'NCIS' Creator Sues CBS TV Studios

Don Bellisario, creator of both "NCIS" and "JAG," has filed suit against CBS TV Studios seeking compensation for profits from the spinoff series "NCIS: Los Angeles," reports Deadline.com.

Bellisario's legal team cites the right of "first opportunity" in his "NCIS" contract in which he was allegedly given the right "to participate creatively and economically in the development" of any projects derived from ‘NCIS.’"

CBS TV Studios responded with a statement dismissing the merits of the suit: "Don Bellisario has no rights to what he is claiming in this suit. The contract is clear, the facts are undeniable and the courts won't need Naval intelligence to conclude that the case has no merit. We continue to honor all of our obligations to Mr. Bellisario under the actual agreement."

Trump as the New Charlie Sheen: Would-Be President Drops Series of F-Bombs

Donald Trump appears to be positioning himself as the new Charlie Sheen, having been mired in controversy ever since President Obama called his bluff this week and released his birth certificate.

The billionaire’s latest move seems designed to keep him in the running for Sheen’s bad-boy title. The Los Angeles Times reported that Trump unleashed a scathing attack on the president and other national leaders Thursday night, along with spewing a string of F-bombs.

“Our leaders are stupid, they are stupid people,” Trump told a Las Vegas audience at an event hosted by a number of GOP women’s groups.

What about the F-bombs? Here’s a sample: “Concerning oil prices, the New York businessman complained that there isn't anyone in power willing to say no to OPEC when they raise the price of gasoline,” the Times reported. "’We have nobody in Washington that sits back and said, you're not going to raise that ****ing price,’ Trump said.”

The host of NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice”--a potential presidential candidate who almost no one seems to think will really run--has been accused of racism and targeted by an ad boycott in the past couple of days.

Fox Pulls Programming Stunt off Schedule in Response to Weather Tragedies

Fox announced that it will not air a crossover programming block it had planned for this Sunday because of the real-life tragedies caused by tornadoes in the South, TheFutonCritic.com reported.

The May sweeps stunt was to feature a hurricane that impacted "Family Guy," "The Cleveland Show" and "American Dad," sweeping through Quahog, Stoolbend and Langley Falls with comic implications. However, Fox decided that the current devastation in the U.S. South makes these programs inappropriate at this time.

The hurricane crossover episodes of the shows are likely to be rescheduled for next season. Meanwhile, the network will air repeats of the three shows this Sunday, along with a previously announced original episode of “The Simpsons.”

Lorne Michaels Says One of 'SNL's' Current Cast Members Is in 'Top Three or Four' of Show's All-Time Top Talents; Guess Who SHE Is?

In a field that includes John Belushi, Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Chevy Chase, Martin Short, Chris Rock, Will Ferrell, Chris Farley, Tina Fey, Dan Aykroyd and Billy Crystal, among others, making the “top four or five” is a mighty impressive feat.

But one of the current cast members of “Saturday Night Live” belongs in that category, according to show creator Lorne Michaels. The honor goes to Kristen Wiig, Entertainment Weekly reports.

Michaels said in a recent interview that Wiig is among the “top three or four” performers in the history of “SNL.”

Wiig has been a polarizing figure on the show, inspiring a strong anti-Wiig backlash on the Internet with characters such as Gilly.

NBC Beefs Up Lineup of 'The Voice,' Adds Country Superstar, Other Music Personalities

NBC announced Friday that it is adding some heft to the lineup of “The Voice,” which got off to a strong launch this week, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Country superstar Reba McEntire is joining the show, along with Monica, Sia and music producer Adam Blackstone. The new recruits will join forces with the existing judge/coaches: McEntire will partner with Blake Shelton, Monica with Cee Lo Green, Sia with Christina Aguilera and Blackstone with Adam Levine.

The music competition show premiered to 11.8 million viewers Tuesday and a hefty 5.1 average rating in adults 18-49.

More Bad News for Google TV

Logitech has reported disappointing sales for the company’s Revue with Google TV set-top box and related gear, according to CNet.

The venture generated only about $5 million in sales during the last quarter, according to the story. That’s 72% below the $18 million that was expected.

The report says Google TV appeared to be rushed to market before it was ready, citing the inherent risks of any venture that attempts to match the TV to computer software. Google TV uses the Android operating system and Google’s Chrome browser.

Among the obstacles standing in the way of wider acceptance of Google TV, the story cites the need for users to buy hardware, along with competition from rivals such as Netflix that offer simpler and cheaper options.

May Sweeps Kick Off With Big Night for 'Idol'; Carell's Exit From 'The Office' Scores for NBC

NBC got a strong performance from its expanded and much-hyped Steve Carell farewell episode of “The Office” on the first night of May sweeps, but it was business as usual for “American Idol” and Fox, which won the night outright, TVbytheNumbers.com reported.

Fox finished well ahead of the pack in the 18-49 demo with a 4.2 average rating for the night, beating NBC (2.5 average), CBS (2.5) and ABC (2.3). The margin was tighter in total viewers, but Fox came out on top with 14.4 million to CBS’s 11.0 million, ABC’s 8.0 million and NBC’s 5.3 million.

At 8 p.m. "Idol" averaged a 5.45 in the 18-49 demo for the hour, while CBS's "The Big Bang Theory" and "Rules of Engagement" logged a 3.2 average and a 2.3, respectively, in the same demo. NBC's "Community'" netted a 1.5, ABC's "20/20" a 1.35 and CW's "The Vampire Diaries" a 1.2, all in the same demo.

"The Office," airing from 9-9:50, had a 4.05 average in the 18-49 demographic, while ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" collected a mean score of 3.55 in the same demo for the 9 p.m. hour, and Fox's "Bones" had a 2.8. CBS's "CSI" garnered a 2.3, and CW's "Nikita" a 0.6, both in the 18-49 demo.

The 10 p.m. hour was won by CBS's "The Mentalist" with a 2.55 average in the 18-49 demographic, better than ABC's "Private Practice" with an average of 2.15. NBC's expanded "Parks & Recreation" and "30 Rock" scored a 2.3 and a 1.9, respectively, in the 18-49 demo.

Today's Must Read: Hints From DirecTV and Time Warner Cable That the Future of TV is Streaming Everywhere

By Chuck Ross

Is the future of TV streaming everywhere? So hints both DirecTV and Time Warner Cable, in two separate articles in Multichannel News.

In one piece Todd Spengler writes, "On Tuesday, DirecTV sent some customers a survey asking them whether they’re interested in a 'Netflix-like service for a flat fee per month,' according to blogger Dave Zatz.

“ '[W]e would like you to evaluate a new service that DIRECTV is thinking about offering to their customers. DIRECTV plans to offer a streaming-only Netflix-like service for a flat fee per month, which would appear as a line item on your monthly bill,' the survey reads. The service 'would allow you to stream thousands of movies and television shows over a broadband Internet connection to your television, computer or tablet,' and include past seasons of current shows as well as older TV series and movies released 'more than 5 years ago.'

"Note that the satellite operator has run comparative national ads, pointing out that it offers many pay-per-view new releases 28 days ahead of Netflix."

In an odd, unconvincing response to Spengler inquiring about the survey, a DirecTV spokesperson told him, " “I would not read into this too deeply. We are constantly reaching out to customers with various surveys and taking the temperature in the marketplace. It does not mean we are necessarily moving forward with anything contained within the survey, but merely checking in on the consumer mindset to keep our business strong.”

Spengler also notes in his piece, "Besides competition from the likes of Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime, “We also think Dish Network is likely to launch a substantial subscription streaming effort under the Blockbuster brand,” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and CFO David Wells wrote in a letter to investors Monday [April 25, 2011]."

Also in Multichannel News, in a piece by Mike Farrell, were revealing comments by Glenn Britt, Time Warner Cable's longtime chairman and CEO: "Britt told analysts Thursday that its controversial decision to stream live television over iPad devices [via an app] inside the customer home is just the tip of the iceberg, adding the technology will allow the cable operator to address the emergence of Smart TVs.

Quoting Britt, Farrell adds, "about 70 channels are available on the app and by the end of the year nearly all of the linear channels carried on the cable system will be available, including broadcast stations in select markets. Next month the product will be updated to include a remote control function and the ability for the customer to remotely program their DVRs."

Farrell continues, " 'I want to emphasize that our iPad app is not a one-off product,' Britt said. 'Rather we are investing in a development process and a development team that will introduce capabilities to customers in rapid succession. The consumer electronics industry is embracing the idea of devices such as Smart TVs with built-in intelligence and 2-way communication capability all built on IP standards. The technology we're using to simulcast video to iPads will eventually feed all these devices. Over time this may lead to a world without set-tops, which could enable a much better customer experience.' "

Much food for thought here in these two items about DirecTV and TW Cable...

NBC Under Attack as Accusations of Trump Racism Continue--This Time From Within the Corporate Family

NBC executives are being accused of allowing "Celebrity Apprentice" host Donald Trump to spread "racist" untruths against President Barack Obama, reports the Los Angeles Times.

The latest accusations come from MSNBC commentator Lawrence O'Donnell. MSNBC and NBC are part of the same company, NBCUniversal, the story points out.

O'Donnell's criticisms underscore the possibility that the network won't be able to continue with Trump as host of one of its highest-rated shows, given he is considering running for president, the story notes.

"NBC has created a monster who is using his NBC fame to spew hatred reeking with racist overtones and undertones," O'Donnell said on his show.

Trump has said he won't say whether he'll run for president until after the May 22 finale of "Celebrity Apprentice.” NBC representatives declined to comment on O'Donnell's remarks, the piece adds.

Trump Backlash Gets Ads Pulled From 'Apprentice' Website

After customers complained about Donald Trump's political activities, one advertiser has said it won't allow its ads to appear on the website for NBC's "The Apprentice," reports Bloomberg.

The marketer is Groupon. The company isn't a show sponsor, but its ads sometimes appear on the show's site, the story says.

“Enough consumers contacted us to warrant ensuring that we don’t place ads on ‘The Apprentice’ home page in the future,” Groupon said in a statement.

The company stressed that it isn't a political statement, but a move to avoid upsetting some customers. Trump has been in the spotlight as he questioned President Barack Obama's U.S. birth, asking for documents to prove he was born in the country. Trump’s "birther" campaign prompted Obama this week to make his long-form birth certificate public.

NBC didn't immediately comment.

Longtime Exec Producer of 'Face the Nation' Leaving CBS

Carin Pratt, the executive producer of CBS's "Face The Nation," has decided to leave the network, reports FishbowlDC.com. Her final broadcast will be this Sunday.

Pratt has been with CBS News since 1984, including her current position with "Face the Nation" since 1993. She will be moving to Strattford, Vt.

In a memo to the staff, "Face The Nation" anchor Bob Schieffer said: “Carin Pratt has been a full partner in 'Face The Nation' and my true friend for more than 20 years. That’s a lot of Sundays to spend together, and she deserves more than half the credit for what we have achieved in all of those years. I’m going to miss her more than I can ever say.”

Sheen Fires Off Another Trademark Rant, Apparently Triggered by News That 'Men' Plans to Go On Without Him

Charlie Sheen appears to be back on form after briefly softening his image by revealing he is launching a charitable foundation. The actor sent TMZ a copy of a letter filled with Sheen’s trademark insults for “Two and a Half Men” creator Chuck Lorre, just a day after word surfaced that Lorre had begun the process of retooling the show for life after Sheen.

The latest message from Sheen calls Lorre a “low rent, nut-less sociopath” and says, “No one cares about your feeble show without me,” TMZ reported. The attack followed news that Sheen’s former co-star, Jon Cryer, would see his role expanded in a retooled version of “Men.”

Sheen also wrote in comments aimed at Lorre: "Not even a phone call to the man that put you on the map. The man that put 500 million dollars in your pockets ... I busted my ass for 8 years to support your vision."

As TVWeek reported Thursday, Sheen revealed a softer side when he unveiled plans for Sheen’s Korner as a charitable foundation, with the first beneficiary being assault victim and San Francisco Giants fan Brian Stow. The same day, we reported that Lorre was moving ahead with plans for a post-Charlie Sheen version of “Two and a Half Men.”

TMZ also has reported that there’s a 50/50 chance the show will not return for another season, saying a decision will be made by May 18.

ABC Soap Opera Soars in Ratings After Being Canceled

One of the two long-running soap operas recently canceled by ABC has surged in the ratings since the cancellation was announced, Deadline.com reports.

The show is "One Life to Live," which was the third-most-viewed daytime drama with 2.76 million viewers during the first full week since its cancellation. That placed the program ahead of ABC’s "General Hospital," which the network has chosen to keep on the air, the piece notes.

ABC announced it was canceling “All My Children” at the same time it announced the cancellation of “One Life to Live.”

In the latest results, "One Life to Live" was the only soap opera to show growth vs. both the previous week and the year-ago period, the story says. "All My Children" declined in both categories.

Cable Channel Cancels One Sitcom While Another Awaits Its Fate

A cable channel has announced that one of its sitcoms will not return for a third season, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The channel is Disney’s boy-oriented Disney XD channel, which has canceled the live-action comedy "I'm in the Band," the story reports. The sitcom is the second show the channel has canceled, following the live-action adventure series "Aaron Stone."

"I'm in the Band" has filmed enough second-season episodes to last for the rest of the year, but the channel has informed the cast and crew that the show won't return for a third season, the story says.

Another program, the skateboarding sitcom "Zeke and Luther," is in limbo. The show has reportedly wrapped its third season, and the network has yet to decide whether it will come back for a fourth.

Disney XD is working on several new shows, such as "Kickin' It," starring Jason Earle, who plays Hannah Montana's brother, as an untalented martial arts dojo, the story notes.

Royal Wedding Appears to Be Biggest TV Event in History

With 300 networks worldwide covering today’s wedding of Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton, the event was expected to turn out to be the biggest TV event in history, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The BBC feed alone was televised in 180 countries, the story reports. Networks around the world replaced their normal programming with extensive coverage of the nuptials, which went off without a hitch.

The weather cooperated, with the sun breaking out and putting to rest fears that the event would be dampened by rain. After saying their vows at Westminster Abbey, the newlyweds were accompanied by the First Battalion Royal Guards on a procession to Buckingham Palace.

“The military procession was just part of a ceremony that combined elements of state, politics, internationalism, technology and religious ceremony, without losing the sense of intimacy of the wedding of a couple who appeared very much in love,” THR reported.

Anderson Cooper, covering the wedding live for CNN, told U.S. viewers: “The British do pomp and ceremony like no one else in the world.”

CBS News correspondent Barry Peterson explained U.S. interest in the event this way: “We Americans love a great show no Americans have had to spend even five cents on. It’s a lovely show and we really appreciate you putting it on. And we are so glad none of our tax dollars are being spent on it.”

CBS Correspondent Who Was Assaulted in Cairo Speaks Out About the Attack

CBS correspondent Lara Logan will give her first television interview since she was sexually assaulted by a mob in Egypt, reports TVNewser.com.

Logan has taped an interview for CBS’s "60 Minutes," which will air Sunday. The interview was conducted by Scott Pelley, who is in line to replace Katie Couric as the anchor of "CBS Evening News."

Logan also spoke to The New York Times about the ordeal, noting that she thought she was going to die when a mob of 200 to 300 men attacked her.

Local TV Station Revenues Surged in 2010 as Ad Market Rebounded

Local television stations’ revenues posted strong gains in 2010, according to new figures from BIA/Kelsey. B&C broke down the study, reporting that over-the-air sales jumped 23% to $19.4 billion last year, boosted by midterm elections and a rebound in the ad market.

Online sales were $450 million last year, which is the first time Internet sales have been broken out in the report, the story says. That should double over the next five years to almost $900 million by 2015, while over-the-air sales in 2015 are projected at $19.5 billion, the story says.

"Local television maintains its strength and appeal because of its ability to deliver viewers on specific days and times," said Rick Ducey of BIA/Kelsey.

Starz Readying Dean Koontz Book for Its First Original Miniseries

A limited original series based on a Dean Koontz book appears to be coming to Starz, which would mark the channel’s first original miniseries, reports Deadline.com.

The book is "Twilight Eyes," about a man who uses his psychic powers to hunt goblins, which are monsters who can mimic humans in the story. The project is a high priority for the network, the story says.

It has been a decade since a Koontz book has been adapted for TV, the article notes. While the book's events take place before the 1980s, the adaptation would be set in the present.

Tickets to 'Oprah' Taping Get Woman Excused From Jury Duty

A prospective juror in the Rod Blagojevich retrial had an unusual reason why she felt she had to be excused from serving on the jury, and it worked: The woman said she has tickets to see one of the last tapings of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," reports the Chicago Tribune.

The attorneys agreed with the unidentified woman, and the judge dismissed her, the story notes.

Blagojevich had a comment about the situation as he left the courthouse, saying that he envied the woman for not having to be at the trial and that he once considered giving Winfrey the U.S. Senate seat that he's accused of trying to sell, the article notes.

Unexpectedly Enchanted With NBC's 'The Voice'

What is it about NBC’s new music competition show “The Voice” that seems to have struck a chord with viewers? Open Mic blogger Hillary Atkin, who’s not a fan of either reality shows or the cast of the show, was surprised to find herself falling under its spell.

Click here to read her insights into what makes “The Voice” work.

HBO Programming Comes to Android and Apple Mobile Devices

Android and Apple devices such as iPhones and iPads will soon be able to play HBO programming, reports the Los Angeles Times. The service will be available to HBO subscribers.

HBO is hoping that offering the service on the iPad will help boost HBO Go, the online viewing service the network began last year. Extending the service to devices comes as HBO, which has been slow to embrace the Internet, realizes that TV viewing is undergoing a viewing revolution, the story says.

Nevertheless, HBO still wants to maintain exclusivity, which is why it's not offering the service to consumers who don't subscribe through the pay-TV service.

"What we don't want to do is devalue the brand," HBO Co-President Eric Kessler said.

The CW Gets a New President

The CW has a new president.

It's Mark Pedowitz, who, as TVWeek previously reported in March, was the frontrunner for the job.

As reported by our friend James Hibberd at EW.com, "Dawn Ostroff, will step down next month and will be replaced by former ABC Studios chief Mark Pedowitz, who helped develop hits like "Lost," "Desperate Housewives," "Grey’s Anatomy," "Ugly Betty," "Scrubs," "Army Wives," "Ghost Whisperer" and "Criminal Minds."

Adds Hibberd, "The network has seemed to have a tough time figuring itself out — is it the female soap network? The supernatural genre network? And then there’s 'Top Model,' its only reality hit. Its target demo clearly loves reality shows — just look at MTV — but the network has never found another show that it was able to successfully pair with 'Top Model' on Wednesday nights.

Another friend, Joe Flint of the Los Angeles Times' Company Town blog, wrote, "Compared with other broadcast networks, the CW has a relatively small audience. This season, it is averaging about 2 million viewers in prime time, which is flat with last season. Among adults 18-34, its prime audience has fallen 11% this season to 675,000. The CW only programs 10 hours a week and does not offer any shows on the weekend.The CW often counters that its ratings don't take into account the amount of viewing done online. The network is very aggressive when it comes to putting its content on digital platforms."

Flint added, "In an interview, Pedowitz said he did not plan to radically overhaul the CW's programming strategy. He hinted that he might try to broaden its appeal slightly within its core demographic. "I’m not going to upset the apple cart," he said. Even though Pedowitz is joining the CW after it has ordered pilots for next season, he said he will be involved in the schedule process and in the presentation of the new lineup to advertisers in New York in mid-May. Ostroff will handle much of the heavy lifting for the next few weeks."

Post-Charlie Sheen Version of 'Two and a Half Men' Beginning to Take Shape

Details have surfaced about the vision show creator Chuck Lorre has in mind for the post-Charlie Sheen version of CBS hit “Two and a Half Men,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Sheen was fired from the show last month by Lorre and producer Warner Bros. TV in a highly public dispute marked by Sheen’s anger at Lorre. Now Lorre reportedly has presented star Jon Cryer and close associates with a new direction for the show that relies heavily on Cryer while also introducing a new character. The new character has not yet been cast, the story reports.

Still to be resolved is a $100 million lawsuit filed by Sheen against Lorre and Warner Bros. in response to his firing. Meanwhile, Sheen has maintained an ambitious, high-profile schedule, including his “Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Is Not an Option” comedy tour.

However, Sheen apparently has not given up on “Two and a Half Men.” The story reports: “A source tells THR that Sheen is still actively working behind the scenes to be reinstated, attempting as late as this week to set up meetings with ‘Men’ cast members, hoping to clear the air and win their support. But Lorre is said to remain uninterested in meeting with Sheen, and Warners sources are adamant that Sheen will not be invited back.”

It has yet to be confirmed that “Men” will return for its eighth season, but it is almost a sure thing, as the show has been an enormous hit for CBS.

Speculation about who will be joining the show has included Woody Harrelson, Jeremy Piven and Bob Saget, among others. But a rep for Warner Bros. reportedly said none of the three actors is being considered.

Beyonce Is Sued for $100 Million

Beyonce has been hit with a lawsuit for more than $100 million. The singer and actress was sued by software developer Gate Five claiming that she backed out of a deal to collaborate on a motion-sensing dance video game called "Starpower: Beyonce," reports New York Magazine.

The company accused the star of "a bad faith breach of contract" that essentially destroyed the business and left 70 people unemployed.

In the legal documents, Gate Five's lawyers wrote: "[She] made an extortionate demand for entirely new compensation terms she wanted. When her maneuver backfired and drove away the financier … she pulled out of the project in breach of the agreement."

No comment from Beyonce's camp as yet.

'The Office' Exec Producer on Tonight's Farewell to Steve Carell

Greg Daniels, the executive producer of “The Office” who wrote tonight’s farewell episode for Steve Carell’s character Michael Scott, talked about how Carell’s departure will affect the show in an in-depth interview, Entertainment Weekly reported.

“Obviously it’s going to be difficult because he’s pretty irreplaceable,” Daniels told the publication. “But I think people are optimistic. This is kind of the situation we were in when we started, because a lot of people were like, ‘How could you possibly do the show without Ricky Gervais?’”

Daniels credits Carell with helping to build the strength of the rest of the cast. “One of the reasons I think we can go on is that he really made it an ensemble,” Daniels said. “He always encouraged the other members of the cast to have more lines and be in scenes. He was very generous as a performer. Whenever we were on stage for anything, he always stood in the back.”

Daniels joked about how the episode might end. “The decision to have him be strangled by the Scranton Strangler is probably going to be unpopular,” he said.

'Idol' Steamrolls the Competition in Wednesday Ratings

With plenty of repeat programming on the other broadcast nets, there was nothing to stand in the way of Fox and its 90-minute “American Idol” in the Wednesday night ratings, TVbytheNumbers.com reported.

Fox wound up with a 5.8 average rating for the night in the 18-49 demo, well ahead of CBS (2.3 average), NBC (1.8) and ABC (1.8). Fox also dominated total viewers, averaging 18.2 million to 9.2 million for CBS, 5.8 million for NBC and 5.2 million for ABC.

At 8 p.m. hour one of "Idol" collected a 6.65 in the 18-49 demographic, while CBS's "Survivor" was second with a 3.05. At 8:30, a new "Better With You" on ABC logged a 1.5 in the 18-49. For the hour, NBC's "Inside the Royal Wedding" special managed only a 1.2.

At 9 p.m. the last half-hour of "Idol" rose to a 7.3 in the 18-49 demo. Fox's "Breaking In" and ABC's "Cougar Town" garnered a 2.6 and a 2.1, respectively, in the same demo, both at 9:30. CW's "America's Next Top Model" averaged a 1.05 in the same demo for the hour.

The lone new show in the 10 p.m. hour was ABC's "Happy Endings," which netted a 2.1 in the 18-49 demo. A repeat of NBC’s new “The Voice” won the hour with a 2.3 average.

'Oprah' Team Details Plans for Two of the Final Shows

Preliminary plans were revealed today for two of the final episodes of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” Entertainment Weekly reported. The second-to-last and third-to-last shows will tape May 17 at United Center in Chicago for broadcast May 23 and 24.

The shows will geature “the biggest names in movie, music and TV,” according to an announcement by Harpo Productions. But just who those names are is being kept secret--even from Winfrey. The daytime talk queen is infamously uncomfortable with surprises, but she agreed to let the show’s producers surprise her just this once.

Said exec producer Sheri Salata, in a statement: “As most of our viewers know, being surprised is not one of Oprah’s favorite things. In the spirit of our farewell season, she is making a rare exception and we intend to make the most of the opportunity.”

The taping, dubbed “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular,” has reportedly been in the works for weeks.

Sheen Launches Charitable Foundation, Will Raise Money for Giants Fan Who Was Victim of Assault

Charlie Sheen is adding a charity foundation to his empire, launching Sheen’s Korner--the same name used for his Internet podcasts at the height of his media campaign a few weeks ago--as a fund-raising operation, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

He will kick off the effort with a benefit for Brian Stow, a San Francisco Giants fan who was severely injured in an attack last month outside a game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Sheen’s camp says all profits from merchandise sales at Sheen’s April 30 show in San Francisco will go to the Brian Stow Fund.

Sheen recently organized a bipolar awareness walk and auction in Toronto.

Top Cable Exec Leaves Network

A top cable programming exec is leaving the channel where he has been VP of original programming and development since 2007, Deadline.com reports.

The exec is Scott Landsman, who is leaving Comedy Central. He is apparently lined up to join Sony Pictures TV as VP, comedy development. That position is reportedly being vacated by Tal Rabinowitz, who is expected to move to NBC to oversee the network’s comedy unit.

ABC Sitcom Star to Host Gracie Awards

An Emmy Award-winning actress who stars in an ABC sitcom will be the host of the 36th Annual Gracie Awards, reports TVNewsCheck.com.

The actress is Patricia Heaton, who stars in "The Middle." Heaton won two Emmys for her role in "Everybody Loves Raymond."

“I’m so proud to host this year’s Gracies,” Heaton said. “As a previous recipient of the Gracie Award, I personally understand how rewarding it is for women to be recognized by our peers. This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of the incredible women in the media industry.”

The Gracies gala will be held May 24 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Created in 1975 and named for comedian Gracie Allen, the Gracies are presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Alliance for Women in Media that supports educational programs, charitable activities, public service campaigns and scholarships to benefit the public, the electronic media and allied fields.

Trump Accused of Racism as He Keeps Up Attack on Obama

Donald Trump's comments about President Obama reveal "an ugly strain of racism,' according to Bob Schieffer, host of CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”

The Hollywood Reporter says Schieffer appeared Wednesday on “CBS Evening News” and criticized Trump, a potential contender for the Republican presidential nomination, for his recent comments about Obama.

Trump demanded for weeks that Obama reveal his birth certificate, and after Obama did so on Wednesday, Trump shifted his focus to whether Obama’s grades were high enough for him to earn acceptance into Columbia University and Harvard Law School, the piece says.

"I have friends who have smart sons with great marks, great boards, great everything, and they can’t get into Harvard," Trump said this week.

Schieffer said Trump's comments are "code for saying he got into law school because he's black," the story notes.

Video: Paris Hilton Is Attacked by a Stalker as She's Entering Courthouse to Testify Against Another Stalker

An alleged stalker attacked Paris Hilton and her boyfriend Wednesday outside a Los Angeles courthouse, where the pair was going to testify against an alleged house intruder, reports the New York Post.

As the pair walked into the courthouse, James Rainford reportedly took a swing at her boyfriend, Cy Waits, and put him in a headlock, the article notes. Their bodyguard then tackled Rainford while Hilton screamed, "That's the other stalker!"

Rainford later said, "I'm going to marry her," as the police took him away, the article notes.

Rainford was arrested in October for allegedly cycling past a security gate and up to Hilton's front door, the piece says.

Hilton went on to testify Wednesday against Nathan Lee Parada, the alleged intruder who was arrested in August 2010 after Waits pulled a gun on him, the story says.

Here's a video report on the attack at the courthouse:

CNN Close to Signing Anchor From Another Cable News Channel

CNN is ready to sign an anchor from another cable news channel to a long-term contract, reports The New York Times' Media Decoder blog. The anchor is CNBC’s Erin Burnett, and the move would take her from business news to general news anchoring.

Burnett held discussions with two broadcast networks, ABC and CBS, before deciding to move to CNN, the story says. She may end up with an afternoon or evening time slot on CNN. A CNN spokeswoman declined to comment.

Burnett, considered a rising star at CNBC, has worked at the cable news network since 2005, and before that worked at Bloomberg Television, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, the story says. Currently she's a co-anchor on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" and the sole anchor of "Street Signs."

Magazine Apologizes, Settles Lawsuit Over Story Implying Actress Was Drug Addict

Star magazine has issued an apology and settled a lawsuit filed by a major movie star after running a cover story that implied the actress was a drug addict, the AP reported.

Katie Holmes sued last month over a January cover story that ran under the headline “Katie DRUG SHOCKER!” Holmes sought more than $50 million in damages, according to the report.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but a publicist for Holmes said American Media Inc., which publishes Star, made a donation to Dizzy Feet Foundation, a charity that benefits underprivileged kids.

The publication ran the following statement Wednesday: "In a recent issue of Star, we published headlines about Katie Holmes that could be read to suggest that she was addicted to drugs. Star apologizes to Ms. Holmes for any misperception and will be making a substantial donation to charity on Ms. Holmes' behalf for any harm that we may have caused."

Last 'NCIS' Cast Member Locked In for Next Season, for $120,000 per Episode

CBS TV Studios has locked in the last “NCIS” cast member who did not have a deal for the next season, Deadline.com reports.

The last to sign was actress Cote de Pablo, who has now been inked to a two-year deal. The show's cast is now locked in for the next season, the story says.

The deal bumps de Pablo’s salary to about $120,000 per episode, which places her on par with the show's other female cast member, Pauley Perrette, the story says.

Video: Kara DioGuardi Tells Joy Behar That Paula Abdul Was 'Heart' of 'Idol' and Producers Should Have Anted Up to Keep Her on the Show. Also, She Claims She Was the One Who Told 'Idol' Producers to Hire Steven Tyler

Series Based on John Grisham Bestseller--and Hit Movie--May Become NBC Show

A series based on a John Grisham bestseller may become an NBC show, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

NBC is in discussions to pick up a 22-episode series based on the 1991 book “The Firm,” produced by eOne Television in association with Sony Pictures Television's Networks Group and Paramount Pictures, the article notes.

Paramount, which produced the 1993 hit movie based on the novel, owns rights to the book. The film--featuring Tom Cruise and Gene Hackman--was the fourth highest-grossing movie in the U.S. in 1993, with box office receipts reaching just under $160 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

The pilot picks up 10 years after where the movie ends, with the hero having just left the Federal Witness Protection Program and finding that his life is still in danger.

'Glee' Star Joins 'Three Stooges' Movie; Larry David Also in Talks

Even with two stooges already confirmed and the third close to being set, casting news surrounding the upcoming Farrelly brothers “Three Stooges” movie continues to percolate. The latest word is that “Glee” star Jane Lynch reportedly has signed to play Mother Superior in the movie, according to Entertainment Weekly.

The publication also reports that “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star Larry David, a friend of the Farrellys, is in talks for a role in the show. No, he wouldn’t be playing Larry--that role has gone to former “Will & Grace” star Sean Hayes.

Will Sasso of “$#*! My Dad Says” has been cast as Curly, and while the part of Moe is not yet confirmed, all indications are it will go to Chris Diamantopoulos of “24.”

Viacom Reports Better-Than-Expected Financial Results

Media giant Viacom issued a rosy financial report today, highlighted by profits that beat Wall Street expectations and growth in the cable segment, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Operating income for media networks was up 13% to $806 million for the fiscal second quarter, reflecting improving ad revenue and continued strength in ratings for hit shows, the story reports.

The film unit swung to an operating profit of $39 million, up from a loss of $83 million a year ago. Some analysts had predicted a loss for the segment.

“The entertainment company also said that premium TV service Epix, a joint venture of Viacom, MGM and Lionsgate, brought in another profitable quarter,” the story reports. “Viacom recorded $15 million in equity income from companies in which it is an investor, compared to a year-ago loss of $28 million. Management said the profit came ‘principally from Epix.’"

On a conference call to announce the financial results, Viacom President and CEO Philippe Dauman said: "Every part of Viacom is in great shape."

Viacom’s quarterly profit from continuing operations was $376 million, up 47% from $255 million a year earlier. Revenue for fiscal Q2 was $3.27 billion, an increase of 20%.

The TV segment was boosted by the success of, among other shows, MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” BET’s “The Game” and Comedy Central’s “Tosh.o,” the story notes.

Weather Channel CEO Says Digital Offerings Are 'Going Through the Roof'

Weather Channel Cos. Chief Executive Mike Kelly says the company's digital offerings are “going through the roof." More than 40% of the company's total advertising stems from digital, Kelly said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

The channel is also offering original programming with shows such as "Storm Stories," but is being careful not to move too far from its mission, such as a few years ago when its plan to air weather-themed movies such as "The Perfect Storm" backfired, the article notes.

Moving toward lifestyle programing is a "big opportunity" for the company, Kelly notes, saying, "Most people who check on weather are really doing it to support their lifestyle.”

Along with a website with more than 40 million visitors each month, Weather Channel has the second-most-popular smartphone app, behind only Facebook, the story notes.

Dodgers Owner Defiant After MLB Takeover, Defends TV Deal With Fox

After Major League Baseball took over operations of the Los Angeles Dodgers and put a TV deal with Fox on hold, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt said he's "not going anywhere," reports Bloomberg.

McCourt is considering suing over the takeover ordered last week by MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, McCourt said at a news conference Wednesday. "Nobody handed the Dodgers to me and nobody’s going to take them away,” McCourt said.

Selig hasn't vetoed the TV deal with Fox, but he probably won't make a decision until MLB finishes looking at the team's finances, according to an MLB statement, the story says. McCourt said the 17-year deal with Fox Sports would give the Dodgers a $300 million boost through an equity stake in the cable network, while none of the proceeds would go to personal expenses.

Despite Ratings Decline, Broadcast TV Could See Upfront Windfall

Despite seeing ratings fall about 10%, broadcast television could have an advertising windfall at this year's upfront, reports TheWrap.com.

Advertisers who sat out last year's upfront market are now paying as much as 30% more for time in the scatter market, even though ratings are down, the story notes. Because of that, network sales executives are expecting a large commitment of ad dollars in this year's advertising market.

That could boost ad rates by double-digits. Last year the average rate increase was between 8% and 9%, and total ad sales were $8.5 billion for prime time, the story says.

Writers Approve New Three-Year Contract

Members of the Writers Guild of America voted to approve a new three-year contract that provides increases in contributions to the guild's pension plan and higher residual payments in pay TV, reports the Los Angeles Times' Company Town blog.

The contract covers about 10,500 members and takes effect on May 2, the story says. The deal also provides for an increase in minimum pay levels.

"Valuable advances have been made in our pension plan and in other areas important to writers. Nonetheless, we recognize that more work needs to be done," WGA Presidents John Wells and Michael Winship said in a statement.

TV Stars Headed for 'Three Stooges' Movie--Latest to Sign On is 'Glee' Cast Member

"A cast member of "Glee" is the latest TV star to sign up for the Farrelly brothers' upcoming "Three Stooges" movie, reports EW.com.

According to the article, "Glee's" Jane Lynch "will play Mother Superior, the nun who takes care of the troubled trio after they are unceremoniously dropped off at her orphanage as babies — already slapfighting with each other."

Already signed to play stooge Larry is "Will & Grace" star Sean Hayes, the story says, adding, "Curly has already been cast, with "$#*! My Dad Says" star Will Sasso taking the part.

Furthermore, according to the report, "Moe is the only one not yet taken, though Chris Diamantopoulos ('24,'  'The Starter Wife') is one of several candidates being considered.

And Larry David, star of HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "is in the early stages of working out a role in the comedy," the story says.

Major Hacking Incident Hits Sony TV Service and PlayStation Network; Hacker Gains Access to User Passwords

In a major hacking incident, Sony has been dealt what is being described as “a significant short-term blow,” with both its PlayStation Network and its Qriocity on-demand television service affected, Deadline.com reports.

The incident, attributed to a lone hacker, is considered to be one of the biggest security breaches in the history of the Internet, according to the report. User log-in data was reportedly accessed, with the potential for the theft of user credit card information.

Sony apparently learned of the breach April 19 and immediately shut down the PlayStation Network. Users were essentially in the dark until a week later, when Sony revealed that “an illegal and unauthorised person” had obtained users’ names, passwords, email addresses and other details.

About 20 million customers use the PlayStation Network in the U.S., with an estimated 800,000 pieces of content downloaded daily.

Obama Takes Swipe at Networks Over Birther Coverage

At a widely televised news conference designed to squelch the “birther” issue and put to rest a media frenzy stirred up largely by Donald Trump, President Obama on Wednesday revealed his birth certificate and used the opportunity to take a swipe at the media, The Huffington Post reported.

Obama said he decided to release his birth certificate because the issue has been dominating news coverage in recent days, drowning out coverage of important issues such as the federal deficit and national security.

"I can't get the networks to break in on all kinds of other discussions," he said. "I was just back there listening to [NBC’s Chuck Todd]--he was saying, it’s amazing that he’s not going to be talking about national security. I would not have the networks breaking in if I was talking about that, Chuck, and you know it."

Obama said he knows the birther issue is not going to go away for a small number of U.S. citizens. But he added: "I’m speaking to the vast majority of the American people, as well as to the press. We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We’ve got better stuff to do. I’ve got better stuff to do."

NBC, CBS Soap Operas Recruiting Stars From ABC's Canceled Soaps

ABC’s cancellation of daytime dramas "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" may have opened the door for soap operas on rival networks to bring new blood to their lineups, according to a report on Deadline.com.

NBC's "Days of Our Lives" and CBS's "The Young and the Restless" are said to be working on bringing aboard cast members from the two canceled shows.

Emmy winners Gina Tognoni, who plays Kelly on “One Life to Live,” and Debbi Morgan, Angie on “All My Children,” are two of the top names being mentioned. Also in the conversation are “AMC’s” Jacob Young, who plays JR, and “One Life’s” Josh Kelly, who plays Cutter.

The driving force behind the recruiting efforts is reportedly Sony Pictures TV President Steve Mosko. “Days” and “Restless,” both Sony productions, are going strong even as other soaps have fallen on hard times. “Restless” has been the top-rated daytime drama for the past two decades.

Tuesday Ratings: NBC Pulls Off a Rare Win as 'The Voice' Gets Off to Strong Start

NBC’s heavily promoted new music competition show "The Voice" got off to a good start Tuesday night, finishing as the top show of the night and pushing NBC to an overall win in the 18-49 demo, TVbytheNumbers.com reported.

