Popular ‘Portlandia’ renewed
“Portlandia,” the IFC comedy series that spoofs Northwest habits and habitues, has been renewed for 10 additional episodes beginning in January 2012.
Created by musician Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney) and comedian Fred Armisen (“Saturday Night Live”), and shot entirely in Portland, the show has hit a sweet spot with the coveted 18-49 set with its goofball comedy and parade of hot-list guest stars.
The six debut episodes, which conclude next Friday, feature appearances by actor Kyle MacLachlan (“Twin Peaks,” “Sex & the City”), director Gus Van Sant (“Milk”) and musicians James Mercer (The Shins), Jenny Conlee and Colin Meloy (The Decemberists) and Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney), among others.
Glad tidings for ‘Glee’
The act with the most songs ever on the Billboard Hot 100 chart isn’t the Beatles, Elvis or Michael Jackson. It’s the cast of “Glee.”
In just 18 months, the Fox TV series has set the record for the most songs on the Billboard chart in its 52-year history.
This week, “Glee” debuted six songs on the chart, giving it 113 songs in total — five more than the now second-place Elvis Presley, who had 108.
Grammy ratings sing
The Grammys hit a high note in the ratings Sunday night, drawing the show’s biggest TV audience in a decade.
Nielsen figures showed the CBS broadcast attracted 26.7 million viewers, up from 25.9 million in 2010.
It was also up by 3 percent in households over last year’s broadcast, and dominated its network time slot rivals.
Comedy awards announced
Comedy Central and MTV Networks announced the inaugural presentation of the Comedy Awards, described as “the first-ever multi-network, multi-platform, annual event dedicated to honoring and celebrating the world of comedy.”
Scheduled to air April 10, the awards will recognize achievement in categories such as “late-night comedy series” and “stand-up special,” as well as more traditional nods for films and television shows.
This year, “30 Rock” leads the television nominations with seven nods, while “The Office” and “Modern Family” each received four. In the film category, “Easy A,” “Cyrus” and “Kick-Ass” received four nominations apiece.