News

Peter Werner, the Oscar-winning director known for his television work that spanned five decades and included helming episodes of such popular series as Moonlighting, A Different World, Justified and Law & Order: Svu, has died. He was 76.

Werner died Tuesday morning in Wilmington, North Carolina, his younger brother, Tom Werner (producer on The Cosby Show, Roseanne, That ’70s Show, The Conners), told The Hollywood Reporter. “He had a torn aorta that the doctors weren’t able to repair. So sudden,” he wrote in an email.

As a student project while attending the American Film Institute, Peter Werner directed the 1976 short film In the Region of Ice, which was based on Joyce Carol Oates’ short story and starred Fionnula Flanagan. The project won the Oscar for live-action short film.

His career kicked off from there, with Werner helming a 1977 episode of Family. The ABC drama counted Mike Nichols and Aaron Spelling as executive producers.

Lindsay Lohan, you better bring it.

Lifetime's heavily hyped remake of "Steel Magnolias," starring Queen Latifah, Phylicia Rashad, Alfre Woodard and Jill Scott, drew 6.5 million viewers in its Sunday night premiere to become the third highest rated original telecast in Lifetime history. That sets the bar high for Lifetime's "Liz & Dick," starring Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor, which will premiere Nov. 25.

"Magnolias" fell just shy of matching the 6.6 million viewers who tuned in to Lifetime for 2006's "Life is Not a Fairy Tale: The Fantasia Barrino Story." However, "Magnolias'" 3.2 million viewers in the 25-54 demo was Lifetime's best since 1995's "Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story," which remains the network's most-watched movie overall at over 7 million viewers.

Other recent Lifetime successes include "Drew Peterson: Untouchable," starring Rob Lowe, which attracted 5.8 million viewers in January.

Are you surprised by how well "Steel Magnolias" did? We kinda liked it, but what did you think?...

The Lifetime original movie Steel Magnolias delivered big ratings in its premiere last night, drawing 6.5 million total viewers to become Lifetime’s third-most-watched original telecast ever. It posted the network’s best delivery since 2006 (Life Is Not A Fairy Tale: The Fantasia Barrino Story). Steel Magnolias, a television adaptation of the play and 1989 film with an all-black cast, also became the No. 1 two-hour cable movie among total viewers since 2007. Starring and executive produced by Queen Latifah and also starring Phylicia Rashad, Adepero Oduye, Condola Rashad, Jill Scott and Alfre Woodard, the Sony Pictures TV-produced film averaged 3.2 million adults 25-54, Lifetime’s best delivery in the demographic for a movie in 17 years — since the 1995 premiere of Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story — and a cable best since 2006. Among women 25-54, Steel Magnolias, executive produced by Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, is Lifetime’s most-watched movie in network history with 2.5 million viewers,...

Sela Ward didn't have much to go on when she was offered "CSI: NY," but one factor made all the difference: Gary Sinise.

The Emmy winner for both "Sisters" and "Once and Again" returns to series work when she joins the CBS crime drama in its seventh-season premiere Friday, Sept. 24. Replacing Melina Kanakaredes -- who opted out of the show -- Ward is creating a fresh character as forensics detective Jo Danville, giving her lots of interaction with Sinise's alter ego Mac Taylor.

And that's something Ward couldn't resist.

The actress has fond memories of the time she and Sinise shared on the award circuit in the mid-'90s when they were winning honors for cable-movie biographies, she for Lifetime's "Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story" and he for HBO's "Truman."

"We were seated next to each other several times," Ward tells Zap2it, "and I kept thinking, 'This is the neatest guy.

Gary Sinise is in new co-star Sela Ward's company for the upcoming season of "CSI: NY," but it isn't the first time.

With location filming in New York set for next week, production is well under way on the CBS drama's seventh year, which launches in the series' new Friday slot Sept. 24. While investigating a murder inside the crime lab itself, Sinise's Detective Mac Taylor welcomes forensics sleuth Jo Danville (Ward), the replacement for Stella Bonasera with the departure of founding cast member Melina Kanakaredes.

The arrival of "Once and Again" and "Sisters" Emmy winner Ward has given Sinise, who's also a producer on "CSI: NY," a pleasant reunion. "I met her once, back in the '90s, when we were on the award-show circuit," he tells Zap2it. "I was being nominated for (the HBO film) 'Truman,' and she also was in the TV-movie category for...

Sela Ward joins CSI: NY We reported just yesterday that actress Melina Kanakaredes was leaving the hit CBS show CSI: NY and today the network had already announced her replacement. CBS just issued a press release stating that actress Sela Ward will be taking Kanakaredes' place on CSI: NY. Here's the full press release below.

Sela Ward will join the cast of CSI: NY as an experienced investigator from Washington, D.C., whose work is driven by her empathy for the victim. Ward will make her first appearance in the season premiere when the show moves to Fridays at 9:00 Pm this fall.

"We are delighted to have Sela joining CSI: NY," said Executive Producer Pam Veasey. "With the exciting stories planned for Season 7, she'll be a dynamic addition to the cast and the team."

"I am thrilled to be working with Gary and this terrific group of people," said Ward.