TheSunNews.com: TV - Wire

NYPD boss' son returns to TV show after rape claim

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:30 EST

The New York City police commissioner's TV host son resumed his morning show duties at "Good Day New York" on Friday, telling viewers it had been a tough couple of weeks but he was ready to get back to work after being cleared of the prospect of criminal charges of raping a woman he met for a drink.

It was Greg Kelly's first day back on the job since he took a leave of absence from the show after the allegations surfaced late last month.

Sitting next to his co-host, Rosanna Scotto, a relaxed-looking Kelly said, "It's great to be back. Folks, thank you very much."

Lawyers: Reality TV producer hopes to avoid trial

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:20 EST

Lawyers for a U.S. reality television producer facing trial for allegedly murdering his wife at a Mexican resort said Thursday they hope to persuade a judge to drop the charges and free their client.

Jaime Cancino Leon, an attorney for former "Survivor" producer Bruce Beresford-Redman, said he had found inconsistencies in the prosecution case, but did not elaborate.

Beresford-Redman appeared for a preliminary hearing, where a judge read the homicide charge filed against him. He did not immediately enter a plea.

Hanna berates Ohio legislators on exotic pet laws

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:49 EST

Celebrity zookeeper Jack Hanna criticized Ohio lawmakers Thursday for not yet passing a bill to regulate exotic animals, months after authorities shot dozens of lions, tigers, bears and other wild creatures let loose by their suicidal owner.

A Republican state senator from Zanesville, the eastern Ohio city where the animals were shot, had planned to introduce a bill this week but then said it was not ready. There is no new timetable for the measure.

"What's it going to take, everyone, to pass a bill? Someone else getting killed?" Hanna said during his remarks to an Ohio newspaper trade group.

Man pleads guilty over online 'South Park' threat

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:08 EST

A Muslim convert from Brooklyn pleaded guilty Thursday to using a website he founded to post online threats against the creators of the "South Park" television show and others he deemed enemies of Islam.

In court papers filed Thursday with his guilty plea, Jesse Curtis Morton, 33, admitted that his now-defunct Revolution Muslim website served as an outlet for al-Qaida propaganda and that he used the site to post thinly veiled threats not only against "South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker but others he considered to be enemies of Islam.

Morton, who also uses the name Younus Abdullah Mohammad, worked closely with Zachary Adam Chesser, who was sentenced last year to 25 years in prison for the "South Park" threats and other crimes.

TV anchor recovering from dog bite during segment

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:29 EST

A television anchor who was bitten in the face by an 85-pound Argentine Mastiff during a live broadcast was released from a hospital on Thursday.

Kyle Dyer of KUSA-TV was bitten Wednesday while doing a story about the dog's rescue from an icy pond by a firefighter in suburban Lakewood.

Dyer was interviewing firefighter Tyler Sugaski and the dog's owner, Michael Robinson, when the dog, named Max, bit her on the face. Sugaski tended to Dyer in the studio until paramedics arrived and took her to the hospital.

Jersey City clears 'Jersey Shore' spinoff

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:49 EST

Jersey City taxpayers won't be footing the bill for police assigned to security for the women of "Jersey Shore" and all the attention that comes with them.

New Jersey's second largest city has issued a permit to producers to film a spinoff of the reality series, featuring Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Jenni "JWoww" Farley. Filming is expected to begin later this month in the city's Grove Street Path neighborhood.

Police spokesman Edgar Martinez said Thursday the production company in charge of the show will pay for off-duty police officers to provide security and will pay for any additional officers if they are needed. In addition, he said, the production crew won't be taking parking spots from residents but will use pay lots.

'Dougherty gang' sister enters guilty plea in Colorado

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:35 EST

Lee Grace Dougherty, one of the fugitive siblings of the Dougherty gang caught after a nationwide dragnet last summer, has pleaded guilty to reduced charges in Colorado and will have to serve at least nine years in prison, officials said.

Dougherty, 29, appeared in Huerfano County District Court in Walsenburg, Colo., about 160 miles south of Denver, on Thursday to plead guilty to one count of attempted first-degree assault and two counts of felony menacing, all felonies, according to court records.

