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Upfront Notebook
NBC Contemplates Schedule Shuffle
By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable5/21/2006
NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly says he may make changes to his fall prime time schedule, with rumors swirling about the network moving Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip to Monday at 9 or 10.
"We can’t let it telescope too far from here," Reilly told B&C on Friday, after every network had made their presentations. "We have some marketing decisions to make soon."
After ABC moved Grey’s Anatomy to the Thursday 9 p.m. time slot that NBC had slated for its highly anticipated Studio 60, sources familiar with the situation say NBC is contemplating moving the Aaron Sorkin-penned show to Mondays at 9. However, those sources also say that show executives are pushing for a 10 p.m. time period.
Such a move would free up an hour for NBC on Thursdays. Options would include moving up shows previously slated for midseason, including The Apprentice or a block of comedies which could include Scrubs and rookie The Singles Table.
NBC would then have to find a new home for either rookie Heroes, scheduled for Mondays at 9, or Medium, currently slated for 10.
Reilly declined to comment on specific plans for Studio 60 but cautions that, while hopes are high for NBC’s look behind the scenes of a late-night sketch show, his fall fortunes won't necessarily rely on one asset.
"The good news is, I don’t feel like we have everything riding on one show," he said. "We have a lot of irons in the fire. Plus, I still question if Grey’s is really going to be that big of a headache."
In case some season finales are still unwatched on your DVR, I've hidden this Matt Roush column with a spoiler tag.
TV Notebook
Finale Watch:
Desperate Housewives and More
By Matt Roush TVGuide.com TV Critic May 22, 2006
As if she were giving us a preview for next season’s Desperate Housewives, which we can only hope will be an improvement on the one that just ended with an overlong thud Sunday night, narrator-from-the-dead Mary Alice Young signed off with a tease: “There will be unexpected bends in the road, shocking surprises we didn’t see coming. But that’s really the point, don’t you think?”
Yes, presumably that is the point of a show like this, with its blend of soap opera, comedy and mystery. But given the unpleasant and largely unsurprising way the show left us hanging this season, it’s hard to have much confidence in what’s to come. Let’s look at where the major players ended up.
Bree. Still my favorite housewife, although how uninspired was it to saddle her with another creepy psycho suitor: Kyle MacLachlan’s homicidal dentist Orson, a near clone of Roger Bart’s warped pharmacist George. (What next, a cracked chiropractor?) Her psycho ward escape was fun, though (and I can’t wait to see what’s in store with Julie White as Orson’s catatonic “friend,” since she’s way too good a comic actress to stay mute for long). And the showdown with Danielle’s suddenly violent boyfriend Matthew, ending with the police shooting him before he could take out tigress-mother Bree, was pure Knots Landing. (The less said the better about the tragic fadeout of the best-forgotten Applewhites.)
Lynette. So Tom’s secret affair was actually a long-ago (pre-Lynette) one-night-stand that produced yet another child from this remarkably fertile man. And now the petulant mom is moving to town. Ugh. And snore. (At least we were spared the workplace for a week.) As usual, even in the most pedestrian moments, Felicity Huffman rose above the material, conveying an emotional exhaustion during her “vacation” with the kids and later intimidating Nora the interloper with her droll, biting sarcasm.
Gabrielle. She finally tossed Carlos out after having her worst suspicions confirmed about him and their maid/surrogate mother Xaio-Mei. Turns out they were making out in the same garage where she first cheated on Carlos with John. Again, no real shock here, and not all that enjoyable to watch.
Susan. Caught between Mike, who bought a ring for her, and Karl, who bought her a new house, Susan picked Mike, even if it meant staying in the house trailer. She would have popped the question if Mike hadn’t been run over by Orson, whose murky past had raised Mike’s suspicions. So let me get this straight: As the episode ended, it was a new day and no one had reported Mike lying in the middle of some road? (I didn’t check to see if Orson was still driving the same car when he came to pitch woo to Bree, because it had to have been damaged by the impact. But really, why nitpick?)
Edie. No Edie at all. Another reason to hate this episode.
I did enjoy the flashbacks (and the hairstyles) of the women as we saw each of them move to Wisteria Lane and make Mary Alice’s acquaintance. But when Mary Alice wondered in her final narration, “If I could, would I tell them what lies ahead? Would I warn them of the sorrow and betrayal that lie in store?” I had to agree with her answer of “no.” If I’d been tipped off about what to expect this season, I probably would have found a better use for my time during this hour on Sundays. And yet, being a sucker, I’ll no doubt be back same time, same channel next season to see if the writers can extricate these wonderful women from the dreary messes in which they’re currently embroiled. (Hard to believe Wisteria Lane is a full continent away from Stars Hollow, where a certain Lorelai Gilmore is in much the same situation.)
The mediocrity of this Housewives finale is especially notable in contrast to how the previous week began, with the sensational two-night finale of Grey’s Anatomy, which rocked with tragedy, humor and romantic twists that will resonate throughout the summer. We’ll be buzzing till September about Denny’s death, Izzy’s meltdown, Addison’s public outburst and Meredith and Derek hooking up, among other memorably jaw-dropping moments.. I love how Shonda Rhimes is not afraid to make her characters so maddeningly flawed and emotionally frenzied. As of this writing, Grey’s ranks as my favorite finale of the season. Housewives ranks among the worst.
Some thoughts on a few other notable finales:
I had no expectations for the Will & Grace finale, so was not disappointed to be disappointed. After a hateful dream-sequence opening of Will and Grace in fat-suit old-age makeup, bitching about having ruined each other’s lives, we learned what really happened. When Leo came back to Grace, and they moved to Rome to start their family with daughter Lila, instead of rejoicing, Will and Grace shut each other out. Downer. Two years later, with Will and Vince parents of a boy named Ben, Jack and Karen contrive for Will and Grace to meet again when she, Leo and Lila move back. The old friends reconcile, but realize they’ve moved on, so stay out of each other’s lives (like bestest friends so often do—NOT). What a bad, bitter choice, unmitigated by the fact that their children will years later discover each other as accidental across-the-hall college dorm mates and eventually marry. A few good lines aside (“I’m so glad George Clooney came back to ER,” Will assuring the mature Grace she looks nothing like her mother, and Jack’s quip to Karen that “All people see when they look at us are the supporting players on the Will & Grace show”), what a drag. When Karen and Jack teamed up for an indulgent performance of “Unforgettable,” it only reminded me how forgettable this once groundbreaking and delightfully tart show had become.
Watching the charmless last-ever episode of That 70s Show, I was shocked at how everyone was sleepwalking through the paces by the end. Only Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith still seemed to remember they were in a comedy. Topher Grace’s “surprise” reappearance at the end wasn’t enough to redeem this long-overdue farewell. (The show should have ended when he left, that much is painfully obvious.)
Regarding the Thursday shockers: I didn’t watch The O.C. for Marissa’s death (my first reaction on hearing the news, when it leaked, was “How can they tell?”). But I did tune in a day late (but not before having it spoiled in advance for me) for the Grissom-Sara reveal in the final scene of CSI. I liked it better when it was subtext, as it should always be where this franchise is concerned. And who bought Gil’s robe? And while I’m glad they didn’t kill her off or shoot her during Jason Priestley’s crime spree (there was plenty enough carnage on sweeps finales last week, and it’s not over yet), did they really need to make Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio pregnant on Without a Trace? I think not, though it will make Jack Malone’s life more complicated. And any reason to put Anthony LaPaglia through the emotional wringer tends to make Trace a better show.
http://community.tvguide.com/forum.jspa?forumID=700000048
Upfront Notebook
Buyers Dissect Networks' Fall Slates:
By John Consoli MediaWeek.com MAY 22, 2006 -
There was some unanimity about a few new fall 2006 shows that media buyers liked or disliked following the broadcast network upfront presentations last week, but none of the 28 were projected to be breakout hits. This lack of buzz echoed last year, when few of the 31 new shows were lauded by buyers the week following the upfront sessions. Nine first-year shows from the fall 2005 schedule wound up being renewed for the 2006 season.
Buyers concurred that once again NBC has the weakest slate of new shows and probably hasn’t accomplished much in trying to move out of fourth place in the ratings. “NBC is probably going to lose more share of the overall upfront dollar volume,” said one media buyer who controls significant upfront spending and indicated he may place less money than last year on NBC.
CBS again is considered to have the most stable schedule and could plug another hole or two with the four new shows it introduced, making it even more solid. “I’ve never seen a more stable fall schedule than the one CBS is offering for next season,” another media buyer commented.
Fox was also lauded for its stable schedule and attempt at programming flow. Peter Liguori, Fox Entertainment president, told his audience that all 16 of Fox’s returning shows will return to the same nights, and all but two are in the same time slot. That was a factoid buyers appreciated.
ABC introduced 10 new shows for the fall and also moved Grey’s Anatomy from Sundays at 10 p.m. to Thursdays at 9 p.m., opposite CBS hit CSI. Most buyers liked the move, which will give advertisers another hot show on a night that is particularly important to retailers and movie companies, which pay a premium to secure extra inventory.
Calling this the “golden age of television dramas,” CBS Corp. chairman Les Moonves said, “Two big shows can work in the same time period&hellipGrey’s will probably ding CSI a bit, but the move is good for television.”
NBC executives may be surprised to hear that buyers’ initial reaction to
two shows it has high hopes for were not so positive. They panned The Black Donnellys, which replaces ER, once it goes on hiatus, at 10 p.m. Thursdays. Most felt the four main characters, brothers in the show’s storyline, were not likable enough to keep audiences coming back each week.
Several buyers liked NBC’s drama Friday Night Lights, loosely based on the book and movie, but wonder if the storyline can hold up for 22 episodes. Few think Aaron Sorkin’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip will work because fictional shows about TV behind-the-scenes [i.e. Fox’s Action, NBC’s Good Morning Miami and ABC’s Sports Night] rarely get high audience tune-in. One likely exception this fall: Buyers did like NBC’s Tina Fey-created sitcom, 30 Rock, also about television, but funny.
Of CBS’ four new shows, buyers believe sitcom The Class and Thursday drama Shark will work, while sci-fi drama Jericho will not.
New ABC favorites among buyers include The Nine, a drama about nine people who are in a bank when it’s robbed and how their lives interact with one another afterward; Brothers & Sisters, a Sunday drama in Grey’s old time-period leading out of Desperate Housewives and starring Calista Flockhart; Betty the Ugly, a comedy based on the Univision telenovela Betty La Fea and Men in Trees, a female oriented drama starring Ann Heche. One show ABC is high on, but which buyers panned, is Six Degrees, which they labeled as confusing and having characters that lacked interest.
Fox’s notable freshmen in buyers’ eyes include Brad Garrett sitcom ’Til Death and dramas Vanished and Justice, while buyers gave a big thumbs-down to sitcom The Winner.
