Stephen Hawking works his comedic chops on 'The Big Bang Theory'

Stephen Hawking may have an impeccable understanding of space-time, but his comedic timing is pretty good too. At least that's according to recent costar Simon Helberg on Twitter, who noted the theoretical physicist's "understanding of comedy in relation to time" during his appearance on "The Big Bang Theory" on Thursday.

In the episode, Howard (Helberg) subjects Sheldon (Jim Parsons) to a series of humiliating acts before he will hand Sheldon's research thesis over to the scientist. Of course, Hawking wants to compliment Sheldon in person (and point out an error in his work), so the famous scientist appears in person.

It's probably the first and only time you'll ever hear a brilliant scientist say the word "boner" on network TV.

Even though Hawking suffers from the degenerative disease related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which leaves him almost completely paralyzed and requires him to communicate through a computerized voice, he's managed to be a very visible media presence over the years.

He always plays himself, making guest appearances on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Futurama," "The Simpsons" and serving as host on the anthology series "Masters of Science Fiction."

Hawking is just the latest geek icon to guest star on the hit CBS sitcom. In past episodes, Leonard Nimoy, LeVar Burton, Stan Lee and Steve Wozniak all have made appearances.

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Photo: Stephen Hawking and Jim Parsons on "The Big Bang Theory." Credit: Sonja Flemming / CBS

David Letterman poised to be longest-serving late-night TV host

  David Letterman and Craig Ferguson have signed contracts with CBS that will keep their late-night shows, "Late Show" and "The Late Late Show," respectively, on the air through 2014.

While this isn't terribly surprising on the face of it, it does set the stage for one amazing record to be set: Letterman will become the longest-serving late-night TV host in history, surpassing Johnny Carson's 30-year run on "The Tonight Show."

What sets Letterman's run apart from Carson's is that it is divided into two distinct sections: his original "Late Night With David Letterman" run on NBC, which lasted from 1982 until 1993, and his CBS run, which began in late 1993 and is still going. Carson began his "Tonight Show" gig in 1962 and worked there continuously until 1992. Of course, it was Carson's retirement and Jay Leno's subsequent placement as "Tonight Show" host that led to Letterman leaving NBC.

Both men are credited with defining the late-night game, though Letterman retains the edge awards-wise. Carson received six Emmys for "The Tonight Show," including a Governor's Award, while Letterman received five for "Late Night" and nine more for "Late Show." Both shows have earned a Peabody Award. But only Carson earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom and Kennedy Center Honors.

Letterman has long cited Carson as his main influence and inspiration as a late-night host and Carson reportedly saw Letterman as his rightful successor after his retirement. In fact, Carson continued to write and submit monologue jokes to Letterman long after he'd left the TV stage. Letterman revealed this upon Carson's death in 2005, when he performed an entire monologue made up of jokes Carson had submitted.

"David Letterman is a late-night legend with an iconic show and Craig Ferguson continues to evolve the genre in exciting and innovative ways," said CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler in a statement.

Ferguson's "Late, Late Show" has charted its own late-night course since its debut in 2005, with the Scottish-born host frequently tearing up the accepted format by rearranging the order of the show, having themed episodes and delivering unscripted monologues.

The show has received its own Peabody Awards and an Emmy nomination, but with the new contract it will move to a larger stage at CBS Television City.

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— Patrick Kevin Day

Photo: David Letterman. Credit: John Paul Filo / CBS.

Oprah Winfrey to visit 'CBS This Morning'

When Gayle King, also known as Oprah Winfrey's best friend, joined the lineup of a revamped "CBS This Morning," it wasn't a matter of if Winfrey would appear on the morning show, but when. The answer has been given: She is set to appear on the April 2 edition.

Although it's a true rarity for the Queen of Talk to appear on a morning program, the fact that her cable network OWN is desperately in need of ratings makes Winfrey much more of a pitch man than she's been in the past.

According to a statement from CBS, Winfrey will discuss "the latest developments at OWN, her Leadership Academy, and life after her daytime talk show."

CBS' entry in the morning show derby underwent a major revamp in January, with a re-emphasis on hard news and the installation of new anchors Gayle King, Charlie Rose and Erica Hill. However, according to the ratings last week, the show was still in third place behind NBC's "Today" and ABC's "Good Morning America," and was down 6% in total viewers from the same week the previous year.

