Stephen Colbert is a man of many talents, including skateboarding. He showed off his hidden skill during one of his "Better Know a District" interviews with Congresswoman Jackie Speier of the California 12th (the Fighting 12th). They talked about a number of issues, including gay marriage (which Representative Speier supports) and why 14 year olds should be allowed to vote. Then they decided to make a YouTube video, because YouTube is located in the 12th district.
Stephen convinced Ms. Speier, Representatives Jim McGovern and Patrick Kennedy that a little skateboarding was just what they needed to liven up their day. Then Stephen attempted a stair trick, which he aborted. Luckily -- and quite surprisingly -- no one was injured. The skateboarding segment begins at around the 5:15 mark and it's awesome. Take a look:
January Jones hosted Saturday Night Live last night and unfortunately it was pretty much a disaster. The writers had no idea what to do with January --- they kept putting her in historical skits. Yes, she plays Betty Draper on Mad Men and yes she looks like Grace Kelly. But they should have given her some room to try something else out. This skit, in which January plays Grace Kelly during the filming of Hitchcock's classic film Rear Window may go down as one of the worst skits in SNL history. January Jones and the Longest Fart Joke Ever Written is a travesty. We're sure she wanted to be a good sport and all, but this is ridiculous. Take a look:
We just love Jane Lynch as the Cheerios taskmaster on the hit show Glee. But Jane does more than television. She's an experienced theater actor, as well. In this clip she talks about her new off Broadway play called "Love, Loss and What I Wore." The play is based on a book in which the women remember important times of their lives based on what they were wearing at the time. The fashions they wore are how they mark major passages of their lives. Jane says producer Nora Ephron tends to remember life events by what she was eating at the time, but really responded to the book. Take a look:
Spring 2010 performances of Cher at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace will go on sale Saturday, Nov. 14 at 10 a.m. The new tickets will include 24 performances from April 10th to April 25th and May 8th to May 30th. In addition to more performances, Cher will return to The Colosseum stage on November 19 with a newly added opening sequence and even glitzier Bob Mackie costumes.
"We are so excited to return to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace and have made wonderful, new changes to the show, including a number choreographed by my dear friend Tyce Diorio from So You Think You Can Dance," said Doriana Sanchez, director and choreographer of Cher at The Colosseum. "It pays homage to the great movie musicals, complete with incredible costumes by Bob Mackie. We are thrilled to be able to present some really fun and new things for the audiences to see."
Sesame Street is celebrating its 40th anniversary today. The PBS show has not stopped since it begain in 1969. New York City declared today "Sesame Street Day" and held a temporary street naming near Lincoln Center.
The show touches on current issues but stays away from ones that may be too frightening for children. For example, National Geographicreports that Sesame Street is going green with its 40th season but is staying away from issues like global warming and deforestation. Produdcers believe these issues are "too scary" for young children.
John Belmont for the AP says that studies have shown kids who grow up watching the program are bigger readers than kids who miss out. Take a look:
It took ten years but Disney finally got the Chinese government to allow them to build a giant theme part in Shanghai. But analysts say that the move won't help Disney's media business at all. The Chinese government strictly censors all television, books, magazines and films. The themepark deal won't help Disney get its media business moving in China, although Disney clearly is hoping to get in on the ground floor if conditions change.
Disney, the owner of the ABC network in the U.S., still has no approval for a TV station in China.
"Disney's park will mostly be a boost for its retail business in China, not media," said Duncan Clark, Chairman of Beijing-based consulting firm BDA China. "The only way they could get this park in China is by keeping it separate from their media business."
China's government owns all the nation's television channels and newspapers and imposes limits on foreign media companies, including allowing only 20 overseas films a year.
China censors material critical of the ruling Communist Party through control of publication licenses, state-ownership of TV and radio stations and by blocking access to Internet sites such as Google Inc.'s Youtube. Those restrictions led News Corp. Chairman Murdoch to say in 2005 that his company had hit a "brick wall" in China.
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"The market is being opened more and more but media is a sensitive industry in China and any changes will only happen very slowly," said Professor Ding Xueliang, who teaches courses on political, economic and social development in China at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
All the big media companies are salivating at the thought of reaching 1.3 billion new consumers. But so far China is holding fast to its rigorous censorship rules.
Taylor Swift hosts and is the musical guest on Saturday Night Live tonight. In this video Taylor and Kristen Wiig do two promos for the show. Not to be outshone by Taylor's accomplishments, Kristen touts her own skills. It's pretty funny. Take a look:
The Wall Street Journal's Digits blog reports that iTunes is in talks with TV networks about launching a $30 subscription service for tv shows through iTunes.
The company is trying to round up support for a monthly subscription service that would deliver TV programs via its multimedia software, multiple sources tell me.
Apple isn't tying the proposed service to a specific piece of hardware, like its underwhelming Apple TV box or its long-rumored tablet/slate device. Instead, the company is presenting the offer as an extension of its iTunes software and store, which already has 100 million customers.
A so-called "over the top" service could theoretically rival the ones most consumers already buy from cable TV operators - if Apple is able to get enough buy-in from broadcast and cable TV programmers.
A subscription service will only work if they can get enough content providers on board. Subscribers aren't likely to pay a monthly fee if they are also going to have to still pay for their favorite shows that aren't part of the subscription plan. A subscription move could end up putting Apple and Hulu in direct compeition as Hulu is also planning to launch a fee-based service next year. Unlike Hulu, Apple already has people paying for television content on iTunes.
