Austin360 blogs > TV Blog > Archives > 2007 > November
November 2007
Strike news: Good? Not good? And ‘Lights’ back on
Hopes raised, hopes dashed … hopes raised again?
Talks between the striking Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers broke off Thursday night after four days of secret and, according to Hollywood insiders, productive negotiations.
But it’s unclear whether an agreement will soon be reached. The buzz in Hollywood all week said that an end to the drama might come this weekend. Clearly that’s not going to happen. And the media blackout during the four-day negotiation has given way to carping and crowing on both sides. Not good.
Producers released a statement, crowing about the deal they are offering writers:
“The AMPTP today unveiled a New Economic Partnership to the WGA, which includes groundbreaking moves in several areas of new media, including streaming, content made for new media and programming delivered over digital broadcast channels. The entire value of the New Economic Partnership will deliver more than $130 million in additional compensation above and beyond the more than $1.3 billion writers already receive each year.”
The writers initially responded with a sniff, indicating the proposal was overblown and not remotely what should have been offered. The guild pointed out that the amount mentioned did not specify whether that was for one year or the three-year contract period.
But the good news is the guild then smoothed its features and said it would ponder the offer over the weekend and come back to the table for more talks with producers on Tuesday.
My fingers ache from being crossed all the time.
Meanwhile, NBC is scrapping its midseason schedule and stocking up on “unscripted programming.” That’s a polite word for reality shows, which will make up a third of NBC’s prime-time schedule if the current work stoppage continues. That’s at least one hour of “American Gladiators” or “Celebrity Apprentice” each night. Grrrrrrrr …
“Lights” flipped back on tonight!
After a quick pre-emption last week, “Friday Night Lights” is back tonight (8 p.m. on NBC).
Various plot teases for the Austin-based drama have dribbled out:
Something “unexpected” happens to Smash at the end of his first recruiting trip. Hmmm.
Matt Saracen tells his new girlfriend he wants to “see other people” … as in, get back together with Julie?
Speaking of Julie, Mama Tami is none too pleased with her daughter’s increasingly close relationship with a teacher (played by Austin actor Austin Nichols). When Tami’s not happy, nobody’s happy, so this should be good.
And as we’ve seen in recent promos, Landry marches into the Dillon police station and confesses to killing Tyra’s attacker.
So don’t call me between 8 and 9 tonight … I’m not answering.
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Hannah’s had enough of ‘Early Show’
Bye, bye Hannah.
After five years of toiling before dawn for perennial third place in the morning ratings, Hannah Storm is leaving as co-anchor of CBS’ “The Early Show.” No word on when exactly she’ll sign off or who will take her place in the trio that includes Harry Smith and Julie Chen.
Storm, 45, is discussing with the network “to determine the scope and depth of her new duties,” CBS said in a statement. Presumably that means she’s leaving “The Early Show” but staying at CBS. Maybe.
Before tackling her current early-bird duties, Storm was an anchor/reporter for NBC Sports, hosting four Olympics, three World Series and several other major sporting events. Maybe she can shift over to CBS Sports.
The CBS morning show was a relative late-comer to the morning news competition, and the show has been beaten like a drum over the years by both NBC’s “Today” and ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Baba Wawa mulls ‘Fascinating People’
Barbara Walters may be retired from ABC News and “20/20,” but she’s still pondering her annual “10 Most Fascinating People,” scheduled to air Dec. 6 at 9 p.m. on ABC.
Among the latest crop of Walters’ favorite faces are super-couple David Beckham and Spice Girl Victoria Beckham (why won’t she ever smile? bad teeth?), Justin Timberlake, “Grey’s Anatomy” star Katherine Heigl, “American Idol” reject but Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson, former President Bill Clinton and MySpace media moguls Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe.
As is her custom, Walters will reveal the top two fascinating people at the end of the special. Let’s hope she wasn’t fascinated by human wrecking ball Britney Spears. Please.
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Bravo, Helio! ‘Dancing’ champ deserved the mirror ball
Suddenly my Mondays and Tuesdays are free … shall I read a book? Go to the gym? Or wait for the next edition of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars?”
Probably the latter. The other choices are way too taxing for this time of year.
Last night’s “Dancing” finale was fabulous. Brazilian race-car driver Helio Castroneves definitely deserved to win. Besides hoofing skills, he was by far the most fun contestant to watch. Host Tom Bergeron called it charisma, but to me Helio’s appeal was his infectious grin and the fact that he was having the time of his life and brought the audience along with him.
OK, “Scary Spice” Mel B was possibly the better dancer. And Marie Osmond, 48, might have been the sentimental favorite because of her in-season traumas and middle-aged years. But that rag-doll dance Monday night assured her departure in the first 20 minutes of last night’s finale. Bye-bye, Marie. You were funny and fun to watch.
