Hot Off The Press: The Latest TV News and Information - Page 17

TV Q&A
Ask Matt (from the Ask Matt column at TVGuide.com)
ÂDancing with the StarsÂ, ÂHeroesÂ, Â24Â, Alec Baldwin and More
By Matt Roush: TVGuide.com TV Critic Monday, April 30, 2007

Question: Now that a total of four women have been voted off Dancing with the Stars, there is only one female celebrity (Laila Ali) left. Do you think that a woman will ever win Dancing with the Stars again? I think it will be difficult because the majority of viewers are women, and they tend to vote for the male celebrities they like. Or perhaps the male celebrities have greater fan bases. And thank you for your column. It's the first thing I read on Mondays and Fridays. Maggie

Matt Roush: Thank you. And thanks for the question. It is curious that in this casserole of quasi-celebrity that makes up the cast of Dancing with the Stars, beauty queens and supermodels don't have a lot of staying power. Neither, ultimately, does a tabloid queen from across the pond. (Personally, I was bummed when Paulina was the first to go. She was such a good sport.) Meanwhile, on the male side, a disengaged former NBA star stays on longer than he should (though he's thankfully gone now), and a lead-footed (albeit charming) country star sails through. Doesn't exactly seem fair, but I think it's a fair assumption that because Dancing's appeal skews largely female (and possibly gay, but let's not generalize), hot guys, cute guys, funny guys, even a "teddy bear" like John Ratzenberger (think Jerry Springer) may earn more viewer votes. I'm not sure Laila Ali can actually beat Apolo Anton Ohno or possibly Joey Fatone this season, but she's clearly not giving up without a fight. Too bad this wasn't Stacy Keibler's season. (She should never have placed third to Jerry Rice's No. 2.) I'm not saying no woman can ever win this competition again. I'm just saying she'll have to be at least as good as Stacy, and probably come into the show with a larger pre-existing fan base.

Question: I was wondering what you think about Heroes. When it first premiered, you seemed to think very little of it. But you now seem to talk about it every week in a positive light. I'm not a fan of the show, but I watched the most recent one, and while I can't deny it's entertaining, there's something off about it. I can't quite figure out what. So, are you enjoying it, are you a fan or do you just enjoy the entertainment aspects of it? Lisa

Matt Roush: I'm not sure what else is required beyond enjoying "the entertainment aspects" of a show. Here's how I described Heroes in my most recent review, comparing it to 24's recent decline: "[It] can still be ungainly and uneven but has grown in intensity and fascination as the paths among the cast of conflicted characters keep intersecting. The closer they get to each other, the better Heroes becomes." I still have problems with the show. Too many characters, not all of equal interest, and a still-nagging vagueness about their purpose, although Sylar has certainly developed into a galvanizing nemesis. The evolution of HRG from generic shadow baddie to a conflicted, tragic antihero has been terrific to watch. And I've loved Hiro and his misadventures from the start. In all, Heroes still seems to me to be a mixed bag, but one that's finally beginning to deliver the goods more often than not.

Question: I have two quick questions regarding one of my favorite TV shows: Heroes. The first is about Hiro. If all of the heroes' powers are genetic, then how come Hiro needs the sword to unlock his full power? I don't understand why a particular item would be helpful, unless this is just a physical symbol of him overcoming his own doubt. The second question is about Peter. If he can gain anyone's abilities just by being around them, then how come he has not gained the abilities that Sylar has absorbed, e.g. enhanced hearing and the ability to melt matter? Jeff

Matt Roush: Now this is the part of Heroes I don't enjoy. Getting lost in the details would be as damaging to the enjoyment of this show as it has proven for those who want only answers on Lost. I honestly don't have a clue about either of these anomalies. Just thinking about it makes my brain want to explode. (I usually caution people against message boards, but for discussing such matters, they probably come in handy.) Deep down, it's stuff like this that makes me think that Heroes' writers may be making up the rules for each character as they go along. I don't really mind, as long as the plotting remains strong.

Question: I can't help but notice the ratings of a handful of favorite watercooler shows are sagging this spring. Desperate Housewives, Lost and now Heroes have come back to far lower ratings. While each show faces its own unique problems, I can't help but wonder if there's something more to it. Could it be the DVR and Internet phenomenon gaining ground, or have viewers become far more impatient with the sweeps cycle of fresh runs followed by repeats? It seems like if everything isn't new, everyone just tunes out from TV completely. I wonder if ABC is scrambling to find out why. Any thoughts? Robbie

Matt Roush: Lots of theories, but no concrete answers to this dilemma. I think it's a bit of all of these elements, but the downturn of these last weeks seems primarily to be a reflection of the fact that the season's momentum was damaged by the long spring break for so many shows. And that's compounded by the fact that this has been such a dismal mid-season, with no significant new network hits emerging. Or, as Kim from Atlanta puts it: "What is wrong with the networks, taking hit shows off at mid-season and replacing them with two-bit shows? Then they bring the hits back and expect us to follow along like they were never gone. I find it hard to follow and don't understand why they keep doing this. Years past, they would air one show all season and then during the summer air a couple of episodes of new shows to garner viewers for the fall. Now they switch the schedule around so much and wonder why the viewers are not watching. Well, DUH!!!!"

Duh, indeed. It's not so much the fact that there are shows getting mid-season tryouts  that's been part of the biz for a long time  but that the networks are so scared of running repeats of their shows, because they tend not to do so well on the second run, they've pulled many of them (like Heroes and ER) entirely for weeks on end. It's all very confusing and frustrating. These are scheduling dilemmas that the networks will need to address. But the solution of increasing episode orders for most of these shows is probably not going to happen. Who's going to pay for it? Certainly not we viewers, who are causing advertisers fits with all of our DVR time-shifting, that's for sure.

Question: I was wondering if you have watched the latest episodes of The Riches. After the pilot episode, I thought this series had a lot of potential, and I was excited to see what was going to happen in the upcoming episodes. But after watching these last couple of episodes, I've had mixed reactions to the story lines. What is your opinion of the show as of now? Kent

Matt Roush: I've kept up with the show up to this week, but I have a feeling that as sweeps kicks in, I'm going to fall seriously behind. This is definitely not one of my must-sees. I was ambivalent when it started, but now the negatives far outweigh the positives. I see what other critics like about it  it's original, the characters are vivid to a fault, and the theme of "stealing the American dream" is a timely one  but I don't believe a moment of anything that's happening in the life of the "Riches" as they fake being rich (and Doug fakes being a lawyer). And when the action shifts back to the gypsy camp, I simply can't force myself to care. Last week's episode, with everyone pointing guns at everyone, was maybe the last straw. But as I reported in my FX Dispatch last week, the network is leaning seriously toward renewing not only The Riches but also Dirt. Maybe these shows will improve in a second season. Stranger things have happened.

