Jay Leno's ratings bounce back to 13.1 million, thanks to Susan Boyle
After dipping to 11 million viewers Tuesday night, "The Jay Leno Show" got a boost from the finale Wednesday of "America's Got Talent," which thanks to Boyle averaged 16 million viewers. It also didn't hurt that Leno had Robin Williams as his guest, instead of Michael Moore the previous night. PLUS: Leno's ratings fell 62% on his 2nd night hosting "The Tonight Show" and Leno's Web ads have a countdown clock.
Kate Gosselin wil confront Kathy Griffin on Friday's "The View"
The "Jon & Kate" star taped her 3rd "View" appearance of the week this morning, airing on Friday, with Gosselin confronting Griffin over her "Kate is Enough" sketch.
"Curb Your Enthusiasm" will tackle Michael Richards' N-word meltdown
"He wanted to," Larry David said of the "Seinfeld" reunion episodes. "He made a terrible mistake."
Ashton Kutcher's "Beautiful Life" bombs
Just 1.5 million tuned in to last night's premiere — less than half of Kutcher's 3.6 million Twitter followers.
Bravo to unveil a "Real Housewives" clothing line
Bravo is teaming with a company called Royal Plush to release a line consisting of premium denim, loungewear, activewear, handbags and accessories.
Oprah will "Mad Men" herself and her audience for Monday's episode
Oprah Winfrey is going totally '60s on Monday with "Mad Men's" Jon Hamm and January Jones, plus music from the '60s and she'll be wearing a gown from "Mad's" fashion designer.
Adam Rodriguez: Why I'm leaving "CSI: Miami"
The actor will appear in 10 episodes this season, and that's it. “I’m ready to explore any kind of (good) projects down the road on TV or the big screen," he says.
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Ethan Zohn: My cancer has gotten "worse"
"I got some bad news the other day," said the 35-year-old "Survivor" winner. "The doctor called, and she said that the results of my one-month follow-up visit … look worse than they did before."
Comedy Central to launch a reboot of the "American Comedy Awards"
Award guru Don Mischer will help kick off the awards show honoring the best comedy, from TV to the movies.
"The Office" returns with Michael at his immature best
Says Steve Carell: "I just model it after my own shallow self."
In defense of Conan
Conan is being himself, says Verne Gay in reaction to yesterday Vanity Fair piece. And he doesn't need to be a rebel.
How "Parks and Rec" made Amy Poehler's character more human
"Trial and error," co-creator Mike Schur says of writing for Leslie, "lots of discussions with Amy, lots of time in the writers' room. In the end, we just felt that Amy is an enormously likable presence on screen, so as the season went on we just tried to create situations where that would shine through."
Parks" is more fun in Season 2 // Goofy was never Poehler's thing // Poehler does Paula
"Underbelly," Australia's "Sopranos," is coming to the U.S.
DirecTV has bought the rights to three seasons of the violent and nudity-filled drama based on Australia's real-life gang wars — though the seasons will be aired out of order. The 1st season of "Underbelly" was banned in Melbourne and the state of Victoria because it tainted a criminal trial, as Season 1 focused on gangland activities in the '90s and early 2000s. DirecTV will start airing "Underbelly" in February, beginning with Season 2, which focuses on the '70s and '80s drug trade. (Watch the opening credits and trailer)
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"Community" is cynical yet likable
"Look closely, and you’ll see hints of NBC’s once-decent reputation lingering in the fog of forgettability," Matthew Gilbert says of NBC's new comedy. He adds: "One of the pleasing things about 'Community' has to do with what it is not. The show doesn’t fit into any of the more familiar half-hour comedy formats on network TV right now – family sitcoms, workplace-family sitcoms, or friends-in-the-city sitcoms. It isn’t entirely formulaic. What else isn’t it? Another reason to moan about NBC’s fading quality."
"Community" feels like a long cellphone ad // This should make McHale a rom-com star
Bracingly funny, mercilessly snarky // NBC may have struck gold, or chuckle dirt
"Community" will make you actually laugh out loud // Not as funny as "Parks and Rec"
Joel McHale seems bored with his lines in some scenes // Too much self-satisfaction
"I was delighted to go in and say, 'Please hire me,'" says Chevy Chase
McHale credits to "The Soup" for getting him big auditions
"Fringe" fine-tunes itself in Season 2
As Blair Brown, who plays Nina Sharp, puts it, “The second year is much tighter. The writing is wittier, more complicated but also there’s clarity to the stories and character. And we are all speaking with quite different voices. The rhythm of show is clear now.” Lance Reddick adds that "Fringe" didn't find its voice until Episode 10. “We were trying to hedge our bets and trying to be too many kinds of shows at once," he says. "I’m not saying we got rid of the procedural element because each episode still is on a case – a case in terms of the quote-unquote police work — but it’s not formulaic, not like the early episodes. What keeps the show most watchable is the fact that it is character-based.”
