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'The Bachelor': Age Will Be This Season's Hot Topic

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When Arie Luyendyk Jr. returns to the ABC franchise as leading man in January, 29 women will be vying for his rose.

Arie Luyendyk Jr. is putting a lot of pressure on his second turn with the Bachelor franchise.

The new star of ABC's long-running reality dating franchise steps into leading-man shoes when The Bachelor launches its 22nd season on Jan. 1. His last appearance, as runner-up on Emily Maynard's 2012 season of The Bachelorette, left him broken-hearted. "I haven’t really been in love since going on The Bachelorette," the former professional race car driver, now 36, admitted when speaking to reporters earlier this month.

When Luyendyk's casting was announced in September, ABC's surprising pick was met with mixed reviews. Targeting what appears to be Bachelor Nation's collective short-term memory, the network reminded viewers about Luyendyk with "Remember Arie?" promos and a first-time televised Countdown to Arie special that aired Dec. 11. During the premiere — which will also launch with a recap of Luyendyk's Bachelorette journey and rough reunion with Maynard on the live post-finale special — the star will open up about not finding love since Maynard let him walk out of her life on live television — twice.

That's where the 29 women who were cast for Luyendyk's season come in.

After last season's historic cycle of The Bachelorette, some viewers pushed for Bachelorette third runner-up Eric Bigger to be cast as The Bachelor, so Bigger could follow in Rachel Lindsay's footsteps and be the first black male lead of the 16-year franchise. Instead, Luyendyk was named, and a closer look at his cast reveals a step back in the diversity department. Not only was Lindsay the first black lead, her cast was also the most diverse in history with nearly half of her contestants being non-white. Instead, Luyendyk's season falls more in line with The Bachelor than The Bachelorette: By comparison, Nick Viall’s season 21 group included eight non-white contestants; the previous Bachelor with Ben Higgins featured five; and 2015's season with Chris Soules featured only one.

More revealing, however, is the age gap between 36-year-old Luyendyk, now a realtor in Arizona, and his cast. Luyendyk's age is a refreshing statistic for the franchise, which has seen criticism in recent seasons for casting younger contestants who are more interested in fame and growing their social media followings than finding love. Even during the premiere, one of the contestants beams during her limo ride to meet the Bachelor on premiere night, "He's older. He seems ready."

The majority of the women are in their early to mid-twenties, with only six in their thirties. One contestant, Bekah M., does not have an age listed (she is reportedly 22), and the oldest is 33. Still, their collective job descriptions are impressive when compared to past seasons (there isn't a "ticklemonster" or "shark/dolphin" identifier in the bunch.)

Luyendyk, however, dismissed age as playing a determining factor when speaking to The Hollywood Reporter. Bachelor viewers should be reminded that his own age (then 30) was seen as an asset on Maynard's season, where two men in their mid-twenties who made her final four, Chris Bukowski and Jeff Holm, were questioned about whether or not they were ready to settle down with the single mother, who was 26 at the time. But it was Holm, then 27, who ended up beating out Luyendyk in the end. (They later split and Maynard is now happily married with a growing family.)

"I think it’s more about the person and if they’re ready for marriage and how mature they are," Luyendyk said, insisting that he doesn't have a type. "Some women are far beyond their years and some women are very immature in their thirties — I’ve dated younger, older."

But Luyendyk did admit that age "definitely plays a theme throughout the season," adding, "It’s more about being ready. I was open to a variety, and that’s something that the producers knew." After all, he still fell in love with two people.

The Bachelor Bachelor Nation
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'The Office' Reboot: Who Could Return for NBC's Potential Revival?

As Angela Kinsey and Creed Bratton have expressed interest, THR examines who may or may not be available to reprise their roles.

Let's be clear to start: NBC reviving The Office for a potential tenth season is far from a done deal. The network has yet to comment or confirm any details about a potential revival of Greg Daniels-created workplace comedy.

Sources confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that NBC is eyeing a potential revival of the comedy about paper supply company Dunder Mifflin, with a search under way for a new regional manager to replace Steve Carell's Michael Scott. Carell, sources confirm, is not expected to be part of any potential revival. Sources caution that a deal is far from set for a revival, which could include some returning faces as well as a new cast of characters.

