Moviefone News Moviefone Copyright 2011, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. Moviefone Good old fashioned elbow grease. <![CDATA['The Bachelorette' Emily Maynard On That Awkward Letter, Villain Kalon And Her Favorite Dates (VIDEO)]]> The Bachelorette" has found some seriously unusual suitors this season for Emily Maynard to choose from. Honestly, we're worried.

We caught up with Emily to talk about all of them, and she seems confident that she's getting to know them all, whether she thought she wanted to after those ridiculous arrivals or not. But there are a few obvious issues.

There's Ryan and his penchant for inappropriately long letters: "I didn't know what to do when Ryan handed me the seven-page letter," Maynard admits. "It was a really awkward situation, and if I could go back and re-do it, I would absolutely say thank you to Ryan, and tell him that I would read it later, but in the moment, I didn't know what to do."

And then there's the house villain, Kalon, whose story she's been watching play out on TV: "Watching how the house has teamed together and gone against Kalon ... I didn't know it was that intense whenever I wasn't around, but I'm not really shocked by it."

Emily also dished about the whole experience, getting good advice from her friends (whether she takes it or not) and why this week's episode is one of her favorites.

Watch our interview above for all of it, then tell us: Do you think there are any suitable suitors in the bunch?

"The Bachelorette" airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 15:39:45 EDT 1546454 <![CDATA['Awake' Finale: Exclusive Sneak Peek At Britten's Unraveling (VIDEO)]]> Awake" was canceled by NBC and won't live to see a second season of split realities for Detective Michael Britten (Jason Isaacs), but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the finale of what's been a truly intriguing season of television.

"Awake" says goodbye to both timelines forever this week with its series finale (Thurs., May 24, 10 p.m. ET on NBC), but not before we get some more action and maybe a few answers -- we've got an exclusive sneak peek at a particularly gruesome scene, above.

Last we saw Britten, he was running from a gun-wielding Det. Ed Hawkins (Kevin Weisman), leaving a trail of blood behind him. Now he's one of the LAPD's most wanted, but he can't keep running to find the answers that will prove his theories until he gets stitched up. Paging Dr. Lee (BD Wong)!

Tell us: Are you excited to see how "Awake" wraps up? Wish we were getting more?

Want to know what else was canceled? See the fate of all your favorite shows here:


]]> Wed, 23 May 2012 16:30:00 EDT 1540428 <![CDATA[Tweeting TV: How Twitter Has Changed The Business Of Television]]>

The TV networks officially announced their new programming slates for 2012-2013 at Upfronts in New York City this week. By the time they rolled their first look footage for advertisers and critics, the new series already had dedicated Twitter accounts set up, ready to interact with the shows' first fans.

Social media has become such a huge part of the TV landscape that any network not securing a simple, memorable handle for their new shows is way behind. (Also, any network that lets a show title like "How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)" get approved is obviously not in the business of listening to their social media team. Good luck with that one, ABC!)

Check out the first looks at new shows from:

NBC | ABC | Fox | CBS | The CW



On an Upfronts call with journalists, ABC entertainment president Paul Lee stressed how important Twitter has become to the business of television, especially with the TV landscape growing. "There is no show now that doesn't have a massive social media component, even before we launch it," he said. "We get a sort of dashboard of a sense of excitement on the web before we even get to launch. It's not just vital to the shows that are up and running -- it's vital to the launch."

But the Twitter feeds aren't just to promote new shows, new episodes and teasers -- Lee went on to say what the networks get back from it: "We literally get feedback before, during and after launch. It is a critical tool for us to understand how our audience is responding to our shows."

While metrics on the most popular shows on Twitter aren't measured with an exact science just yet, it's only a matter of time. The fact that every network now has a social media division says that TV executives realize the power of fan reactions, live conversations and making shows tweet-worthy.

There's been a noticeable push to get stars interacting with their fans on Twitter, and Twitter even has celebrity outreach teams and "help" pages to get those TV stars and personalities started and in on the conversation in a smart way.

