Archive: January 2010 (201-210 of 320)

Jan 12 2010 05:28 PM ET

Cybill Shepherd's son arrested for theft

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The son of actress Cybill Shepherd, Cyrus Zacharia Shepherd-Oppenheim, 22, was arrested Tuesday at Philadelphia’s airport for allegedly stealing from sleeping passengers on an overnight flight from San Francisco to Philadelphia, People.com reports. Shepherd-Oppenheim, who was taken into custody once the flight landed in Philadelphia, has been charged with two counts of theft.

Jan 12 2010 05:26 PM ET

Court rejects Dan Rather lawsuit appeal

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Categories: Lawsuits

A New York court rejected former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather’s appeal of a decision that dismissed the $70 million lawsuit he had filed against CBS Corp., according to Reuters. In the lawsuit, Rather claimed that CBS breached his contract by not providing him enough air time after he left the news program in March 2005. Rather called the appeal dismissal “a grave miscarriage of justice.”

Jan 12 2010 04:00 PM ET

Conan O'Brien expresses 'enormous personal disappointment' over NBC's 'Tonight Show' decision

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Categories: Industry News, Television, TV Biz, TV Ratings

After days of silence about the late-night shake-up at NBC, Conan O’Brien has finally gone public, issuing the statement printed below. NBC, which spoke about the situation at the TCA press tour over the weekend, is not commenting at this time.

People of Earth:
In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over the Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of the Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

Jan 12 2010 03:43 PM ET

Ratings: Football on NBC, ABC, and Fox dominates the week

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Categories: Industry News, Television, TV Biz, TV Ratings

The big story of the week when it came to broadcast television ratings for the seven-day period ending Jan. 10 was, of course, football. With both the college and professional seasons were winding down, the NFL playoff game between the Philadelphia Eages and the Dallas Cowboys on NBC on Saturday was the No. 1 show of the week—drawing a huge 32.1 million viewers. In second place: also football, specifically the college national championship airing on ABC that saw Texas taking on Alabama on Thursday evening. The top scripted show of the week—CBS’ NCIS—pops up at No. 3 with a 21.4 million viewers.

But the pigskin wasn’t only atop the Top 20—football offerings from Fox could be found throughout. The Fiesta Bowl showed up at No. 8 with 13.8 million viewers, and the Orange Bowl appeared at No. 13 with 10.9 million viewers. Also of note this week was The Simpsons‘ double appearance on the chart, as it pulled in with an episode at No. 5 (14.6 million viewers) and a 20th anniversary special at No. 11 (11.4 million viewers). CBS’ People Choice Awards rolled in at No. 15 with 10.8 million viewers.

The week’s full Top 20—with viewership totals—is after the jump.

READ FULL STORY »

Jan 12 2010 03:10 PM ET

'Dancing with the Stars' to kick off March 22

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Categories: Television, TV Biz

ABC announced at the TCA press tour today that the 10th season of Dancing with the Stars will kick off on Monday, March 22, with a two-hour premiere beginning at 8 p.m. The latest batch of all-star cast members for the hit reality series will be named at a later date. ABC also announced that the second novel by Richard Castle (star of the series Castle) will be published by Hyperion at the end of September, 2010. The book does not yet have a title, but the author’s first mystery, Heat Wave, was a best-seller.

Jan 12 2010 02:52 PM ET

'Lost': Michael and Libby will be back! Plus: The cast's fave moments!

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Categories: Television, TV Biz

The cast and producers of Lost spoke this morning at the TCA press tour about the show’s final season, set to premiere on Feb. 2. Showrunner Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof announced that Michael Perrineau (Michael) and Cynthia Watros (Libby) will be back during the climactic sweep of story — two characters we thought were dead. “The season premiere picks up right after the finale,” said Cuse, and then begged off from elaborating.

When the cast was asked about the premiere, Josh Holloway (Sawyer) said, “It’s big,” and Emilie de Ravin (Claire) added, “I had to read the premiere three times for it to make sense.” Her choice of words was interpreted by press (and Lindelof) to mean that the premiere is confusing. “That’s not helping!” Lindelof said with a laugh. “Get ready to be confused, America!” (The actress quickly clarified that the premiere is packed with info and developments, not that it’s incoherent.)

Cuse promised season 6 will be accessible for viewers who dropped away after the first couple seasons but are curious about how the whole series will turn out: “We’re doing something different in the narrative that doesn’t require deep and vast knowledge to get.” He said that those well-versed with season 1 will be well-positioned to be entertained by the final season. Cuse added that the end of Lost is not designed to launch a spin-off or continuation of the series, saying, “There’s no implanted sequel, no backdoor pilot.”

