television – News Stories About television - Page 66

Oct 4, 2007 2:33 PM CDT

LCD Flat Screens Get Flatter

Big screens are out, and flat screens are flatter than ever

(Newser) - Much like modeling, electronics companies are now competing to make LCD TVs thinner and thinner, Computerworld reports. Sony is leading the way with its release Monday of the world's first organic light-emitting diode (OLED) television, boasting a screen just 3mm thick. Competitors Hitachi, Sharp, and JVC are close behind, with...

Sitcom Promises Syriana, Delivers Wonder Years

Oct 2, 2007 4:42 PM CDT

Sitcom Promises Syriana, Delivers Wonder Years

Aliens in America is sweet, not edgy tale of Pakistani fish out of water

(Newser) - The new sitcom Aliens in America courts controversy by planting a Muslim Pakistani in an American high school—but it ends up just another suburban comedy. A mom orders a foreign exchange student as an insta-friend for her dorky son, only to find the equally dorky Raja Musharaff waiting at...

How TiVo Can Save Your Show

Oct 1, 2007 11:16 AM CDT

How TiVo Can Save Your Show

Replay numbers will give huge boost to many scripted shows

(Newser) - If video killed the radio star, then TiVo might be the salvation of your favorite bad show. Nielson will include DVR playback numbers in this season's ratings, the LA Times reports, which will mean big boosts for some—like CBS’ “Big Bang Theory,” up 13% on playback—and...

Nickelodeon Unplugs
the Tube

Sep 28, 2007 2:05 PM CDT

Nickelodeon Unplugs the Tube

Urges kids to get out and play during 3-hour shutdown tomorrow

(Newser) - For years, parents have been telling kids to turn off the TV, go outside and play. Now, Nickelodeon is turning the tube off for them, broadcasting three hours of dead air starting at noon tomorrow, during which they hope kids will go outside and get some exercise. It’s part...

Oprah Tops List of TV's Biggest Earners—Again

Sep 28, 2007 3:57 AM CDT

Oprah Tops List of TV's Biggest Earners—Again

She collected cool $260m; second-place Seinfeld nabbed $60m

(Newser) - Talk show diva Oprah Winfrey continues her reign as the Queen of Media, topping Forbes' list of 2007's 20 highest earning TV stars with a whopping $260 million. Jerry Seinfeld came in a distant second with $60 million—mostly from residuals. They were followed by Simon Cowell ($45 million), David...

Sarkozy Heroics Made-for-TV

Sep 25, 2007 8:39 AM CDT

Sarkozy Heroics Made-for-TV

President's 1993 "Human Bomb" story remade for television

(Newser) - In the hagiography of Nicolas Sarkozy, no story looms larger than the then-mayor's 1993 negotiation with a psychotic who took children hostage at a daycare center. Now, writes the Times of London, French state television is releasing Human Bomb, a docu-fiction of the 46-hour standoff between Sarkozy and the hostage...

Do Not Adjust
Your Flat Panel TV

Sep 23, 2007 5:06 AM CDT

Do Not Adjust Your Flat Panel TV

Joe Morgenstern on the problem with flat panel TV

(Newser) - The Wall Street Journal’s Joe Morgenstern needs you to know that you’re watching your HDTV wrong. Next generation televisions are built for a 16:9 aspect ratio, he explains, so normal TV’s 4:3-formatted programming only looks right when bordered by black boxes. But TV owners who...

New TV Season Disappoints

Sep 20, 2007 4:56 PM CDT

New TV Season Disappoints

First set of debuts get lukewarm reception

(Newser) - The fall TV season isn't wowing audiences so far, Variety reports. Four fresh shows hit the small screen last night, but none made a big splash. Fox's "Back to You" was tops among 18- to 49-year-olds and attracted 9.4 million viewers overall. But it won by a slim...

Rather Sues
CBS for $70M

Sep 19, 2007 5:15 PM CDT

Rather Sues CBS for $70M

Anchor alleges fraud in Guard report aftermath, says contract violated

(Newser) - Dan Rather has filed a $70 million lawsuit against CBS and its corporate parent, claiming bias and fraud in the investigation of the broadcast that brought him down—and then violated his subsequent contract with “60 Minutes.” The filing says Rather was made “a scapegoat” in order...

CBS Lands Bruckheimer's 'Eleventh Hour'

Sep 19, 2007 10:24 AM CDT

CBS Lands Bruckheimer's 'Eleventh Hour'

Huge $25M-$30M deal for British scientific thriller beats out ABC

(Newser) - CBS beat out all comers, mainly ABC, for the rights to a Jerry Bruckheimer/Warner Brothers adaptation of the British series Eleventh Hour, a scientific thriller a la X-Files. The deal, pronounced the biggest of this development season, puts CBS on the hook for $25 million to $30 million, Variety reports.

