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I felt the right decision creatively was to stop now and move forward with the new project.
How can Milch says this when he has always said that he envisioned a 4 season arc for Deadwood, especially when season 3 is already in the can?
I would guess, cynic that I am, he is getting more $$$ for the new project from HBO.
Or perhaps, less cynically, he got tired of the pressure of trying to top himself with "Deadwood".
I would guess, cynic that I am, he is getting more $$$ for the new project from HBO.
Or perhaps, less cynically, he got tired of the pressure of trying to top himself with "Deadwood".
Yeah, I was going to mention money but that would totally trashed what good will I still may have had for the man.
I doubt someone with Milch's ego would ever think that he couldn't top himself.
CPanther95
06-02-06, 10:03 PM
Perhaps it was the right decision creatively because he knew all his actors were gone. ;)
dturturro
06-03-06, 02:03 AM
The problem is that even if your news is delivered "raw" you often have no idea who has spiced it this way or that.
One man's objectivity is the next woman's bias.
Well, at least the internet gives you a wide diversity of bias! :rolleyes:
TV Notebook
'Good Morning America' Producer Sherwood to Leave Show
By Bill Carter The New York Times June 3, 2006
More change is coming to ABC's "Good Morning America." The program's executive producer, Ben Sherwood, will depart in October.
The announcement of the move comes in the same week that the co-anchor of "Good Morning America," Charlie Gibson, began his new job anchoring ABC's "World News Tonight." Mr. Gibson will remain on "Good Morning America" until the end of this month.
Mr. Sherwood, who has run "Good Morning America" since April 2004, said in an e-mail message to the program's staff that he had made the decision to step down for family reasons. He said he would move back to Los Angeles, where his wife, Karen Kehela Sherwood, is the co-chairwoman of Imagine Films.
An ABC News spokesman, Jeffrey Schneider, said the timing of the announcement — at the close of business on Friday — had nothing to do with an overall shake-up at the morning program. "Ben has pressing family issues in Los Angeles," he said.
Reached by telephone at his office, Mr. Sherwood said he had no comment beyond his e-mail message.
The news was first posted on the Web site of The New York Observer, forcing ABC to make the announcement earlier than it had intended, Mr. Schneider said, and before the network had a successor in place.
"We would have been happy for Ben to remain at ABC," Mr. Schneider said, adding that ABC's parent, the Walt Disney Company, would explore potential new positions for Mr. Sherwood in Los Angeles.
An ABC News executive who knows the terms of Mr. Sherwood's contract said the producer had "left a lot of money on the table." The executive, who would not speak for attribution because company policy forbids discussion of employee salaries, did not cite the figure but said it was in the "high seven figures."
Before joining "Good Morning America," Mr. Sherwood had written two novels, "The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud" and "The Man Who Ate the 747." In his message to the staff, he noted that "the morning TV battle enters a whole new era in September."
At that time, Meredith Vieira will join NBC's "Today." ABC hopes to have a replacement for Mr. Gibson by then.
The future of Diane Sawyer, the other "Good Morning America" anchor, has been the subject of speculation, which has included questions about her working relationship with Mr. Sherwood.
Mr. Schneider said Ms. Sawyer had committed to stay on the program through the early part of 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/03/arts/television/03gma.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
TV Notebook
Yes. ''JAG'' Is Coming to DVD
By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog
It's only taken a decade, and countless requests from fans, but ''JAG'' will finally appear on DVD on July 25. Paramount is releasing the ''Complete First Season'' set of episodes, apparently from the show's NBC run, in a six-disc set retailing for about $65. Expected extras include three featurettes: ''How the Series Took Flight,'' ''JAG: An Inside Look'' and ''The Military Accuracy.'' There's also a commentary from series co-creator Donald P. Bellisario on the show's pilot episode. That should be pretty good; I enjoyed Bellisario's commentary on the pilot of the ''NCIS'' first-season set, which hits stores on Tuesday.
I'm also encouraged by the release of ''JAG'' on DVD because it indicates that marketers are finally accepting the idea that people over 40 also buy DVDs. The accepted explanation for ''JAG's'' slow journey to DVD has been that it had an older audience, and Paramount thought they wouldn't buy it.
But we're beginning to see the arrival of shows remembered fondly by people who can't count their gray hairs on just their fingers. I'm thinking of something like ''Cheyenne,'' which premiered in 1955, or even ''The Wild, Wild West,'' in a new 40th-anniversary set of first-season episodes. And both shows are in black-and-white (although ''West'' star Robert Conrad complains about it in a DVD commentary), supposedly anathema to the younger crowd.
I'm all for the DVDs of ''Deadwood,'' ''The Sopranos,'' ''Medium'' and other relatively recent fare. But let's not forget folks who cherished older shows, even ones that might not be called classic, but which filled a portion of viewing time. And if ''JAG'' sells, we'll also be reminded that it's not just young people who will open their wallets for entertainment.
http://blogs.ohio.com/beacon_tv/
Perhaps it was the right decision creatively because he knew all his actors were gone. ;)
Of course, the chicken and the egg argument. :D
Well, at least the internet gives you a wide diversity of bias! :rolleyes:
yup, pick your poison and label it the elixir of truth!
Somehow I missed this from Lisa yesterday. But it is still a good read.
TV Notebook
Critics Have Spoken:
'Earl' and 'Office' Are In, 'Housewives' Are Out
By Lisa de Moraes The Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, June 2, 2006; C07
Television critics have jilted their former sweetie "Desperate Housewives," which last year they crowned the best television series.
"DH" received nary a nomination for the 22nd Annual Television Critics Association Awards.
Critics showered fourth-place NBC with 10 nominations -- the most of any network -- six of which are split between the comedies "My Name Is Earl" and "The Office."
They totally nicked CBS, the country's most watched network -- are you sensing the critic-viewer disconnect? -- with two nominations, and those for aged "Hallmark Hall of Fame" and "60 Minutes."
Former critics' darling HBO had to settle for just four nominations this time around. That's the It's Not TV network's puniest haul in a while. Most of those noms went to "The Sopranos," though "Big Love" is in the running for new program of the year.
Though critics write volumes about the end of comedy on television, they seem to be pretty optimistic about the genre: Three of the five nominees for best new program are comedies -- or five, if, like some of my friends, you think "Big Love" and Fox's "Prison Break" are hilarious.
The other nominees in that derby are Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," UPN's "Everybody Hates Chris" and NBC's aforementioned "Earl."
The mostly male TCA membership did not show much love to women this year. Only two actresses received nominations: Lauren Graham of "Gilmore Girls" for best comedy performance and Kyra Sedgwick of TNT's "The Closer" for best drama performance.
Graham hasn't a prayer against Steve Carell of "The Office," Stephen Colbert of "The Colbert Report," Jason Lee of "Earl" and Jon Stewart of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" -- partly because Graham isn't in a comedy, of which TCA was once aware, back at the turn of the century, when they nominated her series in the best-drama derby.
But last year "Gilmore Girls" was nominated for best comedy series and this year there's Graham's nom for comedic performance. Either this show's gotten funnier or the critics' sense of humor has gotten darker.
Sedgwick hasn't a much better chance against Alan Alda of NBC's "The West Wing," James Gandolfini of "The Sopranos," Hugh Laurie of Fox's "House" and Kiefer Sutherland of Fox's "24."
Replacing "Desperate Housewives" as best program of the year will be ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" or "Lost," "The Office," "The Sopranos" or "24."
All but "The Office" are also up for best drama series, because the TCA believes that any show worth nominating once is worth nominating twice. And the only reason "The Office" isn't joining them is because even the TV critics couldn't bring themselves to call that show a drama.
So "The Office" is also nominated for year's best comedy series, along with "The Daily Show," "Everybody Hates Chris," "Earl" and NBC's "Scrubs."
PBS bagged seven nominations, after mopping up in the news and information category with nominations for "American Masters: Newhart," "Broadway: The Golden Age," "Frontline" and a separate nomination for "Frontline: Country Boys."
No, I cannot explain it.
Also in that race is "60 Minutes."
"High School Musical," that Disney Channel phenomenon you're tired of hearing about, is up for best children's program, as are Nickelodeon's "Dora the Explorer" and "Nick News," Cartoon Network's "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends" and PBS's "Sesame Street."
And, finally, TCA's Heritage Award will be given to "Hallmark Hall of Fame," "The West Wing" or "Will & Grace."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/01/AR2006060101961_pf.html
Critic’s Notebook
Wanted: More Violence
`Sopranos' Ends A Season Marked By Less Whacking - To The Chagrin Of Some
By Roger Catlin Hartford Courant TV Critic June 3 2006
Fans of "The Sopranos" have emanated a general sense of malaise about the course of this year's season.
Not enough whacking, they'd carp. Too much hemming and hawing.
These are the same kind of complaints, in other words, that Tony Soprano has had to endure as boss of the New Jersey crime family in the 2006 season, which ends Sunday.
Show 'em who's boss, his underlings have said. Whack the guy who doesn't deserve to live. Don't appear to be weak.
If "The Godfather" is Tony's favorite movie, as his wastrel son A.J. claims it is, how could he let that old man get away with shooting him? How could he let Vito walk around and breathe if he'd been exposed as a "finook"? If he fainted in the metal detector on the way to a mob wedding, he at least beat up an underling in front of the guys to show he's still got it. Don't come off like Johnny Sack, crying at having to be returned to jail before the rice gets thrown at his daughter's wedding.
Appearances and action are the underlying themes of the 12 episodes that have been leading up to the eight that will wrap up the series in 2007. And if there hasn't been enough action to satisfy viewers conditioned to death and resolution through conventional TV shows, let's just say that it only appears there's nothing going on.
Actually David Chase and his talented writers have been crafting a saga that moves his characters forward while commenting on modern society in a way that other series wouldn't bother to do.
It hasn't been hinted what exactly will happen in the Sunday finale (something to do with Carmela and business; a workplace issue for A.J.; another headache courtesy Phil Leotardo). But unless something huge happens, it may actually end up that the season was structured backward - with the shooting of Tony occurring in the first episode of the season instead of the last, just to double the shock factor.
That also meant that instead of assuming his convalescence took place during the break between seasons, we had to sit through a few episodes of Tony touch and go in the hospital. That didn't mean nothing was happening in the narrative - it only had that appearance.
Tony's comatose brain was busy constructing a whole alternate life for him as a stranded salesman in California, mixed up in a Buddhist lawsuit through a case of mistaken identity and a lost wallet. Behind the scenes, his captains were scheming who would take over if, god forbid, T took a turn for the worse.
And when he was shaken out of the coma, finally, Tony was changed a bit. He appreciated his life more. Each day was a gift, he kept saying. Headaches with Phil Leotardo, agent of Johnny Sack, were more quickly solved - life's too short. After the ugly scenes of divorce last season, the reconciliation with Carmela seemed to really take; he didn't even sleep with other women when he had a chance to do so (at least at first).