The new CW offered only two new shows, but buyers believe both could work. Runaway is Darren Star’s drama about a family on the run, while The Game is an ethnic sitcom that looks as if it will fit comfortably into the network’s new Sunday comedy block.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002539692
Finale Countdown:
Tonight
"The King of Queens," 8 PM ET/PT, CBS
"24," 8 PM ET/PT, Fox
"Two and a Half Men," 9 PM ET/PT, CBS
"Alias," 9 PM ET/PT, ABC
"The New Adventures of Old Christine," 9:30 PM ET/PT, CBS
"CSI: Miami," 10 PM ET/PT, CBS
"Medium," 10 PM ET/PT, NBC
Tomorrow
"House," 9 PM ET/PT, Fox
Wednesday
"American Idol," 8 PM ET/PT, Fox
"Lost," 9 PM ET/PT, ABC
TV News Notebook
Long adrift, ABC News now sinks
"World News Tonight" drops to third in the ratings, the latest blow to a team in transition.
By Matea Gold Los Angeles Times Staff Writer May 22, 2006
NEW YORK — It was just one week.
But when ABC's "World News Tonight" — whose viewership already has dropped by nearly 1 million people in the last year — slipped behind the perennially third-ranked "CBS Evening News" in the ratings last week, it was more than just a blow to morale.
It was, according to some inside the network, a sobering and frustrating reminder of the internal tug-of-war that has stalled the newscast's efforts to recast itself after the death of anchor Peter Jennings and the serious wounds suffered by one of his successors in Iraq nearly four months ago.
Bob Woodruff is undergoing rehabilitation and is determined to return to the job, but it remains unclear when he will be able to do so. Initially, news officials said they were developing an interim plan for the program. But despite widespread expectations that the network was on the verge of announcing a new partner for Elizabeth Vargas weeks ago — with "Good Morning America" co-anchor Charles Gibson increasingly seen as the likely candidate — nothing has happened.
The main sticking point, according to people familiar with the situation, has been a reluctance to upend the second-place morning show, which some executives believe has a shot at taking on NBC's "Today" after Katie Couric leaves at the end of this month. ABC's dilemma has spotlighted a reality with which every network news division must grapple: Morning shows bring in substantially more ad revenue than the evening news programs, even though the latter are viewed as the flagship broadcasts.
ABC News spokeswoman Cathie Levine declined to comment on any internal discussions. "When we have an announcement to make, we'll make it," she said.
The delay has forced "World News Tonight" producers to essentially abandon a new initiative to offer updated West Coast editions of the newscast and plans to send the new anchor duo on high-profile trips. Even though Vargas has been effectively serving as the first solo female anchor of an evening newscast since Woodruff was injured, the network has made little noise about her tenure, waiting to have a long-term plan in place for the program before marketing it.
The slowness to resolve the situation has mystified outside observers and frustrated ABC News employees, who are still mourning Jennings.
"They feel snake-bit," said former ABC correspondent Robert Zelnick, chairman of Boston University's journalism department. "There's a certain loss of self-confidence. It's very painful."
The release of the most recent ratings data last week only increased pressure on ABC to make a move. For the first time since August 2001, CBS topped ABC in the weekly ratings race, garnering an average of 7.39 million viewers to "World News Tonight's" 7.31 million, according to Nielsen Media Research. CBS is up an average of 280,000 viewers this season, while ABC is down 940,000, a drop of 10%. (Top-ranked "NBC Nightly News" has also seen its audience shrink, losing 680,000 viewers.)
Jon Banner, executive producer of "World News Tonight," noted that CBS had won just one week's worth of ratings but acknowledged that he wished the ABC broadcast was drawing a larger audience.
"We want to be doing much better than we are, and we should be doing much better than we are given the talent pool here," he said. "This broadcast has been through hell here in the past year and several months. I don't think any broadcast can go through those events without it impacting the performance, and I think it's caught up to us."
News of the CBS victory broke Tuesday in the middle of the broadcast television upfronts, a series of elaborate events held here to entice advertisers to commit money to next season's prime-time shows. On the same day, ABC News employees learned that one of the network's two newsmagazines, "Primetime," wasn't given a regular spot on the fall schedule. (News President David Westin assured the staff that he expected the program would get a permanent time slot later in the season.)
At the ABC party that evening, held in a lavishly decorated tent outside Lincoln Center, upbeat entertainment executives gaily chatted up advertisers about the fall schedule and the success of programs like "Grey's Anatomy" while their news colleagues watched the festivities morosely, having little to celebrate.
"Morale is starting to suffer," said one news division staffer who discussed internal matters on condition of anonymity. "People would like to see a decision made one way or another. This person is supposed to be the public face of the network to the world. People are wondering, 'When are we finally going to have a captain of the ship?' "
Banner declined to comment on the plans for replacing Woodruff, saying only, "Those decisions are being dealt with."
Some observers hope that the needs of the evening news eventually prevail over any reluctance to shake up the profitable "Good Morning America."
"Despite the fact that the morning show rakes in far more money, it's still the evening news that defines the network's news priorities," Boston University's Zelnick said. "As long as you're a hard news organization that has to be ready on a moment's notice to cover a Sept. 11 or another cataclysmic event, you need that evening news show as that defining program of your news organization."
ABC officials don't have that much longer to figure out how to balance the competing interests. Vargas, whose second child is due in August, is expected to go on maternity leave earlier that month.
http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-abc22may22,0,166477,print.story?coll=cl-tvent
TV Notebook
How the West was lost -- again
`Deadwood' is likely riding off into the sunset soon because of financial issues.
But don't discount HBO yet.
By Scott Collins Los Angeles Times Staff Writer May 22, 2006
(Times staff writer Maria Elena Fernandez contributed to this report.)
David Milch, the creator of HBO's "Deadwood," says the show couldn't have been done on any other network, and that's probably true. Few other outlets have tried westerns recently, and none has featured a villain like Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), a profane, surreally menacing saloon keeper.
In one scene, Swearengen sweetens a prayer for a butchered pioneer family by blithely informing his patrons of a half-price special on the services of his prostitutes. McShane's portrayal makes Al Pacino's gangster Tony Montana in "Scarface" seem charming.
Of course, HBO has always taken pride in running apart from the network pack, hence its marketing slogan, "It's not TV. It's HBO." But as the abrupt death of "Deadwood" makes clear, HBO is behaving much more like a regular network these days, albeit probably by necessity rather than choice.
HBO revealed this month that, because of a complicated nexus of money considerations, "Deadwood," one of the network's top four original series after "The Sopranos," will most likely end its run with the third season, which starts June 11. Although the network did not cancel the show, it allowed the ensemble cast to pursue other work elsewhere, effectively spelling the end of the series because of the difficulty of reassembling such a large number of actors.
Outraged fans, who were expecting the fourth season that producers had already mapped out (but which the network, it should be noted, never officially announced), promptly organized a show-saving campaign, with some demanding a "cancel HBO" boycott (for details, see savedeadwood.net).
"Deadwood" died with its boots off, and even those closest to the situation seem a bit baffled.
"I am deeply disappointed by the way things turned out," Milch said last week. But HBO executives "felt like they had to make a choice. And this is how they chose…. I know they tried to work it out, and I tried to work it out with them."
"Not having a fourth season of 'Deadwood' is not the result anyone wanted," Chris Albrecht, HBO's chairman and chief executive, said by phone Thursday.
But the network grew excited about another Milch project, a surfing drama titled "John From Cincinnati," and did not believe he would be able to return to "Deadwood" for some time, Albrecht added. By all accounts, the network did not wish to pay the "Deadwood" actors' contracts during the months spent waiting.
Milch, who seems genuinely excited about "Cincinnati" (its pilot starts shooting in July near Imperial Beach), said that "Deadwood" is a costly show and that it does not produce the high ratings "Sopranos" does. In addition, his deal with CBS Paramount's TV studio was winding down, which "didn't help" the situation because it removed a potential financial partner from the equation (Paramount owns some of the distribution rights to "Deadwood"; studio spokespeople did not return requests for comment).
Milch confirmed that Albrecht offered to approve six episodes rather than 12 for the fourth season — in the TV industry, a so-called short order. But the writer-producer rejected that because of bad experiences with short orders on series like "Hill Street Blues."
And with that, "Deadwood" was dead.
This anti-climax may become a turning point in the history of HBO's highly regarded original series initiative. For years, HBO has been known for spitting out large wads of cash for corporate parent Time Warner. In turn, the network has spent lavishly on shows and talent. The first 12 episodes of the historical epic "Rome," for example, cost a reported $100 million — a dizzying sum even by TV standards — and "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini takes home a paycheck reputedly worth at least $11 million a year, including a cut of DVD sales.
But HBO has good reasons to mind its pennies these days.
In September, HBO renewed "Rome" for a second season, despite lackluster ratings. Since then, the polygamy-themed drama "Big Love" has premiered to middling numbers and mixed reviews despite a costly public relations blitz, and "The Sopranos" has seen its audience dip from previous highs.
While getting an accurate bead on HBO's subscriber tally is perennially difficult — many analysts peg it at roughly 28 million — it's been years since the network launched a series that spurred subscriber growth à la "Sex and the City" and "The Sopranos."
Albrecht said he's not worried that "Deadwood's" end will lead to subscriber losses, given HBO's rich mix of series, movies and sporting events. "It's always news to me that people subscribe to HBO for only one thing," he said.
Meanwhile, Hollywood writers shouldn't assume that "Deadwood's" fate means HBO's mandate has changed, Milch said. Compared with other networks, HBO enjoys a particularly artist-friendly reputation. "They continue to be that place," he said.
Even so, "Deadwood's" puzzling end has left militant fans seeking comfort in the words of — who else? — Swearengen: "The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man — and give some back."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A red-faced Fox in the 'upfront' house
Fox expects to finish the season as the No. 1 network in prime time among young adults. Last week, it achieved a more dubious distinction as well: most embarrassing "upfront" presentation.
Fox was the last network to roll out its fall schedule with a sales meeting Thursday that proved Murphy's law at nearly every turn. The presentation started 20 minutes late as many of the roughly 1,000 attendees swarmed the narrow entrance to the Armory, leading to long lines down Lexington Avenue a few blocks from Gramercy Park. Guests fanned themselves throughout the 2 1/2 -hour event as the aged facility's air conditioning was taxed to the breaking point.
During a rambling, incoherent onstage segment promoting Fox Sports, an executive repeatedly mispronounced the name of the snack food Tostitos, a network sponsor. Spike Feresten, host of a new Fox talk show, bombed with a comedy monologue. And Brad Garrett, star of the network's new sitcom " 'Til Death," shocked ad buyers with rude jokes about Ryan Seacrest, Paula Abdul and Pamela Anderson.
Fox spokesman Scott Grogin said that Garrett's remarks weren't vetted beforehand but that the comic often works "blue" and that some attendees found his routine funny.
As for the venue, he added: "We selected the Armory because we needed a larger venue than our previous home at the City Center theater…. We will not be returning to the Armory and will immediately begin to search for a facility that will alleviate these issues."
Grogin said he didn't believe the event's problems would cause ad buyers to avoid Fox: "We have every reason to believe we will have a very successful selling season."
Shari Anne Brill, analyst for ad firm Carat USA, agreed: "I would think the Fox sales team would not be happy about the presentation. They don't want it to be not well received because they have to go out in the trenches and work with us after. But I've never heard of anybody holding up a network based on the standard of what their presentation was like. People may grumble about it, but then they go out and make their deals."
http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-channel22may22,0,1742698.story?coll=cl-tvent
The 2006-2007 Season
First impressions of fall series
By Robert Bianco USA Today
More than any other medium, TV embraces the circle of life.
