TV/STREAMING . . .

Friends Is Leaving Netflix in January 2019?! Could we BE anymore disappointed right now? It looks like Friends is leaving Netflix in just a matter of weeks. Yep, in the words of Rachel Green, looks like it's going to be a crappy new year to us all. Eagle-eyed viewers (who were probably on their 27th rewatch of the series) noticed Netflix has snuck an expiration date of January 1, 2019 onto the details page of the beloved sitcom that starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc. Reaction to the upcoming expiration date, as you can probably imagine, has been swift -- and angry. The NBC sitcom ran for 10 seasons from 1994-2004 and still enjoys a healthy life in syndication. It came to the streaming platform on January 1, 2015. Hope everybody enjoyed the four years of Friends on Netflix! Don't expect Friends to be gone from a streaming service for long. Hulu has been making aggressive grabs to be the streaming home of beloved shows, like 30 Rock, Boy Meets World, ER, King of the Hill, The Golden Girls, Seinfeld, and The Wonder Years. AT&T, which owns Warner Bros., the original studio behind Friends, is also launching its own streaming service. Request for comment from Netflix was not immediately returned. (Eonline)

Dancing with the Stars: Juniors Shocks Viewers with a Surprise Twist Ahead of Finale. As the first season of Dancing with the Stars: Juniors prepares for its big finale next weekend, the surprises keep on coming. During Sunday's episode, hosts Jordan Fisher and Frankie Muniz shocked the four reaming teams -- Ariana Greenblatt with Artyon Celestine, mentored by Brandon Armstrong; Mackenzie Ziegler with Sage Rosen, mentored by Gleb Savchenko; Miles Brown with Rylee Arnold, mentored by Lindsay Arnold; and Sky Brown with JT Church, mentored by Alan Bersten -- with a big announcement. Instead of sending one team home, the four trios will all be heading to the finale. After a night of powerful performances, the finalists gathered together towards the end and prepared for another emotional elimination. "This week the couple going home is no one," Fisher said. "You're all going through to the finale!" That's right -- all the finalists are heading to the finale. The news brought tears of joy and plenty of excitement. This season has been full of surprises. In October, Kim Kardashian West stopped by the rehearsal studio to give her goddaughter Sophia Pippen some words of encouragement ahead of her performance. After it was revealed that Pippen, the daughter of NBA legend Scottie Pippen and Kardashian West's best friend Larsa Pippen, would be dancing to The Little Mermaid's "Poor Unfortunate Souls," the 9-year-old shared reservations. "It's going to be hard to play a villain in this dance because I'm really shy," she said. But fear not: Kardashian West, who competed on DWTS in 2008, stepped in to save the day (ahem, the dance!). "Where's my god-baby Sophia?" the KKW Beauty maven, 38, said as she entered the room. She added, "I came here today to encourage Sophia. I've known her since she was a baby." As for her advice? "I think my shyness really hurt me, so I really want you to be confident," she told Sophia. "You just have to let it go!" Dancing with the Stars: Juniors airs on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. (People)

Emily Simpson prepared for 'RHOC' reunion like a trial. Lawyer Emily Simpson didn't take preparing for the "Real Housewives of Orange County" reunion lightly. "I probably over prepared for my first reunion because I took it like it was a trial," Simpson recently told Page Six. "I was kind of ridiculous, but I basically went through every blog that anyone had ever written and printed it out and I took notes and I highlighted any article that I had written where I had mentioned that people had made comments about me or about my husband or whatever," she said. "I printed that out and then I organized it by person so I had tabs. So, I just I knew if I had to bring up something or I had to refer to something it was pretty well established in my brain because I had just read it -- I actually didn't take the binder I made to the couch with me." Simpson, 42, noted that her binder took the entire season to complete, and she even practiced some of her talking points with her husband Shane. "That's what happens when you have two attorneys who live together!" she joked. It seems that all of her hard work paid off. "I felt as if I said everything that I needed to say. I didn't leave the reunion feeling any amount of regret like I didn't say something that I should have," she said. Still, there's one incident she's "tired" of talking about. "I mean I tried really hard to get along with everyone and tried to be friends with everyone so that whole threatening to kill Kelly [Dodd] thing is so out of proportion," she said. Dodd and Simpson got into a heated argument at Tamra Judge's party earlier this season after Dodd called Simpson's husband Shane a "bitch." Simpson said she would kill Dodd as a result, but she still says it was just a figure of speech and not a threat. Part two of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" reunion airs Sunday at 9 p.m. E.T. (PageSix)

