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TV Notes
'The Layover,' gastrotourism at its best
This new Travel Channel series pops in for short stays
By Tom Conroy, Media Life Magazine

Sometimes the frame of a TV screen can seem like the bars of a zoo cage. It’s fun to get up close to watch the sharp-toothed creatures if we know that they can’t lunge at us.

Anthony Bourdain, the star of the Travel Channel’s new series “The Layover,” is entertainingly snappish on TV, even though (or perhaps because) we can imagine how disagreeable he would probably be as a neighbor or coworker. When he is scornful, as is often the case when he serves as a judge on “Top Chef,” it’s nice to know we’re safe from his sarcasm. When he is pleased, his enthusiasm feels real.

In the first episode of “The Layover,” which airs next Monday at 9 p.m., Bourdain visits a place he likes a lot, Singapore, where he tries to cram as much tourism as he can in the space of a theoretical layover between flights. The result is top-quality armchair travel journalism. It both inspires the desire to travel and partially satisfies it.

The premise of the show, however, is a bit of a sham. In each episode, Bourdain will arrive at an airport and then head out to explore the city for between 24 and 48 hours. Anyone who has a layover that long needs to learn to double-check his or her itinerary before clicking “purchase.” But the show is filled with appealing places to eat, relax or sightsee that would be doable in a more plausible four-to-eight-hour time frame.

In the premiere, Bourdain has 30 hours to explore Singapore, an island city-state that’s manageably small. Unlike most travelers, he has the advantage of having local friends or former business associates who are willing to take time to show him around.

One food expert takes Bourdain to Singapore’s hawker centers, where what would be street vendors in most Asian cities are concentrated in open-air stalls. One can sample the varied cuisines without worrying too much about food poisoning. (Even Bourdain’s hotel, which is part of an international chain, has food stands inside.)

Singaporean culture and cuisine combine Chinese, Indian and Malay influences, among others. Bourdain’s pleasure in being thrown into the mix is contagious. For a gastrotourist, he says, Singapore is “probably the best place you can go for maximum bang in minimum time.”

The high-end restaurants also offer tantalizing mixtures. One of the owners of an Italian-Japanese place refers to its cuisine as “confusion.”

Though the premise of the show is a little fake, Bourdain takes it seriously. Arriving at the airport after a 17-hour flight from New York, he takes a cab straight to his hotel, where, in what he admits is an atypical travel experience, he gets the presidential suite.

Although he says he’d rather take a nap, he heads straight out to start eating. His willingness to continue to sample foods is astonishing.

At one point, he says he would like to change his smelly shirt but that would make “continuity” difficult. This is a nice acknowledgment that reality shows often present scenes out of sequence.

The usual take on Singapore is to decry its order, cleanliness and modernity. Perhaps simply because he enjoys being a contrarian, Bourdain praises the city for those same things.

He tells a local that since he usually works indoors, the relentless construction hasn’t destroyed any sights that he was particularly fond of. He mocks a guidebook for pointing out that Singapore has laws against littering — as if other places were pro-littering.

Bourdain makes a convincing case that it’s not worth the trouble to drag oneself to Raffles Hotel to get the obligatory Singapore sling, but he does recommend the popular river tours. One insight is uncharacteristically banal: He points out twice that if a restaurant is filled with locals, it’s probably a good bet.

In another example of information we don’t need, Bourdain delivers a long riff about the dangers of eating airline or airport food when one is going to be stuck on a plane for a long time.

When Bourdain finally returns to the airport for his flight out, we learn that it would be a great place to be stuck for a short layover: Besides a variety of “edible food,” the airport features a free movie theater, free Internet access, a swimming pool and massages.

Bourdain would be the first to say that we folks at home shouldn’t try this kind of tourism marathon ourselves. Thanks to the “The Layover,” we don’t have to.

