The Robertson family stars in A&E's 'Duck Dynasty' Christmas special Wednesday, December 11 at 10/9c. (Photo by Karolina Wojtasik Copyright 2013)
Ready to ring in the holidays with the men and women of Duck Dynasty? A&E has set a December 11, 2013 premiere date for the one-hour Christmas special starring the Robertsons.
The fourth season of Duck Dynasty drew in 11.8 million viewers for its August 14th season premiere and, according to A&E, that number is the best of any nonfiction series telecast in cable history.
The Holiday Special Plot:
It’s Christmas time in “O Little Town of West Monroe,” where the Robertsons are partaking in traditions new and old. The family is asked to perform a live nativity for the church, so the wives take it upon themselves to organize rehearsals to ensure they pull off a great event. However, wrangling all the Robertson men requires divine intervention; Jep is afraid he won’t remember his one line, Si can’t let go of his teacup and Jase gives Willie a hard time about his role as Joseph.
Meanwhile, Phil enlists Kay and Jessica to go hunting for the perfect Christmas ham but it doesn’t take long for him to regret it. Willie and Jase struggle to find a gift their wives won’t want to return so they unenthusiastically take the advice of Jep, who always gives Jessica thoughtful presents that she loves.
Mike (Jonathan Banks), Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), Walter White (Bryan Cranston), Marie Schrader (Betsy Brandt), Hank Schrader (Dean Norris), Skyler White (Anna Gunn) and Walter White, Jr. (RJ Mitte) in 'Breaking Bad' (Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels/AMC)
The Writers Guild of America has released their list of nominees for the best in writing in television, new media, news, radio, promotional writing, and graphic animation for the 2013 calendar year and among the top nominees are the final season of Breaking Bad and the rookie season of Orange is the New Black.
Winners will be announced at the 2014 Writers Guild Awards on Saturday, February 1, 2014.
TELEVISION NOMINEES
DRAMA SERIES
Breaking Bad, Written by Sam Catlin, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, George Mastras, Thomas Schnauz, Moira Walley-Beckett; AMC
The Good Wife, Written by Meredith Averill, Leonard Dick, Keith Eisner, Jacqueline Hoyt, Ted Humphrey, Michelle King, Robert King, Erica Shelton Kodish, Matthew Montoya, J.C. Nolan, Luke Schelhaas, Nichelle Tramble Spellman, Craig Turk, Julie Wolfe; CBS
Homeland, Written by Henry Bromell, William E. Bromell, Alexander Cary, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Barbara Hall, Patrick Harbinson, Chip Johannessen, Meredith Stiehm, Charlotte Stoudt, James Yoshimura; Showtime
House of Cards, Written by Kate Barnow, Rick Cleveland, Sam R. Forman, Gina Gionfriddo, Keith Huff, Sarah Treem, Beau Willimon; Netflix
Mad Men, Written by Lisa Albert, Semi Chellas, Jason Grote, Jonathan Igla, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Janet Leahy, Erin Levy, Michael Saltzman, Tom Smuts, Matthew Weiner, Carly Wray; AMC
COMEDY SERIES
30 Rock, Written by Jack Burditt, Robert Carlock, Tom Ceraulo, Luke Del Tredici, Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, Matt Hubbard, Colleen McGuinness, Sam Means, Dylan Morgan, Nina Pedrad, Josh Siegal, Tracey Wigfield; NBC
Modern Family, Written by Paul Corrigan, Bianca Douglas, Megan Ganz, Abraham Higginbotham, Ben Karlin, Elaine Ko, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Dan O’Shannon, Jeffrey Richman, Audra Sielaff, Emily Spivey, Brad Walsh, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker; ABC
