HBO is negotiating with Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman to star in a TV series titled Luck in which the 72 year-old actor would play a compulsive gambler. This would be Hoffman's first venture into episodic TV. Dennis Farina has been signed to the cast and Michael Mann is producing and directing the pilot.  For more click here

In the 1980s, The Cosby Show was "must-see" TV in most American households. Now two of Cosby's TV "daughters" are all grown up. Check out Keshia Knight Pulliam and Raven Symone, who played cute kids Rudy and Olivia, as they appeared at an NAACP awards ceremony. For more click here

Robert Vaughn, the last surviving member of The Magnificent Seven, has been confirmed to star with Sean Bean in The Magnificent Eleven - a big screen comedy about an amateur UK soccer team that comes to the aid of a tandoori restaurant owner who is being menaced by thugs. For details click here

With few exceptions, contemporary TV game shows seem to choose contestants on the basis of providing unintentional laughter. Most of the participants seem happily oblivious to that fact, as evidenced by this video collection of the stupidest game show answers of all time. It must have been a Herculean task to cull these clips from such a rich treasure trove, but one of our favorites is the dumb blonde who thinks Europe is country and France isn't. Running a close second is the contestant on Wheel of Fortune who guessed the mystery phrase to be "self-potato"! And don't overlook the Family Feud show in which two entire family teams could not come up with the name of a single country that starts with the letter "A" except America. Doubtless, these folks have promising careers as television script writers. To view click here 

Seinfeld always said that his legendary sitcom was a show about "nothing". However, it was as complex as the works of Ingmar Bergman compared to The Marriage Ref.

By Lee Pfeiffer

I rarely watch episodic TV simply because I'm generally working on a project and don't have the time to actually sit in front of the boob tube. Besides, there hasn't been anything worth watching since the Clinton administration - and even when there is an exception, the mind-numbing amount of commercials make me feel like I've just undergone a lobotomy. Thus, I've grown addicted to political debate shows because I can pump up the volume and not have to actually watch the TV. However, tonight I made an exception and periodically got up to see a show that came on NBC called The Marriage Ref. The only reason I had any interest at all is because it was produced by the great Jerry Seinfeld and the opening episode featured that show's co-creator Larry David along with Ricky Gervais and Madonna. As I watched slack-jawed, Larry David said "This has to be the most uncomfortable hour I've ever spent." This was at the half hour mark, but he could be forgiven for thinking it seemed like an hour. It must rank as some kind of grand achievement to take three ultra talented people and put them into a situation that was less amusing than those old high school health films about preventing venereal disease.

Making the rounds to promote the acclaimed TV WWII series The Pacific which he produced, Tom Hanks tossed out a tantalizing hint about a project he is developing for TV about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Hanks says, A lot of conspiracy types are going to be upset. If we do it right it'll perhaps be one of the most controversial things that has ever been on TV." Click here to read.

By Lee Pfeiffer

Barbara Walters has announced she will end her highly-rated TV specials in which she interviews key Oscar nominees. The tradition started 29 years ago. The shows are aired immediately prior to the Oscar broadcast. Walters' last show will be seen on March 7. In unusually blunt language, Walters explained the reason for her retiring the specials: "I think I'm sick of them...I feel I've been there, done that." We can only speculate, but we also would think that the smaller-than-life stature of today's "stars" may have something to do with Walters' decision. Years ago, she interviewed screen legends. This year's special will feature Sandra Bullock and Mo'Nique. Nothing against these talented ladies, but when you've got Bette Davis, John Wayne, Al Pacino and seemingly every other screen legend on your list of interview subjects, today's actors must pale by comparison. In fact, Walters has said that she feels she is now interviewing people whose claim to fame is making one big movie. For more click here

The BBC has ordered massive cuts to its operations, including radically reducing their web site operations and closing two radio stations. Additionally, the budget for importing foreign TV series has been drastically slashed. The strategy will result in major layoffs across-the-board as the legendary BBC focuses more on "quality rather than quantity." There are political overtones to the strategy, according to The Times of London. With a Tory government led by David Cameron a real possibility in the next election, the BBC is trying to show it can clean up its own house with oversight by the government. The cutbacks will impact the average British household in terms of programming selection and availability. For more click here