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Hot Off The Press: The Latest TV News and Information - Page 2416

post #72451 of 87878
10/4/11 at 4:52am
TV Notes
Tuesday's Highlights: 'Dancing With the Stars' on ABC
By Los Angeles Times' 'Show Tracker' Blog - October 3rd, 2011

[ALL TIMES LISTED ARE PACIFIC TIME]

GRACEFUL: Tom Bergeron, Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus will appear in two new episodes of Dancing With the Stars at 8 and 9 p.m. on ABC.

SERIES

Renee: Eric Drath directs this documentary about Renée Richards' battle to enter the 1977 U.S. Open as the first transgender tennis player (5 p.m. ESPN).

NCIS: Lily Tomlin guest stars in this new episode as McGee's (Sean Murray) grandmother, who, to everyone's surprise, turns out to have a connection to the NCIS team's latest case. Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo also star in this new episode (8 p.m. CBS).

Prohibition: The episode A Nation of Hypocrites concludes Ken Burns' documentary (8 p.m. KOCE).

Made in America: This new series, which echoes an earlier with John Ratzenberger, takes viewers to places where iconic American products are made (8 p.m. Travel).

Ringer: Still posing as Siobhan, Bridget (Sarah Michelle Gellar) joins Andrew, Gemma and Henry (Ioan Gruffudd, Tara Summers, Kristoffer Polaha) in the Hamptons to celebrate her birthday (9 p.m. KTLA).

Gene Simmons Family Jewels: The unscripted series returns from hiatus resolving the cliffhanger from the last episode. Will Sharon accept Gene's marriage proposal? (9 and 10 p.m. A&E).

Viking Wilderness: This new series, set in the northernmost reaches of the world, takes viewers to a cold and brutal environment where wildlife struggles to survive (9 and 10 p.m. Animal Planet).

Chopped: The cooking show returns (10 p.m. Food).

Onion News Network: In the season premiere of the news parody series an asteroid is about to destroy Earth (10 p.m. IFC).

Fashion Hunters: This new series follows employees of an upscale resale boutique as they go treasure hunting in New York for fashion gold (10:30 p.m. Bravo).

SPORTS

Baseball: MLB division series (7:30 p.m. TBS) (12:30 p.m. TBS); (4 p.m. TBS). (7:30 p.m. TBS)

Soccer: The Galaxy visit the New York Red Bulls (5 p.m. ESPN2).

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/show...rs-on-abc.html
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post #72452 of 87878
10/4/11 at 4:55am
TV Review
'Mad Fashion,' sadly out of fashion
New Bravo series has an engaging star in designer Chris March
By Tom Conroy, Media Life Magazine - October 3rd, 2011

If part of maturity is accepting that life often requires us to go through the same thing over and over, then Bravo's new reality show Mad Fashion is definitely aimed at mature audiences.

Yet another half hour in which a flamboyant designer and his or her colleagues take on a project, decide to make it more wacky than the client probably wants, work furiously to meet their deadline and then worry whether the client will approve, Mad Fashion might have been fun to watch, say, nine years ago, before the explosion of series taking us into the work spaces of clothing designers, hair stylists, interior decorators, custom-motorcycle builders and tattoo artists. Visually and structurally indistinguishable from too many of its antecedents, the show is simply boring.

That's too bad, because it stars Chris March, a lovable, colorful also-ran from season 4 of Project Runway. He now runs a company that creates one-of-a-kind versions of his specialty: elaborately constructed, over-the-top ensembles that would look equally good on a drag queen or an adventurous woman.

In the premiere, airing this Tuesday, Oct. 4, at 10 p.m., Chris and his team accept a commission from a shoe designer named Ruthie Davis to make her something to wear to a party celebrating her next show. When he asks her which of her celebrity clients she's fantasized about resembling, she says a Bond girl.

Chris takes that idea and runs with it to the nearest trash can. Instead, he creates a spiky, bondage-inspired bodice with a hoop-skirt-inspired lower half, a signature element in his designs. Even though Ruthie seemed dubious about his idea of placing some of her shoes on the outfit, he goes ahead and does it anyway.

In the process, we meet Chris' staff, who would have been memorable nine years ago. Today, they blend in with the dozens of similarly chatty, witty oddballs from previous fashion series they're the sort of people who reflexively think, Sound bite! before saying anything.

While introducing the staff in voice-over, Chris mentions our newest member, which seems to be reality-TV code for someone we just hired to spice up the cast for TV. Usually it's a gay-acting man, but that would be coals to Newcastle in this workplace. Instead, it's a pretty seamstress named Christine, who's younger and more girly than the other female cast member, Izzy, the hairstylist.

The assembly of the look is somewhat interesting. Matt, who, Chris says, heads our construction department, builds an imposing aluminum frame that looks like a chandelier. Horrifying his female co-workers, Chris cuts up some of Ruthie's shoes to turn into ornamentation.

But this process pales in comparison with most of the challenges we've seen on Project Runway, in which the designers usually work alone under a tighter deadline, and often with more difficult materials, like groceries or candy wrappers.

The reveal is even less suspenseful than is usual on this kind of show. Clients who hire Chris March expect something insanely bizarre and thus really can't complain if the getup makes them look ridiculous.

Naturally, the show pauses for a commercial break between the fitting and Ruthie's reaction. After the break, besides learning whether or not she likes the look, we also learn that to build suspense, a line was edited out of the pre-break scene and put back in place after.