TV Was Burglary 101 for Robber

Sep 17, 2007 8:08 PM CDT

TV Was Burglary 101 for Robber

(Newser) - Everything he knew, he learned from TV. That's what a slick burglar told police in Richmond, Ky., when he was finally caught for a string of robberies, the AP reports. News of the man's sentencing and guilty plea last week might make Discovery Channel execs think twice before renewing It ...

Starlets Strut Their Stuff
at Emmys

Sep 17, 2007 3:55 PM CDT

Starlets Strut Their Stuff at Emmys

Fashion cops see red carpet as rainbow of sexy, fabulous frocks

(Newser) - Dresses for last night's Emmy Awards tended toward retro, pastel, and strapless—a smart move in the steamy LA weather. Katherine Heigl, Kate Walsh, and Jennifer Morrison were in the retro crowd, and Heigl also hopped on another of the night's bandwagons: bright red lips. “Red is a really...

'Sopranos' Bags Top Emmies

Sep 17, 2007 6:47 AM CDT

'Sopranos' Bags Top Emmies

'30 Rock' wins best comedy; other honors

(Newser) - "The Sopranos" took top drama honors at the Emmies last night, and won for writing and directing as well, making the HBO series the first drama in 30 years to nail all three for its finale season. Other Emmies were spread among a broad field, with ratings-challenged "30...

Boys Drool, Chicks Rule Fall TV

Sep 13, 2007 1:32 PM CDT

Boys Drool, Chicks Rule Fall TV

(Newser) - Gone are the days of Magnum PI and McGuyver. This fall's primetime lineup is dominated by female characters who are successful, tenacious, and confident—while male counterparts are almost universally sniveling in the corner. But even as she applauds the turning of TV's gender tables, Salon's Rebecca Traister questions the...

Live on the California Air: Upstart Afghans

Sep 12, 2007 7:54 PM CDT

Live on the California Air: Upstart Afghans

Shoestring budget aside, Noor TV's moguls lift off

(Newser) - An estimated half a million Americans have tuned into Afghan-only Noor TV since its launch about a month ago. That it was started by three 20-something brothers who shrugged off market research and dodged politics hasn’t killed the buzz yet, they claim. But it is running in the red...

Couric in Iraq: Lousy Ratings, Good Journalism

Sep 12, 2007 6:04 AM CDT

Couric in Iraq: Lousy Ratings, Good Journalism

Despite anchor's road trip, 'Evening News' ties record ratings low

(Newser) - Katie Couric's trip to Iraq and Syria was a failure as a ratings gimmick but pretty good journalism, say critics. The "CBS Evening News" tied a record low of 5.5 million viewers last week, which the network blames on US Open coverage. And Harvard journalism prof Marvin Kalb...

Are We Finally Ready for 'Smellovision'?

Sep 11, 2007 12:19 PM CDT

Are We Finally Ready for 'Smellovision'?

One Boston artist smells a comeback for funky technology

(Newser) - An olfactory entrepreneur is trying to revive "Smellovision"—the Edsel-era technology that pipes appropriate scents to movie audiences. Megan Dickerson has been showing "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" in an open-air theater outside the Boston Children's Museum, complete with the odors of blueberries and banana taffy....

The Filthy Rich Take Over the Small Screen

Sep 10, 2007 11:40 AM CDT

The Filthy Rich Take Over the Small Screen

America's middle class ousted from sitcoms, relegated to reality TV

(Newser) - Sitcoms, once a window into middle-class America, have been invaded by the uberrich. But the bourgeoisie hasn't disappeared from the small screen entirely: They're fighting each other on reality shows for big bucks or their 15 minutes of fame. And, Salon's Heather Havrilesky notes, it's not a healthy trend.

TV's "Family Hour" Marked by Sex, Violence

Sep 6, 2007 8:20 PM CDT

TV's "Family Hour" Marked by Sex, Violence

Racier shows like '24' have replaced 'Cosby Show' values, study says

(Newser) - TV's "family hour" is a thing of the past, now an 8-9pm landscape littered with violence and sex, says a study by a parental watchdog group. Broadcasters call the notion outdated, and say parental involvement and V-chips–not censorship– are solutions, the LA Times reports.

CBS Has No Plans to Boot Couric Off News

Sep 5, 2007 10:05 PM CDT

CBS Has No Plans to Boot Couric Off News

Show regains hard edge, if not viewers, with makeover

(Newser) - In signing Katie Couric to anchor "CBS Evening News" last year, the network probably didn’t expect ratings to hit historic lows. But CBS is sticking with the underperforming star, according to a network executive, who said it was “the second inning at the latest” in the long...