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  • Christina Applegate Joining 'Anchorman 2', Rescheduling Trip to Pleasure Town

    And subsequent rejoinder to Whore Island.


  • 'Idol': Eliminated Contestant Not 'Surprised'

    Inside the most emotional night of the season. 


  • 50 Cent Tweets Hospital Photo, Surrounded By Furry Friends — PIC

    No, we're not kidding.


  • Ashton, 'Two and a Half Men' and Surviving Season 10

    What the gang needs to do to make next year worth it.


  • 'Survivor' Recap: Just One of the Girls

    The all-lady finale comes to a close.


  • 'Survivor' Winner Kim Spradlin: ‘People Were Afraid’ of Colton Cumbie — EXCLUSIVE

    Kim advises Colton not to ‘say hateful things’ the next time around.


  • The Winner of 'Survivor: One World' Is...

    Did the best woman win?


  • 'Survivor' Recap: Odd Man Out

    Tarzan finally starts fighting against the women.


  • Beastie Boys' Album Sales Surge Following Adam Yauch’s Death

    Fans put 'Licensed to Ill' back in the top 20.


  • 'American Idol': Hollie Cavanagh and Nine Other Surprising Top Four Finalists — GALLERY

    A few of these folks even made it to the finals!


  • 'DWTS' Results: Who Survived The Double Elimination? 

    And now, it's on to the semi-finals!


  • 'Men in Black 3' Trailer Packs in Aliens, Will Smith and a Surprise Tag

    Time travel screws with everything.


  • 'Saturday Night Live' Recap: Eli Manning Scores, Martin Scorsese Surprises 

    A kewl episode complete with Rihanna performances and an Adam Yauch tribute.


  • Skylar Laine Backstage at 'Idol': 'I'm really not surprised'

    Plus: What Carrie Underwood thought of Skylar's ouster.


  • 'Survivor' Recap: It's a Kat Fight

    The youngest Survivor gets drunk and annoying.


  • 'Survivor' Recap: Queens of the Jungle

    The women continue their devious domination.


  • 'DWTS' Recap: Motown Night Claims a Surprising Victim

    It was a Knight to remember.


  • Dick Clark Underwent Prostate Surgery Day Before Heart Attack — Death Certificate

    The icon experienced health problems prior to passing.


  • 'Survivor' Recap: You Troyzan, You Pain

    The king of the jungle takes a stand against the women.


  • Happy Birthday, Suri Cruise! Insane Gifts for the Girl With Everything

    We give you privacy! Just kidding. 


  • 'American Idol': A Predictable Surprise

    No one expected this bottom three — but we all knew what would happen next. 


  • 'Survivor' Recap: Girls, They Run One World

    The "women's alliance" makes a bold move.


  • 'Cabin' Director Drew Goddard: "I Wish People Would Just Go to the Theater and Be Surprised"

    We talk to the 'Cloverfield' writer about his horror movie and future projects!


  • 'DWTS': A Surprise Couple Gets Eliminated — See the Results Here!

    Find out which of your favorite stars was sent packing.


  • 'The Client List': An Unexpectedly Guilt-Free Pleasure

    Jennifer Love Hewitt returns to TV as a naughty masseuse with a heart of gold. 


  • 'Idol' Results: Why DeAndre's Surprise Elimination Could Actually Be Good

    Don't get all riled up just yet...


  • 'Survivor' Recap: Don't Go Chasing Water Slides

    It was all down hill on a giant slip and slide.


  • Courteney Cox as Rachel?: The Surprising History of 'Friends'

    How the gang made it to Central Perk. 


  • Christina Aguilera: Reality TV's Best Judge (Surprisingly!)

    The Voice mentor is rubbing us the right way. 


  • Giuliana Rancic Is Contemplating Adoption & Surrogacy — VIDEO

    The E! News host is doing better than ever post-surgery.


  • Suri Cruise Eats Fancy French Food With Stuffed Animals

    The 5-year-old makes the most of her time in NYC.


  • Happy Birthday, Steven Tyler! Aerosmith's Joe Perry Surprises Him on 'Idol'

    That's one way to kill rivalry rumors.


  • Ricky Martin Shows Off Twin Boys, Defends Surrogate Mom

    The singer sounds off in 'Vanity Fair.'


  • Second Weight Loss Surgery For Carnie Wilson

    She's already down 30 pounds.


  • 'Real Housewives of OC' Recap: Surgeries Galore and Helicopter Rush Hour

    What, you don't take your helicopter to the city?


  • 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' Blu-ray Clip: Gary Oldman Sure Is Classy

    Just listen to him talk for hours...


  • 'American Idol' Recap: Top 10 Chosen With Surprising Elimination

    The judges refuse to use their save, despite the shock of America's choice.


  • Leighton Meester: 'I'm Not Sure I Ever Want To Get Married'

    Leighton reveals what she looks for in a guy.


  • Snooki's In-Laws Surprise Her With Engagement Party

    A tamer party than usual for the pregnant, pint-size guidette.


  • Nude Pics of 'Glee''s Heather Morris Surface Online

    The 'Glee' star is the latest phone hacking victim. 


  • 'Desperate Housewives' Shocking Death: Other Surprises in Store for Finale?

    Can they possibly top this?


  • Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch and Ben Foster Eye Peter Berg's 'Lone Survivor'

    They'll be playing Navy SEALs.


  • Seacrest on 'The Dictator' Spill: E! Host Was Genuinely Surprised

    And apparently, he was reminded of his mother's advice to boot.


  • Billy Crystal Gives Surprise Boost to Oscars Ratings

    But will he be back next year?


  • Oscars 2012: 'The Artist' and 'Hugo' Win Big, Plus Surprising Victories

    People love movies about loving movies.


  • Oscars Exclusive: Doug Jones on VFX, Acting Nominees, 'Neighborhood Watch', 'Silver Surfer' and More!

    The actor discusses the make-up process that enhanced Serkis', Streep's and Dujardin's performances.


  • Octavia Spencer's Oscar Plans: Post-Ceremony Plastic Surgery

    She's celebrating with surgery - win or lose.


  • 'American Idol' Recap: First 14 of Our Top 24 Are No Surprise

    But one elimination came out of left field.


  • Watch: Adele Sings For The First Time Since Her Surgery

    But can she still melt our souls with that voice?


  • Adele Opens Up About Her Career-Threatening Vocal Surgery

    The singer speaks out for the first time since her surgery.


  • Celeb Speak: Reese Witherspoon Talks Plastic Surgery and Body Image

    The actress is also extremely frugal.


  • Grammys 2012: Adele Will Perform For the First Time Since Her Surgery

    She's back!


  • Sundance 2012: Prize Winners Include 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' and 'The Surrogate'

    Plus, 'Safety Not Guaranteed' and 'Smashed'.


  • Jennifer Lopez Isn't Sure About Marrying Again

    At least not for the time being.


  • Sundance 2012: 'The Surrogate' Is an Intimate, Emotional and Witty Sex Comedy

    Is John Hawkes already an awards contender?


  • Sundance 2012: William H. Macy Talks 'The Surrogate,' 'Shameless' and Ukulele Songs

    Playing a priest in the unique sex comedy.


  • Sundance 2012: Studios Purchase 'The Words', 'Celese & Jesse' and 'The Surrogate'

    Good news for Cooper, Jones and Lewin.


  • Five Oscar Nominations That Took Us By Surprise

    Which movies and actors turned up unexpectedly?


  • Exclusive Video: Edward Burns Deals with a Surprise Visitor in 'Newlyweds' Clip

    Star/director has a lot to say about family reunions.


  • Is Tom Cruise The Patient of Brazilian Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Ivo Pitanguy?

    He is looking pretty young these days...


  • Famed Directors' Most Surprising Movies

    A look at filmmakers who've shocked us with uncharacteristic choices.


  • The Daily Shuffle: Adele Is Happy Following Throat Surgery

    Hooray!


  • Keith Urban Will Undergo Throat Surgery

    What's happening to all the singers?


  • Adele Cancels All Remaining Shows To Have Throat Surgery

    No word on what her recovery time will be.


  • The Daily Shuffle: John Mayer Has Surgery On Vocal Cords

    He's on complete vocal rest for at least a month.


  • 'Pan Am' Recap: Eastern Exposure

    Things get a little exotic for the stewardesses.


  • The New 'Walking Dead' Trailer Finds Survivors At Odds

    Will our heroes turn on each other?


  • Surely We Didn't Talk to Robert Hays About the 'Airplane!' Blu-ray?!

    Yes we did. And don't call us Shirley.


  • Fight for Survival with 'The Walking Dead' Season 1 Special Edition Blu-ray/DVD Giveaway!

    Win a copy of the hit AMC horror-action show!


  • The Daily Shuffle: Minka Kelly Declined Playboy's Free Plastic Surgery

    Plus Bradley Cooper's dating and Wanda Sykes serious admission.


  • 'National Treasure' Helmer Turteltaub to Direct 'Last Vegas'

    It's like 'The Hangover,' but with geriatrics!


  • The Daily Shuffle: Lindsay Lohan Defends Ali Against Plastic Surgery Rumors

    The Lohan sisters stick together.


  • Did Ali Lohan Have Plastic Surgery?

    Yes? No? Maybe, definitely, most certainly so?


  • Helen Mirren Is Against Young Girls Getting Plastic Surgery

    She's dame right!


  • Burt Reynolds is Facing Foreclosure

    The economy is still affecting everyone...even the celebs!


  • Kate Winslet, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Thompson Are Against Plastic Surgery

    They've even formed a league together.


  • White House Drama Surrounding Kathryn Bigelow's bin Laden Film

    A welcome distraction from the imminent financial crisis!


  • And 'Grey's Anatomy's New Chief of Surgery Is...

    Who will it be???


  • Meloni Will Get 'SVU' Closure, Says Exec

    I know you were all losing sleep at night.


  • Arnold Schwarzenegger Wears 'I Survived Maria' T-Shirt

    Only slightly inappropriate don't you think?


  • Kris Jenner Pressures Kardashian Daughters To Have Kids

    It's always hard keeping up with this family.


  • Fergie Discusses Plastic Surgery Rumors in Cosmo UK

    She thinks the accusations are 'ridiculous'


  • The Daily Shuffle: 'The Bachelorette' Is Sure She Made The Right Decision

    Could this actually turn into a successful love story?


  • Rosario Dawson Tells 'Shape' Magazine About Pressure To Be Thin

    The actress believes you don't have to be a size 0 to feel good about yourself


  • SDCC 2011: 'Twilight's' Nikki Reed and Ashley Greene Surprise Fans

    Really feeling the vampire love


  • R. Kelly Gets Emergency Throat Surgery

    Find out what was so urgent.


  • R. Kelly Facing Foreclosure on Mansion

    It's not like this guy's been accused of worse things, right?


  • Bristol Palin Discusses Virginity and Chin Surgery on 'Good Morning America'

    She says her virginity was stolen.


  • Cameron Diaz Performs Surgery On Jon Stewart: Late Last Night

    Removing stitches is surgery, right?


  • Christina Hendricks Assures Us No One's Leaving 'Mad Men'

    Thank goodness. The rumored cast-slashing is kaput.


  • 'Soul Surfer' DVD & Blu-ray Hits Shelves August 2nd

    Ride the wave with AnnaSophia Robb & Helen Hunt. 


  • Stewart Fights Moral Battle Surrounding Anthony Weiner's "Weiner"

    Also, Jason Sudeikis said some stuff to Jimmy Kimmel.


  • MindFood: 'X-Men: First Class' Surprises

    Here's what you should be excited about in the mutant prequel.


  • More Naked Pictures of 'Blake Lively' Surface

    17 more!


  • 'Breaking Bad' Teaser Trailer Premieres, Is Unsurprisingly Awesome

    Expletive.


  • Peter Berg To Direct 'Lone Survivor' For Universal

    Yet another Navy SEAL film on the horizon.


  • The Daily Shuffle: Bristol Palin Admits to Surgery

    NICE.


  • Most Survivors Will Be Back For ‘Piranha 3DD’

    Ving Rhames, Christopher Lloyd and Paul Scheer get another bite.


  • Will Ferrell Resurrects His Bush Impression for An Announcement

    A very important announcement.


  • Under the Radar: Weekend Movie Party Survival Guide

    If you've been tasked with throwing a viewing party, we've got you covered.


  • Indie Pic 'The Surrogate' Adds Helen Hunt

    She joins John Hawkes in the drama.


  • 'Jack The Giant Killer' Set Photos Have Surfaced

    Ewan McGregor and Eddie Marsan armor up in these new images!


  • Robert Zemeckis To Produce 'How To Survive A Garden Gnome Attack'

    Another literary property that he'll turn to poop.


  • The Daily Shuffle: Katie Holmes Explains Suri's Penis Gummies

    DON'T YOU WANT TO KNOW!?!?!


  • Stephen Colbert Surprises Jimmy Fallon: Late Last Night

    If you donate money, Colbert will perform Rebecca Black's 'Friday' with The Roots. For serious.


  • Sam Worthington To Do Surfing Drama ‘Drift’

    Ever fired your gun in the air and yelled, 'Aaaaaaah?'


  • Christina Hendricks Signs Up for 'Seconds of Pleasure'

    Oh, gross. Get your mind out of the gutter.


  • 'Survivor' Gets Two More Cycles

    That means there will eventually be 24 cycles of 'Survivor.' TWENTY FOUR.


  • Daily Shuffle: Lindsay Lohan Surveillance Footage Has Been Bought

    Are you sure you're ready to see it?


  • Malin Akerman Joins Nic Cage In ‘Medallion.’ Sure, Why Not.

    Nic Cage ropes in another babe. How does he do it? Must be the crazy.


  • John Slattery Assures Fans That 'Mad Men' Will Return

    He just doesn't know when.


  • Justin Bieber Will Surprise 'SNL' Viewers Tonight

    The sneaky singer will pop by to help out host Dana Carvey.


  • Donald Sutherland, Elijah Wood Will Star in 'Treasure Island' on SyFy

    Eddie Izzard is also attached.


  • Daily Shuffle: Bret Michaels Has Heart Surgery

    What? Nobody's pregnant today? That can't be right.


  • Resurrecting The Rock: George Tillman, Jr., Talks 'Faster'

    Our exclusive interview with the director of Dwayne Johnson's gritty new thriller.


  • Ang Lee Casts Newcomer Suraj Sharma in 3D 'Life of Pi'

    Ang Lee has cast 17-year-old newcomer Suraj Sharma in the title role for his big-screen adaptation of Yann Martel's 'Life of Pi.'