NBC wound up with a 4.3 average rating for the night in adults 18-49, well ahead of Fox (3.0 average), ABC (2.7), CBS (1.9) and Univision (1.4). ABC led total viewers, averaging 14.3 million to 10.3 million for NBC, 9.8 million for CBS, 7.6 million for Fox and 3.4 million for Univision.

At 8 p.m. Fox's supersized "Glee" had a 3.4 average in the 18-49 demo for the hour, better than NBC's "The Biggest Loser" with a 2.65 average. ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" recap show had a mean score of 2.45 in the 18-49 demo, while CW's "One Tree Hill" managed a mean score of 0.7 for the hour.

At 9 p.m. the first hour of "The Voice" on NBC landed a mean score of 4.85 in the 18-49 demo. For the top of the hour, "Dancing" and "Glee" tied with a 3.4 in the 18-49 demo, but “Dancing” went up to a 3.7 in the second half of the hour while “Glee” was followed on Fox by “Raising Hope,” which settled for a 1.9. CW's "Hellcats" averaged a 0.4 for the hour.

At 10 p.m. hour two of "The Voice" rose to a 5.4 average in 18-49, while ABC's "Body of Proof" had a mean score of 2.3.

National Geographic TV Names New President

National Geographic Television, which produces the bulk of the programming for the NatGeo channel, has named a new president, The Washington Post reports.

The company promoted Maryanne Culpepper to the position, according to the story. She replaces Michael Rosenfeld, who exited the company in March.

Culpepper has been working as EVP of editorial and new business development for the company.

National Geographic Television is the documentary arm of the National Geographic Society, the story notes.

Cable Comedy Gets Renewal

It was announced today that a series that was the first original scripted sitcom on its cable channel will be back for a third season, Deadline.com reported. The cable channel, Spike TV, said it has renewed the sports comedy “Blue Mountain State.”

The show has a 13-episode order for season three. The cast includes Charlie Sheen's ex Denise Richards. Ed Marinaro stars, along with Darin Brooks and Alan Ritchson.

The series is produced by Varsity Pictures’ Brian Robbins and Sharla Sumpter Bridgett and Lionsgate.

Demi Moore Signs Multi-Project Deal With Lifetime--Scripted Dramas, Interview Series on Tap

Lifetime Networks announced that Lifetime and actress, producer and director Demi Moore have signed a development deal that will bring scripted dramas to the network along with the interview series “The Conversation.” Nancy Dubuc, president and general manager of Lifetime Networks, made the announcement.

“The Conversation” is hosted by British photographer and TV personality Amanda de Cadenet. The network said in a press statement that the show will focus on famous women and on topics of importance to women.

“Based on de Cadenet’s popular web series, the hour-long program will feature intimate interviews with high-profile celebrity role models and every day women about a wide variety of topics, including sexuality, body image, career and finances, politics, relationships and human rights,” the network said in the statement.

The original order is for eight episodes of the show, to be produced by decadenet Inc. with de Cadenet and Moore serving as executive producers with Rob Sharenow, Gena McCarthy and David Hillman of Lifetime Television. Andrew Fried (“Iconoclasts”) will co-executive produce.

Moore is also developing and will executive produce two scripted dramas for the network.

Said Dubuc: “Demi is one of the most fascinating people in the world. She is both an icon and a modern woman who plays by her own rules. Not only am I inspired by that, I also am so excited to partner with her.”

Depp Will Do '21 Jump Street' Cameo

After months of speculation, it has been confirmed that Johnny Depp will do a guest spot in the feature film version of "21 Jump Street," reports ComingSoon.net. Depp started his career on Fox's "21 Jump Street" in 1987 and appeared in 80 episodes of the cop drama.

The reboot of "21 Jump Street" from Columbia Pictures will be released on March 16, 2012. It will star Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube and Brie Larson.

Trouble for Longest-Running Soap Opera Still on the Air

ABC has found itself in another soapy situation, following its angering of soap opera fans with the recent cancellations of "All My Children" and "One Life to Live," according to The Hollywood Reporter's Hollywood, Esq. blog.

The heirs of the creators of "General Hospital" claim ABC stiffed them on revenue from the show, TV's longest-running current daytime drama, the article says. The daughters of Frank and Doris Hursley, who created the show in 1963, filed suit Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The creators allegedly made a deal with ABC to receive 10% of the show's profits, but the couple's three daughters are claiming that ABC hasn't honored the deal and hasn't allowed a full audit, the piece notes. ABC didn't immediately respond to a request seeking comment, the story says.

“General Hospital” is the third-longest-running drama in television history, after CBS soaps “Guiding Light” and “As the World Turns,” both of which were canceled in the past two years.

Michael Douglas: Zeta-Jones Was 'Outed' for Bipolar Disorder

Michael Douglas, appearing Tuesday on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," said it wasn't his wife's choice to come out about her bipolar disorder, reports TVGuide.com.

Catherine Zeta-Jones is "being quite open about it because she was outed," Douglas said, according to the piece. Douglas said his wife "went to get some help, and some other patient probably said, 'Hey, you won't believe who's in here now.' So, once that happens, I think she felt best to get out her story."

As previously reported, Zeta-Jones earlier this month revealed that she has bipolar disorder, which can cause mood swings between euphoria and depression.

New Jennifer Lopez Project Will Be Broadcast Simultaneously Across 21 Countries

The competition show being developed by Jennifer Lopez and her husband Marc Anthony will be broadcast simultaneously across 21 countries in North America, Central America and South America, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Called "Q'Viva! The Chosen," the show is described as "an epic three month long journey to create the ultimate live show celebrating Latin music, artistry and dance," the story says. Besides Lopez and Anthony, the creative team includes director-choreographer Jamie King and “American Idol” creator Simon Fuller.

Lopez and Anthony will travel to remote areas across the Americas and three languages will be heard on the show, the article notes. The project hasn't announced a network partner as of yet.

Another Executive Departs NBC Universal, Latest in String of Departures After Comcast Merger

Another top executive at NBC Universal is leaving the company, marking the latest departure since its merger with Comcast, reports Deadline.com.

The executive is Jean-Briac (JB) Perrette, president of NBC Universal Digital & Affiliate Distribution and Content Distribution Strategy, the story says. His job was to oversee broadcast distribution relationships, affiliate relations, marketing and strategy for content distribution across platforms, the article notes.

Perrette reported to Universal TV Group president Jeff Gaspin, who has also left NBC Universal because of the merger.

Aflac Finds Its New Duck, Picking a Winner After 12,500 People Auditioned Online and Live

The insurer Aflac has picked a new voice for its advertising icon, the duck that squawks "Aflac!," reports the New York Post's Media Decoder blog. The selection comes after 12,500 people auditioned for the job online and through live auditions.

The company chose Dan McKeague, a sales manager for two Minneapolis FM radio stations who also performs voice-over work in commercials for local advertisers.

As previously reported, comic Gilbert Gottfried was fired as the voice of the duck after making jokes about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, a country that contributes about 75% of Aflac's revenue.

McKeague's voice is immediately being put to use, providing the duck's voice for an ad called "Pigeon," which had earlier used Gottfried's voice, the article says.

Aflac has aired 52 TV commercials starring the duck since 2000, as well as many additional radio ads. McKeague will reportedly be paid in the low six figures.

HBO Reveals Who Will Play Bristol Palin in 'Game Change'

The role of Bristol Palin has been cast in HBO's political telefilm "Game Change," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The daughter of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will be played by "Temple Grandin" actress Melissa Farman, the story says. The project has also cast "Trauma" actor Jamey Sheridan as speechwriter and John McCain senior campaign adviser Mark Salter, while Larry Sullivan of "CSI" will play Sarah Palin's deputy chief of staff Chris Edwards.

The project is based on the bestselling book by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin and had earlier cast Ed Harris to play John McCain, while Julianne Moore will play Sarah Palin.

With Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. on Board, YouTube Is Ready to Shake Things Up in On-Demand Movie Rentals

In what appears to be a direct challenge to Apple’s iTunes, Amazon.com and others, YouTube is ready to expand its on-demand rental service after reaching an agreement to offer movies from Sony Pictures Entertainment and Universal Pictures, reports the Los Angeles Times' Company Town blog.

YouTube, which is owned by Google, will offer the movies on the same day they are available on other on-demand services, the story says. Warner Bros. has also agreed to take part in the service, according to TheWrap.com.

Under the plan, YouTube users will be able to stream the movies for a limited period, but won't be able to buy or download them permanently, the story says. The expanded service may roll out as soon as this week or next week.

'O'Reilly Factor' Keeps Its Streak Alive

Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" is No. 1 for the month of April among cable news shows, extending its impressive winning streak, reports TVNewser.com. The latest result brings the program to 125 consecutive months in the top spot--a streak dating back to December 2000.

The network is down somewhat among total viewers in prime time, with a 3% decline in April compared with the year-earlier month, the story says. Nevertheless, Fox News beat both CNN and MSNBC in total viewers.

"Glenn Beck" declined 12% in total viewers and tumbled 25% among younger viewers, compared with the year-earlier month, the story says.

Atlanta Station Launching Newscast to Replace 'Oprah'

Atlanta's ABC affiliate WSB-TV said it plans to replace "The Oprah Winfrey Show" with a new newscast, according to the station's website.

The station will begin airing "Channel 2 Action News" in the 4 p.m. time slot beginning May 26, the day after "Oprah" goes off the air, the site says.

"Oprah says goodbye to Atlanta and the nation on Wednesday. It only makes sense to begin serving our viewers and the community with fresh news and information the very next day instead of airing a summer full of ‘Oprah’ reruns," said station Vice President and General Manager Bill Hoffman in the story.

Good(-ish) News for HBO: 'Thrones' Holds Steady in Week Two

HBO's "Game of Thrones" held steady for its second episode, avoiding a second-week ratings drop, reports EW.com's Inside TV blog.

The second episode, which aired Sunday at 9 p.m., was viewed by 2.2 million viewers, matching the series’ debut the previous week.

That’s mostly good news for the pay cable network, because there was concern that viewers might tune in for the first episode and decide the fantasy-based series wasn't to their liking. On the other hand, the series didn’t grow its audience from week one, either.

The premiere episode, meanwhile, climbed to 6.8 million viewers because of repeat airings on HBO and through its on-demand service.

HLN Sees Ratings Plummet; 'Dr. Drew' Is Down 56%

HLN has had a rough April in the ratings, reports TVNewser.com.

The cable network saw double-digit year-to-year declines in almost all programming, with even its signature morning show "Morning Express" seeing a ratings drop, the story says.

"Morning Express" lost 5% in total viewers for the month to date, but the network's prime-time programming performed worse, with "Dr. Drew", which airs at 9 p.m., losing 56% of total viewers

"Nancy Grace," airing at 8 p.m., declined 36% in total viewers, while "Joy Behar," which airs at 10 p.m., tumbled 42% in total viewers, the piece notes.

As 'Oprah' Heads Into Its Final May Sweeps, Program's Ratings Surge

As "The Oprah Winfrey Show" heads into its final May sweeps, the syndicated show's ratings are up. The long-running daytime talk show’s live plus same day household average jumped 21% for the week ending April 17, reports B&C.

“Oprah” was apparently helped by a series of all-new episodes and by publicity surrounding the show’s runup to its finale after almost 25 years on the air.

Other syndicated programs were either flat or down as the number of people using TVs dropped by 1.7 million viewers from the week before, the article notes.

Among the year's new programs, CBS Television Distribution's "Swift Justice With Nancy Grace" declined 11% from its prior-week season high, while "Nate Berkus," "Don't Forget the Lyrics" and "Judge Karen's Court” were all flat.

New 'Terminator' Movie To Star, Once Again (!) the Former Governator, is Being Shopped to Studios, Including CBS Films

"He's baaack!"  writes Mike Fleming at Deadline.com. 

Fleming continues, "Arnold Schwarzenegger is attached to star in a rights package that CAA is shopping today that will revive 'The Terminator', one of Hollywood's most iconic scifi franchises. The agency is dropping the package on studios this afternoon. I'm told that already, Universal, Sony and Lionsgate, and CBS Films are looking hard at the package."

Justin Lin, who directed "Fast Five," is attached to direct. No screenwriter has been hired.

The reason the property is being shopped to multiple studios is because, as Fleming notes, "This is the first real activity on 'The Terminator' project since February 2010, when the property emerged from a bankruptcy auction and into the possession of Pacificor."

Fleming also explains that "In this case, [the original co-writer and director of  'The Terminator,' James] Cameron assigned his rights to Hemdale, and the North American rights will revert back to him in 2018. Now, Cameron has more or less washed his hands of the 'Terminator' franchise, but I'm told a new deal would have to be made with him if the plan was to keep making 'Terminator' installments beyond that period. There is plenty of time to make at least two 'Terminator' films before that happens, and that might be sufficient to end the saga that so far has spanned four films."

The last film in the franchise was 2009's "Terminator Salvation,' which starred Christian Bale in the role originated by Schwarznegger, and directed by McG.

CW Green Lights First Ever All-Star 'Top Model,' as Network Renews Five Series

The CW has given the green light to an all-star edition of "America's Next Top Model" as it renews five series, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

The current series that have been given early renewals for next season are "90210," "Gossip Girl," "Supernatural" and "The Vampire Diaries," according to the story.

The article also notes that " 'America’s Next Top Model' has been picked up for two more cycles, including its first all-star edition featuring models from previous cycles."

The story adds, "No official decision has been made on bubble shows Hellcats, Nikita and One Tree Hill."

Report: Meredith Vieira to Leave 'Today' Sooner Than Planned. Report Also Claims to Know Who is Replacing Her

[UPDATED 7:25 PM (PT) on April 26, 2011 to tweak both body copy and headline.]

A change is imminent for NBC’s top-rated “Today” show, with news breaking today that Meredith Vieira will be leaving the show well before her contract expires, The Daily reported. The information is from Richard Johnson, who for years oversaw the New York Post's gossipy Page Six and who now is the L.A. bureau chief of The Daily's Flash news and gossip section.

According to the article, Vieira, who was previously expected to depart the morning show when her contract expires in September, will instead  exit in June.

Furthermore, the article says that The Daily--which is only available in its full form to subscribers using an iPad--has also reported that Ann Curry, currently the newsreader for the show, will replace Vieira as Matt Lauer’s co-anchor.

The story adds that "An NBC spokeswoman had no comment on the Vieira 'speculation.' "

Couric Makes It Official, Announces She's Leaving 'CBS Evening News'

Katie Couric has finally put the speculation to rest, announcing officially that she is leaving “CBS Evening News,” People magazine reported.

"I have decided to step down from the 'CBS Evening News,'" she told the publication. "I'm really proud of the talented team on the 'CBS Evening News' and the award-winning work we've been able to do in the past five years in addition to the reporting I've done for '60 Minutes' and 'CBS Sunday Morning.' In making the decision to move on, I know the 'Evening News' will be in great hands, but I am excited about the future."

The other part of the speculation--what Couric will do next--remains open, with Couric refusing to confirm anything. But sources close to her continue to indicate she will focus on developing a daytime talk show, with fall 2012 as the targeted premiere date, as TVWeek previously reported.

As far as the fate of “CBS Evening News,” the betting line continues to be that Scott Pelley of “60 Minutes” will take over the anchor’s chair, as reported earlier, with CBS expected to make the announcement next week.

TBS, Debmar Mercury Work Their Magic With Tyler Perry Once More

It's getting to be a habit. Once again TBS and Debmar Mercury are in business with Tyler Perry.

According to an announcement by the cable network, "TBS has ordered 10 episodes of the new series Tyler Perry’s 'For Better or Worse' from Tyler Perry Studios. The dramedy, based on Perry’s hit 'Why Did I Get Married?' films, marks the third Tyler Perry series to come to TBS, which is also home to Tyler Perry’s 'House of Payne' and 'Meet the Browns.' As with 'House of Payne' and 'Meet the Browns,' syndication will be sold by Debmar Mercury."

The announcement notes, " 'For Better or Worse' marks a new direction for Tyler Perry’s television properties. Unlike his family-oriented sitcoms, 'For Better or Worse' will target young adults. Production on the series is slated to begin this summer at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta."

In addition, Michael Jai White and Tasha Smith will reprise their roles in the TV series.

The new series will come to TBS as "House of Payne" "prepares to end its highly successful run. 'Even though it will be sad to say goodbye to 'House of Payne,' I’m really looking forward to exploring new territory with 'For Better or Worse,' ' said Tyler Perry in the release. 'Working on 'House of Payne' taught me a lot about what it takes to make a successful television series and I’m looking forward to applying that experience to 'For Better or Worse.' ”

On the syndication side, according to the announcement, "TBS’s association with Perry and Debmar Mercury first began in May 2006 with the announcement of a 'House of Payne' test-run on 10 local independent stations. After the successful test, TBS and Debmar Mercury announced an additional 100 episodes of the series to air nationally on TBS. The first-of-its-kind deal marked a new model for the television industry."

In addition, "Debmar Mercury Co-President Mort Marcus said that "the entertainment industry has never seen anyone like Tyler Perry, an extraordinarily talented film/television/stage producer, writer, director, actor and mogul who is capable of repeatedly turning out hit after hit for both TBS and broadcast syndication." Debmar Mercury Co-President Ira Bernstein added, "We are thrilled to be associated with another of Tyler’s unique, remarkable and groundbreaking series."

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Stirs Up a Hornet's Nest With Comment About Gay Anchors

MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow finds herself in the middle of a controversy after comments she made in an interview with The Guardian were interpreted as a reference to CNN’s Anderson Cooper, the L.A. Times reported in its Show Tracker blog.

The issue: Whether closeted gay anchors should come out.

Maddow, who is openly gay, refused to name names, but said: “I’m sure other people in the business have considered reasons why they’re doing what they’re doing, but I do think that if you’re gay you have a responsibility to come out.”

Blogs and other reports immediately focused on Cooper, who is widely considered to be gay but has never commented either way. Maddow then took to her own blog to clarify that she was not talking about Cooper.

Maddow blogged: “In that interview, I wasn't asked about Anderson Cooper, I didn't say anything about him, he literally was never discussed during the interview at all--even implicitly. I don't tend to be shy when I criticize--you wouldn't have to read between the lines if that's what I was trying to do."

Maddow goes on to say that gay people generally have a responsibility to come out, but that everyone has a right to determine “if and when we feel that we can.”

Video: Paul Reiser Riffs on NBC's Quick Cancellation of His Show

Paul Reiser, fresh off having the plug pulled on his new NBC sitcom, kept a date with Jay Leno that was set up originally to promote “The Paul Reiser Show,” and used the opportunity to rip NBC for what he apparently thought was a bad decision.

Reiser’s appearance on Monday’s “Tonight Show” put him alongside Christina Aguilera, who is promoting her new NBC show, “The Voice”--making for some mildly awkward moments.

Reiser’s show, which aired on Thursday nights opposite Fox powerhouse “American Idol,” got feeble ratings and was yanked by the network after only two episodes were televised. Reiser was once a mainstay of NBC’s Thursday night “Must-See TV” comedy lineup as a creator and star of “Mad About You.”

Here’s a clip of Reiser’s “Tonight Show” appearance: 

Phoebe Snow, Singer of 1970s Hit 'Poetry Man,' Dead at 58

Singer-songwriter Phoebe Snow, best known for her 1974 song "Poetry Man," died this morning in Edison, N.J., of complications from a brain hemorrhage she suffered more than a year ago, reports FoxNews.com.

Snow was popular in the 1970s as a jazz and pop star with a distinctive voice and charismatic personality. She withdrew from the public in 1980 to care for her disabled child.

Sue Cameron, her manager, said of the star: "Phoebe was one of the brightest, funniest and most talented singer-songwriters of all time and, more importantly, a magnificent mother to her late brain-damaged daughter, Valerie, for 31 years. Phoebe felt that was her greatest accomplishment."

Keith Olbermann's New Show Gets a Surprising Title

The new Keith Olbermann show will debut on Current TV on Monday, June 20, at 8 p.m. ET--with a surprising title, reports our friend Bill Carter at the New York Times' Media Decoder blog. The show will have the same name as Olbermann’s old program on MSNBC: "Countdown With Keith Olbermann.”

Accroding to the story, "An MSNBC spokesman said the network would not comment on Mr. Olbermann’s decision to import the 'Countdown' title."

The story also notes, "In his announcement, Mr. Olbermann also all but disdained the notion of journalistic balance, saying that on his new show “no one would proclaim the ultimate dishonesty that balancing a lie for every truth was somehow fair.” Current TV has a much lower audience base than MSNBC. The channel averages fewer than 25,000 viewers in prime time; at MSNBC Mr. Olbermann often commanded audiences exceeding 1 million."

Furthermore, Carter observes that in his announcement Olbermann "emphasized how central he will be to the future of the channel, noting that the new 'Countdown' will be shown three times a night, at 8, 11 and 2 a.m. Eastern Time."

Fox Unveils Scaled-Down Plans for New Jamie Foxx Sketch Comedy Series

Fox’s upcoming sketch comedy series from Jamie Foxx and Affion Crockett will premiere later than previously thought, with fewer episodes initially ordered than previously thought, Deadline.com reports.

The show is now set to debut Sunday, Aug. 14, and the initial order is for six episodes, not 12.

The show’s title has also been revealed: “In the Flow With Affion Crockett.” That means the "In Living Color"-style comedy hour will rest largely on Crockett's shoulders, with Foxx executive producing and dropping in to perform on occasion. Crockett will be writer and producer, along with his starring role.

Previous reports that the show would get a preview March 31 after "American Idol," with a launch on June 9, proved to be premature.

Slated to appear as guests are Snoop Dogg, Russell Simmons, Chris Brown, Michael Strahan, JB Smoove, David Koechner and Harry Shum Jr., among others.

'30 Rock' Star Says 'Charlie Sheen Ain't Funny to Me,' Attacks Actor on Parenting Issues

A "30 Rock" star has condemned Charlie Sheen for being a poor parent to his children, noting, "Charlie Sheen ain't funny to me," reports AOL’s PopEater.com.

The star is outspoken actor Tracy Morgan. "I think that's a train wreck and I feel bad for his two little kids because they're the bodies being pulled out of the train wreck. What's going to happen to them? But everybody thinks it's a joke," Morgan said. "While this asshole is going on stage making a fool of himself his kids are going to suffer and don't even know it because this is a cycle of abuse."

Morgan also said he hadn't heard anything about Alec Baldwin leaving "30 Rock." "The show is going on. We did 100 episodes. That don't happen no more with TV shows. We've done a mission. We've accomplished our obligation to the world of comedy," he said.

Whoa! Is This What the iPhone 5 Will Look Like?

The mock-up, below, of the forthcoming iPhone 5 is from the website ThisIsMyNext.com.

The mock-up is by Joshua Topolsky, who, until a month ago, was the editor in chief of Engadget.

Topolsky writes, "Our sources say the new model (or at least one of the new designs in testing) looks “more like the iPod touch than the iPhone 4.” The phone will be thinner than the iPhone 4, and may have a “teardrop” shape which goes from thick to thin (something along the lines of the MacBook Air profile).

"In a sketch supplied to us by a source (on which the image above is based), the home button is doing double duty as a gesture area; this falls in line with testing we’ve seen for gestures on the iPad, and our sources say that gestures are definitely coming in a future version of iOS. The home button will likely be enlarged, but not scrapped altogether. Furthermore, we’re hearing that the screen on the device will occupy the entire (or near to it) front of the phone, meaning almost no bezel. Our source says the company is doing very “interesting things” with bonded glass technology, and has been exploring designs where the earpiece and sensors are somehow behind the screen itself, making for a device where the display is actually edge-to-edge. Regardless, the sketch we’ve seen suggests the screen will go up to 3.7-inches while keeping the current resolution, and at that size, pixel density goes from 326 to 312 (a drop of 13ppi)."

TV Station Sells Studio to Church of Scientology

A Los Angeles TV station has sold its landmark studio to the Church of Scientology, reports the Los Angeles Times. Former PBS station KCET-TV will reportedly remain at the Sunset Boulevard location for as long as a year while it searches for new headquarters.

The price was undisclosed, although the property has an assessed value of $14.1 million, the article notes. The Church of Scientology said the purchase will help the organization expand its broadcast production and audiovisual capabilities.

The sale comes after KCET dropped its PBS affiliation in January, losing signature shows such as "Sesame Street.”

"It is a perfect fit, in both size and location, for the expansion of the Church of Scientology's production of religious and social betterment audiovisual properties, and we welcomed the unexpected opportunity to acquire it," the church said in a statement.

Vast Wasteland My Ass, Part Two. Strange Bedfellows: 'Oh Calcutta!' 'Playhouse 90' and 'The Beverly Hillbillies'

One of the more controversial blog entries we've had recently was when TVWeek Open Mic Guest Blogger Norman Horowitz, a veteran TV executive, took on former FCC Chairman Newton Minow's famous comment--made 50 years ago--that TV was a "vast wasteland."

Norman's back with more that's sure to enrage some and please others. You can find this compelling sequel if you click here!

Charter Positioning to Sell L.A.-Area Cable System

Charter Communications is getting ready to sell its Los Angeles system in an auction that could attract $2 billion or more, reports Multichannel News.

The move comes after Charter failed to reach an agreement with Time Warner Cable to swap systems, with Charter seeking to swap its L.A.-area systems for Time Warner Cable's Wisconsin systems, the story says.

Charter’s systems in the city of Los Angeles and outlying areas reach 551,000 customers. Time Warner Cable, which has about 560,000 subscribers in Wisconsin, balked at the swap, the article says.

A Charter spokeswoman declined to comment. Charter's Los Angeles systems could attract bids between $2 billion and $2.5 billion, the story says.

Showtime Renews Series

Showtime has ordered a second season of a series that had a strong debut earlier this month, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The series is "The Borgias," which debuted with 3.71 million viewers during its premiere week and delivered the best ratings for a new Showtime drama series in seven years, the story says. The show is performing ahead of the fourth season of "The Tudors," which is that series' best-rated season.

With the second-season order, 10 new episodes will begin production this summer and will air in 2012.

Netflix Reaches Milestone

After signing on an average of 1.1 million U.S. customers for each month in the first quarter, Netflix now has more subscribers than any other video service in the country, reports The New York Times' Media Decoder blog.

The company now has 22.8 million U.S. subscribers, the story notes. The country's biggest cable operator, Comcast, had reported 22.8 million customers at the end of 2010. Netflix also reported first-quarter earnings, with $60 million in net income, almost double what it earned in the year-earlier period, the story says. Sales jumped 46% to $719 million.

Comcast and Netflix don't directly compete, and Netflix is considered a supplemental service to cable and satellite television, although just two years ago Netflix had only 10 million customers.

Lawmakers Questioning Apple, Google and Others About Location-Tracking Technology

U.S. lawmakers are questioning six companies including Apple and Google about whether their products violate privacy rules by tracking user locations, reports Bloomberg.

Five Republican lawmakers sent letters Monday to the companies, questioning how they store location data and whether third parties have access to the information, the story says.

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) has invited Apple and Google executives to a May 10 hearing on mobile device privacy, the article adds.

As previously reported, researchers earlier this month said they believe Apple is secretly obtaining the locations of iOS4 users and recording them in a hidden file.

Yahoo Buys Maker of TV 'Check-In' App for Apple Devices

Yahoo has bought IntoNow, a company that makes a television "check-in" app for Apple devices such as iPhones and iPod Touch, reports the Los Angeles Times' Technology blog.

The app works by using microphones inside the devices to listen to TV shows or movies playing nearby, the article notes. The app taps into a database of audio, IDs what's playing on the TV or computer and allows users to "check in" and share what they're watching on Facebook, Twitter or an IntoNow account, the story says.

The app also makes recommendations on what to watch, using consumers' interests and what their friends are watching, the article notes.

The purchase price wasn't disclosed, but reports place the figure between $17 million and $30 million.

"Relying on social channels as a means for discovering content--whether it's on a PC, mobile device, or TV--is rapidly on the rise," Yahoo product management executive Bill Shaughnessy said in a statement.

Tears For (Past) Fears: Lady Gaga Crying Backstage in HBO Video Clip

The superstar still has moments when "I still sometimes feel like a loser kid in high school."

The entire program, "Lady Gaga Presents The Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden," debuts on HBO on May 7, 2011.

Engineer Behind the Teleprompter Dead at 91

Hubert J. "Hub" Schlafly Jr., a television engineer who helped invent the teleprompter, has died at 91, reports The Washington Post.

The idea for the teleprompter came in the 1940s when a Broadway actor, Fred Barton, came up with the idea of a device to help him with his lines, the story says. The actor told his idea to Irving Kahn, the vice president of radio and TV at 20th Century Fox, who in turn asked Schlafly, the director of TV research at Fox, to help develop it, the article notes.

Schlafly took half a suitcase and inside installed a motorized scroll of paper with actors' lines printed in half-inch letters. The speed of the paper's scrolling was controlled by a stagehand.

Barton, Kahn and Schlafly then quit their jobs to start TelePrompTer Corp., which introduced the device in 1950 on the CBS soap opera "The First Hundred Years." It later became a standard in live TV.

Ratings Record for BBC America

BBC America set a ratings record with the season premiere of a British import Saturday, TVGuide.com reported.

The first part of a two-part "Doctor Who" episode drew 1.27 million viewers to the cable channel, which made the show the network's highest-rated and most-watched telecast for live and same-day viewing, the story says.

The telecast beat "Doctor Who’s” previous season debut by 71,000 viewers, the story notes.

Insiders Say Couric Is Considering Move to ABC

Katie Couric is considering jumping to ABC after her “CBS Evening News” contract expires in the next couple of weeks, Bloomberg reports.

The 54-year-old anchor is expected to announce later this week that she is leaving “Evening News.” The insiders say she still has not made a final decision what she will do, according to the report. Scott Pelley of “60 Minutes” is widely expected to take over as anchor of “Evening News.”

Couric has reportedly met with ABC News President Ben Sherwood to talk about the possibility of her joining the network. Couric is receiving advice from her former boss at NBC, Jeff Zucker, the story says.

A spokesman for ABC declined to comment for the story.

Trump's Latest Target: Robert De Niro (Sample Trump Attack: 'We're Not Dealing With Albert Einstein')

One by one, celebrities who have expressed frustration with Donald Trump’s birther campaign have become targets of the “Celebrity Apprentice” host’s acid tongue. Whoopi Goldberg and Jerry Seinfeld, among others, have found themselves on the bad side of the would-be presidential candidate in recent weeks.

Now we can add two-time Oscar winner Robert De Niro to the list, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Apparently what went down is this: Without naming Trump, De Niro implied during an interview Saturday at the Tribeca Film Festival that the birther issue is unsupported by facts. "I won't mention names, but certain people in the news the last couple weeks, just, what are they doing?" he said. "It's crazy. They're making statements about people that they don't even back up. Go get the facts before you start saying things about people."

That was enough to earn an angry reply from Trump, who lashed out today at De Niro on “Fox & Friends.” Among the highlights: “I like his acting, but in terms of when I watch him doing interviews and various other things, we’re not dealing with Albert Einstein.” And: “He’s not the brightest bulb on the planet.”

De Niro won Oscars for “The Godfather: Part II” in 1975 and “Raging Bull” in 1981.

Survey Shows Americans Don't Care About Royal Wedding

The media has ramped up the coverage of this week's royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, but most of America doesn't care, reports The New York Times.

According to a New York Times/CBS News poll, just 6% said they will follow news of the nuptials “very closely,” and just 22% will be following “somewhat closely.” That means nearly three-quarters of the respondents were not going to follow the story very closely at all.

Not surprisingly, women were more inclined to be watching the wedding, with older women in particular saying that they would be waking up early to view the pomp and circumstance live on TV.

Flagship FX Drama Lures Emmy-Winning Director/Exec Producer From HBO

A veteran showrunner and multiple Emmy-winning director has joined FX's flagship drama to both executive produce and direct, reports Deadline.com.

Paris Barclay is making the move to "Sons of Anarchy" after spending the past three seasons as executive producer and lead director for HBO's "In Treatment."

Barclay won Emmys for directing in 1998 and 1999 for his work on ABC's "NYPD Blue."

Former 'Survivor' Star Gets Cable Show

One of the most charismatic stars of CBS's long-running "Survivor" franchise has snagged a new reality show, People magazine reports.

Rob Mariano, better known as Boston Rob, has a show on the History Channel called "Around the World in 80 Ways." Mariano will co-host with Dennis Anderson, a monster truck producer.

The show has elements of "Amazing Race" (another show in which Mariano competed) as Anderson and Mariano go around the world in 80 different modes of transportation.

Mariano acknowledged his "Amazing Race" experience will give him credibility on the new show, but he told People that this program will be different. "The approach that we are taking … is completely different from anything I've done before in that this show will be a celebration of transportation throughout history."

Strong Showing for 'Celebrity Apprentice' in Sunday Ratings

NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” was up 12% from a week ago in the 18-49 demo Sunday night, TVbytheNumbers.com reported, perhaps helped by the recent media campaign by its host, Donald Trump.

For the night overall, the ratings crown was a split between ABC, which won the 18-49 demo, and CBS, which won total viewers. ABC wound up with a modest average rating of 2.2 in adults 18-49, good enough to beat NBC (2.0 average), CBS (1.7) and Fox (1.2). CBS came out on top in total viewers with an average of 9.1 million, topping ABC (7.7 million), NBC (6.0 million) and Fox (3.2 million).

At 7 p.m. a new "60 Minutes" on CBS bested NBC's "Dateline," 1.6 to 0.8, in the 18-49 demographic.

At 8 p.m. CBS's "Amazing Race" did a little better than ABC's "Extreme Makeover," 2.5 to 2.2 in the 18-49 demographic, while NBC's "America's Next Great Restaurant" trailed with a 1.2 in the same demo.

ABC's "Desperate Housewives" beat the first hour of "Celebrity Apprentice" at 9 p.m., 2.9 to 2.7 in the 18-49 demographic. CBS's Hallmark Hall of Fame movie "Beyond the Blackboard" had a 1.3 in the same demo for the first hour.

At 10 p.m. "Celebrity Apprentice" climbed to the evening's high of 3.2 in the 18-49 demo, while ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" had a 1.9 in the same demo. Hour two of the CBS movie was last with a 1.3 in the 18-49 demo.

Hottest Magazine in U.S. Has a Close Connection to TV

America's hottest magazine--topping the list of the industry's most successful and influential magazines over the past year, according to Adweek--is Food Network Magazine.

The rankings are based on a mix of financial measurements and influence stats derived from media profile, social media impressions and search engine figures. Among the publications in the Top 10, only Food Network Magazine had a TV presence.

The other magazines in the Top 10, in order, were: Marie Claire; Elle Decor; Wired; GQ; People StyleWatch; Cosmopolitan; Rolling Stone; Businessweek; and Vanity Fair.

Well-Known Movie Critic Loses Another Job

A film critic known for his stint at The New York Times as well as his dreadlocks has been dropped by Movieline, his latest employer, after just three months, reports TheWrap.com.

The critic is Elvis Mitchell, and the latest news comes on the heels of his being hired to host Roger Ebert's revamped "At the Movies," but then fired before the show commenced.

Mitchell reportedly had another industry job, running Sony's New York office, but was never in his office, the story says.

Mitchell is now working only for KCRW, a local NPR radio station based in Los Angeles, where he does "The Treatment," a movie interview program.

Exec Who Developed the Compact Disc Dies at 81

The man who developed the compact disc and helped Sony expand into a media, entertainment and software leader, Norio Ohga, died Saturday, April 23, at the age of 81, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

When Sony purchased Columbia Pictures in 1989, Ohga was president of the company. Ohga had originally joined Sony in 1959 and eventually rose to CEO of the company.

"By redefining Sony as a company encompassing both hardware and software, Ohga-san succeeded where other Japanese companies failed," said Sony Chairman Howard Stringer. "It is no exaggeration to attribute Sony's evolution beyond audio and video products into music, movies and games, and subsequent transformation into a global entertainment leader, to Ohga-san's foresight and vision. I offer my deepest condolences on his passing and pray that he may rest in peace."

NBC Cancels Series

NBC has canceled a prime-time show whose performance has been so poor that it stood out even with almost the entire network lineup performing poorly--and it only took two episodes for NBC to pull the plug, reports the Futon Critic.

The series is "The Paul Reiser Show." The debut episode drew 3.37 million viewers and a 1.1 rating among adults 18 to 49 years old, but the numbers fell to 2.38 million viewers and a 0.9 rating in 18 to 49 for the second episode, which aired last Thursday, the story says.

The network plans to air repeats of "The Office" during the 8:30 p.m. time slot on Thursdays for the final four weeks of the TV season, the story says.

Reiser was once a fixture of NBC's "Must-See TV" Thursday night lineup, starring opposite Helen Hunt in "Mad About You."

Actress Sued for Alleged Attack on Reality Star

An actress who starred in an acclaimed HBO drama is being sued by the star of an MTV reality show for allegedly attacking her last month, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"Boardwalk Empire" actress Paz de la Huerta is being sued by Samantha Swetra, a star of MTV's "The City.” Swetra filed the lawsuit Friday in New York City, claiming she suffered permanent injuries after de la Huerta allegedly punched her and then threw a glass at her, the story says.

Swetra is suing for unspecified damages, the article notes.

Another Top Exec Leaving NBC

NBC’s executive structure continues to undergo the rapid evolution that has been in progress since the Comcast takeover, with another key network executive set to leave the fold, Deadline.com reports.

NBC's head of comedy Jeff Ingold is expected to leave, with his replacement slated to be Sony TV comedy executive Tal Rabinowitz, according to the report.

Rabinowitz has overseen high-profile comedy projects at Sony such as "The Big C," one of the final series picked up by NBC Chairman Bob Greenblatt when he was entertainment president at Showtime, the article notes. Rabinowitz has also overseen digital development and programming for Sony.

Ingold has worked as executive vice president of comedy at NBC since 2008, the story says. There's speculation he might join Bill Lawrence's production company at Warner Bros, as Ingold worked with Lawrence on the NBC show "Scrubs."

Creators Exit CBS Drama

A CBS drama that recently saw its veteran showrunner leave the show has now parted ways with the show’s creators, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The show is the freshman drama "Blue Bloods," which has split from creators Mitchell Burgess and Robin Green, the story says. The move comes as the show deals with searching for a new showrunner after the departure of Ken Sanzel.

The series has three more episodes to air this season, and hasn't officially been given a second-season pickup, although it has performed solidly this year, the article notes.

Sheen's 'Goddess' Stable Is Down to One--Actor Tells Audience About Being Dumped by Porn Star

Charlie Sheen told an audience at a performance in Florida that one of his two "goddesses" had dumped him, reports RadarOnline.com.

Asked by an audience member during the Fort Lauderdale show how he and the goddesses were doing, Sheen said, “Not well, because one left,” according to the story. Sheen said Bree Olson, an adult film actress, broke up with him via text message.

