elle's Women In Television Celebration presented by Hearts on Fire Diamonds and Olay. Parrilla promised a lot of familiar faces are coming back, which we've heard about. Returning players this season include Barbara Hershey as Cora, Robbie Kay as Peter Pan, Giancarlo Esposito as the Magic Mirror/Sidney Glass and Emma Caulfield as the Blind Witch. They good people of Storybrooke (and the not so good people) will also encounter Hades, played by Ally McBeal veteran Greg Germann, Jonathan Whitesell as Hercules, Kacey Rohl as Megara and a returning Dorothy Gale. While chatting with E! News, Parrilla, whose father was born in Puerto Rico, spoke out about the "extremely important" need for diversity in Hollywood. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences came under fire when not a single person of color received a nomination in the major categories. This prompted many stars to speak out, including the Academy president. "I'm grateful that TV—that we've taken the steps and those doors have opened for minorities," she said. "We have some in film, but they're not as recognized." Once Upon a Time returns Sunday, March 6 at 8 p.m. on ABC. Be sure to watch E! News for more from Elle's Women in Television Celebration. Nancy Grace debates Donnie Wahlberg over ‘Making a Murderer’Nancy Grace debates Donnie Wahlberg over ‘Making a Murderer': Video.New Kids on the Block’s ‘Hangin’ Tough’ gets a book from 33?The New Kids on the Block album “Hangin’ Tough” will be the subject of a 33? book to be released by Bloomsbury Publishing on April 21. It’s a very big deal for the locally bred boy band. Other artists profiled in the series, which has respected musicians and journalists writing about iconic albums, include Dusty Springfield, whose “Dusty in Memphis” was profiled by Warren Zanes; the Replacements’ “Let It Be,” which was taken on by Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy, and Bob Dylan, whose “Highway 61 Revisited” had its 33? book written by Mark Polizzotti, director of the publication program at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The author of the New Kids book is Rebecca Wallwork, director of content strategy for Loews Hotels & Resorts, who was once the music editor at Interview magazine. Her “Hangin’ Tough” chapter titles will include “Rise N’ Grind,” “Let’s Get This,” and “BH Love Eternal.” (BH stands for “blockhead.”) The 33? series is named after the speed of an LP album.Burgers for Everyone! Wahlburgers Will Open 100 to 150 New Restaurants NationwideWahlburgers, the burger chain started by brothers Donnie, Mark and chef Paul Wahlberg is expanding in a big way.A representative for the Massachusetts-based burger eatery confirmed to PEOPLE that the chain will add 100 to 150 more restaurants over the next five years. The company—which currently has five locations in Massachusetts, New York and Toronto—has plans to open restaurants in Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Orlando, Manhattan and Washington D.C. in the near future. And according to Business Insider, they intend on expanding to 300 locations overseas. The success of Wahlburgers is largely due to the Emmy-nominated reality show based on the restaurant, says CEO Rick Vanzura. “It has certainly been a huge promotional vehicle,” he told Business Insider. “We saw an immediate increase in sales with the show. And Mark and Donnie understand the importance of the show to the brand so they have done everything they can to promote the show.” But of course that also means chef Paul’s food—like their signature burger with “wahl sauce”—has to be up to par to compete with chains like Shake Shack and Five Guys. “We’re just fortunate that people are interested in it,” he said last year. “The family name has some celebrity status to it. But we still have to live up to that.” Donnie Wahlberg to be guest of Gilda's 'Intimate Conversation'From a duchess to a dog whisperer, an Oscar winner to a best-selling author and, this year's participant, former "Good Morning America" co-host and breast cancer survivor Joan Lunden, Gilda's Club Quad-Cities has certainly had an eclectic list of speakers for its "Intimate Conversations" series.Now the series can add a New Kid on the Block-turned-TV crimefighter to the list. Gilda's executive director Claudia Robinson said that Donnie Wahlberg has been signed for this year's Intimate Conversations, set for Friday, April 8, at the Davenport RiverCenter. Advance tickets sales should begin about Dec. 1, she said. The 46-year-old Boston area native is a fairly eclectic guy himself. He was a member of both New Kids on the Block and his younger brother's Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, and has a movie resume that includes "Ransom," "The Sixth Sense" and three of the "Saw" horror flicks, as well as the TV series "Band of Brothers" and, since 2010, on "Blue Bloods" as a NYPD detective and the son of the police commissioner, played by Tom Selleck. With brothers Paul and Mark, he's also a co-owner of the Boston restaurant Wahlburgers, which is the subject of an A&E reality series of the same name. Wahlberg also is the subject of another reality series, "Donnie Loves Jenny," with his wife as of August 2014, former Playboy model and "The View" co-host, Jenny McCarthy. (If she's headed here along with him, I'll let everyone know. Trust me.) The Gilda's "Intimate Conversations" began in 2010 with Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, and has included Oscar-winner Helen Hunt, chef Curtis Stone, "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millian, author Nicholas Sparks and Lunden. Neal McDonough, Arrow's New Big Bad, Teases Death, Destruction & Damien Darhk's Dictatorship in Season 4Happy Arrow day!Our favorite vigilante violence party may be back on TV after that hellish hiatus that some call summer and we may still be jumping with joy, but things in Star City are far less than happy at the moment. Oliver and Felicity are well and good (finally!) but there's a menace roaming the streets, recruiting new bad guys and using the Force (or something) to torture people. Damien Darhk is a villain unlike any that Arrow has ever had, and that was clear from the moment he walked into that city officials meeting in last week's premiere. He's bigger, funnier and possibly more evil than any other Star City bad guy before him. He's also sticking around for a while, and will have a hand in pretty much all evil-doing in a season that is already promising some incredibly high stakes. E! News talked to Neal McDonough about playing the new big bad, and found out a few very worrying tidbits about what's to come for all the Star City citizens we've come to know and love. E! News Can you talk a bit about the notes you got from the producers, and what your goal was in playing Damien? Neal McDonough: We always said we were trying to make him more Lex Luthor-y, rather than just dark, because for me, my wheelhouse isn't black and white, it's the grey area in between. So for Damien, it's a comic book thing, so I get to put the comedy in as much as possible, make him funny in a really absurd situation. A couple of episodes from now, I put my hand in this guy's chest and kill three guys, and then quickly after that I'm like, oh, I could do this all day. I try to infuse as much comic book comedy into the character, you know, like [Jack] Nicholson did with the Joker and [Gene] Hackman did with Lex Luthor. So I'm trying to make the same thing with Damien Darhk, where you can't wait to see Damien come back on the screen, because he's just going to be crazy. There are times where I'm just enjoying punishing people so much and then there are moments that I have to get it done because I'm getting impatient, and I just want to throttle people. There's so many sides to Damien, but in all of it there's one true agenda to rule the world, and no one's going to stop me. E! News: Does Damien have any redeeming qualities? NM: Halfway through the season, you find out something about Damien: that he actually does have a soul. We'll go into why Damien turned into who he is. We're flashing back to why Damien's so evil and so determined to crush the world. He does have some heart in there somewhere. You haven't seen it yet, and you don't see it for a good third of the way through the season, and then once you do see something that he does love, then that sets him off, and he'll want to kill anyone who does mess with the thing that he does love. E! News: Should we be prepared to blame you for the death that was teased at the end of the premiere? NM: I can't speak to that. Damien has something to do with basically everything this season, without giving too much away, but it's about to get dark for a lot of people. So yeah, when I start to introduce how I turn my H.I.V.E. guys into H.I.V.E. members, what they do and what they will do for me and the allegiance they paid to me with no regard for their own bodies, it's pretty phenomenal. It's like a dictator ruling a country, and he takes the troops and says, OK, go into that battle right now and prepare to die, and they do. And then this one guy, this Arrow guy, comes along and just ruins everything. E! News: How worried should we be about Lance, since he's being forced to work with Damien? NM: Oh, Lance is in trouble. He's in a good bit of trouble with Damien, because I hold the card of his family over his head, so Lance has to pay allegiance to me or else I will just take his children and do something torturous and horrible to them. He knows that, because he's watched me do it to other people. So he's my little pawn right now, and Paul [Blackthorne] is such an incredible talent, it's ridiculous. He's standing his ground as much as he can against this sociopath, and it's great drama. E! News: Should we be worried about him recruiting anyone else as a pawn? NM: None of the heroes are recruitable, but there are certainly many people in this world that are recruitable, and that's who I go after. I'm Darth Vader, and I'm looking for as many people to sign up to my program as possible. E! News: What is Damien up to this week? NM: He's starting to build the power within Star City and people start to buy into this thing that he's selling. The audience doesn't know exactly what he's selling yet. When you do figure out what he's selling, you're like whoa, OK, that's awful. So people come to see what he's selling, and if it doesn't go well, I'm going to use my powers to make a point. A very dark point, without spoiling too much, but it is very entertaining to say the least. E! News: What is your favorite scene that you've shot so far? NM: Favorite scene that I shot the other night was when I turned regular guys into HIVE members, and the speech that I give to them to coerce them and get them to swallow the Koolaid, I'm like, OK, now… It's such a powerful scene, that's pretty fantastic. What's happening next week between me and Arrow, it's a massive spike between two of us. He messes with something that I actually love, and I'm going to break every limb in his body, and it sets up the scene which makes you realize, OK, Damien Darhk actually has, underneath all that—like the Grinch, whose heart was two times too small—his heart's probably 20 times too small, but there's some part in there underneath all that dark soul, and I'm so looking forward to next week. Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on the CW. Arrow's Damien Darhk to Also Haunt The Flash and Legends of TomorrowFalling under the category of “You Can Never Have Too Much of a Good Thing,” Neal McDonough will bring Arrow baddie Damien Darhk to both of the CW superhero series’ offshoots — The Flash and the midseason entry DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.The Justified alum made his Arrow debut in the Season 4 premiere as the heretofore unseen ally-turned-adversary of the mighty Ra’s al Ghul. Darhk has a plan to not so much destroy Star City but “let it die,” while among his skillsets are mystical powers that let him fell foes with a touch, or stop arrows mid-flight. On Legends of Tomorrow, which as detailed during the series’ New York Comic-Con panel on Sunday will flit around time each week, McDonough told ComicBook.com, “I look exactly the same in 1975 but you see he’s not as confident, and doesn’t have such an agenda … as he does now.” During his visit to The Flash, meanwhile, “I’m just this crazy, fun, enjoy-everything-while-I-kill-everybody type of character.” The Flash and Arrow air Tuesdays and Wednesdays, respectively, at 8/7c. The Good Wife: Vanessa Williams to Recur as Love Interest for EliVanessa Williams is joining CBS’ The Good Wife in a recurring role, TVLine has learned.Alan Cumming — who this year is again Emmy-nominated for Supporting Actor in a Drama — told TVLine’s Michael Ausiello on the Primetime Emmy Awards’ red carpet that the former Ugly Betty scene stealer will appear in multiple episodes as a love interest for his character, Eli Gold. The Good Wife opens Season 7 on Sunday, Oct. 4. In addition to her thrice Emmy-nominated Ugly Betty run, Williams’ previous TV credits include Desperate Housewives, 666 Park Avenue and Boomtown. ‘Rock This Boat’ Renewed For Season 2 By PopRock This Boat: New Kids On The Block is getting a second season on Pop. Band members Donnie, Joey, Danny, Jordan and Jonathan will all be back on board for their fan cruise which sets sail next month from Miami to Grand Turk, Bahamas.The first season of Rock This Boat told the real-life personal stories and long-awaited journeys of the band’s most devoted fans with limited backstage footage. In the second season, the eight-episode series will turn its focus directly on the band. Cameras will be placed inside each band member’s cabin, as well as backstage to capture their real interactions, banter and private moments. “We are excited for season two of ‘Rock This Boat,’ which will shine a light on our band’s amazing, unsurpassed relationship with our fans – the best fans in the history of music,” said Donnie Wahlberg. “We are also excited to show the millions of fans who cannot attend our cruises just how awesome the NKOTB and Blockhead relationship is, as we turn the cameras around on ourselves this time!” Rock This Boat is produced by Jarrett Creative Group in association with Donnie D. Productions. Donnie Wahlberg, Julie Insogna Jarrett and Seth Jarrett are executive producers. Miss America CEO Offers Public Apology to Vanessa Williams as She Takes the Judge's Seat 32 Years After Relinquishing Her TitleOver three decades after Vanessa Williams resigned her Miss America title due to a nude photo scandal, the 52-year-old actress-singer-model returned to the pageant Sunday to serve as a judge."We are thrilled to welcome her 'home' as our head judge as she helps select the 95th Anniversary Miss America," Miss America Executive Chairman and CEO Sam Haskell, III told PEOPLE ahead of the event. Williams – who was welcomed back by the organization 32 years after the release of nude photos caused her to relinquish her title – judged the contest alongside Zendaya, Brett Eldredge, snowboarding bronze medalist Amy Purdy and Taya Kyle, veteran activist and widow of US Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. The pictures, which were taken a year before her victory in the 1984 pageant, surfaced 10 months after Williams – the first black Miss America – was crowned. After Penthouse magazine announced their plans to buy and publish the photographs, Williams resigned her Miss America title in a press conference in July 1984, and the crown was passed down to runner-up Suzette Charles. But only four years after publicly relinquishing her title, Williams managed to establish herself as a serious recording artist with her debut album, The Right Stuff, which garnered her a 1989 Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. "I knew once the dust settled I'd get the chance to show people who I am," Williams told Good Morning America''s Robin Roberts on Thursday. The star went on to appear in a variety of iconic roles earning her a handful of awards, including three Emmy nods for her portrayal of editor-in-chief diva Wilhelmina Slater in the ABC comedy series Ugly Betty. The event on Sunday opened with a public apology to Williams from Haskell. "I have been a close friend to this beautiful and talented lady for 32 years," he said. "You have lived your life in grace and dignity and never was it more evident than during the events of 1984 when you resigned. "Though none of us currently in the organization were involved then on behalf of today's organization I want to apologize to you and to your mother Ms. Helen Williams. I want to apologize for anything that was said or done that made you feel any less the Miss America you are and the Miss America you always will be." Williams responded by giving Haskell a kiss on the cheek and calling the moment "unexpected but so beautiful. "I did the best I could as my reign of Miss America 1984, on behalf of my family, my mother in particular. I'm so honored to be back." ‘Purge 3’ Castings: Universal/Blumhouse Pic Gears Up With AdditionsBetty Gabriel, Edwin Hodge, Kyle Secor, JJ Soria, Mykelti Williamson and Elizabeth Mitchell have joined the cast of Universal/Blumhouse’s The Purge 3, the latest installment in the microbudget horror series that has been minting money for all parties. The third pic will reveal the next chapter of the 12 hours of government-sanctioned anarchy in which murder is legal and nobody can help you if you’re stuck outside. Writer-director James DeMonaco is back for a third go-round, and Frank Grillo already is set to return to star.Universal has set a July 1 release date, and the movie is near a shooting start in Rhode Island. The first two Purge films had a combined budget of $12 million and together have grossed $200 million worldwide, sealing a deal for a third pic back in October after the second one, The Purge: Anarchy, surpassed the original film’s $91 million worldwide gross on its way to $110 million. Sébastien K. Lemercier, Blumhouse Productions’ Jason Blum and Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form are producing again. This is part of Blumhouse’s big first-look deal at Uni. No character descriptions were gleaned. Gabriel (Experimenter) is next up opposite Grillo and Bojana Novakovic in the feature Beyond Skyline and is repped by Greene & Associates and Generate, Hodge (Chicago Fire) is repped by Pakula/King & Associates and The Priluck Company, Soria (American Crime) is repped by Pakula/King and David Dean Management, Secor (Resurrection) is repped by Gersh and Brillstein Entertainment, Mitchell (Lost) is repped by Paradigm and LINK Entertainment, and Williamson (Justified) is repped by Paradigm. Vanessa Williams returning to Miss America as a judgeIt has been 31 years since Vanessa Williams gave up her Miss America title amid a nude photo scandal, but now the singer/actress is returning to Atlantic City to act as a judge for the annual beauty pageant.The Associated Press reports Tuesday (Sept. 8) that Williams has been named head judge for 2016 competition, the finals of which take place live Sunday (Sept. 13). Williams, who was the first African-American Miss America, gave up her 1984 crown after Penthouse published explicit photos of her that were taken several years prior. Sam Haskell, executive chairman and CEO of the Miss America Organization, says he’s been working to try to get Williams back involved with the pageant since he became chairman. “I have been friends with Vanessa for 32 years,” Haskell tells the AP. “When the photos were published, there were people urging her to fight, but close supporters knew if she lost that fight that she would be completely removed from the history books. “Instead of pursuing what would surely have been a long and stressful legal battle, Vanessa decided to resign and focus on her career. … When I became chairman of Miss America, one of the first calls I made was to Vanessa, to try to find a way to get her to come back. Her return as a huge success is a way for us all to move forward and put the past behind us. It’s truly an honor to welcome her back to the Miss America Pageant.” Williams joins hosts Chris Harrison and Brooke Burke-Charvet and judges Brett Eldredge, Taya Kyle, Danica McKellar, Kevin O’Leary, Amy Purdy and Zendaya. It airs Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. ‘Arrow’ casts Neal McDonough as Ra’s al Ghul’s adversaryThe first bit of new casting for “Arrow” Season 4 has been revealed. Neal McDonough (“Justified”) will be a series regular, playing a role very familiar to fans of the DC Comics universe.McDonough will portray Damien Darhk, a former ally of Ra’s al Ghul who then became an adversary. The official character description reads, “Damien Darhk is a mysterious and sophisticated villain, and an adversary of the late Ra’s al Ghul. Now the leader of his own clandestine group, this cunning foe will prove to be one of the Arrow’s greatest challenges.” While he wasn’t seen in Season 3, Darhk’s presence was felt in Starling City in the season finale. Oliver offered to capture Darhk and trade him to Ra’s in exchange for the virus the Head of the Demon planned to release in Starling City. Unfortunately for Oliver, Darhk found out about the plot and fled the city before Oliver could find him. With Ra’s now out of the picture — and Malcom acting as Head of the Demon — Darhk may be looking for retribution, after Oliver tried to hand him over to his enemy. “Arrow” returns Oct. 7 on The CW. Vanessa Williams' Wedding Gown: 'I Felt like an Egyptian Goddess'(Pic) Looks like Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher weren't the only couple with wedding on the brain this weekend!Vanessa Williams swapped "I-do's" with longtime beau Jim Skrip on Saturday, July 4 in Buffalo, N.Y., donning not one but two dresses for the big day. First up, the 52-year-old singer-actress slipped into a breathtaking Carmen Marc Valvo design with a classic sleeveless silhouette. With a thick gold waist belt, the gown was a mixture of classic romance with a sexy goddess-like vibe. The Ugly Betty star topped it off with luxe straight locks, a traditional veil and a pair of T-strap heels. Overall, this glowing wedding look was perfect choice for the starlet. For her second dress, the actress did a quick change into another Carmen Marc Valvo design. While there aren't any photos of the pretty little number (yet), Vanessa's new hubby Jim dished to People about both gorgeous designs, admitting his new wife was just so gorgeous walking down the aisle, he didn't even notice her dress at first! "When I finally noticed the dress, it was perfect for Vanessa: sleek, simple and sexy," Skrip told People. "She then had another surprise for me: she did a quick change into another beautiful gown for the vows ceremony. She was stunning!" Well, we can't blame him for overlooking the main dress at first—girl looked phenomenal! Vanessa Williams' Wedding Gown: 'I Felt like an Egyptian Goddess'(Pic) Three years ago, Vanessa Williams met her now-husband in Egypt, and on their wedding day on Saturday, the star celebrated that fact in a very significant way.Rather than stick with one traditional dress, the actress slipped on two different gowns by Carmen Marc Valvo for her big day, both of which paid homage to her love story with her businessman beau, Jim Skrip. For her first gown, Williams opted for a “very silky and streamlined” skirt and top combination with a band of gold at the waist. “It was magnificent,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively. “I felt like an Egyptian goddess, and that was exactly the theme I was going for.” Her husband loved the dress as well — though it took him a minute to notice it! “Honestly, when I saw Vanessa walking down the aisle, I didn’t even notice her dress. We locked eyes and I got caught up in the moment, full of happiness and joy,” he tells PEOPLE. “When I finally noticed the dress, it was perfect for Vanessa: sleek, simple and sexy. She then had another surprise for me: she did a quick change into another beautiful gown for the vows ceremony. She was stunning!” The couple, both 52, held their weekend-long celebration at various venues in Buffalo, New York, where Skrip is from. Williams’s mother is also originally from there, and the city is what the duo initially bonded over. “He was wearing a Buffalo Sabres shirt, and I walked over to him and said, ‘Are you from Buffalo? My mom’s from Buffalo,’ ” says the actress. “There was an immediate attraction, and after a long, three-hour dinner, we had so much in common. It was obviously meant to be!” For all the photos and details from Williams’ “perfect” day, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday. Vanessa Williams Marries Jim Skrip on Fourth of July: Wedding DetailsThe sweetest of days! Vanessa Williams is married. The singer-actress and her fiance Jim Skrip said "I do" in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday, July 4, her rep confirms to Us Weekly."Road trip for the holiday weekend," the new bride tweeted just two days before tying the knot. "Happy 4th. Williams, 52, and the former accountant first met in Egypt back in 2013. "You go across the world to find somebody who's six hours away," the Broadway star told Philly.com in February 2014. The Ugly Betty alum first announced she was engaged during an appearance on The Queen Latifah Show in September 2014. "I got engaged," she said, showing off her new sparkler. "I have had a lot of good things happen. I turned 50 when we were in rehearsal [for Trip to Bountiful] on Broadway, I just got engaged a couple of weeks ago. It has been a lot of blessings on this trip. This is the third marriage for Williams. She shares daughters Melanie, 28, and Jillian, 26, and son Devin, 22, with ex-husband Ramon Hervey, whom she was married to from 1987 to 1997. She and Rick Fox split in 2005 after six years of marriage, and share daughter Sasha, 15. New Kids on the Block's Step by Step Turns 25(people.com) Twenty-five years ago this week, the New Kids on the Block had never been more popular, and the band's third album kicked off the biggest year ever for the fivesome.Before Step by Step hit shelves on June 5, 1990, the New Kids on the Block seemed to be at the peak of their game. The group's 1988 album Hangin' Tough had made them one of the most beloved pop acts in the world, and even those who shied away from boy band pop couldn't help but hum the album's two number-one hits, "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)" ... and the album's title track. That album generated five top-10 hits. Suddenly, the boys from Boston who had previously opened for Tiffany on her national tour found themselves headlining instead – and Tiffany was their opening act. That breakthrough album seemed like a tough act to follow at the time. Jonathan, Jordan, Joey, Donnie and Danny, however, only got bigger with Step by Step. The title track hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, displacing a certain iconic Roxette anthem, and it remained there for three weeks. "Step by Step" remains the band's biggest-selling single. The album also saw the release of "Tonight," another top-10 hit. "Let's Try It Again" hit No. 8 on the U.K. singles chart, though it failed to chart on the Billboard Top 100 in the U.S. And "Baby, I Believe in You" soared to the no. 1 spot in Japan. In the end, Step by Step went triple platinum, selling nearly 20 million albums worldwide, according to Billboard. In terms of raw numbers, that did not beat Hangin' Tough, which went platinum eight times over in the U.S., but it's important to remember that in the pop culture landscape of 1990, New Kids on the Block were not just album sales. The group also had the Coca-Cola-sponsored Magic Summer Tour, the first U.S. concert of which kicked off on June 23. (Remember Coke's MagiCan tie-in?) The tour ultimately grossed $74 million ($133 million, adjusted for inflation), making New Kids the top-grossing touring act in the country in 1990. According to a 1991 Los Angeles Times article, New Kids sold 3,291,987 tickets in 1990, narrowly beating even The Rolling Stones, whose 1990 tour sold 3,253,563 tickets. The same year also saw the release of the group's pay-per-view special, "No More Games – Live!" (It's currently posted on YouTube in full, so if your parents said no back in 1990, here's your chance to watch it for free.) And there was 1 (900) 909-5KIDS, the hotline that had one too many digits but nonetheless allowed fans to hear recorded messages by the band. "It will blow your mind, so call us right now," the commercial promises without actually explaining what the hotline will deliver. Of course, fans called anyway. New Kids mania also provided fans dolls, and the opportunity to prove one's status as the band's no. 1 fan buy buying all five figurines, Pokémon-style. And finally, New Kids on the Block even got a Saturday morning cartoon, which debuted in September 1990. The series finale (its fourteenth episode and a Christmas special) even debuted on primetime. According to this 1990 PEOPLE profile on New Kids on the Block, which compared their post-Step by Step fame with the height of Beatlemania, the band's product line – "spewing everything from posters to sleeping bags " – grossed an estimated $400 million in 1990 alone. "Add revenues from their best-selling authorized bio, 3 million-selling long-form videos, plus concert-ticket and record sales, and figure these Kids won't be wanting for lunch money," the article concludes. Donnie Wahlberg to Join ATX Television Festival Via Skype From NKOTB Tour!