I sent emails to two networks officials to confirm this jarring claim. Jeremy Gaines, MSNBC's vice president of communications, responded that he is certain the entry is a "hoax" and that he and other network officials were working to correct it. The section on Olbermann's death has since been removed from the page.
The variety show format seems like a no-brainer for success - get someone with star power and surround them with a bunch of ringers and some weird people spinning plates or bending themselves into curious shapes, and voila! Instant hit, right? But there have been some spectacular failures in recent TV history. Maybe it's the fact that there are so many talent/reality shows now that a show with no "winner" or competition doesn't seem as interesting.
Somehow, despite all of that, Ellen DeGeneres has managed some success with the format, and is now on her third - Ellen's Bigger, Longer & Wider Show, on TBS Saturday at 9PM.
Perhaps it's the fact that it's on TBS, which means the stakes are slightly lower than on the main networks. Or the fact that DeGeneres brings a loyal fanbase from her Ellen DeGeneres Show and her stand-up. Those would be the reasons you would look for if you were an industry executive or a media critic.
I work at home now, which is how I've discovered the wonder and glory of daytime television. If you're at all like me, then you really need to go someplace other than your house and Target. Also, you watch Ellen every day. On nearly every show lately, Ellen has been campaigning to get on the cover of O Magazine.
Ellen has made it clear that she doesn't want to be on the cover alone-- with Ms. Winfrey would be perfectly acceptable. She has also made it clear that she will stop at nothing to achieve her goal. After snafus that included calling Harpo Studios to speak with Oprah and being left on hold for 11 minutes, only to be told that Oprah was in a meeting, it looks as though Ellen's dream may have finally come true.
DeGeneres posted the following on her official Twitter feed: "Oprah just asked me to be on the cover of O magazine!" Now, since it's Twitter, there's no further explanation or confirmation. I, however, choose to take it at face and congratulate Ellen on reaching her goal-- and beginning her takeover of Oprah's empire.
In a move that should come as no surprise to anybody, Pamela Anderson has stripped off her clothes yet again. This time on The Ellen Degeneres Show. No, she didn't get completely nude (or even wear a flesh-toned swimsuit as she did on Saturday Night Live). She remained in a somewhat television-safe bikini to show off her rockin' 41-year-old body.
Um, how do I react to this? She's still got the curves, but the move smacks of desperation. She's trying to generate publicity for herself and whatever current project she's working on. Or maybe she's trying to get more work. She is getting up there in age. In Hollywood years, she's ancient. The whole "Hollywood beach bunny blonde" image doesn't work so well when you're in your 60's. At that point, she may have to rely on her talent.
The video is after the jump. I leave it to your discretion as to whether or not it's safe for work.
Queen Latifah couldn't make it work. Megan Mullally struck out, too. In fact, if you think about it, more stars fail in their attempts to become talk show hosts than succeed. For every Ellen DeGeneres and Tyra Banks, there's a Caroline Rhea and Magic Johnson.
So, will sitcom star Leah Remini go from the King of Queens to the queen of daytime talk? CBS -- home of King of Queens for a very successful run from 1998-2007 -- is developing a daytime show for Leah Remini that's being called something different than a typical talk show.
If you tune in to The Rachael Ray Show today, you might get an idea of what Leah could bring to daytime -- she's Rach's guest.
For Ken Erhlich, executive producer of the Emmy broadcast, the goal is clear. "The war cry is always, 'What are we going to do and how are we going to make it better?' We did some inventive things, we changed it up, we understand that this is the industry's big night. This means something and we can't trivialize it, but we certainly can have some fun with it." He told me that last year, prior to the Emmy-in-the-round broadcast, a memorable -- and successful show.
In 2008, the decisions about the 60th anniversary Emmys are still in the works for the September LA broadcast, but one decision has already been made. It won't be in the round. While it looked good on air, the industry didn't like it. "People loved it at home. It had a great look, but you know, you try things, you want to bring something fresh to the show."
Hole in the Wall, this summer's latest Japanese game show ripoff, has announced its hosts. Actress Brooke Burns and L.A. weather anchor Mark Thompson will be presiding over Fox's version of human Tetris. Both have game show experience, with Burns having served as the host of Dog Eat Dog and Thompson providing the voiceover for Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
Hole is being brought to America by American Idol producers FremantleMedia North America and came to be after clips of the Japanese version became hugely popular on YouTube. Ellen DeGeneres also got a kick out of the Japanese competition, not only featuring several clips on her talk show, but even going so far as having audience members participate in her own version.
For the first time in a long time, something was different about the Daytime Emmys. No, it's not that they're on in primetime; that happened years ago. What was different was the 35th Daytime Emmys opted to forgo the theater setting and seat the stars at round tables. As co-host (with All My Children's Cameron Mathison) Sherri Shepherd told the AP days before the AP, "Usually everyone is sitting in a row. This year, it'll be like a wedding. We're also going to do something so that fans will be able to get a view of what's going on at the different tables." That would be web video created by the actors at every table - table cam. Perfect for hams. The vids are at SOAPnet. For details about the show from the winners backstage, check out AOL.
So did the seating arrangements make a difference? Well, it depends. Those who were there probably had a better time because there was an open bar, just like the Golden Globes. For viewers, it still looked like the Daytime Emmys, including many familiar faces winning. After a strained attempt at comedy for the opening -- blending All My Children fictional characters with The View's real hosts -- the show commenced.
Her announcement is in response to this week's ruling from the California Supreme Court that everybody has a "right to marry" whomever they choose. The justices ruled that the state's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. It makes California the second state, after Massachusetts, that will allow same-sex marriage. The legal battle began in San Francisco when the mayor allowed same-sex couples to marry (Rosie O'Donnell and her partner, Kelly, married at that time).