Question: Like you, I was glad to see a new installment of Ugly Betty on April 19. However, unlike you, I did not like it at all. The underage sex, the infidelity, the conniving and a cold, cold Betty that I thought was out of character  what has happened to the show I once loved? I know the characters are caricatures, but they have become caricatures of themselves. We hardly even saw Betty in that week's episode. Is ABC so desperate for viewers that they will ruin a good show by investing in soap-opera-ish plots? I had hoped for more from Ugly Betty, but it looks like it will go the way of all good shows and become just another mediocre version of itself. What are your thoughts? David

Matt Roush: I think people are sometimes way too eager to write off a show after one off episode (or even a couple). I'm not sure how you characterize the show, but Ugly Betty is and always has been a soap opera, while also being a heightened parody of and loving homage to a certain form of soap opera. It is a show of extremes: extreme behavior, extreme twists, extreme highs and lows as well as extreme production design. This was an episode in which many of Betty's illusions were shattered, and she reacted in despair, even turning her back on Daniel. It may have seemed cold to you, but I felt her pain. It may not have been my favorite episode, but I don't expect even my favorite shows to hit a home run every week. I certainly didn't see it as a reason to bail.

Question: First, I just want to thank you for all of the excellent shows you've championed through the years. If it weren't for critics like you, I doubt we'd see half of the great programs we currently enjoy. That being said, I just have to weigh in about the supposedly "struggling" NBC comedy lineup. There are times when somebody just has to stand up and declare, "Who cares what the numbers are?" Sheesh! If HBO had listened to market demographics alone, we wouldn't have The Sopranos, Deadwood, Curb Your Enthusiasm, etc. If NBC had listened to the Nielsens back in the '80s and '90s, Seinfeld would be a forgotten experiment and so would Cheers. And another thing: Does anyone really believe the accuracy of Nielsen numbers in an age of TiVo and cybercasting? How do you really measure who's watching what and when anymore? It's amazing how "popular" a show can become when a network simply says, "This is fantastic programming, and we're going to air it." Isn't there some truth in the maxim: Build it and the audience will come? I realize this may sound idealistic, but I think HBO has proven that quality can succeed. I think the current NBC comedy lineup is the best thing we've seen since the glory days of CBS when you could watch All in the Family, Mary Tyler Moore and Bob Newhart on Saturday night. I used to say, "Those were the days." Now I can say, "Hooray for Thursday nights!"Â Vance H.

Matt Roush: I love the Thursday lineup, too, but NBC only wishes it had the ratings muscle of CBS' legendary lineup. Will any of NBC's current comedies evolve into Seinfeld/Cheers-level blockbusters? It's hard to see how. NBC is to be applauded for sticking with these shows and delivering such a great night of comedy, but you're only reporting half the story if you ignore how this once-dominant network (on Thursdays in particular) is trailing the competition. And HBO will be the first to tell you they're in an entirely different business from the networks. It would be nice if everyone had their creative freedom, but that's just not the case.

Question: First, a media storm erupted over Alec Baldwin and the now-infamous voice-mail he left his daughter. Now I'm hearing that he had an exclusive interview with Rosie O'Donnell in which he said that he's been in the business for more than 20 years and would be happy never to do TV again. I know 30 Rock has already been renewed, but do you think this will have any effect on the show? It was struggling in the ratings already, and I'd hate for this to have a negative effect. Say what you will about his parenting, Alec Baldwin is genius as Jack Donaghy. Have you heard whether or not NBC has had to do any damage control, Ã* la ABC's Isaiah-gate? On that note, I've been wondering to myself why I find these two situations so vastly different. Maybe it's because I have a feeling that most parents have probably thought that their kids, at one point or another, were acting like "rude pigs," but few of them have actually said it to them. Any thoughts on the situation? Cara

Matt Roush: As I write this, NBC has chosen not to overreact to Alec Baldwin's recent noise over quitting showbiz  and 30 Rock while he's at it. The network seems to believe, and I see no reason to doubt it, that this embarrassing tabloid firestorm over his ever-turbulent personal life will eventually die down, and once this notoriously volatile (some would say unstable) actor comes to his senses, maybe around the time he gets the Emmy nomination he deserves (let's hope), he'll calm down and realize what a gift this show and role are to him. His notoriety isn't likely to have much effect on the show in the short term. It ended its season last Thursday and has already been renewed. In the worst-case scenario, should Baldwin break his contract and leave the show, now that would hurt. Let's just take NBC at its word for now that "Alec Baldwin remains an important part of 30 Rock." Does he ever.

Question: I was wondering if you might comment on a trend I've recently noticed in television: TV producers being the victims of "cyberbullying." There have been a number of examples where a show's writers/producers have suddenly altered plots as a result of fan discontent. Certainly, in recent weeks, we've seen 24 go in a dramatic new direction by abandoning the suitcase-nukes story line for the "Save Audrey" story. Then there was the interview in which Lost's Damon Lindelof admitted they scrapped a story arc involving Nikki and Paulo and killed them off as a result of fans' disdain for the characters. Also, there have been a couple of scoops that Michael Ausiello provided that ended up not coming true (i.e., Chase proposing to Cameron on House) because producers changed their minds. Shouldn't the writers and producers have faith in their work and let the stories play out? Or should we expect this to become more common and have every Tom, Dick and Harry dictate what happens on our favorite shows? Adam

Matt Roush: Nothing could be more dangerous to the creative process, from where I sit. Long-running shows are invariably going to take unfortunate detours  the Izzie-George liaison on Grey's Anatomy among the more recent  and the course corrections that often ensue are also part of the process. Sometimes (as in the Nikki/Paulo situation) changes do seem to be sparked by viewer discontent. The way these characters were introduced made them instantly hated, but in being forced to deal with the Nikki/Paulo "problem," the writers delivered an instant classic (at least in my book). I'm not so sure 24 is in the same boat. There's no question the season was going off the rails, but 24 has shifted gears like this before, though possibly not quite so late in the season. I'm not sure, given the time frame in which that show is produced, that fan input had much to do with it. But if I thought that it was common practice for show producers to be trolling fansites for validation of their creative choices, then changing the content to appease the whiners, I'd be horrified. TV is a writer's medium, and writers should be given free rein to tell the stories they want to tell, taking risks along the way. Sometimes they won't pay off, but if writers aren't going to follow their own muse out of fear of fan reaction, I can't imagine a more dismal situation.

