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The Business of Television
Harbert: Nets need to rethink biz
By Kimberly Nordyke The Hollywood Reporter Jan 18, 2007
LAS VEGAS -- The broadcast networks need to rethink their traditional programming model, Comcast Entertainment Group president and CEO Ted Harbert told NATPE attendees Wednesday morning during a "Coffee With" session at the Mandalay Bay.
Harbert, a former head of ABC Entertainment and NBC Studios, said the way that broadcast networks continue to do business needs to be "re-examined." He pointed out that the networks are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to make pilots that will be presented as short clips to advertisers at the spring upfronts even though "we know that buyers don't buy off clips, they have to watch the shows."
Harbert, who oversees E! Entertainment Television, Style Network and G4, called it "silly" to keep working to fill a 22-hour primetime schedule, saying that broadcast should take a page from cable's book when it comes to scheduling.
"There's no rule that says they need to make that much television. We'll take a show and put it on Sunday night and (repeat it) Tuesday night and Thursday night -- we call ourselves auto-TiVo: If you don't see it Sunday, you can see it Thursday," he said. "A few broadcast networks are doing that, taking Saturday night and repeating dramas, and people say, 'How can you do that?' But they have to -- they aren't making money. (CBS Corp.'s) Les (Moonves) is the only guy making money."
During the session -- which was moderated by Andrew Wallenstein, digital media and TV features editor at The Hollywood Reporter, which sponsored the event -- Harbert pointed out that broadcast networks are spending millions of dollars creating shows that sometimes don't last more than a couple of episodes before they get yanked from the schedule.
"It really makes me upset to see the amount of money that went into these shows in the fall -- several of them quite good -- that are now gone," he said, citing ABC's "The Nine" and NBC's "Kidnapped" as examples.
He added that many broadcast telecasts are "very close on many nights to having cable ratings but are at least 10 times the cost" and that, for the most part, broadcast shows aren't recouping their costs in syndication or overseas.
Also during the session, Harbert discussed future plans for his networks, saying he along with the rest of the industry are still learning how to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by digital media and that he's continuing to work to improve his networks' sites and supply them with original content. He pointed out that today's younger generation gets their content from so many platforms that they aren't likely to return to linear television as previous generations have once they "settle down, get a job, get married."
Harbert added that E! has seen big payoffs in terms of ratings with its hiring of Ryan Seacrest and that he's looking to find hit shows for the network in 2007. As for G4, he's looking to get more money from Comcast so that the male-targeted channel can develop signature original programming.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i331bb2483795039baaead402bd0d3d9c
TV Notebook
The 'Grey's' controversy heats up again
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” January 17, 2007
The “Grey’s Anatomy” controversy over an ugly epithet has been kicked up another notch.
At Monday’s Golden Globes awards, Isaiah Washington, who plays surgeon Preston Burke on the hit ABC show, angrily denied ever calling his co-star, T.R. Knight, a homosexual slur.
Washington made his denial in a very abrupt way: A journalist in the Globes backstage press room asked “Grey’s” creator Shonda Rhimes, who was taking questions along with the entire cast of the show, about the controversy that erupted on the set in October over the use of that word during a scuffle between Washington and co-star Patrick Dempsey.
As Rhimes began her answer, Washington, who was standing on the far right side of the press-conference stage, walked up and grabbed the microphone and said, “I never called T.R. a [expletive]. Never happened.”
The entire cast looked on, grim and stone-faced, as Rhimes attempted to continue answering the question (video of the incident is here: http://www.hfpa.org/videogallery/ click on the "Grey's Anatomy" link). It was an awkward and unpleasant moment that cast a shadow on “Grey’s” Globes win as best television drama just minutes earlier.
On Wednesday, Knight went on Ellen Degeneres’ talk show (there's video of that here) to say that Washington did indeed use that word on the set, in reference to Knight, and “everyone heard it.” Knight added that the controversy surrounding the entire incident prompted him to reveal that he is gay.
On Monday, after the Globes incident, another “Grey’s” actor, Katherine Heigl, told Access Hollywood that she thinks that Washington should not talk about Knight and what happened on the set in October.
“He needs to just not speak in public. Period. I'm sorry, that did not need to be said, I'm not OK with it,” Heigl said.
Michael Jensen, a columnist for AfterElton.com, a web site that tracks depiction of gays in the media, wrote Wednesday that it is, in his opinion, long past time for ABC and the producers of “Grey’s” to “publicly repudiate what Washington said.”
“I said it back in October, and I’ll say it again,” Jensen wrote, “If T.R. Knight had said something as hateful about Isaiah, the outcome would likely have been very different.”
http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/
Television Critics Winter Tour Notebook
"Ugly Betty" sitting pretty…
…after winning meaningless award (there, I said it)
By Aaron Barnhart Kansas City Star in his blog “TV Barn” January 17, 2007
HOLLYWOOD -- It's not déjà vu if you really did do the same thing twice. Two busloads of TV critics and I are being herded through the Raleigh Studios parking lot and into the same hangar-sized building where, one year ago, we toured the set of “Commander in Chief,” a noble but doomed ABC drama about a strong female, played by Golden Globe winner Geena Davis.
On this crisp morning, we're here to tour the set of “Ugly Betty,” a noble ABC comedy about a strong female played by America Ferrera, who just the night before had picked up her Globe for her portrayal of the homely, plucky would-be tastemaker Betty Suarez.
This year, though, the walk-through has a different feel. People are happy, giddy even. Vanessa Williams, who plays one of the heavies on “Ugly Betty,” has bought the crew lunch. (A sign reads, “Thanks for all your hard work! -- Vanessa”) Inside the iPod-white walls of Mode, the fashion magazine where young Betty toils and dreams of greatness, everyone is clearly savoring their triumph.
Silvio Horta, one of the show's producers, hasn't let the show's Golden Globe trophy for best comedy out of his sight, though he allows critics to pick it up and gauge its heft.
I pick it up. I'm not even tempted to point out that the Globes are a poor predictor of Emmy success. For unlike “Commander in Chief,” “Ugly Betty” has wings, and that's the feel-good story of the TV season.
Betty -- a chubby brace-face first created for a South American soap opera -- has leapfrogged Borat and David Beckham to become the country's hottest cultural import. “Ugly Betty” is ABC's first hit show in its time period in a generation (it airs at 8 ET/PT tonight on ABC).
So, how'd they do it? As we walked around and chatted with cast and crew members, it became clear that “Ugly Betty” was designed from the ground up to be more than a low-rent “Devil Wears Prada.”
From Mark Worthington's whimsical, peek-a-boo design of the Mode offices, to Horta's decision to make Betty more than a male-worshipping social climber (as she was in the Colombian original, “Betty La Fea”), “Ugly Betty” projects an image of the new American woman -- independent, ambitious, a dreamer, yet caring and sensible -- that is less threatening than the Hillary Clinton caricature often seen in mass media.
“Right out of the gate, people responded to the show so warmly because of what the character meant to them,” said Ferrera, minus her braces, glasses or beauty sleep the morning after the Globes.
“Just last week I got to read a letter from a young girl who wrote into Cosmo Girl saying, 'Thank you for putting America Ferrera on the cover. When I watched “Ugly Betty,” it was the first time in my life I felt beautiful.' That was just overwhelming.”
Ferrera has played similar roles in films -- “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and “Real Women Have Curves” -- which made her a natural to Horta, who adapted “Betty La Fea” for producer (and guest star) Salma Hayek.
But Horta, who grew up watching telenovelas with his Cuban-American parents in Miami, also knew that Betty had to break free of Latin stereotypes before teenage girls here would embrace her.
“There are 40 or 50 adaptations of the show around the world,” Horta said. “Though they're all about a young woman who's struggling to be taken seriously, most of them take the turn (that) she's in love with her boss, and I wanted to stay away from that.
“I think that weakened her character, to be pining after someone who really doesn't treat her well.” In one scene from the Colombian version, her boss even puts her in the trunk of his car, “because you're too ugly to be seen!”
Eric Mabius, who portrays Betty's playboy boss, didn't even try to emulate the creepy Lothario figure of the original. “I don't like having my perceptions colored,” he said as he tried to keep warm on the set, a winter coat over his gorgeous Boateng suit. Besides, he added, “I don't speak Spanish.”
Horta is proud of the fact that the ABC version is starting to air in other countries, including those that put on a more traditional “Betty” of their own.
“There's something about this character that people love,” said Horta.
http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/2007/01/dateline_hollyw.html#more
Television Critics Winter Tour Notebook
"Scrubs: The Musical: The Producer"
By Aaron Barnhart Kansas City Star in his blog “TV Barn” January 17, 2007
On today's podcast, "Scrubs" creator Bill Lawrence talks about Thursday's musical episode, why it is a cult hit is getting a seventh season on a big network; and what the networks could learn from "Nobody's Watching," his online hit.
Click below to listen to Aaron's podcast:
http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/files/TVBP6.mp3
http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/
Television Critics Winter Tour Notebook
Trump:
Rosie still "disgusting," "not very smart"
By David Kronke Los Angeles Daily News Television Critic in his “The Mayor Of Television” blog January 17, 2007
And of course the Rosie O'Donnell question came up during NBC's press session for "The Apprentice: Los Angeles." And it seems that The Donald is getting bored with the whole thing: He's increasingly pretty uninspired in his responses - that, or maybe he should invest in a thesaurus.
Does Trump regret getting into the urinating match? "No."
Is he worried it could backfire against him? "It’s a very fair question. It started out having nothing to do with “The Apprentice;” it started out with Miss USA. … I gave her a second chance. And Rosie went totally nuts, absolutely crazy. Who would’ve believed it ended up being like it ended up being? It was a very big story. ...
"On the 'Today' show, the first question was about Rosie; the second question was about Rosie. The third statement was, 'Why do you talk about Rosie?' I did Larry King last night and he told me, ‘We’re not gonna talk about Rosie.’ I said great. The first question was about Rosie.
"I exposed her for what she is, terrible. She’s a terrible, disgusting human being. She’s not very smart. You’ll see the whole thing blow up (on ‘The View’). And when it does, I hope you’ll give me a little bit of credit.
"It only stops when the media stops asking questions about it."
On Barbara Walters: "She called me up from Europe, where she was on vacation. She knows what she said. … Then, she read a little line that Rosie gave her. … She never refuted the things she said.
"If someone attacks you, a lot of folks will defend themselves. Maybe the people who don’t defend themselves are better off, I don’t know.
"She’s a bully. When I was a kid in school, I learned early on that when you’re attacked by a bully, you hit the bully hard between the eyes."
On his reputation in the wake of the feud: "I think it's been helped. If someone says something bad and is a lie, you're showing you're willing to correct that person, you're willing to fight for yourself. ... I fought back and fought back harder than her.
"Fox did a poll -- I had 91 percent of the vote." (Note: Couldn't find a story stating that unless it was Trump himself quoting the statistic.)
"But Rosie's a slob and everyone knows it.
"The reason this feud became so big is, I was so unpolitically correct. That's why people liked it."
On "The View:" "The ratings have gone through the roof because of me. I feel terribly about it. In two weeks, you won't talk about it. Barbara Walters hates Rosie O'Donnell and this will go away and ratings will tank, and she will fire her. ... When you watch that show, without all the turmoil, it's a very boring show."
