Showtime orders more 'Weeds' and 'The Big C'

Showtime announced Monday that it has picked up new seasons of Weeds and The Big C. Both shows will return sometime next year.

More than 6.5 million viewers tuned into the premiere of The Big C on August 16th, making it the network’s highest-rated original series premiere in eight years. The show stars Laura Linney as a suburban wife and teacher who is diagnosed with terminal cancer. The sixth season of Weeds also premiered on the same night and averaged over 6 million viewers – a record premiere episode for the series.

“The unprecedented viewership for both The Big C and Weeds proves that audiences love these shows as much as we do,“ said Showtime President of Entertainment David Nevins in a statement. “There are definitely more comedic adventures in store for these fascinating, complex women. For six seasons, we’ve happily traveled along with Nancy Botwin and we’re equally as excited to follow Laura Linney and The Big C team as they chart Cathy’s unique journey through such a provocative and personal subject as cancer. We’re thrilled that these two signature shows will be returning to the network in 2011.”

Matt LeBlanc Admits to Dyeing His Prematurely Gray Hair Dark for ‘Friends’

Matt LeBlanc’s Joey Tribbiani may have been the picture of perennial boyishness on Friends, but it turns out that that his youthful demeanor belied his secretly graying hair.

“I dyed my hair the whole time I was on Friends,” LeBlanc admitted this week after a Television Critics Association panel about his new Showtime series Episodes.

He also explained his absence from television since the 2006 demise of his spinoff sitcom Joey, “So when Joey ended, I took a lot of time off. I just wanted to be a dad, be myself, hang out with my daughter.”

For his new show, where he plays a fictionalized version of himself, the actor is putting his salt-and-pepper locks on display, so let the gray times roll!

All About the Cast of Big Brother 12

The last season of Big Brother divided the house into cliques that would make the toughest high school student cringe. After crowning a winner - Jordan Lloyd - who was one-part chest bump, three parts Jeff Schroeder and a healthy dose of “aw shucks,” this season of BB introduces “the saboteur” when it premieres July 8th on CBS.

In a series first, thirteen house guests walk in with one determined to wreak havoc on people who are either “peers” or “pawns.” Here’s a look at six standouts (the first two are pictured above) going into the “den of Chen” for season 12:

BRENDON VILLEGAS: A high school swim coach from Riverside, California, Villegas, 30, will soon pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical physics. Though he describes himself as “very much a nerd,” he’s really a combination of brains, brawn and brown-eyed good looks. “My goal is to not intimidate the guys and to be flirty with the girls,” says Villegas, who may be up for a showmance. “The girl that is down-to-earth and sweet is going to be the biggest challenge for me.”

RACHEL REILLY: A graduate student in chemistry and VIP cocktail waitress from Las Vegas, Reilly, 26, has a secret weapon — or two. “Most people look at me and think that I’m just a hot girl with big boobs,” she says. “I can manipulate men and the bikinis that I brought are not even the size of my palm. They’re super tiny! I’m going to hustle them with my Vegas-cocktail personality.”

KATHY HILLIS: A deputy sheriff-sergeant from Texarkana, Arkansas, Hillis, 40, is the only contestant who has (legally) ordered someone to “cough and drop.” But this single mom, who has survived cancer, has a simpler motto: “Never give up, never give in and never use the word defeat,” she says. “When my grandma was terminally ill, we would watch BB together and … I promised her that I would [try out for the show] when we both got better. And though I got better, she didn’t [so] I’m going win it for Grandma!”

ENZO PALUMBO: An insurance adjuster from Bayonne, New Jersey, Palumbo, 32, is happy to wear a stereotype on his sleeve and “shore” up that Jersey “situation.” His message to fans: “When I get into that house, competition is going to be served like my mother’s baked ziti,” he says. “That is how I am going to be playing this game.”

ANNIE WHITTINGTON: A bartender from Tampa, Florida, Whittington, 27, says she may keep her bisexuality a secret. “There may be some more close-minded people in the house and I don’t want to be judged,” she says. “There are so many more facets to my character … I don’t think who I sleep with should be that important to anybody.”

MATT HOFFMAN: A Web designer from Elgin, Illinois, Hoffman, 32, is quick to list his strengths — “My tattoos, coming into BB, are my greatest asset,” he says, “along with being a genius.” — as well as a weakness. “One of my worst character traits is the fact that I can be really condescending,” he reveals. “It’s something that I’ve tried to work on but everyone aggravates me.”

And the rest of the cast…

Kristen Bitting, 24: “I am a quiet storm,” says the boutique manager from Philadelphia. I don’t think there is anyone on reality TV quite like me.”

Hayden Moss, 24: “Athletically, I’m pretty gifted, so the physical competitions are going to be in the bag,” says the college student from Tempe, Arizona. “Also, I’m smarter than I look.”

Britney Haynes, 22: “I’ll pretend to be nice and always a bit elusive,” says the hotel sales manager from Huntington, Arizona. “People want what they can’t have and I’ll give them just enough.”

Andrew Gordon, 39: “Live for today because tomorrow will be yesterday soon,” says the podiatrist from Miami Beach. “Say anything, do anything, just don’t let them know and trust no one.”

Ragan Fox, 34: “I party as hard as I work, and I grew up gay in Texas,” says the college professor from West Hollywood, California. “If you want to get crazy with me — and I opt to go crazy — then you’re in trouble.”

Monet Stunson, 24: “I come off as really sweet and innocent,” says the model from Glen Carbon, Illinois. “People won’t expect that I would lie to their face and stab them in the back to win.”

Lane Elenburg, 24: “I’m a big guy, so I know that I have to find a smart guy,” says the oil rig salesman from Decatur, Texas. “I have to find a ‘brain’ for the ‘meat head.’”

This season Big Brother will be televised on Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursday at 8:00 pm (ET). The live eviction show takes place on Thursdays. Plus, you can catch three hours of live feed every night at Showtime After Dark on SHO2.

For more on Big Brother 12, visit the CBS.com website.

Showtime renews 'Californication'

Showtime has picked up a fourth season of “Californication.”

Season three opened to strong ratings, a combined 1.2 million viewers for its two opening-night airings, up 57% from the previous season and network topper Robert Greenblatt figured it was the right time to greenlight 12 more episodes.

Californication, which airs at 10:00 pm (ET) on Sundays and stars David Duchovny as a sex addict trying to balance his family and job. Duchovny serves as Executive Producer along with Tom Kapinos and Gina Fattore.

"Dexter" and "Californication" Score Series Highs

Showtime's fourth season of "Dexter" opened to a series-high rating Sunday night, scoring 1.5 million viewers in its first airing.

Not only is that an all-time high for "Dexter" -- up 25 percent from last season's debut -- but it's also the most-watched series telecast for any program on Showtime since at least 2004 (when the network changed its ratings system).

The premiere of the network's "Californication" (821,000) was also a series high, up 57 percent from last season's premiere.

Folding in the shows' same-night encores, "Dexter" was seen by 1.9 million viewers and "Californication" had an audience of 1.2 million.

Share Your "Coming Out" Story With America

Showtime, the television network that's arguably gayer than Logo and here!, has begun casting for a new docu series about GLBT folks coming out.

Producers of Way Out "say they were alarmed by the recent San Francisco State University study about family response to a teen’s coming out and its conclusion that 'teens who experienced negative feedback were more than eight times as likely to have attempted suicide.' The glimmer of hope the study offered however was that 'parents who take even baby steps to respond with equanimity instead of rejection can dramatically improve a gay youth's mental health outlook.' By raising awareness and visibility, they hope to help people take those 'baby steps' or better."