Michael C Hall stars as a serial killer with a conscience in the dramatic series Dexter, which recently completed its second season on Showtime. Dexter’s day job is as a forensic blood expert with the Miami police department where he works with his sister, Debra Morgan, an up and coming homicide detective. On screen the two play siblings who have playful camaraderie and help each other out, and offscreen they’re said to have been dating for around four months:

[Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter] “have been seeing each other secretly for some time,” a source tells Star. “They were keeping it quiet because Michael is still married.” The former Six Feet Under star, 36, filed for divorce from his wife of four years, actress Amy Spanger, in 2006. Although it’s still pending, Michael and Jennifer, 28, finally decided that four months of sneaking around was enough!

[From Star Magazine, print edition, January 14, 2008]

I’ve only seen the first season of Dexter as I live overseas and don’t have access to the second season yet, but I’m looking forward to it. It took me a while to get into the show as the premise is so odd, but once I watched a couple of episodes I was hooked and my husband loves it two.

Dexter and Deb are just brother and sister by adoption on the show as Deb’s father, a homicide detective, adopted Dexter. I won’t give away much more of the plot as it’s a worthy series to rent and watch in its entirety. Considering that these two play siblings by adoption it might be a little easier for them to step out of their characters and fall in love. Hopefully they aren’t too burdened by the plot of the show. It seems outlandish enough not to be taken seriously by the people who work on it, although it sucks you in, kind of like Prison Break.

Michael C Hall is a talented actor and Six Feet Under is one of my favorite shows of all time. It’s nice to see him finding success again on Dexter.

Images are promotional photos for Dexter season one and two. It’s confirmed that it has been picked up for a third season by Showtime, although it’s likely to be delayed by the writer’s strike.

Update: The first season of Dexter will air on CBS on Sundays starting 2/17. It will be edited for to meet broadcast TV standards. [via ONTD]

David Letterman, Craig Ferguson, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert will return to their respective talk shows this week. Letterman’s company has struck an agreement with the Writers Guild of America that allows him to use writers for “The Late Show.” Craig Ferguson’s “Late Late Show” is controlled by Letterman’s production company, Worldwide Pants, and also has the advantage of falling under the interim agreement and being able to use writers. Leno and the rest of the late night hosts will have to make due with whatever they can muster that doesn’t violate the WGA contract. That is expected to entail longer celebrity interviews and more off the cuff audience interaction. “On the street” segments are also anticipated.

The first celebrity guest booked on Letterman’s show is Robin Williams. Both Letterman and Ferguson have an added edge over their talkshow host competitors in that guests don’t have to cross picket lines to appear. Williams is one guest who certainly wouldn’t need a scripted Q&A to appear, however. He is particularly gifted in off the cuff absurdity which can sometimes be hard to follow.

Steven Colbert and Jon Stewart are expected to be scrambling to come up with material that’s not prepared. They rely on scripted segments for their shows and will be hard pressed to ad lib. Under the WGA contract they can’t even use ideas that are prepared ahead of time by writers. These two strike me as cleverer than most, so we’ll have to see how they deal with the situation. It will also be interesting to see if Letterman and O’Brien have shaved their “strike beards,” or if they’ll grace us with their unshaven faces at least for one night.

As for how the writer’s strike continues to affect television, I read an interesting article that compared the 1988 strike to the current strike and said that there’s evidence that television lost 10% of its viewership almost permanently after the five month strike from March to August. This current strike could result in a nearly 30% drop in television viewers and could go a long way toward strengthening the audience for online content and web-based shows. And we may have to make due with more open-ended interviews with lesser-known celebrities on the talk shows. Maybe that’s an added benefit to refusing to cross picket lines - celebrities don’t have to worry about sounding stupid if they can’t rehearse their answers ahead of time.

Here’s a link to a wikipedia article that has an updated list of how many episodes are available for specific shows.

Thanks to the NY Times and The Wall St. Journal for the details for this story.

