Fox announced today that MasterChef: Junior has been renewed for a fourth season. The network has wasted no time in producing new seasons of the pint-sized cooking competition, which is already in its third season despite premiering just over a year ago. Production on Season 4 is set to begin this spring, though a premiere date has not yet been scheduled. Renowned pastry chef Christina Tosi will be joining the judging panel, replacing the departing Joe Bastianich, who left the show recently to focus on other interests.
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ABC Family announced today that The Fosters has been renewed for a third season. The good news comes ahead of the second half of Season 2, which returns with new episodes this coming Monday, January 19.
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Phylicia Rashad is breaking her silence on the sexual abuse allegations against her longtime co-star Bill Cosby. The 66-year-old Tony-winning actress, who co-starred with Cosby for 10 seasons as Clair Huxtable on NBC's The Cosby Show, defended the embattled comedian. After first prefacing her comments by saying she didn't "want to become part of the public debate," she went on to say that she had never seen any behavior by Cosby to suggest there is any truth to the decades-old abuse allegations that have resurfaced in recent months. "Forget these women," Rashad said of the many women who have made claims in the media. "What you’re seeing is the destruction of a legacy. And I think it’s orchestrated. I don’t know why or who's doing it, but it's the legacy. And it's a legacy that is so important to the culture. Someone is determined to keep Bill Cosby off TV," Rashad continued, referring to people other than the accusers. "And it’s worked. All his contracts have been canceled." She lamented that the legacy of the Cosby Show, a family-friendly comedy once beloved by millions of viewers, is now "being destroyed." When asked why Cosby has chosen to largely remain silent in light of the claims, relying instead on his legal team to deny them, his longtime TV wife said: "If he spoke now, what do you think the media would do with it?" "Unfortunately, in the court of public opinion everyone has formed their opinion, but we're still in America and you're innocent until proven guilty of any crimes," Pulliam said. She declined to say more about the claims but praised the comedian for his philanthropic work.
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The actress married her boyfriend at her home in Beverly Hills. The celebrity guests included Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Madden's twin brother and band mate Joel Madden and his wife Nicole Richie. Madden and Richie's 5-year-old son, Sparrow, acted as ring bearer, according to Us. Richie, who introduced the couple and Drew Barrymore were two of Diaz's bridesmaids. Diaz, 42, and Madden, 35, began dating in May and got engaged in December. This is the first marriage for both.
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It's doubtful that he'll be using this as inspiration for his next book. Nicholas Sparks, whose popular romance novels have turned him into a household name in households that include members of the female sex, has separated from his wife of 25 years. Sparks confirmed the news himself. "Cathy and I have separated," he said. "This is of course not a decision we've made lightly," he continued. "We remain close friends with deep respect for each other and love for our children. For our children's sake, we regard this as a private matter." Sparks met Cathy during his senior year at Notre Dame and the couple wed in 1989. They are parents to five children, Miles, Ryan, Landon, Lexie and Savannah. Sparks has gone on to write 17 novels, many of which have been turned into successful feature films, including The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, The Last Song, Nights in Rodanthe and the soon to be released The Longest Ride, starring Britt Robertson.
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It is being reported that USA Network has cancelled Covert Affairs after its fifth season, which concluded last month. The spy drama's falling ratings are said to be the primary reason behind the move, with Season 5 hitting series low ratings and averaging 1.5 million viewers. For comparison, Covert Affair's first season averaged 5 million viewers. Unfortunately, this means fans will never know if Annie chose Ryan's marriage proposal or Joan’s invitation to join her CIA task force. The rising cost of the show, including talent fees and more expensive locations shoots, coupled with the show's declining ratings, played a role in its demise. Season 5 averaged just 445,000 viewers in the coveted adult’s 18-49 demos. That's even less than the already canceled Rush (509,000). When time-shifted viewing was taken into account, the show averaged 3.3 million total viewers, but those numbers ultimately weren't enough to save it.
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It is being reported that HBO has renewed Girls for a fifth season. The announcement was made earlier this evening at the show's fourth season premiere event in New York City, where the network's president of programming Michael Lombardo broke the news. The dramedy, which returns for Season 4 this Sunday, has continued to draw critical acclaim through each of its seasons despite a lack of strong viewership. It is currently up for Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical at this year's Golden Globe Awards.
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Saints’ linebacker Junior Galette was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of simple battery involving domestic violence for allegedly pushing a woman to the ground while trying to get her to leave his home, police said Monday in a news conference. Galette, 26, was arrested and taken into custody after the disturbance at his home Monday shortly before 10 a.m. ET. An acquaintance, described as Galette's cousin, Terrance Banks Jr., was also booked on a misdemeanor simple battery charge after the incident. Saints spokesman Greg Bensel said the team is aware of the arrest and is collecting information. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello also said the league is looking into the matter.
Galette was released on $600 bond later Monday. He could face a six-game suspension as a first-time offender in the NFL's revamped personal conduct policy, although it's still too early in the investigative process to determine whether punishment will be warranted. According to police in Kenner, Louisiana, there were differing accounts of Galette's relationship with the 22-year-old woman. She said that she used to stay with Galette and has continued to do things such as cook and clean for him during the past two years. Galette described her as a dancer who was supposed to leave the night before but was allowed to stay until the morning. The woman called police to the scene and had visible injuries when they arrived, including bleeding from her ear after an earring had been ripped out and scratches on her face, police said. She alleged that an argument ensued after she woke up and Galette and Banks refused to give her cab money and told her to leave. She alleged that Galette pushed her twice while trying to get her out of the house, then after she fell, both men were "on me" and she couldn't breathe. She told police that Banks then picked her up and took her out of the house, taking her phone away as she tried to dial 911.
