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13 articles from 2008

22 September 2008 12:37 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Tina Fey stole the show at the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, receiving top honours on Sunday's event for her hit U.S. comedy series 30 Rock.

The series - starring creator Fey, Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan - won the Outstanding Comedy Series award, while TV series Mad Men claimed its own top honour for Outstanding Drama Series.

Fey and Baldwin each took home top honours of Outstanding Lead Actress and Actor in a Comedy Series for their roles on the show.

Fey took the stage, musing of her honours: "I thank my parents for somehow raising me to have confidence that is disproportionate with my looks and abilities. Well done. That is what all parents should do."

Historical series John Adams - executive produced by Tom Hanks - was the most-nominated show of the year, taking in five awards of its record 23 nods, including a win for Outstanding Miniseries.

Actress Glenn Close also claimed victory, picking up an honour for her lead role on dramatic series Damages.

Close paid tribute to actresses in her category: "We're proving that complicated, powerful, mature women are sexy and are high entertainment and can carry a show. I call us the sisterhood of the TV drama divas."

Best Reality-TV Competition program went to Amazing Race, the show's sixth award.

Elsewhere, the spectacular ceremony was marked by a performance from American singer/songwriter Josh Groban, joined briefly on stage by Ed McMahon during a musical salute to television history. Groban took to the stage, singing a medley of songs inspired by TV themes including songs from South Park and Gilligan's Island.

This year's show - opened by talk show queen Oprah Winfrey - was hosted by reality-tv stars American Idol's Ryan Seacrest, Project Runway's Heidi Klum, Dancing with the Stars' Tom Bergeron, Deal or No Deal's Howie Mandel and Survivor's Jeff Probst.

The full list of Emmy Award winners is as follows:

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Jeremy Piven - Entourage

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Jean Smart - Samantha Who?

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Zeljko Ivanek - Damages

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Dianne Wiest - In Treatment

Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program: Louis J. Horvitz - 80th Annual Academy Awards

Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program: The Colbert Report

Commemorative Emmy for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy, Variety: Tommy Smothers - The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie: Laura Linney - John Adams

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series: Tim Conway - 30 Rock

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series: Kathryn Joosten - Desperate Housewives

Outstanding Director in a Comedy Series: Barry Sonnenfeld - Pushing Daises - Pie-Lette

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series: Tina Fey - 30 Rock

Outstanding Made for Television Movie: Recount

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie: Tom Wilkinson - John Adams

Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Series: Jay Roach - Recount

Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special: Kirk Ellis - John Adams

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie: Eileen Atkins - Cranford (Masterpiece)

Outstanding Reality-tv Competition: The Amazing Race

Outstanding Miniseries: John Adams

Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program: Don Rickles - Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series: Glynn Turman - In Treatment

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series: Cynthia Nixon - Law + Order: Special Victims Unit

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series: Greg Yaitanes - House

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series: Matthew Weiner - Mad Men - Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (Pilot)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie: Paul Giamatti - John Adams

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Glenn Close - Damages

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Tina Fey - 30 Rock

Outstanding Host for a Reality Competition Show: Jeff Probst - Survivor (Jma/Wn/)

Outstanding Comedy Series: 30 Rock

Outstanding Drama Series: Mad Men

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14 September 2008 7:07 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Hit TV mini-series John Adams took the top spot at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Saturday night winning eight out of its 23 nominations.

The historical HBO show, which tells the story of the second U.S. president, scooped gongs for visual effects, casting, prosthetic make-up, costumes, editing, sound mixing, art direction and cinematography.

HBO also took the top network spot, picking up 16 awards in total at the 60th annual ceremony in Los Angeles. ABC followed in second with nine awards including two for Pushing Daisies, starring British actress Anna Friel.

Comedy cartoon series The Simpsons was awarded the best half-hour animated show prize for the tenth time, and Comedy Central's controversial South Park collected the award for best hour-long series.

Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon failed to show up to pick up her Emmy for best guest actress in a drama, following a spell on NBC's Law + Order: Svu as a woman with multiple personalities.

The best guest actor in a drama prize went to Glynn Turman, ex-husband of singer Aretha Franklin, for his role in HBO's In Treatment.

Forrest Gump star Tom Hanks made an appearance at the ceremony, presenting the Governor's Award to National Geographic's Preserve Our Planet campaign for its fight to address global warming. The actor told the audience, "With National Geographic's help, our planet will be a better place for our kids."

