FREE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES 'DESCARGA' RETURNS TO THE HEART OF CITYWALK AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD           Following the success of last year's first edition, Telemundo, and CityWalk at Universal Studios Hollywood, team up again to present the second edition of the free summer concert series "Descarga En CityWalk con Telemundo y mun2 (Jam On CityWalk with Telemundo and mun2)."         (Read More)

NBC NEWS' TIKI BARBER, PETER ALEXANDER AND TAMRON HALL GO ON THE HUNT AND HELP RETURN OVER A MILLION DOLLARS TO LUCKY FAMILIES IN A SPECIAL 'DATELINE NBC: YOU MIGHT BE RICH!' – MONDAY, JULY 14 AT 1O PM.             It could be an old bank account or some forgotten stock, even a utility deposit you never got back. An estimated $30 billion+ of unclaimed property is sitting in state treasuries waiting to be returned to millions of Americans.         (Read More)

DONALD TRUMP JR., ROBERTO CAVALLI, NADINE VELAZQUEZ, JENNIFER HAWKINS, LOUIS LICARI AND JOHN NGUYEN TO JUDGE THE 2008 MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT ON NBC JULY 13 .             NBC Universal, Donald J. Trump and Paula M. Shugart, President, Miss Universe Organization, today announced the celebrity judges for the 2008 Miss UNIVERSE® Pageant, which airs live on NBC (simulcast on Telemundo) from the Crown Convention Center in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa, Vietnam on Sunday, July 13 at 9:00 p.m. ET (delayed PT).         (Read More)

NBC UNIVERSAL LAUNCHES UNPRECEDENTED RESEARCH EFFORT DURING BEIJING OLYMPICS.             NBC Universal will undertake an unprecedented research effort to measure the 3600 hours of programming that will air during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.         (Read More)

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL COMMISSIONER BUD SELIG MAKES HIS FIRST VISIT TO CBS' "LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN," MONDAY, JULY 14th.            Bud Selig, Commissioner of Major League Baseball, will make his first visit to the LATE SHOW.          (Read More)

MORE CATEGORIES & NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR “TEEN CHOICE 2008”          (Read More) 

FOX ROCKS OUT WITH NEW VARIETY SHOW, “THE OSBOURNES: LOUD AND DANGEROUS” (working title) STARRING OZZY, SHARON, JACK AND KELLY OSBOURNE            Move over, Donny and Marie. Ozzy and Sharon are coming to FOX.          (Read More)

BROOKE BURNS AND MARK THOMPSON ARE A PERFECT FIT TO HOST FOX’S “HOLE IN THE WALL”.            Actress and host Brooke Burns and TV personality Mark Thompson have been tapped to host HOLE IN THE WALL, the new body-bending, mind-twisting game show.          (Read More)

UPCOMING GUESTS ON THE "LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN" ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK          (Read More)

'THE OFFICE' WEBISODES PREMIERE ON NBC.COM ON JULY 10th

BURBANK, CA., July 8, 2008.             NBC.com today announced that "The Office" webisodes will go live on Thursday, July 10th at 3pm (ET) on NBC.com. The second series of webisodes for this popular NBC comedy are sponsored by Comcast, Sony Electronics and Priceline. The announcement was made by Vivi Zigler, President, NBC Universal Digital Entertainment.

"'The Office,' the show that pioneered webisodes two years ago, is back with another clever installment," said Zigler. "The huge online fan base will love seeing the exploits of Kevin, Oscar, Darrel and the gang as they figure out Kevin's financial future. It's a great summer treat for anyone who likes the show."

In "Kevin's Loan," the second series of "The Office" webisodes, Kevin (Brian Baumgartner) pursues a unique solution in an effort to pay back his looming gambling debts. This installment also stars Oscar Nunez, Leslie David Baker and Craig Robinson.

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"THE BABY BORROWERS" WILL HOLD A TOWN HALL SPECIAL FOLLOW-UP AFTER ENCORE OF HIT REALITY SERIES FINALE ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6

BURBANK, CA., July 9, 2008.          NBC offers an exciting follow-up special after the finale of its popular summer series "The Baby Borrowers" (Wednesdays, 9-10 p.m. ET) with a spirited debate punctuating an interactive town hall-reunion that will bring together the reality series' cast and producers, as well as other news-making guests to be announced, on Wednesday, August 6 (9-10 p.m. ET). The special will follow an encore broadcast (8-9 p.m. ET) of the series' finale from the week before. In addition, viewers will be able to send in questions via nbc.com.

