Blago Plugs Reality Show He Can't Film

Lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, accused of tax evasion, died in police custody

(NEWSER) - For the first time in its history, Russia plans to prosecute a dead man. Police intend to bring to trial the tax-evasion case of Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer who died in custody in 2009, reports the New York Times . Russian authorities claim they reopened the case so Magnitsky's supporters could exonerate him. The real reason, assert the supporters, is so the government can intimidate them and perhaps clear the name of the officials Magnitsky had condemned for corruption. More»

NBC musical dazzles critics... mostly

(NEWSER) - If you watched the Super Bowl, you just might have heard of Smash, NBC's new drama about the making of a Broadway musical. It premiered last night, and critics are (mostly) giving it a standing ovation:

• The buzz has gotten so intense that the conversation isn't even about whether it'll be good. "Good? Darling, it's great!" gushes Mary McNamara of the LA Times . The creators have "managed to capture the grand and sweeping gesture that is musical theater and inject it with the immediate intimacy of television," an impressive, unprecedented feat.

Teresa Hunt had not-so-racy photos of a cousin, wanted '19 Kids and Counting' axed

(NEWSER) - For anyone who has ever wished TLC would ax the reality abomination known as 19 Kids and Counting, you have company, albeit slightly batty company. Seems feds have charged Iowa photog Teresa Hunt with trying to extort the parent company of TLC, which airs Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's show, reports the Des Moines Register . Hunt allegedly sought $10,000 or the cancelation of the show, lest she make public photos that show a Duggar cousin in a less-than-squeaky-clean light with—gasp!—a much older "musician." More»

City denies permit to spin-off featuring Snooki, Jwoww

(NEWSER) - Those poor kids of the Jersey Shore: They've been hit with numerous lawsuits , slammed by scientists , dissed by a clothing chain and the governor of their state , and banned from partying on film in Florence . Now Hoboken, of all places, has publicized its disdain. A spin-off to the reality show featuring Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Jennifer "JWoww" Farley was to be filmed in the city, but the mayor denied the necessary film permit, the Huffington Post reports. More»

Ex-rapper's renovation show will run on DIY Network

(NEWSER) - Stop, collaborate, and set your DVRs. Ice is back with a second season of "The Vanilla Ice Project," a show on the DIY Network that stars the 44-year-old rapper as he renovates a run-down mansion in Palm Beach County, Florida. Returning on the heels of a hit first season, the peculiar home improvement show will run 13 episodes beginning tomorrow, reports AP . More»