By Deanna Barnert
Special to MSN TV

With ABC's "The Chew" set to premiere Monday, September 26, celeb chefs Mario Batali, Michael Symon and Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly and healthy girl Daphne Oz (daughter of Dr. Oz!) are already cooking, eating and dishing in the kitchen. MSN TV has a first look clip from "The Chew" crew.

Bing: More about 'The Chew'

"The Chew" finally has a premiere date, which means all "All My Children" has gotten its final airdate. The residents of Pine Valley will take their final bow September 23, 2011, but not before Josh Duhamel (Leo Du Pres), Eva La Rue (Maria Santos), Thorsten Kaye (Zach Slater), Carol Burnett (Verla Grubbs), Kate Collins (Janet Green), Jennifer Bassey (Marion Chandler), Melissa Claire Egan (Annie Chandler), Leven Rambin (Lily Montgomery) and more alums return to town for one last visit.

Video: Watch clips and episode of 'All My Children'

Then, it's time to launch "The Chew," and ABC is hoping even soap fans will come to their party in the kitchen. The alphabet net has cooked up a team of food, lifestyle and entertaining experts who will cover "everything food related, from cooking, holidays and home entertaining to food trends like food trucks and urban gardens."

To get viewers ready for the September premiere, the co-hosts are sure to pop up on ABC daytime over the coming months. First up, co-host Michael Symon will be doing some summer grilling on "Good Morning America" this Friday, July 8 during the 8:30 a.m. half-hour of the broadcast.

"The Chew" premieres on Monday, September 26, and will air weekdays on ABC.

In the meantime, here's your invitation to "The Chew" party in September:



 

 

 

Continuing to reap good fortune for his bad behavior, Charlie Sheen is set to head to Comedy Central in the fall ... but not to launch a new series. The former star of "Two and a Half Men" has been tapped to be the man of honor for the next "Comedy Central Roast."

 

Bing: More about Charlie Sheen | 'Comedy Central Roast'

 

Comedy Central announced today that the troubled, headline-grabbing actor will star in the celebrity-filled affair, which will tape in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 10. "The Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen" will premiere Monday, September 19, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central.

 

"You could say I've been providing kindling for this Roast for a while,” said Sheen.  “It's time to light it up.  It's going to be epic." Tune in to see if he was being literal or not.

 

What do you think? Did Comedy Central hit the mark with this latest news?

 

 

"Are we going to let our dreams be taken away?" – Eric Taylor

Sometimes, everything goes your way, and other times, everything goes wrong. But most of the time, life is a mixed bag, where joyful accomplishments happen side by side with thwarted hopes. Tonight, there was some stark examples of that in our various families – the Taylors, the Riggins, the Howards – all set against the rising excitement of the Lions knocking down the four playoff games like an awesome football machine.

With her unexpected job offer at an "almost ivy league" college in Philadelphia, Tami Taylor definitely had the sweetest and most well deserved triumph. It's easy to forgive Eric's grouchiness over her missing the final playoff game, since it requires a lot of suspension of a lot of disbelief that this offer did come to something. And the fact that it may be juxtaposed with Eric losing his job and/or his new team would make a Taylor move to the east coast bittersweet. Although it would make it much tidier for Eric to get laid off and sail off with new Dean of Admissions Tami into the sunset, it seems a bit too much of an easy way out. Will the Taylors be forced to choose between their beloved community of Dillon and what is obviously being presented as a step up in income and job security for at least one spouse? Even in an exemplary marriage like Eric and Tami's, there is at least somewhat of an unspoken assumption that the husband's career takes precedence, particularly in a job as fraught with emotion and masculine pride as football coaching, and there's no way they would split up again like they did in season two.  Hopefully, the bumps in the road will be manageable.

