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fredfa

08-24-06, 12:58 PM

TV Notebook
Laughing matters
New sitcoms on both sides of the laugh track divide
By Alan Sepinwall Newark Star-Ledger

Laugh tracks: threat, menace or godsend?

In the beginning, there was "The Hank McCune Show," an NBC sitcom that lasted all of three months in the fall of 1950. McCune is long forgotten, but his show's chief innovation -- canned laughter designed to cue viewers at home to feel amused -- has been burned onto the DVD-R of our collective pop culture consciousness. With the success the next fall of "I Love Lucy" and its live studio audience, laughter has become an indelible part of TV's soundtrack, whether produced by actual humans or by machines.

And for nearly 50 years, the price of doing business in TV comedy was having to feed the laugh track monster, writing jokes designed to produce laughs every 10 or 15 seconds, if not faster. Occasionally, networks tried laugh-track-free comedies like "Hooperman" and "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd," but their failure only reinforced the belief that TV audiences wanted to be told when to laugh.

Then came January of 2000 and the premiere of Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle," which became a mega-hit while violating that cardinal sitcom rule. It was shot in what's called single-camera style (on film, no audience laughter, lots of location shooting), as opposed to the traditional three-camera sitcom format (on video in front of a studio audience), but it was so funny that viewers didn't need to be told it was.

The success of "Malcolm" opened the doors for shows like "Scrubs," "The Bernie Mac Show," "My Name Is Earl" and "The Office," none of which would have gotten the time of day at a network a year or two earlier -- at least, not without radical format changes that would have robbed them of everything that made them unique.

"Malcolm" went off the air in May, and the fall season features an odd schism between the big four networks: All of ABC's comedies and most of NBC's are single-camera, while CBS and Fox are only airing traditional multi-camera laugh track sitcoms.

"We didn't make a decision on style," insists ABC president Steve McPherson, even though his network used to rely on laugh tracks exclusively. "We didn't say we don't want to do comedies with laugh tracks, we don't want to do multi-cameras. We certainly went out there and said we want to break the mold. We feel like the same old/same old is not working, so the traditional three-camera, couch-in-the-middle sitcom just didn't seem to be breaking out at all."

CBS' reliance on the familiar form isn't a surprise, since it's worked for them for so long. In the past decade, the network has tried a handful of single-camera sitcoms ("Grapevine," "Danny," both short-lived), but its big successes have been Nick at Nite-ready shows like "Everybody Loves Raymond."

"Success breed success in a way," says Wendi Trilling, CBS' executive vice president of comedy development. "We're the ones who are succeeding with multi-camera comedies, so people who have multi-camera comedies to pitch tend to come to us... Every time one (of the multi-camera shows) doesn't succeed, it makes it harder for us to get pitches for them."

What's unusual is to see Fox -- which, after "Malcolm," went gung-ho into the single-camera business -- airing so many multi-camera shows, one of them, " 'Til Death," starring "Raymond" Emmy winner Brad Garrett.

"I love the medium of the sitcom," says Garrett. "To me there's nothing like theater. And if a sitcom is done right, it's really a different play every week. And I love a studio audience. I feed off of that. It gives us an immediate way to get an idea of the scene we're in. Many times we'll have a second take or a third take, which will be judged right then and there by how the audience just reacted to the last scene."

"Even though a studio audience is fairly amped up by the warm-up man and they are under obligation to laugh hysterically, you won't believe their laughter unless it's funny," says John Lithgow, star of "20 Good Years," NBC's lone multi-camera comedy. In one scene in the pilot, he removes his coat to reveal a pasty middle-aged body covered in nothing but a Speedo, and "when I take off that trench coat, that squeal of laughter was completely authentic."

On the flip side, "The beauty of single-camera is you can find some more subtleties," according to Wendie Malick, co-star of ABC's single-camera rookie "Big Day" and a veteran of comedies in both formats ("Just Shoot Me," "Dream On"). "It gives you a little more room to breathe a few more subtle moments into it. Obviously, the great thing about having an audience is they just raise the whole energy level and you're kind of doing that hybrid of theater and film, which was great fun. But this one -- this gives you a chance to kind of also land and have some moments that are much trickier to do in front of an audience. It's a lot more intimate."

Sometimes, Lithgow argues, single-camera shows can get too subtle.

"My sense is a couple of extremely innovative shows came along, single-camera with no laugh track. People thought, 'This is sensational.' (And now) it's not new. It gradually became the norm. And to my mind, the only danger of that is that there's less and less absolute obligation to be funny. Before you know it, you don't have the rigor of three-camera studio audience comedy."

Jennifer Konner, co-creator of ABC's single-camera "Help Me Help You," tries to fight that mentality, noting the words of her mentor, Judd Apatow: "He used to always say in single-camera, if a joke doesn't work, then it's the dramatic moment."

Still, the kinds of jokes are different. With single-camera you can do more visual humor, more physical humor, humor that doesn't rely on punchlines at all. As Peter Tolan, co-creator of ABC's short-lived single-camera comedy "The Job" (and now co-creator of "Rescue Me") puts it on that show's DVD set, traditional three-camera shows feel "like they're written in a foreign language, which now everybody knows. And they're bored, because they've heard the joke setups. Anybody can identify a joke setup now based on what they've heard in sitcoms."

On a more specific level, "You're limited by sets when do you three-camera," says Ted Danson, a three-camera legend from "Cheers" who's now playing a shrink in ABC's "Help Me Help You." "You end up talking a lot about that funny thing that happened to you on your way to the office, whereas now, you get to see it. And that -- to me, that's much more fun to see the funny thing happening instead of hearing about it."

While there have been single-camera successes like "Malcolm" and "Earl" in the past few years, there have been more failures ("Arrested Development," in spite of awards and critical raves, was on ratings life support its entire run). Given that, is someone like McPherson worried about putting all his eggs in the single-camera basket?

"The traditional laugh track comedies have not been popular (lately) either, so I think comedy is risky in general right now because it's kind of broken, and I think that's a great thing," McPherson says. "You know, five years ago people said drama was dead, and now I think it's the golden age of drama in broadcast television, and cable, too. So I think it's a risky time, but that's a good time. People are taking chances, you know, just like when we were kind of down and out and took chances with serialized shows. I think it's a time where you need to take chances to hopefully find the next thing that breaks out."

But for someone like CBS' Trilling, format is almost besides the point.

"I think it just has to be funny," she says. "I don't think people come to shows and say, 'I want to watch something that was shot outside and doesn't have a laugh track.' They want to be entertained."

http://www.nj.com/columns/ledger/sepinwall/index.ssf?/base/columns-0/1156310047169680.xml&coll=1

bphisig

08-24-06, 01:09 PM

TV should be about is what you enjoy. Who cares what others think? (Except, of course, if they are Nielsen families and they don't like your favorites.)

But in this particular case, it looks like you are in the minority. Lucky Louie's numbers have been very low and the critics have savaged it. Anything is possible, of course, but I wouldn't expect it to be back for another season.
The only reason I hope other people watch shows I like are for this exact reason. In this case, I guess we've seen the last of Lucky Louie. Finale airs Sunday!

ChrisHman

08-24-06, 02:31 PM

Laughing matters New sitcoms on both sides of the laugh track divide
By Alan Sepinwall Newark Star-Ledger

....Then came January of 2000 and the premiere of Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle," which became a mega-hit while violating that cardinal sitcom rule. It was shot in what's called single-camera style (on film, no audience laughter, lots of location shooting), as opposed to the traditional three-camera sitcom format (on video in front of a studio audience), but it was so funny that viewers didn't need to be told it was.

I always was impressed with how Sports Night, in 1998, started off w/ the laugh track and slowly started using it less as season 1 went on. By the time season 2 came about it was gone completely. Perhaps not the first to try such a stunt but one that really comes across clearly when watching the series on DVD.

fredfa

08-24-06, 02:33 PM

I agree, ChrisHman.

(And welcome to the thread -- post often!)

fredfa

08-24-06, 02:36 PM

TV Notebook
EchoStar, Warner Bros. Ink VOD Pact
Multichannel News 8/24/2006

EchoStar Communications’ Dish Network direct-broadcast satellite service will carry Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group’s current and catalog titles via video-on-demand and pay-per-view, including in HD, under terms of an agreement announced Thursday.

“Warner Bros. is a great addition to both Dish On Demand and pay-per-view," EchoStar vice president of programming Susan Arnold said in a prepared statement. "Hit movies such as V for Vendetta greatly enhance the variety of movie titles available to our customers."

http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleid=CA6365620

fredfa

08-24-06, 02:40 PM

TV Notebook
Nightline, up from the ashes
By Aaron Barnhart Kansas City Star in his blog “TV Barn” Thursday, August 24, 2006

"ABC News Nightline," the show many crix gave up for dead after Ted Koppel's departure, has beaten "Late Show With David Letterman" three weeks in a row -- most impressively this past week, when Dave was not in reruns.

Not only that, it beat Letterman by a hair in the demo as well. Also on the jump, (go to the link listed at the bottom) I've attached season-to-date averages for all the late nights and selected cable, courtesy of NBC.

(ABC Press Release)

“NIGHTLINE” BEATS CBS’ “LETTERMAN” FOR THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE WEEK

FIRST TIME “NIGHTLINE” BEATS “LETTERMAN” FOR THREE STRAIGHT WEEKS SINCE MAY 2003

“NIGHTLINE” INCREASES 17% IN TOTAL VIEWERS COMPARED TO SAME WEEK A YEAR AGO

According to Nielsen Media Research for the week of August 14, 2006, ABC News “Nightline” outperformed CBS “Late Night with David Letterman” in both Total Viewers and the key Adults 25-54 demographic for the third consecutive week. The last time “Nightline” beat “Letterman” three weeks in a row was May 2003. This is also the fifth time this season “Nightline” outperformed “Letterman.” “Letterman" aired original programming last week.

In Total Viewers, “Nightline” posted 3.71 million viewers, the program’s highest delivery since April 10, 2006 and a significant 17% growth compared to the same week a year ago. In comparison, CBS’s “Letterman” posted 3.56 million viewers while “NBC’s “The Tonight Show” posted 4.52 million viewers.

Among Adults 25-54, “Nightline” again outperformed “Letterman,” posting 1.75 million viewers (1.4 demo rating). This is “Nightline’s” highest delivery in the key demo since June 19, 2006 and a 7% growth compared to the same week last year. “Letterman” posted 1.70 million viewers (1.4 demo rating) while NBC’s “The Tonight Show” posted 2.13 million viewers (1.7 demo rating).

ABC News “Nightline” is anchored by Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran, and Martin Bashir. James Goldston is the executive producer.

(Week of August 14, 2006)

TOTAL VIEWERS A25-54 (000)/ Rtg
ABC “Nightline” 3,710,000 1,750,000/ 1.4
CBS “Late Show” 3,560,000 1,700,000/ 1.4
NBC “Tonight” 4,520,000 2,130,000/ 1.7

Source: NTI and NSI

http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/2006/08/nightline_up_fr.html#more

fredfa

08-24-06, 02:51 PM

TV Notebook
HD Theater Boosts Slate
Nine Discovery Networks Programs Receiving Upgrade
By James Hibberd in TV Week’s HD Newsletter Thursday, August 24, 2006

Discovery HD Theater is about to get a major programming boost with several popular series from across the Discovery Networks spectrum being upgraded to high definition.

Discovery has tapped nine programs, including Animal Planet's breakout hit "Meerkat Manor" and Travel Channel's "No Reservations With Anthony Bourdain," to receive HD upgrades and premiere on HD Theater next year.

Contracts are still being negotiated with producers and the list could change, but the slate would go a long way toward giving fans of the 4-year-old hi-def network a greater selection of programming. Aside from "American Chopper," most HD Theater content tends toward documentary specials rather than ongoing series.

The other upgraded shows are Travel Channel's "1000 Places to See Before You Die," "Bizarre Foods" and "Tribal Life"; and Discovery Channel's "I Shouldn't Be Alive" and "Extreme Engineering." In addition, a pair of Travel Channel miniseries, "Into Alaska" and "Into the Kombai Tribe," are slated to be shot in HD.

Discovery HD plans to televise the new shows as near-simulcast, running within 24 to 48 hours of their standard-definition premiere. Occasionally the network will also run a true simulcast—the channel's upcoming 30 globetrotting two-hour "Atlas" specials, for example.

• • • • • • • • • • •

To read the entire story (plus see Hibberd’s chart of information supplied by me regarding this season’s HD production by each network), sign up for weekly email delivery of the HD Newsletter at:
http://www.tvweek.com/page.cms?pageId=117

or see the chart here:
http://www.tvweek.com/page.cms?pageId=253

harley1

08-24-06, 03:24 PM

fredfa

Any ratings numbers for the Spike Lee/ Katrina Documentary on HBO ?

taz291819

08-24-06, 03:34 PM

Damn, MythBusters wasn't one of them.

fredfa

08-24-06, 04:06 PM

fredfa

Any ratings numbers for the Spike Lee/ Katrina Documentary on HBO ?

I haven't seen anything yet, harley1.

I am keeping my eyes open, but premium numbers usually taker a little longer to get.

fredfa

08-24-06, 04:10 PM

TV Notebook
The CW Stations
As of August 24
Market Call Letters/ Owner Last
Rank Market CW Updated
164 Abilene-Sweetwater, TX KTXS-DT/Bluestone 4/25/2006
147 Albany, GA 3/31/2006
55 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY WEWB/ Tribune 3/10/2006
46 Albuquerque-Santa Fe, NM KWBQ/ Acme 3/15/2006
176 Alexandria, LA KBCA/Dimension 3/17/2006
131 Amarillo, TX KVII-DT/Barrington 3/31/2006
155 Anchorage, AK KIMO-DT/Smith Media 5/2/2006
9 Atlanta, GA WUPA/ CBS 5/16/2006
115 Augusta, GA WAGT-DT/Schurz 3/31/2006
53 Austin, TX KNVA/LIN 4/27/2006
128 Bakersfield, CA 6/15/2006
24 Baltimore, MD WNUV/Sinclair 5/2/2006
151 Bangor, ME WABI/Diversified 5/19/2006
96 Baton Rouge, LA 2/28/2006
96 Baton Rouge, LA WBRL/ Communications Corp. 3/9/2006
140 Beaumont-Port Arthur KFDM-TV/Freedom 6/15/2006
196 Bend, OR KTVZ-DT/News-Press & Gazette 3/17/2006
171 Billings KTVQ-DT/Cordillera 4/25/2006
156 Binghamton, NY WBNG-DT/Television Station Group 5/2/2006
40 Birmingham (Anniston and Tuscaloosa), AL WTTO & WDBB/Sinclair 5/2/2006
149 Bluefield-Beckley-Oak Hill WVVA-DT/Quincy Newspapers 3/29/2006
119 Boise, ID KNIN/Banks 3/29/2006
5 Boston, MA (Manchester, NH) WLVI/ Tribune 7/24/2006
183 Bowling Green WBKO-DT/Gray 3/29/2006
49 Buffalo, NY WNLO/LIN 4/18/2006
90 Burlington, VT-Plattsburgh, NY 5/19/2006
193 Butte-Bozeman, MT KXLF-DT/Cordillera 8/24/2006
198 Casper-Riverton, WY 2/28/2006
198 Casper-Riverton, WY KWYF/Wyomedia 4/11/2006
88 Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & Dubuque, IA KWKB/KM Communications 5/2/2006
82 Champaign & Springfield-Decatur, IL WBUI/ Acme 3/31/2006
101 Charleston, SC WCBD-DT/Media General 3/29/2006
64 Charleston-Huntington, WV WHCP/ Commonwealth 3/31/2006
27 Charlotte, NC WJZY/ Capitol 3/8/2006
186 Charlottesville WVIR/Waterman 5/19/2006
86 Chattanooga, TN WFLI/ Meredith 5/2/2006
195 Cheyenne, WY-Scottsbluff, NE 2/28/2006
3 Chicago, IL WGN/ Tribune 2/28/2006
130 Chico-Redding, CA KHSL-DT/Catamount 3/31/2006
34 Cincinnati, OH WKRC-DT/Clear Channel 4/19/2006
16 Cleveland-Akron (Canton), OH WBNX/ Winston 3/8/2006
93 Colorado Springs-Pueblo, CO KXTU/Raycom 6/15/2006
83 Columbia, SC 2/28/2006
83 Columbia, SC WZRB/Roberts 3/31/2006
138 Columbia-Jefferson City, MO KOMU-DT/Missouri U. 4/18/2006
127 Columbus, GA WLGA/Pappas 3/17/2006
32 Columbus, OH WWHO/LIN 7/13/2006
132 Columbus-Tupelo-West Point 3/22/2006
129 Corpus Christi, TX KRIS-DT/Cordillera 4/25/2006
7 Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX KDAF/ Tribune 2/28/2006
95 Davenport, IA-Rock Island-Moline, IL KGWB/Grant 3/29/2006
59 Dayton, OH WBDT/ Acme 8/24/2006
18 Denver, CO KWGN/ Tribune 7/13/2006
73 Des Moines-Ames, IA KPWB/Pappas 4/18/2006
11 Detroit, MI WKBD/ CBS 3/22/2006
172 Dothan, AL WTVY-DT/Gray 3/31/2006
137 Duluth-Superior KDLH-DT/ Malara 4/11/2006
99 El Paso, TX KVIA-DT/ News-Press & Gazette 4/18/2006
173 Elmira, NY WENY/Lilly 5/19/2006
142 Erie WSEE/Lilly 5/19/2006
121 Eugene, OR KMTR/Clear Channel 5/19/2006
194 Eureka KVIQ-DT/ Sainte Partners 4/11/2006
100 Evansville, IN 2/28/2006
100 Evansville, IN WAZE/South Central 3/17/2006
203 Fairbanks KATN/Smih Media 5/19/2006
. Fargo-Valley City 5/19/2006
65 Flint-Saginaw-Bay City WBSF/Barrington 5/5/2006
56 Fresno-Visalia, CA KFRE/Pappas 3/31/2006
66 Ft. Myers-Naples, Fl 6/15/2006
66 Ft. Myers-Naples, Fl WTVK/ Acme 3/9/2006
104 Ft. Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR 3/31/2006
106 Ft. Wayne WISE/Granite 4/11/2006
162 Gainesville WCJB-DT/Diversified 5/2/2006
210 Glendive, MT 2/28/2006
187 Grand Junction-Montrose KKCO-DT/Gray 4/18/2006
39 Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, MI WWMT-DT/Freedom 4/27/2006
189 Great Falls KRTV-DT/Cordillera 8/24/2006
69 Green Bay-Appleton, WI WIWB/ Acme 3/22/2006
47 Greensboro-High Point-Winston Salem, NC WCWG/Pappas 3/17/2006
105 Greenville-N.Bern-Washngtn WNCT-DT/Media General 4/18/2006
35 Greenville-Spartanburg, SC-Asheville, NC-Anderson,SC WASV/Media General 3/29/2006
92 Harlingen-Weslaco-Brownsville-McAllen, TX 6/15/2006
41 Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York, PA WLYH/Clear Channel 7/13/2006
181 Harrisonburg WVIR/Waterman 4/11/2006
28 Hartford & New Haven, CT WTXX/ Tribune 4/27/2006
206 Helena KMTF/Rocky Mountain 3/29/2006
72 Honolulu, HI 3/8/2006
10 Houston, TX KHWB/ Tribune 2/28/2006
84 Huntsville-Decatur (Florence), AL 2/28/2006
84 Huntsville-Decatur (Florence), AL WHDF/Lockwood 4/18/2006
163 Idaho Falls-Pocatello KPIF/KM Communications 3/29/2006
25 Indianapolis, IN WTTK & WTTV/ Tribune 4/27/2006
89 Jackson, MS 2/28/2006
89 Jackson, MS WRBJ/Roberts 3/21/2006
52 Jacksonville, FL WJWB/Media General 7/13/2006
207 Juneau, AK KJUD-DT/Smith Media 5/2/2006
31 Kansas City, MO KCWE/ KCWE Inc. 3/10/2006
58 Knoxville, TN WBXX/ Acme 3/31/2006
123 LaCrosse-Eau Claire, WI WXOW-DT & WQOW-DT/Quincy Newspapers 3/29/2006
124 Lafayette, LA KLWB/Dimension 3/17/2006
110 Lansing, MI WLAJ-DT/Freedom 4/5/2006
48 Las Vegas, NV KFBT/Sinclair 5/2/2006
63 Lexington (& Hazard), KY WKYT-DT & WYMT-DT/ Gray 3/31/2006
185 Lima, OH WLIO-DT/Block 5/19/2006
103 Lincoln & Hastings-Kearney, NE KWBL/Pappas (cable) 5/19/2006
57 Little Rock-Pine Bluff, AR KASN/Clear Channel 4/19/2006
2 Los Angeles, CA KTLA/ Tribune 2/28/2006
50 Louisville, KY WBKI/ Cascade 3/15/2006
146 Lubbock, TX KWBZ/Woods 5/19/2006
120 Macon, GA WBMN/Cox 5/19/2006
85 Madison, WI WBUW/ Acme 3/10/2006
180 Marquette, MI 3/31/2006
141 Medford-Klamath Falls KTVL-DT/Freedom 4/5/2006
44 Memphis, TN WLMT/Clear Channel 6/22/2006
184 Meridian WTOK-DT/Gray 3/31/2006
17 Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL WBZL/ Tribune 7/13/2006
33 Milwaukee, WI WVTV/Sinclair 5/2/2006
15 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN KMWB/Sinclair 5/2/2006
168 Missoula, MT KPAX-DT/Cordillera 8/24/2006
62 Mobile, AL-Pensacola (Ft. Walton Beach), FL WBPG/LIN 4/18/2006
116 Montgomery-Selma, AL 3/31/2006
135 Monroe-El Dorado 5/2/2006
125 Monterey-Salinas 6/15/2006
107 Myrtle Beach-Florence, SC WWMB/Sagamore Hill 5/19/2006
30 Nashville, TN WNAB/Sinclair 5/2/2006
43 New Orleans, LA WNOL/ Tribune 7/13/2006
1 New York, NY WPIX/ Tribune 2/28/2006
42 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA WGNT/ CBS 3/3/2006
209 North Platte, NE KWPL/Pappas (cable) 3/17/2006
159 Odessa-Midland, TX KWWT/Camino 3/29/2006
45 Oklahoma City, OK KOCB/Sinclair 8/24/2006
75 Omaha, NE KXVO/Pappas 5/17/2006
20 Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, FL WKCF/ Emmis 3/2/2006
80 Paducah, KY-Cape Girardeau, MO-Harrisburg, IL WQWQ/Raycom 4/11/2006
153 Palm Springs, CA KESQ-DT/News-Press & Gazette 3/17/2006
157 Panama City WJHG-DT/Gray 3/31/2006
190 Parkersburg 3/31/2006
117 Peoria-Bloomington, IL WHOI-DT/Barrington 3/29/2006
4 Philadelphia, PA WPSG/ CBS 5/16/2006
14 Phoenix, AZ KASW/ Belo 3/9/2006
22 Pittsburgh, PA WNPA/ CBS 3/3/2006
23 Portland, OR KWBP/ Tribune 3/10/2006
74 Portland-Auburn, ME WPXT/ Pegasus 5/2/2006
51 Providence, RI-New Bedford, MA WLWC/ CBS 8/24/2006
999 Puerto Rico 2/28/2006
169 Quincy-Hannibal-Keokuk WGEM-DT/Quincy Newspapers 3/29/2006
29 Raleigh-Durham (Fayetteville), NC WLFL/Sinclair 5/2/2006
177 Rapid City, SD KWBH/Rapid 3/22/2006
112 Reno, NV KREN/Pappas 3/22/2006
60 Richmond-Petersburg, VA WUPV/Lockwood 5/19/2006
68 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA WBVA/Grant 5/2/2006
152 Rochester, MN-Mason City, IA-Austin, MN KTTC-DT/Quincy Newspapers 3/29/2006
79 Rochester, NY WRWB/ Rochester Television 3/22/2006
133 Rockford, IL WREX-DT/Quincy Newspapers 3/31/2006
19 Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, CA KMAX/ CBS 6/29/2006
148 Salisbury, MD WMDT-DT/Delmarva 3/29/2006
36 Salt Lake City, UT KUWB/Clear Channel 5/5/2006
37 San Antonio, TX KBEJ/Corridor 3/29/2006
26 San Diego, CA KSWB/ Tribune 3/22/2006
6 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA KBCW/ CBS 3/16/2006
San Juan, Puerto Rico WSJP/Storefront 3/17/2006
122 SantaBarbra-SanMar-SanLuOb KSBY-DT/Cordillera 6/15/2006
97 Savannah, GA WGSA/WGSA Inc. 5/2/2006
13 Seattle-Tacoma, WA KSTW/ CBS 5/16/2006
161 Sherman, TX-Ada, OK KTEN-DT/Lockwood 4/5/2006
81 Shreveport, LA 2/28/2006
81 Shreveport, LA KPXJ/ Minden Television 3/15/2006
143 Sioux City KTIV-DT/Quincy Newspapers 4/18/2006
114 Sioux Falls (Mitchell), SD KWSD (& KWSD-DT)/ Rapid 3/28/2006
87 South Bend-Elkhart, IN WMWB/ Weigel 3/15/2006
78 Spokane, WA 5/5/2006
78 Spokane, WA KSKN/Belo 4/11/2006
77 Springfield, MO KCZ /Schurz 5/19/2006
201 St. Joseph, MO WBJO/News-Press & Gazette (Cablevision) 3/17/2006
21 St. Louis, MO KPLR/ Tribune 3/10/2006
76 Syracuse, NY WSTQ/Raycom 3/29/2006
109 Tallahassee, FL-Thomasville, GA WTLH-DT/Pegasus 4/25/2006
12 Tampa-St. Petersburg (Sarasota), FL WTOG/ CBS 3/3/2006
150 Terre Haute, IN 2/28/2006
70 Toledo, OH WTO5 (Cable)/Block 8/24/2006
136 Topeka KSNT/Montecieto 4/11/2006
113 Traverse City-Cadillac, MI 2/28/2006
91 Tri-Cities, TN-VA WB4 (Cable + DT)/BlueStone 3/31/2006
71 Tucson (Sierra Vista), AZ KWBA/Cascade 3/27/2006
61 Tulsa, OK KWBT/Griffin 6/15/2006
192 Twin Falls, ID 2/28/2006
111 Tyler-Longview(Lufkin & Nacogdoches), TX KCEB/Dimension 3/17/2006
166 Utica WKTV-DT/Smith Media 4/25/2006
205 Victoria, TX 5/2/2006
94 Waco-Temple-Bryan, TX KWTX-DT & KBTX-DT/Gray 3/21/2006
8 Washington, DC (Hagerstown, MD) WBDC/ Tribune 2/28/2006
178 Watertown, NY WWTI /Clear Channel 5/19/2006
134 Wausau-Rhinelander WAOW-DT & WYOW-DT/Quincy Newspapers 3/31/2006
38 West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce, FL WTVX/ CBS 7/13/2006
144 Wichita Falls, TX-Lawton, OK KAUZ-DT/ Hoak 4/11/2006
67 Wichita-Hutchinson, KS Plus 6/15/2006
67 Wichita-Hutchinson, KS Plus KWCV/Banks 3/17/2006
54 Wilkes Barre-Scranton, PA WSWB-DT/KB Prime 5/2/2006
139 Wilmington 5/5/2006
126 Yakima-Pasco-Rchlnd-Knnwck KAZW-DT/Pappas 5/19/2006
102 Youngstown, OH WBCB-TV/ Vindicator 6/15/2006
170 Yuma-El Centro, AZ KWUB/Pappas (cable) 3/17/2006
MyNetworkTV Stations
As of August 24
Market MyNetworkTV Call Letters/ Owner Last
Rank Market My Network TV Updated
164 Abilene-Sweetwater, TX KIDZ/Sage 4/25/2006
147 Albany, GA WSWG-WSWG-DT/Gray 3/31/2006
55 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY WNYA/ Venture Technologies 3/10/2006
46 Albuquerque-Santa Fe, NM KASY/Acme 3/15/2006
176 Alexandria, LA WNTZ/White Knight 3/17/2006
131 Amarillo, TX KCPN/Mission 3/31/2006
155 Anchorage, AK KYES/Fireweed 5/2/2006
9 Atlanta, GA WATL/Tribune 5/16/2006
115 Augusta, GA WRDW-DT/Gray 3/31/2006
53 Austin, TX KNVA/LIN 4/27/2006
128 Bakersfield, CA KUVI/KUVI License Partnership 6/15/2006
24 Baltimore, MD WUTB/ Fox 5/2/2006
151 Bangor, ME 5/19/2006
96 Baton Rouge, LA 2/28/2006
96 Baton Rouge, LA WBXH-LP/ Raycom 3/9/2006
140 Beaumont-Port Arthur KEBQ/MBC 1 6/15/2006
196 Bend, OR 3/17/2006
171 Billings 4/25/2006
156 Binghamton, NY WBPN/Stainless 5/2/2006
40 Birmingham (Anniston and Tuscaloosa), AL WABM/ Sinclair 5/2/2006
149 Bluefield-Beckley-Oak Hill 3/29/2006
119 Boise, ID 3/29/2006
5 Boston, MA (Manchester, NH) WZMY/Shooting Star 7/24/2006
183 Bowling Green 3/29/2006
49 Buffalo, NY WNYO/ Sinclair 4/18/2006
90 Burlington, VT-Plattsburgh, NY WGMU-CA/Newmont 5/19/2006
193 Butte-Bozeman, MT KBTZ/Montana Broadcast 8/24/2006
198 Casper-Riverton, WY 2/28/2006
198 Casper-Riverton, WY 4/11/2006
88 Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & Dubuque, IA KWKB/KM Television 5/2/2006
82 Champaign & Springfield-Decatur, IL WCFN/Nexstar 3/31/2006
101 Charleston, SC WMMP/ Sinclair 3/29/2006
64 Charleston-Huntington, WV WSAZ-DT/Gray 3/31/2006
27 Charlotte, NC WWWB/ Capitol 3/8/2006
186 Charlottesville WAHU-DT/Gray 5/19/2006
86 Chattanooga, TN WDSI-DT2/Pegasus 5/2/2006
195 Cheyenne, WY-Scottsbluff, NE 2/28/2006
3 Chicago, IL WPWR/ Fox 2/28/2006
130 Chico-Redding, CA KRVU/St. Partners II 3/31/2006
34 Cincinnati, OH WSTR/ Sinclair 4/19/2006
16 Cleveland-Akron (Canton), OH WUAB/ Raycom Media 3/8/2006
93 Colorado Springs-Pueblo, CO KKTV-DT/Gray 6/15/2006
83 Columbia, SC 2/28/2006
83 Columbia, SC WBHQ/WBHQ Inc 3/31/2006
138 Columbia-Jefferson City, MO KZOU/JW Broadcasting 4/18/2006
127 Columbus, GA 3/17/2006
32 Columbus, OH WSYX-DT/Sinclair 7/13/2006
132 Columbus-Tupelo-West Point WCBI-DT/Columbus TV 3/22/2006
129 Corpus Christi, TX KTOV/GH Broadcasting 4/25/2006
7 Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX KDFI/ Fox 2/28/2006
95 Davenport, IA-Rock Island-Moline, IL WBQD/Four Seasons 3/29/2006
59 Dayton, OH WRGT-DT2/Sinclair 8/24/2006
18 Denver, CO KTVD/Multimedia 7/13/2006
73 Des Moines-Ames, IA KDMI-DT/Pappas 4/18/2006
11 Detroit, MI WDWB/Granite 3/22/2006
172 Dothan, AL WTVY-DT/Gray 3/31/2006
137 Duluth-Superior KBJR-DT/Granite 4/11/2006
99 El Paso, TX KDBC-DT/Pappas 4/18/2006
173 Elmira, NY WJKP/Vision 5/19/2006
142 Erie 5/19/2006
121 Eugene, OR KEVU/California Oregon Broadcasting 5/19/2006
194 Eureka KUVU/St. Partners II 4/11/2006
100 Evansville, IN 2/28/2006
100 Evansville, IN WTSN-WEVV/Communications Corp. 3/17/2006
203 Fairbanks 5/19/2006
. Fargo-Valley City KCPM/G.I.G. of ND 5/19/2006
65 Flint-Saginaw-Bay City WNEM-DT/Meredith 5/5/2006
56 Fresno-Visalia, CA KAIL/Trans-America 3/31/2006
66 Ft. Myers-Naples, Fl WNFM/Comcast 6/15/2006
66 Ft. Myers-Naples, Fl 3/9/2006
104 Ft. Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR KFDF/Equity 3/31/2006
106 Ft. Wayne WISE-DT/Granite 4/11/2006
162 Gainesville WGFL-DT2/WLCF/Pegasus 5/2/2006
210 Glendive, MT 2/28/2006
187 Grand Junction-Montrose KGJT/Hoak 4/18/2006
39 Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, MI WXSP/LIN 4/27/2006
189 Great Falls KLMN/Montana Broadcast 8/24/2006
69 Green Bay-Appleton, WI WACY/Journal 3/22/2006
47 Greensboro-High Point-Winston Salem, NC WMYV/ Sinclair 3/17/2006
105 Greenville-N.Bern-Washngtn WFXI/Piedmont 4/18/2006
35 Greenville-Spartanburg, SC-Asheville, NC-Anderson,SC WBSC/ Sinclair 3/29/2006
92 Harlingen-Weslaco-Brownsville-McAllen, TX XHRIO/Entravision 6/15/2006
41 Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York, PA WHP-DT/Clear Channel 7/13/2006
181 Harrisonburg WHSV-DT/Gray 4/11/2006
28 Hartford & New Haven, CT WCTX/LIN 4/27/2006
206 Helena 3/29/2006
72 Honolulu, HI KFVE/ Raycom Media 3/8/2006
10 Houston, TX KTXH/ Fox 2/28/2006
84 Huntsville-Decatur (Florence), AL 2/28/2006
84 Huntsville-Decatur (Florence), AL WZDX/Huntsville TV Corp. 4/18/2006
163 Idaho Falls-Pocatello 3/29/2006
25 Indianapolis, IN WNDY/LIN 4/27/2006
89 Jackson, MS 2/28/2006
89 Jackson, MS WUFX/Mississippi TV 3/21/2006
52 Jacksonville, FL WAWS-DT/Clear Channel 7/13/2006
207 Juneau, AK K17HC/Fireweed 5/2/2006
31 Kansas City, MO KSMO/ Meredith 3/10/2006
58 Knoxville, TN WVLT-DT/Gray 3/31/2006
123 LaCrosse-Eau Claire, WI WKBT/ QueenB 3/29/2006
124 Lafayette, LA KLAF-KADN/Communications Corp. 3/17/2006
110 Lansing, MI WHTV/Spartan 4/5/2006
48 Las Vegas, NV KVWB/ Sinclair 5/2/2006
63 Lexington (& Hazard), KY WBLU/Powley 3/31/2006
185 Lima, OH WOHL/TV67 Inc. 5/19/2006
103 Lincoln & Hastings-Kearney, NE KOLN-DT/KGIN-DT/Gray 5/19/2006
57 Little Rock-Pine Bluff, AR KWBF/Equity 4/19/2006
2 Los Angeles, CA KCOP/ Fox 2/28/2006
50 Louisville, KY WFTE/Independence 3/15/2006
146 Lubbock, TX KUPT/Ramar 5/19/2006
120 Macon, GA WGXA-DT/Piedmont 5/19/2006
85 Madison, WI WISC/ Madison 3/10/2006
180 Marquette, MI WMQF/Equity 3/31/2006
141 Medford-Klamath Falls KFBI/St. Partners II 4/5/2006
44 Memphis, TN WPXX/Ion 6/22/2006
184 Meridian WTOK-WTOK-DT/Gray 3/31/2006
17 Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL WBFS/CBS 7/13/2006
33 Milwaukee, WI WCGV/ Sinclair 5/2/2006
15 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN WFTC/ Fox 5/2/2006
168 Missoula, MT KMMF/Montana Broadcast 8/24/2006
62 Mobile, AL-Pensacola (Ft. Walton Beach), FL WFGX/ Sinclair 4/18/2006
116 Montgomery-Selma, AL WRJM/Josie Park 3/31/2006
135 Monroe-El Dorado KEJB/KM Television 5/2/2006
125 Monterey-Salinas KOTR/Mirage 6/15/2006
107 Myrtle Beach-Florence, SC WBTW-DT/Media General 5/19/2006
30 Nashville, TN WUXP/ Sinclair 5/2/2006
43 New Orleans, LA WUPL/CBS 7/13/2006
1 New York, NY WWOR/ Fox 2/28/2006
42 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA WTVZ/ Sinclair 3/3/2006
209 North Platte, NE 3/17/2006
159 Odessa-Midland, TX NOSA-DT/ICA Broadcasting 3/29/2006
45 Oklahoma City, OK KAUT & KAUT-DT/NY Times Co. 8/24/2006
75 Omaha, NE KKAZ-KPTM-DT/Pappas 5/17/2006
20 Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, FL WRBW/ Fox 3/2/2006
80 Paducah, KY-Cape Girardeau, MO-Harrisburg, IL WDKA/ Sinclair 4/11/2006
153 Palm Springs, CA KPSE/ Mirage Media 3/17/2006
157 Panama City WJHG-DT/Gray 3/31/2006
190 Parkersburg WTAP-DT/Gray 3/31/2006
117 Peoria-Bloomington, IL WAOE/Four Seasons 3/29/2006
4 Philadelphia, PA WPHL/Tribune 5/16/2006
14 Phoenix, AZ KUTP/ Fox 3/9/2006
22 Pittsburgh, PA WCWB/ Sinclair 3/3/2006
23 Portland, OR KPDX/ Meredith 3/10/2006
74 Portland-Auburn, ME WPME/Pegasus 5/2/2006
51 Providence, RI-New Bedford, MA WNAC/LIN 8/24/2006
999 Puerto Rico 2/28/2006
169 Quincy-Hannibal-Keokuk 3/29/2006
29 Raleigh-Durham (Fayetteville), NC WRDC/ Sinclair 5/2/2006
177 Rapid City, SD KKRA/Rapid 3/22/2006
112 Reno, NV KAME/Cox & Broadcast Development 3/22/2006
60 Richmond-Petersburg, VA WRLM/Sinclair 5/19/2006
68 Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA WDJB-DT/WDJB Inc 5/2/2006
152 Rochester, MN-Mason City, IA-Austin, MN 3/29/2006
79 Rochester, NY WBGT/WBGT Inc. 3/22/2006
133 Rockford, IL WTVO-DT/Mission 3/31/2006
19 Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, CA KQCA/Hearst-Argyle 6/29/2006
148 Salisbury, MD 3/29/2006
36 Salt Lake City, UT KJZZ/Miller Communications 5/5/2006
37 San Antonio, TX KRRT/ Sinclair 3/29/2006
26 San Diego, CA XUPN/Bay City 3/22/2006
6 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA KRON/Young 3/16/2006
San Juan, Puerto Rico 3/17/2006
122 SantaBarbra-SanMar-SanLuOb KEYT-DT/Smith Media 6/15/2006
97 Savannah, GA WSAV-DT/Media General 5/2/2006
13 Seattle-Tacoma, WA KTWB/Tribune 5/16/2006
161 Sherman, TX-Ada, OK KXII-DT/Gray 4/5/2006
81 Shreveport, LA 2/28/2006
81 Shreveport, LA KSHV/White Knight 3/15/2006
143 Sioux City KPTH-DT/Pappas 4/18/2006
114 Sioux Falls (Mitchell), SD KELO-DT/Young 3/28/2006
87 South Bend-Elkhart, IN WMYT/Weigel 3/15/2006
78 Spokane, WA KXLY4-2/Spokane TV 5/5/2006
78 Spokane, WA 4/11/2006
77 Springfield, MO KWBM/Equity 5/19/2006
201 St. Joseph, MO 3/17/2006
21 St. Louis, MO WRBU/ Roberts Broadcasting 3/10/2006
76 Syracuse, NY WNYS/ Sinclair 3/29/2006
109 Tallahassee, FL-Thomasville, GA WCTV-DT/Gray 4/25/2006
12 Tampa-St. Petersburg (Sarasota), FL WTTA/ Sinclair 3/3/2006
150 Terre Haute, IN 2/28/2006
70 Toledo, OH WNGT/Matrix 8/24/2006
136 Topeka WIBW-DT/Gray 4/11/2006
113 Traverse City-Cadillac, MI 2/28/2006
91 Tri-Cities, TN-VA WAPK/Holston Valley 3/31/2006
71 Tucson (Sierra Vista), AZ KTTU/Belo 3/27/2006
61 Tulsa, OK KTFO/Clear Channel 6/15/2006
192 Twin Falls, ID 2/28/2006
111 Tyler-Longview(Lufkin & Nacogdoches), TX KLPN-KFXK/Warwick 3/17/2006
166 Utica WPNY/Nexstar 4/25/2006
205 Victoria, TX KXTS/Saga 5/2/2006
94 Waco-Temple-Bryan, TX KWKT/Communications Corp. 3/21/2006
8 Washington, DC (Hagerstown, MD) WDCA/ Fox 2/28/2006
178 Watertown, NY 5/19/2006
134 Wausau-Rhinelander WSAW-DT/Gray 3/31/2006
38 West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce, FL WTCN-CA/CBS 7/13/2006
144 Wichita Falls, TX-Lawton, OK KJBO/Mission 4/11/2006
67 Wichita-Hutchinson, KS Plus KSCC/Mercury 6/15/2006
67 Wichita-Hutchinson, KS Plus 3/17/2006
54 Wilkes Barre-Scranton, PA WILF/Pegasus 5/2/2006
139 Wilmington WMYW/WBHQ Columbia, LLC 5/5/2006
126 Yakima-Pasco-Rchlnd-Knnwck KAPP-DT-KVEW-DT/Apple Valley 5/19/2006
102 Youngstown, OH WYTV-DT/Chelsey 6/15/2006
170 Yuma-El Centro, AZ 3/17/2006
CW national coverage at 90%, My Network TV at 96%
Source: TVB

fredfa

08-24-06, 04:45 PM

TV Notebook
Cox and EchoStar Announce DVR Enhancements
New sitcoms on both sides of the laugh track divide
By Glen Dickson –Broadcasting & Cable8/24/2006

Cable operator Cox Communications and satellite operator EchoStar both announced Thursday significant news regarding their digital-video-recorder (DVR)-equipped set-tops.

Cox unveiled a deal with DVR supplier TiVo to integrate TiVo's software and interactive advertising service into existing DVR set-tops. Under the agreement, similar to one Comcast reached with TiVo last year, TiVo will customize its software so it can be downloaded by Cox subscribers without having to replace their existing DVRs or schedule a technician's visit. The software download will allow Cox subs to use the TiVo interface, accessing features such as Season Pass recording or WishList searches, and also receive interactive ads. The service is expected to launch in select Cox markets in the first half of 2007.

Signing such licensing deals with cable operators was widely predicted by analysts in the wake of a favorable outcome for TiVo in a patent suit against EchoStar. That April judgement resulted in an injunction being issued this month against some three million EchoStar DVR set-tops. EchoStar appealed the decision and won a temporary block against the injunction, which may give the companies time to negotiate an agreement.

For its part, EchoStar is improving the programming currently available on its DVRs through an agreement with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group to carry the studio’s current and catalog titles on its DISH On Demand service, which downloads movies in advance to select EchoStar DVRs in order to provide a video-on-demand-like experience. Customers have immediate access to the newest VOD movies on DISH On Demand and can use DVR features such as pause, fast forward and rewind.

EchoStar says it will also include Warner Bros. titles among its pay-per-view and high-definition offerings.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6365662

keenan

08-24-06, 04:55 PM

TV Notebook
The CW Stations
As of August 24

6 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA KBHK/ CBS 3/16/2006

The above line should read KBCW, KBHK is the old call letters, they changed about a month and half ago.

fredfa

08-24-06, 04:59 PM

TV Notebook
'SNL' sans Sanz?
Not this fall, actor says
By Darel Jevens Chicago Sun-Times staff reporter August 24, 2006

If Horatio Sanz is on his way out at "Saturday Night Live," it's news to him.

Reports flared up this week that the former Chicago comedian is getting the ax as part of cost-cutting at NBC's live-from-New-York perennial. "SNL" executive producer Lorne Michaels has warned that the 16-member cast will be smaller when the show returns Sept. 30.

"Maybe I should be looking for apartment space in L.A.," Sanz said Wednesday.

But he's not expecting to go. "I haven't been approached with anything that's led me to believe I won't be back," he said.

The Los Angeles Times quoted a source saying Sanz, Chris Parnell and Kenan Thompson are history; on the tmz.com gossip site, it was Sanz and Will Forte.

"I don't know what the hell is going on," Sanz said. "I think some executives leaked a bunch of bull----."

An NBC spokesman declined to comment. "I think everything that was strong last season is back," Michaels told the New York Post.

"I definitely enjoy the job and would like to stick with it," Sanz said. "It's fun, and there will be a lot of change, which could be a little exciting."

With Tina Fey departing to star in the NBC sitcom "30 Rock," producers are about to begin auditions for her seat on "Weekend Update." Sanz, who filled in for Fey there during her maternity leave last fall, said his future at "SNL" may depend on whether he's put on the news desk for good.

Another Chicago transplant, Jason Sudeikis, is being mentioned as a likely Fey replacement. "Update" co-anchor Amy Poehler is not expected to leave "SNL."

Sanz, a native of Chile, was the show's first Latino cast member. During the last season -- his eighth -- he made well-received appearances as Carol, a grotesque floozy who somehow dazzles single men.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/entertainment/cst-ftr-snl24.html#

foxeng

08-24-06, 05:43 PM

fredfa,

On the CW stations and the MyTVNetwork stations, in the Greensboro market, the calls have changed. WTWB is now WCWG and WUPN is now WMYV.

fredfa

08-24-06, 05:49 PM

Thanks, foxeng, corrections made.
(I am sure there are a lot of others, too.)
I just saw this list at the TVB website and thought some folks would be interested.

grittree

08-24-06, 05:58 PM

RE: Cox and EchoStar Announce DVR Enhancements

Could somebody explain where and when these ads appear? And if they appear other than in the "listings" area, can they be disabled?

fredfa

08-24-06, 06:14 PM

The above line should read KBCW, KBHK is the old call letters, they changed about a month and half ago.

Thanks, Jim. Got it.

fredfa

08-24-06, 06:29 PM

TV Notebook
Katie Couric: Perky and Cute
(But Smart, Informed and Liberal, Too)
All Three Commercial Evening News Anchors Viewed Positively

Pew Research Center news release August 24, 2006

Though Katie Couric has yet to take her seat as the new CBS Evening News anchor, the former Today show co-host is already a more familiar personality than her NBC and ABC counterparts. Asked to give their general impressions of each of the three TV journalists in a single word, 66% could offer up an opinion of Couric, compared with fewer than half who could offer a response for Brian Williams or for Charles Gibson.

By wide margins, most Americans who know them have positive things to say about each of the new evening news anchors – good is by far the most mentioned word for all three. However, the more specific words used to describe Katie Couric have a decidedly different tone. Perky, cute, nice, energetic, bubbly, and fluffy were among the most frequently offered impressions of Couric, but they were offered along with knowledgeable, informed, smart and fair.

Specific accolades for the other two commercial broadcast news anchors were less about personality and style and more focused on their job performance. NBC's Brian Williams was often summed up in a word as fair, and also as informative, knowledgeable and professional. Trustworthy was frequently offered as positive descriptor of ABC's Charles Gibson along with informed, professional and competent.

While Katie Couric is more widely known, she also receives more negatively-toned responses than do Williams or Gibson. These include some who describe Couric as liberal or biased, and others who say she is bad, annoying, overrated or that they just don't like her.

Women, who are more avid viewers of the morning news, offer a one-word impression of Katie Couric more often than men, and when they do it is overwhelmingly positive. Nearly half of female respondents (47%) offered words that had a favorable tone to them, compared with just 31% of men.

For the full report go to:

http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=286
or see the pdf below

fredfa

08-24-06, 06:36 PM

TV Notebook
Some finales
-- and final thoughts on 'Deadwood'
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” August 24, 2006

As the fall season looms -- and watch this space Friday for a multimedia presentation on the networks' new offerings -- here are a few thoughts on some weekend finales.

If you haven’t seen “Psych” yet, I recommend the show’s season finale (9 p.m. Friday on USA). The episode takes place at the annual Comic Con in California, and the adventures of fake psychic Shawn Spencer at the annual gathering of comic-book obsessives and sci-fi fans promises plenty of laughs.

Speaking of finales, “Deadwood’s” magnificent season draws to a close 8 p.m. Sunday on HBO (as does another wildly entertaining season of “Entourage” at 9 p.m.). With every passing week, it has become clearer that “Deadwood” more than deserves another full season. At this point, after Sunday’s finale airs, the plan is for HBO to air a pair of two-hour “Deadwood” films in 2007. And that will be that.

It’s heartbreaking to think about the elaborate “Deadwood” set being broken down for good once those films wrap. Think about Mrs. Ellsworth’s tremulous journey through the camp to her bank, after some of George Hearst’s goons shot at her, or the scene in which Deadwood’s schoolchildren wove their way through the streets to their new schoolhouse.

Thanks to the precisely detailed, fully inhabited world that the show’s set designers, actors and background performers have created, each step of those journeys felt absolutely real, as did the reactions of the town’s residents, all of whom have become only more fascinating as each season has progressed.

To destroy that town, to eradicate these endlessly complex and fascinating characters, to give us no more opportunities to see the magnificent performances of Gerald McRaney, Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant, Molly Parker, Powers Boothe and Paula Malcolmson (not to mention the fiery Robin Weigert, who has given the prickly Calamity Jane a heartbreaking tenderness) .... .

Surely, to borrow a phrase from E.B. Farnum, that is “a culminating indignity.”

http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/

fredfa

08-24-06, 06:41 PM

TV Notebook
Saturday Night Live not dead but wounded
By Bill Goodykoontz Arizona Republic TV Critic in his blog 08/24/2006

All sorts of rumor-slinging, hand-wringing stories out there about who is -- and who isn't -- leaving Saturday Night Live this season.

One thing is beyond question, because I was in the room when Lorne Michaels confirmed this to critics: there will be budget cuts at the show, which means some people will go. (Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch already left to work on Fey's new sitcom, 30 Rock, which debuts in September. Does that mean they'll be back in October? Sorry. Brutal. Uncalled for. But seriously, does it?)

But this question is still valid: Does anybody care anymore?

Look at the list of gone-or-not-gone suspects: maybe Chris Parnell, maybe Horatio Sanz, maybe Kenan Thompson.

Huh? I mean, I'm sorry for them and for their families and all that. No one wants to get dumped, ever. And each had his moments, I suppose. But this isn't exactly Belushi and Ackroyd leaving to do movies. It's not even Chevy Chase leaving to ... I guess it started out as doing movies and sort of morphed into hosting the worst talk show in human history.

And I'm including Pat Sajak's in that tally.

If Darrell Hammond leaves -- supposedly it's still up in the air -- that would be a loss, though the show hasn't seemed to know what to do with him lately. Maya Rudolph is reportedly thinking about leaving. Again, sorry to hear it, but it's not exactly going to bankrupt the franchise.

Some might say that's already happened. Saturday Night Live's most recent season, by most accounts, was pretty dismal. And it's true that, ever since that first bunch started breaking up, tales of the show's demise in quality have been spun every year. Sometimes they were more true than others.

But now, with political and social satire everywhere, including (especially) The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, does anyone still turn to SNL for cutting-edge humor? Its biggest watercooler moments lately have been online viral videos that originated as film shorts. Other than that, nothing anyone's talking about on Mondays.

The official cuts are supposed to be announced by Labor Day. Guess we'll just be on pins and needles till then.

http://www.azcentral.com/blogs/index.php?blog=5&blogtype=Entertainment

fredfa

08-24-06, 06:46 PM

TV Notebook
Verizon, Cablevision skirmish as war nears
By David Lieberman USA Today 8/24/2006

NEW YORK — Nobody would mistake the lush, trimmed lawns of suburban New York City for the OK Corral. But you can almost hear the jingling spurs and blasting revolvers of a corporate gunfight erupting that could affect virtually all consumers.

About a year after telecom giant Verizon fired up its first state-of-the-art broadband network in Keller, Texas, it now is wiring some of the cable industry's most lucrative territories for a rival, cable-like bundle of TV, phone and Internet services it calls FiOS.

"We've got the fire in the belly," says Marilyn O'Connell, Verizon's senior vice president for video solutions. She says FiOS will be available to 6 million homes by year's end, 20 million in 2009. The company expects to eventually win 30% as customers. No. 1 phone provider AT&T (formerly SBC) has similar plans to take on cable TV.

The showdown here is with Long Island-based Cablevision Systems, which is firing back with innovative pricing packages and technologies — including some aimed at Verizon's core phone businesses.

"Cablevision's writing the playbook on how to compete," says Sanford C. Bernstein's Craig Moffett. "They've started playing offense while the rest of the cable industry is still playing defense."

Not for long if they see chunks of their valuable 62 million TV subscribers switching to packages from the formidable former Bells. Verizon generated revenue of $75 billion last year, more than all cable operators combined. Verizon won't say how many FiOS TV customers it has, but Bernstein Research estimates 47,000 homes by year's end, rising to 4 million in 2015.

Cable hoped to avoid a fight. Its investors are impatient to see big profits from the $70 billion the industry spent in the last decade to upgrade its networks to offer more TV channels and two-way services, including phone and Internet. The stocks collectively have appreciated just 4% since August 2003.

"It's very grim," for cable, says former AT&T Broadband CEO Leo Hindery. Serious competition on these fronts from the phone giants means that "in no case will any of (these new) businesses make the margins that were expected."

Few now doubt the phone industry's commitment to spend big on new networks and services. Its current copper phone lines can't handle today's demanding communications services. It's losing voice customers to Internet phone services such as Vonage and Skype, as well as to cable offerings.

Verizon's 47 million local lines as of June 30 are down 7.4% from that point last year. The trend has helped keep shares virtually flat for three years and led to its decision to go all out to build Cable 3.0: a network of fiber-optic lines to each home that analysts estimate could cost $20 billion over the next decade.

The new network "is a play to make sure they're not irrelevant," says Forrester Research analyst Maribel Lopez. "It's not just to offer video."

Verizon ups ante on bandwidth

FiOS has been designed with capacity to offer a lot more. By stringing fiber all the way to users' homes, Verizon has more bandwidth than cable, which typically runs fiber to a neighborhood and cheaper coaxial lines to the homes. As a virtually all-digital system, FiOS doesn't devote gobs of spectrum to analog TV channels as cable operators do (though it does mean customers need set-top boxes for their TVs).

Still, Verizon is adding only about 3 million homes a year to those able to get FiOS, at a cost of nearly $900 per home. When someone signs up, Verizon spends $715 more for the typical five-hour, two-person job to tie the home to the system.

In taking on Cablevision, the phone company faces one of the USA's most famously freewheeling, family-controlled companies, as well as one of cable's most highly regarded operators.

CEO Jim Dolan is best known for his feuds with his father, Chairman Charles Dolan, and with ex-New York Knicks coach Larry Brown (Cablevision owns the team), as well as being lead singer of blues band JD & the Straight Shot.

Cablevision, which generated $5.2 billion in revenue last year, is determined to hang on to its 3.1 million basic TV subscribers. About 80% of them are in Verizon's phone territories, and the overlaps include many of New York's wealthiest suburbs.

Verizon recently began to offer FiOS in Long Island towns including Hempstead, Oyster Bay and Cedarhurst. This month, it won a statewide franchise in New Jersey. At the pace Verizon is rolling out service, Bear Stearns estimates that Cablevision subscriber losses will be about 2.1% by 2010. In a mature industry lacking subscriber growth, that's worth a fight.

Verizon is deploying what it calls a "guerrilla marketing" campaign. It sends salespeople door-to-door, sets up product demonstrations at concerts and community events, and slaps messages on Chinese food containers, pizza boxes and take-out coffee cups.

The company says it has found people across all its markets itching for a choice, with about 10% of all households capable of getting FiOS subscribing in the first six months it's offered.

"I've been around a lot, and I haven't been associated with a product that had that kind of adoption that quickly," O'Connell says. "All of the early indicators are saying that we've got it right."

Many New Yorkers agree.

"We jumped at it," says Hiram Rosas, 32, a teacher in Roosevelt, N.Y., who has Verizon's video, phone and Internet package. "Whenever we had service issues (with Cablevision), it was, 'We'll get to you when we get to you.' "

Verizon's pointed ads pour salt on wounded feelings about cable service, with slogans such as: "All I want is to cut off cable;" "All I want is to get on board with a company I like;" and "All I want is a choice other than Cablevision."

Verizon took a more positive approach to score points with gamers: It sponsored a national video game tournament, flying eight finalists to a championship in Hermosa Beach, Calif., in July.

"They played over the (FiOS) fiber connection on the live Internet, which is unique in gaming tournaments. Usually, they're played over local servers," says Brian Angiolet, FiOS' director of marketing.

HDTV and advanced digital-video recorders also are a marketing draw. More than half of FiOS customers pay extra for a set-top box with a DVR that handles HDTV channels, while an additional 10% get a box that just provides HDTV. This month, Verizon introduced (for an additional $20 a month) a DVR that can transmit recorded shows through the lines to any TV set-top box in the house.

Verizon recently raised the stakes with a free feature called FiOS TV Widgets. Viewers can press a button on the remote to see text under their show that describes local weather and traffic. Coming soon: sports scores, news headlines and stock prices.

Next year, it plans more ethnic programming packages in addition to one it already has for Hispanic viewers. It also is working on HDTV-on-demand, teleconferencing and services that blend TV, Internet and phone, including wireless.

Cablevision says subscriber loss low

Cablevision says it's unfazed, with FiOS getting only 2% of potential customers in Cablevision markets where it has been offered for at least six months. "Verizon is not taking subscribers from us," COO Tom Rutledge told analysts this month. "I don't believe they're taking significant numbers from satellite, either."

Cablevision shrugs off Verizon's boasts about the power of its fiber-optic lines. Because most homes are internally wired with coaxial cable, "fiber-to-the-home translates into a hybrid system that's comparable to ours," says Patricia Gottesman, executive vice president for product management and marketing.

Still, Cablevision is fighting back — although it says that it's responding to competition from a variety of sources, including satellite, not just Verizon.

In late 2003, it became the first cable company to offer phone service to everyone in its territory. It now has more than a million home phone customers, or 22% of the potential market. Cablevision in May began offering a $20-per-month add-on of 500 minutes of call time anywhere in the world.

Cablevision's pre-emptive strike

More broadly, the company is trying to bear-hug consumers with discounted video, phone, and Internet bundles, as well as a few technological innovations, before Verizon wires arrive.

In 2004, it began offering new customers a one-year deal on the video, Internet and phone "triple play" package for $90 a month. The price rises to nearly $117 after the first year, including a $20-a-month discount Cablevision introduced in February 2005.

More than half of all new customers take the "triple play," the company says.

"Initially, I had Verizon for my phone service, and the bill was in the high $80 to low $90 range," says Joseph Lawless, 41, a bond trader in Massapequa Park. Now, with Cablevision, "I get cable, Internet and phone for a little more than I paid for just my phone." Unless Verizon counters with a blockbuster price, "I have no reason to change."

In June, Cablevision completed its effort to keep heavy Web surfers happy by boosting download speeds on its most popular service from 10 megabits per second to 15, more than double the cable industry average, and introducing a higher-priced 30 mbps service. (Verizon offers three speeds: 5 mbps, 15 mbps, and 30 mbps.)

One planned sweetener has been put on hold, pending a court ruling. Cablevision planned to blitz the market with technology, letting any digital cable box function as a DVR by storing recorded programs on Cablevision's servers instead of on a hard drive in the box at each user's home. Hollywood studios sued, saying the service violates program owners' copyrights; Cablevision argues the service is no different than a conventional DVR.

Cablevision soon will introduce additional ethnic TV channels. It also will heavily market low-priced business communications services, a market that Verizon has dominated. "Our customers are conducting more and more business at home," Gottesman says.

Consumers may win features and price

For now, the rivals are touting their technologies and services, but many observers are certain they cannot avoid an old-fashioned price war.

"The products are shockingly similar to the average consumer," Hindery says. And Verizon "has to achieve penetration. When you have to achieve penetration against an incumbent with comparable technologies, then you tend to compete on price."

As long as Verizon doesn't quit, Lopez, says, "the consumer over the next year or two is going to get a good deal."

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/telecom/2006-08-23-cable-cover-usat_x.htm

fredfa

08-24-06, 09:14 PM

I am sure almost none of you ever knew Tony, or maybe never even heard of him. But he was a good TV executive who made the lives of a lot of people brighter, especially during his CBS days.
Obituary
Tony Malara Dies of Heart Attack
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable 8/24/2006

According to long-time New York broadcaster Bill O'Shaughnessy, former head of CBS affiliate relations and longtime TV and radio station executive Tony Malara died Thursday in a Syracuse, N.Y. hospital.

New York State Broadcasters Association President Joe Reilly, in a phone call with O'Shaughnessy earlier today, said that Malara's Son Toby reported that his father had suffered a heart attack at his vacation home on Wellesley Island in the Thousand Islands in upstate New York last week. He also had acute leukemia.

Malara was a graduate of Syracuse University and had worked in local broadcasting in Watertown, N.Y., a stone's throw from the St. Lawrence River and its Thousand Islands region. He rose through the radio and TV station ranks to run the CBS TV network (1982-88) and head up affiliate relations before exiting in January 1995 after 18 years at CBS.

Malara, 69, was also former president of the New York State Broadcasters Association. He had recently formed Malara Broadcasting, which owns TV's in Duluth, Minn., and Fort Wayne, Ind.

Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced Friday morning.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6365712.html?display=Breaking+News

GeorgeLV

08-24-06, 10:20 PM

Thanks, foxeng, corrections made.
(I am sure there are a lot of others, too.)
I just saw this list at the TVB website and thought some folks would be interested.

There's a whole lot of other wrong call signs and the DMA rankings are out of date too. How about just linking to the Wikis :)

Current list of My Network TV affialiates:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_MyNetworkTV_affiliates

Current list of CW affialiates:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_CW_affiliates

fredfa

08-24-06, 10:28 PM

Good idea GeorgeLV.
I am really disappointed in the TVB...they really seem to have screwed the pooch on this one.
Sorry to have posted such inaccurate information.

fredfa

08-25-06, 01:36 AM

FONT=ARIAL BLACK] TV Notebook [/FONT]
Free to Gain Traction for About $50 Million
By Stuart Elliott The New York Times August 25, 2006

What is green, fills 13 hours a week of television in prime time and hopes to bring viewers top models, superheroes, a glib mother-daughter pair, high school basketball players, girlfriends, smackdown wrestling and runaways?

The answer is CW, the broadcast network that takes its name from its parents, CBS and Time Warner, and which will be introduced on Sept. 20. CW is the successor to UPN and WB, two smaller networks — weblets, in the parlance of Variety — that will go dark in mid-September after losing tens of millions of dollars between them in more than a decade of operation.

To help the new network gain traction in the proverbial 500-channel universe, CBS and Time Warner are sponsoring an ambitious campaign to create an identity for CW and by extension its series, which include “America’s Next Top Model,” “Smallville,” “Gilmore Girls,” “One Tree Hill,” “Girlfriends,” “W.W.E. Friday Night Smackdown” and “Runaway.” The campaign, created internally and by an agency named Troika, is estimated at more than $50 million. That includes the value of the commercial time on the network and on the local stations that will be part of CW if the time were being sold to outside advertisers. By comparison, $50 million is about what national marketers like E*Trade, Hertz and La-Z-Boy each spent last year on advertising in major media, according to data compiled by TNS Media Intelligence.

The CW advertising is already running on television and radio, in print, online (cwtv.com) and on signs, transit posters and billboards. The campaign carries a theme, “Free to be,” intended to appeal to potential viewers for CW series, primarily viewers ages 18 to 34.

“We did a ton of research with the target audience when I got here; I didn’t poke my head out of a focus group for six weeks,” said Rick Haskins, who joined CW as executive vice president for marketing and brand strategy after serving as general manager for the Lifetime cable network.

“ ‘Free to be’ is about how we can fit into their world,” Mr. Haskins said, referring to youthful viewers, rather than “forcing our brand on somebody.”

“This audience doesn’t want to be advertised to, and doesn’t want to be told what to do,” he added. “ ‘Free to be’ says, ‘You can be anything you want to be and you’re welcome at the CW.’ ”

• It had long been the conventional wisdom in the television industry that viewers watch shows, not networks, and the money spent on network branding campaigns was as wasted as time spent watching “The Love Boat.”

But the success of branding ads for cable networks like the sports maven ESPN, Lifetime (“Television for women”) and TNT (“We know drama”) has encouraged their broadcast counterparts to undertake similar efforts.

“A network is like a shopping mall, and the shows are the stores,” said Jonah Disend, chief executive at Redscout, a brand strategy company in New York. “You just don’t go to the stores, you go to the mall.”

Branding a network is becoming increasingly important, Mr. Disend said, because of the growing ability of consumers to watch shows “in more than one place” — that is, not only on TV sets but also on the networks’ Web sites like abc.com, fox.com and InnerTube (cbs.com/innertube); on video iPods; and on Web sites like aol.com, tvguide.com, video.google.com, video.yahoo.com and youtube.com.

“As we’re speaking,” Mr. Disend said during a telephone interview yesterday, “I’m downloading last night’s ‘Project Runway’ on my computer.”

All the CW ads, along with the network’s logo, are being colored a bright green, just as during the 1990’s another broadcast network, ABC, cloaked a series of cheeky campaigns in an eye-catching shade of yellow evocative of the tint used for smiley faces.

ABC executives came in for a lot of kidding over the yellow ads, which they said were intended to convey qualities like fun and playfulness to potential audiences.

Do executives at CW and Troika expect a similar barrage of catty comments about their decision to adopt the color associated with grass, envy, frogs, menthol, chlorophyll and environmental consciousness?

“I understood some of the mocking” directed at ABC, said Dan Pappalardo, partner and executive creative director at Troika in Hollywood, Calif., who worked with ABC and the TBWA/Chiat/Day ad agency on the yellow campaign.

“The green is fresh, vital, alive, the color of spring,” Mr. Pappalardo said, and is meant to signal that CW is “something new, not your typical broadcast network.”

“I expect some people to react to it negatively,” he added, “but in focus groups, they loved it; they said, ‘This is something cool.’ ”

• The first commercials for CW use a version of the Temptations song “Get Ready” as reimagined by two contemporary singers, Fergie and Will.i.am of the group the Black Eyed Peas. The campaign pairs the “Free to be” theme with words and phrases that relate to the network’s prime-time series, which will have their premieres over a two-week period ending Oct. 3 with “Veronica Mars.”

For instance, ads for “Veronica Mars,” about a young female detective, carry the headline “Free to be fearless.” Ads for the reality series “America’s Next Top Model” depict the host, Tyra Banks, next to the headline “Free to be fierce.”

The talkative stars of “Gilmore Girls” appear in ads carrying the headlines “Free to be witty” and “Free to be girlie.” Ads for the sitcom “Everybody Hates Chris,” created by Chris Rock, carry the headline “Free to be funny.” And ads for “One Tree Hill” feature a cast member, Chad Michael Murray, and carry the headline “Free to be cool.”

“We had a challenge,” said Mr. Haskins, the CW marketing executive, “in that we had to put under one roof programming from UPN and WB and make it feel like one network.”

The solution, Mr. Haskins said, was to focus on what the predecessor networks had in common, which was their younger viewers, “and create an environment that was relatable to their lives.”

Someday, there will be an article about television in which no executive uses the word “relatable,” industry jargon for something with which viewers are supposed to identify or connect. Alas, this is not that article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/25/business/media/25adco.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=media&pagewanted=print

fredfa

08-25-06, 01:42 AM

TV Notebook
An exclusive talk with the men behind fall's most anticipated drama
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” August 24, 2006

Each TV season, at least one show on the broadcast networks is designated the problem child.