Because of low ticket sales for Saturday’s Fort Lauderdale show, Sheen gave away a number of tickets through his Twitter account, the article notes.

While the audience seemed to enjoy the show, there were protesters outside the theater, carrying signs such as "Stop degrading women" and "Go home Charlie Sheen," the article adds.

Lohan Thinks She's Being Punished for Being a Celebrity

After Lindsay Lohan’s five-hour stint Friday in Lynwood Correctional Facility, the actress reportedly said she was being treated unfairly because she’s a celebrity, according to AOL’s PopEater in its Naughty But Nice blog.

A source close to Lohan reportedly told the website that the actress “is innocent and can’t understand what’s going on. She didn't steal any necklace and will be found innocent. It's obvious this is only happening because she is famous and anyone that thinks celebrities get away with stuff or let off will think again after seeing this."

The comments came after Lohan was found to be in violation of her probation for an earlier DUI and was sent to jail Friday. She was bailed out and is appealing the decision. Meanwhile, her necklace theft case continues, although the charge has been reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor.

As part of her probation violation, Lohan has been ordered to do community service in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles and to put in some time working at the morgue, according to reports.

Couric to Announce This Week What Many Already Suspect

Katie Couric is expected to announce this week “one of the worst-kept secrets in television,” reports The New York Times' Media Decoder blog. According to the story, the anchor will announce her departure from the "CBS Evening News."

CBS plans to name the new anchor during the first week of May, with "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley expected to get the job, the story notes. The network will have a month for the transition, as Couric's contract with CBS ends on June 4, the article says.

CBS executives are interviewing potential executive producers of the newscast with Pelley, the article adds.

Video: Oprah Says She Can't Save Canceled Soap Operas, Explains Why 'The Time Has Come' for an Institution to Die. She Also Explains What Primetime Series Cancellation Devastated Her Growing Up

{Update: item is revised to include Oprah's video statement about ABC's two canceled soap operas]

Oprah Winfrey took to YouTube to respond to pleas from fans of canceled soap operas "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" asking her to use her OWN network to save the shows, reports TVLine.com.

In the YouTube video, which you can watch below, the daytime talk queen said she can’t save the soaps, and went on to explain why the genre is dying.

Winfrey, who is ending her syndicated daytime talk show this season, noted, "There just are not enough people who are at home in the daytime to watch them, and because of that they’re going off the air.”

Winfrey cited the declining ratings of soap operas and said, "I will not be taking on the responsibility of trying to revive an institution that for all intent and all purpose indicates that the time has come for it to be over.”

Here's Oprah in a YouTube video explaining why she can't save the soaps:

Cowell Denies Report That Paula Abdul Has 'X Factor' Job Locked Up

Even as reports to the contrary continue to surface, Simon Cowell's representative is denying that Cowell has chosen Paula Abdul as a judge on "The X Factor," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"Nothing is set, and Paula is one of many people Simon is talking to. He's said the same thing many times, including on the radio last week. There's nothing new," the representative said, according to the story.

As previously reported, Cowell told Deadline.com that he's serious about getting Abdul as a judge on the new show. Some reports have taken the news a step further, saying it's a done deal and Abdul has the job.

Networks Looking at Seven-Day DVR Numbers, Want Advertisers to Get on Board

Networks are paying attention to DVR viewing a full week after a show airs, including the data in their calculations for deciding whether to renew a show, and they want to convince advertisers to also pay attention, reports The New York Times' Bill Carter.

Advertisers currently pay for the number of viewers who tune in for the first three days after a show airs, but networks are looking at a full week to better get a sense of audience loyalty and interest, the article notes.

"Live plus seven days," as it's called, helped the Fox drama "Fringe" earn a renewal in late March, for instance. While the show only pulls in about 2.24 million viewers in the 18-to-49 age group on its Friday night broadcasts, that jumps to about 3.3 million viewers in the demographic when considering live plus seven days, the story says.

But it might be a hard sell for advertisers, with Aaron Cohen, chief negotiating officer of Horizon Media, noting that advertisers such as retailers and restaurants are looking for one-to-three-day campaigns, and therefore are interested in ratings for the first three days after a show's airing. 

Daytime Talk Show Gets New Exec Producer

A daytime talk show is getting a veteran daytime producer to replace the executive producer who has been with the show from the start, B&C reports.

The show is CBS’s "The Talk," which has tapped Susan Winston to replace Brad Bessey as exec producer.

Winston has executive produced AMC's "In the House With Peter Bart and Peter Guber" since 2009. She earned an Emmy for her work as a senior producer on ABC's coverage of the Los Angeles Summer Olympics in 1984, and has executive produced both the "CBS Morning News" and ABC's "Good Morning America," the story adds.

Bessey said at the end of March that he would be leaving the show he helped debut in October, the article notes. "The Talk" features Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Leah Remini, Holly Robinson Peete and Sharon Osbourne talking about issues that impact women and mothers, the story says.

Serious Competitors Have Sights Set on Netflix--But Is the Online Subscription Service Out of Reach?

The competition is gunning for Netflix, with retail stalwarts including Wal-Mart and Amazon.com planning to debut online subscription video services or to expand their existing ones, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Would-be competitors need to act fast, however, as it may become harder to challenge Netflix once it surpasses 30 million subscribers, the article notes. Netflix currently has more than 20 million customers, and it plans to expand, readying new services in Latin America and Britain, the story notes.

Wal-Mart and Best Buy digital-video services are considering shifting from their current pay-per-view system to a subscription plan similar to Netflix, the article notes. Amazon.com, which debuted a Netflix-like service in February, plans to beef up its library from its current 2,300 videos. Hulu, meanwhile, is talking with studios about expanding the selection of movies available on its subscription service, Hulu Plus, the article notes.

Studios, for their part, are interested in creating competition among online services to make sure Netflix doesn't get more power over the way movies and TV shows are sold to consumers. The studios also hope to see bidding wars among competitors that might help offset declining DVD sales, the story notes.

Simon Cowell: 'I've always wanted [Paula Abdul as a judge on 'X-Factor'].' He Adds, 'I've always clicked with her,' and 'I think there's a good chance it will be her [as a judge].'

Simon Cowell is very serious about trying to get Paula Abdul as a judge on "The X-Factor," Nikki Finke reports in an interview with Cowell at Deadline.com.

According to the story, Cowell says, "I've always wanted Paula [as a judge on 'The X-Factor']. Always been very vocal about that. I missed her the second she left the show. Always loved working with her even though she can be a pain. And I've been consistent about this. I don’t know what it is about her, but I've always clicked with her. You just have to get that chemistry, and she's right. I've never found anyone better than her. I think there's a good chance it will be her. We've agreed that we would meet as many people as possible, and now we're reaching the deadline, we've got to make the decision soon. But I think she's got a really good shot."

Finke reports that "I understand from Cowell that negotiations for Abdul's deal hasn't even started and that [Cheryl] Cole's deal isn't quite done yet. And of course, he could change his mind."

As previously reported, Cheryl Cole is likely to be a judge on "The X Factor." She's known for being a judge on the show in the United Kingdom.

Lohan's Accuser Details Her Alleged M.O. in Necklace Case

Lindsay Lohan’s court appearance today in L.A. on a charge of felony grand theft included testimony by the owner of the Venice, Calif., jewelry store from which the actress is accused of stealing a $2,500 necklace, TMZ.com reported.

Sofia Kaman, owner of Kamofle & Co., seemed to imply the theft was premeditated and orchestrated. She reportedly said Lohan’s friend Patrick, who was in the store with her, served as a decoy, distracting the shop owner with questions while the actress tried on the necklace in a different part of the store.

Kaman said the distraction continued while Lohan allegedly concealed the necklace by placing her own jewelry over it and then headed for the door.

The hearing to determine whether Lohan will have to stand trial was expected to continue this afternoon, with the judge in the case expected to examine the necklace. The value of the necklace could determine whether Lohan’s charge is reduced to a misdemeanor, something some observers were predicting would happen.

Also possibly to be decided today is whether Lohan violated her probation on previous charges. The report predicts that the decision on whether to send Lohan back to jail on any probation violation would be deferred until the verdict comes in on the theft charge.

Mel Gibson Explains Himself

Mel Gibson has broken his silence and given an extensive interview that covered his contentious breakup with Oksana Grigorieva, threatening phone calls, allegations of abuse, his 2006 DUI arrest and drunken rant and his tarnished reputation, Deadline.com reports.

The interview with Deadline’s Allison Hope Weiner precedes the May 6 release of Gibson’s new movie, “The Beaver,” directed by Jodie Foster, for which early reviews of Gibson’s performance have been positive.

Gibson defended himself against accusations that he’s a racist and a misogynist. “I’ve never treated anyone badly or in a discriminatory way based on their gender, race, religion, or sexuality--period,” he said. “I don’t blame some people for thinking that, though, from the garbage they heard on those leaked tapes, which have been edited. You have to put it all in the proper context of being in an irrationally heated discussion at the height of a breakdown, trying to get out of a really unhealthy relationship. It’s one terribly awful moment in time, said to one person, in the span of one day and doesn’t represent what I truly believe or how I’ve treated people my entire life.”

Audience reaction to his latest movie will go a long way toward determining whether Gibson’s acting career continues. On that topic, Gibson said: “I don’t care if I don’t act anymore. … I could easily not act again. It’s not a problem. I’m going to do something now because I want to do it and because it’s fun. I’ve already pulled another job and it’s going to be fun.” He said he will be working again with screenwriter Randy Wallace, with whom Gibson worked on “Braveheart.”

Gibson explained his recent plea in the court case stemming from accusations that he hit Grigorieva. “I was allowed to end the case and still maintain my innocence,” he said. “It’s called a West plea and it’s not something that prosecutors normally allow. But in my case, the prosecutors and the judge agreed that it was the right thing to do. I could have continued to fight this for years and it probably would have come out fine. But I ended it for my children and my family. This was going to be such a circus. You don’t drag other people in your life through this sewer needlessly, so I’ll take the hit and move on.”

Thursday Ratings: 'American Idol' Slips, But Fox Dominates Against Mostly Repeats

“American Idol” was off 13% from a week ago but Fox had little trouble dominating the ratings Thursday night, TVbytheNumbers.com reported. With ABC and CBS airing all repeats, NBC was the only rival network with a chance to put up a fight, and it didn’t put up much of one.

Fox finished the night with a 4.4 average rating in adults 18-49 for prime time, well ahead of NBC (2.1 average), CBS (1.8), Univision (1.3) and ABC (1.1). The results were comparable in total viewers, where Fox averaged 15.4 million to 8.5 million for CBS, 4.5 million for NBC, 3.8 million for ABC and 3.2 million for Univision.

At 8 p.m. "Idol" logged a 5.6 average rating in the 18-49 demo, while NBC's "Community" collected a 1.5. NBC’s fledgling "The Paul Reiser Show" continued to struggle at 8:30, managing a 0.9 average in 18-49. CW's "Vampire Diaries" had a 1.1 for the hour in the 18-49 demographic.

At 9 p.m. NBC's "The Office" and "Parks & Recreation" had a 3.3 and a 2.5, respectively, in the 18-49 demographic, while Fox's "Bones" had a 3.2 in the same demo for the hour. CW's "Nikita" trailed with a 0.8 in the same demo.

Against all reruns at 10 p.m., two episodes of NBC’s "30 Rock" had a 2.3 and a 2.1, respectively, in the 18-49 demo.

Bravo Again Denies 'Real Housewives' Is Expanding

Despite rumors as well as apparent auditions in Phoenix, San Francisco and Las Vegas, Bravo executive Andy Cohen has declared that there will be no new editions of the “Real Housewives" franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

As TVWeek previously reported, the Las Vegas Review-Journal recently revealed that auditions were being held for a Las Vegas version of the show.

Cohen tweeted the denial on Friday, saying, "Bravo is not shooting or casting for Vegas or Arizona Housewives. It is not true and we have no association to either project."

Cartoon Network Studios Names Casting Exec

One of the "most respected casting executives in the youth entertainment arena" has been named vice president of casting and talent development for Cartoon Network Studios, reports B&C.

Rob Sorcher, Cartoon Network chief content officer, described Sharon Lieblein with those words in a statement about her appointment.

He added: "We're extremely pleased that she'll be joining us, helping us to discover talent for the next phase of our original content development. This new role at Cartoon Network Studios underscores our commitment to a broad programming slate, and to our growing live-action comedy plan."

Lieblein will report directly to Sorcher.

'Today' Personalities Are Showing Up Everywhere: Al Roker in an Australian Music Video, Meredith Vieira on 'Doctor Who,' Ann Curry on a Danish Game Show, Kathie Lee Gifford on 'Smile Jamaica' ... So What's Going On?

Meredith Vieira, co-anchor on NBC's "Today" show, will be popping up on the BBC classic "Dr. Who" in a cameo role, reports UPI.com. On May 6, Vieira will film her guest turn as part of a "Today" show promo in which the stars will also be making visits to other international programs.

The lineup includes: Al Roker appearing in a music video called "The Weatherman" on Australia's "The Wiggles"; Natalie Morales appearing on the Telemundo telenovela "Los Herederos del Monte"; Ann Curry going on the Danish game show "Bingo Banko"; and Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb guest-hosting "Smile Jamaica."

Cult Favorite Sci-Fi Show to Get Cable Airing

A cult favorite science-fiction show that ran from 2003 to 2009--which was a remake of a late 1970s series--will live again on cable in reruns, the Los Angeles Times’ Show Tracker blog reports.

The show is "Battlestar Galactica," which will air on BBC America beginning Saturday, June 18. “Battlestar” joins existing BBC America shows with a sci-fi or fantasy edge such as "Doctor Who" and "Being Human.”

"Battlestar Galactica" has 80 hours of programming, including the 2003 miniseries and the first four seasons of the regular series.

BBC America is also adding the new series "Outcasts," which will debut June 18 as well and is about a "post-Earth era," and the fall 2011 drama "Bedlam," about a haunted apartment building, the story says.

Actress Explains Why U.S. Children Need to Watch 'Doctor Who'

Alex Kingston, best known to U.S. audiences for her role as Dr. Elizabeth Corday on "ER," told EW.com's Inside TV blog that "Doctor Who" should be viewed by more children in the U.S.

Kingston, who plays Dr. River Song on the British sci-fi program, said "Doctor Who" is viewed as a children's show in the U.K., and that American children's programming could benefit from the series.

"Children’s programming in America, I think it’s pretty shoddy in terms of lack of diversity. It’s pretty much cartoons and Disney sort of shows," Kingston said. "I don’t find any of that stimulating for children. 'Doctor Who' is really challenging and fulfilling on so many levels."

A Toast to One of the Greats. She Was, Indisputably, One of the Most Important Writers in the History of Television. The Co-Creator of 'I Love Lucy,' and the Co-Writer of All 180 Episodes of the Series, Madelyn Pugh Davis, Dies

By Chuck Ross

Madelyn Pugh Davis, who co-created one of the most popular shows in the history of television, "I Love Lucy"--and who co-wrote all 180 episodes of the series--has died after a brief illness at age 90, according to a number of media reports.

Her importance to the success of "I Love Lucy" cannot be underoverestimated says our good friend Tom Gilbert. Gilbert was the Executive Editor of this publication until earlier this year, when he went to the News Corp's "Daily."

"Madelyn made an essential contribution to the success of 'I Love Lucy,' Gilbert told us. "Besides professionalism, wit and inventiveness, she brought to the table the sensibilities of a female, and a lady, which she most definitely was. She softened the edges of the Lucy Ricardo character and made her more likable. I feel certain she was the force behind the marvelous interplay between the Lucy and Ethel characters as well."

Ethel was the character played by Vivian Vance.

Gilbert knows of what he speaks. He wrote THE book about "I Love Lucy."  Literally. Gilbert is co-author of  "Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz," which comes out in a new edition in August.

"I Love Lucy" was based on a radio show Lucille Ball was in called "My Favorite Husband." Davis and her writing partner, Bob Carroll Jr., first hooked up with Ball on that show. On the program Ball's husband was played by actor Richard Denning.

When CBS expressed an interest in transferring "My Favorite Husband" to TV, Ball said she wanted her real-life husband, Desi Arnaz, to play her husband on the show.

CBS wasn't so crazy about that idea, Gilbert says. So, to prove she and Arnaz could click in a TV version, they took "My Favorite Husband" on the road, to a number of cities, with Arnaz taking the part Denning played on the radio version. It was during this time that Davis and Carroll and Jess Oppenheimer really honed what was to become "I Love Lucy," Gilbert says. The show debuted on CBS on Oct. 15, 1951, and has been playing in syndication ever since.

For the first four years of "I Love Lucy" the show was co-written by Oppenheimer, Davis and Carroll.  In 1955, a second writing team signed onto the show, Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf. Of the five, only Schiller is still with us. He'll be 93 later this year.

Gilbert also noted that "Davis was a big fan of Desi Arnaz, and never passed up an opportunity to praise his contributions to the series and television as a whole."

Not only did Davis and her cohorts write all the dialogue for the show as well as the plot points, they also tried all of the physical shenanigans that they would then ask Ball to do on the show.

According to the New York Times, " 'Lucy would do anything we suggested,' Ms. Davis said. Really? 'The only time she ever said she didn’t want to do something was when she saw an elephant on the set and ran up to her office,' Ms. Davis recalled. The script called for her to retrieve $500 from under the elephant’s foot.

“ 'Then the phone rang and it was Vivian Vance,' Ms. Davis said. 'Vivian said, ‘It’s O.K., I told Lucy that if she didn’t want to do that funny thing, I’ll do it.’ And Lucy said, ‘O.K., I’ll do it.’ So she talked into the elephant’s trunk and got it to lift its foot.”

Under Gilbert's direction, TVWeek--then called Electronic Media--did a big salute to "I Love Lucy" on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the show. Gilbert got Davis and Carroll to write a superb piece about the show that was part remembrance, part tribute, exclusively for us. It's a wonderful read, and you can do so if you click here.

Davis was married twice, first to TV producer Quinn Martin and then to an M.D., Richard Davis.

She is survived by her son, Michael Quinn Martin, and, according to the AP, " by stepchildren, grandchildren and a great-grandchild. Services will be private."

Yale Professor Offers a Surprising Explanation for Oprah's Success

A Yale professor who says she has studied almost every episode during the past 12 years of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" says she knows the secret to Winfrey's success: She has turned herself into the equivalent of a religious icon, reports the New York Post.

Kathryn Lofton, a religion professor at Yale, writes in her new book, "Oprah: The Gospel of an Icon," that Winfrey built her following by using the language of traditional religion, with the change from talk-show host to religious icon taking place in 1994, the story says.

“Her spiritual revelation was converted into a corporate makeover," Lofton said. "Her show became 'Change Your Life TV.'"

Winfrey started preaching what Lofton calls a consistent gospel, The Gospel of You, which mixes a Southern preacher's rhythmic speech patterns with a sermon-like structure to her shows, the story says. Winfrey's message of being forgiven for your flaws while being given advice for what you should be doing is the secret of her success, according to Lofton.

Lady Gaga Issues Apology for 'Honest Mistake' After Using Offensive Word

Celebrities and others appear to still be learning that it’s not OK to throw around the “R-word,” and Lady Gaga is the latest to slip up. But USA Today reports that Gaga was quick to acknowledge her mistake, issuing a public apology after saying comparisons between her song “Born This Way” and the Madonna song “Express Yourself” were “retarded.”

The comment was made during a recent interview with NME. After a controversy flared up about her use of the word, Lady Gaga said in a statement: "I consider it part of my life's work and music to push the boundaries of love and acceptance. My apologies for not speaking thoughtfully. To anyone that was hurt, please know that it was furiously unintentional. An honest mistake, requires honesty to make. Whether life's disabilities left you outcast, bullied or teased, rejoice and love yourself today."

Gaga’s “Born This Way” album is due to be released May 23, and a rep for the singer broke the news that Lady Gaga will be the musical guest on the season finale of “Saturday Night Live” two days earlier, according to the story. The episode will be hosted by Justin Timberlake.

Telecast Rights to Emmys Remain in Limbo

Telecast rights to the Primetime Emmys remain in limbo with just five months until the event, raising the possibility of a production crunch in readying this year's show if negotiations go on much longer, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has held eight months of negotiations for a new agreement with ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox to air the show on a rotating basis among the networks, but a broadcaster has not been signed to air the Sept. 18 telecast, the story notes.

The two sides reportedly remain apart on key points, including the networks' desire to shorten the show, which would mean cutting some categories. Those categories may be meaningful to the television industry, but aren't to the public, the networks argue. That’s an issue, the story says, particularly given the show's ratings declines during the past 10 years.

Jim Carrey to Make Sitcom Appearance

Jim Carrey is adding his star power to an already star-studded lineup of guests who will appear on the much-hyped season finale of a popular sitcom, reports EW.com’s Inside TV blog.

The season finale of NBC’s "The Office," which will mark the departure of Steve Carell as Dunder Mifflin manager Michael Scott, will include a guest appearance by Carrey, according to the story.

Carrey will play an applicant for the job being vacated by Scott, the story says. Other actors who will reportedly be vying for the job include Ricky Gervais, Will Arnett, James Spader, Ray Romano and Catherine Tate.

An NBC representative declined to comment for the article.

ABC News Apologizes to Church Founder Over Misleading Video Report

ABC News has issued a public apology to Crenshaw Christian Center founder Dr. Frederick K.C. Price, four years after airing a segment called "Enough!" that aired on "20/20" and "Good Morning America," reports the Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker blog.

The segment featured John Stossel, then a correspondent, investigating whether ministers of several big congregations were using donations to support their lifestyles, the story says. It featured a 10-second clip of Price saying, "I live in a 25-room mansion, I have my own $6 million yacht, I have my own private jet and I have my own helicopter and I have seven luxury automobiles." But in reality Price didn't own any of these items, the article notes. Instead, he was talking about a hypothetical person who was wealthy but not spiritually satisfied.

ABC News cut the part where Price added, "Friends, to me that's bad success," the story notes.

"By presenting the footage out of context, ABC News misled its audience and failed to meet its own standards, which ABC deeply regrets," ABC News said in its statement to Price, the story notes.

Twitter Hashtags Encroaching on TV Programming

With the TV screen already crowded with network logos, promo messages and news crawls, some observers say the last thing the the medium needs is another on-screen message. But that’s just what’s happening, as the Twitter hashtag is now making inroads into programming, writes Michael Schneider in TV Guide.

“What was the deal with this week’s episode of ‘Glee’?” Schneider writes. “We’re not talking about Will Schuester's questionable math skills or Holly Holiday's take on Adele. Nope, we were wondering about that bug at the bottom of the screen that read ‘#Glee’ throughout the entire show.”

Fox marketing President Joe Earley had this explanation, according to the report: "We've noticed shows like ‘Glee’ and ‘Idol’ trend while the show is on, but fans often use different hashtags. ... We thought if we provided the official hashtags, then more posts would aggregate."

Earley said Fox worked on finding a graphic treatment that would be noticed by viewers who use Twitter but would not bother those who don’t. Besides “Glee,” the tags have appeared on Fox shows “Fringe,” “Bones” and “Breaking In.”

Schneider writes: “Such a move was probably inevitable, as social networking has already proven to be a help in driving viewers to watch TV as it's airing (rather than later on a DVR). NBC next week launches NBC Live, a whole site devoted to promoting its shows via social media, while CBS just recently held its own ‘Tweet Week’ devoted to its shows.”

Hulu Blocks BlackBerry's PlayBook Tablet From Accessing Content

Hulu has blocked owners of BlackBerry's PlayBook tablet from accessing TV shows and other content from the devices, reports Time.com's Techland blog.

PlayBook users were previously able to access free content from Hulu's website through their devices. But Hulu blocked the activity, noting in an error message: "We notice that you are trying to access Hulu from your BlackBerry browser. Right now, this device is not supported."

Reportedly, the reason Hulu has blocked access is that Hulu Plus, the fee-based subscription service, isn't yet on PlayBook, meaning Hulu is not yet able to charge the monthly $8 fee to PlayBook users.

How Will MLB's Takeover of L.A. Dodgers Affect $3 Billion Broadcast Deal With Fox?

With Major League Baseball taking over the operation of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team’s $3 billion broadcast agreement with Fox is at stake, Bloomberg reports.

MLB’s yet-to-be-named trustee for the team may need to approve the agreement, according to the story.

“The trustee would take a very serious look at that deal and could very well void it,” Neal Pilson, a former president of CBS Sports, said, although he noted that he doesn't know the details. Any TV deal struck by Dodgers owner Frank McCourt must be approved by MLB, the story says.

The 20-year deal is worth about $3 billion, and proceeds could be used by McCourt to reduce debt and settle a property dispute with his former wife, the story says.

MLB took over business operations of the team, which is dealing with debt as well as a fight over whether Frank McCourt or his former wife, Jamie, owns the team, the piece notes.

Report Says Android Phone Apps Face Soaring Software Attacks

Security firm Kaspersky Lab is warning that Google's Android mobile-phone platform faces soaring software attacks, reports Bloomberg.

The Google operating system is being infiltrated by malware at a faster rate than was seen with personal computers at the same development stage, according to the report. Kaspersky Lab noted 70 different types of malware in March, an increase from just two categories in September.

Google removed malicious applications from its Android Market store last month, after it was found that the applications gathered information about mobile devices and could be used to gather personal data, the story notes.

Android will run on almost 39% of smartphones sold in 2011, the piece says, citing data from market research firm Gartner.

Pittsburgh's TV News Operations Consider a Pact on Covering Black Community

News directors for Pittsburgh’s top three local TV news outlets are considering signing a pact on coverage policies for the city’s black community, part of an effort to offset crime coverage with positive messages, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"If the only information about black people is what's in the news, there's a reason why the unemployment rate is astronomic and why we have all these negative issues--because the imaging of black people is extremely negative," said Black Political Empowerment Project President Tim Stevens.

The idea was put forward by NBC affiliate WPXI-TV news director Mike Goldrick at the BPEP's summit on media portrayal of violence, the story says. Many conference attendees complained that the main coverage of black Pittsburghers involved courthouses or murder scenes, the article notes.

Supreme Court Asked to Reinstate FCC Indecency Policy

The U.S. Supreme Court was asked Thursday by the Obama administration to reinstate a policy that allows regulators to fine broadcasters who air nudity and curse words when children may be tuning into TV, reports the Associated Press.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York last year threw out the Federal Communications Commission policy because the court said it was unconstitutionally vague and left broadcasters unsure of what could be found offensive, the story notes.

Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal, the top Supreme Court lawyer for the administration, said the Supreme Court should hear the case because the earlier ruling meant the FCC had been stripped of its ability to police the airwaves. He included a DVD of a 2003 "NYPD Blue" episode that had been fined for showing a woman's nude buttocks--a fine that had been thrown out as part of the appeals court ruling, the story notes.

Review: What's Real and What's Not About Reality TV? That's One of the Questions Addressed in HBO's Remarkable New Docudrama 'Cinema Verite,' Which Features a Stellar Cast: James Gandolfini, Tim Robbins and Diane Lane

Long considered the antecedent of what we today call reality TV is a truly landmark series broadcast on PBS in 1973 called "An American Family."

This weekend HBO shows a remarkable docudrama about that series. The HBO movie, "Cinema Verite," stars James Gandolfini, Tim Robbins and Diane Lane.

David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle, in a guest blog for TVWeek's Open Mic department, writes an insightful review of the program, explaining why he thinks it's outstanding, thought-provoking TV. Please click here to read his astute critique. 

Late-Night Show Renewed

The network may be struggling in other dayparts, but late-night is doing OK for NBC. Today the network renewed "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" for a third season, reports Entertainment Weekly.

Fallon reportedly renewed his contract with the network earlier this year and is committed to "Late Night" through 2012. Fallon is considered NBC's heir-apparent to the "Tonight Show" host’s chair, especially in light of Conan O'Brien moving on to TBS.

Another Former 'Survivor' Star Is in Legal Trouble

Original "Survivor" champion Richard Hatch isn't the only veteran of the CBS reality show who's having legal troubles. The Detroit News is reporting that Michael Skupin, who appeared on the third season of the show, is experiencing his own problems with the law.

Skupin achieved fame for an incident in which he fell into a fire and suffered third-degree burns, forcing him to leave the show. In the latest news, he has reportedly been accused of being behind in his court-ordered support payments of $700 a month for his two children. An arrest warrant was issued for Skupin, the story reports.

Skupin claims he was out of the city when the court tried to contact him and says he was not behind in his payments.

2011 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards Revealed--See the Complete List of Winners

The Radio Television Digital News Association (formerly the Radio-Television News Directors Association) has revealed the winners of the Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for 2011.

The awards honor outstanding achievement in electronic journalism. The organization has been giving them out since 1971.

See the complete list of winners here.

'American Idol' Dominates Wednesday Night Ratings

On a night marked by a heavy dose of repeat programming, “American Idol” dominated the overnight ratings and Fox cruised to another easy overall win, TVbytheNumbers.com reported.

Fox averaged a 5.8 rating for the night in the 18-49 demo, well ahead of ABC (2.2 average), CBS (2.2), Univision (1.5) and NBC (1.0). The story was similar in total viewers, where Fox was a big winner with an 18.2 million average, topping CBS (8.8 million), ABC (6.1 million), NBC (3.7 million) and Univision (3.6 million).

At 8 p.m. "Idol" logged a 6.5 in the 18-49 demographic, ahead of CBS's "Survivor" with a 3.0 in the same demo. ABC's "The Middle" and "Better With You" collected a 1.8 and a 1.6, respectively, in the 18-49 demo, while NBC's "Minute to Win It" managed a 0.8 in the same demo.

At 9 p.m. the last half-hour of "Idol" netted a 7.5 average rating in 18-49 to ABC's "Modern Family's" 3.7. At 9:30, Fox's "Breaking In" was just a tad better than ABC's "Cougar Town," 2.5 to 2.4 in the 18-49 demo. A clip show for CW's "America's Next Top Model" garnered a 0.7 for the hour in the same demo.

The lone new shows in the 10 p.m. hour were two episodes of ABC's "Happy Endings." They rated a 1.8 and 1.6, respectively, in the 18-49 demo.

Bravo Takes It Back, Plots Another 'Real Housewives' Installment

A month ago Bravo executive Andy Cohen declared that there would be no further spinoffs of the "Real Houswives" franchise. But now it appears the network has had a change of heart. The Las Vegas Review-Journal is reporting that auditions will be held this Saturday for a Las Vegas version of "Real Housewives."

Among the local celebrities invited to the audition are Tricia McCrone, Wayne Newton's publicist; Carla Pellegrino, the former exec chef at Rao's in Vegas; and Angela Sampras, the "X" Girls producer.

Netflix CEO Has His Compensation Doubled

After a banner year for Netflix, in which its stock price more than tripled and it added 8 million customers, Chief Executive Reed Hastings had his 2010 compensation doubled to $5.5 million, reports the Los Angeles Times' Company Town blog.

Almost $5 million of Hastings' compensation is in the form of stock options, up from $1.75 million in 2009, the story says. His salary, though, was cut in half to $519,231 from $1 million in the previous year.

The story points out that Hastings' compensation is much less than CEOs of other big media companies, with CBS chief Leslie Moonves receiving a pay package of almost $58 million and Discovery chief David Zaslav's package valued at almost $43 million.

Cable Telecast Slated for Oscar-Nominated Documentary by Journalist Killed in Libya

Following the news that filmmaker Tim Hetherington was killed Wednesday in a combat zone in Libya, it was announced that his Oscar-nominated documentay “Restrepo” will have an encore airing on cable.

National Geographic Channel announced that it will run the film, a documentary on the deployment of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, on Monday, April 25, 2011, at 9 p.m. ET. The telecast will feature an expanded version of the movie and will include a tribute to Hetherington.

Besides its Academy Award nomination this year for best documentary feature, the movie was a Grand Prize Jury Winner at Sundance. Co-directed by Hetherington and Sebastian Junger, it focuses on a remote 15-man outpost in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley.

'Desperate Housewives' Star Suffering From Painful Medical Condition

One of the stars of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” is suffering from a painful medical condition, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The star is actress Teri Hatcher, who is suffering from a frozen shoulder, according to the story. The ailment causes excruciating pain and immobility of the arm.

Hatcher revealed that she's suffering from the condition, telling the TV show “Extra”: "It's basically left me pretty much not functioning with my left arm. ... I can't hook a bra anymore."

Frozen shoulder, according to medical experts, is clinically called adhesive capsulitis. The shoulder capsule, the strong connective tissue surrounding the shoulder joint, becomes inflamed and constricted, making it painful to move.

Hatcher has been getting cortisone shots to alleviate the pain and has been trying to work despite the discomfort.

Trump Unleashes Verbal Attack on Jerry Seinfeld

The latest target of Donald Trump’s anger is Jerry Seinfeld, who canceled an appearance for Trump’s son’s charity as a protest against Trump’s “birther” campaign, reports the New York Post’s Page Six.

Seinfeld canceled an appearance scheduled for September with the Eric Trump Foundation, a benefit for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, because Seinfeld disagrees with Donald Trump's efforts questioning Barack Obama's citizenship, according to the story. Seinfeld’s action drew an angry response from The Donald.

"I just learned you canceled a show for my son's charity because of the fact that I am being very aggressive with respect to President Obama, who is doing an absolutely terrible job as our leader," Trump wrote in a letter to Seinfeld. Trump added that he wished he had canceled his appearance on Seinfeld's NBC show, "The Marriage Ref," which Trump described as "absolutely terrible," the article adds.

"Despite its poor ratings, I didn't cancel on you like you canceled on my son and St. Jude. I only wish I did," Trump wrote.

A representative for Seinfeld said the comedian has "grown increasingly uncomfortable" with Trump's birther stance and is making contributions both to the Eric Trump Foundation and to St. Jude, the piece notes.

Writer Who Famously Angered Oprah to Be Among Her Final Guests

A writer who had a famous confrontation with Oprah Winfrey in 2006 has agreed to return to be one of the last guests on her syndicated show, reports the New York Post's Page Six.

James Frey will appear on the show next month to promote his novel "The Final Testament of the Holy Bible," which will be in stores tomorrow, the article notes.

Back in 2006, Winfrey tore into Frey over his bestselling book "A Million Little Pieces," which was billed as a memoir but turned out to include fabrications. Winfrey apologized to Frey a few years ago, and he has agreed to return to talk about what has gone on in his life since that appearance, the story says.

His new book is about the Second Coming of Christ, which takes place in the Bronx projects with the Messiah a former alcoholic who gets a prostitute pregnant, the article notes.

J.Lo Working on New Reality Show--But What Does It Mean for 'American Idol'?

Jennifer Lopez is working on a new show, and it may have implications for the future of “American Idol.”

The new reality project featuring J.Lo and Marc Antony touring Latin America to search for musical talent will be pitched to broadcast networks by Lopez and "American Idol" producer Simon Fuller, reports EW.com's Inside TV blog.

The working title of the project is "Que Viva," the story notes. The project raises the question of whether Lopez plans to remain on "American Idol," as she's only signed through the end of this season.

It's likely that "Idol" producers and Fox would like her to return, given the show's performance this year, which is on par with last year's ratings. It's also unlikely that Fuller would work on another project that could undermine "American Idol.”

Vast Wasteland My Ass--Why Newton Minow Wasn't the Programming Shark He Thought He Was When He Coined That Famous Phrase

It was close to 50 years ago that then-Federal Communications Commission Chairman Newton Minow made his famous speech in which he coined the term "vast wasteland" referring to much of the programming on TV.

In a provocative guest blog in TVWeek's Open Mic department, Norman Horowitz, the former top executive of a number of TV companies, explains why Minow was wrong then and is still wrong today. Please click here to read this most insightful piece.

'Glee' Star Sells Pilot to Cable Channel

A cable channel is about to begin shooting a pilot it has purchased from one of the stars of the Fox musical show “Glee,” Deadline.com reports.

"Glee" star Chris Colfer, who won a Golden Globe this year for his role as Kurt on the show, sold the pilot about a child witch to the Disney Channel. Colfer, who turns 21 next month, wrote the pilot based on a children's book called "The Little Leftover Witch."

The book is about a young witch who is taken in by a family after she crash-lands her broom. It was first optioned by Colfer's agent's husband, and was brought to Colfer to adapt, the article says.

Piers Morgan Hits a Ratings Low

Three months after its debut, CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight" hit a new ratings low Tuesday night with 77,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo, reports TVNewser.com. That total put the show in fourth place behind “Dr. Drew” on HLN.

The show's previous low was on Feb. 17, when it drew 108,000 viewers in that age group, the story notes.

In total viewers, the program took third place Tuesday, but also set a new low with 354,000 viewers, the story says. The show has done well when it has a marquee guest, but Tuesday’s edition was focused on the one-year anniversary of the Gulf oil spill, the story notes.

Nevertheless, the program is up by about one-third in total viewers for the first three months of this year compared with the final three months of Larry King's show, which Morgan replaced, the story says. Numbers are up about 65% in the 25-54 demo.

No More Moping Over Ice Cream: Rewrites Make Wonder Woman More of a Butt Kicker

After criticisms of David E. Kelley's pilot script for "Wonder Woman" pointed out that the superhero was mopey, the script has been rewritten to make her tougher, reports sci-fi blog io9.com.

The analysis is based on revised pages released in February and March for casting purposes, the story notes. Now, instead of crying and moping over ice cream, the script calls for Wonder Woman to lift men by their throats, jam her thumbs into someone's eyes and kick another guy into the air, the story says.

The new draft also fleshes out her motivations and her relationship with Steve Trevor, the article notes.

MLB Seizes Control of Troubled L.A. Dodgers Franchise

With the Los Angeles Dodgers plagued by financial problems and caught in the team owner’s divorce dispute, baseball Commissioner Bud Selig dropped a bombshell Wednesday, stepping in and transferring control of the franchise to Major League Baseball, the AP reports.

Selig told team owner Frank McCourt on Wednesday that he will appoint someone in the next few days to oversee day-to-day operations of the team along with all aspects of its business operations. McCourt appeared prepared to challenge the decision.

McCourt issued a statement Wednesday night saying: "Major League Baseball sets strict financial guidelines which all 30 teams must follow. The Dodgers are in compliance with these guidelines. On this basis, it is hard to understand the Commissioner's action."

According to an insider, McCourt was readying a lawsuit against MLB.

Selig said in a statement: "I have taken this action because of my deep concerns regarding the finances and operations of the Dodgers and to protect the best interests of the club.”

The action reportedly came after word surfaced that McCourt would need a $30 million loan to meet the team’s payroll. The team’s finances have been the subject of controversy since Jamie McCourt filed for divorce from Frank McCourt in October 2009--one week after she was fired as the team’s chief executive.

Ownership of the team has been a key issue in the ongoing divorce proceedings.

