television – News Stories About television - Page 50

Boston Legal, Creator Bow Out, But Not Quietly

OPINION

Dec 8, 2008 12:28 PM CST

Boston Legal, Creator Bow Out, But Not Quietly

(Newser) - Tonight's final episode of Boston Legal marks a temporary end to creator David E. Kelley’s reign as “l'enfant terrible turned angry-older-guy of TV,” writes Lisa DeMoraes in the Washington Post. Kelley “has used his various prime-time series to prosecute cases against society's assorted ills—and sometimes,...

Small Screen's Biggest Brains

GLOSSIES

Dec 6, 2008 3:49 PM CST

Small Screen's Biggest Brains

Family Guy creator MacFarlane, ubiquitous Fey top list of TV smarties

(Newser) - It may be dubbed the "idiot box," but there are some bright bulbs behind TV's smartest shows and network deals. After polling Hollywood insiders, Entertainment Weekly lists the top 25 smarties:

Seth MacFarlane, executive producer, Family Guy, American Dad.
Tina Fey, executive producer, actress, 30 Rock.
Nancy Tellem,

...

Oprah
No. 1
Woman in
Film, TV

Dec 5, 2008 2:40 PM CST

Oprah No. 1 Woman in Film, TV

Angelina, Tyra, and Miley round out list of female dynamos

(Newser) - Even with Sarah Palin snubbing her, Oprah Winfrey is the most powerful woman in film and television, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The trade mag places the Harpo chairwoman atop its Power 100 list for “her dizzying array of Oprah-branded media and her immense cultural influence.” She was...

NBC Flatlines ER

Dec 5, 2008 4:52 AM CST

NBC Flatlines ER

The last patient will be rushed into County General on March 12

(Newser) - NBC will pull the plug on ER’s 15-season run with a March 12 series finale, reports Access Hollywood. The long-running medical drama, created by the late Michael Crichton, will be replaced by Kings—a series chronicling the life of King David in modern times and starring Deadwood's Ian McShane....

Heche, Boyfriend Expecting

Dec 4, 2008 1:01 PM CST

Heche, Boyfriend Expecting

Actor beau Tupper met Heche on ABC's Men in Trees

(Newser) - Anne Heche is pregnant, and both the actress and boyfriend James Tupper are ecstatic, Us Weekly reports. Heche has a son with her ex-husband, whom she left when she met Tupper on the set of ABC’s Men in Trees in 2006. He says they are happier now that they...

Liz Lemon
Dates a
Mad Man

Dec 4, 2008 11:38 AM CST

Liz Lemon Dates a Mad Man

Jon Hamm to guest on 30 Rock

(Newser) - Tina Fey will finally get a decent boyfriend this season on 30 Rock, Vanity Fair reports. Jon Hamm, who plays ad exec Don Draper on Mad Men, guest stars as a pediatrician with a fondness for pie-making documentaries and ice-cream makers. Hamm has filmed "a couple of episodes" and...

Obama Will Make
Adults 'Cool' on TV

opinion

Nov 30, 2008 9:14 PM CST

Obama Will Make Adults 'Cool' on TV

Prez-elect's calmness reflects rising popularity of adulthood

(Newser) - 60 Minutes is killing the competition, Mad Men is grittier by the episode, and even Gossip Girl's bimbos are growing up—thanks mostly to the adult air of Barack Obama, Mary McNamara writes in the Los Angeles Times. After 8 years of President Bush, whose folksiness and privilege inspired reality...

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...