Parks and Recreation, Written by Megan Amram, Donick Cary, Greg Daniels, Nate DiMeo, Emma Fletcher, Rachna Fruchbom, Daniel J. Goor, Norm Hiscock, Matt Hubbard, Dave King, Greg Levine, Joe Mande, Sam Means, Aisha Muharrar, Matt Murray, Amy Poehler, Alexandra Rushfield, Michael Schur, Jen Statsky, Harris Wittels, Alan Yang; NBC
Orange Is the New Black, Written by Liz Friedman, Sian Heder, Tara Herrmann, Sara Hess, Nick Jones, Jenji Kohan, Gary Lennon, Lauren Morelli, Marco Ramirez; Netflix
Veep, Written by Simon Blackwell, Roger Drew, Sean Gray, Armando Iannucci, Ian Martin, Georgia Pritchett, David Quantick, Tony Roche, Will Smith; HBO
NEW SERIES
The Americans, Written by Michael Batistick, Joshua Brand, Joel Fields, Melissa James Gibson, Sneha Koorse, Joe Weisberg, Bradford Winters; FX
House of Cards, Written by Kate Barnow, Rick Cleveland, Sam R. Forman, Gina Gionfriddo, Keith Huff, Sarah Treem, Beau Willimon; Netflix
Masters of Sex, Written by Michelle Ashford, Tyler Bensinger, Michael Cunningham, Lyn Greene, Richard Levine, Amy Lippman, Sam Shaw, Noelle Valdivia; Showtime
Orange Is the New Black, Written by Liz Friedman, Sian Heder, Tara Herrmann, Sara Hess, Nick Jones, Jenji Kohan, Gary Lennon, Lauren Morelli, Marco Ramirez; Netflix
Ray Donovan, Written by Ann Biderman, Sean Conway, David Hollander, Brett Johnson, Ron Nyswaner; Showtime
EPISODIC DRAMA
“Buried” (Breaking Bad), Written by Thomas Schnauz; AMC
“Confessions” (Breaking Bad), Written by Gennifer Hutchison; AMC
“Episode 101” (House of Cards), Teleplay by Beau Willimon; Netflix
“Granite State” (Breaking Bad), Written by Peter Gould; AMC
“Hitting the Fan” (The Good Wife), Written by Robert King & Michelle King; CBS
“Pilot” (Masters of Sex), Written by Michelle Ashford; Showtime
EPISODIC COMEDY
“Career Day” (Modern Family), Written by Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh; ABC
“Farm Strong” (Modern Family), Written by Elaine Ko; ABC
“Hogcock!” (30 Rock), Written by Jack Burditt & Robert Carlock; NBC
“Lesbian Request Denied” (Orange Is the New Black), Written by Sian Heder; Netflix
“Leslie and Ben” (Parks and Recreation), Written by Michael Schur & Alan Yang; NBC
“Pilot” (Orange Is the New Black), Teleplay by Liz Friedman and Jenji Kohan; Netflix
LONG FORM – ADAPTED
Killing Kennedy, Written by Kelly Masterson, Based on the book by Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard; National Geographic
Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight, Written by Shawn Slovo, Based on the book by Howard Bingham and Max Wallace; HBO
SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA – ORIGINAL
“Episode 4: The Collected Sylvia” (Sylvia Plath: Girl Detective), Written by Mike Simses; sylviaplathgirldetective.com
“Episode 8” (Lauren, Season 2), Written by Jay Rodan; youtube.com/wigs
“I Do Over Part 1” (Husbands), Written by Bradley C. Bell & Jane Espenson; cwseed.com
“I Do Over Part 2” (Husbands), Written by Bradley C. Bell & Jane Espenson; cwseed.com
ANIMATION
“A Test Before Trying” (The Simpsons), Written by Joel H. Cohen; Fox
“Game of Tones” (Futurama), Written by Michael Rowe; Comedy Central
“Hardly Kirk-ing” (The Simpsons), Written by Tom Gammill & Max Pross; Fox
“Murder on the Planet Express” (Futurama), Written by Lew Morton; Comedy Central
“Saturday Morning Fun Pit” (Futurama), Written by Patric M. Verrone; Comedy Central
“Yolo” (The Simpsons), Written by Michael Nobori; Fox
COMEDY / VARIETY (INCLUDING TALK) – SERIES
The Colbert Report, Writers: Stephen Colbert, Tom Purcell, Michael Brumm, Nate Charny, Rich Dahm, Paul Dinello, Eric Drysdale, Rob Dubbin, Glenn Eichler, Dan Guterman, Barry Julien, Jay Katsir, Frank Lesser, Opus Moreschi, Bobby Mort, Meredith Scardino, Max Werner; Comedy Central
