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With the five major American TV network upfront presentations set to take place next week, each of them has been locking down their schedules for the new season.

That means the axe has fallen on numerous shows over the past 48 hours, while others have scored renewal orders. Decisions have also been made as to which pilots will be ordered to series. Here's the breakdown by network:

ABC

Renewed: Castle, Grey's Anatomy, Last Man Standing, The Middle, Modern Family, Nashville, The Neighbors, Once Upon a Time, Revenge, Scandal, Suburgatory

Cancelled (Or Finished): Body of Proof, Family Tools, Happy Endings, How to Live With Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life, Malibu Country, Red Widow

New Shows: Marvel's highly anticipated "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," the 'Once' spin-off "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland," the Hannah Ware and Stuart Townsend-led murder thriller "Betrayal," the remake of...

One of my least favorite talking heads, Nancy Grace went off on one of her trademark rants against a mother who got drunk and rolled over on her infant, allegedly smothering him to death. Nancy screamed about "Vodka Mom" and wanting to know why murder charges hadn't been filed. The mother was so distraught, she doused herself in flammable liquid, set fire to herself and died. So are manslaughter charges pending against Grace?

Rep. Barney Frank says that while a few of his Republican colleagues offered private congratulations on his marriage to Jim Ready, most have remained curiously silent on the joyous, historic event.

132 House Democrats have filed an amicus brief with the Ninth Circuit in the case of Golinski v. U.S. Office of Personnel Management, opposing the use of the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group to defend Doma, which they say is unconstitutional.

Hot little nerd Chris Hardwick has...

The cast of Mockingbird Lane, which is the Munsters reboot, took a turn for the unexpected when Jerry O'Connell was cast as Herman Munster. I'm really not sure how I feel about sexy Jerry being turned into Frankenstein.

The new Miss USA Olivia Culpo was crowned just after being asked how she felt about transgender competitors in the competition. ‘‘I do think that that would be fair, but I can understand that people would be a little apprehensive to take that road because there is a tradition of natural-born women. But today where there are so many surgeries and so many people out there who have a need to change for a happier life, I do accept that because I believe it’s a free country.’’

Chris Geidner at Metro Weekly breaks down all the possible outcomes of the decision of the en banc review request response that is expected...

Obviously the BBC is planning a huge event for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, and most expect that multiple generations of The Doctor will appear. One that won't is Christopher Eccleston, who left quickly after reviving the franchise. "I know what went on and the people who were involved know what went on. That's good enough for me. My conscience is completely clear."

The UConn hockey team has become the latest to join the You Can Play program from Brian Burke, welcoming Glbt players to their team if they can help the team win. Coach Bruce Marshall says that the videos weren't done to be “a nice beacon for the university.’’ They were the players' idea, and he told them they better be willing to back up their words. They realize that they may get some ribbing over it, but team captain Sean Ambrosie says if they become known...

First of all, Happy Star Wars day! May the Fourth be with you!

Benedict Cumberbatch is "startlingly aware" of the slashfic of him and Martin Freeman. “It’s cool… I suppose my bodily proportions are quite flattering. I’m ripped, doing something I wouldn’t normally do with my body, or having done to it, involving Watson. So that’s as far as I’ll hit about that one, but it’s all there on the web if you want to find it.”

Over at NewNowNext, Sexpert Conner Habib is back with a new question. It's way too far for us to run here, but as he notes (with a great sight gag), there are differences in how gay guys and girls and straight guys view certain aspects of sex.

Evidently the upcoming wedding for Northstar is dramatically boosting presales of Astonishing X-Men.

Lance Bass and his hunky boyfriend Michael...

Mark Ruffalo is a good interview (unless you're the film's publicist trying to keep him from revealing too much). When he was talking about filming The Avengers and doing motion capture as The Hulk, he let this gem drop about the skin tight motion capture suit. "I’m not well-endowed, and those suits don’t really show you off in the most…"

Deadline does a really great roundup on the early pilot season buzz. Two standouts for me were, that while The New Normal is still filming, they don't think any network would turn it down with the auspices it has, and certainly not hit starved NBC. Plus, evidently Partners, the much redone show about the Will & Grace creators personal dynamic is getting great buzz at CBS, which is shocking.

Should this cat buy these sunglasses?

Nicole Kidman is evidently a front runner to play Grace Kelly in the ultimate real life princess story,...

This season, we had Eddie Cibrian (The Playboy Club), Jason O’Mara (Terra Nova), Hank Azaria (Free Agents), Kevin Dillon (How to Be a Gentleman), Mather Zickel (Man Up!), and Amaury Nolasco (Work It).

It didn’t work out too well for those guys, did it?

Fortunately, the failures of yesterday don’t seem to be quashing hopes for the (potential) successes of tomorrow. An excellent crop of new (and familiar) male stars are hoping to follow in the footsteps of Jim Caviezel (who’s truly nailed it on Person of Interest this season) and Henry Czerny (the very underappreciated...

Each week within this column Spirit Award voter & film critic Kristy Puchko will offer a keen insight on a new selection of nominees for the 2012 Spirit Awards, along with any garnered behind the scenes exclusives. The Spirit Awards will air February 25th @10Pm on IFC.

Last week I confronted some of this year’s nominee controversies and explored the validity of “snub” accusations. This week, we’ll dive in by discussing some of the better-known titles in this year’s Spirit race, including the two films tied for the most nominations this year: the gritty psychological thriller Take Shelter and the whimsical silent sensation The Artist.

The Artist ~ Directed by Michel Hazanavicius

Nominations: Best Feature, Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, Best Screenplay: Michel Hazanavicius, Best Male Lead: Jean Dujardin, Best Cinematography: Guillaume Schiffman

Admittedly one of my favorite films of 2011, the silent stunner The Artist is full of cinematic splendor, as...

Peter Weller looks like an android. On the surface he has movie star good looks – tall, blue eyes, square jaw – but examine him closer and you’ll see none of it quite fits. His face is taut and angular, his eyes set deep in his skull and his skin looks like it’s made out of moulded plastic. His voice too is monotone and he reads lines like it’s in his programming. He was made to play Robocop (1987).

As Alex Murphy, the police officer executed by street hoods and then resurrected as a mechanical super cop, he stomps through the streets of Old Detroit like a technological knight in shining armour. “Dead Or Alive,” he utters to criminals in an unemotive, basso voice. “You’Re Coming With Me.”

With his face hidden, Weller learnt to act through his body, training for months with a mime artist and devouring books of robotics.