Report: 'Desperate Housewives' to end this year

Bad news, fans of the ladies of Wisteria Lane.

According to TV Line, long-running ABC series "Desperate Housewives" is signing off after the upcoming season. A source who talked to TV Guide in July hinted that the end may be coming, but thought the decision

wouldn't be made until after the season began. “It’s all dependent on the ratings,” the insider told TV Guide at the time.

Media reps for "Desperate Housewives" told TODAY.com that reports of the show's conclusion in May is "all speculative at this point." They also confirmed to TODAY.com that ABC will have the official word on Sunday, when the network presents at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour in Los Angeles.

When TODAY.com asked actor Kevin Rahm, who plays Lee McDermott, on Friday about ABC's rumored decision to end the show after the eighth season, he said, "They haven’t told me yet."

But he does have an idea of how he'd like Lee's story on Wisteria Lane to end. "Artistically, I want to go down big. I want to knock someone off, or die, or have been a secret agent the whole time," he told TODAY.com.

However, it's not yet clear if Rahm will return for the potential final season. He said that "Housewives" offered him a one-year contract last year, and allowed him to do pilot season. He then landed the role of Jack on the upcoming Fox sitcom "I Hate My  Teenage Daughter," which Rahm was promoting at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour in Los Angeles Friday. "I got this job ("Daughter"), then they kind of lost their chance at me," he said.

Should ABC want him back for "Housewives," Rahm told TODAY.com, "Time will not be the issue. It’ll be an issue of ... contracts and Fox and ABC. It’ll be out of my hands. If it were up to me, I would do both for the rest of the year."

When asked about the "Housewives' " eighth season, Rahm said, "Like all shows, anything after seven years is different than it was in the beginning. But I think it’ll go down as being a very influential show and a fun show. I still love it."

"And at the same time, I’m ready to close that chapter and move on to this one," Rahm told TODAY.com. "I’m excited."

The new season of "Housewives" premieres Sept. 25 at 9 p.m. on ABC. "I Hate My Teenage Daughter" debuts on Fox at 9 p.m. on Nov. 23.

'The Bachelorette' recap: Island, Escaped

Hello rose lovers! It's fantasy suite time already -- can you believe how far we've come in our "journey"? Before we begin with tonight's adventures, just a quick editor's note about last week's hometown date episode. I wrote my recap based on a rough cut that ABC sent me on DVD, and clearly the order of the dates changed before airtime. Sorry for any confusion, and I'm also sorry that

