Dallas, TX – For the first time in AMERICAN IDOL history, an auditioner went into labor while waiting with 13,500 hopefuls for her chance to become the next singing superstar.

On Monday, nine-months-pregnant Antoria Gillon arrived at Texas Stadium with hopes of becoming the next American Idol. However, as the time of her audition approached, she realized she was in labor. Determined not to miss her shot at fame, Gillon sang her best while in the midst of contractions. After completing the audition and learning she will return for the next round, Gillon was taken to a local hospital, where she gave birth to a healthy son – whom she named Jamil Labarron Idol McCowan. Baby Idol arrived early Tuesday morning and weighed 6 lbs. 7oz.

Posted by Melissa Slatky at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
TAGS: American Idol, Prime, Programming

Two-time Grammy Award winner Kelly Clarkson and punk-pop dynamo Avril Lavigne are set to perform on TEEN CHOICE 2007 Sunday, Aug. 26 from 8:00-10:00 PM live on FOX. Clarkson will perform the emotionally charged single “Never Again” and Lavigne will sing her infectious hit “Girlfriend." As previously announced, Hilary Duff and Nick Cannon will co-host the ninth annual special, where the coolest stars will receive coveted Teen Choice Surfboard awards.

After the tremendous success of 2004’s “Breakaway,” which sold 6 million albums in the U.S. and 11 million worldwide on the strength of such No. 1 hits as “Since U Been Gone,” the title track, “Behind These Hazel Eyes,” “Because of You” and “Walk Away,” Clarkson focused on making the kind of album she wanted to make for her third effort, “My December.” This year, Clarkson could walk away with a Surfboard for her single “Never Again,” which is nominated for Choice Music: Payback Track.

Lavigne’s “The Best Damn Thing,” which recently hit platinum status, is the follow-up to her album “Under My Skin.” At TEEN CHOICE 2007, Lavigne could get a Surfboard for Choice Music Single for “Girlfriend.” She released her debut album, “Let Go,” in 2002, when she was 17 years old. That album snagged eight Grammy nominations and four Juno Awards (including Album of the Year and New Artist of the Year), spawned the anthemic hit singles “Complicated,” “Sk8ter Boy” and “I’m With You,” and sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. Lavigne has recently branched out into acting, appearing in “Fast Food Nation” and lending her voice to the animated film “Over the Hedge.”

Celebrities scheduled to appear at TEEN CHOICE 2007 include Jessica Alba (“Fantastic Four”), America Ferrera (“Ugly Betty”), Megan Fox (“Transformers”), Emmy Rossum (“The Phantom of the Opera”), Lauren Conrad (“The Hills”), Miley Cyrus (“Hannah Montana”), Anna Paquin (“X-Men”), Eve (“Barbershop”), Dane Cook (“Good Luck Chuck”), Jared Padalecki (“Supernatural”), Taylor Kitsch (“Friday Night Lights”), Ryan Reynolds (“Just Friends”), Zac Efron (“High School Musical”), Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (“The Game Plan”), Rob & Big (“Rob & Big”), and musicians Bow Wow, Ashlee Simpson, The Jonas Brothers, Omarion and Sum 41. Other performers and presenters will be announced soon.

This year the coolest stars will receive coveted Surfboard awards in categories such as Choice Breakout TV Show, Choice Sidekick, Choice Rumble, Choice Rock Track, Choice Athlete and Choice Chemistry. From now until Sunday, Aug. 19, teens can vote on the nominees in all categories on fox.com/teenchoice and Verizon Wireless customers can text* the word VOTE to 8905 to cast their vote for Choice V CAST Video Series or Show on Mobile, Choice Summer Movie, Choice Summer TV Show, Choice Summer Song and Choice Summer Artist.

TEEN CHOICE 2007 is executive-produced by Bob Bain (“Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards”) and Mike Burg. Paul Flattery serves as producer. Greg Sills serves as supervising producer.

Posted by Melissa Slatky at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
TAGS: Prime, Programming, Specials, Teen Choice

FOX is making a few changes to the fall lineup to make room for the summer hit DON”T FORGET THE LYRICS and to build a more competitive schedule on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights in 4th quarter. BONES will now launch on Tuesday nights at 8:00pm, leading into HOUSE at 9pm, KITCHEN NIGHTMARES will air Wednesdays at 9pm leading out of BACK TO YOU and ‘TIL DEATH, and DON’T FORGET THE LYRICS will remain on the schedule, aring on Thursdays leading out of ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A FIFTH GRADER?.

oBONES and HOUSE will premiere on Tuesday, September 25.

oBACK TO YOU, ‘TIL DEATH and KITCHEN NIGHTMARES wil all premiere on Wednesday,
September 19.

oARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER? will now have a 1-hour premiere on
September 6, leading into DON’T FORGET THE LYRICS at 9:00pm.

