These Beijing Olympics turned out to be the most-watched event in U.S. TV history, with 214 million, about 11% more than the second-place Atlanta Olympics of 1996, tuning in to watch a least a portion of the Games. NBC Universal, via its broadcast, cable and online divisions, offered 3,600 hours of coverage.

August 22, 2008–Smoking in movies is linked to kids' decisions to smoke, according to a new federal report. The National Cancer Institute, which produced the 684-page report, says it has reached “the government's strongest conclusion to date of such a relationship.”

August 18, 2008–Oscar nominated film “La Corona” (“The Crown”), which offers a fascinating look at a unique beauty pageant inside Colombina's Women's Prison, debuts on HBO September 8 and 10, 2008.

August 14, 2008–“Mamma Mia!” has made it to No. 1. Five weeks after Decca released the movie's soundtrack, the all-Abba score hit the top spot on the nation's album chart, selling 130,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It had been locked in at No. 3 for three weeks.

August 5, 2008–“Teen Choice Awards” ran third on TV Monday night among the under-35 audience. According to preliminary nationals from Nielsen, the show averaged a record-low 1.5 rating/5 share in adults 18-49 and 4.4 million viewers overall from 8 to 10 p.m., down 12% vs. last year's previous low-water mark.