HBO Sundays Riding High; 'Dance' Is Oxygen's Most-Watched Debut

HBO's Sunday night lineup continues to perform well for the cable network.

“True Blood” delivered 3.7 million viewers and 5.1 million viewers when counting the 11 p.m. replay. The series is averaging a gross audience of 10.8 million viewers per episode this season, up 38% from its first season average.

At 10 p.m., “Hung” debuted with 2.8 million viewers, HBO's highest series debut in over two years.  The series held on to 76% of “True Blood's” audience. When the midnight replay is factored in, the series premiere attracted 3.7 viewers.

Meanwhile, the series premiere of Oxygen's “Dance Your Ass Off” on Monday night was the network's most-watched series premiere ever with 1.3 million total viewers.

The episode was also Oxygen's most-watched series premiere among women 18-49 and adults 18-49.

The debut garnered 432,000 women 18-49 and 614,000 adults 18-49, while also driving traffic to Oxygen.com. The Web site had nearly 40,000 unique visitors on just Monday. The show site has garnered more than one million pages views since its launch a month ago.

--Vlada Gelman

Rainbow Media Launching Wedding Channel

Rainbow Media, programming arm of Comcast, is spinning off WE TV's wedding programs into a wedding-themed cable channel, Broadcasting & Cable reports.

WE's current wedding lineup includes “Bridezillas,” “Amazing Wedding Cakes,” “My Fair Wedding” and “Platinum Weddings,” which will be used to bolster the launch of the new network.

WE will add more parenting shows to its schedule.

The launch date for the new channel is not known.

--Vlada Gelman

SoapNet Picks Up Two Reality Series, Second Season of 'Erica'

SoapNet is adding two new reality series to its slate.

The network has picked up “Bank of Mom and Dad” from BBC Worldwide Productions and “Holidate” from ABC Media Productions.

“Bank of Mom and Dad,” which is adapted from a BBC format, follows women in their 20s and 30s as their Mom and Dad move in for one week to police their finances.

The 10-episode “Holidate” explores finding love in different cities. Originally a one-hour special, it is slated to premiere July 29.

Additionally, the network has picked up original scripted drama “Being Erica” from BBC Worldwide Sales & Distribution for a second season. The 12-episode second season will premiere in early 2010.

--Vlada Gelman

G4's 'Attack of the Show' Rings in 1000 Episodes With Two-Hour Special

G4's "Attack of the Show" will celebrate its 1000th episode with a live two-hour special on July 9.

The special will look back at memorable moments, skits and present never-been-done-before stunts, as well as surprise in-studio guests and the Top 5 “Around the Net” Viral Videos from the past 1000 episodes.

The special will also feature the show's attempt to create a Guinness World Record for the "Largest Sky-Written Social Networking Message," or "World's Largest Tweet."

--Vlada Gelman

FX Slates 'Nip/Tuck,' 'Sons of Anarchy,' 'It's Always Sunny' Returns

“Nip/Tuck” will return for its final season in October, FX announced today.

The 10-episode season will feature guest stars Vanessa Redgrave, Rose McGowan, Mario Lopez, Barry Bostwick and Gilles Marini.

FX also revealed season premiere dates for “Sons of Anarchy” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” The former will return for its second season on Sept. 8 with 13 episodes. The 12-episode fifth season of “It's Always Sunny” will premiere Sept. 17.

--Vlada Gelman

Michael Jackson Left Behind Nearly Finished Secret 'Dome' Video; 100 Hours of Concert Rehearsal Video

When Michael Jackson died, he had already finished work on a secret video production dubbed the “Dome Project,” the Associated Press reports.

Shot from June 1-9 at Culver Studios in Los Angeles, the production used four sets, including a “Thriller”-like cemetery, a jungle and a construction site.

Meanwhile concert promoter AEG Live has about 100 hours of filmed rehearsals from preparations for Jackson’s 50-concert London comeback that was to have started in July, including the Staples Center run-through on the Wednesday eve of his death, the Hollywood Reporter says. The material could also be mined for a live album.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Record Ratings for BET Awards Jackson Tribute

Ratings for the BET Awards spiked 61% from last year after the show’s last-minute change into a Michael Jackson tribute, the Associated Press says.

Preliminary ratings shows that about 10% of those watching TV Sunday night were tuned to the awards, which featured a moonwalking host Jamie Foxx and an emotional appearance by Janet Jackson, the singer’s sister.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Simon Cowell Offered as Much as $144 Million per Year for New 'Idol' Contract

Simon Cowell has been offered between $100 million and $144 million per year to return to his role as a judge on Fox’s “American Idol,” says the New York Post, citing figures reported by London’s The Guardian.

Cowell currently makes a reported $36 million a year. Fox declined to comment.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough: CBS Slots Another Jackson Special in Primetime

The parade of primetime specials devoted to Michael Jackson will continue Tuesday, with CBS deciding to devote another installment of "48 Hours" to the fallen King of Pop.

The network is dropping a planned "48 Hours Mystery" repeat for "Michael Jackson: Picking up the Pieces," a "48 Hours" special which will air at 10 p.m. Tuesday. It marks the second special Jackson edition of the newsmagazine since the singer died unexpectedly Thursday.

CBS has been relatively conservative with its primetime coverage of Jackson, at least compared to ABC and, in particular, NBC.

NBC has devoted at least part of one hour of primetime to the Jackson story every night since he passed away, except for Saturday.

Monday, the network aired a condensed version of a Martin Bashir-produced Jackson special under the "Dateline" banner. Sunday's "Dateline" included a Jackson segment, while the network aired at least one hour of Jackson programming last Thursday and Friday.

Fox has avoided news coverage of Jackson in primetime. It's instead focused on entertainment programming with a Jackson bent, including a repeat of a Jackson-themed edition of "American Idol."

--Josef Adalian

Discovery's 'Pitchmen' in Limbo After Mays' Sudden Death

Discovery Channel’s Wednesday “Pitchmen” marathon will proceed as planned in the wake of star Billy Mays’ death, but the network isn’t commenting on the future of the series, the New York Daily News says.

The infomercial host Mays was found dead, of heart disease, Sunday in his home in Tampa. The final episode of “Pitchmen,” which followed Mays and a partner as they evaluated new products to pitch, will also air tomorrow evening as planned, along with a graphic noting his death.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Ex-Fox News Columnist Roger Friedman Files $5.2 Million Suit Against Network

Roger Friedman, fired from his Fox News entertainment column in April after reviewing a leaked copy of the 20th Century Fox movie “Wolverine,” filed a $5.2 million wrongful termination suit, the Huffington Post says.

The suit against Fox News, News Corp., 20th Century Fox and Rupert Murdoch was filed Monday in New York State Supreme Court and also seeks damages for tortious interference and libel defamation. Friedman, who later jumped to the Hollywood Reporter, had earlier alleged that News Corp. was looking for an excuse to fire him because of pressure from Scientologists, of whom he had been critical.

--Elizabeth Jensen

New ABC Comedy Role for 'SNL's' Chris Kattan

After a ten-year stint on “Saturday Night Live,” Chris Kattan has joined the cast of ABC’s new sitcom “The Middle,” says The Hollywood Reporter.

He’ll be a series regular on the single-camera series set in the Midwest.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Jon & Kate Take Vow of Media Silence

Amid criticism that they are harming their children, Jon and Kate Gosselin, stars of “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” have pledged to stop talking to the media about their lives, as they head to a divorce, according to a statement on TLC’s Web site, the New York Daily News says.

The statement says: “During this very difficult time we will be working to focus solely on the needs of our family. This includes no longer commenting publicly or reacting to media stories and speculation,” and adds, “Our goal is to do the very best for our children and that will be done as privately as possible.”

The show is currently on hiatus following last week’s divorce filing.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Drea de Matteo Headed to 'Desperate Housewives'

Former “Sopranos” housewife Drea de Martteo is taking up residence on Wisteria Lane, as one of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” EW.com reports.

She’ll play the wife in an Italian family that moves to the neighborhood and will help fill the void left by Nicolette Sheridan’s Edie.

--Elizabeth Jensen

'Earl' Creator Garcia Lands Project at Fox

Just weeks after the end of NBC’s “My Name Is Earl,” the show’s creator, Greg Garcia, has a new put pilot at Fox for a single-camera half-hour, Variety says.

The comedy revolves around a 25-year-old man who unexpectedly finds himself raising an infant, and has to turn to his own young parents for help.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Studios, Networks Lose Supreme Court Bid to Block New DVR Technology

The Supreme Court Monday declined to hear Hollywood studio and TV network arguments seeking to block Cablevision Systems Corp.'s remote-storage DVR technology, the Associated Press says.

The studios and networks argue that the technology violates copyright laws. With the justices declining to hear the case, cable system operators could soon offer an easier, less-expensive, non-box DVR service to subscribers, allowing more commercial skipping by viewers.

--Elizabeth Jensen

NBC's WTVJ in Miami Dismisses Longtime Anchor Craig

NBC’s WTVJ in Miami became the latest local station to say goodbye to a longtime anchor with the dismissal of Kelly Craig on Monday, Broadcasting & Cable says, citing a report on the Web site SFLTV.com.

Anchors Joe Carter and Andrea Brody were also let go, and the station will cancel is weekend morning news. The station wouldn’t confirm or deny the report.

--Elizabeth Jensen

'SVU' Stars Hargitay, Meloni Sign New Deal; Lahti to Guest Star

After a couple months of drama, "Law & Order: SVU" stats Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni have struck new deals with Wolf Films and Universal Media Studios.

That means both actors will be back on the NBC drama next season.  The parties had been at odds over salary, according to published reports.

There was no immediate word on the terms of their new deals.

Meanwhile, "SVU" will start its new season with a big name guest star: Christine Lahti. The actress has signed on to play an ADA for the first four episodes of the season.

As expected, Stephanie March will join "SVU" during episode five of the new season.

--Josef Adalian

'There Goes the Neighborhood' in New CBS Competition Series

CBS will premiere “There Goes the Neighborhood,” a new reality competition series, on Aug. 9.

The eight-episode series pits eight neighboring families, who are enclosed by a 20-foot wall, against each other in family-friendly games for the chance to win $250,000. Without electricity, the families will be forced to compete for upgrades to their homes as they reconnect and bond.

Matt Rogers serves as host of the series, which is produced by Next Entertainment and Jay Bienstock Productions in association with Warner Horizon Television.

“This show is truly a social experiment," said executive producer Mike Fleiss. "We've never seen anything like it before. An entire neighborhood trapped behind a giant wall. It's insane!"

--Vlada Gelman

Style Gets 'Super Sweet 16' From MTV

The Style Network has acquired MTV's “My Super Sweet 16.”

The deal gives Style Network access to select episodes from all seasons of the series to date.

The network will air an eight-episode marathon of the series on July 3 at 5 p.m.

--Vlada Gelman

FCC Chairman Genachowski Reveals Staff Members

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski has announced the members who will make up his staff.

Edward P. Lazarus will serve as chief of staff. He joins the FCC from Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, where he was co-head of the global litigation practice and a member of the firm’s management committee.

Colin Crowell will serve as senior counselor, while Bruce Liang Gottlieb will serve as chief counsel. Cromwell served on the staff of the Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) for 20 years and on the staff of the House of Representatives subcommittee on telecommunications and the Internet. Gottlieb was a legal advisor to FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps from 2006-09.

Genachowski's legal advisors will be Priya Aiyar and Sherrese Smith. Aiyar previously practiced law in the fields of litigation and telecommunications as a partner at Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans and Figel. Smith previously served as vice president and general counsel of Washington Post Digital.

Other appointments include Sherry Gelfand as confidential assistant, Daniel Ornstein as special assistant, Mary Beth Richards as special counsel for FCC reform and Ruth Milkman as head of the Chairman's transition effort in the office.

“The FCC should be a model for excellence in government, and this extraordinarily accomplished team will help us achieve that,” said Chairman Genachowski. “The agency will benefit enormously from their leadership, from their private and public sector experience, and from their dedication to public service. I look forward to drawing on their diverse and strong talents to ensure that the FCC pursues policies that unlock opportunity, unleash innovation and job creation, protect consumers, and help address many of our nation’s most pressing challenges.”

--Vlada Gelman

Chilli, Pepa Set to Spice Things Up at VH1

VH1 is teaming up with two familiar hip-hop artists for its latest celebrity-oriented reality shows.

Sandra “Pepa” Denton of Salt n Pepa and Chilli from TLC will each get their own series, premiering in 2010. The untitled projects will follow their lives as single women.

The untitled “Pepa” series finds Pepa reemerging after deciding to give up sex for four years in order to find the one. She will be joined by three girlfriends also searching for love. The series is produced by Left/Right, Inc.

“Chilli” follows the R&B superstar as she enlists the help of Brooklyn relationship expert Tionna Smalls. The series comes from FremantleMedia North America.

The network has ordered eight half-hour episodes of “Pepa” and “Chilli.”

VH1 has also given “I Love NY's” Frank “The Entertainer” Moresco his own series for 2010. “The Entertainer” will feature Moresco's parents and his infamous basement bachelor pad. The 10 one-hour episodes from 51 Minds will give him the opportunity to find love from a group of hopefuls and finally move out of his parent's home.

Additionally, the network has renewed “Celebrity Fit Club” and “Sober House With Dr. Drew.”

“No matter if you’re a Grammy Award winning artist, a film actor or a TV reality star with millions of loyal fans, we all share the same desires of the human experience … to succeed, to love, and to live our lives to their fullest potential,” said Jeff Olde, executive VP of original programming & production for VH1. “VH1 has generated a lot of buzz over the years by evolving from an outlet that commented on pop culture to a brand that creates it. With these projects, we’re continuing to evolve, building on our core storytelling expertise to delve deeper into personalities and issues that connect with millions of our viewers.”

--Vlada Gelman

Starz Sends 'Spartacus'' Lawless, Tapert, DeKnight to Comic-Con

Starz will give San Diego Comic-Con International attendees a first look at its new series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” on July 24.

The network will present a panel with stars Lucy Lawless, Peter Mensah, Andy Whitfield and executive producers Rob Tapert and Steven S. DeKnight.

The panel will also feature the unveiling of an exclusive comic book mini-series inspired by the series with a special Comic-Con cover from Devil's Due Publishing.

The series is slated to premiere in January 2010.

--Vlada Gelman

NBC, CBS Top RTNDA Murrow Award Winners

NBC News has won five 2009 National Edward R. Murrow Awards, including one for overall excellence, it has been announced by the Radio-Television News Directors Association, which administers the Murrows.

"CBS Evening News" received the Murrow for network newscast, while CBS' "60 Minutes" was honored in the hard news feature, feature reporting and investigative reporting categories.

In all, 51 news organizations were honored with 79 awards, which honor excellence in electronic journalism.

A complete list of winners can be found here.

--Tom Gilbert

Jackson Doctor Denies Report He Gave Singer Demerol; Jackson’s Ex-Wife Debbie Rowe Breaks Silence, Says Kids Not Fathered by Jackson

Michael Jackson’s physician Dr. Conrad Murphy never prescribed or gave the singer the drug Demerol, attorney Edward Chernoff told the Associated Press, denying reports that said the doctor may have given Jackson the drug and possibly contributed to his death.

Jackson still had a faint pulse when the doctor reached him in bed, the attorney said, but he wasn’t breathing.

Meanwhile, Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe, the mother of his two oldest children, Prince and Paris, told News of the World that she was impregnated with sperm from an anonymous donor and not Jackson, Gawker says. “I was just the vessel. It wasn't Michael's sperm,” Rowe told the British tabloid. While Jackson was alive, Rowe was legally bound to keep silent about the children.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Quick Jackson Makeover for BET Awards; Joe Jackson Plugs New Venture in 'Cringe-Worthy' Interview

Sunday’s BET Awards were quickly revamped into a tribute to Michael Jackson,Variety says.

The red carpet arrivals wore white gloves to honor the late King of Pop, and the show opened with a version of “ABC,” one of the Jackson 5’s first hits. A half-hour was added to the telecast to squeeze in all the tributes, including an appearance by sister Janet Jackson, who thanked fans for their “love and support,” says ET Online.

Father Joe Jackson, however, in a red carpet interview with CNN that Gawker called “completely cringe-worthy,” was less-than-emotional about his son’s death and at one point even plugged his new Blu-Ray disc.

--Elizabeth Jensen

‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ Coming Back for Second Season

Bravo is bringing back “Real Housewives of New Jersey” for a second season, the New York Daily News says, citing a report from Life & Style.

The hold-up in the renewal was money, but with compensation worked out, shooting on the new season will begin within a month, according to an insider.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Billy Mays Died of Heart Attack, Not Head Injury

TV pitchman Billy Mays apparently died of a heart attack, the Los Angeles Times is reporting.

Preliminary autopsy results show that Mays suffered from hypertensive heart disease, Hillsborough County Medical Examiner Vernard Adams said during a televised news conference this morning, The Times says.

Adams also said the autopsy showed no evidence of trauma to the head, either external or internal, that might have been caused by a rough airplane landing Mays experienced Saturday, the Times said.

Mays died Sunday in his Tampa, Fla., home.

--Tom Gilbert

Rabbi Foresaw Jackson's Tragic End

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a friend and advisor to Michael Jackson, blogged on the Huffington Post that he saw the superstar's tragic end coming years ago.

"In the two years that I had attempted, ultimately unsuccessfully, to help Michael repair his life what most frightened me was not that he would be arrested again for child molestation, although he later was. Rather it was that he would die," the rabbi wrote.

NBC Buys Rights to Bashir's 2003 Jackson Documentary

ABC News’ Martin Bashir was all over rival MSNBC's telecasts over the weekend weekend, after NBC News bought the rights to “Living with Michael Jackson,” a 2003 ITV1 documentary that Bashir conducted, Variety says.

NBC will also air the one-hour version of the program—which provoked the child molestation charges against Jackson, after he talked to Bashir about sharing his bedroom with children who weren’t his own—on “Dateline NBC” tonight.

Bashir is now an anchor of ABC News’ “Nightline.”

--Elizabeth Jensen

Upfront Market Could Become Clearer This Week

The extent of the drop in upfront spending may become apparent this week, with at least one initial deal poised to conclude and other negotiations starting, Variety says.

ABC is getting closer to beginning negotiations, even as NBC Universal is working on its GroupM deal that is looking at 7% CPM declines for NBC in primetime. CBS, Fox and CW are said to be holding off until this week to begin discussions.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Kate Gosselin’s Next Book May Be Postponed

Publisher Zondervan looks like it’s going to push back the publication date of Kate Gosselin’s new book in the wake of her divorce from Jon, says the New York Post.

Her cookbook, “Love Is in the Mix: Making Meals Into Memories,” was set to be published in November.

Paula Abdul, Nigel Lythgoe Negotiate Over Twitter for Jackson Tribute

Paula Abdul and Nigel Lythgoe, creator of “So You Think You Can Dance,” twittered through the weekend about possible plans to produce a tribute to Michael Jackson on the Fox show, the New York Post says.

Lythgoe, who uses the Twitter name “dizzyfeet,” tweeted that rights clearances to Jackson’s music were a hold-up in the plans for an all-Jackson version of his show.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Fox's L.A. TV Stations Anticipate Laying Off Up to 95 Staffers

Fox's Los Angeles KTTV-TV/KCOP-TV duopoly stations notified staffers on Friday that as many as 95 of them could be laid off, the Hollywood Reporter says.

The employees were given 60-day layoff notices, which could result in the actual headcount reduction later, depending on how the ad market is doing.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Disney Channel’s ‘Princess’ Movie Scores

Disney Channel’s “Princess Protection Program” gave the network its highest original movie performance in more than a year with its June 26 debut, says Multichannel News.

The premiere drew 8.5 million viewers, putting it third on the network’s original movie list, behind “High School Musical 2” and “Camp Rock.”

--Elizabeth Jensen

Airplane Repo Reality Show in the Works

Craig Piligian, the executive producer of “Dirty Jobs,” is looking to the busy and profitable world of airplane repossession work for his next series, Variety says.

The producer secured rights to repo man Nick Popovich -- whose Sage-Popovich specializes in the risky business of wresting back possession of airplanes and other valuable items -- and is looking for a cable network home for the series.

--Elizabeth Jensen

But, Wait, There's No More: Infomercial King Billy Mays, 50, Dies Quietly in Sleep, Joining David Carradine, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson in Month of Untimely Celebrity Deaths

Infomercial pitchman Billy Mays, who had been starring in a reality show for Discovery Channel, died at his home in Tampa, Florida today. He was 50.

"It is with incredible sadness that we have to report that Billy Mays died in his sleep last night," Discovery said in a statement Sunday morning. "Everyone that knows him was aware of his larger-than-life personality, generosity and warmth. Billy was a pioneer in his field and helped many people fulfill their dreams. He will be greatly missed as a loyal and compassionate friend. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family at this time of incredible loss. More information will be distributed as it becomes available."

Mays became famous during the past decade for his work hawking products such as Oxi-Clean, Orange Glo and the Hercules Hook. He also promoted ESPN's web venture, ESPN360, in a series of parody spots that began airing last year.

This spring, Mays made the transition from pitchman to on-air talent, co-starring in the Discovery Channel reality series "Pitchmen" opposite fellow infomercial personality Anthony Sullivan. The series premiered April 15.

Mays and Sullivan appeared on "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" last Monday. Ironically, Mays talked about working for the same company as recently deceased TV icon Ed McMahon.

News of Mays' passing first leaked out  via the microblogging service Twitter. Mays' son, Billy III, announced the news on his Twitter feed around 11 a.m. Florida time.

"My dad didn't wake up this morning," he wrote. "I'm sure you'll all hear about it. It hasn't yet hit me but it's about to."

Weekend TV: Wall-to-Wall Coverage of Jackson, Fawcett Deaths Planned

If you're not interested in Michael Jackson or Farrah Fawcett retrospectives, you might want to keep the TV turned off this weekend.

Broadcast and cable networks are rushing to fill their schedules with various tributes to the fallen pop icons. ABC is planning a new special for tonight at 9, while NBC will turn over its entire primetime lineup to programming related to the stars.

E! Online has a comprehensive list of programming announced so far here.

--Josef Adalian

Shocker! Farrah Fawcett Outdraws Jackson In Battle of Quickie Specials

ABC's Farrah Fawcett hour emerged as the most popular of the instant news specials broadcast Thursday night as networks rushed to deal with the stunning deaths of two pop culture icons.

Primetime on much of broadcast TV took on the feel of E! or VH1 as images of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett filled the airwaves, with no less than four different programs on three networks vying for viewers.

ABC's Barbara Walters-hosted "20/20" special on former "Charlie's Angel" star Farrah Fawcett generated the biggest audience of all the coverage among adults 18-49. It averaged a 2.3/7 in the demo from 10-11 p.m.

CBS's "The Life and Death of Michael Jackson," airing in the same timeslot, scored a 1.9/6, ranking second for the hour.

NBC's two-hour "Dateline," with a split focus on both Jackson and Fawcett, earned a 1.7/5 from 9-11 p.m. During the 10 p.m. hour, NBC's coverage also averaged a 1.6/5.

Among all viewers, in the 10 p.m. hour, "20/20" notched 8.3 million viewers, vs. 7.6 million for CBS and 5.8 million for NBC.

At 9 p.m., ABC's Michael Jackson special averaged a 1.7/5, tying the first hour of NBC's "Dateline."

Because there were more shows devoted to Jackson, his passing clearly generated the most combined interest from viewers. Still, it's noteworthy that ABC was able to emerge in first place at 10 p.m. with coverage of Fawcett, even though the network was up against two Jackson specials.

Cable news ratings, to be released later today, will no doubt show a huge explosion of viewer interest as well.

Meanwhile, Fox opted against any primetime coverage of the Jackson or Fawcett deaths, yet still won the night.

"So You Think You Can Dance" (2.5/7) was the No. 1 show of the night, though it was down from last week (2.9/9). And a repeat "Bones" (1.4/5) also won its hour. 

--Josef Adalian

Hunt on for Jackson's Doctor--Demerol Involved?; Family, Long Concerned About Drug Dependency, Tried Intervention

Los Angeles police are searching for Michael Jackson's personal physician to question him after allegations that the singer received a potentially fatal dose of the painkiller Demerol before his death, London's Times Online is reporting.

People is reporting that Jackson's family members have been concerned for years that the singer's escalating dependence on prescription drugs had become a danger to his life , and even attempted an intervention in Las Vegas.

The publication is also reporting that when a fan attended Michael Jackson's rehearsal for his U.K tour Monday, she was horrified to see him looking like "a skeleton," quoting an email she sent that day to other Jackson fans as saying, "I have to say: He may die."

--Tom Gilbert

How Harvey Levin and TMZ Scooped the World on Jackson

TMZ.com chief Harvey Levin isn't upset that many news organizations declined to credit his Time Warner-owned website with breaking the story of Michael Jackson's death, the media maven tells the Los Angeles Times.

"That's typical," he told the Times, referring to the lack of credit. "No matter what they say, people know we broke the story. That's how competitors handle it. There's no issue about our credibility."

Interestingly, despite owning the story on the web, the syndicated newsmagazine version of TMZ didn't make mention of the Jackson death during its opening segment last night.

--Josef Adalian

Jackson's Death Spurs Conspiracy Theories, Speculation on Web

 The Internet was filled with conspiracy theories and speculation in the wake of Michael Jackson's death while genuine questions about the cause remained, the Telegraph reports.

The U.K. publication cites Hollywood blogger Perez Hilton's initial post that he was "dubious" about Jackson fallling ill, saying that he had pulled a "similar stunt" when he was getting ready for a big appearance in 1995.

