newsmakers

newsmakers

Oprah interviews Kardashian-Jenners

LOS ANGELES

Oprah Winfrey talks to eight — count ’em, eight — Kardashian-Jenner family members in an interview set to air on Winfrey’s cable channel, OWN.

Winfrey talked to Kris and Bruce Jenner and their combined offspring at their Hidden Hills, Calif., home. Also on hand were Khloe Kardashian’s husband, Lamar Odom, and Kourtney Kardashian’s boyfriend, Scott Disick, OWN said Monday.

The interview will air at 8 p.m. Sunday on “Oprah’s Next Chapter.” It will be followed at 9 p.m. with the second part of Winfrey’s interview with rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.

Oscars venue reopens as Dolby Theatre

LOS ANGELES

The venue for the Oscars has a new name — and sound.

The 3,400-seat theater formerly known as the Kodak Theatre reopened Monday as the Dolby Theatre with new signage and a new audio-visual system.

The technology company Dolby Laboratories Inc., announced a 20-year deal with Hollywood & Highland Center owner CIM Group last month to rename the theater the Dolby Theatre. The space has hosted the Oscars since 2002.

Dolby outfitted the four-level venue with its Dolby 3D and Dolby Atmos projection and audio systems.

CIM Group dropped the Kodak name from the theater ahead of the Oscars ceremony earlier this year after a bankruptcy-court judge approved the early exit of Eastman Kodak Co., from a 20-year naming- rights deal it signed with CIM Group in 1999.

Tony Awards telecast slides toward lows

LOS ANGELES

The Tony Awards on CBS has solidified its position as the lowest-rated broadcast of the major entertainment awards shows.

Sunday’s broadcast of Broadway’s biggest night brought in just 6 million television viewers, according to preliminary figures from Nielsen. That’s down from 6.9 million viewers in 2011. Last year’s telecast was hurt by the NBA finals, but Sunday’s ceremony didn’t face any such competition for viewers.

The Associated Press reported that Sunday’s telecast was the second-lowest-viewed Tony Awards since 1988. The ceremony was broadcast from The Beacon Theatre in New York.

The Tony Awards has seen its ratings fall steadily in recent seasons. Last year’s 6.9 million viewers were down from 7 million in 2010. That figure was down from 7.4 million viewers in 2009.

To put the numbers in perspective, the Academy Awards show on ABC drew an estimated 39.3 million viewers this year, up slightly from the previous year. Even this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards, on CBS, did better than the Tonys, attracting about 13 million viewers.

CBS tried this year to stoke viewer interest by including performances from last year’s big winner, “The Book of Mormon,” and the name-recognition title “Ghost: The Musical.” But not even the return of host Neil Patrick Harris could reverse the broadcast’s steady slide.

Next stop, PBS?

Police: ‘Jersey Shore’ star impeded traffic

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J.

Police are releasing details about the arrest of “Jersey Shore” cast member Deena Cortese in the town where the MTV show is based.

The 25-year-old Cortese, of New Egypt, was arrested for disorderly conduct Sunday afternoon in Seaside Heights.

Detective Steve Korman says Cortese and other cast members were in a Mexican restaurant before Cortese went into the roadway and began dancing and impeding traffic.

Korman says an officer saw Cortese and said she appeared to be intoxicated. She was taken to police headquarters, processed and released to her mother.

Cortese could face a fine of up to $500 and up to 30 days in jail.

An MTV spokesman declined to comment on the series because it is in production. An air date for the sixth season hasn’t been announced.

Vindicator wire services