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

Thursday, April 9

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A Stuffed Monkey and an Ex-Girlfriend" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When CeeCee loses her favorite toy, Mandy and Meemaw (Annie Potts) take it as an opportunity to make some money. Meanwhile, Connor contemplates revisiting an old relationship.

Ghosts - "Michael Jackson Goes to HR" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Trevor lands himself in trouble when an inappropriate gift to a co‑worker forces him into an HR meeting only Jay can handle. Meanwhile, Pete unintentionally sparks drama with Alberta after casually mentioning a surprise visit to his ex.

Animal Control - "Scaredy Cats and Card Sharks" (Fox, 9:02PM ET/PT)
When Frank and Daisy lose $5,000 in union funds, they try to win the money back by gambling; Shred and Patel cover the late-night shift at the precinct.

Going Dutch - "The Heart Locker" (Fox, 9:32PM ET/PT)
After throwing out his back, the Colonel is ordered to bed rest; the base is sent to sweep for landmines at a local farm, where Major Shah suddenly finds himself in serious danger when he steps on one.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 6)

Thursday, April 9

Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - Catch Kerry on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Riz Ahmed (Bait) - Riz is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Nathan Lane (Mid-Century Modern/Only Murders in the Building/Modern Family/Charlie Lawrence/Encore! Encore!/One of the Boys) - Nathan appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Arsenio Hall (Arsenio) - Arsenio is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Jim Parsons (Young Sheldon/The Big Bang Theory) - Jim appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Judy Reyes (Scrubs) - Judy talks about Scrubs and High Potential on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Dany Levy (Big Mistakes/Schitt's Creek) - Dan talks about Big Mistakes on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Felicity Huffman (Sports Night) - Felicity dishes on Doc on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair/Malcolm in the Middle/The Louie Show), Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair/Malcolm in the Middle) and Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair/Malcolm in the Middle/Help Me Help You) - Bryan, Frankie and Jane talk about Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
John C. Reilly (Moonbase 8) - NBC's Today has "Head or Tails" with John in the 9am hour.
Billy Magnussen (The Franchise/Made for Love) - NBC's Today catches up with Billy in the 9am hour.
Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Tamron Hall has a DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE with Terry and Rebecca King-Crews revealing for the first time Rebecca's health battle, so check your local listings.
Kenya Barris (blackAF) - Kenya talks about Prime's Jerry West: The Logo on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Juliette Lewis (Camping/I Married Dora) - Juliette tells Drew about her current run in Broadway show The Rocky Horror Show on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.