At CNET, we've been testing the power consumption of HDTVs since 2006, and during that time the sets have generally become more energy efficient. That doesn't mean TV manufacturers can't still make improvements, however. The state of California, for example, is adopting a new regulation that would put even stricter standards on TV energy use starting in 2011. There's also a new version of Energy Star launching next year that's even more strict.

Lawrence Beamen will admit it. He was pretty bummed out back in September when he failed to win the crown on NBC's "America's Got Talent."

LOS ANGELES Academy Awards overseers have chosen an entertainment veteran to direct the next Oscar show.

NEW YORK Ian Somerhalder is in two of TV's hottest show - but can't say much about either.

"Glee," Fox's sharp and subversive musical comedy series, is averaging a respectable 8.6 million viewers a week.

NEW YORK Dr. Walter Bishop follows in a long line of mad scientists. An unbalanced genius like Bishop going at it in his lab is a pop-culture staple. Or even, some would say, a cliche.

LOS ANGELES Model Joanna Krupa is leaving "Dancing With the Stars."

NEW YORK President Barack Obama will give an interview to Fox News Channel's Major Garrett, perhaps signaling a thaw in relations between the network and administration. The White House confirmed Tuesday that Garrett will be included among a round of network interviews that the president is giving Wednesday in Beijing. Garrett also posted news of the interview on Twitter.

In case you missed it - the week in TV buzz:

LOS ANGELES A judge has granted a civil restraining order against a man accused of stalking Ryan Seacrest.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio A paparazzo testified Tuesday that an Ohio police chief told him he had access to ultrasound photographs belonging to the woman who carried twins for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick.

OKLAHOMA CITY A former Marine turned himself in to authorities on Tuesday after being named a suspect in the shooting deaths of four people whose bodies were found in a burning home, including a prostitute featured on the HBO reality series "Cathouse," police said.

LOS ANGELES Ken Ober, who hosted the 1980s MTV game show "Remote Control" and helped produce the shows "Mind of Mencia" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine," has died. He was 52.

NEW YORK Somewhere in the universe of TV viewers, there's got to be a person who actually likes those pop-up, on-screen promotions.

NEW YORK Viacom Inc. says it has won exclusive rights in the U.S. to air "Michael Jackson's This Is It" on its MTV and BET cable networks starting in 2011.

Q: Why or how do the broadcast rules change when a show goes into syndication instead of first runs? Specifically I am talking about "Family Guy," a truly horrible show with definite adult language and content. It's on at or after 9 p.m. on Fox for first runs. However, you find the reruns on as early as 5 or 6 p.m. I am of the belief that you monitor your kids yourself. However, you know there are some parents out there that don't monitor or don't care what their kids see. What are the rules?

Even before the nation's economy went south, the prime-time sitcom was mired in its own miserable slump. Ratings plunged, critics groused, shows fizzled and, throughout Hollywood, pink slips piled up.

LOS ANGELES Mya is tops among semifinalists on "Dancing with the Stars."

BOSTON A federal judge in Massachusetts has dismissed a lawsuit accusing television personality Elisabeth Hasselbeck of plagiarism.

NEW YORK Sarah Palin said in an interview broadcast Tuesday that a 2012 presidential bid is "not on my radar," but wouldn't rule out playing some role in the next presidential election.