Helio and his cute-as-a-button professional partner Julianne Hough sparkled for 10 whole weeks. There’s no way to know for sure, but I suspect Julianne brought in a good chunk of the votes herself. Bubbly and wildly talented, Julianne helped speed skating champ Apolo Anton Ohno win the dancing contest last season, too. She was as much of a draw as Helio.
While I enjoyed “Dancing with the Stars,” I have absolutely no interest in the upcoming spinoff, “Dance Wars.” Judges Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli will train a bunch of singers and dancers and compete as teams. Zzzzzzzz … Plus Drew Lache will host. Double-zzzzzzzz. Color me gone.
From Malcolm to homicidal maniac?
Yep, that seedy looking guy in tonight’s episode of “Criminal Minds” (8 p.m. on CBS) is Frankie Muniz, previously the adorable “Malcolm in the Middle.”
Muniz, who turns 22 on Dec. 5, plays a famous comic-book artist who, according to press material, “helps” the FBI team search for a serial killer in Los Angeles. What do you want to bet he turns out to be the serial killer?
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One last ‘Dancing;’ who will win?
It seems like forever ago, but it’s really only been 10 weeks since Wayne Newton, Floyd Mayweather and Mark Cuban lumbered onto the floor in “Dancing with the Stars.”
The rotten apples have long since gone (along with at least one really good one, Cheetah Girl Sabrina Bryan), so tonight at 8 we’ll have the bloated, two-hour results. If you’ve followed the show all season, you can skip all the recaps and tune into about the last 15 minutes for an end to the suspense and the crowning of the winner.
Who’s going to win?
Going on judges’ points alone, that would have to be “Scary” Spice Girl Melanie Brown. But public voting counts big in this competition, and Marie Osmond has a surprisingly ardent fan base. She’s been surrounded by lots of drama, which might have contributed to the appeal: She fainted, her father died and her son wound up in rehab. Plus she really IS fun to watch, all grins and gumption.
But Marie’s rag-doll freestyle dance last night might have killed her chances. The usually fawning judge Bruno Tonioli described it as a bizarre combination of “Baby Jane and the Bride of Chucky.” That was too kind. It was awful.
Race-car champ Helio Castroneves also has been a huge fan favorite this season, in no small part because of his enthusiasm, mile-wide smile and his hugely talented partner Julianne Hough. He’s probably improved the most as a dancer and has had the most fun of anybody. Voters like that.
After winnowing to three from the original dozen, “Dancing” is down to one final surprise, and I can’t really pick a winner. How about you?
NBC renews two newcomers
With the writers’ strike now in its fourth week, it might be a moot point, but NBC has given full-season renewals to “Chuck” and “Life.” The former isn’t a big surprise, but the latter sort of is — “Life” has been sagging sadly in the ratings.
And speaking of the strike, negotiations are continuing this week between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The talks are being conducted in secret and under a media blackout, so we don’t have a clue what’s happening.
But as long as they’re talking, there’s hope.
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‘Notes from the Underbelly’ returns, Lauren still pregnant!
A product of bizarre scheduling, the expectant human parents on “Notes From the Underbelly” will have endured a gestation period longer than a pachyderm’s when the baby finally arrives.
The comedy, originally intended for fall ‘06 but bumped to spring ‘07, didn’t make it onto this fall’s schedule but returns tonight at 8:30 on ABC. Andrew (Peter Cambor) and Lauren (Jennifer Westfeldt) are still preggers in episodes that should have aired during the first season.
As the second season begins tonight, viewers will have to re-acquaint themselves with the characters — including new parents Julie (Melanie Paxson) and Eric (Sunkrish Bala) and pals Danny (Michael Weaver) and Cooper (Rachael Harris). Bespectacled career gal Cooper is my favorite character — wry and quick, blessed with the fantastic comedy timing of the actress who plays her.
At some point during the season, that overly-percolated baby will be born, spawning a whole new level of neurotic behavior in the parents and their extended family of friends.
Pray for an end to the writers’ strike … please
Striking members of the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers return to the bargaining table in Los Angeles today, and I’ve got all digits crossed that this three-week nightmare will come to an end soon.
Why so frantic? Because NBC is promoting a new version of the strike-proof reality show “American Gladiators.” Will somebody please have mercy on us? This drek gobbled up the weekly syndication schedule from 1989 to 1996. It wasn’t good then, and it won’t be good now.
Allegedly a strength and agility competition, it’s really more of a Vegas-style exhibition featuring men and women in silly costumes flexing their muscles and showing off their ability to act ridiculous.
The new “Gladiators” is scheduled to debut in January. If the writers and producers can agree on compensation sharing for digital platforms, we might be spared this horror.
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‘Dexter’ yes, ‘Grey’s’ no … not any more
Today is Black Friday, and hordes of people are swarming shopping malls and lounging at home, hoping to burn off Thanksgiving calories by consuming leftover pie.
Me? Clearly I’m at work, and my thoughts have turned to serial killing. Wait. That sounds wrong … specifically I’m thinking about Dexter, the oddly heroic homicidal maniac on the Showtime series of the same name.
