"Duck Dynasty" is ascending the TV ratings throne.  The 10:30 p.m. Wednesday episode of the A&E series about a once-poor Louisiana family whose fortunes were transformed by their duck-call business hit a record 4.9 million total viewers, according to Nielsen.

Michael Phelps and Allyson Felix were named as the United States Olympic Committee’s (USOC) best athletes for 2011-12 on Monday for their gold-medal performances at the London Olympics.  Felix won the women’s award after scooping winning gold in the 200 metres sprint and the 4×100m and 4×400m relays on the running track.

NBC's "Today" show on Wednesday welcomed Willie Geist, the MSNBC newsman and occasional comedian, as the new co-host of its 9 a.m. hour.  The network confirmed that Mr. Geist would become a permanent presence on "Today," where he has regularly filled in for Matt Lauer this year. His impending appointment was first reported last month.

Ashley Judd has been nominated for an Emmy for Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for her role as Rebecca Winstone in "Missing."

The youngest of five girls, Serena Williams has long reveled in playing the role of spoiled baby sister.  But after winning her fifth Wimbledon championship Saturday to snap a two-year drought of major titles, Williams clambered up the Centre Court stands to her guest box to share the triumph with the loved ones she said had made it possible.

In my many years as a journalist, scholar and thinker, I have read nearly all the great works of literature, including Milton, Shakespeare and the first third of The Brothers Karamazov. But no book has ever spoken to me as profoundly or directly as Joel Stein's Man Made: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity.

Watching Tim Tebow play football, you can observe many things about his character. You see his fierce competitiveness, his strong work ethic and how he is a leader that his teammates trust and respect.

What were you doing when you were 14? If you’re like most women, you were probably somewhere between milestones that included your first crush and first training bra.  Not Amanda De Cadenet.

Seth Grahame-Smith blended Jane Austen with zombies and Abraham Lincoln with vampires. Now, with two movies and a novel landing soon, he's one of Hollywood's most sought-after young players.