Last season, it was “Commander in Chief,” which debuted to impressive ratings, but within months had shed not one but two high-profile executive producers. Amid much turmoil, it limped to the end of the season, a shadow of its former self, and was eventually axed by ABC.

This year, some TV insiders have decided that “Brothers and Sisters,” an ABC drama that premieres Sept. 24, is “troubled,” which is strange, considering that practically no one outside of the network has seen more than a few fleeting glimpses of the show.

Still, there’s been intense interest in “Brothers and Sisters” from media insiders, which is understandable, given its high-profile cast and the fact that it is taking over “Grey’s Anatomy’s” 9 p.m. Sunday slot, now that “Grey’s” has moved to Thursdays.

“There’s certain scrutiny here because of the talent involved,” executive producer Ken Olin said in an exclusive joint interview with Olin, “Brothers and Sisters” creator Jon Robin Baitz and Greg Berlanti (the creator of “Everwood”), who recently joined the production.

Olin’s remark is an understatement. The cast indeed is an acting dream team: Sally Field plays the matriarch of the sprawling Walker family, a complicated clan that’s is rocked early on in the season by a death. Calista Flockhart plays one of her daughters, a right-wing pundit, and Rachel Griffiths, Ron Rifkin and Patricia Wettig also have featured roles.

The members of the show’s creative team also have impressive pedigrees: Baitz is a playwright known for award-winning works such as “The Substance of Fire” and “Ten Unknowns,” and Olin, a veteran of “thirtysomething” and an executive producer of “Alias,” has become one of Hollywood’s most respected television producers and directors.

The impressive talent has drawn scrutiny, but shakeups behind the scenes at “Brothers and Sisters” have been another cause of pre-season chatter. After the pilot was filmed with Betty Buckley as the family’s matriarch, Buckley was let go and Field was tapped for the role and much of the pilot had to be re-shot. The part played by writer/actor Dan Futterman (“Capote”), who left the series after he got a role in the feature film about slain journalist Daniel Pearl, was also recast.

Then in August, executive producer Marti Noxon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) exited “Brothers and Sisters” amid rumors of clashes with Baitz, and Greg Berlanti, the creator of “Everwood” and “Jack and Bobby,” was brought on board.

So is the show troubled? Not really, the show’s producers say; all the changes were just part of growing pains that were to be expected, given that creator Baitz is a television novice. Production on the show was never shut down for retooling, the producers point out, which often happens at this time of year with new network shows.

Rumors of turmoil are “absolutely just utterly false,” says Berlanti. “There’s no connection between what’s happening on the sets and behind the scenes and what’s being perceived from outside.”

“There are always staff changes that happen this time of year,” he added. “People are told, ‘Oh, you guys will work great together,’ and it doesn’t work out that way.”

“If we would have shown the pilot that we shot, without Sally in it, and then said `We’re recasting the part,’ that seems to me to be an impossible situation,” Olin noted.

Indeed, the producers were in a double bind: By midsummer, usually television critics have seen all of the network pilots for fall. But thanks to the Internet, fall shows are being scrutinized like never before, and if a pilot that didn’t reflect the creators’ vision leaked out, negative buzz could have been a big problem for “Brothers.”

“I watched the new pilot that Robbie [Baitz] had rewritten and Ken had re-shot with Sally Field as the mom, … [and] if I wasn’t working on this, I’d would have been jealous that I wasn’t. It’s the only pilot that made me laugh and cry,” Berlanti says.

Letting Buckley go, Baitz says, was a hard decision, but both he and Olin say they feel it was the right one.

“So much of the story, initially my conception of it, was imagining a shift in this country from a patriarchy to a matriarchy,” Baitz says. “And there was something about Sally that conveys a kind of a magnificent American motherhood, in some respects, and a strength and vulnerability to that.”

“It’s impossible not to root for her,” Olin says of Field. “No matter how badly she behaves as a character or how conflicted she is about things, she’s also so warm and so funny. This is a woman who has raised three kids, she really knows her way around a kitchen, she knows how a mother instantly becomes a certain kind of person when her children are present and how she’s different when she’s not.”

As for the departure of Noxon, who declined to comment for this story, Baitz says that “I think her intentions were very good and I think she’s hugely talented, and I love her writing and I love her voice. But we came from different approaches and they clashed again and again, and I think perhaps she perceived me as being a threat to, frankly, a smooth way of running a television show. And I suppose in some ways, `guilty.’ But I have nothing but respect for her. I differed on methodology and I differed on perhaps the size of the vision.”

“I’ve never done this before,” Baitz notes. “I’ve never worked on this scale. Of course it’s complicated for me. I have a billion things to learn every day, about television and about putting up a show. So of course it’s been rocky, because I come from a different language and a different tradition.”

In any case, there’s every chance that “Brothers” could have a sizable impact on the fall television season, not just because of its top-notch cast and its creators’ ambitions, but because it offers viewers a change of pace.

Though there are a number of quality new shows for fall, the array of new dramas are mostly thrillers, serials and legal and law-enforcement dramas. Aside from Berlanti’s “Everwood,” there’s long been a dearth of sophisticated dramas about families - hourlong shows that examine human relationships, beliefs and emotions, rather than the work lives of cops, doctors and lawyers.

In that sense, the show does have an element, Baitz says, of “thirtysomething,” the groundbreaking drama in which Olin first made his mark. The idea for “Brothers and Sisters” also sprang from a personal place for Olin, who says that part of the inspiration for the show was his own Chicago family, which owned a pharmaceutical firm and the Goldenrod ice cream company.

“The first 45 minutes, you’re going to go `Wow, that’s a lot of family,” said Olin, who noted that the show has employed up to 34 actors on some days. “I think the thing that’s great is that we created an organic ensemble and they’re emotionally connected in complicated ways, and there isn’t a drama like that right now that really explores…”

Baitz finishes Olin’s thought: “ … the jealousies, the competitions, the love, the ambivalence, the ambiguity, the need for comfort, the need to be understood, wanting to be understood - [everything] that makes a family so endlessly fascinating and inescapable.”

Creator Jon Robin Baitz says he wants “Brothers and Sisters” to be, in part, an exploration of modern women’s lives; there will be a political element, too, since Calista Flockhart’s character is a conservative talk-show commentator.

“In a weird kind of way, the show aspires to be a political debate without ever being overtly political except in the context of her being a political commentator on television. I think actually the [Walker] family stands in for what we see, what we feel, what we worry about, what we question in our country right now.”

Below, the show’s creative team talk more about the women of “Brothers”:

Baitz on Rachel Griffiths’ role as Sarah Walker: “Rachel plays this professional woman who has two little kids and she’s trying to be a great wife and she’s trying to be a great mother and she’s also trying to have a career.”

Ken Olin on Flockhart’s role as Kitty Walker: “Calista [plays] a woman in her late 30s, and she’s very much an idealist and she’s highly professionalized, but she’s still single, she still is keeping that kind of urban single female existence going.”

Baitz on Flockhart’s role: “She’s at a point in her life where her ideas politically are complicated by the deepening effects of real life. Her belief system is challenged as she comes closer and closer to looking at who she is. And I’m not saying she goes from being a conservative to not being a conservative, because that’s exactly not the case. Her politics deepen and grow, but I think her availability to life deepens and grows by reconnecting with her family.”

Baitz on Sally Field’s role as Nora, the Walker family matriarch: “Sally’s character is a mother who’s given up her own career early in her life and she’s decided to raise her family and be a wife and a mother. But her identity is very wrapped up in having been this very successful man’s wife and raised their children.”

Baitz on Patricia Wettig’s role as a “mystery woman who could bring the Walkers and their company down” (that comes from a description on ABC’s press Web site): “Patty plays a woman who’s identity is based on looking to men for affirmation and support in an emotional and literal sense.”

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2006/08/brothers_and_si.html#more

fredfa

08-25-06, 03:06 AM

Emmy Notebook
Emmy Odds
From the Los Angeles Times in “The Envelope” Awards blog

The big night is just days away. Take a look at how the odds are shaping up.

These odds were drafted by David Scott of America's Line (americasline.com) based upon the opinions of The Envelope's award experts. The odds are issued for entertainment purposes only and should not be used for gambling.

• Best Drama Series
"Grey's Anatomy" - 8/5
"24" - 2/1
"The West Wing" - 3/1
"Sopranos" - 5/1
"House" - 20/1

• Best Comedy Series
"The Office" - 6/5
"Arrested Development" - 9/5
"Scrubs" - 7/2
"Curb Your Enthusiasm" - 10/1
"Two and a Half Men" - 40/1

• Best Comedy Actor
Steve Carell, "The Office" - 8/5
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk" - 9/5
Larry David, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" - 2/1
Kevin James, "The King of Queens" - 8/1
Charlie Sheen, "Two and a Half Men" - 100/1

• Best Comedy Actress
Lisa Kudrow, "The Comeback" - 2/1
Jane Kaczmarek, "Malcolm in the Middle" - 5/2
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "The New Adventures of Old Christine" - 3/1
Debra Messing, "Will & Grace" - 11/2
Stockard Channing, "Out of Practice" - 6/1

• Best Drama Actor
Denis Leary, "Rescue Me" - 9/5
Martin Sheen, "The West Wing" - 2/1
Christopher Meloni, "Law & Order: SVU" - 12/5
Kiefer Sutherland, "24" - 8/1
Peter Krause, "Six Feet Under" - 15/1

• Best Drama Actress
Allison Janney, "The West Wing" - 5/2
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer" - 3/1
Geena Davis, "Commander in Chief" - 7/2
Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" - 4/1
Frances Conroy, "Six Feet Under" - 9/2

• Best Miniseries
"Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre)" - 6/5
"Elizabeth I" - 7/5
"Into the West" - 3/1
"Sleeper Cell" - 40/1

• Best Made For TV Movie
"Flight 93" - 4/5
"Mrs. Harris" - 7/2
"The Girl in the Cafe" - 4/1
"Yesterday" - 9/2
"The Flight That Fought Back" - 40/1

• Best Variety, Music or Comedy Series
"Late Show With David Letterman" - 1/4
"The Colbert Report" - 6/1
"The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" - 8/1
"Late Night With Conan O'Brien" - 10/1
"Real Time With Bill Maher" - 100/1

• Best Reality Competition Program
"American Idol" - 8/5
"The Amazing Race" - 9/5
"Project Runway" - 2/1
"Survivor" - 20/1
"Dancing with the Stars" - 30/1

• Best Actor In A Movie or Miniseries
Ben Kingsley, "Mrs. Harris" - 2/1
Charles Dance, "Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre)" - 5/2
Donald Sutherland, "Human Trafficking" - 7/2
Jon Voight, "Pope John Paul II" - 11/2
Andre Braugher, "Thief" - 6/1

• Best Actress In A Movie or Miniseries
Helen Mirren, "Elizabeth I" - 1/3
Annette Bening, "Mrs. Harris" - 6/1
Gillian Anderson, "Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre)" - 7/1
Judy Davis, "A Little Thing Called Murder" - 8/1
Kathy Bates, "Ambulance Girl" - 40/1

http://theenvelope.latimes.com/awards/emmys/env-emmyodds-24aug24,0,341580.htmlstory?coll=env-home-subfeaturebar

Jediphish

08-25-06, 08:33 AM

Edited.

chrisirmo

08-25-06, 08:48 AM

While I've become accustomed to seeing grammatical mistakes in posts on this forum, what is the world coming to when even a journalist doesn't know how to use an apostrophe properly (or rather, not use one)?

I don't see anything wrong with that. The possessive case of "Sajak" would be "Sajak's," as in "Pat Sajak's show."

Marcus Carr

08-25-06, 08:53 AM

Building Big Bandwidth, Without Big Bucks

CableLabs Report: Keeping Up Won’t Be Too Expensive

Reporting by Karen Brown, with technical analysis from Matt Stump 8/21/2006

Both Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. are building networks they say can deliver an infinite amount of channels — or communications services — to their subscribers.

And a July 31 research report produced by the CableLabs industry consortium and cited by The Wall Street Journal on its front page Thursday suggest that cable operators may have to make significant investments in their fiber and coaxial cable networks to keep pace. The Journal article indicates that industry may have to spend tens of billions of dollars to keep up.

The report, a copy of which has been reviewed by Multichannel News, indicates that existing cable technology will be competitive at least for the next three years. After that, improvements to cable’s infrastructure will be able to keep pace with broadband fiber-to-the-home rivals, if cable-modem termination systems become less expensive. If not, cable operators might have to consider building fiber-to-the-home networks, according to the report.

In a statement, CableLabs said, “the report shows that no major investment is needed for cable to compete’’ with fiber-to-the-premises networks.

A new generation of modular systems for cable modems handling Internet traffic will both increase capacity and cut costs tenfold, according to John Chapman, an engineer at Cisco Systems Inc. who wrote the specifications for the new generation of equipment.

Here’s how cable technologists believe they can counter any high-definition TV competition from direct-broadcast satellite providers — or infinite-channel services from telephone companies — without massive expenditures.

Digital simulcasts. Television programs are transmitted as digits to neighborhood distribution points, before they are converted back to analog channels that any TV can receive.

Fewer homes per fiber. Operators activate another fiber strand going into a neighborhood, or node. That splits nodes in half. In effect, each household is given twice as much bandwidth as before.

Sending signals only when needed. Not all channels are watched at the same time. With switched broadcast video, an operator will send a signal to a neighborhood only when someone asks for it. Then, if someone else wants to watch, the signal is already circulating.

Packing it in. Advanced compression techniques will allow cable systems to squeeze more programs into a given amount of bandwidth.

Gluing channels together. With channel capacity conserved by the other techniques, space is freed up to handle emerging uses. The available channels can be bonded to provide bandwidth for HDTV programming or Internet content at super-swift speeds.

“I think the cable operators are uniquely positioned to keep up,” Chapman said. “They have huge amounts of untapped bandwidth inside their existing coaxial cable and fiber-optic systems.”

VIDEO CAPACITY
Cable operators have begun to free up bandwidth by converting to digital signal transmission, said Cox Communications Inc. chief technology officer Chris Bowick.

In a typical 750-Megahertz cable plant, one analog signal uses a complete 6-MHz transmission “slot.” With digitization, eight to 10 signals can fit into the same space.

Digital simulcasting delivers signals digitally from the headend to the pedestal or node in a neighborhood. At the node, the signals are converted back to analog waves.

This allows TV sets without a set-top box to tune to ESPN, Cable News Network or their local ABC affiliate.

“Digital simulcast provides us with a competitive advantage going forward,” Bowick said, because consumers can still use their current TV sets.

Operators also are doubling the amount of data sent on a given video signal into the home. That effectively doubles the number of channels that can be delivered to a home.

Cable systems also are looking at switching video signals in headend or hub locations, Bowick said, further freeing up bandwidth in the network for more channels.

If the American consumer wants access to an unlimited number of “channels,” Bowick said, cable operators will be able to match that service using switched broadcast video technology.

Instead of broadcasting 200 channels from the headend to the home, the cable operator would broadcast only 120 channels to all subscribers. The other 80 channels could be used to deliver any one of hundreds or even thousands of channels, since the channel will get used only when a subscriber actually requests it.

Switched digital broadcasting does require upgrades to a cable system headend, but “upgrading the plant is more expensive than upgrading the headend equipment,” Chapman noted.

DATA CAPACITY
The cable industry is banking on the next generation of data-transmission techniques to deliver data at speeds up to 80 million bits per second, said Ralph Brown, chief technology officer at CableLabs.

This is possible with DOCSIS 3.0, the third generation of the Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification that CableLabs has developed.

Already, Bowick said, Cox is delivering 12 Megabits per second of data to homes in some markets, including Northern Virginia. “And we can go beyond that on the existing platform,” he said.

By comparison, AT&T plans to deliver 24 Mbps to the home, which would be shared between standard and high-definition TV channels, Internet access and voice services.

The new CableLabs specifications would “bond” two 6-Megahertz channels together. Cable operators use 6-MHz channel, capable of delivering about 40 Mbps of data, to deliver high-speed Internet service to the home. Bonding two channels together would double the speed. There is no theoretical limit, so operators could bond four channels together, offering speeds of 160 Mbps into neighborhoods, Brown said.

And not all homes need 40 Megabits at the same time, Brown said. Thus, operators can allocate bandwidth to homes in a neighborhood as necessary, depending on bandwidth requests.

NODE SPLITS
Cable nodes are the last piece of physical hardware in a cable system, from which video, voice and data services are then sent to the home. Most cable operators build nodes to serve about 500 homes. At 60% video penetration, that’s 300 homes, each getting 16 Mbps of capacity at the same time.

Cable operators can split those nodes further, into 250-home increments, effectively doubling capacity again, Brown said. Instead of 300 homes getting 16 Mbps, 300 homes could get 32 Mbps.

“You just light up another fiber and connect the downstream coax at the node,” he said. “It’s a relatively straightforward process.”

“Most [operators] put plenty of dark fiber in their networks when they deployed it at the beginning,” Bowick said. To split a node requires some modulation upgrades, he said, “but that is an inexpensive thing.”

“We can even do virtual node splits,” said Bowick, by splitting data streams into different frequencies of light — colors — in a process called wave-division multiplexing. It multiplies the amount of channels or content that can be sent down a fiber.

NEW GEAR
Cisco Systems Inc., Arris and other equipment suppliers are tweaking cable modems and cable modem termination systems to handle the higher speeds of DOCSIS 3.0.

New “modular” architectures can allocate bandwidth more acutely to the kinds of traffic that need it at any given time, Brown said.

“Today, channels are dedicated. To change those today requires a lot of work,” Brown said. “You can’t reallocate bandwidth based on where the demand is.” With new software, “there is a flexible structure where you can shift demand as needed,” he said.

“The capacity can be dynamically allocated,” Brown said.

That means capacity can be used to handle, say, daytime data traffic for March Madness college-basketball tournament games. Later that evening, same capacity would handle video-on-demand requests.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6364183.html

Jediphish

08-25-06, 08:54 AM

I don't see anything wrong with that. The possessive case of "Sajak" would be "Sajak's," as in "Pat Sajak's show."

You are right; he was referring to Pat Sajak's talk show. Maybe I need read better. I thought he was referring to Chevy Chase as being a talk show host, ala a "Pat Sajak" or, in the plural sense, "Pat Sajaks."

Sorry for going OT with my own error.

Marcus Carr

08-25-06, 09:36 AM

Is HDTV Visible? The Eyes Have It

By Mark Schubin

The following may seem obvious: not everyone can see HDTV.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) said that, as of January of this year, only 20% of U.S. households had “DTV,” and only 85% of “DTVs” sold were HDTV. So that was 83% of U.S. households without HDTV.

A number of research organizations have noted that only about half of consumer HDTV displays have any mechanism for getting HDTV programming, whether off air or via cable or satellite. Then there’s the question of whether what they watch is in HD or not; much of the programming on even the channel called PBS HD is standard definition.

Assume for the moment a perfect chain of HD from camera, through editing and distribution, to a consumer HDTV display. Assume everything is working correctly. Assume even perfect 20/20 vision for the viewer.

The answer to the following question may seem obvious. Can the viewer see the HDTV delivered to the HDTV display? Whatever the obvious answer, the only correct one is maybe.

Some people say human vision is capable of seeing detail only as fine as one arc minute (a sixtieth of a degree). Those people are wrong.

This being August, consider the astrological sign Leo. The brightest star in its constellation, Regulus, is one of roughly the top 20 brightest stars in the sky. It’s 3.5 times wider than our sun, or about 4.9 million kilometers. It’s also about 77.5 light years away, or about 733 trillion kilometers. Apply a little trigonometry, and you’ll find that you can easily see a star that subtends an angle of less than four ten-millionths of a degree, and it’s not the smallest visible object.

Of course, there’s a great deal of contrast between Regulus and its surrounding space. The star is some 240 times more luminous than our sun, and space may be considered pure black. When contrast is reduced, our ability to see fine detail falls off sharply.

According to some researchers, human visual contrast sensitivity peaks at about two cycles per degree (cpd); some say as many as six cpd. For a 42-inch plasma TV viewed at a distance of nine feet, two cpd works out to about 77 alternating lighter and darker vertical lines across the width of the screen.

At about 770 lines across the screen width, the contrast between the lines would need to be about ten times greater, and that’s for viewers in their 20s. For viewers in their 70s, the contrast would have to be about 25 times greater (and they’d need about 40% more contrast than those in their 20s even to see the 77 alternating lines).

How much contrast ratio can an HDTV display deliver? Panasonic says its latest plasma TVs offer “up to 10,000:1,” but they note that that can vary with “viewing environment and lighting conditions.” TV screens, whether plasma, LCD, projection or picture tube, reflect room light back to the viewer in addition to desired pictures.

If a TV is the only source of light in a room that has walls, floor, and ceiling all covered with light-absorbing black velour, the listed contrast ratio might be achieved. If the walls, floor or ceiling reflect any light or there’s a light on somewhere (or a window not covered with blackout drapes), it won’t be achieved. That’s why Panasonic appropriately uses “up to” in its contrast-ratio specification.

Under typical home-TV viewing conditions, no TV screen delivers contrast ratios anywhere near 10,000:1. 5:1 is probably not unusual.

At limited contrast ratios, the resolving power of human vision falls dramatically. Instead of being able to see Regulus with the naked eye (the equivalent of over a million cpd), a TV viewer might be lucky to see 20 cpd.

A 42-inch plasma TV at a nine-foot viewing distance subtends a horizontal angle of a little over 19 degrees. Twenty cpd and two TV lines of resolution per cycle would represent roughly those 770 perceptible lines across the width of the screen, much closer to standard definition’s 720 than to HDTV’s 1920.

Given that lenses and optical and electronic filtering reduce contrast of fine detail still further, there’s little doubt that someone viewing a 42-inch screen at nine feet can’t see HDTV resolution. Technology won’t help.

Want HDTV? Sit closer or get a bigger screen.

http://televisionbroadcast.com/articles/article_1406.shtml

Xesdeeni

08-25-06, 10:35 AM

Is HDTV Visible? The Eyes Have It

By Mark Schubin
...
Under typical home-TV viewing conditions, no TV screen delivers contrast ratios anywhere near 10,000:1. 5:1 is probably not unusual.5:1? Who's this guy kidding!? Maybe with direct sunlight on his TV screen.A 42-inch plasma TV at a nine-foot viewing distance subtends a horizontal angle of a little over 19 degrees. Twenty cpd and two TV lines of resolution per cycle would represent roughly those 770 perceptible lines across the width of the screen, much closer to standard definition’s 720 than to HDTV’s 1920.This guy's all over the place. First, 720 is the number of pixels on a DVD. (Analog) broadcast TV is lower (see below).

Second, 720 lines is much different from 720 pixels. The ratio is known as the Kell factor, and its actual value is hotly debated. But the biggest agreement is in the neighborhood of the square root of 2 (1.414). So to reproduce 720 lines, you need about 1018 pixels. (Analog broadcast TV can reproduce about 442 lines, or about 640 pixels.)Given that lenses and optical and electronic filtering reduce contrast of fine detail still further, there’s little doubt that someone viewing a 42-inch screen at nine feet can’t see HDTV resolution. Technology won’t help.Huh!? Sure, the lenses and optics can introduce distortion, but walk up the screen and see if you can see the pixels. You can? Then the distortion isn't destroying the resolution.Want HDTV? Sit closer or get a bigger screen.Now this I can agree with!

Xesdeeni

fredfa

08-25-06, 10:59 AM

The TV Column
Nielsen's Numbers: More Aging People, Fewer New Orleanians

By Lisa de Moraes Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, August 25, 2006; C05

Nielsen Media Research has raised its estimate of the number of TV viewers in the United States by 1.1 percent to 283.5 million in time for the start of the new TV season.

Nielsen said the estimates reflect the continued growth of the baby boomer generation, but we think they meant "the aging" because, so far as we can tell, no baby boomers are being born these days, unless that Sci Fi Channel show I watched the other day was nonfiction.

Anyway, Nielsen says one of the fastest-growing demographic categories is people age 55-64, which, in one of those incredible coincidences that make covering television just like studying astrophysics without the math, is the same demographic most snubbed on a daily basis by the television networks. The number of people in that age bracket shot up by nearly 4 percent.

The number of viewers in their teens and early twenties -- the age group most fawned over by the TV networks -- climbed 2 percent.

Nielsen also revised its numbers on the country's Hispanic, Asian and African American TV households. Hispanics and Asians remain the fastest-growing national segments of the population, with the number of TV households increasing by nearly 4 percent over the past year for both groups.

The number of African American TV households also grew by 1.3 percent -- faster than the national average of 1.1 percent.

Meanwhile, Nielsen has had to reconsider its position on New Orleans in the wake of last year's hurricane devastation.

Nielsen says it now estimates there are 556,980 TV households in that market -- down 11 percent compared with last year's 672,150.

But, the number-crunching company said, because "traditional demographic sources" are not up to date in that market or do not yet reflect the post-hurricane population changes, the estimates it is using were produced with alternative sources, including FEMA. Hahahahahaha. Oh -- not kidding. Sorry.

Anyway, Nielsen reports it has sunk New Orleans from the 43rd-ranked TV market to No. 54.

Replacing the Big Easy at No. 43: Las Vegas.

• • • • • • • • • • •

An advertising industry self-regulatory group has spanked Warner Bros. for buying ad time for its PG-13 rated flick "Superman Returns" in Cartoon Network shows aimed at viewers far younger than 13.

The Children's Advertising Review Unit of the Council of Better Business Bureaus said it was concerned airing ads for a PG-13 film during kids' programming would "create an interest in the film by the child audience and send an implicit message that the film is appropriate for all children."

Warner Bros. said in a statement that a PG-13 rating does not mean children younger than 13 are barred from seeing it without parents.

Which is true. It means, according to the Motion Picture Association of America, which devised the content ratings:

PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

The MPAA rated "Superman Returns" PG-13 because of the flick's intense action violence, CARU noted in its report.

The commercials aired on Cartoon Network on kids' shows such as "The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy," "Codename: Kids Next Door," "Ben 10" and "Xiaolin Showdown."

During the calendar year, "Xiaolin Showdown" averaged just under 1.5 million viewers Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. -- 904,000 of whom were kids between age 2 and 11.

The story is much the same for the other shows:

"The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy" averaged 1.5 million viewers Monday through Friday at 8 p.m. -- 952,000 of whom were ages 2-11.

Meanwhile, "Codename: Kids Next Door" averaged 1.1 million viewers Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. -- 626,000 of them between age 2 and 11 -- while "Ben 10" averaged about 1.4 million viewers -- 835,000 of them kids under 11.

Warner Bros. said it disagreed with some of CARU's findings but would not challenge the scolding, trade publication TV Week reported.

In a statement, Warner Bros. said the commercials had been reviewed by the Cartoon Network. It no doubt meant to mention, but forgot, that Cartoon Network is owned by Time Warner, which also owns Warner Bros. Which means the same company that accepted the MPAA's decision to strongly warn parents that this flick was not appropriate for children under 13 with its rating, then turned around and set about aggressively marketing the flick to children under 13 on its own kids' cable network, whose standards department rolled over and presented its yellow belly to be scratched by the Top Dogs at Time Warner.

Oh, and the flick is based on a cartoon character -- rights to which are owned by Time Warner. I've said it before and I'll say it again: There is no such thing as being too cynical when covering the TV industry.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/24/AR2006082401663_pf.html

fredfa

08-25-06, 11:13 AM

The 2006-2007 Season
A full bowl of serials and other trends for fall
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” August 25, 2006

Every television season produces its share of trends. Here are five that caught my eye.

1. The rise of serialized drama.

Not too long ago, serialized programs couldn’t get arrested on the broadcast networks. “We’re faced with two very large, looming presences on TV now, which are reality and the procedurals” such as the various “CSIs” and “Law & Orders,” “The 4400” executive producer Ira Steven Behr told the Tribune in March 2004.

Thanks to the syndication success and endless repeatability of self-contained procedurals and dramas that only timidly dipped into ongoing story lines, fans of challenging, strongly serialized programs - such as Joss Whedon’s “Angel,” the cancellation of which prompted the article mentioned above - often had to go to the cable networks for that kind of intensely serialized, character-driven fare.

Still, as other producers noted in the piece, TV is a cyclical beast, and lo and behond, six months after the publication of that article, a little show called “Lost” debuted. And now the broadcast networks can’t seem to get enough of dramas that have season-long plots, extended character arcs and even genre elements.

“Jericho,” “Heroes,” “The Nine,” “Six Degrees,” “Runaway” “Kidnapped” and “Vanished” are just some of the shows that will depend to a large degree, as “Prison Break,” “24” and “Lost” do, on viewers who are not only willing but anxious to watch those shows week in and week out.

“I think we got in under the wire, and I do think we’d have a tougher time coming up against [fall’s] real glut of serialized dramas,” says Matt Olmstead, an executive producer for “Prison Break,” a serial that debuted a year ago. “We’re very glad that we premiered when we did.”

As well he should: Last year, “Prison Break” stood out; this year, it’s the template. But the fact that the broadcast networks are throwing out so many serialized shows this fall should prompt viewers to toss these questions right back: How much time do you people at the networks think we have, even if we can get our DVRs to work overtime? And why the heck should we trust the networks that have burned us so many times by canceling serialized shows after we’d gotten addicted to them?

And when those unlucky shows do get canceled, critics will get hundreds of outraged e-mails and phone calls from readers, as we did last year when “Threshold,” “Invasion,” “Surface” and “Reunion” were canceled. Don’t network suits realize that viewers are wary of spending their precious free time on TV shows that might well leave them hanging?

Nina Tassler, the president of entertainment for CBS, glibly nixed those kinds of concerns at the Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour in July. “I don’t think audiences make a decision to commit to a show, one way or the other, based on it being serialized or not,” she said. And if viewers get hooked on a show that tantalizes them with a complicated series of questions, “in success, those questions will be answered.”

Translation: We’ll cancel the arc-heavy shows that don’t get “Lost”-style ratings, and it’s just too bad for you if your favorite serialized drama bites the dust.

Still, don’t expect the networks to give up on these kinds of shows, even when - not if - this season produces serialized casualties. The lesson of “Lost” is that fans of that kind of complicated drama will follow it wherever it goes - they’ll check out the Web sites, buy the books, buy the episodes on iTunes and in DVD form, post on the message boards and participate in an endless array of show-related activities on a wide array of new-media platforms.

“I think everyone has a limit to the number of shows they’re willing to commit to, but I also think very few people are going to decide before the season begins that they don’t have any room” on their schedule for serialized shows, said Kelly Kahl, CBS’ executive vice president for scheduling. “If people are left hanging, hopefully we’ll have the ability to stream those additional episodes and make them available on iTunes.”

2. Anti-heroes as lead characters.

If you think you’ve seen the darkest anti-hero that television can produce, you’re wrong.

“Dexter” blows your baddest bad boy (or bad girl) away. The drama is on the pay-cable network Showtime, where producers can get away with much more, but still, is America ready for a drama about a forensics expert who, in his free time, goes around killing people whom he decides are evil?

Showtime CEO Matthew C. Blank thinks so. “I just think that as you’ve had more outlets and more creative opportunities [on cable and network TV] that characters have evolved into something different than you’re used to seeing on television,” Blank said.

“We didn’t say, `We’re going to make it darker, we’re going to go further.’ We thought this character was intriguing was quirky was different enough that we could attract an audience with it. And we liked it, and it was a successful book,” he added.

The new shows on the broadcast networks this fall aren’t quite that dark, but we’re certainly seeing the influence of HBO, FX and other quality cable channels on their broadcast brethren.

On the glossy “Smith,” in which Ray Liotta’s character leads a gang of experienced thieves, more than one innocent civilian dies in the course of the robbery crew’s big heist. None of the thieves seems to have much remorse about it, nor does “Smith” executive producer John Wells apologize for the show’s edgy tone.

“People are expecting something from serious drama, from, for lack of a better term, high-end drama,” said Wells, a veteran of “The West Wing” and “ER,” at a TCA panel on the show.

“We no longer have worlds in which we do medical shows like `Dr. Kildare’ [or] `Marcus Welby,’ where the physicians are basically infallible. … I think that we have to be competitive, constantly be aware of and competitive with what’s happening on basic cable, what’s happening on pay cable, what’s happening on broadcast television, and what’s happening in feature film.”

Speaking of doctors, CBS is also adapting the “House” model of a show about an extremely cranky guy for the new drama “Shark,” in which James Woods plays an attorney who, like Greg House, isn’t much concerned with making nice.

“This guy is an infant, morally,” Woods says. “This is a guy who’s never asked the question, What’s right and what’s wrong? It’s a whole new way of looking at things [for him], but he has old habits.”

3. Great pilot. Is it a show?

Usually the pilot for a network series has been so fussed over and focus-grouped that, even if it has potential, it can feel tame and stale. And many times a show with promise blossomed into something much better later in its run.

This fall, saints be praised, there is a bumper crop of extremely intriguing, well-executed pilots. But some of them look more like well-made films than TV shows that will be able to fill out a 22-episode season.

When you watched the first episode of “Lost,” you knew that was a show that had lots of stories to tell. But the relationship drama “Six Degrees,” in which viewers meet six New Yorkers whose paths coincidentally collide? Not so much, though I thought the pilot was exceedingly well acted and lovely to look at. And I’ll be happy to be proved wrong about the staying power of “Six Degrees.”

CBS’ “Smith” is another case in point. In that show, we meet a prickly, skilled robbery crew, but we’ve met such crews before, on “Heist,” “Thief” and “Hustle.” The pilot is shot as glossily as a feature film, and stars Liotta and Virginia Madsen are always formidable. But what if such high-profile talent and stellar production values aren’t wedded to characters and stories that will get audiences involved on a weekly basis?

With ABC’s “Ugly Betty,” which revolves around a sartorially challenged young woman joining a glossy fashion magazine’s staff, producers are aware that they don’t just want to do the heartwarming makeover episode, then be left with nothing left to say.

“She is going to go through a transformation, physically and, you know, internally. … Of course she is going to have an evolution,” “Ugly Betty” executive producer Salma Hayek said at the TCA press tour. “What would be great, though, is that if we are very successful, we might get people to forget about it. We might get people not to notice whether there is a physical transformation or not, and they’re just really into the characters and what’s happening in there.”

4. Two trends in program names.

There areis not only a bumper crop of worthwhile pilots this fall - many of them have the same name. Well, that’s not entirely true, but one-word titles, a la “Bones” and “House,” are in vogue. The result is that this fall, audiences will be introduced to “Kidnapped,” “Vanished,” “Smith,” “Justice,” “Heroes,” “Runaway,” “Jericho,” “Standoff” and “Shark.”

How are we ever supposed to tell these shows apart? Their titles aren’t helping.

The subtrend is numbers-oriented names: “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” “20 Good Years,” “30 Rock,” “The Nine” and “Six Degrees.”

It’s enough to make one want to watch “The Knights of Prosperity” and “Brothers and Sisters,” just because their titles are at least different. And they have more than one word.

5. The takeover of “thirtysomething” veterans.

Who would have thought that the cast of “thirtysomething” would take over television?

Peter Horton, who played Gary Shepherd on the groundbreaking ’80s drama, is an executive producer and director on the hit ABC show “Grey’s Anatomy,” and has directed scores of other TV programs as well. Ken Olin, a.k.a. Michael Steadman on “thirtysomething,” is an executive producer on “Brothers and Sisters,” and helped create “Alias,” among other projects.

Another “thirtysomething” veteran, Timothy Busfield, pops up occasionally on “Without a Trace,” a show on which he serves as an executive producer. He has also acted on and directed “The West Wing” and was an executive producer of “Ed.” This fall, he is directing, producing and acting on “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” (he plays a television director, just to make things confusing).

There’s a tussle, meanwhile, over the services of “thirtysomething” actress Patricia Wettig, who was a key player on “Prison Break” last year, but is attached to “Brothers and Sisters” this fall; she may end up appearing on both shows. Another “thirtysomething” veteran, Melanie Mayron, is busy acting and directing for television, and “thirtysomething’s” Hope Steadman, Mel Harris, is an in-demand actress who appeared last season on “House” and “Cold Case.”

What gives?

It’s all the result of the influence and mentoring of “thirtysomething” creators Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz, Busfield says. “They created an environment for us as filmmakers,” Busfield notes, adding that the actors “all went to dailies, we could weigh in on character, they were open to everything.”

“We were all encouraged to [learn] whatever we could learn,” he says.

Apparently they learned well.

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2006/08/the_inside_info.html#more

fredfa

08-25-06, 11:25 AM

Emmy Notebook
Mixed signals
A new voting system and an August Emmy ceremony have everyone in a tizzy
By Ray Richmond The Hollywood Reporter

In a typical year, Aug. 25 would mean there are still two or three weeks to go before the Primetime Emmy Awards telecast, rather than T minus 48 hours. But forget that whole notion of business as usual this time: Shrouded in grumbling and more than a little controversy, the 58th annual kudofest celebrating television's finest, airing this year on NBC, is set to take place Sunday at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium. Host Conan O'Brien will preside over this Good Ship Lollipop and is advised to bring his A material to elevate what has come to feel like an incessant din of disenchantment.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. The Emmys, after all, are coming off a rare ratings upswing in 2005: A 12.5 household rating and 18.6 million total viewers for CBS' Ellen DeGeneres-hosted telecast marked a healthy 33% household increase from the 2004 ceremony (which drew a scant 9.4/13.8 million, the lowest such figures in 15 years). Last year, the Emmys were flush with energy and momentum, thanks in large measure to the excitement brought to the table by ABC's rookie-series phenoms "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives," which instilled the feeling that network TV was on a creative high.

A year later, the thrill, clearly, is gone. So completely has it disappeared that ABC and its disgusted entertainment chief Stephen McPherson are, seemingly out of petty frustration, counterprogramming the Emmycast with the 2003 hit feature film "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," defying an unwritten rule that one not attempt to crush a ceremony honoring those in one's industry (including many on one's own network).

What had McPherson particularly upset was the fact that "Lost" and "Housewives" barely register on the radar among the current noms. They were shut out of their respective outstanding-series categories -- this, after "Lost" won for top drama in 2005 -- and none of the acting leads on either show is nominated.

But then, ABC hardly has been singled out during an Emmy year rife with what many see as glaring omissions and equally shocking inclusions. Among the former, three of last year's four winners in the lead comedy and drama series acting categories -- NBC's "Medium" lead Patricia Arquette, "Housewives" lead Felicity Huffman and two-time winner James Spader of ABC's "Boston Legal" -- do not appear on the list at all in 2006. Three-time winners Edie Falco and James Gandolfini of HBO's "The Sopranos" and Golden Globe victor Hugh Laurie of the Fox medical drama "House" also failed to land nominations.

Meanwhile, underdogs including Kevin James of CBS' "The King of Queens," Lisa Kudrow of HBO's canceled "The Comeback," Geena Davis of ABC's "Commander in Chief" (also canceled) and Christopher Meloni of NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" scored noms this time. Then there is Ellen Burstyn: The distinguished, veteran performer is nominated as supporting actress for the HBO docudrama "Mrs. Harris" despite having appeared in the telefilm for a scant 14 seconds, uttering all of 38 words.

Much (but not all) of the debate about the nominations has centered on a ballyhooed new two-pronged voting experiment that added a blue-ribbon-panel element to the process in hope it might stoke diversity into an event that most agree has devolved into predictability. Peer committees whittled potential nominees in the top-series categories from 10 to five and lead-series performers from 15 to five, with each race judged on single episodic submissions.

But the old proverb holds that one can't satisfy all of the people all of the time -- or, in the case of the Emmys, anybody any of the time. The system helped land plenty of new names on the list and resulted in far less year-to-year rubber-stamping of nominees in the six affected categories, but it was not the wide-ranging change yearned for or anticipated. The chronically overlooked Lauren Graham of the WB Network's "Gilmore Girls" remains on the outside looking in, and FX dramas "Rescue Me" and "The Shield" did not crash that top-series party (though "Rescue" star Denis Leary scored a lead actor nom).

In the main, the networks that generally receive little or no Emmy attention (the ready-to-merge WB and UPN, FX, Sci Fi Channel) received, well, little or no attention. But the buzz is that, gripes and all, the revamped system for the highest-profile categories will return in some form next year.

Of more immediate concern to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and NBC is the earlier airdate, necessitated by NBC's newly acquired Sunday NFL franchise. The academy wanted to keep the ceremony on Sunday, but NBC wasn't interested in disrupting a regular-season football schedule set to kick off the Sunday after Labor Day. Something, or someone, had to give -- and it was ATAS, which settled for the less-than-ideal prospect of competing with pre-Labor Day vacations and a viewership still locked in a summertime, off-season mind-set.

ABC's decision to pit a high-profile theatrical feature against the Emmys also won't help. As O'Brien laments, "ABC putting that movie against us in August leaves us fighting with daggers over the equivalent of a crouton."

Regarding the date change, TV Academy senior vp awards John Leverence notes that the ATAS board of governors debated moving the Emmys to a Monday or Thursday in September but decided against doing so out of concern for attendees fighting weekday traffic to attend the ceremony or get home to watch the broadcast.

"There were also potential issues with the production schedule if we'd moved the show off of Sunday, so in the end, Sunday night just seemed the most reasonable solution," Leverence says. "The last Sunday it could be done without a football conflict was Aug. 27."

That's all well and good, except homes-using-television levels usually are down 10%-11% in August compared with three weeks later at the dawn of the fall TV season. The hope from the academy perspective is that "August is becoming the new September," Leverence says. It sounds good, anyway.

"Things seem to let out earlier and start up earlier these days," Leverence adds. "Summer TV is a different animal than it was 10 or 15 years ago, with reality shows driving up viewing and fewer reruns in general. You also don't really have a traditional fall premiere week anymore. We're hoping the result is that we'll be able to put the show on before Labor Day and not take too big a ratings hit."

ATAS chairman Dick Askin claims not to be overly worried -- though he might be the only one. "If we have a good show, the people will come," he says.

Despite a widespread perception that all is askew in Emmyland, it remains entirely possible that a compelling telecast will emerge. There are several intriguing questions going in, including whether critically praised NBC upstart "The Office" can rise to snatch a top comedy series win slightly more than a year after being pilloried for having the temerity to follow in the footsteps of the beloved British edition.

In addition, while "Lost" is nowhere to be found on the drama series list, the category sports a fascinating four-way matchup pitting old warhorses "Sopranos," Fox's "24" and NBC's swan-songing "The West Wing" (the latter looking to snare a final slice of |glory after four previous outstanding-drama triumphs) against ABC's young medical-soap upstart "Grey's Anatomy."

And will this be the year when Fox's "American Idol" finally topples CBS' "The Amazing Race" in their reality-competition series square-off? "Race" has won the category three years in a row, and a fourth straight triumph undoubtedly would spark still more audible dismay from the "Idol" multitudes.

Are these Emmys truly a solid representation of the highest achievement during the primetime season recently passed? It depends on who one asks, of course. If some would say no, then others might applaud the fact that television's top-rated sitcom, CBS' "Two and a Half Men," finally broke through in a measurable way with nominations for top comedy series, lead actor (Charlie Sheen) and supporting actor (Jon Cryer). Also, few would argue that "24" and "Anatomy" are hugely popular with the masses and rank near the top in terms of consistent buzz, commensurate with scoring the most series noms with 12 and 11, respectively.

Perhaps it's simply the Emmys' annual destiny to polarize and agitate the TV industry and critical community alike. By this time Monday, though, we probably will know at least one thing: how well O'Brien stacks up against "Pirates" star Johnny Depp. At least NBC and the TV Academy have this going for them: Unlike the Depp feature, this year's Emmys are no rerun -- for better or worse.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/awards/emmy/feature_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003053212

fredfa

08-25-06, 11:32 AM

Emmy Notebook
Emmys need a fast fix
By Robert Bianco USA Today

It takes just 15 seconds to see how badly the Emmys are broken.

That infamous quarter-of-a-minute is the entire length, give or take a second, of Ellen Burstyn's Emmy-nominated monologue in HBO's Mrs. Harris. Never mind that the appearance itself was less a performance than an inside joke/salute to Burstyn, who played Jean Harris in a 1981 TV movie (and picked up a much more deserved Emmy nomination for her trouble). The question is how anyone who watched HBO's movie could possibly have thought Burstyn's three-line cameo merited a nod.

The obvious answer is that they didn't watch the movie. Academy voters just saw a name they knew and respected and checked it off — a careless act that is, in the end, as insulting to Burstyn as it is to the other supporting actresses in miniseries and movies who had a better claim on a nomination.

Still, as embarrassing as it may be, Burstyn's 15 seconds of Emmy fame might be overlooked if it weren't the final ill wind in a perfect storm:

• A new nomination system was devised to allow panels to pick the major nominations (which did not include Burstyn's category). The result was a bizarre slate that was widely ridiculed for multiple, glaring omissions.

• A new late-August time slot was forced upon the academy by NBC, which sacrificed Emmy to serve its new masters at the National Football League. The result is almost certain to be bottom-rung ratings for a show that already lags behind its major award competitors.

In short, after years of effort, the TV industry has managed to create an awards show that no one trusts and most people won't watch. Give them another few years, and they might actually make the Emmys radioactive.

So why should viewers care? After all, like every entertainment award, the Emmys are as much a commercial creature as an artistic one. The broadcast and cable networks support them because they generate free publicity and Emmy-boasting promotions.

Yet for all their flaws, the Emmys are still the medium's most important public recognition of good work — and that should matter to any viewer who wants to see good work encouraged. The Emmy symbolizes the industry's commitment to quality, and if the symbol is allowed to deteriorate, so may the commitment.

The message sent by the current system is that TV does not take quality seriously. Even if that's true, it's not the message TV wants to be sending.

How to fix it? Here are five steps toward a better Emmy.

Change the nominating procedure

Scrapping the panels is a good start, but it can't be the finish. Yes, the volunteer panels that chose the nominees in the major categories left out House's Hugh Laurie, Earl's Jason Lee and Lost, among other grievous sins. But it was the voting membership itself, without interference from a panel, that stuck Emmy with the Mrs. Harris debacle.

Which brings us to the crux of the matter: The problem is not the method, it's the members — and no fix will work that doesn't keep that in mind.

The not-so-secret flaw in the Emmy procedures has always been that the people handing out the awards for excellence in television don't watch television, at least not when they work in television. They just don't have the time.

Time, of course, was less of an issue when there were only three networks, as there were when the Emmys began.

But the sheer volume of product these days, from broadcast and cable, has simply overwhelmed the system. And so too often, the voters fall back on the shows that garner the highest ratings or get the most publicity or run the best pre-Emmy campaign.

The academy's response has been to rely on tapes, which are selected by the producers and actors. Unfortunately, tapes can create as many problems as they solve.

As the nomination panels proved, it's hard to judge a complex series such as Lost on one episode alone — and hard to justify a system that would entrust a "best series" decision to anyone who has seen only one episode of such an obvious Emmy contender.

You can blame the Lost producers for not selecting a more accessible episode, as some have done, but that seems to make mastery of the Emmy system the prime goal. Do you want to give the Emmy to the producer who made the best show, or to the producer who made the best choice when it came time to submit a tape?

The truth is, members don't need tapes for the nominations. They need help. They will never have enough time to watch enough tapes to make an informed decision.

The solution is to create an awards committee that can temper the excesses of the voters. Let the members select a slate of nominees, and then let the committee correct the glaring errors by either substituting a name or, if that seems undemocratic, adding an extra name. A similar system seems to work quite well for the Grammys, so why shouldn't it work for the Emmys?

As for who should be on the committee, let the academy voters choose people in the industry whom they trust.

Believe me, with a few rare exceptions, network executives all know what's good on their air and what isn't.

They just won't admit it in public.

Change the membership

Go to any set of any television show and it's a safe bet that many of the people there aren't members of the academy. And the younger they are, the less likely it is that they've joined.

Here's a quick and easy fix: Give an automatic one-year membership to everyone who works on one of the 10 series nominated as the year's best. With any luck, some of those working artists will stay around. And even if they don't, at least they'll bring some new voices to the discussion for a year.

Clarify the mission

What exactly are the series Emmys supposed to be rewarding?

Look, for example, at the best actress in a drama category. You could very well argue that West Wing's Allison Janney gave a stronger performance in the one episode she had to send to voters than The Closer's Kyra Sedgwick did in hers. But over the course of the season, Sedgwick had far more to do than Janney and was far more important to her show's success.

So what is that Emmy actually for: best performance in a single episode or best performance in the series as a whole? The question you choose determines the answer you get.

If the award is for best single episode, then sending just one episode to the membership — as nominees do now in the major acting categories — is fine. If it's for a series, however, more tapes need to be sent. Then we'll just have to hope the voters actually watch them.

Police the categories

Let's return to poor Burstyn, a wonderful actress who deserves better than to be the poster child for Emmy inanity. You can blame many people for her nomination — the folks who submitted her name, the members who voted for her, and the actress herself for not withdrawing.

But in the end, the fault lies with the academy, which should have a procedure in place to move actors into categories where they belong, and remove them if they don't belong anywhere.

For too many years, Emmy has allowed actors to category-shop, a process that generally involves floating in and out of the supporting categories at will.

I love Jon Cryer and I'm thrilled that he got a supporting actor nomination for Two and a Half Men —but if he's not a co-star in that show, they should change the Two in the title.

Treat the awards with more respect

First off, that means never allowing them to be shunted off to August again. The Emmys should be anchored in their traditional spot: the Sunday before the mid-September Monday that launches the season. Any network that is unwilling to stick to that schedule should lose its place in the rotation, football or no football.

Treating the awards with a little respect also means reminding the hosts that their job is to host the awards, not to mock them. A sense of occasion, please.

After all, if there's one thing the academy members have proved this year, it's that they can make a mockery of the Emmys all by themselves. No outside help is required.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/televisionawards/emmys/2006-08-24-emmy-main_x.htm

fredfa

08-25-06, 12:25 PM

Thursday’s network prime-time ratings are now at the top of RATINGS NEWS (the first post in this thread).

Marcus Carr

08-25-06, 12:26 PM

Digital Tops Analog Cable, Says Analyst

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/25/2006 11:44:00 AM

Cable had a great second quarter with higher than expected revenue boosts and continued inroads into the telephone business. Digital cable also reached the tipping point, with more digital subs than analog for the first time.

Merrill Lynch estimates that 50.7% of cable subs had digital service as of midyear 2006, up from a tad under 50%.

That's according to a report from analyst Glen Campbell on the performance of major cable and telecom companies in the second quarter, excluding Cox, which the company does not track.

Cable sector revenue growth was up 12% in the second quarter vs. 9.7% for the same quarter in 2005. Cablevision showed the most revenue growth at 17.8%, with Comcast moving into double-digits at 10.5%.

Basic cable sub growth was minimal after a record first quarter, said the financial

analyst, but he still saw potential basic sub gains linked to the rollout of phone service. By contrast, DBS sub growth, at 320,000, was the lowest in at least the past five years, when Merrill Lynch began tracking it.

Cable modem sub growth outpaced projections. The six top operators (though, again, Cox is excluded), added 704,000 modem subs in the second quarter.

Cable's gains in phone came at the expense of the traditional phone companies, whose wireline revenues fell 3.9%. Verizon's residential lines were down 9.5% and AT&T's down 7.7%, for example. Almost two-thirds of U.S. homes are now capable of getting phone service through cable.

AS cable phone subscriptions rise, says Cunningham, "customers seem happy to plough savings from cheaper phone service into new digital TV services."

http://broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6365900.html?display=Breaking+News

fredfa

08-25-06, 12:27 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Fox football sees a bump in its ratings
Miami vs. Carolina averages 2.3 in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 25, 2006

Preseason football is rarely compelling, but with little new on the broadcast networks last night, it proved a more alluring choice for viewers than in the two weeks past, when NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” was still on.

Fox’s preseason NFL game pitting Miami and Carolina averaged a 2.3 adults 18-49 rating last night from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., according to Nielsen fast nationals. As a reminder, the fast nationals measure timeslot data and not actual program data, and the game lasted past 11 p.m. There will likely be some adjustment when final numbers are issued later today.

But as it stands now, Fox was up 10 percent over the 2.1 overnight rating that preseason games averaged the past two weeks.

As exhibition games go, this one wasn’t bad. The Panthers won 19-10, moving to 3-0 in the preseason, but new Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper looked sharp for his new team. The former Minnesota Viking hit 14-of-19 pass attempts for 130 yards.

Fox still finished third for the night in 18-49s despite very little original competition. Only CBS’s 8 p.m. “Big Brother 7: All-Stars,” NBC’s 10 p.m. “Windfall” and ABC’s competing “Primetime” were new on the Big Six networks. “Talent” ended its run last week.

Meanwhile, CBS led every hour among 18-49s, averaging a 3.1 rating and 9 share for the night. At No. 2 was ABC at 2.4/7, Fox at 2.3/7, NBC at 1.9/6, Univision at 1.8/6, WB at 1.0/3 and UPN at 0.8/2.

At 8 p.m., CBS averaged a 3.0 for "All-Stars," ahead of Fox at 2.1 for the NFL exhibition game, and ABC and Univision each at 2.0 for a "Grey's Anatomy" repeat and "La Fea Mas Bella." NBC averaged a 1.9 for reruns of "My Name Is Earl" and "The Office," followed by the WB at 1.1 for a "Smallville" repeat and UPN at 0.9 for reruns of "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Love, Inc."

At 9 p.m., CBS led again at 3.4 for a "CSI" repeat, followed by ABC's "Grey's" rerun at 2.9, Fox's NFL at 2.4, NBC's pair of "Office" reruns at 2.0, Univision's "Barrera de Amor" at 1.9, the WB's "Supernatural" rerun at 0.9 and UPN's repeats of "Eve" and "Cuts" at 0.6.

At 10 p.m., CBS led at 2.8 for a "Without a Trace" rerun, followed by Fox at 2.4 for the NFL game, ABC at 2.3 for "Primetime," NBC at 1.8 for "Windfall" and Univision at 1.5 for "Aquí y Ahora."

Among households, CBS was No. 1 for the night at a 6.6 rating and 11 share, followed by ABC at 5.0 /9, Fox at 4.4/8, NBC at 3.0/5, Univision at 2.2/4, the WB at 1.6/3 and UPN at 1.3/2.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_6910.asp

fredfa

08-25-06, 12:30 PM

The 2006-2007 Season
Your day-by-day guide to the fall season
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” August 25, 2006

Do network schedules even matter anymore?

Network suits spend weeks, if not months, agonizing over which shows will go where on their fall schedules. But by 2010, according to the consulting firm the Yankee Group, 48 million American homes will have DVRs, which allow viewers to watch shows they’ve recorded whenever they choose.

And then there are options such as online streaming, on-demand viewing and buying episodes via iTunes, all of which have exploded in the past couple of years.

So, laboriously constructed, nightly network grids -- are they a thing of the past? Maybe someday soon, but not quite yet.

“Before someone wants to put a show on their season-pass list, there’s a certain critical mass a show has to get,” says Kelly Kahl, executive vice president of scheduling for CBS. “I still think we have a job to do, which is help figure out how we can get the most people aware of a show.”

One thing to look for this fall, even more than last year: The appearance of pilots on the networks’ Web sites as soon as -- or even before -- they air on TV. NBC’s highly hyped “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” is already available via Netflix. Those are just two of many options that make this “the golden age of viewer choice,” as Kahl called it.

And as a result of competition with all those other technology-driven options and with the groundbreaking quality of cable offerings, the networks have seriously improved the quality of their shows.

This fall, they are offering viewers one of the most solid slates of new programs in quite some time.

“There’s not a lot of room for mediocre shows on the schedule anymore,” Kahl said. “People expect really high quality.”

And we, fellow viewers, are the beneficiaries of that. Now, on with the shows!

Below is a night-by-night analysis of the new fall season on the broadcast network, and a short description of each new comedy and drama.

SUNDAY

Two huge developments affect the Sunday lineup: NBC now has a football franchise, and ABC has sent “Grey’s Anatomy” from its comfortable post-“Desperate Housewives” perch to shore up its new Thursday lineup.

In “Grey’s” spot, ABC will unveil the costly and high-profile drama “Brothers and Sisters,” which has hit more than a few creative roadblocks before it even airs. CBS has shaken up its Sunday lineup as well, jettisoning TV movies and pairing two of its finest procedurals, “Cold Case” and “Without a Trace,” with “The Amazing Race,” which is in its third home in less than a year.

The fledgling CW network is countering all of that with its roster of urban comedies and “America’s Next Top Model,” while Fox is content to stand back and watch what could be a bloodbath.

New drama:

“Brothers and Sisters,” ABC (Sept. 24): There’s certainly a lot of high-profile talent behind this family drama, including playwright Jon Robin Baitz and actors Rachel Griffiths, Calista Flockhart, Patricia Wettig, Ron Rifkin and - in a late addition to the cast - Sally Field. Whether all that will translate into something worth watching remains to be seen - due to reshooting, the pilot wasn’t available at press time. Let’s hope the marquee cast means we should expect great things. (Read more on this show here.)

New comedy:

“The Game,” CW (Oct. 1): When UPN merged with the WB to form the new CW network, many of its urban comedies - including “Eve” and “Half and Half” - didn’t make the cut. Now, instead of two nights on UPN, urban comedies get one pared-down night on the CW. “The Game” is a look at the lives of the wives of NFL players, and at first glance it’s not really a game worth playing.

MONDAY

The big change here is the disappearance of the longtime ABC stalwart “Monday Night Football,” which still airs on Mondays but moves to ESPN. ABC’s attempt to establish a beachhead on this night looks tentative at best - nobody’s exactly clamoring for a return of “The Bachelor” or “What About Brian.” Seeing an opportunity (or maybe just a port in the storm), NBC has scheduled its signature new drama for fall, “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” Mondays. The good news: It’s a great show with strong buzz. The bad news: It’s going up against CBS’ inexplicably popular “CSI: Miami,” starring David Caruso and his Sunglasses of Justice. Eeek.

New dramas:

“Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” NBC (Sept. 18): The most buzzed-about pilot for fall actually, in this writer’s opinion, lives up to the hype. Set behind the scenes at a show very much like “Saturday Night Live,” the latest drama from the pen of Aaron Sorkin is not just a showcase for the scribe’s natural TV-writing gifts, but it provides Matthew Perry with the opportunity to give an absolutely stellar performance. Even if the rest of the season is only 80 percent as good as the pilot, I’ll be glued to this show each week.

“Vanished,” Fox (Aug. 21): Working from the successful model of other Fox shows such as “24” and “Prison Break,” which are both densely plotted, time-sensitive thrillers, “Vanished” concerns what happens after a senator’s wife goes missing. Though the press release promises a “sensational, mysterious national soap opera,” the pilot is workmanlike at best (NBC’s well-executed “Kidnapped” is lots better).

“Heroes,” NBC (Sept. 25): In a bid to attract comic book-loving fanboys and fangirls, not to mention the obsessive types who love to get lost in “Lost’s” minutiae, NBC unveils a moody superhero-flavored drama, in which regular folks (including, naturally, a cheerleader and a stripper) find out they have amazing powers. It’s a dark, serialized, genre-flavored drama - in a season full of shows just like that. Will the deliberately paced “Heroes” have enough superpowers to stay alive?

“Runaway,” CW (Sept. 25): In the new CW network’s only new scripted drama, Donnie Wahlberg stars as a man unjustly accused of a crime who must take his family on the lam to protect them from the law. Because the CW continues the youth obsessions of the WB and UPN, the networks that merged to form the CW, there are two teens on the show. The mom is Leslie Hope, a familiar face from the first season of “24.”

New comedy:

“The Class,” CBS (Sept. 18): Jason Ritter stars in this sitcom about a group of former grade schoolers now in their 20s who are brought together for an impromptu reunion. The pilot for this show is no home run, which is a shame - the terrific “How I Met Your Mother” could use a strong lead-in, but it remains to be seen if “The Class” can muster up sufficient enthusiasm to help create a solidly rated one-hour block of comedy.

TUESDAY

Tuesday, which has become nearly as crowded with good shows as Thursdays in recent years, becomes even more of a battleground this fall, if that’s possible. The fledgling CW network has made a solid block of entertainment from its two most acclaimed shows, “Gilmore Girls” and “Veronica Mars,” but those cult-ish shows go up against very credible lineups from CBS, Fox and even NBC.

NBC? Believe it - the Peacock network is back, and its tantalizing new football drama “Friday Night Lights” may crash and burn against the formidable “House” and “NCIS,” but one suspects the compelling “Lights” won’t go down without launching a few Hail Mary passes.

New dramas:

“Friday Night Lights,” NBC (Oct. 3): H.G. Bissinger’s sensational book just keeps on going: First published in 1990, it took on new life as a 2004 film and now gets another good adaptation on the small screen. Can “Lights” sustain the big-game excitement of the pilot for an entire season? Will the appealing Kyle Chandler grow into his role as a magnetic Texas high school football coach? It all remains to be seen, but, to mix metaphors a bit, it’s great to see NBC swinging for the fences with this kind of well-crafted fare.

“Smith,” CBS (Sept. 19): Ray Liotta stars as the head of crew of high-tech, big-time thieves (a premise reminiscent of the inferior “Heist” and the excellent “Hustle” and “Thief”). The drama is made with the sturdy, watchable quality of any CBS one-hour show, but is this relatively amoral crime caper too dark for the network’s viewers?

“Standoff,” Fox (Sept. 5): Yes, there is a law that new network dramas must have one-word titles. This one concerns a bickering pair of law-enforcement types who excel at hostage negotiations and the like - if only they could get along with each other! Insert mirthless chuckle here. Ron Livingston (“Sex and the City”), who plays one of the negotiators, and Gina Torres (“Firefly”), who plays the boss of the bickering couple, are always appealing, but here’s some free advice for Fox: If you’re going to copy a network drama, aim higher than “Bones.”

New comedies:

“The Knights of Prosperity,” ABC (Oct. 17): In fall’s quirkiest comedy, a gang of misfits attempts to rob Mick Jagger’s luxury New York apartment. Yes, Mick makes a cameo, and there’s a certain charm about this good-naturedly silly show, even if it may need some time to completely jell.

“Help Me Help You,” ABC (Sept. 26): ABC network comedy execs should pat themselves on the back (a little) for trying new things and not inflicting more hellish dreck such as “The George Lopez Show” on viewers. Then again, they shouldn’t go too nuts with the self-congratulation, because this weird comedy, which stars Ted Danson as a shrink helping an odd assortment of patients, doesn’t exactly feature wall-to-wall laughs. Still, anything’s better than another “According to Jim,” right?

WEDNESDAY

Get out your dance card. You’re going to need it to keep track of all the new shows on Wednesday. ABC, purveyor of “Dancing With the Stars,” is offering a two-for-one special in the 8 p.m. slot (“Lost” will air for six or seven weeks, then its slot will be taken over for three months by “Day Break”; the island drama returns in the new year). ABC also unveils a strong new serialized thriller, “The Nine.”

Not to be outdone, NBC weighs in with two new comedies and a contender for best new fall show, “Kidnapped.” Continuing fall’s one-word title theme, CBS unveils “Jericho” and Fox rolls out “Justice.”

New dramas:

“The Nine,” ABC (Oct. 4): It’s not quite up there with Season 1 of “Lost” (what is, really?) but “The Nine” is one very engaging ensemble drama with plenty of tension and character development. Nine folks go into a bank to do their jobs or to deposit their paychecks, and they don’t come out again thanks to a robbery that turns into a 50-hour hostage drama. Viewers will find out over the course of the season how this crime affects the people involved - and who might have been more involved in the robbery than they let on. Kim Raver, Chi McBride and Tim Daly head up a strong, talented cast.

“Day Break,” ABC (Nov. 15): Taye Diggs (“Kevin Hill”) stars in a show he insists is not a TV version of “Groundhog Day.” Still, the comparisons are understandable, because Diggs plays a man who goes from cop to accused killer all in a day, and he must relive that very bad day until he figures out who has framed him. Come on, Taye, not even a cameo for Bill Murray?

“Jericho,” CBS (Sept. 20): After a series of ominous events, including the sight of a mushroom cloud on the horizon, residents of a town in Kansas find themselves cut off from communication with the rest of the country, and weird things begin to happen. Gerald McRaney, a.k.a. “Deadwood’s” fearsome George Hearst, plays the town’s mayor, and, because no drama is complete without a tortured father-son relationship, Skeet Ulrich plays his estranged son. It's creepy stuff, but viewers feeling burned by the axing of "Invasion" and "Threshold" may take a pass. By the way, I’m taking bets on whether they wait ’til the November sweeps period to use the “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore” line.

“Kidnapped,” NBC (Sept. 20): Could NBC be on an upswing? For real this time? Unlike the last few seasons, the network has rolled out a bunch of very good drama pilots this year. Why that is, I’m not really sure, but I’ll take the good stuff over another “E-Ring” any day. In any case, “Kidnapped” is a flawlessly executed thriller, in which Timothy Hutton and Dana Delany are the wealthy parents of a missing teen. They use both the police and a private negotiator (Jeremy Sisto from “Six Feet Under,” in fine form) to try to get their son back. The pilot of this stylish show a show is a crackling good ride, and I’m eager to see more.

“Justice,” Fox (Aug. 30): The difference between this and CBS’ new legal drama “Shark” is that … CBS could afford James Woods. Still, “Justice,” which stars “Alias” spy daddy Victor Garber and comes from the Jerry Bruckheimer TV factory, is a competently made show about a high-powered set of L.A. trial lawyers.

New comedies:

“20 Good Years,” NBC (Oct. 4): Having just praised NBC for its fall offerings, I now must smack the network. How could it take two great comic veterans, the droll Jeffrey Tambor (“Arrested Development”) and that cheeky hambone, John Lithgow, and stick them in this uninspired vehicle about a couple of older gents who want to live their last couple of decades to the fullest? Honestly, I’d settle for 10 good jokes, or even five, but they were not to be found here. Sigh.

“30 Rock,” NBC (Oct. 11): Tina Fey’s minutely scrutinized half-hour comedy has its good points (chief among them: Alec Baldwin) and lots of potential, but “Rock’s” future may be hampered by the inevitable comparisons between “Rock” and Aaron Sorkin’s “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” which is an entirely different beast but also is set backstage at a sketch-comedy show. Let’s hope NBC believes in Fey enough to give her take on “Saturday Night Live”-style office politics a decent shot.

THURSDAY

You think Thursday nights were crowded before? Now ABC has gotten serious about the night, so there will be even more difficult choices for viewers. It’s such tough night that NBC pulled “Studio 60” from its Thursday roster, lest its showcase drama get trampled, and substituted utility player “Deal or No Deal” instead. Speaking of dealing, how are we going to deal with all the shows that are worth watching this night?

New dramas:

“Ugly Betty,” ABC (Sept. 28): This drama, one of fall’s most intriguing hours, is an adaptation of a popular South American telenovela, and America Ferrara’s performance as a would-be magazine editor, the sartorially challenged Betty, is so winning and nuanced you want this show - and Betty - to succeed (another plus: executive producer Salma Hayek’s hilarious cameo in a campy telenovela that Betty watches). ABC has taken a brave stand by giving the highly intriguing “Betty” a primo slot leading into “Grey’s Anatomy”; here’s hoping the network’s high-stakes gamble pays off.

“Shark,” CBS (Sept. 21): James Woods stars as a lawyer who has a crisis of conscience and goes to work for the district attorney’s office, prosecuting high-profile cases in his own, highly combative way. This is clearly a star vehicle for the charismatic Woods, who works the role for all he’s worth (and that’s saying something). But the cast around him fades into the woodwork by comparison, and this show - a pretty direct ripoff of “House” - is far less creative, at least in its pilot, than that Fox medical drama.

“Six Degrees,” ABC (Sept. 21): “Lost” guru J.J. Abrams brings a touch of magic to this fine ensemble drama about the intersecting lives of New Yorkers. The only question is, will the show drift into inconsequentiality if he loses interest in guiding its storytelling? Abrams fans know what happened to “Alias” and “Lost” when he jetted off to do other things. Another basic question: Will this coincidence-driven drama, which is extremely well-acted, have the substance to fill out a full season?

New comedies:

“Happy Hour,” Fox (Sept. 7): NBC’s comedies are really the ones to beat in this hour, and Fox’s offerings won’t do much to change that. In this one, a small-town, twentysomething guy moves to Chicago and attempts to make over his life with the help of a his roguish roommate, a would-be ladykiller.