Said Selig: "My office will continue its thorough investigation into the operations and finances of the Dodgers and related entities during the period of Mr. McCourt's ownership. The Dodgers have been one of the most prestigious franchises in all of sports, and we owe it to their legion of loyal fans to ensure that this club is being operated properly now and will be guided appropriately in the future."

Would You Eat in a Restaurant Run by Recycled Reality Stars? New VH1 Show Trots Out 'Celebs' From 'Real Housewives,' 'The Bachelor' and ... 'The Sopranos'?!

VH1 has greenlighted an unscripted show bringing together reality show stars and other celebrities as they start a restaurant, reports New York Magazine's Vulture blog.

Among those on board are “The Hills” star Heidi Montag and Danielle Staub of "Real Housewives of New Jersey," along with "The Bachelor's” Jake Pavelka and Vincent Pastore of "The Sopranos,” the story notes.

The contestant who contributes the most to the restaurant's success will be given a partnership stake in the business. The show's working title is "Famous Food."

'NCIS' Producers Sign Three-Year Deals

CBS Television Studios has signed the showrunner and producers behind "NCIS" and "NCIS: Los Angeles" to three-year overall deals, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Shane Brennan, an executive producer and showrunner on both shows, and Gary Glasberg, an executive producer on "NCIS," have signed deals in the low eight figures and low seven figures, respectively, the story says.

Brennan will serve as an executive producer on both shows, while Glasberg will continue as an executive producer and act as a day-to-day showrunner on "NCIS," the story adds.

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novel to Be Developed as Series by HBO

Fresh off winning the Pulitzer Prize, a novel from a Brooklyn writer is now set to become an HBO series. Jennifer Egan's "A Visit From the Goon Squad," which won the Pulitzer this week, has a deal to be developed into a television series by the pay cable network, reports Deadline.com.

Egan will be a consultant on the project, which will have Groundswell's Michael London as executive producer and Jocelyn Hays Simpson as co-executive producer, the story says.

The novel, published last summer, focuses on a group of characters involved in the punk rock scene in 1980s San Francisco and how their lives change over the next 30 years. The deal was in discussion before Egan won the Pulitzer, the story notes.

DishOnline Adds 1,800 Titles--Including 'Sopranos,' 'Entourage' and Other Programming HBO Is Keeping Off Netflix

Content from HBO and Cinemax that's not available on Netflix's online service will be included on DishOnline, a year-old service that provides online access to TV shows and movies to DIsh customers, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

DishOnline will show episodes of "True Blood," "The Sopranos" and "Entourage," the story notes. Netflix has been trying to make a deal with HBO to stream its content, but so far HBO has resisted.

The deal will add 1,800 TV and movie titles to DishOnline, which has also paired with AMC, MTV, HGTV and other networks, the story says.

Oscar-Nominated Photojournalist Killed in Libya

A documentary filmmaker and photojournalist who co-directed the Oscar-nominated 2010 Afghanistan film “Restrepo” was killed Wednesday in an attack by Libyan forces on Misurata, The New York Times reported.

Tim Hetherington was killed and three other photographers were injured in the attack, apparently by a mortar or rocket-propelled grenade, according to early reports. Gravely injured were Chris Hondros, an American working for Getty, and Guy Martin, a British photographer working for Panos. Also wounded in the attack was Michael Christopher Brown, who suffered shrapnel injuries.

The group had reportedly been working near the front lines of the battle between Libyan government forces and rebel fighters for control of the strategically important city of Misurata.

Hetherington and Sebastian Junger co-directed “Restrepo,” an account of their year with the Second Platoon in an embattled region of Afghanistan. The film was nominated this year for an Academy Award as best feature documentary.

Researchers Say Apple Is Tracking Locations of Mobile Device Users

A team of researchers says Apple is secretly obtaining the locations of iOS4 users and recording them in a hidden file, according to a betanews.com report.

Two of the researchers, Alasdair Allan and Peter Warden of O’Reilly Media, presented their findings today at the Where 2.0 conference in Santa Clara, Calif.

According to the story, the revelation raises “obvious privacy concerns and questions as to why Apple would be storing such information. The researchers believe it is intentional, as the file is restored after backups and even when the user switches to a new device.”

The group says the functionality is apparently new to iOS4, the mobile operating system that runs the latest iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The researchers have reportedly tried to contact Apple’s security team but had yet to hear back from the company.

The story reports: “Allan says that the existence of the file on on your computer is a security risk, as it is both unprotected and unencrypted. ‘It can also be easily accessed on the device itself if it falls into the wrong hands,’ he wrote in a blog post. ‘Anybody with access to this file knows where you've been over the last year, since iOS4 was released.’"

Soap Opera Protest Could Pay Dividends for Vacuum Firm

Vacuum manufacturer Hoover Corp. won the hearts of soap opera fans this week after it announced that it was pulling its ads off ABC to protest the cancellation of soaps “All My Children” and “One Life to Live,” according to Consumer Reports.

After the action was reported on the company’s Facebook page, a number of soap fans posted the news that they would be buying Hoover vacuums as an expression of gratitude. Then Soap Opera Digest declared this Friday “Buy Hoover Day,” the story reports.

Brian Kirkendall, Hoover’s vice president of marketing, posted on Facebook: "My wife and mother are both passionate viewers of ‘All My Children’ and ‘One Life to Live,’ as are many of my colleagues here at Hoover. We were and are as disappointed with this news as you are."

Among the responses reported by the Consumer Reports story: "I am now officially a Hoover buyer for life! I used to dream of a Dyson but now it's 'Dyson who?'"

The article cautions that Hoover’s reliability ratings aren’t what they used to be--although the canisters have fared better than the uprights in recent testing and continue to rank near the top.

Ricki Lake Returning to Daytime

Twentieth Television confirmed Wednesday that it has a daytime talk show in development that will star Ricki Lake, B&C reported.

TVWeek previously reported that Lake was talking with a number of companies about a return to daytime talk.

In a statement, Twentieth Senior VP of Programming and Development Stephen Brown said: "Ricki is a pop culture icon who has built a career on her candid, straight-talk sensibility and her authentic, relatable nature. With an enormous fan base, that represents all ages and ethnicities, we are thrilled to develop a daytime talk show emphasizing Ricki's fresh and enhanced perspective."

The Twentieth project is said to be an hour show with a targeted fall 2012 launch date on broadcast, cable or both. With “The Oprah Winfrey Show” ending its run this year, fall 2012 is expected to be an unusually competitive market for new daytime talk shows.

Tuesday Ratings: 'Glee' Is Down, but It's Still Enough to Give Fox the Win

Even with Gwyneth Paltrow in a guest role, Fox’s “Glee” saw its ratings dip 12% from its previous original episode (March 15) to a season-low 3.7 average rating in adults 18-49, TVbytheNumbers.com reported.

But Fox won the night anyway, averaging a 2.8 rating in the 18-49 demo to 2.4 for NBC, 2.2 for CBS and 2.1 for ABC. CBS won total viewers, averaging 11.2 million to 10.7 million for ABC, 7.1 million for Fox and 6.5 million for NBC.

At 8 p.m. "Glee’s" 3.7 average in the 18-49 demographic led the hour, ahead of NBC's "The Biggest Loser" with a 2.1 in the same demo. ABC's "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" and CW's "One Tree Hill" trailed with a 1.1 and a 0.7, respectively.

ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" results show won the 9 p.m. hour with a 2.9 in the 18-49 demo, followed by hour two of "The Biggest Loser" with a 2.5 and Fox's "Raising Hope" with a 2.2, both in the 18-49 demo. At 9:30, Fox's "Traffic Light" had a 1.4 in the demo. CW's "Hellcats" managed a 0.5 in the same demo for the hour.

At 10 p.m. NBC's "Parenthood" was just ahead of ABC's "Body of Proof," 2.5 to 2.4 in the 18-49 demographic.

'Real Housewives' Pair Hit With Lawsuit

Two stars of one of the “Real Housewives” shows have been hit with a lawsuit, RadarOnline.com reports.

The stars are Gretchen Rossi and her main man Slade Smiley, two of the stars of "The Real Housewives of Orange County." They have been sued by an ex-business associate for breach of contract, fraud, deceit and conspiracy, according to the story.

RonAnn Myers, who was Rossi’s makeup artist, brought the suit claiming that she and Rossi had created a cosmetics line and planned to split the profits equally. Myers has no paperwork to back up her claim since it was a verbal agreement.

Spike TV Announces Key Appointment

Spike TV has named a Discovery Channel executive to its newly created position of VP of original series, Broadcasting & Cable reported.

The exec is Chris Rantamaki, who has been vice president of production for Discovery Channel. Sharon Levy, executive vice president, original series and animation, for Spike made the announcement.

In a statement, Levy said, "We're thrilled to add someone of Chris' caliber to our team. With such extensive experience in the reality television world, we look forward to him playing an instrumental part in developing programming that resonates with our viewers."

In his tenure with Discovery, Rantamaki helped usher in the popular series "Auction Kings," "Gang Wars" and "The Colony," among others. Before that stint, as an executive producer, Rantamaki was responsible for shows including "Miami Ink," "Jerry Springer" and "Ambush Makeover."

Cable Channel Getting a New Name

NBCUniversal has revealed that it plans to rename one of its cable channels, reports Multichannel News.

According to Dick Ebersol, NBC Sports Group chairman, the national cable sports network Versus, which was once known as the Outdoor Life Network, will get a new name that will "have a strong utilization of NBC in the title."

Ebersol confirmed the upcoming change during a conference call about NBC's new deal with the NHL. The new name for the channel was not revealed.

The name change does not come as a surprise, as the possibility of renaming Versus arose during the runup to Comcast’s takeover of NBCUniversal.

Directors, Producers Join Fight Over Premium VOD

A group of Hollywood directors and producers has joined the fight over the imminent plan by major studios to release movies through a premium VOD service that will make them available much earlier than current services, the L.A. Times reported in its Company Town blog.

About two dozen Hollywood directors and producers signed an open letter released Wednesday by the National Association of Theatre Owners, criticizing the premium VOD model. Among those signing the letter were James Cameron and Peter Jackson, according to the story.

As reported previously, DirecTV planned to launch the Home Premiere service Thursday, April 21, 2011, starting with the Adam Sandler comedy “Just Go With It.” The plan will make movies available about two months after their release to theaters--half the waiting time of current VOD models and DVD releases. Among the studios that are on board are Universal, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox and Sony.

The letter from directors and producers says in part: "As a crucial part of a business that last year grossed close to $32 billion in worldwide theatrical ticket sales, we in the creative community feel that now is the time for studios and cable companies to acknowledge that a release pattern for premium video-on-demand that invades the current theatrical window could irrevocably harm the financial model of our film industry."

The story notes that Warner Bros.' "Hall Pass," Universal Pictures' "The Adjustment Bureau" and Fox Searchlight's "Cedar Rapids" are all lined up for premium VOD releases in the near future.

“Premium-priced VOD is foreseen as a new revenue source for studios looking to offset declining DVD sales, as well as a boon for cable companies that have been stymied in their efforts to deliver movies into the home earlier in part because of concerns it could cannibalize home video sales,” the story says. “Studios are looking to experiment with new business models at a time when DVD revenue is down about 40% from the market high and box-office revenue and attendance is off 20% this year.”

'Glee' Creator to Extra Who Revealed Spoiler: You'll Never Work in This Town Again

After an extra on "Glee" leaked the names of the prom king and queen in a future episode, the show's producer, 20th Century Fox Television, is considering adding punitive language to all of its contracts to dissuade people from leaking information, according to The Hollywood Reporter's Hollywood, Esq. blog.

"Glee" co-creator Brad Falchuk took to Twitter to attack Nicole Crowther, the extra who leaked the plot point, writing that he hopes "you're qualified to do something besides work in entertainment. … Who are you to spoil something talented people have spent months to create?"

The show has been using standard Screen Actors Guild contracts that don't contain non-disclosure agreements for extras, the story notes. Such clauses would provide punishment if plot secrets were leaked. As it is, the show apparently has no legal recourse against Crowther.

Hollywood has gradually been catching up with the increasing use of social networks such as Twitter and Facebook to disseminate information, according to the story. A number of shows have added non-disclosure agreements and damages provisions to their agreements, and an insider at “Glee” says the show may soon follow suit with all of its talent deals.

Troubled Disney Star Quits Show

Demi Lovato, the star of the Disney Channel program "Sonny With a Chance," has decided not to return to the show so she can focus on her health and music career, reports People.com.

"I don't think going back to 'Sonny' would be healthy for my recovery," Lovato said, according to the piece. Lovato returned from three months of residential treatment in January, having reportedly been treated for an eating disorder, self-mutilation and other personal issues.

She noted that being in front of a camera now "would make me nervous."

Lovato, 18, will continue to record under Disney's Hollywood Records label, the story says. Lovato 's acting career got a boost when she starred in Disney Channel's 2008 original movie "Camp Rock" with the Jonas Brothers. "Sonny With a Chance" debuted in 2010.

Disney supported her decision to leave the show, which the network said will be rebooted as a sketch comedy show under the title “So Random!”

A rep for Disney Channel said in a statement: "We respect Demi's decision to focus full time on her music and not immediately return to her acting career. She is a talented young woman and our hearts are with her as she continues to take action to improve her health and bounce back from adversity."

I Put a Spell on You: Creator of One of the Most Popular Sitcoms of All Time Dead at 100

Sol Saks, a comedy writer who created one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, has died at 100, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Saks created the show "Bewitched" after being inspired by two films, "I Married a Witch," a 1942 film starring Veronica Lake and Fredric March, and "Bell Book and Candle," a 1958 movie starring James Stewart and Kim Novak. Saks wrote just one episode of "Bewitched," the pilot episode, which was called, "I, Darrin, Take This Witch, Samantha."

"Bewitched" ran from 1964 until 1972 and starred Elizabeth Montgomery as a beautiful witch who gives up magic for life as a housewife. Saks also wrote for early TV series including "My Favorite Husband" and "I Married Joan," with Joan Davis, the story says.

Tracy Morgan, Who Got in Trouble Over Comment About Sarah Palin, Aims His Latest Saucy Remarks at Michelle Obama

Tracy Morgan, a star of NBC's "30 Rock," apparently is attracted to Michelle Obama, as he told George Lopez on his late-night show that the first lady is "a beast," which he clearly meant as a compliment, reports the Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker blog.

Lopez asked Morgan whether Michelle Obama is his type, to which Morgan responded, "Michelle look like a tall mountain, and I'm gonna climb it just 'cuz it's there. Just 'cuz it's there. Kilimanjaro!"

It marks at least the second time in recent months that Morgan has made risque comments about a female political figure. As previously reported, TNT issued an apology in January after Morgan said Sarah Palin was "good masturbation material."

NBC Inks $2 Billion Sports Deal--But It's Not for Football, Baseball or Basketball

NBC Sports Group has won a 10-year rights deal with a major sports league, but it’s not for one of the so-called “big three” sports in the U.S.--football, baseball and basketball.

The deal is with the National Hockey League, and is believed to be worth $2 billion, reports Jon Lafayette at B&C.

NBC and league officials declined to reveal the amount, although they said that NBC is paying a rights fee instead of continuing a revenue-sharing arrangement, the story says.

Versus has been paying $77 million per year for the cable rights to NHL games, while NBC has held the broadcast rights with a revenue-sharing agreement. Under the new deal, the NHL is receiving at least double what it received under the previous agreement, the article says.

Versus and NBC became part of the same family when Versus' owner, Comcast, closed its majority purchase of NBCUniversal earlier this year.

VH1 Has Another Reality Hit on Its Hands

VH1 appears to have another hit on its hands, with its latest reality series drawing 2.2 million viewers for the show’s debut, reports the New York Post.

The show is “Mob Wives,” which ranked as the most popular program with women 18 to 49 in its 8 p.m. time slot Sunday, the story says.

The show tracks four women whose husbands and fathers are connected with the mob, including Sammy "The Bull" Gravano's daughter Karen, the article notes. Karen returns to Staten Island for the first time in 10 years in the show's debut and is confronted by the other "Wives," the piece says.

50 Years Later, What Does the Man Behind the Famous 'Vast Wasteland' Speech Think of TV?

Newton Minow, the former Federal Communications Commission chairman who described TV as a "vast wasteland" 50 years ago in a speech to the National Association of Broadcasters, was asked by Advertising Age's Rance Crain whether he thinks that statement is still true of TV.

"It's vaster, certainly," Minow said. But he noted there have been improvements, too. Television, he said, now gives viewers a "wider range of choice. That was the main thing I tried to do. At the time I was at the FCC there were two-and-a-half commercial television networks, there was no public television, no satellite."

At the time, many cities just had one television station, Minow pointed out. "The most constructive thing the FCC could do was to expand choice. And in that we certainly succeeded," he told Crain in the piece. As for the downsides of so many choices, Minow noted, "We've lost the common shared experience. I think it's increased the polarization of opinion."

[NOTE: Besides writing a column for Ad Age, Rance Crain is also Editor in Chief and President of Crain Communications, the company that publishes TVWeek.]

Would You Pay $30 Bucks to See the Current Adam Sandler Movie On Demand

DirecTV is rolling out the new Home Premiere premium VOD service, which debuts Thursday with the Adam Sandler comedy “Just Go With It,” Multichannel News reports.

The service will offer selected movies about two months after their release in theaters. Each film is expected to be priced at at least $29.99 each. Participating in the service are Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox and Sony Pictures.

The service differs from the prevalent on-demand model for movies, which offers them 120 days after theatrical release, the story notes. Additionally, the new service makes movies available for 48 hours, double the period of the predominant current model.

Reports: iPhone 5 to Be Released in September, Will Have a Faster Processor and Perhaps an 8 Megapixel Camera

Reuters says three sources have told the news service that Apple's iPhone 5 will arrive in stores in September.

PC Magazine this morning--April 20, 2011--has an article that compiles the Reuters report and a bunch of other rumors about the iPhone 5. We say "rumors" because Apple never officially confirms any of this information about their new products.

According to the PC Magazine story, "On Monday, an analyst from Concord Securities told investors he had heard from unnamed suppliers that the fifth-generation iPhone will only start mass production in September, and come equipped with a faster A5 processor, improved antenna, 8 megapixel rear camera, and Qualcomm baseband."

Website Unveils Plan to Stream Royal Wedding Live

A major website is joining in on the royal wedding frenzy, announcing plans for a live stream of the nuptials between Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton, according to the site.

The site is YouTube, which will join a wide range of U.S. broadcast and cable outlets in covering the event, with CNN alone placing 125 reporters in London, as previously reported.

YouTube, which is owned by Google, notes that Google search trends show that the U.S. and U.K., predictably, are among the top 10 countries searching for "Royal Wedding,” along with less obvious countries such as Singapore and the Philippines.

YouTube will start streaming the wedding at 5 a.m. ET on Friday, April 29, and will follow the procession, marriage ceremony and balcony kiss, along with a live blog commentary on the events, the site notes.

Steamy New HBO Series Renewed Despite Slim Ratings for Opener

HBO has renewed its adaptation of a fantasy novel by George R. R. Martin even though the series bowed to lackluster ratings, reports Joe Adalian in New York Magazine's Vulture blog.

"Game of Thrones" debuted with 2.2 million viewers, less than half the turnout for the network's premiere of "Boardwalk Empire," the story points out. But even though the debut was disappointing, 2.2 million viewers is still solid for an HBO series.

Furthermore,  the show was almost universally praised by critics, and HBO likes that. For example, EW's Ken Tucker said of the "Thrones" TV debut that "it was a swift fantasy adventure rooted in the emotions of ambition, greed, and lust."

Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "The first 10 minutes or so of HBO’s new epic fantasy series “Game of Thrones” are spent celebrating the glories of cable, i.e. bloody violence (beheadings, hacked off body parts, eviscerated guts steaming in the snow) and HBO sex (female semi-frontal nudity, non-missionary position intercourse and unnecessarily graphic sound effects). Unless you are a minor, you should not be deterred by any of this because “Game of Thrones,” written and produced by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, quickly becomes a great and thundering series of political and psychological intrigue bristling with vivid characters, cross-hatched with tantalizing plotlines and seasoned with a splash of fantasy…"

"True Blood," which has become one of the network's biggest hits, debuted with just 1.4 million viewers in fall 2008. Executives at HBO appear to be betting that ratings for "Game of Thrones" will gain traction, just as they did for "True Blood."

“Game of Thrones” is based on Martin’s series of medieval fantasy novels titled “A Song of Ice and Fire.”

'Doctor Who' Actress Dies

The actress who played the assistant in "Doctor Who" between 1973 and 1976 and recently reprised the role has died, reports the BBC. Elisabeth Sladen was 63.

Sladen had been battling cancer, the story says. In her role as Sarah Jane Smith, she played opposite Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, who both took turns as the Doctor in the sci-fi series. She returned to the program in 2006 and appeared with the show's two most recent Doctors played by David Tennant and Matt Smith.

Her character was a journalist and known for being both nosy and stronger than some of the Doctor's other companions, the story says. Sladen, born in Liverpool, also appeared in a children’s spinoff, “The Sarah Jane Adventures.”

John Barrowman, who co-starred with Sladen when she appeared in "Doctor Who" in 2006, noted on Twitter, "I loved my time on the Tardis with her. I am proud to have worked with such an icon of the sci-fi world."

Judge Rejects Sheen's Bid for Sole Custody of Twins

The judge in the custody battle between Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller shot down Sheen’s bid for sole custody of the couple’s twin boys, TMZ.com reported.

Sheen sought sole custody after Mueller apparently relapsed in her struggle with drugs. However, the judge ruled that custody conditions will remain the same as they have been since the pair reached a settlement March 10.

Sheen took time out from his “My Violent Torpedo of Truth” tour to appear Tuesday in court in Los Angeles in the custody case. After the hearing he reportedly caught a plane back across the country to make his concert date Tuesday night in Washington.

D.A. Wants Michael Jackson Rehearsal Footage Played in Court

The district attorney in the manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson’s doctor wants to play video of the singer’s last two rehearsals for his “This Is It” tour as part of the case, TMZ.com reported.

The D.A. filed a motion Tuesday asking that the rehearsal tape be entered into evidence in the case against Dr. Conrad Murray, according to the story.

The footage is apparently seen as support for testimony by the tour’s director that Jackson was happy about preparations for the tour and about the future--testimony that is in opposition to the defense contention that Jackson was unhappy and “took desperate measures that caused his own death,” the story says.

The D.A. also reportedly filed a motion seeking to introduce photos from Jackson’s autopsy.

NBA Playoffs Get Off to a Strong Start in the Ratings

Interest in the NBA has been up this year after LeBron James defected from Cleveland to Miami to form the “Heatles” with fellow stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Now that interest appears to be translating into higher ratings for the playoffs, which got under way over the weekend.

TNT's opening tripleheader on Sunday was up 36% in viewers from last year even without the Miami Heat on the bill, Multichannel News reported. The three games posted a 2.8 household average (up 27% from a 2.2), with 3.29 million homes (up 33% from 2.47 million) and 4.54 million viewers (up 36% from 3.34 million).

The first game, the Memphis Grizzlies vs. the San Antonio Spurs, averaged 2.26 million homes and 2.84 million viewers. The New York Knicks vs. the Boston Celtics opening game had 4.17 million homes and just under 6 million viewers. The nightcap, the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. the Denver Nuggets, had 3.57 million homes and 5.04 million viewers.

NBCU Continues to Reconfigure Management Team, Announces Key Promotion

An NBCUniversal executive who played a key role in the company's integration with Comcast has been promoted to the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of NBCUniversal's Entertainment and Digital Networks and Integrated Media division, reports Deadline.com.

The exec is Salil Mehta, who has been president of business operations, strategy and development for NBCUniversal for the past three years.

Mehta has extensive experience at NBCU, having been part of the company's purchase of The Weather Channel and the sale of Sundance Channel to Rainbow Media, as well as being involved with the A&E and Lifetime merger into A&E Television Networks.

In a statement, NBCU CEO Steve Burke said, “Salil is an expert problem solver and a great executive," and noted that Mehta spent almost a year “leading the integration efforts between NBCUniversal and Comcast.”

Trump Wants to Build $100 Million Ballroom in White House

Reality show host, potential presidential candidate and outspoken “birther” Donald Trump continues to make the rounds of the TV talk shows, and among his latest revelations is a plan he has been pushing to do some remodeling at the White House, the L.A. Times reported.

Appearing on ABC with George Stephanopoulos, Trump said: "I called up the White House about a year ago, and I saw that they were having lots of functions for people like the president of China … and I said, 'Listen, every time I see a function, you put an old broken canvas tent that they probably pay some guy, some local guy a fortune for.' I said, 'I will build you, free of charge,' to a very high official at the White House, 'one of the great ballrooms of the world.'"

The official, David Axelrod, reportedly confirmed Trump’s story, adding that the proposed ballroom “would be a lot like the gaudy white-and-gold spectacle at Trump's 118-room, 65,000-square-foot-plus Palm Beach, Fla., estate, Mar-A-Lago,” the Times reported.

Trump, who hosts NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice,” estimated the cost of the project at "maybe $100 million. Anywhere from $50 to $100 million."

ABC Dances Its Way to a Win in Monday Ratings

With a 90-minute “Dancing With the Stars” leading the way, ABC got an easy win in the Monday night ratings, TVbytheNumbers.com reported.

ABC finished the night with a 2.9 average rating in adults 18-49, ahead of Fox (2.5 average), CBS (2.3), Univision (1.4) and NBC (1.1). ABC also won total viewers, averaging 13.8 million to 8.5 million for CBS, 7.5 million for Fox, 4.3 million for NBC and 3.5 million for Univision.

At 8 p.m. "Dancing's" first hour was tops with a 3.5 in the 18-49 demo for the hour, while Fox's "House" was close with a 3.2 in the same demo. CBS's "How I Met Your Mother" and "Mad Love" had a 2.5 and a 1.9, respectively, in the same demo, while NBC's "Chuck" logged a 1.3 in the 18-49 demo and CW's "90210" settled for a 0.8.

The last half-hour of "Dancing" at 9 p.m. netted a 4.6 in the 18-49 demo. It was followed by “Cougar Town” at 9:30, which had a 2.3 average rating in 18-49, trailing CBS’s "Mike & Molly" with a 2.5. Fox's "The Chicago Code" had a 1.9 in the 18-49 demo for the hour, better than NBC's "The Event" and CW's "Gossip Girl," with a 1.1 and a 0.8, respectively.

At 10 p.m. CBS's "Hawaii Five-0" was the top show with a 2.6 in the 18-49 demo, while a special "20/20" on ABC had a 1.7 and NBC's "Law & Order: LA" had a 1.1.

'Happy Days' Stars Accuse CBS of Fraud, Threaten Lawsuit

Four of the stars of the hit 1970s comedy "Happy Days," along with the estate of the late Tom Bosley, are expected to file a lawsuit against CBS to get their share of profits the company has made in merchandising the show and their images, reports CNN.com.

"The issue is the five cast members of 'Happy Days' were not paid for the royalties for their name and likeness," said attorney Jon Pfeiffer, who represents Donny Most, Erin Moran, Marion Ross and Anson Williams, as well as the Bosley estate.

In a statement to CNN, CBS said, "We agree that funds are owed to the actors and have been working with them for quite some time to resolve the issue." The network claims it owes less than $10,000 to each of the stars. The actors estimate the figure is in the millions for each of them.

The chief merchandising item that the stars are focused on is slot machines that use their images. Mollie Cole, director of communications for WMS Gaming, said of the slot machines, "'Happy Days' is a five-level Free Spin Progressive slot machine, where the number of spins increases during play, with three base games--Cunninghams Go Wild, The Fonz and Richie's Big Night; the latter was a big hit in casinos."

“Happy Days” aired on ABC from 1974-1984, but rights to it have since transferred to CBS. It “jumped the shark”--literally--in September 1977, when Fonzie, played by Henry Winkler, water-skied over a shark in a stunt that gave rise to the popular expression “jumping the shark” as a reference to a TV show beginning its decline in quality. The phrase has since been given broader meaning in popular culture.

Star of Canceled Soap May Move to Hit Prime-Time Show

With the news that ABC is canceling long-running daytime soap opera “All My Children,” word has surfaced that one of its stars may be moving to prime time, SoapsInDepth.com reported.

ABC announced last week that it will wrap up “All My Children” in September, followed by the end of “One Life to Live” in January 2012. Now ABC may be preparing to bring “Children’s” Lucci aboard “Desperate Housewives.”

ABC is renegotiating with the “Housewives” principals, who are all looking for raises, so La Lucci may be a viable and less expensive alternative if any of the ladies plays hardball. Three of the show’s stars--Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher and Eva Longoria--are veterans of soap operas themselves.

Lucci has expressed interest in jumping into prime time, telling the website, "It's something I've always wanted to try." ABC has not commented on the rumor, but a source said it's merely speculation at this point.

Actor Michael Sarrazin Dies at Age 70

Actor Michael Sarrazin, who starred in a string of popular 1970s films and appeared with Barbra Streisand, Jane Fonda, Paul Newman, George C. Scott and others, died of cancer in Montreal at the age of 70 on Sunday, April 17, 2011, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Sarrazin was best known for his feature films in the early 1970s, including "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?," "The Flim Flam Man," "For Pete's Sake" and "Sometimes a Great Notion." On television, he starred in the NBC TV movie "Frankenstein: The True Story" in 1973, and made guest appearances on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “The Virginian” and many other series.

Advertiser Pulls Ads from ABC in Response to Cancellation of Soap Operas

The cancellations of the long-running soap operas "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" are creating fallout for ABC, with one advertiser saying it’s “disappointed” by the decision and announcing plans to pull its ads from the network, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The advertiser is vacuum maker Hoover. "We will discontinue our advertising with ABC this Friday, 4/22," Hoover marketing executive Brian Kirkendall wrote Monday on Hoover's Facebook page. "We're making every attempt to pull our spots from these programs sooner."

The vacuum company has even created a new email address, SaveTheSoaps@Hoover.com, to gather support for the soaps and send it to ABC, the article notes. "All My Children" will end in September, while "One Life to Live" will finish in January, the story says.

CBS News President Rips Into 'Early Show': 'Let's Get With It'

CBS News President David Rhodes sent a memo to staffers that ripped into the network's morning news program "Early Show" for failing to follow up on breaking news reported by CBS over the weekend, reports TVNewser.com.

Rhodes was upset that none of CBS's breaking news or newsmaking interviews turned up on Monday morning's edition of "Early Show," such as the "60 Minutes" report Sunday that questioned the accuracy of the nonfiction bestseller "Three Cups of Tea," the story notes.

"Where are these stories this morning? Not on the ‘Early Show.’ Why not?" Rhodes wrote in the memo. He notes that the stories were discussed at a Friday meeting, and they aired on high-rated CBS shows, "so an audience clearly found them. Some have generated follow-up coverage in other media. Not our own show, though."

He finished by telling staffers, "Let's get with it. Where's our reporting? Make sure it's in our show."

ESPN Removes Poker Programming After Gambling Websites Are Shut Down

ESPN has announced that it will remove poker advertising and programming after U.S. authorities seized gambling websites that sponsor televised poker tournaments, reports Bloomberg.

"For the immediate future, we are making efforts to remove related advertising and programming pending further review," ESPN said in a statement.

Online poker sites such as Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars, which the story says are major sponsors of televised tournaments, were sidelined when the U.S. froze bank accounts in 14 countries and seized websites.

ESPN said it was aware of the actions through "what has been announced publicly," the article notes. ESPN, NBC, Fox Sports Net and GSN together are scheduled to air 47 programs, including reruns, this week, the piece adds. ESPN airs the "World Series of Poker."

CBS Yanks Low-Rated Series From Schedule After Airing Three Episodes

A low-rated series has been pulled from the schedule by CBS after only three episodes aired, according to The Hollywood Reporter's the Live Feed blog.

The spy series “Chaos” debuted April 2 with 6.4 million total viewers, but pulled just a 1.1 rating among adults 18 to 49 years old, the story points out. Its third episode on Friday fell to 5.5 million viewers and a 0.9 rating in the 18-49 demo, the piece says.

The show, a dramedy starring Freddy Rodriguez and Eric Close, was greenlighted in November with a 13-episode pickup.

Dish Unveils Plans for Blockbuster Retail Outlets

Dish Network has revealed part of its plan for Blockbuster, the bankrupt video-rental chain that is being bought by Dish for $320 million, reports the Los Angeles Times' Company Town blog. Dish will keep open about 600 of Blockbuster's 1,751 retail stores.

Dish filed documents with Bankruptcy Court over the weekend detailing its plans to keep some stores open, the article notes. At its peak, Blockbuster ran more than 4,000 stores.

Dish hasn't yet revealed the exact number of stores it plans to operate or what will happen to each store, although the company plans to keep a retail presence while using Blockbuster's brands to create an online service to compete with Netflix, the story says.

'Bones' Showrunner Confident of Renewal but Concerned About Star's Pregnancy

"Bones" showrunner Hart Hanson said he's confident the Fox show will return for a seventh season, although he said the program may end up being impacted by co-star Emily Deschanel's pregnancy, according to The Hollywood Reporter's Live Feed blog.

Fox and 20th TV are in negotiations over the show's license fee, the story notes, but Hanson said the two sides are "talking like crazy" and he believes a renewal will come before May 15.

As for Deschanel's pregnancy, Hanson said, "Do we do shows without Emily, do we simply shut down when Emily is not available and just do 16 or 18 episodes or do we do a few episodes without her.” He noted that the network will "weigh in heavily" on how the co-star's pregnancy affects the season, the story adds.

Yahoo Considers Holding Upfront, Plans Up to 10 New Web Shows

Yahoo wants to grab some of television's advertising dollars and is planning to debut seven to 10 new series this year, bringing its total number of shows to more than 30, reports Adweek.com.

Yahoo executives are deciding whether to host an upfront-type event this year, as the company works on building a slate of programming, the article says.

"Our shows reach more uniques in a given month than visit Hulu, and rival some cable networks," said Erin McPherson, video programming chief at Yahoo, the story says.

The company's goal is to create fewer "wrapup" shows such as "Prime Time in No Time," which provides highlights of TV shows, and create scripted shows, the article notes.

Last Four Episodes of Canceled Fox Show 'Running Wilde' to Run on Cable

The last four episodes of the canceled Fox show "Running Wilde" will be televised beginning later this month, according to The Hollywood Reporter's Live Feed blog.

FX, a corporate sibling of Fox, will air the four episodes on Thursdays at 10 p.m., starting April 28, the story notes.

"Wilde" stars Will Arnett and Keri Russell, and was pulled from Fox's schedule for November sweeps. In January, Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly said the show wouldn't return to its schedule.

FX Comedy Taps Mary Steenburgen to Play Elijah Wood's Mom

The FX comedy "Wilfred" has cast Mary Steenburgen to play Elijah Wood's mother on the show, reports EW.com's Inside TV blog.

The Oscar winner will play the mom of Ryan, Wood's character, who forms an odd relationship with his neighbor's dog. While other people see a dog, Ryan sees him as a man wearing a dog suit, the story says.

The project is based on an Australian series with the same name.

Steenburgen won an Academy Award in 1981 for “Melvin and Howard.”

Alan Cumming Signs for Three More Seasons on 'The Good Wife'--Even Though Show Hasn't Been Renewed Yet

Alan Cumming has signed a deal to stay on CBS’s “The Good Wife” as a regular for three additional seasons, reports Deadline.com.

Cumming joined the program in the first season in a recurring role and became a regular in the second season, which is currently airing, the story notes.

While "The Good Wife" hasn't yet been renewed for a third season, its renewal is considered likely given the show's acclaim.

Cumming's character, campaign strategist Eli Gold, just helped Peter Florrick win election as District Attorney and has been asked to help Florrick look to his next step, a Senate campaign, in the most recent episode, the piece says.

Oscar Winner in Talks to Join Aaron Sorkin's HBO Project

An Oscar-winning actress is in discussions to join "More as the Story Develops," an HBO project from Aaron Sorkin and Scott Rudin, reports the New York Post's Page Six.

Marisa Tomei met with Sorkin and Rudin as well as the pilot's director, Greg Mottola, the story notes. The team has been searching for an actress to play the executive producer on a cable news show, which stars an anchor played by Jeff Daniels, the piece notes.

Tomei won an Oscar for “My Cousin Vinny” in 1993 and has two other Oscar nominations, for “In the Bedroom” and “The Wrestler.”

U.S. Networks Interested in U.K. Game Show 'Sing if You Can'

Two U.S. networks have made offers for an American version of the new British game show "Sing if You Can," reports Deadline.com. The report does not identify the networks.

"Sing if You Can" debuted Saturday on the U.K.'s ITV with 5.4 million viewers, ranking as the network's biggest unscripted series debut in two years, the article notes.

The format has two celebrity teams try to sing popular songs while being distracted, such as by having one's chest waxed, the story says. The U.S. version being pitched doesn't include celebrities, the story notes.

Mariah Carey Joins 'X Factor'--Will She Be 'Judge of the Judges'?

After months of rumors about the big names that Simon Cowell has been pursuing to become judges on the new Fox music competition series "The X Factor," Mariah Carey has apparently agreed to join the show, reports The Huffington Post.

Appearing with radio host Jackie Brown, Cowell said, "I think Mariah will have a role on the TV live shows. I met her recently and she was on great form. And her idea was to be the judge of the judges, which only Mariah could come up with. She'll be involved in some form. I literally adore her. I love her to bits."

Lohan May Plead Guilty in Necklace Case

Lindsay Lohan appears to be contemplating copping a plea in her felony theft case involving a necklace from a Venice, Calif., jewelry store, the New York Post reports.

A lawyer for the actress reportedly has asked the judge how much time she would get if she were to plead guilty. A discussion took place last week involving the potential sentence, according to the story, with Lohan’s attorney Shawn Holley, Deputy D.A. Danette Meyers and Judge Stephanie Sautner all present.

The preliminary hearing in the case is set to begin Friday. Lohan last month rejected a plea deal, and has continued to assert her innocence.

If she is convicted in a trial, she could be sentenced for up to three years in prison, the story says. She also faces complications stemming from being on probation for DUI arrests in 2007.

'Burn Notice' Creator Inks Deal With Fox TV Studios

The success of USA Network's spy series "Burn Notice" has led to the show's creator, Matt Nix, inking a two-year, seven-figure deal with Fox TV Studios, reports Deadline.com.

As part of the deal, Nix will continue overseeing the fifth and sixth seasons of "Burn Notice" while also developing new projects for the studio.

Nix's most recent creation, Fox's "The Good Guys," failed to click in its summer and fall run. "Burn Notice" debuted a TV movie Sunday night, "Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe," and will be back for the fifth-season bow June 23.