That sort of fiddling around with the facts is a convention of reality TV, so we shouldn't be surprised by it here. But the problem with Mad Fashion is that nothing in it surprises us. Chris March is an unconventional talent who deserved an unconventional approach.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/art...f-fashion.aspp
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post #72453 of 87878
10/4/11 at 5:00am
TV Notes
TV networks fight over rights to first interview with freed murder suspect Amanda Knox
By Richard Huff, New York Daily News - October 4th, 2011

Amanda Knox is the next biggest news interview get since a Florida jury sprung Casey Anthony.

ABC, NBC and CBS each have a rep in Italy hoping to get a shot at the first sitdown with Knox, whose 2009 conviction for killing a roommate was overturned Monday.

"She was tried in the media the first place, therefore she's already a public figure," says Fordham University Professor Paul Levinson. "There's no story more appealing to the public than someone who was convicted of murder and overturned on appeal."

Now that her fate has been settled, the race to nab an interview with Knox has heated up.

Among the contenders is ABC's Elizabeth Vargas, who has covered ever step of the case since Knox' first trial. Also in the mix is CBS' Peter Van Sant, who has been following the case for the newsmagazine "48 Hours" and was in Italy Monday.

NBC's "Today" show host Matt Lauer has been working on it, too and was in Italy last week, though he left over the weekend.

Knox' case comes along at a time when the network news divisions have vowed they're not paying to gain access to interviews, a process that in the past has funneled money to Anthony's family and others involved in that story.

Interviews aside, Knox could cash in through books, magazines and maybe a movie.

"Add in the she is a beautiful young woman overseas," says Levinson, "and you couldn't write better thriller."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/worl..._freed_mu.html
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post #72454 of 87878
10/4/11 at 5:04am
TV Sports/Nielsen Notes
Ratings: MLB's postseason no match for NFL's Week 4
By Michael Hiestand, USA Today - October 4th, 2011

In case you're wondering, don't: NFL TV ratings tower over the MLB playoffs.

An example: Fox's NFL pregame show Sunday got a bigger overnight rating than any of TBS' MLB playoff games so far.

Even in cities with MLB playoff teams, NFL teams dominate. While the Green Bay Packers' one-sided win over the Denver Broncos drew 44.1% of Milwaukee households, the Brewers' playoff game against Arizona Sunday drew just 20.3%. And in Phoenix, that Sunday Diamondbacks-Brewers game drew 5.7% of households — while the Giants-Cardinals NFL game drew 21.5% of local households.

After being hit by bad luck with Tigers-Yankees being rained out Friday, a night when MLB faced little competition from football, TBS MLB playoff games are averaging 1.9% of U.S. households — down 27% from the first three days of last year's playoffs.

In the NFL, Fox's single-game NFL Sunday regionalized coverage, led by Detroit-Dallas, drew a 14.9 overnight — up 25% from last year's comparable action.

That overnight, translating to 14.9% of TV households in the 56 urban markets measured for overnights, topped weekend sports ratings. CBS drew a 13.8 overnight for regionalized coverage led by Broncos-Packers — down 14% from last year — while NBC's Jets-Ravens game got a 12.7 overnight — down 11% from a Bears-Giants game last year.

One rating point equals 1% of the USA's 77 million overnight TV homes in Nielsen Media Research's 56 selected major markets. Cable rating converted to broadcast equivalent. Sources: CBS, ESPN NBC, ABC, Nielsen Media Research

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/colum...k-4/50650430/1
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post #72455 of 87878
10/4/11 at 8:27am
Thread Starter 
TV Sports
NFL Network and Time Warner Continue to Spar
By Richard Sandomir, The New York Times, October 4, 2011

Karen Waldkirch, a freelance writer in Wauwatosa, Wis., owns shares in the Green Bay Packers and buys season tickets to their games at Lambeau Field.

Yet if she wants to satisfy her hunger for news about the Packers on the NFL Network, she cannot. She is a customer of Time Warner Cable, which refuses to show it.

When we went to the opening game against the Saints, it was playing outside the stadium, she said of the NFL Network. But we can't get it on Time Warner? I hear about games I can't see. But I won't switch to satellite. I'm happy with Time Warner except for this.

Waldkirch is the type of fan in Time Warner territories nationwide that the N.F.L. craves for its channel, which features eight regular-season Thursday night games, documentaries by NFL Films, an abundance of studio shows, extensive draft coverage and large doses of Deion Sanders.

It's a great alternative to ESPN, said Bruce Weber, who was so frustrated at Time Warner in Raleigh, N.C., for not carrying the NFL Network that two years ago, he defected to the AT&T U-Verse system. But he said he was so upset with AT&T's service that he quickly returned to Time Warner and returned to his exile from the NFL Network.

The impasse between Time Warner and the NFL Network began before the channel's birth in 2003 and has continued beyond its addition in 2006 of the regular-season games and its introduction two years ago of the NFL RedZone channel. The RedZone takes viewers on a manic stadium-hopping trip to potential scoring plays within the 20-yard line every Sunday afternoon.

Last week, there was a brief burst of hope that an agreement was close, according to The New York Post. But no deal has been announced, and neither side is willing to discuss any progress that may have been made.

One person briefed on the talks said, however, that a major obstacle had long been removed: Time Warner is no longer demanding that the NFL Network be placed on a digital sports tier, which costs subscribers extra and which network owners like the N.F.L. view as a graveyard.

There has never been a big groundswell among fans demanding that the NFL Network and Time Warner reach a deal. The league used to be a loud advocate for its channel when Time Warner was one of several big distributors not carrying the network. Now, Time Warner and Cablevision, with its three million subscribers in the New York area, are the only big holdouts.