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5 August 2008 10:32 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Two and a Half Men star Charlie Sheen is the highest-paid actor on primetime television, according to a study by TV Guide released on Monday. Sheen is currently paid $825,000 per episode of Two and a Half Men bringing his annual earnings to about $20 million. Coming in second is William Petersen, the star of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, who reportedly earns $600,000 per episode. Mariska Hargitay was the top-paid actress in primetime, earning $400,000 per episode for her work on NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Kyra Sedgwick, star of The Closer, is No. 2 on the list with $275,000 per episode.

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5 August 2008 9:01 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Charlie Sheen is the highest paid actor on U.S. TV, pocketing a whopping $825,000 (GBP412,500) per episode for his hit comedy Two And A Half Men, according to a new poll.

The star's huge earnings includes profits for ownership rights of the programme.

Sheen is way ahead of his nearest contender William Petersen, who takes home $600,000 (GBP300,000) per show for his role as Gil Grissom on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Actress Mariska Hargitay is the best paid female in a prime-time TV drama - she earns an estimated $400,000 (GBP200,000) for every Law + Order: Special Victims Unit (Svu) episode she films.

The cast of The Simpsons are also well-paid - each voice actor receives $400,000 per episode.

Others on the TV Guide magazine list include American Idol judge Simon Cowell, who gets $50 million (GBP25 million) per season of the talent show, and Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, whose five-year deal with TV network Fox is worth $100 million (GBP50 million).

But the highest paid TV celebrity by far is chat show queen Oprah Winfrey - her annual salary from her talkshow alone is $385 million (GBP197 million).

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31 July 2008 5:20 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Former Beverly Hills, 90210 star Luke Perry has signed on for a guest spot on Law + Order: SVU after rejecting an offer to reprise his role in the hit TV series.

Perry's former castmates Tori Spelling, Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty have signed up to appear in the forthcoming spin off series.

But the 41-year-old actor, who has enjoyed limited success since leaving the show in 1995, has instead signed on to appear in the criminal drama's season premiere.

The hour-long special will also feature guest appearances by Roseanne star Sara Gilbert and Lost actress Julie Bowen.

According to celebrity blog PerezHilton.com, Perry will couple with Bowen to play a father accused of abusing their foster child.

Just last month, the actor explained his decision not to take part in the show, saying: "I can't re-imagine it currently. It's just not something that I've thought about to be quite honest, I don't see it happening."

Perry's episode is set to air this September.

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17 July 2008 9:03 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

American Idol host Ryan Seacrest and supermodel Heidi Klum have picked up their first Emmy nominations, after the 2008 Primetime TV Awards introduced the category of top host for a reality competition show.

The presenters will go up against Dancing With the Stars' Tom Bergeron, as well as Deal or No Deal's Howie Mandel and Survivor's Jeff Probst to take home the first honour.

Mad Men picked up 16 nods, the most nominations of any drama series, including Best Dramatic Series and Best Actor for its lead, Jon Hamm.

Hamm will face actors Hugh Laurie, for House; Michael C. Hall, for Dexter; Gabriel Byrne, for In Treatment; Bryan Cranston, for Breaking Bad; and James Spader, for Boston Legal.

Meanwhile, 30 Rock was the frontrunner in the comedy category, with 17 nominations, including best series - a gong the show took home last year - and leading actor, Alec Baldwin, and actress for Tina Fey, the show's creator.

The winners for the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be unveiled on 21 September at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

A list of nominees is as follows:

Best Series, Drama:

Boston Legal

Damages

Dexter

House

Lost

Mad Men

Best Series, Comedy:

30 Rock

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Entourage

The Office

Two And A Half Men

Best Actor, Drama:

James Spader - Boston Legal

Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad

Michael C. Hall - Dexter

Hugh Laurie - House

Gabriel Byrne - In Treatment

Jon Hamm - Mad Men

Best Actor, Comedy:

Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock

Tony Shalhoub - Monk

Lee Pace - Pushing Daisies

Steve Carell - The Office

Charlie Sheen - Two And A Half Men

Best Actress, Drama:

Sally Field - Brothers + Sisters

Glenn Close - Damages

Mariska Hargitay - Law + Order: Special Victims Unit

Holly Hunter - Saving Grace

Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer

Best Actress, Comedy:

Tina Fey - 30 Rock

Christina Applegate - Samantha Who?