  • Robert Downey Jr. As A Survivalist?

    Sony Pictures Entertainment options the Neil Strauss book Emergency!: This Book Will Save Your Life.


  • Oprah Surprises Jon Stewart Audience With Rally Tickets: Late Last Night

    Stop wishing it was cars.


  • E! To Debut New Bridal Plastic Surgery Competition

    E! darling Giuliana Rancic brings us the entertainment super-network's latest experiment in vanity.


  • 'Pirates' Casting Call: No Implants in This Treasure Chest

    Disney is reportedly taking an un-Hollywood stance on filling its treasure chest for 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.'


  • For Your Viewing Pleasure: More 'Green Lantern' Screenshots

    More pictures of Ryan Reynolds as the Green Lantern, plus Peter Saarsgard and Blake Lively


  • Sean Penn Eyes Surfing Pic

    Sean Penn is heading back to the waves.


  • 'Indiana Jones 5' Rumors Surface

    Can a sequel redeem the nuked franchise?


  • U2 Cancels North American Leg of Tour Due to Bono's Surgery

    According to a Reuters report, U2 has cancelled the North American leg of its upcoming world tour in the wake of Bono's emergency back surgery.


  • Greengrass Not Directing 'Voyage'; Interested in 'Treasure Island'

    Contrary to previous, much-hyped reports, Paul Greengrass will not be directing the upcoming 3D remake of 'Fantastic Voyage.'


  • Underwood to Make Big-Screen Debut in 'Soul Surfer'

    Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, AnnaSophia Robb and Carrie Underwood will star in the indie drama 'Soul Surfer.'


  • Franco: "'Spider-Man' Will Survive Without Maguire"

    'Spider-Man' star James Franco is convinced the superhero franchise will survive without leading man Tobey Maguire -- he's urging Hollywood bosses to take inspiration from the Batman movies.


  • A-Team Trailer Surfaces Online

    The teaser trailer for Fox's big-budget adaptation of the hit '80s series has been leaked online. Prepare for awesome.


  • Witherspoon Split from Gyllenhaal over 'Marriage Pressure'

    Reese Witherspoon ended her relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal because she felt pressured to wed, according to reports.


  • Depp Makes Surprise Appearance at Comic-Con

    Johnny Depp whipped fans into a frenzy after making a surprise appearance at Comic-Con in California on Thursday.


  • Second Michael Jackson Will Surfaces

    A second will signed by Michael Jackson has been lodged in Los Angeles.


  • Madonna Was Planning Surprise Appearance at Jackson Shows

    Madonna was making plans to take to the stage for a one-off performance with Michael Jackson at his 50-date London residency.


  • Twain Assures Fans She's 'Enjoying Life' After Marriage Split

    Country singer Shania Twain has reached out to her fans online to assure them she's coping well, a year after her painful split from producer husband Robert 'Mutt' Lange.


  • Hilton: 'Eminem Knew Nothing About Bruno Surprise'

    Paris Hilton insists Eminem knew nothing about the full extent of his humiliation at the MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night -- because friends behind the scenes told her to expect a big surprise at the ceremony.


  • 'Survivor's' Hatch Gets Early Prison Release

    Reality TV star Richard Hatch has been released from a federal prison after failing to pay taxes on his winnings from hit show Survivor.


  • 'Titanic' Stars Hand Over Cash to Ship's Last Survivor

    Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio have proved that their generosity is of titanic proportions -- after donating $30,000 to help the last remaining survivor of the doomed ship.


  • Nude Cassie Photo Surfaces Online

    A saucy photograph of Cassie baring all has leaked online -- just hours after the singer hit out at a hacker for posting topless pictures of her on the Internet.


  • Ferrell Survives Wilderness Adventure Show

    Funnyman Will Ferrell is a survivor after signing up to appear alongside British adventurer Bear Grylls in an upcoming episode of his Man Vs. Wild series.


  • Heigl Unsure About Her Future on 'Grey's'

    Katherine Heigl has no idea what lies ahead for her on hit TV show Grey's Anatomy -- because no one will tell her what is planned for her character.


  • 'Twilight' Deleted Scene: Edward's Bedroom Surprise!

    As if last week’s Twilight clip wasn’t hot enough, now Access Hollywood has sent over a second clip from the much-anticipated DVD. This time Edward sneaks into Bella’s bedroom for a hot make out session, but was it all a dream?


  • Robin Williams to Undergo Heart Surgery

    Robin Williams has postponed the remainder of his comedy tour so he can undergo heart surgery.


  • Arquette Had Surgery to Treat Tumor

    Actor David Arquette has been left with a temporarily paralyzed eyebrow after undergoing surgery to remove a benign tumor.


  • 'Expect Surprises' at the Oscars

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences held its annual Oscar nominees luncheon yesterday. During the event, Academy president Sid Ganis told the 112 contenders to expect a lot of new things at the Feb. 22 ceremony."Your categories are being presented in a completely different way. Heads up," Ganis told actors. "Cinematographers, editors, composers. All of you guys. You're in for a big surprise."


  • Surprise! Britney's Bro Hitched!

    Britney Spears rang in the New Year with her big brother Bryan, 31, who tied the knot in a private ceremony at New Orleans landmark Latrobe's on Royal.


  • Jay Mohr Changes Surname

    Gary Unmarried TV star Jay Mohr has filed legal papers for an unusual, yet forward thinking, request -- the actor wants his wife's surname added to his own.


  • Yes, a 'Twilight 2' (Surprise!)

    "Twilight" fans got a very special email from film stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart over the weekend. They announced that the  studio wants to move forward with a follow-up.


  • Suri = Playground Power Player

    Two-year-old Suri Cruise has topped the list of most influential celebrity children, according to Forbes.com’s second annual “Hollywood’s 10 Hottest Tots.”


  • 'Iron Man 2' Surprise 'of a Lifetime'

    We met up with Terrence Howard earlier this year when he was promoting his role in Iron Man and the soft spoken, chill actor hinted at being a tad disappointed in many of his scenes ending up on the cutting room floor. Even so, we couldn't imagine he'd be replaced?


  • Surprise! Angelina Jolie's Adopting Again!

    Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt just added twins to their brood, but that’s not stopping the couple from looking ahead to another addition to the family.


  • 'Fireproof' = Surprise Mini-Hit!

    “I’m not impressed with Hollywood in general. They don’t make a lot of movies that lift our standards and morality.” That’s what director Alex Kendrick told me in a telephone interview on Monday after his new movie Fireproof opened with a downright shocking $6.5M opening weekend.


  • Mary-Kate Olsen vs. Heath Ledger's Insurance Co.

    It can be assumed that  Mary-Kate Olsen, like the rest of the the world, is still mourning the loss of her friend Heath Ledger. And, it's not selfish to say that at some point his friends and family will try to get back to normalcy while still remembering him. 


  • Non-Profit Organization Spearheads a New Movement Targeting Young Adult Cancer Survivors

    Carolyn's Compassionate Children (CCC), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of young adult cancer survivors, today announced the launch of its new Web site, CCC Scholarships, which streamlines the college scholarship process for cancer patients eager to continue their education at a four-year or two-year undergraduate institution or graduate school.


  • Britney Spears Surprises All and Opens VMAs

    There's been a lot of talk the past few weeks about whether or not Britney Spears would be performing at the MTV Video Music Awards--she did in fact take to the stage!


  • Matthew McConaughey's Guardian Surfers Go to Court

    Surfers are willing to risk life and limb to tame the perfect wave--two surfers weren't about to let intruding photographers get in the way.


  • Could 'Indiana Jones' Survive Without Harrison Ford?

    Director George Lucas doesn’t think so. After the release of the highly anticipated fourth Indiana Jones installment, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, many are saying the fedora-wearing baton should be passed to its 22 year-old up-and-comer Shia LaBeouf, who played Indy’s long-lost son Mutt Williams.


  • Weekend Final B.O. Estimates: 'Dark Knight' Surges Past 'Spider-Man 3' with $158M

    Sunday was even stronger-than-expected for The Dark Knight (Warner Bros) with an astounding $43M or so.


  • Showbiz Stock Watch: Paramount Likely Surpasses $1 Billion in Domestic Sales

    Last weekend, Paramount Pictures International confirmed that it blew past the $1 Billion mark in international sales for 2008, reaching that benchmark six weeks faster than in 2007. Now, based on this weekend's estimates (June 20-22), it appears that Paramount has surpassed $1 Billion in domestic ticket sales.


  • Robert Downey Jr. Lines Up His Next Surefire Blockbuster

    Robert Downey Jr. is in negotiations to star in Cowboys & Aliens, says The Hollywood Reporter. The film is a mix of science-fiction and Western and could serve as a 2010 tentpole release from DreamWorks and Universal.


  • Early Friday Estimates: 'Hulk' Nets $18M, 'Happening' Surprises with $12M

    Marvel Studios is batting 1.000. After the spectacular success of the newly minted studio’s first self-financed and self-produced comic book adaptation Iron Man (Paramount), they have given new life to Bruce Banner and his famously angry alter ego.


  • 'Indy 4' Up An Even Stronger 19 Percent Saturday, Surges to $36.89M

    In addition to playing huge with family audiences on Saturday, there was a surge in teen business on Saturday night, as Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Paramount) surged 19 percent. That improves Crystal Skull's Saturday take to an estimated $38.69.


  • 'Indy 4' Up An Even Stronger 19 Percent Saturday, Surges to $36.89M

    In addition to playing huge with family audiences on Saturday, there was a surge in teen business on Saturday night, as Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Paramount) surged 19 percent. That improves Crystal Skull's Saturday take to an estimated $38.69.


  • Michael Moore Writes Open Letter to U.S. Treasury

    Filmmaker Michael Moore has called on the U.S. Treasury to abandon its investigation into allegations he broke a trade embargo with Cuba by traveling to the Caribbean island with a group of September 11th rescue workers.


  • Tara Understands Photo Frenzy Over Breast Exposure

    Actress Tara Reid has come to terms with her embarrassing red carpet wardrobe malfunction in 2004—which saw her inadvertently expose her breast to photographers.


  • Johansson Surprised by Allen's Personal Questions

    Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson was kept alert on the set of Match Point, because director Woody Allen would randomly fire personal questions at her.


  • McConaughey Laughs Off Surfing Accident

    Hollywood hunk Matthew McConaughey has laughed off reports he has broken his collarbone in a surfing accident.


  • Stone Settles Lawsuit with Cosmetic Surgeon

    Hollywood actress Sharon Stone yesterday settled the lawsuit she brought against a cosmetic surgeon last year.


  • Daredevil Cruise Raises Blood Pressure On ‘MI:3’

    Tom Cruise is terrifying filmmakers on the set of Mission: Impossible III, by insisting on carrying out his own death-defying stunts.


  • Shields' Pregnancy 'A Surprise'

    Brooke Shields' pregnancy proved to be a huge surprise for the actress—because she was preparing to embark on fertility treatment when she learned she was expecting.


  • Bateman Undergoes Throat Surgery

    Production on acclaimed comedy Arrested Development has been temporarily halted, while star Jason Bateman recovers from throat surgery.


  • Rodman Surprised He Couldn't Impregnate Madonna

    Basketball bad boy-turned-socialite Dennis Rodman is still surprised he didn't father a child with ex-girlfriend Madonna because she went out of her way to get pregnant when they dated.


  • DeGeneres' Indecent Exposure

    Ellen DeGeneres remains completely embarrassed about her appearance at last year's MTV Movie Awards in a Spider-Man costume--because her bottom was exposed while she was on stage.


  • Sharon Stone Sues Plastic Surgeon for Slander, Kournikova Secretly Weds Iglesias, Rapper O.D.B. Overdosed

    Sharon Stone sues plastic surgeon for slander, Anna Kournikova secretly weds Enrique Iglesias, Rapper O.D.B. died from overdose, more.


  • Shelley Long of Cheers Briefly Hospitalized, NBC Sports Exec Survives Jet Crash, Vibe Magazine President Addresses Stabbing

    Shelley Long of "Cheers" briefly hospitalized, NBC sports exec. survives jet crash, "Vibe" magazine president addresses stabbing. more...


  • Britney Spears Is Taking a Break, Melissa Etheridge Recoups After Surgery, Jon Stewart Feuds with CNN's Tucker Carlson

    Britney says she wants to take a break, Melissa Etheridge recoups after cancer surgery, Jon Stewart in feud with CNN's Tucker Carlson


  • Dangerfield in Coma After Heart Surgery, Culkin Officially Charged for Drug Possession, CBS Duped on Bush Memos

    Rodney Dangerfield slips into coma following heart surgery, Macaulay Culkin is officially charged with drug possession, CBS apologizes over fake Bush memos, more…


  • Bowie Recovers From Heart Surgery, Martha Stewart Denied New Trial, Thousands Compete for "Napoleon Dynamite" Fan Club Prez

    David Bowie recovers from emergency heart surgery, Martha Stewart denied a new trial and thousands compete to be the new Napoleon Dynamite Fan Club president. Plus, Angels in America and Dirty Pretty Things win Humanitas awards, Ewan McGregor wins privacy case and Scott Weiland back in rehab.


  • Redford Says He's Not Selling Sundance Resort, Spears Undergoes Knee Surgery in NYC, Burnett Pitching Rock Star Reality Show

    Robert Redford Said He's Not Selling Sundance Resort, Britney Spears Undergoes Knee Surgery in NYC, Mark Burnett Pitching Rock Star Reality Show. Other stories include Tom Cruise Ellen DeGeneres and Slyvester Stallone Elizabeth Taylor and Dave Chapelle.


