NBC UNIVERSAL AND DIRECTV TEAM UP AGAIN TO RENEW ‘FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS’ FOR 26 EPISODES OVER TWO ADDITIONAL SEASONS

Innovative Partnership That Began Last Year Continues as 26 New Episodes Will Be Produced with 13 Episodes Airing During Each of the 2009-10 and 2010-11 Seasons

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. and EL SEGUNDO, CALIF. – March 31, 2009 – NBC Universal and DIRECTV — the nation’s leading satellite television provider – have extended their innovative and multi-platform partnership from last year to produce 26 episodes that would launch the fourth and fifth seasons of the critically acclaimed drama series, “Friday Night Lights.” The series would air first on DIRECTV and then subsequently on NBC with 13 episodes each during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.

DIRECTV would have exclusive rights to the 13 new episodes for each of the series’ fourth and fifth seasons on DIRECTV’s entertainment channel “The 101 Network.”

Last year’s arrangement provided for 13 new episodes to be produced. Specific broadcast dates for the new installments on both NBC and DIRECTV will be announced later.

The announcements were made by Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, and Marc Graboff, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, and Eric Shanks, Executive Vice President of Entertainment for DIRECTV. The deal was brokered by NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution.

The series is executive-produced by Peter Berg (the film “Friday Night Lights”), Jason Katims (“Roswell”), Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer (“Frost/Nixon” “The Da Vinci Code”) and David Nevins (“Arrested Development”), Sarah Aubrey (“The Kingdom”) and director Jeffrey Reiner (“Caprica”).

“We’re proud that a deal for the renewal of ‘Friday Night Lights’ has been reached,” said Silverman. “It is one of the best shows in the history of television and we’ve worked hard to keep it alive for future seasons. NBC Universal has been at the forefront of creative deals such as these, which ultimately benefit audiences, critics and advertisers alike.”

“Once again, this is a triumph for all parties and a vindication of this show’s quality and enduring appeal,” said Graboff. “We have enjoyed our successful business partnership with DIRECTV over the last year in keeping the ‘Lights’ on, and this deal symbolizes our strong desire to facilitate new creative ventures that will keep NBC Universal moving forward.”

“The first year of our “Friday Night Lights” partnership with NBC and UMS has been both extremely successful and uniquely gratifying for everyone involved,” said Shanks. “We’re very happy that we’ll be able to continue giving our customers something rare and special that they can’t get with cable. Everyone at DIRECTV is more than ready to take the journey back to Dillon, Texas.”

Expanding on the hit feature film and best-selling book “Friday Night Lights,” the award-winning “Friday Night Lights” centers on life in Dillon, Texas, where high school football brings the community together — and the drama of small town life threatens to tear it apart.

Coach Eric Taylor (Emmy nominee Kyle Chandler, “”The Day the Earth Stood Still”), his wife Tami (Connie Britton, “24″) have faced countless challenges over the course of the last three school years; juggling responsibilities between family, work and pressures from the community, and raising their teenaged daughter, Julie (Aimee Teegarden, “90210″). The past school year brought a wave of change to Dillon, including the arrival of the affluent McCoy family, including Joe (D.W. Moffat, “Grey’s Anatomy”) and Katie (Janine Turner, “Strong Medicine”) and their freshman son, rising star quarterback J.D. McCoy (Jeremy Sumpter, “CSI:” Miami”). The McCoy’s befriended all the right people in town — except for Coach Eric Taylor, who felt challenged and threatened by the power they wielded. Coach Taylor and Tami try to quickly recover from Joe McCoy’s premeditated political play, which forced Coach Taylor out as the Panther’s head coach. The Taylor’s now find themselves adjusting to these changes and open to the new possibilities that lay ahead at rival East Dillon High.

Additionally, the graduating senior class took a step closer to adulthood as they rode out their last year of high school. Tyra Colette (Adrianne Palicki, “Supernatural”) sorted out her feelings for Landy (Jesse Plemons, “Shrink”) and did her best to stay on track with her academics and college applications; Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”) and Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly, “The Kingdom”) spent their last year examining their friendship and future as a couple. That which should have been the best year for senior quarterback Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford, “The Last Winter”) proved to be a difficult one, as he dealt with his ailing grandmother’s needs, rebuilding a relationship with his mother and increasing competition to get playtime on the field. Meanwhile, Jason Street (Scott Porter, “Speed Racer”) and Brian “Smash” Williams (Gaius, Charles, “The Messenger”) make bold decisions to pursue new opportunities and lives outside of Dillon.

