TheSunNews.com: TV - Wire

Losing Winfrey would be big blow for Second City

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:47 EST

Step outside Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Studios and into the near west side neighborhood that's been home to her television talk show for two decades, and it's easy to get a sense of what she's meant to Chicago.

"I used to live across the street from Harpo and when I moved there it was me and cross-dressing crack addicts and Harpo. And now it's strollers and little white dogs all over," said Paul O'Connor, whose job has been to sell the city to businesses looking to relocate and those wondering why they should stay.

Along with the upscale condominiums and pricey restaurants that replaced the rundown apartments, abandoned warehouses and vacant storefronts, it's a sentiment that helps explain just how nervous people in Chicago are about Winfrey's announcement that next season, the 25th, will be the last for "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

NYC TV newsman guilty of attempted assault on wife

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:22 EST

Cable television newsman Dominic Carter, an influential reporter on New York politics, was convicted Friday of an attempted assault on his wife.

The Rockland County district attorney's office issued a one-sentence statement Friday saying Carter, 46, was found guilty of third-degree attempted assault.

The maximum sentence is three months in jail.

Oprah's departure presents problem for TV stations

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:13 EST

For more than two decades, Oprah Winfrey has been the inspirational, change-your-life champion who reigned over daytime television much like Johnny Carson once ruled late night.

Now she's ready to say goodbye, leaving a huge void for broadcast TV even as she raises the possibility of more Oprah than ever when she starts her own cable network.

Winfrey told viewers Friday that she will dim the lights on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" at the close of its 25th season in late 2011.

New York designer wins Project Runway

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:21 EST

New York designer Irina Shabayeva's collection took the gold in "Project Runway," winning $100,000 toward her line, an agent and a trip to Paris.

Judges Heidi Klum, Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and Susie Menkes chose Shabayeva over Carol Hannah Whitfield, who came in third, and Althea Harper, the runner-up. The three women all showed strong collections at February's fashion week in Bryant Park. The Lifetime show's finale was shown Thursday night.

The delay came because "Project Runway" - the cult series that transformed Bravo into a hot destination for addictive reality TV - lacked a home base. Trapped in lawsuit limbo, the series was mired in a dispute involving NBC Universal, which owns Bravo, the Weinstein Co. and Lifetime.

Ray Park gets plenty of face time on NBC's Heroes'

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:52 EST

Ever wonder just how big a nerd you are? There's a very simple test to determine your geekyness: Do you know what actor Ray Park looks like?

The actor's face has been obscured in almost every film he has made. He wore demonic red and black makeup to play Darth Maul in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" and was behind a mask as Snake Eyes in "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra." In "Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow" he didn't even have a head.

Park is more visible these days playing the evil Edgar on the NBC series "Heroes," where he's acting sans mask and heavy makeup.

Football and TV: Views on ratings increases, Thanksgiving duds, NFL Network squabbles and more

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:02 EST

For every action in the television football world, there is a reaction:

Action:

The most watched show on all of television is the late Sunday afternoon doubleheader game on Fox and CBS, which is averaging 23.9 million viewers, up 8 percent from last year. The No. 1 show in prime time is NBC's Sunday Night Football (19.8 million viewers, up 22 percent). The No. 1 show on cable is ESPN's Monday Night Football (14.2 million viewers, up 15 percent).

Liberace, Cruise, Palin among Winfrey's highlights

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:21 EST

Oprah Winfrey has racked up memorable moments during her long television reign. Some were moving, some embarrassing - to her or others - and a handful became pop-culture landmarks. Here are highlights through the years:

- Winfrey gets the final TV interview with pianist-showman Liberace, six weeks before his AIDS-related death, 1986.

- Winfrey travels to all-white Forsyth County, Ga., which had gained a reputation as being a hotbed for racism, 1987. It turns out that a majority of the county voices support for racial integration.

List of top 15 cable shows in Nielsen ratings

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:11 EST

Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by the Nielsen Co. for the week of Nov. 9-15. Day and start time (EST) are in parentheses:

1. NFL Football: Pittsburgh vs. Denver (Monday, 8:30 p.m.), ESPN, 11.35 million homes, 16 million viewers.

2. "ICarly" (Saturday, 8 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.44 million homes, 5.03 million viewers.

Oprah's departure: What does it mean?

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:57 EST

On Friday, Oprah Winfrey announced that she is ending her daytime talk show because "it's time to leave." The earth continues to shudder.

It's colossal news, of course. After all, who will now advise us on the proper books to read? Who will tell us what presidential candidate to support? What diets to try? What products to buy?

Without Oprah in the afternoon, won't we all be lost?

Guests for the Sunday TV news shows

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:47 EST

Guest lineup for the Sunday TV news shows:

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ABC's "This Week" - Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Ben Nelson, D-Neb.; Reps. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.

Fans excited to witness Winfrey's announcement

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:36 EST

Fans who will be in the audience at "The Oprah Winfrey Show" say they're excited to hear the media mogul talk about her plans for the future.

Winfrey's production company says the talk-show host will announce when she'll end her long-running show during a live broadcast Friday. The show is expected to wrap up in 2011 after 25 seasons.