He might even be persuaded to adopt a "don't ask, don't tell" policy with Vito for business reasons - "he's a good earner" - if not humanitarian. But however enlightened Tony may now be, he couldn't allow a homosexual in his crew without looking weak to the other mobsters.
So after the season's most unexpected side trip - to New Hampshire, where Vito began a new life, pretending to be a boxing writer and getting involved with a local firefighter - the wayward captain got a fatal beating in a Fort Lee, N.J., motel room.
That it was Phil's people who got to him before Tony's people did may be another reason for tension between New York and New Jersey; when an oaf from Phil's crew came over to joke about Vito posthumously, he got whacked as brutally as Vito did (upping the action ante for death-starved viewers, if nothing else).
But "The Sopranos" has always been more than tit-for-tat mob killing and retribution. The pleasures of this season have included cutting commentary on health insurance costs and coverage, old Hollywood (with no less than Lauren Bacall getting mugged), urban renewal and the invasion of old neighborhoods by national franchise retailers.
Echoes of last season's most memorable moment - the killing of Adrianna La Serva, popped up here and there, in dreams and nightmares of Tony and Carmella. Ade's mother is still pretty mad about the whole thing too, indicating the investigation into her disappearance isn't entirely over.
But family continues to be chief concern in the saga. Poor, sentimental Paulie was shaken to the core (and apparently got cancer) after learning the woman who raised him was his aunt, not his mother. Tony, who spent most of the past seasons obsessing about his relationship with his heartless mother, started talking to Dr. Melfi about his sister and son for a change. And yes, the shooting of Tony by Uncle Junior remains a bit unresolved, despite A.J.'s pathetic attempts at retribution.
There are big things still to happen on "The Sopranos."
http://www.ctnow.com/tv/hce-sopranosfinale.artjun03,0,870748,print.story?coll=hce-headlines-tv-top
TV Notebook
Dozier Could Return To The U.S. Sunday
(Mediabistro.com)
CBS News has released the following update:
"After undergoing additional surgery for her injuries on Friday, Kimberly Dozier remains in critical but stable condition, and continues to rest at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center today (June 3).
For the first time she was able to eat a small amount of solid food. The medical staff is preparing her for a return to the United States, which could be as early as Sunday."
http://mediabistro.com/tvnewser/
TV Notebook
Fox will relive long day
By Scott D. Pierce Salt Lake City Deseret Morning News
Jack Bauer is going where he's never gone before — summer reruns.
For the first time, Fox will rerun a season of "24" during the summer. Meaning Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) is going to be reliving that very long day filled with terrorists, assassinations, nerve gas, missiles, murder, mayhem and an evil president of the United States.
Beginning June 16, Fox will air back-to-back episodes of the show at 7 and 8 p.m. That will continue for 12 consecutive weeks, carrying through all 24 episodes and all 24 hours of the serialized show.
It's that serialization that has kept Fox from repeating any of the previous four seasons of "24." Dating back to the days of "Dallas" and "Dynasty," serialized shows haven't repeated well.
But we do live in somewhat of a different TV world than we did back in the '80s. DVDs of "24" seasons have sold quite well in recent years.
If you missed this season, you won't have to wait for the DVD release to catch up. And the just-completed Season 5 was the most successful "24" to date — ratings were up 14 percent over Season 4, which was the show's highest-rated until now.
And that's rather remarkable all by itself. Most shows don't do their best ratings in their fifth season. Even big hits generally begin to decline at that point.
EVERY SEASON OF "24" ends with the same question — how can they possibly top this? And every season the show's writers and producers manage to do just that.
Not that they don't worry about it themselves. "I honestly thought we'd run out of steam at the end of Season 4," executive producer Howard Gordon told TV critics just as Season 5 was coming to an end. "This time last year, I was in a bit of a panic over where we'd go."
But only a bit of a panic. "I think we have developed faith in the process and in ourselves and in this particular show to keep on giving," he said. "There always seems to be more material."
And he pretty much promised a great Season 6. "What we've talked about for next year, I've got to tell you, as a writer is very exciting," Gordon said.
So . . . how will Jack get away from the Chinese?
We'll have to wait until Season 6 begins in January to find out.
http://www.desnews.com/dn/print/1,1442,635212150,00.html
Friday’s network prime-time ratings are now at the top of RATINGS NEWS (the first post in this thread).
Critic’s Notebook
Can Tony Soprano ever just fly away?
By Peter Ames Carlin The (Portland) Oregonian Saturday, June 03, 2006
Look for the beacon.
Six seasons into "The Sopranos," HBO's darkly comic exploration of the mind of a murderous, larcenous and yet morally conflicted mobster, the only hope for redemption comes down to the light in the sky.
First seen in the dream playing through Tony Soprano's mind as he lingered near death at the start of this season, the light called the conflicted mobster to a horizon he could sense, but not quite see.
Tony (James Gandolfini) eventually recovered from his wounds. Following the light of his conscience proved more difficult. But he wasn't the only Soprano seeing lights in the sky.
The beacon returned during Carmela's (Edie Falco) visit to Paris a few episodes later. Only this time it was real, shining from the tip of the Eiffel Tower. Though she didn't say a word, Tony's wife -- who has come to acknowledge her complicity in her husband's crimes -- clearly sensed the change in the air.
Whether either of them has the courage to change their lives remains to be seen. But their progress through this spring's episodes of "The Sopranos" (a 12-episode arc that concludes with eight more episodes in the winter of 2007) underscores that the show's real subject is, and has always been, human psychology: the creation of identity; the struggle between delusion and reality; and the immutability of primal experiences.
Or, to be more succinct: It's a show about some severely messed-up people. They struggle to control their failings, and even show occasional glimmer of progress. But, as Tony has shown again and again, they remain too wrapped up in their own illusions to contemplate serious change.
This year's episodes have been particularly rich in psychoanalytical symbolism. The coma dream that took up much of the first episodes (brought on by Tony's near-fatal shooting at the hands of his delusional father figure, Uncle Junior) was a tapestry of confusion and conflict: Trapped in a distant city with another man's wallet, Tony (who imagines himself a fiber-optics salesman) is forced to assume the identity of a man named Kevin Finnerty, a name which evokes an intriguing word: infinity.
This is just the start of Tony's brush with infinitude. Finnerty, as it turns out, is being pursued by angry Buddhist monks (!), who don't seem to care that Tony isn't actually him. A trip to the doctor ends with a diagnosis of early-stage Alzheimer's disease -- another entree to infinity. Tony tries to make peace with the Buddhists ("I'm kinda worried about what I might have done," he frets), but as the real Tony slides into cardiac arrest, his dream self ends up in a dark forest, standing outside a brightly lit house he knows is filled with long-dead relatives. He's on the verge of going inside -- surrendering to the past -- but the voices of his children, coming from somewhere beyond the trees, call him back to life.
Back in the real world, Tony's recovery is filled with more signs of his existential quandary. One fellow patient, a chatty physicist with terminal cancer, muses on the fungible nature of being and nothingness. Evangelical Christians offer to pray for his soul. And when Carmela shows up with a book, it's about the prehistoric world. "You've always loved dinosaurs!" she says, cheerily.
Actually, his fealty to old-world mafia customs has made him into a dinosaur. And unless Tony can find a way to adapt -- like the birds outside his window, long since evolved from the dinosaurs they once were -- he's headed for the same fate.
Back on the street, Tony works to re-establish his control of his families. But the same confusion seems to grip everyone around him. Jailed New York crime boss John (Johnny Sack) Sacramoni (Vince Curatola) shows unforgivable weakness by weeping at his daughter's wedding, then accepts a humiliating plea bargain from the feds. Devoted son and germaphobe Paulie Walnuts (Tony Sirico) learns that his mother isn't really his mother, then has a brush with prostate cancer.
Perpetually backsliding addict Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli), who sacrificed his informant girlfriend, Adriana, last season, married his new girlfriend, convinced that their child will change his life. "My son will be my rock," he declares, hours before going on another heroin bender.
Tony's wife and kids confronted their own struggles for identity. But while daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) chose to follow her boyfriend to California, Carmela's plan to leverage independence from a spec house collapsed beneath shoddy materials and her own shoddy ethics. Anthony Jr.'s (Robert Iler) attempt to take revenge on Uncle Junior ended in his own symbolic castration.
Meanwhile, Tony wrestled with his own shifting values. He couldn't go through with a fling with a sexy real estate agent, then resisted his gang's desire to kill up-and-coming captain Vito Spatafore (Joseph Gannascoli) when they discovered his homosexuality. "I got a second chance," Tony reasoned. "Why shouldn't he?"
Indeed, Vito provided a near-perfect reflection of Tony's own struggle. Taking it on the lam, the gay mobster ended up in a remote New Hampshire village as gay friendly as it was idyllic. Soon involved with a hunky chef and part-time fireman, Vito tried to pursue his (pretend) career as a building contractor. But honest work, and the ordinary life and relationships it fueled, made Vito miserable. He returned to New Jersey (listening to Frank Sinatra belting "My Way"!) and was soon consumed by the fate he had to know was all but inevitable.
So, as the spring's final episode approaches, presumably setting up the events that will fill the series' final eight hours, Tony finds himself living a real-world variation of his coma dream. He has already slid into some old habits, including a dalliance with a stripper and a grudging approval of Vito's murder. He undermined Carmela's spec house plans with the cool, passive-aggressive efficiency his own mother once wielded against him.
But Tony has already seen the beacons in the air around him. And, like every student of history, he knows full well that the only dinosaurs who survived were the ones who managed to sprout wings and fly away.
An image which takes us back to the first scene in the first episode of first season, when the ducklings that had nested in Tony's pool gathered their strength and soared into the sky. The sight knocked him to his knees.
Six seasons later, he has yet to find his way back to his feet.
http://www.oregonlive.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/living/1149288919147550.xml&coll=7
Critic’s Notebook
Aliens Stole My Bikini!
Hot teens, sweaty beaches, sudden riches, and lots of paranormal high jinks.
That’s right—it’s summertime on TV.
By John Leonard New York Magazine June 5, 2006
As if there were a checklist for recycled summer trash—Sailboats! Sunblock! Teen sex!—Falcon Beach practically parodies its own components. We are plunked down in a New England village where the locals, at least those among them not yet palsied unto gnomic bromide after years of chewing cud, pump gas at the service station or knot rope at the boat shop, while the visitors, emotionally anemic, angelically transparent, rest up in rented lakeside shacks from a long winter of making money. To such staples, add loud music, negligent bikinis, recreational drugs, class animus, and volleyball. (You will have noticed on the sports channels that beach volleyball is the new striptease.) For several seconds in the two-hour pilot, I saw someone in a Che Guevara T-shirt, but he didn’t mean it. Summer trash is no more permitted to be political than to be fat.
