Hollywood Notebook: 'Smash' a hit for Megan Hilty

It wasn't a shock when NBC announced there would be no third act for "Smash," canceling it after only two seasons. Once original episodes moved to Saturday, it was clear the end was near. If you want to see what will now be the series finale, it will air at 9 p.m. Saturday on KSEE (Channel 24.1).

My favorite thing out of the two seasons was getting to see and hear Megan Hilty, who plays Ivy Lynn. I never got to see her stage work in "Wicked" or "9 to 5: The Musical," but I feel lucky to have been introduced to her through the TV series. When I ran into Hilty at an NBC party, I told her that there are three female artists who give me goosebumps when I hear them sing -- Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenowith and her. Read more →

Fall TV: Networks woo viewers lost to cable, online

The fall TV season for the five networks is still months away, but the battle already has started to win back some of the viewers who have shifted to cable and online programming.

Advertisements for the 29 new shows that will fill out the network lineups for the 2013-14 season are airing. Look for stars of those new shows to start making guest appearances on talk shows. Read more →

'Live From Lincoln Center,' it's Fresno's Audra McDonald

If you've been watching the "Live From Lincoln Center" series on KVPT (Channel 18.1), you've had the chance to see Fresno's Audra McDonald show off her hosting skills. She goes from host to performer for the episode of the concert series airing at 9 p.m. May 24.

Being on the stage at Lincoln Center is familiar to McDonald, who studied at The Juilliard School and performed on every Lincoln Center stage during her multiple-Tony winning career. Read more →

Mary Murphy's passion for dance comes through on FOX show

After seven seasons as a judge on "So You Think You Can Dance," you would think the job would get easier for Mary Murphy. It's been just the opposite.

"What we are seeing now are people who have grown up watching the show and training to be on it," says Murphy, her normal skyrocket-like enthusiasm toned down just slightly. Read more →

Clovis native Miranda Rae Mayo gets in 'The Game'

Miranda Rae Mayo always knew she wanted to act.

That's why as soon as she graduated from Roosevelt High School, the Clovis native packed her bags and moved in with a cousin in Riverside. When pressured to start taking some college classes, Mayo made a bet with her cousin: She would get an agent, manager and start going on auditions by the end of the semester. If that didn't happen, she would stay in school. Read more →

TV briefs: 'Drop Dead Diva'

More life(time): Lifetime's "Drop Dead Diva," which follows a shallow wannabe model who suddenly dies in an accident only to find her soul resurfacing in the body of a brilliant, plus-sized recently deceased attorney, is back for a fifth season with 13 all-new episodes set to debut at 9 p.m. June 23 on Lifetime.

The one-hour, comedic drama stars Brooke Elliott, Margaret Cho, Jackson Hurst, Kate Levering, April Bowlby and Lex Medlin. Read more →

TV briefs: 'Food Network Star'

Hot stuff: Food Network's long-running competition series "Food Network Star" returns for a ninth season at 9 p.m. June 2.

Alton Brown, Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay will lead the charge to discover the best and brightest new faces in food television. In the one-hour season premiere, the 12 contestants arrive in Los Angeles, ready to kick off the biggest audition of their lives to find out who has the personality, on-camera charisma and kitchen chops to follow in their idols' footsteps and helm their own show. Read more →

Kyle Bornheimer has the 'Tools'

PASADENA -- If nothing else, Kyle Bornheimer keeps swinging.

Since 2008, he's starred in three network TV series: "Worst Week," "Perfect Couples" and "Romantically Challenged." None lasted more than 13 episodes, with "Romantically Challenged" getting axed after just three airings. Read more →

TV briefs: Anne Heche in 'Save Me'

Check your schedule: NBC has announced premiere dates for its summer shows.

Anne Heche stars in the comedy "Save Me," which starts at 8 p.m. May 23. "Get Out Alive With Bear Grylls" will make its debut at 9 p.m. July 8, while "Camp," which stars Rachel Griffiths as a divorced camp director looking for a fresh start, begins 10 p.m. July 10. Read more →

Final episodes of Showtime's 'The Big C' begin Monday

PASADENA -- The title of Showtime's "The Big C" has been changed slightly for the four one-hour final episodes that begin at 10 p.m. Monday. It's now being called "The Big C: hereafter."

Through three seasons, Laura Linney has played Cathy Jamison, a woman dealing with the harsh realities of being diagnosed with terminal cancer. She has been strong, scared, confused, content and, at times, nearly out of her mind (at least, it looked that way to some). Now, the end is here -- definitely for the show but a little more vague when it comes to Cathy. Read more →

Vengeful character a fun twist for Brooke Burns

Brooke Burns has starred in several sweet and funny cable channel movies. But now she gets to play bad -- very bad -- in Lifetime's "A Sister's Revenge."

"It's a big, big, BIG change for me," says Burns with a laugh. "It's a big change from other roles I have played, but it's great to get to play a diversity of roles." Read more →

TV briefs: Bruno Mars

First up: Fourteen-time Grammy Award winner Bruno Mars, whose single, "When I Was Your Man," has ascended to the No. 1 spot single on the Billboard's Hot 100, will celebrate by opening the "2013 Billboard Music Awards."

