Hasbro, Discovery Join to Launch Kids Channel

Behind only 'Harry Potter' and 'Spider-Man 3'

(NEWSER) - Transformers: Dark of the Moon notched a smashing weekend, pocketing an eye-popping $372 million from around the globe and grabbing the No. 3 opening weekend of all time. The third in the franchise pulled in $162 million domestically, but it's proving to be a blockbuster overseas, notes the Hollywood Reporter. The weekend's take is behind only Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($394 million) and Spider-Man 3 ($382 million). Click here for a roundup of reviews for Dark of the Moon. More»

...Andy Samberg of 'SNL' fame

(NEWSER) - Last year, the Discovery Channel used a non-Discovery star to host Shark Week for the first time—and it worked out well for them, with the largest audience ever (31 million) tuning in to the Craig Ferguson-hosted event. So this year, the network is following the same formula: Saturday Night Live cast member Andy Samberg will host. Or rather, the Washington Post notes, he will serve as Shark Week's CSO: "Chief Shark Officer." More»

Audiences love it, activists not so much

(NEWSER) - It’s Shark Week! Time offers a brief history of Discovery Channel’s popular annual event:

• An oldie but a goodie: It’s been around since 1987, just two years after the channel launched, making it cable’s longest-running event.
• Average viewers: It’s one of the most popular television events, with more than 20 million tuning in every year since 1995.

Show keeps it real—but doesn't exploit

(NEWSER) - Deadliest Catch is the realest of reality shows—“in the documentary sense of the word, as opposed to the corrupt facsimile associated with the so-called ‘reality TV’”—and in its coverage of unscripted television’s first death, it maintains that gritty grace. A string of episodes showing Captain Phil Harris’s last days will culminate with tonight’s finale. His death, from complications following a stroke, has been presented throughout “with intelligence and taste,” writes Matt Zoller Seitz for Salon . More»

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is a Victoria's Secret Angel

(NEWSER) - Victoria’s Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is the new Megan Fox…in Transformers 3, at least. The Frisky runs down 10 must-know facts about the 23-year-old Brit:

1. Love life: She’s been linked to Kylie Minogue ex Olivier Martinez and Ronnie Wood’s son, and she’s currently dating action movie star Jason Statham.
2. Extracurricular activities: She’s allegedly been photographed holding drug paraphernalia.