Nervous Kim Kardashian Returns to Paris for the First Time Since 2016 Robbery on KUWTK. Facing her fears. On Sunday's all-new Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kim Kardashian returned to Paris for the first time following her 2016 robbery. As you surely know, the KKW Beauty boss was robbed at gunpoint in her hotel room while in the City of Lights for Fashion Week. Thus, the reality TV veteran was hesitant when husband Kanye West asked her to return to Paris for close friend Virgil Abloh's Louis Vuitton men's wear show. "I don't wanna put any pressure on you to go to Paris, I know that was really hard the last time you were in Paris," the "I Love It" rapper relayed to his wife. "Just the world would just really love to see you there... be surprised to see you there and love to see you there. There's no pressure." As this was so important to Kanye, Kim agreed to think about the Parisian getaway. While mulling the idea over, the mother of three ran the trip by sisters Kourtney Kardashian and Khloe Kardashian. "That's really major on your part," the Revenge Body host remarked. "Even though I'm nervous, I think it's really important to Kanye to go," the Kardashian-West matriarch added. "I feel like it's the right thing to do for Virgil." Kim's Kardashian sisters fully supported the Paris excursion as they believed "it's time" for her to face the city. "I have so many special memories in Paris," Kim admitted later on. "I hope that this trip will just be so good that I can start to remember all the magical things about Paris and why Kanye and I fell in love with it." Although the return was a "nerve-wracking" experience, Kim chose to ignore the negative thoughts and focused solely on prepping for the fashion show. After consulting with her team and Kanye, Kardashian-West selected a stunning bright blue belted shirt dress for the event. Kimye's presence in Paris certainly made a splash as they were swarmed by paparazzi and fans while heading to the Louis Vuitton show. Nonetheless, the twosome made it to the showcase on time and were able to celebrate with Virgil. Kanye, who previously interned at Fendi with Abloh, was seen tearfully embracing the designer on the runway. "It's just such an emotional day; the fact that Virgil's come this far," Kim explained in a confessional. "It's like a symbol that they made it, like they did it, they're taking over the fashion world when everyone told them they couldn't do it." Upon returning to California, Kim rehashed the trip with Kourtney and Khloe. While Kim experienced a brief amount of anxiety over her security detail, the businesswoman confessed she was "fine" for most of the trip. "It was so good. Like, honestly, I'm so glad we went," Kim acknowledged. "He had to be there." The Paris trip wasn't the only triumphant moment for Kim during this episode. In fact, Kim joined Khloe, momager Kris Jenner and sister Kendall Jenner for a charity poker game. Despite not knowing how to play cards, the Kardashian-Jenners hired instructors in order to keep up with the best. In a surprising turn of events, both Kim and Kendall played relatively well, but ultimately did not win the tournament. "We didn't win the entire tournament -- as I don't know if anyone expected that we would -- but we raised more than half a million dollars," North West's mom concluded. "And, you know, just being all together and trying something new that we've never done before and knowing that it's giving back is just a fun way to spend our weekend." (Eonline)

