matt.mitovich

Anderson Cooper 360 Cut to 60, and More News News

CNN is scaling back Anderson Cooper 360 to a singular live hour, sources tell Variety, and will may ultimately the second hour with taped programming (repeats of Lou Dobbs Tonight, by some accounts, or Campbell Brown's new show debuting in November).... Fox Business Network has tapped Fox News Channel's David Asman (remember his license plate on Seinfeld?), Cheryl Casone, Rebecca Gomez, Dagen McDowell and Stuart Varney to serve as anchors when it launches in October.... NBC News on Friday will unveil "Class of 2020," a project that will follow a group of Los Angeles kindergartners all the way through their high-school graduation. Segments will appear primarily on Today, but also on a dedicated website.

Thu, Sep 13, 2007

Anderson Cooper 360 Cut to 60, and More News News

Office DVD Feat, Greek Rush and More Short Cuts

The Office's Season 3 set topped the DVD sales chart last week, the first TV-DVD release to accomplish that feat since Lost, Season 2. Georgia Rule was somehow the No. 1 rental.... The Season 1 finale of ABC Family's Greek set a series high in total viewers (1.4 million) and was the cabler's most-watched series telecast ever among adults 18-34 owning beer bongs.... Kohl's has launched a Food Network-branded line of kitchenware.... New York- and Los Angeles-area subscribers to TV Guide will get a Grey's Anatomy hospital gown shrink-wrapped with their Sept. 24 issue. Lacy black panties sold separately.

Thu, Sep 13, 2007

Office DVD Feat, Greek Rush and More Short Cuts

Emmys 2007: Jersey Boys Sing Sopranos, and More

Sunday's Emmys telecast will pay tribute to The Sopranos' celebrated and now ended run with a musical salute featuring the cast of Broadway's Jersey Boys and using songs from the show's score.Emmys host Fox has also finalized its plan to "go green" by installing a solar panel canopy over the red carpet, to power this and that. Fox's original plan to make the actual red carpet green in color did not fly with the Academy, which was all, "Um, the red carpet is red. Now scamper off and bring back Drive."Speaking of the Sunday's big show, be sure to check out TVGuide.com's Emmy Watch site. It features Matt Roush's predictions, the results of our online polls, red-carpet pics, video clips and more. Come Sunday night, we'll add more pics, more videos and a pair of live blogs, including one from me backstsgae with the winners.

Wed, Sep 12, 2007

Emmys 2007: Jersey Boys Sing Sopranos, and More

HSM 2 CD Hits Milestone  and With Its Clothes On!

Some HSM lovin' from Disney-ABC:"Disneys High School Musical 2 soundtrack rewrites chart history yet again with four consecutive weeks at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 album chart, scanning 165,000 units for the week ending Sept. 9. It is the first album to achieve this milestone since 2005 (50 Cent's The Massacre). The double-platinum soundtrack is already ranked the No. 6 best-selling album of 2007, scanning a total of 1,357,000 units since its release."The High School Musical 2 soundtrack has also maintained the No. 1 position on two other Billboard charts  Top Soundtrack Albums and Top Kid Audio  for the same four-week period. The CD has certified platinum in the U.S. and Canada and certified Gold in Ireland, the U.K., Argentina, Central America, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Mexico and New Zealand."

Wed, Sep 12, 2007

HSM 2 CD Hits Milestone  and With Its Clothes On!

Jon Stewart Is Awarded Another Oscar... Hosting Gig

Despite having participated in the lowest-rated Oscars telecast of the past three years when he hosted in 2006, Daily Show anchor Jon Stewart has been asked back to oversee the ceremony when it airs Feb. 24, 2008, on ABC. "I am thrilled to be asked to host the Academy Awards for the second time," Stewart says in a statement, "because, as they say, the third time's a charm." As previously reported, the 80th Annual Academy Awards will be produced by Gil Cates, who amid his 14 turns at the helm was on hand when Stewart braved his first, Brokeback-tastic hosting gig.

Wed, Sep 12, 2007

Jon Stewart Is Awarded Another Oscar... Hosting Gig

Survivor Impregnates Top Model, Other Love Notes

Survivor vet Jonny "Fairplay" Dalton is expecting a baby with onetime Top Model wannabe Michelle Deighton. Also per TMZ, Full House alumna Jodie Sweetin is pregnant with new hubby Cody Herpin's child.... "Gentleman" Bachelor Lt. Andy Baldwin, whose engagement to Tessa Horst was recently put on hold, has been spied getting cozy with Miss Iran Sepideh Haftgoli, says JustJared.... Adrian Grenier is really diving into his, ahem, "documentary research" with Paris Hilton  yet only to a point. "He's being good and hasn't slept with her," a spy tells the New York Daily News. "[But] they did make out."