The Internet theories cited also included the suggestion that Jackson faked his death and pocketed money from his upcoming comeback performances to solve his financial difficulties.

--Tom Gilbert

Fox to Repeat Jackson Episode of 'Idol'

 Fox plans to pay tribute to the late Michael Jackson Monday by repeating last season's episode of "American Idol" devoted to his music, according to Reality Blurred.

The Web site said the decision was announced at the end of tonight's edition of "So You Think You Can Dance."  It's the first time Fox has ever repeated an "Idol" episode.

--Josef Adalian

Ryan Gets 'Leverage'; Pellegrino Is 'Supernatural's' Devil

Jeri Ryan has landed a recurring role on TNT's "Leverage," The Hollywood Reporter says.

Ryan will play a smart-ass, street-wise con woman who gets sucked into the "Leverage" family.

Meanwhile, Entertainment Weekly reports that The CW's "Supernatural" has cast Mark Pellegrino as Lucifer. His role is recurring, which means he may return to "Lost" next season as Jacob.

--Vlada Gelman

Showtime Slates 'Nurse Jackie' Marathon for Independence Day

Showtime will air a marathon of its new series “Nurse Jackie” on July 4.

The two-hour marathon beginning at 8 p.m. will consist of the first four episodes.

--Vlada Gelman

WGN Honors Fawcett With 'Angels' Marathon This Weekend

WGN America will pay tribute to the late Farrah Fawcett with a “Charlie's Angels” marathon this weekend.

The two-day marathon will feature 10 episodes, as well as hosted interstitials highlighting Fawcett's career.

Two episodes will air on Saturday beginning at 7 p.m. CT. Eight more will follow on Sunday at 4 p.m. CT.

-- Vlada Gelman

Upfront Gets Into Gear With NBC, Group M Deal

The television upfront market finally appears to be moving, as NBC Universal and GroupM close in on a broadcast and cable deal for the coming season, Adweek says.

The broadcast portion of the deal, sources say, includes a drop in primetime CPMs of 7% compared to last season, while the cable CPMs are said to be between flat and minus-2%.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Strickling Gets Senate Approval for NTIA Post; FCC Nominees Put Forward

Larry Strickling received full Senate approval for his nomination as assistant secretary of Commerce for communications and information, in charge of the National Telecommunications & Information Administration, which advises the White House on communications policy, Broadcasting & Cable says.

Meanwhile, with nominee Julius Genachowski now approved for the FCC Chairman post, the White House nominated former acting NTIA head Meredith Attwell Baker for the Republican FCC seat previously held by Deborah Taylor Tate, B&C says. Baker steped down from NTIA in January with the administration changeover.

Mignon Clyburn was also put forth by the White House for a Democratic FCC seat, Multichannel News says. She is a South Carolina public service commissioner; her father is House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.).

--Elizabeth Jensen

Exclusive: Michael Jackson Was the Key to Establishing MTV as the Success It Became, Former CEO Freston Says

Michael Jackson practically single-handedly was responsible for the success of one of the biggest phenomena in TV history: MTV.

In November, 1982, a little more than a year after MTV debuted, Jackson released the album “Thriller,” which would go on to become the best-selling album of all time, with sales of over 100 million.

At the time, relatively few videos from black artists were on MTV. When Jackson released a video of “Billie Jean” to promote “Thriller,” MTV picked it up. The “Billie Jean” video, and the others released to promote the album, were the “supercharger to MTV’s breakthrough success back in the ‘80s,” Tom Freston told TVWeek early this morning in an email from Europe, where he is travelling.

Freston, MTV’s former CEO, is a long-time pop music lover and has known many of the top music artists of the 1980s and 1990s. He said of Jackson, “He was the giant of his age, a genuine phenomena, not some engineered pop star. He crowned himself The King of Pop,’ and, while he has certainly had his ups and downs, no one can deny his genius. RIP, Michael.”

Indeed, back in the early ‘80s, when the ad slogan “I Want My MTV” became part of the culture, it could have been a substitute for “I Want My Michael Jackson.” Jackson’s success on MTV also encouraged the network to show more videos from other black artists.

Not only was TV such a key element in Jackson’s music success, his TV interviews with such mega TV stars as Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer focused a camera on his personal life, that, as time went by, become increasingly fascinating to many.

Indeed, after 14 years of media silence, Jackson decided in 1993 that it was OK to talk to Winfrey, whose interview with the pop star aired on ABC and was one of the most mesmerizing TV interviews ever broadcast. (We couldn’t find any legitimate version online, but click here for a transcript of that interview.)

Equally compelling were Jackson’s interviews with Walters and Sawyer—hightlights of those interviews aired on ABC’s Jackson special last night.

--Chuck Ross

CNN's Anderson Cooper Remembers Going to Studio 54 with Jackson at Age 10

As part of CNN's coverage of Michael Jackson's death, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper told a story about going to Studio 54 when he was 10 with Jackson and other friends, says the Huffington Post.

He joked that “Why I was at Studio 54 is a whole other story... Child welfare authorities probably want to talk to my mom”—actress and socialite Gloria Vanderbilt.

--Elizabeth Jensen

CBS and Affiliates Plot 'Project LENO' Pushback

CBS and its affiliates will fight back against NBC’s fall 10 p.m. Jay Leno talk show with a marketing campaign that, coincidentally, is called a “Late prime Enhanced News Opportunity,” or “Project LENO,” Variety says.

CBS tools for stations include TV and radio spots, Web banners and behind-the-scenes clips of CBS’ 10 p.m. series.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Oprah 'Gift' Cruise Gift Could Trigger Tax Bill for 1,700 Staffers

Oprah Winfrey gave 1,700 of her staff a 10-day Mediterranean luxury cruise, reportedly at a cost of $9.2 million, and now they might have to come up with more than $1,000 in federal taxes each, the New York Post says.

An Oprah spokesman said the cruise was a gift and shouldn’t be taxed, but a tax law professor said she’s doubtful the IRS will agree.

--Elizabeth Jensen

More Cable Networks Join Comcast Online Test

Scripps Networks, Cablevision Systems' Rainbow Media, A&E Television Networks and Comcast Networks have joined the Comcast test that will make cable TV content available online on a password-protected basis to cable and satellite subscribers, Multichannel News reports.

Time Warner’s TNT and TBS were part of the official Wednesday announcement of the “TV Everywhere” trial slated for July, but sources said content will also be available from Rainbow Media's AMC, Sundance Channel, IFC and WE tv, as well as Scripps, AETN and some Comcast-owned networks.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Noah Wyle, Spielberg Team Up Again for TNT Alien Invasion Pilot

Noah Wyle, a former star of “ER,” has signed on as the lead in another Steven Spielberg production, this one an alien-invasion series for cable’s TNT, the Hollywood Reporter says.

Wyle will play the leader of a group that fights back against the invaders.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Garcia Goes from 'Privileged' to 'Gossip Girl'

“Privileged” star Joanna Garcia has been cast in a recurring role on the CW’s “Gossip Girl,” The Hollywood Reporter says.

She’ll play an evil Southerner who has a fling with Chace Crawford’s Nate character.

--Elizabeth Jensen

In His Own Words: Ed McMahon on Carson and the 'Tonight' Days

In the Sept. 27, 2004, edition of TelevisionWeek, which observed the 50th anniversary of NBC's "Tonight Show," the late Ed McMahon recalled his long association with Johnny Carson and the seminal late-night talk show's early days. The article is republished here.

In Other News: FCC Gets a New Chairman

Julius Genachowski has been confirmed by the Senate as the new head of the FCC, TheWrap reports. He is expected to be sworn in next week.

Michael Jackson Dies; Nets Will Air Primetime Specials on His Life

Pop icon Michael Jackson has died, not long after being  rushed to UCLA Medical Center this afternoon after paramedics discovered him unconscious at his home in Bel Air, Calif., the Los Angeles Times reports.

ABC News -- which had scored several exclusive interviews with Jackson during his career-- has already scheduled a primetime special about Jackson's life for this evening at 9 p.m.

NBC has also expanded tonight's previously announced Farrah Fawcett special to two hours and will now devoted 9-11 p.m. to retrospectives on both pop icons.

CBS has also decided to air a primetime special on Jackson at 10 p.m. this evening. The hour may also include coverage of Fawcett's passing.

Paramedics responded to a 911 call at Jackson's home around 12:26 p.m. Jackson was not breathing when they arrived. The paramedics performed CPR on Jackson before taking him to the hospital.

TMZ.com first reported the news of Jackson's death.

--Vlada Gelman and Josef Adalian

Fawcett Dies After Cancer Battle

Actress Farrah Fawcett died today in Santa Monica, Calif., after a long battle with cancer, Entertainment Weekly reports.

“After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away," said longtime love Ryan O'Neal in a statement. "Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends, we take comfort in the beautiful times that we shared with Farrah over the years and the knowledge that her life brought joy to so many people around the world."

Fawcett, who was best known for “Charlie's Angels,” was 62.

"Not all of her performances will stand the test of time, but what is worth remembering is how hard Farrah Fawcett tried," the New York Times writes in a remembrance.

“20/20” will air the special “Farrah's Love” with O'Neal tonight at 10 p.m. Meanwhile, NBC confirmed that it will air a follow-up to the documentary “Farrah's Story” tonight at 10 p.m., as well. “Farrah's Story” will be rebroadcast on Friday.

TV Land will pay tribute to the actress by airing the first two episodes of her 2005 TV Land series “Chasing Farrah” on June 27.

--Vlada Gelman

Letterman Beats Conan in Viewers for Full Week

CBS' “Late Show With David Letterman” beat NBC's “The Tonight Show” for the first time in viewers for a full week of original broadcasts since December 2005.

“Late Show” delivered an average 3.46 million viewers for the week ending June 19 versus “The Tonight Show's” 3.32 million, according to Nielsen live plus same day ratings.

“Late Show” garnered a 2.5 household rating for the week, once again beating “The Tonight Show” with 2.3.

The gap between the two late night programs among adults 18-49 is also narrowing. “Late Show” was just -0.5 rating points behind “The Tonight Show” this week, inching up from -0.6 last week and improving greatly from-1.4 during Conan's premiere week.

--Vlada Gelman

Warner Bros. TV Group Reveals Comic-Con Slate

Warner Bros. Television Group will present panels for 11 shows at San Diego Comic-Con International.

WBTVG will kick things off on preview night, Wednesday, July 22, with pilot screenings of Fox's “Human Target,” ABC's “V” and The CW's “The Vampire Diaries.”

On Friday, July 24, WBTVG will host panels for “Batman: The Brave and the Bold,” “The Big Bang Theory” and new series “Past Life.”

Saturday's agenda includes panels for “Chuck,” “Eastwick,” “Fringe,” “Human Target,” “V” and “The Vampire Diaries.” The sessions for new series “Eastwick,” “Human Target,” “V” and “The Vampire Diaries” will include full pilot screenings.

WBTVG will close out the Con on Sunday with “Smallville” and “Supernatural.”

Additionally, the studio will set-up its two-story booth on the exhibition hall floor. It will host autograph signings, video game demos and giveaways, including WBTVG's coveted Comic-Con bags.

A Comic-Con related Web site will be making its debut at www.TheWB.com/ComicCon in July. Until then, fans can follow the studio on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TheWBdotcom.

Panel descriptions from WBTVG's press release can be found below:

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2009

Special Sneak Peek Pilot Screenings – Comic-Con and Warner Bros. Television proudly present exclusive pilot premiere screenings of some of the most buzzed-about new TV series of the 2009–2010 season – Human Target, The Vampire Diaries and V – as well as an exclusive preview trailer for additional upcoming shows. Ballroom 20

FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2009

Batman: The Brave and the Bold Screening and Q&A – Gotham takes over San Diego as Diedrich Bader (Surf's Up), the voice of Batman, returns to Comic-Con alongside executive producer Sam Register (Teen Titans), producer James Tucker (Justice League Unlimited), producer and story editor Michael Jelenic (The Batman) and voice director Andrea Romano (Superman Doomsday). Fans can catch the world premiere screening of the upcoming “Mayhem of the Music Meister” episode – featuring the voice of Neil Patrick Harris (Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog) as the Music Meister – and enjoy a lively discussion and Q&A with the show’s dynamic creative team. From Warner Bros. Animation, Batman: The Brave and the Bold airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Cartoon Network. Batman: The Brave and the Bold Volume 1 will be released on DVD August 25. Room 6DE.

The Big Bang Theory Screening and Q&A – Bazinga! Your favorite scientists and girl-next-door are back as The Big Bang Theory returns to Comic-Con with a special screening and a Q&A with the show's creators and stars. Come chat with executive producers Chuck Lorre (Two and a Half Men) and Bill Prady (Dharma & Greg), as well as series stars Johnny Galecki (Roseanne), Jim Parsons (Garden State), Kaley Cuoco (Charmed), Simon Helberg (Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog) and Kunal Nayyar (NCIS). From Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television, The Big Bang Theory airs Mondays at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network. The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Second Season is released on DVD September 15. Ballroom 20.

Past Life Pilot Screening and Q&A – Past Life makes its debut at Comic-Con with a screening of the pilot episode and a Q&A with the show's creator and stars. Come talk with executive producer David Hudgins (Friday Night Lights) as well as series stars Kelli Giddish (Damages), Nicholas Bishop (Above the Law) and Ravi Patel (Scrubs) and learn more about this fast-paced emotional thriller in which a gifted psychologist and former detective must work together to unravel mysteries that must be solved in both the past and the present. From Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television, Past Life will air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT midseason on FOX. Room 6A.

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2009

Chuck Screening and Q&A – Chuck returns to Comic-Con! Join executive producers and co-creators Josh Schwartz (Gossip Girl) and Chris Fedak, along with series stars Zachary Levi (upcoming Alvin and the Chipmunks), Yvonne Strahovski (upcoming I Love You Too), Joshua Gomez (Without a Trace), Ryan McPartlin (Super Capers), Mark Christopher Lawrence (The Pursuit of Happyness), Vik Sahay (This Is Wonderland), Scott Krinsky (The O.C.), Sarah Lancaster (Everwood) and Adam Baldwin (Serenity) for a Q&A to discuss season three and screen an exclusive retrospective highlight reel. Plus, don't miss a special surprise from some of your favorite characters! Produced by College Hill Pictures, Wonderland Sound and Vision in association with Warner Bros. Television, Chuck airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Ballroom 20.

Eastwick Pilot Screening and Q&A – Be among the first to see the pilot of the highly anticipated series Eastwick. Based on the John Updike novel and the hit film The Witches of Eastwick, this sexy and bold comedic drama centers on three young witches whose powers are awakened when a mysterious man moves to town. Be careful what you wish for – the perfect man truly may be the Devil! Join series stars Rebecca Romijn (X-Men), Lindsay Price (Lipstick Jungle), Jaime Ray Newman (Veronica Mars) and Paul Gross (Due South), along with creator/executive producer Maggie Friedman (Related) and director/executive producer David Nutter (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) as they answer questions from the audience after this exclusive sneak peek. Produced by Warner Bros. Television, Eastwick will air Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT this fall on the ABC Television Network. Room 6A.

V Pilot Screening and Q&A – Already one of the most talked-about new series of the upcoming television season, catch a special screening of the pilot episode of V, a reimagining of the groundbreaking miniseries, followed by a Q&A with stars Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost), Morris Chestnut (The Cave), Joel Gretsch (The 4400), Morena Baccarin (Firefly) and Scott Wolf (Go), along with executive producers Scott Peters (The 4400), Jeffrey Bell (Alias), Steve Pearlman (Related) and Jace Hall (Chadam). From HDFilms in association with Warner Bros. Television, V will premiere midseason on the ABC Television Network. Ballroom 20.

Fringe Screening and Q&A – Fringe cast members Anna Torv (upcoming The Pacific), Josh Jackson (Shutter) and John Noble (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) return to Comic-Con along with consulting producers Alex Kurtzman & Robert Orci (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) and executive producers Jeff Pinkner (Lost) and J.H. Wyman (Keen Eddie) for a Q&A with fans and an exclusive video presentation. Join the discussion of this critically acclaimed thriller, which explores the ever-blurring line between science fiction and reality, where hybrid monsters tear through sewers, thieves walk through walls and portals open to worlds unknown. From Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, Fringe will air Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT this fall on FOX, premiering September 17. Fringe: The Complete First Season will be released on DVD and Blu-ray™ Hi Def September 8. Ballroom 20.

Human Target Pilot Screening and Q&A – Join Human Target stars Mark Valley (Fringe), Chi McBride (Pushing Daisies) and Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen) along with the show's executive producers Jon Steinberg (Jericho), Brad Kern (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) and Peter Johnson (Supernatural: Origins Comic Book Series) for an exclusive Q&A and a screening of the highly anticipated pilot based on the popular DC Comics title about a mysterious agent for hire who assumes different identities, literally becoming a human target on behalf of his clients. From Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Wonderland Sound and Vision, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Television, Human Target will air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT beginning in January 2010 on FOX. Room 6BCF.

The Vampire Diaries Pilot Screening and Q&A – Join The Vampire Diaries stars Nina Dobrev (Degrassi: The Next Generation), Paul Wesley (Killer Movie) and Ian Somerhalder (Lost), along with executive producer/writer Kevin Williamson (Scream), writer Julie Plec (Kyle XY) and executive producer Bob Levy (Gossip Girl), as the series makes its Comic-Con debut with a screening of the much-talked-about pilot and a Q&A. This edgy and romantic new drama, in which two vampire brothers – one good, one evil – are at war for the soul of one girl, is based upon the best-selling book series of the same name. Lynette Rice of Entertainment Weekly will moderate. From Bonanza Productions Inc., Outerbanks Entertainment and Alloy Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios, The Vampire Diaries will air Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT this fall on The CW, premiering September 10. Room 6BCF.

SUNDAY, JULY 26, 2009

Smallville Screening and Q&A – Comic-Con favorite Smallville returns, as showrunners Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson join cast members including Smallville’s Lois Lane – Erica Durance (House of the Dead) – Justin Hartley (Gemini Division), Cassidy Freeman (Finishing the Game: The Search for a New Bruce Lee) and others (yet to be announced) to talk about the year ahead, answer fan questions and give an exclusive sneak peek at clips from season nine. Award-winning comic book writer, Emmy®-nominated film and television writer/producer, and Smallville alum Jeph Loeb (Heroes) will moderate the session. From Tollin/Robbins Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, Smallville will air Fridays at 8:00 p.m. this fall on The CW, premiering September 25. Smallville: The Complete Eighth Season will be released on DVD and Blu-ray™ Hi Def August 25. Room 6BCF.

Supernatural Screening and Q&A – Join Supernatural stars Misha Collins (24) and Jim Beaver (Deadwood), creator/executive producer Eric Kripke (Boogeyman), and executive producers Ben Edlund (Angel) and Sera Gamble (Eyes) for an exclusive sneak peek at footage from the highly anticipated fifth season premiere of this thrill-ride series. They’ll also answer questions from the audience and show a portion of the special features from the upcoming fourth season DVD release. Produced by Wonderland Sound and Vision in association with Warner Bros. Television, Supernatural airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, premiering September 10. Supernatural: The Complete Fourth Season will be released on DVD and Blu-ray™ Hi-Def September 1. Room 6BCF.

--Vlada Gelman

No ‘Real Housewives’ Sex Tape for Now

A New Jersey Superior Court Judge granted a temporary restraining order request to Danielle Staub, one of Bravo’s “Real Housewives of New Jersey,” that will prohibit a former boyfriend from making public a sexually explicit video of her, the Associated Press reported.

The ex-boyfriend, Stephen Zalewski, was also ordered to produce all copies of the video and any sexually explicit pictures of Staub, who said she was unaware of the video until reading about it in a magazine. A hearing was set for July 21.

Meanwhile, part one of the “Real Housewives” reunion special Tuesday was the highest-rated reunion show among any of the “Housewives” versions so far, says Broadcasting & Cable, with 2.89 million viewers.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Update from Cronkite’s Family: He’s ‘Very Ill and Is Not Expected to Recuperate’

The children of longtime CBS Newsman Walter Cronkite, who is 92 and had been the subject of conflicting health reports last week, are trying to set the record straight on the state of his cerebrovascular disease, the New York Post says.

They sent Post columnist Linda Stasi an email that said: "In order to dispel false rumors, Walter Cronkite's family want it known that, sadly, he is very ill and is not expected to recuperate; he is resting at home surrounded by family, friends and a wonderful medical team. We thank everyone for their prayers and good wishes."

--Elizabeth Jensen

Jon & Kate Choose Court That Will Seal Divorce Papers

Jon and Kate Gosselin filed for divorce in Montgomery County, Pa. not Berks County, where they live, and one reason may be because of a local rule that places divorce proceedings under an automatic seal, barring them from the media and the public, the Associated Press says.

In Berks County, which is about 50 miles from Montgomery, the records for the stars of TLC’s “Jon & Kate Plus Eight” would be open to anyone.

--Elizabeth Jensen

HBO’s Scott Carlin Is Leaving

HBO’s president of domestic distribution, Scott Carlin, is leaving the pay cable network and won’t be replaced, Variety reports.

He said that HBO has fewer series to sell into syndication at the moment, with many of the network’s original shows not having lasted long enough to generate enough episodes.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Second Circuit Rejects Cablevision Must-Carry Challenge

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Cablevision’s challenge to the FCC’s must-carry ruling that the cable system has to carry upstate WRNN on systems in New York’s Long Island suburbs, Broadcasting & Cable says.

The court said the must-carry provisions are not meant merely to help stations replicate their DMA. Cablevision said it disagrees with the decision and is reviewing its options.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Nielsen: 2.1 Million TV Homes Still Digitally Disconnected

Nielsen says some 400,000 homes are no longer without a digital TV connection since the digital switchover, but that still leaves 2.1 million TV households unable to receive a DTV signal as of June 21, says Broadcasting & Cable.

The numbers don’t include households that have the proper boxes but can’t get a signal because of power issues.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Jeff Clarke Retiring from SF’s KQED

Jeff Clarke, president and CEO of San Francisco’s public broadcaster KQED since 2002, is retiring, the San Francisco Chronicle says.

Clarke—who will stay in the job for one year, or until transition to a replacement is completed—vastly expanded the reach of KQED in Northern California. KQED’s TV station is one of the most-watched public stations nationwide, and its radio station also pulls in a large listenership.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Berlanti, Levitan Slated for LATV Fest Luncheons

The LATV Fest will feature two prolific television writer-producers at its Industry Insight luncheons.

TVWeek.com Editor Josef Adalian will moderate a discussion with Greg Berlanti (“Brothers & Sisters,” “Eli Stone,” “Everwood,” “Dawson's Creek”) on July 8.

Steven Levitan, creator of ABC's upcoming fall comedy “Modern Family” and “Just Shoot Me,” will speak July 9. Broadcasting & Cable's Melissa Grego will serve as moderator.

LATV Fest will kickoff on July 7 with a party hosted by the Hollywood Radio & Television Society at X bar at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. RSVP information can be found at www.hrts.com.

--Vlada Gelman

BBC, WGBH Team Up for 'Emma,' 'Cranford 2'

BBC Worldwide Sales and Distribution and WGBH will co-produce “Emma” and “Cranford 2” for Masterpiece Classic.

“Emma” will star Romola Garai as the title charachter, Sir Michael Gambon as her father and Jonny Lee Miller as Mr. Knightley.

The two-part sequel “Cranford 2” welcomes back Dame Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Francesca Annis and Eileen Atkins. New cast members include Jonathan Pryce, Tom Hiddleston and Tim Curry.

“Following Cranford’s success in the U.S. and UK, we are excited to be working with WGBH again to bring its sequel, Cranford 2, as well as the Jane Austen’s classical tale, Emma, to audiences next year,” said Susanna Pollack, SVP of sales & distribution for BBC Worldwide, Americas.

BBC Worldwide and WGBH will also co-produce the miniseries “Small Island” starring Naomie Harris and “Framed” based on Frank Cottrell Boyce's children's novel.

Additionally, WGBH has acquired “Sharpe’s Peril,” “Sharpe’s Challenge” and “39 Steps” from BBC Worldwide.

All the programs will air on WGBH's Masterpiece Classic on PBS in early 2010.

--Vlada Gelman

Daily Radio Show for Rosie O’Donnell

Former TV talk show host Rosie O’Donnell is coming back to the daily grind, but on radio, says the Associated Press.

Beginning in the fall, she’ll host a daily radio show on satellite service Sirius XM Radio called “Rosie Radio.”

--Elizabeth Jensen

Original Premiere Ratings Record for Telemundo

Telemundo’s new telenovela, “Los Victorinos,” was the Spanish-language network’s highest-rated original 10 p.m. premiere ever, Mediaweek says.

The Tuesday premiere drew 995,000 viewers 18-49, according to Nielsen statistics, and 1.58 million total viewers.

--Elizabeth Jensen

NBC's 'Leno Show', Thursday Comedies Get Head Start

NBC will stick to a pretty traditional premiere week launch strategy this fall, with one big exception: Its Thursday comedy block will bow a week early.

The network Thursday said it will serve up season premieres of most of its signature comedy series on Sept. 17, a few days before the new TV season officially begins. The move, combined with the previously announced decision to premiere "The Jay Leno Show" on Monday, Sept. 14, allows NBC to promote a "comedy premiere week" prior to the big rollout the week of Sept. 21.

Also getting an early rollout: "The Biggest Loser," back on Sept. 15.

NBC will be pretty much in pattern during premiere week, though "Heroes" will get a two-hour premiere on Monday, Spet. 21. New drama "Trauma" bows Sept. 28.

