TV Cancellation Index (2013-14)

Following the tradition that we introduced last year, and with renewal season about a month away, we're predicting the fate our beloved shows on the four major networks; CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox, as well as The CW.

We will be marking the show in one of five categories:

• Renewed (We're predicting a renewal)
• Cancelled (We're predicting a cancellation)
• Already Renewed (Already officially renewed)
• Already Cancelled (Already officially cancelled)
• Completed (On previously-announced final season)

We will add up these scores and give each network an individual percentage. Whichever network has the highest percentage will be declared "The First Stop NETWORK OF THE YEAR", while the network with the lowest percentage will receive the title of "The First Stop MOST HORRIBLE NETWORK OF THE YEAR". However, if the show is listed as "Completed", the show will not be factored in to the network's overall score. Just a reminder: for the 2011-12 TV season, we declared CBS as the NETWORK OF THE YEAR and NBC as the MOST HORRIBLE NETWORK OF THE YEAR.

CBS:

• 2 Broke Girls - Already Renewed
• Blue Bloods - Already Renewed
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - Already Renewed
• CSI: New York - Cancelled
• Criminal Minds - Renewed
• Elementary - Already Renewed
• Golden Boy - Cancelled
• Hawaii Five 0 - Already Renewed
• How I Met Your Mother - Already Renewed
• Mike & Molly - Already Renewed
• NCIS - Already Renewed
• NCIS: Los Angeles - Already Renewed
• Partners - Already Cancelled
• Person of Interest - Already Renewed
• Rules of Engagement - Cancelled
• The Good Wife - Already Renewed
• The Mentalist - Already Renewed
• Two and a Half Men - Renewed
• The Big Bang Theory - Already Renewed
• Vegas - Cancelled

Overall rating: 75% (Down 1% from 2012) 

Overall mark: B

NBC:

• 30 Rock - Completed
• 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue - Cancelled
• Animal Practice - Already Cancelled
• Community - Renewed
• Chicago Fire - Renewed
• Do No Harm - Already Cancelled
• Deception - Cancelled
• Guys with Kids - Cancelled
• Go On - Renewed
• Grimm - Renewed
• Hannibal - Renewed
• Law and Order: SVU - Renewed
• Parenthood - Renewed
• Parks and Recreation - Renewed
• Revolution - Renewed
• Smash - Cancelled
• The Office - Completed
• The New Normal - Cancelled
• Up All Night - Cancelled
• Whitney - Cancelled

Overall rating: 45% (Down 7% from 2012)

Overall mark: F+

ABC:

• Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23 - Already Cancelled
• Happy Endings - Cancelled
• Last Resort - Already Cancelled
• Zero Hour - Already Cancelled
• Red Widow - Cancelled
• Private Practice - Already Cancelled
• Malibu Country - Cancelled
• 666 Park Avenue - Already Cancelled
• Body of Proof - Cancelled
• Last Man Standing - Renewed
• The Neighbors - Cancelled
• Nashville - Renewed
• Revenge - Renewed
• Suburgatory - Renewed
• Castle - Renewed
• The Middle - Renewed
• Once Upon a Time - Renewed
• Scandal - Renewed
• How to Live With Your Parents - Renewed
• Grey's Anatomy - Renewed
• Modern Family - Renewed

Overall score: 52% (Down 14% from 2012)

Overall mark: D-

Fox:

• The Mob Doctor - Already Cancelled
• Touch - Cancelled
• Fringe - Completed
• Ben and Kate - Already Cancelled
• The Cleveland Show - Cancelled
• Raising Hope - Already Renewed
• The Mindy Project - Already Renewed
• Bob's Burgers - Already Renewed
• American Dad - Already Renewed
• Glee - Renewed
• New Girl - Already Renewed
• Bones - Already Renewed
• The Simpsons - Already Renewed
• The Following - Already Renewed
• Family Guy - Already Renewed

Overall score: 73% (Up 7% from 2012)

Overall mark: B

The CW:

• Cult - Already Cancelled
• 90210 - Already Cancelled
• Emily Owens, M.D. - Already Cancelled
• Nikita - Renewed
• Gossip - Completed
• The Carrie Diaries - Cancelled
• Hart of Dixie - Renewed
• Beauty and the Beast - Renewed
• Supernatural - Already Renewed
• Arrow - Already Renewed
• The Vampire Diaries - Already Renewed

