Television

The Associated Press reports: Here are some of the world’s top-earning TV entertainers in 2017, according to Forbes magazine. The annual earnings of these stars may include income from additional activities such as producing, non-TV performances, endorsements and merchandising. 1. Dr. Phil McGraw, $79 million (talk-show host, personality, producer). 2. Ellen DeGeneres, $77 million (talk-show host, personality, producer). 3. Jerry …

From the Hollywood Reporter: HBO’s website was no match for the White Walkers on Sunday night. The cable network’s main website, HBO.com, was down during the seventh-season premiere of Game of Thrones. People who attempted to go to the website were met with an error message saying there was a problem loading the page. But the website returned to working …

From the Hollywood Reporter: The BBC on Sunday revealed Jodie Whittaker as the 13th Doctor for hit series Doctor Who. She will be the first female lead for the sci-fi series on the U.K. public broadcaster. Current lead Peter Capaldi will leave his role after this year’s Christmas special. Whittaker, 34, is from Yorkshire, England and has appeared on such …

Vulture reports: Although Donald Trump uttered the infamous Apprentice catchphrase “You’re fired,” the president-to-be didn’t actually decide who was let go on the NBC show, at least according to onetime Celebrity Apprentice contestant and American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken. In an interview with Domecast, a podcast from North Carolina’s News & Observer newspaper, Aiken dished on what went on behind …

From the Hollywood Reporter: Nelsan Ellis, the actor who starred in HBO’s True Blood as Lafayette Reynolds, has died, his manager Emily Gerson Saines, told The Hollywood Reporter. He was 39. “Nelsan has passed away after complications with heart failure,” Saines said. “He was a great talent, and his words and presence will be forever missed.” On True Blood, Lafayette …

Variety reports: Adam West — an actor defined and also constrained by his role in the 1960s series “Batman” — died Friday night in Los Angeles. He was 88. A rep said that he died after a short battle with leukemia. “Our dad always saw himself as The Bright Knight, and aspired to make a positive impact on his fans’ …

Via press release: Former Arkansas Governor, presidential candidate, and longtime popular political commentator Mike Huckabee has teamed up with global faith-and-family television leader Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) for a new weekly news and talk show premiering this fall exclusively on TBN. “Huckabee” will combine Gov. Huckabee’s commentary on news-of-the-day and current issues, along with guests from the worlds of politics, …

The Verge recaps: We’re only a few short months away from the return of Game of Thrones, and after months of speculation and teasers, HBO has finally released a full trailer showing off some of what we can expect from the new season. In short: Queen Cersei is rallying troops for battle, Jon Snow is preparing for war in the …

The AV Club reports: The CW has released a trailer for its new “Dynasty” to premiere in fall. Fans of the original campy, soapy, sexy ’80s ABC nighttime drama will not be disappointed. But rather than focus on the angel-vs-bitch, first wife vs the new wife set-up pitting Krystal against Alexis (AKA Linda Evans and Joan Collins), this reboot will …

Variety reports: In anticipation of NBC’s “Will & Grace” revival this fall, Will, Grace, Jack and Karen have reunited in the first official trailer for the special event series. The five-minute-long trailer begins as the titular characters exit the office of Bob Greenblatt, the president of NBC Entertainment. The limited 12-episode run brings back cast members Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, …

Last year Catholic League blowhard Bill Donohue blew more than $100,000 with a full-page New York Times ad in which he denounced ABC/Disney’s The Real O’Neals and compared one of the show’s producers, Dan Savage, to David Duke. Today Donohue finally got his wish when the show was not picked up for a third season. ABC has cancelled family sitcom …

Entertainment Weekly reports: Family Guy is campaigning for the Emmys in its traditional manner: by going on the offensive. In a new for-your-consideration mailer that was sent to Emmy voters this week, Peter Griffin is doing his best impression of White House counselor and Anderson Cooper eyeroll recipient Kellyanne Conway, dressed in the $3600 red, white, and blue Gucci coat …

Inverse recaps: The latest trailer for Netflix’s Sense8 has finally done the inevitable and introduced an entirely new cluster of eight sensates, and they won’t be friendly, at least at first. We already knew that the Cluster would be taking the fight to Whispers in Season 2, but now we’re getting more insight into their actual plans. The new season …

People reports: Ellen DeGeneres is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her sitcom’s coming-out episode with a little help from friends like Oprah Winfrey, Laura Dern and Michelle Obama. Winfrey and Dern — both of whom guest starred in the iconic 1997 episode in which DeGeneres’ character came out as gay — stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show this week to …

That’s an unexpected headline, huh? Via the Daily Beast: Scott Baio’s wife Renee has defended the size of her husband’s manhood. Baio was the recipient of one of the oldest male insults in the book from Tony Moran, the brother of Baio’s former Happy Days co-star Erin, who mocked the size of his penis in an angry Facebook post this …

The Dallas Morning News reports: Chip Gaines’ two former partners in Magnolia Realty claim in a lawsuit filed Thursday that he defrauded them by withholding information when he bought them out for $2,500 each just days before HGTV announced it was picking up the Fixer Upper show. Waco attorneys John L. Lewis and Richard L. Clark are seeking more than …

Entertainment Weekly recaps: President Donald J. Trump is wrapping up his first 100 days in office, and while he will undoubtedly take a victory lap, The Simpsons would like to offer up more of a slap. Sean Spicer has quit/hanged himself, Kellyanne Conway is refusing to replace him as press secretary, Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner are choking each other, …

NBC News reports: Erin Moran, the actress who played Joanie Cunningham on the hit TV series “Happy Days” has died in Indiana at the age of 56, police said. TMZ first reported the death. The Harrison County, Indiana, sheriff’s office told NBC News that dispatchers got a 911 call for an unresponsive female at 4:07 p.m. Saturday and first responders …

Slate recaps: Everyone but Grammy voters is singing Beyoncé’s praises, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is getting in on the action. A new teaser for the Netflix series’ third season shows Titus Andromedon (Titus Burgess) donning a flouncy, canary-yellow dress and taking a baseball bat to a parked car, while singing a not-quite-actionable pastiche of Bey’s “Hold Up.” The target of …

From the Hollywood Reporter: Survivor’s Jeff Varner has lost his job over what the contestant called the “worst decision” of his life. After outing his friend and fellow contestant Zeke Smith as being transgender on Wednesday’s episode of CBS’ Survivor: Game Changers, Varner, 50, was fired from his job as a real estate agent the following day. The North Carolina …