NEW AMSTERDAM will join the FOX lineup later in the season. At this time the midseason lineup is planned to be the same as announced in May.

*******************************************************
ANCHORWOMAN MOVES TO WEDNESDAYS
*******************************************************

FOX will get BONES established on Tuesday nights at 8pm with some repeat airings in August, moving ANCHORWOMAN to Wednesday nights. This means the ON THE LOT finale on Tuesday, August 21 will now air at 8pm, and BONES will move into the 8pm slot the following week.

oOn TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2007, from 8:00-9:00pm, FOX presents the SEASON FINALE of
ON THE LOT, leading into an encore episode of HOUSE from 9:00-10:00pm!

oBeginning TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, from 8:00-9:00pm, FOX will air encore episodes of
BONES!

oOn WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2007, from 8:00-9:00pm, FOX presents the series premiere
of ANCHORWOMAN!

oOn THREE WEDNESDAYS, 8/29, 9/5 and 9/12, from 8:00-8:30pm, FOX will air original
episodes of ANCHORWOMAN!

Posted by Melissa Slatky at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
TAGS: New shows, Premiere, Prime, Programming, Schedule Changes, Schedules

Just as students return to the classroom, FOX is scheduling additional classes of the A+ quiz show ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER? with four original one-hour episodes airing Fridays, Sept.14, Sept. 21, Sept. 28 and Oct. 5 (8:00-9:00 PM). Following a special two-hour second season premiere on Thursday, Sept. 6 (8:00-10:00 PM), all-new episodes will air Thursdays (8:00-9:00 PM) on FOX.

Acclaimed comedian Jeff Foxworthy is at the head of the class as host of this atypical game show, which measures adults’ lack of knowledge – as revealed by how much they’ve forgotten since grammar school. This fall, the show will enroll a new class of 5th graders chosen from a nationwide search. Adult contestants find themselves revisiting their youth in a classroom setting, tackling subjects they’ve already been taught – from art to geography and math to social studies. When test questions derived from actual textbooks used in the 1st through 5th grades prove to be challenging, contestants are not alone; there is a way to “cheat” in this classroom. Adults can get some elementary help by using a “peek,” “copy” or “save” from actual 5th grade classmates to determine the correct a-n-s-w-e-r and graduate toward the top prize of $1 million.

Posted by Melissa Slatky at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
TAGS: Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, Prime, Programming

Teen Queen Hilary Duff and actor/comedian Nick Cannon are teaming up to host TEEN CHOICE 2007 Sunday, Aug. 26th from 8:00-10:00 PM live on FOX. The ninth annual special will celebrate the hottest teen icons who made waves this year in film, television, music, sports and fashion.

Celebrities scheduled to appear at TEEN CHOICE 2007 include Jessica Alba (“Fantastic Four”), Megan Fox (“Transformers”), Emmy Rossum (“The Phantom of the Opera”), Lauren Conrad (“The Hills”), Miley Cyrus (“Hannah Montana”), Ashlee Simpson (“Autobiography”), Anna Paquin (“X-Men”), Dane Cook (“Good Luck Chuck”), Jared Padalecki (“Supernatural”) and Taylor Kitsch (“Friday Night Lights”). Other performers and presenters will be announced soon.

At 19, Hilary Duff already has conquered the genres of television, film, fashion and music. She gained global recognition in 2001 starring in the hit series “Lizzie McGuire” and then brought her character to the big screen with “The Lizzie McGuire Movie.” Duff went on to co-star in the hit films “Agent Cody Banks,” “Cheaper By the Dozen,” “Cinderella Story,” “Raise Your Voice,” “Perfect Man” and “Material Girls.” Her upcoming films include “War, Inc.,” starring John Cusack and Sir Ben Kingsley, and the animated feature “Foodfight.” Duff also has her own fragrance, “With Love,” as well as her “Stuff by Hilary Duff” line of clothing and merchandise. Duff’s most recent album is the critically acclaimed “Dignity,” whose single “With Love” is nominated for Choice Music: Love Song. Her solo debut CD, “Metamorphosis,” her self-titled album and her “Most Wanted” CD each sold 3 million records. In all, Hilary Duff has sold over 15 million CDs worldwide. Duff is hosting TEEN CHOICE for the second time – a first in the show’s nine-year history. She has received a total of 11 TEEN CHOICE nominations over the years for her work in TV, film and music.

