Hot Off The Press: The Latest TV News and Information - Page 950

Critic's Review
Dark end nears for 'Battlestar Galactica'
By Sarah Rodman, Boston Globe - January 16, 2009

It's been six long months since we last saw the "Battlestar Galactica" crew and their new Cylon allies go from the giddy high of finally finding Earth to the pitch-black depression of discovering the planet is a nuclear wasteland.

Tonight at 10 on the SciFi network, the second half of the fourth and final season commences with a gripping premiere episode that offers up a few more shockers.

First a quick refresher:

The Cylon resurrection hub - on which the robo-humans downloaded into new bodies after death - was destroyed, thus ensuring permanent death to any currently living Cylon. The machines split into two factions, one bent on obliterating the remainders of the real human race and the other entering into a shaky truce to find Earth together. Four of the final five Cylons were unmasked as members of the Colonial fleet: Anders (Michael Trucco), Tigh (Michael Hogan), Tyrol (Aaron Douglas), and presidential aide Tory Foster (Rekha Sharma). The identity of the fifth and final Cylon remains a mystery.

Tonight we pick up right where we left off, with the expedition of humans and Cylons surveying the bleak landscape of what they had hoped would be their new home. The planet is not only fried, but the ruins offer myth-shattering clues about the original inhabitants that sucker-punch the survivors, Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) in particular.

Not everyone takes the news so well. Some hit the bottle, including a guilt-wracked Adama (Edward James Olmos). Others hit each other. Faith takes a hit, and in one of the series' most heartbreaking moments, the dashed dream is simply too much for one beloved character to handle.

In an hour of emotional performances, Mary McDonnell as President Roslin, the true believer in the ancient prophecies of Earth, is particularly affecting. Giving up her steely resolve, McDonnell chillingly portrays bitterness, self-loathing, and anguish as Roslin burns her scriptures, muttering to Adama, "I was wrong about everything. . . . All those people who listened and they trusted me and they followed me. All those people, they're dead."

Balancing that darkness, as usual, is the ever-optimistic fighter-pilot-turned-politico Apollo (Jamie Bamber) who views the crisis as an opportunity for the survivors to untether themselves from the old paradigms. One savvy and cynical Cylon begs to differ, pointing out that "all of this is just going to happen again and again and again."

The series - a reboot of a '70s guilty pleasure - has played deliberately as a modern allegory. The new question is uncomfortably timely: What do you do when you've put all your eggs in one basket and the bottom of the basket drops out? Given the show's admirable history of exploring humanity's darker corners, it's no surprise that some characters lament the cracked shells while others try to salvage an omelet.

http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles...tar_galactica/

That $75 2 day free shipping thing is pretty nice, I'm sure I've made out on that in the last year since I signed up for it, most things I get end up being one day anyway, it's like free overnight shipping, I think they have a warehouse in Lexington and it arrives here next day 9 out of 10 times.

LOL ... indeed ... that's the multi-billion dollar question.

We do have a local chain around here called Bernie's, but I seldom go there. They just don't have the selection, even if the prices are competetive.

Of course, up til recently, other than driving 10 minutes to Best Buy or CC, the only real choice in my town was Wal Mart. However, Target just built a new store nearby.

Honestly, while I liked the pricing at CC way more than Best Buy's often inflated prices, I hated shopping there. Finding someone to actually check you out so you can leave was always a pain. At least Best Buy has actual checkout registers. At CC, I often was directed to the customer service counter, which means waiting behind some guy trying to return opened DVDs or some piece of electronics without a receipt.

They need a few more months to work the "salivating and rubbing their hands together" out of their system before the lazy among OTA viewers start calling in to get a quick fix for their "broken TVs".

They don't want to appear too much like they see those potential customers as "prey".

I am in the process of buying a new TV. At Amazon its $1,918, no tax and free delivery to my house. At Best Buy its $2,400, $200 in tax and $70 for delivery. I would say that Best Buy still has competition.

Hey fredfa any news and or info about Beast starring Patrick Swayze? Did it do well for overnight ?

