Once upon a time, fashion lines designed by the rich and famous were limited to a one-off line of leggings or a single eponymous shoe. But these days, celebrities are involved in clothing line creations in a whole new way. Musicians and actresses aren’t just wearing designer brands, they’re helping create them from the first sketch to the final stitch, and the latest celeb to join those ranks is none other than petite fashion plate, Eva Longoria.
The star’s line for The Limited has been brewing since the summer, but she’s just let WWD inside her design process for the styles, which will hit stores this fall. Previously, Longoria made her first foray into design with a homeware line for J.C. Penney, but this marks the first time she’ll try her hand at clothing. The collection will feature 250 pieces, including stretch denim, body con dresses, some office-ready pencil skirts and blazers, and plenty of graphic tees with wine-centric slogans.
According to the Telenovela star, her love affair with fashion started early when she got a Singer sewing machine for Christmas as a child. Sewing curtains and pillows quickly turned into a high school obsession with creating her own clothes. She even had a sewing machine in her trailer on the set of Housewives, confessing to WWD, “I made a lot of my dresses but I never told anyone. And if you looked at it really hard, you’d be like, ‘Your seam’s falling apart.’ Sewing zippers is still a challenge for me.”
Since The Limited is doing the sewing these days, you can wear her designs without fear. And those designs will include stretch denim, bodycon dresses and graphic tees with sayings like “Life is too short to drink bad wine” and “Money doesn’t make you happy, wine does,” at prices 15 to 25 percent higher than the Limited’s non-Longoria designed offerings, WWD says.
1. The first fragrance she ever owned: White Diamonds
“I remember saving my allowance for a White Diamonds,” the actress tells tells PeopleStyle. “I loved the bottle, and I remember it was such an aspirational thing to own. I was in high school, but fragrance was not a necessity in our home — it was like, ‘If you want that, you’re going to have to buy it yourself.'”
2. One scent she’ll always recognize no matter what: Grapefruit
“That’s a note in fragrance that I love because it’s clean and fresh — it smells like you just bathed.”
3. The best-smelling place she’s ever visited: The Park Hyatt in Paris
“I love the smell of the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme,” she reminisces. “They have their own fragrance pumped through the hotel, and one time they gave me a bottle because they don’t sell it. I spray it in my bedroom. Not in my home — just in my bedroom.
4. The scent that makes her feel cozy: Cooking
“What scent makes me feel at home? Probably cooking — the scent of cooking.”
5. The scent that reminds her of Desperate Housewives: Hairspray
“The scent that reminds me of my Desperate Housewives days is hairspray,” she laughs. “We were constantly working.”
6. The scent that reminds her of her fiancé: Musk
“He wears different ones so it’s hard — it’s definitely musky,” she admits of her fiancé, Jose Antonio Baston‘s scent. “When I smell his aftershave or the cologne he uses… I think its sexy for a man to have a signature smell. I veto some! I don’t influence the choice, but I veto the bad ones. I have veto power.”
7. The scent she imagines for her wedding: Floral“Jasmine and gardenia, like fresh flowers,” she says.
Dougray Scott has been cast to play Randall James, CEO of Indian Motorcycles, Harley’s chief competitor, in the miniseries premiering September 5.
Bethel has starred in The CW’s Hart of Dixie the past four years. Last summer, he starred in ABC’s Astronaut Wives Club and recently wrapped filming the pilot Infamous for A&E.
Scott recently finished shooting AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead; credits include Mission: Impossible.
The actors will join a cast that includes Michiel Huisman (Game of Thrones), Robert Aramayo (Game of Thrones), Bug Hall (The Little Rascals) Stephen Rider (Daredevil), Jessica Camacho (Sleepy Hollow), Daniel Coonan (EastEnders), Annie Read (Awkward), Gabe Luna (Matador), Alex Shaffer (Win Win) and newcomers Essa O’Shea and Sean Scully.
From Raw Television, the three two-hour episodes of Harley and the Davidsons dramatizes the launch of the Harley-Davidson brand in 1903 by Milwaukee friends William Harley and Arthur Davidson.
PEOPLE caught up with the Desperate Housewives alum, who opened up about what it's been like to work with the stars of Scandal since he started guest-starring as Mexican-American Governor Francisco Vargas in February.
"I walk onto the set and I'm immediately greeted with a smile, a handshake and a hug from Tony Goldwyn," Chavira, 44, tells PEOPLE of his costar, who plays President Fitzgerald "Fitz" Grant on the hit Shondaland show. "He's been a sweetheart. And the man, I mean – my God. I'm like: 'Dude, you are handsome as all hell!' You know? It's hard not to look at him!"
Though "you don't always know what you're going to get" during a guest-starring gig, Chavira says it's been a dream.
"It's just that kind of set," Chavira says, recalling how Kerry Washington came up to him the other day and referenced an article she read about him: "It's little things like that where you just kind of pinch yourself and you're like: 'Thank you for letting me be there!' "
And while he couldn't tease too much about his character, who is in the throes of being manipulated to run for president by Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry), he's particularly pleased with the fact that he's playing a good guy – for once!
"My character, who's going to be potentially made – or manipulated, I should say – into an American hero. It's unlike anything that I get to play," he says. "You know, my characters are always seedy businessmen! So to get to play this guy who is the untainted hero is very unfamiliar territory for me – I jumped at it."
"[Vargas] is walking around with some rose-colored glasses on," Chavira explains. "He doesn't have any information."
What happens if and when his character finds out what Cyrus is up to? Chavira can't say, but he does promise that "it'll be very interesting."
As for whether he's Team Fitz or Team Jake? Neither, it turns out: "I'm just happy to be on team Scandal!"
Scandal airs Thursdays (9 p.m. ET) on ABC.
“[Faith is] really important to me,” he explained. “I really discovered a connection with a higher power and with God as I understand him probably five years ago when I got sober through the 12 steps of Alcoholic Anonymous.”
In 2007, Metcalfe entered rehab and he said prayer got him through that dark time.
“A large part of that program is giving the will and character life over to God — or a God as you understand him — and prayer is also a big part of that program as well. I feel that that really helped me overcome a difficult time in my life and since then has really deepened and enriched my life in a lot of ways.”
“God’s Not Dead 2,” the sequel to “God’s Not Dead,” tells the story of a public school teacher whose Christian faith and career come under attack as she answers a question about Jesus with scripture.
Along the way, a civil liberties group files a lawsuit in an attempt to make an example of the teacher’s quest to remove God from public discourse. In the film, Metcalfe plays a lawyer.
“It’s a deeper, more intellectual role with a greater responsibility,” he said. “Discovering my own faith and my own connection with God, I brought some of that emotional foundation to the character so the character would be really connected and really fighting for something on a deeper level and that the emotion would come through. It was a lot of preparation.”
The movie also stars Melissa Joan Hart, Robin Givens and Pat Boone. Givens also opened up to FOX411 about how God and faith play a strong role in her life.
“I do a lot of writing about fatherless daughters; I grew up without my dad,” she began to explain. “I think that role is so important and in many respects God has sort of been the only father I know. I can’t imagine not having that belief in my life. It has been the thing that I have leaned on a daily basis, so it’s very important to me. “
Metcalfe has high hopes for the film.
“I’m hoping the film brings us closer together and unites us as a people and as Americans instead of being something that people call upon to further divide us,” he said. “There are so many different belief systems in the world and specifically in our country and I think we pride ourselves as a nation … on diversity and on tolerance, and I think the basic takeaway is that faith is important to having a well-rounded life and to the human experience as a whole. You have to have some spiritual foundation to your life.”
“God’s Not Dead 2” hits theaters April 1.
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.”
“I don’t think anything that ‘Scandal’ could do could mirror what’s going on in the real world right now. I think what Shonda would come up with and what this show is revealing is far more presidential than anything we are being offered in reality,” Chavira tells Variety, speaking on the U.S. primaries and the colorful showcase of presidential hopefuls, including Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
“This guy, when we meet him in the first episode at the town hall meeting, he’s talking about wanting to establish free education in the state that he’s governor of — those are big goals. When I was reading it, I was like, sh-t! I’d vote for this guy!” He adds, “If you look at what’s going on currently in our politics in 2016, that’s the Bernie Sanders agenda, so you’ve now put the agenda of a 74-year-old Jewish man in the characterization of a 40-year-old Latino American.”
Following the episode in which Chavira’s character gave the speech about free education, his second appearance featured his character involved in a shooting at the Capitol. When asked about his reaction to seeing the scene in his script, the actor, who played Eva Longoria’s husband on “Housewives,” admitted he’s “a little desensitized” to hearing about shootings.
“Growing up in Texas, I’ve been around guns my whole life,” he says. “It’s a sad state of affairs in our country that we have shootings daily. The thing is, we’ve had shootings daily for a long time. The problem is that they’ve always centered within certain socioeconomic communities so we don’t pay attention to them, but now that they’re extending beyond those communities and getting into non-ethno-specific communities, oh my god, we have to pay attention. Compton has been dealing with shootings for a long time. The South Side and the West Side of San Antonio have been dealing with shootings for a long time.”
While gun control is a major point of discussion this election cycle, perhaps the most controversial topic has been Trump’s comments on Mexican immigrants. Chavira, a second-generation American, says his “Scandal” character reflects the upside of the heated debate.
“We’re seeing this story of this second-generation immigrant coming into his own as a politician. That is an aspect of that American dream,” he says. “Let’s look at the landscape of what’s going on politically right now — there are so many people jumping on this Donald Trump bandwagon that I think have literally forgotten that your roots in this country are immigrant roots. Let’s be very clear about this, people: This country is built on nothing but fucking immigrants. Let’s not forget that. For me, it’s very easy to step into this role because I commend this character for having the voice that he has. I feel honored to be able to play a character that has this kind of conviction.”
Chavira’s role is another example of Rhimes’ inclusion of diverse types of roles for diverse actors in her shows, exemplified by Kerry Washington, “How to Get Away With Murder’s” Viola Davis and “Grey’s Anatomy” alum Sandra Oh, to name just a few.
“For me, as a Latino Mexican-American actor in this country, the way the demographic of actors is playing out these days in Hollywood, it’s very refreshing that there’s a role for a second-generation actor to be playing close to himself on television,” Chavira says.
“I’m not having to play a gang-banger, I’m not having to play a janitor, I’m not having to play a drug cartel guy — I’m playing someone that had I not chosen to be an actor, this might be my actual storyline for my life,” Chavira explains. “I applaud Shonda for offering that accessibility. If you look at this character, he is the Castro brothers from San Antonio. When I read this, I envisioned this in my head so I’m very proud to be able to step in and play a character like this and that it could slightly compare to those two men. I’m very proud of them and all of their accomplishments.”
Chavira’s next episode of “Scandal” airs Thursday, March 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
In the pilot, written by Matt Miller and directed by McG, when Texas cop and former Navy SEAL Martin Riggs suffers the loss of his wife and baby, he moves to Los Angeles to start anew. There, he is partnered with LAPD detective Roger Murtaugh (Wayans), who, having recently suffered a “minor” heart attack, must avoid stress in his life.
Rahm will play the successful yet humble Captain Avery, more politician than cop, dressing the part of top brass since his early days as Murtaugh’s partner. Avery, who paired up Murtaugh with Riggs, hoping the younger cop can put a little vigor back in Murtaugh’s career, enjoys the corner office that came with his recent promotion to Captain.
Miller, McG, Dan Lin and Jennifer Gwartz executive produce the pilot for Warner Bros. TV and Lin Pictures.
Rahm, who played Ted Chaough on Mad Men for four seasons, rising to regular in Seasons 6 and 7, recently recurred on CBS’ Madam Secretary. The Desperate Housewives alum is repped by Gersh and Forward Entertainment.
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.
The Telenovela star has provided us with the twist on The Spice Girls' iconic hit "Wannabe" that we didn't even know we were, yes, desperate for. Because instead of going for bouncy Brit pop, Longoria tackled the tune in her character's character, showing us what the song would sound like telenovela-style, the Spanish-language soap operas being known for their flair for the mega-dramatic.
While Longoria may be getting tired of being asked to reinterpret a variety of standard things soap-opera style as she makes the rounds promoting her NBC sitcom, she is amiably handling all requests with aplomb.
The season finale of Telenovela airs tonight at 8:30 p.m. on NBC.
"It's a great city," says the actress, who is featured in the current issue of PEOPLE. "The people there are so kind and polite and outgoing and friendly. I love working there."
This is the second season the anthology series has shot in the capital of Texas, which has given Huffman, 52, plenty of time to explore the city.
"Working out there is great. I take yoga and spin classes and run around Lady Bird Lake," she says. "And they have such unique stores and restaurants. I love eating at [Japanese restaurant] Uchi and getting butter coffee at Picnik."
And Huffman isn't the only one excited about the city.
"There's something like 185 people moving there every day," she says. "That's crazy!"
American Crime airs Wednesdays (10 p.m. ET) on ABC.
“First, I have to recognize how lucky I am to have to navigate these sorts of issues. I have a job that I love and a fabulous family that I love,” says Huffman, who is featured in the current issue of PEOPLE.
“But people always ask, ‘How do you balance home life and work?’ And I tell them, ‘I don’t. I just drop the ball all the time.’ ”
To make things more difficult, Huffman’s current series, ABC’s American Crime, films in Austin, Texas, while her two daughters with husband William H. Macy — Sofia Grace, 15, and Georgia Grace, 13 — live and attend school in Los Angeles.
“I try and fly back to L.A. every two or three days. But that can take a toll. Sometimes I think, ‘I’m failing as both a mother and an actress.’ But I do what I can to stumble forward joyously,” says Huffman, 52.
“And I’m able to fly home that often, so these are champagne problems, really.”
American Crime airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.
"I was lucky to learn the word 'volunteer' at a very young age," Longoria, 40, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "It was integrated into our family."
When the Telenovela star founded the Eva Longoria Foundation nearly four years ago, she had one thing in mind: inspiring young women through education.
"With the Eva Longoria Foundation I knew I wanted to focus on education," the actress says. "I researched to see who had the greatest educational disparities in the United States, and it happened to be Latinas. I thought, 'I'm Latina, and this community needs help.' "
Adding, "Education immediately improves your chances for economic mobility. With our funding, we encourage parental engagement, after-school programs and entrepreneurial programs."
Though Longoria, who is engaged to José Antonio Bastón, keeps a packed schedule, being a role model to young women is one of her top priorities.
She explains, "When [young women] see me and other women around them who are successful and educated, they go, 'Oh, that's a possibility for me.' "
Eva Longoria made sure to cover all her bases for her Lip Sync Battle performance of Flo Rida and T-Pain's 2008 hit "Low." The 40-year-old Telenovela star went the extra mile by sporting a backwards ball cap and some major bling, helping her fully embody the woman in the rap song. Ahead of her episode, Spike TV released a snippet of her performance on YouTube Wednesday.
Longoria faces some stiff competition in the form of Hayden Panettiere. While she may be diminutive in size, the 5-foot Nashville actress went all out for her rendition of Moulin Rouge's "Lady Marmalade." Though Pattie LaBelle made the song famous in 1982, Panettiere opted for the remake released in 2001 featuring Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Missy Elliott, Mýa and Pink. Looking like Aguilera did in the Paul Hunter-directed music video, Panettiere, 26, proved she's a diva to be reckoned with. She had an ace up her sleeve, too, as Aguilera herself made a cameo.
Needless to say, the episode will be quite a showdown.
To see which other songs Longoria and Hayden Panettiere performed, watch Spike's Lip Sync Battle Thursday at 10 p.m., hosted by LL Cool J with "colorful commentator" Chrissy Teigen.
"I look at her like a sister," Chavira tells PEOPLE of Longoria. "She's friends with my wife. She knows my kids. We're family."
So when his newly engaged pal asked him to guest star on her new NBC comedy Telenovela, it was an instant yes from Chavira.
"When Eva calls me and asks me to do something for her, I don't hesitate," says the actor, who had similarly had Longoria guest star on his 2013 NBC comedy Welcome to the Family.
On the Feb. 8 episode of Telenovela, Chavira will play an ex-convict who is trying to win back Mimi (Diana Maria Riva), the best friend of Longoria's character, Ana Sofia.
"It's a return to the I Love Lucy dynamic Eva and I had on Housewives," Chavira says of playing the "straight man" to Longoria and Riva's Lucy and Ethel. "You need a character like mine to ground the humor of their crazy and manic characters. It's a lot of fun to get to do that."
Telenovela airs Mondays (8:30 p.m. ET) on NBC.
"We always have a Valentine's Day weekend – a couple's war weekend. So we invite a lot of couple friends of ours and we have this insane competition of like minute-to-win-it games," she told PEOPLE at the Public Display of Godiva campaign at the Godiva store in Glendale, California. "It's a fun weekend but it's definitely a competitive weekend," she continued.
While Longoria's invites have surely gone out for her Valentine's Day couples weekend, she hasn't even begun to think about invitations for her upcoming nuptials.
"[There's] no theme or location. No guest list. You know, I guess I keep advocating for eloping," the actress, 40, said.
The only thing Longoria has decided on is that it if there is a wedding, it won't be grandiose.
"I think we're going to do something really, really simple. We've both been married before, so there's not going to be a lot of pomp and circumstance," Longoria said.
Aside from planning a wedding, Longoria stays busy on her new NBC series Telenovela, which she stars in and produces. She also revealed that she will be guest starring in another show she produces, the season four premiere of Lifetime's Devious Maids. And who will she be playing?
"I play me. I actually play Eva Longoria – but a much heightened version. I'm kind of the a--hole version of Eva Longoria," she said with a laugh.
Though details on his character are (of course) being kept under wraps, TV’s erstwhile Carlos Solis is set to recur on Scandal, starting with the second episode back after winter hiatus, according to EW.com.
Scandal resumes Season 5 next Thursday, Feb. 11.
Thanks to Entertainment Weekly's "Beyond Beautiful" issue, we now get the chance to be a fly on the wall during a particularly candid conversation between Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Eva Longoria and Elizabeth Banks on all things women in the entertainment industry.
The powerhouse actresses, who also appear together on the mag's cover, swap stories and hatch plans for further world domination (well not really, but they might as well be).
On the pressures women face, Washington likened her experience to one felt by all minorities in the industry.
"It's this idea you have to be twice as good to get half of what they have," the Scandal star explained. "It's something that most black people I talk to, when they heard that line, it completely resonated with how they were raised and the messaged their parents gave them."
The outspoken star believes "the pressure to be extraordinary," is the "same for women," adding, "You just know, you have to be twice as good. In a way, until girls don't have that feeling, we will not have done our jobs."
Banks echoed Kerry's statements as well, recalling feelings of being "underused" when she first set out to act. "I'm competitive naturally as a human being. And suddenly I was in an industry that said, 'You can just sit over there and wait and we'll call you,' the Pitch Perfect 2 director revealed.
But even decades after establishing a successful career, Witherspoon expressed she still encounters "awful, terrible" scripts that place female characters on the back burner.
Offering one alarming example, the Oscar winner says after turning down a part, "[The filmmakers] said, 'Well this actress is chasing it, that actress is chasing it: three Oscar winners and two huge box office leading ladies.' And I thought, 'Oh, that's where we're at? You're fighting to be the girlfriend in a dumb comedy? For what?' And by the way, two Oscar winners did it."
As for any changes these leading ladies hope to see for women in the future?
In reference to events celebrating women in Hollywood, Washington believes, "It'll be so exciting when we don't have to do this because we're just equal players at the table."
For more, check out this week's issue of Entertainment Weekly on newsstands Feb. 5.
The actress is part of a bold and powerful project by French artist and photographer Olivier Ciappa in which the subjects pose as same-sex couples or families to combat homophobia.
In her shots, Longoria, 40, poses in an intimate embrace with singer Lara Fabian.
For the series, called "The Imaginary Couples," Ciappa also shot other straight actors, artists and athletes, including Sicario director Denis Villeneuve and Dallas Buyers Club director Jean-Marc Vallée.
On his website, Ciappa explains he decided to create the photographs after a picture of himself, his partner and their baby was shared millions of times on the Internet, inspiring him to put together the series as a message of "peace and unity."
"Homophobia is the first symptom of a widespread ignorance of homosexuality, a distorted vision, sometimes fantasy," he explained. "So I wanted the viewer to confront the gentleness, the simplicity of these images in order to change their look, sweep their representations and keep only the essentials: love, nothing but love."
As for Longoria's real-life love story, the star got engaged to her beau José "Pepe" Bastón during a trip to Dubai this past December.
The couple have yet to announce any official wedding plans, but the Telenovela star recently told PEOPLE Now she wouldn't mind eloping so the ceremony is "free of guests and guest lists and things like that!"
"We call him 'Mr. Fancy Pants' because he always has a pocket square and a suit," Longoria added of her fiancé. "He's super stylish. He loves fashion way more than I do!"
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.
NBC held TCA Q&A sessions last week for Shades Of Blue with Jennifer Lopez, America Ferrera-starrer Superstore and Eva Longoria’s Telenovela. During the latter session, one TV critic noted, “When you think about the impact of shows like [Fox’s] Empire, one reason why they’ve had impact is because a huge number of black viewers watch the show, they showcase black culture, and a bunch of black viewers watch the show. It seems like it’s been harder for TV to figure out how to do that with Latino viewers, even when the show features Latino cast members.”
The critic asked Longoria, who stars in and exec produces Telenovela, if her new series is drawing “a lot of Latino viewers,” and “what’s the key to reaching especially second- and third-generation folks who may not be as tied to traditional television.”
After confirming her show is over-indexing with Latinos, Longoria agreed with the premise. “It’s very hard to program to Latinos,” she said. “I am not saying African Americans are a monolithic group, because they are not. They are very diverse as well. But Latinos are definitely not a monolithic group. When you have the Cubans and the Puerto Ricans, and Dominicans – if you see our cast, just our cast, we touch all of that and then some…If you tell an East L.A. story, sometimes the New Yorkians don’t get it. And I’m a Texican. So sometimes I don’t get either coast.
“I don’t think, ‘If you cast it, they will come’,” she said. “These roles authentically had to be Latino. They are on a telenovela. So casting this show was very different than stunt casting the Benetton ad.”
Longoria said the TV industry “automatically” comes to her “with content that is Latino-themed or have Latino cues, but I don’t think that you can program to Latinos. I don’t think Latinos like that. I think they want good shows.” She described Telenovela as a “great big broad comedy that has a lot of Hispanic cues in it, and so I think a general audience can enjoy it and understand it and laugh at it.”
The series scored a big commitment from NBC at the pitch stage — a 13-episode order if Longoria committed to star, and a pilot order if she didn’t. Longoria had been developing Telenovela through her Universal TV-based UnbeliEVAble at NBC for some time. Written/executive produced by Cougar Town co-executive producers Chrissy Pietrosh and Jessica Goldstein, it’s based on an idea by Longoria who plays diva Ana Maria, popular star of Latin America’s most beloved telenovela who strives to stay on top in that world.
Talk show host Wendy Williams caught up with Eva on The Wendy Williams Show this week and couldn't help but ask the Telenovela star if she still kept in touch with her former Housewives cohorts.
"Yeah, Felicity [Huffman] and I live right next to each other, I saw her yesterday. Marcia [Cross] and I did some work together for some candidates, and we always stay in touch," the actress shared.
As for the whom she is not quite as desperate to dish with?
"I haven't seen Nicolette [Sheridan] or Teri Hatcher] in a while," Eva added.
But not for lack of like, we're sure. After all, the lovely leading lady has quite the packed schedule these days. With her recent engagement to media tycoon Jose Antonio Baston and a new show underway, it's not hard to see why the actress's social calendar may be taking a back seat.
Also very likely taking up some space on Eva's plate? Her handsome soon-to-be hubby's three children, ages 19 and 12 (twins no less!), who the actress raves are "wonderful." And Eva may just be gearing up to pop out some kiddies of her own. "I'm open to it," the actress revealed. "I know I'm already 40...but I love children and if it's in the stars, I will welcome it with open arms!"
The star is a tad less open to some other endeavors. Like, for example, a gargantuan wedding. Eva half-jested to Wendy that she is "advocating for no wedding. Eloping." But what the wedding dress? Perhaps a gorgeous gown designed by the star's gorgeous BFF Victoria Beckham?
"I don't know, I haven't even talked to Victoria about it," Eva spilled.
Aw, treat yourself, Eva! Success looks good on you.
No details, but Lifetime says Longoria will make a one-time guest appearance in the season premiere. Denton, who played plumber Mike Delfino in Desperate Housewives, will play Peter, the charming, confident head of a movie studio who falls hard and fast into a new relationship this season. Rodriguez is Daniela, a sexy, fun, and unpredictable Latina in her 20’s who loves to stir the pot. She arrives in Beverly Hills with dreams of stardom and is easily tempted by the fabulous lifestyles of the rich and famous. They join returning cast Ana Ortiz, Dania Ramirez, Roselyn Sanchez, Judy Reyes, Susan Lucci, Grant Show, Rebecca Wisocky and Tom Irwin.
Inspired by the hit telenovela, Ellas son… la alegría del hogar, Devious Maids is produced by ABC Studios. The series was created by Marc Cherry (Desperate Housewives) and is executive produced by Cherry, Sabrina Wind (Desperate Housewives), Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives), Brian Tanen (Desperate Housewives), Curtis Kheel, Larry Shuman (Kissing Miranda), David Lonner, John Mass, and Televisa USA’s Paul Presburger and Michael Garcia.
The actor penned a heartfelt essay that was split in a series of five posts with the photo of the inspirational quote, "Be Who You Needed When You Were Younger."
Carver, 27, has played several gay characters on screen but had not commented on his own sexuality until now.
"As a young boy, I knew I wanted to be an actor. I knew I wanted to be a lot of things... It was around that age that I also knew, however abstractly, that I was different from some of the other boys in my grade," he wrote. "Over time, this abstract 'knowing' grew and articulated itself through a painful gestation marked by feelings of despair and alienation, ending in a climax of saying three words out loud: 'I am gay.'"
Carver noted that he came out to his friends and family knowing that he was in a safe space with loved ones where his sexual orientation was "celebrated." However, in acting and Hollywood it was more complicated for him.
"I did not want to be defined by my sexuality," the star continued in part three. "Sure, I am a proud gay man, but I don’t identify as a Gay man, or a GAY man, or just gay. I identify as a lot of things, these various identifications and identities taking up equal space and making up an ever-fluid sense of Self."
Adding: "As an actor, I believed that my responsibility to the craft and the business was to remain benevolently neutral – I was a canvas, a chameleon, the next character. For the most part I had a duty to stay a Possibility in the eye of casting, directors, and the public. If I Came Out, I feared I would be limiting myself to a type, to a perception with limits that I was not professionally comfortable with."
But after playing characters both gay and straight, Carver realized the business is changing. Following those LGBTQ trailblazers before him, Carver feels more "excited" than ever to be himself and help others discover their true identities.
"So now, let the record show this – I self-identify as gay... I owe it to myself, more than anything, to be who I needed when I was younger. And let the record show my twin brother is just as cool for being straight."
Teri, who's 51 by the way, and her 18-year-old stopped short of getting new ink, opting instead for new ear piercings at T-Man Tattoo shop in Studio City.
We're told it was for a good cause ... the mom-daughter duo were celebrating Emerson reaching her fundraising goal for Child Life playrooms at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
Teri's not just a cool mom, she's also a good tipper. She left $20 on a $73 tab -- better than most.
"We haven't even discussed it. I mean, I would like to elope," the Telenovela star tells PEOPLE Now, laughing. "Free of guests and guest lists and things like that!"
And don't expect the actress to be a bridezilla: She actually expects Baston, 47, to be more involved in planning their special day.
"We call him 'Mr. Fancy Pants' because he always has a pocket square and a suit," says Longoria, 40. "He's super stylish. He loves fashion way more than I do!"
The couple got engaged last month during a romantic trip to Dubai, and Longoria calls the moment the businessman bent down on one knee to pop the question "beautiful and memorable and everything you want a proposal to be."
Telenovela airs Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
Alexander Skarsgard (True Blood) and James Tupper (Revenge) have been cast as male leads opposite Kidman and Witherspoon, and Shailene Woodley, who was reported to have been in talks, has now closed her deal. They join previously announced Laura Dern, Adam Scott, Zoë Kravitz and Kathryn Newton.
Additional new cast members are Jeffrey Nordling (Desperate Housewives), Santiago Cabrera, P. J. Byrne, Kelen Coleman, Sarah Burns, Darby Camp, Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti, Ivy George, Chloe Coleman, Virginia Kull, Sarah Baker (The Good Lie), Kathreen Khavari, Larry Bates, Hong Chau and Gia Carides.
Big Little Lies will be an adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s 2014 darkly comic novel about three mothers of kindergartners –Celeste (Kidman), Madeline (Witherspoon) and Jane (Woodley)— whose apparently perfect lives unravel to the point of murder. Jean-Marc Vallée is directing.
Woodley’s Jane is a single mom of modest means and a mysterious past, Jane is new to not only Monterey but to the complicated social hierarchy of Mesa Elementary School, where her son is a student. Skarsgård is Perry Wright: One half of the seemingly perfect Monterey couple, alongside his wife Celeste (Kidman), Perry is a successful businessman, loving father and devoted husband. Tupper will play Nathan Carlson: Ex-husband of Madeline (Witherspoon), he is married to a beautiful and younger yoga instructor, Bonnie (Kravitz) and faces the challenges of co-parenting a teenage daughter along with his ex.
Nordling plays Gordon Klein, a high-powered executive, married to Renata (Dern). Cabrera plays Joseph Bachman: He runs the local Monterey theatre company and has an extramarital affair with Madeline (Witherspoon); P. J. Byrne is Principal Warren Nippal who runs the school in Monterey; Camp is Chloe Mackenzie: 7-year-old daughter of (Witherspoon); Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti are Max & Josh Wright: 7-year-old twin sons of Celeste and Perry (Kidman and Skarsgård); George is Amabella Klein: 7-year old daughter of Renata and Gordon (Dern and Nordling); Chloe Coleman plays Skye Carlson: 7-year-old daughter of Nathan and Bonnie (Tupper and Kravitz); Kull is Ms. Emily Barnes, first grade school teacher; Kelen Coleman, Burns, Baker, Khavari, Bates, Hong Chau, and Carides are Monterey parents.
Tupper is repped by Untitled Entertainment, United Talent Agency and Jackoway Tyerman. Nordling is repped by APA. Baker is with Pakula/King & Associates and 3 Arts.
The actress got engaged to the president of content and television at Grupo Televisa late last month, and at least for now, Longoria hopes they can enjoy their engagement rather than plan every detail of their wedding day. Asked about her fiancé on NBC's Today Monday, the TV star gushed, "He's amazing! He's gorgeous and really the kindest human being I've ever met. And he's really private! So, I never talk about him, because he's always like, 'Don't talk about me!'"
Savannah Guthrie joked, "We don't want to be the source of your first fight."
Somehow we don't think Baston will be too upset with Longoria. After all, she had only the nicest things to say about him. Later, when asked about setting a wedding date, she admitted that it's the furthest things from their minds. "We haven't even discussed it. I'm still in the glow of the engagement," she said. Then, describing the proposal, she said, "It was such a surprise. It was in Dubai and it was in the desert. We're still absorbing that moment. I'm still applauding him for how beautiful and amazing it was, then we'll talk about the big fat Mexican wedding."
Longoria was on Today to discuss her new NBC sitcom, Telenovela, in which she plans a Spanish soap opera star who doesn't speak Spanish. "I was developing it in my production slate, and when the first draft came in, it was so funny," she said. Longoria explained that she originally did not plan to play the "vulnerable and "crazy" Ana Sofia, but she "fell in love" with the role. "I knew I was going to go back to TV one day," she said, "but the bar was set so high from Desperate Housewives that I was like, 'I don't know.' I was a little gun-shy, and I loved the time off!"
Telenovela airs Mondays at 8:30 ET on NBC.
Longoria dove into producing and directing projects like Lifetime's Devious Maids.
Even when developing her new NBC comedy Telenovela, Longoria originally was only going to serve as producer.
"But when I read the script, I knew I had to do it," the former real-life soap actress says of playing over-the-top Spanish soap star Ana Sofia Calderon, a performance that is drawing comparisons to the likes of Lucille Ball. "It was so fresh and fun. It was the comedy I'd always wanted to do. It's my love letter to telenovelas."
Telenovela premieres Jan. 4 at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
“I just turned 40, so I have thought, ‘Is time running out?’ ” the former Desperate Housewives actress says in the current issue of PEOPLE. “I should be thinking about [children], but I feel like my life is full.”
One thing filling her life aside from her fiancé José “Pepe” Bastón, are his three children from a previous marriage.
“They’ve been such a gift in my life. I don’t feel like we are lacking because we don’t have a baby,” says Longoria, whose new NBC comedy, Telenovela, premieres Jan. 4 at 8:30 p.m.
Not that she’s ruled out the possibility of having a child of her own.
“We are fulfilled,” she says of life with Bastón. “If there is anything else to come, it would be icing on the cake.”
For more on Longoria’s life with Bastón, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Monday.
"Some people said, 'Oh. You don't want to be alone.' And I said, 'I'm not alone! I'm with myself. And myself is fabulous,' " the former Desperate Housewives star says in the current issue of PEOPLE.
Even when she was the sole single on a European couples trip, Longoria, 40, felt no qualms about being on her own.
"People went, 'Aw. Did you feel weird?' And I said, 'No! I had so much fun! These are my best friends,' " she says. "It's not like you change because you became a single person. It's not like you become an alien."
Longoria dated Peneélope Cruz's brother Eduardo and entrepreneur Ernesto Arguello, but the actress says that time as a single gal was essential to preparing her to meet her fiancé José "Pepe" Bastón.
"I learned to be content on my own," says Longoria, whose new NBC comedy Telenovela" premieres Jan. 4. "I think I needed that to be ready for what I have with Pepe."
In Season 2, issues of sexual orientation and socioeconomic disparity come to a boil when lurid photos of a high school boy are posted on social media following a school party. Circumstances become more complicated when the boy accuses two players on an elite private high school’s championship basketball team of drugging, assaulting and then posting the pictures of him online.
Several Season 1 cast members are back, including stars Felicity Huffman and Timothy Hutton, as well as co-stars Regina King — who won an Emmy for her role — Lili Taylor and Elvis Nolasco. They are joined by Trevor Jackson, Connor Jessup, Joey Pollari and Angelique Rivera.
Ridley executive produces with Michael J. McDonald for ABC Studios.
Longoria, 40, announced the news on Sunday when she shared a photo of the couple kissing in a desert in Duabi.
"Ummmm so this happened....#Engaged #Dubai #Happiness," she wrote."
In the photo, the actress is seen wearing a stunning ruby and diamond ring.
Longoria and Baston, 47, began dating in 2013.
"He's been sweeping her off her feet and courting her like a proper gentleman," a source told PEOPLE of their budding romance in 2013.
The Desperate Housewives star has gushed about her new fiancé in the past, praising both his mind and his personal style.