But Cablevision's demand that it get the popular Sunday Ticket satellite service that is exclusive to DirecTV is a nonstarter for the league.

John Bedell lived without the NFL Network in Time Warner territories like Albany and Seattle. But earlier this year, he moved to Macedon in upstate New York and switched to DirecTV from Time Warner to get the NFL Network.

What's ridiculous to me is that in this age of technology, you shouldn't have to wait for sports, he said. If you want something, you should be able to buy it.

But it has rarely been that simple especially in a feud between Time Warner, which controls 14 million subscribers nationwide and about 1.3 million in the New York area, and the N.F.L., the most popular sports programming in the United States. Time Warner does not believe the league's channel is a priority, while the league believes its channel is essential.

It's like the lockout, said Corey Behnke, a co-founder of Cheesehead TV, the all-Packers online network, who cannot get the NFL Network in Manhattan. Who do you side with: the billionaires or the millionaires? I'm sorry. I'm a thousandaire.

From the start, Time Warner questioned whether the price requested by the NFL Network was too high to justify carrying it. So it offered to put the NFL Network on its digital sports tier.

Then, when the network added the regular-season games five years ago, Fred Dressler, Time Warner's cable programming chief, said, To suggest that anybody's season will be ruined for missing eight games is ludicrous.

Privately, the company has voiced concerns that the network may not keep the eight games and will sell them to another cable network for the right price.

Still, with those eight games, the network's revenue will reach $675 million this year, according to SNL Kagan, a research firm.

Time Warner has said nothing publicly about why it has held to its position against carrying the network even after the NFL RedZone channel was added two years ago.

The RedZone was the league's way to give cable operators, telephone companies and the Dish Network a taste of Sunday Ticket, which shows all out-of-market games on Sunday afternoons. Since RedZone's introduction, the NFL Network has added 180 cable, satellite and telephone distributors. In all, 144 carriers show RedZone.

One cable operator, Mediacom, reached an agreement about six weeks ago to carry the NFL Network after years of holding out against it. A spokesman, Thomas J. Larsen, said, RedZone gives us the ability to compete with DirecTV and Sunday Ticket.

Still, Time Warner has survived without the NFL Network and has probably lost however many customers it was going to shed because of its refusal to make a deal. Like Cablevision, Time Warner believes that fans in home markets who want to watch NFL Network games can see them simulcast on local channels.

But in virtually every dispute between networks and distributors like Time Warner, there is a solution, which usually revolves around money. Perhaps only a major reduction in the NFL Network's financial demands the network gets an average monthly fee of 81 cents per subscriber a month, according to SNL Kagan can resolve the lengthy dispute. (ESPN gets more than $4.50 per subscriber.)

David Joyce, an analyst at Miller, Tabak & Company, said that Time Warner was now focused on cutting its consumer costs and was experimenting with packages below $40 a month in New York and Ohio that exclude ESPN, but not ESPNews, and TBS, but not TNT. He said that carrying the NFL Network just isn't a big deal to Time Warner.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/05/sp...gewanted=print
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post #72456 of 87878
10/4/11 at 9:36am
Local TV Notes
Scripps Grabs McGraw-Hill Stations for $212 Million
Scripps sees greater scale, inroads into Hispanic community, and increased clout with expanded ABC portfolio in acquisition
By Michael Malone -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/3/2011 6:32:11 PM

Scripps has agreed to acquire one of the choice station groups on the block, snagging the McGraw-Hill batch for $212 million in cash. The group includes ABC affiliates KMGH Denver, WRTV Indianapolis, KGTV San Diego and KERO Bakersfield, along with low power Azteca America affiliates in San Diego, Bakersfield, Denver, Fort Collins and Colorado Springs.

The Scripps management team said the McGraw-Hill stations were attractive because they're in growing markets, they strengthen Scripps' ABC portfolio, offer a similar news culture as the Scripps stations, and represent an avenue into the growing Spanish-language broadcasting business.

Rich Boehne, Scripps president and chief executive officer, called the deal a "smart investment in a business we already know well and run successfully. At the same time, it enlarges our field of opportunity for new digital and programming businesses by entering several of the country's most attractive TV markets."

The nine stations, which did $97 million in revenue last year, according to Scripps, reach 3% of the U.S. Scripps management said the sale price comes down to $190 million after a tax deduction. Figuring in that and the efficiencies of the larger Scripps group, Scripps brass said the deal's sales multiple comes in at well below 8 times EBITDA.

McGraw-Hill management said the deal represented a healthy cash infusion for a business that the company was looking to exit. "This transaction is another step in executing McGraw-Hill's Growth and Value Plan for the benefit of our shareholders, customers and employees," said Harold McGraw III, chairman, president and chief executive officer. "This divestiture will produce good value for a non-strategic asset as we work to create two focused operating companies, one centered on capital and commodities markets and the other on digital learning and education services.


The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and closing conditions.

"This is a terrific opportunity to enter some of America's most dynamic media markets and tap into the growing Spanish-language marketplace at a very attractive price," said Boehne. "The McGraw-Hill stations fit well with our strategy to create economic value through high-quality news and information content that serves both consumers and advertisers through linear television and the exploding array of digital communication devices.

"These stations came up for sale at a good time for Scripps," Boehne added. "The deal is structured and financed in ways to protect the company's financial flexibility and our ability to continue investing in emerging media business models. Through this acquisition, we now have the opportunity to extend our local news strategies into markets with big appetites for community-changing journalism."

With 10 ABC affiliates among its expanded group of 19 stations, Scripps says it will be the country's largest independent operator of ABC stations.