"Fringe" has become one of the great character dramas // Kinks have been worked out
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Oprah to interview "Mad Men's" Don and Betty Draper
January Jones and Jon Hamm will guest on Monday's show.
Kara DioGuardi shopping a reality show — "Dropped"
"It takes the best acts that have been dropped and gives them a second chance," says the "Idol" judge. "You look at Katy Perry, the Jonas Brothers, Alicia Keys, and Lady Gaga, they all have one thing in common: They've all been dropped from their labels … I was dropped."
Should Alan Ball follow the "True Blood" books?
“I was like, ‘Wow,'" says Ball of a shocking plot point. "But I can’t really tell you what I’m going to do story-wise. So much of the appeal of the show depends on the element of surprise.”
"Law & Order: CI" is in for a shake-up
Julianne Burrows is out, will Saffron Burrows replace her? Plus, will Jeff Goldblum be back?
"Laugh-In" star Henry Gibson dies at 73
Gibson was one of the original member of the landmark 1960s series. "Henry was an integral part of 'Laugh-In' for a long time, and he was brilliant," said Gary Owens, the show's announcer. "He was a very funny man."
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Letterman will welcome Bill Clinton on Tuesday — one day after Obama
Next week will apparently be president's week on "The Late Show."
Jay Leno falls to 10.7 million viewers on his 2nd night
That's a big drop from the 18.4 million who tuned in Monday — a drop that NBC expected.
"Jay Leno Show" gets a dig in at Conan
Last night's show included a clip of a baby who can't stand the sight of Conan O'Brien.
Conan shoulda learned from "rebel" Leno: Grab "Tonight" back from NBC execs!
Conan O'Brien is repeating the same "Tonight Show" mistakes that Jay Leno made in his early days, according to Jim Windolf. For instance, Leno learned that a massive, expensive stage — like the one Conan has — is a turnoff to viewers. Conan, says Windolf, hasn't been himself and he "is allowing himself to play the good son to NBC-Universal's rich papa. At times he looks like a nine-year-old boy all duded up for a Sunday-night supper at the country club. There he stands, naked and alone under the gleam, which seems too bright for late night, with only his old comedy homeboy (and, let's face it, possible jinx) Andy Richter seated nearby to put him in mind of the smelly improv stages and foul writers’ rooms where he got his start. At some point, Conan, like Jay before him, has to grab 'Tonight' away from the well-meaning executives, before they fire his Harvard ass." Windolf also points out that "Although Leno is called a conformist and a hack and a survivor and all that kind of thing, he certainly positions himself against his network bosses more aggressively than the more rebellious-seeming Letterman or Stewart."
ABC bets on Arianna Huffington's "Three's Company" with Washington polticos
The Huffington Post founder is teaming with a "How I Met Your Mother" producer on a comedy about three freshman members of Congress — two guys and a gal — who live together in D.C. According to Lisa de Moraes, however, "this project is far from a certainty," since the "HIMYM" producer is already busy with other projects.
Jenna Elfman is pregnant
With her new show "Accidentally on Purpose" about to debut, in which her character will also be pregnant, Elfman revealed this morning that she's pregnant in real life with her second child.
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George Takei & hubby will compete as "The Newlywed Game's" first gay couple
"George and I are thrilled. It's pretty historic for us," Brad Altman, Takei's husband, says of filming the special celebrity episode.
Fox making an IRS sitcom with Ron Howard
The multicamera comedy, which will be written by an "Office" writer-director, will focus on the workplace shenanigans of an Internal Revenue Service district office.
FCC reopens Janet Jackson Super Bowl case
The commission wants to determine "whether CBS' indecency violation" in the 2004 Super Bowl "was willful."
How HBO was born again
It's been a remarkable one and a half years for HBO entertainment boss Sue Naegle, who assumed the job as the pay network was in decline. Now with "True Blood" and "Hung," HBO has been revived as a network with, as the NY Observer describes it, "an impressively electric array of idiosyncratic writers."
"The Beautiful Life: TBL" is awful, but at least it's better than "Melrose Place"
"It may lack 'Melrose Place's' flashy production values and trashy pedigree, but it makes up for that by being marginally better written, though admittedly, we're not talking about a particularly high bar here," says Robert Bianco. "Unfortunately for 'Life,' the minus side predominates. Say what you will about the relative value of trash and flash, but without them, this teen drama quickly turns so torpid and vapid, you'd think its sole goal was to reinforce model stereotypes along those lines."