Their detailed analysis includes charts of Twitter activity around certain shows, before, during and after air:

Tweeting around TV follows a fairly predictable pattern: first, anticipatory Tweets appear 15-30 minutes before the show airs on the East Coast; then, the Tweets surge during the episode (with sharp spikes in response to surprises and reveals); finally, there's another 15-30 minutes of post-show buzz and reaction.


Last year, The Hollywood Reporter wrote a piece about "The Voice" (or #TheVoice, as it were) and how it promoted the coaches' Twitter feeds and the show's hashtag, especially during big, buzz-worthy moments of each episode, to keep engagement (and ratings) up.

Twitter agrees that this is the best way to maximize your show's exposure, saying:

Across networks and genres, when TV shows bring hashtags, accounts, or other Twitter elements into the broadcast itself, we see a direct and immediate increase in engagement on Twitter -- anywhere from two to 10 times more tweets created while the shows air.


Sites like Trendrr TV and SocialGuide are designed to help users measure their impact and engagement with fans, but Twitter has a few helpful hints and guidelines for entertainment personalities who want to increase their Twitter presence. Their list includes: tweet in your own voice; use hashtags and @ mention other people you reference; live-tweet events; share special content, photos and videos; ask questions and reply to your followers; and give an insider perspective. After all, that's why your fans are following you.

While each network has certain shows with more engaged audiences on Twitter, the social media teams all agreed that it doesn't mean those shows are necessarily more "social-friendly" than others -- it's all about execution. To paraphrase one exec: Social viability is less about the type of show and more about how seamlessly it's integrated into the show. There have been some really creative executions on both scripted and reality shows, not to mention news and talk shows. The big wins come when the social integrations feel authentic and organic to the core of the show.

So who comes out on top? And what are the most tweeted about shows at each network? "The Voice," "Dancing With the Stars," "Revenge," "Glee," "American Idol," "Big Brother" and "The Vampire Diaries" seem to be winning the TV on Twitter game.

Click to Page 2 for a look at where they all stand, with perspective from the networks' social gurus as well.



Below, the networks' social gurus break down their "Biggest hashtag wins," "Biggest live reactions" and offer more analysis on their online engagement.

NBC
Biggest hashtag wins
"The Voice" is the most obvious win in terms of on-air social integration, which has led to tons of buzz and engagement online. Another interesting example is "The Biggest Loser" -- this season was the first where we promoted the #biggestloser hashtag on-air and, as a result, we saw a 30 percent increase in buzz over the previous season. Considering the show is in its 13th season, we think this is a pretty remarkable boost in conversation.

Biggest live reactions
We see the biggest live engagement with finales, especially the live results shows on our reality competitions such as "The Voice," "America's Got Talent" and "The Biggest Loser."

A new kind of writer?
While writing staffs aren't necessarily tasked with making sure there are social-friendly moments in each episode, NBC says having digital writers embedded with a few of their shows has really helped their digital team get out in front of some of the storylines to create engaging and hopefully viral campaigns by the time the shows air.

Even more social
It isn't just about Facebook and Twitter. NBC.com has a ton of content for casual viewers and super fans of all their shows, including NBC Live, Loudest Fan, webisodes, user-generated campaigns (like Subs Across America with Jimmy Fallon or Ron's Mustache from "Parks and Recreation"). They're also on Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest.

ABC
Biggest hashtag wins
The #DWTS ("Dancing With the Stars"), #GreysAnatomy and #Revenge hashtags are the most popular for the network.

Biggest live reactions
With "Dancing With the Stars," it's a live show, so fans tweet live to connect about it. "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" are also good examples of shows that get a lot of social chatter, but it's not all reality TV -- shows like "Once Upon A Time," "Revenge" and "Modern Family" also do very well with social chatter for us.

Even more social
We are also active on Facebook, Tumblr and Google+.