Disney On Ice presents Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo took top honors in the category of Best Foreign Show in Argentina at the annual A.C.E. Awards. This was the first A.C.E. nomination and win for Disney On Ice in the twelve years that the productions have toured the country. The worldwide Finding Nemo tour, produced by Feld Entertainment, opened in Orlando, Florida, in September 2004. It quickly set the all-time record for the highest grossing Disney On Ice show for its first two years of touring. Since its opening, the show has played more than 1,680 performances to over 6.3 million guests in 21 countries. You can find the tour schedule at Disney on Ice. You can also see a video there of the Finding Nemo skaters in action.
Angela Lansbury returns to musical theater and Catherine Zeta Jones makes her Broadway debut with the revival of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music. Multiple Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winner Angela talks about how thrilled she is to be back on the stage singing and Oscar-winner Catherine says she has a blast working with Angela. The show debuts December 15 at the Walter Kerr theater in New York and is sure to be a hot ticket. You can learn more and buy tickets at Broadway.com. Take a look:
This image has been circulating the Internet to show what could happen if Net Neutrality legislation is not signed into law. They say that if Net Neutrality is not passed, ISPs will be able to start charging additional fees for bandwith usage by consumer users, which will lead to only the wealthy being able to access all of the Internet because they can afford to purchase the top tier of service and access to a wide array of websites. The phone and cable companies oppose Net Neutrality.
The graphic by a pro-Net Neutrality group shows new, additional fees being assigned for websites and web services. It's sort of like how cable companies assign different fees for bundles of cable channels, in addition to your basic cable bill. You can see a larger version of the graphic here.
Fashion's Night Out was such a success that it will happen again in September 2010. WWD reports that Mayor Bloomberg is on board, and so are the rest of the retailers who participated this year.
Today, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Vogue magazine, the Council of Fashion Designers of America and NYC & Co. will unveil the return of the event on Sept. 9 -- and the plan is to make the second one bigger and better than the first.
"The numbers are in, and it's clear that Fashion's Night Out was a tremendous success," Bloomberg said. "Thousands of New Yorkers attended the events in all five boroughs, supporting the city's retail and fashion industries, and helping a worthwhile cause. It's sure to be an even bigger event in 2010."
The first event, which took place Sept. 10, was widely considered a success. In New York alone, more than 700 retailers remained open until 11 p.m., and designers planned special personal appearances or events, with various spots around the city turning into major block parties.
"We were absolutely bowled over by the response to Fashion's Night Out," said Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour. "It was only 15 minutes after the event began, and we were getting reports about lines around the block at stores throughout the city. It was wonderful to see people embrace this initiative, and we are thrilled that they wish it to return."
CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg added, "To have designers in stores to celebrate and start a shopping season is the best idea for everybody. It creates excitement and lots of business."
ShopperTrak reported that foot traffic in stores was up by 50% on Fashion's Night Out. Another survey found that 75% of the attendees at the event actually bought something, while a majority of shoppers went into a store they had never been to before. Shoppers also stepped outside their normal shopping neighborhoods and experienced a new area of the city.
The New York Daily Newsreports that Jon Gosselin and Octomom Nadya Suleman are being paid $1 million each to star in a 2 hour reality show called Jon – Kate = Jon + Octomom. The two have 22 children between the two of them.
According to the press release, cameras will follow Gosselin "as he contemplates what hooking up with Octomom could really be like. He's totally creeped out by the idea that if they got married, they'd have 22 kids."
While it may seem like nothing more than a desperate attempt for fame, it's really the fortune that is apparently enticing to the octodad.
"Both Jon and Nadya are each looking to bring in at least $1 million for doing the show," says the insider. "For that money, they would be foolish not to take the offer."
The insider added, "Jon definitely wants to do the show. His camp is currently trying to figure out how he can film around his TLC contract."
This is a pretty weird and awful premise for a reality tv show. It's no surprise that Bobby Goldstein, the producer of the show Cheaters, is claiming this show.
Radar reports that Jon Gosselin is denying that rumors of the reality show and so is Nadya Suleman. Radar says Nadya told them, "It was a joke. No offense to Jon Gosselin but I'm all about my kids right now. I don't have time for a man in my life. As far as the reality show goes, I can't speak for Jon but as far as I know presently there are no definitive plans for a TV show."
Choreographer Travis Payne and musical director Michael Bearden talk about their time working with Michael Jackson for "This Is It." They discuss how technology made it much easier to brainstorm creative ideas. In the old days, Michael would bring in scores of books for inspiration, but with a laptop he could see any city, monument or historical event immediately. Take a look:
Some people were upset when they saw Dave Spade in a commercial for Direct TV that featured a Chris Farley clip from the film Tommy Boy. The late comedian Chris Farley was a personal friend of David Spade's and some felt Spade was "selling out" Farley's memory.
David Spade's publicist provided Asylum with this quote about the ad: ""When DIRECT TV came to me and the Farley family with this idea about 'Tommy Boy,' we talked and thought it would be a cool way to remind people just how funny Chris was. It is a clever homage to my friend and a movie that we loved doing."
Direct TV also told Asylum that Farley's family approved the ad: "We should look to Chris' family and friends for the ultimate opinion on this subject. They were involved from the beginning of this project and felt that the spot was a great to tribute to Chris."
Here is the commercial that people are talking about.
The Wall Street Journal's Digits blog 
