UPDATE: Oprah knows a thing or two about sweeps -- and is saving her big announcement for the end of the show. Oprah is about to personally announce that she's ending her reign as maybe the most successful person ever to host a show on TV. And you can see it all go down on TMZ.
BTW, as we first reported, Oprah insiders are telling us one of the reasons behind the timing is that Oprah is angling to get ABC to slide "The Dr. Oz Show" into her time slot. "Oz" becomes a free agent at exactly the same time Oprah will go off the air.
We're also told other talk shows are angling to get the time period, which is primo real estate in TV land.
For a convicted felon, Richard Heene claims he has some serious job opportunities flyin' in from N.Y. -- where there isn't a high demand for carpenters or balloon builders ... you know what they do need? TV show guests...
In court today, Richard Heene's lawyer told the judge that Balloon Dad wanted to roll to NYC -- to seek "an opportunity for employment" in the next week ... while he still happens to be relevant.
The lawyer also stated that Heene, "has other plans to go to California." Of course he does...
Wonder if he'll wind up on "Entertainment Something."
UPDATE -- Heene's lawyer tells TMZ his trips to NY and Cali are not for media interviews and that he has advised his client to "shut up."
Here's a grand slam moment -- some HSN host was hocking the Wii video game system the other day, when he wound up, took a swing ... and accidentally fired the controller right at the flat screen TV!
"...and there goes the tennis racket ... I didn't have it on there all the way."
Shayne Lamas took a page out of the Andy Baldwin Famewhore Handbook yesterday -- when she fished, swam and frolicked for photogs on a Malibu beach.
The newest "Bachelor" bride-to-not-be caught a nice-sized shovelnose guitarfish -- which ended up being the first of many creatures Shayne will dump back into the wild.
Your pal down the street keeps bragging about his 50-something-inch TV. HDMI blah blah, 1080p yada yada. He thinks he's so cool.
Imagine the look on his face when you show up with the Olevia 65-inch 1080p LCD HDTV. The Olevia 256T FHD HDTV is the perfect companion when you're watching a certain entertainment news program and you want to see Britney and the gang in stunning 65-inch clarity.
Last night's debut of "Kid Nation," the kiddie version of "Survivor," has caused quite a stir this morning. On Ryan Seacrest's morning show on KIIS FM, Ry asked other kids what they thought. And the future of the great nation responded -- sorta kinda. Shanice, an extremely articulate 13-year-old from Beverly Hills called in to weigh in -- and what she had to say, well, you really just have to listen ...
It seems that the buzz about a possible film version of "Magnum P.I." is news to the original series' 'stashed stud, Tom Selleck. Selleck went on the air this morning with Los Angeles' STAR 98.7's Valentine & Lisa Foxx and said that he would be more than willing to take on the role again if the script were good -- and if they called him!
Who's being whispered about to play the pretty private dick in a Magnum opus? The buzz is that Ben Affleck is the lead contender. As hot as Ben is, he ain't got what Selleck's got ... a moustache!
Production on the new untitled David Kohan/Max Mutchnick TV series is in full swing -- and on hand to witness the action -- none other than Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg. No, he's not producing or directing ... just watching! Stevie was on set to lend support to his wife, Kate Capshaw, and stepdaughter Jessica Capshaw, who are starring in the new sitcom. A TMZ spy tells us that while Jessica is funny and entertaining, Kate's not so great. Sorry, mom!
Being married to a genius doesn't necessarily rub off, but in Hollywood, being related to one helps!
In a perfect Zone, the forthcoming sex tape from Season Two "American Idol" contestant Olivia Mojica would play out to the sounds of William Hung's "She Bangs," but for this sorry lot, a simple funeral march will suffice.
Don Imus: We had Don on last week's list, but since then, events have conspired to put him in the running for This Year's Biggest Loser. Stripped of his MSNBC simulcast and WFAN-AM syndicated morning radio show, he's now pushing the control buttons of "Imus in the Mourning." Would producer Bernie McGurk's ill-fated comments have sparked as big a furor had they been exchanged with a top-selling rap artist? You know, the kind that keeps radio parent company Viacom in the green via MTV and BET? Hard to say, but with the loss of Howard Stern and now the 66-year-old Imus, CBS Radio is suffering a serious case of jock shock.