FOX
Biggest hashtag wins
The big wins have really been episode-specific for us with "madlib"-style hashtags that speak to the storylines within the show. Our most popular being for "Glee," with #saturdaynightGLEEver and #GLEEremembersWhitney; "New Girl" saw surges with #schmidtbaby and #McMouse; and "Fringe" got #WhereYouBelong trending this season.

Biggest live reactions
"Glee," "American Idol" and "Fringe" are our biggest shows for live reactions and are definitely the most social-friendly shows for us. Shows that have a controversy or deep mythology tend to perform really week, as do live events.

Even more social
On top of Facebook and Twtter, we actively update our various Tumblr, Pinterest and Google+ accounts.

CBS
Biggest hashtag wins
#NCIS200 was a big winner timed to the airing of the 200th episode of "NCIS." We've also seen big growth for "Big Brother" since launching and integrating the #CBSBigBrother hashtag last summer (viewers routinely use #BigBrother as well). On a weekly basis, "NCIS," "The Big Bang Theory," "How I Met Your Mother" and "Criminal Minds" are the most tweeted about, as well as reality competitions like "Big Brother," "The Amazing Race" and "Survivor" -- hosts Jeff Probst and Phil Keoghan and select talent also live tweet weekly.

Biggest live reactions
On a weekly basis, competition reality shows are great for live fan reaction: "Big Brother," "Survivor" and "Amazing Race." "2 Broke Girls" has also been gaining traction lately. And this past February, according to Blue Fin, the Grammy Awards on CBS was the most social show ever, surpassing the Super Bowl.

Even more social
Cumulatively, we have over 185 million followers on the official CBS show sites on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+.

THE CW
Biggest hashtag wins
We actually don't do any official CW network or show hashtags -- they all come organically from our fans -- but "The Vampire Diaries" fans are vocal, getting things like #Delena and #Stelena trending all day worldwide before and during big episodes.

Biggest live reactions
We get the most live reaction on Twitter for "The Vampire Diaries" and "Supernatural," and "Nikita" is one of the most checked-in shows on GetGlue.

Even more social
We have 25 Pinterest boards right now, and we're working closely with GetGlue for special stickers for check-ins.

Tell us: Which shows do you tweet about most? And which networks or shows, if any, do you follow on social media?]]> Fri, 18 May 2012 11:23:41 EDT 1525489 <![CDATA[TV Fashion: 'Glee,' 'Smash,' 'Idol,' 'Girls' Amongst The Best And Worst Dressed For The Week Of May 11-17]]> good on this week's "Glee"!

And she wasn't alone -- props to Robin on "How I Met Your Mother" for bringing us pretty close to tears with that wedding dress reveal; Maggie Q for making simple look sexy on "Nikita"; and Jessica Sanchez for nailing her "Idol" look in addition to her performance. (Well, one of them at least.)

But as we know, they can't all be fashion winners, and "Real Housewives of New Jersey" bully Joe Giudice and Hannah on HBO's "Girls" are representing the "worst" end of the style spectrum this week.

Click through the gallery below to see all our best and worst TV fashion picks of the week, then share your own in the comments.

]]> Fri, 18 May 2012 09:22:00 EDT 1526150 <![CDATA['Scandal' On ABC: Kerry Washington On Just How Secretive The Finale Cliffhanger Is]]> Scandal" ... what a season finale, right? I caught up with star Kerry Washington, who teased big things for the finale, but that was just beyond "juicy" and "shocking."

Spoiler alert: Do not read any further if you haven't yet watched "Scandal" Season 1, Episode 7, titled "Grant: For the People."

We saw the bloody aftermath of Gideon's (Brendan Hines) scissor stabbing by the VP's chief of staff Billy Chambers (Matt Letscher), and the reveal of who actually hired Huck's old hitman pal-turned-torture-victim to kill Amanda Tanner. There was a shift in Olivia Pope's (Kerry Washington) relationship with the president (Tony Goldwyn), his right-hand man Cyrus (Jeff Perry) and the first lady (Bellamy Young), but we also saw how Olivia's associates could rally for one of their own -- even if it meant destroying key evidence.



