Lori Acken, Author at StayTuned Magazine

The Bachelor’s Jason Mesnick will marry Molly in March on ABC

January 28, 2010 Lori Acken

By Lori Acken Move over, Trista and Ryan. It looks like number 13 is lucky after all. A year after he scandalized Bachelor and Bachelorette fans by dumping his Final Rose, Melissa Rycroft, for first runner-up Molly Melaney on live TV, Bachelor No. 13 Jason Mesnick will wed Melaney in a two-hour television special on ABC March 8. The series’ first Bachelorette, Trista Rehn (coincidentally the first runner-up for the affections of Bachelor No.1 Alex Michel) married her last man standing, Ryan Sutter, on Dec. 6, 2003, in a lavish ceremony broadcast a few days later on ABC to the delight of 17 million […]

A&E gives David “The Hoff” Hasselhoff his own reality show

January 20, 2010 Lori Acken

That’s right, America’s Got Talent fans! (OK, you too, Knight Rider and Baywatch fans.) Before your tears have even dried over The Hoff’s departure from his seat alongside Sharon Osbourne and Piers Morgan at the AGT judging table comes word that A&E — the network that made a monster reality star out of Steven Seagal, lawman — has ordered ten episodes of a docuseries starring the troubled but inarguably entertaining star. Produced by the unscripted television juggernaut Fremantle Media’s North American division, the as yet untitled series will spotlight Hasselhoff — the man listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as […]

Randy Jackson talks “Idol,” Ellen, Paula and what it takes to win

January 8, 2010 Lori Acken

By Lori Acken Here’s what Randy Jackson thinks you should know about American Idol’s ninth season, which bows with a two-hour premiere this Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 8pm on FOX. • It’s gonna be a good one: “Interesting, wild, crazy … .” And thanks to the series’ new judge, longtime Jackson pal and fellow Louisiana native Ellen DeGeneres, really really funny. • If you think Ellen has nothing to bring to the AI judges table, you’re wrong: “We’re going to have a lot of laughs,” Jackson told reporters during a conference call on Friday. “Welcoming Ellen to the fold is […]

CBS sets April premiere for Bruckheimer’s “Miami Medical”

January 7, 2010 Lori Acken

CBS has finally announced the premiere date for the latest — and long-awaited — medical drama from uberproducer Jerry Bruckheimier. Miami Medical will debut Friday, April 2 at 10pm (taking the time slot of NUMB3RS, which will have completed its season). The hourlong drama, about an irreverant team of expert surgeons who thrive on the adrenaline rush of working at one of the premiere trauma facilities in the country, stars Jeremy Northam, Lana Parrilla, Mike Vogel, Elisabeth Harnois and Omar Gooding. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2009 CBS

CBS announces “Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains” cast

January 7, 2010 Lori Acken

Twenty former castaways will return to compete on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, when the 20th installment of the Emmy Award-winning series premieres with a special two-hour episode, Thursday, Feb. 11 at 8pm ET on the CBS Television Network. Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains will reunite some of the most memorable, heroic and controversial castaways from previous Survivor seasons. The series’ best strategists will face off in their attempt to overcome — or embrace — the label placed upon them when they return to seek revenge or redemption, all in an effort to win the title of Sole Survivor. These unforgettable castaways will […]

And the winner of the coveted post Super Bowl time slot is…

December 29, 2009 Lori Acken

… Undercover Boss. The long-awaited CBS reality series follows high-level chief executives as they leave the comfort of their corner offices and slip anonymously into the rank and file of their companies. While working alongside their employees, they will see the effects their decisions have on others, discover trouble spots within their organizations and discover the unsung heroes who make their companies run. Following its post Super Bowl debut, the series moves to its regular time period Sundays at 9pm as part of a new two-hour reality block with The Amazing Race. Photo: Jeff Neira/CBS

CBS to end “As the World Turns” in September

December 8, 2009 Lori Acken

CBS’s daytime drama As the World Turns will broadcast its final episode on Sept. 17, 2010 — one day shy of a year after the network pulled the plug on its 72-year-old daytime flagship Guiding Light. At the time of its final broadcast, the series will have spanned 54 years and more than 13,000 episodes. “It’s extremely difficult to say good-bye to a long-running series that’s been close to our hearts for so long,” said Barbara Bloom, Senior Vice President, Daytime Programming. “The almanacs will show As the World Turns as a pioneer of the format, a hallmark for quality with […]

Ray Romano Talks About Translating His “Middle-Age Funk” Into A Manly New Drama

December 7, 2009 Lori Acken

After a four-year hiatus from television, Everybody Loves Raymond star Ray Romano is finally coming soon to a small screen near you. On Dec. 7, TNT will premiere Romano’s newest labor of love — and angst — the hourlong drama Men of a Certain Age. Yes, you read that right: Like his new TV home, Ray Romano Knows Drama. And, though the network is has long been running humor-steeped promo clips, Romano wants you to know that his tale of three lifelong buddies teetering on the brink of midlife crisis is NOT Everybody Loves Raymond’s Friends. Channel Guide: Congratulations on […]

George Lopez Talks The Talk … Show

November 30, 2009 Lori Acken

George Lopez is having a very good year. The presidential candidate for whom he spent much of 2008 tirelessly campaigning is now in office. His self-titled sitcom is a smash in syndication. His live comedy act sells out arenas. And he was among the first actors signed to Garry Marshall’s upcoming Valentine’s Day, an ensemble comedy starring a multigenerational who’s who of talent from Taylor Swift to Ashton Kutcher to Shirley MacLaine. So how is he celebrating this string of successes? By hosting a show in which everyone else gets to gab about theirs. Beginning Nov. 9, Lopez plans to […]

Hallmark Hall of Fame, CBS and Petfinder.com launch holiday pet fostering program

November 23, 2009 Lori Acken

This holiday season, Hallmark Hall of Fame and CBS are partnering with Petfinder.com to launch the first ever “Foster a Lonely Pet for the holidays” program, inspired by the original movie A Dog Named Christmas which will air Sunday, Nov. 29, on CBS. Based on Greg Kincaid’s popular novel, A Dog Named Christmas tells the story of a developmentally challenged young man whose affinity for animals inspires him to champion his family and their community to participate in a local animal shelter’s “Foster a Dog for Christmas” program. In keeping with the movie’s heartwarming story, Petfinder.com is working with more than […]