All the tube news that’s fit to surf …
– Here’s official proof that anyone can get a reality series these days: Tobey Maguire‘s mom – yes, Spider-Man’s mama – is working on a reality series that will focus on her attempts with her other son, 15-year-old Weston, to remain normal in the shadow of her famous son’s Hollywood life. Next up: the guy who waves at you when you drive by his house while he’s mowing the lawn gets his own reality show.
– No surprise here: Both Burn Notice and Royal Pains have been renewed on USA Network. The shows’ popularity led to USA ending July as the most-watched cable network on the tube.
– Prison Break star Robert Knepper and his evil Samuel will be a regular on the fourth season of Heroes, and The Hollywood Reporter has a preview clip of the new season.
– Pre-season research is indicating that CBS’ NCIS spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles and The Jay Leno Show could be among the big breakout hits of the fall.
– It’s not a return to Deadwood, but Timothy Olyphant will be playing a marshal again, this time in FX’s new drama Lawman. Olyphant will play Raylan Givens, an Elmore Leonard character whose retro approach to being a lawman gets him sent to Kentucky to deal with baddies in his hometown. Bonus: The Shield star Walton Goggins (who so deserved an Emmy nod for the last season of that show) will be among Lawman‘s guest stars.
– Wonder what you’d look like as a Mad Men character? Would you be a chain-smoking, cocktail-swilling shark of an ad exec, or would you just be drawn that way? Find out at MadMenYourself.com, where you can create your own animated Mad Men-era you.
– Degrassi: The Next Generation star Aubrey Graham, who’s better known as red-hot rapper Drake these days, has signed on to co-star with another Degrassi alum, Mazin Elsadig, in a new Canadian sitcom called Us & Them.
– The Bachelor‘s Chris Harrison and Dancing with the Stars‘ Carrie Ann Inaba have signed a deal to become the new hosts of the TV Guide Channel’s awards show red carpet coverage, beginning with the Emmys on Sept. 20.
– Emmy nominee Sarah Silverman, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen and the Manning brothers will be among the voice guest stars on the 21st season of The Simpsons, which debuts Sept. 27 on Fox.
– USA Today has a fun profile of Hoboken Buddy Valastro, who, thanks to TLC’s addictive Cake Boss, has joined Ace of Cakes‘ Duff Goldman as a rock star cake baker.
– George Lopez‘s late-night talk show will debut on TBS in November.
– And tonight in primetime:
– The top six perform on So You Think You Can Dance (8PM ET, Fox)
– Oxygen is airing the 1998 made-for-TV movie gem Gia (8PM), featuring Angelina Jolie (who won a Golden Globe for the role) as real-life, AIDS-stricken ’80s supermodel Gia Carangi and Lost‘s Elizabeth Mitchell as her girlfriend
– Nate and the team try to catch a bad guy by releasing a deadly virus on Leverage (9PM, TNT)
– They’re in Vegas, baby, Vegas on America’s Got Talent (9PM, NBC)
– Velcro suits and cat costumes are part of the fun (?) on I Survived a Japanese Game Show (9PM, ABC)
– On Throwdown with Bobby Flay (9PM, Food Network), Bobby tries to make better sloppy joes than the guys who own NYC eatery Schnipper’s (good luck, Bob – they make a mean sloppy joe)
– It’s the champions round on Top Chef Masters (10PM, Bravo)
– Women who live in different cities swap towns to try and find love on the premiere of SoapNet’s Holidate (10PM)
– The Dark Blue (10PM, TNT) team tries to nab a drug dealer who’s hip to cop tactics
– There’s a Ponzi scheme afoot on The Philanthropist (10PM, NBC)
– More stage moms and their heavily make-up-ed tots will creep you out on Toddlers & Tiaras (10PM, TLC)
– On Verminators (10PM, Discovery): rats and an 11-foot alligator
– Joey may get the boot when he’d rather party and sleep than work on The Real World: Cancun (10PM, MTV)
– And Michael & Michael Have Issues (10:30PM, Comedy Central) with trying to find a date for Marla
Charlie Sheen, Russell Brand and Louis C.K. are getting most of the attention, but I’m most excited that one of the best new shows of last TV season — Wilfred — returns for its second season on FX tonight (10PM ET). Season one of the series ended with a cliffhanger — had Ryan (Elijah Wood) […]