Wednesday dramas "Parenthood" and "Law & Order: SVU" are set to premiere Sept. 23, while Friday's lineup of "Southland" and "Law & Order" kicks in Sept. 25.

As previously reported, NBC will tweak its Thursday lineup in October, when "SNL Weekend Update Thursday" goes away and "Community" moves into the 8 p.m. timeslot. That switch will happen Oct. 8., with a one-hour "The Office" set to air at 9 p.m. that evening.

Fans of "30 Rock" will have to wait until Oct. 15 for the Tina Fey series to return.

NBC's full premiere rollout below:

SUNDAY, SEPT. 13
7-8:15 p.m. - "Football Night in America"
8:15-11 p.m. - "NBC Sunday Night Football"

MONDAY, SEPT. 14
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW" (Series Premiere)

TUESDAY, SEPT. 15
8-10 p.m. - "The Biggest Loser"
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"

THURSDAY, SEPT. 17
8-8:30 p.m. - "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday"
8:30-9 p.m. - "Parks and Recreation"
9-9:30 p.m. - "The Office"
9:30-10 p.m. - "COMMUNITY" (series premiere - moves to Thursdays 8-8:30 p.m. on Oct. 8; "30 Rock" returns Oct. 15, 9:30-10 p.m.)
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"

MONDAY, SEPT. 21
8-10 p.m. - "Heroes" (two hour premiere, then TRAUMA premieres 9-10 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28)
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23
8-9 p.m. - "PARENTHOOD" (Series Premiere)
9-10 p.m. - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"

FRIDAY, SEPT. 25
8-9 p.m. - "Law & Order"
9-10 p.m. - "Southland"
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"

SATURDAY, SEPT. 26
8-9 p.m. - "Dateline NBC"
9-10 p.m. - "TRAUMA" (encore broadcast)
10-11 p.m. - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (encore broadcast)
11:30 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. - "Saturday Night Live"

--Joe Adalian

NBC West Coast Changes Imminent?

Jeff Zucker has been telling Hollywood privately that changes are headed to NBC’s programming ranks, most likely involving Ben Silverman, who has already been moved out of the entertainment side of the company and is now concentrating on corporate marketing, Deadline Hollywood Daily says.

Silverman’s name has been floated as a possible head of the U.K.’s ITV, given his London experience at William Morris Agency. NBC hasn’t commented on the reports except to say that Silverman is under contract.

--Elizabeth Jensen

CBS Announces Fall Premiere Dates; 'Survivor' Launches First Sept. 17

CBS will kick off most of its fall schedule during premiere week, but will give “Survivor: Samoa” a pre-season launch on Sept. 17.

The network will debut the rest of its new and returning shows beginning Sept. 21 with its Monday night comedy block and the season premiere of “CSI: Miami.” The evening starts off with “How I Met Your Mother,” now at 8 p.m., followed by the new comedy “Accidentally on Purpose” and returning series “Two and a Half Men” and “The Big Bang Theory.”

New dramas “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “The Good Wife” will premiere Sept. 22 after the season premiere of “NCIS.” “Three Rivers,” CBS' other new fall drama, will debut a little later than the rest of the pack on Oct. 4.

“The New Adventures of Old Christine,” “Gary Unmarried,” “Criminal Minds” and “CSI: NY” return Wednesday, Sept. 23.

Thursday, Sept. 24, features the season premieres of “CSI” and “The Mentalist.”

“Medium” joins “Ghost Whisperer” and “Numb3rs” on Fridays beginning Sept. 25.

“48 Hours” premieres Sept. 26, while “60 Minutes,” “The Amazing Race” and “Cold Case” return Sunday, Sept. 27.

CBS's 2009-2010 Premiere Dates

Thursday, Sept. 17

8:00-9:00 PM SURVIVOR: SAMOA

Monday, Sept. 21

8:00-8:30 PM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

8:30-9:00 PM ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE (Series Debut)

9:00-9:30 PM TWO AND A HALF MEN

9:30-10:00 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY

10:00-11:00 PM CSI: MIAMI

Tuesday, Sept. 22

8:00-9:00 PM NCIS

9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: LOS ANGELES (Series Debut)

10:00-11:00 PM THE GOOD WIFE (Series Debut)

Wednesday, Sept. 23

8:00-8:30 PM THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE

8:30-9:00 PM GARY UNMARRIED

9:00-10:00 PM CRIMINAL MINDS

10:00-11:00 PM CSI: NY

Thursday, Sept. 24

9:00-10:00 PM CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION

10:00-11:00 PM THE MENTALIST

Friday, Sept. 25

8:00-9:00 PM GHOST WHISPERER

9:00-10:00 PM MEDIUM

10:00-11:00 PM NUMB3RS

Saturday, Sept. 26

8:00-9:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY

9:00-10:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY

10:00-11:00 PM 48 HOURS MYSTERY

Sunday, Sept. 27

7:00-8:00 PM 60 MINUTES

8:00-10:00 PM THE AMAZING RACE

10:00-11:00 PM COLD CASE

Sunday, Oct. 4

9:00-10:00 PM THREE RIVERS (Series Debut)

--Vlada Gelman

ABC & Oscar Plus Ten: Academy Expands Best Picture Noms

There will be 10 best picture nominees at the 2010 Oscars, ABC and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday.

The move could dramatically up the star wattage at the ceremony, which like many awards shows, has struggled to maintain its high ratings. A broader range of nominees might also help boost viewer interest in the show.

The 2010 Oscars will be broadcast Sunday, March 7.

“After more than six decades, the Academy is returning to some of its earlier roots, when a wider field competed for the top award of the year,” said AMPAS chief Sid Ganis. “The final outcome, of course, will be the same – one Best Picture winner – but the race to the finish line will feature 10, not just five, great movies from 2009.”

The last time Oscar nominated ten films for best picture was back in 1943, when "Casablanca" won. 

“Having 10 Best Picture nominees is going allow Academy voters to recognize and include some of the fantastic movies that often show up in the other Oscar® categories but have been squeezed out of the race for the top prize,”  Ganis added.  

Nominations for the 2010 Oscars will be announced Feb. 2.

G4, Lucasfilm to Televise Live Comic-Con Panel; 20th Century Fox TV Announce Panels

G4 and Lucasfilm Ltd. are teaming up to present viewers the first-ever televised panel from San Diego Comic-Con International.

“The Star Wars Spectacular!,” a two-hour special hosted by G4's Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira, will air July 25 at 2 p.m. Munn and Pereira will be joined by Lucasfilm's Steve Sansweet.

The broadcast will feature never-before-seen footage, breaking news and guest stars from “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” including voice talent and and supervising director Dave Filoni. The voice cast will perform a live table read of a new script from the Cartoon Network series.

G4 will also air three hours of live coverage from the Comic-Con exhibition hall floor at 4 p.m.

Meanwhile, 20th Century Fox Television has announced Comic-Con panels for “24,” “Bones,” “Dollhouse,” “The Family Guy,” “Futurama,” “The Simpsons” and “American Dad.”

New Fox shows “Glee” and “The Cleveland Show” will also have panels at the event.

Here's how Fox described the panels in a release issued this morning:

Friday, July 24:

2:15-3:00 P.M.  Coming off its most critically acclaimed season in years, 24 stars Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub and new cast members Anil Kapoor, Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Katee Sackhoff join showrunnner Howard Gordon and the producers of the Emmy-winning series for a special sneak peek at the heart-stopping premiere episode of Season 8. Ballroom 20.

3-3:45 P.M. Bones showrunner Hart Hanson and stars David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel are on hand for a discussion of what’s on deck for Booth and Brennan, hot on the heels of this year's much talked-about season finale in which the pair finally wound up between the sheets. Ballroom 20.

4 P.M-6 P.M. Join Dollhouse creator Joss Whedon and star/producer Eliza Dushku for a no-holds-barred Q & A about what they have planned for season 2, after they unveil a special screening of the NEVER BEFORE SEEN “Epitaph One” episode of the Fox hit which releases on DVD just four days later. Ballroom 20.

Saturday, July 25:

11:15 A.M.-12 P.M Join Seth MacFarlane, Mila Kunis, Seth Green and the brilliant creative minds behind Family Guy for a raucous discussion of what goes on behind the scenes of tv's most subversive animated hit. They’ll also be offering a not-to-be-missed sneak peek at "Something, Something Dark Side," the Empire Strikes Back parody follow-up to Star Wars: Blue Harvest. Giggity! Ballroom 20.

12-12:45 P.M. Con fans will get the FIRST LOOK at The Cleveland Show, the wickedly funny new spin-off of Family Guy starring America's favorite beleaguered animated African American, Cleveland Brown. Co-creators Seth MacFarlane, Mike Henry and Rich Appel and voice cast Sana’a Lathan and Kevin Michael Richardson will all be on hand to discuss this new series premiering on Fox in the fall. Ballroom 20.

1-1:45 P.M. Futurama: Life or Death?!  BE A PART OF SCI-FI HISTORY!  Join Executive Producers Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, and stars Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio and Maurice LaMarche for high-stakes thrills as a top-ranking Fox executive decides live, on stage, whether Futurama will make yet another triumphant return, or whether it is gone forever!  The very fate of Futurama hangs in the balance!  Paramedics will be standing by in case the intense excitement causes any panelists to collapse.  Raucous celebration or abject despair to follow the news. Ballroom 20.

1:45-2:30 P.M. Now entering its record-breaking 21st season on the air, The Simpsons is the longest-running series in the history of American television, and a household name around the world.  Get a behind-the-scenes look at what's coming up in the Simpsonverse, including never-before-seen highlights from the upcoming "Treehouse of Horror XX", with a panel including Simpsons Creator Matt Groening, Showrunner Al Jean, Executive Producer Matt Selman and Supervising Director Mike Anderson. Ballroom 20.

1:30-3 P.M. When Fox aired a special preview of its subversive new comedy musical series Glee after the American Idol finale, the response was through the roof and fans have hungered for another episode ever since. The wait is over! Join stars Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele and Cory Monteith and the producers of the Fox hit for a sneak preview screening of a never-before-broadcast episode with panel discussion to follow. Don’t Stop Believin’, Con fans! Glee is here! Indigo Room.

Sunday, July 26:

11:15 A.M.-12:15 P.M. American Dad showrunners Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman and stars Seth MacFarlane, Wendy Schall and Dee Bradley Baker are back to regale the fans with an insider’s look at how an episode of the hilarious Fox animated comedy is made, from table read to animatic to color. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind Comic-con event. Ballroom 20.

--Vlada Gelman

Cibrian Joins 'CSI: Miami' Team

Eddie Cibrian is joining the cast of CBS' "CSI: Miami" as a series regular, The Hollywood Reporter says.

Cibrian will play an officer from Hollywood who joins the Miami team.

--Vlada Gelman

Court Papers Reveal Even More Sordid Past for N.J. 'Housewife' Danielle Staub

Danielle Staub has a darker past than she talked about on Bravo’s “Real Housewives of New Jersey,” the New York Post says, citing federal court records posted by thesmokingggun.com.

Although she has admitted to a past criminal record she attributed to mistakes of her youth, Staub was accused in the mid-'80s of being more deeply involved than was previously thought in a kidnapping plot, a drug deal gone bad and an escort service, the court documents show.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Simon Cowell Teams With British Billionaire Green, Mulls Huge New 'Idol' Contract

Simon Cowell and British retail billionaire Sir Philip Green -- owner of such British retailers as Bhs and TopShop -- are teaming up on a global entertainment company that will act as a holding company for Cowell’s ventures, including “Britain’s Got Talent” and “America’s Got Talent,” the Financial Times reports.

The unnamed new venture will create and own TV programs in both the U.S. and the U.K. Cowell, best known here as a judge on Fox’s “American Idol,” also produces “The X-Factor.”

Cowell has been in talks about renewing his “Idol” contract, and if a deal is struck, it would likely be through the new company. The contract offered, the paper says, would make him TV’s top-earning star, most likely even surpassing Oprah Winfrey.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Kate Says in Divorce Papers That Her Marriage to Jon is 'Irretrievably Broken'

In her divorce papers, filed Monday and obtained by the Associated Press, Kate Gosselin says that her marriage to Jon is “irretrievably broken”

The court document doesn’t detail why the stars of TLC’s “Jon & Kate Plus 8” are splitting up, but in a statement that was released to the media, Kate said that unspecified activities by her husband over the weekend had given her “no choice but to file legal procedures in order to protect myself and our children.”

--Elizabeth Jensen

NBC’s Silverman on Shortlist for ITV CEO

NBC's Ben Silverman is on a headhunter’s shortlist of names of executives who could take over as CEO of the U.K.’s struggling ITV, Variety says.

Silverman, who previously worked in the U.K. office of William Morris Agency, declined to comment.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Nickelodeon Slates Weekend Marathon for 'SpongeBob' 10th Anniversary

Nickelodeon is celebrating the 10th anniversary of “SpongeBob SquarePants” with the “Ultimate SpongeBob SpongeBash Weekend” on July 17-19.

The weekend marathon hosted by Patchy the Pirate will feature 50 hours of “SpongeBob” programming, including 11 brand-new “SpongeBob” premieres and a countdown of celebrities' favorite episodes.

Meanwhile, sister channel VH1 will air the documentary “Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants” on July 14.

In the fall, Nickelodeon will debut the hour-long TV movie “Truth or Square,” featuring Will Ferrell, Ricky Gervais, Craig Ferguson and Robin Williams.

--Vlada Gelman

TW, Comcast to Bring Cable Shows Online

Time Warner and Comcast Corp. will go public today [Wed.] with their “TV Everywhere” initiative to make more cable programs available for online viewing, Variety says.

The initiative would make shows available on a password-protected basis only to consumers who already subscribe to cable, satellite or telco packages. It’s unclear how many other media companies will be willing to participate.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Comedy Productions for Martin Lawrence

Martin Lawrence’s production company Runteldat has script commitments for an animated comedy at Fox and a single-camera family show at Starz, The Hollywood Reporter says.

The Fox show is being written by Rodney Barnes and is based on his coming-of-age experiences in the Washington, D.C.-area. The Starz show is based on Gary Owen’s comedy and follows a white man from a trailer park married to a well-off black woman.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Blue Cast as 'Smallville's' Zod

British actor Callum Blue will play General Zod on The CW's "Smallville" next season, The Hollywood Reporter says.

Blue's credits include "Dead Like Me," "The Tudors" and "Secret Diary of a Call Girl."

--Vlada Gelman

'Fringe' Casts Markle; Palicki Returns to 'Supernatural'

Meghan Markle has been cast in a recurring role on Fox's "Fringe," The Hollywood Reporter says.

Markle will play "an attractive, brash and quick-witted junior FBI agent."

Meanwhile, "Friday Night Lights'" Adrianne Palicki will reprise her role as Jessica on The CW's "Supernatural" for an episode to air early in the season, Entertainment Weekly reports.

--Vlada Gelman

Evening Newscasts Log Big Ratings Drops

The three network evening newscasts had a dismal ratings week last week, with “CBS Evening News” recording 4.9 million viewers, the first time it has fallen below 5 million, the Associated Press says.

ABC’s World News” had 6.4 million viewers, and “NBC Nightly News” had 7.8 million, but both were down a half-million viewers from the previous week, according to Nielsen Media Research figures. It’s unclear whether the digital switchover is contributing to the lower figures.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Malone to Pay $1.4 Million Fine in Settlement Over Discovery Shares

John Malone, the chairman of Liberty Media, settled on Tuesday with the U.S. Dept. of Justice, which accused him of improper notification when he acquired voting shares in Discovery Holding Co., Multichannel News says.

Under the settlement, Malone agreed to pay a $1.4 million fine.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Elisabeth Hasselbeck Accused of Plagiarism

“The View” co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck has been accused of plagiarism in her book “The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide,” in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Massachusetts, the Associated Press says.

The suit charges that Hasselbeck copied “word for word” from a book on celiac disease written by a Cape Cod author Susan Hassett, who previously sent Hasselbeck a copy of her book and filed the lawsuit on Monday.

Hasselbeck denied the charges in a statement that and said she worked “diligently and tirelessly” on the book.

--Elizabeth Jensen

WWE's Trump Stunt Pulls Big Ratings Jump

Donald Trump didn’t really buy USA Network’s “Monday Night Raw” from World Wrestling Entertainment, but viewers liked the storyline anyway, Variety says.

The show’s first-ever ad-free broadcast on Monday, which featured the Trump “ownership,” brought in 6.8 million viewers, the most-watched episode of the series in seven years.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Longtime 'Chicago Tonight' Anchor Callaway Passes Away

John Callaway, who hosted WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight” for 15 years before retiring in 1999, died Tuesday in Racine, Wis., of a heart attack, the Chicago Tribune says.

Callaway, who later hosted a documentary series and continued to do the interviews he was known for, was 72.

--Elizabeth Jensen

'Anatomy's' T.R. Knight Headed to the Stage

T.R. Knight, who confirmed last week that he is leaving ABC’s “Grey's Anatomy,” is headed to the stage, the Associated Press says.

He’ll star in the musical “Parade,” about the true story of lynched factory manager Leo Frank. The production at L.A.’s Mark Taper Forum opens in October.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Two Comedy Show Commitments for Lawrence

Martin Lawrence’s production company Runteldat has script commitments for an animated comedy at Fox and a single-camera family show at Starz, The Hollywood Reporter says.

The Fox show is being written by Rodney Barnes and is based on his coming-of-age experiences in the Washington, D.C.-area. The Starz show is based on Gary Owen’s comedy and follows a white man from a trailer park married to a well-off black woman.

--Elizabeth Jensen

MTV Networks Axes 75 Jobs; MTV Reveals Development Slate

MTV Networks has cut around 75 staff today, Broadcasting & Cable reports.

"We have been taking a look at our business and how to position ourselves for future growth. It's pretty much the economy," a spokeswoman confirmed.

Most of the job cuts were in the development department and the music and logo division. One executive told the trade magazine that most of the cuts were at MTV. Ten positions were cut at Logo.

The layoffs account for less than 1% of MTV Networks' workforce.

Meanwhile, MTV has revealed its current development slate, which is heavy on comedy programming, B&C reports.

The network is bringing in some familiar comedy names for "The Awesomes." The half-hour animated comedy about bumbling superheroes fighting supervillains, the paparazzi and their own reputations is from "Saturday Night Live" creator Lorne Michaels, head writer Seth Meyers and "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" executive producer and "SNL" veteran Michael Shoemaker.

The network also has several other series in the works, including a sketch comedy show with Jamie Foxx, a remake of "Teen Wolf," D-List Celebrity puppet show "Warren the Ape" and "Hard Times."

"Hard Times" comes from producer David Katzenberg. The half-hour scripted series is about a 15-year-old who becomes infamous when his "anatomical gift is dramatically revealed in front of the whole school."

--Vlada Gelman

'Jon & Kat Plus 8,' 'Secret Life' Set Ratings Records

TLC's “Jon & Kate Plus 8” continues to break records.

Monday night's episode was the show's most-watched episode, delivering 10.6 million viewers, the Hollywood Reporter says. The previous record was 9.8 million viewers for this season's much anticipated premiere.

Meanwhile, the second season premiere of ABC Family's "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" on Monday night was the series' most-watched episode ever with 4.7 million total viewers.

The season premiere was the second most-watched episode for the show among adults 18-34, adults 18-49 and viewers 12-34. The show delivered 2.1 million viewers in the adults 18-49 demo.

After “Secret Life,” the series debut of “Make It or Break It” at 9 p.m. brought in 2.5 million total viewers.

--Vlada Gelman

AMC Orders 'Rubicon' to Series

AMC has picked up "Rubicon," a political thriller starring Miranda Richardson and James Badge Dale, Variety reports.

The network has ordered 12 episodes of the series created by Jason Horwitch, who will serve as showrunner.

"Rubicon," which comes from Warner Horizon TV, is being targeted for a 2010 premiere.

"The pilot is beautifully done and we are very, very excited to move forward with the series," said Joel Stillerman, AMC's senior VP of programming and production.

--Vlada Gelman

Production for TruTV's In Session Moves to HLN

TruTV is shifting production and business operations of its daytime courtroom trials block In Session to HLN.

The block will retain its name, with production moving from New York to a studio built by HLN in Atlanta. HLN will assign staff to In Session production, including on-air talent.

The move will result in job losses in New York and the creation of new jobs in Atlanta.

TruTV is also restructuring its marketing efforts under the newly formed Brand Strategy & Marketing umbrella. It will include the Digital Content & Multi-Platform Development group. TruTV's affiliate marketing activities will also move to Atlanta.

“Production of TruTV's In Session trial coverage will shift from New York to HLN in Atlanta, effective Nov. 16, to leverage the unrivaled production capabilities and infrastructure of the CNN organization, which includes HLN,” Shirley Powell, SVP of corporate communications for Turner Broadcasting System, said in a statement.

“This move will result in some position elimination in New York and position growth in Atlanta, which we are currently addressing. There will be no interruption to In Session's programming schedule. We are also restructuring TruTV's marketing staff, which will
include a reduction of some positions in New York."

--Vlada Gelman

'Jon & Kate Plus 8' Go on a Production Break

TLC's "Jon & Kate Plus 8" will take a break from production, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Next Monday's episode will be a clip show with some new footage. New episodes will return Aug. 3. Only six new episodes of the show's 40-episode order have aired so far.

Recent events in the Gosselins' marriage has forced TLC to finish episodes as late as the day of airing. As a result, the crew does not have enough new footage to put together fresh episodes.

--Vlada Gelman

Ed McMahon, Veteran Announcer and Longtime Carson Sidekick, Dead at Age 86

Ed McMahon, best known as Johnny Carson's “Tonight Show” sidekick for three decades, died just after midnight in Los Angeles’ UCLA Ronald Reagan Hospital, NBC News reports.

McMahon-- who introduced Carson with his signature “Heeeere’s Johnny!”-- was 86 and had been suffering from cancer. His death was confirmed by publicist Howard Bragman.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Jon & Kate's TV-Ravaged Marriage: What if There's a Custody Battle?

The marriage of Jon and Kate Gosselin, stars of TLC’s “Jon & Kate Plus 8” who filed for divorce Monday and announced their separation on the show Monday night, “crumbled under the glare of the TV lights,” the San Jose Mercury News says.

Meanwhile, according to Entertainment Weekly, any custody battle that arises as a result of their divorce is likely to be complicated.

--Tom Gilbert

'Real Housewives of Atlanta,' 'Hell's Kitchen' Get July Premieres

The second season of Bravo's "The Real Housewives Of Atlanta" will premiere July 30.

July will also see the return of Fox's “Hell's Kitchen” as 16 aspiring chefs compete to be the head chef at Araxi Restaurant in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.

The two-hour season premiere of “Hell's Kitchen” is slated for July 21. The show will air in its regular Tuesday at 8 p.m. timeslot beginning July 28.

--Vlada Gelman

Bugged-Out Stephen Baldwin Bails on 'I'm a Celebrity'

As it prepares to conclude this week, NBC’s “I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!” has lost another contestant: Stephen Baldwin left the Costa Rican jungle over weekend, the Associated Press reports.

He blamed bug bites—more than 125 of them—that caused an allergic reaction and weight loss.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Eve Steps In for Houston With 'Glee'

R&B singer Eve will guest star in two episodes of Fox's "Glee," Entertainment Weekly reports.

The role of "a no-nonsense girls' choir director from a rival school" was originally offered to Whitney Houston, but she turned down the part.

"Glee" premieres Sept. 16 at 9 p.m.

--Vlada Gelman

'Audrina Show' Lands on MTV

MTV has snagged the rights to "The Audrina Show," a new reality series starring "The Hills'" Audrina Patridge, Entertainment Weekly reports.

The solo project, focusing on Patridge's personal and professional life, is being produced by Mark Burnett. Patridge's final "Hills" episodes begin airing this fall.

--Vlada Gelman

Local TV Car Ads Appear to Be Stabilizing

Local TV stations may finally be seeing an end to the freefall in auto advertising, their biggest category, the New York Times reports.

With weaker car dealers shutting down at the behest of GM and Chrysler, some of the remaining dealerships have been increasing spending to try and grab market share. Next year, pent-up demand for cars is expected to push auto advertising 12% higher, according to a new estimate.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Ben Spector to Head TV for Tollin Prods.

Mike Tollin’s new Tollin Prods. has hired Ben Spector to oversee TV development, Variety says.

Spector, whose title will be executive VP of TV, moves over from Betty Thomas’ Dominant Pictures.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Lost Boy Relies on Discovery Channel Show

A nine-year-old boy who got lost in a northern Utah forest over the weekend said he used survival tips learned from watching Discovery Channel’s “Man vs. Wild,” the Associated Press reports.

As in the show, Grayson Wynne left clues for his searchers, including his torn-up rain slicker. He was found after 18 hours.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Arbitron Back in TV Business With ARB-TV for Measuring Out-of-Home Viewing

Arbitron has introduced ARB-TV, a new audience measurement service based in its Portable People Meter technology that gauges away-from-home television viewing, the company announced today.

"In today's increasingly mobile world, media companies and marketers want to know when and where consumers are being exposed to their content," Arbitron Executive VP Alton L. Adams said in a statement. "The ARB-TV suite helps quantify audience viewership in locations outside of the home including, among others, restaurant/bars, other homes, the workplace, airports, hotels, sports venues, malls and medical facilities."

Arbitron's PPM technology detects encoded audio tones within an audio stream across a variety of media, including in-home and away-from-home content-delivery devices.

--Tom Gilbert

Ex-CBS News President Heyward Consulting for NBC News

Former CBS News President Andrew Heyward has a new consulting job at former rival NBC News, the New York Observer reports.