(etonline.com) ATX Television Festival's fourth season is getting more of "the right stuff" with the addition of Donnie Wahlberg.The 45-year-old actor and singer is taking a brief break from his New Kids on the Block tour to make an appearance via Skype to the Boomtown panel on Saturday, June 6 in Austin, TX, ETonline can exclusively reveal. Wahlberg, who played Detective Joel Stevens, will be joining fellow co-stars Fred Golan, Mykelti Williamson and series executive producers Graham Yost and Jon Avnet for a mini Boomtown reunion. The NBC procedural drama, which ran for 24 episodes from 2002 to 2003, received critical praise for its innovative point-of-view shifting style, and has since gained a cult-like fan following. "Boomtown is one of our 'Cancelled Too Soon' shows -- I think it had a season and a half -- and we've been trying really hard to pull the cast together from all different places," ATX co-founder Caitlin McFarland explained to ETonline. "So in addition to having the cast there and Graham Yost and Jon Avnet, we found out this week that we're also going to live-chat Skype with Donnie Wahlberg from on tour with New Kids on the Block." "He's apparently 'heartbroken' that he can't be there," McFarland continued. "It was a special show for him and he really wanted to be there for Graham and Jon, so he will be joining electronically to the Q&A portion of that screening." In addition to reuniting with the stars of Boomtown, ATX fans will have the opportunity to attend panels with some of TV's most beloved past, present and future TV shows including Gilmore Girls, Dream On, Orphan Black, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Queer as Folk. "We know that people come for the one or two things that they're excited about," ATX co-founder Emily Gipson dished of the season four line-up. "But the people who have the best experience with this festival are the people who have gone to those things, but also wandered into other rooms. [When] they're open to discovering something new, that's where the magic happens." "We are a very unique and different festival. So much about what makes this so special is meeting other fans, and finding sort of 'your people,'" McFarland explained. "So much of the festival is about the programming, but it's also about the community who love TV. So talk to the people in line and share stories and talk about what you're checking out because you might discover a whole new group of friends and new favorites." 'American Idol' finale: New Kids on the Block and Daniel Seavey have 'The Right Stuff'(Video) The most glorious thing happened on the "American Idol" Season 14 finale Wednesday (May 13). Not only were the New Kids on the Block there to perform, but wide-eyed moppet Daniel Seavey was the sixth man for the early-'90s boy band.The delightful medley includes such hits as "Please, Don't Go Girl," "Step by Step," "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" and some inexplicably asymmetrical long jackets/kilt-type things. Seriously, what is up with those outfits? Seavey does his best to keep up with the dance moves, but Danny, Donnie, Jordan, Jon and Joey have been performing those moves for over 25 years, so it's understandable he'd have a little trouble. Fun fact: Seavey was born almost 10 years to the day after NKOTB's first No. 1 hit, "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)." CBS ANNOUNCES ITS 2015-2016 PRIMETIME LINEUP2015-2016 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE(N=New, RTP=Regular Time Period, NTP=New Time Period) All Times ET/PT MONDAY 8:00-8:30 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY 8:30-9:00 PM LIFE IN PIECES (N) 8:00-9:00 PM SUPERGIRL (N) (Starting in November) 9:00-10:00 PM SCORPION 10:00-11:00 PM NCIS: LOS ANGELES TUESDAY 8:00-9:00 PM NCIS 9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: NEW ORLEANS 10:00-11:00 PM LIMITLESS (N) WEDNESDAY 8:00-9:00 PM SURVIVOR 9:00-10:00 PM CRIMINAL MINDS 10:00-11:00 PM CODE BLACK (N) THURSDAY 8:00-11:00 PM, ET/ NFL THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (Premieres Sept. 17) 5:00-8:00 PM, PT 8:00-8:30 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY (RTP) (Starting in November) 8:30-9:00 PM LIFE IN PIECES (NTP) (Starting in November) 9:00-9:30 PM MOM (Starting in November) 9:30-10:00 PM ANGEL FROM HELL (N) (Starting in November) 10:00-11:00 PM ELEMENTARY (Starting in November) FRIDAY 8:00-9:00 PM THE AMAZING RACE 9:00-10:00 PM HAWAII FIVE-0 10:00-11:00 PM BLUE BLOODS SATURDAY 8:00-9:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY 9:00-10:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY 10:00-11:00 PM 48 HOURS SUNDAY 7:00-8:00 PM 60 MINUTES 8:00-9:00 PM MADAM SECRETARY 9:00-10:00 PM THE GOOD WIFE 10:00-11:00 PM CSI: CYBER (NTP) Jenny McCarthy Gets Tattoo of Husband Donnie Wahlberg's Name on Her Body: See Where She Put the New Ink!(Pic) Jenny McCarthy is declaring her love for husband Donnie Wahlberg in a permanent way!The 42-year-old model debuted a new tattoo of her husband's name and the word "love" on her social media accounts Monday. The star's fingers can be seen resting on her hubby's face in the sentimental pic, and it seems like the words were tatted in on McCarthy's index and middle finger. "Cuz I do.....," the former View host wrote. Just minutes after posting the fresh ink pic, the blond beauty clarified to fans through her Twitter that the inky memento is definitely not fake or temporary. "I'm not used to saying the words 'it's real' but yes, it's real," the star wrote. Altogether now: Awww! McCarthy is no stranger to body art. Back in 2013, the mom of one got a new tattoo on her foot during the halftime blackout at the Super Bowl. Although that time, McCarthy opted for a rose on her foot. The star and her News Kids On The Block husband tied the knot last year in August, and the happy couple have been madly in love ever since. Donnie Wahlberg and Kayla Harrity @ the GRAND OPENING of the Verizon Destination StoreDonnie Wahlberg and Kayla Harrity @ the GRAND OPENING of the Verizon Destination Store: Video.Devon Gummersall & Mykelti Williamson Go 'Underground' With WGN AmericaDevon Gummersall (Mad Men) and Mykelti Williamson (Justified) have landed roles in Underground, WGN America’s pre-Civil War series about the Underground Railroad. The series from Sony Pictures TV and Tribune Studios follows a group of slaves who plan a daring escape from a Georgia plantation to cross 600 miles to freedom. They are aided along the way by a secret abolitionist couple running a station on the Underground Railroad, as they evade those tasked with bringing them back — dead or alive.Gummersall is set to play the series regular role of John Hawkes, a lawyer and abolitionist who is trying to reconcile the way things are with the way things should be. Repped by Don Buchwald and Associates and GEF Management, Gummersall has a role in the current final season of Mad Men, and his recent credits include iZombie, The Mentalist and CSI. Williamson will recur on Underground as Moses, a fiery preacher for the slaves on the plantation who decides to take his family on the run. Along with recurring as Limehouse on Justified, his recent credits include Hawaii Five-O, Nashville and 24. He is repped by Paradigm, Frontline Management and Myman Greenspan. Once Upon a Time's Lana Parrilla Talks Regina's Clash With Team Evil, a 'Cool' Resurrection, Losing Robin and MoreOnce Upon a Time‘s Regina is on a mission, to find the storybook Author and in turn hopefully secure her own happy ending — whatever that might be for a famously evil queen.Rumplestiltskin, though, has appropriated Operation Mongoose’s endgame for his own purposes, allying with the Queens of Darkness (Maleficent, Ursula and Cruella de Vil) to storm Storybrooke and hunt down the Author themselves. With Season 4 of the ABC series resuming this Sunday at 8/7c, TVLine invited Lana Parrilla to preview Regina’s next move, assess her alliance with Emma, weigh in on Regina’s romantic sacrifice and more. TVLINE | You’ve been busy this morning! In just the one hour that I was at the gym, I saw you on the TV twice. Oh, yeah. It was a fun, fun morning, bouncing around [New York City]…. There’s nothing like GMA for a wake-up call. The energy there is so fun. I loved it. TVLINE | Once Upon a Time resumes Season 4 this Sunday. What has Regina been up to since last we tuned in? Well, a lot has happened, but she’s still on the hunt for this Author, and she’s paired up with Henry (played by Jared Gilmore) — which is adorable, in my eyes, because it’s so nice to see them kind of working in tandem. They’re kind of like little “partners in crime,” and they’ve developed a friendship, not just a mother/son relationship. And Emma (Jennifer Morrison), having learned of [Operation Mongoose], decides that she wants to be a part of it as well, so the three of them kind of work together to find this Author. TVLINE | Last we saw, they had found the library with the blank books in it. What new clues do they have to go? Regina gets this idea that the one person who may know more about this book than anyone else is Pinocchio, so she goes to Marco to speak to Pinocchio and see if he can tell her anything about this Author. We also have Eion Bailey returning — I can’t tell you how or when! – but that’s going to be very interesting. TVLINE | There is a new promo that shows Emma and Regina in the street unleashing some magic at a Chernobog. Have they been honing their “team-up” skills, as far as working in tandem together? Yeah. I think what they’ve realized is that they are stronger together — like the yin and yang, the light and dark, they go hand in hand, so working together they’re much more powerful than they are working alone. TVLINE | In that clip, they kind of like give each other a nod like, “OK — let’s do this,” and then they let things fly. Would you say they are still frenemies, or are they full-on allies at this point? I wouldn’t say they’re full-on allies at this point, but I think that they are still discovering what their relationship is. Obviously they’re both Henry’s mom, and they’re kind of forced to be in each other’s lives because of that, but I think what’s going to surprise them is actually how much they really do care for one another on a friendship level. And over time, what you’re going to really see is how close they’ve become, more so as family. Which is also how I see the Charmings at this stage, with Regina and Henry — they’re all a family of some sort. So, I think Regina and Emma are quite surprised by how close they have gotten over the year. And one thing I love is they ultimately have each other’s backs. TVLINE | [Series creators] Adam and Eddy told me that what Rumpelstiltskin is up to with the Queens of Darkness will put them on a “collision course” with Regina and Operation Mongoose. Is that kind of the crux of the drama for the second half of the season? Exactly. “Team Evil,” which is what we like to call them, bands together and they make their way into Storybrooke, so Emma and Regina are going to have to deal with this evil trio. TVLINE | Of course, Maleficent, trapped beneath the library, has been vanquished twice before. Without saying how they do it, is it pretty convincing the way they bring that character back into the mix? Yes. Absolutely. It’s very convincing. And it’s super cool. I saw a cut of it the other day, and I got chills throughout my entire body. TVLINE | If I’m not a Dalmatian, why should I be afraid of this Cruella de Vil (Victoria Smurfit)? Because she’s not a threat to just animals. She has an evil streak that runs deeper than we know, and you’ll see that, I believe, in Episode 18, when you get her backstory. TVLINE | Are there any new kernels of information about Regina that we will learn through flashbacks? In Episode 14 there’s a really great flashback with Regina and Mal, about how they met and first became friends. And we have something else coming up, down the road. In Episode 20, we have a surprise that you’ll see in a flashback. TVLINE | Regina herself is “opportunistically evil” these days. What anymore brings out her biggest, baddest self? Is it threats to family…? I think that when someone is being wronged, when something is unfair, when justice is needed in a specific moment, she’s learning to embrace her darkness. She’s learning how to use her powers differently than she did before. Before it was just to hurt, to manipulate, to terrorize, and now it’s to protect. And that’s the difference between Regina and some of the other heroes. They don’t want to kill, they don’t want to hurt anyone, but Regina is not afraid to kill or hurt someone if it’s for the right reason. If she can protect the greater good, and if that means ripping someone’s heart out, then she’ll do so. TVLINE | Did you enjoy this past half-season, getting to finally play an actual romance for Regina? I did. It’s such a beautiful, vulnerable side that we haven’t seen in her — you know falling in love and seeing the hearts in her pupils…. TVLINE | To see her face light up…. Yeah, and genuinely smile without any sort of evil plan behind it. She’s feeling love in a way that she hasn’t felt in a very long time, if ever, because she’s an adult. Puppy love, with Daniel, her first love, is very different from what Robin is to her and her life now. TVLINE | She was pretty magnanimous there, letting Robin head out into the real world with Marian. Do we file that under, “Better to have loved and lost than to have not loved at all”? I think it was a heroic act, and a very selfless act as well. She really put herself on the backburner and did the right thing, saving Marian, even if it didn’t feel good in the moment. As hard as it was for Regina to make that decision, ultimately she did the right thing, and deep down inside she knows that she did, and so she’s very confident with her decision, even it if it means having a broken heart for however long. Saving the life of someone took precedent over her relationship with Robin, and ultimately it’s for Robin too, because [he and Marian] share a son. It’s a very complicated dynamic. TVLINE | It really is, because Regina and Robin had to pursue this romance while Marian was frozen for a bit there – and some viewers took issue with that. Yeah, but I think what a lot of people unfortunately had missed — because they called it adultery and all these things — was it’s really hard to look at that relationship and compare it real life, because it doesn’t work that way. First of all, someone doesn’t die and then come back 30 years later. The only example I can give is the movie Castaway, where Tom Hanks gets stranded, or, you know, a prisoner of war. Someone is pronounced dead because you haven’t heard from them and the wives think, “I guess my husband is gone, and I need to move on in my life.” That’s exactly what this was with Robin Hood. His wife had died 30 years ago, and he moved on, and the fact that she came back… is not a natural thing that would happen in our lives. It’s called “a television show,” and it’s a fantastical television show at that, and it all happened through magic. TVLINE | Lastly, there’s another promo that suggests Emma might take a walk on the “dark side” at some point this season. Is that a case where Regina would swing into action and use her evil for good to prevent that? I think Regina has learned a lot from her mistakes, and she doesn’t want to see Emma make the same mistakes, so she’s going to stand by her side and protect her as much as she possibly can to make sure she doesn’t cross over to the darkness. Gary Basaraba on Forever“The Man in the Killer Suit” -- When all the ingredients for a sensational, scandalous murder investigation are combined -- a fairytale romance gone wrong, a jealous mentor and lover, an anxious, wealthy father of the beautiful fiancée – does love really conquer all? An engaged British aristocrat turns up dead in Central Park, and his identity is called into question, as well as who killed him. The trail leads Henry and Jo through one of New York’s top luxury department stores and from working class to upper crust New York society. Henry remembers back to 1957 when, once again, he and his family had to pack up and move to protect his secret. Coincidentally, Abe crosses paths with the woman who he memorably shared his first kiss with as a youngster, on “Forever,” WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network. (Rebroadcast. OAD: 12/2/14)“Forever” stars Ioan Gruffudd as Henry, Judd Hirsch as Abe, Alana De La Garza as Detective Jo Martinez, Lorraine Toussaint as Lt. Joanne Reece, Donnie Keshawarz as Detective Hanson and Joel David Moore as Lucas. Guest starring are Mackenzie Mauzy as Abigail Morgan, Katie Paxton as Emily Sontag, Gary Basaraba as Norman Sontag, Laura Fraser as Patricia Bedard and Blair Brown as Fawn Mahoney Ames. “The Man in the Killer Suit” is written by Cameron Litvack and directed by Jace Alexander. New Kids on the Block on nostalgia, upcoming tour(cbsnews.com) Only a few hundred people could squeeze into the New York's Gramercy Theatre Sunday night for a rare intimate New Kids on the Block show.The concert, aimed at serving the group's super fans (known as "Blockheads"), found the boy band plowing through classic hits and new tracks -- complete with the signature dances, with the crowd singing along. In between songs, Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Danny Wood and Jon Knight took questions and song requests from the crowd. At one point, a someone shouted for the group's Christmas single, "This One's For the Children." Though the song was clearly not on their set list, the New Kids treated the crowd to an a cappella-turned-sing-a-long version of the holiday hit. By the end of the night, the guys took off into the crowd to perform, shake hands and take selfies with fans. The music portion, at least, is a little taste of what can be expected when the New Kids kick off this year's arena tour, dubbed the "Main Event," in May. "We look for ways to mix it up," McIntyre told CBS News. "We want to bring the spirit of that show into the tour. And I think that will happen. I like the fact that as a group we can perform for a small theater like [Gramercy Theatre] or major arenas." Joining them as openers this summer are TLC and rapper Nelly. The New Kids on the Block performed at a festival with the R&B/pop group TLC a couple of years ago and thought it would be fun to team up someday. That time is now. When asked whether there will be any collaborations on the road or in the studio, McIntyre said, "The intention is there. That would be amazing. From the minute they came on the scene, we loved TLC like everybody else. To be on a record with them would be amazing. If Nelly could get on there too I think it would be killer." The upcoming tour will feature a "360-stage" that will take up a large portion of the arena floor, giving additional fans more a chance to get close to the band. "Our fans are such a part of the show. We like to get around the whole arena and it suits us," said McIntyre. Closer to the tour's launch the New Kids will spend two to three weeks in rehearsals. "We have the staple choreography that we clean up," McIntyre said. For the upcoming outing, the New Kids teamed with Cottonelle as part of campaign aimed at convincing Americans to leave their underwear behind while they "Go Cottonelle and Go Commando." "I was very excited when the opportunity came along with Cottonelle -- honestly because I use the product," said Wood. "And I'm a single dad of four kids." So TP is a necessity in his household. And about that going commando tie-in... "I think there will more of us onstage going commando than ever...The waistlines may be extra low this tour," joked McIntyre. "There's nothing more rock and roll than going commando." Commando or not, the guys say that they're all about having a great time. Formed in 1984, New Kids on the Block became huge sensations with the hits "The Right Stuff," "Hangin' Tough" and "Step by Step." The group split in the mid-90s and didn't officially reunite until 2008. Since then, the guys have yet to slow down -- going on major tours, releasing new music and recently debuting the TV series, "Rock This Boat," which documents the band's cruise with fans. "We met a long time ago -- 25 some years ago, and there was that huge connection back in the day and then we moved on and they [the fans] grew up and grew out of it. And we had other lives. And then somehow we came back together in 2008," said the 42-year-old McIntyre. "Timing is everything. We were ready to embrace it and look back at it with an open heart and embrace the nostalgia. We also feel young and current now so we get to have fun with that." McIntyre says they all get along better than they ever have. "We are benefiting from staying together for so long. A lot of bands don't get to reap the benefits of that - you know, you break up, you move on," he said. "It's not easy. If you're lucky enough to stick around for as long enough as we have you know how to navigate through stuff and keep it simple and enjoy it and be grateful." And they're grateful for all the fans. It's a mix of age groups, too, they say. The people who grew up with the NKOTB in '80s come out to the show to relive their youth -- and some of them even bring their children. "I feel like with the fans it's like a getaway for them. They have lives. They have careers. And they're moms. And they can just get with us and have a good time," said McIntyre. Go here for a list of NKOTB tour dates. Sighting(Pic) Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg dancing to New Kids on the Block’s “Cover Girl” at E11even Miami’s one-year anniversary .?.?.Cottonelle and New Kids on the Block Encourage Americans to Go CommandoBath tissue maker Cottonelle and some of pop music's biggest icons, New Kids on the Block, are teaming up to "clean up" the concert scene and convince Americans to use Cottonelle with CleanRipple texture and ultimately "Go Cottonelle, Go Commando." On the heels of their major 'The Main Event' tour announcement and New York City media blitz , New Kids on the Block is joining Cottonelle at the Gramercy Theatre on Sunday, February 15, for an intimate concert in the only show prior to their highly anticipated 'Main Event Tour' launching this summer.At the show, concertgoers will be helping kick off a movement to put an end to the pop-culture phenomenon of underwear throwing at concerts. The commando-themed concert is part of a larger effort by the toilet paper brand to let people know that only Cottonelle has CleanRipple texture to get you clean, giving you the confidence to go commando. As a multi-platinum, chart-topping group and the original teen boy band, the New Kids on the Block are no strangers to having underwear thrown on stage. Now, as they gear up for 'The Main Event' tour, they are putting an end to it once and for all. The partnership launches at an exciting moment for fans as show dates for 'The Main Event' sold out within minutes; fans were clamoring for tickets at such high demand that ticket websites crashed. "We know our fans like to have fun at our concerts—and what's more fun than going commando? That's why we've partnered with Cottonelle," said Danny Wood of New Kids on the Block. Cottonelle knows that the act of going commando is a signal that a person feels clean enough – and confident enough – to remove the layer that covers their most delicate parts. According to a recent survey conducted by Braun Research, nearly two-thirds of Americans said if they felt cleaner, they would be more likely to go commando. As a brand with a history of facilitating real conversations about bathroom habits and wiping, the Go Commando program is a natural evolution in differentiating Cottonelle CleanRipple texture as a unique enabler of clean. "By encouraging people to go commando, we're setting a new standard and making a bold statement about being clean 'down there.' Our unique CleanRipple texture is what sets Cottonelle apart from the flatter patterns our competitors offer. Cottonelle gets you so clean you can go commando," said Amanda O'Connor, Cottonelle Senior Brand Manager. "We're excited to team up with New Kids on the Block and start a new obsession -- getting people to Go Cottonelle and Go Commando." The program is supported by advertising, digital, retail and shopper marketing debuting February 16. The creative features the return of British documentary filmmaker and Cottonelle advocate, Cherry Healey, interacting with real people who've used Cottonelle with CleanRipple and asking them to go commando on the spot. The Cottonelle and New Kids on the Block partnership includes a sponsorship of the first leg of the band's 2015 summer tour. During which, Cottonelle is offering concert attendees an elevated bathroom experience, VIP seat upgrades and surprise meet and greets with the band at select tour stops. CleanRipple texture is available in all Cottonelle toilet paper and flushable cleansing cloths products. For a free sample of Cottonelle head to Cottonelle.com and dare your friends to Go Cottonelle and Go Commando. Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #GoCommando. Vanessa Williams To Star In Fox Pilot 'Fantasy Life'Vanessa Williams is set to star opposite Kevin Connolly in Fox’s multi-camera/hybrid pilot Fantasy Life, written by Tim McAuliffe based on the memoir by one of U.S.’ top fantasy experts, ESPN’s Matthew Berry. When a hard-working guy, Mitch (Connolly) lands his ultimate dream job hosting a fantasy football show, he’s forced to navigate office politics while becoming the star he never thought he could be. Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives alumna Williams will play Terry, the bold, pragmatic, unapologetically caustic and apologetically compassionate SVP of Programming at a major sports network, and Mitch’s (Connolly) new boss.In addition to starring, Connolly is executive producing alongside McAuliffe and 3 Arts’ Michael Rotenberg, Jonathan Berry, Greg Walter and Troy Zien. Williams, repped by UTA, manager Geordie Frey and attorney P.J. Shapiro, guest stars on New Girl — also for Fox and 20th TV — later this month. She was approached for multiple project this season. Neal McDonough, Luc Robitaille Among Those In Sunday Hockey Game: SundanceWhile we wait for the puck to drop on all these films sales I expect to happen here in Sundance, tomorrow marks the 8th year of the Luc Robitaille Celebrity Shootout hockey game for the Echoes of Hope charity. The game always brings an unexpected mix of celebs and the movie crowd. This year, Andie MacDowell & Taylor Dayne are coaching teams that include Neal McDonough, Jason Priestly, Vampire Diaries’ Steven R. McQueen, David Boreanaz, Alan Thicke, Five for Fighting’s John Ondrasik, Matisyahu and Sony Pictures Classics co-prexy Tom Bernard. The game starts 1:30pm at the Park City Ice Arena.New Kids on the Block donate $20K to TLC album fund(Video) TLC’s Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the girl group’s final album has received a huge boost from Donnie Wahlberg and surpassed its initial $150K goal.Wahlberg surprised his New Kids on the Block bandmates by announcing they would donate $10,000 toward the creation of the album, then sought to “make up” for his promise by pledging an additional $10K of his own money, he told “Extra.” “The New Kids are [contributing $10,000] that I put them on the spot for, and I’ll [donate] my own extra $10,000. That’s $20,000 for TLC,” said the 45-year-old reality star, referencing bandmates Joey McIntyre, Danny Wood, Jordan Knight and Jonathan Knight. The two groups, along with Nelly, announced their upcoming joint tour this week. As of 2:30 p.m. Friday, TLC had surpassed its goal of $150,000, with more than 2,000 backers tossing in a total of $206,324. The campaign still has 26 days to go. Wahlberg said he wants the perks that come along with a donation the size of his, including a professional photo shoot with TLC members Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas and Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins. “I’m going to be in the video,” he quipped. “I’m going to lip-sync in the video. I want to play bongos during their concert.” Katy Perry reportedly donated $5,000 toward the project and TLC’s T-Boz thanked her via Twitter. New Kids on the Block on New Boybands: 'Come to the Show and See How it's Done'New Kids on the Block are ready to take new boy bands on the block to school.The Boston-based veteran group, which announced a summer tour with TLC and Nelly this week, said contemporary boy bands should check out their live concerts to learn from the experts. "As far as boy bands, you know, we dance, we perform. I mean, I hate to sound like an old fogey, but these kids don't know what they're missing nowadays because we got to sing and dance for our supper, you know what I mean, and we love to do that," Joey McIntyre, 42, said in an interview Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. "So maybe a few kids could come to the show and see how it's done." The Main Event tour kicks off May 1 in Las Vegas. Tickets go on sale Jan. 31. In the last few years, boy bands have resurged, with One Direction leading the pack, followed by 5 Seconds of Summer. Others, from The Wanted to Mindless Behavior, have had some success. Donnie Wahlberg, 45, said the decades-long bond between New Kids on the Block and their fans makes it worthwhile. "I would rather have the credibility of thousands of fans and have them be happy. That's what we've learned and that's why we're still here," Wahlberg said. "We keep it alive because it stays alive between us and our fans. It's a real relationship now." Wahlberg and McIntyre, along with bandmates Danny Wood and brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, began playing together more than 30 years ago. They said they're excited to share a stage with one of the top-selling female groups of all-time and the multiplatinum Nelly. "It's always nice to go out onstage and know there might be some people out there that haven't seen what you do, so you're engaging with them. It keeps it fresh for you," McIntyre said. "It just adds to the juice of the night, and we're ready to do that." The 42-date tour wraps July 2 in Buffalo, New York. Mindy Project Adds Vanessa WilliamsAnother big name is joining The Mindy Project‘s on-call rotation: Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty) will guest-star in an upcoming episode, TVLine has confirmed.Williams will play Dr. Phillips in the current season’s Episode 17, titled “Danny Castellano Is My Nutritionist.” The actress announced the gig via her Instagram feed. New Kids on the Block announce tourNew Kids On the Block are back, again.The '80s boy band, which reunited in 2008, announced a spring-into-summer tour this morning, with dates starting in Las Vegas on May 1 and scheduled through July 2, in Buffalo. For "The Main Event," as the tour is titled, NKOTB -- that is, Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight, Joey McIntrye, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood -- will be joined by guests Nelly and TLC. "Our fans keep asking us to come back out on the road, and we want to keep giving them what they want!" Wahlberg enthused in a statement. "We wanted to make sure it was something new and fresh and fun and totally worthwhile for all of our supporters year after year." Are You Ready for The Main Event?Happy New Year to our Blockhead family! We already have so much to celebrate in 2015. Your support over the past two weeks with our NKOTB TV take-over: Donnie Loves Jenny, Wahlburgers, Rock This Boat, The Goldberg’s AND The McCarthy’s was felt through the trending topics and Facebook love. But we couldn’t just leave it at that- now we’re coming to you...Drum roll please....This summer we’re heading back out and will be headlining THE MAIN EVENT TOUR! Not only will we be hitting 40+ cities across the US and Canada, we’ll be bringing special guests TLC and NELLY along with us. You heard us right, this is an all new New Kids on the Block headline show. We’re pretty much bringing all the hit songs to you! To make it even better- we have an exciting new stage design, performing 360 degrees in the round. This new production gives you the chance to see us up close and personal and for us to be close to all of our Blockheads. And for the first time we’ll be offering stage-side bar seating in our TOP SHELF VIP PACKAGE which also includes access to THE RINGSIDE EXHIBIT showcasing memorabilia from each of our personal collections over the years. Click here to see all that the VIP packages have to offer. It’s gonna be an epic party and we want you to be there. Block Nation pre-sales begins January 22nd. You must be a Block Nation member in order to participate in the pre-sales. If you’re not already a member, sign up here! All other info can be found at www.nkotb.com. We love you guys- thank you for being part of our family. Can’t wait to see you at #TheMainEvent! TICKETS ON-SALE JANUARY 31ST // AMEX PRE-SALE JANUARY 23RD THE MAIN EVENT Tour Dates (As of January 20, 2015): Fri May 1 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay How Donnie Wahlberg & Jenny McCarthy Are Avoiding the Reality Couples CurseIt's not the first honeymoon phase for either Donnie Wahlberg or Jenny McCarthy, but Wahlberg can feel that, this time, this marriage is built to last."We've both been married before, but we weren't ready for that," Wahlberg, 45, tells PEOPLE. "I think we got in before we were prepared to, and now we've finally found what we've always wanted." A year after they began dating, the duo exchanged vows in August at the historic Hotel Baker in St. Charles, Illinois, outside McCarthy's hometown of Chicago. "We have both been independent for so long," he says, "but there's also 20-some-odd years each of us sort of looking to settle down and pitch a tent and have a family life." Though the former View host, 41, and the Blue Bloods actor have now made it official, Wahlberg says not much has changed since saying "I do." "No real surprises. She didn't suddenly, like, pull out her false teeth or reveal she had a wig," he jokes. "Everything is kind of the same. That's just how we are. It's like there really is no one else around when we are together." Even now, with cameras documenting every moment of their marriage on the reality series Donnie Loves Jenny, the stars aren't afraid the show will affect their relationship. "I know people say there is a curse on reality couples, but my opinion is that reality shows don't break up couples – couples break up couples," he says. "For us, we felt like we could make a fun show that was very reflective of our lives and had a lot of love in it," he continues. "It's something we wanted to do, we felt like it would be fun and we could have a great time." Donnie Loves Jenny airs Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. ET on A&E. Morgan Freeman Once Told Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg to Get a Room-Naturally!Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg are kinda known as a couple who enjoy packing on the PDA.But they may think twice about packing it on at the Emmys again. "I know you're newlyweds, but you cannot keep your hands off each other," Meredith Vieira pointed out during Wahlberg's sit-down on The Meredith Vieira Show, airing Thursday. "Do people ever stop you on the street and say 'get a room'?" "Yes, they do," the Blue Bloods star and New Kids On The Block member admitted. "Every day they do." And not just "people," either... "We were at the Emmys, actually, and we were kissing backstage," Wahlberg recalled. "We didn't really sit in our seats, we were just backstage in the green room kissing the whole time, and we heard this voice behind us go, 'Get a room.' And I look back and it's Morgan Freeman." "That's pretty cool, when Morgan Freeman tells you," Vieira said. "Well, yeah," Wahlberg agreed. "I mean, we're happy. We're in love and we're happy, and I'd rather have everyone say 'you guys are all over each other all over the place' than 'look at the drama you have all over the place.' We are not fighting, we are not bickering, we're happy." Amen to that. (And not just because an actor who's played God multiple times has witnessed their happiness up close and personally.) Next up for McCarthy's happily wedded husband, NKOTB has been booked as the house band for Live! With Kelly and Michael on Jan. 20. We have a feeling quite a few fans will be rising and shining early for the occasion. 'Rock This Boat': Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood can make moms cryBoyband NKOTB has been throwing fan cruises for nearly five years and now they are showcasing that experience in a new reality show for Pop TV called "Rock This Boat."The show follows different groups of fans who all have one thing in common -- they love Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood and Joey McIntyre and have since the 1980s. One of the fans living her dream by cruising for a week with her favorite band is Amanda, a self-claimed wild child and married mother of two who only has eyes for Donnie. In fact she likes the newly married Wahlberg so much she has a "free pass" from her husband to get busy with the star. While the trip starts as just a getaway with the gals, judging by the season preview, things take a dark turn. A scene shows Amanda brought to the breaking point and bawling hysterically. Isn't this supposed to be fun? Zap2it caught up with the band at the Winter Press Tour and couldn't resist asking the guys just what happened to cause the waterworks. "She starts off wanting to have a free pass with Donnie," explains Wahlberg, talking in third person. "Then she has a run in with Danny. The breakdown might be the best thing you ever have seen on reality TV." "I'm the single guy," Wood adds, trying to justify the situation. Wood assures Zap2it he isn't completely the source of the tears. "There are crazy people everywhere," McIntyre interjects and tries to help. "We have fans that are doctors and lawyers and teachers and moms and the whole thing. All of society is represented very well within Block Nation. So you are going to get a girl like that ... A girl who will do anything for V.I.P. Yes, it's probably great TV and she signed up for it." "That aside, there's tons of good old fashioned love," McIntyre assures in the series. "Rock This Boat" airs Wednesday, January 14 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Pop TV. Amazon Drama Series 'Bosch' Gets Premiere DateOn the heels of the success of its original comedy Transparent, winner of two Golden Globes on Sunday, Amazon has slated the premiere of its first original drama series, Bosch. The 10-episode adaptation of Michael Connelly’s best-selling Harry Bosch book series will debut February 13 on Prime Instant Video in the U.S., UK and Germany. Here is a trailer: Video.Bosch was one of Amazon’s first two drama series orders last spring. The other, Chris Carter’s After, was recently scrapped. Bosch stars Titus Welliver as LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch, whose investigation takes on a life-and-death urgency when a killer who has confessed to a boy’s murder escapes custody and begins a murderous rampage across Los Angeles. Jamie Hector, Amy Aquino, Lance Reddick, Annie Wersching, Sarah Clarke and Jason Gedrick co-strar. The series was developed for television by Eric Overmyer and executive produced by Overmyer, Connelly, and Henrik Bastin. Wahlburgers restaurants are coming to New YorkWahlburgers is coming to New York City.John Cestare, from Big Apple Burgers, has secured franchise rights from Mark, Donnie and Paul Wahlberg and will be opening seven locations. The lease is signed on a Coney Island store, to open May 1, and six locations are slated for Manhattan. We’re told Cestare will appear on Season 3 of the A&E reality show about the family’s Boston-based burger joint and will also be opening a franchise in Vegas. More are in the works in Florida and Philadelphia. Goldbergs Sneak Peek: Hang Tough with Erica's New Kids on the Block VideoThe Goldbergs definitely has "The Right Stuff" this week.On Wednesday's episode (8:30/7:30c, ABC), Barry (Troy Gentile) and Adam (Sean Giambrone) come across Erica's (Hayley Orrantia) old New Kids on the Block memorabilia and, like any good brothers, they host a viewing party — and much more. "You're just a borderline adult woman who likes lame boy bands," Barry tells Erica in the exclusive sneak peek below. (Um, is there anything wrong with that?!) Check out Erica's video — and see which member she'll be loving forever. The Goldbergs airs Wednesdays at 8:30/7:30c on ABC. A&E to Premiere New Series DONNIE LOVE JENNY, 1/7(Video: Roasty Toasty Love) A&E Network's hit series "Duck Dynasty" returns for an all-new season, followed by the season premiere of the Emmy(R)-nominated series "Wahlburgers" and the series premiere of the new original docu-series "Donnie Loves Jenny." The family fun kicks off on Wednesday, January 7 with "Duck Dynasty" at 9:30PM, followed by "Wahlburgers" at 10:00PM and the one-hour wedding premiere of "Donnie Loves Jenny" at 10:30PM on A&E.In the new season of "Duck Dynasty," the Robertson clan is back to their family hijinks. To promote Willie's Duck Diner, Jase enters an outhouse race where he unexpectedly goes up against their arch nemesis, Phillip McMillan, and Willie attempts to create the world's greatest bologna sandwich for the menu. Jep and Alan take Kay and Si to a local health club to teach them the benefit of exercise and the guys transform an old pontoon boat into a floating duck blind, but they aren't quite sure that it will actually float. At Willie's insistence, Kay and her dog Bobo go to doggie obedience class and the whole family comes together to help Jep and Jessica move into their new house. In the new season of "Wahlburgers," brothers Mark, Donnie and Paul Wahlberg continue to expand the family burger franchise while balancing a series of personal events - including Paul's trip to Mark's new house, Donnie's wedding and visits from the Red Sox's David Ortiz and Boston Bruin ice hockey legend Bobby Orr. Donnie's band New Kids On The Block is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Mark gets Johnny "Drama" a part in his film Ted 2. In the first episode, Donnie's Chicago-based wedding proves to be a challenge for Alma who doesn't fly but certainly can't miss her son's wedding. Donnie finds the perfect solution - a tour bus. He enlists his nephew Brandon to accompany Alma on the journey to Chicago to make sure she arrives in time for the wedding. The "Donnie Loves Jenny" series premiere kicks off with a one-hour wedding episode following Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy from preparations behind-the-scenes of their big day to their first moments as husband and wife. The series follows the couple as they adjust to married life - from blending their families to managing their busy schedules. Newlywed bliss proves to be cramped when the pair is joined by Jenny's dad, Macky, her son, Evan, and Donnie's lovable dog, Lumpy, all living under one roof. From getting Macky ready for a date to teaching Evan about the "birds and the bees," there's never a dull moment for the newlyweds. "Duck Dynasty" is produced for A&E Network by Gurney Productions. Executive producers for Gurney Productions are Deirdre Gurney and Scott Gurney. Executive producers for A&E are Lily Neumeyer and Brad Holcman. "Wahlburgers" is produced for A&E Network by 44 Blue Productions, in association with Closest to the Hole Productions, LEVERAGE Entertainment and Donnie D Productions. Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson and Donnie Wahlberg are executive producers. Executive producer for 44 Blue Productions is Rasha Drachkovitch. Executive producers for A&E are Lily Neumeyer and Devon Graham. "Donnie Loves Jenny" is produced for A&E Network by 44 Blue Productions, in association with D&J Productions. Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy are executive producers. Executive producer for 44 Blue Productions is Rasha Drachkovitch. Executive producers for A&E are Lily Neumeyer and Devon Graham. New Kids on the Block: Then & NowET first met New Kids on the Block in 1989, as they were charming fans at a school in New York. Now, ET is looking back at the boy band's vintage interviews before the debut of their reality show on the soon-to-be-renamed TVGN."I'm a young kid and I'm just having a good time," Joey McIntyre told ET in 1990. From London to Japan, ET was there with Joey, Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood for all the pandemonium. "Remember that one show where our whole stage was full of girls?" Jordan asked Donnie in 1990. "They dragged them all out and when the girls seen where they were putting the people that fainted on the back of the stage, everyone started fainting then. That was funny." The boys were tight, but like many bands, they had their share of disagreements. Tension with the group drove them apart in 1993. "There were times where me and Donnie would walk down a hall and not even say hi to each other, because there was so much tension," Joey said in 1993. "It was stupid." Fortunately for fans (a.k.a. Blockheads), the band famously got back together in 2008 and teamed with the Backstreet Boys for an epic tour from 2011-12. Today, NKOTB has a new reality series called Rock This Boat: New Kids on the Block, which premieres Jan. 14 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The day is a special one for TVGN as it marks its transition to Pop. ET also teamed up with TVGN for a special called ET Presents: New Kids - Then and Now, airing Monday Dec 22 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Holiday stocking stuffers: 'Once Upon a Time's' Lana Parrilla's best gift ever and 12 other factsRegina may be bummed out on "Once Upon a Time" after having to say goodbye to her true love Robin Hood, but don't think that is dampening Lana Parrilla's holiday spirit.The actress gave a rundown of some of her family traditions -- including a very noisy New Year's Eve routine -- and what she's looking forward to this holiday season. Read her answers to Zap2it's holiday Q&A below to find out what Parrilla stuffs her stockings with and the best gift she's ever given. Hopefully her holiday cheer can help you deal with the fact that "Once" doesn't return until March 1. 1. What are you most looking forward to this holiday season? Rest. Sorry, it's true. 2. This year, are you on Santa's naughty or nice list? Both! 3. Opening presents: Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Both, you can do a little bit at midnight and a little bit the morning of Christmas. 4. What are the top 3 items on your stocking stuffer list? Deodorant, puzzles and gift cards. I just bought socks too, because everyone needs them in the New Year. 5. What are your all-time favorite holiday songs? "White Christmas." 6. What are your all-time favorite holiday movies? "It's a Wonderful Life." 7. Best holiday scent: cookies baking, roasting chestnuts or a fresh evergreen? (Or name your own!) Roasting chestnuts. 8. What's the quirkiest tradition your family has during the holidays? We bang pots and pans on New Year's Eve in the middle of the street. That's important to say -- in the middle of the street. 9. Sledding or ice skating? Ice skating. 10. Do you prefer to spend your holidays somewhere with snow on the ground or somewhere warm? With snow. 11. What is the best gift you have ever given and the best gift you ever received? I give good gifts, that's a tough one. This is so lame but it's a briefcase. My husband really needed one and I got him a beautiful Il Bisonte briefcase. I thought it was gorgeous and it made him really, really, happy. 12. Hot cocoa, warm apple cider, mulled wine or a hot toddy? Hot toddy. 13. Have you ever kissed anyone under the mistletoe? Will you tell us who?! My husband. Vanessa Williams on Holiday Weight Gain: 'I Just Kind of Succumb'Fans of M&M’s Crispy rejoice: The late-’90s favorite is back after a 10-year hiatus.Actress Vanessa Williams — the voice of M&M’s Ms. Brown for the past two years — is helping to relaunch the candy, which hits shelves this week. But at home, she says her holiday indulgences are centered around the cravings of her four kids, ages 14-27. “Everyone has their favorites,” the star, 51, tells PEOPLE. “My daughter Jillian’s is lemon squares. I gotta make those for her. One is cornbread, so I have to make sure we have cornbread with the meal. My son loves crepes. It all depends on what they want when they want it. Come holidays I’m doing a lot of fixing favorites for everybody in the family.” Not that she minds the work. With her three oldest children out of the house, “I actually miss the hustle and bustle. But come holidays, they’ll all be home and I’ll be cooking brunch and dinner and snacks and goodies. I can’t wait.” How does she avoid gaining weight during the calorie-rich holiday season? “I don’t!” the former Ugly Betty star says with a laugh. “I usually give in and then I just do the work come January. You go to the parties and they’re serving cocktails, and then you have great dinners and you’re drinking wine, and the desserts and cookies are all available. It’s hard to not be tempted. But I just kind of succumb and then just do the work in January.” Williams has also been busy with her Broadway play, The Trip to Bountiful, which she also performed in L.A. and Boston. To mark the show’s recent closing, “I got personalized M&M’s for everyone, brown of course and white and blue which were kind of the colors of our show,” she says. “I had ‘Trip to Bountiful’ printed on one and ‘congratulations’ and ‘break a leg’ on the others.” And she has plans to incorporate them into her upcoming wedding to Jim Skrip. “I’ll definitely be using them as party favors,” she says of the big day, revealing that it’s set for “next summer.” NAACP Image Award NominationsOutstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic SpecialAngela Bassett – “American Horror Story: Freak Show” (FX) Cicely Tyson – “The Trip to Bountiful” (Lifetime Networks) Keke Palmer – “The Trip to Bountiful” (Lifetime Networks) Regina King – “The Gabby Douglas Story” (Lifetime Networks) Vanessa Williams – “The Trip to Bountiful” (Lifetime Networks) SightingsLes Moonves with “Blue Bloods” stars Tom Selleck, Bridget Moynahan and Donnie Wahlberg with wife Jenny McCarthy at Arlington Club after the show wrapped its 100th episode.A&E Orders 'Donnie Loves Jenny' Reality Series As Part Of Development Deal With Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthyDonnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy will have their marriage documented in a reality series. A&E has given a 10-episode order to Donnie Loves Jenny, an original unscripted docuseries that will follow the newlyweds. It is the first project in an overall development and production deal Wahlberg and McCarthy have signed with A&E for their newly launched joint production company D&J Productions. Production on Donnie Loves Jenny, from 44 Blue Prods. and D&J Prods., begins immediately for a 2015 premiere. The series will consist of a one-hour episode chronicling the couple’s August 31 wedding followed by nine half-hour episodes.Donnie Loves Jenny is an offshoot of sorts from Wahlberg and his brothers’ breakout A&E realty series Wahlburgers, also from 44 Blue. Wahlberg and McCarthy’s romance played out on the first season of Wahlbergers, which is set behind the scenes of a restaurant owned by Wahlberg and his brothers. “Viewers have enjoyed following Donnie and Jenny’s relationship on Wahlburgers and we look forward to sharing this next part of their journey,” said David McKillop, General Manager and Executive Vice President of A&E. The series will kick off with behind-the-scenes moments from Wahlberg and McCarthy’s wedding and follow the couple through their nuptials into their first experiences as a married couple as they navigate through life as newlyweds, including blending their families and balancing their busy schedules. “Our feeling is, who better to make our first show for the network about than about us?,” Wahlberg and McCarthy said. “We love working together and with our crazy schedules this gives us the chance to both work and play together.” Following her co-hosting stint on The View, where she announced her engagement to Wahlberg, McCarthy recently launched Dirty, Sexy, Funny With Jenny McCarthy, a new daily live morning radio show on SiriusXM. Wahlberg stars on CBS’ Blue Bloods. Donnie Loves Jenny is executive produced by Wahlberg and McCarthy as well as 44 Blue Productions’s Rasha Drachkovitch. Jenny McCarthy Straddles Donnie Wahlberg, Nearly Suffers Wardrobe Malfunction During PDA(Pic1, Pic2) Careful there, Jenny McCarthy!While hosting a Halloween Costume Party at Sirius XM Studios in NYC on Wednesday, the 41-year-old nearly had a wardrobe malfunction while getting her PDA on with hubby Donnie Wahlberg. McCarthy looked super sexy in a skin-tight black costume inspired by Olivia Newton John's character Sandy from Grease. McCarthy paired her leggings and low-cut top with red heels and her blond hair in curls. As for her 45-year-old hubby, he coordinated in a Grease-inspired costume as well. While the newlyweds posed for pics together, Wahlberg gave his wife a big hug from behind as McCarthy threw her head back in laughter. During their PDA fest, McCarthy's boob almost popped out of her cleavage-baring top! No worries though, she just barely avoided a wardrobe malfunction. McCarthy and Wahlberg's extreme PDA also included him picking her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. McCarthy took to Instagram after the party to share, "Such a fun launch party for my new Dirty Sexy Funny show on @siriusxm tonight! #DSF." 'The Goldbergs' Taking on New Kids on the BlockABC's The Goldbergs is taking on another seminal '80s band.Six months after showrunner Adam F. Goldberg told The Hollywood Reporter that he was interested in a New Kids on the Block episode, the story has made its way into a script. THR has learned that the sophomore comedy will take on the boy band behind The Right Stuff, Step by Step and albums including Hangin' Tough more with an episode fittingly titled for NKOTB's Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood: "DannyDonnieJoeyJonJordan." Steve Basilone and Annie Mebane will pen the episode, with David Katzenberg set to direct. While an air date has not yet been determined, the episode will see Barry (Troy Gentile) and Adam (Sean Giambrone) discover a box of Erica's (Hayley Orrantia) embarrassing NKOTB memorabilia. Naturally, the brothers take their taunting to an extreme that, as per usual, backfires in epic and hilarious proportions. The episode will also feature Gentile and Giambrone showing off their '80s dance moves, as one would naturally expect. Production on the episode is currently under way. "I have a whole episode mapped out in my head about the time that me and Chad Kremp became obsessed with the New Kids. It started out in jest, and we ended up really loving their music. And that's perfect for Adam and Barry," Goldberg told THRin April. The news comes days after The Goldbergs firmed up plans to for another Goonies-type tribute episode, dubbed Adam's Folly, when the series takes on John Hughes classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off. NKOTB has been seeing a renaissance of late. In addition to the group's TVGN reality series Rock the Boat, the band's "The Right Stuff" was just featured on MTV's Faking It, when girl group Fifth Harmony covered the track. And because you know you can't resist, check out NKOTB's "Step by Step," below. Place your bets for which song(s) The Goldbergs will take on in the comments section. The Goldbergs airs Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. on ABC. Tune in tonight to see the return of Gentile's famous Big Tasty. Jenny McCarthy: Why Donnie Is 'the Best Husband Out There'Look who's still in the honeymoon phase!Jenny McCarthy's still as smitten as ever when it comes to husband Donnie Wahlberg. "Every night when we go to bed and I climb in bed and I see him laying there, I go, 'The feeling I get crawling in bed with you every night is like when I was little and my mom used to say your best friend can sleep over tonight,' " McCarthy told PEOPLE in N.Y.C. Thursday while promoting her upcoming SiriusXM show, Dirty, Sexy, Funny with Jenny McCarthy. "He definitely brings out the best in me, and I think I do the same for him." "Is she talking about our dog?" joked Wahlberg. Along with enjoying hot chocolate together every evening, the couple's bedtime routine includes a go-to cuddle position. "He's on his back and my head is on his chest, and his arm is around me," says the star. "I say, 'I love you,' he says, 'I love you, too,' and we kiss and we fall asleep in that position. And I want to say more times than not, we wake up in that same position." "I'd say about 75 percent of the time," confirmed Wahlberg. McCarthy, 41 and Wahlberg, 45, tied the knot on Aug. 31 in St. Charles, Illinois. And McCarthy isn't the only one over the moon to have Wahlberg around: Her son Evan, 12, loves having the comedian as a stepdad. "I had a conversation with Evan, saying, 'How's it going with Donnie as your stepdad?' And he said, 'You know, I finally feel safe,' " says McCarthy. "And to me as a single mom, it felt like I did my job – not only really holding out to find the best stepdad for him, but also for me, the best husband out there." The best husband – and also the hottest, in McCarthy's (slightly biased) opinion! "He's got overall heat," she says. "You know, you either got it or you don't, and he's got it." Dirty, Sexy, Funny with Jenny McCarthy launches Monday, Oct. 27 at 10 a.m. ET. Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy Have Hot Chocolate Together Every NightFor newlywed Donnie Wahlberg, life at home with wife Jenny McCarthy is certainly sweet.“Jenny and I have hot chocolate together every night,” Wahlberg told PEOPLE at the Say Hello with Keurig 2.0 pop-up in New York City on Wednesday. “I know a cup of hot chocolate doesn’t sound glamorous but it’s those quiet moments with us as a family that are my favorite. We have our own things during the day, but this is our time to cuddle up and catch up on our days.” Professionally, life for the couple has been “non-stop” since they got married over Labor Day weekend: Wahlberg continues to star on CBS’s Blue Bloods, produce and star in A&E’s Wahlburgers and perform with the New Kids on the Block, while McCarthy hosts her new SiriusXM radio show Dirty, Sexy, Funny. “I know it may seem like we’re extroverts because we spend so much time in front of the camera and we’ll talk about openly about our lives, but Jenny and I are real homebodies,” he says. “We’re not really party people. If we had our way, we would just lay in bed all day watching Naked & Afraid.” Despite his domestic inclinations, you’re probably not going to find Wahlberg cooking up a multi-course meal in the kitchen anytime soon. “Jenny does most of the cooking at home and she’s really good at it. And that’s a good thing because I’m not much help in the kitchen. If you want some toast with butter, I’m your guy,” says Wahlberg, who is partnering with Keurig to offer winners a chance to meet him for a coffee date in N.Y.C. Of course, even homebodies need to escape sometimes: So a long-awaited honeymoon is up next for the newlyweds, someplace “not cold,” hints Wahlberg. “We’re looking forward to getting away, relaxing and spending some uninterrupted time together … with hot chocolates every night.” New Kids on the Block Join the Walk of Fame(Video) Before there was One Direction, before there was ’NSync, there was New Kids on the Block. Comprising five street-smart kids from working-class neighborhoods in Boston, a city so flush with hometown pride that it threatens to throw a parade whenever one of its own makes it big, NKOTB was a boy band phenomenon in an era before the term became synonymous with screaming girls and ubiquitous radio play. On Oct. 9, the group will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.The brainchild of local record producer-songwriter Maurice Starr (who discovered R&B group New Edition at a 1982 talent show), NKOTB’s self-titled debut effort was an abysmal flop for Columbia Records, its first and second singles “Be My Girl” and “Stop It Girl” dismissed as insipid bubblegum pop. Still, Starr persevered, eventually convincing the label to let Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood and Joey McIntyre record a sophomore follow-up. The resulting album, 1988’s “Hangin’ Tough” was not an instant hit, but its first single, the dulcet McIntyre-crooned ballad “Please Don’t Go Girl,” eventually climbed to No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts, and from there the momentum grew. In early 1989, the bouncy, rap-inspired track “You Got It (The Right Stuff)” cracked Billboard’s top five and, that June, the single “I’ll be Loving You (Forever)” reached No. 1, Jordan Knight’s mellifluous falsetto vocals — a throwback to the Philadelphia Sound — working like a charm on the throbbing hearts of tween and teen fans from Dorchester, Mass., to Denver and beyond. By the time 1990 came along, if you were alive and in the messy throes of adolescence, you likely not only had your favorite NKOTB song, but your favorite NKOTB member, his wall-sized poster plastered above your bed. “We felt the impact but I think we were so desperate not to feel it,” says Wahlberg of the worldwide fame that ensued. “When we started, our concept of being really famous was, like, being known in Boston. That was our goal, to walk down the street and have the local pizza guy say, ‘Hey Donnie good work. Hey, have a slice!’ That was the scope of how big we looked at it.” As that scope expanded, and NKOTB became a global juggernaut, it was the singers’ Boston roots that kept them grounded, helping maintain, per Wahlberg, a sense of “calm in the eye of the storm.” “We all came up from nothing and we got a lot in a short amount of time,” says Wahlberg, currently starring on CBS’ “Blue Bloods” and exec producing A&E’s reality series “Wahlburgers.” “And because it happened so quickly, we never really got too caught up in it. We worked hard, we earned some level of success, and we caught a wave that was bigger than any of us expected, but we didn’t become holier than thou. We were accountable for each other and that’s what kept us levelheaded. Boston made sure to keep us humble. You can’t come from a city like Boston and grow up and become all big headed because the people there will bring you back down to earth real quick. “And we somehow figured out that we can’t be as awesome as everyone thinks and we can’t be as bad at everyone thinks. We tried to find the truth in the middle.” When the band split in 1994, each member pursued solo careers that ranged from TV actor to real estate developer to record producer. For McIntyre, a parochial school kid and the baby of the bunch, striking out on his own — from a role on Fox’s “Boston Public” to playing the male lead in “Wicked” on Broadway — was a way to assert himself as an artist. “I think we had somewhat of a chip on our shoulder, which is again part of the Boston mentality and, yeah, I think that knee-jerk reaction of ‘I’m going to prove (the naysayers) wrong’ was part of the picture,” he recalls of that period. “I needed some time find myself after the whirlwind craziness in the late ’80s and ’90s. I had to realize this is what I want to do. I was just born to perform.” When NKOTB released its 2008 reunion album “The Block” (through Interscope) and headed back out on tour, the fans were there to welcome the Boston quintet with a fanfare usually reserved for champion sports teams. “A doorman would say, ‘Hey, guys, thanks for the show today,’ and I felt like I was on the Red Sox,” McIntyre says. “The group’s personality and energy is rolled in that Boston fabric and really important to our whole story.” Today, NKOTB still tours, still sells out arenas, and the girls (now grown-ups) still swoon. To date, the group has sold 80 million records. And it’s the fans, says Wahlberg, that remain “a main driving force.” “Anytime we’ve played in the Boston Garden — in the old one or in the current one — it’s astounding,” he says. “The building is usually close to collapsing from excitement. It’s the energy level we dreamed of as children. All of our concerts are loud and fun and near religious experiences, but in Boston there’s just a different level of pride in the audience.” Brian Dennehy & Neal McDonough Join TNT Drama 'Public Morals'Brian Dennehy (Death of a Salesman, Presumed Innocent) and Neal McDonough (Desperate Housewives, Boomtown) have book major recurring roles on Ed Burns’ TNT drama series Public Morals, from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin TV. Public Morals is set in 1967 in New York City’s Public Morals Division, where cops walk the line between morality and criminality as the temptations that come from dealing with all kinds of vice can get the better of them. It centers on cop Terry Muldoon (Burns), who knows the line between the good guys and bad guys is thin, and he is determined to raise his sons to be honest and hardworking as he deals with the dark underbelly of the vice world. ICM Partners-repped Dennehy will play Joseph “Big Red” Patton, a powerful mobster who controls the west side of Manhattan. McDonough, repped by Paradigm, More/Medavoy, and Stuart Rosenthal, will play Rusty, Joseph’s youngest son who is charming and handsome but ultimately power-hungry and dangerous.ABC Pilot 'Clementine' Stays Alive With New Cast Extension, Eyes Summer RunABC and ABC Studios are very serious about drama pilot Clementine, reaching in their pockets to pay for another extension of the cast’s options. I hear the project is being considered for a 10-13-episode summer run.Clementine was a major contender for series pickup in May but missed the cut. Still, ABC and ABC Studios remained high on the show, and in June the studio moved in to extend the cast when their options were to expire. That extension ended yesterday when the options were picked up again. Written by Dean Georgaris and directed by Michael Dinner, Clementine centers on habitual criminal Clementine Ross (Sarah Snook) who digs in to the mystery of her origins after she becomes the target of a group of zealots who fear she possesses latent supernatural abilities that she will one day harness for either profound good or monstrous evil. The cast of the project, from the Mark Gordon Co., also includes Mykelti Williamson, David Strathairn, Edwin Hodge, Kevin Alejandro, Kathleen Munroe, Nick Gehlfuss and McKenna Grace. Vanessa Williams Is Engaged to Jim Skrip(Pic) Now this is the way to celebrate a birthday!Vanessa Williams announced on a taping of The Queen Latifah Show that she's set to wed Jim Skrip of Buffalo, New York. "Vanessa, I have been trying to have a conversation with you ladies and gents, but I am blinded by the light coming from that bling ring on your finger," Latifah says, joking with the actress. "Oh sorry darling, Williams said, "I got engaged. I have had a lot of good things happen ... I turned 50 when we were in rehearsal on Broadway, I just got engaged a couple of weeks ago. It has been a lot of blessings." The twice-divorced mother of four is currently starring in a touring revival of The Trip to Bountiful, which opens Friday in Los Angeles. She costars opposite Cicely Tyson and Blair Underwood, who also appeared with Williams on Queen Latifah. Other than the close-up of her ring, the best part of the clip below is the resigned look on Underwood's face when Latifah brings up the engagement. Time for girl talk, mister! The installment of Latifah airs Tuesday. Here's a sneak peek: Video. Mykelti Williamson To Recur (And Sing) On ABC's 'Nashville'Mykelti Williamson will show his little-known music talents in a recurring role on the upcoming third season of ABC’s country music drama Nashville. The Justified and 24 alum will play Terry, a brilliant musician who, after suffering a terrible personal tragedy, lives as a nomad on the streets of Nashville. When his talent finally is uncovered, he works hard to reclaim the self-sufficiency he lost years ago. Williamson will sing on the show, in what is expected to be a four-episode arc.While he is best known for his acting, Williamson started as a singer and dancer. He was an alternate member of the Lockers breakdance crew. He had his own group called the Kids that toured with Bob Hope’s USO show. While he was with another group, the Dance Masters, he auditioned for a guest starring role on Starsky & Hutch. He got it and never looked back, focusing on acting. But acting and music intersected once before, in the 1984 feature Streets Of Fire, where he played a member of a doo-wop style group called the Sorels. The movie bombed, but a song, Dan Hartman’s “I Can Dream About You” — for which the Williamson and the other actors recorded the backing vocals — and the accompanying music video were big hits. Newlyweds Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg Triple Drew Carey's Reward to Help Find Ice Bucket Challenge PrankstersDrew Carey isn't the only one fired up about a horrible ALS Ice Bucket Challenge prank.Newlyweds Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg are the latest stars stepping up to help find the high school students responsible for harming a 14-year-old autistic boy through the viral movement. "I'm joining Drew Carey's 10K Reward to Find Perpetrators Behind Horrible ALS Bucket Prank," the former View co-host tweeted. "Now it's 20k!" McCarthy has a son, Evan, who was diagnosed with autism in 2005. Wahlberg was also quick to join in on the fundraising efforts. "If this ‘s---ty' prank was real…Then I am joining @JennyMcCarthy and @DrewFromTV and offering another $10K to the reward," he tweeted. "That makes 30K!" All the outrage stems from a group of students who challenged an innocent boy to participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Instead of getting splashed with a bucket of water, however, the Ohio student allegedly had a bucket of urine, feces and spit poured over him by his high school peers. "WTF? Just saw this. Horrendous," Carey Tweeted Friday evening after hearing the news. "These kids should be arrested and expelled." He added, "If the Bay Village PD wants to start a reward fund to find who did this, contact me. I'll donate $10,000." Montel Williams, Holly Robinson Peete and other celebrities have also expressed their anger at the incident. Bay Village Police Chief Mark Spaetzel reportedly called the act "heinous" and said charges would be brought as soon as police find the teens responsible for the prank. When E! News contacted police officials Monday morning, there were no updates regarding the investigation. Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg Honeymooning in Hudson Valley(Pic1, Pic2) Apparently, heaven is not far away from New York City!Just four days after Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg tied the knot at the Hotel Baker in St. Charles, near Chicago, a source tells E! News that the newlyweds are honeymooning at Glenmere Mansion, an uber luxurious and romantic Relais & Châteaux property in the Hudson Valley, not far from NYC. Guests have spotted the duo lounging by the pool where they looked in love and happy together. Additionally, they've been seen at the Glenmere Spa enjoying couple's treatments. E! News has obtained photos of the stunning property which features lush gardens, loads of privacy and plenty of peace and quiet (a perfect location to ensure a relaxing time away from the prying paps!). On Wednesday, the loved-up twosome tweeted their first selfie as a married couple. The bride, 41, and groom, 45, posted the same sweet snap, showing the New Kids On The Block singer planting a kiss on the former View co-host's hand. They tweeted the pic from their individual accounts at the same time, both writing,"Mr & Mrs Wahlberg, checking in from heaven. Thank you for all of your well wishes. #happy" The good-looking pair said their I-dos in front of a tight-knit group on Sunday that included several members of their family following a whirlwind engagement. "I feel like the luckiest girl in the world," McCarthy said after Wahlberg popped the question. "He's so wonderful." Sounds like they're still in a state of wedded bliss. Congrats, you two! Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg's Rose-Covered Wedding Cake(Pic) Everything is coming up rosy for Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg — including their wedding cake!The newlyweds, who tied the knot on August 31 at the Chicago-area Hotel Baker, worked with All Chocolate Kitchen to create a six-tiered, white buttercream cake adorned with 145 pulled sugar roses. “[Jenny] wanted to be very romantic and passionate so the red and white was an amazing combination,” Esther Roby, general manager of the Geneva, Illinois-based dessert bar, tells PEOPLE. “It matched her theme,” which included her stunning white wedding dress and bouquet of red roses. Created by chef Alain Roby, who shared his sketch with PEOPLE, the cake was made with alternating layers of red velvet, vanilla custard creme brûlée and Roby’s famous devil’s food cake (a special request from the couple) and was covered — and dotted — with white buttercream to give it texture. But the real wow factor was the stunning edible flowers. “The sugar roses started at the top of the cake and cascaded all the way around and spread to the table where the cake was situated, creating an amazing bed of roses that was actually mixed with real roses,” Roby says of her husband’s design. “They were beautiful red and two-tone red sugar roses to create a really three-dimensional look.” And an added touch, the edible roses served as a keepsake. “The most beautiful thing with sugar roses is that you can actually keep them, so I think Jenny was going to give some to the guests.” And just like McCarthy’s proposal, her son Evan was a big part of the process. “Her son has come in many times and loves the store so I think that was one of the reasons why they started to look into us,” says Roby. “He loves our truffles!” As for the final product Roby says, “We had some ideas and they, of course, had their ideas, and I think all together this turned out to be the most beautiful thing for them. And, the most beautiful thing I noticed was that there was so much love and passion that day.” Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg Share Their First Newlywed Selfie(Pic) The new bride on the block is showing off her sparkly bling.Jenny McCarthy posted her first photo as a married woman on Tuesday, and her diamond ring is on full display. "Mr & Mrs Wahlberg, checking in from heaven. Thank you for all of your well wishes. #happy," the star Tweeted, sharing a sweet selfie of husband Donnie Wahlberg smooching her hand. McCarthy, 41, and Wahlberg, 45, got married Sunday at the historic Hotel Baker in St. Charles, Illinois. "He's the most amazing man, and we have become a great team," she told PEOPLE weeks before her wedding. "Although I haven't told my dad yet, my son, Evan, will walk me down the aisle before he goes back to school in the fall." Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg Are Married!(Pic1, Pic2) Check out the newlyweds on the block!Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy got married on Sunday at the Hotel Baker in St. Charles, near Chicago, McCarthy's rep confirms to E! News. The date marks almost a year after they first hit the red carpet as a couple. The proudly amorous duo said their I-dos in front of a tight-knit group that included several members of their family. Donnie's little brother and actor Mark Wahlberg, however, was unable to make it due to a previous engagement, but did offer his congratulations to the happy couple (and even shared a video featuring his wife and kids). McCarthy, who is from Chicago, announced on The View back in April that Wahlberg had popped the question with a yellow sapphire engagement ring. She said at the time that she and the Blue Bloods star had their eye on an August wedding. Wahlberg enlisted McCarthy's son Evan for proposal duty, having the youngster present his mom with a series of cards and a T-shirt that ultimately spelled out "Will you mary [sic] me?" "I knew what was happening and I just started crying," McCarthy recounted the story. "And then he came out with a card that said 'Marry,' but it was spelled 'Mary,' and the last time Donnie came out with Evan and Evan's shirt said 'Me?' and he was holding the ring. He asked, 'Will you marry me?' I of course said yes. And in that moment, Evan yelled, 'I have another dad! I have another dad.' And it was just—it made all of us cry. "I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. He's so wonderful." This is the second marriage for both. McCarthy was married to Evan's dad, John Asher, from 1999 until 2006, while Wahlberg has two sons—21-year-old Xavier and 13-year-old Elijah—from his marriage to Kimberly Fey. They divorced in 2008. "I think a lot of times we get caught up in the fantasy of who we think somebody is, and instead we trusted getting to know who each other are for real," McCarthy told E! News in May, talking about her whirlwind courtship. The wedding party pre-celebrated at a rehearsal dinner on Saturday and McCarthy threw a soiree on Friday night as well. McCarthy had five bridesmaids, according to Jemma Sands jewelry designer Jennifer Heim, who provided the sparkly accessories for the weekend. They were all slated to wear black onyx earrings with white sapphires, and Bali bangles—a set of three onyx, labradorite and crystal quartz, all by Jemma Sands "Everything is set in 14 karat gold and very sleek and clean and a little bit of bling," Heim said. Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg Are MarriedCall her the new Mrs. Wahlburgers.Former View co-host Jenny McCarthy and Blue Bloods star Donnie Wahlberg have made it official, tying the knot Sunday at the historic Hotel Baker in St. Charles, Illinois, outside McCarthy's hometown of Chicago, sources confirm to PEOPLE. The bride, 41, wore a gown she picked up at Berdorf Goodman, a source tells PEOPLE, after the couple was spotted at the store's bridal shop in July. The fête was a bit fancier than McCarthy previously joked. "I could get married in Kentucky Fried Chicken," she told PEOPLE in July. "I don't care as long as the heart is in the ceremony." Guests included Sherri Shepherd, who posted an Instagram photo en route to Chicago, as well as three members of New Kids on the Block: Jordan Knight, Danny Wood and Jonathan Knight. One person who didn't make it to Sunday's event was the groom's brother Mark Wahlberg, who Tweeted his good wishes and posted a congratulatory video. "I love you, Donnie, we're very happy for you," he says in the video, surrounded by his wife and four kids. "Sorry we couldn't be there, we'll see you soon." This is the second marriage for both. McCarthy's son Evan, 12, helped with the April proposal by hand-delivering notes to his mom with the words "Will" and "You" and "Marry" before Wahlberg, 45, walked in with a t-shirt that said "Me?" Wahlberg also has two sons: Xavier, 21, and Elijah, 13. The couple began dating last summer before Wahlberg proposed in April. "The very first time I saw him, I was in the eighth grade and New Kids on the Block was on MTV," McCarthy has said of Wahlberg's boy band days. "I thought Donnie was the hottest one." Mark Wahlberg --Skipping Donnie Wahlberg & Jenny McCarthy's WeddingIf you're looking for Mark Wahlberg this weekend, don't go to Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy's wedding -- TMZ has learned he won't be there, and we're told it's because he and his wife aren't fans of the bride.According to multiple Wahlberg sources, Mark is not as close with Donnie and Jenny as Jenny has made it seem. Or at least, not with Jenny. We're told Mark's wife Rhea did not like a recent interview Jenny gave with Howard Stern where she talked about her relationship with Mark. We're told brother Bobby won't be at the wedding either ... and ditto for mama W, but that's because she doesn't fly. We contacted Mark, and one of his reps told us he wasn't attending because he needs to be at a birthday party for his daughter Ella today in L.A. Her 11th b-day is actually Tuesday, but Mark will be filming that day in Boston. Our sources say there's absolutely bad blood with Jenny. For what it's worth ... brother Paul will be in attendance. More cake for him. Just days away! Lovebirds Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg planning to marry 'this weekend'Jenny McCarthy, 41, and Donnie Wahlberg, 45, are reportedly getting married this weekend.The couple, who got engaged in April, are set to tie the knot on Saturday in a glamorous ceremony in New York in front of their close friends and family. A source told the HollywoodLife.com: 'They are getting married this weekend and their friends and Donnie's family are flying to New York for the ceremony.' The 41-year-old beauty - who was recently axed from The View - hinted that her nuptials were soon approaching in July when she admitted that she was in a rush to find the perfect gown for her big day. The former Playboy model and her fiancé have also been struggling to cut down their guest list, but they refused to get stressed over the upcoming nuptials. She said last month: 'The hardest part is we have to cut down the wedding list, because the place we're getting married at, it's very boutique. With Donnie's 800 relatives - yes, 800. I've got 6,000 McCarthys.' She added: 'It's going to be hard to really cut down that list so I'm trying to make sure the core group is there.' Meanwhile, Jenny - who has 12-year-old son Evan from her marriage to John Mallory Asher - hopes her and Donnie's reception will be 'elegant and pretty.' Donnie also has sons Xavier, 21, and Elijah, 13, from his previous marriage to Kim Fey. Jenny previously opened up to People about meeting Wahlberg after a year-long break from dating: 'I knew if I closed my mind to men for too long I might be missing someone who was really right for me.' She added: 'And then Donnie came along. I am so grateful.' The John Tucker Must Die actress also revealed to the publication that following her nuptials, she'll get started on an hour-long radio show that will air weekly. 'I love comedy and want to devote my career to it, but I am not a stand-up...My passion is to empower female comics. I want to see them succeed,' Jenny told the magazine. Scorpion Books Justified Alum for Guest SpotJustified alum Mykelti Williamson will guest-star on CBS' upcoming freshman drama Scorpion, TVGuide.com has learned exclusively.Scorpion stars Elyes Gabel as eccentric genius Walter O'Brien, who builds a team of other super-geniuses to help solve the world's most complex problems. Williamson will appear in an October episode as Gen. Ned Walker, a hard-edged, lifelong soldier in command of the military-controlled Montero Nuclear Reactor, which comes under threat. Initially wary of the presence of a rag-tag bunch of outsiders on his military base, Gen. Walker is at odds with Walter & Co. — until he sees them in action, of course. Besides his role as Limehouse on Justified, Williamson is best known for his big-screen roles in Forrest Gump and Con Air. His other TV credits includeBoomtown, Kidnapped, and the eighth season of 24. Scorpion, which also stars Katharine McPhee and is produced by the team behind Sleepy Hollow, premieres Monday, Sept. 22 at 9/8c on CBS. Once Upon a Time's Lana Parrilla Gets Married in Real-Life Fairy TaleAnd they lived happily ever after.Once Upon a Time star Lana Parrilla has written the next chapter in her storybook romance with software executive Fred Di Blasio, as the couple got married July 5 in in British Columbia. Close friends and family were in attendance as the bride, 37, wore a custom Monique Lhuillier gown. The actress described the weekend as "magical," her rep tells PEOPLE. Parrilla, who plays the Evil Queen and mayor Regina Mills on the ABC fantasy series, got engaged to Di Blasio in April 2013 while they were traveling in Israel. SightingsJenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg sharing a sundae with friends at Carmine’s.Jenny McCarthy, Fiance Donnie Wahlberg Go Wedding Dress Shopping Together -- Find Out Which Designers She Tried On!(usmagazine.com) Jenny McCarthy took her fiance wedding dress shopping and revealed she wants a Chicago/Boston themed wedding!Jenny McCarthy is not your traditional bride! The former View co-host took her fiancé Donnie Wahlberg with her wedding dress shopping in New York City on Tuesday, July 22, a source exclusively tells Us Weekly. The pair, who got engaged just last April, checked out the bridal shop at Bergdorf Goodman, an eyewitness tells Us. "Jenny was trying on a variety of dresses including Vera Wang, Isabelle Armstrong and Naeem Khan," the source says of the blonde 41-year-old radio host. Other customers, who were trying on dresses nearby, were gushing over seeing the bride-to-be "looking gorgeous in white," the eyewitness adds. Although the former MTV host is still deciding on her wedding gown, the mom to 11-year-old son Evan revealed exclusively to Us Weekly she's set to say "I do" to the Blue Bloods star, 44, sooner rather than later. But, that doesn't mean she has all the details squared away! McCarthy tells Us, "Really, I’m so bad [at planning]. The problem is, I consider myself to be kind of like a dude … Like, I just kind of want to show up and drink." Walhberg's ladylove, who was formerly married to John Mallory Asher, adds, "I don’t want to get lost in the mundane details. I just kind of want to enjoy the experience. You know, because this is my last wedding, I want to do it right, but I don’t want to overdo it." One thing for sure is that the couple's nuptials will be heavily influenced by Chicago, McCarthy's home city. "I told them just generic [for the cake]—give me a red velvet cake. I’m from Chicago. Give me a meat. Give me a potato and that’s it," she laughed. The bride-to-be added hints of Wahlberg's Boston heritage will be included as well. "We kind of wanted to do like a Boston, Chicago theme … We wanted some oysters maybe from the East Coast and have our dinner as the steak or lobster and steak—something to kind of represent both sides," she added. "I [do] know I just want red roses everywhere," she told Us, "So that's what I'm sticking to." Mykelti Williamson -- Bubba's Got Beef with Bubba Gump Shrimp(Video) Mykelti Williamson won't step foot in the restaurants named after his most famous character ... because he's got issues with corporate giant Viacom.Of course Mykelti played Bubba in "Forrest Gump" -- which inspired the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. chain of restaurants, so we brought it up with him at LAX on Tuesday ... only to discover he's NEVER eaten there. MW first told us how he celebrated the recent 20th anniversary of 'Gump' -- but quickly launched into a rant about the movie studio's parent company and its ties to the restaurants, and big oil ... of which he's not a fan. Only problem is he's mistakenly referring to Gulf Western Oil, which has nothing to do with Viacom. A company called Gulf + Western DID merge with Paramount (and eventually Viacom) ... but is NOT an oil company. Glad we could clear that up. Now make a reservation, Mykelti. Vanessa Williams: Being molested made me 'sexually promiscuous'Vanessa Williams is opening up about the sexual molestation she suffered at the hands of an older woman when she was just 10.