Wed, Sep 12, 2007

Survivor Impregnates Top Model, Other Love Notes

Russell Crowe's Rumored Star Trek, More Film News

Will J.J. Abrams' Star Trek feature take its villainy to the Maximus? With the Enterprise's fledgling crew gradually getting cast  Zachary Quinto (as Spock) and Anton Yelchin (Chekov), to name two  there is a story in the New York Post that Russell Crowe is being courted to play the central baddie.... Per Variety, Fight Club members Brad Pitt and Edward Norton will reunite for an adaptation of State of Play.... Director Roman Polanski has pulled out of the $100-million Pompeii, and preparations on the big-budget epic have been halted due to fear of a looming actors' strike.

Wed, Sep 12, 2007

Russell Crowe's Rumored Star Trek, More Film News

Britney Was "Exploited," Claims Peer; Plus, VMAs Draw "More" Viewers

Kanye West's beef with MTV extends beyond the fact that he was shut out, again, at the Video Music Awards. The outspoken rapper believes the cabler preyed on the potential for a Britney Spears screwup. (Watch the video here.) "Man, they were just trying to get ratings," he opined Tuesday on Sirius' Morning Mash Up. "They knew she wasn't ready and they exploited her." Did Brit's big comeback beget boffo numbers? And how. Sunday's VMAs drew 7.08 million viewers, a 23 percent surge over last year.Other new Brit bits: Following her performance, Spears "came running off the stage, yelling, 'Oh my god, I looked like a fat pig! I looked like a fat pig!' She was inconsolable," a backstage spy tells Us. Spears' go-to hair guy, Ken Paves, "bailed" when he arrived at the VMAs only to get the cold shoulder from his client. "Ken made the professional decision not to do her hair," a source tells People. Another mystery solved there.Related: Inside Britney's VMAs Blunder; Britney's Bus...

Wed, Sep 12, 2007

Britney Was "Exploited," Claims Peer; Plus, VMAs Draw "More" Viewers

Exclusive: Buffy's Charisma Stakes Apprentice Spot

Donald Trump's The Apprentice just may become must-see TV for fans of the Buffyverse's Cordelia and, well, warm-blooded men in general. Reliable sources tell TVGuide.com that one of my CWPFs, Charisma Carpenter, will be one of the "job applicants" for the upcoming star-studded edition. While some have scoffed at the celebrity twist being applied to the waning reality show, Carpenter very well could give it the zing it needs. "Charisma is ready to make like Alexis Carrington and bring out the claws if need be," an insider tells me. "It should be very interesting." While neither NBC nor Trump's camp will officially confirm any casting news, Cordy's possible participation, coupled with rumblings that Carmen Electra is also onboard for the venture, has me thinking: "Car-wash task?"Related: Britney, Paris and Lindsay?! Celeb Apprentice Woos Unholy Trinity

Wed, Sep 12, 2007

Exclusive: Buffy's Charisma Stakes Apprentice Spot

Ratings: HBO's Not-so-big Love, Closer's Record Finale

 The racy Tell Me You Love Me bedded only 910,000 viewers with its Sunday debut, falling 53 percent below HBO's month-prior average in the time slot and coming up way short versus the premieres of, say, John from Cincinnati (3.4 mil), Big Love (4.6 mil) and Rome (3.8 mil). As a result, lead-out Curb Your Enthusiasm drew its lowest season-premiere audience ever, 1.17 mil. Monday's season-ender for TNT's The Closer delivered 9.2 million viewers, setting a new all-time high for an ad-supported cable series telecast (besting The Closer's Season 3 opener). Katie Couric's jaunt to Iraq enlisted 5.46 mil, matching Evening News' previous all-time low. Nick's iCarly accumulated 13 million viewers over its entire premiere weekend.

Wed, Sep 12, 2007

Ratings: HBO's Not-so-big Love, Closer's Record Finale

Jane Wyman Tribute, Lisa Rinna's "Girls" and More Short Cuts

Turner Classic Movies will pay tribute to the late Jane Wyman on Friday with telecasts of seven of her films, including Johnny Belinda and The Lost Weekend. The marathon starts at 6 am/ET.... Lisa Rinna invites gals to show "their girls" some love by logging onto PlaytexFits.com, a "virtual playground for bras and boobs".... Barbara Walters premieres a weekly Sirius Satellite Radio call-in show Monday at 6 pm (Channel 102).... This year's Kennedy Center Honors, airing Dec. 26 on CBS, will salute the careers of Steve Martin, Diana Ross, Martin Scorsese, Brian Wilson and pianist Leon Fleisher.... DVD releases have been set for Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Oct. 2) and Monty Python's Life of Brian (pushed back to Nov. 20).

