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Super Bowl Ads Go Healthy: Selling Yogurt With A Steamy Kiss

The Full House cast John Stamos, Bob Saget and Dave Coulier are featured in Dannon's Superbowl ad. OikosYogurt/Youtube hide caption

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OikosYogurt/Youtube

Super Bowl Ads Go Healthy: Selling Yogurt With A Steamy Kiss

January 31, 2014 • Advertising during the big game is traditionally the realm of beer, chips and soda. But better-for-you foods will also make a play for viewers' wallets this year. Expect clever ads pitching nuts, yogurt and whole grain cereals.

Super Bowl Ads Go Healthy: Selling Yogurt With A Steamy Kiss

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That Cute Cheerios Ad With The Interracial Family Is Back

January 30, 2014 • The first TV spot featured an adorable, curly-haired moppet named Gracie who had a black father and a white mother. The ad for Cheerios prompted a storm of protest and counter-protest last summer. Now, the cereal-maker is back with a sequel.

For 'SNL' Cast Member, The Waiting Was The Hardest Part

Bobby Moynihan (left) appears on Saturday Night Live as the character "Drunk Uncle." NBC/Dana Edelson/NBC hide caption

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NBC/Dana Edelson/NBC

For 'SNL' Cast Member, The Waiting Was The Hardest Part

January 26, 2014 • After years of working at a restaurant by day and performing improv comedy by night, Bobby Moynihan got the opportunity of a lifetime: an audition for Saturday Night Live. But as Moynihan recalls, actually getting his 'big break' on the show was much more difficult.

For 'SNL' Cast Member, The Waiting Was The Hardest Part

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In The Super Bowl Ad Game, One Small Business Will Win Big

Jason Amundsen of Locally Laid Egg Co. is one of four finalists in Intuit's Small Business, Big Game competition. Intuit says some 15,000 small businesses entered the contest. Craig Lassig/Invision/AP hide caption

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Craig Lassig/Invision/AP

Business

In The Super Bowl Ad Game, One Small Business Will Win Big

January 24, 2014 • This year, one lucky little company's professionally produced commercial will air during the Super Bowl's third quarter — all free — thanks to a contest held by the software firm Intuit. The four finalists include an organic egg farm and a natural compost supplier. For Intuit, it's a smart way to drum up more business.

In The Super Bowl Ad Game, One Small Business Will Win Big

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Thanks For The Fan Service, But What About The Story?

Benedict Cumberbatch in "The Empty Hearse." Robert Viglasky/PBS hide caption

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Robert Viglasky/PBS

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Thanks For The Fan Service, But What About The Story?

January 23, 2014 • Kelly Lawler takes a look at two seasons that have kicked off with substantial fan service and attention to external narratives and asks: How much meta is too much?

Does It Matter That Lena Dunham Was Photoshopped By 'Vogue'?

This screen shot shows Jezebel's breakdown of Vogue's photo of actor Lena Dunham. Jezebel hide caption

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Jezebel

Media

Does It Matter That Lena Dunham Was Photoshopped By 'Vogue'?

January 22, 2014 • Writers at the online magazine Jezebel criticized the fashion glossy for retouching images of the Girls writer and star. Adweek's media reporter tells Here & Now that Vogue should get kudos for putting "such a real girl" on its cover.

As NBC Prepares For A Late-Night Transition, Everyone Is On Message (So Far)

Producer Josh Lieb (L) and host Jimmy Fallon talk to critics on Sunday about what's to come. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images hide caption

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Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

As NBC Prepares For A Late-Night Transition, Everyone Is On Message (So Far)

January 21, 2014 • Eric Deggans reports that NBC's approaching transition, which will see the second exit Jay Leno has made from the same late-night franchise, is on pace to elevate a former counterculture producer to the ultimate mainstream gig.

Before 'Jersey Shore' Owned Sleaze, There Was Bobby Bottleservice

Bobby Bottleservice is a recurring character on Nick Kroll's Kroll Show. Ron Batzdorff/Comedy Central hide caption

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Ron Batzdorff/Comedy Central

Before 'Jersey Shore' Owned Sleaze, There Was Bobby Bottleservice

January 19, 2014 • Nick Kroll's sketch comedy TV series, Kroll Show, kicked off its second season this month. One of his signature characters is a seedy, wannabe ladies man named Bobby Bottleservice. Kroll says playing a variety of characters keeps him from being pigeon-holed by his role as Ruxin on the FX show The League.

Before 'Jersey Shore' Owned Sleaze, There Was Bobby Bottleservice

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You Can Now Send Someone You Temporarily Like A 'Bachelor' Bouquet

This is a real press release photo of the Bachelor bouquet. Warner Brothers Entertainment hide caption

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Warner Brothers Entertainment

Pop Culture Happy Hour

You Can Now Send Someone You Temporarily Like A 'Bachelor' Bouquet

January 17, 2014 • Someone wants to sell you a bouquet of flowers inspired by the least romantic thing on TV.

Business

DirecTV: Customers Balked At Weather Channel's Reality Shows

January 17, 2014 • The Weather Channel and DirecTV are in a contract dispute. At midnight on Monday, DirecTV dropped the Weather Channel and replaced it with a smaller producer of weather programming. The move raises the question: How much weather information do TV viewers need when they can get it from other sources?

DirecTV: Customers Balked At Weather Channel's Reality Shows

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Gravity,' 'American Hustle' And '12 Years A Slave' Lead The Oscar Nominations

January 16, 2014 • Gravity and American Hustle led the Oscar nominations with 10 apiece, but it's tough to pick any winners from a lot of crowded fields.

Will Fans Return To A Nicer 'Idol'?

January 15, 2014 • American Idol is back tonight. The program was once indisputably the biggest thing on TV, based partly on the entertainment value of watching the judges snipe at each other. Recently, rival singing competition, The Voice has been successful on the strength of the good-natured banter between its judges. Can Idol be nicer — and will that make it more successful?

Will Fans Return To A Nicer 'Idol'?

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The Few, The Fervent: Fans Of 'Supernatural' Redefine TV Success

Dean Winchester (left, played by Jensen Ackles) and his brother Sam (Jared Padalecki) battle evil beings on CW's Supernatural. The brothers may be easy on the eyes, but sex appeal alone doesn't explain Supernatural's passionate fan base. Cate Cameron/The CW hide caption

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Cate Cameron/The CW

The Few, The Fervent: Fans Of 'Supernatural' Redefine TV Success

January 15, 2014 • Supernatural, a TV show about a duo of demon-fighting brothers, doesn't have the most viewers. But it's lasted nine seasons so far — partly because of its passionate fans, who take their love to Twitter, Tumblr and fan fiction websites. That raises a question: What matters more, ratings or fans' enthusiasm?

The Few, The Fervent: Fans Of 'Supernatural' Redefine TV Success

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'Idol' Takes A Hugely Unexpected Step Toward Being Much Less Terrible

Judges Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick, Jr. appear on a surprisingly non-terrible American Idol opener on Wednesday night. Michael Becker/Fox hide caption

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Michael Becker/Fox