Nick Cannon’s prolific career spans the film and television genres. He gained success as the co-host of “All That,” which led to his own cable series, “The Nick Cannon Show.” He went on to create and produce “Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ‘N Out,” which brought hip-hop improv to the forefront; it has been nominated for two TEEN CHOICE surfboards since its 2005 premiere. Cannon’s next television series, “Short Circutz,” debuted last spring. No stranger to the big screen, Cannon starred in the feature films “Drumline”, “Bobby” and “Shall We Dance.” Cannon voiced characters in the animated films “Garfield” and “Monster House.”

This year the coolest stars will receive coveted Surfboard awards in categories such as Choice Breakout TV Show, Choice Sidekick, Choice Rumble, Choice Rock Track, Choice Athlete and Choice Chemistry. From now until Sunday, Aug. 19, teens can vote on the nominees in all categories on fox.com/teenchoice and Verizon Wireless customers can text* the word VOTE to 8905 to cast their vote for Choice V CAST Video Series or Show on Mobile, Choice Summer Movie, Choice Summer TV Show, Choice Summer Song and Choice Summer Artist.

TEEN CHOICE 2007 is executive-produced by Bob Bain (“Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards”) and Mike Burg. Paul Flattery serves as producer. Greg Sills serves as supervising producer.

Posted by Melissa Slatky at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
TAGS: Award Shows, Hosts, Prime, Programming, Teen Choice

FOX and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences have gone “Green with Emmy” by partnering to produce an eco-friendly 59th Primetime Emmy Awards broadcast Sunday, Sept. 16th from 8:00-11:00 PM on FOX.

The “Green with Emmy” campaign will encompass all major Television Academy and FOX events, including the Primetime Emmy nominations announcement ceremony, the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards arrivals and telecast, the Creative Arts and Governors balls, and the FOX Emmy Awards after-party. The green campaign has the sole purpose of reducing the carbon footprint the Emmys have on the world’s climate.

“We were inspired by FOX's commitment to the environment and we’re eager to partner with them to make this year's Emmy events more eco-friendly and carbon-neutral,” said Dick Askin, Chairman and CEO of the Television Academy. “We are looking at every aspect of our Emmy season – from nominations to the Governors Ball – and making changes that will reduce our impact on the environment.”

FOX, the Television Academy and the telecast producers have set green goals, including the use of recyclable materials and recycling whenever possible; using hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles for transportation; and replacing production golf carts with bicycles.

The goals set also include reducing power requirements and utilizing alternative and eco-friendly energy sources – including solar power – for red carpet arrivals, production and Primetime Emmy events. Plus, the production aims to use locally grown and/or organic foods for press and event guests; and incorporate green themes into the televised broadcast.

The Television Academy has already committed to using recycled paper – almost entirely from 100% post-consumer waste – manufactured with wind power for the Creative Arts and Primetime Emmy Awards collateral items, such as invitations, tickets, posters, programs, press materials and office paper.

For the nomination announcements ceremony, the Television Academy implemented many eco-friendly initiatives: sourcing power from a biofuel generator; using 100% recycled paper for all press and production materials; replacing plastic and Styrofoam plates, napkins, cups and utensils with biodegradable products; and, when possible, using rented and reusable items for staging and production.

Posted by Melissa Slatky at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
TAGS: Award Shows, Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards. Specials, Prime, Programming, Specials

FOX will launch THE NEXT GREAT AMERICAN BAND (working title) in October with a 2-HOUR series premiere on OCTOBER 19!

The producers behind mega-hit phenomenon AMERICAN IDOL take the musical reality genre to a whole new level with a mission to find undiscovered American bands that are ready to rock the nation, starting with the special two-hour series premiere of THE NEXT GREAT AMERICAN BAND (working title) on FOX!

From hair bands to hip-hop, classic rockers to country crooners, THE NEXT GREAT AMERICAN BAND (working title) scoured the country seeking musical groups of all ages and styles, with hundreds of bands auditioning for a backstage pass to stardom.

From the auditions, judges will narrow down the hopefuls to 10 semifinalist bands who will perform weekly in front of a live studio audience. Viewers will vote for their favorite bands to determine who stays in the competition.

Each week, the bands will perform either original music or covers of varied styles. The range of genres will test their musical limits, and could also strike the wrong chord in their personal and professional relationships.

The season finale brings the ultimate battle of the bands, with the last three groups competing to secure a contract with 19 Recordings and the title of “Next Great American Band.”

Posted by Melissa Slatky at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
TAGS: New shows, Next Great American Band, Premiere, Prime, Programming