Heyward is working with the news division on programming and newsgathering initiatives, according to a spokesperson.

--Elizabeth Jensen

NBC Sports Plans Live Web Stream of Wimbledon Finals

Add the Wimbledon men’s and women’s finals matches to the list of events that NBC Sports will stream live on the Web, MediaPost says.

All of NBC’s coverage of the tennis tournament will be available at NBCSports.com. This is the first time the finals have been available.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Philadelphia’s WPVI Gets Temporary Power Boost

ABC’s WPVI in Philadelphia was granted permission from the FCC for a temporary power boost to alleviate the reception problems local viewers have faced since the digital switchover, Broadcasting & Cable says.

The temporary boost should improve urban reception.

--Elizabeth Jensen

New Local News Channels for Verizon in NYC Area

Verizon launched local news, feature and high school sports channels on its FiOS systems in Long Island and New Jersey as it attempts to compete with the established cable operators there, Broadcasting & Cable says.

FiOS1 Long Island and FiOS1 New Jersey will have local traffic and weather reports in their 10 hours of live news daily, and they’ll rely on local newspapers and TV as well as their own mobile journalists to provide news.

Elizabeth Jensen

CBS CFO Reynolds to Retire Next Month

CBS Corp. Chief Financial Officer Fred Reynolds will retire next month, the Los Angeles Times reports.

"It is impossible to overstate the contribution that Fred has made to the CBS Corp. through his many years," Les Moonves, CEO of CBS Corp., said in a statement. "He has guided our finance division through virtually every major transformative event of the last 15 years, from the acquisition of Westinghouse of CBS in 1995, to our Infinity [radio] acquisition the following year, to the Viacom-CBS merger of 2000 and the subsequent launch of CBS Corp. as a stand-alone company in 2006."

Reynolds' departure comes at a time when the economy and soft advertising market are playing havoc with CBS and other media conglomerates.

Joe Ianniello will replace Reynolds. He doesn't expect to make any big deals soon.

"We feel comfortable right now, we don't feel that we need any acquisition, but we are going to continue to invest in premium content going forward," Ianniello said.

--Vlada Gelman

O'Neal, Fawcett Plan to Marry Despite Fawcett's Deteriorating Health

Ryan O'Neal told Barbara Walters that he and longtime love Farrah Fawcett will marry, ABC News reports.

"I've asked her to marry me, again, and she's agreed," O'Neal told Walters.

The reveals airs as part of "20/20" interview with O'Neal about Fawcett, who is battling cancer.

--Vlada Gelman

Jessica Simpson, RDF Teaming for VH1 Series

Jessica Simpson is returning to her reality roots.

The pop singer, who shot to fame based on her performance in MTV's "Newlyweds," has signed on to host a new VH1 docuseries dubbed "The Price of Beauty." RDF USA ("Wife Swap") is producing.

The series, set to premiere next year, will have Simpson spanning the globe to discover what women are willing to do in order to live up to local standards of beauty. RDF chief Chris Coelen brought the idea to Simpson.

"When Chris approached me with his idea for a show about true beauty, I was immediately intrigued," Simpson said. "I have always believed that beauty comes from within and confidence will always make a woman beautiful, but I know how much pressure some women put on themselves to look perfect. I am really looking forward to discovering how beauty is perceived in different cultures and participating in some of the crazy things people do to feel beautiful."

Jeff Olde, VH1's EVP of original programming, noted that Simpson herself "has been the target of our obsession with beauty on both sides of the equation.

"She is a woman who can set trends and create firestorms with a single photo," he added. "Jessica now gets to take control of that conversation and take a look at the idea of beauty through her own unique, unfiltered lens."

Simpson landed on the cover of numerous magazines last year when pictures surfaced indicating she had gained weight. Her figure even came under attack by rapper Eminem in his video for "We Made You."

"Price of Beauty" will begin shooting next month. Coelen and Simpson will executive produce, along with Joe Simpson, Claire O'Donohoe and Greg Goldman.

--Josef Adalian

'ER' Producer Wells Running for WGA West President

John Wells, producer of "ER" and "Southland," is running for president of the Writers Guild of America West, The Hollywood Reporter says.

Wells is running against Elias Davis, who is currently the secretary-treasurer.

The guild has also unveiled the 16 candidates nominated for eight open seats on the board of directors.

--Vlada Gelman

Veteran TV Agent Webb to Exit ICM

ICM TV lit agent Elliot Webb is leaving the company and his post as executive VP, The Hollywood Reporter says.

Webb, who has been an agent for 35 years, plans to pursue other opportunities, possibly management/production.

His clients include "The X-Files" creator Chris Carter; "Northern Exposure" co-creator Josh Brand; "The Sopranos" alums Mitchell Burgess and Robin Green; "Law & Order" veteran Walon Green.

--Vlada Gelman

'True Blood' Tops Rankings for 'Fan Engagement'

HBO's "True Blood" topped the TV Fandex, a new measurement system created by Wetpaint that tracks the level of "fan engagement" on Facebook, Twitter, Google and Wetpaint's network of 1.5 million fan sites, The Hollywood Reporter says.

The series was followed by CBS' "NCIS," Fox's "House," Showtime's "Weeds" and canceled Fox series "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" in the first week of public Fandex rankings.

"It's clear there is a fundamental decentralization under way in how consumers experience TV programming, but the measurement tools have remained substantially the same," Wetpaint CEO Ben Elowitz said. "Fans now have the tools to connect and evangelize, and they are using them with gusto. The TV Fandex provides networks and producers with the first gauge of the winners and losers in creating and retaining an online audience."

--Vlada Gelman

Jon and Kate Announce Separation, File for Divorce

Kate and Jon Gosselin announced that they are separating on Monday night's episode of "Jon & Kate Plus 8," the Los Angeles Times reports.

Earlier today, People reported that the couple had filed for divorce in Pennsylvania Monday afternoon, citing an unnamed source.

"I just need relief now. I need to turn the page," Kate said during the episode.

"I don't hate Kate. But I have to do what's best for me and my kids," Jon said in a separate interview during the episode.

The Los Angeles Times notes that on Monday, Kate said she would continue filming on the TLC show, while Jon seemed less certain. However, the New York Times reports that both Kate and Jon will continue filming on the series, but separately from each other.

"We’ve always done the show for the kids to be able to provide for them, to collect the memories for ourselves," Kate said.

Added Jon: "We’ll film different things, me and the kids, her and the kids."

--Vlada Gelman

Fuller Leaves 'Heroes' to Focus on Developing New Shows

Bryan Fuller has left NBC's "Heroes" to develop new projects as part of his overall deal with Universal Media Studios, TVWeek's TVMoJoe blog reports.

Fuller rejoined the NBC drama, which he worked on during its first season, as a writer and consulting producer after his ABC series "Pushing Daisies" was canceled.

An insider described Fuller's exit from "Heroes" to focus on development as something that took place "a while ago."

--Vlada Gelman

Simon Cowell on Susan Boyle: Could Have Been Handled Better

In a lengthy first-person piece for Britain’s Daily Mail, Simon Cowell admitted that “I’ve made mistakes,” adding, “I didn't get into showbusiness to make little children cry or upset a nice lady like Susan Boyle.”

He said he’s most upset about the crying children on this year’s edition of “Britain’s Got Talent.” As for Susan Boyle, he said the Scottish singer’s situation wasn’t handled as well as it could have, but he’s unclear about what to do differently.

On the show’s future, he wondered: “Should children be on it? Should someone like Susan Boyle, a woman who was naive dealing with fame and that kind of exposure, be on it? Should we impose a minimum entry age and introduce some form of stricter psychological screening for applicants? I'm not so sure.”

--Elizabeth Jensen

FX Says Yes to 'Proposal' TV Rights

FX has obtained the TV rights to "The Proposal," Variety reports.

The cable network made a standard four-year movie license deal for the Disney romantic comedy. The film will air on FX in late 2011.

The deal also includes the rights to Miramax's "Adventureland."

--Vlada Gelman

Bravo to Debut 'Watch What Happens: Live'

Bravo will premiere "Watch What Happens: Live" on July 16.

The weekly topical series hosted by Bravo Senior VP of Original Programming and Development Andy Cohen was originally a live web show, which then expanded into a series of reunion specials for "The Real Housewives" franchise.

Cohen will be joined by stars from Bravo's shows on the live, half-hour series, which will invite viewer interaction via email, phone, video, Twitter and Facebook.

"Watch What Happens: Live" is executive produced by Embassy Row's Michael Davies.

--Vlada Gelman

Foreign Broadcasters Mistakenly Use 'Lost' Footage for Air France Crash Video

Gawker relates the tale, first reported by Twitter news service BNO News, of Dutch, Polish and Bolivian broadcasters who were confused into thinking that still photos and footage from ABC’s “Lost” were new images from the recent crash of Air France Flight 447 in the ocean.

Dutch radio station BNR had the photos on its site, while Bolivian TV station PAT and Poland's TVN24 ran footage. No answers as to the identity of the punker.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Warner Bros., Network Nine, In Record Aussie TV Deal of Up to $500 Mil

Network Nine has renewed its TV series and movie output deal with Warner Bros., in what The Hollywood Reporter says is claimed to be Australia’s largest-ever single TV deal.

The five years’ worth of content could end up costing Network Nine nearly $500 million depending on how much Warner Bros. produces in coming years. The contract runs through 2010.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Lindsay Lohan and Ryan Seacrest Spotted Together in Hollywood Hot Spots; No, It's Not What You Think

The Hollywood gossip sites were all a-Twitter late last week as Lindsay Lohan and Ryan Seacrest were seen together at several hot spots.

The mystery was solved when Seacrest himself  tweeted to tell the world that the meetings were to talk about a new reality show.

Seacrest wants Lohan to be a part of it. Here’s the premise, according to TMZ: “A million bucks will be doled out to people who are on the wrong track and are looking for a second chance.” Lohan could be on a panel that decides which contestant gets the money.

—Chuck Ross

'PM Magazine' Creator George Resing Passes Away

George Resing, who as general manager of San Francisco’s KPIX created the “PM Magazine” format in 1975 died of a brain tumor at age 80, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

After the format was syndicated by Westinghouse, “PM Magazine” was carried on more than 400 stations.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Fine Living Network Acquires 'Three Sheets'

Fine Living Network is the new exclusive home of the travelogue series "Three Sheets.”

The series, which previously aired on the now-defunct Mojo HD, will debut its fourth season on FLN July 20. A new episode will air every Monday at 10 p.m. featuring comedian Zane Lamprey as he engages in drinking customs around the world.

FLN has acquired 18 new episodes of the series, in addition to its entire back catalog. The network will promote the series' launch with a multi-tiered marketing effort, focusing on social networking tools Facebook and Twitter.

“We are happy to add the hilarious and knowledgeable Zane Lamprey to our talent roster,” said Chad Youngblood, general manager of FLN. "And we are particularly pleased to be the new home of the cult favorite, ‘Three Sheets,’ which will add nicely to our growing line-up of cocktail shows.”

Additionally, the network announced that it will debut a new home décor block titled “FLN Is In the House” on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The block will feature the series “Design Inc.,” “reDesign,” “Work That Room With Christopher Lowell,” “Outer Spaces,” “Landscapers’ Challenge,” “Sarah’s House,” “Debbie Travis’ Facelift,” “I Want That! Kitchens/Baths,” “The Fix,” “Mission: Organization” and “Closet Cases.”

--Vlada Gelman

Oxygen Fascinated by 'Celeb-U-Tots'

Oxygen will shine the spotlight on celebrity offspring with "Oxygen's 25iest: Celeb-U-Tots" special, premiering July 14 at 11 p.m.

The one-hour special will feature everyone from "Family Business Celeb-U-Tots" Trey, Jaden and Willow Smith to Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's "Definitely-Not-From-the-Block Celeb-U-Tots" to "Trendsetting Celeb-U-Tot" Suri Cruise.

"While [Oxygen star Tori Spelling's children] Stella and Liam are our personal favorite Celeb-U-Tots, we are interested with the children of all celebrities," said Amy Introcaso-Davis, senior VP of original programming for Oxygen Media. "'25iest' will cover our favorites – from the twinkle-eyed two year olds to the trend-setting teens."

The special is executive produced by Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato and Tom Campbell of World of Wonder Productions, with Craig Browner as supervising producer.

--Vlada Gelman

Are Media Stocks Ready for Rebound?

Media stocks are poised for a rebound after a dismal first half of the year, the NY Post says, citing analysts who are optimistic about the fall TV season and a bottoming-out of ad budget cutbacks.

The fall season and summer blockbuster films could help media stocks, already on the rise, outperform the rest of the market, in the eyes of these analysts.

--Elizabeth Jensen

NYC Fox Stations Lay Off 20

WNYW/Ch. 5 and WWOR/Ch. 9, the Fox-owned stations in New York City, laid off 20 off-air employees on Friday, the NY Daily News reports.

The stations cited the economic times for the cutbacks.

--Elizabeth Jensen

New Programming Diversity Post for Fox

Fox created a VP-level post to promote diverse programming and content, TVWeek.com's TVMoJoe reports.

 Ron Taylor, a former UPN executive who was VP of diversity development at Fox Entertainment, moves over to the network’s development team to develop scripts with diverse themes and writers. He’ll also have input in other network projects.

--Elizabeth Jensen

New Programming Diversity Post for Fox THR

GM to Maintain $40 Million-to-$50 Million Ad Budget

Bankrupt automaker GM said it will maintain its ad budget of between $40 million and $50 million a month, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The figure is less than in recent years, but about the same as pre-bankruptcy filing.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Whitford, Kaczmarek Divorcing After 16 Years

Actors Bradley Whitford ("The West Wing") and Jane Kaczmarek ("Malcolm in the Middle," TNT's "Raising the Bar") are divorcing, the Associated Press reports.

The pair have been married for 16 years and have three children.

--Elizabeth Jensen

SciFi Begins Its SyFy Rebranding

New York City residents are in for some freebies, including WiFi, as NBC Universal’s Sci Fi begins its rebranding to Syfy, says Broadcasting & Cable.

In addition to the giveaways in advance of the July 7 changeover, the cable network has bought up the negative domain names that some have registered to protest the new brand.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Hallmark Channel to Move Lighter, Younger

New Hallmark Channel President Bill Abbott tells Broadcasting & Cable that he wants the cable network to program lighter fare, including comedies.

Shows such as “Seventh Heaven,” which families can watch together, will become more prominent, and “Walker, Texas Ranger” less so, as the network seeks to attract a few more younger viewers. He called the moves a “retooling,” not an overhaul.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Radical Overhaul for ABC's 'Scrubs'

ABC’s “Scrubs” is ditching the hospital for a med-school classroom when it comes back next winter, Entertainment Weekly reports.

“It'll be a lot like ‘Paper Chase’ as a comedy," creator Bill Lawrence says.

--Elizabeth Jensen

NBC, CBS at Odds About the Future of the Television Business

NBC and CBS are at odds about how best to proceed at a time when the future of the business is under serious assault, Advertising Age reports.

While NBC has made moves in recent months that some consider shocking, Ad Age says, CBS continues to insist that shows that generate big ratings are the only thing that will help broadcast TV maintain its edge over dozens of cable channels, digital-entertainment options and social-networking alternatives that attract smaller, enthusiastic niches.

--Tom Gilbert

TV News From Around the World: In Thailand, TV Enlisted in Flu Pandemic

In Thailand, the government is using a TV station--Channel 11--to air a 90 minute program on the H1N1 flu outbreak, according to the Bangkok Post.

It’s the government of Thailand’s latest effort to allay public fears over the disease and to contain the spread of the virus, which has hit 24 provinces.

—Chuck Ross

Cronkite's Death 'Not Imminent,' His Longtime Assistant Says

On Friday the newswires were full of reports that legendary CBS newsman Walter Cronkite, 92, was "gravely ill." In one report his friend Andy Rooney, 90, said he had just visited Cronkite on Thursday, and that Cronkite was not doing well at all.

Now, however, Cronkite's longtime assistant, Marlene Adler, tells Newsday that "only God knows when life will end and for Walter, it's not imminent."

The respected veteran TV reporter Verne Gay, who wrote the piece we linked to on Friday, wrote this latest report as well.

—Chuck Ross

Latest Gossip: Gossip Girl Meester Has Nude Pics in Her Past That Some Web Sites Want to Buy

Leighton Meester, who plays Blair Waldorf on the CW's "Gossip Girl,"  is at the center of a sex tape scandal, reports SFGate.com, the online sibling of Hearst's San Francisco Chronicle.

The report says some stills from a movie Meester made with a boyfriend have surfaced. TMZ, the report says, called the video and stills "mostly innocuous" nude scenes. The report says celebhotline.com, among other sites, might be interested in purchasing the video.

At some point in their careers a number of TV and movie actresses seem to have problems with nude pictures of themselves shot consensually in private surfacing publicly and embarrassing them. 

Perhaps the solution would be not to pose for these pictures or videos if one thinks one might wish to pursue a career that could put one in the public spotlight. 

—Chuck Ross

Bob Cook, President of Twentieth's Syndication Division, Is Leaving

Bob Cook, president of Twentieth Television, is leaving the company, a company spokesperson has confirmed.

Cook, who the company said is leaving on his own volition, will be working on new digital initiatives for Twentieth and other studios through a company he has formed, MBN Inc.

Cook's contract does not run out until November, so he will be around to aid in the transition to whoever replaces him. A search will be conducted both inside and outside Twentieth, a spokesman confirmed.

Joe Flint, of the LA Times Company Town blog, broke the story this morning, and speculated that syndication veteran Greg Meidel, who is President of My Network TV, will take over Cook's duties, but a company spokesman said that has yet to be determined. Both Cook and Meidel report to Fox Television Stations CEO Jack Abernethy.

In a career that has spaned more than three decades--all in the TV business--Cook has been involved in sales and marketing efforts that have brought in more than $10 billion. He's been with Twentieth since 2000. 

Said one colleague of Cook's at Twentieth, "Besides being a great executive, he's truly one of the nicest people in the business." 

--Chuck Ross

Obama Attacks Fox News

President Obama, referring to Fox News, said, "I've got one television station entirely devoted to attacking my administration," PoliticsDaily.com reports.

Interestingly, like many people not in the business, Mr. Obama referred to Fox as a TV station, though, of course, it's not a broadcast outlet but rather a cable network.

The president added that one would be "hard-pressed, if you watched the entire day, to find a positive story about me" on Fox News. Mr. Obama made his remarks in an interview on MSNBC.

—Chuck Ross

Are Jon & Kate About to Announce a Breakup?

TLC’s Jon and Kate Gosselin on Monday plan to announce a major “life-changing” decision on their hit reality show about life in Pennsylvania with 8-year-old twins and 5-year-old sextuplets, “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” reports the Associated Press.

RadarOnline reports that its source says Kate Gosselin recently met with a divorce lawyer and that originally a separation had been set for mid-July but the timetable was moved up, perhaps due to the media frenzy surrounding the once-fairy tale couple.

Strains in the relationship have been evident in recent episodes, as the pair went their separate ways on major occasions, such as Kate’s birthday and a recent vacation. Gawker.com adds another piece to the puzzle: A tipster told the site that Jon Gosselin was spotted with a real estate agent checking out an apartment in Manhattan’s Upper West Side Trump Towers.

—Elizabeth Jensen

Here's What's up With Olive Garden Flip-Flopping About Whether It Pulled Ads From 'Letterman' Over the Palin Flap

By Chuck Ross

What a day.

 Here’s how it went: First, Politico.com reported that the Olive Garden restaurant chain pulled its ads from “Late Show With David Letterman” in response to Letterman’s jokes about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her family.

Politico.com quoted an email sent from Sherri Bruen, Olive Garden’s guest relations manager, to an unnamed individual saying that “there will be no more Olive Garden ads scheduled for ‘The Late Show’ with David Letterman in this year’s broadcast schedule.” Politico.com wrote that the email cited as a reason Letterman’s “inappropriate comments.”

Furthermore, according to Politico.com, Bruen wrote, “We apologize that Mr. Letterman’s mistake, which was not consistent with our standards and values, left you with a bad impression of Olive Garden.”

Politico.com says that Bruen went on to explain, in her email to the individual who complained, that Olive Garden “screens network television programs wherever possible,” but that “telecasts, such as ‘The Late Show’ with David Letterman, are taped on a daily basis, preventing advertisers from reviewing the content prior to airing.”

Well, that seems plain enough. The reporter on the story for Politico—Andy Barr—then followed standard journalism operating procedure and called Olive Garden to verify the authenticity of the emails Politico.com had in its possession.

He reported in the piece that he spoke to Olive Garden’s manager of media relations, who asked not to be quoted on the record. This person, Barr reports, both confirmed the Bruen emails and “confirmed that the company would be pulling its remaining television spots on the program for the rest of the year when asked that question.”

OK. Again, all of this seems pretty straightforward. And though Barr honored his source's desire to remain anonymous, a quick check of the Olive Garden Web site lists Mara Frazier as Olive Garden's manager of media relations. A phone call to her connected us to her voicemail, which said she would not return until Monday, June 22, and if members of the press had questions about anything they should contact Rich Jeffers, who, it turns out, is her boss.

Here’s where things take a turn.

Soon after the story appeared on Politico.com, Jeffers issued the following statement:
“Information reported today by Andy Barr of Politico regarding Olive Garden’s advertising on the Late Show with David Letterman was erroneous. No authorized spokesperson for the company confirmed the information in his report.

The Olive Garden media schedule is planned months in advance. The schedule for the Late Show with David Letterman was completed earlier this month. We take all guest concerns seriously. And, as always, we will factor those concerns in as we plan our advertising schedule in the future.”

In a follow-up story, Barr reported that he asked about the earlier confirmation he had received from the Olive Garden’s manager of media relations. Barr wrote that Jeffers replied with this email:

“The so called ‘confirmation’ didn’t come from an authorized spokesperson for the company. The guest email you received did not say the ads were pulled. And as our statement says, the schedule—which is set months in advance—was completed earlier this month.”

Hold on a minute. What the hell’s going on here? The “so-called” confirmation? The manager of media relations, whose job it is to speak to the press, all of a sudden is not authorized to speak for the company?

Having been around as a reporter almost as long as that 11th century village in Tuscany where the Olive Garden (circa 1982) has its Culinary Institute, I think I have a pretty good guess as to what happened.

The company that owns Olive Garden is Darden Restaurants. According to its Web site, it’s the “largest full-service restaurant company in the world.” Besides Olive Garden it owns Red Lobster and The Capital Grille, among others. Darden has more than 1,700 restaurants, posts about $7 billion in annual sales and employs 180,000 workers.

 Like most big companies, it abhors controversy. Controversy is not a win-win. Much better is keeping as many people happy with your product and/or services as possible, so they will keep buying them.

Palin/Letterman is a genuine controversy. It’s not an issue with which the vast majority of marketers want to take sides. And if Letterman’s apology was good enough for Palin, most marketers feel that should be the end of it.

So here’s what we know about Olive Garden in this instance. We know that it had a commercial appear during the June 8 Letterman show. That's the program during which Letterman first made his Palin jokes.

We know that in response to a complaint about Olive Garden advertising on that program that Sherri Bruen, Olive Garden’s guest relations manager, wrote the emails cited in the Politico.com story.

We also know that Barr, the Politico.com reporter, did exactly what he was supposed to do, and contacted the manager of media relations at Olive Garden, who we assume was Mara Frazier.

 As has happened for time immemorial between reporters and their contacts/sources, she confirmed certain facts to Barr, but asked that he not quote her. Since she works at Darden’s corporate headquarters, and holds the title of manager of media relations, it was fair for Barr to believe that he was speaking to someone who had knowledge of the situation.

Furthermore, it seems clear that she didn’t tell Barr, “No, I don’t know that information,” and that he just made up the confirmation, because Jeffers later says in his statement only that the person Barr spoke with was not an “authorized spokesperson for the company.”

Clearly, after the Politico.com story hit the Internet and started to be picked up by various media outlets—including TVWeek.com—Darden found itself embroiled in a controversy. And that’s not a good thing.

 How convenient, then, to come back and say that the person whose job it is to speak to the media isn’t really supposed to speak to the media, and that the commercial schedule on Letterman was previously scheduled to end on June 8. I’m not saying it’s not true. All I’m pointing out is how convenient it is.

In other words, folks, Olive Garden is saying, poor us, we had the bad luck of advertising on the show when Letterman made some very insensitive jokes, and it was just a coincidence and you can’t blame us for that and listen, whether you love Dave or hate him, and whether you love Palin or hate her, can you please pass the Lasagna Rollatini with Sausage and do you want that with the bottle of Kendall Jackson or Sutter Home?

 Of course Jeffers statement begs the question of how Olive Garden/Darden really feels about the Letterman/Palin issue.

So TVWeek.com got Jeffers on the phone and asked him point blank, “If your ad schedule didn’t happen to end on June 8, would the company have pulled its ads from Letterman's show for a certain length of time?”

To which Jeffers replied, “That’s a hypothetical, and we don’t answer hypotheticals.”#

Why the Multi-Billion Dollar TV Upfront Marketplace Isn't Moving

Yes, some product integration deals are being made, and yes, some agencies are finally registering their budgets with networks, but buyers and sellers really are at an impasse, Ad Age reports.

—Chuck Ross

Meg Ryan to Visit HBO's 'Curb'

Meg Ryan will guest star in an episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm's" new season, Entertainment Weekly reports.

The seventh season of the Larry David sitcom returns to HBO in September.

--Vlada Gelman

Reveille Signs '30 Rock's' Thompson to Holding Deal

Reveille has made a talent holding deal with 13-year-old actor Bobb'e J. Thompson, Variety reports.