Trump's kids, Ivanka and Donald Jr., were also asked about Rosie. They essentially demurred; Ivanka said, 'We’re not going to give a good soundbite.'
Thoughts, Ms. O'Donnell?
http://www.insidesocal.com/tv/
Television Critics Winter Tour Notebook
at the Studio 60 studio
By Bill Goodykoontz Arizona Republic TV Critic in his Critic’s Tour blog January 17, 2007
BURBANK, Calif. -- Does the Los Angeles Times hate Aaron Sorkin?
I don't presume to know. But I'm pretty sure I know how Sorkin feels about the Los Angles Times. He made his feelings crystal clear during a visit to the Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip set. Seems the paper has done, by Sorkin's count, three stories about how the Internet chattering classes don't care for the show. The last, in December, seems to be the one that really set him off.
"That LA Times piece was a piece of nonsense," Sorkin said. "The LA Times should be ashamed of itself."
If you can't tell, Sorkin can be just a touch defensive. Which is fine, because when he's on his game, no one writes better TV. And late last year, Studio 60 started to move away from being the Personal Sorkin Big Message Vehicle to just a good show, and improved a lot because of that. The Christmas episode is the example most people point to, including star Matthew Perry, who said, "I'd stack that up with any movie that came out this year."
Hmm. He must not have seen Borat.
Anyway, Studio 60 definitely got better as it went along, but its audience is still relatively small, so when it comes back Monday, the numbers will be crucial.
"Not everything is for everybody," Sorkin said by way of explaining the low numbers, sort of. "When I compare the size of the Studio City audience to the Sports Night audience, I'm delighted."
Ah, Sports Night. Now THAT was a great show.
While he doesn't plan big changes, Sorkin said there will be plenty of romantic comedy, something that Perry approves of.
"I'm a big fan of it becoming a little more character driven, a little more about the people," he said, seated in the fake seats on the fake set of the fake show, which is of course located on a real set (following all that?). "That was the concern from the beginning."
Then, later: "I absolutely think it could use more of the relationship stuff."
So I'm guessing: more relationship stuff.
Trump roars (again)
PASADENA, Calif. -- How many Trumps are too many?
How many you got?
The Donald himself was here, promoting The Apprentice; Ivanka and Donald Jr. tagged along, as well. The Apprentice tanked in the ratings last week, so evidently fewer and fewer people care about the show. And I can tell you that at least in my case, I couldn't care less what he thinks about Rosie O'Donnell, or vice versa.
Not everyone feels the same way, alas. There was some not-very-serious talk about refusing to ask Trump about the whole Rosie mess, just to see if his head would explode. But it wasn't long before someone asked, and with that, he was off.
"I have no regrets," he said. "I exposed her for what she is. She's terrible. She's just a terrible human being.... She's a terrible, disgusting human being with a lot of problems, to put it mildly."
So, more of the same.
Oh, he also called her a bully. Don't want to leave that out, because it led to one of Trump's little life lessons: "When you're attacked by a bully, you hit the bully hard, right between the eyes."
Noted.
As is his wont, Trump placed the blame for the big ridiculous mess on ... us.
"I believe it only stops when you folks in the media stop asking the question," he said. "I don't talk about Rosie, but every question I get is about Rosie."
It galls me to say so, but it's kind of hard to argue at the moment.
But that's not enough. No, we also evidently need to know what his kids think. Really? Do we care what they think about anything?
Evidently we do. Here's a stunner: they're on his side.
"We're always going to defend our father.... In our eyes he can do no wrong, and I think he handled himself perfectly," Donald Jr. said. Just like the old man.
So there you have it. One man's cry for attention, satisfied again. Doubtless Rosie -- no stranger to craving headlines herself -- will answer in kind tomorrow on The View. And the cycle continues.
Lucky us.
http://www.azcentral.com/blogs/index.php?blog=5&blogtype=Entertainment
Critic’s Notebook
Early ‘Idol’ is terrifying
By Diane Holloway Austin American-Statesman in her TV blog Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Happy as I am to have Fox’s “American Idol” back in my life, I dread the next few weeks of geek-filled auditions.
I know some people live for these excruciating performances — like last night’s totally delusional juggler/singer, the one who burst into four-letter words and then uncontrollable sobs.
But I just feel awful watching them. Why don’t I turn away, watch PBS? Well, because it’s my job to live and breathe “Idol” for the next four months. If I don’t watch, how can I write about a show that’s destined to be No. 1 from now through May?
The opening episode Tuesday night, showcasing the deadly auditions from Minneapolis, made my skin crawl from beginning to end. Previews of tonight’s freak show from Seattle looked even worse.
In Minneapolis there seemed to be a preponderance of untalented, unattractive men. There was at least one scary woman — the hefty blonde gal with the excessive black eye makeup who described herself as “Idol’s” No. 1 fan. But even she seemed mild compared to the dude in the cowboy hat who thought he was singing Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” Which he wasn’t.
Most of these people are so pathetic and so clearly unaware of how awful they look and how bad they sound that I worry about their grasps on reality.
I also worry about the brutal rejections they receive. Couldn’t such criticism set off a dire reaction? These people clearly are not living in the real world to begin with if they actually think they have a chance on “American Idol.” Making fun of the less fortunate, which is clearly what these episodes set out to do, seems cheap and cruel.
The trainwreck last night involved more than the contestants, however. I don’t know exactly what’s going on with Paula Abdul, but she was a mess. Was she loaded? Sleep-deprived? Wacked out on the frigid weather in Minneapolis? Something was wrong. She slurred and slumped for the entire two hours. Simon and Randy should do an intervention — before it’s too late.
Oh, and in other “Idol” developments, Diana Ross said on Tuesday’s “Late Show with David Letterman” that she will be functioning as “a mentor” on “Idol” this season. Talk about a job that needed filling!
http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/tvblog/
Television Critics Winter Tour Notebook
Huge "Idol" return; the "Heroes" plan
By Hal Boedeker Orlando Sentinel Television Critic his TV Guy blog Posted on Jan 17, 2007
America showed its love for "American Idol" in a profound way Tuesday night: 37.3 million tuned in, the most-watched premiere in the show's six-year history. It was also the most-watched night this season ... and Fox's highest-rated night EVER with entertainment programming.
That startling news overshadowed NBC's day, Wednesday, at the winter tour of the Television Critics Association. Yet Kevin Reilly, president of NBC Entertainment, proclaimed things were looking up at his network after a rough patch. He cited the success of "The Office" and other series.
"I do think we brought back the love this year to the network," Reilly said.
Reilly said he hears genuine compliments about NBC rather than the "mealy-mouthed" variety. That latter kind "just kills you," he added.
The good feeling "eventually starts adding up," and NBC needs another big hit to tighten the ratings race, Reilly said.
The best news for NBC came from "Heroes," the most-watched new series this season. That show will produce 23 hours this season. Twelve have aired. The series returns with new episodes this Monday. Fresh installments will last through March. Then "Heroes" will take a break before returning with six new episodes to end the season. Reilly acknowledged there would be a dogfight between "Heroes" and Fox's "24," which are in the same 9 p.m. Monday slot.
Does Reilly know how "Heroes" will end this season?
"It's going to be mind-blowing," Reilly said. "We know where they're headed, and it's great."
Did he learn anything from ABC's handling of "Lost"?
He said the preferred way to air serialized shows is 22 in a row. He understands what ABC tried to do by breaking up the season of its hit. "We're reluctant to try something like that," Reilly said.
Reilly said it's premature to be discussing a "Heroes" spinoff.
In announcements, NBC said it was giving full-season renewals to four series: "The Office," "My Name Is Earl," "Heroes" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." Reilly said NBC is in the middle of negotations with "SVU" stars Chris Meloni and Mariska Hargitay to return. Could Reilly envision the show without them?
"I don't want to think about that," Reilly said.
The game show "Identity" will return in March. NBC also has ordered an improvisational comedy "Thank God You're Here," which was a hit in Australia. David Alan Grier is host, and Dave Foley plays a judge as groups of celebrities show their improv abilities.
And why did NBC bleep that famous "Dick in the Box" sketch on "Saturday Night Live"?
"I felt like it was potentially over the line," Reilly said. "That content felt appropriate for the Web." He called the decision to present the unedited skit on the Web a win-win because it brought more people to the Web and excited interest in the NBC show.
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2007/01/huge_idol_retur.html
The Business of Television
Iowa Delays Mediacom-Sinclair Hearing
By Linda Moss MultiChannel News 1/17/2007
An Iowa General Assembly committee postponed a hearing, set for this week, on the Mediacom Communications-Sinclair Broadcast Group dispute, prompting six state senators to call for immediate restoration of the broadcaster’s TV stations in the interim.
The special hearing of the Assembly’s Joint Government Oversight Committee, to review facts in the ongoing retransmission-consent standoff, was delayed until next week so that representatives of Sinclair can attend.
“We are disappointed to learn about the cancellation of today’s meeting,” a group of six Iowa senators said in a press release Wednesday. “Resolution of this protracted dispute is overdue. Iowans want this dispute to stop disrupting their lives. While we understand that the Government Oversight Committee members have canceled today’s meeting to accede to Sinclair’s request for a delay, we also believe that resolution of this protracted dispute is overdue.”
Sinclair pulled the signals for 22 of its stations from Mediacom Jan. 6 in 12 states, impacting 700,000 subscribers.
“Today, we are calling on Sinclair to immediately allow Mediacom to resume carrying the KDSM signal in Des Moines market and the KGAN signal in Cedar Rapids until both sides have a chance to appear before the Government Oversight Committee and to resolve this dispute,” the six senators added. “Clearly, a resumption of carriage is in the best interests of Iowa's television-viewing public. It would show tremendous good faith on Sinclair’s part and go a long way toward restoring public confidence and showing viewers that they aren’t pawns in a game.”
The six state senators who called for Sinclair to restore its TV stations to Mediacom were Joe Bolkcom (D-Johnson), Bob Dvorsky (D-Johnson), Rob Hogg (D-Linn), Jack Hatch (D-Polk), Wally Horn (D-Linn) and Matt McCoy (D-Polk).
While the senators said in their press release that the Joint Government Oversight Committee was set to meet Wednesday on Mediacom-Sinclair, in its press release last week, Mediacom had said that the hearing was slated for Thursday. In any event, it will be rescheduled for next week.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6408147.html?display=Breaking+News
Who is using who? Is the Trump-Rose dustup an attempt to get “Apprentice” viewers? Maybe Rosie is using Trump. So who is stupid now?
The Business of Television
Rosie O' Donnell Closer to Solo Show
By Melissa Grego, Michele Greppi, and Chris Pursell Television Week January 17, 2007
Rosie O' Donnell will likely take her first steps toward returning to a solo talk show in the next four to six months.
The contract that the controversial co-host of ABC's "The View" has with the network stipulates that she must first negotiate with a division of the Walt Disney Co. in good faith if she wants to strike out on her own with a new show, according to people familiar with the contract. Disney owns ABC.
Those same sources said they are confident Ms. O'Donnell will trigger that clause by spring or summer.
Attendees at the National Association of Television Program Executives conference this week in Las Vegas speculated that Ms. O' Donnell already had a handshake deal with Warner Bros. for a new show. A spokesman for Warner Bros. said there have been no negotiations. A spokesman for Endeavor, which represents Ms. O'Donnell, could not be reached for comment by press time.