According to police, she picked up a knife because she was afraid of being "jumped" again. When Galette began recording a video of her, she threw the knife down and Banks again picked her up and took her and her possessions outside. Investigators are seeking a search warrant to search the video on the phone. Kenner police said that Galette, who is disputing the woman's account, was verbally combative, calling at least one officer a name while being arrested, but he otherwise cooperated. According to Kenner police, arrests are automatic when there are visible injuries in the case of domestic violence claims. The baseline suspension for first offenses is now six games without pay, though the policy says consideration will be given to "any aggravating or mitigating factors." Players still can be subject to discipline even if their cases don't result in criminal convictions, if they are found to have engaged in certain conduct. As part of the new policy, a second offense will result in permanent banishment from the NFL.
The new policy embraces the use of independent NFL investigations, and includes a provision of leave with pay. It's unclear if that could be the case in Galette's situation. Galette mentioned something about how a domestic violence charge could affect his contract, according to police spokesman Lt. Brian McGregor. He is due to receive a fully guaranteed roster bonus of $12.5 million on the third day of the new league year in March. His base salary of $1.25 million is also scheduled to go from an injury-only guarantee to fully guaranteed at that time. Galette, who finished this past season with 10 sacks and was voted a team captain for the first time, has been with New Orleans since 2010, when he signed as an undrafted free agent out of Stillman College. He developed into a top pass-rusher and signed a four-year, $41.5 million contract extension with the team in September that runs through the 2019 season. Galette began his college career at Temple but was dismissed after he said a cousin was arrested for stealing laptop computers from the dorm while staying with Galette. In the past, Galette explained his trouble at Temple as a series of "boneheaded mistakes," including personality clashes with coaches.
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Stu Miller, the former Giants pitcher who committed perhaps the most famous balk in All-Star Game history, has died. He was 87. The Giants said Monday that Miller died at his home in Cameron Park on Sunday after a brief illness. Miller played 16 years in the majors for the Giants, Cardinals, Phillies, and Braves. He led the National League in ERA in 1958, had the most saves in the NL in 1961 and the American League in 1963 and won a World Series title with Baltimore in 1966. But he is most remembered for his All-Star Game performance at windy Candlestick Park in 1961. He was called for a balk in the ninth inning which helped the AL score the tying run. Miller got the win in extra innings but the headlines the next day proclaimed "Miller Blown off Mound." "The next day in the paper there was a banner headline: 'Miller Blown off Mound,'" he recalled in a 2007 interview with The Associated Press. "They couldn't have made it any bigger. They made it out to be like I was pinned against the center-field fence. It wasn't about Mays scores winning run but 'Miller Blown off Mound.'"
Miller entered the game for the National League trying to protect a 3-2 lead with runners on first and second and one out in the ninth. With Rocky Colavito at the plate, Miller relieved Sandy Koufax. A calm day had turned windy, some of the harshest gusts Miller saw in the three years that Candlestick was his home park while he played for the Giants. He remembered Harvey Haddix chasing his hat around the infield and the flags nearly blowing off the poles. "Just as I was ready to pitch, an extra gust of wind came along and I waved like a tree," he said. "My whole body went back and forth about 2 or 3 inches. The AL bench all hollered balk. I knew it was a balk, but the umpires didn't call it at first. I went ahead and threw the pitch and Colavito swung and missed. The umpire then took off his mask and motioned the runners to second and third." An error by third baseman Ken Boyer allowed the tying run to score. Miller allowed an unearned run in the 10th inning, but he also struck out the side that inning. He ended it by fanning Roger Maris with a runner on third, striking out the man who was on his way to becoming baseball's single-season home run king that year. Miller earned the win when Willie Mays hit an RBI double and scored on Roberto Clemente's single in the bottom of the 10th. But it was the balk that became the defining moment in his career. "I guess that's better than 'Stu Who?'" he said. "I'd rather be remembered for something." Miller played for both the New York and Giants from 1957-62, winning the NL ERA title in 1958. He also led the NL in saves with 17 in 1961 when he was picked as the Sporting News Fireman of the Year. "The passing of Stu Miller brings great sadness to our organization," Giants president and CEO Larry Baer said. "Stu had a long and distinguished career with some of his best seasons coming in a Giants uniform. We express our deepest condolences to his family and will have them in our thoughts and prayers." He finished his career with a 105-103 record, 154 saves and a 3.24 ERA in 704 lifetime appearances. He led the AL in saves with 27 for the Orioles in 1963. Miller is survived by his wife, Jayne, daughters Lori and Kim, sons Scott, Marc, Gary and Matthew, and his five grandchildren.
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The Rockies bolstered their defense and provided their young pitching staff with an experienced veteran behind the plate Monday when they finalized a $6.25 million two-year contract with catcher Nick Hundley. His signing creates some uncertainty about Wilin Rosario’s playing time -- if not his future -- in Colorado. Rosario has plenty of pop at the plate but passed balls and wild pitches are something the Rockies need to cut down on to jumpstart their rebuilding process. The Rockies, who announced Hundley's deal Monday, have tried playing Rosario at first base with mixed results. Hundley, 31, played for San Diego from 2008-14 and was traded to Baltimore last May 24. He hit .243 last year with six homers and 22 RBIs in 83 games. After playing in pitcher-friendly Petco Park, Hundley's numbers figure to get a boost from playing at altitude. Having played most of his career in the NL West, he's also familiar with the hitters in the division and the Rockies are hoping that could help speed the learning curve for their young pitchers. Hundley played in a career-best 114 games in 2013, when he set career highs for doubles (19), homers (13) and RBIs (44). He's thrown out 27 percent of base stealers in his seven-year career. He gets $3.1 million this year and $3.15 million in 2016. The deal also includes award bonuses.
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