Sherri Shepherd, who was scheduled to guest host for the ailing Wendy Williams as host of The Wendy Williams Show this week, has undergone emergency surgery for appendicitis and is unable to appear. A spokesperson for The Wendy Williams Show says Michael Rapaport will be filling in for Shepherd, and that Shepherd hopes to be back on the show later in the week.
The long-running daytime syndication series The Dr. Oz Show will come to an end on Jan. 14, 2022, distributor Sony Pictures Television said today. The fate of the show, which had been renewed until 2023, became uncertain after host Mehmet Oz announced his candidacy for Senate in Pennsylvania, with the Fox stations in New York and Philadelphia pulling the program right away. The Dr. Oz Show spinoff, The Good Dish, hosted by Oz’s daughter, Daphne Oz, Gail Simmons and Jamika Pessoa, has been picked up by station groups across the country that carry The Dr. Oz Show, including Fox, which had been The Dr. Oz Show’s core station group, Hearst, Nexstar, Gray and Sinclair.
She will lead marketing strategies across the portfolio of the nine Scripps national networks as well as direct the marketing, brand strategy and creative for each network.
As 2021 comes to a close, television networks are announcing their New Year’s programming, including live specials, themed episodes and more.
Exclusives
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association , often ridiculed, even by its own hosts, this year went from punchline to pariah. After a Los Angeles Times’ expose detailed some of the HFPA’s unethical behavior and revealed that its 87 voting members didn’t include one Black journalist, studios said they would boycott the Globes and more than 100 PR films said their clients wouldn’t participate until the HFPA swiftly implemented “profound and lasting change.” The group will announce nominations early Monday, Dec. 13.
A Swedish journalist, alleging that the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. terminated his membership ‘unfairly, and unlawfully,’ sues the organization.
ViacomCBS’s $1.85 billion sale of its CBS Studio Center lot — known in the industry as CBS Radford — represents the end of an era for the company, and a further shift away from physical properties by legacy entertainment companies as their streaming counterparts bulk up.
The Emmy winner joins Anthony Anderson, Jeffrey Donovan and Hugh Dancy in the revival of the NBC series that premieres Feb. 24.
Michael Nesmith, the singer-songwriter, author, actor-director and entrepreneur who will likely be best remembered as the wool-hatted, guitar-strumming member of the made-for-television rock band The Monkees, died today at 78.
CBS’s Young Sheldon (6.8 million viewers and a 0.6 demo rating) and NBC’s Law & Order: Organized Crime tied for Thursday’s non-NFL demo win. Fox’s Thursday Night Football (9.6M/2.2) is down sharply from last week’s early numbers.
WGN’s New Lifestyle Show A Ratings Winner
From Amazon’s successful expansion of Wheel of Time beyond just fantasy book readers to ViacomCBS’s explosive expansion of its Yellowstone audience through multiplatform exposure, a new Fandom report examines the new rules and best practices for marketing to hardcore enthusiasts.
Biden is set to appear Friday on NBC’s The Tonight Show with comedian Jimmy Fallon. Biden will appear virtually; the White House didn’t say where he will be when he tapes the segment.
Smollett, the former Empire actor, was convicted Thursday on five of six charges he staged an anti-gay, racist attack on himself nearly three years ago and then lied to Chicago police about it.
Following suit of its rivals, streamer Peacock said Thursday that most feature films from sister company Universal Filmed Entertainment Group could debut exclusively on Peacock as early as 45 days after their theatrical release. The big caveat: event pics including next year’s Jurassic World and Minions installments, or Christopher Nolan’s 2023 film, aren’t expected to be part of the 45-day crew.
CBS’s CSI: Vegas closed out its 10-episode season with 3.5 million total viewers and a 0.4 rating — holding steady in the demo while dropping just a handful of eyeballs. Opening CBS’s night, Survivor (5.5M/0.9) was steady and led Wednesday in the demo.
The 19 Kids and Counting alum could face up to 20 years in prison when sentenced in a few months on the two counts of downloading and possessing child pornography.
Once again, broadcasters can get free HD satellite and fiber feeds of the celebration from Times Square, New York, as well as behind-the-scenes preparations leading up to the big night.