“At that young age, having that happen to you, in your body, it awakens your sexuality at an age where it shouldn’t be awakened,” the actress, 51, said on the latest episode of “Oprah’s Master Class.” According to the former Miss America, the trauma occurred on a trip with family friends to California when she was just a girl. One of the members of the traveling party, an 18-year-old woman whom the younger Williams admired, came into her room and molested her. She wasn’t old enough to know what was taking place, but she knew that it wasn’t something that was supposed to be happening. “At 10 years old, I had no idea what it was, but I knew it felt good,” Williams said. “And I knew I shouldn’t be saying anything, and I didn’t tell anyone. But I knew it felt good, but also something that was not supposed to be happening.” Although Williams wanted to tell her parents what happened when she got back to New York, she never got the chance, as her father’s brother had just died. “That was a family drama. Never really talked to my dad about it … and kind of suppressed it,” she said. She noted that the incident has had a long-lasting impact. “Had that not happened in my life and had I had an opportunity to have a normal courtship with a boyfriend at 16 or whatever and have your normal first kiss, there wouldn’t have been that shame that was always haunting me,” she said. “It made me more sexually promiscuous and more curious at a younger age than I should have been.” Williams has previously written about the molestation in her 2012 memoir, “You Have No Idea.” Jenny McCarthy Will Marry Donnie Wahlberg 'In the Next Few Weeks'Beaming and beautiful in a revealing top and dark skinnies, Jenny McCarthy is enjoying the best summer ever.She will launch a SiriusXM show "Dirty, Sexy, Funny with Jenny McCarthy" on Wednesday and marry New Kids on the Block singer and film producer Donnie Wahlberg, 44, soon. "I will marry Donnie in the next few weeks," McCarthy, 41, told PEOPLE Saturday, before hosting her touring comedy review Dirty Sexy Funny at Miami's Magic City Casino. "He is the most amazing man, and we have become a great team. Although I haven't told my dad yet, my son, Evan, will walk me down the aisle before he goes back to school in the fall." Wahlberg will also be one of the Sirius show's special guest stars, the network announced Monday. The best-selling author, activist, actress and former Playboy model, who recently announced she is leaving The View, said she took a year off from men to find herself before dating Wahlberg, a man she had admired from afar. "I knew if I closed my mind to men for too long I might be missing someone who was really right for me," McCarthy says. "And then Donnie came along. I am so grateful!" After the wedding, McCarthy will begin her weekly, one-hour radio show, which she says will complement her current comic romp, a project she began three years ago after touring the country to find the funniest female comediennes. "I love comedy and want to devote my career to it, but I am not a stand-up," she says. "My passion is to empower female comics. I want to see them succeed." Dirty Sexy Funny is an outrageous and humorous look at the lives of contemporary women, performed by her five-member female cast. For her role, McCarthy introduces the comics as the show's master of ceremonies, then adds a few of her own risqué video vignettes between acts. "We are expanding this show from weekend performances in the Eastern states to more dates throughout the Midwest and soon we will shoot a pilot," McCarthy says. "I am so happy to be able to do what I love and marry a man who lets me be me." NKOTB Do Vegas, Cover Backstreet Boys & Channel Britney Spears At Their 'After Dark' KickoffThree decades into my hypothetical career as a recording artist, I’d probably be lucky to have a vanity label of designer crop tops for ferrets. And that’s where the New Kids On The Block and I differ — and I don’t just mean because their music careers are, like, actually real. It’s been 28 years since NKOTB released their self-titled debut album in 1986, and they’re still playing to packed venues.On Thursday, July 10, the guys kicked off their four-night “New Kids On The Block: After Dark” run at The AXIS at Planet Hollywood. In case that place sounds familiar, that’s where Britney Spears’ “Britney: Piece Of Me” residency is hosted. If the night was any indication, a full-on Vegas residency of their own wouldn’t be a bad idea for the all-man boy band — not that that’s any news to them. These four concerts are sort of a test run, a chance at “dipping our toe in,” as member Joey McIntyre put it in a pre-show interview. And as Donnie Wahlberg triumphantly announced midway through the performance, invoking 1989's “Field Of Dreams”: “We f—ing built it, and you f—ing came!” The massive, 25-song set list included tracks from all six of the guys’ full-length, non-holiday LPs (sorry ’bout it, Merry, Merry Christmas). And from “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)” to “Remix (I Like The),” Joey, Danny, Jordan, Jonathan and Donnie didn’t stop delivering for a hot second. Some surprise standouts included a remix of “My Favorite Girl” that sampled the “bring the action” line from will.i.am and Britney Spears’ “Scream & Shout,” a rendition of “Dirty Dancing” that added elements of Nelly’s “Hot In Herre,” and the closing encore mashup of “Hangin’ Tough” with Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” Honestly, though, I’ve got to give it up for “Step By Step,” which included a Salt-N-Pepa “Push It” interlude in the middle. That sh– still kicks, whether it’s 1990 or 2014. Considering the fact that last night was a Thursday and I was witnessing one of the most iconic pop groups of the late ’80s and early ’90s performing before my very eyes, I clearly had #TBT on the brain. You can only imagine my shock and surprise when the New Kids whipped out a block of throwback cover after throwback cover after throwback cover in the middle of their set list, including George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” and “Faith,” The Isley Brothers’ “Shout,” and Prince’s “Kiss.” They even took on the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way,” an act of boy band-ception that was literally everything to be quite honest. Speaking of which, not only have the two groups toured together as NKOTBSB, but the New Kids’ Jordan Knight has a collaboration album with Backstreet’s Nick Carter called Nick & Knight that will be out on September 2. Already clued in? Well, here’s something you probably don’t have a Google alert set to. During our pre-show interview, Jordan informed me that the lyric video for their first single together, “One More Time,” is dropping on July 15. I just want to make sure all the NKOTB Blockheads out there are as emotionally prepared as possible for this moment. Anyway, even more than the #TBT vibes, the most palpable feeling in the venue was the eternal love surging forth from the audience to the stage. So many people in the theater were such ride-or-die fans that it’s no wonder why NKOTB member Donnie Wahlberg told me in our pre-show interview: “Credibility with your fans is the most important thing. If we lose our credibility with them, we have nothing. Making them happy is most important.” Judging by what I witnessed that night, I’d say mission accomplished. Emmy Nom ReactionOutstanding Unstructured Reality Program: Wahlburgers: Hollywood guys running a burger joint in in the Boston area. How do American TV audiences relate to Wahlburgers which grabbed an unstructured reality nom? Pin it to Mama Wahlberg. Said Donnie Wahlberg, “Audiences see that we’re genuine people. We constantly hear that our mom reminds others of their mother. People are curious to watch us. She gets stopped by people everyday, who relate to her journey, some who have even lost a daughter. This is the icing on the cake for Mark and I: At 72, our mother is a reality star and the fact that we were nominated for this show trumps all awards.” As major Hollywood stars, they weren’t bashful about turning the camera on themselves when it came to making a reality show. “We weren’t out to compete with the Kardashians, we wanted to do this project because it sounded like fun. We don’t take ourselves too seriously,” adds Wahlberg. Thanks to the success of the A&E reality show, the family is looking to opening a burger joint in LA in the next two years.2014 Emmy NominationsOutstanding Reality-Unstructured Program"Alaska: The Last Frontier" "Deadliest Catch" "Flipping Out" "Million Dollar Listing New York" "Wahlburgers" "Wild Things With Dominic Monaghan" NKOTB Lands on the Strip for Four Nights of Revelry-No Velvet Ropes Allowed(vegasseven.com) New Kids on the Block—or NKOTB, the edgier, more grown-up acronym that pulls double duty by saving the former boy band a lot of marquee space—haven’t truly been new for more than 25 years. The average age of the five Boston-bred guys who owned the pop charts in the early ’90s—earning more than Michael Jackson and Madonna and leaving thousands of swooning teens in the wake of their artfully ripped jeans and gravity-defying urban pompadours—is now nearly 44.And yet over the past five years, the tight-knit group—brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood and Joey McIntyre—have been staging a comeback, re-establishing the pop quintet as a global phenomenon. Hot off a two-month, 10-country European tour and their sixth annual theme cruise (more on that shortly), the erstwhile Kids are landing at the Axis at Planet Hollywood on July 10 for a four-night run that will also mark their only North American performances in 2014. “We didn’t think we’d tour in the States this year,” says McIntyre, the youngest of the group, whose angelic 15-year-old falsetto helped launch the 1988 ballad “Please Don’t Go, Girl” as the band’s first hit single. “But the Axis is an amazing venue, the timing was right, and it helps us keep up the relationship with our fans.” He’s not just paying lip service. The dates in Vegas will include not only nightly shows, but also daytime pool parties and late-night after-parties at which fans will be able to hang with NKOTB in a more casual setting. “There’s no velvet rope in our world,” McIntyre says. “It’ll be light years away from the stock after-parties with the VIP section where the stars just peek out and wave.” (In a press release for the gig, Wahlberg promised that the band would “be up all day and all night with our fans.”) If the band’s six cruise outings—during which they’re literally trapped on a boat with hundreds of strangers for days on end, performing and partying and leaping into pools fully clothed—are any indication, these guys aren’t shy about getting up close and personal with what they like to call “Block Nation,” a legion of fans largely comprised of women who came of age wearing out their cassette tapes of Hangin’ Tough and Step by Step. (In the interest of full disclosure, I should out myself as one of these women. I even owned a 1990 edition Donnie concert doll. Let’s move on.) “The fans have known us for so long,” McIntyre says. “Onstage we get to be the stars, but the heart and soul of Block Nation are girls who were there for us back in the day.” Indeed, even though they’ve released two albums since their heyday—2008’s The Block and 2013’s 10, which both debuted on the Billboard 200 Top 10—the band has no hang-ups about performing their ’80s and ’90s hits. “It absolutely never gets old to sing the songs,” McIntyre says. “And people go crazy when they hear them.” He cites Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones as inspirations because they appeal to generation after generation. “Part of it is the music,” he says. “But a lot of it is just how much fun they have. Onstage we feel young and it feels current. We want to keep that going.” One thing the Kids definitely have going for them, longevity-wise, is a friendship that has lasted more than three decades, ever since McIntyre was first brought to the group by producer Maurice Starr to replace early New Kids dropout Mark Wahlberg. Since 2008 they’ve been touring and cruising every year, and McIntyre says the band members relish the time they get to spend together. Which begs the question: Could the stint at Axis lead to a longer run, or even a Strip residency? Speaking for the band, McIntyre hopes so. “It does feel a little bit like an audition,” he says. “But every time we perform, we’re out to prove ourselves. We’ve got to keep that fever pitch, take it to another level. And that’s definitely what we want to do in Vegas.” NKOTB: 8 p.m. July 10-13 at Axis at Planet Hollywood, $37.50 and up, 702-777-6737, PlanetHollywoodResort.com. Suits First Look: Neal McDonough Is on a Quest to Destroy Pearson Specter(Photo) Neal McDonough is suiting up for USA's Suits and E! News has your exclusive first look at the actor who is bound to stir up trouble on the legal drama.In Suits, McDonough plays Sean Cahill, an SEC investigator who is tasked to uncover any issues at Pearson Specter and will stop at nothing until he brings the firm down. He doesn't back down easily, viewers can expect major conflict. McDonough first appears in the Wednesday, July 9, episode titled "Leveraged." Look at that face. He means business! In the episode, Mike (Patrick J. Adams) moves for a hostile takeover of Gills Industries. Harvey (Gabriel Macht) and Louis (Rick Hoffman) will stop at nothing to make sure they win the takeover fight and things quickly get personal. Jessica (Gina Torres) and Malone (guest star DB Woodside) go toe-to-toe with Sean Cahill (McDonough). Zelijko Ivanek, Brendan Hines and Eric Roberts also guest star. McDonough has popped up on several of your favorite TV shows, including Desperate Housewives, CSI: NY, Justified and The X-Files. He recently appeared in TNT's Mob City. Suits airs Wednesdays, 9 p.m. on USA. Jenny McCarthy Doesn't Want to Look Like a "Virgin Bride," Reveals Her Dream Wedding Performer(Photo) Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg's wedding planning is well underway!The View co-host, her fiancé and her son Evan Asher attended Bowlmor Chelsea Piers in New York City Saturday in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for Most People Bowling Simultaneously in the U.S. While there, the 41-year-old blond talked exclusively to E! News about her upcoming nuptials. Before she officially commits herself to the TV star, will McCarthy have a last fling before the ring? "I am past that!" she said. "My girls and I always have fun when we go out. I just don't need a Chip and Dale's sausage in my face," she joked. "I am past the age where I find it appealing or like I need it at all." In fact, she and Wahlberg considered inviting their friends to a co-ed bachelor/bachelorette party. "We came in to this private room here and we were like, 'Let's do it here,'" she said. "I mean, how cool is it?!" Of course, it's not just about the pre-party. When it comes to wedding gowns, McCarthy has already narrowed down her options. "Gucci is still in the running and there are two other designers also in the running now and I can't remember the names. My stylist said, 'Please, please consider a very feminine designer!'" she revealed. "I didn't want to go with the styles of Vera Wang—I feel like its been so done. It's my second wedding and with me being older, I don't want to look like a virgin bride. I want to look classy and elegant and age appropriate." While Gucci is known for its sexy silhouettes—and McCarthy is known for her sexy curves—the bride hopes to minimize the focus on her cleavage when she ties the knot. "You know what? My boobs have been bugging me lately! I think me moving into morning talk and wearing conservative clothes, it's hard to get the girls to lay as flat as possible! They sag perfectly," she said with a laugh, "but they don't flatten out as much as I would like. So I don't want to be too busty in my wedding dress. I think when brides are too busty it takes away from the beauty of the bride. It will be form fitting, but not too over done." The dress will be neither pink nor white, she said, "so that leaves us with a few more colors in the rainbow." The future spouses plan to involve their sons on their big day. "It will be a very, very special ceremony with all of them," McCarthy said of the wedding, which will take place in Boston, Chicago or New York. McCarthy and Wahlberg haven't sent out invitations yet, but Sherri Shepherd is expected to attend. "They are all invited. Sherri will not the flower girl, unfortunately," McCarthy joked of her View colleague. "Hopefully the whole crew will come, including the new co-host, whomever that may be." Will New Kids On The Block perform? "I hope so!" McCarthy said. "I asked him and said, 'Do you think the Boys will come to the wedding and perform?' He said, 'I just hope everyone can come to the wedding with everyone's crazy schedules.'" The best-selling author also wants John Legend to sing. "He has been on The View numerous times, but if this is my shout-out, I would say, 'John we don't have Kim and Kanye's money and our wedding is not extravagant, but we have a lot of heart and a lot of soul and I hope you take us up on our offer to perform at our wedding." Always a man with a plan, Wahlberg offered his bride-to-be an alternative solution: "If John can't play," he said, "maybe Sam Smith will." Would McCarthy consider filming her wedding it for a TV special or as a special segment on The View? "We have zero plans to televise it, nor do we have any plans to sell pictures now," she shared. "Knowing us, I would not be surprised if we did a selfie at the altar and tweeted it, you know what I mean?" Donnie Wahlberg on Wedding Plans with Jenny McCarthy: Don't Call Me Kanye WestJenny McCarthy isn't going all bridezilla over her upcoming wedding to Donnie Wahlberg.Instead, the laid-back View co-host, 41, is letting her new fiancé take charge when it comes to all the details. "I trust his style," she told PEOPLE at the opening of The Attic rooftop lounge in N.Y.C. on June 11. "So whatever he wants. All I know is that this is our last wedding and we're going to make it great." But Wahlberg, 44, who proposed to McCarthy in April, promises he won't go overboard. "Don't be calling me Kanye West," he jokes about the rapper's over-the-top wedding to Kim Kardashian. "I like Kanye's music, but I don't know about his wedding style. That's a little too much." One detail the duo already have planned out? Incorporating their new family into the ceremony. "We have three boys together," says Wahlberg. "They'll be a big part. We're about who's there and what the spirit is more so than where it is and how much money we spend. That's not what it is for us." Wahlberg tells PEOPLE that McCarthy's son, Evan, 12, has officially moved into their N.Y.C. home. "I came back from my tour Monday and Evan was there," says the New Kids on the Block singer. "My son's coming next Monday and my dog's there, it's like we're all together for the first time." McCarthy says that Evan is adjusting well to his new home. "He's very excited," she says. "He's nervous. But I hope he does find great friends because he's a great kid." Jenny McCarthy reveals: Donnie Wahlberg misspelled 'marry' when he proposedNew Kids on the Block member Donnie Wahlberg has been a fixture in show business since he was just 15, so it is possible that maybe he missed out on a bit of basic schooling during his years as a young star, but his fiancée Jenny McCarthy just let the world know just how bad her beau’s spelling skills are.During an interview with Australia’s Jackie O radio show, McCarthy revealed that Wahlberg misspelled the word “marry” when he proposed, leaving out one R. Yikes. “I was sitting on the couch doing what every girl does saying 'tell me how much you love me' when he [Donnie] left the room,” she recalled. “He and my son Evan came running back in holding a piece of paper saying 'WILL.'" She said the pair then “ran out and returned carrying another piece of paper with the word 'YOU', and then disappeared and ran back in with another piece of paper that read ‘MARY,’ but misspelled it without the second R.” McCarthy said Wahlberg then put on a T-shirt that “Me,” and she ignored the spelling mistake and broke down crying and said yes. Overall, McCarthy doesn’t seem too bothered by his spelling abilities. She gushed about her fiancés good looks on the radio show. “He's a hottie and I couldn't be more excited, proud and turned on at the same time.” Jenny McCarthy, Donnie Wahlberg: "We're Not Getting Married In Istanbul With 8 Million Guests" Like Kim Kardashian, Kanye West(usmagazine.com) Kanye West once said that he has "trendsetting abilities," but Donnie Wahlberg has decided to take his own path in life -- at least when it comes to his upcoming wedding to Jenny McCarthy. The New Kids on the Block singer and his bride-to-be joked on Wednesday, June 11, that their nuptials won't be anything like West and Kim Kardashian's Florence, Italy nuptials."We'll have a small wedding in a really beautiful place and we both want do it right this time," Wahlberg, 44, told Extra at NYC's hotspot the Attic. "We've both been married before and we want to make it special -- this is the last wedding." "We're not getting married in Istanbul with eight million guests," he added when the topic of Kimye came up. McCarthy chimed in: "I won't have three dresses." The Blue Bloods actor added: "No seven dresses, not going to happen…that’s their thing, good for them." (West, 37, and Kardashian, 33, tied the knot in an extravagant Europe wedding on May 24.) The View co-host, 41, announced her engagement to Wahlberg during an episode of the ABC daytime talk show on April 16. Since then, the couple have sworn that no wedding plans have been made just yet, but have joked about where their reception could be. (At the time of the announcement, McCarthy mentioned sometime in August 2015 could be a possibility.) Recently, McCarthy received a Twitter invite from Applebee's to have her wedding at one of their locations after she teased to the Boston Herald that the restaurant was being considered as a wedding venue. "I thought it was very cute that Applebee's tweeted us, so we went in on it, we actually said maybe we should have them do the appetizers," McCarthy told Extra. Wahlberg added: "Or the wedding rehearsal dinner, it was really sweet of them." ABC Drama Pilot 'Clementine' Extends Cast OptionsABC Studios is keeping its ABC drama pilot Clementine alive by extending the options on the cast that were set to expire at the end of the month. Clementine was on the short list of ABC series pickup contenders but missed the cut. It was one of two supernatural/genre drama pilots, along with The Whispers (aka The Visitors), which went to series. Written by Dean Georgaris and directed by Michael Dinner, Clementine centers on habitual criminal Clementine Ross (Sarah Snook) who digs in to the mystery of her origins after she becomes the target of a group of zealots who fear she possesses latent supernatural abilities that she will one day harness for either profound good or monstrous evil. The cast of the project, from the Mark Gordon Co., also includes Mykelti Williamson, David Strathairn, Edwin Hodge, Kevin Alejandro, Kathleen Munroe, Nick Gehlfuss and McKenna Grace. Alejandro was recently tapped for and is currently filming another drama, A&E’s 10-episode straight-to-series The Returned, from Carlton Cuse. Cuse has a strong relationship with ABC Studios where he co-ran Lost for six seasons and is now the co-creator/executive producer of Amazon pilot Point of Honor. While a positive sign, extending cast options does not guarantee a series pickup. Last season, of all pilots that picked up their actors only one, NBC’s Craig Robinson comedy, went to series.SightingsJenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg hosting a bash at Attic Rooftop in Midtown'WAHLBURGERS' SUMMER SPECIALA&E premieres the one-hour “Wahlburgers” Summer Special on Sunday, June 29 at 10PM ET/PT. It’s summertime in Boston and the Wahlbergs are kicking off the season with their annual family reunion. This year there is a lot to celebrate at the reunion. It's also Patriots’ Day and Jim Wahlberg, brother of Mark, Donnie and Paul, is in town to run the Boston Marathon. The whole family is eager to rally around and show their support for Jim as well as a couple of Donnie's New Kids On The Block band members who are running the race this year. To honor the occasion, Alma wants to have a personal medal made for Jim but complications arise when she tries to have the medal delivered in time for the race.Paul plans to help out preparing food for the big reunion after the race but first he must learn the secret recipe for Uncle Archie's meatballs, a recipe that Uncle Archie is quite protective of and is not so eager to give out. Meanwhile, Mark offers to set up his hometown Entourage, Johnny “Drama” Alves and Henry “Nacho” Laun, with an acting job, which turns out to be very different than what they had in mind. "Wahlburgers” is produced for A&E Networks by 44 Blue Productions, in association with Closest to the Hole Productions, Leverage Entertainment and Donnie D Productions. Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson and Donnie Wahlberg are Executive Producers. Executive Producer for 44 Blue Productions is Rasha Drachkovitch. Executive Producers for A&E are Lily Neumeyer and Devon Graham. Rock This Boat: New Kids On The Block Coming to TVGNRock This Boat: New Kids On The Block Coming to TVGN: Trailer.Full 2013-2014 TV Season Series RankingsNBC has won the 2013-14 TV season — but you already knew that — with Sunday Night Football finishing the season as the No. 1 show in primetime in total viewers (21.528 million viewers) and among adults 18-49 (9.971 million viewers), based on Live+Same Day data from Nielsen. NBC’s The Blacklist and ABC’s Resurrection are the only freshman series to make the Demo Top 1o List for the season that officially wrapped last night. And Blacklist alone makes the Total Viewer Top 10 among newbies. Historically, Fox’s American Idol fell off both lists, making room for adds. In its defense, Idol’s two nights landed in the Top 20 in the demo — and Top 25 in total viewers — which puts it ahead of most broadcast primetime programming. Meanwhile, CBS’ The Big Bang Theory, in its seventh season, maintained its No. 2 status in overall audience (19.960 million viewers) and the demo (7.88 million), and rose to No. 2 in the demo — behind only NBC’s football in both.Sunday Night Football mopped up this season — the franchise not only finished No. 1 for the season, in 2+ and the demo, but also among adults 18-34 and 25-54 — which included season wins not only with men 18-49, 18-34 and 25-54 but also with women 18-34 and 18-49. NBC also notes that 12 SNF games averaged at least 20 million viewers, tying the network’s Sochi Winter Olympics for most primetime telecasts with an average of 20 million viewers tuned in (not including pre-/post-shows). As usual, the TV Season Rankers Lists are full of inequities. ABC’s Resurrection, for instance, makes the Demo Top 10 (and barely misses the Total Viewer Top 10 at No. 11), in part because it ran zero repeats in its time slot; other freshman dramas saw their season averages tugged downward by encore-episode ratings in their slots. I know — cry me a river. Yes, we did not include pre- and post-game shows — and yes, we went with actuals in the demo this year, eliminating all those pesky three- and four-way ties. And yes, the lists are a bit beauty-pageant, given that a series’ success tends not to be based on whether it finished the season as the country’s 33rd-most-watched series, but whether it improved the network’s ratings performance in its time slot, how much it costs to make, who owns it, ancillary market potential, etc. Even so, we love our lists. Check them out: here. USA NETWORK TAPS NEAL McDONOUGH IN RECURRING ARC ON FOURTH SEASON OF ACCLAIMED DRAMA 'SUITS'SAG Award nominee Neal McDonough (“Mall Cop 2,” “RED 2” & “Justified”) has been tapped as a recurring guest star on USA’s top rated and critically-acclaimed original drama SUITS, which returns for a fourth season on Wednesday, June 11 at 9/8c.McDonough will play Sean Cahill, who is not so much an SEC investigator as he is a bulldog. Tasked by Eric Woodall (guest star Zeljko Ivanek) to uncover wrongdoing at Pearson Specter, Cahill will go toe-to-toe with anyone. The series stars Gabriel Macht ("Love and Other Drugs"), SAG® Award nominee Patrick J. Adams ("Luck"), Gina Torres ("Firefly”), Rick Hoffman ("Samantha Who"), Meghan Markle ("CSI: Miami") and Sarah Rafferty (“Brothers & Sisters”). McDonough joins recently announced recurring guest stars DB Woodside, Brendan Hines, Michael Gross and Melanie Papalia. McDonough is a dynamic star with a solid body of film and television work. He most recently appeared in “RED 2” alongside Bruce Willis, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren. Prior film credits include “Captain America: The First Avenger,” Clint Eastwood’s “Flags of our Fathers,” “The Guardian,” “Walking Tall,” and “Timeline.” He will next appear in the “Paul Blart” sequel, opposite Kevin James. Television credits include “Mob City,” “Justified,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Boomtown” and “Band of Brothers.” McDonough is represented by Paradigm, More/Medavoy Management and his attorney Stuart Rosenthal (Bloom Hergott). SUITS was one of 2013’s top ten scripted shows in cable among P18-49 (2.38MM), P25-54 (2.39MM), and P18-34 (1.28MM). Fans can catch up before the new season with the DVD release of SUITS season three on May 27 or anytime on Amazon Prime. From Universal Cable Productions, SUITS was created and is executive produced by Aaron Korsh ("The Deep End"). Doug Liman (COVERT AFFAIRS, ”The Bourne Trilogy,” "Mr. & Mrs. Smith") and David Bartis (COVERT AFFAIRS, "The O.C.") of Hypnotic, as well as Daniel Arkin (“90210”), Chris Downey (“King & Maxwell,” “Leverage”), Gene Klein of Hypnotic (COVERT AFFAIRS) and Anton Cropper (“Fairly Legal”) serve as executive producers. Rick Muirragui (“Men of a Certain Age,” “The Good Guys”) serves as co-executive producer. Season 4 of SUITS is currently in production in Toronto, ON. Jenny McCarthy Shares Details of Donnie Wahlberg's Sweet ProposalDonnie Wahlberg enlisted the help of Jenny McCarthy's son Evan in his proposal to The View host last month."His proposal was so sweet," says McCarthy, 41, who graces the cover of the June issue of Shape magazine, where she talks both love and fitness. "One afternoon, my son walked into the living room with a piece of paper that read, 'Will.' He ran out, then he came back with another piece that said, 'You.' Then he came back with another piece that read, 'Marry.' Then Donnie walked in wearing a T-shirt that said, 'Me?' " McCarthy reveals. "He was carrying the ring, he got down on his knee in front of Evan, and … I said yes." McCarthy says the timing is right for the couple to wed, even as she was totally into Wahlberg when he was a boy-band heartthrob from her youth – and one she deemed perhaps a little too bad boy to look her way. "The very first time I saw him, I was in eighth grade and New Kids on the Block was on MTV. I was like, 'Who are they?' " McCarthy says. "I thought Donnie was the hottest one but too tough for me, because I was this goody two-shoes. But now when I look at him, I think, 'I'm totally marrying a New Kid on the Block.' " McCarthy, who poses in the magazine showing off enviably toned legs, arms and abs, shares that the last time she got on a scale was when she left the hospital with her newborn son 11 years ago and found that she had hit 185 pounds. Now she measures her weight by how her jeans feel and says that it "goes up and down a lot." Her secret to getting back on track? Hitting the treadmill for some good old-fashioned running, which helped her take off a few pounds after a holiday splurge last year. "I was on that treadmill every day for 45 minutes," she said. "I did a moderate pace and kept it there the whole time. After a few weeks, the extra weight dropped off." The June issue of Shape is on newsstands now. Enjoying The View! Jenny McCarthy is joined by her fiancé Donnie Wahlberg as she shows off her toned bikini body for Shape(Photo) She may not have a wedding date set yet, but it seems bride-to-be Jenny McCarthy is already in tip top shape for the big day.Jenny, 41, has showed off her bikini body, and posed with her fiance Donnie Wahlberg, 44, in a new interview with Shape Magazine. Wearing bikini bottoms and a tied up vest top, Jenny revealed her tanned and toned abs in the stunning pictures. Enjoying The View! Jenny McCarthy, 41, is joined by her fiance Donnie Wahlberg, 44, as she shows off her toned bikini body for Shape Magazine, which is out now. However, Jenney reveals in the interview with the magazine that she no longer weighs herself. 'The last time I weighed myself was 12 years ago, when I left the hospital with my newborn son, Evan, and I was 185 pounds,' she says. Adding: 'Now I measure by how my jeans fit. But I want to be real here and tell you that my weight goes up and down a lot.' 'I was definitely up after the holidays last year, so I tried what everyone always says to do: running. I was on that treadmill every day for 45 minutes,' 'I didn’t do anything fancy with intervals to spike my pulse rate, because I have palpitations and my heart can’t handle the intensity.' 'I did a moderate pace and kept it there the whole time. After a few weeks, the extra weight dropped off.' Speaking to E! recently about her upcoming wedding, Jenny teased that she 'maybe' wearing a Gucci dress for the big day. She also told them her 12-year-old son Evan will play a big role on the day. 'Donnie included Evan [when he proposed], and that really made me cry!' she told them. Jenny McCarthy & Donnie Wahlberg's Wedding: All About the Dress, Date, Bridesmaids & Wahlburgers!Jenny McCarthy couldn't be more excited about her and Donnie Wahlberg's upcoming "I do's!"On Saturday at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, N.J., Jenny took a break from her Dirty, Sexy, Funny tour and dished to E! News exclusively about her wedding. To begin with, though, the most important detail: Who will design the wedding dress? "Gucci, yes," the View co-host said, adding cutely, "Gucci, maybe." As for the bridesmaids, who will include Jenny's sisters, "all the comedians on the Dirty, Sexy, Funny tour and Donnie's sisters"? They'll be wearing, "Forever 21, for sure," she said with a laugh. Jenny said she and Donnie "really hope" that his brother, chef Paul Wahlberg, will cater the wedding. "Why not some Wahlburgers?" Jenny suggested, referring to the food from the family's Boston-based restaurant. The future Mrs. Wahlberg hopes to tie the knot in New York in the near future (or as she put it, "I will say fall of this year!") and it seems likely that her 12-year-old son Evan will be part of the big day. "Donnie included Evan [when he proposed]," gushed Jenny, "and that really made me cry!" He's a thoughtful dude. He'd also be good for daytime TV according to his fiancée! In fact, Jenny said "100 percent" that Donnie should fill Barbara Walters' empty seat on The View. "He would be perfect," she said, "A wicked good co-host!" Can't argue with that one! Donnie Wahlberg: 25 Things You Don't Know About Me(usmagazine.com) Donnie Wahlberg knows how to multitask: when he's not crooning with the other members of New Kids on the Block, he's playing a cop in the CBS drama Blue Bloods (Fridays, 10 P.M.). Here, the 44-year-old star spills 25 facts about himself to Us Weekly.1. I sleep less than three hours a night. 2. I lost 40 pounds for The Sixth Sense. 3. I gained 20 pounds sampling and approving foods for the Wahlburgers menu. 4. I have a pierced nose and nipple. 5. I am my mother's favorite son. 6. I'm afraid of flying on large airplanes, but I love small ones. 7. I can only wear T-shirts once, then I give them away. 8. Mickey Rourke gave me my first acting role, in the movie Bullet. 9. Willona, the neighbor on Good Times, was my childhood crush. 10. My sons [Xavier, 21, and Elijah, 12] and I watch Steve Harvey's Family Feud religiously. 11. I actually pierced my oldest son's ears myself on his 16th birthday. 12. My very first job was in the foreign-exchange office of a bank. 13. I love bass fishing. 14. I'm an excellent chess player. 15. I think of Run-DMC as my high school teachers and Public Enemy as my college professors. 16. My second toe is longer than my big toe. 17. My favorite movie is Scarface. 18. I hug at least 500 fans a day when I'm on tour with New Kids on the Block. 19. I listen to Joni Mitchell and Carole King in my car. 20. I am the world's greatest player of the classic arcade game Asteroids. 21. I get dressed in the exact same sequence every day: socks first. 22. I still say no to drugs. 23. I read the newspaper every morning -- not the internet, but the actual paper. 24. I cry when I am really happy. 25. I never saw [fiance] Jenny McCarthy nude until we started dating. Jenny McCarthy: Donnie Wahlberg Is the Love of My Life(Video) ET recently got Donnie Wahlberg, 44, to interview his fiancée Jenny McCarthy, 41, about her new book Stirring the Pot: My Recipe for Getting What You Want Out of Life, and the two ended up dishing about their upcoming wedding!Though McCarthy is well-known for being candid when it comes to her personal life, Wahlberg shared that The View host is in fact "shy" in real-life and that despite his Wahlburgers reality show, their wedding will not be televised. "The revolution will not be televised, nor will this wedding I don't think," he said. "We don't know when. We're kind of just floating in the 'I'm your fiancé' kind of fun in it," McCarthy explained. "There's no rush. We've done it before. We know it will happen. I think it's just a matter of our schedules." But though McCarthy is tight-lipped about the wedding, she says her new book doesn't shy away from her embarrassing moments. "Through my anecdotal ridiculous things that happened to me in my life, I kind of put them in recipe form," she shared about the concept of her new book. "And you know, there are tidbits that are embarrassing, things that I share with people, but I feel like the more open and honest you are about your life, the more people can learn through your experiences." Though one thing is clear from their joint interview -- Wahlberg and McCarthy are completely smitten with one another. "Someone said to me, 'You have to be so happy, everything's going great.' And it really is," she said. "... And I've really implemented this year those 'stop' moments where I go, 'God, thank you so much for health -- number one -- my son, falling in love with the love of my life. I can't even imagine living my life without him." Check out the video to see Wahlberg's sweet reaction to Jenny's declaration! McCarthy's new book Stirring the Pot: My Recipe for Getting What You Want Out of Life is out now. 'Blue Bloods' Donnie Wahlberg and Tom Selleck are 'kind of happy about Friday nights'(zap2it.com) Donnie Wahlberg's television image as a family man has worked very well for him.Besides executive producing (with brother Mark) and appearing in A&E Network's "Wahlburgers," which has been renewed, the actor is wrapping up his fourth season and heading for a fifth on CBS' Friday drama "Blue Bloods." In his role as NYPD detective Danny Reagan, Wahlberg is at the crux of the episodes much more often than not ... as in this week's story, revolving around the murder of an undercover cop in Danny's precinct. Such continual prominence has given Wahlberg, who recently made his directing debut on the show, a comfortable home-screen home. "Tom Selleck and I had a talk after the show first got picked up," he tells Zap2it, "and we both were kind of happy about Friday nights at 10:00 (ET). We thought that might give us a chance to find our viewers, because if we came into one of the prime slots on all those nights where there's a lot of pressure, we might not have gotten the patience of the network." Also, notes Wahlberg, "People started staying home on Fridays. The economy went south, and people weren't going out as much, and more were tuning into television. We sometimes think or talk about what it would be like to be on a Wednesday where maybe we could grow, and we all say, 'Nah.' I think we're happy where we are, because we really have surprised everyone." Typically, "Blue Bloods" draws the most viewers of any series on Fridays, and the January story directed by Wahlberg - who is newly engaged to "The View's" Jenny McCarthy, and is set to reunite with the other New Kids on the Block in July for four 30th-anniversary concerts in Las Vegas - gave the series its biggest audience since its 2010 premiere. "We all took the show because we believed we had something special," he reflects. "I really think that if 'Blue Bloods' isn't the best show on television, it's one of the better shows on television." New Kids on the Block Are Coming to a TV Near You: Boy Band Get a Cruise-Themed Reality ShowAny New Kids On The Block fans in the house? Of course there are, and this is for you.The TV Guide Network has ordered a new reality show starring the famous '90s boy band and their fans. According to the network's website, Rock This Boat: New Kids on the Block is an eight-episode series that will feature die-hard NKOTB fans (aka Blockheads) on a week-long cruise with Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Danny Wood and the newly engaged Donnie Wahlberg. Are you wishing you could be on that cruise? Good, because there's more! TVGN has also ordered a casting special for Rock This Boat: NKOTB. This is your chance! The show will focus on the New Kids on the Block's June 2014 cruise which will be traveling from New York City to Bermuda. The band, who broke up in the mid-1990s but reunited in 2008 to record a new album and go on tour, is currently preparing for their European tour, which kicks off on May 6 in Stockholm. They also have a New Kids on the Block: After Dark special scheduled for July at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Additionally, Knight has joined forces with Backstreet Boys newlywed Nick Carter for their own tour Nick & Knight, which kicks off in Nashville in September and ends in Canada in November. TVGN's 2014-2015 Slate Includes New Series From Donnie WahlbergROCK THIS BOAT: NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCKDie-hard fans take the vacation of a lifetime when they board a cruise for a week-long party on the high seas with America’s favorite bands. The first group to headline this all-new eight-episode series franchise is New Kids on the Block (NKOTB), one of the hottest boy bands in music history with more than 80 million albums sold worldwide, countless sold-out tours and record-breaking #1 hit songs. For the past five years, NKOTB has sold out its wildly popular concert cruises, and for the first time ever, cameras will follow the fun, free-spirited voyage of a few select groups of super fans at sea with the band mates of NKOTB. In addition, TVGN will air a 30-minute television special dedicated to the casting for ROCK THIS BOAT: NKOTB to showcase all the fun and fandom. ROCK THIS BOAT: NKOTB and ROCK THIS BOAT: NKOTB casting special are produced by Jarrett Creative Group in association with Executive Producer and NKOTB band member Donnie Wahlberg. Donnie Wahlberg Knew All Along He Wanted to Propose to Jenny McCarthy(extratv.com) (The Wahlberg Family's Boston Marathon Photo Diary) (Video) “Extra” was with Donnie Wahlberg in his hometown of Boston as he cheered on his brother, Jim, at the 2014 Boston Marathon.Wahlberg opened up for the first time about his engagement to Jenny McCarthy, saying he knew he wanted to propose shortly after he and “The View” co-host began dating. “Probably planned it about two months into us dating, but things take time and I just waited until the moment was right.” Wahlberg thought the engagement wasn’t exactly a surprise for Jenny. “I don't know if it was a surprise… it might've been a race because she kept threatening to propose to me. Not to make me do it, she just wanted to get engaged, so did I it first. I’m a little old-fashioned. I wasn’t going to let her get on one knee.” The two haven’t started the wedding planning just yet. “No details yet. We'll do it when it's right, but so far everything is awesome.” As for being at the marathon, Donnie called it, “overwhelming.” He said it was a “very proud day for Boston and America.” Donnie's brother Jim will join the A&E family reality show "The Wahlburgers" next season. Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg: Newly Engaged Couple Enjoy a Date NightWhat better way to celebrate an engagement than with a romantic dinner date?Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg were inseparable at N.Y.C hot spot Beauty and Essex the day after announcing their engagement. They arrived Thursday at around 10:15 p.m. and McCarthy was proudly sporting her new sparkler. "She looked stunning and was wearing a navy blue jump suit," said an onlooker. The couple were extremely lovey-dovey. She placed her feet in his lap the entire evening and they were deep in conversation throughout the night. "They looked extremely happy and in love. They were kissing and whispering to each other all night," said the source. Wahlberg and McCarthy started dating last summer. This will be the second marriage for both. Newly Engaged Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg Take a Stroll Hand-in-Hand(eonline.com) (Photo) Jenny McCarthy probably needs some extra support on that hand after putting a huge rock on that finger.The newly engaged actress was spotted engaging (ha, get it?) in some innocent PDA with her beau Donnie Wahlberg while strolling a campsite in upstate New York earlier today. Both McCarthy and Wahlberg were dressed casual and comfortable as they walked along the rocky terrain hand-in-hand. After announcing that the New Kids on the Block member had proposed to her on yesterday's episode of The View, the 41-year-old talk show host showed off her giant yellow sapphire engagement ring while getting a luxurious Sally Hansen manicure in NYC. Ya did good, Donnie. McCarthy explained how the proposal went down and mentioned that her 11-year-old son, Evan, helped Wahlberg. "This weekend I was sitting with Donnie and he went into the other room and out came Evan with a card that said 'Will.' And he ran away and came back with a card that said 'You,' and I knew what was happening and I just started crying. And then he came out with a card that said 'Marry,' but it was spelled 'Mary,' and the last time Donnie came out with Evan and Evan's shirt said 'Me?' and he was holding the ring. He asked, 'Will you marry me?' I of course said yes. And in that moment, Evan yelled, 'I have another dad! I have another dad.' And it was just—it made all of us cry," she said, getting emotional. "I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. He's so wonderful." Aw, congratulations! Donnie Wahlberg Talks Boston Marathon . and Marriage!(people.com) It's been a busy few weeks for Donnie Wahlberg, between wrapping the fourth season of Blue Bloods and expanding his family's burger joint Wahlburgers to include a Fenway Park location … oh, and asking Jenny McCarthy to marry him. But if there's one thing he always makes time for, it's his beloved city of Boston.The actor and New Kids on the Block star will be heading to his hometown on Sunday for the Boston Marathon, a year after two bombs went off at the finish line. "We were all really affected last year," he tells PEOPLE, remembering that he heard the news while filming on the set of Blue Bloods in New York City. "The crew, who had all lived through 9-11, started coming over to me one by one, saying, 'There is something wrong in Boston, you should go call people.' " This year, you'll find Wahlberg watching along the race route, shoulder-to-shoulder with his fellow Bostonians. "I can't even imagine how proud I'm going to feel standing there," he says. "I had a notion of running it myself but I decided to put my energy into supporting my brother [Jim], my bandmates [Joey and Danny], and all the other thousands and thousands of people running." Jim Wahlberg oversees the Wahlberg Foundation and is raising $100,000 for Boston inner-city youth. "I can't believe he's doing it," says Donnie, laughing. "He spent his whole life running from the cops and now he is running the marathon… He is a hero to me right now." One's thing's for sure: Wahlberg is getting used to these emotional moments. Last weekend he proposed to McCarthy with the help of her 11-year-old son Evan. "I just went with my heart," Wahlberg says. "I had these other plans of being on a boat or in some spectacular romantic location, but we were having a good time with Evan and I thought, 'This is the time to do it.' " As for Jenny's yellow sapphire bling? "I saw it and knew it was the perfect ring." When it comes to wedding planning, he's hoping Jenny will take the lead – "Isn't the bride supposed to do that?" – but Wahlberg seems to be kicking around ideas for a "bachelor event" that may happen during NKOTB's four-day weekend extravaganza in Vegas in July. If his fans are still standing, that is. "We have some pretty awesome fans, and if we want them to turn Vegas upside down, they'll turn Vegas upside down," he says. After that, though, it's back to filming season 5 of Blue Bloods. "I have a great time doing this show," says Wahlberg. "I'm running around the streets of New York with my shield on, being a cop. I can stop traffic if I need to. And I'm only a few blocks away from my fiancée. She can come by at any time and give me a hug. It's pretty awesome." Will Andy Cohen Marry Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg? Find Out!(eonline.com) It's a match made in TV heaven!Shortly after Jenny McCarthy announced that she is engaged to Donnie Wahlberg on The View yesterday, Andy Cohen tweeted out his congratulations to the happy couple. "Mazel to @DonnieWahlberg & @JennyMcCarthy! I feel a little responsible for this one…just saying! #ClubhouseLove" Sherri Shepherd read the Watch What Happens Live host's tweet during the popular morning talk show to get a reaction from the bride-to-be herself. McCarthy gushed, "We were actually considering asking him to marry us, so we will see!" As it turns out, the engaged couple first met on the set of Bravo's Watch What Happens Live before flirting up a storm on McCarthy's now canceled Vh1 show. They took their romance public in July 2013. The future spouses took to Twitter to thank their fans for the outpour of love and support following the happy news. "Blown away by the love & well wishes! Nothing surprises me in life, but the support I've seen today is unreal," Wahlberg wrote late last night. McCarthy followed it up by tweeting, "Thank you for all the sweet wishes. @DonnieWahlberg and I are grateful and blessed." She added, "Reading your messages. So nice to see such happiness. Love my followers. Maybe we need to invite some of your to the big day." This will be the second marriage for both. The New Kids On The Block singer was previously married to Kim Fey until 2008 and McCarthy was married to John Asher from 1999 to 2005. Jenny McCarthy's Engagement Ring: All the Details on Her 10-Carat Yellow Sapphire Stunner!(Ring Photo) We've got all the exclusive details on Jenny McCarthy's engagement ring!Earlier today, the 41-year-old View co-host announced she is engaged to Donnie Wahlberg—she also debuted her massive yellow sapphire bling on the morning talk show. And now, Daniel Arik, owner of Newport Jewelers, is giving us the exclusive scoop on McCarthy's ring. "Donnie was referred to us by a good friend," Arik tells E! News. "He came in just before St. Patrick's Day. He had an idea of what he wanted and was part of the design process." "When he first came in, we showed him a few rings and he chose bits and pieces from each ring that he liked, we then combined what he liked and created a custom ring," he explained. Arik said the color of the ring was a given because, "Jenny wanted the yellow." As for the finished product, Arik said, "The ring is over 10 carats. The band is 18-karat white gold although you can't see the band because it's covered with diamonds. We did a custom basket for the sapphire. There is a row of diamonds around the center and from the side view there is a custom made gallery of diamonds." "He was blown away, he absolutely loved it," Arik added. Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg EngagedJenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg are engaged, she announced on The View Wednesday."I just got engaged!" McCarthy exclaimed, before jumping around the talk show's set, showing off her yellow sapphire ring. Wahlberg, who joined his fiancée on stage, enlisted the help of McCarthy's son Evan, 11, when he got down on one knee last weekend. As for the wedding date, McCarthy said the couple was undecided, but that August 2015 was an option. Before the episode aired, McCarthy teased the big announcement. "Turn on #theview," she tweeted. "It's gonna be a goooood one. :)" After the segment aired, Wahlberg added, "#Happy." The couple have been dating since last summer. This will be the second marriage for Wahlberg, 44, who has two sons from his marriage to Kim Fey. McCarthy, 41, was previously married to Evan's father, John Asher, and dated Jim Carrey for five years. Watch McCarthy's announcement here. Jenny McCarthy Engaged to Donnie WahlbergThere's a new bride-to-be on the block!Jenny McCarthy announced on The View Wednesday that Donnie Wahlberg popped the big question (and presented her with a big rock) and she happily said yes. "I just got engaged!" the star said on the show as she unveiled her hidden hand from behind the desk and then proceeded to jump around the set. "It's a yellow sapphire," she explained about the rock. Crying as she told about the proposal, McCarthy said her son Evan helped with the surprise last weekend, and how Wahlberg – who ended up coming onto the TV set Wednesday and kissing McCarthy – had gotten down on one knee. "We don't know yet," she said when asked about the wedding date. Barbara Walters said if they tie the knot in September next year – McCarthy said that August was one consideration – the wedding could be held in her apartment. The couple raised eyebrows when they first started dating last summer. But McCarthy, 41, and Wahlberg, 44, instantly found a connection. One trait they share is "our work ethic" McCarthy told PEOPLE last fall. "He understands my work schedule and he has his and I get it. And we're both single parents and he's trying to juggle all of that while I am too," she says. Now they will add wedding planning to their breakneck schedules. While McCarthy is taping her daytime talk show in New York City, the Blue Bloods actor recently finished filming season 4 of the series and will be busily preparing for an event in Las Vegas this July with New Kids on the Block. This will be the second marriage for both. Wahlberg has two sons from his nine-year marriage to Kim Fey, which ended in divorce in 2008. McCarthy's son Evan is from her marriage to director John Asher, whom she divorced in 2005. Neal McDonough Welcomes Son James Hamilton(Photo) Take five — Neal McDonough is a dad again!The actor, 48, and his wife Ruvé welcomed their fifth child, a son, on Monday, March 31, his rep confirms to PEOPLE exclusively. Born in Los Angeles, James Hamilton weighed in at 9 lbs., 9 oz. and is 22 inches long. He joins sisters Clover Elizabeth, 2½, London Jane, 4, Catherine Maggie, 6½, and brother Morgan Patrick, 8. “They weren’t complete until they literally had a handful,” McDonough’s rep tells PEOPLE, adding that the couple announce their happy news “with pride.” “Big brother and sisters welcomed their newest addition with open arms and loads of hugs and kisses.” While the arrival of James just about evens up the family gender divide, McDonough would have been equally thrilled with another daughter. “My son Morgan and I will be in the McDonough House of Estrogen, but we wouldn’t have it any other way,” the actor joked to PEOPLE in 2011 while announcing his wife’s fourth pregnancy. SightingsVanessa Williams leaving Orso and singing “On Broadway” as she gave cash to a panhandler outside — on Broadway. Earlier she performed in “After Midnight” for a crowd including Robert Redford, Roseanne Barr, America Ferrera and Michael Urie.New Kids on the Block Announce 30th Anniversary Concerts in Las Vegas! Get the ScoopNew Kids On The Block are celebrating their 30th anniversary with some brand-new concerts!The boy band is celebrating three decades as a group by announcing four upcoming shows at the Axis at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood announced the exciting new earlier today. The special weekend of shows will take place each night from July 10 through July 13. These will be their only North American appearances for the entire year. According to Just Jared, "Not only will the guys be performing concerts those evenings, but they will host private daytime pool parties and late night after parties to create a fantastic fan experience." "The band has been focusing on all sorts of solo projects and now prepping for our European tour, but we knew we wanted to do something special stateside for 2014," Wahlberg said. "We knew we had a limited time block where we could do something fun and we knew we had to make it memorable! What better place than Vegas? We'll be up all day and all night for the whole weekend with our fans and friends. It's central enough to everyone in the country; north, south, east and west can all converge on Sin City with NKOTB. And we will certainly make it worth their while!'" Tickets for the shows go on sale starting Apr. 4. The New Kids on the Block Are Heading to Las VegasNKOTB is heading to Las Vegas!The band – who first came on to the scene in 1984 – will be celebrating 30 years together with a big party for fans in Sin City, PEOPLE can exclusively announce. "It is cool because it is still the same because no matter how old you get, there is still a kid inside of you," Jordan Knight tells PEOPLE of performing together for decades. The New Kids On The Block have sold over 80 million records, toured the world, started their own annual cruise and now they've got something new in store. "We have a blast on the cruise and people are clamoring to get the tickets every year so we felt like we should do something like the cruise on land – and we automatically thought Vegas," Knight, 43, says of the long weekend they have planned for NKOTB fans, which they have called "After Dark." Beginning July 10, Knight, his brother Jonathan, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood will spend four days putting on parties and events for fans as well as performing at the Axis at Planet Hollywood, the venue currently occupied by Britney Spears. "At the end of the four days, I'm sure we will be almost dead," says Knight. "But it is fun and kind of intoxicating just hanging out with all the fans." Knight confesses that the Vegas shows will be a little more "risqué" than the rest of the performances on their international tour, and the band's families will most likely not be in attendance that weekend – but not for the reason you might think. "We don't have a lot of time to spend with our families when we are doing things like this," Knight explains. "It is not leisurely. It is fun but it is not leisurely." But Knight admits he does enjoy seeing his wife Evelyn Melendez and his sons Dante, 14, and Eric, 7, in the audience. "Seeing my 14-year-old son in the front row with his cousins singing our songs that are 25 years old is pretty freaking amazing. It makes the experience all that much better," he says. "We were young and single when we first started but to have a family and to be able to do this again and for them to experience it just makes it bigger for us." Tickets for the NKOTB Las Vegas weekend will be available for American Express pre-sale on March 28 and to the general public April 4. For more information, click here. Jenny McCarthy's Boyfriend Donnie Wahlberg Outraged She's 'Carrey-ing On' Friendship With Ex Jim(radaronline.com) Jenny McCarthy‘s boyfriend Donnie Wahlberg is outraged she’s “carrey-ing on” a friendship with her ex-boyfriend, Jim Carrey, a source has told RadarOnline.com.Recently, The View co-hostess, 41, shocked co-stars and fans by revealing on the show, “Jim and I have become friends now since our breakup.” And the continued relationship has Wahlberg, 44, seeing red! “She and Jim talk all the time and have become extremely close friends, to Donnie’s annoyance,” the source said. “Jenny and Jim are always on the phone talking and it’s starting to bug Donnie. Jenny pretty much dismisses his irritation, but it’s putting things on dangerous ground.” Following her marriage to director John Mallory Asher, with whom she had an autistic son, Evan, McCarthy was with funnyman Carrey, 52, from 2005 to 2010. The blonde beauty, who has gone from Playboy fame to The View, has dated Wahlberg since July 2013. Now her frequent contact with her ex-beau is making Blue Bloods actor Wahlberg uneasy, the source said. “He knows Jim has a hold over her and he’s not happy about this renewed contact. Donnie is very paranoid about Jim trying to win her back and is under no illusion that he has the charms to do it,” the source said. 