Still, if Ms. O' Donnell does leave "The View" for a show of her own, she has many connections to Warner Bros., suggesting she ultimately might land there. Hilary Estey McLoughlin, president of Warner's Telepictures Productions division, executive produced Ms. O'Donnell's popular 1990s syndicated talk show "The Rosie O'Donnell Show." Ms. O' Donnell likewise has longstanding ties with Jim Paratore, who was president of Telepictures when the division produced "Rosie," which Warners also distributed. Mr. Paratore now heads a Warner-based production company, ParaMedia, where he is producing upcoming news magazine "TMZ."
Disney likely would fight to keep Ms. O' Donnell should she leave "The View," according to ABC insiders. Since she joined the daytime roundtable, ratings for the 10-year old show have grown by double-digit percentages and hit all-time highs. In recent weeks, Ms. O'Donnell's feud with Donald Trump has generated a round of press coverage for the show. The ABC insiders also said the contract with Ms. O' Donnell protects the network from losing the comedienne easily. An ABC spokesman declined to comment.
Industry executives said a competitor to Disney or Warner could emerge in the pursuit of Ms. O' Donnell. CBS Television Distribution Group, which comprises the merged King World and CBS Paramount, could step in with an offer.
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=11411
TV Notebook
Dateline’s “To Catch A Predator” To Return
(NBC News Release) January 17, 2007
(New York, N.Y.) Jan. 17, 2007 In less than two weeks, "Dateline's" investigative series, "To Catch a Predator," returns to primetime with Chris Hansen traveling from coast to coast reporting in three more investigations. In the upcoming broadcasts, 80 alleged predators are arrested after chatting online about sex with a minor. Like the previous investigations, Chris Hansen confronts many of the men. In addition, on dateline.msnbc.com, Hansen will participate in a live blog during each of the broadcasts and the site will feature exclusive video footage of his conversations with potential predators. The six-week long series will air on Tuesdays, beginning January 30 at 8 PM/ET.
For the eighth, ninth and tenth investigations, Hansen and NBC News set up its hidden cameras inside homes in Long Beach, Calif., Murphy, Texas and Flagler Beach, Florida. Members of Perverted Justice, the Internet watchdog group and paid consultants to "Dateline NBC," pretended to be young teens chatting online (ages 11-13 in Long Beach; 12-14 in Murphy; and 13-15 in Flagler Beach). Most of the adults caught in the investigations allegedly attempted to solicit the Perverted Justice decoys for sex. Some sent graphic sexual images as well. Many of those same men showed up at the house or another location for a rendezvous with the child. For all of these investigations, Perverted Justice teamed up with local law enforcement. The police later arrested and charged the men.
Most of the suspects confronted by Hansen claim their intentions were innocent, and some even acknowledge that they have seen Dateline's reports on television and still came to the house. One man previously caught in Dateline's 2006 Riverside investigation showed up eight months later at the undercover house in Long Beach. Some of the most alarming cases involve prominent members of the community: an active duty police officer, a middle school teacher and successful businessmen. The hidden camera investigations attracted 35 men in three days in Long Beach, 24 men in four days in Murphy and 21 men in four days in Flagler Beach.
On dateline.msnbc.com, Hansen's live blogs will offer a behind-the-scenes look into his role throughout the investigations. As with previous broadcasts, the website will continue to feature exclusive video footage of the potential predators and Hansen and general online safety tips. In addition, previous shows will be available on-demand after the broadcast. To date, Dateline's "To Catch a Predator" content on dateline.msnbc.com has generated more than eight million page views and more than 25,000 people have individually emailed Dateline their personal stories and thoughts on the series via the Website.
Weekly Nielsen Notebook
Fox scores with football
NFL playoff match, BCS title game boost ratings
By Rick Kissell Variety.com January 17, 2007
Huge numbers for postseason college and pro football action lifted Fox last week to the highest primetime averages for any net this season.
Monday's Bowl Championship Series college football game between Florida and Ohio State (10.6 rating/26 share in adults 18-49, 28.8 million viewers overall) edged out Saturday's NFL playoff contest between the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles (10.5/29, 27.44m) as the week's top program, with the former drawing the largest overall aud for any primetime telecast this season.
Throw in Tuesday's big "House" and Sunday's two-hour preview of "24," and Fox couldn't be touched.
In fact, the net's 5.8 rating/15 share in adults 18-49 for the Jan. 8-14 frame is its best since late February and was nearly 2 full ratings points ahead of second-place CBS (3.9/10), which also benefited from big pigskin ratings. ABC (3.1/8) and NBC (2.9/7) were well behind the pack, with Univision (1.6/4) running fifth and the CW sixth (1.2/3).
Fox also rolled in every other key category, including the adults 25-54 (6.4/15) and people 12-34 (4.6/14) demos as well as total viewers (15.3 million), according to Nielsen.
Looking at its week, the college game on Monday gave Fox its best showing on the night in three years. It was down from last year's record-setting USC-Texas matchup (12.8/33 in 18-49, 35.63m) but up more than 30% over the USC-Oklahoma championship contest in 2005 (7.4/19).
And the Saints-Eagles NFL conference semifinal provided Fox with its biggest Saturday in more than 10 years -- since Game 6 of the World Series in October 1996.
On Tuesday, "House" (7.2/18 in 18-49, 17.78m) dominated its hour and matched its best demo delivery to date without benefit of an "American Idol" lead-in. And Sunday, "24" opened its sixth season strong (6.1/13, 15.79m) with the start of its two-night, four-hour premiere.
CBS got a lift Sunday with an 81-minute NFL overrun that generated a huge 14.0 rating/36 share in adults 18-49, leading into above-average scores for "60 Minutes" (4.9/11 in 18-49, 17.47m) and "Cold Case" (3.9/9, 14.53m).
Also for the Eye, "The People's Choice Awards" on Tuesday (3.5/9, 11.33m) was up a bit year to year.
Looking ahead, Jan. 21's AFC Championship game between New England and Indianapolis on CBS has the potential to become one of the most-watched non-Super Bowl telecasts of recent years.
These big numbers, along with the huge ratings Fox has drawn both last week and this week with "American Idol," should set up a tight race down the season's stretch between the two nets for the 18-49 crown.
Through 17 weeks, CBS was on top for the first time this season with a 3.7/10, followed by ABC and NBC (both at 3.6/10) and Fox (3.2/9).
The Alphabet's highlights for the week were limited to Thursday and Sunday. Net won Thursday behind the first "Grey's Anatomy" of the new year (9.3/22 in 18-49, 23.03m) and a solid showing for "Ugly Betty" (4.4/12, 13.49m); "Grey's Anatomy" was the week's No. 1 non-sports telecast.
And Sunday saw "Desperate Housewives" (6.8/15, 16.76m) win its hour over "24," although this repped the sudser's lowest firstrun score to date. Lead-out "Brothers & Sisters" (4.8/12, 12.32m) looked good, though, retaining a larger chunk of its "Housewives" lead-in than previous episodes.
NBC's best news came Thursday when laffers "My Name Is Earl" (4.6/13, 10.85m) and "The Office" (5.0/13, 10.15m) hit season highs.
Net had a slow Sunday with week two of "Grease: You're the One That I Want" (2.8/6 in 18-49, 8.28m) and "The Apprentice: Los Angeles" (2.8/6, 7.28m) -- both down more than 30% from their premieres. And that didn't make it easy for "Crossing Jordan," which followed them with low season-preem scores (2.2/5, 6.65m).
Disney Channel was the most-watched cable net for the week thanks to its big Friday premieres for telepic "Jump In" (8.17 million) and original series "Cory in the House" (7.59m).
USA edged out TBS for the cable lead in adults 18-49 (0.85 to 0.76).
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117957608.html?categoryid=14&cs=1
Weekly Cable Nielsen Notebook
Disney Two-for-Two in 2007
By Anthony Crupi MediaWeek January 17, 2007
Thanks to a pair of record-smashing Friday night premieres, Disney Channel repeated its stay atop the cable pile last week, averaging 3.19 million total viewers and a 2.6 household rating in prime time for the week ended Jan. 14.
On the night of Jan. 12, Disney took the wraps off its latest original movie, Jump In!, which drew 8.17 million viewers between 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., making it the most-watched program in the network’s history, surpassing the premiere numbers for last year’s Cheetah Girls 2 (8.12 million) and High School Musical (7.76 million). Disney retained the lion’s share of that audience with the debut of the live-action series Cory in the House, which delivered 7.59 million viewers at 9:30 p.m., securing bragging rights as the Mouse’s all-time most-watched series premiere.
Inasmuch as delivery of Disney’s target demos is concerned, Jump In! beat all comers, serving up 3.7 million kids 6-11 and 3.4 million ‘tweens 9-14, while Cory reached 3.4 million kids 6-11 and 3.4 million ‘tweens.
Among ad-supported cable nets, USA Network finished on top last week, averaging 2.61 million viewers and a 2.1 HH rating on the strength of its ever-reliable WWE Raw franchise. Between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Monday night, Raw averaged 4.95 million viewers, enough for USA to lay claim to ad-supported cable’s largest audience for a single program for the week.
USA also finished No. 1 among adults 18-49 (1.11 million) and 25-54 (1.15 million), and finished fourth among the 18-34 set (461,000). TBS, which finished outside of the top five among total viewers, had a strong showing with its delivery of the core demos, ending the week tops among 18-34s (513,000), second in the 18-49 category (998,000) and fourth among adults 25-54 (894,000).
TNT finished second to USA with 2.04 million viewers and a 1.6 HH rating; the Turner net’s highest-rated program on the week was the Jan. 14 theatrical Air Force One (3.72 million viewers). Among the core demos, TNT had its best showing among adults 25-54, averaging 934,000 viewers in the category.
Rounding out the top five were: Lifetime (1.89 million/1.6 HH rating), A&E (1.84 million/1.5 HH rating) and Fox News Channel (1.79 million/1.6 HH rating). Lifetime finished first among women 18-49 in prime (624,000), getting a boost from its original movie To Be Fat Like Me, which drew 3.73 million viewers Monday night between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.
A&E welcomed 4.27 million viewers to the family Jan. 10 with the basic-cable debut of The Sopranos, which also delivered the third-largest audience of adults 25-54 (1.94 million), lagging behind only the WWE in the category. A&E also made a strong showing in the core demos, placing third in delivery of 18-49s (873,000) and 25-54s (909,000).
Predictably, Fox News enjoyed a shot in the arm last Wednesday night with its coverage of President Bush’s address to the nation, which from 9 p.m. to approximately 9:22 p.m. was seen by 4.45 million FNC viewers. The news net retained a significant portion of that lead-in with its post-speech analysis, as some 3.79 million viewers tuned in.
Another program of note last week was VH1’s debut of I Love New York, which delivered 4.43 million viewers and finished the week tops among all cable programming among the 18-49 camp (2.74 million) as well as 18-34s (1.98 million).
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003534257
Weekly Cable Nielsen Notebook
“24” Blows Up In The Ratings
By Gary Levin USA TODAY
•Clock starts. The sixth-season, two-hour premiere of Fox thriller 24 averaged 15.8 million viewers Sunday, the second-best opener behind last season's 17 million. Despite series-low numbers, ABC's Desperate Housewives (16.8 million) ranked first in 24's second hour.