Which brings us to the hunks and hotties. Chief among them is the six-plus feet of Jason (Steve Byers), a blond and blue-eyed local boy whose only ambition is to become a professional wake-boarder (which wake-boarding looks to me exactly like waterskiing). Otherwise, as Jason explains to Paige (Jennifer Kydd), “I don’t do plans.” Petulant Paige isn’t pleased to be stuck for the summer in these sticks: “I’m not a tourist, I’m a hostage.” (I’d tell you why her mother needs time away from her father, but they are both adults, so who cares?) Till a night on the lake with Jason, she’d rather be back in corporate America, working toward her M.B.A. Unfortunately, Jason still has issues to resolve with Tanya (Devon Weigel), who used to be his main squeeze until she ran away to Italy to be a supermodel. She’s back now, traumatized yet just as slinky. And she’s hanging out with Paige’s drug-dealing playboy brother, Lane (Morgan Kelly), which means that more than one heart and neck will be broken.
Never mind the second-stringer sidekicks, Danny (Ephraim Ellis) and Erin (Melissa Elias). Yes, they are cute when they sing “I’m leaving on a jet plane.” But their very cuteness distracts us from the summer-trash essentialism of teen angst. On television, your summer teen inside his sunblock is sunk in a sullenness so profound it amounts to a mystique. Most of us don’t feel as bad for fifteen minutes in our entire lives as these kids have apparently felt since Pampers. And if they never grow up to be more interesting than their urine samples, it’s your fault.
Windfall, on the other hand, takes a fairy-tale premise—that good luck can be a curse—and stomps all over it till it looks like television. Young married best friends Luke Perry, Lana Parrilla, Jason Gedrick, and Sarah Wynter, through no virtue or fault of their own and in cahoots with several acquaintances, win a $386 million lottery. “We can do absolutely anything we want to with our lives,” one of them squeals. Since Lana, who is married to Luke, always bets the same number, which is Jason’s birthday, you know they’ll spend the rest of the summer wrecking those lives—except, maybe, for Jaclyn DeSantis as a nurse who immediately helps a patient without health insurance. Windfall is primarily interesting as the latest chapter in network television’s Sisyphean exertions to find something, anything, for Luke Perry and Jason Gedrick to do with themselves.
Anthony Michael Hall is back from his coma for a fifth season, and while I usually enjoy his F/X visions in The Dead Zone, the master narrative is now slower than sap. Last year began with presidential wannabe Greg Stillson (Sean Patrick Flanery) preparing, after the murder of his own father, to marry a gorgeously unhappy Miranda (Laura Harris), who agreed to this loveless bargain to protect our psychic hero from the forces of evil (Martin Donovan). This year starts with that exact same wedding. It’s taken us a long, hectic time to go an inch to nowhere.
But The 4400, the series in which every human ever abducted by aliens (or some such shadowy captors) returns suddenly to Earth with paranormal powers and to quarantine, has always motored on with enough loud plot to suspend or concuss disbelief. In the third-season opener, Peter Coyote impersonates Rasputin, Megalyn Echikunwoke plays an Isabelle who goes to bed a baby and wakes up 20 years old, and the Nova Group delivers on its promise of a terrorist attack with a deed so astonishingly counterintuitive as to suggest—well, I must keep a secret, but it’s hiding behind a grin.
Falcon Beach: ABC Family. Sundays, 8 p.m. Premieres June 4.
Windfall: NBC. Thursdays, 10 p.m. Premieres June 8.
The Dead Zone: USA. Sundays, 10 p.m. Season Premiere June 18.
The 4400: USA. Sundays, 9 p.m. Season Premiere June 11.
http://newyorkmetro.com/arts/tv/reviews/17156/
TV FEATURE
Documentary focuses on race to stars
Film takes a look at development of von Braun, Korolev's crafts
By DAVE SHIFLETT
Bloomberg News
June 2, 2006, 6:29PM
Back in the good old pre-jihad era, the U.S. and Soviet Union competed for hearts, minds and real estate, including territories orbiting the Earth.
The race to space, the subject of a two-night, four-hour National Geographic Channel docudrama (8 p.m. CT Sunday and Monday), brings that competition back into focus, reminding us that tense times can also unleash massive technological achievement.
The first segment of Space Race: The Untold Story opens as World War II is winding down. It quickly sets up a horse race between Wernher von Braun, who developed Germany's V-2 rocket and later made his way to the U.S., and Sergei Korolev, who was released from the Gulag (where he had been sent on a false sabotage charge) to lead the Soviet effort.
The Soviets also wanted von Braun and his rocket-team colleagues, many of whom were invited to a raucous party, incapacitated with vodka and shipped off to the "worker's paradise."
Von Braun escaped that fate but nearly experienced something worse. He and many close associates were held captive by their own government, which planned to execute them lest they fall into Soviet or American hands. The day Hitler shot himself, an execution squad came calling, but von Braun and company escaped and soon surrendered to a U.S. patrol.
Von Braun is portrayed as a square-jawed, likable visionary, whose deepest desire is to send men to the moon and neighboring planets. Yet he is constantly dogged by his Nazi past.
"I never wore the uniform," he insists during one grilling, although critics in the press and political circles never let him, or Germany, forget that slave labor had been used in the V-2 campaign. As a result he was denied the full support needed to keep America competitive with the Soviet Union — at least until communist advances made the past disappear.
Korolev, shown as a puffier and less animated man, faced his own set of challenges, including Soviet management practices that relied heavily on threats. When early rockets failed to launch — or took a U-turn soon after liftoff — the prospect of a return to the Gulag, or perhaps a trip to the hereafter, seemed close at hand.
The show, which moves along quickly, includes numerous fiery crashes and scenes featuring another type of rocket fuel, vodka, which worked its ancient wonders on the future-molding scientists.
We are also privy to an interesting Soviet ritual, shown here with barely ample discretion: scientists urinating on the launch-pad before hitting the ignition switch, presumably to bring good luck to the proceedings.
While von Braun faced hostile reporters and politicos, Korolev's existence remained a state secret, which wasn't altogether bad for progress. He and his crew put together a 183-pound satellite called Sputnik I (the word means "fellow traveler"), which was sent aloft on Oct. 4, 1957.
In a letter to his wife, Korolev said he had "very tender" feelings about the satellite — not surprising considering that it probably saved him from permanent exile in Siberia.
Indeed, Nikita Khrushchev, portrayed as a jolly fat thug, was beside himself with glee. The Americans "have their pants around their ankles," he chuckles during a meeting with his star scientist. Khrushchev wanted to go a step further by sending a dog into space.
The chosen one was a mutt named Laika, launched on Nov. 3, 1957. It was a one-way trip; the doomed animal lived about five hours, although there is the consolation of knowing that the first earthling to circle our planet was a pooch.
With the Soviets sending satellites and dogs into orbit, Washington hit the panic button, especially when von Braun noted that Moscow could soon target the capital with a hydrogen bomb.
Fear and loathing became more intense when, on Dec. 6, a Navy missile called Vanguard TV3 exploded on the launch-pad. "Kaputnik," the headlines sneered.
Von Braun and his Army team suddenly went into high gear.
On Jan. 31, 1958, they successfully launched a 31-pound satellite called Explorer I, which brought America back into the game.
Part 2 follows the sometimes glorious, sometimes tragic race to the moon, where Neil Armstrong took his "giant leap for mankind" on July 20, 1969.
Von Braun lived to see that great moment (he died in 1977), while Korolev died unexpectedly in 1966, though not while trying to escape.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/tv/3923475.html
Does anyone in this thread know why ESPN2HD is on so few cable systems? The World Cup is about to start and our TW system does not carry ESPN2HD nor do very many other systems. I can't seem to find any real reasons, I'm sure it has to do with $$$$ but I would like to know who the bad guys are in this deal. And the other football games are not too far away! ESPNU seems to be the same deal probably the same answer. :rolleyes:
I understand it is on a lot of systems -- though far from a majority.
But I could be wrong.
At any rate, TW and ESPN are playing macho big corporation who-will-blink-first games.
Sadly the World Cup is just not a big enough reason --in this country -- to force TW to its knees.
Now if ESPN2 HD carried Monday Night Football.......
The 2006-2007 Season
NBC Focuses on Football
Sunday game will be a major promo platform
By Jim Benson Broadcasting & Cable 6/5/2006
When NBC hastily reshuffled eight of its 15 weeknight prime time hours shortly after unveiling its fall schedule, the network also changed its promotional strategy.
The new Sunday Night Football franchise will become a major promotional platform for freshman shows Heroes and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which air at 9-11 p.m. ET Mondays. The move also permitted NBC to move Studio 60 out of the path of competing hits Grey’s Anatomy and CSI on Thursdays.
The new emphasis on freshman shows is a shift in strategy. Until now, NBC has made warhorses like the Law & Order shows the backbone of its schedule, using the established series as cornerstones of individual nights.
Despite spawning an annual $1 billion-plus revenue franchise, NBC moved fabled producer Dick Wolf’s Law & Order, whose ratings have been on the decline, to 10 p.m. Fridays, making way for freshman Kidnapped at 10 p.m. Wednesdays to compete against CSI: NY on CBS.
Having a football game kick off the week represents a “huge opportunity for us,” says Mitch Metcalf, executive VP of program planning and scheduling for NBC. “Putting two new shows on Monday night, or any night, is not a first choice. But having Sunday Night Football leading into Monday made sense” since the broad football audience translates well to NBC’s mass-appeal Monday-night lead-in game show, Deal or No Deal.
Yet, as ABC discovered with Monday Night Football, there is a low carry-over rate of sports fans to entertainment programs on subsequent nights.
NBC faces additional hurdles ABC never encountered: namely, the prospect of having a majority of its Sunday Night Football viewers tune to ESPN the next day for Monday Night Football, rather than to Heroes or Studio 60.
“Using big-ticket sports like football, baseball and the Olympics to promote is no guarantee that we can launch shows successfully,” says Metcalf, “but they are still great platforms to get the shows out of the gate.”
After its big upfront presentation in New York and prior to the massive schedule revision, NBC focused on using Sunday Night Football as a way to reach the upscale viewers that have traditionally been the centerpiece of its prime time schedules.
Metcalf says the football audience “matches our schedule well,” although competitors and advertisers grouse about whether the network will be able to claim that distinction when Deal airs in the midst of its once Must-See Thursdays.
There’s also uncertainty about using L&O: Criminal Intent as a lead-in to SVU, since the latter was the highest-rated of the three franchisees this past season.
Metcalf believes the pairing will create a strong 9-11 block on Tuesdays and expresses faith in L&O. Its move to Fridays allows NBC to stick to its strategy of scheduling only established shows on a night for which it devotes little promotional or advertising resources, he says.
After announcing cast changes last week, which Wolf was working on when he got news of the schedule changes, Metcalf says he looks for the veteran series to perform strongly as it enters “another phase of its life.”
