Hot Off The Press! The Latest Television News and Info [Text View] - Page 91

SJKurtzke

02-19-07, 04:16 PM

ABC News is now saying it has confirmed the story (that there will be an announcement today). The WSJ is saying XM and Sirius are in "final merger talks".
Official Press Release:
SIRIUS and XM to Combine in $13 Billion Merger of Equals
Provides Consumers with Enhanced Content, Greater Choices and Accelerated Technological Innovation

Enables Satellite Radio to Better Compete in Rapidly Evolving Audio Entertainment Industry

Extraordinary Value Creation for Shareholders

Mel Karmazin to Serve as Chief Executive Officer and Gary Parsons to Serve as Chairman of Combined Company

WASHINGTON and NEW YORK, Feb. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- XM Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: XMSR) and SIRIUS Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement, under which the companies will be combined in a tax-free, all-stock merger of equals with a combined enterprise value of approximately $13 billion, which includes net debt of approximately $1.6 billion.

Under the terms of the agreement, XM shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 4.6 shares of SIRIUS common stock for each share of XM they own. XM and SIRIUS shareholders will each own approximately 50 percent of the combined company.

Mel Karmazin, currently Chief Executive Officer of SIRIUS, will become Chief Executive Officer of the combined company and Gary Parsons, currently Chairman of XM, will become Chairman of the combined company. The new company's board of directors will consist of 12 directors, including Messrs. Karmazin and Parsons, four independent members designated by each company, as well as one representative from each of General Motors and American Honda. Hugh Panero, the Chief Executive Officer of XM, will continue in his current role until the anticipated close of the merger.

The combined company will benefit from a highly experienced management team from both companies with extensive industry knowledge in radio, media, consumer electronics, OEM engineering and technology. Further management appointments will be announced prior to closing. The companies will continue to operate independently until the transaction is completed and will work together to determine the combined company's corporate name and headquarters location prior to closing.

The combination creates a nationwide audio entertainment provider with combined 2006 revenues of approximately $1.5 billion based on analysts' consensus estimates. Today the companies have approximately 14 million combined subscribers. Together, SIRIUS and XM will create a stronger platform for future innovation within the audio entertainment industry and will provide significant benefits to all constituencies, including:

* Greater Programming and Content Choices -- The combined company is
committed to consumer choice, including offering consumers the ability
to pick and choose the channels and content they want on a more a la
carte basis. The combined company will also provide consumers with a
broader selection of content, including a wide range of commercial-free
music channels, exclusive and non-exclusive sports coverage, news,
talk, and entertainment programming. Together, XM and SIRIUS will be
able to improve on products such as real-time traffic and rear-seat
video and introduce new ones such as advanced data services including
enhanced traffic, weather and infotainment offerings.

* Accelerated Technological Innovation -- The merger will enable the
combined company to develop and introduce a wider range of lower cost,
easy-to-use, and multi-functional devices through efficiencies in chip
set and radio design and procurement. Such innovation is essential to
remaining competitive in the consumer electronics-driven world of audio
entertainment.

* Benefits to OEM and Retail Partners -- The combined company will offer
automakers and retailers the opportunity to provide a broader content
offering to their customers. Consumer electronics retailers, including
Best Buy, Circuit City, RadioShack, Wal-Mart and others, will benefit
from enhanced product offerings that should allow satellite radio to
compete more effectively.

* Enhanced Financial Performance -- This transaction will enhance the
long-term financial success of satellite radio by allowing the combined
company to better manage its costs through sales and marketing and
subscriber acquisition efficiencies, satellite fleet synergies, combined
R&D and other benefits from economies of scale. Wall Street equity
analysts have published estimates of the present value of cost synergies
ranging from $3 billion to $7 billion.

* More Competitive Audio Entertainment Provider -- The combination of an
enhanced programming lineup with improved technology, distribution and
financials will better position satellite radio to compete for
consumers' attention and entertainment dollars against a host of
products and services in the highly competitive and rapidly evolving
audio entertainment marketplace. In addition to existing competition
from free "over-the-air" AM and FM radio as well as iPods and mobile
phone streaming, satellite radio will face new challenges from the rapid
growth of HD Radio, Internet radio and next generation wireless
technologies."We are excited for the many opportunities that an XM and SIRIUS combination will provide consumers," said Gary Parsons, Chairman of XM Satellite Radio and Hugh Panero, CEO of XM Satellite Radio, in a joint statement. "The combined company will be better positioned to compete effectively with the continually expanding array of entertainment alternatives that consumers have embraced since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) first granted our satellite radio licenses a decade ago."

"This combination is the next logical step in the evolution of audio entertainment," said Mel Karmazin, CEO of SIRIUS Satellite Radio. "Together, our best-in-class management team and programming content will create unprecedented choice for consumers, while creating long-term value for shareholders of both companies. The combined company will be positioned to capitalize on SIRIUS and XM's complementary distribution and licensing agreements to enhance availability of satellite radios, offer expanded content to subscribers, drive increased advertising revenue and reduce expenses. Each of our companies has a strong commitment to providing listeners the broadest range of music, news, sports and entertainment and the best customer service possible. We look forward to sharing the benefits of the exciting new growth opportunities this combination will provide with all of our stakeholders."

The transaction is subject to approval by both companies' shareholders, the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and regulatory review and approvals, including antitrust agencies and the FCC. Pending regulatory approval, the companies expect the transaction to be completed by the end of 2007.

SIRIUS's financial advisor on the transaction is Morgan Stanley and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Wiley Rein LLP are acting as legal counsel. XM's financial advisor on the transaction is J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. and Skadden Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP; Jones Day; and Latham & Watkins LLP are acting as legal counsel.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

The companies will hold a joint conference call and webcast on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 at 8:30 AM ET to discuss this announcement. The conference call can be monitored by dialing 800-573-4840 within the U.S. and 617-224-4326 for all other locations, passcode 29490052. The webcast can be accessed at http://www.sirius.com/ and http://www.xmradio.com/ as well as on their satellite radio services by tuning to SIRIUS channel 122 and XM channel 200. The webcast will be archived at http://www.sirius.com/ and http://www.xmradio.com/.

About SIRIUS

SIRIUS, "The Best Radio on Radio," delivers more than 130 channels of the best programming in all of radio. SIRIUS is the original and only home of 100% commercial free music channels in satellite radio, offering 69 music channels. SIRIUS also delivers 65 channels of sports, news, talk, entertainment, traffic, weather and data. SIRIUS is the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the NFL, NASCAR, NBA and NHL, and broadcasts live play-by-play games of the NFL, NBA and NHL, as well as live NASCAR races. All SIRIUS programming is available for a monthly subscription fee of only $12.95.

SIRIUS Internet Radio (SIR) is a CD-quality, Internet-only version of the SIRIUS radio service, without the use of a radio, for the monthly subscription fee of $12.95. SIR delivers more than 75 channels of talk, entertainment, sports, and 100% commercial free music.

SIRIUS products for the car, truck, home, RV and boat are available in more than 25,000 retail locations, including Best Buy, Circuit City, Crutchfield, Costco, Target, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, RadioShack and at http://shop.sirius.com/.

SIRIUS radios are offered in vehicles from Audi, Bentley, BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep®, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercury, Maybach, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Rolls Royce, Scion, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo. Hertz also offers SIRIUS in its rental cars at major locations around the country.

Click on http://www.sirius.com/ to listen to SIRIUS live, or to purchase a SIRIUS radio and subscription.

About XM

XM (NASDAQ: XMSR) is America's number one satellite radio company with more than 7.6 million subscribers. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington, DC, New York City, Chicago, the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Toronto and Montreal, XM's 2007 lineup includes more than 170 digital channels of choice from coast to coast: commercial-free music, premier sports, news, talk radio, comedy, children's and entertainment programming; and the most advanced traffic and weather information.

XM, the leader in satellite-delivered entertainment and data services for the automobile market through partnerships with General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota is available in 140 different vehicle models for 2007. XM's industry-leading products are available at consumer electronics retailers nationwide. For more information about XM hardware, programming and partnerships, please visit http://www.xmradio.com/.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the benefits of the business combination transaction involving Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., including potential synergies and cost savings and the timing thereof, future financial and operating results, the combined company's plans, objectives, expectations and intentions with respect to future operations, products and services; and other statements identified by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "will," "should," "may," or words of similar meaning. Such forward- looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of SIRIUS' and XM's management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of SIRIUS and XM. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements.

The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statement: general business and economic conditions; the performance of financial markets and interest rates; the ability to obtain governmental approvals of the transaction on a timely basis; the failure of SIRIUS and XM shareholders to approve the transaction; the failure to realize synergies and cost-savings from the transaction or delay in realization thereof; the businesses of SIRIUS and XM may not be combined successfully, or such combination may take longer, be more difficult, time-consuming or costly to accomplish than expected; and operating costs and business disruption following the merger, including adverse effects on employee retention and on our business relationships with third parties, including manufacturers of radios, retailers, automakers and programming providers. Additional factors that could cause SIRIUS' and XM's results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in SIRIUS' and XM's Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2006, June 30, 2006 and September 30, 2006 which are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and available at the SEC's Internet site (http://www.sec.gov/). The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof, and Sirius and XM disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.

Important Additional Information Will be Filed with the SEC

This communication is being made in respect of the proposed business combination involving SIRIUS and XM. In connection with the proposed transaction, SIRIUS plans to file with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form S-4 containing a Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus and each of SIRIUS and XM plan to file with the SEC other documents regarding the proposed transaction. The definitive Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus will be mailed to stockholders of SIRIUS and XM. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF SIRIUS AND XM ARE URGED TO READ THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION.

Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the Registration Statement and the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus (when available) and other documents filed with the SEC by SIRIUS and XM through the web site maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov/. Free copies of the Registration Statement and the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus (when available) and other documents filed with the SEC can also be obtained by directing a request to Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020, Attention: Investor Relations or by directing a request to XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., 1500 Eckington Place, NE Washington, DC 20002, Attention: Investor Relations.

SIRIUS, XM and their respective directors and executive officers and other persons may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the proposed transaction. Information regarding SIRIUS' directors and executive officers is available in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, which was filed with the SEC on March 13, 2006, and its proxy statement for its 2006 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 21, 2006, and information regarding XM's directors and executive officers is available in XM's Annual Report on Form 10-K, for the year ended December 31, 2005, which was filed with the SEC on March 3, 2006 and its proxy statement for its 2006 annual meeting of shareholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 25, 2006. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC when they become available.

steverobertson

02-19-07, 04:23 PM

Thanks steve.

I'll be adding quite a few more favorite TV writers and critics in the days ahead.

Fred just a thought maybe you can add the link to your links on your signature?

By the way I am gracing your thread with my 3k post.

fredfa

02-19-07, 04:33 PM

Good idea steve, I'll add to to my sig a bit later.

And congrats on 3,000! Glad you chose this forum for your celebratory post!

steverobertson

02-19-07, 04:35 PM

Good idea steve, I'll add to to my sig a bit later.

And congrats on 3,000! Glad you chose this forum for your celebratory post!

Thanks Fred I figured you deserved it LOL

archiguy

02-19-07, 04:53 PM

I understand that Fredfa, its just that ESPN forces Dave Ryan on the PBA, he is probably the worst announcer ever, so it would be nice if ESPN would throw the PBA a bone. Dave Ryan never shuts his mouth, and knows absolutely nothing about bowling. The PBA is struggling financially as it is, prize funds were cut this year, so I doubt they would put out the capital for HD. It would be nice, I just don't see it happening for awhile.

Wow, I couldn't disagree more. In my humble opinion, Dave Ryan and Randy Peterson form one of the premiere announcing duos in any sport. (Adding Norm Duke to the broadcast team this year was a bad move as he adds nothing and only crowds the booth. Three's definitely a crowd in this case.) Ryan knows the sport extremely well, never runs his mouth unless he has something worthwhile to say, and has terrific chemistry with Peterson who's an extremely likable color man. But Ryan is right up there with the great Chris Schenkle, IMO.

I had not heard that prize money was cut this year, however. I thought the PBA was on a more sound financial footing since the big overhaul a few years back. I wonder if ESPN is happy with the ratings? I've never seen any numbers for the bowling telecasts. Man, it would be awesome if they'd go HD, but like you, I can't see that happening for awhile.

TommyK

02-19-07, 05:26 PM

Official Press Release:
SIRIUS and XM to Combine in $13 Billion Merger of Equals
Provides Consumers with Enhanced Content, Greater Choices and Accelerated Technological Innovation
Web site: http://www.xmradio.com/
http://www.sirius.com/
http://shop.sirius.com/
I wonder how this will affect the music channel agreements XM has with D* and SIRIUS has with E*.

mbarloewen

02-19-07, 05:34 PM

TV Sports
ESPN Dramatically Increases HD Production

In its February 19 issue, Sports Business Journal reports that “In a nod to the growing popularity of its high-definition broadcasts, ESPN plans to produce all game coverage from seven sports entirely in HD this year.

The commitment means that ESPN’s event programming of the NFL, NBA, MLB, NASCAR, MLS, college football and the National Hot Rod Association will be completely in HD this year.

College basketball will not get the 24-7 HD treatment, although its 150 planned HD telecasts — out of 400 games — is the biggest amount of HD games for a single sport on ESPN….”

Fred, is there a link to the Sports business journal website?

This is the closest us MLS fans have come to seeing confirmation that the matches will definitly be broadcast in HD this upcoming season...

Great thread as always...

keenan

02-19-07, 05:52 PM

I think SBJ is subscription based...?

mbarloewen

02-19-07, 06:02 PM

I think SBJ is subscription based...?

Looks like you are right. Never mind Fred.

Great news for HD sports fans, that's for sure.

fredfa

02-19-07, 06:11 PM

Sorry I have been away.

Yes SBJ is $249 a year.

Just another cross I bear to bring you all the latest. :)

fredfa

02-19-07, 06:13 PM

By the way, mbarloewen, do you know if HDNet will be broadcasting MLS games again, or does the new ESPN deal give the Bristol folks exclusivity?

mbarloewen

02-19-07, 07:06 PM

By the way, mbarloewen, do you know if HDNet will be broadcasting MLS games again, or does the new ESPN deal give the Bristol folks exclusivity?

HDNET is again broadcasting MLS matches. ESPN2 does not have exclusivity. What ESPN2 does get is hand picked in advance matches scheduled on Thursday nights that are only available on ESPN2. (expect to see a lot of Beckham and the smaller soccer specific stadiums that look much better on TV as they are mostly full as opposed to mostly empty NFL stadiums)

The HDnet games are only available in HD on HDNet but similar to NHL hockey they are often available in other ways such as regional sports broadcasts or on Fox soccer channel...

For those of us lucky enough to have HDnet and ESPN2hd, we've got a lot of matches to look forward to.

Mike

fredfa

02-19-07, 07:19 PM

Thanks for the info Mike.

fredfa

02-19-07, 09:27 PM

Critic’s Notebook
“Jericho” bucks the odds…
…gains success
By Charlie McCollum San Jose Mercury News February 19, 2007

Of all the serialized dramas that debuted last fall, CBS's ``Jericho'' had the dubious distinction of being the odds-on favorite for the quickest exit.

The series -- set in a small Kansas town, post-nuclear apocalypse -- simply didn't seem to have much going for it.

The pilot was relentlessly grim, drawing a tepid reaction from critics. It had a tough early evening time slot (``Hey, hon, let's watch some nuclear destruction right after dinner!''). It was on CBS, which relies heavily on traditional procedurals for its considerable ratings success and hasn't done well with sci-fi shows in the recent past (anyone remember ``Threshold''?).

But here we are in February, and while many highly touted serials have disappeared from the airwaves, ``Jericho'' (which returns at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Chs. 5, 46, with new episodes) is hanging in there very nicely.

While not a smash hit like NBC's ``Heroes,'' the series has built an average weekly audience of 10.7 million, a not-inconsiderable achievement opposite ``Dancing With the Stars.'' It also is CBS's No. 1 show in terms of Web traffic and generates at least a small measure of buzz, something the network craves but rarely gets.

Still, there's the question of why the lightly regarded ``Jericho'' has succeeded where other serialized dramas (``Smith,'' ``Vanished,'' ``Kidnapped'') have failed. It's an interesting case of how to take a potentially fragile premise and craft it into a solid, if not spectacular, bit of entertainment.

A) It keeps things simple.

Executive producer Jon Turteltaub thinks ``the premise of the show'' -- a tightly knit community pulling together to survive after a nuclear holocaust -- ``is easy to understand and intriguing.''

While the show has a mythology and all kinds of unanswered questions about the attack, the creators haven't overloaded it with vast conspiracies and dense subplots. If you dial out of ``Jericho'' for a week, you don't have to worry much about catching up.

It also (B) keeps the nuclear destruction at a distance.

All that the Jericho townspeople -- and the viewers -- know of the vast destruction so far is a brief snippet of video from a Chinese television station, some messages left on answering machines and descriptions provided by attack survivors who manage to make it to the relative safety of the town.

That was a conscious decision on the part of writers who, says executive producer Carol Barbee, drew their inspiration from the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina. ``We watched the end of the world on CNN. It wasn't in our neighborhood. We watched it from afar. But it looked pretty awful, and we knew in some way that it was going to reverberate into our lives.''

The show even © manages to be uplifting.

Especially in the wake of Katrina, many Americans aren't confident in the government's ability to respond to disasters. So there's something appealing in the way the townspeople -- even while struggling with their fears -- pull together in an effort to maintain a certain normalcy, whether harvesting corn crops, holding a mayoral election or throwing a Halloween party for the sake of the town's children.

``With `Jericho,' I don't think you feel doom and gloom,'' Barbee says. ``I think you feel empowered.''

In fact, ``Jericho'' comes off many episodes as more family drama than fantasy thriller. The central family in the show -- the town's mayor (Gerald McRaney), his wife (Pamela Reed) and their two sons (Skeet Ulrich and Kenneth Mitchell) -- is a loving unit that manages to deal each week not just with outside events but also with such everyday crises as family secrets, divorce, growing old and rekindling old loves.

``There's a segment of our audience who loves that stuff,'' Barbee says, ``and misses it when we're focusing on the mythology.''

Finally, ``Jericho'' (D) has a character that really ``popped.''

Even though it has a large ensemble cast, ``Jericho'' owes much of its success to the mysterious and seemingly dangerous Robert Hawkins, a newcomer to Jericho who may have played a role in the attack. (His involvement is somewhat clarified in this week's episode, which follows the key characters during the 36 hours leading up to the nuclear explosions.)

As played with nuance and a deft sense of character by the splendid British actor Lennie James in his first American series, Hawkins provides a fulcrum for the intersection of the show's family drama and post-holocaust mythology. The only character with a link to outside events, he's the guy who most often moves the story line forward, sometimes for the betterment of the town, sometimes not.

As it begins the second half of its season, ``Jericho'' does face some problems.

The show has been away for almost three months. Wednesday's episode will be a key indicator of how its audience will return after the long break. It still hasn't broken through as much with younger viewers as CBS would like. (The average age of a ``Jericho'' viewer is 51; for ``Heroes, it's 36.)

And how much longer the writers can credibly keep Jericho isolated from the outside world -- and where the story goes from here -- are open to question.

But at least, given the series' initial success, no one is betting against it anymore.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/television/16732211.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

fredfa

02-19-07, 11:06 PM

Critic’s Notebook
'Friday Night Lights,' NBC's unsung champ
Low-rated high school drama is always on its game
By Paul Brownfield Los Angeles Times Staff Writer February 20, 2007

It's the storylines that tell you how good "Friday Night Lights" has become. They're rich, swirling around one another in a kind of perpetual motion.

The NBC drama is ostensibly about the outsized importance of the high school football team in a small Texas town; this is the easiest entry point for anyone who hasn't yet seen the show (and there are, alas, many of you).

The series, which is flirting with cancellation, is based on a movie — a specific one, "Friday Night Lights," which was itself based on a book. The show, which airs Wednesday nights at 8, is fluid and involving, so much so that you forget that its cast is, yes, probably too good-looking.

Within this conceit, though, the series has a remarkably balanced tapestry of characters and an egalitarian interest in developing each of them. "Friday Night Lights" began with the glory/tragedy duality of sports — in the pilot, the Dillon Panthers' star quarterback, Jason Street (Scott Porter), was paralyzed from the waist down and was relieved by the scrawny backup, Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford), who came in to throw the winning touchdown.

Since then the show, refreshingly, hasn't been about glory or tragedy — just the incremental stuff of life in the town. "Friday Night Lights" is arguably the most intimate series on network television, thanks to a stellar cast and a cinematic style — lots of hand-held camera and quick cuts — that make you feel like a fly on the wall behind various closed doors.

Those doors don't lead to fussy, VIP places — the counter-terrorism unit headquarters on Fox's "24" or one of the Mode magazine offices on ABC's "Ugly Betty." In creating place, "Friday Night Lights" moves briskly from Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) watching game film in his office, to good ol' boy Buddy Garrity (Brad Leland) at his car dealership, to the paralyzed Street getting a driving lesson from his wheelchair-bound buddy Herc (Kevin Rankin).

It's all pretty breezy and effortless, and it feels located. Dillon is a drive-through town, somewhere off the interstate taking you to Dallas or Austin, and lots of episodes feature iconic shots of hardscrabble Dillon speeding by while the local sports talk radio guy is heard second-guessing play calls and hand-wringing over the next big game.

Cannily, "Friday Night Lights" is about sports in precisely the way professional sports has evolved — as an all-week referendum on personality and back story (most sports talk radio is not about a game but about whether a coach should be hired or fired or whether a player is on drugs, or, currently, whether it's good or bad that a former NBA player has come out as gay).

It's all gossipy stuff, and so, on "Friday Night Lights," the games have become secondary; some episodes pass without one, and in recent weeks Coach Taylor has dealt less with Xs and O's and more with a player on steroids, a 15-year-old daughter on the brink of sleeping with Saracen, the team's quarterback, and a racist comment by a coach.

In that episode, the team was roiled by a boilerplate quote given the media by the team's longtime assistant coach, in which he mused that black players have "a natural gift for running the ball," because they're "fearless, dangerous, like junkyard dogs."

As a story about racism in the workplace, the episode found its energy in the gray area of a sports cliché. So too did an episode in which a blue-chip black quarterback and Hurricane Katrina victim joined the team to buff his recruiting résumé.

Coach Taylor kind of deals with these controversies the way Coach Reeves on "The White Shadow" did, by furrowing his brow and putting his hands on his hips and hoping that the whole thing blows over by game time. The White Shadow was a bachelor; but on "Friday Night Lights," the best scenes involve the mutual support between Taylor and his wife, a guidance counselor played by Connie Britton. (It's the most unfussy portrayal of a marriage on television).

All of this sophistication unfolds in a red state. Dillon is Middle America but without the condescension that the phrase implies; the mayor is a lesbian, for instance, and Garrity who cares way too much about the Panthers, is terrified that his cheerleader daughter, Lyla (Minka Kelly), is going to go off with Street, the paralyzed quarterback.

Throughout, "Friday Night Lights" artfully contextualizes its sense of place and feels into the political climate of America. Although the show has only one character in Iraq, the father of the Dillon Panthers quarterback Saracen, you can all but feel the parking lot of the Wal-Mart where military recruiters are stationed. And you can all but feel the daily, off-stage improvements and setbacks of the war-maimed in the character of Street.

But they're all, at bottom, good kids with a finite amount of options on "Friday Night Lights," and it is from this unspectacular, unsalable premise that the series sparkles like it's game night.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-ontv20feb20,0,3703195,print.story?coll=cl-tv-features

homcom

02-19-07, 11:14 PM

Yes SBJ is $249 a year.

Just another cross I bear to bring you all the latest. :)
On behalf of others here at AVS I thank you for bearing that cross.

kizzo

02-19-07, 11:23 PM

shuttermaker

02-19-07, 11:29 PM

I am not excited for Jericho at all. As I mention in the other thread.. the extremely long hiatus killed the excitiment I had for this show.

Quite frankly I really don't care what happens now. I may still tune in.. but the anticipation is truly gone.

So just for kicks lets say it didnt have the long hiatus. Would you still be saying the same thing when the new fall season begins and youve had months away from it during the summer?

Im looking forward to it ramping up again. I could be wrong but i think i read here that Heroes will be off for awhile after the March 5 episode? Thats gonna suck. Tonights show was good and tomorrows looks REALLY good.

fredfa

02-20-07, 01:07 AM

More of Some Favorite Links

I’ve upgraded my favorite TV links with a number of additions. But it remains a work in progress and will be expanded, updated, and edited frequently.

So it is still just a start.

You'll find it (it is post #7 in this thread) here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=4278624&&#post4278624

kizzo

02-20-07, 01:33 AM

So just for kicks lets say it didnt have the long hiatus. Would you still be saying the same thing when the new fall season begins and youve had months away from it during the summer?

Im looking forward to it ramping up again. I could be wrong but i think i read here that Heroes will be off for awhile after the March 5 episode? Thats gonna suck. Tonights show was good and tomorrows looks REALLY good.

Totally different...

They took a break during the season..

fredfa

02-20-07, 02:26 AM

TV Notebook
For Fox’s Rivals, ‘American Idol’ Remains a ‘Schoolyard Bully’
By Bill Carter The New York Times February 20, 2007

Listening to the Fox network’s competitors describe what “American Idol” has done to the television landscape is not unlike listening to a group of quavering readers offer a synopsis of a Stephen King novel:

Once a year an unrelenting monster invades a town, and all the townspeople, cowed by years of being crushed under its massive claws, have to pay it fealty or run off and hide until it goes back into a six-month hibernation.

Kelly Kahl, the chief scheduler for CBS, summed up the “Idol” factor this way: “This is a big monolith sitting out there. It’s the ultimate schoolyard bully.”

If any of Fox’s rivals had hopes that this year might signal some hint that the monster — NBC favors the term Death Star — would finally betray some sign of weakness, those hopes were dispelled in just a week. Most television shows, no matter how successful, fall off sometime after their second or third season, but against all expectations, and most of the historic record of network television, “American Idol” has come back for its sixth season bigger and stronger than ever.

Last year at this time, five weeks into its season, “American Idol” was roaring along as television’s most-watched show, with an average of 31.7 million viewers (up substantially from its fourth season, when it averaged 28.3 million viewers over the same five weeks).

Improbably, this season the show has done even better, averaging 33.5 million viewers over its first five weeks. For perspective, at this point “Idol” could lose half its audience and still rank among the top 10 shows on television. And no one dares predict when this phenomenon will fade.

“Idol” is creating ever more powerful shock waves. A growing number of television executives have begun to regard “American Idol” as a programming force unlike any seen before. Jeff Zucker, the new chief executive of NBC Universal, said, “I think ‘Idol’ is the most impactful show in the history of television.”

That takes in a lot of time and territory, but there is ample justification for the assessment, beginning with those raw numbers. Bringing in well over 30 million viewers for each installment in a television universe filled with hundreds of channels is an undeniable feat. Just about everything else in television loses viewers every year; not “Idol.”

Other top-rated shows have demonstrated similar dominance in the past. “The Cosby Show” in the 1980s, for example, regularly attracted about half of the available audience.

Still, that show accounted for just one half-hour of one night every week. “American Idol” has filled up to four hours on two nights for Fox so far this season. And starting tonight, it will occupy three nights a week for three weeks, expanding its reach beyond its regular Tuesday and Wednesday nights to a Thursday hour as well. There it will presumably take a serious bite out of “Survivor,” “Ugly Betty,” “My Name Is Earl” and “The Office.”

That is the last thing CBS, NBC and ABC want to see happen. One fallout from the overpowering performances of “Idol” on Tuesday and Wednesday nights has been a circling of the programming wagons on Monday and Thursday nights. A collection of the strongest shows the other networks program has been piling up on those two nights, out of fear that they would be chewed up by “American Idol.”

The most notable recent example of a show’s being rescheduled out of danger was ABC’s decision to protect its own reality series “Dancing With the Stars” from having to compete directly with “Idol.”

“Dancing” was a runaway hit last fall, when it played for 90 minutes on Tuesdays and an hour on Wednesdays. When it returns next month, it will be seen at 8 on Mondays, a night with no episodes of “Idol,” and at 9 on Tuesdays — just as “Idol” goes off the air.

ABC executives declined to comment on the influence “Idol” has had on their scheduling. But executives at two of the other networks noted that ABC probably had the best programming counter to “Idol” in “Dancing,” yet clearly wanted no part of that showdown.

Similarly, last winter NBC moved its promising comedies “Earl” and “The Office” from Tuesday nights, where they had thrived, to Thursday, partly to escape the annual January “Idol” invasion. ABC and NBC have mostly backed off from any serious challenge to “Idol,” relying on repeats, low-rated comedies and news magazines as cannon fodder in the hours “Idol” is on the air.

Only CBS has managed to eke out respectable ratings numbers versus “American Idol,” relying on a couple of its steady crime dramas: “NCIS” on Tuesday and “Criminal Minds” on Wednesday.

“In a way we feel a little bit lucky to have two shows that basically hit our average ratings against it,” Mr. Kahl, CBS’s chief scheduler, said. “We don’t feel quite the doom and gloom that the other guys feel. We’re lucky. We don’t get nuked.”

ABC, on the other hand, went into retreat this month with one of its signature hit series, “Lost,” moving it from 9 p.m. on Wednesdays to 10 p.m., when it no longer has to face “Idol.”

One senior network executive said the shadow “American Idol” casts was so formidable that “we have ‘Idol’ strategy sessions.” The executive asked not to be identified because the network did not want to acknowledge openly the impact “Idol” was having. “We realize we’ve got to be very, very practical” in dealing with the threat that “Idol” poses to new and promising shows, the executive said.

This has proved especially true, the executive noted, with comedy, a genre that has become especially fragile on television. The prospect that “American Idol” will arrive every January on Tuesday and Wednesday nights means that any show introduced on those nights in September is living on borrowed time — and ratings.

That makes things especially hard for ABC, which has no half-hour comedy shows on any other night.

At Fox, executives are doing no boasting at all, perhaps realizing that this kind of phenomenon cannot be planned. And, indeed, the story of Fox’s initial reluctance to put “American Idol” on the air is now well known. Far from beating their chests, Fox executives seem in awe of what the show has wrought.

“When you have it, you don’t quite grasp it when you come in in the morning and see those ratings,” said Preston Beckman, the chief scheduler for Fox.

The show’s impact on Fox has been disproportionate, even with all the hours that it fills between January and May every year. Fox is a network with only 15 prime-time hours, as opposed to the 22 that ABC, NBC and CBS program each week. (Fox’s nightly schedule ends an hour earlier than theirs.) Adding the enormous “Idol” ratings raises its network average much more quickly.

Fox has ranked fourth and last for much of this season. Now it wins most weeks, and it probably will for most of the rest of the television season.

The show has also begun to extend its sphere of influence. Fox is using “American Idol” to enhance other shows around it. The already strong drama “House” has recently grown into the highest-rated scripted show on television, thanks in large part to its post-“Idol” slot on Tuesdays.

A newer drama, “Bones,” has seen its ratings rise in the past month because it gets some early tune-in on Wednesday nights, when it plays at 8 p.m., just before “Idol.” And Fox has plans to build a new game show, “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?,” into a hit by placing it behind “Idol” many times in the coming weeks.

A new show could hardly get a better opportunity to find viewers quickly. One competing executive noted that the numbers Fox has been getting weekly from “Idol” almost amount to the equivalent of having the Super Bowl on every week.

Fox executives look at it much the same way. “It really is an event every year,” Mr. Beckman said. “Really, it doesn’t feel like a TV show sometimes. It’s like the Super Bowl. It’s like a big sporting event. Sometimes it almost feels like it’s bigger than Fox. At some point in the year, it’s just time for ‘Idol.’ ”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/20/arts/television/20idol.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=television&pagewanted=print

fredfa

02-20-07, 10:37 AM

Critic’s Notebook
” Studio 60”:
Apparently, that's all there is
By Alan Sepinwall of the Newark Star-Ledger in his TV blog “What’s Alan Watching” Tuesday, February 20, 2007

So was that the last we'll see of this show on NBC's airwaves? There are still six episodes either in the can or in the process of being made, and a lot of time left in the TV season for some other NBC show to fail and create a hole in the schedule. Hell, "Black Donnellys" could wind up doing an even worse number next week and we'll see "Studio 60" back on Mondays in a month. TV is a wacky, wacky business, though the wackiness Sorkin has generally tried to depict is more of the headless baby doll variety than the capriciousness of both the public and network executives.

The nice people at Throwing Things http://throwingthings.blogspot.com/2007_02_18_archive.html#8170332384051025997#8170332384051025 997 are doing a post-mortem on where Sorkin went wrong in general, but I feel like I've done that 15 or 16 times already, so I'll just stick to this episode.

Start with Matt's bad crack in the schoolyard hallucinations, which last week were considered a major M. Night Shyamalan-level crisis, and here were quickly turned into a joke about Matt's ultimate sexual fantasy appearing in front of him right before the opening titles began. And, frankly, I think the lawyer (from Sam Seaborn's old firm of Gage Whitney) would have worked better as a figment, because her omniscience about all things Matt got old in a big damn hurry.

Then there was the suggestion that Harriet Hayes -- the beautiful, allegedly talented, allegedly beloved star of a broadcast TV network's flagship series -- can boil her romantic choices in life down to two men: the immature bullying ass, or the immature bullying ass. If I was Harriet, I'd be playing that Anita Pallenberg scene for real. If the kiss at the end was supposed to seem like Harriet following Danny's suggestion and humoring Matt, it worked; if it was supposed to convey any kind of real feeling between the two of them, not so much.

And, of course, the notion that the writers' room thrives on Samuel Taylor Coleridge trivia contests, or that Matt's only problem with a sketch about the Freemasons would be their inability to do research on it. I'm sure the folks in Bristol had some fun pointing out the inaccuracies and dramatic license in "Sports Night," but "Studio 60" must be one non-stop drinking game for the people who work at 30 Rock (either the address or the show).

Finally, there's Jordan buying a robot baby and not even acknowledging the fact that, with her schedule and income, a nanny's going to be doing the bulk of the child-rearing. The bit where Danny left the room and Tom immediately started holding the doll upside down by the ankle was funny, though, as were the eyes bugging out and scaring the bejeesus out of Jordan.

The sexual harassment story, inspired no doubt by a lawsuit from a woman who worked on Matthew Perry's last TV series, at least felt like something relevant to what this show is kinda sorta supposed to be about, as well as something that might turn into an interesting two or three-episode runner if NBC sees fit to bring it back. In particular, I liked Matt's acknowledgment that, while he wouldn't allow that kind of talk in his writers' room, other perfectly funny shows would. If nothing else, maybe Evan Handler and Carlos Jacott will pop up on the inevitable DVD.

http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/2007/02/studio-60-apparently-thats-all-there-is.html

fredfa

02-20-07, 10:55 AM

Was there any uptick for "Studio 60" in the overnight ratings?