THE LAYOVER
Premieres Monday at 9 p.m. on The Travel Channel

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/art...-its-best-.asp

TV Notes
'Cougar Town,' 'Scandal,' 'Don't Trust the B----' Missing From ABC's Midseason Schedule
By Philiana Ng, The Hollywood Reporter's 'Live Feed' Blog

On Friday, ABC announced the midseason premiere dates for its new and returning shows, but there were some notable holes.

While rookie comedy Work It snagged the post-Last Man Standing slot -- taking over for Man Up!, which will finish its run by year's end*-- on Tuesdays beginning in January, Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel's half-hour series Cougar Town still remains off the network's schedule. When the network unveiled its fall shedule in May, the Courteney Cox-toplined show was being eyed for a midseason run.

Since Cougar Town launched in 2009, the show has seen scheduling jumps. Last season, ABC slotted its spring return after more than two months off the air on a Monday night before continuing in its usual home two days later. Centered on Jules, her group of friends and her college-bound son, Cougar Town has not been the breakout ratings success that ABC has had with Modern Family, which launched the same year.

But Cougar Town isn't the only ABC offering still awaiting a premiere. Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23, starring Krysten Ritter, Dreama Walker and James Van Der Beek as a heightened version of himself, is still off the net's schedule. Don't Trust the B---- follows the lives of two different women, a barista who lost a high-profile upscale job (Walker) and a savvy street smart con artist (Ritter), who end up rooming together in a New York City apartment.

Shonda Rhimes' Kerry Washington-led political drama Scandal is also missing from the net's lineup. The hourlong revolves around Olivia Pope (Washington), a former media consultant to the president (Tony Goldwyn) who opens up her own firm, hoping to start a new career and personal life. If and when ABC slots Scandal, this would mark Rhimes' third drama on the network's schedule, joining veteran medical procedurals Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/liv...-23-abc-263693

I think both are @#$%ing boring and can join Baseball and Basketball...

That is not a fair comparison at all. As the article points out that is only over 34 games x 18 teams. The NHL and NBA do it over an 80 game schedule x 30 teams. Though the article is silent I assume that MLS is playing in much larger venues also.

Nice to see soccer doing well but don't compare it to the NHL or NBA.

What is the point of bashing sports that other people like but you don't? The fact is the MLS is a viable sports league with solid attendance, a TV package, and 19 franchises in North America. The only game I watched this year was the MLS cup so I'm not exactly a soccer fanatic. But I do recognize a successful, growing league when I see one. I look at it as the equivalent to baseball in the late 1800s or the NFL in the 30s or 40s. They all started some where.

Are the still blowing those cursed horns non-stop for 90 minutes?

Do they still fall on the ground writhing in pain after being lightly poked?

Do they still run around aimlessly like headless chickens?

I agree there's a lot of "action" but it seems that 99.9% of it is completely pointless.

Some freaky sport news....

Week 13 colts/pats is flexed out of SNF well we knew that already but we now know its replaced by lions/saints.

But the freaky part is broncos/vikings is moving from 4:05 to 1:00 & will be shown on.................FOX.

Evidently its due to CBS having that week the max amount of NFL games + a college basketball game + the SEC champ game.

edit:
now they say reason is NFL couldn't leave Fox with only two early games in its doubleheader week, so it took a game from CBS who had eight, according to a league source.

I assume it will be a FOX crew calling the Broncos/Vikings game, right? Actually, FOX has to be happy - they get to enjoy Tebow-mania.

I'm guessing the next game to be flexed out will be week 15 Ravens@Chargers.

The other games already in the Sunday spotlight are too good to move.

I have been watching the NFL since 1979 and have never seen them do this before.

Yep. 90 minutes of watching a couple of guys kick a ball back and forth in the center 60 yards of a 100 yard field does not meet my definition of "action". Commonly having games with no "shots on goal" does not meet my definition of action.

I'm fine with low scoring sports like hockey where each team averages about thirty shots on goal during a game, but when there's only two or three shots on goal per game, no thanks.

It's like my dad used to say about baseball (especially baseball on TV where you never see the fielders) "It's like watching two guys play catch for three hours."