Julia Louis-Dreyfus - The New Adventures Of Old Christine

America Ferrera - Ugly Betty

Mary-Louise Parker - Weeds

Best Supporting Actor, Drama Series:

William Shatner - Boston Legal

Ted Danson - Damages

Zeljko Ivanek - Damages

Michael Emerson - Lost

John Slattery - Mad Men

Best Supporting Actor, Comedy Series:

Jeremy Piven - Entourage

Kevin Dillon - Entourage

Neil Patrick Harris - How I Met Your Mother

Rainn Wilson - The Office

Jon Cryer - Two And A Half Men

Best Supporting Actress, Drama Series:

Candice Bergen - Boston Legal

Rachel Griffiths - Brothers + Sisters

Chandra Wilson - Grey's Anatomy

Sandra Oh - Grey's Anatomy

Dianne Wiest - In Treatment

Best Supporting Actress, Comedy Series:

Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies

Jean Smart, Samantha Who?

Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live

Holland Taylor, Two And A Half Men

Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty

Outstanding Reality Competition Program:

American Idol

Dancing With The Stars

Project Runway

The Amazing Race

Top Chef

Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality Competition Program:

Ryan Seacrest, American Idol

Tom Bergeron, Dancing With The Stars

Howie Mandel, Deal Or No Deal

Heidi Klum, Project Runway

Jeff Probst, Survivor.

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10 July 2008 10:30 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Suggesting that television networks may have little to lose by continuing to take a tough stance against the Screen Actors Guild, not a single TV program featuring actors made a significant showing in the ratings Tuesday night with the exception of NBC's always dependable Law & Order: SVU. All of the other top shows featured AFTRA -- rather than SAG -- members, who were covered by a previously negotiated contract with the television networks. The top-rated show of the night was NBC's America's Got Talent which drew a 7.7 rating and a 13 share, while ABC's Wipeout, the biggest new hit of the summer, wound up with a 6.1/11 and finished on top among the 18-49-year-old group chased by advertisers. Drawing the most viewers in that demographic group was Fox's season finale of Hell's Kitchen. It was pretty much the same story on Wednesday as Fox's So You Think You Can Dance won every half hour between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. However, another "old reliable," CBS's CSI: NY took over the lead at 10:00 p.m.

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2 July 2008 6:36 PM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Gabriel Byrne, Eddie Izzard and James Spader will be among the stars fighting for a Best Drama Actor honour at the Emmy Awards, while pregnant Minnie Driver and Sally Field are favourites for the Best Actress prize.

The quintet has been selected among the 20 semi-finalists on a shortlist.

Driver and Izzard are nominated for The Riches, while Byrne gets a nod for playing a psychiatrist in In Treatment. Boston Legal gave Spader the chance to fight for an Emmy.

Other actors on the top 10 list include Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy), Michael C. Hall (Dexter) and Hugh Laurie (House).

As well as Driver and Field, Patricia Arquette (Medium), Glenn Close (Damages), Mariska Hargitay (Law and Order: Special Victims Unit) and Holly Hunter (Saving Grace) are among those under consideration.

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30 January 2008 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Fox had no NFL playoffs to buoy its ratings last week, but it did have American Idol, and even though the talent contest's ratings were somewhat off from what they were a year ago, they still looked better than anything else in sight, as Tuesday and Wednesday's telecasts finished first and second for the week among overall viewers and those 18-49. A rerun of Fox's House also crushed the competition on Tuesday night. Overall, Fox averaged a 6.9 rating and an 11 share for the week. CBS followed with a 6.1/10. NBC came in third with a 5.1/8, while ABC trailed with a 4.4/7. The top ten shows of the week according to Nielsen Research: 1. American Idol (Tuesday), Fox, 16.2/24; 2. American Idol (Wednesday), Fox, 15.1/23; 3. Moment of Truth, Fox, 12.9/19; 4. 60 Minutes, CBS, 9.5/15; 5. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS, 8.6/13; 5. Hallmark Hall of Fame: The Russell Girl, CBS, 8.6/13; 7. Deal or No Deal, (Monday), NBC, 8.5/13; 7. Deal or No Deal (Wednesday), NBC, 8.5/13; 7. House, Fox, 8.5/13; 10. Law and Order: SVU, NBC, 8.4/14.