Always in the shadow of the more popular HBO originals, Showtime rarely releases audience figures. But “Dexter” has become a bona fide hit for the network, so a press release recently touted the series, starring Michael C. Hall, as the highest-rated program in Showtime’s history. Bigger than “Weeds,” “Brotherhood,” “The Tudors,” “The L-Word” or “Californication.”
Now in its second season, “Dexter” is drawing more than 1 million viewers on Sunday nights and nearly 2 million if you roll in viewership from the repeats. And the show has helped boost the sagging ratings for its worthy companion, “Brotherhood,” too.
I have to admit I was more than a little uncomfortable watching “Dexter” at first — and even more uncomfortable admitting that I liked it. Dexter is a nerdy forensic cop in Miami whose traumatic childhood has caused him to torture, chop up and murder some of society’s more loathsome citizens.
But when he’s not wrapping his victims in plastic wrap (it’s neater that way) and revving up the old buzz saw, Dexter is a doting father figure to his girlfriend’s children, a protective big brother and a brilliant blood-splatter specialist in the Miami-Dade Police Department.
It’s a very dark comedy-drama that’s loaded with suspense. And Hall is simply riveting. I’m not embarrassed any more. I like “Dexter.” So there.
So over ‘Grey’s’; … how about you?
Last night’s episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” might have been my official turning point with this show. I’ve always been opposed to the excessive whining, especially by Meredith and Izzie. And the perpetually sappy pop songs in the background.
But now the show is ripping off “ER” — and not in a satisfying way. That whole ambulance-crashing scene last night was right out of an episode of “ER” a couple of years ago, down to the guy being impaled and destined to die if he were plucked from the wreckage.
But unlike the suspense that “ER” managed to whip up in its heyday, “Grey’s” telegraphed its plot developments. The most egregious example was the patient with the exposed carotid artery whom Lexi befriended. You knew that bloody thing was gonna blow, and it did — while he was laughing and flirting with her. Splat! Gush! Totally predictable and totally gratuitous.
I’m gone.
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‘Dancing’ toward the finale!
Jennie Garth, whose career peaked years ago on “Beverly Hills 90210,” was sent packing on last night’s “Dancing with the Stars” semifinal — after delivering her best performance ever Monday night. Go figure. Maybe viewers got tired of watching her do that weird thing with her mouth.
Left to twirl again in next week’s finale are Marie Osmond, whose popularity has grown from week to week (sympathy for fainting? losing her father? slogging through a divorce? 16-year-old son in rehab?); charismatic race car champ Helio Castroneves; and super-muscular “Scary” Spice Girl Melanie Brown.
Poor Jennie. Just when she got her confidence going and seemed to finally be enjoying herself. Zapped like a bug at a barbecue. The Yummy Mummy, as the ridiculously effusive judge Bruno Tonioli dubbed her, ended her competitive hoofing career with a fragile grin.
What next? Helio consistently lands the highest scores, but Marie and the entire Osmond clan apparently remain beloved icons among the viewing public. Don’t be surprised if she wins that huge, hideous trophy — unless her dances next week are marred by total ineptitude or crashing falls.
The final performance airs Monday with the winner crowned on Tuesday. So far this season, ABC’s hot reality show has sucked in more than 28 million viewers each week.
‘Bachelor&’ Finale Part II
Rumors or wishful thinking? Tuesday, after Monday night’s ridiculous no-proposal conclusion to Austinite Brad Womack’s run on “The Bachelor,” rumors swirled that something interesting might happen on Tuesday night’s “After the Final Rose” episode.
Wrong. Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. Brad did not change his mind and pop the question to DeAnna or Jenni — or any of the other rejects — as had been speculated on talk radio.
Looking more and more like a sad-eyed loser, Brad tried to explain himself to the women he dumped — thus revealing why the guy owns a bunch of bars in Austin but can’t seem to find a date in his home town.
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‘Bachelor’ ripoff
It’s the journey, not the destination.
If you believe that, maybe you aren’t feeling ripped off by last night’s “Bachelor” finale. But if you think the destination has some merit, you must be royally ticked off that Austin bar owner Brad Womack bailed on his assignment.
He was supposed to pick from two finalists — Jenni and DeAnna. And he led us on with his pained decision-making, fretting and oodling over both as “almost perfect.” Turns out almost wasn’t nearly enough, and when it came time to bestow the engagement ring, Brad wept and faded to black.
Cluck cluck.
Boy, if that doesn’t sound the death knell for “The Bachelor,” I don’t know what will. For weeks we’ve been led on by the winnowing process. We’ve watch the oh-so-sincere Brad bloke babble on about how special each and every contestant was.
Turns out Brad, like a gazillion other woeful bachelor types, suffers from fear of commitment.
In the early going of the finale, Brad shopped for a ring, agonized over his breaking heart, ditched Jenni and decided that DeAnna would be the perfect wife. Then he stiffed DeAnna.