Reveille seeks to develop a sitcom around the actor, who has a semi-regular role on "30 Rock" and has appeared in the films "Land of the Lost" and "Role Models."

--Vlada Gelman

CBS News Legend Walter Cronkite ‘Gravely Ill’

Legendary CBS Newsman Walter Cronkite is “gravely ill,” according to numerous reports.

The former “CBS Evening News” anchor is 92 and has been in declining health.

Veteran TV Reporter Verne Gay of Newsday gives us the latest details.

—Elizabeth Jensen

Susan Boyle Pulled From ‘BGT’ Tour Lineup After Public Cat Rant

“Britain’s Got Talent” phenom Susan Boyle was dropped from a second “BGT” live tour concert Thursday night after launching into a “bizarre rant” over her cat, the Daily Mail reports.

The 48-year-old singer was seen distressed and shouting “Where's my cat?” on the balcony of her eighth floor hotel room in Liverpool on Thursday afternoon, leading producers to remove her from that evening’s live tour lineup at the Liverpool Echo Arena, the British paper said, adding that she also missed a show in Manchester Sunday after she was advised to rest by doctors.

—Tom Gilbert

Bissett Returns to Old 'Melrose Place' Address

Josie Bissett will guest star in The CW's "Melrose Place," People reports.

Bissett will appear in at least one episode as the sister of Laura Leighton's Sydney Andrews, her character from the original series. She may do more episodes.

The pilot also features original cast members Laura Leighton and Thomas Calabro.

--Vlada Gelman

WWE Punks Media

WWE faked out media organizations including TV Guide and Bloomberg this week with its false announcement that it had sold “Monday Night Raw” to Donald Trump, Variety says.

In fact, the USA Network show was never up for sale, and after some media outlets took the bait on what had been intended as a promotional joke, USA had to issue an apology on Thursday.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Upfront Standoff Begins to Show Signs of Breaking

The upfront ad sales market could begin before the July 4 weekend, Broadcasting & Cable says.

Some agencies have started registering their budgets, a sign that substantive talks could be set to begin soon.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Genachowski, McDowell FCC Nominations Advance

The Senate Commerce Committee approved the nominations of Julius Genachowski and Robert McDowell to the FCC in an off-the-floor markup that will speed up the path to a full Senate vote, sources told Broadcasting & Cable.

The action could pave the way for a Senate vote before the July 4 recess.

--Elizabeth Jensen

McGoldrick Returns to USA as SVP of Scripted Programming

Bill McGoldrick is making his return to USA Network, The Hollywood Reporter says.

McGoldrick will serve as senior VP of scripted programming, replacing Jackie de Crinis, who will continue to oversee management of original series and pilot production.

McGoldrick joined USA in 1998, eventually serving in scripted development positions, working on "Monk," "Psych" and "The 4400." He left the network in 2005 to join Spike TV as VP of original series.

"Bill is a great friend and a phenomenal creative executive," said Jeff Wachtel, president, USA original programming, to whom McGoldrick will report. "Bringing him back home to USA is something we've been trying to do ever since he left. It's a move that we feel will make one of the best network development teams in the business even better."

--Vlada Gelman

Promax Moving to L.A. for 2010

Promax|BDA, the association for entertainment industry marketing, promotion and design professionals, is moving its U.S. conference from New York to Los Angeles next year.

At the conclusion of its 54th annual gathering in New York Thursday night, Promax BDA President Jonathan Block-Verk announced that after having taken place in New York for six years, the three-day event will move to the L.A. LIVE venue next June.

“Marketers are always looking for a new source of inspiration and a fresh perspective, so we are looking forward to seeing everyone in Los Angeles next year,” Block-Verk said in a statement.

The conference closed with the Promax|BDA Promotion and Marketing Awards ceremony hosted by comedian Bob Saget. Showtime and FX were among the evening’s big winners, with 25 and 14 awards respectively.

Earlier in the week, Promax|BDA announced the winners of the Design Awards at an event hosted by “30 Rock” actor Judah Friedlander. Click here for the full lists of winners.

Filmmaker and Sundance founder Robert Redford received the 2009 Promax|BDA Lifetime Achievement Award on the final day of the conference

—Tom Gilbert

TV Exec Legend Bill Moll Back in TV Business

William G. Moll, the former head of the Clear Channel Television group, was named interim president and GM of public station KLRN in San Antonio, TVNewsday reports.

Moll was part of the group that put the station on the air back in 1962 and he previously served as its station manager from 1964 to 1969.

—Elizabeth Jensen

Tyra Banks Stalker is Sentenced

The man who was convicted in April of stalking Tyra Banks, the supermodel who is now a TV host, was sentenced to one year’s probation and attendance at a treatment program, The Hollywood Reporter says.

The stalker, Brady Green, was also ordered to stay away from Banks for two years, under an order of protection. He had been convicted of following her cross-country, calling her offices and showing up in person.

—Elizabeth Jensen

Andre Braugher Guest Stars on 'House' Season-Opener

Andre Braugher has been cast to battle with Hugh Laurie, playing Dr. Greg House’s shrink on the two-hour season premiere of Fox’s “House,” says TV Guide.

The episode will be set entirely inside the psychiatric institution where House was seen checking in as the last season ended.

—Elizabeth Jensen

Last Chance For NY to Give Incentives For TV Production; If Bill Not Passed Soon Next Chance is in the Fall

The New York film and TV industry is still hoping that a new production tax credit bill will get passed by the N.Y. State legislature before the summer break, The Hollywood Reporter says.

A bill has been introduced but no vote has been set, amid the State Senate disarray, as party power has switched back and forth in recent days following the changing allegiances of two lawmakers.

—Elizabeth Jensen

USA's 'Royal Pains,' 'Burn Notice' Continue to Grow

USA Network's "Royal Pains" is on a roll.

Ratings for the third episode of the new series increased 17% from last week to 6.5 million viewers, The Hollywood Reporter says.

The show has grown with each new episode, building on its lead-in "Burn Notice," which was also up 19% from last week.

The two series were the highest rated programs on cable last night. Only Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" was ahead of them among broadcast shows.

--Vlada Gelman

Heigl to Stay With 'Grey's Anatomy' as Knight Exits

Katherine Heigl will be back on "Grey's Anatomy" next season, The Hollywood Reporter says, citing unnamed sources.

The actress' option has been picked, sources tell the trade, indicating that her cancer stricken character will survive. There had been speculation that Heigl might be written off the series after she pulled herself out of Emmy consideration, citing a lack of Emmy-worthy material.

Yesterday, Entertainment Weekly reported that co-star T.R. Knight will not be returning to the series.

--Vlada Gelman

Despite Big Publicity Bump With Palin Controversy, Conan Beats Dave in All Demos; But in Total Viewers Conan Only Leads by 100K

“The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” won every key demographic in its second week on the air, including adults, men and women 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.

While the total viewers race was close, “The Tonight Show” beat timeslot competitor “Late Show with David Letterman” on CBS by 79% in adults 18-49 despite despite a storm of controversy surrounding Letterman and Gov. Sarah Palin. The show delivered an average 2.0 million adults 18-49 and 1.0 million adults 18-34. Conan has beat the “Late Show” in adults 18-49 every night so far since taking over “The Tonight Show.”

Conan also scored a tight win in total viewers with 3.8 million viewers versus Letterman's 3.7 million total viewers. Letterman was in his closest competitive position to "The Tonight Show" since December 2005, with only 100,000 viewers separating the two.

While Conan dominated the demos, "Late Show" beat "The Tonight Show" in households and on three nights last week in viewers.

“Conan continues to out-perform our most optimistic expectations,” Rick Ludwin, executive VP of late night and primetime series for NBC Entertainment, said in a statement. “This business is all about delivering the key demographic groups, and for Conan to dominate every important demographic through his first two weeks is a real ratings home run.”

NBC continued to dominate the night last week with “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” outperforming CBS' “Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson” in all key demos. “Late Night” garnered 1.1 million adults 18-49, 606,000 adults 18-34 and 1.9 million total viewers versus “Late Late Show's” 665,000 adults 18-49, 247,000 adults 18-34 and 1.7 million total viewers.

The program also out-delivered Letterman by 1% in adults 18-49 and by 61% in adults 18-34 despite airing later in the night at 12:35 a.m. ET.

Since following “The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien” starting two weeks ago, “Late Night” has beat “Late Late Show” by an average margin of 77% in adults 18-49, increasing from a 46% margin earlier this season.

--Vlada Gelman

Carradine Pal Thinks ‘Lady Boys’ Killed Actor; Retired FBI Agent Agrees

A friend and associate of the late David Carradine believes the movie and TV star was murdered by gender-bender prostitutes known as Lady Boys,  Contactmusic.com reports.

David Winters, producer of three of the actor's martial arts movies, asserts Carradine was the victim of Bangkok's “Lady Boys” and that local police are trying to cover up the truth, the Web site says. 

It also reports that retired FBI agent Ted Gunderson, who has been hired by the Globe newspaper to investigate the Carradine case, concurs with Winters. Gunderson believes the hookers drugged Carradine, hanged him and then staged a suicide setting.

--Tom Gilbert

Tom Cruise, J.J. Abrams to Again Make Film Based on Classic TV Show

Tom Cruise has been signed to co-produce the third sequel of the motion picture version of “Mission Impossibe.”

He will re-team with J.J. Abrams—creator of “Fringe” on TV and the blockbuster “Star Trek” movie this summer—to make “Mission Impossible IV” in 2011, Variety reports. Cruise and Abrams made “Mission Impossible III” together.

The deal is somewhat surprising because “Mission Impossible” is a Paramount property, and Cruise had a very public falling out with the studio a few years ago.

But in Hollywood, the only events more popular than break-ups are the getting’s back together.

—Chuck Ross

ABC Entertainment Group Finalizes Reorganization

ABC Entertainment Group has completed its reorganization, a process that began in January when it was announced that ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios would be merging into one unit headed by Steve McPherson.

It was speculated that an announcement would be made today.

Under the reorganization, Business Affairs, Business Development, Casting, Program Planning, Scheduling and Distribution will be managed as integrated areas effective immediately. ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios will retain separate creative teams, with each combining development and current programming roles.

Jeff Bader will continue in his role overseeing primetime and late night program planning and scheduling for ABC Entertainment Group. He will also oversee global programming, distribution and windowing strategies for all ABC Entertainment Group programs across all platforms, both domestic and international.

Barry Jossen will continue to oversee studio creative and production, while Suzanne Patmore-Gibbs remains in charge of network scripted creative.

Vicki Dummer and John Saade remain co-heads of alternative series, specials and late night for the network.

Mia Rondinella will serve as vice president of business planning and development for the group.

Jana Winograde will oversee deals, agreements and business as executive VP of business affairs and administration.

ABC's current head of programming Kim Rozenfeld will get a production deal with ABC Studios as part of the restructuring, The Hollywood Reporter says. He will develop and produce series as a nonwriting producer.

“The new organization will strengthen our position as a top quality content engine and promote a healthier business model to sustain it,” said McPherson. “The structural changes we have put in place ensure a cohesive vision from a creative, production and business standpoint, and will make us a stronger, more efficient team more seamlessly focused on common goals."

--Vlada Gelman

Bravo’s N.J. 'Housewives' Not Done After All; Danielle Sex Tape Alleged

Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” broadcast what it said was a finale on Tuesday and then promptly added four more shows, reports the New York Post.

The network added two episodes, including a second reunion and some lost footage, which will take the show through July 9.

Separately, Fox News is reporting that the ex-boyfriend of housewife-with-a-past Danielle Staub claims to have a sex tape of the series star that he is considering releasing to the public.

--Tom Gilbert

Dad of ‘American Idol’ Finalist Busted in Utah for Soliciting a, Um, Masseuse

The father of arguably the most wholesome looking of recent “American Idol” finalists—David Archuleta—was charged with “soliciting a massage parlor prostitute,” according to Us magazine.

Jeff Archuleta pleaded no contest and paid a fine, the magazine said.

--Chuck Ross

So When Did You Stop Spanking Your Kids?: Kate Gosselin Defends Punishing Her 5-Year-Old

“Jon & Kate Plus 8” mother Kate Gosselin, recently shown spanking her 5-year-old daughter in photos published by In Touch magazine, says she doesn’t regret actions, Life & Style magazine reports.

In a statement released to the magazine, Gosselin said, “Whether the paparazzi are there or not, I am a mother first. I love my children and when they misbehave, I discipline them as I deem appropriate for the situation.”

--Tom Gilbert

'Family Guy' Creator MacFarlane Moonlights on ABC's 'Flash Forward'

"Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane will have a recurring role on ABC's new series "Flash Forward," The Hollywood Reporter says.

MacFarlane lobbied for the role after reading the script. Former "ER" actress Alex Kingston also reached out for a role on the show after falling in love with the script.

--Vlada Gelman

Endemol to Distribute Seinfeld's 'Marriage Ref' Internationally

Endemol will produce localized versions of Jerry Seinfeld's upcoming nonscripted series for NBC, "The Marriage Ref," Variety reports.

Endemol made a deal with Seinfeld to serve as the international distributor of the reality series, in addition to managing digital rights, licensing and marketing efforts for the foreign editions.

--Vlada Gelman

Oscar Winner Hunt Cast in 'NCIS: LA'

Academy Award winning actress Linda Hunt has joined the cast of CBS' "NCIS: LA," The Hollywood Reporter says.

Hunt will play a new, regular character, filling the void left by Loiuse Lombard's departure. Lombard co-starred in the pilot

--Vlada Gelman

Layoffs at 'Access Hollywood'

NBC Universal's daily entertainment show "Access Hollywood" laid off seven people on Wednesday, according to Gawker.com.

A tipster called the cutbacks a "completely unexpected bloodbath."

--Elizabeth Jensen

E!, Maxim Team for Two-Year Production Deal

E! Entertainment Television and Moving Pictures DPI, the production division of Alpha Media Group, which publishes Maxim, have made a two-year partnership deal.

The deal calls for the production of at least six hour-long television specials. Two new specials have already been greenlit for 2009, including "Maxim's Celebrity Beach Watch" and "Maxim's Hottest Moments 2009." The former will air this fall, while the latter will air in December.

The two companies will also co-develop a new travel and party series, "Maxim Does…," with "Maxim Does Mardi Gras" slated to debut in the first quarter of 2010.

"Combining Maxim's popular brand with E!'s ability to deliver leading pop culture programming is a win for viewers," said Jay James, senior VP of development for Comcast E! Networks Productions Inc. "We are excited to further develop this collaboration and bring the E! audience new and exclusive celebrity-driven shows."

--Vlada Gelman

Nearly One-Third of Audience for 'Lost,' 'The Office,' Heroes' was on DVR

For the just-concluded TV season, at least 30% of the audience for ABC’s “Lost,” and NBC’s “The Office” and “Heroes” tuned in later in the evening or up to seven days of the original broadcast, according to new DVR data, says USA Today.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Weather Channel Seeks to Boost Ratings with Original Shows for Primetime

Under its new NBC Universal ownership, The Weather Channel is looking to boost ratings with a new slate of original show for primetime, where it has lagged, says the NY Post.

NBCU star weatherman Al Roker is also being tapped to give the morning ratings a jolt.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Dish Network Says It Is Looking for Workaround to TiVo Patent

In a terse court filing, Dish Network said it is searching for a workaround for a TiVo-owned patent, as it waits for an appeals court decision on whether it needs to disable four million of its DVRs, Multichannel News says.

The network said in the filing it doesn’t know whether such a workaround “is even possible.”

--Elizabeth Jensen

'Family Guy' Now Available as an iPhone App

Fox’s “Family Guy” is now available as an app on the iPhone, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Users can view clips, create custom mixes to send to friends, and buy full episodes of the animated series.

--Elizabeth Jensen

ABC News Gains in Nielsen Recount

Nielsen added about 800,000 viewers for ABC’s “World News” last week, after a ratings recount requested by the network, the Associated Press says.

In the corrected figures for the week ended June 12, “World News” had an average 6.99 million viewers, up from 6.2 million when the ratings report was issued.

--Elizabeth Jensen

NBCU, CBS Make Odd Couple for Launch of CBS’ 'NCIS' Spinoff

They may be rivals but NBC Universal’s USA Network will help CBS launch its fall season “NCIS: Los Angeles” spinoff, says Variety.

USA, which carried “NCIS” reruns, made a deal with CBS to air the two “NCIS” episodes that set up the spinoff, getting them much earlier than it normally would.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Price Standoff Means Slow Start for Broadcast Upfront

Broadcast network executives said selling of upfront commercial time hasn’t begun one month after they unveiled their new fall schedules, the Los Angeles Times says.

The stalemate is partly due to preliminary demands by ad agencies that the networks cut rates by as much as 15% from last year, which network executives are balking at.

--Elizabeth Jensen

'Bachelor' Castoff Melissa Rycroft to Report for ABC’s 'GMA'

Melissa Rycroft didn’t get her man on ABC’s “The Bachelor” and she came in third on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” but this summer she’ll have a reporting job for ABC’s “Good Morning America,” says the New York Post.

She’ll contribute about eight reports from the field on uplifting topics, the paper said. ABC declined to confirm the story to the Post.

--Elizabeth Jensen

CBS Moves Emmy Awards Back to Sept. 20

The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards have been moved back to their original airdate, Sept. 20, on CBS.

CBS and the TV Academy previously announced that they were moving up the awards show to Sept. 13 because of a NFL doubeheader scheduled for Sept. 20 that could go over into "60 Minutes" at 7 p.m., pushing back the Emmy broadcast.

To broadcast the Emmy Awards as close as possible to the 8 p.m. start time, "60 Minutes" is planning a flexible broadcast following the late afternoon NFL game.

"After we announced plans for September 13, MTV informed us they were locked into the same day for the Video Music Awards, with venue and sponsorship agreements in place. We had the flexibility to move; they didn't," said Jack Sussman, executive vice president of specials, music & live events for CBS Entertainment. "It's best for the industry and the audience that these events not compete against each other. Huge thanks to the Television Academy and Don Mischer for quickly moving mountains to make this happen. If the Emmy broadcast has as much excitement as the scheduling of the date, viewers are in for an unforgettable event."

Stephen Friedman, general manager of MTV, added: "We appreciate CBS and the Television Academy taking on the mammoth task of moving such a huge event as the Emmy's to accommodate the Video Music Awards. Now audiences will get to experience two phenomenal nights of entertainment."

--Vlada Gelman

Knight Officially Exiting 'Grey's Anatomy'

"Grey's Anatomy" has let T.R. Knight out of his contract, Entertainment Weekly reports, citing unnamed sources.

The actor asked to be let out of his contract three years early amid rumors that he and showrunner Shonda Rhimes were not getting along. The official decision was made in the past few days.

Knight's exit suggests that his character George, whose fate was left in question at the end of last season's finale, will not survive.

Representatives for Knight and ABC declined to comment.

Additionally, the Web site reports that Jessica Capshaw has been made a series regular on the ABC series.

--Vlada Gelman

Fears Over FCC Reaction to F-Bombs as Wells Ponders 'Southland' Time Period Switch

John Wells and the production team behind NBC's "Southland" are worried their show could become a target of the FCC next season, the Los Angeles Times reports. The concern: The show's practice of bleeping out profanities might not be enough to avoid running afoul of the government's tough indecency standards. "Southland" is set to move to 9 p.m. next season, outside of the so-called FCC "safe harbor" for adult content.

--Josef Adalian

Six-Week Fox TV Test for 'Wedlock or Deadlock'

Twentieth Television’s new syndicated show “Wedlock or Deadlock” will get a six-week summer test on Fox TV stations in seven markets, says Broadcasting & Cable.

The “Divorce Court” spinoff features psychologist and life coach Dr. Michelle R. Callahan, who counsels couples who are struggling about whether to get married or split. The run begins July 20.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Late Night Host Ferguson at One Point Tried to Commit Suicide

Craig Ferguson, host of CBS’ “Late Late Show,” reveals in his upcoming memoir that he seriously considered suicide during his pre-rehab days in London, the New York Daily News reports.

In his book, “American on Purpose,” due out in September, Ferguson writes, “I felt worse than I ever had. ... I was a drunk, a loser and a disaster as a human being,” the Daily News said.

On his way to jump in the Thames, he bumped into a friend who cheered him up, inadvertently saving his life and sending him on a series of showbiz adventures that led to Hollywood, the Daily News said.

--Tom Gilbert

Nielsen Concedes Error; Will Recount Network News Ratings

Nielsen Media Research agreed to recount network news ratings from last week
after reporting Tuesday that ABC’s “World News” had its smallest-ever
audience, the Associated Press says.

The initial ratings showed ABC’s newscast with just 6.2 million viewers for
the week, its lowest figure since the 1987 introduction of peoplemeters. The
numbers were particularly low on Friday evening, night of the digital
transition. Nielsen will reissue the ratings today. [Wed.]

--Elizabeth Jensen

Alec Baldwin Calls Harvey Levin 'Human Tumor,' Says When He'll Leave '30 Rock,' Admits Suicidal Thoughts

Alec Baldwin thinks TMZ's Harvey Levin is "a human tumor," admits to suicidal thoughts and says he'll leave the NBC series "30 Rock" in 2012.

That's all from the upcoming issue of Playboy magazine, in which Baldwin offers up a series of candid responses to Michael Fleming. Among the highlights:

--On Levin: "Everybody knows Levin is a human tumor, a graceless character who lives in that weird netherworld. I don’t blame those pathetic people; they are what they are.”

--Suicidal thoughts following the leak of his famous voicemail to his daughter: “[I was] very serious … I spoke to a lot of professionals, who helped me … If I committed suicide, they [Kim Basinger’s team] would have considered that a victory. Destroying me was their avowed goal.”

--His future on "30 Rock": “I'm done in 2012. In March 2012 I’ll wake up and say, ‘What am I going to do now? Am I done?’ I think I will be done. I may finish a play or something, but I'm retiring at the wrap party.”

--Josef Adalian

Howard Stern Sidekick Artie Lange Gets Banned From HBO for Profanity

Artie Lange, the comic who's an essential element of Howard Stern's morning team,  won’t be returning to HBO Sports any time soon after unleashing a torrent of profanity on Monday’s “Joe Buck Live,” reports the New York Post.

Lange appeared with Paul Rudd and Jason Sudeikis of “Saturday Night Live” in an eight-minute segment on the program’s premiere.

--Elizabeth Jensen

A Previously Unpublished Interview from 2003—When 'Kill Bill' Came Out—Shows That Carradine Was Quite Strange

David Carradine, the former TV star, talks about acting in drag, shooting himself in his groin and severing an artery while doing peyote in a never-before-published 2003 interview.

The final question and answer of the interview--printed at the Web site of Entertainment Weekly-- runs as follows:

Q. You once said in an old interview that your favorite past time was sex?
Carradine: Well, isn’t it everybody’s? People just don’t say that.,

--Chuck Ross

A. Smith & Co. Seeks 'America's Worst Driver' for Travel Channel

A. Smith & Co. Productions and Mentorn USA will produce "The Streets of America: The Search for America’s Worst Driver" for the Travel Channel.

The competition elimination series is based on Mentorn's successful international format, which has been sold in 13 territories. The series pits competitors in a series of driving challenges to find the worst driver in America's most iconic driving cities.

The series is scheduled to hit Travel Channel's airwaves in the first quarter of 2010.

"Streets of America" will be executive produced by A. Smith & Co. founders Arthur Smith and Kent Weed alongside A. Smith’s Frank Sinton, Rick Tellis, and David Leach and Dan Goldsack of Mentorn USA.

“We’re really excited about the potential fan base for this show,” said Smith. “There are so many elements our viewers can relate to and it’s a great way to experience America. Plus we know how entertaining it will be to watch as the contestants try to navigate through Los Angeles, the home to the country’s busiest freeway interchange, or drive down San Francisco’s Lombard Street.”

--Vlada Gelman

Twentieth TV to Give 'Wedlock or Deadlock' Trial Run

Twentieth TV will give "Divorce Court" spinoff "Wedlock or Deadlock" a six-week test run, The Hollywood Reporter says.

The half-hour syndicated program will debut July 20 on Fox TV Stations in New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Tampa, Phoenix, Orlando and Memphis.

The show stars psychologist and relationship expert Dr. Michelle Callahan, who will give engaged couples with concerns about their relationship her blessing to marry or will tear up their marriage license.

--Vlada Gelman

'Daily Show' Moves Up Iran Report

Fake news collides with real news.

Comedy Central announced today that “The Daily Show” will tonight begin running a series of reports from Iran filed by senior investigative foreign correspondent Jason Jones. The series, re-titled “Jason Jones in Iran: Behind the Veil” (from “Jason Jones in Iran: Access of Evil”), was moved up from its original start date next Monday due to the continued protests in the wake of the contested presidential election in Iran last Friday.

Jones and his producer, Tim Greenberg, went to the Islamic nation “in search of any human decency among this nation of terrorists,” according to the network.

Daily Show viewers got a taste of Jones’ Iranian escapades when he did a standup at a campaign rally for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, translating what the controversial Holocaust denier said as, “Yes, he still hates the Jews.”

--Hillary Atkin

Oxygen Slates 'Addicted to Beauty' for August

Oxygen Media will premiere the new reality workplace dramedy "Addicted to Beauty" on Aug. 4.

The eight one-hour episodes explore the world of medi-spas through the eyes of the staff at Changes Plastic Surgery and Spa.

While the series premiere will air at 11 p.m., the remaining episodes will air at 10 p.m. beginning Aug. 11.

