Before The CW, there was The WB. Remember them?

Now, the little netlet that made a big splash with youth-centric shows like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Veronica Mars,” “Angel,” “Roswell,” and “Gilmore Girls,” has been revived — more or less — online in the form of TheWB.com, which debuted earlier this week. Read the rest of this entry »

Just had to share. This spoofy biographical film of Barack Obama from our friends at “The Daily Show” just might be the funniest thing to come out of the election so far (And that’s saying a lot).

Enjoy, and have a good weekend.

E! Online’s TV reporter Kristin Dos Santos reveals that, according to a source, Jennifer Aniston is now filming a guest spot for NBC’s “30 Rock” that will air this fall.

That’s great news for “30 Rock,” which despite an Emmy win and loads of critical praise, has lagged in the ratings. Aniston’s appearance should at least give it a temporary boost, just as Britney Spears did for “How I Met Your Mother.”

Since leaving “Friends,” Aniston hasn’t done a lot of TV, although she did appear on Courteney Cox’s short-lived “Dirt.”

No details on Aniston’s character were released.

Whether you’re a supporter of Barack Obama or not, a Democrat or Republican, black or white, there’s no denying that, as an impressive piece of television, the final night of the Democratic National Convention squarely hit the mark.

The decision to move the acceptance speech (and accompanying festivities) out from under the roof of the relatively cramped Denver arena to the vast outdoor stadium brought a giant gust of fresh air to the proceedings and made the event feel appropriately huge.

I know there had been some skepticism over whether the Dems could fill the spacious home of the Denver Broncos and just think of how rows and rows of empty seats would have looked on TV. But fill it they did and with all the fireworks and confetti, cheering fans and pageantry, you had a Super Bowl-like electricity buzzing through the place.

It made for lots of gorgeous pictures — especially those great aerials of the stadium all lit up and gleaming like a diamond in the night. (Blimp shots of an arena roof wouldn’t have been nearly as impressive).

Of course, none of it would have mattered if Obama hadn’t been able to seize the moment and own it. But he delivered a powerful and moving speech about political reform and the desire to guide “a compassionate America.” And like a great stage actor who knows the importance of ending on a high note, he saved his references to Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech for last.

It was a soul-stirring exclamation point on a remarkble made-for-TV extravaganza.

Apparently, Hillary Clinton is ratings gold. One night after the broadcast networks experienced a Nielsen dip with coverage of the Democratic Convention, the numbers went up with Hillary’s fiery “No way, no how, no McCain” speech.

According to TV Week, the Tuesday convention ratings for NBC were up 1.19 million viewers from Monday to give the network an average of 6.04 million viewers for the hour. ABC was also up, gaining 490,000 viewers to post an average of 4.27 million. Only, CBS was down — 127,000 (3.39 million). On Monday, the network numbers, collectively, were down about 1 million viewers compared to four years ago.

While the networks — with their limited coverage — continue to lead the ratings race, it’s clear that the 24-hour cable stations are a primary source for convention news. All of the cable stations experienced double-digit ratings boosts for their Monday telecasts, compared to opening night four years ago. Their Tuesday-night numbers were not available at the time of this post.

Apparently gone are the days when CBS actually released its news on “Survivor” to everybody at the same time. Now, “Entertainment Weekly” gets the exclusive scoop on the cast announcements and we’re all left to feed off them — not that we’re bitter or anything.

Anyway, EW.com has the lowdown on the 18-member “Survivor: Gabon” cast, which includes an Olympic gold medalist, a “Gilmore Girls” actress, and a professional video game champion.

For more info, click here.

The first night of the Democratic National Convention, featuring a speech by Michelle Obama, drew fewer broadcast television viewers than the event four years ago, when former President Bill Clinton kicked things off, according to TV Week, which cited preliminary Nielsen numbers.

ABC, CBS and NBC collectively brought in 12.1 million viewers in the 7 p.m. hour (10 p.m. on the East Coast), down one million from 2004.

NBC scored the largest audience, averaging 4.85 million viewers. ABC finished second with 3.78 million, and CBS was third at 3.52 million viewers.

Cable ratings were not yet available.

Hang in there, “Survivor” fans. You’ll have to wait a week longer for the return of the reality adventure show.

CBS announced Monday that it has changed the premiere date of “Survivor: Gabon — Earth’s Last Eden” to Sept. 25. The move was made to accommodate a two-hour premiere episode — a first for “Survivor.” It will air from 8 to 10 p.m. (”Survivor” was originally scheduled to debut with a one-hour episode on Sept. 18).

Another first: “Survivor” finally makes the transition to high-definition this season. We’re looking forward to all those gorgeous nature shots.

CBS also said that the “Survivor” premiere will be followed by a rebroadcast of last season’s “CSI” cliffhanger finale.

Announcement of the new “Survivor” cast is forthcoming.

The newest member of the “American Idol” judges panel describes herself as a “straight shooter” who calls ‘em like she sees ‘em and can adapt when she sees fit.

“I’m someone who is real honest,” says Kara DioGuardi. “If I feel I need to be hard, I will be. Or if I need to be softer and more nurtring, I will be. It depends on the situation.”

In landing one of television’s plum gigs, DioGuardi, a Grammy-nominated songwriter who has worked with numerous “Idol” contestants, joins Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson on the Fox ratings juggernaut. Her first duty comes tomorrow morning when she’ll serve as a judge at the New York City round of “Idol” auditions.

“You have to see if there are fireworks tomorrow,” she told reporters on a conference call. “… Tomorrow’s like the first day at pre-school for me.”

DioGuardi’s surprise appointment comes on the heels of a seventh season in which ratings dipped for “Idol” and even some longtime devotees grew apathetic. In the time since, Fox has promised some changes and a few weeks ago executive producer Nigel Lythgoe departed the show.

Whether DioGuardi’s presence constitutes a needed change (What about those awful theme weeks?) is open to debate. But it is sure to stir conversation when the show returns in January. And it is also sure to ignite speculation that “Idol” producers see her as a possible replacement for the often ditzy and clueless Abdul.

On Monday Abdul said on Phoenix’s KISS-FM that she’s excited about DioGuardi coming aboard, according to UsMagazine.com, but added: “I am concerned about the audience and acceptance. Time will tell. We’ll see.”

DioGuardi, who co-wrote a song with Abduul early in her career, forsees no jealousy issues arising.

“I’ve always had a great relationship with Paula,” she said. “I can’t imagine her not being happy with (the hiring).”

Judging from her replies on the conference call, DioGuardi is certainly more articulate and coherent than Abdul, though that’s not saying much. And she has very clear ideas on what makes a great “Idol” singer.

“For me, what makes an artist is someone who when their song comes on radio I know exactly who it is,” she said. “… It’s not about vocal acrobatics. It’s about being unique and doing things that ere indentifiable to you.”

DioGuardio’s songs have been recorded by Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Celine Dion, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood and Pink, among others.

For more on DioGuardi, including a Q&A conducted by Fox, Read the rest of this entry »

Can Olympian Misty May-Treanor add a ugly disco-ball trophy to her two gold medals? She’ll give it a whirl as part of the new cast for “Dancing with the Stars,” announced Monday on ABC.

May-Treanor, who with her partner, Kerry Walsh, just dominated the women’s beach volleyball competion in Beijing, will be one of 13 competitiors trying rumba her way to victory. And if past history is any indication, she has to be considered one of the early favorites. Apolo Anton Ohno and Kristi Yamaguchi, both Olympic gold medalists, have won the title in the past. Read the rest of this entry »