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After the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences rocked the television world earlier this week by threatening to move the Primetime Emmy Awards to cable network HBO, it has been decided the Emmys are going to stay with the four major broadcasters after all. Reuters reports the networks–ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox–will together pay $52 million over eight years for the right to take turns airing the show under a “licensing” wheel. HBO offered to pay $50 million over five years, certainly a more lucrative deal, but ultimately ATAS realized the networks could still reach more people overall than HBO. According to Reuters, HBO chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht said in a statement, “While we are certainly disappointed that we didn’t get the Emmys, I am glad that the Academy finally got some respect from the big wheels in the big wheel.”
Celebs
Apparently, Russell Crowe is getting feisty again. According to the Associated Press, several London newspapers are reporting the Oscar-winning actor got in a brawl in a London restaurant Wednesday with New Zealand entrepreneur Eric Watson, where, according to The Sun, onlookers saw Watson getting the upper hand on the Australian hunk. A police spokesman told the newspaper, however, that there were no charges or arrests made.
The Robert Blake saga continues. The actor, who has been incarcerated since April 18 on charges of murdering his wife, was officially denied bail by the California Supreme Court Wednesday. They upheld the decision made last month by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lloyd Nash to deny Blake bail based on the evidence supporting the charge against him. Blake‘s hearing is set for Dec. 11.
Even though they have been his flamboyant trademark for years, Elton John is finally going to throw away the roughly 4,000 pairs of glasses he claims he owns. AP reports the 55-year-old singer plans to get laser surgery to correct his vision problems in February. We’ll especially miss the pair with the wipers and flashing lights.
On Thursday the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced Miss and Mr. Golden Globe for the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards. The honors go to the daughter of actor Andy Garcia, Dominik Garcia-Lorido, and A.J. Lamas, son of actor Lorenzo Lamas and grandson of the late Fernando Alvaro Lamas. Traditionally the honorees, who will assist in the Golden Globes ceremony, are the prodigy of well-known celebrities. The award show airs on NBC Jan. 19.
Movies
Variety reports the American Medical Association and the U.N.’s World Health Organization have joined forces with anti-smoking group Smoke Free Movies to ask the film industry to deglamorize smoking by, among other things, giving smoking-filled films an R rating. The MPAA is not expected to comply with the request.
Tube
HBO can’t Curb their excitement. The cable station has picked up Larry David‘s comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm for a fourth season. The current season of the offbeat, mostly improvised docu-show, which follows writer/producer/comedian David around Tinseltown, ends Sunday.
The TV game that ran on the now-defunct ABC show Push, Nevada has been solved by Matt Nakamoto from West New York, N.J. He picked up the $1 million prize by watching the seven episodes and solving the on-air puzzle. Too bad the Matt Damon/Ben Affleck ratings disaster got the boot after only four weeks.
Music
Live from Barcelona, Spain, Eminem, Christina Aguilera and James Taylor will perform for the worldwide broadcast of the MTV Europe Music Awards Thursday. Along with Eminem, U2, Kylie Minogue, Pink and Enrique Iglesias are all up for awards. A billion fans are expected to tune in.