TV Land Developing 'Hot in Cleveland' Spinoff With Cedric the Entertainer

TV Land announced today that it is joining forces with Cedric the Entertainer to develop a sitcom as a spinoff of the network’s hit comedy “Hot in Cleveland.”

The new series focuses on a character that Cedric will originate in upcoming episodes of “Cleveland.” The character is a minister who gets drawn into the adventures of the show’s four main female characters, played by Betty White, Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick.

“We’re definitely going to bring people quality entertainment and laughs with this new show,” said Cedric. “I’m very excited to be working with TV Land and the creative team of ‘Hot in Cleveland.’”

Said Suzanne Martin, “Hot in Cleveland” creator, writer, showrunner and executive producer: “Cedric is hilarious and I’m so happy to do this show with him. We are going to have a lot of fun developing and exploring his role as a minister.”

The untitled series is contingent upon the pilot script, which will be co-written by Cedric and Martin, the network said.

ABC Takes Narrow Ratings Win on Sluggish Sunday

All of the broadcast networks struggled in the ratings Sunday night, with ABC eking out a narrow win in the 18-49 demo, TVbytheNumbers.com reported.

ABC wound up with a 2.0 average rating in adults 18-49, just ahead of Fox (1.9 average), CBS (1.9) and NBC (1.8). In total viewers, it was CBS on top with an average of 9.5 million, topping ABC (7.3 million), NBC (5.8 million) and Fox (4.1 million).

At 7 p.m. ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" was No. 1 with a mere 1.6 in the 18-49 demo, ahead of CBS's "60 Minutes" with a 1.3 and NBC's "Dateline" with a 0.9, both in the same demo.

At 8 p.m. CBS's "Amazing Race" led the way with a 2.3 in the 18-49 demographic. At 8:30, Fox's "American Dad" had a 2.2 in the 18-49 demo. ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" netted a 1.9 and NBC's "America's Next Great Restaurant" a 1.2 for the hour.

The 9 p.m. hour had the evening's top-rated show, Fox's "Family Guy," with a 3.0 in the 18-49 demo, followed by "Cleveland Show" with a 2.3. ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" had a 2.7 and a 2.3, respectively. CBS's "Undercover Boss" trailed with a 1.9.

The second hour of "Celebrity Apprentice" won the 10 p.m. hour with a 2.7 in the 18-49 demo, while CBS's "CSI: Miami" and ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" logged a 2.2 and a 1.7, respectively.

Cartoon Network Unveils New Version of Looney Tunes

Classic Warner Bros. cartoon characters, led by Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, will be back on television with the Cartoon Network launch of a new "The Looney Tunes Show" May 3, reports Multichannel News.

Included in the cavalcade of Warner's legendary animated creatures will be Porky Pig, Speedy Gonzales, Yosemite Sam, Tweety and Sylvester, Foghorn Leghorn and the Tasmanian Devil.

"The Looney Tunes Show" will be paired with "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated" on Tuesday nights.

Bruce Springsteen Visits 'American Idol'

Fox's "American Idol" learned what it was like to be "Born in the U.S.A.," if we're to believe the tweet issued on Friday. Bruce Springsteen appears to have mentored the singers, judging by "American Idol’s" official Twitter page.

The tweet read: "Holy pride of New Jersey....BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN in the studio right now listening to the idols sing!!!!"

This would be the first time Springsteen has lent his expertise to the competition show.

One Network Reportedly Cuts Back on Royal Wedding Coverage Because Prince William and Kate Are 'Too Boring'

While it denies the report, one major network is said to be cutting some of its pretaped segments on Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding and will send news producers, editors and on-air talent to London later than previously scheduled because of concern that the pair is "too boring," according to the New York Post's Page Six.

Executives at NBC Universal have scaled back the pretaped packages scheduled to air before the royal wedding on April 29, the story says. Some of those packages included stories about the pair's childhoods and their families, the piece notes. A representative for NBC denied the story, saying, "This could not be more false," the article adds.

But the question remains whether the U.S. media is going "royally mad" in its coverage of the wedding, points out the Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker blog. "Boatloads of TV coverage" will air before April 29, with CNN alone placing 125 reporters in London to cover the wedding, the story says.

Cable networks are getting in on the act, too, the story notes, with The Weather Channel planning London-based forecasts and the Food Network airing royal-themed dessert shows, the piece notes.

With His Ex in Rehab, Sheen Seeks Custody of Toddlers

Charlie Sheen and his ex Brooke Mueller are positioning for a custody fight over their two young boys, MSNBC.com reports, even though Mueller reportedly entered rehab after being seen trying to pawn a watch and a stereo in L.A.

Sheen is seeking custody of the twins while Mueller is in rehab. “I told her, don’t pick a f---ing fight with a warlock because you’re going to lose,” Sheen is quoted as saying after the pawn shop incident.

A source close to Mueller noted that Sheen is currently on tour, reportedly saying, “The last place the twins should be is in different hotel rooms every night. Toddlers need love, continuity and stability. They have that with Brooke’s extended family in Los Angeles.”

Mueller reportedly receives $55,000 per month in child support. The twin boys are with her mother and family while Mueller is in rehab, according to the story.

Nicolas Cage Bailed Out of New Orleans Jail by Celebrity Bounty Hunter

Nicolas Cage was bailed out by a famous bounty hunter after he wound up in jail over the weekend in New Orleans on charges of domestic violence and disturbing the peace, TMZ.com reported.

Duane "Dog" Chapman, the star of "Dog the Bounty Hunter," got the actor out of jail Saturday, according to the story. Cage was reportedly being held on $11,000 bond. He was arrested after an alleged argument with his wife, Alice.

The story says Beth Chapman, Dog's wife, noted on Twitter, "My guy just walked out of the jail damn new Orleans 8 hours holy cow that's a lot of time to Process one guy."

NBC's Ebersol Trying to Sell Comcast on Olympics Bid

With bids for Olympic television rights due next month, NBC Universal's Olympics chief Dick Ebersol is trying to convince his new bosses at Comcast to pony up for rights to air the 2014 and 2016 Olympic games, reports the New York Post.

NBC's former majority owner, General Electric, previously admitted that the Olympics were a money loser for the company, something that Comcast has said it wants to avoid, the story says. But Ebersol is trying to convince new NBC Universal Chief Executive Steve Burke that losing some money is worth it.

If NBC Universal doesn't win the bids for the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia. and the 2016 games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, some believe that the 63-year-old Ebersol will retire, the piece notes.

Star of HBO's 'True Blood' Flips Car in Qualifying for Celebrity Race

One of the stars of HBO’s "True Blood" walked away from a 360-degree flip in a racetrack accident Friday, reports the Long Beach, Calif., Press-Telegram.

Stephen Moyer, who plays Bill Compton in “True Blood,” was competing in a qualifying session for the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race when he crashed into the tire barrier and rolled his car, the story notes. He walked away from the car after it did a 360-degree roll and landed back on its tires.

"I was getting quicker and quicker and quicker, and I was braking later and later and later (heading into the turn). It was total driver error. It was a surreal experience. It felt like a roller-coaster ride when my car flipped," he said.

Moyer, 41, had been working on the set of "True Blood" until 6 a.m. on Friday, and had only had one hour of sleep in the morning and a brief nap around lunchtime, notes AOL’s PopEater.com.

Moyer’s fast time in qualifying was good enough to win the pole position for the race despite the crash. But Moyer pulled out of the Saturday race, which was eventually won by actor William Fichtner.

CBS Boss Moonves Pulls In One of the Highest Salaries in Corporate America

CBS has awarded Chief Executive Leslie Moonves one of the richest pay packages in corporate America, reports the Los Angeles Times' Company Town blog. His package for 2010 totaled $57.7 million, according to the story.

Moonves, 61, was paid $3.5 million in base salary and given a $27.5 million bonus as well as almost $23 million in stock and option awards, the story notes, citing a filing Friday afternoon with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company also contributed $900,000 to his pension fund and awarded him $3 million in other compensation.

By comparison, Moonves was given a package of $43.2 million for 2009, the story notes. CBS said his 34% bump in compensation was justified by his leadership, which "produced extraordinary growth in shareholder value, and outpaced both the industry and the company’s internal targets," the story notes.

CBS Chairman Sumner Redstone received a package valued at $20.3 million, with the 87-year-old receiving $15 million in awards for his job at CBS's sibling company Viacom, the article notes. Between the two roles at the companies, Redstone's 2010 compensation was reportedly $35 million.

Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman received $84.5 million for 2010, including a bonus valued at $31.65 million, according to the report.

Ad Forecast Sees Cable Rising Almost 11% in 2011, Outpacing Broadcast TV

Cable advertising will rise 10.8% this year, making it one of the fastest-growing media segments and far outpacing broadcast television's expected 2.4% ad growth, reports B&C, citing a report from media agency Magna Global.

"Increasingly, large advertisers with reach and frequency goals are turning to network cable as an alternative national mass medium to broadcast TV, attracted by lower rates and broader options," Magna said, the story notes.

Magna estimates that cable advertising rose 12.4% in 2010, the article adds. Overall, advertising will rise 2.8% in 2011, although without the impact of political and Olympics advertising, that figure would be just 1.8%, the story says.

Fox Reorganizes Casting Department

The casting department at Fox is getting a reorganization, after two high-level executives said Friday they plan to step down, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Marcia Shulman, who has been at Fox for 11 years, is leaving her post as executive vice president of casting and transitioning to an independent role with Fox, the story says.

Bob Huber, senior vice president, is retiring after 19 years with the company. Huber worked on casting for Fox shows such as "Raising Hope" and "Fringe," the story says.

Tess Sanchez has been promoted to senior vice president of casting and will succeed Shulman on June 1, the article says. She will report to Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly.

Sanchez will reportedly hire additional people for the department, and has added Seth Yanklewitz, who worked on "The Hangover," as vice president of casting.

Robert MacNeil to Return to 'PBS NewsHour' for the First Time Since 1995 Retirement

Robert MacNeil--the “MacNeil” in PBS’s long-running “MacNeil/Lehrer Report”--will return to “PBS NewsHour” for the first time since he retired in 1995 as a co-anchor of the show, reports TVNewser.com.

MacNeil will report on the six-part "Autism Now," a comprehensive look at the disorder, the story says.

MacNeil said his interest in the series grew out of the fact that his 6-year-old grandson has the disorder, the piece notes. He has been working on the series for more than a year, the story says.

BET Renews Comedy, Is Expected to Renew Another

BET has renewed one comedy series and is expected to renew another one that has been paired with it, Deadline.com reported.

The cable channel renewed “The Game” and expected to renew freshman comedy "Let's Stay Together," according to the story.

"Let's Stay Together" is executive produced by Queen Latifah and has averaged 2.9 million viewers, the article notes. It's been paired with "The Game," which debuted with 7.7 million people tuning in for its fifth-season debut on BET, after it was canceled by The CW in 2009, the story says.

Separately, the comedy pilot "Reed Between the Lines," which stars former "Girlfriends" star Tracee Ellis Ross, is getting a series order, the story notes. The project co-stars Malcolm-Jamal Warner and focuses on a busy psychiatrist, the article says.

Reality Version of 'Mad Men' Among Three Unscripted Shows in the Works at AMC; Another Goes Inside Homeland Security

AMC, the home of "Mad Men," is going to air a reality show giving a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on at advertising agencies in their quest to find iconic taglines, reports the Los Angeles Times' ShowTracker blog.

Called "The Pitch," the show is part of a push to broaden AMC's programming, which includes Emmy-winning shows such as "Breaking Bad" and the popular zombie drama "The Walking Dead.”

The network will also air "Inside DHS," an unscripted program about the Department of Homeland Security, while a third show, a docu-series about boxing trainer Freddie Roach, remains in development, the article notes.

"Inside DHS," which will feature U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano in some episodes, will air in the fall, while "The Pitch" will air next year, the story says.

With Possible Trump Presidential Bid, NBC Weighs Its Options for 'Apprentice'

NBC's popular show "The Apprentice" may be at stake if host Donald Trump decides to run for president, because of network concerns that other candidates could request equal airtime, Bill Carter and Brian Stelter report in The New York Times.

Two unnamed NBC executives expressed doubt as to whether Trump would enter the race, with one executive noting that his decision won't be made for weeks. If not for the campaign, it would be almost certain that "The Apprentice" would be renewed for another season.

A presidential run would complicate things for NBC, the article points out, because of the equal-time rule, which networks try their best to avoid. It obligates TV and radio stations to offer equivalent time to competing candidates if one receives free airtime, the piece notes.

For instance, when Fred Thompson sought the Republican nomination in 2008, he quit NBC's "Law & Order," and NBC stopped airing reruns in which he appeared, the story says. NBC is now considering several possibilities for "The Apprentice": tape a new season, then hold it until after Trump competes in the primaries or general election; substitute a new host for Trump; or use Trump's three children, who are already on the show, at the center of the show. But one concern is reportedly that another candidate might demand equal time for his or her children.

HBO Gives Green Light To Comedy Series Starring Veteran of 'Seinfeld'; One Exec. Producer on Show is Frank Rich, the Former NY Times Theater Critic and Columnist

HBO has given the green light to a series starring one of the former stars of the sitcom hit "Seinfeld,' our friend Nellie Andreeva reports for Deadline.com.

According to the article. "Julia Louis-Dreyfus is returning to primetime, this time on cable. HBO has picked up to series 'Veep,' the D.C.-set comedy pilot from British comedian, writer and director Armando Iannucci, which stars the Seinfeld alumna." Louis-Dreyfus' latest series has been CBS' "The New Adventures of Old Christine."

The article continues, "Set 'very near the White House,' Veep centers on former Sen. Selina Meyer (Louis-Dreyfus), who becomes Vice President only to discover that the job is nothing like she expected and everything everyone ever warned her about." The series is expected to debut on HBO in 2012.

Interesting, Andreeva adds, "Iannucci co-wrote and directed the pilot. He executive produces the series with Chris Godsick and New York magazine's Frank Rich, who has a deal with HBO."

From 1980 through 1993, Rich was the chief theatre critic for The New York Times, and was a columnist for them after that. It's been announced that he'll be moving to New York magazine in June. Before joining the Times in 1980, he was a film critc at Time magazine, the New York Post and New York magazine. 

Charlie Sheen Organizes Bipolar Awareness Walk

Charlie Sheen, in Toronto this week for his “My Violent Torpedo of Truth” tour, announced in a series of tweets that he is organizing a bipolar awareness walk for Friday evening, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Sheen was between two Toronto shows, having received mixed reviews for his Thursday performance, the story reported. He invited fans to participate in a 1.2-mile walk from his hotel to the concert venue, Massey Hall, before Friday’s show.

One of Sheen’s tweets reads: "Stop the Stigma!! Bipolar Awareness Walk!! Please join me at 6pm at the Ritz tonight! Raise Money! Raise Awareness! #BIPOLAR #BIWINNING.”

Canada’s Organization for Bipolar Affective Disorders, OBAD, was reportedly onboard and ready to match all donations, according to another Sheen tweet.

Sheen denied rumors last month that he has bipolar disorder, the story points out, responding to one interview question on the subject by saying he is “bi-winning,” and adding that his brain is “maybe not from this particular terrestrial realm.”

The event is reportedly unrelated to the recent revelation by Catherine Zeta-Jones that she has bipolar disorder.

Soap Opera Magazines Brace for Layoffs After ABC Soap Cancellations

The ripple effect from ABC’s cancellation of "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" has hit the publishing business as Source Interlink, which publishes Soap Opera Digest and Soap Opera Weekly, is expected to drastically reduce its staff, reports the New York Post.

The staffs of both magazines are expected to be cut as the publisher turns over operations of the publications to American Media Inc., owner of National Enquirer and Shape, in a licensing agreement.

AMI is expected to move the magazines away from soap coverage with specials planned on Kim Kardashian and TV shows such as Bravo's "Real Housewives of Orange County."

'Idol' Rains on Reiser's NBC Debut as Fox Rules Thursday Ratings

Fox and “American Idol” owned the Thursday night ratings, as Paul Reiser’s new NBC show flopped in its debut, TVbytheNumbers.com reported.

Fox finished the night with a 4.9 average rating in the 18-49 demo, crushing NBC (2.1 average), CBS (1.6), Univision (1.3) and ABC (1.3). It was more of the same in total viewers, where Fox averaged 16.5 million to CBS’s 8.5 million, NBC’s 4.6 million, ABC’s 4.4 million and Univision’s 3.2 million.

At 8 p.m. "Idol" had a 6.15 average rating in the 18-49 demographic, while ABC's "Wipeout" had a mean score of 1.85. CW's "The Vampire Diaries" had a 1.25 average. NBC's "Community" and new entry "The Paul Reiser Show" had a 1.4 and a 1.1 average rating, respectively, in the 18-49 demo.

At 9 p.m. NBC's "The Office" and "Parks & Recreation" netted a 3.9 and a 2.6, respectively, in the 18-49 demo, while Fox's "Bones" had a 3.7 average. CW's "Nikita" logged a 0.8 in the same demo.

At 10 p.m. NBC's "30 Rock" and "Outsourced" had a 2.2 and 1.7, respectively, in 18-49, airing against repeats.

Adult Swim Bringing Back Chris Elliott Sitcom for Second Season

Chris Elliott's live-action Adult Swim comedy, "Eagleheart," has been renewed for a second season by the network, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Western comedy about a U.S. Marshal--Chris Monsanto, played by Elliott--was created by former Conan O'Brien scribes Michael Koman and Andrew Weinberg.

The show is produced by Conan's company, Conaco Productions, in collaboration with Dakota Pictures.

TLC Looking Into Fraud Accusations Against Extreme Coupon Clipper

J'aime Kirlew, one of the stars of TLC's new show "Extreme Couponing," is being accused of "coupon fraud," reports Entertainment Weekly. The alleged fraud apparently refers to using a coupon to purchase a product not listed on the coupon.

TLC responded to complaints made about Kirlew after she was featured in last week's episode. A network spokesperson sent a statement to EW that read, "We have received a strong response to the premiere and are listening to and reading the various comments around the show--as with all programs, we appreciate the feedback. While the series documents extreme couponing strategies, we take any concerns about specific tactics seriously and are looking into the situation.”

Former Secretary of State to Appear on '30 Rock'

In the fictional world of NBC's Emmy Award-winning sitcom "30 Rock," Alec Baldwin's character, Jack Donaghy, has an ex-lover who happens to be the former Secretary of State.

Now Tina Fey has revealed that the real-life former Secretary, Condoleezza Rice, who served under President George W. Bush, will make an appearance on the show before the end of this season, according to The Washington Post.

Fey said Rice's appearance could be connected to the long-established plotline that Condi and Jack were once a hot item.

Shakeup at NFL Network

NFL Network has shown the door to a number of on-air personalities, including former NFL stars, Sports Illustrated reports.

Former NFL players and current broadcasters Matt Millen and Joe Theismann have been bounced as analysts from the network's Thursday night games, according to the story.

The network has not confirmed the ouster, nor has it commented on speculation that play-by-play man Bob Papa also is being dumped. Reportedly, NFL expert Mike Mayock is joining the Thursday night team, and sources say CBS announcer Gus Johnson is being considered to replace Papa, the story reports.

Repackaged 'Oprah' Classics Coming to OWN

The syndicated daytime talk juggernaut "The Oprah Winfrey Show" will be bowing out May 25 when the final episode airs, but the best of the "Oprah" show is heading to OWN, reports Multichannel News.

"Oprah's Encore" will be the name of a new repackaged program that's culled from the most memorable moments in the 25-year run of "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Winfrey will comment on the moments, augmenting the clips with new information and celebrity guests. One of the celebs who is reportedly lined up to join Winfrey to share remembrances is Julia Roberts.

Marketing Test Uses Webcam to Track Eyeballs--Literally--With Surprising Result: Ad for Diapers Tops List as Most Effective

An innovative marketing measurement method getting a tryout from Procter & Gamble, which uses webcams to literally track eyeballs online, has produced some surprising results, Advertising Age reports.

The trial run taking place in Scandinavia saw Pampers get the best results of any of the 100 online ads being tested.

The study involved 400 participants looking at ads at home. It took place in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. “The study was conducted by Stockholm-based MRC Online EyeTracking, which uses webcams and software developed by Tobii Technology to follow viewers' gaze,” the story reports. “MRC defined effectiveness based on where and how long people looked at elements of the advertising.”

Matthias Plank, CEO of MRC International, said P&G has signed on as a customer of MRC's EyeTrackShop service for the Nordic region. MRC recently opened a U.S. office in New York, but P&G is not working with the company in the U.S. at this point, he said.

CBS Under Fire From Environmental Groups

CBS is being accused of "greenwashing," after four environmental groups have complained to the Federal Trade Commission about the CBS EcoAd program, which allows companies to buy ads in TV, outdoor and online venues that include logos that show green leaves between the words "eco" and "ad," reports The New York Times' Media Decoder blog.

The organizations complain that the logo implies the advertisers themselves are environmentally conscious and operate in a "green" way, although they allege that CBS doesn't check whether that's the case, the story says.

CBS has promised to donate a portion of the ads sold through the program to environmental and clean-energy products in local communities, the article notes. The organizations making the complaint are the Center for Environmental Health, Ecopreneurist, Friends of the Earth and the Rainforest Action Network.

CBS issued a statement that takes issue with the complaint, pointing out that a disclaimer appears on the Eco Ad website, which "clearly states what the EcoAd is and is not.” The disclaimer says EcoAd "is not a certification program nor is the EcoAd logo a seal of approval," the article notes.

Charlie Sheen and 'Two and a Half Men': Lawyers Disagree About Sheen's Recent Comments

As TVWeek recently reported, Charlie Sheen says he's been in talks about possibly returning to "Two and a Half Men."

Now there's word that Warner Bros.' attorneys have sent a letter to Charlie Sheen's lawyer to shoot down speculation started by Sheen that he's been "in discussions" about getting his job on "Two and a Half Men" back, according to The Hollywood Reporter's Hollywood, Esq. blog.

The letter says, "As you know, there have been no discussions, there are no discussions, and there will be no discussions, regarding his returning to or having any involvement in the series."

But Sheen's attorney, Marty Singer, told The Hollywood Reporter in a separate story that there "absolutely have been discussions." He said that as recently as Tuesday, "there have been discussions about Charlie coming back and everyone was involved.”

Singer declined to go into specifics about the talks or about who from the show, Warner Bros. or CBS has been in contact with Sheen or his representatives, the story said.

We May Have Heard the Last of Verizon's 'Can You Hear Me Now'

Verizon Wireless has informed the actor who plays the "Can you hear me now?" spokesman that it plans to take its ads in a different direction, reports theAtlantic.com.

Paul Marcarelli, the actor who has appeared in hundreds of the company's commercials since November 2001, said he was informed last September via email that Verizon Wireless planned to go in a different direction, the story says.

Marcarelli said the job led to awkward moments, such as when he attended his grandmother's funeral a few months ago and as her body was being lowered into the ground, he heard a family friend say quietly, "Can you hear me now?"

But the demise of the ad character, called the Test Man, may be exaggerated, according to Advertising Age.

The story notes that Verizon Wireless still has a contractual relationship with Marcarelli. The Test Man hasn't been seen for years, the story adds, except for one recent spot, when Verizon brought the Test Man back onto TV to tout it service with the introduction of the iPhone 4, the story says.

Booked! Though Still in Its First Season, CBS Sells 'Hawaii Five-O' into Cable Syndication for $2 Million Per Episode

CBS has sold its remake of "Hawaii Five-O," which is just in its first season, into a lucrative cable syndication deal, reports Deadline.com.

According to the article, "TNT has nabbed off-network rights to CBS' freshman 'Hawaii Five-O' for a license fee just north of $2 million, in line with the recent record-breaking sale prices for CBS' 'NCIS: LA' to USA and 'The Mentalist' to TNT."

The story adds, " 'Hawaii Five-O,' a remake of the 1960s cop drama, is yet to get a formal renewal for next season from CBS, something that was never in doubt but is now guaranteed, following the big off-network sale. The series, which was sold by CBS TV Distribution, will begin airing on TNT in summer 2014.

Writer Laments Cisco Killing Off Its Popular Flip Video Camera, and Reveals the Amazing Feature the Next Generation of Flips Would Have Had

David Pogue, The New York Times columnist who writes on personal technology, is still in shock that Cisco has killed its popular Flip video camera.

He writes in his column: "So far, 7 million people have bought them. Only a month ago, I was briefed by a Flip product manager on the newest model, which was to hit the market yesterday. He showed me a graph of the Flip’s sales; Flips now represent an astonishing 35 percent of the camcorder market. They’re the No. 1 bestselling camcorder on Amazon. They’re still selling fast. ... So why did Cisco kill off the Flip?"

He answers that Cisco is not really into consumer electronics, Then he speculates that the reason Cisco didn't just sell off the Flip is that the company wants its technology for some other industrial product it might have in mind.

Pogue goes on to note that Cisco killed the Flip on the eve of coming out with a new model. He had been given a sneak preview of the new model--which now will not be distributed--and writes, "But there’s a second part of the tragedy, too, something that nobody knows. That new Flip that the product manager showed me was astonishing. It was called FlipLive, and it added one powerful new feature to the standard Flip: live broadcasting to the Internet.

"That is, when you’re in a Wi-Fi hot spot, the entire world can see what you’re filming. You can post a link to Twitter or Facebook, or send an e-mail link to friends. Anyone who clicks the link can see what you’re seeing, in real time—thousands of people at once."

Arthur Marx, Son of Groucho and Writer for TV Sitcoms, Dies at 89

Arthur Marx, the son of Groucho Marx and a writer for some of television's most popular comedies, has died, reports The New York Times. He was 89.

Marx, along with Robert Fisher, wrote for such shows as "Alice," "All in the Family," "McHale's Navy," "Petticoat Junction" and "My Three Sons," the story says.

Marx worked as a reader at MGM after serving with the Coast Guard during World War II, and then turned to screenwriting, the article notes. He wrote scripts for the 1947 Blondie film "Blondie in the Dough" and popular short films narrated by Pete Smith, and later worked on screenplays with Robert Fisher, a former writer for his father, for Bob Hope films such as "I'll Take Sweden," the story says.

Bill Moyers' Planned Return to PBS Falls Through--What Went Wrong?

Bill Moyers won't be returning to PBS after all, but it's not entirely his decision: PBS said it couldn't find a time slot for him, reports Elizabeth Jensen in The New York Times' Media Decoder blog.

"PBS has informed us there is no time slot available in which the series could be designated for simultaneous common carriage across the country," Moyers said in a statement Thursday, the story notes. Moyers added, "After discussions with my underwriters we have decided to pursue other options and projects.”

Moyers had been working on a new show that had the working title "Something Different With Bill Moyers," which had received a $2 million, 29-month grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the article notes.

PBS said it's still working on its fall schedule, and plans to unveil it to member stations next month.

'Good Morning America' Is Gaining on 'Today'

ABC's "Good Morning America" is gaining on NBC's "Today" in the ratings, with the ABC program posting its smallest viewer margin season-to-date versus "Today" in four years, reports the New York Post.

"Good Morning America" averaged 4.8 million viewers last week, a gain of 17% from the same period a year earlier and up 9% among viewers 25 to 54 years old, the story notes. "Today" averaged 5.4 million viewers last week.

"Good Morning America" is up the most of any morning show year-to-date among total viewers, with a 7% bump. If "Today" co-host Meredith Vieira leaves this fall, it could heat up the ratings battle between the shows even more, the story points out.

Showtime Gets New Executive in Charge of Casting

Showtime has named a new executive in charge of casting, reports Deadline.com.

The pay-cable network announced that the job goes to Amy Britt, who helped cast the network's popular "Weeds" series. Britt succeeds Beth Klein, Showtime’s longtime head of casting, who is leaving at the end of this week, the story says.

Britt will oversee casting for Showtime's original series and will report to entertainment President David Nevins. Britt cast "Weeds" with partner Anya Colloff.

Writers Guild, AFTRA Criticize ABC's Cancellation of 'All My Children' and 'One Life to Live'

The Writers Guild of America and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists are criticizing ABC's decision to cancel "All My Children" and "One Life to Live," with AFTRA calling the end of the shows a "devastating loss" for thousands of its members, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Writers Guild said in a statement that it's "deeply disappointed by ABC's announcement.” The group is urging ABC to reconsider its decision, noting, "These groundbreaking shows have provided entertainment and enlightenment to millions of viewers, and have provided good employment to dozens of talented, dedicated writers."

AFTRA pointed to the cancellations as another reason why existing contracts need to be strengthened, but noted that it's "no secret that serial dramas, once a prolific source of employment and benefits for television actors, have been challenged by the new economics of television," the story says.

Comcast Disputes VOD Study That Placed Netflix Ahead of Cable Operator

Comcast is disputing a March study from research firm NPD Group that concluded Netflix dominates the video-on-demand market, reports Multichannel News.

The study said Netflix had a 61% share between January and February 2011, followed by Comcast at 8%. But Comcast said that the research firm tracked all of Netflix's streaming service, but only included shows from cable or other pay-TV services for which an additional fee was charged.

Comcast said that if views for all of its free and premium movies were included, Comcast would have had a 54% share of movie viewing, compared with 31% for Netflix in Comcast's markets, the article notes.

Could a Diet Coke-Focused Series Be Headed for Television?

Diet Coke is talking with former "King of the Hill" executive producers and "Blades of Glory" screenwriters John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky about creating an original, scripted comedy series for the soda maker, reports New York Magazine's Vulture blog.

It's unclear, however, whether the series will be meant for television or the Web, and whether the project will be animated or live-action, the article notes. The idea comes from an advertising agency, called Mother, which has been given the mandate of boosting sales of Diet Coke among young people, the story says.

Mother is the U.K.'s largest independent advertising agency, the story adds.

HBO Talking About Turning Acclaimed Fantasy/Sci-Fi Novel Into Series

Neil Gaiman's novel "American Gods" may become a series on HBO, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The project comes from Playtone, the production company from Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, which was also behind TV series such as "Big Love" and "Band of Brothers."

"American Gods," about an ex-convict named Shadow, was published in 2001 and won the Hugo and Nebula awards. Some of Gaiman's other books have been adapted for film, such as "Stardust" and "Coraline," the story notes.

No Surprise Here--Cable Show About an Internet Show Renewed for Fifth Season

Nickelodeon has renewed its popular show about a show on the Internet. And if you have tweens, you'll know which show we're talking about. It's "iCarly," starring Miranda Cosgrove. Once Nickelodeon locked her in with a new deal, the show got renewed, reports Deadline.com.

The network has ordered 13 new episodes of the program, which will air in 2012. The most recent episode of "iCarly" drew 7.4 million viewers on Saturday, making it the most watched basic cable program that week and ranking as basic cable's top kids' telecast this year among total viewers, the story says.

The fourth season of the show is slated to being airing in May. The show follows Carly, played by Cosgrove, as she and her friends make webcasts for and about kids their age, the piece notes.

Provocative Showtime Reality Series Under Scrutiny of Law Enforcement Authorities

The stars and producers of a provocative reality show that debuted last week have been told not to talk by Showtime, as the pay-network wants to minimize questions about how it can broadcast what appears to be unlawful prostitution in the series "Gigolos," reports the New York Post.

The series lists former "21 Jump Street" actor Richard Grieco as a producer and features five male escorts who fulfill female customers' fantasies in Las Vegas, the story says.

The show has been noticed by authorities, with Las Vegas police spokesman Marcus Martin saying, "Our vice section is aware of the situation and will be paying close attention," the article adds. "If we can show a pattern of pandering or participating in prostitution, the show could have to answer for that. People think it is a victimless crime. It is not."

The credits of the show bury a legal disclaimer that reads, "No one depicted in this program was remunerated in exchange for engaging in sexual activity."

OWN Renews Four Series, Orders Six New Shows--But Holds Back on the Most Hotly Anticipated News

The recently launched Oprah Winfrey Network, OWN, made a number of programming announcements at its first upfront presentation since it launched in January, Deadline.com reported. But the news that most observers are really waiting for--news about a show featuring the network’s owner--did not come.

Winfrey is expected to launch her own show on the network in September, after her long-running syndicated daytime talk show ends its run next month. Details of the new show have yet to be revealed.

The network did announce four renewals. It is bringing back “Ask Oprah's All Stars,” “Enough Already! With Peter Walsh,” “In the Bedroom With Dr. Laura Berman” and “Oprah Presents Master Class.” They join “Our America With Lisa Ling,” which was previously announced as a renewal.

The network also announced six new unscripted series: “Confronting ...,” “I Owe You My Life,” “Louie Spence Dance Project,” “My Mom and Me,” “Sweetie Pies” and “Unfaithful: Stories Of Betrayal.”

OWN has been slow to gain traction after its Jan. 1 debut, and has performed only slightly better than Discovery Health, the channel it replaced.

L.A. School District Defending Itself After Food Show Alleges Resistance to Healthy Food

The Los Angeles Unified School District turned down celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's request to feature its lunch program in his ABC show "Food Revolution" to avoid drama, but now the district is finding itself very much involved in one, reports the Los Angeles Times.

In Tuesday night's debut of the show's second season, Oliver was portrayed as a "rabble-rouser challenging the superintendent and school board who were stonewalling his mission to bring in healthy food," the story notes. As a result, the school district quickly tried to defend itself on Wednesday, inviting reporters to its food processing facility in East Los Angeles, where food is sorted and wrapped at a cost of 77 cents per meal, the story says.

Oliver said in statement that he was glad that "Food Revolution" had created a conversation and that it would help make the L.A. school district's food preparation more transparent, the article notes.

The district said it has added more fresh fruits and vegetables and doesn't sell candy, baked goods or sodas any longer, the piece adds.

The show drew 5.3 million viewers, which represents a 36% drop from its first season debut, the article notes.

Former ABC News Boss to Lead AP News Licensing Operation

Former ABC News President David Westin has been named CEO of News Licensing Group, an independent agency that is designed to generate more revenue for the AP and other media companies by licensing news content for online use, reports the AP.

The group is anticipated to begin operating this summer with Westin overseeing the launch. Westin left ABC last winter after 14 years as president of ABC News.

Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne Pay Off $1.7 Million Debt to the IRS

Sharon Osbourne, one of the stars of CBS's "The Talk" and the wife of rocker Ozzy Osbourne, announced Thursday that the Osbourne family has paid off a debt to the Internal Revenue Service of $1.7 million, reports Reuters.

Ms. Osbourne issued a statement to Perez Hilton, saying, "At 4:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon I received a phone call from my publicist who had a reporter on the other line informing her that the IRS had just put a lien on one of our properties. I then contacted my accountant who said they knew nothing about any lien.

"The lien has been paid. I do intend to find out how this lien happened without the knowledge of myself or my accountants. I hope none of this reflects negatively on mine and Ozzy's moral character."

Ms. Osbourne claimed that financial advisers had failed in their duties to the family, but she also accepted personal responsibility for the error. She said, "You have to be on top of your own business affairs. My fault ... lesson learned.”

Wednesday Ratings: Fox, 'American Idol' Crush the Competition

With a 90-minute installment of “American Idol” dominating the ratings Wednesday night, Fox cruised to a huge win for the night, TVbytheNumbers.com reported.

Fox scored a 6.0 average rating in adults 18-49, twice as high as its closest competition. CBS was second in the 18-49 demo with a 3.0 average, followed by ABC (2.3), Univision (1.3) and NBC (1.2). Fox had an easy win in total viewers as well, averaging 18.9 million to 11.3 million for CBS, 6.4 million for ABC, 4.0 million for NBC and 3.3 million for Univision.

At 8 p.m. the first hour of "Idol" collected an average rating of 6.7 in the 18-49 demographic, while CBS's "Survivor" had a 2.95. ABC's "The Middle" and "Better With You" had a 1.8 and a 1.5, respectively, in the 18-49 demographic, followed by NBC's "Minute to Win It" and CW's "America's Next Top Model," both with a mean score of 1.0 .

At 9 p.m. the last 30 minutes of "American Idol" climbed to an 8.0 average in the 18-49 demographic. ABC's "Modern Family" had a 3.8 in the same demo for the half-hour. CBS's "Criminal Minds" garnered a 3.45 average for the hour in the 18-49 demo. The premiere of ABC's "Happy Endings" at 9:30 grabbed a 2.7 in the same demo, and CW's "Shedding for the Wedding" averaged a 0.55 in the 18-49 demo for the hour.

The 10 p.m. hour was won by CBS’s "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior," which averaged a 2.55 in the 18-49 demo for the hour, besting the only other new show, "Happy Endings," which had a 2.3 in the 18-49 demo from 10-10:30.

TBS Slates 'Office' Marathon in Honor of Carell's Departure From Show

In honor of Steve Carell’s run on NBC's "The Office," TBS announced that it will broadcast a six-episode marathon of the show on Tuesday, April 26.

Carell’s last episode is scheduled to air Thursday, April 28, on NBC, with his character, Michael Scott, moving to Colorado. The marathon is being teased as a going-away party for the character and a celebration of Scott as "the world's best boss."

The marathon runs 8-11 p.m. ET and will feature “Office” episodes “The Injury,” “Gay Witch Hunt,” “Survivor Man,” “Dinner Party,” “Cafe Disco” and “Double Date.”

Woody Allen to Be Subject of PBS Documentary

Oscar-winning director Woody Allen will be the subject of a two-part "American Masters" documentary on PBS, Movieline reported. Directed by Robert Weide (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”), the project focusing on Allen's extensive film career is scheduled to be broadcast in the fall.

The working title for the show is "Woody Allen: A Documentary," and it will consist of two 90-minute segments airing over two nights.

In a statement, Weide said, "The prolific nature of Woody's output has provided me with an embarrassment of riches. Even with three hours at my disposal I feel the heartbreak of all the things I have to leave out. In fact, Woody will have made three features just in the time it's taken me to make this one documentary."

OMG: ABC Kills 'All My Children' and 'One Life to Live.' Check Out What the Replacements Will Be

ABC has announced that it is killing two of the most famous, longest-running shows on TV--the daytime soap operas "All My Children" and "One Life to Live." The shows will have their final episodes in September and next January, respectively.

In their place ABC will launch two new shows.

One is "The Chew," which will "focus on food from every angle--as a source of joy, health, family ritual, friendship, breaking news, dating, fitness, weight loss, travel adventures and life's moments," the network said in a statement. "The Chew" will premiere in September.

The other new show will be "The Revolution," which ABC says is a working title. This program will be "about health and lifestyle transformations," the statement said, adding that the program will be "hosted by a team of experts and rotating guest contributors who help viewers transform all areas of their lives."

"One Life to Live" will be on-air for 43 years on July 15. "All My Children" premiered two years later, on Jan. 5, 1970. Both have always been on ABC, and both were created by the legendary Agnes Nixon. Said Brian Fron, president, daytime, Disney ABC Television Group, Nixon's "shows led the way forward, breaking a lot of rules along the way to defy expectations about what soaps can do and the issues they can cover."