Question: I hesitated writing you about this current season of 24, because I didn't want to spoil the surprises that I believe are coming in the finale. But you are so clearly not comprehending this season that I had to contact you. It has its faults. They've introduced too many new characters, and these characters are not particularly lovable. And some elements of the plot are really "out there." However, I picked up what the writers were doing this year and where they were taking us right off the bat. I've been utterly shocked that no one else has caught on. This season is a scam. A hoax. A con job. I am 100 percent sure that Jack, his allies at CTU, the Wayne Palmer administration, the Logans, the Russians and even members of Jack's own family are participating in an elaborate and bizarre sting operation to catch the bad guys who have been behind several nefarious events that took place in past seasons. Everyone is play-acting, and nothing is what it appears to be. If this season's plot seems like a repeat of the second, with elements of the fourth mixed in, it's intentional on the writers' part. The evildoers behind the incidents of the second and the fourth are up to their old tricks again: terrorist attacks, attempted presidential assassinations and potential wars. These baddies have no imagination; they stick to the same script every time. And that lack of versatility will be their downfall. They are walking straight into a trap set up by Jack and his friends, who were anticipating exactly what they were going to do based upon their history.

I'm not sure of all the details, but here are a few things you need to know:

1) It will turn out that Jack didn't have as rough a time in China as we're being led to believe. Do you believe that he was just released from a Chinese prison? His physical condition is too good.
2) Jack's family is not evil. In fact, Jack is following the "family legacy."
3) A bomb did not go off in Valencia. I know, this sounds nuts. But it didn't. The good guys set off an EMP, like the baddies did in Season 4. They needed to buy some time to execute the sting operation.
4) A bomb did not go off in the presidential bunker. Another fake-out.
5) Morris is not an alcoholic.
6) Mike Doyle will end up being a blood relative of a 24 character (or characters). And Doyle has a wife.
7) The autistic kid from a few episodes back is a relative of Jack's. His name was Brady Hauser. (B)rady H(au)s(er)=Bauer.
The six remaining episodes may turn out to be a disappointment. Personally, I think they're going to be a log jam. I don't know if this season will hold up for posterity, but I hope when it ends that the critics will learn a lesson about being overly eager to slam a show or a movie without completely understanding the material.

 Christiana

Matt Roush: And this, my friends, is how you compile a Q&A column. Always leave 'em laughing.

http://www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Co...aspx#01dancing

Nielsen Notebook
After 4 Nights of the May Sweep:
(Numbers crunched by Dumont demo) at Marc Berman's Programming Insider blog:

2007 A18-49 vs first 4 nights 2006 A18-49

ABC 3.4 vs 3.1 (+10%)
FOX 2.4 vs 2.4 (even)
CW 1.1 vs. 1.3 (-15% from The WB)
CBS 2.8 vs 3.6 (-22%)
NBC 1.9 vs 2.8 (-32%)
MNT 0.3 vs 1.0 (-70% from UPN, Thurs comparison only)

NBC is now averaging below a 2.0 in the demo (1.93) for the May Sweep, but is expected to rebound with its Monday programming.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

http://pifeedback.com/eve/forums/a/t...m/56610684/p/2

Critic's Notebook
A superb look at Mormons
It's rare when a religion receives 4 hours of prime time -- especially television of this quality
Hal Boedeker Orlando Sentinel Television Critic April 30, 2007

Religion rarely receives any time in prime time. So four hours devoted to Mormonism are going to stand out on the TV landscape.

PBS' The Mormons deserves the attention, because the documentary takes a thoughtful, probing look at a religion that has angered and mystified millions throughout U.S. history. History matters as much as religious doctrine in this epic American story of outsiders becoming insiders.

The program premieres as Mormons gain new stature: Harry Reid leads Senate Democrats, and Republican Mitt Romney runs for president. Director Helen Whitney didn't interview either in the program, which airs from 9 to 11 tonight and Tuesday on PBS (but check your local PBS listings).

But Whitney has found first-rate speakers and assembled the material with style. She achieves balance by interviewing believers and skeptics, church insiders and the excommunicated. Most crucially, she provides respect that has often been denied the religion.

Utah historian Ken Verdoia points to presidential inaugurations to trace the Mormons' rise. In the span of a century, presidents went from decrying the religion to asking the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to sing.

Mormons "were considered a knife at the back of the American experience," Verdoia says. "Now they are, in fact, considered in some ways the very embodiment of what it means to be American. How was that brought about?"

The first half examines the religion's history. Joseph Smith's vision of the angel Moroni led to publication of The Book of Mormon and the church's founding in 1830.

"It was religion made in the USA," author Simon Worrall says. "For the first time, you had a home-grown religion, a home-grown prophet."

And it was a source of controversy immediately, with newspapers and traditional Christians blasting what they saw as blasphemy and fraud. The Mormons faced persecution in Ohio, Missouri and Illinois. Smith's death at the hands of an Illinois mob could have been the end.

But Brigham Young emerged as leader and guided believers to the valley of the Great Salt Lake in 1847. Whitney recounts that heroic feat in stirring style.

She also explores dark chapters in Mormon history. In 1857, Mormons attacked a wagon train in what became known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre. At least 120 travelers were slain, and a church cover-up began.

"How did these decent, religious men who had sacrificed so much for what they believed in, how did they become mass murderers?" historian Will Bagley asks.

Whitney turns to polygamy without sensationalism. Church leader Young would marry more than 50 women. The program estimates that just 20 percent to 30 percent of Mormons practiced polygamy.

Still, plural marriage would hurt the Mormons' image and stall Utah statehood for nearly 50 years. In 1890, the church renounced polygamy.

The documentary's second half explores the church's growth, mission and determination to control its message. Whitney provides context and discussion rare for a medium driven by sound bites.

Speakers cite family as central to Mormonism's growth and endurance. (South Park made the same point in an episode on Mormonism.)

"It's the Mormon fixation on the family as a coherent unit that's so important, says Jon Butler, a Yale professor of religion. "Within Mormonism there is an emphasis on the collective, the collective sense of the family."

Author Terryl Givens says Mormons understand family "not as an entity of social organization but as an organization that has its roots in the premortal world and will persist into the eternal life."

The most moving segment focuses on a family sustained by faith as a 23-year-old daughter deals with a fatal condition. But Whitney also explores why the religion isn't accommodating to intellectuals, feminists, gays and dissenters.

Trevor Southey, an excommunicated gay, says, "There's something terribly tragic that not only Mormonism, but most religions, have such a hard time with the odd ducks."

For a lot of their history, the Mormons were odd ducks. Savvy public relations helped change that situation.

"One of the major PR tools of the church has been the tabernacle choir," says U.S. Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah. "When they got on radio, they became the nation's choir. The tabernacle choir has been an extraordinary ambassador for the church."

