Television

Feds Seek Decade In Prison For Utah Real Housewife

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 …

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Emmy Winning Actress Kirstie Alley Dies At Age 71

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 …

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Original Sesame Street Star Bob McGrath Dies At 90

The Associated Press reports: Bob McGrath, an actor, musician and children’s author widely known for his portrayal of one of the first regular characters on the children’s show “Sesame Street” has died at the age of 90. Sesame Workshop tweeted Sunday evening that it “mourns the passing of Bob McGrath, a beloved member of the Sesame Street family for over …

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Reality Stars Sentenced In $30 Million Bank Loan Scam

The New York Daily News reports: Todd Chrisley of “Chrisley Knows Best” was sentenced Monday to 12 years in prison, while Julie Chrisley got seven years, after the couple was convicted in Atlanta in June. Each was ordered to undergo three years of supervised release afterward, and the duo must pay restitution, too. They received the sentence from U.S. District …

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Actor Robert Clary Of “Hogan’s Heroes” Dies At 96

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Robert Clary, the French actor, singer and Holocaust survivor who portrayed Corporal LeBeau on the World War II-set sitcom Hogan’s Heroes, has died. He was 96. Clary, who was mentored by famed entertainer Eddie Cantor and married one of his five daughters, died Wednesday morning at his home in Los Angeles, his granddaughter Kim Wright told …

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Five-Time Tony Winner Angela Lansbury Dies At 96

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Angela Lansbury, the irrepressible three-time Oscar nominee and five-time Tony Award winner who solved 12 seasons’ worth of crimes as the novelist/amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher on CBS’ Murder, She Wrote, has died. She was 96. Lansbury, who received an Emmy nomination for best actress in a drama series for each and every season of Murder, She …

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Bill Cosby Denied New Trial In Playboy Mansion Case

NBC News reports: A judge has denied a new trial for Bill Cosby in a Riverside County woman’s lawsuit, in which a jury found that the comedian sexually abused her when she was a teenager at the Playboy Mansion in the 1970s and awarded her $500,000 in damages. “(Cosby) has failed to establish he received an unfair trial or that …

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CNN Moves Jake Tapper To Chris Cuomo’s Former Slot

The Daily Beast reports: CNN chief Chris Licht is shaking things up once again. Days after unveiling a “reimagined” morning show, the network announced that anchor Jake Tapper would be moving to primetime to host the 9 p.m. slot through this year’s midterm elections. While the assignment is ostensibly temporary, it could possibly become permanent if Tapper draws a decent …

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Showtime To Launch Docuseries On Lincoln Project

Variety reports: Showtime has announced “The Lincoln Project,” a forthcoming documentary following the members of the super PAC amid the 2020 election and after. Directed by Fisher Stevens (“Dirty Money”) and Karim Amer (“The Vow”), the five-part docuseries explores how the Lincoln Project, the fastest-growing super PAC in America made up of a veteran group of former GOP operatives and …

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Britain’s Peppa Pig Show Introduces Same-Sex Parents

The BBC reports: Loved by pre-school audiences in the UK, US, Australia and Latin America, Peppa Pig is arguably one of the most recognisable – and popular – cartoon animals in the world. It is perhaps no wonder, then, that the programme’s decision to introduce its first same-sex couple has made waves. During an episode titled Families, which first aired …

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Ashes Of Star Trek Stars To Launch On Vulcan Rocket

The Verge reports: The ashes of Nichelle Nichols, the actress who played Lieutenant Nyota Uhura in the original Star Trek, will get sent into deep space on a rocket that memorializes her and several other Star Trek veterans. Nichols’ son, Kyle Johnson, donated her ashes after she died in July at age 89. Nichols’ ashes will head to space on …

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Streaming Viewership Overtakes Cable For First Time

Ars Technica reports: A new report from market measurement firm Nielsen says that for the first time, TV viewers watched more on streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ than they did on cable TV, making streaming the most popular way to consume content. The shift has been predicted by analysts and commentators for years, but it has only now come …

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Disney Passes Netflix In Total Streaming Subscribers

Deadline Hollywood reports: Walt Disney’s total DTC subscribers all in totaled 221.1 million for the company’s fiscal third quarter ended in June. That was a big beat for Disney+ and its parent, and also marked the first time anyone has passed Netflix in total streaming subs. Netflix reported 220.67 million total global subs, after losing almost 1 million for the …

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Actress Pat “Ursula” Carroll Dies At Age 95 [VIDEO]

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Pat Carroll, the gregarious Emmy-winning comedienne who was a television mainstay for decades before segueing to a voiceover career that included portraying the villainous sea witch Ursula in The Little Mermaid, has died. She was 95. Carroll died Saturday of pneumonia at her home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, her daughter Kerry Karsian told The Hollywood Reporter. …

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Biden Hails “Trailblazing Inspiration” Nichelle Nichols

Via press release from the White House: In Nichelle Nichols, our nation has lost a trailblazer of stage and screen who redefined what is possible for Black Americans and women. A daughter of a working-class family from Illinois, she first honed her craft as an actor and singer in Chicago before touring the country and the world performing with the …

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Star Trek’s Nichelle Nichols Dies At Age 89 [VIDEO]

Variety reports: Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed chief communications officer Lt. Uhura on the original “Star Trek” series, died in Silver City, N.M. She was 89 years old.  Nichols shared one of the first interracial kisses in television history on “Star Trek.” That moment, shared with her co-star William Shatner, was a courageous move on the part of Nichols, “Star Trek” …

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“Leave It To Beaver” Star Tony Dow Dies At Age 77

The New York Daily News reports: Tony Dow, who starred as Wally Cleaver on the classic sitcom “Leave It to Beaver,” died Tuesday at age 77. His death was announced in a Facebook post shared by his management team. The actor appeared in several TV shows spanning decades and genres, including “Adam-12,” “Mod Squad,” “Emergency,” “The Love Boat,” “Murder, She …

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“Goodfellas” Star Paul Sorvino Dies At Age 83

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Paul Sorvino, the burly character actor who made a career out of playing forceful types, most notably the cold-hearted mobster Paulie Cicero in Martin Scorsese’s GoodFellas, has died. He was 83. Sorvino, the father of Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino (Mighty Aphrodite), died Monday of natural causes, his wife, Dee Dee, announced. During a solid career that …

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No Charges For Colbert’s Crew In “Unlawful Entry” Flap

NBC News reports: Government lawyers said Monday they will not prosecute a production crew associated with “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” that was arrested on unlawful entry charges inside a congressional building last month. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said prosecutors determined it was untenable to move forward with the misdemeanor charges against the nine …

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Real Housewife Pleads Guilty To Scamming Millions

NBC News reports: Jen Shah, the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star charged with running a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme, pleaded guilty in federal court Monday morning, reversing her previous plea. In front of Judge Sidney Stein shortly after 10:30 a.m., Shah entered into an agreement with federal prosecutors, changing her plea to guilty to a count of conspiracy …

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