{alltv} Fox grants 'brief extension' in cable dispute

 

LOS ANGELES – Fox television's threatened blackout was avoided just before a midnight deadline when the network struck a deal with Time Warner Cable to briefly extend their contract as negotiations between the two companies continued.

Time Warner Cable Inc. made the announcement as the clock rolled past midnight Thursday on the East Coast.

The extension for just a few hours made it appear likely that a deal on fees would be reached, allowing viewers access to Friday's Sugar Bowl between the Florida Gators and the Cincinnati Bearcats. The Cotton Bowl on Saturday, the NFL's final regular season contests on Sunday and "The Simpsons" and other Fox shows were also at risk.

Fox had threatened to pull the signal from 14 TV stations it owns, a move that would have affected more than 6 million customers of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks in New York, Los Angeles, Orlando, Fla., and other markets.

Six Fox cable channels, including FX, Speed and Fuel, were still being distributed as carriage arrangements on those channels didn't expire until midnight Pacific time.

The dispute focuses on how much Fox is paid by cable companies to retransmit stations' signals. Time Warner Cable and a smaller cable TV operator, Bright House Networks, have resisted paying a new $1 monthly fee per subscriber that News Corp. is demanding from both operators.

Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt has called the fee demand excessive and said the cable operator has reached deals for "much lower" rates with Fox affiliates — stations that carry Fox programming but are owned by other companies.

Fox has said it needs subscription revenue to supplement the advertising revenues that have supported its broadcast network up until now.

Separately, Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which owns broadcast stations in markets as large as Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, agreed to an eight-day extension for cable TV operator Mediacom Communications Corp. to carry Sinclair's Fox and CBS stations. Mediacom will pay Sinclair a higher rate than it was paying under a contract that also was expiring at midnight Thursday.

But in a sign of how talks can go awry, Cablevision Systems Corp. said early Friday that it had failed to reach a deal to continue carrying HGTV and Food Network for its 3.1 million subscribers in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, adding it had no expectation of carrying the signals again. The channels are owned by Cincinnati-based Scripps Networks Interactive Inc.

{alltv} Photo: Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo

 

 

{alltv} Will Charlie and Brooke Split...Eventually?

 

If Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller do reconcile, it won't be for long.

At least that's what a source close to the situation tells us.

"Brooke's been wanting a divorce for at least two months, but she was holding out until Charlie signed a new contract [for his sitcom]," the source says. "She thinks she can get more money."

Despite both camps' publicly stated desire to reconcile, our source suggests, "They'll get back together temporarily, but it'll end in divorce."

Sheen has been "doing some soul searching" to figure out what he wants to do next, according to the source, but "everyone around him is telling him to get out of the marriage."

As for Mueller negotiating for hush money, the source says she's trying to get their prenup thrown out. (Mueller's lawyer insisted to E! earlier today that financial discussions have not taken place.)

Plus, says the source, Brooke has "something else on Charlie" but declined to give specific details.

Mueller has told friends that she knows the fight will be anything but easy. "She's scared," the source says. "His team is doing everything they can to make her look like s--t."

While Sheen "wants all of this to go away," our source says Sheen is confident "he'll get away with it—because he always does."

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{alltv} Aspen Police Wrap Up Sheen Investigation

 

Charlie Sheen's fate is in the hands of a higher power now.

Aspen police have wrapped their investigation into the goings-on at Charlie Sheen's house on Christmas morning and passed the case on to the Pitkin County District Attorney's Office, E! News confirmed Thursday.

"There is no new information to release at this time," said Aspen Police Department spokeswoman Stephanie Dasaro. "The case is in judicial proceeding, so any new information will either come from the district attorney's office or the Pitkin County courts."

Earlier today, the D.A.'s office filed paperwork opposing Brooke Mueller's request to lift the routine order of protection issued against Sheen after his arrest for allegedly assaulting and threatening her.

The Two and a Half Men star is due in court Feb. 8, where he may have to answer to felony menacing and assault charges, as well as a misdemeanor count of criminal mischief.