'The Trip to Bountiful': Vanessa Williams 'had to be there' for Cicely TysonZap2it: What are you working on?Vanessa Williams: We did "[The Trip to] Bountiful" until October and the [Lifetime] movie in November. In December, I did a concert in Atlantic City and Hawaii, and in February, I am going to jump into "After Midnight." I will be in it from April 1 to May 11. Zap2it: Will you be singing the same ballads Fantasia did, or will they change the score? Vanessa Williams: Everyone does the same things, [such as] "Stormy Weather." Zap2it: Are you going to do "The Trip to Bountiful" when it opens in Los Angeles? Vanessa Williams: I start rehearsals in August, and it opens in mid-September and runs through the second week of November. It was one of those things as soon as I heard that Cicely [Tyson] had agreed to do it in L.A., I was definitely there for her. Not only that, I did not want to give up my role, but I loved it so much. It was one of those magical combos, and I hope they can get as many of our original Broadway cast. I don't know if Cuba [Gooding] signed on. I don't know if Blair [Underwood] signed on. Zap2it: Were you a fan of playwright Horton Foote before this? Vanessa Williams: I had seen "Tender Mercies" and the "Trip to Bountiful" movie, but I had never seen it onstage. You hear the stories and listen to his voice every night. I have seen documentaries and footage. And when we started our rehearsals, I saw a great piece of footage, and I feel very connected to him and would love to do more. "The Trip to Bountiful" airs Saturday, Mar. 6 on Lifetime. Mykelti Williamson To Star In ABC Pilot 'Clementine'Mykelti Williamson (Justified) has been tapped as the male lead opposite Sarah Snook in ABC drama pilot Clementine, from the Mark Gordon Co. and ABC Studios. It centers on Clementine Ross (Snook), a troubled 28-year-old psychic who sees her life begin to change in unexpected ways when she decides to stop running from her past. Williamson, repped by Frontline Management, Innovative and David Fox, will play Ray, a hard-working, recently divorced detective with the Philadelphia Police Department. The pilot’s producers saw actors of all ethnicity for the role, with casting director Tricia Wood credited for going with Williamson.Vanessa Williams eyes Broadway's 'After Midnight'Vanessa Williams wants to stay up after midnight.The actress, singer and former Miss America watched the matinee performance of "After Midnight" on Wednesday and then broke it to the cast backstage that she has signed up for a stint in the Broadway show celebrating Duke Ellington's years at the Cotton Club nightclub. Says Williams: "It's an honor to jump in. It's a well-oiled machine, up and running and I think it'll be a perfect fit. Williams, who next month turns 51, will start as a guest vocalist on April 1 and end May 11, replacing Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds and Toni Braxton, who in turn replaced k.d. lang. A&E Orders More Episodes of WahlburgersA&E is serving up more Wahlburgers: The reality series has been picked up for 18 more episodes."Viewers are responding to the heartwarming dynamics of Boston's first family as they balance living in the Hollywood spotlight and growing a business," David McKillop, A&E's executive vice president, said. "We look forward to seeing what the Wahlbergs cook up next." Wahlburgers follows Mark, Donnie and Paul Wahlberg as they expand their burger restaurant business in the Boston area. To date, the series has averaged 3.5 million viewers. Wahlburgers airs on Wednesdays at 10:30/9:30c on A&E. 'Blue Bloods' Heading To Hulu As Last Piece Of Syndication PlanCBS has signed a non-exclusive content licensing agreement with Hulu Plus for Blue Bloods, the CBS TV Studios drama that earlier this week landed off-net deals with ION and WGN America. The news of an SVOD partner is the final piece of the multi-platform syndication pie for the Friday cop procedural, now in its fourth season; it’s the same model used to recently sell another CBS TV Distribution product, CBS’ Elementary. Hulu will begin offering the first four seasons of Blue Bloods beginning later this year.On Monday, CBS set deals with ION for broadcast syndication rights and with WGN America which purchased basic cable rights. The multi-plaform sale follows a similar model as the multi-tier deal CBS TV Distribution made last year for CBS drama The Good Wife, which involved two SVOD partners, Amazon and Hulu; a basic cable network, Hallmark Channel; and broadcast syndication. More recently, CBS made an off-net deal for Person Of Interest, distributed by Warner Bros. Last week, Blue Bloods hit a season high in total viewers, drawing its largest audience since its series premiere. ION & WGN America Acquire Off-Network Rights To CBS Drama 'Blue Bloods'Another CBS procedural drama is headed to off-network syndication. Following the recent deals for CBS’ Person Of Interest, distributed by Warner Bros., and Elementary, distributed by CBS Domestic Television, the network’s Blue Bloods, also from CBS TV Distribution, is landing off-network pacts. I’ve learned that CBS TV Distribution is finalizing a three-prong multi-platform syndication sale for the cop/family drama starring Tom Selleck. It includes a pact with ION for the broadcast syndication rights, a deal with WGN America, which has purchased basic cable rights, and a pending deal with an SVOD partner. I hear ION is getting exclusive rights to air the series in primetime and will share with WGN outside of primetime. Blue Bloods is expected to launch in syndication later this year, after its current fourth season wraps on CBS. On ION, Blue Bloods will join a primetime slate built on crime dramas, including CBS’ Criminal Minds, which has been particularly successful, two series that aired on CBS, Cold Case and Flashpoint, along with Law & Order: CI. WGN has been very aggressive in its first year under new management, snapping up off-network dramas in addition to building an original series slate. WGN acquired both POI and Elementary, and will now share Blue Bloods. In its fourth season, Blue Bloods is averaging 14 million viewers (most current), up +7% from last year. This past Friday, the show hit a season high in total viewers, drawing its largest audience since its series premiere. The multi-plaform sale of Blue Bloods follows a similar model as the multi-tier deal CBS TV Distribution made last year for CBS drama The Good Wife, which involved two SVOD partners, Amazon and Hulu; a basic cable network, Hallmark Channel; and broadcast syndication.NKOTB Announces European Tour!(Video) You heard right! Today NKOTB announced details of their upcoming European tour, comprising a series of special live dates. Kicking-off at the Annex in Stockholm on May 6th and culminating at Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow on June 1st, the shows will take place at some of the most intimate venues across Europe, giving our fans a rare opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with the band."We've played arenas, and stadiums, all over the world in the last 6 years. Yet, some of our best concerts have been in the most intimate of venues, where we are closer to our amazing fans. In fact, we all agree that London's Hammersmith Apollo was without question one of our favorite concerts ever! This tour gives us a chance to have that intimacy with our fans again. To get up close and intimate with the best fans in the world" -NKOTB An Intimate Evening with New Kids on the Block May/June Tour Dates 'Blue Bloods' Donnie Wahlberg debuts as director: 'I guess I did it the right way'"It's no pressure, coming after our two highest-rated episodes since the pilot. No pressure for me at all."So says Donnie Wahlberg, wryly, about his directing debut on CBS' "Blue Bloods" Friday (Jan. 31). He also remains very evident as an actor as his weekly character, NYPD Detective Danny Reagan, and partner Maria Baez (Marisa Ramirez) probe the murder of a reality-show-star drag queen. Meanwhile, Danny's prosecutor sister Erin (Bridget Moynahan) is kidnapped by a woman who wants a new investigation of her son's drug-related murder case. "It was a challenge, but it was a lot of fun," Wahlberg tells Zap2it of working both sides of the camera. "I've kind of known that I would eventually direct at some point ... but I guess I've just watched so many directors go through so many challenges, I've always thought, at the end of the day, 'Maybe I'm more of a producer than a director.' "It's something I was always angling toward, regardless, and I just asked if I could do an episode this year. Once they said, 'Yes,' I was in. I was on the schedule and locked in, and I just started wrapping my head around doing it. And it was just an awesome experience." It also satisfied Wahlberg's taste for trying something else, though he allows, "I do a lot of different things with my time. I'm still in my band (New Kids on the Block) and we tour every summer and still make albums, I produce a few other TV shows, and I still have different interests and businesses. "Sometimes when I'm on the set, working a 14-hour day as an actor," Wahlberg adds, "I get a little antsy and fidgety. Just playing the part isn't always enough, because quite frankly, I'm sitting around more than I'm on camera. "What I didn't know is that those days would fly by as both a director and an actor. I didn't feel bored for one second; I felt completely invigorated, and I think this may be another calling for me on some level. Really trusting the cast and the team around me is what made me able to come through this episode as well as I did." Indeed, Wahlberg is glad he waited until the fourth season of "Blue Bloods" to occupy the director's chair. "It was a big help because I've established great relationships," he reasons, "but with that said, it could have been a detriment. When you know somebody a certain way, and you're suddenly asking them for another take, it can be like, 'Wait a minute. You're my peer, you're not my director.'" Still, Wahlberg reports, "It worked out. We all have a great rapport, and with nearly four seasons under our belts, I know how to speak to my castmates. I wasn't sure exactly what I would say between takes, but I guess I did it the right way because everyone was very responsive and things seemed to make sense. And I feel like I got really awesome performances." Wahlberg reserves particular praise for Moynahan, deeming her "just amazing in the episode, ready and willing to try anything. Sometimes, it took some talking and explaining. I was sort of wearing that hat where guest TV directors come in and try to get the cast members, who play these parts every day, to see things their way. Now I was in the position of having to tell Bridget, 'I know you do it that way, but I'd like you to consider the possibility of doing it this way.' "She tried it, and it really worked, and she was grateful for a lot of the suggestions. And I was grateful for her gift. To watch her go through a three-page scene crying her eyes out with her life in jeopardy [as Erin], and to still remember the notes I gave her in the middle of the scene, was overwhelming to see. I was really humbled by her work." One of Wahlberg's aims was to give each character what he terms an "arc," one outcome being what he considers "one of the best episodes for Danny and Baez. It's subtle. A lot of the time, we'll trade off lines in the interrogation room, but the emotional track is going to go with Danny. Every actor is looking for an arc, and I wanted to find that for Marisa, so I worked really hard on fleshing out her point of view. It's a huge breakthrough for our partnership, both on screen and off." Directing his television "father," Tom Selleck, also was major for Wahlberg. "We walked into the first scene together, in the office (of Selleck's alter ego, Police Commissioner Frank Reagan), and he said, 'I kind of like sitting at my desk, but I don't want to tell you how to direct the scene.' And I said, 'Tom, I don't come into this office as Donnie or Danny. This is your world. I want you to help me direct the scene. Tell me what you think you'd do, and let's go from there.' And that's what we did. "Anybody can say anything they want about Tom Selleck, but the guy knows his stuff," notes Wahlberg. "If I didn't trust him, I'd be a fool. He's smart, he's experienced, he knows how to tell a story, he knows what the audience is thinking ... he's a master of television, and I count on him every day. We work in completely opposite ways, but we have the same goal." Some actors prefer having less as performers while directing, particularly for the first time, but Wahlberg didn't shy away from that. "I tried to treat the episode as if I was still an actor," he explains, "and I was at my best when I stayed in my 'actor head.' When I'm on the 'Blue Bloods' set, I'm constantly giving notes and presenting ideas to the other actors, and the directors really trust me with my ideas ... so I thought it was important to stay in that head space." Such was the case with a trademark of the show, the weekly family-dinner scene. "I never left the table," Wahlberg says. "I sat with the cast the whole time, as I would do on any episode. I'd walk behind a camera every once in a while and make sure I liked the angle on somebody, but I didn't stand off to the side and do a read-through or block the scene. "I acted as one of the cast. They know what to do with that scene; I don't have to tell them what to do. I'm an actor first, and I treated my directing as such." With his first "Blue Bloods" directing gig now done, Wahlberg is looking toward the next one. "We didn't get a lot of Danny and Linda this time," he says of working with on-screen "wife" Amy Carlson, "but I'm certainly going to angle for that next time. And it would be fun to go on a real journey with Will Estes (who plays Danny's fellow-cop brother Jamie) in an episode." Lately, Wahlberg also has been familiar with the other side of the camera as an executive producer of two reality shows: A&E's current Wednesday series "Wahlburgers" -- on which his girlfriend, Jenny McCarthy, has appeared -- and TNT's police-profiling "Boston's Finest." Having starred in such other drama series as "Boomtown" and "Runaway," he knows he has a good thing with "Blue Bloods," typically the top-rated broadcast-network show on Fridays. "We haven't had to try every twist and turn and gimmick to find the audience," he reflects. "The audience has found us, and we're really proud of the show and really grateful. And we feel like we're just hitting our stride." Wahlbergs serve up beefcake(theprovince.com) When it comes to TV, Donnie Wahlberg is double-dipping. Mark Wahlberg, too. The siblings — one a star of Blue Bloods, the other an executive producer of Boardwalk Empire — are lending their star power to the new A&E reality show Wahlburgers.More than a chance to make puns with buns, Wahlburgers is centred on their brother Paul, a chef who, with his brothers, runs the Boston burger joint of the same name. (A second Wahlburgers restaurant is pegged to open soon in Toronto.) “I’m not a good cook. I can cook a bowl of cereal, but my brother Paul and the rest of my brothers are really talented,” Donnie, a New Kids on the Block singer and part-time abs-flasher, told online outlet Metro. “Paul has a hugely successful restaurant in Massachusetts, and he came to Mark and me with the idea of opening a burger place. He lives in a town where there is no burger joint, only a McDonald’s. And he wanted to open one to serve that town and to make a quality product.” Mark, the artist formerly known as Marky Mark, is equally enthusiastic about his lesser-known sibling. “Paul is the star. He’s the chef. He’s the most talented in the family,” the former Calvin Klein model says in a promo for the show. Episodes peel back the curtain on the Wahlberg clan, their matriarch Alma, and old neighbourhood pals Henry (Nacho) Laun, Billy Leonard and Johnny Alves, the man who inspired the Johnny (Drama) Chase character in Mark’s HBO series Entourage. Donnie’s girlfriend, former Playmate of the Month Jenny McCarthy, appears in the premiere episode. Plus, the brothers discuss expansion plans for their restaurant, and Alma tries to convince overworked Paul to hire an assistant. “Being in business with my brothers was never the plan,” Paul says in the promo. Maybe so, but when it comes to a show about burgers and brothers, a couple of beefcakes can’t hurt. 'Wahlburgers': Mark Wahlberg, Donnie Wahlberg open up a brotherly Boston burger jointUnderwear models, superstar musicians, actors, producers, ex-cons -- what in the world do the Wahlbergs have left to prove? How about opening some hamburger joints in their hometown?One of Boston's best-known families has taken to making delicious meat patties, and you can watch every tantalizing moment if you tune in to "Wahlburgers," premiering Wednesday, Jan. 22, on A&E Network. That's right, "Wahlburgers." The unscripted series gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look into the restaurant business as brothers Mark and Donnie Wahlberg return to Beantown and join forces with their older brother, Paul, in the new venture. "It'll be called 'Wahlburgers,' just like the burgers," said Donnie when he announced the new series on "Arsenio." "[People] called us that as kids, they'd tease me, they'd say 'Wahlburger' -- if they weren't calling me 'Junior Jailbird,' because of my older brothers being inmates all the time. ... We got the last laugh and opened a burger joint with the name." And while Mark ("Boogie Nights," "The Italian Job") and Donnie (New Kids on the Block, "Blue Bloods") are no strangers to the spotlight, it's Paul's turn to shine as he takes on the challenges of running a burger joint with the family name on it. As the "most talented sibling" in the Wahlberg clan, Paul is executive chef at not only the new hamburger joint but also the family's other well-respected culinary venture, Alma Nove, an Italian restaurant in Hingham, Mass. But even with his brothers' full support, this proves no easy task as Paul regularly gets caught up in a whirlwind of bustling kitchens, an impending expansion and everything in between. Not surprisingly, at the heart of the family -- and the chaos -- is the matriarch of the Wahlberg clan, Alma. She's still the one the boys look to for approval. The battle to be her favorite is constant among the guys, who don't make any big decisions without their mother's backing. She isn't afraid to step in and speak her mind, and when she does, everyone listens. It seems the Wahlberg brothers know their limits. And though we'll certainly see a lot of the family on the show (it's one of Mark and Donnie's excuses to come back home), the characters we'll get the most mileage from are the gang from the old neighborhood. In fact, action seems to follow Mark and Donnie's original entourage, such as Johnny "Drama" Alves and Henry "Nacho" Laun. These childhood pals are great at taking advantage of old friendships, especially when it comes to a free burger. We also meet Mark's childhood friend and former partner in crime, Billy Leonard, who is by Mark's side whenever he's in town and keeps him up to date when he's not. If nothing else, as we witnessed from Mark's Calvin Klein days, the Wahlbergs know how to deliver some first-rate buns. Wahlbergs are the new kids on reality-TV blockMark Wahlberg is a big movie star. And Donnie Wahlberg has made a big name for himself in TV and music.But Paul Wahlberg? He's the chef, not the star, of the family. That all changes Wednesday with the premiere of A&E's Wahlburgers (10:30 p.m. ET/PT). The famous guys' older brother, Paul, who is 49 and fifth of the nine Wahlberg children, runs the Wahlburgers restaurant in Hingham, Mass, and is about to steal a little bit of the spotlight. The Wahlbergs are part of a new reality show trend: stars sharing their fame with family members. Bruno Mars' sisters just wrapped a season of The Lylas on WeTV. And that network's Braxton Family Values, which stars singer Toni Braxton — and her sisters — spawned spinoff Tamar and Vince, about the actress/singer and her husband. This bit of TV nepotism serves two goals: It gives the family a chance to cash in on a celebrity's fame, and it gives networks a promotional hook to lure viewers. Sometimes, though, having your family on TV can take a toll. While the Kardashians, the Robertsons (Duck Dynasty) and the Honey Boo Boo families have so far found the fame to be just fine, Clint Eastwood's ex-wife, Dina, starred in Mrs. Eastwood and Company for E!, and when the couple split, People reported that the reality show had driven a wedge into their relationship. The Osbournes became household names with their MTV show, developed around heavy-metal star Ozzy Osbourne. But last year, Ozzy's wife, Sharon, said doing the show was the "biggest mistake" of her life. Will the same fate befall the Boston Wahlberg clan? "Everything in our life causes arguments," says Paul Wahlberg, sounding baffled as to how TV will change anything. The good part about it all, he says, is that the family spends more time together, allowing the brothers to revert right back to childhood. "We become 10- and 12-year-olds again. We goof around." Donnie, 44, isn't sweating it, either. "I'm not worried about showing too much of our personal lives. It's only a slice of life, not my entire life," the Blue Bloods star says via e-mail. "And I think it's good for people to get more of a sense of who we are and where we are from." But it's not always easy for the non-star to suddenly step in front of the camera. "I could be doing it for 20 years and not be comfortable," Paul insists during a call. The whole fame game is "just not what I do. I've been cooking for 30 years," he says. When reminded that the show follows the brothers as they look to expand the restaurant business, Paul deadpans, "I can't figure out for the life of me who'd be interested in it. It seems mundane and dull to me." Donnie Wahlberg has a much more lighthearted attitude about the series. "Why not do it? Life is boring if you take yourself too seriously." Also stepping into the spotlight is mom Alma, 71. Like Mama June Shannon, Kris Jenner and Phil Robertson, she's the all-important leader of the family. "I was very hesitant and nervous at first," she says about being on camera. But her sons persuaded her. "They said, 'You can talk to a wall, Ma. You won't have any trouble.'" Also in the show is the real Johnny "Drama" Alves, on whom the Entourage character is based, and Henry "Nacho" Laun, another childhood pal. For the Wahlbergs, family is everything. But one question, brought up in the first episode, lingers: Each son wants to know which one is Alma's favorite. "I am Alma's favorite. There is no question about it," Donnie says. "Paul only substitutes when I am out of town. Mark can take solace in the fact that he was our dad's favorite." Paul says "it depends on who's in the room." And Alma? "Whoever I'm with at the time," she says. "They're all so unique in their own way. I'm really proud of them. Not just the success, but how they've turned out. They're really good people. I wouldn't care if they were ditchdiggers, as long as they're good people." Celebrity Cameos! The Real Johnny Drama! 7 Reasons to Take a Bite out of A&E's WahlburgersHe's been nominated for two Academy Awards. He's had a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. His latest movie opened to $37 million earlier this month. So why would Mark Wahlberg want to star in a reality show?"I thought kind of the same thing," executive producer Rasha Drachkovitch tells TVGuide.com. "It definitely helps that the subject matter is his family and the family business." That family business, the Hingham, Mass., restaurant Wahlburgers, is the focus of the new A&E reality show of the same name. Premiering Wednesday at 10:30/9:30c, the docu-series follows Wahlberg, along with his two brothers, singer and Blue Bloods star Donnie and chef Paul Wahlberg, in their adventures running a restaurant together. After first reading about the fast-casual burger spot two years ago, Drachkovitch reached out to Mark about the reality show idea. He soon traveled to Hingham to meet both the Wahlburgers restaurant family, as well as Mark's own family. "They're very Boston, so very big-hearted. I was basically being hugged and smooched for the first couple days," he recalls. "This is a great American story because when you hear about their upbringing on the tough streets of Dorchester, nine kids under one roof trying to get by and then where they are today with television, music, films, and now the restaurant business, it had all the elements to be an entertaining show." So what can viewers expect? Drachkovitch shared seven enticing reasons to tune in: 1. The show digs deep: Drachkovitch says viewers will be surprised to see just how candid and honest the Wahlbergs, whom he dubbed "Boston's first family," are on camera. "It's a rare glimpse behind the curtain where you get to see such a visible family and you get to see how they discuss things. We get to tackle sibling rivalries, we get to tackle competition," he says. "It kind of morphed from a celeb-reality business show to a show about this amazing American family. They may be huge stars, but at the end of the day, they're dealing with the same kind of issues about family that most of us deal with as well." 2. Mark and Donnie will be a big presence: Despite their busy schedules — Mark worked on five movies during the course of shooting, and Donnie split his time between Blue Bloods and the New Kids on the Block reunion tour — they will both appear in every episode of Wahlburgers. I was kind of hoping maybe they could call in or Skype," Drachkovitch says. "It was pretty much, 'Whatever you guys need to film, let us know.'" 3. Get ready to meet "the most-talented Wahlberg": At least that's what Mark calls his older brother Paul, a classically trained chef who runs Wahlburgers' day-to-day operations. A stranger to the screen, Paul was initially hesitant about appearing on docu-series because "he didn't want to do the TV thing," according to Drachkovitch. "He got comfortable and then all of a sudden that Wahlberg star gene kicked in and he came up with the one-liners." Drachkovitch says. "He has a hard nose-to-the-grindstone work ethic. ... I think that's the part that will resonate for people." 