Morning Edition:
Just days after signing a new deal to stay on American Idol, Ryan Seacrest finalized a deal with NBC Universal, the parent company of E! The two-year deal will include duties like being a special correspondent for Today and will contribute to NBC primetime news, entertainment programming and the Olympics coverage. Seacrest will continue hosting and producing E! red carpet awards shows but is scaling back on E! News, where he will still serve as managing editor.
The 2nd Annual Comedy Awards were held over the weekend, and Bridesmaids was the big winner with four awards, including Best Comedy Film and Best Actress for Melissa McCarthy. Louis C.K. took home three awards for Best TV Comedy Directing, Best Stand-Up Tour and Comedy Special of the Year. Robin Williams was honored with the Stand-Up Icon Award and Don Rickles took home the Johnny Carson Award for his lifetime of comedy work. Also taking home awards are Jean Dujardin from The Artist for Best Actor, Ty Burrell of Modern Family and Amy Poehler of Parks and Recreation for Best TV Actor and Actress, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for Best Late Night Comedy Series, Parks and Recreation for Best Comedy Series and Donald Glover of Community as Breakout Performer of the Year.
Evening Edition:
NBC has pulled its newest comedy Best Friends Forever from its schedule after only four episodes. The show drew 3.9 million viewers in its debut, but dropped over a million viewers by the fourth episode. Executive producer and star of the show, Lennon Parham, said she hopes the fifth and sixth episodes will be put online. NBC’s press site said that episodes of Betty White’s Off Their Rockers will be taking the Wednesday night spot at least for the short term.
A new reality show about a legal brothel will be coming to HDNet. The series, Mustang Ranch: Labor of Love, is about the first and oldest legal brothel and will debut on Thursday, May 10th. The owner, Lance Gilman, said in a statement, “We are beyond excited to open the doors of the Mustang Ranch to HDNet viewers across the country. There’s a very compelling ‘Wild West in 2012’ story that we’re eager to share, and it’s so much more than most people might be expecting. The show will follow Gilman and Madam Susan Austin who built and run the Mustang Ranch Resort. This is not the first reality show about a brothel. Since 2005, HBO has followed owner Dennis Hof and the ladies of Moonlite BunnyRanch.