To its great credit, The Mormons goes beyond public relations to ask important questions in an intelligent way. All religions should be so lucky on television.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/enter...l=orl-caltvtop

Critic's Notebook
the Mormons
Modern-Day Look at History of the Latter-Day Saints
By Neil Genzlinger The New York Times April 30, 2007

A proposition: If your beliefs are any good, you needn't be afraid to bring them out into the light. The proof: The Mormons, a thoughtful two-part series tonight and tomorrow on PBS. The tenets of the Mormon church may not be to everyone's tastes, but the church members and leaders who speak in this program are admirably forthright about their religion's history, strengths and challenges. It's great to hear people who believe in something and can articulate it without sounding crazy or defensive.

The Mormons is the first joint production of American Experience, the history series, and Frontline, the public-affairs program. The history side, which dominates tonight, is the strongest.

The installment would be interesting enough if it merely related the fascinating story of the founding and evolution of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the religion more commonly known as Mormonism. But it also manages to mix in, through some well-chosen talking heads, an intriguing discussion of what faith is, what religion is and what the Mormon story has in common with Judaism, Islam and early Christianity.

The religion began with revelations to Joseph Smith in Palmyra, N.Y., in the 1820s, most notably the Book of Mormon, which he said was delivered to him on golden tablets. The resulting church, the program notes, is distinctive in that it was created in the United States and it is relatively young; its founding events are not shrouded in centuries of historical mist. That has made it an easy target for skepticism and scientific inquiry, but this program is not really interested in knocking down the church's pillars. All religion depends on revelation, Harold Bloom is heard to say. All revelation is supernatural.

The persecutions endured by the early Mormons as they were driven west into Utah are starkly chronicled the parallels to Judaism and other religions are unmistakable and so is the gruesome flip side: the Mountain Meadows massacre of 1857, in which 120 people in a wagon train traveling through Utah were murdered by Mormons. Part I ends with the church in transition as the 19th century winds down, trying to fit into modern America.

Part II opens with a promise to explore how the church went from being denounced by American presidents in the 1880s to having its famed singers, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, perform at presidential inaugurations a century later. But the promise isn't really fulfilled. The installment ends up being a disjointed collage of personal stories from believers and critics. Two leading Mormon politicians, Harry Reid of Nevada, the Senate majority leader, and Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, the Republican presidential candidate, merit brief mentions early on, but are never seen again.

Yet the portrait of the modern-day church, which the program says has 12 million members worldwide, is compelling nonetheless. Some of its teachings that marriage is eternal, that family is primary have an undeniable beauty, and if the church isn't shy about using excommunication to discourage deviance, even those who have been driven out speak of it with a certain affection.

There is a split personality at work here: Mormonism has clearly evolved denouncing the polygamy it once sanctioned, for instance but today seems determined to stand fast on issues like homosexuality. Marlin K. Jensen, a historian of the church, provides one of the program's most compelling moments when he speaks to that subject head-on.

If you're going to live your life within the framework of the gospel and within the framework of our doctrine, he says, then you've got to choose to marry someone of the opposite sex, and if you can't do that honestly, then your choice has to be to live a celibate life. And that is a very difficult choice. Of those who have to make it, he says, My heart goes out to them. And you believe him.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/30/ar...nt&oref=slogin

I have kind of enjoyed it, Jim.

But once the question is answered if the main character will return to his town, where is the potential for real drama?

It seems to me a basic one-story show. (As does "Ugly Betty", to me at least. OK, we get it that the pretty people are all mean and nasty, and Betty isn't. It was fun to watch that for a while. But now what?)

I think either of these would have best been a 13-episode series with no expectations beyond that.

Yes, "Brothers and Sisters" just keeps getting more addictive for me.

Thanks for reminding me about the postponed Larry King celebration, RussB.

It's a Down Upfront
Networks Execs Face Hard Sell After Dismal Year
By Holly M. Sanders New York Post April 30, 2007

When network executives take the stage in two weeks to unfurl their new fall TV shows, they will face their toughest audience in years.

For all the networks, it will be hard to stand before a roomful of advertisers and ad buyers and persuade them that the past year was a success.

Primetime ratings are down across the board heading into the May "upfronts," the annual shopping spree when advertisers pick up commercial time.

Advertisers are still hungering for hits after this year's crop produced few breakout shows. With the exception of NBC's "Heroes" and to a lesser degree ABC's "Ugly Betty," the networks have little reason to boast.

Moreover, each of the major networks - ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC - have weak spots in their schedules that will be hard to ignore in their pitches to advertisers.

"I don't think there's any network chief who can get up there and say they had a successful year," said an ad buyer, who asked to go unnamed.

In terms of total primetime viewers, ABC is down nearly 13 percent this year, NBC is down almost 11 percent and CBS is down more than 7 percent, according to Nielsen.

Fox is up slightly but even its ratings juggernaut, "American Idol," has shown weakness recently. News Corp. owns Fox and The Post.

Some of the declines can be attributed to the rise of digital video recorders, or DVRs.

The current live ratings used to negotiate ad rates don't include any DVR playback, although the major networks and advertisers are trying to address that issue.

Along with the changes sweeping the TV industry, each of the major networks faces individual problems with their lineups.

Although "Heroes" was a hit this year, NBC still ranks in fourth place with the most scheduling holes. Wednesday is the worst night and is now pretty much wide open after the cancellation of "Kidnapped" and "20 Good Years."

Several other freshman shows, including "Studio 60" and "The Black Donnellys" are on the bubble, or expecting the ax, so there could be even more gaps to be fill in the fall season.

ABC had been on a hot streak with shows like "Grey's Anatomy," but other successes, such as "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives," are showing signs of cooling off. As a result, ad buyers said the network has a lot riding on a much-anticipated "Grey's" spinoff featuring actress Kate Walsh.

Even CBS, which touts its stable schedule year after year, is under pressure to come up with some fresh shows to liven up its veteran lineup, including the aging "Survivor."

The top-ranked network also relies heavily on crime and legal dramas like "CSI," which appeal to the current TV audience but could leave it vulnerable down the line.

The No. 1 ranked network cites shows like "Shark" and "Jericho" as successes, but the reality is that they attract only modest ratings, ad buyers said.

Fox will be in better shape after cutting back on the number of postseason Major League Baseball games in October, which delayed the debut of fall shows and hurt ratings.

Although the network had a couple of new shows with solid ratings this season, almost all of them benefited from "Idol" as an audience lead-in or promotional tool. It remains to be seen if they can stand on their own.

http://www.nypost.com/php/pfriendly/...m__sanders.htm

Passings
Tommy Newsom, 78
Former backup bandleader for Johnny Carson
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PORTSMOUTH, Va. -- Tommy Newsom, the former backup bandleader on "The Tonight Show" whose "Mr. Excitement" nickname was a running joke for Johnny Carson, has died. He was 78.

Newsom died of cancer Saturday at his home in Portsmouth, the city of his birth, according to his nephew, Jim Newsom.

