TV News & Program Updates

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Paranormal

“Ghost Adventures” — Live

June 25, 2009 Jeff Pfeiffer

By Jeff Pfeiffer Following in the tradition of shows like Ghost Hunters and Most Haunted, the Travel Channel series Ghost Adventures will be embarking on its first live investigation this Halloween season. Airing live Oct. 30 from 8pm-3am ET, the special features the Ghost Adventures team of Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin as they voluntarily lock themselves inside one of America’s most haunted locations — the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia — to examine the reported ghostly activity at the landmark. Built during the Civil War, the asylum is the second-largest hand-cut stone building in the world. […]

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Movies

Oscar Doubles Its Best Picture Pleasure

June 24, 2009 Jeff Pfeiffer

By Jeff Pfeiffer In an announcement today, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Sid Ganis stated that the 82nd Academy Awards, which will be held March 7 of next year (and broadcast on ABC once again), will have 10 feature films vying in the Best Picture category — twice the usual five we have been accustomed to for over half a century.

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TV News & Program Updates

E! To Draw In More High-Five’n White Guys With “Maxim” Partnership

June 18, 2009 Jeff Pfeiffer

By Jeff Pfeiffer In the wake of its very successful partnership in May on the TV special Maxim Hot 100, E! and Maxim magazine (well, technically, the less-sexy-sounding Moving Pictures DPI, which is the production division of the mag’s publisher, Alpha Media Group) have announced a two-year partnership to produce similar celebrity-driven programming, with “a minimum” of six hour-long television specials promised. Two specials have been greenlit for 2009. Maxim’s Celebrity Beach Watch premieres this fall and tracks the hottest celebs on the most exotic beaches. Maxim’s Hottest Moments 2009 will be a year-end review combining the most absurd and […]

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TV News & Program Updates

RAW Deal: Did Vince McMahon Really Sell WWE’s RAW To Trump?

June 16, 2009 Lori Acken

By Lori Acken Good one, WWE. You had me going there for a little minute. After boring, confusing and irritating me right into the arms of the UFC with dopey-even-for-wrestling story lines, loathsome new characters, switcheroo casting and just the general feeling that thee and I had been together entirely too long, you almost got me back with Monday night’s announcement that The Vince had sold The Raw to his long-time frenemy The Donald. “The terms of the deal were not disclosed” said today’s ensuing press release. “This was an offer I couldn’t refuse,” said Vince (WWE Chairman Vince McMahon). […]

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Casting Calls

Looking For A “Loser”

June 16, 2009 Jeff Pfeiffer

By Jeff Pfeiffer NBC’s The Biggest Loser is launching a 15-city cross-country search to find new contestants for Season 9 of the weight-loss competition series, set to air in early 2010 (Season 8 begins this September). Casting producers are looking for outgoing and charismatic family teams of two (parent/child, siblings, husbands and wives, couples, cousins, in-laws, etc.). Individuals who don’t have a partner can audition on their own. Candidates must be at least 18 years of age, and legal U.S. residents. The casting teams will attempt to see the first 500 people in line, and you will not be allowed […]

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Documentary

National Geographic Channel’s Got The “Hook”-Up Again

June 12, 2009 Jeff Pfeiffer

By Jeff Pfeiffer “The biggest fish we’ve seen! A real-life Loch Ness monster.” That’s how biologist Zeb Hogan describes a creature encountered in one of the new summer episodes of National Geographic Channel‘s popular Hooked series, which journeys across the globe with anglers and scientists to see the most extreme encounters in megafishing, and the research being done to protect these fish.

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Animation

“Futurama” Has A Bright Future

June 11, 2009 Jeff Pfeiffer

By Jeff Pfeiffer Matt Groening and David X. Cohen’s brilliant animated comedy Futurama is having a Family Guy-type resurrection as it will be returning to production on 26 new half-hour episodes more than six years after its last original episode aired on FOX. The episodes will be running on Comedy Central beginning in mid-2010, with a broadcast run also possible. Comedy Central has been airing reruns of the series since 2006, along with the Futurama movies made since its cancellation. It has been the movies’ blockbuster performance on DVD and Comedy Central that helped revive interest in bringing back the […]

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Documentary

“Shark Week” Adds Bite To Summer TV

June 11, 2009 Jeff Pfeiffer

By Jeff Pfeiffer (aka RabbitEars) First of all — yes, yes, it’s true. RabbitEars is really me. I’ve hidden long enough! But be honest with yourself. You’re not too surprised, are you? After all, have you ever seen RabbitEars and me at the same place, at the same time? But now to the main business at hand. Discovery Channel has announced the return of its summer favorite, Shark Week, in August. Just as many sharks need to keep swimming to survive, so this ratings juggernaut has moved ever forward since its debut back in 1988. And as in previous years, […]

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Family

Crossing Over With Disney

June 10, 2009 Jeff Pfeiffer

By RabbitEars On July 17, Disney Channel presents what it is calling “the crossover event of the summer.” It’s very likely kids and tweens will agree with the hype, since this event — called “Wizards on Deck With Hannah Montana” — will be intersecting three of the network’s hit series into one 90-minute telecast that brings together the stars of Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place and The Suite Life on Deck. Miley Cyrus, Emily Osment, Selena Gomez, David Henrie, Jake T. Austin, Jennifer Stone, Dylan Sprouse, Cole Sprouse, Brenda Song and Debby Ryan will be on hand for the […]