By Jessica Wedemeyer
8:11am PST, Jan 10, 2020
Ryan Seacrest fell off a stool on live TV
Ryan Seacrest took a tumble on the Jan. 7 episode of "Live with Kelly and Ryan" when he attempted to catch a giant gold balloon as it fell from the ceiling. As he reached up to grab the balloon, he somehow lost his balance and toppled backwards in his chair, interrupting co-host Kelly Ripa in the middle of a sentence. She immediately jumped up to help her fallen colleague, who could be heard laughing from the floor. Aside from a little embarrassment, though, Ryan was just fine: He popped back up with the gold balloon in hand and proclaimed "I got it!" to cheers from the live studio audience.
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Pat Sajak's daughter joins "Wheel of Fortune" as "special letter toucher" amid his health scare
Pat Sajak's 25-year-old daughter, Maggie, appeared on the Vanna White-hosted Jan. 6 episode of "Wheel of Fortune" as a "special letter toucher." Said the blonde beauty — who first appeared on the show when she was just a year old — of her father's recent health issues, "It was a scary experience — I'm not gonna lie. But he's doing great, and I know he's so excited to be back next week." The episode was taped in early November when Pat took a leave of absence to undergo emergency surgery to correct a blocked intestine. While he was away, Vanna filled in to host three weeks' worth of the long-running game show. Although he's since returned to set, some of the episodes Vanna hosted are just now airing.
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"Modern Family" series finale date set, "American Housewife" to inherit time slot
ABC announced on Jan. 8 that the final episode of "Modern Family" will air on April 8, bringing the Emmy-winning sitcom to an end after 11 seasons. Following its conclusion, "American Housewife," which is currently in the midst of its fourth season, will take over ABC's Wednesday night 9 o'clock time slot.
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Savannah Guthrie returns to work one month after eye surgery and "challenging" recovery
Savannah Guthrie returned to the "Today" show on Jan. 7 — nearly a month after undergoing eye surgery to prevent a retinal detachment. (She suffered a major eye injury in late November when son Charley accidentally hit her with a toy train.) "When I say 'Good to see you,' I really mean it," she opened the show. During a December interview with People magazine, Savannah described the recovery process, which required her to lay facedown for much of the day, as "uniquely challenging."
Alex Trebek on retirement question: "We'll see what happens"
At a Jan. 8 press conference during the Television Critics Association's winter press tour, Alex Trebek opened up about potentially retiring from "Jeopardy!" as he battles pancreatic cancer. "When you've been in the same job for that period of time and you're in advanced years, it behooves you to think about retiring," he said. "Thinking about retiring and retiring are two different things. … We'll see what happens. As long as I feel my skills have not diminished too much and as long as I'm enjoying spending time with [the contestants] and the writing staff, then I'll continue doing it." He went on to say that when he does choose to step down, it'll be on "a whim" with no advance warning: "I would tell [our executive producer] to give me 30 seconds at the end of the program to say goodbye because it's going to be the last show," he said. As for the current state of his health, "Some days are better than others," he said. "My resistance is lower than most of you because of the treatments I've been having — chemotherapy. … [And] I have the cold that seems to be going around. … This is the second time I've had it in the past month and a half. They got me off one of my chemo drugs, which was killing me." He then said it'll be another week before he gets the results from his most recent round of tests. "I have good days and bad days," he said.
"Ugly Betty" creator Silvio Horta found dead at 45
Silvio Horta, who created and executive produced "Ugly Betty," died in Miami, his agent confirmed to multiple media outlets. He was 45. Variety reports that according to the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner, his body was found on Jan. 7 in the motel room where he took his own life. "Silvio had an ongoing struggle with addiction and depression, but through it all, he always found a way to turn his struggle into laughter," his mother and sister said in a joint statement.
"The Conners" to deliver live, political episode during New Hampshire primary
ABC announced on Jan. 8 that "The Conners" will air a live episode on Feb. 11 — the night of the New Hampshire Primary. The episode will feature ABC News coverage of the primary's real-time results and will be performed twice by the cast to air live on both coasts. Here's the official description from ABC: "The live episode will find Mark (Ames McNamara) watching the results of the primary for a school report with Harris (Emma Kenney), who is apathetic to the electoral process and believes money's influence in politics means real change is impossible. The rest of the Conners share their differing takes on why they all think everyone should vote, including their working-class perspective that you may have to vote for a candidate you don't love but one that will 'screw you the least.' All of this happens against the backdrop of romance when Louise (Katey Sagal) gets an opportunity that might send her away from Lanford, prompting the family to interfere in Dan's (John Goodman) complicated relationship with her by throwing Louise a surprise going-away party, creating major new tensions between Dan and his daughters."
Josie Totah cast as lead in Peacock reboot of "Saved by the Bell"
TheWrap reported on Jan. 6 that Josie Totah has been cast in a lead role on the Peacock reboot of "Saved by the Bell." The 18-year-old actress will reportedly star as "beautiful" and "sharp-tongued" cheerleader Lexi, "the most popular girl at Bayside High who is both admired and feared by her fellow students." She previously starred on "Glee" and "Champions." Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley are set to reprise their roles as A.C. Slater and Jessie Spano on the new series, and on Jan. 8, Mark-Paul Gosselaar confirmed that he too will be back as Zack Morris.
