Television News

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Tensions within the Screen Actors Guild mounted on Monday as the union's Hollywood-based leaders rejected a call by SAG's New York branch to bring in a federal mediator to break a deadlock in contract talks with major studios.

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Tom Cruise is striking while the Iron Man—and Batman—is hot, and eyeing a comic book adaptation to call his own.

NEW YORK - NBC is enjoying a taste of what superstar swimmer Michael Phelps savored last week: a clean sweep.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Talk-show host Wendy Williams has found a national home on the Fox Television Stations group.

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag may have called off their engagement, but the reality-star lovebirds are still talking babies.

Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research for Aug. 11-17. Listings include the week's ranking, with viewership for the week and season-to-date rankings in parentheses. An "X" in parentheses denotes a one-time-only presentation.

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - The John McCain campaign fired off an angry letter to NBC News criticizing Andrea Mitchell's comments regarding the "cone of silence" at Saturday night's presidential candidates' forum at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California.

Los Angeles (E! Online) - T.R. Knight is thrilled his pal Ellen DeGeneres married Portia de Rossi this weekend, but that doesn't mean he's going to be the next gay celebrity to say "I do."

Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of Aug 11-17. Day and start time (EDT) are in parentheses:

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Critics and other members of the media hoping to get a sneak peek at the CW's upcoming series "90210" are out of luck.

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Once again, CSI has got its man.

LOS ANGELES - They're not a singing group but they play one on TV — and very successfully, we might add. But don't even begin to get into it about whether the Cheetah Girls are friends in real life.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Day nine of the Summer Olympics in Beijing, featuring swimmer Michael Phelps' historic gold-medal triumph, gave NBC its most watched Saturday prime-time broadcast in 18 years, the network said on Sunday.

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Talk about waltzing away with it...

NEW YORK - Christina Applegate is taking the long view of her battle with breast cancer — the really long view.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Former NBA star Charles Barkley could be getting some golfing tips via a project in development at Golf Channel.

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Has Miley Cyrus fallen for the competition?

A look at the 11 teams competing in the 13th season of CBS' "The Amazing Race."

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The Food Network is getting into the competitive eating genre with a new series, tentatively titled "Eat the Clock."

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Matthew Fox is standing atop an island of cash.

LOS ANGELES - An ex-NFL player and his estranged wife, a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader and her actor brother, recent divorcees, a pair of Southern belles and fraternity brothers are among the 11 two-person teams hurrying for the finish line — and the $1 million grand prize — on the upcoming 13th edition of CBS' "The Amazing Race."

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres married her long-time partner, actress Portia de Rossi, at their home in Los Angeles on Saturday, according to People magazine.

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Fat Bastard's got nothing on this role.

LOS ANGELES - The drama has already begun with "90210," which is giving TV critics the brushoff.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. automaker General Motors Corp. has pulled out of its longtime sponsorship of the Academy Awards, one of the biggest annual events on broadcast television, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

Los Angeles (E! Online) - One minute Demián Bichir never heard of Weeds, the next minute he's filming love scenes for the series with star Mary-Louise Parker.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" has solved the mystery of who will replace departing CBS series star William Petersen: It's Laurence Fishburne.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Such is the nature of "Kung Fu Killer" that you can't tell whether the title pertains to the hero or the villain. Not that it matters because, in this miniseries, it's all about the kung fu and the killing, regardless of who's doing it. Between evil perpetrators and steadfast heroes, bodies pile up like mah-jongg tiles.

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Is The Suite Life's Brenda Song Disney's next billion-dollar cash cow?

GREENWICH, England - Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz are stuck in a Mini Cooper, just steps from where East meets West.