Monday’s metered market over-night prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted just near the top of Ratings News the second post in this thread.

fredfa

02-20-07, 11:12 AM

Technology Notebook
San Francisco’s KGO Launches Hi-Def News
32nd HD Local News Operation; 5th ABC O&O
By Glen Dickson Broadcasting & Cable 2/20/2007

KGO San Francisco launched high-definition newscasts Saturday, Feb. 17, becoming the second station in the No. 5 market to broadcast high-definition newscasts, after Cox station and Fox affiliate KTVU.

KGO is the 32nd station nationwide to offer HD news, following recent launches by WTVF Nashville, WFAA Dallas and KTLA Los Angeles, and the fifth ABC owned-and-operated station to do so. It will provide 33.5 hours of HD news weekly, along with five hours of local entertainment (the daily View from the Bay talk show) and an hour of local affairs programming.

"We’ve been closely examining what the shots look like and what the set looks like, and have made distinct changes to really take advantage of what HD can do," says David Salinger, KGO VP of programming and creative. He says the station has been planning the HD switch since July 2006.

KGO, which first deployed a hi-def helicopter last year, has reworked its news studio by moving the anchor desk and installing Ikegami HD cameras with Canon lenses, Christie HD projection systems, and VizRT HD graphics. For now, field production will be handled in widescreen standard-definition and upconverted.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6417476

fredfa

02-20-07, 11:16 AM

Critic’s Notebook
Battle of “Jericho”:
Will split season help or hurt?
By Hal Boedeker Orlando Sentinel Television Critic February 20, 2007

To split or not to split? That is the question facing broadcasters with hit dramas this season.

ABC divided the season of Lost in two. The drama aired six episodes in the fall, left the air for three months, then returned Feb. 7. The plan: Air 16 fresh installments in a row.

The results have been discouraging. Lost averaged 17.8 million viewers in the fall. The average for two episodes that have aired in February has fallen to 13.7 million.

CBS' Jericho tries to make the split season work when it returns at 8 ET/PT on Wednesday. The drama focuses on a Kansas town struggling to survive after nuclear bombs devastate the nation. Jericho offered 11 episodes in the fall and became a surprise hit, averaging 10.8 million viewers.

This week, Jericho tries to lure viewers back with a compelling episode about life shortly before the bombs exploded. Fans gain critical insights into heroic Jake Green (Skeet Ulrich) and mysterious Robert Hawkins (Lennie James).

But there's an ominous sign: When Jericho presented a recap special last week, just 7.4 million tuned in.

Broadcasters are devising various strategies to spread a 22- or 24-episode series over a 36-week season. One reason for slicing up the show's run: avoiding repeats. Serialized dramas such as Lost perform poorly in reruns. Crime dramas such as CSI, which wrap up their main stories each week, stand up better in repeats.

So what to do to keep the faithful tuned to a serial? Fox holds 24 till January and airs fresh episodes through May (Lost might mimic that scheduling next season). That compressed approach heightens the tension for fans of agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), whose family life plays like a Greek tragedy this season.

NBC has chopped Heroes into several chunks. A string of new episodes is airing in the February ratings period. The show will go into repeats in March, then return with six fresh installments to wrap up the season.

That scheduling is paying off despite a sprawling plot and a large roster of characters. Heroes is the most-watched series introduced in the fall; it averages 14.5 million viewers each week. And Heroes is succeeding at 9 p.m. Mondays against the established 24.

A split season clearly has hurt Lost. The drama bored some fans in the fall with punishing episodes about the Others and their torture of Jack (Matthew Fox), Kate (Evangeline Lilly) and Sawyer (Josh Holloway). Shifting the series to a later hour, 10 p.m. Wednesdays, means fewer young viewers can watch at that time.

Still, Lost remains capable of quality, original drama. The series offered one of its finest episodes last week, an eerie look at Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) and fate. The episode compared favorably to the best of The Twilight Zone. Unfortunately, only 12.8 million watched.

What will the split season mean for Jericho? That series drew many negative reviews in the fall for treating an apocalyptic premise in mundane terms.

Yet Wednesday's return suggests the series has improved dramatically; it's as if you're watching a different show. Maybe the future for Jericho isn't so dire, even after those nuclear explosions.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/tv/orl-jericho_107feb20,0,1197316,print.story?coll=orl-caltvtop

shuttermaker

02-20-07, 11:27 AM

fredfa

02-20-07, 11:37 AM

fredfa

02-20-07, 12:09 PM

Yesterday’s fast national over night prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted near the top of Ratings News the second post in this thread.

foxeng

02-20-07, 12:57 PM

It varies wildly (how much infrastructure needs to be revamped, will there be an HD Chopper, how many news crews, editing suites, etc) but it seems like $3 million-$5 million appears to be the ballpark.

Many stations seem to be upgrading in their more or less normal cycle of updating their equipment -- which is every five years or so.

I am sure KEnglish and foxeng could give us better insights.

Studio wise and nothing else (cameras and switcher not including anything else), less than a 1 million but that doesn't get the signal out of the studio!! 3 to 5 mil is about right. And you are correct, stations are not willing to cough up those kinds of dollars on the heels of about the same amount for a new transmission facility within the last 4 years or so. They are adding HD pieces as old things wear out and are updated. And as time moves on, the prices continue to come down.

dmedina

02-20-07, 02:01 PM

Are HD channels still not "counted" in Nielsen ratings?

fredfa

02-20-07, 03:42 PM

Not a dumb question at all, Dave.

I'll check with Nielsen and get the answer directly from the horse's mouth.

fredfa

02-20-07, 03:57 PM

OK, Dave, here is what Nielsen says:

"If someone has a high def set, they are definitely in our sample."

A press spokesman told me "we don't (yet) break out specific High Def ratings, but our sample accurately reflects the numbers of High Def households."

I asked him if that would be somewhere between 20 and 25 per cent of the nation's TV homes and he replied that that "sounded about right".

And, he added, with the soaring acceptance of HD by the nation's viewers, it is more and more important that Nielsen keeps adding HD households to the sample.

It should be clear he and I were discussing the national ratings sample, not the 55 or so local metered markets. Although, from what I understand, there is a proportional HD representation there, too. And those ratings count broadcast channels. He said the national HD channels are similarly counted in the cable and satellite universe -- most of them mirrioring their SD brethren so they are not broken out into SD and HD. The few HD-only channels apparently have, at the moment, too few viewers to register.

As a check and balance, TiVo has been monitoring thousands of its HD TiVo boxes for a couple of years. So perhaps it would be able to break out the differences between HD and SD viewing specifically. When I get a chance I'll give somebody there a call.

At any rate, according to Nielsen, the common belief in AVS and elsewhere that HD viewers don't count in the Nielsen ratings is simply false.

fredfa

02-20-07, 04:04 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
A stinker sendoff for NBC's 'Studio 60'
Once promising drama pulls series-low 2.6 in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 20, 2007

What was once the most anticipated new show of the season left the air with a whimper last night for an extended and perhaps permanent hiatus.

“Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” fell to a series-low 2.6 adults 18-49 rating, according to Nielsen overnights, finishing 0.1 behind ABC’s struggling “What About Brian” in the 10 p.m. timeslot.

That was 0.2 behind its 2.8 overnight last week, its previous season low. And it was 24 percent below “Strip’s” 3.4 season-to-date average. The recent ratings decline has come as the drama about life at a “Saturday Night Live”-style late-night show changed its focus from Hollywood insider stuff to romance.

Next week NBC is replacing “Strip” with midseason drama “The Black Donnellys.” The network originally had planned to begin airing “Donnellys” on March 5, allowing “Strip” to finish out the February sweeps in the valuable post-“Heroes” timeslot.

But after “Strip” continued to slide in recent weeks, NBC decided to move “Donnellys” in before “Heroes” moved to repeats.

Whether “Strip” will return at all now seems questionable. NBC has not announced a return date for the program, saying only that it will be back later this season.

Unless “Donnellys” really bombs, “Strip” won’t resurface on Monday. The network has a powerful lineup in the 8-10 p.m. slots, yet “Strip” is now losing more than half its lead-in and pulling the longtime No. 1 network on Mondays down to second or third.

At the least, it seems a sure bet that “Strip,” which was created by “West Wing’s” Aaron Sorkin and boasted an A-list, expensive cast, will not be back next year.

Indeed, last night CBS finished first among 18-49s with a 4.8 average rating and a 12 share. It was followed closely by NBC at 4.5/11 and Fox at 4.4/11, with ABC fourth at 3.3/8, Univision fifth at 1.7/4 and CW sixth at 1.1/3.

NBC started the night on top with a 4.8 rating at 8 p.m. for “Deal or No Deal.” Fox was second with a 3.9 for “Prison Break,” ABC third with a 3.7 for “Wife Swap,” tying last week’s season high, and CBS fourth with a 3.4 average for “How I Met Your Mother” (3.5) and “The Class” (3.3). Univision was fifth with a 2.3 for “La Fea Mas Bella” and CW sixth with a 1.2 average for “Everybody Hates Chris” (1.3) and “All of Us” (1.1).

NBC led again during a competitive 9 p.m. hour with a 6.0 for “Heroes.” CBS was second with a 5.1 average for “Two and a Half Men” (5.3) and “Rules of Engagement” (4.9), Fox third with a 5.0 for “24” and ABC fourth with a 3.5 for “Supernanny.” Univision was fifth that hour with a 1.6 for “Mundo de Fieras” and CW sixth with a 1.0 average for “Girlfriends” (1.0) and “The Game” (1.0).

CBS took the lead at 10 p.m. with a 5.9 for “CSI: Miami,” followed by a 2.7 for ABC for “What About Brian.” NBC dropped to third with a 2.6 for “Strip” and Univision was fourth with a 1.2 for “Cristina.”

Among households, CBS led the night with a 9.2 average rating and a 14 share. NBC was second at 7.7/12, Fox third at 6.9/10, ABC fourth at 5.3/8, Univision fifth at 2.2/3 and CW sixth at 1.7/2.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_10291.asp

dmedina

02-20-07, 04:23 PM

Wow, that's great information! Thank you very much, Fred. I'm glad to know "my vote counts."

fredfa

02-20-07, 04:33 PM

Critic’s Notebook
Last night's '24':
'Just trust me. It's personal'
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” February 20, 2007

I have lots to do today and not that much to say about last night’s rather lackluster “24,” but here are three thoughts:

• Boy, is the show lacking something without the old-school CTU staff. Killing Edgar, Michelle, Tony and more or less everyone else we cared about (except for Chloe and Bill Buchanan) was quite possibly “24’s” biggest-ever mistake -- and one that is now only becoming truly apparent. I must admit that the deaths of Michelle and Edgar had big dramatic impacts when they occurred (not so much Tony’s death, which was fumbled and didn’t give the character a proper sendoff), but this season, there’s a dearth of characters at CTU (and at the White House) to get invested in.

I like Carlo Rota as Morris O’Brian, and his alcoholism crisis on Monday was fine, but overall, the CTU scenes this year just lack a spark. We barely saw Bill last night, Karen Hayes is nowhere to be found, Milo is still a cipher at this point and I’ve not yet found one interesting thing about Nadia Yassir. Remember the days of Ryan Chappelle, George Mason, Nina Myers? We’re not seeing characters like that this year on the show, and it's a problem.

• What is this great legacy that Papa Bauer keeps talking about – the one he’s willing to preserve at any cost? The company that he ran? I wish we’d known more about his business and his shadowy power, maybe then we’d understand why he’d kill just about everyone he’s related to in order to keep that “legacy” intact. James Cromwell is a fine actor but I just don't understand Papa Bauer's motivations much.

• The only reason I’m going to tune in next week is to see ex-President Logan again. A bearded Logan (the great Gregory Itzin) popping up at the end of Monday’s episode was an excellent sight, and gave me a little hope that this season can be salvaged. We’ll see. If the Logans and Aaron Pierce (who's also returning soon) can’t turn things around, nothing can.

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

URFloorMatt

02-20-07, 05:26 PM

fredfa

02-20-07, 08:06 PM

Washington Notebook
A La Carte a Key FCC Concern?
Multichannel News February 20, 2007

In a story today about the merger plans of XM and Sirius, MultiChannel News reported about a meeting Sirius CEO – who would become CEO of the merged satellite radio company – had with Sirius employees today.

Some of his comments spoke directly and indirectly about the future of a la carte in the cable/satellite/telco TV world. Here is an excerpt:

“…Karmazin also hinted that one way to achieve regulatory approval for the merger -- which many analysts believe will be almost impossible -- is by offering some form of a la carte programming.

He added that he has already met with all five Federal Communications Commission members, and their top priorities in evaluating whether the deal is in the public interest concern consumer choice and pricing.

‘Three of the five commissioners have said that what they would like to see -- and they would also like to see this in cable television -- is a service where the consumer can decide which of the channels they want to get if they’re going to be expected to pay for it,' Karmazin said. 'If somebody wants to have fewer choices, they’d like to see a service that we would have available to them with fewer channels and at a lower price’….”

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6417928.html?display=Breaking+News

fredfa

02-20-07, 09:20 PM

Critic’s Notebook
The “Studio 60” Situation
(NBC Exec says production will continue)
Studio 60' Poised To Be Deep-Sixed. Or Then Again, Maybe Not. But Regardless, Please, No Whining. Life Will Go On. I'm Pretty Sure It's Just a TV Show (Quiet Aaron!)
By Ray Richmond The Hollywood Reporter in his blog “Past Deadline” February 20, 2007

A quick primer in network primetime television economics: you make money, you get to stay; you lose money, you have to go. It's kinda Business 101, really. And this is the dilemma that Aaron Sorkin's much-hyped and fate-debated "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" finds itself in right now. It was pulled from the NBC Monday night schedule following last night's episode because its ratings blow.

The show reportedly costs over $2 million per episode to make and isn't coming close to justifying that investment based on numbers that continue to head south. Last night's hour was its lowest yet: a 2.6 rating and 7% audience share with 6.4 million total viewers, according to Nielsen. It was "Studio 60's" worst performance in both total households and the crucial adults 18-49 demographic measure that advertisers use as a key yardstick for buys.

When NBC announced last week that the show was being replaced on Mondays at 10 p.m. by "The Black Donnellys" beginning Feb. 26, it also said "Studio 60" would "return to the schedule later this season." But I wouldn't hold my breath, and neither should you. More likely, the completed episodes will get burned off over the summer before winding up as "TV That's Too Good For TV" on Bravo.

(UPDATE: I just spoke with someone in authority at NBC who assured me that -- while "Studio 60" is off on a two-week production hiatus right now -- it will indeed resume production (on Episode #18, of a 22-episode order) the first week in March. This seems to point to NBC actually bringing the show back this spring, unless it's hellbent on blowing $10 million more on a series that's already been relegated to the ash heap. Then again, we'll see if production actually resumes.)

NBC Entertainment chief Kevin Reilly has proven himself to have the patience of Job, considering the way he stuck through thin and thin with "The Office." But the man also has shareholders to answer to, and "Studio 60" appears to be showing not even the thinnest glimmer of upward trending or any reason for optimism. Yes, in the past networks have given promising shows that happen to be performing poorly a season to find their legs. But that was in the era before TV began to demand instant success.

Please don't take it personally that "Studio 60" is undoubtedly looking at a one-season-and-out fate. It's just one of those things. And don't blame NBC. This is a business, ladies and gentlemen, not a public trust. That's what they tell me, anyway.

http://www.pastdeadline.com/

CPanther95

02-20-07, 09:44 PM

Inundated

02-20-07, 09:53 PM

They are adding HD pieces as old things wear out and are updated. And as time moves on, the prices continue to come down.

A certain sister FOX O&O of yours up here actually bought its HD studio cameras a couple or three years before converting the newscast to HD.

fredfa

02-20-07, 10:02 PM

Ray knows quite well that even people "in authority" often hold on to the cover story well beyond the point that anyone really believes it. I hope I'm wrong, but I'd wager that this break in production will become permanent just before they are set to start up again. (and the key people involved in production already know that now)

Of course I haven't seen the contract wit Sorkin, but I would be surprised if there wasn't a fairly large cancellation penalty if NBC didn't cover all the first year's episodes. And (at least) Matt Perry probably gets paid whether the episodes are shot or not.

Plus, the network most likely wants to continue a relationship with Sorkin and Schlamme.

But even with that said, I wouldn't be really surprised if production doesn't start again. Perhaps the network will simply committ to another S/S production.

CPanther95

02-20-07, 10:13 PM

Maybe they can sign them to do a reality show to help fill up their Fall 2008 8pm slots. ;)

fredfa

02-20-07, 11:13 PM

TV Notebook
'24' Lays its Cards on Table
By Alex Romanelli Television Week February 20, 2007

In TVWeek.com's exclusive Backlot Talk podcast, Howard Gordon -- showrunner of Fox's "24" -- described the latest episode as laying its cards on the table, something necessary to the show's pacing.

"Sometimes it's just like the tempo in a musical piece: You've really got a lot of velocity and you're exhausted and it gets to be too much and you want to slow it down, or something demands explanation," Mr. Gordon said. "It's really by feel. It's not designed; it's not architectural; it's not mathematic."

For the full interview with Mr. Gordon, where he also touches upon the ongoing controversy surrounding the show's use of torture, go to http://www.tvweek.com/page.cms?pageId=407

fredfa

02-21-07, 12:29 AM

Critic’s Notebook
Amanda Tapping joins 'Stargate Atlantis'
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher”February 20, 2007

Changes are afoot in outer space.

“Stargate SG-1” is wrapping up its long run with 10 episodes that begin airing April 13, Sci Fi Channel announced Tuesday. A spinoff series, “Stargate Atlantis,” will also air 10 episodes of its third season starting on the same date.

The biggest news, however, is that Amanda Tapping, who played “Stargate SG-1’s” Samantha Carter for 10 seasons, will join the main cast of “Atlantis” for its fourth season, which arrives in the fall.

Tapping will be in 14 of the 20 Season 4 episodes of “Atlantis,” which, like “SG-1,” revolves around intrepid explorers using wormhole technology to travel all over the universe (an activity that often leads to epic battles with alien bad guys).

Torri Higginson, who plays Elizabeth Weir, the head of the “Stargate Atlantis” mission, will be a recurring character in Season 4, executive producer Joseph Mallozzi said in a phone interview from the show’s Vancouver set. Mallozzi couldn’t say for sure how many fourth-season episodes Higginson would be in; that number is in “a state of flux,” he said.

Mallozzi didn’t want to be specific about how Higginson and Tapping’s characters will fit into the command structure of the Atlantis expedition in Season 4, but he did say that Carter will provide “more of a support role.”

“She’ll be an important member of the Atlantis expedition, but the Atlantis team is the Atlantis team. The stories will focus on them as a team and on them in terms of the development of the characters. Sam isn’t there to overshadow what we have in place but to support it,” Mallozzi said.

But Carter’s background as an astrophysicist will mean that Rodney McKay (David Hewlett), the snarky in-house genius on “Atlantis,” will have another scientific brain to pick.

“She can take some of that workload off David -- David has a terrific amount of technobabble” on the show, Mallozzi said. Carter’s experience as a military officer, a warrior and a leader will also come in handy, he said.

Mallozzi would not confirm one development that has been widely discussed on “Stargate” fan sites for months, which is the death of “Atlantis” doctor Carson Beckett, who’s played by Paul McGillion. The actor told Starburst magazine that his character is killed off in an upcoming Season 3 episode called “Sunday” (which has already aired in Canada).

“Needless to say I was stunned, for lack of a better word. I didn’t see that coming at all. Personally, I felt like I was doing a good job on the program and I think the producers thought so as well. …. I was sad and disappointed by their decision, but yet this is a business. I understand that and I respect these guys for giving me the chance to play a character like Carson Beckett,” McGillion told Starburst.

Mallozzi would neither confirm or deny the death of Beckett, but he did say, speaking hypothetically, that in the realm of sci fi, even “dead” characters have a way of turning up again in some way. Could Beckett make an appearance in Season 4? “It’s possible,” Mallozzi said. “This is sci fi, no one is every gone for good.”

He added that if the character were to exit, Beckett would not “ascend,” as Daniel Jackson did when his character exited for a season. “I can guarantee you that will not be the route we go,” Mallozzi said.

Asked whether any other cast members of “Atlantis” are leaving, he said, “stay tuned on that one.”

Jewel Staite, of Joss Whedon’s “Firefly,” will join “Atlantis” for eight episodes as Dr. Keller, “a physician who joins the Atlantis expedition,” according to a Sci Fi press release. (Staite already had a guest role on the show as a different character, a Wraith child named Ellia).

Mallozzi said that Season 4 of “Atlantis” would also feature the arrival of a new alien race, one that will be an “unpredictable wild card.”

“Looking over the 10 stories we’ve been thinking about” for the first half of Season 4 of “Atlantis,” Mallozzi said, “the easiest way to put it is that a lot of [stuff] is going to go down. Some fans will not like it, some fans will love it. We’re going to get movement on characters, and we’ll have some fairly character-centric stories. We’re going to develop an aspect of the Wraith, and we’re going to have this new wild-card race,” he said.

There were no plans at present, he said, to have Ben Browder (who plays “SG-1’s” Cameron Mitchell), Claudia Black (“SG-1’s” Vala Mal Doran) or Michael Shanks (“SG-1’s” Daniel Jackson) guest on “Atlantis,” but Mallozzi didn’t rule it out.

“They’re going to be in the two [‘Stargate SG-1’ DVD] movies” that are being filmed this spring, Mallozzi said. As far as bringing them back to “Atlantis,” “it’s a matter of coming up with a believable story and the actors’ availability and everything else. At this point it makes more sense for Teal’c or for Daniel Jackson to come to ‘Atlantis’ than for [Cameron] Mitchell."

He added that Christopher Judge, who plays Teal’c on “SG-1,” will guest on one early fourth season episode of “Atlantis.”

A few final thoughts from Joseph Mallozzi:

Some general thoughts on Season 4 of “Atlantis”: “The past couple of years, we’ve done 40 episodes of TV . That’s kind of a huge order by anyone’s standards. We got an early start and we got stuff done, we were never late, but we were always up against it. These 20 episodes [for Season 4], we were able to think things through and really focus a lot. People complained that [in the past] there were a lot of McKay-centered stories. This year, when we went into Season 4 planning, we wanted to have a story for each character, something that explores their backstory and personality, with things that had not been revealed in previous episodes. We’re also doing a little more in terms of setting up extended, season-long arcs.”

[B]On the new race in Season 4: “I want to keep it somewhat vague, but they are a race of beings that are atypical of the Pegasus galaxy. They’re a type of people we’ve encountered before in ‘SG-1,’ but we’ve yet to encounter [this type of race] in the ‘Atlantis’ universe.”

On the series finale of “Stargate SG-1” and the two “Stargate SG-1” movies: “The season finale – it’s not a cliffhanger, but on the other hand, it’s not a neat and tidy tie-up like ‘Mobius.’ For many fans of the show, ‘Mobius’ was a nice wrap up to [Jack O’Neill’s] run on ‘SG-1.’ In the first movie, we’re going to seek to tie up loose ends regarding the Ori. The second movie is more of a standalone, it’s nothing to do with the Ori. It’s more of a Goauld story, a more traditional ‘Stargate SG-1’ story.”

On fan reactions to the upcoming season of “Atlantis”: I think fans are needlessly worried. They read spoilers and get upset [before they see the episodes]. The heartache and the anger – fans would save themselves a lot of that if they would wait and watch the episodes. I’m sure they are already starting their letter-writing campaigns. But in our case, to be brutally honest, they don’t really have an impact on creative decisions.”

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/02/amanda_tapping_.html#more

fredfa

02-21-07, 01:26 AM

TV Notebook
ABC keeps 'Housewives' honcho
Cherry signs four-year deal with studio
By Josef Adalian Variety February 21, 2007

In what figures to be one of the biggest TV deals of the year, "Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry has inked a four-year, eight-figure overall pact with ABC Television Studio.

Deal, which keeps Cherry under wraps until May 2011, ensures creative continuity on "DH" through the skein's seventh season. Studio has also quietly negotiated deals with all key members of the cast that will keep them on the hit skein for at least as long as Cherry is attached.

Neither the studio nor Cherry's reps would comment on financial particulars. Still, it's believed the pact exceeds the rich $15 million, 3½-year deal "Nip/Tuck" creator Ryan Murphy inked with three News Corp. units last week (Daily Variety, Feb. 16).

Cherry said he has no plans to develop projects beyond "DH," though if he does, it'll be for ABC Television Studio (ATS). Instead, the scribe wants to focus on his current show.

"The studio and the network and I all feel it's best for me to stay glued to the set," he told Daily Variety. "I've got my ship, and I'm gonna run it."

And, if Cherry gets his way, the S.S. Wisteria Lane will complete its voyage in 2011 -- the same time his new deal wraps.

"I think that, at the end of my deal, and after seven seasons, it will be a good time to call it quits," he said. "I don't want anyone else to run the show, and I don't want us to fade away."

Cherry joked that ATS execs "smile and nod" when he mentions his plan, which echoes recent end-date scenarios set out by the brain trust behind another ATS skein, "Lost."

"But I'm serious in my intent to end it after seven years," Cherry said. "I don't want to overstay my welcome."

ATS prexy Mark Pedowitz said Cherry's plans for "Desperate Housewives" don't come as a surprise to him.

"He has always said he sees this as a seven-year show," Pedowitz said. "But nobody's made any determinations that it will end after seven years. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Pedowitz said reupping Cherry was an easy deal to make.

"Desperate Housewives" is an "enormous asset for this company," he said. "And it's his creation and vision. It would be silly to do something without Marc Cherry involved."

Pedowitz also praised Cherry for steering "Desperate Housewives" back on track after some creative hurdles during the show's second season. "He's shown himself to be a very capable showrunner," Pedowitz said.

While Cherry's reps received inquiries about the scribe's availability, there was never any serious danger that he would jump ship.

"The only thing hard about the choice is that this is the most exhaustive thing I've ever done," Cherry said. "The only thing harder would be letting someone else run the show. And they certainly made it worth my while, so it was easy to sign on the dotted line."

With a potential end date in mind, Cherry is also free to begin planning the next stage of his career.

"After I've completed 'Desperate Housewives,' I'm packing my bags, moving to New York, and I'm going to start writing books for Broadway musicals," the singing waiter-turned-scribe said.

Don't expect "Desperate Housewives: The Musical," however.

"I can't emphasize this enough: God, no," he said when asked about such an idea. "It will not take place in suburbia."

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117959858&categoryid=14

fredfa

02-21-07, 01:46 AM

Critic’s Notebook
The Olbermann deal,
“Studio 60”, and what's the deal with Carlos
By Aaron Barnhart Kansas City Star in his blog “TV Barn”Feb 20, 2007

Today on KMOX, Paul Harris and I recapped the dustup between Joe Rogan and Carlos Mencia, noted the demise of "Studio 60," which Paul cheered along with the renewal of "Til Death."

A little less sanguine, I lamented the fact that no network (besides CBS) seems to know what to do with sitcoms anymore.

And, bringing an extra-packed segment to a close, we vetted Keith Olbermann's deal with NBC, which apparently does not call for him to do any crossover episodes with Chris Hansen.

You can get the link to the podcast here:

http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/

fredfa

02-21-07, 10:14 AM

TV Sports
FCC Eyes Program Access
By Ted Hearn MultiChannel News 2/21/2007

The Federal Communications Commission Tuesday opened a long-awaited rulemaking on whether cable operators must continue to sell many of their video-programming services to satellite and phone-company rivals.

Key features of federal program-access rules are scheduled to expire Oct. 5 unless extended by the FCC. The rules were extended for five years in 2002 in a ruling narrowly supported by FCC chairman Kevin Martin, who was a regular FCC member at the time. In recent weeks, Martin has indicated his support for a second extension.

Under a 1992 law, the FCC has required cable companies to sell satellite-delivered programming in which they have an ownership interest to competing multichannel-video-programming distributors. Thus, Time Warner has been forced to sell CNN and HBO to such competitors as DirecTV, EchoStar Communications’ Dish Network and Verizon Communications’ FiOS TV service.

EchoStar in particular has asked both Congress and the FCC to extend the rules to cover cable-affiliated programming networks that are delivered terrestrially to MVPDs. In its proposed rulemaking, the FCC did not directly mention plans to close the so-called terrestrial loophole.

Last July, in approving the sale of Adelphia Communications, the FCC said Comcast and Time Warner could not withhold regional sports networks, whether satellite- or terrestrially delivered, from their pay TV rivals for a period of six years. Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia received an exemption with regard to distributors not under contract.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6417950.html?display=Breaking+News

fredfa

02-21-07, 10:20 AM

The TV Column
"Most Watched",
(a Gross Exaggeration)
By Lisa de Moraes Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Do you toss and turn at night wondering how CBS can run promos proclaiming its new James Woods drama, "Shark," the season's most watched new series, and "CSI" the most watched show, when NBC's new "Heroes" is clocking about a million more viewers than "Shark" and Tuesday's "American Idol" on Fox posts about 15 million more viewers than "CSI"?

Never fear, we're here to help you get a good night's sleep by explaining this outbreak of apparent TV industry horseradish:

Through last Sunday, "Heroes" is averaging about 14.5 million viewers to "Shark's" 13.4 mil.

You and I might say that makes "Heroes" the season's most watched new show. Number-crunching Nielsen Media Research feels otherwise.

CBS explains:

"According to Nielsen, claims of 'most watched' can only be made based on gross impressions, which is number of telecasts multiplied by the program's average audience," the network said in a statement sent to The TV Column.

"In the case of 'Shark,' it's based on 20 broadcasts multiplied by its average audience of 13.37 million viewers, which equals 267.38 million gross impressions, more than any other new series," the network said.

"Heroes," on the other hand, had aired only 15 times through last weekend, which, when multiplied by its season average of 14.5 million viewers, works out to about 217 million gross impressions.

It's this same kind of big picture, out-of-the-box thinking that makes "CSI" the season's most watched series though it's eating "Idol's" dust each week.

"CSI" has been on since September. Its season average of 20.6 million viewers therefore gets multiplied by 20 episodes for a grand total of 412 million gross impressions.

Through last weekend, "American Idol" had aired only four times on Tuesdays, for instance. This means its Tuesday average audience -- a whopping 35.3 million viewers -- gets multiplied by just 4. This leaves "Idol" with a measly 141 gross impressions on Tuesday nights.

Now, some people at one network -- extra credit for correctly guessing which one -- note that a little clause in the Nielsen National Reference Supplement issued for the 2006-07 TV season tells network suits the expression "most watched" "should not compare individual programs with significant disparity in the number of telecasts."

Execs at other networks have discussed the CBS promos with Nielsen. Nielsen, they say, is sticking by its guns.

On the other hand, if NBC wants to run a promo declaring "Heroes" the No. 1 new series or the highest-rated new series, it could certainly do that. Ditto Fox, should it feel moved to air promos crowning "American Idol" TV's No. 1 show.

"There's something here for everyone," Nielsen spokesman Jack Loftus told The TV Column.

Shockingly, neither promotion may come to pass.

One of the deeper-thought thinkers at one of those networks explained they've dismissed the CBS promos as "just another form of [flagpole] waving." The executive did not want to be identified because he did not want to acknowledge he'd given a moment's thought to the CBS promos.

Some non-CBS execs even suggested optimistically the CBS promos could make the network sound foolish because, they insisted, most people realize more people are watching "American Idol" than any other program and that "Heroes" is topping the heap of new series.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/20/AR2007022001761_pf.html

shuttermaker

02-21-07, 10:26 AM

shuttermaker

02-21-07, 10:30 AM

fredfa

02-21-07, 10:34 AM

NTVNotebook
Kate Walsh (Dr. Addison Shepherd) May Get Her Own Show

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Kate Walsh’s Dr. Addison Shepherd character on the mega hit series “Grey’s Anatomy” may be spun off into its own series by ABC.

In an article written by Brook Barnes, the move is called “bold” and will be preceded by a two-hour “Grey’s” episode which would serve as a pilot. The episode would air in May, giving the network time to decide whether to go ahead with the project before it announces its news schedule at the May upfronts.

For the season, Nielsen Media Services reports that “Grey’s” is the highest-rated scripted show in the coveted 18-49 demographic, nudging out second place “Desperate Housewives”.

The complete WSJ story is available to subscribers here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117203280453414676.html?mod=mm_media_marketing_hs_left

fredfa

02-21-07, 10:39 AM

TV Notebook
Dancing With the Stars Unveils Season 4 Contestants
By Marc Berman MediaWeek February 21, 2007 -

ABC reality/competition Dancing With the Stars, which opens season No. 4 on Monday, March 19 at 8 p.m., has announced the next round of celebrity contestants.

The 11 stars competing are boxer Laila Ali, country crooner Billy Ray Cyrus; NBA great Clyde Drexler; former NSYNC singer Joey Fatone; former Miss USA Shandi Finnessey; daytime favorite Leeza Gibbons; Paul McCartney’s soon-to-be ex, Heather Mills; Olympic Gold medal winner Apolo Anton Ohno; Sopranos mobster Vincent Pastore; supermodel Paulina Porizkova; and former Beverly Hills, 90210 star Ian Ziering.

Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris host. Returning as the judges are Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.

Note: The MediaWeek link to this story has been disabled. The main MediaWeek site is here:
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/index.jsp

shuttermaker

02-21-07, 10:41 AM

TV Notebook
Dancing With the Stars Unveils Season 4 Contestants
By Marc Berman MediaWeek February 21, 2007 -

ABC reality/competition Dancing With the Stars, which opens season No. 4 on Monday, March 19 at 8 p.m., has announced the next round of celebrity contestants.

The 11 stars competing are boxer Laila Ali, country crooner Billy Ray Cyrus; NBA great Clyde Dexter; former NSYNC singer Joey Fatone; former Miss USA Shandi Finnessey; daytime favorite Leeza Gibbons; Paul McCartney’s soon-to-be ex, Heather Mills; Olympic Gold medal winner Apolo Anton Ohno; Sopranos mobster Vincent Pastore; supermodel Paulina Porizkova; and former Beverly Hills, 90210 star Ian Ziering.

Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris host. Returning as the judges are Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/networktv/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003548029

Shouldnt that be NBA great Clyde "The Glide" Drexler ?

fredfa

02-21-07, 10:49 AM

Yesterday’s metered market over-night prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted just near the top of Ratings News the second post in this thread.

archiguy

02-21-07, 11:15 AM

ABC reality/competition Dancing With the Stars, which opens season No. 4 on Monday, March 19 at 8 p.m., has announced the next round of celebrity contestants.

The 11 stars competing are boxer Laila Ali, country crooner Billy Ray Cyrus; NBA great Clyde Dexter; former NSYNC singer Joey Fatone; former Miss USA Shandi Finnessey; daytime favorite Leeza Gibbons; Paul McCartney’s soon-to-be ex, Heather Mills; Olympic Gold medal winner Apolo Anton Ohno; Sopranos mobster Vincent Pastore; supermodel Paulina Porizkova; and former Beverly Hills, 90210 star Ian Ziering.

