Jersey Shore

Altiyan Childs broke

X Factor Australia winner Altiyan Childs told Today Tonight last night that he is broke and considering a return to his old job as a forklift driver. Childs said he was a victim of his former manager Steve Gold who has not paid him for album royalties.

GLAAD honours TV shows

Modern Family, Glee and Project Runway have been honoured at the recent GLAAD Media Awards (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) in Los Angeles. Modern Family and Glee were jointly named ‘Outstanding Comedy Series’ while Project Runway picked up the ‘Outstanding reality Series’ award.

Jersey Shore house up for rent

The house in New Jersey where MTV reality series Jersey Shore is filmed is up for rent over the US summer, allowing fans the opportunity to stay there for $US2,500 a night.

Carell’s exit gets extra 20 minutes

Steve Carell’s upcoming exit from The Office will be extended by an extra 20 minutes, making his final episode an hour long.

Misfits actor not returning

Misfits actor Robert Sheehan will not be returning for the British show’s third season. Sheehan’s character Nathan will be replaced by a new character on the supernatural series.

Jersey Shore cast sign on for fourth season

The entire cast of Jersey Shore has signed on again for the show’s fourth season, which is planned to film in Florence, Italy. The cast are reportedly set to earn up to $100k per episode.

Fey’s pregnancy will not feature on 30 Rock

30 Rock actress Tina Fey has confirmed that her pregnancy will not be written in to the comedy series as part of the story. Fey announced last week that her and husband Jeff Richmond are expecting their second child later this year.

Bana shows interest in Sons role

Australian actor Eric Bana has expressed his interest in appearing on drama series Sons of Anarchy. Bana went so far as to recruit Sons actor Charlie Hunnam for his new movie in the hopes that Hunnam would return the favour.

With Easter just two weeks away, the networks are starting to promote shows that will air after Easter, in May and beyond. Seven lead the way with the most titles, Ten are aggressively promoting Masterchef’s return, while Nine are spruiking the return of two of their local productions Rescue and Sea Patrol.

Here is the run down of some of the shows that will grace our screens in May.

Masterchef, series three. Ten from Sunday May 1^st.

The third series of Masterchef promises to be the best yet with new challenges, new guests, more sponsors – watch out for product placement – and plenty of the drama that has helped make Masterchef the highest rating series on Australian television.

Offspring, second season. Ten in May.

Ten have just started promoting the return of season two of Offspring, retuning in May. At this stage the timeslot is not known. Chances are, Ten will try the show on a different night as Hawaii Five-O currently occupies Offspring’s 2010 timeslot of 8.30pm Sundays and has still has enough episodes to play to continue in that timeslot until the end of May. Despite the second season not even airing yet, Offspring has been renewed for a third season.

Stars: Asher Keddie, Kat Stewart and Don Hany.

Dancing With the Stars 11. Seven in May.

The celebrity dancing contest returns for another year, with eleven more hopeful “celebrities” including My Kitchen Rule’s Manu Fiedell vying for that elusive mirror ball trophy. Dancing with the Stars will almost certainly return to its regular timeslot of 6.30pm Sundays. Premiere date is most likely May 1, the night of the Logies and the premiere of Masterchef season 3.

Australia’s Got Talent. Seven in May.

Judges Kyle Sandilands, Danii Minogue and Brian McFadden return as judges in an effort to find who’s got talent in 2011. The level of promotion for the show suggests a return in the first week of May.

The Amazing Race Australia. Seven late May.

Seven are certainly rolling out the local productions this year. The Amazing Race Australia has already been filmed, and will premiere on Seven after the conclusion of the current US series which is airing on 7mate. The US series has 6 episodes to go, with the next episode airing Wednesday April 20, 7.30pm. Hot tip for timeslot is Mondays, 7.30pm from May 30.

No Ordinary Family. Seven soon.

This show is about the Powell family who mysteriously obtain hero-like super powers after the crash of their plane in the Amazon River. The father Jim has the power of super-strength, mother Stephanie speed, 16 year old daughter Daphne telepathy and 14 year old son JJ who once had a learning disability is graced with genius level mental abilities. The series deals with how the family handle their powers, as they try to come to terms with their new found abilities.

Stars: Michael Chiklis, Julie Benz, Kay Panabaker and Jimmy Bennett.

Downton Abbey. Seven soon.

Downton Abbey is an English produced period drama set in pre-WWI England, centred on the Crawley family and their servants. The seven part series starts off in April 1912, when the heir to the title of Earl of Grantham, long term inhabitants of Downton Abbey perishes on the Titanic. In order to inherit the wealth, the current earl, who owes his wealth to his rich American wife only has three daughters who cannot inherit by law. The challenge is to find a husband for the eldest, but the most likely candidate turns out to be gay. Donwton Abbey has a second season which airs in the UK late 2011. Stars Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern and Maggie Smith.

Rescue. Nine, soon.