Tonight all the ladies will return and, we hope, bash Brad to smithereens for leading them all on. What a waste of time.
Katie Couric speechless?
CBS News writers haven’t had a pay raise in three years and are likely to go on strike Monday.
Does that mean Katie Couric, anchor of the once-hallowed “CBS Evening News,” will open her mouth but nothing will come out? Probably not, but she won’t sound as (a) smart or (b) clear. Writers are important to joke-spouting sitcom stars, but, really, news writers are essential.
Let’s hope talks will resume soon. The two sides haven’t sat down to negotiate since January (‘07).
The entertainment folks are finally sitting down to talk Monday, so maybe the newsies will join the goodwill.
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‘Bachelor’ concludes, ‘Dancing’ showcases final four
Tonight is a big night for reality TV, although I’m struggling to care about the season finale of “The Bachelor” (9 p.m. on ABC).
I know I should care, because the “Bachelor” himself is noted Austin bar mogul Brad Womack. But this show has always given me the creeps — women begging for a man but really hoping for national TV exposure and maybe a modeling career to go with it.
If these people are all so beautiful, why can’t they find true love without competing?
But that’s just me. I guess it’s no different from the old “Dating Game,” but I just think we should have moved beyond this kind of TV matchmaking.
Having gotten that out of my system, for those of you who do care, tonight Brad is supposed to pick between Georgia real estate agent DeAnna and Phoenix Suns dancer Jenni. (Is it just me, or do these women look disturbingly alike?)
The teases for the show indicate a surprise finale — something that’s never happened before. My guess: Whoever Brad picks will turn him down. Will he then move on to his second choice? Or do the right thing and come home to Austin, where many fabulous women will be waiting?
A bigger finale surprise might be that we’ll find out that Brad’s twin brother Chad has been the pretender all along, and since he’s married, no selection will be made.
On a happier note (at least for me), “Dancing with the Stars” (tonight at 7 on ABC) showcases the final four couples. Will Marie finally get the boot? Or Spice Girl Mel B? Surely not race car champ Helio? Maybe lip-licker Jennie? Dancing is tonight; results revealed tomorrow night.
Strike: Day 15
Finally, we have reason to hope that the already crippling writers’ strike will end before we’re all driven to toss our HDTVs in the trash.
Over the weekend, the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers agreed to re-start negotations on Nov. 26. Talking is a step in the right direction, so we’ll keep our digits crossed.
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KXAN’s Michelle Valles busted but keeps her job
Michelle Valles, who anchors KXAN’s weeknight newscasts, was busted last night for DWI. She posted $3,000 bail and was released early this morning. This is very sad news, and we hope she is able to recover and make the best of a bad situation.
Eric Lassberg, her station’s general manager, told me this morning that Valles still has her job. He said she will take some time off to deal with the situation, but he fully expects her to return to the anchor desk with Robert Hadlock.
Valles, a UT grad, has been a vital part of Austin’s Hispanic community since joining KXAN in 2003. She is active in a variety of charities and does more than just lend her name. Drinking and driving is incredibly stupid and dangerous, but we hope Valles uses the incident to educate herself and others as we enter the holiday season.
‘Family Guy’ feud
Creator/executive producer/star Seth MacFarlane is decidedly unhappy that Fox is airing an episode of his animated comedy “Family Guy” this Sunday.
Why is that?
According to industry trade papers, the upcoming episode of “Family Guy” was nearly finished when the writers’ strike started, but the fine-tuning that always happens before broadcast had not been done. With MacFarlane on strike, Fox added the finishing touches.
Like many other so-called hyphenates (writer-producers), MacFarlane is siding with the writers’ and refusing to perform his show-running duties — hoping the additional pressure will force producers back to the bargaining table.
Legally Fox has the right to tinker with nearly completed episodes, but writer-producers traditionally handle the final cuts. MacFarlane might be out-gunned on this one, but without him on board in the future, “Family Guy” will be dead.
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‘Runway’ is off and running … Are you a ‘Beauty’ or a ‘Geek’?
Have you recovered from your “Project Runway” bash last night? If so, good for you. If the season opener is still lingering on your TiVo, consider this your SPOILER ALERT and read no further.
Nobody had to craft a ball gown out of garbage bags, so we weren’t treated to any major creativity challenges. I think I could probably design something attractive with access to $50,000 worth of fabric, but nobody asked me to …
No matter how many babies Heidi Klum has, she always looks to be in spectacular shape. We hate her for that. And don’t you just want to smear peanut butter all over the perfectly turned out Tim Gunn? Really, this guy doesn’t have a piece of lint on him. It’s unnatural.
Meeeeeow! Now that we’ve got that out of the way:
“Project Runway” got off to a bang last night, booting the poorly equipped Simone right off the bat. Good riddance. I’m not putting any money on UT grad Elisa to stick around for long either. Sweet-natured Heidi ripped her pretty badly. We’ll see how the remaining 14 blossom (or fade) in the weeks ahead.