As one season dies, another is born out of the ashes each spring. The networks announce their new schedules just as their old ones come to their May conclusion. (And they make these announcements, not to the creative community in Los Angeles that does the work, but to the advertising community in New York that foots the bill. Which tells you a lot about what else TV really embraces.)
The upside of these early "upfront" announcements is that they allow viewers to spend the summer in hopeful contemplation of the great shows coming their way. We all know that much of that hope will be misplaced and most of these shows are more likely to be "gone" than "great" — but why should we worry about that now? We might as well spend the summer looking on the bright side.
So how does the new season look? A bit grim, with a tilt toward dark dramas over light comedies. It also could be a demanding season, as a number of series are following 24's one-year, one-story lead — including a year-long search for a kidnapped child (NBC's Kidnapped) and a missing wife (Fox's Vanished), and comedic year-long attempts to pull off a robbery (ABC's Let's Rob ...), a wedding (ABC's Big Day) and a pregnancy (ABC's Notes from the Underbelly).
To help you make that seasonal transition, here's a first-impression, network-by-network look at the shows to come, based on clips, interviews and the network presentations (first impressions and shows can -and will — change).
CBS: The top-rated network is on cruise control
CBS is like a top-selling family sedan: comfortable, reliable and enormously popular, but not exactly exciting.
What's missing from the No. 1 network's admirably well-constructed schedule is one big buzzworthy phenom — a show like Fox's 24, which gets more attention than CBS' higher-rated but less-discussed hits. The folks at CBS are too smart to scrap a winning formula to chase after buzz, but the network does seem more willing this year than last to experiment. Which means, praise be, no new crime procedural series like CSI.
Instead, the network is bringing you high concepts (Jericho, about the residents of a Kansas town isolated by a nuclear attack) and big names. Come fall, James Woods teams with Spike Lee for the legal drama Shark, which seems to owe a lot to House, while Ray Liotta leads a gang of thieves in Smith, which will have to overcome viewer resistance to this year's Thief and Heist.
CBS' best experiment, however, may be its least risky: The Class, a tailor-made Monday sitcom from David Crane (Friends) and Jeffrey Klarik (Mad About You) about a large group of twentysomethings who attended the same third-grade class. What's novel about the show is the Lost-like size of its ensemble: There are at least 12 recurring characters, played by such actors as Joan of Arcadia's Jason Ritter and Broadway stars Heather Goldenhersh (Doubt) and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Putnam County Spelling Bee). Plus, it had a sight gag that drew the biggest laugh at the presentations.
Fox: Can they match the stars to the right shows?
There are a lot of great actors coming to Fox in the fall. The question is whether they're coming in the right shows.
I'm a huge fan of Victor Garber, both from his theater work and from his fabulous stint on Alias, but his Jerry Bruckheimer-produced legal show Justice looks a lot like the kind of procedurals CBS has wisely decided to rest. And while it's past time Ron Livingston became a TV star, I'm not sure it's going to happen in Standoff, which casts him as a hostage negotiator who's having an affair with his partner (Rosemarie DeWitt).
Fox may, however, have found the right sitcom for Brad Garrett, whose role as a sour husband in 'Til Death seems designed to let him recycle his Jackie Gleason impression. The act seems to work for his fans, and the show seems to fit Fox's comic sensibility. Though not, perhaps, as well as another new sitcom, Happy Hour, which had a line so crude that it made the advertiser crowd gasp.
NBC: At last, a workable roster of series
NBC just can't buy a break.
The fourth-place network went into the upfronts with the fall's most highly anticipated show: Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, with Bradley Whitford, Matthew Perry and Amanda Peet. Now the upfronts are over, and not only wasn't Studio 60 the best-received new fall show, it wasn't even the best-received NBC show inspired by Saturday Night Live. That honor goes to the Tina Fey sitcom 30 Rock, which joins The Class and Let's Rob... as the preseason sitcom front-runners.
Still, even if the clips did not live up to expectations, it is far too soon to write Studio 60 off. Sorkin is a great and singular talent, and his shows often suffer when cut down — a process that emphasizes big moments and eliminates the small scenes that earn the payoff. The pilot does have some tonal problems: While it accurately captures how seriously people who work in TV take themselves, it may overestimate how seriously viewers take them. But it is much better than the clips may have led some to believe.
Otherwise, the network does seem to have done a better job constructing a lineup this year than it did last, though it would have been hard-pressed to do worse.
In addition to the SNL duo, the cinema spinoff Friday Night Lights and the 24-inspired Kidnapping seemed potentially promising. Plus, the network now has the NFL on Sunday, which all by itself may be enough to make advertisers and viewers forget last fall's Surface, Inconceivable, Three Wishes and The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.
CW: It's twice the familiarity
Talk about your circle of life. Out of the carcasses of UPN and WB rises CW — more Frankenstein than phoenix, perhaps, but alive.
It's hard to generate excitement for a schedule that extends One Tree Hill and exhumes 7th Heaven. Still, the network gets some credit for offering the only sitcoms built around African-American stars — even if the newest show, The Game, seems a far cry from the quality of Everybody Hates Chris.
The only other new show is Runaway, which is The Fugitive with an entire family on the run. I'd have great hopes for this show if it were on CBS, because that would mean the stories would focus on the parents, played by Donnie Wahlberg and Leslie Hope. On CW, the focus is more likely to be on the kids, and the clips made them look far less interesting.
ABC: Plenty of new shows are on tap
Last spring, ABC was jubilant, thanks to its 2004-2005 freshman hits Desperate Housewives, Lost and Grey's Anatomy. This year, ABC is more subdued, which is what happens when your entire fall slate flops.
As a result, ABC introduced more new fall shows than any other network (nine) and had some of the best-received introductions. The network has one of the most intriguing new dramas in The Nine, about nine survivors of an extended hostage crisis, and one of the funniest sitcom highlight reels in Let's Rob ..., which casts Donal Logue as the leader of a ragtag gang trying to rob Mick Jagger. And I'm eager to see Six Degrees just because it comes from J.J. Abrams.
ABC also is trying some softer hours, putting Calista Flockhart at the center of Brothers & Sisters, sending Anne Heche to Alaska for Men in Trees, and transforming a hit telenovela into Betty the Ugly. Betty looked cute; as for the others, ABC had better hope Flockhart and Heche come across better in full than they did in brief.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-05-21-fall-tv-impressions_x.htm
Xesdeeni
05-22-06, 10:35 AM
Upfront Analysis
MyNetworkTV
By Christopher Lisotta TVWeek.com May 22, 2006
The schedule: MyNetworkTV, which News Corp. put together after the announcement of The CW earlier this year, is betting the farm on evening soap operas.
A 52-week schedule of English-language telenovelas with no repeats is intended to keep audiences hooked and distinguish MyTV from the competition.But the real question is whether all the programming will be in HD ;-)
Xesdeeni
All of MyNetworkTV programs will be (at least provided to the affiliates) in HD.
some musings.
Lost:
yesterday i was looking at my tivo recorded list and noticed that a lost episode was missing. checked my history and saw that due to american idol and amazing race lost had not recorded.
i could have downloaded on my ipod, used bitorrent, or went to the abc website. i decided to try out the website. not bad. in a pinch it would do. the commercials where only 30 secnds and they were limited. only problem was that you couldn't make the player take up the entire screen.
American Idol:
I think I am suffering from AI fatigue. While I watched every episode, I just don't find myself that much into it as other seasons. Hicks is probably the one interesting one in the bunch and probably the only reason I watched. I wonder if this show has finally peaked? The strong numbers this year could be due to Bo bringing in that anti-establishment crowd and this season that continued with Chris.
Telemundo, Univision, MyNetwork:
First, I am very glad to see coverage of hispanic stations during upfront coverage. Seems the hispanic market is gaining more visiblity. But unless they start showing some shows in HD, I just can't watch. There is already a lot of stuff to watch and HD is one criteria I use to decide what to watch. The only 2 SD shows I watch are Amazing Race and Apprentice.
When did telenovela become an English word? MyNetwork has an interesting idea. I might check them out.
Finales
`Alias' Ends, But Season Finale Of `24' Dominates Prime Time
By Roger Catlin Hartford Courant TV Critic May 22 2006
(All times are ET/PT)
Farewell, Sydney Bristow!
The most alluring TV spy since Emma Peel takes her final bow tonight after a five-year run. "Alias" (ABC, 9 p.m.) allowed Jennifer Garner to wear many wigs and smack down many bad guys, but lately creator J.J. Abrams has been busier with a show that has overtaken "Alias" for sheer buzz, "Lost," and busied himself directing the big-screen "Mission: Impossible III."
In the fall, Abrams will have his name on three shows on ABC: "Lost," the new "Six Degrees" and the returning "What About Brian?"
And what about "Alias"? Adios.
The spy caper leaves on the worst possible night, when many ardent action fans will be watching the calamitous two-hour end to "24" (Fox, 8 p.m.), wherein Jack Bauer has to take down a lawbreaking president after spending most previous seasons defending a virtuous one (who was killed at the beginning of this long day).
Other Finales
If you're a fan of "King of Queens" (CBS, 8 p.m.), you'd better tune in: A new episode of the Kevin James vehicle won't show up until the ninth season starts in eight months.
Also ending for now are "Medium" (NBC, 10 p.m.), "Wife Swap" (ABC, 8 p.m.), "The New Adventures of Old Christine" (CBS, 8:30 and 9:30 p.m.), "CSI: Miami" (CBS, 10 p.m.) and "Two and a Half Men" (CBS, 9 p.m.). All will be back in the fall.
On cable, "Punk'd" (MTV, 10 p.m.) ends its season, too.
http://www.ctnow.com/tv/hce-tveye0522.artmay22,0,2846623.column?coll=hce-utility-tv
slocko:
I have had "AI" disinterest for a couple of cycles now. Obviously, most of the country does not suffer from the same malady.
But it also has hit me when I (used to) watch "Survivor", and "The Amazing Race".
-----
In the past I have not posted a lot on the hispanic networks because I assumed most readers of this thread just didn't care.
But with the explosion of news about them, I have begun to include at least some items.
I am glad you find them interesting.
The 2006-2007 Season
Now it's ABC's shot at Thursday night
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer May 22, 2006, 02:47
Five years ago, CBS moved “Survivor” to Thursdays in a bid to end NBC’s nearly two-decade domination on television’s most lucrative night. It worked, and these days NBC ranks a distant No. 2 behind CBS on the night.
Now it's ABC's turn.
Come fall, CBS will be dealing with a similar challenge when the network moves “Grey’s Anatomy” to the 9 p.m. timeslot opposite “CSI.”
ABC's decision to move the show to Thursday, a night where it had long been a non-player, shocked many media people when it was announced at the network's upfront presentation last week. It signals more than anything how strongly the network has come back.
It's also seen as a smart ploy by media buyers, if a daring one, giving the network a solid early foothold that it could grow over time, just as CBS grew its foothold to eventually overtake NBC.
Most certainly, it will make Thursday a tougher night for both CBS and NBC.
“I think ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ [may do better than ‘CSI,’]” says one media director.
