The Cleveland Show

With Fox's Fall schedule announcement this morning, the craziness of network Upfront week is officially under way. In just a second, I'll share videos and photos of the six new Fox shows, but quickly, a few thoughts on the schedule:

• Fringe on Thursdays? Seems risky to me — even if, as Fox's entertainment guru Kevin Reilly pointed out this morning, both Grey's Anatomy and CSI are down this season. Fact is, between Grey's and NBC's The Office/30 Rock combo, my DVR is booked, and Fringe will probably be the odd show out.
• I know it's a sad day for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles fans, who were pulling hard for the show to return. Here's what show-runner Josh Friedman had to say.
• Reilly said the decision to bring back Dollhouse is "a bet on Joss Whedon" and added that he probably would have had "110 angry emails this morning from fans." Really, just 110?
• Back in January, Reilly cited Malcolm in the Middle as the kind of comedy Fox wanted to develop. So I guess it's no surprise that Sons of Tucson is practically being called the next Malcolm by Fox officials — to the point that it's even taking over Malcolm's initial time slot in the Winter.
• Speaking of which — the Fall is fine, but Fox doesn't really get interesting to me until January or so, when Human Target, Sons, and Past Life (which looks to me like Lie to Me but with otherworldly flashbacks instead of facial tics) all start.
• It's no secret that I'm a big fan of So You Think You Can Dance, but I'm a little nervous about having another season starting in the Fall. I'm worried we'll be burned out from the Summer cycle and too busy with Fall TV to pay much attention — and I think Fox better hope season five is a good one with a likable winner so we'll be excited for another round! On the other hand, I appreciate that the schedule won't get torn to bits to make room for American Idol in January.

Enough of that — let's get to the clips! Just read more

• Fringe has been renewed for a second season. — The Futon Critic
• Fox has also asked for a second season of its Family Guy spinoff, The Cleveland Show, even though the first season won't air for a couple of months. — Zap2it
• Hugh Jackman is attached to star in a film version of Ghostopolis, an upcoming graphic novel from Doug TenNapel. — ComingSoon
• Jenny McCarthy will get her own syndicated talk show through a deal with Oprah's studio. — The Hollywood Reporter
• Ben Stiller has been set to direct Help Me Spread Goodness, "a drama with comic overtones." — Variety
• Sugar Ray's next album, releasing July 21, is titled Music For Cougars. — Billboard
• Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has reportedly been cast in Disney's reworking of 20 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo. — ComingSoon
• Scarlett Johansson's directorial debut for a segment of the film New York, I Love You, shot in black and white and starring Kevin Bacon, has been cut from the film and will appear only on the DVD release. — Zap2It

Photo courtesy of Fox

• Ellen DeGeneres has signed on to play Mother Nature in an untitled comedy written by Sex and the City writer-executive producer Jenny Bicks. — The Hollywood Reporter
• The Weinstein Co. has acquired the rights for Nowhere Boy, the story of John Lennon's tumultuous childhood. — Billboard
• The Simpsons celebrated St. Patrick's Day by premiering an Irish-themed episode in Ireland and the UK on Tuesday; it airs in the US on Sunday. — TV Guide
• Two music videos which represent actor Heath Ledger's last directorial work before his death in January 2008 will be released this year. — Billboard
• Paramount has bought film rights to an upcoming Wired article about a band of Italian diamond thieves and J.J. Abrams is producing through his Bad Robot production company. — ComingSoon
• Kelly Clarkson's All I Ever Wanted tops this week's Billboard charts. — New York Times
• Maybe that will make Kelly more valuable when American Idol launches its line of trading cards in April. — AP
• Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke is in talks to direct a film adaptation of another young-adult fantasy series, Maximum Ride. — The Hollywood Reporter
• Kanye West will voice a character in Fox's Family Guy spinoff The Cleveland Show. — TV.com

Source

• We have a definite premiere date for the fifth season of Lost! The craziness begins again on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009. — Variety
• Chris Rock is set to star and co-write a re-imagining of the 2007 British comedy Death at a Funeral. — Variety
• Fox has ordered a full season of The Cleveland Show to premiere in Fall 2009. — Zap2it
• Coldplay has been named the world's biggest band of 2008. — Reuters
• Casey Affleck and Jessica Alba are joining the cast of The Killer Inside Me, an adaptation of a novel from noir author Jim Thompson. — The Hollywood Reporter
• Quantum of Solace has reached a box office take of $160.3 million internationally in its first 10 days. — ComingSoon
• Bret Ratner is in final negotiations to direct a 21st century update of Conan the Barbarian. — Reuters
• Knight Rider is getting a major makeover. — The Hollywood Reporter
• Influential DJ and Morning Becomes Eclectic host Nic Harcourt is stepping down from KCRW. — LA Times

Photo copyright 2008 ABC, Inc.

It looks like Cleveland Brown, neighbor to Family Guy's Peter Griffin, will be the star of his own show. Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane, along with Cleveland's voice actor Mike Henry and former Simpsons writer Rich Appel are collaborating on the project, tentatively titled Cleveland.

As Hollywood Reporter puts it, "Cleveland, who plays off black stereotypes, is the most levelheaded among Griffin's trio of friends." That's for sure. In fact, I'm probably more likely to tune into this spinoff than I am to watch Family Guy these days, as I sometimes get tired of Peter Griffin's outrageousness.

Cleveland seems like an ideal choice for a show's main character; as the gentle, slow-speaking, everyman, there's probably a lot of funny stuff to be found in his life.

What do you think about Cleveland? Will you check it out, or are you about done with Seth McFarlane and his animated series?

Image courtesy of Fox