  • Hawaiians Keep Local on "Idol," "Survivor" Rupert Get $1 Million Consolation Prize, Jackson Prosecutors Want Gag Order Upheld

    If there is one thing TV viewers have learned from the third installment of Fox's American Idol it's that the best singers don't always necessarily win, and judge Simon Cowell was right when he said Hawaiian native Jasmine Trias owed her home state a lot of thank you letters. Also: Rupert Boneham Survivor All-Stars Frasier Michael Jackson Theodore Boutrous Kelly Rowland Roy Williams Harvey Weinstein Olive Osmond The Passion of the Ark Bobby Florsheim and Josh Stolberg


  • "Survivor" Finalists Get Engaged, Anti-Camcording Law Nabs First Pirate, Rapper 50 Cent in Scuffle

    The Sunday night two-hour season finale of CBS' Survivor All-Stars reeked of The Bachelor--with a little American Idol thrown in. Also: 50 Cent Elton John Alan King Donnie and Marie Osmond Smokey Robinson Michael D'Antonio The State Boys Rebellion


  • "Passion" Looking for TV Exposure, Ewan McGregor's Ride Around the World, Affleck Also Hits the "Road"

    News, April 14: : The Passion of the Christ Looking for TV Exposure, Ewan McGregor Takes Motorcycle Trip, Ben Affleck Goes on the "Road," Barbara Walters Billy Crystal Dolly Parton Christopher Plummer Queen Latifah Andie MacDowell


  • We Were "Punk'd"! Kutcher Resurrects MTV Series; Networks Balk at Jackson TV Pitch; Stern Pulls April Fools Prank

    Just four months after ending his hit MTV prankster series Punk'd, Ashton Kutcher has apparently had a change of heart. Also: Michael Jackson 11th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Howard Stern Britney Spears Carlene Carter John Belushi Maya Rudolph Dax Shepard Luke Wilson Mike Judge 3001


  • Timberlake Finds Exposure "Regrettable"

    Justin Timberlake says he was shocked and appalled by Janet Jackson's exposure incident at the Super Bowl halftime show.


  • Another Screener Surfaces on Web, Rocker Nugent's Texas Chainsaw Accident, Rosie: Do You Really Want To Hurt My Career?

    The Sundance Film Festival, which is backed by actor Robert Redford and his Sundance Institute for movies, kicks off Thursday in Park City, Utah. Also: 2004 Sundance Film Festival Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Brittany Murphy Ted Nugent Nielsen Media Research primetime viewership numbers (Jan. 5-Jan. 11) OutKast Justin Timberlake Christina Aguilera White Stripes Rosie O'Donnell Boy George Taboo Heath Ledger Jake Gyllenhaal Ang Lee Brokeback Mountain Kevin Brockmeier's The Brief History of the Dead Chris Columbus


  • Country Singer Glen Campbell Arrested, "Survivor"'s Elisabeth Joins "View," Diesel Takes Child-Rearing Role

    Country singer Glen Campbell, best known for his hit single "Rhinestone Cowboy," was arrested Monday in Phoenix, Ariz., on suspicion of extreme drunken driving and hit and run. Also: Elisabeth Hasselbeck The View Jonathan Brandis Meat Loaf Talking Wall Pictures Sandcastle 5 Productions Salty Features Vin Diesel Dax Shepard Al Shearer


  • Jackson Expected to Surrender

    Michael Jackson is expected to surrender to charges of sexual molestation Thursday.


  • Britney Performs Surprise Vegas Show, Cash Mourned at Private Service, Sheen and Richards Expecting

    Britney Spears was back in the spotlight this weekend after giving a surprise performance Sunday morning at the Palms hotel-casino in Las Vegas--and the pop princess gave the 1,800 patrons at the Rain nightclub something to drool over. Also: Johnny Cash Arnold Schwarzenegger Charlie Sheen Denise Richards David Blaine Van Helsing Exorcist: The Beginning Paul Schrader Lorenzo di Bonaventura GI Joe


  • Johnny Depp To Manage Crew of Oompa Loompas, Production Resumes on "Raymond," Plastic Surgeons Snippy About "Nip/Tuck"

    Johnny Depp has been offered the role of Willy Wonka in director Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a Warner Bros. remake of Mel Stuart's 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Also: Everybody Loves Raymond Doris Roberts Peter Boyle Brad Garrett Nip/Tuck Queer Eye For the Straight Guy Good Morning, Miami Harison Ford Deauville Film Festival Eric Estrada White Tiger Films Four Corners of the Mafia David Blaine Chris Robinson Jelly Beans


  • Montreal Film Fest Short on Hollywood Pics, Radio Station Plans "I Survived Gigli" Promo, NBC Reruns Hines' "Law & Order" Episode

    The 27th annual Montreal World Film Festival, which runs from Aug. 27 to Sept. 7, unveiled a slate rich in art-house and fringe movies but short on Hollywood studio films. Also: Martin Scorsese Rocco DiSpirito, Gregory Hines Christina Aguilera Justin Timberlake Snoop Dogg Girls Gone Wild Joseph R Francis Mantra Films Inc Eddie Murphy Daddy Day Camp


  • Mike Newell Directing Fourth Harry Potter Pic, "Terminator 4" Without Arnie, Schwarzenegger Voted Against Illegal Immigrant Measure

    News, Aug. 11: Mike Newell Directing Fourth Harry Potter Pic, "Terminator 4" Without Arnold Schwarzenegger Voted Against Illegal Immigrant Measure Martin Lawrence Jerry Seinfeld Harry Potter


  • Phil Spector Case Delayed, Cameron Diaz Has Had Enough Exposure, Freddie Prinze Jr. Inks MTV Deal

    Detectives in Los Angeles will not be ready to present a case against music producer Phil Spector at his scheduled court date next week. Also: Cameron Diaz Kiera Knightley Bend It Like Beckham July 21-27 Nielsen ratings Freddie Prinze Jr. Conrad Jackson Stan Rogow Heavy D Ja Rule 50 Cent Bride and Joy: Guiding Mom Down the Aisle Goldie Hawn Jared Leto Alexander


  • News, May 12: Swimsuit Model Wins "Survivor," Romano Nets Big Pay for Season 8, Ozzy Osbourne Dumps Record Label

    News, May 12: Swimsuit Model Wins Survivor Everybody's Romano Nets Big Pay for Eighth Season, Ozzy Osbourne Parts Way with Record Label


  • Daytime TV's First Lesbian Kiss, Rodney Dangerfield Improving After Brain Surgery, Marilyn's Baubles Stolen

    Daytime TV's First Lesbian Kiss, Rodney Dangerfield Improving After Brain Surgery, Marilyn's Baubles Stolen Arnold Schwarzenegger Sydney Pollack Angelina Jolie


  • Rodney Dangerfield Undergoes Brain Surgery, Chow Yun-Fat Stuck in Hong Kong, Nicolas Cage Joins Superhero Ranks

    Comedian Rodney Dangerfield, best known for his hit 1980 golf comedy Caddyshack, underwent brain surgery in Los Angeles. Also: Chow Yun-Fat Bulletproof Monk Jason Mewes Rock Bottom Madonna MuchMusic USA Nicolas Cage Ghost Rider Starsky and Hutch Carmen Elektra


  • News Roundup: "Batman" Resurrected

    Director Chris Nolan, who helmed the films Memento and Insomnia, has been tapped to breathe new life into Warner Bros. Batman franchise. Also: Catherine Zeta-Jones Michael Douglas Anjelica Huston Martin Scorsese Jude Law Aretha Franklin Super Bowl XXXVII Robert Downey Jr Dance Fever


  • SAG Has a Few Surprises for Awards Watchers

    A full list of the nominees for the 2003 SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Awards.


  • News Roundup: "Survivor: The Amazon"...Battle of the Sexes?

    CBS has a new twist in store for the sixth edition of its popular reality TV series Survivior, and it's all about the girls vs. the boys. Also: Survivor: The Amazon Nia Vardalos Marathon Entertainment Kinji Fukasaku Maurice Pialat Luciano Pavarotti Ocean's Twelve Steven Soderbergh George Clooney I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here The West Wing Touched by an Angel


  • Heidik Wins "Survivor: Thailand"'s $1 Million Prize

    Survivor: Thailand $1 million winner announced.


  • News Roundup: Surgeons Weigh In on Jackson's Nose

    Michael Jackson made a rare appearance in court last week in a $21 million breech-of-contract lawsuit, but it wasn't the case that had everyone talking; it was his face. Also: Jason Alexander Elvis Presley Die Another Day Denzel Washington the Manchurian Candidate The Roswell Crash: Starling New Evidence Peter Jennings Elton John Joni Mitchell


  • By the Numbers: Surfin' U.S.A.

    The box office predictions for the weekend beginning Aug. 16: Michelle Rodriquez, John Stockwell, Blue Crush, Eddie Murphy, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Gwyneth Paltrow, Aaaron Eckhart, Possession, Vin Diesel, XXX, Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams, Robert Rodriguez, Mel Gibson, M. Night Shyamalan, Signs, Dana Carvey, Master of Disguise, Martin Lawrence, Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat, Stuart Little 2, Tom Hanks, Road to Perdition, Jennifer Aniston, The Good Girl


  • "Survivor: Marquesas" Winner Announced

    Vecepia "Vee" Towery, the 36-year-old office manager from Portland, Ore., managed to survive grueling life on an island in the South Pacific Marquesas to eventually beat out 21-year-old psychology student Neleh Dennis from Layton, Utah, for the $1 million prize.


  • J. Lo's Wedding Surprised Sean "P. Diddy" Combs

    Sean "P. Diddy" Combs said he was taken off guard when his ex-girlfriend, singer and actress Jennifer Lopez, got married so soon after their breakup. Jennifer Lopez Cris Judd Sean Combs


  • News Roundup: "Survivor" Gets Island Fever Again

    News Roundup: May 1. Top story on Survivor's next episode being based in Thailand. Other stories on Madonna's stage debut, Roger Ebert's fall, Halle Berry, Jerry Springer, Michael Jackson, ABC, HBO's Oz, Creed


  • News Roundup: Rosie Is a "Survivor"

    News Roundup for April 23 -- Rosie O'Donnell will host the Survivor reunion; marijuana was found on Robert Iler when he was arrested Jason Priestley was in a boat accident Mel Gibson advised students at his alma mater Tonya Harding in trouble again Hawaii Five-O will be made into a movie The next comic book hero to come to the screen is The Punisher Jim Caviezel to star in American Revolution movie Linda Lovelace dies


  • CBS mulls over all-star "Survivor"

    Imagine former Survivor winners Richard and Tina going head-to-head in an all-star tournament


  • Kidman's bouncing back from "surreal" year

    Nicole Kidman discusses her past year as being one of the worst--and best--in her life.


  • Survey says "Halle Berry" cheeks are best

    A survey of 1500 female patients found women most wanting Halle Berrys cheeks Heather Grahams eyes Heather Locklears nose Denise Richards lips Britney Spears body


  • "Survivor: Marquesas" announces contestants

    On Wednesday CBS announced the names of the next set of contestants confined to Nuka Hiva, an island neighboring Tahiti in the South Pacific, for the next installment of Survivor Survivor Richard Hatch Lex van der Berghe


  • "Survivor" hits the South Pacific

    Just when you thought it was safe to watch TV again... Survivor: Marquesas, the fourth installment, is coming to a small screen near you starting Feb. 28. The contestants will brave the elements on the mystical island of Nuku Hiva, a distant neighbor of Tahiti in the South Pacific, all in the name of bald-faced greed.


  • Clapton's surprise wedding

    British guitar legend Eric Clapton secretly married his American girlfriend Melia McEnery the 25-year-old mother of his baby daughter on New Year's Day


  • "Survivor" finale revealed...sorta

    Following is a quick take about the finale of Survivor Africa. Mentioned keywords are Survivor Africa Bryant Gumbel finale episode CBS reunion


  • Bruce Lee resurrected for action movie

    Bruce Lee to be computer generated for new kung fu film


  • "Friends" beats "Survivor" again

    Once again, Friends handily beat Survivor Thursday night, despite a story twist in the reality series that no doubt made for much water-cooler discussions this morning.


  • "Survivor 4": back to the islands

    Following is a Quick Take about the location of "Survivor 4." Mentioned keywords are Survivor CBS


  • "Survivor" barely surviving

    Ratings for CBS's "Survivor: Africa" continued to fall Thursday night, as the show averaged a comparatively weak 10.7 rating and a 17 share, losing out this time not only to NBC's Friends


  • For Thurman, it's substance over measurements

    Uma Thurman, whose upcoming film Tape deals with soul bearing, to Feats Press about breast bearing.


  • "Survivor" loses to "Friends," clobbers "Schwartz"

    CBS's "Survivor: Africa," which scored strongly in its season debut a week ago but didn't quite overtake NBC's "Friends," dropped significantly in its second week, averaging an 11.2 rating and a 17 share for the hour versus a 13.2/19 last week.


  • TV Rants & Raves: "Survivor" wackos, "Bob Patterson"

    Following is a Rants & Raves column for the week of October 18. Mentioned keywords are Survivor Tom Buchanan Boran Samburu Alex Trebec Bob Patterson Jason Alexander Michael Richards Seinfeld Jerry Seinfeld Monday Night Football Popeye Cartoon Network TOON ABC Wonder Years Fox Family Nickelodeon NICK TNN The National Network TV


  • "Friends" beats "Survivor: Africa"

    NBC's hit sitcom Friends eked ahead of CBS' third edition of Survivor, according to ratings figures issued Friday.


  • Sony employee OK following exposure to powdery substance

    A Sony Pictures Entertainment employee who opened a letter that may have contained a white powdery substance was checked out at a hospital and appeared to be healthy


  • Can't get your fill of "Survivor?"

    Beginning today, CBS will be offering "Survivor" fans the opportunity to watch hours of outtakes from its latest series (debuting on TV tonight) on the Internet for $19.95 for the run of the show.


  • TV Rants & Raves: "Buffy," "Survivor" & more

    Following is a TV Rants & Raves column for October 5. Mentioned names and titles are Survivor Buffy Sarah Michelle Gellar Enterprise UPN WB Hugh Hefner Jerri Manthey Elisabeth Filarsky Amber Brkich Mark Burnett Curb Your Enthusiasm HBO Larry David Jason Alexander Julia Louis Dreyfus Joan Rivers Melissa Rivers Emmys


  • Warner Bros. goes ahead with "Designated Survivor"

    Warner Bros.pushes ahead with plans for Designated Survivor one week after saying it was shelving the project due to its violent content.


  • Emmys tighten security measures

    Following is a Quick Take about the Emmys telecast security. Mentioned names and titles are Emmys Bryce Zabel Oscars Nightline


  • Surviving takes on a whole new meaning

    For the newest upcoming Survivor series, beefing up is the most important element to surviving in the African plains where food will be scarce.


  • Survivor Hatch sentenced for assault

    Following is a news story about Richard Hatch's sentencing. Mentioned names and titles are Richard Hatch Survivor


  • Spears donates proceeds to survivors

    Singer Britney Spears will donate $1 per ticket sold from her 31 upcoming North American concerts to children of police officers and firefighters lost in the World Trade Center attacks, she announced Tuesday.


