Hugh Jackman will serve as host for February’s “81st Annual Academy Awards” telecast on ABC, the network confirmed Friday. This will be Mr. Jackman’s first time hosting the ceremony. He previously hosted the Tony Awards twice, winning an Emmy for…
Writers for VH1’s “Best Week Ever With Paul F. Tompkins” have signed contracts to work under the Writers Guild of America. Producers of the show signed deals with the WGA East to cover writers under the guild’s Minimum Basic Agreement….
HGTV.com unveiled its redesigned Web site today. The new user-friendly Web site allows visitors to personalize their experience with the “My HGTV” feature, in addition to providing video, product search assistance, social features and in-depth program information. Users will also…
The incoming chairmen of the Senate and House committees that oversee the Federal Communications Commission are urging its chairman, Kevin Martin, to devote his remaining days to the digital TV transition and to postpone FCC action on several controversial issues….
At a time when few sitcoms are being introduced by the broadcast networks, CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” has exploded into a hit show, the Wall Street Journal reports. Of course everything is relative: on its best night “Big Bang”…
A&E Television Networks last week cut 20 employees, half of whom were freelancers and the rest largely from its digital media unit, Advertising Age says. The layoffs are notable because A&E Television Networks, which is made up of A&E Network,…
The Golden Globe nominations announced Thursday left out many of TV’s most watched and most acclaimed shows, the Los Angeles Times says. On the snub list: “Lost,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Two and a Half Men,” “The Wire,” “The Shield,” “Boston Legal,”…
Cable film network ReelzChannel canceled its flagship show “Dailies” and fired more than 40 people, the Los Angeles Times reports. The channel decided to depend solely on advertising, a move that’s backfiring as the economy tanks, the paper says. —Jon…
NBC is in discussions to extend programmer Ben Silverman’s contract for at least another year, the New York Post says. NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker wants to give him another 12 months to work with the network’s programming. NBC recently…
The new premium cable channel being launched by Viacom, Lionsgate and MGM will be called Epix, Media Post says. Studio 3 Partners, the company that operates the network, filed multiple trademark applications for the name, the Web site says. Viacom…