Amongst all the usual washed-up and C-list "stars" we've come to expect from this "competition", this time one stands out for it's audaciousness: Heather Mills...? :eek: Besides recently becoming a pariah for the nasty divorce of one of the most universally loved rock 'n rollers ever, doesn't she have a prosthetic leg?? Seems that would be a rather large obstacle to overcome when it comes to ballroom dancing. :confused:

CPanther95

02-21-07, 11:20 AM

.. or an unfair advantage if partnered with someone with a propensity to step on toes. ;)

fredfa

02-21-07, 11:33 AM

You are right, shuttermaker. I think Marc mistyped. It is Clyde Drexler, not Clyde Dexter. I've corrected the original posted version.

(But to me, this group looks far lamer than the usual.)

DoubleDAZ

02-21-07, 11:38 AM

Wow, i was just asking myself these same questions earlier in the week. Also, How does TNT claim that "The Closer" is cables most watched TV show ever? That might not be the exact quote but its something along those lines. However it was put, I couldnt help but think "BS".I believe they say most watched "cable" show, but be that as it may, statistics can be used to sell almost any side of an issue. That's just one reason statisticians gather as much data as they can, so they can sell to all sides of an argument and still be right. :)

fredfa

02-21-07, 11:51 AM

shuttermaker:

MVPD = Multichannel Video Programming Distribution (Broadcast Cable, Satellite or Telco)

fredfa

02-21-07, 12:00 PM

...If TWC is forced to sell certain programming, are they also limited in what price they can ask for these services?...

No, but if TWC wants carriage of some of its lower-rated channels it probably can't raise the bar too high on the better-rated ones. The TWC channels include:

Adult Swim
Boomerang
Cartoon Network

CNN
CNN en Espanol
CNN Headline News
CNN International

Court TV

TBS

Turner Classic Movies

TNT -Turner Network Television
TNT HD

HBO Multiplexes
Cinemax Multiplexes
HBO HD
Cinemax HD

However for InHD, co-owners Comcast, TWC and Cox cleverly set the rates per digital household -- which effectively set the price far lower for cable providers than for DBS, which is all digital.

fredfa

02-21-07, 12:07 PM

Tuesday’s fast national over night prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted near the top of Ratings News the second post in this thread.

Iteki

02-21-07, 12:21 PM

Nice satirical 'FAQ' on High Def from wired.com (http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,72768-0.html?tw=wn_index_4) :

The High-Def FAQK

By Lore Sjöber
02:00 AM Feb, 21, 2007

What is high definition exactly?

Remember when you tossed out all your old VHS tapes because they told you that DVDs were going to finally give you the perfect cinematic experience in your own home? They lied. Oh, man, did they lie. DVDs are dirt. They are earthworm smegma. You may as well hand a toddler some permanent markers and tell her to draw Vito Corleone on the living room wall. No, if you want the true actual real cinematic experience, you're going to have to go HD. For real this time.

What are the advantages of switching to high definition?

You've heard about the greater levels of clarity and detail, and the richer colors. If you check out most bars and pubs, though, you'll discover that the main advantage of high-definition television is that it makes people on the screen fatter. The bar owners wisely set the televisions to stretch non-HD video so it fills the screen. This not only keeps the pixels on the edge of the screen from feeling lonely and neglected, but when patrons see a thicker Jennifer Aniston on reruns of Friends, they feel better about ordering another round of beer and a plate of chili nachos. And so can you!

When watching actual high-definition shows, the main advantage is that you get to see more of the hallways. How many times have you been watching Grey's Anatomy and thought, "I wonder what the sides of that hallway look like?" Well, thanks to the improved aspect ratio of HDTV, you can see exactly how spacious and open the hallways are! From the broad cornfields of Smallville to the ample starfields of Battlestar Galactica, your peripheral vision is in for a treat it won't consciously register!

Is it a good time to get into high-definition video?

Of course it is, especially if you're nostalgic for the '80s. With more than a dozen cable channels and nearly 300 movies to choose from, it's like the early '80s all over again, only this time Howie Mandel's bald!

Is HD equipment expensive?

Oh, heavens, no, not compared to other forms of entertainment. For instance, renting out an entire movie theater so you can watch Scary Movie 4 with a couple of your friends would cost nearly a third of what it costs to set up a decent high-definition home theater, and that's only for one movie! And a trip into near space may be fun, but it costs appreciably more than replacing all your home theater equipment. Have some perspective!

What are the differences between Blu-ray and HD DVD video?

The main difference that the average consumer will notice is that one of them has "Blu" in the name. This means that the market is largely divided into those who find comic misspellings charming, and those who don't. Sony is counting on the support of people who frequent restaurants with names like Kountry Kitchen and E-Z Stop-N-Eat.

Which one should I buy?

It doesn't matter, because whatever you choose is going to end up spinning down the drain like a dead goldfish. Remember when you bought a MiniDisc player instead of an iPod? Because you thought it was going to be "the new CD"? You're so doomed.

I keep hearing about 1080p. What's that?

It's a video format. The "1080" stands for 1,080 lines of video, and the "p" stands for "purchase," because if you bought high-definition equipment three years ago, you're going to have to toss it out and buy new stuff if you want 1080p. There used to be 720p and 1080i, which we thought were pretty awesome at the time, but now we realize that if you're using that you may as well hand a chimp a bucket of compost to throw at your living room wall while you play a John Williams soundtrack. No, 1080p is the way to go if you want the actual true real total immersive complete cinematic experience. Honest. We're totally sure this time.

- - -
Born helpless, nude and unable to provide for himself, Lore Sjöberg eventually overcame these handicaps to amass an impressive collection of remote controls.

dad1153

02-21-07, 12:41 PM

TV Notebook
Dancing With the Stars Unveils Season 4 Contestants
By Marc Berman MediaWeek February 21, 2007 -

The 11 stars competing are boxer Laila Ali, country crooner Billy Ray Cyrus; NBA great Clyde Drexler; former NSYNC singer Joey Fatone; former Miss USA Shandi Finnessey; daytime favorite Leeza Gibbons; Paul McCartney’s soon-to-be ex, Heather Mills; Olympic Gold medal winner Apolo Anton Ohno; Sopranos mobster Vincent Pastore; supermodel Paulina Porizkova; and former Beverly Hills, 90210 star Ian Ziering.

I've never given a damn or cared about any of the "celebrities" in DWTS, but Shandi might just make me tune in to see her compete. Not mentioned in the stories about her (they just mention she's a former Miss USA) is that Shandi co-hosts Lingo with Chuck Woolery on Game Show Network as well as the network's play-along interactive show PlayMania. Go Shandi! :D

fredfa

02-21-07, 01:41 PM

Pretty funny, Iteki! :)

fredfa

02-21-07, 01:45 PM

Last week’s complete network average prime-time results (with demographic and season-to-date averages) are now at the bottom of RATINGS NEWS the second post in this thread.

fredfa

02-21-07, 01:51 PM

Critic’s Notebook
February's TV Picture
Some Disappointments, One Head-scratching Success
A media critique by Wayne Friedman at MediaPost Wednesday, February 21, 2007

February is the time of year in the TV season when prognosticators try to forget their big promises and hide their heads from unexpected overachievers.

A very traditional-looking three-camera sitcom on CBS, "Rules of Engagement," about two couples and their wacky single friend, played by everyone's wacky single friend, David Spade, has head-scratchingly become the best-performing new sitcom of the year.

It virtually matches its "Two and a Half Men" viewer lead-out. For three weeks the show has been averaging a 4.9.

"Rules" isn't one of those new-fangled offbeat single-camera comedies, like "My Name is Earl," "The Office," or "Scrubs." Defying some new trend logic, CBS sticks with the old and tested formula. The traditional laughs are there -- and that's enough for audiences.

At the same time, who could ever believe Fox's "The O.C." would seemingly fall off the face of the earth. Even as its draws closer to its finale, viewers are seemingly disinterested, and have been voting it with mid-1.0 ratings.

The death of Mischa Barton's character was probably too much of a burden for viewers to carry around. This led to even darker plotlines -- a big change from its original intent, as a lighthearted comedy/drama mixed with teen angst.

And then there's everyone's favorite show to kick around: "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." After hitting its cruising altitude in the mid-3.0 ratings, this NBC rookie appeared to be safe -- though an under whelming performer of the new season. NBC said its high-income viewers made it a good performer for the network.

But in the last two weeks, there has been more turbulence, with ratings tumbling. Now, ABC's always-hopeful, "What About Brian" has bested the Aaron Sorkin drama -- even if it's by a 2.7 rating for "Brian" to a 2.6 rating for "Studio 60."

One noticeable change for "Studio 60" is that there is less focus on the comedy skits in the fictional drama -- which some critics never deemed funny enough -- and more about romance.

Surprises for sure -- unexpected romance for "Studio 60"; surprisingly darker stories for "The O.C"; and the always-expected slacker character played by David Spade getting high ratings.

February is almost over. Bring on the TV puzzles of March.

http://blogs.mediapost.com/tv_watch/?cat=2

Iteki

02-21-07, 01:58 PM

Pretty funny, Iteki! :)

:-)

fredfa

02-21-07, 02:19 PM

Last week’s updated top 10 prime-time program ratings are now toward the bottom of RATINGS NEWS -- the second post in this thread.

fredfa

02-21-07, 02:36 PM

Highest Rated Prime-time Shows By Network
Week of February 12-18
(Listed by viewers in millions; overall rank is at left)

A B C
4 GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM ABC 25.76
7 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES ABC 18.51
17 EXTREME MAKEOVER:HOME ED. ABC 14.15
19 UGLY BETTY ABC 13.66
23 LOST ABC 12.84

C B S
5 CSI 22.71
6 CSI: MIAMI 19.90
9 SURVIVOR: FIJI 16.08
11 TWO AND A HALF MEN 15.50
12 NCIS 15.36

Fox
1 AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY 31.20
2 AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY 28.89
3 HOUSE 25.99
8 FOX DAYTONA WINNERS CIRCL(S) 16.40
18 24 13.73

N B C
10 DEAL OR NO DEAL-MON 16.07
16 HEROES 14.68
22 LAW AND ORDER:SVU 12.94
28 E.R. 11.60
38 DEAL OR NO DEAL-WED 9.58

CW
93 FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN 4.78
94 SMALLVILLE 4.76
96 REBA 4.44
97 GILMORE GIRLS 4.37
98 BEAUTY AND THE GEEK 4.19

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

fredfa

02-21-07, 02:41 PM

Lowest Rated Shows By Network
Week of February 12-18

These are the lowest-rated programs by network for last week.
(Shows are listed by overall rank and viewers in millions.)

A B C
79 WHAT ABOUT BRIAN 5.57
85 ABC SAT MOVIE OF THE WEEK 5.20
88 LOST SP-2/14(S) 4.96
89 KNIGHTS OF PROSPERITY 4.90
90 GREY'S ANATOMY-FRI 8PM 4.89

C B S
52 WITHOUT A TRACE - TUE SP(S) 8.43
55 CRIMETIME SATURDAY 8.22
57 48 HOURS MYSTERY 7.77
60 RETURN TO JERICHO(S) 7.36
64 CRIMETIME SATURDAY 8PM 7.03

Fox
84 TIL DEATH 5.21
87 TRADING SPOUSES 4.96
92 WAR AT HOME 4.79
95 NANNY 911 4.48
104 O.C. 3.65

N B C
73 SCRUBS 6.23
74 APPRENTICE 6 6.04
82 DATELINE-SAT 5.39
86 30 ROCK 5.01
91 LAW & ORDER:SVU-SAT 4.82

CW
120 ALL OF US 2.58
122 GAME, THE 2.52
123 VERONICA MARS 2.37
124 ONE TREE HILL 2.25
127 BEAUTY AND THE GEEK-ENC 1.44

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

fredfa

02-21-07, 02:53 PM

Highest Rated Prime-time Shows in the 18-49 Demo
Week of February 12-18
(Listed by viewers in millions)
[code]
1 AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY FOX 17.01
2 AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY FOX 16.00
3 HOUSE FOX 14.58
4 GREY’S ANATOMY-THU 9PM ABC 14.09
5 CSI CBS 9.51
6 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES ABC 9.18
7 CSI: MIAMI CBS 8.45
7 DAYTONA WINNERS CIRCLE FOX 8.47
9 HEROES NBC 8.19
10 LOST ABC 7.38

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

fredfa

02-21-07, 03:03 PM

Nielsen Notebook
Syndicated ratings roundup
Coverage of the Anna Nicole Smith saga drives viewing
TVNEWSDAY Feb. 21

Coverage of the death of Anna Nicole Smith propelled CBS Television Distribution’s Entertainment Tonight to its highest national Nielsen numbers in more than three years, while ratings for three of the other four magazine shows, although dwarfed by ET, still set new season highs.

The week ending Feb. 11, which included the first full week of the sweep also saw the top four talk shows register increases while top-tier shows in other genres were mostly flat to down.

ET had the sharpest week to week increase of any magazine, jumping 12% to a 6.4, its best weekly rating since the week of Feb. 2, 2004, which followed the infamous Janet Jackson Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction.

ET and most other magazines, which air as early as 4 p.m. ET on some stations, had to scramble to prepare their stories after Smith was pronounced dead at 2:49 p.m. on Feb 8. But viewers tuned in and were glued to the breaking coverage as evidenced by ET’s Feb. 8 rating which surged 33% from the prior week to a 7.6, its highest rated telecast since the day after the 2004 Academy Awards.

For the week, ET drew a daily average of approximately 9 million viewers per show and had ratings 56% higher than that of its closest magazine rival CBS Television Distribution’s Inside Edition’s 4.1, which was up 11% to a new season high.

ET spinoff The Insider jumped 7% to a 3.1, setting a new season record and tying its all all-time high. NBCU’s Access Hollywood also had a 3.1, unchanged, and Warner Bros.’ Extra! was up 4% to a new season high 2.5.

Compared to last year at this time, all five magazines were higher. No other category of strips in syndication had more than two shows with year-to-year increases. ET was up 12%, Inside Edition was up 8%, The Insider was up by 3%, Access Hollywood and Extra!, whose ratings were atypically depressed a year ago by preemptions for the Winter Olympics, were up 19% and 4%, respectively.

Talk Shows
Buena Vista’s Live with Regis and Kelly was the only talk show to hit a new season high rating, averaging a 3.9, up 5%. Live was also the only talker up over last year, growing 5% with its annual “Wedding Week” in which one lucky couple gets married on the show. The actual ceremony was seen by nearly 5 million viewers.

CBS Television Distribution’s Dr. Phil had the biggest weekly increase among talkers, spiking to a 5.7, its second highest rating of the season, and up 8% on the week and 14% over the past two weeks.

The top talker, CBS Television Distribution’s Oprah, was up 4% to a 7.3, and NBCU’s Maury rose 4% to a 2.6.

Among rookies, CBS Television Distribution’s Rachael Ray drew its biggest audience ever, averaging just over 3 million viewers per show for the week. Its rating remained steady at its season high 2.4 which was set last week.

The not yet nationally cleared Morning Show with Mike and Juliet from Fox continued its pattern of growing every week since its debut a month ago. Last week Mike and Juliet averaged a 1.6 rating/5 share in its 27 metered markets, up 23% over its premiere week, fueled by gains of 67% in New York, 78% in Philadelphia and 120% in Washington.

NBCU’s iVillage Live averaged a 0.7/2, up 17% in its 11th week in 12 metered markets.

Game Shows
Only one game show was up for week, Buena Vista’s Who Wants to be a Millionaire, which climbed 3% to a 3.7 and improved 9% over last year. Leader Wheel of Fortune from CBS Television Distribution was down 1% to a 9.2, but up 3% from last year, while CBS Television Distribution’s Jeopardy!was down 4% to a 7.2 and down 1% year to year.

Court Shows
Twentieth’s Divorce Court had biggest increase among gavelers, gaining 10% to a 2.2. Others moving higher were Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis, up 4% to a new season high 2.8, and Twentieth’s Judge Alex which was up 5% to a 2.1. Compared to same week last year, the only court shows with growth were CBS Television Distribution’s Judge Joe Brown, up 3% to a 3.4, and Judge Mathis, up 8%.

Among court newcomers, Twentieth’s Cristina’s Court was down 7% to a 1.4 and Sony’s Judge Maria Lopez was flat at a 1.1.

Off-Net Sitcoms
The top off-net sitcoms were down slightly, except for second-place Seinfeld from Sony which rose 4% to a season-high 5.1. CBS Television Distribution’s Everybody Loves Raymond lost 7% to a 5.5 and Warner Bros.’ Friends fell 10% to a 3.7. All of the top three comedies were down from last year by double digits.

Weekend
CBS Television Distribution’s Entertainment Tonight Weekend led the first-run weekly hours with a 3.5, which was a new season high for the second week in a row. The show was up 3% for week and up 21% over last year.

NBCU’s Access Hollywood Weekend was second with a new season high 2.3, up a whopping 35%.

Off-net weekly hours were topped by CBS Television Distribution’s CSI: Miami at a 5.1, up 13% with Warner Bros.’ Without a Trace second at a 2.6, up 8% and Tribune’s American Idol: Rewind at a 2.4, up 4%.

http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2007/02/21/daily.8/

fredfa

02-21-07, 03:11 PM

Sorry I missed this the other day, but Marcus Carr gave it its own thread…
HDTV Notebook
Weather Channel Takes Hi-Def Plunge
By Glen Dickson Broadcasting & Cable 2/19/2007

Although hurricane season is several months away, The Weather Channel is already forecasting dramatic weather for the second half of 2007.

The 24-hour weather-focused network plans to launch a high-definition simulcast of its programming by this fall. To get it done, it is undertaking a total overhaul of its Atlanta studios and “Weather STAR [Satellite Transponder Addressable Receiver]” local-insertion gear, the mechanism that allows the channel to match up local images and data to the correct markets.

The Weather Channel is investing “multiples of tens of millions of dollars” on the switch to 1080-line interlace (1080i) HD, says network President Debora Wilson. It had planned the launch even before DirecTV announced last month that it plans to begin beaming more than 100 HD channels this year.

“Weather is such a visual thing,” says Wilson. “We’re excited about presenting weather with the clarity and power that HD can provide.

“It’s a big investment for us,” she adds. “It’s a very different scope [than] required to convert a TV station or, frankly, even a network that is more predominantly focused on tape product. Because we’re 24/7 live. We have all the components: the studio, the broadcast infrastructure and the STAR technology.”

Weather Channel’s plan is to first offer a few key day parts in high-definition, with the rest of the day consisting of upconverted standard-definition programming. The network will convert all its studio-based shows, along with new primetime programs, such as the Warren Miller-produced Epic Conditions, to HD by mid 2008.

Live remotes from Weather Channel field crews will gradually be converted to HD, with the goal to have at least some HD remotes by hurricane season 2008. Contributed feeds from Weather Channel affiliates will move at their own pace.

Given the relative infancy of high-definition electronic newsgathering and satellite uplink equipment, Wilson admits, “The remote coverage is the hardest piece.” But she is optimistic, noting that several affiliates, notably KLAS Las Vegas and WFTV Orlando, Fla., launched HD newscasts in the past year.

The only high-definition equipment currently in place at Weather Channel: some Ikegami studio cameras. So the shift to HD requires replacing all the existing standard-definition infrastructure and production gear, says Ross Kalber, Weather Channel VP of engineering and IT technology.

The network contracted with system integrator Ascent Media to help design the reworked facility, which will feature a 60- by 80-foot studio with several set views to support shows like Weekend View and Abrams & Bettes, along with three HD control rooms. Viewers won’t see the newsroom in the new studio, which will make ample use of high-definition monitors and other electronic displays.

One of the biggest tasks: re-creating thousands of standard-definition weather graphics in HD. They will also have to be designed to “safe-protect” a 4:3-aspect-ratio picture for standard-definition viewers, which is the way live camera feeds are broadcast.

Weather Channel executives are evaluating what they will buy and have made a few choices. Not surprisingly, the network will continue to use WSI weather graphics in hi-def (both Weather Channel and WSI are owned by Landmark Communications). It will also use VizRT graphics systems, which it already employs for standard-def, and upgrade existing Omneon playout servers to HD operation.

Initially, Weather Channel’s high-definition service will be carried by DirecTV, which plans to launch HD versions of various basic-cable networks as part of its expanded service. But Weather Channel expects that cable operators will pick up the service, too. That will require new high-definition versions of its Weather STAR local-insertion device, used to deliver local forecasts and targeted commercials, to be deployed to thousands (5,000-6,000) of cable headends.

“We’ve got to develop a new STAR to be able to pass through the HD feed,” says Kalber, “as the current STARs won’t allow that.” The new boxes will have to be very powerful to be able to render HD graphics for local insertion.

He wants to deploy the new STAR units next year. “There may be some relevant systems that launch before we complete the manufacture of the STAR unit,” he says, “but we want that time frame to be really short.”

http://broadcastingcable.com/articl...ts&text=weather

steverobertson

02-21-07, 03:13 PM

I hope the commercials on the weather channel are in HD because that is all they show everytime I flip to them.

fredfa

02-21-07, 03:51 PM

Nielsen Notebook
Evening-News Ratings:
ABC Wins Demo for Third Consecutive Week
By Alex Weprin Broadcasting & Cable 2/21/2007

NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams won the week with the most total viewers, but ABC World News With Charles Gibson held on to the key news demo for the third consecutive week. Last week it was No. 1 across all the demos.

Overall, World News averaged 10,060,000 total viewers, with a 2.6 rating/10 share in adults 25-54. This marks nine straight weeks of growth for Gibson’s World News and an 11% increase year-to-year in total viewers.

Nightly News averaged 10,170,000 viewers and had a 2.6/9 in adults 25-54, barely beating out ABC in total viewers and falling just short in the key demo.

CBS Evening News With Katie Couric averaged 7,776,000 viewers and held a 2.2 rating/8 share among the key demo, finishing third in both categories.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6418372.html?display=Breaking+News

rebkell

02-21-07, 04:49 PM

fredfa

02-21-07, 04:57 PM

To me she has turned into one of the more interesting characters.

I'd love to see what she can do in a different environment.

I agree that her story line in "Grey's Anatomy" has more or less run its course, so moving her to some place nearby like Seattle Infants Hospital might be a good (even great) move -- and could result in some occasional cross-over appearances by Grey's stars whose story arcs were minimal.

Iteki

02-21-07, 04:59 PM

Wow, Addison, I never really considered her one of the main stars on the show, I like her character, but for some reason it just surprises me that she would be the choice for a spinoff.

That's why they can afford to spin her off I suppose. She's a likeable, popular character, but not vital to the show. Not sure why I'd watch a show just about her though...I only watch GA because of my fiance as it is :-)

fredfa

02-21-07, 05:13 PM

You are right. Now that the Meredith-McDreamy plotline seems more or less settled, the ex doesn't really have all that much to do.

I guess the future will be prospects will be settled by Ms. Rhimes and her imagination. If I had to bet, I would assume the new show would be at least a solid success. But then I thought "Studio 60" was all but a lock before it began, too.

But if I were ABC, I'd slide this show in behind "Desperate Housewives" Sunday at 10; move Brothers and Sisters to Thursday at 10 (behind "Grey"s) and move "Men In Trees" to Monday at 10 to replace "What About Brian" and compete against "CSI: Miami" and "The Black Donnellys" or whatever show NBC finds to replace it with next season.

keenan

02-21-07, 05:16 PM

NBC should be putting Medium in that 10pm Mon slot....

Maestro J

02-21-07, 05:29 PM

I've never given a damn or cared about any of the "celebrities" in DWTS, but Shandi might just make me tune in to see her compete. Not mentioned in the stories about her (they just mention she's a former Miss USA) is that Shandi co-hosts Lingo with Chuck Woolery on Game Show Network as well as the network's play-along interactive show PlayMania. Go Shandi! :D

I agree!!! I watch Lingo every night just to see her beautiful legs.

fredfa

02-21-07, 05:33 PM

NBC should be putting Medium in that 10pm Mon slot....

Agreed, but it hasn't yet. If it does, I'd find another place for "MIT".

fredfa

02-21-07, 05:35 PM

I've never given a damn or cared about any of the "celebrities" in DWTS, but Shandi might just make me tune in to see her compete. Not mentioned in the stories about her (they just mention she's a former Miss USA) is that Shandi co-hosts Lingo with Chuck Woolery on Game Show Network as well as the network's play-along interactive show PlayMania. Go Shandi! :D

We are going to have to force you (apparently at gunpoint) to get an HDTV, dad.

Then perhaps we could broaden your viewing horizons a bit. :)

fredfa

02-21-07, 05:46 PM

TV Sports
Justice Prevails, If Just for an Instant, at ESPN
Controversial Ex-Receiver Irvin Not Offered a Contract
By Leonard Shapiro Special to washingtonpost.com

Maybe there is some justice in the world, after all.

Two weeks after me-first Michael Irvin was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame ahead of classy team-first Art Monk, despite Irvin's countless run-ins with the law during and after his showboating playing career had ended, ESPN actually did the right thing by not offering the former Cowboys receiver a new contract to appear on its various NFL segments.

No official reason was given by ESPN. But after Irvin's blatantly reverse-racist comments suggesting that Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo's athletic prowess had to due with the fact that some of his relatives must have slept with slaves "back in the day," someone in the worldwide leader's executive suite decided that enough was enough. They finally realized they could easily live without a guy who potentially could cause the network even bigger problems down the line, doing or saying who knows what on or off the air.

I was stunned at the time of Irvin's Romo comments that the network didn't immediately suspend him and at the very least send him away for sensitivity training. But in retrospect, this is a far better solution. I only wish my fellow Hall of Fame selectors had shown more wisdom in punching his ticket to Canton ahead of Monk, a man who never brought the slightest whiff of shame or scandal to his team, his town or his family at any time since he joined the Washington Redskins a quarter-century ago.

The sad part is I suspect Irvin won't be unemployed for very long. If I were a betting man, I'd venture that the NFL Network people already are preparing to make him an offer. Perhaps they could pair him with another despicable former player, Sterling Sharpe, who made a career of never speaking to the media when he played for the Green Bay Packers, then became a media hotshot himself, initially courtesy of ESPN before he also was let go. Good riddance to both.

Now, the early word is that ESPN may be interested in former Dallas Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells, another occasional media-basher himself in his recent coaching stints. ESPN reporters, or any reporters, for that matter, were never permitted to speak with Parcells' assistant coaches, but he'll likely be rewarded with a fat contract and a prime seat on the Sunday set.

Ironically, if a similar prohibition had been placed on Parcells when he was an unknown assistant back with the New England Patriots 30 years ago, this Tuna might still be in the can. Back then, Parcells was befriended by influential Boston Globe football writer Will McDonough, who more than occasionally wrote about him and often passed along his name to NFL executives as a promising up-and-comer. McDonough didn't get Parcells the Giants head coaching job, but several league executives have told me for years that his considerable influence certainly didn't hurt Parcells' cause.

ESPN may also want to go after Marty Schottenheimer, who filled a studio seat with the cable network after he'd been fired by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Schottenheimer's most memorable broadcasting moment may have been calling out Redskins owner Dan Snyder on the air, saying on television that he could never work for such a hands-on meddler.

Watching Schottenheimer squirm whenever he was asked about his initial assessment of Snyder became riveting theater after Snyder recruited and then signed him to coach the Redskins, clearly demonstrating that when a multi-million dollar contract was being dangled in his face, good old Marty could get along and work with anyone, don't you know. And of course, the meddler fired him anyway after a single season.

The best sports television hire so far this offseason was NBC finding a way to add Tiki Barber to its NFL and Today Show line-up. When the University of Virginia alumnus wants to point to an example of the sort of graduate Renaissance Man that school founder Thomas Jefferson would have been proud of, Barber ought to be at the very top of their list, with his cornerback twin brother Ronde listed as 1A.

Strangely, Tiki has been taking a lot of talk show heat over the last week since his press conference to announce he'd be joining the Peacock Network next year. During that session, Barber was asked about his relationship with hard-ass Giants' head coach Tom Coughlin, and gave what seemed to be an honest assessment. He praised Coughlin for helping him become a consistently productive Pro Bowl player, but also admitted that a softer approach might have helped the Giants move deeper into the postseason in 2007.

"I think he has to start listening to the players a little bit and come our way -- their way -- a little bit," Barber said. "I don't know if you realize this, but we were in full pads for 17 weeks, and with the amount of injuries we had, it just takes a toll on you. You physically don't want to be out there when your body feels the way you do in full pads.

"It probably doesn't have a detrimental affect on how you practice or how you play. It does on your mind. And if you lose your mind in this game -- their game -- you lose a lot. That's something he has to realize, and I think he does."

Just the other day, I heard former Miami Dolphins tight end Jim Mandich, a big-time talk show host in South Florida these days, question Barber's toughness over those remarks. He wondered out loud if Walter Payton would ever have said something like that about Mike Ditka, or whether his own teammate Larry Csonka might have yapped about his tough-guy coach, Don Shula, being too hard on the athletes.

I disagree. In an era when so many athletes spew so much political correctness in their interviews, it's a delight to hear Barber offer his true feelings and honest insight into what went into his decision to say goodbye to the game he still played at a Pro Bowl level, leaving two or three more productive years and perhaps even a Hall of Fame induction on the proverbial cutting room floor.

I've been in the tank for Tiki ever since I watched him play in college in Charlottesville. Over the last two years, I didn't even mind when my wife jabbed me in the ribs at 6 a.m. to watch Barber hone his broadcasting skills on the Fox News Network's otherwise pedestrian morning show. Every Tuesday -- the players' day off all around the NFL -- was "Tiki Tuesday" at Fox, and Barber showed up every week for two years as far as I can tell, even after gut-wrenching losses, injuries and overnight trips from west coast Monday night games.

He also had done his homework, asked probing questions of anyone he interviewed and showed a delicious sense of self-deprecating humor that surely will serve him well as he moves up the ranks at NBC -- perhaps as a future Today Show or Nightly News host a few years down the line.

My admiration grew even more when I read last week that Barber was willing to give up millions of dollars in endorsements to sign up with NBC.

The Today Show comes under the NBC News banner, and if you're going to try to emulate Matt Lauer, Tom Brokaw or Brian Williams, you just can't take the money as a paid pitchman doing beer and car commercials. Barber understood that, and was willing to give it all up.

"That was a big thing, but it's what you sacrifice," Barber told the N.Y. Times last week. "I came to love news."

It's a quote someone ought to reprint in 72-point type and send back over to the ESPN crowd -- Chris Berman, Dan Patrick, Stuart Scott and so many more so-called sports news guys who show up regularly on the worldwide leader's studio news shows but still shamelessly line their pockets doing commercials.

ESPN did the right thing in ditching Michael Irvin last week. Maybe they'll take another positive step and tell their sports NEWS broadcasters to focus on the journalism, and ditch the pitchman moonlighting.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/19/AR2007021901310_pf.html

CPanther95

02-21-07, 05:55 PM

TV Sports
Justice Prevails, If Just for an Instant, at ESPN
Controversial Ex-Receiver Irvin Not Offered a Contract
By Leonard Shapiro Special to washingtonpost.com

Maybe there is some justice in the world, after all. ..................But after Irvin's blatantly reverse-racist comments suggesting

Maybe if there were really "some justice in the world", Mr. Shapiro would also lose his job for using such a blatantly racist term like "reverse-racism". :rolleyes:

RussTC3

02-21-07, 06:43 PM

fredfa

02-21-07, 07:01 PM

I might even make the switch as soon as the February sweep ends, Russ. Just substitute "Brian" for the new Rhimes show Sundays at 10 (for the remainedr of this season) and see if it would perform better there.

Or just flop it into Tuesdays at 10 and move "Boston Legal" to Sundays at 10.

I think "Boston Legal" might be saved -- I am not as sanguine about the prospects for "Brian". (Sorry, but as you know all too well, there has been precious little good ratings news concerning "WAB" ].)

dad1153

02-21-07, 07:06 PM

We are going to have to force you (apparently at gunpoint) to get an HDTV, dad.

Then perhaps we could broaden your viewing horizons a bit. :)

Funny you should mention it. This week I've been shopping and doing last-minute hands-on research like mad because on Friday (self-imposed deadline) I'm either buying an HDTV for good or putting the decision off until mid-year (when the Samsung and Toshiba 1080p LCD's with astronomical contrast ratios and HDMI 1.3 come out). My budget is between three and four large (less if possible) and my main requirements are (a) LCD, (b) 1080p input (for Blu-ray, HD-DVD, XBox 360 and PS3), (c) good to above-average contrast ratio, (d) brand reliability, (e) halfway-decent resolution for standard definition programming (so my gameshows and non-HD programming look at least decent), (f) ability to do split-screen Picture in Picture (expendable but much desired feature) and (g) screen size no smaller than 46" but not bigger than 52".

Leading candidates in my 11-month quest (I started shopping for an HDTV last March! :( ) are the Olevia 747i ($3,250), Sharp LC-46/52D92U (between $2,800-3,650), Samsung LN-S5296D ($3,200), Mitsubishi LT-46231 ($3,099) and the Sony KDL-46XBR2 ($3,450). Help, I'm dying over here from fear I may blow all my savings on a dog of a 1080p LCD! :(

fredfa

02-21-07, 07:16 PM

Monday I posted much of this information -- which I got from a “Sports Business Journal” article published that day. Now, finally, B&C has caught up with the story:
HDTV Sports
ESPN Expands HD Offerings
By P.J. Bednarski Broadcasting & Cable 2/21/2007

ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD said Wednesday it will expand its high-definition offerings in seven major featured sports segments. In 2007, the networks will show all NASCAR, NBA, Major League Baseball, Major League SoccerNational Hot Rod Association college football and NFL Monday Night Football telecasts in HD.

Previous to the announcement, ESPN had only committed to a full boat for NASCAR--it's the network's first season showing of the auto races--and Monday Night Football. While ESPN won't show all of its approximately 450 collegiate basketball games in HD, it will show 140-160 games in hi-def. That's actually more, in terms of hours, than for any of the other featured sports it broadcasts.

Altogether, ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD will deliver more than 7,000 hours in high definition this year. More than 95% of ESPN and ESPN2’s Bristol, Conn.-based studio programming originates in high definition, including SportsCenter, NFL Countdown, NFL Monday Night Countdown, NFL Live and Baseball Tonight. ESPN 2’s Cold Pizza and 1st and 10 will begin airing in HD from Bristol this June.

In addition to live sports programming, ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD produce individual programs, movies and series from ESPN Original Entertainment.

Bryan Burns, VP, Strategic Business Planning and Development, ESPN, wouldn't disclose how much more showing the games in HD will cost: "I will tell you that the incremental cost [increase] is far less than it was when we started this four years ago. Then, it was massive."