“I think they are both buzzworthy, ‘Grey’s’ is just a bit younger. That’s the watercooler show, everyone talks about ‘Grey’s.’ I hear a lot of people say they like ‘CSI,’ but I don’t see the involvement. People have formed really close connections to ‘Grey’s.’”
In its Thursday ploy, ABC has at least two things going for it.
First, “CSI” has been slipping while “Grey’s” is rising. “CSI” is averaging an 8.3 this year, down 10 percent from last year’s 9.2 average. Last week’s season finale averaged just an 8.2, down 23 percent from last year’s 10.6.
Meanwhile, “Grey’s” has increased its average throughout the season, outdrawing lead-in “Desperate Housewives” ever since its post-Super Bowl outing in February, when it rose to often become the No. 3 show on TV behind the two editions of Fox's “American Idol.” Its season finale averaged a 9.7.
Second, CBS, come fall, is moving longtime stalwart “Without a Trace” from 10 p.m. Thursday to 10 p.m. Sunday.
While media buyers say that the new Thursday timeslot occupant, James Woods’ drama “Shark,” looks strong, it does open up the 10 p.m. hour. NBC’s “ER” has slipped in the timeslot, and ABC chose a relationship drama from “Lost” co-creator J.J. Abrams, “Six Degrees,” to stick in the slot.
At the least, "Degrees" could draw decent ratings after “Grey’s,” and it could win the timeslot if it has a bigger lead-in than “Shark.”
Of course the wild card on the night is NBC. It also has a high-profile drama in the 9 p.m. slot, the new Aaron Sorkin show “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” that got a lot of buzz heading into the upfront.
Yet NBC announced its schedule before ABC or CBS. Soon after ABC made its announcement, rumors began to float that “Studio 60” will move to a different night, the task of launching against “Grey’s” and “CSI” just too tough, especially amid buzz that "Studio 60's" clips weren't all that promising.
The media director thinks the show will stay. She says that there’s not another spot on NBC’s ratings-challenged schedule where “Studio 60” would prosper.
“That’s one of NBC’s more comfortable hammocks,” she says of the spot between comedies “My Name is Earl”/“The Office” at 8 p.m. and “ER” at 10 p.m. “Besides, that would mean [NBC president] Jeff Zucker admitting failure and pulling the plug. He’s pretty cocky. I do not think he’d admit failure or a mistake.”
If “Studio 60” stays, the timeslot may be the most competitive in recent television history.
Five years ago “CSI,” ABC’s “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and NBC’s “Will & Grace” and “Just Shoot Me” all occupied the same slot, but “Millionaire” was already way past its peak.
And this year “Idol” and ABC’s “Lost” have both done well Wednesday at 9, to the detriment of the competition. Media people say that’s evidence that “Grey’s” and “CSI” may both continue to do well, though it’s not so promising for “Studio 60.”
“There is room for another hit show in the hour, and ‘Grey’s’ could do well without necessarily hurting CBS’s ‘CSI’ that much,” writes Lisa Quan, associate director of broadcast research at Magna Global, in an analysis of ABC's new schedule.
“But there may not be room for a new show like NBC’s ‘Studio 60' in the same hour.”
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_4877.asp
Sunday’s prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted at the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.
Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Up finale for down 'Housewives' year
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer May 22, 2006, 10:23
ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” endured a sophomore slump for sure, with ratings fall off over the second half of the year after a red-hot start to the year and viewers complaining about a creative decline for the show.
But “Housewives” will leave the same way it entered the season, as the hottest scripted program on TV.
Last night’s season finale averaged a 9.8 adults 18-49 overnight rating, 5 percent better than its 9.3 season-to-date average and a tenth better than the finale average for “Grey’s Anatomy” last week, making it the highest-rated scripted season finale thus far this sweeps.
It was also the best rating in weeks for the show, which aired from 9 to 11 p.m. last night. It had been stuck in the mid-8s for several weeks, including an 8.2 for last week’s penultimate episode.
Of course its 9.8 rating, while demolishing the competition on NBC and CBS, was nowhere near last year’s 13.2 overnight average for the season finale. It also drew nearly 7 million fewer total viewers, averaging 23.96 million.
But the uptick is a promising sign for ABC as it readies to launch a new drama out of “Housewives” next season that is already getting good buzz, “Brothers & Sisters.”
It’s also the first time since “Grey’s” post-Super Bowl showing that “Housewives” performed better than its usual lead-out, which aired its three-hour season finale last week on Sunday and Monday nights.
Meanwhile, ABC easily won the night among 18-49s with a 7.0 rating and 18 share, double Fox’s 3.5/9. CBS was third with a 2.7/7, NBC fourth with a 2.1/6, Univision fifth with a 1.4/4 and WB sixth with a 1.1/3.
ABC started the night in the lead with a 3.2 for part one of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’s” season finale. Fox was second with a 2.6 for repeats of “The Simpsons,” CBS third with a 1.7 for “60 Minutes,” NBC fourth with a 1.5 for “Dateline,” Univision fifth with a 1.0 for “Hora Pic” and “Chiquitibum,” and WB sixth with a 0.7 for repeats of “Reba.”
ABC held on to its lead at 8 p.m. with a 5.3 for part two of “Makeover,” followed by Fox with a 3.9 for the finale of “Simpsons” and an episode of “Family Guy.” CBS was third with a 2.9 for the “Cold Case” finale, NBC fourth with a 1.9 for “Dateline,” WB fifth with a 1.8 for the “Charmed” series finale and Univision sixth with a 1.3 for the first hour of “Reyes de la Pista.”
At 9 p.m., ABC led with a 9.2 for the first hour of the “Housewives” finale. Fox was a distant second with a 3.9 for “Guy,” CBS third with a 2.8 for a repeat of “CSI; Miami,” NBC fourth with a 2.6 for the movie sequel “10.5 Apocalypse,” which averaged an 8.1 for the original two years ago. Univision was fifth with a 1.6 for the second hour of “Reyes,” and WB sixth with a 0.8 for a “Charmed” repeat.
At 10 p.m., ABC completed its sweep of the night with a 10.3 for the second hour of the “Housewives” finale, followed by CBS with a 3.3 for a repeat of “CSI: NY” and NBC with a 2.7 for “Apocalypse.”
Among households, ABC led with a 10.7/17, followed by CBS with a 7.6/12, NBC with a 5.1/8 and Fox with a 4.5/7. Univision and WB tied for fifth with a 1.7/3.
• Ratings courtesy Nielsen Media Research. Ratings information is taken from fast national data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change, especially in the case of live telecasts.
The Digital Revolution
Hard Path to New Terrain for Telecom
By Jim Puzzanghera Los Angeles Times Staff Writer May 22, 2006
WASHINGTON — A push by the nation's leading phone companies for major telecommunications legislation could end up being the biggest dropped call of the year.
Once on a fast track, congressional measures that would make it easier for Verizon Communications, AT&T and other companies to offer TV services — and possibly lower consumers' bills — have become bogged down by controversial side issues and Capitol Hill turf wars.
Because of a shortened election-year session and a legislative calendar overstuffed with immigration reform, domestic spying and other controversial issues, the telecom legislation's prospects have dimmed.
"There was once a movie entitled "8 Million Ways to Die," said Blair Levin, an analyst at investment bank Stifel, Nicolaus & Co., referring to the 1986 Hal Ashby movie about Los Angeles. "What you're seeing is a movie '8 Million Ways to Die' in D.C., but it's not about a person, it's about a bill."
Actually, the telecom drama playing in Congress may yet end up being about a person: Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), a crafty veteran lawmaker who has vowed to pass a bill this year.
Although getting the legislation through the often fractious Senate may be Stevens' toughest hurdle, phone company lobbyists say they are optimistic.
"If anybody can do it, Stevens can," predicted Gregg Morton, BellSouth Corp.'s vice president of legislative affairs.
Phone companies have plenty at stake. As cable operators encroach on their turf, the phone giants are eager to add television programming so they can offer consumers the same bundle of voice, video and high-speed Internet services their rivals now sell.
Lawmakers hope that encouraging phone companies to build out their networks for television would have the additional benefit of allowing them to make high-speed Internet access available to more of their customers.
That could prevent the U.S. from falling even further behind other countries in broadband penetration.
To speed phone companies' entry into TV, lawmakers propose allowing them to obtain national franchises rather than having to get permission from every community they want to serve, as cable providers now are required to do.
There appears to be bipartisan support for these measures, despite opposition from cable TV companies and local governments concerned that they won't have enough say over the wiring of their communities. But the consensus ends there.
A series of events last week highlighted the pitfalls ahead.
At a long-awaited hearing Thursday, Stevens announced that his recently introduced telecom bill would have to be revised over the Memorial Day recess, delaying votes on it next month.
Stevens had hoped to lure support for the bill by loading it up with related issues backed by a variety of senators, including the expansion of a government fund to provide telecommunications services to low-income and rural areas. But those provisions appear to have raised hurdles rather then eased the path, because several senators announced they had problems with various aspects of the legislation.
Complicating matters, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is trying to add so-called a la carte cable TV pricing to the bill, which would enable consumers to select and pay for individual channels.
In the House of Representatives, hopes have faded for a quick vote on a telecom bill that passed out of committee last month, with two powerful committee chairmen sparring over its fate. At the heart of that dispute is a growing battle over "Net neutrality" — a push for federal rules to prevent phone and cable companies from giving priority to some high-bandwidth services over others.
Bipartisan bills were introduced in the House and Senate last week mandating strong neutrality rules. Both the phone and cable industries oppose the rules, keen on charging extra to guarantee fast, reliable delivery of such bandwidth hogs as movies and video.
Supporters of Net neutrality, however, including leading Internet content companies Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, argue that such practices would ruin the egalitarian spirit of the Web and stifle innovation.
Grammy-nominated musician Moby was on Capitol Hill on Thursday announcing a group of artists and musicians who back the cause.
Sen. Gordon H. Smith (R-Ore.) told his Commerce Committee colleagues that "there's a very real likelihood" telecom legislation will die because of Net neutrality. "The Senate may be the strainer that this just can't pass through," he said.
But Stevens was defiant last week.
"This senator is going to see that this bill gets to the floor and it passes the Senate," Stevens said.
He pushed back the date the committee will vote on his telecom bill, which includes a watered-down Net neutrality provision, from June 8 to June 20. Supporters of the bill are pleased he is trying to resolve problems and has set a date for a vote.
The Senate, however, isn't the only battleground.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee last month passed a telecom bill focused mainly on streamlined TV franchising rules. Supporters hoped for a quick vote by the full House in the first week of May.
But House Judiciary Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) tried to get hold of the bill. No fan of the phone companies, Sensenbrenner fired off a 24-page letter to House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) asking that his panel be allowed to take up the bill and strengthen its neutrality provisions.
The move delayed a House vote on the telecom bill. Last week, House leaders denied Sensenbrenner's request, opening the door for a vote in June.
But Sensenbrenner was unbowed. He teamed up with a handful of Democrats to introduce his own Net neutrality bill, prohibiting high-speed Internet providers from giving priority to data from certain companies over others. Sensenbrenner will try to move it out of his committee this week.