"I'm attracted to humor and intellect in a man," Longoria told PEOPLE in 2014. "Let me tell you, I'm very lucky in my life."
Longoria's friend Ana Ortiz gave her stamp of approval in September.
"They're a gorgeous couple, and I've never seen her happier," the Devious Maids star told PEOPLE. "I am so thrilled that she has someone who is not intimidated by her and who is not afraid by her power, her beauty, her friendship and her drive."
Longoria was previously married to actor Tyler Christopher from 2002 to 2004. Her second marriage to NBA star Tony Parker ended when the couple split in 2011.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
KIRSTEN DUNST, FARGO
LADY GAGA, AMERICAN HORROR STORY: HOTEL
SARAH HAY, FLESH & BONE
FELICITY HUFFMAN, AMERICAN CRIME
QUEEN LATIFAH, BESSIE.
Cross (Desperate Housewives) debuts as Caleb’s politician mom Claire, and Coupe (Happy Endings) as hardcore FBI agent Hannah Wyland in the episode, which airs Sunday at 10/9c.
The photos seem to show a New Year’s Eve party thrown by Caleb’s folks, with many dolled-up NATs in attendance. Ryan is there, too, despite moving on from the academy in last week’s episode.
But don’t get too distracted by the gowns (or the in-retrospect-cringeworthy moment of Shelby meeting Claire for the first time), because we’ve also got photos of a beat-up Elias and Caleb in his religious-cult-infiltrating persona.
"I don't have enough words to say about her comedic timing," co-creator and executive producer Jessica Goldstein tells TVGuide.com. "We could say, 'In this episode, you're going to fall down a well,' and she's like, 'I'm doing it!'"
One scene from the pilot, in fact, finds Longoria, who plays the sassy, self-absorbed telenovela star Ana Maria, hanging upside down while trying to attack her ex-husband Xavier (Jencarlos Canela) who's been hired as her love interest on her show. "When you're upside down, blood is rushing to your head, which can make reciting lines difficult," co-creator and executive producer Chrissy Pietrosh says. "She's like, 'I'm doing those lines!' We never had to hold back. She does things strong grown men won't do."
That's true of both Longoria the actress and Longoria the businesswoman. She's an executive producer on Telenovela, and in doing so, helps create a space that brings more Hispanic and (female) voices to the forefront. Telenovela, which boasts three other Hispanic writers, was more than a year in the making, and not without its challenges, including a name change (it was previously titled Hot and Bothered) and having its episode order cut from 13 to 11. That said, both Goldstein and Pietrosh say Longoria became an invaluable resource as they worked on scripts. "We trusted Eva implicitly and she trusted us," Pietrosh says.
It's too fitting that there was some behind-the-scenes drama in getting Telenovela ready - the show itself a campy look at the behind-the-scenes antics on a fictionalized show, Las Leyes de Pasion, which parodies the Spanish soap genre.
Already frazzled by learning that her ex-husband, who she's certain cheated on her with Shakira, will play her new love interest, Ana Maria is constantly looking for ways to rattle her rival Isabella (Alex Meneses), who was the show's lead until the younger, hotter Ana Maria seized her spot. Ana Maria is also working to make sure her secret - that she doesn't speak Spanish - stays under wraps, while navigating through all kinds of other mini crises, including her mess of a love life. There's definitely a lot going on, particularly with the inclusion of her BFFs - her gay buddy Gael (Jose Moreno Brooks) and costume designer Mimi (Diana Maria Riva) - but the writers say they enjoyed the challenges of making all the layers work. "It was never challenging, but a puzzle to put together the way we had it in our head," Goldstein says. "Every day, we would start each morning with 20-minute hug."
Although Goldstein and Pietrosh were certainly not inexperienced - they co-executive-produced the Courteney Cox sitcom Cougar Town - they did have to do due diligence to make sure they could accurately bring the telenovela world to life. They mined YouTube, dug into Longoria's past on The Young and the Restless for material and toured Telemundo's studios in Miami, where they watched scenes and the editing of telenovelas including Duenos del Paraiso.
"We learned that the people behind the scenes work so hard and produce so much more content than we do, and the quality is so great," Pietrosh says. Telenovela teams work so hard, in fact, Pietrosh says they had to loosen up the material they gained from the very serious staff. "We are very lucky that our actors are open and friendly, so we just sat back and watched and kept our ears open."
That helped inform the cultural insights that come through on Telenovela, including the idea of a Latina who can't speak Spanish. (That actually came from Longoria's own experience; the actress, born and raised in Texas, has been open about not speaking Spanish growing up.) "At one of our first screenings, a [Hispanic] woman came up to us saying she doesn't speak Spanish, and it's not something you see very often on TV," Pietrosh says. "It's just right for the show."
Of course, Telenovela has a broad appeal, with its main themes of jealous co-workers, failed romances and sibling rivalries familiar to just about everyone. Some will no doubt compare Telenovela to other famous send-ups of the genre, such as Ugly Betty and Jane the Virgin, which will feel more densely layered and nuanced than this. It's best to let those comparisons go though and enjoy Telenovela on its own merits. Right from the outset, when the hurricane-level wind machine nearly blows the assembled actors away, it's clear Telenovela's tone, pacing and style have more in common with screwball workplace sitcoms than the aforementioned comedy-dramas.
No, the goofy one-liners and slapstick moments, like watching Ana Maria trying to save face while having a wardrobe malfunction, don't make the show rise to the level of epic, landmark TV, but they do make it fun and enjoyable. Telenovela gets stronger as it progresses too, the banter more rich and the scenarios more elaborately funny, culminating with a big, life-or-death cliff-hanger by the end of the season.
"We're hoping everyone loves it," and not just one segment of viewers, Pietrosh says. "Our biggest goal was to deliver a great comedy."
Telenovela has a special preview Monday with two episodes beginning at 10/9c on NBC before officially premiering Monday, Jan. 4 at 8:30/9:30c on NBC.
As previously reported, Desperate Housewives‘ Marcia Cross soon will debut in the recurring role of Claire, the wife of the FBI Deputy Director and mother of the conflicted recruit.
Casting the primetime vet “was like kismet,” executive producer Joshua Safran tells TVLine. “I’m very grateful that happened.”
Aside from a few one-off roles, Cross hasn’t done much TV work since Desperate Housewives ended in 2012.
“The role was written for her. The second we came up with Claire, I was like, ‘We have to get Marcia Cross,'” Safran adds.
Read on for five quick facts about Mrs. — we mean, “Senator” — Haas’ arrival (including when it’ll happen).
CLAIRE WAS AN FBI AGENT | From the moment in the pilot that we find out both of Caleb’s parents were G-men, “we wanted to keep broadening out his family,” Safran says. (Caleb’s sister, by the way, also is on the Bureau’s payroll; we may meet her someday.) The Haases “were salt-of-the-earth people… who have now gone up a notch.” Caleb’s clan is a “dynasty,” the EP adds, “but it’s a different kind of dynasty.”
CLAIRE IS NOW A SENATOR | Her position as a power player will help the show look “at how the FBI interacts with the political side of the government,” Safran says.
CLAIRE MAY BE A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME | For those wondering what Quantico will look like “We’re going to use Claire and the emotional ties she has with Caleb and Clayton as a way to broaden our view of the show, so it’s not just about the FBI but also begins to become about politics in general, as well,” Safran previews.
CLAIRE AND SHELBY WILL HAVE WORDS | Caleb’s on-again, off-again love interest and his momma will have plenty of chances to be in each other’s orbits. “There’s a great Shelby-Claire story” that also involves Alex, Safran says.
CLAIRE WILL FIRST APPEAR… | … in Episode 11, airing Dec. 13.
In Designated Survivor, when the President, VP, and Cabinet all meet in one location for an event such as the State of the Union, one Cabinet member is conspicuously missing: the Designated Survivor. Hidden away in an undisclosed location with Presidential-level security, the Designated Survivor is ready to take the reins of the President should the unthinkable happen and the rest of the government is wiped out in an attack. Toscano is writing the project, which stems from a blind script deal Depp’s Infinitum Nihil had with Fox. Toscano and Depp will executive produce with Infinitum Nihil’s Christi Dembrowski.
The ABC drama is a Texas-sized soap about an ambitious political family with differing agendas loosely inspired by a 2013 Vogue article Pair Of Aces, which profiled Democratic rising-star twins Julián Castro, mayor of San Antonio, and Joaquin, then-newly elected U.S. congressman. UnbeliEVAble and ABC first took a stab at developing a Texas political family drama using the article as source material last season with a different writer. Toscano is writing and will executive produce with UnveliEVAble’s Longoria and Ben Spector and Conde Nast’s Dawn Ostroff. This marks Toscano’s return to ABC where she worked on another primetime soap, Revenge.
Toscano landed her first pilot order in 2014 with CBS’ Red Zone. Her series credits also include A&E’s Bates Motel. She is repped by UTA, manager Carel Cutler and attorney Patti Felker.
UnbeliEVAble has midseason NBC comedy series Hot & Bothered, starring Longoria, as well as four other broadcast projects in development: genre drama Zone Of Silence at NBC with Blumhouse and writer Rashad Raisani, comedy Bonita & Mechelle at NBC with Will Packer Prods and writer Kriss Turner Towner, a comedy at ABC with veteran comedy writer Bobby Bowman and drama Casino with East Los High co-creator Carlos Portugal. The company is repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment.
Depp’s Infinitum Nihil recently teamed with Richard Branson’s Virgin Produced and City Entertainment’s Joshua Maurer and Alixandre Witlin to produce a TV series based on the award- winning feature documentary Muscle Shoals. As an actor, Depp stars in Black Mass. He is repped by UTA.
In her first major series role since Desperate Housewives, Cross will play analyst Caleb Haas’ (Graham Rogers) mother Claire, the ruling force of the Haas clan who has transitioned from decorated FBI agent to high-ranking senator and now Vice Presidential candidate. The public sees a skilled politician, a passionate advocate for her causes, a force for good, but her family sees a different woman: one whose ambition comes before all else. Her husband and Caleb’s father, FBI Deputy Director Clayton Haas — recently revealed as having an affair with an FBI recruit — is played by Mark Pellegrino.
Cross is repped by Gersh and manager John Carrabino.
The first season of the show, which followed a racially charged murder and the subsequent trial, aired in the Thursday 10 PM slot, succeeding How To Get Away With Murder, which has shorter (18-episode) seasons per star Viola Davis’ contract. This season, the plan is to keep the Shondaland branding on the night intact with the latest Shonda Rhimes-produced drama, The Catch, following HTGAWM in the 10 PM hour.
That left ABC with few choices for American Crime, whose subject matter makes it hard to play it before 10 PM. Still, its Wednesday scheduling makes for a huge tonal swing between ABC’s 8-10 PM family comedy block and one of the darkest drama series on broadcast television that tackles tough issues like race and class.
In Season 2, issues of sexual orientation and socioeconomic disparity come to a boil when lurid photos of a high school boy, Taylor Blaine, are posted on social media following a school party. Circumstances become more complicated when Taylor accuses two players on an elite private high school’s championship basketball team, Kevin LaCroix and Eric Tanner, of drugging, assaulting and then posting the pictures of him online.
Many of the Season 1 cast members are back, including stars Felicity Huffman and Timothy Hutton as well as co-stars Regina King who won an Emmy for her role, Lili Taylor and Elvis Nolasco, who are joined by Trevor Jackson, Connor Jessup, Joey Pollari and Angelique Rivera.
Ridley executive produces with Michael J. McDonald for ABC Studios.
The film also stars a bigger lineup than the first installment which was anchored by Kevin Sorbo. Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), Jesse Metcalfe (Dallas), PureFlix CEO David A.R. White (God’s Not Dead), Hayley Orrantia (The Goldbergs), Sadie Robertson (Duck Dynasty), Robin Givens (Head of The Class), Maria Canals-Barrera (Cristela) and the late Fred Thompson (Law & Order) in one of his final film appearances star alongside cameos by Pat Boone and Ray Wise (Robocop). It will be released on April 1, 2016.
This is also a PureFlix film and was also directed by Harold Cronk and scripted by Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon. The first film ended up in a lawsuit after John Sullivan and Brad Stine sued PureFlix Entertainment and its CEO White, seeking at least $10 million in damages and alleging that God’s Not Dead was based on a “faith-based Dead Poets’ Society” concept called Proof that they came up with back in 2009.
Check out the trailer for God’s Not Dead 2 above.
Ahead of Telenovela and Superstore’s Monday January 4 premieres, each will air back-to-back original episodes behind Monday’s The Voice from 10-11 PM on November 30 (Superstore) and December 7 (Telenovela). They will succeed in the timeslot of new drama Blindspot, which will have aired its fall finale. The Voice will wrap its season the week of December 14.
NBC recently trimmed the orders for both Telenovela and Superstore from 13 to 11 episodes. Given their regular Monday time slots, 8 PM (Superstore) and 8:30 PM (Telenovela), the comedies will serve as bridge between the two cycles of The Voice, which explains the network’s need for fewer episodes. It is unclear yet what will air in the Monday 9 PM hour while The Voice is on hiatus.
NBC plans to use the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade and live musical The Wiz Live! (December 3) to promote the comedy previews. Telenovela stars and is produced Eva Longoria, while Superstore is toplined by America Ferrera.
Here is NBC’s Monday schedule for the nights of the comedy series previews and their Monday debuts:
Monday, Nov. 30
Monday, Dec. 7
8-10 p.m. ”The Voice”
10-11 p.m. ”Telenovela” preview
Monday, Jan. 4
8:00 p.m. ”Superstore”
8:30 p.m. ”Telenovela”.
Casino stems out of efforts by Longoria — who is of Mexican descent and holds a master’s degree in Chicano Studies — to bring Hispanic voices to television.
Born in Cuba, Portugal began his career at San Francisco local PBS station, KQED, where he produced the Emmy Award-winning documentary Frida Kahlo: Portrait of an Artist. For the past three seasons, he has served as creator, showrunner, head writer and director of Hulu’s original drama series, East Los High, directing 42 of the 48 produced episodes to date. Before East Los High, which has been renewed for a fourth season, Portugal worked on Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns and House of Payne for TBS. He is repped by APA.
UnbeliEVAble has midseason NBC comedy series Hot & Bothered, starring Longoria, as well as three other broadcast projects in development, genre drama Zone of Silence at NBC with Blumhouse and writer Rashad Raisani, comedy Bonita & Mechelle at NBC with Will Packer Prods. and writer Kriss Turner Towner, and a comedy at ABC with veteran comedy writer Bobby Bowman. The company is repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment.
But these days, he’s more into making breakfast for his 7-year-old. “I cook a lot at home, primarily for my son but also for my wife, and I really enjoy it,” the star told us.
His son can “do a few things. He breaks eggs really good. He can stir stuff up.”
MacLachlan’s even contributed a recipe to a God’s Love We Deliver charity cookbook: “It’s a breakfast-centric waffle recipe.”
Zone Of Silence, written by Rashad Raisani (NBC’s Allegiance), focuses on the area acting like a domestic Bermuda Triangle, an invisible interference which appears in the southwest and not only wreaks havoc on communications but is central to key myths, folklore and legends. When a group of ICE agents go missing under odd circumstances within the “zone”, a task force is formed to find them. Science clashes with the unexplained on a weekly basis while the larger search to explain the disappearance continues.
The project hails from Universal TV, where Longoria and Ben Spector’s UnveliEVAble Entertainment is under an overall deal and Blum’s Blumhouse has a deal as part of the company’s 10-year first-look agreement with NBCUniversal. Zone Pf Silence also stems from Raisani’s overall deal at Uni TV that came out of his stint as an executive producer on NBC/Uni TV’s drama Allegiance. He previously worked on Burn Notice and White Collar.
Raisani, Longoria, Spector, Blum and Blumhouse’s Jessica Rhoades executive produce alongside Winter, who have had long-time interest in the “zone of silence” phenomenon. There are no plans for him to act in the project.
Blumhouse is coming off winning an Emmy for HBO’s The Jinx after also earning a trophy for HBO’s The Normal Heart last year.
UnbeliEVAble has midseason NBC comedy series Hot & Bothered, starring Longoria, as well as two other broadcast projects in development, Bonita & Mechelle at NBC with Will Packer Prods. and a comedy at ABC with veteran comedy writer Bobby Bowman. The company is repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment. Raisani is repped by UTA and the Shuman Co.
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.
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.
Written and to be directed by Daniel Barnz, House Of Moore is said to be similar in tone to The Devil Wears Prada and to explore plus-size fashion. It centers on the sexy, twisted lives of an iconic fashion family, looking at our beauty-obsessed culture through a darkly comedic lens.
Huffman remains fully committed to John Ridley’s anthology series American Crime. If House Of Moore goes to series and American Crime is renewed for a third season, Huffman will topline Moore only if she could also do American Crime. That is not unconceivable as American Crime is done as a limited series, producing around 10 episodes a year. Additionally, both House Of Moore and American Crime are on the same network, ABC, and hail from the same studio, ABC Studios, making coordination easier.
Huffman and Kaplan executive produce. Daniel Barnz and business partner/husband Ben Barnz, who together brought the idea to Kaplan and Huffman, also executive produce through their We’re Not Brothers Productions banner.
“We’re incredibly grateful to have this opportunity to work with ABC, Aaron and Felicity,” said Daniel Barnz. “Ben and I are committed to telling stories of outsiders, and this show’s message about learning to love yourself as you are is especially meaningful to us.”
This is the Barnzes’ third collaboration with Huffman and first in television. Previously, Daniel directed and Ben produced two feature films co-starring the Oscar-nominated actress: Phoebe In Wonderland and last year’s Cake. Daniel also recently was tapped to write and direct Valentina, a drama based on a telenovela for ABC Family, which he also executive produces with Ben and Kaplan. At ABC, WME-repped Daniel Barnz directed dramedy pilot Mix, about a family in the restaurant business, this past season.
ABC has been looking for a family drama set in the fashion industry. Three years ago, the network ordered one such project, Americana, to pilot which starred Anthony LaPaglia.
This marks Desperate Housewives alumna Huffman’s return to lighter fare. Her role on the ABC/ABC Studios dramedy earned her two Emmy nominations and a win in 2005. Huffman landed a third Emmy nom this year for American Crime. She is repped by CAA.
House Of Moore joins three other Kapital Entertainment broadcast projects with put pilot commitments: single-camera comedy Sugarland at Fox, multi-camera comedy Hello Again at CBS, and drama Monstropolis at ABC.
This marks the return to ABC for former Desperate Housewives star Longoria and Family Tools creator Bowman. Last year, ABC and ABC Studios developed a half-hour comedy as a starring vehicle for Longoria before she committed to NBC’s Hot & Bothered. That series, which UnbeliEVAble produces with Universal TV, debuts in midseason.
In addition to Hot & Bothered, UnbeliEVAble has Bonita & Mechelle in development at NBC with Will Packer Prods. as well as projects at HBO Films and NBC International. The company is repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment.
Bowman also is writing comedy How To Speak American, about a coddled millennial who teaches ESL to immigrants, at CBS, with Greg Garcia executive producing. Bowman has a long history with Garcia and has worked as co-executive producer/executive producer on all of Garcia’s series: Yes, Dear and The Millers on CBS, My Name Is Earl on NBC and Raising Hope on Fox. He is repped by ICM Partners.
Eva Longoria and Ricardo Chavira, who starred as on-screen husband and wife in the hit ABC series Desperate Housewives, reunited on Thursday to film NBC's upcoming comedy Hot & Bothered.
At one point, Longoria, 40, jumped on her (much taller) costar Chavira, 44, as he appeared to be dangling a set of keys out of her reach.
This wasn't Longoria's only run-in with a Wisteria Lane flame: The actress bumped into her former costar and on-screen lover Jesse Metcalfe in August.
In the new show, Longoria stars as Ana Sofia Calderon, a telenovela superstar who doesn't actually speak fluent Spanish and whose ex-husband gets brought back on her show following their vicious divorce.
Longoria, who divorced NBA player Tony Parker in 2011, is dating Mexican businessman Antonio Baston.
Longoria's friend and Devious Maids costar Ana Ortiz told PEOPLE in September that she's "never seen her happier," adding that the two are a "gorgeous couple."
Hot & Bothered premieres on NBC in 2016.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the 'Desperate Housewives' actress had her bike at a Los Angeles repair shop two weeks ago when the theft occurred. We're told an employee who was working on the bike left it outside for just a couple minutes and when he returned, the bike was gone.
LAPD is now on the case ... reviewing surveillance footage to try and nab the crook.
But don't worry, we're told Teri will be able to get right back into triathlons ... the shop owner is going to foot the bill for a new bike.
The renewal comes after a stable Season 3 performance, which Lifetime EVP Liz Gateley summed up as, “Devious Maids is a steady hit that continues to deliver for us. It has found a loyal audience that is socially engaged with the show.” Indeed, Devious Maids‘ third season launched with 1.47 million viewers in Live+Same Day and ended with a 1.53 million. What’s more, the series wrapped the season with an uptick, hitting season highs with the last two episodes (1.52 million, 1.53 million). In addition to total viewers, the August 24 finale also logged season highs among adults 25-54 and women 25-54.
Devious Maids, from ABC Studios and executive producers Marc Cherry and Eva Longoria, stars Ana Ortiz, Dania Ramírez, Roselyn Sánchez, Judy Reyes, Rebecca Wisocky and Susan Lucci. It is set in a world where murder and mayhem collide in the mansions of Beverly Hills’ wealthiest and most powerful families.
Inspired by the hit telenovela, Ellas son… la alegría del hogar, Devious Maids was created by Cherry and is executive produced by Cherry, Sabrina Wind, Longoria, Brian Tanen, Larry Shuman, David Lonner, John Mass, Ric Swartzlander and Televisa USA’s Paul Presburger and Michael Garcia.
Written by Kriss Turner Towner (The Soul Man), Bonita & Mechelle hails from Will Packer Prods. and Longoria’s UnbeliEVAble Entertainment. Universal TV, where both companies are under deals, is the studio. Towner executive produces with Packer and UnbeliEVAble’s Longoria and Ben Spector. Will Packer Prods.’ Korin D. Huggins co-executive produces.
This marks the third sale for Will Packer Prods. this season, joining the hourlong Under Her Thumb and Buckhead, which also went to NBC. The company, which started its expansion into TV last year, has two new series for this coming season, Truth Be Told on NBC and Uncle Buck on ABC. Packer, repped by UTA and Ziffren Brittenham, also executive produces the Roots remake for A+E Networks. In features, he recently executive produced hit Straight Outta Compton and his next film is the Ride Along sequel, which comes out in January.
In addition to Bonita & Mechelle, UnbeliEVAble Entertainment has a comedy penned by Hot and Bothered writer-producer Rob Sudduth set at NBC as well as projects in development at HBO Films and NBC International. The company is repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment.
"They're a gorgeous couple, and I've never seen her happier," Ortiz, 44, told PEOPLE at the National Women's History Museum brunch in Los Angeles this weekend.
Former Desperate Housewives star Longoria, 40, and Mexican businessman Baston, 46, started dating in 2013, and, despite recent rumors of a new ring on her finger (that turned out to be one of her own), they are not engaged … yet.
"I am so thrilled that she has someone who is not intimidated by her and who is not afraid by her power, her beauty, her friendship and her drive," Ortiz revealed. "He's just as driven and he's so supportive."
The "drive" that Ortiz is referring to is in Longoria's career, which currently consists of acting in film and TV, producing projects including Devious Maids and engaging in political activism to fight for the rights and voices of Latinos everywhere.
And according to Ortiz, it's not too unrealistic that Longoria's passion could one day lead her to a political office. "I push her all the time to do it," said Ortiz. "She has brilliant ideas. She really walks the walk. I think she would be an incredible politician and people would want to listen to her. She's gorgeous, she's smart she's funny. She has my vote!"
Longoria for President in 2020, perhaps?
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.
Woodard will play Mariah Dillard, a local Harlem politician — and cousin to recently announced Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes (Mahershala Ali) – who is looking to bring a new era of change to the streets she grew up on. Her personal life and professional career are thrown into turmoil by Harlem’s newest hero Luke Cage and Cottonmouth’s nefarious acts.
In Luke Cage, Mike Colter plays Cage, a wrongly accused man who, granted superstrength by a sabotaged experiment, escapes prison to become a superhero for hire. He becomes a fugitive trying to rebuild his life in modern day Harlem, New York City. But he is soon pulled out of the shadows and must fight a battle for the heart of his city–forcing him to confront a past he had tried to bury.
Marvel’s Luke Cage premieres in 2016 on Netflix. Cheo Hodari Coker (Southland, Ray Donovan) will write the series’ first two episodes in addition to serving as showrunner and executive producer. Marvel’s Luke Cage is produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios for Netflix.
"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."
Set against the world of Texas Rangers, the comedy follows train wreck Texas Ranger “Cathy Cruz,” who after inadvertently catching a serial killer, is recruited by the rough-and-tumble Texas Rangers. Cruz butts heads with her straight-laced macho partner at work as well as her judgmental Mexican family at home, and the biggest question that remains is: which world does she fit into less? Longoria is executive producing with her UnbelEVAble partner Ben Spector.
Sudduth won “Best Comedy” in the Page International Screenwriting Awards for Going to Gunn, and has written for GCB, The New Normal, The Crazy Ones, and Red Band Society. He is repped by UTA and Metamorphic Management.
In addition to Hot and Bothered, which is in production for a midseason premiere, UnbeliEVAble has projects in development at HBO Films and NBC International. The company is repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment.
Hatcher has delivered memorable performances in film and television since 1990, including her portrayal of Susan Mayer on “Desperate Housewives,” which earned Hatcher a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and as Lois on the series “Lois and Clark.” Her film credits include “The Big Picture,” “Soapdish,” “Spy Kids,” “Tomorrow Never Dies” and “Coraline.”
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.
Delany says she couldn't be happier working with Perlman, star of "Sons of Anarchy" for six seasons.
"We just both like to act. There's no drama around the drama," she said in a recent interview. "We just like doing what we do and that's it.
"Sometimes I would come back to my trailer and there would be like chocolate bars sitting on my little station and he would like leave me little gifts like that because he knew I liked chocolate. So sweet."
The 10-episode season of "Hand of God" will be available to Amazon Prime members on Friday.
"I was very curious, because when I signed on it was over a year and a half ago — and that was before 'Transparent' had become the hit that it is, (and) it seemed like this was the future," said Delany, known for her roles in the TV series "China Beach," ''Desperate Housewives" and "Body of Proof."
She will also appear this fall in the miniseries "Une chance de trop," based on Harlan Coben's novel "No Second Chance," on the TF1 network in France.
"When I did 'Desperate Housewives,' (it was) huge in France," the 59-year-old actress said. "They love that version of America. They think it's hilarious and they also love women in France and they love older women, which was nice. I would go there to do press for 'Housewives' and they really appreciated me, in a way more than in America, I have to say. They just appreciate women who are getting older and they think you're getting better like wine, you know?"
"Harlan is a friend because I went to high school with his brother," she said. "He knew that I wanted to work in France and he said, 'Well, maybe you'd like to come and do a little part of this American at the end of the series.' And it's true what they say about shooting in France — they eat, they drink, everybody drinks at lunch and sits together and they sing songs. It's convivial and at night the whole cast, we would go out and eat and drink and work on the script, and then you just show up at seven in the morning and you do your job. It's rich, you know?"
Delany said she "had a ball."
"I got a French agent and it just spurred me on to want to work more in France. So I now have a French tutor and I'm hoping to work there. It's kind of been my dream," she said.
“You can swear,” she says, laughing, “which I embraced wholeheartedly.”
The series co-stars Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy) as Parnell Harris, a powerful judge who has a religious awakening — complete with visions and cryptic messages — soon after his adult son PJ unsuccessfully attempts suicide.
Delany plays Crystal, Pernell’s slick, politically savvy wife of many years. As the first season unfolds, we learn that Mrs. Harris does, indeed, have many reasons to detonate an f-bomb here or there. (And that the judge’s holy moment has deeper ramifications than even he realizes.)
Though the streaming site doesn’t censor its content, Delany says she soon found herself doing the job instead.
“You realize, ‘I don’t need to swear as much. I should maybe pick and choose,'” she tells TVLine. “I started eliminating swear words, because you want them to have impact when you do it.”
In advance of Hand of God‘s Sept. 4 premiere, we spent some time with the Emmy-winning actress. Topics of discussion included: Crystal’s own secrets, smoking pot (as research!), the possibility of Body of Proof and/or China Beach revivals and how Delany really, really likes the idea of a Desperate Housewives musical. Read on for more.
TVLINE | We don’t get a lot about the Crystal-Pernell relationship at the start of the season. Do we learn more as the series continues?
Yeah. What emerges, which I really found interesting, is the adult relationship that these are two people who are married a long time… I like that it’s a partnership. You don’t see that a lot, especially on television you don’t see that. You see the good, the bad and the ugly about their relationship. You see that there’s a certain respect and they like each other, but not always. That’s what I enjoyed evolving: how they needed each other.
TVLINE | A few episodes in, we learn that Crystal is hiding some secrets of her own from Pernell. What can you tease about that aspect of the character?
Just that Crystal is an animal. She’s a survivor. She’s always going to have a safety hatch. He doesn’t know about that. That’s part of her plan: I need to have my exit strategy at all times.
TVLINE | We get a lot about Pernell’s relationship with PJ, but not much about Crystal’s with him. Does that change?
That’s a really good question, and maybe it could’ve been explored a little bit more. I think that she can’t go to that emotional place. If she starts buying into his stuff… she can’t handle that. So she has to just keep moving forward. In her mind, she had a good relationship with him, and that’s all she’s going to hold onto: It was good, he’s dead, let’s keep moving.
TVLINE | Crystal keeps all of her feelings tightly in check — does she ever get an emotional release?
I can’t remember! [Laughs] I think that’s what pot is for!
TVLINE | I would not have picked pot for the drug of choice for Crystal, but she seems to enjoy it a lot.
I know!
TVLINE | I thought that was a surprising choice.
I thought that was surprising, too. I am so not a pothead. This is funny — it was so old-school Hollywood, because I had to go to the prop man and say, “Can you get me some pot? Because I need to try it. I don’t know what it’s like.” [Laughs]
TVLINE | How did that experimentation go?
Well I didn’t realize there were so many kinds of pot now, and he gave me the kind that’s kind of a downer. I went back to him and I said, “I didn’t like this.” And he goes, “Oh, you need the other kind. I’ll get you the other kind.” [Laughs]
TVLINE | Body of Evidence: Is it finished completely? (I think Michael Ausiello wants another shot at a guest spot.)
[Laughs] Yes, it’s done.
TVLINE | Do you have feelings about that?
No, it was time. I feel like we had a great run with it. It was so much work. I mean, I took a year off when we wrapped because it was so much work for me that I needed to get my life back. And that’s why I feel like this new model that Amazon’s doing — and so many places are doing — of 10 episodes is perfect. Because it doesn’t kill you, it’s good for the writers, it’s enough for the audience, it makes them want more, and you can explore other avenues as actors. I was doing The Comedians and this in one year, and you can do that.
TLVINE | Do you have anything lined up next?
I did this French miniseries [Une Chance de Trop], and so that’s sort of my next goal: to work in France more. It’s kind of been a dream of mine. I have a French tutor, and I have a French agent, and I’m going to Paris in a couple of weeks and it’s just been a dream.
TVLINE | Has there been any talk of a China Beach reboot/revival?
Well, it’s kind of a weird thing, because we did it: We played those characters 20 years later and where they were. Even though I had a lot more gray hair 20 years later than I do now. [Laughs] That character would. No, I’m just grateful that it’s finally come out on DVD. That was huge. That was such a big thing with the musical rights… I would like to see Desperate Housewives as a musical. I think that would be great.
TVLINE | Would you do it?
I’d love it. Totally! Yeah. Don’t you think? I asked [DH creator] Marc Cherry about it, but he was like this [hides face] at that point. Did you ever see that French movie 8 Women?
TVLINE | No.
It’s really good. It’s Catherine Deneuve and Isabelle Huppert. You should see it. It’s very much in the vein of Desperate Housewives, and it’s eight women. And they sing! They break out into song in it. It’s worth seeing.
TVLINE | Desperate Housewives was so over the top.
Yes! It would not be weird for somebody to start singing. I could totally see that.
Eva Longoria, 40, recently reunited with the 36-year-old actor, her former Desperate Housewives co-star. The two were photographed together on Saturday at the LG Electronics Farm-to-Table: ProBake Edition Series charity event, which the actress hosted in Los Angeles.
Longoria played housewife Gabrielle Solis on the ABC show, which ended in 2012 after eight seasons. Metcalfe (aka John...Tucker), made his debut in season 1 as her character's family gardener, teenager John Rowland, with whom she has a steamy extra-marital affair.
"Look who I ran into today!" Longoria wrote on Instagram, alongside a pic of the two. "My favorite gardner!!!! #DesperateHousewives #OneOfMyFavPeople."
Metcalfe arrived with his girlfriend, actress Cara Santana, 31.
Longoria attended wearing a gorgeous, semi-sheer, white, over-the-knee shift dress.
The event helped benefit the No Kid Hungry campaign and included cooking activities, games and culinary demonstrations, including some featuring recipes from Longoria's cookbook, Eva's Kitchen: Cooking with Love for Family and Friends. Executive chef Angel Estrada from the Los Angeles restaurant Beso, which the actress co-owns, helped prepare the food.
"One of my greatest passions is being able to cook with those I love and create warm memories together over food," Longoria said. "I come from a tight-knit family where we value the importance of gathering for meals and celebrations, and I'm thrilled to join LG to encourage families to do the same, all while benefitting such a fantastic cause."
Other celebrity attendees included Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting and husband Ryan Sweeting as well as married couple Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott, who brought their four children.
Woodard will play a lead character listed on the breakdown as Minetta, a powerful woman in local politics who will have an impact on Luke Cage’s life. No one is commenting, but I hear she may actually be playing a version of Marvel villain Black Mariah, a nemesis to Luke Cage as well as Iron Fist. In the comics, she is a professional criminal and a drug dealer.
In Luke Cage, Mike Colter, who will be first introduced in the second Marvel series for Netflix, A.K.A. Jessica Jones, plays Cage, a wrongly accused man who, granted superstrength by a sabotaged experiment, escapes prison to become a superhero for hire.
Cheo Hodari Coker serves as executive producer and showrunner on the series, produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios for Netflix.
Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Woodard, repped by ICM Partners and Circle of Confusion, recently co-starred on NBC’s State of Affairs and recurred on TNT’s The Last Ship. She is currently seen in the feature Mississippi Grind.
The story is about reincarnation and also what happens after you die. Because of the reincarnation theme, Fraser plays multiple characters in the past as he finds himself in World War II through the present and future. The project is being produced by Milan Friedrich via Crypto One Bill and Phillip Goldfine via Hollywood Media Bridge (Oscar winner The Lady in Number 6: How Music Saved My Life).
