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Daily Archives : Apr 21, 2011

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…

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…

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…

‘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…

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…

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…

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….

Guest Blog: Vast Wasteland My Ass–Why Newton Minow Wasn’t The Programming Shark He Thought He Was When He Coined That Famous Phrase

[Editor’s Note: This is a guest blog by our friend Norman Horowitz. Norman started in the TV business in 1956, when he was 24. He has been President of Worldwide Distribution for Columbia Pictures TV (Screen Gems); President of Polygram…

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…

‘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…