Quick Takes - Oct. 13, 2011

Sequel to Austen’s ‘Pride’

P.D. James could hold back no longer.

The 91-year-old detective novelist said Wednesday she was glad to finally complete a long-desired project: a sequel to Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.”

James’ “Death Comes to Pemberley” will be published by Faber & Faber in Britain in early November and by Alfred A. Knopf in the United States on Dec. 6.

“I love the idea of setting a book in Pemberley, six years after the marriage of Elizabeth and Darcy. And I love the idea of bringing murder to Pemberley,” James said with a laugh. She wouldn’t disclose details but the victim appears to be George Wickham, Elizabeth’s disreputable brother-in-law.

—Associated Press

McCreery debut opens at No. 1

“American Idol” winner Scotty McCreery notched himself into the history books Wednesday as his debut album, “Clear as Day,” opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The gravel-voiced teenager logged sales of 197,000 copies of the disc, according to Nielsen SoundScan, making him the first country act to bow at No. 1 with a debut album.

At 18, McCreery is also the youngest male to have a debut open at No. 1. R&B singer Omarion previously held the title with his first release in 2005, when he was 20.

An “Idol” winner’s debut hasn’t bowed at No. 1 since Ruben Studdard’s “Soulful” in 2003. Last year’s winner, Lee DeWyze, was quietly dropped from RCA Records after his post-”Idol” debut opened to poor sales.

—Gerrick D. Kennedy

‘King’s Speech’ to be staged

Before David Seidler wrote the script for the Oscar-winning movie “The King’s Speech,” he penned a play about King George VI’s stuttering problem. It got a reading in 2008 but was never produced.

Now a stage version is being mounted, London’s Telegraph newspaper reports. The theatrical edition of “The King’s Speech” will premiere in Guildford, England, in February and then tour the United Kingdom, the newspaper said.

The production will star Charles Edwards and Jonathan Hyde and will be directed by Adrian Noble, a former artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

—A Times staff writer

Ex-governor to host TV show

Moving ahead with its push to challenge MSNBC as the channel of choice for the left side of the political spectrum, Current TV has signed former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to host a nightly prime-time show.

“The War Room With Jennifer Granholm” will premiere in January in the 9 p.m. hour immediately after Keith Olbermann’s “Countdown.”

Current TV co-founder and former Vice President Al Gore said on a conference call announcing the hire that Granholm’s show goes “right at the core of Current TV’s strategy to be a trusted resource for intelligent and compelling commentary.”

Granholm, who has been a frequent contributor to NBC’s “Meet the Press,” will host the show out of Current TV’s San Francisco headquarters. She recently took a post at UC Berkeley.

—Joe Flint

Allen’s ‘Last Man’ fares well

Tim Allen returned to network sitcom-land Tuesday night, and the numbers show just why the former “Home Improvement” guy remains a family-friendly TV star.

The critics pretty much detested “Last Man Standing,” which finds Allen as a cranky middle-aged dad of three daughters. The show earned a score of 32 out of 100 from Metascore, a critics’ compilation site.

Viewers showed up anyway. “Last Man” averaged a respectable 13 million viewers, according to Nielsen. That was good enough for a strong second behind CBS’ monster hit “NCIS” (18.6 million) and represented the best debut for an 8 p.m. comedy anywhere on network TV in the last seven years.

—Scott Collins

Dylan takes up the bagpipes

Bob Dylan, forever looking for a new road to walk down, has taken up the bagpipes.

The 70-year-old singer bought a set of traditional Scottish pipes while in Glasgow to play two concerts last weekend, a spokesperson for the National Piping Centre said. Dylan chose a set of R.G. Hardie pipes — one of the best makes.

“He’s always wanted to learn,” the spokesperson said. “It’s a lovely sound when they are played well, and something to be appreciated.”

—Reuters

Finally

Series renewals: HBO has renewed “Boardwalk Empire” for a third season; Syfy has done the same with its supernatural drama “Haven.” And the CW has given a full-season pickup to “Ringer,” the new drama that features Sarah Michelle Gellar in dual roles.