TV Notebook
Major "Shield" News
By Michael Ausiello TV Guide
The Shield has been greenlit for a sixth season. No one at FX will confirm, but very reliable sources say series creator Shawn Ryan has decided there's enough creative juice left to carry on for one more season.
The show is currently in production on Season 5's final 10 episodes, slated to debut in early '07.
In other FX news, I'm told the cable net has made a 13-episode committment to Courteney Cox's tabloid-set comedy Dirt. We're happy about this.
Why are we happy about this? Because I read the pilot script, and it's really funny.
We're also happy about this because Courteney Cox was the most underrated member of the Friends cast, and we want to see her succeed. At least I do.
http://community.tvguide.com/forum.jspa?forumID=700000049
TV Notebook
Doctors Prep For Dozier's Flight Home
(CBSNews.com) June 3, 2006
(CBS/AP)---CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier remained in critical, but stable condition and continued to rest at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center Saturday a day after undergoing an operation to repair her legs, injured in a roadside explosion in Baghdad.
As Dozier's health improves, the medical staff prepared her for a return to the United States, which could be as early as Sunday.
This was the first time since the blast that she’s been able to eat solid food. Her father fed her cream soup, orange juice and chocolate pudding, reports CBS News correspondent Elaine Cobbe.
When Dozier first arrived in Germany she could not talk or breathe and was immobile. Now she is sitting up, talking with her family, cracking jokes with her boyfriend and eating, Cobbe adds.
Earlier Friday, she was taken off her respirator and began breathing on her own.
"She is talking well, hasn't lost her sense of humor, and was disappointed that we had to meet in Landstuhl, Germany, instead of over a drink in New York City," CBS News President Sean McManus said in a message to CBS employees.
"She's sharp as a tack. Really," Dozier's father, Benjamin, told CBS News correspondent Sheila MacVicar on Thursday. "She knows where she is. She knows the questions to ask."
Her first question Thursday was: "What (happened to the) crew?" Her family and doctors agreed, if she asked, that she should be told what happened — that James Brolan and Paul Douglas died in the attack.
The coffins with the bodies of Brolan and Douglas were flown on Thursday from Kuwait to London's Heathrow Airport, where a ceremony was held with their families and close friends. Their arrival was honored in a simple, moving ceremony; their plain wooden coffins draped in the Union Jack, CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips reports.
When Dozier heard the news, "You could tell it upset her. She kind of closed her eyes," Dozier's mother, Dorothy, told MacVicar. "I know how deeply she feels, and when she can voice her feelings it will be much easier for her."
On Thursday a young American soldier gave his Purple Heart to Dozier's brother, Michael, to give to Dozier. He told Michael that he wanted Kimberly to have it because, he said, she'd suffered as much as any soldier. That Purple Heart is now beside Kimberly's bed, reports MacVicar.
Dozier was seriously wounded Monday by a car bomb in Iraq that killed Douglas and Brolan. Her mother said Dozier is "going to have to have rods in her legs; they were pretty badly injured."
It is expected that Dozier will be stable in the next couple of days and she will be transported to an appropriate medical facility in the United States on Sunday.
"She has to be stable enough to sustain the flight," Shaw said.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/30/iraq/printable1664012.shtml
TV Notebook
Major "Shield" News
By Michael Ausiello TV Guide
The Shield has been greenlit for a sixth season. No one at FX will confirm, but very reliable sources say series creator Shawn Ryan has decided there's enough creative juice left to carry on for one more season.
The show is currently in production on Season 5's final 10 episodes, slated to debut in early '07.
In other FX news, I'm told the cable net has made a 13-episode committment to Courteney Cox's tabloid-set comedy Dirt. We're happy about this.
Why are we happy about this? Because I read the pilot script, and it's really funny.
We're also happy about this because Courteney Cox was the most underrated member of the Friends cast, and we want to see her succeed. At least I do.
http://community.tvguide.com/forum.jspa?forumID=700000049
Excellent news!! You made my day Fred, especially since I've been pissing and moaning about Deadwood for the last week. :D
I always enjoy passing along (the far too occasional) news that makes you smile, Jim!
TV Notebook
ABC cancels 'Buy It'
Alphabet puts 'Con' to the test
By Michael Schneider Variety.com
ABC has canceled its purchase of the summer reality skein "Buy It Now," but announced plans Thursday to administer "The Con Test."
"Buy It Now" revolved around families looking to fulfill their dreams by placing their prized belongings up for sale on eBay -- with friends and neighbors also chipping in to raise funds.
One problem: eBay ultimately passed on getting involved with the show. With eBay out of the picture, ABC decided to return "Buy It Now" to the shelves.
"Buy It Now," from Madison Road Prods., was slated to air Mondays and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. starting July 31; ABC hasn't yet announced what it will air in the show's place.
This marks the second time an eBay-related show was announced, but ultimately didn't come to fruition. Sony Pictures TV spent several years developing a syndicated show tied to the auction site, bringing the show to NATPE in 2004. The strip ultimately didn't move forward.
Meanwhile, ABC has sealed a deal with FremantleMedia North America to develop a version of the U.K. gamer "The Con Test."
Show, which launches on Britain's ITV this summer, was created by British TV presenters Ant and Dec (Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly). Gamer follows contestants as they attempt to bluff and lie through a series of questions -- attempting to trick their opponents.
"This series will be a fun outlet for viewers who want to sit back, be entertained and scream at the TV set," said Andrea Wong, exec VP of alternative programming, specials and late night at ABC.
Critic’s Notebook
'The Simple Life' is sapped of its fizz
By Jonathan Storm Philadelphia Inquirer Television Critic Sat, Jun. 03, 2006
Booted off Fox, the reality TV equivalent of a penthouse where the women have assistants to take messages from gentlemen, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are now selling themselves on the street, next door to the bowling alley and the cheap motel.
The Simple Life (would it were true), once a breezy piece of fluff that fit right in the closet next to Paris' assortment of 326 feather boas, has degenerated into a sad celebutante pas de duh on cable's E!, where the premiere of the show's fourth edition takes place tomorrow at 10 p.m.
Its famously feuding stars don't even occupy the same space in the opener of this version, subtitled " 'Til Death Do Us Part," except at the start, where they pass wordlessly by each other in a coffee shop, and Paris buys Nicole a big cookie with an insulting inscription iced onto the top.
Which Nicole should eat. She looks as if she's trying to out-skinny her former BestFriendForever.
Maybe that's why they're feuding, though the standard thinking says it's because Nicole screened Paris' infamous sex video at a party, and everybody giggled at Paris' ribs.
Whatever the cause, they work separately in the show, which destroys 50 percent of its fun - the rich-girl, dim-bulb interplay between the BFFs, bewildered in the world of mortals after being, as the theme song said, stripped of credit cards and limousines.
Viewers will get a good lesson in the phonality of reality shows, as clever editing makes it seem as if maybe they're together.
The other 50 percent of the fun was the interplay between normal people - dairy farmers, nudist-colony operators, auto mechanics - in the hinterlands and these pampered L.A. ladies. Well, that's gone, too.
Tomorrow, the two travel all of 20 miles to fill in for a pregnant wife and mother named Shari. Paris makes her 3-year-old yell. Nicole simulates sex with her husband, Doug, at the Lamaze class.
And then, presumably, they go back to rich-girl Nirvana at the end of the shooting day.
The girls will sub for other moms within limo distance in coming episodes, going through the motions and doing a half-baked job, just as we've come to expect. This time, it's not funny.
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//14729934.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
harley1
06-04-06, 08:21 AM
Jonathan Storm | On cable TV, relief from the doldrums
By Jonathan Storm
Inquirer Columnist
The TV world turns upside down this summer, as the big broadcast networks open the spillway to a torrent of cheesy reality shows, while cable channels trot out meaty comedy and drama with high production values.
On the networks: Copycat dance and singing competitions join goofy games and voyeuristic examinations of supposedly steamy suburban lifestyles. D-list celebrities abound.
On cable: Established comedies and dramas with name stars return, and promising new ones premiere.
It's just another aspect of a crowded, topsy-turvy TV world where everyone tries to shout "Look at me!" while gasping for breath in the chase for the almighty dollar.
Here's how it used to be: Lots of people found better things to do in summer than watch TV. The networks saved their pennies airing reruns.
Here's how it changed: Cable channels, seeing a void, started to premiere their best shows in summer. Broadcast bosses blubbered, "We've got to do something." Sometimes when they did, they struck the mother lode.
Here's how it is: Cable channels continue to slot much of their best stuff in the summer. The network big boys (and girls) augment their reruns by throwing all sorts of cheap meat into the stew, dreaming of another Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Survivor, or American Idol, which all began as summer fill-ins. And lots of people still find other things to do in summer besides watch TV.
They're missing plenty on cable: Rescue Me, FX's fireman sit-dram starring Denis Leary and the network's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which this summer picks up guest star Danny DeVito; The Closer, TNT's tale of a brilliant detective (Kyra Sedgwick); The 4400, believable alien escapades, and the endearing obsessiveness of Mr. Monk on USA; and, of course, TV's best show, HBO's @#?!%^&*! amazing western, Deadwood.
HBO premieres the wildly divergent comedies Lucky Louis and Dane Cook's Tourgasm next Sunday. The next night, TNT's Saved, starring Tom Everett Scott as an emergency medical technician, begins. Showtime unveils the ambitious drama Brotherhood, about a politician and a gangster, on July 9, and USA starts Psych on July 7. It stars Corbin Bernsen and Dule Hill, with James Roday as a police psychic who's a complete phony.
The deep-pockets broadcast networks, where summer is low-budget, test-drive time, have nary a show that compares in ambition (and, most likely, in execution) to any of them.
The relatively low cost of most summer reality gives the networks a chance to swing at any sort of pitch to try to hit a home run. Millionaire, Survivor, Idol: Each of those blockbusters more than paid for all the shows like Tommy Lee Goes to College and I Want to Be a Hilton that sprang up on their respective networks.
Sadly for NBC, Tommy and Hilton have been the norm. The only notable winter success, a term used loosely, that the Peacock has bred in summer is Fear Factor.
In the fall-winter regular season just ended, the networks garnered exactly a 50 percent share in prime time, meaning that half of all the households watching TV at any time weren't watching ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, UPN or the WB.
Count on that number to go down considerably this summer. Warm-weather cable-channel viewership passed that of the broadcast networks several years ago, and while one of the new summer broadcast shows (my money's on America's Got Talent, produced by American Idol's Simon Cowell) might catch, most of them sound like strikeouts.
New network summer series:
Gameshow Marathon, premiered Wednesday, CBS. Continuing the reality-show-as-endurance-sport theme, such "celebrities" as actor Leslie Nielsen and Trading Spaces' Paige Davis play such classic TV game shows as Card Sharks and Beat the Clock. Host Ricki Lake strives to beat itchy-fingered viewers into remote submission.
Windfall, premieres Wednesday, NBC. The only new network summer drama, it has a game component, resurrecting Luke Perry (Beverly Hills, 90210) as one of a group of 20 players who win the lottery.
