News Digest

Legen…wait for it…dary: Neil Patrick Harris to host NBC variety series

He’s starred in two iconic TV shows, numerous Broadway plays and a cult classic movie. He’s hosted the Emmys, Tonys and will soon add the Oscars to the list. And now, Neil Patrick Harris is turning his talents to anchor a new NBC variety show. Harris, 41, best known as the womanizing Barney Stinson on long-running CBS sitcom “How I Met Your Mother,” will host the new primetime series, which will feature live comedy skits, musical numbers, game shows and hidden camera pranks on celebrities, NBC said in a statement. The format of the yet-to-be-titled series is based on the popular British ITV show “Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway,” which has already been adapted in numerous European markets including Germany and Italy. NBC has ordered 10 episodes of the U.S. series from ITV Studios America, which will be filmed in front of a live audience. No air date has been scheduled yet. The show is the latest on Harris’s portfolio after it was announced earlier this month that he would be the host of the 2015 Oscars. The actor recently won a best musical actor Tony award for his Broadway stint in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” and co-starred in David Fincher’s hit thriller film “Gone Girl.”