Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Kennedy scholars raise hackles over "24" conservative's JFK miniseries
The History channel miniseries from conservative "24" co-creator Joel Surnow is being called a hatchet job on the Kennedy presidency. A Web site, stopkennedysmears.com, has already been launched to fight the film.

Jillian Michaels sued yet again
A class action suit filed today claims "The Biggest Loser" trainer's diet pills contain a "potentially lethal" blend of ingredients.

Poppy Montgomery & Marc Blucas joins ABC's "True Blue"
The respective "Without a Trace" and "Buffy" alums will play San Francisco homicide detectives who investigate the death of one of their colleagues.

"Supernatural" creator stepping down as showrunner
But Eric Kripke, fresh off renewal, is expected to be heavily involved with the CW series.

Simon Cowell publicly declars his love for his girlfriend
"I'm smitten with Mezhgan – I think she's the one," says the "Idol" judge. "She's very special."

Taryn Manning joins "Hawaii Five-O"
She'll play Alex O'Loughlin's younger sister, Mary Ann.

David Canary quits "All My Children"
After 27 years playing the trouble-making Adam Chandler, Canary has opted to retire at the age of 71.

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Kevin Eurbanks quits Leno — will "Hootie" replace him?
After 15 years, Eubanks is leaving his job as Jay Leno's longtime sidekick and bandleader. According to "Extra," Eubanks may appear on the revamped "Tonight Show" on March 1st, but he won't be on the show for long. Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish fame is rumored to be his replacement. The 52-year-old Eubanks, who assumed "Tonight Show" bandleader duties from Branford Marsalis in 1995, "wanted a change" and opted to leave the show after "The Jay Leno Show" finished, according to "Extra." UPDATE: Rucker's rep says it's not true.

Shocker: "Jersey Shore's" Snooki and JWoww aren't Italian
Snooki is actually Chilean, according to JWoww, who herself is Spanish and Irish.

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Fox News' Sarah Palin blasts "Fox Hollywood" over "Family Guy" joke
"Fox Hollywood — What a Disappointment," Palin wrote on Facebook yesterday in response to an episode mocking her son Trig's Down syndrome. She also left some space for daughter Bristol, who wrote: "All they proved is that they’re heartless jerks." PLUS: Palin is right to be upset.

CW renews "Supernatural," "Vampire Diaries," "Gossip Girl" and "90210"
Also, "America's Next Top Model" will be back next season. PLUS: What about the other CW shows?

"Ugly Betty's" Mark Indelicato to intern at Teen Vogue — for a reality show?
After "Betty's" over, Indelicato will live a real-life "Betty" dream at Teen Vogue. "I want to have a reality show about it," he says. "My boss said he’s determined to make me cry. He said it makes good TV."

Matthew Settle getting divorced months after his daughter's birth
The "Gossip Girl" dad is allegedly seeing another woman.

"Ebert is dying in increments, and he is aware of it"
Roger Ebert tweets that "It's true I'm dying–but no faster than anyone else." Yet an Esquire profile of Ebert paints a bleaker picture: "There has been no death-row conversion. He has not found God. He has been beaten in some ways. But his other senses have picked up since he lost his sense of taste. He has tuned better into life. Some things aren't as important as they once were; some things are more important than ever. He has built for himself a new kind of universe. Roger Ebert is no mystic, but he knows things we don't know."

Is Ellen DeGeneres the "new" Simon on "American Idol"?
If Ellen is going to become the bad cop, does that mean that "Idol" has to look for a new Paula to replace Simon Cowell?

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NBC is redeeming itself with fantastic Winter Olympic coverage
At least Tom Shales seems to think so, anyway. He writes: "The poor old network with all the bruises and bandages from months and months of battering is enjoying a fine, high-flying triumph with its HD telecasts of the Winter Olympics from Vancouver. It's the greatest show on snow. And the television version has been so satisfying — visually, emotionally, aesthetically — that, for the moment, the national pall imposed by the recession, and by the generally shabby state of public affairs, seems to have lifted." PLUS: Night 4 of Olympics gets big ratings.

NBC's Olympic coverage has been horrible
"Hate's not too strong a word," says Spencer Hall. "I hate watching sports on NBC anyway, but watching Dick Ebersol broadcast the games from 1988 has been doubly infuriating because a.) this only comes around every four years, and b.) because NBC, a purveyor of crapheap products anyway, has doubled up on ineptitude and put on a clinic in how NOT to cover sports in the 21st century by making the Games inaccessible, tape-delayed, and produced on a budget of at least three dollars a broadcast minute."

How is 58-year-old Bob Costas continue to look so young?
"Is it a facelift, laser treatment, Botox, filler? All of the above?"

AMC puts Cheri Oteri on the Web
Check out her new Web comedy "Life Coach," which also stars Mark Linn-Baker from "Perfect Strangers."

Christina Hendricks: Questions about my body leave a bad taste in my mouth
"It kind of hurt my feelings at first," says the "Mad Men" star, who poses in a corset on the cover of this week's NY Mag. "Anytime someone talks about your figure constantly, you get nervous, you get really self-conscious. I was working my butt off on the show, and then all anyone was talking about was my body!"

Academy Awards: "SYTYCD" in, best original song artists out?
Oscar producer Adam Shankman is mulling bringing some of his "So You Think You Can Dance" dancers on stage to perform during this year's ceremony.

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Ohio man builds a cable-ready igloo with HDTV

Lauren Graham won't watch the original Maura Tierney "Parenthood" pilot

Turkish TV fined for "Mad Men" smoking

Howard Stern's wife says he's as tough as Simon while watching "Idol"

Rachael Ray gives "Jersey" gals a makeunder // Did MTV censor Ronnie's anti-gay slurs?

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