Letterman is shown on 10/20/05 with a horse, but I swear to you this picture is captioned “Madonna Visits The Late Show with David Letterman” by the photo agency, PRPhotos.

AOL TV has released a list of the ‘50 Sexiest Women on Television, Ever’. Normally I can’t stand a list that has the title ‘ever’, because it sort of suggests that this is it for sexiness. People are going to keep on being sexy, no matter how much time passes. Or at least I hope so, because otherwise I’m going to have to enjoy sunsets at the beach in my old age, instead of sexy young lifeguards.

The top 50 features a few obvious choices from the past few generations - remember when Teri Hatcher wearing only Superman’s cape became the most searched for image on the Internet? (And when you consider what other raunchiness you can find on the Internet that is quite an accomplishment.)

There’s also Sarah Michelle Gellar, Carmen Electra, Elizabeth Montgomery, Jennifer Aniston, and any Star Trek fan’s favourite Jeri Ryan, aka Seven of Nine.

TV’s Sexiest Women - Ever

1. Pamela Anderson - Baywatch
2. Farrah Fawcett - Charlie’s Angel’s
3. Lynda Carter - Wonder Woman
4. Heather Locklear - Melrose Place, Dynasty, T. J. Hooker
5. Eva Longoria - Desperate Housewives
6. Diana Rigg - The Avengers
7. Barbara Eden - I Dream Of Jeannie
8. Katherine Heigl - Grey’s Anatomy
9. Catherine Bach - The Duke’s of Hazzard
10. Tina Louise - Gilligan’s Island

AOL

Oh, Pamela Anderson back before she became a big breasted joke, running down a beach in slow motion in that skimpy red bathing suit. She deserves the sexiest woman on television crown, she’s the reason that Baywatch is the most watched show in the world. I doubt it’s for the storylines.

Hungry actors have been known to do some desperate things to break into the business. Taking terrible roles in “Anaconda 3,” jumping on the casting couch, or kissing your brother. What? Yeah. Kissing your own brother. I’m fortunate enough not to have a brother, so I can write this without getting the willies that the rest of you are experiencing right now. Can you imagine wanting to be in a movie so badly that you agreed to kiss your brother not once, but twice? And we’re not talking a cheek peck. We’re talking a real kiss. “Grey’s Anatomy’s” Chyler Leigh’s first movie was a pretty cheesy looking family film called “Kickboxing Academy” which costarred her real-life brother as her love interest. Can we say disgusting and unnecessary? How many seventeen-year-old male actors are out there? The casting people really couldn’t find anyone else?

A video has hit the Web showing Grey’s Anatomy newcomer Chyler Leigh, who plays Meredith’s neurotic half-sister Lexie, kissing her older brother. No, don’t worry. Not in the Angelina Jolie-James Haven kind of way. Rather, Leigh, 25, performed her intra-familial liplock in the interest of her craft!

Internet-savvy Grey’s fans have discovered footage of the then 15-year-old star’s inaugural movie role in 1997’s Kickboxing Academy. In an odd choice of casting, the film’s producers cast her brother, Christopher Khayman Lee, as her love interest.

And that’s not all. The siblings have not just one - but a handful - of kissing scenes. Let’s all channel our inner Meredith Grey and ask: “Seriously?!?!?”

[From Us Weekly]

Those casting agents must be the laziest people in Hollywood. They probably said, “Well we have this girl, we like her for the role. And we could go outside the door and look at the next five guys in line, or we could just take the guy that came in with her, make them kiss, and call it an early day. Yep, let’s go with that.” From the snippets shown of the movie, it seems that Leigh’s brother isn’t just some random guy she kisses, but actually plays her love interest. I don’t want to be totally puritanical, but where were their parents? Why in the world didn’t they object to something so creepy?

