Television news briefs.

JOAN RIVERS MAY E!XIT E!

E! Entertainment TV may be on the verge of losing two of its most recognizable surgically altered faces. According to media reports, Joan Rivers and doting daughter Melissa may be on the verge of ditching E! in favor of a vastly more lucrative deal with the TV Guide Channel.

Rivers has reportedly been offered between $6 million and $8 million in a three-year deal that would easily exceed the value of her current E! pact. Rivers' departure would forever alter E!'s handling of awards show coverage and put a damper on Rivers' trademark programs like "Fashion Police."

Long a respected comic and "Tonight Show" guest host, the 71-year-old Rivers has become best known for her catty and disturbingly candid comments about even the most marginal celebrities on every red carpet imaginable. Rivers has even been kind enough to invite her daughter along for the ride.

This year, more than 3.54 million viewers watched E!'s pre-show coverage of the Oscars in large part to see Rivers' reactions to the celebrity attire as well as to catch her myriad factual errors. The cable network's various Rivers-centric programs are among its most successful offerings.

The Rivers Duo would instantly become the highest profile on-air talent for the TV Guide Channel, which has a circulation of 75 million homes, short of the 84 million cable and satellite homes that receive E!

As of Wednesday, negotiations between TV Guide Channel and Rivers were close, but the move is yet to be made official.

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ALLEGED `SURVIVOR' SEX TAPE HITS INTERNET

Veteran fans of CBS' "Survivor" know that Jenna Lewis likes attention. The "Borneo" and "All-Stars" veteran has milked every opportunity to extend her allotted 15 minutes of fame. It's unclear if Lewis has invited her latest bout of notoriety. The 26-year-old single mother is joining the likes of Paris Hilton, Pamela Anderson and Gena Lee Nolin as semi-celebrities elevated to new status by having their sexcapades distributed on the Internet.

A website dubbed Reality Tail (a cheeky URL) is offering 42 minutes of supposedly hardcore sex featuring supposed celebrity Jenna. The entire movie is available for download for $39.99, but shorter parts featuring various sex acts can be purchased on their own for lower costs.

Lewis' co-star in the tape is believed to be 21-year-old model Travis Wolfe. The pair was married during the first weekend in May after only six weeks of dating. "Survivor: All-Stars" viewers will recall that "Survivor" host Jeff Probst introduced the topic of the nuptials during the show's live finale, which came just days later.

How the tape came to transfer possession from the happy couple to Internet pornographers is subject to debate and innuendo.

While the operating budget at Zap2it.com doesn't allow for first-hand investigations into the veracity of the footage, several independent operators on the Internet have done the necessary research and seem willing to vouch for the material. Fans on "Survivor" message boards are already saying that they know for sure that the woman in the tape is Jenna because she never stops talking throughout.

According to the June 28 issue of US Weekly, the couple doesn't discuss their involvement in filming of the tape, but they insist they had nothing to do with its distribution.

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TAYLOR HAS `AMERICAN DREAMS'

Singer-Songwriter Ben Taylor, already gifted with good musical genes, is set to make his acting debut with a multi-episode arc on NBC's "American Dreams" starting next fall.

Taylor will play Cal, a struggling singer-songwriter who finds work in the Lair. He's set to step in as a new love interest for Beth Mason (Rachel Boston).

"I am really looking forward to being on `American Dreams,' Taylor says. "It will be a good way for me to get my feet wet in acting as the character I am playing is very much like myself. In the meantime I am trying to finish my band's new album and really trying not to think about the fact that I have never acted."

The new album from The Ben Taylor Band is tentatively titled "Another Run Around the Sun" and it is expected to get a heavy promotional pitch from the NBC drama. The album's release is expected to coincide with the season premiere and the premiere will feature music from the album.

The son of popular musicians Carly Simon and James Taylor, Ben Taylor's first album with his band has sold more than 50,000 copies.

In its second season, "American Dreams" averaged 8.75 million viewers per week, down by nearly 2 million viewers a week over its first year. The series has been a favorite of family groups as well as NBC's head honcho Jeff Zucker.

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