"The coincidence of this unique series has drawn media attention to the very important subject of the recent rise in teen pregnancies as well as to recent related news ranging from the high school students in Gloucester to pregnant teen celebrities such as Jamie Lynn Spears," said Craig Plestis, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, Development and Specials, NBC Entertainment. "This special should shed more light on a controversial subject that deserves more personal discussion beyond the social experiment that we provided to entertain audiences this summer."

Last December, The Center for Disease Control reported that in 2006, the number of teenagers giving birth rose for the first time in 14 years. The topical new reality series which premiered Wednesday, June 25 follows a diverse group of teen couples experiencing "adult life on fast forward" and has sparked much debate while also bringing the important social issue of teen pregnancy to light.

 

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NBC UNIVERSAL ANNOUNCES UNPRECEDENTED COVERAGE OF THE 2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS

NEW YORK, July 8, 2008.             NBC Universal, broadcasting its record 11th Olympics and surpassing ABC for the most Olympics broadcast by any network, will present an unprecedented 3,600 hours of Beijing Olympic Games coverage, the most ambitious single media project in history. NBCU’s unprecedented Olympics coverage features the most live coverage in the United States (75 percent in all), across the most platforms, of any Summer Olympics in history when the Games of the XXIX Olympiad commence on Aug. 8. The announcement was made today by Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics and Executive Producer of NBCU’s Olympic coverage.

            The 3,600 total hours of coverage on seven NBC Universal networks: NBC, USA, MSNBC, CNBC, Oxygen, Telemundo and Universal HD, as well as NBCOlympics.com, is 1,000 hours more than the combined coverage for every televised Summer Olympics in U.S. history (Rome 1960 – Athens 2004, 2,562 hours). NBCOlympics.com will feature approximately 2,200 total hours of live streaming Olympic broadband video coverage, the first live online Olympic coverage in the United States.

            “For the first time, the average American will be able to create their own unique Olympic experience whether at home, at the office or on-the-go,” said Ebersol. “With 25 sports streamed live at NBCOlympics.com and significant live coverage on our cable platforms and NBC, highlighted by all swimming finals, the biggest nights of gymnastics and beach volleyball live in primetime, the viewer has plenty of options for live coverage."

Following is a breakdown of the Beijing Olympics coverage on the NBC Universal networks:

· The seven NBC Universal networks: NBC, USA, MSNBC, CNBC, Oxygen, Telemundo and Universal HD, as well as NBCOlympics.com, will offer the most in-depth Olympic coverage in history. The 3,600 hours is 1,000 hours more than the total coverage for every televised Summer Olympics in U.S. history. Note: Dating back nearly 50 years to CBS in Rome in 1960 (20 total hours) through NBCU in Athens in 2004 (1,210 total hours), the 12 Summer Olympics broadcasts have totaled 2,562 hours. Even the live hours of Beijing coverage surpass the total from those 12 Summer Games (Nearly 2,900 to 2,562).

· Over the 17 days of the Beijing Games (Aug. 8-24), NBCU’s coverage will average more than 212 hours per day – that’s more coverage than was produced in total for each Summer Olympics through the 1996 Atlanta Games, which delivered 176.5 hours just 12 years ago.

· The NBCU networks will offer more live coverage than any Olympics in history, domestic or foreign, despite the 12-hour time difference from the Eastern time zone to Beijing. Approximately 75 percent of NBCU’s Beijing Olympics coverage will be live.

· The 3,600 total hours of coverage from Beijing nearly triples the 1,210 total hours of coverage from Athens in 2004 and is more than eight times the 441.5 broadcast hours from Sydney on NBC in 2000.

· For the first time by a U.S. broadcaster at a Summer Olympics, NBCU will broadcast the entire Olympic Games entirely in high definition.

· The networks of NBCU will provide coverage of every one of the 34 Summer Olympic sports.

· The 2008 Olympic Games from Beijing, China represent the 11th Olympics broadcast by NBC, surpassing ABC’s 10 Olympics for the most Olympic broadcasts by any U.S. network.

· In addition to the 3,600 hours, NBCU is also providing coverage of the entire men’s and women’s soccer and basketball tournaments through Soccer (58 games) and Basketball (76 games) NBC Olympics specialty channels.

· Two foreign language channels in both Korean and Mandarin Chinese will feature a variety of Olympic events.

