Examiner Finds David Carradine Died of Asphyxiation, Suicide Ruled Out

A medical examiner has concluded that David Carradine died of asphyxiation last month, the Hollywood Reporter says.

Michael Baden, a forensic pathologist hired by Carradine’s family to conduct a follow-up investigation, told Reuters, “The cause of death was asphyxiation, an inability to breathe, now why that happened is still what we're working on.”

However, suicide has been ruled out as a cause due to the way Carradine’s body was found.

Carradine’s body was found in his Bangkok hotel room on June 4. According to the Reporter, some media outlets have suggested that he could have due to accidental autoerotic asphyxiation.

"He didn't die of natural causes, and he didn't die of suicidal causes from the nature of the ligatures around the body, so that leaves some kind of accidental death," Baden also said.

--Sergio Ibarra
 

Katie Holmes to Perform on 100th ‘Dance’ Episode in Judy Garland Tribute

“So You Think You Can Dance” executive producer Nigel Lythgoe confirmed Katie Holmes will be performing on the Fox dancing competition in a tribute to Judy Garland to help celebrate the show’s 100th episode, People.com reports.

Lythgoe made the confirmation during Wednesday night’s “Dance” performance episode.

Holmes’ performance, scheduled for the July 23rd episode, will also help kick-off the Dizzy Feet Foundation, a charity co-founded by Lythgoe, Holmes and “Dancing With the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba and “Hairspray” director Adam Shankman, who also serves as a guest judge on “Dance.”

--Sergio Ibarra
 

‘American Idol’s’ Crying Girl Rejected During Audition

Ashley Ferl, the young girl most known for crying during a performance from “American Idol” finalist Sanjaya Malakar during the competition’s sixth season, auditioned for the Fox series and was rejected, Access Hollywood reports.

Ferl, who recently turned 16 and was able to compete in the show, auditioned in Pasadena, Calif. According to the show’s site, she did not make it beyond the first round.

--Sergio Ibarra

WB Not Into ‘Veronica Mars’ Feature Project, Says Kristin Bell

Warner Bros. has “no enthusiasm” for a feature film based on the cult favorite TV series “Veronica Mars,” EW.com reports.

According to the show’s star Kristin Bell, she and creator Rob Thomas pitched the project at Warner Bros. and to producer and director Joel Silver, but faced the studio roadblock.

Bell suggested to EW.com that a letter-writing campaign might boost interest.

--Sergio Ibarra

The Buzzmakers: Four Shows You Need to Be Watching

The Fourth of July holiday is upon us—and that means it's time to declare your independence from subpar television.

All this week, TVWeek.com has beeb turning the spotlight on some of the small screen's most promising new series, young shows with breakout potential.

We're calling these shows the Buzzmakers. You'll call them signs of intelligent life in a TV universe dominated by summer reruns and reality retreads.

Our selections:

"Being Erica" (SoapNet) - The Canadian drama first premiered up north on CBC Television, but found a following in the states after a run on SoapNet. The series has earned positive notes from The New York Times (“a sweet, blender smoothie of a concoction”), Entertainment Weekly (a “rare find—a smart, funny single-girl show that’s shockingly relatable for being about a gal who can time travel”) and USA Today (“a time-traveling, funny, romantic drama” that “reminds me a lot of 'Felicity,' a tad of 'Lost' and has a bit of '90210'-esque soap-y flavor thrown in”).

"Better Off Ted" (ABC) - “Better Off Ted” is giving NBC's “The Office” a run for its money as TV's most so-true-it's-funny workplace comedy. The show has enjoyed critical raves and a loyal viewer following stemming from Fresco's previous cult comedy “Andy Richter Controls the Universe,” giving the network that inexplicably kept renewing “According to Jim” some major credibility in the comedy department. Alan Sepinwall of the New Jersey Star-Ledger called it “one of the funniest shows on TV right now,” while Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker raved that a recent installment had “more good jokes per minute than on any other sitcom this year.”

"Party Down" (Starz) - With a dream cast featuring regular Judd Apatow players (Martin Starr, Jane Lynch, Ken Jeong), numerous cult film and TV stars (Ken Marino, Lizzy Caplan) and a gaggle of regular cast (Ryan Hansen, Adam Scott, Marino) and guest stars (Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni) from co-creator Rob Thomas' canceled fan-favorite “Veronica Mars,” each cast member of “Party Down” brings his or her own built-in fanbase. 

"Sons of Anarchy" (FX) - While some critics were slow to embrace "Sons" when it bowed last September, by the time season one wrapped up, many were downright giddy with enthusiasm for Sutter's creation. Alan Sepinwall of Newark's Star-Ledger raved "the show has improved so much that its continued existence is one of the few things making it easier to accept" the end of "The Shield."
 

Conan Scores Another Late Night Win, Beating Dave in Viewers and Demos; MJ and Obama Boost 'Nightline'

"The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" continued to dominate the late night ratings, notching its fourth straight demographic victory over "Late Show David Letterman" during the week ending June 26.

O'Brien also regained his lead over CBS's "Late Show" among total viewers, according to Nielsen. Letterman's broadcast, boosted by the host's Sarah Palin squabble, had squeezed by O'Brien's show a week earlier.

"Tonight" averaged a 1.4 in the adults 18-49 demo for the week of June 25, compared to a 0.8 for "Late Show."

In overall viewership, "Tonight" averaged 3.69 million viewers, while "Late Show" drew 3.46 million.

ABC's "Nightline" actually had the biggest average audience of any latenight show for the week, with 3.89 million overall viewers. However, direct comparisons are unfair since the ABC newsmagazine signs off at 12:05, while the other shows are an hour.

"Nightline" was boosted by its exclusive town hall meeting with President Obama and, of course, two nights of Michael Jackson coverage.

--Josef Adalian 

John Stossel Slams ABC After It Bumps His Report for One on Jackson

The co-host of “20/20” John Stossel vented publicly on ABC’s Web site after the network pulled his report on Canadian health insurance for an update on Michael Jackson last Friday, the day after the singer’s death, the New York Post says.

“I am sick of the Michael Jackson coverage,” Stossel wrote on his abc.com blog, adding that, “I hate it that ABC didn't run my piece.”

He didn’t stop there, adding that “free markets sometimes encourage pandering to the masses,” and noting, “Of course, maybe my bosses made the wrong choice. Maybe more viewers would have tuned in for my health care report. But the beauty of the market is that if they regularly choose wrong, they will go bankrupt.”

--Elizabeth Jensen

NBC Universal, Group M Upfront Deal Said to Be Wrapped

NBC Universal and Group M have wrapped up the first upfront deal of the year, sources tell Broadcasting & Cable.

The two companies denied that the deal is complete. Source said the agreement calls for an overall 7 point CPM decline on the broadcast side and a 3 point decline on the cable side. The network part of the deal was divided into two parts, with higher CPMs for NBC’s 8-10 p.m. block and lower ones for the 10 p.m. Jay Leno talk show strip.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Young Broadcasting to Go on Auction Block

Young Broadcasting has opted not to restructure and will head to the auction block in New York on July 14, the Tennessean says.

The company, which owns 10 stations nationwide, including Nashville’s WKRN, filed for bankruptcy in February as the ad market declined.

--Elizabeth Jensen

Big Payday for News Corp.’s Chase Carey

Chase Carey will be rewarded handsomely for his decision to rejoin News Corp. as deputy chairman, president and chief operating officer, the Los Angeles Times says.

He received a signing bonus of $10 million, will earn a base salary of $8.1 million and could earn annual performance bonuses of as much as $25 million during his five-year contract, according to documents the company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

--Elizabeth Jensen