In addition, Cuse hinted that some upcoming promotions will offer more season 6 teases, and mentioned that mysterious bottles will be showing up with some clips from the premiere.

The cast and producers also talked about favorite moments or episodes:

Emilie de Ravin (Claire): “My favorite moments are when we’re all together, the original cast, hanging out like the old days. It’s nice getting back to that now [with the scenes the actors are shooting].”

Daniel Dae Kim (Jin): “The finale of the first season, the launching of the raft.”

Josh Holloway (Sawyer): “I like group scenes. They take two, three days to film. But if you position yourself just right while they’re shooting, you can cut up and have fun. I’ve become quite good at positioning myself to have that kind of fun.”

Evangeline Lilly (Kate): “Sangria Thursdays. It’s become a Season 6 tradition.” Her fave episode: “Do No Harm,” in which Claire gave birth and Boone died. “That episode that sort of culminated everything the show represented. I remember thinking ‘This is something I am proud to be part of.’”

Terry O’Quinn (Locke): “Sitting under the banyan trees, listening to Naveen [Andrews, aka Sayid] as he plays guitar and everyone sings.”

Michael Emerson (Ben): “I have many fond memories of breathless confrontations in small rooms. Jacob’s hatch, Widmore’s bedroom.” He said his defining moment was Season 3, when Ben took Sawyer up to the ridge and revealed they were on Hydra Island “Standing on the cliff, trading quotes from Steinbeck, and I had a rabbit in backpack. It was so absurd and majestic.”

Jorge Garcia (Hurley): The moment that came to mind was “the comet hitting Mr. Cluck’s and I’m laying there and they’re throwing raw chicken parts at me.”

More Lost news — plus my Doc Jensen column — later this week here at EW.com. PLUS: Keep following Michael Ausiello’s ongoing coverage of Press Tour.

Jan 12 2010 01:20 PM ET

Polanski sues French media for invasion of privacy

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Categories: Lawsuits, Movie Biz, Movies

Roman Polanski is suing the French media for invasion of privacy after photos of himself and his family inside of their home were printed, according to the Associated Press. The director of Chinatown and Rosemary’s Baby has been under house arrest in Gstaad, Switzerland, since December. He was arrested in September on his way to a Swiss film festival on a three-decades-old warrant relating to his 1978 flight from the United States while facing charges of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

Polanski’s invasion of privacy suit names two French newspapers and two French magazines that ran photos of him and his family (including his two children who are both minors and thus protected under French media law) inside of their home in December. He is seeking 150,000 Euros in damages (approximately $217,215). “The legal case against Polanski in no way justifies the paparazzi’s stalking of his wife and children,” said the director’s lawyer, Marion Gregoire.

Jan 12 2010 10:21 AM ET

Vin Diesel: Two 'Fast & Furious' sequels fueling

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Categories: Movies

After a $71 million opening weekend last April, a sequel to Fast & Furious, which went on to gross $343 million worldwide, was feverishly greenlit. Vin Diesel has announced on his Facebook fan page that he’s received two scripts. “If 2009′s Fast and Furious was chapter one, what writer Chris Morgan just delivered is Chapter 2 and chapter 3,” he writes. “I have never been submitted a two story saga from a studio before… it is very exciting, and shows a commitment level that is hard not to respond to. Excited about the sexy locations the filming of this saga would take us… this novel like story, that has twists and unexpected turns that is authentic, truthful and challenging to the characters.”

More than 47,000 of Diesel’s 7 million fans “like”d his news.

Cover story from the EW archives: Fast & Furious: Inside a Surprise Smash

Jan 12 2010 06:00 AM ET

Tom Hanks to direct, star opposite Julia Roberts in 'Larry Crowne'

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Categories: Movies

Julia Roberts will costar with Tom Hanks in Larry Crowne, a film about a middle-aged man who’s forced to find a new career that Hanks will also write and direct, Variety reports. The Oscar winners previously shared the screen in Charlie Wilson’s War. Hanks has not written and directed a feature film since 1996′s That That You Do!.

Jan 12 2010 05:55 AM ET

'Yellow Submarine' remake casts its Beatles

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Categories: Movies, Music

The Fab Four is set for writer-director Robert Zemeckis’ remake of the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine. Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) will play George Harrison, Peter Serafinowicz (Couples Retreat) will portray Paul McCartney, Dean Lennox Kelly (BBC’s Robin Hood series) will assume the role of John Lennon, and Adam Campbell (Epic Movie) will be Ringo Starr, according to The Hollywood Reporter‘s Heat Vision blog. Zemeckis (A Christmas Carol, The Polar Express) will once again use 3D performance-capture technology, and he’ll sub in the Beatles tribute band The Fab Four for the performance sequences. They, however, will not sing — 16 actual Beatles songs will be used in the film.

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