Cyrus says he's trying to mend family
NEW YORK, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. singer and actor Billy Ray Cyrus, who canceled an appearance on "The View" this week, says he is working on mending his family.
Cyrus told GQ magazine "Hannah Montana," the TV sitcom he starred in for five seasons with his teen daughter, Miley, "destroyed my family."
Although the show helped revive the elder Cyrus' career and made his daughter a popular singer and actress, Billy Ray told GQ for its March issue he wishes he and Miley had never gotten involved with "Hannah Montana."
During the course of the show, Billy Ray and his wife Tish split up, and Miley, now 18, has been criticized for some time for her sexy image and hard-partying ways.
However, Billy Ray later backtracked on his comments to GQ, telling People.com they were "explosive, and unintentionally so."
"It is very important to me to work on mending my family right now," Cyrus said.
"My family is the most important thing I have, and we are working together to make sure our future is stronger and healthier," he added. "It is all a learning process, and we thank everyone for their support and respect of our privacy as we sort through very important family issues."
Billy Ray and Tish have three children together. Billy Ray also has one other child from a previous relationship. He adopted Tish's two children from her previous marriage, as well.
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Larry King planning one-man stage show
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Larry King, who recently retired as host of his CNN talk show, says he is planning a U.S. tour of a one-man stage show called "Larry King: Standing Up."
King, 77, wrapped up his 25th and final season of cable TV's "Larry King Live" last year.
The producers of his forthcoming stage show said in a release it is a comedic look at King's "life growing up as a street-smart kid in Brooklyn" and storied career as a broadcast journalist.
King is expected to participate in question and answer sessions with audience members after each performance, The New York Times said.
He is to begin his live stage tour in Torrington, Conn., April 14. Stops are also planned in Westbury, N.Y., Baltimore, Atlantic City and Las Vegas, with other dates to be announced soon, the Times said.
Netflix and CBS ink streaming deal
NEW YORK, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- CBS Corp. and Netflix have announced a two-year, non-exclusive licensing agreement that allows select U.S. shows from CBS's library to be streamed on Netflix.
The deal pertains to episodes of the dramas "Medium" and "Flashpoint," as well as full seasons of sitcoms such as "Family Ties," "Frasier" and "Cheers."
Installments of the original "Hawaii Five-0" are included in the package, as are episodes from all generations of the sci-fi series "Star Trek" and the cult favorite, "Twin Peaks." Installments of '60s classics such as "The Twilight Zone" and "The Andy Griffith Show" will be available, too.
CBS said it retains an option to extend the agreement for up to two additional years.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Beginning in early April, the shows from CBS will be included in the library of programs subscribers can watch instantly from Netflix for $7.99 a month.
"This deal recognizes the increasing value of our content in today's marketplace," Scott Koondel, president of distribution for CBS Television Distribution, said in a statement Tuesday. "More and more, people want to be able to access our programming on a wide variety of platforms. We are very pleased that the titles offered through this deal will now also be made available to a whole new community through the terrific and convenient service that Netflix offers."
"Netflix is now the only online premium subscription service with shows featured on all four broadcast networks and dozens of cable TV's biggest brands," added Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix.
Sutherland to star in drama pilot
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Kiefer Sutherland is to star in the U.S. drama pilot "Touch" penned by "Heroes" creator Tim Kring, TVGuide.com reported.
Sutherland's action-thriller "24" wrapped up last year after eight seasons.
His new small-screen project casts him as a man who discovers his autistic son can predict the future, TVGuide.com reported Tuesday.
The actor can now be seen with Jason Patric, his co-star from the 1987 vampire film "The Lost Boys," in the Broadway revival of "That Championship Season."
