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Business Notes
AFTRA's board approves mission statement for new actors union
By Richard Verrier, Los Angeles Times' 'Company Town' Blog - May 15th, 2011

The proposed merger of Hollywood's actors unions gained further momentum on Saturday.

The board of the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists overwhelmingly approved a mission statement for a new union and agreed to establish a committee that would work with the Screen Actors Guild on a strategy for merging the two labor groups.
The board agreed that the committee would also develop a merger agreement, constitution and dues structure for the new union by next January.

AFTRA President Roberta Reardon hailed the vote in a statement, saying, "entertainment and news media professionals are stronger standing together and, overwhelmingly, AFTRA members want one new union. I look forward to moving this process forward into the next stage where we will now work with our sisters and brothers at Screen Actors Guild to build a new union for a new world."

The board's vote was widely anticipated and follows a similar recent vote by SAG's national board. SAG represents 125,000 members who are actors, while AFTRA has about 70,000 members who include not only actors but also singers, dancers, TV news announcers and disc jockeys.

The two unions share about 40,000 actors in common are seeking to join forces to gain more bargaining leverage and avoid feuding that has caused territorial battles in the past.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/ente...ors-union.html

TV Notes
Network TV is picking up a little español
Shows reaching out to Hispanic audiences
By Johnny Diaz, Boston Globe - May 15th, 2011

On a recent episode of NBC comedy 30 Rock,'' Tina Fey's character held up a book called Learn Spanish'' and declared that she would finally learn the language. Later on, as Fey's character performed community service in a park, she shouted in her novice Spanish, Estoy hablando con mi amigo!''

On the CBS legal drama The Good Wife,'' America Ferrera's character recently translated for lawyers during a teleconference call with a fictional Venezuelan president. Viewers followed along with the help of subtitles.

And on ABC's Modern Family,'' actor Sofia Vergara regularly rolls her r''s and improvises lines with her native Spanish.

Some of the more popular English-language prime-time network shows this season have declared, hablamos español!''

As Latinos have grown into the largest minority in the United States (new census figures report that one in six Americans are Latino), so has the amount of Spanish on television shows trying to appeal to this growing TV audience.

After Mexico, the United States is the world's second-largest Spanish-speaking country. As the language becomes more widely used in everyday conversation among Americans, Spanish is also becoming more commonly spoken on the networks.

Viewers aren't just hearing small phrases such as que sorpresa'' or hola amigo!'' Show writers create dialogue in complete Spanish sentences featured in subtitles or sometimes not translated at all.

The writers are cognizant of the fact there is a growing Hispanic audience out there. It's reality,'' said Alex Nogales, president of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit advocacy group that has been pushing the networks to elevate the presence of Latinos on their programs.

Each year, the group reports on the number of Latinos on- and off-camera as actors and writers. Last season, the four major networks had a total of 48 Latino actors as regulars on prime-time shows almost double the number from 10 years ago.

So as the actors better reflect the US population, they are speaking like them, too.

The writers are reflecting what they see,'' said Nogales.

His group hosts an annual TV writers program, cosponsored by ABC and NBC, to help develop Latino writers for current and future shows. Participants spend five weeks producing a script for one half-hour comedy or a one-hour drama in English. So far, more than 15 graduates have landed writing jobs on network shows such as ABC's Brothers & Sisters'' and CBS's Criminal Minds.''

Nogales said that's helping the networks add a Latino sensibility to their programs.

We are adding to the writer field, but incrementally it's a very small number,'' said Nogales, who estimated there are overall 120 writers per TV network. But he added that the increased use of Spanish on the network is progress. There is a big bilingual population and the writers are trying to get viewers to cross over to see what their shows are all about.''

Robert Thompson, professor of TV and popular culture at Syracuse University, said that more Americans have become more comfortable with everyday Spanish and that is seeping into network television.

He credits children's shows such as Dora the Explorer'' and Go, Diego, Go!'' for teaching a new generation of young viewers and their parents basic español.

English-speaking Americans every now and then hear someone else speaking another language such as Spanish and you're seeing that on television,'' Thompson said.

In new shows such as the ABC medical drama Off The Map,'' the main characters speak Spanish because it makes the setting more realistic. The program follows a group of young doctors in la ciudad de las estrellas'' (the city of stars), a small town in a South American jungle that is home to a small, understaffed clinica.'' In each episode, doctors and patients switch back and forth between English and Spanish. The more common phrases involve a doctor asking patients, Te duele algo?'' which translates as what hurts?''

But some older popular shows such as CBS's CSI: Miami'' incorporate Spanish because it adds authenticity to where the characters work and live. Miami has a large Latino population.

Network officials and producers said that having more bilingual actors allows them to put their skills to good use for story lines, which then help deepen characters' backgrounds.

Ferrera, who is Honduran-American, used Spanish this season on The Good Wife'' for a multi-episode arc. She played a bilingual undocumented immigrant graduate student who landed a paid internship with the show's law firm. She also became a potential love interest for a campaign manager played by Alan Cumming

Earlier this month, NBC's Law & Order: SVU'' featured a Latina nanny praying in Spanish as detectives interviewed her. One of the show's detectives is played by Mariska Hargitay, who speaks Spanish.

Producers try to incorporate Spanish to reflect New York's large Latino population, which includes Dominicans and Puerto Ricans. When an episode involves a Latino character or story line, those scenes will often feature Hargitay.

It's important to be inclusive. . . . We want it to be as real as possible,'' said executive producer Neal Baer. It really helps that she [Hargitay] speaks Spanish,'' said Baer, noting that Hargitay won an Emmy for best actress in 2006 for an episode called 911'' in which she spoke Spanish to calm a Honduran girl who had been kidnapped.

Baer said the show will add subtitles so that viewers can follow what the characters are saying. His writers also check with the actors such as Hargitay to make sure the Spanish sounds correct.

She knows what she's saying and if it doesn't sound correct, she tells us,'' he said. We were more aware that this country is multilingual and we should be acknowledging that.''

Over on Modern Family,'' show creators modeled a lot of the character of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett after Vergara, the actor who plays Ed O'Neill's wife. Like Vergara, her character is Colombian and speaks with a strong Spanish accent and has a teenage son named Manny.

Show producers have given Vergara flexibility to improvise her character's Spanish outbursts and mispronunciations.

The show itself is presenting a more realistic mosaic of American life today,'' said Bill Fine, general manager of Boston ABC affiliate WCVB-TV (Channel 5) and chairman of the entertainment committee for ABC Television Affliates Association Board of Governors. There's something to it that she's a Hispanic character on television that has caught on with the public. There is a realism in there that makes people laugh.''

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

2011 Upfront Notes
NBC Unveils 2011-12 Primetime Schedule
By Nellie Andreeva, Deadline.com - May 15th, 2011

Here is NBC's schedule for next season.

NBC FALL 2011-12 SCHEDULE (New programs in UPPER CASE)

MONDAY
8-10 p.m. – The Sing-Off
10-11 p.m. – THE PLAYBOY CLUB

TUESDAY
8-10 p.m. – The Biggest Loser
10-11 p.m. – Parenthood

WEDNESDAY
8-8:30 p.m. – UP ALL NIGHT
8:30-9 p.m. – FREE AGENTS
9-10 p.m. -- Harry’s Law
10-11 p.m. -- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

THURSDAY
8-8:30 p.m. – Community
8:30-9 p.m. -- Parks and Recreation
9-9:30 p.m. – The Office
9:30-10 p.m. – WHITNEY
10-11 p.m. – PRIME SUSPECT

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. – Chuck
9-10 p.m. – GRIMM
10-11 p.m. – Dateline NBC

SATURDAY
Encore programming

SUNDAY
7- 8:15 p.m. -- Football Night in America
8:15-11:30 p.m. -- NBC Sunday Night Football

NBC 2012 MID-SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

SUNDAY
7-8 p.m. – Dateline NBC
8-10 p.m. – The Celebrity Apprentice
10-11 p.m. – THE FIRM

MONDAY
8-10 p.m. – The Voice
10-11 p.m. – SMASH

* * * *

Here is NBC's release with descriptions of all new series:

NEW YORK CITY -- May 15, 2011 -- NBC has introduced its 2011-12 primetime schedule, showcasing six new dramas and six new comedies from a roster of renowned hit-makers that includes Steven Spielberg, Lorne Michaels, Brian Grazer, Tom Werner, John Grisham and Peter Berg, among many others.

The season’s new dramas are “Smash,” “Prime Suspect,” “The Playboy Club,” “Awake,” “Grimm” and “The Firm”; and the new comedies are “Up All Night,” “Whitney,” “Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea,” “Free Agents,” “Best Friends Forever” and “Bent.”

Returning shows include “Parenthood,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Harry’s Law,” “Chuck” (for its fifth and final season of 13 episodes), “Community,” “Parks and Recreation,” “The Office,” “30 Rock” and “Dateline NBC.” Among next season’s returning alternative series are “The Voice,” “The Sing-Off,” “The Celebrity Apprentice” and “The Biggest Loser,” each in two-hour formats.

The new lineup combines schedule stability with strategic changes that position the network for future growth. Key facets of the schedule include a new hour of comedy with the Wednesday debuts of “Up All Night” (8-8:30 p.m. ET) and “Free Agents” (8:30-9 p.m. ET) and an update to NBC’s critically acclaimed Thursday lineup with the premieres this fall of the new comedy “Whitney” (9:30-10 p.m. ET) and the first-year drama “Prime Suspect” (10-11 p.m. ET). In addition, NBC has made a strong commitment to original scripted programming on Friday nights with the pairing of “Chuck” (8-9 p.m. ET) in its climactic season with the new drama “Grimm” (9-10 p.m. ET).

