ABC's TV president in ratings trouble (Reuters)
April 21, 2006Reuters - Actor Martin Sheen, star of NBC's departing White House drama "The West Wing," may not be the only TV president to leave office this season.
Miss USA Contestants Prepare for Crowning (AP)
April 21, 2006
AP - It was just the dress rehearsal, but the 51 Miss USA contestants strutted their stuff like it was the real thing.
NBC Aborts 'Celebrity Cooking Showdown' (AP)
April 21, 2006AP - NBC tossed its "Celebrity Cooking Showdown" into the garbage disposal. Following abysmal ratings of its planned weeklong series of shows, NBC quickly aborted its kitchen competition. It was taken off the air Thursday and Friday, replaced by reruns of other series.
TV seance claims to have reached John Lennon (Reuters)
April 21, 2006
Reuters - A controversial television seance
airing on Monday will claim it has reached the spirit of John
Lennon, but viewers will have to pay $9.95 to find out what the
peace-loving Beatle has to say.
Wallace Talks With NBC News About Job (AP)
April 21, 2006
AP - There's no retiring in Mike Wallace. The "60 Minutes" legend said Friday he's been talking to NBC News about a job.
"Celebrity Cooking" Burned
April 21, 2006
Once NBC saw that viewers didn't have a taste for "Celebrity Cooking Showdown," the network immediately lost its appetite.
NBC yanked the remaining two episodes of its culinary boot camp for celebs scheduled to air Thursday and Friday from its prime time schedule and made the Thursday show available for Web viewing on NBC.com instead. The wait to find out whose soufflé; rose the highest will continue until Saturday--which hasn't been the greatest night for television since "The Golden Girls" retired--when NBC will air the last two shows back to back.
Paula Abdul: TV Producer? (E! Online)
April 21, 2006
E! Online - American Idol's perkiest personality is
looking to expand her
media empire and develop a new TV project focusing on her.
Paula Abdul: TV Producer?
April 21, 2006
If Simon and Ryan can do it, why can't Paula?
"American Idol's" perkiest personality is
looking to expand her media empire and develop a new TV project focusing on her.
Per the Hollywood Reporter, Paula Abdul is in talks with CBS Paramount Domestic Television to develop and produce the proposed syndicated series. No further details were announced.
Rush Is on for Web-Delivered Video (AP)
April 21, 2006AP - Here is a moment to marvel at.
Russian "Apprentice" host thrice as rich as Trump (Reuters)
April 21, 2006Reuters - If contestants on the hit U.S. television show "The Apprentice" were unnerved by Donald Trump's billions, their Russian counterparts have more to worry about, as the host of the Russian version is three times as rich.
Assistant loses "Friends" sex harassment case (Reuters)
April 21, 2006Reuters - In a closely watched workplace speech case, the California Supreme Court unanimously ruled Thursday that the sexual banter among writers on the hit series "Friends" did not violate the rights of a writers' assistant who sued for harassment.
"Gilmore Girls" creator exits in contract discord (Reuters)
April 21, 2006Reuters - The creator of "Gilmore Girls" will leave the WB comedy-drama at the end of the season after failing to agree on terms for a renewal of her contract.
Political ads could top $1 billion: survey (Reuters)
April 21, 2006Reuters - With midterm elections for the House and Senate looming in an uncertain political landscape, a new forecast finds that political ad spending in 2006 might beat the record set in 2004.
Abdul eyeing syndicated TV projects (Reuters)
April 21, 2006Reuters - "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul has been discussing potential syndicated projects with the company behind "Entertainment Tonight," the gossip show on which she serves as a special correspondent, sources said.
NFL Network eye on Gumbel, Collinsworth (Reuters)
April 21, 2006Reuters - The NFL Network has reached out to former "Today" host Bryant Gumbel and NBC and Fox analyst Cris Collinsworth, among others, to anchor its upcoming Thursday night primetime package in the fall.
Fox jostling ABC for season win in key race (Reuters)
April 21, 2006
Reuters - Fueled by "American Idol,"
"House" and "24," Fox has tied with ABC for the lead in the
season's key adults 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen
Media Research data released Thursday.