weekly television news

[FH]

4Kids Licenses Ninja Turtles to Cartoon Network Source: 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. Monday, November 24, 2003

4Kids Entertainment, Inc. announced today that it has licensed the U.S. cable television rights to the first 40 episodes of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Cartoon Network. These episodes of the animated series will be part of Cartoon Network's lineup beginning Spring 2004.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series will continue all first-run broadcasts of new episodes on the Fox Box, 4Kids Entertainment's weekend morning four-hour program block. 4Kids has already picked up the series for the 2004-2005 broadcast season. In addition, 4Kids will continue to be able to broadcast the first 40 episodes of the series on the Fox Box.

"The 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' have won the hearts of a whole new generation of fans," said Al Kahn, Chairman and CEO of 4Kids Entertainment. "We're pleased to be able to broadcast the series with Cartoon Network. Now that we're adding the Cartoon Network audience, we're certain that many more kids across the country will become part of the growing craze and get 'Turtle-ized.'"

Now in its second season on the Fox Box, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which is produced by 4Kids Entertainment and Mirage Licensing, Inc., features the colorful characters, exciting ninja action and irreverent humor that sparked Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mania more than a dozen years ago, but updated for today's kids with an all-new edgier look and feel.

The legend of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles begins when four, ordinary pet store turtles are exposed to a mysterious green ooze. The turtles are rescued by a kind and intelligent rat named Splinter, the former pet of a ninja master, who adopts them, and takes them to live with him in his lair below the streets of New York City. After realizing they are all being mutated by their exposure to the mysterious ooze, Splinter teaches his charges the ninjitsu skills he has observed, and trains them in the honorable and heroic Bushido code. The four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo - use their new skills to battle the evil Shredder and The Foot Clan, his formidable legion of ninja warriors, in the 30-minute action-adventure comedy series.

[FH]

I always thought she was the hottest chick on any of the Survivors, look at her now...




Sole Survivor
''Survivor'' alum Elisabeth becomes ''View'' cohost. The Style Channel personality wins the coveted twentysomething chair vacated by Lisa Ling by Gary Susman


This time, Elisabeth Filarski Hasselbeck was voted into the tribe, not out. The ''Survivor: The Outback'' contestant outplayed and outlasted her rivals to win the coveted twentysomething seat on ''The View,'' vacated last winter by Lisa Ling. The 26-year-old former shoe designer's victory was announced on Monday's broadcast of the ABC chatfest, with Barbara Walters and the other panelists revealing the name ''Elisabeth'' on their paper ballots, ''Survivor''-style.

''They say that life is full of choices, but boy, we had such a rough time with this one,'' Walters said on Monday's show. Hasselbeck was the last of three finalists to enjoy a weeklong trial run, following Rachel Campos (of ''The Real World: San Francisco'' fame) and Erin Hershey Presley, of the canceled ABC soap ''Port Charles.''

''I feel good sitting here,'' said Hasselbeck, who's served as host of the Style Channel's ''The Look for Less.'' ''I have to say, after last week, I was so sad to leave.''

Apparently, Hasselbeck was the last to learn of her hiring; even her husband, Washington Redskins quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, knew in advance and taped a message of congratulations that aired on Monday's ''View.''

(Posted:11/24/03)

[FH]

AEROSMITH To Perform At SUPER BOWL Pre-Show - Nov. 25, 2003

AEROSMITH will make their second Super Bowl appearance in four years just before kickoff at Super Bowl XXXVIII (38) on February 1 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, according to Launch Radio Networks. The band haven't yet decided what songs they'll play, but at least one will likely come from their upcoming "Honkin' On Bobo" blues-oriented album that should be out in the spring.

AEROSMITH last did the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXV (35) on January 28, 2001, in Tampa, Florida. They sang "Jaded" and "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing", after which they were joined by BRITNEY SPEARS, *NSYNC, MARY J. BLIGE, and NELLY for "Walk This Way".