Here’s a few snippets of the kiss, if you can stomach it. And I mean “if you can stomach it” not because the quasi-incest is so gross, but because the guys who made the “mocumentary” YouTube video of it are beyond annoying.

10 years of overusing the word “bam” have finally caught up to him. Emeril Lagasse’s cooking show on the Food Network has been cancelled. “Emeril Live” will film the last supper on December 11th.

The Food Network has confirmed that “Emeril Live’’ — once the flagship of its primetime schedule — will cease production of new episodes in mid-December after 10 seasons.

[AP]

The beloved cliché-driven chef has put in his time on the channel devoted to the love of cooking. A rep for the network confirmed that he is still under a contract and will continue with his other show “Essence of Emeril.” He will also take part in various specials and other Food Network opportunities. Emeril also issued a statement via the rep expressing his gratitude.

“I am deeply appreciative to all the unbelievable staff — many who have been with the show since the beginning — and all the loyal viewers, and the many talented guests who have appeared on the show through the years. I look forward to continuing my association with the Food Network with `The Essence of Emeril,’ and I have lots of new ideas cooking.”

Possible reasons for the cancellation include a drop in ratings and Emeril’s bloated showbiz salary. The Alton Brown driven show, “Good Eats,” replaced “Live’s” 8 pm spot and increased viewers by 13% . The showy aspect of “Live” was also hard to swallow with a live audience and a band that seemed to provide little appeal. Basically, the network is making room for the fresh meat arriving. Guy Fieri, to name one of the up-and-comers, has been picked up for two more seasons.

Honestly, I haven’t watched anything Emeril-related in years. I just don’t think he creates everyday food that the faster-paced American public lives on. (Although cooking for me usually starts with something that comes from a box.)

Mary Delgado’s mug shot
There was a big to-do over that show “The Bachelor” this season because bachelor Brad Womack refused to choose a fiance or even a girlfriend at the end, telling the two finalists he wasn’t in love with either of them and sending them both packing. He may have chosen the wisest course, considering that his chances of staying with his chosen mate would have been statistically slim. In eleven Bachelor seasons and three Bachelorettes, only two couples are still together, according to People Magazine.

Bachelorette Trista Sutter and her firefighting poet husband Ryan, married for almost four years with a four-month-old baby boy, are the golden couple of the faux-reality series. The only other couple still together are professional fisherman Bachelor Byron Velvick and his fiance Mary Delgado. They met on the show in 2005 and made an appearance on the “After the Final Rose” episode this year as a success story, saying they planned to marry in November, 2008.

Trista and Ryan could be be the only couple left now though. Mary was just booked in Tampa, Florida on charges of hitting Bryon in the face, leaving him with a bloodied lip. When questioned by police, Mary admitted hitting Bryon. She was arrested and spent a half day in jail.

Delgado was arrested early Wednesday morning by Pinellas County police and charged with domestic battery, Tampa Bay’s WFTS-TV ABC affiliate reported Friday. She was booked into the Pinellas County Jail around 12:30AM Wednesday morning and was released on her own recognizance later that afternoon, WFTS reported.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit, Delgado hit Velvick in the face, causing a cut on his upper lip. The 40-year-old Tampa resident subsequently admitted to striking Velvick, WFTS reported. The charges of domestic battery against Delgado are a misdemeanor, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office subject charge report. Alcohol was reportedly a factor.

[From RealityTVWorld]

This might not spell the end of Mary and Bryon’s relationship, but along with the non-romantic ending of this season’s series, it might hasten the end of The Bachelor. We can only hope that ABC gets the hint.

The Bachelor’s creator said he wanted to end the show this season with a shot of Brad Womack sitting on the couch, eating a sub and watching football. Instead it concluded with a schmaltzy shot of him looking at the engagement ring, as if contemplating his non-choice. As this story shows, there are much worse ways it could have ended.

