Monday, July 20, 2009

Simon Cowell: Paula will be back because I want her back
"She'll be fine," the "Idol" judge tells "Extra." "She'll be on the show…I don't get a lot of say. I've just made it clear that I want Paula on the show."

Tyra Banks does Twitter
It is really her, strange-looking photo and all, as Twitter as verified her account.

India is hoping late-night TV  combats overpopulation
"If there is electricity in every village then people will watch TV until late night and then fall asleep," says Ghulam Nabi Azad, India's Health and Family Welfare Minister, who is proposing bringing electricity to the smallest villages. "They won't get a chance to produce children," he says. "When there is no electricity there is nothing else to do but produce babies." He adds: "Don't think that I am saying this in a lighter vein. I am serious. TV will have a great impact. It's a great medium to tackle the problem … 80 percent of population growth can be reduced through TV."

Brooke Burns joins "Melrose Place"
She'll play the wife of Dr. Michael Mancini, and the mother to their son Noah.

CBS and ABC will carry Obama's Wednesday press conference
The president's news conference has been moved up an hour, to 8 o'clock.

Jeffrey Donovan charged with one count of DUI
The "Burn Notice" star is unlikely to do any prison time because he's a first-time offender.

"90210" bringing back Jennie Garth
She just inked a deal to return in episode 3 and other episodes.

[Permalink]

Paula Abdul is obviously using the media to negotiate her "Idol" contract
An antsy star, a new agent, a lack of a deal — "you have all the ingredients for a backstage star meltdown that pushed the agent into leaking this suspicious story to the media," says Eric Deggans. "I can almost hear Abdul shrieking over the phone to her beleaguered agent — 'Tell them I'm not coming back! That will make them give us a new deal.'"
Paula jealous of Ryan Seacrest's $15M? // 7 reasons why "Idol" needs Paula to stay
Who should replace Paula? // Twitterverse rallies to "KeepPaula"

Oprah's ratings take a tumble
Is it just a summer slump, or is Oprah in serious ratings trouble?

"Burn Notice's" Jeffrey Donovan busted for DUI
The USA Network star was actually arrested Sunday, July 12, for allegedly driving under the influence in Miami Beach.

89-year-old rape victim follows "CSI" technique to get attacker's DNA
Police in England say an 89-year-old double rape victim helped catch her predator by getting his DNA under her fingernails, something she saw on "CSI."

ABC gives Shaquille O'Neal his own reality show to battle other athletes
"Shaq Vs." will find the NBA star taking on top athletes in their own sports, including Michael Phelps, Serena Williams and Ben Roethlisberger.

[Permalink]

Bill Cosby takes to Twitter
His not frequently updated accounted has been verified.

Moon landing's 40th anniversary is celebrated in a History channel docudrama
"Buffy's" James Marsters plays Buzz Aldrin in the British-made TV film "Moonshot." PLUS: Watch the moon landing as it happened 40 years ago.

NBC is poised to win the rights to broadcast Michael Jackson's rehearsal footage
Rights for the TV special could cost $10 million.

Report: Mischa Barton suicidal, was on a 3-day coke binge
The NY Post says that friends had to call the police after her marathon cocaine bender last weekend. "She is on a downward spiral," says one friend. "She is a mess. She is a suicidal, uninsurable mess." PLUS: Mischa's rep denies coke binge story.

Julie Chen: Braden didn't apologize for "Big Brother" slur
She talks to Ryan Seacrest about the decision to not broadcast the racial slurs.

Syfy announces fall premiere dates
"Stargate Universe" debuts Oct. 9.

PETA rushes to release Simon Cowell PSA
In responsde to an "Idol" auditioner leaving his dog in the car, PETA has released this video featuring Cowell.

[Permalink]

"The Ugly Truth" gets some "Big Brother" product placement
For bored housemates, the new Katherine Heigl/Gerard Butler movie was hilarious.

How "Mad Men" came up with Don Draper drowning in his office
The advertising guru explains the new poster, and why this season's catchphrase is "The World's Gone Mad."

TV's funniest ladies hang out
What happens when you put Amy Poehler, Sarah Silverman, Christina Applegate, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Mary-Louise Parker and Jane Krakowski around a single table?

Watch Jimmy Fallon's 1st appearance on Conan
Fallon was just 24 and starting out on "SNL" when he first visited "Late Night," the show he would go on to host.

"Entourage" feels like it's regressed back to high school this season
This more mature season hasn't exactly lived up to its billing, at least so far. PLUS: What do the "Entourage" names mean?

"Lie to Me" nabs Erika Christensen
She'll play a law student suffering from multiple personality disorder.

[Permalink]

Walter Cronkite's voice to stay on the "CBS Evening News"

Why is summer TV so sucky this year?

"Dollhouse's" 13th episode and scrapped pilot have been leaked online

Paramedics rush Bam Margera to hospital for "possible overdose" // Mom blames dehydration

It takes 8 producers to cobble together "The Daily Show's" video news footage

[Click to read the rest of Odds & Ends]

"Torchwood: Children of Earth" is the kind of epic miniseries you don't see anymore
So says Alan Sepinwall, who calls this week's BBC America event "the goods, the real deal. It has scope, and action, and horror, and, for that matter, heart. In a different, less-fragmented viewing era, it's the kind of thing that would get us all gathered around the set for the whole week so we could all talk about it the next day. (In the U.K., where it aired to big ratings a couple of weeks ago, it had nearly that effect.)"
Could "Torchwood" boost Barrowman's profile? // Barrowman on playing an omnisexual

How shallow is "The T.O. Show"?
"So shallow mosquitoes couldn't breed in it," says Jonathan Storm, "though it appears some of the humans are trying to, as Terrell Owens joins up with two publicists, who are also supposed to be his best friends." PLUS: T.O.'s physical features are the only thing the show has going for it.

Jon Gosselin dating another Kate — from Star magazine?
Gossip reporter Kate Major was spotted with the "Jon & Kate"s  star over the weekend, and the two are becoming more than "just friends," according to the NY Daily News.
Claim: Jon & Kate split up last year // Paparazzi clash with Kate plus 8 in NYC

"Bachelorette's" Wes accuses producers of editing out "vital sentences"
Says Wes Hayden: "For instance, when I said … in one episode 'Look man, I've already made six shows, I've got the publicity, I can haul (expletive)'; I did say that, but they didn’t show what I said right after that and before that."

ABC's "Dating in the Dark" is no "Mr. Personality"
The show, in which singles actually date in the complete darkness, may bring back memories of the Monica Lewinsky-hosted reality show "Mr. Personality." But it's actually better than it sounds.

[Permalink]