The #1 new series of the current season, “The Voice,” returns at mid-season on Monday nights (8-10 p.m. ET) and will serve as the lead-in to the new musical drama “Smash” (10-11 p.m. ET). In the fall on Mondays from 8-10 p.m. ET will be another growing NBC reality success, “The Sing-Off,” now in a weekly format following its strong December showings of the past two years.

Additional details unveiled in today’s announcement include a run of uninterrupted originals for “30 Rock” starting at mid-season and a post-football Sunday lineup of “Dateline NBC” (7-8 p.m. ET), “The Celebrity Apprentice” (8-10 p.m. ET) and the new drama “The Firm” (10-11 p.m. ET). Additional new series ready for mid-season include the drama “Awake” and the comedies “Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea,” “Best Friends Forever” and “Bent.”

The announcements were made by Bob Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment. “Next season begins the rebuilding of the NBC primetime schedule, and our goal is to reinvigorate our audience with a line-up of appointment television that includes our best returning shows and a variety of innovative and attention-getting new series. We'll be placing a great deal of emphasis on how we launch each one of our programs and on maximizing the network's strengths throughout the fall and well into mid-season,” said Greenblatt. “Considering it's only been three months since new management took over, I'm very pleased with what has resulted from a very strong pilot season. And with a powerful new asset like ‘The Voice’ already in hand, we go into the 2011-12 season with cautious but incredible optimism.”

2011-12 NEW SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

New Dramas

‘PRIME SUSPECT’ -- Based on the critically acclaimed British television series of the same name, "Prime Suspect" has been redeveloped for American audiences by writer Alexandra Cunningham ("Desperate Housewives," "NYPD Blue"), director Peter Berg (NBC's "Friday Night Lights") -- and stars Maria Bello ("A History of Violence") as tough-as-nails Detective Jane Timoney. Timoney finds that being a homicide detective in New York City is tough enough and having to contend with a male-dominated police department to get respect makes it that much tougher. She's an outsider who has just transferred to a new precinct dominated by an impenetrable clique of a boys' club. Timoney has her own vices too -- with a questionable past -- and she tends to be forceful, rude and reckless. But she’s also a brilliant cop who keeps her eye on one thing: the prime suspect. Also starring are Aidan Quinn ("Unknown"), Brian O’Byrne ("Flash Forward"), Tim Griffin ("Star Trek"), Kirk Acevedo ("Fringe"), Joe Nieves ("How I Met Your Mother"), Damon Gupton ("The Last Airbender") and Peter Gerety ("Blue Bloods"). "Prime Suspect" is produced by Universal Media Studios, ITV and Film 44. Cunningham is the executive producer/writer along with executive producer/director Berg and executive producers Sarah Aubrey, Julie Meldal-Johnson, Paul Buccieri and Lynda LaPlante.

‘THE PLAYBOY CLUB’ -- From Academy Award-winning executive producer Brian Grazer, “The Playboy Club" is a provocative new drama about a time and place that challenged the social mores, where a visionary entrepreneur created an empire and an icon changed American culture. It’s the early ‘60s, and the legendary Playboy Club in Chicago is the door to all of your fantasies -- and the key is the most sought-after status symbol of its kind. Inside the seductive world of the bunny, the epitome of beauty and service, the clientele rubs shoulders with the decade’s biggest mobsters, politicos and entertainers. Nick Dalton (Eddie Cibrian, “CSI: Miami”) is one of the city’s top attorneys and the ultimate playboy, rubbing elbows with everyone in the city's power structure. With mysterious ties to the mob, Nick comes to the aid of Maureen (Amber Heard, “Zombieland”), the stunning and innocent new bunny who accidentally kills the leader of the Bianchi crime family. Dating Nick is Carol-Lynne (Laura Benanti, “Take the Lead”), a bombshell and established star at the club who knows her days as a bunny are numbered and finds herself continually at odds with Billy (David Krumholtz, ”Numb3rs”), the club's general manager. Adding to the charm of the Playboy club is Janie (Jenna Dewan Tatum, “American Virgin”), the carefree life of the party who is dating Max (Wes Ramsey, “CSI: Miami”), an overly protective bartender. Also starring are Naturi Naughton (“Fame”) and Leah Renee (“True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet”). In addition to Grazer (“A Beautiful Mind,” “American Gangster”), the executive producers on “The Playboy Club” include Chad Hodge (“Tru Calling”), Francie Calfo (“Scoundrels”), Jason Burns ("The House Bunny”) and Dick Rosenzweig (“Kendra”). Hodge also wrote the pilot, which was directed by Alan Taylor (“Mad Men,” “The Sopranos”). The series is produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Imagine Television.

‘SMASH’ -- “Smash” is a musical drama that celebrates the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater as it follows a cross-section of dreamers and schemers who all have one common desire -- to be a "Smash." The series centers on a desire to create a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe -- written by the successful songwriting duo of Tom (Tony Award nominee Christian Borle, “Legally Blonde: The Musical”) and Julia (Emmy Award winner Debra Messing, “Will & Grace”). Julia recently began the process of adopting a child with her husband of many years, but her focus is torn when she has the opportunity to write another Broadway hit. A rivalry soon forms for the lead role between a youthful, inexperienced Midwestern beauty (Katharine McPhee, “American Idol”) -- who is trying to find fame in the big city against all odds -- and stage veteran (Megan Hilty, “9 to 5: The Musical”), who's determined to leave the chorus line and finally get her big break. A tenacious producer Eileen (Oscar winner, Anjelica Huston, “Prizzi’s Honor”) discovers the "Marilyn" project and jumps on board with a brilliant director (Jack Davenport, “Pirates of the Caribbean” films) -- whose talent is matched by his cunning and egocentric amorality. The series stemmed from an idea of executive producer and multiple Emmy and Oscar winner Steven Spielberg (“ER,” “Schindler’s List”). The pilot was written by acclaimed playwright/screenwriter Theresa Rebeck (“Mauritius,” “NYPD Blue”). Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Oscar-winning “Chicago,” “Hairspray”) and Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey (“United States of Tara,” “The Borgias”) will also serve as executive producers. Original songs are written by Tony and Grammy Award winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (“Hairspray,” “Catch Me If You Can”), who also serve as executive producers. “Smash” is a production of Universal Media Studios in association with DreamWorks. The pilot was directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (“Spring Awakening,” “American Idiot”).

‘GRIMM’ -- “Grimm” is a new drama series inspired by the classic Grimm's Fairy Tales. Remember the fairy tales your parents used to tell you before bedtime? Those weren’t stories -- they were warnings. Nick Burkhardt (David Guintoli “Turn The Beat Around”) thought he prepared himself for the realities of working as a homicide detective until he started seeing things he couldn’t quite explain. When his ailing Aunt Marie (guest star Kate Burton, “Grey’s Anatomy”) arrives, Nick's life turns upside down when she reveals they are descendants of an elite group of hunters, also known as “Grimms,” who fight to keep the balance of humanity safe from the supernatural creatures of the world. As Nick digs deeper into her past, he realizes that he will have to shoulder the responsibility of his ancestors -- and contend with a larger-than-life mythology of the Brothers Grimm that is now all too real. Russell Hornsby (“Lincoln Heights”), Bitsie Tulloch (“Quarterlife”), Silas Weir Mitchell (“Prison Break”), Reggie Lee (“Persons Unknown”) and Sasha Roiz (“Caprica”) also star. “Grimm” is a production of Universal Media Studios and Hazy Mills Productions. Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner (“Hot in Cleveland”) serve as executive producers, Jim Kouf (“National Treasure,” “Angel”) and David Greenwalt (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel”) are the creators/executive producers and Marc Buckland (“My Name Is Earl”) is the director.

‘AWAKE’ -- “Awake” is an intriguing drama about a detective (Jason Issacs, "Harry Potter," “Brotherhood”) who finds he is leading an arduous double life that defies reality. When Detective Michael Britten (Issacs) regains consciousness following his family's car accident, he is told that his wife Hannah (Laura Allen, “Terriers”) perished but that his teen son, Rex (Dylan Minnette, “Saving Grace”), has survived. As he tries to put the pieces of his life back together, he awakens again in a parallel reality in which his wife is very much alive -- but his son Rex died in the accident. In order to keep both of his loved ones alive at one time, he begins living two dueling realities in parallel worlds, which churns up confusion -- in one moment, Michael and his wife debate about having another child to replace their son, while in the other reality, he is attracted to his son’s tennis coach, Tara (Michaela McManus, “The Vampire Diaries"), to fill the void from the loss of his wife. Trying to regain some normalcy, Michael returns to police work and solves crimes in both worlds with the help of two different partners -- Detective Isaiah “Bird” Freeman (Steve Harris, “The Practice”) and Detective Efrem Vega (Wilmer Valderrama, “That '70s Show”). Also starring are Emmy Award winner Cherry Jones (“24”) and BD Wong (NBC's “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”) as therapists in each respective world. The series is produced by 20th Century Fox Television. Kyle Killen (“Lone Star”) and Howard Gordon (“24”) are executive producers. David Slade (“Twilight: Eclipse,” “30 Days of Night”) also serves as executive producer and directed the pilot written by Killen.

‘THE FIRM’ -- Based on the blockbuster feature film and best-selling novel by world-renowned author John Grisham (“The Pelican Brief,” “The Client”), “The Firm” continues the story of attorney Mitchell McDeere and his family 10 years after the events of the film and novel. As a young associate, McDeere brought down the prestigious Memphis law firm of Bendini, Lambert & Locke, which operated as a front for the Chicago mob -- and his life was never the same. After a difficult decade, which included a stay in the Federal Witness Protection program, Mitch and his family now emerge from isolation to reclaim their lives and their future -- only to find that past dangers are still lurking and new threats are everywhere. “The Firm” is produced by Entertainment One in association with Sony Pictures Television and Paramount Pictures. The executive producers are Grisham, Lukas Reiter (“Law & Order,” “Boston Legal”), John Morayniss (“Haven,” “Hung”), Michael Rosenberg (“Hung,” “Skins”) and Noreen Halpern (“Rookie Blue,” “Hung”).