Overall score: 63% (Up 1% from 2012)

Overall mark: C-

THE RESULTS:

• Network Average Percentage: 61.6% or a "C-" (Down 3.8% from 2012)
• The First Stop Network of the Year: CBS (Second Year in a Row)
• The First Stop Most Horrible Network of the Year: NBC (Second Year in a Row)

THE RANKINGS:

1. CBS (Same Ranking as 2012)
2. Fox (Same Ranking from 2012)
3. The CW (Up 1 Ranking from 2012)
4. ABC (Down 1 Ranking from 2012)
5. NBC (Same Ranking as 2012)

See you next Spring for our 2013-14 index! Hopefully by then NBC can figure out what the hell they're doing!

Avril Lavigne debuts new song, refuses to grow up

Avril Lavigne has recently decided that she's going to reject the human-aging process.

Her new Epic Records-released single "Here's to Never Growing Up", written by herself alongside fiancee and Nickelback member Chad Kroeger, 38, as well as a couple other people, the song (just like every other mainstream single released in the 21st century) debuted on On Air with Ryan Seacrest this morning. The upbeat anthem is reminiscent to songs of hers like "Complicated" (2002), while the message is similar to that of P!nk's "Raise Your Glass" and Ke$ha's "We R Who We R". The background chanting during the chorus is likely inspired by Rihanna's "Cheers (Drink to That)". But notably, the song is very similar to Cher Lloyd's "Oath". The song features a few Radiohead references, with Lavigne insisting that a group/couple is listening to a "blaring boombox" while drinking out of "whatever" and getting into a truck. But before all this happens, they call up all their friends and meet at 10:30, because they refuse to "stop" or "change". Lavigne also declares that if they say "forever", they stay forever, and then they can be forever young. These lyrics are followed by some typical obnoxious teenage blabber about walking down the street and telling strangers to "kiss my ass", and raising their glasses as the evening approaches.

In conclusion, the song clearly doesn't offer any inventive lyrics, and continues to communicate a message that we're pretty sure was said enough times in 2010, but the song will nonetheless get stuck in your head IMMEDIATELY, but its care-free and warm weather sound is guaranteed to make the song a Spring and Summer radio and iPod staple for adolescents and people who still haven't realized that they will inevitably grow old and become wrinkly.

Check out the just released lyric video for "Here's to Never Growing Up", but proceed with caution because you're gonna be shaking your head for the rest of the week to get it unstuck from your brain.

Song rating:

• Lyrics: 2.5/5
• Message: 2/5
• Vocals: 4/5
• Catchy-ness: 4.5/5
• Overall: 3.7/5

'Arrested Development' to return May 26 via Netflix

Fans of the long-lost but long-loved TV series Arrested Development have a reason to be hugely excited.

It was announced last week that after six years off the air, fans of the hit Fox comedy program will finally be getting closure on May 26, when fifteen brand new episodes will debut at the same time on the internet TV show/movie streaming service, Netflix.

The show originally began airing on Fox in 2003, and while it received widespread critical acclaim (managing to pick up six Emmy awards as well as one Golden Globe), the show failed to attract proper ratings and was ultimately axed by Fox in 2006, after three seasons and fifty-three episodes.

Rumors and reports of a continuation persisted until 2011, when Netflix announced that they would license new episodes to air exclusively on their video streaming service. Production on the fourth season of the series began in August. Since then, fans have only been given a general release date for the season, such as "Spring 2013" and "May 2013", however after seven years, fans were given a concrete date last week. Fifteen new episodes will debut the day before Memorial Day.

While producers are mostly remaining mum on the details of the season, only releasing a few cast promotional photos in magazines last Fall, it has been reported that each new episode will focus on one character from the show, with the primary plot focusing on the fictional production of a film based on the Bluth family scandal and story.

Although fans now have official news regarding the revival season of the show, many viewers may still be confused regarding the film adaptation that has been rumored since 2008. Series executive producer and creator Ron Howard said last month that the film had not yet been green-lit, however that he was "confident that we will succeed [in making the film]" and that "there is a bigger story out there" for the movie. Although the film is only in discussions and is in - shall we say - arrested development - its been reported that the film would potentially be green-lit if the revival season is successful. If the new episodes are successful, the film would reportedly see a 2014 or 2015 release.

