Sheen Says He's in Discussions for Return to 'Two and a Half Men'

Charlie Sheen told a Boston radio show that he's had discussions with his former bosses about returning to "Two and a Half Men," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"There's been discussions, but I was asked not to divulge anything," he said, according to the story. Sheen also said he's not receiving syndication profits from the show, and that the syndication money is being withheld, the piece says.

Sheen said he would have altered his behavior if he had been told earlier that it was problematic, the article notes. "Had they told me at the end of Season 8 that that behavior wasn't going to be cool, I would have adjusted it," he said.

Video: Five Years Later, Katie Couric Returns to 'Today' to Talk About Her Future

With the contracts of both Matt Lauer and Katie Couric soon to expire, the two had some fun bantering when Couric returned to the "Today" show this morning (Wednesday, April 13, 2011), and sat for an interview conducted by Lauer.

Couric was on the show pushing her new book. As you can see in the video below, about halfway through the interview Lauer said, "There is an entire chapter in the book devoted to taking risks, seeking opportunities--have you heard any good rumors lately?" 

The two then started laughing as Couric said, "No. Have you?"

Lauer: You haven't heard anything?

Couric: No. Have you?

Lauer: No. What are you going to do?

One rumor is that Lauer and Couric may get together on a syndicated show. Neither one brought up that rumor.

However, Lauer did ask her if she had actually already decided what to do, but just hadn't talked about her decision publicly yet. Couric said no, that she had not actually decided what to do. Later she said she hoped to announce a decision "in the next few weeks." Her CBS contract is up at the beginning of June.

Couric also said she had no regrets over the past five years, during which time she was the primary anchor for "CBS Evening News."

Couric did say she was considering a move into first-run syndication and said that what appealed to her about having a daytime talk show was doing "smart, intelligent conversation" that would give her "more wiggle room to show my personality."

Some of the subjects she might like to talk about on such a show would be health, politics and controversial subjects, she said. When Lauer asked what might be the risks of going into syndication she didn't say what they were, other than mentioning that there was a risk in doing practically anything.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

First the iPhone and Then the iPad. Now Analyst Believes Apple Is Working on a 'New Device' That Involves TV

A respected research analyst who follows Apple says "Apple’s push into the living room 'is likely to include a new device,' although he adds that he isn’t sure what it will be. 'We would guess a TV or a new set-top box,' he adds."

So writes Eric Savitz in his Forbes blog The Tech Trade.

Savitz is talking about a report from Jefferies research analyst Peter Misek.

According to Savitz, "Misek thinks Apple is going to offer a 'new far-reaching cloud-based service that is more than just a music or content locker and focused on video.' "

Savitz adds that Misek also writes about new data centers that Apple is building in North Carolina. "Misek is convinced that all of the activity centers on offering some kind of video service.'While much has been speculated on what these data centers could be for, it seems that much of this is likely being built for video,' he writes. 'How do we come to that hypothesis? It is a guess based on the size of the storage that has been purchased, the fact that video consumes far more data than audio, and the introduction of a simple audio locker or cloud-based version of iTunes is unlikely to require this much storage and capability out of the gate. Second, we find some of the chatter in the content world to be centered around the iPad and future services. We find it notable that the content companies, citing a lack of domain license, asked Cablevision (CVC) to remove channels from its iPad app. We believe these same companies are negotiating some sort of deal with Apple.' "

CBS Unveils Preseason NFL Schedule, With No Mention of Alternate Plans If Labor Dispute Cancels Games

Even though the NFL is in a labor dispute between the owners and players, threatening the next football season, CBS has released its schedule for the 2011 preseason, reports the Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker blog.

The network did not announce a Plan B in case the games are canceled, the story points out.

The preseason schedule of the network's "The NFL on CBS" will begin with an Aug. 26 game between the Super Bowl-winning Green Bay Packers and the Indianapolis Colts, the story says. The following night features a match between the New England Patriots and the Detroit Lions.

CNN Considering Former 'SNL' Standout, Ex-'Talk Soup' Host for 7 p.m. Slot

CNN is considering a popular comedian who was a regular on “Saturday Night Live” and a former host of "Talk Soup" as possible hosts for its 7 p.m. time slot, reports the New York Post's Page Six.

The contenders are former “SNL” star Chris Rock and ex-"Talk Soup" host Aisha Tyler, who are being considered as the cable network seeks to win back African-American and Hispanic viewers, according to the report.

The slot is currently held by "John King USA," which has had what the story calls anemic ratings despite a jump last month when CNN drew more viewers for its coverage of the Japan tsunami and Mideast political turmoil. CNN executives don't want to be too hasty in replacing "John King USA," the article notes.

CNN shot a pilot with Soledad O'Brien, with the idea of placing it in the 7 p.m. time slot, but the piece says the pilot was "deemed unwatchable" by CNN Worldwide President Jim Walton. Nevertheless, some executives are still working on a project with O'Brien and are shooting another pilot, the piece adds.

Comedy Central Gets Into the Awards Game--What Took Them So Long?

File it under the heading "Why didn't we think of this before?" Twenty years in, Comedy Central hosted its first awards telecast Sunday night, inaugurating its Comedy Awards even as its corporate cousins MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, TV Land and Spike have had successful kudocasts for years.

TVWeek Open Mic blogger Hillary Atkin shares her perspective on the event. Click here to read her insightful report.

Univision Plans Three New Cable Channels, Including a Potential 24-Hour News Channel

Univision Communications is considering starting three new cable channels and is talking with pay-TV operators, reports Bloomberg.

Univision wants to debut a network dedicated to telenovelas later this year; a sports-focused channel in 2012; and a potential 24-hour news network, the story says.

The company is considering spending $20 million to $30 million on the new TV networks, as well as an additional $40 million on soccer television rights, the story adds.

ABC Family Greenlights Its Fifth Scripted Series This Year

ABC Family has greenlighted its fifth original scripted series this year, according to The Hollywood Reporter's the Live Feed blog.

The show is "Jane by Design," which was formerly called "What Would Jane Do." The show focuses on a 16-year old girl who also has a job as a full-time assistant for a design company. It joins "The Great State of Georgia," "The Nine Lives of Chloe King," "Switched at Birth" and "The Lying Game," which were all given series orders this year, the article notes.

Ratings Are In for Controversial 'Kennedys' Miniseries

Viewership for the controversial miniseries "The Kennedys" peaked Sunday with the finale on ReelzChannel, when it was watched by 1.4 million viewers, reports Joe Adalian in New York Magazine's Vulture blog.

In the end, despite months of publicity leading up to the program's airing, the miniseries "turned out to be something of a non-event in terms of ratings," Adalian writes. Reelz is in half as many homes as the country's biggest cable networks, the story points out, which limited the program's audience.

The audience also skewed toward older viewers, with the finale earning a 0.3 rating with viewers under 50 years old, the piece notes.

Former Star of 'Girlfriends' Joins 'Cosby Show' Veteran on New Sitcom

BET has tapped a former star of The CW's comedy "Girlfriends" to star in a new comedy called "Reed Between the Lines," reports the Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker blog.

Tracee Ellis Ross will star as a psychologist who gets frazzled dealing with her family, while Malcolm-Jamal Warner of "The Cosby Show" will co-star as her English teacher husband, the story says.

The series is slated to air in October and will be part of the network’s increasing commitment to scripted originals along with renewed programs "The Game" and "Let's Stay Together."