Olbermann goes after O’Reilly

Looks like there’s a broadcast battle brewing between MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann and Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly.

It started with O’Reilly, host of Fox’s “The O’Reilly Factor,” making a bold claim. Talking to Broadcasting & Cable magazine, O’Reilly noted that his show has been the top-rated cable news show for 100 consecutive months.

Moreover, O’Reilly boasted, his show is the only program ever to have reached that milestone.

“I don’t think it’s ever been done in any kind of TV milieu,” he said, repeating the claim on “Good Morning America.”

“ ‘Bonanza’ didn’t do it,” O’Reilly said. “ ‘Gunsmoke’ didn’t do it.”

Uh, no, Olbermann said on his own show, “Countdown with Keith Olbermann,” noting that “Today” has been No. 1 for 166 months and “Meet the Press” for 131.

Then O’Reilly smacks Penn

Speaking of Bill O’Reilly, turns out the Fox News talking head has no use for two-time Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn. In a chat with the Hollywood Reporter, O’Reilly said, “He’s a great actor, and if you hire him, you’ll get a good performance. I’m just not going to give a guy who gives aid and comfort to people like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hugo Chavez and Saddam Hussein, when he was alive, my 10 bucks. That’s my right as an American.”

And Penn stands alone

And speaking of Sean Penn, the actor produced and narrated the forthcoming MSNBC documentary “Witch Hunt,” which follows the story of eight parents in California who were wrongly convicted of child molestation in the 1980s. As Penn told TV Guide magazine, “All the work I do blends into a single mission, which is synonymous with my life’s mission: Be aware of the times I’m living in and try not to add to the screwups.”

‘Love’ will leave you bruised

Here’s a notice from the Huh? File: Fox News reports that singer Rihanna is refusing to cooperate with Los Angeles prosecutors in their case against boyfriend Chris Brown, who allegedly assaulted her on Feb. 8. But, take heart: Prosecutors reportedly have enough evidence to proceed without her testimony.

From the good/bad news file

Disney actress-singer Miley Cyrus, 16, is telling anyone who will listen that she will never make another “Hannah Montana” film. “We got really lucky with having the material to make one movie,” Cyrus said, adding that the film’s “very clever” plot line makes a sequel near impossible.

Quotable quote

“There’s obviously a lot of hubris involved in signing on to write a sequel of a movie that hasn’t even come out yet. But we’re so excited about the first one that we wanted to proceed.” That’s Damon Lidelof, co-writer with J.J. Abrams of the forthcoming “Star Trek” film, on news that a sequel deal has been signed.

The birthday bunch

Singer Leon Russell is 67. Actress Linda Hunt is 64. Singer Emmylou Harris is 62. Actress Pamela Reed is 60. Actor Christopher Meloni is 48. Singer Keren Woodward of Bananarama is 48. Country singer Billy Dean is 47. Guitarist Tony Fredianelli of Third Eye Blind is 40. Actor Adam Rodriguez is 34.