Television

Foreign TV shows and movies streamed online in China will need to have permits issued by a state watchdog, China Daily reported Monday. The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SARPPFT) has been ordering the removal of popular foreign shows as well as trailing warnings of coming tougher regulation for months. The announced permit policy will see all foreign TV shows and movies reviewed by watchdogs before being made available for viewing online reported China Daily, which has close links to the Chinese government and is considered a reputable source on matters of state policy. The Big Bang Theory was the most high profile casualty of a Chinese government attempt to censor overseas content, ordering that the show be removed from legal video sites in April. Other U. S. shows that fell foul of the TV watchdog were The Good Wife, NCIS and The Practice. The sudden removal of The Big Bang Theory led to series creator Chuck Lorre responding sarcastically with one of his signature ‘vanity notes’ which ended with the defiant words: “The overlords of 1. 3 billion people are afraid of our sitcom. Exactly what we were going for!”Read more China’s Alibaba, Youku Tudou Pact on Video MarketingThe new policy means that Chinese audiences will not now, legally, be able to watch certain shows simultaneously as they are broadcast overseas. The bureaucratic imposition of extra waiting time to watch shows caused by the permit policy has become a hot topic on Chinese social media and hit the top 10 most discussed items on Sina Weibo. Social media users are speculating whether the increasingly tough regulations are down to a crackdown on immoral content on the Internet, following on from the policy to ban stars guilty of drug or sex scandals from Chinese television screens. China Daily reported that though there has been no public comment from the big online video sites such as Youku, privately and anonymously the industry is concerned by the developments. “It raised our concern about copyrights, which may lead to a loss of users,” said an insider from a popular online streaming site to China Daily under condition of anonymity. Some producers of foreign shows are looking to get out in front of China’s censors by providing full episodes for review well in advance. Producers behind the incredibly popular South Korean TV dramas are said to be pursuing this strategy. Read moreBBC Website Blocked in ChinaTwitter: @gentlemanabroadSource link

Lifetime is gearing up for another holiday classic with the release of its first trailer for Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever set for November 29, 2014.

The forthcoming holiday special, set to air Nov. 29, will feature a pet-store cat that is constantly overlooked until a 12-year-old girl has her holiday wishes come true’or so she thinks. “You really screwed up your big wish,” Grumpy Cat (voiced by Parks & Recreation star Aubrey Plaza) reveals to the innocent young girl. Unlike most furry kittens, Grumpy Cat could care less about peace, joy and goodwill for all during the season. But with a loving family, could the cat’s attitude change?”Don’t get sappy on me,” Grumpy Cat says in the new trailer. “Wait, I forgot-it’s a Lifetime movie.” Grumpy Cat shot to fame in 2012 after owner Tabatha Bundesen posted a picture of the cat onto Reddit. Since then, the viral feline has become the subject of a book, calendar and even American Idol. You don’t remember when she was the VIP guest during season 13?

Actually, maybe that’s a good thing. She also is inching closer and closer to seven million fans on Facebook. When the latest preview from Lifetime was released, Grumpy Cat shared, “I had a movie trailer once. It was awful.” That’s the spirit!Someone who actually is excited for the upcoming movie is Plaza herself. “DREAMS DO COME TRUE!” she wrote once the trailer was released. #RT FOREVER #grumpycatsworstchrismasever #ThanksgivingHEREWECOME.” Will you be watching Grumpy Cat in between your family’s annual viewing of Elf, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone? Source link

Free and retired Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi has agreed to his first and only interview since being released from a Mexican jail, to Fox News Channel.

On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren (FOX) has given Tahmooressi’s plight extensive coverage recently. A Mexican judge released Tahmooressi last night after 214 days in a Tijuana prison. His release came following after a diplomatic push from former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, other U.S. politicians, and talk show host Montel Williams.

Van Susteren spent two days outside Tahmooressi’s jail in May demanding to see him. The Mexican government blocked Van Susteren, who was traveling with Tahmooressi’s mother, after initially agreeing to the interview. Van Susteren and her team have been in constant, daily contact with the family since.

A high level source tells us the Mexican judge on the case watched “On the Record” nightly.

On the night of March 31, Tahmooressi drove across the border, mistakenly, he says, near Tijuana. He was detained when authorities found three weapons in his truck. He arrived back home in Florida last night.

<h2>We used to think TV on Thursday nights was solid, and then CBS went ahead and brought back their full Thursday line-up, and now we are literally drowning in television. </h2>If we have to go, that’s the only way we’d choose, so we’re kind of ok with it. Join us for our Thursday night Rants and Raves!

