by Shaunna Murphy 10 mins ago

At the end of “Scandal”‘s madcap third season, Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington, obviously) boarded a private jet bound to places unknown, and earlier this week, we finally got a glimpse at where she might be.

Now, the lovely people at ABC and “Scandal” creator Shonda Rhimes are giving us even more goodies from the September 25 premiere, titled “Randy, Red, Superfreak and Julia” — we have no idea what it means, either — and it looks like Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) will have an even tougher time moving on from Olivia than we initially thought. Smile, buddy!

“Nearly two months after Olivia and Jake boarded a private jet to stand in the sun together, everything has changed,” reads ABC’s official description of the episode. “With another four years in the White House, Fitz and Cyrus are doing everything they can to make a positive impact on the nation. Meanwhile, Mellie struggles to cope with the loss of her son and the gladiators feel the impact of Olivia’s absence.”

LOL at “positive impact on the nation.” Check out brand new pics of the episode — as well as a couple from the show’s official glamour shot day — below!

ABC

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by Shaunna Murphy 16 mins ago

Uhhh… guys? Something is a little… off… in this new “Vampire Diaries” season six trailer. You know, like the fact that Stefan hops into bed with a new love interest who isn’t Caroline?

Most of The CW’s brand new promo shows us stuff we’ve already seen — like Elena mourning Damon, Caroline hanging out with Alaric, etc. — but the clip of Stefan in bed with new girl Ivy (Emily Chang) is definitely new. And, more importantly, likely to start riots in the passionate Steroline fandom.

Check it out for yourself, but you might want to shut off your humanity switch first:

“The Vampire Diaries” returns to The CW on Thursday, October 2.

by Shaunna Murphy 13 mins ago

Usually a football game’s halftime is the perfect opportunity to leave your seat and grab a snack, but anyone who missed out on the show during the Ohio State versus Virginia Tech game this weekend is probably kicking themselves right now, because this Ohio State tribute to television is the stuff of dreams.

Not only did they play the famous themes to shows like “The Simpsons,” “Batman,” and — of course — “Game of Thrones,” but they also proved that band geeks rule the world by creating awesome shapes of Bart Simpson, the Batmobile, and one of Daenerys’s fire-breathing dragons. We can only hope that the second half of the football game lived up to this:

by Shaunna Murphy 10 mins ago

I gotta say — when I first heard that “Doctor Who” was doing a Robin Hood episode, I audibly groaned. I’d been longing for the single-hour-of-great-storytelling days of the Russell T. Davies era, and as much as I loved Peter Capaldi in “Into the Dalek,” a freaking fairytale episode could not be the return to old-fashioned “Who” form I was hoping for.

I was wrong. Very wrong. “Robots of Sherwood” was one of the most fun hours of “Who” we’ve had in years, and a lot of it was due to the simple yet effective story, the powerful performances by Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, and guest star Tom Riley, and — sorry, Doctor — the banter. Oh, the banter!

Let’s dig in to the biggest moments, you bony rascals.

The TARDIS Meets The Arrow
No, not THAT Arrow.

So, obviously, the reason why the Doctor and Clara touched down in Nottingham to begin with was because Clara romanticized the Robin Hood fable growing up. Our newly crotchety Doctor reminded her repeatedly that the man wasn’t real, but after last week’s Dalek intestines misadventure, the plucky companion insisted…

BBC America

… Which was great, because the TARDIS quickly touched down in Sherwood Forrest, only to immediately get shot by one of Robin’s arrows. (WTF? Don’t hurt my girl like that.) Luckily she healed, but the Doctor’s ego did not. He was noticeably annoyed that Clara worshiped someone who he considered to be a phony, ...

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by Shaunna Murphy 41 mins ago

With “Forrest Gump” back in theaters this week and Central Perk opening up in New York City soon, we can’t stop thinking about these 15 television and movie restaurants that need to pull a Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and just become real, already.

1. JJ’s Diner, “Parks and Recreation”

NBC

Proven to have the best waffles in existence. Not afraid to serve a heavy dose of whipped cream. We’re sold.

2. Mos Eisley Cantina, “Star Wars”

LucasFilm

The music is great, the clientele is colorful and there are absolutely no droids.

3. The Alamo Freeze, “Friday Night Lights”

NBC

The Alamo Freeze tends to hire very attractive football players, so. A real-life version of this should definitely happen.

4. The Inn At The Crossroads, “Game of Thrones”

HBO

Sure, the menu is a bare-bones and the clientele can be a bit unsavory, but Hot Pie’s scones are worth the risk of getting stabbed over a chicken. Also, medieval decor is hella in right now.

5. Good Burger, “Good Burger”

Nickelodeon

The burgers may only be good, but the customer service is impeccable — and at least they don’t add Triampathol to their food, like Mondo Burger.

6. Los Pollos Hermanos, “Breaking Bad”

AMC

If Gus Fring runs Los Pollos Hermanos even a tenth as well as he runs his criminal empire, it would be worth a trip. Also, fried chicken is just generally great.

7. Jack Rabbit Slims, “Pulp Fiction”

Miramax

The food is simple Americana throwback stuff, ...