New Comedies

‘WHITNEY’ -- A hilarious look at modern love, “Whitney” is a new multi-camera comedy series about Whitney (Whitney Cummings, “Chelsea Lately”) and Alex (Chris D’Elia, “Glory Daze”), a happily unmarried couple. Together for five years, the duo is in no rush to get hitched. However, after attending yet another one of their friends’ weddings, Whitney realizes that she and Alex are dangerously close to relationship boredom. Determined not to let that happen, Whitney consults her close circle of opinionated girlfriends -- including Lily (Zoe Lister-Jones, “The Other Guys”) and Roxanne (Rhea Seehorn, “The Starter Wife”) -- and then snaps into action. A few awkward sexy costumes and one botched seductive evening later, the couple ends up in the emergency room. Even so, Whitney and Alex realize that while their relationship might not be perfect on paper, they really do love each other -- and that works for them. Also starring are Maulik Pancholy (NBC's “30 Rock”) as Lily's perfect boyfriend, and Dan O’Brien (“How I Met Your Mother”) as an eternal bachelor. “Whitney” is produced by Universal Media Studios and Scott Stuber Productions. Stuber (“The Break Up”), Quan Phung, Betsy Thomas (“My Boys”) and Barry Katz (“Last Comic Standing”) are executive producers. Cummings also serves as executive producer/writer. Andy Ackerman (“Seinfeld,” “The New Adventures of Old Christine”) is an executive producer and directed the pilot.

‘UP ALL NIGHT’ -- From Emily Spivey (NBC's “Parks and Recreation,” NBC's “Saturday Night Live”) and legendary Emmy Award-winning producer Lorne Michaels, comes “Up All Night,” a modern take on parenthood that shows the challenges of balancing a career, marriage and a new baby. Christina Applegate (“Samantha Who?”) stars as Reagan, a successful public relations executive, and Will Arnett (“Arrested Development”) plays Chris, Reagan’s supportive, stay-at-home husband. The two have just become parents – a surprise that has set their lives on a new path as responsible adults -- for the most part. Maya Rudolph (“Saturday Night Live,” “Bridesmaids”) stars as Ava, Reagan’s outlandish boss and best friend, whose whirlwind social escapades serve as constant reminders of Reagan's former carefree life. James Pumphrey (“High Road”) portrays Brian, Reagan’s socially awkward hipster assistant. "Up All Night” is a production of Universal Media Studios and Broadway Video. Spivey is the creator and serves as executive producer along with Michaels and Jon Pollack (NBC’s “30 Rock”).

‘FREE AGENTS’ – “Free Agents” is a crooked workplace/romantic new comedy from creator John Enbom (“Party Down”) and Emmy Award-winning director Todd Holland (“Malcolm in the Middle”) based on the cult U.K. series of the same name that explores the trials and tribulations of two public relations executives on the rebound. Alex (Hank Azaria, “The Simpsons,” “Huff”) is newly divorced and can barely keep himself together while his co-worker Helen (Kathryn Hahn, “Hung”) thinks she has it together but is obsessed with her deceased fiancé and actually is falling apart. Then a drunken Alex and Helen end up in bed together, and in the resulting sober confusion, Helen decides that they should only be friends. Meanwhile Alex’s co-workers, Dan (Mo Mandel, “Love Bites,” “Modern Family”) and Gregg (Al Madrigal, “Wizards of Waverly Place,” “Gary, Unmarried”), and Stephen (Anthony Head, “Merlin,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) fail in their attempts to help him get back out on the dating scene. When Alex finally agrees to a date, Helen gets a little jealous, and he gets cold feet, so they end up back where they started -- in a casual, intimate and beautifully awkward relationship. Also starring is Joe Lo Truglio (“Backwash,” “Mad Love”) and Natasha Leggero (“Ugly Americans,” “’Til Death”). “Free Agents” is a production of Universal Media Studios in association with Dark Toy and Big Talk Productions. Enbom is executive producer/creator along with executive producer/director Holland. Karey Burke (“Miss/Guided”) executive-produces, along with Big Talk Productions' Kenton Allen (“Free Agents,” BBC Network) and Nira Park, as well as Chris Niel.

‘ARE YOU THERE VODKA? IT’S ME, CHELSEA’ -- Inspired by the best-selling book from comedienne/talk show host Chelsea Handler ("Chelsea Lately"), the new comedy “Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea,” follows the exploits of twentysomething bartender Chelsea (Laura Prepon, “That '70s Show”) a strong-willed force of nature who is determined to live life to the fullest and make no apologies. Her friends are along for the ride but they all know it is Chelsea’s way or the highway. Mark (Jo Koy, "Chelsea Lately") is a charming bartender whose wit makes him the perfect foil for Chelsea while Shoniqua (Angel Laketa Moore, "ER") is a smart and sassy fellow waitress who looks out for Chelsea's best interests. Close friend and fellow bartender Todd (Mark Povinelli, “Water for Elephants”) has a wry sense of humor that keeps her in check. Also starring are Natalie Morales (NBC’s “Parks and Recreation”) as Ivory, Chelsea’s feisty best friend; Lauren Lapkus (“The Middle”) as Dee Dee, Chelsea’s sheltered, shy roommate, and Lenny Clarke (“Rescue Me”) as Chelsea’s dad, Melvin. Handler has a recurring role as Chelsea’s sister Sloan, a happily married new mom who has little in common with her carefree sister. “Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea” is a production of Warner Bros. Television in association with Werner Entertainment and Borderline Amazing Productions. Dottie Dartland Zicklin (“Dharma & Greg”) and Julie Larson (“The Drew Carey Show”) are creators and executive producers. Handler serves as executive producer along with Tom Werner (“That '70s Show”), Mike Clements (“The Life & Times of Tim”) and Tom Brunelle (“Chelsea Lately”).

‘BEST FRIENDS FOREVER’ -- “Best Friends Forever” is a single-camera comedy that takes a look at what happens when best friends promise to support each other -- no matter what the cost or circumstances. When Jessica’s (Jessica St. Clair, “In the Motherhood”) husband files for divorce, she immediately seeks comfort and flies across the country to move back in with her best friend, Lennon (Lennon Parham, “Accidentally on Purpose”). Unfortunately, Lennon’s boyfriend, Joe (Adam Pally, “Happy Endings”), has just moved into the apartment and has turned Jessica’s old room into his perfect home office. As Lennon and Jessica fall into their old routines -- beloved traditions, Steel Magnolia marathons and epic girl-talk sessions -- Joe begins to feel as if he’s the odd man out. While Lennon struggles to find balance between her previous life with Jessica and her new life with Joe, Jessica’s reentry to single life is complicated by the unresolved feelings that an old friend, Rav (Stephen Schneider, “The Funniest Movie Ever…Just Kidding”), has for her and the fact that pleated khakis aren't the most flattering single girl look. "Best Friends Forever" is produced by Universal Media Studios and American Work. St. Clair, Parham, Scot Armstrong (“Old School,” “The Hangover Part II”) and Ravi Nandan (“Off Duty”) are the executive producers. Fred Savage (“Party Down”) directed the pilot.

‘BENT‘ -- "Bent" is a new romantic comedy about two people who suddenly find themselves attracted to the qualities that typically repel them. On the surface, Alex (Amanda Peet, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip") and Pete (David Walton, "Perfect Couples") could not be more different. The recently divorced Alex is a resilient and tough lawyer who now is raising her eight-year-old daughter, Charlie (Joey King, "Ramona and Beezus"), as a single mom. Unwilling to let anything get in her way, she downsizes into a smaller house, and she hires Pete, a recovering gambling addict and unapologetic womanizer, as the contractor to re-do her kitchen. The remodeling job is Pete's last chance to prove that he is no longer a screw-up -- but he doesn't know what's about to hit him when he encounters the force of nature that is Alex -- nor does she realize that she's met her match in Pete, a man unafraid to call out her flaws. Jeffrey Tambor ("Arrested Development") also stars as Pete's father, Walt, an out-of-work actor, while Margo Harshman ("Sorority Row") stars as Alex's wild younger sister Screwsie. This romantic comedy from writer and executive producer Tad Quill ("Scrubs," "Spin City") and director Craig Zisk ("Nurse Jackie," "Weeds") will prove that these resilient characters are “bent, not broken.” The series is produced by Universal Media Studios.

http://www.deadline.com/2011/05/nbc-...time-schedule/

Man...this guy's lists always have errors. Senator Boehner?

TV Notes
Analysis Of NBC's Schedule
Bob Greenblatt On Renewing 'Chuck' & Canceling 'LOLA'
By Nellie Andreeva, Deadline.com - May 15th, 2011

Bob Greenblatt is putting his stamp at NBC with his first schedule that includes some bold moves, including opening a two-hour music reality block against ABC's Dancing with the Stars on Monday and a female-skewing 8-9 PM comedy block on Wednesday against ABC's comedies as well as X Factor/American Idol.

Additionally, gone is the Thursday 10 PM comedy block as NBC is returning to its tradition of running high-profile character-driven procedurals in the hour once occupied by ER. The network's remake of Prime Suspect with Maria Bello that will now take over the spot.

MONDAY REALITY BLOCK: NBC is streamlining its reality franchises, running all series, veterans The Biggest Loser and Celebrity Apprentice and relative newbies The Voice and The Sing-Off in the same format of two-hour 8-10 PM blocks. Encouraged by the performance of The Voice, whose live shows were recently expanded to 2-hours, NBC first decided to bring the show back on Mondays in January with two-hour episodes. Then we thought, let's begin building that in September with The Sing-Off, Greenblatt said. As for pitting the singing competitions smack against ABC's venerable Dancing with the Stars, The Sing-Off and The Voice are younger-skewing shows, and we think that there is room for both - a old-skewing dancing show and a young-skewing singing one, Greenblatt said. NBC is completing a female-oriented night with the new drama Playboy Club at 10 PM, which should do OK against the male-skewing Hawaii Five-0 on CBS.

