newsmakers

newsmakers

NBC inks deal with ‘King of Hill’ creator

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.

NBC is going into business with the producer of “King of the Hill” in a bid to move into prime-time animation.

NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt said a major production deal with Greg Daniels will include various types of programming but emphasize animated series. That’s a market Fox has cornered with shows including “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy.”

Daniels is behind NBC shows including “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation,” and Greenblatt says he’s eager to get back into animation since co-creating “King of the Hill” for Fox.

Greenblatt was a development executive at Fox when the then-fledgling network helped build its schedule with “The Simpsons.”

Barker gives $230K to house chimps

LOS ANGELES

Animal activist Bob Barker has gone to bat for dogs, cats, whales, pigeons, elephants and all kinds of other animals. Five chimpanzees will benefit from his latest donation.

Chimp Haven in Keithville, La., said his donation of $230,000 last month will pay to expand the 200-acre habitat to make room for the five chimps and care for them for one year.

Barker said the chimps came from a Texas research laboratory that went bankrupt.

Barker, who lives in Los Angeles, says the chimps have spent their whole lives on concrete in cages, but now they will live in the forest, and because they are curious and smart, they are expected to adapt well.

The 87-year-old Barker spent 50 years on television, retiring in 2008 from “The Price is Right.”

Spacek gets star on Walk of Fame

LOS ANGELES

Oscar-winning actress Sissy Spacek has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The 61-year-old actress was honored Monday with star number 2,443 on Hollywood Boulevard.

Spacek is known for her role as the troubled teen in “Carrie,” and she won an Academy Award for her portrayal of country singer Loretta Lynn in the 1981 movie “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”

Lord Byron letter turns out to be fake

MORRISTOWN, N.J.

It turns out a nearly 200-year-old letter donated to a New Jersey museum wasn’t written by English Romantic poet Lord Byron.

The National Historical Park in Morristown received the letter more than 50 years ago from a banker and collector.

The letter’s authenticity came into doubt when Drew University began planning a large Byron exhibit. The park’s chief of cultural resources, Jude Pfister, offered the letter.

The Star-Ledger of Newark reports the university shared the letter with an expert at the New York Public Library. She found problems with the salutation, signature and content.

Associated Press