One of the problems with increasing HD output is purely logistical--ESPN and truck vendors have to figure out a way to get to more places, more often.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6418455

fredfa

02-21-07, 07:27 PM

Funny you should mention it....(

Oh My God, what hath we wrought?

Pretty soon we'll be having to change from gearing about the glories of Wink Martindale and old "Match Game" episodes, to hearing about the wonders of Discovery HD and all those "Smart Travel" with Rudy Maxa PBS shows which get played endlessly.

I am not sure we can stand it! :)

Seriously, don't worry about the specs so much as what pictures your own eyes enjoy.

That said, buy the biggest screen that will fit in your home (and that you can afford, of course).

The biggest buyer's remorse seems to be from folks who debated getting a bigger screem but settled for a smaller one.

homcom

02-21-07, 08:39 PM

TV Sports
Justice Prevails, If Just for an Instant, at ESPN
Controversial Ex-Receiver Irvin Not Offered a Contract
By Leonard Shapiro Special to washingtonpost.com
ESPN may also want to go after Marty Schottenheimer, who filled a studio seat with the cable network after he'd been fired by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Schottenheimer is already in Bristol doing Sportscenter and ESPNews today. They mentioned he would be helping with their combine coverage. I wonder if it will turn into a long term gig, he was non-committal when they asked him on ESPNews if he wanted to get back into coaching.

fredfa

02-21-07, 09:01 PM

Paging Dr. Montgomery
She's starring in the new 'Grey's Anatomy' spinoff
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” February 21. 2007

You have to give Addison Montgomery credit. To go from a short-term character to the star of a brand-new “Grey’s Anatomy” spinoff is pretty impressive.

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Dr. Montgomery, ex-wife of hot surgeon Dr. Derek Shepherd (he’s otherwise known as McDreamy and/or Meredith Grey’s significant other), will star in a “Grey’s” spinoff that will air in May. Whether the unnamed series will be on ABC’s fall lineup will depend how the tryout fares in May.

As far as the choice to head up the new series, what an excellent decision. Montgomery made a memorable entrance to “Grey’s” at the close of the show’s first-season finale. She strode into Seattle Grace Hospital in her designer stilettos and asked if Meredith was the one who was sleeping with her husband. Yee-ow, talk about an entrance.

Montgomery was supposed to only stick around for half a dozen or so episodes of Season 3, but Kate Walsh, who plays Montgomery, did such an excellent job with the character that she became a series regular.

Now Walsh is going to head up her own series, which I’m all for, since Montgomery is by far my favorite Seattle Grace doctor. Walsh has given depth and empathy to her portrayal of Montgomery’s divorce from Shepherd, and, let’s face it, her dalliances with McSteamy and her more recent flirtation with Dr. Alex Karev are pretty darn hawt.

Plus Walsh’s medical speciality of neonatal care will give her lots of opportunities for heart-wrenching story lines. If the pilot gets a full series, be sure to stock up on Kleenex.

The major problem I foresee is that “Grey’s” is an ensemble. Will ABC be able to capture lightning in a bottle twice and create another sexy, skilled ensemble around Montgomery? And the show’s writers will have to work hard not to repeat "Grey's" plots.

Another problem: She's the main reason I watch "Grey's" anymore. Eeek!

More importantly, what happens to Montgomery and Karev? I like their recent sort-of-relationship and hope it isn’t ended too soon by Montgomery’s new gig.

In any case, of all the “Grey’s” characters to spin off, Montgomery is the one I can truly see carrying a show on her own. Walsh gives this committed doctor an element of vulnerability and real likability. Plus she’s stylish, witty and easy on the eyes.

Just what the doctor ordered.

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

fredfa

02-21-07, 09:06 PM

I didn’t post any previews of this show because I like to stay away from politics on this thread. But the ratings were very impressive.
(But let’s still stay away from political retorts. Consider this item simply a news item which does not need political asides.)
TV Notebook
Satire scores for Fox News net
'News Hour' pilot bows with 1.5 mil viewers
By Michael Learmonth Variety February 21, 2007

It got mixed reviews, but Fox News Channel's take on news satire scored with the only voters that matter.

Heavily promoted on FNC and on conservative talkradio, the first pilot episode of "The ½ Hour News Hour" premiered with nearly 1.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. That's a big number for an unknown show in a Sunday timeslot.

First episode opened with some conservative star power, with Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter hamming it up as fictional -- or perhaps fantasy -- president and vice president in the Oval Office.

The show gained about 300,000 from its lead-in, "Hannity's America," and increased FNC's fourth-quarter average for Sunday at 10 p.m. by 69%. In the adults 25-54 demo, the show took 499,000 viewers, up 94% from its timeslot average.

FNC topper Roger Ailes is weighing whether to commit long-term to the series, created and produced by "24" creator Joel Surnow and co-exec producer Manny Coto.

Pilot for the conservative take on news satire took aim at Hillary Clinton, the ACLU, politically correct children's lit and Hollywood political activists. The Washington Post's Tom Shales summed up in his review: "In a nutshell: It isn't terrible."

But in terms of ratings, its opening number puts it in a league with Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," which averages 1.6 million, and "The Colbert Report," which averages 1.2 million.

In a sign of the high number of viewers who tuned in specifically for the premiere, the aud dropoff for the following show, "The Line-Up," was nearly 50%.

A repeat of the first episode is skedded for Sunday. The second episode airs March 4.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117959928&categoryid=14

xnappo

02-21-07, 09:28 PM

Leading candidates in my 11-month quest (I started shopping for an HDTV last March! :( ) are the Olevia 747i ($3,250), Sharp LC-46/52D92U (between $2,800-3,650), Samsung LN-S5296D ($3,200), Mitsubishi LT-46231 ($3,099) and the Sony KDL-46XBR2 ($3,450). Help, I'm dying over here from fear I may blow all my savings on a dog of a 1080p LCD! :(

Just curious - why are you considering the Olevia and not the Westinghouse? If you weren't for the Olevia I would have assumed your 'brand' requirement...

xnappo

fredfa

02-21-07, 09:34 PM

Welcome to the thread, xnappo :)

xnappo

02-21-07, 09:47 PM

Welcome to the thread, xnappo :)

Thanks fredfa - been reading your info for quite some time and appreciate it.

Sorry my first post was dreadfully OT.

xnappo

Ken H

02-21-07, 10:06 PM

Help, I'm dying over here from fear I may blow all my savings on a dog of a 1080p LCD! :(
Due to the early stages of the technology, I think 1080p LCD will get a lot better & cheaper in the next 12-24 months.

For now, I'd get the Vizio 47" for ~$1800 at Costco.

fredfa

02-21-07, 10:45 PM

Thanks fredfa - been reading your info for quite some time and appreciate it.

Sorry my first post was dreadfully OT.

xnappo

From the start, Ken H has given us amazing latitude -- so there is very little OT here :)

fredfa

02-21-07, 11:03 PM

TV Notebook
'Grey's' spinoff possible
By Gary Levin USA TODAY

ABC is mulling a spinoff of its No. 1 hit, Grey's Anatomy, around the character of Dr. Addison Montgomery, an ob-gyn (and ex-wife of Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd) played by Kate Walsh.

Grey's creator Shonda Rhimes is preparing a two-hour episode of Grey's, to air in May, that would serve as the pilot episode for the proposed spinoff. If the network approves, the show will be considered for a spot on next fall's schedule, to be unveiled to advertisers in mid-May.

An ABC spokeswoman confirmed scant details of the plan, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, but said the plot line for the proposed spinoff was being kept under wraps and no title has been settled upon.

But a source with direct knowledge of the plans says that Addison, unhappy with both her former husband and former lover Dr. Mark "McSteamy" Sloan at Seattle Grace, will get a job offer out of town as this season ends. The two-part cliffhanger will have her mulling this new offer; if the spinoff goes forward, and it seems more likely than not, she'll accept the other job and start next season there, possibly in family practice. If it doesn't, she will have decided not to take the offer and stay put when Grey's returns in fall.

The new show, like Grey's, would also have an ensemble cast, with other actors yet to be hired. But at this point it doesn't look as if any other Grey's actors would leave.

Spinoffs of hit series are increasingly rare, as many have not paid off for their networks. But most often they arrive as a weaker replacement as the "parent" show leaves the schedule: Friends begat Joey, which lasted less than two seasons.

Grey's remains hugely popular; it premiered in April 2005 and is only in its second full season. Last week's episode averaged 25.8 million viewers, its largest audience ever aside from last February's post-Super Bowl airing.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2007-02-21-greys-spinoff_x.htm

fredfa

02-21-07, 11:03 PM

TV Notebook
'Grey's' spinoff a good idea?
By Bill Keveney USA TODAY

The possibility of a Grey's Anatomy spinoff featuring Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) stirs the passions of devoted fans, but not always in the same direction. Some think it's a great idea; others don't care for it and even think it might hurt the original. Here are some second opinions from fans in the USA and around the world, many of whom watch episodes online:

• "I personally think that if they're going to do a spinoff, Addison is the only character that could sustain it. Kate Walsh had developed a pretty big fan base and the character of Addison is coming into its own. I think that she's the only choice for a move like this."

—Christine Burke, 21, Washington, D.C.

• "As long as her exit is clearly explained, I could imagine that fans of both Grey's Anatomy as a whole and especially Kate Walsh would want to have a look at the new show. I don't think the move will hurt the series, judging by how the fans have already stuck by the show through thick and thin. Ratings did not drop dramatically after the Golden Globes incident. … If anything, I think the new show can be considered an extra hour of Grey's Anatomy for the week. Who doesn't want that?"

—Sara Di Maulo, 18, Montreal

• "What defines a character is the other characters surrounding them. By creating a spinoff, you take them out of that element and the character that you had loved changes. … She's too integral to Grey's Anatomy. She's tied to a lot of the characters and her relationships with them provide great depth for them. Such dimensions to these characters would be dropped at the expense of Addison's depature."

—Nikki Koch, 20, Melbourne, Australia

• "It sort of looks like it's a money ploy. I really think the actress is great and has a lot of chemistry with her co-stars."

—Tania Rose, 28, Webster, N.Y.

• "I definitely would (watch a spinoff). I would also love to see a couple of characters go with her. If the creators behind Grey's Anatomy stay on board for Addison's show, then ABC will have another hit. … I don't think this move will hurt the series at all. The cast of Grey's Anatomy has become too large."

—Shelby Woods, 23, Long Beach, Calif.

• "I think it's way too soon to be thinking spinoff. Addison will only have been around two seasons. The smart move is to wait. There is nothing worse than overmarketing a series. What makes it so great is that anticipation factor. And splitting this cast up too soon will also kill it. Leave it alone for another year at least."

—Sue Hannon, 35, Olean, N.Y.

• "I really don't think it's a good idea to make a spinoff of Grey's because I think it could really kill the show. But Addison is one of my favorite characters, so I will surely watch it. I'm very skeptical about all this, but Shonda Rhimes is a great writer so I'm going to trust her."

—Émilie Tremblay, 18, Grenoble, France

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2007-02-21-greys-fan-reactions_x.htm

fredfa

02-21-07, 11:10 PM

TV Notebook
Fox slots 'Lot' bow next to 'Idol'
Spielberg hopes to ride reality wave
By Michael Schneider Variety

Steven Spielberg's relying on an assist from Simon, Paula and Randy to launch his new reality contest "On the Lot."

The filmmaker competish, which comes from Spielberg, Mark Burnett and DreamWorks TV, will bow on Wednesday, May 16 with a one-hour audition episode. Premiere will air along with the penultimate "American Idol" Wednesday installment.

The "On the Lot" debut was one of several summer scheduling moves announced Wednesday by Fox. Net is getting a jump on the competish by marking its summer territory now - three months before the season officially ends.

After its premiere, "On the Lot" -- which follows 16 aspiring movie makers as they compete for a $1 million DreamWorks development deal - will take a week off. That's because Fox will be busy celebrating the "American Idol" finale (which has more or less become an official national holiday) on May 22 and 23.

"On the Lot" will then return on Monday, May 28, with a special two-hour episode, featuring films produced by all 16 contestants. The first elimination show, in which four contestants will be axed, will air on Tuesday, May 29, for an hour at 8 p.m.

Show will then revert to its regular sked pattern: "Film Premiere" episodes will air Mondays at 9 p.m. starting June 4, while "Box Office" results shows will air as a half-hour on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. beginning June 5.

In other summer scheduling news, Fox will roll out the third season of hoofing competish "So You Think You Can Dance" the night after the "Idol" finale, with a special premiere Thursday, May 24 at 8 p.m.

"Dance" then moves to its regular Wednesday 8 p.m. slot on May 30, with a sepcial two-hour edition. "Dance" result shows will eventually air Thursdays at 8 p.m.

Also, sitcom "The Loop" will return to the air on Sundays at 9:30 p.m. beginning June 10. And hot-tempered chef Gordon Ramsay re-opens "Hell's Kitchen" on Mondays at 8 p.m. beginning June 25.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117959922&categoryid=14

sebenste

02-21-07, 11:23 PM

From the start, Ken H has given us amazing latitude -- so there is very little OT here :)
I have never seen a genuine "thank you" that has ever been off-topic in any verbal or written conversation. :)

And so I second that: thanks, Fred, for your hard work!

Rakesh.S

02-21-07, 11:25 PM

fox should really be slotting "Drive" behind american idol

just once, give tim minear a chance to have a decent sampling

instead, i see "drive" premiering and probably getting canceled before it can even finish its 6 episode run

dad1153

02-21-07, 11:34 PM

Just curious - why are you considering the Olevia and not the Westinghouse? If you weren't for the Olevia I would have assumed your 'brand' requirement.

Most of Olevia's HDTV's are budget models aggresively priced for the masses (as mentioned in the New York Times story last week) but the "7" line (742i and 747i) is meant to be a "boutique" product aimed at video enthusiasts. It was supposed to come out last year but its been delayed over and over again, so much so that it lost a chance to come out before the new batch of Sharp, Sony and Mitsubishi 1080p LCD's. Despite having glass manufactured by LG and "just" a 1,600:1 contrast ratio the 747i comes already ISF calibrated out of the box, has PIP (which I use all the time on my 27" SD Wega TV), speakers that have 50W output (I don't plan to hook this up to a surround system so built-in speakers are important) and the set comes with a SiliconOptix Realta chip built-in to process all incoming signals. Here's a couple of early reviews for the 747i that seem to indicate this is not an Olevia cheapo product: http://www.hdtvsolutions.com/Olevia_747i_Review.htm and http://www.ultimateavmag.com/flatpaneldisplays/1206olevia/. Even the VGA input accepts 1080p, ideal for my XBox 360 HD Add-on. :)

As much as Fredfa wants me to stop watching old SD shows and DVD's and join the HD club exclusively I'm a content driven guy, and most of the stuff I want to watch is SD (and likely to remain SD forever or for a long time). I want HD but that doesn't mean I'm going to start watching House, Discovery HD or Friday Night Lights just because they're HD. The only thing stopping the 747i from being my slam-dunk choice is that for a few hundred dollars more I could have an HDTV that's 52 inches (30% bigger) with better blacks and potential HDMI 1.3 compliance.

Due to the early stages of the technology, I think 1080p LCD will get a lot better & cheaper in the next 12-24 months.

For now, I'd get the Vizio 47" for ~$1800 at Costco.

Agree. That's why if I don't buy an HDTV this Friday (when I'll have the time, inclination, access to a few good deals and resources to get one all at the same time) I'm putting this nonsense off my mind and forcing myself to enjoy my 27" SD Wega until the souped-up Toshiba and Samsung 1080p LCD's arrive in July of this year. The 47" Vizio is tempting for the asking price but you definitely get what you pay for. I might as well get a Westinghouse if I decide to go the "cheapo" route. :o

fredfa

02-21-07, 11:34 PM

Kind of like just about all of this year's Fox premieres, right Rakesh.S? :(

fredfa

02-21-07, 11:35 PM

Thank you for the kind words, Gilbert, and welcome to you, too.

Please post whenever the mood strikes!

fredfa

02-21-07, 11:37 PM

I know you have concerns about the Sharp, dad, but Costco's got a special on the 52" at $2999.

(OK, I started it, and now I'll finish it -- no more commercials or price mentions!) :)

fredfa

02-21-07, 11:41 PM

Critic’s Notebook
Could Addison carry a "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff?
By Hal Boedeker Orlando Sentinel Television Critic his TV Guy blog Feb 21, 2007 2:49:12 PM

Think about it: Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd (Kate Walsh) leaves "Grey's Anatomy" and goes off to headline her own show. Like that idea?

The Wall Street Journal reports that series creator Shonda Rhimes is working on a two-hour episode, for May, that would become the pilot for an Addison show. An ABC spokeswoman confirmed the story, but added that it is very prelminary.

Hey, I think it would work. Addison needs a new world with new men. And it would certainly give ABC a high-profile series for next fall. What do you think: Could Addison make it on her own after all?

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2007/02/could_addison_c.html

dad1153

02-21-07, 11:47 PM

I now you have concerns abouts the Sharp, dad, but Costco's got the 52" at $2999. :)

That's the D62U model released by Sharp last October, which has been plagued with "banding" flaws. Go to the LCD section and the Official Thread for the D62U model (which I started for a friend that bought one of the first one's released) has over 725,000 views. Yes Fred, you and I have started threads on this website that are among the most viewed. But yours thrives on the quality of the content while the one I started is fueled by the rage of hundreds of people that bought the D62U LCD's from Sharp and were taken aback by the shoddy workmanship of the product they purchased.

The Sharp Aquos I'm interested in is the D92U model that (a) boosts the contrast ratio to 3,000:1 (15,000:1 dynamic) vs. the D62U's 1,500:1 (10,000:1 dynamic), (b) has a 120Hz refresh rate, (c) 4m response time, (d) a DVI-I input, (e) a third HDMI input and (e) phantom HDMI 1.3 compatibility (Sharp supposedly made them 1.3 compliant but can't advertise it because the tests for compliance with HDMI 1.3 will take place in March). Unfortunately early reports from the field show that the D92U, like the D62U, is plagued with "banding" issues that make it a risky proposition to just blindly buying the best deal without a return policy. For shame Sharp! :mad:

fredfa

02-21-07, 11:49 PM

TV Notebook
Marcia Cross delivers twin girls in L.A.
The Associated Press Wed, Feb. 21, 2007

NEW YORK - It's fraternal twin girls for Marcia Cross. The "Desperate Housewives" actress, 44, gave birth to daughters Eden and Savannah in Los Angeles on Tuesday, her spokeswoman said Wednesday. The father is Cross' stockbroker husband, Tom Mahoney.

"Mother and babies are all doing well," publicist Heidi Slan said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

The complete story is here:

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/entertainment/television/16751750.htm

fredfa

02-22-07, 12:26 AM

'O.C.' fans,
before the end, let's reminisce
By Melanie McFarland Seattle Post-Intelligencer TV Critic Thursday, February 22, 2007

Coolness has A limited shelf life, a bitter truth fans of "The O.C." have come to accept. Predecessors such as "Beverly Hills, 90210" lasted for 10 seasons, and "Dawson's Creek" traipsed along for six, while Fox's one-time "it" thing washed up after four seasons, the last of them a shortened, 16-episode run.

Viewers still keeping up with fictional Newport know the place is not looking good. An earthquake shattered everything, conveniently resolving a number of problems between characters. The emotionally closed-off Ryan handed his heart to the girl his late lover had mixed emotions about and, right on cue, a large piece of glass lodged itself in his back. The Cohens are moving away. Summer and Taylor had to rush Summer's pet bunny Pancakes to the vet.

There goes the neighborhood.

As "The O.C." comes to a conclusion Thursday at 9 on KCPQ/13, perhaps we shouldn't contemplate where it's ending as deeply as where it began. It came onto our screens during one of the worst TV seasons in recent memory, in the same fall class as "The Handler," "Whoopi," "Luis" and a list of flameouts too long to print. "The O.C." was fresh air, cocktails on the beach, the end of the drought kicked off by the cancellation of "Melrose Place," "90210" and our other guilty pleasures.

We embraced it because nothing else was worth our time, and why not? No other series on TV had a rich blond boy delivering the line, "Welcome to the O.C., bitch."

Obviously, it was not going to be the standard teeny-bopper fling. "The O.C." targeted adolescents, but a large share of it fan base consisted of adults. Creator Josh Schwartz's writing came off like a light, sharp javelin, funny and wicked in all the right spots, and the cast was charismatic perfection.

Lacking talent like his, there was no way we would have bought the beginning of the adventures of Seth Cohen (Adam Brody), Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson), Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie) and Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton).

Let's review: Bleeding-heart public defender Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher) put up his client Ryan, a kid with a high I.Q., a neglectful mother and rotten luck, in his massive mansion's pool house. Barely batting an eye as the boy from Chino frolicked with his geeky son Seth, Sandy and his wife, Kirsten (Kelly Rowan), looked on as he wooed Marissa, the ravishing party girl next door, encouraging Seth to sidle up to Marissa's shallow best friend Summer.

That setup was the start of a terrifically fun 1 1/2 seasons. The tales of Newport's rich and poutiful kids -- as well as their materialistic parents, the black-tie events they enjoyed and the fistfights at the drop of a joint -- attracted an audience of 10 million viewers in year one.

The Cohens' solid, loving relationship provided strong moorings to which the neighbors' extravagant theatrics could attach. With a dragon lady such as Julie Cooper (Melinda Clarke) living next door, Seth's family might as well have been the Waltons.

It also helped that Ryan, the classic misunderstood bad boy with a chivalrous heart, filled out a wife-beater T-shirt smashingly, and Marissa looked like a model. "The O.C." had other hooks too, including a trend-setting fashion sense and an impeccable soundtrack culled by Alexandra Patsavas, one of the most sought-after music supervisors in the business. Patsavas gave Seth extraordinary taste in music, leading to guest appearances by bands such as Death Cab for Cutie, Rooney and The Killers, leaving another legacy for the series in the form of several respectable compilation CDs.

Sadly, those first season thrills didn't last. Kirsten developed a drinking problem, Sandy's permissiveness grew tiresome, and Julie Cooper began to sprout a conscience and maternal instincts. Most of that happened long after the beginning of season two, but more than a quarter of the viewers did not return then, anyway.

Even fewer showed up regularly for "The O.C.'s" slump of a third year. "The O.C." lost its balance between camp and angst, which began with Kirsten fresh out of rehab and ended with Marissa falling in with one bad crowd after another, finally dying in a car crash. The thing was a straight-up bummer, "My So-Called Life" without a brain, a soul or a tether to reality. And Ryan's new romance with Marissa's former goody-two-shoes rival Taylor Townsend (Autumn Reeser) was tough to swallow.

This year, the Fox drama scraped by with an anorexic audience of around 4 million -- a shame, because creatively speaking, "The O.C." restored the balance of silliness and angst that once made it required viewing.

But The CW's "One Tree Hill" was better bait in its two seasons. Not as much as MTV's "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County," which featured actual rich kids and their "real" daily dramas, and would not exist without the Fox series. You can't say "The O.C." wasn't influential. Other series leaped for its coattails and missed -- Fox's "North Shore," The WB's "The Mountain" and ABC's "Life as We Know It."

Another ABC show probably accelerated "The O.C.'s" early demise: "Desperate Housewives." "The O.C." proved there was still an audience for prime-time soaps, but the Housewives' writing had wider appeal and was smarter.

Then this season, Fox put "The O.C." in competition with shows tens of millions watch religiously each week -- "CSI," "Grey's Anatomy" and a revitalized Thursday night comedy slate on NBC. When previous fans didn't stick with it, Fox's series was, to use "Laguna" speak, dunzo.

But "The O.C.'s" cancellation after 92 episodes does not mark the end of an era. You know the way of the world: One affluent community crumbles, another rises to replace it. Soon you can look for its twin on The CW, in a series written by Kevin Williamson ("Dawson's Creek"), directed by Scott Winant ("My So-Called Life") and called "Hidden Palms." The premise? A troubled boy moves to an exclusive neighborhood in Palm Springs, where the opulent homes hide dark secrets.

"Welcome to the P.S., bitch" doesn't have the same ring, but the kids might pick it up in a pinch.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/printer2/index.asp?ploc=t&refer=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/304588_tv22.html

fredfa

02-22-07, 12:46 AM

Nielsen Notebook
Next-best is pretty good
By Gary Levin USA TODAY

• Second-bests. Fox's House (26 million) Tuesday had its second-best showing yet, and ranked behind only its lead-in, American Idol, for the week. Grey's Anatomy (25.8 million Thursday) had its biggest audience apart from last winter's post-Super Bowl episode. NBC's Friday Night Lights (7.4 million Wednesday) hit its best mark since October. And CBS' Shark (15.1 million Thursday) trailed only its November series high.

• Worsts. ABC's Lost fell to a series-low 12.8 million Wednesday, shedding 1.7 million from its week-earlier return. NBC's hiatus-bound Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip chalked up its own low, 6.4 million, on Monday. And Law & Order: Special Victims Unit notched a season-low 12.9 million Tuesday.

• Gone Hollywood. Last week's winnowing round of American Idol averaged 30 million viewers over two nights, up more than 2 million from last year's equivalent episodes.

• Starting gate. The 11th edition of CBS' The Amazing Race got no boost with its all-stars gimmick, zooming off with 10.3 million viewers Sunday, down slightly from fall's opener (10.6 million), and its worst start since the show's fourth cycle in summer 2003.

• Rules engages. CBS midseason comedy Rules of Engagement (13.4 million Monday) looks like a keeper. After three weeks, it's the No. 2 comedy this season behind lead-in Two and a Half Men.

• So long, Reba. CW's comedy bowed out with 4.4 million Sunday, its best showing since 2005.

• HB-low. Small numbers for HBO's latest film, Longford (575,000 viewers Saturday), and the Extras series finale (579,000).

• Foul ball. TNT's NBA All-Star Game averaged a record-low 6.8 million viewers Sunday, down from last year's then-record-low 7.1 million.

• To the dogs. USA's Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show averaged 2.7 million viewers Monday and Tuesday, up slightly from last year but heeling well behind 2005.

• 1/2 a chance. Fox News Channel's parody The ½ Hour News Hour, from 24 co-creator Joel Surnow, had a decent 1.5 million viewers Sunday.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2007-02-21-nielsens-analysis_x.htm

randosel

02-22-07, 01:01 AM

Yesterdays episode really pissed me off! Bastards!:D
*Note: Do not read this story if you haven't yet seen the most recent episode of Veronica Mars.*

Lamb Silent No More:
Veronica's Michael Muhney Tells All

Watch with Kristin E! Online blog. Feb. 21, 2007 3:17 PM

Oh, for the love of Lamb! If you're like me, you're still reeling after last night's Veronica Mars, in which our beloved Sheriff Lamb met his maker. So. Freaking. Sad.

Not only was Lamby a fan favorite, but Michael Muhney also just so happens to be one of my favorite people in this town (charming, sincere, talented and let's not forget hilarious), so his character's death carries an extra sting.

Earlier today, I spoke with Muhney to find out what happened when they whomped the Sheriff, what's next for this fan favorite's exploding career and, oh yeah, why he's not wearing any pants.

I can't believe you died!
I gotta tell you—throughout, from East Coast, to then West Coast airing time, probably every 12 minutes, I got an email from a journalist, whether it be a Website or a newspaper or TV Guide or whatever, and I'm like, sorry, can't talk. I'm just one of those guys, I know you and I have a special thing.

Really? Oh my god, you are so sweet! Thank you so much.
It's something that I've wanted to do, you know?

So, let's get to it. Why? Why did they kill you off?
To be honest. I don't know. No one told me. I have no idea.

So, no one called you before this script to let you know?
No. There’s a lot of secrecy about this show and, to be honest, I don't know if I would have wanted to know. You know? It maybe would have just made me stress out about it or feel sad about leaving the character behind.

And you've heard the fans are upset about this, right?
Yeah, I’ve heard that. I’ve been reading what everyone is writing online and hearing all the different points of view, and I found what one person said to be interesting. They said that last night’s episode sort of cheapened the pilot for them, because they made such a big deal about Keith being ousted as sheriff and no longer being an '09er, and their family income was so much that they were going to be an '02er, and they were going to live on the wrong side of the tracks, and it was a huge adjustment in setting the tone for noir in Neptune. You know, I had always thought in my mind that the only way that Keith was ever going to be sheriff again was in the final episode of the final season to put a happily-ever-after spin on it.

Honestly, I had to pause and go back and watch the part where, all of the sudden, Keith's in uniform and saying he's the sheriff.
I know! And from my recollection, upon reading the script, that is supposed to literally be the next morning. I really don’t want to sound like I'm disgruntled, because I realize it was a job and jobs do end. But I would like to challenge anyone to find a black armband on any of the deputies or the new sheriff, in honor of an officer fallen in the line of duty. There ain't a single one.

Well, you know what? I'm going to wear a black armband. And I'm going to start a movement.
And then over time, it won't be called black, it'll be lamb. It'll be called a lambband.

So, what now? What’s next for you? Please say more TV.
I'm going to be doing more television. And I actually wanted to have news to tell you today, but they haven't closed the freakin' deal. But it's been almost a week that it's been down to me and one other guy to star in this Fox pilot, Canterbury's Law, where my character would play opposite Julianna Margulies.
I've heard of that show. It sounds really good. Unless you don't get it, and then I think it sucks.
Ha! You and I are simpatico, girl. Yeah, what I like about it is the heroine is so flawed. She's...she's got so many dark secrets, and I'm one of them to a degree. And it's produced by Dennis Leary, and it's going to be shot completely in New York. So, I know it's just going to have that cool New York vibe, the authentic feel to it.

Any chance you'll do a comedy? You're so good with the comedy!
Thank you. Yesterday, I actually met with Paul Reiser. I’d love to get on a sitcom. And it's so tragic, for seven or eight years now, I've been testing a few times a year for sitcoms, and they give it to the other guy every time, and most often, the most common phrase uttered when I'm being told I didn't get it is, "They didn't think you were quirky-looking enough." That's what happened with me with Scrubs, the biggest one of all the sitcoms I ever tested for. I was supposed to be J.D. I went in twice. They brought me back in with a couple new guys after they let them all go, and here I am testing to play the lead, and ultimately the president of Touchstone pulled me aside and said, "Kid, my stomach's cramping, I'm laughing so hard, but you just don't look like the guy that's gonna have trouble getting the girl every week." They literally asked me to dork up my wardrobe.

So, what's the thing with Reiser?
Basically, he's getting back to his roots of Mad About You and wrote a new comedy. It's not an ensemble piece, it's just a couple that sort of runs the show, carries the show. When I was there, Scott Wolf was there and James Van Der Beek, and I ended up spending quite a great deal of time with Paul, so we’ll see.

Any chance you might get on Battlestar? I heard you're a big Battlestar fan.
How frakkin’ perfect would that be? I don’t believe in all that Hollywood pomp and circumstance, so I actually contacted the producers myself a while back and told them I love their show and would love to be on it and they don’t even have to pay me. And this is going to be fun. In about three weeks, I'll be watching the third to last episode of Battlestar Galactica with the show's producers and a friend of mine, who is going to take over the show on the last three episodes. He's very close friends with the producers.

Is this an actor or a writer?
He's an actor, Mark Sheppard. I am going to be over at Mark’s house with the two executive creators, and Jamie Bamber is going to be there and a couple other castmembers, but I certainly plan on telling Ronald Moore and David Eick that I am a fan of Battlestar Galactica, and it wouldn’t break my heart if they wanted to have me be one of the final five Cylons!

Do you have any sense of whether Veronica Mars will go another season?
I haven't heard anything official, because there isn't anything official. At this point, I'm just another fan who watches the show, but my opinion is that people need to prepare to have closure with the show this season, because the numbers keep dropping. But what do I know? Watch. Veronica Mars is going for another seven years.

What are you going to miss most about Veronica Mars?
I'm gonna really, really, really miss all my interactions with Enrico. The guy really is a genuinely nice, sweet guy. I'm gonna miss playing in the world of Neptune, because that was just so much fun to breathe life into that character and be that guy, that seedy sheriff in some shady, noirish town. I'm gonna miss a lot of the crew. Because they're just a bunch of good San Diegans, hard-working people who were fans of the show. But honestly—it's so cheese ball, but whatever, that's kind of my style anyway—I'm going to miss the fans the most. But I think, and judging by the floods of emails, people are saying, "I'll follow him anywhere," so it seems like, I'm not going to have to miss the fans for long, because it seems like they're going to watch the next thing I'm doing.

Anything you won't miss?
I won't miss wearing the most wildly uncomfortable and ugly sheriff's uniform of all time! I felt like I was walking around in a brown paper bag. So, I am not going to miss that brown piece-of-crap shirt and those tight-ass pants. At any given time, if there was a scene that was shooting me from the chest up, I was always wearing flip flops and board shorts. I could not stand wearing those pants!

Hey, I thought you looked good!
Those pants were so tight they gave me unicheek. Just one butt cheek smooshed together. If I had any advice for Keith I would say, if you have any gas, let it all out before you put those pants on, because it ain’t coming out once you get them on.

So there you have it, tubers. The post-mordem with the best dang reflection-shooting sheriff Neptune has ever seen. Lamb, you will be missed. Now, can we start that fan campaign to get Muhney on Battlestar? Who's with me!?

http://www.eonline.com/gossip/kristin/blog/index.jsp?uuid=968f7cfa-c662-4d3e-aa7f-a46931d1525f&page=1

fredfa

02-22-07, 01:13 AM

Nielsen Notebook
ABC, NBC draw upscale audiences
'Office,' 'Apprentice' hook high-income households
By Rick Kissell Variety February 22, 2007

ABC and NBC may not win the season's ratings race, but they definitely have a leg up on the other broadcasters in attracting an upscale audience.

While CBS and Fox figure to battle down to the final nights for the season's 18-49 crown, the average audience they draw isn't as well-heeled, according to Nielsen data through January.

Among adults 18-49 living in households earning $100,000 or more, ABC sets the pace with an index of 112 (meaning its audience is 12% more likely than the average adult under 50 to bring home the big bucks). NBC was close behind at 107, with CBS at 90 and Fox at 87. (Fox usually rises in the second half of the season with more episodes of the very upscale "24" and the above-average upscale reality show "American Idol.")

The top-indexing programs in the $100,000 category through January were NBC's "The Office" (138), ABC's "Boston Legal" (135), NBC's "The Apprentice" (132) and rookie dramas "Brothers & Sisters" on ABC and "Studio 60" on NBC (both 131).

None of these is a top-10 hit in the overall averages, although "The Office" and "Brothers & Sisters" are performing well.

Indeed, some of the bigger hits on television are closer to the 100 index average because they rely on viewers of all incomes, so ABC is looking especially good since it has a few shows like "Desperate Housewives," "Lost" and "Grey's Anatomy" that are both popular overall while attracting the upscale aud advertisers covet -- each indexes at a 120 or better and is a top-10 show for the season overall in the 18-49 demo.