the explanation does not involve me getting blackout drunk while playing a drinking game based on every time Ashley chewed her lips or fiddled with her bangs, as some of you suggested. Now, on to the "exotic" dates!
Splash! Ice-blue waves crash on the shore as Ashley arrives in Fiji on a pontoon plane. Fiji, as it turns out, is the latest in a long line of "perfect" places "to fall in love" and/or "get engaged" and find a "happy ending." Ashley reclines atop a pile of fluffy pillows on her hotel bed and narrates a recycled-clip flashback montage about the final three suitors. Ben is "goofy and silly and fun and playful" but also "sincere and honest"; Ben's doppelganger Constantine "has a really good head on his shoulders" and is "really smart," and their relationship has "so much depth to it" (see: their bonding session over a large plate of salad); and then there's JP, who "looked like a model" when he got out of the limo, according to Ashley. "Sometimes you don't need 20 dates with somebody to know how you feel about them," says the Bachelorette of Jape. (Ok -- but how about, like, 5?) And now, at long last, she gets to spend "private time with the guys alone," a prospect that's so monumental that she needs to curl up on the couch and journal about it. (Side note: Don't you hate it when people use "journal" as a verb, like I just did there? It's one of my top five pet peeves.)
But before Ashley and her boys can take it to The Next Level (honestly, someone needs to open a nightclub with that name -- "Hey baby, wanna go to The Next Level?"), first the Bachelorette is going to have to endure a visit from the Ghost of Rose Ceremonies Past. It seems Ryan Sunshine has made the trek to Fiji, because he feels there are "things unsaid and undiscovered" between the two of them, and he needs to "see it through." The flip-flop clad bachelor trudges sloooowly down a dirt road in the rain toward Ashley's Tatadra (dream house), looking like he's on his way to a lethal injection. Ashley greets him with about as much enthusiasm -- "Whyyy?" she moans. "What is going on??" -- but somehow manages to keep a smile on her face. Ryan launches right into his sales pitch, telling the Bachelorette that after she booted him, he flew back home and "got right back into the swing of things" at work... but he just couldn't approach solar panels and tankless water heaters with as much gusto as before. "I kept thinking, like, I didn't feel like we really had a chance to think things through," he tells her. So he picked up the phone and called Chris (Key: "called Chris" = "accepted a collect call from producers asking him to add some drama to an otherwise uneventful exotic dates episode"), and hopped the next pontoon plane to Fiji. "If you thought about me at all... then I want some more time with you so bad."Ryan's apparently encouraged by Ashley's response -- a tight-lipped smile and awkward silence -- because he just keeps talking. "Every time we talked it was just so fluid and great... With us, I just feel like we didn't really have a chance." And with that, he passes her a slip of paper with his hotel info on it and heads out, leaving Ashley with some time to think things over. "Now I wait," he says, "and hope that she feels the same way." (Spoiler alert: She doesn't.)
With that little stunt surprise out of the way, it's time for Ashley's date with Ben. They're on a boat! They cruise around the islands on a yacht, and slather each other with suntan lotion, which gets Ashley all hot and bothered. "My back? I can reach everywhere else, unless you want to do everything." You little minx! "We are giddy little school children," says Ben, who's rocking an endearingly Zen vibe throughout the date. "I'm happy -- I'm pretty happy." (On second thought, maybe he's just drunk. The two of them certainly seemed like they were three sheets to the wind during their little post-credits conversation about Ashley's toes.) Anyhow, yes, Ben bugs me sometimes, but if I have to choose, I think I want him to "win" the final... oh Lord have mercy what is that see-through white V-neck sweater he's wearing to dinner? Dude, we can see your mike pack strapped to your abs! Did your hotel room not have a mirror? Good thing you're funny: "Oh, honey, you cooked!" he jokes as they both sit down to dinner on the beach. But things soon turn serious. "I am available today, whereas two months ago, when we started this journey, I wasn't available," admits Ben. "I'm on my way... to, you know, the whole 'I love you' thing." Very smooth, sir. Will you choose to forgo your individual room to stay as a couple with Ashley in the fantasy suite? I think we all know the answer to that. After a make-out session in the pool, Ben scoops Ashley up in his arms and carries her to the bedroom. All aboard for The Next Level!
Ok, Constantine, you're up. Perhaps due to some kind of clerical error, Constantine has somehow gotten this far on The Bachelorette without riding in a helicopter, but that mistake's about to be remedied. They fly above blue water and lush green mountains, but the scenery doesn't get truly beautiful until they pass over a solitary figure standing on the shore -- it's Ryan Sunshine, who still hasn't heard a peep from Ashley, and his patience is wearing thin. "I've been waiting for several days now," he sighs. "The hardest part is the fact that I know that she's very close to me, and I can't do anything about it."