There was something in the column at SI.com that the new broadcast agreement allows this switching now. It will, later on, blur the lines between CBS being the AFC network and FOX being the NFC network.

Do they riot & set fire to a stadium at the drop of a hat? I've often felt that, despite what one might think may go down at say...a Raiders home game while wearing a Broncos jersey...the crowd there is nowhere near as threatening as those seen @ European soccer matches...er...I meant football matches.



I won't post George Carlin's take on watching televised golf simply due to the decency rules here.

Boring or not, at least where I watch the NFL (Mexico's TV Azteca) they only show pure action like 2-3 plays and a touchdown then switch to another game for more TD action or a turnover on ALL the current morning games..

So if you are stuck on a FOX or CBS boring blowout game in halftime and local CBS doesn't switch you pretty much done for a lot of time.

Nielsen Overnights (18-49)
'American Music Awards' draw big crowd
ABC special averages a 4.3 rating in adults 18-49
By Toni Fitzgerald, Media Life Magazine - November 21st, 2011

ABC's "American Music Awards" drew solid numbers last night opposite NBC's "Sunday Night Football."

The "AMAs" averaged a 4.3 adults 18-49 rating from 8 to 11 p.m., according to Nielsen, even to last year and boosting the network to No. 2 for the night behind NBC.

The "AMAs" peaked with a 4.7 at 9 p.m. Among adults 18-34 the show was up 5 percent from last year, and it posted its highest rating since 2004 among teens with a 4.6.

NBC's "SNF" also had strong ratings, though not as strong as last year when the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants played.

The Giants-Eagles game averaged a 14.0 metered-market rating household rating, down nearly two points from the same week last year featuring the same two teams, which averaged a 15.9.

Still, NBC handily won the night, as per usual.

NBC finished first for the night among 18-49s with a 5.5 average overnight rating and a 13 share. ABC was second at 3.5/9, CBS third at 2.8/7, Fox fourth at 2.2/5, Univision fifth at 1.6/4 and Telemundo sixth at 0.5/1.

As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback, which includes shows replayed before 3 a.m. the night before. Seven-day DVR data won't be available for several weeks. Forty-two percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.

Also, ratings for NBC's NFL football coverage are approximate as fast nationals measure timeslot and not actual program data.

At 7 p.m. CBS led with a 4.2 for NFL overrun and the start of "60 Minutes," followed by NBC with a 3.0 for "Football Night in America." Fox was third with a 1.5 for an hour of "The Cleveland Show" (1.2 for a repeat and 1.8 for a new episode), ABC fourth with a 1.3 for "Countdown to the American Music Awards," Univision fifth with a 0.9 for "Asi Es Juan Gabriel" and Telemundo sixth with a 0.5 for the first hour of "Pa'Lante con Cristina."

NBC moved to first at 8 p.m. with a 5.7 for NFL pregame and the start of "Sunday night Football," while ABC moved to second with a 3.9 for the first of three hours of the "American Music Awards." CBS was third with a 2.9 for the end of "60 Minutes" and start of "The Amazing Race," Fox fourth with a 2.3 for "The Simpsons" (2.7) and "Allen Gregory" (1.9), Univision fifth with a 1.5 for "Mira Quien Baila" and Telemundo sixth with a 0.4 for more "Cristina."

At 9 p.m. NBC was first with a 6.7 for more football, with ABC second with a 4.6 for the "AMAs." Fox was third with a 2.8 for "Family Guy" (3.1) and "American Dad" (2.4), CBS fourth with a 2.1 for the end of "Race" and start of "The Good Wife," Univision fifth with a 1.9 for more "Baila" and Telemundo sixth with a 0.5 for the first hour of the movie "Finding Nemo."

NBC led at 10 p.m. with a 6.4 for football, followed again by ABC with a 4.4 for the final hour of the "AMAs." Univision was third with a 2.0 for still more "Baila," CBS fourth with a 1.8 for the end of "Wife" and start of "CSI: Miami" and Telemundo fifth with a 0.5 for the end of its movie.

