'Idol' Singer Strikes Sexy Pose With Twin (AP)
February 22, 2006
AP - "American Idol" contestant Becky O'Donohue just doubled her exposure. The aspiring singer is featured alongside her twin sister, Jessie, in a series of sexy photos on the Maxim magazine Web site.
"Idol," "Anatomy" freeze out Olympics (Reuters)
February 22, 2006Reuters - NBC did bene but not molto bene with its first full week of coverage of the Turin Winter Olympic Games.
Jay Leno Apologizes for Mudd Mistake (AP)
February 22, 2006
AP - Even though Jay Leno messed up a big piece of his family history, Thomas B. Mudd still is one of the late-night talk show host's biggest fans.
Tuesday "Idol" tops 30 million viewers (Reuters)
February 22, 2006Reuters - "American Idol" worship topped the 30 million mark again Tuesday.
FCC seen near action on decency case backlog (Reuters)
February 22, 2006Reuters - U.S. communications regulators plan to issue decisions soon in about 40 cases involving complaints against broadcasters for violating federal decency limits, a source close to the matter said on Wednesday.
FCC Upholds CBS Fine for Jackson's Flash (AP)
February 22, 2006
AP - Federal regulators will stick by their decision to slap CBS with a $550,000 fine for the Janet Jackson flash at the 2004 Super Bowl.
News Corp. to Launch Mini-Network (AP)
February 22, 2006
AP - News Corp. announced Wednesday it would launch a new mini-network called My Network TV that will supply prime-time programming for the 10 local TV stations the company owns that were left without programming after UPN announced it would close.
China bans TV toons that include with live actors (Reuters)
February 22, 2006
Reuters - In a move that could benefit
its nascent domestic animation industry, China has banned from
television any new shows that combine animation with live
actors.
"Idol" Skates Circles around Olympics (E! Online)
February 22, 2006
E! Online - Come Thursday night, all U.S. figure skater Sasha
Cohen needs to
do to win a gold medal in front of her
country is jump, not fall, spin,
not fall, pray her
scores are higher than everybody else's, and, most
importantly (after not falling), hope American
Idol doesn't run
much past 9 p.m.
Ladies First on "American Idol" (E! Online)
February 22, 2006
E! Online - The top 12 female semifinalists sang for their voting public for the
first time Tuesday night, and while America's top contenders won't be
revealed until Thursday's results show, the judges made no secret of
which performances they considered to be the most impressive.
Donald Trump Continues to Blast Stewart (AP)
February 22, 2006
AP - Donald Trump was still heavily in attack mode Wednesday. The Donald continued to blister Martha Stewart for her statements in the current Newsweek that "Martha Stewart: The Apprentice" flopped last fall because Trump would not yank his competing show off the air.
"Idol" Ices Olympics
February 22, 2006
Come Thursday night, all U.S. figure skater Sasha
Cohen needs to do to win a gold medal in front of her
country is jump, not fall, spin, not fall, pray her
scores are higher than everybody else's, and, most
importantly (after not falling), hope "American
Idol" doesn't run much past 9 p.m.
That's because on Tuesday night, women's figure
skating or no, the epic-sized Winter Olympics bowed
down to a two-hour
"Idol".
Prime-Time Nielsen Ratings (AP)
February 22, 2006AP - Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research for Feb. 13-19. Listings include the week's ranking, with viewership for the week and season-to-date rankings in parentheses.
NBC Wins Ratings With Its Olympics (AP)
February 22, 2006AP - NBC routed network rivals with its first full week of Winter Olympics competition. But the Torino Games took a back seat to several customary hits in the weekly Nielsen rankings.
Lumet Recalls 'Network,' 30 Years Later (AP)
February 22, 2006
AP - While George Clooney's Oscar-nominated "Good Night, and Good Luck" looks back at a halcyon era of broadcast journalism, 1976's "Network" saw a future that three decades later makes the film seem eerily prophetic.
