
Donna Martin won't be setting up shop in Beverly Hills after all.
Tori Spelling has changed her mind about appearing in The CW's "90210" spinoff, report news sources.
"The CW has no deal with Tori Spelling to appear on '90210' at this time," confirms a CW spokesperson, while Spelling's rep states, "At this time, there are no plans for Tori to appear in the '90210' spinoff."
Buzz about Spelling's departure first came from DeadlineHollywoodDaily.com, which reported Monday, Aug. 11 that Spelling had pulled out of the production after learning she was getting paid significantly less per episode then her former co-stars Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty, both of whom will appear on the new CW drama.
Word is that the other women are receiving $35,000-50,000 per episode whereas Spelling can only cash in on a measly $10,000-20,000 per episode.
Spelling originally accepted The CW's offer in May to reprise her role as Donna Martin, who would now be the owner of one of the hippest shopping destinations frequented by the new, youthful cast.
"90210" is set to debut on The CW on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 1. (Zap2it.com)
Carnegie Mellon University grad Matthew Bomer, who played a rogue CIA agent on "Chuck," will be heading for another government intelligence agency.
Bomer, 30, will star in the 90-minute "White Collar" pilot for USA Network, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In the pilot, Neal Caffrey (Bomer) is a brilliant con artist who gets out of maximum-security prison only to become the reluctant partner and consultant to his FBI nemesis in order to solve white-collar crimes.
The series is from Fox TV Studios and writer/executive producer Jeff Eastin.
Another USA 90-minute pilot, "Royal Pains," recently cast Mark Feuerstein as a young doctor who loses everything after making a critical decision in the ER. When he visits the Hamptons, he reluctantly becomes a concierge doctor to the wealthy and elite.
"White Collar" and "Royal Pains" are two of the series that the network is developing for its 2008-'09 season that support USA's "Characters Welcome" brand.
Bomer is familiar to "Chuck" fans who know him as Bryce Larkin, Chuck's former best friend who sends our hero an email that uploads a wealth of highly sensitive information into his brain. Bomer also starred on ABC's short-lived "Traveler," which centered on two roommates who are framed as domestic terrorists by a friend. (Zap2it.com)
Dick Clark is still Mr. New Year's Eve -- but he'll be sharing the title with Ryan Seacrest.
Starting this December, Clark's longtime end-of-year special will be called "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest," ABC and dick clark productions said Friday.
It was also announced that Seacrest will serve as co-host with Clark and as an executive producer on the broadcast for another three years, through the 2010 show ringing in 2011.
The show's name change reflects Seacrest's success in co-hosting "one of America's most time-honored traditions," Orly Adelson, executive producer and president of dick clark productions, said in a statement.
"New Year's Rockin' Eve" will mark its 37th year on Dec. 31 and include the customary countdown to midnight from New York City's Times Square.
Seacrest, host of "American Idol," joined the program in December 2005, signing a deal that would eventually make him the program's host. Clark had a stroke earlier that month but appeared on the '05 show and in following years, his speech affected but enthusiasm intact.
The program was the top-rated New Year's Eve show last year, drawing 29 million viewers at the midnight hour. (Associated Press)
CNN said Tuesday it's adding journalists in 10 cities from Philadelphia to Seattle to provide broader, more nimble TV and online coverage of news nationwide.
The move comes as newspapers and other media companies are forced into cutbacks and layoffs because of sweeping changes triggered by the growth of the Internet and because of the slumping U.S. economy.
Each city will get one person who can provide "grassroots level" coverage of breaking news and other local stories, said Nancy Lane, senior vice president of newsgathering for CNN/U.S.
The mix of traditional general assignment reporters and "all-platform journalists" may be based at affiliate stations, colleges or even at home, Lane said, with the best available technology to file film and photo reports via laptop computers and PDAs.
Some of the new jobs may be filled by correspondents now with CNN's daytime and prime-time programs, the network said.
Besides Philadelphia and Seattle, the journalists will be located in Columbus, Ohio; Denver; Houston; Las Vegas; Orlando, Fla.; Phoenix; the Raleigh, N.C., area; and Minneapolis, Minn., where the approach was tested and is in operation.
CNN, owned by Time Warner Inc., has bureaus in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
With air travel increasingly complicated and time-consuming, CNN wanted a way to respond more quickly to breaking news everywhere, Lane said.
The expansion represents a "sizable commitment in dollars," Lane said, declining to provide specifics. Hiring is under way, and the timetable is to get the new positions filled by the end of March 2009.
Support staff for the journalists will be added in some hub bureaus.
CNN is trying to do something "new and different," Lane said. "If we don't do this, where's the industry in 10 years?" she said. (Lynn Elber, AP)
If you're looking for CBS shows pre-empted tonight by KDKA's coverage of the Steelers schedule, plan to stay up late or set a timer recording to catch them in the wee hours of tomorrow morning.
Approximate start times are in parentheses: "Big Brother 10" (1:37 a.m.), "CSI" (2:37 a.m.), "Flashpoint" (3:37 a.m.). (Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor)