SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Pro Football Hall of Famer and former television actor Merlin Olsen has died. He was 69. Utah State University assistant athletic media relations director Zach Fisher says Olsen died Wednesday night at a Los Angeles hospital. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma last year. Olsen was an All-American at Utah State and a first-round draft pick of the Los Angles Rams in 1962. The burley giant from northern Utah joined Deacon Jones, Lamar Lundy and Rosey Grier on the Rams’ storied “Fearsome Foursome” defensive line known for either stopping or knocking backward whatever offenses it faced. The Rams set an NFL record for the fewest yards allowed during a 14-game season in 1968. Olsen was rookie of the year for the Rams in 1962 and is still the Rams’ all-time leader in career tackles with 915. He was named to 14 consecutive Pro Bowls, a string that started his rookie year. Olsen was also an established television actor with a role on “Little House on the Prairie,” then starring in his own series, “Father Murphy,” from 1981 to 1983 and the short-lived “Aaron’s Way” in 1988. Olsen was a consensus All-American at Utah State and won the 1961 Outland Trophy as the nation’s best interior lineman. The Rams drafted Olsen third overall in 1962 and he spent the next 15 years with the team before retiring in 1976. Utah State honored Olsen in December by naming the football field at Romney Stadium “Merlin Olsen Field.” Because of his illness, Olsen’s alma mater didn’t want to wait until football season and made the announcement during halftime of a basketball game. Olsen was well enough to attend, but did not speak at the event. He stood and smiled as he waved to fans during a standing ovation and chants of “Merlin Olsen!” and “Aggie Legend!” Utah State is also planning a statue of Olsen at the southeast corner of the stadium. The Rams also honored Olsen during a game Dec. 20, with a video tribute narrated by Dick Enberg, Olsen’s longtime broadcast partner. Olsen did not attend because of his health. His name was already part of the Ring of Fame inside the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis along with other franchise standouts. He was voted NFC defensive lineman of the year in 1973 and the NFL MVP in 1974, and was voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982.
March 11, 2010 | Posted in
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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Donovan McNabb will be throwing passes to Terrell Owens again. McNabb and Owens are teaming up on a basketball court instead of a football field in the new season of Spike TV’s “Pros vs. Joes.” The episode features NFL players that played college basketball against former NBA stars. McNabb (Syracuse), Owens (Tennessee-Chattanooga) and Antonio Gates (Kent St.) will face Hakeem Olajuwon, Kenny Smith and Rick Fox. T.O. helped McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles reach the Super Bowl in 2004, but a feud ended their relationship and Owens was cut midway through the ‘05 season. Owens is a free agent after spending last year with Buffalo. He caught 55 passes for 829 yards and five touchdowns in his only season with the Bills. Owens played three seasons with Dallas after he was released by Philadelphia. McNabb has been the subject of trade rumors since the Eagles lost to the Cowboys in the first round of the playoffs. He’s led Philadelphia to five NFC championship games and one Super Bowl in 11 seasons. After the Eagles lost their third straight conference title game in 2003, McNabb lobbied hard to bring Owens to Philadelphia. The duo combined for an electrifying season. McNabb had a career year and Owens put up prolific numbers before he broke his ankle in late December. Owens returned to play in Philadelphia’s loss to New England in the Super Bowl. Shortly afterward, Owens demanded a new contract, criticized management and ripped McNabb. They’ve spoken a few times since and have seemingly patched up their differences.