'Everybody Hates Chris' Cast to Appear (AP)
February 22, 2006AP - Chris Rock and the cast of "Everybody Hates Chris" will appear on a panel at The Museum of Television & Radio's 23rd annual William S. Paley Television Festival.
Ratings for Basic Cable Networks (AP)
February 22, 2006AP - Rankings for the top 15 programs on basic cable networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of Feb. 13-19. Day and start time (EST) are in parentheses.
USA Network Adds 'Psych' to Lineup (AP)
February 22, 2006AP - USA Network is psyched about its wacky new crime series.
Emmy Overhauls Voting. Again. (E! Online)
February 22, 2006
E! Online - Tired of seeing the same batch of housewives, presidential
cabinet members and flamboyant buds and their platonic gal pals walking
away with Emmys year in and year out?
Spanish Dialogue Common in Kids' Programs (AP)
February 22, 2006
AP - Each episode of "Dora the Explorer" starts with the animated heroine dashing from her family's hacienda, waving to her Mami and Papi and scooting off into the jungle.
News Corp. to Launch Mini-Network (AP)
February 22, 2006AP - News Corp. announced Wednesday it would launch a new mini-network called My Network TV that will supply prime-time programming for the 10 local TV stations the company owns that were left without programming after UPN announced it would close.
Highlights From NBC's Olympic Coverage (AP)
February 22, 2006
AP - Smart announcers know that keeping quiet can often be the wisest choice. Figure skating play-by-play man Tom Hammond is the chief reason NBC's unusual four-person broadcast team has worked.
Martha versus Donald: Round Two (E! Online)
February 22, 2006
E! Online - Forget primetime. The best battle to hit The
Apprentice is taking place off screen.
Emmy Overhauls Voting
February 22, 2006
The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced plans for an overhaul of their nomination voting process Tuesday, designed to end the reign of terror of perennial nominees and give overlooked rookies a shot at Emmy gold.
The changes will affect the nomination process of six major categories: Best Actor, Actress and Series in both comedy and drama genres.
Raver among role players on network pilots (Reuters)
February 22, 2006Reuters - "24" co-star Kim Raver has been tapped to co-star in ABC's untitled drama pilot from "Without a Trace" creator Hank Steinberg and his sister, writer K.J. Steinberg.
Jensen gets "Ugly" role (Reuters)
February 22, 2006Reuters - British actress Ashley Jensen ("Extras") has joined ABC's comedy "Ugly Betty."
TV academy casts revisions for Emmy voting process (Reuters)
February 22, 2006
Reuters - The board of governors
of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has approved a
number of changes in the nominating process for the annual
Primetime Emmy Awards in an effort to broaden the playing field
in top acting and series categories.
Silvercup West 'studio city' comes into focus (Reuters)
February 22, 2006Reuters - After more than three years of discussion and design work, plans for Silvercup Studios' new film and TV production facility, Silvercup West, officially were unveiled Tuesday.
Hartley dives in as Aquaman for CW pilot (Reuters)
February 22, 2006Reuters - The CW network's untitled Aquaman project has netted a new leading man.
NBC's legal precedent: iTunes bow (Reuters)
February 22, 2006Reuters - NBC broke new ground Tuesday with its legal drama "Conviction," becoming the first network to premiere a primetime series in the iTunes Music Store for free and before its televised broadcast.
NBC earning low marks for Turin coverage (Reuters)
February 22, 2006Reuters - Stung by lower-than-expected ratings on the broadcast network and a lackluster performance by the U.S. team in Turin, NBC went on the offensive this week as the two-week Winter Olympics skied into its final days.
Trump to Martha: "You deserved to be fired" (Reuters)
February 22, 2006Reuters - Hell hath no fury like a real estate mogul feeling dissed by a doyenne of gracious living.
Emmy Officials Revamp Awards Rules (AP)
February 22, 2006
AP - Emmy officials are revamping their awards rules for the second time in two years, trying to give newcomers a better chance against the long-running series and familiar stars that can monopolize the annual TV awards show.