Nielsen Overnights (18-49)
'CSI' soars for Petersen's last episode
Averages a 6.2 in 18-49s, according to early numbers
By Toni Fitzgerald, Media Life Magazine - January 16, 2009

William Petersen's final episode of CSI drew big ratings for CBS last night, despite a schedule thrown out of whack by President George W. Bush's final television address to the nation.

From 9 to 10 p.m. last night, CSI averaged a 6.2 adults 18-49 rating and 23.1 million viewers, though that number will adjust when final ratings are released.

CSI did not start until well past 9 because of the Bush speech, which pushed CBS's entire schedule back, and fast nationals measure only timeslot data, not actual program performance.

Still, it was the best audience for CSI since its premiere, and could end up well higher later today when final ratings come out. It was easily the night's top-rated show.

Petersen exited the show after nine seasons to return to doing theater work, though he remains an executive producer and will make periodic guest appearances.

As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback. Seven-day DVR data won't be available for several weeks. Twenty-eight percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.

CBS was first for the night among viewers 18-49 with a 4.5 average overnight rating and an 11 share. ABC was second at 3.5/9, NBC third at 3.0/7, Fox fourth at 1.8/4, Univision fifth at 1.7/4 and CW sixth at 1.5/4.

At 8 p.m. CBS led with a 3.2 for its coverage of President Bush and a repeat of CSI, followed by NBC with a 2.4 for Bush and repeats of My Name is Earl. ABC and CW tied for third at 1.8, ABC for Bush and Scrubs repeats and CW for Smallville, with Univision fifth with a 1.7 for Cuidado con el Angel and Fox sixth with a 1.6 for Bush and a repeat of Kitchen Nightmares.

CBS was first again at 9 p.m. with the end of its CSI repeat and most of the new CSI, while ABC moved to second with a 5.2 for Grey's Anatomy. NBC was third with a 3.8 for The Office (4.3) and 30 Rock (3.2), Fox fourth with a 2.0 for a new Nightmares, Univision fifth with a 1.9 for Fuego en la Sangre and CW sixth with a 1.2 for Supernatural.

At 10 p.m. CBS led again with a 4.2 for the end of CSI and most of Eleventh Hour, with ABC second with a 3.4 for the newly relocated Private Practice. The latter retained more of Grey's lead-in than former timeslot occupant Life on Mars. NBC was third with a 2.7 for ER and Univision fourth with a 1.6 for Rosa de Guadalupe.

CBS also finished first for the night among households with a 10.7 average overnight rating and a 17 share. ABC was second at 6.0/9, NBC third at 4.4/7, Fox fourth at 2.6/4, and CW and Univision tied for fifth at 2.2/3.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/art...st_episode.asp

TV Notes
Four actors enlisted for 'Stargate' duty
'Universe' recruits include David Blue, Brian J. Smith
By Nellie Andreeva, The Hollywood Reporter - January 16, 2009

Justin Louis, David Blue, Brian J. Smith and Jamil Walker Smith are set to co-star opposite Robert Carlyle on Sci Fi Channel's new original series "Stargate Universe."

The series, from MGM TV, follows a group of soldiers, scientists and civilians left to fend for themselves when forced through a Stargate after their hidden base comes under attack. The survivors, who emerge aboard an ancient ship missing in the far reaches of space, are led by Dr. Nicholas Rush (Carlyle), who works to unlock the ship's mysteries and return the group to Earth.

Louis ("Hidden Hills") will play Col. Everett Young, an experienced Stargate team leader.

Blue ("Ugly Betty") plays Eli Wallace, a slacker who just happens to be an utter genius with anything he puts his mind to -- everything from mathematics to video games.

Brian J. Smith ("Hate Crime") is Lt. Matthew Scott, a junior member of the Stargate team thrust into the role of leader well before he's ready.

Jamil Walker Smith ("Sister, Sister") plays Sr. Sgt. Ronald Greer, a Marine with a temper.