William H. Macy: 'I'm a Complete Sthole' Throughout Entire Emmy Rossum Goodbye Episode on 'Shameless'. Looks like Frank Gallagher's going back to his old ways. William H. Macy says his character is a "complete sthole" throughout Shameless' entire goodbye episode for Emmy Rossum. "All the actors really wanted a great goodbye scene with Emmy," the 68-year-old Emmy winner told Us Weekly at the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury fight in L.A. on Saturday, December 1. "I had hoped that I could have a lovely, warm, conciliatory-meeting goodbye with her, and I'm a complete sthole the whole episode; horrible, worse than I've been in a long time. Just a waste of oxygen." Despite Rossum's departure, Macy still anticipates another season of the Showtime series. "I think we'll be back for [season] 10," he said. "It'll be a different show. I'm kind of excited about the prospects of it," he said before jokingly adding, "Although, I don't want to work any harder." Rossum, 32, who's played Frank's eldest child, Fiona, since the show's inception in 2011, shared a long statement on Facebook on August 30, revealing her plans to exit. "This business is always an adventure, full of travel and opportunities to tell stories. Usually as an actor, every few months, you travel to a new place, start a new project, build a new character, learn new rhythms, new inside jokes with your crew, make new friends," she wrote. "Until Shameless came into my life 8 years ago, I led that kind of transient wonderful life of an actor. And I never realized how much I actually craved the kind of continuity that this show has given me. And given all of us in the crew. Season after season I'm amazed that our same crew comes back. And it's not just because it's a wonderfully written, wonderfully layered show. There are these real connections, real friendships that bring us back season after season after season." "[Writer] Malcolm Gladwell says it takes 10,000 hours to become truly good at something. To become world class. Well by my calculation, 100 episodes, 7 days per episode (plus Chicago weeks), 12-hour days, we're just at about 10,000 hours. So, I guess we're finally good at this. I can say for certain that this cast and crew, who I've been have [sic] truly honored to work alongside, are world class. I am proud and I'm filled with gratitude," she wrapped up. "I know you will continue on without me, for now. There is much more Gallagher story to be told. I will always be rooting for my family. Try not to think of me as gone, just think of me as moving down the block." Macy first opened up about the actress' decision to leave Shameless on August 31, one day after her announcement. "We've been expecting it," he told Entertainment Weekly. "I tell you, when you get to season 9 and you think of [whether] to keep going, it's daunting. It's hard not to think of: 'What would my life be post-Shameless?' And part of it is very frightening and part of it is very exciting." "She's young and I think she's made the right choice," he added. "She's got another show that she's an executive producer on [Angelyne], so she's going right into something and she wants to branch out. Plus, she just got married. I wish her well. I can't wait to see what she's going to do next." (UsMagazine)

Move over, "Mob Wives" ... there's a new show getting ready to mark its territory on VH1 with ties to drug cartels. Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... VH1 is done casting for its non-scripted show that will feature people whose family is closely associated with the drug trade. We're told one person who made the cut is Michael Corleone Blanco -- the son of the notorious gangster, Griselda Blanco -- aka "The Godmother of Cocaine." If VH1 wanted a member closely associated to the cartels, look no further than Michael Corleone Blanco, whose mom was Pablo Escobar's inspiration. For the uninitiated, Griselda -- also nicknamed "The Godmother of the Medellin Cartel" -- reigned terror in Miami during the cocaine wars of the 70s and 80s. She reportedly ordered hits on hundreds and served nearly 2 decades behind bars in the U.S. for drug trafficking and 3 murders. Griselda -- who once allegedly plotted to kidnap JFK Jr. -- was portrayed by Catherine Zeta-Jones in the movie "Cocaine Godmother: The Griselda Blanco Story." She was eventually deported to Colombia and gunned down 6 years ago outside a butcher shop in Medellin. Her son, named after the 'Godfather' character, owns a clothing line. His website touts Griselda as "the first self-made female billionaire" ... and says his brand is "by hustlers for hustlers." (TMZ)