Winfrey recently had a ratings success on her own network when she interviewed the teenage daughter of Whitney Houston. And she is hoping for high ratings for her a jailhouse chat with convicted killer Shaquan Duley.

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Photo: Gayle King, Stedman Graham and Oprah Winfrey in 2011. Credit: Scott Olson / Getty Images

'Hunger Games' clashes with Trayvon Martin on 'The Talk' [video]

The hosts of CBS' syndicated afternoon show "The Talk" saluted new blockbuster "The Hunger Games" by dressing up as characters from the film during Monday's episode. But the tribute took an odd and questionable turn when the panel tackled the issue of the controversial Trayvon Martin shooting while still in costume.

The studio audience erupted in cheers when Julie Chen, Aisha Tyler, Sheryl Underwood, Sara Gilbert and guest host Pat Harvey, KCBS Channel 2 news anchor, first came on stage in "Hunger Games" attire.

Chen's hair was tinted blue for her impersonation of Caesar Flickerman, the outrageous host of the televised games played in the film by Stanley Tucci. Tyler dressed as Effie Trinket, complete with a blond wig and oversized pink flower, while Gilbert dressed as Katniss Everdeen, the film's heroine played by Jennifer Lawrence.

Later in the show, the hosts discussed Geraldo Rivera's comments regarding the shooting of Trayvon Martin, the black teenager killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Florida. Rivera said that Martin was shot to death in part because he was wearing a hoodie.

Calling Martin "a modern-day Emmett Till," Tyler said the shooting was especially troubling for people of color and that Martin was shot "for wearing a jacket with a hood on it, and basically for being black." Gilbert took issue with Rivera's contention that Martin was responsible, calling the shooter, George Zimmerman, "insane" and "a vigilante."

Because Chen's hair was tinted blue, the hosts could not easily change to regular clothes after their initial appearence. But talking about a fatal shooting that has gripped the country while dressed as characters from a film with violence as its central theme gave the segment a surreal tone.

[For the record, 11:30 p.m. March 26: A previous version of this post misidentified two character names from "The Hunger Games." The character played by Stanley Tucci in the film is called Caesar Flickerman, and Jennifer Lawrence's character is named Katniss Everdeen.]

 

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"The Good Wife" recap:" The old boys network

—Greg Braxton

Photo: Sheryl Underwood, from left, Sara Gilbert, Pat Harvey, Aisha Tyler and Julie Chen from Monday's episode of "The Talk.  Credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS.

'The Good Wife' recap: The old boys' network

From the very beginning, “The Good Wife” has been an unabashedly feminist show, one that’s uniquely sensitive to the challenges faced by working women and political spouses. Even so, Sunday's episode, which pits Alicia against an all-male blue ribbon panel investigating an accidental police shooting, stands out as a kind of feminist fable: One woman single-handedly battles the racist, patriarchal political establishment of Chicago -- and looks impossibly chic while doing it!

It all starts when Diane, up to her eyeballs dealing with the internal power struggle at Lockhart-Whoever, asks Alicia (Julianna Margulies) to take her place on the panel. Diane explains that it will be a good opportunity for Alicia to network with other lawyers and judges and, besides, the panel needs a woman. From week to week, “The Good Wife” consistently finds new and interesting ways into the procedural portion of the show, and here’s another shining example. Who even knew blue ribbon panels existed — outside the county fair, that is — or that they have the power to sweep huge scandals under the rug with little to no oversight? Not this blogger, that’s for sure.

Neither does Alicia, apparently. Dressed in a fabulous pleated blazer, she joins the rest of the panel in a dark, woody, decidedly masculine space. It looks like a room at the Harvard Club or some other old-school bastion of white male privilege; all that’s missing are the cigars and brandy snifters. The head of the panel is the smarmy Mike Kresteva (played in a bit of type-casting by Matthew Perry), a powerful lawyer with a murky agenda.

Late Night: Jennifer Lawrence says she hates herself, is a 'troll'

"Hunger Games" star Jennifer Lawrence may be poised on the cusp of mega-fame, but clearly she hasn't let it go to her head. During a visit to "The Late Show" on Tuesday, Lawrence was endearingly nervous and self-deprecating. So much so, in fact, that host David Letterman suggested she might need psychiatric help. 