“’Til Death,” Fox (Sept. 7): “Everybody Loves Raymond’s” Brad Garrett stars as a grizzled veteran of the marriage wars and “a cynical realist who considers himself an expert on most topics”; he and his bride (Joely Fisher) live next door to starry-eyed newlyweds.

New unscripted:

“Celebrity Duets,” Fox (Aug. 29): Famous singers, including Cyndi Lauper, Smokey Robinson, Randy Travis, Macy Gray and Chaka Khan, duet with celebrities not known for their vocal talents in this show, which, of course, bears not the slightest resemblance to “Dancing With the Stars.”

FRIDAY

NBC is shaking things up Fridays, shifting the flagship “Law & Order” to a new berth - and can that be a good thing? Dick Wolf’s last two new dramas, “Conviction” and “Law & Order: Trial by Jury” both failed in the 9 p.m. Friday slot. “Crossing Jordan” also migrates to this night, which sees Fox more or less giving up and CBS standing pat but retooling “Close to Home” with new characters.

New drama:

“Men in Trees,” ABC (Sept. 12): If a woman is successful in her chosen profession and has found a man to marry - well, in TV terms, that means she’s heading for a fall. Anne Heche stars as a self-help author who moves to Alaska because it is full of big, furry menfolk who know how to treat a lady right. Plus, there’s a raccoon. It’s all fairly implausible, and even if Friday night audiences want a romantic comedy instead of a CBS crime drama, will they go for a show that portrays women as incompetent whiners?

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2006/08/a_day_by_day_pl.html#more

fredfa

08-25-06, 01:44 PM

TV Notebook
Showtime: Trying to sing 'Soprano'
HBO has been slipping in ratings but can Showtime muscle its way higher with its line of programs?
By Shaheen Pasha CNN/Money staff writer August 26, 2005

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - With the success of "The Sopranos" and "Sex in the City", HBO has long been the emperor of original programming on cable television.

But lately, the network just hasn't been able to churn out the type of ratings hits that put it on the map, giving competitors -- primarily Viacom’s Showtime -- a chance to make inroads with their own line of series.

Is it a serious challenge for the throne? Well, some think Showtime could put up a fight. But others declare in the land of Caesars, Showtime is still only a struggling gladiator. After all, the Viacom unit still significantly lags Time Warner’s HBO in terms of subscriber base and by extension ratings.

Getting out of niches

HBO boasts 28 million subscribers while Showtime has 13 million. And Showtime has had a tough time competing with HBO on the creative side in the past – relying more on programs aimed at niche audiences such as the gay community –think "The L Word" and "Queer as Folk" – and African-Americans – such as "Soul Food" – rather than shows aimed at gaining mass appeal.

And HBO isn't resting on its laurels by any means. The cable network is banking on its $100 million homage to the gladiators with the launch of "Rome" this weekend and its current programming, including "Six Feet Under," has garnered the network both critical acclaim and Emmy nominations.

But Showtime is looking to break out of its box this season with the launch of "Weeds" and controversial thriller "Sleeper Cell," due out later this year. And its comedy series "Barbershop", based on the popular MGM films, is also aimed at the mainstream.

"They're making strides in becoming more commercially viable," said Matt Roush, senior television critic at TV Guide. "If they can get one signature show, like HBO had with Sopranos, that'll put them on the map and get them the name recognition they need."

So far, Showtime has met with disappointment despite some high-profile series launches.

The comedy series "Fat Actress" won Showtime a solid debut with 924,000 viewers – a high level for a subscriber-based cable network of its size – but it wasn't able to sustain that momentum. "Huff" which garnered the network an Emmy nomination was renewed for a second season before its launch but pulled in abysmal ratings and "Weeds" has seen its ratings fall since its official launch, when the show attracted 488,000 viewers (538,000 during its sneak preview of the show).

Roush said there's some hope for "Sleeper Cell", which features a Muslim FBI agent infiltrating a terrorist cell in Los Angeles – a topical but controversial subject that could attract viewers.

HBO Teetering Off It's Pedestal?

"In the wake of 'Sex in the City' and with 'Six Feet Under' closing their doors, there's a sense that it's the end of an era at HBO," Roush said. "The perception is somewhat overstated but as HBO is held up on such a high pedestal, there's no where else for it to go but down."

And ratings have dropped across the board. According to Nielsen Media Research, the last season of "The Sopranos" fell to an average of 9.8 million viewers from 11 million in 2002. "Deadwood" averaged 2.4 million viewers, down from 4.5 million in its first season and the cult hit "Six Feet Under" pulled in an average of 2.5 million this season, down from 3.7 million last season.

But HBO spokesman Quentin Schaffer scoffed at the notion that HBO is off its highs. He said as a cable network, HBO isn't reliant on ratings like broadcast networks, which it counts among its competitors. Schaffer said the company gauges its success by a combination of ratings, critical response and the number of awards it receives.

"Coming up with The Sopranos may be a once in a lifetime thing," he said. "But we don't have to have another Sopranos because it's more important to us to have a wide range of niches."

Schaffer added that HBO continues to crank out the "water cooler shows" that generate the buzz and said the network beats Showtime in every metric from ratings to awards.

Playing Catch Up

And analysts point out that HBO's sheer size and reputation may make it difficult for Showtime to compete on the same level.

"HBO took an early lead and Showtime has had to catch up," said James Goss, media and entertainment analyst at Barrington Research. "You can attempt to be the first choice but, with Showtime, they may want to attempt to be the most interesting second option."

He said HBO's current ratings decline won't dethrone the network but if the ratings continue to fall, down the road, it could affect its subscriber count -- a situation Showtime may want to exploit if the chance arises.

In the meantime,Showtime may stand to benefit from learning from HBO's example if it wants to be a viable option for viewers, said Brad Adgate, senior vice president of research at Horizon Media.

"Showtime is going to continue to try to compete with HBO and there's going to be some one-upmanship in trying to put out edgy innovative shows," he said. "If Showtime really wants to go after HBO more effectively, they can take a look at HBO's business model and look to broaden their entertainment to appeal to a wider audience."

A representative from Showtime wasn't available to comment.

(HBO, like CNN/Money, is a unit of parent company Time Warner and a member of the writer's family works at Showtime.)

http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/26/news/fortune500/hbo_showtime/index.htm

fredfa

08-25-06, 01:50 PM

TV Notebook
Will Katie Have Legs?

By Tom Shales in his TV Week blog

That “tick tick tick” heard in the hallways at CBS News isn’t the “60 Minutes” clock—or Walter Cronkite’s pacemaker. It’s the Countdown to Katie, suspenseful buildup to the monumental moment on Tuesday, Sept. 5, when Katie Couric takes over the “CBS Evening News.”

And what are people saying? What are they talking about?

They’re wondering if she’s going to wear slacks. They’re asking if her legs are going to show. They’re even debating whether the anchor desk will be made of plexiglass so that we can all play peekaboo through it. “Nobody asked those kinds of questions when Brokaw started doing ‘Nightly News,’” says Steve Friedman, the über producer who reinvented the “Today” show and now runs morning television for CBS News. “Nobody asked what Charlie Gibson was going to wear when he took over the Peter Jennings show on ABC.”

And lest one think this is a clear-cut case of shameful sexism at the old-boy networks, let it be noted that women are making much of the catty chatter. The old grump of a TV critic who fixated on her legs was of the female, not male, persuasion. There’s so much emphasis on appearance, you’d almost think Katie had been recruited from amongst the bouncy babes at the Playboy mansion. Are people forgetting what she proved in all those years at “Today”? That she’s bright, quick, assertive, intelligent and hugely personable? And not easily intimidated?

“It’s 22 minutes of reading news; how hard can it be?” scoffs a producer at another network. What’s hard, of course, is getting the audience at home to prefer the way you read the 22 minutes of news to the way Charlie Gibson at ABC and Brian Williams at NBC do it. To Katie’s benefit, even though Gibson and Williams both run first-rate newscasts, neither has exactly lit a raging bonfire in Nielsen’s computer. Katie—I mean, Couric—will be the one clear distinctive choice.

Neither Gibson nor Williams looms as large as did Dan Rather, Walter Cronkite, Peter Jennings or David Brinkley. In time, they might. But the playing field as the race begins is remarkably even. And for better or worse, Katie’s the one whom the paparazzi will be waiting to spot on her way back from lunch. She’s instantly the biggest star among the three network anchors.

Friedman says he drops by on Fridays to see how the new set is coming along. “It’s being finished up this week,” he says, but he doesn’t exactly paint a vivid mind-picture of how it will look. Is Katie going to be perched on a chair behind a big wooden credenza as Rather was? “I would doubt very much that she would spend every minute of every broadcast sitting behind a desk,” says Friedman, sounding as though he knows more than he’s telling.

One of the genuinely curious facts about Couric, for all the gibes she endures about being Rebecca of Sunnybrook News, is that she is notorious within the business for having high negative Q’s. Her Q ratings are high, but her negative Q’s are whoppers, a seeming contradiction that baffles many an old pro.

Friedman dismisses the so-called negative Q’s. If Couric has them, he says, they didn’t keep her from beating Q’s-through-the-roof Diane Sawyer on every day of every week they went up against each other in the morning. They didn’t keep her from clobbering Harry Smith and his harem on CBS either.

And Couric is already an old hand at handing Gibson his hat. So no matter what she wears, no matter whether she sits behind a desk or lounges on a chaise, no matter how perky or cute or lovely-legged Couric is alleged to be, from here it looks like Gibson and Williams have a lot more to worry about than she does. Tick tick tickety tick tick…..

http://blogs.tvweek.com/?cat=7

fredfa

08-25-06, 01:53 PM

TV Notebook
Univision's New York O&O Tops in Ratings
By Katy Bachman MediaWeek.com AUGUST 25, 2006 -

For the first time ever, a Spanish-language TV station ranked first in the ratings in early fringe (7 to 8 p.m.) for three months in a row this summer.

WXTV, Univision’s owned-and-operated station in New York, was rated No. 1 among Adults 18 to 34 and 18 to 49 for June, July and August with the first-run novela, Heridas de Amor (Wounds of Love).

About 20 percent of the New York population is Hispanic, according to U.S. Census estimates.

The station also ranked first in August among the 18 to 34 and 18 to 49 demographics between 8 and 9 p.m. with the popular novela, La Fea Mas Bella (The Prettiest Ugly Girl).

WXTV also posted strong ratings for its news. Noticias Univision 41, the station’s local newscast at 6 p.m. anchored by Rafael Pineda and Denisse Oller was No. 2 among 18 to 34, 18 to 49 and 25 to 54 demographic, besting the local newscasts on WCBS-TV, WNBC-TV and WNYW-TV. WABC-TV’s local newscast was No. 1.

Noticiero Univision, Univision TV Network’s 6:30 news came in No. 2, behind WABC-TV’s network newscast of ABC World News.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003053327

fredfa

08-25-06, 03:28 PM

Emmy Notebook
MediaLifeMagazine poll
Winning best drama: 'Grey's Anatomy'
By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 25, 2006

There will surely being some oohing and aahing across America on Sunday night when the Emmy winners are announced, but we can expect few gasps of surprise for media planners and buyers.

They already know what actors and shows are going to win. Or they're pretty convinced they know.

Media Life ran a poll over two days this week asking readers to pick Sunday's winners, and there was strong agreement as to those winners, the top choices well ahead of other nominees. That's especially notable because media planners and buyers are by nature a contentious lot who seldom agree on much of anything.

It's important to note, too, that readers were asked to pick who they thought would win, not who they wanted to win. In that case, opinions would have been all over the place.

So here are the winners:

For best actress in a comedy: Debra Messing of NBC’s now-canceled “Will & Grace,” with 37.9 percent of the vote. Second was Jane Kaczmarek of Fox’s also-gone “Malcolm In The Middle” with 21.5 percent.

For best actor in a comedy: Steve Carell of NBC’s “The Office” with 66.4 percent. Second was Tony Shalhoub of USA’s “Monk” with 12.8 percent.

For best comedy: NBC’s “The Office” with 47.1 percent, well ahead of Fox’s “Arrested Development” at 16.2 percent.

For best actress in a drama: Kyra Sedgwick of TNT’s “The Closer” with 43.8 percent, leading over Mariska Hargitay of NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” at 15.5 perent.

For best actor in a drama: Kiefer Sutherland of Fox’s “24” with 53.5 percent. Second was Denis Leary of FX’s “Rescue Me” at 18.1 percent.

For best drama: ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” at 46 percent, topping No. 2 Fox’s “24” at 23.4 percent.

Media Life also asked readers to name who they thought was the actor or show most deserving of a nomination that was snubbed this year by Academy of Television Arts & Sciences voters.

Their top choice: Hugh Laurie for not getting a best actor nomination for Fox's “House." Second came ABC's “Lost” for not getting a best drama nomination.

Others on the jilted list: All the UPN and WB actors who were passed over, along with "The Sopranos’” Edie Falco and James Gandolfini, and Sci Fi’s “Battlestar Galactica” for not getting any nominations of note.

Least deserving a nomination, in the mind of Media Life readers, was Ellen Burstyn for her 14-second cameo in the HBO movie “Mrs. Harris,” for which she got a best supporting actress nomination. Next least deserving: Alfre Woodard of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives.”

As another story in today's Media Life points out, viewership for the Emmys is sagging and will likely sag further on Sunday night. So Media Life asked readers what should be done to spice up the show.

There was a strong response--media people tend to get pretty vocal about the many failings of the Emmys--but three themes emerged in those many responses.

First, the Emmy voting process, though opened up some, still favors the tried and true sentimental favorites over bright emerging talents. It needs to be opened up further. More viewers would tune in if they thought the show would recognize emerging talents.

Here are some typical comments:

"Nominate people and shows that people think DESERVE them, not just the 'inside' picks."

"Nominate people worth nominating."

"Nominate shows that people actually watch. Ratings have got to be considered in the nominations."

"This year the show will be the less [sic] watched ever. The Academy must do something with the nominations system."

"Nominate people on programs that most viewers watch and not things like 'Arrested Development' and 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' which, at best, had what five or six million viewers."

"Get rid of the same old people getting nominated who don't deserve it. Have some voters who actually have heard of cable networks or watched shows not on the big 3 networks or HBO."

Second, readers believe viewing would improve if the format of the show was juiced up. The show seems too staged and drags on too long.

Here are some of those comments:

"Make the telecast shorter in length (2 hours....maybe 2 1/2 hours max)."

"Cut the time in half and just show the major awards (do a major overhaul on this dinosaur). The Emmy show is as outdated as the beauty pageants, and the ratings reflect it."

"Make the telecast less tedious for the regular viewer who isn't an award show junkie. Tone down the presenters' often inane banter. Play off boring acceptance speeches and encourage more heartfelt and amusing speeches by letting those run beyond the time limit. It's about the moments."

"Start earlier in the evening "

"Make it shorter. Get rid of all the filler like special recognition awards, musical entertainment, and lame awards like best set design. Wouldn't it be great if they said, 'This year, we'll bring you the Emmy's without all the crap you normally have to sit through to get to the really good stuff which we usually leave until the end of the show in a desperate attempt to keep you watching.' Hopefully Conan will keep it running along this year."

"Make all attendees come disguised as normal people. Stop the incredible fawning and hype over how gorgeous and important these celebrities often consider themselves to be. Find some 'chosen ones' with humility who appreciate how fortunate they are. Fat chance!"

"Move the show to May/June at end of TV season."

"Not award so much during the show. We don't care about the lesser awards, much like with the Oscars. Give us only the big stuff and move the show along. It's the same old stuff each year. The Golden Globes are more fun because they are all sitting tightly together and have had a bit of alcohol, which always sparks up the show. The Pre-Emmy red carpet is the only part that I care about because it's cool. The awards are boring and it's the same old people every year."

Third, readers believe viewers should be brought into the voting process to counter-balance the industry bias of the Academy's choices.

Here are some of those suggestions:

"Interactive voting would be fun in some way but that would make it a popularity contest. Some tie-in with multiple media outlets might help. Maybe if the Academy were to make the actual awards entries available on line for the general public to view would help."

"Introduce a 'people's choice' award that would be determined through online and cell phone voting during the ceremony. Introduce a 'newcomer' category for rookie actors and actresses."

"All of the reality shows seem to be doing it -- allow the viewers to get involved. This is not the People's Choice Awards and an element of professionalism has to be maintained, but viewers want to be or feel connected."

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_6884.asp

fredfa

08-25-06, 03:36 PM

Emmy Notebook
Your Own Emmy Scorecard

If you plan to watch Sunday night, the Los Angeles Times has helpfully provided an Emmy scorecard. You can download it here:

http://theenvelope.latimes.com/media/acrobat/2006-08/25004166.pdf

Marcus Carr

08-25-06, 04:24 PM

Hallmarks: HDNet Makes News

Mark Cuban hopes Dan Rather and Arrested Development will attract affiliates as his flagship turns 5.

By Shirley Brady

HDNet is finally getting as much attention as its CEO. The hi-def channel owned by Mark Cuban--the billionaire entrepreneur famed for razzing NBA officials on behalf of his team, the Dallas Mavericks--made the front page of The New York Times when it signed veteran CBS newsman Dan Rather in July to a three-year contract.

The weekly Dan Rather Reports debuts in October. Next month, HDNet starts its three-year off-network run of Arrested Development, the award-winning comedy. It licensed the HD rights, G4 has basic cable rights and MSN will stream the series.

Not a bad way to turn 5 as it does Sept. 5. But will these additions convince more affiliates to carry HDNet, which is available to more than 55 million homes but is approaching just 4 million subscribers?

The service launched on DirecTV in 2001, and EchoStar vice chairman Carl Vogel sang its praises on an earnings call in August: "We like what people like Mark Cuban are doing at HDNet in terms of making more and more investments in [hi-def] content."

Cuban acknowledges that it's been tough getting Comcast, Cox and Cablevision, the channel's three major MSO holdouts, to make deals with him: He attributes their reluctance to capacity issues. "MSOs want to reclaim analog channels," Cuban says of operators' network constraints. "We talk to their technical folks and [they say the bandwidth capacity's] not there."

Even switched digital video, which Comcast and Cablevision are testing to increase channel capacity, provides no guarantee of carriage. "The decision to add, or not add, an HD channel today is not just about bandwidth, but also cost/benefit from an operators' perspective," says Bruce Leichtman, president of Leichtman Research Group. "A major challenge for HDNet is that In Demand's networks are a higher priority for its cable operator owners [Comcast, Time Warner and Cox]. With no standard programming networks to leverage off, it is key for HDNet to become an imperative for cable distribution. Improved quality alone does not do that."

Nevertheless, Cuban feels HDNet's mix of sports, news and acquired programming as well as originals will make the unrated channel a hi-def must-have. "Our goal is to offer premium cable programming with a limited number of commercials," he says.

Upcoming originals include a dozen movies slated for day-and-date release plus original series such as Geek to Freak (working title), a Dennis Rodman-hosted reality show slated for January.

HDNET AT A GLANCE

LAUNCHED: SEPTEMBER 2001 (HDNET MOVIES LAUNCHED JAN. 2003)
OWNERSHIP: MARK CUBAN
DISTRIBUTION: AVAILABLE TO 55 MILLION HOMES
AUDIENCE: HDTV SET OWNERS; CORE DEMO IS MALE 25-54
EXECUTIVES: MARK CUBAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO; PHILIP GARVIN, GM AND COO; BILL PADALINO, MANAGING DIRECTOR, AFFILIATE SALES; ELISABETH GLASS, GM/SVP, PROGRAMMING, HDNET MOVIES

http://www.cableworld.com/cgi/cw/show_mag.cgi?pub=cw&mon=082806&file=hallmarkshdnet.htm

fredfa

08-25-06, 05:18 PM

The 2006-2007 Season
Maureen Ryan's Network TV Season Preview

To see a fun multimedia fall preview (including many clips from the shows) from Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune go here:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/broadband/chi-falltv-swfhtml,0,7042804.htmlstory

fredfa

08-25-06, 05:36 PM

TV Sports
Tennis Channel is finally becoming a major player
By Larry Stewart Los Angeles Times Staff Writer August 25, 2006

The Tennis Channel has just put itself on the sports television map. The Los Angeles-based channel, launched in 2003, announced Thursday that it has acquired the U.S. cable television rights to a Grand Slam event, the French Open, beginning next year.

Ken Solomon, chairman and chief executive of the Tennis Channel, likened the deal to Fox's acquisition of NFL rights in the mid-1990s. Solomon worked for Fox at the time.

The deal means ESPN2, which has been televising weekday French Open matches since 2002, probably will no longer be involved in coverage of the event. ESPN2 could remain in the picture if a deal was reached with the Tennis Channel, which plans to sell a portion of its rights to a more widely distributed network. A partnership with USA, OLN or another cable entity is more likely.

According to a source, ESPN passed on renewing its deal with the French Open because of financial considerations.

"We have enjoyed televising the French Open and ESPN will continue its strong commitment to tennis," read an ESPN statement.

ESPN networks still have about 500 hours of tennis a year, including Wimbledon, the Australian Open, the Indian Wells and Miami spring events and this summer's U.S. Open series, which includes the recent tournaments at UCLA and the Home Depot Center in Carson.

The Tennis Channel is now in 10 million homes in the U.S., but the acquisition of cable rights to a Grand Slam event should increase that number significantly.

The Tennis Channel now has leverage.

"This is a major silver bullet," Solomon said on his cellphone from New York.

The Tennis Channel, unable to reach a carriage agreement with DirecTV, is mainly available on a sports tier on such cable systems as Time Warner, Comcast and Charter. It is available in about 50 million homes, but only 10 million of those homes subscribe to the tier that also includes such networks as the Golf Channel, OLN, CSTV and Fox College Sports.

Solomon believes it won't be difficult to persuade carriers to make the Tennis Channel available on basic cable during the French Open. He said because the Tennis Channel has round-the-clock tennis, it can cover many more matches than ESPN2 did. And it could show matches live for the hard-core fans, then repeat them in prime time for more casual fans.

The deal, which can run up to nine years, also includes broadband, wireless, video on demand and other new media applications.

NBC retains the rights to weekend coverage.

A New Way to Watch Tennis

The U.S. Open begins Monday, and DirecTV subscribers can watch it not only on Channel 242, DirecTV's USA Network channel, but also, for the first five days, on six additional channels.

DirecTV and USA have teamed to offer what is billed as U.S. Open Interactive. Channels 681-685 will offer coverage of matches other than those on USA's main feed, and Channel 680 will feature all five of the other channels and the USA broadcast on one screen.

The service is free to DirecTV subscribers, and those with interactive receivers will have access to additional statistics and information.

"For tennis fans, this is the biggest advance since color television," DirecTV executive vice president Eric Shanks said.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-sp-tvcol25aug25,0,2259179,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

fredfa

08-25-06, 08:45 PM

TV Notebook
''Rescue Me'' Winds Down
By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog

The show ends its third season on Tuesday. (A fourth season has already been ordered.) I have seen the season finale, liked parts but didn't like a couple of significant elements. I can't explain why without spoiling some things. So I'll save that for a post after it airs.

For now, the season does end with a cliffhanger; asked why, star Denis Leary said, ''Because it's television.''

But, he added, ''I'm a huge fan of 'The Sopranos' ... and my favorite 'Sopranos' seasons have ended with a lot of doubt.''

Leary said that during today's press conference-by-telephone that also included his frequent collaborator, ''Rescue Me'' writer-producer Peter Tolan. (Tolan, by the way, makes a memorable appearance in the season finale. He has acted before, but this is his first time on ''Rescue Me.'')

For starters, the karmic payback Tommy Gavin was supposed to get for his assault of Janet will come around the middle of the fourth season, along with a lot of other events spinning from what happens in the series finale.

Leary and Tolan continue to express surprise at the reaction to what some call ''the incident'' and I still prefer to think of as ''the rape.'' (Tolan did use the r-word, but in reference to what Sheila did to Tommy.) They also said they heard no reaction to Sheila's rape of Tommy -- kind of surprising since I heard from some of you folks about it.

I'm also skeptical of this idea that the payback was held for next season. I think they saw Tommy-Janet and Sheila-Tommy as morally equivalent -- even though Tommy's act was more violent -- only to discover viewers declined to agree. Of course, they've been wrong from the beginning about Tommy-Janet, and still are.

Leary gave considerable praise to Andrea Roth, who plays Janet, and Callie Thorne, who plays Sheila. Thorne, he said, ''will go anywhere. ... She's on fire when she comes to work.''

Tolan said his attempt to explain the show at Television Without Pity was ''the stupidest thing I ever did.''

The emergence of the Gavins' unseen and deaf sister Rosemary (played by ''Sue Thomas's'' Deanne Bray) was, as some viewers suspected, an allusion to the disabled and put-away Kennedy sister Rosemary. Tolan said the script even had a line referring to her being ''like that sister the Kennedys had.''

Leary is happy with his Emmy nomination but doesn't think he'll win. He's betting on Martin Sheen. Noting that Sheen has already played John and Robert Kennedy (in different TV-movies), Leary said Sheen could also play Ted ''if he wanted to start drinking ... and put on some weight.''

Asked if Tommy's voice-mail message to Johnny was left after Johnny's death -- to make Tommy look better to Janet -- Leary said he'd prefer to leave the answer until the fourth season.

As for this week's episode, I didn't post after it because, well, that was the same day that (massive jobs cuts were announced at the Akron Beacon-Journal). I still have a job, and am glad of it, but I have many colleagues who will not be so lucky. So Tuesday night, I was thinking more about the real world than the TV world.

With a little distance now, I can say the episode worked in some ways but made at least one horrible tactical error. Why on earth, in the middle of a wake no less, would anyone want to throw viewers off stride with a jokey cameo by Bill Belichick?

http://blogs.ohio.com/beacon_tv/

fredfa

08-25-06, 10:51 PM

Emmy Notebook
Spelling error?
Aaron Spelling's Emmys tribute to take place amid a reported rift between Candy and daughter Tori.
By Greg Braxton Los Angeles Times Staff Writer August 26, 2006

If it's a late summer's night nightmare, it must be Emmy time.

As if cursed, the Emmys in recent years have been plagued by inconvenient truths, large and small. Last year's ceremony was held in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In 2001, there were the Sept. 11 attacks, which resulted in two cancellations.

Then there were those close encounters of the celebrity kind. John Ritter's death in 2003 cast a pall over the planned comic-hosted ceremony. And last year, a tribute to the late Johnny Carson was tainted by the exclusion of his "Tonight Show" successor, Jay Leno. The salute was given by Leno's rival, David Letterman, while Leno sat quietly in the audience.

This year's awkward Emmy moment is a family affair — specifically, the family of TV mogul Aaron Spelling, who died in June. Some of the proceedings have the elements of ... well, an Aaron Spelling production.

One of Sunday's scheduled Emmy highlights is a tribute to Spelling, one of the most prolific and successful producers in TV history, who was behind "Charlie's Angels," "The Love Boat," "Fantasy Island," "The Mod Squad" and "Starsky and Hutch," among many others. He will be memorialized by stars from several of his most popular series, including Joan Collins ("Dynasty"), Stephen Collins ("7th Heaven") and Heather Locklear ("Melrose Place").

But the eulogizing segment is taking place in the midst of a reported family feud between Spelling's widow, Candy, and their actress-daughter Tori. Tabloids and fan magazines have been salivating during the last few weeks over whether Candy has cut Tori out of Aaron's will; a US Weekly photograph of Tori and her husband in front of a pawnshop, coupled with the fact that Tori has been auctioning old clothes on EBay, served as further evidence. (Tori Spelling declined to comment for this story.)

Initial reports had indicated that the mother-daughter rift was throwing a wrench into the Emmy tribute plans, speculation that has been denied by Kevin Sasaki, a spokesman for Candy Spelling. "Everyone is giving Candy Spelling too much credit," he said. "She's been accused of running the network, producing the Emmys and deciding who can and can't come."

This latest hiccup in Emmy production lore hasn't thrown its two seasoned executive producers, Ken Ehrlich and Jeff Ross.

"We find that this show is often a microcosm of the world," Ehrlich said. "But we are always able to handle it. We have just learned to deal with things as they come up."

As it stands now, the family will not be involved in the segment creatively and will not appear on stage, the producers said.

Tori, her brother Randy and Candy Spelling are all expected to attend the ceremony, although in separate limos (Candy Spelling will be escorted by her son Randy).

And it's up in the air whether the tribute will include clips of Tori costarring in "Beverly Hills, 90210," one of Aaron Spelling's signature series.

Ehrlich and Ross denied that there had been any problems from the Spelling family in putting together a salute.

"All we did was invite them all to come," Ehrlich said.

http://theenvelope.latimes.com/awards/emmys/env-et-emmymess26aug26,0,7276055,print.story?coll=env-home-subfeaturebar

fredfa

08-25-06, 10:56 PM

Critic’s Notebook
Re-“Wired”
By Adam Buckman The New York PostAugust 25, 2006

Thirteen hours ago, I was a different person.

That was before I sat down to watch all 13-plus hours of the upcoming fourth season of "The Wire," which gets under way Sunday, Sept. 10, on HBO.

I wasn't crazy enough to watch them all in one sitting, but for the better part of the past week, I have been immersed in this show, thanks to HBO taking the unusual step of providing the entire season's 13 episodes all at once.

The shows are so powerful - so well-written, acted, filmed and edited - that the experience of watching them has left me a complete wreck.

I am so blown away by this show that I will go out on a limb here to declare that these 13 episodes just might comprise the single finest piece of work ever produced for American TV.

With the exception of "Band of Brothers" in 2001 - also on HBO - I don't remember ever connecting quite this emotionally with a group of fictional characters on a TV show.

It's not just the show's familiar cast of cynical Baltimore police either, although fans of "The Wire" will delight in the return (after a 19-month absence) of Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West), Kima Greggs (Sonja Sohn), Bunk Moreland (Wendell Pierce), Lester Freamon (Clarke Peters), Lt. Daniels (Lance Reddick) and Sgt. Carver (Seth Gilliam).

This season, creator/executive producer David Simon and his writers have come up with something new. To their depiction of cops, criminals and the Baltimore city government, they have added a storyline about the public school system and the difficulties associated with teaching inner-city kids who often choose the corner drug trade over education.

To tell this story, the show's producers have cast a group of child actors whose performances are jaw-dropping - principally the actors who play four neighborhood friends who all attend the same middle school.

They are (for they deserve special recognition): Jermaine Crawford, age unavailable, as DuQuan; Tristan Wild, age unavailable, as Michael; Julito McCullum, 15, as Namond; and Maestro Harrell, 15, as Randy.

Where these four characters are concerned, a warning: If your heart breaks easily, then you might want to avoid watching "The Wire" altogether.

But if your heart can stand it, following the story of these four boys for 13 Sundays this fall will be one of the most rewarding experiences you've ever had watching TV.

http://www.nypost.com/php/pfriendly/print.php?url=http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/re_wired_entertainment_adam_buckman.htm

fredfa

08-25-06, 11:33 PM

Emmy Notebook
The Emmys are coming. Did you know?
Organizers fret over ratings as this year's off-season ceremony shackles TV's big night.
From Channel Island: The TV Industry Blog by Scott Collins in the Los Angeles Times August 26, 2006

The Emmys are Sunday night on NBC. Did you know? Do you care?

Organizers are furrowing their brows over whether millions more viewers than usual will blow off TV's self-congratulatory spectacular, perhaps driving the ceremony to record-low ratings.

The 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards is airing a month earlier than normal — its first August date since 1992 — to accommodate NBC's new NFL lineup. So Kiefer Sutherland and Lisa Kudrow will wave from the red carpet in the blazing afternoon sun outside the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles at a time when last-minute vacationers are still paddling out to catch a wave. Who wants to applaud TV actors and writers for their labors when there are Labor Day barbecues to be planned?

As host Conan O'Brien joked recently about the ratings prospects: "I think most people are on an inflatable raft at that period of the summer."

Yet it's not just bad timing sabotaging the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' big night. For years, TV's self-congratulatory spectacular had the power to help make hits of under-watched shows, including "Six Feet Under" and "Hill Street Blues." But in today's hyper-competitive TV market, the Emmys are having a tough time getting any respect. A Newsday columnist this week dubbed the Emmys a showbiz joke, akin to Britney Spears' much-dissed husband, neophyte rapper Kevin Federline.

Consider the ceremony's fate so far this year: Critics and fans yelped about changes in voting rules that they say led to some hits, such as ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost," getting shortchanged or ignored entirely. ABC's entertainment chief last month bashed back: The network is airing the movie hit "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" opposite the Emmys. Meanwhile, cable's USA channel — owned by NBC Universal, it's worth noting — is also running its season finale of the popular sci-fi drama "The 4400" at the same time.

The problem might not be this or that nomination oversight but rather the sheer volume of, and lightning-fast pace of change in, today's TV programming. It's beginning to seem naive to devote a night to saluting the best in an increasingly fragmented, multichannel universe, filled with acclaimed shows many viewers have never heard of, let alone watched.

"Market forces are getting unleashed on the Emmys in a way that was papered over in years past," said one prominent academy member, who declined to speak on the record because of fears of alienating colleagues. "Everybody started looking at it as just a TV show."

Academy officials say they're confident ratings will hold up fine and don't expect the voting controversies to influence ordinary viewers. But they admit the date change is less than ideal, given that the TV season doesn't officially begin till next month.

"Our preference would have been to have the traditional Sunday night before the start of the season," academy Chairman Dick Askin said in an interview Wednesday morning at the Shrine, where several dozen workers buzzed around the stage, checking lighting rigs and making other final adjustments to the set.

But Askin added that NBC has heavily promoted the awards show and that a "stellar lineup of presenters" will appear. The roster includes "House's" Hugh Laurie and "The Sopranos' " Edie Falco and James Gandolfini, whose conspicuous absences from the acting nominations had fans fulminating earlier this summer.

Of course, the Emmys still draw a large national TV audience by today's standards. Last year's ceremony on CBS was watched by an average of 18.6 million viewers, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research. Although that's about half the size of the crowd for the Academy Awards, such a figure does put the Emmys in the company of solid hits like ABC's "Dancing With the Stars."

But Emmy ratings, like those for most award shows, have suffered an unmistakable years-long decline. The falloff has been especially steep among the young adults most attractive to advertisers. The 1998 Emmys captured 22% of viewers ages 18 to 49; in 2004, that figure plummeted to 12%, an all-time low.

Some officials say that rotating the Emmys annually on a telecast "wheel" among the four major networks — NBC, Fox, ABC and CBS — only aggravates the problem. Even building traditions around a host, as the Oscars once did with Billy Crystal, has proved difficult because producers keep picking different stars for the job. O'Brien last hosted when NBC had the show in 2002; Ellen DeGeneres was the host of last year's awards.

But the fact that NBC finished the 2005-06 season mired in fourth place could put a special crimp in this year's ratings.

In fact, the network's problems have already affected the show. Concerned about their costly and heavily promoted lineup of Sunday NFL games, NBC executives pressed academy officials for the date switch, not wanting to hold the Emmys on a weeknight for fear of disrupting series' busy production schedules. Delaying the awards until later in the season would just take them further away from the traditional fall launch.

So network and academy officials "both came to the conclusion this was the best alternate date," Askin said.

The message, however, was clear: Network business considerations came first. The fate of the TV industry's supposedly biggest night didn't loom large in the equation.

"I don't think that's what they were thinking of when they planned their September," Shari Anne Brill of New York ad firm Carat said of NBC executives. (NBC declined to comment on the record for this report.)

As a result, academy officials are left hoping for the best — and bracing for the worst — for an award show that suddenly seems diminished in influence and appeal, if not in hype or length.

"My concern is people being on vacation," Hurst said. "There's a lot of concern about viewership. Luckily, we won't have this problem next year."

http://theenvelope.latimes.com/awards/emmys/env-et-emmy26aug26,0,897079,print.story?coll=env-home-subfeaturebar

fredfa

08-26-06, 02:29 AM

The Business of TV
Learning to Love a Cable Guy
By Ken Belson The New York Times August 26, 2006

When workers from AT&T and Verizon visit homes to install their new television services, they come with blue hospital booties that they slip over their shoes before going inside.

The sight of burly installers in dainty slip-ons might induce snickers. But the booties are just one of the many ways in which phone and cable companies are trying to reverse their reputations for shoddy service and win over customers who have a growing number of alternatives.

For years, service was an afterthought for these companies because customers had little choice but to get their phone and cable services from what were effectively monopolies. The litany of complaints is well known: long waits for repair visits, unresponsive call centers, high-priced and inflexible service plans. On customer satisfaction surveys, phone and cable companies often rank even below the airlines.

But service has improved slowly as satellite providers, upstart phone carriers and cellphone companies have provided attractive alternatives. And now that cable and phone companies are starting to sell similar bundles of phone, broadband Internet and television products — known in the industry as a triple play — they risk losing subscribers forever if they do not keep them happy.

“When you think of the triple-play customer at $100 to $120 and $140, there’s certainly a lot more at stake,” said Ian Olgeirson, an analyst at Kagan Research, who calculated that the country’s largest cable companies increased spending on services by 48 percent in the first quarter compared with the same period in 2005. “There is this threat that someone could come in with a full bundle to take the customer away.”

That is what happened with one Verizon customer in New Jersey. In July, Joe Bender-Zanoni, a patent lawyer who lives in Little Falls, got fed up when Verizon took months to fix his phone line, which he said went down during heavy rainstorms. After repeated calls to the company and the state public utility commission, Mr. Bender-Zanoni signed up for phone service from Cablevision, which already provided his television and broadband.

“Sheer anger led me to Cablevision,” he said. “Once I got aggravated with the phone company, I looked at their triple play. They actually answer their phones.”

In the world of competing triple plays, though, Mr. Bender-Zanoni said he would consider returning to Verizon if it started selling television along with phones and broadband lines, in his area. “If I don’t like Cablevision, when Verizon gets all wired up, the person with the best deal will be the one who gets all the services.”

A Verizon spokesman, Eric Rabe, said the company addressed Mr. Bender-Zanoni’s complaints before he left for Cablevision, which, Mr. Rabe said, had been aggressively discounting its phone service to win customers.

The growing competition is prompting changes in both the cable and phone industries. Verizon technicians who normally work outdoors splicing cables and the like are being trained to work on PC’s so when they install high-speed data lines, they can fix associated problems on customers’ computers, like viruses.

Verizon has developed a special knife that uses pressurized air to slice through lawns so fiber optic lines can be buried. The tool cuts through grass, but does not break sprinkler pipes and gas lines. Verizon also goes to great lengths to repair lawns where cables are buried. In Virginia, where the company has installed 4,141 miles of fiber optic cable so far, it has bought 283,147 pounds of grass seed.

Comcast is combating a major customer peeve: being transferred around when seeking service on the phone. The company has centralized its billing so operators, who receive about 200 million calls a year, can answer questions about all products. Comcast says operators now spend 8 minutes helping a customer with an installation, down from 12 minutes previously.

Comcast and other cable providers are bolstering their call centers because they now sell so many products, including digital video recorders, video on demand and phone service.

At Time Warner Cable’s call center in Flushing, Queens, 550 operators handle about 770,000 calls a month in five languages, and another 230,000 calls are answered by voice prompts, said Missy Mans, the head of operations there. The company has increased the number of operators at the center by 15 percent this year and plans a similar increase next year.

With 1.5 million customers in the New York City area, the calls run the gamut, from queries about equipment to people asking for directions to the nearest payment center. The average call is five and a half minutes, and agents handle several dozen calls a shift.

“There’s huge financial savings if we cut the average call to five minutes, but not if we don’t solve the problem,” said Glenn A. Britt, the chief executive of Time Warner Cable. “We don’t want to just push them off the phone.”

The cable industry’s service calls have also gotten an upgrade. Helver Gregory, a Time Warner Cable technician in Queens recognized his customer’s tight schedule recently as he took 15 minutes to install a digital video recorder, adjust the television and demonstrate how the new machine worked. Then he gathered his boxes, checked the carpet for scraps and left.

“Right now, my goal is to go to a house and give the best customer service so customers don’t think about changing companies,” Mr. Gregory said.

Cable and phone companies still get low marks from consumers for service, according to the widely watched American Customer Satisfaction Index compiled at the University of Michigan. The cable and satellite industries, which the survey lumps together, got a score of 63 on a scale of 1 to 100 this year. That is below traditional phone companies at 70, airlines with 65 and fast-food restaurants at 77.

Customers still say they think that satellite television companies provide better customer service, but cable companies have narrowed the gap for three years running, according to J. D. Power & Associates. The addition of phone service is partly behind the improvement, the survey showed.

“The cable guys are playing the high-touch game on the telephone side,” Frank Perazzini, a director at J. D. Power, said. “They’ve been attentive to customer needs and it shows up in the customer service satisfaction ranking.”

The surveys suggest that customer perceptions of the quality of service are partly based on whether they think they are getting a good deal. This bodes well for the Bells as they enter the television business with products that are cheaper and, in some ways, more advanced than comparable cable products. They have also coddled customers with dedicated help lines, free wireless Internet routers and other goodies that have helped them grab up to 15 percent of the markets they have entered.

When the Bells began selling broadband in the form of digital subscriber lines in the late 1990’s, they sometimes advertised in places where service was still unavailable, giving potential customers a reason to call their cable provider. It took several years for the Bells to catch up, partly aided by heavy discounts.

Selling television service is even more complicated and involves many more variables, including set-top boxes that technicians typically must install. Customers are also less forgiving of problems with television service than they are with broadband lines, and that can lead to more complaints and higher service costs.

Cable and phone companies do not disclose how much they spend on customer service. But keeping customers happy is not cheap. Companies often find it hard to quantify how service contributes to the bottom line. So executives walk a fine line between spending on services with uncertain results and trimming budgets when times get tough, hoping customer complaints do not rise.

To keep costs down and speed response times, companies like Time Warner have been using e-mail and instant messaging to answer questions, with mixed success. Cable companies ignore 17 percent of the e-mail messages they receive, according to Terry Golesworthy, the president of the Customer Respect Group, which rates companies on their responsiveness.

“Their e-mails have gotten more helpful, but they’ve gotten slower,” he said.

Comcast’s efforts to improve its reputation for service suffered in June, when a customer in Washington videotaped a visiting repairman who fell asleep on his couch while waiting on hold with the company’s repair office. The customer put the video online where it drew thousands of viewers and was cited in television and newspaper reports.

Comcast fired the repairman and sent a vice president to help fix the customer’s Internet connection. But the incident seemed to tap into lingering widespread disdain for “the cable guy,” a sentiment that cable companies, as well as phone companies, continue to fight.

“There’s no question that cable has a legacy, and that it’s a legacy that takes time to overcome,” said Dave Watson, the executive vice president for operations at Comcast’s cable division. “We recognize that and we know we have to do better.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/26/technology/26service.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=business&pagewanted=print

fredfa

08-26-06, 02:43 AM

TV Q&A
Ask Matt
(from the Ask (TV Critic) Matt (Roush) column at TVGuide.com
By Matt Roush TVGuide.com TV Critic

Question: Do you know why Stargate SG-1 isn't being renewed for a new season? I was an original fan of the movie, but didn't get into the series until Ben Browder made the leap from the still-missed Farscape. The occasional episodes I saw before that were usually not that great, but lately, with Claudia Black as Vala and with the new story lines, they seem pretty entertaining. I know that its ratings are supposedly down, but I was under the impression SG-1 was still a solid performer. This move seems even more incredible given the fact that Stargate Atlantis has been renewed. Why couldn't Sci Fi just say, "No more bugs-chasing-the-team episodes" (always the worst) instead of canning the series? Also, I know the studio that produces Stargate SG-1 is shopping for a new home. Do you think there's a chance someone else could pick it up? Maybe G4 or Spike? — Abbie G.

Matt Roush: You may be relatively new to Stargate, but that makes you the exception. From what I gather, the main contributor to Stargate's being shut down is its age (10 seasons old), which translates directly to its cost. It's all about the numbers, and that doesn't always strictly mean ratings, which may be down a bit but not enough to diminish the show's achievement in reaching 10 seasons and 200 episodes. For the spin-off to continue while the mother ship shuts down is not unprecedented. That's pretty much how the various Star Trek series operated (none of which went past seven seasons). Lesson to be learned here: No show is meant to last forever, and as I noted in my Dispatch earlier this week, it's hard to think of a show that actually got better after its 10th season (and Doctor Who doesn't really count, since it reinvents itself in each incarnation).

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Question: I have to say congratulations to Stargate SG-1 for reaching 200 episodes, a milestone for any show. But my question now is: In a world of Internet, downloads and increased competition, will any other shows reach that 200-show mark? I mean, does Grey's Anatomy have the staying power of Stargate? Even though I love both shows, I don't believe it does. — Geoff

Matt Roush: Before anyone criticizes Geoff, this question came in before Stargate's cancellation was confirmed. It's even more timely now, don't you think? It's an excellent question, and one that really got me thinking, because there are so many considerations at play. For a regular series to hit 200 episodes, that usually means it must stay on the air for 9 to 10 seasons, depending on the number of episodes ordered per year. Given today's more cluttered TV environment, I have to think it may be even more likely for certain sorts of shows to hit the 200-episode mark. If they've broken through and become a franchise, the networks will do anything possible to keep them around, especially in an environment that's all about network "branding," which requires brand names. For instance, CSI is going into its seventh (already!) season this fall, and I can't imagine the show disappearing until well after the 10th season has come and gone (though maybe not with the entire original cast). Same with many of the procedurals (Law & Order: SVU is going into its eighth season), if they continue to be as popular with the audience as they are now.

Also, animated comedies from The Simpsons to South Park can keep going as long as their creators feel like it. But to address Grey's Anatomy specifically, and serialized dramas in general: I doubt it has Stargate's (or Law & Order's or CSI's) "staying power." The show is burning so bright right now that it's only a matter of time (I'm thinking the magical five-season mark) before it naturally begins to diminish and, more to the point, before some of the principal cast will be tempted to move on. Unlike ER, which might have been well advised to call it quits a few years ago, I don't see Grey's evolving into a show about Seattle Grace Hospital, regardless of who's wearing the scrubs. This is Grey's Anatomy, meaning Meredith and her friends. I don't see them doing this 10 years from now. As I always like to say: Enjoy it while it lasts. (And that goes for shows like Lost, which I imagine will have to wrap things up in a few seasons, if only because fans are so impatient for answers and resolution.)

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Question: Although I find it entertaining, I am disappointed by Entourage, primarily with Vince's character. Sure, the show is supposed to be a takeoff on the spoiled, somewhat easy lives of actors, but I can't get past Vince's reckless behavior this season. Ever since his funny Almost Famous breakdown scene (caused by "Aquaman"'s ticket sales), he's become grating. Letting a corrupt former cohort almost destroy his crew and reputation just because he once took the fall for Vince; letting the "Aquaman" deal fall through due to a pissing match; laughably criticizing the treatment of "Queens Boulevard" (like any agent would actually let someone crash and burn like that); and, in next week's previews, wanting to fire Ari , even though Vince started the war with the president of Warner Bros.? I loved the B-stories with all the other characters (although I wish we'd seen more of Shawna, even though I know Debi Mazar was pregnant and probably not working), but why should I care about Vince any longer? — James

Matt Roush: The simple answer is because Vince stays loyal to his friends, so he can't be all bad. His recklessness, especially careerwise, feels real to me, and that's worth caring about. If he were making all the right moves, where would the conflict or story be? The fact that he's making a mess of things in the wake of his biggest success makes Entourage something of a cautionary tale. And an awfully entertaining one, from where I sit. Vince is out of control, and so was Ari (with that decrepit producer Bob Ryan, who got his revenge), and it's possible both will have to pay for it. But to say you're disappointed with the show because the character is so flawed is misreading the situation. That would be like shunning Rescue Me because Tommy Gavin is such a bastard. Oh, wait! That kind of happened, too, this summer. Oh, well.

________________________________________

Question: I finally jumped on the Project Runway train for this current season, and I'm loving it. Great premise, and I hope I can catch up on the first two seasons. My comment is more about Bravo's scheduling. I'm all for cable networks broadcasting episodes several times a week, but do you think they go overboard with Runway? My DVR shows Runway coming on 32 times this week — don't you think that's overkill? Another question: I'm looking forward (of course) to the new season of Battlestar Galactica and even Nip/Tuck, now that enough time has passed since that ludicrous Season 3 finale. Do you think premiering these shows during the start of the broadcast season may hurt them? — Larry B.

Matt Roush: Without a doubt, Bravo goes overboard with the Project Runway replays — but at least you don't have to fret if you miss an episode. (I've become hooked on HGTV's Design Star, and they don't replay that one often enough — its original Sunday time slot is way overcrowded.) I'm not sure it's overkill, because I honestly don't know what would be a better use of Bravo's airtime. That channel has been a pioneer in how it exposes (or in this case, overexposes) its franchises with multiple airings and seemingly constant marathons. When MTV does it with endless replays of Laguna Beach or something, I'm annoyed and I don't watch. When Bravo does it with Project Runway, it doesn't bother me as much. But do I watch? No. Once is plenty, and I wouldn't miss it on Wednesdays anyway.

As for your question about Battlestar and Nip/Tuck premiering against the first wave of the network fall onslaught, it didn't hurt Nip/Tuck that much a year ago. The audience for that show is clearly looking for something that goes way beyond network fare. (That's certainly the case this season.) And on Fridays, Sci Fi has established a strong enough identity that Battlestar should do fine as counterprogramming against the few network hits that occupy the night. It's probably the only show airing on Fridays that I'll be paying much attention to (which is no slam against Numbers, Law & Order or Men in Trees, to name a representative show from each of the networks that still take Fridays seriously).

________________________________________

Question: Matt, I just wanted to thank you for being a supporter of So You Think You Can Dance. I was ready to write it off as typical summer reality TV, but much to my surprise, it became my favorite show of the summer. I have always enjoyed dance and was ecstatic to see a show featuring this underappreciated art form without the need to use celebrities. All of the contestants were incredibly gifted dancers, and it was great to see a show in which people worked to develop their craft. Contrast that to American Idol and several other reality shows, in which many of the contestants are picked solely because of their personality as opposed to their talent, or in which contestants just sit around backstabbing each other. The finale was a treat because all four contestants seemed to like each other genuinely, and it didn't feel like a competition. Anyway, thank you for mentioning SYTYCD in your list of the summer's good reality shows. By the way, I wish I could have seen Travis and Allison at the TCA conference; I heard it was stunning. — Laura

Matt Roush: They were terrific, and I couldn't have been more shocked when Allison was booted a few days later. Regarding Dance: I would say that was my biggest surprise of the summer. I wasn't that into it last year, but this time around, once they got past the seemingly endless audition episodes (never my favorite part of these shows), I was hooked by, of all things, the raw talent on stage. And now, looking at reality's flip side, here's this....

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Question: An open letter to Simon Cowell: All right, after watching your show, it may be debatable whether America's Got Talent, but I feel it's safe to say (to use one of your favorite superlatives) that you, Mr. Cowell, have absolutely no talent whatsoever at producing an intelligent, entertaining show. You have so far taken two excellent concepts (American Inventor and America's Got Talent) and managed to trivialize them, in addition to boring the pants off us with mundane music, endless repetition, uninteresting judges and irritating hosts. (Am I the only one in America who finds Regis Philbin as welcome as a cheese grater on raw knuckles?) The finale of America's Got Talent was not only excruciating, but embarrassing as well (e.g., Regis "singing" and Bianca Ryan in shock once she was named the winner). Simon, either stop underestimating the intelligence of the American audience or overestimating our tolerance for crap, or you will be voted off the island! — Rebecca

Matt Roush: But what do you really think, Rebecca? While I certainly agree with your assessment of Talent's dreadfully produced finale, and especially the inept handling of the announcement of the winner (powerful pipes in a child with debatable star presence, who cares?), trashing Simon so personally without acknowledging the genius of American Idol (which is cheesy in all the right ways, usually) seems a bit extreme. And who can say how his Celebrity Duets will do starting next week? That could be a sleeper hit as well.

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Question: I'm curious about your thoughts on Twenty Good Years. Both John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor are downright funny, and the commercials look good from what I've seen, but it seems to have been relegated to the back burner when it comes to critics. Is the show not as funny as it looks? Or is it just not going to need as much of a push as other comedies? — Dan

Matt Roush: This is not a show that's likely to depend on critical support to survive. It's very broad and very conventional in its look and tone (laugh track included), but NBC feels that it might be populist enough to draw in a mainstream audience that could potentially stay tuned for 30 Rock (which, like many single-camera comedies, may grow slowly). NBC may be onto something: Put popular stars into a silly nothing of a show and you might attract a bigger crowd to stay tuned for the more offbeat, snob-appeal comedy that follows. Personally, I think it's just weird to pair Twenty Good Years and 30 Rock, going from the ridiculously negligible to the sublime. I'd pair 30 Rock with Scrubs, which is why I probably wouldn't last six months in a job like Kevin Reilly's. (Months? Make that weeks.)

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Question: Who cares about the Lost snub and Ellen Burstyn? The Emmys got a big one right this year: Leslie Jordan has made me howl in everything he's done, from Murphy Brown to Dharma & Greg. Kudos to the Academy for awarding him for his guest role on Will & Grace. To me, this makes up for nominating Kevin James. — Natalie

Matt Roush: To me, Kevin James' clowning falls under the same heading as Leslie Jordan's broad and often very funny shtick. Be that as it may, I have no gripe with Jordan winning the guest-performer Emmy. The only one of those guest-actor wins that made my jaw drop was Christian Clemenson (a fine actor in an over-the-top role) beating Michael J. Fox for Boston Legal.

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Question: I was mad when Everybody Loves Raymond beat Arrested Development for the best-comedy Emmy last year (I think Desperate Housewives siphoned away votes from AD), because an Emmy win might have helped AD stay on the air, and Raymond was already out to pasture in the fields of syndication. This year, I find myself rooting for AD to win despite its cancellation, in part because I feel that a postcancellation Emmy win is a righteous humiliation for Fox on behalf of every great show they ever axed, and also because anything that builds momentum for a potential AD movie is a good thing. I know The Office is the front-runner now, but I have a feeling it will get plenty more chances at the Emmys for years to come. Does the late, lamented AD have any hope of winning the trophy? — Tony H.

Matt Roush: Slim to none, I'd guess. But with the Emmys, it's always a guess. In Arrested Development's favor is the fact that it has won before, and the industry clearly loved it to the very end. Otherwise, a show that faded away this ignominiously would normally fall off the Emmy radar. Of the nominees, I would have no objection to either Arrested or Scrubs winning, but I do think it's The Office's year. (And the thought of denying a show an award after its breakthrough season because it's likely to stay in the race in future years makes about as much sense to me as anything else about the misbegotten Emmys.) Let this be my last word about the Emmys until after Sunday night.

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Question: It seems to me that every time a network suit has the bright idea to boost ratings for a show, he or she ends up driving away millions of viewers instead. Do you think the Commander in Chief fiasco will discourage networks from meddling with successful shows in the future? — Charles

Matt Roush: Thanks for giving me a much-needed laugh. The networks don't know how not to meddle. There may have been major upheavals in the way we record, watch (and even download) TV these days, but some things will never change.

http://tvguide.com/tv/roush/askmatt/

fredfa

08-26-06, 02:51 AM

Critic’s Notebook
Are the Emmys dead?
By Verne Gay Newsday Staff Writer

Rather than wasting your valuable time by pontificating on this all-important question - you know, one of those "on the one hand/on the other hand" columns - you'll get the answer right now in the second paragraph: Yes, they're dead.

Not dead in the literal sense of R.I.P., no-pulse, nice-knowin'-ya dead, but "dead" in the show-business sense of "dead" - which in some ways is even worse. This means no one takes you seriously anymore. This means you are silly, irrelevant and vaporous even by Hollywood standards. This means your name is "Kevin Federline."

Or "The Emmys."

How did the Emmys become the K-Fed of the awards world? How come they don't matter anymore to the average Tom, Dick and Jane Viewer, who, by Monday morning, will have only the vaguest recollection of which show won best drama or sitcom just a few hours before? The Emmys still matter intensely to the people who receive one (or want to). But Sunday night, everyone in the Shrine Auditorium will know these as the "Asterisk Emmys of 2006" - the ones that embraced a failed experiment, belly-flopped, and then anointed, say, "Two and a Half Men" the greatest sitcom of the year.

For some reason, the Emmys' predicament reminds me of a story - entirely true - about a legendary Clio Awards ceremony in the advertising industry some years ago. The cream of the business had assembled in one of those gilded Manhattan hotel ballrooms, but the ceremony's host failed to arrive. The caterer was then forced to give out the statues, and that's when the trouble really began. Maybe one of the tuxedoed attendees was angered when he didn't get the award he believed to be rightfully his. Maybe he didn't like the rubber chicken on the plate in front of him. While details remain murky to this day, there was some shouting, then some pushing, and before long the entire room rushed the stage, like rebels storming the Bastille. People started grabbing statues, any statue, then dashed for the exits.

Within minutes, the ballroom was as silent as a tomb, with only the acrid stench of humiliation hanging in the air.

It would be wonderful - at least for NBC's ratings and viewer interest level - if this happened in the Shrine Auditorium Sunday night. Can you imagine? What would broadcast host Conan O'Brien do? Throw a body block on Charlie Sheen?

The point is, anyone who flips through the troubles in Emmyland quickly comes to the conclusion that there are serious problems here, and none easily solved. Start with this year's nominating process which yielded some colossally dunderheaded miscues - no nods for James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, "Lost," "The Shield," "Battlestar Galactica," but big ones for Geena Davis, Kevin James and "Two and Half Men."

In the old days, say around 1999, the Emmys were judged by a blue-ribbon panel comprised of people who apparently didn't know a network called "The WB" existed, or were so out to lunch that they wondered why they hadn't yet received their tapes of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences then opened voting to the entire membership, but that too led to flagrant nonsense - such as studio's block voting for their own show, which created more chaos.

Critics carped, the academy listened, and this past year adopted the so-called Lauren Graham Rule - named for the always-a-bridesmaid lead of "Gilmore Girls" who everyone seems to believe deserves a best actress nod but, because of the ossification of the rules, has never gotten one.

So this past year, the membership voted for the 10 best shows, while a blue ribbon panel then selected the five best out of those. In other words, the academy took two failed systems from the past, glommed them together and - voila! - double trouble in '06. (And still nothing for Graham.)

Blame the academy? Yes, but blame the membership too. In this awards-crazy business, everyone wants that little statue, forcing the academy to create more and more (and more) categories. Thus overwhelmed, the academy then simplified. The blue ribbon panel gets to see only 10 individual episodes from each series. The producers of "The King of Queens" submitted the one where James hangs upside down from a strippers' pole. Apparently it was very funny. The blue ribbon people thought so.

Blame NBC? Happily. NBC will air the ceremony on one of the network's deadest nights of the year because the NFL season doesn't open until Sept. 10. Would it have killed NBC and the academy to move the ceremony to (say) a Monday night in September? Blame ABC, too. Bugged because "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" were snubbed, it'll air "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" Sunday night, effectively ensuring a record-low turnout for this year's Emmys telecast.

Blame the critics - us all-knowing, all-seeing nabobs? Oh please do. We always conveniently neglect to mention that the process, however bungled, still manages to celebrate some excellence on occasion ("24," "The Office," Kyra Sedgwick ... )

In the meantime, the Emmys remain very much dead, and so here's some friendly advice to Conan: Keep a close eye on Charlie Sheen.

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/ny-ettel4861568aug24,0,3649612,print.story?coll=ny-television-headlines

fredfa

08-26-06, 02:53 AM

Critic’s Notebook
Emmy's shoo-ins and snubs
By Chuck Barney Contra Costa Times TV critic

Here’s our dream Emmy-show opener: Conan O'Brien bounds onto the stage, flashes that sly grin of his and reveals that this year's list of nominees is really just a great big hoax, designed to get our minds off the war in Iraq, skyrocketing gas prices and Katie Couric's wardrobe.

Gotcha!

Can you sense the bitterness? Oh yes, we're still grinding our molars over a group of nominees that doesn't include such presumed front-runners as "Lost," Edie Falco, Hugh Laurie, Marcia Cross and others, but did find a way to include a performance by Ellen Burstyn that had a screen time of -- 14 seconds.

No wonder the Emmy selection process has been mocked and derided by TV-loving diehards everywhere.

Ah, but there comes a time when you just have to get over it and play the cards you've been dealt. That time is now. And thus, we're ready to engage in the annual rite of Emmy prognostication, although we're doing it under protest.

On with the show:

Drama Series

"24" (Fox); "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC); "House" (Fox); "The Sopranos" (HBO); "The West Wing" (NBC)

SNUBBED: "Lost" (ABC); "Rescue Me" (FX); "Battlestar Galactica" (Sci-Fi)

SHOULD WIN: "Lost." ... Oh, that's right, it's not even nominated.

WILL WIN: Normally, we'd automatically go with "The Sopranos" in this fight, but it developed a limp this season. On the other hand, "Grey's Anatomy" was this year's breakout hit. Still, the pick is the turbo-charged "24," which was widely perceived to have produced its best season yet.

Comedy series

"Arrested Development" (Fox); "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (HBO); "The Office" (NBC); "Scrubs" (NBC); "Two and a Half Men" (CBS)

SNUBBED: "Entourage" (HBO); "My Name Is Earl" (NBC)

SHOULD WIN: We will always have a place in our hearts for the dearly departed "Arrested Development," but this season belonged to the working stiffs of "The Office."

WILL WIN: "The Office," because the Dunder Mifflin gang has emerged as the coolest sitcom ensemble in prime time. But don't be surprised if the Academy goes all conservative and tabs "Two and a Half Men."

Lead actor, drama

Peter Krause ("Six Feet Under," HBO); Denis Leary ("Rescue Me," FX); Christopher Meloni ("Law & Order: SVU," NBC); Martin Sheen ("The West Wing"); Kiefer Sutherland ("24")

SNUBBED: Hugh Laurie ("House"); James Gandolfini ("The Sopranos")

SHOULD WIN: Leary, for his smokin'-hot performance as a terminally troubled fire fighter.

WILL WIN: Sutherland, because he'd bided his time (four previous nominations, no wins) -- and he deserves something for doing all that running around and-saving-the-country-from-peril stuff.

Lead actress, drama

Frances Conroy ("Six Feet Under"); Geena Davis ("Commander In Chief," ABC); Mariska Hargitay ("Law & Order: SVU"); Allison Janney ("The West Wing"); Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer," TNT)

SNUBBED: Edie Falco ("The Sopranos")

SHOULD WIN: Any list in this category without Falco on it is totally fraudulent. But while she's on the sidelines, we're showering our love on Sedgwick, who brought a sugarcoated twist to the TV cop.

WILL WIN: Four-time winner Janney, because Emmy obviously has a gigantic crush on her.

Lead actor, comedy

Steve Carell ("The Office"); Larry David ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"); Kevin James ("The King of Queens," CBS); Tony Shalhoub ("Monk," USA); Charlie Sheen ("Two and a Half Men")

SNUBBED: Jason Lee ("My Name Is Earl," NBC); Jason Bateman ("Arrested Development")

SHOULD WIN: Carell, but, by all rights, he should be duking it out with the Jasons for this trophy.

WILL WIN: Carell, because he deftly took a notable role and made it his own -- and because we suspect Academy members have a thing for movie stars.

Lead actress, comedy

Stockard Channing ("Out of Practice," CBS); Jane Kaczmarek ("Malcolm in the Middle," Fox); Lisa Kudrow ("The Comeback," HBO); Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("The New Adventures of the Old Christine," CBS); Debra Messing ("Will & Grace," NBC)

SNUBBED: Tichina Arnold ("Everybody Hates Chris," UPN); Lauren Graham ("Gilmore Girls," the WB); Mary-Louise Parker ("Weeds," Showtime)

SHOULD WIN: This is the last shot (with "Malcolm") for Kaczmarek, whose flustered mom was perennially nominated, but shamefully passed over.

WILL WIN: Kudrow, because Hollywood fell in love with her portrayal of a washed-up -- and painfully delusional -- sitcom star.

And the Emmy should also go to ...

SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA: Gregory Itzin ("24")

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA: Sandra Oh ("Grey's Anatomy")

SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY: Jeremy Piven ("Entourage")

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY: Jaime Pressly ("My Name Is Earl")

REALITY PROGRAM: "American Idol" (Fox)

VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES: "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (NBC)

MINISERIES: "Elizabeth I" (HBO)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE: "Mrs. Harris" (HBO)

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/entertainment/columnists/chuck_barney/15339621.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

fredfa

08-26-06, 10:42 AM

TV Sports
Cable's Pricey Ticket
By John M. Higgins Broadcasting & Cable 8/28/2006

No battle in the TV business gets hotter than cable- and satellite-TV operators' struggle over the escalating cost of sports networks. Any operators resisting a network's carriage or license-fee demands can count on attacks through advertising, sports talk radio, and even local politicians and Congress.

Unfortunately for operators, pro and college sports teams aim to push costs even higher, hatching expensive plans to create networks and beef up existing channels. Ultimately, subscribers end up footing the bill.

Sports networks are the most expensive programming on basic cable. The license fees for all the networks on an 80-channel basic-cable package cost an operator around $12 per subscriber last year, Morgan Stanley estimates. Nearly half of that stems from just a handful of programming networks: ESPN (around $3 monthly), at least one regional sports networks (around $2), and smaller channels like ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPN Desportes (another 35¢ cents for the package).

By comparison, the license fee for other basic-cable networks can be just pennies per subscriber; some networks, such as MTV or TBS, commonly run 25¢-50¢. (Disney Channel, however, gets $1 per sub.)

The average basic-cable subscriber pays $41.40 a month.

For years, the problem was that sports networks habitually increased their license fees dramatically. In a study of rising cable rates, the Government Accountability Office found that they rose an average 19.6% per year, three times the pace of non-sports networks.

New networks will only add to that. The NFL Network wants 75¢ per subscriber. Two college athletic conferences—the Big 10 and Mountain West—have teamed with established programmers to launch their own networks. Mountain West TV wants 75¢ per sub. Big 10 TV (managed by Fox Sports) could cost up to $1 per subscriber.

Major League Baseball team owners have delayed plans for their own network, waiting for the outcome of the NFL Network's groundbreaking campaign to secure hundreds of millions of dollars a year in new license fees.

Teams and networks love the idea of the potential profits, as well as feeding their die-hard fans with far more content than the general sports networks could ever offer. But many cable and satellite executives get angry because they risk annoying subscribers by raising prices for all, not just for the fans, or angering investors with lower margins.

However, cable operators often play both sides. Comcast is a major owner of regional networks. Even harsh sports critics Cox and Time Warner own part of a channel or two.

Because fan is short for “fanatic,” teams and networks are expert at using them to secure carriage and good license fees.

“These networks put together a business plan and expect us to eat it,” says Time Warner Cable Executive VP of Programming Fred Dressler. “Then they put the onus on us. We didn't ask for this network. Do I need a tennis network? I don't need a tennis network.”

Sports networks see no need to apologize. “Historically, the two primary drivers of cable and satellite television were sports and movies,” says Brian Bedol, CEO of college sports channel CSTV, which is partnering with colleges that make up Mountain West TV.

While having games appear on ESPN gives teams a wider audience, Bedol says college teams love the idea of offering deeper programming to their biggest supporters both at home and nationally. Referring to Mountain States Conference member Brigham Young University, Bedol says that, to millions of Mormons around the country, “BYU is like Notre Dame.

“This really is a great partnership,” he adds. “I think it's a very fair deal that benefits the conference, benefits the fans, and benefits the operators.”

Who's to blame? George Steinbrenner. The New York Yankees boss built regional sports network YES into an operation worth $1.2 billion, primarily on the back of the baseball team's local-TV rights. A few years earlier, he had proposed selling the entire team—TV rights included—to Cablevision Systems, owner of MSG Network, which at the time licensed the Yankees' games.

Few networks will see that kind of payoff (the Yankees are the most successful team of any kind in history, plus they're based in the nation's largest city). Some ventures may fizzle the way a few pro-sports networks did. Still, many in the sports are willing to give it the old college try.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6366091

fredfa

08-26-06, 10:53 AM

Emmy Notebook
Emmys are hair-raising for Conan O'Brien
By Marisa Guthrie The New York Daily News Staff Writer

Conan O'Brien - Emmy host and nominee, whose "Late Night" is up for best variety, music or comedy series - worries about the same thing all the starlets worry about on the big night: his hair.

