Devastating Tornadoes Delay ‘Mike & Molly’ Season Finale

CBS made a last-minute decision to pull Monday night’s scheduled third season finale of the hit sitcom MIKE & MOLLY in the wake of the massive tornadoes that killed dozens in Oklahoma.

That episode’s plotline included a tornado, and the network decided it would be insensitive to storm victims to run it as scheduled. In the finale, the two lead characters, Mike and Molly, confess important news to each other as a tornado threatens Chicago.

On Monday, a powerful, 200-mph tornado ripped through Moore, Oklahoma. Two hospitals confirmed to CBS News they were treating a total of 140 injured individuals, including at least 50 hurt children.

It was one of several twisters from a major storm system.

There’s no word, yet, on when the season finale will be rescheduled. CBS has only said that it will air the show, titled, “Windy City,” at an “appropriate time.”

20 CBS Shows Renewed So Far

CBS’s crime drama CRIMINAL MINDS will be back for its 11th season in the fall, an announcement that marks CBS’s 20th renewal for the 2013-14 season.

Here’s a complete list of the shows the network confirmed for renewal so far:

• THE AMAZING RACE
• THE BIG BANG THEORY
• BLUE BLOODS
• CRIMINAL MINDS
• CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION
• ELEMENTARY
• 48 HOURS
• THE GOOD WIFE
• HAWAII FIVE-0
• HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
• THE MENTALIST
• MIKE & MOLLY
• NCIS
• NCIS: LOS ANGELES
• PERSON OF INTEREST
• 60 MINUTES
• SURVIVOR
• TWO AND A HALF MEN
• 2 BROKE GIRLS
• UNDERCOVER BOSS

Last week, the network announced the renewal of TWO AND A HALF MEN for an 11th season, although the fate of co-star Angus T. Jones, who plays the “half” man, Jake, was still subject to contract negotiations. He didn’t appear as often this past season because of a military storyline. He is said to be interested in pursuing college and music, but after a controversial religious video in which he slammed the show went viral, many have speculated about what his future with the show might be.

Only newcomers PARTNERS and MADE IN JERSEY were canceled from last season.

The remaining shows on CBS’s prime time lineup are still waiting to hear their fates. Those shows are RULES OF ENGAGEMENT, VEGAS, THE GOLDEN BOY and CSI:NY.

Which shows are you most excited to see returning for another season?

‘Y&R’ To Air Special Tribute to Jeanne Cooper

The cast and crew of CBS’s THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS will pay tribute to the show’s longest-tenured star, Jeanne Cooper, in a special episode on Tuesday, May 28th.

Cast members, friends and family of the beloved actress will gather on set next week to shoot a celebration of the life of their late friend who passed away Wednesday morning at the age of 84. Cooper, the Emmy Award-winning actress who portrayed Katherine Chancellor for more than 39 years, was the show’s longest-running cast member. She joined the soap about six months after its premiere in 1973 and remained a central character for most of those 39 years.

As part of the tribute episode, the cast of THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS will share their favorite memories of working with Cooper, along with personal recollections of their friendships with her. Additionally, interviews with Cooper from the show’s recent 40th anniversary and classic clips of her years on the daytime drama will be included.

“Jeanne Cooper was a legend and we want to give her the tribute she deserves,” said Angelica McDaniel, Senior Vice President, Daytime CBS. “The cast will honor their longtime friend, family member and co-worker in the greatest way possible, as we celebrate her life and vibrant spirit and share it with the audience who loved her as much as we did.”

Cooper’s final scenes as Katherine Chancellor aired last Friday. Our last glimpse of her character followed a conversation with her longtime rival Jill, played by Jess Walton. In the storyline, Chancellor had just returned home from the hospital where she had been treated for a brain tumor. As Katherine was about to retire for the night, Jill asked if she could help the frail older woman up the stairs. The ever-fiesty, independent Katherine declined the offer, and, after a pause, said, “Good night.” She was then shown ascending the stairs.

It wasn’t written to be Cooper’s final scene, according to a staffer with the show, but it certainly played like a fitting final appearance for her.

Daytime shows are normally taped up to a month in advance or more; Cooper’s final scenes were recorded on March 26th, which happened to be the program’s 40th anniversary date.

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, recently nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Drama, has been the #1-rated daytime drama for more than 24 years. Set your DVR for the special tribute episode, Tuesday, May 28th in its normal 12:30pm-1:30pm time slot, immediately following LIVE 5 NEWS AT NOON.

