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Featuring Series Talent And Guest Stars Will Arnett And Justin Theroux In Unseen FootageUNIVERSAL CITY, CA - January 14, 2010 - NBC.com will present a special "Producers' Cut" version of NBC's comedy "Parks and Recreation" with extra footage and an extended version of the episode "The Set-Up," featuring guest-stars Will Arnett ("30 Rock," "Arrested Development") and Justin Theroux ("John Adams," "Tropic Thunder").  The full "Producers' Cut" episode will be available on NBC.com beginning Friday morning, January 15. The special "Producers' Cut" will feature extra footage with Arnett and Theroux, improvisation, ongoing dialog with the primary characters/starring cast -- and an extra scene with Amy Poehler and Rashida Jones.  In "The Set-Up," Ann (Jones) sets Leslie (Poehler) up on a blind date with a co-worker (guest star Arnett) -- which does not go as well as Leslie had hoped.  Meanwhile, an old friend of Ann's (guest star Theroux) makes Mark (Paul Schneider) feel insecure.  Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza and Chris Pratt also star in the episode. From Emmy Award-winning executive producers Greg Daniels (NBC's "The Office," "King of the Hill") and Michael Schur (NBC's "The Office," "Saturday Night Live") comes a mockumentary that looks at the exciting world of local government.  The half-hour comedy examines the mundane but necessary ways that people interact with their government, and asks why it's frequently so complicated -- as everyone knows from standing in line at the DMV, applying for home construction permits, or trying to get the city to fix a pothole. The documentary cameras follow Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler, NBC's "Saturday Night Live," "Baby Mama") a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana.  In an attempt to beautify her town -- and advance her career -- Leslie works on her project of helping local nurse Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones, NBC's

New Premiere Dates Set for "Parenthood" (March 2) and "The Marriage Ref" (March 4); New Series Join the Lineup Including "Who Do You Think You Are?" (March 5) and "Minute to Win It" (March 14); "Friday Night Lights" Returns April 30UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - January 14, 2010 - NBC unveiled its new post-Winter Olympics primetime program schedule today.  The new drama series "Parenthood" will premiere on Tuesday, March 2 (10-11 p.m. ET) and the comedy panel series "The Marriage Ref" from Jerry Seinfeld will premiere Thursday, March 4 (10-11 p.m. ET) after its sneak preview on Sunday, February 28 (10:30-11 p.m. ET) following NBC's coverage of the Closing Ceremony of the Winter Olympics.  In addition, the new alternative series "Who Do You Think You Are?" from Lisa Kudrow will premiere Friday, March 5 (8-9 p.m. ET) and the new game show "Minute to Win It" joins the lineup on Sunday, March 14 (8-9 p.m. ET).  Also, "Friday Night Lights" will begin a new broadcast season on NBC on Fridays (8-9 p.m. ET) starting April 30 after "Who Do You Think You Are?" concludes its run.  The long-running series "Law & Order" continues its 20th season debuting on a new night with a two-hour telecast (9-11 p.m. ET) on Monday, March 1 before settling into its regular time period the following week, Monday, March 8 (10-11 p.m. ET).  "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" will move to Wednesdays at 10-11 p.m. (ET) beginning March 3.  Encore episodes will air at 9-10 p.m. (ET) followed by original episodes (10-11 p.m. ET).  "Trauma" returns to the schedule Monday, March 8 (9-10 p.m. ET)."Parenthood" is a one-hour drama inspired by the box-office comedy hit of the same name that debuts Tuesday, March 2 (10-11 p.m. ET).  The re-imagined and updated production introduces audiences to

BURBANK, Calif. - January 13, 2010 - On Thursday, January 14 Jimmy Kimmel is scheduled to join Jay Leno for a satellite interview on "The Jay Leno Show" (Monday-Friday, 10-11 p.m. ET).  The segment titled "Ten @ Ten" connects Leno via satellite with celebrities and newsmakers from around the world.  Kimmel will be signing on from the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" stage in Hollywood, CA.  Previous celebrities and newsmakers that have participated in the segment include First Lady Michelle Obama, Justin Timberlake, Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Miley Cyrus, LeBron James, Ben Roethlisberger, Amy Poehler, Senator John McCain, Toby Keith, Mel Gibson, Taylor Swift, Anderson Cooper and Kate Gosselin.Also on tomorrow's show, Dwayne Johnson will be in-studio and take to the track for Leno's Green Car Challenge.