"Barometric pressure has a lot to do with how my hair behaves," said O'Brien. "So I'll be checking with the weather services shortly before the program to see just what kind of lift we can achieve.

"If the humidity gets a little high and we're in a low-pressure system, the hair tends to fall onto the forehead. But if we get just the right conditions, it can be 14 feet high."

But seriously, O'Brien, who also hosted the Emmys in 2002, should have plenty to poke fun at this year's ceremony on Sunday.

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' new voting procedure has caused consternation and even outrage in some camps. The changes were designed to produce a wider range of nominees, but they've produced head-scratching nominations, like a nod to Ellen Burstyn for mere seconds of screen time in HBO's "Mrs. Harris," and oversights, including snubs of "Lost" and actors Edie Falco and Hugh Laurie.

"If there's a negative area, I never like to go there," O'Brien told reporters last month. "If there's something that might embarrass the Academy or NBC or TV in general, I usually steer clear."

He's kidding, of course. But there will be some serious moments during the show, including tributes to the late Aaron Spelling and to Dick Clark, who is still recovering from a stroke.

Clark, said O'Brien, has "really been involved in TV for about as long as TV's been around. He's a huge influence. With `American Idol,' music is such an important, powerful part of television. I think it's a great idea to honor him."

The 58th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live from Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium beginning at 8 p.m. EDT. But like many awards shows (most infamously, the Oscars), the Emmys can drag on - and on. O'Brien promised to do his best to keep things moving.

"I'm like you," he said, "I watch these shows, and I'm always really happy when someone does something entertaining and funny or if the show seems to move along quickly."

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//15357617.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

fredfa

08-26-06, 10:56 AM

Emmy Notebook
You'll be the winner if you shun the Emmys
By Melanie McFarland Seattle Post-Intelligencer TV Critic Saturday, August 26, 2006

Sunday evening, the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will award the best series and brightest talent television has to off -- whoa, whoa, whoa, that's not right.

Rewind.

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences puts on an awards show every year that fascinates millions of viewers caught in the throes of Emmy fever, quivering in anticipation ... oh, please.

Why gild the ugly truth? You probably don't care about this year's Emmy Awards. You shouldn't care about them. August is a terrible time of year for television because nobody's watching, which means this year's Emmys would have a heck of a time attracting attention even if the nominations were acceptable.

You've probably heard by now, but, um, they're not. This year's nominations are such a cruel joke, in fact, that we're not even bothering to do the predictions game. What's the point? Most of the "should-wins" aren't even on the list, and figuring out the "will wins" would make my heart hurt.

Remember how you loved "My Name Is Earl" last season? Emmy voters didn't get the message, tipping their hats instead to "Curb Your Enthusiasm," which had a run we'd rather forget, and the serviceable but less than extraordinary "Two and a Half Men" in the Best Comedy Category.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Stockard Channing and Lisa Kudrow each received nominations, and they star or starred in sorry excuses for half-hour sitcoms, two of which are dead: Channing's "Out of Practice" on CBS, Kudrow's "The Comeback" on HBO. Not to say stars in dead series don't merit nominations, but if you're going to grave rob, why not pick "Arrested Development's" Jessica Walter?

Emmy also said no to "Sopranos" star Edie Falco and yes to "Commander in Chief's" Geena Davis; no to Hugh Laurie and James Spader and Gandolfini, and yes to Martin Sheen; no to "The Shield's" Forest Whitaker and yes to "Huff's" Oliver Platt in the supporting actor slot; no to "Lost," and yes to "The West Wing" for best drama. For the millionth time.

There is one selling point to this disaster in the making. Conan O'Brien is hosting. He hit a home-run emceeing in 2002, when he showed us how make limoncello out of rotten lemons. Those of us obligated to watch at least have that wire monkey of hope to cling to. As for the rest of you, why put yourselves through what tends to be three acutely painful prime-time television hours? You can watch Conan in his element on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" on any given weeknight of the year.

So go ahead and continue packing the cooler for the annual family camping trip. You're not missing anything we sorry souls who have to watch this thing can't tell you about Monday morning, and that you can promptly forget about it by Monday evening.

Not going anywhere? There's still not much of a good reason to watch. Rent a DVD. Watch movies that have been chopped to hell on other channels. "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" is airing on KOMO/4 at the same time. KWPX is getting its licks with "Teen Wolf Too." Don't knock it. With a few beers in you, I bet it's hilarious, whereas drunkenness only makes an Emmy show look worse.

But if you're still dedicated to the Emmys (i.e., you're a sucker for punishment) and want to find out exactly why this year is going to be even worse than usual, keep reading.

The live Emmy Awards telecast, airing this year on NBC (tape-delayed for KING/5 and the West Coast) came early because football begins in September, and we all know the NBC's commitment to NFL is far more important than a lame voting body that doesn't realize that "The West Wing" stopped mattering to most of us about three years ago.

Granting that series numerous nominations is business as usual, right? Except it shouldn't have been. This year's nods were supposed to be different due to a heavily hyped change in the nomination structure.

Emmy nominations used to be selected by a bunch of stodgy blue-ribbon panels that, instead of actually watching television, opted to pick out the names they recognized from a pool of possible nominees. This led to an annoying sameness to the winners list. So in 2000, the Academy opened voting to the entire 10,000-member body, including younger and perhaps savvier voters. Even that fell into a rut after a few years, which is why the Academy changed things up yet again in 2006.

The idea was that any Academy voters willing to weigh in would choose 10 finalists for the best comedy and drama categories from a list of all eligible series, and 15 from a list of actors and actresses. Then a blue-ribbon panel -- yes, the same folks who messed up the works before -- would evaluate the top vote-getters during a screening process to come up with its list of five nominees in each category.

This was supposed to give smaller networks like The WB and UPN a fairer shot, and dangled hope that the likes of "Gilmore Girls" star Lauren Graham, "Veronica Mars" lead Kristin Bell and "Everybody Hates Chris's" Tichina Arnold, UPN's answer to "Malcolm in the Middle's" Jane Kaczmarek, finally would have their good work noticed. It was even nicknamed The Lauren Graham Rule because Graham waited for years for Emmy to finally come calling.

She's still waiting. Emmy stood her up yet again.

But this doesn't mean the change didn't work for anyone. "Rescue Me's" Denis Leary and "The Closer's" Kyra Sedgwick's presence on the list of noms proves that voters are noticing work on lower-rated channels. Just not the ones on broadcast television.

As for those individual nods, some of the fault for that lies with the people responsible for mounting an effective awards campaign on behalf of an actor or actress. Lacking any idea of what to submit, they go with a favorite choice, not necessarily the one featuring an extraordinary performance.

Kudrow's probably on the list because she knows people who have played this game to perfection during the decade the much-nominated "Friends" was on the air. Kevin James, a natural with physical comedy, probably seemed like a more obvious choice than Jason Bateman's deadpan subtlety on "Arrested Development," or Lee's reel for "My Name Is Earl." That still doesn't explain why Charlie Sheen's in the mix, but, hey, Steve Carell is too.

Carell might win. That would be great. Nobody says you have to be around to clap for him, though. A better form of congratulations would be to watch "The Office," when it returns to NBC in a few weeks. It could use better numbers.

And the best way to send a message to the Emmys' voting body that its broken system needs to be replaced instead of halfheartedly repaired is to give Sunday's show the low ratings it deserves.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/printer2/index.asp?ploc=t&refer=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/282614_tv26.html

fredfa

08-26-06, 11:21 AM

Emmy Notebook
Pundit Predictions
By Tom O’Neil Los Angeles Times Staff Writer In “The Envelope” Award blog

Who do our experts predict will snag TV's top prize?

The Envelope's Tom O'Neil has round up a panel of industry experts to handicap this year's Emmy races. Who will win? Who should win? Find out what our pundits think.

Best Drama Series
"Grey's Anatomy"
"House"
"The Sopranos"
"24"
"The West Wing"

Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel: ("24"): The most influential series in the coming season. If it doesn't win, look for "The West Wing" to bag the trophy.

Robert Bianco, USA Today: ("Grey's Anatomy"): My own pick would be "24" in a narrow win over "Grey's" - mostly because "24" is long overdue for the recognition. It would have been an even closer call if "Lost" were included, as it should have been. Now watch the voters succumb to sentiment and pick "West Wing."

Tom O’Neil, The Envelope:: ("Grey's Anatomy"): "Grey's Anatomy" should win because it was TV's big winner this past year: a Nielsen ratings hit and critics' darling that America talked about obsessively around the water cooler and over the backyard fence. But beware: voters may want to give four-time past champ "The West Wing" a final salute after it rallied creatively this season. Sometimes voters get all sentimental about departing shows, but, strangely, only comedies like "Everybody Loves Raymond." No drama series has ever prevailed after exiting the airwaves. "The Sopranos" could also be a spoiler. It won the last time it was in this category, but it wasn't eligible last year so Emmywatchers may underestimate its strength.

Ray Richmond, Hollywood Reporter: ("24"): I think the feeling is "24" is simply overdue, and there's no overwhelming choice to knock it out of the top spot this year. It's in a similar position to "The Sopranos" two years ago. And it's also coming off a great season (some say its best). 'Grey's' may be too much of a chick show to take the trophy, 'Sopranos' had a middling year and 'House' -- though it submitted a great episode -- is likely a year away. Upset possibility: 'West Wing.' We should know better than to underestimate it.

Matt Roush, TV Guide: ("Grey's Anatomy"): It's a tossup to me between "Grey's" and "24." Grey's is red-hot and coming out its breakthrough season, highlighted to those sensational post-Super Bowl episodes that took the show to the next level. In terms of cast chemistry, cleverness of writing and overall appeal, "Grey's" was the perfect show last season. But "24" has never been better, with a relentlessly suspenseful season with a staggering body count. Five years in, the show is in amazing shape, and this would be the perfect time to reward it. In my mind, these shows are tied. But since I have to pick one, I give the more traditional "Grey's" the edge (it reminds me of "ER" in its early prime). That said, I wouldn't be surprised if the Emmy went to "The West Wing" one more time. Most improved show this season, maybe, but BEST drama? Not by a long shot. But the Emmys LOVED this show, and just to aggravate us one last time, the Emmy could go here, snubbing the two that really deserve it. (Three if you count "Lost," which didn't even get nominated.) "The Sopranos" could also surprise us if you're just basing the vote on the premiere when Tony got shot--amazing stuff. But even the show's fans have to know this was an incomplete season, not worthy of the big prize. And much as I love "House" -- especially Hugh Laurie -- not a best-series contender. Not with this competition.

Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune: ("Grey's Anatomy"): Could it be "Grey's" year to win the Big Kahuna? Or will the entire Emmy night be a valedictory affair for "The West Wing"? For me, that's the big question in this race. Never say never to another "West Wing" sweep, though I'm not in the mood for yet another parade of "Wing" actors and producers. Fingers are crossed in favor of ABC's most enjoyable hit, which had one hell of a ride last season.

David Zurawick, Baltimore Sun: ("24") It was not a great season for "The Sopranos." "24" wins hand-down for the opening moments of "Day 5" the assassination of David Palmer.

Best Comedy Series
"Arrested Development"
"Curb Your Enthusiasm"
"The Office"
"Scrubs"
"Two and a Half Men"

Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel: ("The Office") People in Hollywood seem to love it.

Robert Bianco, USA Today: ("The Office"): My pick - "Arrested Development."

Tom O’Neil, The Envelope:: ("The Office") "The Office" is not only the best comedy on TV, but it's the hippest and has snob appeal, which matters a lot in Emmy races. Remember "Frasier" triumphing five times in a row? Compare that to Roseanne Barr's number-one Nielsen show that won best comedy at the Golden Globes: it was so vulgar and blue collar that snooty Emmy voters never even nominated it in this race. Past winner "Arrested Development" has a shot, but, granted, it's a long shot. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" loses all the time. Why should this year be different? "Two and a Half Men" has no chance because it has no snob appeal.

Ray Richmond, Hollywood Reporter: ("The Office"): "The Office" has got to be seen as the overwhelming favorite, its critical buzz building to a crescendo at the right time and its submitted episode a great mix of humor and pathos. I think 'Arrested' is the only other comedy that might have a shot at an upset, though I suspect it's been off the air too long and the feeling is that its time has passed.

Matt Roush, TV Guide: ("The Office"): This one seems a lock to me. "The Office" has great buzz, it kept improving through its first full season, and it has the smarts of a show that would make the Emmy voters feel good about themselves for giving the award to. If the single-camera shows somehow cancel each other out, then "Two and a Half Men" could be a surprise winner. It actually is very funny, more laugh-out-loud than many of the other nominees. But still. This is "The Office's" year.

Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune: The new, allegedly improved Emmy nomination process led to seven nods for "Two and a Half Men." It's not a bad show, but it's not even close to being the funniest show on TV. Still, if the TV Academy saw fit to favor "Men" with so many comedy nominations, it follows they may just give the show the top comedy award. But let's not think that, let's assume voters will wise up when presented with several superior choices. Wouldn't it be great if "The Office" won? That comedy and "Scrubs" are the two funniest things on network TV (now that "Arrested Development" is done, sigh). But there's a lot of love for Larry David, and "Arrested Development's" critical kudos have to count for something. Still, "The Office" is both a mainstream and critical success, and its talented writers (many of whom also act on the show) certainly did some hilarious and even moving work last season.

David Zurawick, Baltimore Sun: ("The Office")It still is a pale imitation of the British original. But in a wretched comedy season, it isa the best we have. And there is the pleasure of Steve Carrell.

Best Miniseries
"Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre)"
"Elizabeth I"
"Into the West"
"Sleeper Cell"

Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel: ("Bleak House") The strongest entry in this field. Dickens meets MTV. Wonderful.

Robert Bianco, USA Today: ("Bleak House") My pick - "Bleak House," though if the choices in this category don't improve soon, I'd be inclined to combine it with the "Best Movie" category. There just hasn't been strong enough work done in either category the last few years to justify two awards.

Tom O’Neil, The Envelope:: ("Bleak House") "Elizabeth" feels more important, but "Bleak House" was just better, period, and voters seem to go for "Masterpiece Theatre" productions automatically.

Ray Richmond, Hollywood Reporter: ("Elizabeth I") I think voters will probably go with HBO in the advance of another standout, though this happens to be an unusually strong miniseries year. Watch out for 'Bleak House' as a longshot, following on the heels of another 'Masterpiece Theatre' entry ("The Lost Prince") having won here last year. And 'Sleeper Cell' has a shot too with the recent re-focus on terrorism via the exposed British airline plot.

Matt Roush, TV Guide: ("Bleak House") "Bleak House" was marvelous Dickens, robustly entertaining in a way that HBO's more by-the-history-book royal miniseries didn't quite match. "Sleeper Cell" could be a sleeper winner, being the only contemporary story (and a ripping good suspense tale to boot). "Into the West" is a politically correct choice, but not a worthy contender.

Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune: ("Elizabeth I") Helen Mirren's star power and amazing performance, as well as HBO's usual dominance of this category, should ensure that HBO's Elizabethan drama wins here.

David Zurawick, Baltimore Sun: ("Sleeper Cell"): I know it's wishful thinking, but it is a noteworthy attempt by the medium to respond to 9/11.

Best Made For TV Movie
"Flight 93"
"The Flight That Fought Back"
"The Girl in the Cafe"
"Mrs. Harris"
"Yesterday"

Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel: ("The Girl in the Café") Charming love story bolstered by Bill Nighy's fine performance. Why wasn't he nominated?

Robert Bianco, USA Today: ("Flight 93") My pick - "Flight 93," the best of a sub-standard bunch.

Tom O’Neil, The Envelope:: ("Flight 93") I'm torn between "Flight 93" and "Girl in the Café," but I think Emmy voters have displayed, historically speaking, a strong bias toward films with a more urgent political message.

Ray Richmond, Hollywood Reporter: ("Flight 93"): "Flight 93" would probably have been the favorite here anyway, but that's not expecially true given recent events, Oliver Stone's 'World Trade Center' and the focus on the fifth anniversary of 9/11 around the corner. Plus, it happaned to be a moving, quality piece of work. This means that HBO is going to lose a category it owns, losing for only the third time since 1993 (unless "Mrs. Harris" can somehow pull an upset I just don't see happening).

Matt Roush, TV Guide: ("Yesterday") Oh really, who cares? I imagine the 9/11 projects (both noble but flawed) will cancel each other out. HBO's moving AIDS drama "Yesterday" was heads and shoulders above the other two HBO contenders. This vote usually goes HBO's way. I doubt that will change this year.

Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune: ("Mrs. Harris) With tons of star power and HBO behind it, "Mrs. Harris" should be a shoo-in.

David Zurawick, Baltimore Sun: ("The Girl in the Café") Television rarely touches such gentle chords, and who can see Bill Nighy and not vote for this film.

Best Variety, Music or Comedy Special
"The Colbert Report"
"The Daily Show With Jon Stewart"
"Late Night With Conan O'Brien"
"Late Show With David Letterman"
"Real Time With Bill Maher"

Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel: ("Letterman") Oprah puts him over the top.

Robert Bianco, USA Today: ("Daily Show") My pick - "The Daily Show," though I wouldn't mind seeing "Conan" win, either.

Tom O’Neil, The Envelope:: ("Letterman") Looks like a slam-dunk for Letterman since he submitted the Oprah episode, which was supposed to be (I didn't see it) a whopper. But Conan calls his Finland episode the best of his career (I didn't see it), so maybe he can pull off an upset? Maybe none of this matters considering how automatically loyal viewers seem to be to Stewart's show, but maybe they'll let his spinoff rival, "Colbert," pull off an upset? Ah, well ... eenie, meenie ... I better stick with that killer Dave and Oprah combo.

Ray Richmond, Hollywood Reporter: ("Letterman"): "Letterman" probably carries the day with his submitted Oprah installment, though 'Colbert Report' is considered the edgiest and funniest show of its ilk to be found anywhere -- maybe too edgy for voters who like tend to vote comfort over innovation. Jon Stewart, however, should never be counted out, either.

Matt Roush, TV Guide: ("Conan O'Brien") A tossup. "The Colbert Report" is the flavor of the season, but seems such a one-trick pony to me. "Daily Show" still enjoys critical mass, but I think this could and should be Conan's year. His unique trip to Finland was a hilarious milestone for the show, even trumping Dave's "get" of Oprah. This is really anyone's (but Maher's) award this year. But with Conan being such a good sport as to host the Emmys again, he gets my salute. And my prediction.

Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune: ("Letterman"): Though I think Conan's trip to Finland was a scream -- and that's the episode he submitted -- Letterman's Oprah episode will probably win the day. Who wants to bet against the queen of daytime TV, united with late-night's only real icon?

David Zurawick, Baltimore Sun: ("Letterman"): The episode entered blows everything else away.

Best Reality Competition Program
"The Amazing Race"
"American Idol"
"Dancing With the Stars"
"Project Runway"
"Survivor"

Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel: ("Project Runway"): Most stylish of reality series should end the reign of "Amazing Race."

Robert Bianco, USA Today ("American Idol"): My pick - "American Idol." At some point, such phenomenal popularity deserves to be more than its own reward.

Tom O’Neil, The Envelope: ("Amazing Race") It's dumb to bet against "The Amazing Race," which always wins here. I hear that "Survivor" handed in another dull stinker episode. Did "Idol" finally wise up and submit an episode from later in the season when the competition finally heats up? I keep hearing that they always submit early junk.

Ray Richmond, Hollywood Reporter: ("American Idol") After 'Amazing Race's' three consecutive Emmy wins, it's time to crown another reality champ. I have to believe this is 'Idol's' year. If it isn't, then it clearly never will be. It had the buzz this year as it never has before, further strengthening its credentials as a pop cultural phenomenon. That has to be worth something -- doesn't it? The other three nominees are merely taking up space.

Matt Roush, TV Guide: ("Survivor") "The Amazing Race" stumbled badly with its boring, badly produced family edition. It could still rebound with the eps from the second half of the season, but I'm hoping this year, the award will go to the pioneering reality show "Survivor," which has yet to win and which had a very good and consistent season. "American Idol," being the juggernaut, has to be considered a strong possibility -- unless you actually watch it. It's not that well produced. It's just addictive and popular. My actual favorite in this category is "Project Runway," but I imagine it's still just too marginal to win. And the production values on "Survivor" and "Race" are so much higher. I still think it's between CBS's two reality tentpoles.

Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune: ("Project Runway") I'm voting with my heart here, not my head. "Project Runway" has really broken through into the mainstream and each season is more enjoyable than the last. When it comes to reality TV that's both classy and addictive, "Project Runway" is the program to beat. "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race" are also good shows, but "Race" stumbled with a badly recieved family edition, and that show has already won more than once.

David Zurawick, Baltimore Sun: ("American Idol") Maybe "Project Runway" had a better entry, but I still think members vote for the phenomenon.

Best Drama Actor
Denis Leary, "Rescue Me"
Peter Krause, "Six Feet Under"
Christopher Meloni, "Law & Order: SVU"
Kiefer Sutherland, "24"
Martin Sheen, "The West Wing"

Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel: (Denis Leary): The episode put his character through a dramatic workout. He excelled.

Robert Bianco, USA Today: (Martin Sheen) My pick: Denis Leary, in a very close race over Kiefer Sutherland. My bet, though, is the Academy will go the "Raymond" route and takes this last opportunity to give an Emmy to Martin Sheen. He does deserve it - just not for this season.

Chris Lisotta, TV Week: (Denis Leary): Big fan of "Rescue Me" here, so maybe I'm skewing towards my own personal preference here. My concern is Leary's character is so in shock from his son's death that voters unfamiliar with the performance won't realize the range of comedy and drama he usually gets to play in a less emotional episode. But in this category, that might be a good thing. "24" is really a roller coaster ride of a thriller, but seeing how Sutherland holds the whole enterprise together is impressive, even if he doesn't venture much beyond concern and the adrenaline-driven rush of a life threatening situation. Meloni has been handed the Emmy episode, considering the amount of screen time and emotional range he gets to work with. I may have put him too low on the list, since he is a terrific actor on a well-regarded show, and his co-star Hargitay has been an Emmy fave in the past. Krause does a great job showing how terrifying it is for a man-child like his character to turn 40, but more conservaitve Emmy voters might be turned off by such a negative performance. His character is not a rogue, which I always enjoyed, but can be tricky when it comes time to vote. Sheen's episode, the series finale, also wrapped up many of the other series regular storylines, so the range he's shown before is shared with others.

Tom O’Neil, The Envelope:: (Denis Leary): Close, squeaker race between Leary and Meloni. Leary has the edge because he's got the highest Cool Factor in the TV industry and because he gave Emmy judges a powerful episode entry in which we see a recovering alcoholic fight to stay sober while dealing with the painful irony that his son was killed by a drunk driver. However, Leary's performance is understated at first and builds slowly. An upset is very possible by Meloni, whose huge, fireworks perf is big and flashy throughout his episode. Forget Sheen. Too understated. Sutherland is cursed by starring in a thriller, a TV genre voters don't take seriously. Krause's portrayal of a mortician coping with his own mortality is touching, but may not be edgy enough.

Ray Richmond, Hollywood Reporter: (Denis Leary) It's an unusually weak category given the baffling omission of Hugh Laurie and James Gandolfini. Peter Krause and Christopher Meloni are fine actors, but puh-leeze! Martin Sheen? Five years ago, not now. That leaves it between Denis Leary and Kiefer Sutherland, a two-way race that can go either way. I'm voting with my heart when I pick Leary. But Sutherland also is deserving, though his show's heart-in-your-throat format works against him.

Matt Roush, TV Guide: (Denis Leary) I'm picking Denis Leary, though my preference (and my gut) goes for Kiefer, who has toiled so valorously for years as Jack Bauer, one of TV's truly iconic roles. The second season of Rescue Me was a real turning point for Leary's character, a truly tragic antihero. The tragedy of losing his only son has Emmy bait all over it. The big negative is the PR disaster of this summer's season, when his character sexually assaulted his ex-wife. If that comes back to haunt him, he's out. Perhaps giving it to Kiefer -- unless Martin Sheen finally gets his Emmy for his lame-duck season on The West Wing. This wasn't his shining hour, though, and there is enough good work in this category (even without Hugh Laurie, who would have been my pick if he had been nominated) that it doesn't need to go to a sentimental favorite.

Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune: (Martin Sheen) Martin Sheen should finally get an Emmy for his role as President Bartlet, but Sutherland also deserves the award for making yet another season of "24" unmissable. And Krause might have won a few years ago, but it seems the "Six Feet Under" writers went out of their way to make his character unlikable in the program's last season.

David Zurawick, Baltimore Sun: (Denis Leary): Kiefer Sutherland desrves it, but Denis Leary has a knockout emotional entry.

Best Drama Actress
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"
Geena Davis, "Commander in Chief"
Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
Frances Conroy, "Six Feet Under"
Allison Janney, "The West Wing"

Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel: (Allison Janney): Her episode reminded me why her character was the heart of that show.

Robert Bianco, USA Today: (Geena Davis): My pick: Kyra Sedgwick, who is the only actor on this slate who should have been nominated at all - well, with the possible exception of Geena Davis.

Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune: (Allison Janney) Sedgwick really deserves to win here for a brave, canny performance on what's become a breakout cable show, but the likelihood of Janney taking the prize this time is unfortunately high. Nothing against this fine actress, but "The West Wing" is likely to get a lot of sentimental votes, and Janney, who's already got four Emmys at home, is probably going to be the beneficiary of the "Wing" love once again. Personally, I'm rooting for Sedgwick.

Tom O’Neil, The Envelope: (Allison Janney) Not Janney again? Yes, I'm afraid so. She only had one strong episode this past season, but that's all a nominee needs and she had a doozy ("Institutional Memory"). Hollywood hipsters prefer Sedgwick, who has a good chance of prevailing. Her episode is dramatic and brave as she fights off the attack of a S&M sex fiend while investigating an icky murder. Mariska lost last year for giving an even bigger, better performance about children in peril. Conroy is fine, but she never stops crying and looking mopey-faced. Watch out for Geena Davis: her role is understated, but packed with defiance, a quality that often fuels upsets.

Ray Richmond, Hollywood Reporter: (Allison Janney) Without last year's upset winner Patricia Arquette and three-timer Edie Falco, this field too is somewhat weak. I pick Allison Janney not because she's the top choice but because, as a four-time victor, she seems to have some sort of cosmic hold on voters. Kyra Sedgwick is poised for an upset, however, and it would be only a mild one. Mariska Hargitay won a Globe, but I don't see her repeating here. Frances Conroy was good in her submitted episiode, how 'Six Feet Under' is dead and buried. Geena Davis' nom is a joke.

Matt Roush, TV Guide: (Kyra Sedgwick): Kyra Sedgwick is my pick, because she gives the most entertaining performance in this category. Maybe not the heaviest, but then, this is an award that went to freaking PATRICIA ARQUETTE last year! Without Edie Falco in the running, this category seems to me an afterthought. I get a kick out of Kyra. And if Allison Janney gets it one last time, how aggravating will that be?

David Zurawick, Baltimore Sun: (Kyra Sedgwick): Allsion Janney has a great entry, but Segdwick's "Dream Date" is strong enough to carry the day. And, on overall performaqnce and impact, Sedgwick deserves.

Best Comedy Actor
Larry David, "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Kevin James, "The King of Queens"
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk"
Steve Carell, "The Office"
Charlie Sheen, "Two and a Half Men"

Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel: (Tony Shalhoub): Has the showiest role and the most screen time.

Robert Bianco, USA Today: (Steve Carell): My pick: Jason Lee or Jason Bateman. Oh wait, they weren't nominated. In this list, I'd go with either Tony Shalhoub or Charlie Sheen.

Chris Lisotta, TV Week: (Steve Carell): Shaloub's performance gives Emmy voters the most to see (he suffers from amnesia throught much of the episode), but Carell's is the most comedic, even though, as a fan of "The Office" I can think of other episodes from the past season that better showcase his talents. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is terrifically funny, but I'm not sure its strength lies in David's acting, but rather his comedic sensibilities. Sheen is charming as always, but I think he gets overshadowed by the competition. James plays the role of the classic sitcom hsuband well, but the big laugh comes from a single sight gag of him on a stripper's pole.

Tom O'Neil, The Envelope: (Steve Carell): Steve Carell would have this in a cake walk except for his burned foot. Remember that lame episode of "The Office" where he burned his tootsies on his George Foreman grill? That's what he submitted to Emmy judges. I still think he'll win thanks to his overall cache, but he's vulnerable. Two-time past champ Shalhoub has the one-hour advantage and, let's be honest: size matters in Hollywood. Kevin James is a hilarious revelation as he dangles from that stripper's pole while trying to teach his wife to act like a floozy. David is devilishly funny while plotting a scheme that saves him from giving one of his kidneys to Richard Lewis. Sheen is out of it. He didn't choose his Emmy episode based upon the quality of his acting, but rather because it was about him losing a work-related award, hoping that the irony would impress Emmy voters. Yawn.

Ray Richmond, Hollywood Reporter: (Steve Carell): While two-time winner Tony Shalhoub can never be ruled out, this is flat-out Steve Carell's year. It's rare that comedy's man of the moment is on a TV comedy, and he's a revelation on 'The Office.' If he doesn't win, I'm renouncing my TV Academy membership. Oh wait, I'm not a member. Well, anyway, I would if I could! Kevin James has a mild upset shot, but Golden Globe winner Carell's the man.

Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune: (Steve Carell) Carell's career has a lot of heat, and let's hope he'll get an Emmy to put next to his Golden Globe. I'm determined to think the Academy will do the right thing here, and rank Carell's sensational performance above that of Sheen, who appears to be more or less playing himself.

Matt Roush, TV Guide: (Steve Carell) Unless the Emmys are stuck in repeat mode this year, like they were last year, Steve Carell beats Tony Shalhoub, his toughest competition (who again submitted a big gimmick episode for consideration). But this is Carell's moment, coming off a hot movie career and being center stage of a comedy that has great critical and industry buzz.

Best Comedy Actress
Lisa Kudrow, "The Comeback"
Jane Kaczmarek, "Malcolm in the Middle"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "The New Adventures of Old Christine"
Stockard Channing, "Out of Practice"
Debra Messing, "Will & Grace"

Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel: (Kaczmarek) She's long overdue. Her episode was strong. And it's her last chance for this role.

Robert Bianco, USA Toda: y (Julia Louis-Dreyfus): My pick - Julia Louis-Dreyfus, though a good case can be made for Lisa Kudrow, as well.

Chris Lisotta, TV Week: (Lisa Kudrow) I had mixed feelings about "The Comeback" when it originally aired, but revisiting the show's finale reminded me that Kudrow did great work on the show with a complicated, sometimes unlikeable character many actresses probably would have shied away from playing. Kaczmarek has several nice moments in her episode, which make her a strong contender in the category. Same for Messing in her hour long finale, which takes Grace on a journey of several decades. Louis-Dreyfus also had better episodes, but she may have been hamstrung on what she could submit because she was a midseason debut--this may be too early in the run for her to clinch it, but there are a lot of "Seinfeld" fans out there who know what she is capabale of. Channing, always wonderful, is much better than the material she's working, but it's not enough to overcome her collegues in the category.

Tom O’Neil, The Envelope:: (Lisa Kudrow) All 5 funny girls have a serious chance to win. Louis-Dreyfus has the most people rooting for her because she's a hip chick who's breaking "The 'Seinfeld' Curse" with an endearing new show. But her episode submission isn't a dazzler. The best two eppies were submitted by Lisa Kudrow ("Classic Leno," the series finale) and Jane Kaczmarek ("Lois Strikes Back," in which we finally see the sweet, tender side to that monstrous momma). Call it a tossup, with the slight edge going to Kudrow because she displays a wider span of roller coaster emotions.

Ray Richmond, Hollywood Reporter: (Julia Louis-Dreyfus): A tough call. I would love to see Jane Kaczmarek get it because her Lois is one of the great mother characters in TV history. But she appears destined to be a perennial bridesmaid. And in her submitted episode, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is flat-out hysterical. She deserves it for that, and for beating the dreaded (and possibly mythical) 'Seinfeld' curse. I don't see any of the other three contenders as having a realistic shot, particularly Stockard 'No, Really, My Show Was Once On the Air' Channing.

Matt Roush, TV Guide: (Kudrow) The weirdest category of the night, with four nominees starring in shows that either were on their last legs or got canceled in their first season. I'm going with Lisa Kudrow, because she's well-liked in the industry, the show speaks to the academy membership, and ... if the Emmy voters do their job and actually watch, she is brilliant, even when the show wasn't. She submitted the killer Jay Leno episode, in which her fortunes changed from humiliation to triumph before our very eyes. Genius. Her toughest competition will be Julia Louis-Dreyfus for breaking the "Seinfeld: jinx in a role that fits her beautifully. I wouldn't gripe, but my mouth would gape, if Kaczmarek finally won for her bravura work as Lois after all those years on Malcolm. But if either Channing won for mugging on the subpar "Out of Practice" or Messing won for that soporific "Will & Grace" finale, I'll have a fit. Well, more than usual, I suppose.

Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune: (Debra Messing) Wouldn't it be delicious if Kudrow won, thereby giving her HBO show a little comeback of its own? But I don't see it happening, I see another win (sigh) for Messing. And what is with the eight billionth nomination for Kaczmarek? Her repeated appearance in this category is an advertisement that the Emmy folks really need to do more work on changing the nomination system. Ditto Stockard Channing, a fine dramatic actress who gave a terrible, shrill performance on "Out of Practice." Why isn't "Weeds" star Mary-Louise Parker on this list, at the very least? In any case, if Messing gets shut out, look for the Academy to reward Louis-Dreyfus' successful solo foray, the first comedy to break the post-"Seinfeld" curse.

Best Actor In A Movie Or Miniseries
Charles Dance, "Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre)"
Donald Sutherland, "Human Trafficking"
Ben Kingsley, "Mrs. Harris"
Jon Voight, "Pope John Paul II"
Andre Braugher, "Thief"

Robert Bianco, USA Today: (Ben Kingsley) My pick - Charles Dance, though I must admit I don't have any strong feelings either way.

Tom O’Neil, The Envelope: (Ben Kingsley) I'm really nervous about picking Kingsley. He portrays such a vile cad in "Mrs. Harris," but his character is utterly fascinating, too. If I had the guts, I'd switch my vote to Charles Dance, thus giving up a flashy Oscar winnah, but I'm a wimp.

Ray Richmond, Hollywood Reporter: (Ben Kingsley): This one's a very tough race to handicap, and in fact it's possible that any of these five could win. I think Ben Kingsley gets it because he's the most venerated performer in the group, and that seems to go a long way with voters in the longform performing categories no matter the specific role (see: Ellen Burstyn). Jon Voight could steal the trophy beause he was very good as the Pope, and again, it's something of a five-horse race this time.

Matt Roush, TV Guide: (Ben Kingsley) A big who-cares. FX gets props for labeling its failed series Thief as a miniseries, giving the always excellent Braugher a fighting chance for an Emmy for his intense work. But as the doomed Dr. Tarnower, Kingsley gave the showiest performance in this category. He even trumps the Pope.

Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune: (Donald Sutherland) They're all fine actors, and it's hard to pick a winner. I'm rooting for Braugher, but the fact is, his show was gone in six weeks. Sutherland's probably the man to beat here.

Best Actress In A Movie Or Miniseries
Kathy Bates, "Ambulance Girl"
Gillian Anderson, "Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre)"
Helen Mirren, "Elizabeth I"
Judy Davis, "A Little Thing Called Murder"
Annette Bening, "Mrs. Harris"

Robert Bianco, USA Today: (Helen Mirren): My pick: Helen Mirren over Gillian Anderson in a toss-up.

Tom O’Neil, The Envelope: (Helen Mirren): Personally, I'd vote for Annette Bening, but she always loses Hollywood peer-group prizes. And she'll lose again, inevitably, to Mirren who really rules on the tube screen.

Ray Richmond, Hollywood Reporter: (Helen Mirren) It's the easiest of all of the major Emmy races to predict. Helen Mirren as Queen Elizaberth is a gimme for the big award, even if she's in against a bunch of big-name pros like Annette bening and Kathy Bates and Judy Davis. Mirren was as good as we knew she'd be. She wins hands-down unless there's some sort of conspiracy this year against British actors (see: Hugh Laurie).

Matt Roush, TV Guide: (Helen Mirren): Wow, what a collection of talent here. It's a flip of the coin between Mirren and Anderson, who were both extraordinary. But as the fiery queen, Mirren was able to display more range than Anderson's tragic Dickens heroine. Either one is fine by me, and both have won Emmys in the past, but I give the edge to the actual Brit. (I would never vote against Judy Davis, but her Lifetime film was slumming. And while Bening was a very good Jean Harris, that movie pales next to the two British miniseries.)

Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune: e (Helen Mirren): It's tough to pick between Mirren and Bening, but I have to think Mirren's portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I will win the day.

http://theenvelope.latimes.com/awards/emmys/env-emmypredictions-24aug24,0,3405922.htmlstory?coll=env-home-headlines

fredfa

08-26-06, 12:10 PM

The Business of Television
Calif. Franchise Bill Close to Passage
By Linda Haugsted Multichannel News 8/28/2006

Lobbyists on both sides of the state-franchising issue have until Aug. 31 to make their cases to California legislators. That’s the deadline for passing a telephone company-backed bill that would ease the state’s level-playing-field law and assign franchising duties to the Public Utilities Commission.

All parties are scrambling to tighten the bill’s language as it heads to the Senate for a vote that was expected to occur on Aug. 28. If approved there, the measure would return to the Assembly, which must review the amendments and agree to them before final passage.

The bill is being amended daily: The last published version is dated Aug. 8 and interested parties might not see an official, printed version until the date of the Senate vote.

State officials want to make sure the PUC has time to develop procedures ahead of a crush of state authorization filings from expired franchises.

Those could come from Comcast Corp., which has been operating without a franchise in San Jose for 20 years, and from newly dominant Time Warner Cable in Los Angeles, which inherited city pacts that expired two years ago.

Incumbents want clear language on public, educational and government channel requirements, and assurance that obligations will be shared equally.

Supporters of those channels have lobbied hard for continued funding, proposing a plan dubbed “3-2-1” that would allow communities to pass local ordinances commanding 1% to 3% of gross revenues as a PEG fee, with smaller communities getting the most financial assistance.

California Cable & Telecommunications Association president Dennis Mangers said the 3-2-1 proposal is “off the table, as far as we can tell.” There might be an allowance for local ordinances to require 1% funding, though.

The bill is still the target of intense opposition by the League of California Cities, which is sending daily communiqués to its members. Current amendments address only issues that the telephone companies agree can be addressed, and only “in a manner acceptable to them,” according to one LCS bulletin.

Given the support the bill has received, Mangers expects it to pass by the deadline. It sailed through the Assembly on a 77-0 vote, the Senate Energy and Utilities Committee by 10-0 and, on Aug. 22, the Senate Appropriations Committee supported it 13-0.

Approvals have come even though a Senate analysis has indicated the new bureaucracy will need $1 million from the state budget.

http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleid=CA6366051

Ken H

08-26-06, 01:08 PM

fredfa

08-26-06, 01:13 PM

Emmy Notebook
Battle of the network (and cable) stars
By Kevin D. Thompson Palm Beach Post Television Writer Saturday, August 26, 2006

Think it's easy predicting Emmy winners?

Think again.

It's like picking lottery numbers. You choose six digits and hope for the best. Same thing with the Emmys.

In a year in which House is up for Best Drama but star Hugh Laurie, who is House, isn't even nominated, well, you get the idea.

That said, I get paid to make the tough picks, so, here they are...

BEST DRAMA

The nominees: Grey's Anatomy (ABC); House (Fox); The Sopranos (HBO); 24 (Fox); The West Wing (NBC)

What should win: 24

What will win: While Grey's is TV's white-hot "it" show, 24 is coming off its most thrilling season ever. Besides, Fox's intense drama should've won before — and the Academy knows this and will make up for past wrongs. Don't be surprised, though, if The West Wing pulls an upset. And why is Lost missing from this list? How does ABC's freaky island series go from winning Best Drama one year to not even getting nominated at all the next? Just one more head-scratching mystery for the Lost castaways to solve, I guess.

BEST COMEDY

The nominees: Arrested Development (Fox); Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO); The Office (NBC); Scrubs (NBC); Two and a Half Men (CBS)

What should win: Scrubs

What will win: No comedy makes me laugh out loud more than Scrubs (I love those hilarious flashbacks!), but unfortunately enough voters don't share that opinion. Which is why the folks who star in and produce The Office will walk away very happy Sunday night.

BEST ACTOR (DRAMA)

The nominees: Peter Krause (Six Feet Under); Denis Leary (Rescue Me); Christopher Meloni (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit); Kiefer Sutherland (24); Martin Sheen (The West Wing)

Who should win: Sutherland

Who will win: Extremely tough call. You can make strong arguments for Sutherland, Leary and Sheen. Sutherland has been terrific on 24 for five pulse-pounding seasons. Leary's performance is both arresting and funny on Rescue Me and Sheen played the kind of president most voters would love to see in the real White House. The Emmy will go to... Sutherland. No, Leary. No, Sheen. Ah, I'm stickin' with Sutherland.

BEST ACTRESS (DRAMA)

The nominees: Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under); Geena Davis (Commander in Chief); Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit); Allison Janney (The West Wing); Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer)

Who should win: Sedgwick

Who will win: I'm almost afraid to write this is the only slam dunk of the night. Ooops. I already wrote it. Well, guess I'll have to stand by it now. Sedgwick's Southern-fried detective is a yummy delight.

BEST ACTRESS (COMEDY)

The nominees: Stockard Channing (Out of Practice); Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle); Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback); Julia Louis-Dreyfus (The New Adventures of Old Christine); Debra Messing (Will & Grace)

Who should win: Louis-Dreyfus

Who will win: Before I get to that, why were Kudrow and Channing even nominated for starring in such bad shows? That said, this category is a toss-up between Kaczmarek and Louis-Dreyfus. Put your money on the former Seinfeld gal who steals my heart every week as a lovably neurotic single mom.

BEST ACTOR (COMEDY)

The nominees: Steve Carell (The Office); Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm); Kevin James (The King of Queens); Tony Shalhoub (Monk); Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men)

Who should win: David

Who will win: David takes crabby to a whole new rib-tickling level, but it'll be Carell, as the doofus boss from hell on The Office, who'll get the last laugh.But where is the nomination forMy Name is Earl's Jason Lee? No way were Kevin James and Charlie Sheen funnier than the goofy-looking Lee. Heck, Lee's '70s porn star 'stache was funnier than James and Sheen.

BEST SUPPORTING

ACTOR (DRAMA)

The nominees: Alan Alda (The West Wing); Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos); Gregory Itzin (24); Oliver Platt (Huff); William Shatner (Boston Legal)

Who should win: Itzin

Who will win: Itzin. Look up the term "weasel commander-in-chief" in the TV Character Dictionary and you'll find a mug of Itzin's President Logan. But never count out the Shat (although please don't let him win) and Alda was robbed last year so... stay tuned.

BEST SUPPORTING

ACTRESS (DRAMA)

The nominees: Candice Bergen (Boston Legal); Blythe Danner (Huff); Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy); Jean Smart (24); Chandra Wilson (Grey's Anatomy)

Who should win: Smart

Who will win: Smart — if the voters are smart, that is. Oh, however, is a formidable competitor.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS (COMEDY)

The nominees: Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm); Megan Mullally (Will & Grace); Elizabeth Perkins (Weeds); Jaime Pressly (My Name is Earl); Alfre Woodard (Desperate Housewives)

Who should win: Pressly

Who will win: Remember what I wrote about slam dunks — that there was only one? Wrong. Here's another one. Pressly is a shoo-in. Bug-eyed Joy can crack me up without uttering a redneck syllable.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (COMEDY)

The nominees: Will Arnett (Arrested Development); Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle); Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men); Sean Hayes (Will & Grace); Jeremy Piven (Entourage)

Who should win: Piven

Who will win: Piven never hugged it out on stage last year, but that won't happen tomorrow, b—-h!

BEST MINISERIES

The nominees: Bleak House (PBS); Elizabeth I (HBO); Into The West (TNT); Sleeper Cell (Showtime)

What should win: Sleeper Cell

What will win: Into The West for its lavish, Lonesome Dove-like production values that reminded me of the super miniseries of the '70s and early '80s.

Our vote's for Sleeper Cell but Into The West will win.

BEST MADE-FOR-

TV-MOVIE

The nominees: Flight 93 (A&E); The Flight That Fought Back (Discovery Channel); The Girl in the Cafe (HBO); Mrs. Harris (HBO); Yesterday (HBO)

What should win: Flight 93

What will win: Mrs. Harris because old pros Annette Bening and Ben Kingsley shined in a painfully uneven film.

BEST REALITY

COMPETITION SHOW

The nominees: The Amazing Race (CBS); American Idol (Fox); Dancing With the Stars (ABC); Project Runway (Bravo); Survivor (CBS)

What should win: Survivor

What will win: American Idol. Just about every human on the planet watches it. That has to count for something, right?

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/tv/content/accent/epaper/2006/08/26/a1d_emmy_web_0826.html

fredfa

08-26-06, 01:16 PM

Official word from DirecTV on NFL ST blackouts.

Identical blackout rules from last year will again apply this year. Meaning, DirecTV NFL ST subscribers, HD or SD, will not be able to receive games available from their local FOX & CBS stations.

Of course, DirecTV subs able to receive the new MPEG4 HD locals will receive those games, but this is unrelated to NFL ST.

Thanks Ken.

I have always wondered why people thought there could possibly be a change. Why would CBS or Fox allow such a change? As you know, both networks lose money on their NFL contracts, but make substantial sums with their O&Os selling local avails during and surrounding the game.

So what possible reason would there be for those networks to agree to change the blackout rules?

Ken H

08-26-06, 01:19 PM

I have always wondered why people thought there could possibly be a change.
This post explains why:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8282595&&#post8282595

Here is the original link to the source, as contained in the post:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/dr_z/10/19/overusing.rbs/index.html

fredfa

08-26-06, 01:53 PM

Got it, thanks Ken.

I am sure when (and if) the NFL approached its Fox and CBS "partners"about the no blackout rule they got a very cold reception.

But I do understand that DirecTV has made some sytemtic changes which hopefully will alleviate the problems when a game ends (or is switched in a market) so that NFL ST subs don't pay the price for shoddy engineering. Do your sources agree with that?

fredfa

08-26-06, 01:57 PM

The 2006-2007 Season
Murdoch’s Next Bet
By Jim Benson Broadcasting & Cable 8/28/2006

When News Corp. launches My Network TV (MNT) on Sept. 5, the company will be taking a hefty programming gamble. The netlet will go all-in on a concept never before tried on American television: offering low-cost, limited-run, hour-long nightly soaps based on Spanish-language telenovelas but performed in English.

It’s a bold move, but Rupert Murdoch, News Corp.’s high-rolling chairman/CEO, believes this will give his new venture the best odds of competing against more-expensive, heavily hyped fare on the Big Four networks—including sister network Fox.

Fox Television Stations CEO Jack Abernethy, part of the MNT brain trust, believes MyNetworkTV has come far in the seven months since CBS and Warner Bros. surprised the industry by announcing they would fold UPN and The WB into one brand-new channel, The CW. Fox started MNT largely to create programming for nine News Corp.-owned UPN outlets that were suddenly orphaned; it launches next month with 167 affiliates covering 96% of the nation.

“Our biggest challenge has been making the most use of the time we’ve had,” Abernethy says. “If I had to do it again, I would speed up production.”

Programming has been a huge order for Twentieth Television, the Fox syndication division that has spearheaded MNT. It is in various stages of producing six of the telenovelas at a large factory-like studio in San Diego, with two more concepts in development. Each telenovela will be spun out over 13 weeks.

At first, MNT planned alternatives in case the telenovela idea tanked, but Abernethy and his boss, Fox News chief and Chairman of Fox Television Stations Group Roger Ailes, ultimately scrapped that idea.

“Our [promotional and business] model is dependent on us sticking with this genre,” Abernethy says. “If we need to fix things, we will do [the telenovelas] until they eventually work.”

That could be tough. Twentieth has already completed production on its first two primetime soaps, Desire and Fashion House (see box), and is shooting the next pair, Art of Betrayal and Watch Over Me, slated to debut in December. That means that changes to the concepts, whether small or wholesale, will have to happen on the fly.

“It will be more difficult to that extent,” Abernethy says. “But that is what we intend to do.”

National advertisers will watch those debut numbers closely. “Everything is dependent on the first set of telenovelas,” says Shari Anne Brill, VP/director of the programming division of Carat USA media agency, New York. She has her concerns.

“With the daytime soaps, if you miss a couple of weeks, they’re so slow paced that you’re maybe missing five minutes of the characters’ lives,” she explains. “These [primetime soaps] are so quick, I don’t know how the viewers are going to catch up.”

But Twentieth research concludes that viewers need to watch its series only three times a week to keep up. Anyhow, the network will offer recaps on Saturdays.

Still, many media buyers have been reluctant to commit much to MNT, because, if a telenovela fails, they wouldn’t be very excited to get make-good spots in another drama of the same ilk.

Abernethy blames the slow national ad sales on the sluggish upfronts and the newness of the concept, although many national advertisers consider MyNetwork TV a syndicated programming service and are known to be paying lower rates than network shows normally get. MNT argues that it is a network because its shows will run in pattern—that is, in the same time periods nationwide.

That won’t always be the case. The six-night-a-week primetime-strip business poses problems in markets where affiliates will frequently preempt programming for sports, pushing ads out of prime. Affiliate agreements are believed to contain provisions specifying that programming must run immediately after the events or at least after the evening local newscasts.

Some have pegged MyNetworkTV’s national take so far at $40 million-$50 million, far below its higher-than-expected programming costs stemming from having to pay union wages (including a settlement in the works with the Writers Guild of America, west, to cover those who translate and enhance the Spanish-language telenovela scripts).

Although declining to be specific, Abernethy notes that local sales at Fox-owned stations are bolstering the overall number. “We have done very well, even exceeded expectations,” he says, “since there is far more local than national inventory.”

MNT is launching with a lean management infrastructure in place, relying on Twentieth to handle all the functions. The lack of a clear line of authority at the top, with Twentieth TV President Bob Cook, Abernethy and Ailes all making key strategic decisions, has confused some.

Once it’s on the air, however, Abernethy intends to put “a more formal structure” in place. For now, Twentieth has divided itself into network and syndication teams, with the MNT group headed by Paul Franklin, executive VP/sales manager.

Abernethy thinks the lack of a staff is an advantage in some ways because it shows the strength of News Corp.’s various assets. In contrast, when the Fox network was established two decades ago, it had a small staff that grew with time.

MyNetworkTV, of course, is hoping to be around 20 years from now to compare staff sizes.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6366088

keenan

08-26-06, 03:00 PM

The Business of Television
Calif. Franchise Bill Close to Passage
By Linda Haugsted Multichannel News 8/28/2006

The bill is being amended daily: The last published version is dated Aug. 8 and interested parties might not see an official, printed version until the date of the Senate vote.

Sounds like a "Patriot Act" stunt.

California Cable & Telecommunications Association president Dennis Mangers said the 3-2-1 proposal is “off the table, as far as we can tell.” There might be an allowance for local ordinances to require 1% funding, though.
I think this bill is going to hit California cities like a ton of bricks when they found out how bad it is for them.

dad1153

08-26-06, 03:36 PM

Is anybody else here completely desinterested in this year's Emmy telecast? I don't mean desinterested as in 'I'll Tivo the whole thing and then fast-forward through the funny bits in the morning' but desinterested as in 'I'm not even going to channel-surf through this s***'? Just the fact that Edie Falco, James Gandolfini and 'Battlestar Galactica' aren't nominated in their respective categories make this year's Emmy nominating process either a sick joke or borderline public fraud. I'm sorry for Conan because I'm a big fan of his show but I don't feel like rewarding the TV Academy for this sham of a ceremony or NBC for punting the show to August so they could get their NFL football games in. Guess Sunday night would be an ideal chance to see what's new in the world of discount fashions on QVC! :D

fredfa

08-26-06, 04:01 PM

Or you could check out the finale of "Deadwood", "Entourage" and (even) the finale of "Lucky Louie" on HBO...preceded by last season's final episode of "The Wire".

I agree with your conclusion, although I got there for different reasons.

But I'll watch -- and report the goings on here Sunday night and (I am sure) the following days.

fredfa

08-26-06, 05:30 PM

A sure bet: Conan will be all over Emmy controversy
By Jeanne Jakle San Antonio Express-News 08/26/2006 12:00 PM CDT

Controversy and anger have surrounded this year's Emmy Awards, and telecast host Conan O'Brien plans to make the most of the flared tempers.

At a recent interview with the nation's TV critics, he was asked if he would be working any of the flaps over nominations into his monologue. The NBC late-night host, known for his irreverence, initially acted mortified. "If there's a negative area, I never like to go there," he said, sparking huge laughs.

"If there's something that might embarrass the Academy or NBC or television, in general, I usually stay clear," he continued to more laughter.

Then, after a pause and a scowl, O'Brien said: "Yes, we'll be talking about it."

O'Brien and his cutting-edge hilarity, in fact, are the main reasons to watch the Emmys (7 p.m. Sunday, NBC), even if you're unhappy that popular shows such as "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" got snubbed. (Some say, in fact, that ABC programmed the hit movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" against the Emmys because of these exclusions.)

Actors and actresses who were overlooked also have inspired ire. James Gandolfini, Mary Louise Parker (who nabbed the Golden Globe this year for her work in the Showtime comedy "Weeds") and Hugh Laurie of "House" are among those who — unbelievably — were left off the list.

The most recent yells were over the nomination of Ellen Burstyn as supporting actress in the HBO movie "Mrs. Harris." Her scene lasted a minuscule 14 seconds and amounted to two lines, a performance that seems in no way comparable to others nominated in that category. (My pick, for instance, Kelly MacDonald, was absolutely mesmerizing in another HBO movie, "The Girl in the Café.")

My other choices:

Best drama: "The Sopranos" (HBO). Despite an uneven 12 episodes this year, it remained one of the most compelling and thoughtful series on TV. I wouldn't be the least bit upset, however, if Fox's "24" — which outdid itself last season — nabbed the award. Neither "House" nor "Grey's Anatomy" would be bad choices either, but "The West Wing," c'mon . . . that show's so over.

Actor in a drama series: Kiefer Sutherland has been nominated repeatedly for "24" but has never won. This should be his year. Peter Krause also was excellent in the last season of "Six Feet Under." I'm still enraged over "House's" Laurie getting passed over and Martin Sheen getting an umpteenth nod for "The West Wing." Puhleeze!

Actress in a drama series: If Kyra Sedgwick doesn't ace it for her multilayered and quirky portrayal of Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson in "The Closer," I intend to go into mourning.

Best comedy: "The Office" (NBC). The American version of the BBC's workplace comedy never fails to crack me up. Alternate pick: "Curb Your Enthusiasm," even though it didn't quite come up to former seasons this year.

Actor in a comedy series: Steve Carell for his work as the idiotic boss in "The Office." No question.

Actress in a comedy series: Though both their series are now kaput, Jane Kaczmarek for her incredible years on Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle" and Debra Messing, who was reminiscent of the young Lucille Ball in NBC's "Will & Grace," are the most deserving. Lisa Kudrow in "The Comeback"? How many people even watched that HBO series?

http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/columnists/jjackle/stories/MYSA082706.0P.jakle.39bc7234.html

fredfa

08-27-06, 04:17 AM

Emmy Notebook
TV, straight up
Some DVD fans live for the binge, and the industry seems to like their choices
By Melissa Pamer Los Angeles Times Staff Writer August 27, 2006

Is a populist cabal of remote-control-wielding, DVD-obsessed fans controlling the Emmys?

OK, not quite. But heading into tonight's ceremony, it's indisputable that "24" — the fifth season of which earned 12 Emmy nominations, more than any other series — owes much to viewers like Starlee Kine who consume entire seasons in a few short days.

"That show is like crack," she said. "I don't know how you watch that show and not binge."

It didn't start out that way. Back at the end of its first season on Fox, "24" ranked as one of the most expensive shows on television and was a critical and cult favorite — but it was only a moderate ratings success. To recoup some of its costs, 20th Century Fox Television ditched the traditional four-year wait and released the series on DVD in September 2002, six weeks before the second season premiered. The results were unexpected: Not only has the first-season set sold 1.7 million units, but the return of the series averaged 3 million more viewers than the previous year. "That seems to be the way people find the show," said "24" executive producer Howard Gordon of the DVD success. "It's been a great enhancement."

The trail-blazing DVD release boosted the number of Jack Bauer-worshipping viewers and — along with the show's cardiac-arrest-inducing cliffhanger endings — contributed to a new phenomenon: binge-watching.

Serialized narratives such as "24" are tailor-made for such back-to-back-to-back episode viewing — and their release on DVD has altered the way we watch TV by giving consumers the freedom to view shows on their own schedules, all at the flick of a fingertip. Just a few of the binge-watchers' favorites: HBO's "Six Feet Under" and ABC's "Lost" (which netted nine Emmy nominations each), as well as lighter fare such as HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Entourage" (five nods apiece) and Fox's "Arrested Development" (four nominations).

Clearly no one's going to raise a silver disc overhead during tonight's acceptance speeches at the Shrine Auditorium. But it's impossible to look at these series' showings this year without noting the intersection between the Hollywood awards culture and this evolving consumer behavior.

An obsessive compulsion

In addition to feeding her "24" addiction, Kine, a New York-based writer, has binged on another nouveau classic: the BBC version of "The Office." She recalls placing the first season of Ricky Gervais' droll English comedy into her DVD player and settling down with her boyfriend on an air mattress with a slow leak. After it was over, she said, "we looked at each other and it was a silent agreement." Season 2 went into the player.

"We were like junkies," Kine, 31, recalled, and then chided herself: "It's not good to watch that much TV."

Another binger, Jessamay Kroth of Chicago, calls herself a "recent addict." Kroth, 30, didn't watch much TV growing up, but now she finds herself obsessively consuming a broad variety of serials on DVD. Like many bingers, one of her earliest forays came with "24," and she too speaks of it in terms of a drug.

"I was so hooked," said Kroth, who recently completed a master's degree at the University of Chicago.

Initially, Kroth relied on Netflix for her series fixes. Now, like some of her more obsessive fellow bingers, she makes sure to keep track of DVD release dates so she can be among the first to rent or buy entire seasons of her favorite shows. (That crowd is eagerly awaiting Sept. 5, the day the second season of "Lost" is released on DVD. "It's going to be huge," said Dan Vancini, DVD editor at Amazon.com, where the season ranks as the most popular DVD.)

Kine and Kroth are a new kind of couch potato. This variety of 21st century television watcher might not subscribe to premium cable, or even basic cable. Some don't even own a TV — holy Homer Simpson! — instead viewing shows on their laptops or PCs. Yet this new group has the devotion of the recently converted.

And movers and shakers in the television industry can't help but take notice. "It is kind of a new behavior," said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer at Netflix Inc., which supplies many television DVD junkies with their product. About 20% of the 1.4 million discs Netflix ships daily to some of its 5.2 million subscribers are television-content DVDs, he said.

Sarandos too has succumbed to binge-watching, especially with "Entourage." "Without this kind of watching, 'Entourage' would have been off my radar," he said.

Judith McCourt, director of research at Santa Ana-based Home Media Retailing, has been tracking the TV/DVD market since the first television shows were released on DVD in 1997 (among them "Beavis and Butt-head") and the first-season sets came out in 2000 ("The X-Files," followed by "Sex and the City" and "The Sopranos"). She said the sale of TV shows on DVD continues to show double-digit-percentage rate growth — and will approach $3 billion this year — even as the DVD market as a whole has flattened.

"Because series are available on DVD, people can go back and devour them," McCourt said. Viewers "can get everything they want all at once. They can indulge themselves."

And indulge they do, especially those who've shied away from TV in the past or have been reluctant to jump into the middle of a complicated plotline. (More of those types of narratives are on the way: Many of the most talked-about new shows this fall will carry the same serialized plot structure that has made programs such as "24" so captivating.)

An anytime affair

Before it was popular to release a TV series on DVD, watching episodes back to back was possible only if viewers caught a marathon rerun session on-air or, more recently, were willing to pay for TiVo or other DVR services. But drawbacks included endless commercials, teasers and branding that is "turning television into frustration," said Gord Lacey, founder of TVShowsOnDVD.com, a site that tracks new releases and seeks to gauge viewer desire for the DVD release of old shows such as "The Wonder Years." "Watching it on DVD, you get rid of all that. It's a lot better, more enjoyable way of watching television."

He added: "You just pop the DVD in and watch just one episode. Or 20 episodes."

Some industry observers say this new way of viewing may benefit television, leading to more compelling shows.

"The power of that marketplace ... certainly impacted the way we go about our business in terms of developing shows that seem riskier financially," said 20th Century Fox Television President Dana Walden. " '24' prompted the industry as a whole to be much more ambitious."

And it shows, critics say. "Everybody I talk to seems to feel like the quality of the good TV shows is so much better than it used to be," said Jason Snell, editor of Teevee.org, a decade-old blog-like site that hosts a variety of TV critics. "Suddenly TV is much more like a book or a movie where it's this discrete thing that can be watched by itself."

And that's the way 29-year-old David Morini has consumed shows such as HBO's "Six Feet Under" and "Arrested Development," one of a spate of retiring shows that will live on in the DVD format.

The administrative assistant and graduate writing student who lives in Oakland was "anti-TV" from the time he graduated from high school until fairly recently. "I feel like I missed out on a lot of popular culture," he said regretfully. Now he's attempting to make up for that.

Thanks to Netflix, Morini said he became "obsessed" with "Six Feet Under," which concluded its final season last August and is a contender tonight. Morini said he frequently watched an entire disc or sometimes two (at three hourlong episodes each), after coming home from school or work. Weekends, he stayed in to watch even more of the show. He's now watched the entire series — five seasons.

"I just finished the last episode on Friday," he said a few weeks ago. "I was going to go out, but I couldn't; I was an emotional mess. I had never cried so much in my life."

Next up, Morini said he'll finally get to "24."

"I hear it's addictive," he said.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-ca-binge27aug27,0,662126,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

fredfa

08-27-06, 04:24 AM

TV Sports
Fox Is Newest Student of the College Game
By Richard Sandomir The New York Times August 27, 2006

Suddenly, Fox is in love with college football, swept off its feet by the Sooner Schooner and Buckeye Nation.

How else to explain moves that seem anathema at Fox, where the emphasis has been on pro sports, with college sports a lesser priority on cable.

The first move, made nearly two years ago, will soon become obvious to viewers. Fox acquired, for nearly $83 million annually through 2010, four-fifths of the Bowl Championship Series: the Fiesta, Sugar and Orange Bowls, and a new national title game, to be played Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz.

ABC Sports, which had had a grip on the B.C.S. since 1999, held on to the Rose Bowl.

The second move, made in June, had Fox teaming with the Big Ten Conference to create the Big Ten Channel, which will debut sometime next year. It will be of, by and for the Big Ten, intended to appeal to its large Midwestern footprint but also to alumni around the country.

Fox’s entrance into college sports, and especially the B.C.S., is a strong signal that a new, well-financed player exists in an elite arena long dominated by ESPN/ABC, CBS and NBC, which put its entire focus on Notre Dame home games. It creates the possibility that Fox will drive up the cost of the type of regular-season packages it wants to add when conference deals come up for negotiation.

It is also the sign of a broader evolution in college sports that has its foundation in television. ESPN has spun off ESPNU. Three-year-old CSTV, devoted to a broad assortment of college sports often ignored by networks, was acquired by CBS last November for $325 million. CSTV recently started a regional sports network with the Mountain West Conference.

“College football has really rebounded over the past five or six years,” Kevin O’Malley, an independent TV consultant to the B.C.S., said. “Ratings for national games are good. When you sell college football, you’re selling against the N.F.L and baseball in October, so it’s been in a tough position with national advertisers. But I think the game has remained strong. I think regular-season football has been undervalued and to a certain extent continues to be.”

That increasing value was seen recently when ESPN and ABC renewed their Big Ten deal for $100 million annually for 10 years, up from an average of about $60 million in the previous contract. The increase is because of ESPN’s need for elite programming and the new media rights it received.

The Big Ten calculated that it could satisfy ESPN’s needs while simultaneously carving out enough games to induce a partner, eventually Fox’s cable networks business, to become a partner in the Big Ten Channel.

In that way, Jim Delany, the Big Ten commissioner, divined that he could raise enough money for the 11 conference members to pay for the increasing cost of scholarships and stadium construction and renovations.

“There’s no enthusiasm for funding these programs by the central administrations, so basically we’re on our own,” he said. “We plotted out our expenses for the next 10 or 15 years, and there was no way our revenues were expected to grow in a way that would let us stay in the black.”

The ESPN deal, with its upfront cash, and the new channel with Fox, which promises a yearly rights fee and future profits, will give Big Ten athletic departments at least $7.5 million more annually. “We have maybe three or four athletic departments in red ink, and this sops it up,” Delany said.

In assessing its B.C.S. and Big Ten deals, Fox wanted only major properties. The B.C.S., despite being criticized for its structure and rankings system, has emerged as a major postseason force. Fox craves big events with big ratings, which the B.C.S. provides. Last January, the four bowls were seen by 88.4 million viewers, with 35.6 million watching Texas defeat Southern California in the Rose Bowl, the one bowl Fox will lack.

“David Hill and I have talked about the B.C.S. probably four years ago, saying that when it came up, we wanted to be in a position to take a run at it,” said Tony Vinciquerra, the president of the Fox Networks Group, referring to Hill, the chairman of the Fox Sports Television Group. “We started by creating relationships with the people at the B.C.S.”

Kevin Weiberg, the Big 12 commissioner and former B.C.S. coordinator, was not surprised by Fox’s interest. Fox already carried Big 12 games on Fox Sports Net, and he joined Hill at a Nebraska game.

“I’d seen his passion throughout the day, and I felt Fox would have a strong level of interest,” Weiberg said. Fox was fortunate that ESPN and ABC, having agreed to renew their rights to the Rose Bowl for more than $30 million a year, bid too low for Weiberg to have any further discussions.

Fox swooped.

But this was a different deal than the previous one. The B.C.S. had added a separate national title game, to be played by the first- and second-ranked teams, who will play several days after the final bowls. It will always be at the same site as one of the other games, this season at the Fiesta Bowl, which will be played at the Arizona Cardinals’ new stadium.

While the B.C.S. received more money, it amounted to only a 7 percent increase over the previous deal. The lack of a big rise in fees is because of increasing access to the bowl games to 11 conferences, up from six, which may diminish the attractiveness of the Fiesta, Orange or Sugar Bowls.

“The feeling of the networks is that you’re adding a game in a tough marketplace, but it might not be a great game,” O’Malley said. “The perception is you added something, but not something valuable enough.”

Fox, for its money, thinks it bought a profitable package of games that can be promoted during the N.F.L. season, baseball postseason and throughout its prime-time programming, although its two most prominent shows, “24” and “American Idol,” do not start until later in October. Already, Vinciquerra said, Fox has sold 50 percent of its advertising for all four years.

It is hamstrung, to a degree, by a lack of regular-season college games on which it could promote its bowl games and prepare a crew of announcers.

Only one, Thom Brennaman, has so far been chosen.

“It’s not my choice, but it’s the landscape,” Ed Goren, the president of Fox Sports, said. “It’s a challenge. It’s like our first Daytona 500, where we didn’t have a regular season to get up to speed with. We had to come out of the chute firing.”

If the B.C.S. was a concept that Fox could grasp easily, so was the Big Ten Channel. Fox Sports Net is a confederation of regional sports networks carrying professional and college events. The template is an easy one to copy for the Big Ten Channel, even if its ambitions are decidedly national.

“College football generates a level of passion you don’t see in other sports,” Bob Thompson, the president of Fox Sports Networks, said. “With its long history of successful schools and teams, and the size and strength of their TV markets, the Big Ten is extremely important.”