Conan, Writers: Jose Arroyo, Andres du Bouchet, Scott Chernoff, Deon Cole, Josh Comers, Dan Cronin, Michael Gordon, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Rob Kutner, Todd Levin, Conan O’Brien, Matt O’Brien, Jesse Popp, Andy Richter, Brian Stack, Mike Sweeney; TBS
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Head Writer: Tim Carvell Writers: Rory Albanese, Steve Bodow, Travon Free, Hallie Haglund, J.R. Havlan, Elliott Kalan, Matt Koff, Dan McCoy, Jo Miller, John Oliver, Zhubin Parang, Daniel Radosh, Jason Ross, Lauren Sarver, Jon Stewart; Comedy Central
Jimmy Kimmel Live, Writers: Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Joelle Boucai, Gary Greenberg, Josh Holloway, Sal Iacono, Eric Immerman, Bess Kalb, Jimmy Kimmel, Jeff Loveness, Molly McNearney, Bryan Paulk, Danny Ricker, Rick Rosner; ABC
Portlandia, Writers: Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein, Jonathan Krisel, Bill Oakley; IFC
Saturday Night Live, Head Writers: Seth Meyers, Colin Jost Writers: James Anderson, Alex Baze, Neil Casey, James Downey, Steve Higgins, Zach Kanin, Chris Kelly, Joe Kelly, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Mike O’Brien, Josh Patten, Paula Pell, Marika Sawyer, Sarah Schneider, Pete Schultz, John Solomon, Kent Sublette, Bryan Tucker; NBC Universal
Blake Shelton’s Not So Family Christmas, Head Writers: Jay Martel, Ian Roberts Writers: Alex Rubens, Charlie Sanders; NBC
QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Jeopardy!, Written by John Duarte, Harry Friedman, Mark Gaberman, Debbie Griffin, Michele Loud, Robert McClenaghan, Steve D. Tamerius, Billy Wisse; ABC
DAYTIME DRAMA
Days of Our Lives, Written by Lorraine Broderick, David Cherrill, Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton, Rick Draughon, Christopher Dunn, Janet Iacobuzio, David A. Levinson, Ryan Quan, Dave Ryan, Melissa Salmons, Christopher J. Whitesell; NBC
General Hospital, Written by Michelle Altman, Ron Carlivati, Anna Theresa Cascio, Suzanne Flynn, Kate Hall, Elizabeth Korte, Daniel James O’Connor, Jean Passanante, Elizabeth Page, Katherine Schock, Scott Sickles, Chris Van Etten; ABC
The Young and the Restless, Associate Head Writers: Shelly Altman, Tracey Thomson Written by Amanda Beall, Jeff Beldner, Brent Boyd, Susan Dansby, Janice Ferri Esser, Jay Gibson, Beth Milstein, Lisa Seidman, Natalie Minardi Slater, Anne Schoettle, Linda Schreiber, Teresa Zimmerman; CBS
CHILDREN’S – EPISODIC & SPECIALS
“influANTces” (A.N.T. Farm), Written by Vincent Brown; Nickelodeon
“The Haunted Cave” (Spooksville), Written by Jim Krieg; Hub Network
“Simon Says” (Sesame Street), Written by Christine Ferraro; PBS
DOCUMENTARY – CURRENT EVENTS
“Cliffhanger” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
“Egypt in Crisis” (Frontline), Written by Marcela Gaviria & Martin Smith; PBS
DOCUMENTARY – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
“The Abolitionists” (American Experience), Written by Rob Rapley; PBS
“The Choice 2012” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk; PBS
“Episode 1” (The Dust Bowl), Written by Dayton Duncan; PBS
“Silicon Valley” (American Experience), Telescript by Randall MacLowry and Michelle Ferrari; Story by Randall MacLowry; PBS
NEWS – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“The Election of Pope Francis” (CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley), Written by Jerry Cipriano, Joe Clines and Scott Pelley; CBS
“The Fall of Lance Armstrong” (60 Minutes), Written by Michael Radutzky, Michael Rey, Oriana Zill de Granados; CBS
“The Inauguration of the President” (CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley), Written by Jerry Cipriano and Joe Clines; CBS
“Tragedy at Newtown” Special Edition (ABC World News with Diane Sawyer), Written by Lisa Ferri and Matt Negrin; ABC