As aforementioned Stach (you guessed it — the Czech writer/director) was twice declared clinically dead; during one of those experiences, he was told he had to live to make a film about this. “I was told by someone who also died twice that I was supposed to share the story, and if I didn’t tell the story, it was going to kill me,” said the director through a translator. “The very next day, I had a near miss with a tragic auto accident as two cars crashed together and barely missed me. After that, I started to prepare everything, but then had doubts again because I was afraid to tell people what happened to me. And then, after that, I got into a car accident but survived, and that’s when I knew I had tell the story.”
The story reminds me very much of Only Love Is Real, written by American psychiatrist Brian Weiss, which I read just a few years ago and follows a patient under hypnosis who recounts her many former lives.
But here’s the thing, (and having had a near-death experience myself it doesn’t surprise me), 40% of the cast and crew consist of people who have had near-death experiences (and some of them it has happened twice to). “That just happened. It wasn’t planned, it just all started happening,” said producer Friedrich. “My belief is the same’s as Dalibor’s, and I met him at a cafe and we began talking and I knew it had to be started quickly, and I basically just started putting the money together. It all came together very quickly.”
How did Goldfine come into it? “A mutual friend of mine’s and Milan’s said that Milan was looking for someone to help him with the movie and he flew into Los Angeles, and I said, ‘I’m in.” Within a month, the the project started shooting in Czechlosavkia while American casting was underway in the states.
The rest of the cast of the film is pretty much international. It also stars Dawn Oliver (House of Lies), Massimo Dobrovi (stars in the Italian version of CSI: Rome), Czech actor Bolek Polivka (portrays the male side of ‘The Boss’), and finally Czech actress Petra Buckova (mysteriously appears throughout the main character’s life and offers guidance).
The show was canceled last fall after 3 seasons, but Metcalfe's making good use of his hard-earned cash. He purchased the 4 bedroom, 5 bath home in the celeb-favored Birds Streets neighborhood for $175,000 under asking price.
His girlfriend, actress Cara Santana?, is also on the deed ... they've been dating for 5 years, so there's plenty of room to settle down and start a family.
There’s also a pool, spa and fire pit, chef’s kitchen inside and another outdoor kitchen too … so yeah, party at Jesse’s house ... until further notice.
With her career in a lull, she’s reshuffling her property portfolio and parting with her home in Bel Air, Calif. Listed for $3.6 million, the quaint ’50s ranch is billed as the “Quintessential Charming Hideaway.” The private driveway and lush landscaping back up that claim.
The three-bedroom main house offers more than 2,700 square feet of living space. Out back is a one-bedroom guest cottage, which is perfect for extra income if/when your TV character is killed off.
In fact, Sheridan has used the home she purchased in the ’90s as an income generator for the past couple of years. In 2013, Variety reported that she was renting her spread for $12,500 per month.
Situated on just over an acre and a half, the home also has a pool, patio and landscaped backyard with views of the canyon below.
We don’t know the next chapter of this soapy tale, but we’re sure Sheridan is hoping for a dramatic bidding war culminating in a successful sale.
On the heels of his Emmy nomination for American Crime‘s first season, Timothy Hutton and his co-star Felicity Huffman have revealed a bit more about their roles in Season 2 of the ABC anthology drama.
Confirming what TVLine exclusively revealed in June, our sister site Variety reports that Season 2 will take place in the Midwest, where an incident at an elite prep school will spark conversations of sexual identity and disparity in the school systems.
“I haven’t read anything yet, but I know that the story is going to involve an incident that happens involving students at a high school and a private high school in the same town,” Hutton tells Variety. “I’m going to be playing the basketball coach at the private school.”
Adds Huffman, who will play the prep school’s headmistress: “We work at the same place, and an incident happens that we both have to put our full attention into. I’m not sure what the dynamic of that relationship is yet. I’m excited to find out more.”
As previously reported, Regina King, Richard Cabral, Elvis Nolasco and Lili Taylor — all of whom appeared in American Crime‘s first season — will return for its sophomore run.
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 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!
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.
"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.
"I want to be the female George Clooney," Longoria, 40, says in the August issue of InStyle. "He directs, produces and stars. I want to be in charge of the final product."
The Desperate Housewives alum and self-proclaimed "control freak" also wants to clear up a misconception about her rise to fame: "Everyone goes, 'Oh, she's an actor–turned–director,' and I'm like, 'No, I was always a director and a producer who happened to become an actor.' "
Just last month, Longoria revealed her passion for life beyond the camera when she told PEOPLE that she would be in corporate America if she weren't in Hollywood.
"I love quotas and budgets, and I like barometers of success. I like measurements of success," said Longoria. "Tell me what to do, and I will exceed it."
Though the former beauty queen is adamant about channeling her inner Clooney, there's one secret weapon she has over the two-time Sexiest Man Alive: false eyelashes.
"I've been using individual false eyelashes since my pageant days," Longoria told InStyle. "Squeeze the glue out and let it dry for a minute before applying lashes. If you put them in the glue right away, they slide like crazy."
Savvy and stunning? Watch out, George.
Hot & Bothered premieres on NBC in 2016.
The actress and political activist weigned in on the presidential candidate's controversial remarks about Mexicans during my keynote interview with her at the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) Media Summit luncheon.
"What I don't think he understands and what people don't understand is words create emotional poison," Longoria said. "That's what they do, they create emotional poison.
"Hitler moved a nation with words, just words," she continued. "So you have to expect this backlash. If you say something like that, as he has said, you must expect a backlash."
Longoria said she has been hesitant to comment on Trump because she didn't want to give him any more attention.
"It struck a cord within our community that touched our emotions so deep that I don't want to contribute to that poison being spread because if I contribute, it's just going to bring even more attention to the orginal comments," she said.
NBCUniversal announced yesterday they were dumping their relationship with Trump because of his brash commentary and beliefs.
Earlier today, Cheryl Burke and Thomas Roberts announced they were pulling out as co-hosts of the upcoming Miss Universe pageant.
A country western star (Dallas‘ Jesse Metcalfe) returns to his hometown to sell his childhood home prior to his wedding – only to bump into the girl (Autumn Reeser) he proposed to when he was 8 years old.
Ryan Murphy's highly anticipated Scream Queens has cast the parents of Ariana Grande's character (Chanel #2), and we are all about it. E! News has learned that Roger Bart (Revenge, Desperate Housewives) will play Chanel #2's father, and Charisma Carpenter (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) has been cast as her mother.
We screened the pilot episode of Scream Queens last night and can tell you it does not disappoint--and neither does Ariana. In fact, her scene (as well as Nick Jonas') got the biggest laughs of the entire first hour, as her character, #2, texted and social media'd her way through a ridiculous situation.
From the looks of these photos that were taken this week on set, Ariana's character will get a little bloody...
And Lea Michele's Hester won't have her neckbrace and don't-care hair for long...
Scream Queens, a social satire that dishes up equal parts laughs and gasps, will have a two-hour premiere Sept. 24.
Jamie Lee Curtis, Emma Roberts, Skyler Samuels, Keke Palmer, Abigail Breslin Niecy Nash, Nasim Pedrad and more star in it. And if you want to know why you'll be completely obsessed with this show, we have at least five reasons!
"To become a person you have to embrace and allow the sadness and those kinds of feelings to come in or you're out of balance," MacLachlan tells Zap2it. "That was the realization of the little characters as well as everyone watching. It's OK. It's really fine -- it's an essential part of being a human being."
As Riley's dad in the film, MacLachlan's character isn't privy to the emotional turmoil his daughter is going through as the family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco. However he's an essential part of one of the movie's most tear-jerking moments when he has to confess to his daughter that she isn't the only one that's had a hard time with the move.
"When we find her after she attempted to run away -- there's that moment when we're actually admitting, 'I'm afraid as well, but we'll get through this together,' [that makes me tear up.]"
The role also meant that actually getting to see the emotions on the big screen for the first time was a shock for the actor -- and he was amazed at the scope the film was able to convey with such a simple concept.
"I was amazed at the complexity of it and the vision that they had to take it from headquarters and the emotions running around to this vast other area. It was so interesting how they interpreted the mind and how they created it," he says. "They had talked about it to me, [but] when you see it -- it's something else."
While MacLachlan's animated alter ego may not have been running around the long-term memory maze of Riley's mind, he's still happy to be a part of Pixar's latest accomplishment.
"It's a very good feeling to be a small part of something I think is potentially so changing. Just the way that people look at their emotions now -- Pixar has done it again in a really amazing way."
"Inside Out" is in theaters now.
The July 25 ceremony will also feature appearances by actress Eva Longoria, comedian Jimmy Kimmel and athletes Yao Ming and Michael Phelps in a ceremony created by the production company that crafted the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in London and Sochi.
Lavigne is planning to perform her song "Fly" publicly for the first time at the ceremony, which will be held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The ceremony, to be broadcast on ESPN, will also feature performances by Colombian reggaeton artist J. Balvin and former Pussycat Dolls frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger.
Simpson, the band O.A.R. and two Special Olympics athletes will perform the games' anthem, "Reach Up LA," according to a news release announcing the lineup. It will include elements familiar to other Olympic opening ceremonies, such as a parade of athletes and torch-lighting ceremony.
This year's Special Olympics World Games features 7,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities competing in a variety of sporting events. It is the first time the World Games have been hosted in the United States since 1999, and organizers say it is expected to draw 60,000 spectators.
"I am touched to be a part of this celebration of determination, courage, joy and skill," Wonder wrote in a statement. "Throughout my own journey of overcoming the odds, it's truly an inspiring moment to join these incredible athletes as they come to Los Angeles to compete and accomplish so many victories."
Tickets to the opening ceremony range from $30 to $120, but there is no charge for competition events being held during the games, which will be located around Los Angeles between July 25 and Aug. 2.
Yep, that's right—the 55-year-old Dallas star and her director-actor beau married last month, E! News can exclusively confirm. And after saying "I do," the newlyweds have been enjoying some well-deserved R&R!
Much of the former Desperate Housewives star's honeymoon has been spent with her handsome hubby at Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto in Loreto, Mexico. The lovebirds have enjoyed spending time together hiking along the resort's mountains, doing yoga on a private beach, playing tennis, kayaking, sailing around the islands on a yacht and more! For one special night, the resort's executive chef even prepared a special meal for the newlyweds in their suite.
Strong has yet to publicly confirm she and Farmanesh-Bocca tied the knot in early-May, but she's happily tweeted and Instagrammed several photos of "island hopping" and the many "vacation" activities that she and Farmanesh-Bocca are enjoying together at Villa del Palmar.
It certainly looks like they're having fun! Closer Weekly was first to report about Strong and Farmanesh-Bocca's engagement this past January. The news came nearly four years after the actress and yoga enthusiast filed for divorce from former husband Tom Henri after 22 years of marriage.
Strong, who has an adult son with her ex, told Closer Weekly that she and Farmanesh-Bocca met while working together on a play. It wasn't until two years after that initial meeting, though, that they started to date.
"This came completely by surprise on all levels," she said at the time. "I have so much to look forward to with him and in our lives together."
Tight and white is not a combo many are brave enough to chance, but Longoria did so effortlessly. Showing off her perfect curves and toned midriff, the 40-year-old actress donned a body-hugging white laser cut cropped top and matching pencil skirt by Twenty, with each piece ringing in at $138.
Sticking with the monochromatic theme, the brunette beauty added a few inches to her pint-size frame with white Christian Louboutin court shoes, which make a great summer alternative to your trusty nude pump. But with a price tag of $675, they're not exactly the most budget-friendly kicks.
Now the pièce de résistance: her awe-inducing Hermes Birkin bag. This bag qualifies as some serious arm candy, and with a price tag of $22,500, it's every inch as luxe as it looks.
Finishing off her look, Eva opted for a sleek pair of shades. It seems that almost every celeb has this pair of Ray-Bans in their rotation, and Eva's $170 oversized mirrored aviators are no exception.
There you have it: Eva's $23,621 airport style.
Breaking it down piece-by-piece:
Twenty crop top - $138
Twenty pencil skirt - $138
Christian Louboutin heels - $675
Hermes Birkin bag - $22,500
Rayban sunnies - $170
While ratings have been very modest, American Crime has been widely praised by critics and is expected to garner awards attention for Ridley as well as Huffman and Hutton in the limited series Emmy categories.
Like was the case with the maiden season of another anthology series, FX’s American Horror Story, I hear the actors on ABC Studios-produced American Crime all had one-year deals going in, so new contracts need to be hammered out.
Back in January NBC revealed Eva Longoria is coming back to primetime TV thanks to a 13-episode Season 1 order for her new series "Telenovela." Longoria will play the "willful but popular diva" Ana Maria, "star of Latin America's most beloved telenovela who strives to stay on top in a world where the drama on-camera is nothing compared to the drama off-camera."
Cast: Eva Longoria
Producers: Christine Pietrosh, Jessica Goldstein, Longoria, Ben Spector and Steve Pink
DRAMAS
“CASTLE” (Season 8)
“GREY’S ANATOMY” (Season 12)
“HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER” (Season 2)
“MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.” (Season 3)
“NASHVILLE” (Season 4)
“ONCE UPON A TIME” (Season 5)
“SCANDAL” (Season 5)
“AMERICAN CRIME” (Season 2)
“SECRETS AND LIES” (Season 2)
“MARVEL’S AGENT CARTER” (Season 2)
COMEDIES
“black-ish” (Season 2)
“FRESH OFF THE BOAT” (Season 2)
“THE GOLDBERGS” (Season 3)
“THE MIDDLE” (Season 7)
“MODERN FAMILY” (Season 7)
“GALAVANT” (Season 2)
ALTERNATIVE
“AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS” (Season 26)
“THE BACHELOR” (Season 20)
“DANCING WITH THE STARS” (Season 21)
“SHARK TANK” (Season 7)
“BEYOND THE TANK” (Season 2)
“20/20”
BEST ACTRESS IN A MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
Aunjanue Ellis, "The Book of Negroes"
Felicity Huffman, "American Crime"
Frances McDormand, "Olive Kitteridge"
Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story: Freak Show"
Maggie Gyllenhaal, "The Honorable Woman"
Queen Latifah, "Bessie"
“This is a natural extension of what I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve always wanted to do a home line,” Longoria told PEOPLE at the Eva Longoria Home Collection launch for JCPenney in L.A. on Thursday. “My mom always told me, ‘Make a house a home’ and that’s a very big difference.”
Longoria’s first-ever collection includes four different bedding styles with complementary window treatments and decorative pillows to complete the looks—all of which Longoria made sure were very family-friendly.
“Sometimes you go to people’s homes and you don’t want to sit on the couch and you don’t want to use the throw and you don’t want to touch the throw pillows,” she said. “This is a very functional line you can really use it and beat it up.”
So, what’s Longoria’s favorite design? The Solana, which combines warm grey and lavender shades. “It’s so calming to me and whenever I look at it. It invites me to lay in it!”
The Devious Maids producer says making over your bedroom can be easy and fun. She suggests starting by changing up the bedding because, as she points out, it’s “the center piece of the bedroom.”
“You can easily put a pop of color to brighten it in the summer, do a black-and-white in the winter to be a little bit more modern,” she said.
A quick makeover trick: Decorative pillows. “I really love beading on pillows that is delicate and not overdone because the pillow has to be functional,” the actress said. “I have some throw pillows in my house that you can’t sit on because you may get cut, but they’re pretty. They have this Indian silver beading. I’m always like ‘Ow! I think I just cut myself.’ I love light beading, light embroidery—just enough to give the pillows a pop.”
"I'm just in a happy place in my life that it's easy to be open and in love because I am in a complete place in my life," Longoria, 40, told PEOPLE at the Eva Longoria Home Collection launch for JCPenney in Los Angeles on Thursday.
"Whether it's personally, career, new projects, going back to television, there's just so much happiness and joy in my life and I think you know that transmits to everything," the Devious Maids producer – who has been dating the Mexican businessman since the end of 2013 – added.
Although Longoria's most recent project is her own home décor line, she admits Baston, 46, is "definitely [the] frustrated interior designer" out of the two.
"He's all about furniture and architecture, and I'm all about towels and comforters," the Desperate Housewives alum explained.
But it doesn't come as too much of a surprise that her man has a sharp eye for design. "He's a good dresser, too. I always have to step it up," Longoria shared in April 2014. "It's exhausting."
To find someone who could eventually step into Potter's role, "Good Witch" cast Denton as Sam, a curmudgeonly neighbor who could be a possible love interest for Cassie. However, even though the first season is coming to a close on Saturday (April 18), Denton is aware that, although some fans have grown to like him, some are going to continue to give him the cold shoulder.
"As far as [fans] are warming up to me, you know, I think there's some movie fans that never will," Denton tells Zap2it. "I think they love the 'Good Witch' so much, and that [includes] the entire cast."
Although, he knows that some viewers were upset that Jake was killed off, he thinks that the series did a good job honoring the character, and he hopes the fans don't "hold it against Hallmark."
"I also thought we did the character justice with two episodes about the memorial and how wonderful Jake was," says Denton. "I hope they were satisfied with how we dealt with it. And it's really all we could do when he wasn't available."
As for fixing the absence of another notable character from the film series, Cassie's father-in-law, Denton thinks "Good Witch" should give him a call.
"I think we also have to get Peter McNeil back in there, I think they missed him," says the actor. "Everyone loves grandpa, and Peter's a really good actor and he was only in the first two episodes, and that was it. I really want him to get back in there, too, because I think you really need to give the movie fans their due. And that would help."
The "Good Witch" finale airs on Saturday, April 18 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark.
John Ridley, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of "12 Years a Slave," is using that framework as the creator-writer-director and an executive producer of an ABC drama series.
Premiering Thursday (March 5), "American Crime" covers a cross-section of lives tied to the home-invasion murder of a military veteran in Modesto, Calif., with Oscar winner Timothy Hutton ("Ordinary People") and Emmy winner Felicity Huffman ("Desperate Housewives') leading the ensemble cast as the victim's long-estranged parents.
The premise observes matters of gender, race and social standing as it weaves in additional characters, including an addicted young couple (played by Caitlin Gerard and Elvis Nolasco) and the mother (Penelope Ann Miller) of the slain man's brutally assaulted wife. Also among the show's stars are Regina King ("Southland"), Lili Taylor, W. Earl Brown ("Deadwood"), Benito Martinez, Johnny Ortiz and Richard Cabral.
Ridley tells Zap2it that ABC came to him with "a desire to do a show that looked at where we are now, and who we are now, and do it through an inciting incident that people tend to galvanize around.
"And one of the things that I wanted to explore was the concept that it's not about the police. It's not about the prosecutors. But it really is about the family and what they deal with ... not just for 45 minutes, but the fact [is] that these events usually take months, if not years, to deal with. And sometimes even then, there's not a resolution."
The maiden season of "American Crime" lasts 11 episodes, a fact that held particular appeal for Ridley: "Because it was a limited series, because we had room, it was really an opportunity to sit down with the actors and talk about these characters and build them out. So I believe [in], and I hope that I came in with, specific ideas that I was offering up to everybody."
Returning to series work after his five seasons on TNT's "Leverage," Hutton clearly liked the "American Crime" approach, since he notes that "from the beginning, the conversations with John -- about the characters and their place in the story and what they mean to the overall -- were really great conversations in a way that I had never experienced before."
"They were very, very specific. Ideas were shared. And it was clear that this wasn't just going to be a story about the outcome of this investigation, but that it would really focus on the details of these people, everyday people, that all intersect one another because of this tragedy. We were going to follow each of them, not just what they had to say, but what they do in a given day."
If some elements of "American Crime" reflect recent and even current events in the U.S., such as the nature of police relations with the public, Ridley maintains that's not intentional. Still, he doesn't mind that they add timeliness to the show.
"The reality is that, unfortunately, these events remain cyclical in this country," he reflects. "It was never our desire to try to exploit any of these things, but at the same time, you want to build the space where people do recognize that it is not purely empty entertainment, in the sense that we're not trying to acknowledge things that are going on."
The film, based on the British novel of the same name by Joan G. Robinson, will be released May 22 in New York and Los Angeles, with expansion to all major markets in the following weeks. Released in Japan last summer, it was acquired by GKIDS in January.
It marks the second feature film by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, director of The Secret World of Arrietty which received critical acclaim and marked the highest-grossing Ghibli film to date in North America. The English-language version of Marnie is produced by Studio Ghibli and Geoffrey Wexler.
GKIDS and Studio Ghibli previously partnered on The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya, an Oscar nominee this for Best Animated Feature. Other recent collaborations include the 2014 documentary The Kingdom of Dreams And Madness, and the celebrated 2013 animated feature From Up On Poppy Hill. GKIDS also handles North American theatrical distribution for the Studio Ghibli library of films with titles including Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, and Princess Mononoke.
GKIDS has garnered six Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations with The Secret oOf Kells in 2010, A Cat In Paris and Chico & Rita in 2012, Ernest & Celestine in 2014, and this year’s Princess Kaguya from Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata, and Song Of The Sea from Tomm Moore.
TVLine has confirmed that on the heels of Annie Wersching’s Castle encore, fellow 24 alum Reiko Aylesworth will guest-star on the ABC drama.
What’s more, Desperate Housewives vet Ricardo Chavira has a key role in the same episode; the actor revealed the castings with this photo on Twitter:
TVLine has learned exclusively that Chavira will play Alex Lopez, a popular congressman whose life may in danger, while Aylesworth is playing his astute wife, Mia.
They both appear in Episode 18, when Detective Ryan — who it was established has been working side jobs — pulls some hours at his brother-in-law Frank’s private security company, which has been charged with protective Congressman Lopez.
Heather Mazur (Awkward, Pretty Little Liars) guest-stars as Ryan’s sister/Frank’s wife Gwen.
Teasing the Ryan-centric episode, showrunner David Amann told TVLine, “He gets involved in a situation where [he and Frank] are guarding somebody important and an incident occurs, and he is caught in the middle of it.”
Since her three-season run on 24, Aylesworth has appeared on such series as ER, Damages, Lost, Hawaii Five-0 and Revolution. Chavira’s post-Housewives credits include Burn Notice, Welcome to the Family and Bad Teacher.
Castle resumes its season, with Episode 17, on March 16.
"I was so scared of marriage that I thought I would've preferred to step in front of a bus," the actress, 52, tells the Tribune News Service.
"I thought I'd disappear. Men's stock when they get married goes up. Women's stock goes down. Another thing, 60 percent of first marriages fail, 80 percent of second marriages fail."
Huffman, who plays the ex-wife of Timothy Hutton on ABC's new drama American Crime, dated Macy for 15 years before they finally wed, in 1997. And Macy was trying to bring her around for much of that time.
"Bill Macy asked me to marry him several times over several years. And I was finally smart enough to go: 'I'm going to marry this guy or really lose him for good,' " she says. "And it was after we broke up for four or five years when he asked me again, I knew I couldn't say no."
Not that it was easy. But it was worth it.
"It was the work I had to do in order to bring myself to the marriage, and then the work that I did to be able to trust another person and see what comes out of that comfort and that safety," Huffman says. "I was able to blossom out of that."
She also reveals that love helped save her from a crippling period of despair and depression when she was single.
"I went through a very, very dark three years … It was that kind of depression where I just wished I was dead, that kind of relentless – I just wished I was dead," she says. "It was kind of the crucible, from 28 to 31. That dark time changed me, I think, for the better."
She recovered through "the love of my family, through therapy. I came out of it." And while she still has fears, they're more manageable now.
"I wake up afraid. I'm afraid of everything," she says. "Everything is triage to me, I have to get the kids' breakfast. I have to get everything done. I guess I would string it together to say I feel like I'm a lazy girl. I feel bad about being a lazy girl. I want to be a perfect girl, so I drive myself to do it."
"When I was on Desperate Housewives, it was the number-one show in the world, and I was ranked really high [on the] Forbes list," she told a crowd gathered at Harvard University on Saturday. "I said to my mom, 'Look,' and she said 'Right, when are you getting your Master's?' "
Longoria said the importance her family placed on education has stayed with her and is evident in her philanthropic work (including the Eva Longoria Foundation and for Eva's Heroes), for which she was honored with the Artist of the Year Award at Harvard University on Saturday.
In addition to urging the Ivy League students to use the opportunities they have been given and the knowledge they possess to make the world a better place, Longoria, 39, applauded Harvard for embracing cultural diversity.
"I've kind of lived my life straddling the hyphen of being Mexican-American. I kind of just sit on that hyphen, you know – navigating loving enchiladas and apple pie, loving mariachi music and Britney Spears," she said. "But there are so many moments in my life that were memorable to that experience of being a hybrid, of being a hyphen."
Longoria, who grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, would often take day trips with her family to Mexico and wondered why they were able to get in the shorter line when entering back into the U.S. while others had to wait in a much longer line.
"[My dad] said they were born on the other side – el otro lado – and I said, 'Dad, why were we born on this side?' and he said, 'Luck,' and I never forgot that. And I never forgot how important it was to be an American."
As for that Master's degree, Longoria made her mom proud when she got a MA in Chicano Studies at Cal State Northridge in 2013.
"Last summer, we decided with the upcoming excitement of going off to college herself, we would do a trip across the country looking at colleges," says the Desperate Housewives actress, 50.
But Emerson also wanted to give back to her community while traveling, so she started a blog (reachandsafe.com) to raise money for the Fulfillment Fund, an organization that offers mentoring, help with college applications and more for underprivileged students.
"Many of these students are experiencing college for the first time in their entire family," says Hatcher about the organization. "When one sister goes off to college, that goal becomes reachable and attainable, and it trickles down into their families."
Since her daughter was a little girl, Hatcher has worked hard to instill "compassion and generosity" in her.
"I think when you have fortune, one of the most important things to do as a parent is to not raise a brat," she says. "The older she gets, now things are beginning to come more and more from her. This idea of wanting to really help education locally in our community really came from her."
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.
After ending 2014 in Cancun, Mexico with a mysterious blonde, Bloom decided to enjoy a Tuesday night out much closer to home with a different lady.
Lo and behold, the actor's new unidentified friend looked quite similar to a few past ladies he's been spotted out with in recent months. Yes, you can blame it on the hair folks.
Wearing a black button-down with gray pants and black sneakers, Bloom appeared to be enjoying his dinner at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, Calif. But before any relationship rumors start flying around with his new blond friend, an eyewitness tells E! News that nothing romantic was going on between The Hobbit star and his dinner partner.
Furthermore, Bloom didn't even spend the whole night with this new face. As it turns out, he decided to spend part of his meal with the one and only Eva Longoria.
"They sat a few tables away initially, then Orlando went over to Eva's table after his party called it a night," an eyewitness shared with E! News. "They all looked like they were having a normal, fun night out with friends."
Longoria was also dressed casually in pink heels, ripped denim jeans and a white blouse as she dined with close friend Holly Robinson Peete. Not a bad way to end a night that also included an iHeartRadio concert featuring Ricky Martin.
"They all looked happy and had a good time," an eyewitness told E! News who said the friendly outing lasted about three and a half hours in total.
Can we get an invite to this group dinner next time, please? Thank you!
Set in 1983 Los Angeles, and in the vein of HBO’s Entourage, Living On Video revolves around the players of the then-exploding music video industry — directors, record executives and crew members, many of them dabbling in drugs — through the eyes of a newcomer, Robby (Ross). Robby is a wide-eyed guy who drops out of college and drives to Hollywood with dreams of directing a sci-fi epic and lands a job as a PA for a company making music videos.
Page plays a meteorologist trying to transition into game-show hosting. He is reuniting with Fincher after recurring on the past season of House Of Cards.
Fincher, who is directing, revisits his music video director past with the comedy, written by Rich Wilkes (xXx) and Bob Stevenson, a friend of Fincher’s from his music video days, based on an idea by Fincher. I hear also set or in negotiations for the project, which I hear will film two episodes in lieu of a pilot, are Jason Flemyng, Kerry Condon and Elizabeth Lail.
Ross is repped by Paradigm and Sanders.Armstrong.Caserta Management; Page is with UTA and Inphenate.
The Desperate Housewives alum has been cast as a suspect on an upcoming episode of Law & Order: SVU, E! Online reports.
Cross’ first role since Desperate‘s Bree will be Charmaine Briggs, the latest in a long string of novelist Walter Briggs’ wives. Walter’s daughters think Charmaine is sexually abusing their dad — hence the involvement of Benson & Co. (If the case reminds you of of Casey Kasem’s family drama, that’s no accident.)
Walter will be played by Robert Vaughn (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.); Susie Essman (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Mercedes Ruehl (Big) also will guest-star in the episode.
Desperate Housewives ended its run in 2012. Since then, Cross was attached to the Fox comedy Fatrick, which didn’t make it past the pilot stage in 2013.
Cross’ episode of SVU will air Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 9/8c on NBC.
The network has given a pilot green light to the project, from Desperate Housewives and Devious Maids creator/executive producer Marc Cherry, Under The Dome showrunner Neal Baer and Blue Bloods executive producer Dan Truly. Written by the trio, Cheerleader Death Squad is described as “Heathers meets Alias“ and centers on a disgraced CIA agent-turned-teacher at an elite Washington D.C. prep school. When he realizes that his students have high-level access through personal connections, he trains a select few to be his eyes and ears into the world of international espionage and help him earn his way back into the agency.
CBS TV Studios, where Baer has an overall deal, is the studio. Cherry, Baer and Truly executive produce with Cherry’s partner in Cherry/Wind Productions, Sabrina Wind.
In addition to his duties on Blue Bloods, Truly serves as a consulting producer on Under The Dome.
Mehcad Brooks will play the more maturely monikered James, TVGuide.com has confirmed. The character is a photographer at the media company where Kara (aka Supergirl, played by Melissa Benoist) works.
You may know Brooks from his time on Desperate Housewives, where he played Matthew Applewhite, or True Blood, where he played Eggs. Brooks also starred on Necessary Roughness and My Generation.
The network has given the go-ahead to Flesh and Blood, a thriller from onetime Grey’s Anatomy/Scandal producer Jenna Bans.
The potential series centers on a politician’s son who shows up nearly 10 years after his presumed death and rocks the local community. His reappearance, naturally, has repercussions for the neighbor jailed for his murder and the police officer that handled the case.
In addition to writing several episodes each of Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy, Bans created the one-and-done Shondaland drama Off the Map, and before that wrote for Desperate Housewives.
Bans will pen the project and executive-produce alongside Mandeville Productions and ABC Studios.
The Dallas star is engaged to her director-actor beau John Farmanesh-Bocca, E! News confirms.
"I honestly never thought I would find somebody else that I could spend the rest of my life with," the 54-year-old actress tells Closer Weekly, which was first to report the news of the couple's engagement.
The wedding buzz comes nearly four years after the erstwhile Desperate Housewives star, who played deceased narrator Mary Alice Young on the show from 2004 to 2012, filed for divorce from former husband Tom Henri after 22 years of marriage. The two are parents to 21-year-old son, Zak Henri.
Strong also reveals to Closer Weekly that she and her hubby-to-be met when they did a play together, but it wasn't until two years later when they finally started dating.
"This came completely by surprise on all levels," the actress admits. "I have so much to look forward to with him and in our lives together."
Meanwhile, Strong, who currently stars alongside Jesse Metcalfe and Jordana Brewster on the TNT series Dallas, has yet to share the news on social media, but she's certainly not afraid to flaunt her love for her man on Instagram.
"Happy Birthday to this beautiful man! I am so grateful you were born ;-)" she captioned an adorable PDA pic.
Congrats to the happy couple!
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.
The project already had a big commitment in the pitch stage — Telenovela, from Cougar Town co-executive producers Chrissy Pietrosh and Jessica Goldstein and Universal TV, was going to get a 13-episode order if Longoria committed to star and a pilot order if she didn’t. The project is expected to hire a casting director shortly. Additionally, since Telenovela is set behind the scenes of a telenovela, NBC was in discussions with sister network Telemundo for 4-5-minute segments in Spanish that would be used to promote the NBC series to Spanish-speaking audiences.
NBC was one of two networks that was pursuing Longoria for a long time. At ABC, she had a comedy from ABC Studios and the Trophy Wife team of Emily Halpern,Sarah Haskins, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky. It was fast-tracked as a script that will go to pilot with a 13-episode penalty for Longoria attached if she commits to star.
Longoria had been developing Telenovela through UnbeliEVAble with Universal TV and NBC for some time. Based on an idea by Longoria, it centers on an ambitious telenovela star — a character created for her — who struggles to stay on top in a world where the drama on-camera is nothing compared to the drama off-camera.
Since the end of Desperate Housewives, Longoria had been focused on producing through her UnbeliEVAble banner. She executive produces Lifetime’s Devious Maids and her company has sold several projects this development season, including medical drama Critical at NBC and Texas political/family drama Pair Of Aces at ABC.
NBCUniversal stepping up in a big way to keep UnbeliEVAble in the fold no doubt played a major role in Longoria’s decision to commit to Telenovela. She had been heavily courted with single-camera comedy vehicles by two networks this season, NBC and ABC.
At ABC, a half-hour from Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky was fast-tracked as a script that was going to go to pilot with a 13-episode penalty for Longoria if she committed to star.
NBC had promised Telenovela, from Cougar Town co-executive producers Chrissy Pietrosh and Jessica Goldstein, a 13-episode order if Longoria committed to star and a pilot order if she didn’t. There had been discussions about cross-promotion with Spanish language sister network Telemundo. Showing its commitment to the project, NBC hired a casting director long before Longoria had decided which comedy she would do as an actress.
Longoria’s UnbeliEVAble had been under a first-look deal at Universal TV since 2012. She and producing partner Ben Spector, who executive produce Telenovela together, had been developing the project, based on an idea by Longoria, at the studio for some time.
This development season, UnbeliEVAble, repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment, has set up nine projects, including medical drama Critical at NBC and Texas political/family drama Pair Of Aces at ABC.
"I'm very excited to return to the strange and wonderful world of 'Twin Peaks.' We look forward to seeing all of you there. May the forest be with you," intones MacLachlan, after walking on stage to hand Showtime president David Nevins a "damn fine cup of coffee."
As for the rest of the cast, Nevins says that announcements will be coming soon since they start shooting within a few months. "I expect [MacLachlan] is not the only original person. I expect there to be lots of people from the original cast back."
In addition to original cast members, the series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost have signed on to write and direct all nine episodes of the limited series.
"It felt like the only way that you could do it would be to have [Lynch] committed to directing all of [the episodes], so that was sort of the thing that I was begging for," says Nevins, adding that the creators have a clear vision in mind for the ending. "They have been very specific in promising closure and that's exciting. From what I've seen, I think this is going to live up to expectations and then some."
Nevins also says he expects filming to return to Washington state, among other places. "Twin Peaks" is slated to premiere in 2016.
That sort of variety is expected from the Kennedy Center Honors as the yearly event salutes several titans of the performing arts. It's fulfilled again as Tom Hanks, Sting, Lily Tomlin, Al Green and Patricia McBride receive the tributes from first-time host Stephen Colbert and others in CBS' telecast of the 37th annual edition Tuesday (Dec. 30).
Taped earlier in the month at the title site in Washington, D.C., the ceremony boasts a talent lineup from Meryl Streep, Bruce Springsteen and David Letterman to Lady Gaga, Whoopi Goldberg and Steven Spielberg. Tomlin can be counted among the most surprised honorees ever -- to the degree that she merely glanced at the notice, then tossed it aside.
"I've gone to the ceremony a few times," she tells Zap2it. "I had a letter from [Honors producer] George Stevens Jr., and it started out, 'We're celebrating our 37th ceremony.' And I just put it aside, and it laid on my desk for about a week. Then my partner Jane (Wagner) called me and said, 'Did you see the letter?' I said, 'Yeah, just inviting us to the ceremony.' And she said, 'No, I think they want to honor you.' "
Tomlin still didn't buy it: "I said, 'Oh, no. I know that's not true.' And she said, 'Go read it again,' and then I just couldn't believe it. I frankly never thought I would get the Kennedy Center Honors, because I have the Mark Twain Prize (which the Center also awards). And then, I was excited!"
Surely no stranger to accolades, Tomlin also owns four Emmys, two Tonys and a Grammy. They span a career that has touched television ( "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," "Murphy Brown," "The West Wing"), movies ("Nashville," "9 to 5," "All of Me"), stage ("The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe") and records ("This Is a Recording," showcasing her phone-operator character Ernestine).
As for those she's receiving the Kennedy Center Honors with, Tomlin says, "I like this company very much. I met Tom Hanks when he started out, and I've used Al Green's music in a couple of projects. I used 'Let's Stay Together' in a 1973 television special, then it was used very significantly in 'The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.' "
Reunited with fellow "9 to 5" star Jane Fonda (who also appears in the Kennedy Center salute) in the upcoming Netflix series "Grace and Frankie," Tomlin went into the Honors with no expectations for how her tribute might play out Â... though it would be surprising if her famous alter egos Ernestine, Edith Ann and Mrs. Beasley didn't make appearances.
"It's, like, a five-minute film [biography] and a couple of people speaking about you," Tomlin acknowledges, "so it's how they choose to express it. It's just the fun of it, and the excitement of it. You wonder if they'll have a parade of Ernestines walking across the stage."
Still, one thing is certain with such an occasion, Tomlin knows.
"You have to get your garments together," she muses. "Whenever I'd do a fashion thing, I'd always quote Thoreau when he said, 'Beware of the enterprise that requires new clothing.'"
The actress was photographed sitting on Baston’s lap Monday afternoon during an al fresco lunch at a cafe in Mexico City.
The couple, who have been dating for a year, took separate seats to eat their meals, then walked away holding hands as they strolled through the city.
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.”
Overall, Last Ship averaged 5.6 million total viewers in its Sunday plays, with 2.1 million adults 25-54 and 1.7 million 18-49s. Its Season 1 finale drew 4.4 million viewers August 24.
Moses, whose credits include Mad Men, Desperate Housewives and the current season of Showtime’s Homeland, will play a high-ranking U.S. government official trying to protect citizens from the plague. O’Byrne (Mildred Pierce) and Court (300: Rise Of The Empire) are set to play Sean and Ned Ramsey, a pair of British brothers whose plans impact the mission of the USS Nathan James.
Eric Dane and Rhona Mitra star in Last Ship, based on William Brinkley’s novel. It deals with a global catastrophe that nearly decimates the world’s population. Because of its positioning, the Navy destroyer Nathan James avoids falling victim to the devastating tragedy and must confront the reality of their new existence in a world where they may be among the few remaining survivors.
The series is from Bay’s Platinum Dunes and its partners, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, who executive produce with creator-showrunners Hank Steinberg, Steven Kane and Jack Bender.
According to Yahoo!, Hatcher was speaking at the Nov. 25 event commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women when she recalled being molested by her uncle when she was 7.
"I was convinced it was my fault and I blamed myself for what had happened, so I didn't tell anyone and I was silent," Hatcher said. "I did, however, unsurprisingly, start to act out and my mother decided to keep me away from my uncle. I didn't see him anymore, but no one in my family ever asked exactly what happened. We remained silent."
Hatcher said she was abused by Richard Hayes Stone, her uncle through marriage, until she was 8 or 9. He continued to molest other children, but it wasn't until 2002, when Hatcher learned about one of his victims committing suicide, that she reached out to the district attorney and helped put Stone away for 14 years.
"I was helping my parents pack up my childhood home and I came across a current newspaper article about a beautiful 11-year-old girl named Sarah from my hometown," Hatcher said. "The story recounted how she had wrapped her head in a towel in order to avoid making a mess and shot herself in the head. Her reason? In a suicide note, she implicated my uncle, who had been sexually abusing her for years."
Hatcher first spoke about her own abuse and Sarah's story in a 2006 Vanity Fair interview, in which she admitted, "I haven't tried to kill myself, but I've certainly thought about it." The Desperate Housewives star has been very active throughout her career in trying to prevent sexual abuse. On Nov. 24, Hatcher helped light the Empire State Building orange in honor of the International Day of the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
"I am simply one in three women who is forced to accept violence as part of their life story," Hatcher told the listeners at the U.N. "I am one of three women who for the rest of her life battles the voice in her head that accepts blame for abuse, a voice that is antithetical to self-esteem, self-worth and happiness. This is a statistic that has to change. One in three women can no longer have to face a stigma and a fear that prevent them from seeking help."
The former Desperate Housewives actress posted a photo a wet and wild photo of herself standing on the shoulders of pal John Salazar while a child looked on at the twosome's cheer squad moves.
Longoria captioned the fun WhoSay picture, "Me and John having fun reliving our cheerleading days!! #HappyThxGiving." If the 39-year-old actress could still pull off these moves all while rocking that amazing bikini, we can only imagine her back during her days on the squad. The brunette bombshell cheered for her high school team and even picked up her pom-poms at Texas A&M University.
Seriously—the woman has a phenomenal bikini bod!
Although we shouldn't be surprised that she is in such phenomenal shape, as she makes it her priority to get in a good workout despite how busy she is as a full-time producer these days. Fortunately for the busy bee, she prefers to hit the road for a workout so she doesn't need any fancy exercise machines—not even a treadmill!
"I'm a runner. I don't need a gym, I'll go run anywhere. I was in Australia, Budapest and Paris...In Australia and I went running around the botanical gardens and when I got to Paris I ran around the Eiffel Tower," she shares.
"And when I was in Budapest I ran around their little medieval section passing the castle. It's truly one of the best forms of exercising and the best thing to do while traveling because you get to sight-seeing and as I'm running I was really standing under the Eiffel tower at seven in the morning going, ‘This is so cool!'"
So not only does she manage to get in a good sweat while balancing her busy schedule, she also manages to sight see in the best way possible! Talk about killing two birds with one stone.
Hats off to you, Eva.
In a message to fans posted to DallasDecoder.com, Cynthia Cidre and Michael M. Robin — executive producers on TNT’s recently cancelled revival of the classic CBS sudser — reported that “Herculean” attempts to find the show a new home on another network or outlet came up empty, and thus have ended.
“[Production studio] Warner Horizon has attempted, in a Herculean way, to try and find us a new home, but at the end of the day it did not work out,” the duo’s statement reads.
Cidre and Robin then go on to commend the #SaveDallas effort, saying: “We so appreciate the outpouring of support by all of you, and the #SaveDallas campaign was a truly remarkable undertaking. We cannot fully express how much we loved making this show for you and with you.”
In the wake of waning ratings, TNT pulled the plug on Dallas in early October, two weeks after it aired its Season 3 finale.
How to Get Away with Murder will air its two-hour Season 1 finale on Thursday, Feb. 26at 9/8c, the network announced Wednesday.
Its timeslot will be filled by new drama series American Crime, which will kick off its 11-episode first season on Thursday, March 5 at 10/9c.
From Oscar winner John Ridley (12 Years a Slave), American Crime stars Felicity Huffman and Timothy Hutton, and chronicles the aftermath of a brutal attack on a young couple inside their home in Modesto, Calif. After the husband is murdered and his wife is left clinging to life, socioeconomic and racial tensions arise among members of their community.
ABC's new drama series Secrets and Lies will have its two-hour premiere on Sunday, March 1 at 9/8c. The show stars Ryan Phillippe as Ben Crawford, a Good Samaritan who eventually becomes a murder suspect after discovering the dead body of his neighbor's young son. Juliette Lewis co-stars as the detective investigating the case.
How do you think How to Get Away with Murder will end? And will you watch American Crime and Secrets and Lies?
The 38-year-old actor, most recently known for playing Christina Hendricks' ex on Mad Men, wed fiancée Cassidy Boesch over the weekend surrounded by family and friends. The nuptials took place on Saturday at a villa just outside Santa Barbara, Calif., a source confirms to E! News. "It was truly a fairy-tale weekend," the source adds.
Page also posted a gorgeous wedding pic of him and Boesch sharing their first kiss as husband and wife. "Making it official," Page wrote on Instagram.
In the shot, Page and Boesch wrap their arms around each other while locking lips in front of wedding guests during the outdoor garden ceremony. Behind them is a beautiful canopy covered in white roses.
Page also took to Instagram to share a photo of him and his groomsmen. "On the runway, first class, about to walk down the aisle, and this is my groomsmen detail. Great men all of them. #cassidyandsam," he wrote. Among Page's groomsmen was Mean Girls star and recent Dancing With the Stars cast-off Jonathan Bennett.
In addition to Mad Men, you may recognize Page from his appearances on shows like Desperate Housewives, House of Cards, Switched at Birth, Scandal and Gossip Girl.
Congrats, you two!
Ricardo de Montreuil is on board to direct the script, written by Josh Bierne-Gordon and Justin Tipping. Previous drafts were written by Cheo Hodari Coker and Elgin James.
Collins just came off Warren Beatty’s untitled Howard Hughes project. Longoria is now filming Bichir’s directorial debut Refugio, a Mexico City-set drama about a young dreamer who’s born in the circus and embarks on a search to find his long lost true love. Longoria plays a horse acrobat who joins the circus trying to heal a broken heart.
Imagine’s Brian Grazer will produce the Low Riders movie with Blumhouse’s Jason Blum. Kim Roth and Alexandre Dauman will oversee for Imagine, with Couper Samuelson overseeing for Blumhouse.
Longoria and Collins are repped by CAA.
The Phantom Of The Opera drama, from Cherry and Sabrina Wind’s Cherry/Wind Prods. and ABC Studios, will be penned by Alan Zachary & Michael Weiner, writers of the musical First Date, which ran on Broadway last season and starred Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez. It will be set in the sexy and cutthroat world of the modern-day music business. Unlike Webber’s creation, to which the TV show has no ties, the drama is not envisioned as a musical but will feature musical elements in the vein of ABC’s country music industry drama Nashville. Zachary, Weiner, Cherry and Wind — all repped by Paradigm — will executive produce.
Zachary & Weiner’s latest Broadway-bound musical, Secondhand Lions, had a world premiere at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre last year and is being produced by Warner Bros Theatre Ventures. The team also is writing a stage musical based on the 2009 New Line Cinema feature 17 Again.
Cherry, creator/executive producer of Lifetime’s Devious Maids, also from ABC Studios, is a free agent this season and has been selling around town. He has prep school spy drama Cheerleader Death Squad set up at the CW through CBS TV Studios with Neal Baer.
Cherry is also repped by Jon Moonves & Jean Tanaka, Wind by Michael Gendler, Zachary & Weiner by Michael Schenkman.
A&E’s serial thriller is adding Mad Men‘s Kevin Rahm to the Season 3 cast in a recurring role, TVLine has learned exclusively.
Rahm will play Bob Paris, the wealthy, self-involved and gregarious owner of an elite hunting club who grew up with Romero. The pair now have a strained relationship, but they keep their mutual dislike under wraps.
The former Desperate Housewives co-star is Bates Motel‘s third major Season 3 hire, following the casting of Revolution‘s Tracy Spiridakos (as a mystery woman who may or may not cozy up to Dylan) and Sons of Anarchy‘s Ryan Hurst (as an onscreen rival to Kenny Johnson’s Caleb).
Bates Motel reopens in March 2015.
This is the seventh sale for UnbeliEVAble this season, including Texas politics drama Pair Of Aces at ABC. The network also is developing a comedy with the Trophy Wife team of Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky as a potential starring vehicle for Longoria. All parties are repped by CAA. Longoria is also with Brillstein Entertainment Partners.
Described as “Heathers meets Alias“, Cheerleader Death Squad centers on a disgraced CIA agent-turned-teacher at an elite Washington D.C. prep school. When he realizes that his students have high-level access through personal connections, he trains a select few to be his eyes and ears into the world of international espionage and help him earn his way back into the agency.
In a follow-up to his global hit Desperate Housewives, Cherry developed Devious Maids, based on a Mexican series, which recently was renewed by Lifetime for a third season. Cherry executive produces the mystery drama and served as showrunner the first two seasons. Baer is executive producer/showrunner of CBS’ summer drama series Under The Dome, also recently renewed for a third season. He previously served in the same capacity on NBC’s Law & Order: SVU, where Truly was a co-executive producer. The two have continued to work together, with Truly currently serving as a consulting producer on Under The Dome in addition to his duties on Blue Bloods, and last season, Baer and Truly co-wrote medical drama script The Three Behrs for CBS.
Cherry, Baer, Wind and Truly are repped by Paradigm. Cherry also is repped by attorneys Jon Moonves and Jean Tanaka; Baer, Truly and Wind by Michael Gendler.
The first season is based on the ancient Hispanic tale of La Llorona, the “weeping woman,” and follows a troubled Detective investigating a young mother accused of trying to drown her child in a small town hiding a supernatural secret. In the legend, a woman drowns her children for a man and is destined to search for them for eternity, sometimes abducting wandering children who resemble her own. The tale is familiar to NBC viewers as it was retold in an episode from the second season of the network’s popular supernatural drama Grimm (photo above). La Llorona also was the first villain on the CW’s long-running drama Supernatural.
Newman will write the script and will executive produce with Longoria, who is of Mexican descent and holds a Master’s degree in Chicano studies, as well as UnbeliEVAble’s Ben Spector. The project stems from Universal TV’s overall deal with Newman and first-look pact with UnbeliEVAble.
Newman, repped by ICM Partners and Jeff Frankel, has worked on such series as The Secret Circle, Human Target, Private Practice, Cold Case, 24 and Felicity. This is the fifth sale for UnbeliEVAble this development season. Longoria and UnbelEVAble are with CAA and Brillstein.
"After I shot Transamerica I kept going to Desperate and saying, 'We need a trans character. We need a trans character,'" Huffman told me yesterday while promoting her new film Rudderless at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills. "There are wonderful trans actors that I know, but I think it was too early. I really wanted it to happen."
Sadly, it never did.
Desperate Housewives premiered 10 years ago. While it ran for eight seasons, Huffman doesn't think a reunion show will be happening anytime soon. "I think it would be so horrifying a reunion with all of us—except for f--king Eva Longoria who doesn't seem to age—tottering around. It would be terrible—Desperate Old Fogies!"
Rudderless (in theaters and on VOD on Oct. 17) marks the directorial debut of Huffman's husband William H. Macy. It centers on a dad (Billy Crudup) who finds recordings of his son's music after he dies in a school shooting.
"It's not a movie about a school shooting," Huffman says. "It's about the aftermath and hope and redemption and music."
Huffman said she jokingly threatened to bail on the film after finding out she'd be playing Crudup's ex-wife. "I was cast and it was supposed to be a couple of older actors and then Billy Crudup signed on and I said, 'Well, you gotta get rid of me,'" Huffman said. "I said, 'You've got to light me really well' and my husband said, 'Yes, we're totally going to light you the right way.' That's pretty much people standing there with flashlights. They had $2."
(FYI: Huffman is definitely not so "older" than Crudup. At 46, Crudup is only five years younger than Huffman.)
Huffman returns to series television in the upcoming American Crime, a drama from 12 Years a Slave writer John Ridley.
"I love a TV family," she said. "I feel like the family that's created on a TV show is like a theater family."
The ABC show, written by Coiro, centers on a buttoned-down 17-year-old who reunites with her recently widowed 36-year-old biological mom and they become the heart of a patchwork family bound by more than blood. Coiro and UnbeliEVAble’s Longoria and Ben Spector executive produce.
Longoria and Spector were introduced to Miller-Rodriguez by IPG’s Amy Schiffman and sparked to her book. The two brought the project to writer-director Coiro through her manager Oly Obst.
This is the fifth sale for UnbeliEVAble this development season. Longoria and UnbelEVAble are with CAA and Brillstein; Coiro’s with WME and 3 Arts and Bloom Hergott; Miller-Rodriguez with Intellectual Property Group.
The show, a sequel to the long-running CBS hit of the 1970s and '80s, wrapped up its third year on TNT with a car-bomb explosion taking the life of Christopher Ewing (Jesse Metcalfe). Although it was clear who perpetrated the crime -- Nicolas Trevino (Juan Pablo di Pace) -- fans will never get to see the aftermath of Christopher's death and how it affects the Ewing family.
"TNT has decided not to renew 'Dallas.' We are extremely proud of the series, which defied expectations by standing as a worthy continuation of the Ewing saga," TNT says in a statement. "We want to thank everyone involved with the show, from the extraordinary cast to the impeccable production team, led by the show's creative forces, Cynthia Cidre and Mike Robin. We especially want to thank the people of Dallas for their warm and generous hospitality during the production of the series."
"Dallas" now joins a long list of shows, ranging from "Carnivale" to "Now and Again" to "Twin Peaks," that ended on an unresolved plot point. Are you sad to see the show go and miss a chance to follow up the ending?
The untitled drama is about a special agent (Hoffman) who is the fearless leader of a team of young agents on the New York City Joint Terrorism Task Force. A self proclaimed sexual omnivore but true romantic at heart, she relies on her innate intuition, wry sense of humor, and her unbelievable ability to draw connections between disconnected bits of information that come across her desk. Armed with intelligence of immediate threats from law enforcement agencies around the city and governments throughout the world, she and her team must confront and neutralize dangerous situations before they escalate.
Mendelsohn, Hoffman, Dinner and Winter executive produce with Madhouse’s Robyn Meisinger and Adam Kolbrenner as well as Carol Mendelsohn Prods.’ Julie Weitz.
The project stems from Felicity Huffman and Rachel Winter’s friendship which goes back some 10 years. They previously developed another TV script together, and Hoffman starred in the indie Stealing Cars, which Winter produced. They were looking for another project to do together when Winter shared with Hoffman an idea she had been mulling over about a woman leading a terrorist threat response team. The two teamed to develop the concept, setting the project up at Sony TV where they partnered with studio-based A-list auspices, Mendelsohn and Dinner.
Hoffman stars in ABC’s upcoming John Ridley drama series American Crime. The project is envisioned as an anthology drama, with a different case and different cast every season, so Hoffman is only attached to the first season.
This marks Mendelsohn’s second big sale in her first development season at Sony TV. Drama Game Of Silence, based on a Turkish format with David Hudgins writing, has a pilot production commitment at NBC.
WME-repped Mandelsohn, who moved to Sony TV after 14 years at CBS TV Studios,e continues as executive producer on CSI, which she ran for 14 seasons, and on its latest offshoot, CSI: Cyber, which she co-created, along with the other two CSI spinoffs, Miami and New York.
Winter, repped by CAA and Bob Getman, and author Anne Rice recently sold to Televisa a one-hour drama series based on Rice’s erotic “The Sleeping Beauty” novel series. On the film side, she is set to produce the untitled LeBron James bio pic.
The TV vet and multiple Emmy winner has joined the cast of FX’s upcoming Billy Crystal-Josh Gad sitcom The Comedians in a recurring role, TVLine has learned exclusively.
Delany will play Sharon, the longtime wife of Crystal’s veteran-comic character.
This marks the Body of Proof actress’ first major half-hour comedy gig in nearly three decades (since 1987’s short-lived NBC sitcom Sweet Surrender).
Delany will juggle her Comedians duties with her regular role in Amazon’s Hand of God, which is on the verge of snagging a series order.
Leprechaun: Origins helmer and VFX veteran Zach Lipovsky is directing Dead Rising from a script by Tim Carter, based on the bestselling Capcom franchise that’s spawned two sequels and sold 7.6 million copies worldwide to date. As in the vidgame, Dead Rising: Watchtower is set during a zombie apocalypse. When a mandatory government vaccine fails, a group of survivors must evade infection while hunting down the root of the epidemic, which leads back to a government conspiracy.
Filming is set to begin tomorrow in Vancouver with Carter and Tomas Harlan producing for their Contradiction Films banner. Transformers producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura is aboard as executive producer. Contradiction Films’ prior digital releases include Mortal Kombat: Legacy, another live-action action video game adaptation that scored big with online audiences. That web series went viral when it debuted online on Machinima.com’s YouTube channel, paving the way for similar video game spin-offs to take advantage of the gamer-centric digital space.
Dead Rising is set to debut as a 90-minute feature in the U.S. on Sony’s digital platform Crackle, followed by SVOD, DVD, VOD, and TV. Content Media, which released the popular Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn film and Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist series digitally, has international rights to Dead Rising and will release it in both feature-length and episodic form.
Metcalfe is repped by The Gersh Agency, Untitled Entertainment and Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris & Klein. Ory is repped by The Gersh Agency and Pacific Artists Management. Madsen is repped by UTA and Untitled Entertainment. Haysbert is repped by The Gersh Agency and GS Management.
Lifetime picked up 13 new episodes to air sometime in 2015. "Marc Cherry has created a uniquely twisted world that blends his comic wit with devilishly ingenious characters and plot twists," says Rob Sharenow, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Lifetime.
Ana Ortiz, Dania Ramírez, Roselyn Sanchez, Edy Ganem, Judy Reyes and Susan Lucci star on Devious Maids, which focuses on the close-knit group of maids who work for wealthy and powerful Beverly Hills families.
The show's Season 2 finale aired July 13, attracting 3.5 million viewers according to live + 3 data, a healthy 58% bump over its same-day viewership.
Inspired by the hit telenovela Ellas son... la alegría del hogar, the show is executive produced by Cherry, Sabrina Wind (Desperate Housewives) and Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives).
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.
But NBC stepped up in a big way. The network has deep ties with the actress, helping her launch her production company UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, which is based at Universal Television, and doing projects with her as a producer.
I’ve learned that Telenovela, from Cougar Town co-executive producers Chrissy Pietrosh and Jessica Goldstein and Universal TV, will get a 13-episode order if Longoria commits to star and a pilot order if she doesn’t. The project is expected to hire a casting director shortly. Additionally, since Telenovela is set behind the scenes of a telenovela, NBC is in discussions with sister network Telemundo to make episodes of the fictional telenovela that would air on the Spanish-language net.
The ABC project, from ABC Studios and the Trophy Wife team of Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, is being fast-tracked as a script that will go to pilot with 13-episode penalty for Longoria attached if she commits to star.
Longoria had been developing Telenovela through UnbeliEVAble with Universal TV and NBC for some time. Based on an idea by Longoria, it centers on an ambitious telenovela star — a character created for her — who struggles to stay on top in a world where the drama on-camera is nothing compared to the drama off-camera.
Last season, NBC developed the project as a one-hour with writer Robert Harling. The new, half-hour incarnation is being penned by Pietrosh and Goldstein under the overall deal with Universal TV they entered earlier this summer after a three-year stint at ABC Studios. The two exec produce alongside UnbeliEVAble’s Longoria and Ben Spector.
The untitled ABC comedy will be written by Trophy Wife creators Halpern and Haskins, who will exec produce with fellow Trophy Wife exec producers Stupnitsky and Eisenberg.
Longoria and Spector would executive produce if Longoria stars in it. The comedy centers on Mia, a character written for Longoria. She is a successful home renovator who can’t stop problem solving when she leaves the job site – especially when it comes to her boyfriend, her family, a random delivery guy, and basically everyone she comes into contact with. The project was taken out by ABC Studios, where Halpern & Haskins and Stupnitsky & Eisenberg are based, sparking a bidding between ABC and NBC and ultimately landing at ABC. Longoria, of course, has a long history at ABC and ABC Studios, which cast her in Desperate Housewives.
It is not unusual for a network to commission two scripts for an actor it has a talent deal with, which is what CBS did for Martin Lawrence two years ago. But for two big projects at two different networks to be developed for the same actor is very rare.
Since the end of Desperate Housewives, Longoria had been focused on producing through her UnbeliEVAble banner. She executive produces Lifetime’s Devious Maids and her company has sold several projects this development season, including medical drama Critical at NBC and Texas political/family drama Pair of Aces at ABC.
Longoria is repped by CAA. Halpern and Haskins are with UTA and Mosaic. Eisenberg and Stupnitsky are repped by WME and Mosaic. Pietrosh and Goldstein are with ICM Partners.
Bergen died at her Southbury, Conn., home from natural causes surrounded by friends and family.
In addition to playing the terrorized wife in 1962's Cape Fear, Bergen was also well known for playing the first female president in Kisses for My President. She won an Emmy in 1958 for the anthology series Playhouse 90and was nominated again in 1989 for supporting actress for the miniseries War and Remembrance. Bergen also earned a Tony nomination for her performance in the 2001 Broadway revival of Follies.
During her long career, the actress hosted her own musical-variety series, frequently appeared as a game show panelist on To Tell the Truth, and was an accomplished singer and Broadway star. Bergen also branched out to writing in 1962, releasing the first of three advice books, The Polly Bergen Book of Beauty, Fashion and Charm. The success of the book eventually led to her own cosmetics company.
Most recently, she portrayed Felicity Huffman's mother on Desperate Housewives and the mistress of Tony Soprano's father on The Sopranos.
Bergin is survived by three children, Peter Fields, Kathy Lander and Pamela Fields, as well as three grandchildren.
In memory of Bergen, who was a passionate women's rights activist, her family asks that donations be made to Planned Parenthood in lieu of flowers.
Created and written by Meredith Lavender & Marcie Ulin (ABC’s Nashville), Pair Of Aces, described as an operatic family drama, revolves around brothers Chris and Alex Reyes, Latino golden boys who are both best friends and rivals. They are rising stars in Texas politics whose destiny is engineered by their manipulative mother Maria. She is determined to turn the Reyes family into the most powerful dynasty modern politics has ever seen. The drama explores the American dream and the lies, blackmail and manipulation it takes to rise to the top of power in Texas — and perhaps someday D.C. Universal TV, where UnbeliEVAable Entertainment has a first-look deal, is producing, with UnveliEVAble’s Longoria and Ben Spector executive producing alongside Conde Nast’s Dawn Ostroff and Gina Marcheschi.
Pair Of Aces reunites Longoria and Conde Nast. Last season, they teamed for drama project based on an another article from a Conde Nast magazine, Glamour‘s Real Deal, which sold to CBS with penalty. This season, UnbeliEVAble also has sold medical drama Critical to NBC. All parties are repped by CAA.
The Leftovers actor (and Teen Wolf/Desperate Housewives alum) will guest-star on Season 5 of Hawaii Five-0, TVLine has learned exclusively.
Carver will play Travis, an attractive young man who is devastated by a crushing recent loss, but finds comfort from an unusual source. His episode is slated to air Nov. 21.
Hawaii Five-0 returns Friday, Sept. 26 at 9/8c.
The synopsis for episode 2, "Heavy in the Head," reads: "Hunted and running out of solutions, Coulson puts his team right in the line of fire in the hopes of saving them all. But with General Talbot, HYDRA and Creel all on the attack, can they possibly survive? Meanwhile, a mysterious Doctor (Kyle MacLachlan) harbors some dangerous secrets that could destroy one of our core team members."
"One of our core team members" almost certainly means Skye, but wouldn't it be interesting if it was someone else like Coulson? "Agents of SHIELD" proved in Season 1 that it often doesn't go the predictable route, so with Raina working with MacLachlan's character, they could have some dirt on SHIELD's new director.
"Agents of SHIELD" Season 2 premieres Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
Stepping out at Showtime's pre-Emmys party on Sunday night to support her Emmy-nominated hubby, Huffman revealed to PEOPLE that she forgot something.
"Getting into the car to come here, I suddenly realized we didn't call a babysitter," she says, "It's a reflection of my parenting. I quickly taught them how to use the alarm system and was like, 'Bye, sorry!' "
Not to worry, Huffman and the Shameless star's daughters Sophia, 14, and Georgia, 12, are old enough to handle the alone time. "Both my girls are in the beginning of their teenage years," says Huffman. "I have to say, I'm truly loving it."
The proud mom continues, "I love that they're complicated and deep people. I love their highs and their lows. I love watching them become who they are."
One thing she doesn't love watching? Her husband's nude love scenes on Shameless.
"When he's naked [and] making out with someone, that's a bit of a problem," says Huffman, "But just naked, I love it. He's such a sexual guy … and he's built!"
Those loving comments will undoubtedly send their teen girls shrieking. For now, Macy's focused on shielding them from all things sex-related. "I don't want them having sex until they've had children!" the actor jokes to PEOPLE of his daughters. "I'm sticking to that."
Longoria’s UnbeliEVAble Entertainment is producing with Universal TV where the company has a first-look deal. Lovejoy executive produces with Glenn and UnbeliEVAble’s Longoria and Ben Spector. For Lovejoy, this marks a return to her roots as a TV writer — she came out of the USC screenwriting program after winning the Humanitas Prize’s Student Drama Fellowship for a House M.D. spec. Lovejoy, repped by CAA and Bob Myman, went on to pen a rewrite on Disney’s Prom and was the highest-ranked woman writer on the 2010 Black List for her script The Arsonist’s Love Story. Critical also marks a reunion for Lovejoy and CAA-repped UnbeliEVAble, who developed together an adaptation of telenovela Pura Sangre at ABC last season.
Critical joins several other high-profile medical dramas set up so far this season. Three have received put pilot commitments: The Cure at Fox, from Malcolm Gladwell and Glenn Gordon Caron; an untitled project from the Parenthood duo of Jason Katims and Sarah Watson at CBS; and Code Black, based on Ryan McGarry’s feature documentary, from Michael Seitzman and Marti Noxon, also at CBS. Meanwhile, ABC committed a significant penalty to a medical drama from Amy Holden Jones.
2 Broke Girls‘ Max has bagged herself a Ewing!
Dallas‘ Jesse Metcalfe has signed on to guest star in an early Season 4 episode of the CBS sitcom, playing a lust interest for Kat Dennings’ impoverished waitress, TVLine has learned exclusively.
Metcalfe’s character is Max’s new weekly booty call (their relationship is so casual that she doesn’t even know his name). As of now, the Desperate Housewives alum is booked for one episode.
2 Broke Girls returns on Monday, Oct. 27 at 8/7c.
Longoria will play Sophia, a defense attorney who catches the eye of Det. Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) when they face off against each other in court. She joins an ever-growing list of Season 2 guest stars that includes Kyra Sedgwick, Jenny Slate and former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens appearing as himself.
Season 1 of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" ended with Peralta "quitting" the NYPD in order to go undercover for the FBI. When Season 2 picks up, viewers will get to see how that operation is going for Jake, while Capt. Holt is busy facing off with his longtime nemesis (Sedgwick).
"Brooklyn Nine-Nine" returns Sunday, Sept. 28 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.
Kyle MacLachlan is set to reprise his role as oddball attorney Josh Perotti in The Good Wife‘s upcoming sixth season.
MacLachlan’s comeback will coincide with the previously-announced return of Carrie Preston’s Elsbeth, with whom his character generated major sparkage (both in the courtroom and out).
Will lightning strike twice for the loopy lawyers?
“They haven’t sent me any scripts [yet]… the only thing I know is that he and I have a little sparing thing that we do,” Preston told TVLine Saturday at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. “I am looking forward to getting back in the ring with him for another round.”
MacLachlan has a busy fall ahead of him. In addition to The Good Wife, the Twin Peaks vet is set to recur on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Skye’s father.
The Good Wife returns Sunday, Sept. 21 at 9/9c on CBS.
If it feels like this has been going on a while – it has. After a parade of former ABC execs and DH executive producer/creator Marc Cherry took the stand, Sheridan’s last trial ended in a mistrial in March 2012 after the jury deadlocked 8-4. Dramatically trimmed down from the original $20 million case, Sheridan was now just claiming that she had been fired from DH because she spoke out against working conditions on the series. After that spring 2012 mistrial, Sheridan and her lawyers had a retrial only to see the Appeals Court put it on ice in June 2012. Then she tried several times to bring a form of the case back. After being denied in lower courts, they went all the way to the California Supreme Court – only to have the appeal denied in November 2012.
In fact, if Stern doesn’t disagree with the Appeals Court, the hearing next week would be the second time he himself has turned Sheridan down after approving a new trial twice now before. In October of last year he sided with Touchstone and denied her attempt at getting a new trial. At that time, Stern’s ruling was based on Sheridan not filing a complaint with the California Labor Commission within six months of the September 2008 incident where Sheridan claimed Cherry struck her on set. In January Stern surprised almost everyone involved and flipped his own ruling – now it looks like things are going back to Square 1.
Sheridan was represented, as she has been since filing her first suit in 2010, by Mark Baute of LA firm Baute Crochetiere & Gilford LLP. He was joined by the firm’s David Crochetiere. Touchstone were represented by Adam Levin of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp. Levin represented the defendants in the first trial.
"I wanted to get my kids out of L.A.," he tells PEOPLE. "So we moved to Minnesota right away. I've also got a house in rural Montana, which is our escape from Minnesota!"
"Our main house is in Minneapolis because my wife [Erin]'s family is there," the actor, 51, continues. "And whenever we can, we head to the middle of nowhere in Montana; we live in a small town. It's quiet and peaceful, ideal for really connecting with my family. It was definitely the right decision for us. I only have one chance to be a good dad to them."
"Just being able to be present for them is a huge blessing," Denton, who is father to son Sheppard, 11, and daughter Malin, 9, tells PEOPLE.
"It means so much to them when I'm around. It makes them more relaxed and confident to have their parents as active participants in their lives. It's a real luxury for me to be with them. They won't always want Dad around as they get older, but for now, they do. I want to make the most of it."
But even in rural Montana, Denton is still approached by fans. "I went to the DMV this morning," he says with a laugh, "and the woman who was helping me was talking about how much she misses Desperate Housewives. It was flattering."
A Selective EyeAnd he's not done acting quite yet. Denton, who was a perennial in PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive issue during the run of Desperate Housewives, continues to field job offers. "I can afford to be a little more choosy," he explains.
"Obviously, Desperate Housewives was for a more adult audience, but my last few projects have been a lot more family-friendly. I did Grace Unplugged, which was an unapologetic faith-based movie. And I'm working on a kids' movie now. I've done three or four projects in a row that I'm happy having my kids see."
His newest project is Stranded in Paradise, a Hallmark Channel original movie airing Saturday at 9 p.m.