That's for sure, especially since Ashley is currently busy swimming under Bouma Falls with her "Greek god." And the aforementioned Greek god is busy trying to convince Ashley that he can, in fact make a commitment, despite the fact that he lived in 108 houses before actually buying one. "It's a big investment!" he wails. "There was so much I wanted from a house and I couldn't find it. [Pregnant pause] But houses and women are not the same." (I learn so much from watching this show!) Unfortunately for Constantine, that kind of thoughtful decision-making has no place on The Bachelorette. "There's a part of me that worries that he just can't jump into a relationship head-first," says Ashley, once again displaying her impressive ability to make someone's positive characteristic sound like a fatal flaw. "Constantine may need a lot more time, and that's something that we just don't have."
At dinner, the Bachelorette gives Constantine another shot to prove he can be as rash and careless as the next guy, but his initial answer answer goes nowhere: "That's honestly like a big thing that I've, like... I don't know." Eventually, though, Constantine gives what may be the most honest, intelligent, grounded speech in the history of this ridiculous franchise. "I would want ideally for me to be madly, head-over-heels, 100 percent sure, ready to meet your father and say, 'I want to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage,' and say that with 110 percent confidence," he begins. "And I have too much respect for you, for myself, for my family, and ultimately your family also, to do anything but that. I'm sitting here now, like, thinking, I don't have that yet... This fantasy suite, I know what it means -- and I also know what it implies. And I knew if I got to this point and I wasn't in love with you, I wouldn't accept the fantasy suite... I'm not pretending, and I haven't pretended to begin with, and I don't want to start doing that now." OH MY GOD YOU GUYS HE TURNED DOWN THE FANTASY SUITE OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE BACHELORETTE! MY MIND IS OFFICIALLY BLOWN!! CONSTANTINE FOR THE NEXT BACHELOR!!!
Being treated like a human being who deserves dignity doesn't sit well with Ashley -- in a fit of pique, she tears up the fantasy suite card and tosses the pieces to the floor. Commence shame spiral in 3... 2... 1... "What if I end up all alone, and all of this was for nothing?" wonders the Bachelorette, before letting the door to her suite slam shut.
Morning, Fiji frogs! Are you ready for Ashley to give Ryan Sunshine one final kiss-off? Great -- hop this way, please. After a short walk and a long, misleading set-up, Ashley finally works her way around to the big "but," telling Ryan, "I didn't feel, like, that passion [with you]... And the truth is, I've found that -- actually with two people!" Sheesh, Ash -- way to rub it in! With that piece of unpleasantness taken care of, it's time for JP, who gets the pimp spot for his date. He and Ashley climb aboard a pontoon plane and head for a little isolated island equipped with a beach and a hammock. There, they stand in calf-deep water and discuss their feelings, and JP is blunt (and slightly snippy) on the subject: "I want this to be over -- that it's me, that's it."
Simmer down, Mr. Fuzzy Noggin -- you know that's not how this works. First, you need to have dinner in the middle of the jungle, where Ashley will play a cruel practical joke on you. "I said goodbye to two guys this week," she tells JP, who responds with, "What???" She goes on to explain the whole situation, as JP grins triumphantly. Sensing his suppressed macho glee, Ashley warns, "Guys try to beat each other, and I don't want it to be about that." Oh, of course not. "I want to be the last guy standing not because I want to beat him," says JP. "I want you." Ask and ye shall receive, Cupcake! Ashley presents JP with the fantasy suite card, and they scamper off to their jungle villa for some NC-17 action. Cue the violins!
The next day, Ashley meets with Harrison for a rainy pre-rose-ceremony chat. They rehash the dates, and then the Bachelorette explains that she still wants a rose ceremony, even though there are only two guys left. "Even at this stage, people can have a change of heart," she tells the host. "It's a two-way street. The guys have to feel something for me. Plus," she adds, "we've got two hours to fill." (Yes, I made that last part up.) And thus begins the exercise in drawn-out futility, as Ashley studies the remaining suitors' portraits and stares wistfully out at the rain. Then she just sits there. For a long time, saying the same thing over and over and over -- some version of "I hope these guys like me too." Ok people, let's get a move on! Seriously, Team Bachelorette -- couldn't you have given us a longer preview of next week's Men Tell All special to eat time? (By the way, though they didn't show Bentley, they sure made it seem like he was going to be there -- so they had better deliver.)  News flash: Both Ben and JP accept this rose, and all is right with the world.
Well rose lovers, there we have it -- our final two. Thoughts? Hopes? Complaints? Were you as impressed with Constantine's exit speech as I was? Does Ben F. stand a chance? Will Ashley be able to keep her hands off her bangs during the final rose ceremony? Post your predictions below! When you're done, be sure to check out Chris Harrison's exclusive blog on PopWatch. Now, fire up your pontoon plane and let's talk Bachelorette!