March 8, 2010 | Posted in
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sandra Bullock paid her dues in Hollywood for more than 20 years. She was rewarded Sunday, winning the best-actress Oscar for playing a tough white Southern woman who adopted a black child in “The Blind Side.” Bullock had repeatedly said she didn’t think she was going to win, although the 45-year-old actress was a heavy favorite. “Did I really earn this or did I just wear you all down?” she said after accepting the golden statue from Sean Penn. In the closest race of the acting categories, Bullock was up against Meryl Steep in “Julie & Julia,” former winner Helen Mirren in “The Last Station,” and breakout stars Gabourey Sidibe of “Precious” and Carey Mulligan of “An Education” for their first-time leading roles. Bullock had already won the Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe awards, and tied Streep at the Broadcast Film Critics awards. Streep also won at the Globes. At 60, Streep is the most nominated actor, male or female, of all time with 16 nods, but she’s gone home empty-handed since her last best-actress win for “Sophie’s Choice” in 1983. Her other victory was as supporting actress for “Kramer vs. Kramer” in 1980. Bullock’s Oscar triumph came a night after she won worst actress at the Razzies on Saturday for “All About Steve,” a romantic comedy flop that quickly vanished at theaters in between her 2009 hits, “The Proposal” and “The Blind Side.” Bullock’s breakout role came in the 1994 film “Speed.” She went on to score box office successes in “While You Were Sleeping” and “Miss Congeniality.” But she also appeared in a string of duds before a supporting role in the 2004 movie “Crash” earned Bullock some of the best reviews of her career. Bullock became the first person to win an Oscar and a Razzie on the same weekend. She was the rare A-list star who attended the show that pokes fun at the Oscars by giving out prizes for Hollywood box office failures. In “The Blind Side,” Bullock donned a frosted blond wig and a Tennessee twang to play Leigh Anne Tuohy, the real-life adoptive mother of Baltimore Ravens football player Michael Oher.
March 8, 2010 | Posted in
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — A “Baywatch” babe, an astronaut and a gold medal figure skater are among those who will compete on the spring season of “Dancing With the Stars.” Host Tom Bergeron and former finalist Melissa Rycroft revealed the cast Monday. It includes Pamela Anderson, astronaut Buzz Aldrin and reality stars Kate Gosselin and Jake Pavelka. Also competing for the mirrorball trophy will be: gold medal figure skater Evan Lysacek, sportscaster Erin Andrews, singer Nicole Scherzinger, football star Chad Ochocinco and actors Shannen Doherty, Aiden Turner and Niecy Nash. “It’s definitely one of our strongest cast lineups ever,” said executive producer Conrad Green. “Pound for pound, it should be really fascinating watching.” “Dancing With the Stars” returns on March 22. Green said the recipe for a great cast is “part hope, part luck, part skill, part research.” The show’s staff has been courting many of the newly announced contestants for months, he said. The new dancers will train for three weeks before making their primetime premiere. Green said his staff is enforcing limits on training time to avoid the spate of injuries that plagued last year’s cast and caused two stars to drop out before the competition began. — On the Net: http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars
March 2, 2010 | Posted in
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Walt Disney Co. on Monday began warning Cablevision subscribers in New York that the local ABC television station signal may go dark this weekend in a dispute over how much it is paid by the cable operator. If the fee fight isn’t resolved, the station could go dark after midnight Saturday, meaning Cablevision’s 3.1 million customers could lose the ability to watch the Academy Awards on Sunday on ABC. The signal, however, can still be pulled from the air for free with an antenna and a new TV or digital converter box. Disney is seeking an additional $40 million a year in new fees, Cablevision Systems Corp. spokesman Charles Schueler said in a statement. Cablevision pays more than $200 million a year to Disney. “It is not fair for ABC Disney to hold Cablevision customers hostage by forcing them to pay what amounts to a new TV tax,” Schueler said. Disney said Cablevision charges customers $18 per month for basic broadcast signals, but does not pass on any payment for ABC to Disney. The dispute involving WABC-TV is similar to the standoff at the end of last year between News Corp. and Time Warner Cable over how much Fox television station signals were worth. That tussle, which threatened the college football bowl season and new episodes of “The Simpsons,” was resolved without a signal interruption. Disney said it began alerting Cablevision watchers of the impasse in on-air spot advertisements Monday night. It plans on taking out ads in local newspapers, radio stations and online to inform viewers of the situation, and set up a Web site, http://www.saveabc7.com , to plead its case. The company’s previous contract with Cablevision expired more than two years ago, but the companies extended it month by month as talks continued. Under previous arrangements, Disney was paid for cable channels such as ESPN and Disney Channel, but gave its ABC broadcast signal away for free, a situation that most broadcasters are now trying to change. “We can no longer sit back and allow Cablevision to use our shows for free while they continue to charge their customers for them,” said Rebecca Campbell, the president and general manager of WABC-TV in a statement. Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger foreshadowed recently that a fight was coming after News Corp. succeeded in its campaign to be paid in cash for its stations’ broadcast signals. WABC-TV is the most watched TV station in the country, said Disney, which is based in Burbank. “It’s time to recognize the value that they provide to distributors, and their importance to local communities,” Iger said on a conference call with analysts last month.
