NETWORKS TURN TO AL-JAZEERA FOR EGYPT NEWS

U.S. television broadcast news operations and cable news networks, which have drastically curtailed or closed down their overseas bureaus, have been forced to depend on al-Jazeera for coverage of the Tunisian and Egyptian protests. Ironically, al-Jazeera’s own Arabic and English networks have effectively been banned by cable operators in the U.S. But its websites have […]

SHEEN’S REHAB COULD PROVE COSTLY TO CBS, WARNER BROS.

Bringing to mind the comments made by NBC executives when ratings for The Jay Leno Show began to tank in 2009, CBS maintained Sunday that its decision to put Two and a Half Men on a production hiatus would not affect the company’s bottom line. In a statement, spokesman Chris Ender said, “Looking forward, the […]

WILL “SMOKING GUN” BE FOUND IN NEWS CORP EMAIL?

Supposedly lost internal email messages among editors and reporters working for News International, the division of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp that oversees its British newspaper and TV news operations, may throw new light on allegations of telephone hacking activities by the company’s Sunday tabloid, News of the World, the London Independent reported today (Monday). During […]

PRO BOWL RATINGS REMAIN HIGH

Ratings for the often joked-about AFC-NFC Pro Bowl drew an average of 12.35 million viewers to Fox Sunday night. The figure was flat with last year when the matchup aired on ESPN — also in primetime. The previous year on NBC, the game drew just 8.8 million. The results underline the heady surge of interest […]

JAMES BOND COMPOSER JOHN BARRY DEAD AT 77

British composer-conductor John Barry, best known for creating the theme and soundtracks for the early James Bond movies, has died in London at age 77. The BBC said that Barry had been stricken by a heart attack. During his career, Barry won five Oscars (Born Free — score and song — The Lion in Winter, […]

SAG CROWNS THE KING’S SPEECH

The King’s Speech increased its lengthy lead in the Oscar race Sunday night as the Screen Actors Guild awarded the movie trophies for best ensemble acting (equivalent to Oscar’s best picture award) and bestowed its best male actor award on the film’s star, Colin Firth. Natalie Portman received the best female actor award for her […]

BOX OFFICE HAS THE RITE STUFF

During another sluggish weekend at the box office, Warner Bros.’ exorcist flick The Rite came out on top with an estimated $15 million. In second place was last weekend’s winner, Paramount’s romcom No Strings Attached, which earned a better-than-predicted $13.7 million, down a modest 31 percent from last weekend. CBS Films’s The Mechanic also beat […]

MOVIE REVIEWS : BIUTIFUL

Alejandro González Iñárritu, the celebrated Mexican director and co-writer of such films as Babel, 21 Grams, and Amores Perros, may be the creative force behind the Spanish-language Biutiful, which is being rolled out in limited release this weekend, but it is the star of his film, Javier Bardem, who is winning the lions’ share of […]

SHEEN ENTERS REHAB; 2 1/2 MEN GOES ON HIATUS

Warner Bros. Television and CBS announced late today (Friday) that it is putting their top-rated sitcom Two and a Half Men on production hiatus, after learning that its co-star, Charlie Sheen had entered a rehabilitation facility. In a joint statement they said, “We are profoundly concerned for his health and well-being and support his decision.” […]

IDOL AGAIN STEAMROLLS EVERYTHING IN SIGHT

It wasn’t just the curiosity factor that kept ratings for Fox’s American Idol up for its season debut last week. This week’s ratings looked mighty impressive, too. Wednesday’s two-hour audition episode attracted 25.2 million viewers, beating the combined viewership of all the other networks. The episode also secured the Idol judge Steven Tyler’s standing as […]

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