"It's a very nice, sweet romantic comedy. I costar with Vanessa Marcil, and we get stuck in a hurricane. I loved the script – and the fact that we'd be filming in Puerto Rico. And, again, it's a friendly movie that I can watch with my kids. There's a lot to be said about that."
One of the biggest questions of the show's Season 1 finale was just who Raina (Ruth Negga) was talking to when she handed that unseen person a picture of Skye (Chloe Bennet) and said, "I found your daughter." Per TVLine, MacLachlan will provide the answer, as he's set to recur on Season 2 as Skye's dad.
MacLachlan ("Twin Peaks," "Believe") is the second high-profile guest star to join "Agents of SHIELD" for Season 2. Lucy Lawless will also have a "mystery role" on the show, so feel free to connect whatever dots you might be inclined to connect.
"Agents of SHIELD" Season 2 premieres Sept. 23 on ABC.
“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.”
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.
The good news for the production is that it will be swapping one Tony winner for another. Bart’s replacement in the role of American theatrical producer Charles Frohman (played in the film by Dustin Hoffman), I’m told, is Michael McGrath, who won a Tony in 2012 for Nice Work If You Can Get It. He was also a Tony nominee for his performance in Mike Nichols‘ production of Spamalot. The amicable parting of ways — at least that’s what I’m told — is over that old standby, “creative differences.”
“Roger is fiercely brilliant,” my source said — as anyone who saw him in either of the earlier shows will agree. McGrath, too, is one of Broadway’s most appealing character actors. In addition to Paulus (Pippin), the show has music by U.K. pop star Gary Barlow (Take That) and choreography by Emmy Award-winner Mia Michaels (So You Think You Can Dance).
"It's just not in my future," the actress told PEOPLE at Wednesday's Brita Burbank YMCA special event, which celebrated the company's donation of water filtration pitchers and dispensers to YMCA locations across the country.
As children played and made their own fruit-flavored water at the outdoor event, Longoria, 39, explained what drew her to the cause.
"With kids, I love their energy and spirit and innocence," she said. "It's really important for us to be here today to talk to them about water because that stays with them. Water's the original energy drink. Water is really good for you. Water can be fun."
The Devious Maids producer – who's dating Mexican businessman Jose Antonio Baston – also shared her secrets for staying in shape.
"I run a lot. I'm a big runner. And I do yoga," she said. "So, I just alternate. Run, yoga, run, yoga. I do weight training as well."
And though she's all about staying hydrated, you won't find Longoria sipping from a disposable water bottle after a workout.
"So many end up in the ocean so I've banned them from the house," she said.
Officials with parent company Landry's said SHe by Morton's shut down effective Sunday. The restaurant had opened in late 2012 with a theatrical nightclub on the upper floor, but the club portion closed in early 2013.
"The restaurant was looking into alternatives to repurpose the space to enhance its dining experience," said Scott Marshall, SHe's chief operating officer. Unable to agree with the landlord on an overhaul after the club closed, "we were left with no alternative other than to sell the space back."
The restaurant was located inside the Crystals shops at the Aria casino and featured a catwalk and smaller portion sizes for female customers. Mirrors on the back of the dessert menus were designed for patrons reapplying lipstick after their dinner.
The steakhouse ran into trouble last month when the Southern Nevada Health District temporarily closed the restaurant. Health inspectors gave the restaurant numerous demerits, mostly related to keeping food at proper temperatures and maintaining accurate thermometers.
The eatery quickly reopened with a grade "A'' from the health district.
A pilot by Oscar winner “12 Years a Slave” writer John Ridley will hit ABC’s 2015 season. Weaseling from brainstorm to computer to airtime takes forever.
It’s get the idea, ponder it, develop a new twist, put it down, plump it up — add scenes, dialogue, characters. Pitch to a network’s decision-maker — if you can nail the appointment. With a go-ahead, they assign a writer.
Then it’s everyone’s suggestions, then it’s alter the original format, then the casting crapshoot, then a second draft, third draft, time slot availability and by then the decision maker has either hit the unemployment line or the original star choice is getting Social Security.
Result? “American Crime” has Felicity Huffman taking the handcuffs off racism, class warfare, gender, poverty, public housing and single parenthood. It’s how a murder touches everyone. She plays a desperate, tightly strung mother whose child’s killed. Co-star is Timothy Hutton.
We are not talking a musical here.
"Dallas" and "Desperate Housewives" actor Jesse Metcalfe now has a new gig as guest judge on truTV's "Motor City Masters."
Zap2it can exclusively reveal that he will make an appearance alongside the two season-long judges: Car designer Harald Belker and Automobile Magazine editor-in-chief Jean Jennings. A first look at the trio can be seen above.
The new truTV series will also feature appearances by Pete Wentz, Melissa Joan Hart, Robby Gordon, David Justice and Malia Jones. Each of the 10 episodes of the season will focus on different themes, such as car character designs (tied to the release of "Transformers: Age of Extinction"), custom car designs and body shape designs.
The series will premiere on June 24 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on truTV. Hosted by Brooke Burns, "Motor City Masters" brings together 10 expert designers to " explore various aspects of design, inside and out. In each episode, the contestants will have the ambitious task of creating new, fully functional (though not street legal) concept cars based on a theme that will showcase the each competitor's unique personality."
On Friday, Longoria was dining with Lake Bell and her tattoo artist husband, Scott Campbell, at Antica Pesa.
On Sunday, she was dressed in all white on the arm of beau Jose Antonio Baston as she perused art.
Also at the fair, James Franco was seen with his arms around two women at once.
A spy said Franco looked relaxed, even though he had to get to his show, “Of Mice and Men,” at 3 p.m.
Longoria and DNC finance chairman Henry Munoz worked together to raise millions from Latino and Hispanic donors for President Barack Obama's re-election bid in 2012 and have been laying the groundwork for the Latino Victory Project since then. If the effort and its sister political action committee prove successful, they could again raise tens of millions of dollars, this time dedicated to helping Latino candidates.
"People keep talking about the power of the Latino vote. But the truth is that (2012) was just the tip of the iceberg," Longoria told The Associated Press on Monday. "We are not tapping into the full potential yet of the Latino community."
The group is close to raising its goal of $5 million this cycle, project president Cristobal Alex said in an interview. The group also would focus on introducing chosen candidates to donors in a way Democratic groups have done for years with female and gay candidates.
"Let's consider it an investment in the nation. Let's not refer to us as 'the sleeping giant' after the midterms," Munoz said. "We are the change we have been waiting for."
Munoz and Longoria led the Obama campaign's Futuro Fund, which raised $32 million — much of which was from first-time donors. Neither has forgotten their allies and both have worked to keep those donors engaged.
"A lot of the Latino donors that we spoke to had never been asked before," Longoria said.
Among the group's first designed candidates: Amanda Renteria, a California Democrat who is running for the House; Nevada Assemblywoman Lucy Flores, who is running for lieutenant governor; Texas state Sen. Leticia Van De Putte, who is trying to become lieutenant governor; and Angel Taveras, the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, who is running for governor.
Taveras said the group's endorsement would help him "extend my reach nationally" to donors around the country.
Charlie Crist, who is running for his old job as governor of Latino-rich Florida, also won the group's backing.
"Latinos will decide that race," Alex said.
Added Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas: "This is going to be a big year for Latino candidates across the country."
The group is non-partisan but its first slate of candidate endorsements does not include any Republicans.
Longoria said the group eventually could back GOP candidates. "I don't think the solutions to issues of the Latinos lie within one particular party," she said.
About 11 million Latinos cast ballots in 2012's presidential election, yet about 12 million stayed home. Latinos vote at a rate lower than any other group and their numbers in Congress don't match their share of the U.S. population.
Although the group's first major announcement comes with buzz, Longoria acknowledges that Latino turnout will remain a challenge, especially in a year when Obama is not on the ballot.
"Everybody gets so energized and excited to vote in the presidential elections," she said, "but yet we're not energized enough to vote for the people who have to work with the president."
The brunette bombshell is known for getting some of her tattoos linked to ex-husband Tony Parker removed (the "nine" on the back of her neck and their wedding date on her right wrist), but it seems that she's heading toward a tat-free bod soon.
E! News has learned that Longoria went to see Dr. Tattoff, a tattoo removal clinic with multiple locations in California. According to an eyewitness, she was there for about 20 minutes and walked out with a bandage on her left wrist. The source adds that Eva seemed in pain during her visit (which makes sense considering what she was there to do).
It looks like Eva had a little star inked on her left wrist, which may or may not have any relation to her past romance since the celeb never revealed the meaning behind it (assuming there is one).
In 2012, the former Desperate Housewives star was spotted in Beverly Hills with a small red spot on her neck where she once had the word "Nine" (Parker's basketball jersey number) inked. It was just one of three Parker-celebrating tats that Longoria began to have removed back in January of that year.
The other two were the couple's wedding date on her wrist, as we previously mentioned, and Parker's initials, which were placed somewhere private and not for public viewing.
"Producing is my full time job right now so I've been dedicated all my time to it and my philanthropy is my second full time job… so I've been traveling and Skype has been my best friend," the star—who has just started a kickstarter campaign for her El Voto Hispano documentary—told E! News.
Her busy schedule and globetrotting ways leave little room for hitting the gym. Luckily, she's got a solution:
"I'm a runner. I don't need a gym, I'll go run anywhere. I was in Australia, Budapest and Paris...In Australia and I went running around the botanical gardens and when I got to Paris I ran around the Eiffel tower," she shares. "And when I was in Budapest I ran around their little medieval section passing the castle. It's truly one of the best forms of exercising and the best thing to do while traveling because you get to sight-seeing and as I'm running I was really standing under the Eiffel tower at seven in the morning going ‘this is so cool!'"
Admit it: The treadmill seems kind of lame right about now, doesn't it? Well played, Eva.
The former Desperate Housewives star has launched a Kickstarter campaign for the project, currently titled El Voto Hispano, which has already raised almost $125,000 in the last few weeks.
"We wanted to do the Kickstarter campaign in the same vein of a democratic process…We're trying to show Latinos, you matter, you count," Longoria tells E! News exclusively.
"[Latinos] made such a difference in getting Obama elected in 2012 yet we still have one of the lowest turnouts among all ethnicities and we still have the lowest turnout in midterm elections so that fact that you can be energized to turn out for a presidential election but not motivated enough to elect the people you have to work with, I think that's a problem."
She added, "One of the things we want to let Latinos know is that you have got to show up in midterm elections, too."
So how come Longoria decided to share her message through a documentary format?
"I feel like documentaries can really humanize an issue through a narrative, through storytelling where people can digest information and facts a lot easier," she told us.
"It just a presentation of facts about what's going to happened with demographic changes in the United States with Latinos."
Once Longoria is finished with the documentary, is there a chance that she may reprise her role on the hit show Desperate Housewives? Well, most likely not…
"I think Marc [Cherry] is super busy and successful with Devious Maids," she revealed.
"We fully explored the range of each character and Marc always says that there's really not much more to tell. But I love the girls and I miss playing Gaby."
"I work everywhere. I love planes, I love flying, I love airports," Longoria, 39, admitted on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show airing Monday.
The always honest DeGeneres said what was on every weary traveler's mind: "That's weird."
But Longoria insists flying is more fun than it is a hassle.
"I know restaurants in certain airports that I will go earlier to the airport because I really want to eat there. Like in Dallas there's this barbecue place in terminal D, the American terminal. In San Antonio, there's a Mexican restaurant where the United Airlines are," she explained. "I love airports. I like reading, I like wifi. I get very excited."
It's a good thing Longoria likes going the distance: Her boyfriend, Jose Antonio Baston, is a Mexican businessman.
"I'm very happy," the former Desperate Housewives star said of her "uber private" beau. "He's a good dresser, too. I always have to step it up. It's exhausting."
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.
"Age is something you can't control, so why worry about it?" she says.
"I would never want to repeat my 20s," she tells Parade. "I welcome age with open arms because I want to evolve as a human being, gain more wisdom. I have so much more to do! And the only way you do that is with age."
Part of what makes the present such an enjoyable time for the former Desperate Housewives star is being in the company of Jose Antonio Baston, the president of Latin America's Televisa media company.
"I'm attracted to humor and intellect in a man," says Longoria, who got divorced from Tony Parker in 2011. "Let me tell you, I'm very lucky in my life."
The Devious Maids producer has been dating Baston, 45, since the end of last year.
In November, a source told PEOPLE Baston was "sweeping [Eva] off her feet and courting her like a proper gentleman."
The actress appears on the cover of Parade and opens up about her future family plans as well as her latest projects.
"I've always wanted a family," the Devious Maids producer tells the magazine. "I believe in family. But children are a product of love. So I don't think I'll go off and have a baby by myself. I do not have that need to procreate."
As for getting older—the Texas beauty recently celebrated her 39th birthday—Longoria would "never want to repeat" her 20s and has no worries about aging.
"I welcome age with open arms because I want to evolve as a human being, gain more wisdom," the Desperate Housewives star admits. "I have so much more to do! And the only way you do that is with age."
Longoria has shifted from appearing in front of the camera and is now focusing on appearing behind-the-scenes, as a producer and director.
"Had I known how hard acting was going to be, I wouldn't have done it," Longoria explains. "There's no recipe for success, no rhyme or reason why certain actors are famous and others aren't. As an actor, you kind of just say your lines and cross your fingers."
To read more about the new love in her life as well as her charitable and philanthropic work, be sure to pick up the issue on Sunday.
“The two were close the entire evening,” says a spy at the Ciroc bash at Cavalli Miami. “She was sitting on his lap.”
The former “Desperate Housewives” star, who was served a 3-foot-tall cake, was heard saying, “I love wine. I’d rather receive wine than flowers for any occasion.”
Other guests included Ken Paves and artist Romero Britto.
And she may be the only one after having sizzled on the screen for eight years on the hit drama Desperate Housewives
Looking drop dead gorgeous in a navy blue gown with sexy cutouts on the side, the brunette beauty covers Prestige Hong Kong's March 2014 issue, in which she opens up about her status as a sex symbol, her fiercely private personal life, and when she'll be returning to the boob tube after a busy few years working behind the scenes.
"I never thought of myself as a sex symbol," she tells the mag. "I just do the cover of magazines. I think it's really unfair men or people in the world think you can't be both—you can't be a sex symbol and a serious businessperson. Who says I can't be both?"
Fair enough. The actress continued, "Who says I can't do the cover of Maxim and run a production company? Women are complex. Women are beautiful and intellectual and spiritual and social and entrepreneurial. They're everything. And I think I'm a great example of that."
However, there is no doubt that the 39-year-old star is an expert at heating up the silver screen, and while she's recently taken a break from the cameras to focus on her production company as well as her foundation, Eva admits she will, eventually, be back on TV.
"I'm definitely going to return to television," she revealed. "I love the medium of television. I love going to the same place every day to work. I love diving into a character. I mean I really miss Gabi [from Desperate Housewives]. I really miss the family that we created for eight years. So I'll definitely be back. I love the idea of giving opportunities to women in the business, so most of the things I'm developing have female leads."
Clearly, Longoria's professional life is going well, so how are things on the personal side (in mid-November, a rep for the actress confirmed she was dating Mexican businessman Jose "Pepe" Antonio Baston)?
"You can ask, but I won't answer," the private celeb replied when asked what's going on with regards to romance side of her life. "But my social life is amazing. Lots of friends and things going on all the time. I'm at a very happy place in my life right now, both personally and professionally."
At a party hosted Friday night by Ocean Drive magazine in Miami – and where March cover girl Longoria also celebrated her 39th birthday – the actress told PEOPLE there was no doubt whom she's infatuated with on the show.
"Jon Snow!" she said excitedly, referring to the show's brooding bruiser who lost his half-brother and stepmother in last season's shocking "Red Wedding" episode.
Longoria also joked that while she's friends with Kit Harington, the actor who plays Snow, her attraction ends solely with the TV character.
"I don't like Kit Harington, I love Jon Snow," she cracked. "I like the fur coat and the bow and arrow and the swords – that person."
Longoria – who turns 39 on Saturday – celebrated her birthday eve with dinner at the new Cavalli Lounge in South Beach. Joined by a group of friends and boyfriend Jose "Pepe" Antonio Baston, Longoria sipped Chloe wine, snuggled with her man, and copped to indulging in her birthday grub, guilt-free. "I love to eat!" she said.
Eva also explained that even though she's approaching the big 4-0, she feels sexier now than she did a decade ago, when she first broke onto the scene in Desperate Housewives.
"I had no idea what was happening 10 years ago, I was in a big vortex of madness," reveals Longoria, who was dressed in a curve-hugging red David Koma dress.
Nowadays, "I feel more intelligent about a lot of other things than ten years ago," she admits. "So that makes me feel sexy."
After dinner, Longoria celebrated with Ciroc Vodka cocktails and was presented with a big birthday cake. Hairdresser-cum-best friend Ken Paves was on hand to help blow out the candles and show off his own creation: Longoria's sleek new bangs.
The birthday girl spent the rest of the event dancing with friends and cuddling with Baston late into the night.
And while the multi-hyphenate already has a full résumé – actress, producer, director (she helmed the Devious Maids premiere), political activist and Master's Degree holder – she has no interest in jumping into one particular field: politics.
When we asked if she'd consider running for office, her answer was clear: "No, no, I think the biggest part of politics is [being a] citizen, so I love participating in that manner."
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.
American Crime, which will be written, directed and executive-produced by the Oscar winner, tells the story of a group of people whose lives are turned upside down by a racially charged trial. Michael McDonald will also executive-produce.
Huffman will play Barb Skokie, a woman who raised her sons alone in public housing while her ex-husband Russ (Timothy Hutton) was off gambling. Barb continues to harbor resentment at being the only single white woman in the housing project and for the treatment she receives by her neighbors. When her son Matt is murdered, Barb decides to stay close to the investigation to get answers and isn't above giving statements to the press if it will keep the pressure on police to find the killer.
The pilot marks Huffman's return to ABC after her eight-season run as Lynette on Desperate Housewives, which earned her an Emmy for lead actress.
In addition to Huffman and Hutton, the cast includes Elvis Nolasco, Caitlin Gerard, Richard Cabral, Johnny Ortiz, Benito Martinez, W. Earl Brown and Penelope Ann Miller.
The actress visited her longtime hairstylist's salon in West Hollywood for more than a trim. The star got blunt bangs during the appointment.
Eva tweeted a photo of her mane makeover via Twitter, posting an image of her just-washed wet hair and faux-terrified face, while Paves looks on. When she emerged from the salon she sported her usually loose waves. (Twitter Photo)
Then on Tuesday the former Desperate Housewives star switched it up again, flat-ironing her new do for an extra-sleek effect.
The 38-year-old was one of three stars that flaunted new fringe over the weekend. Rihanna and Katy Perry both sported bob-and-bangs combos.
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.
According to the docs, Gale Harold -- who played Brian Kinney on "Queer as Folk" -- got a restraining order against Danielle Saklofsky after telling a judge point blank, "I am afraid."
Harold claims he tried breaking up with Saklofsky, who told him, "I will never let you leave me." He claims she attacked him a few days later outside a restaurant yelling, "You cannot leave me, I will destroy you" and then pummeling him.
Harold claims there were other attacks ... including the time she got really mad after getting fired -- he says she tried hitting him in the head with a mason jar of coins.
Saklofksy got her own restraining order against Harold ... and -- surprise -- she tells a different story. Saklofksy claims Harold grabbed her by her pony tail and then slapped her.
And here's how ridiculous it's gotten. In Harold's papers, he describe her as 5'5" and 145 lbs. In her response, she says, "The physical attributes are wrong ... I am about 5'7" and weigh 120 lbs.
They're both ordered to stay 100 yards away from each other.
The 27-year-old actor, best known for playing Bree Van de Kamp's gay son Andrew on Desperate Housewives, shared his story with fans on Sunday, Feb. 2, just hours after Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his New York City apartment. "Against the advise of others; I had to write this open letter. I can't stay quiet anymore about this...I am an alcoholic and a drug addict," Pyfrom wrote.
"And yesterday I celebrated five months of sobriety. I'm relatively new to being sober, considering the scope of time that I've been an addict. But within that scope, this is also the longest I've been sober; since I began using," he continued. "I've considered what's at stake, for myself, by sharing this—but I find myself without regard for that. I won't allow my selfish needs to get in the way of potentially reaching another human being's life."
"When news reaches us of a public figure, like Mr. Hoffman, passing away from such a terrible affliction; we tend to get the feeling of great loss. It is a great loss. I feel grief when I hear of such a talented human being leaving this earth...But every life is important. There are just some that hold the public forum. The loss of their life is no more, or no less, of a loss than anyone else's," the Tanner Hall star said. "And anytime a person uses drugs, they are taking the chance that their life will be taken from them. Whether they steal your breath, or rob one last beat from your heart—that is left to fate. But they will steal your life from you. Whether you are the occasional user, or someone that uses every day. Every moment spent using drugs (alcohol included) is a moment stolen from your life. A memory you will only recall with vague reflection—through fogged glass. Leaving an imprint in your memory, like a stamp without it's ink. That is, of course, my own realization."
Pyfrom shared his struggles publicly because he "could not hear of another person being robbed of their life, due to addiction; knowing that I stayed quiet about mine. Knowing that if, by sharing my story, I could potentially save a life—and didn't; that I would no longer be able to look myself in the mirror with the same pride I've allowed myself to have, for overcoming the thing that almost took my life."
"For several years, I lived for drugs. I lived for other things as well. But drugs dictated the other things I lived for. I thought more about using, than I thought about any other 'pleasures.' I put myself in places I never would have ended up, otherwise, for the sake of getting high. There are countless nights of blacking out, and making poor decisions as a result of my overusing. I wasted the time of valuable people, who worked so hard to pull my career to a higher place, by allowing my addictions to tug me out of their grip. I worried the people that care about me. My friends. My parents. My siblings. All for the sake of something that I believed I had control over. I didn't even realize how low drugs and alcohol had pulled me. But I stand now from a higher place. Not higher than anyone else, or anyone that is using. Just a higher place, than I was before. My thoughts are clear. My body is energized. And the creativity now flows out of me, easier than it ever had when I was using. I wake up looking forward to my days, rather than looking for a way to get through them. I feel the life inside of me now. The life that I deprived myself of for so long."
Pyfrom doesn't judge others. Instead, he said he only has "compassion for those who currently struggle with their addictions. I am fortunate enough to no longer struggle with mine. I can say with all honesty, that I have no desire to ever use again. But it took a long time, and a lot of struggle, to finally reach that place. We sometimes have to learn through our own experiences—as I had to with mine. I was too strong-minded and wrapped up in my own addictions to listen to anyone... I thought I had control. I thought...but now I know."
"I am an addict," he reiterated. "And I've never been more proud, saying it. Because when I think about where I've been, and where I am now...I am proud of the man who has addressed and admitted to himself, what was once a clouded denial. Self-pride and love are two things I've never had for myself, until recently. I hold them closely, now, by my own humbled awareness. And I wouldn't trade that in for any pill, line, or drink—on any day. I could go on, but I'll leave it here, for now..."
Pyfrom concluded his letter by offering words of "encouragement" and "strength" to those who "are currently battling an addiction" and those who "have never even sipped a drink."
"You may be one of the lucky ones that leaves unscathed from it all. With all sincerity; good for you. But I leave it to you to decide if it's worth risking; finding yourself on the unfortunate end of things," he said. "Just know that either way, I'm pulling for you. With only love...I hope you can save your life."
Pyfrom reached out his fans for sending their "love and support" after he'd published the blog post. "I am overwhelmed with joy and gratitude," the TV star wrote in an Instagram caption. "Thank you for letting me share. And thank you for sharing your love with me."
Sheridan originally sued ABC, Touchstone Television and show creator Marc Cherry for $20 million in April 2010, claiming she was unfairly fired for complaining about Cherry hitting her in the head during a September 2008 argument. In March 2012, a judge declared a mistrial when the jury couldn't reach a verdict and remained suck at 8-4 in Sheridan's favor.
An appeals court ruled in August 2012 that Sheridan was not fired, but rather the studio and network decided not to renew her contract. Sheridan then went after Touchstone for retaliating against her work condition complaints, but Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Stern ruled that she should have filed a complaint to the California Labor Commissioner within six months of the alleged incident before filing a labor lawsuit.
The basis for the issue of the new trial is not yet clear, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, Sheridan's lawyers filed papers last week with recent rulings proving that Sheridan was not required to exhaust administrative remedies by filing with the Labor Commissioner before filing a labor lawsuit.
A lawyer for Touchstone told The Hollywood Reporter that the company will be appealing.
A status conference has been scheduled for April.
The happy couple, who went public with their relationship in November, have spent the last 10 days on vacation in Acapulco, Mexico.
Yesterday the 38-year-old former “Desperate Housewives” star was photographed in a tiny blue bikini aboard the yacht the love birds have been spending their time.
Baston, 45, heads Televisa, the largest media firm in Latin America.
Joining in on the fun has been Mexican actor Jaime Camil and actress Sofia Castro, the step-daughter of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.
Longoria will helm the Season 2 premiere of the Lifetime soap, which she and Cherry both executive-produce. "After eight years of training, I told her it was time," Cherry said. "It's something she's always wanted to do."
Now that the former Desperate Housewives star is getting ready to pull double duty behind the scenes, the question quickly turned to when Longoria will guest-star on the hit Lifetime series. Although there isn't a plan (yet), Cherry confirmed he was interested in her popping up on screen "The Eva Longoria card — I will play that at some point, absolutely," he said.
However, he was also adamant about waiting for the right role for his former leading lady. "I told Eva, 'If I'm going to bring you on, it's something that I think would be great for you,'" he said. "Lifetime can't wait for me to bring her along, but Eva and I have to have talks about that first."
Looking ahead to Season 2 of Devious Maids, which returns on April 20, Cherry reflected back on Desperate Housewives — and its infamous sophomore slump. Cherry said one of the most important lessons he learned was "know what your second season is before you write your first season."
Cherry said he was grateful that he and the writers had months to prep Devious Maids' 13-episode cable series, as opposed to the six weeks Cherry said he had to prep for a 22-episode season of Desperate Housewives. "When I did Desperate, I was just trying to get through that first season. When Season 2 started, I didn't know what I was doing," Cherry said. "I learned a lot of lessons the hard way."
Therefore, for Devious Maids, Cherry "very much plotted everything for Season 1 with an eye towards Season 2." One such plot point Cherry knew from the get-go would come up in Season 2 would be Marisol's transition from a maid to a wife with her own devious maid. "She becomes one of the employers," Cherry said. "She's moving on up but she has a lot of deviousness to deal with in her house."
In a twist from last season, which was criticized for depicting Latina actresses in stereotypical blue-collar roles, Marisol (Ana Ortiz) will have a white woman named Opal as her maid, played by Joanna Adler. "So she'll be reversing racism in that particular household, so we're trying to diversity a little," Cherry said in reference to last summer's controversy. Adler's character is one of several that will be introduced this coming season. "You'll see some new faces, and we'll say goodbye to some other faces," Cherry hinted.
The second season of Devious Maids premieres on April 20 on Lifetime. Are you excited for Longoria to direct? Who do you think she should play on the series?
The couple wed in a private ceremony in Los Angeles. "They're very happy," a rep for Tomlin told the magazine.
In August, Tomlin said they were mulling getting married after the Supreme Court ruled against the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8, which secures federal benefits for gay married couples and cleared the way for same-sex marriages in California.
"We're thinking maybe we'll get married," Tomlin said at the time. "You don't really need to get married, but marriage is awfully nice. Everybody I know who got married, they say it really makes a difference. They feel very, very happy about it."
Tomlin, 74, and Wagner, 78, have collaborated several times during their relationship, including Tomlin's one-woman show The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, and the film The Incredible Shrinking Woman, both of white Wagner wrote.
Tomlin most recently appeared in Web Therapy.
"It's especially awesome after how long it's been since my first cover," the former Desperate Housewives star told the magazine. "I've had a beautiful relationship with Maxim over all these years."
Longoria—who admitted to owning multiple vibrators in her 2006 cover story—thinks this photo shoot is her best yet. "When someone sees the cover of this issue, they're going to say, '¡Que rico!'" the TV star, 38, says. "'¡Que rico!' Say it when something is really good, when you're enjoying something."
While it's fun to play up her bombshell image, Longoria insists that she's more than just a pretty face. "One thing people are usually surprised about when they get to know me is how domestic I am. So when you see the sexy Maxim cover and then you put it against me in an apron with flour in my hair, it takes a moment to reconcile that image," says the star, who also received her master's degree in 2013.
In fact, Longoria asked to reschedule her interview in order to finish her thesis. The magazine, of course, obliged her request. "I was like, 'My brain can't jump that fast from a Maxim interview to a thesis!'" says the philanthropist and TV producer, who's currently dating Televisa president Jose "Pepe" Antonio Baston. "Back in high school I really was the chameleon, too. I got along with the honors math club, then I would go to cheerleading practice, and then I was a band geek as well."
Eva Longoria took full advantage of the sunny weather at her current location by hanging out poolside with some friends. The former Desperate Housewives actress flaunted her toned bod in a tiny two-piece and also slipped into a child's life vest for a funny photo.
"Anyone need a lifeguard?? (I'm wearing Manuelito's floatie)," she wrote on her WhoSay page (Manuelito is the son of Longoria's friend, Alina Peralta).
The brunette beauty hasn't disclosed where she is, but Eva shared that she was taking a trip with some pals for New Year's. "Bye bye LA...New Year destination here we come!!" she wrote with a photo of the group on a private plane.
In related news, the Latina actress recently blasted a media report claiming had been cast on three Latin soap operas on Televisa, one of which is a role as the mother of Dancing With the Stars alum William Levy.
Longoria tweeted, "How can people make stuff up and print it? Not one word of this is true! Even has fake quotes from me!" She later followed with, "Latin Post IS responsible for inaccuracies! U should check ur sources Melissa Castellanos before printing. And now REPRINTING! Idiots."
Additions to Eva Longoria's résumé: occasional pool lifeguard and journalism professor.
The former Desperate Housewives star took to Twitter to slam a fake report claiming Longoria had been cast to three Latin soap operas on Televisa, one of which is a role as the mother of hunky Dancing With the Stars alum William Levy.
"Longoria has signed an exclusive contract with Televisa, locking her for three telenovelas starting with Cuna de Lobos, where she will play the infamous Catalina Creel. The production finally came true after Por Derecho De Sangre, what was supposed to be the remake, proved to be a major flop after the pilot wasn't selected, but the network now hopes that with Eva on board, Cuna de Lobos will step up to the original 80's classic," according to the Latin Times.
Mmm, not so fast.
Longoria tweeted, "How can people make stuff up and print it? Not one word of this is true! Even has fake quotes from me!"
Although Eva isn't slated to appear on the network, she doesn have close ties with the station. The actress is currently dating Jose Antonio Baston, who is the president of Televisa, Latin America's largest media company. "They looked like such a great couple," an insider at Art Basel in Miami told E! News of the pair, who reportedly first started seeing each other in October. "She looks so happy and he is so madly in love with her."
"He wants her to be in the spotlight," the source added. "He clearly looked uncomfortable when the attention was on them. He loved it when it was just him and Eva."
When she's not hanging with her beau, Longoria is busy being the executive producer of the Lifetime series Devious Maids, which was recently picked up for a second season.
The couple attended Haute Living and Hublot's The Art of Fusion party on Friday, Dec. 6 in Miami, where the twosome was unafraid to flaunt their love for each other, with an eyewitness telling E! News the duo walked into the event holding hands and they were seen kissing all night.
"They looked like such a great couple," an insider tells E! News of the pair, who reportedly first started seeing each other in October. "She looks so happy and he is so madly in love with her."
While the former Desperate Housewives star was seemingly enjoying the spotlight at the party, smiling from ear to ear as she posed for pics in a pair of black leather pants, a crisp white blouse and red pointed toe pumps, her man was not nearly as comfortable with the cameras, according to the eyewitness, and instead let his ladylove take center stage.
"He wants her to be in the spotlight," the source adds of Baston, who is the president of Televisa, Latin America's largest media company. "He clearly looked uncomfortable when the attention was on them. He loved it when it was just him and Eva."
Other celebs at the event, which was presented by Dom Perignon, included Kim Kardashian's BFF Jonathan Cheban, as well as former Real Housewives of New York star Jill Zarin, Lenny Kravitz and Serena Williams.
A rep for the 38-year-old actress confirmed to E! News last month that Longoria is indeed dating Baston, 45, after the couple was photographed together attending the Museo Jumex Opening dinner at Casa De La Bola in Mexico City, Mexico on Nov. 15.
Longoria was last romantically linked to Ready for Love reality star Ernesto Argüello. The twosome split in August.
The 38-year-old beauty was nervous about taking it all off for the cameras, telling the magazine she "feared being so naked" for the photo shoot. Longoria added that "not being able to hide anything" amped up her insecurities. Given how sensational she looks, she had nothing to be worried about.
The actress, entrepreneur, producer and philanthropist recently made headlines for a very different reason: she's in love! On Monday, Nov. 18, Longoria's rep confirmed to E! News that the TV star is dating Jose"Pepe" Antonio Baston.
The handsome 45-year-old is the president of Televisa, Latin America's largest media company.
Prior to romancing Baston, Longoria dated Ready for Love reality star Ernesto Argüello. She was also romantically linked to George Clooney, but the sexy star denied their alleged coupling via Twitter. "As interesting as the George Clooney rumors are, they aren't true," she tweeted. "George and I have been friends for years,"
Longoria was also married to Tyler Christopher from 2002 to 2004 and Tony Parker from 2007 to 2011.
Posh ditched her ever-present high heels and got down on her hands and knees to make last-minute tweaks to the long black sheer-paneled design from her collection. Hours later Longoria rocked it on the red carpet.
Beckham totally transformed the dress for Longoria, transforming it from the midi that originally hit the catwalk at her Spring 2013 show last year into an elegant full-length stunner.
The designer also supported her friend on the red carpet, wearing yet another floor-skimming black look from her own archives, consisting of a silk plunging blouse and matching skirt.
"He's been sweeping her off her feet and courting her like a proper gentleman," a source tells PEOPLE of Baston, 45, the president of Televisa, the largest media company in Latin America. On Friday, he escorted the actress/producer, 38, to the Museo Jumex Opening dinner at Case De La Bola in Mexico City, Mexico.
Cameras flashed incessantly as the wealthy businessman and the former Desperate Housewives star made their way down their first red carpet together.
Last month, Longoria and Baston dined at New York's Serafina restaurant. A source told PEOPLE at the time that the Longoria was "very happy" with the budding relationship and that Baston was "crazy about her."
The actress tweeted Tuesday, "Sorry to disappoint some, but #bodyofproof will not be resurrected. May she rest in peace. Time for new adventures!"
ABC has no comment.
Last month, reports surfaced that ABC was considering bringing the procedural back for midseason after canceling it in May.