•NBC stumbles. The network's Sunday lineup fumbled a promising start a week ago: Grease dropped 25% to 8.3 million, The Apprentice fell 20% to 7.3 million, and the delayed season premiere of Crossing Jordan crossed a worst-ever 6.7 million.
•Football rules. Fox's first BCS Championship Game drew 28.8 million viewers Monday, ranking first for the week but trailing last year's record 35.6 million for ABC's title game. Fox's Saturday NFL playoff drew a big 27.4 million, ranking second.
•Better Choice. People chose CBS' People's Choice Awards in greater numbers: Tuesday's 11.3 million viewers marked the awards' best in three years.
•Faux beat cops. Latest celebreality project Armed & Famous opened with a modest 8.1 million viewers Wednesday, won its slot among young-adult viewers and then dipped to 7.7 million with Thursday's special episode.
•Iraq news. President Bush's unveiling of his latest Iraq strategy Wednesday averaged 42.5 million viewers on eight broadcast and cable-news networks.
•Cable records. Latest Disney Channel movie Jump In! averaged 8.2 million viewers Friday, becoming the network's most-watched telecast ever. It was followed by its best-yet series premiere, Cory in the House, with 7.6 million.
•More cable records. Monday's premiere of I Love New York gave VH1 its best series opener Monday with 4.4 million. The first of A&E's sanitized Sopranos reruns set its own channel record with4.3 million Wednesday.
•More cable openers. The second season of HBO's Rome, 1.5 million viewers; Extras, 669,000; VH1's Ego Trip's (White) Rapper Show, 2.3 million. And FX's Dirt dropped to 2.4 million Tuesday from its 3.7 million opener.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2007-01-17-nielsen-analysis_x.htm
dad1153
01-17-07, 11:53 PM
Who is using who? Is the Trump-Rose dustup an attempt to get “Apprentice” viewers? Maybe Rosie is using Trump. So who is stupid now?
The Business of Television
Rosie O' Donnell Closer to Solo Show
By Melissa Grego, Michele Greppi, and Chris Pursell Television Week January 17, 2007
All of us for giving a damn about these two clowns' made-up media fight? :rolleyes:
TV Notebook
Dateline’s “To Catch A Predator” To Return
(NBC News Release) January 17, 2007
The six-week long series will air on Tuesdays, beginning January 30 at 8 PM/ET.
Hooray! :D :D :D
I may have missed one or two, but as best I can gather, here are the upcoming premiere dates for most of the network TV shows the next few months from the major networks.
(This information is complete through the ABC and NBC presentations at the TCA Winter Tour and is updated as announcements are made in post # 3 of the thread.)
Upcoming Premieres
(Updated January 17th, 2007)
The Dresden Files Sunday, Jan. 21, 9 ET/PT, SCI FI
Lost Wednesday, February 7, 10 ET/PT, ABC
Survivor: Fiji Thursday, February 8, 8 ET/PT, CBS
Real Time Friday, February 16, 10 ET/PT, HBO
Amazing Race All Stars Sunday, February 18, 8 ET/PT, CBS
The Winner Sunday, March 4, 8:30 ET/PT (and 9:30 PM ET/PT) FOX (regular time slot: 9:30 starting March 11)
Rules of Engagement Monday, March 12, 9:30 ET/PT, CBS
The Black Donnellys Monday, March 5, 10 ET/PT, NBC
Raines Thursday, March 15, 10 ET/PT, NBC
Dancing With The Stars Monday, March 19, 8 ET/PT, ABC
The Wedding Bells Fridays, March TBA, FOX
Identity March, TBA, NBC
The Sopranos Sunday, April 8, 9 ET/PT, HBO
Entourage Sunday, April 8, 10 ET/PT, HBO
Drive Sunday, April 8, 8 ET/PT, Fox (Regular time-slot: Mondays 8 PM ET/PT)
John From Cincinnati Summer, HBO
The Traveler To be announced, ABC
On the Lot To be announced, FOX
Hidden Palms To be announced, CW
October Road To be announced, ABC
The Tudors To be announced, SHO
Curb Your Enthusiasm To be announced (2008), HBO
Television Critics Winter Tour Notebook
Thursday, January 18
CBS makes its announcements. We'll probably hear about some shows being renewed for 2007-2008.
There will be a pair of informal presentations (“Jericho” and “Criminal Minds”) and a session with legendary CBS numbers guru David Poltrack who will discuss network content and new technology platforms.
Bob Barker will conduct what is being called a “farewell press conference”, and CBS will happily talk about the upcoming Super Bowl --which it will televise.
Friday: The CW.
Paul Bigelow
01-18-07, 02:01 AM
Watching Idol now is like watching a train wreck -- you know it's coming and nothing to stop it. Are the producers having (had) a really tough time finding talent? Are potentially good people being weeded out in favor of freaks? Are they holding back on "the good ones" so as not to overexpose? Or does America want the wreck?
I would think Randy, Paula and Simon only see a few dozen people at most per day. If that day is mostly filled with side-show acts, then how many good people do they really have to choose from?
It seems America is transfixed by this particular train wreck, Paul
The TV Column
The Idolatry Holds Tight as 'Idol' Snags 37 Million Viewers
By Lisa de Moraes Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, January 18, 2007; C01
PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 17---Indestructible "American Idol" stormed prime time Tuesday, snaring a crowd of 37 million-plus viewers for its sixth-season opener.
With that one set of numbers, the television season is over. Fox will again finish the season No. 1 among the young viewers coveted by advertisers; other networks will move their most valued programs out of "Idol's" path no matter where Fox expands it (ABC has already placed "Lost" and the return of "Dancing With the Stars" out of the way); and program development discussions for next season, which are already in full flower at the networks, will be divided into shows that will go on the air "Before 'Idol' " or "During 'Idol.' "
"NBC will officially be ending our season as of yesterday," NBC entertainment chief Kevin Reilly joked to the press here at Winter TV Press Tour 2007 the morning after the "American Idol" debut.
"There's precedent for this," Reilly added. "Fox pretty much disregards the fall and says baseball interrupts their flow. At NBC we can say we're just going to disregard the spring because 'Idol' interrupts the flow. That's the way . . . it's going to be."
Competitors had hoped that Fox's annual aw-shucks forecast of a ratings decline for "Idol"might finally prove true this year. Reality program fans are, after all, notoriously fickle, and a series entering its sixth year could be expected to slip.
Instead, "Idol's" debut bagged about 2 million more viewers than last year's, approaching the kind of crowd that watched March's Academy Awards broadcast (39 million viewers).
Tuesday's opening "Idol" crowd doesn't threaten the record-holding final episode of "M*A*S*H," which recorded an average audience of 106 million viewers back in the '80s, or the "Who Shot J.R.?" episode of "Dallas" (83.6 million), the "Cheers" swan song (80.4 million) or the last gasp of "Seinfeld" (76.3 million). Still, the ability of a singing competition to collect this kind of crowd in its sixth season, in this cable-digital-Internet-DVD-VOD-iPod age, had industry mavens scratching their heads yesterday.
"These amazing numbers from our Season 6 premiere defy all reasonable expectations," "Idol" creator Simon Fuller said yesterday in a statement, while a trade paper reported the show had "defied the laws of gravity."
Of course, "Idol" is more like a five-month Super Bowl than a traditional TV series, and no one batted an eye when the 40th Super Bowl logged 90 million viewers last year. As with the football game, as long as people continue to have children who grow up wanting to watch the show and compete in it, "Idol" could keep this up for years. A sort of TV Circle of Life.
"There's no question to me the once-a-year thing helps it feel like an event -- it feels like it's the Super Bowl in anticipation," Fox's reality guru Mike Darnell told The TV Column yesterday. "There has never been this much of a gap between the biggest show and the next biggest show [on television] -- it's like 10 million viewers."
Additionally, he said, it helps that "not a week goes by that something doesn't happen" with one of the finalists from past editions. "When the fifth-place person from Season 3 wins a Golden Globe and is apparently going to be nominated for an Oscar, that's a big deal," Darnell noted, referring to Jennifer Hudson, a sensation in the movie "Dreamgirls."
"Growing up and wanting to be in television, it used to be my dream about doing a 'M*A*S*H' or 'Seinfeld' or 'All in the Family,' " Darnell said.
"And you know what -- I think I've accomplished that. Twenty years from now, professors from UCLA will be talking about this show."
And, finally, Darnell said, as he ticked off the reasons "Idol" continues to roll up gimongous numbers, "there is so much pixie dust on it."
We know what he means.
• • • • • • • • • • •
NBC has picked up "Heroes," "My Name Is Earl," "The Office" and "Law & Order: SVU" for next season; has ordered an improv comedy show for prime time; will expand the "Today" show to four hours a day . . . and Matt Lauer has officially become as dull as hair.
These are just a few -- okay, most -- of the revelations from NBC's day at Winter TV Press Tour 2007.
The "SVU" announcement was interesting because the other "Law & Order" series weren't included in the shout-out, nor have the stars of "SVU" been signed to new contracts. It's almost as if NBC wanted to send a message to Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni that their particular "Law & Order" series will go on, with or without them.
But Reilly told The Reporters Who Cover Television: "You shouldn't read into that at all."
Piffle, replied reporters, who pressed him on the status of the two stars' negotiations.
"The 'Law & Order' brand has proven before that it can be stronger than any one performer if it were ever to come to that," Reilly said. "But we're in the middle of negotiations. I can't comment on it. . . . I certainly hope they're going to be our stars for the run of the show."
Ouch!
The new improv show is called "Thank God You're Here." David Alan Grier hosts and Dave Foley is the judge, kind of. Improv comedians get into costumes without knowing why they are in that particular costume, then go through a door onto an elaborate set where they are met by a bunch of actors who exclaim, "Thank God you're here!" and they take it from there.
It killed in Australia, Reilly assured critics.
NBC News chief Steve Capus flew out to announce that "Today" will grow to four hours starting in September. "Today" executive producer Jim Bell flew out to announce that he "can't wait." Matt Lauer flew out to say:
"I'm watching some of you typing away on your laptops, and I'm not going to tell you what your headline should be. Far be it from me. But the headline, we think, should be ' "Today" Show Team Boringly Happy.' And I mean that."
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . . . . . . . .
His newish co-host, Meredith Vieira, on the other hand, flew out to say: "I need to apologize at this point because I can't get over the fact that I kissed a monkey this morning on the 'Today' show, and I initiated it, and, quite frankly, I can't stop thinking about it."
Now you're talking!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/17/AR2007011702186_pf.html
vonzoog
01-18-07, 07:52 AM
but the green isn't. If you're using the white skin for the forum (like I am) it gives you retinal scarring and the weight of the orange serif font makes it hard to see.
I agree 100%. If you are using the white background like many of us are, the colors are terrible.
Please change back. :confused:
dad1153
01-18-07, 09:30 AM
I agree 100%. If you are using the white background like many of us are, the colors are terrible.
Please change back. :confused:
vonzoog, there will be no more posts with the green/orange fonts in this thread... ever! Relax! :)
So you think it is a gonna?
Sorry for the long delay, steve.
Realistically, yes.
But if NBC decides it could use the prestige of having a highly-praised show and can stand the ratings hit, it could be back.
I don't see any way the network can help improve the ratings substantially.
steverobertson
01-18-07, 11:27 AM
Sorry for the long delay, steve.