And Vinciquerra suggested that Fox could end up with four channels like the Big Ten’s.

The conference covers a region with 17 million cable and satellite households, most of which the channel expects to serve. But it also expects to persuade cable operators to carry it nationally. “This is not a regional sports network, because it’s got a much bigger footprint,” Thompson said. “We can be successful distributing to those 17 million homes, but that’s not the intent.”

It will start out being distributed mainly to satellite subscribers of DirecTV, which is 34 percent owned by News Corporation, Fox’s parent.

Delany laughed when he was asked if having the Big Ten Channel provided an unfair advantage over other conferences and universities.

“Is it more or less unfair than Notre Dame’s advantage?” he said. “More or less unfair than the A.C.C. tournament? Things have evolved.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/sports/ncaafootball/27tv.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

fredfa

08-27-06, 04:26 AM

Emmy Notebook
Emmys: Who should win, who can't miss
By Aaron Barnhart Kansas City Star in his blog “TV Barn”

The prime-time Emmys are coming Sunday, and to help me sort out the nominees, I called on Jay Bobbin, the hard-working entertainment writer for Zap2It.com and Tribune Media, who has forgotten more about this past television season than I’ll remember.

Let’s start with the actress categories, where we find a traffic jam of talent despite the academy’s failure to nominate critics’ darlings Lauren Graham for “Gilmore Girls” or Kristen Bell for “Veronica Mars.”

On the comedy side, familiar faces like Stockard Channing and Julia Louis-Dreyfus took on new roles. None took more chances than Lisa Kudrow in the short-lived HBO series “The Comeback,” playing an out-of-work actress whose career was about three notches below Kathy Griffin’s.

“I love the fact that people whose shows may not have been the biggest ratings hits can still be recognized for the quality they put into those shows, and Lisa Kudrow is a sterling example of that,” Bobbin says. Still, I’d have to give the edge to Louis-Dreyfus for her less demanding but more popular role in “Old Christine.”

Supporting-actor and -actress categories aren’t always worth noting, but Alfre Woodard’s nomination for “Desperate Housewives” is, and not just because Woodard would seem to be the last person you’d give a comedy Emmy to. She is also the only actress in the running this year from “Housewives,” an indication of how far that show has fallen off Hollywood’s radar in one short year. (Bobbin thinks she won’t win, because “Jaime Pressly has gotten a lot of attention for her ” work on ‘My Name Is Earl.’

On the drama side, how does Kyra Sedgwick not win for “The Closer”? Bobbin agrees, though he does salute the Emmy voters for nominating Geena Davis, who soldiered admirably through a behind-the-scenes meltdown on “Commander in Chief.”

And then there’s the weirdest nomination of the year: Ellen Burstyn, who appears for all of 14 seconds in HBO’s “Mrs. Harris,” for best supporting actress in a movie or miniseries. It’s too bad, because including Burstyn — a talented actress with an even more talented manager — puts a damper on what should be a well-deserved win for Kelly Macdonald in HBO’s “The Girl in the Café.”

So how did this happen? Bobbin says voters have been partial over the years to distinguished actors taking roles on television. (Burstyn herself played Jean Harris in a made-for-TV docudrama in the 1980s.)

On the guys’ side of the ledger, while Tony Shalhoub has won twice for best comedy actor as itchy detective Adrian Monk, the clear favorite this year is Steve Carell for NBC’s “The Office.”

Bobbin agrees: “I think this is Steve Carell’s to lose. He has nailed that character under difficult circumstances,” that is, trying to make critics and fans forget that Ricky Gervais defined that same part in the original British version.

“Well, with all due respect, I think Kiefer Sutherland — if I were his physician I’d give him the Emmy,” says Bobbin about the much-abused star of Fox’s action thriller “24,” who’s nominated again but has yet to win. “He’s done yeoman work in so many ways on that show.”

And speaking of omissions: “It’s a travesty that Hugh Laurie did not get nominated,” Bobbin says. “I mean, ‘House’ got nominated for outstanding drama series. Well, who’s House?” Hear, hear.

The highest-profile contests of the night may have the most buzz, yet oddly, the least suspense around them. “The Office” and “Grey’s Anatomy” are favorites to win best comedy and best drama, simply because they are seen as the hottest shows in their genre. (My vote for best comedy is hype-proof: CBS’ “Two and a Half Men” is consistently great.)

Bobbin sees “Grey’s Anatomy” winning for the same reason “Ally McBeal” won the Emmy a few years back: “It just seems like the perfect storm for it to win. Creatively, it’s excellent. It’s been a hit for the network. And it’s one of the most talked about shows.”

http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/2006/08/emmys_who_shoul.html#more

fredfa

08-27-06, 11:02 AM

Emmy Notebook
Caution: Spoilers

I plan to cover the Emmy awards tonight on a real time basis.

So if you are not in the East or Central time zones and you don’t want to know winners before the broadcast airs in your city, please don’t check the thread until about 11 PM PT.

fredfa

08-27-06, 11:26 AM

The Digital Revolution
Plasma TV Sales Soar
Up 95% over 2005; Panasonic solidifies sales lead
(DisplaySearch news release)

DisplaySearch, the worldwide leader in display market research and consulting and part of The NPD Group, has released Q2'06 worldwide plasma TV shipments and revenues by brand, region, size and resolution for over 30 different plasma TV brands.

Plasma TV shipments rose 30% Q/Q and 95% Y/Y to 2.2 million units and a 5% share of worldwide TV shipments for the quarter, up from 4% in Q1'06. Plasma TV shipments were 3% higher than expected with all regions except China enjoying at least 20% Q/Q and 90% Y/Y growth. North America overtook Europe for the first time on a unit basis on stronger demand at larger sizes resulting in a 34% to 32% share advantage. North America dominated the 50" plasma TV market accounting for 63% of all 50" plasma TVs sold worldwide in Q2'06. North America's preference for larger TVs should help ensure its leading position in the plasma TV market as LCDs look to erode the plasma share in smaller sizes. 50" plasma TVs also overtook 50-54" microdisplay RPTVs for the first time in North America and worldwide in Q2'06 on a sell-in basis fueled by lower prices and a declining price gap with the HD price difference falling by more than 50% over the past year to less than $1400. 50" plasma TVs also led other competing TV technologies in Japan, Europe and ROW. China's plasma TV volume declined for the second consecutive quarter as its domestic brands shift their 40-47" focus to LCDs and 50" plasma TVs remain well beyond the reach of Chinese consumers.

On a revenue basis worldwide, PDP TVs were up a more modest 23% Q/Q and 57% Y/Y to $4.9 billion as price declines outpaced increases in average size. Plasma TVs accounted for 20% of worldwide TV revenues, up from 18% in Q1'06.

By size, the 42-43" category remained dominant, although its share fell from 78% to 73% on gains by 37" and 50"+ plasma TVs. The average diagonal increased slightly from 43.4" to 43.7". 42-43" HD plasma TVs overtook 42" ED for the first time to become the top selling plasma TV with a 43% share, up from 36%, as consumers increasingly demand HD compatibility. The price gap between the two products narrowed from $881 to $666 as HD set prices fell at twice the rate of ED prices. As a result, the HD share of total plasma TV shipments surged from 56% to 70% worldwide.

Panasonic was the #1 plasma TV brand for at least the eighth consecutive quarter. Its share surged from 22% to 28% on over 70% growth, which was nearly three times faster than any other top five plasma TV brand as shown in Table 1. The remaining brands in the top five all lost share despite double-digit sequential growth. By region, Panasonic was #1 in each region, except ROW where LGE was the top brand. By size, LGE remained #1 worldwide at 42" ED, while Panasonic was #1 at 37", 42" HD and 50". Hitachi remained #1 at 55", and Samsung claimed the top position at 60"+.

http://www.displaysearch.com/press/?id=870

fredfa

08-27-06, 11:34 AM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Nominees

Outstanding Drama Series
Grey's Anatomy
House
The Sopranos
24
The West Wing

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Christopher Meloni, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Denis Leary, Rescue Me
Peter Krause, Six Feet Under
Kiefer Sutherland, 24
Martin Sheen, The West Wing

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
Geena Davis, Commander In Chief
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Frances Conroy, Six Feet Under
Allison Janney, The West Wing

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
William Shatner, Boston Legal
Oliver Platt, Huff
Michael Imperioli, The Sopranos
Gregory Itzin, 24
Alan Alda, The West Wing

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Candice Bergen, Boston Legal
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy
Blythe Danner, Huff
Jean Smart, 24

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Michael J. Fox, Boston Legal
Christian Clemenson, Boston Legal
James Woods, ER
Kyle Chandler, Grey's Anatomy
Henry Ian Cusick, Lost

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Kate Burton, Grey's Anatomy
Christina Ricci, Grey's Anatomy
Swoosie Kurtz, Huff
Patricia Clarkson, Six Feet Under
Joanna Cassidy, Six Feet Under

Outstanding Comedy Series
Arrested Development
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Office
Scrubs
Two and a Half Men

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Kevin James, The King of Queens
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Steve Carell, The Office
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Stockard Channing, Out of Practice
Debra Messing, Will & Grace

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Will Arnett, Arrested Development
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Bryan Cranston, Malcolm in the Middle
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Sean Hayes, Will & Grace

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Cheryl Hines, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Alfre Woodard, Desperate Housewives
Jaime Pressly, My Name Is Earl
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds
Megan Mullally, Will & Grace

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Patrick Stewart, Extras
Ben Stiller, Extras
Martin Sheen, Two and a Half Men
Alec Baldwin, Will & Grace
Leslie Jordan, Will & Grace

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Shirley Knight, Desperate Housewives
Kate Winslet, Extras
Cloris Leachman, Malcolm in the Middle
Laurie Metcalf, Monk
Blythe Danner, Will & Grace

Outstanding Reality Program
Antiques Roadshow
The Dog Whisperer
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List
Penn & Teller: Bullsh-t

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
The Amazing Race
American Idol
Dancing with the Stars
Project Runway
Survivor

Outstanding Miniseries
Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre)
Elizabeth I
Into the West
Sleeper Cell

Outstanding Made for Television Movie
Flight 93
The Flight That Fought Back
The Girl in the Café
Mrs. Harris
Yesterday

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
Charles Dance, Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre)
Donald Sutherland, Human Trafficking
Ben Kingsley, Mrs. Harris
Jon Voight, Pope John Paul II
Andre Braugher, Thief

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
Kathy Bates, Ambulance Girl
Gillian Anderson, Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre)
Helen Mirren, Elizabeth I
Judy Davis, A Little Thing Called Murder
Annette Bening, Mrs. Harris

fredfa

08-27-06, 12:24 PM

Emmy Notebook
Emmy for confusion goes to . . . TV viewers
By R.D. Heldenfels Akron Beacon Journal television writer Sun, Aug. 27, 2006

When you sit down to watch the Primetime Emmy Awards tonight, you may think you know all you need about the TV prizes.

Maybe you don't.

Oh, you know Conan O'Brien is hosting, and there will be tributes to Dick Clark and the late Aaron Spelling. You know that some awards will be controversial, notably Ellen Burstyn's nomination consisting of two scenes in a TV movie totalling about 12 seconds.

Yes, seconds. But debates like that are just so many Emmy trees. Before you start watching, consider the forest -- five things you need to know going into the show.

1. The Emmys do not necessarily go to the best in television.

We're not talking about individual issues here. We're talking about the whole system. Even a top executive at the Emmy-running Academy of Television Arts & Sciences recently admitted that. He said ``the Emmy nominations really represent the best works that were submitted'' for consideration.

And entries are limited.

A lead-acting contender, for example, ``must enter one representative episode of a series.'' Supporting actors enter two. TV series submit six episodes, no matter how many they made, and have to mark one of those six as the most representative -- since one round of Emmy voting may involve panelists seeing only that one episode.

There's a practical reason for limiting performances: the time available to nominating panels and to voters.

At an Emmy news conference in July, host O'Brien relished the idea of an Emmy nominating panel sitting through 108 episodes his show made in a season.

``They're sent to some sort of center or camp, and every day they watch about 15 episodes of my show,'' O'Brien said. ``And like veal, they're fed injections of protein, kept in a dark room.''

But selective viewing works against series and performances with season-long story lines and nuances, especially if entrants choose episodes badly. It also goes against the way viewers and TV critics watch shows, episode by episode over an entire season. So Emmy oversights suggest the voters don't watch much TV.

2. Your favorite shows and performers may not win many Emmys, especially the big ones.

The most-watched drama of last season was CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. It was nominated for just three Emmys, all in technical categories, in which the awards have already been given. (It won one of the three.)

The most-watched series of last season, American Idol, did better, with eight nominations, although most of those -- again -- are in technical categories.

And Idol runs up against another Emmy problem: There is no category for a single outstanding program across all genres -- although there used to be.

Even reality and nonfiction programs are divided into three different categories: nonfiction (mainly documentaries), reality and reality competition. (Idol is in the reality competition category, along with The Amazing Race, Dancing With the Stars, Project Runway and Survivor.)

Grey's Anatomy is the rare example of a very popular show -- fifth-most-watched series last season -- that also got loads of Emmy love. Its 11 nominations are second only to 24's12 among TV series.

3. You have never seen some Emmy nominees and winners.

If you don't watch FX, you have missed Denis Leary's Emmy-nominated work on Rescue Me. No HBO? Then someone will have to tell you about Emmy nominee Peter Krause from Six Feet Under.

This year, the TV academy actually tried to encourage more fringe nominees by using special panels to choose them.

With the older, more broadly based system, ``it was always the same shows, the same people, and really to the detriment to a lot of the smaller shows or newer shows or shows on cable networks, et cetera,'' said Dick Askin, chairman of the television academy.

But the so-called ``Lauren Graham rule'' (after the Gilmore Girls star repeatedly overlooked by Emmy) led to a lot of shockers: no Hugh Laurie for House, no Edie Falco for The Sopranos, even after season-long great performances. For that matter, Graham still didn't get nominated.

Also, remember those three nominations for CSI? The little-watched HBO movie Elizabeth I has already won five, thanks to movies and miniseries having their own categories, and tons of technical awards.

4. Even on television, football is more important than Emmys.

The telecast arrives unusually early this year, and the NFL is the reason. The Emmys rotate among the networks, this year is NBC's turn and NBC has a prime-time NFL package planned for Sunday nights. So the Emmys were moved ahead of the start of the football season, even though that may have hurt the Emmy process. This year, the Emmys had 23 fewer working days to sort through entries, determine nominees and ultimately pick the winners than it did a year ago.

5. The Emmys process is hard to swallow, but so is just about every other major entertainment awards.

I've mentioned the Ellen Burstyn scandal. But the Oscars gave Judi Dench a supporting-actress prize based on less than 10 minutes of screen time. People are still arguing about Crash vs. Brokeback Mountain; the Web site www.filmsite.org has an entire section called The Worst of the Academy Awards.

Grammy faux pas include giving an award to Jethro Tull in the hard-rock/metal category and proclaiming Starland Vocal Band the best new artist of 1976.

People's Choice? Unapologetically a popularity contest. The Golden Globes? Better known for who gives a drunken acceptance speech than who wins. Video Music Awards? Mostly remembered for bleeps, writhing and famous women kissing each other.

Besides, at the end of the day, you're not picking your favorite songs, movies or shows based on what awards they have won. You're deciding based on what matters to you in some way. The awards-givers are no different, and no less subjective.

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/entertainment/columnists/rd_heldenfels/15367840.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

JMCecil

08-27-06, 12:31 PM

Grey's Anatomy
House
The Sopranos
24
The West Wing

If that is the best they have to offer, it's no wonder I haven't regularly watched a TV Drama in about 6 years.

I actually watched Lost Season 1, but that was on DVD.

I also watched two seasons of 24 on DVD, but when the story just repeats itself ............... Let's see, 1) Jack has issues, 2)Bad guys do bad things, 3) accidently get Jack involved, 4) OMG SOMEONES LEAKING INFO...THERE's A MOLE, 5) Kill a main character, 6) Jack pisses off his superiors, 7) Jack saves the day.

rinse repeat. Where's the drama?

DoubleDAZ

08-27-06, 12:39 PM

So why do you have a TV? :) :) :)

fredfa

08-27-06, 12:43 PM

JMCecil

08-27-06, 12:51 PM

So why do you have a TV? :) :) :)

XBOX360! SPORTS!! MOVIES!!!

by the way, if I'm insulting your favorite show, just ignore me. You are entitled to like what you like. But the networks are losing viewership...I'm not the only one who feels this way about the content. Plus they are making the experience annoying as hell with the bugs and flyovers and such. The more that happens, the more viewers will tune out.

Right now the only consistantly good shows I can find are cartoons like Family Guy. That is sad in my opinion. The best the networks seem to be able to do is redo the good shows from BBC and then ruin them.

I think the Emmy stuff just pushed my buttons. Three posts in this thread and all negetive. Believe it or not, I like TV. :)

JMCecil

08-27-06, 12:56 PM

JMCecil: that's why there are so many channels -- along with DVDs. Hopefully you can find something that entertains you.

Personally, I disagree with you, and although I have plenty of arguments with this year's Emmy nominees, I believe that week after week some of the best drama in TV history is available now.

The writing on all five nominated dramas -- as well as many which didn't make the Emmy cut -- is, it seems to me, far above what we had come to expect on TV. And it is light years ahead of the vast majority of theatrical movies.

But, I hear your opinion -- and I welcome it. Discussion about the quality of TV is always enlightening.
That's the spirit. Obviously a ton of people think Grey's anatomy is watchable, same with desperate housewives. I have no clue how, but them's the facts.

I keep hoping that the cable networks will push the networks to up the antee. This is actually happening to some degree. Hopefully it will accelerate.

JMCecil

08-27-06, 01:05 PM

fredfa

08-27-06, 02:43 PM

TV Notebook
Retreat from reality
Summer auds up but unscripted series hard hit
By Josef Adalian, Michael Schneider Variety.com Sun., Aug. 27, 2006

It was a bummer of a summer for reality show producers.

Warm-weather frame witnessed a string of unscripted stinkers, with one new show after another going down in flames. In some cases -- like ABC's "The One" -- the results were disastrous, with shows earning record low Nielsen ratings.

CBS' "Tuesday Night Book Club" only survived a couple of airings, and ABC's "One Ocean View" and "Master of Champions" were also yanked. Insiders blame a lack of original ideas for the carnage and say the summer swan dive proves there's been a sea change.

In all, summer viewing was up, with the Big Four 1% ahead of last year in the key adult demo. Newsmagazines also did well, and audiences showed a hunger for new scripted shows, with summer bows like "Kyle XY" and "The Closer" proving successful.

But on the whole, summer 2006 was dominated by reality fare. And that was tough.

"Over the past few years, it seemed like any reality show you put on was going to get some kind of an audience," says Mitch Metcalf, NBC's head of scheduling. "But it's been increasingly difficult to make reality hits. The genre has come down to earth, and this summer has shown that."

Fox scheduling supremo Preston Beckman says too many shows were "derivative" of past successes.

"There was nothing original," he says. "There was no excitement of discovery, of feeling that, 'Hey, here's something new.' All the new reality felt like been there, done that."

Not helping matters: The sheer volume of original reality programming this summer made it harder for shows to stand out.

"Certainly it was much more competitive in the reality field," says CBS scheduling senior exec VP Kelly Kahl. "There were weeks (when) there were three or even four reality shows. Competition really jacked up a bit, which may have been part of the reason there were no real game changers popping up anywhere."

Despite the lack of a mega-hit, from a ratings standpoint the summer wasn't necessarily a wash. Even though the season included the lowest-rated week in the history of primetime TV (the week of July 4, naturally), enough viewers still tuned in vs. last summer to keep the lights on.

The big four were up 1% from last year in the key adults 18-49 demo (8.5 vs. 8.4), with Fox in first place, and NBC posting the biggest gains (11%).

Fox, NBC and CBS also saw total viewer numbers tick up (especially Fox, which jumped up 16%).

"Look at our numbers. The viewer numbers are up and the demos are right where they were last summer," says CBS' Kahl. "It was not a wasted summer by any means. We won every week this summer in viewers -- we're doing all right."

Even the reality genre has had some success this summer.

NBC freakfest "America's Got Talent" wasn't a breakout smash, but it was a solid performer -- the only frosh skein that merits such a label.

What's more, returning reality shows did just fine, frequently dominating Nielsen's top 10 in young adults. The success of returning unscripted skeins highlights one of the summer's most important lessons: Patience pays.

Fox took a gamble by bringing back "Hell's Kitchen" and "So You Think You Can Dance," a pair of 2005 reality skeins that did just OK in their first years. Both shows added viewers, with "Dance" emerging as the season's top reality show in adults 18-49.

Beckman admits Fox took a page from the CBS playbook. Eye rewrote the summer rulebook six years ago when it brought back "Big Brother" for a second season, despite a lackluster frosh year. It was rewarded with a summer staple, a skein that still regularly wins its three weekly timeslots.

"You have to allow some of these shows time to become part of your summer schedule rather than start all over again every year," Beckman says.

CBS followed its own rules by bringing back "Rock Star" for a second go-round. While it didn't break out, it has done fine.

Ditto NBC's "Last Comic Standing," which the Peacock removed from cold storage after a nearly two-year hiatus. Skein did well enough to warrant an early pickup for next summer.

Some other lessons the nets learned:

• The perils of serials. A heavy diet of serialized dramas and a paucity of sitcoms will come back to haunt network execs in the summertime. Repeats are necessary for networks to amortize their costs, but if those repeats don't perform, you may be in for a long summer.

"It's always been an issue for us," says ABC scheduling chief Jeff Bader, who notes that earlier hit Alphabet dramas like "NYPD Blue" and "The Practice" also didn't repeat well. "What we don't have to fall back on like we used to is comedies. And it's been that way for everybody."

• There's an audience for scripted fare in the summer. NBC proved that by bringing a solid crowd to the opening of lottery drama "Windfall."

Skein ultimately didn't click with viewers and won't be back. But its early success -- not to mention some business for ABC's run of ABC Family's "Kyle XY" and strong numbers for cable dramas such as "The Closer" -- underscores the need for nets to serve up first-run scripted shows in the summer.

Next summer, look for nets to get serious about Americanized takes on telenovelas. And if all goes according to plan, Fox will premiere some new shows in April or May that will run through early July.

• Newsmagazines aren't dead yet. When ABC's summer reality entries failed, the net turned to special editions of "Primetime" -- and attracted a decent sized audience. NBC's "Dateline" and CBS' "48 Hours: Mysteries" also had a good summer. And breaking news, such as an arrest in the murder case of JonBenet Ramsey, triggered viewership spikes.

It's a revalidation for the newsmag genre, which has lost its luster during the regular season. The nets are airing just four hours of newsmags this fall, the lowest count in more than a decade.

"When we put the newsmagazines on at 10, they did very well," Bader says. "For the 10 p.m. time period next summer, we'll be discussing more newsmagazines."

fredfa

08-27-06, 03:38 PM

Emmy Notebook
New rules fog up Emmy forecasting
By Joanne Ostrow Denver Post TV Critic

Conan O'Brien returns as host of tonight's Emmy Awards proceedings at 8 ET/PT on NBC, knowing that the buzz concerns the peculiar nominating process, the weird list of nominees and the great shows that were overlooked.

Under this year's reshuffled Emmy rules, a number of late, lamented series got more nominations than some of the best current shows. If the defunct drama "The West Wing" and the concluded comedy "Arrested Development" win, do they hold a party or a wake?

The fact that "Lost" was neglected is outrageous; the fact that Hugh Laurie ("House") and Edie Falco ("The Sopranos") were overlooked is ridiculous; the fact that Alfre Woodard was nominated yet "Desperate Housewives" was not is plain goofy.

That said, there are a few deserving nominees we'd like to see deliver acceptance speeches. (Go, Denis Leary!)

Here are my fearless, entirely subjective predictions for the 58th Annual Emmy Awards, no guarantees:

• Comedy series: The nominees are "Arrested Development," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "The Office," "Scrubs" and "Two and a Half Men." (Biggest snub in the category is "My Name is Earl.") "Arrested" was terrific but "The Office" continues to be smart and true to its wacky vision. Really, for a show initially presumed to be a bland adaptation of the British original, "The Office" has turned out to be exceptionally sharp. The Academy may play it safe, however, and vote for longer-running "Scrubs."

• Drama series: "Grey's Anatomy" goes up against "House," "The Sopranos," "24" and "West Wing." (The inexcusable snub in the category is "Lost.") "Grey's" is good fun and deserves its popularity, but it's not at the same thoughtful level as the other hours. This should be the year "24" breaks through and is recognized for its clever, suspenseful format and pace.

• Lead actor in a comedy: Contenders are Steve Carell of "The Office," Larry David of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," Kevin James of "The King of Queens," Tony Shalhoub of "Monk" and Charlie Sheen of "Two and a Half Men." It's between Carell and David. More people know Carell (mostly from his movie work), plus he deserves to win. Besides, "Seinfeld" writer David isn't really acting, is he?

• Lead actor in a drama: Peter Krause had great death scenes on "Six Feet Under," and Kiefer Sutherland ("24") has nearly died too many times to count. But Denis Leary is terrific in every hour of "Rescue Me." They're competing with Christopher Meloni ("Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"), Martin Sheen ("The West Wing"). Although "24" fans are convinced their guy finally will win, the more deserving performance is Leary's. The Academy may avoid the controversial cable show and stick with Sutherland.

• Lead actress in a comedy: In a category full of series that are no longer on the air, Lisa Kudrow of "The Comeback" is the favorite. She's up against Debra Messing ("Will & Grace"), Julia-Louis Dreyfus ("The New Adventures of Old Christine"), Jane Kaczmarek ("Malcolm in the Middle") and Stockard Channing ("Out of Practice"). Kudrow and her show were under-appreciated. (Most obvious snub here is "Desperate" housewife Marcia Cross.)

• Lead actress in a drama: The odd choice on this list is Geena Davis in the canceled "Commander in Chief," running against Frances Conroy of "Six Feet Under," Mariska Hargitay of "Law & Order: SVU," Allison Janney of "The West Wing" (again) and Kyra Sedgwick of "The Closer." Sedgwick should and will take the statuette.

In comedy's supporting categories, I'd love to see Jeremy Piven win for his supporting role as Ari in "Entourage." And Jaime Pressly ought to take home the supporting-actress award for her depiction of rude, crude Joy - to share with the gang on the otherwise shunned "My Name Is Earl."

Drama's supporting roles are tougher to call. Chandra Wilson and Sandra Oh are both deserving for "Grey's Anatomy." Michael Imperioli ("The Sopranos") and Gregory Itzin ("24") are also a toss-up.

Finally, "Elizabeth I" ought to rule the miniseries category, thanks to Helen Mirren.

Expect folks at L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium to show some love for several of the presenters snubbed as nominees, including "House's" Laurie, "Lost's" Evangeline Lily, "The Sopranos"' James Gandolfini and Falco, and "Desperate's" Felicity Huffman.

http://www.denverpost.com/ostrow

fredfa

08-27-06, 03:43 PM

Emmy Notebook
A reminder (and a plug)

I will report on the Emmy awards tonight on a real time basis. I’ll post the winners as they are announced and add comments from many of the TV critic and news blogs from around the nation.

So if you are not in the East or Central time zones and you don’t want to know winners before the broadcast airs in your city, please don’t check here between 5-11 PM Pacific Time.

I will not be using any spoiler designations.

So if you don’t get the live broadcast, or have recorded it for later viewing, read this thread at your own risk between 8 PM and 2 AM Eastern Time.

fredfa

08-27-06, 03:59 PM

Ok, here's a question. In one of fredfa's earlier postings there was a bit about Lost. I haven't seen Season 2 (waiting for DVD), so this isn't about the plot necessarily. But there was a comment about them "finally being able to get to the relationships and stop all the running around".

That's paraphrased, but does it concern anyone else when execs talk like this that it means a shift in the shows direction that will likely ruin it for those that liked "all the running around"?

This to me is like musicians talking about "really focusing on our song writing" being a huge indicator that the next album/CD is going to suck.

Network execs get involved in every area of the vast majority of TV programs. They insist on certain casting decisions, must approve most story arcs, and look at -- and change -- scripts continually.

In the case of "Lost" there were many who felt the show began to get bogged down last season. Its viewership slumped slightly from 15.9 million (#14 overall) its first season to 15.5 million (#15 overall) last year.

(As a comparison, "Grey's Anatomy" had only a handful of airings in the spring of 2005, when it averaged 18 million viewers. This past season that number swelled by almost two million, even though its "Desperate Housewives" lead-in lost 1.16 million viewers. And by the end of the season it was routinely beating DH in viewers.)

And remember that unlike many procedurals which it outrates during the season, Lost doesn't repeat well at all. So, in effect, ABC gets one showing.

CBS gets solid ratings with many of its shows (the CSIs, Cold Case, The Unit, Without A Trace, etc) not only during the season, but when they are repeated. Fox gets great repeat results from House.

So I am not surprised that ABC execs would look for some way to tweak "Lost" (not that they necessarily will find the right answer). Perhaps the announcement was an attempt to get J.J. Abrams to give more attention to the show -- last year he was gone making MI:III.

Despite Lost's large and often devoted following, it isn't growing or attracting new viewers. And that is always a red flag to network executives.

fredfa

08-27-06, 06:47 PM

Emmy Notebook
Emmy Spoiler Alert: One Final Warning!

I will be report on the Emmy awards tonight on a real time basis. I’ll post the winners as they are announced and add comments from many of the TV critic and news blogs from around the nation.

So if you are not in the East or Central time zones and you don’t want to know winners before the broadcast airs in your city, please don’t check between 5-11 PM Pacific Time.

I will not be using any spoiler designations. So if you don’t get the libe broadcast, or have recorded it for later viewing, read this thread at your own risk between 8 PM and 2 AM Eastern Time.

fredfa

08-27-06, 06:49 PM

Emmy Notebook
Last Chance: Emmy Scorecard

If you missed my early invitations to download the Los Angeles Times scorecard for tonight’s Emmy Awards, it is still available at

Emmy Notebook
Emmy Spoiler Alert: One Final Warning!

http://theenvelope.latimes.com/media/acrobat/2006-08/25004166.pdf

fredfa

08-27-06, 07:04 PM

TV Notebook
The Cronkite-Couric Connection

CRONKITE TO CROWN COURIC QUEEN OF CBS NEWS

**Exclusive Details** from Matt Drudge at drudgereport.com

Walter Cronkite will introduce Katic Couric on the new CBS EVENING NEWS next week, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned. Cronkite is just one of many superstars, and broadcast legends, that will help the former TODAY host splash onto the nightly news scene.

"It's going to be a who's who of Americana," a top CBS source said on Sunday.

Cronkite will do the introduction of Couric on opening night only, the source said.

CBS brass dismiss the suggestion that adding Cronkite is an attention-grabbing stunt.

"This is a bold statement of continuity and 'trust,' a commitment to the quality of the CBS EVENING NEWS," a top insider explained.

But there are signs mainline print media are prepared to pounce on the all-star nature of Couric's rollout.

VARIETY editor Peter Bart in a column on Monday warned: "I realize media companies need to overhype everything, whether it's a new 'Pirates' movie or another faux 'American Idol'... but all this may be doing a disservice both to Couric's credibility and to network news... Will Couric actually tell us what's happening in the world or will she preside over a sort of mini-'Today' show, complete with its well-worn couch?"

Kurt Andersen in NEW YORK will applaud the coming Era Of Couric:

"Making Couric the anchor and de facto face of CBS NEWS is a very smart, potentially even visionary choice... the real brilliance is that she's the first network anchor to have a quick, smart, mischievous sense of humor as a major part of her personal persona," Andersen explains.

"If it's possible to rejuvenate TV news, Couric is among the last best hopes."

http://www.drudgereport.com/flashckc.htm

CPanther95

08-27-06, 07:06 PM

The Emmys were already spoiled for me when Lost, Battlestar Gallactica and Hugh Laurie got snubbed (and to a lesser degree Earl). All that's left is to see what happens next year.

JMCecil

08-27-06, 07:16 PM

Network execs get involved in every area of the vast majority of TV programs. They insist on certain casting decisions, must approve most story arcs, and look at -- and change -- scripts continually.

In the case of "Lost" there were many who felt the show began to get bogged down last season. Its viewership slumped slightly from 15.9 million (#14 overall) its first season to 15.5 million (#15 overall) last year.

(As a comparison, "Grey's Anatomy" had only a handful of airings in the spring of 2005, when it averaged 18 million viewers. This past season that number swelled by almost two million, even though its "Desperate Housewives" lead-in lost 1.16 million viewers. And by the end of the season it was routinely beating DH in viewers.)

And remember that unlike many procedurals which it outrates during the season, Lost doesn't repeat well at all. So, in effect, ABC gets one showing.

CBS gets solid ratings with many of its shows (the CSIs, Cold Case, The Unit, Without A Trace, etc) not only during the season, but when they are repeated. Fox gets great repeat results from House.

So I am not surprised that ABC execs would look for some way to tweak "Lost" (not that they necessarily will find the right answer). Perhaps the announcement was an attempt to get J.J. Abrams to give more attention to the show -- last year he was gone making MI:III.

Despite Lost's large and often devoted following, it isn't growing or attracting new viewers. And that is always a red flag to network executives.

Hey, that's a great answer. Thanks.

In other words, if you're not moving up, you're moving down (short sited). I haven't seen season two so I don't know if it got "bogged down" or not. From what a few friends have told me is that it got bogged down in the middle of the season when they tried the "relationships" stuff. It got better towards the end when they got back to business and they tell me it has an awesome cliff hanger.

When I showed the quote to a coworker, who is the one who got me to buy the DVDs and check it out, he almost cried heheheehehe.

RussTC3

08-27-06, 07:21 PM

Meh, the second seasons of BSG and Lost don't deserve nods. Sorry.

My picks, just cause:

Best Drama
Grey's Anatomy

Best Comedy
The Office

Best Actor (Drama)
Kiefer Sutherland

Best Actress (Drama)
Kyra Sedgwick

Best Actor (Comedy)
Steve Carell

Best Actress (Comedy)
Lisa Kudrow

fredfa

08-27-06, 07:33 PM

Those look like pretty good guesses, Russ.

Good luck.

fredfa

08-27-06, 08:17 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Winners

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
WINNER: Megan Mullally, Will & Grace
Cheryl Hines, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Alfre Woodard, Desperate Housewives
Jaime Pressly, My Name Is Earl
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds

fredfa

08-27-06, 08:20 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Winners
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
WINNER: Alan Alda, The West Wing
William Shatner, Boston Legal
Oliver Platt, Huff
Michael Imperioli, The Sopranos
Gregory Itzin, 24

fredfa

08-27-06, 08:22 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Emmy Wins By Network

N B C
2

fredfa

08-27-06, 08:28 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
WINNER:
Blythe Danner, Huff
Candice Bergen, Boston Legal
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy
Jean Smart, 24

fredfa

08-27-06, 08:28 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Emmy Wins By Network
N B C
2
Showtime
1

foxeng

08-27-06, 08:29 PM

3 awards for 3 cancelled shows. Got to love this new system!

fredfa

08-27-06, 08:31 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Winners

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
WINNER: Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Will Arnett, Arrested Development
Bryan Cranston, Malcolm in the Middle
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Sean Hayes, Will & Grace

fredfa

08-27-06, 08:31 PM

Piven finally broke the streak, foxeng!

fredfa

08-27-06, 08:33 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Winners
Emmy Wins By Network
N B C
2
H B O
1
Showtime
1

fredfa

08-27-06, 08:38 PM

Supporting Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
WINNER: Kelly MacDonald, The Girl in the Cafe

fredfa

08-27-06, 08:46 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

fredfa

08-27-06, 08:48 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Emmy Wins By Network
N B C
2
H B O
2
Comedy Central
1
Showtime
1

fredfa

08-27-06, 08:50 PM

Outstanding Directing, Comedy Series
WINNER: Mark Buckland My Name Is Earl

fredfa

08-27-06, 08:52 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Writing, Comedy Series
WINNER: Greg GarciaMy Name Is Earl

fredfa

08-27-06, 08:52 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Emmy Wins By Network
N B C
4
H B O
2
Comedy Central
1
Showtime
1

fredfa

08-27-06, 08:54 PM

Emmy Notebook
Live, From Los Angeles, It's Sunday Night!
By Ray Richmond The Hollywood Reporter in his blog “Past Deadline”

Sorry gang, getting a little bit of a later start than I'd expected. But I'm going now, after spending 2 1/2 hours melting down on a red-hot red carpet at the Primetime Emmys (outside the L.A. Shrine Auditorium). I think the mercury hit 158 degrees. I'm not going to say it was hot, but I saw one actress wearing only a cold glass of water.

This is supposed to be the Emmys that no one really cares about because of the odd collection of nominations, but it was business as usual on the red carpet. Gowns galore, tuxes, lots of plunging necklines, and plenty of catty conversation. I overheard one woman say to another while in line and about to enter the auditorium, "He was supposed to do my nails, but instead he wound up doing YOUR hair!"

Security was in great force, most of which consisted of guys with walkie-talkies and earpieces trying to make it look as if they had actual power. Very annoying. The bomb squad too was in evidence, though given the deafening apathy generated by the evening it's said this is the first-ever Emmys that by having them go forward as scheduled, the terrorists win.

http://www.pastdeadline.com/

fredfa

08-27-06, 08:57 PM

Emmy Notebook
Old favorites among early Emmy winners
"West Wing" and NBC's "Will & Grace" take the first two awards. Jeremy Piven also honored
By Susan King Los Angeles Times Staff Writer August 27, 2006

Two of television's longest-running shows, NBC's political drama "The West Wing" and the network's comedy "Will & Grace" took the first two Emmys tonight for supporting actor and actress.

Megan Mullally won her second Emmy as the spoiled Karen Walker, while Alan Alda picked up his sixth Emmy (he's received 32 nominations) for his role as the unsuccessful Republican presidential candidate on "The West Wing." Both shows ended their multi-season runs in May.

Blythe Danner won her second consecutive supporting actress in a drama series for Showtime's "Huff," which was canceled after its second season ended this year.

The only new face in the mix so far is Jeremy Piven, who received his first Emmy for outstanding actor in a comedy series as the pushy Hollywood agent Ari Gold in HBO's "Entourage."

Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald received best supporting actress in a movie or miniseries for her role as a young activist in the HBO movie "The Girl in the Cafe." That category was somewhat shadowed by controversy over the nomination of Ellen Burstyn for her 14-second appearance in "Mrs. Harris," also on HBO. Some critics had used it as an example of the problems with the Emmy's new nominating rules this year.

The NBC show, which is being telecast live to the East Coast and tape delayed for airing here in Los Angeles, got off to a satirical start, with host Conan O'Brien invading the sets of many popular television series on his way to the Shrine Auditorium, including "Lost," "The Office," "24" and "House." He also performed a song-and-dance spoof set to the tune of "Trouble" from "The Music Man," reflecting NBC's rating woes.

O'Brien's song and early jokes hit some of television's challenges head on, as he talked about the growing nervousness over the Internet, TiVo and controversy around this year's Emmy voting rules.

ABC's Grey's Anatomy" and NBC's "The Office" are among the leading contenders for the 58th annual Emmy Awards, which begins from Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium at 5 p.m.

However, since the nominations were announced in July, the Emmys have been shrouded in controversy. New rules were put into place to help newer shows and performers have a better chance of being nominated. Television critics have complained that the nominations had grown staid over the years, with the same faces and shows dominating the proceedings.

But the new rules by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences seemed to have backfired with last year's top drama "Lost" failing to receive a nomination and last year's multi-winner comedy "Desperate Housewives" and its high-profiled stars also coming up empty. Other veteran winners such as James Gandolfini and Edie Falco of HBO's "The Sopranos" also were shut out of the lead actor and lead actress categories.

Unlike past years, where the academy members chose the nominees, a selected group of panelists chose the five nominees in the top categories, including best drama, comedy and acting. And because many TV fans' favorites are missing in action this year, there's some fear that viewership for the Emmy awards will suffer. In fact, ABC is airing "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" opposite NBC's Emmy telecast.

Also, HBO is airing finales for two of its acclaimed shows: "Deadwood" and "Entourage."

It could be a sentimental night for NBC's "The West Wing," which bid its farewell in May after seven seasons and 25 Emmy wins - just one award short of a record in the drama series category. Vying for best drama series along with "West Wing" and "Grey's Anatomy" are Fox's terrorist thriller "24," "The Sopranos," and Fox's top-rated medical series "House."

In the best comedy category, the canceled Fox series "Arrested Development" will face off against HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," NBC's "The Office" and "Scrubs," and CBS' ribald "Two and a Half Men."

The evening also will include a sentimental tribute to the legendary producer and "American Bandstand" host Dick Clark, who suffered a stroke in late 2004, by "American Idol's" Simon Cowell, along with a performance of the "Bandstand" theme song by Barry Manilow. Manilow was scheduled for hip surgery but during an interview on the red carpet he told NBC that he postponed the procedure so he could perform for his longtime friend.

The academy will also pay respects to the late TV producer Aaron Spelling, the mogul behind "Dynasty," "Charlie's Angels" and "The Mod Squad."

The bulk of the 2006 Emmys were awarded at the Creative Arts ceremony, also at the Shrine, on Aug. 19. HBO topped the list of winners, with 17 - five of them went to the miniseries "Elizabeth I."

ABC led the broadcast networks with 10, followed by NBC with eight, CBS, Fox and PBS with seven each and Cartoon Network with four.

Among the awards handed out were Cloris Leachman, for outstanding guest actor in a comedy series for Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle" - her eighth Emmy win, making her the winningest female performer in Emmy history. She's also nominated tonight for supporting actress in a movie or mini-series for "Mrs. Harris."

Leslie Jordan won for guest actor in a comedy series for NBC's "Will & Grace."

http://theenvelope.latimes.com/awards/emmys/env-emmys27aug27_wr,0,5361677,print.story?coll=env-home-headlines

fredfa

08-27-06, 09:13 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Outstanding Performer Variety, Music or Comedy Series
WINNER: Barry Manilow Barry Manilow: Music and Passion

fredfa

08-27-06, 09:17 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Directing, Drama Series
John Cassar 24

fredfa

08-27-06, 09:19 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Writing, Drama Series
Terence Winter The Sopranos

fredfa

08-27-06, 09:20 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Emmy Wins By Network
N B C
4
H B O
3
P B S
1
Comedy Central
1
Showtime
1
Fox
1

fredfa

08-27-06, 09:23 PM

Emmy Notebook
And We're Off To the Races
By Ray Richmond The Hollywood Reporter in his blog “Past Deadline”

5:23 p.m.: So the show begins and it's clear immediately that the best Emmy decision this year was hiring Conan O'Brien to host. His opening routine and monologue are hilarious, straight down to his riff on the Emmy problems to the tune of "Trouble" from "The Music Man." He's a showman and the greatest thing the TV Academy has going for it. I also give the Emmy folk credit for allowing the guy to slap the show on the face from its very own stage.

If you want your Emmy edition of Billy Crystal's hosting of the Oscars, you've got it with Conan.

And It's Looking Like NBC's Night...No, Showtime's...No, HBO's...

5:35 p.m. A couple of upsets early on: Megan Mullally takes the trophy for supporting comedy actress for "Will & Grace" and Alan Alda for "The West Wing" for supporting drama actor. Blythe Danner wins for the second straight year for "Huff." So far, we have three winners for shows that were canceled. At this rate, "Hill Street Blues" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" will be winning before the night's through.

http://www.pastdeadline.com/

fredfa

08-27-06, 09:25 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
Jeremy Irons Elizabeth I

fredfa

08-27-06, 09:28 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Directing Variety, Music or Comedy Program
Louis J. Horvitz The 78th Annual Academy Awards

fredfa

08-27-06, 09:32 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Writing Variety, Music or Comedy Program
Writers on The Daily Show

fredfa

08-27-06, 09:33 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Emmy Wins By Network
N B C
4
H B O
3
P B S
2
Comedy Central
2
Showtime
1
Fox
1
A B C
1

fredfa

08-27-06, 09:38 PM

Emmy Notebook
Conan is the new Billy Crystal

By Tom O'Neil, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer in “The Envelope” Awards blog

Last time Conan O'Brien hosted the Emmys, back in 2002, he did a similar intro, dropping in on the Osbournes when he woke up in bed next to Ozzie. This year he just dropped in, literally, on "The Office" gang plus the casts of "Lost," "House," etc. It's a riff, in a way, on Bill Crystal's hilarious openers at the Oscars. And just as successful. The press backstage howled with approval throughout that howler of an opener.

My fave moment: when he told upcoming winners, "When you're handed the Emmy, don't say, 'Wow, it's heavy!' Of course, it's heavy. It contains the shattered dreams of four people who lost."

The audience of TV pros gave their loudest cheer for that part of his intro, which was a great vote of confidence for a TV award that they obviously still care about despite the industry dissing this year over the nominations process.

Very brave of Conan to lampoon the ratings plummet of his own network, NBC, in that parody of that "Music Man" song-and-dance number, eh? How the heck he get that by the network chiefs?

'West Wing' ties Emmy record

Alan Alda's victory as best supporting actor in a drama series for portraying Senator Arnold Vinick boosts "The West Wing's" tally to 26 Emmys, thus tying the record held by "Hill Street Blues" as Emmy's biggest winner among drama series.

Alda holds an esteemed Emmy record himself. He's the only person in academy history to win for writing, directing and acting, an accomplishment he achieved back in his "M*A*S*H" days.

Meantime, elsewhere at the Emmys — Wow, "Daily Show" just beat "Letterman" for best variety show! "Letterman" seemed to be invincible because he submitted that whopper episode with Oprah!

Only at the Emmys: "My Name is Earl" just won best writing and directing, a show that wasn't even nominated for best comedy series!

http://goldderby.latimes.com/

fredfa

08-27-06, 09:40 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
Andre Braugher Thief

fredfa

08-27-06, 09:44 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Tony Shalhoub, Monk

fredfa

08-27-06, 09:45 PM

N B C
4
H B O
3
P B S
2
Comedy Central
2
F X
1
A B C
1
Fox
1
Showtime
1
U S A
1

fredfa

08-27-06, 10:05 PM

Emmy Notebook
The latest news and notes from the show

By Susan King Los Angeles Times Staff Writer in “The Envelope” Awards blog
6:54 PM PDT, August 27, 2006

Actor Tony Shalhoub, who plays an obsessive-compulsive detective on USA's "Monk," picked up his third Emmy tonight as outstanding actor in a comedy series, beating out such favorites as Steve Carell, Charlie Sheen, Kevin James and Larry David.

"There's been a terrible mistake. I never win anything," Shalhoub deadpanned to the audience at the Shrine Auditorium. "I just want to say it's gratifying to be chosen from such a distinguished group of losers (pause) actors. Comedy, comedic performing actors, you know, whatever."

Another former Emmy winner - Andre Braugher - won lead actor in a movie or miniseries for his role as a criminal in FX's low-rated "Thief."

Fox's thriller series "24" finally broke into the Emmy's top ranks as the show's director, Jon Cassar, was awarded best director in a drama series.

But ABC's popular new show "Grey's Anatomy" remained shut out of this evening's awards, losing out on best supporting actor and writing. The award for best drama, for which it is in competition, will come later tonight from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

One of the biggest surprises of the night was winner Barry Manilow, who was awarded for a PBS musical special based on his running Las Vegas stage show.

"I can't be more surprised," said a shocked Barry Manilow, as he won his second Emmy, for "Barry Manilow: Music and Passion." The pop singer beat out such television favorites as Stephen Colbert, Craig Ferguson and David Letterman, as well as last year's winner in this category, Hugh Jackman.

Oscar and Tony winner Jeremy Irons won his first Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a movie or miniseries for his performance as the Earl of Lester in HBO's "Elizabeth I."

Louis J. Horvitz, who was directing the Emmys, won best director of best variety, comedy or music program for this year's Academy Awards on ABC.

Two of television's longest-running shows, NBC's political drama "The West Wing" and the network's comedy "Will & Grace" took the first two Emmys for supporting actor and actress.

Megan Mullally won her second Emmy as the spoiled Karen Walker, while Alan Alda picked up his sixth Emmy (he's received 32 nominations) for his role as the unsuccessful Republican presidential candidate on "The West Wing." Both shows ended their multi-season runs in May.

Blythe Danner won her second consecutive supporting actress in a drama series for Showtime's "Huff," which was canceled after its second season ended this year.

The only new face in the mix so far is Jeremy Piven, who received his first Emmy for outstanding actor in a comedy series as the pushy Hollywood agent Ari Gold in HBO's "Entourage."

Though NBC's freshman comedy series "My Name Is Earl" failed to receive a top nomination for best of the year, it won Emmys tonight for director Marc Buckland and writer Greg Garcia.

Also in writing, "The Sopranos" picked up an Emmy for Terence Winter for the "Members Only" episode, beating out two nominations for "Grey's Anatomy," as well as single episodes of "Lost" and "Six Feet Under."

In late-night television, the friendly Emmy rivalry between Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert was put to rest tonight as Colbert hugged his former boss as Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" was awarded as outstanding variety, music or comedy series.

Stewart's show won the same award the past four years, but with Colbert now off hosting the network's popular "The Colbert Report," there was some consensus that he might have the momentum to win an Emmy tonight.

Even Stewart, in his acceptance speech, acknowledged his own preference. "I think this year you actually made a terrible mistake, but thank you," he told academy voters as he accepted the statue.

"The Daily Show" also picked up a statute for best writing in a variety, music or comedy program.

Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald received best supporting actress in a movie or miniseries for her role as a young activist in the HBO movie "The Girl in the Cafe." That category was somewhat shadowed by controversy over the nomination of Ellen Burstyn for her 14-second appearance in "Mrs. Harris," also on HBO. Some critics had used it as an example of the problems with the Emmy's new nominating rules this year.

The NBC show, which is being telecast live to the East Coast and tape delayed for airing here in Los Angeles, got off to a satirical start, with host Conan O'Brien invading the sets of many popular television series on his way to the Shrine Auditorium, including "Lost," "The Office," "24" and "House." He also performed a song-and-dance spoof set to the tune of "Trouble" from "The Music Man," reflecting NBC's rating woes.

O'Brien's song and early jokes hit some of television's challenges head on, as he talked about the growing nervousness over the Internet, TiVo and controversy around this year's Emmy voting rules.

Receiving a rousing ovation was "American Bandstand" host and producer Dick Clark, who had suffered a stroke in late 2004. Sitting at the podium on stage, the 76-year-old Clark was visibly moved.

"Thank you very much," he told the audience, his speech shaky and still showing the effects of the debilitating stroke, adding that his childhood dream had come true. "I've been truly blessed."

ABC's Grey's Anatomy" and NBC's "The Office" were among the leading contenders for the 58th annual Emmy Awards. However, since the nominations were announced in July, the Emmys have been shrouded in controversy. New rules were put into place to help newer shows and performers have a better chance of being nominated. Television critics have complained that the nominations had grown staid over the years, with the same faces and shows dominating the proceedings.

But the new rules by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences seemed to have backfired with last year's top drama "Lost" failing to receive a nomination and last year's multi-winner comedy "Desperate Housewives" and its high-profiled stars also coming up empty. Other veteran winners such as James Gandolfini and Edie Falco of HBO's "The Sopranos" also were shut out of the lead actor and lead actress categories.

Unlike past years, where the academy members chose the nominees, a selected group of panelists chose the five nominees in the top categories, including best drama, comedy and acting. And because many TV fans' favorites are missing in action this year, there's some fear that viewership for the Emmy awards will suffer. In fact, ABC is airing "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" opposite NBC's Emmy telecast.

Also, HBO is airing finales for two of its acclaimed shows: "Deadwood" and "Entourage."

It could be a sentimental night for NBC's "The West Wing," which bid its farewell in May after seven seasons and 25 Emmy wins - just one award short of a record in the drama series category. Vying for best drama series along with "West Wing" and "Grey's Anatomy" are Fox's terrorist thriller "24," "The Sopranos," and Fox's top-rated medical series "House."

In the best comedy category, the canceled Fox series "Arrested Development" will face off against HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," NBC's "The Office" and "Scrubs," and CBS' ribald "Two and a Half Men."

In addition to the sentimental tribute to Clark, which included Barry Manilow performing "Bandstand Boogie," the academy is paying respects to the late TV producer Aaron Spelling, the mogul behind "Dynasty," "Charlie's Angels" and "The Mod Squad."

The bulk of the 2006 Emmys were awarded at the Creative Arts ceremony, also at the Shrine, on Aug. 19. HBO topped the list of winners, with 17 - five of them went to the miniseries "Elizabeth I."

ABC led the broadcast networks with 10, followed by NBC with eight, CBS, Fox and PBS with seven each and Cartoon Network with four.

Among the awards handed out were Cloris Leachman, for outstanding guest actor in a comedy series for Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle" - her eighth Emmy win, making her the winningest female performer in Emmy history. She's also nominated tonight for supporting actress in a movie or mini-series for "Mrs. Harris."

Leslie Jordan won for guest actor in a comedy series for NBC's "Will & Grace.”

http://theenvelope.latimes.com/awards/emmys/env-emmys27aug27_wr,0,5361677,print.story?coll=env-emmy

fredfa

08-27-06, 10:07 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Made for Television Movie
The Girl in the Café

fredfa

08-27-06, 10:11 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
The Amazing Race

fredfa

08-27-06, 10:12 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Emmy Wins By Network
N B C
4
H B O
4
P B S
2
Comedy Central
2
F X
1
A B C

1
C B S
1
Fox
1
Showtime
1
U S A
1

fredfa

08-27-06, 10:18 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Directing in a Miniseries or a Movie
Tom Hooper Elizabeth I

fredfa

08-27-06, 10:19 PM

Emmy Notebook
More From the Emmys
By Ray Richmond The Hollywood Reporter in his blog “Past Deadline”

5:55 p.m. -- Dick Clark brings the house to its feet, and a few to tears, with a gutsy speech as he continues to recover from a debilitating stroke. There are few more deserving winners of a lifetime achievement honor.

6:03 p.m. -- Oh puh-leeze! A minute after performing during the Dick Clark tribute, Barry Manilow steps up as the winner for individual performance in a variety or music program. Couldn't see that one coming. Manilow mentions at the end of his acceptance that this trophy will be a nice "good luck charm" when he goes in for surgery tomorrow morning. Surgery? "Plastic," someone shouts in the press room. "Hopefully finally on his nose," adds another.

6:11 p.m. -- The Emmy show turns the introduction of the gang from Price Waterhouse Coopers into the equivalent of a championship pep rally, concluding with the intro of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for reasons known perhaps only to him.

6:25 p.m. -- It's already a tough night for the solar system. So far, Debbie Goodman -- the self-titled Astrologer To the Stars -- is Zero for 6 in her Emmy predictions based on the position of the planets. All of her supporting actor choices have gone down losers. Using no planetary assistance, I'm 3 for 6.

6:28 p.m. -- I love it. Louis J. Horvitz, who is busily directing this Emmy show, wins an Emmy for directing the Oscars. He gives his speech while directing the other cameras (which he has done before, having won last year too) and then shows he's an equal-opportunity cutter-offer by having the music play him off when he blathers on too long.

6:43 p.m. -- Oh God please God no no NO! The one surefire way for this year's Emmys to have redeemed such a wacko year of strange nominations and assorted oddities was to make sure that Steve Carell, this year's "It" Guy in comedy, won the lead actor trophy for "The Office." Instead, Tony Shalhoub gets it for the third time. Nothing against Tony, whom I love, but this wasn't his year. The voters ought toi be ashamed for blowing such an obvious, and necessary, slam-dunk.

6:52 p.m. -- If you think you'd love to attend the Emmys because of the glitz, glamour and plush facilities, consider that we who work at the entertainment trades (The Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety) are working right at this moment in an electronically-outfitted trailer. When we're feeling particularly neglected because we're not in the "big room," I have been known to say, "Of course. We're just trailer trash."

6:58 p.m. -- It's an onstage reunion of the "Charlie's Angels" actresses during a tribute to Aaron Spelling. Kate Smith and Farrah Fawcett are reduced to tears. Jaclyn Smith is not. I like Jaclyn Smith.

fredfa

08-27-06, 10:20 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Writing in a Miniseries or a Movie
Richard Curtis The Girl In The Cafe

fredfa

08-27-06, 10:21 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Miniseries
Elizabeth I

DoubleDAZ

08-27-06, 10:24 PM

XBOX360! SPORTS!! MOVIES!!!

by the way, if I'm insulting your favorite show, just ignore me. You are entitled to like what you like. But the networks are losing viewership...I'm not the only one who feels this way about the content.Not insulting me, I was just trying to be friendly. :)

I think you give too much credit for decreasing (?) viewership to poor quality shows vs new contenders on cable and new channels. Add to that the fact that some viewers lose interest once they've been told a given show is being cancelled. With the plethora of offerings now available, I suspect network viewership may continue to decline somewhat further, but I'm fairly certain it will find a point to settle into and all will be well.

fredfa

08-27-06, 10:26 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Emmy Wins By Network
H B O
7
N B C
4
P B S
2
Comedy Central
2
F X
1
A B C

1
C B S
1
Fox
1
Showtime
1
U S A
1

fredfa

08-27-06, 10:38 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
Helen Mirren, Elizabeth I

fredfa

08-27-06, 10:38 PM

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Mariska Hargitay Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

fredfa

08-27-06, 10:38 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Emmy Wins By Network
H B O
8
N B C
5
P B S
2
Comedy Central
2
F X
1
A B C
1
C B S
1
Fox
1
Showtime
1
U S A
1

fredfa

08-27-06, 10:42 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Julia Louis-Drefus The New Adventures of Old Christine

fredfa

08-27-06, 10:44 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Kiefer Sutherland, 24

fredfa

08-27-06, 10:52 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Comedy Series
The Office

fredfa

08-27-06, 10:55 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Drama Series
24

fredfa

08-27-06, 10:56 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Emmy Wins By Network
(Totally unofficial. Awards presented Sunday only)
H B O
8
N B C
6
Fox
3
P B S
2
C B S
2
Comedy Central
2
F X
1
A B C
1
Showtime
1
U S A
1

fredfa

08-27-06, 10:58 PM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Winners Announced Sunday

Outstanding Drama Series
24

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Kiefer Sutherland,24

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Mariska Hargitay Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Alan Alda The West Wing

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Blythe Danner, Huff

Outstanding Comedy Series
The Office

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Tony Shalhoub, Monk

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Julia Louis-Drefus The New Adventures of Old Christine

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Megan Mullally,Will & Grace

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Jeremy Piven, Entourage

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Megan Mullally Will & Grace

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
The Amazing Race

Outstanding Miniseries
Elizabeth I

Outstanding Writing in a Miniseries or a Movie
Richard Curtis The Girl In The Cafe

Outstanding Made for Television Movie
The Girl in the Café

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
Andre Braugher Thief

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
Helen Mirren, Elizabeth I

Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
Kelly McDonald, The Girl in the Café

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Outstanding Directing, Comedy Series
Mark Buckland My Name Is Earl

Outstanding Writing, Comedy Series
Greg GarciaMy Name Is Earl

Outstanding Performer Variety, Music or Comedy Series
Barry Manilow Barry Manilow: Music and Passion

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Outstanding Directing, Drama Series
John Cassar 24

Outstanding Writing, Drama Series
Terence Winter The Sopranos

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
Jeremy Irons Elizabeth I

Outstanding Directing Variety, Music or Comedy Series
Louis J. Horvitz The 78th Annual Academy Awards

Outstanding Writing Variety, Music or Comedy Program
Writers on The Daily Show

Outstanding Directing in a Miniseries or a Movie
Tom Hooper Elizabeth I

RussTC3

08-27-06, 11:02 PM

Well, I was a bit off. lol

Good awards show, can't say I'm really disapointed with the winners. Well, maybe the Manilow one.

Thanks for the updates, Fred. I look forward to all the after-show stuff.

fredfa

08-27-06, 11:08 PM

Emmy Notebook
2 Jeremies shake up the press room
From The Gold Derby Blog in the Los Angeles Times

The directing win by the Academy Awards solidifies its status as second-biggest winner of Emmy Awards over all: 34. "Frazier" leads with 37.

According to our forums poster DS0816, "For the record: HBO's 'The Sopranos' win in the writing category is its fifth. It now matches with CBS's 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' for most Emmy wins in writing for a regular drama series (MTM, on the comedy side). 'The Sopranos' has won for writing in: 1999 ('College'), 2001 ('Employee of the Month'), 2003 ('Whitecaps'), 2004 ('Long Term Parking'), and 2006 ('Members Only'). 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' has also won for writing in: 1971 ('Support Your Local Mother'), 1974 ('The Lou and Edie Story'), 1975 ('Will Mary Richards Go to Jail?'), 1976 ('Chuckles Bites the Dust'), and 1977 ('The Last Show')."

"I'm sure we'll be nominated next year," said Greg Garcia when asked if he thinks it's crazy that "My Name Is Earl" could win best writing and directing, but not be nommed for best comedy. There was a recent precedent that could prove him right. "Malcolm in the Middle" won writing and directing its first year when it wasn't nommed for series. It did score a bid in year two.

"The one thing I took from my experience of starring in Will & Grace is confidence," said Megan Mulally backstage. "Comedy is going too far and taking a chance.

"After I won and they took me back to my seat to wait for Sean's category, When I was 20 or 21 when I lived in Chicago I went to a psychic and she told me that I'd someday win 2 Emmys for playing a secretary in a sitcom. I said that couldn't happen because I'm a serious actress. Isn't that weird? I didn't remember that till tonight."

Bob Newhart going to live? "He's definitely going to die and it'll be for a good cause because it's a great show. He's a lovely man and all that, but it's time."

Joan Collins said backstage: "What do I remember about 'Dynasty'? Not alot, I see the reruns and I think,'Did I wear that?' I do remember the fight scenes with, Linda, of course."

Emmy Odds and Ends

Jeremy Piven isn't the cad he portrays on "Entourage" — and he's no longer the wigged-out boozer he's portrayed in the tabloids, or at least he told us so backstage.

Backstage, after winning best supporting actor in a comedy series, he teared up while mentioning his deceased dad, who he also mentioned in his acceptance speech "for giving me all the movement." He also mentioned his mom in that speech and backstage, too, noting what great parents they were.

"I am proof that you can have a great family and still be dysfunctional," he said backstage. When asked how he planned to celebrate his win, he began saying, "I'm detoxing," so he planned to take it easy, but then he added, "I'll be hoisting adult beverages with my mother. But she only drinks one glass of wine." They plan to attend the HBO party, then head out to other parties thereafter. He didn't seem to know which ones, but he implied that he might have more than just one glass of wine despite detoxing.

When asked how much he resembles his TV character Ari Gold — a volcanic, foot-stomping, demanding agent, he said, "I have tremendous road rage, which I channel into the character." But he added, "an agent like Ari could never represent an actor like Jeremy Piven because I don't work for a paycheck."

This just in: Another Jeremy — Irons — just dropped a real bomb on the press room. When asked what he thought about the government taxing gift baskets, he said, "If they have to tax it, so be it, but they'll only spend it on bombs!"

http://goldderby.latimes.com/

fredfa

08-27-06, 11:12 PM

Sorry I missed this during the Emmy Show, but it is very good news nonetheless...
TV Notebook
Captors Release Two FOX News Journalists Kidnapped in Gaza Aug. 14
Fox News Sunday, August 27, 2006

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Two FOX News journalists were released by their kidnappers Sunday, nearly two weeks after they were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.

Steve Centanni, 60, and Olaf Wiig, 36, left Gaza and have since crossed into Israel after their release. The men left Gaza through the Erez border crossing.

The freeing of Centanni, a correspondent, and Wiig, a cameraman, ends the longest-running drama involving foreign hostages in Gaza.

The two journalists were dropped off at Gaza City's Beach Hotel by Palestinian security officials and appeared to be in good health. A tearful Centanni embraced a Palestinian journalist briefly as he entered, then rushed upstairs as Wiig followed.

Centanni, in a phone interview shortly after his release, said "I'm fine. I'm just so happy to be free."

He said he was so emotional because he was out and alive.

"There were times when I thought 'I'm dead,' and I'm not," Centanni said. "I'm fine. I'm so very happy."

He recounted how he and Wiig were pulled out of their car on August 14 and taken at gunpoint into another car. The kidnappers blindfolded them and handcuffed their hands behind their backs with plastic ties. They were then transferred to another car and driven to a building that they later learned was a garage.

"We were pushed down onto the dirt-covered concrete floor and we were forced to lie face down with our handcuffs on," Centanni said.

"Olaf was in the same room with me. Our shoulders were wrenched back, very painful."

Both of the men were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint, Centanni said.

"We were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint," Centanni told FOX News. "Don't get me wrong here. I have the highest respect for Islam, and I learned a lot of good things about it, but it was something we felt we had to do because they had the guns, and we didn't know what the hell was going on."

Centanni's brother, Ken, spoke to FOX News directly after the news was released.

"It's just a tremendous amount of relief, overwhelming relief," he said.

Later Sunday, Centanni and Wiig appeared before reporters, then traveled to the Erez crossing into Israel to leave Gaza.

"I want to thank everybody. I am happy to be here. I hope that this never scares a single journalist away from coming to Gaza to cover the story because the Palestinian people are very beautiful and kind hearted," Centanni told reporters. "The world needs to know more about them. Don't be discouraged."

Wiig also said he was worried that the kidnapping would scare off reporters.

"My biggest concern really is that as a result of what happened to us foreign journalists will be discouraged from coming to tell the story and that would be a great tragedy for the people of Palestine," Wiig said. "You guys need us on the streets, and you need people to be aware of the story."

Wiig's wife, Anita McNaught, thanked Palestinian officials and FOX News for their efforts in getting the men released. The men refused to take questions.

Before that, the two journalists made a joint appearance with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas. Haniyeh, Centanni and Wiig sat in a circle of chairs at the Beach Hotel. Wiig was also accompanied by his wife.

The day had begun with promises by senior Palestinian officials that the two would be released in coming hours.

At the same time, before the journalists' release, a new video was released, showing Wiig and Centanni dressed in beige Arab-style robes. Wiig, of New Zealand, delivered an anti-Western speech, his face expressionless and his tone halting. The kidnappers claimed both men had converted to Islam.

The journalists had been seized in Gaza City on Aug. 14 by a previously unknown group calling itself the Holy Jihad Brigades. However, senior Palestinian security officials said Sunday the name was a front for local militants, and that Palestinian authorities had known the identity of the kidnappers from the start.

Haniyeh also confirmed the kidnappers were from Gaza, squashing speculation that Al Qaeda had directed the abduction. "The kidnappers have no link to Al Qaeda or any other organization or faction," Haniyeh said. "Al Qaeda as an organization does not exist in the Gaza Strip."

It remained unclear whether the kidnappers had ties to Hamas or the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a violent offshoot of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement. A third group, the Popular Resistance Committees, claimed Sunday it had helped mediate the release of the journalists.

In chaotic Gaza, gunmen often change their affiliation or form splinter groups. Their agendas are often driven by personal issues, including jobs and power for their clans, rather than by ideology.

In the past two years, Palestinian militants have seized more than two dozen foreigners, usually to settle personal scores, but released them unharmed within hours. The holding of the FOX journalists had been the longest.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,210645,00.html

fredfa

08-27-06, 11:16 PM

Emmy Notebook
More From the Emmys
By Ray Richmond The Hollywood Reporter in his blog “Past Deadline”

7:15 p.m. -- Seemingly because they lack the imagination to move beyond that which has already been honored, the Emmy for reality competition program goes to "The Amazing Race" FOR THE FOURTH TIME rather than "American Idol" or "Project Runway" for the first time. Hey, when you've got a good thing going, why change, huh?

7:33 p.m. -- What was I thinking? The Emmys never follow form. They don't tonight, either. Just when you think there's no hope for them, the right things begin to happen. Helen Mirren wins for lead actress for HBO's "Elizabeth I," which was the no-brainer of no-brainers. And then Julia Louis-Dreyfus wins lead comedy actress and forever busts the "Seinfeld" curse.

7:40 p.m. -- But all is still not right in Emmyland. Kiefer Sutherland deserves his win for "24" after eight previous nominations and losses, but not at the expense of Denis Leary and "Rescue Me."