"Addicted to Beauty" is executive produced by RDF USA's Mike Duffy, Greg Goldman, and Chris Coelen, as well as Mechelle Collins and Kevin Dill of Intuitive Entertainment, and Scott Dunlop of Dunlop Entertainment, with concept by Scott Dunlop and Mike Duffy.

--Vlada Gelman

Crawford, O'Hara Cast in Recurring Roles on '24,' 'Tudors'

Clayne Crawford has joined the cast of Fox's "24" in a recurring role, The Hollywood Reporter says. Crawford will play a bad boy from the past of Katee Sackhoff's character.

Meanwhile, David O'Hara will play the Earl of Surrey in a recurring role on Showtime's "The Tudors," the trade magazine says.

--Vlada Gelman

Susan Boyle to Be Invited to Appear on 'America's Got Talent,' One of the Show's Judges Says

Susan Boyle will be invited to appear on "America's Got Talent," says Piers Morgan. Morgan, a judge on the show is also a judge on the British version of the program--where Boyle shot to international stardom. He said he'll extend the invitation himself,  Entertainment Weekly reported.

NBC confirmed to EW that producers are looking into the possibility.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Documentary Block for Planet Green in the Fall

Discovery’s Planet Green is moving aggressively into documentary programming, with a two-hour weekly block called “Reel Impact” planned for fall, says Variety.

The environmentally themed channel’s new president and GM Laura Michalchyshyn had success with documentaries while at Sundance Channel.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Individualized Local Ad Spots for DirecTV

DirecTV has a deal with Invidi Technologies that will let it individualize ads for subscriber households, Multichannel News says.

The ad-insertion technology won’t be operational on the satellite service until 2011. Rival Dish Network already signed a similar deal.

--Elizabeth Jensen

PMCM TV Wants to Move Stations to NJ

TV station owner PMCM TV has proposed to the FCC moving its KVNV in Ely, Nev., and KJWY in Jackson, Wyo., to Monmouth, N.J. and Wilmington, Del., respectively, reports Broadcasting & Cable.

The move would fill a void in New Jersey following the digital changeover. PMCM already owns N.J. radio stations.

--Elizabeth Jensen

CW Will Jump-Start Fall Season with Sept. 8 Debut

The CW will beat the other networks out of the gate with a Sept. 8 season start built around the return of “90210” and the new remake of “Melrose Place,” says Variety.

The network is also flipping its Monday dramas, leading off the night with “One Tree Hill” and moving “Gossip Girl” to 9 p.m. That switch takes place July 6 with reruns.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Digital Switch Problems in D.C.; FCC Steps in to Solve Philly, Chicago

Add Washington, D.C. to the list of markets having problems in the wake of the digital switch: the Washington Post reports that viewers are having problems finding WUSA, the CBS affiliate, and WJLA, the ABC affiliate. The stations moved their digital signals to VHF frequencies, from UHF.

Meanwhile, the FCC is sending extra staff to Philadelphia and Chicago to help resolve problems being reported by viewers in those markets, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Chicago Tribune report.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Local Media Ad Revenue Plunged 32% Since 2005

Total local ad spending for newspapers, radio and broadcast TV has plunged 32% since the first quarter of 2005, says Mediapost.

Figures for the first quarter of 2009 were $8.5 billion, down from $12.5 billion in the comparable 2005 period. One billion of the decline came before 2008, suggesting that structural changes, and not just the recession, are to be blamed.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Third Season for Tracey Ullman on Showtime

Showtime has picked up a third season of the half-hour “Tracey Ullman's State of the Union,” Variety reports.

Ullman will bring back her celebrity impersonations for an additional seven episodes beginning in 2010.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Rick Worthy of 'Battlestar Galactica' Headed to NBC’s 'Heroes'

Rick Worthy is jumping from one sci-fi show to another: the former “Battlestar Galactica” humanoid Cylon is in negotiations for a recurring role on NBC’s “Heroes,” says the Hollywood Reporter.

He’d play Matt Parkman’s new partner.

--Elizabeth Jensen

FCC Nominee Opposes Fairness Doctrine Revival, Favors Broadband Stimulus

In confirmation hearings Tuesday, Julius Genachowski, nominated by the Obama Administration to head the FCC, said he favors using $7 billion in stimulus money to improve broadband Internet access, the Wall Street Journal reports.

He also told the Senate Commerce Committee that he is opposed to a reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine, which some Republicans worry could be revived to blunt the impact of conservative talk radio hosts. And he said he’d enforce broadcast indecency laws, though he added that he'd look to both parents and technology to help with that.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Jon & Kate Plus Backlash? Ratings Dive for TLC Phenom

You wouldn't know it from the covers of the celebrity magazines, but America may be getting sick of the saga of "Jon & Kate."

According to final national Nielsen ratings just released, Monday's episode of TLC's "Jon & Kate Plus 8" averaged 2.9 million viewers. While still a great number for cable, it represents a huge dropoff from the show's ratings just three weeks ago.

Specifically, Monday's episode was off 70 percent from "J&K's" Memorial Day premiere, when 9.8 million viewers tuned in to watch the family melt down begin. This week's edition also dropped 31 percent from last week's ratings, and 37 percent below the 4.6 million who tuned in for the show's most recent season finale in March (pre-scandal).

The "J&K" slump this week came despite a well-promoted visit by the Teutel family from "American Chopper."

--Josef Adalian

Carradine's Sex Games Prescription for Ratings Success

 Coverage of David Carradine's mysterious death boosted ratings for the syndicated newsmagazines during the first week of June, TVNewsday reports.

"Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider" both got significant boosts by focusing on the unexpected passing of the "Kung Fu" star.

--Josef Adalian

'Hannah Montana' Likely to End Next Season

Hannah Montana, the hit kids show on the Disney Channel, will likely end after next season, CBS News reports.

Series star Miley Cyrus, 16, through all her gigs, made $18 million last year, the report says.

—Chuck Ross

'True Blood' Premiere Most Watched HBO Show Since 'Sopranos' Finale

"True Blood's" second season premiere on Sunday garnered 3.7 million viewers.

That number is up 157% from the series premiere and 51% from last season's finale. It also represents the most watched program on HBO since the series finale of "The Sopranos" in June 2007.

When counting the 11 p.m. replay, the "True Blood" premiere drew 5.1 million viewers, the series' largest Sunday gross audience.

--Vlada Gelman

Palin Accepts Letterman’s Apology

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has accepted David Letterman’s apology for jokes the late-night host made about her daughter on his show last week, ABC News reports.

In part Palin said, in a statement, “Of course it's accepted on behalf of young women, like my daughters, who hope men who 'joke' about public displays of sexual exploitation of girls will soon evolve."

—Chuck Ross
 

Dave: I Take 'Full Responsibilty' for 'Beyond Flawed' Palin Joke, and I'm Sorry

David Letterman is making a full-throated apology for his controversial joke about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter.

During a taping of tonight's edition of his CBS "Late Show," Letterman went much further than his last explanation of the joke, in which he quipped that a baseball player had "knocked up" Palin's daughter.

"I told a bad joke," Letterman said. "I told a joke that was beyond flawed, and my intent is completely meaningless compared to the perception. And since it was a joke I told, I feel that I need to do the right thing here and apologize for having told that joke."

UPDATE: Watch Letterman's apology

RELATED: Sarah...Plain and Pathetic

Letterman thought he was cracking wise about Palin's 18-year-old, Bristol, who last year served as a campaign surrogate for her mom's effort to become vice-president. But the Palins took it as a jab at their 14-year-old, and reacted with sharp criticism of Letterman.

Letterman offered a semi-apology last week, but that was greeted with even more criticism from Palin partisans. With word of an anti-Letterman protest scheduled for tomorrow, Letterman decided to try to clear the air once more and put the matter behind him.

--Josef Adalian

Below is a transcript of Letterman's comments, as supplied by CBS publicity:

"All right, here - I've been thinking about this situation with Governor Palin and her family now for about a week - it was a week ago tonight, and maybe you know about it, maybe you don't know about it. But there was a joke that I told, and I thought I was telling it about the older daughter being at Yankee Stadium. And it was kind of a coarse joke. There's no getting around it, but I never thought it was anybody other than the older daughter, and before the show, I checked to make sure in fact that she is of legal age, 18. Yeah. But the joke really, in and of itself, can't be defended. The next day, people are outraged. They're angry at me because they said, 'How could you make a lousy joke like that about the 14-year-old girl who was at the ball game?' And I had, honestly, no idea that the 14-year-old girl, I had no idea that anybody was at the ball game except the Governor and I was told at the time she was there with Rudy Giuliani...And I really should have made the joke about Rudy..." (audience applauds) "But I didn't, and now people are getting angry and they're saying, 'Well, how can you say something like that about a 14-year-old girl, and does that make you feel good to make those horrible jokes about a kid who's completely innocent, minding her own business,' and, turns out, she was at the ball game. I had no idea she was there. So she's now at the ball game and people think that I made the joke about her. And, but still, I'm wondering, 'Well, what can I do to help people understand that I would never make a joke like this?' I've never made jokes like this as long as we've been on the air, 30 long years, and you can't really be doing jokes like that. And I understand, of course, why people are upset. I would be upset myself.

"And then I was watching the Jim Lehrer 'Newshour' - this commentator, the columnist Mark Shields, was talking about how I had made this indefensible joke about the 14-year-old girl, and I thought, 'Oh, boy, now I'm beginning to understand what the problem is here. It's the perception rather than the intent.' It doesn't make any difference what my intent was, it's the perception. And, as they say about jokes, if you have to explain the joke, it's not a very good joke. And I'm certainly - " (audience applause) "- thank you. Well, my responsibility - I take full blame for that. I told a bad joke. I told a joke that was beyond flawed, and my intent is completely meaningless compared to the perception. And since it was a joke I told, I feel that I need to do the right thing here and apologize for having told that joke. It's not your fault that it was misunderstood, it's my fault. That it was misunderstood." (audience applauds) "Thank you. So I would like to apologize, especially to the two daughters involved, Bristol and Willow, and also to the Governor and her family and everybody else who was outraged by the joke. I'm sorry about it and I'll try to do better in the future. Thank you very much." (audience applause)
 

Double Surprise: Replacement Miss Calif. Also Opposed to Gay Marriage and Pageant Threatening to Sue Fired Miss Calif. Unless She Shuts Up

The new Miss California, Tami Farrell—like the person she’s just replaced, Carrie Prejean, who was fired—is against gay marriage, advocate.com reports.

In a television interview Farrell said she is not a supporter of marriage equality, but "I don't think I have the right or anybody has the right to tell somebody who they can or can't love."

Separately, Donald Trump’s Miss USA pageant and K2 Prods have threatened to sue Prejean if she continues her "churlish insolent misbehavior" by making “defamatory” remarks about the pageant, TMZ reports.

Among other charges, the pageant claimes that Prejean “turned down 39 pageant appearances since May 12.”

—Chuck Ross

A 72-Year-Old Man, an 18-Year-Old Model and the Battle of the Media Titans

A potentially major conflict between two of the world’s most powerful media giants, Rupert Murdoch and Silvio Berlisconi, over the future of pay-TV in Italy is getting personal between the two men, the New York Times reports.

In the latest salvo, Berlisconi, who is also the prime minister of Italy, cried foul over the coverage in a Murdoch paper about  the relationship between Berlisconi, 72, and an 18-year-old model.

—Chuck Ross

MTV Networks' Graden to Step Down

MTV Networks executive Brian Graden will step down from his post as president of entertainment for MTV Networks Music Group at the end of this year, Variety reports.

Graden, who is also president of sister network Logo, will exit once his contract expires to pursue writing a musical for stage and novels. He is also in talks with MTV to set up a production deal.

MTV Networks plans to eliminate some of it senior management hierarchy in lieu of replacing Graden.

Graden joined MTV in 1997 as executive vice president of programming. He added VH1 to his oversight in 2002 and helped launch Logo in 2005. He is responsible for MTV hits such as "The Osbournes," "TRL," "Pimp My Ride," "Jackass" and "Laguna Beach."

TVWeek's TV MoJoe Blog debates whether Graden's exit is a good thing.

--Vlada Gelman

Katie Holmes to Dance on Fox

Katie Holmes taped a guest appearance for Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance,” says Usmagazine.com.

When the performance will air is still a secret; the network isn’t confirming that she is on board.

--Elizabeth Jensen

New York's 'Live at Five' to Die

NBC’s owned station in New York is killing off its nearly 30-year-old newscast “Live at Five” in the fall, replacing it with an hour-long lifestyle program called “LX New York,” Broadcasting & Cable reports.

The show, with fashion, cooking, gossip and celebrity segments targeted to suburban women who might watch cable networks such as Lifetime and NBC’s Bravo, will air live from Rockefeller Center beginning Sept. 14.

"If you're a suburban housewife in New York, we'll come after you and find you," founder/General Manager Morgan Hertzan.

--Elizabeth Jensen

NBA Finals Lift ABC; NHL Last Game Was Most-Watched in 36 Years

ABC’s NBA Finals championships, which ended Sunday, were the second-most-watched basketball championships since 2004, averaging a preliminary 14.3 million viewers in each of five games, says The Hollywood Reporter.

NBC also scored with the deciding game 7 of hockey’s Stanley Cup Finals, which drew 8 million viewers on Friday, making it the most-watched pro hockey game since 1973’s faceoff between Montreal and Chicago.

--Elizabeth Jensen

All Four 'American Idol' Judges Said to Be Returning

No formal announcement is imminent, but RadarOnline.com says that all four “American Idol” judges will return next season.

There had been speculation that either Paula Abdul or Kara DioGuardi wouldn’t return; the new four-judge format this season was seen by many to be slowing the show down.

—Elizabeth Jensen

Single-Sponsor Ad Pods for Hallmark Channel

Mutual of Omaha will be the first sponsor in a new Hallmark Channel ad format that allows a single advertiser in a commercial pod, Variety says.

Called “Fast Break,” the pods, designed to break through ad clutter, give a single sponsor the floor in the first short break of a program; subsequent pods are longer and have multiple advertisers.

The concept will debut during the channel’s 9 p.m. movie June 23-26.

—Elizabeth Jensen

No Hope for Future of TV Business, Says a Former Major Wall St. Analyst

A story entitled “Sorry, There’s No Way to Save the TV Business” has been posted by Henry Blodget at his blog, businessinsider.com. Blodget was one of the leading analysts on Wall St. during the Internet boom who was later barred from the securities industry.

Here’s the problem TV is facing, according to Blodget: ”As with print-based media, Internet-based distribution generates only a tiny fraction of the revenue and profit that today's incumbent cable, broadcast, and satellite distribution models do. As Internet-based distribution gains steam, therefore, most TV industry incumbents will no longer be able to support their existing cost structures.”

—Chuck Ross

Jon and Kate's Antics Are, Sadly, a TV Repeat From 1973

Watching the latest installment of the train wreck that was once the compelling and illuminating “Jon and Kate Plus 8” reminds those of us who are baby boomers that we’ve seen this show before. It was one of the first reality shows most of us of that generation can recall: PBS’s “An American Family,” shown in 1973. In that show, we also had front-row seats to watch the disintegration of a family as the parents headed to divorce.

Similarly, TV critic Ken Tucker writes in Entertainment Weekly about the latest “Jon and Kate” episode on TLC, wherein Jon is “now virtually begging for a divorce right on camera.”  Furthermore, with little interaction between Jon and Kate, Tucker says the show is now forced to bring in guest stars from other TLC programs.

—Chuck Ross

The Killing Effects of the Digital TV Transition

 Getting rid of millions of old TVs could spell serious environment trouble, the New York Times reports, especially if, as expected, many of them get shipped to Africa and China for waste processing.

There are so many old TVs being junked for two reasons, the article says.

1) the DTV transition, and

2) the preference for newer, flat-screen TVs

—Chuck Ross

Grushow Joins Rooftop Comedy Board of Advisors

Sandy Grushow, former chairman of Fox Television Entertainment Group, has joined the Board of Advisors for Rooftop Comedy.

Grushow will advise the company on branded entertainment, original programming and business development initiatives.

Rooftop Comedy's other advisors include Andy Beers, former founding director of MSN Video, and Stuart Bonn, former CEO AnyRiver Entertainment and senior VP of Electronic Arts.

Grushow oversaw Fox Broadcasting Company and 20th Century Fox Television Studio's entertainment operations as chairman of Fox Television Entertainment Group. He also served as the head of Fox's Phase Two Productions. He took the Fox network from two nights of programming to seven and oversaw hits such as “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy,” “In Living Color,” “Beverly Hills 90210,” “American Idol,” “24,” “The X Files,” “Arrested Development,” “Ally McBeal” and “The Bernie Mac Show.”

“We are so honored that Sandy has agreed to join our Board of Advisors,” said Will C. Rogers, founder and CEO of Rooftop Comedy. “His depth of knowledge and years of experience will be invaluable to us, especially at this time of significant growth and expansion.”

Rooftop Comedy is a producer of branded entertainment that records and distributes live performance comedy every night from its worldwide network of comedy clubs.

--Vlada Gelman

Maybe This Upcoming Show Should Be Called 'Families Feud'

CBS and reality producer Mike Fleiss have “walled off” eight homes in an Atlanta suburb for a new reality show called “Block Party. A report by former TVWeek reporter James Hibberd says “the families in will be trapped inside the 20-foot maximum-security-looking wall for about three weeks.”

—Chuck Ross

A&E's 'The Beast' Ends Run After Just One Season

“The Beast,” A&E’s police drama starring Patrick Swayze, is not coming back after ending its first season, the Associated Press reported.

The show, which continued first-season production even as its star battled cancer, premiered in January to mixed reviews.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Dick Van Dyke to Spill All

Dick Van Dyke, at the age of 83, is writing a memoir, the Associated Press says.

The book, so far untitled, from the star of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and “Diagnosis: Murder,” is schedule to be released next year by Random House-imprint Harmony Books.

--Elizabeth Jensen

New Anti-Piracy Push at NBC Universal

Cory Shields, NBC Universal’s top corporate communication executive, is moving over to a new position as executive vice president for global policy strategies, where he’s expected to focus on protecting the company’s intellectual property rights, says the New York Times.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Digital Transition Not Hurting Ratings

The couple million homes that are estimated to be TV signal-free after the transition from analog to digital apparently are light TV viewers, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Nielsen Media Research stats showed a fairly steady number of homes using television on the first weekend after the switch, compared to previous weekends.

--Elizabeth Jensen

MSNBC's Maddow to Appear on 'Diggnation'

MSNBC commentator Rachel Maddow will appear on the web show "Diggnation."

Maddow will be the first-ever guest bartender on the tech/web culture show, which features hosts Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht.

The episode will be available June 17 at www.revision3.com/diggnation.

--Vlada Gelman

Comedy Central's 'Daily Show' Goes to Iran

"The Daily Show's" Jason Jones will report from Iran next week, TVGuide.com reports.

The "Jason Jones in Iran: Access of Evil" episodes will air June 22 through June 25 on Comedy Central.

As part of the report, Jones will talk with a former vice president of Iran, an underground rapper and a feminist blogger. Check out a preview below:

--Vlada Gelman

Supreme Court Justice O'Connor Visits 'Late Show' June 23

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor will be a guest on CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman" on June 23.

It will be O'Connor's first visit to the late night talk show.

O'Connor became the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court in 1981. She retired in 2006. Her fourth book and second children's title, "Finding Susie," will be released the day of the "Late Show" appearance

--Vlada Gelman

Bryant to Celebrate Lakers Win on 'Tonight Show' June 17

Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant will appear on NBC's "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" on June 17.

It will be Bryant's first late night appearance since winning his fourth NBA championship. Bryant will stop by "The Tonight Show" after a victory parade for the Lakers.

An updated list of guests follows:

Tuesday, June 16: Larry David, Lauren Conrad and musical guest Gavin Rossdale

Wednesday, June 17: Kobe Bryant, William Shatner, and musical guest Incubus

Thursday, June 18: Eva Mendes and musical guest The Dead Weather

Friday, June 19: Shia LaBeouf and musical guest Holly Williams

Monday, June 22: Cameron Diaz, Johnny Strange and musical guest Pete Yorn

Tuesday, June 23: Lisa Kudrow, Billy Mays & Anthony Sullivan and musical guest Elvis Costello

Wednesday, June 24: Brandon McMillan, Kerry Washington and musical guest Wilco

Thursday, June 25: Bruno, Cirque du Soleil Zumanity

Friday, June 26: Snoop Dogg and musical guest Adele

--Vlada Gelman

Olive Garden Cancels Letterman Ads for the Year

To see UPDATED story please click HERE.

Fox Giving 'Glee,' 'Dollhouse' Early Starts

Fox will premiere the bulk of its schedule prior to the official start of the 2009-10 season, including new musical comedy "Glee" and cult drama "Dollhouse."

In addition, the network has set Saturday, Nov. 7 as the premiere date for its new weekly late night series, "The Wanda Sykes Show."

As for primetime, Fox will roll out four nights of programming between Sept. 12 and Sept. 18, allowing it to get much of its lineup in place before Nielsen begins officially keeping tabs on seasonal ratings Sept. 21. Fox has gotten a head start on its premieres in past years as well, so the strategy isn't a surprise.

While Saturday unscripted shows "Cops" and "America's Most Wanted" will debut new episodes Sept. 12, Fox's first big premiere night is Wednesday, Sept. 16. That's when "Glee" has its official series premiere.

"Glee," which had a successful sneak preview last month, will air at 9 p.m., behind the fall season premiere of "So You Think You Can Dance."

The next night, Sept. 17, Fox's new Thursday lineup premieres, with "Bones" at 8 and sophomore thriller "Fringe" at 9.

Fox's quasi-premiere week wraps Sept. 18 with the second season debut of Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse" at 9. New comedy "Brothers" and returning half-hour "'Til Death" air at 8 and 8:30 p.m., respectively.

The network kicks off the official premiere week Monday, Sept. 21 with a two-hour episode of "House." Sophomore drama "Lie to Me" moves into its new 9 p.m. Monday slot on Sept. 28.

"Hell's Kitchen" will still be in original episodes on Tuesdays come fall, and it will serve as a lead-in to the Tuesday edition of "Dance" starting Sept. 29.

Fox's final premieres will be its Sunday animated shows, which this year return on Sept. 27. In addition to "The Simpsons," "Family Guy" and "American Dad," the block will now include "The Cleveland Show" at 8:30 p.m.

--Josef Adalian

Here's a chronological look at Fox's premiere rollout:

Saturday, Sept. 12
8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT COPS (Season Premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT COPS (All-New Episode)
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT AMERICA’S MOST WANTED (Season Premiere)

Wednesday, Sept. 16
8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT GLEE (Series Premiere)

Thursday, Sept. 17
8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT BONES (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT FRINGE (Season Premiere)

Friday, Sept. 18
8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT BROTHERS (Series Premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT ‘TIL DEATH (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT DOLLHOUSE (Season Premiere)

Monday, Sept. 21
8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT HOUSE (2-Hour Season Premiere)

Sunday, Sept. 27
8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT THE SIMPSONS (Season Premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT THE CLEVELAND SHOW (Series Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT FAMILY GUY (Season Premiere)
9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT AMERICAN DAD (Season Premiere)

Monday, Sept. 28
8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT HOUSE (All-New Episode)
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT LIE TO ME (Season Premiere)

Tuesday, Sept. 29
8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT HELL’S KITCHEN (All-New Episode)
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (Time Period Premiere)

Tuesday, Oct. 27
8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (Time Period Premiere)

Saturday, Nov. 7
11:00 PM-Midnight ET/PT THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (wt) (Series Premiere) 

Susan Boyle Charging Huge Six-Figure $$ For 12 Minutes of Singing; She'll Average More Than Pres. Clinton per Appearance

Susan Boyle, the singing phenomenon who finished in second place on this season’s “Britain’s Got Talent,” is charging corporate clients $163,524 for a 12-minute set, the News of the World in the United Kingdom is reporting.

By comparison, former President Clinton reportedly gets, on average, about $140,000 to $150,000 per speech.

For Boyle, it comes out to $13, 082 per minute for the 12-minute set.

—Chuck Ross

Conservatives Call For Boycott of Letterman Advertisers—Embassy Suites Says It Has Pulled its Ads from CBS.com.; A Blogger's Eloquent Defense of Dave

Some conservatives and conservative groups are calling for a boycott of marketers who advertise on David Letterman’s late-night talk show on CBS because of the jokes he told about Sarah Palin and her family last week.

One of the advertisers targeted last week was Hilton Hotel Corp's Embassy Suites, because its ads appeared on the page for "Late Show with David Letterman” at cbs.com. Conservative Blogger Chris Wysocki says he contacted Embassy Suites and received this email reply:

From: Dawn Ray [Dawn.Ray@hilton.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2009 2:00 PM
To: Chris Wysocki
Subject: Embassy Suites Sponsorship of the David Letterman Show
Thank you for your email. Embassy Suites is not a sponsor or advertiser of the David Letterman show. Several online ads appeared on a series of web sites, including cbs.com, among many others. These ads have since been taken down. The appearance of the ads on the CBS network web site does not suggest we condone or agree with Mr. Letterman's views or comments.
We sincerely appreciate your email.

Separately on the Letterman front, TVWeek’s Joe Adalian, on his blog, offers an eloquent defense of Letterman.

—Chuck Ross

Carradine: Filled with Contradictions, Friends Say

The New York Post tries to figure out the late TV star in a piece they call ‘Final Days of Deviance: Carradine’s Secret Life Puzzles Hollywood Pals’.

—Chuck Ross

FCC Call Center Receives 900,000 Calls About DTV

The FCC Call Center has received 900,000 calls since last Monday from consumers seeking digital TV transition help.