Chuck returned last night with two hours and CHUCKing awesome ratings! The back to back episodes were Chuck’s best rated episodes since its 3D episode and some of the best ratings for any of NBC’s scripted dramas this season. Keep reading...

Among Drama Series Pilots That Have Been Green-lit Are A Large Slate of Dramas Such as "Prime Suspect," "The Rockford Files," "Undercovers," "Chase," "Kindreds,"  "The Event" and "Love Bites"; Comedies Include the Untitled Adam Corolla Project.     UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - January 10, 2010 - NBC unveiled some of its early development projects that have been green-lit for 2010-11, including a large slate of dramas such as "Prime Suspect" (from Hank Steinberg, "Without A Trace"), an updated version of the classic "The Rockford Files" (from David Shore, "House"), "Undercovers" (from J.J. Abrams, "Lost"), "Chase" (from Jerry Bruckheimer, the "CSI" franchise), "Kindreds" (from David E. Kelley, "Boston Legal") and "The Event"; Comedies include the untitled Adam Corolla project.    The announcements were made today by Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios.   On the drama side, "Prime Suspect" is based on the award-winning BBC series centering on a courageous female detective who investigates complex mysteries in a politically explosive big city.  Casting will be announced later.  The pilot is produced by Universal Media Studios and ITV.  Hank Steinberg ("Without a Trace") and Erwin Stoff ("The Blind Side") are the executive producers.   In "The Rockford Files," the successful NBC drama from the 1970s is re-imagined by executive producers David Shore ("House") and Steve Carell (NBC's "The Office").  The title character, Jim Rockford, remains a roguish private eye who tackles the dangerous, quirky and unpredictable cases that no other detective wants to handle.  The pilot is from Universal Media Studios and Carousel Productions.    "The Event" is a thriller with a unique storytelling device that features multiple points of view concerning a decent, regular fellow who battles against mysterious circumstances that envelope a larger conspiracy.  Universal Media Studios produces the pilot that includes Steve Stark ("Medium") as

Based on a Successful Rebuilding Endeavor in Compton, California, Project from Executive Producer Cheryl Hines ("Curb Your Enthusiasm") and Denise Cramsey ("Extreme Home Makeover" and "True Beauty") Aims to Revitalize Schools and Their Communities, Encouraging Students to Take More Pride and Improve Academic Achievement UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - January 10, 2010 - NBC will empower communities to renovate their aging and broken public schools - while inspiring students, parents, and teachers to rediscover a sense of pride that will positively impact their lives and futures - in the proactive alternative project "School Pride," a new two-hour special for fall 2010. The announcement was made today by Paul Telegdy, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, NBC and Universal Media Studios. "This is a wonderful and uplifting project that will completely revitalize a school and community, while leaving a lasting legacy," said Telegdy. "These are powerful stories about the differences that can be made when committed people unite to improve their school and restore students' hope and faith in their education process." "The success of a school transformation doesn't just help one family or one group of students. It helps multiple families, and helps them for generations to come," said Cramsey. The transformation will help teachers achieve greater success in the classrooms, raise property values, and give the community a reason to be proud of their schools again. This special will be proof of what a small group of Americans can accomplish when they work together." "School Pride," from executive producers Cheryl Hines ("Curb Your Enthusiasm") and Denise Cramsey ("Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and "True Beauty"), produced by Horizon Alternative Television, is based on a similar effort that inspired students, teachers and a community to roll up their sleeves and renovate their deteriorating school at Carver Elementary in Compton, California. The resulting transformation

Mandel Will Join Returning Judges Sharon Osbourne and Piers Morgan Along with Nick Cannon as Host UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - January 10, 2010 -- Howie Mandel ("Deal or No Deal") will join NBC's hit summer series "America's Got Talent" as a new judge when the competition reality program returns for its fifth season this summer. Mandel will join returning judges Sharon Osbourne and Piers Morgan along with host Nick Cannon. In addition to serving as a judge on "America's Got Talent," Mandel has a larger overall first-look deal with NBC and he will continue to produce projects via his production company, Alevy Productions. The announcement was made today by Paul Telegdy, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, NBC and Universal Media Studios. "Howie is one of America's favorite entertainers and his sense of humor and energy are irrepressible," said Telegdy. "He's passionate about new talent and his years of experience across a variety of disciplines in entertainment, not to mention the fact that he headlines and performs in Vegas all the time, will bring new depth to our panel. He will be a real asset to our contestants and help them take their talents to the next level. We are thrilled to have him join Sharon and Piers and are sure that sparks will fly!" "We're thrilled to have Howie join the show," said executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz. "He's an extraordinary, multi-faceted talent whose success story spans the gauntlet of all things entertainment. He will no doubt bring a dynamic, poignant and entertaining perspective to the judging panel that is all his own." "I'm very excited about the opportunity to be a part of 'America's Got Talent' and for my production company to continue working with NBC Universal - but then again who am I to judge," said Mandel. Mandel's versatile