RAVE: Scandal: Damn that opening scene! That was one hell of a dream in which Olivia seemed to be in bed with an alternating Jake and Fitz in between her legs. If only her dad/Abby hadn’t shown up to snap her out of it

RANT: Scandal: Some of us here may be Fitz fans, but then there are those of us who side with Jake, and who are mad at where this show is headed. Basically, Jake gave Olivia up. He told her he knew she wouldn’t choose him. And then, as Olivia was asking Fitz not to just give Jake over to Rowan, he wanted to know if there was hope for them, essentially giving her no choice but to say yes in order to keep Jake alive.

RAVE: Scandal: Three cheers for Bitsy Cooper, a badass former first lady, who is hopefully Mellie’s new best friend. Mellie deserves to have as many amazing best friends as possible.

RANT?: Scandal: Shonda Rhimes tweeted: “Olivia’s final words might be her most controversial ever…” Olivia’s final words were: “You may be Command, Dad, but I have weapons at my disposal. Weapons that you can’t possibly possess.” Discuss!

RAVE: How to Get Away With Murder: Badass courtroom smackdowns are high on our list of “favorite TV things” and tonight we got another great one, with Annalise projecting over fifty objections to accuse a senator of ordering a murder. It. Was. Awesome. As was basically everything that happened tonight.

RAVE: How to Get Away with Murder: Does Annalise know her husband is dead? We couldn’t quite tell at the end there if she was actually looking at that spot on the floor where his body had previously lain or at her missing rug, but she definitely does not know that her students have taken the body. She also clearly has no idea that Asher and Bonnie are sleeping together. Also: Way to be a hypocrite, Bonnie!

RANT/RAVE: How to Get Away with Murder: Nate is barely a step behind Annalise at every turn. He knows that she planted the cellphone in Lilah’s boyfriend’s car, while Annalise is changing the wallpaper in her house to protect Sam. Who are we rooting for on this show? We genuinely can’t decide, and it is riveting.

RAVE: The Vampire Diaries: He’s aliiiiive! Thanks to some magical juju from Bonnie and the ascendant. Damon is alive and well and finally out of his 1994 hell. Luckily, Stefan was right there to greet him when he reappeared, and it was the absolute sweetest of brotherly reunions-seriously, we were nearly crying. However, we’re definitely not looking forward to Damon realizing that Elena no longer remembers she loves him, or to the Damon-free Elena learning that Bonnie did not make it back. We predict many more tears.

RAVE: The Vampire Diaries: Uh, so what’s up with Alaric’s new lady doctor friend, Jo? Why can’t he compel her? Has she been bathing in Vervain? And why would he want her to quit falling for him anyway? We just want Alaric to be happy!

RAVE: Elementary: While we miss the old dynamic between Joan and Sherlock, we continue to love the relationship between Sherlock and Joan, even if they’re not quite working together at the moment. We also love that Joan is a successful PI all on her own! We also just love Lucy Liu. We also love that this show is back. That is all.

RAVE: Parenthood: Crosby and Jasmine threw Jabbar an awesome Harry Potter surprise party and we are very jealous of this fictional child. Also: When did Amber become such a responsible adult? Source link

LeBron James will play his first game in Cleveland tonight since heading back to the Cavaliers after taking his talents to South Beach in 2010.

James’ return means big business for the city and CNBC’s Morgan Brennan is live in Cleveland throughout the day to cover it. The “LeBron effect” increases ticket sales, hotel reservation and web traffic, so CNBC is on the ground to cover the business angle of the biggest homecoming in sports.

From increased jersey sales to local restaurants thriving, the “LeBron effect” has a significant impact on the economy. According to Brennan’s report, Cuyahoga County projects a $50 million boost to the local economy. More jobs will be created to meet visitor demand and more taxes collected due to increased consumer spending on tickets and in local businesses. Source link

ABC is ready to take a big Risk. The network is teaming with Warehouse 13’s Jack Kenny and producing duo Ian Sander and Kim Moses to adapt French drama Risk, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. See moreFaces of Fall 2014Risk explores what happens when the unruly Roche Agency – a family-run private investigation firm with looming financial problems – is forced to team up with Nikki Castaneda, a former national security agent who now owns a successful corporate investigation firm. The drama is described as a mix of complex mystery, sharp banter and sexual tension to rival Taming of the Shrew and follows what ensues as the newly merged company’s lead investigators resist their physical attraction to each other while working through their very different approaches to their business and personal lives. Kenny will pen the script and exec produce for 20th Century Fox Television, with studio-based Sander and Moses on board to exec produce. For Sander/Moses, Risk marks the duo’s latest project. The duo also has Fox’s Runner, based on the Turkish format, which just received a cast-contingent pilot order at the network. They also have Amazon’s Kingdoms in the works. Their credits include CBS’ Ghost Whisperer and recently had CBS’ one-and-done summer drama Reckless. They’re repped by UTA. Kenny, whose credits include Reba, Titus and Roommates, is also with UTA. Email: Lesley. Goldberg@THR.comTwitter: @SnooditSource link