But the biggest question of the season remains: Who is Quinn Perkins (Katie Lowes)? Any why does her identity need to stay so incredibly secret?

Washington assured me that we're not the only ones left wondering -- the cast still has no idea, and she's not even sure if creator Shonda Rhimes knows just yet. (But that didn't stop Rhimes from smartly dangling that nugget to network execs to ensure a second season!)

I know you won't tell me what it is, but do you know Quinn's secret already?
I will tell you that the head of the network, when they saw the final cut of Episode 7, called Shonda and was like, "I need to know." And Shonda was like, "Then give me a Season 2." [Laughs.] Which I think is awesome. We were all like, "That's great! But really -- we want to know now, too." Shonda knows ... well, I think Shonda knows. I don't even know if Shonda knows!

There was one period when we were shooting that Liza Weil [who played Amanda Tanner] and I realized that we were actually being given different information ... we were being really guarded at first, because you want to protect this information that you're getting from your bosses. But all of a sudden we were like, "Wait a second -- we're in this together. What do you know?" [Laughs.] And we had this big exchange. It really mirrored what our characters were going through, in terms of withholding and giving information.

Has there been a cast theory about who Quinn really is?
You know what's even more fun? I always think that when the crew is invested, that's the biggest compliment. It's our job as actors to be invested in characters and storylines, and crews are so jaded -- they see so much work everyday, and they've seen so much bad work. But I will say that one of the things that made me so happy was that the crew was coming to me with theories at the end of the season. The head of the grip department, the wardrobe designer, even craft services ... people were coming up with theories. I actually thought that I was in trouble because the head of our grips was like, "I need to talk to you for a second." I was like, Oh gosh, what did I do? And he pulled me in this corner and was like, "This is what I think!" I was like, "Are you kidding me?" People are invested and inspired in ways that you don't always get to be in this business.

Tell us: Do you have theories about Quinn's real identity? And what do you think will happen with Olivia and Fitz next season?

Find out the fates of all your favorite shows here:
]]> Thu, 17 May 2012 23:00:00 EDT 1525085 <![CDATA[TLC's 'Birth Moms': Pregnant Woman Considering Adoption Is Smoking, Ordering Tequila]]>
In our exclusive sneak peek, we see Kandice, angry that a police officer took away her driver's license after she was caught shoplifting ... but she gets even angrier when the waitress at a Mexican restaurant cards her for ordering a strawberry-banana margarita (not a virgin margarita) and she can't produce ID.

Kandice calls the cop and, somehow, someway, convinces him to bring her license to her at the restaurant. While waiting for him to show up (he does), she says wine won't do after a day like this -- she needs tequila! Then she proceeds to smoke a cigarette.

"I've been wanting to drink for how long?" Kandice fumes. "I came here to have a drink. Not for the food -- I wanted liquor!"

What makes this scene even more sickening? She's with two other pregnant girls who do little to stop her. Watch the clip above to see for yourself.

An official description of his special from TLC:

"Birth Moms": This one-hour special focuses on the lives of three pregnant young women living at an adoption center in Utah while struggling with the decision about whether or not to put their babies up for adoption. Tensions run high as this diverse group of women from around the country interact with each other during this tumultuous time. Follow these troubled mothers-to-be on their journey to childbirth while witnessing face-to-face meetings with prospective adoptive parents who desperately want a child, and the gut wrenching moment when each birth mom must finally decides if she will give her baby up for adoption.


Tell us: Are you horrified by Kandice's behavior?

"Birth Moms" premieres Thurs., May 17 at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 17:48:27 EDT 1522419 <![CDATA['Scandal' Finale: Star Kerry Washington Teases The 'Shocking,' 'Juicy' Season 1 Finale Episode]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 09:38:42 EDT 1519804