Calls peeked on Friday, the day of the DTV transition, at 317,450 calls. The call center received 145,403 calls on Saturday and 62,949 calls on Sunday, with 28% of Sunday callers looking for help setting up their digital converter box. Twenty-six percent of calls on Sunday were about difficulty receiving a specific station, while 23% had broader reception issues.

Over 235,000 calls seeking convertor box coupon information were transferred to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s call center.

“The FCC is in the midst—not the end—of the DTV transition,” said FCC Acting Chairman Michael Copps. “Our call center remains open, our teams are in the field, and our web site, www.dtv.gov, is updated to reflect the kinds of problems viewers are having.

“This was never going to be an easy transition, as I have said many times,” Copps added. “It appears to have worked well for the majority of over-the-air viewers, but for those who are experiencing a less-satisfactory outcome, we are committed to staying on the job to help.”

Most markets made a smooth transition to digital signals, but the FCC is examining signal loss reports in Chicago, Philadelphia and New York.

—Vlada Gelman

Because 'Everyone Has A Little Bit of OCD,' the Folks Who Produce 'The Biggest Loser' are Bringing a Reality Show About Obsessive Compulsive Disorder to VH1

VH1 has picked up an untitled, unscripted series about people with obsessive compulsive disorder, says Variety.

The show, from 3 Ball Prods. (NBC’s “The Biggest Loser”) will follow people with the disease as they live together in a treatment facility for several weeks. "I feel our viewers will also see something of themselves in these patients as I think everyone has a little bit of OCD, making it surprisingly relatable," said VH1’s Jeff Olde, senior VP of programming and production.

—Elizabeth Jensen

Harris to Sing for Cartoon Net's 'Batman: The Brave and the Bold'

Neil Patrick Harris will lend his singing talents to an episode of Cartoon Network's "Batman: The Brave and the Bold," TV Guide Magazine reports.

Harris will voice the character of the Music Meister in a season 2 episode airing this fall.

The Music Meister “has the power to create song wherever he goes, and he’s trying to dominate the world,” producer James Tucker tells the magazine. The episode features five original songs written by Tucker and producer/story editor Michael Jelenic.

Warner Bros. Animation will screen the episode "Mayhem of the Music Meister!" during its "Brave and the Bold" panel at Comic-Con on July 24.

--Vlada Gelman

Television Academy Hosts 'A Father's Day Salute to TV Dads'

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will host a "A Father's Day Salute to TV Dads" on June 18 at the Leonard H. Goldenson Theater in North Hollywood, Calif.

The event will honor ten of TV's most beloved dads from the 1960s through the present: Tom Bosley ("Happy Days"), Stephen Collins ("7th Heaven"), Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad," "Malcolm in the Middle"), Jon Cryer ("Two and a Half Men"), Patrick Duffy ("Dallas," "Step by Step"), Michael Gross ("Family Ties"), Bill Paxton ("Big Love"), Dick Van Dyke ("The Dick Van Dyke Show"), Dick Van Patten ("Eight is Enough") and Reginald VelJohnson ("Family Matters").

Other attendees include Jane Kaczmarek, Frankie Muniz, Meredith Baxter, Tina Yothers, Barry Van Dyke, Larry Mathews, Erin Moran, James Van Patten, Marion Ross, Suzanne Somers, Christine Lakin, Tyler James Williams, Mary Kay Place, Douglas Smith, Darius McCrary, Mackenzie Rosman, Mary Beth McDonough, Jon Walmsley, Billy Gray, Vincent Van Patten andAlan Hamel.

The event will be moderated by "TV Creators" author Jim Longworth.

--Vlada Gelman

ABC News to Air Healthcare Conversation With Obama June 24

ABC will air "Questions for the President: Prescription for America" on June 24 at 10 p.m.

The conversation with President Obama about healthcare will be moderated by ABC News’ Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer. ABC News’ Medical Editor Dr. Timothy Johnson will also be part of the conversation on how to fix the healthcare system.

The discussion will continue on "Nightline" that evening at 11:35 p.m. ET.

Wednesday morning’s “Good Morning America” will feature an exclusive interview with President Obama conducted by Diane Sawyer, in addition to portions of Robin Roberts’ exclusive interview with First Lady Michelle Obama.

Charles Gibson will anchor “World News” from the Blue Room of the White House on Wednesday.

Viewers can become part of the healthcare conversation at ABCNews.com/Politics starting tomorrow, June 16.

Marc Burstein will executive producer the special edition of Primetime “Questions for the President: Prescription for America.”

--Vlada Gelman

MGM’s Vintage Shows Pitched to Strapped TV Stations

MGM is offering financially struggling stations looking to program their digital channels “This TV,” a 24-hour programming service of vintage fare such as “Beach Blanket Bingo,” the Los Angeles Times says.

The offerings on the free service include B-movies, and series such as “The Addams Family.” Stations split the ad revenue generated with the studio.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Big Media Web Video Businesses Have Failed

The web video ventures launched by the likes of Disney, HBO, NBC, Turner and AOL have failed, the Los Angeles Times says, citing their inability to attract enough ad dollars and find a sustainable business model.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Axelist.com Complaints Coming to TV

Axelist.com, a web site where users can complain about the people and businesses they have problems with, is partnering with Prometheus Entertainment to turn the concept into a half-hour TV show, Variety says.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Ex-Cons to Cook on Canadian TV

Canadian broadcaster Citytv is pairing ex-cons with a fancy Toronto restaurant for a fall reality series called “Conviction Kitchen,” The Hollywood Reporter says.

The show will give former bank robbers, thieves and petty offenders wait-staff and kitchen training and then open the restaurant to the public.

--Elizabeth Jensen

In an Otherwise 'Relatively' Smooth Transition to Digitial TV, Two Major Stations, Philadelphia’s WPVI and Chicago’s WLS, Have Had Signal Problems

Philadelphia’s ABC-owned WPVI experienced reception problems after converting from analog to digital on Friday, B&C reports.

ABC's WLS in Chicago was also experiencing some problems, Multichannel News says

Many users reported on the WPVI web site that they couldn’t find the digital signal, while the station said in a newscast that the problem may be that its power threshold is too low and the station will need FCC approval for an increase, according to B&C

ABC said it would work with the FCC to fix the power problems in Philadelphia as well as at its WLS in Chicago, according to Multichannel News.

—Elizabeth Jensen

Once Banned, Ads for Hard Liquor Becoming Increasing Common on TV Stations, Including Those Owned by the Major Networks

It’s become “a real boozy time on television,” the New York Post reports. With TV stations stuggling for ad revenue, “local affiliates are not only accepting hard liquor ads—they are actively courting the $451 million distilled-spirits advertising business," the paper reports, citing numerous examples.

—Chuck Ross

'Lost,' 'Grey's Anatomy,' and 'Gossip Girl' Among Online Viewing Champs in May

ABC’s "Lost" and "Grey's Anatomy" and CW’s “Gossip Girl” brought in big online audiences in May, according to Nielsen VideoCensus figures, Variety says.

On ABC.com, "Lost" had 36.4 million total video streams (episodes, clips and podcasts) for the top spot. "Grey's Anatomy" was seem in 29 million streams. The figures don’t include Hulu viewing.

"Grey's" was up 57% over its March numbers, "Lost" was up 13%.  

No doubt season finales during May helped fuel the increase.

"Gossip Girl," though not highly rated in terms of overall viewers to a network primetime show, nevertheless was ranked 10 among all shows on Nielsen's list.

—Elizabeth Jensen

What Needs to Be Done to Really Mine Set-Top Data to Sell Advertising and What’s Wrong with Nielsen

Jack Wakshlag, Turner’s chief research guru says in this piece by Multichannel News, “If the industry ever gets it right, set-top box data can become immensely useful.”

This article tells what needs to be done.

—Chuck Ross

How Risky is Cartoon Net Strategy of Airing Non-Animated Shows?

Beginning this week the Cartoon Network will begin airing non-animated shows about “a ghost-hunting show following a team of paranormal investigators, a reality series about outdoor novices exploring the jungle and a game show set aboard a fast-moving roller coaster,” B&C reports.

The article delves into the question of the risks Cartoon Net might be taking by airing non-animated programming.

—Chuck Ross

CBS Triples Down on LMNO's 'I Get That a Lot'

Viewers will be getting a little bit more of "I Get That A Lot."

CBS has greenlit three new episodes of last season's surprise hidden camera hit from executive producer Eric Schotz. "I Get That," which aired as a one hour special on April Fool's Day, featured celebrities such as Heidi Klum and Ice T denying their true identities as they worked everyday jobs.

With little advance fanfare, the first "I Get That" averaged 10.35 million viewers and a 3.4/10 in its 8 p.m. Wednesday time slot, fare surpassing CBS's usual ratings with comedies.

There's no word yet on when the new episodes of "I Get That" will air or which celebrities will participate.

Schotz is the executive producer of the franchise, which is produced by Magic Molehill Productions in association with LMNO Entertainment.

--Josef Adalian

Syndicators Say 10 p.m. is Their Sweet Spot

Forget Jay Leno: Advertisers who want bang for their buck at 10 p.m. ought to consider syndicated programming.

That's the (predictable) pitch coming from the Syndicated Network Television Association, which issued a report last week noting that many syndicated shows score stronger ratings than what Leno's new primetime series is expected to deliver. Already, syndicated series draw bigger audience than many network network shows currently on the air, SNTA said.

The group also is touting the younger skew of many syndicated shows vs. the older crime dramas that mostly make up 10 p.m. programming on the networks. Repeats of the old ABC comedy "The George Lopez Show," for example, have a median age of 23; NBC's median age at 10 p.m. right now is 51.

"High ratings, younger skewing programs, better efficiency and superior commercial delivery in DVR households makes syndication the ideal alternative to network prime at 10 p.m.," the SNTA report concludes.

The full report is available here.

--Josef Adalian

ESPN to Air Rose Bowl in 2011

ESPN will broadcast the Rose Bowl Game beginning January 2011, Broadcasting & Cable reports.

ABC will air the 2010 Rose Bowl Game. The network has a seperate deal to televise the Rose Bowl through 2014.

ESPN will televise 15 Bowl Championship Series football games as part of a new, multi-year agreement beginning January 2011.

--Vlada Gelman

Consumers Flood Call Centers Seeking DTV Help

The FCC Call Center is experiencing high demand due to consumers seeking help with the digital transition taking place today, Broadcasting & Cable reports.

Wait time is up to 15 minutes, with 4,000 operators standing by to assist callers. Many callers are also experiencing hang-ups.

Last week, the National Telecommunications & Information Administration gave the FCC $10 million in funding for DTV-outreach call centers, setting “an ideal target wait time of a half-minute or so before a real person got on the phone.”

Over 500 stations have already made the switch to digital, the trade magazine says. Some did so as early as Feb. 17, the original DTV switch date.

That leaves 971stations to pull the plug today during different times of the day. Between midnight and noon today, 425 stations pulled the plug on their analog signals. The latest figures indicate that 155 stations are expected to go digital between noon and 6 p.m. The rest of the 391 stations will make the switch to digital by midnight tonight.

Acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps Friday hailed the DTV transition as “an important step forward in U.S. broadcasting, offering consumers access to more free over-the-air programming as well as higher quality pictures and sound. The transition also frees up valuable airwaves for emergency communications and advanced wireless services.”

Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.), chairman of the House Communications Subcommittee, was confident the DTV transition would be smooth and "uneventful for the vast majority of Americans," Multichannel News reports.

He pointed out that 97.5% of TV households are fully prepared for the transition and that the FCC call centers are "staffed and ready."

However, some households are still unprepared, uninformed and seeking help.

Baton Rouge's CBS-affiliate WAFB reported that its call center was experiencing a high demand of callers after it made the switch today at 7 a.m. Central time, the New York Times reports.

“Believe it or not, a lot of people saying they didn’t know anything about the switch,” the station said via a message on its twitter feed.

Meanwhile, the NTIA reported a spike in DTV-to-analog converter box coupon requests on Thursday, Multichannel News says.

While the 319,990 coupon requests are only 10th in the list of biggest one-day requests, it is way above the average daily order of 114,272.

--Vlada Gelman

VIDEO: Watch Sarah Palin Attack Letterman on 'Today'

Palin on ‘Today’ Show this Morning: Letterman ‘Not Cool and Not Funny’ for Joking About ‘Statutory Rape’

Sarah Palin tore into David Letterman on the “Today” show this morning, telling co-host Matt Lauer that "I would say that you and anybody else are extremely naïve to believe David Letterman's very extremely convenient excuse” that he was joking about her older, 18 year-old daughter Bristol and not her 14 year-old daughter Willow about being knocked up by Alex Rodriguez.

Palin also said, "He doesn't have to apologize to me. I would like to see him to apologize to young women across the country for contributing to that thread throughout our culture that makes it seem OK to talk about ... statutory rape. It's not cool and it's not funny."

She said she would not appear on Letterman's show because it would only give him "a ratings boost."

USA Today has more on Palin’s “Today” Show appearance.

Separately, Senator John McCain said in an interview yesterday, "I don't understand why Letterman would say that about a young woman. They (the Palins) deserve some kind of protection from being the butt of late-night hosts." The report was by Reuters.

—Chuck Ross

Leaked Emails Appear to Support Trump's Version of Firing Miss California; She Might File Suit Over the Firing

A series of leaked emails seems to support the official version of why Carrie Prejean--Miss California. Read some of the emails here on  Entertainment Weekly's Popwatch.

Separately, the lawyer for Prejean told Fox News that Prejean may file a lawsuit protesting her firing.

—Chuck Ross

Broadcast TV Advertising Down 11.9% in Q1

Total broadcast television advertising declined 11.9% to $10.5 billion in the first quarter, according to data from the Television Bureau of Advertising's TNS Media Intelligence report, The Hollywood Reporter says.

Spot TV fell the most in the top 100 markets, down 27.6% to $2.89 billion. Network TV decreased 4.8% to $6.5 billion, while syndication increased 0.2% to $1.1 billion.

Spending was down in nine of top 10 ad categories for local broadcast TV. Automotive took the biggest hit, down 52.1% with not one auto advertiser increasing spending.

--Vlada Gelman

TV Guide Channel Scales Back Shows

The TV Guide Channel will take the weekly talk show "TV Watercooler" off the air starting June 22, The Hollywood Reporter says.

Additionally, the channel will turn daily entertainment newsmagazine "Hollywood 411" into a weekly show starting June 26, while the weekly series "Infanity" will continue as a series of specials starting June 22.

The show downgrades have resulted in 38 layoffs in in-house production.

"This is a shift in programming resources and priorities. We're reducing existing in-house made shows to spend more on acquiring new product," said a rep for Lionsgate, which acquired the channel from Macrovision.

Lionsgate sold a 49% stake in the channel to JPMorgan Chase's One Equity Partners two weeks ago.

--Vlada Gelman

Carradine’s Death Not Suicide, Forensic Expert Says After New Autopsy

The forensics expert hired by David Carradine’s family concluded that the actor’s death wasn’t a suicide, the Associated Press reported.

But Dr. Michael Baden said in a statement that more information was needed from Thai authorities, including findings from the scene and crime laboratory and toxicology reports, in order to determine “the cause and manner of death”  of the former TV star.

—Elizabeth Jensen 

USA's 'Royal Pains' Up in Demos

The second episode of USA's "Royal Pains" was up 2% in the 18-49 demo, delivering 2.35 million viewers, Broadcasting & Cable reports.

The episode also increased 3% among people 25-54, hitting 2.6 million viewers. The demo increases represent a first for a scripted series on USA.

Total viewership was on par with the series premiere at 5.6 million viewers.

--Vlada Gelman

Sci Fi's 'Warehouse 13' Goes to Flea Markets

Sci Fi Channel is using flea markets to promote its new original series "Warehouse 13," Multichannel News reports.

Brown tags will be affixed to objects at the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena, Calif. on June 14, with the following phrase printed on them: "Does this object have hidden powers?" The tag will instruct people to a Web site for the series.

The tags will also be stuffed into bags as postcards and will make appearances at the Fort Greene Flea Market in Brooklyn, N.Y., on June 27 and the Brooklyn Flea Market on July 5.

"Warehouse 13" follows two agents in search of new objects to store in a secret storage facility in South Dakota.

--Vlada Gelman

Cher's Daughter Chastity to Have Operation to Become a Man

Chastty Bono, 40, began the sex-change process earlier this year, the Associated Press reports.

The daughter of Cher and the late Sonny Bono was first introduced to millions of Americans when she appeared as a child on her parents variety TV series in the mid-1970s. Chastity revealed about 20 years ago that she was a lesbian.

—Chuck Ross

It's D(TV)-Day!

We hope you don't lose your TV(Week) sig—

Reveille Acquires Rights to Hit Icelandic Comedy 'The Nightshift'

Reveille will develop the most successful local comedy in Iceland’s history, the gas station-set “The Nightshift,” for the U.S. market, says The Hollywood Reporter.

The series, which debuted in 2007, follows three employees of the station and their run-ins with customers.

--Elizabeth Jensen

MTV Banks on British Former Model to Bring Back Young Viewers

MTV hopes Alexa Chung, a 25-year-old British TV host and former model, will lure young viewers when her live music show, “It’s On With Alexa Chung,” starts next week, says the Wall Street Journal.

The show, at noon weekdays, is being positioned as the heir to “Total Request Live,” which ended its run last year.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Eric Roberts Joins the Cast of 'Crash'

Eric Roberts is coming on board for the second season of the Starz's series “Crash,” says The Hollywood Reporter.

The program returns on Friday Sept. 18.

--Elizabeth Jensen

New Two-Year Deal for 'CSI: NY' Exec Producer

Peter Lenkov, an executive producer on “CSI: NY,” signed a new two-year overall deal with the series’ producer CBS TV Studios, says The Hollywood Reporter. He’ll remain with the show.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Lawmakers Ask Broadcasters to Lower Volume on Ads

U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D., Calif.) has sponsored a bill requiring the FCC to force broadcasters to keep the volume on TV ads at the same volume as the programs they run in, and not louder, reports the Wall Street Journal.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Lawmakers Demand FCC Explain its Stimulus Money Spending

Members of the House Energy & Commerce Committee have asked the FCC to account for the stimulus money it got to educate the public on the digital transition, says Broadcasting & Cable.

The lawmakers want to know about rumors that some money went to non-existent call centers.

--Elizabeth Jensen

DTV Nightlight Service to be Available in 85 Markets

As the digital transition finally takes effect tonight, 118 stations in 85 markets have volunteered to provide nightlight analog series for up to 30 days, reports TVNewsday.

The stations will continue to broadcast emergency and DTV transition information only for viewers who might not have gotten the word.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Fisher Communications, DISH Network End Battle

Fisher Communications and DISH Network ended their retransmission battle and the 10 Fisher stations in seven markets including Seattle and Portland, Ore., are back on the satellite service, reports Mediaweek.

Litigation between the two sides has ended. The stations were taken off DISH in December.

--Elizabeth Jensen

TV Sets with Built-in Connection to the Internet Start Shipping to Retailers—If Popular They Could Upset the Traditional TV and Film Biz Models

The shipment of TV sets with direct connection to the Internet has begun, Variety reports.

Most "disturbing will be the potential ability for people to easily grab a pirated film online and stream it directly to their television," the article says.

—Chuck Ross

Peter Chernin, Katherine Pope Want to Produce TV Shows

Peter Chernin, who will officially exit as News Corp's president and COO at the end of June, and Katherine Pope, the well-regarded executive who is expected to head the TV division of Chernin's new production company, are already soliciting project pitches, The Hollywood Reporter says.

—Chuck Ross

More Staff Cuts at PBS

PBS made more staff cuts Wednesday as it tries to figure out how to cope with a budget deficit of $3.4 million for fiscal 2010, B&C reports.

—Chuck Ross

Heidi Montag Poses for September Playboy

Heidi Montag is off “I’m a Celebrity….Get Me Out of Here,” but she’ll be in the September issue of Playboy, People Magazine says.

The magazine’s source says there is “tasteful” nudity.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Enabling Cable Customers to See TV Shows Online Hits Snag

TV Everywhere—the plan cable operators have to allow their customers to watch TV shows online—has hit a snag, Multichannel News reports.

"The hard part is not the technology, [it’s] putting the business rules around it, which is really from the programmers' perspective,” according to Time Warner Cable COO Landel Hobbs..

—Chuck Ross

Video from David Carradine's Final TV Role: A Sad Farewell

 David Carradine's final TV appearance, on Tuesday night's episode of "Mental,"  is "not the way an actor would want to go out," the Hollywood Reporter's Live Feed says.

Judge for yourself with this clip from "Mental":

Filming to Move on CBS' O'Loughlin Drama 'Three Rivers'

CBS has decided to move production on its new fall series "Three Rivers," starring "Moonlight's" Alex O'Loughlin and Katherine Moennig, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Production will move from the Pittsburgh hospital where the pilot was filmed to Paramount Studios. A hospital will be built on the lot to give the pilot a "warmer" look, according to an unnamed source.

The show is also adding several recurring characters, one of whom will probably be a love interest for O'Loughlin's character. The character of Dr. Sophia Jordan, played by Julia Ormond in the pilot, will be recast.

--Vlada Gelman

Conan National Ratings: 'Tonight Show' Beats Letterman By Biggest Margin in 17 Years

 The first week of "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" walloped CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman" in the key demographic of adults 18-49, according to final national Nielsen data released Thursday.

"Tonight" averaged a 2.3 rating/10 share in the demo, compared to a 0.9/4 for "Late Show," NBC said. That's a 156 percent margin of victory, the biggest since May 1992 (the month of the Johnny Carson-Jay Leno transition).  Week one of O'Brien gave "Tonight" its best ratings in the demo since 2005.

“This is beyond our wildest expectations,” said Rick Ludwin, Executive Vice President, Late Night and Primetime Series, NBC Entertainment. “Conan has brought new younger viewers to 11:35 pm and we're gratified that the demographic trend has continued here in week two, where the early numbers continue to show dominant victories, in all the key categories, for ‘The Tonight Show’.”

Letterman has closed the gap on O'Brien dramatically since O'Brien's big premiere-- but that's among households, which don't matter in modern TV. NBC believes O'Brien will continue to fare much better in demos and viewers than he appears to be doing in the overnights.

Indeed, O'Brien's week one household margin of victory was 62 percent, compared to the 156 percent lead he had in the final demos.

Meanwhile, in those not-so-important overnight household numbers, "Tonight" retook the lead after falling behind on Tuesday. The numbers: "Tonight" 3.2/8, "Late Show," 3.1/8.   

--Josef Adalian

The full NBC press release on last week's numbers follows:

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – June 11, 2009 – Conan is the new King of Late Night. “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” was the dominant winner in its first week on the air, delivering huge margins of victory in every ratings category.  “The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien” won the week of June 1-5 with a 2.3 rating in the key measure of adults 18-49, the highest rated week for “The Tonight Show” in more than four years, and a towering 156 percent margin over CBS’s “Late Show with David Letterman” in adults 18-49.  Even excluding the highly rated premiere show on June 1, Conan won the week with a 1.9 rating among adults 18-49 and by 111 percent over the CBS program (0.9).

“This is beyond our wildest expectations,” said Rick Ludwin, Executive Vice President, Late Night and Primetime Series, NBC Entertainment. “Conan has brought new younger viewers to 11:35 pm and we're gratified that the demographic trend has continued here in week two, where the early numbers continue to show dominant victories, in all the key categories, for ‘The Tonight Show’.”

Back in week one, the previously released metered-market household ratings had showed Conan dominating the week by a 62 percent margin; that lead over “Late Show” expanded to 156 percent in the key 18-49 category (2.3 vs. 0.9) and 267 percent in adults 18-34 (2.2 vs. 0.6), according to national ratings released today by Nielsen Media Research.  “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” out-rated “Late Show” in every significant ratings category -- adults, men and women 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54, plus total viewers -- on all five nights of the week.

The 156 percent margin of victory in 18-49 is the highest for the “Tonight Show” over a full week of “Late Show” originals since at least May 1992.  Even excluding the high-rated Monday premiere, the 111 percent advantage on Tuesday through Friday is the best for “Tonight” over all "Late Show" originals in more than 10 years (since the week of February 15-20, 1999, 115 percent)
Conan’s 2.3 rating for the week in adults 18-49 is the highest for “Tonight” since the week of February 28-March 4, 2005.

Conan’s average rating for the week in the younger half of the key 18-49 demo, in adults 18-34, a 2.2, is a top-10 result among all primetime programs for the week of June 1-7, tying Fox’s “The Simpsons” for #10 on that list.

Conan’s ratings dominance helped lift “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” at 12:35 a.m. ET to his highest weeklong 18-49 rating ever, a 1.0.  In 18-49 rating, Jimmy’s margin of victory over CBS’s “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” was a hefty 67 percent and that margin climbed to 125 percent in the younger half of the demo, adults 18-34 (0.9 vs. 0.4).  Jimmy even out-rated Letterman in 18-49 (1.0 vs. 0.9) for the week and dominated Letterman in 18-34 (0.9 vs. 0.6) despite airing an hour later than the CBS telecast.

Since his March 2 debut, Jimmy Fallon has finished #1 in the time period among the broadcast networks on 68 of 70 nights in adult 18-49 rating, including three ties. 
At 1:35 a.m. ET, “Last Call with Carson Daly” delivered its biggest 18-49 rating (0.6) since the week of October 15-19, 2007, and biggest overall audience (1.4 million) since the week of December 22-26.