"We've looked at several recent opportunities, but the McGraw-Hill stations were the first ones that truly energized our management team," said Brian Lawlor, Scripps senior vice president of television. "The culture at these stations will fit well with ours, and I'm excited about the compelling benefits we can deliver to our viewers, advertisers and employees in these markets. In recent years we have ramped up our commitment to unique, high-quality local news, and we're eager to have these new stations join us in that drive for success."

Lawlor said the McGraw-Hill culture is a smooth fit with that of Scripps. "They're truly dedicated in their mission of community service, to high quality journalism and to meaningful investigative reporting," he said.

Lawlor and Boehne stressed the significance of making inroads into the Hispanic community with the Azteca portion of the acquisition. Lawlor spoke about increased efficencies when scaling out corporate initiatives, such as mobile DTV and the group's RightThisMinute syndicated program.

"We're energized by the addition of good people at good stations in good markets," said Lawlor.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/art...12_Million.php
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post #72457 of 87878
10/4/11 at 9:38am
Local TV Notes
B&C Exclusive: Local TV Go-To Information Source During Irene
Study says local broadcast news reigns when it rainsn
By Michael Malone -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/4/2011 12:00:00 PM

Local television was the go-to source for residents in specific markets affected by Hurricane Irene, with 39% of respondents learning the storm was approaching from local TV news. That's ahead of the Internet (16%), friends and relatives (11%) and the Weather Channel (10%), according to a new study conducted for Hearst Television by Marshall Marketing.

The study included 500 respondents in Baltimore, 500 in Boston and 400 in Burlington/Plattsburgh -- three markets that were pounded by last month's storm, and markets where Hearst TV has a station.

Fully 66% of respondents cited local TV news as their source for "getting key and critical information about the storm."

Forty percent of respondents said they lost power during the storm. They then opted primarily for the radio and smartphones for updates; radio was the top score in Baltimore (38%) and Burlington/Plattsburgh (35%), while smartphones were tops in Boston (34%). Those scores were just ahead of friends/relatives, and well ahead of the Internet. Once power was restored, 50% said they returned to local TV news, way ahead of Internet (14%).

Some 16% said they listened to a TV broadcast on the radio when the electricity failed.

Thirty percent of adults received an alert on a mobile device during the storm period, led by use of weather apps.

The survey revealed a high level of satisfaction with the local TV coverage before, during and after the storm, and with the Hearst TV owned stations in particular. WPTZ-WNNE Burlington-Plattsburgh showed a 97% "Very/Somewhat Satisfied" rate, WBAL Baltimore received a 96% and WCVB Boston came in at 93%.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/art...ring_Irene.php
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post #72458 of 87878
10/4/11 at 10:33am
MONDAY's fast affiliate overnight prime-time ratings -and what they mean- have been posted on Analyst Marc Berman's Media INsight's Blog.
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post #72459 of 87878
10/4/11 at 10:35am
Nielsen Overnights (18-49)
CBS stays hot on Monday night with 'Men'
Sitcom averages a 6.1 18-49 rating in week three
By Toni Fitzgerald, Media Life Magazine - October 4th, 2011

Ratings for CBS's "Two and a Half Men" remain strong, but they're coming back to less-Olympian levels.

What's just as notable are the strong ratings for the sitcoms that surround "Men" on Monday nights, which helped CBS to its third straight Monday victory over a feistier Fox.

"Men" averaged a 6.1 adults 18-49 rating at 9 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, down 18 percent from last week's 7.4 but still well ahead of the 4.5 the show averaged on the same night last year.

In fact, every part of CBS's sitcom block was up from last year, and the four comedies accounted for the night's top four shows.

"How I Met Your Mother" drew a 4.5 at 8 p.m., followed by a 4.4 for new hit "2 Broke Girls" at 8:30. And at 9:30 p.m., behind "Men," "Mike & Molly" averaged a 4.3, 0.2 ahead of the second half-hour of the season premiere of Fox's "House."

"House" drew solid numbers, though it was off 7 percent from last year's premiere. It was the night's top-rated drama with a 3.9 and boosted Fox to second place on the night, with 8 p.m. lead-in "Terra Nova" averaging a 3.0 and retaining an impressive 97 percent of last week's 3.1 premiere.

ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" didn't hold up as well, falling 6 percent from last week to a 3.1 for last night's performance episode, though it did lead ABC to first on the night among total viewers.

"Stars" averaged 16.5 million total viewers from 8 to 10 p.m., behind "Men's" 17.2 million as the No. 2 show of the night.

On NBC, "The Playboy Club" sank for the second straight week to just a 1.2 18-49 rating at 10 p.m., less than half the ratings for the competing "Hawaii Five-0" and "Castle." "Playboy" undoubtedly will be canceled sooner rather than later with that sort of number.

And Univision had a very strong night with the series finale of the telenovela "Teresa" averaging a 2.9 from 8 to 10 p.m.

Meanwhile, CBS led the night among 18-49s with a 4.3 average overnight rating and a 10 share. Fox was second at 3.4/8, ABC third at 2.9/7, Univision fourth at 2.7/7, NBC fifth at 1.6/4, CW sixth at 0.7/2 and Telemundo seventh at 0.4/1.

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

At 8 p.m. CBS was first with a 4.5 for "Mother" (4.5) and "Girls" (4.4), while Fox and ABC tied for second at 3.0, Fox for "Nova" and ABC for "Stars." Univision was fourth with a 2.7 for "Teresa," NBC fifth with a 1.8 for "The Sing Off," CW sixth with a 0.7 for "Gossip Girl" and Telemundo seventh with a 0.3 for "Mi Corazon Insiste."

