From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Access Hollywood
The show's logo as of 2007 NBC UNIVERSAL.
Starring	Billy Bush Nancy O'Dell
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of episodes	N/A
Production
Running time	30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	syndication (airs on many NBC and CBS stations)
Original run	September 9, 1996 – present
Links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently being directed by Kim Anastasia (in previous years, Doug Dougherty and later Christopher A. Berry have directed the program). Access Hollywood primarily focuses on news in the music, television, and movie industries. It began broadcasting on September 9, 1996 and is nationally syndicated in the United States. In 2003 a British version of the show began production and in 2006 Channel 6 of Ireland also began producing their own version of the show.

In the United States, the current hosts are Billy Bush and Nancy O'Dell, with Tony Potts, Shaun Robinson, Tim Vincent and Maria Menounos as correspondents. Previous correspondents include Amy Powell and Jeff Probst.

Previous hosts include Giselle Fernandez, Larry Mendte and Pat O'Brien, who hosted the show alongside O'Dell until late 2004, when he left to host the Entertainment Tonight spin-off The Insider. Giselle Fernandez and Larry Mendte were the shows original hosts when it debuted in 1996. Mendte also co-hosted the weekend edition with Nancy O'Dell.

In the United Kingdom, the show was hosted by Kate Garraway and Vincent. The Irish show is hosted by Jenny Buckley.

The program is produced by NBC and has changed distributors over the years, first with New World Television, followed by 20th Television (after News Corporation bought New World), then Warner Bros. Television, and finally to NBC Enterprises when the network started up a syndication division. Today, what is now NBC Universal Television Distribution is solely responsible for its production and distribution.

The program has had some short-lived spinoffs in the last few years, including AMC Access for the AMC channel, and Real Access for Noggin/The N.

In 2005, Access Hollywood went on a month-long roadtrip they called Access Across America while the studio underwent a major overhaul. The show's new set was done in pastel colors with a modern flair, separating its look from other similar shows, including rival Entertainment Tonight. The new look also included a brand-new graphics package. Access Hollywood is taped at Studio 1 at NBC Studios in Burbank, former home of The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson.

• The show was parodied in the show Arthur in the special Arthur, It's Only Rock N' Roll when a spoof named Access Elwood interviewed the band U Stink.
• In the South Park episode "Free Hat", a show airs called "Excess Hollywood" with a look-alike of then host Pat O'Brien.
• Craig Ferguson often parodies Access Hollywood on The Late Late Show in a segment called "Access Extratainment Tonight" (a portmanteau of Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, and Extra) with Ferguson as "Barney Slash".

Access Hollywood's logo as of 2004.

• Access Hollywood official site
• Access Hollywood at the Internet Movie Database
• TWoP Forums > Access Hollywood
• Jump The Shark - Access Hollywood

This article about a television show originating in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.