NEWS – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“Lethal Medicine” (60 Minutes), Written by Michael Rey, Oriana Zill de Granados, Michael Radutzky; CBS
“Throwback Thursday – Happy Birthday, Michael Jackson” (ABC World News Now), Written by Matt Nelko; ABC
“Vinyl Revival’ (CBS News), Written by Polly Leider; CBS
RADIO NOMINEES
DOCUMENTARY
“2012 Year in Review,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS Radio News
NEWS – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Afternoon Drive,” Written by Bill Spadaro; CBS Radio/1010 WINS
“George McGovern: A Look Back,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS Radio News
NEWS – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“Remembering C. Everett Koop,” Written by Scott Saloway; CBS Radio News
“Remembrances,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS Radio News
“Tributes,” Written by Thomas A. Sabella; CBS Radio News
PROMOTIONAL WRITING AND GRAPHIC ANIMATION NOMINEES
ON-AIR PROMOTION (TELEVISION, NEW MEDIA OR RADIO)
“48 Hours: 2013 Fall Preview,” Written by Jay Pedinoff; CBS News Marketing
“The Crazy Ones – Building a Better Comedy,” Written by Erial Tompkins; CBS
TELEVISION GRAPHIC ART AND ANIMATION
CBS News Animations: “Brain Injury,” “Pills,” “Bionic Leg,” “Midland Parade,” “Concordia Salvage;” Animation by David Rosen; CBS News
Juan Pablo Galavis is surrounded by 'The Bachelor' bachelorettes Amy L, Katherine, Danielle, Andi, Cassandra, Elise, and Kylie (Photo Credit: ABC/Rick Rowell)
Season 18 of ABC’s The Bachelor kicks off on January 6, 2014 with 32-year-old single dad Juan Pablo Galavis looking to make a love connection with one of 27 beautiful women. Among the bachelorettes hoping to win over Galavis are a former NBA dancer, a nurse, an opera singer, and one bachelorette who is seven months pregnant.
The 27 Bachelorettes:
Alexis, 24, communications director, Tampa, FL
Alli, 26, nanny, Chicago, IL
Amy J., 31, massage therapist, Los Angeles, CA
Amy L., 27, local news reporter, Orlando, FL
Andi, 26, federal prosecutor, Atlanta, GA
Ashley, 25, grade school teacher, Dallas, TX
Cassandra, 21, former NBA dancer, Rochester Hills, MI
Chantel, 27, account manager, San Diego, CA
Chelsie, 24, science educator, Columbus, OH
Christine, 23, police support specialist, Miami, FL
Christy, 24, marketing manager, Chicago, IL
Clare, 32, hairstylist, Sacramento, CA
Danielle, 25, psychiatric nurse, St. Louis, MO
Elise, 27, first grade teacher, Forty Fort, PA
Kat, 29, medical sales rep, Scottsdale, AZ
Kelly, 27, dog lover, Atlanta, GA
Kylie, 23, interior designer, Rockford, IL
Lacy, 25, nursing home owner, La Jolla, CA
Lauren H., 25, mineral coordinator, Oklahoma City, OK
Pompeii will open in theaters on February 21, 2014.
The Plot:
Set in 79 A.D., Pompeii tells the epic story of Milo (Kit Harington), a slave turned invincible gladiator who finds himself in a race against time to save his true love Cassia (Emily Browning), the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant who has been unwillingly betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator. As Mount Vesuvius erupts in a torrent of blazing lava, Milo must fight his way out of the arena in order to save his beloved as the once magnificent Pompeii crumbles around him.
Benedict Cumberbatch visited Jimmy Kimmel Live on December 4, 2013 and made R. Kelly’s “Genius” sound like Shakespeare. Plus, he winked while reading the lyrics, which made Jimmy Kimmel’s audience squeal. Yes, squeal.
“We’re so proud to have this show in our portfolio of sitcoms,” said Larry W Jones, President of TV Land announcing the renewal. “Fans of The Soul Man are the drivers behind the success of the series. Because of their passion, we are able to continuously bring new viewers to the channel.”