For constant commentary on “Runway” as the season progresses, count on American-Statesman fashion writer Marques Harper to keep you posted in his blog.
Are you a beauty? Or a geek?
Casting directors for the CW’s reality show “Beauty and the Geek” are in town searching for beauties and geeks for the show’s fifth season.
If you think you qualify in either category — and long to become a reality TV star — the casting call is today (Thursday) from 3 to 6 p.m. at the DoubleTree Suites at 303 W. 15th St. Be sure to let us know if you make the cut!!
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Real or rumor: ‘Friday Night Lights’ heading to ESPN?
We have no confirmation whatsover, but what the heck, this is a blog, and blogs can pass on rumors:
The online magazine Radar is speculating that if “Friday Night Lights” expires on NBC, it could get picked up by ESPN.
Neither ESPN nor NBC, which produces “FNL,” has commented on the speculation.
ESPN, of course, is owned by ABC and Disney. Would NBC really give up a show it has bragged about for more than a year? Maybe. The ratings for “FNL” have been awful in its new home on Friday nights.
ESPN has been trying to broaden its base with original, non-sports programming, but this move seems like a stretch, don’t you think?
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Fashionistas: Tonight’s the night!
Tonight is a really big deal for fashionistas and reality TV fans. Writers’ strike? What writers’ strike?
“Project Runway” launches its fourth season tonight (9 p.m. on Bravo), preceded by two past-season reruns starting at 7. That means the truly obsessed can tune in for an entire night of designer wannabes’ mentor Tim Gunn’s cooing and host/judge Heidi Klum’s glorious glow.
Ardent fans across the land are probably planning fancy dinners and watching parties. The hip and beautiful people routinely tout “Runway” as the best show on television — even though the cable ratings are relatively piddling, with about 2 to 3 million people tuning in last time.
Nevertheless, it’s a select group, and I plan to join the fab folks, at least tonight. If I had to commit to watching every episode of every reality show on TV, I’d never leave my house. So the plan is to watch the opener, check out an episode or two in the middle of the run and then come back for the final couple of episodes. That’s plenty for me.
Returning as judges, along with Klum, are Nina Garcia (author of “The Little Black Book of Style”) and designer Michael Kors. Tonight we’ll meet the 15 contestants who will whip up haute couture from drapes and bedspreads in pursuit of a $100,000 grand prize and enough publicity to launch pro careers.
Second-season winner Chloe Dao of Houston decided to stay in Houston and expand her store, Lot 8. Did winning “Runway” help her? Well, she’s now negotiating with Neiman Marcus about designing a line of clothing for the upscale store. That would be a nice little boost, wouldn’t it?
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KEYE’s HD news gets ratings boost … ‘Damages’ survives
Cause or coincidence? Hard to know, but KEYE got a nice little boost in the ratings from its Nov. 1 introduction of HD local news.
It’s still early in the November sweeps, but the 10 p.m. KEYE news, anchored by high-def anchor duo Judy Maggio and Ron Oliveira, is now comfortably in second place, behind long-time leader KVUE. That surge gently shoves KXAN into third place at 10 p.m. — at least for now. On Nov. 1, the night the HD newscast debuted, KEYE won the time period with a healthy 7.2 rating and a 12 percent share of the audience.
We’ll have a better sense of how HD is playing into viewers’ choices for local news at the end of the month. We’ll keep you posted.
And while we’re patting KEYE on the back, let’s give it props for something other than high-def. The newscast has ditched the annoying, messy-looking “crawl” at the bottom of the screen. The look is cleaner and clearer. Thanks, guys. I can’t be the only one who finds these grammatically challenged “headlines” distracting.
Blue Monday turned happy
Yesterday, as most Mondays are, was a drag — especially with the writers’ strike threatening to leave us with nothing but “Survivor” and “Big Brother” for months to come.
But we did get a nice piece of good news from FX: “Damages” has been renewed for not one but TWO new seasons. The fabulous legal thriller, which debuted in July, will return next summer, assuming the strike doesn’t drag on and turn it into a winter series. The deal is for a total of 26 new episodes, played out over two summer seasons.
Glenn Close and FX apparently were both on the fence about whether they wanted “Damages” to continue. Close picks her projects carefully, and as the star of an hour-long drama, she knows the work days will be long. FX was disappointed in the lackluster ratings for the show, especially compared to some of its hits, such as “Nip/Tuck” and “The Shield” (which inspired Close’s decision to do a series).
As for details about the new season, we have only a few. Close has signed on (natch), and so has her young protege, played by Rose Burne. Tate Donovan, who co-starred as Close’s right-hand man, will return.
But the corporate villain, played by Ted Danson? Not signed — at least not now. So one might assume that his character really was shot dead in the first-season finale. Maybe.