7:53 p.m. -- Okay, I can breathe again. "The Office" wins top comedy, which means I don't have to follow through on my threatened plan to go postal. It's a terrific moment: everyone associated with the show who was in attendance, actors as well as writers and producers, take to the stage in a joyous celebration as creator Greg Daniels rightly credits star Steve Carell as his "meal ticket."

7:55 p.m. -- "24" upsets "Grey's Anatomy," just as I predicted it would, making me correct in both the comedy and drama categories for I believe the first time in a decade.

7:57 p.m. -- The evening's final upset: it goes undertime. Maybe there is a God.

http://www.pastdeadline.com/

fredfa

08-27-06, 11:20 PM

Emmy Notebook
The latest news and notes from the show

By Susan King Los Angeles Times Staff Writer in “The Envelope” Awards blog 7:55 PM PDT, August 27, 2006

Mariska Hargitay, the tough-talking detective on NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," won her first Emmy award tonight for best actress in a drama series.

The daughter of sex symbol Jayne Mansfield and body builder Mickey Hargitay thanked producer Dick Wolf for giving her "this incredible opportunity." To her co-star in the series, Chris Meloni, who also was nominated tonight, Hargitay said, he "makes everyone around him better."

HBO's "Elizabeth I," a miniseries about the Virgin Queen, was tonight's big winner, receiving four Emmys, including best actress for Helen Mirren, outstanding miniseries, director Tom Hooper and supporting actor Jeremy Irons. It also won five awards at last week's Creative Arts Emmys.

The cable network's "The Girl in the Cafe" took home three awards, including best made-for-TV movie, best supporting actress for Kelly Macdonald and one for writer Richard Curtis.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus received her first Emmy as lead actress in a comedy series for her role as a single wife and mother in the CBS midseason replacement "The New Adventures of Old Christine." Louis-Dreyfus previously won a supporting actress award for her role as Elaine on "Seinfeld."

Louis-Dreyfus was apparently so stunned by the win that she was stymied in midsentence as she looked to thank her husband Brad Hall, unable to say his name. "I want to thank ... thank you Debra (Messing), my husband," she said to a roar of laughter.

For the first time in nearly three decades, the original cast of "Charlie's Angels" reunited tonight to pay a tearful tribute to legendary producer Aaron Spelling, who died in June.

Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith, appearing on stage at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, had a difficult time staying composed as they each remembered their boss. Spelling, 83, was the mastermind behind such major hits as "The Love Boat," "Dynasty," "The Mod Squad," "Beverly Hills 90210," and "Seventh Heaven."

"He gave us breaks that changed our careers," said Smith. "But in the end it was Aaron's friendship that I treasured most."

Before tonight's show, the tribute had been marked by controversy, as tabloids and fan magazines reported a mother-daughter rift, based allegedly on an accusation that Spelling's daughter-actress Tori Spelling was cut out of her father's will by Candy Spelling. During the Spelling tribute, daughter and mother were shown separately in the audience.

"I'm sure he's looking down and smiling on us, knowing that he brought us together again, as only he could," Smith said.

CBS' "Amazing Race" took home the award for best reality-competition program, leaving "American Idol" winless for the fourth year in a row.

CBS' reality show was among the half dozen series that have repeatedly won Emmys in years past - and which won again tonight in acting, writing and directing categories. Other winners were "Will & Grace," "The West Wing," "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" and "Monk."

Actor Tony Shalhoub, who plays an obsessive-compulsive detective on USA's "Monk," picked up his third Emmy tonight as outstanding actor in a comedy series, beating out such favorites as Steve Carell, Charlie Sheen, Kevin James and Larry David.

"There's been a terrible mistake. I never win anything," Shalhoub deadpanned to the audience at the Shrine Auditorium. "I just want to say it's gratifying to be chosen from such a distinguished group of losers (pause) actors. Comedy, comedic performing actors, you know, whatever."

Another former Emmy winner - Andre Braugher - won lead actor in a movie or miniseries for his role as a criminal in FX's low-rated "Thief."

Fox's thriller series "24" finally broke into the Emmy's top ranks as the show's director, Jon Cassar, was awarded best director in a drama series.

But ABC's popular new show "Grey's Anatomy" remained shut out, losing out on best supporting actor and writing. The award for best drama, for which it is in competition, will come later tonight.

One of the biggest surprises of the night was winner Barry Manilow, who was awarded for a PBS musical special based on his running Las Vegas stage show.

"I can't be more surprised," said a shocked Barry Manilow, as he won his second Emmy, for "Barry Manilow: Music and Passion." The pop singer beat out such television favorites as Stephen Colbert, Craig Ferguson and David Letterman, as well as last year's winner in this category, Hugh Jackman.

(Later in the show, Colbert quipped to Stewart as they were presenting another award, "I lost to Barry Manilow! I lost to the 'Copacabana!' ")

Oscar and Tony winner Jeremy Irons won his first Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a movie or miniseries for his performance as the Earl of Lester in HBO's "Elizabeth I."

Louis J. Horvitz, who was directing the Emmys, won best director of best variety, comedy or music program for this year's Academy Awards on ABC.

Two of television's longest-running shows, NBC's political drama "The West Wing" and the network's comedy "Will & Grace" took the first two Emmys for supporting actor and actress.

Megan Mullally won her second Emmy as the spoiled Karen Walker, while Alan Alda picked up his sixth Emmy (he's received 32 nominations) for his role as the unsuccessful Republican presidential candidate on "The West Wing." Both shows ended their multi-season runs in May.

Blythe Danner won her second consecutive supporting actress in a drama series for Showtime's "Huff," which was canceled after its second season ended this year.

The only new face in the mix so far is Jeremy Piven, who received his first Emmy for outstanding actor in a comedy series as the pushy Hollywood agent Ari Gold in HBO's "Entourage."

Though NBC's freshman comedy series "My Name Is Earl" failed to receive a top nomination for best of the year, it won Emmys tonight for director Marc Buckland and writer Greg Garcia.

Also in writing, "The Sopranos" picked up an Emmy for Terence Winter for the "Members Only" episode, beating out two nominations for "Grey's Anatomy," as well as single episodes of "Lost" and "Six Feet Under."

In late-night television, the friendly Emmy rivalry between Stewart and Colbert was put to rest tonight as Colbert hugged his former boss as Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" was awarded as outstanding variety, music or comedy series.

Stewart's show won the same award the past four years, but with Colbert now off hosting the network's popular "The Colbert Report," there was some consensus that he might have the momentum to win an Emmy tonight.

Even Stewart, in his acceptance speech, acknowledged his own preference. "I think this year you actually made a terrible mistake, but thank you," he told academy voters as he accepted the statue.

"The Daily Show" also picked up a statute for best writing in a variety, music or comedy program.

The NBC show, which is being telecast live to the East Coast and tape delayed for airing here in Los Angeles, got off to a satirical start, with host Conan O'Brien invading the sets of many popular television series on his way to the Shrine Auditorium, including "Lost," "The Office," "24" and "House." He also performed a song-and-dance spoof set to the tune of "Trouble" from "The Music Man," reflecting NBC's rating woes.

O'Brien's song and early jokes hit some of television's challenges head on, as he talked about the growing nervousness over the Internet, TiVo and controversy around this year's Emmy voting rules.

Also honored was "American Bandstand" host and producer Dick Clark, who had suffered a stroke in late 2004. Sitting at the podium on stage, the 76-year-old Clark was visibly moved.

"Thank you very much," he told the audience as it gave him a standing ovation, his speech shaky and still showing the effects of the debilitating stroke, adding that his childhood dream had come true. "I've been truly blessed."

Since the nominations were announced in July, the Emmys have been shrouded in controversy. New rules were put into place to help newer shows and performers have a better chance of being nominated. Television critics have complained that the nominations had grown staid over the years, with the same faces and shows dominating the proceedings.

But the new rules by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences seemed to have backfired with last year's top drama "Lost" failing to receive a nomination and last year's multi-winner comedy "Desperate Housewives" and its high-profiled stars also coming up empty. Other veteran winners such as James Gandolfini and Edie Falco of HBO's "The Sopranos" also were shut out of the lead actor and lead actress categories.

Unlike past years, where the academy members chose the nominees, a selected group of panelists chose the five nominees in the top categories, including best drama, comedy and acting. And because many TV fans' favorites are missing in action this year, there's some fear that viewership for the Emmy awards will suffer. In fact, ABC is airing "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" opposite NBC's Emmy telecast.

Also, HBO is airing finales for two of its acclaimed shows: "Deadwood" and "Entourage."

The bulk of the 2006 Emmys were awarded at the Creative Arts ceremony, also at the Shrine, on Aug. 19. HBO topped the list of winners, with 17 - five of them went to the miniseries "Elizabeth I."

ABC led the broadcast networks with 10, followed by NBC with eight, CBS, Fox and PBS with seven each and Cartoon Network with four.

Among the awards handed out were Cloris Leachman, for outstanding guest actor in a comedy series for Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle" - her eighth Emmy win, making her the winningest female performer in Emmy history. She's also nominated tonight for supporting actress in a movie or mini-series for "Mrs. Harris."

Leslie Jordan won for guest actor in a comedy series for NBC's "Will & Grace."

http://theenvelope.latimes.com/awards/emmys/env-emmys27aug27_wr,0,5361677,print.story?coll=env-home-headlines

fredfa

08-27-06, 11:36 PM

Critic’s Notebook
What Was Emmy Producer Thinking?
By Nikki Finke LA Weekly in her deadlinehollywooddaily blog

The very idea that tonight's Emmy showcast on NBC was so heavily scripted that neither the network nor host Conan O'Brien could change a word of the broadcast opener is absurd.

After all, isn't that the reason they invented writers? C'mon, couldn't one television academy director, or NBC executive, or show producer, much less Conan, pipe up and say, "Uh, maybe starting with a plane crash comedy skit on the same day there was an actual plane crash might be in poor taste? Let's rewrite."

But, noooooooooo.

Host Conan O'Brien riffed off the ABC's series Lost which was all-but-ignored by the Emmies by starting the ceremony with a filmed comedy bit in which O'Brien was seen sipping champagne aboard a jetliner.

"What could possibly go wrong tonight?" he says — before the plane crashes onto an island resembling the one in ABC's drama.

Today, in Kentucky, a commuter jet mistakenly trying to take off on a runway that was too short crashed into a field Sunday and burst into flames, according to media reports, killing 49 people and leaving the lone survivor -- a co-pilot -- in critical condition.

Really, is there even one person at NBC with a brain left in his head?

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/emmy-what-was-nbcconan-thinking/

fredfa

08-27-06, 11:39 PM

fredfa

08-27-06, 11:41 PM

TV Notebook
LEX 18 officials shocked by Emmy Awards’ plane-crash spoof intro
By Jamie Gumbrecht Lexington KY Herald-Leader culture writer

LEX 18 News ended an evening recap of yesterday’s coverage of the Comair Flight 5191 crash for the live broadcast of the prime-time Emmy Awards. The annual TV awards show opened with shots of host Conan O’Brien bouncing inside a plane before it crashed on an island in a spoof of ABC’s hit show Lost.

WLEX’s president and general manager, Tim Gilbert, who was home watching the telecast with his family, was “stunned” by the intro; if station managers had known about the intro before the broadcast, Lexington viewers wouldn’t have seen it, he said.

“It was a live telecast — we were completely helpless,” Gilbert said of the Emmys. “By the time we began to react, it was over. At the station, we were as horrified as they were at home.”

Gilbert said he’ll complain to NBC, but he said an apology won’t make up for insensitivity.

“They could have killed the opening and it wouldn't have hurt the show at all,” Gilbert said. “We wish somebody had thought this through. It’s somewhere between ignorance and incompetence.”

http://hotair.com/archives/2006/08/27/emmy-parodies-planecrash-hours-after-kentucky-accident/

fredfa

08-27-06, 11:47 PM

Emmy Notebook
Long night for Emmys
The gaffe-plagued telecast didn't exactly run smoothly
From The Envelope Awards blog by Scott Collins in the Los Angeles Times August 27, 2006

"Gee, we're screwed," Conan O'Brien warbled on Sunday's 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

O'Brien was musically satirizing NBC's lousy ratings, of course - the ditty even managed a rhyming dig at Howie Mandel - but he may as well have been singing about the gaffe-prone, sex-addled award telecast he hosted.

The show began with a cringe-inducing clinker. Kicking off an otherwise funny reel that found O'Brien struggling to get to the ceremony while encountering characters in various TV shows from "House" to "South Park," the producers marred the effect by retaining a bit that put the host in a realistic plane crash paralleling the one from the premiere of ABC's smash "Lost."

Not a problem on a normal day, perhaps, but Sunday morning's news was dominated by the fiery crash of a commuter jet in Kentucky that killed 49 people.

Emmy producers were not available to explain why the crash material was left in. An NBC spokeswoman reached via e-mail Sunday night said executives were busy with the show and couldn't be reached for comment.

Other groan-inducing moments of questionable taste followed, prompted by an evident sex fixation coursing around the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. "Screwed," indeed.

Take, for example, Jeremy Piven, who seemed to be channeling Ari "Hug It Out, Bitch" Gold, the profane agent he plays on HBO's comedy "Entourage."

Taking home the prize for supporting actor, Piven mentioned that at the start of his Hollywood career years ago, an agent warned that he wouldn't really start getting acting work until he was in his 40s. "I thought, 'Do I become a fluffer?'" he told the crowd. "I was confused."

For the uninitiated, "fluffer" is slang for someone who performs sex acts on male porn stars to prepare them for their scenes. The word has occasionally cropped up on prime time before - including in at least one episode of UPN's drama "Veronica Mars" - but this is the first known usage on the Emmys.

Asked by reporters backstage about the reference, Piven explained: "You feel the crowd. I needed a laugh or courtesy giggle. 'Fluffer' came into my head and I went with it."

O'Brien was thinking along the same lines. At one point, he advised web users that they could go back to "surfing for porn." Calista Flockhart informed co-presenter Craig Ferguson that she worried she'd go "ass over tit" in walking onstage.

Even tiny Leslie Jordan, of NBC's now-defunct "Will & Grace," got caught up in the need for a courtesy giggle, albeit with a line that was more Oscar Wilde than Ari Gold. The openly gay actor noted that the Emmy award was "the first woman I ever slept with."

The off-color jokes kept coming even after Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert strode onstage with a tongue-in-cheek, Bill O'Reilly-style greeting: "Good evening, godless sodomites!"

http://theenvelope.latimes.com/awards/emmys/env-et-channel28aug28,0,2703208.story?coll=env-home-subfeaturebar

fredfa

08-27-06, 11:57 PM

Emmy Notebook
Time is right for '24’
HBO, NBC take most wins
By Brian Lowry Variety.com August 27, 2006

The fifth day was the charm for Fox's "24," while NBC's "The Office" established that it is more than just the U.S. branch of a hit British comedy at the 58th annual Emmy Awards.

Fox's gritty thriller became that net's first best drama champ, edging a tough field that included past winner "The Sopranos" and red-hot "Grey's Anatomy." Star Kiefer Sutherland also locked up his first Emmy as CTU agent Jack Bauer, and the show won for best direction.

Meanwhile, "The Office," the second-year comedy adapted from an acclaimed BBC franchise, capped a strong showing overall for NBC, which won six.

In a night that saw repeat winners and canceled series pick up Emmys, Julia Louis-Dreyfus -- a past honoree for "Seinfeld" -- received what should be a promotional boost for her sitcom "The New Adventures of Old Christine," which joined CBS' Monday lineup in March.

"Curse this, baby," she said, alluding to the so-called "'Seinfeld' curse" that has plagued the show's co-stars, who, among them, have previously starred in four quickly axed series.

Befitting Emmy royalty, HBO's "Elizabeth I" was crowned for best miniseries, directing, Helen Mirren's portrayal of the virgin queen and supporting actor Jeremy Irons. Added with five tech awards, the four-hour project's nine golden girls by far surpassed all other programs.

With 26 Emmys (one less than last year), HBO has now ranked as the most-decorated network six consecutive years and seven of the last eight go-rounds, including back-to-back ties with NBC in 2001 and '02.

Despite inroads by other cable nets -- which have sought to emulate HBO's footprint in original programming with fare like TNT's "Into the West," this year's most-nominated entry -- the Time Warner pay channel has remained preeminent, fueled by a mix of series, movies and documentaries. ("The Sopranos," which claimed best drama in 2004 and wasn't eligible last year, nabbed a lone win for writing.).

By collecting six honors during the primary showcase, NBC - coupled with its earlier tech awards - placed second to HBO at 14, followed by ABC's 11, though the Alphabet net was limited to a single Emmy Sunday night - for its telecast of the Academy Awards. Fox closed with 10, as "24" accounted for all its hardware Sunday, and CBS nine.

Mariska Hargitay took home a rare Emmy for a crime procedural - in this case, NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." The actress previously snagged a Golden Globe for the show but emotionally celebrated her first acknowledgement from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which orchestrates the Emmys.

As lead in a comedy, Tony Shalhoub's defective detective "Monk" unearthed his third accolade in four tries for that hourlong USA network show. Andre Braugher's Emmy for FX's "Thief," meanwhile, involved a bit of procedural sleight of hand, since he was submitted as lead actor in a miniseries for a show initially presented as a series but discarded after its limited run.

HBO's triumphs also included best movie for "The Girl in the Café" - an unlikely romance set against the G8 Summit, whose principal competition included two 9/11-themed basic cable films. With that victory, the channel has claimed that category a dozen times in the last 14 years - its string interrupted only by TNT's "Door to Door" in 2003 and ABC's "Tuesdays With Morrie" in 2000.

"Girl" writer Richard Curtis and co-star Kelly Macdonald were also recognized, though star Bill Nighy, notably, submitted himself for another film and wasn't nominated.

HBO's Emmy-season total was elevated by 17 trophies at the earlier Creative Arts Emmys, including a quartet each for the period drama "Rome" and sobering documentary "Baghdad ER."

Although HBO continued its top-network streak, the channel fell short of its high of 32 awards in 2004, when it soared on the wings of "Angels in America," which flew off with a record 11 awards.

Not surprisingly given this year's glut of nominations for series either canceled or that have finished their runs, several Emmy wins amounted to nostalgic sendoffs for departed shows.

In the supporting actor categories, only first-time winner Jeremy Piven - as the hyperkinetic agent in HBO's "Entourage" - comes from a program that will be seen again in anything but reruns.

Megan Mullally won her second supporting trophy for "Will & Grace," with Blythe Danner earning back-to-back prizes for the axed Showtime drama "Huff." And while Alan Alda's "The West Wing" character might have lost the election, the actor (who didn't attend) won his sixth Emmy overall for the NBC drama's swan-song.

"The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" extended its domination of the comedy, music or variety series to a rather presidential four-year term, and doubled its pleasure with writing in that category. And despite the ratings juggernaut that is "American Idol," CBS' "The Amazing Race" elongated its roll among reality-competition fare to four consecutive years.

Although no first-year series garnered top-program nods, NBC's "My Name is Earl" enjoyed some good Karma by sweeping comedy writing and directing for its pilot episode.

Combined with the early pre-Labor Day date for this year's telecast, the many winners from programs that won't return - or in the case of "24" and "The Sopranos," won't be back until 2007 - could diminish the always hard-to-measure promotional benefits associated with such recognition.

As for this year's much-debated and derided rules changes, which yielded several glaring omissions in the nomination process, academy officials privately say they are likely to tweak those procedures after evaluating results from this year's awards.

O'Brien opened the show lampooning NBC's ratings doldrums with a rousing musical number based on "The Music Man" whose chorus noted, "As in, 'Gee, we're screwed.'" He also drew a huge laugh by saying that the Emmy statuette is heavy because it "contains the shattered dreams of four other people."

Virtually devoid of political speeches, the show's tributes included a standing ovation for Dick Clark, who is grappling with the after effects of a stroke; and the late Aaron Spelling, culminating with a reunion of the original "Charlie's Angels."

"I [have] accomplished my childhood dream, to be in show business," Clark said. "Everybody should be so lucky." Barry Manilow performed to honor Clark and later picked up an Emmy for his PBS special, prompting a mock tirade from presenter/nominee Stephen Colbert about losing to the singer.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117949112&categoryid=14

fredfa

08-28-06, 12:03 AM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Leading Network Total Entertainment Emmy Winners
H B O
26
N B C
14
A B C
11
Fox
10
C B S
9

AAF

08-28-06, 12:06 AM

Critic’s Notebook
What Was Emmy Producer Thinking?

For the plane crash part of Conan’s opening, go here -- (at least until it is pulled)

http://hotair.com/archives/2006/08/27/emmy-parodies-planecrash-hours-after-kentucky-accident/

I'm tempted to say that since it happened in fly over country (we're unimportant here in the hinterland) so maybe it didn't count as news in LA...but seriously, bad timing and poor decision on somebody's part....that should have been a no brainer.

Real life plane crash = pull the otherwise funny plane crash bit.

fredfa

08-28-06, 12:08 AM

I think you are right.

If the crash had happened in NY or LA, I am sure the skit would have been hastily edited.

GeorgeLV

08-28-06, 12:27 AM

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Leading Network Total Entertainment Emmy Winners
H B O
26
N B C
14
A B C
11
Fox
10
C B S
9

It's kind of funny how the number of Emmys won by a major network is inversely proportional to their viewership.

HDTVChallenged

08-28-06, 12:28 AM

fredfa

08-28-06, 12:40 AM

It's kind of funny how the number of Emmys won by a major network is inversely proportional to their viewership.

It is, isn't it?

This is, as I recall, the sixth straight year HBO has led.

But back in the day when NBC was the ratings leader it also often had the most Emmys -- at least of the broadcast networks.

Otfen though, a ratings-challenged network feels it has to be more edgy -- and that is something the Emmy voters usually find alluring.

fredfa

08-28-06, 12:43 AM

Emmy Notebook
Time is right for '24’
‘24’ Is Among the Big Winners as Television Presents Its Emmy Awards
By Edward Wyatt The New York Times August 28, 2006

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 27 — “24,” the Fox thriller that set in motion the current trend for serial dramas when it made its debut in 2001, won three Emmy Awards on Sunday night, cementing its reputation as one of the most provocative and influential series on television at the 58th annual awards ceremony.

Not only did the show win the award for best drama series, but its star, Kiefer Sutherland, a fan favorite, won the Emmy for best actor in a drama, his first victory after five acting nominations. And Jon Cassar won for best director for a drama series for the episode “7 a.m. to 8 a.m.” Each season of “24” follows a federal agent named Jack Bauer for an entire day.

“My Name Is Earl,” the quirky NBC show that failed to receive a nomination for best comedy, nevertheless took two top awards, with Greg Garcia winning for best comedy writing and Marc Buckland winning for best director. “The Office,” another NBC comedy, took the Emmy for best comedy series.

And Julia Louis-Dreyfus won best actress in a comedy series for her title role in the appealingly nutty CBS show “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” her second Emmy; she had won for best supporting actress for “Seinfeld.”

Referring to the supposed curse that has struck “Seinfeld” actors whose subsequent works have largely flopped, Ms. Louis-Dreyfus said, “I’m not somebody who really believes in curses, but curse this, baby.”

“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” a Comedy Central news parody and talk show, also won two awards, for outstanding writing and for outstanding variety, music or comedy series.

Overall, NBC was the big winner among the major networks with six awards at the night’s ceremony, followed by Fox with three.

Among specialty programs and networks, HBO cleaned up, winning nine awards, with three for “The Girl in the Cafe” and four for “Elizabeth I.” “The Girl in the Cafe” won for outstanding made-for-television movie, best writing in the same category and outstanding supporting actress in a mini-series or movie, to Kelly Macdonald. “Elizabeth I” won best mini-series, Helen Mirren won for best actress in a mini-series or movie, and the show won for best directing in its category.

But many of the early acting awards went to shows that will not be back on the air this fall, either because they reached the end of long runs or were canceled after gathering critical acclaim but not enough viewers.

The idea that television is not the dominant entertainment medium that it used to be was acknowledged with a humorous look at the Internet, video games and other attention-grabbers that have drawn growing numbers of viewers away from network television.

“At this very moment your kids are on YouTube watching a cat on the toilet instead of watching that footage where it belongs: on the Fox network,” Conan O’Brien, the host, joked.

The thought continued as the first three Emmys went to actors in series that will not be back on the air this fall. Megan Mullally was named best supporting actress in a comedy series for “Will & Grace,” which ran for eight seasons on NBC before concluding its run last spring. Then Alan Alda won his fifth Emmy, as best supporting actor in a drama series for his role as a Republican presidential candidate on “The West Wing,” another NBC show that ended a multiyear run last spring. By the time Blythe Danner was named best supporting actress in a drama series for her role on Showtime’s “Huff,” it began to seem that few if any contemporary shows held much promise for the night.

She gave voice to some of the frustration felt by the actors, if not the audience. “I guess I have to thank Showtime even though they canceled us,” said Ms. Danner, who won for her role for the second consecutive year.

Not until Jeremy Piven was named best supporting actor in a comedy series for his role as the bombastic agent Ari Gold on HBO’s “Entourage” did viewers get a glimpse of an actor they are likely to see again soon.

Mr. Piven, who was nominated for the role last year but didn’t win, later played down the suggestion that he had stolen the spotlight on “Entourage” from his fellow actors. “I’m billed fifth behind a guy named Turtle,” he said.

One early upset came when Tony Shalhoub of USA’s “Monk” was named best actor in a comedy series for the third time in four nominations, beating out the predicted favorite among television critics, Steve Carell of “The Office.”

Mr. Shalhoub was almost apologetic for his victory. “Last year I was shocked; this year I was semi-comatose,” he said backstage. “I would like to feel good, but I feel too numb.” Referring to “The Office” and Mr. Carell, he added: “That other show is so hot right now, and he is so on fire. I’m sure I will start feeling better later.”

Mariska Hargitay won best actress in a drama series for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” her first victory after three straight nominations.

In the category of best reality-competition program, “The Amazing Race” won for the fourth straight year, once again beating the most-watched show on television, “American Idol.”

The Emmy show began on a potentially uncomfortable note on the day of the deadliest American airline crash in five years, with Mr. O’Brien visiting the sets of several highly rated shows, including “24,” “House” and “Lost.” The opening skit had Mr. O’Brien on an airplane that crashes, leaving him to wash up on the set of “Lost.”

But Mr. O’Brien quickly made certain the mood remained light, noting that even as its audience shrinks, acclaimed actors are finding work in the medium that many previously avoided.

“Alec Baldwin has a new show on NBC,” he said, “James Wood has a new show on CBS, and Mel Gibson has a new show on Al Jazeera.”

The broadcast featured a tribute to Dick Clark, who, speaking with a noticeable slur, a result of a recent stroke, took the stage after a lengthy taped tribute and was welcomed with a wealth of applause for his contributions to television. Among the shows developed or produced by Mr. Clark are icons as diverse as “American Bandstand,” “The $10,000 Pyramid” and his annual New Year’s Eve telecasts.

He said it was always his dream to be in show business. “Everybody should be so lucky to have their dreams come true,” he added.

The broadcast also featured a tribute to the producer Aaron Spelling, who died in June. The dozens of fabled television shows he created over five decades include “The Mod Squad,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “The Love Boat,” “Dynasty” and “Beverly Hills 90210.” Among those paying tribute were the original “Charlie’s Angels,” Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith and Farrah Fawcett.

One of the biggest questions hovering over the ceremony was whether anyone would be watching. Audiences for awards shows like the Emmys and the Oscars have declined in recent years because viewers now have so many more television outlets available. This year, however, even some of the other networks, which usually defer to the Emmys in hopes of promoting their own stars and shows, were potentially drawing away viewers. ABC scheduled a repeat of the first “Pirates of the Caribbean” film at the same time as the Emmys.

Traditionally scheduled after Labor Day, just before the new fall television season gets going, the Emmys this year were moved up to late August, a time when much of the country is squeezing in a last vacation or beach weekend. The change was made because NBC, which televised the awards this year as part of a four-year rotation pattern among the four major networks, has a contract to televise National Football League games on Sunday nights.

Football’s higher advertising revenue trumped the Emmys, and network executives and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which bestows the awards, deemed it too troublesome to schedule the ceremony on a weeknight, when Los Angeles would be racked by its usually fearsome rush-hour traffic. To accommodate the time difference with prime-time viewers in the East, some people attending the ceremony have to begin arriving on the red carpet here shortly after lunchtime.

The academy generated its own measure of Emmy intrigue this year by changing the nominating procedure in an attempt, its officials said, to give sometimes overlooked shows from the big networks and those from cable channels and the smaller networks more of a chance of being nominated.

The new nominating procedures added a step to the process, using a special screening panel to choose the five nominees from the top 10 or 15 shows or actors as voted on by the broader membership. Previously, the five nominees in the top categories were simply those receiving the most votes in the first round.

The process seemed to work in some cases but created controversy in others. Denis Leary received his first nomination for best actor in a drama series for his role as a New York City firefighter in “Rescue Me,” now in its third year on FX. And two situation-comedy stars from longstanding series — Charlie Sheen of “Two and a Half Men” and Kevin James of “The King of Queens” — received their first nominations.

But critics also blamed the new system for some misses among the nominees. Neither of last year’s big winners, ABC’s castaway mystery “Lost” and its devilish comedy “Desperate Housewives,” was nominated for best show in its category, although each received nominations for lesser awards. Some television industry people believed ABC’s scheduling of “Pirates” to be a retaliatory move for the exclusion of “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives” from nominations in the lead categories.

And some of the most popular performers — among them Hugh Laurie, the critically praised star of “House,” and the lead actors from “The Sopranos” — were also left out of the nominations.

Nominations were concentrated on mini-series like “Into the West,” a TNT product that led all nominees with 16 bids, and “Elizabeth I,” which had 13. HBO led all television outlets with 95 nominations, while among the broadcast networks, ABC led with 63 nominations.

The Fox thriller “24” led all series with 12 nominations. “Grey’s Anatomy,” an ABC medical drama, followed with 11. The nominations also were heavily populated with actors and shows from series that will not be back in the fall, including “The West Wing,” “Six Feet Under,” “Will & Grace” and “Commander in Chief.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/28/arts/television/28emmy.html?ei=5094&en=9c9ec8f8ab7fc2b2&hp=&ex=1156824000&adxnnl=1&partner=homepage&adxnnlx=1156740060-HLHuqzIzPszUxyJ0ZC2D8g&pagewanted=print

fredfa

08-28-06, 12:47 AM

Emmy Notebook
Beleaguered Network Wins 5 Awards
'24,' Sutherland Are Honored
By Tom Shales Washington Post TV Critic Monday, August 28, 2006; C01

Underdogs had their day at the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards, televised live last night from Los Angeles. NBC, currently the network equivalent of the Hindenburg, won five of the golden statuettes, giving it a second-place finish to Emmy champ HBO, which won eight.

HBO's "Elizabeth I" was chosen best miniseries, and Helen Mirren, the acclaimed actress who merely has to put on a puffy wig to win an Emmy, won for best acting in a miniseries for handily handling the title role. In what could be called a surprise, Fox's drama "24," about a day in the life of a globe-shaking crisis, was named best drama series over such competition as HBO's "The Sopranos," which had returned for an abbreviated season.

Kiefer Sutherland, who acknowledged his actor-father, Donald, sitting in the audience, was named best actor in a series for saving the world each year on "24." NBC, meanwhile, took home the prize for best comedy series, an American adaptation of the British sitcom "The Office," originally created by and starring Ricky Gervais, who was acknowledged from the stage and sat cheering in the audience.

There was a lot of cheer in the air at the Emmy this year -- even if, as always, there were too many awards and the program entered its third hour at the glacial speed -- thanks to Conan O'Brien, hosting the show for this second time and star of NBC's unfailingly funny "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," the most irreverent and outrageous of the midnightly network comedies. O'Brien not only delivered a cracklingly good monologue (Mel Gibson has a new series, he said, on the al-Jazeera network) but even sang a danced through a production number.

The song was "We Got Trouble," adapted from Meredith Willson's "The Music Man" so as to refer to a certain collapsing TV network whose first letter is "N" rather than the original subject, a pool table's arrival in a small Iowa town at the turn of another century.

Among the richly deserved and overdue awards were those given to Jeremy Piven, who plays Ari, the sharply dressed shark of an agent, in HBO's unique docu-comedy series "Entourage," about a young pop star and his cadre of hangers-on; and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who won best actress in a comedy for her new CBS sitcom, "The New Adventures of Old Christine."

The actress mocked the "curse" that supposedly haunts alumni of "Seinfeld," the most successful and acclaimed sitcom ever. Members of its cast have not been able to develop hit shows of their own -- not like they need the money.

Reflecting a new reality of television, an Emmy was given to something that the professional writers and actors assembled consider The Enemy -- reality and competition TV shows. It even sounded like there were scattered boos from the house when the producers of CBS's "The Amazing Race" overran the stage to accept their fourth Emmy for best show of that genre.

Otherwise, CBS didn't exactly crush the competition. In the night's first award, Megan Mullally was named best supporting actress in a comedy for her work on NBC's now-departed "Will & Grace," and Alan Alda was chosen best supporting actor in a drama for his guest-starring gig on the also extinct "West Wing," an NBC drama set in the White House.

NBC freshman comedy "My Name is Earl" won Emmys for writing and direction, and NBC also scored when Mariska Hargitay was named best actress for her role on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," one of producer Dick Wolf's variations on the original "Law & Order" theme.

The program included a touching tribute to Dick Clark, who was introduced -- already seated at a podium -- by Simon Cowell. Clark's speech was somewhat slurred, the result of a stroke suffered last year, but he looked alert and determined. Less emotional was a tribute to producer Aaron Spelling, who died recently and whose family members are now reportedly fighting over his fortune.

At least the Spelling salute was an excuse to reunite the original three "Charlie's Angels" on the Emmy stage, although in at least two out of three cases, time and plastic surgery appeared to have taken their toll.

In a running gag, comic Bob Newhart was locked in a glass booth with, O'Brien said, only three hours' worth of oxygen -- so that if the show ran even one minute over, the veteran star would expire. But in fact, Newhart was released early to join O'Brien onstage and present the best comedy prize to "The Office." One of the producers said he and O'Brien had started off together and both hoped to end up in positions like the ones they hold now.

As Cowell had said earlier of Dick Clark: "Everybody should be so lucky to have their dreams come true."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/27/AR2006082700313_pf.html

fredfa

08-28-06, 12:54 AM

TV Notebook
Cavett Returns On TMC
By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable

Dick Cavett, the witty and literate 1970's late night talk show host, is returning to the TV talk chair September 7 with a newly produced hour interview with Mel Brooks for Turner Classic Movies.

That is by way of kicking off a series of eight original interviews from his 1970's show that TCM has acquired and will re-run every Thursday night through Nov. 2 as part of a Thursday night tribute to various movie stars or directors interviewed by Cavett in his aclaimed ABC late night show.

Using a similar spare set--a couple of chairs and a logo--Cavett catches up on Brooks' career--like theatrical superstardom--since their last interview 34 years ago.

Following the new Cavett interview with Brooks, succeeding "classic" shows will air each Thursday night at 8 and 11, all, including Brooks' new interview, will feature a film by the interview subject of the night sandwiched between the two interview airings, then more films and documentaries.

For instance, the first classic show will be a 1971 interview with Woody Allen airing Sept. 14, followed by Bananas, a re-airing of the repeat, followed by Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, Annie Hall, and a documentary about Allen's work.

That pattern will be repeated with Robert Mitchum, Bette Davis, Ingmar Bergman, Alfred Hitchcock, Woody Allen, Groucho Marx and two interviews with Katherine Hepburn.

Cavett was one of TV's best listeners, often evoking more thoughtful sides of stars than in their "plug and Mug"the latest film" appearances on other talkers.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6365968.html?title=Article&spacedesc=news

fredfa

08-28-06, 01:03 AM

New Fox season is NOT bowling us over
By Melanie McFarland Seattle Post-Intelligencer TV Critic Monday, August 28, 2006

In seasons past, we have embraced network television's fall schedule with a sense of careful hope lightly dusted in a coating of cynicism, packed into one solid week of evaluation for your edification and pleasure.

Not this year.

Between airing the Emmys in August instead of September, when the awards show traditionally signals the start of the new season, and the launch of one and a half (assed) new networks -- one being The CW, the half (assed) being My Network TV -- everyone's gone bananas.

The networks already have commenced shoveling out new episodes, and won't stop until mid-November. And while CBS and NBC are debuting the majority of their new series during the traditional first week of the season, which officially starts Monday, Sept. 18 (when Nielsen begins measuring ratings for 2006-2007), ABC is slowly introducing its freshmen from mid-September into November. Fox moseyed out of the starting gate last week.

So this time around, your P-I television critic is going to try going with the flow, reviewing series as they come along, instead of jamming them into one weeklong parade of pain. Oh, don't worry -- celebrating and lampooning the fall season remains part of the plan as always, and to do so, we're going to present individual program reviews and network-by-network rundowns.

Out with the old, the greatly missed, the broken and wasted hours, we say! In with a slew of fresh, green cannon fodder, only a few of which will make it to the beach in one piece, with fewer still destined to find the bunkers of pick-up and renewal.

See how easily we transition into war terminology? You thought prime-time television was leisurely good times. To those of us who watch for a living, it's a long fight through to May.

Foxy doings

Into the hole with Fox.

Fox has long had to contend with an October interruption courtesy of the Major League Baseball playoffs. Hence the premieres begin in the late-summer doldrums, when the rest of the playing field is relatively clear. That's because fewer people are closely watching, but still. Fox's fall always comes early.

The major change this season, however, is none of the new series look or feel like the Fox we've grown to love. To look at it, you'd think it had been taken over by the executives responsible for steering NBC or CBS through their most mediocre seasons.

Thinking that way is problematic because innovative programming -- and yes, we're counting Fox's tackiest misfires when we use that phrase -- is what made Fox the youth-attracting powerhouse that it is today. When it's not ambitiously going for young, it is at least shooting to preserve a sense of originality that can't be replicated. None of the competition has figured out how to successfully copy "24" or "House."

And yet, instead of trying to find the next great iconoclastic series, Fox is mimicking its stodgy competitors. Enjoy its new pedestrian lawyer show, the two FBI-agent driven bummers and the paint-by-numbers sitcoms, with a drama about a wedding photographer coming in midseason along with "The Winner," Rob Corddry's new laugh-in created by "Family Guy's" Seth MacFarlane and Ricky Blitt.

Corddry granted his "Daily Show" fans the fondest of farewells last week, and fake news junkies, we mourn with you. Considering Fox's track record with sitcoms, we wouldn't be surprised to see Corddry return if this half-hour situation doesn't work out.

Be that as it may, here are short takes on series that are new to Fox this fall.

"Vanished." 9 p.m. Mondays. Already premiered. When Sara Collins (Joanne Kelly), the wife of prominent Georgia Sen. Jeffrey Collins (John Allen Nelson, "24") disappears from a charity function, FBI agents Graham Kelton (Gale Harold) and Lin Mei (Ming-Na) and crazed cable reporter Judy Nash (Rebecca Gayheart) try to figure out where she has gone -- and more importantly, who she really is. Ambitious as it sounds, this couch potato nevertheless found it difficult to care about the Collins case by the end of "Vanished's" first episode.

SO, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? Not only have you seen more compelling versions of this tale many times before, a better kidnapping series will soon debut on NBC.

ON THE OTHER HAND: "Vanished's" premiere held on to most of "Prison Break's" audience last week, so it may have hooked enough viewers to keep Ming-Na on the kidnappers' trail. Depending on whether those numbers hold or build, this thing may not go away. A fair number of critics don't think it'll be around for long, though.

"Justice." 9 p.m. Wednesdays; premieres this week. The law firm of TNT & G is the one to beat when it comes to celebrity cases, and Ron Trott (Victor Garber) loves playing the media whore by appearing on talk shows. That's why juries hate him. Helping him win are the litigators who remain off-camera -- the charming Tom Nicholson (Kerr Smith), the driven Luther Graves (Eamonn Walker) and the analytical Alden Tuller (Rebecca Mader). Another drama from Jerry Bruckheimer.

SO, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? One word: Bruckheimer. That's not necessarily a minus, but his signature touch makes "Justice" seem like it's on the wrong network.

ON THE OTHER HAND: We'll go into little more depth in a review running Tuesday.

"Standoff." 9 p.m. Tuesdays; premieres Sept. 5. Matt Flannery (Ron Livingston) and Emily Lehman (Rosemarie DeWitt) are the best negotiators in the FBI's Crisis Negotiation Unit, aka CNU. They're also defying department rules by hitting the sheets, which gets them in hot water with their boss, Cheryl Carrera (Gina Torres), and gives their co-workers reason to question their decisions in the field. Combining work tension and sexual tension, producers hope to make people say, "Why, this is just like 'Moonlighting'!"

SO, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? Wait, wasn't "Moonlighting" funny? And sexy? And clever? Yeah. "Standoff" has none of that going for it.

ON THE OTHER HAND: We're rooting for Livingston because he's such a mensch. That alone is the only reason to hope that "Standoff' makes it. Not enough to make me watch, however.

" 'Til Death." 8 p.m. Thursdays; premieres Sept. 7. Eddie Stark (Brad Garrett) and his wife Joy (Joely Fisher) have been married for almost 24 long, hard years. When cutesy newlyweds Jeff and Steph Woodcock (Eddie Kaye Thomas and Kat Foster) move in next door, Eddie takes it upon himself to help the young husband navigate marital life, i.e., haul him into purgatory. But Jeff and Steph seem to be doing just fine -- and the not-so-subtle secret is, so are Eddie and Joy.

SO, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? Nothing. Especially if you miss "Everybody Loves Raymond."

ON THE OTHER HAND: If even half of "Raymond's" dedicated viewers come to this show, it'll be Fox's most successful sitcom. Why does that make me sad?

"Happy Hour." 8:30 p.m. Thursdays; premiere Sept. 7. Life was going great for Henry Beckman (John Sloan) until he moved to Chicago with his girlfriend Heather (Brooke D'Orsay), who dumps him and gets him fired from Heather's family business. Lucky for Henry, his new roommate is Larry (Lex Medlin), a fun-loving guy who thinks he's Dean Martin reincarnated and decides to help Henry loosen up and play it cool. We also meet the walking cautionary tale of Tina (Jamie Denbo) and Brad (Nat Faxon), who used to live with Larry, and Amanda (Beth Lacke) who compensates for her low self-esteem with a quick and evil wit.

SO, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? The unsubtle humor in this thing is dead on arrival. Nobody's going to notice because it and " 'Til Death" air on Thursdays.

ON THE OTHER HAND: Isn't "The War at Home" still on the air?

Also on deck for fall but unavailable for review:

"Celebrity Duets." Premieres 8 p.m. Tuesday; regular time slot premiere 9 p.m. Thursdays, starting Sept. 7, with results shows 9 p.m. Fridays, starting Sept. 8. This four-week special series will match celebrities like Lucy Lawless, the WWE's Chris Jericho, '80s pop-culture punch line Alfonso Ribeiro, and Lea Thompson with an array of recording artists so America can see who among them can carry a tune, and laugh at the tone-deaf. Macy Gray, Clint Black, Brian McKnight and Kenny Loggins are among the artists who have signed on. Wayne Brady hosts. The winner gets $100,000 for his or her favorite charity.

"Talk Show With Spike Feresten." Premieres midnight on Saturday, Sept. 16. Mixing monologues with sketches, and peopling the stage with scribes who also perform, television writer Feresten has his fingers crossed that America will love him as much as they loved Conan O'Brien, who also came to greatness from the writer's room.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/printer2/index.asp?ploc=t&refer=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/282652_tv28.html

fredfa

08-28-06, 01:22 AM

Emmy Notebook
Mariska & Kiefer remember papa
From the Gold Derby awards blog at the Los Angeles Times

More tears backstage as another winner mentioned her dad. Mariska Hargitay wept as she cited her papa, Mickey Hargitay, who was Mr. Universe of 1955 and a former member of Mae West's stage show.

Considering he's alive, a journalist asked, "Is he OK?"

"Yes," she said, but he was on her mind in a sentimental way tonight because "my father, when I started acting, was so supportive and when I was really bad, he told me I'm going to be the greatest and I am the best. He told me to work really hard. I used to get mad at him when I didn't understand why he was so supportive. He believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. I've got the greatest father in the world, who makes dreams happen and makes miracles happen."

Kiefer Sutherland got sentimental about his own papa, who lost an Emmy in the TV movie/mini races. "It wasn't about two actors tonight," he said describing his relationship to Donald Sutherland. "A father was proud for his son."

"This is a joke! I can't believe it!" Julia Louis-Dreyfus roared backstage. "By the way," she added, coyly, "I have no problem with the new voting system and I do feel I benefited from it, although I will tell you I don't understand it.

"But I'll keep it!" she said, waving her new Emmy proudly.

To celebrate, she said, "I'm gonna have a meal — whatever they're serving at the Governors' Ball. I'm gonna eat it."

She has one regret: "I forgot to thank the other nominees in my category and that was terrible. I respect them and I admire their talent."

"There's a lot of animosity among us," Steve Carell said about "The Office" gang backstage. "That's why the show works so well."

http://goldderby.latimes.com/

fredfa

08-28-06, 01:27 AM

Emmy Notebook
Shalhoub wins lead actor, comedy, for 'Monk'

By Staff report The Hollywood Reporter Aug. 28, 2006

Tony Shalhoub, winner for lead actor in a comedy series for USA's "Monk," said that though he was "shocked" about his win last year, "this year I was semi-comatose. I couldn't quite process it. What comes after deja vu? Deja trois? I would like to feel good about it, but I feel too numb." Shalhoub said he was confident that Steve Carell was going to win for his role on NBC's "The Office." "At this point, this isn't even frosting on the cake; this is like the rarefied air above the frosting on the cake -- the smoke on the candles above the frosting on the cake." Asked about similarities with his character, an obsessive-compulsive detective, Shalhoub said, "I'm much more of a worried person in real life than my character, if you can possibly imagine that."

• • • • • • • • • • •

Barry Manilow, who took the Emmy for individual performance in a variety or music program for PBS' "Barry Manilow: Music and Passion," said he attributes his long career to his fans. "They've been with me all these years. They just keep supporting what I do, and I think the music holds up. ... I've always believed in myself, no matter" what the critics have said. The singer, who performed a tribute to Dick Clark during the show, praised the TV legend backstage. "He introduced us to all sorts of great music," said Manilow, who co-wrote the "American Bandstand" theme song. "We wouldn't have the music we have if it weren't for Dick Clark continually fighting to introduce pop music to the public."

• • • • • • • • • • •

Bertram Van Munster, co-creator and executive producer of CBS' "The Amazing Race," which won its fourth consecutive Emmy for outstanding reality competition program, noted that because the recent family edition of the show received a lot of criticism, "we worked extra hard to put the show back on track" for the following installment, which marked the show's ninth cycle on the air. "What we do, and what the Academy recognizes that we do, is not mean-spirited, but everybody can relate to it. What we've done is raised the bar for reality TV, and we take a great deal of pride in it." Co-exec producer Jerry Bruckheimer, asked whether the producers of Fox's "American Idol" needed to be "soothed" for not winning in the category, said: "I don't think they need to be soothed. It's the No. 1 show on television, a fantastic show done by talented people, and they've captivated people. ... All of our hats off to them; they've done an extraordinary job. It's an accomplishment being the No. 1 show."

• • • • • • • • • • •

Terence Winter, who won the trophy for drama series writing for the "Members Only" episode of HBO's "The Sopranos," said he didn't have any clues about the upcoming series finale that he could share. "(Creator) David Chase is going to decide what happens; it's premature to answer," he said. "But I couldn't if I knew anyway." He did point out that with any series finale, it's always the case that some people are happy and some aren't. "You can't please everybody," he said. "We do the show how we want and let the chips fall where they may." Winter also noted that he is starting to "experience a form of separation anxiety" with the show ready to wrap up. "The crew and cast have been together for nearly 10 years since the pilot. We're all sort of sensing the end of a really great thing. It's going to be tough."

• • • • • • • • • • •
Veteran "24" director Jon Cassar, who won his first Emmy for his work on the action drama series, credited the cast and writers for the show's success this season. He also dropped a hint that the creative resurgence would continue next season, saying: "I've already directed the first two episodes of next season, and I think it's going to be a good year, our best year ever."

• • • • • • • • • • •

In the past couple of years, television -- and especially American television -- has become more and more attractive for top talent, said Oscar winner Jeremy Irons, who won a best supporting actor Emmy for his role in the HBO telefilm "Elizabeth I." "I suspect there is better, more interesting work happening on television than in most movies," he said. "We used to be snobbish about television, but if you look at the material on television, there is nothing to apologize about." Still, Irons said he has a hard time adjusting to the ever-expanding TV universe. "I think having a lot of channels bleeds the power away from television." As for paying taxes on gift bags, "If we have to pay taxes, so be it," he said. "But don't spend it on bombs, for Christ's sake."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003053755

fredfa

08-28-06, 01:35 AM

Emmy Notebook
Emmy winners meet the press

By Denise Martin, Justin Chang Variety.com

How does the best-written, best-directed laffer on television not get a nomination for comedy series?

"I'm not sure. But we're happy to have these, and we're confident we'll be in that group next season," said "My Name Is Earl" scribe Greg Garcia, standing backstage with his fellow winner, helmer Marc Buckland.

"Look, the morning we were nominated, some people were calling me up and complaining, 'The show didn't get nominated.' My attitude is, I've been doing this for 12 years and I've never been nominated for an Emmy before. I'm just gonna enjoy this."

• • • • • • • • • • •

After he thanked his late father on stage, a choked-up Jeremy Piven paused again backstage to acknowledge him. "He is still here, and he's very proud," he said through tears.

Piven, who picked up his first Emmy for his portrayal of talent agent Ari Gold in HBO comedy "Entourage," said he hopes the award will translate into more work. "I just love to act, so whoever will have me.

"Maybe (in my next role) I'll get to get the girl," he deadpanned. "If I have to play the best friend again ... I don't have many friends, so I'm running out of references."

As for what the "Entourage" guys will think: "I've been it longer than those guys. They don't respect me, but they should and now, they will," he joked.

• • • • • • • • • • •

"We kind of felt like we were doing the show in a bubble, but clearly it's catching on," said Steve Carell, speaking on behalf of "The Office" crew, which won the prize for comedy series in its second season.

Exec producer Greg Daniels called the evening "a night of ups and downs" after he cut his hand on the wings of the Emmy backstage. "People thought it was going to be really hard to adapt an English show, but I speak English, so we really had a leg up there," Daniels joked. But seriously, folks, "It was such a good show in the first place, I don't think it was as hard as people thought."

• • • • • • • • • • •

After five seasons and five nominations, Kiefer Sutherland finally won not one Emmy but two -- for acting and exec producing Fox's "24."

"The real challenge for me is to play the same character over the span of six years," he said. "Lucky for me, we have fantastic writers who facilitate that."

The real-time drama was parodied in Emmy host Conan O'Brien's opener, providing a rare instance of "24" humor.

"There's no humor at all. We cry a lot, we're very serious, we try not to look at each other," said thesp Mary Lynn Rajskub. "And we're (always) wearing the same clothes, and we do a lot of fake typing."

• • • • • • • • • • •

Sweeping the reality competition series race for the fourth straight year, "The Amazing Race" exec producer Bertram Van Munster said his team redoubled its efforts for the show's most recent outing after the family edition was met with mixed reactions.

"We worked extra hard to put this thing back on track because you guys weren't happy with season eight," he said. "We have raised the bar not only for ourselves but for everyone else. The mistakes we made were bad for business."

Fellow exec producer Jerry Bruckheimer tipped his hat to the crew, who have circled the globe 30 times in the past 10 seasons. "The best part is standing up here and getting accolades from people who love TV as much as we do. The worst part is what the guys behind me do, trekking around the world when it's hot or cold, keeping all the contestants together. It's a difficult job."

• • • • • • • • • • •

"I'm absolutely floored," said a stunned Blythe Danner, who picked up her second Emmy for her perf in Showtime drama "Huff." "I thought, 'No, no, no, it's not going to happen. We're canceled.' "

The actress acknowledged her victory was bittersweet but also "a nice way to say goodbye." Showtime canceled the series last month after its second season.

Onstage, Danner joked, "I suppose I should thank Showtime even though they canceled us. They're nice guys. They couldn't help it, I guess."

• • • • • • • • • • •

Going from tears to giggles in a matter of minutes, "Law & Order: SVU" actress Mariska Hargitay couldn't contain her enthusiasm at winning her first Emmy -- and for "Law & Order: SVU," of all shows.

"I'm winning an Emmy in my eighth season, for a police procedural! Who wins for a police procedural?" she crowed into the mic. "Well, I do!"

Hargitay became extremely emotional when talking about her father, who was unable to attend the show for health reasons.

"I just have the greatest father in the world," she said. "He told me to work really hard, and said, 'You can be anything you want to be.' I used to get mad at him because I didn't understand. He believed in me when I didn't believe in myself."

• • • • • • • • • • •

"The Sopranos" director Terence Winter noted the cast and crew were "starting to experience a form of separation anxiety" as the HBO drama approached its final season.

"Now that the end is near, we're all starting to feel it. We're all sort of sensing the end of a really great thing, both creatively and just (as) a general work experience."

Winter shared in the general disbelief that the Academy passed over "Sopranos" stars James Gandolfini and Edie Falco for lead acting nominations.

"I was pretty flabbergasted," he said. "Those performances were just peerless. ... I get to stand 10 feet away and watch it happen in front of me. You really can't believe these people are acting."

• • • • • • • • • • •

Jon Cassar, winner for directing the "7:00 AM-8:00 AM" episode of "24," affectionately called the suspense drama "the hardest show on TV." "When they landed (a plane on the freeway) last year, we did. We actually did," he said.

Helmer has already directed the first two episodes of next season. "They're really strong and really controversial. It will be the best year ever," said Cassar, who credited the writers with keeping the show intense. "My job is to say 'no' (to over-the-top ideas) eventually, but usually I end up saying, 'Yes, yes, yes!' "

• • • • • • • • • • •

Julia Louis-Dreyfus said she was "floating" and "overwhelmed" after winning the award for lead comedy actress -- and quickly added, "I have no problem with (the new voting system), by the way."

Asked about the controversial blue-ribbon panel voting initiated this season, she admitted she didn't quite understand it. "Whatever, let's keep it," she said. "The New Adventures of Old Christine" star said the win was the cherry on top of the series' being picked up for a second season. "It's hard. The business of television has utterly changed since I was on 'Seinfeld,' so I was just grateful we were picked up."

• • • • • • • • • • •

After winning his second Emmy, Jeremy Irons lauded the quality of television over film. "I suspect there is better and more interesting work happening on TV than on most movies today," said the actor, who played Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, opposite Helen Mirren in the HBO miniseries "Elizabeth I."

"I thought I'd do the part for a bit of fun, so it's really an added pleasure to win a prize for making it," Irons added. "The fact that the other actors in my category didn't win, it's just the luck of the draw."

• • • • • • • • • • •

Andre Braugher accepted the lead actor in a miniseries award for his work on the six-episode crime drama "Thief," but told reporters backstage he'd rather still be working on the short-lived series, which wasn't renewed after subpar ratings.

"I would prefer 'Thief' was still on the air, rather than picking up this award for a canceled show," he admitted. "My joy is in bringing these characters to life."

Still, Braugher praised FX execs for giving it their best shot with an "inventive and creative" promotional campaign. "It's baffling for me," thesp said. "We created something beautiful. It's just at a certain point, when the audience doesn't show up, business decisions have to be made."

• • • • • • • • • • •

"Biggest shock I've ever had," said Barry Manilow of winning for his perf in PBS spec "Barry Manilow: Music and Passion," before crediting the fans with sustaining his career. "I think these people are so beautiful, that they just keep supporting what I do. And I think the music holds up."

The legendary singer-songwriter accepted his Emmy shortly after performing "Bandstand Boogie" onstage in a tribute to producer Dick Clark.

"I think he's a real trouper," Manilow said of Clark, who had a stroke in December 2004. "He'd much rather be up there producing one of these things than sitting here."

• • • • • • • • • • •

Looking every bit as regal as her statuette for lead actress in "Elizabeth I," Helen Mirren acknowledged the oft-portrayed queen was pure catnip for an actress.

"It's one of those great roles. When it comes your way, as an actress, you thank your lucky stars," she said.

Tom Hooper, who won for directing the HBO mini, had nothing but praise for his leading dame.

"I think Helen has the ability to hold ideas in tension," he said. "She can switch moods on a dime. That ability to hold so many emotions allows her to bring humor and warmth into even the more dramatic scenes."

• • • • • • • • • • •

"Last year, I was shocked. This year, I was semi-comatose," said Tony Shalhoub, marveling at winning his third trophy as the eponymous detective on USA's "Monk." "What comes after deja vu? Deja trois?

"This isn't frosting on the cake," the thesp went on. "This is the rarefied air above the frosting on the cake. This is the smoke on the candles on the frosting on the cake."

• • • • • • • • • • •

"Will & Grace" actress Megan Mullally said 20 years ago a psychic predicted she'd win a pair of Emmys for sitcom work -- and she was none too thrilled. "I said, 'No, no. I'm a great actress. I'm going to do film. I'm not going to do a sitcom!" Mullally laughed.

With two acting awards in her pocket, Mullally next will tackle her own talkshow, which she reassured reporters -- with a wink -- would "still be dirty, even though it's daytime."

• • • • • • • • • • •

Looking sober but gratified, "The Girl in the Cafe" exec producer Hilary Bevan Jones spoke backstage on behalf of fellow honoree Richard Curtis, who was not present to accept his award for writing the HBO made-for.

"The reason (Curtis) wrote this film was to draw people's attention to the fact that in this world of plenty, 20,000 people are still dying every day of extreme poverty," she said of the telepic, about the G8 summit in Iceland in 2005. "I'm so grateful that the American audience has recognized this film, and hope they will recognize why we made it as we

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117949111?categoryid=14&cs=1

fredfa

08-28-06, 03:07 AM

Emmy Notebook
Conan: A sharp tongue on a pretty dull evening

By Robert Bianco USA Today 8/28/2006

Good as he was, Conan wasn't enough.

As host of Sunday's Emmy Awards, Conan O'Brien invigorated his portions of the three-hour NBC broadcast with the same inventive flair and loopy, self-lacerating wit that powers his Emmy-nominated late-night show. Unfortunately, the show he hosted was as unwieldy as its whoppingly ugly set and as bizarre as the awards themselves, which too often made the worst of a bad nomination situation.

Recovering quickly from an ill-timed plane crash joke that opened his introductory clip package, O'Brien bounced through an amusing salute to the TV year — from a stop on the Lost island to a reprise of South Park's Tom-Cruise-in-the-closet joke. By the end, he had built up so much goodwill, you were willing to cut him some slack over his clumsy musical spoof of NBC's ratings — a bit that was far too NBC-centric for an evening that is supposed to belong to the entire industry.

The host of the Emmys does tend to drop away after that opening burst. But those bits set the tone, and O'Brien was able to ride them all night — aided by a great running gag that put a game Bob Newhart in a "life-threatening" speech-shortening plexiglass tube.

If only the Emmy voters were half as consistent or a quarter as sharp as O'Brien. This was a night when Barry Manilow could come out, do an indifferent version of the American Bandstand theme and then win an Emmy for the PBS pledge version of his Las Vegas act. The only upside was that it inspired one of the show's standout moments: presenter Stephen Colbert's outburst over losing.

Manilow's performance was attached to a salute to a frail Dick Clark, whose brave efforts to recover from his stroke should remind a youth-obsessed nation that no one gets to be a teenager forever. The night's other salute was to the late Aaron Spelling, an indifferent collection of clips that did boast a rare reunion of Charlie's original three Angels.

Still, the night belongs to the awards, and many of them were baffling. How can My Name Is Earl be the best written and directed sitcom and yet not get a best-show honor? Why give an Emmy to Alan Alda's candidate, when Gregory Itzin's president was so much more memorable?

Yes, among the old-school repeat wins, there were welcome victories: Jeremy Piven, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kiefer Sutherland and 24 chief among them. But the best moments came awfully late — and overall, I can't remember a year when the list of winners was less exciting.

No wonder the broadcast had no sense of occasion. These days, the occasion itself is hardly worth celebrating.

O'Brien, by the way, didn't win an Emmy. This year, he was in very good company.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/reviews/2006-08-28-emmys-review_x.htm

CPanther95

08-28-06, 07:36 AM

GlendaleHDTV

08-28-06, 08:57 AM

Did anyone else see the "wardrobe malfunction" when the Office crew came up to get the Emmy for best comedy? One of the girls top came down a little too far after an overagressive congratulatory hug :eek: . Will NBC be fined for indecency? ;)

fredfa

08-28-06, 11:24 AM

Emmy Notebook
Good Morning World

By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog

Early Sunday evening I turned on the Emmys for a couple of minutes and saw Megan Mullally winning for best supporting actress in a comedy. ''OK,'' I thought, like a cop ushering rubberneckers away from an accident. ''Nothing to see here. Let's move on.''

OK, so I was curious about some of the other winners, but not curious enough to overcome a weekend's worth of weariness, which found me heading bedward at about 9 p.m. And, having looked at the list of winners this morning (as well as knowing the DVR holds the ceremony itself), I am glad I opted for rest.

Mullally over Elizabeth Perkins of ''Weeds''? Nope. ''24'' as best drama? Nope again. ''The Office'' for best comedy is fine -- but if that's the case, why did the Emmys for best comedy writing and directing go to ''My Name Is Earl''?

Because it's the Emmys, of course. And asking them -- or any other entertainment award -- to make sense is like asking how Jack Bauer manages to cover so much ground in so little time. The answer will defy logic, and people happy with the result won't care.

http://blogs.ohio.com/beacon_tv/

fredfa

08-28-06, 11:28 AM

Emmy Notebook
Steps and stumbles
Emmys' throwback vibe entertains but makes yesteryear look better than today.
By Paul Brownfield Los Angeles Times TV critic August 28, 2006

Stephen McPherson must have been beside himself with the giggles Sunday night: The ABC Entertainment chief was trying to win the night with the blockbuster network premiere of the first "Pirates of the Caribbean," and over at NBC they were airing an old-timey variety show called "The 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards."

It seemed less an awards show than a return to the days when song and dance and comedy intermingled in a loose and somewhat joyous spectacle of — perish the thought — entertainment.

That theme was cheerfully captured by host Conan O'Brien's overlong but winning show-topper, which was goofy but not arch or precious.

Other than, say, presidential conventions, variety is the last thing the broadcast networks want to program — given that the last one to work was "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour" ("American Idol" doesn't count; it involves amateurs, and it has yet to work in Rip Taylor).

Variety, with its retro tag, is the province of the old, which the TV business classifies as anyone 50 years of age and up. The TV business hates people 50 years of age and up. In this way, the Emmy telecast Sunday night was at once a horrible showcase for the series that make TV a hot medium — "Lost," "Grey's Anatomy," "The Sopranos," "American Idol" — and a wonderful, if somewhat accidental, tribute to the TV that defined the boomer generation.

The coup de grâce — or coup de something — was the reunion of the original "Charlie's Angels," part of a tribute to Aaron Spelling, who died June 23.

Spelling, depending on your point of view, peddled either bad nighttime soap or great guilty pleasure TV. Having spent quality years of my youth waiting for Cheryl Ladd to jump out of the ocean or Barbie Benton to walk onto the Lido Deck of "The Love Boat," I fall in the latter category.

The sight of Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith onstage, together again, was either exhilarating or disturbing; I'm still trying to decide which.

Even the traditional "in memoriam" segment seemed accented by the icons of '60s and '70s TV — Don Adams of "Get Smart," daytime talk show host Mike Douglas, "Andy Griffith's" Don Knotts, "The Munsters' " Al Lewis, and Curt Gowdy, the voice of pro baseball and football, pre-ESPN and ESPN 2 and ESPN News, not to mention ESPN Classic, ESPN-HD and ESPN-En Español.

The only thing the Emmy Awards seem incapable of paying tribute to these days are the best shows on TV these days. An idiotic nomination process, based in part on the fact that voters can't be actually asked to watch this stuff, inspires no confidence in the system by which winners are selected.

It's not so much that "Lost" deserved to be nominated, it's that none of the series are being judged in their totality.

So you sit there and watch Megan Mullally win for "Will & Grace," a show living in syndication, and Blythe Danner for "Huff," a canceled Showtime series watched by less than the population of Palm Springs, and Tony Shalhoub for "Monk." Already, you could sense the demo leaving the room — and that was before Barry Manilow won the award for outstanding individual performance in a variety or music program.

He beat out O'Brien, David Letterman and Jon Stewart. Also Stephen Colbert.

"I lost to Barry Manilow!" exclaimed Colbert, host of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report." Manilow had thanked "the people who run the Vegas Hilton," as if the mob were still controlling that town. Cloris Leachman, presenting an Emmy for comedy series directing, brilliantly pronounced the HBO series "Entourage" as if it were actually some French weepie starring Catherine Deneuve.

And Bob Newhart, a master of the kind of deadpan embodied today in actors such as "The Office's" Steve Carell, was kept backstage in an airtight chamber with an oxygen supply of no more than three hours, in a running gag with host O'Brien.

O'Brien's opening was cute, and funny, as if performed by a much taller and more Irish Billy Crystal.

By the show's end, I had lost total faith in the idea of an Emmy, but I could smell comeback for variety.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-brownfield28aug28,0,1918999,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

fredfa

08-28-06, 11:29 AM

fredfa: Do you have totals including the technical awards? My uncle's daughter (long time family friend - not blood) was nominated as a hairdresser for Desperate Housewives, but lost to Rome.

Curious if HBO cleaned house in the "other" categories as well.

This is the best I have, CP95, I'll look for something more definitive.

HBO 26, NBC 14, ABC 11, Fox 10, CBS 9.

LL3HD

08-28-06, 11:34 AM

fredfa

08-28-06, 11:38 AM

Despite all the complaints, NBC apparently did pretty well last night. Although I think the number is down a bit from last season, it also should be remembered that this year the Emmys were broadcast in August -- and the week before Labor Day is traditionally a final week of vacation.:

(From Marc Berman’s Monday, August 28, 2006, Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com )
Primetime Ratings For Sunday, August 27th

(Metered Market Ratings)

Household Rating/Share
NBC: 11.3/18
CBS: 6.4/10
ABC: 5.7/ 9
Fox: 3.1/ 5
WB: 1.2/ 2

Percent Change From the Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005 (When The Primetime Emmy Awards aired on CBS):
NBC: +126
ABC: +16
Fox: -42
CBS: -54
WB: -57

fredfa

08-28-06, 11:43 AM

I can’t understand why the Emmy’s are not broadcast in HD.

Conan joked about the waning television viewers because of the internet. One would think that the Academy would do everything possible to showcase television in its finest— in HD.

Then they have the audacity to have the “clips” screen on the stage as a wide screen 16X9 frame...??? How out of touch is this industry???

Oh well. I think I made this same post the past few years- except now, as time goes by, it’s getting more and more absurd.

I think it was pretty clear how out of touch everything was in the opening moments.

With Kentucky still reeling from yesterday's fatal plane crash, to open the show with a plane crash-derived skit was pretty out of touch.

That being said, I would be very, very surprised if this is not the last Emmy show in SD.

brady239

08-28-06, 11:49 AM

I think it was pretty clear how out of touch everything was in the opening moments.

With Kentucky still reeling from yesterday's fatal plane crash, to open the show with a plane crash-derived skit was pretty out of touch.

That being said, I would be very, very surprised if this is not the last Emmy show in SD.

Maybe they should push back the season of Lost too since that was the basis of the skit.

HDTVChallenged

08-28-06, 11:54 AM

I think it was pretty clear how out of touch everything was in the opening moments.

With Kentucky still reeling from yesterday's fatal plane crash, to open the show with a plane crash-derived skit was pretty out of touch.

Yep ... It was an especially nice touch to go from nearly 13hrs of non-stop grim crash coverage directly into "that."

