television – News Stories About television - Page 51

Soaps Slip on Auto Ad Woes;
Even Lucci Takes Pay Cut

Nov 28, 2008 12:20 PM CST

Soaps Slip on Auto Ad Woes; Even Lucci Takes Pay Cut

Dramas cut budgets amid fears of lost advertising

(Newser) - Trouble in the auto industry is causing drama for daytime TV as soaps lose big advertising dollars, Advertising Age reports. Local dealerships are key backers of the shows, which have been in a ratings decline for years. The upshot: trimmed budgets, fewer sets, and dropped actors, including a pair of...

Ledger Tragedy
to Hit Law & Order

Nov 26, 2008 8:56 AM CST

Ledger Tragedy to Hit Law & Order

Law & Order will borrow storyline

(Newser) - Heath Ledger’s death is set to provide Law & Order with another “ripped from the headlines” episode, the New York Post reports. An upcoming show about a male supermodel who “has a great career and gets all the ladies” is based on Ledger’s demise, say an...

Smile, NFL
—You're in 3-D

Nov 24, 2008 5:05 PM CST

Smile, NFL —You're in 3-D

(Newser) - The NFL is embracing new technology and exploring the possibility of broadcasting games in 3-D, the Wall Street Journal reports. Select industry insiders and executives have been invited to watch the Dec. 4 Chargers-Raiders game live at private screenings in theaters in LA, Boston, and New York. "We want...

Unhappiest
Watch Boob
Tube the Most

Nov 23, 2008 5:34 PM CST

Unhappiest Watch Boob Tube the Most

Happy people socialize, pray, in free time: study

(Newser) - Unhappy Americans watch more TV, or TV-watching makes Americans unhappier—a new study isn't sure which. But the survey of nearly 40,000 people shows that those who watch 30% more television are less happy than those who pass their time in other ways. Sex, sports, and playing or reading...

Sarah Palin, Come Back! SNL Needs You

Nov 23, 2008 1:07 PM CST

Sarah Palin, Come Back! SNL Needs You

Show loses its edge without the moose-hunting governor

(Newser) - Without Sarah Palin and with a dull Barack Obama impression on its hands, Saturday Night Live is in election withdrawal, Alex Carnevale writes for Gawker. The show’s opening skit about congressional hearings on automaker bailouts was “less than hilarious,” and it “tried to squeeze jokes out...

Colbert's
Christmas
Parody Tacky
But Fun

TV Review

Nov 22, 2008 2:22 PM CST

Colbert's Christmas Parody Tacky But Fun

Stephen tries too hard in special, but fans will enjoy it

(Newser) - Stephen Colbert fans will find much to love in his parody of old-time Christmas specials, though critics carp that the gags are too long and chuckles too few. “Colbert is delightful,” writes Alessandra Stanley of the New York Times, but “the show is too long and more...

Oprah's Newest
Favorite Thing: Thrift

Nov 21, 2008 2:11 PM CST

Oprah's Newest Favorite Thing: Thrift

Talk-show host's holiday goodie bag will be unusually downscale this year

(Newser) - Oprah’s favorite things this year are cheap, cheap, cheap, Us Magazine reports. The TV host, who usually gives away pricey items on an annual holiday show, will bow to the economy and push affordable stocking-stuffers instead. The Nov. 26 airing also includes DIY tips, with viewers meeting “a...

ABC Cancels Daisies, Eli Stone

Nov 21, 2008 8:57 AM CST

ABC Cancels Daisies, Eli Stone

ABC cancels three shows

(Newser) - In a sweep of pre-holiday cuts, ABC has decided to pull the plug on Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, and Eli Stone after the current season, reports E! Online. Daisies executive producer Bryan Fuller says plans are in the works for a comic book and feature film to continue the...

Kiefer Had to
Kick Butts
in Slammer

Nov 18, 2008 10:33 AM CST

Kiefer Had to Kick Butts in Slammer

Star spent 48 days in big house without smoking

(Newser) - Not surprisingly, Kiefer Sutherland didn’t find prison a pleasant experience. “There’s no smoking,” the actor tells Vogue. Though he made it 48 days without cigarettes, the 24 star still hasn’t quit. Sutherland, 41, went on to complain about the lack of privacy, made worse by...

TiVo Adds Domino's to Its Menu

Nov 18, 2008 9:46 AM CST

TiVo Adds Domino's to Its Menu

Users can order Domino's pizza from their TVs

(Newser) - Hungry? Don't get up from the couch. TiVo customers can now order Domino's pizza right on their TVs, the Wall Street Journal reports, in a promotion that pops up when a customer forwards through a Domino's commercial. The promotion has two goals: Beefing up the pizza chain's bottom line—shares...