A few other tidbits from the data:

• The top two CBS shows air back to back on Sundays: the older-skewing "60 Minutes" (126) and the younger-skewing "Amazing Race" (123), while Fox's highest-rated year-round program is "House" (102).

• Comedies over-index relative to their rankings in other ratings categories, with half-hours accounting for seven of the top 25-indexing programs. List is comprised of all four of NBC's Thursday laffers, "Two and a Half Men" and "How I Met Your Mother" from CBS and "Knights of Prosperity" on ABC.

• While NBC has long been a leader among upscale viewers, its two biggest hits -- rookie drama "Heroes" (95) and gamer "Deal or No Deal" (89) -- are both well below its average.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117959899&categoryid=14

fredfa

02-22-07, 01:47 AM

TV Notebook
Taye Diggs goes for 'Grey' spin
By Nellie Andreeva The Hollywood Reporter Feb 22, 2007

Taye Diggs has been tapped to star opposite Kate Walsh in ABC's potential spinoff from hit medical drama "Grey's Anatomy."

Additionally, "Grey" producer ABC TV Studio has extended for two more years its overall deal with O'Taye Prods., Diggs' production company with his longtime manager, Abe Hoch.

The potential spinoff will test the waters as a back-door pilot, an expanded two-hour episode of "Grey" slated to air in May. It will center on neonatal surgeon Addison Shepherd (Walsh), a character that has enjoyed a strong following from fans since she was introduced at the end of the hot surgical drama's first season.

It is understood that the back-door pilot episode will feature Shepherd on the verge of leaving Seattle Grace, a scenario that will be triggered if ABC goes with the spinoff for next season. There were no details on the character Diggs will play.

"Grey" creator/executive producer Shonda Rhimes is writing the episode and is expected to shepherd the potential series. Meanwhile, Rhimes' other pilot for ABC and ABC TV Studio, about female journalists, has been pushed to a summer production start.

Diggs' casting in the "Grey" spinoff stems from a new talent holding deal he recently inked with ABC TV Studio.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i3ed53000aa8dfb51c8cc7a7265ef7cd0

fredfa

02-22-07, 01:54 AM

TV Notebook
Jimmy Fallon Said to Be in NBC’s Late-Night Plans
By Bill Carter The New York Times February 22, 2007

NBC may be quietly looking to put some possible late-night reinforcements in place for its big transition two years from now when Conan O’Brien replaces Jay Leno as host of “The Tonight Show.”

One move is expected to involve signing Jimmy Fallon, a former star of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” to what is known as a holding deal. It would bring him back to the network and put him in position to be a prime contender for Mr. O’Brien’s job as host of NBC’s “Late Night” show, at 12:35 a.m.

Executives aware of the negotiations said NBC had been in talks with Mr. Fallon and his representatives for a deal that would make his television services exclusive to the network. One of those executives, who did not want to be identified because the deal has not yet been signed, said the deal could include a crack at the “Late Night” host role, though it was by no means guaranteed.

As with all job openings in the late-night arena, names emerge as stars (and their agents) begin positioning themselves. NBC already has an in-house candidate, Carson Daly, who since 2002 has been the host of another successful late night show, “Last Call,” which follows “Late Night,” at 1:35 a.m. Mr. Daly has said he would like to be considered for that show.

NBC executives and representatives for Mr. Fallon declined to comment on their negotiations though they confirmed they were discussing a holding deal.

Such a deal would essentially secure Mr. Fallon for future, unspecified television work. He could, for example, develop other shows for NBC, like a situation comedy, and not move into the network’s late-night lineup.

But having a familiar comic star like Mr. Fallon available to take over Mr. O’Brien’s show would be consistent with the pattern NBC has established in previous late-night lineup changes. In the early 1980s, before NBC produced a 12:30 show, it signed David Letterman to a holding deal that retained his services after the morning show for which he was the host failed. Mr. Letterman was then available when NBC decided to expand its late-night programming with a new show in February 1982.

Not every holding deal has led to a spot in late night. In the early 1990s with Johnny Carson’s retirement nearing, NBC signed deals with several comics, including Dennis Miller (who like Mr. Fallon had been a “Saturday Night Live” star) and a well-regarded stand-up named Jerry Seinfeld. Mr. Seinfeld got a deal to develop a sitcom, though the network was mainly interested in him as a potential late-night star.

Later NBC offered Dana Carvey, another former “Saturday Night Live” star, a job that would have placed him in the “Late Night” chair after Mr. Letterman left for CBS. Mr. Carvey ultimately turned down the offer.

That’s when NBC turned to Mr. O’Brien, who was not a comic but a comedy writer. He too had connections to “Saturday Night Live,” where he had served as a writer before moving on to “The Simpsons.”

Mr. Fallon, 32, fits the pattern of late-night host-in-waiting in several respects, beginning with his work, from 1998 through 2004, on “Saturday Night Live,” which made him familiar to millions of late-night comedy viewers. He emerged as a breakout star when he was made the co-host of that show’s “Weekend Update” segments with Tina Fey.

By all accounts Mr. Fallon remains close Lorne Michaels, the executive producer of “Saturday Night Live” and an executive producer “Late Night,” who was instrumental in choosing Mr. O’Brien for that show. Mr. Michaels will be deeply involved in choosing a successor to Mr. O’Brien. Mr. Michaels has said he is still “a big fan of Jimmy’s.”

Mr. Fallon made a surprise guest appearance on “Saturday Night Live” earlier this season, when Justin Timberlake was the guest host. Mr. Fallon recreated a memorable sketch in which he played, as it happened, a late-night talk-show host, only in this case he was impersonating the singer Barry Gibb.

All sides in the negotiations emphasized that the deal had some elements still to be resolved, including a question of when Mr. Fallon would be available to begin any projects for NBC. He is about to begin filming “Eliot Rockett,” an independent movie with Sharon Stone and Lucy Liu in which he will star as the title character.

Mr. Fallon also has a deal in place to star in a comedy for Universal, which is owned by NBC. A close associate of Mr. Fallon’s said yesterday: “Anything can still happen here. This deal is about bringing Jimmy back to NBC. But he could have a hit movie and not want to jump back into television.”

As to the possibility of succeeding Mr. O’Brien, that associate said: “That’s a couple of years away. There are so many shoes to fall in this thing between then and now.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/22/arts/television/22cona.html?ref=television&pagewanted=print

randosel

02-22-07, 02:54 AM

A lot of Veronica Mars fans on various message boards are getting a bit wacko. More so then I've ever seen it before. Mostly over the low ratings of the most recent shows... as well as a number of recent surprise plot elements, that makes it feel like the end of the series is extremely close. I will miss it if it's a gonner.

Even though I am not happy with a lot of the changes this past season a lot of it did work out better than I expected. Much less of the upperclass vs regular folk themes that I liked in the earlier years was present this season. as well as slightly less grand serial elements changed my feelings for the show a bit, but did not hurt it.

re: all this Studio 60 stuff. This is a really odd show for me. As it's one of those shows I really like, but I'm not sure why most of the time... I was not a fan of west wing, and liked some of Sports night. so I really dont think I'm a fan of the EP. I already voiced my opinions on the survey to NBC last week. I'm looking forward to The Black Donnellys mostly because of the previous tv show Ez streets and Due South, but hated his movies Crash and Flags of Our Fathers.

SirJW

02-22-07, 03:09 AM

Dad I met you in the JVC LT threads six months ago and you know there are very few complaints about those sets, mostly rave reviews. You could have your network shows in glorious HD for half the price of what I paid. I have no regrets for almost a year! There will always be a better set and better prices. Every set has it's compromises. Just get a set and don't look back. Enjoy.

Iteki

02-22-07, 08:05 AM

TV Notebook
Taye Diggs goes for 'Grey' spin
By Nellie Andreeva The Hollywood Reporter Feb 22, 2007

Taye Diggs has been tapped to star opposite Kate Walsh in ABC's potential spinoff from hit medical drama "Grey's Anatomy."

Diggs' casting in the "Grey" spinoff stems from a new talent holding deal he recently inked with ABC TV Studio.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i3ed53000aa8dfb51c8cc7a7265ef7cd0

I like Taye Diggs and enjoyed Daybreak...but his TV track record has been one of critical acclaim but little viewership. Let's hope that changes on this project (if it happens).

dad1153

02-22-07, 08:07 AM

The JVC FH/FN97 sets had me at "hello" last year until we all collectively realized that JVC was pulling the wool under our eyes and releasing a 1080p HDTV that cannot accept 1080p as an input. Sorry but that was, and still is, a major deal-breaker for me. Especially now that there are plenty of 1080p sources: Blu-ray, HD-DVD, PlayStation 3, computers and an updated XBox 360. Glad you're enjoying your HDTV, I know I'd be miserable as **** if I had bought the JVC six months ago and realized too late that the damn thing does not accept 1080p. :(

Maestro J

02-22-07, 09:35 AM

This totally means that they won't kill off Meredith tonight. No way would they be losing her and Addison within 3 months of each other.

I know it was a slim chance but I was kind of hoping they did. I love to see shows that take chances and go for a major plot development.

TV Notebook
Taye Diggs goes for 'Grey' spin
By Nellie Andreeva The Hollywood Reporter Feb 22, 2007

Taye Diggs has been tapped to star opposite Kate Walsh in ABC's potential spinoff from hit medical drama "Grey's Anatomy."

Additionally, "Grey" producer ABC TV Studio has extended for two more years its overall deal with O'Taye Prods., Diggs' production company with his longtime manager, Abe Hoch.

The potential spinoff will test the waters as a back-door pilot, an expanded two-hour episode of "Grey" slated to air in May. It will center on neonatal surgeon Addison Shepherd (Walsh), a character that has enjoyed a strong following from fans since she was introduced at the end of the hot surgical drama's first season.

It is understood that the back-door pilot episode will feature Shepherd on the verge of leaving Seattle Grace, a scenario that will be triggered if ABC goes with the spinoff for next season. There were no details on the character Diggs will play.

"Grey" creator/executive producer Shonda Rhimes is writing the episode and is expected to shepherd the potential series. Meanwhile, Rhimes' other pilot for ABC and ABC TV Studio, about female journalists, has been pushed to a summer production start.

Diggs' casting in the "Grey" spinoff stems from a new talent holding deal he recently inked with ABC TV Studio.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i3ed53000aa8dfb51c8cc7a7265ef7cd0

fredfa

02-22-07, 09:49 AM

The TV Column
The Week’s Winners and Losers
By Lisa de Moraes Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday. February 22, 2007

Two nights of "American Idol" continued to mow down the rest of the prime-time pack last week, though CBS managed to eke out a 60,000-viewer advantage over Fox.

Here's a look at the week's bull's-eyes and misses:

WINNERS

"1/2 Hour News Hour." Fox News Channel's answer to Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" bagged nearly 1.48 million viewers in its unveiling Sunday at 10. That's about 80 percent more viewers than FNC has averaged in that slot in the first quarter. For comparison: "The Daily Show" averaged 1.57 million viewers Monday-Thursday.

Westminster Dog Show. An average of nearly 3 million watched James, the English springer spaniel from Fairfax Station, win best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show last Tuesday -- about 400,000 more than last year's crowd.

"Grey's Anatomy." A shockingly sex-free episode of ABC's doc drama nailed 25.8 million viewers last week. And despite the lack of action, the show beat both editions of "American Idol" among 18-to-24-year-olds -- an age bracket on everyone's minds since Nielsen began including in its stats college-age viewers living away from the nest.

"Rules of Engagement." One hundred percent of "Two and a Half Men's" audience in the 18-49 bracket that advertisers covet stuck around to watch the second episode of CBS's new sitcom "Rules of Engagement." And yet, it stars David Spade.

LOSERS

"Lost." In its second week back on the air, ABC's "Lost" scored its smallest audience for an original episode -- 12.8 million viewers. ABC moved the show to 10 p.m. Wednesdays to get it out of the path of Fox's "American Idol." Meanwhile, "Criminal Minds," which CBS did not move out of "Idol's" path on Wednesday nights, scored more than 15 million viewers.

"24." Fox pulled "Prison Break" in favor of two "24" episodes Monday -- presumably hoping to goose that show at 9. But the episode finished behind NBC's "Heroes" and two CBS sitcoms among viewers of all ages, and behind "Heroes" with the 18-to-49-year-olds advertisers covet. "24" had not lost in that demographic group to regular competition in the time slot since the night of the "Everybody Loves Raymond" finale in May '05.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/21/AR2007022102112_pf.html

fredfa

02-22-07, 10:18 AM

Critic’s Notebook
Our Thursdays are less Seth-y:
Goodbye to 'The O.C.'
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” February 22, 2007

Going forward,' Thursday nights will be a little less quippy, a little less pop-culture-obsessed, a little less Seth-y. And, sure, a little less sexy.

“The O.C.,” the indelible teen soap of the oughts (what are we calling this decade, anyway?), is going away for good; the show’s series finale airs Thursday. Fox didn’t send out the last episode for review, which is fine, because I’d rather not know in advance what happens.

The series always has had more than its share of ups and downs, but I have every hope they’ll pull out all the stops and make the finale a valentine to the fans that have stuck with the self-referential, soap-parodying soap.

Well, OK, to be honest, I was a little fickle over the years and gave up on the show during several especially preposterous patches (many of the show’s fans did, too, judging by “The O.C.’s” falling ratings). But I still live in hope that “The O.C.” brain trust will give Seth, Summer, Ryan, Julie, Kirsten and Sandy the send-off they deserve.

In honor of the series finale, here’s a list of lists celebrating the Fox show’s four-season career.

Most undervalued supporting cast member:

• Peter Gallagher’s eyebrows
• Peter Gallagher as Sandy Cohen
• Princess Sparkle
• Captain Oats
• Melinda Clarke as the unstoppable Julie Cooper-Nichol
• Chris Pratt as the crunchy environmental guy Ché
• Alan Dale as the sketchy billionaire Caleb Nichol

Most irritating supporting cast members:

• Kaitlin Cooper
• Oliver
• Volchok (arrrgh!)

A few favorite random things:

• Jimmy Cooper’s genial irresponsibility
• Marissa’s lesbian flirtations with Alex (Olivia Wilde). It was actually handled well, considering it occurred on a Fox show during sweeps.
• A guy from Julie’s past threatening to publicize her long-ago foray into adult films
• Summer’s rage blackouts
• The inevitable fights at every “O.C.” party

Best “O.C.” inventions:

• The “coma lite”
• Chrismukkah (in its early days, anyway)
• “The Valley,” the fake soap that the “O.C.” characters were obsessed with
• Ryan Atwood’s fists of fury
• “The O.C.’s” soundtrack CDs, which helped launch an array of excellent bands

Biggest bungles:

• Oliver with a gun
• The arrival of Ryan’s brother
• Marissa’s death (a season too late)
• Mischa Barton (Marissa) spilling news of her character’s death days before it aired
• Each season’s mid-season plot muddle
• Kirsten’s sudden-onset alcoholism
• Lindsay’s sudden-onset paternity issues and even more sudden exit
• George Lucas’ guest spot. The man just can’t act, sorry

And in closing, here are just a few memorable lines (there are way more here [url] http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_OC[/b]):

• Luke to Ryan: “Welcome to the O.C., [expletive].”
• Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie) to Marissa: “I wouldn’t have done it any differently. Except maybe Oliver.”
• Summer (Rachel Bilson) to Marissa: “God, he loves you. He got in a fight and burnt down a house for you. That’s hot.”
• Summer on Death Cab for Cutie: “It’s like one guitar and a whole lot of complaining.”
• Seth (Adam Brody) on Ryan: “My friend Ryan, he’s really cool, OK? He’s very anti-establishment. He enjoys sunset walks on the beach, punching people and not smiling.”
• Sandy to Julie: “So you started with a porn director and ended up with Caleb. I’d consider that a lateral move.”
• Summer to Ché: “Ché, just shut up, OK, before I tie you up with hemp rope, set you on fire and get high off of the fumes from your burning flesh.”
• Seth to Ryan in last week’s episode: “It’s too bad. If we could have turned this into a body-swap comedy, we could have squeezed another year or two out of this.”

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

fredfa

02-22-07, 10:24 AM

The TV Column
ABC Kicks Its 'Dancing' Lineup To a New Level
By Lisa de Moraes Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday. February 22, 2007

The good-deed-doing, naughty-photo-dabbling, one-legged estranged wife of an aged pop star is among the illustrious group of C-listers that ABC has lined up for the next edition of its hit competition series "Dancing With the Stars."

Also attempting to samba their way back to the limelight: an actor who did 70 hours of community service for punching his fiancee in the head; the boxing daughter of Muhammad Ali; and Clyde the Glide.

ABC noted that "in a 'Dancing With the Stars' first," three athletes will participate in the series's fourth edition, debuting March 19.

ABC also noted that Heather Mills -- U.N. goodwill ambassador, activist for Adopt-A-Minefield, animal rights advocate, model for a German "lover's guide" and estranged wife of Paul McCartney -- will be the show's first contestant with an artificial limb. Mills lost a leg in a '93 motorcycle accident.

Former competitor Jerry Springer, who announced the contestants yesterday on ABC's infotainment show "Good Morning America," predicted Mills will be the sentimental favorite. That will probably not include Beatles fans, because her breakup from McCartney was not pretty. Last fall she was quoted as saying, "When you're vilified for doing nothing but falling in love with an icon . . . I'd rather have all of my limbs cut off, that's the God's honest truth."

Anyway, "Dancing" exec producer Conrad Green told People magazine yesterday they thought it would be "interesting" to have Mills compete "because we wanted to prove that dancing is something anyone can do."

We believe Mills's participation also marks the first time that producers of a reality competition series have cast someone with a risque past about which they knew in advance, though ABC forgot to mention that bit of precedent-setting. In '06 British tabs reported the former model had posed in various states of undress and teddy-and-whip-ishness for a 1988 German picture book. Mills called it a guidebook, according to the news reports.

Also hoping to snag the "Dancing" winner's trophy: Vincent Pastore, a.k.a. "The Sopranos' " Big Pussy, who, in summer '05, was sentenced to a conditional discharge after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor count of attempted assault.

Pastore originally was charged with assault, attempted assault and harassment for allegedly attacking his ex-fiancee during an argument. He was sentenced to 70 hours of community service and six months of weekly anger management counseling.

On a brighter note, basketball Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler, a.k.a. Clyde the Glide, will compete; as will Laila Ali, personal trainer, undefeated world champion female boxer and youngest daughter of Muhammad Ali; and Olympic speed-skating champion Apolo Anton Ohno.

Since its debut in summer '05, "Dancing" has been a surprise ratings hit. Its first edition clocked nearly 17 million viewers, and its most recent edition was the second-most-watched program on TV last fall, behind only "Desperate Housewives," with an average audience of nearly 21 million and a finale crowd of nearly 28 mil. And it's surprisingly upscale for a reality series.

The boffo ratings definitely have allowed ABC to trade up in casting about for has-beens to participate.

Rounding out this edition's competitors are former "Beverly Hills, 90210" thespian Ian Ziering, former supermodel Paulina Porizkova, former "Entertainment Tonight" host Leeza Gibbons, former Miss USA (2004) Shandi Finnessey and Billy Ray Cyrus, best known for that "Achy Breaky Heart" tune you can't ever completely get out of your head no matter how hard you try and now co-star of Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana." Here's where we should mention ABC and Disney Channel are both owned by Disney.

And finally, it wouldn't be "Dancing With the Stars" without a former boy band-er -- this time it's ex-'N Sync-er Joey Fatone.

• • • • • • • • • • •

"American Idol" producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick have been hired to produce this year's Primetime Emmy Awards.

Not coincidentally, Fox network will broadcast the TV trophy show, to air live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sept. 16.

"Star power, production values, drama, suspense, tears and euphoria, just like an 'American Idol' finale," Lythgoe said of the Emmys show. "While appreciating the traditional and maintaining the high standards of past Emmy Award ceremonies, we will also be recognizing the ever-changing landscape of today's successful television," he added in a statement, sending TV Academy members scrambling for their nitroglycerine capsules.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/21/AR2007022102112_pf.html

fredfa

02-22-07, 10:48 AM

Does anyone else find it odd that this piece ran today – the day AFTER “Friday Night Lights” was broadcast?
Critic’s Notebook
NBC's `Friday Night Lights' deserves more viewers
By Charlie McCollum San Jose Mercury News Thursday, February 22, 2007

Over the years, I've periodically felt the urge -- the need, really -- to try and play white knight for good series on the brink of being axed: ``Freaks and Geeks,'' ``Boomtown,'' ``Once and Again,'' ``Everwood,'' ``American Dreams,'' ``Jack & Bobby.''

As you can tell from that list, my success rate hasn't been stellar -- if this were baseball, I'd be back down playing AA ball -- but despite that, I'm going to take another swing with the best new series on network TV this season: NBC's transcendent ``Friday Night Lights'' (8 p.m. Wednesday, Chs. 8, 11).

Since its debut in September, the show has occupied a unique spot in network television. It has been an honest, heartfelt family drama, dealing with such unsexy, uncool things as small-town life, growing up in tough circumstances, subtle and not-so-subtle racism, the place of religion in American culture and the pressures of high school. Moreover, it has done so with a deft emotional touch and just enough skillfully executed drama to keep things entertaining.

Based on the bestselling book by H.G. Bissinger and the popular 2004 film directed by Peter Berg, the focal point of ``Lights'' is the Dillon (Texas) Panthers, the local high school football team. But even though the game sequences are effectively crafted and often thrilling, the series is as much about football as ``The Sopranos'' is about organized crime. The game is used by the show's creators as a framework on which to hang a rich story and an array of engaging characters.

At the heart of the show is the whole notion of family, whether it's the sometimes dysfunctional family or the families of the players and coaches.

There is no other show on TV that has the same sharply written observations on family life as those on ``Lights,'' particularly with Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler in a performance that will define his career), wife Tami (Connie Britton) and teenage daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarden). In a recent episode, there was a family confrontation -- Julie got caught at a strip club -- that was so open and real-to-life that even Julie's ``whatever!'' was a sharp jab.

Almost as good are the scenes with the school's star player -- Smash Williams (Gaius Charles) -- and his mother, Corrina (Liz Mikel), an imposing single mom who is trying to break the family out of a cycle of poverty and institutional racism. When Smash leads a walkout by the black players on the team because of a coach's racist comments, his mother confronts him, and while acknowledging the pain of the slight, tells him not to throw away his future just to ``teach a lesson to a bunch of fools.''

``Lights'' is not the kind of show that should be struggling in the ratings, yet it is and will probably struggle even more the next couple of weeks against ``American Idol.'' The show attracts just 6 million viewers a week, although it recently hit a season-high of 7.4 million.

For the moment, however, the top executives at NBC are sticking with ``Lights,'' and I honestly believe that if there's any way for them to keep the show on the air, they will. For once, this is not a case of a network abandoning a terrific series.

So that leaves it up to you folks at home. Pick up your remote or set your DVR and sample ``Friday Night Lights.'' It deserves at least that.

Remote controls

• NBC has unexpectedly moved up the midseason debut of ``The Black Donnellys'' from March to Monday at 10 p.m. Its debut bumps a previously scheduled episode of ``Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip'' -- not a good sign for that show.

The series about a blue-collar Irish family on the fringes of organized crime in New York has a great pedigree. For one thing, it was created and written by Paul Haggis (an Oscar winner for ``Crash'' and ``Million Dollar Baby,'' nominated this year for ``Letters From Iwo Jima'') and Bobby Moresco (Haggis' co-writer on ``Crash''). And the opening episode, directed by Haggis, has a rich, cinematic look to it.

That said, it's an awfully dark show (which can be OK) and one that doesn't immediately grab you (not so good). At least initially, it suffers in comparison to the somewhat similar ``Brotherhood'' that aired on Showtime last summer. That series, also set in an Irish mob family, had much more of an immediate pop, and its characters were far more distinctive.

• After the band's reunion on the Grammys, members of the Police -- Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers -- announced that they'll be doing a full-blown (and probably very lucrative) tour this summer. But if you want to see what Sting has been up to of late on his own, check out ``Sting: Songs From the Labyrinth'' airing as a part of PBS's ``Great Performances'' (11 p.m. Monday, but chek your local PBS listings). Filmed at Sting's manor house in England and St. Luke's Church in London, the concert is a bit of a musical oddity, but a fascinating one as the Police frontman picks up the lute to do the melancholy music of 16th century songwriter John Dowland. Sting is accompanied by the extraordinary lutenist Edin Karamazov and also reads some of Dowland's correspondence that provides context to the songwriter's work.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/television/16755794.htm?template=contentModules/printstor

fredfa

02-22-07, 10:57 AM

URFloorMatt

02-22-07, 10:58 AM

TV Notebook
Jimmy Fallon Said to Be in NBC’s Late-Night Plans

...Mr. Fallon, 32, fits the pattern of late-night host-in-waiting in several respects...

Yeah, except for the part where these guys are supposed to be funny. :rolleyes: I think I'd take Carson over Fallon, and Carson Daly is thoroughly unfunny. At least Carson is only moderately annoying and not socially inept.

fredfa

02-22-07, 11:00 AM

fredfa

02-22-07, 11:15 AM

The Business of Television
CBS Signs Nine Retrans Deals
By Linda Moss MultiChannel News 2/17/07 2/22/2007

CBS reached comprehensive retransmission-consent agreements with nine separate cable operators, including several top-25 MSOs, covering more than 1 million subscribers nationally, officials said Thursday.

All of the agreements include analog, digital, multicast and HD rights to programming on CBS owned-and-operated television stations.

CBS spokesman Dana McClintock declined to name the operators the company reached agreements with, citing "confidentiality." Terms of the agreements were not disclosed, but when asked if CBS was receiving cash, McClintock would only say, “We’re receiving value.”

CBS CEO Leslie Moonves has been a vocal advocate of broadcasters collecting cash from cable companies in exchange for carriage of their TV signals.

“We’re pleased to have forged these long-term, forward-looking partnerships with so many cable operators,” Moonves said in a prepared statement. “Clearly, there is a new paradigm in the marketplace -- one that recognizes the value of the content that we bring to our various audiences. This is a trend that bodes well for us going forward as future retransmission deals are negotiated.”

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6418599.html?display=Breaking+News

fredfa

02-22-07, 11:25 AM

Critic’s Notebook
Annoyed by 'Anatomy'
By Rob Owen Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TV Editor in his blog “Tuned In” February 22, 2007

If Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) doesn't stay dead tonight on "Grey's Anatomy," I will be mightily annoyed, both at the show, its creator who boasts, "I killed Denny. I blew up Dylan. I'm not entirely playing by the rules of TV here," and the supposed TV insiders at E! Online who promised viewers a character would die -- and stay dead -- last week. So far, I think it's just a bunch of sweeps month hype.

True, Meredith Grey was dead at the end of last week's episode when she woke up in the presence of deceased Dylan and Denny, but we've seen this trick before: The character is brain dead and then she recovers. Contrary to "Grey's" creator Shonda Rhimes' claims, it's actually one of the oldest tricks in the TV writer's playbook -- let viewers think the character is dead and then revive her.

If Meredith Grey turns out to be truly dead tonight, I will applaud "Grey's Anatomy" for daring to be different by killing off the show's title character at the height of its popularity. I just don't think it's gonna happen. I hope I'm wrong.

http://www.post-gazette.com/tv/tunedin/

fredfa

02-22-07, 11:31 AM

TV Notebook
A clearer field 'Friday Night Lights'
The prospects are improving for a second season
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 22, 2007

Six weeks ago it seemed unlikely that “Friday Night Lights,” NBC’s critically praised but low-rated drama about football-playing teens in Texas, would return for a second season.

The first-year show had moved to a new Wednesday 8 p.m. timeslot, having already bombed on Tuesdays, where it faced Fox’s “American Idol”-fueled lineup.

But all these weeks later, “Nights” suddenly looks like a decent bet to return. It has shown surprising strength opposite Fox’s dominant “Bones,” and it’s holding up better than NBC’s other two once-promising rookie shows.

“Nights” finished second in its timeslot last week with a 2.5 18-49 rating, 9 percent above its season-to-date average of 2.3. That was its best rating since Oct. 30, when the show aired a special Monday episode in the post-“Heroes” slot.

“Nights” also grew from its first to its second half and pulled its second-best total viewers average ever, 7.43 million, which placed it second in the hour.

Those aren’t great or even good numbers. But in a year where most shows on broadcast are down, that type of growth is promising.

In many ways, “Nights” is symbolic of NBC's own struggle to climb back after two years finishing in the basement.

At first the network tried a mix of quick-fix reality shows and comedies, but when that failed it returned the strategy that had kept it on top for so long: greenlighting quality shows and then standing behind them until they found their audience. It did that first with "The Office," and that show has nearly doubled its audience in the two years since its disappointing debut.

Of the three rookie NBC shows, “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” “30 Rock,” and "Nights," media people expect the network to renew just one, and early thinking was that it would be either "Studio 60" or "30 Rock," two shows with much higher profiles, not to mention bigger ego investments.

But increasingly it looks like it could well be "Nights," as the only one of the three that is growing. NBC president Kevin Reilly has expressed a special fondness for “Nights,” which has earned critical praise for its sensitive and realistic portrayal of teenagers.

“Studio 60” has averaged a 3.3 this season but earlier this week fell to a series-low 2.6. NBC seems likely to dump the show, which has been declining each week and is holding less than half its huge “Heroes” lead-in.

“Rock” grew some in December, when it moved from Wednesday to Thursday, but has stagnated in recent weeks and still loses a fair bit of its “Scrubs” lead-in. It averaged a 2.5 last week.

By contrast, “Nights” has had to prove itself as a self-starter, without a strong lead-in, and beginning the season airing against ABC mega-hit “Dancing with the Stars.” That makes its recent growth seem all the more impressive.

If NBC does renew “Nights,” it might well move it to Friday, a less competitive night, to slide it in place of either the aging “Las Vegas” or “Law & Order,” which may not be back.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_10323.asp

steverobertson

02-22-07, 11:37 AM

Fred,

Great news on FNL I have my fingers crossed

CPanther95

02-22-07, 11:40 AM

Critic’s Notebook
Annoyed by 'Anatomy'
By Rob Owen Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TV Editor in his blog “Tuned In” February 22, 2007

Once again, I'm in complete agreement with Mr. Owen.

fredfa

02-22-07, 11:40 AM

The Business of Television
CBS Reaches Retrans Deal With Nine MSOs
By Anthony Crupi MediaWeek February 22, 2007

In the first offensive in what will surely be an ongoing turf war between CBS Corp. and the nation’s cable operators, the broadcaster today announced it has reached comprehensive retransmission consent agreements with nine MSOs.

Although CBS elected not to identify the operators, in a statement issued Thursday morning, the network noted that several of the MSOs involved were among cable’s “Top 25” distributors, representing “more than one million subscribers.”

All nine agreements cover analog, digital, multicast and high-definition rights to programming on CBS owned-and-operated TV stations.

“Clearly there is a new paradigm in the marketplace––one that recognizes the value of the content that we bring to our various audiences,” CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves said in Thursday’s statement. “This is a trend that bodes well for us going forward as future retransmission deals are negotiated.”

Terms of the agreements were not disclosed.

Over the course of the past few years, Moonves has been aggressively stumping for compensation for his network’s signal, declaring that not being allowed to charge operators a fee for retrans consent was “an injustice.”

While many smaller operators will see their existing retrans-consent deals expire within the next year, monolithic MSOs such as Comcast and Time Warner Cable aren’t expected to have to work out new arrangements with CBS until around 2010.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003548737

fredfa

02-22-07, 11:42 AM

Fred,

Great news on FNL I have my fingers crossed

We'll see shortly.

I am hoping that last week's numbers (up a million from the previous week) weren't just an aberration.

fredfa

02-22-07, 11:55 AM

fredfa

02-22-07, 11:57 AM

Sadly, last night's fast national ratings have bad news for "Friday Night Lights".

Last week's 7.43 million viewers, and 2.5/7 18-49 demo rating tumbled to just 5.37 million viewers and a 1.8/5 in the demo.

You can get the gory details in the ratings post -- the second post in the thread.

cherry ghost

02-22-07, 12:04 PM

Is there anywhere to find a list of the most watched time slots? I would assume Thursday 9:00 ET is at the top?

fredfa

02-22-07, 12:05 PM

Critic’s Notebook
One last sigh: 'The O.C.' says so long
Fox's teen-angster flamed big, only to burn out
By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine Feb 22, 2007

Like Marissa Cooper, the show’s ill-fated heroine, “The O.C.” burned bright and died young. And like Cooper, who was killed last year after her ex-boyfriend ran her current boyfriend’s car off the road, the cause of death for “O.C.,” which ends its four-year run tonight at 9 p.m. on Fox, was fickle teenagehood.

The show debuted in 2003 as an afterthought, part of the network’s brief and ill-fated summer programming strategy. But it quickly grew into a hit, and when it returned in winter 2004, paired with “American Idol,” “The O.C.” became one of broadcast’s top shows among teenagers.

"O.C." also did decently with young adults, but it found a real following among high school and college-age kids, who became its core audience. The kids on screen dealt with real-life problems like pregnancy and parents with a dry, sarcastic edge that so many angsty teen shows lack.

Alas, “O.C.” may have been done in part by its own creative ambitions. Plotlines became dark and complicated, relationships had too many stops and starts, and Marissa’s death sent many fans fleeing.

A move from Wednesday to Thursday in season two hurt, too. Viewership began to fall, then plummeted this year when ABC’s mega-hit “Grey’s Anatomy” moved into its timeslot. "O.C.'s" penultimate episode last week drew a sickly 3.65 million total viewers, 1.24 million fewer than watched a repeat of “Grey’s” last Friday night.

That total may rise tonight as sentimental viewers return for one last look, but it probably won’t rise that much. “O.C.” airs opposite the climax of a “Grey’s” three-parter and of course CBS’s still-solid “CSI.”

But “O.C.” will have a lasting legacy. It was one of the few really clever TV shows about teens, and you can see its influence in shows that came after, like “Supernatural” and even “Friday Night Lights.”

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_10322.asp

fredfa

02-22-07, 12:08 PM

Is there anywhere to find a list of the most watched time slots? I would assume Thursday 9:00 ET is at the top?

I would guess it is. But "American Idol" tends to skew everything.

I know of no such listing. But you could go to the TVWeek site and download its chart of weekly ratings and figure it out for yourself.

http://www.tvweek.com/docs/docs/chart021907.pdf

cherry ghost

02-22-07, 12:10 PM

I would guess it is. But "American Idol" tends to skew everything.

I know of no such listing. But you could go to the TVWeek site and download its chart of weekly ratings and figure it out fir yourself.

http://www.tvweek.com/docs/docs/chart021907.pdf

Thanks

fredfa

02-22-07, 12:17 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
“Idol'” fallout: Returning “Jericho” slides
CBS post-nuclear drama averages a 2.4 in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 22, 2007

Facing “American Idol” may be tougher than recovering from a nuclear holocaust for the residents of “Jericho.” The CBS post-nuclear disaster drama, which returned to the Wednesday 8 p.m. timeslot last night after a three-month hiatus, saw big declines from its fall average.