Wed, Sep 12, 2007

Kevin Federline "Loving" His Rockin' Tree Hill Role

While his former missus' own comeback tries to get out of its own way, Kevin Federline is busy enjoying his visit to One Tree Hill. "I'm really into the acting thing," he tells TV's Extra. "I'm loving it!"For the multi-episode stop-by, K-Fed is playing a Tree Hill native named Jason, whom he sums up as a "self-obsessed wannabe rock star. You know, a guy that really takes himself too seriously."Yeah, we used to know "that guy." Wore trucker hats. Jeans around his thighs. Nice to see he's mellowing out.

Tue, Sep 11, 2007

Kevin Federline "Loving" His Rockin' Tree Hill Role

In the Works: "Law & Order: I Sue You" and More

Law & Order auteur Dick Wolf has set up his first project under NBC chair Ben Silverman, teaming with Friday Night Lights scribe David Hudgins on a "medical-legal hybrid" revolving around two brothers who are senior partners in a medical malpractice law firm. Until about five years ago, variety notes, Hudgins was just such a lawyer.... NBC isn't afraid of The Interrogator, a quiz show from Biggest Loser e.p. J.D. Roth. premise: Five contestants campaign for peeks inside one of five safes, one of which holds big money. The title character then grills the players on what they saw.... Bravo has greenlit Step It Up, a reality competition in which dancers from across the country are challenged to master "every conceivable dance style, from ballet and Broadway to ballroom and burlesque." Britney, step away....

Tue, Sep 11, 2007

J.Hud's Sex and the City, Indy 4 and More Movie News

American Idol alumna Jennifer Hudson will play Carrie Bradshaw's assistant in Sex and the City: The Movie.... Also per the Reporter, the new Indiana Jones film is officially subtitled The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.... Kate Bosworth has the title role in Veronika Decides to Die, an adaptation of the best-selling novel.... Desperate Housewives' Jesse Metcalfe and Prison Break's Peter Stormare are on board for the horror thriller Insanitarium.... Mischa Barton, who apparently is an actress when she's not posing for the glossies, will costar with Deborah Kara Unger in the thriller Walled In, says Variety.... Having recently wrapped an update of Prom Night, Nelson McCormick will next direct a redo of 1987's The Stepfather.

Tue, Sep 11, 2007

J.Hud's Sex and the City, Indy 4 and More Movie News

Giants-Cowboys Score Big, and Other Short Cuts

This season's inaugural telecast of NBC's Sunday Night Football  in which Dallas bested the New York Giants 45-35  averaged a 13.6 in household ratings, down 10 percent from last year's series opener but more than doubling the audience of any network rival.... Joan Rivers is at it again, serving up fact- and insight-challenged commentary on Sunday's red-carpet Emmy arrivals via a blog at VH1EyeCandy.com.... Speaking of kudos-casts, Gil Cates will for a 14th time helm the Oscars, this time marking the show's 80th anniversary and airing Feb. 24 on ABC.

Tue, Sep 11, 2007

Inside Britney's VMAs Blunder: Reports Blame Rushed Rehearsals, Margaritas

What's the real story behind Britney's unfortunate "Oops!" at Sunday's VMAs? (Watch video here.) As sources weigh in, a recurring theme suggests that a last-minute change in plans  perhaps not at all helped by frozen margaritas  led to the pop tart's onstage bewilderment. TV's Extra, for one, hears that a more elaborate number orchestrated by illusionist Criss Angel was pared down just before the show got under way. It would not have been an entirely insurmountable hurdle if Spears had hit rehearsals hard. Instead, a source tells the New York Daily News, "She showed up three and a half hours late, and she walked in with a frozen margarita. It was so disrespectful." Not just to MTV suits and her fans, but to her fellow dancers as well. "The dance number was spectacular  without her," a spy tells the New York Post. "Then Britney showed up and refused to do anything. The more complicated moves had to be erased."Wardrobe-wise, Spears has taken hits for underdressing, a...

Tue, Sep 11, 2007

Inside Britney's VMAs Blunder: Reports Blame Rushed Rehearsals, Margaritas

Chris Parnell Offers Guidance, and More Casting News

Saturday Night Live vet Chris Parnell, so winning and hilarious in his recurring gig as 30 Rock's Dr. Spaceman (pronounced "spuh-CHEH-man"), has boarded ABC's midseason comedy Miss/Guided, playing a rival guidance counselor of series lead Judy Greer's.... Also per the Reporter, Veronica Mars sheriff Michael Muhney and Broadway beefcake Cheyenne Jackson have joined the cast of the Lifetime drama pilot Family Practice, playing the youngest and the hardest-partying sons, respectively, of the series' Kennedyesque clan.