Newsom, who played saxophone, joined "The Tonight Show" in 1962 and rose from band member to assistant music director. He retired along with Carson in 1992.

Newsom won music direction Emmys for "Night of 100 Stars" in 1982 and "The 40th Annual Tony Awards Show" in 1986. "The Tonight Show" received five Emmy awards during Newsom's years on it.

"I hope he will be remembered as a gifted musician," Jim Newsom said Monday in a telephone interview. "I'm sure he will be remembered for his wit and deadpan humor on `The Tonight Show.' And to some of us a certain age, he will always be remembered as Mr. Excitement."

More here:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/printe...it_Newsom.html

Passings
Tommy Newsom, 78

A nice interview by his nephew Jim back in 2003 is here:

http://www.jimnewsom.com/PFW-TommyNewsom.html

TV Notebook
Mark Burnett, Roma Downey Marry
By Cynthia Wang People Magazine

Reality TV producer Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice) and former Touched By An Angel star Roma Downey were wed in a private ceremony at their home in Malibu Saturday afternoon, PEOPLE confirms exclusively.

"It was wonderful to have shared our big day with our family - Roma, myself, our children and our parents," Burnett, who's also producing this summer's On the Lot on FOX and Pirate Master on CBS, tells PEOPLE. "It was so meaningful and so intimate."

On a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Burnett, 46, and Downey, 47, said their "I dos" in a ceremony officiated by Downey's Angel costar, Della Reese, 75, who is an ordained minister.

Burnett's sons from a previous marriage, James, 13 and Cameron, 10, acted as best man and ring bearer, respectively (Cameron was also the ring bearer for the wedding of Donald Trump and Melania Knauss in January 2005). Downey's daughter from a previous marriage, Reilly, 10, was a bridesmaid.

Also in attendance were Burnett's father, Archie, 83, dressed in a traditional kilt, and Burnett's stepmother, Jean; for Downey, Reese and her husband, Franklin, stood in for Downey's parents, both of whom have passed away.

At the end of the half-hour ceremony, which included family members reading selected passages from novels and poems, a small plane that Downey had hired as a surprise for Burnett flew overhead with a banner that read, "... and they lived happily ever after."

Retreating to their backyard, the family settled into a seafood reception with shrimp cocktail, fresh lobster salad and broiled lobster tails. The adults toasted with Cristal Champagne; the kids, with Martinelli's sparkling apple juice. To finish the day: wedding cake, ice cream and fruit.

The couple, who had been Malibu neighbors for years when they started dating in January of 2004, became engaged last November during a Thanksgiving family vacation in Zihuatenejo, Mexico. The traveling will continue as the pair leaves on a 10-day honeymoon to Jordan, where Lawrence of Arabia was filmed, and London.

http://www.people.com/people/article...037196,00.html

Critic's Notebook
TV is not fair
By Scott D. Pierce Salt Lake City Deseret Morning News April 30, 2007

This is why I hate television. Fox has canceled "Drive" after only four episodes aired.

Which means not only has another promising show bitten the dust, but yet another serialized show will leave us forever hanging.

Not that it's a particularly surprising move on the network's part. "Drive" averaged only 5.6 million viewers per episode, which in the world of network television is bad.

But the short life and early death of "Drive" involves a whole bunch of the things that I hate about television, including:

Bad scheduling: What in the world were they thinking at Fox when they decided to premiere "Drive" on a Sunday night? And not just any Sunday night, but the one on which HBO aired the final-season premiere of "The Sopranos"?

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

I'm no scheduling genius, but wouldn't it perhaps have made more sense to premiere "Drive" on Monday? Maybe even push "24" up an hour to 7 p.m. for one week and air the "Drive" pilot at 8 p.m. on a week when there was not a new episode of "Heroes"?

Lack of patience: Given that the first two hours of "Drive" aired in a two-hour block, the show really only got three outings before it was axed.

Whatever happened to trying to build an audience?

Quality loses out: At least for its first four hours, "Drive" produced exciting, watchable episodes that not much of anybody watched.

On the other hand, the show it replaced on Fox's schedule, "Prison Break," degenerated in its second season into an embarrassingly bad, unwatchable piece of junk. And yet enough viewers tuned in for it to be renewed for a third season.

Sticking it to viewers: OK, so "only" 5.6 million viewers were watching "Drive." But those of us who were among those 5.6 million will never find out what was going on.

Like most serialized shows, "Drive" was loaded with mysteries. The characters in the race had secrets; the identities of those behind the race were secret; their motives were secret.

And we're never going to find out what those secrets were. Even if the two episodes that are sitting on the shelf are ever seen anywhere (like the Internet), we won't come close to the end of the 13-episode story arc.

And that stinks.

I don't really hate television, of course. I love television. If I didn't love it, I couldn't work up the emotion to hate it when things like this happen.

It would be just awful to be a TV critic if you really hate television. What a miserable life that would be, and it could turn you into a miserable person.

I have, however, known a few TV critics who hate television. ...

One of the reasons Fox pulled the plug on "Drive" is because "24" has been getting some of its worst ratings ever the past couple of weeks with "Drive" as its lead-in.

(Instead, "House" reruns will air Mondays at 8 PM ET/PT until further notice.)

Just an FYI for my friends at Fox: The rating problems of "24" have a whole lot to do with how bad that show has gotten in recent weeks.

http://www.desnews.com/dn/print/1,14...215766,00.html

The Hot Off The Press (I & II) Notebook
Milestone Posts
Post numbers, time (Pacific) and posters
(First post: August 27, 2004. 7:24 PM Pacific time by fredfa)
1,000 Dec. 9, 2004, 717p fredfa
2,000 March 16, 2005, 330p keenan
3,000 May 18, 2005, 753a Paul Bigelow
4,000 July 23, 2005, 517p fredfa
5,000 Sept. 15, 2005, 1029a fredfa
6,000 Oct. 25, 2005, 734a fredfa
7,000 Nov. 28, 2005, 649p fredfa
8,000 Dec. 24, 2005, 220p fredfa
9,000 Jan. 26, 2006, 618p fredfa
10,000 March 27, 2006, 253p keenan
11,000 May 17, 2006, 1108a fredfa
12,000 June 10, 2006, 643p fredfa
13,000 July 10, 2006, 300p VisionOn
14,000 July 28, 2006, 122p 123HDTV
15,000 Aug. 28, 2006, 702p fredfa
16,000 Sept. 25, 2006, 609a Jediphish
17,000 Oct. 19, 2006, 1046p fredfa
18,000 Nov. 15, 2006, 1119p fredfa
19,000 Dec. 11, 2006, 1142a harley1
20,000 Jan 6, 2007, 916a dad1153
21,000 Jan 23, 2007, 829p PJO1966
22,000 Feb 8, 2007, 620p RussTC3
23,000 Feb 28, 2007, 107p Iteki
24,000 Mar 21, 2007, 822a fredfa
25,000 Apr 11, 2007, 1103p RussB
26,000 Apr 30, 2007, 330p fredfa

The 2007-2008 Season
This year's Upfront dates

Two weeks from today we will start to learn which shows will be back next year and what new programs are being scheduled by the networks as NBC announces its schedule for prime time shows beginning in the fall.

