Awww ... Simon Misses Paula on Idol

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.

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»

If Simon Cowell has his way; he wants her as 'X Factor' judge

(NEWSER) - Who could possibly take the place of Paula Abdul on X Factor ? If Simon Cowell has his way, it will be Beyoncé—and he's offering her a cool $100 million per season (total contract: $500 million) to do it, according to Media Take Out . If she accepts the full-time judge job, she'll be the highest-paid person on TV, reports the New York Post , which notes that the idea isn't totally out-there: Beyoncé would reportedly prefer not to go on tour for the first few years of Blue Ivy's life, meaning this gig could ensure the world doesn't forget about her. More»

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»

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»