March 2, 2010 | Posted in
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LONDON (AP) — British singer and TV personality Cheryl Cole says she is separating from her husband, football (soccer) player Ashley Cole. The 26-year-old Girls Aloud pop singer is a judge for the British reality talent show “The X Factor” along with Simon Cowell. She asked the media to respect her privacy “during this difficult time” in a statement issued Tuesday by her publicist. Ashley Cole plays left back for Chelsea and the England national team. British media had speculated the marriage was in trouble after tabloids published front-page stories reportedly linking Ashley Cole to other women. Cheryl Cole’s song “Fight for This Love” was nominated for a 2010 Brit award.
February 23, 2010 | Posted in
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DirecTV Inc. on Thursday reported a fourth-quarter loss after absorbing a hefty merger charge. The nation’s largest satellite TV operator also added 60 percent fewer new subscribers as discounted bundles from competitors and a weak economy took their toll on growth. DirecTV has benefited from cable companies losing ground in the battle for subscribers. However, it is up against aggressive marketing from fellow satellite TV operator Dish Network Corp. which has offered hefty promotions aimed at stealing away bargain-hunters. Dish says its ads – which claim DirecTV service is more expensive – are bringing in customers. DirecTV is suing Dish for false advertising. DirecTV still remains one of the brighter lights in the subscription TV industry. It has focused on customers with higher credit scores, and won higher-paying viewers by ramping up the number of high-definition channels and offering its exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket package that airs football games from other cities. Later this year, DirecTV will offer sporting events and movies in 3-D. Still, the company isn’t immune to the drag of competition that has lured customers with promises of cheaper TV. DirecTV’s cancellation rate rose in the quarter. “The economic recovery in the U.S. continues to be quite fragile. Consumers are still very cautious about spending money,” said CEO Michael White, a former vice chairman of PepsiCo Inc. who joined DirecTV on Jan. 1, in a conference call with analysts. DirecTV lost $32 million, or 3 cents per share, compared with a profit of $332 million, or 32 cents per share, in the same quarter a year earlier. Excluding a $491 million pre-tax charge related to its merger with certain entertainment assets spun off by Liberty Media Corp. in November, DirecTV earned $454 million, or 48 cents per share. That’s 37 percent higher than earnings in the 2008 quarter. Free cash flow, a key metric for the capital-intensive subscription TV industry, was up 64 percent to $710 million in the quarter. Revenue rose by nearly 13 percent to $5.98 billion from $5.31 billion. Results beat the forecasts of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, who expected adjusted earnings of 42 cents per share on revenue of $5.92 billion. The company also announced a new $3.5 billion stock buyback program which will help boost its bottom line. Shares of DirecTV, based in El Segundo, Calif., rose $1.31, or 4 percent, to close at $32.96 – not far off their 52-week high of $34.42. DirecTV added 119,000 new U.S. subscribers after cancellations, down from 301,000 in the 2008 quarter, to end the period with a total of 18.6 million customers. Analysts had expected DirecTV to add 185,000 new customers. However, customers paid more per month. The average monthly bill rose 2 percent to $92.36 as price increases and orders of HD, DVR and the NFL package more than offset DirecTV’s promotional offers and lower pay-per-view revenue. “In the face of Dish Network’s withering “anti-DirecTV” campaign, a “we’re cheaper” campaign … DirecTV seemingly accepted lower growth but has sustained profitability and cash flow,” said Craig Moffett, an analyst at Sanford Bernstein, in a research note. DirecTV’s Latin America operations performed better than its U.S. business. It added 254,000 net new customers in the region, up 59 percent from the prior year’s comparable quarter, and the pace of cancellations slowed. Revenue rose 47 percent to $839 million, as demand rose for its prepaid plans, as well as for HD and DVR services. Business was especially strong in Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil. The company’s Latin American holdings include a 74 percent stake in Sky Brazil, 41 percent of Sky Mexico and all of PanAmericana. For the year, DirecTV earned $942 million, or 95 cents per share, compared with a profit of $1.52 billion, or $1.37 per share. Revenue rose nearly 10 percent to $21.6 billion.