The Plot:
The Soul Man follows R&B superstar-turned-minister Reverend Boyce “The Voice” Ballentine (Cedric) after he relocated from Las Vegas to St. Louis with his wife Lolli (Niecy Nash). While learning to adjust to their new humble life, they have plenty of obstacles in their way. One of these is Boyce’s brother Stamps (Wesley Jonathan), who seems to have taken up permanent residence in their house – and that’s only made worse when Stamps sparks a new relationship with Lolli’s sister (Kellee Stewart).
Columbia Pictures just unveiled the official trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 along with a new synopsis of the 2014 film. Starring Andrew Garfield in the title role, The Amazing Spider-Man also features Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn, Jamie Foxx as Electro, Emma Stone as Gwen, Paul Giamatti as The Rhino, Campbell Scott as Richard Parker, Embeth Davidtz as Mary Parker, and Colm Feore as Adrian Toomes. Marc Webb returns as director.
The Plot:
We’ve always known that Spider-Man’s most important battle has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker finds that a greater conflict lies ahead.
It’s great to be Spider-Man (Garfield). For Peter Parker, there’s no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen (Stone). But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro (Foxx), Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn (DeHaan), returns, Peter comes to realize that all of his enemies have one thing in common: OsCorp.
Universal Pictures has put together a touching video tribute to Paul Walker featuring clips from the Fast and Furious franchise. Among the clips in the video is a scene showing Walker and his co-stars Vin Diesel, Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster, and the rest of the Fast and Furious family toasting their bond. There are also plenty of shots of Walker’s smiling face which will be greatly missed by his family, his co-stars, and millions of fans worldwide.
Watch the video tribute set to Skylar Grey’s “Coming Home:”
Veronica Mars the movie will hit screens on March 14, 2014, almost exactly one year after Rob Thomas launched the Kickstarter campaign to get the much-anticipated, begged-for film adaptation of the popular TV series made. That campaign was a huge success, surpassing Thomas’ goal of $2 million and setting a record for Kickstarter by collecting $5,702,153 toward the film’s budget.
Warner Bros will release the film and in an interview with EW, Thomas talked about the chosen release date. “Warner Bros. had this date circled for quite some time and hoped it would stay open. Luckily, no other teen detective movie decided to open in the middle of March.”
Written and directed by Thomas, the cast of Veronica Mars is led by Kristen Bell and includes Ryan Hansen, Enrico Colantoni, Percy Daggs III, Tina Majorino, Francis Capra, Chris Lowell and Krysten Ritter.
The Plot:
In the film, Veronica Mars has put Neptune and her amateur sleuthing days behind her on the eve of graduating law school. While interviewing at high-end law firms, Veronica gets a call from her ex-boyfriend Logan who has been accused of murder. Veronica heads back to Neptune just to help Logan find an attorney, but when things don’t seem right with how Logan’s case is perceived and handled, Veronica finds herself being pulled back into a life she thought she had left behind.
The cast includes Christopher Egan, Tom Wisdom, Roxanne McKee, Alan Dale, Anthony Stewart Head, and Luke Allen-Gale.
“Following the critical success of Defiance and the upcoming Ron Moore thriller Helix, Dominion will be the next major addition to Syfy’s growing slate of high quality scripted series,” stated Syfy President, Dave Howe. “Dominion will continue Syfy’s new strategy to commission stand-out genre series that deliver the high stakes, sci-fi/fantasy experience our audience demands and embraces.”
The Plot:
Dominion is an epic supernatural drama set in the year 25 A.E. In this transformed post-apocalyptic future an army of lower angels, assembled by the archangel Gabriel, has waged a war of possession against mankind. The archangel Michael, turning against his own kind, has chosen to side with humanity against Gabriel. Rising out of the ashes of the 25 year-long battle are newly fortified cities which protect the human survivors. In Vega (formerly Las Vegas), the largest of these cities, two houses vie for control and the stage is set for political upheaval and a dangerous power shift. Meanwhile, a rebellious young soldier begins a perilous journey as the war between the human race and the fallen angels hell-bent on their domination escalates.
Stumble It! 
Veronica Mars the movie will hit screens on March 14, 2014, almost exactly one year after Rob Thomas launched the Kickstarter campaign to get the much-anticipated, begged-for film adaptation of the popular TV series made. That campaign was a huge success, surpassing Thomas’ goal of $2 million and setting a record for Kickstarter by collecting $5,702,153 toward the film’s budget.