  • "We will never surrender"

    Top media executives sounded much like British leaders during the WW II blitz.


  • Venice film jury surprises

    Surprising many analysts, an Indian film, Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding, has won the Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion award.


  • Spy satellite grabs shots of "Survivor"

    Although CBS's Survivor 3 is being shot under strict secrecy in Kenya, USA Today is today publishing photos of the production site taken from a spy satellite.


  • Web site says it knows who "Survivor" contestants are

    The peculiarly named Ellipsiiis Brain Trust, which last April accurately revealed the weekly winners of Survivor: The Australian Outback.


  • Ain't No Way to Treat a 'Survivor'

    HOLLYWOOD, July 6, 2000 -- Tense times on "Survivor" as a non-thrower-upper, non-old person was actually booted off the increasingly less-crowded isle of Pulau Tiga. Joel Klug, a 28-year-old salesman from Arkansas, got the hook per Wednesday's episode on CBS. Why? Apparently because the otherwise physically fit "Survivor" posterstud ticked off the women's vote. (Take heed, Bush and Gore.)

    "I think the girls on the team; maybe a few of them had a little inferiority complex," Klug tells the CBS Web site (www.cbs.com). "... I'm definitely not a chauvinist. I think a woman can do anything that a man can do. That is why I had every faith in the world in the team."

    Klug's ejection leaves 10 castaways left in the 13-week, winner-takes-all-$1-million game.

    Richard Hatch(© CBS) One of those remaining contestants, meanwhile, is making headlines today for actions that


  • Smith says Burton stole his "Apes" surprise

    Director Kevin Smith, who last week came under attack by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), has gone on the attack himself -- against fellow director Tim Burton, who, he implies, lifted the ending of Planet of the Apes from Smith's Jay and Silent Bob comic book.


  • Disney surprises Wall Street with hefty profit

    The surprising success of the relatively low-budget Spy Kids (it cost $35 million to produce and has earned $106 million domestically), strong DVD sales, particularly for its direct-to-video production of Lady and the Tramp II, together with cost cutting powered the Walt Disney Co. to an 8.6-percent increase in profits during the third quarter, topping Wall Street predictions.


  • A Survivor's Chances Go Up in Flames

    HOLLYWOOD, Mar. 2, 2001 -- Every water cooler in America is buzzing: what happened to Mike on "Survivor"?

    Audiences tuned in on Thursday night to find out exactly what kind of tragedy took place on the hit show. Viewers had been teased for a week with vague promos, sparking debate across the Internet. But finally, it was revealed: Castaway Michael Skupin fell face-first into a fire.

    Having fanned the campfire for several minutes, Skupin inhaled a plume of smoke and apparently passed out for a brief moment, pitching forward into the flames. He broke his fall with both hands, scorching his flesh up to his wrists. He quickly snapped out of his daze and screamed several times, running into the Herbert River to ease the pain of his wounds.

    Shortly after the incident, the CBS medical staff attended to his burns, bandaging his hands and forearms, and a helicopter was flo


  • 'Survivor': Another One Bites the Dust

    HOLLYWOOD, June 15, 2000 -- No more Ms. Nice "Survivor." After the first two ex-castaways professed to being cool with being booted off the CBS reality series, Stacey Stillman -- the contestant who got the hook on Wednesday's installment -- says she's "pissed."

    "They kicked off their bug-eating hero instead of their food stealing, stumbling, ornery old Navy Seal," Stillman writes on the CBS Web site (www.cbs.com).

    The "ornery old Navy Seal" in question is, of course, Rudy, the ornery old Navy Seal, who manuevered himself out of being voted off Wednesday by getting them to evict Stillman instead.

    Stillman, 27, is a lawyer from San Francisco.

    For those of you keeping score at home, there are now 13 castaways left -- with 12 elimination rounds to go before the show's $1 million winner is crowned.


  • 'Survivor': One Down, 14 to Go

    HOLLYWOOD, June 1, 2000 -- An estimated 17-18 million people tuned in Wednesday to watch a bunch of young whippernsnappers gang up on a pleasant 62-year-old cancer-survivor lady and kick her off their TV show, overnight ratings show. "Lord of the Flies," anyone?

    The show, of course, was CBS' much-hyped "Survivor." And while Wednesday's debut was strong, it still wasn't good enough to knock off that real ratings survivor, ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."

    For those who missed "Survivor," but for some reason still care what happened, this is what went down: 16 people were stranded on a deserted island and by the end of the hour only 15 were left.

    Per the show's rules, one person must be voted out at the end of each installment. On Wednesday, the first cut was Sonja Christopher, a gray-haired musician and former cancer patient, from Walnut Creek, Calif.


  • 'Survivor' Throws Out the Thrower-Upper

    HOLLYWOOD, June 22, 2000 -- There ain't no place for bad tummies on a desert island. So Ramona Gray, a 29-year-old chemist from New Jersey, found out on Wednesday night's installment of "Survivor."

    Gray, who got seasick within the CBS game show's very first few minutes, was the fourth castaway voted off everybody's favorite "Lord of the Flies" experiment.

    Gray tried to remain upbeat about being cut out of the potential $1 million winner's pot.

    "I learned that I could survive in this totally demanding environment," she tells CBS' "Survivor" Web site www.cbs.com. "And, I mean, this is a tough place. If I could make it here, I feel I can go back to the real world and survive almost anything."


  • 'Survivor' in Space!

    HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 12, 2000 -- How do you top "Survivor"? How about sending a group of castaways to the moon?

    Well, maybe that's still impossible, but the maker of the top-rated CBS reality series is so determined to one-up himself that his newest offering is almost that outlandish.

    "Destination Mir," a new show from producer Mark Burnett, will launch an everyday American Joe into orbit to board Russia's Mir Space Station.

    How's that for an encore?

    According to a report from The Associated Press, NBC is paying $40 million for the show -- about $20 million of which will go to MirCorp., the agency that rents the space station out for filming.

    "Destination Mir" will follow a group of contestants vying to become cosmonauts over a 13 to 15 episode period, as they go through the rigors of Russian space camp, flight simulators, the whole nine yards.


  • 'SURVIVOR' UPDATE: Upping the Ante

    HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 29, 2000 -- The cost of riding the "Survivor" bandwagon just got higher. Advertisers who bought air time during the first 13-episode season paid about $4 million, but a report in this week's Advertising Age says the price tag will likely triple to $12 million for the upcoming "Survivor II," which will follow the exploits of a new group of contestants in the Australian outback.

    EXONERATED: Richard Hatch has another reason to celebrate.

    Just days after it was revealed that he walked off Pulau Tiga with the $1 million "Survivor" booty, prosecutors in Providence, R.I., dropped a second-degree child abuse charge against Hatch. No explanation for the reversal was given, according to an Associated Press report.

    Hatch's 9-year-old adopted son told police in April that Hatch wrapped his hands around his neck when the boy got tired while jogging. The incide


  • 'Survivor' is Fittest in the Ratings

    HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 24, 2000 -- Can we hear ya say whoop-whoop?

    As if it's any surprise, the big "Survivor" finale whooped ass in the area of ratings, drawing an estimated 51.7 million tube viewers during last night's two-hour extended bonanza, per figures released today.

    And what's more, the only program that has attracted more viewers this year is the Super Bowl. The last episode of "Survivor" even beat out the Academy Awards and the two political conventions -- combined -- in terms of total viewership.

    So if you think Richard, the corporate American who took away the $1 mil grand prize, was the big winner, think again.


  • 'Survivor' Meets 'X-Files'

    HOLLYWOOD, July 17, 2000 -- Is it a rumor or a sneaky publicity stunt? It could be both. Word is that a hacker who goes by the screen name CAPLOCK has cracked a secret code on the show's official Web site and supposedly discovered the identity of the winning contestant of the mega-popular, man vs. nature reality TV series.

    And the winner, according to the sleuthing cybergeek, is Gervase Petersen, 30, a youth basketball coach from New Jersey.

    "We verified the information, and it’s all there, but whether it means anything, who knows," says Paul Sims, who runs www.survivorsucks.com, where the supposed scoop was revealed Friday. "I’m a bit skeptical that CBS would allow people to know who the winner is in advance."

    The Web page in question is the "Tribal Council Voting History Page" on the "Survivor" Web site (www.cbs.com/survivor). The page features photos of all 16


  • 'Survivor 2' vs. 'Angel'

    HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 27, 2000 -- Now that we tentatively know who's going to be president of the United States, the next big question is: Where will CBS schedule "Survivor 2"?

    The sequel to the network's big hit over the summer will roll out in January, but the network has yet to announce the day and time slot fans of the hit show can find it on the tube, Daily Variety reports.

    While CBS execs are still mulling over that decision, big wigs at rival networks speculate that it'll be Sundays at 8 p.m., a slot currently taken by the fading "Touched by an Angel" starring Della Reese and Roma Downey. Such a move would bolster CBS' viewership on that night as well as lead into its 9 p.m. movie.

    "They really need to put a jolt into that night,'' says one network executive. ``It's such a traditional franchise night for them.''

    Others are speculating that "Survivor 2" mi


  • 'Survivor 2' vs. 'Friends'

    HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 19, 2000 -- Monica, Chandler and the rest of the New York urbanite set beware, for the uncivilized, money-mongering tribal-types from "Survivor 2" are aiming to hone into your turf.

    In a move to nip a piece off the Thursday night pie, CBS has announced that the network will schedule "Survivor: The Australian Outback" -- the sequel to the history-making reality-TV gameshow that brought a naked Richard Hatch into millions of households -- on Thursday night at 8 p.m. starting Feb. 1, smack opposite NBC's comedy tentpole "Friends."

    The network's maneuver went against the expectation of some industry insiders who thought that CBS would keep the sequel in the original Wednesday, 8 p.m. time slot.

    'Friends' But according to CBS, its decision has less to do with curbing the Thursday night dominance of rival network NBC than to breathe life into its wea


  • 'Survivor 2' Ads: $12 Million

    HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 10, 2000 -- Visa, General Motors, Anheuser-Bush and Frito-Lay are paying some $12 million each to sponsor CBS' "Survivor: The Australian Outback," which makes its debut on Jan. 28 after Super Bowl XXXV. That's three times the amount advertisers paid to sponsor the original "Survivor." WE LOVE BRITNEY AND 'N SYNC! Nickelodeon will air exclusive interviews with Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore on Thursday as "Nick News Special Edition: Kids Pick the President," Daily Variety reports today. Linda Ellerbee presided over the interviews with the two major presidential candidates.

    HENSON TRADITION WAGES ON: Variety also reports that Brian Henson, chairman of the Jim Henson Co., will make his TV miniseries directing debut with "Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story" for CBS. Production is slated to begin in London within the next few months.


  • Sounds Off: A Guilty Pleasure

    Though I'm not much into reality TV, there is one show that has peaked my interest and grabbed my attention: Fear Factor.


  • U.K. "Survivor" ends run--barely surviving

    A British version of Survivor completed its first series Wednesday night -- awarding £1 million ($1.43 million) to a 24-year-old policewoman. The U.K. series had received disastrous ratings throughout its run, a complete reversal of "the program's unparalleled success in the United States.


  • 'Cast Away' Looks to be Christmas Survivor

    Moviegoers will "Cast" most of their box office votes for Tom Hanks this weekend.

    "Cast Away," 20th Century Fox's PG-13-rated drama reteaming Hanks and "Forrest Gump" director Robert Zemeckis, opens at nearly 2,800 theaters.

    "Sunday is going to be off because its Christmas Eve, but with Christmas on a Monday this year it's going to be a four-day weekend," an insider explains. "Based on what 'What Women Want' did last week (opening to $33.6 million), 'Cast Away' could open to $30 million-plus for four days. They'll be number one."

    "A lot of business is going to happen over the four days," predicts another studio source. "I assume 'Cast Away' is going to be number one. I think it's going to do around $35 million."

    Directed by Robert Zemeckis, "Cast Away" stars Tom Hanks and Helen Hunt.

    Second place could see competition between Paramount's PG-13-rate


  • Aussie animals will "Survive"

    It was the squeal heard 'round the world: Survivor contestant Michael Skupin sinking a hunting knife into the back of an Outback pig earlier this year on the popular reality-based program. But soon, such practices will carry a hefty fine in the Australian state of Queensland.


  • Stossel's "20/20" ratings surpass Walters'

    20/20 was the highest-rated primetime program Friday night, despite the fact that Barbara Walters was absent and commentator John Stossel ("Give Me a Break") replaced her as host.


  • Australian indigenous music company sues "Survivor"

    An Australian music company that specializes in recordings of aboriginal people has filed suit against the producers of Survivor, saying it received nothing for use of its music library during the recent Survivor: The Australian Outback.


  • "Survivor" judge may rule against CBS

    Saying that a confidentiality agreement cannot be enforced if it prevents the disclosure of wrongdoing, Los Angeles Judge Ralph Dau indicated Monday that he may toss out CBS's breach-of-contract suit against former Survivor contestant Stacey Stillman.


  • "Survivor"s wanted

    CBS announced Thursday that the network is now accepting applications for Survivor 4.


  • "Survivor" in Kenya

    The third edition of the CBS reality show Survivor will be filmed in the Shaba National Reserve in eastern Kenya, according to Reuters.


  • CBS denies gun incident at "Survivor" site

    A CBS spokesman has denied reports that security guards working for the Survivor series in Kenya held a group of local environmental activists at gunpoint before allowing them to meet with the show's producers.


  • Court victory for "Survivor" Stillman

    A Los Angeles judge finalized his decision Tuesday to throw out two breach-of-contract claims for $35 million in a lawsuit against former Survivor contestant Stacey Stillman, who alleges that the show is rigged.


  • Siegel undergo surgery

    Good Morning America entertainment editor Joel Siegel will undergo cancer surgery Wednesday to remove cancer growth from his right lung, according to The Associated Press.


  • Aerosmith an example of surviving rock's hardships

    Aerosmith's co-founder and guitarist Joe Perry, to The Associated Press, on how happy he is to have survived three decades of rock 'n' roll by simply playing his guitar and performing in front of audiences:


  • Game shows to double their pleasure

    The show that reinvigorated the primetime quiz show genre and its most recent, well-hyped competitor will now duke it out in syndication. Buena Vista Television's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and NBC's Weakest Link are poised to start their daytime versions in syndication 2002. Link will debut first, in January, while Millionaire is slated for a fall release.


