All posts containing the tag: "television"
Posted Sep 13th 2009 10:03AM by TMZ Staff
A poker show on NBC that actually did worse in the ratings than a re-run of "Finding Nemo" is the subject of a ridiculous $85,000,000 lawsuit -- which is about a mil for each person that watched it.
A guy named Brandon McSmith claims he came up with the idea for a show where wannabe poker players compete against pros (who were hidden behind doors) for a chance to win a seat at the World Series of Poker.
Smith claims he pitched the idea to a company called Poker Productions -- but they rejected it.
Fast forward two years -- a show called "Face the Ace" popped up on NBC where contestants "select a pro from behind four smoked-glass doors." And guess who created it? Poker Productions!
The grand prize on the NBC show -- a cool mil.
Even though the show is so awful it has been relegated to Saturday afternoons, McSmith wants $85,000,000 in damages.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Talk Sports, Exclusives
Tags: face the ace, FaceTheAce, nbc, poker, poker productions, poker show, PokerProductions, PokerShow, television
Posted Apr 21st 2009 12:01PM by TMZ Staff
Judging by last night's performance on "Dancing with the Stars," Chuck Wicks has a handful of reasons to be thankful Julianne Hough is his partner/girlfriend.
Filed under: TV, Hot Bodies, Dancing with the Stars
Tags: chuck wicks, dancing, dancing with the stars, julianne hough, television, video
Posted Feb 27th 2009 7:30PM by TMZ Staff
Adam Gregory, who plays Ty on the crappy new "90210," is being sued by his ex-manager for allegedly not paying commissions on a slew of projects.
According to a lawsuit filed last week in Santa Monica, Gregory has not forked over his manager's cut for things like "90210," "Hannah Montana: The Movie," "17 Again," and a Chili's commercial. Apparently standing around and looking hot pays well.
The manager is suing for breach of contract and is seeking damages in excess of $100,000 plus interest.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, TV, Exclusives
Tags: 90210, adam gregory, AdamGregory, breach, contract, film, manager, movie, project, remake, sued, television
Posted Sep 10th 2007 9:00AM by TMZ Staff
If a dose of TMZ helps get you through your day, then your life is about to get a whole lot better!
TMZ is coming to TV, starting TODAY! Now you can catch all your favorite stars as they melt down, break down and throw down -- all from your very own couch!
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Tags: on tv, OnTv, television, tmz
Posted Oct 26th 2006 5:36PM by TMZ Staff
Your cell phone's pretty cool, isn't it? Takes pictures, videos, sends messages, browses the web, blah, blah, blah. Guess what? The rest of the world -- especially Europe and Asia -- thinks your super-cool phone is about as rad as two tin cans and a string.
It turns out that the slow-moving Federal Communications Commission and fickle consumers keep the United States cell phone market pretty backwards compared to the rest of the world. For instance, in Japan, the Sharp 905SH phone allows users to watch TV -- and record their favorite shows as well to watch on its swivel screen, just like portable TiVo. In fact, Japan has a digital broadcast standard in place just for cell phones.
Click here... it's not over yet
Filed under: Celebritoyz
Tags: asia, cell phone, CellPhone, digital broadcast tv, DigitalBroadcastTv, europe, keypad, mp3, samsung b600, SamsungB600, sharp 903sh, Sharp903sh, smart phone, SmartPhone, stylus, technology, telephone, television, tivo, vodaphone, xun chi 138, XunChi138
Posted Oct 9th 2006 12:41PM by TMZ Staff
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.
Filed under: TV
Tags: comic book, ComicBook, graphic novel, GraphicNovel, heroes, nbc, online, show, super heroes, SuperHeroes, television, tv
Posted Jul 12th 2006 5:33PM by TMZ Staff
The Sci Fi network will premiere their new animated series "Amazing Screw-On Head" on the network's broadband channel Sci Fi Pulse two weeks before it premieres on the network. This isn't just a chance to see a sneak preview of a show before it airs-- the Sci Fi Network is giving viewers a chance to dictate what is or isn't shown on the network.
The web preview will have a questionnaire viewers will fill out. The network will then decide, utilizing the feedback, whether or not the network will continue to air the show.
The Sci Fi Channel says "Sci Fi Pulse gives our viewers an unprecedented opportunity to give us direct feedback."
"Amazing Screw-On Head" follows the exploits of one of America's unsung heroes: a secret U.S. agent who happens to be a robot that screws his head on a variety of bodies and battles those who threaten our civilization. Paul Giamatti and David Hyde Pierce lend their voice talents to the show.
"Amazing Screw-On Head" will premiere at Sci Fi Pulse on July 13th and on the Sci Fi Network July 27th.
Filed under: TV
Tags: aci fi, AciFi, amazinf screw on head, amazinf screw-on head, AmazinfScrew-onHead, AmazinfScrewOnHead, animated, sci fi, SciFi, television
Posted Jun 15th 2006 10:16AM by TMZ Staff
The latest group of producers are crying and suing, claiming someone stole their show idea -- in this case, "So You Think You Can Dance." Well, they need to butch it up.
Hollywood is filled with bitter people who feel ripped off. I don't think there's been a single show on the air during the last ten years in which someone claimed they'd been had.
The fact is, TV is kinda like music -- there aren't all that many melodies, so a lot is derivations on a common theme. This business operates on pitch meetings. Day after day, studio execs meet with producers who claim they have the next big thing. The meetings start to blur, ideas collapse on top of each other, something gets on the air and feelings are hurt.
Stu Billett, the man who created reality television by producing "The People's Court" 25 years ago, once told me that the suits at studios do pilfer ideas and that it's really part of their job. As he put it, referring to the execs: "They're like scorpions. They don't mean to kill. It's just their nature."
The fact is, anyone relying on an oral promise -- as was allegedly the case with "So You Think You Can Dance" -- is dreaming; it's not worth the paper it's written on. Stu once said something funny: "If someone stole my show, I wouldn't sue. I'd look like a schmuck because I didn't protect myself."
As for the "So You Think You Can Dance" lawsuit, the plaintiffs list similarities between their show and the one on FOX, including: a 60 minute television show, the Concept recruits contestants from various cities, professional dancers instruct contestants, a panel of professional judges evaluate performances, the competition is an elimination style, yada yada yada. Sounds like ten other shows.
As they say on "Idol," "Welcome to Hollywood."
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, TV, American Idol, Jennifer Garner, H-Wood
Tags: Celebrity Justice, CelebrityJustice, So You Think You Can Dance, SoYouThinkYouCanDance, Stu Billett, StuBillett, television, TV
