Monday Night Football had a big night in the ratings, just like Tom Brady on the field.
The regular season debut of the venerable franchise on ESPN decimated the competition on both cable and broadcast television, attracting 14.57 million viewers for the NFL game between the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins and a 6.3 rating among 18-to-49-year-olds. Brady made the hot South Florida night hotter, passing for 517 yards — merely the fifth-best in league history. And with the promise of more excitement like that, ESPN is sure to lure solid numbers throughout the season.
read more
Amy Winehouse's father believes his daughter died after suffering a seizure caused by alcohol detoxification, The Associated Press reports.
In a segment taped Friday for Anderson Cooper's new syndicated show, Mitch Winehouse said that he regretted letting the singer try to kick her alcoholism without a doctor's help. As a result, she suffered seizures and would lose consciousness during this period, he said.
No illegal drugs found in Amy Winehouse's body; cause of death still unclear
"The periods of abstinence were becoming longer, and the periods of drinking ...
read more
Will Anderson Cooper get another case of the giggles?
The CNN anchor will interview Gerard Depardieu next week on his new daytime series, Anderson, Entertainment Weekly reports. The interview comes weeks after Cooper broke out in laughter on...
read more
It was a night of big statements as Lady Gaga dressed like a man, Britney Spears received a soaring tribute and Beyonce alluded to her pregnancy during the MTV Video Music Awards.
Check out arrivals on the MTV VMA black carpet
read more
Who says nothing happens on the weekend before Labor Day? (And we're not talking storm preparations on the East Coast — at least not in this space.) Nowadays, TV almost never takes a holiday, and such is the case this weekend. A few highlights:
Torchwood: Miracle Day (Friday, 10/9c, Starz) I wish I could report that last week's terrific episode (Jack's 1920s flashback, which went from romantic to disturbing in a bloody flash as he was revealed as "the blessing") represented a return to form for this otherwise woefully uneven season of Torchwood. But I'm afraid we're back to the present day this week, and the action is just as ridiculously clumsy and the characters (Rex and Esther in particular) as aggravating as ever. Still, with only two episodes to go after this, I'll watch to the end.
read more