TV, movie and music news | News Briefs

News Briefs TV, movie and music news

Nov 25 2009 08:55 AM ET

Hulu traffic spikes

Hulu, the popular web hub for online viewing of current and classic television shows, is drawing record use. According to Advertising Age, traffic on the site jumped nearly 47% in October, its largest month-to-month gain of the past year. The spike coincides with the networks’ new fall programs and with ABC’s recent decision to make their hit shows, like Lost and Desperate Housewives, available on the service. The increased traffic is reflected in the site’s booming advertising, as Hulu anticipates they’re nearly sold-out for the last quarter of the year.

Nov 25 2009 06:08 AM ET

Fox crushes November sweeps

by Jeff Labrecque

Categories: News, Television

For the first time in its history, Fox is expected to win the November sweeps. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a high-profile World Series and a consistent lineup of well-regarded shows, like House and Glee, will propel Fox to an easy victory over the other four networks. Fox’s ratings were up 20% from its figures last November, making it the only network with any year-to-year gain. ABC, which is expected to place second, would come out on top if you excluded sports programming.

Nov 24 2009 11:44 PM ET

Live Nation offers concert recordings through iTunes

by Wendy Mitchell

Categories: Music, Music Biz, News, Web/Tech

Apple’s iTunes is working with Live Nation to offer downloads of concerts. The new live music section, Live Nation Studios, debuted Tuesday. The initiative will offer exclusive recorded and filmed concerts – for purchase only on iTunes – from Live Nation’s select venues. The artists on offer currently include OK Go, Jesse McCartney, Duffy, Plain White T’s, and Ziggy Marley. Hundreds of other live recordings will be added in coming months, with prices starting at $7.99. Live Nation is the world’s largest live concert producer, working with about 22,000 concerts annually.

Nov 24 2009 10:20 PM ET

MTV stands by 'Jersey Shore' despite Italian-American protest

by Wendy Mitchell

Categories: News, Television

A national Italian-American organization is asking MTV to cancel its new show Jersey Shore before it starts airing. UNICO National, based in New Jersey, said that the reality show, set to premiere Dec. 3, builds on negative stereotypes and bad behavior — the show’s trailer promotes the “hottest, tannest, craziest guidos.” The show follows a group of people renting a beach house at the Jersey Shore. An MTV spokesperson said in a statement to EW: “Jersey Shore is a reality series that follows eight young adults spending their summer at the beach. The show continues MTV’s history of documenting various subcultures, rites of passage of young people, and the ways they self-identify. The Italian-American cast takes pride in their ethnicity. We understand that this show is not intended for every audience and depicts just one aspect of youth culture.”

Nov 24 2009 09:24 PM ET

Grammy Hall of Fame adds works by James Brown, The Beach Boys, George Carlin

by Jeff Jensen

Categories: Music, Music Biz, News

The Grammy Hall of Fame in Los Angeles has added 25 new recordings to its fabled hall, including James Brown’s 1966 hit “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” and Bob Marley’s 1973 album “Catch A Fire.” Reuters also reports that The Beach Boys’ “California Girls” and the late George Carlin’s 1972 comedy album “Class Clown” has been added to the Hall, which is administered by The Recording Academy. The total number of songs showcased at The Grammy Hall of Fame now stands at 851.

Nov 24 2009 09:08 PM ET

Tyler Perry makes $1 million donation to NAACP

by Jeff Jensen

Categories: Celebrity News, Current Affairs, News

Tyler Perry, the successful mutli-hyphenate behind such movie hits as Madea Goes To Jail and TV series like House of Payne, has made a $1 million donation to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, according to the AP. Perry’s gift is reportedly the biggest donation from a single individual that the NAACP has ever received. Perry said he was moved to make the donation in part to honor the NAACP’s 100th anniversary.

Nov 24 2009 06:38 PM ET

Fox announces midseason schedule

by Kate Ward

Categories: News, Television

Today, Fox announced the premiere dates for this winter’s new and returning shows. Along with ordering a full season of Lie To Me, the network has scheduled a special Jan. 10 episode of The Simpsons celebrating the series’ 450 episode. Fox will also unveil a Simpsons documentary, The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special: in 3-D! on Ice! from filmmaker Morgan Spurlock that night. Their line-up of new shows includes: Past Life, a drama inspired by the book The Reincarnationist, set to premiere Feb. 11; Human Target, a series about a private contractor that premieres Jan. 17; Our Little Genius, a game show for gifted kids, premiering Jan. 13; and Sons of Tucson, a comedy following three brothers who hire a new father when their real one is imprisoned. (The latter will premiere March 14.) Some other highlights:

*American Idol will premiere its ninth season Tuesday, Jan. 12.

*A new season of Kitchen Nightmares begins Jan. 29.

*24 will kick off with a two-night, four-hour event Jan. 17 and 18.

*Glee switches to Tuesday nights starting April 13, when the network will air all-new episodes following the series’ Dec. 9 fall finale.

*The network will offer all-new episodes of Fringe starting April 1. The show’s winter finale will air Feb. 4.

*The series finale of Dollhouse will air Jan. 22.

Nov 24 2009 06:30 PM ET

'American Idol': Season 9 two-night premiere set for Jan. 12 and 13

by Michael Slezak

Categories: News, Television

Mark your calendars, Idoloonies! American Idol’s ninth season premiere will be a two-night extravaganza on Tuesday, Jan. 12 (8-10 p.m. EDT) and Wednesday, Jan. 13 (8-9 p.m. EDT), Fox announced this evening via press release. What’s the reason you’ll only be getting a half-sized portion of Simon, Randy, Kara, and a guest judge on Day Two of season 9? The series premiere of Our Little Geniuses, a quiz show where brilliant tykes will tackle challenging questions while your brain turns to mush from the comfort of your living-room couch.

Nov 24 2009 06:01 PM ET

Steven Spielberg finishes initial shooting on 'Tintin'

by Kate Ward

Categories: Film, Movie Biz, Movies, News

BBC News reports that Steven Spielberg has completed the initial shooting of his Tintin film, titled The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn. Peter Jackson, a producer on the film, told the BBC that the computer animation would take another two years of work. “Tintin is great. It’s made. The movie is cut together and now [we] are turning it into a fully rendered film…So the movie, to some degree, exists in a very rough state.” The film is due out December 2011.

Nov 24 2009 09:23 AM ET

Susan Boyle to be subject of one-hour TV special

by Leah Greenblatt

Categories: Music, Music Biz, Television

Susan Boyle, who became an instant singing sensation over the summer with her performance on Britain’s Got Talent, will be the subject of a TV Guide Channel documentary I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story, via a report Yahoo News.

The hour-long program, set to air at 8pm EST on Dec. 13, will trace Boyle’s rise from a small Scottish village to international fame, and feature interviews with both Simon Cowell and the singer herself, as well as friends and celebrities.

According to a report yesterday in Reuters, Boyle appears set to have the biggest album in the U.K. this year. A spokesman for retail chain HMV said the 48-year-old was on course for first-day sales of nearly 150,000 copies in Britain, and could easily hit 400,000 by week’s end, making it the fastest selling release there this year.

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