Hailed as one of the Top-10 shows by numerous publications such as Time magazine, Entertainment Weekly and the New York Times, “Friday Night Lights” also has been honored two years in a row (2006/2007) as an American Film Institute (AFI) Television Program of the Year, received the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award in 2006 and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series in 2007.

“Friday Night Lights” is a production of Universal Media Studios, Imagine Entertainment and Film 44.

Tags: American Entertainment News, Friday Night Lights, NBC

 

SCI FI JUMPS TO #5 AMONG ADULTS 25-54 FOR MARCH POWERED BY BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, GHOST HUNTERS AND GHOST HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL

BEST FIRST QUARTER EVER AMONG WOMEN 18 – 34

SCI FI Posts Tenth Consecutive Quarter of Growth Among Women 18-49 and Women 25-54 Continuing Momentum Among Women Viewers

NEW YORK – March 31, 2009 – Propelled by Battlestar Galactica, Ghost Hunters and Ghost Hunters International, SCI FI soared into 5th place among basic cable entertainment networks in Adults 25-54 (665,000) in March, improving over last March’s #8 ranking.

The network posted impressive gains across the demo board, leaping 10 percent among Women 18-34 (110,000), seven percent among Men 18-49 (327,000) and Adults 18-34 (228,000), six percent among Men 25-54 (381,000), five percent among Adults 18-49 (592,000), and four percent among total viewers (1,235,000).

Continuing the sizzling momentum among women viewers that has driven the prime audience up to 45 percent female among total viewers, the First Quarter marked the channel’s 10th straight quarter of growth among Women 18-49 (261,000) and Women 25-54 (290,000), and was SCI FI’s best first quarter ever among Women 18 -34.

In 1Q, Ghost Hunters International and Ghost Hunters combined to seize the #1 spot in the Wednesday 9PM (ET/PT) time period among Women 25-54 (756,000) as well as Adults 18-49 (1.3 million) and Adults 25-54 (1.4 million).

The season five premiere of Ghost Hunters on March 11 marked the program’s best season premiere ever in the key demos with more than three million total viewers and a 2.15 HH rating, 1.8 million Adults 18-49 and 1.9 million Adults 25-54.

The fourth and final season of the award-winning Battlestar Galactica captured its Friday 10PM (ET/PT) time slot among Men 18-49 (1.0 million) and Men 25-54 (1.1 million).

Tags: American Entertainment News, Sci-Fi Channel

 

The Princes Trust Success Awards at the Odeon Leicester Square

HRH Prince Charles, Prince of Wales meets Izzy Johnston, Victoria Lyon, Tasya Hodges and Chantal Leverton of Escala at the Princes Trust Success Awards at the Odeon Leicester Square on March 31, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Tim Whitby/Getty Images). Content © 2009 Getty Images . All rights reserved.

Tags: European Entertainment News, Princes Trust Success Awards

 

THIRD & FOURTH COUPLES ELIMINATED ON “DANCING WITH THE STARS THE RESULTS SHOW,” TUESDAY, MARCH 31 ON ABC

Boyz II Men Perform

Kevin Rudolf Performs

“Episode 804A” – After a night of Argentine Tango and Lindyhop, a dramatic double elimination will send the third & fourth couples home from the competition on “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show,” TUESDAY, MARCH 31 (9:00-10:02 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

In a special performance, the best-selling Motown act of all time and Grammy-Award winning group Boyz II Men will sing a Motown Medley from their latest Decca CD, “Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA.” Boyz II Men consists of members Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman and Wanya Morris; as a group they have sold over 60 million records to date and are currently in the studio recording a new disc set for release in Fall 2009. The trio will be accompanied by professional dancers Cheryl Burke, Dmitry Chaplin, Tony Dovolani and Kym Johnson.

Chart topping newcomer Kevin Rudolf will take to the stage to perform the hit single, “Let it Rock,” from his debut Cash Money Records CD, “In the City.” Joining Kevin will be professional dancers Julianne Hough, Derek Hough, Chelsie Hightower, Lacey Schwimmer and Artem Chigvintsev. Kevin’s musical style has been hailed by critics as a sublime blend of influences and he has been cited as one of hip hop’s more impressive up and coming new talents. The song and album have emerged as a multi-platform phenomenon, becoming one of the top selling digital singles, logging 3 million downloads on iTunes and the video nearing a 2 million view milestone on YouTube. Kevin kicks off the Let It Rock Tour, his first headlining national run, April 3rd in Nashville.

A Viennese Waltz showcasing the professional dancers and choreographed by former “Dancing with the Stars” professional Louis van Amstel, will dazzle the ballroom along with professionals Jonathan Roberts, Anna Trebunskaya, Aliona Vilani and U.S. Standard Finalists Urs Geisenhainer & Agnes Kazmierczak.