Complete day-by-day listings will be available soon at NBCOlympics.com.

A breakdown of coverage network-by-network follows:

NBC
The NBC network schedule is divided into three dayparts: afternoon, primetime and late night – for a total of 225 hours of coverage over 17 days beginning with the Opening Ceremony on Friday, Aug. 8, at 8 p.m. ET.

Primetime on NBC will feature live coverage of all 32 swimming gold medal finals; four key nights of men’s and women’s gymnastics led by the women’s and men’s team gold medal finals, as well as the women’s and men’s individual gold medal finals; beach volleyball; and, for the first time ever, both men’s and women’s marathons. The first week of the Olympics features gymnastics and swimming, two sports in which the USA is especially strong this year. The USA’s women’s gymnastics team, led by 2007 world all-around champion Shawn Johnson and nine-time world medalist Nastia Liukin, and the USA men’s gymnastics team, led by 2004 Olympic gold medalist Paul Hamm, should be strong competitors for Olympic gold. In swimming, the USA is as solid as ever. Michael Phelps, the 23-year-old phenom, looks to make Olympic history and, by the end of the first week, could break the records for most career gold medals by any Olympian (nine) and most golds in one Games (seven), famously held by Mark Spitz. Five-time Olympic medalist Natalie Coughlin leads the women and continues to be the 100m gold medal favorite.

In 2004, the Athens Olympic Games on NBC earned ratings gold. NBC’s unprecedented 1,210 hours of coverage from Athens (Aug. 13–29) were watched by 203 million total viewers and earned the distinction of the most watched non-U.S. Olympics in history.

In addition to a 14 percent increase in average primetime viewership over Sydney (24.6 million vs. 21.5), a nine percent increase in 18-34 primetime demos (7.0 vs. 6.4), and a five percent increase in 18-49 demos (8.7 vs. 8.3), NBC’s daytime, late night and weekend broadcasts all boasted increases in total households, as well as in the key adult demographic.

USA Network
USA Network, the No. 1 network in basic cable and seen in nearly 94 million homes, will feature live coverage of Team USA. The USA men’s and women’s basketball and soccer teams will be a staple of USA Network’s 165 hours of Olympic coverage from Beijing. USA begins coverage on Saturday, Aug. 9 with 12 hours of live soccer and basketball and also will offer live tennis, volleyball or water polo everyday until Aug. 24.

In Athens, USA Network was up 53 percent in average viewers for the Olympic dayparts compared with the same pre-Olympic 17 days and time periods in 3Q prior to the Olympics (6/28-8/8/04) July 2004 (800,000 vs. 523,000).


MSNBC
MSNBC, available in 90.3 million households, will carry a total of 175 hours over 19 days. MSNBC will provide live, weekday, long-form coverage of a full range of Olympic sports, including softball, soccer, beach volleyball, wrestling, basketball, volleyball and weightlifting. On each of the two days prior to the Opening Ceremony, Wednesday, Aug. 6 and Thursday, Aug. 7, MSNBC also will provide coverage of the opening soccer matches.

During the 2004 Athens Olympics, MSNBC showed an increase of 175 percent in average viewers over the pre-Olympic 3Q levels (460,000 vs. 167,000) in Olympic dayparts. During the first weekend of the Olympics, MSNBC delivered the most total viewers and its highest ratings of the year for those Saturday and Sunday dayparts.

CNBC
CNBC, available in 86 million households in the U.S, will carry 95.5 hours of Olympic programming over 16 days, beginning Saturday, Aug.9. On weekdays following “Closing Bell,” CNBC will feature long-form coverage of Olympic boxing from 5-8 p.m. ET. From midnight-4:30 a.m. on most nights, CNBC will have expanded, long-form coverage of a wide variety of Olympic sports such as softball, tennis, weightlifting, wrestling and badminton.

In 2004, CNBC drew in an average of 584,000 average viewers for its coverage of the Athens Games, an increase of 1,092 percent over pre-Olympic 3Q 2004 (584,000 vs. 49,000) in Olympic dayparts.

OXYGEN
In November 2007, NBC Universal acquired Oxygen, which is available in 73 million homes. Oxygen will carry a total of 20 hours of Olympic coverage beginning Monday, Aug. 11. Oxygen will feature a daily look at gymnastics, recapping some of the most exciting moments in the popular competition. Equestrian and tennis also will be featured on Oxygen’s coverage.


