Robert Lloyd enjoys ABC’s new primetime soap “Revenge”: “As is often the case with melodrama, I find ‘Revenge’ essentially unconvincing and also quite likable. At times, it has something of the sound and silliness of kids playing at being sophisticated adults … That the atmosphere of let’s-pretend never quite dissipates is not really a hindrance; the show seems happy to breathe in that air. The Phillip Noyce-directed pilot is quite handsome — Chris Manley, from ‘Mad Men,’ photographed it — with a chilly-looking North Carolina standing in for the Hamptons.” LA TIMES
Strong ratings for “New Girl” premiere, but “Glee” is down from last season’s premiere: “Fox’s ‘New Girl’ and CBS’ ‘Unforgettable’ had solid starts Tuesday, the second day of the new TV season. ‘New Girl’ opened with about 10 million viewers and built on its ‘Glee’ lead-in by 24% among young adults; ‘Raising Hope‘, which followed, returned close to last year’s debut in a later time slot but fell behind ‘New Girl.’ ‘Glee’ was off 28% vs. last fall’s start and fell behind ‘NCIS‘ even among young-adult viewers.” USA TODAY
Trailer for “The Deep Blue Sea” showcases Rachel Weisz, Tom Hiddleston: “The trailer for Rachel Weisz’s latest project, ‘The Deep Blue Sea,’ has just been released, but perhaps it should have been called ‘The Small Golden Man’ … What follows is a series of dramatic conversations, blurbs featuring the word ‘swoon,’ and beautifully filmed pulling back of curtains evoking the darkly contemplative vibe of ‘The Hours’ and ‘A Single Man.’ By which I mean Oscar bait.” EW.COM
“The Help” will be honored with the Ensemble Award at the Hollywood Film Awards: “‘The Help,’ the box-office hit that features performances from Tony Award winner Viola Davis and Tony nominee Allison Janney, will receive this year’s Hollywood Ensemble Acting Award at the 15th annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Awards, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Film Awards, presented by Starz, will take place Oct. 24 in Beverly Hills. At the gala ceremony, held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the entire principal cast will collect the award in person.” PLAYBILL
Oscar-nominee Jackie Earle Haley (“Little Children”) joins Steven Spielberg‘s upcoming “Lincoln” biopic: “Jackie Earle Haley is set for Steven Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln,’ playing the role of Alexander Stephens. Stephens was vice president of the Confederate States during the Civil War and a nemesis of Lincoln’s slavery reform agenda. He is remembered for an infamous speech in which he said that slavery was the ‘natural condition of blacks and the cornerstone of the Confederacy.’ The Spielberg-directed film shoots this fall and DreamWorks is eyeing a late 2012 release date, after the presidential elections.” DEADLINE
Taylor Swift and Brad Paisley will perform at the CMA Awards: “Unlike a certain awards show that only differs by one letter, the performers on this year’s CMA show (which takes place on November 9) are top-notch, especially considering the addition of Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton, and Brad Paisley, who were all announced this morning. They join Jason Aldean and Keith Urban on the performance docket, meaning that all five nominees for Entertainer of the Year (the show’s biggest prize) will be belting out their hits that night.” EW.COM
Grammy-winner Sheryl Crow will write the song score for Barry Levinson‘s Broadway adaptation of his 1982 film “Diner”: “The singer has signed on to write the music and lyrics for the upcoming show. Levinson, both an Oscar and Emmy winner, will write the production’s book, while Tony award winner Kathleen Marshall is set to direct. ‘I was already a huge fan of ‘Diner’ when Barry first approached me about writing a score for a theatrical re-telling of his film,” Crow said in a statement. ‘Writing the score for ‘Diner’ has been the most challenging and fulfilling experience of my career.'” HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