A source tells TMZ that 17-year-old "American Idol" contestant Sanjaya Malakar's cheery smile is simply a front ... and privately, the winsome teen is actually bumming.
A source close to Sanjaya's family revealed exclusively to TMZ that the darling hula-dancer has been devastated by recent bad press he's received over his not-so-precious singing. "He's so young and so sensitive, it's hard for him to go out on that stage and not have that devastation affect his performance," said the source.
Apparently, it's not just hard on Sanjy, but on his family as well; they are trying their best to just be a strong support system for the adorable teenager as he hulas his way through this sometimes surreal experience as one of the remaining 11 American Idols. It's unlikely that Sanjaya will have to endure it much longer. He was in the bottom two last week.
"Heroes" hottie Hayden Panettiere made it even hotter in balmy Los Angeles this weekend -- just by walking her dogs! The superpowered cheerleader was seen strolling with her pooches in West Hollywood, while catching up on her chatting.
Sling Media and Palm have joined forces to replace Google Maps as the number one Palm OS application. Sure, staring at satellite images of your house on your phone is cool, but imagine watching "Heroes," "Lost," or "The Hello Kitty Adventure Hour" on your Treo -- from virtually anywhere.
Sling Media will be releasing SlingPlayer Mobile for the Palm OS, making it possible to watch television on the 3-G enabled Treo 700P smartphone. The software should be available during the first quarter of 2007. Sling Media's Slingbox gives users the ability to watch live TV or DVR stored media from anywhere, via the internet, right to their PC or Sling Media enabled device.
The next time your co-workers are talking about the Dwight Schrute's latest misadventures at work, you can link up your Treo 700P to your DVR via the Slingbox at home and relive those moments together.
Courteney Cox-Arquette portrays a scummy, paparazzi-loving tabloid editor on her new TV show, but when it comes to real life, her attitude toward the photo hounds is less than adoring. Cox-Arquette usually plays it friendly with photogs, but yesterday, the "Dirt" star was in no mood -- and she made it crystal clear. As she left the Kate Somerville skin boutique in West Hollywood, she quashed all attempts for a photo op by shielding her face with a piece of paper ... all the way to her car. Dirty trick.
Looks like playing the part is more fun than the real thing.
Most television shows and movies about superheroes are based on comics. The NBC show "Heroes" wants to reverse that trend by creating a comic book about the show.
The series, about a group of people who discover they have extraordinary powers, is expanding the story lines with online graphic novels. The novels will delve deeper into the stories of the characters and viewers will be offered the choice of reading the online comic in a flash player or downloading and printing it.
With the buzz surrounding the show (it's the first freshman series to get a full season pickup), we're guessing it won't be long before "Heroes" action figures are at a store near you.
UPDATE: Oprah knows a thing or two about sweeps -- and is saving her big announcement for the end of the show.
Your pal down the street keeps bragging about his 50-something-inch TV. HDMI blah blah, 1080p yada yada. He thinks he's so cool. 
In a perfect Zone, the forthcoming sex tape from Season Two "American Idol" contestant Olivia Mojica would play out to the sounds of William Hung's "She Bangs," but for this sorry lot, a simple funeral march will suffice.
A source tells TMZ that 17-year-old "American Idol" contestant Sanjaya Malakar's cheery smile is simply a front ... and privately, the winsome teen is actually bumming. 
Sling Media and Palm have joined forces to replace Google Maps as the number one Palm OS application. Sure, staring at satellite images of your house on your phone is cool, but imagine watching "Heroes," "Lost," or "The Hello Kitty Adventure Hour" on your Treo -- from virtually anywhere. 
Most television shows and movies about superheroes are based on comics. The NBC show "Heroes" wants to reverse that trend by creating a comic book about the show. 