All you kids who were out buying up posterboard and markers to make your "Ellen DeGENEROUS" signs so you could wave them at next week's Idol Gives Back special need to stop before you waste all that paper. Think green, people. Due to a scheduling conflict, Access Hollywood says Ellen DeGeneress dropped out of co-hosting the special. The special is set to tape this Sunday, and apparently that conflicts with production on her own show.
I think we need to make a controversy out of this. I'm going to say she dropped because Danny Noriega was eliminated from the competition and she thinks it was a homophobic move by producers. Now, run with it! I'd help but I need to keep my schedule clear and wait for that phone call. I've always wanted to meet Ashley Tisdale -- er, I mean Robin Williams, and Bono and other big names like that. You know, like Annie Lennox, Miley--I mean, Heart! ... Dammit!
So, AOL TV did a poll about America's favorite talk show hosts and 1.3 million people made their feelings known. Interesting results. I didn't agree with some of them, like who I like waking up with. Diane Sawyer was the top choice, but I'd go for the second place finisher, Matt Lauer. As for whom to go to bed with -- TV talk show wise, that is -- I can't believe most of the people chose Jay Leno. Is he really that popular? I prefer David Letterman; I'm a sucker for the Top Ten lists.
In a press release today, FOX announced that Ellen DeGeneres would again be taking on co-hosting duties with Ryan Seacrest for the 2nd "Idol Gives Back" special, airing Wednesday April 9 7:30 - 10:30 pm ET. Just like last year, Ellen will host from the Kodak Theatre while Ryan covers from the American Idol stage.
The talent roster continues to expand as well. The complete list (so far) now includes Maroon 5, Heart, Gloria Estefan, Boyz II Men and The Clark Brothers along with already announced Bono, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Fergie, Chris Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, Annie Lennox, John Legend and Snoop Dogg. Most of these will be the pre-recorded "Give, give, give" but I'm looking forward to seeing Boyz II Men back in action.
Everyone knew that Regis Philbin is the king, now he'll have some extra hardware to prove it. Like a Lifetime Achievement Award from The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. At the upcoming 35th annual Daytime Emmy Awards, June 20 at Hollywood's Kodak Theater, NATAS will present the special honor to Regis, host of Live With Regis and Kelly, during the primetime ABC broadcast. There will be a salute to Regis, no doubt including Kelly Ripa and/or Kathie Lee Gifford, his daytime co-hosts over the years, but the details haven't been announced yet.
Ellen DeGeneres just can't stay away from controversy. Even though she hasn't done anything as ballsy as coming out (I guess you can't do that twice, can you?), which fortunately didn't tank her career, this year was a bang-up year for Ellen in the news. The first dog I am referring to in the title is, in fact, a canine. Did anybody not hear about Ellen's infamous dog story? Ellen adopted a dog from a dog agency called Mutts and Moms, and signed agreements at the time that if the adoption didn't work out, she would return the dog to the agency. I presume Ms. DeGeneres has signed contracts before, but maybe this one didn't count. Maybe this one didn't seem binding. Or maybe she was just in a hurry that day, and didn't actually read it. (MSNBC claims that DeGeneres didn't read the contract, and that her partner Portia de Rossi signed).
The pending writer's strike could mean a surge in demand for reality tv. That is the only reason I can think of why they might be giving Coolio his own reality show.
Kid Rock won't be charged for that "brawl" he was in at the VMA's.
Ellen DeGeneres will be the first celebrity "briefcase babe" on Deal or No Deal.
Keith Olbermann! Come on down! You're the next TV celebrity whose death has been falsely reported on the Internet!
The variety show format seems like a no-brainer for success - get someone with star power and surround them with a bunch of ringers and some weird people spinning plates or bending themselves into curious shapes, and voila! Instant hit, right? But there have been some spectacular failures in recent TV history. Maybe it's the fact that there are so many talent/reality shows now that a show with no "winner" or competition doesn't seem as interesting. 
I work at home now, which is how I've discovered the wonder and glory of daytime television. If you're at all like me, then you really need to go someplace other than your house and Target. Also, you watch 
In a move that should come as no surprise to anybody, Pamela Anderson has stripped off her clothes yet again. This time on 
Queen Latifah couldn't make it work. Megan Mullally struck out, too. In fact, if you think about it, more stars fail in their attempts to become talk show hosts than succeed. For every Ellen DeGeneres and Tyra Banks, there's a Caroline Rhea and Magic Johnson. 
For Ken Erhlich, executive producer of the Emmy broadcast, the goal is clear. "The war cry is always, 'What are we going to do and how are we going to make it better?' We did some inventive things, we changed it up, we understand that this is the industry's big night. This means something and we can't trivialize it, but we certainly can have some fun with it." He told me that last year, prior to the Emmy-in-the-round broadcast, a memorable -- and successful show. 
For the first time in a long time, something was different about the Daytime Emmys. No, it's not that they're on in primetime; that happened years ago. What was different was the 35th Daytime Emmys opted to forgo the theater setting and seat the stars at round tables. As co-host (with All My Children's Cameron Mathison) 
On today's episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ellen will announce that 
All you kids who were out buying up posterboard and markers to make your "Ellen DeGENEROUS" signs so you could wave them at next week's Idol Gives Back special need to stop before you waste all that paper. Think green, people. Due to a scheduling conflict, Access Hollywood says 
So, AOL TV did a poll about 
In a press release today, FOX announced that 
Everyone knew that 
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