Thursday, September 30, 2010

September 30, 2010

Report: Members of Congress are shunning Stephen Colbert
Democrat and Republican lawmakers in Washington are being told not to go on "The Colbert Report" in the wake of Colbert's appeance last week on Capital Hill.


MTV loses its mastermind

Tony DiSanto, the president of programming responsible for everything from "The Hills" to "Jersey Shore" to "Teen Mom," is leaving the network after two decades to join ex-NBC entertainment boss Ben Silverman's new venture.


Bryan Cranston & Kanye West make "SNL" promos together

Also featuring Jason Sudeikis.


TCM sets 24-hour Tony Curtis marathon

Curtis' "Private Screenings" interview as well as his legendary movies like Sweet Smell of Success" will be screened on Oct. 10.


Comic-Con staying in San Diego for 5 more years

Anaheim and Los Angeles tired to woo the 40-year-old fan convention, but Comic-Con is staying put with some new perks.


Salahis threaten to sue their "Real Housewives" castmates

Don't dare call them "White House party crashers"!


Damon Lindelof creates, cancels his sitcom in a matter of minutes

Read about his idea for "OH NO YOU DIN'T!!!," as proposed on his Twitter feed.


CW's prison-like reality show will lock 2 contestants in one room

In "The Frame," they'll compete in challenges with another team of two in another room, as they're all filmed 24/7.


Chevy thrilled with Mr. Schuester's "Glee" Corvette product placement

The automaker has been onboard with the Fox show since it began.


Drew Carey sued for $375,000

The lawsuit stems from a World Cup trip to South Africa.


Documentary filmmaker RJ Cutler gets "Connected" to Fox sitcom

The "American High" creator is entering the scripted world, partnering with an "American Dad" producer on a family comedy.

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September 30, 2010

"Real Housewives of D.C." finally tackles White House gatecrashing
On tonight's episode, Bravo cameras follow the Salahis up until they entered the White House.


Leno & Letterman are neck and neck, as Jay tops Conan

Jay Leno actually beat David Letterman in premiere week, something that Conan — with Leno as a lead-in couldn't do last year. Still, Leno beat Letterman by just 15,000 viewers.


"The Flintstones" at 50: How the Bedrock gang broke TV ground

Aimed at adults, "The Flintstones" debuted 50 years ago today with Hanna Barbera's development of "limited animation," which reduced costs while allowing the cartoon makers to focus on character and dialogue. "This was pretty risky, to put on a prime-time animated series not aimed for children," says USC TV historian Jon Burlingame. "ABC was the risk-taking network at the time because they were routinely buried in the bottom of the ratings. And Hanna-Barbera hit a home run. It was clever, original and very funny."
Not all artists were happy with Hanna-Barbera's "limited animation"
15 things you didn't know // 10 wackiest Bedrock inventions
Why "Flintstones" still matter // All about the Google Doodle


Don't blame Gordon Ramsay for "Kitchen Nightmare" chef's suicide

Since Joseph Cerniglia was found dead, the question has been asked, "Has Gordon Ramsay Gone Too Far?" The answer is no, says Mary Elizabeth Williams. "Being on TV or handling food won't make a person kill him or herself," she says. "It is, however, entirely plausible that a person who gravitates toward being on TV and working in the intense, high-pressure world of restaurants is a person who is likelier than average to have those tendencies. Getting yelled at, even by Gordon Ramsay, never killed anybody. PLUS: Cerniglia OD'd on cocaine in July.


"Glee" meets God

Next week's "Grilled Chessus" episode delves into the world of religion and religious tolerance as Kurt struggles to accept his religious beliefs. PLUS: Ryan Murphy says Kurt's new boyfriend is "definitely not Chord."


Stephen Colbert blasts free bus plan to the Jon Stewart rally

"I'm calling bullsh*t," Colbert says of Arianna Huffington's free buses from NYC to D.C.


ESPN's Jay Mariotti pleads no contest to misdemeanor domestic violence

As part of a deal with the Los Angeles D.A., the six remaining misdemeanor counts for domestic violence, grand theft and false imprisonment of his girlfriend were dismissed. With the plea deal, Mariotti avoids jail time and has to serve three years of probation, while completing a 52-week domestic violence course.