WEDNESDAY COMEDY BLOCK: Christina Applegate and Hank Azaria have been given a tall order: Their new comedies Up All Night and Free Agents are launching a new NBC comedy block at 8 PM on Wednesdays. One of the goals was to launch more comedies as that is vital for the long-term growth of the network, Greenblatt said. With Tuesday's lineup of The Biggest Loser and Parenthood stable and working, the only option was Wednesday. We're taking two of our strongest new comedies with our brightest stars and will try to establish foothold on Wednesday. We're not fooling ourselves that it will be easy but we think have the goods, we will put marketing behind it and we will be patient. One think that I find odd: the young-skewing comedies are followed at 9 PM by Harry's Law starring 62-year-old Kathy Bates.

NO 30 ROCK ON THURSDAY: Last year, NBC's decision to hold back Amy Poehler's Parks & Recreation after it had just built great momentum created uproar. This time, it is the show of Poehler's pal and newly minted best-selling author Tina Fey that is not on the fall schedule. But there are practical reasons behind the decision. I hear that pregnant Fey is not due until August, so she probably won't be able to start filming until October. So instead of doing a few episodes in November before a holiday hiatus, NBC opted to bring back 30 Rock in midseason with an uninterrupted run of all-originals. In the interim, Parks & Rec goes back to 8:30 PM behind Community, with new comedy Whitney starring Whitney Cummings taking the post-Office 9:30 PM slot.

SCRIPTED PROGRAMMING ON FRIDAY: NBC has not aired scripted series on the night for awhile but will run Chuck's final season and the first season of the fairy tale-themed Grimm from 8-10 PM, leading into Dateline.I think reinventing Friday with some genre shows is the way to go, Greenblatt said, adding that he decided to use fan favorite Chuck to support freshman Grimm. The decision is somewhat surprising as Fox has already put a claim on Friday as genre night with Fringe.

Speaking of CHUCK and NBC's decision to renew it, Chuck is a good show, which gets bad rap from always being on the cancellation line, Greennblatt said. We're giving the show a send-off with a final season, that's what the fans want. As for LAW & ORDER: LA, Greenblatt gave Dick Wolf credit for reinventing the show. We tried but we didn't have the time period to bring it back if it isn't going to show signs of growth."

http://www.deadline.com/2011/05/anal...anceling-lola/

2011 Upfront Notes
NBC: Why we didn't want 'Wonder Woman'
By Lynette Rice, EW.com's 'Inside TV' Blog - May 15th, 2011

Though he picked up plenty of high-profile projects like Playboy, The Firm and Prime Suspect, NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt knew he’d have to answer for the one project he didn’t greenlight: What the heck was wrong with Wonder Woman and why didn’t it make the schedule?

Not surprisingly, Greenblatt was diplomatic about the reboot from Warner Bros. TV and David E. Kelley (after all, the uber-producer is also the man behind Harry’s Law, which earned a second season pickup). “I hate to disappoint anybody. I know there are legions of fans of the original show,” Greenblatt told EW. “I don’t know if it’s cursed or what. I just have this one experience. They made a really fine pilot and Adrianne Palicki did a fantastic job. You look at what you have, what you need, and it just didn’t seem to fit in with what we were doing.

“We did what was best for the schedule,” Greenblatt continued. “It does give one pause. You’re almost damned if you and damned if you don’t. It’s tricky.”

Did Warner Bros. TV make a mistake by releasing early pictures of Palicki in the costume? Greenblatt isn’t so sure. “I was surprised there was such an uproar. But that didn’t have anything to do with whether the show got picked up. I love that it got so much attention. All that engagment from people whether it was positive or negative was good. And she did ultimately have these little hot pants…”

Alas, we’ll never get to see them. Or will we? Greenblatt says Warner Bros. TV may shop the pilot elsewhere. So maybe Wonder Woman will live to fight another day on the small screen (assuming you want to see it). Are you holding out hope?

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/05/15/nbc-wonder-woman/

* * * *

2011 Upfront Notes
NBC: If Donald Trump runs for office, we'll replace him on 'Celebrity Apprentice'

Though NBC picked up another edition of Celebrity Apprentice, the network is prepared for the possibility (however remote) that Donald Trump will follow through with his threats to run for president.

“If he decides to run and is unavailable to do the show, we will bring show the back and someone else will be sitting at the head of the board table,” NBC programming topper Robert Greenblatt told reporters Sunday.

NBC is not prepared for now, however, do say who would replacement. “We are still hoping to have Donald back.”

Does that mean that the Peacock hopes Trump won’t run? Greenblatt says he’s not interested in crushing anyone’s (crazy) dream. “I’ve said I don’t want him to be unavailable,” he said. “It’s the right and privilege of anyone to run for the highest office of the land. Nothing would make me happier than for someone to reach that.

“If we had to address the issue of who would be replacing him, we would have to feel confident that we have another galvanizing presence,” Greenblatt continued. “I’m hopeful we don’t have to go there. If we do, it’s too strong a franchise for us, not to consider [a replacement].”

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/05/15/nb...l-replace-him/

I'm confused. The Playboy Club and Smash are both slotted for Mondays at 10pm. Are they going to run them both without interruptions? Or is The Playboy Club going to get booted to another night in January/February?

Also, it looks like 30 Rock is probably shifting to Wednesdays. And one has to think that part of NBC's reasoning for shifting it to midseason was the comments from Alec Baldwin that this would be the final season.

^^^ It's an unspoken assumption, but NBC (as do the other networks and everybody in the industry) knows there will be holes to fill in mid-season when a lot of their Fall programs fail. What they don't know now (but we will all know before mid-season) is whether "Playboy Club" will be a casualty or a survivor of the Fall launch. It will either be moved to wherever a time slot needs propping, or be cancelled/on hiatus by the time January comes around.

Tina Fey is with child and is due around August. She probably won't be able to go back to work on "30 Rock" until October, and NBC would be dumb to air new "30 Rock" episodes in December and January. The network will run "30 Rock" uninterrupted in the Spring of '12, the same way "Parks and Recreation" ran this Spring.

TV Notes
NBC's Contingency Plans In Case Of NFL Strike, Trump Presidential Run
Reality On Sunday, Recasting Donald On 'Apprentice'
By Nellie Andreeva, Deadline.com - May 15th, 2011

NBC has both Sunday Night Football and Celebrity Apprentice on the schedule for next season despite the NFL football season being in limbo and Celebrity Apprentice star Donald Trump mulling a presidential bid. On a conference call today NBC chief Bob Greenblatt expressed hope that both football and The Donald will be back but also said that the network is working on contingency plans if that doesn't happen.

"Certainly we’re hoping that he is back with us," Greenlatt said of Trump. But if he isn't "we will bring the show back and have someone else at the head of the boardroom table....(Celebrity Apprentice) is too strong a franchise for us not to consider that." Greenblatt wouldn't discuss whom they have in mind as a replacement for Trump, only saying that it would be someone who is "confident and galvanizing."

As for Sunday Night Football, "we feel pretty good about where we are with the NFL and "pretty optimistic that football will be there," Greenblatt said. "Worst case scenario, (the season) will be delayed by a few weeks." NBC is already working on "high-quality, live entertainment reality-type shows that would fill the gap," Greenblatt said. He wouldn't elaborate, only noting that they are "attention-getting big ideas" and that NBC will air the specials elsewhere on the schedule if there is no delay to the football season.

Other tidbits from the NBC call:

-Brian Williams' primetime newsmagazine is a go for midseason. Greenblatt described it as "fresh, relevant and entertaining."

-Chelsea Handler will recur on her midseason comedy Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea.

http://www.deadline.com/2011/05/nbcs...on-apprentice/

2011 Upfront Notes
NBC Bets on Talent Shows and Scripted Series
By Bill Carter, The New York Times' 'Media Decoder' Blog - May 15th, 2011

NBC, hoping to rebound from almost a decade of conspicuous failure, will count heavily on its lineup of talent competitions to set up a new season packed with 12 new scripted series.

What's been working really well for us are these unscripted reality shows, said Bob Greenblatt, the new chairman of NBC Entertainment almost to the exclusion of a lot of scripted things. I think we really are making a commitment to scripted shows.

In the fall schedule NBC will introduce to advertisers Monday, the network will import its holiday-season hit, The Sing-Off, to a regular spot from 8 to 10 p.m. on Mondays, leading into one of its high-profile new dramas, The Playboy Club. That series, set in Chicago in the 60's, mixes the glamour of the famous club in those days with a mob story.

Come mid-season, NBC will use its current breakout hit, The Voice, in the same spot to launch its most ambitious newcomer, Smash, about the creation of a Broadway musical.

Mr. Greenblatt said one element of the network's strategy is to offer more original episodes of shows, fewer repeats and few or no interruptions in serialized shows. Doing Smash' in mid-season will give us the opportunity to run those episodes all continuously because we'll be able to produce them well in advance, Mr. Greenblatt said in a telephone interview Sunday.

NBC is also holding back one of its ongoing comedies, 30 Rock, until January, partly as a result of Tina Fey's pregnancy. But Mr. Greenblatt said that show, too, could run all its episodes consecutively.

Moving 30 Rock out of Thursday in the fall opens up a slot for a comedy, which the network will fill with a new series called Whitney, a romantic comedy starring the comic Whitney Cummings.

NBC is also adding a second comedy night, Wednesday, with two new comedies from 8 to 9 p.m., both about strained relationships: Up All Night which stars Christina Applegate and Free Agents with Hank Azaria.

