Comcast Apologizes for Porn during Superbowl

By Vishesh Kumar

Comcast is examining whether a malicious attack is behind the interruption of the company’s Super Bowl coverage Sunday by a pornographic film in some areas of Tucson. The interruption, which lasted less than 30 seconds, affected customers watching the company’s standard definition coverage but not high-definition customers, a Comcast spokeswoman said.

Comcast has contacted the Federal Communications Commission as well as local authorities to investigate the matter. But an initial review showed that the company’s technical systems functioned properly at the time of the incident, suggesting someone deliberately seeking to interrupt the broadcast rather than a technical glitch.

“We are mortified by the incident and we apologize to our customers,” the Comcast spokeswoman said. The company will likely issue credits to customers who were affected, though the amount remains to be determined.

The station from which Comcast picked up its feed was NBC affiliate KVOA, which said it provided Cox Communications with a feed of the broadcast via fiber line, which Cox subsequently sent to Comcast, also via a fiber line. KVOA said on its Web site that only Comcast customers saw the pornographic images and that customers of other operators, like DirecTV Group and Cox Communications, as well as over-the-air viewers, received “clean feeds.” The incident “sparked a flurry of angry phone calls and emails to our newsroom,” the company wrote on its Web site.

The Comcast spokeswoman said it was not immediately apparent how or where the breach occurred. Cable signals pass through several pieces of transmission facilities, including out to an operator’s local offices and to customers ‘ homes.

This is the first time the company is aware of its signal being tampered with in this way, the Comcast spokeswoman said.

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Next Up On Reality TV: Arranged Marriages

CBS is treading into potentially controversial reality TV territory again.

The network has ordered a new series from the producers of "Top Chef" that puts lovelorn singles into arranged marriages.

The show introduces four adults age approximately 25-45 who are anxious to get married but have been unsuccessful in their search for a mate. Their friends and family select a spouse for them, and the newly paired couple exchange marital vows. The series follows their marriages.

The rest of the details for the project, whose early working title is "Arranged Marriage," are being kept under wraps.

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Dallas Reunion

ORIGINAL "DALLAS" CAST MEMBERS LARRY HAGMAN, VICTORIA PRINCIPAL, LINDA GRAY, PATRICK DUFFY, CHARLENE TILTON, KEN KERCHEVAL AND STEVE KANALY REUNITE AT SOUTHFORK RANCH TO CELEBRATE THE LONG-RUNNING HIT SERIES, ON "DALLAS REUNION: RETURN TO SOUTHFORK," SUNDAY, NOV. 7 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

Mary Crosby, Who Played the Infamous Kristin Shepard, Also Returns
Click here to CHAT LIVE about the reunion

DALLAS REUNION: RETURN TO SOUTHFORK will reunite original "Dallas" cast members Larry Hagman, Victoria Principal, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, Charlene Tilton, Ken Kercheval and Steve Kanaly at Southfork Ranch, to celebrate the long-running hit series, Sunday, Nov. 7 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Mary Crosby, who played the infamous Kristin Shepard, also returns.

"Dallas," with 356 episodes broadcast during 13 seasons on the Network (April 2, 1978 to May 3, 1991), remains television's second longest-running primetime entertainment series, surpassed only by CBS's "Gunsmoke" (402) episodes. "Dallas" also holds the distinction of having one of the highest-rated episodes in television history ("Who Shot J.R.?," 11-21-80), which garnered a 53.3 rating and a 77 share and was watched by more than 300 million people worldwide.

It's been more than 25 years since the "Dallas" cast took up residence at the famous Southfork Ranch just outside of Dallas. They will meet there again for this special reunion to tour the famous grounds, talk about the series' most infamous storylines and reminisce about their time together on the show. Larry Hagman will also share his own home movies that were shot when "Dallas" was actually being filmed.

"Dallas" couples J.R. and Sue Ellen (Larry Hagman, Linda Gray) and Pam and Bobby (Victoria Principal, Patrick Duffy) will remember their years together. Charlene Tilton looks back at the time she spent playing Lucy Ewing, the granddaughter of the head of the Dallas clan, Jock Ewing (the late Jim Davis). Also reminiscing about their parts on the show are Ken Kercheval, who played Pam's lawyer brother, Cliff Barnes, and Steve Kanaly, who played Southfork's ranch foreman Ray Krebbs. Mary Crosby, who played the infamous Kristin Shepard, will talk about her part in one of the most famous scenes ever filmed on network television.

The season finale cliffhanger originated on "Dallas," and there was a cliffhanger at the end of the last show for all of its 13 seasons. Did Sue Ellen and her baby survive a car crash? Who was found floating face down in the Ewing's swimming pool? Would Cliff Barnes die of a drug overdose? What happened to Pam and the Ewing family after Bobby was killed saving her from a speeding car? And, in season two, the most famous cliffhanger of all: Who shot J.R.?

Prior to the special's broadcast, "Dallas" fans will have the opportunity to vote online for their favorite cliffhanger of all time. The voting will begin on Monday, Sept. 27 and will end on November 6. For details, log-on to CBS.com. The final results will be revealed on the special.