"Right now, we are facing the greatest threat to the Internet in its history," Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a leading Net neutrality supporter, said at a rally with Moby last week. They urged people to sign an online petition that already has 700,000 signatures, the result largely of a Net neutrality campaign by grass-roots Internet advocacy groups.
All the delays could cost consumers, said Walter McCormick, chief executive of the USTelecom trade group.
He cited a study by the Phoenix Center, a Washington think tank, showing that a one-year delay in passing the legislation would cost consumers $8 billion.
"Time is money," McCormick said.
And with time running out this year, a series of showdowns next month could determine the fate of telecom legislation.
"This is a bill that needs to clear a lot of hurdles in a relatively short period of time," said Levin, the analyst. "And the hurdles look a lot higher."
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-telecom22may22,1,7201108,full.story?coll=la-headlines-business
The Digital Revolution
Anti-Piracy Reprieve for HD DVD players?
Hollywood reportedly in agreement to delay forced quality downgrades for Blu-ray, HD DVD
By Ken Fisher arstechnica.com
As the DVD format welcomes two potential heirs to its kingship as the commercial video medium of choice, there are mounting concerns that these new heirs are nothing but pretenders. Blu-ray and HD DVD—the two competing "standards" for the next-generation of video discs—are both shackled with technologically-forged chains, but those chains may be broken by a consumer electronics industry wary of how their existence could hamper sales.
One of the most controversial aspects of these next-generation products is something called the Image Constraint Token (ICT), a security "feature" that allows studios to force-downgrade video quality on players that lack a special video output that was designed to thwart piracy. This "HDMI" connector standard is part of a "protected pathway" for video that was meant to combat piracy by making it impossible for pirates to tap into high-definition video output and press "Record," as it were. Many fear, however, that the only success HDMI will have is in making honest users miserable, inasmuch as consumers could be left with a product that plays at low quality or not at all if HDMI is not present on one's player or TV.
The conundrum isn't apparently lost on the consumer electronics industry or Hollywood. According to German-language Spiegel Online, there is reportedly a behind-the-scenes, unofficial agreement between Hollywood and some consumer electronics manufacturers, including Microsoft and Sony, not to use ICT until 2010, or possibly even 2012. Without providing more details, the report suggests that Hollywood isn't exactly happy with the situation, and could very well renege on the agreement, such that it is. But the agreement is there nonetheless, presumably to help the industry transition to HDMI. This could explain why the very same studios that pushed for HDMI and ICT have recently announced that they would not use it for the time being.
The report's claims could also shed some light on two of the more baffling consumer electronics moves as of late. Sony stunned onlookers when it announced that the low-end PlayStation 3, which will retail for US$499, will not have HDMI. This put Sony in the awkward position of downplaying HDMI as a "must have" feature for a next-generation optical disc player. Kaz Hirai, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America, sidestepped the lack of HDMI by painting it as a high-end standard that wouldn't be aesthetically appreciated by many consumers.
"The only difference is HDMI – and at this point, I don't think many people's TV's have that. The ultimate result, to my eyes anyway, is there's not a discernible difference between what you get between HDMI and other forms of high definition," he said.
On one level, he's correct. Few consumers will appreciate the difference between 1080i on a component cable (analog) and 1080p on HDMI. What he ignored is the real trade-off: without HDMI, that 1920x1080 (1080i/p) or 1280 x 720 (720p) picture, analog or not, could be rendered at a less impressive 960x540 (540p) if the ICT was present and obeyed. While 540p is indeed better than today's DVD standard, few consumers would spend $500-$1000 on a new player and as much as $10 more per movie to get it. If part of Sony's big pitch for the PS3 is "hey, this thing is also futureproof because it does Blu-ray!," then ditching support for HDMI doesn't make sense in a world where the absence of HDMI could negate much of the promise of Blu-ray.
Then there's Microsoft. The company launched the Xbox 360 last November sans HD DVD drive, which turned out to be a wise thing to do, as both HD DVD and Blu-ray were delayed by setbacks with the new AACS security system. Microsoft nevertheless intends to support HD DVD on the Xbox 360 by shipping an external HD DVD player for the console in time for the 2006 holiday season. The add-on drive will connect to the Xbox via a USB 2.0 cable, but the console currently lacks an HDMI connector, just like the low-end PS3. Microsoft has not announced support for HDMI for the Xbox 360, though speculation is ripe that the company will release a dongle for the console after Lik-Sang posted a product page for it. For that dongle to do the trick, however, Microsoft would need to be able to add HDMI support via a firmware update, and their current proprietary output connector would need to meet HDMI standards. It is not yet clear if HDMI can be added to the Xbox 360 without a hardware revision, but that question may be seen as "moot" if in fact HDMI won't be a barrier to true 720 or 1080i/p until 4 to 6 years from now.
If indeed there is an "agreement" of sorts between companies like Microsoft and Sony and the studios (including Sony's own entertainment interests), this could certainly help to explain why these consoles are shipping today without HDMI support. But such unofficial agreements are gentlemanly in nature: at any time, all bets could be off. In the meantime, it appears as though Hollywood is playing it safe, hoping to keep the boogeyman of HDMI at bay while consumers weigh their options. Whether or not the strategy is ultimately about keeping users happy or lulling them into a false sense of security remains to be seen, but we're fairly certain that ICT was designed to be used, and used it will be.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060521-6880.html
Upfront Notebook
Fox's 'Upfront' Event Feels Like 24-Hour Ordeal
As Networks' Pitchfests Get Ever More Elaborate, Process Looks Outdated
By BROOKS BARNES and SUZANNE VRANICA The Wall Street Journal May 22, 2006; Page B4
A prominent media buyer walked out of Fox's annual "upfront" ad-selling presentation Thursday and joked: "I'm going to have buttons made that say 'I survived the 2006 Fox upfront.' "
What should have been an upbeat affair for News Corp.'s Fox, which has dominated the ratings with "American Idol" and "24," turned into a three-hour ordeal for ad-sales executives crammed into a sweltering auditorium. Few were impressed by the presentation, meant to highlight next season's prime-time lineup, as various Fox executives took the stage to talk up their ratings numbers. Various attempts at entertainment didn't go down well, particularly a gruff and raunchy monologue by actor Brad Garrett, who stars in a new Fox comedy.
"We were underserved," says Irwin Gotlieb, chief executive officer of WPP Group's GroupM, one of the world's largest media-services firms.
A Fox spokesman says, "We had venue issues that unfortunately may have impacted the experience, but the product was well received."
The good news for Fox: Media buyers say none of this really matters when it comes to the $9 billion or so they plan to commit in the coming weeks on commercial time for the broadcast networks' fall TV season. Advertisers spend money where they see the potential for hits, and they decide what new shows could be successful back at their offices and hotels while watching pilot episodes. In other words, no media buyer is going to pass on buying time during Fox's hugely popular "American Idol" because of a poorly executed presentation.
That Fox could stumble with its upfront pitch and suffer little or no harm in its ad-sales haul underscores how outdated the upfront process really is, some industry experts say. Fox's presentation followed similar events by each of the major networks last week. Some spent as much as $3 million to fly talent to New York, staging Broadway-style numbers and throwing lavish parties for ad buyers, who say all of this plays little role in their ultimate decisions.
Nevertheless, network executives say they regard the presentations as crucial marketing and sales tools. Indeed, the events have become more elaborate in recent years as broadcasters, facing increasing competition from cable channels, attempt to persuade Madison Avenue that network television remains the kingpin of the advertising world.
Cable channels are fighting back with their own lavish upfront events, usually held a week or two earlier than the broadcast presentations. Earlier this month, Viacom Inc.'s MTV Networks took over Madison Square Garden for a two-hour show that included stand-up comedy from Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Jerry Seinfeld. The Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Dallas Cowboys cheerleading squad also performed.
What's more, a well-polished presentation can't hurt. Walt Disney's ABC put on a show last Tuesday that pleased buyers by dialing down the hype. "ABC left people with a good impression, and they didn't oversell," says Bill McOwen, director of broadcast at Havas's MPG. He says that might help the network in ad-sales negotiations. "Media buyers will likely start to evaluate ABC first because of the confident and succinct presentation," he says.
Similarly, CBS Corp. won high marks for making a well-honed argument about why its schedule deserves price increases.
Every network promoted buying opportunities on the Internet but none to the degree of General Electric's NBC, which may have gone a bit overboard. NBC spent almost 45 minutes last Monday touting dozens of Web tie-ins and other digital initiatives. Media buyers say that digital offerings are great but that the shows must be hits before clients will be willing to spend much money on the digital extras.
SPOILER ALERT: If you’ve recorded the “Desperate Housewives” finale episode for later viewing, read no further.
TV Notebook
“Desperate Housewives” ends with a bang!
By Diane Holloway Austin American-Statesman Monday, May 22, 2006
“Desperate Housewives” had a bit of a sinking spell earlier this season, but last night’s two-hour finale was crackling good.
The premise was good, and the execution was terrific. Sometimes expanded episodes seem to drag on forever, but not this one. It popped with excitement, revelations and new mysteries from beginning to end.
Mary Alice, the Wisteria Lane matron whose suicide launched the series two seasons ago, narrates a trip down memory lane as she recalled meeting each of her “housewife” neighbors.
We see klutzy Susan, still married to Carl, lock herself into the moving van by mistake, and Lynette chewing out her husband for impregnating her with twins. The flashbacks were clever and funny.
In the present, there’s murder and intrigue, the kind of juicy stuff that got us hooked on this sudser to begin with.
The season-long subplot involving the Applewhites came to a shocking conclusion when we learned that the “good son” Matthew, played by Austin’s own Mehcad Brooks, killed the girl in Chicago that his mentally disabled brother had been blamed for. We assume Matthew, along with the rest of the Applewhites, is gone because cops shot him.
During the finale, dead characters like Bree’s husband Rex and her creepy pharmacy boyfriend reappeared in flashback. Edie, however, was practically non-existent, which would make me worried if I were Nicollette Sheridan.
Bree, who had committed herself to a psychiatric hospital in hopes of scoring some rest and “serious drugs,” broke out to save daughter Danielle (who was attempting to run away with murderous Matthew). Remember, Bree had already dumped troublesome son Andrew on a mountain road, so she was riddled with guilt about her wayward kids.
Bree’s “man problems” are destined to return next season in the form of Orson, a dentist/con man played by Kyle MacLachlan, who appears at her house with flowers. Moments earlier, he had run down Mike, who was on his way to propose to Susan. Presumably the attempted murder was because Mike and the dentist/con man knew each other in the slammer years ago, and Orson didn’t want to be exposed.
I feel safe in saying Mike survives this vehicular attack, because James Denton is a really hunky guy and one of the show’s few male draws.
The sudsiest storyline in the finale belongs to Lynette, who left her husband Tom because she thought he was cheating. Turns out he wasn’t cheating, but he does have an illegitimate daughter from a one-night stand who now wants a boat-load of child support — and is moving into a house a few blocks away from Wisteria Lane.
Oh, and Gabrielle, after discovering Carlos in mid-fling with Xiao Mei (the maid who is the surrogate for the couple’s baby-to-be), kicks him out. Not the first time; won’t be the last.
