television – News Stories About television - Page 34

OPINION

Oct 5, 2009 6:44 PM CDT

Why Murdoch Must Fire Glenn Beck

Offensive as the Fox News host is, the bottom line is the bottom line

(Newser) - Rupert Murdoch will eventually fire Glenn Beck from Fox News, though not directly because of "his continued assault on the president," writes Ben Cohen. True, Beck's "remarkable slew of accusations and innuendo does not reflect well on the network," but arguments about politics miss the point:...

Sitcoms Adapt to Find Success

around the dial

Oct 5, 2009 4:23 PM CDT

Sitcoms Adapt to Find Success

New comedies borrow from drama, reality TV

(Newser) - Once, sitcoms ruled the television landscape. Their stellar ratings and cheap production costs made them unstoppable in the ‘90s, but their success was also their undoing: With so many options, viewers tired of the format. TV moved on to serious dramas and trashy reality programming. Now, the sitcom,...

How to Keep Gourmet Alive

OPINION

Oct 5, 2009 3:51 PM CDT

How to Keep Gourmet Alive

(Newser) - Cookie and Modern Bride are getting the ax, but it's Conde Nast's shuttering of Gourmet that has floored and disappointed readers and non-readers alike. That includes Fast Company's Kate Rockwood, who shares a few ideas for keeping America's oldest food magazine alive—in some form.

Move to television: One show

...

Comcast Weighs Charging Viewers for Hulu

Analysis

Oct 5, 2009 3:25 PM CDT

Comcast Weighs Charging Viewers for Hulu

Cable giant no fan of free site, and could soon own NBC's part of it

(Newser) - Comcast is no fan of Hulu's business model, and the cable giant could soon own a stake in the site—which means trouble for fans of using it to watch TV shows free. Comcast is in talks with NBC to pool their entertainment offerings in a joint venture that would...

'Pathetic' Seinfeld
Reunion Invades Curb

tv preview

Oct 4, 2009 3:01 PM CDT

'Pathetic' Seinfeld Reunion Invades Curb

HBO show resuscitates Larry David's other brainchild 10 years later

(Newser) - Tonight's episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm will go farther than usual to satisfy your Seinfeld craving, but it's hardly the real thing—nor is it meant to be. The eagerly awaited reunion arc kicks off with Jerry Seinfeld himself deeming the very idea "desperate" and "pathetic,"...

Dance 'Crotch Shot'
Debunked

urban legend

Oct 2, 2009 5:19 PM CDT

Dance 'Crotch Shot' Debunked

Contestant in purported peep show was wearing briefs

(Newser) - So You Think You Can Dance contestant No. 22036, who's widely believed to have flashed America Tuesday night, was wearing underwear, reports Lisa de Moraes. And it's easy to deduce what the Washington Post TV columnist thinks of the people who've been calling for smelling salts: "The extremely brief...

Franco
Joining Cast
of General
Hospital

Oct 1, 2009 5:05 PM CDT

Franco Joining Cast of General Hospital

Actor asked for, got part on long-running soap

(Newser) - James Franco—yes, that James Franco—is joining the cast of General Hospital in November for at least a few weeks. In fact, Franco—whose movie credits include Pineapple Express, Milk, and all three Spider-Man flicks—asked the soap’s producers for a role, reports Soapnet. They were only too...

Stewart: So Much for 60 Votes

Oct 1, 2009 10:20 AM CDT

Stewart: So Much for 60 Votes

Daily Show rips Democrats for public option failure.

(Newser) - When Democrats took over Congress in 2006, they did… well, basically nothing. But all that was supposed to change when they got their unstoppable 60-vote "super majority," right? Jon Stewart sure thought so. “They’d be like a bear with chainsaws instead of paws!” he cried....

Oops! Fox Airs
Dance Crotch Shot

VIDEO

Oct 1, 2009 6:50 AM CDT

Oops! Fox Airs Dance Crotch Shot

Excited So You Think You Can Dance? contestant writhes around, sans panties

(Newser) - Surprisingly, Tuesday night’s So You Think You Can Dance crotch shot (watch the offending clip at left) hasn’t quite galvanized the nation into a state of outrage—but it’s still gaining steam. Nigel Lythgoe tells TMZ that what appears to be the contestant’s vagina is actually...

Mad Men Goes Mad on Purpose

OPINION

Sep 28, 2009 2:40 PM CDT

Mad Men Goes Mad on Purpose

(Newser) - Critics have begun to worry about Mad Men. Gory lawnmower accidents? Unexpected death? Grueling, drugged-up childbirth? “Where have all the snifters of brandy and jaunty shrimp cocktails gone?” asks Heather Havrilesky of Salon. She’s kidding, of course. Mad Men has spun into insanity so quickly because that’s...