Will Law & Order survive? How about Law & Order: Criminal Intent? And will the network bring back the low-rated but critically acclaimed Friday Night Lights?

Here is the revised upfront schedule of when networks make their 2007-2008 season presentations to the nation's advertisers (and TV critics) in New York City:

NBC Monday May 14
ABC Tuesday May 15
CBS Wednesday May 16
FOX Thursday May 17
CW Thursday May 17

So be sure to check in to the Hot Off The Press thread from now and throughout the Upfront announcements for complete coverage of what we'll be seeing starting in September.

Critic's Notebook
The May Sweep
Settle in with the remote for long month of wrap-ups
Mark Dawidziak Cleveland Plain Dealer Television Critic

Television doesn't go gathering nuts in May. It just goes nuts.

It's a predictable rite of spring. It's bound to happen when you reach that congested prime-time intersection where lunacy meets desperation.

Lunacy? It's a sweeps period, folks, when ratings determine advertising rates.

Desperation? In addition to being a sweeps period, it's the last month of the 2006-07 ratings season. It's the home stretch, the bottom of the ninth, the final chance, the last roundup, the mad dash for the finish line.

So it's the month when we get stunts and cliff hangers, season finales and series finales, over hyped specials and very special episodes. So here's your survival guide to nav igating the crazy cross roads TV bills as amazing May. Take it one category at a time.

Very special episodes

"Medium" (10 p.m. Wednesday, NBC): Neve Campbell and Jason Priestly begin a three-episode arc.

"CSI: NY" (10 p.m. Wednesday, CBS): Akron native Melina Kanakaredes is at the center of this episode about Stella coming under suspicion for a 10-year-old murder in Philadelphia.

"Grey's Anatomy" (9 p.m. Thursday, ABC): The medical drama starts setting up a spin- off series by sending Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) to Los Angeles for a visit with old friends.

"Lost" (10 p.m. Wednesday, ABC): Locke (Terry O'Quinn) asks Sawyer (Josh Holloway) to help him get rid of a despised nemesis.

"Supernatural" (9 p.m. Thursday, CW): The underrated horror drama fields a second-season episode about an alternate-reality world where Dean (Jared Padalecki) gets to see how life could have been if the Demon had never killed his mother and the Winchester men hadn't turned into hunters.

"Deal or No Deal" (8 p.m. Sunday, May 6, NBC): What's the big deal? It's the 100th episode for Howie Mandel and his briefcases.

"Dancing With the Stars" (8 p.m. Monday, May 21, ABC): The last performance show for the remaining teams.

Series premieres

"Traveler" (10 p.m. Thursday, May 10, ABC): Here's an oddity. The networks rarely premiere a show in May, but ABC is rolling the dice with this drama about two graduate students (Matthew Bomer and Logan Marshall-Green) who suspect that one of their closest friends framed them for a terrorist attack on a New York museum.

"On the Lot" (9 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, Fox): More than 12,000 aspiring directors submitted movies for this filmmaking competition series from reality producer Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg.

Series finales

"7th Heaven" (8 p.m. Sunday, May 13, CW): They mean it this time. The family drama is calling it quits after 11 seasons.

"The King of Queens" (9 p.m. Monday, May 14, CBS): Kevin James is abdicating after nine CBS seasons. Lainie Kazan, Nicole Sullivan, Lou Ferrigno, Anne Meara and Merrin Dungey are among the guest stars for the one-hour finale.

Reality finales

"Amazing Race: All Stars" (8 p.m. Sunday, May 6, CBS): The last three teams take the last lap toward the $1 million grand prize.

"Survivor: Fiji" (8 p.m. Sunday, May 13, CBS): Not only will the winner be announced during a two-hour live show from the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City, the durable reality series will celebrate its 200th episode.

"America's Next Top Model" (8 p.m. Wednesday, May 16, CW): Tyra Banks crowns the next runway winner.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (7 p.m. Sunday, May 20, ABC): Mandy Moore is the guest star.

"The Bachelor: Officer and a Gentleman" (9 p.m. Monday, May 21, ABC): Andy

Baldwin makes his choice.

"Dancing With the Stars" (8 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, ABC): The triumphant duo high-steps into the winner's circle.

"American Idol" (8 p.m. Wednesday, May 23, Fox): The vote for the sixth-season winner is revealed in a two-hour finale.

Drama season finales:

"Shark" (10 p.m. Thursday, CBS): James Woods handles his last case for the rookie season of this CBS legal drama.

"Cold Case" (9 p.m. Sunday, May 6, CBS): A hostage situation erupts and the cold case team must negotiate quickly before it loses one of its own in the CBS crime drama's fourth-season finale.

"Jericho" (8 p.m. Wednesday, May 9, CBS): A key character dies in the rookie drama's season closer.

"Ghost Whisperer" (8 p.m. Friday, May 11, CBS): A cliffhanger is in store for the end of the second season.

"Gilmore Girls" (8 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, The CW): Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Luke (Scott Patterson) come to a new understanding. Is it the end of the line for the CW drama?

"Bones" (8 p.m. Wednesday, May 16, Fox): Already renewed for the 2007-08 season, the crime drama wraps up its second season of investigations.

"Criminal Minds" (9 p.m. Wednesday, May 16, CBS): Keith Carradine returns.

"Medium" (10 p.m. Wednesday, May 16, NBC): Campbell and Priestly conclude their three-episode stay on Patricia Arquette's supernatural drama.

"Smallville" (8 p.m. Thursday, May 17, ABC): Lana (Kristin Kreuk) tells Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) the marriage is over, and Clark (Tom Welling) goes after Lionel (John Glover).

"Grey's Anatomy" (9 p.m. Thursday, May 17, ABC): Did they shoot the stunt wad during the February sweeps? Don't bet on it.

"Supernatural" (9 p.m. Thursday, May 17, ABC5): Jeffrey Dean Morgan ("Grey's Anatomy") is the guest star.

"ER" (10 p.m. Thursday, May 17, NBC): Stanley Tucci guest stars, and a cliffhanger is just what these doctors always order.

"Law & Order" (10 p.m. Friday, May 18, NBC): Harry Hamlin, Jeffrey Tambor and Jeremy Sisto are the guest stars.