Comedy is vital, Mr. Greenblatt said. It's not going to be easy to start another night, but I think we have to do it.

Included in the list of new shows NBC formally announced Sunday is a drama not previously ordered officially, an adaptation of the first legal novel by John Grisham, The Firm. That will also be held back until mid-season, probably to run without the need for repeats.

NBC also intends to add a news hour at some point during the season, Mr. Greenblatt said. We want to find a way to take all the great news assets of the company and build a new newsmagazine, he said. There hasn't been anything like it in awhile.

The show, still untitled, will have Brian Williams as chief anchor.

The biggest question mark on NBC's fall schedule is its NFL football block on Sunday night, the most-watched program in television. Mr. Greenblatt said NBC has alternate plans for the night if the lockout by the team owners prevents the games from being played.

We're obviously very close to the situation, he said. And we're optimistic we'll be OK. But if necessary, he said the network has a plan to fill the time with high-energy live events.

The other two new shows set to start in the fall are Prime Suspect, an adaptation of the classic British police show, and Grimm, a mix of police work and fantasy that includes some of the most famous fairy tale characters brought into the real world.

Mr. Greenblatt said he would bring The Celebrity Apprentice back next winter, with somebody else at the head of the boardroom table if Donald Trump announces a run for president. But, he said, We're still hoping he will be in that seat.

NBC's schedule looks like this:

MONDAY
8-10 p.m. - The Sing-Off
10-11 p.m. - The Playboy Club

TUESDAY
8-10 p.m. - The Biggest Loser
10-11 p.m. - Parenthood

WEDNESDAY
8-8:30 p.m. - Up All Night
8:30-9 p.m. - Free Agents
9-10 p.m. Harry's Law
10-11 p.m. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

THURSDAY
8-8:30 p.m. - Community
8:30-9 p.m. Parks and Recreation
9-9:30 p.m. - The Office
9:30-10 p.m. - Whitney
10-11 p.m. - Prime Suspect

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. - Chuck
9-10 p.m. - Grimm
10-11 p.m. - Dateline NBC

SATURDAY
Repeats

SUNDAY
7- 8:15 p.m. Football Night in America
8:15-11:30 p.m. NBC Sunday Night Football

MIDSEASON:

SUNDAY
7-8 p.m. - Dateline NBC
8-10 p.m. - The Celebrity Apprentice
10-11 p.m. - The Firm

MONDAY
8-10 p.m. - The Voice
10-11 p.m. - Smash

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.co...ref=television

2011 Upfront Notes
Preview Videos From NBC's New 2011-12 Primetime Shows
By Bill Gorman, TVByTheNumbers.com - May 15th, 2011

Preview clips for NBC’s new 2011-12 shows.

Adding more as they become live. Refresh & Enjoy! [CLICK LINK BELOW]

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/201...e-shows/92607/

TV Notes
CBS Cancels $#*! My Dad Says, The Defenders and Mad Love
By Miachael Ausiello, TVLine.com - May 15th, 2011

CBS has finally cut the $#*!

Sources confirm to TVLine that the Eye network has canceled William Shatner's critically panned freshman sitcom $#*! My Dad Says.

Also axed after one season: The Defenders and Mad Love.

http://www.tvline.com/2011/05/breaki...ove-defenders/

NOOOO!! I love that show .

It is like they know many genre viewers hardly ever watch shows live and just want them to go to the DVRs.

2011 Upfront Notes
NBC's 2011-12 schedule: Pragmatism, Donald Trump and more
New boss Bob Greenblatt can't fix every hole in one upfront season
By Alan Sepinwall, HitFix.com - May 15th, 2011

Announcing NBC's schedule for the 2011-12 TV season, new network entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt tried to establish himself as a realist.

He acknowledged that getting the network out of the enormous hole it's in wouldn't happen overnight, and that therefore, "If we could do one or two things successfully, I would be thrilled." He acknowledged that "Chuck" is back for a final 13-episode season because he wanted to establish a scripted presence on Fridays but couldn't devote a lot of resources to it. He presented contingency plans for if the NFL is still locked out in the fall (though he believes they'll at most miss a few weeks) and if Donald Trump decides to run for president (though he'd much rather have him stay on "Celebrity Apprentice").

Of course, Greenblatt's predecessor Jeff Gaspin also presented himself as a realist, and he no longer has that job nor is NBC any closer to fixing the mistakes made by Jeff Zucker, Ben Silverman, et al. Pragmatism is nice - and no doubt necessary in this gig - but some hits would help.

Fienberg has the complete NBC schedule, and after the jump, I have night-by-night analysis of the schedule, along with some highlights of the conference call that Greenblatt just completed with reporters.

MONDAY: On the one hand, I respect Greenblatt for showing restraint with "The Voice" - the first out-of-the-box success NBC has had in years - and not trying to rush a second season onto the fall schedule. Greenblatt said one of his two big priorities for the season was making sure that show "is back and in as strong a format as possible so we can turn it into a multi-year juggernaut." So holding it for mid-season and making it into an event is smart, as is pairing it with the perhaps spiritually compatible "Smash," the Broadway behind-the-scenes drama from Steven Spielberg, "Chicago" producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron and playwright Theresa Rebeck.

On the other hand, Greenblatt's plan for keeping the timeslot warm in the fall by turning "The Sing-Off" - which previously found success as a limited-run event in mid-winter - could be a case of NBC pressing its luck.

I'll obviously wait until I see a pilot for the '60s drama "The Playboy Club" before rendering judgment, but casting Eddie Cibrian in the lead doesn't fill me with a ton of faith. That show - which, like ABC's "Pan Am," is obviously an attempt to see if you can do "Mad Men" on a network - was the center of the press call's most amusing moment, when a reporter went line-by-line through the list of NBC's new shows and complained about how derivative they all were. Greenblatt dryly retorted, "We knew we wanted to be derivative this year, so that's why we picked up all these shows."

TUESDAY: If it ain't broke, don't fix it: "The Biggest Loser" isn't quite what it was at its peak, and "Parenthood" doesn't draw a huge overall audience, but "Loser" is still one of NBC's biggest hits and "Parenthood" more than holds its own in the young-adult demographic.

WEDNESDAY: And here we come to Greenblatt's second major priority: establishing a sitcom bloc on a night other than Thursday. Rather than move one of the Thursday shows to a new night to help launch a rookie, Greenblatt is instead going with a pair of newbies in "Up All Night," which at least has recognizable stars in Christina Applegate, Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph, while "Free Agents" (based on the UK series of the same name) has Hank Azaria in front of the camera and "Party Down" showrunner John Enbom running things.

"Harry's Law," which Greenblatt called "a self-starter," returns at 9, while "Law & Order: SVU" is back at 10. Mariska Hargitay just closed a deal to return for her 13th season, and Greenblatt believes there won't be "any impediment" to closing Chris Meloni's deal. Because Hargitay (who just adopted a baby) wants to dial back her workload, there's a plan to introduce a new female detective at mid-season, and Greenblatt said that Jennifer Love Hewitt is "somebody we've been circling" for the part.

(As for the defunct "Law & Order: Los Angeles," Greenblatt didn't sound like a fan of the chaotic way in which it got on the schedule last year, without a pilot, any actors cast, or even a script.)

THURSDAY: "Parks and Recreation," which did okay but not fantastic following "The Office" this spring, moves back to 8:30, which will form a creatively brilliant but possibly ratings-challenged double-feature with "Community" at 8. Greenblatt said his focus for the night is to develop some new hits, and the best way to do that is to follow "The Office," which is where the Whitney Cummings sitcom "Whitney" and the "Prime Suspect" remake with Maria Bello will go.

"We wanted stability in the first part of the night," he said. "The competition is just intense from 8 to 9. 'Community' holds its own there unlike anything I could have thought, and 'Parks' is a great show which I think in proximity to 'The Office' will do well there."

I'm hopeful Greenblatt's expectations for those shows in that time period are realistic. I still think that, if given more time, "Parks and Rec" could have done a little better at retaining "The Office" lead-in, but I can also respect NBC having several months worth of data saying that its audience is its audience, and why not move it in favor of something that might have more upside? (There's also the fact that Greenblatt gets very little credit for a show from the Silverman era, whereas if "Whitney" becomes a hit, that's mostly attributed to his leadership.)

Though it didn't come up on the conference call (because we needed time for multiple questions about Donald Trump's presidential campaign), Greenblatt said in at least one earlier interview on Sunday that "30 Rock" is being held for mid-season because of Tina Fey's pregnancy, and that the plan is to run all the season 6 episodes without interruption, in a timeslot TBD.

FRIDAY: And here we come to the final resting place of Charles Irving Bartowski and the rest of the "Chuck" gang. Again, the idea behind the 13-episode renewal - and Greenblatt told Ausiello that the circumstances under which the order might extend beyond 13 are basically impossible - was to help give NBC some kind of beachhead on Friday, and to give "Grimm" (a modern homicide cop investigates crimes tied to fairy tales) an established lead-in.

"I thought if we had a chance to transport an audience to Friday night, it would be something with a real following," Greenblatt suggested, using the same logic FOX execs did when they moved "Fringe" to that night this season.

Depending on where "Fringe" and "Supernatural" end up, there could be a major geek show pile-up at either 8 or 9, or in both hours. One thing I'll say to "Chuck" fans (and I'll go on at greater length in my review of the season 4 finale): tomorrow's episode sets up a status quo I cannot wait to see in the fall, and that will hopefully cure any "Chuck" fans of ambivalent feelings about this victory lap season.

SATURDAY: Nothing to see here. Repeats, as per usual.

SUNDAY: If there's football in the fall, then this is easy. And Greenblatt believes there will be football - or, rather, NBC Sports president Dick Ebersol believes there will be, and his conviction is good enough for Greenblatt.