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Mac is back … strike update
Searching, searching, searching for good news amid the strike-induced bad news …
Bernie Mac, who earned two Emmy nominations for his 2001-‘06 Fox sitcom, has struck a deal to return to the network that shuffled him from time slot to time slot before. Creator Bruce Helford, late of ABC’s “Drew Carey Show,” has squeezed a seven-episode commitment from Fox for the new Mac attack.
Lest striking writers get their knickers in a knot, the deal was finalized Nov. 2, before the Nov. 5 WGA strike began.
Mac, one of the funniest and most talented stand-up comics around, played a slightly fictionalized version of himself in his previous sitcom — a put-upon family guy who worked in the entertainment biz.
In his new project, “Starting Under,” he will play a divorced man forced by circumstance to live with his 20something son. Father and son will be opposites: dad is loud and extroverted, son is quiet and introverted. No word on casting of the son.
Speaking of the WGA strike …
Late last week, representatives of the entertainment industry’s top talent agencies offered to help bridge the massive divide between the Writers Guild of America and the major studio and network producers.
This offer, of course, was not completely philanthropic. If the agents’ clients don’t work, the agents don’t receive their commissions. Last week lots of people on both sides of the dispute — writers and producers — were told by networks and studios that production would soon shut down because fresh scripts were gone. No play, no pay.
NBC has told much of the staff of “The Tonight Show” that they will be let go at the end of this week. Host Jay Leno has refused to cross the picket line, and NBC has indicated that it may bring “Tonight” back Nov. 19 with guest hosts.
Negotiations have been broken off for more than a week, and the guild is resisting efforts by politicians in California to jump-start the process.
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What to do about late-night reruns
The ongoing writers strike has shut down late-night talkers like Jay Leno, David Letterman and Jon Stewart. What are you watching to fill that void? Reruns of “Tonight”? New editions of “Nightline”? “Adult Swim”? Let us know how you, our night-owl couch potatoes, are handling the loss by sending an e-mail to dholloway@statesman.com.
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People’s Choice nominees, ‘Lights,’ Strike
The People’s Choice Award nominations, which usually indicate that poll respondents don’t have a clue what good shows are actually available on TV, were announced today. For the full list, check out the Hollywood Reporter.
Here’s a quick rundown of the TV nominees:
Favorite TV Drama: “CSI,” “House,” “Law and Order: SVU”
Favorite TV Comedy: “The King of Queens,” “My Name is Earl,” “Two and a Half Men”
Favorite Animated TV Comedy: “Family Guy,” “King of the Hill,” “The Simpsons”
Favorite Sci-Fi Show: “Battlestar Galactica,” “Doctor Who,” “Stargate Atlantis”
Favorite Competition/Reality Show: “American Idol,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
Favorite Game Show: “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” “Deal or No Deal,” “Jeopardy”
Favorite Female TV Star: Sally Field (“Brothers & Sisters”), Katherine Heigl (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Jennifer Love Hewitt (“Ghost Whisperer”)
Favorite Male TV Star: Patrick Dempsey (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Charlie Sheen (“Two and a Half Men”), Kiefer Sutherland (“24”)
Favorite Scene Stealing Star: Richard Belzer from “Law & Order: SVU,” Neil Patrick Harris from “How I Met Your Mother,” Chandra Wilson from “Grey’s Anatomy”
Favorite Talk Show Host: Ellen DeGeneres, Jay Leno, Oprah Winfrey
It’s Friday: Don’t forget to turn on your “Lights”
The latest installment of our beloved, Austin-based drama “Friday Night Lights” airs tonight at 8 on NBC.
Evidence implicating Landry in the death of Tyra’s attacker mounts, and he decides to ‘fess up to his cop-dad.
Back from that drunken spree in Mexico, Riggins has to prove to Coach that he’s serious about football.
And Tami Taylor’s sister (guest star Jessalyn Gilsig, late of “Boston Public”) comes to Dillon for a visit and tries to spread her enthusiasm for environmental activism.
Strike update: Day 5
On and on it goes, where it stops, nobody knows.
The Writers Guild of America strike against fat-cat producers continues, with more TV shows in danger of running out of episodes earlier than expected. For the latest developments, check out our AP online update.
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Thursday shows generate sweeps heat … and strike update
Time for a pre-Turkey Day feast on favorite TV shows — before they all crumple under the writers’ strike.
Yes, tonight’s the night for scheming Wihelmina to strut down the aisle on “Ugly Betty” (7 on ABC) in the culmination of an intricate plot to tie the knot with Mode mogul Bradford Meade (Alan Dale). Of course, Betty (America Ferrara) could crush Wilhelmina’s dreams at any moment by spilling the beans about the glamorous vixen’s plot.
In her American acting debut, Spice Girl Victoria “Posh” Beckham guest stars as Wilhelmina’s maid of honor — who threatens to steal the bride’s spotlight. And famed designer Vera Wang puts in an appearance, too.