It’s The Flash/Arrow crossover day! Felicity Smoak stopped over in Central City to hang out with Barry Allen and the STAR labs crew, and it was beyond wonderful. In fact, most things were beyond wonderful tonight. We’ve got very little to rant about, in fact, so join us for another installment of Rants and (Mostly) Raves!RANT: The Flash: Darn it, you guys, we had just started to forget about Olicity as we switched to the Baricity/Felarry/Smoaken Ship only to have it go down in mutually-decided-upon flames when Barry and Felicity realized they were just two people in love with other people. Oh well. Back to Olicity!RAVE: The Flash: If we weren’t invested in this show already, we absolutely are now. Not only did we finally get a recurring big bad in Wentworth Miller’s Captain Cold, we also got a ton of Felicity just bein’ Felicity, and Felicity’s natural humor matches the tone of this show perfectly. RAVE: The Flash: “I want to see it, and by it, I mean your speed, in case you thought I was talking about something else, which I wasn’t.” “And I’m talking to air now. Which is odd. And I’m still doing it.” See what we meant about Felicity bein’ Felicity? Never change, Ms. Smoak. RANT: The Flash: We can’t help but feel like Felicity’s little slip-up in mentioning Oliver and the Arrow in the same sentence might have some serious ramifications later on, especially since we don’t trust Harrison Wells one bit. RANT: Sons of Anarchy: Poor Bobby! Jax tried to negotiate so poor Mr. Munson lost a finger. The Sons hadn’t actually opened the box by the end of the episode, but we hope the finger was also delivered in a Tupperware container. RAVE: Sons of Anarchy: We felt like Abel was so. close. to revealing Gemma’s big murderous secret tonight, as she questioned him about having hit another kid. He claimed it was an accident, and she asked him if he knew what “accident” meant. He responded: “Do you?” Was it really a realistic kid’s response? No, but it was a damn good moment of TV. RAVE: Sons of Anarchy: And if Abel doesn’t do it, maybe Juice will, since he seems to be making a deal with the feds. He also smushed a cockroach in his fingers in tonight’s episode. It was gross. RAVE: The Voice: Last night we were all about Taylor Swift being everybody’s adviser all the time for everything, but now we’re not so sure, after advice like: “You should feel like you’re carrying around a duffel bag with a heat-seeking missile in it, like you’re going to hit the target.” Maybe she really is a nightmare dressed like a daydream. RAVE: Agents of SHIELD: Can we keep Adrianne Palicki as Bobbi Morse forever and always please? She’s beyond perfect. RAVE: Agents of SHIELD: We continue to be impressed by Skye’s transformation into a badass agent. We are mildly worried now, however, since Ward has now escaped and is no longer confined to that nifty little jail cell. RAVE: Supernatural: The boys really are back! That was a good old fashioned Supernatural episode, save for all the dealing-with-the-demon-thing Sam and Dead did in between hanging out with werewolves. RAVE: Benched: Eliza Coupe is back! Now we’ve got Jane, Penny (Marry Me), Max (The Mindy Project), and Brad (New Girl) all on our Tuesday night TV screens (when sports aren’t happening). Now if Zachary Knighton’s and Elisha Cuthbert’s new shows (Weird Loners & One Big Happy) can also air on Tuesdays, it will ALMOST be just like Happy Endings got un-canceled. Almost. Kind of. Source link

It’s been an honor and a privilege to have gotten to know so many of you over the past six years,” the journalist wrote to her colleagues
FoxNews.com reporter Jana Winter, who was facing a prison sentence in the last year over refusing to reveal sources, has left the network, she announced Monday.

“As some of you may have heard, today is my last day at Fox. It’s been an honor and a privilege to have gotten to know … so many of you over the past six years. You are truly amazing, intrepid journalists and I have learned so much from you. I have a million people to thank. First: My dotcom colleagues and bosses who took a chance on me, nurtured me and always admired my super neat desk. Thank you, too, to the awesome field producers in the Northeast bureau who were so patient and taught me so much out in the field. I also want to thank Denver (our team there, not the city,) the brainroom, help desk, media relations and everyone here who works so hard to support and keep us journalists safe. And, of course, a huge thank you to what’s got to be the best legal department in the entire universe. Thank you all so much. I am grateful for your unwavering support.”