If Ebersol's right that at worst they lose a few weeks' worth of games, Greenblatt said they have a contingency plan "to produce several high-quality live event, reality-type shows" to fill the time left by the lockout. If the lockout wipes out the season? Well, then America has big problems right along with NBC.

Greenblatt will also need a contingency plan at mid-season if Trump manages to convince himself that the idea of him running for president isn't a joke.

"If he decides to run for president and is unavailable to do the show," Greenblatt said, "we will bring the show back and there will be someone else sitting at the boardroom table. Who that is, I won't even entertain, because we believe Donald will be in the seat." When pressed on whether that meant he doesn't want Trump to run, Greenblatt simply said, "I think it's the right and privilege of every American-born citizen to run for the highest office in the land" and wished The Donald the best in whatever he chose to do.

Again, because certain members of the press just can't get enough of Trump, there wasn't time on the call to discuss Greenblatt's thoughts on any of the mid-season projects "Awake" (drama from "Lone Star" creator Kyle Killen, with Jason Isaacs as a man living a very different kind of double life from what James Wolk went through on the earlier show), "Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea" (starring Laura Prepon as a young Chelsea Handler), "Bent" (romantic comedy with Amanda Peet and David Walton from "Perfect Couples") and "Best Friends Forever" (divorcee moves in with her best friend and the friend's new live-in boyfriend) that have yet to be scheduled. (Whereas the remake of John Grisham's "The Firm" at least has a timeslot, post-"Celebrity Apprentice," if not a cast or pilot, suggesting that Greenblatt's disapproval of the "Law & Order: LA" launch only goes so far.) Nor was there time to ask which of those might get either the "Love Bites" treatment (pushed until a Summer Burn-Off Theatre run in June) or "Friends with Benefits" treatment (not scheduled anywhere ever, most likely).

http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-al...-year-of-chuck

Critic's Notes
Perils Of The Preview: Don't Believe The Hype
By Tim Goodman, The Hollywood Reporter - May 15th, 2011

It's reckless for anyone, especially a critic, to make snap judgements based on teaser clips. That's something to bear in mind when watching the clips that NBC has released prior to its upfront announcements in New York on Monday.

The same will hold true for the other networks likely to follow. Just as you can't tell whether a series is any good by the premise on paper, a couple of minutes of footage is hardly a good barometer on quality. This is particularly true of dramas but far less so for comedies. It's not like this should be breaking news to anyone, but there's certainly a truism in the fact that people who get a sampling of something -- bite of food, picture of any new Apple product, film trailer, etc. -- will form some kind of opinion.

Just be forewarned that you might have to publicly flip-flop when you see the entire pilot. Or, more accurately, when you've digested four episodes.

While there's no formula for gauging any of this, it's no doubt heartening to sociologists that even the most jaded among us want, as Fox Mulder once did, to believe. We want NBC's remake of Prime Suspect to not be awful, as many suspect it might be. The clips? Maria Bello's performance looks good, for all of what, two to four minutes? But that tells us nothing - the show could be two notches above Law & Order for all we know and that will not, I'm telling you now, be enough for this critic to hold back from a beat down. On the other hand, maybe Prime Suspect will surprise, like the American version of The Office did. Maybe NBC will send out two episodes instead of just the pilot (one can dream) and the series will be something that raises our hopes or, at the very least, tamps down our pent up prejudice.

How about Smash with Debra Messing and Katherine McPhee? Well, the clips don't suggest much of anything. Just remember that musicals on television have a spotty track record, Glee included.

Who doesn't love Jason Isaacs? Does this mean Awake will be any good? It does not. He'll be fantastic - that much is almost guaranteed. But will the material be there to suit his talents? Will the premise be watchable? Will it hold up?

And how about Grimm -- you've got a nice little twist on the standard procedural, but these kinds of genre series have, at best, settled somewhere into the middle of the pack, hoping every year for renewal. Will Grimm be different - an out of the box smash hit or, say, something along the lines of No Ordinary Family or some less than engaging Night Stalker wannabe?

Nobody knows from those clips. We might not even know from the pilot. But you can't fault NBC -- and the other networks -- for getting those promos out there. This is where the hype begins. This is that beautiful time of year when there are no failures, no catastrophic network blunders, no schedules that implode from awful development seasons. No, everything is golden now. Everything has potential.

And yet -- you knew that was coming -- what about this theory that it's far easier to prejudge a comedy on limited exposure than a drama? I mean, if you held a gun to my head after watching the clips for Whitney, I'd have to tell you that I've got some serious worries about it. The clip wasn't funny. And -- dear God -- who let that laugh track into the mix? Painful.

But hey. The first four or five episodes of Parks and Recreation were, let's be honest here, pretty lousy. Then, in its full second season, it became the obvious winner for Most Improved Show. And it's fantastic. Even the first three or so episodes of 30 Rock looked disastrously ill-advised (and that was after revamping the pilot entirely). So who knows? (are you sensing a theme here?). Maybe Whitney will be hilarious.

But after the clip, when the NBC logo asks, "Want more?," my initial reaction was, "No, not really." But of course I do. I want the pilot and the first three episodes. That's how you judge a show. Not on the clips. It's not human nature, but it's the right thing to do.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bas...ve-hype-188529

2011 Upfront Notes
Fox Schedule Intel: 'Terra Nova' On Monday?
By Nellie Andreeva, Deadline.com - May 15th, 2011

Right after NBC, it is Fox's presenting its fall schedule tomorrow. After making some major scheduling moves last year with moving American Idol to Wednesdays and Thursdays and launching a Glee-anchored comedy block on Tuesdays, the network is expected to bet on stability this year, especially after both gambles this season largely paid off. Idol is expected to keep its Wednesday-Thursday airing pattern, which would be mirrored in the fall by X Factor, whose 90-minute Wednesday show will probably be used to launch a new comedy the way American Idol has done it.

I hear the most anticipated new Fox series, prehistoric drama Terra Nova, which had been rumored to launch either on Monday or Thursday, looks Monday-bound. Conventional wisdom has it that Fox should use a reliable performer like House to launch its highest-profile new series, and that has been the scenario most speculated about. But, Terra Nova has tested great as a four-quadrant show with a very broad appeal, so I won't be surprised if Fox decides to make a switch and put Terra Nova at 8 PM to capture the family audience. Terra Nova doesn't really need a lead-in - after all it's a Steven Spielberg-produced show with dinosaurs - so it could be a self-starter like Glee proved to be this season. And House is probably better suited for 9 PM.

Speaking of Glee, it is expected to once again lead off the Tuesday comedy lineup, followed by 2 comedies, probably New Girl and Raising Hope as both are edgy single-camera half-hours but Fox may also want to create a family comedy block with Hope and the multi-camera I Hate My Teenage Daughter. The new comedy that doesn't join Fox's comedy block will probably go after X Factor.

After numerous scheduling moves, I think utility player Bones will probably stay status quo on Thursdays, alternating with spinoff Finder. And Fringe is expected to stay on Fridays, setting up a genre show face-off with NBC's freshman Grimm.

http://www.deadline.com/2011/05/fox-...ova-on-monday/

Ahh, upfront week, my favorite time of the year!

I just watched all the previews, and was trying to kind of formulate my thoughts, when I read the article about not judging a show by the preview, and I found that spot on. Anyway, here's my rambling analysis of NBC's schedule:

Monday night: The Sing Off, seriously? I guess it does make sense in order to establish a reality vocal competition in the slot and keep it warm for The Voice's return in the spring, I just wasn't exactly expecting it to expand past it's beginnings as a short winter fill-in. And it's just the first of too many two-hour shows on NBC's schedule. The Playboy Club--eh, I might check it out, I'm sure it'll be good, just not my cup of tea.

Tuesday: No change. I was really hoping for a reduction of The Biggest Loser down to an hour, but hey whatever works. I love Parenthood, but was kind of expecting an earlier slot this year.

Wednesday: Trying to launch a new comedy night with two new shows on the night ABC has already claimed for comedy is pretty bold. I will actually check out both of these comedies, mostly for the casts more than the plots. Harry's Law and L&O: SVU makes as much sense as anything else.

Thursday: The only show I watch normally on Thursday is 30 Rock, and it's pushed back to mid-season, which I was completely expecting, due to Fey's pregnancy, and I totally agree that Whitney just looked BAD in that promo. I think if I were making the sked, I'd put Whitney on Tuesday with Up All Night (relationship comedies) and put Free Agents (more workplace comedy, at least judging by the clip) on Thursday. I'm surprised they put the cop drama Prime Suspect after the comedies instead of Smash.

Friday: Can't say I'm surprised about Chuck's relocation, I'm just glad it got a final season. I honestly didn't expect Comcast to show Chuck the same love and loyalty that the old regime did (not really defending the "old" NBC, just saying I did like that they stood by Chuck.) Grimm looks like a good match, but I would still expect NBC to have to revamp the night by mid-season.

Sunday: As long as the NFL season happens, they are golden.

Mid-Season: All I really have to say about mid-season, is write this schedule down in pencil. Fox and NBC are really the only nets to really announce mid-season schedules in May, but you know they're not gonna stick, at least not 100%. That said, what they've announced looks good.

If NBC really needed that time slot, Chuck would have been toast. It looks like anything that the old NBC liked that was on the bubble got it. You don't make your mark by keeping your predecessors troubles around.

And the other two names are misspelled.

I like the idea of a show keeping Kirk Acevado on my TV . . . but it being an NBC cop show reminds of another Band of Brother alum, Damien Lewis, and his NBC cop show.

^^^ Wasn't Kirk also on one of the "Law & Order" spinoffs (either "Conviction" or "Trial By Jury," don't remember which) a few years back? And he isn't he also recurring on "Fringe"? Guess if he got an NBC gig then he won't be able to do the other shows he was semi-recurring on.