  • "Survivor" fever spreads to China

    Reality shows continue to cross international boundaries. China's Journey to Shangri-La will follow a similar format to Survivor, even though producers deny that the show was influenced by the U.S. series.


  • CBS chief invites Stern to join celebrity "Survivor"

    CBS chief Les Moonves said Wednesday that the network plans to produce a celebrity version of Survivor that would likely include network sitcom stars Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond) and Kevin James (King of Queens), L.A. Lakers star Kobe Bryant and actor/singer Frank Stallone.


  • A Playboy "Survivor" Bunny

    Survivor: The Australian Outback's bad girl, Jerri Manthey, will pose for Playboy, or so averred co-contestant Amber Brkich on the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. Brkich, who recently appeared in a steamy photo session for Stuff magazine, was asked by Kilborn, "Are any of the [Survivor] girls posing anywhere else? Is someone posing for Playboy?" Brkich simply said, "Jerri." Manthey's spread, assumed to be in the nude, will appear in the September issue, reports The New York Post.


  • British "Survivor" debuts; U.S. networks react

    The elements sound familiar: 16 strangers are sent to the South China Sea island of Pulau Tiga-split into two tribes-to compete in Immunity Challenges as one contestant is voted off every three days for 40 days.

    It's more than déjà vu. It's the British version of Survivor, which debuted Monday on Britain's ITV network to 6.6 million viewers-a 31% share of the viewing audience, according to BBC reports.


  • U.K. Survivor voted off for refusing to eat rats

    Refusing to feast on a meal of cooked rats resulted in the ousting Monday of U.K. Survivor contestant Uzma Bashir Skeikh, according to BBC News. "I just couldn't eat the rats," the 30-year-old children's nursery owner said. "As far as I was concerned, it wasn't necessary. In fact, only two of us didn't eat the rats." Another contestant caught the rats, drowned them in a tin can and cooked them on a fire. Skeikh is the third contestant booted off the island of Pulau Tiga, in the South China Sea, the location of the first U.S. Survivor series. She joins Nick Carter and Jenny "JJ" Adams, who were evicted from the island because they were considered too bossy. In other U.K. Survivor news, two contestants made the headlines last week when their extramarital affair became public.


  • "Survivor" Skupin attacked

    Survivor: The Australian Outback cast member Michael Skupin was allegedly pepper sprayed by an animal rights activist in Columbia, Mo. on Tuesday, the Associated Press reports.


  • "Survivor" played out in the Senate?

    Now that would be a show to watch. However, in this case, it's just software publisher Michael Skupin, the poor "Survivor" contestant who had to be flown out of the Australian Outback when he badly burnt his hands, who may run for the U.S. Senate. "I'm giving it a lot of thought," Skupin, 39, said Thursday at the annual Governor's Gala in Livonia, Michigan, where he and President Bush's chief of staff, Andrew Card, were guests of honor, according to AP. "If I could do it and really make a difference, I would do it." He and his wife, Peni, are Republicans but have never been active in politics.


  • No backlash to "Survivor" revelations, says CBS

    Following the release of a deposition by Survivor contestant Dirk Been in which he acknowledged being influenced by producer Mark Burnett to change a key vote during the production of the show, CBS has received no letters and only two email messages about the matter, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing a CBS spokesman. Both email messages supported the network, the newspaper said. Analysts contacted by the WSJ expressed doubt that an audience backlash would materialize as a result of the lawsuit brought by another contestant, Stacey Stillman, against CBS and the Survivor producers. "This is no quiz-show scandal," Robert Thompson, director of Syracuse University's Center for the Study of Popular Television, told the WSJ.


  • "Survivor" contestant admits he was "influenced"

    Bowing to legal challenges by First Amendment activists, CBS on Friday released transcripts of a deposition from former Survivor contestant Dirk Been in which he acknowledged that he was influenced by producer Mark Burnett to vote against Stacey Stillman instead of former Navy SEAL Rudy Boesch. "I felt that influence affected the game in an unfair manner," Been said in the deposition. He also described a phone conversation with Burnett last summer, while the show was being broadcast, in which the producer denied that he had ever tried to influence his vote.


  • U.K. "Survivor" show collapses on second night

    Hopes by Britain's commercial ITV network to duplicate the American success of Survivor appeared dashed Wednesday when results were released for Tuesday night's telecast showing that audiences had deserted the show in droves following the debut telecast on Monday.


  • "Survivor" vs. "Friends" ... again

    Now that the major networks have released their fall 2001 schedules, all it takes is a brief glance at the Thursday night brackets to realize this year's hottest rivalry--CBS' Survivor and CSI vs. NBC's Must-See TV lineup--will ignite yet again come October.

    CBS appears to be riding a wave of confidence following this season's consistent victory over NBC's Thursday night sitcoms. Survivor scored on average 10 million more viewers than Friends per week, partly due in part to several Friends reruns in March, according to Nielsen Media Research. As a result, the Eye Network is unflinchingly pitting this fall Survivor and CSI against NBC's Friends, Will & Grace, Just Shoot Me and the new sitcom Inside Schwartz.


  • British "Survivor" contestants revealed ... sort of

    The first British installment of Survivor, to air on ITV, is draped in the same secrecy as its American predecessor, but producers have now revealed some vital information about the show: the identity of the contestants. The 16 castaways' first names have been announced--their last names are being held under wraps by producers, according to the BBC. The show will be set on the same island as the first American version of the game show, Pulau Tiga in the South China Sea, and, fittingly, one of the contestants is named Richard.


  • Fox alleges that CBS rigged "Survivor"

    Such is the curiosity of American TV audiences that millions find a guilty pleasure in sitting down to watch what happens to a person in the course of a one-hour show.

    The idea of having a taped, scripted show became almost passé with the event of "reality TV" a few years back. Huge ratings confirmed that America liked to watch real people endure real-life trials and tribulations.

    CBS, the network behind Survivor, is now under fire for reenacting and cutting scenes to make the "reality TV" game show more interesting.

    On Monday, Fox Broadcasting Co. alleged in court papers that CBS fixed the outcome of contestant voting on Survivor. Fox's accusation was made in response to a federal copyright infringement lawsuit filed last month by CBS and Survivor producers that alleged Fox's Boot Camp is a rip-off of Survivor.


  • "Survivor" producer admits to reenactments

    It's a phenomenon that swept the nation. It's a show that trounced Friends in the ratings. And some of it was staged, according to producers.

    The New York Times reports that certain segments of Survivor: The Australian Outback were reenacted to give them a more polished, TV-friendly look--and producer Mark Burnett doesn't deny the decision to re-shoot scenes. According to the Times, Burnett admitted to the creative retooling Tuesday at a Los Angeles conference on "Reality TV."

    "I absolutely couldn't care less--I'm making great television," he told the Times.


  • "Survivor" Colby's got a fan

    "Survivor" Colby Donaldson didn't need to win $1 million: he's got enough friends as it is, including TV talk show host Rosie O'Donnell. After the hunky Texan appeared on her show, she surprised him with a brand new Harley Davidson motorcycle, the same one he said he'd buy himself if he won the $1 million prize, as reported by TV Guide. "I want you to think of me every time you ride it," O'Donnell joked with Donaldson.


  • The "Survivor" verdict: The contestants react

    The Survivor castaways spoke out about Tina Wesson's $1 million victory on Thursday's post-show interview special. Most were quite congratulatory; some still seemed to hold grudges.


  • CHANNEL SURFER: It's Emmy Time!

    HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 8, 2000 -- Garry Shandling hosts the 52nd Annual Emmy Awards live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC. The big battle this year is between the outstanding HBO drama “The Sopranos” and the outstanding NBC drama “The West Wing.” Each show pulled down 18 nominations apiece, including all the big ones for lead and supporting actors and best drama. Another Emmy-related show to watch for (or avoid like the plague, if you prefer): Before Michael J. Fox, Jennifer Aniston, Chris Rock, Jenna Elfman and all the other nominees and presenters can get into the auditorium, they must pass by Joan and Melissa Rivers on the red carpet. The Rivers women, in what has quickly grown into one of basic cable’s most stomach-turning award show traditions, will stand by the entrance and pass judgment on these people based on what they are wearing like two angr


  • CHANNEL SURFER: It's Shark Week

    HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 13, 2000 -- August is the time of year when cable television's innovator of "reality" shows, The Discovery Channel, encourages us to turn our thoughts to the possibility of being eaten alive by giant fish. That's right, the 13th annual "Shark Week" kicks off today. This year, perhaps feeling the pressure to outperform all the newer reality shows in the ratings, we move a step closer to actually feeding the documentary filmmakers directly to the animals in "Giants: Sharks" (today at 10 p.m. PDT).

    The cages are removed and the supersmart marine biologists voluntarily swim with Great Whites in the open ocean. "Shark Week -- Uncaged," a full seven days of docs (unlike NBC's "West Wing Week" which only lasted for three days) officially kicks off today at 9 p.m. PDT with "Sharks 3D." Yes, you'll need to get the glasses.

    Tom Selleck "Running Mates" (premier


  • Ex-Survivors to lock horns on "Link"

    Richard Hatch to appear on "Weakest Link.:


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Cody Gifford vs. The Rock

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 12, 2000 -- You can just imagine the meeting of NBC executives as they contemplate making a dent in the game-show-fueled ABC juggernaut: "What can we do to really lay the 'Smackdown' in the ratings? Who or what is big enough, tough enough, 'electrifying' enough to send Regis Philbin into the kitchen to open up that fridge and pour himself a nice tall glass of SHUT-UP JUICE?!"

    The answer? "Freaks and Geeks" is back Mondays! And The Rock is hosting "Saturday Night Live"! Who is The Rock, you ask? He is only the World Wrestling Federation's "People’s Champion," as well as the self-proclaimed "most-electrifying man in sports entertainment." (Duh.)

    Back to those guys in a second. But, first, in the action-packed TV week ahead, we also get: Cody Gifford! Yes, you’ve been hearing about him for years, and now is your chance to finally get to see littl


  • GLAAD Likes 'QAF,' 'Survivor'

    HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 16, 2001 -- "Best in Show," "Billy Elliot," Showtime's "Queer as Folk" and "Wonder Boys" were among the nominees for the 12th Annual GLAAD Media Awards announced Monday.

    The award’s organizer, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, also announced that CBS’ “Survivor” and NBC’s “The West Wing” will receive special honors: “Survivor” for featuring the openly gay corporate trainer Richard Hatch and “The West Wing” for regularly addressing issues of gay and lesbian discrimination.

    Also among the nominees were "The Next Best Thing," MTV's ``Undressed'' and the WB's “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” The WB's ``Dawson's Creek'' and ``Felicity'' received nominations for outstanding drama series. Comedy series nods went to NBC’s “Will & Grace,” Showtime’s “Beggars and Choosers,” Telemundo’s “Los Beltran” and the WB’s “Popular.”

    The GLAAD Media Awards ho


  • TV STUFF: More 'Survivor'

    HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 10, 2001 -- If you think "Survivor: The Australian Outback" would end the madness that is the CBS reality series franchise, think again.

    CBS Television President Leslie Moonves made the announcement Tuesday during the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif., that "Survivor" executive producer Mark Burnett will return to make "Survivor 3" and "Survivor 4."

    As usual, nothing is known about the third and forth installments of the reality series that has made Richard Hatch a household name, but two things are certain: 1) work begins immediately on No. 3, with Burnett and his crews scouting all over the globe for where it will take place, and 2) "Survivor 3" is scheduled to bow as soon as this fall.

    Stay tuned.

    'Dharma & Greg' 'DHARMA' KARMA: "Dharma & Greg" might be heading toward splitsville, and we're not talk


  • Rooney Has Heart Surgery

    HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 22, 2000 -- Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney was listed in good condition Thursday following open heart surgery the day before to clear two artery blockages, Reuters reports.

    An angiogram test Wednesday at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, Calif., confirmed the blockages, and physicians performed a double coronary bypass operation on the 80-year-old actor, a hospital spokeswoman said.

    Rooney is the star of films such as "Boys Town," "The Black Stallion," "Babes in Arms," "National Velvet" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."

    GLOVER OK AFTER ACCIDENT: "Lethal Weapon" actor Danny Glover escaped injury Wednesday night after his car was struck by a pizza delivery vehicle.

    According to police spokesman Don Cox, no one was injured in the accident, and no one was arrested or cited.

    TAKE THAT! Actor-comedian Chris Rock


  • TV STUFF: 'Survivor' Year's Best

    HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 19, 2000 -- Fifty-two-million "Survivor" viewers can't be wrong.

    Apparently, that's what the people at TV Guide also think. The magazine named the CBS reality-TV series the No. 1 primetime show for the year.

    NBC's acclaimed presidential series "The West Wing," which swept the Emmys this year, came in at No. 2.

    Other winners include HBO's "The Sopranos" (No. 4), NBC's drama staple "ER" (No. 8) and the Peacock Network's comedy "Will & Grace" (No. 10).

    The Peacock Network's "Ed" (No. 6) is the only new debut this season that made the list.

    Here's TV Guide's list of the Top 10 shows of the year.

    1. "Survivor" (CBS) 2. "The West Wing" (NBC) 3. "Once and Again" (ABC) 4. "The Sopranos" (HBO) 5. "Malcolm in the Middle" (FOX) 6. "Ed" (NBC) 7. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (WB) 8. "ER" (NBC) 9. "Everybody Loves Raymond" (CBS) 10


  • SHELLEY FABARES’ MIRACLE SURGERY

    HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 29, 2000 -- "Coach" star, Shelley Fabares is recovering from liver transplant surgery, her spokesman said on Thursday, October 26th.

    Danny Chung, national spokesman for the Chicago-based Alzheimer's Association, of which Fabares was a long-time board member, said that her illness was caused by an autoimmune disorder.

    Fabares, 56, is the wife of "Providence" actor Mike Farrell, and besides her Coach role, she is best known for her roles as a teen-ager on "The Donna Reed Show." She is expected to make a full recovery.


  • Survivor Colleen’s Beastly Role

    HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 29, 2000 -- Colleen Haskell was one of the last to go on CBS' Survivor, but now she's the first o f the cast to land a major role in a feature film: She will star opposite Rob Schneider (Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo) in the Revolution Studios production Animal.

    The film, directed by Luke Greenfield and adapted from a script by Tom Brady, will also star Adam Sandler.

    Set for release on June 22nd, 2001, Animal centers around a man who receives organ transplants from a multitude of animals and slowly finds himself taking on those animal traits. Haskell will play his love interest.