She became the center of a journalism firestorm over the last two years after lawyers for Aurora movie theater shooter James Holmes compelled Winter to testify and reveal her sources for a story she wrote about the shooting. Winter steadfastly refused. The issue came to its end last December when a New York Court ruled in Winter’s favor, excusing her from testifying in a Colorado court.

We’ve reached out to Winter to see what her next career move is, but have not received a response.Source link

Abbot Genser/HBOBoardwalk Empire, you confounding little gem. Even as you end, you’re not making it easy to send you off. Through its five season run – this current and final season had a truncated eight episodes, the last of which airs tonight – I’ve thought a lot about and written a little about the issues I’ve always struggled with when it comes to Terence Winter’s prohibition/power/mobster epic set in Atlantic City and starring Steve Buscemi. I think the crux of the issue is that Boardwalk Empire had everything it took to be great, but often suffered under the weight of that potential. It reached greatness numerous times; sustaining it was always the problem. Read more ‘Boardwalk Empire’: Steve Buscemi, Terence Winter Share How They Ended the Final SeasonIt would be easy to just say, sure, Boardwalk Empire was often more brilliant than anything else on TV, even though it didn’t capture the country like, say, Mad Men or Breaking Bad did. Or, for that matter, The Sopranos, which was the show where Winters made his reputation. It’s easy to get nostalgic or softly appreciative of really strong series when they bow out, and it might be seen as pointless nitpicking to express frustration at what wasn’t achieved. Again, that goes back to expectations. And if it seems unfair to say that Boardwalk Empire could have or should have been better, it’s only because it was held to the highest of standards with a real desire to have the series grab its place in the pantheon of excellent television. Few series get saddled with any expectations at all. They are not in the conversation about legacy. As Boardwalk Empire departs, with a season that has been a snapshot of previous creative hits and misses, I find myself wanting to amend my one long-held, fiercely defended position on it: that the show was not compelling. I still believe that’s the greatest weakness of Boardwalk Empire. I would never miss a live episode of Breaking Bad or Mad Men or even The Walking Dead - they were (and in the latter case, are) shows that compelled you to watch the moment they aired. In contrast, I could let two or three episodes of Boardwalk Empire pile up on the DVR with little or no compulsion to find out what happened. The amendment I’d make is this – the show wasn’t immediately compelling. Watching it in a Netflix-ish binge like I did much of this season, makes that clear. The storytelling and the characters and the dialogue have always been fantastic, but it’s always a slow roll with this show. The series even managed, with only eight episodes this season, to keep up one of its most frustrating elements – structuring the season as a slow burn where it all blows up (entertainingly, sometimes majestically) in the last three or four episodes. That’s a classic, old-school way to make television and could only be done on a premium channel like HBO where you pay for your own patience. Previous seasons were maddening (and yes, not compelling) in the early going, building as the episodes did to that last-four-episode fireworks display. By the third season, I was pretty much done with that tease. Only a creative return to form in season four kept me on the bandwagon, and that season was an exclamation point on one of the main problems with Boardwalk Empire:The supporting characters – or the short-lived ones that were either written into a season or elevated to major players – were all more interesting than Buscemi’s Nucky Thompson. Read more Steve Buscemi Makes Documentary Debut with HBO Firefighter Film ‘A Good Job’Note that I’m talking about the character, not the actor. While a lot of chatter through the years was made of whether Buscemi, who has a career full of memorable supporting characters in film and television, could pull off the lead role in a weekly series, his incredible acting made that a moot point almost instantly. But his character was, for the first few seasons, far less interesting than those around him. That’s not Buscemi’s fault at all. Winter and his writers weren’t able to make Nucky a standout lead a la Tony Soprano, Walter White or Don Draper. Nucky Thompson seeking power was a lot less interesting than him gaining it, suffering from it and trying to hold onto it, as the last couple of seasons have focused on. That’s another Boardwalk Empire slow build for you. Part of the problem in tabulating the whole of this series is that it shined brightest when its minor parts were on display. Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt), Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg), Chalky White (Michael Kenneth Williams), Agent Nelson Van Alden (Michael Shannon), Al Capone (Stephen Graham), Lucky Luciano (Vincent Piazza), Valentin Narcisse (Jeffrey Wright) and the brilliant Richard Harrow (Jack Huston) were all more interesting than Nucky. Hell, if you’d told this story from the perspective of Harrow or Chalky, things might be different. Then again, Nucky built the Boardwalk Empire, so there you have your show. See more 40 Years of HBOBut this nagging issue will, for me, always complicate my appreciation for the series. Hell, I love Kelly Macdonald as an actress but never felt much for her Margaret. Which means the entirety of the first couple of seasons was built around two of the least compelling characters, though both were played by magnificent actors. Gah!I’m not sure Boardwalk Empire could ever truly realize its potential because of that. And killing Jimmy Darmody was like an exclamation point on this issue. Where the series gets immense credit, clearly, is making the aforementioned supporting characters so memorable. Though I wasn’t a fan of Gyp Rosetti (Bobby Cannavale) – who seemed so obviously created to supplant the weakness of the Nucky character, or Owen Sleater (Charlie Cox), who also seemed manufactured to give Margaret more depth – they certainly spiced up the episodes they were in. And if you go back and look at that list of amazing supporting characters, you’ll also note a troubling truism – the writers couldn’t create or sustain a great female character. Margaret was too meek (though, in typical Boardwalk Empire style, she slowly became something else); the mad lust of Lucy (Paz de la Huerta) was short-lived, as was the brooding interior world of Angela Darmody (Aleksa Palladino); ditto the entrepreneurial sass of Sally (Patricia Arquette). The closest the show got to something else entirely was Gillian Darmody (Gretchen Moll), and it was as if the creepiness there was derailed with Jimmy, and suddenly the character was adrift. Perhaps there are too many cracks in the monument to properly appreciate it, but there was also something else that can’t be ignored (and is, all these seasons later, still difficult to define). And that is the fact that Boardwalk Empire, once you stopped wanting it to be better than it was, stopped wishing it to pick up the pace and become more compelling and thus necessary, was still satisfying as the seasons ended, like a book you struggle through and want to put down, then end up recommending. As tonight’s finale approaches, that’s where I find myself as a critic and a fan (though I wouldn’t say a fanatic one) – wondering about what was and what might have been, while also hoping others will discover it at some point, perhaps as a boxed set or in streamable seasons. Because Boardwalk Empire seems best as a series fully told, not one to be anticipated weekly, or weakly, as was often the case. Email: Tim. Goodman@THR.comTwitter: @BastardMachineSource link

Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski are NBC Sports Group’s new lead figure skating broadcast team for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea February 9-25.

NBC announced the news Wednesday morning during Today. “I am so honored to be a part of the NBC family, and I hope to bring figure skating and the Olympics into America’s living rooms for many years to come,” Weir said in a statement. “I could not have asked for a better first experience than in Sochi, and along with my broadcast partners Tara and Terry. I cannot wait to start a fresh new era of commentary and analysis that will entertain and inform. I love my sport and I can’t wait to go on more Olympic journeys!”

“NBC gave us an opportunity of a lifetime in Sochi. I could not be more excited to continue this journey,” said Lipinski. “My goal is to continue educating, entertaining and bringing the incredible sport of figure skating to a new generation of fans. It is an honor to be a part of an Olympics. I cannot wait to begin and I’m lucky to have my talented co-pilots Johnny and Terry by my side. Being a part of this is a combination of all of my favorite things, and I look forward to the adventures in the years ahead.”

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to cover skating at the highest level on NBC with partners that are informative, unpredictable and uniquely stylish. … Time to upgrade my wardrobe,” Gannon said.

Three-time U.S. figure skating champion Weir and 1998 Olympic gold medalist Lipinski noted that they had no idea their back-and-forth, which drew praise onscreen and on Instagram, would take off the way it has. Weir, Lipinski and Gannon will make their fall debut in Chicago on Sunday during the NBC broadcast of the 2014 Hilton HHonors Skate America, alongside analyst Tracy Wilson and reporter Andrea Joyce.

“Johnny, Tara and Terry were breakout TV stars in Sochi,” said Jim Bell, executive producer of NBC Olympics. “We’re excited that viewers will be treated to this team’s informative and entertaining commentary for many years to come, all while looking fabulous.”

Weir, Lipinski and Gannon replace NBC Sports Group’s previous lead figure skating team of Tom Hammond, Scott Hamilton and Sandra Bezic. Olympic gold medalist Hamilton will remain a special NBC contributor for figure skating events. He has provided commentary for NBC Sports Group since 2002.

“We thank Tom, Scott and Sandra for their many years of excellent work on Olympic figure skating. They set the bar high,” Bell said. “We are looking forward to hearing more of Tom’s signature track and field calls at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.”

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