NBC has begun selling "Outsourced" novelty items

At the NBC Universal Store, you can buy an "Outsourced" Sarah Palin bobblehead, a whoppee cushion, a rubber chicken or hand buzzer, plus more.


Jimmy Johnson on leaving "Survivor": "I had my adventure"

The former NFL coach lost 18 pounds, discovered that he was closer to the women than the more than likely jealous men, and learned to his surprise that Marty was trying to pull a power move. "It was a surprise," he says. "Even watching the episode last night, that was a surprise to me. I didn’t know that was taking place, because Marty and I had plenty of conversations and I didn’t know that he was in an alliance with Dan."
Jeff Probst sad about Jimmy Johnson, mad about NaOnka
It almost seemed like Jimmy Johnson wanted to be voted off

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THURSDAY ODDS & ENDS

September 30, 2010

"Modern Family" gay kiss: Who slipped who the tongue?

Rumor: There's already an "Idol" power struggle between J.Lo & Seacrest

Anthony Zuiker's novel serial killer will cross over to "CSI"

"Law & Order: L.A." front page irks L.A. Times readers

More comics remember Greg Giraldo // His family opted to pull life support

[Click to read the rest of Odds & Ends]

September 30, 2010

"Law & Order: LA" off to a good start, "Undercovers" loses 24% of its viewers
"Survivor," meanwhile, posted its lowest-rated regular episode ever, while "Modern Family" was No. 1 in the important 18-49 demo.


U.S. Senate votes to ban loud TV commercials

Those annoyingly loud TV ads will become history, after the Senate followed the House of Representatives in banning volume-raising ads.


Speidi divorce is officially off

"We are back together trying to make things work," Heidi Montag says of her relationship with Spencer Pratt.


Kyle MacLachlan joins "HIMYM"

Is he the mother?


"Australia's Next Top Model" host denies hoax

Sarah Murdoch is now famous worldwide for naming the wrong winner, but she denies that it was intentional.

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September 30, 2010

Tony Curtis: Remembering his TV years
When big-time movie roles began to dry up in the early '70s, the legendary actor, who has died at 85, flopped twice in two attempts to conquer the small screen. In 1971, Curtis starred in "The Persuaders" with Roger Moore and, in 1975, "McCoy" — both of which were quickly canceled. He also had a recurring role on Aaron Spelling's "Vegas" from 1978 to 1981. Curtis also made a number of TV cameos, his last being one on "Hope & Faith" in 2004.


"Deadliest Catch" crew might be willing to return

"It’s a possibility, yes," says Edgar Hansen, Sig's brother. "It depends on things that I probably cannot discuss at this time."


Tom Bergeron mock apologizes to Michael Bolton

"I think it's important that we really, really white people stick together."


"The Daily Show" honors Greg Giraldo

Jon Stewart became slightly emotional at the end of last night's show, renaming the "Moment of Zen" the "Moment of Greg" in Giraldo's honor. PLUS: Giraldo and President Obama went to Harvard Law School together — Giraldo graduated in 1990, Obama in 1991 — although they probably didn't know each other.


"Jeff Zucker" sings about NBC's many failures

Watch Jimmy Kimmel's tribute to the fallen NBC chief, set to the tune of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire."


Oxygen gives Paris Hilton another reality show

She is set to reveal the "real Paris" in a new reality series.


"Glee's" Lea Michele goes topless

Check out her pics for Marie Claire.


Anderson Cooper's daytime talk show deal is done — but he isn't leaving CNN

Cooper just renewed his CNN contract as he prepares to create a daily talk show for next fall on "social issues, trends and events, pop culture and celebrity."


Blink and you would have missed "Modern Family's" gay kiss

The writers deliberately put Mitch and Cam's kiss in the background.


TLC taps Brad Garrett for "Kids Say the Darndest Things"

Ryan Seacrest is behind the update on the Bill Cosby classic.


VH1 announces "My Big Friggin' Wedding"

From the producers of "Jersey Shore" comes a "Bridezillas"-like reality show that follows five over-the-top East Coast couples as they try to get to the alter.

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