"I hate myself. Don't go see the movie. I'm a troll," said the lovely, blond, decidedly un-trollish actress. "I think the movie’s great, but their biggest mistake is me."

Letterman was baffled by Lawrence's self-loathing. "I don’t like looking at myself," he said, "but myself it’s genuine; I’m unpleasant looking. You're a lovely woman and a fine actress."

Lawrence also told Letterman about her red-carpet phobia. "It’s so scary. I end getting so nervous that I get like now, and I get really hyper, so then I go interviews and I’m like, 'I’m a Chihuahua! I’m shaking and peeing.' And then afterwards I’m like, 'I just talked about peeing on the red carpet.' It’s just not a situation for a normal person!"

"I'd like to see you twice a week," Letterman joked as he pretended to jot down some notes.

Exacerbating Lawrence's considerable anxiety are her handlers, who constantly make her aware of her appearance. "I make it halfway through the red carpet and somebody goes 'Suck in!' " she said. "Then I wonder about the other half of the pictures, and it ends with me googling myself."

Asked if her family was supportive of her career, Lawrence was, once again, hilariously candid. "No! I mean ... yeah," she said, explaining how her older brothers urged her to take a few shots of booze before walking the red carpet. At first she resisted, but then gave in. "And that led to 'I’m peeing in my pants' on the red carpet."

It's quite a change from her childhood, when Lawrence's brothers used to cover her face in peanut butter and lock her in the basement with their family's three pet dachshunds.

While plenty of starlets know how to turn on the self-deprecating charm when necessary, Lawrence's appearance was refreshingly human -- if slightly troubling. Quick, someone get this girl out of Hollywood! 

 

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Michelle Obama tears up talking to David Letterman

-- Meredith Blake
twitter.com/MeredithBlake

Photo: 'The Hunger Games' star Jennifer Lawrence. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

Late Night: Michelle Obama tears up talking to David Letterman

Like her husband, First Lady Michelle Obama tends to be a pretty unflappable character. Sure, she'll challenge Jimmy Fallon to a potato sack race, but she rarely gets truly emotional in public. 

On Monday, Obama got choked up during a visit to -- of all places -- "The Late Show," as she talked to David Letterman about her late father, who suffered from multiple sclerosis and was unable to walk.

"I think I learned from him the notion of unconditional love, the notion that kids don't really need anything but to know that their parents adore them. I think that's the greatest gift they gave us, just their constant support and stability. We had rules, we had boundaries, but there wasn't anything our dad wouldn't do for us," Obama said as tears welled in her eyes.

She quickly opted to make light of the situation: "Don't make me cry. This isn't 'Oprah!' This is supposed to be Letterman. Where are the laughs?"

"Did somebody tell you this was 'Oprah?'" asked Letterman, who's always sensitive to any mention of Winfrey's name. "Is that why you're here?" 

Letterman also inquired about her private conversations with the president. "Hypothetically speaking, at the end of the day, has your husband ever come home and said to you, 'Oh, that John Boehner, what an idiot!'"

"It has never happened. Never, never. He is always upbeat -- particularly about Congress," Obama quipped with perfect comic timing.

Elsewhere in the interview, Obama talked about Bo, the first dog, whom she called "the smartest dog on the planet," her covert shopping trips to Target, and Joining Forces, the initiative she and Jill Biden launched to support military families.

Obama has made a flurry of talk-show appearances lately, no doubt because of her husband's reelection campaign, but this might have been her most charming moment to date. What do you think?

 

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Photo: Michelle Obama and David Letterman. Credit: John Paul Filo / CBS.

'The Good Wife' recap: Reunited and it feels so good

I'd like to begin this week's recap by raising a (metaphorical) glass in honor of Diane Lockhart, the biggest player east of the Mississippi. And all this time I thought Kalinda was the office heartbreaker.

In recent weeks, I've grumbled a bit about the lack of an overarching narrative this season on "The Good Wife," but on the bright side, that's allowed the writers to spend more time with characters such as Will and Diane. This week marks the return of not one but two of Diane's paramours -- rugged process server Jack Copeland and equally rugged ballistics expert Kurt McVeigh. After Jack stands her up for a date, Diane impulsively calls up old flame Kurt, then surprises him by stopping by unannounced at his manly wilderness homestead. When we last saw Kurt, the gun-toting Sarah Palin enthusiast, Diane was defending him in a wrongful-conviction case. The attraction between them was still potent, but Diane had too much going on at the office to get distracted by romance.  