Among households, NBC was first for the night with a 9.2 average overnight rating and a 14 share. CBS was second at 7.4/11, ABC third at 5.8/9, Fox fourth at 2.7/4, Univision fifth at 2.1/3 and Telemundo sixth at 0.5/1.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/art...-big-crowd.asp

Don't knock soccer. Without it - and golf - there'd be nothing to compare baseball to to make it appear somewhat exciting.

TV Notes
NBC Orders 2 More Eps. Of Up All Night'
By Nellie Andreeva, Deadline.com - November 21st, 2011

NBC has added 2 more episodes to the Back 9 order of freshman comedy Up All Night, bringing the series' total first-season order to 24 episodes. This is the latest vote of confidence by NBC for the show starring Christina Applegate, following the early full-season pickup and the recent time slot upgrade. Beginning Jan. 12, Up All Night is moving from its current Wednesday 8 PM slot to the cushy post-The Office 9:30 PM berth on Thursday.

With Up All Night prominently factoring into NBC's scheduling plans for the rest of the season, the network has opted to up its order, something normally reserved for top performers, like NBC's flagship comedy series The Office, whose last 3 seasons spanned between 24-26 episodes.

http://www.deadline.com/2011/11/nbc-...-up-all-night/

* * * *

TV Notes
Regis Philbin's Last Live' Gets Big Ratings

Regis Philbin's last day on Live! With Regis & Kelly on Friday delivered a boisterous 7.3 rating/23 share in the metered markets. It capped six weeks of ratings growth for the daytime syndicated talk show leading into Regis' grand finale.

For comparison, the final epsode of Oprah Winfrey's daytime show in May posted a 11.7/27 but TV usage in the afternoon is higher than in the morning when Live! airs, and unlike with Oprah, this is not the end of the show but the Philbin era on it. (Live! continued today with Kelly Ripa and first guest host Jerry Seinfeld.) On Friday, Live! was No.1 in its time period in all metered markets except St. Louis and Memphis. Come on, St. Louis and Memphis, no love for Rege?!

http://www.deadline.com/2011/11/regi...s-big-ratings/

TV Notes
Netflix Stock Drops Below Year Low After Company Sells $200 Million in Bonds
By Paul Bond, The Hollywood Reporter -November 21st, 2011

Perhaps it's the aftermath of big content deals or the expectations of more to come, but Netflix said Monday it is raising cash, and after-market traders are taking the revelation as a bad sign.

The company said in a regulatory filing that it will sell about $200 million in convertible bonds to Technology Crossover Ventures with an initial conversion price of $85.80 per Netflix share.

Netflix shares lost 5 percent to $74.47 on Monday, and the stock was down an additional 6 percent after the closing bell, sinking it well below its 52-week low.

Under the terms of the purchase agreement, Crossover has the right to nominate a Netflix board member. For now, Crossover has designated existing director Jay Hoag as its board representative.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...d-sales-264555

TV Notes
With Regis and Oprah Gone, Will Daytime Talk Go the Way of the Soap Opera?
By Josef Adalian, New York Magazine's 'Vulture' Blog -November 21st, 2011

Regis Philbin's last show on Live today marks this year's second seismic shift in the once-stable daytime-TV landscape, following by just a few months the end of Oprah Winfrey's quarter-century reign as the queen of talk. Such transitions are part of TV's circle of life. Whenever big names move on, the culture immediately wonders who will replace the icon, and whether the newcomer can fill their shoes. But when Dan Rather took over from Uncle Walter or Jay replaced Johnny, nobody ever questioned whether the evening news or late-night TV could survive the transition. These days, change is more dangerous. Ratings for most TV scheduling blocks are way down; entire genres are in danger of disappearing. We've already seen love in the afternoon all but extinguished, with just four network soaps remaining after One Life to Live dies early next year. Letterman and Leno, hammered by brutal cable competition, now regularly average less than a 1 rating in adults 18 to 49. So with Oprah and Regis now gone, are we nearing the end of the talk-show era? Actually, no.