Regarding the new season possibly being the final season of the show, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and series creator Mitch Hurwitz have both stated that the new season will be the final season, however a Netflix spokesperson later said that Netflix is "hopeful there will be more seasons" and that Netflix wasn't done with the characters.

Conflicting reports regarding the film and potential future seasons may be persisting, however one thing's for sure - fans will get the new episodes that they've been craving for the last seven years when the show returns in May.

Beyoncé rocks Super Bowl stage, announces world tour

February 3, 2013 was a big day for Beyoncé.

First, she killed the stage at the Super Bowl XLVII (which by the way was won by the San Fran Ravens 34-31) stage performing the first four songs on her setlist; "Love on Top", "Crazy in Love", "End of Time", and "Baby Boy". Then, she invited former Destiny's Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams up on to the stage, where they performed 2 notable songs from their girl group career; "Bootylicious" and "Single Women". Then, Rowland and Williams accompanied Bey with her performance of "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"; the first performance from Destiny's Child since 2006. Then, Kelly and Michelle left the stage, and Mrs. Knowles-Carter ended her incredible performance with an exceptional performance of "Halo".

But it didn't stop there. Almost immediately after her performance, it was announced that Beyoncé would embark on a 40+ stop worldwide tour - the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour featuring Beyoncé. The tour, which kicks off in April, will see Bey touring Europe and North America. The tour will help promote her as-of-yet untitled fifth studio album; scheduled for release sometime this year. The tour dates are listed below. If you're in or near Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia, Netherlands, France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Canada, or U.S. - you're in luck.

EUROPE:
April 15  Belgrade, Serbi       Kombank Arena                            On Sale Mon. Feb 11
April 17  Zagreb, Croatia       Arena Zagreb                             On Sale Mon. Feb 11
April 19  Bratislava, Slovakia  Slovnaft Arena                           On Sale Fri. Feb 8
April 22  Amsterdam, Holland    Ziggo Dome                               On Sale Fri. Feb 8
April 24  Paris, France         Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy         On Sale Mon. Feb 11
April 25  Paris, France         Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy         On Sale Mon. Feb 11
April 26  Birmingham, UK        LG Arena                                 On Sale Sat. Feb 23
April 29  London, UK            The O2                                   On Sale Sat. Feb 23
April 30  London, UK            The O2                                   On Sale Sat. Feb 23
May 01    London, UK            The O2                                   On Sale Sat. Feb 23
May 03    London, UK            The O2                                   On Sale Sat. Feb 23
May 07    Manchester, UK        Manchester Arena                         On Sale Sat. Feb 23
May 11    Dublin, Ireland       The O2                                   On Sale Mon. Feb 11
May 12    Dublin, Ireland       The O2                                   On Sale Mon. Feb 11
May 14    Antwerp, Belgium      Sportpaleis                              On Sale Fri. Feb 8
May 17    Zurich, Switzerland   Hallenstadion                            On Sale Mon. Feb 11
May 18    Milan, Italy          Mediolanum Forum                         On Sale Fri. Feb 8
May 20    Montpellier, France   Park & Suites Arena                      On Sale Mon. Feb 11
May 22    Munich, Germany       Olympiahalle                             On Sale Fri. Feb 15
May 24    Berlin, Germany       O2 World                                 On Sale Fri. Feb 15
May 25    Warsaw, Poland        National Stadium-Orange Warsaw Festival
May 27    Copenhagen, Denmark   Forum                                    On Sale Mon. Feb 11
May 28    Oslo, Norway          Telenor Arena                            On Sale Mon. Feb 11
May 29    Stockholm, Sweden     Ericsson Globe Arena                     On Sale Mon. Feb 11

