By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Ang Lee apparently isn't feeling very tyrannical anymore. The "Life of Pi" director has dropped out of the FX pilot "Tyrant," which would have marked his television directorial debut. The pilot, from "Homeland" producers Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff, along with Craig Wright …

By Jethro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Discovery Channel's "American Chopper" star Paul Teutul Sr. is returning to television on a new series for CMT. Pilgrim studios will produce eight episodes of the one-hour unscripted show, "Orange County Choppers," for CMT. It starts production this summer and slated to air …

By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Think there's too much reality TV on the air these days? Cheer up, NBC has picked up a new scripted series - about a reality TV show. The network has picked up the one-hour drama "Siberia," about reality-show contestants uncovering dark secrets, the network said Monday. The series, …

By Jane Lee SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Humor may not always translate well, but Jon Stewart is picking up millions of fans in China, where his gloves-off political satire is refreshing for many in a country where such criticism is a rarity - especially when directed at their own leaders. A recent segment on North Korea scored …

By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Charlie Rose will soon be helping you get your weekend started with a bang. Rose is expanding his presence on PBS with a new series, "Charlie Rose Weekend," to air Fridays at 8:30 p.m., starting in July. The half-hour series will feature Rose focusing on the events and conversations …

By Tim Molloy NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - If you can't wait until 2015 for J.J. Abrams' continuation of the "Star Wars" saga, the Disney Channel has something to hold you over: The new animated series "Star Wars Rebels" will debut late next year. The series comes as Lucasfilm Animation winds down the animated series "Star …

By Liana B. Baker (Reuters) - Deborah Turness, a former top TV news editor in Britain, will take over as NBC News president in August, at a time when it is looking to turn around the fortunes of its news division. Turness will replace Steve Capus, who left the network in February. She will report to Patricia Fili-Krushel, …

By Harriet McLeod CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - "American Idol" winner Candice Glover, whose powerful voice clinched the title of the popular TV singing show, comes from a sea island culture made up of descendants of West African slaves. "I speak another language," she said during the Fox TV show. "It's called …

By Jethro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Mike & Molly" fans won't be seeing Monday's season finale episode, which was scheduled to debut at 9:30 p.m. CBS has pulled it in light of Monday's devastating tornado in Oklahoma. "Due to the tragic events this afternoon in Oklahoma, we are pre-empting tonight's season finale …

By Jethro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The gang's back together! NBC announced on Friday that pop diva Christina Aguilera and funk singer Cee Lo Green will be reuniting with pop star Adam Levine and country singer Blake Shelton for Season 5, as TheWrap was the first to report. The network also said that Shakira and …

By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - After finding himself on the wrong side of the law in "21 Jump Street," Rob Riggle is joining the police force himself. The actor's set to co-star in Luke Greenfield's comedy "Let's Be Cops," which will be distributed by 20th Century Fox. Sitcom stars Jake Johnson ("New Girl") …

By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - If this acting thing doesn't work out for Patrick Dempsey, don't worry; he has a backup plan. "Grey's Anatomy" star Dempsey gave an interview to Bon Appetit magazine recently, in which he admits he could see his recently acquired coffee company Tully's peddling pot in a retail …

By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Years of staying up late on Saturday nights to make the nation laugh have apparently left Bill Hader a little sleep-deprived. Hader, who announced earlier this week that he's leaving "Saturday Night Live" after eight seasons when the show wraps its current season, revealed his …

By Alistair Barr SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc decided not to turn pilot project "Zombieland" into a full TV series, but is going ahead with "Alpha House," as the world's largest online retailer enters the next stage of its foray into original video creation. "Zombieland" writer and producer Rhett Reese wrote …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The finale of NBC's "The Office" drew a season high of 5.7 million viewers, as fans tuned in to see the show's biggest star Steve Carell return for a wedding and nostalgic farewell. The 75-minute finale episode, which aired from 9 p.m. to 10:15 p.m EDT after an hour-long retrospective featuring cast …

By Brent Lang LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Richard J. Lewis is stepping down as co-executive producer and a frequent director on "Person of Interest," TheWrap has learned. His contract expired this spring. Instead of renewing, Lewis opted to remain full-time in Los Angeles where he lives with family, according to an individual …

By Jethro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New York" resumed shooting Season 6 on Wednesday - a week late - with just four of the women returning to their jobs after a failed attempt to band together for bigger paychecks. The road to that point was filled with lessons for the network and …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The number of Americans who watched vocal powerhouse Candice Glover win the "American Idol" title sank to 14.2 million, a decline of 31 percent from last year's record low, according to ratings data on Friday. The singing competition, now in Season 12, was once a TV industry juggernaut for Fox that …

By Liana B. Baker NEW YORK (Reuters) - The big four U.S. broadcast networks, in need of new TV hits to turn around slumping ratings, are betting espionage programs and old comedy stars will convince advertisers to spend about $9 billion during the so-called upfront selling season. This week, the broadcast networks have …

By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Suffering from Jodi Arias withdrawal after spending the last, oh, five months or so obsessively following her trial? Here's some good news - you'll be able to live the whole legal saga over again next month. Lifetime's Arias biopic "Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret" will premiere …

(Reuters) - New episodes of relaunched soap operas "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" will now appear online two times a week, rather than four, after producers concluded fans weren't keeping up with the heavier schedule. The one-time ABC dramas attracted millions of views through Hulu.com, Hulu Plus and Apple Inc's …

By Patricia Reaney (Reuters) - Candice Glover, a soul singer from rural South Carolina, was named "American Idol" on Thursday, becoming the first female singer to win the television singing competition since 2007. Glover, 23, defeated country singer Kree Harrison in the popular vote with her powerful voice in what judges …

(Reuters) - "Saturday Night Live" cast member Seth Meyers said on Thursday that he will stay on at the NBC live television comedy show until the end of the year, before he begins hosting the network's "Late Night" talk show in February 2014. Meyers, 39, will take the reins from Jimmy Fallon on "Late Night" in a programming …