First, let's get Live out of the way. Even though no replacement has been named, the odds are Live will have no problem surviving sans Reege. Kelly Ripa has had ten years to build a constituency at least as loyal as his, while exec producer Michael Gelman is an evil, metrosexual genius who long ago perfected the formula for mainstream mid-morning TV perfection. Plus, viewers have grown slowly accustomed to tuning into the show and finding Philbin missing owing to his frequent vacations and a shortened work week. As for the remaining field, there's no question Winfrey's sign-off has left a massive hole in the daytime landscape.

During its final two seasons on the air, The Oprah Winfrey Show averaged about 6.5 million viewers every day, easily making it TV's top syndicated talk show. So far this fall, Oprah-approved gabbers Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz have taken over at the top of the Nielsen chart, ranking No. 1 and 2 respectively, but they're drawing far fewer eyeballs than O did: Phil pulls just 4 million each week, while Oz averages 3.7 million. The only other shows breaking the 3 million mark are Live (3.4 million), Jerry Springer (3.1 million), and Ellen (3 million). The good news, however, is that daytime audiences don't seem to be totally tuning out the talk genre. Instead, much like GOP primary voters, they seem to be checking out the Not Romneys Oprahs: The two doctors are both up nearly 20 percent over last season, while Ellen and Live are up about 10 percent.

The most positive sign of daytime's health, however, may be the fact that so many giant conglomerates are planning to invest heavily in its programming over the next year. In just the last few weeks, a flurry of production studios have locked in plans to launch syndicated talk shows next fall, most with big- (or at least, medium-) name talent attached. (To survey the field of potential hosts, take a look here.) Time Warner's Anderson just got picked up for a second season, even though ratings for Mr. Cooper's chatfest haven't been extraordinary. Katie Couric, meanwhile, is getting a big push by Disney, while CBS is planning a show toplined by Jeff Probst that will air on many NBC outlets. Then there's Ricki Lake, who will try to recapture her nineties mojo on Tribune-owned stations, and comic Steve Harvey, who will be talking on many NBC-owned stations. Even Real Housewife diva Bethenny Frankel is looking to trade low-carb cocktails for high-wattage chat, though her show (and one featuring overseas import Trish Goddard) aren't yet firm green lights. "There is a lot of fight left in daytime," says Ben Grossman, columnist and editor-in-chief of TV industry trade Broadcasting & Cable. "We're not talking the same financials as ten or twenty years ago, but these shows can still generate a lot of money. That's why there are so many coming out."

It helps matters immensely that talk is relatively, um, cheap. While there are start-up costs involving building a studio and, of course, the talent, a daytime talker is still dramatically cheaper than most scripted shows; earlier this year, the L.A. Times estimated a show could be produced for as little as $35 million, about 30 percent less than the cost of a soap opera. This is why CBS and ABC dumped soaps in favor of network talkers The Talk and The Chew: Even though their viewership of around 2 million is nothing special, they're far more cost-effective. And yes, it's almost certain that none of the new talkers will come anywhere close to matching Winfrey's ratings, but considering the fact that most estimates had her show generating in excess of $200 million in profit each year, even a modestly successful launch could yield sizable revenues. "There's a gigantic audience that's now suddenly available," Grossman says. "If anyone can [capture those viewers], it will be like winning the lottery."

This doesn't mean producers won't have to adjust their expectations. Despite heavy marketing, a CNN platform, and good station clearances, Anderson drew a mere 1.6 million viewers during the most recent syndie ratings period. Rachael Ray, even after several seasons, still draws just a bit more than 2 million viewers. It's also baffling why, despite Winfrey's very long good-bye, more syndicators weren't ready to jump into the fray this fall, or that more didn't take chances a few years ago, slowly building name recognition for new talk talent in preparation for Winfrey's inevitable exit. (No offense to Wendy Williams, but it's doubtful anyone ever envisioned her as the next Oprah).

