The Tudors

It's official — Showtime's The Tudors will return for a fourth season next year. But don't get too attached: As the show's creator suggested at the TCA press tour in January — when he pointed out that Henry VIII would be out of wives fairly soon — the fourth season will be the show's last.

This season of the show follows Henry (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) through his relationships with Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves, leaving two Catherines (Howard and Parr) for the final year. That last season may be even more dramatic than the rest, culminating with Henry's descent into madness. The final 10 episodes will air in Spring 2010.

The Tudors has performed well in the ratings so far this season, even becoming one of the few shows to beat a competing program on HBO when it fared better than In Treatment the week of its premiere. So, will you see this take on the saga of Henry VIII through to its end? And which actresses do you have in mind for the final two wives?

Photo courtesy of Showtime

If you have HBO or Showtime, tonight's your lucky night — even moreso if you have both! One of Showtime's new signature series wraps up its first season tonight, while new seasons of acclaimed dramas begin on both Showtime and HBO.

First, the finale: United States of Tara's first season ends tonight, with Tara preparing to face head-on the man she believes to be the cause of her dissociative identity disorder. This show has really grown on me since its premiere, almost more for the supporting characters (especially Tara's kids, Kate and Marshall) than for Tara or her alters. It's already been renewed for a second season, so I'm curious to see what tonight's episode wraps up and what it leaves up in the air for the next batch of episodes.

Meanwhile, The Tudors returns for its third season on Showtime, and In Treatment starts its second on HBO. In Treatment is operating on a different schedule this year, with the five therapy sessions airing over two nights (Sundays and Mondays) instead of five, which I hope makes it easier to keep up with the show. The Tudors comes back with some new wives entering the life of Henry VIII, and of them, I'm most curious to see Joss Stone's acting debut as Anne of Cleves.

So: What are you watching tonight? To watch previews for In Treatment and The Tudors and the awesome opening credits for United States of Tara, just read more

The Tudors, Showtime's saucy royal drama, returns to television next month for another go-round with King Henry (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and his many wives.

This season covers Henry's marriages to Jane Seymour (played this year by Annabelle Wallis, who takes over for Anita Briem in the role) and Anne of Cleves (played by Joss Stone in the singer's major acting debut). There's also religious drama, sexual escapades, and gorgeous costumes, just as we've come to expect from this series.

The eight episodes start April 5, but if you don't have Showtime, just want a taste of the show, or can't wait a couple of weeks, I've got an advance copy of the season premiere — and you can watch it too, right here, right now! To check out the epiosde, just read more

There's a lot to like about this promo for the third season of Showtime's The Tudors, but the music is absolutely cracking me up. The promo shows scenes of Jonathan Rhys Meyers's Henry VIII and his many wives, all set to the sound of . . . Queen's "I Want It All." Would Henry have been into stadium rock if only it had existed in the Tudor era? How funny is it to have a show about a king with promo music by Queen? Am I just entirely too entertained by this? (Yes.)

Anyway, this spot for the third season — which will be eight episodes long and is set to kick off April 5 — shows the war, romance, and killer costumes we've become accustomed to from the series. This third season will cover Henry's third and fourth wives, including the lovely Joss Stone as Anne of Cleves. This is around the time the historical Henry would have been getting fat and unattractive, but don't worry — JRM won't be going down that particular path.

Will you be watching the show when it returns this Spring? To rock out to some Queen and watch the promo, just read more

It's NBC's turn to present at the TCA press tour today, but before they take the stage, I wanted to pass along some of the remaining goodies from the CBS and Showtime presentations. I've got lots of good stuff — including an interview with United States of Tara and Rachel Getting Married star Rosemarie DeWitt —that I'll share in the coming days, but for now, some highlights from Wednesday's panels:

• Showtime's Nurse Jackie, which stars Edie Falco, is about a woman who's the absolute best nurse imaginable but also has serious human flaws — namely a severe addiction to pharmaceuticals (and an affair with her pharmacist). The show will premiere later this year and be paired with Weeds. Two of the show's executive producers are recovering addicts, so that part of things should feel very real — but that doesn't make it somber. "We love addictions," cracked executive producer Linda Wallem. "We think they're hilarious and great."
• The lovely Joss Stone came by to discuss her role as Anne of Cleves on The Tudors. It's her first real acting job and not an easy one to jump into, but she said that was OK: "I prefer to do that. I like to go headfirst into whatever it is." She said she also appreciated knowing that — unless the producers were seriously changing history — she wouldn't be leaving the show with her head cut off.
• Speaking of which, if you're waiting for the part of the show where Jonathan Rhys Meyers gets ugly and fat to play King Henry, well, don't hold your breath.

To hear some funny revelations from the Secret Diary of a Call Girl panel, read more

Jonathan Rhys Meyers was a spunky and handsome addition to yesterday's Showtime TCA event to meander through the next season of The Tudors. While Buzz has the info about his relationship with Joss Stone plus other tidbits from the day's panels, here's what Jonathan had to say about playing the famous character and what sex scenes are like:

• On whether he'll gain weight like Henry VIII: "No. I’m not going to turn into the Holbein painting. . . I played it my way. I could have put on the red hair and gained the weight but it’s already done. I’m not that guy. This is not that show. . . We wanted to make something with the exciting backdrop but it's entertainment, it’s television. . .We have to play with history a little bit. I had to play him my way."
• On love then vs. now: "Marriage was a commercial venture rather than a love thing. You married and you had children because children brought you heirs and security for your legacy. . . Usually they were arranged for commercial, political and state value and occasionally a love match was found."
• On being comfortable with his love scenes: "Very comfortable. There are worse things you could do with yourself on a rainy Tuesday morning in Dublin than hop in bed with [these ladies]."

Source and Source

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. In addition to the selections below you can also take home Battlestar Galactica: Season Four and Righteous Kill.

Pineapple Express
You guys, Pineapple Express is not just a stoner movie, OK? James Franco was nominated for a Golden Globe for his work! This is award-worthy stuff! I kid, I kid. But it is funny to me that Franco is up for a serious award for playing a pot dealer who has lines like, "Pandora can't go back into the box — he only comes out."

This movie was a lot of fun to see in the theaters and as a DVD it will probably get the most play in dorm rooms, frat houses, and 20-something apartments across the nation. Seth Rogen and James Franco are a match made in stoner heaven, but be warned: The movie is actually pretty graphically violent (just a heads-up if that's a buzzkill for you).

Special features include an extended version of the film, commentary with the filmmakers and cast, and of course, the gag reel.

Three more up next so read more