CBS was first again at 9 p.m. with a 5.2 for "Men" (6.1) and "Molly" (4.3), followed by Fox with a 3.9 for "House." Univision was third with a 3.2 for more "Teresa," ABC fourth with a 3.1 for more "Stars," and NBC fifth with a 1.8 for another hour of "Sing." The CW placed sixth with a 0.8 for "Hart of Dixie" (even to last week's premiere and up 13 percent in 18-34s) and Telemundo seventh with a 0.5 for "Flor Salvaje."

At 10 p.m. CBS led with a 3.2 for "Hawaii," with ABC second with a 2.6 for "Castle." Univision was third with a 2.4 for "Don Francisco Presenta," NBC fourth with a 1.2 for "Playboy" and Telemundo fifth with a 0.5 for "La Casa de al Lado."

ABC was first for the night among households with a 9.7 average overnight rating and a 15 share. CBS was second at 7.6/11, Fox third at 5.4/8, Univision fourth at 2.9/4, NBC fifth at 1.7/4, CW sixth at 1.1/2 and Telemundo seventh at 0.6/1.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/art...-with-Men-.asp
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post #72460 of 87878
10/4/11 at 10:42am
TV Notes
Fall's First Cancellation: NBC Axes Playboy Club
By Michael Ausiello, TVLine.com - October 4th, 2011

Trivial Pursuit enthusiasts, take note: The first official cancellation of the 2011-12 TV season is… NBC’s The Playboy Club!

The Peacock net announced Monday that it was pulling the low-rated, period drama off the air after three low-rated episodes.

Prime Suspect repeats will take over the Monday at 10 pm perch until Rock Center with Brian Williams debuts on Oct. 31.

This drama, starring Eddie Cibrian and Amber Heard, chronicled the goings-on at the infamous Playboy Club in 1960s Chicago. New NBC president Robert Greenblatt put a ton of promotional muscle behind the show, but audiences remained uninterested. Last night’s final broadcast averaged just over 3 million viewers.

hhttp://www.tvline.com/2011/10/falls...-playboy-club/
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post #72461 of 87878
10/4/11 at 10:46am
TV Notes
NBC Cancels 'Playboy Club'; Orders Full Seasons of 'Up All Night,' 'Whitney'
By Tim Molloy, TheWrap.com - October 4th, 2011

NBC has canceled the "Playboy Club" and ordered full seasons of the comedies "Up All Night" and "Whitney." The cancellation is the first of the new fall season.

The bunny drama, which had only a 1.2 rating in its third airing Monday, will be replaced by Brian Williams' "Rock Center" on Oct. 31. Until then, repeats of the new drama "Prime Suspect" will air in its timeslot, Mondays at 10 p.m. There are no plans to air any remaining "Playboy" episodes, NBC said.

The show, starring Amber Heard and Eddie Cibrian, was targeted by Gloria Steinem and the Parents Television Council, which sought to have it canceled. A Salt Lake City NBC affiliate refused to air it, but another station decided it would instead.

Steinem, who went undercover to write an expose about Playboy clubs in 1963, said they were "the tackiest place on earth." She has the last laugh: Monday's final episode focused on another, fictionalized writer who went undercover to write an expose about the club.

"Up All Night" and "Whitney" are the second and third shows of the fall season to be renewed, following Fox's "The New Girl" last week.

Williams will anchor "Rock Center" and serve as its managing editor. Its roster of correspondents will include Harry Smith, Meredith Vieira, Richard Engel, Matt Lauer and Anny Curry.

"Brian Williams already anchors America's most watched, honored and respected nightly news broadcast, Capus said. Rock Center' now gives him, and our all-star cast of journalists an opportunity to take viewers on a weekly journey of discovery.

http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/nb...-whitney-31532
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post #72462 of 87878
10/4/11 at 10:56am
TV/Business Notes
Money Dispute May End 'The Simpsons'
A money dispute between Fox and the actors who voice the characters on The Simpsons may force the long-running hit series to shut down next spring.
By Lloyd Grove, TheDailyBeast.com - October 4th, 2011

EXCLUSIVE: As Homer Simpson would put it, D'oh!

It looks like The Simpsons20th Century Fox Television's multibillion-dollar cash cow, the anchor of the Fox network's Sunday prime-time schedule, and the longest-running sitcom in the history of broadcastingmight stop production after the current 23rd season ends next spring.

The reason is a negotiating impasse between the studio and the six principal actors who voice the beloved characters on the animated series that hilariously satirizes middle-class Midwestern angst.

Difficult bargaining is nothing new for the show, which was created by James L. Brooks and Matt Groening. Fox studio execs have occasionally threatened to replace uncooperative cast members with sound-alike actors. But for the first time in nearly a quarter century of haggling, the executives have insisted that if the cast doesn't accept a draconian 45 percent pay cut, The Simpsons will die an abrupt death as a first-run series.

A Fox Television spokesman had no comment by late Monday night.

The ultimatum was delivered Monday evening as Fox spurned the actors' proposaldelivered late last weekto take around a 30 percent pay cut in exchange for a tiny percentage of the show's huge back-end profitsamounting to untold billionsfrom syndication of the show around the globe and merchandising of Simpsons clothing, lunchboxes, stamps, DVDs, a feature film and video games, among other paraphernalia. The series is produced by the 20th Century Fox studio and aired by the Fox network, both News Corp. companies, but the studio reaps the ancillary rewards.

