Cable

‘American Horror Story’ Season Three: Showdown Between Two Oscar-Winning Actresses?

Another Oscar-winning actress has signed on for the third season of "American Horror Story," the FX horror anthology, reports EW.com’s Inside TV. Kathy Bates will join the show, setting up a possible showdown with another Oscar winner, Jessica Lange, the…

Nickelodeon Developing ‘Dora the Explorer’ Spinoff

A spinoff of the popular animated children’s show "Dora the Explorer" is coming to Nickelodeon, the network announced during its annual upfront presentation, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The spinoff will be targeted to preschoolers, and is one of more…

ABC News Hires Its Second New York Times Staffer in Two Days

One day after ABC News hired one of The New York Times’ best-known political correspondents, the network went back to the well. The New York Times’ Media Decoder reports that ABC News has hired New York Times national correspondent Susan…

‘Downton Abbey’ Adds Black Character

The popular PBS historical drama "Downton Abbey" is about to introduce its first black character, reports the U.K.’s The Sun. The character will be added as part of a storyline about 1920s race relations, according to the report. A casting…

Los Angeles Waives Fees for Pilot Production

The fees that are paid by television pilots to tape in Los Angeles have been waived by the Los Angeles City Council in a unanimous vote, reports Deadline.com. The council also waived similar fees for the first year of production…

Bobby Brown Sentenced to Jail Time

Singer and reality television star Bobby Brown has been sentenced to jail in connection with his October drunk-driving arrest, reports People.com. Brown received a sentence of 55 days in jail and four years of probation. He was pulled over Oct….

PIX PUB ANKLES BIZ. Print This Item for Your Future Grandkids. End of an Era for Those in the Movie and TV Biz. After 80 Years, the Bible of the Entertainment Business, Daily Variety, to Publish Its Final Print Edition March 18. Online to Continue

Daily Variety, which began publishing 80 years ago, in 1933, will publish its last print edition on March 18, 2013, reports its sibling publication, Deadline.com. (Deadline owner Penske Media Corp. bought Variety last fall.) The article, by Deadline founder Nikki Finke, is…

Could Be a Landmark: MSO Cablevision Files Anti-Trust Suit Against Viacom. What the Lawsuit Does and Does Not Mean About the Bundling of Cable Channels

"Don’t be confused: Cablevision’s anti-trust suit decrying the evils of "anti-consumer" bundling by Viacom, which have pushed cable-bills up oh-so-high, has nothing to do with the frustrations consumers have with cable bundling." So writes staff writer Rebecca Greenfield at the…

Tough Monday Night for CBS, With Three Shows Sinking to Series or Season Lows

CBS is the latest network to be bitten by the “historic ratings low” bug, based on Nielsen overnights for Monday prime time. TVbytheNumbers.com reports that three of the network’s series hit season lows or series lows in the key 18-49…

AMC’s ‘Breaking Bad’ Finds Cable Home for Syndication Run — With a Marathon to Kick Things Off

AMC’s perennial Emmy contender “Breaking Bad” has found an outlet for its move into syndication. The drama series will move to Sundance Channel, which acquired the rights to the first four seasons of the show, according to The Hollywood Reporter….