"Stargate" veterans Brad Wright and Robert Cooper are writing/exec producing the series, which will debut in the fall as a two-hour movie and will be distributed by MGM Worldwide TV Distribution.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/...3d680d3d35e6e7

Digital Switch Notes
Senate Could Vote Today on DTV-Switch Delay
By Ira Teinowitz, TV Week - January 16, 2009

The U.S. Senate could vote as early as today to delay the digital TV changeover to June 12.

Senate staffers said today that because of the limited time before the Feb. 17 transition, the Senate leadership is hoping to short-circuit normal committee procedures and take directly to the floor legislation introduced Thursday by Senate Commerce Committee chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., to delay the switch.

If other senators agree to approve the delay by unanimous consent, a vote could take place as early as today.

As the Senate prepares to act, President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team is again urging Congress to delay the DTV transition date, endorsing Sen. Rockefeller’s legislation and adding an urgent postscript that if the date isn’t changed, millions of consumers will be left without needed discount coupons for DTV converter boxes.

“Lack of appropriate planning has left many consumers vulnerable,” said John Podesta, co-chair of the transition team, in a letter today to House and Senate leaders. House Democrats on Thursday proposed $650 million more for the coupon program as part of an economic stimulus plan.

In the letter, Mr. Podesta cited problems in the government coupon program for converter boxes as the biggest reason for a delay. The $1.5 billion program provides $40 coupons for converter boxes, but ran out of money early this year, forcing the Department of Commerce to put new requests on a waiting list until existing coupons expire. Coupons expire after 90 days after they are issued.

In today’s letter, Mr. Podesta said that at the current pace the requests are coming in, 6 million coupon requests will be on hold on the day of the transition. He also warned that even if more money is added to the program, coupons won’t arrive in time for Feb. 17.

“The facts on the ground beyond the failure of the coupon program are also discouraging,” Mr. Podesta said. “As we have heard from a number of consumer advocacy groups, the shortfalls in planning for consumer support, education and converter box availability will disproportionately affect the most vulnerable Americans—low-income, disabled, elderly and rural people.

“We respectfully reiterate that only legislation that includes a delay of limited and specific duration will provide Congress and the new administration a realistic opportunity to resuscitate and modify the coupon program.”

http://www.tvweek.com/news/2009/01/s...day_on_dtv.php

Geesh, all guys in the cast so far? Maybe they could squeeze a female or two into this show. Of course, this is Stargate, which has had precious few female regulars in their shows.

The $75 a year shipping at Amazon is better than has been discussed. You can have 4 separate accounts use the 2 day free ship. So in our family I have one, my wife has one, and each of our grown children have one. We all use them a lot and for gift giving it is great. I rarely ever go to a brick and mortar store.

Except for Amanda Tapping's Col. Carter in "SG-1" and Torri Higginson/Rachel Luttrell as Dr. Weir/Teyla in "Atlantis," all three amongst their respective show's leads. The "Stargate" universe is guilty of a lot of things but not having female characters as regulars isn't one of them.

TV Notes
FNL creator Berg fights for his series
By Andrew Dansby, Houston Chronicle - Jan. 15, 2009

The first time I noticed Peter Berg was in The Last Seduction, a film where his bumbling character is devoured, manipulated and disposed of by Linda Fiorentino's relentlessly cunning con woman. Berg has been acting for more than two decades. Twelve years ago he did some writing and directing for Chicago Hope, the TV drama in which he also starred. Today Berg is better known for his work behind the camera on films such as Hancockand The Kingdom. He got a big break with the film Friday Night Lights, the 2006 adaptation of his cousin H.G. Buzz Bissinger's book about Odessa and the Permian Panther football team. Berg developed the story into a fictional TV show with the same name, which has been beloved by a dedicated few. He talks briefly about the show's future as well as Wonderland, a TV show he began in 2000 that was canceled after one episode. Its eight episodes began airing Wednesday on DirecTV's The 101 Network.

Q: Do you like your odds for a fourth season of Friday Night Lights?

A: I'm optimistic we'll be picked up. But you never know. I'm in a cab in New York right now going to talk to Jeff Zucker (at NBC). It's always a constant battle with Friday Night Lights. We'll have a frank conversation. I could probably give you a better idea in about 20 minutes.

