Trayvon Martin: ABC report may bolster George Zimmerman's case

'Dancing With the Stars' results recap: No laughing matter

It was a sad day in the Glitterverse, ballroom fans. One last couple had to be exiled to the outskirts of Fringe City, where lives are drab with nary a sequin or a sparkle, before next week’s “Dancing With the Stars” finale. Who would want to live in this world? Not any of the remaining four contestants, that’s for sure. We all knew this finals cut would be the deepest. All four of the remaining couples were so good that just three measly judges’ points separated first from last place. Plus, they all seem like nice, upstanding Glitterverse citizens. How could one of these stars possibly be let go from the Mirrorball orbit in “our most dramatic semifinal ever?”

“No matter which way this goes,” predicted host Tom Bergeron, “it’s going to suck.”

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Upfronts 2012: Watch previews of 'Malibu Country' and 'The Neighbors'

Reba McEntire returns to the sitcom world with "Malibu Country," ABC's traditional sitcom starring the country music star as a not-as-famous country music singer who moves her family to Malibu after leaving her cheating husband.

Helping Reba out is her mother, played by Lily Tomlin, who's got a medical marijuana prescription and isn't afraid to use it. Sara Rue (who also manages to star on NBC's new series "Guys With Kids") plays the overly familiar next-door neighbor.

Kevin Abbott, who wrote for Reba's previous sitcom, "Reba," created the series, which will air at 8:30 p.m. Fridays starting in November.

"The Neighbors" stars Jami Gertz and Lenny Venito as a couple trading in city life for life in the suburbs, only to find that the suburbs are filled with extraterrestrials posing as humans.

These aliens are Zabvronians, and they've been stationed on Earth for a decade. And like all aliens, they have some distinct differences from the human race (the men get pregnant and they leak green goo from their ears when they cry).

Dan Fogelman, writer of "Crazy, Stupid, Love," created this series, which also stars Simon Templeman, Toks Olagundoye, Clara Mamet and Tim Jo. It will air at 9:30 p.m. Wednesdays.

— Patrick Kevin Day

Photo: The cast of "The Neighbors." Credit: ABC.

Twitter: @LATshowtracker

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Upfronts 2012: Watch preview of ABC's 'The Family Tools'

Kyle Bornheimer stars in this comedy about a screw-up son attempting to impress his dad (J.K. Simmons) by taking over the family handyman business (called Mr. Jiffy Fix).

Of course he has to deal with his dad's assistant, played by Edi Gathegi, and his aunt, played by Leah Remini.

The series is an American updating of the British series "White Man Van," written by Bobby Bowman.

The series will air at 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays starting in January.

— Patrick Kevin Day

Photo: The cast of "The Family Tools." Credit: ABC.

Twitter: @LATshowtracker

Upfronts 2012: ABC looks to rebuild Sundays, beef up Fridays

NEW YORK — ABC is hoping the soap doesn’t entirely wash off on Sundays.

In announcing a slate of new prime-time shows for next season that includes six dramas and four sitcoms, Paul Lee, president of the ABC Entertainment Group, is looking to rebuild the network schedule on a competitive night, one that recently saw the retirement of long-running nighttime soap “Desperate Housewives.” The third-place network is nearing the end of a season that generated a few breakout hits, such as Sunday-night fantasy drama “Once Upon a Time,” but also more than a few duds, like the short-lived cross-dressing comedy “Work It.”

“It’s a great start, but there’s a lot of work to do,” said Lee, as he presented his lineup to advertisers at Lincoln Center that included appearances by cast members from the hit show “Modern Family” and another stinging monologue from the network’s late-night host, Jimmy Kimmel.

The network is essentially in the same position as last season with its average prime-time audience falling less than 1 percent to 8.4 million, according to Nielsen. But more troubling, its young-adult audience fell 4 percent, making the network fourth in that demo, behind Super Bowl-boosted NBC.

In a schedule he described as “doubling down,” Lee is out to shore up ABC's Sunday lineup by moving its sudser “Revenge” into the 9 p.m. slot, formerly occupied by “Desperate Housewives.” Though Lee praised it as being one of the season's most-buzzed-about shows, “Revenge” registered middling ratings.

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VIDEO: Watch 2012 TV Previews

Upfronts 2012: Watch preview for ABC's 'How to Live With Your Parents'

Anyone care to guess how long ABC's "How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)" will air before marketing figures out a catchier (i.e. shorter) title?

The series finds Sarah Chalke freshly divorced and moving back in with her parents, played by Elizabeth Perkins and Brad Garrett. Only instead of the daughter being the wild one and her parents being the strict conservatives, it's the other way around.

Although she's taking a step backward in her life, Chalke's character isn't alone. There's her best friend, played by Orlando Jones; her ex-husband, played by Jon Dore; and her assistant, played by Rebecca Delgado Smith, all standing by to help her out. As best they can.

The series was created by Claudia Lonow and executive produced by Brian Grazer. It will air at 8 p.m. Tuesdays starting in January.

— Patrick Kevin Day

Photo: The cast of "How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)." Credit: ABC.