Realistically, yes.
But if NBC decides it could use the prestige of having a highly-praised show and can stand the ratings hit, it could be back.
I don't see any way the network can help improve the ratings substantially.
Fredfa,
No problem although I don't like you answer. LOL
Thanks
The Business of Television
Malone Eyes Cablevision
By Peter Lauria and Zachery Kouwe The New York Post January 18, 2007
Chuck Dolan should be getting a call from John Malone about now.
The stunning rejection by Cablevision's special committee of the Dolan family's latest going-private offer opens the door for the Liberty Media CEO to try and pressure Chairman Chuck Dolan and his CEO son, James, into selling Rainbow Media, according to several sources.
"John's interest in Rainbow is clearly there," said one source close to Malone. "He wants those assets and will use the committee's rejection as an excuse to call up Chuck to see how willing he is to sell them."
Malone and the Dolans have discussed Rainbow - which includes IFC, AMC, WE: Women's Entertainment, about 20 high-definition genre networks and a smattering of regional sports channels - in what sources described as "informal chatter between friendly moguls."
But considering the special committee said it would listen to any new offers by the Dolans and included asset sales among its recommendations to produce additional value for public shareholders and help get a deal done, any talks could quickly take on a more serious tone.
Malone has flirted with buying Rainbow in the past, most notably in 2000. He also sat on Cablevision's board for a period in 2005, resigning just months before the Dolans first offered to take the company private with a plan that called for spinning off the Rainbow assets into a separate publicly traded company.
Speculation at the time was that Malone had stepped down because he planned on making a run at Rainbow and wanted to avoid the appearance of a conflict.
Moreover, the Dolans don't have to sell Rainbow to Malone outright - they could simply sell off a large chunk for a cash infusion like they did in 2001 when they agreed to sell 20 percent to MGM for $825 million. In another twist, Cablevision investor Mario Gabelli, who owns more than 19 million shares, said he would favor a higher offer by the Dolan family or the sale of assets to Time Warner Cable.
Though the Dolans labeled their rejected $30 per share offer as their "best and final," CreditSights analyst Jack Newman speculated in a report that, "If the Dolans are as stubborn as we think they are, we expect this is not the end of the saga."
A deal for Rainbow's programming assets would benefit both Malone - who is set to close a deal with News Corp. for a controlling stake in satellite operator DirecTV - and the Dolans. (News Corp. owns The Post.)
"Now that he has DirecTV, Malone needs to build some synergies," said The Carmel Group's Jimmy Schaeffler. "QVC and Starz/Encore are good beginnings, but it sure would help if he had control of other content assets as well."
Not to mention the fact that DirecTV has a big bet on HD content, publicizing widely that it will have 100 such channels by the second half of this year, and Rainbow is the largest single producer of HD programming.
And the $7 per share that Bear Stearns estimates the Rainbow assets are worth would easily help the Dolans get to the $35 per share price that many think would justify taking the company private.
Cablevision shares jumped 76 cents, or 2.7 percent, to close at $29.25 in New York Stock Exchange trading yesterday.
http://www.nypost.com/php/pfriendly/print.php?url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/01182007/business/malone_eyes_cablevision_business_peter_lauria_and_zachery_ko uwe.htm
Weekly Cable Nielsen Notebook
Tabloid tales:
FX's 'Dirt' takes a tumble
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine Jan 18, 2007
The media finds itself a fascinating subject, the general public less so.
There are plenty of examples of media-centric TV shows, movies and books that fizzled: Bravo’s reality show “Tabloid Wars,” the Julia Roberts movie “I Love Trouble” and MTV’s “Miss Seventeen,” about interns at the famed magazine.
Now it looks as if there could be a new addition to the list.
After premiering to solid numbers, FX’s new drama “Dirt,” starring Courteney Cox as a brutal, icy tabloid editor, took a steep fall in its second episode, the most recent for which numbers are available.
Last week’s “Dirt” averaged 1.68 million viewers 18-49, down 30 percent from the previous week’s 2.36 million. It dropped 32 percent among 25-54s, going from 2.13 million to 1.45 million.
Among adults 18-34, where it set a record for an FX premiere two weeks ago, the show’s dip was less steep, 22 percent, from 1.23 million to 946,000.
The show, which airs Tuesday at 10 p.m., faced essentially the same competition both weeks.
If ratings for “Dirt” stabilize it may yet make it to a second season, as it still ranks as a top 10 cable show in 18-49s. But such a large dropoff from the first to second week is never a promising sign.
“Dirt's" initial high ratings reflect the continuing fascination with the former "Friends" star.
Its big dip may be explained in part by Americans’ disinterest in shows where media is in the foreground as a major part of the plot. Discussions about journalistic ethics, or their absence, is the sort of industry insider stuff that causes viewers’ eyes to glaze over.
Media settings do work when they're the backdrop for storylines that are engaging in their own right. The setting is incidental. On “Ugly Betty,” the lead character works at a magazine but it could just as well be a fashion house. On "Frasier," the lead character had a radio show but he could just as well have been a psychologist handing out advice in a clinic.
But the other likely turnoff for "Dirt" is the character Cox plays, a most prickly editor believed to be based on the Star’s Bonnie Fuller. Even the adored Cox has a struggle on her hands in making her Lucy Spiller character appealing enough for even her fans to return.
Though certainly flawed characters have become an FX specialty, there’s a redeeming quality about the people on “Nip/Tuck,” “The Shield” and “Rescue Me” – they help people, as doctors, policemen and firefighters.
Lucy Spiller helps no one. She shows few flashes of humanity, and she's not really helping the greater good as a tab editor dishing trash on celebs.
Meanwhile, in other cable ratings for the week ended Jan. 14:
Top five networks in primetime (18-49s):
USA
TBS
A&E
TNT
FX
Top five networks in primetime (total viewers):
USA
TNT
Lifetime
A&E
Fox News
Top movie (18-49s): FX’s “Dodgeball” (Tuesday, 7:59 p.m.) 1.8 million
Top sporting event (total viewers): USA’s “WWE Entertainment” (Monday, 10 p.m.) 5.01 million
Shows making the top 10 among 18-34s, 18-49s and 25-54s:
USA’s “WWE Entertainment” (Monday, 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.);
VH1’s “I Love New York” (Monday, 9 p.m.);
Bravo’s “Top Chef” (Wednesday, 10 p.m.)
Show on the rise: Disney Channel’s “Jump In,” Friday 8 p.m. The story that does for double dutch what “High School Musical” did for theater nerds became Disney’s most-watched original movie debut ever among total viewers (8.2 million) and kids 6-11s (3.7 million).
Network on the decline: ESPN. Not that it’s a necessarily bad or unexpected thing -- with “Monday Night Football” and bowl week over, the network is settling down for a slower first quarter after a spectacular fourth.
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_9577.asp
The "AI" juggernaut continues.
Yesterday’s metered market over-night prime-time ratings – and a few of Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s commentgs about what they mean -- have been posted just under the HD Football listings near the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.
Nielsen Notebook
NBC's suddenly sinking Sunday night
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine Jan 18, 2007
During the fall, Sunday nights were responsible for NBC’s biggest ratings gains, up 88 percent from the previous year. This spring, Sunday night may be the network’s undoing.
The first edition of NBC’s fully revamped Sunday drew disappointing numbers last week, the week ended Jan. 14, airing against very tough competition. Should ratings fail to perk up in following weeks, the network will have to make changes or risk losing all the gains spurred by “Sunday Night Football” through the fall
No one expected the new Sunday night to come close to equaling the 4.9 adults 18-49 rating NBC averaged with “SNF.” But even with those lowered expectations, the most recent Sunday was bad. NBC averaged a 2.5 rating, a full 2 points behind No. 3 ABC, and didn’t have a show above a 3.0 rating.
That came against unusually tough competition with the season premiere of Fox’s “24,” and the competition won’t lighten for the next few weeks, either, with the AFC Championship game and Super Bowl upcoming on CBS, as well as new episodes of ABC’s hit lineup and Fox’s strong cartoon comedies.
What hurt NBC perhaps even more than “24,” which usually airs Monday, was a lineup without a strong anchor that put too much faith in former hits.
“The Apprentice” and “Crossing Jordan,” both now in their sixth seasons, posted series-low numbers. “Apprentice,” which airs at 9 p.m. opposite ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” averaged a 2.8 in adults 18-49, down 32 percent from the 4.1 it averaged in its premiere the week before.
At 10 p.m., “Jordan’s” season premiere averaged a 2.2, last in its timeslot and down 41 percent from last year’s 3.7 season debut.
NBC likely misjudged “Apprentice’s” staying power. The network thought that by scheduling only one run of the show this year and adding some twists to the game “Apprentice” could at least hold last year’s 4.0 average. But without a strong lead-in, like it had with “Deal or No Deal” last year, “Apprentice” wilted.
Meanwhile, NBC decided to delay “Jordan’s” premiere till midseason after seeing success with the same ploy a few years ago. Now, however, the show faces stronger competition from ABC and CBS in the timeslot, and viewers may have been angry that NBC waited eight months to resolve May’s cliffhanger, prompting them to move on.
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_9576.asp
The Business of Television
DirecTV’s Turn for Rate Hike
By Linda Moss Multi Channel News 1/18/2007
Following in the footsteps of its direct-broadcast satellite rival, DirecTV is raising its rates this year and renaming its program packages, according to two Wall Street analysts’ reports issued Thursday.
The nation’s largest DBS provider will increases prices about 10% on its lower-tier services, which will average out to about 6% across all of its tiers, according to Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett.
Citigroup analyst Jason Bazinet wrote in his report that DirecTV’s new price for its basic package will be $49.99 per month, up $5 from the prior $44.99.
News of DirecTV’s rate hike follows EchoStar Communications’ announcement late last year that its Dish Network will raise rates an average of 3%-4% this year and rebrand its program packages.
DirecTV is also renaming its packages, according to Bazinet. The basic package is being renamed Choice, with Total Choice being phased out. The Total Choice Plus offering, formerly $49.99, is now $5 more, at $54.99, and is being renamed Choice Xtra, he wrote Total Choice Premiere will be renamed Premiere.
DirecTV officials couldn’t be reached for comment.
DirecTV’s 6% increase is “significantly larger” than the 3.3% Sanford C. Bernstein projected for this year, according to Moffett.
“DirecTV’s pricing action is larger than EchoStar’s in both absolute and percentage terms, and it is more heavily focused on the highly subscribed, lower-service tiers,” he wrote. “While EchoStar is holding the line at the low end -- and, thereby, emphasizing its value advantage to price-sensitive consumers -- DirecTV is aggressively raising prices at the low end and keeping high-end rates flat, emphasizing their positioning as the premium provider of video, in our view. The move, which is consistent with their 2007 emphasis on HDTV, can be expected to further differentiate the two services at their respective ‘high-end/low-end’ poles.”
Moffett said the price increases will take effect Feb. 6, but Bazinet said they will go into effect March 1.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6408223.html?display=Breaking+News
Television Critics Winter Tour Notebook
NBC President Says Ratings Are Gaining Momentum
By Bill Carter The New York Times January 18, 2007
PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 17 — Even in the face of what he acknowledged will likely be another tsunami of ratings from Fox’s “American Idol,” which again set a viewership record on Tuesday night, Kevin Reilly, the president of NBC Entertainment, said here on Wednesday that his network had established significant momentum this season and had regained its status as the network of what he called “quality programs.”