By evening’s end two couples will be eliminated, as determined by a combination of the judges’ scores and viewers’ votes. Who among the following 11 teams will leave the ballroom floor?

David Alan Grier (comedian and actor) and partner Kym Johnson
Shawn Johnson (Olympic gymnastics medalist) and partner Mark Ballas
Lil’ Kim (Grammy Award winning rapper) and partner, reigning champion Derek Hough
Holly Madison (reality television star) and partner, newcomer Dmitry Chaplin
Gilles Marini (model and actor) and partner Cheryl Burke
Ty Murray (“King of Cowboys”) and partner, newcomer Chelsie Hightower
Steve-O (star of “Jackass” and “Wildboyz”) and partner Lacey Schwimmer
Melissa Rycroft (from “The Bachelor”) and partner Tony Dovolani
Lawrence Taylor (National Football League Hall of Famer, a.k.a. “LT”) and partner Edyta Sliwinska
Chuck Wicks (country music star) and partner Julianne Hough
Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple, a.k.a. “The Woz) and partner Karina Smirnoff

Viewers may cast their votes for their favorite teams via phone on Monday night during and up to 30 minutes after the “Dancing with the Stars” performance shows. AT&T subscribers may also text message their votes by texting the word “VOTE” and entering the number that corresponds to the team they want to support (standard text message rates apply). Viewers may also vote online at www.abc.com starting from the opening of each episode on the East Coast and until 12:00 Noon, ET the following day.

Hosted by Tom Bergeron (“America’s Funniest Home Videos”) and Samantha Harris (“The Insider”), the celebrities will perform choreographed dance routines which will be judged by renowned Ballroom judge Len Goodman and dancer/choreographers Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba.

Tags: ABC, American Entertainment News, Dancing with the Stars

 

Real Housewives New York’s Countess separates from the Count

People Magazine has reported that “Real Housewives New York” Countess LuAnn de Lesseps has separated from her husband, Count Alex de Lesseps. The New York Post broke the story that the Count was seeing another woman in Europe and according to the article, the Countess had no knowledge and was literally blindsided by the news.

People Magazine has received the following statement:

“It is obviously a very difficult time for the Countess and Count,” a rep for LuAnn says in a statement, “but they plan to remain friends and their primary focus will be to do what is best for their two children.”

Tags: Bang! Bang! Bang!, LuAnn de Lesseps

 

Alyson Hannigan gives birth to a baby girl

Actress Alyson Hannigan and husband and actor Alexis Denisof welcomed a new baby girl. The couple have been tightlipped about the gender of the baby. On March 24th, the couple welcomed baby Satyana Denisof who was born on March 24th, the same birthday of Alyson.

Congratulations to the new parents!

Tags: Alexis Denisof, Alyson Hannigan, Bang! Bang! Bang!

 

Results for 2009 Ian Walsh’s Menehune Mayhem Presented by O’Neill and Red Bull

Ian Walsh’s 6th Annual Menehune Mayhem presented by O’Neill and Red Bull went off this past weekend in 2-3 foot surf at Maui’s H’ookipa Beach Park. For the sixth consecutive year, Ian with the help of his family gave back to the community that molded him. With the support of his sponsors, O’Neill and Red Bull, Walsh provided a total grom focused affair that included an all day BBQ, tons of promo, a dance off, and even a mascot goat. With more the 80 groms competing in the event, the real prize was for the bragging rights of becoming a Mayhem champion.

The grom contingent in Maui is as strong as ever, and the talent showed with dominant performances of several up and coming stars. Imai Duvault dismantled the Boys 11 and Under Division, with a relentless attack which included vertical top turns and swooping cutbacks. Imai didn’t stop with the 11 and under crown; he also surfed his way into the Boys 12-13 final taking the four spot. Ian Gentil was the second multi final competitor, taking second in the Boys 12-13 Division and third in the Boys 14-15 Division. Gentil had an amazing run in both divisions but couldn’t come up with the second solid scoring ride that he needed in either final. Regardless of his final placing, Gentil was by far one of the best talents in the event. Powerful round house cutbacks, fin free front side blasts, and quick spinning reverses showed a mature style of surfing well beyond his years.

In a highly contested final, Keoni Perkins edged out DK Walsh to take the Boys 16-17 title. Perkins picked off the best scoring right of the final linking two vertical back side blasts that put him out in front of the field within the first five minutes of the heat. He then sealed the deal with a huge floating tail slide on one of the only scoring lefts of the day. But the “Grom of the Day” award went to Joao Marco Muffini. Muffini surfed flawless the entire event, leaving a dominate mark on this years Mayhem. With a smooth, aggressive style, Muffini demolished every wave that came to him on his way to both the Boys 12 -13 and Boys 14-15 Division titles. He was in rhythm from his first heat, using a complete repertoire of maneuvers and knowledge of the Pavilions line up to take the top honor of the event.

