Tyson, Holyfield Make Up

Tweet got talk show queen in trouble with Nielsen

(NEWSER) - We all know the Oprah Winfrey Network is struggling with ratings —but apparently the situation is so bad that Winfrey herself felt the need to tweet a request for viewers on Sunday night, as the Grammys were airing. "Every 1 who can please turn to OWN especially if u have a Nielsen box," she tweeted just before Oprah's Next Chapter aired. An uproar quickly ensued, with some slamming Oprah for "begging for viewers," Fox News reports. More»

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»

Don't underestimate the president, Christie warns

(NEWSER) - Chris Christie had surprisingly positive words for Barack Obama in a recent sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, calling him "very charismatic" and "genuine." Asked about the president's chances for re-election, Christie replied, "I think those who underestimate Barack Obama underestimate him at their own peril. He is as good a politician as I've ever seen. ... I think what he says he believes, he believes. That's a very dangerous politician." The interview airs Sunday at 9pm EST on Oprah's Next Chapter, but the AP has a preview. More»

1.1M tune in, but Winfrey will likely need to boost that audience

(NEWSER) - Oprah's new talk show debuted Sunday night, and just 1.1 million people watched. That may sound like a lot at first—and, in fact, it is the second largest audience for any show on the struggling Oprah Winfrey Network—but not when you consider Winfrey averaged 6.5 million viewers in the last season of her old daytime show, Piers Morgan premiered in Larry King's old slot to an audience of 2.1 million, and the History Channel's Pawn Stars averaged more than 5 million viewers last month. More»