Greg Berlanti's 'You' Moves to Netflix as Lifetime Bails on Season 2. The streaming giant already had a SVOD deal in place for season one, which launches globally Dec. 26. You is jumping from Lifetime to Netflix for season two. The series from exec producer Greg Berlanti will become a Netflix original series for its previously announced sophomore season after basic cable network Lifetime opted against airing another cycle of the Penn Badgley stalker drama. Picked up to series in April 2017, the thriller is based on Caroline Kepnes' best-selling novel of the same name and completed its first-season run in November, with a live-same-day viewership average of 611,000 total viewers. The lackluster ratings, paired with the fact that Lifetime did not own the Warner Horizon Scripted Television-produced drama, made a second season unsustainable for the cable network. "Lifetime had an incredible experience working with Greg Bertlanti, [showrunner] Sera Gamble and the entire team on You for season one," Lifetime said in a statement. "We wish the cast and crew the best as the series continues on at Netflix and can't wait for the opportunity to work with the creative team again." The move arrives after Lifetime showed early faith in You and handed out a second-season renewal more than a month before its September premiere. (The renewal was spurred by the June news of You receiving funding from the California Film Commission.) Netflix also showed early faith in the series and in May, signed on for second-window rights in the U.S. as well as for its international first run. The streaming deal, which had been in the works for months, was part of a business model in which Netflix partners with U.S. studios and identifies series that air on other linear or digital networks early on in the process. (Other shows under the co-financing model include Syfy's Nightflyers, NBC's Good Girls and The CW's Dynasty, among others.) The model helps to provide additional financial support for big-swing dramas -- with You representing a bigger swing and rare studio buy than the typical scripted fare Lifetime picks up. You becomes the second series to move from its original network to Netflix and joins Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which landed at the streamer with a two-season order after it was originally developed for The CW. You season one was described as a 21st century love story about an obsessive yet brilliant 20-something named Joe (Badgley), who uses the hyper-connectivity of today's technology to make the woman of his dreams (Elizabeth Lail) fall for him. Season two, which received an early tax credit to move production from New York to L.A., will follow Joe as his search for love takes him to Hollywood, where dreams can be made or shattered. Kepnes' follow-up novel, Hidden Bodies, will be the focus of the sophomore run. Berlanti Productions' Sarah Schechter, Alloy's Leslie Morgenstein, Gina Girolamo and Marcos Siega exec produce alongside Berlanti and Gamble. As for Lifetime's scripted plans, the A+E-owned cabler still has the Jenji Kohan-produced American Princess due in 2019 and will continue to ramp up its roster of scripted TV movies. The cable network this year ditched plans to air its onetime breakout hit UnREAL, as the fourth season of the drama moved to Hulu for what wound up as its final run. American Princess, unlike You, is a co-production with A+E Studios owning half of the series. That makes it more financially viable for the little-watched cabler. (Hollywood Reporter)

Supreme Court Denies Review of Fox News Fight Against TVEyes. The media monitoring service doesn't get another crack at its fair use argument. The U.S. Supreme Court won't be reviewing a big copyright lawsuit brought by Fox News against TVEyes, a media monitoring services that stores a massive amount of television news programming for use by researchers. The decision to deny review leaves in place an opinion from a lower appellate circuit that affirmed TVEyes' copyright liability for making verbatim reproduction of Fox News' content. The development is a blow for TVEyes, which has become a critical tool for journalists to keep tabs on what is said on the air by Fox News commentators. That features has become especially important during the administration of President Donald Trump, who is often influenced by Fox News. TVEyes is also used by PR folks to track when their clients are mentioned in the news. In February, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with Fox News that a service that provided its video and audio to customers -- almost in real time -- and then allowed clips to be shared through email and social media violates its copyrights. "[B]ecause [TVEyes] deprives Fox of revenue that properly belongs to the copyright holder, TVEyes has failed to show that the product it offers to its clients can be justified as a fair use," wrote Circuit Judge Dennis Jacobs. In a cert petition, TVEyes presented the case as a critical one of exceptional importance that would balance copyright law with the First Amendment right to criticize and comment about the copyright holders. The appellant pointed out that the Supreme Court hadn't taken up a fair use case in two decades and noted how when Fox News licenses its works, it has a special restriction prohibiting the use of licensed clips "in a way that is derogatory or critical." TVEyes wanted the high court to address the presumption of market harm for Fox News and put emphasis on the cable news channel's "outsized relevance to national political debate," explicitly noting the feedback loop between Trump and Fox News commentators. In opposition, Fox News downplayed the stakes except for copyright holders in the news business. "As the Second Circuit recognized, criticism of the media is alive and well, and is in no way dependent on TVEyes' efforts to profit from copying and distributing the media's copyrighted content," wrote Fox News' attorney. "Indeed, it is TVEyes that poses the real threat to First Amendment values, as depriving the media of its entitled copyright protection will serve to dampen public discourse by hindering the viability of media services that depend on receiving fees for their content." On Monday, the justices announced a bunch of cases that wouldn't be reviewed. The TVEyes petition was among those denied cert without further comment. The case now goes back to the trial court, which will further consider the scope of the injunction and potentially set up a trial to examine damages. (Hollywood Reporter)

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