As part of the plea, prosecutors agreed to drop 21 other charges against Dougherty, said Rob McCallum, a spokesman for the Colorado Judicial Department, who spoke with the Los Angeles Times.

Watching TV is different experience today

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:53 EST

How we watch television keeps changing. It's not only that people are recording shows for viewing later. It's that they can call up the shows from on-demand channels, or watch them on their laptops, phones or tablets. Even the Super Bowl is available as live, streaming video to computers and selected phones.

And our viewing opportunity does not end there. Beyond the shows that have broadcast or cable bases, there is the array of created-for-online video, from big-name productions like the sketches on the Funny Or Die website to the bazillions of cat videos on YouTube.

When I might have been watching one of the hundreds of TV channels I get on cable, I have at times turned to the Internet instead, seeking a live feed from a University of Akron soccer game; even when the video was crude and the audio nonexistent, it was something I wanted to see and was not going to get from a traditional TV service. More often, like many people, my wife and I have sat in front of a program on our big-screen TV set while watching other things on our respective laptops.

CNN suspends Martin for 'offensive' comments

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:43 EST

CNN suspended political analyst Roland Martin on Wednesday for "offensive" tweets during the Super Bowl that some critics said were anti-gay.

Martin commented on Twitter about a commercial during the Super Bowl that showed soccer star David Beckham in underwear: "If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham's H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him."

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said the remark advocated violence against gays. Martin said that he was making a joke about soccer and that he doesn't support violence against anyone.

Mrs. Obama beats Fallon in WH fitness challenge

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:36 EST

Michelle Obama and "Late Night" host Jimmy Fallon turned the White House into a playground to promote the first lady's "Let's Move!" fitness campaign.

Mrs. Obama and Fallon did pushups and twirled hula hoops. They competed at dodge ball and tug-of-war. And the first lady triumphed over the comedian in a climactic potato sack race.

After a defeated Fallon said, "It doesn't matter if you won or lost," the first lady replied, "It matters."

BET's ambitious lineup includes 'Second Generation,' 'Gun Hill'

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:16 EST

BET, which has been targeted in recent years for showcasing provocative music videos and other programming that critics and cultural observers said showed blacks in a negative and derogatory light, is unveiling an ambitious development slate. These new programs include a number of scripted shows and projects that emphasize positive aspects of African American culture.

Among the highlights of the lineup is a new scripted comedy from the Wayans family and a gritty police drama which would be the urban-oriented network's first scripted drama. Though no air dates have been announced, many of the series are expected to be on the network's official 2012-13 schedule, which will be unveiled in early summer.

BET executives said the slate offers a response to observers who have asked for a greater range of programming while also offering an alternative to more brash series featuring African Americans that have been popping up on other cable networks such as VH1. The network's president of entertainment, Loretha Jones, who joined BET after the 2008 ouster of former programming head Reginald Hudlin, said she wanted the network to move in a more diverse direction that would appeal to a wider range of viewers.

Operator of radical Muslim site to plead guilty

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:21 EST

A Muslim convert from Brooklyn who ran a website that posted threats against the creators of the television show "South Park" is expected to enter a federal guilty plea, his attorney said Wednesday.

Jesse Curtis Morton, also known as Younus Abdullah Mohammad, was charged last year with communicating threats and has been in custody since he was arrested in Morocco in October.

A plea agreement hearing in U.S. District Court in Alexandria has been scheduled for Thursday. Morton's lawyer, James Hundley, confirmed Morton will plead to three counts, including conspiracy and communicating threats. Each count will carry a maximum sentence of 5 years, Hundley said.

Chinese state TV starts American service this week

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:16 EST

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV is launching its American service this week as part of a major overseas expansion aimed at boosting China's international influence.

The network said Wednesday that Washington-based CCTV America will eventually offer four hours of programming daily. It said content will be produced by about 100 journalists working out of 15 bureaus in North and South America.