"Numb3rs" (10 p.m. Friday, May 18, CBS): Diane Farr returns as Megan.

"Brothers & Sisters" (10 p.m. Sunday, May 20, ABC): Garry Marshall guest stars as Maj. Dick Biggs in the last episode of the drama's rookie season.

"24" (8 p.m. Monday, May 21, Fox): Jack Bauer wraps up another busy day of world-saving heroics in this two-hour sixth-season finale.

"Heroes" (9 p.m. Monday, May 21, NBC): The first-season comes to a close with the episode, "How to Stop an Exploding Man."

"NCIS" (8 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, CBS): Both a cliffhanger and a shocking secret are promised.

"Veronica Mars" (8 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, CW): It's a special two-hour wrap-up for Kristin Bell's sleuthing title character.

"Law & Order Criminal Intent" (9 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, NBC): A police recruit hailed as hero is found murdered.

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (10 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, NBC): Chris "Ludacris" Bridges reprises his role as the delinquent nephew of Detective Tutuola (Ice-T).

"Boston Legal" (10 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, ABC): The lawyers represent two brothers accused of killing their abusive father.

"Lost" (9 p.m. Wednesday, May 23, ABC): The murky and mystical drama finishes its third season with a two-hour episode titled "Through the Looking Glass."

"House" (9 p.m. Tuesday, May 29, Fox): The acerbic doctor makes his last call of the season after the official end of the May sweeps period.

Comedy season finales

"My Name Is Earl" (8 p.m. Thursday, May 10, NBC): Marlee Matlin, Giovanni Ribisi, Christine Taylor and Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman are guest stars for "The Trial," the supersized, 40-minute second-season finale.

"How I Met Your Mother" (8 p.m. Monday, May 14, CBS): The comedy concludes its second season with Barney (Harris) learning a stunning secret between Ted (Josh Radnor) and Robin (Cobie Smulders).

"Everybody Hates Chris" (8 p.m. Monday, May 14, CW): Kelsey Grammer directed the second-season finale of narrator-executive producer Chris Rock's autobiographical comedy.

"All of Us" (8:30 p.m. Monday, May 14, CW): Neesee (LisaRaye McCoy) and Robert (Duane Martin) make a decision about a second baby.

"The Game" (9 p.m. Monday, May 14, CW): The one-hour finale finds Melanie (Tia Mowry) and Derwin (Pooch Hall) at a crossroads in their relationship.

"The Office" (8 p.m. Thursday, May 17, NBC): Jobs are on the line.

"Ugly Betty" (8 p.m. Thursday, May 17, ABC): The stylish comedy puts the finishing touches on its freshman season, having won awards, acclaim and renewal for the fall.

"Scrubs" (9 p.m. Thursday, May 17, NBC): Zach Braff gets to operate with a one-hour finale.

"King of the Hill" (7 p.m. Sunday, May 20, Fox): Still no word on whether this is a season finale or the series finale for Hank Hill.

"The Simpsons" (8 p.m. Sunday, May 20, Fox): The special one-hour season finale also is the long-running animated comedy's 400th episode.

"Desperate Housewives" (9 p.m. Sunday, May 20, ABC): Bree and Orson return to Wisteria Lane for the third-season finale.

"Family Guy" (9 p.m. Sunday, May 20, Fox): Yes, it's already renewed for next season.

"American Dad" (9:30 p.m. Sunday, May 20, Fox): CIA agent Stan is awaiting word on whether he gets another year on the job.

Specials

"Saturday Night Live in the '90s: Pop Culture Nation" (9 p.m. Sunday, May 6, NBC): This is filmmaker Kenneth Bowers' third documentary chronicling the history of NBC's long-running sketch-comedy show.

"Bob Barker: A Celebration of 50 Years on Television" (8 p.m. Thursday, May 17, CBS): CBS salutes the retiring host of "The Price Is Right."

"Jesse Stone: Sea Change" (8 p.m. Sunday, May 20, CBS): Tom Selleck returns for a fourth TV movie based on the character created by mystery writer Robert B. Parker.

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainme...450.xml&coll=2

Critic's Notebook
Networks love to leave us breathless
Mark Dawidziak Cleveland Plain Dealer Television Critic

Sweeps periods have served up some of television's nastiest, nuttiest and most memorable stunts, plot shockers, cliffhangers and series finales. Here are some all-time stunners from various February, November and May sweeps.

Nov. 21, 1980: Viewers waited all spring, summer and fall to find out "who shot J.R." The nefarious oilman played by Larry Hagman was gunned down in a March episode of "Dallas." The resolution (Mary Crosby's Kristin Shepard pulled the trigger) drew the second-biggest audience in TV history. What drew the biggest? Read on.

Feb. 28, 1983: The final episode of "M"A"S"H" remains the highest-rated show of all time. An estimated 125 million viewers watched this 2½-hour special.

May 22, 2006: Fox's "24" capped off its fifth and finest season with a pulse-pounding, world-saving episode that also served up a cliffhanger: Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) kidnapped and imprisoned by the Chinese.

May 21, 1995: "The Simpsons" fired away with a sly variation on the infamous "Dallas" cliffhanger, ending its sixth season with the mystery of "Who Shot Mr. Burns?"

May 15, 1985: "Dynasty" was a prime-time soap that loved its May sweeps cliffhangers, and none was more legendary than the Moldavian massacre, with terrorists opening fire at a royal wedding.

May 21, 1990: In the best series finale ever, "Newhart" ended its run by revealing that innkeeper Dick Loudon's experiences all had been a dream of Bob Hartley, the Chicago psychiatrist on "The Bob Newhart Show."

May 16, 2002: NBC's "Friends" also was addicted to season-ending cliffhangers. It kept fans debating over the summer with the eighth-season finale: Joey proposing to Rachel, and Rachel accepting, even with most viewers rooting for her to end up with Ross (it took two more seasons, but she did end up with Ross).

May 17, 2000: "The West Wing" ended its first season with an assassination attempt on President Bartlet (Martin Sheen).

May 25, 1988: "St. Elsewhere" ended its six-year run by revealing the entire show took place in the mind of an autistic child.

Nov. 24, 1998: Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits) died on ABC's "NYPD Blue," a fate played out over the entire November sweeps period.

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainme...450.xml&coll=2

If it weren't for Fred Silverman we would never have seen "Supertrain" -- or "Pink Lady" for that matter.

(Or, to be fair, "Hill Street Blues".)

And Fred Silverman led NBC to Grant Tinker. So FS was a good thing for the peacock.

The New York Times Obituary
Tommy Newsom, 78 85
Saxophonist, Arranger, Foil For Johnny Carson
By Douglas Martin The New York Times May 1, 2007

Tommy Newsom, the good-humored backup bandleader on The Tonight Show who earned fame as Johnny Carson's comical punching bag and respect among musicians as a composer, arranger and saxophone soloist died on Saturday at his home in Portsmouth, Va. He was 78.