Another season of The Apprentice is upon us, but this time it is going to have celebrities competing for the chance to be Donald Trump’s slave. A and B-List celebrities are hardly going to compete for the chance to be the Don’s gofer, but this celebrity reality show actually has some performers you may have heard of:

Trace Adkins, country music singer
Stephen Baldwin, actor
Carol Alt, model
Marilu Henner, actor
Vincent “Big Pussy” Pastore, actor
Lennox Lewis, boxer
Nadia Comaneci, Olympian
Gene Simmons, rock star
Tito Ortiz, fighter
Piers Morgan, America’s Got Talent judge
Tiffany Fallon, Playmate
Omarosa, Apprentice Alumni
Jennie Finch, Olympian
Nely Galan, Galan Entertainment

[From E! News]

Okay, do we call Gene Simmons the former rocker from Kiss, or a reality tv star? Because there was that show where he had cosmetic surgery…

Trump claimed that 125 celebs begged to be on the show, but he narrowed it down to 14. I’m not sure if these 14 were chosen based on television appeal, or celebrity status, because if it’s status than I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard of the remaining 111. While I haven’t heard of most of the celebs appearing on the apprentice, I at least can see they’ve done something, like compete in the Olympics or made a country music CD. A recent celebrity reality show in New Zealand just featured losers from previously screened reality shows. Which nobody watched.

Supervising the contestants will be Donald Jr and Ivanka Trump. I got very excited when I saw them on the publicity photos because I thought they were competing.

The celebs won’t win a contract with the Don, instead they’ll be raising money for charity by completing challenges in Manhattan and it’s surrounds. The winner of the series will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of their choice.

Given their earning capability, I’m pretty sure they’d rather have the cash for themselves.

The writer’s strike – which shows no end in sight – has led to another round of mass firings, this time by NBC. According to the New York Post, nearly the entire staff of Saturday Night Live has been fired by NBC, including longtime employees. The show immediately ceased production when the strike began – most of its actors started as writers on the show and are members of the Writer’s Guild of America. SNL has had a spotty history in terms of ratings, and hasn’t been doing phenomenally in the last few years. Though they’re certainly not doing their worst, either.

The writers and actors of Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock (a lot of whom are SNL alums) got together this weekend and performed their shows live at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater in Manhattan. Tickets quickly sold out last week, and all the proceeds went to the Writers Guild’s strike fund.

In its first dramatic move since the beginning of the Writers Guild strike, NBC has fired “nearly the entire production staff” of its struggling, late-night staple, “Saturday Night Live,” sources told Page Six. One tipster told us, ” ‘SNL’ laid off all their staff until further notice. Their production staff, even long-term employees, were let go.” Another source confirmed that “90 percent of the ‘SNL’ staff was fired.”

And while The Washington Post reported yesterday that NBC might lay staff off at Jay Leno’s “Tonight” show, “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” and “Last Call With Carson Daly” - all of which immediately went into rerun mode on Nov. 5 - those staffers would at least get paid for two more weeks. But an insider confirmed to us that “SNL” staffers got no severance.

Although no official announcement had been made as of last night about firings at any of NBC’s late-night shows, multiple sources confirmed to us that “SNL” staffers learned of their axing yesterday morning. Reps for NBC declined comment.

[From the New York Post]

I wonder what kind of trickle-down effect the strike could have on other industries. Arnold Schwarzenegger is supposedly working quietly on negotiations and has said that the strike could really impact California’s economy. It seems like most of the talent has squarely lined up behind the writers. A lot of the producers have too – even though the writers are striking against the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers – because a lot of them used to be writers too. According to what’s been reported so far, negotiations this weekend failed to produce any result.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Thanks to the NY Times for these pictures of Saturday Night Live performed this weekend live on stage in Chelsea.

Jennifer Aniston is going to make a second guest appearance on Courteney Cox’s aptly-named FX series, Dirt. Aniston shared a disappointing girl kiss with Cox on the season finale of the show in March. She played the lesbian editor of a tabloid that competes with Dirt, the gossip rag that Courteney Cox’s character runs. The kiss wasn’t all that hot and was more of a friendly goodbye kiss that was turned into something more by the imagination of one of Courteney’s male co-workers.

