Television News - AP

LOS ANGELES - A judge sentenced "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis on Friday to 301 days already served and a year of probation for filing false income tax returns and bribing Nevada jail workers.

NEW YORK - A reality show miniseries about the Jackson family will premiere Dec. 13 on A&E, the network says. Back-to-back hour episodes will air that night at 9 p.m. EST.

LOS ANGELES - Rue McClanahan, who played sexy Southern belle Blanche Devereaux on "The Golden Girls," was recovering Thursday from heart bypass surgery at a New York City hospital.

LOS ANGELES - Rihanna, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Green Day and Carrie Underwood will be among the diverse roster of performers planning to take the stage at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles, show producers said Thursday.

NEW YORK - Oprah Winfrey is removing gospel singer BeBe Winans from her show's "karaoke challenge" until charges against him for allegedly pushing his ex-wife to the ground are resolved.

NEW YORK - Some suicide prevention groups aren't laughing over a scene in "The Office" where Steve Carell's character tries to scare young children by struggling in a hangman's noose.

NEW YORK - ESPN had better watch its back.

Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by the Nielsen Co. for the week of Oct. 26-Nov. 1. Day and start time (EST) are in parentheses:

NEW YORK - Big Bird is leaving Sesame Street!

NEW YORK - Green Day already has New Year's Eve plans: They'll be ringing in 2010 with Carson Daly.

LONDON - Former Prime Minister Tony Blair and country music singer Dolly Parton will be featured in a new BBC series exploring how faith shapes lives.

LOS ANGELES - In the blink of an eye, late-night TV is shifting from a white men's club to the start of a rainbow coalition.

NEW YORK - On-air promos for a sexual threesome on an upcoming episode of "Gossip Girl" have spurred the Parents Television Council to ask affiliates of the CW network to pre-empt the show.

NEW YORK - ABC has booked a prime-time interview with pop star Janet Jackson, expected to be her first lengthy television interview since her brother Michael's death.

LOS ANGELES - John Lithgow was going to pass on the chance to play serial killer vs. serial killer on "Dexter," with an Italian vacation, cruise and his son's wedding awaiting him.

NEW YORK - Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has some new people to yell at.

LOS ANGELES - Here comes Mario Lopez as the Miss America pageant host.

LOS ANGELES - Michael Irvin and Mark Dacascos have been booted from the ballroom.

LOS ANGELES - Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are taking on the Oscars.

LOS ANGELES - The legal war between former Miss California USA Carrie Prejean and pageant organizers is over.

LOS ANGELES - Kirstie Alley is going to star in a new A&E reality "docu-series" about her life as a single mom and her efforts to lose weight.

Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by The Nielsen Co., for Oct. 26-Nov. 1. Listings include the week's ranking, with viewership for the week and season-to-date rankings in parentheses. An "X" in parentheses denotes a one-time-only presentation.

NEW YORK - The World Series gave the Fox network world-class ratings last week as the New York Yankees squared off against the Philadelphia Phillies in four much-watched games.

LOS ANGELES - A man arrested outside Ryan Seacrest's workplace has pleaded not guilty to a felony stalking charge.

LOS ANGELES - When Adam Arkin signed on for "Sons of Anarchy," he didn't have reservations about his role as a slick white separatist or the FX drama's dark heart.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - A Connecticut judge has ordered CBS sportscaster Jim Nantz to pay his ex-wife $916,000 a year in alimony and child support.

HONG KONG - One of America's best-known entertainment news shows is launching an Asian edition.

NEW YORK - Of the many countries participating at the Vancouver Olympics, add Colbert Nation to the list.