TV Land and AFI Honor Morgan Freeman; The CW Renews Five Series for 2011-12

Thursday, April 28, 2011

TV Land and AFI Honor Morgan Freeman; The CW Renews Five Series for 2011-12

American film's finest have confirmed their participation on the American Film Institute (AFI) Gala Benefit Committee honoring 39th Life Achievement Award recipient, Morgan Freeman. Members of this year's benefit committee are Ben Affleck, Jim Carrey, Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, Ashley Judd, Helen Mirren, Mike Nichols, Jack Nicholson, Brad Pitt, Sidney Poitier, Robert Redford, Tim Robbins, Steven Spielberg, Hilary Swank, Denzel Washington and Alfre Woodard. AFI will present the 39th AFI Life Achievement Award – America's highest honor for a career in film – to Freeman on Thursday, June 9. TV Land Presents: The AFI Life Achievement Award Honoring Morgan Freeman will air on TV Land on Sunday, June 26, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.
The black-tie event will take place on historic Stage 15 at Sony Pictures Studios, where The Wizard of Oz, Grand Hotel, Spiderman and other classic movies were filmed. The stage will be transformed into an elegant ballroom to honor the storied career of Morgan Freeman. Proceeds from the AFI Life Achievement Award Gala directly support the Institute's national educational programs and the preservation of American film history.
We will have more on this special on the TV Land June 2011 highlights very soon, so come on back!

The CW Network has given early pickups to five of its established series for next season, including an All-Star Cycle of America's Next Top Model and the network's top-rated drama The Vampire Diaries. Dramas Gossip Girl, 90210 and Supernatural will also return next season. All five shows will return in Fall 2011.
America's Next Top Model has been ordered for both cycles next season, as The CW's signature reality series will kick-off the Fall with its first-ever All-Star Edition, featuring the models who became breakout characters and who had the most memorable stories from past cycles. The CW's bloodily addictive hit The Vampire Diaries was also given an early renewal, and in its sophomore season, remains the network's most-watched show and the network's number-one show among its target audience of women 18-34.
Also given early pickups for next season are The CW's scandalous guilty pleasures Gossip Girl, which is the network's second most popular series with women 18-34, and 90210, which posts some of TV's largest percent increases from DVR playback, more than doubling its women 18-34 live ratings once live+7 data is included. The network also renewed fan favorite Supernatural, which enters its seventh season next year. In moving to Fridays last September, the series immediately helped make The CW more competitive on the night and dramatically contributed to year-to-year gains on Friday in adults 18-34 and total viewers.
So we have half of the series set to air on The CW next season. What will be the other five hours? We'll see on Thursday, May 19 when The CW announces its fall 2011 schedule at its annual upfront presentation. Will One Tree Hill, Hellcats and Nikita return? Veteran drama Smallville will end its run next month with a proper send-off.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, November 3

The Neighborhood - "Welcome to Family Value" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Malcolm’s home renovation takes an unexpected turn when Calvin’s cousin Crutch (Tracy Morgan) shows up uninvited to fix his floors. Meanwhile, Dave’s attempts to help around the house and support Grover’s booming T-shirt business lead to more stress than he bargained for.

DMV - "Don't Kill the Job" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Colette runs into an old friend at the DMV, she pretends to be a fellow customer rather than an employee in order to save face.

St. Denis Medical - "Aloha, Everyone" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Alex tries to hold on to her peaceful vacation vibes; Joyce faces a design crisis in the birthing center; Matt and Serena reassess their working relationship.

St. Denis Medical - "Mama Bear Activated" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
After Bruce is attacked at the hospital, Matt helps him deal with the aftermath; Alex motivates Joyce to amp up security, while Ron and Serena debate who is more qualified to defend themselves.

TV We Love - "The Honeymooners" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Jackie Gleason's creative genius; why "The Honeymooners" continues to resonate 70 years after its premiere.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 3)

Monday, November 3

Sean Hayes (Will & Grace/The Millers/Sean Saves the World) - Watch Sean on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Tom appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Rickey Smiley (The Rickey Smiley Show) - Rickey is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
Isla Fisher (Wolf Like Me/Arrested Development) - Andy Cohen interviews Isla on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo.
Patti LaBelle (Out All Night) - Patti and Nona Hendryx perform on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Rami Malek (The War at Home) - Rami talks about Nuremberg on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Lacey Chabert (Still the King/Baby Daddy/Family Guy) - Lacey dishes on She's Making a List on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
John Slattery (Maggie/Ed) - NBC's Today catches up with John in the 9am hour.
Tig Notaro (One Mississippi) and and Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Drew is hitting the headlines with her co-pilot Ross Mathews, Valerie Bertinelli and Tig Notaro on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. Tig talks to Drew about executive producing the documentary Come See Me in the Good Light.
Erika Alexander (Run the World/Living Single/The Cosby Show) - Erika tells Drews about her show Invasion and her podcast ReLiving Single on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.