Q: The show always seems to be fighting for survival.

A: Yes, and we'll keep fighting. Every year the actors move out of Austin (the show is shot in Del Valle), and they worry they're not coming back. I love making the phone calls to tell them they're coming back. But it's a competitive time right now, for all shows.

Q: And this one is fairly nuanced, which doesn't help it get noticed.

A: Hey, NBC has Jay Leno now for something like eight hours a day to get in people's faces. They have Howie Mandel and the girls with the briefcases to get in people's faces. We're going to hopefully appeal to the network's desire to have something a bit more subtle.

Q: Do you remember the moment you thought Friday Night Lights could be translated to a fictional TV show?

A: When we were shooting the film there were large chunks of the book that were written and put in the script. But the script was 180 pages; it would've been a four-hour movie. When the film was over, Buzz and I were talking about all the things we couldn't explore, issues of education and racism. The way these communities are organized in complex ways. We felt the show was a great opportunity to go deeper. That all took a back seat once we had these great actors. Once we saw Kyle (Chandler) and Connie (Britton) on screen, we knew it was something entirely different from the book. That became the emotional core of the show.

Q: Wonderland had a rougher ride than even FNL. Are you glad to see it airing finally?

A: Definitely. ABC canceled it after just one episode, telling us it was too intense for their network. It was supposed to be that way.

It's an intense show about a psychiatric hospital in New York. I'm super-thrilled that it's airing. It's a minor miracle, really. It's been frustrating for so long to have this great work that nobody's seen. Now they can see all eight episodes.

We're calling it a miniseries, and the eighth episode wraps up nicely after the first seven.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/tv/6213911.html

Mr. Podesta is an idiot. I have yet to see ANY issues with CECB availablity. My local Radio Shack has 30, yep, THREE ZERO, CECBs IN STOCK. TODAY. Get more money to the coupon program and let's get on with it on February 17th, NOT June 12th.

Agreed.
Is it just me, or has Foxeng been making more sense lately? (Sorry, couldn't resist. Seriously, I haven't found myself disagreeing with one of your posts in a long, long time.)

-Reagan

Let me check my math, since it's obviously different than "gooberment" math:

The original program: $1.5 Billion

An estimate 6 million coupons are expected to be on hold come transisition day. Each is worth $40.

So, 6,000,000 x 40 = 240,000,000.

Now, I think an earlier article said something like half the coupons never get used. However, let's be conservative and say 1/4.

So, 1,500,000,000/40 = 37,500,000 coupons. Give 1/4 back from unused ones:

37,500,000/4= 9,375,000.

Now, 240,000,000 - 9,375,000 = $230,625,000

So, why do they need $650,000,000 more? That's almost 3 times the amount that it appears is needed. Are we buying TVs for these folks, too?


- Edited due to the addition of an extra zero....oops....

Critic's Review
'The United States of Tara'
It's showtime for Showtime
From Aaron Barnhart's Kansas City Star 'TV Barn' Blog - January 16, 2009

HBO or Showtime? For years, the question was not even worth asking. HBO was television's crown jewel, the overachiever of cable, a giant, pulsing entertainment electromagnet that sucked in distinguished actors, classy directors, effusive critics and trophies from every industry awards gala imaginable. HBO was fantastic -- it said so, right there in its own press materials.

And Showtime? It was the lint filter, a moist collection of low-budget smut, boxing matches and UPN-quality "original" productions that from 2000 to 2006 won exactly 10 Emmy Awards, none for a leading actor or best series. (During that same time, HBO took home 161 Emmys, as "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City" each claimed the highest honor in its category.)

HBO or Showtime? At a time when household budgets are being squeezed, to subscribe to one of these pay-cable channels is an act not taken lightly.

Like every television critic in the land, I have from time to time written the obligatory "hey, look, Showtime actually has something interesting on" article. However, I've never felt that the sum total of all of Showtime's parts were ever enough to give an HBO subscriber even a mild case of buyer's remorse.