How to Get the Guy, premieres June 12, ABC. From the folks who brought you Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, this one attaches two "love coaches" to four attractive young things as they search for Mr. Right. The deck's stacked against the gals. One of the coaches is slippery reality host JD Roberto. And they're looking in San Francisco.
Tuesday Night Book Club, premieres June 13, CBS. Desperate for some younger viewers, CBS hopes these real-life housewives will be smoking enough to lure fans from MTV's similar (if half a generation removed) popular "docu-soap," Laguna Beach. One of the guinea pigs even looks like Eva Longoria.
Treasure Hunters, premieres June 18, NBC. The artistry of Da Vinci might be lacking, but there will be plenty of codes and puzzles in this globe-trotting competition that is definitely not a rip-off of The Amazing Race. Each team has three people.
America's Got Talent, premieres June 21, NBC. Regis Philbin hosts, and Ed Sullivan's spinning plates in his grave. There are judges - a gal (Brandy), a guy (David Hasselhoff), and a Brit (who cares what his name is) - and home voting. But this show is not a straight steal from American Idol because jugglers, drummers, even a talking pony are eligible to be declared the nation's most talented creature. Idol overseer Cowell, creator of the new show, calls it the "most unique talent show ever undertaken in history." Don't look for a grammarian to win.
Master of Champions, June 22, ABC. Who has the most pizzazz at pizza tossing? Which unicyclist is uniquely skilled? Who can line up the lamest TV reality concept?
Rock Star: Supernova, returns July 5 to CBS with a new band. Tommy Lee learned a lot at college last summer, like how to worm his way into another reality show. The new rock super group, at least in their own minds, features oldsters Lee, Jason Newsted of Metallica, and Gilby Clarke of Guns N' Roses, and, as lead singer, some refugee from Wayne's World who will have competed for the "prize."
The One: Making a Music Star, premieres July 18, ABC. Fox took the dance-contest idea from ABC, but this not a complete copy of American Idol because - you get to see the contestants being coached.
Buy It Now, premieres July 31, ABC. A one-hour eBay infomercial combines with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, as worthy families seeking to "realize one of their most meaningful dreams" auction off all their heirlooms and hope friends and neighbors kick in some junk, too.
One Ocean View, July 31, ABC. Manhattan yuppies head to the Hamptons, or somewhere by the shore, to party hearty on the weekends. Aren't these the people everybody tries to avoid when they're vacationing down the Shore?
In addition, several series return this summer: So You Think You Can Dance, which had its season premiere on May 26 on Fox; Last Comic Standing, which began its fourth season Tuesday on NBC; Hell's Kitchen, which returned on June 12 on Fox; and Big Brother 7: All-Stars, which comes back for its seventh season July 6 on CBS.
Jonathan Storm | Best of cable
Here are the season premiere dates for some notable summer cable shows:
June 11. Deadwood. HBO.
June 11. The 4400. USA.
June 12. The Closer. USA.
June 28. Blade: The Series. Spike.
June 29. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. FX.
July 7. Monk. USA.
July 9. Brotherhood. Showtime.
July 12. Nightmares & Dreamscapes - From the Stories of Steven King. TNT.
July 14. Stargate SG-1.
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/14715482.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
TV Q&A
Viewers rant about 'American Idol,' 'The Apprentice'
By Tom Jicha Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinal TV and Radio Writer June 4, 2006
Question: I would like to voice my complaint about American Idol and what a fraud it has turned out to be. I tried for two hours, dialing almost continually, on my home and cell phones, to vote for Chris Daughtry [the week he was eliminated]. I was able to get through four times. My fiance also used his cell phone to call for Taylor and Elliott and he got through. My mother and a few other friends had the same problem trying to vote for Chris. Some got a strange busy signal, but most got the recording I did, saying the calls could not be completed. I know it's just a TV show, but when it generates as much viewership as American Idol does, someone has to stand up and take accountability. Every Wednesday Ryan Seacrest states, "America has voted . . . " People don't know America's voters never had a chance.
Answer: This is how conspiracy theories are spawned. Dialing to vote on American Idol is a crapshoot, but because one person gets through and another doesn't is not an indication of foul play. What's more, you admit to voting four times. That's at least three times that someone else might have gotten through.
Q: You wrote: "Did anyone seriously think Justin Guarini had any chance to beat Kelly Clarkson in [American Idol's] first season?" The better question would be, "Did anyone seriously think that the producers would choose someone as mediocre as Clarkson, when they had a real star on their hands in Justin?" However, they chose to kick him to the curb, with haste, afterward, to prevent him from stealing the spotlight from their choice. Thus the boredom continues season after season.
A: Are you related to Justin by blood or marriage? Kelly Clarkson has gone on to become a multiple Grammy-winning superstar. Justin isn't even a wedding singer. As for American Idol, the audience is so bored it keeps increasing every season. Four years after Justin was kicked to the curb, Idol is the No. 1 show on TV and is still growing.
Q: I understand that Donald Trump is equal parts substance and hype, but why do reporters, interviewers and critics let him rant continually about his "hit show," The Apprentice? Every time a microphone is put in front of him, he gushes about how well his show is doing. Truth is, it is ranked near 40th place and loses millions of viewers from the Deal or No Deal lead-in. Maybe NBC is afraid that if it cancels the show, Trump might buy its headquarters, tear the building down and build condos.
A: You must read and listen to the wrong media. I have written repeatedly, as have other critics, that every edition of The Apprentice has declined in the ratings from the previous one. Indeed, when Trump used the "No.1 show on TV" line on a press tour, one of my colleagues immediately corrected him with, "No, you're not. You're not even No.1 in your time period." When Trump tried to save face by saying he was talking about the 18-49 demographic, he was again corrected that this is not close to the truth. It's not a sure thing The Apprentice will return and even if it does, it might be for only one edition, not the two per season it has been presenting.
Q: At the beginning of Two and a Half Men, the three stars are seen singing a jingle about manly men. Could you tell me if Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones are really singing? My mom and I are always debating this.
A: Sheen, Cryer and Jones are actors, not singers. The voices you hear are anonymous studio singers.
Q: I understand that product placement produces revenue and is very common in movies and TV programs. My question is, why is it necessary to mention the make and/or model of an automobile involved in an accident on TV and radio? It would be just as informative to know that two automobiles were involved in an accident on I-95 without knowing the make of the vehicles. Is product placement the reason or am I just being a skeptic?
A: No company wants a negative association with their product. This is why airlines pull their ads from news shows in which an air crash is reported. Details make a story. The model of cars in an accident fleshes out a report. The fact that a Hummer broadsided a Geo is more interesting than just "two vehicles crashed."
Q: I find it curious that when you see Sam Waterston on Law & Order, his hair is parted on the left. On commercials his hair is parted on the right. Is there a reason the commercial is shot like that or does Waterston have a revolving rug?
A: You really need a hobby.
Q: In the 1967 film In Cold Blood, Scott Wilson plays one of the killers. Is he the same actor who now plays Marg Helgenberger's father on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation?
A: Good eye. Scott Wilson, who portrayed Richard Hickock in In Cold Blood, now plays Sam Braun, the father of Helgenberger's Catherine Willows on CSI.
Q: I have a question in regard to the Daytime Emmys. When the show was on CBS, it was the CBS-ABC show. This year on ABC, it was the ABC-CBS show. The past couple of years, NBC soaps have been snubbed. The only Emmy Days of Our Lives is nominated for (and wins) is for hair and makeup. Passions isn't even nominated. What gives? Are the NBC soaps blacklisted?
A: I'll open the floor for debate, since daytime dramas are not my specialty. However, the feeling I get from fans and people in the business is that the ABC and CBS soaps are generally more respected than the ones on NBC. If there were a category for most bizarre soap, I'm sure Passions -- which is rerun on the Sci Fi Channel -- would be a strong contender. As for the presenters, one of the perks of being the network that carries the show is the ability to top-load it with your own people.
Q: What is going on? The season-ending show of Las Vegas ended in a cliffhanger and will cause us to wait six months to get answers, if there are answers. Will Las Vegas make it to another season? Will we find out who Delinda marries? Will we find out if Ed Deline survives? Who knows, and furthermore, who cares?
A: Obviously you care, or you wouldn't be so annoyed. Las Vegas will be back -- in four months, not six. To answer another of your questions, I can guarantee Ed survives because the show falls apart without James Caan.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/tv/orl-chatter0406jun04,0,7764715,print.story?coll=orl-caltvtop
flint350
06-04-06, 12:03 PM
TV Notebook
Doctors Prep For Dozier's Flight Home
(CBSNews.com) June 3, 2006
(CBS/AP)---CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier remained in critical, but stable condition and continued to rest at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center Saturday a day after undergoing an operation to repair her legs, injured in a roadside explosion in Baghdad...etc, etc.
I don't mean to be insensitive and I realize this is being generally reported as "news" in the thread, but - aren't we giving this story more coverage (and in long detail) than it truly deserves? It seems so many posts are devoted to this and in excrutiating length and detail. It's sad and tragic, but not unexpected. She was a journalist in a war zone doing limited "embed" stories along with the poor guys and gals who do it every day and face even more risk than any journalist. Recognizing that the journalists don't get hurt as often as the troops and that this makes it somewhat newsworthy, I still think the media go overboard whenever one of their own is involved. (e.g. see the 3 hour marathon of ego-embarassment of Couric leaving the Today Show as though this really deserved such treatment).
There's a piece in a local newspaper here about honoring the "hero" public defenders who recently were able to free a convicted murderer after months of research and effort. Seems noble at first blush, until you read on and find out that the guy was actually THE MURDERER of the victims and the public defenders spent countless hours and public dollars - not on finding his innocense or DNA proof, etc - but rather, they found a loophole in the procedure that led to his release. This despite the fact that he was most assuredly guilty via all the evidence. They even tacitly admitted his guilt, but said the procedural error required his release and was worth the effort and public time and $$$. Maybe so, maybe not - but "heroes", I don't think so. Nor do I think poor Kimberly Dozier or Bob Woodruff are "heroes". They are victims of their profession and were doing nothing paticularly noble, heroic or even truly necessary when they were injured. I empathize with their plight. I merely think the coverage is overdone and unnecessary and would not be nearly so extensive and oft quoted/covered if it were a regular soldier, citizen or you or me.
Sorry for the rant, I woke up early, headache, no coffee yet and naturally ran into yet more on Dozier's every movement and transfer and....on and on. My day to be a curmudgeon.
Fair enough, Ray.
I have tried to keep the posts to just detailing her condition and movement.
And I agree entirely that the coverage would be (and is) far less extensive for a regular soldier or civilian.
On the other hand, millions of people feel they "know" Kimberly Dozier (or Bob Woodruff or Mike Kelly) from their work.
Nonetheless, you make good points. I'll try to pare the Dozier posts to a minimum.
