
CNN's Wolf Blitzer
CNN may be losing ground in the battle for cable news ratings, but the network's cross-platform reach is second to none.
That was the message CNN president Jon Klein put forth Wednesday at Turner Broadcasting's three-hour panel during the Television Critics Association press tour, according to TheWrap.com. When factoring in broadband traffic, 117.2 million tune into CNN weekly via one platform or another, according to Nielsen.
When measured by the same criteria, MSNBC is CNN's closest competitor with 99.4 million users each week. Fox News ranks third in cross-platform reach with 98.2 million users, though it still dominates CNN among traditional TV ratings. Even so, Klein said his network ...
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Kevin James, George Lopez
TBS says it's "very funny," so it's only fitting the network will look for more laughs in the 2009-10 season, in both 3-D and 2-D form and from former sitcom stars.
Already scheduled to return are Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns, which will launch its second season May 27, and The Bill Engvall Show, which will inhabit ...
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George Lopez
Late night is about to get a little more crowded.
Comedian and former sitcom star George Lopez has been tapped to headline a new late-night talk show for TBS in the fall. The network describes the show as having an outdoor street-party atmosphere with a high-energy live audience. In addition to celebrity and musical guests, Lopez is hoping his personality and brand of comedy will draw viewers in.
"It's a good gig and it's very exciting. I think people are excited," Lopez tells TVGuide.com. "What takes a lot of the pressure off me is that I've had HBO specials and toured successfully from Radio City to the Paramount in Seattle. The people that come to see me I know will be excited about this show."
The as-yet-untitled show will be produced ...
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Michael Imperioli by Craig Blankenhorn/HBO
Jack Black has signed on to star in and produce The Lost Adventures of Stone Perlmutter Jr. for Universal Studios. In the mockumentary, he'll play a late-'70s Indiana Jones type... only tubby and a bit potty-mouthed. Ill-fated Soprano Michael Imperioli has been cast as the detective in Peter Jackson's DreamWorks adaptation of the best-seller The Lovely Bones. Stanley Tucci has also come on board as the killer. Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation have announced the release date of the fourth Shrek movie: May 21, 2010. Gosh, that's so far away. If only they'd do something to remind us occasionally as opening day draws nearer. Salma Hayek's new MGM-based production company with a Latin flair, Ventanazul, is pursuing George Lopez to cowrite, produce and star in one of their inaugural projects.
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Per the Hollywood Reporter, Drew Barrymore will voice Chloe, a pampered Beverly Hills chihuahua who gets lost in Mexico in the live-action, talking-animal Disney comedy South of the Border. Also on board are Andy Garcia (as a German shepherd), George Lopez (as a macho pooch with eyes for Chloe) and Salma Hayek.... The red-hot Frank Langella will star with Elliott Gould in On the Hook, a thriller about a corporate whistleblower and the PI who protects him from killers.... Flags of Our Fathers' Jesse Bradford will star in The Echo, a remake of the Filipino thriller Sigaw.
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Stacy Keibler on George Lopez
With a WWE history and a stage name like "Super Stacy," 5-foot-11 Stacy Keibler certainly knows how to make an entrance that gets fans screaming and captivates admirers. Her long legs — famously 42 inches long — were helpful as she spun her way into the second season of Dancing with the Stars. But with wrasslin' and rumba behind her, Keibler is excited to cozy up to fun, girlie roles, starting with ABC's George Lopez (tonight and Feb. 21, at 8 pm/ET), and then on What About Brian (starting Feb. 12, at 10 pm/ET). TVGuide.com sought out Keibler for the scoop on what it was like dating a much older man, hanging out with
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George Lopez
After a nine-month hiatus, ABC's George Lopez returns tonight at 8 pm/ET with Angie fearing she's pregnant, Benny under arrest and George just trying to make sense of it all. We spoke to the comic/actor about Season 6.
TV Guide: Six years is a long time for a sitcom.George Lopez: It is a long time, man. This has not been done before, where you have a Latino actor lead a situation comedy past 100 episodes. Chico and the Man didn't do 100 episodes. I Love Lucy did, but it was Lucy's show. Desi was the costar.
TV Guide: It's rumored this may be the final season.Lopez: That's been rumored aft
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TBS is teaming with MySpace to give aspiring comics a chance at stardom in Stand Up or Sit Down Comedy Challenge, an online competition that invites wannabe cutups to submit video samples of their cracking wise via a special MySpace profile. The top five finalists (as voted on by MySpace users) will perform in a comedy special hosted by George Lopez and airing on TBS on Nov. 27.
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Kevin James, The King of Queens
This week the networks began meeting with ad-agency execs to talk about what's in development for the 2006-07 season. That means it's time for producers of current shows with less-than-robust ratings to start worrying about getting picked up for next season. Here's what industry insiders are telling the Biz.
ABC: The network's comedies are having a tough year in the ratings, but you can't cancel all of them. Rodney, Hope & Faith, Crumbs and Less than Perfect aren't likely to make the cut. According to Jim, George Lopez and Freddie have a chance of returning. Since ABC has two more hours to program in the fall now that football has moved to NBC, shows that would otherwise be doomed have a chance. We're talking Invasion and Commander in Chief. Their survival depends on the strength of the network's new-program development.
CBS: Another season of The King of Queens depends on whether the n
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Question: I've been watching a lot of reruns of Roseanne on Nick at Nite lately and I wonder if there can ever be another show to match it. It was brilliant, especially in its early years. I would love to watch another family comedy on the same level as Roseanne.
Answer: So would we all. Those first seasons of Roseanne were so raw, so honest, so true to the star's vision, and, of course, so hilarious. One of the saddest observations I can make about today's TV comedy scene is to look at ABC and to realize that the network that once showcased Roseanne, Brett Butler and Tim Allen is now the network of Jim Belushi, Freddie Prinze Jr., George Lopez and Hope & Faith. It's enough to make you cry. (But then, ABC's Sons & Daughters, premiering Tuesday, may give you hope. Just pray someone actually watches. ...
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