Cable

Study in Contrasts: Whereas Fox and Its Affiliates Are Feuding Right Now About Retrans/Program Fees, ABC and Its Affiliates Are Seemingly Getting Along Just Fine, Thank You

Interesting interview in TVNewsCheck with Cox’s Bill Hoffman, who is the general manager of WSB in Atlanta and who is also the chairman of the ABC affiliates board. In contrast to the conflict currently between Fox and its affiliates over…

Clearances Top 90% for ‘Law & Order: Criminal Intent’s’ Return to Broadcast Syndication

Returning to broadcast syndication as a strip starting in the autumn, NBC Universal’s "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" has topped the 90% mark in clearances, B&C reports. The show is being offered for the first time as a two-hour block,…

Lohan Offers an Excuse for Alleged Necklace Theft, May Catch a Break on Felony Charge

Lindsay Lohan has provided an explanation for her failure to return an allegedly stolen necklace to a Venice, Calif., jewelry store, the New York Daily News reported. Meanwhile, TMZ.com reported that the actress may catch a break if it turns…

Lifetime Orders Reality Show Starring Famous Comic Actress Who’s Now Farming Macadamia Nuts

Lifetime Television announced today that it has ordered 16 episodes of a new unscripted series following an Emmy-winning actress, comedian and best-selling author who has slipped out of the spotlight recently to run a farm in Hawaii. The star is…

Sports Show Scores a Big ‘Get’ When Charlie Sheen Calls In, Fesses Up About His Partying, Lashes Out at CBS and Warner Bros. Execs, Says He’s ‘100%’ Clean and Wants to Get Back to Work

The major networks are chasing after Charlie Sheen to get an interview about his recent troubles, but it was a much lower-profile show that got the star to call in Monday to chat about baseball, partying and his desire to…

Lady Gaga’s ’60 Minutes’ Revelations: Smoking Pot, Drinking Whiskey and Showing Up in Her Underwear

Lady Gaga was a big winner in the Grammy Awards, taking home awards for best pop vocal album and best female pop vocal performance. But much of the chatter after Grammys Sunday has been about the lead-up to the Grammys…

HBO Has Something New in Mind for Cinemax (Hint: It Wants to Shed Its ‘Skinemax’ Nickname)

HBO is quietly revamping its Cinemax sister channel, a process that is moving it away from the late-night, soft-core focus that earned it the nickname "Skinemax," the New York Post reports. After a transition that has been taking place since…

Coming From Apple: Smaller, Cheaper iPhones

Apple is working on developing new versions of the iPhone that will be cheaper and smaller and are geared at competing with Google’s Android software, Bloomberg News reports. Apple’s also working on technology that makes it easier to use the…

IFC Renews Comedy for Second Season

An IFC comedy series has received an order for a second season from the network, which wants 10 new episodes, Deadline.com reports. The season is scheduled to debut in January 2012. The show is Fred Armisen’s comedy series "Portlandia." Although…

She Played the Bunkers’ Neighbor and Laverne and Shirley’s Landlady; Sitcom, Broadway and Film Star Betty Garrett Dead at 91

Betty Garrett, an actress whose career ranged from Broadway shows to film musicals to television hits such as "All in the Family," has died, reports The New York Times. She was 91 and the cause was an aortic aneurysm, the…