“Jericho” averaged a 2.4 adults 18-49 rating, according to Nielsen overnights, down 27 percent from its 3.3 average last fall.

Of course “Jericho” was far from the only show to suffer in the path of “Idol.” ABC’s comedies and NBC’s “Friday Night Lights” all fell to or neared season lows as the Fox reality show aired the second of three two-hour episodes this week. It usually airs at 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

“Jericho” did place second in the timeslot behind “Idol’s” 11.3 18-49 average, and it also took second in total viewers.

It will be more telling when Fox’s usual Wednesday 8 p.m. occupant, “Bones,” returns to the schedule whether “Jericho” has really lost some of its fall audience or whether they’re just checking out temporarily to catch “Idol.”

The show was a nice surprise for CBS last fall, earning the network’s first full-season pickup, and it looked so much the stronger alongside the network’s other disappointing dramas, such as “Smith” and “3 Lbs.,” that were quickly canceled.

Meanwhile, Fox was first for the night among 18-49s with a 12.2 average rating and a 31 share. CBS followed at 3.5/9, with ABC third at 3.3/8, NBC fourth at 2.1/5, Univision fifth at 1.6/4 and CW sixth at 1.4/4.

Fox led each of its two hours rather easily, starting with an 11.3 rating at 8 p.m. for the first hour of “American Idol.” CBS was second with a 2.4 for “Jericho,” while ABC and Univision tied for third at 1.9, ABC for “George Lopez” (2.2) and “Knights of Prosperity” (1.6) and Univision for “La Fea Mas Bella.” That left NBC fifth with a 1.8 for “Friday Night Lights” and CW sixth with a 1.3 for a “Beauty and the Geek” reunion show.

At 9 p.m. Fox led again with a 13.2 for the second half of “Idol,” followed by a 4.0 for CBS for “Criminal Minds.” NBC and ABC tied for third that hour at 2.2, NBC for “Deal or No Deal” and ABC for a repeat of “Lost,” with Univision fifth with a 1.6 for “Mundo de Fieras” and CW sixth with a 1.5 for “One Tree Hill.”

ABC took the lead at 10 p.m. with a 5.7 for “Lost,” up slightly from last week’s season-low 5.6. CBS was second with a 4.1 for “CSI: NY,” NBC third with a 2.5 for “Medium” and Univision fourth with a 1.2 for “Don Francisco Presenta.”

Among households, Fox finished first for the night with a 17.3 average rating and a 26 share. CBS was second at 8.2/13, NBC third at 4.8/8, ABC fourth at 4.8/7, Univision fifth at 2.1/3 and CW sixth at 1.9/3.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_10351.asp

fredfa

02-22-07, 12:25 PM

Nielsen Notebook
National Ratings in Prime Time:
Week of Feb. 12-18, 2007
By Marc Berman MediaWeek.com

Ignited by the American Idol steamroller, Fox led the week of Feb. 12 demographically, finishing first in adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and adults 18-34. Fox’s lead over No. 2 ABC among adults 18-49 was a hefty 39 percent, in fact. CBS was first in households and total viewers, inching past the home of American Idol by just 50,000 viewers. CBS finished second in adults 25-54, but third among adults 18-49, with year-to-year gains of as much as 20 percent. Fox was also on the plus side, building by margins of 12 to 17 percent. Keep in mind that the steep erosion for NBC was a result of airing the 2006 Winter Olympics on the year-ago week. ABC was also on the downside, while the CW built from UPN but could not match the WB.

In week two news, CBS sitcom Rules of Engagement held up well, with full adult 18-49 retention out of lead-in Two and a Half Men (see rankings below). Ditto for the Eye net’s Survivor: Fiji, which continues to dominate the Thursday 8 p.m. hour (with 16.08 million viewers and a 5.6/15 in the demo this week) despite facing ABC’s rock-solid Ugly Betty. That will change, no doubt, when it goes head-to-head with the live American Idol results show tonight. Also on CBS was the season-premiere of The Amazing Race: All-Stars at a disappointing 10.29 million viewers (No. 35 overall) and a 3.1/ 8 among adults 18-49 (tied for No. 41) on Sunday.

In the Wednesday 10 p.m. battle of ABC’s relocated Lost versus CSI: NY, it was a draw, with CSI: NY the most-watched (CSI: NY - #15, 14.81 million; Lost - #23, 12.84 million) and Lost higher-rated among adults 18-49 (Lost - #10, 5.7/15; CSI: NY - #20t: 4.5/12). The good news for the still vital Lost is solid gains for ABC in the 10 p.m. hour, with better support to the late local news. But the downside remains double-digit losses from year-ago levels.

Here are the final national ratings for the week of February 12, 2007 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago period in parentheses for the Big 4 -- the CW is not included), followed by the top 30 ranked programs for the week in total viewers and adults 18-49.

Households:
CBS: 7.8 rating/13 share (+16)
Fox: 7.2/11 (+14)
ABC: 6.1/10 (-16)
NBC: 5.6/ 9 (-52)
CW: 2.2/ 3

Total Viewers:
CBS: 12.27 million (+20)
Fox: 12.22 (+17)
ABC: 9.56 (-17)
NBC: 8.64 (-55)
CW: 3.44

Adults 18-49:
Fox: 5.0 rating/13 share (+14)
ABC: 3.6/10 (-16)
CBS: 3.5/ 9 (+13)
NBC: 3.0/ 8 (-49)
CW: 1.4/ 4

Adults 25-54:
Fox: 5.3/13 (+13)
CBS: 4.5/11 (+15)
ABC: 3.9/10 (-22)
NBC: 3.4/ 8 (-54)
CW: 1.3/ 3

Adults 18-34:
Fox: 4.7/14 (+12)
ABC: 3.2/ 9 (- 9)
NBC: 2.5/ 7 (-39)
CBS: 2.3/ 7 (+15)
CW: 1.6/ 4

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/newsletters/proginsider/index.jsp

Hattrick

02-22-07, 12:26 PM

Just curious - why are you considering the Olevia and not the Westinghouse? If you weren't for the Olevia I would have assumed your 'brand' requirement...

xnappo
1080P LCD... What do you plan on watching with that? The only 1080p available is BD or HD-DVD.... Better save 500-1k to buy one

fredfa

02-22-07, 12:39 PM

Welcome to the thread, hattrick.

I hope we'll hear from you often. :)

fredfa

02-22-07, 12:48 PM

Critic’s Notebook
Can A Spinoff Work?
At ABC, 'Grey's Anatomy' Ready To Do Additional Operating
A media critique by Wayne Friedman at MediaPost.com , Thursday, February 22, 2007

ABC NOW thinks it has found its "CSI," its "Law & Order" --- the network is thinking franchise when it comes to "Grey's Anatomy." It is developing a spinoff for its big show.

To be honest, though, the "CSI" and "Law & Order" franchises aren't true spinoffs. Though they have had characters that cross over from one show to another, plotlines were never really connected.

True spinoffs have rarely worked in the past -- even for the biggest shows. Most recently, NBC's "Joey" wasn't successful moving west to Hollywood from NBC's powerhouse "Friends." Still, "Frasier" made the grade as a rare exception, moving the story line out of "Cheers."

"Grey's Anatomy" creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes has perhaps the best reason for another "Grey's" show: She says there are way too many popular characters and not enough room for quality plot lines. So Kate Walsh, who plays Addison Shepherd, is poised to leave Seattle Grace.

With a surplus of good characters, ABC isn't trying to start from scratch. Product extensions are a natural forms of business -- but one should be careful not to get too greedy. Donald Trump blames "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" for the downfall of the original "The Apprentice." In reality, the original "Apprentice" had been trending down with viewers.

Still, if what is said is true, expect that one spinoff for "Anatomy" won't be enough; there are many "Grey's" favorites.

Mark Sloan, known as McSteamy and played by Eric Dane, has been threatening to move back to New York City. (Perhaps where Shepard is headed). Off-air, a number of actors might be leaving anyway. For example, Isaiah Washington, who plays Preston Burke, has had his troubles -- off-air -- with T.R. Knight, playing George O'Malley. Will both actors (and/or their characters) be departing?

Is a "Grey's" spinoff good business? If the viewers really are demanding it, it is. Advertisers will follow. But, as with anything else, the show's writers don't want to spread "Grey's" too thin. Network libraries are full of shows where executives were too greedy. Didn't "Law & Order" go one bridge too far with a fourth series, "Law & Order: Trial by Jury"?

OK, ABC isn't quite at that level yet -- though "Grey's Anatomy: Special Victims Unit" has a nice ring to it.

http://blogs.mediapost.com/tv_watch/?cat=2

Rakesh.S

02-22-07, 12:49 PM

Kind of like just about all of this year's Fox premieres, right Rakesh.S? :(

sure seems like it.

The buzz factor for Drive seems very low as well. I occasionally see an ad for it on Fox but that's it.

Oh well...Sometimes i get the feeling that this IS fox's business model..just keep developing new stuff, throw it on the air and can it..before you know it, we're at the end of the tv season and they can rinse and repeat the following season.

steverobertson

02-22-07, 01:02 PM

WilliamR

02-22-07, 01:28 PM

They always talk about how a show took a huge hit and lost so much audience, then throw in real quick, oh but it was still second in its time slot. So being second not is bad? A show slides/looses ratings because say like American Idol is on, but it still comes in second, isn't that a success then?

shuttermaker

02-22-07, 01:32 PM

I'm so ready for America to tell American Idol to shove off.

Blegh !!

fredfa

02-22-07, 01:44 PM

sure seems like it.

The buzz factor for Drive seems very low as well. I occasionally see an ad for it on Fox but that's it.

Oh well...Sometimes i get the feeling that this IS fox's business model..just keep developing new stuff, throw it on the air and can it..before you know it, we're at the end of the tv season and they can rinse and repeat the following season.

I was surprised they didn't do something to try to save "Justice". If it had the advantage of a lead-in from "Idol" -- even for just a few weeks -- I suspect it could have worked.

fredfa

02-22-07, 01:44 PM

I'm so ready for America to tell American Idol to shove off.

Blegh !!

Me too, but I don't think we should hold our breath for that to happen anytime soon.

fredfa

02-22-07, 01:47 PM

The Business of Television
CBS Gets Cash in Retrans Deal
By Michael Malone Broadcasting & Cable, 2/22/2007

CBS Corp. announced it has reached retransmission consent agreements with nine cable operators, covering over a million subscribers. The deals cover analog, digital, multicast and high-definition rights to CBS programming.

As has been previously reported, CBS has sought 50 cents a subscriber in past dealings with cable operators and Verizon FiOS. A source familiar with the negotiations suggested that the new CBS deals are close to that figure.

CBS Corp. President and CEO Leslie Moonves, who’s long pushed for retransmission payments, hinted at future retrans battles. “Clearly there is a new paradigm in the marketplace—one that recognizes the value of the content that we bring to our various audiences,” said Moonves. “This is a trend that bodes well for us going forward as future retransmission deals are negotiated.”

CBS Corp. did not specify which cable operators it formed pacts with or the terms of the deals.

CBS was not available for comment.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6418604

Rakesh.S

02-22-07, 01:50 PM

as much as i'd like to see american idol fade, it's not going to happen for a long long time..

right now, it's actually *growing*, if i'm not mistaken...

jim tressler

02-22-07, 01:57 PM

I watched both :) - so give jehrico a 2.4000001 rating.. lol

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
“Idol'” fallout: Returning “Jericho” slides
CBS post-nuclear drama averages a 2.4 in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 22, 2007

Facing “American Idol” may be tougher than recovering from a nuclear holocaust for the residents of “Jericho.” The CBS post-nuclear disaster drama, which returned to the Wednesday 8 p.m. timeslot last night after a three-month hiatus, saw big declines from its fall average.

“Jericho” averaged a 2.4 adults 18-49 rating, according to Nielsen overnights, down 27 percent from its 3.3 average last fall.

Of course “Jericho” was far from the only show to suffer in the path of “Idol.” ABC’s comedies and NBC’s “Friday Night Lights” all fell to or neared season lows as the Fox reality show aired the second of three two-hour episodes this week. It usually airs at 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

“Jericho” did place second in the timeslot behind “Idol’s” 11.3 18-49 average, and it also took second in total viewers.

It will be more telling when Fox’s usual Wednesday 8 p.m. occupant, “Bones,” returns to the schedule whether “Jericho” has really lost some of its fall audience or whether they’re just checking out temporarily to catch “Idol.”

The show was a nice surprise for CBS last fall, earning the network’s first full-season pickup, and it looked so much the stronger alongside the network’s other disappointing dramas, such as “Smith” and “3 Lbs.,” that were quickly canceled.

Meanwhile, Fox was first for the night among 18-49s with a 12.2 average rating and a 31 share. CBS followed at 3.5/9, with ABC third at 3.3/8, NBC fourth at 2.1/5, Univision fifth at 1.6/4 and CW sixth at 1.4/4.

Fox led each of its two hours rather easily, starting with an 11.3 rating at 8 p.m. for the first hour of “American Idol.” CBS was second with a 2.4 for “Jericho,” while ABC and Univision tied for third at 1.9, ABC for “George Lopez” (2.2) and “Knights of Prosperity” (1.6) and Univision for “La Fea Mas Bella.” That left NBC fifth with a 1.8 for “Friday Night Lights” and CW sixth with a 1.3 for a “Beauty and the Geek” reunion show.

At 9 p.m. Fox led again with a 13.2 for the second half of “Idol,” followed by a 4.0 for CBS for “Criminal Minds.” NBC and ABC tied for third that hour at 2.2, NBC for “Deal or No Deal” and ABC for a repeat of “Lost,” with Univision fifth with a 1.6 for “Mundo de Fieras” and CW sixth with a 1.5 for “One Tree Hill.”

ABC took the lead at 10 p.m. with a 5.7 for “Lost,” up slightly from last week’s season-low 5.6. CBS was second with a 4.1 for “CSI: NY,” NBC third with a 2.5 for “Medium” and Univision fourth with a 1.2 for “Don Francisco Presenta.”

Among households, Fox finished first for the night with a 17.3 average rating and a 26 share. CBS was second at 8.2/13, NBC third at 4.8/8, ABC fourth at 4.8/7, Univision fifth at 2.1/3 and CW sixth at 1.9/3.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_10351.asp

fredfa

02-22-07, 01:57 PM

The Business of Television
CBS Signs Retransmission Deals
By Jon Lafayette Television Week February 22, 2007

CBS appears to have signed retransmission deals with nine cable operators calling for cash retransmission fees.

The broadcast company on Thursday sent out an unusual press release: It disclosed neither terms of the deal nor the operators involved, citing confidentiality agreements with those operators.

CBS CEO Les Moonves told an investor conference last month that the company expected to get cash subscriber fees for retransmission. “Within the next couple of months you’re going to see a couple of announcements that we have with cable operators. . . . It could be $0.50 a sub.”

Mr. Moonves declared in Thursday’s announcement, “Clearly there is a new paradigm in the marketplace—one that recognizes the value of the content that we bring to our various audiences. This is a trend that bodes well for us going forward as future retransmission deals are negotiated.”

A clearer picture of the deals could emerge next week when CBS announces its earnings.

Getting subscriber fees from cable operators who carry their signals would be a huge financial gain for the broadcast networks, which barely break even on a single stream of advertising revenue.

Historically, cable operators tried to avoid paying direct retransmission fees to broadcasters, opting instead to launch cable channels owned by broadcasters’ parents, such as ESPN2, FX and MSNBC, and paying fees for those. Some of the benefits from CBS’s retrans consent used to go to Viacom’s cable networks before CBS was split off into a separate company.

But lately broadcasters, such as Sinclair Broadcasting, have been flexing their muscles, pulling their signal off cable until the operator caves.

The broadcasters also have been helped by competition from satellite and the telephone companies.

CBS said the cable operators with which it made the retrans deals cover more than 1 million subscribers and that some of the operators are among the top 25 MSOs. The agreements include the analog, digital, multicast and high-definition rights to programming on CBS owned-and-operated television stations.

At the investor conference, Mr. Moonves said CBS’s contracts with the bigger cable operators won’t expire until 2009 or 2010.

He said retransmission fees will bring in incremental revenue beginning this year.

“So when you look at a Verizon, who will give us approximately $10 million, and then you look at some of the smaller cable groups that will also be $5 million here, $10 million there, they will go right to the bottom line. So it will be significant,” he said. “Then in ‘09 you’ll get into, hopefully, the hundreds of millions.”

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=11597

fredfa

02-22-07, 01:58 PM

I watched both :) - so give jehrico a 2.4000001 rating.. lol

I didn't, so knock it back down :)

jim tressler

02-22-07, 02:01 PM

Here is my opinion... I am spoiler tagging it just so no one bitches when it actually happens!!

Merideath is magically revived.. but her mom cashes in her chips...

I thought major plot development time was the final episode of the year -- in May sweeps!

It will be fun to see tonight how Ms. Rhimes manages to let Meredith wriggle out of this.

fredfa

02-22-07, 02:09 PM

Jim, I agree with you.

homcom

02-22-07, 02:15 PM

These articles mention that these CBS deals include multicast rights. I wonder if they have some plans already for a multicast or just covering themselves for the future.

dline

02-22-07, 02:27 PM

This actually appeared two days ago on the FCC website, but I was out of town. It may be of interest to some of you and I'm surprised no one else noticed it:

As you probably know, FCC rules generally forbid contracts which give a cable company exclusive rights to retransmit satellite-delivered programming it owns.

What you may NOT know -- and what this notice says -- is that this rule is scheduled to sunset this October unless the FCC determines that it's still needed "to preserve and protect competition and diversity in the distribution of video programming.”

So they've posted notice and are accepting comments for a 30-day period.

To see the full notice, in .pdf format, click here (http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-7A1.pdfhttp://).

fredfa

02-22-07, 02:31 PM

Good catch, dline. I posted one story on this a few weeks ago, as I recall.

Unfortunately, there is almost no one who believes the FCC won't simply continue the rules for another five (or so) years.

But there always is a chance the FCC might attach some conditions -- like a meaningful attempt at a la carte. That would put the cable providers who own networks (Comcast, Cox, TWC, Cablevision, etc.) between a rock and a hard place.

(Nice to see your sig has dropped to <24, dline!)

fredfa

02-22-07, 02:36 PM

These articles mention that these CBS deals include multicast rights. I wonder if they have some plans already for a multicast or just covering themselves for the future.

There was talk of a CBS doing an entertainment multichannel some time back.

Perhaps Moonves will be asked about that when CBS announces its earnings next week.

fredfa

02-22-07, 03:37 PM

In this week’s edition of his invaluable HD Newsletter, James Hibberd of Television Week goes deeper into the ESPN HD story.
The Business of Television
ESPN Shifts HD Coverage
Network to Focus on Seven Sports
By Television Week Senior Reporter James Hibberd February 22, 2007

After years of dramatically increasing its HD coverage, ESPN is leveling off production in the format and shifting resources to seven popular sports franchises.

Bryan Burns, ESPN's vice president of strategic business planning and development, said the network is aiming for consistent HD coverage of its most popular fare, rather than offering varying degrees of HD coverage for many different sports.

ESPN plans HD coverage of all NASCAR races, National Basketball Association telecasts, Major League Soccer telecasts, Major League Baseball games, college football telecasts, National Hot Rod Association races and National Football League Monday Night Football telecasts. The network also plans to produce about 150 college basketball games a year in HD.

"In seven sports, fans no longer need to seek out high-definition events," Mr. Burns said.

http://www.tvweek.com/page.cms?pageId=604

You can find the entire Television Week HD Newsletter (it should be updated with this week's stories shortly) here:

http://www.tvweek.com/page.cms?pageId=183

fredfa

02-22-07, 04:37 PM

TV Notebook
TV Week Exclusive Podcast:
'CSI: NY' Creator Promises Big Twist
By Alex Romanelli Television Week February 22, 2007

In TVWeek.com's inaugural "CSI: New York" Backlot Talk podcast, "CSI" franchise creator Anthony Zuiker discusses the challenges of using the show to raise awareness of HIV while telling a compelling story.

"Our audience really wants deeper meaning in some of these shows and I believe they found that niche," Mr. Zuiker said. "Hats off to CBS for really enabling us to tackle that kind of subject matter because it's very sensitive."

For the full interview with Mr. Zuiker, where he reveals a big twist is in-store for Stella, go to TVWeek.com's Backlot Talk for the full podcast and transcript, here:

http://www.tvweek.com/page.cms?pageId=602

fredfa

02-22-07, 05:21 PM

Critic’s Notebook
“Friday Night Lights”
By Alan Sepinwall of the Newark Star-Ledger in his TV blog “What’s Alan Watching” February 14, 2007

I'm a professional critic and therefore allegedly someone skilled at using words to describe why something was or wasn't good, and I feel like they're failing me in an attempt to capture the pure genius of the scene where Tami has The Talk with Julie.

Long before Tami gave Eric her speech about not wanting to lose Julie's trust, you could see her struggling mightily between going all hellfire and brimstone or trying to be the cool mom who's her daughter's best friend, and it was funny and moving and scary and just amazing.

Not that I expect this show to get much, if any, love from the Emmys, but that was Edie Falco in the coma episodes brilliant from Connie Britton. Peter Berg did not lie to her when he told her she wouldn't regret doing this role twice.

The entire sex (topic) was masterfully handled from beginning to end. Even though I suspected NBC wasn't going to let a 15-year-old girl be deflowered on an 8 o'clock family drama -- especially since they've already cut the producers slack on letting the slightly older kids drink and have sex -- the scenes always felt honest, whether it was Saracen getting awful advice from Riggins, Smash and the guys (the camera phone thing immediately made me think of poor Anotella Barba, who appears to be Vote For the Worst's new favorite), another hilarious Landry shopping trip, Julie revealing her inner nerd to Tyra, or Saracen's discomfort at losing it in such a terrible environment.

And the Coach/Mrs. Coach argument was almost as moving as The Talk. Kyle Chandler has really learned to be economical with his acting; he can make Coach seem on the verge of absolute fury with a slight twist of his mouth, and he had me laughing hysterically as he studied Saracen from the other side of the church service.

Speaking of church, damn! Buddy deserved every second of the public humiliation Tyra's mom gave him, but it was interesting to see Tyra and Lyla share that split-second look of understanding, if not actual sympathy.

There's a deleted scene from the Powderpuff episode that establishes Walt Riggins as having moved back in with Tim and Billy. When I talked to Jason Katims for the story I'm doing on deleted scenes (it's running Sunday), he said he felt okay losing it because they would re-establish the new living situation later. I think it worked fine. We knew Walt came to the playoff game, and there hadn't been anything to suggest he had skipped town yet.

Taylor Kitsch has gotten better as the season's gone along, but he's still better in silence (inviting the beating at the bar) than when he talks (defending his father to Coach). He's a fine tragic character, worse off in many ways than his sometime best buddy Street.

And speaking of which, a few other thoughts:

• I always like the Street storylines, but he's really disappearing into his own show, aided by the fact that Scott Porter, like Adrianne Palicki, looks five years older than everyone else. So what's his motivation here with Tattoo Girl? Desire to be with someone who's not in any way connected to his former life as The Next Peyton Manning? Belated payback for Lyla screwing Riggins? Either way, this was by far the better drama episode last night to feature a character flirting with a tattoo artist.

• I just want to say a few words in praise of Brett Cullen as Walt. Here's a guy who started out in soaps with the looks and seeming talent of several hundred other soap actors, someone whose resume is dotted with supporting roles on best-forgotten series like "Orleans" and "Legacy," but who's turned out to be quite the chameleon character actor in middle age. He was Vinick's born-again running mate on "West Wing," the treacherous Goodwin on the Tailies episode of "Lost" (and a crucial part of the best scene Michelle Rodriguez was ever involved in on that show), and he completely disappeared into playing this good-for-nothing golf hustler. Can someone please cast him in a good pilot next year instead of another "Pepper Dennis"? Pretty please?

• Isaac over at Throwing Things points out that Tyra has gone from glorified extra to someone who's integral to three current storylines: her mom and Buddy, Julie's budding delinquency, and Riggins' battle to avoid becoming his father. When I talked to Katims, I made my pitch for Tyra as strong safety as a means for giving her something to do; he laughed and said that he'd do it so long as I was willing to answer all the complaining phone calls from NBC. At this rate, he may not need to put her in pads.

http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/2007/02/friday-night-lights-gone-in-180-seconds.html

keenan

02-22-07, 05:58 PM

I have to say I'll be really disappointed if "Friday Night Lights" doesn't get some Emmy nominations.

Good read by Sepinwall.

fredfa

02-22-07, 06:27 PM

You've been right about this one from the beginning, Jim.

I'll be disappointed if it doesn't get at least a few wins.

fredfa

02-22-07, 06:31 PM

Critic’s Notebook
Fox's 'O.C.' leaving stamp on pop-culture radar
By Ray Richmond The Hollywood Reporter

There aren't too many TV series that can introduce an entirely new holiday into the lexicon of American pop culture, but Fox's "The O.C." can lay claim to that very unique achievement. The notion of Christmakuh -- that marriage of Christmas and Hannukah invented by hyperarticulate hipster teen Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) -- might represent one of the show's more enduring legacies, but when the angsty primetime soap concludes its 92-episode run Thursday night, it will leave behind a fairly significant legacy.

"O.C." not only proved that networks could launch a hit series during the dog days of summer, but it gave the TV business a youthful new voice in creator/executive producer Josh Schwartz. Just 27 at the time the series debuted in August 2003, the USC grad became the heir apparent to the Joss Whedon school of clever and can claim almost sole credit for catapulting alternative rockers Death Cab for Cutie and their most ardent fan Seth into the mainstream consciousness.

And, of course, Schwartz forever altered the moniker of a sizable portion of Southern California geography with one simple article.

Even as he faces wrapping up the adventures of Newport Beach's well-heeled populace, Schwartz seems to display a pragmatism beyond his years, conceding that perhaps burning brightly for a shorter time is better than overstaying one's welcome. "It seems like the right time to be leaving the air," he says. "Every show has a natural life to it. Some get extended beyond that life, and you can tell. We suffered no artificial enhancement. Getting canceled certainly wasn't a surprise, though. We'd kind of planned for it from the beginning of the season. Our eyes were wide open."

What Schwartz is referring to is "O.C.'s" slumping ratings. The series was a success right out of the gate, averaging an 18% share of teens ages 12-17 and a 14% share of adults 18-34 during its first seven episodes in August and September 2003, and those figures climbed to a 21 share of teens during the remainder of that first season after Fox moved the show from its original Tuesday night berth to Wednesdays at 9 p.m.

Once Season 2 began and Fox moved the show again -- this time to Thursday night -- the numbers started to tumble. "O.C." only managed a 13 share of teens and a 12 share of adults in the 18-34 demographic, before dropping to 9 (teens) and 10 (adults) for Season 3. And the numbers slipped still further during the current fourth season, averaging a mere 6% share in both demos through Feb. 8.

Why did the show fall from grace with such seeming swiftness? While some fans complained about the series' loss of creative focus, the changing time slots certainly didn't help matters, according to Jordan Levin, former CEO of the WB Network who is now a founding partner in Generate, a multiplatform production, talent management and media consulting company.

"I'm not sure Fox always knew what to do with 'The O.C.'" Levin offers. "Soon after the show premiered, they started moving away from younger-skewing drama and focused their hour business around shows more targeted to the 18-49 demo like 'House' and 'Bones.' That made 'The O.C.' a bit of an anomaly on the schedule.

"But I'll tell you what," Levin continues, "when Fox launched it, the summer rollout was really smart. They locked up that teen demo quickly because there was something very aspirational about the show that teenagers immediately responded to."

No kidding. Just as Fox's then-groundbreaking series "Beverly Hills, 90210" had back in the early 1990s, "O.C." became the new barometer of cool for a generation of tweens and teens weaned on dozens of iterations of MTV and reality-TV programming. Ultraslim stars Mischa Barton and Rachel Bilson became fashion icons, while Brody and his brooding bad-boy counterpart, Benjamin McKenzie, each appealed to their own subset of fandom (the Luke Skywalker/Han Solo paradigm, if you will). Before long, even "Star Wars" guru himself, George Lucas, opted to make a cameo on the show.

"It immediately galvanized the audience," adds Peter Roth, president of Warner Bros. Television, producer of "O.C." "Then Fox put us behind 'American Idol' that following January. It was a brilliant strategy. Those were good times."

Those times might have been destined to end quickly just by virtue of the fact that the show's most rabid fans belong to a demographic famous for its short attention span. But Schwartz says that it was actually beneficial to know that "O.C." was living on borrowed time. "When we originally came on the air, there was a lot of pressure to anchor a new night after we got successful out of the gate," he recalls. "We basically had to hold the fort on our own with increasing competition. But once we got moved and the expectations disappeared, it suddenly became fun again for the writers and the actors. We'd already come to terms with getting beaten up in the ratings. So, we all just let loose and had a great time, and I think that resulted in our greatest season creatively."

While it's a bittersweet time for Schwartz, he's already forging ahead on the next phase of his career with two series pilots in production: "Chuck," a one-hour action-comedy about spies for NBC, and "Gossip Girl," a CW drama Schwartz is crafting with Stephanie Savage based on the best-selling teen book series by author Cecily Von Ziegesar.

But "O.C." always will have special meaning for Schwartz as the vehicle that allowed him to make the inevitable rookie mistakes on a particularly high-exposure canvas. "I learned an incredible amount doing this show," he says. "But the thing I'm proudest of is having put out a show that parents were able to watch with their kids and hang together."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/features/e3iaa956c91400dfc0eeaa2f5b1dae8b29f

SJKurtzke

02-22-07, 06:58 PM

Critic’s Notebook
Can A Spinoff Work?
At ABC, 'Grey's Anatomy' Ready To Do Additional Operating
A media critique by Wayne Friedman at MediaPost.com , Thursday, February 22, 2007
True spinoffs have rarely worked in the past -- even for the biggest shows
So, Angel didn't work then?
EDIT: I know it was on The WB, but it had a cult following, and is syndicated with a great lead-in of The X Files.
And wasn't Friends technically a spinoff of Mad About You?

fredfa

02-22-07, 07:12 PM

Perhaps Ray Richmond finds it hard to believe anything on the WB ("Angel") could be considered a true success.

You could be right about "Friends" I just don't recall.

In this case, though, I suspect the new show will be a winner. I think the Kate Walsh character is infinitely more interesting than the Ellen Pompeo character.

RockyF

02-22-07, 07:28 PM

No, Friends wasn't a spinoff of Mad About You, Lisa Kudrow had a recurring role as Ursula on Mad About You, and was later cast as Phoebe on Friends. Later, the two characters were revealed to be twin sisters and there were a handful of crossover episodes between the two shows. NBC also did a couple of minor Mad About You/Seinfield crossovers around that time.

fredfa

02-22-07, 07:32 PM

TV Notebook
ABC Announces premiere of “October Road”…
…And the Return of “Six Degrees”
(ABC News Release)

ABC has announced that the new drama series "October Road" will premiere THURSDAY, MARCH 15 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on the Network. "MEN IN TREES" will return in this timeslot following an initial run of the new series.

In addition, "Six Degrees" will return with original episodes in a new time slot, Fridays at 9:00 p.m., as of FRIDAY, MARCH 23.

"October Road" centers on the young, popular author, Nick Garrett, who is at a crossroads in his life. To get over his writer's block, he goes back to his hometown and must now face the family and friends he has avoided for the past ten years. Once back home on October Road, he quickly discovers that the circle of friends whose teenaged lives he wrote about have trouble forgiving him for leaving them behind, and that his ex-girlfriend, Hannah Daniels, may have had his child.

"October Road" stars Bryan Greenberg as Nick Garrett, Laura Prepon as Hannah Daniels, Tom Berenger as The Commander, Warren Christie as Ray "Big Cat" Cataldo, Brad William Henke as Owen Rowan, Evan Jones as Ikey, Jay Paulson as Physical Phil, Slade Pearce as Sam Daniels, Geoff Stults as Eddie Latekka and Odette Yustman as Aubrey.

"October Road" is executive-produced by Gary Fleder, Scott Rosenberg, Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec. The series is a joint production between ABC Television Studio and GroupM Entertainment.

"Six Degrees" follows the intertwined relationships of six intriguing characters as they affect and influence each other's lives. Laura, a single mother who is embarking on a new career, begins the chain. Next is Whitney, the self-made success story who has just called off her engagement. Move on to Steven, the formerly successful photographer who finally, after years of self-destruction, is taking control of his life and getting his career back on track. Follow with Damian, who can't escape his criminal brother's shadow; on to Mae, the girl with a past that she's hiding from; then to Carlos, the good guy who's fallen for her, and finally to Ray, the force of nature who will eventually bring all these characters together.

"Six Degrees" stars Jay Hernandez as Carlos Green, Bridget Moynahan as Whitney Crane, Erika Christensen as Mae, Dorian Missick as Damian, with Campbell Scott as Steven Caseman and Hope Davis as Laura.

fredfa

02-22-07, 07:32 PM

bphisig

02-22-07, 07:57 PM

Six Degrees is coming back? Wow, what kind of odds did Vegas have on that one? Seriously, that show was a disaster from the very beginning. I can't believe it's getting a second chance.

fredfa

02-22-07, 08:00 PM

TV Sports
Kerry Gets Promise from FCC to Investigate MLB-DirectTV Deal
FCC Chairman gives Baseball 30 day deadline for report
(Senator John Kerry News Release) February 22, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC - Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) announced today that he has received a commitment from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to complete a full investigation of a proposed $700 million television deal that could deny many consumers the ability to watch their favorite teams. Under the terms of the proposed deal, Major League Baseball's "Extra Innings" package would only be available to people with DirectTV - potentially affecting as many as 50 million American viewers by making it hard or even impossible for them to subscribe to the service. Kerry first raised questions about the deal earlier this month, after hearing complaints from many fans who were concerned that they would suffer if the deal went through.

The promise for the investigation came from FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, in a letter to Kerry that was received today.

"This is great news and I appreciate the quick response from Chairman Martin," Kerry said today. "It's good to know that he also has concerns about a deal that has the potential to deny choice to so many consumers - all apparently in the interest of a short-term profit for Major League Baseball. I look forward to hearing a full response from the league and from DirectTV, and I remain open to working with them and other colleagues on any and all plans that further options for consumers and make it easier for all of us to enjoy our national pastime."

In his letter to Kerry, Martin wrote, "I share your concern regarding this proposed deal," and promised that once the FCC received a full briefing on the deal, it would report on "the implications for consumers and any recommended changes to the law to ameliorate any harms to consumers."

The FCC response is linked below.

shuttermaker

02-22-07, 08:00 PM

You've been right about this one from the beginning, Jim.

