"Castle" star Nathan Fillion to preside over Writers Guild Awards show

Pretend writer Nathan Fillion will help honor real writers on February 17, when he hosts the Writers Guild Awards West Coast show, the Writers Guild of America, West said Monday.Fillion, who plays a mystery novelist on ABC's "Castle," joked that he was "confused" when he was tapped for the hosting gig."When I first accepted the honor of hosting the Writers Guild Awards, I was confused and actually...

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"Best Funeral Ever" premiere delayed after Newtown school shootings

Fans of death-centric reality TV will have to wait a little longer to dig into TLC's "Best Funeral Ever."TLC has pushed back the premiere of the special to January 6 at 10/9c in light of the school shootings in Newtown, Conn. last week."Best Funeral Ever" was initially scheduled to premiere on December 26 at 8/7c."Best Funeral Ever" centers around the Golden Gate Funeral Home in Dallas, which specializes...

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Amazon adds episodes of alt-comedy show "UnCabaret"

 Amazon Instant Video has added four exclusive episodes of "UnCabaret," an alt-comedy showcase for the likes of Margaret Cho and Andy Dick, to its Prime Instant Video service.The show was created and hosted by comedian and entertainer Beth Lapides and features performances by such comedy stars as Sandra Bernhard, Garfunkle and Oates, Greg Fitzsimmons and Rob Delaney. Instead of punch-line driven...

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"The Playroom" lands distributor

Freestyle Releasing and Freestyle Digital Media have acquired the theatrical, DVD and VOD rights to "The Playroom," a drama directed by Julia Dyer ("Late Bloomers"), which stars John Hawkes ("Winter's Bone," "The Sessions") and Molly Parker ("Dexter," "The Firm").The film is slated for a day-and-date theatrical release and on DVD/VOD on February 8, 2013."The Playroom" premiered in the gala/spotlight...

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"The Office" head Greg Daniels sells tennis comedy to Fox

The Office" might be preparing to close up shop, but the series' creator is most definitely still open for business.Greg Daniels, who birthed the American version of "The Office" - which is preparing to wrap up its run at the end of this season - has sold a half-hour comedy to Fox via Universal Television and his own Deedle-Dee Productions.The project was sold through Daniels by Tom Gormican ("Are...

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Analysis: Democrats' discord undercuts Obama estate tax push

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Divisions among Democrats are undermining President Barack Obama's push to raise the U.S. estate tax on inherited wealth, just weeks before the arrival of the "fiscal cliff" could drive the present estate tax rate even higher than Obama proposes.Action on the estate tax could be postponed. But in his successful re-election campaign, Obama called for wealthy Americans to pay...

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Canadian year-to-date budget deficit narrows in September

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's federal budget deficit dropped in the first six months of the fiscal year, falling to C$8.9 billion ($9.0 billion) in April to September from a C$11.8 billion shortfall in the same period of last year, the Department of Finance said on Friday.The monthly deficit in September fell slightly to C$2.69 billion from C$2.75 billion in September 2011.Revenues in the first six...

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Number of ND 'income millionaires' jumps by 102

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A record number of North Dakotans reported seven-figure incomes last year, many of whom are benefiting from the state's oil bonanza, the state Tax Department says.Figures released to The Associated Press show a record 634 people reported incomes of more than $1 million on their 2011 individual tax returns, up from 532 in 2010 and 384 in 2009. In 2006, while North Dakota's oil...

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Obama says Republican "fiscal cliff" plan out of balance

Obama says Republican "fiscal cliff" plan out of balanceWASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama rejected a Republican proposal to resolve a looming fiscal crisis on Tuesday as "still out of balance" and insisted any deal must include a rise in income tax rates on the wealthiest Americans.Obama told Bloomberg Television that the Republicans' reliance on eliminating tax deductions instead of letting...

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Republicans see some leverage in "fiscal cliff" talks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republicans may have some leverage in their fiscal cliffhanger with President Barack Obama: the threat of forcing a disproportionate number of Democrats to pay the so-called alternative minimum tax.Under U.S. law, taxpayers each year must pay the greater of regular federal income tax, or the AMT. The latter requires taxpayers to give up certain tax breaks, typically exemptions...

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