CCTV America's initial lineup will feature a business and finance program, Biz Asia America, a panel show called The Heat, and a magazine program, Americas Now. It will target an audience of more than 100 million in 120 countries, competing for viewers with the likes of BBC, CNN, and Qatar's Al-Jazeera.

Barriers fall between TV, Internet

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:16 EST

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - You say TV, I say Internet. Toe-mate-o, toe-mah-to.

Technology increasingly blurs the lines between computer, television, phone and tablet. Online video options grow almost by the hour. A screen, in the era of cyber choice, is a screen is a screen.

You can now plug the Internet straight into the newest TVs. You can buy gadgets that will bring the Web to your old set. Or you can use your phone, tablet or other electronic gizmos to tap into the Internet to give you TV on the go.

Ex-'Survivor' producer extradited to Mexico in wife's slaying

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:51 EST

A former "Survivor" producer accused of killing his wife during a family vacation in Cancun was extradited to Mexico on Wednesday to stand trial, his attorney said.

Bruce Beresford-Redman, 40, was released Wednesday morning from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles and transferred to the custody of U.S. marshals, federal authorities said.

Beresford-Redman is charged in Mexico with aggravated homicide in the death of his wife, Monica Burgos Beresford-Redman, 41.

Cat's limp may be from claw growing back

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:06 EST

Jag is a 9-year-old indoor cat who recently developed a limp in his left front leg.

Tammy reports no known history of trauma, though Jag likes to perch on objects and leap to the floor.

When Tammy took a close look at Jag's leg, she noticed that he seemed touchy around his toes and thought she felt a scab on one of the toes. Unfortunately, Jag allowed only one quick check. Tammy was glad Jag did not have his front claws.

Reality TV producer sent to Mexico in wife's death

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:11 EST

A reality television producer charged with killing his wife while on vacation in Mexico has been extradited from the U.S. to await trial, the next step in a legal saga that has played out on both sides of the border.

The U.S. Marshals Service said in a statement they turned former "Survivor" producer Bruce Beresford-Redman over to Mexican authorities, who are transporting him to Cancun. The transfer took place roughly two weeks after State Department officials signed a warrant clearing his extradition.

The producer has been charged in Mexico in the death of his wife, Monica Beresford-Redman, whose body was found in a sewer cistern at a swank resort following an April 2010 family vacation. The couple had gone to the resort with their young children in an attempt to save their marriage after Monica Beresford-Redman learned her husband was cheating on her.

Dr. House hangs up his Fox TV stethoscope

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:31 EST

Fox's medical drama "House" is ending its eight-year run this season.

The show's producers, including Emmy-nominated star Hugh Laurie, said it was a "painful" decision but that the time had come to bring "House" to a close.

The drama stars Laurie as Dr. Gregory House, a brilliant but troubled physician with a gift for unraveling medical mysteries. Omar Epps, Robert Sean Leonard and Charlyne Yi are part of the ensemble cast.

Netflix light on flicks as viewers soak up TV shows

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:06 EST

Like most fresh faces that arrive in Hollywood, Netflix wanted to be a movie star.

But now it's learning what many in Tinseltown have known for decades: Movies are sexy, but the real money is in television.

Launched in 1997 with a goal of eliminating the drive to the video store, Netflix Inc. became a hit with consumers and helped push the movie rental chain Blockbuster into bankruptcy. By charging customers a small monthly fee for unlimited DVDs by mail, then expanding into Internet streaming in 2007, it amassed almost 25 million subscribers in the U.S. and in 2011 had revenue of $3.2 billion.

'Cupcake Wars' judge settles Conn. name lawsuit

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:26 EST

A judge on the Food Network reality television show "Cupcake Wars" has resolved her lawsuit with a Connecticut cupcake store over its name.

Candace Nelson's company, Sprinkles Cupcakes, settled its federal trademark infringement lawsuit against a store named Pink Sprinkles last week. The lawsuit claimed the similarity in names was likely to cause confusion in the marketplace.

An attorney and a spokesman for Pink Sprinkles say the store in Fairfield will now be called Pink Cupcake Shack.