I'll be disappointed if it doesn't get at least a few wins.

Just out of curiosity and, this has got to be the place to ask, has their ever been a show that won one or more emmys and then been canceled the following season ?

fredfa

02-22-07, 08:03 PM

Six Degrees is coming back? Wow, what kind of odds did Vegas have on that one? Seriously, that show was a disaster from the very beginning. I can't believe it's getting a second chance.

Well, ABC has been running various repeats at 9 PM Fridays, so this probably is just a cheaper way of burning off the remaining episodes and keeping something in the timeslot.

turansformer

02-22-07, 08:06 PM

Six Degrees is coming back? Wow, what kind of odds did Vegas have on that one? Seriously, that show was a disaster from the very beginning. I can't believe it's getting a second chance.

We'll have to see how it holds up on a Friday slot. Typically, shows moved to this day have been a precursor to their eventual demise. CBS seems to be the only network that can make it work right now.

keenan

02-22-07, 08:11 PM

Just out of curiosity and, this has got to be the place to ask, has their ever been a show that won one or more emmys and then been canceled the following season ?
Showtime's "Huff" won some Emmys and was canceled, actually before the Emmys were even presented, I'm sure there's more.

keenan

02-22-07, 08:12 PM

Six Degrees is coming back? Wow, what kind of odds did Vegas have on that one? Seriously, that show was a disaster from the very beginning. I can't believe it's getting a second chance.
That is surprising, I can't remember now if I watched the last one that aired though.

shuttermaker

02-22-07, 08:18 PM

Thanks keenan.

fredfa

02-22-07, 08:20 PM

Emmys, which are generally given out at the end of the summer (since the 1977-78 season, generally in September or August), are awarded to shows and/or actors fairly regularly even though the show has been cancelled. I wouldn't say it is a common occurance, but it isn't all that rare, either.

fredfa

02-22-07, 08:26 PM

We'll have to see how it holds up on a Friday slot. Typically, shows moved to this day have been a precursor to their eventual demise. CBS seems to be the only network that can make it work right now.

Agreed, and CBS is really the only network which seems to care.

By the way, welcome to the thread, turansformer.

(I have a suspicion your knowledge could have been helpful yesterday when dad1153 was debating his HDTV choices -- and whether to spring for 1080p.)

Feel free to contribute to the forum often!

RussTC3

02-22-07, 08:28 PM

I actually don't find Kate Walsh's character all that special. She has a strange gazing, mouth wide open "huh?" look too often. But I don't dislike her, she's interesting enough.

But I'll still watch the spin off, and I'm sure it'll be very good.

fredfa

02-22-07, 08:33 PM

CPanther95

02-22-07, 08:39 PM

Just out of curiosity and, this has got to be the place to ask, has their ever been a show that won one or more emmys and then been canceled the following season ?

Wasn't "Commander-in-Chief" cancelled even before Genna Davis picked up her Best Actress in a Drama Emmy last year.

shuttermaker

02-22-07, 08:47 PM

Wasn't "Commander-in-Chief" cancelled even before Genna Davis picked up her Best Actress in a Drama Emmy last year.

WOW...according to wiki, she won a SAG, a Golden Globe and an emmy in 2006 for Commander in Chief

and I loved that show.

fredfa

02-22-07, 09:18 PM

Actually, Geena Davis won the Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy and SAG Award.

(The show also was a nominee for a Golden Globe as was Donald Sutherland for best supporting actor in a TV drama.)

fredfa

02-22-07, 09:19 PM

WOW...according to wiki, she won a SAG, a Golden Globe and an emmy in 2006 for Commander in Chief

and I loved that show.

I beg to differ. See my above post. She only won the Golden Globe.

CPanther95

02-22-07, 09:23 PM

Apparently my recollection was off. Looks like Mariska Hargitay got the Emmy.

Good call, fredfa.

fredfa

02-22-07, 09:24 PM

Mariska Hargitay won best actress, drama, at last year's Emmys. "24" won best drama.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8300588&&#post8300588

fredfa

02-22-07, 09:25 PM

Nothing wrong with a faulty memory -- or I would be in lots of trouble. :)

RussTC3

02-22-07, 09:39 PM

You are more into ratings than I, Russ.

How do you think it would do if ABC stuck it back in the old "Grey's" slot Sunday at 10?

As I've said here before, I'd move "B&S" behind "Grey's" and I think that would make ABC tough to beat from 9-11 Sunday and Thursday.
I actually commented earlier on that I thought your opinion on scheduling for ABC made perfect sense. I completely agree with it.

Brothers & Sisters is an amazing show that has really grown by leaps and bounds since its premiere, but it still struggles somewhat to hold onto Desperate Housewive's audience. I think it would definitely work better out of Grey's Anatomy.

I would not be surprised though if ABC attempts to use the spin-off to develop a new night.

fredfa

02-22-07, 09:47 PM

I agree, but think they might do better by making sure the spinoff is a big hit first.

Maybe make thd switch the middle of next year (or "AI" time!)

But patience has not been a big part of a programmer's personality.

shuttermaker

02-22-07, 10:22 PM

WOW...according to wiki, she won a SAG, a Golden Globe and an emmy in 2006 for Commander in Chief

and I loved that show.

My bad..i read it wrong.

fredfa

02-23-07, 12:33 AM

No one gets demerits for effort in this thread,shuttermaker. :)

fredfa

02-23-07, 12:45 AM

Critic’s Notebook
Addison's Anatomy
By Matt Roush TV Guide Critic Februaruy 22, 2007

Not that Kate Walsh isn’t worthy, but... seriously? A Grey’s Anatomy spinoff (as reported by the Wall Street Journal)? So soon? And revolving around the ex-Mrs. Shepard?

Welcome to the latest chapter of TV Hubris 101, as a network desperately tries to cash in on one of its prize assets by milking a franchise the old-fashioned way. Unfortunately, cloning a gloriously entertaining medical romantic-comedy soap isn’t the same thing as churning out endless variations of CSI in different cities.

Addison Montgomery is a fabulous character, no question about it, and Kate Walsh has from the start invested the role with more heart, warmth, wit and beauty than anyone could have expected from a character initially introduced as the chilly bitch who broke McDreamy’s heart and presented a major obstacle in the Meredith-Derek love match. As the series has progressed and deepened, so has Addison, who nurses her personal insecurities even as she wows the staff of Seattle Grace with her professionalism under fire.

Breaking her apart from this terrific ensemble is a calculated risk on ABC’s part. Will the network dilute the appeal of the original by asking us to commit to a second weekly hour of medical/romantic intrigue? Will Grey’s itself be harmed by losing one of the few characters who occasionally acts like a grown-up? Will the new Addison show be conceived as a completely different sort of drama, with a distinct tone and style of its own?

It’s way too early to tell, and I’m rarely one to prejudge. But my first reaction to this news was less “yay” than “why?” Not a great start.

http://community.tvguide.com/forum.jspa?forumID=700000048

fredfa

02-23-07, 12:54 AM

The Business of Television
HD Storm Clouds
Dr. John Malone is rattling his saber, but when it comes to high-definition television, at least two operators aren’t conceding anything to satellite
By M.C. Antil Cable360.net

If there is one thing Dr. John Malone taught cable operators during his time as head of TCI it was this: Don’t underestimate him.

A generation ago, Malone used a combination of financial wizardry, negotiating acumen, guts, gall and a savant-like understanding of subscription television to turn TCI, an otherwise unassuming MSO, into a cable superpower. Now the Yale and Johns Hopkins alum is back in the business, this time as head of cable’s archenemy, DirecTV. And because it’s Malone, a man whose relentlessness — some would say viciousness — is the stuff of legend, many MSO executives are fixing their attention expectantly on him and his most new acquisition.

And that attention was only sharpened last month after a Newsweek story speculated that Malone will take HDTV, a technology that has skyrocketed out of the early adopter phase into full-blown consciousness, and leverage it against his former MSO colleagues. That story came on the heels of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where DirecTV made headlines by declaring 2007 "The Year of HD," and announcing the planned launches of 100 national HD channels, as well as signing deals or agreements-in-principle with 70 national HD networks.

So will attacking cable using HD be central to Malone’s strategy for gaining market share? It would appear likely, given the fervor with which DirecTV touted its HD products at the CES show. In fact, given its recent deal with Major League Baseball for out-of-market games and its current NFL Sunday Ticket package, it would seem that Malone will try to outbox cable for its customer base by throwing a one-two combination punch of HD and sports.

But if HD is central to DirecTV’s strategy, at least two operators are saying "bring it on." Industry leader Comcast and small, independent MSO Wave Broadband each spent the last 12 months going toe-to-toe with DirecTV over HD superiority, and did so very effectively. And neither will concede anything to DBS when it comes to the quality or the variety of their menu of HD options.

http://www.cable360.net/business/22087.html

fredfa

02-23-07, 01:04 AM

The Business of Television
Competition Escalation — TV + Satellite vs. Cable
It wasn’t just Sinclair vs. Mediacom, it was Sinclair + DirecTV vs. Mediacom. How long before the big telcos buy the two big birds?
By Paul Kagan in Cable360.net

Football fans will remember Super Bowl XLI for Peyton Manning & Co. or for Prince singing Purple Rain in the rain at halftime. TV people will remember it as the hammer Sinclair Broadcasting used to nail Mediacom to a retransmission agreement. And cable operators will identify it as a turning point in multichannel competition, because when Sinclair pulled its signals from Mediacom head-ends, it also worked overtly with DirecTV to lure cable subs to satellite.

Despite the widening ripples from regulatory issues like must-carry, retrans, CableCARD and network neutrality, the biggest story in multichannel marketing continues to be the changing shape of video distribution. Once cable vs. satellite, then cable vs. telco and cable vs. telco-satellite, we now can add cable vs. broadcast-satellite and, possibly, telco acquiring satellite. The concept of either or both DirecTV and EchoStar joined at the hip to telcos is already watercooler conversation on Wall Street.

Recent example: Chilton Investment Co. portfolio manager Michael Cahill told Sandra Ward of Barron’s (Feb. 5), "We think this is the year AT&T buys EchoStar. It just makes too much sense for the deal not to happen." Cahill noted "the problem with the fiber-buildout strategy is that it is slow...Buying EchoStar solves a lot of problems for AT&T. It immediately gives them a fully integrated video offering with scale as they pick up EchoStar’s 13 million subscribers. Remember, AT&T is all about scale."

Cahill suggested that Ma Bell could use its birds for high-definition channels, freeing its "fiber platform" for broadband access. It sounded like he was mixing in a dash of Verizon, but to more than a casual observer, that would suggest, in an AT&T-EchoStar universe, room for a DirecTV-Verizon moon. Maybe John Malone finally does a deal with the old Bell Atlantic?

Financially, Cahill said, AT&T buying EchoStar’s Dish Network would be a no-brainer. Noting AT&T’s $235 billion equity market cap versus EchoStar’s $17.7 billion ($18.2 billion as I write this), Cahill said "they could pay a big premium...and it would barely be dilutive." But there’s another, more relevant, number: subscribers. The two telcos are spending billions to enter video slowly. Even if they speed up, they still have to pry away subs from three competitors in every community, not to mention overbuilders. I used to wonder why they want to be merely the fourth player in the game, but in some places they’ll be the fifth. That means more acquisition potential. Price will not be the issue — it’s just a matter of time.

• Investor/analyst Paul Kagan is chairman/CEO of PK Worldmedia, Inc., in Carmel, Calif. He owns shares of EchoStar, DirecTV purchaser Liberty Media, Mediacom and Price Communications, which is planning to distribute its interest in Verizon to its shareholders. Information in his columns is not intended to be a solicitation to buy or sell securities.

http://www.cable360.net/business/22081.html

fredfa

02-23-07, 01:10 AM

TV Sports
Tennis net makes high-profile match
McEnroe, Navratilova on air at French Open
By John Clarke Jr Variety.com February 23, 2007

The Tennis Channel, a 24-hour net dedicated to racquet competish and lifestyle, has inked a deal with John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova to handle booth duties at Roland-Garros during the French Open, which runs May 27-June 8.

The team will provide on-air commentary and analysis, said Tennis Channel chairman-CEO Ken Solomon.

In addition to daily match coverage, McEnroe and Navratilova will provide overall analysis at Tennis Channel's French Open anchor desk throughout the tournament. They will also contribute to the network's daily three-hour evening show, "Roland-Garros Tonight."

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117960016&categoryid=14

fredfa

02-23-07, 01:14 AM

The Business of Television
CBS Reaches Deals With 9 Cable Operators for Compensation to Carry Its Programs
Landmark precedent, says Moonves: “The world is changing and this proves it.”
By Bill Carter The New York Times February 23, 2007

In a move that could have implications for both the broadcast and cable television industries, the CBS Corporation announced yesterday that it had concluded a series of agreements with cable system operators that would generate a new stream of revenue for the network.

Leslie Moonves, the CBS chief executive, called the deals, in which cable systems will compensate the network for the right to carry its programs, “a major milestone” that could result in broadcasters’ achieving a long-held goal of creating a regular source of revenue beyond advertising.

Other broadcasters were more cautious, saying that since the deals were only with smaller cable systems at this stage, the crucial test — whether a big cable operator will pay cash to carry the content of broadcast stations — has not yet been faced.

For years, broadcasters have tried to compel cable operators to pay fees for the right to retransmit their programs, and cable operators have declared the demand for cash compensation to be non-negotiable, though cable has offered better fees and carriage deals for cable channels owned by the broadcasting companies.

The Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns 58 television stations, engaged in a much-publicized showdown with Mediacom Communications in January and withdrew its signal from about 700,000 homes when it was unable to obtain a cash payment from the cable system. With rights to carry the Super Bowl looming, Mediacom eventually consented to pay undisclosed fees to regain the Sinclair signal.

Sinclair announced last week that it expected to almost double the revenue it receives from retransmission consent this year. The news drove the Sinclair stock price to a 52-week high.

Now, much of the television industry is waiting to see what will happen in the next several weeks when Sinclair tries to obtain similar fees from the largest cable operator, Comcast, for 30 of its stations.

In a measure of how sensitive the issue is to the cable operators, CBS did not disclose which systems had agreed to the new deals yesterday, noting only that nine operators, reaching more than a million subscribers, were involved. Nor did CBS publicly declare that cash would change hands in the deal, saying only that it was receiving value for its content.

But Mr. Moonves made clear that he had achieved a significant goal with these deals. He previously predicted at investor conferences that CBS could gain 50 cents a subscriber from these agreements. That amount was widely speculated to be exactly what CBS did secure from at least some of the nine systems involved.

“The important thing here is the precedent,” Mr. Moonves said in a telephone interview. “The world is changing and this proves it.”

How significant the change will be may not be determined until 2010 when CBS’s deals with the biggest cable system operators, like Comcast, must be renewed. Comcast executives have been among the most insistent in saying that they will never pay broadcasters a subscriber fee.

A spokeswoman for Comcast said its executives would have no comment on the CBS deals with the smaller cable operators.

But Lucas Binder, who analyzes the television industry for UBS, said in a telephone interview that he expected CBS and other broadcasters to begin using all the leverage at their disposal to break the opposition of the cable operators to cash payments for retransmission rights.

“CBS has the Super Bowl again in 2010,” Mr. Binder said. “They also have the N.C.A.A. basketball tournament every year and ’C.S.I.’ and other popular programs. They always have N.F.L. games. Can you imagine if that Colts-Patriots game this year could not have been watched?”

He said viewers were likely to blame cable operators, not broadcasters, if stations were dropped in a fight over retransmission fees.

The upside for CBS could be enormous, Mr. Binder said. While the deals announced yesterday would amount to just $6 million, based on 50 cents a subscriber, Mr. Binder estimated that if CBS won its battles for fees with the big cable operators, it could generate as much as $240 million extra a year.

“I’m very aggressive with that figure,” he acknowledged, declaring that whatever money CBS was able to add to the fees would involve no extra costs at all.

And it would set a precedent, he said. “If CBS starts getting a second revenue stream, the other broadcast guys have to follow,” Mr. Binder said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/23/business/media/23cable.html?pagewanted=print

fredfa

02-23-07, 01:19 AM

TV Notebook
ABC uproots 'Trees' to build 'Road'
Heche starrer preempted for several weeks
By Michael Schneider Variety February 23, 2007

ABC has turned to "October Road," slotting the new drama in the plum post-"Grey's Anatomy" slot beginning next month.

"October Road" will launch Thursday, March 15 at 10 p.m. on the Alphabet, preempting the Ann Heche starrer "Men in Trees" for several weeks. "Trees" is expected to return sometime in mid-April.

Also, net announced that relationship drama "Six Degrees" will return to the air, moving to Fridays at 9 p.m. starting March 23. That slot has been recently filled by repeats and "20/20" segs.

"October Road" revolves around an author (played by Bryan Greenberg) who moves back home and reconnects with the family and friends he left behind -- most of whom are bitter about it.

Gary Fleder, Scott Rosenberg, Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec exec produce the show.

Originally passed over for fall consideration "October Road" scored a six-episode order and went into production last October after GroupM -- which consists of media-buying firms including MindShare, MediaCom, Maxus and Mediaedge:cia -- joined ABC TV Studio to co-produce (Daily Variety, Oct. 16).

Show also stars Laura Prepon, Tom Berenger, Warren Christie, Brad William Henke, Evan Jones, Jay Paulson, Slade Pearce, Geoff Stults and Odette Yustman.

As for "Six Degrees," show centers on six New Yorkers whose lives are somehow intertwined. Stars include Campbell Scott, Hope Davis, Jay Hernandez, Bridget Moynahan, Erika Christensen and Dorian Missick.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117960028&categoryid=14

cherry ghost

02-23-07, 01:20 AM

Just out of curiosity and, this has got to be the place to ask, has their ever been a show that won one or more emmys and then been canceled the following season ?

Taxi

fredfa

02-23-07, 01:25 AM

Good one, cherry ghost.

I am sure there are at least several more, shuttermaker. I am not able at the moment to compare my Emmy list to my list of TV show lifespans. I have to watch the Grey's Anatomy episode (before I stumble across a spoiler). :)

Maybe I can look around in a while and find something already available on the net.

fredfa

02-23-07, 01:31 AM

TV Sports
Extra Innings Deal Has F.C.C.’s Attention
By Richard Sandomir The New York Times February 23, 2007

For five or six minutes yesterday, there was delicious speculation that Major League Baseball would officially announce its extremely pending $700 million deal with DirecTV to carry its Extra Innings package of out-of-market games.

It didn’t happen.

So another ephemeral slice of industry gossip subsequently sprinted into view, then dashed away with the greatest alacrity: that DirecTV’s seven-year exclusive grip on Extra Innings would lapse after three seasons.

If true, both would have riveted the fans who will lose Extra Innings on cable or the Dish Network once this season starts and who have been venting their fury in chat rooms, fan forums and columnists’ e-mail in-boxes.

“If major league execs want to rip this gigantic piece of Eden from me, I’ll be devastated,” read one of the newest of 4,041 responses on a petition opposing the deal, at www.**************.com/MLBCABLE/petition.html. “DirecTV is not an option. I like and prefer my home cable system.”

Letting the exclusivity lapse after the 2009 season might have eased a bit of the outrage. And, potentially, it might have softened the guaranteed fulminations on Capitol Hill when baseball and DirecTV officials testify sometime soon before the Senate Commerce Committee.

But according to executives familiar with the agreement who were not authorized to speak about it, the exclusivity will not be relaxed, at least not when the deal is announced. If it is eventually eased, DirecTV would surely reduce its payments, a savvy strategy if it believes it has converted a significant number of new customers and reached a ceiling of Extra Innings buyers.

• • • • • • • • • • •

Perhaps DirecTV believes it can expand the Extra Innings universe, which is pretty small right now. Last year, there were fewer than 600,000 subscribers, with cable accounting for about one-third, DirecTV nearly half and Dish the rest.

Despite the lack of public action by M.L.B. and DirecTV — who are also laboriously finalizing the details of the satellite service carrying baseball’s separate and new 24/7 channel to its 15 million subscribers starting in 2009 — something happened yesterday. The Federal Communications Commission’s chairman responded to a request for intervention by Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, by saying the agency will examine the Extra Innings deal.

“I am concerned whenever consumers cannot purchase the programming they want or are forced to purchase programming they don’t want,” wrote Kevin J. Martin, the F.C.C.’s chairman. He said he had asked each side to give him information and promised Senator Kerry that “we will report to you on the deal’s implications for consumers and any recommended changes to the law to ameliorate any harms to consumers.”

Part of the response to Martin will certainly be that cable and Dish subscribers can switch (more easily than they think) to DirecTV, and can also watch the games for a lower price on mlb.com’s mlb.tv service.

The answer will probably exclude the lesser satisfaction that is derived from watching a game on a computer screen.Baseball and DirecTV will undoubtedly remind Martin of an F.C.C. rule that says landlords and condominium or co-op boards cannot unreasonably restrict the installation of satellite dishes. But pity the fan who nails a dish to his terrace and still must battle his disbelieving co-op board in court.

He might win, but his legal costs would exceed the $179 he would have paid DirecTV for Extra Innings.

• • • • • • • • • • •

EchoStar, Dish’s parent, issued a tart statement Wednesday that railed against exclusive sports deals and called the proposed DirecTV-M.L.B. agreement a “dangerous step backward to an anti-competitive world.”

Three EchoStar publicists declined comment on whether Dish sought its own exclusive deal. A DirecTV spokesman said: “We view this as sour grapes coming from EchoStar and ironic considering that it too had opportunities and negotiations to secure the optimal deal for its own business interests.”

Baseball owners will eventually have to approve the deal, and they will want to know how close In-Demand, the consortium of cable operators that has made use of Extra Innings since its creation in 2002, came to equaling DirecTV’s bid, and why the exclusivity route was chosen.

The owners will also have their own interests at heart. The Mets are partners in SNY with two cable operators, Time Warner and Comcast; the White Sox and Cubs are also partners with Comcast in Chicago. The Atlanta Braves are caught between being sold by Time Warner, which owns cable networks like TBS, to Liberty Media, which is taking over DirecTV.

The Padres’ cable games are not licensed to satellite, so if their local fans switch to DirecTV to continue to watch Extra Innings, they will not get their own team’s games unless they buy both services.

Comcast SportsNet in Philadelphia is not delivered by satellite as most regional sports networks like YES and SNY are, which leaves 300,000 or more DirecTV subscribers (at least 50 percent more than total national cable subscribership to Extra Innings) in that market without access to those cable games. Comcast’s refusal to put its sports network on satellite has been challenged by DirecTV and EchoStar but affirmed by the federal government.

If only the feds could order baseball and DirecTV to hold a news conference.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/23/sports/baseball/23sandomir.html?pagewanted=print

fredfa

02-23-07, 01:49 AM

TV Notebook
Conspiring to keep viewers guessing
There's no mystery to actor Jack Coleman's success on 'Heroes'
By Ethan Sacks New York Daily News

Despite playing the leader of a shadowy government organization steeped in skullduggery on NBC's "Heroes," actor Jack Coleman swears he doesn't know much more about what his horned-rimmed glasses-wearing character is up to than the average fan.

"There are certain scenes, where you go, 'okay, I really don't know what I'm alluding to here'....But in general, I don't spend too much time worrying about what's coming on five episodes down the road," said Coleman, during a conference call for reporters.

"Speculation only gets so far and you're going to be wrong anyway, so you might as well go for the ride."

What Coleman does know is that 25 years after striking it rich as Steven Carrington, the openly gay son of an oil tycoon on "Dynasty," the actor has notched his second big television hit. Catching "lightning in a bottle" twice is how Coleman describes it - an ironic choice of words for the direct descendant of Benjamin Franklin. And he did so by embodying a character that threatens to become an iconic pop culture villain: equal parts merciless schemer and loving father.

He certainly looks the part of a man of mystery: To unearth the right glasses, Coleman said the show's prop department went through "probably a hundred pairs."

Fans, though, won't have to wait much longer to get a look at the man behind the signature eyewear, said Coleman. In Monday's episode 17, entitled "Company Man," a series of flashbacks illuminates how Mr. Bennet, a.k.a. H.R.G. - named for his distinctive eyewear - got his start as an operative, came to adopt his indestructible daughter Claire (Hayden Panettiere) and what actions will come back to haunt his family in the present.

"He's been able to separate the personal and professional for a long time and that is about to end," hinted Coleman.

But Coleman's own role was also supposed to have ended by now - he didn't get a regular cast credit until episode 11, after his chemistry with his onscreen daughter caught the attention of the writers and producers.

"As an actor, Jack has tremendous range," said series creator Tim Kring by email. "The part called for someone who could play both a delicious villain and a loving and caring father equally with pure, unprejudiced conviction."

It didn't hurt that Coleman has his own relationship with real-life daughter, 7-year-old Tess, to draw upon for inspiration.

"Generally, on television, parents tend to be a lot more patient and a lot more interested in every utterance their darling child makes than in real life," said Coleman, who turned 49 on Wednesday. "So there's a kind of idealization of my parenting skill.

"But you bring your own experience of parenting to it and I have a daughter that I dote on, so the whole thing with Claire makes sense to me."

Not that Mr. Bennett - as a running joke, writers have refused to reveal his character's first name - is likely to win Father of the Year anytime soon, especially after brainwashing his family in previous episodes.

Coleman can take heart that the actor who defined the archetypal government schemer for television, William B. Davis, who portrayed Cigarette-Smoking Man on "The X-Files," was kept in the dark even more than his counterpart on “Heroes.”

From his production company office in Vancouver, B.C., Davis revealed to the News that during his cryptic allusions to a far-reaching conspiracy that involved a secret alien invasion – the linchpin of the show's mythology - he had no idea what his character was talking about. (Judging by the last few seasons of the show, the writers didn't have much of an idea, either.)

"As you know, the X-Files had no bible, and it was very much developed as it went along," said Davis. "So as an actor, one kind of fills in the blanks.

"We invent whatever we need to make the scene work."

For now, Coleman is playing what he does know about the character's true motivations close to the vest of his well-cut suit. Whenever asked the question as to whether his character is a good guy or a villain at heart, Coleman always answers with a resounding, "Yes."

"If you're just walking around twirling your mustache and cackling like a villain, it's just not that interesting and people get tired of it."

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/ent_radio/story/499536p-421186c.html

dad1153

02-23-07, 01:59 AM

Just out of curiosity and, this has got to be the place to ask, has their ever been a show that won one or more emmys and then been canceled the following season ?

Fox's The Ben Stiller Show won the 1992/93 Emmy for Best Writing in a Comedy/Variety category (beating established shows like SNL and David Letterman) months after the half-hour Sunday variety show was cancelled because of low ratings: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103360/awards. This pretty much launched the careers of Stiller, Jeneane Garofalo, Andy Dick, Bob Odenkirk and a slew of comedy writers (the most famous of which is Judd Apatow that went on to write/direct The 40 Year Old Virgin, supervise many Academy Awards joke writing sessions as well as create Freaks & Geeks) . James Earl Jones also won an Emmy for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his low-rated (and dead by the time the award was handed out) 1990 ABC show Gabriel's Fire: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098801/awards.

fredfa

02-23-07, 02:04 AM

Thanks, dad...good stuff!

dad1153

02-23-07, 02:12 AM

Holy ****, I just re-read the Gabriel's Fire IMDB Awards page and the show won three acting Emmy Awards (Best Lead, Best Supporting Actress and Best Guest Actor). Not bad for a dead show that, to the best of my knowledge, has not been repeated or released on home video. :(

fredfa

02-23-07, 02:46 AM

But it won those awards in the August 25, 1991 ceremony marking the 1990-91 season, and it stayed on the air until January 2, 1992.

fredfa

02-23-07, 02:53 AM

Critic’s Notebook
Meredith Lives
By Roger Catlin Hartford Courant TV Critic in his “TV Eye” blog

Of course she didn’t die.

And not just because she was narrating the three episode arc in which she was knocked into the water, apparently drowned, flatlined for what seemed like an ungodly length of time back at Seattle Grace, giving her time to go up to heaven’s waiting room and chat with some of those who had gone before her.

(After all, the show that helped introduce “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Desperate Housewives” has been narrated all along by a dead woman.)

No, she lived because her friend Christina insisted they try one more time (mostly because she still hadn’t told her about her own engagement) and because her mother, suddenly in the waiting room too, urged her daughter to go back to earth. It sounds cornier than it was (but not by much).

All this commingling with the dead -- along with the fast-forward finale happening on the series finale of "The O.C." happening at the same time -- made me miss "Six Feet Under," which did both of these things much better (but shall we nevertheless salute broadcast TV for its ambition?)

Yes, Merideth’s mother died, making her the major character death that was supposed to shock and amaze viewers not seeing it coming.

Instead, it disappoints us.

Meredith’s relationship with her mother, with its serious mentor/caretaker/couldn’t live up to your legacy kind of complexity, perfectly offset the frivolous excesses of the rest of the show, where they called everybody McSomething orOther, jumped into bed on a whim, and obsessed about sex. But these elements were hardly ever in a perfect balance because the show never properly developed the mother-daughter relationship the way that they could or should.

They killed the mom off almost out of frustration than anything else (“Choose me,” the mom could have said to the Reaper).

Anyway by the end, yes, Meredith was all pink skinned and screwing up her ducklips to her beloved McDreamoid one more time.

http://blogs.courant.com/roger_catlin_tv_eye/2007/02/meredith_lives.html

fredfa

02-23-07, 02:59 AM

TV Notebook
Extra help for sophomores
With a little retooling and some rescheduling, the networks hope they can build an audience for four struggling second-season shows
By Martin Miller Los Angeles Times

When "Close to Home" premiered in fall 2005, the CBS show centered on a happily married suburban woman returning to her career as a prosecuting attorney after the birth of her first child.

Whether it was its Tuesday time slot, a whisper-quiet marketing campaign or its working-woman-centric focus, the program's ratings didn't exactly pop. It moved to Fridays and did better there, but "Close to Home" ended its freshman season on the renewal bubble.

The show hung on, but by its sophomore premiere much had changed.

Behind the scenes, "Close to Home" had a new executive producer and its story lines dealt increasingly with career and crime and less with home and child. But that can happen when you kill off the main character's husband and introduce a new hunk, played by former "JAG" star David James Elliott.

Trouble getting his shirt off

"He's a leading-man type that tests very well with the ladies," said Eric Overmyer, the show's new executive producer. "We're doing our best to get his shirt off as much as we can this season, though this is difficult because he's a district attorney."

But "Close to Home's" most notable makeover has come in its ratings, which have gone from wobbly to fairly sure-footed. The show has picked up an additional 2 million weekly viewers this season, upping its audience to the 11 million-plus range, good enough on some weeks to finish among the top 30 most-watched programs.

Television isn't fantasyland, and if your numbers don't add up, you're gone. Just ask CBS about its high-profile, high-cost crime drama "Smith," or NBC about its oldster sitcom "Twenty Good Years," or Fox about its aptly named drama "Vanished." They're all washed-out members of this year's freshman class that couldn't get past its first semester.

Between sidelining low-rated shows and cheering the obvious winners such as NBC's "Heroes" lies one of network executives' hardest tasks: demonstrating patience with new programs that haven't found an audience yet. While last season generated some clear winners, such as CBS' "Criminal Minds" and Fox's "Prison Break," the class of 2005-06 produced more shows with smaller constituencies that are still looking to break away from the pack.

Watching and waiting

Sophomore shows such as "Close to Home," the CW's horror-thriller "Supernatural," Fox's crime-investigative drama "Bones" and CBS' sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" have shored up some of their initial ratings doldrums. But they haven't completely outrun the scheduling ax just yet. For now, the networks will wait and see, hoping to build the promising shows into prime-time stalwarts.

"Out-of-the-box hits are a true rarity," said Peter Roth, president of Warner Bros. Studios, which produces "Supernatural" and "Close to Home." "Most shows invade a new time period and then we need to habituate an audience to watching it." But networks and studios that stand behind shows can be richly rewarded. The most famous examples are "Seinfeld" and "The X-Files," neither of which burned up the ratings initially.

"Network executives may have 10 failing shows and all 10 of their executive producers are all saying they can turn their ship around," said Tim Brooks, a noted television historian and also an executive vice president of research at Lifetime Networks. "That's what the suits get paid the big bucks for -- to evaluate which of the failing 10 will find an audience."

Like most second-year shows that didn't blow up the Nielsen ratings, "Supernatural" has undergone a creative back-and-forth with both the network and the studio in a bid to draw the largest possible audience. Eric Kripke, the show's creator and an executive producer, described the process last season with the now-defunct WB as "fairly amicable," but admits it was not without its tensions.

"The network wanted a more rollicking, red-blooded tone that was more evident in the pilot," said Kripke, whose episodes carry titles such as "Bloody Mary," "Hell House" and "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things." "But every so often we wanted to try and stretch our legs and tell a story that had a more philosophical bent or was more somber in tone."

The show's creative team and the network clashed over scripts and story lines. Sometimes the creative team backed down, and other times they found even more "creative" ways around the impasse.

How the schedule helps creative team

"The huge advantage any TV producer has on their side is the breakneck schedule, and I'll fully own up to taking great advantage of that a time or two," Kripke said. "If we pulled the script for the story suggestions, that means shutting down production. There's not any time for that, so we'd have to move forward."

Last season, the show was given a sound lead-in with "Gilmore Girls," but the gap in tone between the two genres hurt "Supernatural's" numbers. Then in a "be careful what you wish for" scenario, Kripke successfully lobbied to have the show moved to Thursday nights following the popular and well-regarded "Smallville." He reasoned that "Smallville" seemed a better fit with sci-fi thriller themes. His request was green-lighted by the WB, and the two shows did indeed mesh well together.

But then this season, ABC announced that "Grey's Anatomy" was moving to that same time slot to compete with CBS' "CSI," which meant that "Supernatural" would face two of the most popular shows on television.

"It's been a roller-coaster ride for us," Kripke said. "We're fighting our hearts out to hold onto an audience. It's like we're the Japanese businessmen beneath Godzilla and Mothra."

On television's most competitive night, the show's ratings didn't improve, even dropping slightly on occasion. But the good news was that it retained more of its lead-in audience -- a critical consideration for executives.

"They're really doing yeoman's work," said Kelly Kahl, programming chief for the CW. "I don't know if there's another CW show we could put there that would do any better."

Building stronger "Bones"

Meanwhile, Fox's "Bones," a dark-humored drama inspired by a real-life forensic anthropologist and novelist, also bounced around the schedule and was retooled before putting up better numbers. The show moved from Tuesday to Wednesday at 8 p.m. and in its second season introduced a new character, a beautiful pathologist played by Tamara Taylor.

"A show on the bubble is a bit like a high-school romance," said Hart Hanson, one of the show's executive producers. "We're the girl going out with the quarterback, and he's always looking for the next cheerleader. We have to wonder how long he's going to go out with us. If we do everything he says, he won't respect us, and if we do nothing he says, he won't respect us either."