CBS Leads in Daytime Emmy Nominations

With fewer and fewer soaps on the air, it’s probably not a surprise that CBS, the network with more soaps than any other (by virtue of having only two of them), leads in the number of daytime Emmy Award nominations.

Still, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, the number one soap in daytime, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, earned 23 nominations, more than any other show. Among them are nods for Outstanding Drama Series, one it shares with its sister soap, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL. B&B earned 15 nominations.

The only two remaining network game shows, THE PRICE IS RIGHT and LET’S MAKE A DEAL, were both nominated in the Outstanding Game Show category. DEAL’s Wayne Brady also received a nomination for Outstanding Game Show Host. THE TALK was honored as a nominee for Outstanding Talk/Entertainment Program, while the syndicated THE DOCTORS received a nomination in the Outstanding Talk/Informative category.

CBS NEWS SUNDAY MORNING received a nomination for Outstanding Morning Program.

Actress Susan Flannery, who retired from the role of matriarch Stephanie Forrester on B&B, received a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, where she’ll compete against former B&B co-star Heather Tom (Katie) and Y&R’s Michelle Stafford (Phyllis). On the male side, Y&R’s Peter Bergman (Jack), Doug Davidson (Paul) and Michael Muhney (Adam) are among the nominees.

Game show legends Monty Hall, who co-created and hosted the Let’s Make a Deal for most of its run on television; and Bob Stewart, creator of venerable shows like The Price is Right, PASSWORD and THE $25,000 PYRAMID, will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards. Hall, 91, appeared recently on the current version of his show to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its premiere. Stewart passed away at age 91 last May.

The Daytime Emmy Awards will air in June on HLN.

‘The Talk’ Throws Million-Dollar Baby Shower

As part of CBS Daytime’s “Big Money Week” event, THE TALK will invite first-time expectant moms to its annual “Million Dollar Baby Shower” this Friday, April 26th. The show will give away more than one million dollars in gifts during the hour.

In addition to the 250 in the audience, viewers at home will have a chance to win prizes online.

THE TALK is network television’s fastest-growing daytime talk show. Hosts Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, Aisha Tyler and Sheryl Underwood will welcome a special guest, mom-to-be Jamie-Lynn Sigler, to help host the festivities and surprise the audience with everything they need to prepare for their new arrivals.

THE TALK airs weekdays at 2:00pm on Live 5 WCSC.

CBS Sets Season Finale Dates

This May, CBS delivers new episodes of your favorite prime time shows and season finales. So grab your calendar or your DVR remote, because you want to make sure you don’t miss these important dates.

We’ve arranged them by the name of the show just to make it easier to find your favorites!

THE AMAZING RACE: Sunday, May 5th at 8pm (two hours)
BIG BANG THEORY: Thursday, May 16th at 8:00pm
BLUE BLOODS: Friday, May 10th at 10:00pm
CRIMINAL MINDS: Wednesday, May 22nd at 9:00pm (two hours)
CSI: Wednesday, May 15th at 10:00pm
ELEMENTARY: Thursday, May 16th at 9:00pm (two hours)
GOLDEN BOY: Tuesday, May 14th at 10:00pm
THE GOOD WIFE: Sunday, April 28th at 9:00pm
HAWAII FIVE-0: Monday, May 20th at 10:00pm
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER: Monday, May 13th at 8:00pm
THE MENTALIST: Sunday, May 5th at 10:00pm
MIKE & MOLLY: Monday, May 20th at 9:30pm
NCIS: Tuesday, May 14th at 8:00pm
NCIS: LOS ANGELES: Tuesday, May 14th at 9:00pm
PERSON OF INTEREST: Thursday, May 9th at 9:00pm
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT: Monday, May 20th at 8:30pm
SURVIVOR: CARAMOAN: Sunday, May 12th at 8:00pm (two hours)
SURVIVOR REUNION SPECIAL: Sunday, May 12th at 10:00pm
TWO AND A HALF MEN: Thursday, May 9th at 8:30pm
2 BROKE GIRLS: Monday, May 13th at 9:00pm
UNDERCOVER BOSS: Friday, May 17th at 8:00pm
VEGAS: Friday, May 10th at 9:00pm

Which CBS season finale are you most looking forward to?

Fired News Anchor to Visit Letterman

It wasn’t a great first day on the job, but at least it’s getting him a guest shot on THE LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN.

A.J. Clemente was about to make his debut as co-anchor at a Bismarck, North Dakota television station, but didn’t realize his microphone was on at the top of Sunday night’s newscast.