Critic's Notes
Oprah's revolution will continue to be televised
'The Oprah Winfrey Show' host gave voice to self-empowerment, a message that has spread far into popular culture.
By Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times - May 15th, 2011

As "The Oprah Winfrey Show" draws to a much publicized end this month one thing is clear: Al Gore may or may not have invented the Internet, Mark Zuckerberg may or may not have invented Facebook, but Oprah Winfrey most certainly did invent social media.

Like early competitor Phil Donahue, Oprah closed the geographic gap between audience and host from the moment she took over "AM Chicago" in 1984. Her decision to walk among the audience made it clear that she was neither authority figure interviewer nor a celebrity host. Instead, she was just another citizen who had a few questions and opinions about a wide variety of things, some of which she knew something about, some of which she did not.

Then, in November 1987, on what was now "The Oprah Winfrey Show," she closed the professional gap as well. While interviewing a group of sexual abuse survivors and their molesters, Oprah revealed that she too had been sexually abused as a child. In doing so, she shattered the fourth wall between interviewer and subject, between medium and message, between marketing and personal revelation, and the world was never quite the same again.

During the quarter century she ruled daytime television, Oprah's image of a talk show crept into virtually every nook and cranny of popular culture. She took as her model the kitchen table, where personal has experience reigns supreme and the breaking of social silences is encouraged. Historically considered a feminine, and therefore inferior, form of information gathering and distribution, it has become a template for publishing, journalism, film, academe, and, of course, television. Expertly wielding the once-verboten interviewer's tool of empathy and self-disclosure, Winfrey brought previously taboo issues such as incest, domestic abuse, sexuality, addiction, depression, AIDS and, later, various international crises into the public discourse.

More important, she turned the personal narrative into a valuable commodity.

Your life, she said to an army of guests and fans who ranged from the wealthy and celebrated to the tragically marginalized, is not just important to you and the ones you love, it is important to me because it is important to my audience.

Which increasingly meant everyone.

It was a message Americans, caught in the sticky post-revolutionary web of economic politics, were more than ready to hear, highly commercial but still evangelical as with Jesus, no sparrow was too small, or damaged, or deviant to escape Oprah's attention. Taking the feminist credo "the personal is the political" one step further, Oprah argued that the personal was also culturally significant, creating a vision of communal and spiritual individualism. She encouraged her audience to treat itself better, whether by leaving an abusive spouse or indulging in a chocolate truffle. Exploring and/or honoring an individual's experience of his or her life, be that person famous, infamous or just an average soccer mom, became a rock on which to build an empire and an age.

This message took many forms. Beginning in the 1990s, memoir became the hottest literary trend. "Voice," once the hobgoblin of journalism, became its most sought after commodity along with the anecdotal lead and the behind-the-scenes first-person piece. Pediatricians and other experts were shoved off their advice pedestals in favor of "girlfriends," "working moms" and celebrities who were in turn encouraged to reveal their "ordinary lives" from their baby bumps and love addictions to their favorite scented candle and Girl Scout cookie.

From the banks of the wide river of celebrity culture, the voices of the proletariat rang out through reality TV, the blogosphere, then Facebook and Twitter. We are now a nation of self-narrators, a congregation engaged in 24-hour confession, fascinated by our own back stories, and that too is difficult to imagine in a world without Oprah.

Oprah's show, meanwhile, became a kind of sociological patent office, the first stop for anyone with an idea or a product or apology to sell. With her rich alto and soulful eyes, her comfortable curves and pitch-perfect mix of hubris and self-deprecation, she was the mother/sister/wife/rabbi/friend we never had, the lap that would envelope us even as the hand slapped us to attention. When James Frey lied to Oprah, even Frank Rich, then New York Times grand poo-bah of punditry, came on the show to give him what for.

In Oprah many people found peace; Oprah forgave our sins because she shared so many of them. The self-disclosure that was so shocking in 1987 became a trope over the years, Oprah has revealed having a child when she was 14, engaging in an adulterous affair, contemplating suicide, having a secret half sister and, of course, battling weight and eating issues. Rising from a poor and troubled youth to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in America, she offered hope and inspiration to millions, and unlike any of her peers, her whole message focused on helping us achieve the same. Live your best life, she told us. Who doesn't want to do that?

In her recent book, "Oprah: The Gospel of an Icon," Kathryn Lofton argues rather convincingly that Oprah has become a religion, not just because she so often invokes the importance of the spiritual on her program but "because she invites ritual processes toward her and her iconography fosters produced ritual." That ritual, as Lofton notes, is often performed at the cash register, purchasing whatever book, product or guru Oprah has most recently anointed, but it can also be something more opaque, a mindset that acknowledges inner pain and attempts to assuage it through action be it following "The Secret" or cleaning out your closets. The tent of Oprah is large, with many doors. Self-examination is set off by pampering just as guides to healthful living are salted with daily indulgences. Because Oprah is so undeniably successful, her advice seems unquestionable if you want what she has, then do what she says.

But it's important to remember even now that Oprah is a product and master of television. Yes, she has starred in and produced feature films, brought "The Color Purple" to Broadway, encouraged exposure to both new authors and the classics through her book club and created a fairly spectacular website.

But when it came time to figure out the next step, she didn't set up a film production company or her own publishing house, she created her own network. Because television is still the ultimate form of social media, a place where you can find anyone talking about anything any time, a genre that mirrors and directs our culture like no other, a power even greater than Oprah herself.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...,3549312.story

Critic's Notes
A 'Survivor' Winner in a Red Sox Cap
By Roger Catlin, Hartford Courant - May 15th, 2011

He expertly masterminded his tribe, calculated who'd go home and when. And he got to the final three with two players nobody could possibly vote for.

So "Boston Rob" Mariano of course was the overwhelming winner on "Survivor: Redemption Island" Sunday.

For Mariano, it was his fourth time playing the game but first to win the $1 million prize. The woman who became his wife, Amber Brkich, won "All-Stars."

"I knew from the very beginning if I was able to get my foot in the door and get these people to at least play with me, I'd at least have a shot," Mariano said.

He agreed their devotion to him was i"cult like" to a degree. "But it was a lot of hard work too."

Marino's win came after winning a couple of crucial individual immunities, including the last one available, and having a hidden immunity idol the one time an alliance of women would even consider voting him out.

Host Jeff Probst said it was as close to a perfectly played game as he'd seen in 22 seasons.

But one Mariano teammate, Grant Mattos, took personally the blindside he got to eliminate him from the game.

The one player who gave hope to viewers all season, Matt Elrod, got blindsided twice but stayed alive on Redemption Island by winning 10 consecutive challenges. He lost the last one though, and did not return to the game in the finale, as viewers may have hoped.

Elrod was in the running with Mariano for the $100,000 fan favorite prize, but lost that one to him as well.

The one who went back to the game from Redemption Island was the most recently blindsided, Andrea Boehlke. She returned and tried to form a female trio alliance to upend Rob's rule, but she was voted out again.

The "Redemption Island" gambit will be repeated this fall when the action moves to the South Pacific, with two other former all-stars returning to try and win.

http://blogs.courant.com/roger_catli...a-red-sox.html

Business Notes
TV Networks Expect a Jump in Spending on Commercials
By Stuart Elliott, The New York Times - May 16th, 2011

Fox is the only television network that broadcasts Glee, but just about every network is gleeful as this week begins.

The joy among broadcasters stems from a widespread belief that they will, for the second year in a row, be able to charge a good deal more for commercial time during their shows for the coming season than they were the year before.

Last spring, the networks took in about $500 million to $700 million more in the upfront market called that because it happens before the season than they did in 2009.

Now, as executives start this week to share with advertisers and agencies their schedules for 2011-12, they are anticipating a robust gain in ad revenue of $600 million to $800 million from last spring and, by some estimates, perhaps as much as $1 billion.

Those expectations come despite potential problems like a disruption of the next National Football League season; a slowdown in consumer spending caused by rising prices for gasoline, food and clothing; declines in ratings, particularly among younger viewers; and efforts by digital media to lure away advertisers.

It is an amazing story that in a weak economy the national television business is strong for the sellers, said Steven J. Farella, president and chief executive at TargetCast TCM, a leading media-buying agency.

We have clients in financial services, travel and consumer packaged goods, he added, and we have no one feeling as good about this economy as the networks.

Bill Koenigsberg, president and chief executive at Horizon Media, described this as the annual silly season, where it behooves the sellers to pound their chests and set expectations incredibly high.

If I were in their shoes, I'd probably be doing the same thing, he said, but I'm not quite sure I see where the money is coming from.

Still, marketers in categories like cars, fast food, movies, retailing and telecommunications have been increasing ad budgets in recent quarters. That growing demand has been demonstrated by rising prices for commercials that are bought with less advance notice than the upfront provides, in what is known as the scatter market; those rates have run 20 to 40 percent higher than the same quarters a year ago.

As a hedge against those rates rising further, you'll probably want to lay down your money in the upfront market, said Steve Kalb, senior vice president and director for video investments at the MediaHub division of Mullen, because nine years out of 10, you're likely to do better in the upfront than in scatter.

Agreements made in the upfront market also yield benefits not found in the scatter market, among them options to cancel commitments.

Another reason most outlooks call for a strong upfront market is a multiplier effect that networks, advertisers and agencies are beginning to notice: Social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube seem to be stimulating renewed interest in watching television, making commercial time potentially more valuable as viewers seek to share with family and friends comments about Hail Mary passes, awful gowns or pitchy singers.

Social media and television work very synergistically, said Carolyn Everson, vice president for global marketing solutions at Facebook, because TV has always been a social medium.

TV is about creating water-cooler moments,' only now they don't take 12 hours till you're at school or the office, Ms. Everson said. They happen in real time.

