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Monday, July 17, 2006
Justifying the new CW
How’s this for a slogan for the new CW network, which replaces the soon-to-be defunct WB and UPN in September: “Two wrongs do make a right.”
That’s what a publicity guy said. Seriously. You gotta love it …
That and the blinding lime green color the CW is plastering everywhere to promote itself. With mega-bucks behind it, thanks to corporate ownership by CBS and Warner Bros., the new CW might just find a way to paint American lime green by the time it debuts Sept. 20 with a two-hour season opener for “America’s Next Top Model.”
Dawn Ostroff, entertainment president of the new network and outgoing chief at UPN, is convinced the launch will go well. Why? Because each night of the CW’s schedule will begin with one of the WB or UPN’s established shows, like “7th Heaven,” “Veronica Mars” and “Gilmore Girls.”
CW only has two new shows to introduce: a surprisingly good drama, “Runaway,” starring Donnie Wahlberg, and the groaningly bad comedy “The Game,” about tart-tongued wives of pro football players.
Like the WB, the CW is going after 18- to 34-year-olds and will have a heavy Web presence with all its shows. It also is introducing something called “content wraps,” that will be mini-shows (like a real-person makeover and date set-up) within the show to sell stuff instead of actual commercials.
The minis will feature lots product placement, instead of the usual 30-second ads. Ostroff says it’s the Next Big Thing, but the CW will only use the “wraps” occasionally. Presumably in case they don’t work.
In other exciting news from the CW, Haylie Duff will join “7th Heaven” next season as a regular — and she’ll be heading to seminary to study for the ministry. Seriously.
Darren Star, executive producer of CW’s new “Runaway,” promises his show, a serialized drama about a family on the run so the father can prove he isn’t a killer, will have plenty of weekly recaps so viewers who miss an episode won’t get lost. And he insists his show really does have a plan.
“The worst mistake you can make is to produce a show that people can’t jump into,” he said. “And, yes, we know who really committed the murder and all the other mystery aspects. What is this, Season 3 of ‘Lost’ and nobody knows where it’s going? That seems to be a new trend — random storytelling. That’s not us.”
Today’s word of the day is “Betty.” Click here to enter the TV Blog contest.
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“CSI” secrets and Rachael Ray’s new talker
In the May cliffhanger for CBS’ “CSI,” Capt. Brass was lying in a hospital bed, recovering from a barrage of gunshot wounds, and Grissom and Sara were in an off-job situation hinting that they’ve been romantic for quite some time.
Surprise! This hinted-at relationship between Griss and Sara will heat up next season. And of course Brass will survive, but the romance is a hotter topic as the show heads toward its Thursday showdown with ABC’s super-hot “Grey’s Anatomy.”
Jorja Fox declined to “kiss and tell,” but creative producer Carol Mendelsohn said fans will learn the juicy details about this twosome soon. First, that their Vegas relationship precedes Vegas and actually started when they both lived and worked in San Francisco. Second, that their “CSI” colleagues will be in the dark about the twosome.
Perhaps oddly, Fox said the intensely personal scenes, dropped into the middle of a case-focused procedural drama, can be nerve-wracking to play.
“There’s a certain calm and peace in doing a procedural,” she said. “These personal snapshots are exciting and terrifying. There’s safety in sticking with the fiber and flies.”
Rachael Ray at the range …
Touting her new fall syndicated daytime talk show, Rachael Ray decided the food in the luxury hotel here just wasn’t comforting enough for the nation’s TV press corps, so she whipped up hundreds of miniburgers — beef, turkey and veggie.
“Let’s go to the ballroom and have burgers,” Ray announced after she quipped and guffawed her way through an hour-long lovefest with reporters. “We can keep talking, but I need a snack.”
How does this bundle of energy manage to write more than a dozen cookbooks, host several TV shows on the Food Network, keep a whirlwind speaking tour AND launch a new daytime talker?
“Starbucks,” she snorted. “It helps me find a lot of time, and you just reorganize.”
Ray insists her show won’t be a sit-on-the-couch-and-tell-me-your-woes show.
“Nobody would take me seriously,” she howled. “I mean, I’m a bobblehead! There’s going to be nothing serious going on.”
Plus, she says her No. 1 rule is “no crying … and no finger-wagging. I don’t like a lot if experts.”
Oprah Winfrey is backing Ray’s show, which means it has deep pockets. But what will make it succeed is Ray’s down-to-earth, food-oriented, kitchen-chatter approach to life.
“I’m probably the only show in daytime that has a driveway and a garage,” she chuckled. “I’m pretty proud of that.”
Today’s word of the day is “Betty.” Click here to enter the TV Blog contest.
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