The ABC announcement added, " 'General Hospital,' the second-most-popular show in daytime, is not impacted by this announcement and will remain on the air."

To read the complete ABC announcement, please click here.

Undead Bother the Dead: 'Walking Dead' Uproar in U.K.

AMC's zombie series "The Walking Dead" is at the center of a controversy after a billboard for the show went on display next to a funeral home in the U.K., reports EW.com's InsideTV blog.

The billboard is visible to people coming to the business to make funeral arrangements, the story says. One resident of the town said, "There must be somewhere else they could put it that would have shown a degree of insight and sensitivity.”

Clear Channel apologized for the placement and said it didn't intend for the "unfortunate juxtaposition," and that it has since taken down the billboard, the piece adds.

When OWN Isn't Enough: New Network Aimed at Men to Be Launched by Discovery

A new network aimed at men will be debuted by Discovery Communications in the fourth quarter, reports B&C.

The network, Velocity, will be an all-HD channel and will replace the current HD Theater network, the story says. It'll be available in 40 million homes when it debuts, the piece adds. Velocity will feature programming about cars, sports, leisure, adventure and travel, such as "Chasing Classic Cars," and will begin with 400 hours of programming, the story says.

The company is aiming to draw college-educated men between 35 to 54 years old with an annual income of $150,000 or more, a niche Discovery believes isn't currently served well on TV, the article adds.

With great fanfare Discovery launched the female-targeted Oprah Winfrey Network in January.

Changes at 'Criminal Minds': Former Cast Member in Talks to Return; Exec Producer Leaving

Changes are coming to the CBS crime drama "Criminal Minds," with a former cast member in talks to return as a series regular and an executive producer leaving, reports TVLine.com.

A.J. Cook, who left the program at the end of last season when her option wasn't picked up--drawing an outcry from the show's fans--is in discussions to come back full time, the story says.

Meanwhile, executive producer Ed Bernero told the cast and crew on Tuesday that he's leaving the show, something that had been speculated about since his script "Partners" was picked up to pilot at ABC earlier this year. Executive producer Erica Messer will take over as sole showrunner, according to the report.

Numbers Are In for Seventh-Season Premiere of Cable's Highest-Rated Show

The top-rated prime-time show on cable in viewers 18 to 49 debuted its seventh season Tuesday night and had one of its highest-rated episodes ever, reports the Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker blog.

The show is Discovery Channel’s "Deadliest Catch." The episode was called "New Blood" and rejoined the crab boat Cornelia Marie, which had been captained by Phil Harris. Harris died after a stroke during the previous season.

In the seventh-season debut, his crew set his ashes out to sea, the article adds.

The episode drew 4.3 million viewers and pulled in stronger numbers than some broadcast networks, especially among men between 18 to 49, the story says.

Ryan ('Glee') Murphy's New Pilot Signs Actress Who Has Won Four Golden Globes, Two Oscars and an Emmy

Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk's FX drama pilot "American Horror Story" is getting a script revision after an Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe winner has been signed to join the cast, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Jessica Lange will play Constance, a neighbor to a couple who move into a creepy San Francisco home, the story says. Lange's character has a daughter with Down syndrome, who knows more about the house than people realize, the article says.

With Lange's casting, Murphy and Falchuk are revising their script to expand her role. The project marks Lange's first series commitment, the piece notes.

Lange joins Connie Britton and Denis O'Hare, who have been previously cast.

Extreme Christmas Trees, Puppies vs. Babies, Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, Swamp Bros., Bizarre ER, Weird Travel, Hillbilly Hand Fishin' and the Skunk Whisperer. They Are All New Shows You Can Discover This Fall

Yes, these are just some of the shows coming up from various Discovery Communications networks that they are announcing today in conjunction with their upfront presentation in New York.

To see the complete press releases for all the shows the company is announcing, please click here.

Writer-Producer Moves From CBS TV to 20th Century Fox TV, Joins Kiefer Sutherland Project

Writer-producer Carol Barbee (“Judging Amy,” “Jericho,” “Hawaii Five-0”) is moving from CBS TV Studios, where she worked for six years, to 20th Century Fox TV, where she will join "Touch," the drama pilot starring Kiefer Sutherland, reports Deadline.com.

Barbee will serve as an executive producer along with the project's creator, Tim Kring, the story notes.

"Touch" is about a father who realizes that his autistic son is communicating through a series of numbers and may be able to predict the future. Barbee's pact, which starts in June, is a seven-figure overall deal, the article notes.

Barbee and Kring first met about 10 years ago on the NBC drama "Providence," where Barbee got her first writing job and Kring was a co-executive producer, the story notes.

In Case You Had Any Doubt Whether Trump's Presidential Campaign Has Anything to Do With Drumming Up Ratings for 'Apprentice' ...

Donald Trump’s highly publicized “birther” campaign and flirtation with running for president have apparently helped pump up ratings for his NBC reality show “Celebrity Apprentice,” and now he is taking that idea one step further, CNN reports.

Trump has made an announcement that he will make an announcement about whether he will announce his presidential candidacy, according to the story. Where and when will this occur? On the finale of the reality show, scheduled for May 15.

Michael Cohen, a senior adviser to Trump, confirmed to CNN that Trump “plans to give an announcement date” on the “Apprentice” finale for his decision on running for president.

The story notes that Trump has moved into a tie for first place with Mike Huckabee among potential Republican candidates for president in the latest polls.

Rihanna Explains Why She Won't Be a Judge on 'X Factor'

R&B singer Rihanna addressed rumors that she was being considered for one of the judge’s positions on Fox's “X Factor,” saying she did have talks about the job but ultimately wasn’t interested, according to MTV.com.

Rihanna, who appeared on Ryan Seacrest's radio show Wednesday morning, said on the radio program that while there were discussions about her joining, a judge has "to be around months at a time, which is impossible for me."

She noted that the show has a "demanding schedule."

One of YouTube's Most Popular Video Series to Become TV Show--With Star of 'A Clockwork Orange' Joining the Cast

One of YouTube's most popular video series is set to become an animated television comedy series, reports Deadline.com.

The series is "The Annoying Orange." The management and production company The Collective is working with the series creator, Dane Boedigheimer, to produce the show. Conrad Vernon, co-director of "Monsters and Aliens" and "Shrek 2," will executive produce.

The Collective is financing six half-hour episodes and has tapped writer Tom Sheppard, who won an Emmy for the animated show "Pinky and the Brain," the piece adds.

Malcolm McDowell has been cast to voice one of the characters. McDowell is known for his starring role as Alex in Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film “A Clockwork Orange” and has recently been featured in HBO’s “Entourage.”

"The Annoying Orange" has drawn more than a half-billion YouTube views and is the eighth most subscribed YouTube channel, the story says.

'Real Housewives' Edition to Introduce Two New Housewives

When one of Bravo’s “Real Housewives” editions returns May 16 for its third season, the show will have two new cast members, reports the New York Post.

Both of the new additions to the cast of “Real Housewives of New Jersey”--Melissa Gorga and Kathy Wakile--are related to "Housewives" cast member Teresa Guidice, the story notes. Gorga is her sister-in-law and Wakile is her first cousin.

Gorga describes herself as a "Benny," which apparently means someone who is from either Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark or New York, the story says.

Wakile's father and Guidice's mother are siblings, the article notes.

Bipolar Disorder in Spotlight After Catherine Zeta-Jones Reveals Diagnosis

A disorder that affects an estimated 6 million Americans has suddenly seen its profile raised after actress Catherine Zeta-Jones revealed that she has been diagnosed with it, ABC News reports.

Zeta-Jones, 41, revealed that she has bipolar disorder, which apparently was brought on by stress associated with the battle her husband, Michael Douglas, has been fighting with throat cancer. Douglas also has been in a court fight with his first wife over money from the “Wall Street” sequel, which is also cited as a possible factor in Zeta-Jones’ condition.

Bipolar disorder causes mood swings between depression and euphoria, the story says. "It can start at any time in a person's life and it's a lifelong illness," said Dr. Igor Galynker, director of the Family Center for Bipolar Disorder at Beth Israel Medical Center.

Zeta-Jones’ diagnosis is reportedly bipolar II, which is characterized by longer depressive phases, the story says.

Kelsey Grammer Goes Into the Reality TV Biz--and His First Show Has Networks Interested

Kelsey Grammer has started a reality television production company and is receiving interest from several networks for the company's first project, reports TMZ.com.

His first show is focused on three single women living in New York City who started ThatsNotOkayNY.com, the story says. The website is dedicated to singling out inappropriate or gauche behavior such as "saying 'youse' and 'like' every five seconds. This isn't the Jersey Shore," according to one recent entry on the site.

Grammer is working with executive producers Stella Stolper and Brian Sher to set up the company, called G3 Productions, the story says.

Fox Network, Affiliates Hash Out Contentious Issues, Including Reverse Compensation

The Fox Network’s meeting with its affiliates at the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas was a hot one, covering some contentious issues and running close to four hours, B&C reported.

Reverse compensation fees, considered by stations to be onerous, were front and center--as was expected after tensions between the network and its affiliates over the issue went public in the past few months. By some accounts about 40% of the meeting was focused on the topic, according to the story.

“Fox is demanding 25 cents per subscriber from affiliates in markets 1-125 in the first year of the deal, climbing to 50 cents by the fourth year,” B&C reported. “Fox affiliates in smaller markets follow a relatively less expensive rate card. Fox President of affiliate sales and marketing Mike Hopkins fielded question after question on the topic from affiliates who felt the fees would seriously drain their cash flow. After Hopkins held the hard line amidst such barrage, one affiliate noted, ‘This guy's got ice water in his veins.’"

Both sides were reportedly determined to keep the substance of the discussions out of the press, presenting a united front after the closed-door meeting.

Said Fox Affiliate Board Chairman Brian Brady after the event: "The meeting was a very open and honest dialogue between the network and its affiliates. It's exactly what you need. When you're partners, you need to communicate."

'NCIS' Pushes CBS to Win in Tuesday Ratings

Two hours of “NCIS” programming pushed CBS to a comfortable overall win in the ratings Tuesday night, even though the network slipped in the standings when it aired “The Good Wife” at 10 p.m., TVbytheNumbers.com reported.

For the night, CBS wound up with a 3.0 average rating in the 18-49 demo, easily beating NBC (2.4 average), ABC (2.3), Univision (1.4) and Fox (1.2). CBS had a big lead in total viewers, averaging 15.2 million to 10.6 million for ABC, 6.5 million for NBC, 3.5 million for Fox and 3.4 million for Univision.

At 8 p.m. CBS's "NCIS" averaged a 3.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic, while NBC's "The Biggest Loser" netted a mean score of 2.35. ABC's premiere of "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" averaged a tepid 1.45 rating in the 18-49 demo.

At 9 p.m. "NCIS: Los Angeles" on CBS averaged a 3.3 in the 18-49 demo, ahead of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" results show with a 3.0 average. Hour two of "The Biggest Loser" logged a 2.75 average in the 18-49 demographic, and at 9:30 Fox's "Traffic Light" managed a 0.9 in the same demo.

At 10 p.m. ABC's "Body of Proof" led the way with a 2.45 average rating in adults 18-49, followed by NBC's "Parenthood" and CBS's "The Good Wife," both with 2.0 averages.

Head of CBS News Pitches Plan to Pump Up Ratings for 'Early Show,' 'Evening News'

CBS News chief Jeff Fager, addressing network affiliates at the NAB Show this week, reportedly addressed strategies for improving ratings for “The Early Show” and “CBS Evening News,” B&C reported.

Details on the strategy were not revealed, but Kirk Black, general manager of WGCL-TV in Atlanta, who chaired the NAB meeting, said of Fager: "We're all excited about his track record with ‘60 Minutes.’ He seemed very engaged and passionate. There was a lot of tactical discussions--you don't always get that in that job."

The B&C piece reports: “Black says Fager reminded him of a station news director, with his hands-on approach to invigorating the network's newscasts. Fager did not dwell on evening anchor Katie Couric's unclear future, and what it means for CBS.”

Former 'SNL' Star Has a Few Unkind Words for John Belushi

During an appearance Tuesday on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," one of the original Not Ready for Primetime Players said the late John Belushi was a misogynistic comic who had it in for the females working on "Saturday Night Live," reports Jezebel.com.

Jane Curtin recalled that Belushi said at the time, "Women are just fundamentally not funny." She added that during sketches, Belushi tried to undermine the material from the female writers.

"He felt as if it were his duty to sabotage pieces that were written by women," Curtin said on the show, according to the report.

'The Insider' Names Replacement for Co-Anchor Lara Spencer

The syndicated series "The Insider" has picked the replacement for Lara Spencer, who is leaving the show in May to go back to ABC’s “Good Morning America,” B&C reports.

The new co-anchor is Brooke Anderson, who covers entertainment for CNN and also co-hosts “Showbiz Tonight” on CNN’s HLN.

Kevin Frasier will continue on “The Insider” as Anderson's co-anchor.

Linda Bell Blue, executive producer of "The Insider" and "Entertainment Tonight," said in a statement of the new hire, "I'm a huge fan of Brooke both professionally and personally. I've admired her work on HLN and am thrilled that she is joining our 'Insider' family. Brooke is such a well-rounded broadcaster--smart, inquisitive, experienced, and grounded."

NAB Chairman Defends Retrans Payments

In a speech Tuesday at the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas, NAB Chairman Gordon Smith set his sights on cable operators in a defense of retransmission payments, B&C reported.

“Co-opting broadcast terminology, [Smith] called their channels ‘cable stations,’ and said they get paid for their content, and should get paid,” the piece reports. “But so should broadcasters, he said, drawing the parallel.’Stations deserve the right to negotiate for compensation of their programming. And we know that the system works, because thousands of agreements have been successfully negotiated over the years, with a success rate of over 99 percent.’”

Broadcasters say the system is working, and are resisting efforts by the Federal Communications Commission to change the system, the story says.

Said Smith: "Only a sliver of the negotiations has led to a disruption of service. Some pay-TV companies, however, want to pay nothing or only a pittance for local stations' signals--even though local content and network programming offered by broadcasters are the ones viewers watch most."

Smith said “free TV” means free to viewers, "not to multibillion-dollar corporations that sell subscriptions on the backs of our content," the piece reports.

Oprah Lands Interview With Obama for Final Stretch of Shows, Sets Airdate

Oprah Winfrey has lined up an interview with President Barack Obama to air as one of the last episodes of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which is ending its run after 25 years in syndication, reports the Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker blog.

The interview, which will be taped April 27, is set to air May 2, the story says.

Winfrey endorsed Obama in 2007, when he was a senator running for president, marking the first time she had supported a presidential candidate. She campaigned for Obama throughout his campaign and appeared at his election night victory rally in Chicago, the story says.

She has not confirmed or denied reports that she will support him less publicly in the next election, the piece adds.

'Hawaii Five-0' Losing a Star in Season Finale

The first-season finale of CBS's hit reboot "Hawaii Five-0" promises to be a humdinger with one cast member--a familiar face--leaving the show, reports TV Guide.

The likely suspects seem to be Jean Smart, who plays the governor, and Grace Park, who's one of the principals, Kono.

Executive producer Peter Lenkov told the publication that Smart would not be going, but the Emmy Award winner does have an NBC pilot in contention for pickup for the fall season.

He also exempted Kelly Hu and Will Yun Lee, as Laura and Sang Min, respectively. The identity of the departing cast member will be revealed in an all-star season finale that airs Monday, May 16.

People Magazine's 'World's Most Beautiful Woman' for 2011 Is a Superstar Who Has Been Getting a Lot of TV Exposure Lately

Gracing the cover of the “Most Beautiful” issue of People magazine as the publication’s 2011 selection for “World’s Most Beautiful Woman” is a recording star who has been seen mainly in a new role lately--as a judge on the hit Fox show “American Idol.” This year’s selection is Jennifer Lopez, People announced.

The singer, actress and TV personality said she works hard to look good, including a skincare regimen, intense workouts and a strict diet. “It’s part of my job,” Lopez told the publication. "I don't want anybody thinking it's easy. It does take time and it's hard work. HDTV wide-screen is nobody's friend!"

The 41-year-old Lopez is married to singer Marc Anthony and they are parents to 3-year-old twins Max and Emme.

Sheen Says He's in Discussions for Return to 'Two and a Half Men'

Charlie Sheen told a Boston radio show that he's had discussions with his former bosses about returning to "Two and a Half Men," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"There's been discussions, but I was asked not to divulge anything," he said, according to the story. Sheen also said he's not receiving syndication profits from the show, and that the syndication money is being withheld, the piece says.

Sheen said he would have altered his behavior if he had been told earlier that it was problematic, the article notes. "Had they told me at the end of Season 8 that that behavior wasn't going to be cool, I would have adjusted it," he said.

CNN Considering Former 'SNL' Standout, Ex-'Talk Soup' Host for 7 p.m. Slot

CNN is considering a popular comedian who was a regular on “Saturday Night Live” and a former host of "Talk Soup" as possible hosts for its 7 p.m. time slot, reports the New York Post's Page Six.

The contenders are former “SNL” star Chris Rock and ex-"Talk Soup" host Aisha Tyler, who are being considered as the cable network seeks to win back African-American and Hispanic viewers, according to the report.

The slot is currently held by "John King USA," which has had what the story calls anemic ratings despite a jump last month when CNN drew more viewers for its coverage of the Japan tsunami and Mideast political turmoil. CNN executives don't want to be too hasty in replacing "John King USA," the article notes.

CNN shot a pilot with Soledad O'Brien, with the idea of placing it in the 7 p.m. time slot, but the piece says the pilot was "deemed unwatchable" by CNN Worldwide President Jim Walton. Nevertheless, some executives are still working on a project with O'Brien and are shooting another pilot, the piece adds.

Video: Five Years Later, Katie Couric Returns to 'Today' to Talk About Her Future

With the contracts of both Matt Lauer and Katie Couric soon to expire, the two had some fun bantering when Couric returned to the "Today" show this morning (Wednesday, April 13, 2011), and sat for an interview conducted by Lauer.

Couric was on the show pushing her new book. As you can see in the video below, about halfway through the interview Lauer said, "There is an entire chapter in the book devoted to taking risks, seeking opportunities--have you heard any good rumors lately?" 

The two then started laughing as Couric said, "No. Have you?"

Lauer: You haven't heard anything?

Couric: No. Have you?

Lauer: No. What are you going to do?

One rumor is that Lauer and Couric may get together on a syndicated show. Neither one brought up that rumor.

However, Lauer did ask her if she had actually already decided what to do, but just hadn't talked about her decision publicly yet. Couric said no, that she had not actually decided what to do. Later she said she hoped to announce a decision "in the next few weeks." Her CBS contract is up at the beginning of June.

Couric also said she had no regrets over the past five years, during which time she was the primary anchor for "CBS Evening News."

Couric did say she was considering a move into first-run syndication and said that what appealed to her about having a daytime talk show was doing "smart, intelligent conversation" that would give her "more wiggle room to show my personality."

Some of the subjects she might like to talk about on such a show would be health, politics and controversial subjects, she said. When Lauer asked what might be the risks of going into syndication she didn't say what they were, other than mentioning that there was a risk in doing practically anything.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

First the iPhone and Then the iPad. Now Analyst Believes Apple Is Working on a 'New Device' That Involves TV

A respected research analyst who follows Apple says "Apple’s push into the living room 'is likely to include a new device,' although he adds that he isn’t sure what it will be. 'We would guess a TV or a new set-top box,' he adds."

So writes Eric Savitz in his Forbes blog The Tech Trade.

Savitz is talking about a report from Jefferies research analyst Peter Misek.

According to Savitz, "Misek thinks Apple is going to offer a 'new far-reaching cloud-based service that is more than just a music or content locker and focused on video.' "

Savitz adds that Misek also writes about new data centers that Apple is building in North Carolina. "Misek is convinced that all of the activity centers on offering some kind of video service.'While much has been speculated on what these data centers could be for, it seems that much of this is likely being built for video,' he writes. 'How do we come to that hypothesis? It is a guess based on the size of the storage that has been purchased, the fact that video consumes far more data than audio, and the introduction of a simple audio locker or cloud-based version of iTunes is unlikely to require this much storage and capability out of the gate. Second, we find some of the chatter in the content world to be centered around the iPad and future services. We find it notable that the content companies, citing a lack of domain license, asked Cablevision (CVC) to remove channels from its iPad app. We believe these same companies are negotiating some sort of deal with Apple.' "

Ratings Are In for Controversial 'Kennedys' Miniseries

Viewership for the controversial miniseries "The Kennedys" peaked Sunday with the finale on ReelzChannel, when it was watched by 1.4 million viewers, reports Joe Adalian in New York Magazine's Vulture blog.

In the end, despite months of publicity leading up to the program's airing, the miniseries "turned out to be something of a non-event in terms of ratings," Adalian writes. Reelz is in half as many homes as the country's biggest cable networks, the story points out, which limited the program's audience.

The audience also skewed toward older viewers, with the finale earning a 0.3 rating with viewers under 50 years old, the piece notes.

Appeals Court Rules in Real Estate Investor's Lawsuit Against A&E, 'Flip This House'

A federal appeals court upheld an earlier decision from a lower court that A&E Television Networks must pay about $4 million to real estate investor Richard Davis as a share in the profits from "Flip This House," reports the Los Angeles Times' Company Town blog.

Davis sued A&E, which is owned by Hearst, Walt Disney Co. and NBC Universal, in 2006, claiming that executives of the network reneged on their promise to pay him half of the profits from the show, the story says. Davis came up with the concept of a show about house flipping in 2004, the article adds.

"Flip This House" debuted in 2005 at the top of the housing market, and featured Davis in the first season, although he and the network had a falling out after that and A&E brought in a new team to continue the show's production, the story says. The show was canceled in 2009.

"I'm tickled to death that I stuck with my case," Davis told the publication. "It was a matter of principle. The show was my idea, I created it, and they stole it. But I'm not bitter anymore."

CBS Unveils Preseason NFL Schedule, With No Mention of Alternate Plans If Labor Dispute Cancels Games

Even though the NFL is in a labor dispute between the owners and players, threatening the next football season, CBS has released its schedule for the 2011 preseason, reports the Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker blog.

The network did not announce a Plan B in case the games are canceled, the story points out.

The preseason schedule of the network's "The NFL on CBS" will begin with an Aug. 26 game between the Super Bowl-winning Green Bay Packers and the Indianapolis Colts, the story says. The following night features a match between the New England Patriots and the Detroit Lions.

Former Star of 'Girlfriends' Joins 'Cosby Show' Veteran on New Sitcom

BET has tapped a former star of The CW's comedy "Girlfriends" to star in a new comedy called "Reed Between the Lines," reports the Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker blog.

Tracee Ellis Ross will star as a psychologist who gets frazzled dealing with her family, while Malcolm-Jamal Warner of "The Cosby Show" will co-star as her English teacher husband, the story says.

The series is slated to air in October and will be part of the network’s increasing commitment to scripted originals along with renewed programs "The Game" and "Let's Stay Together."

Comedy Central Gets Into the Awards Game--What Took Them So Long?

File it under the heading "Why didn't we think of this before?" Twenty years in, Comedy Central hosted its first awards telecast Sunday night, inaugurating its Comedy Awards even as its corporate cousins MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, TV Land and Spike have had successful kudocasts for years.

TVWeek Open Mic blogger Hillary Atkin shares her perspective on the event. Click here to read her insightful report.

Univision Plans Three New Cable Channels, Including a Potential 24-Hour News Channel

Univision Communications is considering starting three new cable channels and is talking with pay-TV operators, reports Bloomberg.

Univision wants to debut a network dedicated to telenovelas later this year; a sports-focused channel in 2012; and a potential 24-hour news network, the story says.

The company is considering spending $20 million to $30 million on the new TV networks, as well as an additional $40 million on soccer television rights, the story adds.

ABC Family Greenlights Its Fifth Scripted Series This Year

ABC Family has greenlighted its fifth original scripted series this year, according to The Hollywood Reporter's the Live Feed blog.

The show is "Jane by Design," which was formerly called "What Would Jane Do." The show focuses on a 16-year old girl who also has a job as a full-time assistant for a design company. It joins "The Great State of Georgia," "The Nine Lives of Chloe King," "Switched at Birth" and "The Lying Game," which were all given series orders this year, the article notes.

Syfy Series Finale Draws 1.7 Million Viewers

A Syfy supernatural drama ended its first season with 1.7 million viewers for its finale, a big number for the network, reports EW.com's Inside TV blog.

The series is "Being Human," which became the network's best winter series since "Battlestar Galactica" in 2005, according to the story.

Separately, the article adds that "The Borgias" on Showtime dropped 33% on Sunday. The story says that the historical drama starring Jeremy Irons delivered 1 million viewers across two episodes, versus 1.5 million viewers across two airings for the show's debut the week before.

Showtime pointed out that other freshman programs have seen drops after their debuts, with "Dexter" and HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" both dropping 31%, the article adds.

Former CNN Anchor Joins Al Jazeera English

A news anchor who is a familiar face to U.S. TV viewers after six years anchoring broadcasts for CNN has joined Al Jazeera English, reports TVNewser.

The website reported that Tony Harris anchored the noon news broadcast Tuesday.

Al Jazeera confirmed that Harris has been hired as a "presenter." He will work out of AJE's headquarters in Doha, Qatar.

In a statement, Al Anstey, managing director of Al Jazeera English, said: “It’s great to have Tony join our roster of presenters. He’s an experienced anchor who will appeal to audiences across the world.”

Kim Kardashian's Turkish Cosmo Cover Enrages Armenians--Including Kim

Kim Kardashian finds herself at the center of a controversy after a photo of the reality star from a shoot she did for Cosmopolitan wound up on the cover of the April Turkish edition of the magazine, US Magazine reports.

Armenian-Americans, including outspoken attorney Mark Geragos, say the cover is a slap in the face to Armenians--especially with the community commemorating the 96th anniversary of the Armenian genocide later this month.

Geragos told TMZ.com the cover takes advantage of a celebrity and at the same time rubs salt in the wounds of a people who have been the victims of genocide at the hands of the Turks. “Anyone who has synapses firing would never do such a thing,” Geragos told TMZ.

For her part, Kardashian said she would not have given the OK had she known her photo would grace the Turkish edition. She has been vocal about the genocide.

Kardashian wrote on her blog: “When I did this shoot for the international covers I had no idea that Turkey was planning to turn my story on their cover THIS month, considering Genocide Remembrance Day is this month.

"My Armenian heritage means a lot to me and I've been brought up to be incredibly proud of my family's background and culture. So as an Armenian-American woman it is a huge honor for me to be on the first ever Armenian Cosmopolitan cover."

Here's the cover of the Turkish edition, on the left, along with the cover of the Armenian edition.

'Dancing' Leads ABC to Monday Ratings Win; Rough Night for NBC

A solid turnout for a two-hour “Dancing With the Stars” gave ABC an easy win in the Monday ratings, but the news was all bad over at NBC, TVbytheNumbers.com reported.

ABC wound up as the top network by a wide margin in both the 18-49 demo and total viewers. For the night, ABC averaged a 3.9 rating in adults 18-49, well ahead of Fox (2.5 average), CBS (2.3), Univision (2.1) and NBC (1.4). ABC ran away with total viewers, averaging 17.9 million for the night to 7.6 million for CBS, 7.5 million for Fox, 5.3 million for NBC and 5.3 million for Univision.

At 8 p.m. ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" averaged 3.9 in the 18-49 demo for the hour, while Fox's "House" had a mean score of 3.25 in the same demo. CBS's "How I Met Your Mother" and "Mad Love" had a 2.7 and a 1.9, respectively, while NBC's "Chuck" settled for a 1.3 in the same demo for the hour.

ABC's second hour of "Dancing With the Stars" led at 9 p.m. with an average of 4.65 in the 18-49 demo, while CBS’s time slot debut of "Mike & Molly" at 9 p.m. notched a 2.5 in that demo. Fox's "The Chicago Code" had a 1.8 mean score for the hour and NBC's "Law & Order: Los Angeles" managed a 1.4 average.

ABC's "Castle" was tops at 10 p.m. with a 3.15 mean score in the 18-49 demo for the hour, ahead of CBS's "Hawaii Five-0" with a 2.4 average and a second "Law & Order: Los Angeles" with a 1.55 average.

NAB in 'Full Battle Mode to Protect Broadcasters' on Spectrum Issue, Says Organization's CEO

Delivering the keynote address Tuesday at the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas, NAB CEO Gordon Smith spoke strongly about protecting broadcasters’ spectrum, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“We are in full battle mode to protect broadcasters from being forced to give up spectrum involuntarily,” Smith told conference attendees.

Smith encouraged broadcasters to keep close tabs on their spectrum inventory, warning that wireless carriers “have determined that is it cheaper to buy our TV channels at auction than to build out their networks.”

To illustrate his point, he talked about the AT&T/T-Mobile merger: "Corporate executives stated that one of the greatest benefits of the proposed merge is that AT&T’s network capacity would double by adding T-Mobile’s already built towers in urban areas. Moreover, recent press reports indicate that certain companies licensed to provide mobile broadband service are simply not making the necessary investments to deploy their service, but instead are sitting on more than $15 billion of spectrum they aren’t using.”

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski also spoke at the conference, warning against delaying spectrum auctions. He said $30 billion may be raised by auctioning spectrum.

“The cost of delay would be severe,” Genachowski said. “At last year’s NAB, I spoke about how demand for spectrum was dramatically outstripping supply driven by smartphones, which places a demand on spectrum that is 24 times as much as feature phones. This year, analysts expect 55 million tablets to be sold, and those tablets place a demand on spectrum that is 120 times that of old feature phones.”

'Dancing' Competitor Injured During Live Broadcast

Another dancer went down Monday on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," suffering an injury during the live broadcast, People magazine reported.

Cheryl Burke told the publication she "felt something rip" in her upper inner thigh and pelvic region when she crashed while dancing with partner Chris Jericho. After the cameras stopped, Burke got attention from medics and had the injury iced. During interviews after the show, she was noticeably in pain.

The judges approved of the dance, giving the pair 23 points. Tonight will determine whether they remain in the competition. Burke indicated that she would dance through the pain if necessary.

The incident follows a mishap on the show last week, in which Maksim Chmerkovskiy was hurt in an accident while dancing with Kirstie Alley.

Cable Channel Orders Three New Shows

One cable channel announced that it will have three new reality series on its fall schedule, including a spinoff from its most popular show, B&C reported.

The cable channel is Style Network, and one of the new shows will be “Glam Fairy,” a spinoff from the network’s popular series “Jerseylicious.” Also ordered for fall are "Big Rich Texas" and "How Do I Look?: The Search for the Worst Dressed In America."

"Glam Fairy" stars Alexa Prisco, formerly a makeup artist the Gatsby Salon where "Jerseylicious" is set. The one-episode special "Glam Fairy" was deemed a hit when it ran Jan. 30, and Style has ordered 10 episodes of the show, which will bow in October.

"Big Rich Texas" has also been given a 10-episode order. It follows five rich mothers and their daughters in a Dallas country club setting.

"How Do I Look?: The Search for the Worst Dressed in America" will be hosted by Jeannine Mai and is an installment of the "How Do I Look?" franchise.

Super Bowl of Syndication? 'Oprah' Finale Commands Staggering Ad Prices

As Oprah Winfrey approaches the May 25 finale of her syndicated daytime talk show, ad prices are soaring, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The current asking price for a 30-second spot: $1 million, the story reports. With better placement in the show, prices are probably going to be even higher.

The high prices are conjuring up comparisons with big finales of the past, including “Seinfeld,” where spots went for $1.42 million--and reached 76.3 million viewers, the story says. The report cites a list put together by Horizon Media’s Brad Adgate, using Nielsen Co. and Kantar Media data.

Other landmark finales: “Friends,” which went for about $2 million and reached 52.5 million viewers; and “Everybody Loves Raymond,” with 30-second spots selling for $1.22 million and an audience of 32.9 million.

The “Oprah” finale is in especially rare terrain considering it’s a daytime show, the story notes.

Why Simon Cowell Is Quitting the U.K. Version of 'X Factor'

Simon Cowell is too busy prepping the Fox version of "The X Factor" for the U.S. market to continue appearing on the British version of the show, reports the Daily Mail.

Cowell has reportedly told his bosses at ITV that he's bowing out as one of the judges on the U.K.’s "The X Factor" effective immediately. He will not be on the program this year when a new season commences.

Sources say that health concerns were a factor in the decision. The newspaper quoted a friend of Cowell’s who pointed out that the Cowell family is worried about his intense schedule, which gives him little time to sleep.

Comedy Central Orders New Show From Comedians Behind Web Series

Comedy Central has tapped comedians Adam Nee and Ryan Judd to develop, write, direct and star in the half-hour show "Geniuses," reports Deadline.com.

Nee and Judd have gained followers for their work on the Web series "Clark Kent Has a Dream" on the website Funny or Die, the story says. (Click here to view the fourth episode of the series.)

"Geniuses" will star Nee and Judd as two friends who have been floating through life but decide to grow up and achieve success, all while trying to gain the attention of their neighbor, Margot, the story says.

Two More Longtime NBCUniversal Execs Leaving the Company--Both are Well-Known and Have a Lot of Local TV Experience

Two more executives are joining the exodus from NBCUniversal in the wake of the Comcast takeover.

Paula Madison, 58, the executive vice president of diversity at NBCUniversal, will leave May 20, Deadline.com reports.

Also, Don Browne, 68, will leave NBCUniversal June 30, the company has announced. Since 2005 Browne has been President of Telemundo. The announcement said Browne is retiring from the company.

Madison, will leave to work for her family's investment business, the Deadline story reports. She joined NBCU in 1989 as assistant news director at WNBC-TV and then served as general manager of KNBC-TV, the story says. She became NBC's first chief diversity officer in 2007.

She's the third top NBC executive named in NBCUniversal President Steve Burke's memo outlining the company's post-merger structure to leave the company, the story says.

Browne first joined NBC in 1979 as NBC News Miami bureau chief. By 1991 he was EVP of NBC News. Then he went in local station management at the company, joining WTVJ, NBC's owned-and-operated station in Miami.

Video: Bombshell From 'Idol' Showrunner--Suggests Changing Voting Rules for Next Season, Giving Viewers Less Influence About Who Gets Voted Off Each Week

Nigel Lythgoe, the showrunner of the most popular show on TV, "American Idol," has suggested changing the voting rules for next season, and giving viewers less influence about who gets voted off the show.

In remarks you can see in the video below, Lythgoe told Yahoo! Music‘s Reality Rocks that  it would most likely be suggested before next season that the voting on "Idol" be changed to reflect the way voting is done on the show which he judges, Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance." In that format, viewers choose the bottom three, but it's the judges who then decide who will go home.

Lythgoe said the decision whether to change the voting on "Idol" would ultimately be made by Simon Fuller (not to be confused with Simon Cowell), because Fuller is the creator of the show and controls the format.

In the beginning of the interview below, Lythgoe also revealed that even though many observers have said Pia Toscano, who was voted off 'Idol" last week, was a frontrunner on the show, in terms of the votes cast week in and week out, she actually was not a frontrunner.

Nigel Lythgoe Discusses Pia Toscano Elimination from Yahoo! Music on Vimeo.

'Idol' Likely to Block Booted Contestant's Record Deal

Even though "American Idol" contestant Pia Toscano has reportedly signed a record deal with Interscope after being booted off the show, "Idol" producer 19 Entertainment is unlikely to allow her to release an album, reports AOL's PopEater in its Naughty but Nice blog.

"American Idol" has a strict contract that controls contestants for the entire show and live tour that follows, as well as for a period after that, the story says. That allows 19 Entertainment to have "first crack" at every artist.

The reason for the strict contract is to protect the "American Idol" brand, the story says.

IRS Goes After Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne for $1.7 Million in Back Taxes--Sharon Says She Knows What Went Wrong

Sharon Osbourne, one of the co-hosts of CBS's "The Talk," complained on Twitter that she had been duped by people she believed were handling her taxes, after the IRS said she and her husband Ozzy owe more than $1.7 million in taxes, reports the New York Daily News.

The IRS filed a document last week with the Los Angeles County Recorder's Office claiming the pair owes more than $700,000 for the 2008 tax year and more than $1 million for 2009, reported TMZ.com.

Their daughter, Kelly, also has tax problems, with the state of California filing a lien against her for $34,000 last month, the story notes.

Sharon Osbourne said on Twitter, "You can't rely on anyone but yourself. You have to be on top of your own business affairs," according to the New York Daily News.

Randy Quaid, Living in Canada After Legal Hassles in U.S., May Join Sheen Tour as It Heads North

Randy Quaid, who escaped legal troubles in the U.S. by moving to Canada, is in talks to open Charlie Sheen's tour when it shifts to Canada, reports the Globe and Mail.

Quaid's record label, Maximum Music Group, is talking with Live Nation and says the idea was "favorably received" by the concert promoter, the article notes.

Quaid and his wife, Evi, claimed refugee status in Canada, saying they were targets of a murderous conspiracy of "star whackers."

The proposal to join Sheen's tour would have Quaid performing two songs he's recording for digital release later this month, a ballad called "Will We Be Together Then" and "Star Whackers,” which the article says is a "loud shouted-more-than-sung tune that starts with the idea of being arrested ‘just for being a celebrity’ and goes on to expand on their star whackers theory."

Dan Rather, Other Insiders on What CBS Should Do With 'Evening News'--And Whether It Would Be a Demotion to Move Scott Pelley From '60 Minutes' Into the Anchor's Chair

Scott Pelley, a correspondent for "60 Minutes," may be Katie Couric's successor as anchor of the "CBS Evening News," but some colleagues are concerned that the move could be seen as a demotion, reports The New York Times.

That concern illustrates how much the job of anchoring the nightly news has changed, the story points out. Pelley's biggest backer is Jeff Fager, who was named the chairman of CBS News earlier this year and who wants to reconstruct the news division so that it's no longer described as "beleaguered," the article notes.

Pelley, 53, has worked at CBS for most of his career and would likely keep a reduced role on "60 Minutes," the story adds.

“There is some risk in this for Pelley and for CBS News,” said Dan Rather, who anchored the evening news on CBS from 1981 through 2005. “But it’s a risk worth taking. And if they do it, I think they will succeed.”

'Desperate Housewives' Stars Close to Signing Deals for Eighth Season

The four stars of ABC's "Desperate Housewives" are close to finalizing one-year deals that would bring back the show for an eighth season and pay each of them about $325,000 per episode, reports Deadline.com.

Previously, the four stars--Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross and Eva Longoria--were paid about $275,000 per episode, the story notes. With additional compensation and bonuses, their paychecks would rise as high as $375,000 per episode.