NORTH AMERICA:
June 28  Los Angeles         BET Experience/Staples Center  On Sale Mon. Feb. 11
Jun-29   Las Vegas, NV       MGM Grand Garden Arena         On Sale Mon. Feb. 11
Jul-2    San Jose, CA        HP Pavilion at San Jose        On Sale Mon. Feb. 11
Jul-5    Oklahoma City, OK   Chesapeake Energy Arena        On Sale Fri. Feb. 15
Jul-6    Dallas, TX          American Airlines Center       On Sale Mon. Feb. 11
Jul-9    Ft. Lauderdale, FL  BB&T Center                    On Sale Mon. Feb. 11
Jul-10   Miami, FL           American Airlines Arena        On Sale Mon. Feb. 11
Jul-12   Atlanta, GA         The Arena @ Gwinnett Center    On Sale Sat. Feb. 16
Jul-13   Nashville, TN       Bridgestone Arena              On Sale Fri. Feb. 15
Jul-15   Houston, TX         Toyota Center                  On Sale Mon. Feb. 11
Jul-17   Chicago, IL         United Center                  On Sale Mon. Feb. 11
Jul-18   St. Paul, MN        Xcel Energy Center             On Sale Fri. Feb. 15
Jul-20   Detroit, MI         The Palace of Auburn Hills     On Sale Mon. Feb. 11
Jul-21   Toronto, ON         Air Canada Centre              On Sale Mon. Feb. 11
Jul-22   Montreal, QC        Bell Centre                    On Sale Sat. Feb. 9
Jul-23   Boston, MA          TD Garden                      On Sale Mon. Feb. 11
Jul-25   Philadelphia, PA    Wells Fargo Center             On Sale Fri. Feb. 15
Jul-26   Atlantic City, NJ   Boardwalk Hall                 On Sale Fri. Feb. 15
Jul-27   Charlotte, NC       Time Warner Cable Arena        On Sale Fri. Feb. 15
Jul-29   Washington, DC      Verizon Center                 On Sale Mon. Feb. 11
Aug-2    Uncasville, CT      Mohegan Sun                    On Sale Fri. Feb. 15
Aug-3    Brooklyn, NY        Barclays Center                On Sale Mon. Feb. 11

"X Factor USA" contestant Carly Rose Sonenclar discusses career

The X Factor U.S.A. runner-up Carly Rose Sonenclar discussed just moments ago on WABC Radio what she has been up to for the last few months, what she is currently doing, and what is to come.

The five-minute radio interview discussed the topics of Tate Stevens narrowly beating Sonenclar out of the winner's title, her record deal negotiations, her work as a philanthropist, and an exciting event that will be happening tomorrow.

First off, Sonenclar talked via phone with The Saturday Cafe host Laura Smith about Stevens' claim of the number one spot. Sonenclar stated that she was slightly disappointed with her position as the runner up of the show, stating that after working that hard for so long it was disheartening not to win, however Sonenclar wished Stevens all the best and stated that she thought he was very talented. Following this, Carly revealed that shortly after the X Factor competition, which ended last month just before Christmas, she mostly did "normal things" such as spending time with her friends as well as piano and vocal practice, however that she has started writing music. She also announced that she has been in the recording studio, recording some original material however mostly just covers. She said that she will be releasing a pre-recorded cover on February 1 on StageIt.com, which will also include a Q&A session.

Getting into her professional career, she revealed that she officially appointed a manager last night. She did not reveal the name of the manager, however stated that she was excited to have them represent her. Although she has made a deal with a manager, she stated that X Factor producer, judge, and Syco head Simon Cowell still has "some say" over her career.

Most notably, in the topic that all of the loyal "Carly's Angels" fans have been discussing, Carly revealed that - while she has yet to pen an official record deal - Syco Music (which is the record label founded by Simon Cowell that has already signed X Factor contestants Tate Stevens, Fifth Harmony, and Emblem3) has "dibs" on her, however that they have not yet decided "what to do" with her.

A very exciting event that will go down tomorrow is the parade that has been entirely dedicated to Carly. The parade will take place in Carly's hometown of Mamaroneck, New York; a town that consists of about 30,000 people. The parade will be about two hours long, beginning at 2:30. Carly stated that she wouldn't necessarily enjoy the attention that the parade would give her, however that she was looking forward to thanking people for their support; before, during, and after her X Factor stint. The parade will see the appearance of floats and celebrations and will see Sonenclar herself as the Grand Marshal. Carly will make a statement to the crowd during the parade.