4. Tensions will flare: "What's so great about their relationship is [Paul] is a worry wart. He is a perfectionist," Drachkovitch says. "He wants to make one great burger at a time and please the customer." However, that philosophy will clash early and often with Mark and Donnie, who want to open Wahlburgers in every airport and sporting arena in America, as well as expand to Europe and Asia. "That intersection of quantity and expansion, and quality was a great starting point for almost every episode," he says. 5. Celebrity cameos: In the second episode, the cameras film the first meeting between Donnie's girlfriend, Jenny McCarthy, and his mom, Alma. Fellow New Kid Joey McIntyre will also show up on an episode when the brothers try to craft a jingle for the restaurant. Although Wahlburgers has not yet been renewed, Drachkovitch says there's already been talk of a big cameo. "We played around with the idea of bringing [movie bear] Ted into one of the scenes so that Ted gets to drive Paul crazy," he says. 6. Meet the real Johnny Drama: Wahlburgers is also populated by some of their colorful friends, such as Johnny Alves, aka the inspiration for the Entourage character). In one episode, the show will follow Alves out to Hollywood and on an audition for the upcoming remake The Gambler, starring Mark. "He's always trying to make it in Hollywood, but he's got a great heart. He's just a hilarious character," Drachkovitch says. There's also Mark's childhood friend, Nacho, an extreme eater. "He drives Paul crazy. Paul basically bans him from the restaurant because he doesn't want a circus environment, but Nacho is kind of there as comic relief of the show," Drachkovitch says. 7. But the show's real scene-stealer is...: As predicted by Mark, Drachkovitch says matriarch Alma Wahlberg will steal the spotlight. "Mark says, 'You know, I have this huge business and I'm thinking global, but when my mom talks, I become that 10-year-old sitting at the dinner table. What she says goes.' It's the same for Donnie. They adore her," Drachkovitch says. "The show has a lot of heart, and you'll see it in Alma." Wahlburgers premieres Wednesday at 10:30/9:30c on A&E. Will you tune in? McCarthy and Wahlberg: The Love InterviewGet the Rice Ready for Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg: The Love Interview: Video.Video: Donnie Wahlberg on Boston Mayor Tom MeninoVideo: Donnie Wahlberg on Boston Mayor Tom Menino.Donnie Wahlberg: I knew all the cops in my area because they’d arrested all my brothers(metro.co.uk) The 44-year-old singer and actor found fame in the late 1980s in boy band New Kids On The Block. He is now recording with the reformed NKOTB.How different is the music scene now to when you started out in the 1980s? In the music world there seem to be fewer opportunities for establishing yourself as a recording artist – you have a better chance of becoming famous or maintaining a pop career now if you are on a television show like American Idol or The X Factor. Radio stations play so little music and MTV barely plays any music videos, so the window for artists to fit into has just become so much smaller. You can be a lot more famous now in the music business but to really make a living and have a career is tricky. How does performing live compare with 20 years ago – are you still able to fling yourself around stadiums with the same amount of energy? When I was younger and performing, everything was such an adrenalin rush. I would run on stage and be hyperventilating in the middle of the first song, singing too loud and not pacing myself at all. At 20 I could do that. I would still have enough energy to make it through the rest of the show but, at 43, I have to take a different approach. I’m like a veteran in a sport now. But in some ways, pacing myself and stretching for an hour before every show and slowing it all down, I’ve learnt to be a better performer. These days, I really take my time and treat a concert more like a movie. How have your fans changed – have they become less crazed than when they came to see you as teenagers? They’re sometimes just as crazy and they scream as loud now as they did when they were teenagers, which is amazing. I took my son and his friends to see Justin Bieber and there was a lot of screaming. The other parents were like: ‘This is so loud.’ I said: ‘That’s nothing.’ You’re also an established actor these days, with a regular role on Blue Bloods. Do you think television has changed a lot in recent years too? Television has changed a lot but I think it’s the opposite situation to music – there are so many cable networks producing shows, and so many opportunities for actors to work in great-quality stuff. When I first got into acting, a lot of the actors I was competing with, my peers, said they didn’t want to do TV. I always wanted to do TV, though, because I was looking for the opposite of the rock-star lifestyle, which was something consistent – checking in every day and sort of punching a clock seemed fascinating to me. You’re playing a police officer in Blue Bloods but didn’t you have a rather misspent youth, like some of your brothers and band members? Most of my interaction with the police when I was young was when they were arresting my family members. Fortunately, I was rarely in their cars myself. I was the good son, I guess – I didn’t like being in trouble. I still knew all the cops from my area because they had arrested all my brothers, so when I walked down the street they would watch me to see if I had a knife and check what I was up to. Luckily, I was usually going to baseball or something else productive. As for playing a cop, I think now that I am in my forties I’m playing the role I was born to play and I can finally be convincing as a policeman or detective. Your character, Danny, has become progressively smarter as the show has gone on – has he had some styling advice? Well, my suits have become progressively tighter over the seasons, as the network has encouraged me to wear nicer, less sloppy suits. Now they are really, really tight. And I have a rather big bum to begin with – it’s true – so my trousers are really tight now. One night on set I was making a Vine video clip and I said my trousers were so tight you could break a board over my ass. It just so happened that one of the set decorators had a board standing by and they broke it over my ass. They are public Vines – you can watch them. You have a restaurant, Wahlburger, in Massachusetts with your brothers – is there anything your family can’t do? I’m not a good cook. I can cook a bowl of cereal but my brother Paul, and the rest of my brothers, are really talented. When we were kids, other people would always call us all Wahlburger, so we figured we’d get the last laugh and open a burger joint and call it that. Truthfully, Paul has a hugely successful restaurant in Massachusetts and he came to Mark and me with the idea of opening a burger place. He lives in a town where there is no burger joint, only a McDonald’s, and he wanted to open one to serve that town and to make a quality product. Once we put the name on it, though, it just took on a life of its own. Jenny McCarthy Locks Lips with Donnie Wahlberg on New Year's Eve!(Video) They’re a match made in Hollywood heaven, and Jenny McCarthy rang in the New Year with her boyfriend Donnie Wahlberg last night (December 31).The flamboyant blonde wasn’t afraid to play a little tonsil hockey with her New Kids on the Block beau as soon as the ball dropped in Times Square. McCarthy teamed up with Ryan Seacrest to host “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest,” and she explained that despite the crazy hours and cold conditions, she still loves the gig. Jenny noted, "It's a good 15-hour day, but we will get cuddle time in. We'll spend two hours spooning, warming back up." 'She's everything I could have asked for!' Donnie Wahlberg(dailymail.co.uk) They have been together for just nine months.But Donnie Wahlberg has already revealed he believes Jenny McCarthy could be his one true love. The New Kids On The Block star lathered the controversial The View host with praise and said he even loves spending time with her son Evan. The 44-year-old told In Touch magazine:'Do I feel like she's the one? She's everything I could have ever asked for. 'We were both married, both divorced, both have kids and both never married again, so we're both open to see what happens. 'We're having a good time. We're both workaholics but luckily we have similar schedules so we/ve really been enjoying things.' Donnie was married to Kim Fey for nine years until they divorced in 2008 citing 'irreconcilable differences.' And father-of-two Donnie even said he loves spending quality time with the 41-year-old's autistic son Evan, 11, whose father is director John Asher. He said: 'It's been a joy to get know Evan. He's a sweetheart and a really fun young man, 'So far so good with our kids, so that's good news.' Jenny claims her son's autism was triggered by immunisation, despite the fact the paper on the MMR vaccine by shamed medical researcher Andrew Wakefield on which she based her assertions being found to have contained falsified results. And the supportive singer-turned-actor even went so far as to praise his new squeeze's much ridiculed work as a new host on The View. He said: 'I've been on a bunch of imes for Blue Bloods and when NKOTB launched our tour with Boyz II Men and 98 Degrees. 'I've always been a big fan of the show, and having her on it only makes it better.' Donnie and Mark Wahlberg Star in A&E's Wahlburgers(Video) They've tackled music, acting and fame, and now brothers Donnie and Mark Wahlberg are engaged in a new family pursuit – the restaurant biz.Also starring in this new venture is their lesser-known but similarly outspoken older brother Paul, who isn't necessarily keen on having the celebrity siblings step into his groove. Check out a first look at A&E's new reality show, Wahlburgers. "Being in business with my brothers was never the plan," says Paul. Expect squabbling to ensue in this family of nine where matriarch Alma ultimately rules the roost. "It used to be 'Oh, God! Those Wahlberg kids.' Today it's 'Whoa, it's the Wahlbergs!'" their mom says of their notoriety. How their Boston restaurant fares is another storyline on the show, as it offers an inside look at the Dorchester family's meager beginnings and exposes a wicked cool cast from their entourage of neighborhood pals, including the real-life "Johnny Drama," all adding some spice to family's business. "Paul, he's the chef. He's the most talented one in the family," brags Mark, who clearly hasn't forgotten his special sibling bond. "It always comes down to family and having each other's back," he adds. Wahlburgers premieres Jan. 22 (10:30 p.m. ET) on A&E. 'Mob City': Neal McDonough plays 'Band of Brothers' Buck Compton's best pal William ParkerZap2it: You play former LAPD Chief William H. Parker in the 1940s TNT drama "Mob City." What's your take on him?Neal McDonough: He's such a good-natured person. He's just this guy from South Dakota that came to Los Angeles for high school, didn't really fit in, became a cop. He policed the streets, and he loved the city. Then he went off to Normandy (during World War II) when he was well into his 30s, and that's where he became great friends with Buck Compton. Zap2it: Wait, is that the same Army officer Lynn "Buck" Compton you played in the HBO WWII miniseries "Band of Brothers"? Neal McDonough: I know, exactly. So those guys, they were very tight because they were in Normandy together, police academy together and everything else. Zap2it: Compton passed away on Feb. 25, 2012, at the age of 90. Did he know you were playing Parker? Neal McDonough: When he was dying, Tracy, his daughter was there. He hadn't said anything for a day or so. I said, "Put the phone next to his ear." I said, "Buck, guess what, it's Neal. I'm playing your best pal William Parker," and he smiled. A couple of hours later, he was gone. That was crazy. How my career would have gone had I never played Compton ... I would never have met [my wife] Rive, and I never would have had this life. Look at what's happened in the last 13 years, and in the 13 years before that -- guest stars and small, independent movies. Donnie Wahlberg's got some advice for new kid Justin BieberNew Kid on the Block — and former teenthrob — Donnie Wahlberg has some advice for current pop prince Justin Bieber. But he just doesn’t think the Canadian trainwreck-in-progress will listen!“I feel for him,” Wahlberg told the Track. “I understand the stress he’s under, how everything he does, everywhere he goes, he’s surrounded by screaming girls. He can’t leave his hotel room because there’s 10,000 girls out there singing. But no one really knows him.” Biebs, of course, has been on a total tear since Selena Gomez dumped his butt, with scandal ?after scandal including a ?reported brothel bust in Brazil ?and a sex romp with an alleged ?porn star. The 19-year-old just told The Hollywood Reporter: “I don’t give a (bleep,)” about the bad publicity his antics have spawned. “He’s at an age where he’s just becoming who he’s going to be for the rest of his life,” Wahlberg said. “But every time he picks up a newspaper or magazine, they’re telling him who he is. But if he hangs in there and stays the course, maybe he’ll get to his 40s and get to have as much fun as we do.” The “Blue Bloods” star said the reboot of his boy band has been a blast and he and the other New Kids love hanging out with their fans during their tours and on their cruises. “Jon (Knight) will just decide to take 20 fans to Starbucks,” he said. “Or sometimes I’ll get like 300 of them together in a hotel lobby and we’ll all sit around in a circle and chat. It’s great. We get to feel our youth again.” But Wahlberg knows that Bieber probably doesn’t want to hear about what his life could be like at 40something! “When we were kids, they would have magazine articles with, like, the Monkees or David Cassidy giving us advice, and we thought, ‘We’re not them, we don’t want to hear that.’ I’m sure he feels the same way.” Boston's Finest - Walking With DonnieBoston's Finest - Walking With Donnie: Video.TVGN's First Development Slate Includes 'New Kids On The Block' Series, 'Celebrity Celebrity' Game ShowSeven months after CBS Corp. acquired half of TVGN, partnering with Lionsgate, the cable network is announcing its first development slate. The projects on it indicate that TVGN does not plan a major change of course, keeping its focus on celebrity, pop culture and television. Corporate synergy with CBS already has done well for TVGN, which has seen triple-digit ratings increases from its broadcasts of Big Brother After Dark and The Young & The Restless. Following the recent premiere of docuseries Mother Of All Talent, about mother-daughter kids talent agents, and the upcoming debut of Tequila Sisters, about a Miami-based tequila business clan, TVGN has unveiled a development slate featuring seven other unscripted projects. It includes a series featuring New Kids on the Block, produced by band member and star of CBS’ Blue Bloods Donnie Wahlberg, and a game show based on the Celebrity Celebrity parlor game produced by Scandal‘s Joshua Malina.Corporate synergy is again on full display, with a show about CBS’ Watch! Magazine and two series from Lionsgate TV — a magazine based on celebrity tweets and posts, and a show about the cutthroat Hollywood tour business. TVGN also is paying homage to its roots as a TV guide service with a show about the stories behind television’s biggest hits. “We have commissioned a slate of original projects that capture compelling and exciting stories of Hollywood, fandom and obsession,” said Brad Schwartz, TVGN’s President of Entertainment and Media. Here are details about TVGN’s projects in development: Rock The Boat: New Kids On The Block: Obsessed fans take the vacation of a lifetime when they board a cruise for a weeklong party on the high-seas with America’s favorite bands. The first group to headline this all-new series franchise is New Kids on the Block (NKOTB), one of the hottest bands in music history. Rock The Boat: NKOTB will be produced by Jarrett Creative Group in association with Executive Producer and NKOTB band member Donnie Wahlberg. TMI: This quick-witted and fun show will deliver the top stories in Hollywood and entertainment through the lens of celebrity tweets and posts. TMI will be produced by Rogue Atlas Productions in association with Lionsgate Television with Eli Frankel (“The Amazing Race”) as Executive Producer. Watch! Magazine TV Project: Part travel show, part celebrity biography, part high fashion, this original series goes behind the scenes of CBS’s Watch! Magazine as it takes TV’s biggest stars to the world’s most exotic destinations for shoots with the world’s best photographers. WATCH! MAGAZINE SERIES will be produced by TV Guide Productions. Celebrity Celebrity: Based on the popular parlor game, this lively show will feature two teams of celebrity contestants as they compete to guess famous names based on their teammates’ clues, and rack up money for their favorite charities. Celebrity Celebrity will be produced by Avalon Television (“Workaholics”) with Joshua Malina (“Scandal,” “Celebrity Poker Showdown”), Hrishikesh Hirway (“Our Nixon”), David Martin, Dan Lubetkin, Jon Thoday and Richard Allen-Turner as Executive Producers. Have You Scene My Room: Hosted by Joe Maddalena, the industry’s leading authority on Hollywood memorabilia, this home makeover series transforms a superfan’s entire room into a real-life Hollywood tribute to his or her favorite movie or television show. Co-hosted by Tanya McQueen (“Extreme Makeover Home Edition”), Have You Scene My Room will be produced by Trium Entertainment (“Something Borrowed, Something New”). Tour Wars: Underneath the perceived glitz and glamour of Hollywood Boulevard is an underbelly of competitive and hungry tour-giving vendors who are willing to go to extremes in order to cash in on excitable tourists. Tour Wars will be produced by Rogue Atlas Productions and Four Henrys Productions in association with Lionsgate Television. Eli Frankel, Aisha Corpas Wynn and Blaine Vess will serve as Executive Producers. The Story Behind (working title): Viewers will get an inside look at some of the most successful shows in television history. Featuring award-winning shows like “Friends” and “ER,” The Story Behind will reveal stories straight from the set and feature exclusive interviews with cast, producers and television executives such as Steven Spielberg, Warren Littlefield, John Wells and Neal Baer. The Story Behind will be produced by TV Guide Productions. A&E To Premiere Latest Wahlberg Reality Series 'Wahlburgers' On January 22A&E announced today it will premiere its latest homage to the Wahlberg brothers on January 22; Wahlburgers will show brothers Mark and Donnie heading back to Boston to join forces with brother Paul in a hamburger restaurant that’s already working on its second location, and serves as home base for the gang from the old neighborhood, including, A&E says, the real Johnny “Drama” Alves, Henry “Nacho” Laun, Mark’s chidhood pal Billy Leonard, and family matriarch Alma.This is not to be confused with the teamsters reality-series pilot A&E had ordered from Mark Wahlberg, the Boston-set six-episode reality series about four female friends struggling to break through their blue-collar surroundings that A&E ordered from Mark Wahlberg, or Donnie Wahlberg’s reality series Boston Finest that somehow escaped A&E’s notice and wound up on TNT. “We’re thrilled to partner with the entire Wahlberg family as they graciously lift the curtain to share this new side of their story,” said A&E exec vp and GM David McKillop of the series, on which Mark and Donnie Wahlberg are among the executive producers. Wahlburgers is produced for A&E Networks by 44 Blue Productions, in association with Closest to the Hole Productions, Leverage Entertainment and Donnie D Productions. In addition to the two Wahlberg’s Stephen Levinson is exec producing. For 44 Blue Productions, exec producers are Rasha Drachkovitch and Jym Buss. Executive Producers for A&E are Lily Neumeyer and Devon Graham. Jenny McCarthy Talks Proposing to Boyfriend Donnie Wahlberg: "I Think He Would Be an Amazing Husband"Looks like Jenny McCarthy just might have met her perfect man.The View stunner, who seems happier than ever with boyfriend Donnie Wahlberg, couldn't help but gush over her beau during an appearance on Bethenny, where the blond beauty opened up about the possibility of marriage in her future and even gave her 43-year-old pal, who is in the midst of her divorce with husband Jason Hoppy, advice on meeting men. "So you have a boyfriend, Donnie Wahlberg. And you met him on my friend Andy Cohen's show," Bethenny says, revealing how the New Kids on the Block crooner and the 41-year-old star officially met. "Yes, yes. On the show when I first met him, I thought he was not available," Jenny says. "In my head I thought he was married." It wasn't until Wahlberg was a guest on her own show that McCarthy discovered he was available, and even after, she confessed it took a while for the Blue Bloods star to ask her out, causing her to question his sexual orientation (she later blamed her early suspicions on her "girl's ego"). "I thought he was cute, but I thought he was married," she explains. "When I hear married, I put up a wall. Otherwise I would have been like, 'What's up?' It wasn't until he was on my talk show, and right before I said, 'Does he have a girlfriend? So I know how to interview him,' and they said, 'No, he's single.'" The former Playmate of the Year continues, providing Bethenny with her own sage advice for meeting men. "Chelsea Handler gave me the best advice because she was single and single doing her show and I said, 'How do you meet guys you're working so much?' She said, 'You book them on the show.'" At which point, the former Real Housewives of New York star turns to her audience and says, "So, people, you've got to send my suggestions of who we should be booking on the show of male persuasion!" But that wasn't all McCarthy had to say about her man. The buxom blonde also dished on whether she sees herself tying the knot with Wahlberg in the future, admitting she was looking for romance at that point in her life. "I told the universe I am ready for love. I said bring The One. I am not doing anymore auditions," she admits. "I did one year of no dating, I am going to say no to everyone and if someone breaks through where I'm like, 'Hmmm,' then I'll follow that, and I wound up giving him my phone number on the show. I made the first move." A move which may end up repeating itself, at least, according to McCarthy. "You know, I've said on every interview that I was like, 'Never get married again ever,' and, of course, you never say never. I think he would be an amazing husband, so if he does, I would for sure say yes," she says, before adding, "I wouldn't be surprised if I was the one proposing." Jenny McCarthy is on the menu at Wahlburger's in HinghamFormer Playboy playmate Jenny McCarthy is already a dish. And, even though she's only been dating Donnie Wahlberg ("Blue Bloods") since July, she's now on the menu at Wahlburger’s, the Hingham restaurant he owns with brothers, "Ted" star Mark Wahlberg and Paul Wahlberg, who's also the chef at Alma Nove.“Jenny’s Chicago Dog” – which is a nod to her Windy City hometown – is the burger of the month for November. It's three hot dog patties topped with yellow mustard, chopped onion, tomato, pickles and celery salt and costs $7.50. McCarthy is a co-host on the morning talk show “The View.” Donnie Wahlberg makes surprise trip for McCarthy's birthdayActor/singer Donnie Wahlberg left his girlfriend Jenny McCarthy speechless on Friday after making a surprise visit to Chicago, Ill., to celebrate her birthday.The blonde beauty headed home to Chicago to spend her 41st birthday weekend with her son Evan and her relatives after wrapping up her weekday stint on New York-based talk show “The View.” However, she received a shock when Wahlberg, who shoots the police drama “Blue Bloods” in the Big Apple, showed up unannounced and hosted a special brunch in her honor. The New Kids on the Block singer also organized a private screening of McCarthy’s favorite movie, “Grease,” and the birthday girl admits she was overjoyed by his efforts. Gushing about her man on Monday’s episode of “The View,” she said, “He has proved that he is the best boyfriend in the world. He flew to Chicago on Friday, surprised me with a… brunch with all my friends and family… Then we went to a movie theater… with the Chicago Children’s Choir singing ‘Happy Birthday’ and then he played the movie ‘Grease’ … It was so wonderful and romantic and I am just so grateful.” The grand gestures have even prompted McCarthy, who has previously dated Jim Carrey and football player Brian Urlacher, to rethink her anti-marriage stance following her divorce from actor/director John Mallory Asher in 2005. She added, “I’ve said never again (would I get married), (but) he is the one person I would want nothing more in the world (than to marry).” Her confession comes less than a week after Wahlberg’s older sister Tracey gave the couple her official seal of approval, insisting she would “love” to have the model/actress as a sister-in-law. FOX Sports 1 Explores the Bond Between Fallen MIT Police Officer, Sean Collier, and His Brother, AndrewFOX SPORTS 1 EXPLORES THE BOND BETWEEN FALLEN MIT POLICE OFFICER, SEAN COLLIER, AND HIS BROTHER, ANDREW HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS MACHINIST CONTINUES ASKING CONGRESS FOR FEDERAL HOLIDAY HONORING FIRST RESPONDERSBOSTON NATIVE DONNIE WAHLBERG NARRATES "COLLIER STRONG" While Boston and much of the country celebrate the Boston Red Sox World Series championship this week, reflection simultaneously turns to the city's "Boston Strong" resiliency following the April 15 Boston Marathon bombing. Sean Collier was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) police officer killed April 18 in the aftermath of the marathon tragedy. He was gunned down that evening while on duty in his patrol car -- allegedly by the bombing suspects. Sean's brother, Andrew Collier, and his family recently sat down for their first in-depth, on-camera interview since the tragedy. Andrew Collier is a machinist in the engine department of 10-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports. Narrated by actor/singer and Boston native Donnie Wahlberg, the feature premieres Sunday, Nov. 3 at 1:00 PM ET on NASCAR RACEDAY on FOX Sports 1. "Collier Strong" re-airs Sunday night on FOX SPORTS LIVE on FOX Sports 1 at 11:00 PM ET. Andrew Collier has worked tirelessly since his brother's death to lobby Congress to designate a federal holiday honoring America's first responders, creating a petition toward this goal. For more information on Collier's initiative, please visit www.change.org/firstresponders. Wahlberg, currently starring on Blue Bloods and serving as an executive producer of Boston's Finest, narrates the long-form feature, produced by Emmy Award-winning NASCAR Productions. Interviewed in the piece are Andrew Collier; Sean and Andrew's sisters, Nicole Lynch and Jennifer Lemmerman; their stepsister, Jenn Rogers; Jeff Andrews of the Hendrick Motorsports engine department; MIT Police Department Patrol Sergeant David O'Connor; and Sean Collier's auxiliary supervisor at the Somerville Police Department, Officer Bob Ankenbauer. Billboard Touring Awards nominations announcedEventful FANS' CHOICE AWARDBeyoncé Blake Shelton Bon Jovi Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Bruno Mars Dave Matthews Band Depeche Mode Fleetwood Mac George Strait Jason Aldean Jay Z Justin Bieber Kenny Chesney Kid Rock Luke Bryan Maroon 5 Miranda Lambert New Kids On The Block One Direction P!nk Rascal Flatts Rihanna The Rolling Stones Taylor Swift Tim McGraw
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