Additionally, Pam and Jim Experience Birth of Their Baby in Special two-part Episode of "The Office" on March 4 and 11    Guest Stars Include Kathy Bates in an Arc of Episodes on "The Office," Jack Black in "Community," Debra Winger in "Law & Order," Elizabeth Banks, James Franco and the Return of Jon Hamm in "30 Rock," Mischa Barton in "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," Michael Imperioli in "Mercy," Jason Ritter in "Parenthood" and Katharine McPhee "Community"   Also Appearing in an Arc of Episodes Will Be Sharon Stone in "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and James Van Der Beek in "Mercy"      UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - January 10, 2010 - NBC will showcase an impressive gallery of marquee guest stars in its series in January-February with Kathy Bates in "The Office," Jack Black in "Community," Debra Winger in "Law & Order," Elizabeth Banks, James Franco, and the return of Jon Hamm in "30 Rock," Sharon Stone and Mischa Barton in "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," James Van Der Beek and Michael Imperioli in "Mercy," Jason Ritter in "Parenthood" and Katharine McPhee in "Community"   In addition, Pam and Jim experience the birth of their baby in a special two-part episode of "The Office" on Thursday, March 4 and Thursday, March 11 (9-9:30 p.m. ET both nights).   The announcements were made by Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios.   A summary of the guest stars and their roles includes:   In "The Office," Oscar and Golden Globe Award winner Bates ("Misery," "The Late Shift") portrays the CEO of Sabre, the mysterious company that buys Dunder Mifflin.  The charismatic and iconoclastic CEO is the most exciting guest the Scranton branch has ever seen - and a Southern charmer who has always

Comedy Standout Tom Papa Tapped By Executive Producer Jerry Seinfeld To Serve As The 'Marriage Ref'   UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - January 10, 2010 - "The Marriage Ref," NBC's new comedy panel series about the unpredictable and hilarious institution commonly known as marriage, will air a special sneak preview on Sunday, February 28 (10:30-11 p.m. ET) following NBC's coverage of the Closing Ceremony of the Winter Olympics.    Additionally, comedian/actor Tom Papa has been personally selected by executive producer Jerry Seinfeld to host and serve as the "marriage ref."   The show will then premiere in its regular slot on Sundays (8-9 p.m. ET) beginning March 14.   The announcements were made today by Jeff Gaspin, Chairman, NBC Universal Television Entertainment.   "Utilizing the Winter Olympics as a platform for introducing this show provides an extraordinary opportunity," said Gaspin. "We've wanted to be in business with Tom Papa for some time and we think this is the perfect vehicle to bring him on board."   Added Seinfeld: "Tom brings so much to the table that he is just the perfect fit to be the "marriage ref."  In fact, having toured with him for over eight years, he was really the only person I considered when I was formulating the show.  My feeling is that when you take a subject matter as rich and universal as marital disputes, and throw Tom Papa into the mix, the end result is bound to be refreshing and hilarious.  Viewers are going to love him."   A seasoned comedian, Papa has starred in two standup specials on Comedy Central, with his next one to be directed by Steven Soderbergh.  A familiar face to late-night television audiences, he has amassed more than 10 appearances on the NBC's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and was a frequent

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - January 10, 2010 - NBC has named Monday, May 17 as the date of its 2010 Upfront presentation in New York City, it was announced today by Jeff Gaspin, Chairman, NBC Universal Television Entertainment.   The annual event is designed to introduce the advertising, sales and media communities to NBC's new programming and scheduling.  The site of NBC's Upfront will be announced later.   As a result, NBC will not conduct its "Infront" presentation that the network introduced in 2008 and continued in 2009.