brad garrett

Two days of presentations from FOX wrapped up with yet another outdoor "all-stars" party. FOX held its gala at the Santa Monica Pier just in time for out-of-town TCA members to see the sunset and the Pacific Ocean.

While there was plenty of swag in sight (mostly various sizes of dolls from The Simpsons), you had to earn it!

Party attendees played carnival games (ring toss, shooting baskets, knocking down bottles with baseballs, popping balloons with darts) in order to take home prizes.

American Idol appears to be the "show-that-can't-be-stopped." At last week's Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour, executives referred to it as the "Death Star" because it consistently destroys the competiton. And few expected that Amercan Idol, now in its six season, would not only maintain its monstrous ratings -- but continue to grow.

It's no wonder then that Fox executives are planning on scheduling at least 45 hours of Idol -- and possibly more -- to take full advantage of their ratings powerhouse.

If you are the one person who totally couldn't wait to see Paris Hilton and Britney Spears host the Fox Billboard Music Awards next week, I've got some bad news for you. After parading around Los Angeles as new best friends, Britney has ditched Paris and her hosting gig. Fox reps say they didn't get an explanation from Britney about why she decided against it. Maybe she decided to go back home and take care of her two small children after several nights of partying that led to some nasty photos of Britney's hoochie all over the internet.

That's twice this month that Britney has actually done something smart. The next thing you know, she's going to start wearing a bra and using a car seat to tote around her little boys.

By the way, Fox says Paris probably won't host alone. The network wants her new co-host to be Brad Garrett. If he does it, I think we can safely assume that he has, in fact, sold his soul to the devil.

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Fox has picked up the back nine episodes of the new comedy, 'Til Death, starring Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher. Even though the show hasn't done much in its Thursday night timeslot, Fox thinks there is an audience out there for this sitcom. Fox thinks that 24 and American Idol will draw in more viewers to the network when they begin in January.

The network has also ordered six more episodes of Standoff, starring Ron Livingston and Rosemarie DeWitt (and Gina Torres for all you Firefly fans). A rep for the network says it didn't order the full back nine (considered a full season) because there isn't going to be any room for a full season once 24 and American Idol begin.

'Til Death will stay off the air for an extra week after the World Series because star Brad Garrett is holding up production. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Garrett was very unhappy with the latest script. That's actually a good reason to postpone a show... to make the script better. Unfortunately for Brad, it might not matter that much. The show is taking a beating on Thursday nights against Survivor and Ugly Betty. It'll be interesting to see that episode when it does get made, to see what Garrett considers a 'good' script.

(S01E01) A lot of times when a big show, especially a sitcom, goes off the air, we see a series of spinoffs, or almost spinoffs, leading from it. When Everybody Loves Raymond left the airwaves at CBS, you could have seen it coming that Brad Garrett's character would have been perfect to have on his own. Well, howabout the best of that world, plus a whole new gig. FOX's 'Til Death plays Eddie, a schoolteacher whose new neighbor is a newlywed (12 days in or so) who also happens to be the new vice principal at the school Eddie works at.

If you'd seen any of the advertisements for the show, then you have probably gotten a pretty good idea of the style of humor on the show. That isn't to say that you know all the jokes already at all, but it's fun to see the complete and total difference between Eddie, his wife Joy (such a happy name!), and newlyweds Jeff and Steph (oh so cute with the rhyming names!). Even with all the jaded comments that Eddie makes about marriage, he and Joy have a really great time together, even if it is while they are eating snack food on the couch and watching Ellen together. You can actually see the money lines just flowing out of this show, with about halfway through the premiere being the moment when Jeff sees that all the things Eddie believes will happen to their marriage aren't just figments of his imagination. No pool table for you, young man!

TV critic Aaron Barnhart has a revealing (and funny) behind the scenes look at the FOX upfront he attended. Now, this isn't a typical upfront. Most don't go on for three hours in a hot room filled with 3000 sweaty writers going crazy, but it's a good example on how not to do one, and it's worth the read.

24's Kiefer Sutherland and House's Hugh Laurie make apperances, but still fail to make the crowd forget their discomfort. And speaking of discomfort, it increases when Brad Garrett comes out and makes nasty jokes about Paula Abdul and Pam Anderson. Actually, I thought his lines were pretty funny!

Since that Everybody Loves Raymond spin-off didn't pan out for Brad Garrett, The Hollywood Reporter is saying that he may be jumping networks to co-star in a new comedy called 'Til Death. It's about a newlywed couple who move in next door to a couple that has been married for a long time. Garrett will play the husband in the long-term marriage. It was written by Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith, creators of CBS' The King of Queens.

Yep. A co-starring role seems like the right fit for him. Brad Garrett in a lead role would be too much... Brad.