Until now.



With the arrival of "United States of Tara," an addictive comedy about a suburban mom with multiple personalities that debuts Sunday, Showtime may have finally leveled the playing field with HBO.

Set in Overland Park (like you, I've lost track of how many TV series are set in Kansas), "United States of Tara" struts in with a premise so ludicrous that it makes HBO's "Big Love" seem like "Life with Father."

After all, Toni Collette plays not only Tara -- with her two kids, one-woman business and stable marriage to Max (John Corbett) -- but three wildly, irreconcilably different characters all competing to break to the surface.

They are "T," a perpetual teenager and bad influence, crazy about boys and reefer; "Buck," a dude who shoots pool, goes to strip clubs and isn't afraid to use his fists; and "Alice," a perfect housewife who looks like she peeled herself off a 1957 Betty Crocker cookbook.

Now at this point you're thinking: Isn't that what Tracey Ullman does, only with famous people?

There's some of that. Collette has been given a part with Emmy written all over it and she sells, sells, sells it. Alice shows up in her perfect skirt and bakes a perfect cake, putting "Mad Men's" Betty Draper to shame. When her daughter Kate (Brie Larson) drops an F-bomb, Alice literally washes her mouth out with soap.

Now here comes Buck, strolling in, sleeves rolled up, with a menacing look -- or as menacing as Mom in drag is capable of being -- puts out his cigarette in the muffins that Marshall (Keir Gilchrist), Tara's son, made for school and calls him a sissy.

And then there's T, clearly unhappy that as she is stuck with a 40-year-old's body when she's not even half that old.

Over the course of several episodes, it's explained that Tara experienced repeated traumas as a child (what they were is not immediately disclosed). She learned to create compartments where the various slices of her id could roam freely, never bumping into the others.

For years Tara controlled her other personalities through medication, but now she's easing off of them, with unpredictable results. Something happens in Tara's humdrum existence -- she and Kate have an argument, say -- and that triggers a stress reaction ... and a costume change.

These explanations are plausible enough, inside the hermetic bubble that this show has created for itself. It's no different than the rule on "Lost" that you must keep hitting that button or else the world ends -- it's true because the show says it's true. This is not to denigrate the work of researchers into dissociative identity disorder, as multiple-personality syndrome is apparently called these days. It is merely to point out that "United States of Tara" is not a documentary.

But as a comedy, it's surprisingly entertaining. Like when Max's partner at work, played by Patton Oswalt, says, "I envy your sex life. It's like you've got one of those 3-paks of cereal. You get, like, a Froot Loop and a Honey Smack. You just dump the milk in the box and chuck the ones you don't like."

"I'm not chucking any boxes," Max replies. "But I ain't eatin' that much cereal."

To which his incredulous partner says, "How is that even possible?"

But what ultimately kept me watching, through every screener Showtime provided, was this audacious bit of acting from Collette -- letting it all hang out as T or Buck or Alice, and then reeling it all back in to Tara, a woman with a problem and quite possibly, the means to fix it, if she chooses. If you're willing to suspend disbelief about a medical condition you know nothing about, you may find "Tara" irresistible.

So, Showtime or HBO? Well, one critically well-received series (and I'm only one critic) does not a network make. But if I were to devise a sort of index fund of positive reviews -- including not just the shows I like but those that have found broad support among critics -- I believe Showtime would be hitting record highs right now.

Watching "Dexter," a splatter caper starring Michael C. Hall as a serial killer who avenges serial killings, isn't my idea of a way to forget my troubles. But season three, just ended, racked up raves from many of my colleagues. And most of us would agree that "Weeds" remains a strong series for Showtime, having reinvented itself as a sexy outlaw-mom serial that perhaps only Mary-Louise Parker could have carried this far.

True, no one cared when Tracey Ullman took her show from HBO to Showtime. On the other hand, quite a few people have expressed their amazement that HBO would let go "Inside the NFL" -- a commercial-free, fairly low-intensity highlights show using the cinema-quality clips from NFL Films -- and allow Showtime to scoop it up.

