Television

Los Angeles’s ABC affiliate reports: Bob Barker, the former longtime host of the popular TV game show “The Price Is Right” and an animal-rights activist, died Saturday morning. He was 99. Details of his passing and the cause of death were not immediately available. Barker was a winner of 19 Daytime Emmy Awards. Also received an Emmy Award for Lifetime …

Variety reports: Paul Reubens, the actor best known for portraying Pee-wee Herman, died Sunday night after a private bout of cancer. He was 70. “Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years,” wrote Reubens in a statement posted to Instagram after his death. “I have always felt a huge amount of …

TechCrunch reports: NASA is getting in on the “+” streaming action. The government agency announced that it’s going to launch a new streaming service later this year called NASA+. The ad-free, no-cost streaming service will include live coverage of future launches, documentaries and new original series that will be exclusively available on the platform. NASA+ will be available via the …

Forbes reports: SAG-AFTRA, the union representing screen actors, will go on strike starting Thursday at midnight, union leaders announced, a seismic event for the entertainment industry that will shut down any remaining film and television production still going on amid the ongoing writers’ strike, marking Hollywood’s most widespread work stoppage in more than 60 years. The union’s national board voted …

CNBC reports: Disney CEO Bob Iger opened the door to selling the company’s linear TV assets as the business struggles during the media industry’s transition to streaming and digital offerings. Iger appeared on CNBC on Thursday, the morning after the company announced it would extend his contract by two years through 2026. Disney is going to be “expansive” in its …

Reuters reports: Negotiators for Hollywood’s actors union unanimously recommended a strike after talks with studios broke down, setting the stage for performers to join writers on picket lines as early as Thursday and disrupt scores of shows and movies. The SAG-AFTRA union said its national board would vote on a strike order on Thursday morning. If approved, Hollywood studios would …

The Associated Press reports: Pat Sajak is taking one last spin on “Wheel of Fortune,” announcing Monday that its upcoming season will be his last as host. Sajak announced his retirement from the venerable game show in a tweet. Sajak, 76, has presided over the game show, which features contestants guessing letters to try to fill out words and phrases …

Variety reports: Jay Johnston, an actor on “Bob’s Burgers,” “Arrested Development” and more, was charged by the Department of Justice for participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to court documents. Johnston was arrested Wednesday in California, according to NBC News, which broke the news. He faces charges for felony obstruction of officers during civil disorder, …

NBC News reports: Thousands of unionized scribes who say they are not not paid fairly in the streaming era went on strike just after midnight Tuesday, bringing TV production to a halt. It comes after high-stakes negotiations between a top guild and a trade association representing Hollywood’s marquee studios failed to avert the first walkout in over 15 years. The …

Cincinnati’s CBS affiliate reports: Jerry Springer, the onetime mayor and news anchor whose namesake TV show featured a three-ring circus of dysfunctional families willing to bare all on weekday afternoons including brawls, obscenities and blurred images of nudity, died Thursday at 79. At its peak, “The Jerry Springer Show” was a ratings powerhouse and a U.S. cultural pariah, synonymous with …

The Forward reports: Richard Belzer, the stand-up comedian who left an indelible mark on television in the character of Det. John Munch, a tough and versatile Jewish cop, has died at the age of 78. His death was first reported on social media by his friend, the actor Laraine Newman, of Saturday Night Live fame. In the 1970s, Belzer served …

NBC News reports: Actor Bruce Willis has frontotemporal dementia, his family said Thursday. In a heartfelt Instagram post, ex-wife Demi Moore and Rumer Willis, the couple’s eldest daughter, shared that the actor’s aphasia diagnosis, which the family had announced in March 2022, has progressed. “Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is …

The New York Post reports: Actress Raquel Welch, who rose to fame as a sex symbol of the 1960s, died Wednesday after a brief illness, TMZ reported. She was 82. Her long resume includes “Fantastic Voyage,” “Bedazzled” and “Hannie Caulder.” She also appeared on “The Cher Show” in 1975 and performed “I’m a Woman” with Cher. Welch is a two-time …

Variety reports: Tubi, the free, ad-supported streaming television platform, ran a clever trompe l’oeil ad that made it look as if viewers’ TVs were changing the channel right in the middle of the climactic end of the Eagles-Chiefs game. The 15-second spot, which ran in the fourth quarter of Fox’s Super Bowl LVII telecast, starts by throwing back to the …

CNBC reports: Netflix’s plan to stop users from sharing their passwords with each other is starting to take shape. The streaming giant, which last month announced that it will soon begin the preliminary rollout of its strategy, has updated its FAQs page with some details about what users can expect. The main hurdle that Netflix will place in front of …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Cindy Williams, the energetic actress who appeared in a pair of Oscar best picture nominees before starring as the idealistic Shirley Feeney on the beloved ABC sitcom Laverne & Shirley, has died. She was 75. Williams died in Los Angeles on Wednesday after a brief illness, her children, Zak and Emily Hudson, said in a statement …

Mediaite reports: CNN will be reaping another benefit of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger next month, when Overtime, the post-show segment from Bill Maher’s HBO program, Real Time With Bill Maher, begins airing on Friday nights. The network made the announcement in a press release Monday, describing it as one of “several other recent partnership between HBO and CNN.” The …

Variety reports: Lisa Loring, who played the young Wednesday Addams on “The Addams Family” from 1964 to 1966 and also appeared in “As the World Turns,” died Saturday of a stroke, her daughter Vanessa Foumberg confirmed. She was 64. “She went peacefully with both her daughters holding her hands,” Foumberg said. A friend, Laurie Jacobson, reported her death on Facebook, …

Law & Crime reports: Federal prosecutors asked a judge to sentence former Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jennifer Shah to 10 years in prison, calling her the “most culpable person charged” in a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme that targeted the elderly. In July, Shah pleaded guilty to participating in a wire fraud conspiracy for purported coaching serves for …

CBS News reports: Actress Kirstie Alley, known for her breakout role in the sitcom “Cheers,” has died after a recent battle with cancer. She was 71. In 1991, Alley received an Emmy Award and Golden Globe for her role as Rebecca Howe on “Cheers.” In the years after “Cheers,” Alley earned more nods for her role in the sitcom “Veronica’s …