Rhimes' scheme

"I'm going to be totally honest with you: I completely deserve this," said Shonda Rhimes ("Grey's Anatomy," "Scandal") after receiving the Producers Guild's Norman Lear Award for Achievement in Television. "I have, against the odds, courageously pioneered the art of writing for people of color as if they were human beings." But she went on to say that "It's not trailblazing to write the world as it actually is. Women are smart and strong. They are not sex toys or damsels in distress. People of color are not sassy or dangerous or wise."

Straight into '24'

Corey Hawkins, who played Dr. Dre in "Straight Outta Compton," will star in the sequel series "24: Legacy." … ABC is in the early stages of developing a miniseries about Watergate. … Showtime has picked up a second season of "Billions." … NBC has given the go-ahead for comedy pilots from Amy Poehler and Rashida Jones.

Gunning for more

Tom Cruise and Jerry Bruckheimer have been meeting with an eye toward a "Top Gun" sequel. … Tom Hanks and Johnny Depp are considering joining the crime thriller "Triple Frontier," directed by J.C. Chandor ("All Is Lost," "A Most Violent Year"). … Zosia Mamet ("Girls") and Matt Smith ("Doctor Who") will portray Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe in a new biopic. … Alicia Vikander and James McAvoy are paired up in Wim Wenders' romantic thriller "Submergence."

The morning after

Zach Galifianakis has few regrets in life, but one is the "Hangover" sequels. He told Marc Maron's WTF Podcast: "Look, that was a good chunk of my life that I do not regret at all, but I wished we had just done one. I think leave well enough alone sometimes." Joking about the possibility of yet another installment, he said, "We're contracted up to 12. I feel a real appetite out there for more."

Down and 'Dirty'

No one expected much from "Dirty Grandpa," besides maybe a Razzie nomination, but the reviews of the Zac Efron-Robert DeNiro romp are downright blistering: "Not just the worst movie [De Niro] has ever been in, but it may be the worst movie anyone has ever been in," said Deadline's Pete Hammond.Cynthia Dickison