ENTERTAINMENT
September 4, 2012 | By Patrick Kevin Day
Cable news anchors yell at guests all the time. Guys like Bill O'Reilly, Chris Matthews and Lawrence O'Donnell lose their cool on a regular basis. But there's something about the clip of MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry yelling at guest financial expert Monica Mehta on a program on Saturday that's touching a nerve with viewers. The context was a panel discussion touched off by the book "Why Americans Hate Welfare" by Princeton professor Martin Gilens. In the book, Gilens asserts that the public distaste for welfare is a direct offshoot of the 20-year-old efforts of the media to link welfare to black people.
ENTERTAINMENT
June 29, 2012 | By Scott Collins, Los Angeles Times
For the second time in less than three years, NBC's ratings woes have led to the unceremonious dumping of a prominent on-air host, this time "Today's" Ann Curry. On Thursday, the 55-year-old newswoman tearfully said goodbye to viewers with her co-host Matt Lauer, who will remain on the show, at her side. "For all of you who saw me as a groundbreaker, I'm sorry I couldn't carry the ball over the finish line, but, man, I did try," Curry said in a wavering voice as she marked her last day atop TV's No. 1 morning news show.
ENTERTAINMENT
February 26, 2013 | By Glenn Whipp
Beleaguered Oscar host Seth MacFarlane made no secret leading up to the show that this year's gig was a one-and-done proposition. So Tuesday's tweet to a follower's inquiry about a return engagement -- "No way. Lotta fun to have done it, though" -- wasn't a surprise. If anything, it could be seen either as MacFarlane's way of washing his hands of the Academy and its deadly serious awards show or reassuring haters that they wouldn't have him to kick around anymore. “Do me a favor and don't read the press tomorrow,” MacFarlane told guests at a West Hollywood after-party following the show.
ENTERTAINMENT
April 4, 2013 | By Nicole Sperling
Roger Ebert's last review published before he died Thursday was on Andrew Niccol's "The Host. " It makes you wish the final words of the beloved critic could have been spent on a film that was far better -- or far worse. The 70-year-old critic wrote a mere six paragraphs about the adaptation of the Stephenie Meyer bestseller, giving the film 2 1/2 stars. "The Host" centers on a tough-minded teenager, played by Saoirse Ronan, whose body is invaded by an alien soul, yet she retains her own identity.
ENTERTAINMENT
February 25, 2013 | By Scott Collins
Seth MacFarlane may have sung about Oscar's losers, but he wasn't among them. Sunday's movie awards ceremony produced its best ratings in years. An average of 40.3 million viewers tuned in to the Oscar telecast on ABC, according to Nielsen. The ceremony was hosted by MacFarlane, the creator of TV's "Family Guy" and director of the movie comedy "Ted. " The ratings were the best for Oscar since 2010 and were up a modest 2% over last year's show hosted by Billy Crystal. FULL COVERAGE: Oscars 2013 | Nominee list | Red carpet | Highlights | Quotes | Best & Worst The choice of MacFarlane represented an effort by Oscar officials to connect with younger viewers, and the strategy appears to have worked.
ENTERTAINMENT
August 21, 2012 | By Meredith Blake
Michael Strahan will join Kelly Ripa as co-host of “Live!” next month, according to a report published today in Broadcasting & Cable. A former defensive end for the New York Giants, Strahan has guest-hosted “Live!” numerous times and was widely considered one of the leading contenders to fill the void left by Regis Philbin, who retired last November after 28 years on the show. Since his departure, some 59 temporary co-hosts, including Alec Baldwin and Seth Meyers, have joined Ripa on the syndicated morning talk show.