The cause was cancer, his nephew Jim Newsom told The Associated Press.

Mr. Carson famously delighted in tossing barbs at his regular bandleader, Doc Severinsen, often concerning his flamboyant personality and garish attire. Mr. Newsom, who favored conservative brown suits, got lambasted for his tameness. Mr. Carson called him the man from bland, Mr. Excitement and the comatose commander.

He once compared Mr. Newsom to oatmeal, saying, It won't hurt you, but you don't look forward to it. He once even offered a line from a prospective obituary for Mr. Newsom: He died of natural dullness.

Mr. Newsom said in a 2005 interview with The Virginian-Pilot that he did not mind the harpoons, because Mr. Carson prefaced them by saying what a great musician he was. It was a widely shared view.

In addition to being assistant music director of the orchestra for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, he published hundreds of arrangements and compositions. Among those who performed his works were Skitch Henderson, Woody Herman, Beverly Sills, Kenny Rogers, Charlie Byrd and John Denver.

He toured South America and the Soviet Union with Benny Goodman, and performed on records with artists like Buck Clayton, a trumpeter for Count Basie. His arrangements were cited in Emmy Awards for musical direction given to Night of 100 Stars in 1982 and The 40th Annual Tony Awards Show in 1986. He wrote and arranged symphonic pieces.

Beginning in 1992, Mr. Newsom did arrangements and compositions for the Diva Jazz Orchestra, a respected all-female band. Sherry Maricle, the band's leader, said in an interview yesterday that he factored in the talent of each individual player, as well as the overall sound of the group. She lauded his sense of swing.

Thomas Penn Newsom was born in Portsmouth on Feb. 25, 1929. As a young boy, he stared longingly at saxophones' shiny keys in pawnshop windows, and his parents bought him one when he was 8. He started performing with older musicians when he was 13 at the Elk's Club and similar settings.

It was a lust, he said, referring to his infatuation with music as a teenager in an interview with The Los Angeles Times in 1992. I had to do it.

Mr. Newsom attended the Norfolk Division of the College of a William & Mary, a junior college that became Old Dominion University. He earned his bachelor's degree in musical education from the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, where he paid some of his tuition by playing in strip joints. He then played with Airman of Note, an Air Force jazz ensemble during a four-year enlistment. He next earned a master's degree at Columbia University.

His professional break came when Goodman hired him to tour with his band. A member of Goodman's band recommended him to Merv Griffin, and he won a spot on Mr. Griffin's afternoon show. That led to Tonight, where he began on April 2, 1962. Mr. Carson took over as host six months later. The two retired together on May 22, 1992. Mr. Carson died in 2005.

Mr. Newsom is survived by his wife of 50 years, Patricia, and their daughter, Candy Newsom of Teaneck, N.J.

He insisted in interviews that he never minded not being the principal Tonight bandleader, nor did he mind Mr. Carson's insults.

A few times, though, Mr. Newsom refused to let Mr. Carson have the last word. Once, he discarded his customary conservative garb and wore a screaming yellow suit, and Mr. Carson cracked, Look at that big, dumb canary.

You'll know what kind of bird I am when I fly over you, Mr. Newsom replied.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/01/ar...gewanted=print

The HD Revolution
Starz Launching Three HD Networks
Programmer to Offer HD Mirror Channels of East Coast Feeds of Starz Comedy, Starz Edge, Starz Kids and Family
By R. Thomas Umstead Multichannel News 5/1/2007

Starz Entertainment will soon offer such movies as Cars, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby in HD with the summer launch of three new Starz-owned HD premium services.

The company will offer HD mirror channels of the East Coast feeds of its Starz Comedy, Starz Edge and Starz Kids and Family, according to president and chief operating officer Bill Myers. The services will compliment the existing Starz HD channel, as well as the Starz and Encore HD On Demand services.

Starz has always been a leader in terms of offering our customers more ways to enjoy our great movies, Myers said in a prepared statement. We pioneered in digital transmission, multiplex, on-demand and online. We will now be able to offer the largest package of HD movie channels of any widely distributed programming service and the only one featuring first-run hit movies.

Myers hopes the additional Starz feeds will help to convince subscribers to watch HD content from cable. He said that while the number of HDTV sets sold every year has been growing, only one-half of HDTV owners use their sets to watch cable and satellite programming. Instead, consumers are watching HD broadcast channels and DVDs on their HD sets.

Working with our affiliates, we will make a major effort to convince HD-set owners that their televisions are good for more than just watching DVDs, Myers said. With our great lineup of HD movies, on-demand HD services and now with four HD channels, Starz is well-positioned to spearhead those efforts.

http://www.multichannel.com/index.as...leID=CA6438109

TV Notebook
Crichton's 'Strain' comes to A&E
Scott brothers to exec produce miniseries
By Steven Zeitchik Variety May 1, 2007

Tony and Ridley Scott are bringing Michael Crichton's bestseller "The Andromeda Strain" to A&E, as the net increases its already aggressive push into original programming.

Brothers, via their Scott Free shingle, will exec produce a four-hour miniseries for the net based on Crichton's story of bacteria run amok. Mikael Solomon will direct from a script by Robert Schenkkan ("The Quiet American").

Project is set to go into production this summer. David Zucker and Tom Thayer are also exec producing.

The Scott brothers are prolific action directors and collaborate occasionally on TV fare, teaming up on HBO movie "RK281."

Overall, net is expected to announce Tuesday that it will invest about $600 million in new projects and technology this year, an increase of about 20% over last year; that number will include infrastructure as well as content.

Among those new projects is a scripted series development slate, from which the net likely plans to produce at least one show. That series would be the first scripted original on the cabler since "Centre Street" seven years ago.

The five-project slate includes a host of crime- and cop-centric dramas; among them are "The Cleaner," "The Beast," "Homestead," "Takedown," and "Under."

Net will also announce that is has greenlit nonscripted forensics show "Crime 360," which will combined verite footage and CG images to re-enact criminal investigations.

And its tattoo-parlor drama "Inked" will yield a spinoff," The Pendletons," which has been given a pilot deal.

News comes on top of two series which have already been announced--celebreality skein "The Two Coreys" and campus-supernatural nonscripted "Paranormal State"--as well as a number of pilot and development deals.

Net will also develop two Web-original series, "Dog 2.0" and "Nick's World."

A&E has enjoyed a banner year under topper Abbe Raven thanks in part to "The Sopranos," an expensive acquisition which has thus far paid off in the ratings, and to nonscripted originals like "Dog the Bounty Hunter."

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?lay...&categoryid=14