Weeks earlier, Delany told The Huffington Post that she thinks ABC would come to regret canceling Body of Proof, which delivered steady ratings in the Tuesdays-at-10 slot recently vacated by the axed Lucky 7. "I think we did OK. I think they could've kept us a little bit longer and I think they're going to probably regret it," she said.
Are you sad Body of Proof isn't coming back from the dead?
Rivera, who's been on the stand-up circuit since 2004, peppers his act with jokes about growing up half-Puerto Rican and half-Guatemalan. The NBC script is based on Rivera's act and will be written by Peter Murrieta (Wizards of Waverly Place).
Longoria, Murrieta, Ben Spector and Rivera are all attached as executive producers on the comedy, through Universal TV and Longoria's unbeliEVAble Prods.
Rivera recently appeared on Tonight Show with Jay Leno and also toured the country as part of NBC's "Stand-Up for Diversity College Tour" in 2010. Murietta's credits also include Greetings From Tucson, Hope & Faith and Level Up.
As for Longoria, the busy actress can currently be heard lending her voice in the lead role on Hulu's animated Mother Up, just uploaded yesterday. Longoria also executive produces Lifetime's Devious Maids and has several other projects in development at ABC, CBS, The CW and NBC.
Longoria executive produces Mother Up and also lends her voice to the main character, Rudi Wilson. Rudi is a disgraced former music executive who now finds herself managing her new life as the mother of two kids in suburbia. Two episodes of Mother Up will be immediately available on Hulu and Hulu Plus, followed by four more episodes posting weekly for the next month. After that, seven more episodes are set to launch in January.
Longoria also recorded a voice for an episode this season of Fox's The Simpsons. Following her lengthy stint on Desperate Housewives, Longoria has been busy as an executive producer, working on shows such as Lifetime's Devious Maids and NBC's Ready for Love.
Besides Longoria, Mass Animation's Yair Landau (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs) and Michael Shipley (Family Guy) are also executive producers on Mother Up. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at Longoria's character.
A source exclusively tells PEOPLE that the 38-year-old actress has been dating "a wealthy, successful businessman from Mexico."
The budding romance has left the former Desperate Housewives star feeling quite blissful these days.
"She's very happy, and he's crazy about her," the source adds.
Longoria, who split from entrepreneur and onetime Ready for Love bachelor Ernesto Arguello in August, is not ready to reveal the identity of her new boyfriend, the insider says.
Just last week, reports surfaced that Longoria had rekindled her relationship with erstwhile flame Cruz after the two supposedly had a cozy lunch together in New York City, according to eyewitnesses.
Call it a case of mistaken identity: The source close to Longoria says that the actress "was not dining with Eduardo in New York" but was actually having a lunch date with her new man.
Both Longoria and Cruz later took to Twitter to deny the alleged Manhattan rendezvous.
"Sorry this is just not true," wrote Longoria, who included a link to a news story about her supposed lunch hookup with Cruz.
For his part, Cruz Tweeted, "Mmmmm ... Nope ... In San Francisco with my Girl Friend," and attached a photo of a car cruising down a mountainside road.
“She was making out like a bandit with a dark-haired gentleman,” said a spy. “It was PDA the entire dinner .?.?. to the point where it didn’t even seem like they were eating.”
We’re told the man was not Longoria’s ex, Penelope Cruz’s brother Eduardo. Longoria and Cruz were spotted smooching at Serafina over lunch Saturday in New York, then snuggling up over dinner.
Longoria’s rep had no comment.
EbonyLife TV's CEO Mo Abudu says the series will have "an African soul" featuring a cast of new and established pan-African talent that will showcase fashion by Nigerian dress designers. It is to air in summer 2014.
In a joint statement Monday, Abudu said the African version of the popular series will be filmed on location in a gated community of the upscale Lekki suburb in Lagos, Nigeria's bustling economic hub.
Disney EMEA general manager Giovanni Mastrangelo said it offers "the opportunity to engage African audiences through locally relevant and entertaining storytelling."
He said versions of Desperate Housewives have been produced in Turkey, Argentina, Brazil and the United States in Spanish.
It appears to be the case.
The former couple was spotted back together again, grabbing lunch at Serafina restaurant in New York City Saturday afternoon.
A fellow diner tells E! News Longoria and Cruz were in "good spirits" during their outing, with the former Desperate Housewives star rocking jeans, heels and a green tunic top for the occasion.
While it wasn't clear at first whether the duo was just enjoying a friendly meal or a date, the diner told E! News they were soon "all over each other."
"After a bit, they started holding hands and kissing," the diner said. "Then they began full on making out. They were seated a table out in the open at the front of the restaurant. They didn't seem to care who saw them."
Longoria and Penelope Cruz's younger brother were last spotted together leaving her L.A home separately in January.
The on-again, off-again couple first broke up in March 2012, got back together and then split again in June 2012.
The actress was previously linked to Ernesto Argüello, who she dated for a few months earlier this year.
Reps for Longoria had no comment.
Community will return with back-to-back episodes on Thursday, Jan. 2 at 8/7c. Parks and Recreation will move back to the 8:30/7:30c timeslot the following week with its 100th episode.
Chicago Fire spin-off Chicago PD will premiere Wednesday, Jan 8 at 10/9c, replacing Ironside, which has been pulled off the schedule. In the meantime, NBC will air other original programming, including Dateline, Saturday Night Live holiday-themed specials and holiday music specials starring Kelly Clarkson and Michael Buble. The final episode of Ironside will air next Wednesday.
Airing in place of Welcome to the Family on Thursdays will be an SNL Halloween special and the previously announced The Sound of Music Live! The Sing-Off will also move into the 8/7c timeslot in December for two weeks.
Judge Michael Stern ruled Friday that Sheridan's case couldn't proceed because the actress should have exhausted her claims to a labor commissioner before pursuing a trial.
Sheridan was seeking a re-trial on her claim that she was fired from "Desperate Housewives" because she complained that the show's creator Marc Cherry hit her on the head in 2008 on the set.
A jury in 2012 deadlocked 8-4 in Sheridan's favor that ABC had retaliated against Sheridan.
Adam Levin, an attorney for ABC, said the network was pleased with the ruling.
Sheridan's lawyers say they plan to appeal.
This marks the fifth sale this season for UnbeliEVAble, which also has dramas at NBC, ABC and the CW and a comedy at NBC. The company is repped by CAA, Brillstein Entertainment and Brad Small. O’Neill, repped by CAA, Adam Kolbrenner of Madhouse and Bruce Gellman, is coming off USA’s Burn Notice where he worked for the entire seven-season run, rising to executive producer. On the feature side, he just wrote the Warner Bros sci-fi feature Monte Cristo and is currently writing a film with Guillermo del Toro producing. Conde Nast is with CAA and Pamela Black.
The former Desperate Housewives star, who serves as executive producer of the latter's Devious Maids on Lifetime, couldn't resist capturing a few memories of all the fun the pair had south of the border when they attended Glamour's 15th anniversary party in Mexico City Thursday night.
The 38-year-old Longoria posted Who Say pics of her and the 40-year-old Sanchez lounging around at the affair after partaking in some of Mexico's national beverage.
"My and @Roselyn_Sanchez in Mexico having too much tequila!" wrote Eva in the photo's caption.
Both women received awards from the magazine and looked absolutely gorgeous, with Longoria sporting a thigh-high lace minidress and nude-colored shoes and Sanchez wearing a beautiful strapless red dress.
Eva also took a selfie with Roselyn and X Factor Judge Demi Lovato who, like Eva, has Mexican ancestry (Sanchez hails from Puerto Rico).
Besides the accolades, Longoria and Sanchez have another reason to be celebrating, as Lifetime announced in August in was picking up Devious Maids for a second season.
As Miguel, Chavira is furious that the boy is throwing away a full scholarship, and he can't stand the family of the girl. Off camera, he's already plotting ways to keep nasty boys away from his own daughter.
Wearing all black, tattooed, and looking a little tougher than he did as Carlos on "Desperate Housewives," Chavira smiles as he talks about his girl.
"My daughter gets to paint my nails and put clips in my hair, and I love it," he says to Zap2it. "I love my son, but my daughter has calmed me down.
"First, it's the convent," he says.
Chavira is not kidding. He had attended the University of the Incarnate Word in his hometown of San Antonio. He has already contacted the nuns about his daughter.
The second part of his plan may strike some fathers of girls as brilliant. Chavira has English mastiffs, which are huge dogs. Though he knows the dogs he has now won't be around if his daughter ever does start dating, he plans to stick with this breed and have two or three when she's about 15.
"Should she choose to go out with a boy, and if the convent doesn't happen," he says, "she will tell me on a Tuesday so I can starve the dogs Wednesday through Friday. And then we'll spray some deer blood, and we can't help what happens."
Chavira well remembers taking out his first big date and meeting her father. He says he recalls thinking, " 'I am getting the talk!' The father then said to me, 'I am trusting you. Do you know what that means?' "
In the Oct. 17 episode, Longoria plays the sexy teacher of the younger son of Miguel (Chavira) and Lisette (Justina Machado). "We come for back-to-school night and Miguel realizes she is someone he used to date," Chavira says. "When she starts flirting with him, Lisette is not having it." The actor admits it was a little awkward to work alongside his two television wives, "but we had a really good time. Both Eva and Justina are strong Latin women whose characters boss me around. You can't mess with them!"
"I didn't say I would never get married again," the 38-year-old, addressing the comments she made to Access Hollywood, told PEOPLE at Saturday's Eva Longoria Foundation Dinner in Hollywood.
"There's nobody in the works now," she clarified. "So, it's not really on my mind. It was very misconstrued."
In the same interview last week, Longoria touched upon prospective motherhood: "I don't think if I'm 50 and single – I'm not going to go and [have a baby] by myself," she was quoted as saying.
But according to actress Ana Ortiz, star of the Longoria-produced Lifetime show Devious Maids, Longoria is maternal by nature.
"She's our mother," insists Ortiz. As for no actual little Longorias, Ortiz adds: "Yes, it is a loss for the world. But whatever makes you happy as a woman, you have to follow your own destiny."
Not that the Devious Maids set will be childless. Since costar Dania Ramirez just announced she's pregnant with twins, Longoria and the other women will "get to be the aunties," says Ortiz. "We'll be squishing them and spoiling them."
In fact, says Ortiz with a laugh, "I'll be surprised if [Dania] holds the babies at all."
Don't expect the 38-year-old actress to follow in the footsteps of other single stars like Charlize Theron, Connie Britton and Sandra Bullock, all of whom adopted children later in life. "I'm not one of those women who are like, 'I must procreate!'" Longoria said of becoming a mom.
"I think kids are a product of love," she added. "So, if you find the right person and you want to have a family with that person, then that's when the time is right. But...if I'm 50 and single, I'm not going to go do it myself."
Longoria also denied rumors she had a fling with close pal George Clooney. "[Rumors] start all the time," she said. "Thank god it was a good one!"
During the interview, Longoria also admitted that she's not afraid of aging. "It's kind of irrelevant to me. I work out a lot, and I eat really well, and I just do that because I feel better," she said. "I'm not really overly concerned with it."
Longoria continued, "I love aging, as far as getting wiser. I have no desire to be 25 again. Maybe I want my 25-year-old body, but I don't want my 25-year-old mind!"
Even so, the single star—she recently split with Ready for Love reality star Ernesto Arguello—said she would consider going under the knife to turn back the hands of time. "I am not opposed to surgery or whatever stuff is going to be available," she revealed. "Sign me up!"
Produced by RCN Television, Pura Sangre (trailer below) ran for 126 episodes between 2007 and 2008 to strong ratings and award recognition. Written by Mauricio Navas, Conchita Ruiz and Tania Cardenas, it starred Marcela Mar and Rafael Novoa. Its international adaptations include a Mexican version by Televisa. In addition to Trust, CAA-repped UnbeliEVAble has a comedy at NBC inspired by sex therapist Laura Berman, and Longoria exec produces Lifetime’s Devious Maids. Katie Lovejoy, repped by CAA and Bob Myman, came out of the USC screenwriting program after winning the Humanitas Prize’s Student Drama Fellowship for a House M.D. spec. She went on to pen a rewrite on Disney’s Prom and was the highest ranked woman writer on the 2010 Black List for her script The Arsonist’s Love Story. In TV, Lovejoy also sold a pitch to ABC to adapt the bestselling book series The Spellman Files with Greg Yaitanes and has The Quilted Giraffe at Bravo!
And while most celebs are tirelessly working with a glam squad to ensure their gowns and accessories are positively perfect for the big day, others, like Alfre Woodard, are easing into awards season with a much more laid-back attitude.
E! News caught up with the actress at the press junket for 12 Years A Slave in New York City this week to see how she was preparing for her upcoming Emmys moment, and we were surprised to hear that she's barely had a second to think about it—and she's OK with that.
"I don't have a gown! I have been busy. I've been away from home since last July. I haven't even been in the country until this past week and I'm like, ‘What am I going to put on?'" she told us candidly with a shrug.
Eek! Sounds like a red carpet fashion nightmare to us, but for Woodard, it's simply a testament to her cool and collected spirit.
"That's what being a mature woman will do for you. You just stop and you keep your eyes on the prize and don't panic."
How inspiring! And while we completely commend her relaxed spirit about such a grandiose event, it probably doesn't hurt to be a celebrated star who is quite chummy with some pretty incredible fashion designers, too.
"Tadashi Shoji in his generosity said he would meet with me this week, so I am definitely wearing him, but who knows what it's going to be!" she laughed.
As for hair and makeup, Woodard is also planning on keeping it simple and styling herself.
"You know what, I feel like I'll just put on some eyelashes and lip gloss, because at the end of the day, I am an actor. I let the clothes horses and the actresses do it, but I think as an actor, we just do the best we can and go to be applauded."
We couldn't have said it better ourselves.
The former Desperate Housewives star, 38, has split with Honduran hunk Ernesto Arguello, 34, after dating for nearly four months, PEOPLE has confirmed.
"Eva is hard at work producing in Los Angeles, and Ernesto's work is based out of Honduras and Panama, which made their schedules difficult to coordinate," a source close to the couple tells PEOPLE. "They remain very good friends and adore each other through it all."
The split, which was first reported by TMZ, comes just weeks after the two were rumored to be headed for the altar.
The sexy actress met the Miami entrepreneur and philanthropist last year when Arguello was – ironically – cast as a bachelor in Ready for Love, the reality show Longoria produced.
Longoria is set to reunite with another old flame, though: She is shooting a guest appearance on the new NBC sitcom Welcome to the Family, playing an ex-flame to her former Desperate Housewives hubby Ricardo Chavira, who stars on the show. It premieres Oct. 3.
It ain't too surprising, considering Longoria is a die-hard democrat who even gave a speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
Eva joins a ton of Hollywood stars who are already on-board the Clinton Express ... including Lionel Richie, Chris Rock and Barbra Streisand.
Of course, Hillary hasn't officially announced her plans yet ... but at this point, does she even have to?
Her mom, Esther, once suddenly went "unconscious" during a flight to the Kentucky Derby.
"I literally yelled, ‘Mom, don't die,' in the middle of the cabin," Hatcher told me at the premiere of her new movie, Disney's animated Planes. "It was that dramatic."
Luckily, her mom was OK. "She was fine," Hatcher assured us. "She's here tonight with my daughter, my dad, my friends. It's all a good and happy ending."
Actually not so much for everyone on the flight. Many were on their way to the Bluegrass State for the Kentucky Derby. "You're just like, ‘If I could stop the race, I would. I feel so bad,'" Hatcher said. "But it was my mom!"
Kendra Wilkinson-Baskett also recalled a not so pleasant flight experience. It happened when she flew to Alaska in a seaplane.
No biggie, except the plane's engine went out during the trip.
"I'm afraid of flying as it is," Wilkinson-Baskett said. "I wasn't getting back on that plane to go home until I got really really really drunk. So I went to a local liquor store and I got a big bottle of vodka and I just pounded it. That was the only way I was getting back on the plane. I don't remember the trip back, so it's all good."
Taking flight in a nightclub? Well, that's a much different story.
We do!
But we're not about to hold our breath waiting for a Wisteria Lane reunion.
"I don't think that script will ever be written," Teri Hatcher told me last night at the Planes premiere in Hollywood. "But if it was I'd be happy to consider it."
Hatcher told Extra last week, "I love the fans of the show so much, and they don't seem to be done with those characters."
Desperate Housewives premiered on ABC in 2004 and ran for eight seasons.
Maybe Hatcher can at least make an appearance on the Eva Longoria and Marc Cherry produced Devious Maids.
She just needs to watch the Lifetime show first.
"I've been traveling the whole summer," she said. "I haven't watched any television."
Hatcher in a maid's uniform? Totally hot.
In Planes, Hatcher voices Dottie, a forklift that fixes the planes.
She didn't try for a cartoony voice, but rather, "I actually did try to think of myself as very planted and in the earth as opposed to all the planes up there. I did try to have that centered grounded voice."
"I love the fans of the show so much," she says, "and they don't seem to be done with those characters. I think it would be great for them." Though "Desperate Housewives'" audience faded over the course of eight seasons, the series finale was still able to snag over 11 million viewers, proving that someone still cared about the story.
However likely or unlikely it may be, Hatcher hasn't closed the door on a movie. "If a script ever came across my lap, I would read it, hoping that it would work out," she says. Unfortunately for fans, it doesn't sound like it's in the cards for now. "I don't really see that happening," Hatcher admits.
Anything is possible, though. After all, they're making a "Veronica Mars" movie, and that show never reached "Desperate Housewives" lowest rating.
Yesterday, Us Weekly reported that the 52-year-old actor tried pursuing the 38-year-old beauty while he was still with his now ex-girlfriend Stacy Keibler. "George began pursuing Eva," a source told the mag. "He told her that he was still with Stacy, but had plans to break up with her and was interested in being with Eva."
However, Longoria took to Twitter earlier today to shoot down the Clooney romance rumors herself. "As interesting as the George Clooney rumors are, they aren't true. George and I have been friends for years," she shared.
We bet Longoria's new boyfriend Ernesto Argüello is glad to hear that. The former Desperate Housewives star dating the hunky Ready for Love bachelor in April and confirmed their new romance earlier this month. "I think that's why our relationship is so special—we truly started as friends," she told People, adding, "I guess we have the press to thank for pushing us to see something we didn't see!"
A source also recently told E! News of Longoria and Argüello 34, "She just got back from meeting his family. The two are very serious as he is crazy about her." The couple met last year on the reality dating show, which he starred on and Longoria produced.
Longoria and Argüello have been spotted out and about a lot recently. Last week, the cute couple got their PDA on with a handholding walk around Paris together. And not long before their Parisian getaway, Longoria and Argüello were all smiles while playing in the water together in Malibu. The actress and her super-sexy Latin hunk were snapped splashing around during some paddling boarding in the ocean.
As for Clooney, he and Keibler broke up earlier this month after two years together. It sounds like the twosome is still on good terms though. Keibler told E! News earlier this week, "I'm great [post-split], yeah," the upbeat TV star said. "George and I have always been friends and we always will be friends."
The new couple, who only confirmed their relationship status last week, held hands as they left the Georges V Hotel for a day of shopping in the City of Light.
The “Desperate Housewives” actress and the Miami-based entrepreneur met last year on “Ready For Love,” a matchmaking show Longoria executive produced for NBC.
Arguello, 34, chose Miss USA Shandi Finnessey as his date on the show but their relationship ended in 2012.
Longoria and Arguello were rumored to be dating for some time, but the beautiful brunette only recently confirmed their romance.
"I think that's why our relationship is so special – we truly started as friends," Longoria, 38, told People last week.
In court documents obtained by The National Enquirer, the 34-year-old Miami-based entrepreneur allegedly filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy last year, listing $1,555 in assets and $4.1 million in total liabilities. According the report, he allegedly claimed he had just $5 cash on hand at the time.
The new couple, who only confirmed their relationship status last week, met last year on “Ready For Love,” a reality matchmaking show Longoria, 38, executive produced for NBC. The two were recently seen hand-in-hand while out in Paris.
According to the Enquirer, the “Desperate Housewives” star is worth an estimated $35 million.
"I think that's why our relationship is so special – we truly started as friends,” says Longoria, 38, who met Arguello, 34, last year when he was cast in Ready For Love, the reality dating show she produced. (Arguello's romance with his pick, former Miss USA Shandi Finnessey, ended in 2012.)
While the show aired this spring, buzz swept Hollywood that the two were an item. However, it wasn't until recently that their friendship turned romantic.
“I guess we have the press to thank for pushing us to see something we didn't see!" jokes Longoria, who just returned home from a trip to Nicaragua where she was introduced to his entire family.
“Eva and Ernesto are a perfect match," a source close to the couple tells PEOPLE. "They both speak Spanish, have the same religion and the same cultural background."
And both have a passion for philanthropy. Longoria recently accompanied Arguello to his native country of Honduras to visit the school he built in his community, and to see the homes he has built for impoverished families.
"Their friendship and their similar philanthropic interests laid the foundation for their new romance," the source adds. "They're very much in love."
Jesse Metcalfe planted a big smooch on fiancée Cara Santana during a romantic trip to Monaco over the weekend.
The smitten twosome couldn't keep their hands off of each other as they strolled through the coastal city.
Metcalfe looked dapper in a blue dress shirt and khakis, while Santana stunned in a sundress and sky-high white heels.
The couple were in town for the 53rd Annual Monte Carlo Television Festival and made sure to find some time to see the sights during their down time.
Both Santana and Metcalfe shared pics on their Instagram of them riding Jet-Skis in the ocean and working on their summer tans.
What a lovely vacation!
"I play Isabel, a new student who is finally Lisa's intellectual equal," Longoria says. "They become fast friends, and then things take a left turn when they realize they have different political views. This is a big stretch for me not only because it's voice work, which I rarely do, but also [because] I'm playing a Republican and I'm obviously a Democrat."
The former Desperate Housewives star was spotted Thursday in Los Angeles with Ernesto Arguello, where the twosome was snapped art shopping on La Brea together.
Longoria has shot down multiple reports claiming she's dating the former Ready for Love contestant (Eva produced the NBC show), but the pair continue to be seen together, only further fueling the romance reports.
The brunette beauty looked white-hot in her chic ensemble for the afternoon out, sporting skinny jeans, aviator shades and studded pointed-toe pumps. He was also dressed casual in jeans, trendy glasses and a gray sport jacket, looking handsome as he strolled behind the TV star.
Last night, Longoria took to Twitter to cheer on her ex-husband's team in the NBA finals (the 38-year-old star hails from Corpus Cristi and attended Texas A&M University).
"Go Spurs Go! I say Spurs in 5!!!!" she wrote, proving she has no hard feelings towards her former spouse (or at least his team).
We're sure her possible hot BF certainly helps.
The Desperate Housewives star received her Master's Degree in Chicano Studies yesterday from Cal State Northridge. As you can see, the 38-year-old actress was pretty proud of her latest academic accomplishment.
Longoria had lots of support from her family, friends and fellow stars, but don't think for a second she thought she was too cool for school: She posted a smiling WhoSay picture of herself with her "Chicano studies cohorts at CSUN," where she fit right in with her fellow new grads.
And her message for anyone considering going back to school or studying something new? You can make it work!
"Very excited to graduate for my Master's degree in Chicano Studies!" she wrote on WhoSay just before her ceremony. "You're never too old or too busy to continue your education!"
Smart cookie, that one is!
The actress announced on Twitter that she's graduating with her master's degree in Chicano studies from California State University, Northridge.
She revealed to E! News earlier this month that she'd been working on her thesis up until the very last minute to ensure that she graduated on time.
She shared with fans, "You're never too old or too busy to continue your education!"
Fellow actresses Garcelle Beauvais and Marcia Cross sent their well-wishes to the actress turned activist via Twitter.
Beauvais wrote, "Proud of you Eva."
Meanwhile her former Desperate Housewives costar tweeted, "Huge congratulations on your graduation today!!!! From Canne to Cap and Gown. You are really something. Xoxo m."
Congratulations, Eva, on your inspirational achievement!
The former Desperate Housewives actress gave onlookers an eyeful as she lifted up her glamorous green gown to avoid rain puddles while making her way into the premiere of Jimmy P. (Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian) at the star-studded movie event.
In photos of the incident, Longoria’s crotch area is visible but it is unclear whether she was wearing flesh-coloured underwear beneath her dress.
Longoria appeared to be completely unaware of her fashion faux pas and proceeded to pose for photos alongside her fellow L’Oreal brand ambassadors including Doutzen Kroes, Cheryl Cole and Jane Fonda.
The celeb attended a Senate committee hearing today in Washington entitled "Strengthening the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for Minority Women," where Longoria—who is an entrepreneur herself as she own two restaurants: Beso and SHe, and a production company, UnbeliEVAble—testified to encourage more support for Latina business owners.
"Diversity breeds innovation, and that is what our country needs right now," the actress stated. "Latinas are one of our nation's greatest natural resources, and we have to treat them as such. If we invest in giving Latinas the tools to unlock their potential today, we can create a brighter economic future for our country."
So what is the star going to do to help bring her testimony to life?
The Eva Longoria Foundation has teamed up with philanthropist Howard Buffett to launch a program, starting in Texas and expanding to California, which will provide business training and $2 million in micro loans to Latina businesswomen.
Longoria tweeted, "It was an honor to testify at Senate hearing today about Minority Woman Owned Businesses!"
Way to help make a difference, Eva.
In a Huffington Post op-ed published Tuesday, she defended Devious Maids, which she executive produces, against criticism it's a "wasted opportunity" to bring diversity to TV.
"Devious Maids is a show that centers on five (count 'em), five Latinas who are bonded together by their jobs, their ambitions, their dreams and their life struggles," she explained. "The five women are maids by occupation only; it is what they do, not who they are."
"Are maids a realistic reflection of Latinas in America today??" she mused. "Yes, but they are not a reflection of every Latina."
"Stereotypes are constructed and perpetuated by those who believe in them. I choose not to," she wrote. "The only way to break a stereotype is to not ignore it. The stereotype we are grappling with here is that as Latinas, all we are is maids. And yet, this is a show that deconstructs the stereotype by showing us that maids are so much more."
"I take pride in the fact that this is the first show to feature an all-Latina lead cast," she added. "I take pride in the fact that these characters are not one-dimensional or limited to their job title."
"Are Latinas teachers, and doctors and lawyers in America today? Yes." she continued. "Should their stories be told as well? Absolutely. But, this show is called Devious Maids, not 'Latinas in America.'"
Eva concluded by reiterating that Devious Maids is not "a wasted opportunity; it would be a missed opportunity if we didn't tell the stories that haven't been told."
Preach!
The mom-of-four (Melanie, 25, Jillian, 23, Devin, 20, and Sasha, 13) is marking the holiday from her spot on stage in Broadway's The Trip to Bountiful. "I have a 3 o'clock matinee. No rest for the weary," Williams, 50, tells PEOPLE, adding, "Maybe my kids will surprise me with a dinner afterward."
Beyond the theater, she's also taking time to honor her late grandmothers, who both died after struggling with heart disease. (Her maternal grandmother died at 64 after having a massive heart attack, and her paternal grandmother died at 28.) And that's why she's partnered with Bayer Aspirin on its Handbags & Hearts campaign in the hopes of helping women understand the signs and symptoms of a heart attack.
"I'm very, very aware of heart health," she says. "I'm very mindful of my diet and exercise, and I think being a woman, you have to be."
She adds: "I'm a mother of four, I just turned 50 this year, and I want to be around for a long time."
For those who aren't mothers quite yet – we're looking at you Duchess of Cambridge – Williams has a few words of wisdom straight from her own heart.
"Motherhood is one of the greatest gifts and surprises in life," she says. "You always have to be prepared for the unexpected. You have to be able to surrender to whatever situation it is and do the best you can at any moment."
Of mom-to-be Kate, she adds: "I'm sure she'll be a terrific mom."
"I didn't know I was depressed," the actress tells Dr. Oz on his talk show in an interview airing Friday. "I mean, I knew it was a sad moment in my life, but I wouldn't categorize myself as depressed. I'm not that, I'm an optimist about life. Life didn't work, moving on. I'm fine."
Meanwhile, the people around Longoria, 38, were telling her how well she looked. "That's probably the time I got the most compliments because I was so skinny. I was not eating. I was depressed. I was sad. My diet was coffee. So people kept saying, 'You look amazing. Divorce agrees with you,' " she says. "And I was like, I don't feel good. I have no energy."
It wasn't until a doctor's visit that she realized her depression was hurting her health. "It was like all these things were physically wrong with my body, so I had to saturate with vitamins and kind of get back on this track," she says.
Part of getting back on track, she tells Dr. Oz, was cutting sugar completely out of her diet.
"For about three months, I did a really strict no-sugar diet, and I had more energy than I've ever had," she says. "My palate was different. Things tasted better."
"WHAT?! AGAIN? Sorry guys, still not dating @ernestoarguello Who are these 'sources'??" the former Desperate Housewives star tweeted today, shooting down a report that she is dating Miami Beach entrepreneur Ernesto Argüello, one of the eligible bachelors from Ready for Love.
Longoria is one of executive producers of the NBC show, which features three gents looking for the real thing among 36 single women.
Longoria's rep had also denied the report to E! News, saying, "Eva is not dating Ernesto. She is friends with all of the guys and matchmakers from the show, but nothing further."
Longoria further tweeted: "Sorry @ernestoarguello is NOT dating me, but u can see who he is dating on #ReadyForLove tomorrow night on NBC after #TheVoice!"
The dating rumors went into overdrive after they were spotted going for a drive together in Longoria's Bentley convertible on Sunday in L.A.—after, we're told, Argüello stayed overnight at her house.
An eyewitness tells E! News that the pair didn't make any stops, they just drove around the city with the top down, "talking and laughing together. Eva seemed really happy. At one point she was resting her head on his shoulder, it was very sweet. After a little while of driving around, they went back to her house and spent the rest of the day together there."
"They hang out a lot and have a great time together," a source tells us. "The two have been fond of each other for a long time and are always laughing together. They have a similar sense of humor." Argüello, who is based in Miami, stays at Longoria's house when he's in L.A., the insider says.
Meanwhile, Longoria dined with Argüello, celeb chef Bobby Flay and stylist Robert Verdi last Thursday in New York City. "Good friends, good times," she wrote on WhoSay alongside a pic of the happy-looking foursome.
A hearing on a retrial was scheduled for September 10 but then taken off the calendar in June last year when Touchstone sought a ruling through the Appeals Court on its contention that it is not wrongful termination under state law when a contract renewal is not exercised. Subsequent appeals hearings did not go in the actress’ favor. However, The judges ruling in August did provide an opening for Sheridan to move forward again under a different avenue. In the case that will now begin at the end of the year, Sheridan’s damages would be limited to loss of wages and benefits, a far less than the $20 million she originally filed for in April 2010. Sheridan was represented, as she was in the first trial, by Mark Baute of LA firm Baute Crochetiere & Wang. He was joined by the firm’s David Crochetiere. Touchstone were represented by Adam Levin of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp. Levin represented the defendants in the first trial.
The actress will star in Mother Up — a new half-hour animated comedy set to debut on Hulu and Canada's City Television this fall, Ad Age reports.
Longoria, 38, will voice the main character, Rudi Wilson, a disgraced former record executive who moves to the suburbs to try her hand at motherhood — with mixed results. Mother Up will spotlight Rudi's hard-partying lifestyles in the 'burbs, including her frequent drinking and swearing.
Since exiting Wisteria Lane almost a year ago, Longoria has kept plenty busy but primarily with behind-the-scenes gigs. She serves as an executive producer on NBC's new dating show, Ready for Love, as well as Lifetime's upcoming drama Devious Maids, which was created by Housewives mastermind Marc Cherry. Longoria will also executive-produce Mother Up, along with Sony Pictures Chief Yair Landau and Family Guy co-producer Michael Shipley.
Landau said there are also plans to sell Mother Up to outlets such as iTunes and Netflix.
Will you watch Mother Up?
Despite being identified as his fiancée by some outlets, a source tells E! News that Metcalfe and Santana are happily dating, but the two have never been engaged.
Regardless, this duo lit up the basketball court with their sweet public displays of affection while rooting for the Los Angeles Lakers as they played the New Orleans Hornets last night at the Staples Center in L.A.
Metcalfe and Santana couldn't keep their arms off of each other—unless there was an awesome play that required a quick stand-up cheer—and even shared a smooch for the camera. "Omg! Kiss-Cam at Lakers game! #redfaced#embarrassed," Santana tweeted.
And although the constantly smiling pair seemed very interested in the game (when they weren't focusing on each other or the other courtside sights), Jesse made sure to point out that his loyalties lie elsewhere.
"But don't get it twisted. #knicksfanforlife," he tweeted.
The "Desperate Housewives" alum is an executive producer of the unscripted NBC show that premieres Tuesday, April 9. As Giuliana and Bill Rancic host, each of the bachelors -- Tim Lopez of music's Plain White T's, plus a financier and an entrepreneur -- is coached by a relationship expert in selecting one of the four women presented to each man.
"I've been producing for four or five years," Longoria tells Zap2it. "It's definitely exciting to be behind the camera. I like putting pieces together, and I've always been a fan of dating shows, but I'd kind of gotten burned out on them because I thought they weren't reflecting how people date today. That's done through the Internet and matchmakers, so we're incorporating a lot of things into the show that contemporize that space in TV."
Longoria believes such programs as ABC's "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" are "very, very produced, and I definitely wanted to put my name on something that was a little more authentic. I didn't want people who want to be reality stars.
"The three guys we picked, we had to really get them to come on. They were all skeptical of a reality show that has to do with dating, but that's who I want ... someone who is in it not because they want exposure and fame but because they actually think the process might work. And they've exhausted everything else, so why not?"
Having the stars of "Giuliana & Bill" on board helps, in Longoria's view. She reports, "When their names were thrown into the hat, we were like, 'That is genius!' They're really funny, and they bring this element of banter to the show that just makes you laugh at the whole institution of marriage."
Back to her usual business after co-chairing January's presidential inauguration, Longoria vows "Ready for Love" works: "We are confident in this format. It will not disappoint in the way other shows have."
Eva Longoria had quite the wardrobe malfunction on Saturday when she inadvertently busted out of her string bikini while soaking up some sun.
Wearing a sizzling orange two-piece and sunglasses, the 38-year-old actress could be seen standing and stretching before relaxing into a beach chair that she had draped with a towel.
From there, things went awry: As the actress sat and loosened her bikini top, she ended up revealing much more than she had hoped, popping out of her bikini and accidentally flashing bystanders.
Hey, if you're gonna have a mega nip slip on the beach, it helps to having a killer bikini bod like Eva's, yes?
Facebook!
Celebrities have joined marriage equality supporters by posting red versions of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) logo on their Facebook pages. The HRC is Washington's leading gay rights advocacy group.
We already told you about Beyoncé's Facebook messages, but other straight allies going red on Facebook include Padma Lakshmi, Kate Walsh, Felicity Huffman and Jessica Seinfeld.