Showtime, not HBO, carefully courted Ira Glass and his radio laboratory at Chicago Public Radio and allowed them to reimagine their documentaries in convenient video form. The result, "This American Life," won the Emmy for best nonfiction program and found a way to build a road even higher than HBO's documentary department.

HBO hasn't given us a leap-off-the-screen moment since Tony Soprano and family cut to black. There really hasn't been a series on HBO remotely like "The Sopranos" since "Deadwood." Bill Maher was fantastic, but the election's over. HBO's films division, led by "John Adams," had another stellar season -- but its longtime head just left HBO, right behind Chris Albrecht, who resigned as chairman of HBO following an altercation with his girlfriend.

Showtime? Not HBO? I never thought I would say it. I still haven't said it. Yet.

http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/2...e-fo.html#more

Obama should pay attention to what just happened in his birth state.

According to the FCC 53,000 request for the DTV coupon were made in Hawaii, just over 17,000 were redeemed(about a third). Most estimates had between 20-25,000 households in the state as OTA only, so about 3/4th of the population went with the coupons. Yet yesterday all the analog stations went dark yesterday and within an hour press releases went out calling Hawaii's transition a success. By most accounts, other than a few problems hasn't cause any uproar....we survived!

Stick to Feb 17th.

"The U.S. Senate could vote as early as today to delay the digital TV changeover to June 12." - I found myself here having mixed feelings about this one. As a technology enthusiast, I can't help myself but think that this is BS, that we should move along with the Feb 17th date and get on with our lives. At the same time, June 12th makes SO much more sense:
1- Sweep's over
2- It's early summer - ok, technically, late spring , so it's not -30 in Northern/Central parts of the US, much more reasonable weather for an antenna installer to work outside(if necessary).
3- Even the risk of extreme weather is much less in early June than in mid-February - tornado season is almost over by then, hurricane season isn't in full force, winter storms are out of our way.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that June 12th should have been selected the D-Day from the get-go.

TCA Press Tour Notes
ABC's McPherson Wants More Sitcoms
By Josef Adalian, TV Week - January 16, 2009

ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson said he'd like to expand the network's comedy portfolio by adding more traditional sitcoms to its programming mix.

The network once dominated the comedy space with meat-and-potatoes half-hours such as Roseanne and Home Improvement. But while ABC has had plenty of success with dramas, its only mildly successful comedy in recent years has been the single-camera Samantha Who?

Mr. McPherson, speaking to reporters Friday at ABC's portion of the Television Critics Association's Winter Press Tour, said he's hoping to greenlight several multicamera half-hours when the network picks up its comedy pilots in the next few weeks.

A lot of comedies on the air now are observational, Mr. McPherson said. There's an intimacy missing when the sitcom isn't on the air. I think there's a place for it.

Mr. McPherson said he still enjoys watching repeats of shows such as Seinfeld and Home Improvement, and explained that viewers right now are looking for comfort food to help them through difficult times.

As with all press tour sessions this week, the economy's impact on programming was a key theme of Mr. McPherson's session.

We're in one of the worst economies in 70 years, if not a century, Mr. McPherson said. We're looking at everything we can do to be more effective. We have to look at everything across the board, from cost-cutting to smarter ways to program our network. The world has shifted underneath these businesses. We need to be incredibly bold.

Mr. McPherson also said he was happy about NBC's decision to dump drama programming at 10 p.m. in favor of stripping a Jay Leno comedy show.

It opens up beachfront real estate to less bidders, he said. We're hoping there are viewers who are left behind (by NBC) that we can grab.

With Mr. Leno now no longer a near-term possibility for ABC's late-night schedule, Mr. McPherson said the network once again was discussing the best strategy for Jimmy Kimmel Live.

We're looking at everything. It changes the landscape, he said, adding that moving Mr. Kimmel is still a possibility, as is finding new ways to promote the show in its current timeslot.

A big chunk of Mr. McPherson's session with journalists was dominated by questions regarding the creative direction of ABC's hit Thursday soap opera Grey's Anatomy. The ABC executive tackled critics' concerns head on, hinting that creator Shonda Rhimes was aware of viewers' complaints about the show's controversial Izzie-Denny storyline.