NICE FREAKIN' JOB NBC!!! ... morons :mad:

PS: In the interest of full disclosure, I did not see the Emmy skit personally ... thankfully, I'd already decided to pass on this year's navel gazing "event of the season."

brady239

08-28-06, 11:56 AM

Yep ... It was an especially nice touch to go from nearly 13hrs of non-stop grim crash coverage directly into "that."

NICE FREAKIN' JOB NBC!!! ... morons :mad:

PS: In the interest of full disclosure, I did not see the Emmy skit personally ... thankfully, I'd already decided to pass on this year's navel gazing "event of the season."

For those who haven't seen,

2006 Emmy's Opening Skit (http://www.wwtdd.com/post.phtml?pk=1249)

HDTVChallenged

08-28-06, 12:00 PM

Maybe they should push back the season of Lost too since that was the basis of the skit.

See my post above: The issue here is that in this particular market, after 13hrs of non-stop crash coverage we finally got a "reprieve" in the form of the emmys.

I would not expect the rest of the world or country to stop dead in it tracks ... but at the very least they (NBC) could and should have warned the local NBC affiliate about the opening sequence.

fredfa

08-28-06, 12:11 PM

Maybe they should push back the season of Lost too since that was the basis of the skit.

I think I get your point. But Lost doesn't premiere until Oct. 4th, so I think that leaves enough time.

The point is, at least to me, that the network and the producers became so involved with what they were doing that no one paid any attention to anything else.

I guarantee you that at NBC and its O&Os, airline commercials were scrapped yesterday. So someone somewhere in the company didn't have the sense to at least mention the premise of the Conan skit?

Or -- better yet -- tell the stations, especially in Kentucky, what was about to happen?

Do you really think that if some high-powered producer/agent/actor had been killed in a small plane crash yesterday morning in Santa Monica while arriving for the ceremony that the skit wouldn't have been modified? Ir if it hadn't been changed that there wouldn't have been a firestorm of protest in Hollywood?

No, it seems clear that this just was another disconnect between TV network folks (who are so upset about paying taxes on gift baskets worth tens of thousands of dollars) and the real world.

But then, watching the entire thing, from the pre nomination process through last night, it seems obvious there is a major disconnect between network TV and the real world.

keenan

08-28-06, 12:12 PM

3 awards for 3 cancelled shows. Got to love this new system!
I thought Blythe Danner's remarks about whether she should thank Showtime or not were right on the money.

fredfa

08-28-06, 12:16 PM

Prime-time delayed ratings for Friday and Saturday – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have finally been posted at the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.

CPanther95

08-28-06, 12:17 PM

For those who haven't seen,

2006 Emmy's Opening Skit (http://www.wwtdd.com/post.phtml?pk=1249)

Very funny skit. They could have easily just cut from his "What could go wrong?" line to him coming out of the water without losing the whole thing. That coupled with the news that they cut portions "due to possible sensitivity with recent current events" would have gotten them off the hook completely.

fredfa

08-28-06, 12:23 PM

Sunday’s Emmy-dominated network prime-time ratings are now at the top of RATINGS NEWS (the first post in this thread).

mike_somd

08-28-06, 12:26 PM

just watched the skit. I found it funny. I don't think it was out of place. Just because a plane crashed the same day as the emmy's, doesn't make the skit wrong or insensitive. I don't think a television show, movie, skit, or other entertainment should be put on hold because something tragic happens in the world and the said entertainment might have something slightly in common. In the skit it was only alluded to that the plane crashed. You never saw it. But hey, I guess I can be labeled as insensitive and non pc. Thats fine, because I could care less about pc and about being sesative in that kind of way.

fredfa

08-28-06, 12:29 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Big downer: Emmy viewing sinks anew
Averages 16.1M total viewers, fourth lowest ever
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 28, 2006

Conan O’Brien got mostly rave reviews for his clever Emmy hosting job last night. Unfortunately for NBC, the fourth-smallest audience ever for the awards show turned out to watch him.

The three-hour Emmy Awards show averaged 16.1 million viewers from 8 to 11 p.m. last night, according to Nielsen fast nationals.

That’s based on preliminary numbers that measure time slot performance. Final ratings, which will be out tomorrow, will measure the actual ceremony’s performance, though for the second straight year it actually stayed in the 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. timeframe.

That means final numbers are unlikely to change too much.

Its average was down 14 percent from last year’s average 18.8 million viewers when the Emmys aired on CBS, though it was more than 2 million better than the 2004 ceremony, when ABC drew a record-low 13.96 million viewers. Both those numbers are based on overnights.

Shows in 1987 and 1988 also drew fewer than 16 million.

Last night’s three-hour show averaged a 5.2 in adults 18-49, down 13 percent from last year but still safely above ABC’s 4.7 in 2004.

Partly to blame for this year’s low turnout was certainly the timing of the ceremony. It usually airs in September, just as the new season is officially beginning. But NBC had to move the Emmys back so as not to conflict with “Sunday Night Football,” which kicks off Sept. 10. Fewer people watch TV now than in September.

But also to blame for the dip may have been the lack of major nominations for hit shows like “Desperate Housewives,” “Lost” and “House,” all of which were overlooked in categories that they won or were nominated in last year, leading to the resurgence in viewership.

Another factor was surely strong competition. ABC aired “Pirates of the Caribbean” from 7 to 10 p.m., and it averaged a 3.8 in adults 18-49, just 0.3 behind NBC in that span.

Still, NBC was No. 1 for the night with a 4.3 rating ad 12 share among adults 18-49, followed by ABC at 3.5/10, CBS at 2.5/7, Fox at 1.7/5, Univision at 1.2/4 and WB at 0.4/1.

At 7 p.m., ABC was No. 1 at a 2.8 for "Pirates," followed by CBS's "60 Minutes" at 2.7, NBC's "2006 Emmy Awards Red Carpet Special" at 1.9, Fox's re-broadcast of "Star Wars Episode II" at 1.3, Univision's "Hora Pico" at 1.0 and WB's "Just Legal" at 0.4.

At 8 p.m., the Emmys propelled NBC to No. 1 at 5.0, ahead of ABC's 3.9 for "Pirates," CBS's 3.0 for "Big Brother 7: All-Stars," Fox's 1.7 for "Star Wars," Univision's 1.1 for "Cantando por un Sueño" and the WB's 0.5 for a "Charmed" repeat.

At 9 p.m., NBC's Emmys led again at 5.3, followed by ABC's "Pirates" at 4.7, CBS's "Cold Case" rerun at 2.2, Fox's "Star Wars" at 2.1, Univision's "Cantando" at 1.3 and WB's "Charmed" rerun at 0.4.

At 10 p.m., NBC was No. 1 at 5.2 for the Emmys, ahead of ABC at 2.7 for a "Grey's Anatomy" rerun, CBS at 2.2 for a "Without a Trace" rerun and Univision at 1.3 for "Cantando."

Among households, NBC led for the night with a 9.2 rating and 15 share, ahead of CBS at 5.9/10, ABC at 5.6/9, Fox at 2.7/4, Univision at 1.5/2, and the WB at 0.8/1.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_6943.asp

LL3HD

08-28-06, 12:30 PM

.. They could have easily just cut from his "What could go wrong?" line to him coming out of the water without losing the whole thing...
Those were my exact thoughts last night.
And because they could have so easily modified that skit without any comedic loss-- it is even more proof of their “disconnect”.

Also, on another peeve, when Edie Falco saluted the troops, how lame was that applause from the auditorium? :confused:

fredfa

08-28-06, 12:40 PM

TV Notebook
BREAKING NEWS:
Broadcasters Settle with DISH on Distant Nets

(Skyreport.com)---Broadcast groups representing TV stations affiliated with ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox said they have agreed to settle an eight-year copyright lawsuit against EchoStar, which operates the DISH Network satellite TV service.

The settlement, announced this morning, would allow EchoStar to continue providing distant ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC stations to eligible customers, but would require EchoStar to terminate service to ineligible customers. As part of the settlement, EchoStar has agreed to expand its delivery of local stations to cover a total of 175 markets during 2006.

EchoStar will also pay local network stations $100 million to help compensate for the alleged harm broadcasters said they have suffered for years resulting from EchoStar's allegedly providing duplicative programming from network stations in distant markets.

The settlement is subject to approval by a federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

fredfa

08-28-06, 12:44 PM

kmullen started a thread on the EchoStar-DNS settlement a few minutes ago:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=716403

I was struck by this: (the settlement)"...would require EchoStar to terminate service to ineligible customers..."

So they need a settlement to obey the law?

fredfa

08-28-06, 12:52 PM

The TV Column
The Emmys:
Hot and Bothered Backstage With the Winners
By Lisa de Moraes Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, August 28, 2006; C01

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 27 From south of beautiful downtown L.A. -- or as we like to call it, SoDoLA -- The TV Column shares the passing sights and sounds from Somewhere Near the Emmy Telecast:

It's about 2 million degrees outside because to every thing, there is a season -- and the Los Angeles summer is not the season for the Primetime Emmys.

It was NBC's turn to broadcast the Primetime Emmy Awards, however, and NBC had promised Sept. 17 -- the date that would have been "Emmy Sunday" -- to the NFL (and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences wouldn't agree to move the trophy show closer to the start of the fall TV season). So here we are at the Shrine Auditorium in SoDoLA -- amid hundreds of little puddles of perspiration in black tie.

Technically, we're not in the Shrine. We're in the parking lot behind the Shrine in the General Press Room -- the far end of a white plastic tent that's about the size of the World War II Memorial on the Mall. It's here that The Reporters Who Cover Television are gathered, and this is where Emmy winners and presenters rush to discuss Television and Ideals.

Grievously, to make it to the General Press Room, they must travel through the Forest of Celebrity Suck-Up Showrooms and Broadcast Network Newfotainment Programs. And, of course, a quick stop at the photo room to discuss Who They Are Wearing.

It is here, though, only in the General Press Room, that some uncomfortable questions are put to stars. And the winner for Wildly Uncomfortable Question has to be the woman who asked best supporting actress winner Blythe Danner (of Showtime's "Huff") to "speak briefly about your beloved husband."

Danner's husband, television producer Bruce Paltrow, died in 2002 of throat cancer.

And it's not only socially awkward moments that cause uncomfortable pauses here in the GPR -- there are also the journalistically difficult moments. The mobbed room becomes painfully quiet when Kelly Macdonald (of HBO's "The Girl in the Cafe") is announced as winning for best supporting actress in a miniseries or TV movie. Suddenly, a couple of hundred reporters scramble to figure out new leads for their Primetime Emmy Coverage. The media had counted on nominee Ellen Burstyn winning for her 14-second performance in the HBO flick "Mrs. Harris" and had been praying that her acceptance speech would last longer than had her performance. Now they had to race to find something else to hyperventilate about.

Minus a Burstyn controversy to ask every winner and presenter -- "Mariska, do you think an actress should win an Emmy for a 14-second performance on a TV movie?," "Blythe, how outraged were you that an actress won an Emmy for a 14-second performance and do you think it cheapens the Emmy trophy?" -- The Reporters Who Cover Television are forced to find another Question They Can Beat to Death.

They settle on the question of Trophy Show Presenter Swag -- To Tax or Not to Tax?

Backstage, Jeremy Piven of HBO's "Entourage," who won his first Emmy -- for supporting actor in a comedy series -- is asked about the IRS taxing gift bags. "I think the goodie bags should all be sent to New Orleans. Wouldn't that be great?" he says. "Don't tax them -- just give it to" New Orleans.

Not sure what they'd do in New Orleans with the free massages.

Jeremy Irons -- yummy Jeremy Irons -- is asked about the Swag Bag Brouhaha after winning an Emmy for supporting actor in a miniseries or TV movie (HBO's "Elizabeth I"). But unlike everyone else who's been asked so far -- who all respond with the obligatorily PC answer, "Of course we must give them to charity! Huzzah!" -- Irons replies: "When I did the Oscars, I did go home with a very, very large suitcase. . . . We shouldn't pay tax on anything, but if we have to pay tax on presents -- they'll only spend it on bombs, for chrissake!"

We like Jeremy Irons.

And it is Irons who, at one point, looks at a female reporter who is somehow appearing even more vacant than usual.

Irons: "Do you understand what I mean?"

Reporter: "Not at all."

Did we mention we love Jeremy Irons?

We also adore Mariska Hargitay -- initially for preventing Allison Janney of NBC's "The West Wing" from winning yet another Emmy for her role-model-for-millions-of-women character.

Then Hargitay (who wins for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit") goes and gives the night's Most Charming Backstage Answer to Stupid Backstage Beauty-Pageant Question -- something about how happy is she that she's won an Emmy.

"I'm winning an Emmy in my eighth season on a police procedural!" she gushed. "It's crazy! Who wins an Emmy on a cop procedural -- I do! I guess I say, 'Where were you Tuesday night?' really well!"

Also deftly handling the daft questions is Tony Shalhoub, who wins for actor in a comedy series (USA's "Monk"). But he bombs when asked, by a Female Reporter -- smell a trend here? -- what was the best advice he'd ever given to another wannabe actor. Shalhoub cited the advice Bette Davis allegedly gave to an aspiring starlet: "Take Fountain."

It's a hilarious line -- Fountain being a great street for getting across town in Los Angeles.

The line is lost on the Generally Dim Press Room here in the parking lot of the Shrine Auditorium.

Megan Mullally, who wins for her role NBC's "Will & Grace," tells reporters that right after accepting her trophy, she remembered that a psychic told her years ago that for playing a secretary on a sitcom she would win two Emmys that would be bookends -- and that at the time, Mullally thought the psychic was nuts.

Mullally doesn't say whether the psychic had anything ominous to say about doing syndicated talk shows.

The actress also is asked whether legendary comedian Bob Newhart is going to die during the telecast. (Early in the show, host Conan O'Brien put Newhart in a tube with just three hours of oxygen and said he would die if the show ran long.) Mullally calls Newhart a "lovely man and brilliant comedian -- but it's time."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/28/AR2006082800011_pf.html

fredfa

08-28-06, 12:54 PM

TV Notebook
Generating Buzz in All the Right Places
'Entourage' Fills a Gap for HBO
By Bill Carter The New York Times August 28, 2006

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 24 — On the elegant office set representing the headquarters of Ari Gold’s new palatial Hollywood talent agency, Doug Ellin sat in the glass-walled ersatz conference room, about where the fictional über-agent Ari might sit, talking about the utterly unexpected phenomenon of the series he created, HBO’s “Entourage.”

“I do not say this arrogantly, but people in this town are talking about the show,” Mr. Ellin said. “I was sitting in a restaurant this week and these three people are talking, and literally I hear this one guy say to another guy, ‘Stop talking about “Entourage” already.’ ”

Mr. Ellin, also an executive producer of the show, doesn’t want anyone to stop talking about “Entourage,” and neither does HBO. The series, about a young movie star and his three hanger-on friends, wrapped up its latest batch of episodes last night (though of course that last episode will be repeated on HBO and its various channels all week). The show has become the subject of more and more fascination among viewers, who have been lamenting in Internet chat rooms and blogs what feels like a too-short season. (There were 12 episodes this summer as opposed to last season’s 14.)

It has also become the object of greater affection at HBO, which, like Ari and his agency, needs a new hot property in the worst way.

Mr. Ellin said he had picked up that message from HBO executives: “They say: ‘We love you. Keep doing it.’ They will call and say: ‘Are you O.K.? You tired? Are you happy? Do you think you can do this many episodes?’”

“This many” means as many as Mr. Ellin and his staff and cast can churn out in the next 12 months. Even as this summer’s season was winding down, Mr. Ellin and his cast were on the set working on the eight episodes HBO had ordered in addition to the 12 to 13 tentatively scheduled for next summer. The eight episodes were intended to bring the show back as soon as January, paired with the supreme HBO attraction, “The Sopranos.”

Now, in part because of a leg injury to “The Sopranos” star James Gandolfini, that show will not be back until later, perhaps March. When it returns, Mr. Ellin was told, HBO would like to schedule “Entourage” after “The Sopranos,” which will be in its final eight-episode run, the better to expose as many viewers as possible to a show that is looking more and more like the next signature series for HBO.

Carolyn Strauss, the president of HBO Entertainment, has been making that point for months. Before the current “Entourage” season started, she called the series “the future of the network.” The truth is there is not a lot of competition for that designation at the moment. “Sex and the City,” HBO’s first great popular comedy, is long gone. So is “Six Feet Under.” Besides “The Sopranos” a batch of other HBO series are heading into their final seasons. “Deadwood” will have just a four-hour coda next season.

Even though its first season was both exciting and promising, HBO has already announced that “Rome” will have just one more season. HBO managed to talk Larry David into bringing back “Curb Your Enthusiasm” for one more go-round, but that will likely be its last.

The drama “Big Love” won wide critical acclaim in its first season, but its long-term prospects remain uncertain. Which leaves “Entourage,” a show that has clearly achieved a central goal for a series on HBO, a pay channel that depends on people feeling that they can’t afford not to pay the monthly fee: “Entourage” gets people talking.

Mr. Ellin said even his own friends had become so involved with the series that “they would rather hang out with Kevin Connolly than with me.” Mr. Connolly plays Eric Murphy, best friend and manager of the matinee idol Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), the hot young actor in Mr. Ellin’s fictional Hollywood.

The signs of the “Entourage” phenomenon are growing. The cast members are recognized everywhere. Emmanuelle Chriqui, who plays Sloan, a supporting character, was instantly mobbed when she went to a bar in North Carolina this summer. Joe Kernan, the morning anchorman of the business cable channel CNBC, confused many in the news media when he jokingly reported that first weekend grosses for the “Pirates of the Caribbean” sequel had broken the record set by “Aquaman,” a fictional film starring Vincent Chase.

Mr. Ellin noted that references to Johnny Drama, Vince’s brother (played by Kevin Dillon), and his catchphrase, “Victory!,” had become all but standard fare on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”

“They’re always saying: ‘Victory!’ ” Mr. Ellin said of the sports anchors. “Or when Johnny Damon hits one for the Yankees: ‘Johnny Drama: Victory!’ ”

Still, audience totals, the tangible evidence of a show’s success, are not quite there yet. This season “Entourage” has averaged about 2.6 million viewers for its Sunday premiere showing at 10 p.m., up from about 1.9 million last year. Significantly, it is a bump up from what “Deadwood” scores at 9, about 2.1 million viewers.

But placed next to HBO’s ratings monsters, like “Sex and the City,” which reached more than 10 million viewers for its finale, and “The Sopranos,” which has gone as high as 13 million, “Entourage” still seems to be playing in a lower league.

Mr. Ellin says the comparisons are not completely valid. “I think the numbers tend to be silly for this show,” he said. “I know they say ‘The Sopranos’ gets 10 million or whatever. And listen, ‘The Sopranos’ is the greatest show in the history of television. But I still think most people watch that show by themselves. I think people gather to watch our show. They watch at parties. They also steal it. They get it online.”

He added that he believed “the right people” were watching the show, meaning not only that it has a younger audience profile than most other HBO shows, but also that it has been embraced by Hollywood. Certainly “Entourage” has had little trouble landing celebrities for cameos as themselves, including Scarlett Johansson and Jimmy Kimmel, and the directors James Cameron and Paul Haggis.

Even Ari Emmanuel, who heads the Endeavor Agency and is the obvious model for Ari Gold (and who represents both Mr. Ellin and the show) has no objections to Jeremy Piven’s over-the-top, widely celebrated portrayal of Ari Gold. Maybe only the producer Robert Evans, whose credits include “The Godfather,” has taken offense. A report in The Daily News last week said he was upset by a new character, Bob Ryan, played by Martin Landau, who seems to be a washed-up producer.

Mr. Ellin disavowed basing the character on Mr. Evans. He said: “Bob Evans is still out there working successfully, lining up films. Martin’s character has not been doing that for a long time.” He acknowledged that one reason the connection is being made is that the series used Mr. Evans’s real home as the character’s home in one scene.

This is an occupational hazard of a series about Hollywood that uses so many Hollywood people. Initially, Mr. Ellin said, he thought he would be mainly telling stories about “a day in the life of these guys.” But he was stunned by how involved viewers became with Vince’s career path.

“Now people are dissecting the plots and some people are saying this episode didn’t move the plot forward,” he said. The sudden downturn in Vince’s movie prospects set off all kinds of concerns. “All my friends were calling me this season saying, ‘I feel so bad for Vince,’ ” Mr. Ellin said. “I’m like: He’s out of work for three weeks. He just made $5 million. Why do you feel bad for him? Feel bad for me. I’m working seven days a week.”

That schedule is not likely to let up, given HBO’s expectations for the series. Mr. Ellin will wrap the next eight-episode run next week. Then he said he might take three or four weeks off before he begins to write episodes for the next run.

“We’ll see how I’m doing,” he said. After that, HBO would like as many as 15 or 16 for the following summer, unless the show is moved to a higher-profile midwinter run. How long does Mr. Ellin believe he can keep telling stories about four guys from Queens living the fast life in Hollywood?

“I think you can keep doing the Hollywood stories,” he said. “But this show could be another ‘Sex and the City.’ We could do a season about their relationships. We could have Vince take a year off and they could go live in the Hamptons.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/28/arts/television/28ento.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

fredfa

08-28-06, 12:57 PM

Emmy Notebook
Only hip thing about Emmys was Manilow's
By Ellen Gray Philadelphia Daily News Mon, Aug. 28, 2006

If Stephen King had been in charge of this year's Emmy Awards, he might have built the whole shebang on an ancient burial ground.

As it was, the ancients were merely in charge of a lot of the voting.

Little wonder then that so many of the nominees - and winners - came from series already dead and buried, or from the ranks of previous winners, whose names would look familiar to people who might not have seen prime-time television in a while: Julia Louis-Dreyfus of "The New Adventures of Old Christine" (overcoming that "Seinfeld" curse), Megan Mullally of "Will & Grace," Alan Alda of "The West Wing," Blythe Danner of "Huff," Tony Shalhoub of "Monk," Cloris Leachman (winner of a record eighth Emmy) of "Malcolm in the Middle" and Helen Mirren of "Elizabeth I."

And while it's hard to argue that any one of those people could ever be undeserving, were they all more deserving than, say, Hugh Laurie ("House"), Edie Falco ("The Sopranos"), CCH Pounder ("The Shield") or Jeanne Tripplehorn ("Big Love"), none of whom was even nominated?

It wasn't all a rerun: NBC's "The Office" won, and deservedly so, for comedy (though "My Name Is Earl," which won for writing and directing, didn't even make the comedy cut), and Fox's "24" scored for drama, beating "The West Wing," "The Sopranos" and "Grey's Anatomy" in a category that failed to include ABC's "Lost" or HBO's "Big Love."

Jeremy Piven of "Entourage," Mariska Hargitay of "Law & Order: SVU," Kiefer Sutherland of "24" and Kelly MacDonald of "The Girl in the Cafe" were first-time winners, though only MacDonald could be considered a newbie to Emmy voters. She starred in an HBO movie they seemed to love, about a romance between a young woman and a much older man (Bill Nighy).

Hmmm.

The quintessential acceptance speech of the evening came from the headed-for-hip-surgery Barry Manilow, who, after his PBS one-shot special managed to edge out David Letterman, Stephen Colbert and Craig Ferguson, said, "This goes into the operating room with me tomorrow morning as a good luck charm."

Hips all over Hollywood creaked in support, while execs at NBC gave thanks that their decision to schedule the Emmycast three weeks earlier than usual to avoid Sunday night football meant no one they cared about was probably watching, anyway.

Host Conan O'Brien clearly sensed that, not only using his opening piece to tweak the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for its failure to nominate either Laurie or "Lost" but then taking up the role of "The Music Man's" Professor Harold Hill for a parody of "Ya Got Trouble," an attack on the state of TV in general and his own fourth-place network, NBC, in particular. ("To prove things are going to hell, we're relying on Howie Mandel.")

And, really, once you accepted that much of what happened in connection with this year's Emmys was unconnected to the past year in television (which, believe it or not, was a pretty good one), you were free to enjoy it for what it was: a giddy party for a bunch of people who refuse to let 100-plus-degree heat keep them from dressing to the nines in the middle of the afternoon to exchange red-carpet banter with the likes of Billy Bush.

High (and low) points included:

• The tribute to Dick Clark, which brought Simon Cowell of "American Idol" out in his best producer outfit - which for some reason included eyeglasses - and the crowd to its feet for Clark, who's still recovering from a stroke. Ever the producer himself, he urged them to sit down again, lest the segment run overtime.

• The "Charlie's Angels" reunion in honor of the late Aaron Spelling. Maybe next the academy can engineer one between Spellings' widow and their daughter, Tori.

• Piven's Ari Gold-like frankness on the red carpet with Bush, who'd just asked him if he'd seen Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' missing-from-the-tabloids baby, Suri: "You need another job... . You have potential as a human being. Can you focus on other things?"

• The presence of Tim gunn of "Project Runway" on the red carpet, doing truly knowledgeable fashion commentary. Usually, I hate it when NBC uses an event like this to push its cable siblings - remember when the "Queer Eye" guys were everywhere? - but Bravo's Gunn made it work.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//15378667.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

fredfa

08-28-06, 01:01 PM

Emmy Notebook
This year's Emmys a treat -- but not because of winners
By Melanie McFarland Seattle Post-Intelligencer TV Critic Monday, August 28, 2006

"I think this year you actually made a terrible mistake, but thank you."

Jon Stewart makes his living speaking the words on all of our minds, and he didn't take a vacation Sunday night just because he was on the Emmy Awards. The shrinking number of television viewers who actually watched NBC's telecast of the Primetime Emmy Awards might have shared that sentiment by the end of the evening.

A distinct paradox was at work. With the worst slate of nominations in recent memory, executive producers Jeff Ross and Ken Ehrlich put together one of the most entertaining Emmy programs we've seen in many a season.

Host Conan O'Brien and his sharp, nerdy sense of humor set the right tone for this underdog year, and he deserves much of the credit for Sunday's success. Strangely, so did some of those whacked-out nods.

The mistake Stewart referred to was rewarding "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" over his Comedy Central partners at "The Colbert Report" in the variety, music or comedy series category. But his observation became more meaningful with the more egregious snub that came later: Stephen Colbert, a man Time magazine recently named to its list of 100 People Who Shape Our World, lost out to Barry Manilow for outstanding individual performance in a variety or music program.

"I lost to Barry Manilow! BARRY MANILOW!" Colbert screamed. "I lost to the Copacabana! Singing and dancing is not performing!"

It ain't "The Colbert Report," we agree.

That said, the voters made the right decisions where it counts. Coming off of its best season to date, "24" swiped the statue for best drama after years of playing the runner-up. Even more exciting, Kiefer Sutherland beat sentimental favorite Martin Sheen for best actor in a drama, and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's" Mariska Hargitay left Allison Janney in her chair when she got the award for best actress in a drama. (Take that, "West Wing!" And don't let the door hit you on your way out!)

Jeremy Piven's supporting actor win for "Entourage" was well deserved. "My Name is Earl" may have come up empty in the best comedy category, but it got a nice twofer with Mark Buckland's directing Emmy and Greg Garcia's writing award.

Beyond these choices, though, the awards portion of the Emmys broadcast was precisely the parade of unadventurous choices we expected it to be.

The voters could have pleasantly shocked us even more by giving Steve Carell the best actor in a comedy series award, making "The Office" coup complete But, no. They gave it to "Monk's" Tony Shalhoub. Again.

Only slightly less annoying was Julia Louis-Dreyfus' best actress in a comedy series win for "The New Adventures of Old Christine." "I'm not somebody who really believes in curses," Louis-Dreyfus said, during her acceptance speech, "but curse this, baby!"

Already done a long, long time ago, my friend. Just ask Jane Kaczmarek, nominated year after year for being the best thing about now-canceled series "Malcolm in the Middle." Her last chance to win for that comedy zipped right by when Louis-Dreyfus walked to the podium after putting in half a season's work on a middling CBS sitcom.

It could be worse. Blythe Danner won a supporting actress statue for her work in the dead and mediocre Showtime series "Huff," beating the more deserving Jean Smart, Candice Bergen, Chandra Wilson and a horribly dressed Sandra Oh.

The plainest example of this year's nomination idiocy made O'Brien's joke list: Ellen Burstyn took a slot in the best supporting actress in a movie or miniseries category for a role that had her onscreen for 14 seconds. Ultimately justice was done: the Emmy went to Kelly Macdonald for her work in HBO's "The Girl in the Café."

Then again, if you saw the movie -- which also received Emmys for writing and best made-for-television movie, you'd know that as the girl mentioned in the title, she should have been in the best actress category.

One Emmy front-runner, sexy Seattle-based medical drama "Grey's Anatomy," was shut out.

Including awards given out at last week's creative arts ceremony for technical and other achievements, HBO collected 26 Emmys, NBC won 14, ABC 11, Fox and CBS 10 and PBS nine.

Some of evening's moments may have fallen flat, but Emmy's tribute to Aaron Spelling was not one of them. Introduced by Stephen Collins, Joan Collins and Heather Locklear, and finished with moving speeches by original "Charlie's Angels" Jaclyn Smith, Kate Jackson and a surprisingly coherent and emotive Farrah Fawcett, it was a genuinely touching memorial.

Even more so was a Dick Clark tribute introduced by "American Idol's" Simon Cowell. Clark appeared to say thanks, looking less youthful than he did before his stroke, but bright and inspiring nevertheless.

O'Brien will once again go down as one of the best hosts this show has ever had. Little of his twisted late-night humor was lost. He inspired brevity in the acceptance speeches on pain of death -- Bob Newhart's. He pretended to lock the beloved comedy icon in a tank with only three hours worth of air. Newhart looked absolutely horrified.

Even funnier were O'Brien's speech acceptance guidelines. "First of all, please don't thank your parents. If you were raised in a nurturing environment, you wouldn't be in show business," he said.

"Number two: Anyone who makes a heavy-handed political comment tonight will be forced to make out with Al Gore in a Prius. Finally, when you're handed your Emmy, don't say, 'Wow, this is heavy.' Of course it's heavy. It contains the shattered dreams of four other people."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/printer2/index.asp?ploc=t&refer=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/282830_emmysxx28.html

fredfa

08-28-06, 01:06 PM

Emmy Notebook
Emmy Winners on DVD
By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog August 28, 2006

In case you're looking for shows and stars that won Emmys last night, here's some info.

SHOWS

''The Office'' (best comedy): The British original and the first season of the U.S. version are on DVD. The second U.S. season arrives on Sept. 12.

''24'' (best drama, best drama direction, plus best actor in a drama, Kiefer Sutherland): The first four seasons are on DVD.

''Elizabeth I'' (best miniseries, best directing, Helen Mirren as best actress in a miniseries, others): On DVD now.

''The Girl in the Cafe'' (best movie, best supporting actress in a movie, best writing): On DVD now.

''The Amazing Race'' (best reality competition): Two earlier seasons are on DVD.

''My Name Is Earl'' (best writing, direction in a comedy): First season on DVD on Sept. 19.

''The Sopranos'' (best writing in a drama): Five seasons available. First part of the sixth season due Nov. 7.

''High School Musical'' (children's program, choreography): Available now, although in a full-frame format. Bring on the widescreen!

''10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America'' (nonfiction series): Available now.

''The Simpsons'' (animated program, 30 minutes or less): Eight seasons available.

''The Daily Show'' (variety, music or comedy series, as well as writing in that category): Its ''Indecision 2004'' DVD is still available.

PERFORMERS

Kiefer Sutherland, ''24'' (best actor, drama): See above.

Mariska Hargitay, ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (best actress, drama): First, second and fifth season available.

Tony Shalhoub, ''Monk'' (best actor, comedy): Four seasons on DVD.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, ''The New Adventures of Old Christine'' (best actress, comedy): Show not available.

Helen Mirren, ''Elizabeth I'' (actress in a movie or miniseries): See above.

Andre Braugher, ''Thief'' (actor in a movie or miniseries): Not yet available.

Jeremy Piven, ''Entourage'' (supporting actor, comedy): First two seasons on DVD.

Megan Mullally, ''Will & Grace'' (best supporting actress in a comedy): Four seasons and the series finale are on DVD. Fifth season (2002-03) in stores Tuesday.

Alan Alda, ''The West Wing'' (supporting actor, drama): Six seasons, including Alda's first, available Seventh and final season arrives Nov. 7.

Blythe Danner, ''Huff'' (supporting actress, drama): First season (of two) available.

Barry Manilow, ''Music & Passion'' (individual performance in variety or music): Show available.

http://blogs.ohio.com/beacon_tv/

fredfa

08-28-06, 01:09 PM

Emmy Notebook
'24' gets some love, but the Emmys still frustrate
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher”

The story of the Emmy awards ceremony, broadcast on NBC Sunday night, didn’t vary much from the story of the Emmy nominations: A few satisfying results were almost overshadowed by several stunning omissions.

It was terrific that Chicago’s Jeremy Piven won as best supporting actor for his incendiary comic performance on “Entourage”; an ascot-clad Piven got choked up onstage, thanking his mother and, at the very end of his short speech, his father. His parents, the founders of Evanston’s famed Piven Theatre Workshop, were, he said with palpable emotion, his “inspiration.”

Kiefer Sutherland and that velvety voice of his more than deserved the best dramatic actor award for five years of wonderfully suspenseful work on “24.”

The best drama series award (one of three Emmys the show won) was also sweet vindication; as executive producer Howard Gordon pointed out in his acceptance speech, “most people didn’t think it would last for one year.” It’s funny how things turn out: “24” has become the template for at least half a dozen suspense serials that debut this fall.

Tributes to both Dick Clark and Aaron Spelling hit the mark as well; Clark’s voice was thickened by a stroke and it was moving just to see the “American Bandstand” legend on the Emmy stage. Spelling’s passing was marked by a lengthy tribute from his three original “Charlie’s Angels”: Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith and Farrah Fawcett. Jackson praised him for giving viewers “something safe and comfortable through his work in television.”

But for every memorable moment, and for every sweet win such as the best-comedy nod for “The Office,” there were three or four dull patches or frustrating, even enraging losses. In a stunning upset, Gregory Itzin, the crafty President Logan on “24,” didn’t win in the best supporting dramatic actor category. Alan Alda won instead, for his role on the now departed “The West Wing.” Itzin was robbed.

Also robbed was Itzin’s acting partner on the show, Jean Smart, a.k.a. “24’s” sometimes loopy, always transfixing Martha Logan. Smart lost in the best supporting actress in a drama category, to Blythe Danner on the canceled “Huff.”

“I guess I have to thank Showtime, even though they canceled us,” Danner said, fighting over the tinny, tacky music the Emmys used to rush winners off the stage. Another winner on a defunct show; supporting actress Megan Mullally for “Will & Grace.”

A big surprise, however, was the lack of wins for exiting drama “The West Wing”: Alda was the only winner from that program Sunday night. Completely shut out of the awards was the white-hot “Grey’s Anatomy,” which, astoundingly, didn’t get a single Emmy.

Despite a few amusing moments here or there, it was hard to fight bitterness and anger over the most glaring Emmy oversights. “Monk’s” Tony Shalhoub won for best comedy actor, but really, Steve Carell should have won for his inspired work on “The Office.” Mariska Hargitay won as best dramatic actress for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” and certainly she’s a good actress in a competently made program, but fellow nominee Kyra Sedgwick of “The Closer” has been giving one of the canniest, savviest performances on television of late.

And it would have been nice to see “Project Runway” win as best competitive reality show; currently, that’s exactly what it is (“The Amazing Race” won once again in that category).

One fresh winner was Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who took the comedy actress statue for “The New Adventures of Old Christine”; it was a second win for the former “Seinfeld” actress, who noted, in a surprised, stammering speech, that she “doesn’t believe in curses.” In the comedy arena, “My Name Is Earl” also nabbed a couple of much deserved trophies for writing and directing.

Host Conan O’Brien was a welcome presence and he got things off to an amusing start, with a video segment that showed him on a flight to Los Angeles for the ceremony. In the clip, his plane crashed, and he ended up on an island very much like the one on “Lost,” where he encountered Hurley (Jorge Garcia). Frantic, he asked for Hurley’s help in getting to the Emmys. “We weren’t exactly invited,” Hurley deadpanned, a reference to “Lost’s” near-shutout in the Emmy nominations.

O’Brien eventually went down a mysterious hatch, only to end up crashing through the ceiling of “The Office”; he also had run-ins with the stars of “24” and “House,” and even had a brush with “Dateline.” Of course there had to be a jab at Tom Cruise; when O’Brien ended up trapped in a closet on “South Park,” guess who else was in there too? All in all, it was an entertaining montage.

O’Brien’s opening monologue was also a solid plus; let’s face it, beating up on NBC, which O’Brien did in pointed jokes and even in song, never really gets old. “The guy who passed on `Lost’ was promoted instead of tossed,” he sang, to the tune of “The Music Man’s” “Ya Got Trouble.”

O’Brien also had a running gag in which Bob Newhart was locked into an airtight box with only three hours worth or air in it. O’Brien’s attempts to keep the broadcast’s energy up were admirable, even if it was heavy going during those middle portions of the show, when the awards for mini-series and variety programs seemed to stretch on for hours.

The gold standard for swift and amusing awards ceremonies is the Golden Globes; if the Emmys want to emulate the Globes’ sprightliness, many of those minor categories should be stripped from the prime-time Emmy broadcast, and winners shouldn’t be given such ridiculously short moments of glory on stage.

The nadir of the show was, appropriately, at its very midpoint. Mullally, host of a new syndicated NBC-owned talk show, and Howie Mandel, “Deal or No Deal” impresario, performed an unfunny bit in which Mandel trotted out fembots with suitcases in order to find out who won as best director of a variety series.

No, really, it was even more painful than that description. And it seemed to take about a year and a half.

Still, there were moving moments as well. Viewers had to put up with the smarmy Simon Cowell and his prominently displayed chest hair in the course of a tribute to Dick Clark. But Cowell was forgotten when Clark himself came to the stage. In a thick voice, he gave thanks for getting to live out his childhood dream, “to be in show business.”

Andre Braugher won as best actor in a mini-series, an unexpected turn of events and a very gratifying one; he was his usual electric self in the fine (and now canceled) FX series “Thief.” An unexpected multiple winner was the fine “let’s save the world” romance “The Girl in the Cafe,” a sweet and wonderful HBO film that picked up three awards.

Helen Mirren, star of another multiple HBO winner, “Elizabeth I,” in a scripted moment called the Emmys “a prestigious ceremony,” which isn’t quite really getting at the truth. She and Hugh Laurie were amusing in their award-presentation moment, in which Laurie attempted to translate their dialogue into French, but the truth is, anyone who thinks the Emmys are top-shelf also probably thinks “Two and a Half Men” deserved the largest number of comedy nominations. Sheesh.

One winner, actually, got at a very important truth in his acceptance speech.

“We’re working in the new golden age of television, let’s enjoy it,” said director Jon Cassar, when he won for his fine work on “24.”

Indeed we are. It’d be great if the Emmys could find a better way to honor that.

A few final Emmy bits and pieces:

• The most suspenseful moment of the night had nothing to do with any award; it had to do with the tribute to Aaron Spelling. No, the suspense was not over which former “Charlie’s Angel” would have the most preserved-in-time face; it had to do with whether Tori Spelling would even be at the ceremony. Tori and her mother Candy, Aaron’s widow, were feuding in the tabloids before Aaron was even in the ground, and one wondered if that meant Tori would stay away from the ceremony. She didn’t; she and Candy were seated apart in the audience.

• Sometimes even when the Emmys get it right, they still get it wrong. Witness Kelly Macdonald’s win for “The Girl in the Cafe”; the problem is not that she won, it’s that she wasn’t actually playing a supporting role. The HBO film was really a two-person vehicle for Macdonald and the tremendous Bill Nighy.

• An unintentionally funny moment came when the clips for the actresses in the supporting actress in a mini-series or movie category were shown; nearly all of Ellen Burstyn’s entire 14-second performance in “Mrs. Harris” aired right there on the Emmy broadcast.

• Greg Garcia, who won for best comedy writing on “My Name Is Earl,” had a funny acceptance speech, which of course the Emmy producers tried to cut off. He read off a list of people he did not want to thank, including a mean teacher, a mean boss, and God, “who took my hair, and that’s not cool, man.”

• It’s hard to pick the best moment of the opening montage; it was either O’Brien musing, in an pitch-perfect “Office” talking-head moment, about how he and Pam Beesley could have years of “will they or won’t they” sexual tension (resulting in nothing), or when O’Brien told Dr. Greg House that he was hosting the Emmys. “What a feather in your cap,” House/Hugh Laurie spat back.

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2006/08/24_gets_some_lo.html#more

fredfa

08-28-06, 01:51 PM

Emmy Notebook
'24' and 'The Office' clock in with Emmy wins
By Aaron Barnhart Kansas City Star in his blog “TV Barn”

Two fitting winners emerged from Sunday’s 58th prime-time Emmy Awards: Serial thriller “24” took home top honors on the eve of a new season littered with “24” knockoffs, while “The Office,” which has helped revive the long-dormant TV sitcom, won for best comedy.

Kiefer Sutherland, as “24’s” sleepless spy Jack Bauer, and Mariska Hargitay of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” broke through with acting awards for drama.

On the comedy side, Tony Shalhoub, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and “The Daily Show” were all repeat winners. Two high-concept HBO projects walked offstage with hardware — “Elizabeth I” with four Emmys, the most of any program, and “The Girl in the Café” with three. But the cast and crew of supposedly red-hot ABC soap opera “Grey’s Anatomy” remained in their seats all night.

This year’s telecast was hosted by Conan O’Brien hosted this year’s telecast, but NBC affiliate KSHB pre-empted part of his opening for a weather update.

The majority of wins went to the worthiest entrants in their categories. Still, there was a stretch in mid-program where the Emmy voters seemed to be mailing it in. They gave Shalhoub his third Emmy for “Monk” over “The Office’s” Steve Carell, bestowed yet another award on Megan Mullally for “Will & Grace” and rewarded “The Amazing Race” for having its lamest season ever. (Don’t take my word; ask the fans.)

On the other hand, Alan Alda and Blythe Danner were welcome surprises in their supporting roles for “The West Wing” and “Huff.” It was nice to see academy members acknowledge that two old pros could still be best-in-show. Jeremy Piven’s win for “Entourage” and André Braugher’s for FX’s “Thief” were mild upsets that also spoke to the academy’s good taste.

Danner delivered one of the night’s few memorable ad-libs when she said, “I guess I have to thank Showtime, even though they canceled us.”

The night’s two extra tributes, besides the annual “In Memoriam” video montage, were unusually touching. First, Dick Clark was brought out for a tribute, and even though his speech was still slurred from the effects of a stroke in 2004, the man who once appeared to be the perpetual teenager seemed, somehow, in his element. He poked mild fun at his inability to walk out on stage and told the audience, in so many words, not to feel sorry for him.

“Everybody should be so lucky to have their dreams come true,” Clark said.

The tribute to Aaron Spelling was, if anything, more emotional. Going into the broadcast, savvy viewers had been instructed to keep their eyes on Spelling’s window, Candy, and his daughter, Tori, who were said to be estranged from themselves toward the end of the megaproducer’s life.

But the real drama of the moment came from the stage, as “Charlie’s Angels” star Kate Jackson ended her tribute with an elegy of sorts: “Soft and slow, we let you go. Bye-bye.” Everyone on camera instantly welled up with tears.

At points during the broadcast, the Emmys had an odd retro feel to them, as when Barry Manilow sang the theme to long-gone “American Bandstand,” then came out and collected an award a few minutes later. O’Brien’s opening monologue ended with a parody from … “The Music Man”?

And Bob Newhart took part in a running gag that required him to sit inside a glass case and pretend to be on exactly three hours’ worth of oxygen, lest the show run too long. It was as if network TV were paying a fond farewell to its mass-culture roots before plunging headlong into the future of interactive iPoddery, bite-sized Nielsens and a Web-based series knowingly named, “Nobody’s Watching.”

But as the “Tonight Show” host of the future, O’Brien deftly bridged entertainment’s past and present. He got the night off to a silly start and then, just to keep the mood light, popped in to throw off meaningless but hilarious filler and the requisite one-liners about the night: “When you’re handed your Emmy, don’t say, ‘Wow, this is heavy.’ Of course it’s heavy. It contains the shattered dreams of four other people.”

Ryan Seacrest’s pre-show interview with Heidi Klum stood out for what he forgot to ask the “Project Runway” host: what she was wearing.

http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/2006/08/24_and_the_offi.html#comment-21649130

fredfa

08-28-06, 01:56 PM

TV Notebook
More on the Dish DNS Settlement

According to Scott Greczkowski at his SatelliteGuys.us website, the Dish agreement calls for:

“…Dish Network will be requalifying EVERYONE who has Distants as part of the agreement…”

And EchoStar has:

“…reached agreement with 800 stations except for 25 fox stations which…walked away from negotiations last week….”

fredfa

08-28-06, 02:05 PM

TV Notebook
How race made its way onto the island
By Alan Sepinwall of the Newark Star-Ledger in his TV blog “What’s Alan Watching” Monday, August 28, 2006

A group of New York City politicians responded to news of the racial segregation twist to the upcoming "Survivor" season by calling on CBS to shelve it before it airs. Rush Limbaugh set about handicapping the series by suggesting that the black team will have trouble swimming, the Asian team would be "the brainiacs of the bunch" and that the Hispanic team will do well because their people have proven tenacity with their "remarkable ability to cross borders" and to "do without water for a long time."

In other words, "Survivor" creator Mark Burnett is a genius -- at publicity, if not sensitivity.

"Survivor" is 6 years old, ancient in TV time, and even moreso when you consider that "Survivor: Cook Islands" -- which will feature four teams, one all-white, one all-black, one all-Asian and one all-Latino -- will be the show's 13th edition. The show is still popular, but not the juggernaut it once was. No gimmick from later seasons -- not the gender-divided "Survivor: Amazon" or even "Survivor: All-Stars" -- has attracted even a fraction of the "Cook Islands" publicity.

When David Bloomberg, who writes "Survivor" analysis for RealityNewsOnline.com, heard the "Cook Islands" news, he thought, "Oh, god, now everybody's going to talk about how terrible this is, how (Burnett) is pushing the boundaries. And it will get him free press, which is pretty much what he wanted."

Jeff Probst, both "Survivor" host and one of its producers, said the segregation idea came up in a production meeting because the show has been criticized for so many years both for its lack of diversity and the way the minority contestants are portrayed. (See lazy Gervase, bean-stealing Clarence and Osten the quitter, among other lowlights.)

"The criticism that the show is not ethnically diverse enough is a valid criticism," he said in a phone interview. "If you look at the ethnicity of our show, 80 percent of the time, it's a white person on the show. That's because that's who applied. That's not an excuse, but a fact."

So casting director Lynne Spillman set out to find minorities who weren't applying to be on the show and came up with 15 non-white contestants, many of them barely aware "Survivor" existed.

Okay, so at this point, Probst, Burnett and company were on solid ground. Nobody was going to complain about more diversity. But by picking the teams along racial lines, some feel "Survivor" has crossed the taste line.

"I've recapped something like 250 hours of reality television, and I didn't think I could be appalled anymore, but I was," said TelevisionWithoutPity.com's "Survivor" recapper, Linda Holmes.

"I think the decision to try to diversify the cast is extremely smart," Holmes added. "It's the decision to divide them this way. It would have been easier for me to understand if they had said, 'Not only have we made the cast diverse, but we're going to make the tribes diverse as well.'"

But, she admitted, "This is partly just Burnett being brilliant. He gets his best shows when he makes people uncomfortable, both on the show and in the audience. This is going to make people a lot more uncomfortable than rat-eating."

"As people would leave the (casting) room," said Probst, "we'd ask, 'Who do you hang with.' And the Asian guys would say, 'Oh, I mostly hang out with Asians,' the Hispanics with Hispanics. We realized that we all hang out in our own groups and decided, rather than integrate them from the beginning, let's separate them. How do Hispanics do in terms of building their shelter, as opposed to the blacks? How do they get along, are there minorities within their group?"

Race isn't just America's most volatile issue, but our most nuanced. "Survivor" has never been especially subtle about it (Holmes remembers that in last season's sequences where Asian-American contestant Bruce practicedmartial arts, "they always had a gong in the background"), and even these four groups feel broad. Do people of Korean and Vietnamese descent really feel any more of a bond with each other than, say, an Italian-American does with someone whose family came from Greece?

"When they did the battle of the sexes in 'Amazon,' the first episode was just stereotype after stereotype," said Christopher Wright, author of "Tribal Warfare: 'Survivor' and the Political Unconscious of Reality Television." "The females were all scared of the camp, afraid of spiders, the men were all macho and talked about sex the whole time."

While almost everyone on "Survivor" comes off looking bad, minority contestants have complained that they tended to look worse because they were the only one (or, at best, one of two) of their ethnicity on the show, a charge Probst won't deny.

"If you're the only person from your ethnic group in the show, then you're it," he said. "Either you're fantastic or you're mediocre or you just plain sucked. If you went down the line, think of how many idiots we've had on the show who have been white, but there was probably somebody on the show that season who was white who you liked."

In the Amazon, the genders were mixed in the fifth episode. "Exile Island" divided its teams by both gender and age for all of an episode and a half. Exactly how long before we get a merge or a shuffle this time?

"I think the notion of how long we keep them divided is a fair question," said Probst, "and I would say to that, you have to remember that there is a show we are putting together. If we leave people in the same tribes for a long time, they become so entrenched that there's no way they're ever going to leave their tribe, and that makes for boring television. We're already putting people in strong groups, you can't have much stronger an identification than your own ethnicity. We have strong tribes that are going to be aligned together from the beginning, we're not going to leave them like that forever."

Wright would have preferred four diverse tribes, followed by a merge, "to see if they're loyal to their tribemates or if they divide along ethnic lines." But, of course, "it wouldn't have gotten as much attention, which is probably why they ended up doing it this way."

Now the trick is for "Cook Islands" to prove worthy of that attention, and it has a better chance of doing that as a game show than it does as sociology.

"The show is at its most interesting in terms of social, personal issues and any kind of social observations about the way people operate when it is not doing it on purpose," said Holmes. "It's not ever been the case that the most interesting stuff about gender politics is sitting around asking people about it."

"The show, first and foremost, is a show about a group of people forced to live together, work together and vote each other off," acknowledged Probst. "That's our show. This season, we're adding a layer, but it's still 'Survivor.' This is not expected to be a dialogue on race. Race will enter into it and does.

"In the first episode, you'll see the differences in this game, and how they work together, and what they make of their own stereotypes -- and you also see 20 people trying to figure out how to win a million dollars. I'm almost 100 percent certain that by the time the game is over, you will have forgotten about ethnicity and you will be rooting based on one reason: who do I like?

"If you're Hispanic and there's a guy on the show who's Hispanic and is a total jerk, are you really going to root for him because he's Hispanic?"

One element that should remain constant is the number of contestants who spend their post-show publicity tour and their two minutes of air time on the live reunion show complaining about how they were edited badly, a defense that has transcended skin color throughout the show's six-year run.

"Do we represent people as they really were out there?" said Probst. "I belive so, yeah. And are there going to be people out there this season going, 'Oh, they misrepresented me'? Yeah. They're probably out there planning their speeches right now."

And, most likely, their speeches will get more attention than anything to come out of a "Survivor" contestant's mouth since Sue Hawk's speech about the rats and the snakes.

http://www.nj.com/columns/ledger/sepinwall/index.ssf?/base/columns-0/1156744290272770.xml&coll=1

fredfa

08-28-06, 02:08 PM

TV Notebook
Night of Emmys for some near goners
'Office' and '24' win best comedy and drama
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 28, 2006

Canceled shows and shows that were once on the brink of cancellation were the big winners at last night’s Emmy Awards show.

There were almost no big surprises after the new nomination process produced lots of shockers earlier this summer, mostly for the big names that were left off the list.
Perhaps the only real surprise is how poorly media planners and buyers did in predicting the winners. Media Life asked them to predict the victors in a survey taken last week, and most of their predictions were incorrect.

Readers went two-for-six in the major categories.

NBC’s “The Office,” a remake of the successful British mock documentary that was renewed last year despite dismal ratings, won best comedy to complete a remarkable one-year turnaround. Paired with “My Name is Earl,” which won writing and directing Emmys last night, “The Office” became NBC’s No. 2 comedy this year.

Fox’s “24” picked up its first best drama award as well as lead Kiefer Sutherland’s first best actor victory after several nominations. That show, too, struggled in its first season and was considered a fence sitter when Fox brought it back and paired it with “American Idol.”

“24” has become one of the network’s biggest hits since then, averaging its best numbers in adults 18-49 this past season, its fifth.

Canceled shows winning Emmys included “West Wing’s” Alan Alda for best supporting actor in a drama; “Huff’s” Blythe Danner for best supporting actress in a drama; and “Grace’s” Megan Mullally for best supporting actress in a comedy.

As for Media Life readers' predictions, they picked best comedy (“The Office”) and best actor in a drama (Sutherland) correctly. The others were all wrong.

They predicted Kyra Sedgwick of TNT’s “The Closer” would pocket best actress in a drama; the award went to “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’s” Mariska Hargitay.

They also predicted Steve Carell of “The Office” would win best actor in a comedy. Instead the award went to a seemingly dazed Tony Shalhoub of “Monk,” his third win.

They thought Debra Messing of the canceled “W&G” would win best actress in a comedy, but instead “The New Adventures of Old Christine’s” Julia Louis-Dreyfus won, quipping cutely about breaking the “Seinfeld” curse.

Finally, readers felt, by an overwhelming margin, that “Grey’s Anatomy” would take best drama. But their second choice, “24,” prevailed.

HBO led all networks with 26 awards, including nine for the miniseries “Elizabeth II.” NBC led the broadcast networks with 14, and “Earl” had four of those. ABC had 11, Fox 10 and CBS nine.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_6918.asp

fredfa

08-28-06, 02:47 PM

TV Notebook
Steve & Olaf: Flying To New York Now
(from Brian Stelter’s TVNewser at mediabistro.com) Aug 28, 2006

"After the first night of freedom after nearly two weeks in captivity, Fox correspondent Steve Centanni and his colleague photographer Olaf Wiig are...on their way to the united states. the pair left Ben Gurion Airport here in Israel about five hours ago," FNC's David Lee Miller reported on DaySide at 1:45pm.

"...After they arrive in New York, we expect that we will be hearing a great deal more of what was a very difficult ordeal of what precisely they had to endure."

Centanni and Wiig's families are also heading to New York...

http://mediabistro.com/tvnewser/

fredfa

08-28-06, 02:55 PM

TV Sports
Fox grooms Alvarez as analyst for BCS title game
By Michael Hiestand USA Today

Usually, big-time TV sports work off a de facto depth chart for announcers — with the big-name veterans at the top of the charts working the biggest games.

But Fox, which this season has no regular-season college football but will inherit four of the five Bowl Championship Series games, doesn't have starters or backups. So Monday it will announce the walk-ons it will use as analysts for the Jan. 8 BCS title game, as well as the Jan. 1 Fiesta Bowl: Barry Alvarez, the longtime Wisconsin coach who is now the school's athletics director, as well as Charles Davis, now in his fourth season as a TBS college football game analyst.

Fox Sports president Ed Goren said it might have been impossible for Fox to have signed analysts from ABC/ESPN and CBS, who regularly carry top college football, to pinch-hit for Fox on the BCS. (Fox still has roster spots: It will put together two other game broadcast teams for its other two BCS games, the Orange and Sugar bowls.)

"But you always want to establish your own (network) identity," Goren says. "And we were in an equation that made it extremely difficult, in the case of our lead group, to have a job that's just two games. The good news with Alvarez is that he has a day job."

For Alvarez, who played at Nebraska and led Wisconsin to three Rose Bowl wins before stepping down from coaching after last season, it's starting at the top in TV. And that, Goren says, is part of the reason why Davis was added to create a three-man booth. Davis' TV experience includes being a sideline reporter for pro and college basketball and calling college baseball as well as appearing on The Golf Channel. Davis was also an assistant athletics director at Stanford and a star defensive back at Tennessee.

"If Alvarez were full time (on TV), he'd quickly develop into an outstanding broadcaster," Goren says. "But it's difficult to put a rookie into a two-man booth for two of the biggest games of the year. Charles has sort of played under the (TV) radar, but he's been outstanding — and he'll take some pressure off Barry."

The pair, who'll work with play-by-play announcer Thom Brennaman, probably will do off-air practice games this fall — and Davis will continue to call TBS' Big 12 and Pacific-10 games. And when the BCS national rankings begin coming out weekly in mid-October, Alvarez will get cameos on Fox's NFL coverage: On weekends when Fox airs a postgame NFL show after Sunday afternoon doubleheaders, Alvarez will be on-air to offer his take on the college rankings.

Back on: Benny Parsons, the NASCAR race analyst for TNT and NBC who is having chemotherapy and radiation, missed last week's race action because of fatigue. But he was back in the booth Saturday night for TNT's coverage of the Nextel Cup Sharpie 500 and told viewers, "I'm better. I'm not perfect, but I'm better."

On tap: The 1980 film Caddyshack airs Wednesday on The Golf Channel after a lead-in show in which a golf instructor and psychologist analyze the movie's golf action, including breaking down actor Bill Murray's swing. ... Fox's Terry Bradshaw will star in a Sept. 4 made-for-TV movie, Relative Chaos, on ABC's Family Channel. Like his role in the recent movie Failure to Launch, Bradshaw will play a dad — but unlike that movie remains clothed at all times. ... DirecTV, for its NFL Sunday Ticket package that lets viewers see all NFL Sunday afternoon games, will add "player tracker" and "my players" features allowing viewers to get on-screen alerts and call up real-time stats on their fantasy league player. What's really needed: Viewer "point spread" and "my bets" on-screen alerts.

Not so bad: Joe Morgan subbed for recently fired analyst Harold Reynolds on ABC's weekend Little League World Series coverage. But after ABC showed clips of baseball greats such as Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle calling LLWS action on ABC — "They don't even look as old as they are," Mantle said — Morgan suggested he might return: "I said it was a one-shot deal, but I'm rethinking that."

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2006-08-27-hiestand-bcs_x.htm

fredfa

08-28-06, 03:00 PM

TV Sports
Rose, bowl-bound, blessed to be busy with BCS
By Roger Brown Cleveland Plain Dealer Columnist Monday, August 28, 2006

Chris Rose realizes how big a gig he landed when Fox recently picked him to host its BCS college football bowl games this January.

"It's a huge, huge deal," Rose said. "For one week, the eyes of the sports world are going to be totally focused on college football. I'm psyched about getting the chance to be in the middle of it."

It's an opportunity Rose has earned.

While Rose is known most for hosting FSN's "Best Damn Sports Show Period" and the cable network's poker tournaments, he's long been viewed by TV insiders as a highly talented guy ready - and able - to handle live, major sports events. Now, with his key role on the BCS telecasts, Rose should easily prove those insiders were right.

Rose will handle pregame, halftime and postgame shows for four BCS bowl games: the Fiesta (Jan. 1 in Glendale, Ariz.), Orange (Jan. 2 in Miami), Sugar (Jan. 3 in New Orleans) and the BCS National Championship Game (Jan. 8, also in Glendale). He'll host the shows from each city.

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/plaindealer/roger_brown/index.ssf?/base/sports/1156754229101100.xml&co

fredfa

08-28-06, 03:06 PM

Emmy Notebook
Emmycast down 15% from year-ago rating
By Paul J. Gough The Hollywood Reporter

BOSTON -- Ratings for Sunday night's Emmy telecast dropped 15% from a year ago.

NBC's three-hour telecast -- which finished ahead of schedule with the crowning of Fox's "24" as best drama -- averaged 16.1 million viewers and a 5.2 rating/14 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to preliminary data released Monday by Nielsen Media Research. Final numbers will be available Tuesday morning.

It was down 15% from last year's telecast on CBS, where it averaged a 6.1/15 when it aired more than three weeks later, on Sept. 18, 2005. It was also down 13% in total viewers, from 18.6 million. The peak was at 9 p.m., when it jumped from 15.6 million viewers to 17.3 million before falling to 16.5 million at 9:30 and 16 million at 10 p.m. The last half-hour at 10:30 p.m. ET was seen by 15.4 million viewers, although this data is not time adjusted.

Last night's Emmy telecast was the second-lowest ever, although the difference between this one and the Sept. 19, 2004, telecast were considerable. The lowest-rated telecast, on Sept. 19, 2004, averaged 13.8 million viewers and a 4.6 rating in adults 18-49.

NBC's Emmy preshow telecast on the Red Carpet -- up against ones on E! with Ryan Seacrest and TV Guide Channel with Joan and Melissa Rivers -- averaged 7.3 million viewers and a 1.9/6 in adults 18-49. It was stomped by "60 Minutes" (11.9 million, 2.7/9) on CBS and the first hour of ABC's "Pirates of the Caribbean" (8.1 million, 2.8/9).

Both ABC and CBS were somewhat competitive against the Emmys. ABC's second hour of "Pirates" averaged 10.4 million viewers and a 3.9/11 in the adults 18-49 demo. ABC followed it up at 10 p.m. with a repeat of "Grey's Anatomy" as the show was losing in the best drama category and best actor category to Fox's "24."

CBS's "Big Brother: All Stars" delivered 8.4 million viewers and a 3.0/8 in the demo, which was third in the time period and down 7% in the demo from last summer's average of 2.9/9. Fox averaged 4.4 million viewers and a 1.7/5 in the demo with a repeat of "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones."

Nightly averages: ABC (9.3 million, 3.5/10); CBS (9 million, 2.5/7); NBC (13.9 million, 4.3/12); Fox (4.4 million, 1.7/5); and The WB (1.1 million, 0.4/1).

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003053902

fredfa

08-28-06, 03:11 PM

TV Q&A
Ask Matt
(from the Ask (TV Critic) Matt (Roush) column at TVGuide.com
By Matt Roush TVGuide.com TV Critic Monday, August 28, 2006

Question: Without a Trace is about the only show I look forward to watching on a regular basis. But I'm wondering, why CBS would mess with something that works and move it from Thursday to Sunday? — Craig

Matt Roush: Simplest answer: It's not about the show, it's about the network's larger needs. That includes strengthening Sunday by dumping the two-hour movie block and replacing it with two strong crime-drama franchises. Cold Case and Without a Trace will be a good fit, no doubt. And though CSI and Trace were a perfect one-two punch on Thursdays, CBS would likely be criticized in some circles if it didn't eventually try to create a new hit show using CSI as a lead-in, which is what the network is attempting with Shark this season. In this business, you get knocked for complacency, and you get knocked when you shake things up a bit. CBS' scheduling is the most solid of any of the networks, and this sort of move was probably overdue.

________________________________________

Question: I can't believe how many of your readers seem to think that networks try to kill shows. Do they think that when a grocery store rearranges its products, it is trying to kill off a particular item, or when a store changes locations, it is trying to kill off its business? No, they are trying to flourish. Isn't that the same thing the networks are trying to do? To spread their popular products around and make room for the new ones? Thanks for all the great insight! — Tyler L.

Matt Roush: Agreed, and no further rationalization is needed to explain a move like Trace to Sunday or Grey's Anatomy to Thursday, or even Medium to mid-season (to make room for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip). Inevitably, some moves do end up hurting shows (which I doubt will be the case with Trace), but that's part of the cost of practicing this imperfect science.

________________________________________

Question: I was such a die-hard fan of Project Runway until the episode when they kicked off Alison instead of Vincent. To make decisions based on drama (Vincent and Angela) and not on talent (Alison and Michael) just turned me off. I find Tim Gunn's explanation of kicking Keith off for having pattern books a joke now. There is no integrity on that show when they send away someone who has far more talent than that boy. I can already foresee kooky Vincent making it to the final three because they need another Wendy Pepper or Santino Rice to become the talentless underdog who causes drama every week. — M.T.

Matt Roush: I agree that Vincent should have been booted instead of Alison — and even worse in my mind was robbing Jeffrey of the win that week, favoring Michael's blander design. But I don't see Vincent as anywhere near as dynamic a love-to-hate character as Santino or Wendy. He is bizarre, and maybe the judges are just fascinated by him for some reason. Still, I don't feel nearly as manipulated as I did when Santino was kept on way too long, and even then, I wouldn't dream of giving up on the show. As for kicking off Keith: I totally bought it. No way would the judges or producers have wanted him to leave that early, not with that talent (and that attitude). He broke the rules, and while I don't know enough about design to understand why pattern books give someone a big advantage, it clearly means something to the contestants. So while I'd never accuse any reality show of having a surplus of integrity, I have to applaud Project Runway for sticking to its guns — or Gunn, I suppose — this time.

________________________________________

Question: I gotta tell you, Rescue Me's killing off Johnny just strikes me as cheap storytelling. Sure, they're doing a good job handling the aftermath, and the writing and acting are solid, but I think it's a lazy way to wrap up a love-triangle story line. Pearl Harbor did the exact same thing; you have two guys and one girl. So your solution: Kill one of the guys. Have I got a point, or am I being too critical? — Andrew

Matt Roush: Not too critical — you have a right to your opinion — but for me, calling it lazy is way too simplistic. I mean, comparing this show to a cardboard epic like Pearl Harbor? Get serious. This was not just another clichéd love triangle — in which case killing one of the rivals might have looked like a cliché. This was a seriously warped, deeply disturbing mess of a relationship involving two brothers and one of the brothers' ex-wives, all clouded by the aftermath of life-altering tragedy (the death of young Connor, Tommy and Janet's only son). The fact that the brothers might have been on the verge of mending their estrangement (depending on how you interpret the phone messages, Tommy's especially) only adds to the poignance of Tommy's latest psychic/karmic setback. Nothing easy about this or its aftermath.

________________________________________

Question: I just finished watching the conclusion of Spike Lee's Katrina documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. I know that it's really too soon to be thinking about next year's Emmys, but after seeing this documentary, I just wanted to say that it has "Emmy winner" written all over it. I totally agree with your review of this doc. It was poignant and eloquent, and Spike Lee gave it the right tone of voice. It made me wish that Lee had shown this in the theaters, in which case I think it would give the Al Gore global-warming doc a run for its money come Oscar time. What do you think its chances are for an Emmy? There is no way that a TV documentary can win an Oscar, right? Anyway, as a native New Orleanian, I just wanted to say that Spike Lee truly did a great job. — Lynell

Matt Roush: HBO has won a number of Oscars for its nonfiction programming, but I think the rules are that in order to qualify, it would have to air theatrically before going to TV. And while Levees did get a public screening in New Orleans before the HBO premiere, I doubt this will be eligible for an Oscar. But an Emmy? I certainly hope so and would expect so. Working against its being released theatrically is its considerable length, which is more than justified by its impassioned, heartbreaking, understandably angry content. It plays well on the big screen, though. Because of my deadline, I went to an HBO screening room twice over several days to watch the movie. And I was transfixed. The four-hour film repeats in its entirety Tuesday (Aug. 29), so if you missed it last week, this has my highest recommendation.

________________________________________

Question: I have a laundry list of questions about summer viewing: Is Life on Mars going to have a second season, or was it a one-off? (I'm scared to death of the American remake — I'm expecting Starsky & Hutch.) I was disappointed to hear about the bad ratings of Brotherhood — it's too good to be ignored. If there is no second season, will we be left hanging, or does the first series come to some sort of resolution? I know it's early, but what is the likelihood of Vanished making it through the season? Is Fox willing to take a chance based on the success of 24 and Prison Break, or will this be another Firefly/Wonderfalls/Reunion? Finally, what is your reaction to Denis Leary getting an Emmy nomination for acting but not one for writing? As good as he is as Tommy Gavin, his and Peter Tolan's scripts are the heart of that series. How could the writing be ignored? — Richard C.