In other words, tonight’s “Ugly Betty” is shaping up to be a stereotypical sweeps ploy — a wedding — but with the twist of a hissing, fabulous disaster.
Also tonight the beautiful docs on “Grey’s Anatomy” (8 p.m. on ABC) continue to pant and whine. George and Izzie’s icky romance hits a rough spot, Derek continues to plead with Meredith for commitment and Callie soldiers on as the residents’ reluctant leader.
Strike or no strike, at least one sweeps trick could stir up some heat tonight — the cross-over episodes on CBS hits “CSI” (8 p.m.) and “Without a Trace” (9 p.m.). Grissom leaves his Las Vegas lab to help Malone track a case involving a serial killer in New York. Teases look especially juicy.
Strike update: Day 4
Prime-time comedies and dramas are still serving up new episodes, thanks to stockpiled scripts and, in some cases, ongoing production.
But after only three nights of reruns on the late-night comedy/talk shows, ratings have begun to plummet. Comedy Central concedes that its usually winning duo of “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” are both down a whopping 30 percent in the Nielsen cable ratings so far this week.
Still no talks scheduled between the writers and producers.
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‘Dallas’ heading for Austin … Strike update
J.R. and the rest of the infamous Ewing clan are heading to the Bullock Texas State History Museum next summer in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the prime-time soap phenomenon “Dallas.”
To whit, the museum is asking for our help to name the exhibit and share favorite memories.
Do you remember where you were when the “who shot J.R.?” mystery was solved? Oddly enough, I was in the Dallas airport coming back from Los Angeles. Everybody was huddled around a TV at the Southwest Airlines gate, and the pilot provided an on-air re-cap during the flight to Austin.
To participate in naming the Bullock Museum’s exhibit and offer up similarly tantalizing memories, check out the online survey. You’ve got until next Thursday (Nov. 15) to serve up your suggestions — The Ewings Do Dallas? J.R.’s Crude? The possibilities are endless.
Strike update: Day 3
The news is not good, fellow Couch Potatoes of America.
In the middle of the first week of the strike by the Writers Guild of America, production has stopped on seven prime-time series, with more likely to shut down sooner than previously expected.
Fox’s freshman comedy “Back to You,” starring Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton, and the returning comedy “ ‘Til Death” are down effective today, along with CBS sitcoms “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” “Two and a Half Men,” “Rules of Engagement” and “The Big Bang Theory.” NBC’s comedy “The Office” also shut down when star/writer Steve Carell refused to cross the picket line.
And ABC’s dependable Sunday night hit “Desperate Housewives” will wrap up production today.
Depending on how many episodes each show has in the can, the shows are likely to stay on the air for six to eight weeks.
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Strike update: ‘Nightline’ happy, soaps in danger
We, the loyal members of the Couch Potatoes of America, have survived our first day of TV without benefit of professional entertainment writers.
Now what? At least for this week and possibly beyond, the late-night talkers will be in reruns. The beneficiary here should be ABC’s “Nightline,” which forges ahead with news, analysis and discussion. News writers are not members of the Writers Guild of America.
Although Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien and Jon Stewart are all members of the WGA and support the strike, they are also producers of their programs and aware that if they don’t work, their staffs don’t work. It’s possible that if the strike drags on, these hosts will return to their shows, ditch their monologues and Top 10 lists and focus on interviewing celebrities and watching stupid pets do their tricks.
Letterman made clear his stand on the strike, which pits writers against producers in the battle for revenue from DVDs and digital retransmissions, by last week calling the producers “cowards, cutthroats and weasels.” Nevertheless, he doesn’t want to leave his production pals on “Late Show” stranded and out of work. It’s a big-time dilemma for these guys.
With most prime-time scripted series in good shape until January or February, midseason offerings look to be in the most danger right now. ABC has already scrapped a January debut for its midseason drama “Cashmere Mafia,” from the creators of HBO’s “Sex and the City.”
More importantly, the continuing dramas “Lost” and “24” could be left hanging. Both shows were scheduled to return in late January, but “Lost” only has 8 of its planned 16 scripts ready, and “24” has only ticked off 8 of its 24 hours. Neither of those shows will return if they can’t run uninterrupted until the end of their seasons.
Daytime soaps might be the most at-risk of all. Ratings for daytime melodramas have been declining for years, and they do not repeat well. If fans lost their daily fixes of “All My Children” and “Days of Our Lives” for months on end, most analysts believe it would be hard-to-impossible to lure them back.
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The strike: It’s here!
It’s officially here now. And you may think you don’t care, but eventually you will. Trust me.
I’m talking about the writers’ strike, which began at 12:01 a.m. today after last-ditch talks between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers collapsed after 11 hours of arguing on Sunday.
Pickets could be seen and heard outside NBC’s “Today” telecast this morning in New York, along with an enormous inflatable rat. “No contract, no shows” was the chant. Why “Today” was targeted was unclear, since the strike has no effect on that news-based program. Probably just a good spot for publicity … and the rodent was hard to miss.
