–Touched by an Angel executive producer Martha Williamson is behind an upcoming Hallmark movie that could be turned into a series, should the ratings and buzz be high enough. Dead Letters, which stars Eric Mabius (Ugly Betty) and Kristin Booth (The Kennedys), follows a group of postal detectives whose mission is to deliver letters and packages  from the past, which arrive miraculously when they are needed most. It’s set to premiere Saturday, October 19th at 9:00 and would make its series premiere in 2014, should it be picked up.

-On Wednesday, July 3rd, TV Land will air “insider editions” of Hot in Cleveland, The Exes, and The Soul Man, where behind-the-scenes knowledge and factoids about the cast will pop on screen.

-The Big Brother live eviction episodes have been moved from Tuesdays to Thursdays, beginning July 11th. The show currently airs Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Sundays.

-GSN has renewed The Chase before its series premiere airs. The series, hosted by Brooke Burns, is a one-hour quiz show that finds teams of three competing to earn as much money as they can during 60-second quick-fire question rounds. They’re facing The Beast, a 6’7″, 370 lb. Oxford graduate who will be answering questions at the same time they are and attempting to pass them in number correct, thus preventing them from banking their money.

-FOX will be previewing its Animation Domination High-Def lineup in primetime on Sunday, July 21st, with showings of Axe Cop at 9:30 and High School USA! at 9:45 replacing an American Dad rerun. The lineup officially premieres on Saturday, July 27th at 11:00.

-HBO has made the first season of The Sopranos available on-demand following the death of star James Gandolfini. Subsequent seasons will follow each month.

-ABC has officially renewed Extreme Weight Loss for a fourth season, set to premiere next summer. Starting next season, each participant will spend the first 90 days of his or her weight loss journey  at the renowned University of Colorado’s Anschutz Health and Wellness Center in  Aurora, CO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_HusGwbqP8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_I7hMgwgZE

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Gandolfini appeared in the likes of Zero Dark Thirty, Cinema Verite, and Armando Iannucci’s In the Loop following the conclusion of The Sopranos and his time as mob boss (and tortured soul) Tony, a role he won three Emmy awards for and made a household name for himself out of. He got his big break in 1993’s True Romance where he played a mob enforcer and continued to increase his momentum with turns in Get Shorty and 12 Angry Men, the latter of which was a mere two years before the first season of The Sopranos.

HBO issued a statement on the loss of one of their most familiar faces where they praised not only James Gandolfini the actor but James Gandolfini the gentle and loving person:

“We’re all in shock and feeling immeasurable sadness at the loss of a beloved member of our family. He was special man, a great talent, but more importantly a gentle and loving person who treated everyone no matter their title or position with equal respect. He touched so many of us over the years with his humor, his warmth and his humility. Our hearts go out to his wife and children during this terrible time. He will be deeply missed by all of us.”

Sopranos creator David Chase has also weighed in, calling Gandolfini a genius:

“He was a genius. Anyone who saw him even in the smallest of his performances knows that… He is one of the greatest actors of this or any time. A great deal of that genius resided in those sad eyes. I remember telling him many times, ‘You don’t get it. You’re like Mozart.’ There would be silence at the other end of the phone. For [Gandolfini’s family] this is crushing. And it’s bad for the rest of the world. He wasn’t easy sometimes. But he was my partner, he was my brother in ways I can’t explain and never will be able to explain.”

You can watch the actor accept his first Emmy, as well as one of the most infamous scenes from The Sopranos, below:

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