Now they’re bringing Aniston back for more, and she will have another ratings-raising guest appearance. I bet that there won’t be much action between Aniston and Cox’s characters, but that the show will play up the sexual tension as much as possible:

Jennifer Aniston will reprise her role as Tina Harrod, a tabloid-magazine editor, in her second guest spot on Courteney Cox’s FX show, Dirt, says a friend of Jen’s. No word yet on whether there’ll be an encore of the BFF’s much-fussed-about kissing scene (Jen’s character is gay), but the upcoming episode will include a bigger role for Jen, 38, and more scenes opposite Courteney, 43. “Jen’s blocked off time in December to be available when they need her,” says the friend.

[From Life and Style, print edition, November 19, 2007]

We’ll have to see if Aniston’s scheduled appearance survives the writer’s strike, and it doesn’t sound like that episode has been written yet. The strike is not expected to end by December, but maybe the parties will work it out by then and Aniston will be able to help save her friend’s show for yet another season.

In other Jennifer Aniston news, she is said to be dating Sex and The City hottie Jason Lewis, who dated Rosario Dawson for years and has been linked with Jennifer Esposito and Laura Prepon. She is said to have had a couple of “secret” dates out with Lewis in NY City, and to have a lot in common with him. He is a pretty boy type, just like her ex husband.

They look cute together and it would be nice to see Aniston in a new relationship with someone who wants to commit long term. Lewis seems like the type of guy who is able to go the distance and doesn’t try to act single when he’s in a relationship. He was never afraid to be photographed out with Dawson and seems like the loyal, super-hot boyfriend type who will also go shopping with you and help with the dishes. Pretty much an excellent catch.

Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox are shown in the header image at the premiere of The Tripper on 4/11/07. Jason Lewis is shown below at the Angel Ball on 10/29/07, thanks to PRPhotos.

This week’s National Enquirer came out before the news that Jay Leno refused to cross picket lines and that all of his non-writing staff were threatened with layoffs at the end of this week. It looks like the writers’ strike isn’t going to end any time soon, but if The Tonight Show can manage to find guests hosts they might be able to come out of reruns and save staff jobs. It’s going to be a tricky situation because it could be hard to find stars who are also willing to cross picket lines by appearing on the show during the strike.

Whatever happens with The Tonight Show, Jay Leno was slated to be replaced in 2009 with Conan O’Brien. Jay was hoping to continue hosting the show well into his old age and is pissed that NBC is replacing him. So he’s planning to move to Fox and get another talk show that will air at the same time as The Tonight Show and directly compete with Conan when he takes over hosting duties. He also plans to take all his staff with him, and considering how shitty NBC is treating them, they’re likely to come:

[Jay Leno] is planning to get the last laugh - by jumping to Fox TV, say sources. Jay wants to go head-to-head against Conan with pretty much the same show he’s doing now - and the comic wants to take all his NBC staffers with him, according to insiders.

He even wants to continue to tape at the same Burbank studio where he’s made a fortune for NBC.

“Jay is a creature of habit, and he’d like to stay right where he is,” revealed a source close to Leno. “He’s only 57 - and he feels as if he could do this for another 15 years.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, November 19, 2007]

Of course who knows what the future of television will be if the writers’ strike goes on for months as predicted. The networks seem to be playing hardball, and they may ultimately be the ones to lose if people become accustomed to getting their entertainment elsewhere. Familiar personalities like Leno could be off the air until spring. Although it seems like the nightly interview shows will always be a television staple, you never know how this will play out. Leno’s show has suffered the most in the ratings, experiencing a drop of over 750,000 homes. Whether people will come back for a guest host, or even when Jay finally returns, remains to be seen.

Header image from tv.yahoo.com.