Mr. Reilly pointed to a number of successes for NBC, including growth in shows like “The Office,” the comedy that has turned into a hit for NBC after being on the ratings critical list. “If you stick with quality, it pays off,” Mr. Reilly asserted.
It may be paying off for Mr. Reilly personally. After weathering rumors that his job was threatened, Mr. Reilly has seen his position solidified by the addition of this season’s biggest new hit, “Heroes,” as well as several other series that he said have “picked up buzz,” if not yet ratings.
In that category he mentioned the comedy “30 Rock” and the drama “Friday Night Lights.” He called those shows “too good to not leave them on.” Mr. Reilly all but committed to bringing “30 Rock” back next season, saying, “I’d be surprised if that went until May” before the network announced it would renew the comedy.
Alluding obliquely to his own situation, he said, “There has been a lot of conjecture and instability,” but now, he said, confidence has returned to the network’s program department. “Shockingly, weirdly, it’s become fun again,” he said.
NBC managed to finish the first half of the television season tied in some areas with CBS and ABC for ratings leadership. But National Football League games on Sunday nights are gone from NBC, and “Idol” is back, so those standings will not last much longer.
Still, Mr. Reilly said, “We’re one show away from really moving the momentum in the other direction.”
The next batch of potential shows from NBC will include far more closed-ended dramas, he said, with fewer serialized shows, many of which failed this season. He also said NBC’s comedies “will continue to be bold.”
One bold move that NBC may be the first to try is moving a show from the Internet to broadcast-network television. NBC ordered scripts based on a pilot called “Nobody’s Watching,” which gained wide exposure after playing on YouTube. Mr. Reilly said the show might have a chance to leap from the Web to the network next season.
One Web-based experiment that the network is sure to try, perhaps as soon as this spring, is putting a batch of the network’s pilots online: even as they are being screened by NBC executives. “Let that audience weigh in,” Mr. Reilly said. Among other subjects Mr. Reilly discussed was a new plan for the comedy “Scrubs,” which had been thought to be in its last season. It has scored impressively for NBC on Thursday nights, and now the network is seriously considering bringing it back again next season, Mr. Reilly said.
One deepening area of concern for NBC is its daytime lineup of soaps. One series, “Passions,” has already been canceled, and Mr. Reilly pointedly declined to commit to NBC’s most venerable soap, “Days of Our Lives,” beyond its current contract, which runs out in 2009. The soap opera genre has become “very, very tough for us financially,” Mr. Reilly said.
Surprisingly, he said, one of NBC’s pillars of profitability, late night, is also under some “economic pinch,” even though the network continues to dominate there with Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien. He reconfirmed NBC’s plan to replace Mr. Leno on “The Tonight Show” with Mr. O’Brien in 2009, even though he acknowledged that Mr. Leno could decide to create a show on another network.
“Jay’s been a company guy and a team player for a long time,” Mr. Reilly said, adding, “I hope we can figure out the right arrangement” to keep him at NBC.
The network has an offer on the table for Mr. Leno with ideas for shows in both prime time and late night, Mr. Reilly said. But he conceded that the decision about where Mr. Leno will wind up after he leaves “Tonight” will “go right to the end” of his current deal.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/18/arts/television/18nbc.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
Critic’s Notebook
"Scrubs:" The Musical
By David Kronke Los Angeles Daily News Television Critic in his “The Mayor Of Television” blog January 18, 2007
“Scrubs,” the long-running NBC sitcom about upstart doctors shot in an abandoned Valley hospital, has been a perennial abandoned child on the NBC landscape, its wit and charms underappreciated by network bosses who kick it about the schedule, never allowing it to really find an audience. (Your Mayor has no idea why he empathizes so with this victim of benign neglect.)
Absolutely brilliant in its first season, the show settled into an odd self-satisfaction in subsequent seasons, before deciding to veer into the realms of the utter bizarre in recent years – perhaps showrunner Bill Lawrence decided he had nothing left to lose, so why not make it as weird and quirky as his writers could imagine?
Tonight, “Scrubs” (9 pm ET/PTtakes its surrealism as far as it can go, with a wonderfully wacky Broadway-musical episode whose songs come from Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, the Tony-Award creative team from the Tony-winning “Avenue Q.”
In it, a patient (Stephanie D’Abruzzo, an original cast member of “Avenue Q”) collapses, then imagines her time in Sacred Heart Hospital unspools as a musical, hearing every medical assessment in song.
It’s kind of a mixed bag – an early song is entitled “Everything Comes Down to Poo” – but later songs are genuine show-stoppers, including “The Rant Song,” which allows Dr. Cox (John McGinley) and the Janitor (Neil Flynn) to rail yet again against J.D. (Zach Braff), and “Guy Love,” in which J.D. and Turk (Donald Faison) describe their friendship in terms viewers already understood, but never heard so vividly explicated (“There’s nothing gay about it in our eyes,” they croon).
In recent seasons, “Scrubs” has tread that far-flung bridge between, as the Washington Post’s Lisa de Moreas has observed, silly and sucky (perhaps that’s why Your Mayor empathizes so). Tonight’s episode emphasizes that chasm – while many of the lyrics are clever (“Friends Forever,” rhyming many medical maladies, would make Stephen Sondheim green with envy, or dyspepsia, or something involving bad digestion), many of them are, well, not so.
Still, it’s great to see that a show that the network has seemingly written off has defiantly refused to bury itself into rote punchlines, and it’s even more exhilarating to see that “Scrubs” has issued its defiance in such a way that can legitimately be described as “toe-tapping.”
http://www.insidesocal.com/tv/
Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Second huge 'Idol' night: 36.9 million
Fox show tops last year's night two by 5.4 million
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine Jan 18, 2007
At this rate, it won’t take Fox much time at all to catch up with the Big Three, much less pull ahead. The second night of the network’s “American Idol” delivered ratings nearly as spectacular as night one, sending the other networks into a deep funk last night.
“Idol” averaged 36.9 million total viewers from 8 to 10 p.m. last night, according to Nielsen overnights, just 600,000 fewer than its record debut total Tuesday night. It was up an impressive 5.4 million over last year’s night two, though that show was only an hour long.
Among adults 18-49, “Idol” averaged a 15.4, 0.3 behind Tuesday’s debut. That was up 18 percent over last year’s 13.0 for night two. “Idol” peaked with 39.6 million total viewers at 9 p.m. and a 17.0 in 18-49s.
What’s more, “Idol” obliterated the competition last night, outdrawing the other four English-language networks combined. Only one show, CBS’s “Criminal Minds,” managed to draw a rating above 3.0 in 18-49s, and among total viewers, it was the only competitor to top 10 million.
In fact, in the 8 p.m. hour, “Idol’s” most-watched competitor was ABC’s double dose of “According to Jim,” with a mere 6.9 million viewers.
It seems “Idol” is poised for its most-watched season ever, and that’s saying something. The first two episodes have pulled the second- and third-most viewers in the show’s history, behind only season two’s 38 million finale.
And if “Idol” continues at this pace, long-lagging Fox will quickly catch up to the other three in season-to-date 18-49 average. As of Sunday, CBS was slightly ahead of ABC and NBC with a 3.7 average to the latter two’s 3.6. Fox trailed with a 3.2.
Another impressive night for “Idol” meant another easy first-place finish for Fox among 18-49s, as it averaged a 15.4 rating and a 36 share for the night. CBS was second at 3.1/7, NBC third at 2.2/5, ABC fourth at 2.1/5, Univision fifth at 2.0/5 and CW sixth at 1.2/3.
At 8 p.m. Fox led with a 13.9 among 18-49s for the first hour of “Idol,” followed by a 2.6 for Univision’s “La Fea Mas Bella.” ABC was third with a 2.2 for an hour of “According to Jim,” CBS fourth with a 1.9 for “Armed & Famous,” CW fifth with a 1.5 for “Beauty and the Geek” and NBC sixth with a 1.2 for a repeat of “Friday Night Lights.” “Geek” did take third in 18-34s in the hour with a 1.8, behind “Bella’s” 2.9.
Fox increased its lead during the 9 p.m. hour with a huge 17.0 rating for the second half of “Idol.” CBS was second that hour with a 3.4 for “Criminal Minds,” NBC third with a 2.3 for “Deal or No Deal” and Univision fourth with a 2.0 for “Mundo de Fieras.” ABC dropped to fifth with a 1.4 average for “Knights of Prosperity” (1.4) and “In Case of Emergency” (1.4), with CW sixth with a 1.0 for “One Tree Hill.”
CBS took advantage of Fox’s absence during the 10 p.m. hour, leading with a below-average 4.1 for “CSI: NY.” NBC was second with a 3.1 for “Medium,” ABC third with a 2.7 for “Primetime” and Univision fourth with a 1.5 for “Don Francisco Presenta.”
Fox also had a huge night among households, leading the night with a 20.1 average rating and a 30 share. CBS was second at 7.1/11, NBC third at 5.0/8, ABC fourth at 4.0/6, Univision fifth at 2.5/4 and CW sixth at 1.8/3.
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_9606.asp
Yesterday’s fast national over night prime-time ratings have been posted just under the HD Football listings near the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.
HDTVChallenged
01-18-07, 01:20 PM
The Business of Television
DirecTV’s Turn for Rate Hike
By Linda Moss Multi Channel News 1/18/2007
Following in the footsteps of its direct-broadcast satellite rival, DirecTV is raising its rates this year and renaming its program packages, according to two Wall Street analysts’ reports issued Thursday. ...
Oh joy ... and there's the perfect illustration of why D* and E* should *never* be allowed to merge. DirecTV by TCI, here we come :p
Then again maybe they should merge, so they can be treated like all the other monopolistic utility companies. :D
Television Critics Winter Tour Notebook
CBS: Nina Tassler
Morning Eye-opener
By Robert Philpot Fort Worth Star-Telegram in the Yelling Fire in a Crowded Theater blog January 18, 2007
The CBS entertainment-exec session is beginning. Nina Tassler, president of CBS entertainment, is talking, pretty much about how successful CBS is. So far, I'm gonna need stronger coffee.
'The Class'
A reporter just asked about The Class, one of the few (relatively) troubled shows on the CBS schedule, and whether it will be back next year. Nina Tassler used many words to not answer his question.
Demons, swingers and singers
This feels premature, but Nina Tassler is already talking about new fall shows, which won't officially be announced till May.
I'd heard of Demons, an exorcism drama from Joan of Arcadia's Barbara Hall; and Viva Laughlin, the U.S, version of the BBC musical Viva Blackpool (Hugh Jackman is involved with Viva Laughlin, and apparently will make appearances on the show).
Swingtown, about three couples (including, yes, one swinging one) living in a cul-de-sac in 1976, was also brought up. Can't say CBS isn't taking some risks in the fall. If these shows actually happen, that is.
http://blogs.dfw.com/yelling_fire/
Critic’s Notebook
Psych' returns:
with more silliness and alleged crime-solving
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” January 18, 2007
It’s about time.
“Psych” finally returns at 10 PM ET Friday on USA Network with a new mini-season of seven episodes alongside new episodes of the perennially popular comic detective show “Monk.”
