Melissa Carter is back on the air, doing news at 106.7 in the afternoons. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

I was out for two weeks. Here’s a quick summary of things I missed and so may have you:

- Melissa Carter, who stepped down from Q100’s Bert Show last year, has decided to get back into radio: she is now the afternoon host at All News 106.7, owned by the same company, Atlanta-based Cumulus Media. She can be heard from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays.

“It is nice to be in a newsroom, rather than the only news person,” she wrote to me via Facebook. “And I must say I do NOT miss the 3:30am alarm!”

Ratings for the all-news station in its first month were modest and a big drop off from its predecessor Atlanta’s Greatest Hits. In June Arbitrons, the station garnered a 1.1 share (22nd place) compared to 2.9 (16th place) in May when it was a music station.

- Monica Pearson is ending her incredible 37-year run at Channel 2 Action News on Wednesday at 6 p.m. She made the announcement earlier …

Continue reading What did I miss while on vacation? Melissa Carter, Emmys, ‘Falling Skies,’ top sports talk shows »

Cinestars’ Brittany Umar joins me to talk about Randy Jackson (before the Mariah Carey announcement), “Teen Wolf” and Monica Pearson, who retires tomorrow.

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Continue reading Video: talking Randy Jackson, ‘Teen Wolf,’ Monica Pearson »

Mariah Carey is joining "Idol" as a judge season 12.

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Fox has confirmed that Mariah Carey will be joining “American Idol” as a judge season 12.

“I am so excited to be joining ‘Idol,’” Carey said via phone today at Fox’s session at the Television Critics Association. “I wanted to be there today and I wish I could have been there myself to tell you. I can’t wait to get started in a couple months.”

I tried (and failed) to get anything out of Randy Jackson about the rumors this morning when he came into town. (He’s her manager so naturally, he knew what was going on but kept his game face on. Kevin Reilly, president of Fox television, said Jackson was instrumental in sealing the deal with Carey.)

Carey is a major A-list player who was considered for “X Factor” last season.  She effectively replaces Jennifer …

Continue reading Mariah Carey joins ‘American Idol’ as a judge »

MTV’s “Teen Wolf” may be leaving Atlanta for the bright lights of Los Angeles, but the network is not abandoning Atlanta.

It’s planning to bring a comedy pilot here in a few weeks called “Cassandra French’s Finishing School for Boys.” It’s based on the best-selling book of the same name.

The plotline has a morbid quality to it: Cassie French, a 22-year-old overachiever, gets her dream job as a lawyer for a Hollywood studio but can’t find a guy ready for a real, mature relationship. After her latest disappointment, she locks a guy up in her basement in order to train him to become the perfect gentleman. (That’s a healthy way to deal with loss, right?) MTV said it evokes memories of the 1988 Christian Slater/Winona Ryder film “Heathers.”

“Teen Wolf,” which will have 24 episodes (double season two) next year, is leaving town because the production company won a lottery for tax credits in California. Though the credits aren’t quite as generous as those in Georgia, they were …

Continue reading Departing Atlanta, MTV’s ‘Teen Wolf’ gets third season; MTV shooting new comedy pilot in Atlanta »

Randy Jackson and me at the AJC on Monday, July 23, talking about diabetes and tangentially about "Idol." I have a stash of "Idol" related stuff, including a VHS promo tape of the 2nd episode of "Idol' from 2002 which I had Randy hold up. That's a "People Extra" cover from 2003 I'm holding. CREDIT: Melissa Ruggieri/ajc.com

Merck, the big pharmaceutical company, brought Randy Jackson into Atlanta this morning to talk about diabetes and their promotional website www.takingdiabetestoheart.com.

He sat down with me at the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s main conference room this morning.

His entourage (yes, he had an entourage) told me specifically to keep “Idol’ questions to a minimum. Then again, even if I asked him all “Idol” questions, I realized quickly that I wasn’t going to get anything substantial out of him about his status on the show, much less full sentences.  I wasn’t surprised. Jackson has a knack for not saying anything remotely controversial. He diverts questions …

Continue reading Randy Jackson talks diabetes, not much else »

The big event this week is the London Olympics, starting Friday with the opening ceremonies on NBC.

If this is your thing, you’ll be able to gorge on two weeks of track and field, gymnastics, basketball and more.