TELEMUNDO
In its second Olympic broadcast, Telemundo, which reaches 93 percent of total U.S. Hispanic households, together with its Olympic website Telemundo.NBCOlympics.com, will provide more than 380 hours of Olympic coverage over 19 days, exclusively in Spanish. Telemundo will feature live men's and women's soccer, basketball, gymnastics, diving, volleyball, as well as track and field, swimming and baseball. Telemundo begins its competition coverage the day before the Opening Ceremony, Thursday, Aug. 7, with two men’s soccer matches. The U.S. Hispanic network will also broadcast special programs focusing on the participating Latin American countries and the Hispanic athletes.

Telemundo.NBCOlympics.com will feature up-to-the-minute information and exclusive content. Photo galleries, videos, profiles of prominent Olympians, news, historic information and images from Beijing will be available on the site. Users will also find more than 220 hours of broadband video of the Beijing Games and past Olympics.

UNIVERSAL HD
Universal HD, an NBC Universal Cable network launched in fourth quarter 2004, is currently available to more than 25 million homes in 100 percent 1080i HD. During the Beijing Games, Universal HD will offer 24-hour HD simulcasts and re-airs of coverage on CNBC and MSNBC, 379 hours in all.


STANDARD MONDAY-FRIDAY SCHEDULE
While times may vary from day to day, a standard weekday schedule is below
(Check NBCOlympics.com or local listings)

By Network:
NBC: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.***
8 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.**
Midnight – 1:30 a.m.**
MSNBC: 5 a.m. – 5 p.m.*
CNBC: Midnight – 4:30 a.m.*
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.*
USA: 2 a.m. – 12 p.m.*
OXYGEN: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.**
TELEMUNDO: 2:00 a.m.-6:00 a.m.**
8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.**
Midnight – 1:00 a.m.**

Chronological:
CNBC: Midnight – 4:30 a.m.
TELEMUNDO: 2:00 a.m.-6:00a.m.
USA: 2 a.m. – 12 p.m.
MSNBC: 5 a.m. – 5 p.m.
TELEMUNDO: 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
NBC: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
CNBC: 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
OXYGEN: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
NBC: 8 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
TELEMUNDO: Midnight – 1:00 a.m.
NBC: Midnight – 1:30 a.m. (late night show)
*ET
**ET/PT
***All time zones




NBCOlympics.com
A total of 2,200 hours of Olympics coverage of 25 different sports will be streamed live via broadband on NBCOlympics.com. A complete list of each sport is below:

Archery
Badminton
Baseball
Basketball
Canoe/Kayak
Cycling
Equestrian
Fencing
Field Hockey
Handball
Judo
Modern Pentathlon
Rowing
Sailing
Shooting
Soccer
Softball
Synchronized Swimming
Table Tennis
Taekwondo
Tennis
Triathlon
Water Polo
Weightlifting
Wrestling

NBCOlympics.com will provide up-to-the-minute television schedule information, breaking news, instantaneous results and video highlights.

NBC, America’s Olympic Network, holds the exclusive U.S. media rights to the Olympic Games through 2012, which includes Vancouver 2010 and London 2012.

 

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AFTRA Members Ratify Primetime Deal

Los Angeles, CA. July 8th, 2008.            Members of the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists (AFTRA) have ratified the union's primetime deal with The Alliance Of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) by a vote of 62.4% in favor. The three-year agreement offered by the AMPTP was not supported to the levels of previous agreement, but there was enough support to overcome a negative ad campaign by rival union The Screen Actors Guild (SAG), who have not yet signed an agreement and are looking for a better deal.

"SAG ran a well-funded and ferocious disinformation campaign that created a lot of confusion," said AFTRA president Roberta Reardon at a news conference Tuesday evening following the announcement of the agreement. "We are the ones who won the moral victory."

The ratification was expected, coming on the heels of a 100-day WGA strike, where actors were unable to work due to the lack of scripts. Another work stoppage was not welcome among the group, once it was understood that the terms in the AFTRA pact mirror those in the contracts signed by the Writer's Guild Of America (WGA) and The Director's Guild Of America (DGA), along with the final offer to SAG.