Fox is taking the position that unless they can cut the production costs really drastically, they'll pull the plug on new shows, said a Simpsons insider with knowledge of the negotiations. The show has made billions in profits over the years and will continue to do so as far as the eye can see down the road. The actors are willing to take a pay cut of roughly a third, but that's not good enough for Fox.

Not that the actors have been hurting.

Dan Castellaneta (Homer, Grampa Simpson, Krusty the Clown, and others), Julie Kavner (Marge and others), Nancy Cartwright (Bart and others), Yeardley Smith (Lisa), Hank Azaria (Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum and Apu Nahasapeemapetilon), and Harry Shearer (Mr. Burns, Principal Skinner, Ned Flanders, and others) each earn about $8 million annually for about 22 weeks' work.

Even under Fox Studio's proposed downgrade, they would still be making around $4 million apiece, which goes a long way in the fictitious town of Springfield, and even in the allegedly real city of Hollywood.

But the actors have long argued that they deserve a taste of the plentiful syndication and merchandising profits because they've contributed creatively to the success of The Simpsons almost as much as Brooks and Groening. The latter two benefit greatly from the show's back-end revenue, and will continue to get even richer off the second round of syndication deals once new episodes are no longer being produced.

But Fox has consistently refused to compensate the main cast members beyond their generous salaries, and once production ends, the studio will continue to reap billions for years to come (with Fox drawing on a valuable archive of around 500 episodes), while the actors will receive little more than their union-mandated residuals.

Now Fox is basically saying, If you don't take this deal, we'll shut down the show,' and they'll continue to make a ton of money, said the insider. They're free to sell it to cable and a second round of syndication, and they figure that the cast has very little leverage.

The Simpsonswhile no longer attracting the ratings it once didremains the key to Fox's Sunday-night schedule, serving as a strong 8 p.m. lead-in for Seth MacFarlane's Family Guy and American Dad sitcoms.

They've had plenty of opportunity to pick another show for 8 o'clock, and they haven't done it, said the insider.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...nning-hit.html
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post #72463 of 87878
10/4/11 at 11:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dad1153 View Post

TV Notes
Fall's First Cancellation: NBC Axes Playboy Club
By Michael Ausiello, TVLine.com - October 4th, 2011

Trivial Pursuit enthusiasts, take note: The first official cancellation of the 2011-12 TV season is NBC's The Playboy Club!

The Peacock net announced Monday that it was pulling the low-rated, period drama off the air after three low-rated episodes.

Prime Suspect repeats will take over the Monday at 10 pm perch until Rock Center with Brian Williams debuts on Oct. 31.

This drama, starring Eddie Cibrian and Amber Heard, chronicled the goings-on at the infamous Playboy Club in 1960s Chicago. New NBC president Robert Greenblatt put a ton of promotional muscle behind the show, but audiences remained uninterested. Last night's final broadcast averaged just over 3 million viewers.

hhttp://www.tvline.com/2011/10/falls...-playboy-club/

Sorry to hear that, but not surprised. I thought it had promise.
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post #72464 of 87878
10/4/11 at 11:03am
TV Review
ESPN doc looks at reluctant transgender hero in 'Renee'
By Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times - October 4th, 2011

Those shocked by the inclusion of Chaz Bono on this season's Dancing With the Stars would do well to check out the ESPN documentary "Renée" -- there is nothing new under the sun, not even transgender individuals taking center stage in a national competition of athletic prowess.

From childhood, Dr. Renée Richards, born Richard Raskind, seemed destined for an extraordinary life, though none could guess it would include competing on the women's professional tennis circuit after having gender reassignment surgery at age 40. Raskind was an accomplished athlete all his life, playing tennis throughout his college career at Yale and while serving in the Navy.

But Raskind saw something quite different when he looked in the mirror -- a woman he called Renée. After an early attempt to live as a woman failed, Raskind married and fathered a son before realizing, in 1974, that he could not continue living as a man.

After surgery, and a nasty divorce, Raskind, now Renée Richards, left her son and a thriving New York practice for the West Coast and began playing tennis again, quickly winning an amateur competition. The revelation of Richards' past caused a public uproar, with some female players refusing to meet "a man" on the court and tennis watchers worrying that gender reassignment would be the next step in performance enhancement. The United States Tennis Assn. banned Richards from play, and she became a cause celebre, fighting the ban until it was declared illegal by the New York State Supreme Court.

Richards went on to play in the U.S. Open and on the women's pro tennis circuit for years, and despite the fears of many at the time, transgender women tennis players did not become epidemic. Indeed, if the outrage over Bono's participation in "Dancing With the Stars" is any indication, Richards is all but forgotten.

Not, fortunately, by Renée director Eric Drath. A former journalist turned sports agent, he tells not so much her story as the story of those around her: the loving but irascible sister who still thinks the surgery was a mistake; the college friends who stuck with Richards throughout her life (including several who told her not to start playing competitive tennis as a woman because her big left-handed serve was so unique that any tennis fan would know it was Raskind's); the women, including Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King, who faced Richards across the net; Richards' surgeon and, finally, her very troubled son.

Although uneven and at times unsatisfying -- Richards never even tries to explain why, when she said she wanted anonymity and to protect her son, she began playing competitive tennis -- "Renée" is a fascinating glimpse into many things: shifting social norms, the essence of gender, the history of women's tennis, the fickleness of public opinion and the difficulty of being seen as a symbol of anything.

Richards remains a practicing eye surgeon who has written two autobiographies and still plays tennis, but even a life extraordinary eventually gives way at the knees. During the interviews, she acknowledges guilt about her son's travails; wonders if she should have been allowed to play tennis as a woman and confesses that after her surgery, she was never able to generate the same sexual passion she had before.