Twitter: @LATshowtracker

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Upfronts 2012: Hey, ABC, why didn't you invite James Van Der Beek?

When we interviewed James Van Der Beek in April leading to the premiere of his TV gig in "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23," the actor kept going on and on about how excruciating he found it when he was asked to attend the Upfront presentations back when he had flowing hair and appeared as the ultra-sensitive lead on "Dawson's Creek."

"I remember every year for 'Dawson’s,' the WB would want us to go to New York for Upfronts," Van Der Beek said of the period in which network executives present their slate of new shows to advertisers. "I’d roll my eyes — because they want you to basically just stand there. It was always like, ‘Oh, God, in the middle of my hiatus, you want me to go on this dog and pony show in front of advertisers? I really resented it."

Oh, how quickly things changed for the actor, who found a career post-"Dawson's Creek" difficult to come by.

Upfronts 2012: ABC reveals 2012-2013 schedule

"I started doing pilots, hoping and praying to get invited to Upfronts," he added. "In the back of my mind I thought, ‘Isn’t this the way the universe works?’ For every year that I cursed having to go to Upfronts, I’m going to wish to get invited and not get to go."

So when the freshman comedy "Don't Trust the B---- in Aparment 23," in which he stars as a smarmy version of himself, got renewed, we were hoping to see the Beek from the Creek standing tall on stage Tuesday at the Lincoln Center for the network's presentation. Some of his fellow network comrades from "Modern Family," "Revenge" and "Once Upon a Time" made an appearance, but there was no Beek to be seen. Maybe he was invited but couldn't fit into those Beek Jeans?

--Yvonne Villarreal
twitter.com/villarrealy

Photo: James Van Der Beek, left, with Kiernan Shipka in "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23." Credit. ABC.

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Upfronts 2012: Watch previews of ABC's 'Nashville' and 'Red Widow'

Politics and country music go hand in hand in "Nashville," the ABC drama set to debut this fall.

Connie Britton is back on a regular series where we presume she won't end up as a ghost by the end of the first season, as she did in "American Horror Story." This time she's past-her-prime country singer Rayna James looking to reignite her career by teaming with young upstart Juliette Barnes, played by Hayden Panettiere, on a tour. Of course, the women don't get along. At all.

Meanwhile, James' powerful father, played by Powers Boothe, is looking to push her husband for mayor of Nashville. A move the singer isn't pleased about. At all.

"Thelma & Louise" screenwriter Callie Khouri created the series, which features documentary filmmaker R.J. Cutler as executive producer. It will air at 10 p.m. Wednesdays.

American television raids Dutch TV once again for "Red Widow," an adaptation of the series "Penoza." (Dutch TV previously gave us the basis for AMC's "The Killing.")

The ABC drama stars Radha Mitchell as a widowed mother out to protect her three children against the men responsible for husband's death. So she takes on the drug underworld as well as the FBI in her quest to clear her husband's name and stop the bad guys, including her husband's former business partners.

The series, adapted for U.S. television by "Twilight" screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, also stars Wil Traval, Erin Moriarty, Lee Tergesen and Mido Hamada.

"Red Widow" will join the schedule midseason.

— Patrick Kevin Day

Photo: The cast of "Nashville." Credit: ABC.

Twitter: @LATshowtracker

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Upfronts 2012: Watch previews of ABC's 'Mistresses' and 'Zero Hour'

ABC's new prime-time soap "Mistresses" is an import from the U.K. with former "Gossip Girls" writer K.J. Steinberg giving it the American treatment.

The series stars Alysssa Milano, "Lost's" Yunjin Kim, Rochelle Aytes and Jes Macallan as friends making their way through the ups and downs of life. Milano plays the career woman who's also attempting to start a family with her husband, Macallan plays her wild child younger sister, Aytes plays their mutual friend, a widowed mother of two attempting to rebuild her life, and Kim plays a therapist attempting to rebuild her own life after getting way too close to a patient.

"Prison Break" creator Paul T. Scheuring is back with a "DaVinci Code"-like thriller called "Zero Hour."

Anthony Edwards plays a professional skeptic who discovers a vast conspiracy when his wife is abducted from her antique clock shop. How vast? It's the kind of conspiracy that reaches back centuries, threatens the entire human race and can be uncovered only by following clues on a treasure map and solving puzzles.

Jacinda Barrett plays the wife and Michael Nyqvist plays the mysterious bad guy, named White Vincent.

The series also stars Addison Timlin, Carmen Ejogo and Scott Michael Foster.

Both shows will join ABC midseason.

— Patrick Kevin Day

Photo: The cast of "Zero Hour." Credit: ABC.

Twitter: @LATshowtracker

VIDEO: Watch 2012 TV Previews

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Upfronts 2012: Watch previews of ABC's '666 Park Avenue' and 'Last Resort'

ABC unveiled its new fall shows Tuesday, and two dramas look to recapture aspects of the magic that was "Lost."

The supernatural drama "666 Park Avenue" features the return of John Locke himself, Terry O'Quinn, to ABC's schedule. This time he plays Gavin Doran, the mysterious owner of the Drake, a New York apartment building that may look amazing but has a definite dark side.