Audience member Rachel Lavipour (LAH'-vuh-pohr) of Las Vegas says she thinks Winfrey's announcement is "a huge moment in our pop culture history."

Oprah's exit isn't cause for panic

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:46 EST

What will weekdays. be like without Oprah? How will we know which books to read? Will we be forced to choose our own favorite things, with no guidance?

Never fear. Oprah Winfrey, who announced Friday that she will end her daytime talk show when her contract expires in the fall of 2011, isn't likely to be absent from the air for long. She's starting a cable network in partnership with Discovery, and the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) will make its debut in January 2011. So it will already be up and running when Winfrey is free to devote full time to it, and she's widely expected to have a daily show there. In addition, OWN is expected to air 25 years of Oprah shows in repeats.

Winfrey has been a daytime talk fixture since 1986, meaning that she'll exit on her 25th anniversary. She became a phenomenon when she eschewed sleaze when everybody else was doing sleaze and instead devoted her show to informative, upbeat and/or uplifting topics.

Parker-Broderick surrogacy case jury breaks

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:17 EST

The jury in the trial of an Ohio police chief accused of breaking into the home of a woman who carried twins for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick ended five hours of deliberations Friday without a verdict.

The jury in the case of suspended Martins Ferry Police Chief Barry Carpenter began deliberations about 4:30 p.m. and ended for the day five hours later. Deliberations are expected to resume Monday morning.

Carpenter is accused of taking items related to pregnancy and the surrogacy from the home and scheming with the police chief of a neighboring town to sell them to celebrity photographers.

Chaz Bono: Sex change is his 'best decision'

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:01 EST

Chaz Bono says beginning the sex-change process to turn him from a woman to a man is "the best decision I've ever made."

The 40-year-old writer, activist and reality-TV star, who was born a girl to Sonny Bono and Cher, says he's eight months into the years-long transformation and says he feels great.

Formerly called Chastity, he told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Thursday: "Life is short and life is precious. This is who I am. I need to finally be who I am."

Parker-Broderick surrogate takes stand in Ohio

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:26 EST

The woman who bore twin girls for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick said Thursday that she was living in a West Virginia motel around the time a police chief is accused of breaking into her eastern Ohio home.

Michelle Ross, 26, testified that ultrasound photos, surrogacy files and tax information were gone when she returned, that someone had riffled through photos; and that a plaster cast of her abdomen from when she was pregnant with her own son was misplaced.

Ross' testimony came in the trial in Belmont County Common Pleas Court of suspended Police Chief Barry Carpenter of Martins Ferry, where Ross lived. He is accused of breaking into her home in May and then trying to sell items related to the pregnancy to paparazzi, with the help of Police Chief Chad Dojack of neighboring Bridgeport.

Miss Calif. pageant gives ad time to gay group

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:41 EST

The Miss California USA pageant director who became embroiled in a war of words with former title holder Carrie Prejean has donated 30-seconds of free ad time to the state's largest gay rights group.

Equality California announced Thursday that it would be airing a spot featuring a teenage girl with two mothers during the Nov. 22 contest, which is airing on the CW and My Network TV.

Keith Lewis, the pageant's executive director, says he would give Prejean the same amount of time if she wanted to provide a pre-taped message.

Heidi Klum wows crowd at Victoria's Secret show

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:53 EST

Heidi Klum and her post-baby body led the parade at the annual Victoria's Secret fashion show, which returned to New York with some fresh faces after four years on the road.

The lingerie retailer inducted five more women into its "Angel" ranks - a designation reserved for top models - in front of a packed house Thursday night at the Lexington Avenue Armory. They are Emanuela de Paula, Chanel Iman, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Lindsay Ellingson and Candice Swanepoel.

But Klum, who gave birth to a daughter five weeks ago, was the audience favorite in her purple corset covered with a half gown with poufs of tulle. She emerged from the huge, castlelike set to applause.

Newseum puts Tim Russert's NBC office on display

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:56 EST

Museum visitors in Washington will get the chance to step into "Meet the Press" moderator Tim Russert's old NBC office, which has been reassembled at the Newseum.

An exhibit opens Friday with the office recreated to look as it did in June 2008 when Russert died of a heart attack at age 58. The journalism museum will keep the office on display through 2010.

Curators say it's an unpretentious office with Russert's favorite books, family photos and Buffalo Bills pennants. Newspapers and research binders cluttered his desk.

Final season of `Lost' to begin Feb. 2

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:16 EST

ABC says the final season of "Lost" will begin in February with a night devoted to the drama.

An hourlong special recounting the story line so far will air at 8 p.m. EST Tuesday, Feb. 2, followed by the two-hour season premiere.

"Lost" will move to its regular 9-10 p.m. EST time slot beginning the following week, on Feb. 9, the network said Thursday.

James Van Der Beek files for divorce

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:31 EST

Court records show James Van Der Beek has filed for divorce from his wife of nearly six years.

The former "Dawson's Creek" star filed for divorce Friday in Los Angles. He cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split with actress Heather McComb.

The couple were married in July 2003 and have no children.