Her life did not turn out the way she wanted it to, or supposed it would, but she says she does not regret choosing Renée over Richard. Because there was no choice involved.

RENEE (90 min.)
Tonight at 8PM on ESPN

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/show...nder-hero.html
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post #72465 of 87878
10/4/11 at 11:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dad1153 View Post

TV Notes
NBC Cancels 'Playboy Club'; Orders Full Seasons of 'Up All Night,' 'Whitney'
By Tim Molloy, TheWrap.com - October 4th, 2011

I haven't seen many comments, pro or con, about Up All Night. So a renewal this fast is surprising. Personally, I don't think the show is all that good.
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post #72466 of 87878
10/4/11 at 11:55am
Where can I actually see the ratings of more than the top 20 shows? Thanks.
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post #72467 of 87878
10/4/11 at 12:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MRM4 View Post

I haven't seen many comments, pro or con, about Up All Night. So a renewal this fast is surprising. Personally, I don't think the show is all that good.

I thought the first episode of Up All Night was great and the second was good. I haven't seen the 3rd episode yet but haven't heard good things.
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post #72468 of 87878
10/4/11 at 12:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dad1153 View Post

TV Notes
Fall's First Cancellation: NBC Axes Playboy Club
By Michael Ausiello, TVLine.com - October 4th, 2011

Trivial Pursuit enthusiasts, take note: The first official cancellation of the 2011-12 TV season is… NBC’s The Playboy Club!

The Peacock net announced Monday that it was pulling the low-rated, period drama off the air after three low-rated episodes.

Prime Suspect repeats will take over the Monday at 10 pm perch until Rock Center with Brian Williams debuts on Oct. 31.

Between this and Pan Am, I would take The Playboy Club. Pan Am feels like a Lifetime movie romance about a poor little rich girl and her dream of being a Pan Am girl. Club at least had some lively music from fake Tina Turner and a mob plot that had some echoes of Casino. I never understood why Amber Heard took the job considering her movie career is just hitting off.

Overall though nothing about this Fall season is making me want more. Prime Suspect is a competent police show but does nothing new and it's edgier stylings (gritty look, distorted blues music, hard-edged characters) are kind of lost without more risk-taking content.

All the sitcoms have fallen flat. I haven't found a keeper in any of them.

Terra Nova is the only thing I'm watching and that's not because of the quality. It's the only show that's doing something different to the rest of prime time. If that got cancelled I wouldn't be disappointed either.
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post #72469 of 87878
10/4/11 at 12:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PJO1966 View Post

I thought the first episode of Up All Night was great and the second was good. I haven't seen the 3rd episode yet but haven't heard good things.

I would like the show much better had they not made the gal from SNL and primary character. That's one problem with NBC - they are the SNL network.
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post #72470 of 87878
10/4/11 at 1:43pm
I'm much more surprised about the Whitney pickup than Up All Night. Of course, I haven't actually watched Whitney, but I really thought a relationship-driven, multi-cam comedy didn't fit NBC's Thursday night line-up. I do enjoy Up All Night, and I predict that they still might flip Whitney with Free Agents, which might do a little better out of The Office.
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post #72471 of 87878
10/4/11 at 1:54pm
TV Notes
Dexter' Stalemate Between Michael C. Hall And Showtime Puts Show's Future In Limbo
By Nellie Andreeva, Deadline.com - October 4th, 2011

EXCLUSIVE: Showtime's flagship drama Dexter opened its sixth season on Sunday with a stellar 2.2 million viewers, up 24% from last year to mark the hit series' highest-rated premiere ever and Showtime's best original series opener in at least 14 years. But the prospects of the hit drama going to a seventh season are now uncertain as negotiations between Dexter star Michael C. Hall and Showtime have broken down.

I hear that the two sides reached an impasse yesterday, the same day Dexters big Season 6 premiere ratings came out. Hall's contract for Dexter is up after the current sixth season, which is about to wrap production. He has been negotiating with Showtime for a while, but I hear talks broke down after the two sides couldn't bridge a $4 million gap in proposed salary for a new deal, with Showtime offering $20 million for two more seasons and Hall's team asking for $24 million. Either figure would make Hall one of the highest-paid actors in cable. Sources indicate that the network brass remain hopeful about reaching a deal, with signing Hall for one more season vs. two also an option.

Hall jumped on Dexter immediately after finishing Six Feet Under and, after working on a TV series for 10 straight years, the actor had been looking to do other things, including a Broadway musical. He won a Golden Globe for his role on Dexter last year.

http://www.deadline.com/2011/10/stal...xter-in-limbo/
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post #72472 of 87878
10/4/11 at 5:08pm
Ouch.
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post #72473 of 87878
10/4/11 at 5:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ahard View Post

Dad, no stories on Erin Burnett Up Front on CNN?

She came in 3rd in the news demo, 4th overall:

P2+ (000s)--25-54 (000s)--35-64 (000s)

FNC The Fox Report W/S.SMITH
1,868--409--816
CNN ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT
535--215--279
MSNBC Hardball WITH C. MATTHEWS
796--188--408
CNBC Kudlow Report
204--51--87
HLN ISSUES
714--236--394

per tvbythenumbers
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post #72474 of 87878
10/4/11 at 5:37pm
Report: Amazon selling 2,000 Kindle Fires every hour


Amazon.com

By Todd Bishop, GeekWire.com

Looks like Amazon.com has a hit on its hands, even before its new tablet computer is officially released to consumers.