Still, even if they're a bit tardy to the daytime party, syndicators are at least investing major resources in the talk genre, launching more new talk shows next fall than at any time in at least a decade. "It's like the Wild West out there. We haven't seen movement like this in years," Grossman says. While this is no guarantee that daytime talk will be around ten years from now, it's a signal that the industry isn't ready to write off the format, the way soaps seem to be slipping down the drain. As Grossman notes, "The money to be made is down from what it used to be. But it's still good money." Just don't expect Katie or Anderson to be handing out cars to audience members anytime soon.

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment...ning-talk.html

TV Notes
Bravo to air Andy Cohen's 'Watch What Happens Live' five nights a week
By Shaunna Murphy, EW.com's 'Inside TV' Blog -November 21st, 2011

Andy Cohen has been bringing the 411″ on all things Bravo from his boozy late night talk show, Watch What Happens Live, since 2009. But as many a dedicated Housewives fan will tell you, two nights a week of NeNe Lekes is simply never enough. Bravo announced on Monday that beginning Jan. 8, 2012, Watch What Happens will air five original episodes a week, making it the only daily live show on late night television. Fun fact: It is also the only daily live show on late night television that prominently features a turtle named after a perpetually drunk New York socialite.

Season 6 of Watch What Happens will air from Sunday to Thursday, after its successful fifth season delivered a double-digit growth in ratings. Expanding Watch What Happens Live to five nights a week is the natural progression for this hit interactive show, and a testament to Andy's enormous appeal, Frances Berwick, President of Bravo and Style Media, said in a release. It cements Bravo's tentpole in late night with this one-of-a-kind live, relatable and truly unpredictable format.

Past guests have ranged from the likes of Jerry Seinfeld and Tina Fey to Cohen's gang of Bravolebrities, including the aforementioned Housewives. New episodes would typically air after the latest installment of a Bravo show, providing plenty of cocktail discussion material for Cohen and his guests. Now Cohen will discuss all areas of pop culture for four live and one live-to-tape episodes a week.

Cohen will also take on the role of Executive Vice President of Development and Talent, focusing on creating new content to add to Bravo's already expanding roster. He will still serve as exec producer for Top Chef and the Real Housewives franchises. In my wildest dreams when I started at Bravo seven years ago, I never imagined that I would end up fulfilling my lifelong dream, Cohen said. It's the perfect storm I get to do the three things I'm most passionate about producing, developing and hosting for a brand that I love.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/11/21/br...-happens-live/

Also: Ravens @ Browns moves from 1:00 to 4:05, so CBS will still have one late game.


And so am I, because one of my Fox affiliates will almost certainly carry it.


Right. Giants @ Cowboys on the 11th is probably a lock even if the Giants lose in New Orleans next Monday. But look for Raiders @ Packers to move from 1:00 to 4:15 on CBS that weekend, especially if the Raiders win hosting the Bears on Sunday.


Which column is that? I looked at the news story on SI.com, but it doesn't mention that.

Can they move any game or just interconference games like Broncos/Vikings?

TV Notes
NBC's Grimm Gets Full-Season Order
By Michael Ausiello, TVLine.com -November 21st, 2011

Grimm fans are in for a full season’s worth of scares: NBC has given the freshman spooker a “back nine” episode order.

“We are very pleased to be making a full-season commitment for Grimm,” said NBC Chairman Robert Greenblatt. “This series is turning the traditional procedural drama on its head and is attracting a loyal following for us on Friday nights. We love where it’s going creatively and we’re excited to deliver more episodes to our audience.”

Grimm has been a rare bright spot for NBC this fall. Season to date, the show has averaged nearly 7 million viewers and a 2.3 rating in the 18-49 demo.

In an effort to draw even more eyeballs to the rookie supernatural thriller, NBC is giving the show a special Thursday night showcase on Dec. 8 at 10 p.m.

http://www.tvline.com/2011/11/grimm-...-season-order/

TV Notes
Networks are testing viewers' patience by fiddling with start times and on-air promos
By David Hinckley, New York Daily News -November 21st, 2011

You'd think that in an age when competing new media are arriving almost daily, television would be doing everything possible to, as the marketers say, enhance the viewer experience.