The event can be seen at 8 p.m. May 19 on KFSN (Channel 30.1). Read more →

TV briefs: TNT summer dramas

Mark your calendar: TNT has announced the season premieres for four of its summer dramas.

"Franklin & Bash," starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Breckin Meyer and new cast member Heather Locklear, will launch its third season with a two-hour premiere at 9 p.m. June 19. Read more →

Vincent Kartheiser defends his 'Mad Men' character

Vincent Kartheiser believes Pete Campbell has gotten a raw deal.

He keeps hearing about how awful his "Mad Men" character is because he was the one who suggested Joan (Christina Hendricks) sleep with a client as a way to land the Jaguar advertising account. Read more →

Creed Bratton ('The Office') returns to musical roots

For the past nine years, Creed Bratton -- a former Fresno and Coarsegold resident -- has played a rather strange version of himself on the NBC comedy "The Office." Bratton's dealt with the series coming to an end (May 16) by focusing on the musical career that gave him his first fame and fortune.

The former member of the '60s rock group The Grass Roots on Tuesday released the first part of "Tell Me About It," his solo work described as "an audio biography about LSD, unemployment and third acts." It will be followed by the second part May 7 and the third on May 21. His current tour brings him home to perform at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino. Read more →

KVPT to screen 'Orphans of the Genocide'

Filmmaker Bared Maronian and actor Ken Davitian ("Borat," "The Artist") will be the special guests at the KVPT (Channel 18.1) studios for two screenings of Maronian's documentary "Orphans of the Genocide."

The film is dedicated to the more than 150,000 orphans of the Armenian Genocide. Read more →

Original 'Star Trek' actress Grace Lee Whitney to appear at Fresno event

Grace Lee Whitney, the Coarsegold resident who is the oldest surviving member of the original "Star Trek" TV series cast, considers each day a blessed gift. That's because after a long period of alcohol, drugs and sex addictions, she's been clean and sober for 32 years.

"Only 2% make it to 30 years," Whitney says with great pride. Read more →

New on DVD: Oscar nominees 'Les Misérables,' 'Lincoln' hit stores

Two Oscar nominees for this year's Best Picture hit stores this week.

"Les Misérables," Grade B+: This big-screen version of the musical based on Victor Hugo's book stars Hugh Jackman. Read more →

For Leslie Mann, 'This is 40' a family affair

For "This is 40," available on DVD today, actress Leslie Mann spent a lot of time with her family. The film was written and directed by her husband, Judd Apatow, and it features the couple's real daughters.

"It was fun being around my family," Mann says. She laughs and adds, "We did learn that it's not fun every day and we need breaks from each other." Read more →

‘0 to 5 in 30 Minutes!’ digs deeper with panels

The seventh season of the locally produced “0 to 5 in 30 Minutes!” — starting at 7:30 p.m. tonight on KVPT (Channel 18.1) — will feature a slight change.

Over the first six seasons, each episode has looked at multiple topics. The difference this season is that four of the 24 episodes will be devoted to a single topic discussed by an on-camera panel of experts. Read more →

Ex-KSEE reporter Brent eyes his future

Jon Brent wasn't surprised when his KSEE (Channel 24.1) contract wasn't renewed.

"I kind of knew that it was coming. When a station doesn't want to keep people like Rich Rodriguez, Jim Guy, Alexan Balekian and Jennifer Brice, then people like me are a dying breed at that station," Brent says. Read more →

Glover returns to Fresno with 'Dance' tour

Welcome home, Jason.

With the "So You Think You Can Dance" 40-city tour winding down, most of the dancers have already played to their hometowns. Fresno's Jason Glover will finally get that chance Tuesday at the Save Mart Center. Expect, um, at least one or two screaming fans. Read more →

Newsman shares how assignment left impact

Former KGPE (Channel 47.1) news anchor Kevin Walsh has covered thousands of stories working as a reporter in Honolulu, Fresno, Philadelphia and now Boston.

In a new book "The Marrow in Me" (Sports Challenge Network, $19.95), he writes about how a routine assignment in 1996 changed his life. Read more →

Dose of reality: Medical reality series is filmed in Fresno-area hospitals

Lillian Baronian only expected to see a doctor at Community Regional Medical Center’s emergency room after she fell and hurt her shoulder. She got that and more.

Baronian ended up facing TV cameras filming the nationally syndicated series “Healthcare Heroes.” The series, seen locally at 5 p.m. Sundays on KFSN (Channel 30.1), is filmed on location at Community in downtown Fresno, the Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital and Clovis Community Medical Center. Read more →

Bizarre Fox series lives near the ‘Fringe’

“Fringe: The Complete First Season” Grade B: If this Fox series continues to blend tales of the weird with intriguing characters it could become the “X-Files” replacement for which fans have been waiting.

The first season featured plenty of bizarre moments that seemed to be rather random. The season finale revealed the common link. Read more →