Top Story
Happy, happy…joy, joy! That lovable animated cat Stimpy and his Chihuahua friend Ren are making a comeback on TNN. The cable network bought the rights to all 52 episodes that ran on Nickelodeon from 1991 to 1995 and will be restoring deleted footage to some of the originals, TV Guide reports. Series creator John Kricfalusi is also reportedly on board to create brand-new episodes for the gross-out cartoon, to be aired next year.
Celebs
That’s Dr. Schwarzenegger to you. Taking a break from filming Terminator 3, action star Arnold Schwarzenegger received an honorary doctorate degree Sunday from Chapman University in Orange, Calif. The degree, a Doctor of Humane Letters, recognizes Schwarzenegger and his work with the Special Olympics and the Inner-City Games Foundation.
The two men accused of blackmailing Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe were cleared of their charges Monday. Judge John Williams of the Coffs Harbor District Court in Australia ordered the jury to acquit the men because the prosecution failed to prove they demanded money from Crowe in return for destroying an incriminating video of Crowe in a brawl outside a bar.
And the Hollywood Walk of Fame grows. Director Martin Scorsese, Etta James, Kevin Bacon, Susan Sarandon and Kermit the Frog will be getting their own Walk of Fame stars next year.
Movies
Actor/director Forest Whitaker will be taking the reins of the supernatural thriller Selling Time. The story centers on a man who gets the chance to relive the worst day of his life with some unexpected consequences. Whitaker, whose acting credits include Panic Room, The Crying Game and the The Color of Money, has directed Hope Floats starring Sandra Bullock and Waiting to Exhale with Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett.
Tube News
Donald Trump as the beauty pageant king inked a $50 million deal with NBC to broadcast three beauty pageants, including Miss USA, Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA. NBC replaces CBS, which sold its 50 percent stake in the Miss Universe Organization back to Trump, according to Variety.
The World Wrestling Entertainment’s two signature primetime shows, Raw Is War and Smackdown, have lost a majority of male teenage audiences in what Variety has dubbed a “teen exodus.” According to Nielsen numbers, Smackdown has lost 35 percent of its 12-to-17-year-old males compared with the same period last year, while Raw Is War shows a desertion rate in males 12 to 17 of 19 percent year to year.
Music
The British Army said Sunday it is withdrawing a recruitment video that featured two Oasis songs, “Wonderwall” and “Hello,” because it never had the group’s permission to use the tracks, The Associated Press reports. The video, which depicted soldiers conducting exercises in Kenya to songs from Oasis’ 1995 best-selling album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, was being shown in schools and shopping malls. A Defense Ministry official told the AP the regiment did not realize it needed permission to use the songs.