Not every viewer thinks that's happening.

A couple of News readers/TV viewers have found new examples of ongoing irritations, and it's safe to say they aren't alone in resenting, for starters:

- Pop-up ads and promotions.

- Growing screen clutter.

- Time compression that subtly speeds up shows.

- Network shows that end at one minute past the hour, making it harder to DVD any show after it.

ABC has Desperate Housewives' Sunday nights at 9 and then Pan Am,' which should start at 10, writes Mike Scanlon. Except ABC has Housewives' go to 10:01. One minute no big deal, right? Except if you want to DVR two shows at 10 and one is not Pan Am.' The DVR will not allow it, so if you are not home (which is when most people use the DVR), your TV stays on ABC for a show you don't like or want to watch.

Scanlon notes that ABC is not the only network to do this.

Joe Donato cites a recent case of time compression, a periodic practice on TV and radio for years.

A show is sped up by perhaps 4%-5%, so 25 minutes of running time becomes 24. That gives a network one extra valuable minute of ad time, and most networks say the technology is good enough so viewers don't notice the difference.

Donato disagrees.

TV Land celebrated the 50th anniversary of The Dick Van Dyke Show' with five uncut episodes, he says. And the shows were sped up. Van Dyke's voice was so high-pitched he sounded like Alvin from the Chipmunks.

While he's at it, Donato notes another even more widespread annoyance.

We seem to be stuck with logos and moving promos at the bottom of the screen, he says.

My wife is with him on that. She'll put up with a ridiculously cluttered screen to watch Imus, but it drives her nuts when she's watching a nice, breezy chick flick like You've Got Mail on Oxygen and suddenly the lower third of the screen blows up into a promo for Bad Girls Club or some low-rent production from another part of the Oxygen world.

The funny thing is, TV networks know they need to make viewing as inviting as possible. That's why prime-time shows segue right into each other to eliminate even a short break when the viewer might hit the remote.

But this also means the networks need other creative ways to maximize promotions and find more commercial time. Pop-up promos and time compression can be done within a program the viewer presumably has a predisposition to stick with.

Until he, or she, doesn't.

After a few minutes of Dick Van Dyke as Alvin, says Donato, I changed the channel.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertain...ticle-1.979856

If that happens that would be freaky too as the raiders & 49ers would be on different networks but still playing at the same time.

Obituary
Jack Elinson dies at 89
Comedy writer-producer contributed to iconic shows
By Variety Staff - November 21st, 2011

TV comedy writer Jack Elinson, who penned numerous episodes of series such as "The Andy Griffith Show," "Hogan's Heroes," "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," "Good Times," "One Day at a Time" and "The Facts of Life" during a career of more than five decades, died Thursday, Nov. 17, of natural causes in Santa Monica. He was 89.

Elinson was executive producer or producer on many of the shows for which he wrote.

During the 1950s, he wrote for series including "All-Star Revue," "The Colgate Comedy Hour," "The Duke," "The Jimmy Durante Show," "Hey, Jeannie!," "The Johnny Carson Show" and "The Real McCoys." During the 1960s, Elinson earned credits on shows including "The Danny Thomas Show" (aka "Make Room for Daddy") and was a writer-producer on "Gomer Pyle," "Run, Buddy, Run" and "That Girl."

In the '70s, helped shape such hit shows as "Good Times" (where he was a writer-producer) and "One Day at Time" (where he penned episodes and was an exec producer), as well as "The Doris Day Show" and the animated sitcom "Wait Till Your Father Gets Home." During the '80s, his writings included "The Facts of Life" (exec producer) and "227." Elinson developed the latter Marla Gibbs comedy (which was created by C.J. Banks and Bill Boulware, based on the play by Christine Houston) and exec produced it for several seasons.