This time around, the attraction is still very evident, even if Kurt seems to have taken up with his much younger "protegee," who shares his right-wing politics. Although the late-night booty call seems uncharacteristically needy of Diane, she's also wonderfully unthreatened by Palin Jr. Sure, Diane is twice her age, but she knows she can make Kurt putty in her hands.

And so she does. Kurt invites Diane to join him on fishing trip to the extremely unsexy-sounding Horsetail Lake. When he calls, it just so happens that Diane is on the other line with a contrite Jack, who's asked her out on Friday night. So, like a character from "Saved by the Bell," she lines up two dates for one weekend: Friday night dinner with Jack, Saturday morning fishing with Kurt. I'd give anything to see Diane in her outdoorsy gear, sharing a cooler full of Miller High Life with Kurt. Alas, I'll probably have to rely on my imagination.

To their utmost credit, the writers avoid treating Diane's romantic adventures like some kind of curiosity. She's neither a man-eating cliche a la Samantha Jones, nor a lonely, chaste working woman who's traded her personal life for a career. I do wonder, however, what effect, if any, her brisk dating schedule will have on the ongoing civil art at the firm. Diane hardly strikes me as the type to let her personal life distract her from her job, but it doesn't take long for Will to notice that something's up with his partner.

Leah Remini fired from 'The Talk': Sharon Osbourne's fault, she says

Leah Remini has remained mostly silent about her ouster (along with co-host Holly Robinson Peete) from CBS' "The Talk" last summer. But she took to Twitter on Monday to reveal the suspected reason for her firing: Sharon Osbourne.

"Sharon thought me and Holly were 'ghetto'" she tweeted. "We were not funny, awkward and didn't know ourselves. She has the power that was given to her."

In December, Osbourne and the current co-hosts appeared on Howard Stern's satellite radio show and Stern brought up the subject of the fired former co-hosts. At the time, he wondered if it was Julie Chen, wife of CBS President and Chief Executive Les Moonves, who was behind the firings. But Osbourne quickly spoke up, saying: "Some people don't really know who they are. You have to know who you are when you're in something like this. You can't pretend to be something you're not."

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Osbourne responded on Twitter on Tuesday, writing: "In response to Leah Remini's continuous comments that I had her fired from "The Talk," let me just go on the record to say I had absolutely nothing to do with her departure from the show and have no idea why she continues to take to Twitter to spread this false gossip."

Remini, who is currently filming a pilot for ABC, claimed she didn't know the reasons behind her firing until Osbourne discussed it on Stern's show. Then she responded to fans on Twitter, saying "I will not respond to Sharon BUT only to say this, IF she wanted to clear it up she has my number & has had ALL this time and didnt use it.not even to say she was sorry. so to Sharon I say... Well done Sharon, you won. I will move on now as you suggested. And so should u. Be at Peace."

The show, which has been averaging just more than 2 million viewers this season, was recently picked up for a third season. Aisha Tyler and Sheryl Underwood were brought in to replace Remini and Robinson Peete.

But Remini isn't angry with the entire Osbourne clan. She tells her fans that Ozzy is a sweetie.

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Photo: From left, Leah Remini, Sharon Osbourne, Christie Brinkley and Julie Chen on "The Talk" in happier times. Credit: CBS

CBS renews 18 shows, including 'Big Bang Theory,' 'Good Wife'

CBS has renewed 18 well-performing series for the upcoming 2012-2013 season, including obvious candidates "The Big Bang Theory" and "CSI," but there's one noticeable exception: "Two and a Half Men."

In total, four comedies, nine dramas, three reality series and two newsmagazines will return. In addition to 'The Big Bang Theory," other laffers making another showing will be "How I Met Your Mother" — which will enter its eighth season — "Mike & Molly," and raunchy rookie comedy "2 Broke Girls." CBS and Warner Bros. are said to be in "preliminary discussions" regarding future seasons of "Two and a Half Men."

Joining "CSI" on the drama side are "NCIS," "NCIS: Los Angeles," "Hawaii Five-0," "Criminal Minds," "Person of Interest," "The Mentalist," "Blue Bloods" and "The Good Wife."

Among the reality series are "The Amazing Race," 'Undercover Boss" and the previously renewed "Survivor." Newsmagazines "60 Minutes" and "48 Hours" will also return for the fall.  