Apparently, the quarterback still respects the cheerleader.

"Ultimately, we like the show, and that counts for a lot," said Craig Erwich, executive vice president of programming at Fox. "You stick with it as long as you can within the context of what's going on with the rest of our schedule."

"Pretty early on, we saw enough examples of lightning in the bottle that we felt a deep obligation to roll up our sleeves and keep that show on the air," said Dana Walden, president of 20th Century Fox Television, which produces "Bones" and "How I Met Your Mother."

"Creatively, they've really hit their stride, and the audience is finding the show."

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/ny-ettel0225,0,3205758,print.story?coll=ny-television-headlines

archiguy

02-23-07, 08:05 AM

Just out of curiosity and, this has got to be the place to ask, has their ever been a show that won one or more emmys and then been canceled the following season ?

Arrested Development...?

shuttermaker

02-23-07, 09:10 AM

LOL..maybe I may have started a Trivial Pursuit category.

Iteki

02-23-07, 09:28 AM

Arrested Development...?

I think "Lucky" won a writing Emmy after it was cancelled.

fredfa

02-23-07, 10:11 AM

The TV Column
A Special Delivery on 'Grey's Anatomy':
It's a Pilot!
By Lisa de Moraes Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, February 23, 2007

Having had little luck getting new drama series launched this season, ABC has decided a "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff might be in order.

The new drama would star one of the hot, horny doctors of Seattle Grace -- Kate Walsh's character, neonatal surgeon Addison Montgomery.

And Taye Diggs, who starred in ABC's short-lived "Day Break" -- you know, the "Groundhog Day"-esque drama that briefly filled the "Lost" time slot -- also has been signed to the spinoff.

As usual with spinoffs these days, it will be tried out as an episode of the mothership show -- in this case a two-hour episode centered on Addison on the brink of leaving the hospital.

Expect to see it the first or second Thursday of the May ratings sweeps if ABC plans to wait and see how it flies with viewers before deciding whether to give it a series order and put it on the fall schedule.

ABC is scheduled to unveil its 2007-08 prime-time lineup to advertisers on May 15.

The episode will serve as what is known as a "backdoor pilot" for the spinoff, which would be exec-produced by "Grey's" creator Shonda Rhimes.

"Grey's Anatomy" is on a roll this season. Moved to Thursday nights, it's holding its own against CBS juggernaut "CSI." With an average of about 20 million viewers to "CSI's" 20.7 million, "Grey's" also handily beats the CBS series among younger viewers. Heck, among college-age viewers it's even beating "American Idol" these days.

Last week, "Grey's" copped 26 million viewers -- its biggest audience ever, except when it aired right after the Super Bowl.

ABC has leaped from third place to first among younger viewers on the most competitive night of the week, nearly doubling its audience, thanks largely to "Grey's."

• • • • • • • • • • •

In this cold, hard world in which we live, it's easy to become so cynical that when a television network promises to bring back at "some time in the future" a new drama series that sank so far in the ratings it got yanked way back in the November sweeps, a gal tends to respond by asking the network what sort of fool it takes her for.

And yet, miraculously, ABC announced late yesterday that "Six Degrees" is returning to its prime-time lineup on Friday, March 23.

Moreover, another new drama series, "October Road," will premiere on Thursday, March 15, getting the super-fab post-"Grey's Anatomy" 10 p.m. time slot.

ABC says the current occupant, "Men in Trees," will return to that slot after an initial run of the new series. And, in light of yesterday's "Six Degrees" development, by gum, we believe it.

In case you've forgot, "Six Degrees" is a serialized drama about six random people -- with nothing in common except that they are good-looking and fall into the important 18-to-49-year-old bracket so desirable to advertisers -- whose lives inexplicably start to intersect. Most important, they intersect with J.J. Abrams, who is among the show's executive producers and who has been a very big deal over at ABC.

Six episodes of "Six Degrees" aired before ABC deep-sixed it. That's because it was running in that super-fab post-"Grey's Anatomy" spot but clocking only about 9.7 million viewers, which is hard to do. You could probably air "Puppy Bowl" in the post-"Grey's Anatomy" time slot and do 9.7 million viewers.

On Fridays at 9, however, where ABC has aired this and that all season, including the aforementioned "Men in Trees" as well as newsmags, movies and the occasional rerun of "Grey's Anatomy," the network has averaged only 6.9 million viewers. "Six" need only continue to do the kind of number that got it yanked back in November to make ABC suits happy that they had made good on their promise to bring back "Six Degrees" at some future date.

There are seven episodes left on the show's original 13-episode order. Grievously, ABC has booked only four of them at this point; it's up to you 9.7 million folks out there who once saw something in "Six" to make sure we get to see the other three.

"October Road," meanwhile, is about a young, popular author guy who decides the way to get over his writer's block is to move back home, where he must face all the people he ticked off when he used their best bits in that semi-autobiographical bestseller he wrote that made him a young, popular author, and who naturally wonder if he's just stopping by to collect fresh material. That includes his ex-girlfriend Hannah, who may have had his child. You can see her point.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/22/AR2007022202020_pf.html

fredfa

02-23-07, 10:16 AM

TV Sports
Fox doesn't see any way it can lose with NASCAR
By Larry Stewart Los Angeles Times Staff Writer February 23, 2007

During the first half of this decade, NASCAR television ratings were being described as soaring. Now the adjective often used is sagging.

The average rating for Nextel Cup races in 2005 was a 5.5. It dropped to a 4.8 last year.

But Fox, which will televise Sunday's Auto Club 500 at California Speedway in Fontana, remains bullish on the sport.

The network, under a new contract that took effect this year, will pay an average $205 million a year for NASCAR rights over the next eight years — a total of $1.62 billion.

That entitles Fox to televise the first 13 Nextel Cup races of the season, which began with the Daytona 500 last weekend. TNT and ESPN-ABC get the rest.

Also, Speed, which is owned by Fox's parent company, News Corp., televises about 70 hours of NASCAR programming a week, which includes the Craftsman Truck races. ESPN has the entire Busch series.

Despite the hefty rights fee, Ed Goren, Fox Sports president, said his network will show a profit with NASCAR, although he declined to specify what that profit might be.

"We went into all our new deals with a mandate: no money losers," Goren said. "And we will make money on NASCAR."

Not only did Goren and his boss, Fox Sports chairman David Hill, sign off on the NASCAR deal, so did their bosses at News Corp., Peter Chernin and Tony Vinciquerra.

"What NASCAR provides is a very sponsor-friendly sport," Goren said. "The addition of Toyota is a plus, and what is beautiful about the Nextel Cup series is, unlike golf, all the major stars participate every week.

"And we think we have assembled one of the best broadcast teams in any sport. Jeff Hammond, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip have become stars in their sport."

Commentators Waltrip and McReynolds work alongside race announcer Mike Joy. Studio analyst Hammond works with Chris Myers on the pre-race coverage, which Sunday begins at noon, half an hour before the scheduled start of the race. Also, Myers and Hammond will be working in new surroundings. Fox will unveil a new version of its "Hollywood Hotel" studio on wheels — this one more high-tech.

Sunday's Daytona 500 on Fox got a 10.9 rating, but last year's race, televised by NBC, got an 11.3.

"Last year, NBC had the Winter Olympics as a lead-in," Goren said. "That delivered a larger audience early in the race."

The fact that the rating in the Los Angeles market for last Sunday's race was only a 4.3 doesn't concern Goren either.

"When you consider the size of the market, L.A. has more people watching NASCAR than in places such as Charlotte," Goren said.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-sp-tvcol23feb23,0,7249097,print.story?coll=cl-tv-features

fredfa

02-23-07, 10:47 AM

fredfa

02-23-07, 11:22 AM

TV Q&A
Ask Matt
(from the Ask Matt column at TVGuide.com
By Matt Roush: TVGuide.com TV Critic Friday, February 23. 2007

Question: I am becoming increasingly frustrated with the so-called "fans" of Lost, as well as the media, for turning their back on this show and predicting its impending demise already. There have been two articles from the Associated Press in the last few days about how Lost had its lowest ratings ever for the Feb. 14 episode. A lot of shows would kill to have 12 million viewers, and all people can talk about is how obscenely low those ratings are. I am especially frustrated by how fans and the media build these shows up, only to tear them down later. It's almost like the media have a certain time frame that they give an up-and-coming show to prosper and praise before they start planting the seeds into our minds that our favorite show is losing its edge. Notice how everyone is loving Heroes right now? A year from now, the media will open the floodgates and predict that Heroes is losing its edge, and then everyone will be predicting its inevitable demise. Lost is still as good as it ever was. The very thing that people loved in the beginning — that the show raised more questions than it gave answers to — is the very thing the fans and the media are railing against. What do you think?— Lee

Matt Roush: I think you're right. For me, the only essential issue here is Lost's quality, which has been mostly terrific since its return from the long, unfortunate hiatus. (I thought this week's episode focusing on Jack and his tattoos was the first weak installment in the post-hiatus run.) Which isn't to deny that there's a legitimate story in Lost's ratings. Intense scrutiny was inevitable upon the show's return in a new time period, but it's also true that in this age of instant and incessant media, the jockeying for who can start the biggest backlash is an ugly and unnecessary by-product — something I suggest all true fans should avoid. Anyone suggesting the show is "beyond saving" (which a separate e-mail from Suzanne reported some TV analyst as saying recently) is just blowing smoke, desperately trying to be provocative. Phooey.

The reality of the situation: Lost is unlikely to attain the ratings heights of its first seasons, but that was inevitable. The show still garners plenty of media and pop-culture buzz about its story lines and characters, and is settling into a more reasonable and perfectly respectable X-Files-like existence that is beyond cult but beneath megahit, still attracting enough of an ad-friendly audience to ensure its survival for as long as the creators want to keep the show going. (My guess/hope: two or three more seasons, max.) Lee makes some excellent points about the media's hype-'em-and-hate-'em mentality, and is absolutely right that Heroes' honeymoon period isn't going to last forever. And when it happens, I imagine I'll be putting out those fires as well. Comes with the territory.

Question: Wow, what an episode (Lost, Feb.14). Boy, did I feel sorry for Desmond! I was wondering what your reaction to this third season as a whole has been so far. I seem to be in the minority (at least from what I've read), but I'm thoroughly enjoying this season. The Juliet episode brought a solid conclusion to the kidnapping arc, and the mystery of Desmond's seemingly precognitive abilities was introduced and answered in, what, just eight episodes? I bet that still wasn't quick enough for some of the naysayers out there, but I thought that the resolution was awesome, and the Charlie twist at the end was great. There's been a recurring conflict since the first season between fate and free will, and usually the characters have (in some way) fit into one category or another. But with this episode, I thought the writers brilliantly wrapped the theme into Desmond's backstory (with the ironic twist that poor Des learned that he could change things only after it was too late to change the biggest mistake of his life). So yeah, maybe the show is hit and miss sometimes, but I feel that the ceiling for a good Lost episode is much higher than most of the other shows out there. I just hope people will keep giving it a chance to reach for that ceiling.— Mike K.

Matt Roush: Keep the faith, Mike. I couldn't agree more, especially after seeing an advance copy of next week's wonderful Hurley episode, which has [Possible Spoiler Alert] a truly joyous conclusion, as Hurley finally faces his curse and attempts to make his own luck. Find that kind of fable anywhere else on TV.

Question: Lately, watching Lost from week to week has felt like watching two different shows. One week: Jack, Kate, Sawyer and the Others; the next, it's the folks at the beach. What happened to the good old days when each episode had a main plot and a subplot? Don't get me wrong — I'm loving Lost right now. Juliet's flashback and Carl's brainwashing scene were so intriguing, and just when I think they can't top it, they throw that Desmond shocker at us. Both story lines are great, but I just wish we could have them in the same episode. Then maybe we wouldn't be at a point where we haven't seen Jin since Episode 3.— Sam

Matt Roush: I'm guessing you'll be glad to see the other islanders next week, but at the same time, you'll not get even a glimpse of Jack or the Others, so your point holds true that Lost is very much a divided show right now. I'm sure it annoys many viewers — just one of many things about Lost that breaks the usual TV rules. I was as unhappy as anyone about the fall's six-episode arc that kept so many characters off screen for so long, but at the same time, if it were a more normal TV show — cross-cutting between the beach dwellers and the Others and constantly juggling subplots as if it were a soap opera — I think the individual episodes would likely suffer. One of the great and distinctive things about Lost is its unique and intense focus many weeks on a specific character and situation. For some, it gives the impression the show isn't moving fast enough. For many, including me, I love these characters enough to follow them through any flashback and detour the writers are willing to conjure. As long as it doesn't involve trapping the characters in cages and beating them silly for weeks on end. That didn't work.

Question: While some people are complaining about the ridiculousness of another Palmer coup on 24, can we all just agree that the assassination plotline is actually the writers' attempt to salvage their season? DB Woodside did a fine job last season, and obviously the powers that be wanted to capitalize on the JFK/RFK angle. However, it's pretty apparent now that Woodside just isn't cutting it. He isn't presidential, and his delivery is rather wooden. I believe the writers saw the performance, realized they made a mistake, and tried to come up with the darkest possible scenario to get rid of him. It is in no way, shape or form more ridiculous than Logan being evil last year. So while a few critics are groaning, I'm actually welcoming these plot developments in the hopes of a better season to come. Plus, who doesn't want to see Powers Boothe as President? Bueller? Bueller?— Theresa M

Matt Roush: I'm not a big President Wayne Palmer fan either, but I seriously doubt the assassination-coup story line was cooked up out of a backlash against the actor. And while it may not be more preposterous than last season's Logan twist, it's a lot less fresh. One played beautifully, the other (this season) not so much. At least not yet. But I did enjoy seeing Chad Lowe turn on Peter MacNicol, making the officious bureaucrat who still has a modicum of respect for the presidency (if not the sitting president) into a victim, and potentially a hero.

Question: Do you think 24 would suffer if it abandoned the one-day timeline? The events that occur on 24 are often farfetched and incredible, but they never reach the level of farce that a show like Prison Break does. However, so much is supposed to happen in one day that it strains credibility to its limit. It seems to me that 24 is established enough that they could stretch the clock a little now, and give Jack a moment to breath (and possibly even have time to maneuver through California traffic). I don't think the dramatic effect would be lessened, as I already more or less ignore the timeline anyway. (I think I just answered my own question.) I just wonder if other people feel the same. And just a thought on Friday Night Lights: It's great to see a quadriplegic played so realistically on TV. Of course, Jason wouldn't be trying out for quad rugby after 10 weeks (that's kinda silly), but most shows would have him back as starting QB for the season finale. It's been great to see a show deal bluntly with some real problems that quads face every day. Jason may be different, but his core personality hasn't changed.— Rick

Matt Roush: Look, part of the contract of watching a certain kind of TV show (or movie, for that matter) is to accept a compression of time for the sake of a narrative. With 24, it becomes a much more pressing issue because time is so very much a character in the show. Tell me you haven't checked the clock in the middle of an episode, when someone says something will happen "within the hour" or "in a half hour," and try to gauge if that particular subplot will come to a head within the same episode. It's part of the game of 24, and while sometimes it becomes a bit much (like Chloe goading Morris back to work just one hour after he was tortured with a drill through the back), it's usually the sort of thing I worry about only after the show is over, not while I'm watching the events unfold so breathlessly. In short, I disagree. 24 would probably suffer if its one-day gimmick was altered. That's why I'm glad the movie version has been put on the back burner for now.

Question: Where has Holly Ellenbogen (Lucy Punch) from The Class gone? I'm assuming it's a permanent thing since she no longer appears in the opening theme.— Karen L

Matt Roush: I'm frankly amazed no one brought it up before now. Holly has been erased from the opening class lineup like she never even existed. Even to someone like me, who found her the weakest and most shrilly unfunny member of the ensemble, that was pretty harsh. Simply put, the character wasn't working, it was getting harder to find a way to justify including her in story lines, and the producers justifiably dropped her.

Question: It was not that long ago that I thought it was too early for Jim and Pam to get together on The Office, and now I'm not so sure. Maybe I am just impatient, but after the episode where Phyllis got married, I find myself frustrated. Yes, I like Karen, and yes, I like the fact that Roy is no longer the one-dimensional jerk of a fiancé, but how much longer can they keep Jim and Pam apart, since it is obvious they will end up together? Maybe it is good that they are exploring Pam's relationship with Roy instead of simply writing Roy off as the wrong man for Pam. I just hope they don't pull a Gilmore Girls and have Pam and Roy elope on a whim just to create a way to keep Jim and Pam apart. What do you think?— Amy C.

Matt Roush: Should The Office stoop to that level of melodramatic contrivance, we'd have cause to complain. But I don't see that happening. I love how they've developed the triangle (or is it quadrangle?) of Pam-Jim-Karen and now Roy. For Pam, falling back with a newly attentive and oh-so-earnest Roy seems very realistic to me. She's comfortable with him, and it makes her feel good (especially in the wake of her current awkward insecurities with Jim) to be fawned over. At least for a while. The worst-case scenario would be for Roy to sweep Pam off her feet, eloping to an Office version of Paris (in this case, Niagara Falls, maybe), after which Roy becomes an instant jerk and Jim comes to the rescue. But those things only happen on lousy TV shows (like recent Gilmore Girls). I wouldn't worry that The Office would fall into that trap.

On another Office matter, Luke writes: "Do you think that the writers of The Office are being very inconsistent with Michael Scott? He has always been clumsy, awkward and socially challenged. However, recently, they have amped his patheticness to an almost insufferable level. His behavior at Phyllis' wedding was so unbelievable that I had to change the channel briefly until his scenes were over. In the past, the writers have always taken the time to show us that while he may be a fool, Michael is actually a very good salesman and a manager with good instinct. But come on, how could a person, much less a manager, with any shred of intelligence act like that at a wedding? I'd love to hear your thoughts about this."

Simple. Sometimes The Office crosses the line with Michael's outrageous behavior. This was absolutely one of those times when the show went too far. We could have watched Michael stew privately over being "upstaged" by the dad when he stood from his chair, and that would have been appropriate. For him to go public with it was beyond incredible. And worse, it wasn't just unpleasant, it wasn't remotely funny.

Question: We both agree that Slings & Arrows is a brilliant show and deserves to receive accolades and awards from peers and the TV industry. I just read in TV Guide that the third season (which hasn't aired in the U.S. yet) is its last. Is this true? If so, why? Is it being canceled, or have the producers and creators decided to call it quits? I need to know whom I need to write to! I want them to know that they shouldn't end it now! This show means so much to me, more than any other show ever has. I am an actor and a director, I work in community theater and this show speaks to me as an artist! I can't face the possibility of it ending. What can I do?— David

Matt Roush: Enjoy it while you can. (The third season of this Canadian gem is currently airing on Sundance Channel on Sundays; do yourself a favor and check it out.) When you get to the end of the current season, you'll see that Slings & Arrows bows out gracefully, tying up a number of threads with satisfying closure. I hated seeing it end as well, but all good things must. It's kind of like the best of theater that way. And I like to think of Slings as being on the level of the best of British TV, which also tends to come in shorter seasons and for limited runs. It is very bittersweet in this case to be left wanting so much more, but what we're left with is something awfully close to perfection. As I said in my review, Slings does for the theater what Studio 60 intended to do for the world of live late-night TV comedy. Final thought: It's also possible that several of the producers' success in the actual legitimate theater (with Broadway hit The Drowsy Chaperone, soon going to London) may also have hastened the end of this series. But honestly, it would be nice if every TV show were allowed to end on such a high.

Question: Do you think Fox put The O.C. up against CSI and Grey's Anatomy just so it would fail and they would have an excuse to cancel it? It was starting to pick up some steam this season after the death of Marissa. I know the ratings slipped over the last couple of seasons, but that's no reason to schedule it in a time slot where it is doomed to failure.— Rhonda

Matt Roush: I don't subscribe to the notion that networks ever aim to have their shows fail, no matter how it sometimes looks. That said, Fox did The O.C. no favors with this move to Thursdays the last few seasons. The network never found a compatible companion series, and as more networks developed bigger hits to put on the night (ABC the latest), The O.C. was further marginalized. It's a fact that if Fox truly wanted to boost its fortunes, it would have moved the show to a less competitive night. But given the network's success with thrillers (Prison Break and 24) on Mondays, and more traditional medical (House) and procedural (Bones) dramas on other nights, there was no good place to program a show that was in many ways a throwback to the days when Fox was kept aloft by Aaron Spelling-esque guilty pleasures. Fox's evolution into a network catering to grown-ups is probably what doomed The O.C. most. Too bad this didn't air on the WB/CW (as that network continues to run One Tree Hill, which I once described as the "no-see" in comparison to the much superior O.C.).

Question: The flashbacks in the Feb. 12 episode of Studio 60 really showed me that we were watching the wrong show. In going back to Matt Albie as a young and unproven writer, and Harriet Hayes as a comedic ingenue (and even Luke as Matt's more experienced foil), there was an energy to the show that I'd not seen in any previous episode. It didn't hurt, of course, that it looked like the writing staff was more like 25 strong than the skeleton crew of five they have now, but still. What worked so well was that there was hunger and freshness. We were discovering this place along with these characters, and it was great fun. The way Studio 60 is now, everyone's a star, everyone's established, and everyone walks around like they're bored most of the time. As much as I love Aaron Sorkin's past work, this is the first time I've felt that Studio 60 was fundamentally flawed and really can't be fixed. It's too bad, because late-night comedy is a rich subject to draw from, even if this show never bothers to draw very much. The genius of The West Wing was that it was about a place and time, surrounded by interesting characters who fumble through their personal lives with glib insight. Studio 60 is exactly the opposite, focusing on a bunch of glib characters surrounded by a fascinating but largely untapped place and time. I'll watch until the bitter end, I think, but I've lost hope for the show now. Do you think something here is still salvageable?— Teague B.

Matt Roush: For all of the reasons you eloquently state, and for others we have discussed over these last few sad weeks of the show's truncated existence, I do not hold out any hope for Studio 60's resurrection, creative or otherwise. First chance I get, I'm going to lose myself in my Sports Night DVDs to remember when.

http://tvguide.com/News-Views/Columnists/Ask-Matt/Default.aspx

fredfa

02-23-07, 11:34 AM

The Business of Television
In sweeps, Fox will be the real winner
CBS is ahead and will win based on Super Bowl
By Kevin Downey MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 23, 2007

When the February sweeps period ends next Wednesday, CBS likely will be the winner among viewers 18-49, with Fox No. 2, even with “American Idol.”

But among media buyers, the real winner will be Fox.

The reason: CBS's win will be due entirely to the Super Bowl. And while the Super Bowl matters as a television event, when buyers are evaluating sweeps their concern is how well networks' regular programming fares.

Sweeps is ultimately about dollars, used to determine what ad buyers must pay for time on local stations, and here what a particular special did, even the Super Bowl, is of little matter.

And when it comes to regular programming, Fox is by far the No. 1 network, led by “Idol,” which for the fifth straight year is outperforming its prior seasons. Indeed, Fox is already on its way to a full-season victory.

For the sweeps through Feb. 20, with Super Bowl factored out, Fox has a 4.6 rating in 18-49s, based on Nielsen Media Research data. That's up from a 4.5 the same time last year.

CBS is No. 2 with a 3.9, up 8 percent. ABC has a 3.5, down nearly 13 percent, and NBC has a 3 rating, down 41 percent from last year, when its ratings were boosted by the Winter Olympics.

Fox will get an even bigger boost with the new Thursday episodes of “Idol,” which kicked off last night and will run for a few weeks.

“Just looking across the week, obviously with ‘Idol’ Fox is doing really well on Tuesday and Wednesday but Thursday is flat and Friday is a weakness for them,” says John Spiropoulos, vice president and group research director at MediaVest. “The addition of ‘Idol’ on Thursday is going to be huge.”

Fox only appears to falter in the ratings when Super Bowl is factored back in.

That puts CBS at No. 1 with a 5.6 in 18-49s, up 56 percent from last year, when ABC had the game, and Fox behind a full rating point, to a 4.6. ABC has a 3.5, down 40 percent from last February. NBC has a 3 rating. The CW has a 1.3, down one-tenth of a point from the WB’s average last February but up two-tenths compared to UPN.

Interestingly, looking beyond both Super Bowl and "Idol," all the networks are struggling to some degree.

Fox's fall was a disaster, and few of its returning midseason shows are doing well. For the season through Feb. 18, “House” is up 41 percent from last season, to a 7.2, but “24” is about flat with a 5.7 rating.

ABC's “Lost” has hit series lows in recent weeks, its "Desperate Housewives” is down 19 percent, and “Grey’s Anatomy,” while the No. 3 show so far this season, is actually down against tougher competition, to an 8.3 rating.

CBS's “Criminal Minds” is up but it's having a tough time with “CSI,” which is down 21 percent. NBC is doing well with “Heroes” but other shows like “ER” are down.

Overall for the season, the Big Four networks are within a few tenths of a rating point of each other. CBS has a 4.0 through Feb. 18, Fox has a 3.6, ABC has a 3.5 rating, and NBC has a 3.4.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_10372.asp

fredfa

02-23-07, 11:45 AM

Critic’s Notebook
Things look bleak for “The Black Donnellys”
By Melanie McFarland Seattle Post-Intelligencer TV Critic Friday, February 23, 2007

A producer's reputation will take a series only so far. Aaron Sorkin fans learned that the hard way this week when NBC announced that "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" was headed to hiatus earlier than expected. Although that was the plan from the moment the network announced its midseason replacement "The Black Donnellys" would take over the 10 p.m. Monday slot, the hiatus was supposed to begin in March.

"Studio 60" drew 6.4 million viewers Monday. Ratings like those make a person wonder whether the network might skip the shelf and simply seal it in the cancellation vault.

Terrible news for Sorkin's faithful, but a silver lining for those anticipating "The Black Donnellys," a drama created by Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco, two more guys with terrific reputations. Haggis and Moresco worked together on "Million Dollar Baby" (Haggis co-wrote, Moresco co-produced) and "Crash" (Haggis directed and co-wrote with Moresco), the best-picture Oscar winners in 2005 and 2006.

Haggis' name also is on a number of notable television series, including "EZ Streets," a show that won outstanding critical acclaim but failed to attract viewer attention. He knows the stakes, and his show is sliding into a time slot that seems to bring out failure in the best of series.

Obviously, there's pressure, augmented by the fact that, hey, they're Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco. The average viewer probably won't be familiar with those names, and the cast is populated by relative unknowns.

But audiences remain fascinated by mobsters, an attraction NBC is banking on yet again. Recall that several springtimes ago, NBC failed to hook us on the gruesome exploits of "Kingpin's" Mexican gangsters. Instead of learning its lesson, it's giving the Irish a go.

"The Black Donnellys," the story of four brothers climbing the criminal underworld's ranks in their working-class New York neighborhood, is said to be somewhat informed by Moresco's upbringing. In this version of New York, thugs resolve differences with fists, handguns and by swinging sledgehammers and axes.

Smell that air of authenticity. Then hold your nose for the base notes.

One person's mob thrill is another's pale "Sopranos" copy, or "Goodfellas" rip-off. It sounds like the kind of "keeping up with HBO" series Showtime would do, except the premium cable channel already aired an Irish mobster series, "Brotherhood." And it had richer characters and superior plotting.

In short, my guess is nobody's going to watch this show.

The recent, near-universal rejection of other critically acclaimed and grim serial dramas ("The Nine," "Kidnapped") doesn't make its chances look good. Viewers don't relate to unappealing, one-dimensional characters, a description applicable to most of the goons here.

One could even argue "The Black Donnellys' " beatings, flashes of torture and bone-breaking seem even more gratuitous than past efforts. Haggis and Moresco make glancing attempts to give their anti-heroes some gray shading, but that's not enough to earn our empathy. Watching some of them navigate through the first five episodes at times borders upon looking at a live-action version of "Grand Theft Auto: Hell's Kitchen."

Despite all that, if you can get past the most annoying narrator on television, a stool pigeon named Joey Ice Cream (Keith Nobbs), the pilot is somewhat encouraging.

Ignoring Joey is no small task. He's less of a bargain-basement Henry Hill than the afterbirth of "The Usual Suspects' " Verbal Kint. You wish he'd shut up, but no, Joey guides us through every detail of Donnelly legend as the cops interrogate him in prison. (More fun with flashback storytelling. Just what we need.)

In his eyes, Jimmy (Thomas Guiry), Kevin (Billy Lush), Sean (Michael Stahl-David) and Tommy Donnelly (Jonathan Tucker) are decent, family-oriented troublemakers. Dealing with a domineering ma (Kate Mulgrew) and mourning a murdered dad makes their occasional scrapes with the law forgivable.

Tommy has the most promise of the four; he's attending art school and trying to stay straight and holds the torch for the neighborhood's nice girl Jenny Reilly (a surprisingly affecting Olivia Wilde), whose husband mysteriously went missing.

On the opposing edge of the morality spectrum, Jimmy has his fingers in an assortment of small but dirty enterprises as he runs a bar. When he's around, brawls tend to break out with the same regularity as happy hour.

Is it too much of a demand to ask for a TV series about an Irish family that doesn't stew in whiskey shots and explosive-anger management issues?

At least "The Black Donnellys" explains why Jimmy's wicked angry: A childhood accident left him with a limp and a rage streak that, in one senseless act, gets the brothers in serious trouble with the Italian mob and the local Irish boss.

The pilot looks and feels like a short film, one you wouldn't expect Haggis and Moresco to make. It's more akin to a decent student production, displaying flourish backed by little substance. However, Tucker's performance deserves notice for bringing a powerful clarity to a cast that seems to struggle with this substandard material. Additionally, there's a climactic twist that explains the first hour's surprising denouement, marking the trajectory for every episode that follows.

A respectable introduction doesn't guarantee engaging, intelligent episodes will follow. Sure enough, subsequent hours of "The Black Donnellys" commit the unforgivable misstep of being violent, numbing and dull at the same time.

That makes it a worse match with "Heroes" than "Studio 60." Now, "Heroes" will never win any prizes for writing, but it has an exciting escapist bent that's keeping people interested.

Following stories of flying men and invincible teens with bleak scenes of squabbling hoods amounts to a free-falling sugar crash. A significant tune-out between the comicbook-style cliffhangers at 9:59 and the opening credits of "The Black Donnellys" certainly looks inevitable. And having famous names in the director's chair or in the writing room is not going to solve that problem.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/printer2/index.asp?ploc=t&refer=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/304775_tv23.html

fredfa

02-23-07, 11:59 AM

Yesterday’s fast national over night prime-time ratings have been posted near the top of Ratings News the second post in this thread.

fredfa

02-23-07, 12:14 PM

TV Sports
Feds probing MLB's TV deal
By Jay Posner San Diego Union-Tribune February 23, 2007

Not only does the waiting continue, but it just might have gotten a lot longer.

And that's a good thing.

No official announcement has been made regarding Major League Baseball's out-of-market TV package, and reports continue to circulate on whether MLB might be having second thoughts on what was assumed to be a done deal with DirecTV.

It might have no choice now.

According to The Associated Press, the federal government has decided to investigate the proposed deal that would give DirecTV exclusive rights to “MLB Extra Innings.” That's the package, previously available to anyone with digital cable or satellite, that allows baseball fans to pay ($179 last year) to watch about 60 games a week that normally would not be available in their market.

But the office of Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., released a letter yesterday in which Kevin Martin, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, wrote that he shared Kerry's concerns regarding the exclusive nature of the deal.

Kerry had asked Martin to investigate the “proposed $700 million television deal that could deny many consumers the ability to watch their favorite teams.”

Wrote Martin: “I am concerned whenever consumers cannot purchase the programming they want or are forced to purchase programming they don't want.”

Martin also wrote that the FCC “contacted the parties and requested additional information about their proposed arrangement. Once we have this information, we will report to you on the deal's implications for consumers and any recommended changes to the law to ameliorate any harms to consumers.”

Neither MLB nor DirecTV has confirmed the deal, which would affect nearly half of the 500,000 or so baseball fans who subscribed to Extra Innings last year.

But given all the negative publicity baseball received over the past several weeks, if the reports were inaccurate, wouldn't MLB have been smart to at least leak word that fans had no reason to worry? Then again, MLB and smart haven't belonged in the same sentence too often through the years.

Of course, there's also the other reason: There is a deal.

Tim Brosnan, MLB executive vice president of business, wrote an opinion piece for USA Today one week ago today in which he said “a subscription package of out-of-market games will continue to be available to a broad segment of our fan base through either MLB Extra Innings or MLB.TV, its broadband counterpart.”

I added the italics because to me, that's the smoking gun. If Brosnan is mentioning Extra Innings and MLB.TV in the same sentence, and regarding them as equals, that's bad news for those of us who don't consider watching a game on a big-screen TV the same as watching it on a computer screen.

The NFL also has an exclusive deal with DirecTV, which is absurd, but at least that league never offered the package, then yanked it away from loyal fans. Plus, the NFL is in a stronger position than baseball regarding its relationship with fans.

Baseball doesn't have fans to lose . . . and it's about to lose them, for no other reason than – what else? – money. Well, that and DirecTV agreeing to provide better access to the as-yet-unlaunched Baseball Channel, something the cable companies wouldn't do.

The new deal reportedly calls for MLB to receive $100 million a year for seven years – about $30 million more than the cable companies were said to be offering. That works out to a whopping $1 million per franchise, per year, which isn't enough to pay for a decent pinch hitter.

But what about the thousands of fans who either can't get or don't want DirecTV for one reason or another? Which is where San Diego enters the picture.

As Padres fans in areas without access to cable TV know all too well, the club's telecasts on Channel 4 San Diego are not available on satellite. Channel 4 is operated by a cable company (Cox), which is not in the business of helping its main competitor (satellite). It paid for the exclusivity, and nothing is going to change for the length of the contract (thru 2011).

“We cannot unilaterally change that or lift the constraint,” said Padres CEO Sandy Alderson, who was not here when the deal was signed. “I'm not trying to pass the buck, but we have to live with it. We're 50 percent responsible.

“Even (owner) John Moores in Rancho Santa Fe can't get the games on cable. I understand the frustration of some people.”

So the bottom line for San Diegans is that those with cable can watch the Padres but not Extra Innings, and those with satellite can watch Extra Innings but not the Padres. What a great system.

Maybe Kevin Martin can fix at least part of it.

Flipping channels

• Fox isn't exactly riding a wave of momentum into Fontana for Sunday's Auto Club 500. Its coverage of last week's Daytona 500 earned a 10.2 rating, which was down 11 percent from last year's record 11.3 on NBC. In fact, excluding the rain-shortened 2003 race, Sunday's race attracted the lowest rating for Daytona since 2001. San Diego's rating was 5.6, ranking No. 51 among the 55 major markets metered by Nielsen Media Research.

• The news was even worse for the NBA, which earned a record-low 4.2 rating for its All-Star Game. That's five straight years with a ratings decline since the NBA moved the game from NBC to TNT.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070223/news_1s23media.html