Luke Russert a No-Show at NBC

Maybe your embarrassing parents can help you land a TV deal

(NEWSER) - Easter and Passover are coming up, which means more embarrassing incidents at family get-together, plus a silver lining: You could potentially score a book deal. Chris Mathias, writing for Nerve , lists five blogs based on “familial eccentricities” that have scored their creators some cash—or at least some popularity:

• Shit My Dad Says : Moving back in with your parents doesn’t suck so bad when your 73-year-old father’s hilarious utterings end up getting you a TV show—starring William Shatner, no less.
• Tiny Art Director : An artist’s 5-year-old daughter offers harsh critiques of his work, often involving the addition of dinosaurs or dragons. The book will be out soon.

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»

Why NBC should pull the plug

(NEWSER) - Sure, sure, The Office is still funny, but it’s becoming increasingly obvious that it’s running out of steam, and should just close up shop when Steve Carell departs. “You can sense a weariness and desperation setting in,” writes Matt Zoller Seitz on Salon . “Are we seeing yet another example of network TV's factory mentality (26 episodes a year, series run extended indefinitely) squeezing the vitality and focus from a once-great show?” More»

'Countdown' host appears to breach NBC ethics rules

(NEWSER) - Keith Olbermann donated $2,400—the maximum individual contribution—apiece to three Democrats before Election Day, apparently breaking NBC rules, Politico reports. The MSNBC host, who has acknowledged the contributions, gave to two Arizona representatives the day one of them, Raul Grijalva, stopped by his show (the other was Gabrielle Giffords); he also gave to failed Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway. Like many news outlets, NBC bans its employees from giving to campaigns. More»

Actress breaks career news on Twitter again

(NEWSER) - A month after stunning Hollywood and sparking questions about her mental stability with the news of her retirement , Amanda Bynes wants a do-over. "I've unretired," the 24-year-old on-again-off-again actress tweeted . She's a co-star of the buzzed-about high school comedy Easy A, notes People —and within minutes of "unretiring," Bynes was tweeting about the trailer . More»