Whatever your favorite smooth and fizzy drink is - champagne, root beer, cream soda, whatever - imagine going without it for months. That’s what it’s been like to wait for new episodes of “Psych,” which ended the first half of its first season in late August.
The chemistry between stars James Roday, who plays crime-solving fake psychic Shawn Spencer, and Dule Hill, who plays Spencer’s best pal, Gus, has always been the detective comedy’s biggest draw. These two can make almost anything funny, whether it’s donning Civil War uniforms to crack a murder among re-enactors (Gus’ desire to look like Denzel Washington in “Glory” was especially comical), going to a sci-fi convention and mixing with the geeks or even solving a case at a spelling bee, of all things.
Gus and Shawn’s relationship with each other and with Santa Barbara’s police force, which they assist in the duo’s own antic way, has always been the focus of the show, but the scripts for the comedy, in which the plots have sometimes been too slender, have been getting stronger, and Friday’s episode is no exception.
“That ’70s Show’s” Kurtwood Smith guests stars as a former police captain who thinks he may have information on a crime, but his memory is not reliable. Shawn believes the old man is onto something, but Shawn’s father, Henry, a former police detective, would rather that his old boss wasn’t made a fool of by his son’s unorthodox methods.
“He deserves better than that,” Henry says.
Corbin Bernsen plays the elder Spencer with just the right mixture of spiky disapproval and light sarcasm, and Henry’s barbed relationship with his unconventional son will continue to be difficult - despite Henry’s growing realization that Shawn’s detective skills, which he hides from the police by faking “psychic revelations,” are pretty solid.
“There are going to be some rocky times coming up” during the next seven episodes, Roday said in a recent phone interview. “We’re all on the same page - we don’t want to have [Henry] come around too quickly” and give Shawn his seal of approval.
“It’s tough; we’re such a lighthearted, silly, fun show. We want everyone to have a good time;, we want everyone to have that same kind of fun. It’s tough to keep reminding ourselves that Corbin still has to be a Grinch,” Roday says with a laugh. “But having that resistance gives the show a real, dramatically rooted relationship, which I think is important.”
Shawn’s relationship with the long-suffering Gus - and Hill’s deadpan, put-upon reactions are among the most enjoyable parts of the show - is also undergoing something of an evolution, Roday says. Gus will be stepping up and giving his input more into the team’s plans of action, however goofy they end up being.
“One thing I think you will be seeing, inside that construct of me being Peter Pan and him sort of reluctantly going along, is this idea that we are supposed to be business partners. We are supposed to be able to function as a team and be believable as a team,” Roday says.
One member of Spencer’s circle viewers have not met is his mother, but Roday says that’s not in the cards for this second half of the first season (the second season of the show begins airing in the summer).
“She’s sort of a wild card, she’s only been mentioned a couple of times,” Roday says. “Very smartly, the producers have left themselves that ace card. That we still have in our back pocket.”
The show’s ensemble, which includes Timothy Omundson (“Judging Amy”) and Kirsten Vick, a founding member of Chicago’s Roadworks Theatre Ensemble, is plenty pleasing as well (Omundson, in particular, offers a fine selection of simmering irritation and outraged reactions). And much of the shaggy charm of the show comes from not just the easy, sparky chemistry between the actors, but also from the loose, improvisational acting that Roday and Hill get to do.
In Friday’s episode, for example, Shawn and Gus impersonate two heavily accented European doctors in one scene, and in another, Shawn mugs and goofs in the background as Gus tries to speak with a potential client. It’s hard to think of another hourlong show on TV in which the characters get to have such completely silly, physical fun.
“I have more freedom than any actor should be allowed to have,” Roday says. “I keep waiting for the improvisation police to haul me off. I think, for this character, I’ve finally sort of hit pay dirt. Here’s a guy who’s constantly thinking on his feet and acting on whims. And coming up with stuff in the moment and improvising really does lend itself to what I can create.”
Besides, “for the first time, I have a halfway decent argument for my need to mess around on the set,” Roday adds with a laugh.
'Dresden Files':
Wizard adventures done with a light touch
There’s something generally appealing about “The Dresden Files” (9 PM ET Sunday, Sci Fi) but this new show probably will do best with a certain slice of the television audience, one that feasted on the likes of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel.”
The drama, based on a series of popular Chicago-set mystery novels by Jim Butcher, is about a wizard who solves crimes. If you don’t like hints of Harry Potter mixed in with fairly straightforward procedural elements, this may not be the show for you.
Much of the show’s appeal stems from its lead actor, Paul Blackthorne, whose leading-man handsomeness is scuffed around the edges, giving Dresden the right mixture of sex appeal and private-eye weariness. The wizard’s also got a ghostly live-in pal named Bob (Terrence Mann), who can shimmer away - through solid walls - when visitors turn up; the dryly witty Bob may be my favorite character so far, and I hope we get more from him as the series progresses.
For reasons not yet disclosed, Bob’s in trouble with the High Council that governs magic, and one gets the strong impression that Dresden’s also on their troublemaker list. He’s also something of a thorn in the side of a Lt. Murphy, a police detective who grudgingly calls on Dresden for help when cases take a supernatural turn.
We get a few glimpses of Dresden’s past as the son of a traveling magician, though Dresden has forsaken his dad’s trade to list himself under “Wizards” in the Yellow Pages. He has no powers of his own, but he uses his supernatural contacts and knowledge - not to mention Bob - to solve cases that the police think are unsolvable or just plain weird.
All in all, the producers of this show, who have among their credits “Dark Angel,” “The 4400” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” know how to tell slightly otherworldly weekly stories in a solid and satisfying manner. “The Dresden Files” doesn’t quite have the storytelling ambitions or super-quippy dialogue of the Joss Whedon shows mentioned above, but if ghosts, amulets, potions and spells don’t put you off, there’s a decent helping of mystical escapism here.
A reminder: As of Sunday, Sci Fi’s signature series, “Battlestar Galactica,” moves to a new night, Sundays. It debuts in its new slot 10 PM ET. Sunday, after “The Dresden Files.”
Take note of the 'Scrubs' musical
The sixth-season musical episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” remains the high-water mark for warbling TV characters, but the all-singing, all-dancing edition of “Scrubs” (9 PM ET/PT. Thursday, NBC) is quite entertaining in its own right.
J.D. and Elliot, two doctors at the wacky Sacred Heart Hospital, come across a woman in a park who thinks everyone around her is singing all the time. They take her to Sacred Heart, where a huge production number awaits her, with patients, doctors and nurses singing the praises of their medical facility.
Before long, doctors are telling the woman that she’ll have to give a stool sample, because, as they sing, “Everything Comes Down to Poo” (the test is useful “whether it’s a tumor or a touch of the flu”), they’re pouring out their personal problems (nurse Carla considers staying home with her new baby in “We’re Gonna Miss You, Carla”) and they’re serenading each other over her bed (Turk and J.D. share the touching, “completely manly” duet “Guy Love”).
It’s all quite silly and done with a lot of zest and - given that it’s “Scrubs” - heart. Anyone who has seen the naughty musical “Avenue Q” knows that its creators are a perfect match for the zaniness of the “Scrubs” writers and cast, and guest star (and original “Avenue Q” cast member) Stephanie D’Abruzzo does a fine job as the bewildered, song-addicted patient.
Each of the show’s stars has a moment in the musical spotlight: Not surprisingly, the acerbic Dr. Cox gets a “Rant Song” reminiscent of Gilbert and Sullivan, and Carla does an entertaining rant of her own, after her own husband calls her Puerto Rican. Her song? “For the Last Time, I’m Dominican.”
http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/
Critic’s Notebook
Psych' returns:
with more silliness and alleged crime-solving
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” January 18, 2007
Cool, I love that show. :)
TV Notebook
NBC Drama Raines to Get Two Thursday Night Airings
(NBC News Release)
BURBANK – January 18, 2007 – NBC announced that the mid-season drama "Raines" will debut on Thursday, March 15 (10-11 p.m. ET) followed by a second episode on March 22 before the series settles in its regular day and time on Friday, March 30 (9-10 p.m. ET).
The announcement was made by Kevin Reilly, President, NBC Entertainment.
"We have been eagerly anticipating the premiere of this attractive and quirky new drama since we announced it last May at Upfront," said Reilly. "Combining the creative talents on and off camera with star Jeff Goldblum and Emmy-winning executive producer Graham Yost brings something uniquely different to NBC this Spring."
Emmy Award-winning writer-producer Graham Yost ("From Earth to the Moon," "Band of Brothers," "Boomtown") and star Jeff Goldblum ("The Lost World: Jurassic Park," "Independence Day," "The Fly") combine creative forces in the inventive police-drama that blends traditional noir storytelling with humor and intrigue.
Eccentric LAPD Detective Michael Raines (Goldblum) has a unique ability -- his imagination is so keen that when he's on a murder case, the murder victims actually take shape in front of him. At first he thinks he's losing his mind, but he finds that talking to these constantly evolving hallucinations (they're figments of his imagination, not ghosts) helps him discover their killers.
Television Critics Winter Tour Notebook
Set visit: 'Studio 60'
By Robert Philpot Fort Worth Star-Telegram in the Yelling Fire in a Crowded Theater blog January 18, 2007
Playing a little catch-up during some down time, we return to set-visit Tuesday and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Some reporters didn't tour the set beyond the "writers' room," where creator/executive producer Aaron Sorkin held what one critic referred to as "a master's class in television."
Other critics raved about the set, which I didn't tour myself because I spent too much time talking (OK, mostly listening) to Sorkin, D.L. Hughley (actually did talk to him), Matthew Perry (just hung out with my tape recorder) and co-exec producer Thomas Schlamme (got off one or two questions).
The walls of the set are festooned with cue cards that seem to have come from random places, and with the occasional bit of graffiti (I believe one scrawl said "I have no talent," but I could be remembering incorrectly). Also noted: the dated, fake photos, such as the one for the 1942 radio program Studio 60 Theatre of the Air (even though it's not referenced on the show, Studio 60 apparently has some sort of radio history); the classic Fireball and Hit and Run pinball machines; and a photo of Bruce Springsteen in concert, I believe from the scruffy Born to Run era.
'Studio 60': Thomas Schlamme
TV directors are an underappreciated bunch (as they will tell you if you get into conversations with them), usually not mentioned in reviews while movie directors are so elevated that even the guy who did Beerfest gets noted by critics.
But Studio 60 co-exec-producer Thomas Schlamme (who's from Houston) did such a fantastic job directing the premiere episode, with his signature roving cameras and hallway talks, that I noted him in my initial review of the show. And I've been yearning for him to return, because the series hasn't lived up to the expectations set by the premiere. I didn't get to chat with him very long, but here's what he had to say about directing additional episodes:
"I'm actually directing an episode today [Tuesday]. I think it'll be [the third or fourth] after we come back. It's actually a very dark and interesting episode. It's pretty much a singular episode in which Matt and Harriet kind of split ways and he goes into a very dark place and flashes back to their early days. It's been very exciting and fun to do.
"Look, I'd love to direct all the time. ... But the way this works is this such a huge show to do, and Aaron [Sorkin] is sort of a playwright-in-residence, so everything else falls on my shoulders. ... And I do have three kids and a wife [actress Christine Lahti, who plays a recurring character on the show] and I try to see them _ but not very much. If I could cast all three of my children, this would be perfect."
