Television

Reuters reports: Negotiators for Hollywood’s actors union unanimously recommended a strike after talks with studios broke down, setting the stage for performers to join writers on picket lines as early as Thursday and disrupt scores of shows and movies. The SAG-AFTRA union said its national board would vote on a strike order on Thursday morning. If approved, Hollywood studios would …

The Associated Press reports: Pat Sajak is taking one last spin on “Wheel of Fortune,” announcing Monday that its upcoming season will be his last as host. Sajak announced his retirement from the venerable game show in a tweet. Sajak, 76, has presided over the game show, which features contestants guessing letters to try to fill out words and phrases …

Variety reports: Jay Johnston, an actor on “Bob’s Burgers,” “Arrested Development” and more, was charged by the Department of Justice for participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to court documents. Johnston was arrested Wednesday in California, according to NBC News, which broke the news. He faces charges for felony obstruction of officers during civil disorder, …

NBC News reports: Thousands of unionized scribes who say they are not not paid fairly in the streaming era went on strike just after midnight Tuesday, bringing TV production to a halt. It comes after high-stakes negotiations between a top guild and a trade association representing Hollywood’s marquee studios failed to avert the first walkout in over 15 years. The …

Cincinnati’s CBS affiliate reports: Jerry Springer, the onetime mayor and news anchor whose namesake TV show featured a three-ring circus of dysfunctional families willing to bare all on weekday afternoons including brawls, obscenities and blurred images of nudity, died Thursday at 79. At its peak, “The Jerry Springer Show” was a ratings powerhouse and a U.S. cultural pariah, synonymous with …

The Forward reports: Richard Belzer, the stand-up comedian who left an indelible mark on television in the character of Det. John Munch, a tough and versatile Jewish cop, has died at the age of 78. His death was first reported on social media by his friend, the actor Laraine Newman, of Saturday Night Live fame. In the 1970s, Belzer served …

NBC News reports: Actor Bruce Willis has frontotemporal dementia, his family said Thursday. In a heartfelt Instagram post, ex-wife Demi Moore and Rumer Willis, the couple’s eldest daughter, shared that the actor’s aphasia diagnosis, which the family had announced in March 2022, has progressed. “Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is …

The New York Post reports: Actress Raquel Welch, who rose to fame as a sex symbol of the 1960s, died Wednesday after a brief illness, TMZ reported. She was 82. Her long resume includes “Fantastic Voyage,” “Bedazzled” and “Hannie Caulder.” She also appeared on “The Cher Show” in 1975 and performed “I’m a Woman” with Cher. Welch is a two-time …

Variety reports: Tubi, the free, ad-supported streaming television platform, ran a clever trompe l’oeil ad that made it look as if viewers’ TVs were changing the channel right in the middle of the climactic end of the Eagles-Chiefs game. The 15-second spot, which ran in the fourth quarter of Fox’s Super Bowl LVII telecast, starts by throwing back to the …

CNBC reports: Netflix’s plan to stop users from sharing their passwords with each other is starting to take shape. The streaming giant, which last month announced that it will soon begin the preliminary rollout of its strategy, has updated its FAQs page with some details about what users can expect. The main hurdle that Netflix will place in front of …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Cindy Williams, the energetic actress who appeared in a pair of Oscar best picture nominees before starring as the idealistic Shirley Feeney on the beloved ABC sitcom Laverne & Shirley, has died. She was 75. Williams died in Los Angeles on Wednesday after a brief illness, her children, Zak and Emily Hudson, said in a statement …

Mediaite reports: CNN will be reaping another benefit of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger next month, when Overtime, the post-show segment from Bill Maher’s HBO program, Real Time With Bill Maher, begins airing on Friday nights. The network made the announcement in a press release Monday, describing it as one of “several other recent partnership between HBO and CNN.” The …

Variety reports: Lisa Loring, who played the young Wednesday Addams on “The Addams Family” from 1964 to 1966 and also appeared in “As the World Turns,” died Saturday of a stroke, her daughter Vanessa Foumberg confirmed. She was 64. “She went peacefully with both her daughters holding her hands,” Foumberg said. A friend, Laurie Jacobson, reported her death on Facebook, …

Law & Crime reports: Federal prosecutors asked a judge to sentence former Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jennifer Shah to 10 years in prison, calling her the “most culpable person charged” in a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme that targeted the elderly. In July, Shah pleaded guilty to participating in a wire fraud conspiracy for purported coaching serves for …

CBS News reports: Actress Kirstie Alley, known for her breakout role in the sitcom “Cheers,” has died after a recent battle with cancer. She was 71. In 1991, Alley received an Emmy Award and Golden Globe for her role as Rebecca Howe on “Cheers.” In the years after “Cheers,” Alley earned more nods for her role in the sitcom “Veronica’s …

The Associated Press reports: Bob McGrath, an actor, musician and children’s author widely known for his portrayal of one of the first regular characters on the children’s show “Sesame Street” has died at the age of 90. Sesame Workshop tweeted Sunday evening that it “mourns the passing of Bob McGrath, a beloved member of the Sesame Street family for over …

The New York Daily News reports: Todd Chrisley of “Chrisley Knows Best” was sentenced Monday to 12 years in prison, while Julie Chrisley got seven years, after the couple was convicted in Atlanta in June. Each was ordered to undergo three years of supervised release afterward, and the duo must pay restitution, too. They received the sentence from U.S. District …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Robert Clary, the French actor, singer and Holocaust survivor who portrayed Corporal LeBeau on the World War II-set sitcom Hogan’s Heroes, has died. He was 96. Clary, who was mentored by famed entertainer Eddie Cantor and married one of his five daughters, died Wednesday morning at his home in Los Angeles, his granddaughter Kim Wright told …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Angela Lansbury, the irrepressible three-time Oscar nominee and five-time Tony Award winner who solved 12 seasons’ worth of crimes as the novelist/amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher on CBS’ Murder, She Wrote, has died. She was 96. Lansbury, who received an Emmy nomination for best actress in a drama series for each and every season of Murder, She …

NBC News reports: A judge has denied a new trial for Bill Cosby in a Riverside County woman’s lawsuit, in which a jury found that the comedian sexually abused her when she was a teenager at the Playboy Mansion in the 1970s and awarded her $500,000 in damages. “(Cosby) has failed to establish he received an unfair trial or that …