2009 Ian Walsh’s Menehune Mayhem presented by O’Neill & Red Bull Results:

Girls 11 and Under:
Kawai Duvault
Amber Prados
Ginger Prados

Girls 12-14:
Alexis Aguera
Hauoli Kahaleuahi
Kati Kai Mihami
Shelby Schweitzer

Girls 12-14:
Emma Koomoa
Kulia Doherty
Kelci Ellis
Zoe Elder

Boys 11 and Under:
Imai Duvault
Monte Grante
Justin Ringsby
Kala Willard

Boys 12-13:
Joao Marco Muffini
Ian Gentil
Chaz Kinoshita
Imai Duvault

Boys 14-15:
Joao Marco Muffini
Tosh Peila
Ian Gentil
Dylan Walsh

Boys 16-17:
Keoni Perkins
DK Walsh
Theo Narchios
Nick Falbo

Special Awards:
Girls GPA- Tasha Jahmarkt (4.0)
Boys GPA- Makana Johnson (3.8)
Kazuma Surfboard- Shawn Frerking
Steve Cooney Award- Kody Kerbox
Eric Diaz Award- Miles Serifica

Tags: Ian Walsh's Menehune Mayhem, O'neil, Red Bull, Surfing Related News

 

ANIME EXPO® LAUNCHES 2009 VOLUNTEER ONLINE REGISTRATION

Nation¹s Largest Anime and Manga Convention Welcomes All Interested
Volunteers to Join the Family

Anaheim, California (March 31, 2009) ‹ Anime Expo® is proud to announce the
launch of its online volunteer registration system. Now volunteering at the
nation¹s largest anime and manga convention held July 2-5, 2009 at the Los
Angeles Convention Center is easier and better than ever. More information
can be found on the website

http://www.anime-expo.org/registration/volunteer/volunteer-registration/

.

The Anime Expo® Volunteers program is less demanding than regular staffing
positions but still provides lots of benefits. Volunteering is a great way
to see the convention and get a small glimpse of what goes on behind the
scenes. The duties are very easy and the people met could become friends for
life.
Volunteers work in all areas of the convention. Volunteers assist Anime
Expo® staff in these areas:
· Packet stuffing
· Line/crowd control
· Entry/exit monitoring (badge check)
· Gophering
· Special assignments

There are three types of volunteers at Anime Expo® 2009: All-Con (All
Convention) Volunteer, One-Day Volunteer and Minor Volunteer. More details
are available on the convention¹s official website.
For Volunteer Inquiries, please contact volunteers@anime-expo.org
.
Attendees, Press and Industry Members are also encouraged to view the video
coverage site of the 2008 convention at www.AXBackstage.org
.

Red & Black Sponsors include: FUNimation, Silver Sponsors include: Anime
News Network and Digital Manga Press, Patron Sponsors include: COPIC and
Central Park Media, Media Sponsors include: ImaginAsian TV, Animation
Magazine, Anime Insider Magazine and Anime News Network.

About Anime Expo®
Located in Los Angeles, California – Anime Expo®, the nation¹s largest
anime/manga convention, serves to foster trade, commerce and the interests
of the general public and animation/ comics industry. This event serves as a
key meeting place for the general public to express their interest and
explore various aspects of anime/manga, as well as for members of the
industry to conduct business. AX 2009 will be held July 2 ­ July 5, 2009 at
the Los Angeles Convention Center in Southern California. More information
can be found at its website (www.anime-expo.org).

About Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation
The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) is a non-profit
organization with a mission to popularize and educate the American public
about anime and manga, as well as provide a forum to facilitate
communication between professionals and fans. This organization is more
popularly known by its entertainment property ­ Anime Expo®. More
information can be found at its website (www.spja.org
).

Tags: Anime Expo 2009, Anime Related News

 

CRUNCHYROLL STREAMS MUNHWA BROADCASTING CORPORATION (MBC) KOREAN DRAMAS: GENERAL HOSPITAL 2, I REALLY REALLY LIKE YOU, JUMONG VOL. 2, QUE SERA SERA, SPOTLIGHT AND WHO ARE YOU

Leading Online Anime Distributor Continues to Legally Stream Highly Popular
Korean Dramas

San Francisco, California (March 30, 2009) ­ Crunchyroll, the online world¹s
#1 destination for asian content and social networking service, now streams
highly popular Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) Korean drama titles
GENERAL HOSPITAL 2, I REALLY REALLY LIKE YOU, JUMONG Vol. 2, QUE SERA SERA,
SPOTLIGHT and WHO ARE YOU. More information can be found at
www.crunchyroll.com.