'Studio 60': Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry, who plays ultra-neurotic show-runner Matt Albie on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, was sitting in the bleachers of Studio 60's show-within-a-show, surrounded by reporters. I didn't toss out any questions, but extended my recorder into the mix. Some of what came out of that:
--On whether he took on this role to put Friends' Chandler behind him: "It wasn't that. I'm very lucky in my life that now I can just too things that I want to do, that are available to me. I'm not getting offered everything _ but things that aspire to be good."
--On whether he hangs out with his old Friends: "We see each other a little bit. I saw Courteney [Cox at the Golden Globes]. It was fun, but we're all kind of busy and spread apart."
--On how doing Studio 60 compares to his real-life experience hosting Saturday Night Live: "It certainly matches the energy and craziness over there. I remember when I did it, I just never knew where I was. I was there for a week, and I don't know what floor it's on. It's just all this manic energy over there."
--On what's up for Matt and Harriet (Sarah Paulson) on Studio 60: "I love that relationship. I'm rooting for it to end, and then start again, and then end, you know what I mean? There's a long history of, just-happy couples get kind of boring to watch. [Perry and Cox's Chandler-Monica relationship on Friends was a rare example of a sitcom surviving a couple's pairing up.] So I think that has a kind of long, roller-coastery [vibe]. ...
"When Matt and Harriet break up [again], he doesn't deal with it very well. He goes in a little bit of a downward spiral, which is what we're doing now."
'Studio 60': D.L. Hughley
D.l. Hughley not only plays Simon Stiles on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, he's listed as a "consulting producer." Here he is on just what that means _ and a few other things.
--On his title and his input into the show: "I think I know comedy. I've logged more miles, told jokes in more [um ... shoddy is the closest adjective I can use here] places, in front of big audiences and small audiences. ... So when it comes to the authenticity of a comedic through-line, I think I can contribute there." (This is a risky thing to say, since one of the criticisms of Studio 60 is that its sketches aren't funny.)
--On being political and being a frequent guest on Real Time With Bill Maher: "You know what I never forget when I'm on Bill Maher? I never forget that I'm a comedian. At the end of the line, at the end of whatever I'm talking about, is a joke. I never take myself so seriously that I forget that I'm supposed to be funny."
--On whether Studio 60 and its characters take themselves too seriously: "One thing that we have to let people in on is that we don't take ourselves so seriously. We do know that we're joking. It's like aspirin and orange juice. My mother used to have to give me medicine, so what she did was put aspirin in the organge juice. And I think comedy's a lot like that." And here, that side of the tape ends. Second note to self: switch to digital.
http://blogs.dfw.com/yelling_fire/
VisionOn
01-18-07, 03:45 PM
Cool, I love that show. :)
me too. Psych has more genuine laughs than the majority of sitcoms on the networks. It's rare for a show to literally make me laugh out loud, but Psych has at least one stupid joke in each episode that can, like "I've been promoted. It's Captain Crunch now." and the spelling bee "Ba-na-na. The word is ba-na-na." line.
A good start to the weekend. :)
With the networks generally conceding Friday nights as a dumping ground -- or rerun haven -- Psych and Monk have a pretty clear field at attracting viewers.
TV Notebook
New Twist for “American Idol
By Greg Baumann Television Week
The sixth season of Fox's top-rated talent show "American Idol" will probably bring a twist to the singing contest's format that will give more aspiring musical stars a chance to be discovered, executive producer Kenneth Warwick said.
In the show's final weeks this season, the producers are planning on holding a competition within a competition for songwriters, Mr. Warwick said in an interview with TelevisionWeek Publisher Chuck Ross for TVWeek.com's Backlot Talk podcast feature.
Viewers will get to vote for their favorite song, giving them another way to participate in the show, Mr. Warwick said.
To find out which city doesn't have a lot of talent in Mr. Warwick's estimation, go to TVWeek.com's Backlot Talk for a podcast of the interview and a transcript. Click here:
http://www.tvweek.com/page.cms?pageId=89
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=11413
The Business of Television
FCC’s Martin Urges Arbitration
By Ted Hearn Multi Channel News 1/18/2007
Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin said Wednesday that he supports binding arbitration to end the bitter carriage dispute between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Mediacom Communications.
"I continue to believe that this would be good for both parties to be submitting to,” Martin told reporters after the agency’s first public meeting of the year. Consumers, he added, shouldn’t lose access to programming while a dispute is in arbitration.
Sinclair pulled 22 TV stations from Mediacom cable systems Jan. 6 after the two parties couldn’t agree on financial terms, triggering an acrimonious contract feud that has spread to the FCC and Congress. Loss of Sinclair’s TV signals involved 2 million viewers in 700,000 Mediacom homes.
After the FCC refused to force Sinclair to restore carriage, Mediacom chairman and CEO Rocco B. Commisso sent a letter to members of Congress to complain that Sinclair singled out his company for discriminatory treatment. Sinclair shot back in its own letter to lawmakers that Commisso’s claims were baseless.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6408350.html?display=Breaking+News
Television Critics Winter Tour Notebook
'Anatomy' of a bad situation
By Rob Owen Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TV Editor in his blog “Tuned In” January 18, 2007
It's time for Isaiah Washington to be let go from "Grey's Anatomy."
It was bad enough that he referred to co-star T.R. Knight on-set with an epithet for homosexual, possibly forcing Knight to declare that he was gay to People magazine last fall.
In October, Washington offered an apology, stating, "I sincerely regret my actions and the unfortunate use of words during the recent incident on-set. Both are beneath my own personal standards. I have nothing but respect for my coworkers and have apologized personally to everyone involved."
But Monday night at the Golden Globes, in response to a question, Washington claimed, "I did not call T.R. a [offensive term]." That rekindled the fire and casts Washington as a liar since he already offered an apology for his "unfortunate use of words."
On the "Grey's" set, sides have clearly been drawn, with actress Katherine Heigel suggesting to "Access Hollywood" that Washington "needs to not speak in public."
This morning after a panel for his other show, CBS's "Criminal Minds," "Grey's" executive producer Howard Gordon addressed the controversy.
"Obviously, nobody is happy about it," Gordon said. "We're all uncomfortable about it, but we're trying to solve the problem within our family, so to speak, as opposed to allowing the rest of the world to help us decide how to deal with it. We don't know how this is all going to play out at the moment. We're just trying to make our television show and figure out how to deal with the personalities."
Perhaps most disappointing in all this is that "Grey's" creator Shonda Rhimes, who is to be lauded for the diversity of the show's cast, has never really addressed the use of the epithet head-on. Last fall, she tried to turn it into a racial issue by calling reports that Washington would be replaced by former "ER" doc Eriq La Salle racist, as if black actors are interchangeable. She's right, but she had nothing to say about the use of a gay slur, and, oddly, I never heard the La Salle rumor until Rhimes brought it up.
When it was suggested to Gordon that if Knight had used the N-word toward Washington he'd be fired already, Gordon reacted: "That's not true. Are you saying because [Isaiah is] black he's getting special treatment?"
No, but it seems like one type of bigotry is being treated different than another type would be.
"We take it extremely seriously," Gordon says of the charges of a gay slur on set. "You have a very difficult situation: A successful show with an ensemble cast, a story line that involves Isaiah. He's a wonderful actor. I'm not excusing what he may or may not have done, but I do believe the man is a very talented actor."
But why is anyone involved still pretending the word was not said? Knight said on "Ellen" yesterday that it was clearly said on the set in front of plenty of cast and crew members who can corroborate Knight's account. No one has come to Washington's defense and no one has said the word was not said. So why pretend and seemingly give comfort to what sure appears to be a lie?
"It's terrible," Gordon continued. "I don't even know what to say or what I should say on or off the record. It's a mess and we're just trying to figure it out."
When asked if he thought if it was realistic to think both actors will remain on "Grey's," Gordon said, "I don't know. We're not at that place yet."
http://www.post-gazette.com/tv/tunedin/
I realize that political and moral discussions are generally not welcomed here. Hey, I am the one who doesn't welcome them and you all have been remarkably well-behaved in that regard. In this thread, while hopefully tolerating many views, we still pretty much stay on-topic without getting into political and personal attacks.
For which I have thanked you time and again.
Yet the above blog entry by Rob Owen is, to me, a very thoughtful view of a most troubling episode in the TV landscape this year.
It has troubled me enough that I am going to post a note I sent to Rob. I am not really inviting comments, but I think the issue is important enough for me to mention my own feelings here. If my views offend you, I apologize in advance.
• • • • • • • • • • •
Rob:
What a thoughtful and good column about Grey's. I am sure you will take some hits for it, but what you wrote needed to be said, and I am stunned that no one from the TCA (to be best of my knowledge) has ventured into that (obviously mine-strewn) territory yet.
But I do find it strange that there were all kinds of columns written about the "rape" scene in "Rescue Me" last summer. That show, of course, is seen in far fewer homes than "Grey's" and has far less impact.
Personally I look forward to each episode of "Grey's" but have found the silence from Ms. Rhimes (not to mention the veiled threat of using the racism defense via the Eriq La Salle tactic) tremendously troubling.
(Sadly it probably needs to be said that I am a hetero male. I have no problem watching T.R. Knight in the show. A person's sexual orientation is if no concern to me -- hey, those Rock Hudson-Doris Day movies can still make for a good evening of popcorn munching!)
But a person's total lack of morality and personal responsibility is most troubling. Mr. Washington should have left the Golden Globes podium without saying a word. I am stunned his personal representatives and the "Grey's" producers hadn't demanded he keep quiet. But he is still, obviously, fighting his demons.
I sort of agree with you. But I think a more measured course is possible, too. I'd have Ms. Rhimes simply write him out of the show for the remainder of the season (his hand got worse, he went to the Mayo Clinic for treatment...) and let him deal with his personal hatreds.
If he can demonstrate he understands how hurtful and hateful his words were, and if the rest of the cast is willing to welcome him again, bring him back next fall. If not -- there are many fine actors (and more importantly fine people) to fill his place.
His words were not a victimless crime. Knight is entitled to his privacy -- as are we all. Who knows what future roles might now not be offered to him.
Shonda Rhimes would be well served to understand that in the fragile relationship between a program and its viewers, hatred -- and the protection of those who practice it -- can go a long way to breaking the bond of trust and affection viewers feel toward a program.
Thanks again for the blog note!
Fred
Washington Notebook
Boucher: Three Telecom Issues To Rule Early Debate
Dish-DirecTV merger “might make sense”
By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 1/18/2007
Rick Boucher (D-Va.), House Energy & Commerce Committee member and co-chair of its subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, says three telecom issues will dominate the early debate in the new Congress, topped by network neutrality but including "encouraging broadband providers--perhaps requiring them--to offer standalone DSL."
He also said a merger between DirecTV and EchoStar might make sense, while a merger between XM and Sirius satellite radio would probably have to be pitched as a hardship case to overcome antitrust issues. He would not comment on the appropriateness of any possible merger
Boucher weighed in on those and other issues in an interview for cable net C-SPAN's Communicators series, which is scheduled to air over the weekend.
Asked whether emphasizing standalone DSL was a backdoor route to rate regulation, Boucher said he didn't see it that way. "I think what we would probably do is specify to the FCC that standalone broadband is the rule. They can publish regulations that entail exactly how its to be implemented. There has to be some kind of price standard, but it doesn't have to be price regulation."
Instead, fo