(Now get get some caffeine!)
Daughtry turns down lead singer gig....
Life After “Idol”
Crazy over Chris Daughtry
By Joe Killian and Maria Johnson Greensboro NC News Record Staff Writers Jun 4, 2006
After spending a television season away, Chris Daughtry returned home Saturday.
"I don't regret this life I chose for me," crooned the former "American Idol" contestant during his afternoon performance in the football stadium at Greensboro's Grimsley High School.
"But these places and these faces are getting old. I'm going home. I'm going home."
He arrived back home to the delight of thousands who turned out to see him, first in his hometown of McLeansville, then in nearby Greensboro.
…He said he wouldn't take the lead-singer job he'd been offered with alt-metal band Fuel, but he would be doing something musical on his own within the coming year.
http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060604/NEWSREC0101/606030332/-1/NEWSRECRSSARKIVE&template=printart
DoubleDAZ
06-04-06, 12:57 PM
As a veteran, I certainly agree with the main thrust of your argument. However, unlike individual soldiers, these "celebrities" are nationally known and there is a a degree of national interest in their well-being, therefore the national coverage. Local news, at least here, does a great job of covering individual soldier's stories, and I believe that is as it should be. While it may look like this story if being overdone here, it is only because Fred tries to post a variety of coverage from multiple sources.
IMHO, most veterans, and those currently serving, really don't care much about individual attention. We/they do what we did/do because that's what we signed up for, nothing more, nothing less. To use some of your reasoning, no one is truly a hero because everything they do is really just a part of the job. Obviously, some do it exceedingly well and get recognized for it, but almost everyone of them will tell you they were just doing what they were trained for. Those that I have met are very humble and I suspect the same is true for most of the embedded journalists.
I do take some exception to your statement that these folks were doing nothing especially heroic. Journalists have been an important part of every conflict in history and the current crop is no exception. The military even has it's own cadre of journalists. IMHO, today's journalists may be even more important simply because of the sheer reach of technology. Would you rather we got our news from Aljazeera? Or what we were fed during Vietnam?
I appreciate your thoughts, too, Dave.
To be honest, I'd like to nip this discussion in the bud before it turns too political -- if that is OK with everyone.
The Business of TV
Affiliates no longer feeling love
Local stations left out of corporate decisions
By Josef Adalian Variety.com Sun., Jun. 4, 2006
When Bob Iger and Steve Jobs announced their landmark deal to let viewers download ABC hits such as "Desperate Housewives," the Alphabet didn't even bother to give its hundreds of local stations a heads up.
Welcome to the life of a network affiliate, circa 2006.
On the surface, things still seem fine. At last week's CBS affil confab, station reps partied like it was 1969, filling Las Vegas' Bellagio Hotel with the sort of glad-handing and good spirits that might be expected for a No. 1 network.
But just as on Wisteria Lane, things aren't always what they seem.
Not long ago, local stations were the only real outlet nets had to distribute their content. Now, it seems every day brings news of a t deal to put shows on platforms from iPods to cellphones -- with affils lucky to get a taste of any resulting revenue.
What's more, the days of affil compensation are all but over. Nets that used to pay stations to carry their shows now ask affils to essentially pay them to help offset the costs of sports rights deals, like the NFL packages owned by CBS and Fox.
Then there's the FCC. It's pushing stations to spend millions to covert to high-def ASAP, while at the same time stepping up its role as a watchdog against indecency and against video press releases masquerading as news.
And if you're one of the hundreds of stations that spent years building brand equity as either a WB or UPN affil, guess what? You find yourself betting on risky start-ups CW and MyNetworkTV -- or going it alone as an independent.
"Twenty years ago, it was a much easier business," concedes Meredith Broadcasting's Paul Karpowicz, whose group owns 14 stations.
But don't break out the Kleenex for affils just yet.
For one thing, when the balance of power favored affils, "They squeezed the hell out of us," remembers one veteran network warrior.
And after initially bitching about moves like ABC's Apple deal -- "disappointing and unsettling" is what the head of ABC's affil board called it in a letter to the net right after the announcement -- stations are beginning to wonder if new media might rep a new paradigm for network-affil relations.
In the past two months, Fox and NBC have both announced agreements with affils that lay the groundwork for revenue-sharing from digital platforms. Eye affil board topper Doreen Wade says she expects to present stations with a financial proposal that includes elements of new media "within a few weeks."
As advertisers make more noise about spreading coin from nets to the 'Net, station groups with outlets in multiple cities also see an opportunity to cash in by selling ads on their local Web sites.
Some stations are already letting viewers download specialized newscasts with customized advertising, while syndicators like Sony and Telepictures have recently announced deals to share coin from local station Webcasts of shows like "Two and a Half Men."
"Control has shifted from the broadcasters to the consumers," says Frank Schurz Jr., whose Indiana-based company owns eight stations spread across four networks. "They're making the choices, and we're going to have to respond to it."
In other words, stations can complain about not getting a heads-up on a deal, or they can figure out ways to make money from new technologies.
CBS Corp. prexy-CEO Leslie Moonves says while things have undoubtedly grown tougher for affils, their pain is no greater than that of the whole TV biz.
"Most stations are still profitable," he says, expressing confidence that nets and affils will figure out a way to bridge the digital divide.
"A lot of this stuff is five-months-old," Moonves says.
Besides, Moonves argues, networks like CBS have a vested interest in keeping local stations happy.
"We own 40% of our affiliates," he says. "Their problems are our problems."
TV Notebook
Dozier's Stay In Germany Extended
(CBSNews,com)
Soldiers With Urgent Needs Flown Home Ahead Of Injured CBS Reporter
LANDSTUHL, Germany, June 4, 2006--(CBS/AP) Injured CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier will remain at a military hospital in Germany for a few more days before returning to the United States.
Though Dozier had been looking forward to going home Sunday, wounded soldiers with more urgent needs had to be flown out before her.
She may be flown back as early as Tuesday.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/30/iraq/main1664012.shtml
Inundated
06-04-06, 01:49 PM
I do take some exception to your statement that these folks were doing nothing especially heroic. Journalists have been an important part of every conflict in history and the current crop is no exception. The military even has it's own cadre of journalists. IMHO, today's journalists may be even more important simply because of the sheer reach of technology. Would you rather we got our news from Aljazeera? Or what we were fed during Vietnam?
When Ms. Dozier or any other journalist is embedded with the troops, they face exactly the SAME danger they do, by definition...and are just as much a target for IEDs or shooting. It's not like they're back in the hotel in Baghdad or firmly within the so-called "green zone"...those journalists face far fewer dangers, though just being in Iraq in 2006 is a dangerous thing.
I do agree that the networks tend to go overboard on this, though I assume that once she's safely in the U.S. and recouperating, we'll hear less.
CPanther95
06-04-06, 01:49 PM
Then there's the FCC. It's pushing stations to spend millions to covert to high-def ASAP.....
It's no wonder people think we're in the midst of an HDTV transition instead of a DTV transition.
And the FCC knows that this is the public's perception, yet will not establish any HD requirements or standards - all while pushing for multicasting. :rolleyes:
And reporters covering the business really don't seem to understand the difference.
But that probably is what the station owners had in mind.
It is very discouraging sometimes.
HDTV Notebook
LG puts their biggest 100-inch LCD on display this weekend
by Richard Lawler hdbeat.com
If you're looking for a place to catch The Sopranos season finale on Sunday, let us make a suggestion. If you live in San Francisco, you may want to stop by SID (Society for Information Display) 2006, where LG will be publicly showing off their record setting 100-inch LCD HDTV.
Or maybe you wouldn't want to...oh who are we kidding you know you would.
If you were to accidentally make off with the massive 5ms refresh rate and 3000:1 contrast ratio monster, post up a pic or two in the flickr group of how you got it to fit in your living room.
http://www.hdbeat.com/2006/06/03/lg-puts-their-biggest-100-inch-lcd-on-display-this-weekend/
Saturday's Fast National Ratings have been delayed.
I'll post them when they become available.
Critic’s Notebook
Pilot Watch:
Still more NBC & Fox miscellany
By Alan Sepinwall in the Newark Star-Ledger’s TV blog
…Now onto the pilots. The usual caveat: these are not reviews. Too many things are going to change between now and when these things air. These are just first impressions. Thoughts on "The Black Donnellys," "20 Good Years" and "'Til Death" after the jump...
"The Black Donnellys"
Who's In It: Olivia Wilde, Kirk Aceveda and a bunch of young unknowns in the title roles.
What It's About: Four Irish brothers move in and out a life of crime in a drama created by "Crash" screenwriters Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco.
Pluses: "Crash" and "Million-Dollar Baby" had their detractors, but Haggis and Moresco were also responsible for one of the great unsung crime dramas of all time: "EZ Streets." While some of the details have changed, this is essentially them redoing it with Haggis' new Oscar clout. Same use of Celtic music on the score, a wildly unreliable narrator who could be the idiot kid brother of Sammy Feathers, same grand, gothic command of fairly dense material. (Though overall, the show's much easier to follow than "EZ Streets" was.)
Minuses: "EZ Streets" had Joe Pantoliano giving the performance of his career (even better than his Ralphie Cifaretto) at its center, plus great supporting turns by people like Carl Lumbly, Debra Farentino and Jason Gedrick. The four newbies playing the Donnelly brothers could turn out to be big stars in time, but they're not there yet. (Making it harder to judge is a big twist at the end suggesting the performances we see from episode two on will be very different from the ones in the pilot.)
"20 Good Years"
Who's In It: John Lithgow, Jeffrey Tambor
What It's About: When an arrogant surgeon (Lithgow)turns 60, he realizes he needs to enjoy life while he can and recruits his nebbishy best friend (Tambor) for a lot of carpe diem'ing.
Pluses: Lithgow and Tambor, two of the funniest, hammiest human beings alive. (Much as Spinal Tap was called "one of England's loudest bands," this is one of NBC's loudest sitcoms.) They sell a lot of material that probably shouldn't work, and they're fearless in pursuit of a laugh. Lithgow appears several times in a banana hammock, and it's as horrifying and funny as you might imagine. Plus, Tambor's playing a judge again, like he did on "Hill Street Blues." Any chance he'll wind up in drag within a few episodes?
Minuses: You need a real tolerance for loud, broad comedy, and even then, I wonder how far the two leads can carry this show on their back. A bit disappointing to see Tambor back to playing a dweeb after showing so many different sides on "Arrested Development."
"'Til Death"
Who's In It: Brad Garrett, Joely Fisher, Eddie Kaye Thomas, some young woman playing Eddie's wife.
What It's About: A bitter long-married couple befriend the newlyweds who move in next door.
Pluses: More evidence that comedy is about salesmanship. Garrett and, to a lesser extent, Fisher, manage to milk several laughs from fairly hacky material, sometimes with just the right grimace or sigh before delivering the punchline.