Anthony jurors shattered (Photo-Gallery)

A juror in the Casey Anthony trial has broken her silence and said the jury was emotionally shattered by its own verdict of not guilty.
The juror, Jennifer Ford, 32, a nursing student, said that jurors were "sick to their stomachs" after acquitting Anthony of murdering her two-year-old daughter, Caylee, ABC News reported.
"I did not say she was innocent," said Ford, who was juror No.3.

"I just said there was not enough evidence. If you cannot prove what the crime was, you cannot determine what the punishment should be.
"I'm still confused," she added. "I have no idea what happened to that child."
After issuing the verdict, jurors felt so overwhelmed that they could not speak to reporters, Ms Ford said.
"We were crying, and not just the women," she added. "It was emotional, and we weren't ready. We wanted to do it with integrity and not contribute to the sensationalism of the trial."
Ms Ford described the other six women and five men on the panel as a "great bunch of people".
The jurors, from Pinellas County, spent nearly six weeks living out their own brand of isolation in a hotel in Orlando, in Orange County.

Publicity in the city had been so pervasive that the judge felt compelled to import a jury from another county. Jurors' rooms were watched by guards.
But, Ms Ford said: "There was high morale," adding: "We all joked. We are like a big group of cousins."
The interview with Ms Ford came as the television networks jousted on Wednesday for interviews with jurors and lawyers in the case, emphasising that they would not pay for the interviews.

Networks are known to license photos and videos to woo guests to their shows, a practice that some say amounts to de facto payments for interviews. Sometimes the licensing deals are lined up through brokers or other representatives.
In an interview at her home Wednesday night, Lynn Ford, Jennifer Ford's mother, said ABC News did not pay her daughter but treated her and four others to a trip to Disney World. ABC is a unit of the Walt Disney Co.

Earlier on Wednesday, a representative of another juror contacted each of the broadcast news networks, offering an interview contingent on a mid-five-figure fee.
The networks reported being approached by Rick French, a publicist from North Carolina. One network executive said the fee being asked was $US50,000. French did not return phone calls on Wednesday afternoon.

NBC's Today show and ABC's The View each interviewed Jeff Ashton, the 30-year veteran prosecutor in the case.
He said on The View that he was "shocked" by the not-guilty verdict because jury deliberations were so swift and seamless.
"I think ultimately it came down to the evidence," he said. "I think ultimately it came down to cause of death."
Anthony, 25, who was also found not guilty of aggravated manslaughter and felony child abuse, will be sentenced on Thursday morning US time for lesser crimes.
The jury found her guilty of four counts of lying to police investigators, which carries a maximum of a one-year prison sentence for each count.
But because Anthony has served more than 2 1/2 years in jail, mostly in isolation, she will most likely be sentenced to time served by Judge Belvin Perry jnr and walk free from the Orlando courthouse.
Where Anthony will go next and whether she will ultimately publish her own account are the next big questions occupying those who had closely watched the three-year case.
Prosecutors argued that Anthony killed her child to be free of the obligations of motherhood, preferring instead a carefree life of boyfriends and bars.
They said she dosed Caylee with chloroform, suffocated her with duct tape and dumped her body in the woods.
But medical examiners could never determine how and when Caylee died because her remains were nothing but bones when she was found.
Prosecutors also had no solid physical evidence or witnesses tying Anthony to the crime.
Instead, they portrayed Anthony as a liar - a point her lawyer, Jose Baez, conceded - and a callous mother who partied after Caylee's disappearance.

Watch The Kentucky Derby 2011 Online On NBC Website

Coverage of the 2011 Kentucky Derby will be aplenty on Saturday as all eyes turn to Churchill Downs for the 137th running of the race. Kentucky Derby weekend is an event in itself as Churchill Downs turns into a weekend-long part with over 100,000 fans converging on the area. And for horse racing fans and casual observers alike, it's the most recognizable event in the sport.

There are plenty of ways to watch the 2011 Kentucky Derby, including the traditional forms of media. Versus will broadcast the Kentucky Derby undercard beginning at 11 a.m. EDT. The Kentucky Derby itself will be broadcast by NBC, with coverage set to begin at 4 p.m. But for those without access to a TV, or those looking for a new-age way to watch, there is an option.

The 2011 Kentucky Derby will also be broadcast online, with NBC showing a simulcast on its website. A link has yet to be posted, but NBC has been broadcasting a live-stream throughout the week and should have one before post-time, coinciding with the network broadcast. We'll be updating this story with the link when it's posted.

The 2011 Kentucky Derby post time is at 6:24 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, May 7th and SB Nation has everything you need to prepare for it - current Derby odds, contender profiles, field updates and more. You can find all of that and more at our 2011 Kentucky Derby StoryStream. Also, our horse racing blog And Down The Stretch They Come has two must-read resources for Derby fans: A Beginner's Guide To Following Horse Racing and a glossary of horse racing terms.

TV networks are deciding who's in and who's out

As TV executives huddle in screening rooms the next few days, watching pilots for proposed fall series, they're having to adjust to a couple of big surprises.Not long ago few would have predicted that "American Idol" would still be TV's No. 1 show, even without Simon Cowell. And even fewer would have guessed that the most-watched comedy, "Two and a Half Men," would be facing life without Charlie Sheen.In fact, it's been a rough year for broadcasters all around. The major networks got pummeled by critics for a slate of uninspired new offerings last fall, which no doubt helps explain why each suffered notable ratings erosion this season. No. 4 NBC was hammered the worst, with double-digit declines in major categories, according to the Nielsen Co.So executives are facing tough decisions about the futures of some onetime audience favorites that might be bulldozed to make way for new series.

