Pitts’ top the news
Big day for the Pitts family yesterday: Former “CBS Eve ning News” senior producer Lyne Pitts was named executive producer of NBC’s “Today, Weekend Edition,” while her husband, Byron Pitts, was named national correspondent over at CBS News -which also named Jim Axelrod chief White House correspondent and Lara Logan chief foreign correspondent. Axelrod re places John Roberts, who jumped to CNN.
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“High School Musical” turned the cable world on its ear last month, pulling in nearly 8 million viewers to become one of the highest- rated tele casts in Disney Channel history. Two kids from the movie, Zac Efron and Ashley Tisdale, will be here next Thursday and Friday at Splashlight for the Disney Channel upfront. They’re rid ing high on the movie, spon sored by General Mills, and its after-effects: The #1 soundtrack on iTunes and amazon.com and the #10 album on this week’s Bill board charts.
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Donald Trump will make a cameo appearance of some sort on “Deal or No Deal” when the show returns to NBC Feb. 27 with host Howie Mandel. It’s a cross- promotional thing: Trump’s “The Apprentice” moves to Mondays at 9 p.m. that same night -following “DOND.”
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Court TV’s “Catherine Crier Live” is teaming with Fox’s “America’s Most Wanted.” Each week, Catherine Crier will be joined by an “AMW” correspondent, including show host John Walsh, to get updates/info on “AMW” cases.
In other Fox news, Fox News Channel will air a Bill O’Reilly marathon Sunday (8-11 p.m.): Three episodes of “The O’Reilly Factor.”
Last, but not least: * Maya Rudolph returns to “SNL” tomorrow (11:35 p.m./ Ch. 4). She’d been on mater nity leave since last October.
* Congrats to Scott Rowe on his promotion to senior VP, corporate communications, Warner Bros. Entertainment.