 SAG was trying to create a defeat of the AFTRA offer in order to give their union more leverage as it resumes talks Thursday on its own feature-primetime deal. With one of the two major actors unions now signing a deal, SAG, has much less bargaining power at the table. If SAG's 120,000 members to vote for a strike authorization, which would require 75% approval, they would be alone in their stand, without the support of the other television union. Still to be decided is whether the 37.6% support for SAG in the AFTRA vote is an indication that the guild has enough influence to convince the AMPTP to improve their offer in order to win over the SAG membership and ink a similar deal.

When SAG and the producers meet on Thursday it will be an indication of how long talks can be expected to last. TV and film productions want to know as soon as possible if the normal work schedule will be disrupted by another strike. Production has been running on many series continuously from when the WGA returned to work in April, through what would have normally been the summer break, in case another labour dispute could not be avoided. Many shows have already shot more than 11 episodes, or half of the number needed to assure a complete season, in order to insure that a labour dispute would not impact the launch of the 2008-09 television season. The AMPTP issued a statement Tuesday telling SAG it should take AFTRA's deal, as the rivalry between the two bargaining groups continues to grow.

"We appreciate today's vote of confidence by actors in the agreement we reached with AFTRA, and hope that it demonstrates to SAG's Hollywood leadership that there is support for the new economic relationships we have built with writers, directors & actors and not much support for a strike, whether de facto or real", it said.

SAG president Alan Rosenberg replied by asserting that the 37.6% "no" vote was a moral victory for SAG, because the union spent more than a month urging its 44,000 members who are also AFTRA members to turn down the deal and allow SAG to negotiate even better terms.

"We will continue to address the issues of importance to actors that AFTRA left on the table and we remain committed to achieving a fair contract for SAG actors." Rosenberg asserted.

 

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FREE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES 'DESCARGA' RETURNS TO THE HEART OF CITYWALK AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD
 
UNIVERSAL CITY, CA. July 8, 2008.           Following the success of last year's first edition, Telemundo, and CityWalk at Universal Studios Hollywood, team up again to present the second edition of the free summer concert series "Descarga En CityWalk con Telemundo y mun2 (Jam On CityWalk with Telemundo and mun2)."

Starting Sunday, July 13, live musical performances take to the stage in the heart of The Entertainment Complex that will feature the best in Latin sounds with a variety of acts that authentically represent the eclectic tastes of Southern California. Hosted by Telemundo and mun2 on-air talent, "Descarga" will take place every Sunday evening from 5:30 to 8 p.m. over the summer through August 31 and will feature multiple musical performances along with additional free family-friendly entertainment including contests and giveaways.

The summer celebration begins July 13 with special presentations by popular Spanish rock band, Montecristo, regional Mexican star, Raul Hernandez, and Billboard Award winning and platinum hip-hop/regional Mexican band, Akwid.

As a reflection of the wide range of music genres popular among Angelinos, regional Mexican music will be represented by iconic banda/norteño singer, Yolanda Perez "La Potranquita", mariachi artist, Ricardo Duque, and cumbia super groups, La Internacional Sonora Show and Grupo Con Pacto. Additional performances include Telemundo's very own talent and winner of "La Academia USA" reality show in 2006, Mariana Vargas and sonidero act, Sonido Mr. Chuy.

Pop/rock fans will be treated to performances, such as Puerto Rican singer/songwriters, Luis Fonsi and Tommy Torres, Chilean band, Kudai, rock band, Curanderos and pop/urban sensation, Ivannkie. Urban music will hit the stage with performances by Akwid, urban act, Crooked Stilo, bachata sensation, Leny and international pop/R&B star, Frankie J. Event goers will also be treated to special appearances by Telemundo talent from 12 Corazones, Descontrol and some of the networks's favorite novela stars, as well as mun2's popular VJ's and hosts including Renato, Yasmin, Crash and more.

Following is the 2008 "Descarga" line-up:

July 13: Montecristo, Raul Hernandez, Akwid
July 20: Ricardo Duque, Yolanda Perez "La Potranquita", La Internacional Sonora Show
August 3: Ivannkie, Tommy Torres
August 10: Leny, Luis Fonsi
August 17: Mariana Vargas, Sonido Mr. Chuy, Grupo Con Pacto
August 24: Maria Daniela y Su Sonido Lasser, Curanderos
August 31: Crooked Stilo, Kudai, Frankie J

For a full event schedule and more information on the concert series' featured artists and other talent, visit mun2's website at www.holamun2.com or the Telemundo site, www.telemundo52.com.