Amid all this immorality and evil lurks truly icky evil in the form of a geeky teenager, Zach, son of dead Mary Alice. He goes to see his filthy-rich dying grandfather to get money to help stepdad Paul get out of jail, but winds up unplugging the geezer from his respirator and watching him die. With his massive inheritance, Zach plans to leave poor old dad rotting in the slammer and live the life of a carefree heir.
This finale did exactly what a good season-ender should do — it wrapped up a few things, popped a few surprises and left us with burning questions to be answered in September.
http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/tvblog/
SPOILER ALERT: If you’ve recorded the “Desperate Housewives” finale episode for later viewing, read no further.
TV Notebook
5 THINGS I LOVED ABOUT 'ALIAS'
By Kevin D. Thompson Palm Beach Post Television Writer Monday, May 22, 2006
1. Sydney's crazy wigs: Syd's wild wigs ran from hot flame red to neon bright pink and allowed our fetching double-agent to be anything from a conservative banker to a high society call girl to a Nordic beauty to a skanky club hopper. Syd's theme song should've been Chaka Khan's anthem, I'm Every Woman.
2. Spy Daddy!: Jack Bristow is Jack Bauer cool but way better dressed. He'll slice off your ear without even blinking. Shoot you dead without batting an eye if it means saving his kid. Then there's that grim poker face that makes Jack such a great spy. You never know what he's thinking. But you do know that he loves his daughter — and has a eye for really nice suits.
3. The exotic locales: One week Syd's in Zurich. The next she's in Moscow. The week after that she's in France. Really she's on a Hollywood backlot. The producers have always done a terrific job of making a weekly TV show about spies look like a big-budget James Bond thriller that's being shot around the globe.
4. The jaw-dropping plot twists: Syd's mom is alive! Vaughn is dead! No he isn't. Sloane is good! Really he's not. Syd's missing for two years, wakes up in Hong Kong and learns that Vaughn is married to some spy chick named Lauren who turns out to be evil later! Speaking of evil, can't forget evil double Francine! Alias had more head-spinning plot twists than a combined John le Carre-Tom Clancy novel.
5. The cool theme song: The techno-heavy main title theme kinda makes ya wanna jump up on your coffee table and dance. Well, that's how I always felt.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/tv/content/accent/epaper/2006/05/22/a6d_24GUY22_0522.html
The fight over a la carte
Dolan: Don't Put All Your Channels In One Basket
By John Eggerton –Broadcasting & Cable 5/22/2006
Cablevision Chairman Charles Dolan continues to argue against the traditional industry line on a la carte.
And the issue isn't pleasing the FCC or lowering cable bills, he suggests, but survival in a world where the competition is providing increasing choice and flexibility.
When asked to look into cable future-for B&C's 75th anniversary edition--Dolan said that "not giving the customer more opportunity to choose" was the TV business "at its worst."
"We really need to catch up with the grocery store in this regard and stop requiring customers who want nothing more than a dozen eggs to also buy a pound of cheese. Customers should be able to buy what they want, as part of a package or independent of a package. In the end, they will be more satisfied and better customers."
The National Cable & Telecommunications Association argues that a la carte models will result in higher per-channel prices and less choice as smaller networks lose the support of their more popular brethren, somewhat like the shuttering of stores in a mall when the anchor tentants move to stand-alone digs
TV Notebook
The season finale super-spy smashdown
As gritty agent Jack Bauer engineers finale solutions for saving the world, expect a plot twist or two.
By Kevin D. Thompson Palm Beach Post Television Writer Monday, May 22, 2006
"It's big!"
That's how Howard Gordon, 24's executive producer, describes the inevitable showdown between clock-racing CTU agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) and villainous President Logan (Gregory Itzin) on tonight's two-hour season finale.
"It's a pretty epic showdown," Gordon promises. "We squared off Jack Bauer with the president of the United States and he's never had a more formidable opponent . . . it's like Superman and Batman. It's a great matchup."
And 24 has had a great season — arguably its best ever. In the first four longest days of Bauer's life, there were always three or four hours in which 24 clearly lost its way. Jack's wife getting amnesia and his daughter being chased by a mountain lion immediately come to mind. But there haven't been any such plot-derailing distractions this year.
"This season and season two feel the most consistent because in some ways they were very simple, direct stories," says Gordon. "Last year it was kind of improvised. We zigged and zagged a lot . . . it was a little bit jagged."
Of course, Gordon can't say much about tonight's season ender, but he can say there'll be a twist at the end.
"We wouldn't be doing our job if (we didn't have one)," he says. "I think we always find ourselves at the end trying to strike a balance between satisfaction and surprise."
Turning President Logan from a spineless weasel into a commander-in-chief willing to murder to protect the country's oil interests wasn't an easy decision, Gordon says. Itzin, for instance, wasn't happy with the surprising plot twist.
"There was a bit of resistance on staff," Gordon admits. "We would debate and argue and (wonder) if viewers wanted to see a willfully bad president. I think people were getting tired of watching this merely weak president."
Some viewers were also getting tired of watching 24's body bag count rise. Those characters who bit the dust this season include ex-President Palmer (Dennis Haysbert); Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard), Jack's right-hand CTU man; Tony's wife, Michelle (Reiko Aylesworth); lovable computer geek Edgar Stiles (Louis Lombardi) and CTU head honcho Lynn McGill (Sean Astin).
"(The deaths) weren't by design," Gordon explains. "This was just the way the stories laid out. I think what it did was it renewed the audience's understanding that this is a dangerous thing we're up against. People we care about can die and do die and it sort of reiterated the importance and validity of the threat. It also reminded the audience of what the show promises: anything can happen and that includes anyone at any time can be off it."
Viewers were most upset by Edgar's death — especially since it came on the heels of his own mother's death and at a time when shy Edgar began awkwardly flirting with Chloe O'Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub), his forever cranky co-worker.
"The measure of outrage I think was a measure of the success of that character," says Gordon. "(Edgar's death) was what the show needed at that midpoint to keep people talking."
To hear Gordon tell it, a number of celebrities are talking about 24 and want to be guest stars on it.
"I just got an e-mail from someone, and I don't even know what the source is, I guess James Brolin was talking about directing and (his wife) Barbra Streisand wanted to be a guest star," he says. "(Another 24 producer) heard from Billy Crystal who joked that Greg Kinnear has also said (he wanted to be on.) But I don't know how serious these people were."
Gordon is serious — and excited — about 24's sixth season, which starts in January.
"I honestly thought we'd run out of steam at the end of season four," he says. "So this time last year I was in a bit of a panic as to where we'd go. (But) we can still surprise ourselves."
And us.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/tv/content/accent/epaper/2006/05/22/a6d_24GUY22_0522.html
Somehow, to me at least, the following press release from ABC makes the fall season seem even farther away.
TV Notebook
ABC Announces Summer Slate Of Shows
(ABC Press Release) May 22, 2006
ABC will premiere five new shows over the summer, it’s been announced. The series include “Buy It Now,” “How to Get the Guy,” “Master of Champions,” “One Ocean View” and “The One: Making a Music Star.”
“These shows are exciting additions for ABC and perfect for summer viewing,” said Andrea Wong, executive vice president, Alternative Programming, Specials and Late-Night, ABC Entertainment. “They are light, fun, engaging series that we believe viewers will make appointments with all summer long.”
Following in alphabetical order are descriptions of the new series joining ABC’s summer schedule:
“Buy It Now” – This feel-good series will help families realize one of their most meaningful dreams by putting a variety of prized possessions up for auction on eBay. Not only will family members have to willingly part with these beloved items for the sake of a greater cause, but relatives, friends and hopefully even the whole town will donate items in an effort to raise the necessary funds to fulfill the worthy dream. Besides auctioning off the usual personal belongings, the friends, family and community will come up with other unusual, creative auction-worthy schemes. In addition, there will be opulent sponsor-donated “fantasy packages”, unknown “mystery items” and an assortment of fundraising competitions. With a little luck, and the help of America’s viewers, each family will have a chance to make their dream come true.
“Buy It Now” will air twice a week: The first episode will showcase one family and their worthwhile dream; the follow-up LIVE episode will reveal the final few minutes of online bidding and see if enough money was raised to help this family fulfill their dream. Series premiere date TBD.
“How to Get the Guy” – Emmy Award-winning producers David Collins and David Metzler team with ABC on this romantic reality series that follows the trials and tribulations of love as seen through the eyes of four young, attractive and available women who are looking for Mr. Right. Shot docu-soap style at over 150-locations throughout San Francisco, the one-hour format will follow four single women over six episodes as they take hold of their own romantic destinies and declare to the world that they are ready, willing and able to do anything and everything they have to in order to find true love. Accompanying Alissa, Anne, Kris and Michelle on their journey are two “Love Coaches,” Emmy-winning writer and award-winning journalist Teresa Strasser and well-known television host JD Roberto. Lending the “he said/she said” perspective to the women’s search, Strasser and Roberto will guide each lady throughout a series of events that ultimately leaves them learning more about love than any of them thought possible. Series premieres MONDAY, JUNE 12 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET).
“Master of Champions” – Each week six competitors face off with some of the world’s most unique talents in this one-hour variety competition to determine who is the best of the best. The best judges in the business will pare the contestants down to three, who will then stand before a live studio audience for the final selection... as the next “Master Champion!” Contestants will be competing in such unique and extreme challenges as Interpretive Pizza Tossing, Extreme Unicycle Obstacle Course and Amazing Drift Driving. In some competitions, two competitors perform the same stunt and the judges decide who is the best. In other contests, two competitors perform different and unique tasks. Judges score them first, and the last three standing face the audience for final judgment. The winner will have earned the title Master Champion and have his/her name permanently inscribed on the Master of Champions Wall of Fame. Series premiere date TBD.
“One Ocean View” – In New York, for young professionals “summer in the city” means summer out of the city, as they flee Manhattan on Friday afternoons and descend on exclusive beach communities. “One Ocean View” is for people old enough to have real jobs, issues and “baggage,” but still young enough to leave all that behind and have a great time. Everyone in the house will have a goal. Some will be there just for the fun and “fling” of it; some, suddenly single again, may be ready for a new love. Others, with “30” fast approaching, will be on the search for Mr. or Mrs. Right. As our weekenders leave the city by train, bus, cab or limo – and ultimately the ferry – to the share house on Friday nights, “One Ocean View” will let viewers participate in everything from first meetings to new relationships, days at the beach and nights filled with romance. Weekends will go by quickly as the days grow shorter and the pressure builds to make this a summer to remember. Series premiere date TBD.
“The One: Making a Music Star” – Based on the international sensation, the series will follow the lives of contestants as they attend a fully functioning music academy that turns aspiring singers into music stars through professional training. The show will follow all the drama in the music academy, as it offers vocal coaching and celebrity mentors who will turn potential into talent in a state-of-the-art training and recording facility. Each week contestants will perform live for the American audience, who will have to vote to keep their favorites in the competition. In addition, the contestants’ coaches will also serve as judges. The winner will receive a recording contract with a major record company. Series premiere date TBD.
