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GE’s Immelt Joins Obama White House, Takes On Role in Rebuilding U.S. Competitiveness

General Electric Co. President Jeffrey Immelt, who has put in considerable time as a key player in media and television as part of the team running the company that owned NBC, has been named by President Obama to head the…

Verizon Sues FCC Over Net Neutrality

In what is seen as the first major challenge to the Federal Communications Commission’s new net neutrality rules, Verizon is suing the agency to try to get a court to overturn the rules, PC Magazine reports. “Verizon’s court challenge is…

Roger Ebert to Reveal His New (Old) Look When PBS Movie Review Show Debuts This Weekend

Veteran TV film critic Roger Ebert, whose appearance changed when he underwent treatment for thyroid cancer, plans to reveal his “new face” and his facial prosthesis when his new PBS show, "Roger Ebert Presents At the Movies," premieres this weekend,…

Another Kardashian Gets an Offer to Pose Naked–And This Time It’s From Playgirl

The latest Kardashian to receive an offer to pose naked in a magazine isn’t who you might expect, reports Us Magazine. This time the offer comes from Playgirl, with a rep for the publication confirming that it has offered Rob…

Saying Show Isn’t a Fit for its Brand, Major Advertiser Pulls Ads from MTV’s ‘Skins’

Saying that the show isn’t the right fit for its brand, a major advertiser has pulled its ads from MTV’s scripted program "Skins," reports the Hollywood Reporter. The advertiser is Taco Bell. According to the story, "Spokesperson Rob Poetsch tells The Hollywood…

Jon Stewart Invites Fox News’ Glenn Beck to Appear on his Comedy Central Show

After Glenn Beck appeared on "Today" to promote a new self-help book and referenced Jon Stewart, Stewart issued an invitation to Beck to appear on his show, reports the Los Angeles Times’ Show Tracker blog. Beck was promoting "The 7:…

Ricky Gervais Says He Did NOT Do What Most Producers Would Have Done Upon Hearing That Steve Carell Wanted to Leave ‘The Office’

Ricky Gervais said he didn’t try to stop Steve Carell from leaving the U.S. version of "The Office," which Gervais co-created and of which he is one of the producers, reports Deadline.com Reporting on a conversation Gervais had on CNN’s…

ABC Reneges on Promise to Kimmel That His Show Would Eventually Replace ‘Nightline’ at 11:35 p.m., But the Network Does Give Him an Earlier Start Time

"Jimmy Kimmel Live" will get an earlier start time beginning Feb. 4, 2011, reports our friend Bill Carter in The New York Times’ Media Decoder blog. According to the article, ABC "had promised Mr. Kimmel for some time that the move would…

Coverage of Betty White’s 89th Birthday Celebration

Betty White turned 89 this past Monday, Jan. 17, 2011. Open Mic blogger Aaron Barnhart of TVBarn was in on the part of the celebration that took place in Kansas City–a party thrown by the Hallmark folks. To read all…

Nickelodeon to Debut ‘Spongebob’ Episode on Facebook, Followed by Prime-Time TV Special; Stars of the New Episodes Include Amy Sedaris and ‘Big Love’s’ Ginnifer Goodwin

Nickelodeon said it will debut an episode of "Spongebob Squarepants" on Facebook, followed by a longer prime-time special on television. The special, called "Legends of Bikini Bottom," is an anthology of five Spongebob stories, with the first of the five…