Otherwise, this is a relatively quiet week on TV, with “Bachelor Pad” on ABC returning tonight, HGTV’s “Design Star” finishing its run Tuesday and Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters” cooking up new challenges on Wednesday.

MONDAY
“American Ninja Warrior” 8 p.m. NBC (fourth season finale) — The finalists battle for the win in a four-stage course.
“Bachelor Pad” 8 p.m. ABC (third season debut) — Chris Bukowski from the just-concluded “Bachelorette” joins the pad.
“WWE Raw” 8 p.m. USA — This is the 1,000 episode. That’s a lot of body slams!
“Vito” 9 p.m. HBO — A profile of Vito Russo, a pioneer in the gay-rights movement.
“The Closer” 9 p.m. TNT — A popular cancer doctor is savagely killed and his drug supply stolen
“Warehouse 13” 9 p.m. …

Continue reading TV best bets with the Olympics, season finale of ‘HGTV Design Star’ »

Randy Jackson comes to Atlanta Monday to talk diabetes awareness. CREDIT: AP

I am planning to talk to Randy Jackson face to face in Atlanta Monday to talk about “Idol” and his Type II diabetes.

Jackson has an innate ability to avoid saying anything controversial in press interviews and getting around questions he doesn’t want to answer with jokes. (Ryan Seacrest is the same way.) But I’m sure there are questions I could ask him that might reveal something about the man. Any ideas? By the time this blog entry posts, he may very well no longer be on “Idol.” We shall see.

And “The Voice” must be thrilled that it received Emmy nom while “Idol” was snubbed for the first time for best competitive reality show. (”Idol” has never won” and probably never will.)

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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk

Continue reading What should I say to Randy Jackson? »

Holy flashback, Batman! Long before Michael Keaton, George Clooney or Christian Bale of “Dark Knight Rises,” out today, there was the campy 1960s TV duo of Batman and Robin, courtesy of Adam West and Burt Ward.

You’ll be able to meet them in person at Atlanta’s ode to sci-fi, fantasy and anything pop culture August 31 to Sept. 3 at the annual Dragon*Con convention. Tickets for all four days are $120 here until August 17.

West has sent up his image as Batman with self-deprecating humor and a deep, sonorous voice that is hard to forget.

Every year, Dragon*Con attempts a reunion of a classic TV show and it doesn’t have to be fantasy or scifi. Past efforts have included cast members of “Happy Days,” “WKRP in Cincinnati” and “I Dream of Jeannie.”

Note: this is not Comic-Con! The star power at Dragon*Con is never nearly as grand as it is in San Diego in July. But it’s more accessible, too. The reality: it’s Labor Day weekend and it’s in Atlanta. Most of the big-name actors are in …

Continue reading Dragon*Con 2012 features reunion of ‘Batman & Robin’ Adam West & Burt Ward »

I’m currently on break. If you have any breaking news before July 21, please send a note to my colleague Jennifer Brett, who handles Buzz, at jbrett@ajc.com. Here is something I wrote before I left:

"Sullivan & Son" debuts July 19 on TBS featuring Dan Lauria ("The Wonder Years") as the Irish dad to mixed race Steve Byrne. CREDIT: TBS

Steve Byrne joins a long list of stand-up comics who have gotten their own sitcoms, including  Roseanne Barr, Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano and recently, Billy Gardell (”Mike & Molly”)

Atlanta-based TBS has given the Pittsburgh native a show that reflects his own lineage as a half-Irish, half-Korean family. On the show, he plays a New York City attorney who decides to chuck the city life and his snobby girlfriend to run his parents’ bar instead in his hometown.

Like many of his sitcom counterparts, Byrne has plenty of experience in stand up (14 years) but not a lot on the acting front.

As a relative neophyte in the acting world, Byrne mostly plays …

Continue reading TBS gives viewers cheers with ‘Sullivan & Son,’ debuting July 19 »

“American Idol” is an aging brand buffeted by rapacious rivals and an audience that is tiring of the formatics.

Is all the change merely moving the deck chairs? The show still draws a relatively large audience and heck, I’m still writing about it (albeit minus the actual “Idol” blog). And I’m merely leaving this spot for the regulars to ponder whatever they want to ponder while I’m knee-deep in the second week of my break. I know, I am incredibly lazy, aren’t I? I promise to make it up to you next week when I get back.

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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk

Continue reading Can ‘Idol’ find a new direction in 2013? »