In other news, AEROSMITH have partnered with the World Hunger Year (WHY) organization to help feed people around the country. The band are asking fans attending their current tour to bring two cans of food, which will be distributed to local groups working with hungry people in their area.

Lead singer Steven Tyler said, "In a country as rich as ours, the fact that there are so many people living in poverty and children are going hungry every day tells me that our spiritual bank account is way too low. It's just unacceptable. Through the years, our fans have always been willing to help make a difference, so we're asking them again to do what we always do when we are on the road in the holiday season — help us feed those people in need and our spiritual bank account all at the same time."

Lead guitarist Joe Perry added, "Anything you can do is greatly appreciated. We live in a great country where nobody should go to bed hungry."

[FH]

Justin's Silent Night

by Joal Ryan
Nov 25, 2003, 8:00 PM PT



It sounds like Justin Guarini could use a little holiday cheer.

Amid reports the singer has been dropped by his record label, Guarini was MIA from Tuesday night's American Idol Christmas special on Fox.


The network told E! it "has no idea" why the curly-haired one did not participate in the hourlong special. The decision reportedly was Guarini's, and may have involved a scheduling conflict.

When Fox announced An American Idol Christmas last month, Guarini was billed as one of its stars, along with Idols Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard and Kelly Clarkson.

In the end, Aiken, Studdard and Clarkson taped the special, assisted by fellow alumni Kimberly Locke, Tamyra Gray and Christina Christian. All are featured on the new album, American Idol: The Great Holiday Classics. Guarini contributed a solo track ("I'll Be Home for Christmas") to the collection, as well.

According to the latest Us Weekly, Guarini's Yuletide croon could be his final one for RCA Records. The magazine says the 25-year-old Idol has been shown the door by the label.

RCA did not return calls for comment Tuesday. Reps for Fox and 19 Management, the U.K.-based multimedia giant behind Idol, expressed surprise to hear of the reputed dumping.

It's already been a rough month for Guarini--two weeks ago, he was sued for more than $100,000 by a Pennsylvania couple over a 2002 traffic accident.

Next month may not be any easier. That's when Simon Cowell's new book, I Don't Mean to Be Rude, But..., hits stores. In it, the resident nasty Idol judge offers this assessment of Guarini: "He could end up as a huge star, or he could end up singing at weddings."

As of Tuesday, any sign that Guarini was ever signed to RCA was all but absent from the music giant's official Website. He was not listed in its artist roster, a roster highlighted by Aiken and Clarkson. A link to a contest called "Win the Jacket Off Justin Guarini's Back" redirected the user to an unrelated page. Still to be had was a press release from last January heralding Guarini as a young man "set to become a huge music industry name."

But when Guarini's self-titled solo debut from RCA was released last June, the album did not fulfill the label's prophecy. It opened at number 20 on the Billboard chart, with a non-huge 54,000 copies sold, and slid from there.

The soundtrack for his big-screen beach-party musical with Clarkson, From Justin to Kelly, fared even worse--no company dared released one. Or, perhaps it was the beach-party musical itself that fared worse--Fox did release that opus, and it bombed, grossing, if that's the term, less than $5 million in theaters.

As a solo act, Clarkson, Idol's first-season winner to Guarini's first-season runner-up, has had better luck. Her album, Thankful, went platinum (more than 1 million copies sold), with 297,000 albums bought in the first week.

Second-season runner-up Aiken raised the Idol bar in October, with his Measure of a Man moving 613,000 copies in its first week. It, too, has achieved platinum status.

Studdard, the reigning Idol champ, will be the next Idol to face the buying public. His disc, Soulful, from RCA's sister label J Records, is due out December 9.

Guarini, meanwhile, may not be the only ex-Idol struggling with a recording career. According to an email reputedly from Tamyra Gray to a fansite, she has been dropped by J Records before even releasing an album. A call seeking comment from the label was not returned Tuesday.