Business

‘Mad Men’ Finally Gets Official OK for Season Five; Oddly, Though, AMC Said It Doesn’t Know WHEN the Show Will Be Back

"Mad Men," one of the most acclaimed cable shows in recent years, is coming back for another season, the Huffington Post reports. Joel Stillerman, AMC’s senior vice president of original programming, made the announcement Friday at the Television Critics Association…

Showtime’s Sunday Premieres Pull in Big Numbers

Showtime is reporting big ratings ratings for its Sunday night lineup, which featured the season premiere of “Californication” and the series premieres of “Shameless” and “Episodes.” “Californication,” returning for its fourth season, had its best season premiere ever, the network…

ABC News Keeping Door Open to Possible Partnership With Bloomberg

ABC News is leaving the door open to a possible partnership with cable news outlet Bloomberg News, The New York Times reports in its Media Decoder blog. That’s the word from Ben Sherwood, the new president of ABC News. Sherwood…

Peter Yates, Oscar-Nominated Director of ‘Breaking Away,’ ‘Bullitt,’ ‘The Dresser,’ Dead at 82

Film director and producer Peter Yates, best known for "The Dresser," "Breaking Away" and "Bulliitt," died Sunday in London following a long illness, at the age of 82, reports Deadline.com. The British-born Yates was nominated for Oscars as best director…

Word Is In on Whether TLC Will Do Another Season of ‘Sarah Palin’s Alaska’

"Sarah Palin’s Alaska" has been one of the most successful shows ever for TLC, and now the network has apparently decided whether the widely buzzed-about show starring the former governor of Alaska will be back for a second season, Entertainment…

Nielsen Launches Roadshow For IPO

"CNBC is reporting that Nielsen Holdings, the global TV rating and consumer measurement company is launching its IPO road show this morning with meetings at J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley, reports Deadline.com. Nielsen has said that the price it expects on January…

TV Writer Warns of ‘Dumbing-Down’ Effect on Television From Growth of Google TV and Similar Services

With this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas showcasing high-tech tweaks on the TV model such as Google TV, veteran industry reporter Tim Goodman, writing in The Hollywood Reporter, warns that the changes that are on the way for…

New Law Targets Phony Celebrity Twitter and Facebook Accounts

A new law in California may spell trouble for fake celebrity Twitter and Facebook accounts, reports EW.com’s PopWatch blog. The law prohibits impersonating another individual online for the reason of "harming, intimidating, threatening or defrauding a person," the story notes….

AT&T Reportedly Cuts Price of iPhone in Half, Bringing Device Under $50

AT&T is cutting the price on Apple’s iPhone 3GS in half, offering the devices for $49, down from $99, for users on contracts, Bloomberg News reports. According to the article, the price cut goes into effect today, Jan. 7. However…

Can Anderson Cooper Replace Oprah? Oprah’s Answer Is Short and to the Point

Oprah Winfrey was asked at the TCA Press Tour whether Anderson Cooper, who is working on a daytime show to debut this fall, could replace her, and Winfrey responded with an emphatic "no," reports the Los Angeles Times’ Show Tracker…