Former NBC Exec Warren Littlefield Writing Memoir of ‘Must-See’ Years

Former NBC Entertainment president Warren Littlefield will write a memoir of his years overseeing “Must-See TV,” when the network’s primetime schedule went from third to first place, Variety reports.

He has a deal with Doubleday for a 2011 publication.

Littlefield, now a producer, headed NBC’s entertainment division from 1990 to 1998, when shows such as "Seinfeld," "Frasier," "Mad About You" and "ER" were on the schedule.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Billboard and Fox Team for New Year's Eve Special

Fox will collaborate with Billboard to create a new musical special celebrating the New Year.

Fox's "Billboard's New Year's Eve Live" will broadcast Dec. 31 from two major entertainment hot spots, the strip in Las Vegas and Times Square in New York City, with musical guests performing in concert.

The bands and host will be announced soon, but already set is a retrospective of many famous musical moments from the "Billboard Music Awards" and the official Billboard Top 10 count down of the year in music, movies and television.

-- Allison J. Waldman

CBS' 'Numb3rs' Wrapping Up With Fifth Season

CBS' recent decision to cut the episode order for "Numb3rs" from 22 to 16 was a signal that the show will not be returning for a sixth season, reports Michael Ausiello in Entertainment Weekly.

The producers have been given notice and have accepted the end date as an opportunity to wrap up all the storylines in the remaining shows.

-- Allison J. Waldman

ABC Wins Thursday in Demo, CBS in Total Viewers

ABC's overall average in the key adults 18-49 demographic put it in first place Thursday night, with a 3.7/10, while CBS was smidge behind with a 3.5/9, according to B&C. NBC's comedy line up earned a 2.4/7 with Fox trailing at 2.1/6.

In total viewers, CBS led with 14.4 million for the night.

By the hours, from 8-9, CBS' "Survivor" was tops with a 3.7/10, with ABC's "FlashForward" next at 2.6/7, Fox's "Bones" a 2.5/7 and NBC's "Community" and "Parks and Recreation" 2.3/6 and 2.2/6, respectively.

At 9, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" had a 5.0/13. CBS's "CSI" scored 3.4/9, which was tied on average with NBC's "The Office" (3.9/10) and "30 Rock" (2.9/7). Fox's "Fringe" lagged with a 1.7/4.

The 10 o'clock hour was practically a tie: CBS's "The Mentalist" (3.4/10) and ABC's "Private Practice" had a 3.5/10. NBC's "The Jay Leno Show" pulled a 1.6/5.

-- Allison J. Waldman

Elliott Gould to Appear in 'Law & Order' Episode

Elliott Gould will make a guest appearance on the Nov. 20 episode of NBC's "Law & Order," reports TV Guide.

Gould will play a Harlem business owner who's fed up with the crime in his neighborhood, taking the law into his own hands.

-- Allison J. Waldman

Julianne Moore Guesting on '30 Rock'

Julianne Moore will be guesting on NBC's "30 Rock" perhaps as a new squeeze for Alec Baldwin's Jack Donaghy character, reports E! Online.

The two actors were spotted filming on location in Rockefeller Center, in close proximity to the GE Building.

-- Allison J. Waldman

NBC General Counsel Says Discussions With FCC Over Spectrum are Inevitable

 NBC Executive VP and General Counsel Rick Cotton said it’s inevitable that broadcasters will have a discussion with the FCC about the government’s desire to reclaim some broadcast spectrum to use for wireless broadband, reports B&C.

The topic is "a set of discussions that are going to have to take place," Cotton said. He added that "the network local affiliate over-the-air broadcast system has served this country enormously well over a period of 60 or 70 years. I don't think anyone wants to see, frankly, damage done to that system." 

--Elizabeth Jensen 

'Benny Hill' Image Rejected Royal Mail for Stamp Series

The U.K.'s Royal Mail service has rejected using an image from "The Benny Hill Show" for a set of stamps commemorating the 50th anniversary of ITV, reports the Telegraph.

The Royal Mail explained that there had been concerns raised about using an image from Hill 's show because some sketches on the program were deemed politically incorrect

-- Allison J. Waldman

Everyone--and We Do Mean Everyone--in Hollywood is Buzzing About What Oprah---and the ABC Owned Stations She's On--Might Do. Here's What We Hear. What Do YOU Hear?

TVWeek Open Mike blogger Chuck Ross has spoken to a lot of TV insiders about what Oprah--and the ABC owned-and operated TV stations-- might do. One scenario about the ABC stations in particular is quite intriguing.  Click here to read.

--Tom Gilbert

Fake Hangman’s Noose on ‘The Office’ Draws Criticism from Suicide Prevention Groups

A scene from a recent episode of "The Office" where Steve Carell's character tries to scare young children by struggling in a hangman's noose in the company’s haunted house has come in for criticism from some suicide prevention groups, the Associated Press reports.

"We try not to be zealots about this," said Robert Gebbia, executive director of The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. "But this one ... kind of crossed the line."

The foundation and other mental health groups worry that the depiction might encourage some who are mentally ill to commit suicide. NBC had no immediate comment.

--Elizabeth Jensen