Facing even more overwhelming conflicts, the Riggins brothers escalate from uneasy passive-aggressive behavior to outright blows in no time. It was painful to see Billy's life through Tim's disappointed eyes, and easy to understand his sadness that Billy did not live up to his expectations of a husband, father and upright citizen. According to him, Billy reneged on his part of their deal ("I screw up my life, you fix yours"), but now he has to learn to see his brother in a more realistic way, as a simple man who likes to drink beer and doesn't mind that customers at the Landing Strip are pawing his teenage houseguest. Meanwhile, Billy's crushing guilt is worsened by the failure of his dreams that a happy family unit would magically result when Tim was released.  Derek Phillips has done incredible work this season, and the storm of emotions on his face after the fight in the parking lot was a high point for him.

Also dealing with many deferred dreams is Vince, even as he realizes his promised goal of taking his team to State. His father makes a swift and ugly descent into old habits after losing his grip on Vince's nascent college football career, pushing Regina to the breaking point of her sobriety. Michael B. Jordan just keeps getting better and better, and not just in showcase scenes like the one where Ornette is breaking down the door to the apartment. Just his eyes searching for his mother in the victory crowd or his little smile as he overhears Jess succeed in her efforts to "shadow" Coach are enough to break your heart. It is amazing that Vince finds the strength to concentrate on the various games as his family falls apart, but it's heartening to see mother and son standing together at the end. Vince still has lots of people on his side, and that's a big help to make dreams come true.

• It's pretty hilarious that Tim Riggins, of all people, is the one pointing (yelling) out the idiocy of a high school junior working as a cocktail waitress in a strip club. All in all, it's not too upsetting that Becky lost her job, and I have no doubt she and Luke will make up soon.
• Is that trailer still in Becky's mother's backyard, where her father and stepmother live?  Hope he doesn't own a shotgun.
• For those of us who know little to nothing about football, it was fun to rip through all four playoff games so quickly.
• Smash transferred to Texas A&M. Nice.
• One of the things I've always admired in this show is the matter-of-fact and respectful treatment of religion. Faith is an integral part of these peoples' lives, whether it’s church on Sunday or an inspirational prayer before the game, and the show is able to present it with naturally, with no fuss. Good stuff.
• "Shadows are silent."
  
• Hey, you guys! Hastings Ruckle…threw a football?

 

By Deanna Barnert
Special to MSN TV

Anderson Cooper revealed a bit more about what to expect from his upcoming talk show, "Anderson" and MSN TV has the video! Cooper also confessed to having a reality TV addiction and shared his tale of getting drunk-dialed by "The Real Housewives" newsmaker Nene Leakes.

Bing: More about Anderson Cooper

"For years, in news, I've been ashamed to admit that I watch 'The Housewives,'" Anderson Cooper revealed Wednesday in New York.  "Or at least I haven't really talked about it. But now that I'm in daytime TV I can fully reveal how much I like the 'Housewives'."

Video: Watch clips of 'Real Housewives of Atlanta'

During his chat with "The Early Show" co-anchor Erica Hill Cooper at the PromaxBDA: The Conference 2011, Cooper also dished about his reality faves "Cheaters" and "Hoarders" and revealed he has a newfound soft spot -- or perverse penchant? -- for OWN's "Finding Sarah."

"I try to watch everything on television, because I'm completely insane," he quipped. "But I've become much more selective -- I'll watch 'The Soup' so I don't have to watch every single reality show."

Cooper's love of trashy reality TV isn't the only thing he is looking forward to sharing with America when his daily syndicated talk show "Anderson" hits FOX on September 12, 2011. The newsman is confident daytime and "Anderson" will give him the opportunity to open up and reveal more of himself.

"On CNN, at night, I'm talking to politicians and pundits: In daytime TV, I'm not going to be talking to any of those people," he said. "This is not a news program. We think we'll be pretty much -- in this year --the only show on the air which really covers a broad selection of topics, from a big celebrity interview one day to a hot button social issue the next day; following day interview with a real person whose facing a real life challenge we can all learn from; the next day some pop culture stuff."

Here are two clips from Cooper's appearance PromaxBDA: The Conference 2011, including his tale of Nene Leakes.