    Haskell is currently a student at Miami University.


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Tributes to Eastwood, Willis

    HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 22, 2000 -- Just a little bit longer, one week actually, before the miracle of autumn, when TV starts anew, like fresh flowers growing out of the compost pile you keep out back. Can you smell it? Mmm … compost. In the meantime … um … well, the Olympic Games are still on. Only 220.75 hours to go. Apparently you aren't watching the tape delayed archery contests as much as in past Olympics, and we (and a few folks at NBC) find that a little disturbing. Come on, people! We medaled in the 10-meter BB gun (sorry, air rifle) competition. Surely that's interesting! U-S-A! U-S-A! Hello?!

    It's "PBS Week" at Channel Surfer, and that means one thing: Day and time may vary in your area! The festivities begin (for most of you) on Sunday with "Debating Our Destiny." Ever wonder why leading presidential candidates hate debating with third party candidates on TV? It's because th


  • Holy Resurrection, Batman!

    HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 21, 2000 -- Hey Batman, you're wanted back in the Batcave, pronto. And leave that funny-looking Robin kid behind. Say what, caped crusader?

    Daily Variety is reporting today that Darren Aronofsky, director of the visually weird-ass movie "Pi" and the forthcoming flick "Requiem for a Dream," has been hired by Warner Bros. to resurrect the Dark Knight and direct the fifth installment in the franchise.

    Aronofsky will also cowrite the screenplay for "Batman: Year One" with Frank Miller, upon whose popular graphic novel (titled "Batman: YO") the movie will be based. The story follows a younger Bruce Wayne in his first year as Batman, complete with the trials and tribulations of a new superhero.

    Now the question remains: Who will play Batman? A few weeks ago, rumors circulated that Aronofsky was courting Brad Pitt for the part, but Pitt's camp late


  • TV STUFF: 'Survivor' Guy's Small-Town Drama

    HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 19, 2000 -- It may have been the plot of a "Picket Fences" episode. Richard Hatch, the naked-guy-cum-millionaire of "Survivor" fame, was presented Monday with a proclamation commemorating Richard Hatch day in his hometown of Middletown, R.I.

    What makes all this interesting is that Hatch filed a lawsuit against the city a few months ago after a child abuse charge was raised against him and then dropped by local authorities. He's seeking unspecified damages.

    During the ceremonies, Hatch got a Middletown T-shirt from the town council. He quipped, "Is this a hint?"

    NOIR GUY GETS TV DEAL: James Ellroy, whose book "L.A. Confidential" was turned into an Oscar-winning movie, will executive produce "Detour," a TV movie about the love affair between Lana Turner and gangster Jimmy Stompanato. Turner stabbed Stompanato to death in 1958, in what was ruled jus


  • Mo' 'Survivor' Update

    HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 31, 2000 -- So you pay your taxes, then you pay off some loans and after that you decide to get that tummy-tuck you’ve always wanted. And before you know it, your $1 million winnings just doesn’t seem like that much money anymore.

    Perhaps that’s what sole "Survivor" Richard Hatch has been feeling lately, for he sure has been hustling hard for dough despite his seven-figure jackpot.

    After a report from Inside.com this week that the 39-year-old corporate trainer has signed a $500,000 book deal with St. Martin’s Press, word today is that he has also set his eyes on showbiz.

    Daily Variety says that Richard has singed with Creative Artists Agency, the management firm Pure Arts and publicist Polaris PR as his representatives. They will assist the pot-belly one, who is said to be looking for on-air commentator gigs and TV show guest spots -- in fielding


  • MUSIC NOTES: Survivor Sues 'Survivor'

    HOLLYWOOD, August 28, 2000 -- Old rock bands never die. They just wait around for 20 years, until a super-successful TV show comes along and borrows their name, then they try to sue the pants off the makers of that show. One of the founding members of Survivor (the 1970's rock band) is taking legal action against the CBS hit show (you guessed it) "Survivor." It seems the producers have plans to release a "Survivor" soundtrack CD, but guitarist Franklin Sullivan III is asking a federal court in Chicago for a preliminary injunction, claiming trademark infringement.

    Hmmm. Let's see. People are going to buy the "Survivor" soundtrack CD under the mistaken impression that it's got that "Eye of the Tiger" song from "Rocky III" on it?

    CODA: Douglas Allen Woody, former bassist for the Allman Brothers Band, was found dead Saturday in a Queens motel, according to New York police. W


  • EXTRA: Post-'Survivor' Survival Tips

    HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 23, 2000 - Bingo, anyone?

    Whether you care or not, "Survivor" is finally coming to its logical conclusion tonight, when $1 million will be given away and huge ratings will be won in a three-hour-long coup de grace (that's two new episodes, plus an hour-long "reunion" pow-wow).

    But, with America's alpha reality series going off the air, what are all the "Survivor" addicts going to do every Wednesday nights after?

    "I can tell you this much. When the show came on -- the very first episode -- I watched it for 10 minutes and I knew that I was going to love the show. I called everybody and told them about it," Eric Somers, a self-professed "Survivor" fanatic, tells Hollywood.com.

    And thereafter, the 33-year-old Los Angeles denizen has seen every single episode of the show, religiously and reverently.

    "You can just tell that it was brilli


  • We're Nude, We're Rude on 'Survivor'

    HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 21, 2000 -- You know "Survivor" must be nearly over, now that the naked fat man is singing.

    OK, so maybe Richard Hatch isn't all that fat, but he's definitely naked a lot of the time. And he's just the latest member of the "Survivor" cast to mouth off to the media, now that the final episode (airing Wednesday) is fast approaching.

    "I'm often nude, and I was in the middle of the South China Sea in 110-degree weather," Hatch declares in the new issue of Newsweek. "Why would I have clothes on?"

    Uh, well, maybe because you're on television, Richard.

    As everyone knows, Hatch is one of the four remaining "Survivor" contestants, one of whom will emerge as the $1 million winner at the end of the upcoming episode.

    His unrepentant nudist comments came on the heels of more blabbing by another "Survivor" contestant, bible-thumper Dirk Been, who was


  • CHANNEL SURFER: It's Charlton Heston Week!

    HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 1, 2000 -- As the countdown to the season premiere of "Nash Bridges" continues, TV is pretty much just phoning it in until the start of the new fall season. How bad is it? Well, A&E’s venerable "Biography" series is running a full week of shows dedicated to Adam West and the actors who played villains on "Batman" in the 1960s. Oh, and there’s also a weeklong, four-hours-per-night "The Facts of Life" endurance test on Nick at Nite. Let us be the first to say finally!

    Hey, remember this? "Do not attempt to adjust your television set! We control the vertical!" One guess. OK, that’s it …

    Prepare to regain control of your TV’s "vertical hold!" The second coming of a classic science-fiction anthology series makes its second going as the final episode of "The Outer Limits" airs Sunday at 8 p.m. EDT on Showtime and finally releases control of your television set


  • CHANNEL SURFER: More Hot 'Sex'!

    HOLLYWOOD, June 4, 2000 -- The networks are in rerun mode now, so think of this as your big chance to find out what’s on Fox. Hey, come on, we just kid Fox because we love 'em.

    Actually, summer is the time for cable TV to pick up the slack and to prove it’s worth paying for, so let’s take a look at what they’ve got this week.

    -- It’s steamy, ribald, often shocking, often funny and sometimes even poignant. It’s “Sex and the City” (9 p.m. EDT/PDT, Sunday) back for its third season on HBO. Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall head an ensemble of single, professional Manhattanites happily weeding through as many Mr. Wrongs as it takes to one day find Mr. Right. Women can usually relate pretty well, as these well drawn and varied characters always seem to be either picking up the broken pieces of their last relationships, or generating the broken pieces of the latest one. An


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Ratings Report

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 25, 2000 -- The good news is, there's plenty of room at the top, as a whopping 13 shows cracked TV's Top Ten last week! The bad news is, we're running out of Regis Philbin jokes. William Shatner If you've got any good Regis material, feel free to send us an e-mail and pass it along. If we use it, we'll even print your name! Make your friends (the ones who think their Regis jokes are just sooo funny) insanely jealous! Or, even better, join the campaign to replace Regis as "Millionaire" host with William Shatner, 'cuz we've got plenty of gas left in that particular tank.

    Without further ado then, primetime's Top Ten shows for the week of April 17-23, according to the fine folks at Nielsen Media Research. (Remember, each rating point is worth a little more than one million viewers.)

    1."Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" (Tuesday), ABC - 17.0


  • CHANNEL SURFER: 'If These Walls Could Talk,' What Would Howard Stern Say?

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 5, 2000 -- Well, the February sweeps are finally over.

    Once the remainder of NBC's "10th Kingdom" is flushed from the system, it will all be just a distant memory. Regis Philbin won, if you were scoring along at home. If the February sweeps were like network TV's playoffs, Regis was Michael Jordan -- only shorter and dressed like a bootlegger from the 1920s.

    The good news? Now that the quarter-hour numbers don't mean as much to the bean counters, you might find a few higher-quality shows on the air -- not that Fox's "Robbie Knievel: Head On Train Jump" wasn't "high quality" as head on train jumps go. ... But, um ... Hey, everybody, let's get ready for those mid-season replacements!

    -- Right after HBO's "The Sopranos" airs today at 8 p.m. (this is old news, but yes, the series really is as good as everybody says it is), stay tuned for "If T


  • CHANNEL SURFER: 'Kingdom' Comes (And Stays)

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 27, 2000 -- It's the last gasp for the February sweeps (running through Wednesday), and the mini-series "events" are coming fast and furious.

    NBC leads the way this week with its ambitious test of our collective attention span, "The 10th Kingdom" (9-11 p.m. EST/PST, Sunday; 8-11 p.m. Monday; 8-11 p.m. Wednesday; 9-11 p.m. March 5; 8-11 p.m. March 6 ... See what we mean?). Executive producer Robert Halmi Sr., who has scored with some bold and nifty TV productions in the past ("Gulliver's Travels," "Merlin"), along with the occasional air ball ("Leprechauns"), seems to be taking a "bigger is better" approach this time around. More of a maxi than a mini, with a pretty slim story about a Central Park "vortex" that links Manhattan with the world of fairy tales, "Kingdom" looks to be a bit of a programming gamble. It might be a little too grown-up and lengthy


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Going to the Dogs





    SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 13, 2000 -- While the February sweeps generally adds up to TV putting its collective "best foot forward," it also means that the best shows of the year all run at the same time, so you'll still miss most of them.

    It would be nice if the networks could spread the wealth throughout the year, but to make a long, complicated story that no one truly understands short, they don't -- and won't. So here's a heads-up for what's on the tube this week:

    "HOMICIDE: THE MOVIE" (9 p.m., Sunday, NBC) is a curtain call for the recently departed series -- minus the goofy-sounding title "Homicide: Life on the Street." The original series stayed on the air by its fingernails for seven years, largely due to the fierce loyalty of fans who have undoubtedly already marked this one on their calendars. But for the rest of you -- those who might have he


  • EXTRA: Can We Survive Without 'Survivor'?

    HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 9, 2000 - It's the biggest thing to hit the tube since ABC hired some short guy to give away $1 million three times a week. It has no star power, no plot, and a comparatively meager giveaway of a million bucks over the course of 13 weeks. So, you've gotta wonder: what is it about "Survivor" that has kept our proud nation faithfully tuned-in? And, you've also gotta wonder: who among us is doing all the tuning-in?

    Naturally, we took it upon ourselves to find the answer. Our findings: Yes, a lot of people might be watching "Survivor," but hey, not everyone does it out of love. While the serious, die-hard "Survivor" camp embraces the show like a religion, for every fanatic there's at least one person who finds the show to be -- what's the saying? -- "so bad, it's good."

    How do we know? Well, we talked to a couple of them.

    Take, for example, survivorsu


  • CHANNEL SURFER: TV Celebrates TV

    HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 4, 2000 -- August is the time of year when TV pretty much just phones it in. NBC is running "The 10th Kingdom" again, for crying out loud! It's almost as if they don't want us to watch anymore. Or, maybe TV is just playing hard to get, like if it acts disinterested in us, we'll want it even more.

    Even some cable channels are getting into the act. On Tuesday, ESPN2 is running a recap of the Kansas City Chief's 9-7 1999 season.

    But at least the brainy channels that are good for us but no one watches are trying hard to fill the void. So this week, just to show the networks (and ESPN2) that they can't take us for granted, we've got a very special "Bravo-riffic" edition of Channel Surfer.

    Ted Danson "The Museum of Television and Radio: Influences" premieres at 7:30 p.m. PDT today on Bravo. Alan Alda hosts this new weekly series featuring TV stars


  • EXTRA: 'Survivor' Survives a Scandal

    HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 3, 2000 -- Time to get those PTA and office betting pools fired up again. As was made plenty clear to a "Survivor"-whipped TV nation last night, Gervase (Peterson), the island's resident slacker and 30-year-old basketball coach from Philadelphia, became exile No. 10 on the dog-eat-dog show.

    Peterson's banishment puts an end to a prevailing rumor plaguing the CBS castaway-reality series. You know, the one about Gervase being the $1 million jackpot winner.

    It started a few weeks ago, with an alleged leak posted by a hacker on the anti-"Survivor" Web site, the onomatopoeic www.survivorsucks.com. The cyberspace cowboy said he had hacked into the official CBS "Survivor" site and discovered the million-dollar scoop.

    CBS officials denied it, but the rumor prevailed, right up until the Tribal Council's ballots were counted at the end of Wednesday night's


  • Napster Plays Game of Survival

    HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 2, 2000 -- The fight for free music goes on, but legal experts say there isn’t much that can be done to keep Napster from being nipped in the bud. A federal appeals court stayed a previous judge’s decision to pull the plug on the Internet music-swapping company last week while it renders a decision. That decision could come as soon as October.

    Until then, Napster has very few choices to save itself.

    Legal experts say making a deal with the recording industry is next to impossible considering Napster’s inability to pay for a major settlement. Plus, sources from the Recording Industry Association of America say they wouldn’t be willing to settle with Napster. Doing so would leave the questions as to whether what Napster is doing is actually legal.

    Legal experts told Reuters that they see little choice for Napster but to forge full-steam ahead with l


  • From 'Survivor' to Playboy?

    HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 2, 2000 -- Why bother going to great lengths to win $1 million when you can just take it all off and pocket $500,000? "Survivor" castaway Jenna Lewis, 23 and the mother of two, says she is considering accepting Playboy’s offer to pose nude.