Among the long-running shows that are, in the industry's lingo, "on the bubble": ABC's family drama "Brothers & Sisters," NBC's perennially endangered comic caper "Chuck" and Fox's crime drama "Lie to Me." Their fates are likely to depend on how appealing the new pilots seem when executives watch them.Other series, such as NBC's heavily publicized "The Event," ABC's superhero drama "No Ordinary Family" and CBS' "The Defenders," are considered near-certain bets for cancellation.Despite its high ratings, "Two and a Half Men" should also be added to the "bubble" list, since Sheen was fired from the show amid a spectacular public meltdown and CBS and Warner Bros., the studio that makes the show, are scrambling to adapt the comedy without its big star. Most insiders consider it a foregone conclusion the show will return in some form, but the details have yet to be worked out."That's a decision they're going to have to make," Brad Adgate, an analyst at Horizon Media in New York, said of CBS. "If you don't have 'Two and a Half Men' on Monday night, what do you put there?"Luckily for CBS executives, their network is the one perhaps best-positioned to handle such uncertainty heading into the "upfronts," the annual selling season that begins later this month, when networks present their fall schedules to advertisers in New York. CBS is the most-watched network by far, although it's also the oldest-skewing, with an average viewer age of 55. Tuesday night, for example, is rock-solid on CBS with the "NCIS" franchise, one of the most popular on TV.Because it has the fewest holes in its lineup, CBS ordered just 16 drama and comedy pilots, compared with 22 for NBC and 24 for ABC. (Fox also ordered 16, but it programs just two hours on weeknights compared to three for its rivals.)But the Sheen case has created a major strategic problem. This season the network moved its sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" to Thursdays, where it has helped the network establish a comedy base on that night for the first time in years. "We got the beachhead we wanted," said Kelly Kahl, CBS' scheduling chief.If the network has to move ahead without "Two and a Half Men," executives might be forced to roll "Big Bang" back to Monday as well as delay a plan to try comedies on Wednesday. CBS officials have made it clear that they would not welcome such a retreat.Another complication for CBS: The enduring strength of "Idol." Many observers expected Fox's singing contest to fall apart without the snarky presence of Cowell, the show's putative star, who left to develop "The X Factor" for Fox this fall.But with new judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez, "Idol" has remained a ratings powerhouse, even after its regular pattern was shifted from Tuesday-Wednesday to Wednesday-Thursday. Indeed, Fox is poised again to win the ratings race among viewers ages 18 to 49 — the category most advertisers covet — by at least half a ratings point over its nearest challenger, CBS."We confounded everybody," said Preston Beckman, Fox's scheduling guru, who added that the strength of the show "was always about the kids" who compete and not necessarily the judges.That doesn't mean Fox faces no challenges. The network served up one of this season's biggest flops, the drama "Lone Star," which was yanked after two airings. And Fox faces risky launches in the fall for "X Factor" and especially "Terra Nova," a costly sci-fi epic that is already generating rumors of production woes. Beckman characterized both premieres as top priorities for Fox. "X Factor" is considered a likely bet for Wednesday and Thursday this fall, the same slots occupied by "Idol."ABC finds itself in a much dicier position. Top shows such as "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy" are aging. "Dancing With the Stars" is heavily dependent on casting and draws a relatively old audience. With the exception of the much-admired comedy "Modern Family," the network has gone years without creating a new hit. It remains unclear whether top programmer Paul Lee, who has been in the post less than a year, can engineer a turnaround this coming season."They really need hits," Adgate said. "Their franchise shows continue to show some audience erosion."Then there's NBC, which has been in a ratings free fall for the last few seasons. Bob Greenblatt, the former top Showtime programmer brought in by new owner Comcast, faces a steep hill in trying to make the network competitive again, with Monday and Wednesday nights in need of near-total makeovers.The one bright spot for NBC? Strong ratings for the premiere of "The Voice," the singing competition with star judges Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton. Many insiders consider it likely that the show will be retained for the fall schedule and likely be kept on Tuesdays, to avoid a conflict with "X Factor."Of course, it's still early, and much will depend on what happens in those dark screening rooms the next few days.The good news for the networks? This pilot season is looking a lot stronger than last year's.Looking over the list of 88 scripted pilots, Adgate said: "It seems like the networks are focusing more on the untraditional, are getting away from the typical dramas and comedies you get year in, year out."