So instead of saying to advertisers, Why are you spending X on TV when you can spend Y on Facebook,' Ms. Everson said, we'll say, If you're going to be spending X on TV, if you add Facebook and social media you maximize the experience.'

In addition to the five big English-language networks ABC, CBS, CW, Fox and NBC cable channels and Spanish-language TV will also make programming presentations this week. Most forecasters see strong upfront markets for them, too.

The total take for cable channels could be $9 billion to $9.2 billion, an increase of 10 to 15 percent from their upfront season last year and close or equal to what the broadcast networks are expected to sell.

If cable channels achieved parity with their broadcast brethren, it would be a first for the television business.

Cable channels like AMC, BBC America and TV Land are increasingly investing in original content, said Antony Young, chief of the Optimedia U.S. media agency, rather than relying on reruns of broadcast fare.

As a result, the shift from network to cable in ratings and ad budgets continues to be an ongoing theme, he added.

The likely total for ad sales for Hispanic television, which includes properties owned by Discovery Communications, the News Corporation, NBCUniversal and Univision Communications, is being estimated at $1.9 billion up 11.8 percent from about $1.7 billion in the upfront market before the 2010-11 season.

We may even be more optimistic than some of our general-market counterparts, said David Lawanda, president for ad sales and marketing at Univision Communications, which owns networks like Univision and TeleFutura and cable channels like Galavisión.

That extremely bullish outlook is being driven, he said, by the Madison Avenue response to the 2010 Census that showed significant growth in the Hispanic-American population, which now exceeds 50 million. In the last six quarters, 150 new brands have started advertising with Univision, Mr. Lawanda said.

The media buyers, uncomfortable with paying perhaps a lot more for commercial time, are considering other ways to spend client dollars.

We're not going to walk away from TV, said Tim Spengler, president for North America at the Initiative media agency, but I've told our guys there are other sight, sound and motion options that could work. Among them are online video like Hulu and YouTube.

Mr. Farella of TargetCast TCM hailed our new friends in digital video, who could help mitigate the cost increases.

Mr. Young of Optimedia U.S. said: It's clear the networks are going to be fairly aggressive. We're advising clients to be more flexible, more fluid, more choiceful.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/bu...ref=television

Q&A
'Chuck' co-creator Chris Fedak on the final season renewal
By Alan Sepinwall, HitFix.com - May 15th, 2011

I watched Monday night's "Chuck" season finale yesterday, after news of the show's fifth season renewal came in. And without spoiling anything about what happens, the end credits rolled and I said to myself, "Thank God NBC renewed it, because I cannot wait to see what they do after this one."

Chris Fedak, the show's co-creator, was feeling a similar excitement for the possibilities of a fifth season as he worked on the finale, even though he believed the odds were, at best, 50-50 for renewal due to the show's recent ratings dip.

I spoke with Fedak a few minutes ago, for an interview I'm going to present in two parts over two days. After the jump is Chris' reaction to the renewal, the knowledge that next season will be the final one for "Chuck," and the challenges that have come the last two seasons as NBC has ordered more episodes partway through the year. Tomorrow night, after the finale, I'm going to post both my review of the episode and Fedak's explanation for some of the things that happen in it.

When did you know you were coming back?

It's been a day by day situation. We didn't know until the rumors started getting out there that we had a chance. It's really been the last couple of days that we knew.

So how were you feeling over these last few weeks, especially given how the ratings dropped late in the season?

There's always a number of different feelings. One is you look at a number that's lower than you want. The brass tacks of television is that you need a number you can feel good at. But we also had our core viewers and some things going in our direction We all wish the numbers were different by the end of the season, but we knew we had some big exciting stories and we had an exciting finale coming up. We had some things in our back pocket we felt good about.

But if I were to have injected you with truth serum a week ago, what would you have set the odds for renewal at?

I would have said 50/50.

You got the renewal for a fifth season, but it's also the final season. How does that feel?

We're excited. We're stoked to be able to tell more "Chuck" stories. It's a unique and in some ways precious show. We've managed to survive 5 years. Josh (Schwartz) and I love telling these stories, along with the rest of the writing staff. For us, it's the ability to tell 13 more stories and close out the story in a super fantastic way. And to know what we're doing, that that's the gameplan all along? It's great. That's something you don't usually have when working on a network television show. On our show, we've had finales built into our episode 13, but we'll be able to design the season in a very specific way.

Has NBC suggested there's any possibility of getting the order extended the way it has these last two seasons?

We've learned to say never say never again - that's a James Bond reference - but the gameplan is to focus on these 13 and to build towards an ending in the 13th.

While I'm sure you were happy in seasons 3 and 4 to get more episodes to work on, how big of a challenge is it to have to construct your seasons in that unpredictable way?

It is a real challenge from a storytelling perspective. Naturally, you won't find a screenwriting manual or guidebook that tells you to have an epic finale midway through your season. That's not a usual move. It's tough, from a structuring a story perspective. But for me, it's always been an opportunity. When we got 6 more episodes in season 3, those 6 episodes gave us an opportunity to explore things in the show you just wouldn't do in a shorter season. Hard to imagine season 3 without the "Honeymooners" episode. And with these extra 11 we got in season 4, it's hard to imagine season 4 without bringing Timothy (Dalton) back and exploring Volkoff. The challenges are outweighed by the way you're able to take a character and explore them in a greater way. We've now seen a little more of the Roan (Montgomery) and Diane (Beckman) relationship, for instance. That's the fun thing we get to do. But it's certainly a challenge from a storytelling standpoint. And doing 11 more is a lot different from doing 6 more.

Yeah, this year you had to build a whole second arc, where with the 6 last year you could basically just do 6 episodes of "Chuck" with a climax at the end.

With the 11-episode order, we had to reboot the season in a major way. Launch new storylines, set up new characters. It's challenging, but to be able to work on the Chuck show, considering how unique it is, it's a wonderful thing to be able to do.

Without giving anything away, what can you tell your fans about the finale tomorrow night?

Our finale, in the tradition of all "Chuck" finales, is everything and the kitchen sink. I hope that everybody enjoys it. It's got some epic emotional stuff as well as some great action. It's another epic "Chuck" finale. I couldn't be more proud of it. We have a great time making the show, and you can see that through what comes on screen. I hope people really like it.

CHUCK
Season Finale Monday at 8PM ET on NBC

http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-al...season-renewal

"Trial By Jury" and the same character on a SVU or two


Yes, and "Black Donnellys" among others (Oz, for one.)

TV Review
'Freedom Riders' (PBS)
The PBS documentary recounts the civil rights protesters who rode south to challenge the region's 'whites only' laws and the violence they faced.
By Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times - May 16th, 2011

In the cavalcade of American history, there are some stories that can't be told too often. Our collective memory is appallingly short, and it is useful to be reminded that not only are we a work in progress, but also that progress, in the sense of more things improving for more people, can be bloody work. Entrenched interests like to stay entrenched, securing the status quo by means of "the law," which has been written or rewritten to their satisfaction, and the brute force that backs it up.

Such was the state of some of the nation in May 1961, when 13 men and women, black and white, ages 18 to 61 and including a young John Lewis, now a respected congressman from Georgia boarded two buses in Washington, D.C., and headed south. Organized by the Congress of Racial Equality, or CORE, the trip was meant to end in New Orleans on the seventh anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education; along the way, riders would violate Jim Crow laws, already declared unconstitutional yet still in local force. Stanley Nelson's documentary film "Freedom Riders," airing Monday on KOCE as part of PBS' "The American Experience," tells that story and, by focusing on a single chapter of a long struggle, fills its two hours with the sort of moment-to-moment detail that makes not only for persuasive reporting but also for suspenseful drama.

It is a simple story in the sense that one side was right, with all the moral authority, and the other wrong, with none, however much they might have believed otherwise. ("I have no doubt the Negro basically knows the best friend he ever had in the world is the Southern white man," says one delusional Southern white man.) You know whom to root for. But even among people of goodwill, there are differences, and the CORE plan was not universally supported within the movement. There was also what might be described as a third side, the federal government, which itself needed to be prodded into action and which regarded the trip as an ill-timed distraction, exposing a deep strain of native racism just as President Kennedy was off to face Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev at a European summit.

Though they had trained briefly to react pacifically to violence, the Riders did not expect the mobs that met them as they reached the Deep South: Outside of Birmingham, Ala., one bus was set aflame; in Birmingham, the remaining riders were attacked and beaten while police looked the other way. (Birmingham's commissioner of public safety, Bull Connor, the bad man in so many civil rights stories, is also the villain here.) It's suggested here that one reason for the rides may have been to raise CORE's profile within the movement; what isn't stated is that CORE had been around for 20 years by then and that the Freedom Ride was a sort of sequel to the similarly intentioned Journey of Reconciliation in 1947; both followed by a year Supreme Court rulings outlawing segregation in interstate travel.

As the CORE activists met resistance, a second wave of riders mostly students from Nashville, but battle-hardened, having desegregated that city's lunch counters the year before arrived as reinforcements; they signed their wills before departing. Pauline Knight-Ofosu remembers, almost as if beginning a ballad: "I got up one May morning and I said to my folks at home, 'I won't be back today because I'm a Freedom Rider.'" More than 430 eventually joined, many pointedly traveling to Jackson, Miss., specifically to be arrested. Many wound up in the Mississippi State Penitentiary, where their swelled ranks annoyed the guards with singing. In September, the Interstate Commerce Commission, previously in no hurry to exercise its authority, finally ordered the "whites only" signs removed from bus stations.

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: FREEDOM RIDERS
Monday at 9PM on PBS (check local listings)

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...0,738121.story

Yeah, I've seen Kirk Acevedo pop up on all the "L&O" shows (particularly "SVU") playing everything from perps to detectives. Shame "TBJ" didn't work out for him, hopefully this time it'll work out. NBC's gain is "Fringe's" loss.