Of course, many openly gay celebs including Ellen DeGeneres, Lance Bass and George Takei have gone red, too. "Today I'm thinking of the Supreme Court," DeGeneres wrote on her Facebook page. "I hope they remember what makes our country great, and support equality for all."
While Madonna didn't use HRC's logo, she did post a handwritten note on lined paper that reads, "Marriage Equality! Let's Start a Revolution."
The Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday about California's ban on same-sex marriage Prop 8. Today, they are doing the same on the Defense of Marriage Act, which limits the federal government in only recognizing marriages between a man and woman.
The field of racers will navigate the new 210-horsepower Scion FR-S race vehicles through high speed turns to benefit “Racing for Kids,” a national fundraising program supporting children’s hospitals throughout the United States. This year’s field of popular celebrity racers includes:
· Cristian Castro (@CristianCastro): Grammy Award-nominated and best-selling Mexican pop singer. Famous from a young age, one of his best known albums is “Mi Vida Sin Tu Amor,” with four singles in the top ten of Billboard's Hot Latin tracks. In April, he will release a new album “Primera Fila,” celebrating 20 years as a singer.
· Kate del Castillo (@katedelcastillo): Mexico’s most acclaimed actress, best known for her starring role in long-running mini-series “La Reina del Sur.” Other credits include “Under the Same Moon,” “Trade” and a guest appearance on the Showtime series “Weeds."
· Brett Davern (@BDavv): Actor who stars as Jake Rosati in MTV's hit series “Awkward.” Other credits include the film, “Beautiful Ohio” and appearances in “Cold Case,” “CSI: Miami,” “In Plain Sight,” and “Medium.”
· Jenna Elfman (@JennaElfman): Actress known for her quirky role on the TV series “Dharma & Greg,” which earned her a Golden Globe Award. She now stars as the first lady in the family comedy “1600 Penn.” Film credits include “Friends with Benefits” and “Keeping the Faith.”
· Jessica Hardy (@swimhardy): A multiple world record-holder in swimming and a 2012 Olympic medalist. A Long Beach, Calif. native, she also does motivational speaking and served as an ambassador for the United States Olympic Committee Team For Tomorrow.
· Jesse Metcalfe (@JesseMetcalfe): Actor best known for his role as a teen gardener on “Desperate Housewives” and who currently stars in the TNT continuation of “Dallas,” based on the 1978 series of the same name. Film credits include “John Tucker Must Die” and “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt.”
· Dakota Meyer (@Dakota_Meyer): Former U.S. Marine who received the Medal of Honor for his 2009 actions in Afghanistan. He wrote, Into the Fire: A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War, fundraises with the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, and has partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for the Hiring Our Heroes program.
· Jackson Rathbone (@JacksonRathbone): Actor best known for playing Jasper Hale in the hit “Twilight” movie series. Other film credits include “The Last Airbender.”
· Michelle Rodriguez (@MRodOfficial): Film actress best known for her tough girl physical roles, including starring in the record-breaking sci-fi film “Avatar,” the successful “Fast & Furious” franchise, the 2012 hit “Resident Evil: Retribution” and as a tough LAPD cop in TV’s “Lost.”
· Jeremy Sisto (@JeremySisto): Actor best known for playing Billy Chenowith on the series “Six Feet Under.” He also played Detective Cyrus Lupo on “Law & Order” and currently stars in the series “Suburgatory.”
· Mark Steines (@MarkSteines): Emmy award-winning journalist and host of the Hallmark Channel’s new how-to show, “Home & Family.” He spent more than 17 years on “Entertainment Tonight,” establishing himself as a trusted and charismatic figure in entertainment news.
· Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes): Emmy award-winning comedian, writer and actress who ranks among Entertainment Weekly's 25 Funniest People in America. She has hosted her own late night talk show, “The Wanda Sykes Show” and has appeared on TV shows including, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and films such as “Evan Almighty.”
· Michael Trucco (@MichaelTrucco): Actor best known for playing Samuel Anders on SyFy's acclaimed series "Battlestar Galactica" and Justin Patrick on the USA Network series “Fairly Legal.” Other credits include appearances on “Revenge,” “How I Met Your Mother” and “One Tree Hill.”
· Rutledge Wood (@RutledgeWood): Auto racing analyst on Fox Sports/SPEED and co-host of “Top Gear USA.”
Pro drivers competing against the stars for the title include motocross champion and MTV’s “Nitro Circus” star Andy Bell (@AndyBell), 2012 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race winner and comedian Adam Carolla (@AdamCarolla), Olympic gold medalist swimmer Tyler Clary (@TylerClary) and National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) driver Melanie Troxel (@MelanieTroxel).
“This talented and inspiring celebrity group will not only help Toyota share the story of this long-running charity event, but they also will feel the rush behind the wheel on the famous Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach track,” said Les Unger, Toyota national motorsports manager. “The Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race thrills both the participants and the crowds while giving back to kids in our communities through donations to Children's Hospital of Orange County and Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach.”
Rounding out the field is Glenn Faber, partner and general manager of Los Angeles area Keyes Toyota, as well as two charity auction winners: Dave Pasant, a retired insurance executive, and Carter Lay (@CarterLay), philanthropist and LAY'S chips heir.
The Toyota Pro/Celebrity race is one of the longest-running, corporate sponsored events of its kind. Since 1991, Toyota has donated more than $2 million to the Racing for Kids organization, on behalf of this race and its participants. In addition to Toyota’s contributions, a $15,000 donation will be made in conjunction with the 16th annual “People Pole Award.” Sponsored by People magazine, the award honors the pole-position winner of the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race qualifying session on April 19.
To learn more about the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race, visit toyotaracing.com.
"There are days when I relax but it won't be a full day. It usually means I'm gonna clean out my closet. That's relaxing for me. Or I'm gonna cook a full meal for my family and friends," Longoria, who will be 38 on Friday, said in a recent interview.
Longoria said she has no problem juggling various projects.
"I always say there's more time in the day than you think. You waste a lot of time that you don't realize," she said. "When I was on 'Desperate Housewives,' I learned two languages. I went back to school for my master's degree, I was married (to San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker) and flying back and forth (between Los Angeles and Texas). You have time."
Her passions also include philanthropy and politics. She's committed to encouraging Latin women to further their education and start entrepreneurial programs. She also founded Eva's Heroes, dedicated to teens and young adults with special needs.
She just wrapped up filming on "Frontera," alongside Ed Harris and Michael Pena, and has endorsement deals with L'Oreal, Frito-Lay and Sheba.
Longoria is also an executive producer on two upcoming TV shows.
On "Ready for Love," a reality dating show that will air on NBC, three matchmakers help three men find love.
Longoria says she handpicked each of the three eligible guys.
They're "not only handsome and successful, but generous, kind and sweet human beings. ... They'll forever be friends in my life," she said.
She's also one of the executive producers of "Devious Maids," alongside "Desperate Housewives" creator Mark Cherry. Based on a Mexican series, it follows four maids who work in Beverly Hills but dream of their own success. The show will air on Lifetime.
While she's enjoying TV production, Longoria said, "I love the medium of television. I'll definitely be back. I'll definitely come back one day."
Decked out in a colorful two-piece, Eva Longoria showed off her bikini bod while vacationing in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday.
The 37-year-old hottie was spotted relaxing on a lounge chair as she hit the sands of Copacabana Beach with friends.
Earlier in the day, the actress reportedly checked out some of the city's popular landmarks.
Although, one could argue that Longoria herself is quite the sightseeing attraction herself!
While the former Desperate Housewives star is too busy to parent one right now, she tells PEOPLE, "I always found that I identified with them. Cats are feminine and independent and playful, much like a woman."
Her affinity for felines is why she's partnered with Sheba cat food to kick off the Feed Your Passion campaign, in which cat lovers are encouraged to visit the brand's website and share a photo of themselves and their pet, or a video of their greatest passion.
"It's great because cat lovers are pretty passionate about their cats and about life, so we thought we'd engage them," says Longoria of the contest, which will award $5,000 to a winner every month until May.
For the star, who is also executive producing a new dating show called Ready for Love, it was one cat in particular that stirred her own fandom.
"I grew up with a lot of cats, but one in particular, her name was Cindy," Longoria says. "She was like a member of our family. I swear she lived for 20, 25 years because every childhood photo, she's in it with all my sisters and me."
In fact, so close was Longoria to the pet that when Cindy passed away, her mom shielded her from the truth.
"That was in college," she says. "My mom didn't even tell me she died. She told me she ran away ... I believed her in college."
The project focuses on an unlikely relationship between a gifted young girl (newcomer Johnny Sequoyah) and a man (Savages‘ Jake McLaughlin) sprung from prison who has been tasked with protecting her from the evil elements that hunt her power.
Twin Peaks and Desperate Housewives alum MacLachlan — who’s currently recurring on CBS’ The Good Wife — will play Skouras, a mysterious billionaire with an even more mysterious agenda.
The cast also includes Delroy Lindo, Jamie Chung and Sienna Guillory.
Alfonso Cuaron penned the script and will serve as an EP alongside Abrams and Bryan Burk.
Metcalfe — who clocked 120 mph and will compete in a Toyota-sponsored celebrity event in April — says, "It's a really big deal that Christopher win, because it would mean stopping the pumping of oil at Southfork."
Off the track, Christopher's long-absent uncle, Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford), returns to town to help Bobby (Patrick Duffy) — and the episode ends with some troubling news about J.R. (Larry Hagman). His death the following week will lead to a shocking reveal that J.R. is behind the disappearance of Chris' mother, Pam (Victoria Principal, who last played the role in 1987).
"All hell breaks loose," Metcalfe teases. "As we peel back the layers of the onion, a lot of things come to light. J.R. was attempting to set something in motion, and that involved Pam. I can't reveal more, but I'm excited about the possibility of Victoria Principal coming back to the show."
Huffman will play Margie, the matriarch of a family of assassins who can kill and dispose of a suspected terrorist in the afternoon and then switch to wife-and-mother mode without a hitch.
The one-hour drama will be directed by Hustle & Flow's Craig Brewster, who will also executive-produce the pilot.
Huffman's previous credits include Desperate Housewives, Sports Night and Transamerica.
Longoria, Kevin Spacey, John Goodman and other top Hollywood actors are being wooed by the growing number of Silicon Valley companies rushing to get a foothold in consumers' living rooms with exclusive shows that feature big names and hefty budgets.
As video streaming technology makes watching videos on laptops and mobile devices as easy as flicking on a TV set, Amazon.com Inc, Google Inc's YouTube, Yahoo and Microsoft Corp are setting up shop in Hollywood to produce or license their own series.
Their models are pay TV channels like HBO and Showtime that built their subscriber rolls by creating shows like HBO's "Sopranos" or Showtime's "Homeland" that a TV viewer couldn't get anywhere else.
"Content creators think they've hit the lottery," said Bernard Gershon, head of digital consultancy Gershon Media and a former Walt Disney Co executive. "Those companies are throwing a lot of dollars for content they can use to create a following."
With 33 million global subscribers to its streaming service, Netflix can afford to plunk down what analysts estimate was up to $100 million for the rights to "House of Cards," a slickly produced political drama starring two-time Oscar winner Spacey and produced by "The Social Network" film director David Fincher.
Upcoming only-on-Netflix series include the revival of one-time Fox comedy "Arrested Development" starring Will Arnett, and murder mystery "Hemlock Grove," directed by horror movie producer Eli Roth.
On Tuesday, the Los Gatos, California-based company announced the December release of its first original children's series, a show based on DreamWorks Animation's coming summer movie "Turbo" about a fast-moving snail.
The companies have different business models -- Amazon, Netflix and Microsoft have subscription services, YouTube sells advertising, while Intel Corp and Apple Inc may introduce cable-like services that offer channels online.
But they all sense an opening as consumers increasingly chafe at their mounting cable and satellite TV bills. A small, but increasing, number are starting to "cut the cord," or drop their service, say analysts.
"We may be sowing the seeds of our own destruction," Charlie Ergen, chairman of satellite operator Dish Network Corp, said at the AllThingsD "Dive into Media" conference on February 12. "A lot of people can live with Netflix and be perfectly happy."
Netflix has won fans in Hollywood by giving writers and directors a "high level of autonomy as well as an increasingly global distribution platform," Morgan Stanley analyst Scott Devitt said in a note to clients.
"There is plenty of room for multiple producers and licensors of original content," Devitt added.
Amazon.com's Prime subscription, which combines a video streaming service with free shipping for products it sells online, stepped up its Hollywood dealmaking in the last month with pacts to be the exclusive online home for popular PBS drama "Downton Abbey" and upcoming CBS show "Under the Dome," a series based on a Stephen King novel.
The Seattle-based company, seen by some analysts as Netflix's biggest threat, said last month it plans to air 11 original pilot episodes before deciding which to produce as ongoing series.
One of the pilots, "Alpha House," follows four senators who live together in a rented house. "Roseanne" and "Argo" actor John Goodman will star, according to a person close to the situation.
Overall, Amazon Studios has 48 movie and TV shows in development, an Amazon spokeswoman said.
Hulu, owned by media giants Disney, News Corp and Comcast Corp's NBCUniversal, is beefing up its own original and exclusive content for its free, ad-supported service and its monthly subscription plan. Hulu already has distributed than two dozen exclusive or original shows, including Morgan Spurlock documentary series "A Day in the Life."
Upcoming Hulu programs include Longoria's "Mother Up!" about a former music executive navigating life as a suburban mom.
Microsoft, which offers services such as Netflix on its XBox video game console, intends to produce its own content later this year for its 40 million subscribers, said Nancy Tellem, a former CBS entertainment president who joined Microsoft last year to run its fledging Hollywood production studio.
"We're not as constrained as other content creators," Tellem said at the AllThingsD conference. "We can produce something that's 10 minutes or an hour."
The XBox's benefit, Tellem said, is its interactivity. To generate added revenue, the service can sell tickets to concerts by stars of its comedies, or copies of the clothes worn by stars on red carpet events.
Deep-pocketed Apple Inc could also step into the entertainment production game. Industry insiders continue to believe that Apple intends to unveil a TV-based device that has the potential to shake up the television content and distribution industry the way the iPod and iPhone disrupted music and mobile content.
Sources say Apple, which already sells a $99 set top box called Apple TV that streams Netflix and other content, has opened discussions with providers, though its progress with the cozy club of Hollywood producers and distributors is unknown.
Chip maker Intel plans to launch an Internet television service this year with live and on-demand content, said Erik Huggers, vice president and general manager of Intel Media, who said he is negotiating with content providers.
The Silicon Valley newcomers may be taking aim at siphoning off cable subscribers, but executives at Time Warner's HBO premium service, don't seem particularly worried.
"Hulu and Amazon will be just another 200 hours on top of the 145,000 hours that are already available to the consumer," said HBO president Eric Kessler. "What matters is that our content is exclusive. If you want 'Game of Thrones,' there is only one place you can get it."
The actress visited the new restaurant and nightclub, She by Morton's, in Las Vegas – in which she is a part owner – on Saturday night, and revealed what's on her agenda for the heartfelt holiday.
"Eva said she would be spending Valentine's Day with her girlfriends – like she always does," a source tells PEOPLE. But that's not the only thing on her agenda. The former Desperate Housewives star also said she's also made plans for her March birthday.
"She's taking a charity trip to South America, which she is really excited about," the source says. "She joked that you shouldn't celebrate birthdays after a certain age because we don't want to remind people how old we are!"
It's not one of his exes, but it is someone who used to be involved with one of them: The Captain (Kyle MacLachlan), last seen in Season 6. Vulture reports he'll make his guest appearance on Feb. 18.
The circumstances of The Captain's return aren't being revealed, although it seems unlikely that Zoey (Jennifer Morrison), The Captain's wife-turned-Ted's (Josh Radnor) girlfriend, will return as well. Morrison is busy working on "Once Upon a Time," and most "HIMYM" fans would be happy not to see Zoey again.
February is shaping up to be something of a guest-star bonanza for "How I Met Your Mother." Monday's (Feb. 4) episode features another look at Robin Sparkles, Robin's (Cobie Smulders) pop-star alter ego, and a host of fellow Canadian guest stars, plus James Van Der Beek as Robin's former boyfriend Simon.
MacLachlan plays the mayor on "Portlandia" and co-starred in CBS' short-lived "Made in Jersey" earlier this season.
The Desperate Housewives star and Penélope Cruz's brother broke up in March 2012, rekindled, then split again in June 2012. But Wednesday morning, they were both spotted leaving Eva's L.A. home—albeit separately.
So is the third time the time for Eva and Eduardo? Can't say, but a source told E! News when twosome split there were "no harsh feelings" and the duo remained friends. As well, a source tells E! News that he's still friends with her roommates.
A rep for Eva declined to comment on the actress's personal life.
Longoria is credited with helping bring Hispanic support to President Barack Obama. She says everyone should be, quote, "engaged in a level that would affect policy" because "that's how our government is set up."
Hispanics voted 7 to 1 for Obama over his challenger, Republican Mitt Romney. Analysts say that while immigration is not the top issue for Hispanic voters, many were turned off by Republicans' hard-line stance on the issue.
During the GOP primary, Romney touted self-deportation as a solution to the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. And he said he would not let immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children to stay.
Longoria spoke on ABC's "This Week."
Moses will play Curtis Swint, a racist, xenophobic talk-radio host who visits New York for a live broadcast of his show. His outspoken views will force police commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) to choose between his sworn duty to ensure Swint's rights to free speech and assembly, and his own personal creed of tolerance and equality.
Besides his work as the mysterious Paul Young on Housewives and drunken adman Duck Phillips on Mad Men, Moses also recently recurred on the second season of The Killing. His other recent TV credits include Elementary, CSI, Criminal Minds, The Closer and Covert Affairs.
Blue Bloods airs Fridays at 10/9c on CBS. Moses' episode, entitled "Inside Jobs," is slated to air Feb. 1.
Eva Longoria, George Lopez, Mario Lopez, Chita Rivera and Rita Moreno are among a group of prominent performers who will gather Sunday, Jan. 20 for "Latino Inaugural 2013: In Performance at the Kennedy Center." Details of the tribute performance were announced Tuesday.
Longoria, a co-chair of Obama's inauguration festivities, is hosting the event. Additional performers will include Jose Feliciano, Melanie Griffith, New York City's Ballet Hispanico, Coro de Ninos de San Juan (the San Juan Children's Choir) and others.
In a statement, the former "Desperate Housewives" star said the inaugural events will foster more Latino engagement in Washington.
"Latinos played a critical role in this year's elections and helped tip the scales in President Obama's victory. But we are not waiting another four years to make an impact on our country's future," she said. "What better way to establish our presence at these inaugural celebrations than by showcasing the beauty and diversity of our culture at the nation's premier performing arts center."
The Latino inaugural gathering is driven in part by organizers of The Futuro Fund, which helped mobilize Latino support for the Obama-Biden re-election campaign. Millions of Hispanic voters turned out with 71 percent support for Obama. Republican candidate Mitt Romney's 27 percent Hispanic support was less than any presidential candidate in 16 years, drawing calls for Republicans to rethink their approach to Latinos.
Andres Lopez, a San Juan, Puerto Rico attorney and activist who was a national chairman of the election effort, said Latinos represent the nation's future.
"The story of Latinos is the story of America," he said. "Latinos made history in a big way this presidential election, and we look forward to writing the next chapter of this amazing story over the next four years."
The Kennedy Center is presenting the event with no charge to the organizers in two of its large theaters. The events come as the cultural center has been criticized for excluding Latinos from its high-profile Kennedy Center Honors.
Tickets went on sale Tuesday at the Kennedy Center box office, starting at $300 for the live performance in the center's Opera House and $150 for a simulcast in the center's Eisenhower Theater. A party will follow the show on the eve of Obama's public swearing in. It was not clear whether Obama would attend.
It's part of a three-day series of lectures and events focused on Latino issues. Coordinators include the National Council of La Raza and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.
San Antonio philanthropist and business leader Henry Munoz III, who is coordinating the entertainment event with Longoria and Andres Lopez, said Latinos deserve a place at the center of U.S. culture.
"The Kennedy Center is our nation's theater," he said. "As we inaugurate President Barack Obama, it is important to recall what President John F. Kennedy knew: that beyond the battles of politics 'we will be remembered for our contributions to the human spirit.'"
Rumors swirled after Star magazine’s source claimed the two were “holding hands and sneaking into a late-night showing of 'Lincoln'” in LA.
The “Desperate Housewives” star, who split with Jets QB Mark Sanchez in October, explicitly told her friend Mario Lopez on “Extra” that she is not dating the divorced Villaraigosa.
Longoria surmised to Lopez that her heavy involvement during the Obama campaign sparked her (false) romantic connection to the politician.
GossipCop checked in Longoria’s rep, who laughed off the rumor. “This is not true. Eva is not dating Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.”
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Anna Deavere Smith - "Nurse Jackie"
Gabourey Sidibe - "The Big C"
Gladys Knight - "The First Family"
Rashida Jones - "Parks and Recreation"
Vanessa Williams - "Desperate Housewives"
The former Desperate Housewives star tirelessly campaigned for the leader's re-election prior to America's vote last month, even speaking at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
It has now been announced that Longoria will serve as a co-chair of the Presidential Inaugural Committee, which oversees the planning of the official inauguration ball and other celebratory events honouring the newly re-elected president.
In a post on her Twitter.com page, the thrilled star writes, "Excited and honoured to co-chair the Obama inaugural in 2013! Will I see you in DC?"
Obama's public inauguration ceremony will take place in Washington, D.C. on 21 January (13) and marks the official start of the President's second term in office.
The 37-year-old former Desperate Housewives star looks stunning on GQ Mexico's December cover, baring her assets in white-hot lingerie.
The smoky-eyed star sported sexy, tousled hair for the shoot, posing seductively with her arm wrapped around her toned bod.
While Longoria may be absent from the small screen for now, she's set to heat up the big screen in January 2013 with her upcoming action flick, The Baytown Outlaws, which also stars Paul Wesley and Billy Bob Thornton.
In the film, Longoria plays a woman who relies on three brothers to help save her son from an abusive father.
Hagman (ex-Curt, Search For Tomorrow/ex-Ed, The Edge Of Night/ex-Johnny, The Edge Of Night), who played the dastardly oilman on Dallas, and, as such, became TV's highest-paid actor and the focal point of one of the most-watched shows ever.
He died Friday afternoon at Medical City Dallas Hospital from complications of his recent battle with cancer, according to the Dallas Morning News. He was 81.
"Larry was back in his beloved Dallas, re-enacting the iconic role he loved most," Hagman's family said in a statement to the paper. "Larry's family and close friends had joined him in Dallas for the Thanksgiving holiday. When he passed, he was surrounded by loved ones. It was a peaceful passing, just as he had wished for. The family requests privacy at this time."
In October 2011, Hagman revealed he was being treated for an unspecified form of cancer. At the time, he was preparing to saddle back up as Ewing in a Dallas reboot for TNT.
The original Dallas ran from 1979-1991, dominating the Nielsen ratings, inspiring a prime-time soap craze, and giving rise to "Who Shot J.R.?" mania.
At the center of it all was Hagman, maybe the one American in the summer of 1980 who didn't care who'd stalked the Ewing Oil headquarters, and fired bullets into ol' J.R.
"After all, I'm J.R.," Hagman told the Associated Press back in the day, "so it wasn't me."
The son of Broadway musical legend Mary Martin (South Pacific), Hagman was born Sept. 21, 1931, in J.R. Ewing territory—Fort Worth, Texas.
Hagman became a star in his own right in 1965 as straight-man Major Tony Nelson to Barbara Eden's mischievous genie on I Dream of Jeannie. The sitcom ran for five seasons, and for forever in reruns—the latter-day Hagman would remark he was more recognized as astronaut Tony than bad-guy J.R.
By the late 1970s, Hagman was a familiar face but not a big name when he was given the script for a planned series about a wealthy Texas family that lived communally on a ranch called Southfork.
From the start, Hagman said, he knew there was something special about Dallas: "There wasn't one redeeming person in it," he once said. "Even the mother was bad."
Dallas started slowly in the ratings. But by its third season, it was in the Top 10—and about to explode.
On Mar. 21, 1980, on the occasion of the series' third-season closer, Hagman's J.R. was felled by gunfire. The identity of the assailant was not revealed. The season-ending cliffhanger was, if not invented, then invigorated.
All through the summer, the press and public ran through the list of suspects. The suspense only ratcheted up in the fall, when new episode after new episode went by with still no answer. Finally, on Nov. 21, 1980, J.R.'s spurned sister-in-law Kristin Shepard (played by Mary Crosby) confessed to the shooting. The episode, "Who Done It?," became the highest-rated prime-time program of its time. Though subsequently outdrawn by the M*A*S*H* finale and various Super Bowls, it still ranks among the elite.
"When the 'Who Shot J.R.?' episodes came along," Hagman once remembered to CNN, "I knew we were set for a long time."
Dallas was TV's No. 1 show from 1980-82, and again from 1983-84. The show's series finale ended with yet another bang—except this time, J.R., egged on by no less than Satan, shot himself. Or so it seemed.
J.R. and Hagman, a reformed heavy drinker who underwent a liver transplant in 1995, survived for two Dallas reunion movies in the 1990s.
Though best known for TV, Hagman had featured big-screen roles in the Cold War classic, Fail Safe, and the Clintonesque comedy-drama, Primary Colors.
With his wife of nearly 60 years under 24-hour care for Alzheimer's disease, Hagman said in 2011 that he looked forwarded to returning to Dallas for a next-generation take.
"It made my name the first time around," Hagman said of the franchise to the Daily Mirror. "Now I believe it will save me, by keeping me busy and working."
The now 2 year old lawsuit stemmed from the former housewife claiming she was wrongfully fired after complaining about being struck in the head during an argument by the ABC hit show's creator Marc Cherry.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the court's chief justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye ruled on Friday: "The petition for review is denied. The request for an order requesting depublication of the opinion is denied."
The ruling marks another loss for Sheridan, as her initial claims against Cherry were eventually dismissed, and Sheridan's case against ABC and its producers ended in a mistrial. Her request for a rehearing was subsequently rejected, which then lead the actress to appeal to the state's Supreme Court.
Eek! Looks like for Sheridan, troubles follow her even out of Wisteria Lane!
Still, the case probably isn't finished yet as the actress is expected to return to court again to argue that her dismissal was the result of a labor-code violation.
After co-starring on the first casualty of the fall season — RIP Made in Jersey! — Kyle MacLachlan has rebounded with a multi-episode arc on CBS' other legal drama, The Good Wife, Entertainment Weekly reports.
Little is known about his character, but it is said he will interact with Eli (Alan Cumming). Could MacLachlan play the latest new candidate entering the gubernatorial race? Or maybe MacLachlan will play a manager for one of the rival campaigns? Start speculating now!
MacLachlan is just one of a plethora of guest stars for Good Wife's fourth season. Nathan Lane, Amanda Peet and Maura Tierney have already popped up, and T.R. Knight and Stockard Channing will appear on future episodes of the critically acclaimed legal drama.
MacLachlan, 53, is best known for his roles on cult classic Twin Peaks, as well as Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives. He also recurs on Portlandia.
The Good Wife airs Sundays at 9/8c on CBS.
But on Tuesday the Desperate Housewives star posted a picture of herself with short, tousled hair to her WhoSay page.
"You guys like the new hairdo??" she teased. Hairstylist Ken Paves also hinted at a major cut, linking to a shot of shorn brunette locks on a set floor with "Ooops!!" as the caption.
While some fans poured out compliments for Eva's short-haired look, others tweetedabout "ALREADY [MISSING HER] LONG HAIR
"Ok I'm kidding," Longoria admitted. "its a wig!"
She clarified that it's actually "a @kenpaves hair piece! cool huh?"
Yes indeed, but we like her long hair best!
Longoria, who played Gaby Solis on Desperate Housewives for eight years, is an executive producer on the upcoming NBC matchmaking show Ready for Love, which follows three successful and attractive bachelors trying to find their soul mates . The reality series, hosted by Giuliana and Bill Rancic, is set to debut sometime this winter on NBC.
"Having Eva Longoria on our team is a huge advantage for our Alternative program development as we have pleasantly discovered in implementing her ideas for Ready for Love, which is shaping up as a terrific and upbeat series," NBC Entertainment's President of Alternative and Late Night Programming, Paul Telegdy, said in a statement. "She is passionate, fully engaged and has keen instincts for putting together a winning formula for her shows that always bear her imprint."
NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke added: "We know that this new agreement with Eva Longoria is significant in continuing what has already been a productive relationship. She has exceptional energy, vision, a prestigious name and the creative knack for finding compelling new concepts for our growing studio."
Longoria is also producing the upcoming Lifetime series Devious Maids, which comes from her former Desperate Housewives boss Marc Cherry.
"I am thrilled and excited to join Universal Television on what promises to be a wonderful and creative partnership, especially given all of the recent success at both the studio and the NBC network," Longoria said. "The collaboration between UTV and my production company, UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, on our Ready for Love project has been extraordinary. Looking ahead it will be fun to find and develop unique scripted and non-scripted shows that excite television audiences."
Sources connected to the former couple tell us ... they broke up because Mark was impossible for Eva to be around because he was in such a crappy mood over the NY Jets' horrible season.
As one source puts it, "It's hard to maintain a relationship when one person is upset all the time."
FYI -- the Jets are 3-4 and coming off another heartbreaking loss to Tom Brady's Patriots.
Despite the split, we're told the two are serious about remaining friends -- and have nothing but respect for each other.
The former Desperate Housewives star, 37, and New York Jets quarterback, Mark Sanchez, 25, have ended their brief relationship, a source confirms to PEOPLE.
"Eva and Mark split amicably and remain friends," the insider tells PEOPLE of the pair, who were spotted frequently together over the summer. "There is no drama."
A rep for Longoria is not commenting.
Longoria previously dated Eduardo Cruz, and Sanchez was linked earlier this year to supermodel Kate Upton.
Back in January, Longoria began laser treatments to erase 3 Tony Parker-inspired tats -- the "NINE" tattoo ... the wedding date tattoo on her wrist ... and Tony's initials (which were put on a very private, undisclosed location).
Tattoo removal doesn't happen overnight -- it takes multiple sessions, which have to be spaced out over several months.
But judging by the way her neck looked in Bev Hills yesterday, Eva's body is just a couple more months away from being a fresh canvas again.
CBS has pulled Made in Jersey from its Friday-night lineup and will replace it with new episodes of Undercover Boss beginning Nov. 2, the network announced Wednesday.
NCIS reruns will take over the show's time slot, Friday night at 8 p.m., this week and on Oct. 26. On Oct. 19, it will be replaced by a rerun of Hawaii Five-0. The revised schedule also moves CSI: NY to 9 p.m.
Made in Jersey, about a young attorney (Janet Montgomery) who tries to juggle her career at a high-powered Manhattan law firm with her brash Italian family back in New Jersey, struggled in its first two outings and was the lowest-rated new series of the fall.
A CBS spokesperson would not confirm that the lineup shuffle means the show has been definitively canceled, but it's a pretty safe bet.
Are you sorry to see Made in Jersey go?
The 25-year-old NFL hunk led his team to victory in overtime against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. And just two days before, Sanchez and his lovely girlfriend Eva Longoria were spotted holding hands in New York City.
Sanchez kept it cool and casual in a blue cotton shirt, swish pants and flip-flops. Longoria, 37, was also laid-back city chic, stunning in a white shirt, white jeans and gold sandals.
If it's Longoria that's bringing Sanchez luck, the Jets might want to find a lady for backup quarterback Tim Tebow. Sanchez fired a fastball at the handsome golden boy in Sunday's game, only it smacked Tebow's helmet and bounced off. Whoops.
Still, we know plenty of ladies who'd be happy to be his good-luck charm.
While appearing on Tuesday's Chelsea Lately, the topic naturally came up, and the actress couldn't have been more receptive to it.
"You've been dating awhile?" host Chelsea Handler inquired.
"For a second," replied Longoria with a smile. "He's focused right now on football."
But despite the fact that the relationship is still fairly new, Longoria obviously feels ready to play matchmaker between Handler and one of Sanchez's fellow teammates.
"We should set you up with [Tim] Tebow!" Longoria exclaimed after Handler expressed interest in dating an athlete.
"Tebow? Oh yeah, that would be a perfect match for me," joked Handler.
Not to mention we don't think Katy Perry's parents would approve.
Snapper Jork Weismann asked friends and Chateau regulars to recreate their sleeping attire and habits for his new book Asleep at the Chateau, and actress Longoria agreed to strip off for her sexy shot.
Taken as the former Desperate Housewives star sleeps with her back to the camera - a bed sheet pulled down to her thighs - the erotic shot exposes her buttocks and her back.
The book also features sleeping shots of punk poet Patti Smith, who likes to fall asleep while reading James Joyce, and rapper RZA, clutching a marijuana joint in his hand.
The freshly-minted couple left the Ritz-Carlton in NYC for a late night dinner at the uber-fancy French restaurant Daniel.
The New York Jets QB is 25 -- she's 37.
Having just divorced another professional athlete -- NBA star Tony Parker -- Eva's clearly got a thing. As for Sanchez, he was previously banging 20-year-old Kate Upton.
Strong and fellow "Everwood" alum Tom Amandes will guest-star in an episode of the ABC drama in the fall, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He'll play the governor of a state, with Strong as his wife. There's a chance both could extend their roles beyond one episode.
(A third "Everwood" veteran, Debra Mooney, will also recur on "Scandal" this season. There's no word on whether her appearances will overlap with those of Amandes and Strong.)
Just how they come into contact with Olivia (Kerry Washington) is being kept secret. But it's safe to assume it's not because everything is going swimmingly.
Amandes and Strong both appeared on The WB's "Everwood," though never together, as Strong -- who played Andy's (Treat Williams) late wife -- only showed up in flashbacks. She currently stars on TNT's "Dallas." Amandes has guested on "Scandal" creator Shonda Rhimes' other shows, "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice"; his other recent credits include "Parenthood," "Eli Stone" and "Big Love."
Season 2 of "Scandal" premieres at 10 p.m. ET Thursday, Sept. 27.
The Desperate Housewives star was recently rumoured to have moved on from her on/off relationship with Penelope Cruz's younger brother Eduardo after she was spotted stepping out on a number of low-key dates with New York Jets quarterback Sanchez.
The new couple even managed to get away for a brief vacation in the Caribbean, according to rumours.
And now the lovely Latina, who has been reluctant to share details about her personal life since splitting from basketball ace Tony Parker in 2010, has confirmed the new romance.
Asked about the relationship rumours by TV presenter pal Mario Lopez during an appearance on his U.S. news show Extra, she confessed, "Mark and I are, you know, fine. We're happy just dating."
"Life's so short," the actress, 37, told PEOPLE Monday. "You should be surrounded by people who make each other better people."
One of her favorite folks to work with, she says, is George Lopez, 51, who happens to be her co-host at the Latin community's ALMA Awards, airing Sept. 21.