The new deals include an option for a second year, which slates their base salaries to rise up to $350,000, not including other compensation, the article notes. The piece adds that one remaining question about "Desperate Housewives" is the extent of the involvement of the show's creator, Marc Cherry, since his new ABC project, "Hallelujah," has been picked up to pilot.

Reality Guru Mark Burnett Forms Partnership With Hearst

Reality program creator Mark Burnett has entered into a joint-venture partnership with Hearst Corp., which will take a 50% interest in Burnett's company, reports The New York Times' Media Decoder blog.

The venture also gives Hearst a 50% stake in all future programs produced by Mark Burnett Productions, the story says. Hearst won't gain ownership of Burnett's two long-established reality shows, "Survivor" and "The Apprentice," however. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

The capital will help Burnett create new projects, he told the publication. "Obviously this was a choice, not a need for me,” Burnett said. He added he likes Hearst because it's a well-known brand with properties that could offer opportunities, such as its cable networks, including Lifetime, the piece notes.

Aaron Sorkin's HBO Project Adds 'Six Feet Under' Producer

Aaron Sorkin's cable-news drama project at HBO has tapped a "Six Feet Under" producer-director, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Alan Poul, who has signed an overall deal with HBO, is joining the project. Poul will executive produce the pilot, along with Sorkin and Scott Rudin, and will also direct episodes if the project is picked up to series.

The project is tentatively titled "More as the Story Develops" and is set behind the scenes of a nightly cable news show. Jeff Daniels has been cast in the lead role as anchor Will McCallister, with the project's remaining roles yet to be cast, the story says.
 

Hulk Hogan's Little People Wrestling Show Gets Green Light

A show tentatively called "Hulk Hogan's MCW," which will star Hulk Hogan as he mentors little people in a new professional wrestling league, has received a six-episode order from TruTV, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The league, called Micro Championship Wrestling, intends to "show the world that little people are serious athletes who have the determination to succeed," the story says.

The series, from Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment, is slated to debut in the summer, the article notes. Hogan is also executive producing.

CMT Pulls Plug on Its First Scripted Sitcom After Freshman Season

CMT has canceled its first scripted sitcom, announcing that it will not bring the show back for a second season, according to The Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed blog.

The show is "Working Class," which starred Ed Asner and Melissa Peterman.

The network remains open to developing scripted programs, the story says, and has two scripted telepics in development. One stars Ricky Schroder and the other stars LeAnn Rimes, the piece says.

"Working Class," which ended its first season April 1, debuted in January with 1.2 million viewers and a 0.5 rating among viewers 18 to 49 years old, the story says.

'24' Movie's Hour Draws Near: Super-Producer Joins Project; 2012 Premiere Targeted

Plans for the “24” movie appear to be firming up, with Kiefer Sutherland saying the movie will be released in 2012. Now the project has another important puzzle piece in place, with super-producer Brian Grazer joining up, Entertainment Weekly reports in its Inside TV blog.

Grazer said via Twitter that he's on board to join the movie version of the hit Fox television show, the story reports.

"Got off the phone Kiefer yesterday and we are very excited about producing the 24 movie for next year," Grazer said on Twitter, according to the story. The article adds that Imagine Entertainment, the company Grazer co-owns with Ron Howard, produced the action drama for Fox.

News You Can Use From the NAB Show: James Cameron Says 3D Will Only Proliferate on TV if Companies Embrace 2D Technicians and Storytellers. Plus Study on Why 3D TV Sets Aren't Selling that Well

James Cameron, the creator of the 3D blockbuster "Avatar," thinks he knows what needs to happen for 3D to become more popular on TV.

Speaking Monday in Las Vegas at  the annual convention of the National Association of Broadcasters, Cameron said, "3-D productions on television need the know-how of 2-D directors and producers to make economic sense for broadcasters and be compelling for viewers," according to the Associated Press.

The article noted that Cameron believes "3-D won't work on TV if production companies can't utilize the talent they already have. 'People can't completely reinvent how they do things,' Cameron said."

The AP story continued , "It costs too much to hire separate crews to produce the same content in 3-D and 2-D, and separate 3-D productions lose the expertise that comes from directors and producers who have filmed for years in 2-D, [Cameron] said. 'To grow this market rapidly and correctly with high-quality 3-D, let people do what they do,' Cameron said."

In its account of what Cameron said at NAB, AceShowBiz wrote that Cameron has predicted that in five years 3D technology "would be used in a lot of television programming, be it 'sports, episodic drama, scripted and unscripted.' "

According to the AP story, to help achieve wide acceptance of 3D on the small screen Cameron announced that he and his business partner, Vince Pace, are forming "the Cameron-Pace Group. They described the business as an end-to-end company helping broadcasters work in 3-D. Cameron said early attempts at 3-D in sports didn't work as well as they could have because the 3-D and 2-D productions were separated, with the 2-D producers getting better personnel and camera positions."

The AP added that Cameron said, " 'They were sort of treated as a red-headed stepchild, and then everybody cried that it was costing them too much because there were two entire crews.' Instead, there's going to be one combined 3-D/2-D production, Cameron said."

Added the AceShowBiz story, "In a bid to lower the cost, the Cameron-Pace Group plans to develop a new generation of camera systems, services and creative tools. Instead of making separate and expensive 2D and 3D versions of the same film or show, filmmakers will be taught how to shoot the programs in 3D and extract a 2D feed."

Separately, a study has noted that 3D TV sets have been available for about a year now, and that sales thus far are "dismal," according to an article at Good3DTV: "The technology was first introduced in the US market in the spring of 2010 and since then it is just 2 percent of the households who have shown an affinity for the new emerging technology, as Nielsen Co., the New York-based media and information company, recently found out."

The biggest barriers to folks buying 3D TV sets to date, according to the Good3DTV article, are the cost of the sets and "the necessity to wear goggles for viewing the picture, which come for $150 a pair today."

Leight's In: 'Lights Out' Showrunner Takes Helm of 'Law & Order: SVU'

Neal Baer is out as showrunner of “Law & Order: SVU” after more than a decade with the show, and Warren Leight, former showrunner of “Lights Out,” will take over the job, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Leight got his start as a TV writer on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” so he’s no stranger to the franchise, the story points out. But “SVU” is in limbo at the moment, waiting for word on whether it is coming back for a 13th season. Meanwhile, stars Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni remained unsigned.

Since leaving “L&O” as showrunner in 2008, Leight has run “In Treatment” at HBO and then “Lights Out” at FX.

“SVU” continues to be a solid ratings performer for NBC, although its numbers have diminished significantly from its peak years. It has been averaging 8.7 million total viewers in its 12th season, the story reports. That’s down from a little less than 17 million in its second season.

Former 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' Star Gets a New Cable Show

A year after leaving Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," one of the show’s former stars will return with a new cable reality series, reports NorthJersey.com.

Dina Manzo said she left the Bravo show to remove herself from the infighting and bad blood. Her new HGTV show, "Dina's Party," will take viewers into Manzo's world as a party planner, following her as she heads up her company Design Affairs.

In a statement about the new show, HGTV general manager Kathleen Finch said, "Dina is an accomplished interior designer and also runs a thriving event-planning business. Her 'Real Housewives' fans will be very surprised to see this side of her. Dina brings a unique set of skills to HGTV and I'm thrilled to have her join our growing team of expert talent."

DirecTV Launching HBO GO, Max GO Online Video Services

DirecTV launches HBO’s new online video destinations April 12, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The pay TV provider will launch HBO GO and Max GO, which give subscribers immediate access to all episodes and all seasons of HBO shows along with hundreds of movies and other programs from Cinemax.

The programming is available free to subscribers to the premium channels, and is available through any broadband-connected computer anywhere in the U.S., the story says.

Said Derek Chang, executive VP of content strategy and development for DirecTV: “The addition of HBO GO and Max GO is the next step in bringing quality video content to our customers anytime, anywhere. Giving our customers the opportunity to experience their favorite programming, no matter where they are, truly enhances their overall viewing experience and helps them get the most out of the content they subscribe to.”

CBS Notches Easy Win in Sunday Ratings; Here's Why

A 13-minute overrun of The Masters Golf Tournament staggered CBS’s programming Sunday night but also helped get the Eye Network off to a good start in the ratings, as CBS went on to a sizable win for the night as a whole, TVbytheNumbers.com reported.

Due to the live programming, numbers are expected to change. But in overnight figures, CBS finished the night with a 2.6 average rating in the 18-49 demo, topping Fox (2.1 average), NBC (2.0) and ABC (1.9). CBS also won total viewers, averaging 11.2 million to 7.2 million for ABC, 6.0 million for NBC and 4.3 million for Fox.

At 7 p.m. CBS’s “60 Minutes” combined with the Masters overrun for a 2.3 average rating in the 18-49 demographic, besting NBC's "Dateline" with an average of 1.2 in the same demo. Fox's "American Dad" at 7:30 got a 1.6 in the 18-49 demo.

The 8 p.m. hour was taken by CBS’s "The Amazing Race" with a 2.8 average in the 18-49 demographic, while ABC's "Secret Millionaire" had a mean score of 2.3 in that demo and Fox's "The Simpsons" and "Bob's Burgers" had a 2.3 and a 1.9, respectively, in the 18-49 demo. NBC's "America's Next Great Restaurant" trailed with a 1.2 average.

At 9 p.m. Fox's "Family Guy" and "The Cleveland Show" had a 3.3 average and a 2.4, respectively, in the 18-49 demographic, while CBS's "Undercover Boss" averaged a 2.95 in the 18-49 demo. Hour one of NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" averaged a 2.6 in that demo, and the first hour of a two-hour "Brothers & Sisters" on ABC delivered a mean score of 1.75 in the same demo.

The 10 p.m. hour went to NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" with a 3.25 average in the 18-49 demo, followed by CBS's "CSI: Miami" with a 2.45 mean score and "Brothers & Sisters" with a 1.8 average, both in the 18-49 demo.

Sarah Palin Chimes In on Trump's 'Birther' Campaign

As “Celebrity Apprentice” host Donald Trump kept up his “birther” campaign over the weekend--insisting on cable news shows and elsewhere that President Obama make his birth certificate public--another potential presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, offered words of encouragement for Trump, CBS News reported.

Palin praised Trump for "getting to the bottom of" Obama's citizenship status, according to the report, even though she said she believes Obama was born in Hawaii.

"I appreciate that The Donald wants to spend his resources in getting to the bottom of something that so interests him and many Americans," Palin said.

Trump has taken his birther campaign to CNN and other outlets in recent days, even though rumors that Obama was not born in the United States have been widely debunked. Trump has also said he will announce by June whether he will run for president.

Meanwhile, a White House spokesman called Trump’s recent efforts a “sideshow.” Appearing Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” senior White House adviser David Plouffe said Trump has “zero chance” of being elected president, the story reports.

Plouffe said of the birther campaign: "There may be a small part of the country that believes these things, but mainstream Americans think it's a sideshow. And what they want our leaders to do is focus squarely on the issues right in front of us: how we're going to keep growing the economy ... how we keep our people safe, how do we make sure we're going to win the future by focusing on things like education and innovation?”

Will 'House' End Up on NBC?

NBC is interested in taking "House" for its own, as negotiations between Fox, which currently airs the drama, and production company Universal Media Studios remain unresolved, TV Guide reports.

Speculation has been that UMS, which is owned by NBCUniversal, would offer the show to competing networks, including NBC, if the two sides can't come to an agreement.

NBC could use an established hit, even if “House,” entering its eighth season, has seen its audience erode, the story notes.

However, insiders say the current deal between Fox and Universal prevents UMS from shopping the show to an NBCUniversal-affiliated network. That might mean moving the show elsewhere, such as ABC, CBS or TNT, the story says.

One problem with the current negotiations is that several cast members haven't yet signed on, with Robert Sean Leonard, Omar Epps and Lisa Edelstein still unsigned. The two sides reportedly aren't near a consensus for determining the percentage each will pay for the show's costs.

Tina Fey Returns to 'Saturday Night Live'

Tina Fey will make her third appearance as guest host of "Saturday Night Live" since she departed as a regular on the show, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Fey is scheduled to host the May 7 episode.

There's no news on whether Fey, who is pregnant, will repeat her role as Sarah Palin, the story says. Fey has a recently released book, "Bossypants," which she wrote before she announced her pregnancy, the story says.

'Glee' and 'Modern Family' Share Top Comedy Award From the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation

Fox's "Glee" and ABC's "Modern Family" shared the top award for outstanding comedy awarded by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The shows were honored at GLAAD's 22nd annual awards ceremony. "Glee" had won over "Modern Family" in the group's 2010 awards, the article notes.

NBC Entertainment President Robert Greenblatt was given the Stephen F. Folzak Award, which is presented to an openly LGBT media professional who has made a difference in promoting equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Greenblatt has helped bring such shows to TV as "The L Word" and "Six Feet Under," the story notes.

Masters Ratings Slip as Tiger's Charge Falls Short, Unknown Golfer Wins

Ratings for The Masters Tournament on CBS were 13% below last year’s household numbers in the top markets, Bloomberg reported, as a late charge by Tiger Woods faltered over the last nine holes and a golfer who is relatively unknown in the U.S., South African Charl Schwartzel, put together a strong finish to win the title.

CBS announced that Sunday’s final round was seen in 10.4% of households in the top 56 markets, down from 12.0% last year, the story reports. Numbers for the 2010 event were helped by Woods’ return after taking a break from golf to sort out personal issues.

Ratings for Sunday’s final round were the second-highest in the past decade, up 18% from 2009, the story says.

Guess Who's a Front-Runner to Replace Lauer if He Leaves 'Today'

A member of a political family is a front-runner to replace Matt Lauer on "Today," reports the New York Post. Chris Cuomo, the son of former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, in December 2009 was moved off "Good Morning America," where he had been the news anchor on the show and frequent fill-in host for three years, the story says.

He lost the co-host job on "GMA" to George Stephanopoulos, and shifted to hosting the prime-time program "20/20," the article notes.

The story adds that it doesn't appear any formal talks have occurred with Cuomo, as NBC wants to convince Lauer to stay with "Today."

Will Katie Couric and Matt Lauer Reunite for Talk Show?

Katie Couric may join forces with her former “Today” co-host Matt Lauer as she pursues creating her own syndicated talk show, reports Bill Carter in The New York Times.

The pairing would be "intensely complicated," Carter writes, pointing out that Lauer's NBC contract expires at the end of 2012, while Couric's new show is expected to begin in September 2012. NBC is also expected to make what may be the "biggest offer in television news history to keep him at 'Today,'" the article says.

As previously reported, Lauer, who currently makes $17 million annually, wants to receive an annual paycheck of $25 million to stay at the show. Couric is talking with Jeff Zucker, who originally paired Couric and Lauer on "Today," Carter writes.

Pia Toscano, Front-Runner Who Was Booted off 'American Idol,' Gets Record Deal

Pia Toscano, a front-runner on Fox's "American Idol" who got booted off the show last week, has landed a record deal with Interscope Records, reports USMagazine.com.

Interscope is chaired by "Idol" mentor Jimmy Iovine, the story notes. Interscope told her Thursday night after the program that it wanted to sign her, and on Friday morning executives at the company called songwriters and producers to bring an album together, the article notes.

As previously reported, her elimination was seen as a huge shock, with the judges clearly surprised and upset by her elimination.

Elizabeth Taylor and the Unlikely Alignment of the Hollywood Gods That Produced a Truly Great American Film

With the recent death of Elizabeth Taylor, there is renewed interest in her movies.

She made some fine movies and one great one, the latter which TCM presented--uncut and with no commercials, as usual--on Sunday night, April 10, 2011. Even if you missed that screening, the movie is a must rent or buy on DVD.

 The film is "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" and to read TVWeek Open Mic blogger Chuck Ross' insightful commentary about the film, please click here.

ABC Affiliates Discuss Helping Pay for a Network Olympics Bid

"ABC affiliates might help the network pay for U.S. rights to telecast the 2014 Winter Olympic Games and 2016 Summer Olympics, the head of the ABC board said after the board met on Sunday," April 10, 2011, reports our friend P.J. Bednarski at TVNewsCheck.

The article continues, "Disney-owned ESPN is expected to bid for the Games in what is expected be an expensive battle between networks that should be decided by the International Olympics Committee by mid-June. ESPN recently said if it gets the Games, sharing air time with ABC, it would show them in real time, and show repeats of major events in prime time."

The article concludes by quoting ABC affiliate board Chairman Bill Hoffman, general manager of Cox's WSB in Atlanta: "He said affiliates told [ABC VP John] Rouse they hoped ABC would push for more prime-time comedies and improve its 10 p.m. shows that lead into affiliate newscasts. But generally, Hoffman said, the board is pleased with ABC’s position in prime time." 

“ 'We both feel comfortable with where we are now,' he said. 'Our strong shows seem to have run-way left in them. We both--the affiliates and the network--have seen how sitcoms have come back and can be a valuable asset. We’d like to bolster our position at 10 o’clock because most of our best shows air from 8 to 10 and when we have good shows at 10 o’clock they deliver audience to the newscasts. The other thing is to have more and more shows that distinguish themselves with men [viewers] besides women.' ”

Former 'SNL' Writer Does Pilot for Cable Net

A live-action comedy pilot from a former writer for “Saturday Night Live” has been ordered by Adult Swim, Deadline.com reports. The show is "Regal Productions," produced by and starring former "SNL" writer Bob Odenkirk.

Brian Jarvis and Jim Freeman, who will co-star in the pilot with him, also worked with Odenkirk on developing the project, the story says. The comedy focuses on Regal Productions, a video-production company that works out of a strip mall in North Hollywood and produces low-budget infomercials, wedding videos and Internet ads.

Odenkirk recently appeared on "How I Met Your Mother" and "Breaking Bad."

Fox Moves Ahead With Drama Featuring Actress From 'House,' 'Joan of Arcadia'

Fox has given a script commitment to a drama starring the former star of CBS’s “Joan of Arcadia,” reports Deadline.com. The show is from "House" executive producer Katie Jacobs and "The Wire" co-creator Ed Burns, and stars Amber Tamblyn, who played the title role in the CBS show.

Tamblyn, who most recently appeared on “House,” will star as a young teacher working in a public school, the story says. The idea came from Jacobs, who pitched the idea to Tamblyn when the actress appeared on "House," the story says. The pair brought in Burns, who worked as a public teacher as well as a police detective in Baltimore before turning to writing.

Burns is attached to write and Jacobs to direct, the story says, with the project being produced by 20th Century Fox TV.

One of the Last Major Movie Directors Who Came to Feature Films After Learning How to Direct in the Early Days of TV Passes Away. Sidney Lumet, 86, Is Dead

Director Sidney Lumet, who was nominated for an Academy Award for best director after the release of his first feature film—a remake of an episode of “Studio One” that had been first shown live on TV—died Saturday, April 9, 2011.

He was 86 and died of lymphoma, according to a number of media accounts.

According to The New York Times, Lumet once wrote, “While the goal of all movies is to entertain, the kind of film in which I believe goes one step further. It compels the spectator to examine one facet or another of his own conscience. It stimulates thought and sets the mental juices flowing.”

That was certainly evident in the first feature film he made, “12 Angry Men,” which was based on an Emmy-winning TV drama written by Reginald Rose. And while Lumet directed a lot of 1950s TV shows, it was the late Franklin Schaffner—who later also directed a number of hit feature films---who directed the TV version.

Other feature films Lumet directed include “Serpico,” “Dog Day Afternoon,” “The Verdict” and “Network,” to name a few,  The Times notes. Nearly all of Lumet's work was filmed primarily in New York.

[To see TVWeek Open Mic blogger Chuck Ross’ recent assessment of “Network,” written by Paddy Chayefsky, please click here.]

Lumet got his start directing TV shows in 1950, when Yul Brynner, then directing the TV series “Danger,” a live dramatic anthology on CBS that was broadcast from New York, gave him a call and asked Lumet to become his assistant director. Brynner soon left the show to star in the stage production of “The King and I,” and Lumet became the director of “Danger.”

In an interview with the Archive of American Television, Lumet said of those early days directing live TV, “The pressure was wonderful, because it wasn’t insane. The pressure was ‘can we do it?’ Because nobody knew what we could do and what we couldn’t do. Nobody could say ‘no’ to you because nobody knew. It was literally learning to walk. So from a technical point of view, anything we wanted to try we could try.”

What's in Your Wallet? Horizon Media Continues Winning Big Accounts

Media agency Horizon Media continues its winning ways, having just landed Capital One’s $360 million media account, Advertising Age reports.

Publicis Groupe's MediaVest had handled the account for “nearly a decade,” the report says.

The article adds, “For Horizon, which was Ad Age’s 2010 Media Agency of the Year, the win caps a new-business run that netted more than $600 million in billings in 2010 and added clients such as Google, Weight Watchers and Quiznos”

The story also notes that “For MediaVest, the loss of the Capital One business will mean saying goodbye to a chunk of revenue, but it isn't likely to dramatically affect the shop, which has in the past year won a number of accounts. Among those are the $70 million traditional and digital media-planning and -buying accounts for Aflac, CBS Films' media account and the $155 million Turner Broadcasting business.”

Analyst Warns That World Events Could Dampen Resurgence in Ad Market

The higher advertising sales that have buoyed shares of media companies such as Viacom and CBS Corp. may be short-lived, warned Barclays Research analyst Anthony J. DiClemente in a report, according to the Los Angeles Times' Company Town blog.

DiClemente wrote that global events, including the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, could slow down the U.S. advertising market, the story says.

"Some recent data points may suggest that the ad market could in reality be less robust than year-to-date media performance implies," he wrote in the report.

One effect of the Japanese disaster is that Toyota plans to temporarily shut down U.S. factories because of a shortage of parts produced in Japan, where factories were damaged by the earthquake and tsunami, the story says. Toyota also has plans to cut its ad budgets, the story notes.

The combination of AT&T and T-Mobile could also eliminate hundreds of millions in ad spending, the story says.

Time Warner's Cable Networks Working on Ads that Are Closer to TV Programs

Time Warner's cable networks are working on commercials that are harder to distinguish from the programs they appear on, reports Brian Steinberg in Advertising Age.

The Turner cable networks are "tagging" moments in movies and series to try to find dialogue or scenes that match up with the message an advertiser is promoting, the story says. The networks, including TBS and TNT, then create "ad vignettes" that will appear in the spaces between when a segment ends and a commercial break starts.

For example, Turner could create an ad segment that shows a criminal talking about candy that appears after a segment of "The Closer," whose heroine loves sweets.

The idea is that if the advertising looks like the content the viewer wants to watch, a viewer would be more likely to stop while zipping through DVR content, the story says, citing Linda Yaccarino, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Turner Entertainment ad sales, marketing and acquisitions.

Americans Spend 20% More Time With TV, Radio and the Internet Than 10 Years Ago

Reflecting the spread of smartphones, Americans are spending 20% more time watching or listening to TV, radio and the Internet versus 10 years ago, reports The New York Times.

The story says that consumers spent an average of 8 hours and 11 minutes a day with radio, TV or the Internet in January 2011, compared with 6 hours and 50 minutes in 2001. The increase in time spent consuming media also reflects a rise of 26 percentage points in the number of Americans with Internet access, the article notes.

“This morning, a colleague in the cab with me spent 20 minutes checking e-mail and listening to things online,” said Tom Webster, an executive at Arbitron, which conducted the study with Edison Media Research, the piece says.

As Premium Video-on-Demand Draws Closer, Theater Chains Threaten Studios

As premium video-on-demand becomes closer to reality, with a plan in the works that would allow consumers to pay $30 to watch movies on their televisions just eight weeks after they open in theaters, the largest U.S. theater chains are threatening the movie studios, reports the Los Angeles Times' Company Town blog.

Regal Entertainment and AMC Entertainment are telling movie studios that they will not either play nor promote any movies that are part of the premium VOD service, according to the report. The theater chains are worried that some people may prefer to wait until they can view the movies at home, rather than go out to a movie theater.

Regal is also reducing the number of trailers it shows from the four studios involved in the premium VOD debut, which are 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. That's because Regal hasn't been told which movies will be part of the premium VOD service, the story notes.

DirecTV is slated to become the first TV service to provide premium VOD, the story says.

Lauer May Be Happy to Stay at 'Today'--for Another $8 Million

Talk of Matt Lauer leaving NBC's "Today"--which surfaced almost immediately after reports that co-host Meredith Vieira would be exiting the show when her contract is up in September--may be posturing by Lauer as he seeks to up his salary, TMZ.com reports.

NBC denies that negotiations are taking place, but the story cites sources connected with the network who indicate the timing of the two reports is no accident. The sources imply Lauer isn’t really interested in leaving the No. 1 morning news show, characterizing his rumored restlessness as a negotiating ploy.

According to the story, Lauer is currently making $17 million annually and would like to see that figure increase to $25 million.

From Around the Watercooler: Video of Jon Stewart on One of His Favorite Targets, Glenn Beck, Leaving Fox News

New Project Brings 'Grey's Anatomy' Star Back to TV, 'Six Feet Under' Writer Back to HBO

One of the stars of “Grey’s Anatomy” has her sights set on an HBO project that will bring her back to TV for the first time since she checked out of the ABC medical series, TVLine reports.

Katherine Heigl, who won an Emmy in 2007 for “Grey’s,” will produce and star in "The Knitting Circle," an adaptation of Ann Hood's bestseller about a woman whose marriage is in turmoil after the death of a child.

“Dirty Sexy Money” creator Craig Wright will adapt the novel for the TV movie, marking his return to HBO for the first time since he was a writer on “Six Feet Under.”

Thursday Ratings: 'Idol's' Numbers Continue to Slip, But Fox Continues to Win

Even with “American Idol’s” numbers off 9% from a week ago and 9% from a year ago in the 18-49 demo, Fox got another easy win in Thursday’s ratings, TVbytheNumbers.com reported.

Fox settled for a 4.8 average rating for the night in adults 18-49, easily beating CBS (2.9 average), Univision (1.6), NBC (1.3) and ABC (1.2). Fox also won total viewers, averaging 16.0 million for the night to 12.4 million for CBS, 4.1 million for Univision, 3.9 million for ABC and 2.8 million for NBC.

At 8 p.m. "Idol" logged the highest number of the night in the 18-49 demo, a 6.1 average rating, ahead of CBS's "The Big Bang Theory" and "Rules of Engagement," with a 3.6 and a 2.5, respectively. CW's "Vampire Diaries" had a 1.2, and NBC's last showing of "Perfect Couples," airing at 8:30 p.m., netted a 1.0, both in the 18-49 demo.

At 9 p.m. Fox's "Bones" was tops with a 3.4 in the 18-49 demographic, while CBS's "CSI" followed with a 2.8. CW's "Nikita" managed a 0.7 in the same demo.

The 10 p.m. hour was won by CBS's "The Mentalist" with a 2.9 in the 18-49 demo, airing against mostly repeats. At 10:30, NBC's fresh "Outsourced" earned a 1.3 in the same demo.

Life of Legendary Quarterback to Be Subject of HBO Doc

The life of one of the most famous quarterbacks of all time will be the subject of an HBO documentary, reports the New York Daily News. The focus of the show is the man who led the New York Jets to a Super Bowl win over the Baltimore Colts in 1969, Joe Namath.

As the star of the Jets in the late 1960s, Namath was a flashy star who was known as Broadway Joe. Namath's off-field lifestyle as a swinging bachelor got as much attention as his excellence on the field.

The Jets’ win over the heavily favored Colts in Super Bowl III was a win that Namath guaranteed beforehand and an event that is seen as key to the later merger between the American Football League and the National Football League.

The HBO documentary is currently in production.

iPads and iPhones Gain Access to ESPN--With a Catch

Consumers with iPads or iPhones will be able to watch ESPN on their devices, but there's a catch: The viewers must also be subscribers to a pay-television service such as Time Warner Cable, reports Bloomberg.

The service, called "WatchESPN," will stream ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 to customers of Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks and Verizon FiOS TV subscribers, the story says. ESPN will begin placing commercials into the video streams in August.

The service differs from the apps from Time Warner Cable and Cablevision, which restrict viewing to a person's home, because it allows viewers to watch from any location, the piece says. ESPN, owned by The Walt Disney Co., is also reportedly talking with Time Warner Cable and Cablevision about how they use ESPN's networks on their iPad apps.

YES Inks Renewal Deal with DirecTV

Metro New York Yankee fans who have DirecTV can breathe a sigh of relief as the satellite provider and the YES network agreed to a new multiyear deal, reports Multichannel News.

The previous deal between DirecTV and YES, the regional sports network home for the Yankees as well as the NBA New Jersey Nets, expired April 2.

Details of the new agreement were not announced, but SNL Kagan estimates that YES and DirecTV settled on a per-subscriber fee of somewhere between $2.60 and $2.82 per month.

Cast of 'Jersey Shore' Settles Contract Holdout, Signs Up for Season 4

The entire cast of MTV’s “Jersey Shore” has signed contracts for Season 4, ending a holdout by several cast members who wanted more money for what they think may be the show’s final season, TMZ.com reported.

The news comes just a day after word surfaced that three of the key holdouts--Snooki, JWoww and Pauly D--will have their own spinoff reality shows on MTV.

Cast members reportedly received substantial pay increases.

Shooting for the new season of “Jersey Shore” is expected to begin in May, with some episodes to be shot in Italy.

America Aghast (at Itself): 'Idol' Viewers Vote Out Singer Who Most Believed Was a Front-runner. Some Explanations Why It Happened

It generally happens at least once a season, though perhaps not this early. A front-runner was voted off of "American Idol" on Thursday night, April 7, 2011.

With nine contestants remaining, Pia Toscano was eliminated from the competition.

Most bloggers who write about the show regularly characterized Toscano's elimination as a huge shock.

The judges were clearly surprised and angered by the elimination, and there were tears in Randy Jackson's eyes.

Judge Jennifer Lopez said, "I -- I have no idea -- I have no idea what just happened here. I'm shocked. I'm angry. I don't even know what to say."

Judge Randy Jackson said, "Dude, I'm never upset on this show and I'm never really mad, but this makes me mad. It's like, 'What is going on?' "

Judge Steven Tyler said, "I don't know America, man. A mistake is one thing, but lack of passion is unforgivable. They're wrong. I don't know what happened with this."

At least one "Idol" blogger, Carla Patton at BuddyTV, writes in her blog that the judges shouldn't have to look too far to figure out why Toscano was eliminated: "Here's the thing: It's obviously not Pia's fault that she was eliminated. She was one of the strongest voices in the group, and she gave us something up-tempo, which we'd been asking for for weeks. But the judges aren't differentiating her that much from say, Haley Reinhart, Stefano Langone or Paul McDonald, when they're all wildly different as contestants.

"When Simon was around, things were pretty cut and dry. He got booed a lot, to the point of tedium, but he always gave a bold, blunt opinion. No one wants to be 'the mean one' this season, so all the contestants are getting largely positive feedback every week from all three judges."

Patton continues, "So if everyone is doing so well each week, (barring a major musical disaster, which has yet to happen this season), what are the judges there for? Encouragement? It really is all up to America this season, and I won't speak for the entire voting population, but personally, I'm confused....I miss the excitement of Simon Cowell saying what nobody else had the guts to say. A shocking elimination was the only way to keep us interested this season. I never thought I would miss all that stuff, but now that we have what I've always wanted -- a real singing competition -- I'm disappointed."

Likewise, over at The Hollywood Reporter, Shirley Halperin listed five theories why a singer clearly as talented as Toscano was eliminated, and one of those theories echos BuddyTV: "Lack of guidance by the judges: With the new judges so positive pretty much all the time, the audience seems unsure of who to vote for. It’s not like the show needs a bully to function, but when you’re faced with the decision of choosing the best in a group of greats, some professional insight is called for and these judges are failing on that front. Suggestion: let Jimmy Iovine have a turn to tell it like it really is. Even a short segment at the end of the live show running down his thoughts on all of the finalists would work, no matter how disjointed it might turn out."

Some of Halperin's other theories about why Toscano received the lowest number of votes this week include "Girls don't like girls: It’s a longstanding trend on 'Idol,' whose audience is overwhelmingly female -- girls don’t vote for the female contestants," and "Presumptive Winner Syndrome: Or PWS, as I like to call it -- it’s when everybody is so universally convinced that a contestant will win, that they basically neglect or forget to vote for that finalist."

Pia Toscano:

'Dancing With the Stars' Participant Does Playboy Spread

A dancer from ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" will pose for Playboy and will be featured on the cover of the magazine's May issue, reports EW.com's InsideTV.

The dancer is Karina Smirnoff, who is Ralph Macchio's partner on the current season of the show, the story notes.

The news came from Hugh Hefner's Twitter feed, with Hefner noting, "The May issue of Playboy is unforgettable with Dancing With The Stars’ Karina Smirnoff on the cover & nude inside,” the article adds.

Smirnoff joins other women connected with the show in posing for Playboy. Host Brooke Burke and contestant Pamela Anderson have also appeared in the magazine, the report says.

Do You Have a Clue? NBCUniversal Cable Network Changing Name

One of the cable networks owned by Comcast's NBCUniversal is changing its name, our good friend Mike Schneider at TVGuide.com reports.

Writes Schneider: "From the company that morphed Sci Fi into Syfy comes another channel name destined to wreak havoc with your computer's spell check. TV Guide Magazine has confirmed that NBCUniversal will change the name of Sleuth, its crime and mystery cable channel, later this spring. The new name? Cloo TV."

The article continues: "Why the name change and quirky spelling? Just as NBCUniversal realized that it couldn't trademark the words Sci Fi, it faced the same problem with Sleuth. (Or Clue, for that matter.) But it can own the word Cloo."

Canceled FX Show--a Hit With Critics But a Dud With Viewers--Being Shopped to Other Nets

An FX show that was canceled despite earning raves from critics, which wrapped up its 13-episode season this week, is being shopped to other networks, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The show is “Lights Out,” a boxing drama from executive producer Warren Leight, which debuted well in January but saw its viewership erode from about 1.5 million for the premiere to 636,000 for the finale--including 393,000 adults 18-49.

"There are easily five years’ more stories for this world," Leight told the publication. He noted that he doesn't believe DirecTV is "as keen on this as they may have once been--I don't mean on 'Lights Out,' I mean saving shows."

He added that there are few outlets for serialized dramas, and that often networks want to fill those slots with their own shows.

"I would love to believe it when it happens. My sense is it's unlikely Showtime would pick up a show that had been on basic cable. There were feelers put out to them," he said.

Time Warner Cable and Viacom Go to Court Over iPad; At Issue: Is the Device a TV?

In a dispute over whether cable companies can allow their customers to watch cable networks over their iPads, both Time Warner Cable and Viacom filed lawsuits on Thursday, seeking to resolve the question, reports The New York Times' Media Decoder blog.

Time Warner Cable maintains that its existing contracts with network providers such as Viacom give them the right to allow customers to watch the channels on devices like iPads. But some network owners take issue with that interpretation, and some have been upset with Time Warner Cable since it introduced its iPad app in March, the piece notes.

On Thursday, Time Warner Cable filed a request for a declaratory judgment in favor of the app in Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York. Just a few minutes later, Viacom said it filed its own suit in the same court, alleging breach of contract and copyright violations, the article says.

Viacom asserts that Time Warner's iPad app, TWCableTV, enables "unlicensed distribution of Viacom's programming." Time Warner Cable, meanwhile, is seeking court confirmation of its view that the iPad and similar devices serve as TVs and that the company has the right to provide in-home viewing on any screen.

Bravo Cancels One of Its 'Real Housewives Editions; Too Dignified?

One of Bravo’s “Real Housewives” editions has been widely expected to get the ax, and now the network has made it official, reports The Washington Post. The network has canceled "The Real Housewives of D.C."

“We had an amazing season and we told stories that were unique to any other in the franchise. I wish all our DC Wives the best and hope to work with them again in another capacity,” Andy Cohen, Bravo’s executive vice president of original programming and development, said in an email, the story notes.

While "Real Housewives of D.C." pulled in a respectable 1.4 million viewers on average, the women on the show "were, quite simply, too dignified," the story says, in seeking to explain why the show was canceled.

When "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" debuted, it opened with 1.5 million viewers; it ended with 3 million viewers watching the finale as people sought to watch "blond, booby, overstated plastic surgery, major house porn," the article says. "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" was renewed last month, it notes.

Singer in Superstar Hip-Hop Group Surfaces as a Contender for 'X Factor' Judge

A new name has surfaced as a contender to join Simon Cowell's "The X Factor," which will debut on Fox in the fall, reports the Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker blog.

The new contender is Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie. Cowell said on a conference call Thursday that her name "was put forward," although he cautioned that the job is "not a two-day-a-week show," the story notes.

Cowell and Antonio "L.A." Reid will be two of the show's four judges, the article says.

Motion Picture Academy Surprise: Indie Queen Named CEO

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ Board of Governors pulled off a surprise Thursday night, naming an outsider as CEO, the L.A. Times reported.

The job went to Dawn Hudson, former head of Film Independent. Longtime Academy exec Ric Robertson, who was expected to get the CEO job, was named chief operating officer.

The moves lock in the executive structure that will replace retiring executive director Bruce Davis.

Hudson spent 20 years overseeing Film Independent, which produces the Spirit Awards and the L.A. Film Festival, the story notes.

"We are a different organization than we used to be,” Academy President Tom Sherak said in a statement. “Now, with the leadership team of Dawn as our CEO and Rick as our COO, we have the ideal combination of new vision and institutional continuity to move us forward.”

Three TV Station Groups Partner to Offer Syndicated News Show

Three top television station groups are working together to offer a syndicated, interactive daily news show that will air this fall, reports TVNewsCheck.

The program, "RightThisMinute," will use social media, citizen journalism, the Internet and mobile technology, the story says. The station groups involved are Cox Media Group, Raycom Media, and The E.W. Scripps Co., which are partnering with MagicDust Television to create and own the show.

Stations owned by Cox, Raycom and Scripps will debut the program in the fall, covering up to 30% of U.S. households.

The show is described as a fast-paced roundup of news stories, including celebrity scandals and "human-condition stories," the article says.

Showtime Picks Up Two Series

Showtime has announced that it is giving pickups to two shows--one drama and one comedy, reports New York Magazine’s Vulture blog.

The shows are the hourlong drama "Homeland" and the half-hour comedy "House of Lies.”

Claire Danes stars in "Homeland" as a CIA agent who suspects that an American POW has terrorist connections, the story notes.

"House of Lies" is based on the book "House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Tell You the Time," and stars Don Cheadle, who plays a powerful consultant. Kristen Bell also stars in the program, the piece notes.

Sign of the Times: Grocery Coupon-Focused Reality Show Tops Everything Else on Cable

Watching people save money at the grocery store is a hit for TLC, whose new reality show "Extreme Couponing" debuted with an average of 2.3 million viewers in back-to-back episodes Wednesday, reports TheWrap.com.