Click here to watch Carly's incredible audition for X Factor where she sang "Feeling Good". The audition has racked up over 25 million views since September and shows Carly's highly-applauded performance. The 7-minute video is by far the most watched X Factor season 2 performance. Click here to watch Carly's performance "Hallelujah", which was her final competitive performance on the show.

Below is "My Heart Will Go On", our personal favorite performance of Carly's.

Did Beyonce sing live during Obama's inauguration ceremony?

The United States Marine Band has retracted an earlier statement that claimed that Beyonce Knowles "did not actually sing" the U.S. national anthem during President Barack Obama's second inauguration ceremony on Monday.

Immediately following Beyonce's performance, her rendition of "Star Spangled Banner" was widely praised and acclaimed by the media and viewers, who applauded Beyonce's R&B riffs and vocal performance on the song. However on Tuesday, Kristin DuBois, the Master Sgt. of the Marine Band told several American news outlets, including CNN and the New York Times that the 31-year-old former Destiny's Child member requested to use a pre-recorded track at the last minute before her performance.

DuBois told media outlets that she didn't know why the decision to use the pre-recorded track was made, saying that "it's not because Beyonce can't sing. We all know Beyonce can sing".

However today, Capt. Gregory Wolf said in a statement to the Associated Press that "regarding Ms. Knowles-Carter's vocal performance, no one in the Marine Band is in a position to assess whether it was live or pre-recorded". Wolf and DuBois both stated that the Marine Band did in fact perform live during Knowles' performance.

The statements from DuBois and Wolf have added more confusion into the rapidly moving controversy over whether Beyonce did in fact perform live or if the rendition was pre-recorded. Following the performance, a media backlash occurred, with critics and viewers claiming that Beyonce used a large microphone during her performance in order to hide her mouth, so that it couldn't be seen that she was lip-syncing. Despite these "large microphone" claims, Kelly Clarkson was seen performing using the same microphone, however a representative for the Marine Band told reporters that Clarkson definitely performed live.

Public animosity on Twitter towards Knowles' supposed fake performance was unleashed, with the general public criticizing Beyonce for faking such a momentous performance. The Marine Band has stated that all performances are always pre-recorded "just in case" of weather or technical difficulties, however that the pre-recorded tracks are normally not used.

Beyonce released a photograph of her in a recording studio-like environment with the Marine Band on Instagram on Sunday, which fueled more speculation that the performance was false. However, many have stated that the performance couldn't have been faked due to the echos and technical flares in Beyonce's performance, along with Beyonce having to remove her earpiece half-way through the song, while singing "The bombs bursting in air" after Beyonce experienced apparent audio issues while singing. During her performance, Beyonce did not give any obvious indication that she was lip-syncing.

Beyonce, who will be the half-time show during the Superbowl on February 3, was spotted looking "unhappy" on Tuesday after flying to New Orleans with her husband of nearly five years, Jay-Z to rehearse for the performance.

A representative for Beyonce did not comment. Beyonce is currently preparing to release Lovesongs, a compilation album by Destiny's Child that will be their first release since their 2005 breakup. Lovesongs will feature love-themed songs from the trio's former albums along with the newly recorded single "Nuclear". Beyonce is also preparing to release her fifth solo album, which is due out in April. Her fifth album will be a follow-up to the somewhat lackluster sales of her 2011 effort 4.

Diddy and Jerry Bruckheimer in real estate war

A Bad Boy founder and a "Bad Boy" producer are in a real estate war. This could get interesting.

Diddy has reportedly got his eye on a house in an upscale area of L.A. that TV producer Jerry Bruckheimer has already put a $23 million offer on. The house, which previously belonged to Harry Cohn, is scheduled to close on January 17 and go to Bruckheimer, but sources say that Diddy could still sweep in and make a higher bid if he decided he really wanted it, but Diddy reportedly has a $15 million budget, so it looks like the house will probably go to Jerry.

In the meantime, Diddy is apparently looking at a $19 million house in the affluent famous neighborhood of Bel Air in L.A. The Bel Air house has 10 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, staff quarters, a media room, a wine cellar, and a sauna; you know, just the typical rich people stuff.

Its currently unclear which house Diddy is looking to go for, but it doesn't really matter, considering he's like - super rich.