"We're in a stage in our lives where we've done a lot in our careers and we work with people we want to work with," the former Desperate Housewives star says of herself and Lopez.
Now she's looking forward to hosting the awards show with her close pal for the third time.
"There's a mutual respect and a lot of love," Lopez tells PEOPLE of Longoria. "Also, I think Eva is, without question, one of the funniest, most spontaneous people I've ever met."
Echoes Longoria, "I love being George's sidekick for the night. I set up the jokes and he knocks them out of the park. He's the funniest guy around."
The show, which Lopez calls "the Emmys with curves," will feature presentations by stars including, Jake Gyllenhaal and Devious Maids cast members Ana Ortiz, Dania Ramirez, Edy Ganem and Judy Reyes. Christina Aguilera will be on hand to receive a special achievement award.
Hispanic cable network mun2 is presenting the Alma Awards red carpet special, and Telemundo is hosting the show's official website. The show airs Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
Eva Longoria mixed and mingled with Democratic National Convention attendees at a Got Your 6 event in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday night.
The Desperate Housewives star posed for photos on the red carpet, sharing her political views with the press. She also spoke about the importance of supporting Got Your 6, which aims to bridge the gap between military personnel and citizens by aiding in the reintegration of returning veterans into society.
During the event, Flo Rida performed all of his hits, including "Whistle", for the crowd of celebrities, delegates and democratic supporters.
Longoria teased the rapper-singer about his patriotic attire and joked about borrowing his American flag scarf for her speech on Thursday.
Eva was the special guest at the Your Life Your Time Your Vote Event hosted by Got Your 6 and Lifetime Television and hit the stage to rile the crowd up for a performance by the "Whistle" rapper. But, naturally, she had today's impending speech on her mind.
"I'm excited! It's probably the most important speech I've ever done in my life, to this point," Eva, who wore a black and yellow dress, told us. "It's an important audience. It's going to be overwhelming, but I'm so honored that they asked me to do it. It's a privilege to be able to speak to the American public in this forum."
But nerves or not, she says she's ready: "There's no winging it!" she continued. "I think the preparation is really key. I'm definitely prepared and ready. I'm more worried about tripping or something, not about the speech."
Eva has some tough acts to follow, though, after Michelle Obama's wow-worthy speech Tuesday night and President Bill Clinton's Wednesday night barnburner.
"Michelle is a great orator; she's extremely articulate," Eva gushed over the FLOTUS. "I just loved how she humanized her husband and the kind of man he is in moving the country forward, not because it's political but because it's personal. Which I love."
That said, the former Desperate Housewives actress (who says that Obama told her he did love her soapy ABC hit, though she claims "I'm sure he doesn't have a lot of time to watch it") isn't trying to model her speech off of anyone else's.
"Everybody has such a personal narrative in their speech, their stories, their American dream, the American story," Eva explained to us. "So I'm going to do a little of that tomorrow night, talk about my personal story, my American dream, specifically with education and my journey with education and my journey as an entrepreneur."
Eva is also ready for fans who might critique the actress for taking a strong political stance, saying, "There's things more important than acting and movie turnout, and that's being civically engaged and trying to make this country a better place for everybody. And I care deeply about this country, a lot more than any role I could do."
Desperate Housewives alum Brenda Strong has landed guest-starring role on the Shonda Rhimes' political fixer drama, TVGuide.com has learned exclusively.
Strong, best known for being the voice of Wisteria Lane and for her recent turn on the Dallas reboot, will play Joan Reston, the wife of a governor.
The 52-year-old Emmy nominee, whose credits also include Everwood, 7th Heaven and Rizzoli & Isles, is slated to appear in at least one episode of the second season, which debuts Thursday, Sept. 27 at 10/9c on ABC.
Time-Slot Competition: The Mentalist (CBS), Revolution (NBC), Homeland (Showtime)
Cast: Terry O'Quinn, Vanessa Williams, Dave Annable, Rachael Taylor, Robert Buckley
Status: We've seen the pilot episode
O'Quinn and Williams are a match made in TV-marriage heaven as Gavin and Olivia, the owners of the show's ominous NYC apartment building The Drake; both actors clearly enjoy their slightly sinister roles. They are deliciously devious, the kind of evil where everything they say has another meaning. While O'Quinn is no-doubt-about-it evil with his whole soul-takin'/sellin' business (Is he the devil? The devil's middleman? We shall see!) Williams' has a touch of sadness to her from a past event, and is kind of like a mob wife when it comes to her husband's misdeeds.
Brothers & Sisters' Annable and Grey's Anatomy's Taylor play Henry and Jane, the new couple who move in the building as managers. Henry works in the mayor's office while Jane takes a special interest in the building's history (she likes architecture) and quickly becomes suspicious of the ruling couple. We were kind of hoping that there was something special about them, or even one of them, that brought them to The Drake, but that doesn't appear to be the case. But Jane's necklace should prove to be interesting to mythology-lovers.
Also of note: One Tree Hill's Rob Buckley wears hipster glasses. (Bless you, costume designer. Bless you.) He also uses a typewriter a lot while looking pensive. (Bless you, props department. Bless you.)
But is the supernatural show actually scary? We imagine the team behind 666 has a love-hate feeling toward American Horror Story. Love, because without it, we're not sure ABC would have been as likely to partake in the horror genre. Hate, because the FX hit can go there without having to worry about retaining ABC's mainstream audience. The scares are always going to be bigger and better.
Another win for AHS? The murder house featured in season one felt like a character. Throughout the pilot, we were hoping that the Drake would start to feel more like a character, especially since the show is named after the building, but it never quite got there. Here's hoping they can evoke that in the episodes to come.
We love the idea of an apartment building, as that means there are endless stories to tell, as tenants move in or out (or, you know, die). Hey, this is New York City. A deal with the Devil for a great apartment at a great price? You'd at least think about making that deal, admit it.
Verdict: With stellar lead-ins (Once Upon a Time and Revenge), we think 666 should be able to find an audience, but we're taking out a six-month lease space on our DVRs, for now.
Desperate Housewives' Steven Culp has landed a recurring role on Grey's Anatomy, Deadline reports. The actor will play "top dog" Dr. Parker on the ABC medical drama.
With many of the residents' futures still up in the air, it's unknown whether Parker will join the team at Seattle Grace or another hospital.
Culp is best known for playing Rex Van de Kamp on Housewives, which ended its eight-season run in May. His past credits include JAG, The West Wing, Drop Dead Diva, Longmire and Perception.
Who do you hope to see Culp's Dr. Parker working with?
Though the appeals court ruled that Sheridan was not fired from Desperate Housewives, rather the studio and network decided not to pick up the actress' contract between seasons, she can pursue claims that she was retaliated against after complaining that creator Marc Cherry allegedly struck her on the head while on set.
"The Court of Appeal correctly found that Ms. Sheridan was not terminated," Adam Levin, the attorney for ABC and Touchstone, said in a statement. "Instead, her employment ended because Touchstone elected not to renew her contract after her character, Edie Britt, died on the show. Her last remaining claim for wrongful termination is gone, and while she may seek to add an OSHA claim, we believe we will prevail on that claim as well."
However, Sheridan's attorney Marc Baute says they will continue to pursue the claims that Sheridan was fired in retaliation for her complaint. "We will prosecute Touchstone to the fullest extent of the law under Labor Code Section 6310," he said in a statement.
Maybe these folks are trying to spot the paparazzi before the paparazzi can spot them, or maybe they want heels that can double as chopsticks whenever they head over to Nobu. Whatever the reason, the average height of those shoes had been about six inches.
Until Eva Longoria came along.
Behold the pint-sized, 5-foot-2-inch stunner in a pair of seven-inch snakeskin platforms by Olcay Gulsen. Before you run out and try them on (best have $1,100 handy) know this: the shoes are part of a costume—Longoria was shooting a scene for a new, unknown project in Los Angeles when this photo was shot.
The point? Stumbling around on a set is one thing, but foraging around the streets of Los Angeles or navigating stairs without a production assistant? That's another kettle of snakes altogether.
Our advice to you rabid fashionistas? File these ankle-straps under the same category belonging to Alexander McQueen's deadly armadillo pumps: Better admired than worn.
Felicity and Bill are being sued by a woman named Lourdes Orozco ... who claims she went down hard on the stairway from hell back in April, 2011.
According to the lawsuit the stairs were "dirty and poorly maintained," and lacked "regulated handrails."
The suit further alleges WHM and his wife were negligent ... because they "knew or should have known" the stairway conditions "could easily cause anyone to slip and fall, as in [Orozco's] case, resulting in serious personal injury."
The lawsuit also accuses Macy and Huffman of willful failure to warn Orozco about the allegedly horrendous staircase.
It's unclear from the documents what Orozco's relationship is to Bill and Felicity. She's suing for damages in excess of $25,000 ... including lost wages and medical expenses.
TMZ broke the story ... Roman Gasparyan filed a suit against Longoria almost two years ago. He claimed the actress lost control of her BMW and crashed into him on Hollywood Blvd while sporting "red and bloodshot" eyes ... but Eva claimed the wreck was NOT her fault.
All that's behind them now ... the settlement was announced in L.A Superior Court on August 3 ... just 12 days before the case was supposed to go to trial.
The terms of the settlement are unclear at this time.
Lupe's "Desperate Housewives" co-star Eva Longoria was among the famous faces ... along with Wilmer Vaderrama and Edward James Olmos ... who appeared with Lupe in a Broadway play.
As we previously reported, Lupe -- who famously portrayed Selena's killer in the 1990 biopic -- passed away on July 26 ... after a battle with liver cancer.
She was 69 years old.
But the rocky pair seemed anything but lovey-dovey during the outing.
"They had little to no interaction at all with each other," an onlooker tells PEOPLE. "The lunch was far from romantic."
But still, they managed to share their dishes, which included yellowtail sashimi, a spicy yellowtail roll, shiitake mushroom and sea bass sashimi.
Her relationship with Cruz aside, the source says Longoria, who kept her sunglasses on the whole time, was "very cordial to the staff."
"'Twin Peaks' was meant to be backdoor two-hour pilot, but ABC -- for some reason we've not been able to understand why -- picked it up," he said while promoting his new CBS legal procedural, "Made in Jersey."
"It was the first time I'd done TV, and it had tremendous impact and set the tone for future roles -- that's where I made a mark," said the actor, who also worked with "TP" creator David Lynch on "Dune" and "Blue Velvet."
"I see David frequently when I'm in Los Angeles -- we don't live that far from each other," the actor told Zap2it. Unfortunately, he has "no plans at the moment" to collaborate again with Lynch. "I don't know what he's got up his sleeve," he said with a laugh.
In addition to acting, MacLachlan says he is "still making wine up in the Pacific Northwest, Walla Walla red wine with Denham Cellars" -- not far from his Yakima hometown and the fictional Twin Peaks.
We couldn't resist asking the erstwhile Agent Cooper -- famous for his love of the Double R Diner's damn fine coffee and a cherry pie that'll kill ya -- whether coffee and cherry are part of his vino's flavor profile.
"There are definitely components of coffee and cherry," he told us with a chuckle. "Particularly cherry. You can have my wine with cherry pie very easily -- absolutely."
Williams says that she looks at the moneyed, troublesome couple as a supernatural version of Bernie and Ruth Madoff. "It's a world that I wanted to explore. It's the Upper East Side. It's luxurious. It's a couple that are very powerful," she says. "I thought about the Madoffs immediately because they were extremely wealthy. They had incredible land holdings all over that people knew about and knew that they had a great amount of wealth. And then we all saw the dark side and what happened and how they created their empire."
They're not the only powerful people she studied when approaching the role. "Also a little bit of Donald Trump," she admits. "He's known to be the realtor worldwide, but also in Manhattan he is very well known, and the power and mystique of his buildings. So I saw that kind of power as part of Gavin and Olivia's world."
She would like to stress, of course, that while Gavin may well be the devil -- she doesn't mean to compare Donald Trump to Satan. "To clarify, when I mentioned Donald Trump, I mentioned that was the world," she jokes. "Everyone sees him as a real estate icon in Manhattan. That's what Gavin is. He owns The Drake, which is they use the exterior of the Ansonia, which is a landmark building on the Upper West Side which we're using for the East Side. So he's a mogul and that's the parallel. That's all I was saying."
Ontiveros was reportedly suffering from liver cancer.
Lupe's "Selena" co-star Jacob Vargas was at her bedside last night and tweeted, "My friend Lupe Ontiveros just passed away. May you rest in peace. Thank you for your great contribution to film and TV. You will be missed."
Some of Lupe's long list of other credits include "The Goonies," "As Good As it Gets," Hill Street Blues" and "Desperate Housewives" -- for which she was nominated for an Emmy.
Ontiveros is survived by her husband and three adult children.
"I was in L.A. [when Harper took her first steps]," Longoria, 37, told PEOPLE at Lay's "Do Us a Flavor" contest in New York Friday. "I saw the Tweet, but Victoria had emailed me a picture earlier."
Longoria also celebrated Harper's first birthday with the Beckhams in L.A. before they flew off to London.
As for the rumors that Longoria is dating New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, the Desperate Housewives star put to rest any gossip. "We're just friends," she said.
The two had been seen together on several date-like outings, including a supermarket trip near Sanchez's Bedminster, N.J., home. But, as Longoria puts it: "I am happy where I am in my life. Very happy."
She also mentioned that she'll be rooting for good friend Serena Williams during the Summer Games, adding that watching tennis on TV is one of her favorite pastimes. Williams recently won her fifth women's singles title at Wimbledon, and is reportedly resting her back before competing in the London Olympics.
"I know she was smiling down on Hollywood this morning. I was up early to hear them and after I saw her name I broke down and was so full of joy for her and sadness that I couldn't reach out and call her this morning," publicist Nadine Jolson told E! News. "I do know that she was extremely proud of the work she did on Housewives this season. And It was quite brave of her to take on the storyline of her character's losing battle with lung cancer and so terribly sad for her to lose her own battle just three weeks later."
Joosten, who passed away on June 2 after a long battle with the disease, got a nod in the Outstanding Guest Actress in Comedy category—a category in which she twice won before. And if you saw her moving death scene on the Desperate Housewives series finale, then of course you are not surprised at all by this nomination.
Do you think anyone but Joosten will win that Emmy come Sept. 23?
"More sweet than bitter, for sure," Strong, who now stars on TNT's "Dallas," tells Zap2it of her nomination for outstanding voice-over performance for narrating the long-running ABC series. "Had I been honored in the beginning, the first two years, it wouldn't be the same. Having it come at the end makes it feel so much more important and special, because I know it's over."
She's also thrilled that her co-star Kathryn Joosten, who died in June, was nominated a final time. Joosten won two guest-acting Emmys on "Desperate Housewives" but got her first nomination in the supporting actress category on Thursday.
"She was so special," Strong says of Joosten. "... She loved her work so much -- that was her driving force. She loved being an actress. [During filming of the series finale] we were hugging, and she looked at me and said, 'Will you vote for me?' I said, 'Kathy, of course I'll vote for you.'"
Strong appeared on-camera as Mary Alice Young in the "Desperate Housewives" finale in addition to narrating, and she was on set when the final scene filmed. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world," she says. "We all sat around the kitchen table with [creator] Marc [Cherry] and reminisced. It was very special."
The voice-over Emmy is part of the Creative Arts ceremony on Sept. 15; the Primetime Emmys will air on ABC on Sept. 23.
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory
Kathryn Joosten, Desperate Housewives
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Voice-Over Performance
Brenda Strong, Desperate Housewives
Dan Povenmire, Phineas and Ferb
Rob Riggle, Prep & Landing: Naughty Vs. Nice
Maurice LaMarche, Futurama
Kristin Wiig, The Looney Tunes Show
Hank Azaria, The Simpsons
Burgi will play Councilman Anthony Russo, the powerful, wealthy chairman of the Committee on Public Saftey. He promises Police Commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) that he will do his best to prevent NYPD budget cuts, but we're not so sure Frank should trust Russo's methods. Despite being a decorated former homicide cop, his private life is awfully checkered.
Besides his work as Karl Myer on Housewives, Burgi is also known for his roles on Days of Our Lives, The Sentinel, 24, Point Pleasant and Harper's Island. He most recently recurred on Chuck and One Tree Hill and is slated to guest-star this season on Burn Notice.
Blue Bloods returns Friday, Sept. 28 at 10/9c on CBS.
But who among them is earning more than all her small-screen sisters?
None other than Sofia Vergara!
The Modern Family star is believed to have pulled in a whopping $19 million over the past year, according to Forbes, which just released its list of 2012's highest-paid TV actresses.
That might at first come as a bit of surprise, until you consider that, in addition to her hit ABC sitcom, Vergara has also appeared in three films over the last 12 months in addition to scoring several lucrative endorsement deals in both English and Spanish. What's more, she also runs a media company she cofounded in 1996.
Right on Vergara's sexy heels, though, is Kim Kardashian. Between May 2011 and May 2012, the magazine estimates the E! star pocketed $18 million, thanks to the success of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, a new fragrance and her clothing line with sisters Kourtney and Khloé, who landed in the No. 5 spot with $11 million in total earnings.
Rounding out the top 10?
Eva Longoria ($15 million), Bethenny Frankel ($12 million), Tina Fey ($11 million), Mariska Hargitay ($10 million) as well as Zooey Deschanel, Felicity Huffman and Ellen Pompeo ($9 million).
Favorite Movie Actress—Drama/Adventure
Salma Hayek, Savages
Eva Longoria, For Greater Glory
Eva Mendes, Girl in Progress
Roselyn Sanchez, Act of Valor
Zoë Saldana, Colombiana
Bledsoe is best known for her role as Vanessa on the long-running hit sitcom "The Cosby Show" and is trying her hand at another television comedy called "Guys With Kids" on NBC this fall. The show, produced by Jimmy Fallon, is about three 30-something new dads trying to hold on to their youth.
Singer and "Desperate Housewives" actress Williams isn't headed to Essence to sing but rather to talk about her relationship with her mom, Helen, during one of a series of free panel discussions on family, love and relationships at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
Essence Fest is one of the premier music festivals celebrating black culture and music.
The two are doing their best to keep their budding romance under wraps, In Touch magazine said.
The 37-year-old Longoria, previously married to San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker, even went as far as donning a blonde wig last month when she, The Sanchize and pals dined at New York’s Hotel Griffou, the mag reported.
Weeks after the Griffou date, they pulled off a quiet island-hopping adventure in the Caribbean, In Touch said.
Longoria, who just wrapped her long run on “Desperate Housewives,” was married to the 30-year-old Parker for 3 ½ years before their divorce was finalized early last year.
The spitfire actress recently broke up with Spanish singer Eduardo Cruz, 27.
Sanchez, 25, has also been linked with Sports Illustrated model Kate Upton.
The Desperate Housewives star began dating Penelope Cruz's singer brother last February, several months after separating from her basketball star husband Tony Parker over reports of infidelity.
The couple was thought to have ended its relationship in March but put rumours to rest a month later by sharing a romantic meal in Hollywood and later jetting off to Seville, where they were spotted getting intimate on 17 June.
However according to a representative for Cruz, the two have now called it quits for good, reports UsMagazine.com.
At least for now.
The Desperate Housewives star showed off a decidedly shorter 'do while attending an opening night event at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday.
Instead of the lengthy brunette hairstyle she wore throughout the eight seasons of the ABC series, the 47-year-old actress was seen proudly sporting a chin-length cut with highlights.
So what do you think of Hatcher's hair?
Judge Elizabeth Allen White of Los Angeles Superior Court vacated the retrial date after admitting to being confused by wording in a writ issued by the court of appeals which put a temporary stay on the retrial.
The writ prevented Sheridan's team from going ahead with the wrongful termination claim, but allowed for Sheridan's team to amend its complaint and make claim under California Labor Code 6310 (b), which protects employees from being terminated or threatened with termination if they make a complaint about workplace safety.
"Frankly, I find the language puzzling," the judge said.
The judge also ordered attorneys for both sides to return to settlement talks to Judge Helen Bendix on July 20.
During Friday's hearing, Baute continued to try to make the case for a wrongful termination claim.
"To keep this simple, Ms. Sheridan was fired before her contract was up," Baute told the court.
"Mr. Baute has argued this nine times," Adam Levin, attorney for Touchstone, countered, adding, "The plaintiff is frankly ordering nonsense. The plaintiff is asking the court to violate the court of appeal."
Judge White concluded, "I am going to let the court of appeal sort it out ... I will do whatever the court of appeal asks me to do."
Sheridan originally sued Touchstone and ABC for $20 million for being improperly fired after she said she was slapped by Marc Cherry in a dispute. Cherry countered that he was merely attempting to give Sheridan stage direction, and that the decision to kill off her character, Edie Britt, was made months before the incident.
In March the case ended in mistrial after the jury failed to reach a verdict. A retrial had been set for September 10, before Judge White vacated the date.
On May 31, an appeals court issued the temporary stay, affirming an appeal by ABC lawyers that argued that Sheridan did not have the right to sue for wrongful termination.
Sheridan's attorney Mark Baute told TheWrap on Friday that he will focus on preserving the wrongful termination claim, despite the appeals court's writ.
"The trial court recognizes, as did the Court of Appeal, that the Section 6310 (b) claim must go forward and the complaint amended to include that claim," Baute told TheWrap after the hearing. "The trial court wishes to have the Court of Appeal resolve through the writ process whether the wrongful termination in violation of public policy will also go forward."
Levin had no comment for TheWrap.
The show, originally developed for ABC, is based on a popular Mexican telenovela and centers on the maids and housekeepers for rich and powerful Beverly Hills families. It stars soap icon Susan Lucci as wells as Scrubs' Judy Reyes, Ugly Betty's Ana Ortiz, Heroes' Dania Ramirez and Without a Trace's Roselyn Sanchez.
The large ensemble cast of Devious Maids also features True Blood's Mariano Klavano, Pretty Little Liars' Drew Van Acker and Melrose Place's Grant Show.
Devious Minds marks the second show this year that ABC has passed on to be saved by a cable network (TBS rescued Cougar Town from cancellation).
It's a good fit for Lifetime, since the network already has reruns of Marc Cherry's Desperate Housewives. Devious Maids will join Lifetime's increasingly big line-up of scripted shows in 2013.
"She was excited to come on and everyone was so excited to have her [that] they went ahead and condensed some storylines to get her there sooner," he tells Zap2it.
Hatcher will debut on Tuesday, June 19 as the absentee mother of 16-year-old Jane (Erica Dasher) and her older brother Ben (Rogers). Why she comes back is still unknown, Rogers says.
"Her exact reasoning is a little bit of a mystery, and she doesn't really open up to us for a while. The basic vibe she gives off is of that free spirit -- spend a little time here, spend a little time there, maybe I wanna go explore wine-making in Italy, oh look there's an ashram that I could go be the chef at for a week. We pretty quickly get that that's her vibe."
While Jane is happy to have her mom back in her life, "she was sort of too young to really be hurt by mom leaving, sand he's sort of idealized this mom figure from old photographs," Rogers says, Ben is not too pleased. Besides, he's been the de facto father for a while now, ever since their dad died. "Ben was definitely old enough to feel the rejection of a person saying 'I choose to be somewhere else than with you.'"
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The mama drama will spill into other parts of Ben's and Jane's lives. "We see Ben being rude to Rita for the first time because something bigger than everything else is on his mind," Rogers says. "As sort of a footloose, fancy-free guy, he's now really having to wrestle with the big picture things. It definitely affects Ben's life with others around him at school, and it affects Jane's life too -- for good and for bad."
Read: that delight in having her mom back in town won't last forever. "Mom is a handful, so it's not long after mom's return that she finds herself in the middle of Jane's school life, her internship. She's sort of trying to make up for lost time, and so she's inserting herself into Jane's life -- and Jane lives a very complicated life."
While Hatcher causes plenty of drama on screen, Rogers says she couldn't have been better to work with behind the scenes. "It was a lot of fun acting opposite her. It was kind of difficult because for the most part I'm pissed at her, but at the same time I'm going 'Hey, this is Teri Hatcher! This is pretty cool!'"
Her character is a little hippy-dippy, which isn't necessarily what you think of when you picture the actress, but Rogers says it made sense. "The sort freewheeling, high-energy characteristic of that did seem to be a part of her. I was excited that she came to our show, and she seemed very happy to be there, so that sort of 'Hey, let's have fun, let's play,' was definitely a part of Teri that made sense with the Kate character."
Although Hatcher was supposed to direct an episode of the series, Rogers tells Zap2it exclusively that it's not happening in Season 1. "I don't think that there was time to really get involved with this round of episodes, to do the necessary prep and everything, but I think the plan is if we were to come back to do more episodes for a Season 2 that she would direct then," he says.
He continues: "She was great on set, and definitely made scenes more dynamic just with the simple thoughts of 'instead of just sitting here, what if I was going from here to here.' Some fundamental things that made scenes richer and better emotionally, [which is] a clear outcropping of her having spent years and years in front of the camera. So I would be very excited to have her direct one."
Jesse Metcalfe: The great thing about my character is that although Christopher was introduced in the first series, you really don't know that much about him, so our very capable writers were free to create a character that was very compelling and at the same time very conflicted. I think as an actor, that's the kind of character you really want to play.
Zap2it: What's your take on Christopher?
Jesse Metcalfe: Christopher is introduced as the anti-Ewing. He's adopted, and he's coming back to Southfork after studying abroad and developing his alternative energy patent in China. When he comes back to the family, he is very much driven by his need to prove himself to his father and also to assert his position in the Ewing hierarchy. I was drawn to the character because he is intelligent and ambitious, but at the same time he's a chip off the old block.
He's a very compassionate and loving character, but he also has this whole other side: He's very much the rancher, just as his father is.
Zap2it: Did you watch the old series to prepare?
Jesse Metcalfe: There's 350-some-odd episodes, so it would be quite a task to watch every one of them, but I watched about 35 of them -- and if this show runs as long as we hope and think it will, I'll have time to catch all of those episodes!
"Dallas" airs Wednesdays on TNT.
Luckily, we're being set up in that scene, because by the end of this two-hour premiere episode, Hagman's J.R. is a revitalized lion in winter, ready and eager to renew his long-running family feud with brother Bobby (Patrick Duffy) over the future fortunes of the Ewing family ranch, Southfork.
Given the long list of failed attempts to revisit former TV hits -- here's looking at you, "Charlie's Angels," "Knight Rider," "Bionic Woman," "Fantasy Island" and countless others -- it's easy to see why so many people were skeptical when executive producer Cynthia Cidre undertook this project, which she conceived not as a reboot or a remake but a continuation of the Ewing saga.
"It just seemed natural to catch up with the Ewing family that we loved 20 years later and see where they were at this point in their lives and what had happened in the years since the show had gone off the air," she says. "It was a very natural transition."
Jesse Metcalfe, who stars as Bobby's adopted son Christopher Ewing and rotates top billing each week with Josh Henderson as J.R.'s son, John Ross, says he gets why so many eyebrows were raised at the news that "Dallas" was coming back.
"I think all of us had the same question: 'Was this a good idea?' " says Metcalfe, previously best known for playing Eva Longoria's young gardener/lover on "Desperate Housewives."
"We really didn't change the structure of the show, and the same compelling themes are in the new series: family dynamics, greed, ambition, love, loyalty, all of those things. My doubts about being a part of this project were quickly soothed after reading Cynthia's incredible script and seeing how well-defined and dynamic these characters were. I think we're all confident that we've done the original series justice, and fans of that series are going to be pleased."
The premiere finds the Ewing family gathering at Southfork for Christopher's wedding to Rebecca Sutter (Julie Gonzalo) in the aftermath of a previous romantic disappointment with Elena Ramos (Jordana Brewster), who now is dating John Ross. What few people know is that John Ross and Elena have been covertly drilling on Southfork, against the express wishes of the late Ewing matriarch, Miss Ellie, and they've just hit a gusher. That news immediately rekindles the old struggle for Southfork between J.R. and Bobby, who is determined to protect his mother's legacy.
Part of the success of this new "Dallas" lies in the skillful way that Cidre has devised strong storylines for young cast members Metcalfe, Henderson and Brewster while similarly keeping returning cast members Hagman, Duffy and Linda Gray, as J.R.'s ex-wife Sue Ellen, a vital part of the show, not mere tokens.
For his part, Hagman says he wasn't a hard sell when it came to the new "Dallas," which he even sees as an improvement in some respects over the old series.
"I was approached, and my friends Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray were included in the package," explains the actor, now 80. "We talked and decided, 'Hey, it would be fun just getting back together, us guys,' and when they came up with the scripts, I was even more impressed by it. I think we've got a good shot at it again.
"The only trepidation I have is that it goes with the speed of a fast Japanese train. They compress about five [of the old] shows into one. The original was really a stodgy old show, compared to this new one. But I think the attention spans of the American human being, and hopefully the world human being, have gotten a lot shorter, so you keep it shorter [on the show], I think."
Born in Panama, Brewster, who came to the United States as the original show was ending its run, says she never saw the original "Dallas," but she definitely was aware of it because -- well, really, how do you miss something that massive?
"I was very aware of the theme song and the whole 'Who shot J.R.?' thing, and I knew who Linda and Patrick were and Larry," she says. "I mean, they're kind of inescapable, and it's worldwide. I did watch several of the original episodes, which was valuable, because the original storylines are a part of the show, even though when you watch the show now, you can still follow if you didn't see the original show."
As for Hagman, he's thrilled with the episodes he's filmed and thinks fans both old and new will enjoy them, too.
"I hope to be on this show for another 13 years," he says with a chuckle. "This thing is going to drag me into my future. I'll be 94 by then!"
The ruling, according to The Hollywood Reporter, also overturns the trials judge's denial of Touchstone's motion for directed verdict -- meaning the appeals court believes Touchstone should have won the trial in the first place.
The appeals court went on to say, "It is further ordered that the retrial currently set for Sept. 10 is hereby stayed pending further order of the court."
Sheridan's lawsuit isn't completely dead ... but it is on its last legs.
Joosten died Saturday morning from lung cancer, and was surrounded by family and friends at the time of her passing, E! News has confirmed.
She was 72.
"Kathryn passed away this morning after a valiant fight against her cancer," Nadine Jolson, Joosten's rep, told E! News. "Her family was with her. Funeral arrangements are pending. This is a terrible loss, and she fought as hard as she could."
Her family released this statement to E! News: "The family of Kathryn Joosten, two-time Emmy winner, longtime Governor of The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, lung cancer advocate, and so much more, regrets to announce that Kathryn succumbed to her 11-year battle with lung cancer today, June 2, 2012, surrounded by love and humor til the end. Thanks to everyone for their love and support. We are laughing through our tears. We love you, Kathy, thanks for everything."
Joosten, who was a fixture on Housewives playing the trouble-causing, gossipy neighbor (she was originally introduced in season one as Lynette Scavo's nemesis), went on to win Emmys in 2005 and 2008 for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy for her role on the show.
In a statement to E! News, Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry remembered Joosten fondly:
"The character of Mrs. McCluskey was created for a single episode. We then cast Kathryn Joosten and she infused the part with so much feisty wit and curmudgeonly bravado, we knew we had to move her onto Wisteria Lane for the run of the series. I will forever miss her, as a co-worker and as a friend."
Before joining Housewives, Joosten scored roles on Dharma and Greg, My Name is Earl, Ally McBeal and more, and was well-known for her role as Mrs. Landingham, the President of the United States' secretary, on The West Wing.
Joosten, who spent many years working as a psychiatric nurse, kicked off her career as an actor at the age of 42.
Joosten, who won two Emmys for her portrayal of Mrs. McCluskey on Housewives, passed away in Westlake Village, Calif. She had first battled lung cancer back in 2001, but survived. She was diagnosed with the disease a second time in 2009, but after undergoing surgery and chemotherapy, she was declared cancer-free again in 2010. In recent years, she was an advocate for lung cancer awareness and research. Her guest-star turns on My Name is Earl and Grey's Anatomy centered on her character's attempts to quit smoking.
The Florida native worked as a psychiatric nurse in Chicago for many years before she started acting at the age of 42. She subsequently moved to Hollywood in the mid-'90s and guest-starred on Roseanne, Home Improvement, Seinfeld, ER, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Frasier, among others.
Joosten first rose to fame in 1999 for playing Mrs. Landingham, President Bartlet's secretary on The West Wing. She recurred on the NBC drama for two seasons until her character was killed in a car crash in 2001. She went on to appear in more series, including The X-Files, Will & Grace, Gilmore Girls, Scrubs and even played one incarnation of God on several episodes of Joan of Arcadia.
In 2004, Joosten won her most notable role, as Karen McCluskey on Desperate Housewives. She won the Emmy for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series twice, in 2005 and 2008, and was promoted to a series regular in Season 6. After her character's tragic end on The West Wing, Joosten famously made Housewives creator Marc Cherry promise not to kill her off the show. In a bittersweet moment, the ABC soap's series finale was largely built around her character's death from terminal lung cancer — to the tune of Johnny Mathis' "Wonderful! Wonderful!"
Felicity Huffman, who shared the most screen time with Joosten throughout Desperate Housewives' eight-year run, tweeted about her late co-star Saturday. "All my prayers and love to Kathryn Joosten's family. Rest in peace. She was an amazing woman and a wonderful actress."
Joosten, who had battled lung cancer for 11 years, died Saturday at her home in Los Angeles, her publicist Nadine Jolson said.
Joosten "was surrounded by love and humor 'til the end," her family said in a statement. "We are laughing through our tears."
Joosten won two Emmy awards for her portrayal of Mrs. McCluskey, who kept a close eye on her Wisteria Lane neighbors on "Desperate Housewives." The hit show ended its eight-year run on ABC last month with a series finale in which Joosten's character passed away. Her character's battle with cancer was a story line in the show.
Joosten's "Desperate Housewives" co-stars took to Twitter to express their condolences.
"Rest in peace, she was an amazing woman and a wonderful actress," Felicity Huffman wrote.
Brenda Strong said in a tweet: "Wisteria Lane won't be the same without you."
Joosten was a psychiatric nurse and single mother in suburban Chicago when she began her acting career at 42. She wrote on her website that she pursued her childhood dream of acting after getting involved with her hometown theater in Lake Forest, Ill.
She said she received her first break when she was hired to be a street performer at Disney World in Orlando. She worked odd jobs to make ends meet and moved to Hollywood in 1995. She said she landed her first small role within months on the comedy "Family Matters."
Over the years, she found steady work appearing in such popular shows as "Dharma & Greg," ''Ally McBeal" and "Scrubs." She became a familiar face to fans of NBC's "The West Wing" when she appeared as Dolores Landingham, President Jed Bartlet's trusted secretary.
"Some people in Hollywood think of me as a model for dramatic midlife transitions: suburban housewife to Emmy-winning actress," she wrote on her website. "But I never plotted a master plan for following my dreams."
Joosten was an advocate for lung cancer awareness and research and sat on the board of governors for the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
She is survived by her sons, Jonathan and Timothy.
Plans for a memorial service were pending.
