Aerosmith will perform a live concert on Mark Cuban’s AXS TV to encourage fans to vote on Election Day.
The Steven Tyler-fronted band’s free “performance event” — dubbed “Aerosmith Live” — will kick off at around noon Monday in their hometown of Boston, according to the network. The location will be announced that morning on Twitter via @Aerosmith and @AXSTV.
Mr. Cuban, AXS TV chairman and Internet entrepreneur, recently rebranded HDNet as AXS TV, which features live events, concerts, pop culture, music, fashion and news.
“Aerosmith has never censored themselves, and that’s what makes a great live television event. No other band signifies ’Live’ like this band. No fan will want to miss this show. Plus it’s a great opportunity for AXS TV to support a great get-out-the-vote message to music fans across the nation,” said Mr. Cuban, who teamed up on the network’s makeover with Ryan Seacrest, AEG and talent agency CAA.
The special also will offer a sneak peek of “Music From Another Dimension,” Aerosmith’s 15th studio effort and first album in eight years. The album is slated for release Tuesday. Two days later, the group hits the road for their 14-city Global Warming Tour.
’Mythbusters’ to take on science of ’Breaking Bad’
Critics praise “Breaking Bad” for its authentic characters and storytelling, but is it scientifically accurate? “Mythbusters” is breaking out the hazardous material suits to find out.
Entertainment Weekly reports that the Discovery reality series — in which everything from urban legends to Hollywood scenes are scrutinized in the name of science — will put AMC drug drama “Breaking Bad” under the microscope with an episode that includes appearances by star Aaron Paul and creator Vince Gilligan.
“We’ve been wanting to do a ’Breaking Bad’ episode for awhile,” “Mythbusters” host Adam Savage said. “Obviously there’s a lot of fertile material to play with, so things that happen on the show have been ending up on our list of stories to tackle for a couple years now.”
Mr. Savage and co-host Jamie Hyneman will test the science from a scene in the first season of “Bad,” in which Mr. Paul’s Jesse Pinkman uses hydrofluoric acid to dissolve a body, but ignores instructions from Walt (Bryan Cranston) to use a plastic container. Jesse places the body in a bathtub instead and the acid eats right through the tub, which winds up falling through the floor.
“Hydrofluoric acid is terrifying stuff,” Mr. Savage noted. “It’s not quite like alien blood, which is what a lot of people think when they think of powerful acids. It’s poisonous in a way that is completely unique and very disturbing.”
Co-hosts Tory Belleci, Kari Byron, and Grant Imahara will be conducting a second experiment based on another scene from the show’s first season. One thing’s for sure, however: The experiments won’t involve Walt’s highly illegal “Blue Sky” crystal meth recipe.
“We have no interest in increasing the public’s knowledge about how to make methamphetamine,” Mr. Savage said.
While the “Mythbusters” hosts were excited about the prospect of a “Breaking Bad”-themed episode, it posed a bit of challenge.
“We’re going to push the limit of humor about this as far as we can, and it’s a difficult line because ’Mythbusters’ is a family show,” Mr. Savage said. “A lot of people watch it with their kids, and yet we’re doing a collaboration with pretty much the least family-oriented show on television right now, about a science teacher turned drug manufacturer who kills people.”
The “Breaking Bad” installment will air in the spring.
USA won’t order more ’Political Animals’ episodes
USA Network has opted not to move forward with “Political Animals.”
The “limited-series event” from Greg Berlanti and Laurence Mark was ordered straight to series with the door left open for an additional order — following the same model the cable network did with miniseries “The Starter Wife” and “The 4400.”
The show’s future beyond its planned six-episode run seemed murky since it bowed in mid-July to 2.6 million viewers, with the finale rebounding to end its run with 2.3 million, bringing the series to an average viewership of 2.12 million.
The series, which attracted a top-tier cast, including Sigourney Weaver, Carla Gugino and Ellen Burstyn, was considered a big swing for the network, which had “Political Animals” on the air six months after it ordered the drama about a former first lady to series.
The series was considered part of USA’s play for prestige and awards-season buzz; whether it registered on the TV Academy’s radar will be determined next year.
The move comes after USA opted not to move forward with “Fairly Legal” and “Common Law.”
Fox’s ’Goodwin Games’ gets fewer episodes
Fox is scaling back its commitment to a new comedy series from the creators of “How I Met Your Mother.”
Midseason sitcom “The Goodwin Games” has halted production after the network reduced its order from 13 episodes to seven. The show is from “How I Met Your Mother’s” Craig Thomas and Carter Bays along with Chris Harris, and stars Scott Foley and Becki Newton as estranged siblings who return home after their father’s death and learn his $23 million inheritance can only be obtained by playing an elaborate game of Trivial Pursuit.
A Fox spokesperson attributed the change to the network’s abundance of half-hour comedy material this season, having previously ordered 24 episodes of “Raising Hope,” “New Girl” and “The Mindy Project,” along with 19 episodes of “Ben and Kate.” The network still plans to air the seven “Goodwin Games” episodes sometime this spring.
• Compiled from Web and wire reports
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