Ah, romance!
Beck is back
Conservative commentator
Glenn Beck will be back on a TV screen near you. Nearly a year after leaving Fox News because of low ratings and criticism about his increasingly extreme viewpoint, Beck's The Blaze, a 24-hour online news and opinion network, will be available to DISH subscribers. The Blaze has about 300,000 subscribers.
DISH customers will be able to watch Beck whenever they want, but shows like "The Walking Dead" and "Breaking Bad" are still inaccessible because of stalled contract negotiations between the cable provider and AMC Networks, the company that owns AMC, IFC, Sundance and WEtv.
Primed for Pussy Riot
Russian Prime Minister
Dmitry Medvedev: radical feminist?
On Wednesday, Medvedev called for the release of three members of the femme-focused punk-rock band Pussy Riot, who are serving a two-year sentence after being convicted of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred." The band was arrested in March because of a concert they gave inside Moscow's most prominent Russian Orthodox church, during which they criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The incarcerated Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Ekaterina Samutsevich were held for six months before ultimately receiving their sentence. "In my opinion, probation would have been sufficient punishment, considering all the time they've already spent behind bars," Medvedev said.
Tolokonnikova, Alyokhina and Samutsevich have an appeal hearing coming up on Oct. 1, and the PM's support is good for their cause.
Bates bounces back
Actress
Kathy Bates announced via Twitter on Wednesday that she underwent a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer two months ago.
"Luckily, I don't have to undergo radiation or chemo," Bates told People magazine. "My family calls me Kat because I always land on my feet, and thankfully this is no exception."
With her typical wit, the "Misery" Oscar winner tweeted, "I don't miss my breasts as much as I miss Harry's Law. ;-)," referring to her NBC procedural that was canceled at the end of last season.
Culkin, alone
A new report in the
National Enquirer says that child star
Macaulay Culkin is in a bad way, especially since his breakup with actress
Mila Kunis last year.
The source tells the Enquirer that Culkin has reverted to childish tendencies, like holding dress-up parties, and may be mixed up in heroin.
"He likes to live as a child," the source said. "Growing up has not been good to Macaulay."
Kennedy congrats
Dustin Hoffman, bluesman
George "Buddy" Guy,
David Letterman, ballerina
Natalia Makarova and Led Zeppelin members
Jimmy Page,
Robert Plant and
John Paul Jones are members of the 35th class of Kennedy Center honorees.
"With their extraordinary talent, creativity and tenacity, the seven 2012 Kennedy Center Honorees have contributed significantly to the cultural life of our nation and the world," Kennedy Center chairman David M. Rubenstein said in a news release. This year's Kennedy Center Honors will be held on Dec. 2.
Contact Molly Eichel at eichelm@phillynews.com or 215-854-5909. Follow her on Twitter @mollyeichel.
