January 14th, 2010
05:38 PM ET

NBC unveils new prime-time schedule

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“The Jay Leno Show” as we know it will be kicked back to late night once the Winter Olympics start, and although NBC doesn’t know much right now, they at least know how they’re going to fill those five vacant hours at 10 p.m.

It’ll mainly be a lot of “Law & Order,” as everyone predicted, but NBC also has a few new curveballs to throw in.

New drama series “Parenthood,” based on the 1989 comedy-drama with Steve Martin, premieres Tuesday, March 2, heralding the return of Lauren Graham, aka Lorelai from “Gilmore Girls,” to prime time. The hour-long show will be followed by Jerry Seinfeld’s new venture, “The Marriage Ref,” pitched as a “comedy panel series about marriage” (read: “Seinfeld” meets “Wife Swap”). A sneak preview will air after the Closing Ceremony for the Winter Olympics, and the show will officially start on March 4 at 10 p.m.

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Filed under: television
January 14th, 2010
05:03 PM ET

Indie rocker found dead at 29

Prolific garage rock musician Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., who went by the stage name Jay Reatard, was found dead in his Memphis home on Wednesday. He was 29.


Kim Jones of the Shelby County Medical Examiner’s Office in Memphis, Tennessee, told CNN that Lindsey’s autopsy was performed on Wednesday and that results could take up to six weeks.


The Commercial Appeal of Memphis
reported that a roommate had found Lindsey in his bed and that the police have opened an investigation into his death. The paper also said that friends of the rocker believed he was suffering from flu-like symptoms in the days prior to his death.

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Filed under: Music
January 14th, 2010
04:10 PM ET

My first Teddy Pendergrass concert

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Neither of my parents can remember why they took me to a Teddy Pendergrass concert in 1979, but I vividly recall attending.

It could have been because they were unable to find a sitter (though that wouldn’t explain the absence of my younger brother) or maybe I just begged to go. I was nine years old at the time and a huge music fan even then.

I remember sitting in a venue seat at Painter’s Mill just outside of Baltimore, Maryland, trying not to let it fold me in half like a taco. The seat flipped down and my feet weren’t even close to reaching the floor so keeping it balanced was a challenge. FULL POST

January 14th, 2010
02:10 PM ET

'Austin City Limits' to air first-ever hip-hop hour

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“Austin City Limits” has long wanted to kick open its doors to hip-hop, but the reckless messages embraced by some rappers made the program’s producers hesitant.

But Saturday, for the first time ever, the long-running PBS music showcase will devote its entire hour-long episode to two of hip-hop’s most talented acts: Brooklyn’s Mos Def and Somalian rhymesmith K’NAAN.

“I wasn’t sure how they or any hip-hoppers would react,” Terry Lickona, the series’ executive producer, told me this week. “I was humbled that Mos and K’NAAN were so quick to accept.”

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January 14th, 2010
12:28 PM ET

Obama on Tiger Woods

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Tiger Woods' sponsors may have turned against him, but at least one person is still rooting for the disgraced golfer - and hoping for the best.

President Barack Obama told People magazine during an exclusive interview that he believes Tiger will try to put his life back together again, following his admission of infidelity.

“I don’t want to comment on his personal relationship with his wife and family, but I’m a strong believer that anybody can look within themselves, find their flaws and fix them,” Obama said.  “I’m sure he feels terrible about what happened, and I suspect that he will try to put his life back together again.”

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Filed under: Tiger Woods
January 14th, 2010
12:27 PM ET

'Ghostbusters 3' gets go-ahead

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Phone technology has certainly changed since “Ghostbusters” was released in 1984, but apparently they’re still the boys to call.

Director Ivan Reitman confirmed to MTV this week that he will direct a third installment in the franchise and that he hopes to start filming within the next year.

Speculation around the return of the ghost-killing buddy flick made famous by Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Sigourney Weaver has been swirling for the past year.

Reitman also confirmed that a draft of the new movie has been submitted by  "Year One" writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky and that a second draft is currently in the works.

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Filed under: movies
January 14th, 2010
10:26 AM ET

'Idol' has hit with 'Pants on the Ground'

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“American Idol” was all about the comedy Wednesday night.

Sure, there was talent found at the Atlanta auditions, but the highlight of the evening was someone who left the judges in stitches despite having no shot at the title.

A 62-year-old who goes by the name “General” Larry Platt sang an original composition titled “Pants on the Ground.” The lyrics – “Pants on the ground, pants on the ground. Looking like a fool with your pants on the ground” – had even guest judge Mary J. Blige wiping away tears of amusement.

Platt is well beyond the age limit for contestants, but I predict that “Pants on the Ground” will be the new “Tardy for the Party.”  The video of his performance is already a hit on YouTube. FULL POST

January 14th, 2010
10:01 AM ET

Transcript: Conan O’Brien’s monologue 1/13/2010

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Jay Leno wasn’t the only one still stuck on the NBC debacle during his monologue. Conan O’Brien got a few jokes in as well:

Hi, I'm Conan O'Brien, and I've been practicing the phrase, "Who ordered the mochaccino grande?"

Hosting "The Tonight Show" has been the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for me – and I just want to say to the kids out there watching: You can do anything you want in life.  Unless Jay Leno wants to do it too. FULL POST

January 14th, 2010
09:52 AM ET

Transcript: Jay Leno’s monologue 1/13/2010

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Jay Leno opened his monologue on “The Jay Leno Show” still making cracks about his own network. (Conan O'Brien got in plenty of digs, too.) Check the transcript:

“Good news from Afghanistan - critics of the war have stopped referring to it as “another Vietnam.”  They are not calling it that anymore.  The bad news – they’re now calling it “another NBC.”

Welcome to NBC.  America’s most dysfunctional TV family. Thank you very much. FULL POST

January 14th, 2010
01:28 AM ET

R&B's Teddy Pendergrass dead at 59

R&B legend Teddy Pendergrass passed away Wednesday night surrounded by family members following a long illness. The 59 year old Philadelphia native started honing his craft and voice at an early age, singing in youth choirs, then joining the Cadillacs, a group that later merged with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.

The group's self titled debut album in 1972, spawned the number one hit  “If You Don’t Know Me by Now” later covered by the band Simply Red. Over the next three years the band saw success in the form of hits like, “The Love I Lost,” “Bad Luck,” “Don’t Leave Me This Way” and “Wake up Everybody.”

Pendergrass embarked on a solo career in 1977 with hits like  “I Don't Love You Anymore," "You Can't Hide From Yourself," and "The More I Get the More I Want." Heating up the charts and the stage, Pendergrass became known for his steamy  “Ladies Only” tours. He also received critical acclaim with Billboard's 1977 Pop Album New Artist Award and an American Music Award for best R&B performer of 1978. FULL POST

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