Tonight we can expect to see the first of many reruns of topical talk shows such as “The Late Show With David Letterman,” “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report.” The hosts of those shows are members of the WGA, so don’t look for them to just come out on stage and wing it.
Next to be hit will be daytime soaps, which might have three or four weeks worth of programming stockpiled but no more. No biggie there, at least not for those of us who work days and watch TV at night.
If the strike lasts only a couple of weeks, we might see no impact on prime-time dramas and comedies, since those shows shoot well in advance of their telecast and generally have a half season’s worth of scripts in hand.
But if the strike drags on for more than a month, we’ll see reruns and substitute reality shows by the dozens in early 2008.
In case you forgot, the writers want a bigger percentage of DVD sales of their work and a percentage of residuals from Internet distribution. On Sunday, the writers dropped their original demand for 4 percent rather than the existing 2 percent of revenue from DVD sales. But producers weren’t willing to budge on the issue of online residuals, so negotiations broke off.
Can’t these people just get along? Don’t they know that members of a much larger union, the CPA (Couch Potatoes of America) are waiting?
“The Wire” enters swan song season Jan. 6
If you’re a member of the small but devout fan club of “The Wire,” you can look forward — strike or no strike — to the fifth and final season of the HBO drama. That’s because production for the final 10-episode season wrapped Sept. 1. The season debuts Jan. 6 after an appetite-whetting Dec. 4 release of the previous season on DVD.
Set in Baltimore, the gritty drama has been on a remarkable journey exploring the seedy society of police and drug dealers. Criticized by some for its relentlessly dark and dreary stories, “The Wire” never shied away from its spot-on realism. Previous seasons have focused on politics and education; the final season will delve into the role of the media in the state of urban decay.
Series creator David Simon is a former reporter for The Baltimore Sun, and he has the rights to use the newspaper’s name. Don’t you know the Sun’s management, editors and reporters are all just a little bit nervous about this?
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Writers’ strike update: What the heck does it mean?
Leaders of the Writers Guild of America, the union representing Hollywood’s film and television scribblers, met last night and announced they definitely will go out on strike — maybe Monday.
The leaders of the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, with whom the writers are warring, sighed heavily and insisted that an agreement over the weekend is still possible — along with the possibility that pigs will suddenly take flight.
Writers want a bigger slice of the DVD and online revenue pie; producers say the industry would be crippled by such a loss of producing profits. Both sides insist they won’t budge on their respective percentage points.
Worst case scenario?
If the strike lasts several weeks, Couch Potatoes of America, the union representing real people, will be faced with fleeing TV altogther in early 2008 … or settling for reality shows, game shows, newsmagazines and reruns. Most shows have enough finished scripts to supply production through the end of the year. (If scripts already exist, the strike will not prevent shows from shooting them.)
The first effect of a strike will be the end of David Letterman’s Top 10 list. Letterman, Jay Leno and Jon Stewart all depend on a stable of writers to supply them with same-day topical humor. If the strike officially begins Monday, late-night humor will be gone — unless it’s a repeat of previous late-night humor. Which will then NOT be topical.
A prolonged strike will affect development projects for the next fall TV season, which means even more cheap, writer-proof reality and game shows. And even less topical humor.
The last time the WGA marched out was in 1988, and the strike lasted 22 weeks. Network execs believe the ill-will caused by excessive reruns and slap-dash substitute programming cost them a permanent loss of 10 percent of their audience. That’s in addition to the $500 million everyone agrees the work stoppage cost the industry.
Stay tuned for updates … and keep your digits crossed for a miracle over the weekend. Maybe pigs will fly.
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Strike on hold, ‘Heroes’ spinoff halted
It didn’t happen at midnight on Halloween, but it’s going to happen.
I’m talking about the writers’ strike. Last night’s talks between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers broke off without an agreement — although another meeting is scheduled for tonight (Thursday).
The most contentious issue remains residuals from DVD sales and distribution of TV shows and movies over the Internet. Both sides decided to cool off during the day and meet again tonight. So there’s a slim-as-thread chance for an agreement — and pigs could fly, but we’ll keep you updated.
The good news from Austin is that NBC’s locally based drama “Friday Night Lights” is in better shape than most series, with 15 scripts completed. That would keep the production whirring into December and the broadcast schedule well into January or February, depending on holiday preemptions and such.
The pending work stoppage already has claimed one TV production. NBC announced at least a temporary halt on the six-part anthology miniseries “Heroes: Origins.” The network had planned to film this limited series to air during the May 2008 sweeps. The show would have introduced six new characters and let the audience decide which one would return for the fall 2008 season.
If you were thinking of tackling a major self-improvement project — like watching everything you’ve ever missed on DVD, reading every literary classic ever written or taking cooking classes — January is the time to start. Your prime-time evenings likely will be free.
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