The biggest test for any Office revival will be in discovering new faces as the original series made stars out of Carell, Rainn Wilson, Mindy Kaling, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Craig Robinson and Ellie Kemper, among others.

With that said, THR takes a look at what some of The Office's central staff are up to and examines the chances that they could return — should, you know, NBC actually greenlight a revival — and should the stars actually want to revisit the past. (Listed below are actors who appeared in half of the show's 201 total episodes.)

Steve Carell (Michael Scott): He exited the series in season seven, returning only for the series finale, and has focused on TV producing (TBS' Angie Tribeca) and feature films since.
Chances of returning: Zero.

Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute): Since being eyed to topline an Office spinoff of his own (RIP, The Farm), Wilson has explored drama with Fox's short-lived Backstrom and a current role on CBS All Access' Star Trek: Discovery. On the feature side, he's remained busy, voicing Gargamel in The Smurfs: The Lost Village, and roles in indies like Permanent and Thom Pain, among others.
Chances of returning: 50-50

John Krasinski (Jim Halpert): The actor will make his first TV return since wrapping The Office in 2013 with the lead role in Amazon Studios' Jack Ryan franchise (due in 2018). That series is produced by Paramount Television, making a return in any regular capacity to NBC's Universal Television-produced reboot highly unlikely. On top of that, Krasinski has focused on raising his profile with features, including a role in awards vehicle Detroit and executive producing Manchester by the Sea, among others.
Chances of returning: Highly unlikely.

Jenna Fischer (Pam Beesly): Fischer has ABC midseason comedy Splitting Up Together awaiting a slot on the schedule in 2018 and has feature The 15:17 to Paris also due next year. Since wrapping The Office, she's retained close ties with NBC, with a role on short-lived comedic drama You, Me and the Apocalypse and an arc on the since-canceled The Mysteries of Laura. Fischer was set to star opposite Matt LeBlanc on CBS' Man With a Plan but was recast after the pilot. Splitting Up Together is produced by Warner Bros. Television and should that series work, it would limit her availability for an Office visit. That said …
Chances of returning: 60-40

Leslie David Baker (Stanley Hudson): The actor, whose character retired at the end of the series, has retained a low profile since wrapping The Office, with roles on CMT's since-canceled Still the King and animated features Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie and the upcoming Happytime Murders.
Chances of returning: Why wouldn't he return?!

Brian Baumgartner (Kevin Malone): Baumgartner, whose character was fired from Dunder Mifflin in the finale, has floated from show to show after The Office with a steady stream of guest gigs on series including Life in Pieces, Hand of God, Chicago Fire, The Goldbergs, Scream Queens and Good Behavior. He had an uncredited role in Ghostbusters and a few minor film roles. He also reteamed with Office creator Greg Daniels for a project at ABC in 2012 that didn't go forward.
Chances of returning: Again, why wouldn't he come back?!

Angela Kinsey (Angela Schrute): A slam dunk here as Kinsey tweeted that she's just waiting for NBC's call to return. She also has remained busy post-Office, with roles on Fox's New Girl, NBC's Bad Judge, TBS' Your Family or Mine and Netflix's since-canceled Haters Back Off on top of a steady stream of film gigs.
Chances of returning: All NBC has to do is make the call.

Phyllis Smith (Phyllis Vance): The actress took a break after The Office and recently returned with a role on Netflix's The OA and a voice role in Inside Out.
Chances of returning: Again, why wouldn't she come back?!

Kate Flannery (Meredith Palmer): A regular voice on Cartoon Network's OK K.O.!, the actress has guest-starred on a long roster of series including Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, American Housewife, New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine on top of a handful of roles in low-budget films.
Chances of returning: Again, why wouldn't she come back?!

Creed Bratton (Creed Bratton): Per Kinsey, he's down to return as well. Bratton still has love for The Office, most recently performing a sing-along to his own version of the show's theme song (watch that, below).