In 1961, Elinson received an Emmy nomination for comedy series (shared with Charles Stewart) for his work on "Make Room for Daddy." He was nominated four times for Writers Guild Awards, the last time in 1989, for his work on "Jay Leno's Family Comedy Hour" (shared with others) and shared a WGA award for co-writing an episode of "The Andy Griffith Show."

Elinson was born in New York City and was stationed in Italy for several years while serving in the Army during WWII. After the war he followed his brother into show business, first writing jokes for Walter Winchell's newspaper column and then working on radio shows.

In the early days of television, Elinson was hired as part of the writing team for "The Colgate Comedy Hour." He was soon creating comedic sketches for "The Ed Wynn Show," "The Jimmy Durante Show" and "The Garry Moore Show."

Elinson was a Writers Guild of America member since 1948, serving on a number of WGAW committees.

He is survived by his second wife, Estelle; three sons and a daughter; three stepchildren; and 12 grandchildren.

Donations may be made to Opica Daycare and/or Skirball Hospice, both in Los Angeles County.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118046469?refCatId=14

A top 40 radio station here in NY 92.3NOW does that with their songs & it sounds so wierd that alot comment how the songs sound off but the station says it gives the songs more pop.
Theyre trying to compete with the king top 40 station here Z100 but Z100 is still blowing their doors off in the ratings & revenue departments.

I've long said that the dullest things on television are other people's weather, and golf. Not the equal of Carlin, but printable...

They don't call them "soccer hooligans" for nothing!

TV Notes
On The Air Tonight
TUESDAY Network Primetime/Late Night Options
(All shows are in HD unless noted; start times are EDT. Network late night shows are preceded by late local news)

ABC:
8PM - Last Man Standing
8:30PM - Man Up!
9PM - Dancing with the Stars (Season Finale, 120 min., LIVE)
* * * *
11:30PM - Nightline (LIVE)
Midnight - Jimmy Kimmel Live! ("Dancing With the Stars'' winner; professional soccer player David Beckham; Dana Delany; Nickelback performs)

CBS:
8PM - NCIS
9PM - NCIS: Los Angeles
10PM - Unforgettable
* * * *
11:35PM - Late Show with David Letterman (Amy Sedaris; Sondre Lerche performs)
12:37AM - Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (Jason Segel; Eliza Coupe)

NBC:
8PM - The Biggest Loser (120 min.)
10PM - Parenthood
* * * *
11:35PM - The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (Animal handler Julie Scardina; comic Dane Cook; Hot Chelle Rae performs)
12:37AM - Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (Howie Mandel; Chloe Grace Moretz; B.o.B. performs)
1:36AM - Last Call with Carson Daly (Musician Butch Vig; heavyweight boxers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko; Portugal. The Man performs) SD (R - Oct. 12)

FOX:
8PM - The X Factor (120 min.)

PBS: (check your local listing for starting time/programming)
8PM - Secrets of the Dead: Deadliest Battle (R - May. 19, 2010)
9PM - Frontline: A Perfect Terrorist
10PM - Secrets of the Dead: Mumbai Massacre (R - May. 19, 2010)

UNIVISION:
8PM - Una Familia con Suerte
9PM - La Fuerza del Destino
10PM - AquÃ* y Ahora

THE CW:
8PM - 90210
9PM - Hart of Dixie (R - Sept. 26)

TELEMUNDO:
8PM - Mi Corazón Insiste
9PM - Flor Salvaje
10PM - La Casa de Al Lado

COMEDY CENTRAL:
11PM - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Rep. Nancy Pelosi) (R - Nov. 9)
11:31PM - The Colbert Report (Chris Matthews) (R - Nov. 16)

TBS:
11PM - Conan (Hugh Jackman; Cobra Starship performs; at The Beacon Theater in New York City) (R - Nov. 1st)

E!:
11PM - Chelsea Lately (Musician Drake; TV personality Ross Mathews; comic Jen Kirkman; comic John Caparulo).