Megan Fox,
SNL Premiere
Not Too Funny

Watch it

Sep 27, 2009 1:29 PM CDT

Megan Fox, SNL Premiere Not Too Funny

(Newser) - Most critics are still wondering why Megan Fox was chosen to host Saturday Night Live's 35th-season premiere, but they do understand the general fascination with her appearance. She helped out during her monologue, showing off nude shots of herself...as a centaur. A sampling of reactions:

After showing off a

...

Tonight Stunt
Sends Conan
to the Hospital

Sep 26, 2009 7:52 AM CDT

Tonight Stunt Sends Conan to the Hospital

(Newser) - He's taken his lumps in the ratings, but yesterday Conan O'Brien hit his head during a stunt for the Tonight Show, and ended up at the hospital. The accident halted production, and a Tonight rerun with guest Jeremy Piven was aired. The scheduled show was to include Teri Hatcher and...

Obama and
Cable News:
It's Love/Hate

ANALYSIS

Sep 25, 2009 2:28 PM CDT

Obama and Cable News: It's Love/Hate

Prez can't stand the "chatter" that obfuscates real issues

(Newser) - President Obama tries to downplay the “cable chatter” of the 24-hour news networks, but his frustration with them is as old as their fascination with him. “I think a lot of this stems from the election,” press secretary Robert Gibbs tells Politico, when some donors “would...

MTV Will Show DJ AM's Drug-Intervention Show

Sep 24, 2009 6:09 PM CDT

MTV Will Show DJ AM's Drug-Intervention Show

Gone Too Far features Goldstein as mentor to drug addicts

(Newser) - MTV intends to air a drug-intervention reality show starring the late Adam Goldstein, better known as DJ AM. In Gone Too Far, Goldstein plays sober mentor to addicts. Given Goldstein’s recent death from a drug overdose, MTV was concerned the show could be seen as hypocritical or exploitative, but...

Fie on the Office Wedding

tv rant

Sep 24, 2009 3:48 PM CDT

Fie on the Office Wedding

Jim and Pam are the height of bland

(Newser) - After 5 years of the will-they-or-won't-they dance, Jim and Pam of The Office will tie the knot in the Oct. 8 episode, and the prenuptial PR blitz has sent one blogger around the bend. "We're already sick of these two insufferable lovebirds," enemy of drawn-out romance Brian Moylan...

Modern Family
Is 'Startlingly Good'

TV REVIEW

Sep 23, 2009 4:12 PM CDT

Modern Family Is 'Startlingly Good'

(Newser) - ABC's Modern Family is a critics' darling, who generally think it's a clever update of the family sitcom, and one that doesn't sacrifice the tenderness we've come to expect from the classics of the genre. A sampling:

The series, "with its multifamily approach and semi-documentary form, redefines, updates and

...

How TV's Trying
to Woo You Back

Sep 23, 2009 11:36 AM CDT

How TV's Trying to Woo You Back

...and back on the couch where you belong

(Newser) - Networks know we’re watching our favorite shows online instead of on TV, but they’re not taking it sitting down. Here’s what they’re doing, smart or otherwise, to bring us back, writes Stephanie Schomer for Fast Company:

Cutting commercials: ABC is going to do without the first

...

Margulies Dazzles
in The Good Wife

TV REVIEW

Sep 22, 2009 4:59 PM CDT

Margulies Dazzles in The Good Wife

New series scandalously good: critics

(Newser) - Critics are impressed with The Good Wife, starring Julianna Margulies as the wife of a cheating and stealing politician forced to rejoin the workforce after his arrest. The CBS drama begins tonight.

"There could not be a better choice for the title role of Alicia Florrick than Margulies,

...

'I Was Black Before the Election'

'late show' sneak peek

Sep 21, 2009 5:53 PM CDT

'I Was Black Before the Election'

Obama and Letterman tackle the tough topics, including potatoes

(Newser) - President Obama's media blitz continues tonight on The Late Show With David Letterman, where he'll remind the host, "I think it's important to realize that I was actually black before the election." Snippets CBS released after this afternoon's taping reveal lighthearted moments and more serious stretches, as well...

Harris, Other New Faces Rule Emmys Tonight

Sep 20, 2009 3:09 PM CDT

Harris, Other New Faces Rule Emmys Tonight

First-time nominees Family Guy, Hamm, Morgan could win big

(Newser) - Fresh faces are all the rage at tonight’s Emmys, with Neil Patrick Harris hosting and a host of first-time nominees up for top awards, People reports. Family Guy is the first cartoon to be nominated for best comedy series in nearly 50 years, and Jeremy Piven’s snub for...