February 18, 2010 | Posted in
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BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Sandra Bullock spoke of maintaining a good work ethic for years to come. Woody Harrelson spoke of soldiers. Carey Mulligan spoke about bumping butts with Quentin Tarantino. This season’s Academy Awards elite gathered Monday for the annual nominees luncheon, with table talk ranging from weighty matters such as the war on terror to lighter chatter like what to wear to the big show. Before sharing a meal of poached pear gorgonzola salad, marinated chicken breast and apple tarts, nominees dropped by a news conference to talk about the whirlwind leading to the March 7 Oscar ceremony. Bullock has been considered the front-runner to win best actress for the football drama “The Blind Side” but said didn’t take her nomination for granted. “Does anybody expect a nomination? I certainly didn’t,” said Bullock, an enduring box-office draw who had never before been nominated for an Oscar. “I’m really very amazed and thankful to be here, because I’d like to work hard for another 10, 15 years. So if this is what that means, bring it.” Harrelson, a supporting-actor nominee for the homefront war drama “The Messenger,” and Jeremy Renner, a best-actor contender for the Iraq war saga “The Hurt Locker,” said their roles instilled fresh respect for troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. “I walk up to any military personnel I can find, and I shake their hand and I thank them for their service,” Renner said. Before “The Messenger,” Harrelson said he generally had viewed the war and the troops fighting it in the same light. “I always kind of lumped it all together, and it wasn’t until I had the opportunity through the shooting of `The Messenger’ to spend a lot of time with people in the Army that I started to realize how amazing these people are,” Harrelson said. “As much as I have come to love the warrior, I still loathe the war.” Harrelson had a concise reply when asked if he ever expected to earn an Oscar nomination for a film released the same year he played a gleeful slayer of flesh-eating fiends in “Zombieland.” “Short answer, no,” Harrelson said. Mulligan, a best-actress nominee for the British drama “An Education,” said awards season has been a thrill because of the Hollywood idols with whom she has rubbed elbows, including Bullock and fellow best-actress contenders Meryl Streep (”Julie & Julia”) and Helen Mirren (”The Last Station”). “They’ve all been so unbelievably kind and not intimidating,” Mulligan said. “You have them on such a pedestal and you think they could be a nightmare if they wanted to because they’re so good. And they’re just lovely.” Also among the idols she has met is Tarantino, a directing nominee for best-picture contender “Inglourious Basterds.” Moments earlier, Mulligan said, she and Tarantino had accidentally bumped butts while milling about among the luncheon crowd. Bullock, Mulligan and Gabourey Sidibe, a best-actress nominee for the Harlem drama “Precious: Based on the Novel `Push’ By Sapphire,” said they have barely started to consider what to wear to the Oscars, one of the world’s top fashion bashes. “It’s two weeks away, and my stomach’s hurting over it a little bit,” Sidibe said. “I’m a little scared.” Contenders posed for the annual Oscar “class picture” – a group photo of all 121 nominees at the luncheon. The crowd included ex-spouses Kathryn Bigelow, director of “The Hurt Locker,” and James Cameron, director of the sci-fi sensation “Avatar.” Though the best-picture field was doubled to 10 films this season, the contest for top prize is considered a two-movie race between “Avatar” and “The Hurt Locker.” Others on hand included acting nominees George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick (”Up in the Air”), Morgan Freeman (”Invictus”), Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal (”Crazy Heart”) and Colin Firth (”A Single Man”). The Oscar show had its best TV ratings ever when Cameron’s blockbuster “Titanic” dominated the awards 12 years ago. Oscar organizers hope that having “Avatar” and hits such as “Up,” “The Blind Side” and “District 9″ in the mix will coax more viewers to tune in to a show that saw ratings fall to an all-time low two years ago. “This year, it seems to be more lively, more interesting than it has been in a while,” Tom Sherak, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, told nominees during the luncheon. Gyllenhaal, a supporting-actress nominee for “Crazy Heart,” said she got some valuable advice from brother Jake Gyllenhaal, a past nominee for “Brokeback Mountain,” about not letting the Oscars go to her head. “He said, `There isn’t actually anything at the end of the rainbow,’” Gyllenhaal said. “He said, `It’s a lot of fun and enjoy it in that spirit. If you make it mean too much more than that, you’ll probably go astray.’”