The Seattle company is selling pre-orders for its new Kindle Fire tablets at a rate of 2,000 an hour, or more than 50,000 per day, according to website Cult of Android, which has gotten its hands on what it describes as internal Amazon inventory documents.

If the report is accurate, and the pace continues, Amazon will have sold 2.5 million Kindle Fires prior to the Nov. 15 launch outpacing the first month of sales for either the iPad or the iPad 2, according to the site.

Of course, at $199, the high demand isn't a huge surprise. Based on the sales numbers, it looks like people are willing to overlook the Kindle Fire's shortcomings compared with the iPad, including the lack of 3G mobile broadband and front-facing camera.

The big question long term is whether Amazon can turn the Kindle Fire into a good thing for its bottom line making up for the money it's losing on the hardware through increased sales of movies, music, Amazon Prime subscriptions and e-commerce items.

http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news...res-every-hour
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post #72475 of 87878
10/4/11 at 6:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bgooch View Post

Report: Amazon selling 2,000 Kindle Fires every hour



Of course, at $199, the high demand isn't a huge surprise. Based on the sales numbers, it looks like people are willing to overlook the Kindle Fire's shortcomings compared with the iPad, including the lack of 3G mobile broadband and front-facing camera.

Given the escalating rates for mobile broadband data usage who cares if it has 3G or not? Unless/until codecs become far more efficient, and the rate structure for mobile data usage changes(cheaper), I think the days of using tablets as mobile broadband devices have already come and gone. The majority of iPads sold are WiFi-only as well.
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post #72476 of 87878
10/4/11 at 6:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MRM4 View Post

I would like the show much better had they not made the gal from SNL and primary character. That's one problem with NBC - they are the SNL network.

Maya Rudolph? She's the reason I stopped watching the show. It's not really because of her though, it's that I couldn't stand her character. Though I also can't stand Nick Cannon. Not his character, just him.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bgooch View Post

Report: Amazon selling 2,000 Kindle Fires every hour

The big question long term is whether Amazon can turn the Kindle Fire into a good thing for its bottom line making up for the money it's losing on the hardware through increased sales of movies, music, Amazon Prime subscriptions and e-commerce items.

Is that really a question? Does anyone doubt that they'd be able to turn a profit on the Fire relatively quickly? In any case, other folks have done some estimates that suggest that they actually won't be selling at a loss at all but would be about breaking even at worse.
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post #72477 of 87878
10/4/11 at 6:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by moob View Post



Is that really a question? Does anyone doubt that they'd be able to turn a profit on the Fire relatively quickly? In any case, other folks have done some estimates that suggest that they actually won't be selling at a loss at all but would be about breaking even at worse.

That's what I've read as well. Will the Fire overtake the king of tablets, the iPad? No, but I think it will make a serious dent in iPad sales, most likely during the holiday season in 2012.
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post #72478 of 87878
10/4/11 at 6:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by moob View Post

Is that really a question? Does anyone doubt that they'd be able to turn a profit on the Fire relatively quickly? In any case, other folks have done some estimates that suggest that they actually won't be selling at a loss at all but would be about breaking even at worse.

Reminds me of when Amazon first started trading in the dot.com era, the analysts commented that Amazon was selling Dollar bills for 95 cents, but they expected to make it up in volume.
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post #72479 of 87878
10/4/11 at 7:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by keenan View Post

Given the escalating rates for mobile broadband data usage who cares if it has 3G or not? Unless/until codecs become far more efficient, and the rate structure for mobile data usage changes(cheaper), I think the days of using tablets as mobile broadband devices have already come and gone. The majority of iPads sold are WiFi-only as well.

Exactly. Mobile companies want way too much for data for it to be a worthwhile feature. even on my smartphone I use mostly wi-fi. In fact the only reason I gota smartphone is beause Verizon hada special last year wher I could get 150 MB of data for $15 instead of having to pay $30. Otherwise I woudn't have upgraded. I don't even like paying the $15. Only way to get a phone with wi-fi is get a phone that requires a data plan. Make sense doesn't it? Of course surfing the net on my smartphone well sucks. So I'd like something that is larger than a phone but not overly big to do that. I'd never pay $500 for a tablet when I can get a laptop for the same price. And at 10.1 inches the Ipad is a big large for what I would want a tablet for anyways. So the Fire seems to fit the deal and then I can get rid of the smartphone and the $15 data charge. And it's $200.
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post #72480 of 87878
10/4/11 at 11:49pm
5:45 PM PDT 10/4/2011 by Lesley Goldberg

The hourlong single-camera project will revolve around a Los Angeles private investigator whose work frequently includes a who's who of Hollywood.



The Coen Brothers are coming to the small screen.

Fox has given a script plus penalty commitment to Harve Karbo, an hourlong single-camera comedy project co-created by the Oscar-winning brothers Joel and Ethan Coen and Cedar Rapids writer Phil Johnson.

The Imagine TV project, the brothers' first foray into television, revolves around a touchy Los Angeles private investigator -- and his deadbeat friends in El Segundo -- whose cases frequently force him to cross paths with a who's who of Hollywood.

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Johnson, Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo will executive produce for Imagine TV and 20th Television; Johnson will pen the script.

The Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men took home the Academy Award for best picture in 2008. Last year's True Grit, which the duo also penned, picked up a nomination in the category. The brothers have four other Oscar wins under their belt, for writing, adapting and directing No Country as well as for penning 1996's Fargo.

They currently have features Gambit, Suburbicorn and Inside Llewyn Davis in various stages of production.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...-comedy-243779
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