    "It may hinder some of my career moves. But it would also take care of me and my daughters for many, many years to come," Lewis told the Toronto Sun, adding that $500,000 would be a nice price.

    Lewis says the magazine with great articles also has approached "Survivor" peer Colleen Haskell, but she has declined so far.

    Hey, what about that Richard guy?


  • Napster Survives

    HOLLYWOOD, July 28, 2000 -- Time is on the side of Napster … at least for now anyway. A federal appeals court granted the online MP3-swapping site an emergency stay earlier today, allowing it to remain in business until a formal appeal is heard.

    The reprieve came just hours before the anticipated shutdown of Napster, which was decreed by a court injunction handed down Wednesday.


  • Man of God Cast Asunder from 'Survivor'

    HOLLYWOOD, June 29, 2000 -- Lord, that Biblethumper bugged the bejezus out of his fellow castaways. And so when it came time to boot another body off the Island "Survivor", Dirk Been, an otherwise strapping 23-year-old dairy farmer from Wisconsin, got kicked.

    Dirk, ejected as of Wednesday's episode, is the fifth contestant to get the hook, leaving 11 left to compete for the $1 million jackpot.

    What was Dirk's problem?

    "It's not that I'm against his faith or nothing," fellow castaway Susan Hawk said on the CBS Web site www.cbs.com. "But he spends all day reading his Bible and praying."

    True to his M.O., Dirk turned the other cheek when reflecting on his gameshow experience.

    "Thank you God," Dirk tells the site.

    He also said: "Thank you Lord."

    And then: "Thank you Jesus Christ."

    And then: "Thank you Holy Spirit."

    And


  • Matt, Ben Go 'Survivor'

    HOLLYWOOD, June 27, 2000 -- Imagine you’re ABC and you’re trying to get a slice of the reality-programming pie that's getting hogged by CBS’ "Survivor" -- what would you do? How about creating a reality-based program of your own -- but with big names like, oh, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck attached to the project?

    Bingo. ABC today announced that the boy-wonder team of Damon and Affleck has signed on to executive produce "The Runner," the network’s turn at putting human beings in exploitative situations for the sake of ratings.

    The series was spawned from the "Good Will Hunting" minds of Damon and Affleck. It'll focus on a single individual as he (or she) attempts to cross the country with his/her anonymity intact, meaning that the person has to avoid being identified by scrutinizing viewers during his (or her) journey.

    While details of "The Runner" have yet to be di


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees!

    HOLLYWOOD, June 25, 2000 -- It’s Monkees Week at Channel Surfer, and frankly, it’s not a minute too soon. First up, VH-1’s venerable “Behind the Music” finally gets around to the story of the “pre-fab four” today at 9 p.m EDT/PDT. This tale marks the beginning of the time-honored show-biz tradition of a bunch of suited executive types recruiting a group of fresh-faced lads and manufacturing a singing group that would leave thousands of screaming teenagers in its wake on the way to (briefly) becoming the biggest thing going.

    Sound familiar, Backstreet Boys? Heard this one somewhere before, 'N Sync? Still, “Last Train to Clarkesville” does rock, and Mickey Dolenz does “rule over everything!” No one is arguing about that.

    Monkees Week continues Wednesday at 9 p.m. EDT/PDT when VH-1 premieres its original movie “Daydream Believers: The Monkees Story.” In a nice piece of iron


  • CHANNEL SURFER: The Great Caruso Returns

    HOLLYWOOD, June 18, 2000 -- Remember when David Caruso left "NYPD Blue" in a massive firestorm of controversy to become a huge movie star? David Caruso "?

    No, not the singer ... he’s an actor. He was on "NYPD Blue" before Jimmy Smits. No, seriously, there was a guy named David Caruso, and he was the star of the show. Remember?

    Well, anyway, David Caruso returns to TV today in the made for cable nail-biter "Deadlocked" (8 p.m. EDT/PDT, TNT). Caruso plays the prosecutor in this courtroom thriller with a twist. Charles S. Dutton ("Roc," "Alien 3") -- one of the most convincing angry men in show business -- is the "twist." He plays an angry man, convinced his very guilty-looking son (whom Caruso is prosecuting) is not guilty, and he decides to hold the jury hostage until somebody (Caruso) proves he is right. It’s a cool plot, and both Caruso and Dutton deliver the tension en


  • CHANNEL SURFER: 'Survivor' for History Buffs

    HOLLYWOOD, June 11, 2000 -- This is really the best time of year to be writing a weekly TV column. It's a time of promising summer replacements (such as "Clerks," which has, um, already been canceled), cool film festivals and new original cable series.

    Even PBS lets its hair down and gets a little experimental, in its own, starched collar kind of way.

    If we can steal gameshows from England, what's to stop the British from moving in on our reality-based TV territory? Nothing, apparently, because it's happened. "1900 House" (9 p.m. EDT/PDT, Monday, PBS) is kind of like putting MTV's "The Real World" into a time machine, as the Bowlers -- a real-life British family of six -- move into a retrofitted Victorian era London home, where they will remain for three months, as if it were in fact, the Victorian Era. "Huh … ?" you ask? Well, think of it as "Survivor" for history buff


  • EXTRA: We Pump 'Survivor' Non-Survivor!

    HOLLYWOOD, June 6, 2000 -- The next installment of "Survivor" airs tonight on CBS. Who will survive? While we don't know, somebody out there does. The winner, after all, has already won. Given "Survivor's" core ethics of unrestrained greed, how does the network expect to prevent the show's presumably embittered dropouts from ratting out the surprise ending?

    Here's how: A CBS spokesman tells Hollywood.com that all "Survivor" participants signed confidentiality agreements that legally bind them from talking about the show.

    And secondly, all contestants must field all of their press requests through the network before interviews can be granted.

    With the above information in mind, our immediate reaction was to, of course, dial up the show's first booted member -- 63-year-old Sonja Christopher of Walnut Creek, Calif. -- to see how much she would tell us.

    And t


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Are You a 'Survivor'?

    HOLLYWOOD, May 28, 2000 -- Well, the 1999-2000 TV season is finally, officially over. But don’t worry, that doesn’t mean you have to go out into the sunshine or pick up a good book to read at night. There’s no need to panic. TV has not deserted you. Just think of summer as your chance to watch all the shows you missed while watching “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” or “The 10th Kingdom.”

    Here's a look at the tube the week ahead:

    Showtime comes aboard the miniseries train with “On the Beach” (8 p.m.-midnight EDT/PDT, Sunday). Armand Assante (“Odysseus”) stars as the commander of a nuclear submarine left to wander the planet after a catastrophic nuclear war in the near future. Based on the novel by Nevil Shute, “Beach” is not just scary scfi-fi fare. It also grows into a love story, as Assante’s sub picks up some Australian survivors (including Rachel Ward), and they all


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Ratings Report

    HOLLYWOOD, May 23, 2000 -- Last week in TV ratings land, NBC threw in the kitchen sink with three hours of "Must-See" season finales and owned the top of the Top 10. Unfortunately, there are still seven days in a week, and NBC has just one sink. Thus, ABC, still running on high-octane Regis fuel, held on to win the overall week -- again.

    Here now, for your edification and amusement, the annotated primetime Top 10 rankings for the week of May 15-21, according to the good people at Nielsen Media Research. (Each rating point is worth a little more than 1 million viewers.)

    1. "ER," NBC - 22.3 NBC needs to either find a gameshow more popular than "Twenty-One" or make every week Season Finale Week. Next week, the reruns start, and we get to see how last year's Thanksgiving episode fairs against "Millionaire."

    2. "Frasier," NBC - 22.1 Ratings like this can be dangero


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Fox Leaves 'City'

    HOLLYWOOD, May 22, 2000 -- Coming into the home stretch of the final week of the final sweeps period before summer, we've got tearful farewells, wacky guest stars, tantalizing cliffhangers and best of all … sexy stories about Florence Henderson!

    ABC's "Spin City" (9 p.m. EDT/PDT Wednesday) will be back next season with Charlie Sheen as its new star. But the bigger news is that Michael J. Fox will make his network TV farewell (hopefully only temporarily) in the series' hourlong season finale. Fox will be taking a break from acting to use his considerable charm and energy to help the fight against Parkinson's disease. Michael Gross, who played Fox's TV dad in "Family Ties," the series that made him a star so long ago, makes a guest appearance in this episode. Expect lots of hugs all around.

    The season finale of "3rd Rock from the Sun" (8 p.m. EDT/PDT Tuesday, NBC) is a spec


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Ratings Report

    HOLLYWOOD, May 16, 2000 -- We're down to the wire in the May sweeps, and NBC really tightened this race up last week with yet another monster Thursday. With the Must See season finale triple-header coming this Thursday, do we smell a potential ABC upset in the offing? We certainly hope so. Because if that smell isn't "upset," then it must be us. And frankly, it's getting pretty unpleasant in here.

    But we digress.

    Here now is an annotated look at the Top 10 primetime shows for the TV week ended May 14, as determined by the fine folks at Nielsen Media Research. (Each rating point is worth a little more than 1 million viewers).

    1. "ER," NBC - 22.1 This was Julianna Margulies' last episode as a regular. The show's rating probably would have been even higher had it not aired opposite an Arena Football game on TNN.

    2. (TIE) "Frasier" (9 p.m., Thursday) NBC - 1


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Can 'Jesus' Save CBS?

    HOLLYWOOD, May 14, 2000 -- Sometimes all these special events during sweeps months just get in the way. They drive a wedge between you, the viewer, and your favorite shows. But, then again, if it wasn't for the May sweeps, there'd be no season finale cliffhangers. And if there were no season finale cliffhangers … Well, we'd rather not even think about a world that bleak. Instead, let's get ready for some quality time with our favorite shows before the summer reruns start… It's season finale week! But first, some special events:

    -- After months of soul-searching and hard prayer seeking a solution to ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," CBS may have just found the answer in "Jesus" (9 p.m. EDT/PDT, Sunday and Wednesday). Produced by Lorenzo Minoli, who has brought a slew of Old Testament-themed movies to TNT, "Jesus" promises not only a lavish production, but also a more-modern


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Ratings Report

    HOLLYWOOD, May 9, 2000 -- When last we checked in with ratings news, NBC had sent ABC a message with a loaded Thursday lineup. ABC responded with a step that would seem to foreshadow that "All Regis, All the Time" programming strategy we've been trying to warn you about. For the other networks, and for those of us who have to come up with fresh material about the same blasted show every week, this is perhaps our darkest hour. We can only hope and pray that it doesn't go any further than the current "Mostly Regis, Most of the Time."

    But in all honesty … What can stop it now?

    Here's the carnage report from the primetime front for the week of May 1-7, according to the fine folks at Nielsen Media Research. (Each rating point is worth a little more than 1 million viewers).

    1. "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" (Tuesday), ABC -- 23.6 It was Celebrity Week on "Millionaire


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Ratings Report

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 2, 2000 -- Down goes Regis! Down goes Regis! New champion! New champion! NBC shocks the world! Sure, in the TV ratings week that was, Regis still had two shows in the Top Five, but NBC showed some real fire to start off the May sweeps, placing six shows in the Top Ten, none of which were specials, and one of which wasn't even on Thursday night!

    Here are the Top 10 primetime shows for the week of April 24-30, according the fine people at Nielsen Media Research. (Each rating point is equal to a little more than 1 million viewers.)

    1. "ER," NBC - 19.6 This is the culmination of a red-hot Thursday for NBC -- a night that saw the network place five shows in the Top 10 and at least five NBC executives dance around in their underwear. Fortunately, a camera crew captured the whole thing, and you will get to see it as part of a "reality-based" special o


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Those 'Arabian Nights'

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 28, 2000 -- The last time an epic fantasy miniseries came along, it was NBC's exercise in stamina "The 10th Kingdom." We suggested then that you wait until the next sweeps period for impresario Robert Halmi Sr.'s more promising "Arabian Nights" (8-10 p.m., tonight, and 9-11 p.m., Monday, ABC). Well, the sweeps are here again, and "Arabian Nights" has been worth the wait. Filmed in exotic Turkish and Moroccan locations, it features very cool and moody visual effects, and most importantly, a great story, er, stories, as "The Thousand and One Nights" of Middle-Eastern folklore has provided some of the most bulletproof material in entertainment for about 1,000 years now. The cast is strong and looks like they were having a lot of fun throughout, with Jason Scott Lee ("Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story") as Aladdin and John Leguizamo as the genie. "Arabian Nights" also


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Ratings Report

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 25, 2000 -- The good news is, there's plenty of room at the top, as a whopping 13 shows cracked TV's Top Ten last week! The bad news is, we're running out of Regis Philbin jokes. William Shatner If you've got any good Regis material, feel free to send us an e-mail and pass it along. If we use it, we'll even print your name! Make your friends (the ones who think their Regis jokes are just sooo funny) insanely jealous! Or, even better, join the campaign to replace Regis as "Millionaire" host with William Shatner, 'cuz we've got plenty of gas left in that particular tank.

    Without further ado then, primetime's Top Ten shows for the week of April 17-23, according to the fine folks at Nielsen Media Research. (Remember, each rating point is worth a little more than one million viewers.)

    1."Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" (Tuesday), ABC - 17.0


  • CHANNEL SURFER: 'Three Stooges' Nyuk It Up

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 24, 2000 -- In the continuing struggle of men everywhere to convince their wives and girlfriends that the Three Stooges can be enjoyable for women, too, ABC presents the two-hour drama "The Three Stooges" (8 p.m. EDT/PDT, tonight). This is a very serious film produced by Mel Gibson, who is both attractive to women and a Stooges fan. This film is about their lives, their loves and their many heartbreaks. So as you can see, ladies, it's really almost exactly like "The English Patient." Hey guys, remember the one when Curly had a toothache and Moe tried to fix it with an axe?

    In a clever bit of programming, immediately after "The Three Stooges," ABC offers the season finale of its freshman romantic drama "Once and Again" (10 p.m. EDT/PDT, tonight), as a "you watch my show I'll watch yours" bargaining chip between the sexes. Lily (Sela Ward) and Rick (Bil


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Ratings Report

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 19, 2000 -- It's a week of superstars returning to the Top Ten! Dennis Franz is back, after a lengthy custody battle with Sela Ward over the 10 p.m. Tuesday timeslot. Many people apparently still love Raymond, even though he was starting to think, maybe ... you know, there might be someone else. And it's good to know that a classic clash of wills between Charlton "let my people go" Heston and Yul "let's see them make bricks without straw" Brynner can still pack 'em in front of the TV, year after year.