 

By Deanna Barnert
Special to MSN TV

Genoa City locals are busy preparing for their annual Fourth of July barbeques, just like the rest of us, but Sharon Newman Abbott Newman has a different holiday agenda on "The Young and the Restless." With a murder rap hanging over her head, Sharon is still on the run and presumed dead and on July 4, she'll sit down to write the story of her life. Sharon Case talked with MSN TV, previewing the special episode, which promises to be full of flashbacks going back to Eddie Cibrian's run in the mid-90s. 16 years may not sound like a long time, but in the world of soap opera rapid aging syndrome, Sharon Newman has been put through the ringer and back more than a few times.

Bing: More about Sharon Case

MSN TV: Sharon has been hiding out with Sam for awhile, but word is, she'll return to Genoa City by end of summer. Is this a Dear Sam letter she's writing on the July 4 episode?

Sharon Case: No, she ends up staying the night at his house, so she feels bad. She didn't mean for things to go that far with him and now that they've spent the night together, it's wrong to carry on lying. She can't tell him the truth face to face, so she decides to write him a letter.

Video: Watch clips and episodes of 'Young and the Restless'

What goes into this letter?

Once she starts writing, she ends up going way back to tell the whole story of her life. It was a lot to cover in one long, comprehensive letter to Sam. [Laughs] But she wants what's going on now to make sense to him. "I'm a fugitive and I've been convicted" just doesn't tell the whole story.

While she's writing, she pauses and thinks about her life. They run all these flashbacks, going all the way back to Matt Clark. It's a neat way to tell the story of everything she's been through. It's heartfelt, writing this letter to someone who has become meaningful in her life. It isn't showboating. It isn't forced. It seems natural.

Are we going back to the original Matt Clark?

Yes, Eddie Cibrian, who's now on "The Playboy Club" -- That's amazing! It goes back to the days when Eddie and Joshua [Morrow] were fighting and he gave me the coat and then there was the date rape. That was before Rick Hearst (Whip, "Bold and the Beautiful") brought Matt back. I don't think we cover that. I think we also skip over Cameron Kirsten, but I'm not sure. He was so great. I love Linden Ashby (Cameron; Sheriff Stilinsky, "Teen Wolf"). I wish he'd come back.

He and Susan Walters (ex-Diane; Carol, "The Vampire Diaries") are one of the hottest, most talented real life couples to come out of daytime!

You are absolutely right. They are both amazing, but I don't want to say that without saying how great Maura West is in the role of Diane. She's fantastic and looks beautiful on the show. She's so captivating to see on TV. Susan was entirely different. You cannot even compare them, because I couldn't imagine anyone else playing that role but Susan, but then I love what Maura is doing. It's a different character now. I liked how she changed Diane. I could watch it all day. When you do recasts, it's better to let actors do what they do best. Let them make it their own, and that's what Maura did.

So did you get to watch Sharon's flashback clips?

No, but I read what they were in the script. I remembered all of them. They're all crazy. I've had great storylines and a lot of them have been wild, but very well written. I don't think I've ever had one of those "soapy storylines," whatever that means.

Isn't Sharon about to return from the dead?

She is returning from the dead, but here's the thing: Sharon's not really dead and the audience saw that. If you see someone truly dead and buried and then they actually come back from the dead, that's different.

Are you looking forward to Sharon finally returning to Genoa City?

After crying every day in court and the long progressive drama, it was relaxing to be in the barn for a while. Then I got "restless" and I wanted to get out of the barn, so I'm glad to be moving on.

And getting back to being a blonde?

My hair's been lightening slowly, week by week. I don't want to go back to platinum blonde, but I do want to go back to being blonde. It started out really dark. It was fun for the storyline. For me personally, I didn't like it.

Will returning throw Sharon right back into the romantic triangle with Nick and Adam?

There's all kinds of shapes going on, now! Adam and Nick still love Sharon and Sharon loves them, and now Sam's in it -- and Sam is the fighting kind. He's a good ol' boy. We'll have to see what happens when all this gets sorted out.

Who do you think Sharon belongs with?

Sharon belongs in the Shick & Shadam triangle! We'll see where she lands one day, but for a long time, that is where she belongs.

"The Young and the Restless" airs weekdays on CBS.