Chances of returning: A lock.

Oscar Nunez (Oscar Martinez): We're going to consider Nunez a lock should Daniels run the Office revival and here's why: The duo remain close as the actor is starring on the prolific producer's TBS comedy People of Earth. Yes, that's produced by a different studio (Warner Horizon Television), but it'd be highly unlikely for both shows to be in production at the same time, especially given People of Earth's 10-episode orders. (Our best bet is that any revival of The Office would also be a short-order series, a la Will & Grace.)
Chances of returning: A lock.

B.J. Novak (Ryan Howard): Novak has been selective with his career choices since The Office. He's largely remained close with co-star Kaling, with a long-running role on The Mindy Project as well as film roles in both Smurfs features as well as The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and The Founder.
Chances of returning: Maybe for an episode or two.

Mindy Kaling (Kelly Kapoor): Here's where things get dicey. Many of The Office's stars who popped are unlikely to return for a revival, as most have made it a point to move beyond the show that helped make them a star. Kaling, fresh off the birth of her first child and wrapping The Mindy Project, next stars in big-budget features Ocean's 8 and A Wrinkle in Time. That said, she's keeping her hand in television with Champions, NBC's midseason comedy which she wrote, executive produces and recurs on. It's also produced by Universal Television, which helps open the door for a guest gig or two.
Chances of returning: As a guest star? Maybe.

Ed Helms (Andy Bernard): Helms has largely focused on features since The Office ended, including We're the Millers, Vacation, Love the Coopers, Central Intelligence and Chappaquiddick.
Chances of returning: Slim to none.

Paul Lieberstein (Toby Flenderson): The one-time Office showrunner (who would have also served in the same capacity on The Farm) remains close with Daniels after recurring on People of Earth and with Kaling after directing and guest-starring on Mindy Project. He's currently in postproduction on the feature Song of Back and Neck, in which he stars, directed, wrote and produced.
Chances of returning: A good bet.

Craig Robinson (Darryl Philbin): Robinson currently stars on Fox comedy Ghosted, produced by 20th Television. While the series is currently on the bubble, a new showrunner was recently brought in — which often is a good sign the network is committed to investing in a show's future beyond its freshman run. But that's not the biggest hurdle to getting the in-demand Robinson back, as the actor remains a prolific talent on the feature side with the Hot Tub Time Machine franchise, This Is the End, Sausage Party and multiple films in the works including Zeroville and An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn.
Chances of returning: Slim to none.

Ellie Kemper (Erin Hannon): Kemper went from NBC's The Office to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which moved from the network to Netflix, where it has become a critical favorite. The series is produced by Universal Television — opening the door for Kemper to have a larger role in an Office revival should she want to — but her time may be best spent on the feature side, where she's had roles in Smurfs: The Lost Village, The Lego Batman Movie, The Secret Life of Pets, Sex Tape and 21 Jump Street.
Chances of returning: Slim to none.

Who would you need to be included in an Office revival? Sound off in the comments, below.

Read the full article – Hollywoodreporter.com

The 'Pitch Perfect 3' actress and the late-night host sang renditions of classic holiday songs that included "Jingle Bells" and "Deck the Halls."

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"We wanted to give it careful thought and not react in a knee-jerk way," the dean of the school told THR.

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Tommy Wiseau Once Appeared on Baffling, Brilliant Episode of 'Space Ghost'

The interview has everything 'Room' fans could ask for, including lots of Wiseau's random laughs and pauses, him struggling with names and throws to commercial and stories that go nowhere.

Back in 2011 when The Room still only had an underground cult following, the magnificently awful film's star, writer, director and producer made an appearance on Space Ghost Coast to Coast.

The one and only Tommy Wiseau sat for an interview with the Adult Swim cartoon host, creating clips which played during commercial breaks of the April Fool's Day showing of The Room.

Thanks to James Franco's critical and commercially successful The Disaster Artist — which recounts the making of what has been dubbed the worst film ever made — Wiseau has now become a household name. But in 2011, the jet-black-haired, sunglass-wearing Wiseau was just a goof on a goofy cartoon. It was magic then, and feels like even more so now.

