Tag Archives: television

Axios reports: President Trump’s brash communication style — combined with a societal shift towards streaming, where there are no regulatory restrictions on speech — has forced the entire media industry to present information in a more candid and less polished way. It’s no longer uncommon to hear cable anchors use foul language or for TV or radio personalities to make …

USA Today reports: Ellen DeGeneres has tested positive for the novel coronavirus but is “feeling fine right now,” she announced Thursday. The television host, 62, said in a tweet that “anyone who has been in close contact with me has been notified, and I am following all proper CDC guidelines.” DeGeneres’ diagnosis comes as the United States faces soaring coronavirus …

TMZ reports: Alex Trebek — the revered and beloved “Jeopardy!” host since 1984, whose calm but witty presence was must-see television for millions of Americans — has died … TMZ has learned. A “Jeopardy!” spokesperson tells TMZ, “Jeopardy is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends.” The TV …

Variety reports: Diana Rigg, the Tony and Emmy winner who splashed into the world of television with her commanding turn as intelligence agent Emma Peel on “The Avengers” in the 1960s and played Lady Olenna Tyrell on “Game of Thrones” decades later, died Thursday at her home in England. She was 82. Rigg was a venerable figure in Britain’s entertainment …

The New York Times reports: Shortly after the start of the Republican National Convention on Monday, President Trump’s former campaign manager Brad Parscale complained that Fox News had repeatedly cut away. “Can’t believe I have to watch the convention on @CNN,” Mr. Parscale carped on Twitter. “Unbelievable.” Plenty of viewers ignored his advice. A significant portion of the convention’s TV …

Variety reports: The Emmy smackdown between Netflix and HBO has taken another dramatic turn. As the Television Academy announced the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards nominations on Tuesday morning, Netflix came out on top swinging with a whopping 160 nominations, followed by rival HBO in second at 107 nods. HBO still had reason to celebrate, however, as limited series “Watchmen” scored …

People Magazine reports: Regis Philbin has died. The beloved star was 88. The longtime television host died on July 24, PEOPLE confirms. “We are deeply saddened to share that our beloved Regis Philbin passed away last night of natural causes, one month shy of his 89th birthday,” his family shares with PEOPLE. In 1988, Philbin began his iconic career as …

CNN reports: The body found at a Southern California lake has been identified as former “Glee” actress Naya Rivera, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said during a press conference Monday. The body was discovered Monday morning at Lake Piru, where it was found floating in the northeast area of the lake, Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said. “We are confident …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Hugh Downs, the congenial broadcaster whose thousands of hours on network television included two decades on the ABC primetime newsmagazine 20/20 and nine years as the head man on NBC’s Today Show, has died. He was 99. Downs, who also served as Jack Paar’s announcer/sidekick for five years on The Tonight Show and hosted the game …

Variety reports: Carl Reiner, the writer, producer, director and actor who was part of Sid Caesar’s legendary team and went on to create “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and direct several hit films, has died. He was 98. He died of natural causes on Monday night at his home in Beverly Hills, his assistant Judy Nagy confirmed to Variety. Reiner, …

Variety reports: A&E has canceled its flagship series and one of the highest-rated shows on basic cable. A week after Live P.D. was pulled in the wake of George Floyd’s death, the reality series’ hiatus has been made permanent. The decision was made jointly by A&E and MGM’s Big Fish Entertainment, which produces the series. “This is a critical time …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Paramount Network has pulled the plug on Cops for good. The ViacomCBS-owned cabler had removed the long-running show from its schedule in the wake of nationwide protests following the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25. Now, the network says it’s dropping the show altogether. “Cops is not on the Paramount Network and we don’t …

Variety reports: Ken Osmond, best known for his role as the troublemaker Eddie Haskell on the television comedy “Leave It to Beaver,” died on Monday morning. He was 76. Sources tell Variety Osmond died at his Los Angeles home surrounded by family members. The cause of death is unknown. Osmond portrayed Haskell as sycophantic to grownups while making fun of …

Mediaite reports: Everyone’s new big Netflix obsession is the docuseries Tiger King. Joe Exotic, the “star” of the show, is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence after being convicted last year on a number of charges, including murder-for-hire. Donald Trump Jr. appeared on SiriusXM’s The Jim and Sam Show Monday, and they all joked about the possibility of a pardon …

Out Magazine reports: Andy Cohen, host of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen and executive producer behind many popular Bravo shows including the Real Housewives franchise, has announced that he is the latest celebrity to be diagnosed with COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavius. In a short post, the host suggests that production for WWHL will be paused …

Variety reports: We can bear-ly believe it: Former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin was unmasked as the Bear on Wednesday night’s edition of “The Masked Singer,” and her song choice was… well, unexpected. Palin, who performed “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix A Lot in the episode, told host Nick Cannon that “to not be able to see much of anything …

Reuters reports: Former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett pleaded not guilty in a Chicago court on Monday to renewed felony charges that he made false reports to police about being attacked in a hate crime that he is accused of staging in a bid to advance his career. The new charges emerged after a five-month investigation by a court-appointed special prosecutor …

TMZ reports: Ja’net Dubois — one of the main characters on “Good Times” — was found dead Tuesday, TMZ has learned. Ja’net played the Evans family’s sassy neighbor Willona Woods on the classic ’70s TV series. Her family tells us Ja’net died unexpectedly in her sleep overnight at her home in Glendale, CA. Ja’net might be most famous for “Good …

The Wrap reports: Donald Trump’s State of the Union address was all anybody could talk about on Tuesday, but “Ellen’s Game of Games” showed up for NBC too. This third SOTU from the 45th president of the United States of America is currently down 26% in Big-4 broadcast viewers from his second. For NBC, “Ellen’s Game of Games” at 8 …

PBS NewsHour reports: It is with great sadness that we share the news that co-founder and longtime anchor of the PBS NewsHour Jim Lehrer died today, Thursday, January 23, 2020, peacefully in his sleep at home. Lehrer, born May 19, 1934, served as anchor of the NewsHour for 36 years before retiring in 2011. Lehrer and Robert MacNeil founded the …