Last Resort,' '666 Park Avenue' canceled
HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- ABC has canceled freshman dramas "Last Resort" and "666 Park Avenue" due to poor ratings, The Hollywood Reporter said.
Both series will air all 13 episodes in their original order and stay in the current time slots on Thursday and Sunday, the Reporter reported Friday.
"Last Resort," about a rogue nuclear submarine crew is averaging 7.3 million viewers, with a 1.7 rating in the key 18-49 demo. Its latest episode had 5.8 million viewers with a 1.2 rating.
The drama was is in a challenging time slot, 8 p.m. Thursday, a valuable night for advertising. "Charlie's Angels," "Missing" and "My Generation" have all been canceled early after premiering in the slot.
The supernatural drama, "666 Park Avenue," is averaging 5 million viewers with a 1.6 rating, and its latest episode had 4 million viewers with a 1.3 rating.
ABC has not announced any mid-season pickups to replace the two dramas, but has comedies "How to Live With Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life)" and "Family Tool" ready, as well as dramas "Mistresses," "Red Widow" and "Zero Hour," the Reporter said.
Atkinson to retire Mr. Bean character
LONDON, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- British actor Rowan Atkinson says he plans to phase out the comedic Mr. Bean character because he feels he's too old to play the childlike role.
"The stuff that has been most commercially successful for me -- basically quite physical, quite childish -- I increasingly feel I'm going to do a lot less of," he told The Daily Telegraph.
"Apart from the fact that your physical ability starts to decline, I also think someone in their 50s being childlike becomes a little sad," he said. "You've got to be careful."
Atkinson, 57, said he's more interested in taking on serious roles in the theater, but to some degree playing the bumbling buffoon Mr. Bean has typecast him.
The actor played Fagin in "Oliver!" in the West End in 2009 and said he felt "comfortable" in the role.
Atkinson is preparing for his lead in a West End revival of "Quartermaine's Terms," a dark comedy by Simon Gray, The Telegraph reported Saturday.
Rivers mistaken for undocumented immigrant
LONDON, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Joan Rivers, her daughter and a television crew were briefly detained by British border agents when they landed on the Kent coast in a fishing boat.
Rivers had been invited to film an episode of her TV show "Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best!" in the Swale Estuary near Faversham, the Daily Mirror reported. One of the comedian's friends, an American who married into the British nobility, owns part of the estuary.
The Border Agency says the area is also known as a landing place for immigrants trying to get into the country illegally, and they got a tip last month that a suspicious group had been spotted on two fishing boats.
The guards involved quickly realized who they were dealing with, the Mirror reported Friday.
"Even though we were innocent I am so sorry they didn't arrest us," Rivers said. "I love Englishmen and they were very cute!"
Her friend, Lady Sondes, said she was told the Border Agency acted in a "friendly and efficient manner."
Kim Kardashian tweet draws death threats
HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Reality TV star Kim Kardashian got death threats for posting a message praying for Israel after Hamas rocket attacks on Jerusalem, The Hollywood Reporter said.
Kardashian tweeted, "praying for everyone in Israel," in response to Friday's violence.
Dozens of her 17 million Twitter followers tweeted threatening posts in response, some of them anti-Semitic, The Hollywood Reporter said.
"Kill yourself," one wrote, while another said "Die in HELL!"
Other tweets included:
"You are a disgrace to your people and your ancestors."
"Further enhancing your reputation as a dumb porn star."
"Israel will be destroyed along with all the Jews who cursed RT."
Kardashian followed her first tweet with a second, saying "And praying for everyone in Palestine and across the world!"
She eventually removed both messages.