Tue, Sep 11, 2007

Chris Parnell Offers Guidance, and More Casting News

Kathy Griffin's "Vulgar" Emmy Speech Gets D-leted

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has said "no thanks" to Kathy Griffin's Jesus-mocking Emmy thank-you speech  My Life on the D-List won best reality program at Saturday's Creative Arts ceremony  and will excise it when the event is aired this weekend on E! In a spiel deemed "offensive" by ATAS and smote by the Catholic League for being "vulgar, in-your-face brand of hate speech," Griffin said that while "a lot of people... thank Jesus for this award... I want you to know that no one had less to do with this [win] than Jesus." She then went on to "diss" Him and proclaim, "This award is my god now."

Tue, Sep 11, 2007

Kathy Griffin's "Vulgar" Emmy Speech Gets D-leted

MTV Deals with Another Flighty Blonde

Marking the first time a Broadway production has been broadcast on TV in its entirety while still walking the planks, MTV has inked a deal with the producers of Legally Blonde to air the musical uncut, with a "premiere" set for Sept. 29 at 1 pm/ET.MTV — which hopes to glom some of that Disney-friendly High School Musical audience with the move — has the rights to go Blonde at least three and up to six times in six weeks.The best part about this Blonde on MTV? Laura Bell Bundy actually knows her dance steps.

Tue, Sep 11, 2007

CBS' Shark Undecided on Including Star's Pregnancy

Just a quick addendum to the "Short Cuts" item posted this Monday morning. Getting back to us on the matter of possibly writing in female lead Jeri Ryan's just-announced pregnancy  the actress is due in March 2008  Shark creator/executive producer Ian Biederman tells TVGuide.com, "We're thrilled for Jeri," then adds, "as of now, no decision has been made about how her pregnancy will or won't be incorporated into the show."At the end of the hit drama's first season, a plot twist found Ryan's character joining the ranks of James Woods' high-profile crime unit, ostensibly further increasing Ms. Devlin's own profile on the series. (Not that Jeri Ryan's profile has ever, ever suffered.)

Tue, Sep 11, 2007

Bionic Woman Runs Free... on Amazon's Unbox

As of, like, right now, Amazon's Unbox service is offering free downloads of the very first episodes of four new NBC series: Bionic Woman, Chuck, Life and Journeyman. I can vouch for at least two of these shows, thus far.If you're on dial-up, there's always the VHS tape you have of last season's Twenty Good Years.For much more on the upcoming "Is it here yet?" season, check out our super-special online Fall Preview Guide.

Mon, Sep 10, 2007

Listless Britney, Offstage Fight Highlight MTV's VMAs

The phone conversation went something like this, I imagine:Spears: It's Britney, bitch.Choreographer: You know, I have had it with your attitude. Figure out your own VMA dance moves! Britney Spears launched her comeback on Sunday night by opening the Video Music Awards with a lip-synched performance of "Gimme More" that can only be described as disappointing. (See video here.) I lied; it can also be described as ill-prepared, awkward to watch and unfortunate. "It definitely could have been a lot better," the AP quotes singer-producer Akon as saying afterward. "She seemed nervous.... Instead of just blocking [the audience] out... you could tell she was thinking about it."Spears' opener was followed by a so-so Sarah Silverman spiel featuring a recurring scatological term best left unsaid at this morning hour. Other "highlights" of the night included an off-camera (dang it!) fight between Pam Anderson's exes, triggered when Kid Rock "sucker smacked" Tommy Lee, says the Post. The scuffl...

Mon, Sep 10, 2007

Listless Britney, Offstage Fight Highlight MTV's VMAs

matt.mitovich

Anderson Cooper 360 Cut to 60, and More News News

Office DVD Feat, Greek Rush and More Short Cuts

Emmys 2007: Jersey Boys Sing Sopranos, and More

HSM 2 CD Hits Milestone &#151; and With Its Clothes On!

Jon Stewart Is Awarded Another Oscar... Hosting Gig

Survivor Impregnates Top Model, Other Love Notes

Russell Crowe's Rumored Star Trek, More Film News

Britney Was "Exploited," Claims Peer; Plus, VMAs Draw "More" Viewers

Exclusive: Buffy's Charisma Stakes Apprentice Spot

Ratings: HBO's Not-so-big Love, Closer's Record Finale

Jane Wyman Tribute, Lisa Rinna's "Girls" and More Short Cuts

Kevin Federline "Loving" His Rockin' Tree Hill Role

In the Works: "Law & Order: I Sue You" and More

J.Hud's Sex and the City, Indy 4 and More Movie News

Giants-Cowboys Score Big, and Other Short Cuts

Inside Britney's VMAs Blunder: Reports Blame Rushed Rehearsals, Margaritas

Chris Parnell Offers Guidance, and More Casting News

Kathy Griffin's "Vulgar" Emmy Speech Gets D-leted

MTV Deals with Another Flighty Blonde

CBS' Shark Undecided on Including Star's Pregnancy

Bionic Woman Runs Free... on Amazon's Unbox

Listless Britney, Offstage Fight Highlight MTV's VMAs

HSM 2 CD Hits Milestone and With Its Clothes On!