Monk Will Go Out on Top

Nov 17, 2008 1:23 PM CST

Monk Will Go Out on Top

USA says quirky detective show will end after upcoming season

(Newser) - The news that the upcoming eighth season of Monk will be its last has fans in mourning, but the USA Network staple leaves a rich legacy, Media Life reports. Monk ushered in the era of original cable programming and has consistently scored top ratings in key demographics. Tony Shalhoub is...

Fan's Suicide 'Haunting' Abdul

Nov 17, 2008 9:15 AM CST

Fan's Suicide 'Haunting' Abdul

Idol judge afraid to return home

(Newser) - Fearing that the spirit of her suicidal stalker is haunting her Beverly Hills house, Paula Abdul has hired healers to cleanse it of ghosts, the New York Post reports. Even so, a friend says Abdul has not returned to the house. Former American Idol competitor Paula Goodspeed, found dead outside...

JT Brings
SexyBack...
In a Leotard

Nov 16, 2008 8:00 AM CST

JT Brings SexyBack... In a Leotard

(Newser) - Justin Timberlake donned a leotard and heels for a surprise guest appearance on Saturday Night Live this weekend, People reports. The singer played one of three incompetent backup dancers, reuniting with real-life duet partner Beyoncé—who ultimately fired the trio. JT rubbed up against Beyoncé and repeatedly intoned a...

TRL Going Out With a Bang

Nov 15, 2008 1:45 PM CST

TRL Going Out With a Bang

(Newser) - After 10 years of screaming fans, frantic voting, and celebrity appearances, MTV’s Total Request Live is finally going off the air. A star-studded 2-hour finale will air tomorrow, the Los Angeles Times reports. Sinking ratings for the music video show are behind its demise—about 322,000 watch the...

Lively Not Really That Gossipy

GLOSSIES

Nov 13, 2008 2:45 PM CST

Lively Not Really That Gossipy

Gossip Girl star waxes poetic on her career, clothes, co-stars

(Newser) - Blake Lively might be the "hottest senior ever to roam the halls" of hit show Gossip Girl, but the 21-year-old is a far cry from the "boozy party girl she plays on TV," writes Dana Wood in W. "I don't really like to go out,"...

Fox Cancels Mad TV

Nov 12, 2008 5:50 PM CST

Fox Cancels Mad TV

Fox cancels comedy show after 14 years

(Newser) - Mad TV will bid adieu after 14 seasons of Saturday night sketches, the final nail in its coffin coming from a failure to boost ratings during the presidential campaign, reports Defamer. Fox's Saturday Night Live competitor, which has been on the chopping block for years, will finish up the season...

Gee, Beav, Sculpture
by Wally at the Louvre

Nov 11, 2008 6:08 PM CST

Gee, Beav, Sculpture by Wally at the Louvre

(Newser) - Eat your heart out, Eddie Haskell. Tony Dow, best known as the actor who portrayed the Beav's big brother, Wally, in the '50s TV series Leave It to Beaver, will have one of his abstract sculptures on display at the Louvre. Several sculptors from the Karen Lynne Gallery, including Dow,...

ABC Slates Lost Premiere

Nov 8, 2008 4:45 PM CST

ABC Slates Lost Premiere

(Newser) - After months of speculation, ABC insiders say that season five of Lost will premiere on ABC January 21, with an hour-long refresher and two new episodes, Entertainment Weekly reports. The 3-hour special will air on a Wednesday, setting up Lost to compete with American Idol on Fox. But regular episodes...

Oprah Set to Bolt ABC

Nov 8, 2008 10:02 AM CST

Oprah Set to Bolt ABC

(Newser) - Oprah is getting ready to say goodbye to ABC and take her legendary talk show to her OWN cable network, the New York Post reports. The CEO of Discovery Communications, which is teaming up with Winfrey to create OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network) says he expects Winfrey’s eponymous show...

Critic John Leonard Dead at 69

Nov 6, 2008 4:15 PM CST

Critic John Leonard Dead at 69

Lung cancer claims Vonnegut's 'smartest man who ever lived'

(Newser) - Critic and author John Leonard died last night after a long battle with cancer. Leonard, whom Kurt Vonnegut once called "the smartest man who ever lived," was 69. A brilliant but not flashy stylist, an unapologetic liberal, and a mentor to countless younger writers, Leonard worked at various...