Rescue, formerly known as Rescue Special Ops, returns to Nine for its third season most likely in May. Stars Peter Phelps, Andrew Lees, Les Hill, Gig Edgley and Libby Tanner.

Sea Patrol. Nine, soon.

Sea Patrol returns to Nine for its fifth and final season soon, also most likely in May. Stars Lisa McCune, Matthew Holmes and John Batchelor.

Seven by FAR have the most new content coming up in May with five titles currently being promoted. On top of those five, there is also Jersey Shore coming soon to 7mate, while 7TWO will expand its British crime library with the addition of The Bill and Doc Martin to its line up in May.

Meanwhile GO! continue to promote new shows like Glory Daze yet to be given an air date. Questions remain as to when numerous new content titles return to GO! including The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, Hellcats, Community and the second season of Spartacus.

On SBS ONE in May is the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest, The Secret History of Eurovision, the FA Cup final and new Monster moves. A new (to free to air) nine part series of the UK version of Who Do You Think You Are? returns in May featuring Alan Cumming, Jason Donavon, Rupert Everett, amongst others.

Critically acclaimed East West 101 returns for a new seven part season, Tuesday April 19, 8.30pm on SBS ONE. The return of the multi-award winning series explores the fallout from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through a series of violent crimes committed in Australia. In the first episode, a sophisticated robbery of an armoured guard van leaves four dead, including some of the robbers themselves. Meanwhile Malik clashes with new detective on the squad, a former army officer, Neil Travis, in his impassioned pursuit of those who have hurt him and his family. Stars Don Hany, Susie Porter and Matt Nable

Coming to ABC1 in May is the four part series, The Kennedys starring Katie Holmes as Jacqueline Kennedy and Greg Kinnear as John F Kennedy. It will air as a four part mini series, with each episode being 90 minutes long.

May will also see ONE HD relaunched with more general entertainment – read more about the ONE HD makeover here.

Characters revealed for new Chris Lilley series

Summer Heights High creator Chris Lilley has announced the characters for his new comedy series Angry Boys. Lilley will play a juvenile detention worker, an overprotective Japanese mother, a former pro surfer and a black rapper as well as reprising his role as the Sims brothers from his first series We Can Be Heroes.

MTV announces two Jersey Shore spin-offs

MTV has announced two Jersey Shore spin-off series that will feature Snooki, JWoww and Pauly D. The first will feature the girls as they deal with life and love while the second will follow Pauly D as he travels the world as a DJ.

Italian Jersey Shore delayed

The season of Jersey Shore set to be shot in Italy has been delayed thanks to the banding together of Italian nightclubs and hotels who are against the series. Venues are reportedly resistant to allowing the series to shoot on their premises due to the extreme behaviour of the cast members.

Lost actress to guest on CSI finale

Lost actress L. Scott Caldwell will make a guest appearance in the season finale of CSI. The actress will play the former mother-in-law of Laurence Fishburne’s Langston.

Kath and Kim to return?

There are rumours doing the rounds that Aussie comedy Kath and Kim may return after a three year hiatus. Actress Magda Szubanski recently confirmed a meeting with fellow cast members Gina Riley and Jane Turner as well as the program creators but any further information as off-limits.

MTV passes on new Lauren Conrad series 

MTV has passed on Lauren Conrad’s new reality project, saying it was not a good fit. The former Hills cast member announced a new reality show late last year but MTV say they will not be airing it despite the fact they “love” Conrad.

Rob Schneider pilot picked up

CBS has picked up a new pilot for a sitcom by Rob Schneider in which he features as a lifelong bachelor who somehow finds himself married and subsequently forced to integrate into a large Mexican-American family.

Coogan addresses Top Gear controversy

Comedian Steven Coogan has weighed in on the recent controversy surrounding comments about Mexicans on Top Gear in the UK. Coogan says of Richard Hammond and his fellow presenters:  ”The Lads have this strange notion that if they are being offensive it bestows on them a kind of anti-establishment aura of coolness; in fact, like their leather jackets and jeans, it is uber-conservative… Big viewing figures don’t give you impunity – they carry responsibility.”

The Situation to leave Jersey Shore soon

Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino has announced plans to leave Jersey Shore in the next two years to concentrate on his acting career.

Travolta turns down Glee role

John Travolta has turned down the opportunity to make an appearance on Glee, saying he didn’t feel he could perform well enough in the short time he would get on the show. He said: “I really have a criteria or pride that I would want to knock them dead, and I don’t think I can knock them dead in a week.”

Uproar over Jersey Shore’s Italian shoot

The president of the National Italian American Foundation has criticised the decision by MTV to shoot the fourth season of jersey Shore in Italy. Joseph V. Del Raso said: “It is unfortunate that American television producers want to export an image of young Americans that has little to do with the image of most of our youth.  American youth has so much to offer the modern world and it is certainly not representing by the caricatures portrayed by the Jersey Shore cast.”

Edgar Allen Poe pilot ordered

American network ABC has ordered a new drama pilot based on the fictional exploits of Edgar Allan Poe. The pilot, entitled Poe, will portray the writer as a detective who employs unusual methods to solve crime in 1840’s Boston.