Minuses: Much, much much selling is required. Thomas' character is named Woodcock, and if you don't find that hysterically funny at face value, you're going to have to suffer through a half-dozen or so Woodcock jokes in the pilot alone.
http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/2006/06/pilot-watch-still-more-nbc-fox.html
Critic’s Notebook
“Deadwood” Season 3 preview
By Matthew Zoller Seitz Newark Star-Ledger June 4, 2006
The richness of "Deadwood" puts every other TV drama to shame; almost every scene, line and shot entertains in the moment while paving the way for future plot twists. But it's not just the craftsmanship that dazzles; it's the sheer scope and depth of writer-producer David Milch's vision. As we watch this western drama, we get the sense that we're not watching the weekly exploits of particular characters, but stepping inside a gigantic living mural that portrays a densely packed, ever-changing community -- a microcosmic example of what Milch calls "the larger human organism."
The organism that is Deadwood has evolved a lot over the last two seasons. The former mining camp has a newspaper, telegraph service, a lucrative gold mining operation, thriving Chinese and Cornish neighborhoods, and a brand new school, overseen by Mrs. Bullock (Anna Gunn), wife of lawman Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant). The torch-lit Rembrandt lighting of the first few episodes has, thanks to the profusion of oil lamps, given way to a more even, golden illumination, a visual metaphor for how social and technological progress removes some of the darkness from life, yet leaves the essential human drama -- the collision of individuals stumbling from cradle to grave -- untouched.
The third season premiere -- written by Milch and Ted Mann, and directed by Mark Tinker -- illustrates the show's panoramic view of human life in its brilliant opening shot. It starts gazing up at gorgeous sky, then pans down to reveal the mountains outside Deadwood, S.D., then descends further to reveal the town's bustling main street, finally stopping on a close-up of the show's most charismatic character, saloon owner and powerbroker Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), surveying the scene from the balcony outside his second floor office. Then Al turns and looks at the main street below, refocusing the audience's attention from the specific (Swearengen) to the general (the town as a whole). This one shot explains Milch's working methods: he draws you into the roiling melodrama of individual lives, but continually reminds you that each person is a part of a community -- that every individual is connected to every other individual in ways they may not realize, and therefore, decisions that seem to affect just a few people affect everybody. Contrary to what Milch's driven, myopic, often oblivious characters might think, there is no "me" in Deadwood, only "we." A lot of characters are going to have to embrace this fact, because Deadwood has become more respectable by the week, its denizens more involved in one another's lives.
The town's slog toward respectability troubles Swearengen, who's deeply involved in the town's financial and political life, yet pines for the days when he could settle business disputes by slashing a rival's throat. The town is gearing up to elect a sheriff and a mayor. Townsfolk and candidates will gather for speeches outside Swearengen's joint, the Gem, a combination saloon, gambling den and house of ill-repute. (Talk about one-stop shopping.)
Deadwood's clench-jawed lawman, Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant), is running for sheriff and seems more frightened of public speaking than fisticuffs or gunplay. Asking his wife, Martha, to read and edit his speech, he tells her, "Words are doing the wrong job, piling it on too heavy, or at odds over meaning" -- a marvelous insight into Bullock's personality, but also a self-deprecating joke on Milch's dialogue, which is as packed with metaphors, dependent clauses and profanity as the streets of Deadwood are jammed with people.
In context of the "human organism" notion, it's worth pointing out that Bullock, like all the show's characters, remains tied to people from whom he's tried to separate. When Martha arrived, he had to sever relations with his mistress, gold heiress Alma Garret (Molly Parker); but she deals with him every day because she's (1) becoming a local powerbroker herself, and (2) running a local savings and loan where Seth serves as an officer, and (3) carrying Seth's baby. Alma's husband and Man Friday, Ellsworth (Jim Beaver), has swallowed his pride and stepped up to take care of Alma, her adopted daughter and her unborn child. There's tension in this triangle, but it's delicately handled by all concerned; private melodrama notwithstanding, these characters have to walk the same streets.
Early in next Sunday's premiere there's a lovely moment where Ellsworth, en route to pick up a comforter from Alma's old residence, stops in the street to talk with Martha and Seth, who are walking Alma's daughter to the town's new school, a converted whorehouse. The scene's delicate mix of anxiety and decency will strike a chord with anyone who's involved in a so-called "blended" family. Seth and Alma's relationship didn't end, it just evolved; in episode two, Alma ends a critical conversation with Seth by telling him, tenderly, "I regret nothing."
Deadwood" can be a violent, sexually intense, often flat-out nasty show. Like Robert Altman's "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" and Sam Peckinpah's "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid," it doesn't falsely soften the flinty harshness of 19th century life. But if you watch it closely, and revisit particular episodes a second or third time, you realize that it's not as grim as you remembered; that in fact, it's consistently one of the most life-affirming works of popular art in recent memory. The signature scene in "Deadwood" isn't the violent confrontation, though there are plenty. It's the negotiation -- the scene where characters that seem to have no common ground get together and hammer out a scenario they can live with.
Negotiating signals a willingness to adapt in the name of happiness. That "Deadwood" is driven by negotiations -- and accommodations -- confirms its compassion. Every character that passes before our eyes reveals their human potential, a potential they themselves may not realize. Milch is interested not just in who people are, but who they may become. The lives of these characters, this town, this world, are forever in flux, moving forward, evolving, and touching other lives in the process.
For instance, prostitute Joanie Stubbs (Kim Dickens) is back working for saloon owner Cy Tolliver (Powers Boothe) again after a failed attempt to start her own place. (It wasn't her fault; a deranged Hearst associate murdered several of her employees.) But this arrangement can't last, because at heart, Joanie is a reformer who wants Cy's girls treated as decently as possible under the circumstances -- a scenario the piggish Cy just can't tolerate. Another keeper is the second episode conversation between Cy and Andy Cramed (Zach Grenier), a former wastrel who, after surviving a bout with plague, remade himself as a reverend, then impulsively stabbed Cy for talking to him as if he was still worthless. Their talk doesn't move in the direction you anticipate; both Andy and Cy reveal unexpected interests, new shadings. Milch's characters keep surprising themselves, and us.
The alcoholic Calamity Jane (Robin Weigert) seems drunker and more disconnected than ever. But when Martha offers her a chance to tell a classroom full of kids about working as a scout for General Custer, she proves herself not just a brilliant off-the-cuff storyteller (she says Custer's middle name, Armstrong, makes her think of the phrase, "puffed-up") but also an exciting and attentive teacher who knows how to communicate with kids.
Given the curiosity and tenderness with which Milch observes his characters, and the delight with which he reveals new aspects of their personality, it's surprising and disheartening to read reviews that reflexively describe "Deadwood" in the same breath with David Chase's "The Sopranos." Without dismissing the latter -- a landmark show without which "Deadwood" would not have been possible -- it must be said that Milch's creation is clearly the greater work, because its vision of life is grander, subtler, more complicated, and above all, more life-affirming.
"The Sopranos" is a supremely cynical series; it depicts animal selfishness as the norm and savagely punishes anyone who tries to change their life for the better or do a good deed for someone else. "Deadwood" is as violent, sexual and profane as "The Sopranos," maybe more so. But in the end, it's much more moving, and feels more true to life, because it sees not just humanity's limitations, but its capacity to transcend them. Where the motto of "The Sopranos" could be, "A leopard cannot change its spots," the "Deadwood" equivalent would be, "What spots?" It's a panorama of human potential that catches a whole species in the act of becoming.
http://mattzollerseitz.blogspot.com/
flint350
06-04-06, 07:53 PM
fredfa,
My early AM (non-caffeinated) rant was not really aimed at you or your posts here - just the overall coverage excess everywhere (IMO, for those not in agreement). You do a great job here and I always read your stuff and links. I was just making a point and NOT a political one, but I'll leave it with this post. I had no political intent.
However, to the person who believes I was suggesting similar treatment for our troops, I was not. I was not pandering. And that ridiculous leap in logic you end with Would you rather we got our news from Aljazeera? Or what we were fed during Vietnam? - was so far off the point and so typical of reactionary thinking, I almost laughed out loud. I'm done, I didn't mean to start an argument, just state a viewpoint. But some always have to drag it to silly extremes to make their point, using totally invalid examples having absolutely nothing to do with what I said. On to our regular programming - keep up the good work fredfa, while I eagerly await The Sopranos and Big Love tonight.
I hope I didn't give you the impression I was thin skinned, Ray. (Not that I am not). :)
I appreciate your posts here -- and your total understanding that I am a messenger, and (in most cases) probably shouldn't be shot.
It has always been a source of pride to me that although I often post articles which could -- in many threads -- set off flame wars, we usually are able to avoid them here.
And it also helps that Ken H, CPanther95 and the big bosses, David and Alan have also allowed me tremendous latitude -- as obviously many posts would not fit technically into an HDTV forum.
But it is you folks who post -- and read -- who make this such a fun place.
Thanks again for your contributions.
Washington Notebook
AT&T/BellSouth Opponents Weigh In
By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 6/4/2006
Consumer groups and anti-media activists are registering their collective opposition to the AT&T BellSouth merger June 5.
That is the FCC deadline for filing comments on the planned reunion of AT&T and one of its spin-off companies.
The groups include American Antitrust Institute, COMPTEL, Consumer Federation of America; Free Press, Media Access Project, National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates.
Comptel will have a former ally on the FCC in new commissioner Robert McDowell, but it is unclear what decisions he will have to recuse himself from.
The groups also promise on June 6 to announce "new activities and strategies" to block the deal.
The proposed $67 billion merger between, announced in March, could speed AT&T's entry into the TV space.
Verizon has so far been the most aggressive player among the telephone companies.
It has been over two decades since the government broke up AT&T and spun-off local phone service into the Baby Bells, but the competitive landscape has changed dramatically, with cable into phone and telco into video, and the Baby Bells into long-distance.
TV Notebook
2 telefilms to mark 'Deadwood' end
By Cynthia Littleton The Hollywood Reporter June 05, 2006
HBO and David Milch have solved their "Deadwood" dilemma.
HBO has reached an agreement with Milch, creator/executive producer of the Western drama series, to wrap up the show as a pair of two-hour movies rather than a full-blown fourth season.
The issue of whether HBO would order a fourth season was forced in recent weeks by the fact that the cast members' contractual options for a fourth season are due to expire soon.
The third season of "Deadwood" is set to premiere Sunday. HBO had offered Milch a six-episode pickup for Season 4 rather than the 12-episode norm for the show since its premiere in 2004.
Milch was said to have not been in favor of a six-episode final season because of the show's emphasis on each episode representing a day in the life of the lawless camp in late-1800s South Dakota, where the show is set.
The shift of the final "Deadwood" installments to a two-hour movie format will allow for a clean break with that day-in-the-life format and allow the rest of the story to unfold on a broader narrative canvas.
Sources said the impasse was broken Friday after a series of conversations between Milch, an Emmy and Peabody winner for his work on ABC's "NYPD Blue," and HBO chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht.