    Here now, for your edification and amusement are the Top Ten shows of the past week in TV, according to the fine people at Nielsen Media Research (each rating point represents a little more than a million viewers).

    1. "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" (Tuesday, ABC - 18.7) ABC executives, concerned about losing some of their regular Sunday audie


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Everybody Walk the Dinosaur

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 16, 2000 -- First, an apology. Because "Fail Safe" was presented "live" last Sunday, and because the ending was a closely kept secret, and because we never bothered to actually see the original movie on which it was based, we just had no idea. If this column was responsible in any way for your sitting through an hour and a half of nail-biting suspense, only to get to the part where the president of the United States decides that dropping an atomic bomb on New York City would be a good idea (as opposed to the goofiest plot point ever), we apologize. We would also like to apologize on behalf of the 1960s, a time when, apparently, this ending made sense.

    -- The Discovery Channel presents three hours worth of some pretty rare footage of dinosaurs in their natural habitat. Actually, "Walking with Dinosaurs" (7 p.m. PDT, today) co-produced by the BBC, gets


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Fun With Manuel Noriega!

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 2, 2000 -- What do former Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega and managed health care have in common? Well, let's see, they're both a little more dangerous than you might think at first look. Neither one of them looks particularly good in white, yet it seems like that's all they ever wear.

    There's that thirst for human-blood thing. They both 'deal' in drugs in one form or another. They can both claim to have "seemed like a good idea at the time." And, perhaps most importantly of all, they both have shows on TV this week.

    "Noriega: God's Favorite" (8 p.m. EST/PST, Showtime) is a made-for-cable original movie -- a creepily funny satire about a disturbed and dangerous little man (uh, that would be Noriega). As directed by Roger Spottiswoode ("Under Fire"), Bob Hoskins has an actor's field day starring as someone who would be a perfect parody of a


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Ratings Report

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 4, 2000 -- Remember when the Who said, "Meet the new boss! Same as the old boss!" And then Keith Moon kicked in his drum set just before it exploded (and Pete Townsend smashed his guitar just before losing most of his hearing)? Isn't it funny how relevant something like that can be today? Anyway, here's an annotated list of the Top 10 primetime shows for the TV week ending April 2, according to the fine folks at Nielsen Media Research. (Each rating point equals a little more than 1 million homes.)

    1. "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" (Tuesday), ABC - 19.4 After a week off thanks to the Oscars, back to No. 1. Meet the new boss …

    2. "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" (Thursday), ABC - 18.8 Same as the … Oh, forget it. It's not that relevant, and it's not even that funny. But try coming up with fresh observations about this freakin' show every week


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Ricky Martin Tells All

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 25, 2000 -- They are some of the most-asked questions at donut shops around the world: (1) Who will go home with Oscar?; (2) What new and probing insights will the most important social commentators of our time, Joan and Melissa Rivers, have to say about the nominees' clothes? (3) Why is a babe like Catherine Zeta-Jones hanging around with that old guy? And, (4) What is Ricky Martin's sexual orientation, and how does it affect us?

    Ricky Martin At least some of those questions -- and more -- will be answered this week on TV. And just so you don't have to sit through all of it just to find out about the really important stuff, here's a handy little guide:

    -- Live from the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium, it's the 72nd Annual Academy Awards (8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST, Sunday, ABC)! In case you haven't heard of this show, it's kind of like the Golde


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Fox-y Stuff

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 19, 2000 -- We're declaring this Fox Week here at Channel Surfer. We make this declaration based on the fact that the network has more mentions (four) this week than it's had all year. And, in a twist, none of its highlighted programming involves driving a motorcycle head-on into a train or a staging marriage between strangers.

    Almost forgotten within the clutter of reality based programming offered by Fox ("and by "reality based," we mean "stupid"), is the fact that the network also offers two of the most intelligent half-hour comedies on network TV -- "The Simpsons" and "Malcolm in the Middle." Strangely enough, these series also happen to be Fox's two highest-rated shows. Hmmm …

    "The Simpsons" (8 p.m. EST/PST, tonight) changed network comedy for the better more than a decade ago and carried the fledgling Fox on its back for years. It's not


  • CHANNEL SURFER: TV Ratings Report

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 14, 2000 -- Americans are famous for having short attention spans. Americans are famous for having short atten … Oh, sorry, you looked like you weren't listening. You know, all this short-attention-span stuff comes from a pop culture that moves at the speed of light. The MTV generation takes its information in soundbites and seizure-inducing video edits.

    But, today, it is with great civic pride that we announce that America has finally found what it's been looking for. In fact, at a whopping eight months and counting, America could not possibly be paying more attention. We could not be more unblinkingly fixated if we were strapped down and our eyes propped open with toothpicks to Regis Philbin.

    Thanks, Reeg, from all of us. We are so proud.

    Here's an annotated look at primetime's Top 10 for the TV week of March 6-12, according to the g


  • Channel Surfer: Ratings Report

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 7, 2000 -- This week at the Nielsens, TV's Top 10 featured three sitcoms, one drama and one news magazine; the Top Five featured one game show -- guess which one? Is that your final answer? If we told you that Fox even hyped "Greed" with a special promotional stunt, would that change your answer? It would? Okay, then can we interest you in this lovely faux diamond pendant?

    Here's an annotated look at the Top 10 prime-time shows for the TV week of Feb. 28-March 5, according to Nielsen Media Research. (Each rating point represents a little more than 1 million TV homes.)



    "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" (Wednesday), ABC - 20.7 rating You know, everybody enjoys a good "phenomenon" now and again, but we're starting to run out of Regis jokes here.

    "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" (Tuesday), ABC - 20 Maybe you've heard this one before,


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Very Special Ratings Report

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 1, 2000 -- Apparently all it took was a good old-fashioned "death of a major character" to remind us all about the things in life that are really important -- like "ER."

    After the "Must-See" stabbing death of the good Lucy Knight (Kellie Martin) spiked the NBC medical drama to a big-time sweeps victory (and finally vanquished that blasted "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"), enough grieving fans stuck around to help the show to another victory for the primetime ratings week ended Sunday.

    "ER" just might be on to something. You know, that Very Special Episode of "3rd Rock From the Sun" featuring Very Special Guest-Star William Shatner only finished 65th last week. Maybe if they'd spilled a little blood. ... Played it for laughs (of course). ... Hmm. ...

    In any case, here's an annotated look at the Top 10 for the TV week of Feb. 21-27. (Each ra


  • CHANNEL SURFER: 'Cops' Hunts Down 'X-Files'

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 20, 2000 -- Tonight's heavy with recommended shows, but topping the list is another inventive "X-Files" (9:00 p.m. EST/PST, Fox). In one of the more inspired "crossovers" of the season, the episode follows an intrepid camera crew from another long-time Fox staple, the reality-based "COPS," as they hook up with a couple of FBI agents looking for a werewolf in Los Angeles.

    Just when you think they may be running out of steam, and rumors that the show won't be back next season might be a merciful thing after all, "The X-Files" reminds you that it's still one of the most clever and entertaining hours on TV.

    -- Have you seen the new 2Gether video "U+Me=Us"?! 2 cool! MTV's first-ever made-for-TV movie "2Gether" (8 p.m. EST, MTV) gives the "Spinal Tap" treatment to the boy-band genre. And if the above-mentioned video is any indication, it's 2 fun-E,


  • Steven Spielberg Surgery Shocker!

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 7, 2000 -- Major surgery for Steven Spielberg has left the Oscar-winning blockbuster director minus one kidney.

    The procedure, performed at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, was ordered up after doctors discovered an unspecified "irregularity" on the kidney during a routine physical, a statement from the mogul's DreamWorks studio said today.

    It was not specified when the surgery occurred -- just that it was declared a success (such as it was) and that a speedy recovery was expected, with no follow-up treatment required.

    For those unaware of the basics of biology, humans, as a rule, come equipped with two kidneys. We can function just fine with one -- most of us just would really rather not.

    Spielberg's kidney operation apparently occurred sometime after Jan. 23 -- when the 52-year-old director was seen handling presente


  • NEWSMAKERS: David Letterman Heart Surgery!

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 14, 1999 Ð Late-night TV host David Letterman underwent emergency multiple-bypass heart surgery in New York today, one day after revealing on his CBS program that he was to undergo tests to determine if he had arterial disease.

    Letterman's prognosis for recovery was said to be excellent. CBS will air reruns of "The Late Show with David Letterman" until its titular host returns.

    "Dave has the heart muscle of a 20-year-old,'' Letterman surgeon Dr. O. Wayne Isom told reporters following the surgery.

    Still, it appears the entertainer also had blocked arteries. Some reports said Letterman underwent a quintuple bypass.

    The comic was at work as late as Thursday, when during a taping he told guest Regis Philbin that was to undergo an angiogram today. That show will air tonight.

    Letterman, 52, said he has high blood cholesterol an


  • Oscar buzz surrounds 'The Green Mile' premiere

    LOS ANGELES -- The "Green Mile" premiere Monday night was accompanied by all of the fantastical effects, glitz and star power a possible Oscar contender deserves.

    Director Frank Darabont returns after five years ("Shawshank Redemption") to bring Stephen King's 1996 best-selling serialized novel to the big screen.

    "This is really exciting," said Darabont. "It took me this long to make another movie. I was waiting to fall in love with a story again, enough so I would go through the anguish of directing a movie. Thankfully, Stephen King gave me exactly that story."

    Set on death row in a Southern prison in 1935, Tom Hanks stars as Paul Edgecomb. In flashbacks, Edgecomb recounts his tour of duty watching over a series of convicted killers awaiting execution in the electric chair.

    "Stephen King wrote something that is quite in the realm of fanciful there in 1935


  • George Harrison doing well after cancer surgery

    Former Beatle George Harrison, 58, is in good health after undergoing surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., to remove a cancerous growth from one of his lungs. According to the Associated Press, Harrison's lawyers did not say when the surgery took place, but that he is doing well and is relaxing in Tuscany, Italy.


  • "SURVIVOR" FINALE: THE REAL MUST-SEE

    The ratings weren't so big as those for the finale of the original Survivor, but CBS' Survivor II: The Australian Outback still drew the third-highest numbers of the year, behind only the Super Bowl and the Oscars. (CBS noted that the second Survivor finale aired in a more competitive time slot than its predecessor's.) The two-hour episode pulled a 20.1 rating and a 31 share (a 15.9/39 among adults 18-49), peaking in the final half-hour with a 23.6/33. A reunion show, hosted by Bryant Gumbel, at 10:00 p.m. also edged out a new episode of E.R. on rival NBC. CBS said that was the first time a first-run episode of the hospital drama had been beaten by any network since E.R.'s premiere season in 1994. The Late Show with David Letterman also benefited from the Survivor finale, notching up a rare win over NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Drew Carey, Um, Sings

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 5, 2000 -- Drew Carey is first out of the gate in this second full week of the May sweeps in the title role of "Geppetto" on ABC's "Wonderful World of Disney" (7 p.m. EDT/PDT, today). The classic family-friendly tale, best known from the 1940 animated classic "Pinocchio," gets a live-action makeover, being retold from the point of view of the puppet turned real boy's "single father." This musical production includes Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("Seinfeld") as the Blue Fairy and original songs from Stephen Schwartz.

    And if that hasn't hooked you yet, try passing this up: Drew Carey sings!

    In other tube highlights:

    Jason London -- Sandwiched between last week's better-hyped "Arabian Nights" and next week's sure ratings-powerhouse "Jesus" comes this week's "Jason and the Argonauts" (9 p.m. EDT/PDT, today and Monday, NBC), based on the ancient


  • "Survivor" wins all

    Virtually assuring itself the crown as the most-watched TV series of the season, the finale of Survivor II: The Australian Outback took the top spot on the weekly Nielsens last week with a whopping 20.1 rating and a 31 share (representing 36.4 million viewers), despite strong competition from NBC's Must-See TV lineup of sitcoms, all of which also landed in the top-20. Going head-to-head with a new episode of NBC's E.R., the Survivor "reunion" show also came out well ahead, the first show to beat a new episode of the hospital drama since the CBS miniseries Scarlett did so in Nov., 1994.


  • Critics assail "Survivor" creator's admission

    The reality of "reality TV" was being called into question Thursday following reports on Wednesday that Survivor creator Mark Burnett had acknowledged that he sometimes used stand-ins for certain scenes in the series, including one aerial shot of Survivor contestants swimming.


  • CHANNEL SURFER: Live With George Clooney

    SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 9, 2000 -- This week in TV offers something for everybody. Unfortunately it's offering it up all at the same time, so get your VCRs ready. But before we get to the actual column, we have an important fashion update. Last week, ABC's "Good Morning America" declared that dark solid shirts worn with dark solid ties underneath dark solid suits will now be officially known as the "Regis Look." So for every guy out there who just dropped a week's salary on a new suit … tough break, man. It's just not cool anymore.

    George Clooney -- In his continuing efforts to apologize for "Batman & Robin," George Clooney brings us another cool idea for "live" television (the "live" episode of "ER" a couple years ago was his idea, too). "Fail Safe" (9 p.m. EDT/PDT, tonight, CBS), billed as a faithful remake of the 1964 big-screen classic "Fail-Safe," is scheduled to a


  • 'Surrogates'

    Bruce Willis and a gaggle of robot hotties make for a mildly entertaining, altogether forgettable sci-fi experience.


  • Stewart Fights Moral Battle Surrounding Anthony Weiner's "Weiner"

    Also, Jason Sudeikis said some stuff to Jimmy Kimmel.


  • The Daily Shuffle: John Mayer Has Surgery to Heal Vocal Cords

    He's on complete vocal rest for at least a month.


  • The Daily Shuffle: John Mayer Has Surgery to Heal Vocal Cords

    He's on complete vocal rest for at least a month.


  • The Daily Shuffle: John Mayer Has Surgery to Heal Vocal Cords

    He's on complete vocal rest for at least a month.


  • The Daily Shuffle: John Mayer Has Surgery to Heal Vocal Cords

    He's on complete vocal rest for at least a month.


  • The Daily Shuffle: John Mayer Has Surgery to Heal Vocal Cords

    He's on complete vocal rest for at least a month.


  • The Daily Shuffle: John Mayer Has Surgery To Heal Vocal Cords

    He's on complete vocal rest for at least a month.






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