What happened next quickly became a viral video sensation: Clemente uttered some profanities as he struggled practicing a pronunciation. He later sent out a Twitter message that he’d been suspended. By Monday, he revealed he’d been fired from his new job.

Clemente will be one of Letterman’s guests on tonight’s show, along with actress Kate Hudson and musical guest Selena Gomez.

Catch his appearance tonight at 11:35pm, immediately following LIVE 5 NEWS AT 11.

Do you think he should have lost his job over the mistake or should he have been given a second chance?

Moss to Tape Final Scenes on ‘B&B’

After a quarter century, Ronn Moss is leaving THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL. Moss’s character, Ridge Forrester, has been a central core character since the program’s premiere in 1987 and Moss himself is one of only four original cast members still on the program.

That changes after today, when Moss tapes his final scenes.

But wait, haven’t we heard this before from other soaps? Is there really ever such a thing as finality where a soap opera star is concerned? (At least, as long as the show is still on the air?)

Probably not, though in this particular case, it certainly sounds like a legitimate parting of ways.

Entertainment Weekly reported on Friday that Moss, 60, decided to leave the show over “salary issues.”

On Monday, Brad Bell, B&B’s head writer and executive producer, told TV Guide he didn’t see the departure coming.

“And it came out of the blue. I only found out last Thursday [Aug. 9] about Ronn’s decision not to renew.”

There’s no word, yet, on how Ridge Forrester’s disappearance will be handled on the show. Given that they apparently had so little notice on Moss’s decision, it’s possible that they may recast the role since his character remains heavily involved in the show’s plotlines.

Or, he may take a page from THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS‘s Eric Braeden (Victor Newman) and simply decide it’s time for a sudden vacation and just disappear for a while.

Bell seems to make it clear, however, that he has no intention of killing off the character, or even allowing the character to be “presumed dead.”

Moss’s final appearance will air on September 14th on Live 5 WCSC.

His departure leaves only three original cast members still on the show: Susan Flannery, who plays Stephanie Forrester; John McCook, who portrays Eric Forrester; and Katherine Kelly Lang, who plays Brooke Logan Forrester.

What happens after that…well, we’ll just have to stay tuned to find out.

Andy Griffith Dead at 86

Actor Andy Griffith, a TV icon who entertained generations of viewers, died at age 86 early Tuesday morning.

That news was confirmed by former UNC President Bill Friday, a friend of Griffith, and reported by WITN-TV.

Griffith worked nightclubs and was appearing on Broadway when producers approached him with an idea for a new television series focused on a sheriff in a small town. That idea would become THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, a hit for CBS that premiered in 1960. With co-star Don Knotts, Griffith would endear Sheriff Andy Taylor, Deputy Barney Fife and a host of comic characters in the fictional Mayberry to millions of fans.

Griffith left the show in 1968, when it was renamed to MAYBERRY, R.F.D.. He continued to serve as executive producer of the series until it left the air in 1971.

THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW remains popular in syndication, even more than fifty years after its premiere.

He stayed busy with movie and television projects in the seventies and eighties, but gained new popularity with his portrayal of folksy Southern lawyer Ben Matlock from 1986 until 1995.

President George H.W. Bush presented the actor with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.

Griffith was born on June 1, 1926 in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, a town that would forever be fabled as the inspiration for Mayberry. His early career included humorous stories; his “What It Was, Was Football” reached number nine on the charts in 1954. He appeared on television for the first time in an adaptation of the play “No Time for Sergeants” in 1955, and would reprise his role in the 1958 movie, in which he met Knotts. His love of music and singing, on display frequently during the Griffith show, led to several albums, including “I Love to Tell the Story: 25 Timeless Hymns,” in 1986, an album that went platinum.

His final television apparance came in the summer of 2010 during an ad campaign for Medicare.

Bounce Charleston to Air Tribute to Donna Summer

Bounce Charleston will air a special tribute to the late singer Donna Summer during prime time on Friday.

At 8:00pm, Bounce Charleston will air her appearance on a 1976 episode of SOUL TRAIN in which she performs “Winter Melody” and “Spring Affair.” At 9:00pm, Summer appears in the role of an aspiring disco queen in the classic disco film, “Thank God It’s Friday.”

The singer died of cancer Thursday at age 63.

Bounce Charleston can be found over the air on WCSC channel 5.3, on Comcast 213, or Home Telecom 113.