(From Marc Berman’s Monday, May 22, 2006, Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com )
Fall 2006 Programming Guide:
Where to Find Your Favorite Series
With 16 established series moving to new time periods, here is an easy (and alphabetical) guide where to find them:
According To Jim (ABC) Wed. 8:30 p.m. ET (midseason)
All of Us (CW) Sun. 7:30 p.m. ET
The Amazing Race (CBS) Sun. 8 p.m. ET
American Dad (Fox) Sun. 8:30 p.m. ET
Cold Case (CBS) Sun. 9 p.m. ET
Dancing With the Stars (ABC) Tues. and Wed. 8 p.m. ET
Everybody Hates Chris (CW) Sun. 7 p.m. ET
Girlfriends (CW) Sun. 8 p.m. ET
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) Thurs. 9 p.m. ET
How I Met Your Mother (CBS) Mon. 8 p.m. ET
Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC) Fri. 10 p.m. ET
My Name Is Earl ( NBC) Thurs. 8 p.m. ET
The Office (NBC) Thurs. 8:30 p.m. ET
One Tree Hill (CW) Wed. 9 p.m. ET
The War at Home (Fox): Sun. 9:30 p.m. ET
Without A Trace (CBS): Sun. 10 p.m. ET
TV Notebook
'24' showdown looms
By Scott D. Pierce Salt Lake City Deseret Morning News May 22, 2006
Jack Bauer has faced nuclear bombs and chemical weapons and assassins and terrorists and government conspiracies. But on tonight's fifth-season finale of "24," Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) will face his most formidable foe ever.
The president of the United States of America.
"He's never had a more formidable opponent. . . . It's like Superman and Batman," said executive producer Howard Gordon.
Agent Bauer, of course, isn't going up against just any commander in chief. President Charles Logan (Gregory Itzin) is responsible for multiple murders (including the assassination of former President Palmer), he's violated multiple laws and he's conspired with terrorists.
When first we saw Logan last season, he wasn't a good president but he wasn't a bad man. As vice president-turned-acting president when Air Force One was shot down, he was spineless and indecisive, but Gordon and his team of writers didn't start kicking around the idea of making him a "willful villain" until about Episode 4 or 5 this season.
"I was just getting tired of writing — and I think people were getting tired of watching — this merely weak president," Gordon said. "I know that Greg Itzin, when I brought it up to him for the first time, was very reluctant."
But by about Episode 9 or 10, the writers committed to it. And Logan's treachery was revealed in Episode 16.
Which precipitated one of those big shifts in focus that "24" is famous for, including a shift in Logan's relationship with his rather unstable wife (Jean Smart).
"This relationship between him and his wife has been, creatively, such a terrific story for us to tell that we wanted to take it to another level," Gordon said. "To have him have been hiding behind this persona of weakness — to be this guy with such intent and will — was really an interesting place to go. And once Greg got his head around it, I think he's done some of his best work since that turn."
Gordon, of course, isn't saying how the big showdown between Jack and Logan will turn out, except to say, "It's big. I have to say, it's a pretty epic showdown."
And he and the writers didn't pick a plan and stick with it.
"What you're going to see is not how it was going to end as recently as a month ago," Gordon said.
Which is also something "24" has become famous for.
Gordon is promising the outcome will be "satisfying from an emotional perspective," although he's not promising that viewers won't be "outraged" by it. He did, however, let it slip that Logan won't be allowed to quietly resign and slink off, as was suggested by his secretary of defense (William Devane) earlier this season.
"No, it's more decisive than that. Either he gets away with it scot-free, or he's going to go down," he said.
But don't get comfortable with what you think will happen. You've got to expect the finale will contain a shocking surprise of some sort.
"Hey, this is '24,' " Gordon said. "We wouldn't be doing our job if it didn't."
http://www.desnews.com/dn/print/1,1442,635208915,00.html
The 2006-2007 Season
A serious shift in the fall lineup
By David Bianculli New York Daily News TV Critic May 22, 2006
Next season, viewers can look forward to more drama, less comedy - and can make plans to catch one new show in particular, the one that shone most brightly during last week's 2006-07 schedule announcements.
That's NBC's "30 Rock," a sitcom created by and starring Tina Fey, in which she plays the head writer for a "Saturday Night Live"-type TV show. The excerpts shown were funnier than any other comedy clips, and more enticing than any of the other 28 new shows summarized during the presentations.
It's always tricky to make sweeping predictions based exploding in prime time. With WB and UPN leaving the scene and CW joining it, there are now five networks, not six, which means 10 fewer hours of network programming each week. Even so, drama programming is increasing this fall, to 48 hours. Last season, with networks, there on brief first impressions. Two years ago, for example, ABC's "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" didn't generate buzz until complete episodes were provided for preview.
Last year, though, NBC's "My Name Is Earl" and UPN's "Everybody Hates Chris" caught on instantly at the upfronts - and I expect "30 Rock" to ride just as strong a wave.
It's bucking the odds for a comedy to deserve the most attention, because the networks continue to favor the one-hour drama, with particular emphasis on serialized stories and unusual concepts.
One new series, "Jericho" on CBS, imagines what would happen if a small town in Kansas were isolated after a nuclear blast.
Dramas, themselves, are were 47 hours; the year before that, 42.
Compare that with comedy, which is in a state of free fall. Last year, there were 40 comedies on the fall schedules. This year, there are 26 - and four of those are from the hard-to-categorize one-hour comedy genre: "Desperate Housewives," "Boston Legal," and the new "Betty the Ugly" from ABC and NBC's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip."
That's not the only genre taking a hit this fall. The number of movie slots has fallen from three to zero. When CBS President Leslie Moonves described TV movies as "the semi-dead art form," he was being kind.
Newsmagazines are down, too, on the regular schedule. Two years ago, there were seven newsmags in prime time. Last year there were six, and this year, with ABC's "Primetime" being benched to be thrown in as a series of specials, there are four.
Game shows and sports have rebounded. Thanks to NBC's double dose of "Deal or No Deal," there are two game shows per week in prime time - this in a genre that's been unaccounted for since ABC oversaturated the screen with "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
And even with the loss of ABC's "Monday Night Football," sports is going from two prime-time slots last year (counting "WWE Smackdown!" as sports, which is being generous) to four for the fall of 2006. NBC's addition of pro football on Sundays, and ABC's college football on Saturdays, change the weekend landscape considerably.
And finally, there's reality TV. This is the genre that, not too long ago, threatened to strangle prime time like a killer weed. In 2003, there were only six reality series in prime time. One year later, there were 21. For the fall, the number is 16.
Not one of the 29 new series for fall, though, is from the reality genre. We'll be seeing some new reality shows before the season begins, and there are several in development for midseason, but the absence of new ones on the fall 2006 lineup is cause for celebration.
Sometimes, what makes a fall season worth anticipating is what isn't coming.
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/col/dbianculli/
from the Houston Chronicle May 21, 2006, 9:47 PM
TELEVISION
New network CW decides show deserves another year on the air
By RICK PORTER
Zap2it.com
It's not entirely clear when executives at the CW decided that 7th Heaven deserved another year on the air.
The best that anyone could pin down Thursday at the new network's fall-schedule unveiling was that sometime between the flurry of promotion for the long-running show's alleged "series finale" and Thursday's show, the network decided it would be a good idea.
"We talked about it initially, and it sort of fell apart, then we talked again," says Dawn Ostroff, the CW's head of programming. And, after considering the show's ratings, its cost and the rest of the CW's schedule, the show was reborn.
The series about a minister (Stephen Collins) and his large family was the most-watched show on either the WB or UPN this season, even before the loudly hyped last episode brought in 7 million viewers. Before that it was drawing about 5.2 million viewers a week.
The economics of making 7th Heaven — a prime reason WB executives gave for its pending cancellation in January, before the CW was announced — will also change some under the new network.
CBS Paramount Network TV produces the show, and CBS is a half-owner of the network, which Ostroff says helped ease the way to a deal. (She also says most of the cast will be back next season, as will series creator Brenda Hampton.)
"I can't go into all the finances, but because it was our own company, we were able to figure out how we can make deals that make sense for everybody," Ostroff says.
Finally, Ostroff wants to give Runaway, the CW's lone new drama for fall, a strong lead-in. The show follows a family that goes on the lam when the father (Donnie Wahlberg) is wrongly accused of a crime.
"We looked at Runaway, which is at its core a family drama, and thought (7th Heaven) would be a great fit," Ostroff says. "So everything just kind of came together."
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/tv/3878407.html
I hope this article has not already been posted. I did see similar articles when I searched for it.
from the Houston Chronicle
May 22, 2006, 5:56 AM CT
As interest in competive reality TV shows rises, so does the traffic to online gambling sites
By MIKE McDANIEL
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
Are you a member of the Soul Patrol or have you caught the McPheever?
An audience in excess of 30 million is expected to cast more than 50 million votes Tuesday night for American Idol hopefuls Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee. A winner will be revealed Wednesday.
Meanwhile, an untold number of viewers will watch for more selfish reasons. They hope to fatten their wallets.
Climbing interest in online betting is making reality-show winners out of ordinary viewers while augmenting the coffers of Web-based betting houses.
Every week, such Web sites as sportsbook.com, pinnaclesports.com, bodog.com and betus.com post odds on the competitors on such shows as Idol, The Amazing Race and Survivor. And Americans are placing their bets in record numbers.
The action ``is not huge, compared to our major sports,'' but has gone ``from nothing to interesting levels,'' says Alex Czajkowski, marketing director for the Americas region of sportsbook.com. Sportsbook is a subsidiary of sportingbet, the world's largest online gaming company, with headquarters in London.
``The average bet size is half the average that I see in sporting areas - $15 to $20 versus $50 to $60,'' he said.
He put volume on a level with such ``smaller'' sports as boxing or golf.
``The big volume (in gambling) is college and pro football, college and pro basketball and pro baseball. Of the smaller sports - NASCAR, NHL, soccer, boxing and golf - reality TV is a viable contender.''
``People like to bet on things they have opinions about, things they think they have some insight to,'' he said. ``Even if their knowledge about it isn't complete, they have an emotional attachment.''
Though he couldn't be specific about take-in, Matthew Ross, spokesman for betus.com, said traffic in reality TV has increased by 40 percent since January. Not coincidentally, new editions of Idol, Race and Survivor revved up then.
``Survivor is what started this whole phenomenon,'' Ross said.
Today, in terms of wagers, Idol gets the most betting action. On betus.com, Idol is followed by Survivor, Race, The Apprentice and Big Brother.
Sportsbook.com is more discriminating.
``We're fairly particular about the shows we list,'' said Czajkowski. ``We only want the major ones. We don't do Big Brother or Rock Star.''
A bit of whimsy is involved in determining the odds and who sets them.
``Our oddsmakers have a very complicated mathematical formula that consists of asking their wives, their mothers and their girlfriends,'' said Czajokowski. ``It is, honestly, about that complicated. There is some math involved, but it's very subjective.''
Betus.com has a team that ``scours information and news sources out there and tries to decipher who's being talked about. It isn't an exact science.''
Several online sites were forced to rejigger their propositions two weeks ago when rocker Chris Daughtry was eliminated from American Idol competition. Pinnaclesports.com, for one, had predicted a win by the North Carolina native and said he had become the odds-on favorite among bettors. Sportsbook.com also had Daughtry as an early favorite.
New odds at pinnaclesports.com, sportsbook.com and betmaker.com now put Birmingham, Ala., native Hicks, 29, as the slight favorite over McPhee, a 22-year-old from Los Angeles.