Bad dialogue, acting will make you laugh // You may be sucked in against your will
What made Mischa Barton decide to return to TV?
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President Obama heading to Letterman
"The Late Show" will host the president on Monday, marking the 2nd time a sitting president has appeared on a late-night talk show, after Obama's appearance on Jay Leno last March.
Jay Leno's huge debut: Nearly 18 million tuned in!
10 o'clock Leno doubled Conan's "Tonight Show" debut and, as the NY Times, notes, was "almost NFL sized." Most viewers even stuck around through the most of the show, especially for the Kanye West apology. The NY Times also notes: "For NBC the other good news was how broad the interest was in Mr Leno’s return. He scored a hit rating of 5.1 in the age group NBC most prizes – viewers between 18 and 49 (about 6.7 million viewers) – but he was even bigger with older groups, hitting a 6.2 rating among viewers 25 to 54 and a huge 10.8 rating among viewers over 50."
Opening ratings really don't matter // Leno was born for primetime
Leno offers the perfect alternative to dramas and DVRs // "Leno" coming to radio
Leno slumped, his hair became disheveled as the show wore on // He's fast and funny
How did Leno become "the most punk rock upstart revolutionary force in media today"?
Leno was too relaxed, almost subdued // He was too rusty with monologue, interview
Taylor Swift recounts Kanye incident on "The View"
"Ouch," she recalled. PLUS: Kanye calls Taylor to apologize after she said on "The View" that he had yet to offer a personal apology.
Conan O'Brien has "flamed out" with young viewers
NBC used to tout Conan's big ratings among young viewers, but now has about as many young (18-to-34 year old) viewers as Jay Leno had one year ago.
Simon Cowell is still keeping his mouth shut about Ellen DeGeneres
Asked when the "Idol" judge will finally make a comment, his spokesperson says: "Not at the moment."
TV Land celebrates anniversaries: "Brady Bunch" at 40, "Cosby Show" at 25
The cable channel will present tributes to both shows starting next week.
Guiness says "Dancing" is the world's most successful reality TV format
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, "Strictly Come Dancing" — the British inspiration for "Dancing with the Stars" — is the world's most successful reality format. The BBC has sold "Dancing" to 38 countries.
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Even Jay Leno seemed unenthused by his "Tonight"-like 10 o'clock debut
"The Jay Leno Show" is basically the old "Tonight Show" in a new timeslot with the same low quality jokes, as Matthew Gilbert points out: "From the opening monologue and the overly scripted banter with guest Jerry Seinfeld (and, via satellite, Oprah Winfrey) to the goofy-headlines segment at the end of the hour, 'The Jay Leno Show' was numbingly familiar. The boilerplate talk format was reminiscent not only of Leno’s “Tonight Show,” but of almost every other late-night talker on the air right now. Another serving of movie and TV show plugs, coming right up."
It felt old — and, to some people, perfectly comfy // Most of the jokes were stale
What if "Leno Show" is never funny? // Leno seems to be only targeting his old fans
More snoozeworthy than creative // Leno: Cloned? // Bud Light commercial was funnier
Kanye West apologizes on Leno
"It was rude, period," said West, who paused and said yes after Jay Leno asked if his late mother would've approved of his comments.
Obama calls Kanye a "jackass" // The 5 best late-night apologies
ACLU: Richard Hatch's 1st ammendment rights are being violated
Sending the "Survivor" winner back to jail amounted to a "clear-cut violation of his First Amendment rights," the ACLU argued today in federal court.
Helen Hunt may replace Maura Tierney on "Parenthood"
The Oscar-winning "Mad About You" star is considering a return to primetime TV.
Emmy presenters include Tina Fey, Stephen Moyer, Jimmy Fallon, "HIMYM" stars
Also presenting are Blake Lively, Jon Hamm and Leighton Meester.
"Kendra's" hubby losing his Philadelphia Eagles job
Wide receiver and E! reality star Hank Baskett is on the trading block.
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Jay Leno: NBC wanted me out in 2007
“Actually, they wanted me out in three years,” Leno reveals to the NY Times. “I had to argue to get the other two. Oh, yeah. I said: ‘Let’s make it five. You want me out? I’ll do five.’" But, according to NB late-night boss Rick Ludwin, “That is definitely not my recollection… Maybe Jay heard from someone else something to that effect."
Jay Leno lucks out: Kanye West is a (musical) guest on his 1st show
As luck would have it, "The Jay Leno Show" is kicking off tonight with Kanye West (as well as Jerry Seinfeld) just as Kanye is embroiled in a national controversy over his VMA disruption. Could tonight be Leno's Hugh Grant moment, Part 2: "Without a doubt producers are convening at Jay Leno headquarters," says James Poniewozik, "trying to figure out how to come up with a way to ask "What the hell were you thinking?" for a new generation. And NBC must be thanking God for giving them evidence of their argument that The Jay Leno Show will be a hit because it can comment on watercooler topics."
