television – News Stories About television - Page 32

Call-In Show Lets Iraqis Grill Their Leaders

Nov 23, 2009 4:48 PM CST

Call-In Show Lets Iraqis Grill Their Leaders

Popular program cuts red tape, gets results, frightens politicians

(Newser) - Iraqi politicians are starting to fear a prime-time television in show that gives ordinary citizens a direct chance to berate them. Hosted by portly TV vet Ala Mushin, Hotline will never be mistaken for American Idol, yet it’s become one of the most popular shows in Iraq, NPR reports....

What's Next for
Oprah's Sidekicks

a whole new world

Nov 23, 2009 2:15 PM CST

What's Next for Oprah's Sidekicks

The big O's departure could upset a lot of apple carts

(Newser) - Oprah’s exit from broadcast TV could have big implications for the protégés and hangers-on who owe her their careers. The Chicago Sun-Times looks at what’s next for the denizens of Planet Oprah:

Gayle King: O, the Oprah Magazine should keep on trucking, so King, its editor-at-large,

...

Steelers Fan Kills
Misbehaving Pup

Nov 23, 2009 1:52 PM CST

Steelers Fan Kills Misbehaving Pup

Pit bull would 'not behave' before TV broadcast, so...

(Newser) - A Pittsburgh-area pit bull puppy was misbehaving before a Steelers game, police say, so 22-year-old William Woodson, his girlfriend, and her dog went out for a walk—except that instead of walking, witnesses say Woodson kicked the dog down the street. Once it was incapacitated and almost dead, he left....

Project Runway
Limps to Season's End

tv review

Nov 20, 2009 2:19 PM CST

Project Runway Limps to Season's End

Like the rest of Season 6, finale was a bore

(Newser) - It was hard to care who won last night’s Project Runway season finale, but it was easy to say who lost: fans. The move to Lifetime—and, probably more important, the switch in production companies—proved disastrous for the once-brilliant reality show, Heather Havrilesky writes for Salon . “The...

General Hospital
More Sopranos
Than Soap Opera

why, james franco, why?

Nov 19, 2009 12:05 PM CST

General Hospital More Sopranos Than Soap Opera

James Franco's guest stint highlights shows thuggery

(Newser) - Sure, it’s weird that James Franco is guest starring on General Hospital—but what’s weirder is that the soap is one of the small screen’s most violent creations, even by daytime television’s dubious standards. It stopped being a show about a hospital long ago, writes Willa...

Composers Seek Pay Tune-Up With Teamsters

Nov 18, 2009 4:58 AM CST

Composers Seek Pay Tune-Up With Teamsters

Hollywood composers, lyricists form alliance with Local 399

(Newser) - A group of composers for movies and TV seeking a better deal now have the Teamsters in their corner. The musicians, who complain that their pay is shriveling as studios expect them to absorb more costs, were one of the few groups of Hollywood workers not covered by union contracts....

Hollywood's Least
Funny Comics

Ha. Ha.

Nov 16, 2009 1:40 PM CST

Hollywood's Least Funny Comics

These guys get no respect, and they deserve it

(Newser) - You rarely see Carrot Top or Gallagher anymore, but showbiz is still full of guys who just aren’t funny. Sarah Bell of Newsweek points out the worthiest tomato targets:

Larry the Cable Guy: A really, really poor man’s Jeff Foxworthy, minus any actual jokes.
Carlos Mencia: Makes a

...

Jay Leno Not the Only Prime-Time Loser

Nov 16, 2009 9:54 AM CST

Jay Leno Not the Only Prime-Time Loser

Networks retune their lineup to court young viewers

(Newser) - Network TV's big hits—Modern Family, The Cleveland Show, NCIS: Los Angeles—join a pack of losers and losing news: NBC viewership is down 10% among young adults, ABC and CBS have slipped, too, and Eastwick, Hank, and Trauma have already been canceled. The LA Times surveys the playing field,...

Best TV Series of the '00s

netflix alert

Nov 13, 2009 2:49 PM CST

Best TV Series of the '00s

Joss Whedon, Judd Apatow, HBO prominently featured

(Newser) - From the standard (No. 16, Friday Night Lights) to the quirky (No. 29, Wonder Showzen), the long-running (No. 8, Lost) to the canceled-too-soon (No. 4, Freaks and Geeks), The Onion runs down the 30 best shows of the '00s:

No. 1, The Wire: This drama “unfolded like a great

...

TV's 'Loud and Proud' Gays Should Tone It Down

OPINION

Nov 13, 2009 10:49 AM CST

TV's 'Loud and Proud' Gays Should Tone It Down

Outrageous characters may be hurting the cause

(Newser) - There was a time when homosexuality on TV helped the public become more accepting of gays and lesbians, but that time may be over. As the small screen fills with characters like Glee’s Kurt, “the sensitive gay boy who really wants to be a girl,” and a...