I think shows ebb and flow, especially the kinds of shows we have, he said. Shonda is one of, if not the most, talented women writer out there. I think she's responded to the criticism extremely well.

Mr. McPherson also said that viewers will better understand the Denny-Izzie storyline when the season is over.

On other matters:

Mr. McPherson said definitively that ABC would not be picking up 20th Century Fox TV's King of the Hill. With Fox saying it has no plans to order more episodes, the show may be dead.

ABC's new animated half-hour The Goode Family may not premiere until May, Mr. McPherson said. The network expects to announce the rest of its spring premieres in the next few weeks.

Mr. McPherson said According to Jim is probably (in) its final run. But you never say never. Jim' has been an amazing asset for us.

http://www.tvweek.com/news/2009/01/a..._more_sitc.php

Never thought of it - but it makes perfect sense, even when you take into account the $$$ spent with shipping & handling of the coupon requests, and the, if I recall correctly, 1.5Mi used to alert citizens of the analog shut off.

Your math is a little different from mine, too....

Wow...

I found no mention of this in yesterday's Record, and when I called Rockefeller's office this morning, they couldn't give me a bill number, because they don't think it has one yet. They said it should be introduced today, and the text should be available online tomorrow.

Sorry, I hit an extra 0 on the product there. I'll fix my post and re-verify the rest. Either way, they don't need anywhere close to $650 million.

Start by doing the show in HD.

Makes too much sense. For that very reason, it won't happen.

I agree with foxeng 100% on keeping the date, and funding the coupons.

Wouldn't it be nice if congress could act this fast...every day?

Maybe it would get quicker funding to my state > county > town so that big huge pothole on my street will get fixed. Think I could get the request run through tomorrow afternoon?

For Immediate Release
Contact: Mitch Pomerantz (626) 372-5150
American Council of the Blind Announces
Audio Description for the Inauguration

WASHINGTON, January 16, 2009 - The American Council of the Blind (ACB), under the auspices of its new Audio Description Project, proudly announces that, for the first time ever, blind and low vision persons will have access to audio description during three major events surrounding the inauguration of Barack Obama: at the Opening Day Ceremonies at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday, January 18; the Presidential Inaugural Parade on Tuesday, January 20; and the National Prayer Service on Wednesday, January 21. Audio description will allow users of the service to hear concise and vivid descriptions of the visual spectacle at all three events.

In cooperation with ABC-TV, audio description will be broadcast throughout the network's Inauguration Day coverage, marking the first time that a commercial network has provided live audio description access to an inauguration for the benefit of its blind and low vision audience. From 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. EST, ABC will make its SAP (Secondary Audio Program) channel available for people who wish to hear descriptions woven into the pauses in its regular audio commentary. (The descriptive audio will only be available when viewers choose the SAP channel audio stream and only on standard definition broadcasts.)

Audio Description uses words that are succinct, vivid, and imaginative to convey the visual image from television, film, DVDs, theater, museums and many other settings. "We are honored to be a part of making this historic event accessible to our members and all blind and low vision Americans,"
commented Mitch Pomerantz, President of the American Council of the Blind."

For more information on audio description, visit:
www.adinternational.org


About the American Council of the Blind

The American Council of the Blind is a national membership organization. Its members are blind, visually impaired, and fully sighted individuals who are concerned about the dignity and well-being of blind people throughout the nation.

Formed in 1961, the ACB is one of the largest organizations of blind people in the world, with more than 70 state and special-interest affiliates and a nationwide network of chapters and members spanning the globe.

For more information about the American Council of the Blind,
contact: Mitch Pomerantz, President, American Council of the Blind, 2200 Wilson Blvd., Suite 650, Arlington, VA 22201; phone (626) 372-5150 or visit the web site, www.acb.org.

While I think this is a great idea, I had to laugh at the above portion. It sounds like something you would get by hiring Robin Williams to do voice-over without a script in front of him...