Conan’s debut on Monday, June 1 generated a 3.8 rating in adults 18-49 and 9.2 million viewers overall, matching the top “Tonight” 18-49 rating on any night of the week since Monday, Jan. 24, 2005 (tying the night of the President Obama interview, Mach 19, 2009).  In total viewers, it’s the biggest Monday audience for “Tonight” since that January 24, 2005 telecast, a special tribute to Johnny Carson.

Sarah Palin to Talk About 'Perverted' Letterman on 'Today'

Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) has been booked as a guest on Friday's "Today," NBC just announced.

The network said she'll talk to Matt Lauer live about the just-announced Alaska pipeline project and the state of the Republican party. But the questions likely to generate the most headlines will be those Lauer will certainly ask her regarding David Letterman's jokes earlier this week about Palin's 18-year-old daughter.

Palin will be in Texas during her conversation with Lauer.

--Josef Adalian

Lifetime Announces 'Acceptance,' 'Cinderella' Movies

Lifetime has announced two new original movies.

“Acceptance,” starring Joan Cusack and Mae Whitman, will air on Lifetime Aug. 22. The Sanna Hamri-directed movie about the pressures of getting into college is based on the novel of the same name by Susan Coll.

Additionally, sister network Lifetime Movie Network will air “Cinderella Pact” in February 2010.

Based on Sarah Strohmeyer's novel, “Cinderella Pact” follows three friends who agree to follow the advice of a “fairy godmother” to lose weight. It stars Poppy Montgomery and is executive produced by Barbara Lieberman.

--Vlada Gelman

Promax: Viewers Love Promos More than Paid Ads

Viewers would rather watch promotions for other TV shows than sit through advertisements for soap and soup.

That's the finding of a new audience analysis conducted by TV marketing association PromaxIBDA in association with TiVo's StopIIWatch ratings service.

According to the TiVo data, promos for network shows are "fast-forwarded less often than other ads," PromaxIBDA said in a release previewing the study. Full findings from the report will be revealed next week at PromaxIBDA's annual conference in New York.

“As audiences’ consumption habits continue to shift away from traditional live television viewing, the TiVo data being presented at this year’s Promax|BDA is invaluable to marketing professionals in the entertainment industry,” said Jonathan Block-Verk, president of Promax|BDA. “This will be a unique opportunity for industry professionals to learn about the continuously growing DVR audience that also represents trends among television consumers at large.”

PromaxIBDA will use the TiVo session to reveal the 10 most-watched and least fast-forwarded promos among TiVo subscribers.

Discounted online registration for the conference will be available through Friday via the organization's website, PromaxBDA.org.

RELATED STORY: Promos Do Double Duty

--Josef Adalian

David Carradine Movie Marathon Set for Spike Saturday

Spike TV will honor the memory of late "Kung Fu" star David Carradine this weekend with a movie marathon featuring three of his features.

Carradine died last week in Thailand at the age of 72. Local police are investigating the circumstances of his passing.

Spike's marathon will begin Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. with back-to-back airings of "Kill Bill, Vol. 1" and "Kill Bill, Vol. 2." Spike will repeat the "Bill" movies in primetime, then wrap up the marathon at 1 a.m. with an encore showing of "Kung Fu Killer," a Spike original film that first aired last August.

"This action-packed marathon is our way of paying homage to one of the most unforgettable martial arts action heroes in film and television history," said John Griffin, vice president, programming, Spike TV.

--Josef Adalian

'Ruby' Returns to Style Network July 5

The Style Network will debut the second season of "Ruby" on July 5.

A one-hour special, "Ruby: The First 100 Pounds," will air on June 21.

The new DVD "Ruby: A Journey to Lose the First 100 Pounds" will be available in stores two days after the season premiere on July 7. It features six episodes from the first season and more than 20 minutes of unaired content.

--Vlada Gelman

'Anything Is Possible' Says 'Virtuality' Creator Moore

Fox is taking a wait and see approach with the two-hour pilot movie "Virtuality," airing June 26.

While co-creator Ronald D. Moore said it doesn't look like the project is going to series, he cautioned, "Never say never."

"They [Fox] haven't picked it up to date. Their attitude, I think, is kind of wait and see. They want to see what the reaction is going to be," Moore said in a conference call. "I think right now it doesn't look like it's going to series, but if enough people watched and enough people got excited about it, anything is possible."

If the pilot, which doesn't completely resolve itself in two hours, is not picked up for series, Moore said it could continue in another medium, such as comic book form or as another TV movie.

"We've talked about all those possibilities. It depends on where we go after the broadcast," he added. "Sometimes these things have a bigger life that blossoms a few weeks after the broadcast."

Regardless of its fate, the show will have a presence online. Webisodes from "Edge of Never," the reality show within "Virtuality," will be put up on the show's Facebook page.

Click here for the full story.

--Vlada Gelman

Palin: Letterman’s Comments About Daughter 'Sexually Perverted' and 'Disgusting'; Todd Says Jokes About Someone 'Raping' His Daughter are 'Despicable'

Alaska Governor—and former Republican VP candidate—Sarah Palin—said David Letterman’s remarks Tuesday night were “sexually perverted,” according to Fox News.

Commenting about Palin’s recent trip to New York City, Letterman said, "One awkward moment for Sarah Palin at the Yankee game: during the seventh inning, her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez."

While the comment was aimed at  Palin’s 18-year-old daughter Bristol, who became pregnant while attending high school, in fact Palin was in New York with her 14 year-old daught Willow.

Todd Palin said, in a statement, "Any 'jokes' about raping my 14-year-old are despicable."

Letterman also joked that Palin had the syle of a “slutty flight attendant.”

Wednesday night (June 10) Letterman devoted  almost 8-minutes of his show responding to the controversy. See that video on our home page--just scroll down and you'll see the clip under Video Fix in our left-hand column.

—Chuck Ross

Miss California Shocked by Firing, Says Pageant Was Trying to Get Her To Pose In Playboy and Star on a Reality Show

Carrie Prejean, Miss California, who was fired yesterday by USA pageant owner Donald Trump and K2 Productions, says she was asked by K2 to pose for Playboy and to appear on NBC’s “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here,” both offers she rejected.

Prejean made her remarks to TMZ. Furthermore, she says her firing was politically motivated because she has taken a public stance against gay marriage.

—Chuck Ross

Carradine Placed Large Order at Sex Store Just 3 Weeks Before He Died

David Carradine, the former TV star who died under mysterious circumstances in Thailand during what has been characterized as participating in a sex game, made a large order at a sex toy shop in Tarzana, Calif. not long before he left for Thailand, xbiz newswire reports.

—Chuck Ross

Jon’s Sordid ‘Steamy, Boozed-Filled Trip’ to Utah with Other Woman That Viewer’s Didn’t See

While viewers watching episode two of “Jon and Kate Plus 8” on TLC and saw Jon helping handicapped kids ski while wife Kate celebrated her birthday alone, his trip to Park City, Utah was really part of Jon’s “sordid double life,” reports US magazine.

—Chuck Ross

'Real Housewives' Host Fourth Hour of 'Today' Next Week

Cast members of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives” will do a crossover on another NBC property, hosting the fourth hour of NBC’s “Today” show next week, says Broadcasting & Cable. They’ll fill in for a vacationing Kathie Lee Gifford.

--Elizabeth Jensen

BMW to be Exclusive Sponsor of AMC's 'Mad Men' Premiere

BMW will return to AMC’s “Mad Men” as the exclusive sponsor of the Aug. 16 premiere, says Mediaweek.

The program will air with limited commercial interruption.

--Elizabeth Jensen

NBC Signs Deals With 'Heroes' Writers

NBC’s Universal Media Studios signed “Heroes” writers Aron Coleite and Joe Pokaski to overall deals, says Variety.

The two will continue to write for the NBC series, but will also begin work on new projects.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Nearly 3 Million Homes Unprepared for Digital Transition

Nielsen estimates some 2.8 million homes aren’t ready for when the analog plug gets pulled June 12, reports Broadcasting & Cable.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Pilots Fleeing L.A. for N.Y.

L.A.’s share of pilot production in the last five years has dropped 42%, according to a study from FilmL.A., Variety says.

Productions in search of tax incentives are instead heading to New York, as well as Massachusetts, New Jersey, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Robert Buckley Joins CW's 'One Tree Hill'

Robert Buckley, best known for his role on “Lipstick Jungle,” is joining the CW drama “One Tree Hill,” which enters its seventh season this fall, says The Hollywood Reporter.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Ed McMahon Faces Eviction

Ed McMahon faces eviction after his home is auctioned off in late June unless he quickly comes up with his back mortgage payments, says RadarOnline.

Negotiations between the former “Tonight Show” sidekick and his lender failed. The house is expected to sell for about $5 million.

--Elizabeth Jensen

BBC Stars Face Steep Pay Cuts

The biggest stars at the BBC are due for steep pay cuts between 25% and 40%, BBC director general Mark Thompson told his talent, says The Hollywood Reporter.

The cuts will affect those earning more than £100,000 ($163,500) a year.

--Elizabeth Jensen

'View' Co-Host Joy Behar Gets Her Own Show on CNN’s Headline News Channel (HLN)

Liberal comedian Joy Behar, a co-host of ABC’s “The View,” is joining CNN’s HLN network to host a 9 p.m. talk show, reports the New York Times.

She’ll do double-duty when the program begins in the fall. “It’s not going to be dry, I hope, because I’m crazy,” she said.

Her show will bump reruns of “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” whose ratings have fallen sharply.

—Elizabeth Jensen

Gordon Ramsey’s Mom Forces Him to Apologize for Sexist Rant About Pigs and Breasts

Gordon Ramsey, star of “Hell’s Kitchen” on Fox, after hearing how inappropiriate he had been from his mom, apologized for remarks he had made comparing a TV host in Australia to a pig with multiple breasts, says slashfood.com.

—Chuck Ross

ABC Picks Up Comedic Reality Show 'Let’s Dance'

The new dance show, from FremantleMedia North America, will most likely be shown during the holidays this winter, Variety reports. Five episodes have been picked up by ABC to bridge the gap between the two arcs of “Dancing With the Stars.”

Previously Fox has said that its summer dance entry, “So You Think You Can Dance,” will also air during the regular season.

—Chuck Ross

One Upshot of Digital Transition Friday: More Live TV on Mobile Phones

No doubt millions of homes are unprepared for TV’s digital transition tomorrow (June 12), but it’s an opportunity for Qualcom’s long-awaited live TV service for mobile phones, a Los Angeles Times blogger says.

—Chuck Ross

Paul Karpowicz of Meredith Corp. is the New NAB Board Chairman

Meanwhile the hunt continues for a new CEO for the NAB, B&C reports

—Chuck Ross

Warner Bros. TV Taps Gough Wehrenberg as SVP of Comedy Development

Warner Bros. Television has named Erin Gough Wehrenberg as its new senior vice president of comedy development.

Gough Wehrenberg will be responsible for WBTV's primetime comedy development group. She will work with existing WBTV-based writers and producers, in addition to seeking out new talent and material.

Gough Wehrenberg will report to Len Goldstein, executive VP of creative affairs for WBTV, and will work alongside development vice presidents Lisa Lang and Wendy Steinhoff-Baldikoski.

"We loved working with Erin as a buyer and creative partner at the network, and we've seen first-hand her strong working relationships with talent and her great taste in material," said Goldstein. "She is a terrific executive and a perfect fit for our team."

Gough Wehrenberg joins WBTV from NBC Entertainment and sister production company Universal Media Studios, where she was most recently executive vice president of the production studio. She has also served as executive vice president of current series for NBC Entertainment, overseeing shows such as "30 Rock," "Friday Night Lights," "Heroes," "My Name Is Earl," "The Office" and "Medium."

Prior to that, she helped develop “The Office” and oversaw programming for “Ed and “Friends” as vice president of comedy development.

--Vlada Gelman

'Next Food Network Star' Sizzles in Premiere

The fifth season premiere of "The Next Food Network Star" drew 2.2 million total viewers Sunday, enough for it to top all series premieres in the Food Network’s history, says The Hollywood Reporter.

The opener was up 16% over the Season Four premiere.

—Elizabeth Jensen

NBC News’ Obama Specials Make Top Ten

It’s not often that news hours make the week’s Top Ten Nielsen ratings, but NBC News’ two-part special depicting life in the Obama White House took the seventh and eighth slots last week, with more than 9 million viewers each, reports the Associated Press.

—Elizabeth Jensen

Miss California Fired

Miss California, Carrie Prejean, is being fired, Fox News reports.

She's being fired by K2 Productions, the company that produces the Miss California USA pageant, and the firing has the blessing of Donald Trump, who owns the pageant, Fox reports.

Prejean stirred some controversy when certain pictures of her surfaced, as well as her remarks that gays and lesbians should not have the right to marry in California. Since the passage of a ballot initiative in California in November gays and lesbians no longer have the right to marry in the state.

In its article Fox quotes K2 as saying the firing only had to do with business contract violations by Prejean.

—Chuck Ross

Report: Lindsay Lohan Offered Big Bucks to Appear on VH1’s 'Celeb Rehab with Dr. Drew'

Lindsay Lohan’s dad says Dr. Drew can help her—and an offer that may reach six-figures to appear on Drew’s show seems like a pretty good love line, ABC News reports.

—Chuck Ross

Letterman Near New Deal at CBS; His Company Will Get Less Money

Pending finalization of an agreement with CBS, David Letterman will keep hosting CBS his late night TV show through August 2012, but his production company Worldwide Pants will get paid less
for the show, reports the New York Times.

—Elizabeth Jensen

Gordon Ramsey Called 'New Form of Low Life' by Aussie Prime Minister After Photo Incident of Pig’s Face and Multiple Breasts

The latest controversy involving “Hell’s Kitchen” host Gordon Ramsey, stemming from a run-in he had with a popular TV host down-under in Australia, as reported by Reuters.

—Chuck Ross

Carradine Body was Found Wearing Fishnet and Wig and Why Some Suspect Foul Play

In this report from ABCNews, new suspicions are raised about possible foul play involvement in the recent death of former “Kung Fu” TV series star David Carradine.

—Chuck Ross

MTV Gets 'Real' in Cancun on June 24

MTV has set the premiere of "The Real World: Cancun" for June 24.

Clips from the season premiere will be available at realworld.mtv.com on June 17.

MTV has also greenlit production on the 23rd season of the show, which will be filmed in Washington, D.C. during this summer. It will premiere in 2010.

"The charged atmosphere of Washington D.C., the center of our country's social and political change, will provide an electric setting for this next season of 'The Real World,'" said Tony DiSanto, president of programming for MTV. "We are thrilled to be filming our classic franchise in the heart of where history is being madeit adds a whole new dimension to the great characters and drama our viewers expect and love from 'The Real World.'"

--Vlada Gelman

NBC's 'I'm A Celebrity' Delivers on MTV, NBC.com

NBC's "I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!" has invaded cable and online.

A four-episode marathon of the reality series' first week on MTV Sunday averaged a 0.84 rating among people 12-34, improving its time period by 87%.

Propelled by a cross-platform partnership between MTV and NBC, the series was also the No. 1 show site on NBC.com last week, delivering 1.2 million people and 1.6 million video streams.

MTV will air a marathon of week two episodes on June 14.

"I'm thrilled that this exciting partnership and new programming model was successful for both MTV and NBC. The drama around Heidi and Spencer exploded in pop culture last week, and our viewers came to MTV on Sunday to check it all out again," said Tony DiSanto, president of programming for MTV.

Added Ben Silverman, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios: "Its great to see our cross platform partnership generate strong buzz and ratings. Utilizing unique marketing and content sharing, we continue to evolve the model of how to create events that live beyond a single medium or channel and are part of the water cooler conversation."

--Vlada Gelman

AMC's 'Mad Men' Returns Aug. 16

The third season of AMC's "Mad Men" will premiere on Aug. 16 at 10 p.m. with limited commercial interruptions, the network announced today.

Future episodes of the series will run into the 11 p.m. hour to accomodate two extra minutes of commercial time, Variety says.

The show’s creator-EP Matthew Weiner had been unhappy at the cable network’s plan to add two minutes of ad time to the hour-long episodes. Instead of cutting the program, however, network executives agreed to let the show run a few minutes into the 11 p.m. hour. To keep from angering fans who record the show, AMC has worked out a way to keep DVRs from cutting the program off after an hour.

A marathon of the second season will be held Aug. 10 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Season one is available On Demand in standard definition and HD beginning today, while season 2 will be available on July 20. The pilot episode can also be viewed at www.amctv.com.

—Vlada Gelman and Elizabeth Jensen

MLB Network Debuts 'The Pen' June 14

MLB Network will air the reality series "The Pen" starting June 14.

The series, which follows the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen, will air for six weeks. It will feature on-the-field and off-the-field interviews, as well as coverage from 2009 Spring Training to the All-Star break.

Phillies relief pitcher and MLB Network analyst Mitch Williams will narrate the series.

"The Pen" is a co-production of MLB Network and MLB Productions.

"As a reality-based series, 'The Pen' is the ultimate look into the lives of these players, both on and off the field," said Tony Petitti, president and CEO of MLB Network. "So much of what we know about relief pitchers is based on statistics and saves, and a series like 'The Pen' gives a level of familiarity to each player."

--Vlada Gelman

La-La Land Records to Release 'Caprica' Soundtrack

 La-La Land Records will release the soundtrack for Sci Fi Channel's "Caprica" on June 16.

Bear McCreary composed the music for the "Battlestar Galactica" prequel. McCreary will perform a free concert on June 13 as part of the Grand Performances 2009 Summer Series at California Plaza in downtown Los Angeles. He will also perform at The House of Blues in San Diego during Comic Con next month.

The two-disc "Battlestar Galactica: Season 4" soundtrack will be released by La-La Land Records on July 21.

"Caprica," a two-hour pilot movie, was released on DVD on April 21. It will air on Sci Fi Channel in early 2010.

—Vlada Gelman

Fox's 'More to Love' Taps Supermodel Emme as Host

Supermodel Emme will host Fox's dating competition series "More to Love," premiering July 28.

The unscripted series chronicles "a single and eligible man with a big waist and an even bigger heart as he romances several confident and secure plus-size women."

The project comes from executive producer Mike Fleiss, Next Entertainment and Warner Horizon Television.

—Vlada Gelman

Leno Starts Early, with 10 p.m. Mini-Monologues in Promos

Jay Leno doesn’t move to NBC’s 10 p.m. slot until Sept. 14, but starting later this month, fans can find original mini-monologues from the former late-night host at that hour, embedded in the network’s promos for the program, reports Variety.

Promos for the weeknight strip are already airing at 10 p.m. sharp and by the end of the month they’ll include new topical material from the host himself.

"From the moment he left 'The Tonight Show' until the moment his new show starts, there won't be a day where Jay doesn't appear on NBC," NBC Universal TV Group chief marketing officer John Miller said.

—Elizabeth Jensen

Broadcast Execs: Expect More Ad Integration

The upfront market is off to a slow start, but broadcast network executives are already at work on new integrated product campaigns for the coming season, they told Tuesday’s ANA Alliance for Family Entertainment gathering, Broadcasting & Cable reports.

Unilever’s Hellman’s mayo tie-in with CBS’ “New Adventures of Old Christine” this season and its Bertolli pasta hookup with CBS’ Monday night comedies were so successful that “we’re in talks about doing it again,” said CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler.

—Elizabeth Jensen

TVWeek Pays Tribute to Leslie Moonves

In its first ever Lifetime Vision Award salute, TVWeek.com honors Leslie Moonves for his exemplary skills and leadership. Read how shows such as “Survivor” and “CSI” really got on the air, as well as why Moonves says he’s almost never blindsided by what comes his way. It’s all in the TVWeek tribute.

—Chuck Ross

Howard Stern Ups Feud with Leno: He’s a Robot and I Don’t Like Him

In the latest appearance on the “Late Show with David Letterman” Howard Stern, the self-declared  king of all media took more potshots at one of his favorite targets, Jay Leno, ABC News reports.

In other Leno news, the former late night host is already doing promos for his new primetime slot on NBC, and some of those promos will be mini-monologues, Variety reports.

—Chuck Ross

'Real Housewives' Star Reportedly is Ex-stripper With a Record

One of the stars of this season’s “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” on Bravo may have a criminal past, ABC News reports.

—Chuck Ross

New Show from Creator of 'The Shield'

Shawn Ryan, who created one of the first big hit series on basic cable—“The Shield” for FX—will be back on that network with “Terriers,” Variety reports. It’s a detective dramedy from Ryan and Ted Griffin.

—Chuck Ross

Killer App for DirecTV: Become the Next HBO

The strategy DirecTV should adopt is to produce original series, according to a TV producer and former Motley Fool contributor writing at the website Seeking Alpha.

—Chuck Ross

DVRs Set to Become Even More Popular

If Cablevision ultimately wins a little-known suit with programmers about DVRs, it could change the face of TV viewing in even more dramatic ways than DVRs do now, according to a column in Barron’s.

—Chuck Ross

'Judy' Beats 'Oprah' to Win Syndie Ratings

“Judge Judy” edged out “The Oprah Winfrey” to rank as the top syndicated show in daytime for the week ending May 31, Broadcasting and Cable  says. Among rookies, “The Doctors” notched its 19th week as the season’s top rookie.

--Josef Adalian

Peace In Our Time: SAG Approves New Deal, Finally

There's labor peace in Hollywood at last.

Members of the Screen Actors Guild have ratified a new deal with producers by an unexpectedly strong margin of 78 percent for and 22 percent against. The vote ends nearly two years of labor strife in the industry, a turbulent timeframe that saw writers go out on strike for 100 days.

The standoff between SAG and producers bitterly divided the union, a point underlined by union president Alan Rosenberg's statement Tuesday basically denouncing the action of his own membership.

"The membership has spoken and has decided to work under the terms of this contract that many of us, who have been involved in these negotiations from the beginning, believe to be devastatingly unsatisfactory," Rosenberg said, indicating he planned to immediately begin fighting the next fight.

"Tomorrow morning I will be contacting the elected leadership of the other talent unions with the hope of beginning a series of pre-negotiation summit meetings in preparation for 2011," he added. "I call upon all SAG members to begin to ready themselves for the battle ahead."

SAG's interim national executive director, David White, struck a more moderate tone.

"This decisive vote gets our members back to work with immediate pay raises and puts SAG in a strong position for the future," he said. "Our members can expect more positive changes in the coming months as we organize new work opportunities, repair and reinvigorate our relationships with our sister unions and industry partners, and continue to improve the Guild."

The SAG vote attracted a higher than normal 35 percent of the guild's membership. The new deal expires in 2011, the same year as deals with Hollywood's writer and director guilds.

Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, Deadline Hollywood Daily and The Wrap all have more details on the deal. 

--Josef Adalian

The Speidi Chronicles: Afternoon Update

NBC alternative chief Paul Telegdy tells the Los Angeles Times he isn’t worried about any lasting impact to NBC’s brand as a result of the drama surrounding the network’s “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!”

“Television is evolving faster than the planning process of traditional types of programming allow for,” Telegdy tells the paper as part of a discussion about Heidi and Spencer Pratt’s impact on NBC’s show. “This is a fast-evolving move into a completely different media environment, which is blindsiding everyone.”

--Josef Adalian

ABC Unveils Fall Premiere Dates

ABC will kickoff its fall lineup on Sept. 21 with the two-hour season premiere of "Dancing With the Stars," followed by the return of "Castle."

Another two-hour episode of "Dancing" on Tuesday night will lead into the debut of freshman series "The Forgotten." "Dancing" with shift to 9 p.m. on Sept. 29 with a one-hour results show. "Shark Tank" will take over the 8 p.m. timeslot.

The network will also use "Dancing" to launch its Wednesday comedy block, with the premieres of "Modern Family" and "Cougar Town" slated to bow Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. after a one-time "Dancing" results show. Comedies "Hank" and "The Middle" will premiere Sept. 30 at 8 p.m.

"Flash Forward" and "Grey's Anatomy" will debut on Sept. 24, while "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and "Desperate Housewives" return Sept. 27.

"Ugly Betty" will shift to Fridays with a two-hour season premiere on Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. "Supernanny" returns Oct. 16, after which "Ugly Betty" will move to its regular 9 p.m. slot.

"Eastwick," "Private Practice" and "Brothers and Sisters" are still waiting for premiere dates.

Saturday, September 5
8:00/7:00c - "Saturday Night College Football"

Friday, September 11
10:00/9:00c - "20/20"

Monday, September 21
8:00/7:00c - "Dancing With the Stars" (Two Hours)
10:00/9:00c - "Castle"

Tuesday, September 22
8:00/7:00c - "Dancing With the Stars" (Two Hours)
10:00/9:00c - "The Forgotten"

Wednesday, September 23
8:00/7:00c - "Dancing With the Stars" (Special Night)
9:00/8:00c - "Modern Family"
9:30/8:30c - "Cougar Town"

Thursday, September 24
8:00/7:00c - "Flash Forward"
9:00/8:00c - "Grey's Anatomy"

Sunday, September 27
7:00/6:00c - "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (Two Hours)
9:00/8:00c - "Desperate Housewives"

Tuesday, September 29
9:00/8:00c - "Dancing With the Stars" (Time Period Premiere)

Wednesday, September 30
8:00/7:00c - "Hank"
8:30/7:30c - "The Middle"

Sunday, October 4
7:00/6:00c - "America's Funniest Home Videos"
8:00/7:00c - "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (Time Period Premiere)

Friday, October 9
8:00/7:00c - "Ugly Betty" (Two Hours)

Friday, October 16
8:00/7:00c - "Supernanny"
9:00/8:00c - "Ugly Betty" (Time Period Premiere)