John King
Will Replace
Lou Dobbs

musical anchor chairs

Nov 12, 2009 11:09 AM CST

John King Will Replace Lou Dobbs

Anchor of CNN's 'State of the Union' 'thrilled' with primetime slot

(Newser) - CNN political reporter and State of the Union host John King will replace the abruptly departed Lou Dobbs in CNN's 7pm weekday slot starting early next year. Aside from hosting the network's Sunday political gabfest, King is known for using a touch-screen “magic map” to illustrate his election analysis....

How Reality TV
Ruins Everything

Nov 11, 2009 1:16 PM CST

How Reality TV Ruins Everything

James Wolcott takes on the TV trend that just won't die

(Newser) - Pop culture critic James Wolcott says the dregs of reality TV have ruined television and, in doing so, ruined America. It's not talent-based competitions like Top Chef we need to worry about, he reasons, but programs about the "contrived antics of glorified nobodies and semi-cherished has-beens." His acid-tongued...

O'Reilly: 'We Can't
Kill All the Muslims'

Nov 11, 2009 6:45 AM CST

O'Reilly: 'We Can't Kill All the Muslims'

Fox host suggests motive for US strategy

(Newser) - Fox News host Bill O'Reilly believes the US wants to win the "hearts and minds" of the world's Muslims because we can't kill all of them, the Huffington Post reports. He let slip last night during a discussion with novelist and retired Lt. Col. Ralph Peters about alleged Fort...

Brits Eat Up
Steamy Yank
Vampires

Nov 9, 2009 4:00 AM CST

Brits Eat Up Steamy Yank Vampires

Fangs a lot, gush new True Blood fans

(Newser) - The sizzling TV vampire series True Blood is ringing just as true with British audiences as with American fans. Why? Brits love the "gripping blend of southern American small-town mentality and hideous murders" in the series peopled by "Daisy Duke" Anna Paquin and her "chisel-cheeked" lover played...

Wanda Sykes Show: Working Hard, Hardly Working

TV REVIEW

Nov 8, 2009 3:59 PM CST

Wanda Sykes Show: Working Hard, Hardly Working

Clichés drag down late-night debut

(Newser) - Viewers expecting something fresh and new out of The Wanda Sykes Show—as the unlikely combination of Fox and an African-American lesbian might seem to promise—were sorely disappointed, writes Ken Tucker . The comedian and actor "is terrific: at ease and bawdy," he writes for Entertainment Weekly. But...

Oprah Sets Date for
Cable Launch,
Show Move

NIKKI FINKE

Nov 5, 2009 1:50 PM CST

Oprah Sets Date for Cable Launch, Show Move

Discovery Channel to media mogul: 'Move it or lose it'

(Newser) - The long-awaited launch of Oprah's cable network is set for early 2011, and her syndicated talk show will move to the new Oprah Winfrey Network—and from Chicago to Los Angeles. The switch from Discovery Health Channel to OWN was originally set for mid-2009, and Discovery threatened to rescind the...

Relationships
That Wouldn't
Work in Reality

Nov 4, 2009 3:35 PM CST

Relationships That Wouldn't Work in Reality

Hollywood cooks up some screwed up matches

(Newser) - Hollywood’s great at making us root for relationships that shouldn’t work. But some of them really shouldn’t work. The Nerve imagines if the following couples moved in next-door:

Beauty and the Beast: No, I’m not kissing a dog … he’s really a prince! I swear!

...

Parents Council Freaks Over
Gossip Girl Threesome

Nov 4, 2009 10:27 AM CST

Parents Council Freaks Over Gossip Girl Threesome

Urges local affiliates to preempt the program

(Newser) - The Parents Television Council is on the warpath, this time over news that the upcoming episode of Gossip Girl will feature a threesome. The group has sent a letter to CW affiliates warning that they’ll be “complicit in establishing a precedent and expectation that teenagers should engage in...

V's Great, If You
Like Aliens, Politics

TV Review

Nov 3, 2009 1:45 PM CST

V's Great, If You Like Aliens, Politics

Obama parallels and standard plot bother some critics

(Newser) - Most critics agree that ABC’s much-hyped alien drama V is a well-made show with good acting. But does this remake of the 1983 miniseries feel original? Is it a conservative screed? Here’s what they’re saying:

Who cares if V is believable (it’s not)? All Heather Havrilesky

...

Letterman Scandal
Is Ratings Gold

SURPRISE, SURPRISE

Nov 2, 2009 4:20 PM CST

Letterman Scandal Is Ratings Gold

That and Leno's exit make erstwhile underdog late night winner

(Newser) - David Letterman’s scandalous admission of intraoffice sex and his role in a blackmail scheme appear to have titillated audiences. CBS’ Late Show is up 13% in total viewership for the season over last year. Sure, Dave is off 8% in the adults 18-to-49 demographic, but that’s nothing compared...