The series that will be launched today include:

· GENERAL HOSPITAL 2
· I REALLY REALLY LIKE YOU
· JUMONG Vol. 2
· QUE SERA SERA
· SPOTLIGHT
· WHO ARE YOU

Title Synopses:

GENERAL HOSPITAL 2
A young woman passed the bar examination so that she could become a lawyer
who helps patients in malpractice cases decides to join a residency after
she completes her internship. Then there is the passionate man who is
dedicated to saving lives even though he graduated at the bottom of his
class in medical school. This drama revolves around the lives of these two
people who are 3rd year interns at the same hospital as they mature in their
careers.

MBC (c) All rights reserved.

I REALLY REALLY LIKE YOU
Simple country girl Bong-sun (Eugene, Save the Last Dance for Me) leaves the
mountains in search of her long-lost parents. Helped by an irascible Secret
Service officer (Lee Min Gi, Be Strong, Geum-soon, Dal Ja’s Spring) and a
handsome doctor (Ryu Jin, Summer Scent, Capital Scandal), she finds love and
success as a cook in Seoul’s most important kitchen, the South Korean
President’s Blue House. Along the way, Bong-sun overcomes every obstacle,
learns the true meaning of family, and solves a startling riddle: Could the
President himself be her father?

MBC (c) All rights reserved.

JUMONG Vol. 2
The Legend Begins. Korea¹s epic history comes alive in the blockbuster TV
drama JUMONG. 180 B.C. The Korean kingdom of Ancient Josun has fallen to
China¹s Han Empire, leaving the land and its people divided. Rising from the
turmoil, one man stands alone, destined to unite the nation and bring
freedom to his people.

Journey into the life of one of Korea¹s most legendary figures, JUMONG (Song
Il-Kook, Emperor of the Sea), founder of the Koguryo kingdom. Amid sweeping
battles and equally sweeping romance, he embarks on an adventure to bring
peace and glory to the land once more.

MBC (c) All rights reserved.

QUE SERA SERA Ep. 1-8 of 17
This series is a story of all-so-proud characters facing a huge blow from
love which they have never taken very seriously. Though it may seem trivial
to others, love is the greatest thing when it walks into your life. It makes
you laugh and cry and it even makes you a fool who’s willing to give up your
life for your loved one. It’s that foolishness that makes this portrayal of
youth so beautiful. This is QUE SERA SERA.

MBC (c) All rights reserved.

SPOTLIGHT Ep. 1-8 of 17
Woo-jin (actress Sohn Ye-jin) passed the highly competitive process of
joining the news bureau of a major TV network to achieve her dream of
becoming an anchorwoman. While undergoing the grueling first years as a cub
reporter in the society newsdesk, she comes across a few bitter experiences.
No matter how hard she works, her Cap, Oh Tae-seok(actor Ji Jin-Hee) somehow
always finds fault with her abilities and it drives Woo-jin into a rage. But
she finds the strength to rebound and channels her anger into fighting back
and becoming a hard-hitting investigative journalist. At first, she wanted
the prestige of becoming an anchorwoman but through Oh Tae-seok’s hard
training, she grows into a true journalist. She begins to develop a respect
for Oh Tae-seok as a mentor and gradually falls in love with him….

MBC (c) All rights reserved.

WHO ARE YOU
A ruthless corporate raider shares his body with a spirit who has 49 days to
spend in this world to meet his daughter!
He’ll buy the things he never got to buy for his daughter and take her out
to restaurants that he never could afford before and buy all the clothes
she’ll ever want!
Fortunately, the owner of the body that he is borrowing is Cha Seung-hyo,
who happens to be young and filthy rich!
Two men sharing one body: A ruthless corporate raider and a clumsy
motorcycle messenger…
Two souls sharing one body: Two men living under one roof but living
opposite lives! WHO ARE YOU?

MBC (c) All rights reserved.

Tags: crunchyroll.com, Korean Entertainment News

 

The City’s Whitney Port and Jay Lyon walking in Greenwich Village

Whitney Port and Jay Lyon are back on, they were spotted out and about taking a stroll through Greenwich Village in NYC. Pictured: Whitney Port and Jay Lyon Picture by: Ahmad Elatab-SaleemElatab / Splash News
Content © 2009 Splash News . All rights reserved.

Tags: Jay Lyon, Photo of the Day, Whitney Port

 

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