Lost Ends Season on Mysterious Note

Both Battleground and Lilyhammer get mixed reviews, as streaming services branch out

(NEWSER) - Online streaming sites Hulu and Netflix both launched original series this week, as both services take baby steps toward competing with regular television, reports Gigaom . A look at each:

• Hulu's Battleground is the more conventional of the two, a 13-episode comedy about a Senate campaign in Wisconsin that started today, with a new 22-minute episode airing each Tuesday. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has solid praise for Battleground, saying it is "a smart, well-written comedy series you might find on a premium cable network." The AP is less kind, however, calling it "a light, watered-down knockoff of The Office," while the New York Daily News comes down somewhere in-between.

Police believe the 75-year-old committed suicide

(NEWSER) - Soul Train creator and longtime host Don Cornelius was found dead this morning in his Sherman Oaks, Calif., home, in what police are calling an apparent suicide. Law enforcement sources say the 75-year-old died from a single gunshot wound to the head, which they believe was self-inflicted. Cornelius' Soul Train holds the title of the "longest-running first-run nationally syndicated show in television history," reports the Los Angeles Times . Its 35-year run began in 1971, and in 2010 Cornelius told the paper that he was working on a sort of biographical movie about the show. More»

Some producers agree to pay cuts; no word yet from actors

(NEWSER) - Don't say sayonara to the Simpsons just yet: Sources say several top-level producers will take pay cuts in order to keep the show on the air. Not all of the producers are on board, and cast members have not yet agreed to any terms. Variety notes that any money saved from a producer pay cut likely does not come close to the amount that would be saved if the actors agreed to the 45% reduction demand. But, as Entertainment Weekly points out, all sides believe something will be worked out, because no one wants to see the 23-season-long series end without a real finale. A final decision is expected tomorrow. More»

Filmmakers will have a television project for the first time

(NEWSER) - Good news for Coen brothers fans: Soon you won't even have to leave your house to get a fix. The Oscar-winning filmmakers are creating an hour-long TV series for Fox, according to the Hollywood Reporter . The single-camera comedy Harve Karbo will center on a Los Angeles private investigator, his deadbeat friends, and the Tinseltown VIPs he frequently crosses paths with. More»

Mr. LeAnn Rimes is out of a job ... and the oh-so-sexy Brian Williams swoops in

(NEWSER) - Who do you find sexier: Playboy bunnies or Brian Williams? If you went with the former you're out of luck, because NBC's 10pm EDT Monday time slot is about to be filled by the latter. The Playboy Club has officially become the first cancellation of the fall season. A slim three episodes aired, the last of which drew a paltry 3.5 million viewers. Rock Center will air in its place, and no, that's not a show about rock-hard bodies. The Williams-helmed newsmagazine will debut on Halloween night, and will feature Harry Smith and Kate Snow as correspondents, along with Meredith Vieira, Matt Lauer, and Ann Curry. Prime Suspect reruns will air in the meantime, notes the AP . More»