 

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NBC NEWS' TIKI BARBER, PETER ALEXANDER AND TAMRON HALL GO ON THE HUNT AND HELP RETURN OVER A MILLION DOLLARS TO LUCKY FAMILIES IN A SPECIAL 'DATELINE NBC: YOU MIGHT BE RICH!' – MONDAY, JULY 14 AT 1O PM

NEW YORK, N.Y. July 8, 2008.             It could be an old bank account or some forgotten stock, even a utility deposit you never got back. An estimated $30 billion+ of unclaimed property is sitting in state treasuries waiting to be returned to millions of Americans. State officials often don't have the resources to find everybody. Now, in a different kind of "Dateline NBC," Tiki Barber leads a team of 'on-air detectives,' including NBC News' Peter Alexander and Tamron Hall, as they cross the country helping states crack some of their toughest, unsolved cases.

            "You Might Be Rich!," airing on Monday, July 14 (10 PM/ET), finds ordinary people who are unaware they have money coming to them and gives them the unbelievable news. This special hour-long program helps return almost $1.5 million dollars to four different families, including one couple who was shocked with the news that they had more than three quarters of a million dollars coming to them. In another case, three adult children, whose father died in 2003, had no idea he left them a small fortune. And in yet another surprising situation, a large amount of money sat for 20 years in the South Carolina state treasury, until "Dateline" found the rightful owner.

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DONALD TRUMP JR., ROBERTO CAVALLI, NADINE VELAZQUEZ, JENNIFER HAWKINS, LOUIS LICARI AND JOHN NGUYEN TO JUDGE THE 2008 MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT ON NBC JULY 13

NEW YORK, N.Y. July 7, 2008.             NBC Universal, Donald J. Trump and Paula M. Shugart, President, Miss Universe Organization, today announced the celebrity judges for the 2008 Miss UNIVERSE® Pageant, which airs live on NBC (simulcast on Telemundo) from the Crown Convention Center in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa, Vietnam on Sunday, July 13 at 9:00 p.m. ET (delayed PT).

            The judges are: Donald Trump Jr., Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization; fashion designer and entrepreneur Roberto Cavalli; Nadine Velazquez, international cover girl and star of NBC's "My Name Is Earl"; Jennifer Hawkins, television presenter and Miss Universe 2004; Louis Licari, celebrity colorist and "Today Show" ambush makeover expert and John Nguyen, Vice Chairman of Hoan Cau, LTD Investment and Construction. As previously announced, Jerry Springer and Mel B will host the live telecast of the 57th Annual Miss Universe competition.

            The sensational pop star Lady GaGa will be performing her hit "Just Dance" on the telecast. Lady GaGa's dance-pop, electro-pop and disco sound has rocked venues around the world and is expected to bring the same excitement to Vietnam. Her debut album, "The Fame" will be released this fall.

            Each contestant, representing 80 countries and territories from around the world, will be judged in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown and interview as they vie for the coveted title of Miss Universe 2008. The Miss Universe show is an internationally celebrated event with distribution in more than 170 countries.

            Japan native, Riyo Mori, Miss Universe 2007 will crown her successor at the conclusion of the telecast. During her reign, she has traveled the world as an advocate for HIV/AIDS education, research, and legislation. The newly crowned Miss Universe will go on to do the same.

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NBC UNIVERSAL LAUNCHES UNPRECEDENTED RESEARCH EFFORT DURING BEIJING OLYMPICS

NEW YORK, N.Y. July 7, 2008.             NBC Universal will undertake an unprecedented research effort to measure the 3600 hours of programming that will air during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the largest single media event in history (August 8 – 24). For the first time, the company will publicly issue a TAMi (Total Audience Measurement Index), designed to measure the full range of cross-platform media consumption of the Olympics throughout the 17 days of coverage. In addition, NBCU will conduct the largest research project in its history, taking advantage of the unique scope and duration of the Olympics to further the industry's understanding of cross-platform media usage.

            The announcement was made by Alan Wurtzel, President of Research for NBC Universal and Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics.

            "An event of this magnitude requires the biggest and most sophisticated research effort to measure it," said Wurtzel. "The size and duration of the Olympics presents us with extraordinary opportunities to gather data on viewer behavior. Not only will we measure these Games in a way we've never done before, but we'll also be able to gather data that helps us better understand the new media consumer. At the end of the Olympics, no other research entity in the world will have as much knowledge on cross-platform usage as NBC Universal."