Absent from the announcement are "Unforgettable," "A Gifted Man," "CSI: Miami," "CSI: New York" — and, hey, what about "Rob"?

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— Yvonne Villarreal

twitter.com/villarrealy

Photo: A scene from "The Good Wife." Credit: CBS

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2012/03/martha-stewart-to-teach-2-broke-girls-some-manners.htmlMartha Stewart to teach '2 Broke Girls' some manners?

'The Good Wife' recap: Family business

In this week’s episode of “The Good Wife,” titled “The Long Way Home,” two wildly different characters — scheming psychopath Colin Sweeney and pretty, competent Caitlin — surprise the gang at Lockhart-Gardner by opting to start families of their own. It’s an interesting, if somewhat overstuffed episode that tries to tackle issues as diverse as the state of feminism, workplace romance, legal ethics, incidental racism, and — oh yeah — parenthood in the space of 44 tightly-packed minutes. That’s a whole lot of ground to cover, and in the end I don’t think the episode quite coheres.  A running gag this week is Alicia’s constant “multi-tasking”: She spends a good part of the episode on the cellphone, juggling calls from her kids, her Realtor, Diane and Peter. It's a nice metaphor for the episode as a whole — good at everything it does, but overextended. 

Part of the problem, I think, is the continuing lack of an overarching narrative to the season. Now that Will’s investigation is over, and he’s already returned to the office, there’s no single storyline tying the show together week to week. And each time it looks like “The Good Wife” is about to go in one direction, it pivots and goes in another. I appreciate that the writers still know how to defy our expectations, but at some point you have to wonder if all the misdirection is indicative of a lack of direction. 

Take Caitlin, for instance. For weeks the show has been building to some kind of confrontation between Alicia and the ambitious first-year associate. Suspecting that Caitlin’s uncle David Lee has been advising her on strategy for the Sweeney case, Alicia gives her mentee a talking-to. The next day, Caitlin abruptly resigns from the firm — because she’s pregnant and getting married. (Weird, isn’t it, that David Lee doesn’t know this when he freaks out at Alicia?) It’s a double dose of surprise: First, that Caitlin never really turns out to be the adversary we expected her to be. Second, and more critically, the talented young lawyer chooses to give up her career even though she doesn’t really have to; she just prefers to be a mom. “The Good Wife” is one of the most staunchly feminist shows on television, and the Caitlin storyline is a terrific example of the show’s progressive gender politics, proving that women can get along in the workplace and respect each other's big life decisions. Who knew?

In the end, Caitlin is there to remind Alicia of her own journey from reluctant political spouse to high-paid corporate attorney.  “She’ll be back in 15 years, like you,” Diane predicts, but Alicia’s not convinced. To emphasize the point, Caitlin opts out of the workforce just as Alicia considers buying back the Highland Park home where she once lived with Peter and the kids. (Readers, this is what's known as "symbolism.") Alicia is at first repulsed, then seduced, then finally repulsed all over again by the idea of returning to her suburban life. In the closing minutes of the episode, Alicia tours her old home, breaking down in tears at the sight of the height chart — which, for some odd reason, the new owners have not painted over yet. The implications of her meltdown are pretty clear:  As friendly as she and Peter are these days, and as expensive as city living is, Alicia is not ready to go back to the way things were.

Martha Stewart to teach '2 Broke Girls' some manners?

Daytime queen Martha Stewart will guest star on CBS’ “2 Broke Girls” — start prepping now for the possibility that the craft guru will utter lines about lady parts.

The TV host will make a cameo as herself in the show’s May 7 episode, in which scrappy cupcake entrepreneurs Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs) attend a fashion gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that Martha is scheduled to attend. Of course, the baking buddies are looking to get Martha’s expert opinion on their goodies.

We can’t help but wonder what outrageous things the writers will have her say in the process. With Stewart at a museum and not participating in such things as salad chopping — which she’s particularly dedicated to doing if you remember back to that 2009 CBS “Early Show” interview in which she dodged questions about her insider trading case — the possibility for double entendres might be limited.

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Photo:  Martha Stewart attends The JWT Hosts Book Launch Party for Charlotte Beers at JWT Offices - New York on Feb. 28, 2012 in New York City.Credit: Donald Bowers / Getty Images for JWT