LeBron James by Andrew Bernstein/NBA Photos
Following the disappointing (some might say embarrassing) bronze-medal performance at the Athens Olympics, the U.S. men's basketball team knew it had to make some changes. The biggest was hiring Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski to reinvent the program. A new docu-series beginning Wednesday night, Road To Redemption, chronicles the squad's journey back to Dream Team status (July 2, 7 pm/ET, ESPN). Expect plenty of product placement for a certain shoe company, but there's also great behind the scenes footage, including Coach K's initial 2006 address to the team. "We’re the guys who are gonna show people how to play, on any surface, in any court, in any location, it is our game," he said to a group that included NBA stars LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Jason Kidd, the sole holdover from the last gold-medal-winning team (2000).The initial outing, the 2006 world championships, produced another bronze medal. But by the time the team swept through the FIBA Americas Championship last summ...
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Miley Cyrus by Steve Granitz/ WireImage.com
It wasn't enough that they have enough money that they can use it to line their doggie beds, they also had to be under 25. This hurts. Among the top 20 are: bad girl Lindsay Lohan and good girl Miley Cyrus, with $3.5 million apiece; Mitovich's imaginary girlfriend, Scarlett Johansson, No. 12 with $5 million; popsters Avril Lavigne and Hilary Duff, $12 million apiece; Daniel "Harry Potter" Radcliffe, No. 6 with $15 million; the Olsen twins, No. 5 with $17 million each; and in the top spot, the clearly overpaid LeBron James, with $27 million. In related news, Mitovich, I want a raise. And Botox. — Ben Katner
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Kanye West by Kevin Parry/WireImage.com
Saturday Night Live has revealed its lineup for the first three weeks of the new season. As previously reported, the late-nighter returns on Sept. 29 with 'baller host LeBron James and musical guest Kanye West. (Have I mentioned how much he rocked the TV Guide after-Emmys party? It was insanity.)On Oct. 6, Superbad auteur Seth Rogen oversees the show, with musical guest Spoon. (No relation to the Loving Spoonfuls, I imagine.) Then on the 13th, we get Jon Bon Jovi as host with the Foo Fighters delivering the tunes.
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LeBron James by John Sciulli/WireImage.com, Maya Rudolph by Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC Photo
Saturday Night Live, which saw footballer Peyton Manning front one of last season's strongest outings, has recruited LeBron James of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers to host this fall's season premiere. But will "Oprah" be there to greet him? At Tuesday's TCA press tour session, SNL boss Lorne Michaels acknowlegded that Maya Rudolph's run on the show might be ending, though talks are ongoing to hold onto the comedienne. Outside of that question mark, though, Michaels said he expects the entire current cast to return.POLL: Who's your fave SNL funny lady? Vote here.
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David Blaine courtesy of the NBA
The NBA will unveil a new on-air promotional campaign this weekend during playoff games. Dubbed “Unbelievable,” the series of spots features magician David Blaine humorously attempting to debunk the mind-boggling abilities of NBA stars. First up, starting Saturday, are spots with LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets which offer “explanations” for their skills at slam-dunking and shot-blocking, respectively.Coming next week are promos highlighting two-time league MVP Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns), Ben Gordon (Chicago Bulls), and Baron Davis, whose heroics just led the Golden State Warriors to a major first-round upset of the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks. Somewhere, an ad with Dirk Nowitzki must be collecting dust.
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Sunday's first three installments of Discovery Channel's Planet Earth, averaging 5.7 million viewers, were the the No. 1-, 2- and 4-ranked basic-cable programs of the week.... Serve the cheerleader, reap the ratings: ABC Family's Sunday airing of Hayden Panettiere's Bring It On: All or Nothing was the cabler's most-watched movie premiere of all time, with 4.8 million viewers.... Jimmy Kimmel and NBA star LeBron James will cohost ESPN's ESPY Awards, to be broadcast July 15.... Bobby arrives on DVD April 10.... The wife of Oliver Hudson (Rules of Engagement) will give Goldie Hawn her second grandchild in August, reports E!.
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