The series was the top-ranked ad-supported cable program among all key demographics, the story adds.

The show, which first aired as a one-hour special in December, ran Wednesday from 9-10 p.m.

'How I Met Your Mother' to Be Shared in Syndication by Two Cable Nets

CBS’s "How I Met Your Mother" will be shared in syndication by two networks, as FX will start airing the program in September while Lifetime, which signed a syndication deal for the show in 2008, will also air the program, reports Deadline.com.

It’s rare for an off-network show--especially a comedy--to be shared by two cable networks, the story points out. On the drama side, “CSI” is shared by Spike and USA.

Lifetime's exclusive rights to “Mother,” from Twentieth Television, will expire in September, when FX plans to begin showing repeats of the program, the story notes. While Lifetime caters to women, FX focuses on a male audience, so the arrangement works for both networks while having little audience overlap, the piece notes.

FX is likely to pair "How I Met Your Mother" with its off-network series "Two and a Half Men," the story adds.

CNN Sees Its Ratings Fall as Interest in World News Fades

CNN's ratings have fallen along with a slowdown in breaking news from around the world, reports Bill Carter in The New York Times' Media Decoder blog.

The network's prime-time numbers have settled back into third place, behind Fox News and MSNBC, as interest in news from locations such as the Middle East and Japan has faded, the story notes. On Wednesday night, for example, CNN finished third in each hour between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., according to the report.

The article points out that Anderson Cooper's program, which had benefited from his reporting from Egypt during its political turmoil and then from Japan after the earthquake and tsunami, remained the most competitive, although it fell behind Greta Van Susteren on Fox and Ed Schultz on MSNBC on Wednesday. Cooper's show drew 865,000 total viewers that night, compared with 2 million for Van Susteren and 1.06 million for MSNBC's "The Ed Show," the piece notes.

Three 'Jersey Shore' Stars Get Their Own MTV Shows

MTV has greenlighted two spinoffs from its hit reality show “Jersey Shore,” with three of the show’s popular stars to be featured, Deadline.com reports.

Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Jenni “JWoww” Farley will share the spotlight in one show, while Paul “DJ Pauly D” Delvecchio will be featured in the other. The shows are untitled.

Both new shows will be exec produced by SallyAnn Salsano, who runs “Jersey Shore.” They’re scheduled to begin shooting later this year for 2012 premieres.

Both shows will track the lives of the stars away from the set of “Jersey Shore,” MTV’s top show of all time.

High-Profile Media Exec Loses Latest Job

An executive known for working primarily in high-profile media positions most of her career has lost her latest gig, reports Crain’s New York Business.

Cathie Black, well-known in media circles as the former chairman of Hearst Magazines and, earlier in her career, as the longtime publisher and president of Gannett's USA Today, has resigned as New York City Schools Chancellor.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg made the announcement at a press conference today, April 7, 2011. The move ends Black’s tumultuous tenure as Schools Chancellor after only three months.

Said Bloomberg: “I take full responsibility for the fact that this has not worked out as either of us had hoped or expected. Now it’s time to look forward, not back.”

Black, who spent eight years at USA Today before serving as president and CEO of the Newspaper Association of America from 1991 to 1996 and then moving on to Hearst, had no background in education, and critics said from the start that she was a poor choice for the job.

She stirred controversy in January when she responded to a question about overcrowded schools by suggesting birth control might be the solution.

Black will be replaced by Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott.

Two Suspects Arrested in Slaying of BET Host DJ Megatron

New York authorities have arrested two suspects in the shooting death of DJ Megatron, the New York Daily News reported.

William Williams, 21, and Richard Cromwell, 20, were reportedly ID’d by video surveillance equipment at the scene of the killing in Staten Island, and were also allegedly identified by witnesses.

They’re accused of stalking Megatron, whose real name is Corey McGriff, and gunning him down on the street about a block from his home around 2 a.m. on March 27.

McGriff, 32, was a rising star in hip-hop who was making a name for himself as host of the BET music show “106 & Park.”

Prosecutors said the two suspects confessed to the killing, with Williams saying he fired the shot that killed McGriff. The pair appeared in court Thursday, pleading not guilty to charges of murder, robbery and criminal possession of a weapon. They were being held without bail, according to the report.

Cromwell allegedly stole McGriff’s watch during the shooting.

Fox Will Give Animated Sitcom Another Season to Catch On

The Fox Network announced that it is giving a freshman show--part of its “Animation Domination” Sunday night lineup--a second season, Deadline.com reports.

The show is "Bob's Burgers," which apparently has been compatible with "The Simpsons," "Family Guy" and "Cleveland Show" even though its ratings have not been spectacular. It logged a 2.2 in the 18-49 demographic in its last airing.

Fox also has two new animated shows ready for next season: “Allen Gregory” and “Napoleon Dynamite.”

This is the second pickup of a scripted show for Fox this year, as "Raising Hope" has also been renewed for a second season.

Ovation Buys Rights to Televise 'Dance' Repeats

The Ovation network has acquired the rights to rebroadcast Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance," reports The New York Times. Beginning in August 2011, Ovation will air the season six and season seven episodes of the competition reality series.

Fox will bring back "So You Think You Can Dance" for season eight on May 26. Ovation will reportedly also acquire rebroadcast rights to season eight.

Ovation will schedule the telecasts in three-hour portions, running Friday to Monday, with the results show airing right after the challenge episode. Like the off-network run of "American Idol," "Dance" will include additional material online to pump up interest in the reruns.

Wednesday Ratings: Strong Opening for Christian Slater's New Sitcom--With Help from 'Idol'

Christian Slater’s new Fox sitcom, “Breaking In,” opened to solid ratings Wednesday night, scoring a 3.5 average in adults 18-49 and 9.9 million total viewers, TVbytheNumbers.com reported. Of course, the show’s lead-in was “American Idol,” which dominated the night, as usual.

Fox wound up with an easy win for the night. In the 18-49 demo Fox finished with a 6.2 average rating, more than double the closest competition. CBS averaged 2.9, Univision had a 1.6, and both ABC and NBC settled for 1.4 averages. Total viewers wasn’t close either, as Fox averaged 19.4 million to 11.1 million for CBS, 5.0 million for NBC, 4.5 million for ABC and 4.1 million for Univision.

At 8 p.m. the first hour of the 90-minute "Idol" collected a 6.8 in the 18-49 demographic, while CBS's "Survivor" followed with a 3.1. NBC's "Minute to Win It" and CW's "America's Next Top Model" had a 1.0 and a 0.9, respectively, both in the 18-49 demo.

At 9 p.m. "Idol's" last half-hour netted a 7.7 in the 18-49 demo, over CBS's "Criminal Minds" with a 3.6. At 9:30 p.m. the season premiere of Fox's "Breaking In" started strong with a 3.5, while ABC's season finale of "Mr. Sunshine" sank to a 1.6 in the 18-49 demo. CW's "Shedding for the Wedding" had a 0.4 for the hour in the 18-49 demo.

The 10 p.m. hour was won by NBC's "Law & Order: SVU" with a 2.3 in the 18-49 demographic, over CBS's "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior" with a 2.1 in the same demo. The season finale of ABC's "Off the Map" earned a meager 1.3 in the 18-49 demo.

'X Factor,' Striving to Distinguish Itself From 'American Idol,' Reveals Plan to Have Two Hosts ... Wait a Minute, Isn't That How 'Idol' Started Out?

Simon Cowell’s upcoming Fox singing competition show “The X Factor’--which he has repeatedly said will not be like “American Idol”--has taken a step apparently designed to help distinguish it from “Idol,” revealing that the show will have two hosts, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

One minor problem: “Idol” also originally had two hosts, Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman. Dunkleman left the show after the first season.

Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of “X Factor” producer FremantleMedia North America, revealed the dual-host plan Wednesday, the story says. She added that producers are determined to make the show look very different from Fox's "American Idol."

“Our job is to make sure the two shows are as distinct as possible,” she told the publication. “For example: We’re making sure there are two entirely different teams with no overlap in terms of individuals who are working on both shows. And from a format and tonal standpoint, they’re very different. In terms of casting the judges, again, we’re making sure the looks are different. And I can reveal that we’ll have two hosts on ‘The X Factor.’”

Vince McMahon's WWE Takes Another Step Away From Wrestling: It's Changing Its Name

Vince McMahon has been positioning his WWE empire as something more than a wrestling operation, and he just announced another step in that process, the Los Angeles Times reported.

WWE is changing its name, sort of. WWE will no longer stand for World Wrestling Entertainment, the story reports. It will be just WWE.

The company will continue to be involved in wrestling entertainment, including broadcasts around the world. The rebranding of the name is McMahon's effort to spur growth via acquisitions and opportunities beyond the wrestling ring.

"I want everyone to look at us in a vastly different way than they have," said McMahon.

Dish Acquisition of Blockbuster Wins Court Approval

Dish Network has won court approval for its $320 million acquisition of Blockbuster following a bankruptcy auction, Bloomberg reported.

“The proposed sale is fair and reasonable,” U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Burton Lifland said today in Manhattan, adding that the Dish offer is in the best interest of the estate. Dish beat out a number of competing bids, notably one from a group led by Carl Icahn.

Lifland said Blockbuster’s ongoing losses prevent it from reorganizing as a stand-alone company. “There appears to be little to alleviate the ongoing deterioration of the debtor’s assets. Dish’s bid does constitute the highest and best offer,” he said.

The story adds: “Lifland overruled objections from landlords, business partners and other creditors about the amounts proposed to pay them under contracts that Blockbuster defaulted on. Film studios, landlords and business partners said the sale wouldn’t satisfy their claims. As of yesterday, 111 parties had filed objections to the sale.”

Baldwin Doing Spin Control After Comments on '30 Rock': 'Here's to Five More Seasons'

Alec Baldwin caused a stir when he commented Wednesday that “30 Rock” would end its run after next season, as reported earlier. Now the actor appears to be doing his best to “unring that bell.”

Baldwin provided a clarification of sorts to The Huffington Post, saying he hopes the NBC sitcom goes on forever even as he reiterated that his own role would wind up before then. “Next year hopefully won’t be the last,” he said.

He concluded: “Here’s to five more seasons.”

Another Longtime 'Today' Host Plans to Leave Show

Just days after the story broke that Meredith Vieira plans to leave NBC’s “Today” show, word surfaced that another of the show’s on-screen fixtures has notified the network he will be departing, ETOnline.com reports.

Matt Lauer has reportedly told NBC he plans to leave "Today" when his contract is up at the end of December 2012.

"Today" issued a statement in response to the report of Lauer's planned departure that read, "There seems to be an awful lot of speculation around news anchors these days, and it's not our practice to comment on any of it. Matt Lauer has a long-term contract with NBC News and 'Today.'"

The story speculates that Lauer might be contemplating rejoining his former co-host Katie Couric, who has said she's working on a syndicated program.

'30 Rock' Baby Boom: Tina Fey Is Pregnant, as Two Castmates Also Expand Families

"30 Rock" star Tina Fey told Oprah Winfrey on a taping of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that she's expecting her second child, reports People.com.

Fey said she's five months pregnant. Fey and her husband, composer Jeff Richmond, have a 5-year-old daughter, the story says.

Fey, 40, was on "Oprah" to promote her new book, "Bossypants." The show will air on April 12, the story says.

Two of Fey’s “30 Rock” castmates also have been working on expanding their families, OK Magazine notes. Jane Krakowski is pregnant, and is due later this month. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Banks recently became a mom through a surrogate.
 

Showtime Going Ahead With 'United States of Tara' Episode With Japan Earthquake Storyline--Written Before Real-World Disaster

Showtime issued a statement about an episode of "United States of Tara" that includes a storyline about a massive earthquake in Japan, noting that it has "deepest sympathy" for the real-life earthquake victims but that the episode was written before the disaster struck, reports the Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker blog.

In the episode, a character is upset that a massive earthquake in Osaka has ruined her plans to move there and starts looking for another Japanese city--one that "doesn't have an A-bomb," the story says.

The episode, which will air Monday, will display a Web address for the Red Cross, so that viewers can learn more about relief efforts in Japan and make donations, the article notes.

'Kennedys' Miniseries Losing Momentum With Viewers

The controversial miniseries "The Kennedys" on ReelzChannel has lost one-third of its audience from its debut Sunday night, reports B&C.

The third episode of the show drew 841,000 viewers on Tuesday night, down from 1.3 million on Sunday evening's premiere, the story notes.

As previously reported, the miniseries had a hard time finding a network home after the History network decided it wasn't the right fit. Producer Joel Surnow blamed Democratic bigwigs for blocking it on History.

Lohan Closes In on Movie Deal

Lindsay Lohan is reportedly in final talks for her first major film role since her rehab, according to TMZ.com. The project is a biopic about mobster John Gotti.

John Travolta appears to be on track to play Gotti, with Lohan close to signing to play Gotti’s daughter Victoria.

The film reportedly has a budget of $75 million.

Emmy Nominee Joins HBO's Tea Leoni Comedy Pilot

The HBO comedy pilot "Spring/Fall" has tapped an Emmy nominee who is a familiar face in HBO projects to star opposite Tea Leoni, reports Deadline.com.

Hope Davis, who received Emmy nominations for HBO’s “In Treatment” in 2009 and “The Special Relationship” in 2010, is joining the project.

The show focuses on the interaction between Leoni's character, a successful designer and mother of 5-year-old twins, and Davis' character, a former famous fashion designer, the story says.

The pilot will be directed by Jake Kasdan, the article adds.

'Grey's Anatomy' Exec Producer Renews With ABC, Signs First-Look Deal With Disney

Mark Gordon, executive producer of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice,” has signed a first-look deal with Disney and has renewed his agreement with ABC Studios, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In addition to his two ABC shows, Gordon is behind two CBS “Criminal Minds” shows and Lifetime’s “Army Wives.” With the new four-year deal, he will continue to executive produce all five shows, the story says.

Gordon has been in business with ABC for 10 years. “I’m so incredibly fortunate to have such a long and successful relationship with ABC Studios,” he said in a statement. “I’m especially pleased we were able to expand our partnership into film with a first-look deal with Walt Disney Studios.”

Poll Shows Trump Among GOP Frontrunners--And No. 1 With Tea Party

In a national NBC/WSJ poll, Donald Trump was tied for second as the Republican candidate respondents would most like to see on the ballot, reports MSNBC.com.

The poll found that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was the clear leader, with 21% of Republican primary voters in favor of him. Trump was tied with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, with both coming in at 17%, the story says.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich received 11% of the Republican voters' support, while former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin came in at 10%, the article notes.

Trump finished first among Tea Party supporters, with 20% of those respondents in favor of him, while Romney came in at 17% with Tea Party members, the story says.

YouTube in Talks to Create 20 New Channels Focused on TV, Music, Sports and Celebrities

YouTube is negotiating with Hollywood studios and music producers to create a lineup of channels that would be tailored to viewer interest in television, music and sports, reports Bloomberg.

The Google-owned company's plans call for $5 million to be invested in each of 20 channels, the story says. Each channel would offer about 10 hours of original programming every week.

The service is expected to be up and running later this year or in early 2012, the piece notes.

The video site will first focus on short programs and music videos.

YouTube had no immediate comment, the article says.

Departing Fox News Host's Syndication Prospects Limited by His Politics

With Glenn Beck departing Fox News, it's unlikely he will end up with a syndicated television show, reports B&C.

Syndicators are showing little interest in Beck because of his conservative bent, the story says. Beck's representatives talked with distributors a year earlier, but were unable to find interest then, the article notes.

Conservative politician Mike Huckabee failed to attract a big audience when he debuted his talk show last summer from Twentieth Television and Fox Television Stations, the story points out.

Highly political hosts are hard to sell to stations, the article notes, pointing out that they might get picked up by stations in regions sympathetic to them but can have a hard time gaining acceptance in other regions.

Larry King Reveals New TV Projects, Including Selling Breath Fresheners in Infomercial

Former CNN host Larry King has a new television role: an infomercial host hawking breath fresheners, reports Advertising Age.

King will appear with his wife, Shawn Southwick, to promote BreathGemz breath fresheners, and he has also taped an ad for Walmart, the article notes.

King tells the publication that while he was at CNN he was limited by restrictions on pitching products, turning down offers to do ads for products such as Bayer aspirin and an American Express ad for the Super Bowl.

King said his Walmart ad shows him interviewing a 6-year-old girl who caught a fish "twice her size" with her dad's help.

Alec Baldwin Drops Bombshell About '30 Rock'

Alec Baldwin, one of the stars of the NBC popular and critical hit '30 Rock' dropped a bombshell the other night, reports Ross Kenneth Urken on New York Magazine's Vulture entertainment blog.

The bombshell is that, according to Baldwin, "30 Rock" will end its run at the end of next season. 

According to the article, published on Wednesday, April 6, 2011, Baldwin and Urken were chatting at a fund-raising gala in New York on Monday night, April 4th, and Baldwin said, " 'I will tell you one thing. And that is our show next year is our last year of the show.' Though Baldwin has made no secret of the fact that he plans to leave '30 Rock' in 2012, this was the first time we've heard that the show itself would close up shop, too. But Baldwin says it's a done deal that Fey will be leaving [as well]. 'Our contracts are expired (in 2012), and Tina is gonna have a big career directing films and writing. She's going to be the next Elaine May. She'll be great.' Reps for Fey and the show declined to comment."

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Glenn Beck Pulling the Plug on Fox News Show

Glenn Beck announced today that he will leave his Fox News Channel show this year, the AP reported.

Beck's company, Mercury Radio Arts, and Fox said that they will create other projects together on Fox News television and digital.

Beck has said that he's grateful for his experience with Fox. He said he "cannot repay [Fox News chief] Roger [Ailes] for the lessons I've learned and will continue to learn from him and I look forward to starting this new phase of our partnership."

Former 'Survivor' Champ Richard Hatch Soliciting Donations so He Can Sue CBS

Richard Hatch, who won $1 million as the first champion of CBS’s “Survivor” and has been in hot water over alleged unpaid taxes, is appealing to the public to try to drum up money to clear his name and sue CBS, TMZ.com reported.

Hatch is reportedly in custody awaiting sentencing for not paying taxes on his “Survivor” winnings. He says he needs $300,000 by April 10 to pay off his tax debt and stay out of prison--and to sue the network, “Survivor” creator Mark Burnett and other people associated with the show.

Hatch wrote an open letter to the public in which he said, "I can prove my innocence if someone will loan me three hundred thousand dollars."

In the letter, Hatch blames CBS for his tax problems: "I have until April 10, 2011 to pay the Malaysian government the tax they are due for the work I did on 'Survivor' ten years ago, taxes the producers of 'Survivor' and CBS Television were legally required to pay to the Malaysian Revenue Board."

Hatch also contended in his missive that the U.S. government has used his IRS woes to generate publicity. The IRS has made him a “poster boy,” he claims. "The government has very effectively exploited my notoriety to their ends and I have been powerless to stop them,” he wrote.

Grammys Slash Categories in Overhaul Designed to Streamline Awards

Grammy organizers announced today that they will slash the number of Grammy Awards next year in an effort to streamline the awards, Reuters reported.

The number of categories will be cut from 109 this year to 78 in 2012, the story reports.

While the biggest categories--album, record and song of the year and best new artist--remain intact, changes include combining the awards for male and female vocal performance; adding a new category, rock performance, in place of separate categories for rock solo vocal performance and rock performance by a duo or group with vocals; and combining the metal and hard rock categories.

Instrumental categories in pop, rock and country are being dropped. The R&B awards are being cut back significantly, while the Hawaiian, Native American and Zydeco or Cajun categories have been abandoned in favor of the new category regional roots music album.

Supersized Lada Gaga Episode of 'Glee' Confirmed

Rumors of an expanded “Glee” episode focused on the music of Lady Gaga have been confirmed, TVLine.com reports. Fox says the 90-minute episode will air April 26, according to the report.

The episode will be called "Born This Way." “Glee" has been in reruns the past few weeks, but will have six new shows in a row beginning April 19.

'NCIS' Dips to Season Low, but CBS Ekes Out a Win in Tuesday Ratings

CBS survived a season-low performance by “NCIS” in the key 18-49 demo to win Tuesday night overall in a tight three-way ratings battle with NBC and ABC, TVbytheNumbers.com reported.

CBS averaged a 2.7 rating in adults 18-49 for the night, edging NBC (2.4 average) and ABC (2.3) and well ahead of Univision (1.5) and Fox (1.1). In total viewers, CBS’s average of 14.0 million was enough to beat ABC (10.8 million), NBC (6.4 million), Univision (4.1 million) and Fox (3.2 million).

At 8 p.m. "NCIS" collected a season-low 3.6 average rating in the 18-49 demographic, while NBC's first hour of "The Biggest Loser" had a 2.4 in the same demo. ABC's "No Ordinary Family" trailed with a 1.5 in the 18-49 demo.

At 9 p.m. ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" results show earned a 3.1 in the 18-49 demographic, just ahead of hour two of "The Biggest Loser" with a 3.0 in the same demo.

The 10 p.m. hour was led by ABC's "Body of Proof" with 2.4 average, followed by CBS's "The Good Wife" with a 2.0 and NBC's "Parenthood" with a 1.9, all in the 18-49 demo.

WE tv Snags Rights to 'Frasier,' 'Roseanne' and 'Will & Grace'

WE tv announced today that it has secured cable rights to three successful sitcoms: “Frasier,” from CBS TV Distribution; “Roseanne,” from Carsey-Werner TV Distribution; and “Will & Grace,” from Warner Bros. Domestic TV Distribution.

The network will roll out the shows over the next two years, leading off with “Frasier,” set to debut this Friday, April 8. WE tv will launch “Frasier Fridays,” running back-to-back episodes of the show from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.

“Roseanne” will follow in 2012, with “Will & Grace” lined up for 2013.

Elizabeth Doree, senior vice president of programming for WE tv and Wedding Central, said in a statement: “The strategy of acquiring these shows was borne out of the success WE tv has achieved with ‘Golden Girls.’ This new crop of series gives WE tv yet another opportunity to present viewers with strong female characters, set against the backdrop of humorous, real-life situations.”

Another Standing O for Sheen--Actor's 'Torpedo' Tour Gets Warm Reception in Cleveland

It’s two out of three for Charlie Sheen on his “Violent Torpedo of Truth--Defeat Is Not an Option” tour, according to TMZ.com. Tuesday night’s show got an enthusiastic response from the Cleveland audience, culminating in a standing ovation.

Sheen also got raves for his second show, in Chicago, after bombing on opening night in Detroit.

The actor made the most of his Cleveland connections during Tuesday’s show, wearing a Cleveland Indians jersey in a tribute to his role in “Major League.” The crowd showed its support for Sheen by chanting “F--k Detroit,” among other things.

Fans generally had positive things to say after the show, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Said one fan, Ben Heckerman: “He surpassed my expectations. He seemed more down-to-earth and cool. He was funny and witty and engaged the crowd.”

Added another audience member, Julia Love, quoted in the THR story: "I loved Charlie Sheen in ‘Two and a Half Men,’ but to be honest, lately since he's left the show he's become even more entertaining, and I love that he's refusing to stop what he's doing even though he got fired. He's doing what he loves, and that impressed me.”

Hulu Closes in on 1 Million Subscribers, Sees Revenue Doubling to Almost $500 Million

Hulu is on pace to almost double its revenue to $500 million in 2011 and to increase its subscriber base to more than 1 million, according to a blog post written by Hulu Chief Executive Jason Kilar.

"It is still very early days for online video and our biggest opportunities/challenges are clearly still in front of us,” Kilar wrote. “We’re thankful for--and humbled by--the response we’ve received these past 90 days from our users, advertisers, and content partners."

He added that Hulu's revenue increased by 90% in the first quarter compared with the year-earlier period, and that Hulu served 50% more advertisers in the first quarter than in the same period in 2010.

MTV Gets New President

MTV Networks announced today that a new president has been named at MTV. The announcement was made by Van Toffler, president of MTV Networks Music & Logo Group.

Stephen K. Friedman has been promoted to president of MTV after serving as general manager since fall 2008. Friedman will oversee MTV and all of its screens, including MTV2, mtvU, MTV.com, MTV Hits and MTV Jams, the company said.

“Since Stephen took over the helm at MTV two and a half years ago, he has done an incredible job helping spearhead the reinvention of the MTV brand for millennials,” Toffler said in the announcement. “He has always placed the audience first; whether it’s creating a new pro-social campaign or leading the charge at mtvU and now MTV, his instincts and thinking have always led us to tap into exactly what the audience is looking for, resulting in great creative and business success.”

The company noted that MTV has had five consecutive quarters of growth under Friedman’s watch, and has launched key shows such as “Jersey Shore,” “Teen Mom,” “16 & Pregnant,” “The World of Jenks” and “Life as Liz.”

Popular Morning Host Plans to Leave Show; Network Tries to Convince Her to Stay

A popular host of a network morning show reportedly plans to leave the program, but the network is trying to get her to change her mind, TVGuide.com reports.

After five years at NBC’s "Today," Meredith Vieira’s contract expires in September. While she has been discussing extending her contract, she's also tired of the show's hours, according to the report. The health of her husband, who has multiple sclerosis and has battled cancer, will also play into her decision, the article notes.

NBC is reportedly trying to convince her to remain with the show. If she does depart, "Today" news anchor Ann Curry is the top candidate to replace her, the story says. Curry would join Matt Lauer as co-anchor of the program.

Vieira, 57, joined "Today" in 2006 when she left ABC's "The View."

New Names in Play for Carell's 'Office' Job: Three-Time Drama Emmy Winner, Former Star of Hit CBS Sitcom and British Comedienne

With three new stars tapped to appear in the season finale of NBC's "The Office," speculation is that one of them might replace outgoing Steve Carell, who plays boss Michael Scott, reports TVLine.com.

The stars are Ray Romano, James Spader and Catherine Tate, the story says. The three will appear as candidates for the office manager's role in the finale, and will be joined by previously announced guest stars Will Arnett and Ricky Gervais, the article notes.

The piece says that only two have a realistic chance of taking on the role full time: Spader and Tate. Romano is committed to "Men of a Certain Age," while Arnett recently signed on for an NBC pilot and Gervais has made it known he won't repeat the role he originated on the British show of the same name.

Tate, an English actress and comedian, starred in "The Catherine Tate Show" and in "Doctor Who."

Spader has won three Emmys as lead actor in a drama series--two for “Boston Legal” and one for “The Practice.”

Romano has a few Emmys of his own for the long-running CBS hit “Everybody Loves Raymond,” winning in 2002 for lead actor in a comedy series and sharing in two wins for outstanding comedy.

Dish Network Outbids Icahn Group, Acquires Blockbuster

Dish Network has snatched bankrupt Blockbuster away from an investor group led by Carl Icahn, lodging the winning bid of $320 million in the early-morning hours Wednesday, TheStreet.com reported. Icahn’s group had temporarily been the frontrunner with a bid of $310.6 million until Dish raised its offer from $307.1 million.

Dish isn’t saying what it plans to do with the movie rental company, but it apparently plans to keep it afloat, the story says.

Tom Cullen, executive vice president of sales, marketing and programming for Dish Network, issued a statement saying: "With its more than 1,700 store locations, a highly recognizable brand and multiple methods of delivery, Blockbuster will complement our existing video offerings while presenting cross-marketing and service extension opportunities for Dish Network. While Blockbuster's business faces significant challenges, we look forward to working with its employees to re-establish Blockbuster's brand as a leader in video entertainment."

The statement indicates Dish intends to use the purchase to gain a brick-and-mortar presence, the story says.

Nomura Equity Research’s Mike McCormack, analyzing the deal, wrote: "It is our understanding that Dish Network plans on maintaining the retail presence and will likely use the Blockbuster store fronts to cross-promote Dish Network. We could also imagine permutations where Dish Network would attempt to use Blockbuster's physical DVD inventory as currency to further the kiosk partnership with NCR."

Contract Dispute Stalls 'Jersey Shore' Italy Trip

With several cast members yet to sign contracts for the next season of MTV's "Jersey Shore," the program's planned trip to film in Italy has been delayed by a month, reports RadarOnline.com.

Producers are also having difficulty signing on venues in Italy where they can film the cast members, the story says. Florence, the regional capital of Tuscany, has been chosen as the next season's Italian base, the article notes.

Snooki, The Situation, JWoww and Pauly D have refused to sign contracts until they receive more pay, the piece adds.

What Was the Highest-Rated Cable Show of the Week? (Hint: It Had Plenty of Slime)

A show aimed at young viewers got a huge audience and wound up beating everything else on cable last week, according to The Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed blog

Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards were watched by 7.3 million viewers, making the program the top cable telecast for the week ended Sunday, according to the report.

The awards show, which aired on Saturday and featured plenty of the cable network’s trademark green slime, was also the week’s top telecast among children 2 to 11 years old, children 6 to 11 years old and those 9 to 14 years old, the story says.

The telecast’s lead-out on Nick, a new episode of "Victorious," set a series high with 6.2 million viewers, the piece adds.

New 'Dr. Drew' Show Pumps Up Time Period for HLN

HLN received a time period boost with the debut of "Dr. Drew," the new prime-time series from Dr. Drew Pinsky, reports B&C.

The series debut drew 401,000 viewers for its April 4 premiere, the article notes. That represents a 24% increase over the previous four-week average for the 9-10 p.m. time slot, the story says.

"Dr. Drew" stars Pinsky as he provides views on the day's news stories, the article adds.

HLN reported that the improvement was even better--61%--in the network's target 25-54 demo.

'The Shield' Creator Signs Three-Year Deal With Sony Pictures TV

Sony Pictures Television has signed a three-year overall deal with "The Shield" creator Shawn Ryan, reports Deadline.com.

The deal will begin June 1, when his current contract with 20th Century Fox TV expires, the article notes. Ryan is finishing two consecutive three-year deals with 20th TV, and while the studio made him an offer for another contract, Sony TV provided the more lucrative offer, the story says.

Sony TV is seeking to move away from signing non-writing executive producers and to bring in experienced showrunners, the piece adds.

Latest War of Words: This Time It's 'Lost' Showrunner vs. 'Game of Thrones' Author

George R.R. Martin, the author of "Game of Thrones," has apparently inadvertently become embroiled in a war of words with "Lost" showrunner Damon Lindelof, reports EW.com's Inside TV blog.

Martin, in an interview with The New Yorker magazine, said he "felt so cheated" when he watched the ending of "Lost." He added that he hopes the television version of his book, which will air on HBO later this month, won't repeat the same mistakes, noting, "I want to give them something terrific. What if I f--- it up at the end? What if I do a ‘Lost’? Then they’ll come after me with pitchforks and torches.”

Lindelof responded in a series of tweets, with comments such as, "I take issue with the fact that he coined ‘Pulling a LOST’ as empirically “f--king up the ending,” the article notes.

In an interview with EW.com, Lindelof noted, "I'm not entirely even sure that George Martin knows that he’s in a feud. When someone says something in an interview, the beauty of Twitter is that it’s a platform for instantaneous response. Unfortunately, he’s not on Twitter."

He added, "You can’t take it too seriously. We’re talking about TV shows; it’s not foreign policy. But when he uses phrases like “f---ing up the ending” or “I felt like someone dropped a turd on my doorstep,” you know: Look, ‘Lost’ is my baby, and you don’t put baby in a corner."

Wannabe Vatican Assassins Put on Notice: Charlie Sheen-Linked Company Files Applications to Trademark Actor's Colorful Catchphrases

Hyro-gliff, a company linked to Charlie Sheen, has filed applications to trademark 22 catchphrases uttered by the former "Two and a Half Men" star during his media campaign last month, reports RadarOnline.com.

The phrases include "Duh, Winning," "Tiger Blood," and "Rock Star From Mars," the piece notes. Also on the list: ‘Vatican Assassin,” “Sober Valley Lodge” and “Sheen’s Goddesses.”

The company also applied to trademark Sheen's name and signature, as well as phrases used in the title of his current stage production, "Violent Torpedo of Truth" and "Defeat Is Not an Option," the story adds.

Is 'Two and a Half Men' Dead? Jon Cryer Finds Temp Work in Stage Production

Efforts to find a replacement for Charlie Sheen on "Two and a Half Men" may be dead, and co-star Jon Cryer may be looking for a new job, reports AOL's PopEater, in its Naughty but Nice blog.

Cryer is currently working on the New York Philharmonic's staging of "Company" where he will play a friend of Bobby, played by Neil Patrick Harris, the story says. It's a limited run, but Cryer could either return to Los Angeles to look for a new TV job or stay in New York for theater work, the piece says.

Cryer's former "Two and a Half Men" co-star Sheen will also be in New York this week for his "My Violent Torpedo of Truth" tour, but the report says Cryer isn't expected to attend the show.

Univision Continues to Make Gains Against English-Language Broadcasters, Now Regularly Beats NBC in Key Demo

Last week Univision attracted more prime-time viewers than NBC, marking the second time in four weeks that the Spanish-language network beat one of the top English-speaking broadcast networks, reports the Los Angeles Times' Company Town blog.

The results may reflect changes in the U.S. demographics, since the 2010 census showed that Latinos make up the fastest-growing segment of the population. Univision said that during the first quarter it beat NBC about half the time in prime-time viewers in the key 18-49 demo.

The article notes that Univision typically falls behind NBC by a wide margin in total viewers, but says the gap has been narrowing as Univision adds viewers and English-language TV broadcast networks lose them.

NBC’s numbers during the first quarter fell short of the figures from a year earlier, when the network had the Vancouver Olympics.

Another Landmark Deal for Netflix as It Nabs Syndie Rights to Emmy-Winning Critical and Cult Favorite 'Mad Men'

In a first-ever, milestone deal, Netflix has bought the syndication rights to the AMC cult/critical favorite "Mad Men," reports the Los Angeles Times Company Town blog. The series has also won multiple Emmys, including Best Drama.

According to the article, "Netflix will pay 'Mad Men' producer Lionsgate between $750,000 and $900,000 per episode, according to people familiar with the situation. The first-of-its-kind deal means that reruns for the critically acclaimed program won't air on a broadcast or cable network, as typically is the case. It's the first time that Netflix has bought syndication rights to a currently airing program for its online streaming service."

Besides showing the growing influence of Netflix, the deal also likely underscores the difficulty some shows have in finding success through the tradtitional syndication model, the article explains: "Serialized dramas such as 'Mad Men' do not perform well in reruns, negatively impacting their value. For example, A&E shelled out $2.6 million per episode for reruns of HBO’s mob drama 'The Sopranos' and the show performed poorly. Reruns of ABC’s “Lost” and Fox’s “24” also did not deliver good returns for various networks."

Indeed, while the show attracts a smallish audience of about 3 million per edisode, the article notes, "The show, however, is expensive to produce. AMC pays close to $3 million an episode for 'Mad Men.' Lionsgate receives an additional $2 million from foreign rights and DVD sales."

Look for the first four seasons of "Mad Men" to be available on Netflix streaming service on July 27th, the article says.

Investigative TV Journalist Denies Being FBI Informant

An investigative TV journalist who was with ABC News and is now with CBS News denied a report that he was an informant for the FBI when he was with ABC, The New York Times reports.

According to the article, "A report published by the Center for Public Integrity put CBS News on the defensive on Tuesday after saying that an unnamed journalist had been treated as a “potential confidential informant” in the wake of the [Oklahoma City] bombing in 1995. Christopher Isham, a vice president at CBS News and chief of its Washington bureau, later issued a statement denouncing the claims, revealing himself as the subject of the report. Mr. Isham, who worked for ABC News at the time of the bombing, said he would have passed information to the F.B.I. only to try to verify it or to alert the bureau to word of a possible terrorist attack."

The Times story says Isham issued a statement saying, "Like every investigative reporter, my job for 25 years has been to check out information and tips from sources. In the heat of the Oklahoma City bombing, it would not be unusual for me or any journalist to run information by a source within the F.B.I. for confirmation or to notify authorities about a pending terrorist attack.”

NCAA Tournament Is Most-Watched 'March Madness' Coverage Since 2005; On-Demand Viewing Surges

CBS Sports and Turner Sports have reported ratings for the combined NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament coverage on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV, declaring that the tournament was the most-watched since 2005. “March Madness” coverage averaged 10.2 million total viewers, with final figures for Monday night’s championship game still to come.

Separately, the companies announced that March Madness on Demand, presented by Turner Sports, CBS Sports and the NCAA, had a whopping 63% increase in total visits along with a 17% surge in total hours of video streaming across all platforms, including online and iPad and iPhone apps.

Broadband and mobile platforms had a combined 52 million visits from Selection Sunday March 13 through the conclusion of the tournament April 4. Video streaming added up to 13.7 million total hours.

The 10.2 million figure for television viewing represented a 7% increase from 9.5 million in 2010, when coverage was exclusively on CBS. The event averaged 10.6 million back in 2005.

The tournament averaged a 6.4 rating/14 share, also up 7% from last year and the highest since 2005.

Sean McManus, chairman of CBS Sports, said in a statement: “The excitement that built during the entire tournament resulted in terrific ratings. The new television format has been appreciated and accepted by the viewers. Although we are only in the first year of our 14-year partnership with Turner Sports, the success we’ve achieved with the best overall tournament ratings since 2005 bodes very well for the future.”

Added David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports for Turner Broadcasting System: “By every measure, the first year of Turner and CBS’s coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship was a success. ... The ratings increases this year also proved that the new television format is more fan friendly than ever. With four national television networks, viewers were able to enjoy more games, coverage and analysis.”

The companies noted that television viewing was up 21% from last year in adults 18-34, up 12% in adults 18-49, up 25% in males 18-34 and up 14% in males 18-49.

Larry King Returns to TV

Former CNN stalwart Larry King, who recently vacated his seat as the cable news channel’s 9 p.m. host, will be making a return to television, reports TVNewser.com. King has been tapped to interview Tavis Smiley on PBS this week.

The interview will air Thursday and Friday on "The Tavis Smiley Show." Smiley is celebrating 20 years as a broadcaster, which will be the subject of the King interviews.

In a statement, Smiley said, “Larry King was an inspiration for me when I started my own late-night talk show eight years ago. One of the highlights of my broadcast career was the opportunity to periodically guest host for Larry King on CNN. It is an honor to now have him interview me on my program. It will be two great nights of conversation as we reflect on our combined 70+ years of broadcasting experience.”

Maybe It's Not Such a Good Idea for Katie Couric to Become a Daytime Talk Show Host

If one is to believe all that one reads, it seems clear that Katie Couric may become a daytime talk show host once she ends her contract--in June--as the anchor of the "CBS Evening News."

TVWeek Open Mic blogger Chuck Ross doesn't think being a daytime talk show host is what Couric should do.

Find out why when you read this intriguing blog entry by clicking here.