New Measurement - Olympic TAMi

With a total of 3600 hours of Olympic coverage airing on multiple media platforms – 2200 of which will be live streaming broadband video -- NBCU will assemble a variety of different metrics to tell the full Olympic consumption story. In addition to the traditional Nielsen ratings, the company will issue a daily TAMi measuring usage across the four different platforms carrying Olympic programming– network and cable television, online, video on demand (VOD) and mobile. Not only will the TAMi indicate total exposure to the Olympics each day, it will also give an indication of trends that develop on any one particular platform over the course of the Games.


Research Initiatives

In addition to measuring the Olympics in a new way, NBCU will conduct a series of research projects to better understand how and why consumers are using the multiple media platforms available to them. Three major studies will take place focusing on consumption habits, behavior, changes, usage, patterns and much more. The results will also help serve as a template for NBCU's cross-platform measurement going forward. They are:


• Multi-Platform Consumption Study: An online survey of 500 Olympics consumers per day, totaling 8500 throughout the course of the Games. This projectable sample will help NBCU understand the total multi-platform experience, including the amount of time consumers spent with various media and the time of day and locations of their media exposure, including out-of-home consumption.

• Single Source Panel: NBCU will join forces with IMMI to track the media behavior of a single consumer across all media platforms. Approximately 40 people will carry a special IMMI cell phone that picks up audio cues from the full range of NBCU platforms airing Olympics coverage. Special software will also be used to track the participants' Internet usage. The study will measure the amount of time the participants spent with the Olympics across all platforms, as well as how people followed the Olympics throughout the day and where their online exposures happened – both in and outside of the home.

• Olympics Qualitative Panel: NBCU will assemble a panel of media consumers and follow their behavior throughout the course of the Games. Through in-depth interviews and diary entries, this study will help NBCU better understand why consumers made the choices they did and further explore their experience with the various Olympic media platforms.

NBCU will also conduct a series of studies to help demonstrate to advertisers the value of their Olympics investment. Using IAG engagement metrics, NBCU will provide clients with information on ad and sponsorship effectiveness for their broadcast advertising, and for the first time, their online advertising as well. The studies will also provide clients with information on the best "media mix," highlighting which platforms, and which combination of platforms, were most effective.

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MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL COMMISSIONER BUD SELIG MAKES HIS FIRST VISIT TO CBS' "LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN," MONDAY, JULY 14th. 

NEW YORK, N.Y. July 7, 2008.            Bud Selig, Commissioner of Major League Baseball, will make his first visit to the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN, Monday, July 14 (11:35 PM-12:37 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.  Commissioner Selig will be in New York City for Major League Baseball's 79th All-Star Game, which will be played the next day, Tuesday, July 15, at Yankee Stadium.  This year's game holds significance as it will mark the fourth and final time the All-Star Game will be held at the old Yankee Stadium. Their new home is set to open in April 2009.

 

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NEXT WAVE OF CATEGORIES AND NOMINEES ARE ANNOUNCED FOR “TEEN CHOICE 2008”

Los Angeles, CA., July 10th, 2008.            The next wave is about to hit as nominees in categories such as Choice Summer Movie, Action/Adventure, Choice Summer Movie, Comedy, Choice Summer Song, Choice Summer TV Show and brand new in 2008 Choice Most Fanatic Fan and Choice MySpacer are announced. Fans ages 13-19 can vote once each day for their favorite TEEN CHOICE 2008 nominees at www.TeenChoiceAwards.com.

Hosted by Miley Cyrus, TEEN CHOICE celebrates the hottest teen icons in film, television, music, sports and fashion. The coolest stars will receive coveted Teen Choice surfboard awards in categories such as Choice Male Hottie and Choice Hook-Up when TEEN CHOICE 2008 airs Monday, August 4 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Celebrities scheduled to appear at TEEN CHOICE 2008 include Chris Brown, Scarlett Johanssen, Zac Efron, Pink, Jaime Pressly, Danica Patrick, Selena Gomez, JoJo, Minka Kelly, Jesse McCartney, Chad Michael Murray, Chace Crawford, Kristen Bell, Drake Bell, Mischa Barton, Brittany Snow, Hayden Panettiere. Additional performers and presenters to be announced soon.

The brand new Choice MySpacer award will recognize a celebrity who creatively uses their MySpace page to connect with their fans through blogs, bulletins or status updates; while the new Choice Most Fanatic Fan honors the celebrity whose fans are truly fanatical. For the first time ever on TEEN CHOICE, a few lucky fans will get to interact with the Jonas Brothers by submitting video recorded questions via MySpace. If chosen, their video question will then be answered by the Jonas Brothers during the show. Teens can find more information and upload their video questions at www.myspace.com/teenchoice2008.  