In addition to shepherding "Deadwood" to its conclusion, Milch is busy working on a new pilot for HBO, "John From Cincinnati," set in the world of surfing in Southern California.
"I am thrilled that we were able to figure out a way to continue," Milch said Sunday. "No one was ready to let go of the show. And I am really glad we have found a way to proceed that works creatively."
HBO still has to come to terms with key cast members to appear in the two movies, including Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant and Molly Parker. I
nsiders said HBO brass were confident they would be able to proceed with the show in its new incarnation, indicating that the network was prepared to make it worth the while of cast members who had been anticipating a full season's worth of work.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/brief_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002613082
Sports On TV
Networks May Unite for Baseball Rights
By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable6/4/2006
News Corp. is considering a partnership with another network, possibly NBC, to cover the cost of new broadcast rights for Major League Baseball.
Only last month, President Peter Chernin said Fox would walk away from baseball if the economics didn’t make sense.
Fox holds the broadcast rights to baseball’s post-season through this fall’s World Series, when its six-year, $2.6 billion deal expires. The network has lost $200 million in the deal.
Partnering with another network could alleviate some of the financial strain for Fox.
One scenario being discussed: The network joins forces with NBC for one post-season package, with the networks alternating the World Series and splitting most of the games from the League Championship Series.
Both Fox Sports and NBC Sports declined to comment, as did MLB.
A package of two or three day games from the League Championship Series, the entire first-round (MLB’s divisional series) and the regular-season Saturday games of the week could then go elsewhere, with ESPN the most likely candidate.
CBS has also had preliminary discussions with MLB but is not a likely suitor given its strength in prime time.
Fox’s entertainment division is said to still covet the World Series, but it would be happy to jettison the first two rounds of the post-season.
Sports consultant and former CBS Sports President Neal Pilson says he does not expect Fox to carry any first-round games as part of a new deal: “It is too disruptive for their fall schedule, and Fox wants to pay less.”
Fox has enjoyed fourth-quarter success with programming, such as Prison Break, that appeals to its baseball audience. Its strategy of launching shows before the playoffs, then promoting them heavily throughout the playoffs, helped the network to a second straight season title in the adult 18-49 demo.
“All I care about is if [News Corp.] delivers it, I know how to work with it,” says Fox Entertainment President Peter Liguori. But some believe that Fox and baseball still need each other.
“Baseball is a challenge on network TV but still represents an opportunity for Fox,” says John Rash, senior VP for media-buying agency Campbell Mithun. “The economics of baseball lends itself to major-market series more often, which makes the entire package more palatable for the network.”
Another advantage to having baseball is that, with fewer weeks to program regular series in the fall, the network runs fewer repeats. Says Rash, “Viewers have become highly repeat-resistant.”
TV Notebook
'Deadwood' rides again
Milch, net agree on pair of specials for series finale
By Denise Martin Variety.com Sun., Jun. 4, 2006
"Deadwood" lives.
After a month of what seemed like public negotiating, HBO and "Deadwood" creator-exec producer David Milch have kissed and made up, as it were, agreeing to produce a pair of two-hour specials that will serve as the show's series finale.
While Milch's grisly Western had been presumed a goner last month after HBO announced it would not be renewing options on the large cast (Daily Variety, May 12), HBO said Sunday that the series and its fans would get closure in what amounts to a four-hour event.
HBO will have to renegotiate new deals -- now for a pair of two-hours as opposed to a full season -- with all of the players. Although no one is locked into continuing with "Deadwood," an HBO rep said the network was confident in reaching all the deals necessary to proceed with the show in its new incarnation.
No decisions had been made about a production start date or a premiere date.
Insiders say HBO was uncomfortable with the hefty costs of holding the actors over an indefinite amount of time now that Milch would be splitting his time between another season of "Deadwood" and his new surf noir pilot "John from Cincinnati," also set up at the pay network.
"Deadwood" rotated in at least 20 major characters during season two. In addition, each episode of "Deadwood" is said to cost around $5 million to produce and require 15-16 days of shooting -- a hefty tab even for HBO.
And although both Milch and HBO say the parties had always intended for the series to end after four seasons, economics at the cabler have changed. "The Sopranos," which begins production on its final episodes shortly, is more expensive than ever, while new series -- including the expensive $100 million first season of "Rome," a co-prod with the BBC, and "Big Love" -- haven't exactly ignited ratings or subscriptions.
For Milch, keeping "Deadwood" alive in some form saves him having to prematurely end the show or work with a truncated fourth season of six episodes, which HBO had initially offered (Daily Variety, June 2). He is said to have worked with the network over the weekend to give "Deadwood" a proper conclusion.
A shorter order was problematic for Milch because each episode in the first three seasons of "Deadwood" represented a single day, and he could not see how to wrap up the stories in just six days. By instead producing a pair of special event presentations, Milch will be able to write the finale using a different format and space of time.
"I am thrilled that we were able to figure out a way to continue," Milch said in a statement. "No one was ready to let go of the show, and I'm really glad we've found a way to proceed that works creatively."
Decision to continue also spares HBO brass criticism that they were prematurely pulling the plug on a series with both critical acclaim and a loyal following -- two elements that earned lauded but ratings-challenged crime drama "The Wire" a fourth season, due this fall.
TV Q&A
Ask Matt
(from the Ask Matt (Roush) column at TVGuide.com
By Matt Roush TVGuide.com TV Critic
Question: In your recent Dispatch, you said you didn't think American Idol would ever win the reality-competition-series Emmy. So which show do you think should and/or will win it for the just-completed season? Certainly Amazing Race should be eliminated from the possibility of defending its crown once again, if only as punishment for putting everyone through the Family Sedition... err, I mean Edition. Survivor is certainly long overdue, don't you think, even if for just remaining a viable option after so many outings? — Todd S.
Matt Roush: Good point about Survivor. I've always championed The Amazing Race as the most deserving in this category because of its great production values, and it's quite possible that the second cycle of the show this season, a return to form, could give it a third straight win.
But Survivor, which is also excellently photographed and edited, doesn't rest on its laurels, as the twists of the Survivor: Panama season proved. And I suppose the show shouldn't necessarily be penalized just because one team collapses, throwing the show off balance to where it becomes way too predictable for too long. (Who won this time around? Darned if I remember.) I'd still think Race or Survivor would be the most likely and deserving winners, depending on what else is nominated. For Idol to win would just be a reflection of its popularity, not for how well the show is actually produced (especially that dreadful finale).
________________________________________
Question: If the ratings are good for the Everwood finale, since that appears to be what Dawn Ostroff looks at the most, what do you think are the chances that it will get a last-minute reprieve? Even if it's only a 13-episode run as a mid-season replacement (because let's face it, WB and UPN hardly have an inspiring track record with new shows)? Recently Everwood pulled in a respectable number, given that it had no lead-in, minimal advertising and was up against two season finales in 24 and Alias. Surely the CW network can't ignore this: Ratings = money! (Even though it's managed to ignore the sublime quality of the writing and acting, money talks the most! Yes, I'm very bitter!) — Sarah
Matt Roush: Oh, believe me, you're not the only one. Just watching last week's episode, revolving around the sudden death of Irv (and his impact on many Everwoodsians), was heartbreaking not just because of the high overall poignancy of the hour itself but because of the separation anxiety it produced in its fans. But not being in the business of false hope here (and at the expense of sounding like I'm raining on the parade of those who are signing online petitions and the like), I have to say that unless there's a 13th-hour miracle (forget 11th hour — that ship has sailed), Everwood is history after tonight's two-hour finale, which at least they were able to fashion as a finale. (Quoting Nina from last week's episode: "You have to create some kind of closure when you can, because there are too many times in life when you don't get the chance." Prophetic, no?)
A lot of people have made the fair suggestion that CW could have ordered half-seasons of both 7th Heaven and Everwood for next season, splitting the time period, and thereby sparing us repeats of either and appeasing fans. If the numbers for tonight's finale spike as high as 7th Heaven's finale numbers (like that should be the criterion for renewing a series that was being promoted as being gone forever), who knows what CW will do? But as Michael Ausiello has reported, the show's creative personnel have moved on. And, reluctantly, so should we.
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Question: Bravo recently announced that Wednesday, July 12, will be the third-season premiere of Project Runway, meaning the finale will take place at New York Spring Fashion Week's event, which normally takes place in September. That means the finale will be shown in October, and just two months later the fourth season premieres for its traditional rollout for New York's Fall Fashion Week in February. Does this mean there will be two editions of PR every year? You've been asked questions on why this hasn't happened sooner, but now that it has happened, do you feel this will dilute or maybe even enhance the buzz factor for what has to be television's most addictive reality TV show over the past year? — Jason
Matt Roush: Before I get into this, let me say that if Project Runway trumped either Race or Survivor in the reality-competition category, I wouldn't mind. It's that good. But yes, it does look as if Bravo has ramped up production so there will be two cycles every calendar year (your math regarding the airdates and fashion weeks is better than mine). The more the merrier right now.
If UPN, now CW, can squeeze two editions of America's Next Top Model into a season, there should be room for two Runways in a year. I'm not sure cable, in particular Bravo, knows how to react to the notion of overexposure, but I'd like to think that Runway's buzz will only get stronger with more editions. If, that is, the quality of the competition and the contestants remains high. It's a fact about reality TV that we're still too new to all of this to predict with any certainty when a franchise will all of a sudden go cold. Hope it doesn't happen with this one for a long time. It's too much fun.
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Question: I am writing to you because I have faith (as much as I can in TV executives) that they read your columns because you have a lot of influence on viewers. I can only hope. Although I am crying tears of happiness that the CW executives found it in their (Grinch-like) hearts to renew Veronica Mars, I am disappointed to learn that Pepper Dennis will not be back. I don't believe they gave the show enough of a chance, putting it on WB (whose younger demographic probably didn't respond to it well) and on a night when so much else was going on.
I watched the show initially with skepticism because it looked like it was going to be just silly, but the characters and story lines grew on me, and Rebecca Romijn is unexpectedly fabulous in the role. I will be sorry to say goodbye to WEIE. Another one bites the dust. I hope all the wonderful actors (and writers!) on the show get another chance on a network that won't dump them without giving them a decent break. — Rebecca
Matt Roush: Looking purely at numbers, Veronica Mars' survival defies the gods. But Pepper Dennis' numbers are even worse, I believe. They're truly terrible. And WB, whatever its faults, promoted the heck out of this show all spring. The competition is fierce, but it had a mighty lead-in with the final episodes of the Gilmore Girls' season. And now that we're into heavy repeats, the numbers aren't budging.
There just wasn't much of an appetite for this Ally McBeal-ish show, which I agree wasn't nearly as bad as I feared. Even if WB had survived into the fall, I doubt Pepper would have been given a second chance. Same goes for Related, which I still get questions about. Neither show even opened.