House cast yet to gain contracts

The cast of House are yet to be contracted for an eighth season of the medical drama, with only lead actor Hugh Laurie on contract. Actress Lisa Edelstein explained: “There are still some issues to be worked out. I believe NBC [Universal] wants Fox to take over the cost of production, and Fox doesn’t want to. Until that’s resolved, they can’t even begin to talk to any of us.”

MTV orders fourth Jersey Shore season

MTV has greenlit a fourth season of reality series Jersey Shore with talk the new season will be partly filming in Italy. The reality series, which is the highest rating MTV series of all-time in the 12-34 demo, is scheduled to begin filming again this autumn.

British commentator fired over sexist remarks

British football commentator Andy Gray has been fired from his role on Sky Sports in the UK following a string of comments regarding female assistant referee in the past few days. Gray was initially stood down alongside fellow commentator Richard Keys before being axed permanently from his role after new evidence was revealed of another incident involving sexist comments towards female assistant referees.

More ads pulled from Skins

More advertisers are pulling their ads from MTV in the US during episodes of Skins, which is continuing to cause controversy for its depiction of teens. Schick is the latest company to pull its ads, claiming that the “show’s content is not aligned with Schick corporate guidelines.”

Brothers & Sisters actress joins NCIS

Brothers & Sisters actress Jane Morris has signed on for a major role in NCIS. Morris, who plays Julia Walker on Brothers & Sisters, will join the crime procedural as an NCIS agent who is believed to be the love interest for one of the main characters.

UK Jersey Shore spin-off planned

MTV UK has greenlit a British spin-off of reality series Jersey Shore which will be centred in Newcastle in the north of the UK. The series will be called Geordie Shore and will aim to “bring the personality of the North East alive to viewers in the UK and around the world.”

Sponsors pull ads from US Skins

Subway has become the fourth major sponsor to pull its advertising from MTV in the US during new teen series Skins. Taco Bell and Wrigley are among the other major companies who have bailed from the show which has caused a stir in the US following its premiere this month, due to its depiction of teenage sex and drug-taking.

De Niro drama pilot ordered

A new pilot has been ordered by American network CBS which is being produced by Robert De Niro. The pilot centres on six new recruits to the New York Police Department and their struggles to balance their jobs with their personal lives.

Talk of new Underbelly series

There is talk of a new Underbelly series for 2011 being set in Sydney during the 1920s, a time when crooks armed themselves with razors as opposed to handguns. The buzz is around a new season of the Channel Nine series featuring gangs of razor-wielding crooks who operated in the Darlinghurst/Kings Cross area during a time when pistol licensing laws made it easier for crims to choose blades over bullets.

Writer accuses MTV of stealing Jersey Shore concept

A television writer has accused MTV of stealing his idea for reality shore Jersey Shore from a 2006 pitch he called Guidos: The Reality Series. Christopher Gambale is claiming that MTV used his idea of portraying stereotypical Italians without credit, but MTV is hitting back by saying that his idea was not original.

Uni offers course on The Wire

A Baltimore university has begun offering a course based on critically acclaimed drama series The Wire. The John Hopkins University has launched the class which uses the show as a base to explore issues affecting US cities including drug use and crime with guest lecturers including the show’s creator David Simon.

Ugly Betty actor claims God was involved in murder

The former Ugly Betty actor who killed his mother last week with a samurai sword has insisted he was “doing the work of God”. Michael L. Brea has claimed that voices in his head ordered him to attack his mum after a “demon” took her soul.

Hamish and Andy apologise following TV stunt

Australian TV comedians Hamish and Andy have apologised following a stunt for a new TV special which saw them dress in gorilla suits and frolic in a public zoo, playing with golf clubs and remote control cars. Several zoo patrons were fooled by the stunt despite the presence of cameras and signs warning of the filming in progress and later complained to zoo management.

Underbelly actor arrested on drugs charges

A former Underbelly and Home and Away actor has been arrested on cannabis charges following a raid on his home which saw several plants and bags of the drug found. Alan Cinis, who featured in the third season of Underbelly, was charged with four offences and now faces losing his place on the local council.

Brits employ octopus to predict X Factor result 

The Brits have employed the help of what they call a “distant relative” of Paul the Psychic Octopus in an attempt to predict the outcome of the latest season of The X Factor. The new octopus was born in the same tank as the original one was in Weymouth and is expected to be employed to predict other things leading up to Christmas.

Richie comedy pilot picked up

A new comedy pilot featuring Nicole Richie has been picked up by American network ABC. Details of the show are not available yet but it is expected that it will be focussing on a professional woman of some kind.

Canada launches Jersey Shore spin-off

A new reality show kicking off in Canada soon is billed to be far wilder than current MTV series Jersey Shore. The series, entitled Lake Shore, follows a group of eights partygoers as they fritter away their youth in a drunken haze of idiocy.