Following is the list of new categories and nominees for the next wave of TEEN CHOICE 2008: 

Choice Summer Movie – Action/Adventure

The Incredible Hulk

Hancock

Journey to the Center of the Earth

The Dark Knight

Wanted

Choice Summer Movie - Comedy

Get Smart

Kung Fu Panda

Meet Dave

WALL-E

You Don't Mess with the Zohan

Choice Summer Song

7 Things - Miley Cyrus

Burnin' Up - Jonas Brothers

Forever - Chris Brown

I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry

Leavin' - Jesse McCartney

Choice Summer TV Show

America's Best Dance Crew

Degrassi

High School Musical: Get in the Picture

So You Think You Can Dance

The Secret Life of the American Teenager

Choice Most Fanatic Fans

David Archuleta

Jesse McCartney

Miley Cyrus

Jonas Brothers

Britney Spears

Choice MySpacer

Robert Downey Jr.           http://www.myspace.com/robertdowneyjr 

Channing Tatum              http://www.myspace.com/channingtatumunwrapped

Ryan Sheckler                 http://www.myspace.com/ryan_sheckler_dot_com   

Katy Perry                        http://www.myspace.com/katyperry

Jaime Pressly                  http://www.myspace.com/jaimepressly 

 

A full list of nominees in all categories is available at www.teenchoiceawards.com.

 

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FOX ROCKS OUT WITH NEW VARIETY SHOW, “THE OSBOURNES: LOUD AND DANGEROUS” (working title) STARRING OZZY, SHARON, JACK AND KELLY OSBOURNE 

Los Angeles, CA., July 9th, 2008.            Move over, Donny and Marie. Ozzy and Sharon are coming to FOX. The network has teamed up with the “Prince of Darkness,” ordering six episodes of THE OSBOURNES: LOUD AND DANGEROUS (working title), a new hour-long variety show hosted by Ozzy Osbourne, his wife Sharon and their kids Jack and Kelly.

The series will mix musical performances, comedy sketches and game-show competitions with the Osbournes’ unique blend of humor and outrageous sensibility. The eccentric clan pioneered the modern-day family-centric reality series with their hit show, “The Osbournes.”

 

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BROOKE BURNS AND MARK THOMPSON ARE A PERFECT FIT TO HOST FOX’S “HOLE IN THE WALL”

Los Angeles, CA., July 8th, 2008.            Actress and host Brooke Burns and TV personality Mark Thompson have been tapped to host HOLE IN THE WALL, the new body-bending, mind-twisting game show from AMERICAN IDOL producers FremantleMedia North America. Production of the U.S. version of the worldwide game show phenomenon begins this week in Los Angeles after a nationwide search for the most agile teams in America.

 

            Speed, agility and a hearty sense of humor are essential tools to survive HOLE IN THE WALL, one of the trickiest, fastest, funniest and wettest shows sweeping the planet. During each episode, two teams compete against each other in multiple rounds of play, facing various barrier walls speeding toward them with weird and wacky cut-out shapes. Each team must contort their bodies in unison to fit through the wall or be swept away into a pool below. As players struggle to strike a pose, points – and dignity – can be easily lost with a simple miscalculation. As the rounds progress and the pace heats up, mind over matter, quick thinking, coordination, agility and clever teamwork play a crucial role as each team strives to maneuver through walls literally closing in on them.

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UPCOMING GUESTS ON THE "LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN" ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

Thursday, July 10                                 Reality television star/actress Paris Hilton; magician Steve Wyrick; musical guests Panic at the Disco

Friday, July 11                                      Actor Steve Carell; cycling legend Lance Armstrong; musical guest Dr. John

Monday, July 14                              Actor Pierce Brosnan; baseball commissioner Bud Selig; musical guest Jason Mraz

Tuesday, July 15                              Actress Meryl Streep; actor Aaron Eckhart; musical guest Randy Travis

Wednesday, July 16                         Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal; musician Neil Young; musical guests The Hold Steady

Thursday, July 17                            Actor Ricky Gervais; musical guest John Mellencamp

Friday, July 18                                 Author David Sedaris           

Monday, July 21                              Actor Will Ferrell; a demonstration by Myth Busters

   

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