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16 January 2008 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Fox began making its annual mid-season move to the front ranks of the Nielsen ratings last week, scoring strongly among adults 18-49 with NFL football and the debut of its sci-fi drama Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. CBS, however, remained on top overall, drawing big numbers for the miniseries Comanche Moon and its old stand-by, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Overall ratings were down significantly from last year, following a pattern that began well before the writers' strike. Only CBS remained flat with last year. Overall, the network wound up with an average 8.2 rating and a 13 share for the week. Fox placed second with a 7.9/12. NBC followed with a 5.1/8, edging out ABC with a 5.0/8. The top ten shows of the week according to Nielsen Research: 1. NFC Playoffs, Fox, 18.8/29; 2. AFC Playoffs, CBS, 17.9/30; 3. BCS National Championship, Fox, 14.4/22; 4. Grey's Anatomy, ABC, 11.6/17; 5. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS, 11.2/17; 6. Terminator: Sarah Conover Chronicles, Fox, 11.1/16; 7. Law and Order: SVU, NBC, 9.9/17; 8. Comanche Moon Pt. 1, CBS, 9.4/14; 9. Without a Trace, CBS, 9.3/16; 10. Criminal Minds, CBS, 8.9/14.

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9 January 2008 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

The combination of football, a game show, and the two-hour return of Law and Order to Wednesday nights turned NBC, the usual fourth-place network, into last week's first-place network. The network placed six shows in the top ten, including the No. 1 telecast of the week, its Saturday telecast of the NFL playoff game between Jacksonville and Pittsburgh. Two episodes of the NBC game show Deal or No Deal also made the top ten. Not quite getting there was NBC's American Gladiators on Sunday night, which marked the season's top premiere among viewers overall and particularly among the key 18-49-year-old demographic. Also noteworthy were big numbers for CBS's 60 Minutes and a new episode of ABC's Desperate Housewives. For the week, NBC averaged a 7.1 rating and a 12 share. CBS was in second place with a 5.7/9, while ABC and Fox tied for third with a 5.3/9. The top ten shows of the week according to Nielsen Research: 1. NBC NFL Playoff Game 2, NBC, 15.0/25; 2. NFL Playoff Pre-kickoff, NBC, 13.8/24; 3. NFL Playoff Bridge, NBC, 13.6/24; 4. AFC Wildcard Post-Game, CBS, 13.5/22; 5. Desperate Housewives, ABC, 12.0/18; 6. 60 Minutes, CBS, 11.6/18; 7. Law and Order, NBC, 8.9/14; 8. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS, 8.5/13; 9. Deal or No Deal (Monday), NBC, 8.2/13; 10. Deal or No Deal (Wednesday), NBC, 7.8/12; 10. Law and Order: SVU, NBC, 7.8/13.

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4 January 2008 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Nielsen Research got around to releasing ratings for Christmas week Thursday, and no network had much to boast about. CBS dominated the week with six of the top-ten shows, but its average 5.3 rating and 10 share was well off its season average of 7.4/12. NBC took the remaining top-ten slots, averaging a 5.1/9 for the week. Fox placed third with an average 3.6/7, while ABC trailed with a 3.3/6. The top ten shows of the week according to Nielsen Research: 1. NBC Sunday Night Football (Tennessee Titans vs. the Indianapolis Colts), NBC, 9.7/16; 2. NFL Saturday Night Special (New England Patriots vs. the New York Giants), CBS, 8.7/15; 3. 60 Minutes, CBS, 7.7/13; 3. NFL Special 12/29(S), NBC, 7.7/13; 5. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS, 7.0/12; 6. Without a Trace, CBS, 6.9/12; 7. Sunday Night NFL Pre-kickoff, NBC, 6.3/11; 8. CSI: NY, CBS, 6.0/10; 9. Amazing Race 12, CBS, 5.9/9; 9. Criminal Minds, CBS, 5.9/10; 9. Law and Order: SVU, NBC, 5.9/11.

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2 January 2008 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Although his speech remained noticeably affected by the stroke that felled him in 2004, Dick Clark kidded co-host Ryan Seacrest and, as always, counted down the moments to 2008 in New York's Times Square Monday night. (The program actually made news when Mayor Michael Bloomberg told Seacrest that he would not run for president.) Orlando Sentinel TV columnist Hal Boedeker defended ABC's decision to bring Clark back each year despite his rather feeble appearance. "His presence offers several reminders," Boedeker wrote. "We're all growing older. We need to respect the aged. We're witnessing a TV icon setting a good example, growing old gracefully and not hiding." The primetime segment of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve (10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.) landed in first place in the ratings, posting a 4.8 rating and a 10 share, beating reruns of CSI: Miami on CBS and Law & Order: SVU on NBC. It then went on to score an 8.8 rating/20 share from 11:30 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

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13 articles from 2008