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by Shaunna Murphy 31 mins ago

As you’ve probably heard by now, Lifetime is airing “The Brittany Murphy Story” on Saturday night (September 6). As you’ve also probably heard, the late actress’ father, Angelo Bertolotti, is furious, taking issue with everything from the casting of actress Amanda Fuller to the term “chunky monkey” being used to describe his daughter, to the existence of the film in general.

“I am disgusted and outraged that Lifetime decided to produce such a trashy project, defiling the memory of my beautiful, talented daughter, Brittany Murphy,” he told The Examiner. “Frankly, I am amazed at their audacity of calling it ‘a true story,’ without conducting any research or consulting with any members of the family. ‘The Brittany Murphy Story’ is an affront to everything my daughter was in real life. It’s hideous, unauthorized and completely untrue.”

We at MTV News have not seen the movie at this point — we’ll reserve all judgment until we’ve taken in the full thing — but we do agree with Bertolotti that Lifetime has sensationalized the story based on this trailer, which makes Murphy’s life look like a tabloid murder mystery.

So before you head in and absorb Lifetime’s take on Murphy’s life (and death), learn the facts that everyone — Bertolotti included — know to be true:

WireImage

1. Her toxicology report says she died from pneumonia, anemia and over-the-counter and prescription drug intoxication.
Murphy died on December 20, 2009. It was initially ...

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by Shaunna Murphy 8 mins ago

During a tough news week (month? Year?) it’s always a welcome relief to see kind people doing kind things. That’s why, when we saw that reddit user Signal-7_10-4 — who suffers from Von-Hippel Lindau syndrome, a rare genetic condition that predisposes individuals to tumors — recently had “the best day of his life” via a set visit to “Parks and Recreation” and the Make-A-Wish foundation, we cried like Leslie Knope would cry if she spent a year on a desert island then returned to Pawnee and saw a stack of JJ’s Diner waffles for the first time.

Below, enjoy some heartwarming behind-the-scenes photos and anecdotes from his visit (which apparently happened during last year’s finale flash-forward, unless that’s where they pick up in the premiere…), but be warned — Larry was there.

With Pawnee Goddess Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler)

“Going into it, I was prepared for the possibility of some actors just acting nice. Holy crap was I wrong. Amy Poehler was litt-rally one of the kindest and most loving people I’ve ever met. She just kept coming back for another conversation, hug, or picture. The selfie being taken in the picture I posted above as ‘proof’ was actually her phone. A lot of the actors actually took pictures or video. She made sure to get our contact information to send us stuff and check in every once in a while. She set us up with VIP tickets and meet-and-greet passes to see an improv show that ...

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by Shaunna Murphy 29 mins ago

We’ve already seen the lady with three legs, the dude with a split tongue, and the claw, and now FX and “American Horror Story: Freak Show” are back with the most terrifying circus act of all — the clown.

To be honest with you I was actually completely obsessed with clowns as a child — my bedroom featured a circus motif — but the Joker-like face on this first guy is enough to erase years of happy childhood memories and replace them with nightmares of big shoes, fart sounds, and worst of all, smiles.

Damn you, Ryan Murphy:

Sweet dreams, kids.

“American Horror Story: Freak Show” debuts Wednesday, October 8.

by Shaunna Murphy 7 mins ago

As you’ve probably heard by now, the world lost a comedy legend on Thursday (September 4) when Joan Rivers, she of the sharp tongue, amazing work ethic, and fashion know-how, died at the age of 81.

We’re sad. A lot of people are sad. But people who might not know a lot about her outside of her scathing red carpet jokes might not know why we’re sad. All they saw is the Queen of Mean, ripping on Anna Kendrick‘s Oscar dress or Amber Rose’s VMA… non-dress. And they’re right — Rivers’ humor was mean, brilliantly so. She created a brand out of it, she never stopped working on it, and generations to come will thank her for making red carpet dress coverage a thing.

But for those who interacted with her in real life, Rivers was anything but. Even before she died, friends in New York and Los Angeles would tell me about how they ran into her at X, Y, or Z, and how smart, kind, funny, and generous she was. She’s officiated last-minute gay weddings for her fans. She flirted with flight attendants and brought them gifts. She even gave my friend from high school ten bucks, and my new Twitter friend a really kickass story to tell.

Read these stories — the real stories, from the real people she wasn’t blasting on “Fashion Police” — below:

Rob Rodriguez, Server At Sarabeth Restaurant, NYC
“Most of us called her Joanie. Sunday nights, 7pm, table 35. That was her spot. ...

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by Shaunna Murphy 5 mins ago

Fans of “The Maze Runner,” the best-selling YA book by James Dashner about to hit theaters as a major blockbuster movie, know that it’s all about the Grievers — bulbous, evil, bio-mechanical monsters that terrorize Thomas (“Teen Wolf” star Dylan O’Brien) and co. as they try to navigate a massive, unexplainable Maze.

And we at MTV News are certainly fans of “The Maze Runner,” which is why we’re thrilled to debut this exclusive clip, “Hide,” that offers up a spine-tingling sneak peek at a Griever… Or at least, part of one.

In the clip we see Thomas, Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), and the rest of the terrified Gladers running (and hiding) for their lives as the Grievers begin a horrifying attack. Grab the popcorn!

“The Maze Runner” hits theaters on Friday, September 19.