Rachael Taylor and David Annable play the Midwestern couple hired to manage the building, who soon begin to notice the supernatural forces at work that ensnare the building's residents.

The series, based onbooks by Gabriella Pierce, was adapted by former "Fringe" writer David Wilcox and also stars Robert Buckley, Mercedes Masohn, Helena Mattsson, Samantha Logan and Vanessa Williams. It will air at 10 p.m. Sundays.

"The Shield" creator Shawn Ryan is back on network TV (his last series, "The Chicago Code," was canceled after 13 episodes last season) with "Last Resort." And like "Lost," this drama features characters attempting to remake civilization on an island paradise.

In this case, it's not the survivors of a plane crash but the crew of a U.S. ballistic missile submarine, Colorado, crippled by an attack and declared rogue enemies of the United States for defying orders to fire their missiles. Rather than attempt to sail home, they land on an island and attempt to start their lives over.

Andre Braugher stars as the sub's captain, and Scott Speedman is his XO. Daisy Betts, Dichen Lachman, Daniel Lissing, Sahr Ngaujah, Camille De Pazzis, Autumn Reeser and Jessy Schram also star.

The series will air at 8 p.m. Thursdays.

Upfronts 2012: ABC looks to more nighttime soaps for fall

Upfronts 2012: ABC star Sofia Vergara promotes Univision

— Patrick Kevin Day

Photo: The cast of "666 Park Avenue." Credit: ABC.

Twitter: @LATshowtracker

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Upfronts 2012: ABC looks to more nighttime soaps for fall

ABC is doubling down on nighttime soaps in its bid to get out of third place.

The network of “Revenge” and “Scandal” announced that it will add new shows such as “666 Park Avenue,” about the machinations at an upscale and possibly haunted New York apartment building, and “Nashville,” centering on the scheming among country-music stars and Nashville politicians.

Starring Rachael Taylor, “666” will premiere on Sunday nights at 10 p.m., following “Revenge,” which is moving from Wednesdays to a coveted Sunday slot in an effort to build an evening of soapy drama on the competitive night.

VIDEO: Watch 2012 TV Previews

“Sunday night will be a battle between good and evil from 8 all the way to 11,” Paul Lee, president of ABC Entertainment, told reporters in a conference call on Tuesday, alluding also to the first show of that bloc, the fairy-tale-themed “Once Upon a Time.” “Nashville” will air in “Revenge’s” old slot on Wednesdays at 10 p.m.

It will debut its more male-oriented new hourlong drama, Shawn Ryan's military-themed "Last Resort," earlier in the evening at 8 p.m.

Overall, the network, which this season will finish ahead of only NBC in the ratings race among the four major networks, picked up 10 new shows, including a host of new comedies.

Among them is “Neighbors,” a show from “Crazy, Stupid, Love” screenwriter Dan Fogelman about what happens when a couple moves into a new home and realizes some of the other homeowners are aliens; the series will air in the prized slot behind network powerhouse “Modern Family” at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

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Upfronts 2012: ABC star Sofia Vergara promotes Univision

Univision Communications kicked off its upfront presentation to advertisers in New York on Tuesday with an unlikely endorsement from one of ABC's biggest stars.

"I might work someplace else, but this is where I live," Sofia Vergara, wearing a skin-tight leopard-print dress, said at the start of Univision's high-octane show, which unfolded at the New Amsterdam Theatre. "Univision is my home."

The Colombian beauty, star of ABC's hit comedy "Modern Family," told the crowd that she got her start on Univision, co-hosting a show with Fernando Fiore, "Fuera de Serie" (Over the Top), in the late 1990s. The show gave Vergara, a former model, exposure in the U.S. media market. From the stage Tuesday she gave a shout-out to Fiore.

Even now, Vergara said, she goes home at night to watch the telenovelas on Univision.

After Vergara introduced Univision Networks President Cesar Conde, the Spanish-language company unveiled its fall lineups for its three primary television networks: Univision, Telefutura and cable channel Galavision.

Another Univision star -- William Levy -- has similarly spread his wings and taken flight on ABC. Levy also appeared at the Univision presentation Tuesday via satellite from the company's flagship station in Los Angeles, KMEX (Channel 34). These days, Levy has been quick-stepping and foxtrotting as a contestant on "Dancing With the Stars."

When Conde asked how his ABC gig was going, Levy responded: "I want to go back to novelas."

Levy's and Vergara's appearances -- on the same day that ABC staged its presentation to advertisers -- demonstrated the growing alliance between the Walt Disney Co., owner of ABC, and Univision. Last week the two companies announced that they were forming a joint venture to create a 24-hour English-language cable news channel that is expected to launch next year.

Conde described the collaboration with ABC News as "groundbreaking." And, for the sharp-elbowed TV industry, sharing big stars on upfront day was something of a groundbreaking achievement in itself.

ABC renews "Grey's Anatomy," "Revenge," "Once ..." and more

-- Meg James and Yvonne Villarreal

Photo: Sofia Vergara Credit: Justin Lane / EPA

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