MTV boots Kanye after outburst // Leave Kanye alone! // Tuesday: Taylor on "The View"
The Jay Leno joke tracker // What if he's a success? // Expect big ratings this week
Hollywood is scared because it means the good old days are gone // Pros and cons
NBC's Leno marketing blitz is unavoidable // "Leno Show" will backfire on NBC
NBC affiliates will suffer the most // Expect lots of product placement
VH1 cutting down on crazy reality contestants
After the Ryan Jenkins fiasco, a source says VH1 will "chill on the crazies for a bit." The so-called "crazies" have become mainstay on VH1 reality shows.
Is Oprah losing viewers because of her political views?
Ratings so far this season are down 7%, which some attribute to her endorsement of Obama. PLUS: Oprah quits politics, says she won't air her views anymore.
Contestant "shocked" over "Survivor: Samoa" racism
Elizabeth Kim, an Asian-American, says it was "just shocking" the amount of racist viewpoints she heard from some of her fellow contestants. "In this era, it surprised me very much that people can be racists," says the New Yorker.
Rupert Boneham pops up on Israel's "Survivor"
The winning team got to win Rupert for two days to share his survival skills.
"The Real World: San Francisco" house is facing foreclosure
The Lombard Street house, which was gutted in a 2000 fire, has an unpaid $3,715,730 mortgage balance.
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Can producer Neil Patrick Harris save the Emmys?
“This may very well be the last year they’re on a network show,” says Harris, who in addition to hosting is taking the unusual step of producing Sunday's ceremony. “This wheel contract they have, where each year a different network gets the show, as the ratings decline it becomes less of a good thing to ‘get it.’ It’s a very expensive show. Which means they have to get more ad revenue. Ads are less expensive, because ratings are down. So you have to do more ads, which makes the show smaller—and inevitably, when it goes to ABC, the same thing will happen, and finally someone will do it on cable, where there won’t be any commercials. Which will be a wonderful show. Our three-hour show is only two hours and five minutes long, due to economics.”
"It's been a lot of little hosting baby steps"
Harris likes Carson and Ellen, says Emmys consists of 5 different shows
Is TV premiere week overloaded?
Next Monday will see the kickoff of 43 new and returning shows in just seven days.
Is Conan having trouble booking "Tonight Show" guests?
Tonight Stuntman Steven Ho will make his 3rd guest appearance on the new "Tonight Show" in just over three months, which raises the question of whether Conan has enough fresh guests to fill the 10 slots he has per week. Ho first appeared on Conan on June 10, followed by another appearance on July 17.
NFL creates reality show to get the Chinese addicted to football
Starring a Taiwanese band called Mayday, the reality show aims to convert the Chinese population to America's game.
Rosie predicts Ellen on "Idol" will be better than "incoherent" Paula on
Asked whether she would be a guest judge, Rosie O'Donnell says "I could never really say anything mean to those kids."
Susan Boyle mobbed by fans in America
"Susan! Susan!" they chanted upon her arrival. The "Britain's Got Talent" star also spent time at Disneyland, riding dumbo. PLUS: SuBo sings the Rolling Stones classic "Wild Horses."
"True Blood" ends Season 2 with predictably campy conclusion
Heather Havrilesky says this season wasn't too far off from "The Sopranos," HBO's other massive hit. "Just as the morally upside-down mob microcosm captured our imaginations, so, too, does this dark (but often downright silly) world ruled by ignorant rednecks, self-righteous Christians and blood-sucking fiends," she writes. "Yes, just when everyone's hugged and thanked their lucky stars and it looks like they'll all live happily ever after, some Yahtzee-playing vampire queen or pot-smoking demigod is about to roll into town and crush these sad little mortals under his/her/its merciless feet."
Very satisfying finale // Exceeded all expectations // Denis O'Hare crowned King
Michelle Forbes on orgy scenes // What's next for Lafayette?
Some nagging questions // How did "Jessica" get so bratty?
Alan Ball answers burning "True" finale questions
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The star of "The Beast" and numerous big-screen hits succumbed to pancreatic cancer on Monday. "Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," his publicist said in a statement. Swayze was first diagnosed with cancer in March 2008 while filming the A&E drama series, but he vowed to keep on working.
The "King of the Hill" star was "Archie Bunker without the prejudices, Ralph Kramden without the unhinged temper tantrums," says Don Aucoin, who adds: "The genius of 'King of the Hill' was that it managed to simultaneously challenge and reaffirm Hank’s authority in a way that both mapped and commented on the complicated shifts in the cultural landscape.