{alltv} Biggest Loser's Trainer Bob Shares a Favorite Veggie Recipe for the New Year

 

For Biggest Loser trainer Bob Harper, a full day's work is a full day's workout. So what does he eat to refuel? Rich, nutritious vegetarian meals – that he prepares himself!

"I love to cook. Love, love, to cook," he tells PEOPLE. "When I'm in L.A., I cook every night that I'm home. It's really relaxing to me."

Harper takes pride in creating vegetarian meals that aren't boring. "People are always asking, 'If I'm a vegetarian, are my options limited?' " he says. "My answer is no way! There are so many great recipes out there to choose from, and I also love to experiment with different vegetables and grains. Guests are always surprised when they come over for dinner and I whip up pasta."

The trainer is also a whiz at making old favorites with a nutritious twist. "Working on The Biggest Loser, you have to get into the kitchen and make foods the contestants used to love to eat, but make them healthier, lower in calories and above all else, tasty," he explains. "It's a really fun game that I like to play with food."

And regardless of income, Harper believes anyone can invent dishes that are exciting and healthful. "I had to learn to cook a long time ago because I was always on a budget, so it was up to me to get creative in the kitchen," he says. "I always encourage people to go into the produce section of the grocery store and pick a vegetable that they aren't used to working with, and see what they come up with."

Want to try one of Harper's dishes that celeb vegetarians like Carrie Underwood, Natalie Portman and Tobey Maguire might enjoy? See below for his roasted vegetable salad recipe!

Plus: Check out more healthy ideas – including workout tips from Trainer Bob – here! And tune in to The Biggest Loser season premiere on Tuesday, Jan. 5, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Mary Ellen Bartley

Roasted Vegetable Salad with Vinaigrette Dressing

Serves: 3 to 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes


• 8 small carrots, sliced into rounds
• 6 small zucchini, sliced into rounds
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
• 3 squash, sliced into rounds
• 1 (15.5-oz.) can chickpeas
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 heads romaine lettuce, washed and torn into small pieces
• 1 cup cucumbers, sliced
• 2 ripe red tomatoes, sliced
• Vinaigrette dressing of your choice


1. Preheat oven to 425º
2. Toss together carrots, zucchini, peppers, yellow squash and chickpeas on a large sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and lightly spray with olive oil. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring once. Let cool.
3. In a large bowl, combine lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes. Add grilled vegetables and toss with dressing.

{alltv} Who's Behind The Bachelor's Scandal No. 1?

 

The wait is almost over! The new season of The Bachelor, starring hunky pilot Jake Pavelka, premieres Monday, Jan. 4 (8 p.m. EST) on ABC — and the network has been running this juicy spot to promote it. Along with images of Jake pumping iron and taking a lucky bachelorette on the perennial romantic helicopter ride, a voiceover says, "It wouldn't be The Bachelor if it didn't start with one shocking scandal." Then, (presumably) one of the contestants says, "She's been having this sexual affair with somebody else in the Bachelor house." Shocking indeed! While we wait to find out who "she" is and who's she's having "this sexual affair" with, fans can only speculate. While reports (like this one) claim one of the contestants hooked up with a crewmember, ABC isn't commenting. What else could it be? Are two female contestants falling in love? And don't besmirch the married Chris Harrison!

{alltv} Brooke Mueller's Lawyer Denies $1M Claim

 

Reports that $1 million will be added to Brooke Mueller's pre-nuptial agreement with husband Charlie Sheen are premature, Mueller's attorney Yale Galanter tells PEOPLE.

"I have heard nothing concerning any kind of talk about financial issues between Brooke and Charlie," Galanter said Thursday. "I don't think any discussion about finances is true."

Galanter has filed a motion in the Aspen, Colo. court to modify the protective order put in place after Sheen's domestic violence arrest so his client and her husband can get together and attempt to resolve their issues. "We have a 10:30 a.m. court date in Aspen Monday morning," he says, adding. "I am waiting for that."

Galanter also says he has not heard the reports of Sheen and Mueller having a fight where he attacked her and shoved her so hard she hit her head on the floor. "I can't comment on something I have not heard or know anything about," he tells PEOPLE.