February 16, 2010 | Posted in
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NEW YORK (AP) — The Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million people, surpassing the 1983 finale of “M-A-S-H” to become the most-watched program in television history. The Nielsen Co. estimated Monday that 106.5 million people watched the New Orleans Saints upset the Indianapolis Colts. That beats the “M-A-S-H” finale, which had 105.97 million viewers in an era when there were fewer television sets. Compelling story lines involving the city of New Orleans and its recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the quest for a second Super Bowl ring for Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning propelled the viewership. The game also obliterated the previous record viewership for a Super Bowl – last year’s game between Arizona and Pittsburgh in which 98.7 million people watched. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below. NEW YORK (AP) – The New Orleans Saints’ win over Indianapolis gave the Super Bowl its highest overnight ratings in 23 years. That means, when final figures are released by the Nielsen Co. later Monday, there’s a strong likelihood the game will be the most-watched Super Bowl ever. Last year’s game between Pittsburgh and Arizona has that distinction, with 98.7 million viewers. The quick measurement of the nation’s 55 biggest media markets gave the New Orleans-Indianapolis game on CBS a 46.4 rating. Last year’s game had an overnight measurement of 42.1. A ratings point represents 1,149,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation’s estimated 114.9 million TV homes. The overnight ratings figure was the largest since the 1987 game between the New York Giants and Denver Broncos. The top-rated market was New Orleans, as might be expected, but the second highest wasn’t Indianapolis. It was Washington, where a paralyzing snowstorm presumably kept many residents at home and in front of the TV. Meanwhile, Dorito’s was a big winner in a measurement of interest in the commercials played during the Super Bowl. TiVo Inc. said the snack company’s ad featuring a boy telling a man to keep his hands off his chips and his mom was stopped and played back in 15 percent of homes with the digital video recorder. The secretly filmed CBS promo with David Letterman, Jay Leno and Oprah Winfrey came in second, followed by the Snicker’s ad with Betty White and Abe Vigoda flattened in a football game.
February 8, 2010 | Posted in
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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — They are on opposing sides, but Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints fans found something to bond over at the Super Bowl on Sunday – a Daughtry (daw-TREE’)concert. Black and gold mixed with Colts blue as the rockers performed before the game. Lead singer Chris Daughtry joked that he was able to bring together a rowdy group. He said: “There was a lot of segregation … a lot of fights getting ready to break out.” Guitarist Josh Steely interjected: “He eased that crowd though.” While The Who is the main entertainment for the Super Bowl, performing at the halftime show, and Carrie Underwood and Queen Latifah are singing the national anthem and “America the Beautiful” before kickoff respectively, there was still other entertainment at the game. Besides Daughtry, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Steve Winwood performed. Chris Daughtry said the biggest challenge for the band, who performed several songs including the hit “Home,” was not winning over a crowd more interested in football than music, but getting themselves hyped up so early in the day. “We’re used to nighttime shows. … but you just have to roll with it and pretend it’s nighttime,” he said. While most of the band said they were rooting for the Saints, they still gave Colts fans some love. Chris Daughtry high-fived with a crowd of mostly Colts fans hanging out at a fence behind the stage, and later, he threw out guitar picks for the crowd. The band kicks of a U.S. tour next month. — On the Net: http://www.daughtryofficial.com
February 7, 2010 | Posted in
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