Even with the Daughtry setback, online gambling companies say they have yet to take a bath in reality-TV propositions.
But there are known incidents in which companies were burned. Sportsbook.com suspended betting when a flurry of $500 bets were placed in March 2005 on Amazing Race couple Joyce and Uchenna Agu of Houston. The site took another hit last winter when suspicious betting occurred on The Amazing Race family edition.
In both instances, sportsbook.com honored the wagers and shut down betting.
``Nobody gave us a whole lot of heat about it,'' said Joyce Agu, ``because most of the betting was out of Boston and California, and we were in Texas. I think people knew we had nothing to do with it.''
Betting sites are vulnerable to shakedowns when shows like The Amazing Race are taped in advance. Contestants and crew are subject to multimillion-dollar fines and/or job termination for spilling the results, but with large production crews involved, leaks happen.
``A hundred people know the answer,'' said Uchenna Agu. ``How do you keep 100 people quiet?''
No reports of suspicious betting have emerged this season. That may have something to do with producers cracking down on employees. Producers know that when a betting house shuts down betting, the accompanying press release potentially ruins the outcome for viewers. After all, the Agus did indeed win last spring's Race.
That's less true of shows like Survivor and The Apprentice; most of the eliminated contestants are known in advance, but the ultimate victor is selected on a live show.
On Idol, of course, the eliminated contestant is announced live each week.
As the last reality show of the season reaches its conclusion, oddsmakers are betting viewer interest - and betting - will peak.
``You definitely see an increase in activity as you come to the end (of a contest),'' said Czajkowski. ``The dollar value doesn't necessarily increase - it's five, 10, 20 bucks - but the number of bets increases.''
Online wagering on reality TV is likely to grow as long as the shows stay popular. Since no one predicted that American Idol would be more popular in its fifth season than in any previous edition, prospects are anyone's guess.
Whatever happens, online betting houses will follow along.
``We're definitely going to stay around,'' said Czajkowski. ``It's fun. Our customers like it. It brings new customers to us. And our guys (the ones setting the odds) like it because they watch the stuff.''
``People talk about these things at the office anyway,'' said Ross of betus.com. ``Might as well have them bet on it.''
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/tv/3878406.html
Upfront Notebook
Take a Look at Network Fall Shows
By Ellen Gray Philadelphia Daily News May 22, 2006
NEW YORK - What do Mariah Carey, the Black Eyed Peas, NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, the cast of Broadway's "Jersey Boys" and the Rutgers marching band have in common?
All were among the entertainment here last week as ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and the new CW and My Network TV wooed advertisers in the annual weeklong extravaganza known as "the upfronts."
For Madison Avenue, whose executives swarmed in and out of such cavernous venues as Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden for a couple of hours of high-powered sales pitches, then climbed onto shuttle buses taking them to parties where they could eat, drink and get their pictures taken with anyone from Julia Louis-Dreyfus to the cast of an ensemble sitcom full of actors they've never heard of, this was more than a break from office routine.
Broadcast television runs on advertising dollars, and May is the month the networks try to get ad buyers to show them the money up front, as they place bets on which shows will yield the biggest bang - or most demographically desirable eyeballs - for their bucks.
Which is why, after the Black Eyed Peas had left the stage of the Theater at Madison Square Garden Thursday, it was up to CW entertainment president Dawn Ostroff to convince buyers that her new network - a merger of UPN and the WB - was prepared to go after its 18- to 34-year-old target audience on every platform possible, from their TV screens to their cell phones.
Not that she was alone: Talk about "digital extensions" of a network's "brand" seemed to increase in inverse proportion to that network's position in the Nielsen ratings, or as CBS Corp. CEO Les Moonves put it: "Wireless is useless if you're hitless."
Watching some five-minute clips with advertisers isn't enough to say what the 2006-07 TV season will look like, but it's plenty to make some early predictions:
• Network TV, having apparently exhausted all the acronyms, will beef up its numbers (or as they call them on CBS, "Numb3rs").
Joining shows like CBS' "60 Minutes" and "Two and a Half Men" and Fox's "24" and "Nanny 911" will be ABC's "Six Degrees" and "The Nine" and NBC's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," "30 Rock" and "20 Good Years."
Meanwhile, "7th Heaven," thought to be so definitively canceled that it aired a series finale, was unexpectedly brought back to life by the new CW (though in truth, its resurrection was more likely due to its Nielsen numbers than the one in the title).
And really, how else to explain the renewal of "One Tree Hill"?
• There will be more shows about what goes on behind the scenes at "Saturday Night Live." If it were happening anywhere but NBC, we'd declare this a trend, but as it is, the scheduling of both "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" and "30 Rock" merely looks like an example of network executive indecision. Here's how to tell them apart: Aaron Sorkin's "Studio 60" will run for 60 minutes and Tina Fey's "30 Rock" for 30.
• Thanks in part to "reality" TV, which has accustomed audiences to new episodes every week, networks will air fewer reruns, at least on their more highly serialized shows.
"We're really listening to the fans," ABC entertainment president Steve McPherson told reporters last week. "They absolutely just get furious when ["Lost" is] in repeats."
And so next season, in an effort to avoid reruns, "Lost" will have its season broken into two pieces, with a new Taye Diggs thriller, "Day Break," occupying the months between.
That's also happening to Fox's "Prison Break" and to NBC's "ER," which will give over its time slot at midseason for 13 episodes of "The Black Donnellys" before returning in the spring.
• "Closed-end" shows like NBC's "Law & Order" and CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" will continue to air repeats, and many millions of people will continue to watch them without complaint.
• Drama - or at least hourlong shows, some of which may, like "Desperate Housewives," have comedic touches - is going to be big.
"This is the golden age of drama on every network, and on cable," declared CBS' Moonves, who added three new dramas and just one new comedy, "The Class," to his fall lineup.
It's certainly a golden time for drama producers, who landed 15 new hours on the fall schedules of ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and the CW.
• Traditional comedy, while not dead, will take a rest.
"The audience right now is not particularly patient with comedies," NBC entertainment president Kevin Reilly said last week when asked about the decision to break up the network's traditional, four-sitcom block on Thursdays this fall. "I think the competitors would look at four comedies [there] and say, 'Let's go get them.' "
In all, the five networks scheduled 11 new comedies - or 5 ½ hours - for the fall.
• Aliens will leave the planet. But the cancellation of this season's alien-invasion shows - ABC's "Invasion," CBS' "Threshold" and NBC's "Surface" - doesn't mean the spooky vibe of "Lost" isn't still in demand.
Among the shows with supernatural, or at least unexplained, elements are NBC's "Heroes," in which regular people discover they have superpowers; CBS' "Jericho," about the people in a Kansas town who, after an apparent nuclear detonation, find themselves cut off from the outside world; ABC's "Day Break," in which the main character, accused of murder, finds himself reliving the same day over and over; and ABC's "Six Degrees," about six New Yorkers drawn together by "a mysterious web of coincidences."
• Conspiracy theorists will have plenty to chew on, as "24" and "Prison Break" are joined by Fox's "Vanished," which deals with the mysterious disappearance of a Georgia senator's wife who may not be the person everyone thought she was.
In fact, CBS' "Without a Trace" may have had as much of an influence on the fall season as "Lost." Besides "Vanished," there's NBC's "Kidnapped," which deals with the abduction of a wealthy teen; the CW's "Runaway," about a man falsely accused of murder who goes on the lam with his entire family; and ABC's "Traveler," about two guys whose close friend goes missing after a museum explosion in which they become suspects.
• TV will discover that not everyone under 35 is single.
Not only will people continue swapping wives on ABC, but on the network's new sitcom "Big Day," every episode will focus on some aspect of the wedding day of Danny (Josh Cooke) and Alice (Marla Sokoloff).
Meanwhile, another young couple is expecting on ABC's "Notes from the Underbelly," Brad Garrett's giving advice to a newlywed on Fox's "'Til Death" and starting in January, Bruno Campos will play a wedding photographer in Fox's "The Wedding Album."
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//14637864.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
TV Notebook
Wrapping up another season
By Charlie McCollum San Jose Mercury News Mon, May. 22, 2006
Seems like just yesterday that the television season started, but here we are: three days left before the networks go to repeats and bad reality shows while ceding the summer months to cable.
As it is, most shows have already closed up shop -- permanently or for the warm-weather break -- and things come down this week to a handful of high-profile season and series finales:
• If anyone had suggested earlier this year that, after five years, ``24'' (8 ET/PT tonight, Fox) would have its best season, I would have pitied the fool. Shows how much I know.
Instead of slip-sliding away, the series has had 24 compelling episodes, more consistent, more thrilling and better acted -- by Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Gregory Itzin, Jean Smart and Kim Raver, among others -- than any that had come before. Sure, the show continues to flirt with logic only in passing, but who had time to notice this year?
After last week's Hour 22 -- tonight's finale is two hours -- it's hard to say where the battle of wits between Jack Bauer and President Charles Logan and his cohorts will end. For one thing, it's amazing how many twists the writers can pack into a single hour, let alone two. Then there's the show's willingness to kill off anyone (except Jack) at any time.
There are two interesting rumors about next season that have some bearing on what happens tonight. One is that the finale's ending scenes are actually a setup for next season's improbable mission. (The producers say they already have the Season 6 story line sketched out.) The other: that Itzin, the actor who plays the venal Logan, has signed to return next season.
That suggests that, despite Jack Bauer's best efforts, justice may not be done tonight.
• It's rather sad that, after five years, ``Alias'' will exit the scene tonight (9 ET/PT, ABC) by going up against the last hour of ``24'' and the season finale of ``CSI: Miami.'' That all but assures a real-time audience that will be a fraction of what it might have been.
On the other hand, it really is time for ``Alias'' to depart. As much cartoonish good fun as it could still be, it has for at least two seasons been way too complicated and mythology-laden for its own good.
• There have been so many bullets flying around TV world the past couple of weeks that it might be hard to work up much enthusiasm for Tuesday's finale of ``House'' (9 ET/PT Fox. This time, it's Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) who gets nailed by a couple of bullets fired by a disgruntled patient. (Disgruntled patient? The good-natured House? No way.) Can we now declare an official moratorium on season finales built around one or more lead characters getting shot?
• What can you feel at this point about ``American Idol'' (8 ET/PT Tuesday and Wednesday, Fox) beyond shock and awe? By all rights, the show ought to be sliding into that comfortable but no longer top-of-the-pops world occupied by ``Survivor'' and other series in their fifth season. Instead, millions of Americans are going to be glued to their tube to see whether it's Taylor Hicks, the over-amped soul dude, or Katharine McPhee, the sometimes shaky pop belter, who takes home the big prize.
As usual, the show has been bloated to two hours on Wednesday. (The finale, which should be a series' best episode of the season, has traditionally been this show's absolute worst.) So if you need to go out, get a pizza, talk with friends, watch an hour or so of ``Lost'' or whatever, have no fear. You won't miss much until the very end.
• There's one thing you can say for certain about the two-hour finale of ``Lost'' (9 ET/PT Wednesday, A BC): Chances are very, very good its crafty writers will answer a few of your questions -- why did the plane crash? does push