National Geographic marks anniversary with "Exploration" of Titanic, Lighting Strikes, Genghis Khan

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - The National Geographic Channel is celebrating the 125th anniversary of the National Geographic Society with a new "Night of Exploration" on Fridays that will look at Titanic, Stonehenge, Easter Island, and more of the world's fascinating places and mysteries.

Beginning January 11, the network will air programs about exploration every Friday night from 8 to 10 p.m. On that night, it will premiere of "A New Age of Exploration: National Geographic at 125," which will feature such explorers as storm chaser Tim Samaras as he tries to film a lightning bolt the moment it hits the ground.

The special will also feature research scientist and engineer Albert Lin, who believes he's located the burial ground of Genghis Khan, and James Cameron and Bob Ballard as they plunge the ocean's depths. NGC will also re-air "Titanic: The Final Word With James Cameron" on January 11.

Subsequent Friday-night programming includes re-airings of "The Human Family Tree," "Stonehenge Decoded" and "Easter Island Underworld." Other re-airings include "Drain the Ocean," "King Tut and the Lost Dynasty," and "King Tut's Final Secrets."

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Joss Whedon's "S.H.I.E.L.D." pilot adds 'Nashville' star Chloe Bennet

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Chloe Bennet is moving from "Nashville" and into far stranger territory.

Bennet, who has a recurring role on the ABC drama "Nashville" as Hailey, has been cast in Joss Whedon's superhero pilot "Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D.," which is being written by "Avengers" writer-director Whedon, his brother Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen ("Dollhouse").

Bennet, who also goes by the name Chloe Wang but is billed as Chloe Bennet on "Nashville," will play Skye, a young woman who's fascinated with superheroes and the organizations that spring up around them, an individual with knowledge of the casting told TheWrap.

The actress joins a cast that also includes "ER" alum Ming-Na, who'll play agent Melinda May, and Clark Gregg, who played S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Agent Coulson in "The Avengers."

The Whedons and Tancharoen will also executive-produce the project, along with Jeffrey Bell and Jeph Loeb of Marvel Television, if it goes into production, and Joss Whedon is also attached to direct, schedule permitting.

The project comes from ABC Studios and Marvel Television.

Hollywood Reporter first reported the news of Bennet's casting.

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Twilight Zone" reboot in the works from Bryan Singer, CBS Television Studios

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Bryan Singer is about to enter "The Twilight Zone."

The "X-Men" director is working on a reboot of Rod Serling's television series with CBS Television Studios, a spokeswoman for CBS Television Studios told TheWrap. Singer will develop and executive-produce the project, and could direct.

The project is currently in the very early stages.

The original "Twilight Zone" ran on CBS from 1959 to 1964, and the network revived the series in the 1980s. Most recently, the UPN ran a revival of the series, with Forest Whitaker hosting. That version, which launched in 2002, lasted one season.

Singer was also involved in the revival of another classic television series earlier this year, with NBC's "The Munsters" revamp, dubbed "Mockingbird Lane." Initially conceived as a series, "Mockingbird Lane" aired as a Halloween special for the network.

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Michael Kors replaced by Zac Posen as "Project Runway" judge

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Michael Kors is out at "Project Runway."

Fashion designer Kors will not be a judge on the Lifetime reality competition when it returns for its 11th season on January 24, Lifetime said Tuesday. Instead, designer Zac Posen will join Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia and Tim Gunn as a featured judge.

Lifetime told TheWrap that Kors is vacating his judge's position due to scheduling conflicts.

"Due to the back-to-back film schedule for seasons 10 and seasons 11 this summer, Michael was not able to commit to all the dates required for filming season 11," a Lifetime spokeswoman said in a statement. "Always part of the 'Project Runway' family, Michael will be seen in the future on the show, and we are excited to confirm that Michael will be back as a judge for the season 11 finale."

Kors' departure isn't the only change that's coming to "Project Runway" for its upcoming season. This cycle, the competing designers will be made to work together for every challenge, where they will have to work together while ensuring that their creations stand out on the runway. It's hoped this will lead to riveting combination of collaboration and backbiting.

Guests judges for the upcoming season include Bette Midler, Susan Sarandon, Miranda Lambert, John Legend, Emmy Rossum, Kristin Davis and others.

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Anderson Cooper Reveals He's Gay

After years of speculation about his sexuality, Anderson Cooper has revealed that he's gay.

The 45-year-old CNN anchor came out in an email to the Daily Beast's Andrew Sullivan that was published on Sullivan's blog this morning. Cooper was responding to an Entertainment Weekly article about how gay public figures are increasingly coming out in more restrained ways than in the past.

"The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud," Cooper writes.

Cooper explains that he kept his sexuality private "for professional reasons" but had "begun to consider whether the unintended outcomes of maintaining my privacy outweigh personal and professional principle." Instances of gay bullying made him "believe there is value in making clear where I stand."

While Cooper doesn't go into the specifics about romantic relationships, he writes, "I am also blessed far beyond having a great career. I love, and I am loved."

He concludes his email, "I still consider myself a reserved person and I hope this doesn't mean an end to a small amount of personal space. But I do think visibility is important, more important than preserving my reporter's shield of privacy."

In addition to anchoring CNN's primetime news show "Anderson Cooper 360°," Cooper hosts a daytime talk show, "Anderson."

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