The seemingly scatterbrained Wiseau fit perfectly into the format of Space Ghost, which itself was scatterbrained in its delivery.

Not to ruin any surprises, but one of the best moments is when Wiseau uses his "powers" to freeze Space Ghost.

The interview has everything Room fans could ask for, including lot of Wiseau's random laughs and pauses, him struggling with names and throws to commercial and stories that go nowhere.

Check out Wiseau on some vintage Space Ghost below.

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"We aren't commenting on false allegations," an Ora.TV spokeswoman said.

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Netflix Renews 'Dark' for Season 2

The streamer's first German original series will return for more episodes.

Netflix is ordering more Dark, its first German original series.

The drama, created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, is a family saga set in a German town in present day where the disappearance of two young children exposes the double lives and fractured relationships among four families. In 10 hourlong episodes, the story takes on a mysterious supernatural twist that ties back to the same town in 1986.

Written by Friese and directed Odar, Dark is a chilling mystery-drama series full of twists. It first premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. According to Netflix, the show is now one of the most watched entirely non-English shows on the platform and has succeeded in transcending borders to connect with audiences in every country.

"When we first heard about Dark, we realized very early on that we hadn’t seen anything like this show before — in Germany or anywhere else in the world. Dark is a testament that great storytelling transcends geography. We’re excited that our members around the globe are captivated by the mysterious world of Winden, and will now be able to continue to see how the story unfolds," said Kelly Luegenbiehl, vp international originals for Netflix.

“We are overwhelmed by the response to Dark and are thrilled that our story has been a success with a global audience," added showrunners Odar and Friese. "Viewers have been captivated by the secrets of our protagonists and have taken delight in unraveling the various puzzles that the story presents. To know that we will now embark on our next journey is, for us showrunners, a dream come true. And our fans can be sure that we have plenty of surprises in store for the second season of Dark.”

Said producer Quirin Berg: “Jantje Friese, Baran bo Odar, our wonderful actors and our fantastic team have put an incredible amount of energy into making Dark a unique and gripping series. We thank all of those who have accompanied us on this path. And we thank Netflix for their trust and for the excellent cooperation. We are extremely happy that Dark has by now received such an overwhelming response, both in Germany and around the world, and we are particularly thrilled about the quick decision by Netflix to take it into a second season. We can hardly wait to continue telling the story!”

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TV Ratings: 'The Voice' Finale Drops 20 Percent From 2016

NBC leads the night but year-to-year fatigue for its singing show is apparent.

The Voice hasn't been the No. 1 reality show for some time. Earlier in 2017, honors briefly went to ABC's The Bachelor before NBC summer flagship America's Got Talent blew them both out of the water. But even as it shows signs of age, the singing show remains a winner and point of pride for NBC.

Tuesday's live finale of The Voice averaged a 2.0 rating among adults 18-49 and 10.8 million viewers. In the younger demo, that's steady with the most recent finale in the spring. Compared with last December, when the episode didn't air so close to Christmas, it's a 20 percent dip. With live-plus-seven day lifts, the entire season of The Voice was actually down by the same measure from the 2016 fall cycle.

Sure, The Voice's average 2.7 rating among adults 18-49 this season is nothing to shake a stick at. But it's that ratings are so modest, compared with the past, on the eve of two other networks making big swings in the space — Fox, with its event competition The Four, and ABC, with its pricey American Idol reboot.

Nothing held a Christmas candle to NBC on Tuesday night, doubling its closest competition in the key demo, on a lineup littered with holiday specials and repeats. The No. 2 telecast of the night was actually a Voice recap, which managed a 1.4 rating among adults 18-49 at 8 p.m. That was during the same hour where ABC offered up Olaf's Frozen Adventure yet again. The animated short is cuming big numbers after its latest outing, one that averaging a 1.0 rating in the key demo.

Elsewhere, ABC aired news special The Year: 2017 (0.8 adults) and CBS dropped A Home for the Holidays With Josh Groban (0.6 adults).

TV Ratings
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