Matt Roush: There is a second series of Life on Mars, but no word on when BBC America will present it. No word yet on a second season for Brotherhood. Given how the first season ends, enough is left hanging that it will be frustrating if Showtime doesn't at least order up a movie for a final chapter. It is a huge disappointment that when Showtime produces something of that quality, so few of its subscribers seem to turn up for it. Vanished? Again, way too early to tell. It had a soft opening, but that may have something to do with Fox's attempt to jump-start the fall season about two weeks too early. If it doesn't catch fire, I fear this may be another elaborate story that won't reach its natural end (especially as the conspiracy here appears much more elaborate than the mystery behind NBC's Kidnapped). But to say this is early is an understatement. As for Rescue Me and its lack of writing nominations: The show did get nominated for directing and writing in its first season, which is something of a triumph for an FX series. And while the writing for the show is phenomenal, so is the competition in this golden age for drama. This year's writing nominees include Six Feet Under (for its finale), The Sopranos (for its shocking season-opener), Lost (for one of the Mr. Eko episodes) and two episodes of Grey's Anatomy, including the amazing post-Super Bowl episode. Not a slouch in that bunch (though I might have favored Rescue Me or The Shield over the eternally overrated Six Feet Under).

________________________________________

Question: In your review of Vanished (which I agreed with except possibly for the "continue watching" part), you left off one serious flaw in this (to me) totally flawed show. The acting was completely lame. It felt like a daytime soap. Only Ming-Na, whom I liked on ER, seemed "natural." The misdirection "clues" hit you over the head (haven't the writers heard of subtlety?). The FBI is competent on the surface, yet I'm sure they will be proven completely inept. Is there any hope for this show? — David

Matt Roush: Couldn't agree more that the biggest handicap Vanished faces at this early point is the lack of a galvanizing star presence. (Translation: Gale Harold is no Kiefer Sutherland, or Wentworth Miller for that matter.) The roles are generically written and formulaically played. It's really going to be up to the storytelling to carry this one, and subtlety is likely to have little to do with it. If there's hope for Vanished, it will be as a guilty pleasure. And for those with a little patience, things might pick up when Eddie Cibrian (late of Invasion) joins the cast seven or so episodes in.

________________________________________

Question: I know John Billingsley is on another new show, but couldn't the producers of Prison Break find a way to work around his schedule to shoot last week's scenes? Did the creators/producers honestly believe that their viewers wouldn't notice the actor change for "murder victim" Terrence Steadman? No wonder people think he's dead. — Lenard W.

Matt Roush: I would be surprised if many people cared. Though I'm no fan of the ridiculous conspiracy story line on Prison Break (in the first season, any time the show went outside the prison my eyes began to roll), I found Jeff Perry (most recently seen as Thatcher Grey on Grey's Anatomy) a reasonable substitute for John Billingsley in look and, more important, in tone for what isn't exactly a make-or-break role. Ease up, people. If you're going to take such a hard line on every show, it's going to be a long, dark season.

________________________________________

Question: You actually know for a fact that you'll be watching Grey's Anatomy and playing back CSI before you even know what the episodes will be? That feels like a plot-driven statement to me. And nice change of tune — I thought CSI was supposed to be scared of GA. Now it's unlikely that GA will beat it? I could have told you that, 'cause yes, I'll be watching CSI live and not watching GA at all. Holds no interest for me. Grissom is my McDreamy. — Lauren

Matt Roush: Yes, as I noted earlier, I do believe that on most weeks, I'll be watching Grey's live and playing back CSI afterward. This has a lot to do with viewing tendencies in my household, which is pretty devoted to both shows. (And Grey's story lines are the sort of thing that I don't want to come to work on Friday without having seen. CSI isn't quite so urgent that way, at least not usually.) The Grey's vs. CSI battle is one of the season's most interesting stories, but honestly, I have no interest in the opinion of CSI fans who hold Grey's in contempt, or vice versa. My feeling is that while there will be considerable overlap of the audience (as in my household), the shows are different enough that each will find its audience and both can succeed in the same time period. As for "nice change of tune," I wasn't the one who initially referred to CSI as the underdog. That was us quoting CBS, which was being a bit disingenuous in its statements to the press. No one really expects Grey's to clobber CSI. On the contrary. My main concern is that there is room for both.

________________________________________

Question: Thanks to a Fox marketing push, I was able to see the premiere episodes of many Fox shows. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Justice. I was initially interested in it only because of Victor Garber, but I ended up liking the show overall. But here's my concern: Is there really room for yet another crime/law drama like this? I know people have been asking about CSI and Law & Order oversaturation for years. But can a new show that isn't part of a franchise, and that doesn't air on CBS, make it? — Ashley

Matt Roush: I would be more worried about Justice's chances if shows like House and Bones hadn't caught on earlier. There is clearly an audience on Fox, no doubt primed by the breakthrough success of 24, for more grown-up shows in the legal/crime (or in House's case, medical) arenas. The fact that Hugh Laurie is a Fox superstar is also a sign that a more mature actor (say, Victor Garber) can find a happy home on this network. There's no question there are too many crime and courtroom shows on TV these days, but the appetite for them appears to be bottomless, and as long as they're well done, I wouldn't bet against them right now. As I noted in my review this week, Justice isn't groundbreaking, but doesn't need to be. What it excels at is being a typically flashy Jerry Bruckheimer production, a mix of David E. Kelley bravado and CSI-style visuals. I could absolutely see Justice working on CBS, but that doesn't mean it won't work on Fox.

http://tvguide.com/tv/roush/askmatt/

fredfa

08-28-06, 03:43 PM

Emmy Notebook
NBC Apologizes For Emmy Opening
By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 8/28/2006 1:49:00 PM

NBC has apologized for the opening skit of last night's Emmy telecast that jarred many viewers.

In a statement, NBC says it regrets any "unintentional pain" the parody may have caused viewers.

The opening featured an intense few moments of a plane crash--Host Conan O'Brien dropped into the middle of several shows, starting with Lost--with NBC affiliate WLEX Lexington, Ky., for one, going straight to the opening from its special recap news coverage of a horrific plane crash there that killed 49 people.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to the many families who lost loved ones in the plane crash in Kentucky on Sunday," NBC said, "and to the entire community that has suffered this terrible loss. In no way would we ever want to make light of this terrible tragedy. The filmed opening during the Emmy telecast meant to spoof some of television's most well-known scenes. The timing was unfortunate, and we regret any unintentional pain it may have caused."

Tim Gilbert, president and GM of WLEX, said he was personally horrified to view the opening, and said NBC was somewhere between "ignorant and incompetent" to have aired it, but suggested it was most likely ignorance. "Somebody just did not connect the dots," he said, "but it is our job to connect the dots," and I think the network would agree with that."

Gilbert said he had talked personally with network officials, who had apologized.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6366381

fredfa

08-28-06, 03:50 PM

TV Notebook
Judge Stops EchoStar Suit Against TiVo
By DAVID KOENIG The Associated Press Monday, August 28, 2006

DALLAS -- A federal judge has handed the owner of the Dish satellite-TV network another setback in its feud with TiVo Inc., delaying a countersuit against the pioneer in digital video recording technology.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Caroline M. Craven of Texarkana blocked EchoStar Communications Corp.'s patent-infringement lawsuit against TiVo and Humax USA Inc. while the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office reviews patents claimed by EchoStar.

Craven, who issued the stay last month, made it final when EchoStar declined to appeal, TiVo spokesman Elliot Sloane said Monday.

The complete story is here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/28/AR2006082800533.html

fredfa

08-28-06, 04:41 PM

The 2006-2007 Season
In Search Of Accidental Hits
By Jim Benson Broadcasting & Cable 8/28/2006

We see it every fall. New schedules are unveiled with major networks lavishing precious resources upon a privileged few shows, many of which boast marquee stars and creators with proven track records. Meanwhile, lesser-regarded series, with more hope than hype, are shuttled to the background.

The megawatt series claim the choice time periods, as well as the lion’s share of the networks’ promotional budgets—and, if history is any guide, often flame out before their first season is over. Cop Rock—Stephen Bochco’s spectacular 1990 failure on ABC—is simply one of countless instances of networks’ gambling and then losing big on shows with the shortest odds.

But many of the programs inevitably pushed to the margins—poorly scheduled, scarcely promoted, squeezed creatively by meddlesome executives or threatened with hasty cancellation—often defy expectations and emerge triumphant. After wildly successful runs, it’s then hard to recall that these series—one-time stepchildren like Seinfeld and Cheers, for instance—began as Cinderella stories.

This year, ABC’s Ugly Betty and Six Degrees, NBC’s star-laden Aaron Sorkin drama Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and CBS’ Shark, starring James Woods, are among the shows enjoying the trappings of great expectations.

Yet networks would be wise to expect a continuation of this cautionary tale. There’s just as much reason to believe that ABC’s Men in Trees, Fox’s Standoff or NBC’s Heroes—all facing formidable odds—could rise from also-rans to all-stars.

It’s a formula that didn’t prevent three series from evolving into ratings—indeed, cultural—phenomena: Everybody Loves Raymond, CSI and 24. Like many of this season’s long-shot entries, each originally had a hard time generating nearly enough enthusiasm at their networks.

OLD AND UNHIP

In September 1996, CBS was on a mission. The network was busy luring big-name stars like Bill Cosby and Rhea Perlman into its tent. There was, therefore, less fervor for a comic “Everyman” at the center of a sitcom about a grown man who endures daily harassment from his elderly, acid-tongued parents. That’s why Everybody Loves Raymond was considered an afterthought. It wasn’t the Next Big Thing; it was the next thing to put on at 8:30 on Friday night, where it just sat there against ABC’s Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, the second half of Fox’s Sliders and NBC’s Unsolved Mysteries.

“I was too old with Raymond, which is why it barely made it on,” recalls creator/Executive Producer Phil Rosenthal. “Nobody was jumping up and down over the premise of a guy who lives across the street from his elderly parents.”

And yet the show had fans within the network who saw promise in its chemistry and star Ray Romano. The following March, CBS took the risk and moved the sitcom to the high-profile 8:30 p.m. Monday slot behind its big gun, Cosby. Raymond clicked and started building on its lead-in, surprisingly with younger viewers—an encouraging sign for the oldest-skewing network. By September 1998, the little comedy that could was the 9 p.m. anchor for CBS’ powerhouse Monday comedy block.

The show’s concept and style harked back to the days of I Love Lucy—which, given today’s youth-obsessed network culture, was not necessarily considered a plus. Other comedies began to embrace the single-camera approach of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and BBC’s The Office, yet Raymond proudly rode the traditional multi-camera–sitcom idea to the top of the ratings.

Rosenthal credits CBS with ultimately recognizing a good thing. Once Raymond hit, the network largely stayed out of his way, letting him stay true to the source of the show’s inspiration: his and Romano’s life experiences.

“What I did not know about his character, I wrote about my life, actual stories,” he says, invoking the adage “Write what you know.” “It’s not just a cliché,” he says. “For me, it was my ticket. It has to be relatable. Don’t just go for laughs for laughs’ sake.”

And yet Raymond didn’t guarantee that Rosenthal could necessarily keep writing his own ticket. CBS recently passed on Play Nice, a pilot he had supervised for the upcoming season.

Perhaps that’s one reason the wry producer often ironically recounts the story of a production executive who wondered if the basic premise for Raymond could be made a bit more “hip and edgy.” “You’ve got the right guy,” Rosenthal assured him. “I am Mr. Hip and Edgy.”

That line would have gotten a big laugh on Raymond.

OUT OF THE GRAVEYARD

CSI Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn recalls the day six years ago when, in the midst of a writing session, she and producer Ann Donahue began receiving calls from sympathetic friends: “They were telling us how sorry they were that we got cancelled before we even got on the air.”

In fact, Disney’s Touchstone Television had pulled out of financing the co-production with CBS, claiming that the network’s $1.2 million-per-episode license fee was too low for the studio to recoup its investment, which industry executives have pegged at more than twice that. Looking back now, the show’s theme song, “Who Are You,” seems strangely appropriate.

Mendelsohn says Touchstone had little faith in the forensics drama, a last-minute addition to the schedule from a young, unknown creator, Anthony E. Zuiker, and a big-time movie producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, who had no TV track record. In addition, CBS President Leslie Moonves reportedly complained to anyone within earshot that the studio did not want to create a hit for a network that Disney did not own.

Paramount, Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox each passed on the show, citing low network license fees and poor prospects for any significant revenue from international markets. Desperate, Moonves finally turned to Canadian producer/distributor Alliance Atlantis, which was looking to gain a substantial foothold in the U.S. TV market. Confident that it could secure strong deals from territories outside of the U.S. (which it quickly did), Alliance Atlantis jumped at the chance and allowed CSI to proceed.

The show was slotted to follow The Fugitive, a highly anticipated adaptation of the old TV series and popular Harrison Ford film. Mendelsohn recalls that the network didn’t even expect CSI to retain more than 80% of its lead-in audience.

But while The Fugitive fizzled after one season on a cliffhanger, CSI captured the public imagination with its graphic re-creations of often violent crimes and its scientific approach to solving mysteries. The writers immersed themselves in the possibilities of forensic inquiry—at one point, Zuiker dragged a colleague across the floor to determine whether a watch band would leave slivers—and filled the show with engrossing detail. And unlike open-ended series such as The X-Files, the show promised a tidy resolution at the end of each hour. The series was growing into a guilty pleasure.

In February 2001, CBS confidently moved CSI to the competitive 9 p.m. slot on Thursdays after it went from a top-30 network series to a top-20 by the end of 2000. Following the switch, CSI moved into the top five and, by the beginning of May, had landed at No. 1 for the first time.

It and reality juggernaut Survivor eventually put CBS into the driver’s seat, ending NBC’s decades-long dominance of Thursdays.

Today, CSI sits atop the ratings for all TV dramas, its fertile DNA having spawned two successful franchises and made fortunes for the profit participants. In 2002, domestic distributor King World cut a $1.6 million-per-episode off-network deal with what is now Spike TV, which later anted up a record $1.9 million per episode for spinoff CSI: New York.

A PERFECT STORM

Fox executives no doubt felt that 24, which went on to become a nine-figure franchise for the studio, had come to TV at a most inopportune moment.

When the show premiered in November 2001—less than two months after the 9/11 attacks—its future looked dim. Getting a still-traumatized nation to tune into an intense drama about counterterrorism set in real time was a tough proposition. And the show’s star, Keifer Sutherland, was not exactly a bankable TV commodity.

Creator/Executive Producer Joel Surnow says that, when he and partner Robert Cochran pitched the thriller to 20th Century Fox Television (which later took it to Fox) in 2000, the studio began to resist the show’s real-time format in a matter of seconds.

But the studio was willing to commit to a script, and the pilot that got made “blew everyone out of the water,” Surnow says. Still, hesitant executives were “very nervous about the serialized nature of the show,” since such series typically perform poorly in syndication, attracting small off-network license fees. “They kept harping about not wanting any cliffhangers” and having it “served up as a stand-alone,” he says. Plans were even made to produce close-ended episodes in the second season.

But the producers held their ground, and the post-9/11 timing proved auspicious. Folks watching at home apparently were more than ready to watch Agent Jack Bauer fight—and win—this fictional War on Terror an hour at a time, every week. Unlike The West Wing, which grappled with maintaining a level of relevance in a post-9/11 world, 24 fit neatly into the new Zeitgeist, capturing viewers yearning for decisive, retaliatory action.

Surnow knew that the show had turned a corner when Fox executives told him and Cochran to “make sure you have cliffhangers at the end of every episode.”

Looking for new revenue streams, Fox struck a goldmine internationally and changed the TV-to-DVD playbook by introducing the series on disk only a few months after the end of its first season. This year, the show finished its fifth season first in its Monday 9 p.m. time slot among adults 18-49 and 18-34 and among all male demos, posting the largest fifth-season increase (12% over last year among adults 18-49) for a drama since 1990.

The series’ success also proved that audiences were willing to commit to a weekly serial—which the networks hope to replicate this season with such entries as NBC’s Kidnapped, Fox’s Vanished and ABC’s The Nine.

Much as he always believed in his show’s worth, Surnow readily acknowledges that success on TV is often determined by the winds of fate. “For almost every show that is a hit,” he says, “the perfect storm of things has had to happen.”

WILL TREES BEAR FRUIT?

If Surnow is correct, ABC executives might well hope for a tornado of popularity to befall Men in Trees, their upcoming ensemble drama starring Anne Heche.

Granted, the series, with Heche as a dating guru who takes her act to a small Alaskan town populated by men, has been considered anything but an afterthought by the network—or so it seemed. Trees had been paired with another promising series, Ugly Betty, as a two-pronged dramedy outpost on Friday night. But the network has since split the pair, handing Betty a much more vital Thursday time slot. The move has suddenly cast the promising 9 p.m. Friday series in a new and unwanted light: the neglected stepchild.

Instead of having Betty as a lead-in, Trees could be in for a deep Alaskan freeze this fall and winter if it remains behind America’s Funniest Home Videos, a completely different demographic fit. ABC had initially tried to make the Friday-night slot more palatable by pairing it with Betty to attract a young female audience.

The network recently threw Trees a lifeline of sorts, moving its debut up to Sept. 12, behind the season-three debut of highly rated reality series Dancing With the Stars. Three nights later, it will settle into its Friday-night slot in the hope that Dancing’s female audience follows it there.

So whither Trees? Will it bear fruit on Friday nights at 9 p.m., or will it fall in the TV forest with nobody around to hear it? It’s best to recall that, in October 2000, Las Vegas crime procedural CSI also occupied this seemingly underappreciated slot.

In other words, as history has proved, worse things could happen.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6366083

fredfa

08-28-06, 04:44 PM

Emmy Notebook
Oh, those Emmys
By Hal Boedeker Orlando Sentinel Television Critic his TV Guy blog Posted on Aug 28, 2006

Conan O'Brien (left) did a superb job as the Emmy host Sunday night. The Emmy nominators, however, didn't do their job. So the awards added up to a perplexing evening.

How can "My Name Is Earl" win Emmys for writing and directing -- and not be nominated for top sitcom?

It was refreshing to see Kiefer Sutherland and Fox's "24" be honored, finally, for consistently stunning work. But how do you overlook supporting actors Gregory Itzin and Jean Smart, who raised the show to its peak.

It was a delight to see Julia Louis-Dreyfus acclaimed for her comedic skill on CBS' "The New Adventures of Old Christine." She gave a charming speech, dismissing the "Seinfeld" curse and almost forgetting to thank her husband.

But ... and there are a lot of buts ...

The Emmys keep falling into ruts.

Yes, Tony Shalhoub gives a showy performance on USA's "Monk." But if you're going to honor NBC's "The Office" as best sitcom, doesn't Steve Carell deserve the actor prize? (A more deserving winner: Jason Lee, who wasn't nominated for "Earl.")

Yes, HBO's "The Girl in the Cafe" was a wonderful choice for best TV movie. And Kelly Macdonald was a refreshing choice for supporting actress for her role in the romantic drama. But how does the academy ignore Bill Nighy, the film's tremendous star? He wasn't even nominated. He should have won the award that went to Andre Braugher for FX's "Thief."

Yes, I'm happy for Sutherland. But would he have made it to the podium if Hugh Laurie of Fox's "House" had been nominated? I still don't get that snub. Laurie gives the most dynamic dramatic performance by a lead actor week after week.

Yes, Mariska Hargitay of NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" gave a lovely acceptance speech in winning the dramatic-actress prize. But would she have been at the podium if Edie Falco had been nominated for "The Sopranos"?

Oh, well. I'll look at Hargitay's prize as a small bit of progress. With her, the academy broke out of a rut.

Four awards in a row for CBS' "The Amazing Race." Four trophies in a row for Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart." Three for Shalhoub. Two for Blythe Danner of Showtime's canceled "Huff." A second prize for Megan Mullally of NBC's "Will & Grace."

In the end, these awards rarely reflected a golden era for television.

My final verdict: Conan deserved a prize for skillfully hosting a show that deserves no kudos.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2006/08/oh_those_emmys.html

fredfa

08-28-06, 04:49 PM

TV Notebook
Bob Schieffer's final "Evening News"
By Hal Boedeker Orlando Sentinel Television Critic his TV Guy blog

Mark your calendars, Bob Schieffer fans. He steps down as anchor of the "CBS Evening News" on Thursday, Aug. 31.

CBS will salute him that night. The network should thank him for helping revive the 6:30 p.m. newscast. He showcased the network's fine corps of correspondents. He asked them questions that viewers wanted to know. He stressed teamwork instead of taking a star turn. He made the writing more personal and down-to-earth. He set a fine example for Katie Couric, who takes over Sept. 5.

And Schieffer brought more personality to the news, from his heartfelt comments about injured colleague Kimberly Dozier to his witty asides. Did you see the night he ended the news by chuckling over the monocle-wearing man? He was in stitches again Thursday night after interviewing the same man about Pluto's downgrade from planet status.

And Schieffer reacted in sincerely playful way. He didn't ridicule the man or condescend. But Schieffer let viewers see himself. Funny how the little things add up -- you want to see what Schieffer will do next.

Naysayers dismiss the evening news as so yesterday, but Schieffer proved it could be vibrant again. It falls to Couric to build on his excellent work.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2006/08/bobs_final_even.html

fredfa

08-28-06, 04:52 PM

TV Notebook
ABC Renews 'Kimmel'
By Michele Greppi TVWeek.com August 28, 2006

ABC has renewed "Jimmy Kimmel Live" for a fifth season in late-night. The announcement from the network makes this a happy fall for Mr. Kimmel, who also has a prime-time special, "Jimmy Kimmel Live's All-Star Salute to Jimmy Kimmel Live!," airing on ABC at 10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13.

The late-night hour's audience grew 6 percent overall to 1.64 million viewers in the 2005-06 season and 17 percent among 18- to 49-year-old viewers. It had a summer of double-digit growth in both categories.

"Jimmy Kimmel is the future of late-night television, and we're thrilled to have him on ABC," Andrea Wong, executive VP of alternative programming, specials and late-night for ABC Entertainment, said in the announcement. "His show exhibits great creative strength, which is reflected in his growing audience.

Mr. Kimmel regards network press releases as just another venue for comedy. In the announcement, he pronounced himself "delighted" about the renewal of "Jimmy Kimmel Live." "I watch it all the time," he said.

"Jimmy Kimmel Live's All-Star Salute to Jimmy Kimmel Live!" will be taped in front of a live studio audience.

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=10630

fredfa

08-28-06, 04:58 PM

TV Notebook
10 Questions for Meredith Vieira
By Jeff Chu Time Magazine

Her goofy humor and disarming frankness won Meredith Vieira myriad fans as the host of The View and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. On Sept. 13 the veteran journalist and mother of three takes a seat opposite Matt Lauer as the new co-anchor of NBC's Today show. She talked with TIME's Jeff Chu about how her husband's battles with cancer and multiple sclerosis have changed her, working moms who want to have it all, and her favorite story of all time.

In 2002 you turned down CBS's Early Show and said you "don't like getting up early in the morning." What's different now?

It's the Today show. It's an institution. I have the opportunity to do pretty much any story I want to do. And if I don't do this now, I'll probably not get offered it again. I'd kick myself. I'm not somebody who loves getting up at 4 in the morning, so this might kill me, but we'll see.

What do viewers want in the morning?

They want to feel informed when they walk outside, but I think they also want to feel good. The news these days is not particularly positive, and you have to share that. But you can also do fun things on Today and send people off with a smile on their face.

What kinds of stories do you love to do?

I'm always drawn most to the stories of everyday folks who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. My favorite story ever was one I did for West 57th, about a little boy named Anthony. He was a 7-year-old living an extremely difficult life in Chicago with a single mom who was quite troubled. He had a lot of strikes against him, but he was going to make it. I was glad I was able to introduce him and tell his story. He has since grown up and finished high school, which, in his family, nobody did. So he was a success.

Today is a great platform. Are there causes you want to advocate?

Because of my personal story, I'm very interested in illness. One thing we discovered as a family is that when you're thrown a curveball like cancer or multiple sclerosis, often people don't know what to do first. I'd love to help people navigate that so that they feel somehow in control in bad times.

How has your experience with your husband's illnesses made you different from the Meredith of, say, 20 years ago?

Let me preface this by saying I wouldn't wish it on anybody. But I do think I'm stronger. I'm more optimistic. You'd think I'd be a real pessimist, but when you handle adversity, it gives you an up feeling. I attach a value to life that I might not otherwise, because I see the other side. But I wish I could say it had never happened.

You quit 60 Minutes to focus on your family, but you now seem to juggle motherhood and work well. What do you say to women who want to have it all?

I hate that expression. When I left 60 Minutes, I had women who came up to me very angry and said, "You know, you were proof you could have it all. How dare you leave?" I thought that was ridiculous--I would lie to myself to create a lie for everybody else? You have to prioritize. If you can fit in job and kids and be comfortable with it, great. At that point, I realized I couldn't do it and give my kids and husband what they needed.

What did your mom teach you?

I was kind of raised as a boy. My mom was a stay-at-home mom, and she didn't want that for me. She always made me feel that I would do as well or better than any guy. And I was too stupid to think I would have a hard time.

Let's talk about The View for a moment. Were you tired of it?

Not tired, but I'd been doing it for nine years. The positive side was that it was like a wonderful, comfortable pair of slippers. But you can become so blasé.

Have you been watching since you left--and what did you think of Star Jones Reynolds' leaving?

I didn't watch at all. I needed to think ahead. But I have to admit, the day after Star made her announcement, I watched. I feel very sad for everything that's happened and for everybody involved. I'm proud of the work we did there, but it's not a good time in the history of that show. It's hard to watch. It sort of became a joke.

At the end of each show, you always told your audience to take time to enjoy the view. Do you have time to enjoy yours?

It's dwindling! But I do. I think I'll enjoy the view from Today. If I ever reach the point where I can't enjoy it, I'm out of there. With those hours, you'd better have fun.

Editor’s Note: Ms. Vieira’s remarks about “The View” were intended to refer to the media attention and circus-like atmosphere surrounding the show in recent months; not the show itself. She assures TIME that in no way were her comments meant to be insensitive or derogatory about a program she takes great pride in having built and been associated with for the last nine years.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0,8816,1376220,00.html

fredfa

08-28-06, 05:01 PM

Emmy Notebook
There's Got To Be a Morning After
By Ray Richmond The Hollywood Reporter in his blog “Past Deadline”

First off, I take no personal credit in Ellen Burstyn having been a no-show at Sunday night's Emmy Awards despite my having gone on the rampage over her 14-second Emmy-nominated performance. But I do admit to some glee, as perhaps something kicked in to keep the actress away. Maybe she never planned to attend even had her performance clocked in at 28 seconds, or 29. Whatever, it was the right thing to do.

More confusing was the no-show of Shirley Jones, who had been nominated in the same category as Burstyn (supporting actress in a movie/mini). Here her husband Marty Ingels had put up some $75,000 of his very own greenbacks to ensure her nom with trade ads and screen mailouts galore. It works. And then she doesn't bother to come? This doesn't smell quite right.

But what's really head-scratching is the criticism of Conan O'Brien and NBC for not having bagged a "Lost" plane crash spoof at the top of his Emmycast-opening bit. Some believe that heads at NBC ought to roll over this one, arguing that the plane crash in Kentucky on Sunday morning that took the lives of 49 people should have signaled the bagging of the piece out of respect to the victims. I well understand that sentiment, of course, but I still find it odd.

Everyone acknowledges that the bit was taped in advance and actually had nothing to do with an actual plane crash but the event that launched the storyline in "Lost." It was likely too late to replace the skit with something else, and I buy the argument that fiddling with it would have probably required the producers to deep-six most or all of the multi-pronged opening segment entirely for reasons of flow. It's tough to start cutting and pasting on telecast day.

Should they have just unloaded it anyway, the consequences be damned? I don't think so. Plane crashes happen -- certainly more frequently than we'd like. Was this unfortunate timing? Of course. But I wasn't sitting there cringing while watching it despite the day's events. Am I unusual in that regard? This is an entertainment event, something that never should be mistaken for a news event. We didn't see the plane go down in the sketch, just chaos onboard and then Conan stumbling, dazed, onto a beach.

To me, this is a far cry from depicting a plane slamming into a building in the wake of 9/11, for instance. If you have enough advance notice of an event, of course you change the sketch. But I don't believe the decision not to bag it is something for which NBC and O'Brien should be flogged.

What it perhaps comes down to is simply this: political correctitude continues to run roughshod over America.

http://www.pastdeadline.com/

fredfa

08-28-06, 05:20 PM

Emmy Notebook
Aaron Barnhart Discusses the Emmy Awards

This morning Aaron Barnhart, the Kansas City Star TV Critic, talked about the plane crash controversy and the future of “The Wire” with Chip Franklin on WBAL Radio in Baltimore. You can hear it here:

http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/files/WBAL_20060828.mp3

fredfa

08-28-06, 05:23 PM

Emmy Notebook
Covering the Emmys; hurry up and wait
By Bill Goodykoontz Arizona Republic TV Critic in his blog

Usually I go to Los Angeles to cover the Emmys, which is an odd little exercise: you have to wear a tux, but you can't go into the theater. You sit in a tent next door and wait for the winners to be paraded before you, so that you can ask them questions. Then, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with other writers, after waiting for hours for the thing to get started and then get over with, you bang out a story in far too little time and hope for the best.

Lots of Ls in Mullally to account for on deadline, that kind of thing.

This year I watched from Phoenix, which was a completely different experience. Well, different in that I sat alone, instead of shoulder-to-shoulder with other people, banging out a story in far too little time.

Writing about the Oscars, or any other awards show, is similar: the major awards are held until the end. They crank them out so quickly they whiz right by -- and so, if you're not careful, does whatever theme you're trying to pick up on.

I've had a little time here to think about it now, and I still can't come up with any theme more over-arching than the one I used in my newspaper column: could've been worse. The Office and 24 were worthy winners, even if I would have voted for Arrested Development and The Sopranos. But you can't complain, at least not much. I don't think Mariska Hargitay deserved best actress in a drama, but really, that was Edie Falco's award, and she wasn't even nominated, so who cares?

If they ever go to a permanent host, Conan O'Brien ought to be it. Loved the taped intro, which puts the tired ones Billy Crystal does for the Oscars to shame.

As ever, there's neither time nor space to fit everything into the newspaper version. One thing I wish I'd had room for: Greg Garcia's delightfully snarky acceptance speech. He won for writing for My Name Is Earl, which he created. He decided, in the interest of time, to share the names of all the people he was NOT sharing his award with -- his eighth-grade teacher who told him to sit down and shut up because he wasn't funny, that kind of thing.

The thing is, I'm sure Garcia meant it. He does bitter better than anyone. He holds a grudge with an iron grip over critics not liking Yes, Dear, the other show he created. That chip on his shoulder is real.

Also of note: Hugh Laurie's hilarious translations, increasingly bad, of Helen Mirren's comments when they presented together. Laurie, of course, was famous as a comedian long before House came along; Mirren's really funny, too. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert were funny, as you'd expect. "I LOST TO BARRY MANILOW!" -- now there's a punch line for the ages.

Another observation: it's beyond tacky, I suppose, to notice which of the people who died in the last year got the biggest applause when their picture was shown. But it was oddly comforting to see that Don Knotts got the most.

Overall, though, it was a muted affair. Maybe it's because I wasn't there and was thus removed from whatever glitz and glamour soaks through from the theater to the press tent, though that seems unlikely. Probably it was the weird '70s feel brought on by the Dick Clark (Barry Manilow?!) and Aaron Spelling tributes. (By the way, if I had to put money on which of the Charlie's Angels would have held up best, I'd have bet Kate Jackson in a minute. Boy was I wrong. Jaclyn Smith was the winner in a walk.)

But there is this: at least I didn't have to wear a tux

http://www.azcentral.com/blogs/index.php?blog=5&blogtype=Entertainment

fredfa

08-28-06, 05:28 PM

Emmy Notebook
Emmy's Bad Timing
By Roger Catlin Hartford Courant TV Critic in his “TV Eye” blog August 28, 2006

Showing the Emmys on the No. 4 network and dragging the event from mid-September to late August hurt ratings for the event Sunday.

The awards show drew its fourth-smallest audience ever, averaging 16.1 viewers -- down 14 percent from last year.

It was NBC’s turn to host the show, but it scheduled the event in August so as not to conflict with its new Sunday Night Football, which kicks off Sept. 10 (and an Emmys during Labor Day Weekend was out of the question).

Still, it did better than 2004’s 13.8 million audience recorded in the traditional mid-September slot.

But timing was another problem for the Emmys as the broadcast began off with a filmed Conan O'Brien plane crash segment came hours after an actual plane crash in Kentucky that killed 49.

Network officials said Monday in a statement “the timing was unfortunate, and we regret any unintentional pain it may have caused."

http://blogs.courant.com/roger_catlin_tv_eye/

fredfa

08-28-06, 05:30 PM

Emmy Notebook
E! Tops Cable Carpet Competition
By Anne Becker Broadcasting & Cable 8/28/2006

E! delivered just over triple the ratings of the TV Guide Channel with its Emmy pre-show, but NBC, which carried the Emmy broadcast immediately afterward, beat them both according to overnight research from Nielsen Media Research metered markets.

E!'s Live From the Red Carpet: The 2006 Emmy Awards, delivered a 2.09 household rating, compared to TV Guide's .66 for Joan & Melissa: Live at the Emmy Awards 2006. Both specials ran from 6-8 p.m. By comparison, NBC's 2006 Emmy Red Carpet Special, which aired from 7-8 p.m. averaged a 5.9 household rating in the local markets.

E!'s pre-show, hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana DePandi, was down slightly from the 2.22 household rating it got last year, although up from two years ago, when it earned a 1.9 rating.
The past two years, the show had been hosted by Star Jones Reynolds. TV Guide Channel's pre-show was on par with its .7 rating from last year.

NBC's pre-show, hosted by Access Hollywood's Billy Bush and Nancy O'Dell, averaged 7.3 million total viewers and a 1.9/6 in the 18-49 demo, based on fast-affiliate numbers from Nielsen's regular national sample.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6366457

fredfa

08-28-06, 05:56 PM

TV Notebook
A Year Of Katrina:
"We Were Witnesses"
(from Brian Stelter’s TVNewser at mediabistro.com) August 28, 2006

Viewers didn't know it at the time, and most still don't.

But NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams -- whose on-the-scene coverage of Hurricane Katrina helped earn NBC a Peabody Award -- fell "terribly ill" in the days following the storm.

On Tuesday, Aug. 30, "we did a broadcast from the I-10 overpass," Williams recalls. "I thought I could stand up, and I got very weak. They started pumping me with fluids and made me sit down on an equipment box for the broadcast."

In an interview with TVNewser last week, Williams was clearly uncomfortable discussing the illness.

"The only problem I have with it being public... is that I am the last person people should be thinking about," he says. "I was surrounded by such depravity, watching people try to survive with such great quiet dignity, that I have a real problem with any attention [directed toward me]."

Williams never revealed his illness to viewers. "It was a very closely held thing," he says. "My only motive was, I didn't want anybody talking about it."

His illness never made news. (TV Week came closest on Sept. 5, mentioning that two NBC employees had fallen ill.) But author Douglas Brinkley caught wind of Williams' condition and described it in his book, The Great Deluge.

Williams "fell terribly ill from dysentery on Tuesday," Brinkley wrote. "He possibly contracted the disease by ingesting water containing bacteria, while doing a Today show appearance. He was standing next to flood water, sipping distilled Kentwood Water, when he noticed a trickle of brown on the side of the plastic bottle. A few drops of the sewage water had accidentally gotten into his mouth."

When asked about his sickness, Williams seemed eager to change the subject. His reasoning was clear: "People were dying around me. The last person in my thoughts was myself."

"Doomsday scenario"

When Williams says "people were dying around me," he still sounds shocked.

He was sitting at home on Aug. 27 when NBC News president Steve Capus called. Capus, fresh off a conference call with Max Mayfield, was shaken by the predictions of the storm. Williams remembers hearing the word "doomsday scenario."

Still, Williams thought, he would cover the storm and come home a couple days later.

"I told family and friends, 'I'll see you in a couple days,'" he recalled.

He worried that Americans wouldn't pay enough attention to the storm story because it was happening during the dog days of August. He packed his bags and caught a flight to Louisiana.

"The archetype television story"

Williams was inside the Superdome for the height of the hurricane. He left the shelter to anchor Monday's Nightly News. He said the vacuum of information in New Orleans was "appalling."

"To this day, I have never received an appropriate answer as to why, in a city with no information, they couldn't have simply hired a plane to tow a banner with information on where to go. It would have been the only aircraft over the city, the only source of noise. People would have looked up and word would have spread like wildfire," he says.

Instead, a disaster of biblical proportions unfolded.

"I think the despair set in around Thursday," Williams says. "I later learned that our broadcast that night prompted a call to the president by an aide in the West Wing asking if he was watching." (He apparently wasn't; an aide burned Bush a DVD of the coverage.)

It happened like a slow train wreck. Williams calls it the "archetype television story."

"I don't think there has been a story better told by television," he says.

For the media, Williams thinks the foremost lesson of Katrina is this: "When we go, we need to go all the way."

He explains: "When we put our minds to it, we can cover a story unlike any other medium. We still have a vital civic role. We've got to remember, we report to the folks in our audience. We serve them. We have our role as watchdogs, keeping government officials' feet to the fire. It's undiminished; it has never changed. People say we lost our voice because of what may have been less than aggressive coverage of the runup to the war. I say we've always had it. This just made us first responders. We beat the first responders. We were witnesses. We were witnesses to a colossal disaster and a botched response. And that's what happened."

http://mediabistro.com/tvnewser/

fredfa

08-28-06, 08:34 PM

Emmy Notebook
Long night for Emmys
The gaffe-plagued telecast didn't exactly run smoothly
By Scott Collins Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Sunday's 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on NBC started with a cringe-inducing clinker.

Kicking off an otherwise funny reel that found tuxedo-clad host Conan O'Brien racing to get to the ceremony while encountering characters in various TV shows such as "House" and "South Park," the producers marred the effect by retaining an opening bit that put the host in a realistic plane crash spoofing the one from the premiere of ABC's smash "Lost."

Not a problem on a normal day, perhaps, but Sunday morning's news was dominated by the fiery crash of a commuter jet in Kentucky that killed 49 people.

An NBC spokeswoman reached via e-mail Sunday night said executives were busy with the show and couldn't be reached for comment. But people close to the production said the introduction was taped and the crash scene couldn't be altered without destroying the entire piece.

Tim Gilbert, president and general manager of NBC affiliate WLEX-TV in Lexington, Ky.,% told the local paper he was "stunned" by the crash spoof and vowed to complain to network officials. "We wish somebody had thought this through," Gilbert said.

Other groan-inducing moments of questionable taste followed, with an evident sex fixation coursing around the Shrine Auditorium. Take, for example, Jeremy Piven, who seemed to be channeling Ari Gold, the profane agent he plays on HBO's comedy "Entourage." Taking home the prize for supporting actor, Piven mentioned that at the start of his Hollywood career years ago, an agent warned that he wouldn't really start getting acting work until he was in his 40s. "I thought, 'Do I become a fluffer?'." he told the crowd. "I was confused."

For the uninitiated, "fluffer" is slang for someone who prepares male porno actors for their scenes. The word has occasionally cropped up on prime time before -- including in at least one episode of UPN's drama "Veronica Mars" -- but this is the first known usage on the Emmys.

O'Brien himself got into the act, warbling a gag song that ridiculed his employer for lousy ratings. "Gee, we're screwed," he sang. At another point, he advised Web users they could "go back to surfing for porn."

The off-color jokes kept coming even after Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert strode onstage with a tongue-in-cheek Bill O'Reilly-style greeting: "Good evening, godless sodomites!"

Will Emmy win lift 'The Office'?

Wow, NBC's "The Office" won the Emmy for outstanding comedy Sunday night.

This means ... well, something. Right?

Certainly it tosses some welcome creative validation to writer-producer Greg Daniels, lead actor Steve Carell and colleagues, who've bravely soldiered on with their loony satire of corporate life, even in the face of anemic ratings. "The Office" is indeed one of the best comedies on TV, although when the Emmy competition includes "Two and a Half Men," it's safe to say that our epoch is not to the sitcom what the Restoration was to stage comedy.

But, more important in the calculus of Hollywood, does this mean that "The Office" will finally turn into the slow-roasting hit that, say, Fox's spy drama "24" has become?

Here's an answer in two words: "Arrested Development."

You may recall that Fox's low-rated, critically acclaimed comedy about a loony Orange County clan won the Emmy for best comedy in 2004. The producers held hands with the network suits and waited for the surging influx of viewers who watched "Arrested's" Emmy triumph.

Two seasons later, they were still waiting.

"Arrested" had its swan song Sunday, losing out to "The Office" in the comedy category. The show was canceled earlier this year.

Carell, speaking to reporters backstage, preferred to stay optimistic that "Office" will avoid the same fate: "If the show runs for five or six years maybe we'll end up hating each other, but right now there's a lot of love going on."

http://theenvelope.latimes.com/awards/emmys/env-et-channel28aug28,0,2628688,print.story

fredfa

08-28-06, 08:42 PM

Emmy Notebook
Emmy rebuttal to Paul Brownfield & Scott Collins
The gaffe-plagued telecast didn't exactly run smoothly
By Tom O’Neil Los Angeles Times Staff Writer In “The Gold Derby” Award blog

In the spirit of fair Emmy play, permit me to offer counterpoints to the Emmy disappointments of my L.A. Times colleagues Paul Brownfield and Scott Collins. To read their full articles, see Scott Collins piece above, Brownfield’s is here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8303066&&#post8303066

Let's take these issues comment by comment:

Brownfield: "The Emmy telecast was . . . a horrible showcase for the series that make TV a hot medium — 'Lost,' 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'The Sopranos,' 'American Idol.'"

Rebuttal: Yes, the shut-out of "Grey's Anatomy" was sad, but it lost best drama series to an acclaimed show cheered by TV critics for just having had its best season ever ("24"). "Grey's" dual defeats in the writing race went to the best episode of a show you also bemoan not doing better ("The Sopranos"). Should "Sopranos" have won best drama? Most critics say it didn't have a superior season, at least not better than "24." Sandra Oh and Chandra Wilson lost to a worthy, gifted rival and one of showbiz's grandest acting dames, Blythe Danner. "American Idol" keeps losing for two reasons: 1.) the thrill of that show has more to do with its competition than what we actually see on the tube and 2.) it deserves to lose based upon its episode submissions. One TV academy member who judged that race told me he was "really disappointed" in the episode sample entered by producers, a complaint I've heard year after year. "Lost" got shut out of the drama series race because it failed to pay attention to how the Emmy game is played, by giving the nomination-panel judges an episode ("Man of Science, Man of Faith") that was full of dangling plot lines that made little sense to judges who aren't regular viewers of the show. That doesn't mean that those judges don't ever watch the show, just not all of them continuously, which was necessary to understand what was going on. Frankly, I didn't think much was going on plot-wise in that "Lost" episode, period: we see a bunch of islanders fretting on and on about opening a hatch they find in the jungle floor, we see glimpses of a mysterious man down below in a bunker pad and meantime, back up above, other islanders chase after a dog into the jungle at night. That's Emmy-worthy? Why didn't the producers of "Lost" submit what TV Guide called its best episode last season? Had they given judges the Tailies episode, it might have done a better job grabbing voters and, egads, it even might've made sense: it had a story line with a beginning, middle and an end. I strongly suspect that if the producers had entered their best work, like they were supposed to do, their show would've been nommed. Do you criticize the Olympics for failing to give a gold medal to a competitor who fails to compete smartly?

Brownfield: "It's not so much that 'Lost' deserved to be nominated, it's that none of the series are being judged in their totality."

Rebuttal: A juried award system can't do that. We can't realistically expect jurors to watch two dozen episodes of all five nominated series and then pick a winner. That's why nominee wannabes must submit a sample of their best work for the nominating process, and, if nommed, then six samples in the final round to decide a winner. Unfortunately, this year, when the Emmys experimented with a new nominating system, there was an epidemic outbreak of the Susan Lucci Disease, which doesn't happen often, but "Lost," "Desperate Housewives" and even Lauren Graham ("The Gilmore Girls") all came down with delirious fevers (or something) that caused them to hand in lousy sample episodes. Granted, the Emmys shouldn't decide anything based solely upon one episode and I think they know that now and will field more episodes from contenders next year.

Brownfield: "So you sit there and watch Megan Mullally win for 'Will & Grace,' a show living in syndication, and Blythe Danner for 'Huff,' a canceled Showtime series watched by less than the population of Palm Springs, and Tony Shalhoub for 'Monk.' Already, you could sense the demo leaving the room — and that was before Barry Manilow won the award for outstanding individual performance in a variety or music program."

Rebuttal: It would be outrageously unfair if the Emmys penalized a TV show for leaving the airwaves after airing episodes during the same eligibility period as ongoing programs. Why shouldn't they all be judged equally? What if a show had its best year as its last? It should be dismissed by voters whose job is to critique quality? It would be equally bad if voters punished a program for low ratings. If Emmy voters did that over decades past, it's a good bet that some of TV's greatest series — including "Cheers," "Hill Street Blues," "Cagney and Lacey" and/or "All in the Family" — would've been canceled without the Emmy wins that saved them. Is Tony Shalhoub undeserving? Did you watch the episodes submitted by the five contenders for comedy actor? What's wrong with Barry Manilow? He should be shuttled because he's old news like "Will & Grace"? He's widely regarded as one of the greatest music artists of this era.

Brownfield: " By the end of the evening, I had lost total faith in the idea of an Emmy."

Rebuttal: By the end of the evening, my faith in the Emmy was greatly enhanced.

Collins: "Wow, NBC's 'The Office' won the Emmy for outstanding comedy Sunday night. This means ... well, something. Right? Certainly it tosses some welcome creative validation to writer-producer Greg Daniels, lead actor Steve Carell and colleagues, who've bravely soldiered on with their loony satire of corporate life, even in the face of anemic ratings. 'The Office' is indeed one of the best comedies on TV, although when the Emmy competition includes 'Two and a Half Men,' it's safe to say that our epoch is not to the sitcom what the Restoration was to stage comedy."

Rebuttal: There are some esteemed TV critics who disagree with you. Robert Bianco of USA Today is among those who believe that "Two and a Half Men" is not only underrated because it suffers from the reputation of its genre, being a sitcom, but that it's one of the best shows on the tube. Indeed, I think one of the nicest surprises that resulted from the new Emmy nominating panels was that oft-dismissed genres like sitcoms ("Two and a Half Men," "King of Queens") and procedural crime dramas ("Law & Order: Special Victims Unit") suddenly got hiked respect from TV professionals (those Emmy judges) when viewed up close during panel inspection. Later, when I watched those episode samples submitted to jurors, I agreed that they were good, even worthy of Emmy consideration — and one win (Mariska Hargitay).

Collins: "But, more important in the calculus of Hollywood, does this mean that 'The Office' will finally turn into the slow-roasting hit that, say, Fox's spy drama '24' has become? Here's an answer in two words: 'Arrested Development.' You may recall that Fox's low-rated, critically acclaimed comedy about a loony Orange County clan won the Emmy for best comedy in 2004. The producers held hands with the network suits and waited for the surging influx of viewers who watched 'Arrested's' Emmy triumph. Two seasons later, they were still waiting. 'Arrested' had its swan song Sunday, losing out to 'The Office' in the comedy category. The show was canceled earlier this year."

Rebuttal: One more time — the Emmys, if they do their job right, shouldn't care a hoot about Nielsens or even whether or show is alive or dead. Only with how good it is. When "Arrested Development" won best comedy two years ago, its victory was widely hailed by America's TV critics as one of the best Emmy wins ever. As a result, the Fox network gave the show an extra year or two of life that can now be enjoyed by the TV fans on DVD for generations. TV's Golden Girl, Emmy, did her job brilliantly, and nobly, as she has done so often in the past by bravely embracing a deserving, low-rated show with a top win. She shouldn't be condemned now because mass viewers failed to follow. As you say, Emmy voters got best comedy right this year — "The Office." Why do you turn that into a damning negative?

Oh, yeah, two more things: Conan O'Brien performed brilliantly as host, especially that irreverent "River City" slam at his employer and the Emmy telecaster. That took guts and he pulled it off with panache and a deft soft shoe. His opening montage should not have been nixed because a plane went down in Kentucky.

http://goldderby.latimes.com/

fredfa

08-28-06, 09:00 PM

Ok, readers.

You have coasted long enough.

It has been almost nine hours (and 32 posts) since anyone aside from me has posted any questions or comments on this thread. (But who is counting?)

this thread works a lot better when it is interactive.

So, is anyone awake?

(Although I know after the Emmys I am feeling a bit sleepy...and maybe all the Emmy posts had the same effect on all of you.)

PJO1966

08-28-06, 09:07 PM

Hi fredfa.

:D

fredfa

08-28-06, 09:34 PM

At least that breaks the silence streak! :)

fredfa

08-28-06, 09:39 PM

A different perspective on the Emmy ratings:
Emmy Notebook
Emmy ratings down only 12 percent
By Tom O'Neil, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer in “The Envelope” Awards blog

Preliminary Nielsen numbers show that the Emmys pulled a 13.1 rating/ 20 share, which is down 12 percent from last year's 14.9 rating/ 22 share. But that's actually good news considering:

• TV ratings at the end of August are usually down 10 percent or more anyway

• The Emmys were on CBS last year, a network with higher Nielsens than NBC

• All of the counter-programming that other networks dared to run against it (usually a no-no on the night of TV's Oscars): ABC aired "Pirates of the Caribbean," CBS telecast a new episode of "Big Brother: All Stars," HBO unveiled the season finales of "Deadwood," "Entourage" and "Lucky Louie," USA network aired the season finales of "The 4400" and "The Dead Zone" and Fox showed "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones."

http://goldderby.latimes.com/

fredfa

08-28-06, 09:42 PM

Remember the critics who predicted the Emmy outcomes last week in the LA Times? How did they do..read on:
Emmy Notebook
3 pundits tie as our best Emmy seers
By Tom O'Neil, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer in “The Envelope” Awards blog

Congrats to Hal Boedeker (Orlando Sentinel), Ray Richmond (Hollywood Reporter) and David Zurawik (Baltimore Sun) for scoring the highest tally when forecasting 12 Emmy races here at The Envelope: all nailed 5 correct predix.

The most confounding Emmys ever resulted in the lowest score ever for GoldDerby's racetrack odds: only 2 out of 12.

Below is our score breakdown among pundits.

Note none of us foresaw the Emmy victories by best drama actor Kiefer Sutherland ("24"), best drama actress Marika Hargitay ("Law & Order: Special Victims Unit") or best actor in a TV film/mini Andre Braugher ("Thief"). Christopher Lisotta (TV Week) also participated in our panel, but only forecasted three races, all incorrectly, alas. (Memo to Chris: If it's any consolation, please note that most of us got those wrong, too.)

FIVE CORRECT
Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel
Ray Richmond, Hollywood Reporter
David Zurawik, Baltimore Sun

FOUR CORRECT
Robert Bianco, USA Today

THREE CORRECT
Tom O'Neil, GoldDerby, TheEnvelope.com
Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune

TWO CORRECT
Matt Roush, TV Guide
Diane Werts, Newsday

http://goldderby.latimes.com/

fredfa

08-28-06, 09:49 PM

Emmy Notebook
NBC Touts the Ratings
(NBC Press Release)
35 MILLION WATCH ALL OR PART OF 'THE 58TH ANNUAL PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS' TELECAST

IT'S THE HIGHEST-RATED PRIMETIME TELECAST ON ANY NETWORK SINCE THE NBA FINALS IN 18-49, AND THE BIGGEST AVERAGE AUDIENCE SINCE THE 'DEAL OR NO DEAL' SEASON FINALE ON JUNE 5

NBC WINS SUNDAY IN 18-49 AND TOTAL VIEWERS

BURBANK, Calif. August 28, 2006 NBC Research estimates a total of 35.2 million viewers watched all or part of last night's telecast of "The 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards" on NBC, according to preliminary "fast national" "live plus same day" viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research. Paced by the "Emmy Awards," NBC won Sunday night in adults 18-49 and in total viewers.

The Emmy telecast, hosted by Conan O'Brien, delivered the highest 18-49 rating for any primetime telecast on any network since the sixth game of the NBA Finals June 20 and the largest total viewership during an average minute for any telecast since the "Deal or No Deal" season finale on June 5. NBC's telecast of "The 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards" averaged a 5.2 rating, 14 share in adults 18-49 and 16.1 million viewers overall during an average minute from 8-11 p.m. ET last night.

Despite unusual competition from the network premiere of the blockbuster 2003 film "Pirates of the Caribbean" on ABC, the "Emmy Awards" ranked #1 for its time period in adults 18-49, total viewers and other key ratings measures. The telecast was up 126 percent in 18-49 rating versus NBC's summer-to-date average for the time period (5.2 vs. 2.3).

Versus last year's Emmy telecast, which was broadcast on September 18, 2005 on CBS, last night's telecast was down 15 percent in adult 18-49 rating and 14 percent in total viewers. Versus the 2004 Emmy Awards, which were broadcast on ABC September 19, 2004, last night's telecast was up 13 percent in 18-49 and 17 percent in total viewers.

From 7-8 p.m. ET last night, "The 2006 Emmy Red Carpet Special," hosted by Billy Bush and Nancy O'Dell, averaged a 1.9/6 in 18-49 and 7.3 million viewers overall. This was up 27 percent versus NBC's summer-to-date average for the time period (1.9 vs. 1.5) and in total viewers, it was NBC's top audience in the hour with non-sports programming in nearly four months (since "Dateline NBC" on April 30). Versus the most recent comparable telecast, ABC's "Countdown to Emmy" special in 2004, "The 2006 Emmy Red Carpet Special" was up 12 percent in 18-49 rating (1.9 vs. 1.7) and 1.4 million viewers overall. There was no special Emmy coverage prior to last year's telecast due to a football ovrerrun.

Preliminary primetime averages for Sunday, Aug. 27 in adults 18-49 are NBC (4.3/12), ABC (3.5/10), CBS (2.5/7), Fox (1.7/5), and WB (0.4/1) In overall total viewers, Aug. 27 preliminary averages are NBC (13.9 million), ABC (9.3 million), CBS (9.0 million), Fox (4.4 million) and WB (1.1 million).

Note that all national ratings are "live plus same day" unless otherwise indicated.

CHeath

08-28-06, 09:50 PM

fredfa

08-28-06, 09:54 PM

Emmy Notebook
Ratings Comparison

As a measuring stick, here is how NBC’s 16.1 million viewers stack up against the prime-time shows broadcast during the week of August 14-20 with all viewership in millions:

Program Network Viewers
1 America's Got Talent (Thu.) NBC 12.05
2 America's Got Talent (Wed.) NBC 11.63
3 60 Minutes CBS 11.50
4 CSI: Miami CBS 10.71
5 So You Think You Can Dance (Wed., 9 p.m.) FOX 10.65

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

dad1153

08-28-06, 09:59 PM

I'd post but (a) I have a headache (a big one! :( ), (b) I'm this close (fingers a few inches apart) to pulling the trigger on my first HDTV set ever and (c) I have a TON of work tomorrow at the office on top of the TON of work I did over the weekend. That said fredfa, I followed your tally of Emmy wins and was delighted that you were kept busy-enough to keep track of the thing. I DVR'ed the Emmys and fast-forwarded through them this morning without knowing the results. Impressions:

-Conan's comedy bits were brilliant (nearly died laughing when he went from 'South Park' closet to the 'Dateline NBC' camera-rigged kitchen for sexual predators) but it didn't really feel like he was 'hosting' anything. The Emmy's pretty much ran themselves with Conan doing funny bits evert half-hour or so;

-Barry Manilow's win reminds me of the time a few years back when Eddie Izzard won the Emmy in the same category (deservingly so); this inspired Colbert and Stewart to give the evening's best Emmy presentation (Colbert's 'I lost to Barry Manilow!!!!' line had me crying from laughing so hard);

-As a diehard fan of 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' it was nice to see Marisa Hargitay getting recognized for excellent work that for years has gone unnoticed (especially since NOBODY mentioned her as a potential winner). Chris Melloni's participation on Conan's 'Segway acceptance speech' skit was hilarious because everyone in the room (including Chris) knew that this was the closest he'd ever get to holding the trophy;

-It's official now: Tony Shaloub has become the next David Hyde Pierce. If he keep getting nomianted everyone else in that category might as well not show up Emmy night.

-Wasn't 'The West Wing' going to walk away with a ton of awards? Wasn't 'Grey's Anatomy' poised to sweep? Predictions this year were so off you might as well toss the names of the nominees up in the air and grab one at random. At least 'The Sopranos' won a (deserved) Emmy for dramatic writing, one the show's best attributes despite the mediocre season they just had!

I have more to say but my headache is pounding me harder than the PC police knocking on Conan's door for that 'Lost' airplane skit (humorless morons!). Just wanted to lift your spirits up a little fredfa, since you sound depressed that nobody is posting on your thread. Just because I and many others don't post everyday doesn't mean we don't read or appreciate your hard work.

Keep it up Fredfa... and continue posting news items too! :eek: :D :rolleyes:

fredfa

08-28-06, 09:59 PM

Emmy Notebook
More audio from Aaron Barnhart

Aaron Barnhart of the Kansas City Star appeared with Paul Harris on KMOX Radio today in St. Louis where he explained why the audience booed Simon Cowell, why Conan won't win any Emmys, and why the Emmy for best reality competition went to the wrong show.

Here is how Harris sets up the audio clip:

“Considering yesterday's Comair plane crash that killed 49 people in Lexington, Kentucky, should NBC have cancelled the Emmy Awards opening segment which began with host Conan O'Brien on a jet that goes down and lands on the "Lost" island? Some critics are saying it was incredibly insensitive to allow it on the air, especially since they had plenty of time to yank it.

I disagree, as I told Aaron Barnhart this afternoon on KMOX show during our discussion of the Emmys -- he had another angle on the story. Aaron also explained why the audience booed Simon Cowell, why Conan won't win any Emmys, and why the Emmy for best reality competition went to the wrong show.”

Hear it here:

http://www.harrisonline.com/2006/08/aaron-barnhart-on-emmys-controversy.htm

fredfa

08-28-06, 10:02 PM

...I'm this close (fingers a few inches apart) to pulling the trigger on my first HDTV set ever ...

Thanks, dad...and you will enjoy the HDTV no end!

(I am with you on Ms. Hargitay!)

fredfa

08-28-06, 10:24 PM

Emmy Notebook
Humor Is the New Gravitas
What makes Katie Couric’s ascension to evening anchor significant is not that she’s a woman—it’s that she’s funny (and a woman).
By Kurt Andersen New York Magazine Sept. 11, 2006

Last week, with a brand-new set freshly loaded into its studio, CBS News started doing daily run-throughs with Katie Couric in the anchor chair—a “shadow show,” as news division president Sean McManus described it to me, that will continue until they go live September 5. Finally. It was way back in 2004, more than half-an-Iraq-war ago, that Dan Rather admitted he was leaving the CBS Evening News, and Les Moonves, the CBS chairman, started sniffing around Couric.

But the extended interregnum (a function of Couric’s NBC contract, which expired only three months ago) was undoubtedly worth it for CBS. Making Couric the anchor and de facto face of CBS News is a very smart, potentially even visionary choice. Not because she’s the first woman to anchor a network newscast alone—although since the news “evening” is really late afternoon, a daypart dominated by female viewers, the CBS Evening News With Katie Couric will surely attract women who don’t currently watch any nightly news show. No, the real brilliance—in this age of The Daily Show— is that she’s the first network anchor to have a quick, smart, mischievous sense of humor as a major part of her public persona. She has all the serious-news experience the job requires, but it’s her lack of old-fashioned TV-news “gravitas”—that perpetual default to careful, po-faced grown-up solemnity that any moron can fake—which makes her special.

If it’s possible to rejuvenate TV news, Couric is among the last best hopes. “The format,” she said to me one morning last week, “has gotten pretty formulaic over the past 40 years.”

At the beginning of his post–Dan Rather R&D period, Moonves said, “Those days are over when you have that guy sitting behind the desk who everyone believes to the nth degree.” That’s not quite right. People still want to believe in news anchors. That nth degree of credibility, however, is achieved these days not by some quasi hottie’s stilted channeling of Chet Huntley or Walter Cronkite, but by a smart person who comes across as more or less normal on the air. Another of the early notions Moonves encouraged was making Jon Stewart an anchor—wrong person, right direction. Stewart’s jokes and ironic sensibility may not be transferable to a straight-ahead news program, but Moonves and McManus seem to have spent the past year studying the subtler lessons of The Daily Show.

First of all, it’s a truism—as well as true (or at least truthy)—that people are hungry for authenticity in their public figures. And a good sense of humor is the most reliable contemporary signifier of authenticity. Humor combined with menschiness and a degree of convincing moral engagement—why Stewart is a hero for our times, and The Daily Show starring Craig Kilborn never quite worked—is unbeatable.

For the past fifteen years, Couric has had a great venue to show off all those virtues—and this summer, dealing with the press, she’s worked the comedy like a pro. On her physical appearance as the CBS anchor: “I’m going to pretty much look the same way, unfortunately, that I have always looked. I have no plans to get a crew cut or shop at Brooks Brothers ... Hopefully, I’ll have good hygiene.” Will she adopt a signature sign-off like Cronkite’s And that’s the way it is or Rather’s Courage? “I contemplated ‘Peace out, homies.’ That just didn’t feel completely right.” And at the Aspen Ideas Festival, alluding to her colonoscopy on Today, she said she planned to get an on-air Pap smear her first night as anchor.

She won’t have many opportunities to crack wise on the Evening News, of course. But if you strip away the jokes from Stewart’s Daily Show perfor¬mances, what remains is an intelligent, charming, clued-in, puckish, apparently unpretentious, occa¬sionally self-¬deprecating fortysomething whose responses to news stories seem recognizably, appealingly human. In other words: Katie Couric.

Then there’s the critique embodied by the Daily Show correspondent shtick: that a lot of real TV news consists of brazen superficiality delivered in a strenuous, stylized performance of authority and seriousness. As much as competition from cable news and the Internet, it’s the deep-seated disingenuousness that’s made people give up the network news habit. Couric and McManus and Rome Hartman, the show’s new executive producer, seem to get this. If they have the steadfastness to act on the understanding, to slough off the phoniest TV conventions and devote more air time to (relatively) in-depth ¬explanations—as Couric puts it very hopefully, “a perspective The Economist might have a week later”—they could actually start to make a distinct, next-¬generation network news show.

“I don’t think,” Couric told me, “that just because I’m moving to the Evening News I have to take on an entirely different persona and be Ted Baxterish.” At the CBS affiliates’ convention in June, she predicted the end of the “pretentious era” of anchordom. Her colleagues won’t quite go so far as to affirm the implicit idea that Dan Rather and the old-school CBS News hauteur were pretentious. “I think,” Hartman says, “that was just another way of her saying she is who she is [on TV]. She’s confident enough to be herself. That sense of genuineness is a tremendous strength. This informality.”

The difficult trick is manifesting much of that within a very tight, mostly serious half-hour each evening. Reading a script while sitting alone at a desk doesn’t easily allow for the expression of a broad range of one’s personality. But Couric is game to try. She plans to bring in people like Tom Friedman and interview them live. She’ll go into the actual newsroom and talk to producers on the air. She aims to make the Evening News “appropriately casual, less what I call Newzak, the kind of droney thing that has no relation to normal conversation.” As she said to ¬McManus recently, “if we have a day in Iraq that’s particularly bloody, I’d like to come on air and say, ‘This is a really, really lousy day in Iraq.’ ”

An anchor can show off more brains and charisma by getting out and reporting—¬ although as a practical matter that often amounts to reading a script while standing in front of an exotic skyline (a might-as-well-be-fake photo op that’s expertly satirized by the ridiculous blue-screen stand-ups on The Daily Show). Couric suggests she won’t play along, Gunga Dan style, and appear in war zones just because Brian and Charlie are flying in. “It’s a bit of a show when the anchor parachutes in and bigfoots a correspondent who’s been working on a story. It’s window dressing sometimes.”

Being less pompous and fake than her competitors is one thing. But how, on the Evening News, will she manage to be assertively, accessibly witty? It’s hard. Brian Williams is actually very funny and loose in person and when he appears on comedy shows. But as an anchor—when his viewers’ median age is 60 instead of 51 (Letterman, Leno) or 35 (The Daily Show)—he’s still entirely invested in a ¬hyperearnest premodern version of gravitas, which just doesn’t suit a 47-year-old very well. As one senior TV news executive said to me, he comes across “at times as a parody of an anchorman.”

On the new CBS Evening News, “there will be some nights,” McManus says, “perhaps the first night, where there will be some humor.” The regular container for that will be what Hartman calls “the opinion section,” a nightly 90-second commentary by civilians as well as famous people—“the Nora Ephrons of the world,” Couric says, or Carl Hiaasen. How about Stewart? “I love Jon,” she says. “He and I have talked about it. Early on it might be too much, but down the line.” And please, God, not Andy Rooney? She laughs. “He’s got a perch already.” And she adds: “I’d love Ali G to do one.”

What about impertinent lines or amused inflections and smiles from Couric herself? “We have to figure out how to titrate it appropriately,” she says. “I think probably less is more in this format.”

Until now, daily TV about current events has tended to be one or the other, either dry and sober (at its finest, PBS’s NewsHour) or a pure frolic (The Colbert Report). In print, however, hybrids of seriousness and humor are nothing new, and have propagated through daily journalism for the past quarter century, as forever-young baby-boomers came of age. Today a majority of the Times’s op-ed columnists write “funny” at least some of the time. And elsewhere the most celebrated political commentators of the left (Michael Moore, Al Franken, Arianna Huffington) and right (Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh) are now humorists.

If successful political journalists and pundits are practically obliged to demonstrate a sense of humor in this Daily Show age, then so, naturally, are successful politicians. People who dislike George Bush find his chuckles and smirks repellent, but it was nevertheless the regular-guy jolliness, frat-boyish though it may be, that helped elect him. His performance alongside a Bush impersonator at the White House Correspondents’ dinner last spring killed, because it was funny and surprising and self-deprecating—and thus preemptively spoiled Stephen Colbert’s mock-right-wing act. And if Bush’s Democratic opponent in 2000 had been as loose and funny as a candidate as he is now as a climate-change Jeremiah (“I’m Al Gore. I used to be the next president of the United States”), he almost certainly would have been president. Which is also another way of explaining why (puckish) John McCain will trounce (earnest) Hillary Clinton in 2008.

A sense of humor is powerful stuff in an era of rampant phoniness and PC dissembling. But if you’re clumsy at it—and if you’re kind of a dick—it can blow up in your face. It was Senator George Allen’s Bushian predisposition for barbed ad-libs that wrecked his presidential candidacy in one stroke two weeks ago, when he turned to the Indian-American videotaping him at a campaign rally and, grinning, encouraged the (white) Virginia audience to laugh at “Macaca, or whatever his name is.” That was the same news cycle in which Bryant Gumbel, Couric’s former Today co-anchor, got into trouble for joking on TV that the outgoing NFL commissioner has had the leader of the players union on a leash. Thus all spontaneous displays of humor, even when they backfire, are glimpses of authenticity—authentic churlishness as well as authentic charm.

The breakthrough that Couric’s ascension represents is not about women being “taken seriously” in the old-fashioned, male-defined sense. Broadcast journalists from Nancy Dickerson to Jane Pauley to Christiane Amanpour have won those battles. Couric belongs on a newer, more complicated end of the social-progress spectrum, along with Oprah Winfrey and Tina Fey: female TV personalities who have become big stars by being a certain kind of smart and confident and tough and funny—and uniquely female. Their gender, at this social and historical moment, permits them to be more interesting and entertaining and beloved than men with the same job descriptions. (Viewers could care less if Couric was less-than-beloved by some of her colleagues at NBC—and if she were a man, such reports of diva behavior would’ve had no traction.) One simply can’t imagine a male Oprah, or a male Katie. In a man, their most effective attributes, the ones that engender appeal and trust, would seem … so gay. No male news anchor, especially one suspected of a gravitas deficiency, would dare say to a reporter, as Couric recently did, “It’s been an out-of-body experience to watch these major news events unfold in my pajamas.”

She’s out of her pajamas now, and ready to go—even though the shrinking audience for the nightly news shows is only half as big as when she got into the game. “The challenge,” she said, “is to make the evening news a go-to place again.” Which is a huge, maybe impossible task, no matter how new and improved her version turns out to be. I asked about her ¬excitement-to-terror ratio on the eve of showtime. “About 20:80,” she said, apparently in all seriousness.

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