Black Viewership for Oscars Dipped Just 2%, Despite Calls for a Boycott

TV Tattle

Black viewership for Oscars dipped just 2%, despite calls for a boycott

Nielsen’s final same-day numbers for Sunday’s Oscars found that total viewership was down 7.6% from last year (34.425 million vs. 37.257 million). Nielsen also released ethnic breakdowns, showing that for black viewers the decline was by a much smaller amount compared to all viewers. About 3.22 million black viewers tuned in, compared to 3.29 million last year. On Monday, Rev. Al Sharpton declared victory over the decline in viewership.


Jason Lee signs on for CBS comedy pilot What Goes Around Comes Around

The My Name is Earl alum will play a husband trying to raise three teenagers with his wife.


Defense in Erin Andrews lawsuit trial says peephole incident was good for her career

The Dancing with the Stars and Fox Sports personality is suing for $75 million, but the defense claimed today that the stalking incident didn’t hurt her career. PLUS: ESPN releases a statement after Andrews accused the sports network of forcing her to go on TV to discuss her stalking incident.


Tina Fey: Sarah Palin sounded so different, I had to relearn my SNL impression

Fey told Howard Stern this morning that Palin sounded different when she endorsed Donald Trump — she was more jacked up, like she had just drunk Red Bull.


Inspired by Lady Gaga’s Oscar performance, The Bachelor’s Jade Roper reveals she was sexually assaulted as a teen

“Lady GaGa’s performance was powerful and really moved me,” Roper explains in a post that prompted Lady Gaga to tweet back “you are a warrior.”


Why did the Oscars play off winners with the music of Hitler’s favorite composer?

Some found it ironic that Best Director winner Alejandro Iñárritu was played off by Wagner while he was trying to make an important point about diversity.


Race star Stephan James joins Fox’s racially charged shooting event series Shots Fired

The actor whose role as Jesse Owens is currently playing on the big screen has been cast as a Department of Justice prosecutor on the topical event series.


Sylvester Stallone’s Strong reality show nabs NBC’s Thursday’s at 8 pm timeslot

The fitness competition reality series will debut on April 13 with a two-night premiere.


Nat Geo orders The Black 22s from David Oyelowo

The Black 22s will tell the story of the first all-black police squad in the U.S.


Will the Claus Von Bulow trial become the next Making a Murderer?

An NBC-owned studio has ordered a TV series based on the book The Von Bulow Affair, by William Wright.


Fox picks up Kal Penn’s Superhuman game show for an 8-episode season

The superhuman skills competition originally aired in January as a two-hour special.


Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s Rachel Bloom to be honored for her portrayal of West Covina

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors tonight will present a scroll to Bloom for her positive promotion of the suburban L.A. city.


NBC’s Cruel Intentions has found its “Reese Witherspoon”

Drop Dead Diva alum Kate Levering will take on the role of Annette Hargrove on the NBC sequel pilot.


The League’s
Katie Aselton joins FX’s Legion

The Marvel pilot is one of three series Aselton is juggling, including Hulu’s Casual and HBO’s Togetherness.


Andy Cohen is playing himself on Inside Amy Schumer’s Real Housewives sketch

Check out Schumer as a big-haired Real Housewives star. PLUS: Amber Tamblyn will also appear next season.


Nightline’s Dan Harris is the new host of ABC’s 500 Questions

He’ll replace CNN’s Richard Quest for Season 2 of the summer game show.


American Gladiators star Lee Reherman dies at 49

Reherman, who played Hawk on the syndicated competition series, was found dead this morning at his home, but no cause of death has been revealed.