Archive for the 'TV' Category

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

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amartin
on September 22, 2007
in TV
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Oooh, looks like Stephen Colbert has a roll on the Simpsons’ millionth season premier Sunday. We love that. The comic genius seething through that studio during production must have been nauseating. Also Lionel Richie is on there as himself.

Whatever else Fox has going that you might find interesting, you have to love that they’re putting all their season premiers on iTunes for free. That will make the “what to watch, what to record” choice a little easier Sunday, but not much.

I doubt Ken Burns will make a documentary about how rad the Simpsons is (are?), But he sure did make one about that big war that happened a while ago in black and white, and that seems to be the nutritional main course on a lot of plates this season.

Burns has been talking, one or two paragraphs at a time, apparently, with Time. He said most of the doc’s themes that evoke that other war that’s on news channels these days are pretty much universal and not a direct allusion. Okay, whatever.

Everybody says The War is totally great, but it seems like the televised equivalent of vegetables to us. MeeVee said it’s good for you, and Tim Goodman thinks you most definitely should “slog” through it. Enticing. But we will definitely be watching because deep down, we’re suckers for grainy footage of big explosions.

While we really do feel the Simpsons is the best thing ever to happen to images and sound, there’s a good chance, given the free download of that show, that we’ll be vicariously on a transport Sunday night, heading across the Atlantic to an epic, seven-part struggle.

Online Video Sparks a Change in Programming

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Marjorie Kase
on August 11, 2007
in TV and Video
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Now that so many videos and other types of media are available online for viewers to find whenever they want, the companies that produce those media are having to approach their content in a non-traditional way. One of the changes the Online Video Watch blog has observed is fewer current event references in Web broadcasts than their television-based brethren.

With a traditional TV broadcast, the time viewers will see it is controlled, so producers can reference recent events without worrying about their viewers getting lost. Popularity on the Web tends to be inconstant for any particular video, and often comes in spurts separated by a time lapse, meaning producers can’t count on which events will be hovering in the forefront of their viewers’ minds.

Different networks have approached the problem of drawing viewers to them (as with a nightly TV broadcast) in different ways. CBS has made an effort to spread their content as far across the Web as possible, in the belief that wide availability will help catch a viewer with so many choices on his plate. Contrarily, NBC/NewsCorp has focused on producing professional-grade content that viewers must seek out only at select, protected portal sites to force viewers to come to them.

So far, neither strategy has proved superior to the other, but in the constantly changing sphere of Web video (and the access to information it gives online users), attracting a dedicated audience will likely prove as important as the nightly “appointment” of a traditional TV broadcast.

(Source: Online Video Watch)

Mefeedia: The Vlogosphere in Review

Published
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Blogger Reps
on August 9, 2007
in TV and Video
. 0 Comments

Major media networks have been focusing on their online audiences more and more over the last few months, and quite a few of them have taken steps toward flooding the Web with their programming. In case you need a refresher on all of the recent initiatives, here’s a sketch (courtesy of the Mefeedia blog) of what the networks have been up to.

NBC and Fox are teaming up to create a new rival site to MySpace, featuring content exclusive to both networks; Fox is also on board with MySpace’s “Storyteller Challenge,” where user-generated pilots could turn into big-time TV programming. CBS has both acquired Wallstrip, a business video blog, and started an “Interactive Audience Network” to spread their content all over the Internet.

Sony’s video sharing site Crackle (formerly Grouper) has morphed into an original content site with quarterly contests that pitch users’ ideas to Sony executives. And between Sony and MySpace’s 6-minute “minisodes” and NBC’s “webisodes,” there’s plenty of video out there for an eager fan to find.

The distance between a TV show and one featured on the Web is quickly growing smaller, and the day may come when there’s no difference between how a network approaches each of them. If this recent trend toward online availability is a solid indication, that day may not even be all that far off.

(Source: Mefeedia)

ABC Day 1: Executive Session

Published
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Marjorie Kase
on July 26, 2007
in TV and TCA Conference
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Lost, Comic-Con dominate critics’ concerns

Wednesday marked the first of the last two days of the Television Critics Association press tour - two days that will be filled with sessions and programming dedicated to ABC network’s upcoming shows. The last stretch of the conference began with the executive session, and ABC entertainment president Stephen McPherson quickly found that critics had only one thing on their minds: Lost, and why its producers were addressing the fans at Comic-Con instead of TCA’s 150+ press representatives.

All the hype about Lost’s absent producers and the insult they were dealing TCA’s journalists did culminate in one tidbit of worthwhile, placating news: Harold Perrineau’s character Michael Dawson will be returning to the show next season. McPherson also stated that Don Imus will be joining the Lost cast this coming fall, but that seems to have been little more than a joke to soothe the irritated critics.

ABC presented a few other slices of information during their executive session. The much-anticipated pilot adaptations for Footballers Wives and Mr. and Mrs. Smith have hit a snag at the network and are basically dead in the water. Men in Trees, on the other hand, will start up again this season, with the episodes that didn’t air after its spring hiatus added to the fall roster instead.

ABC also put a lot of emphasis on its high-profile Pushing Daisies, which has so far received mixed expectations. Daisies features a man who can bring back the dead and kill them again with his touch alone, and is being advertised as a mix between a love story and crime drama. Many critics aren’t sure about the likelihood of the show’s success, citing its oddball storyline and lack of a clear category as possible pitfalls in attracting steady viewers. One thing’s for sure, though: Daisies will be a definite break from the basic similarity between many of ABC’s drama shows.

(Source: TV Guide.com, TV Squad)

Check out a first-hand, minute-by-minute account of ABC’s first day of programming here.

Emmy Nominees Announced

Published
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Marjorie Kase
on July 20, 2007
in TV
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HBO, ABC earn highest number of nominations

The results are in! The nominations for the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards, with a ceremony set for September 16th in Los Angeles, were released yesterday. Overall, HBO and ABC came away with the most nominations (86 and 70, respectively), with NBC not far behind them at 69 nominations.

This year, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, members of which determine the Emmy nominees, gave a nod to a bunch of newcomers: 60% of nominees in comedy and drama categories weren’t nominated last year, with new series such as Ugly Betty, 30 Rock, and Heroes earning a lot of attention.

Of course, old favorites like The Sopranos and Boston Legal weren’t left out in the cold, either. And in a single-show nomination record, HBO’s original movie Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee earned 17 nominations alone.

Want to see the whole list of nominees? Check it out on the official Emmys page.

(Source: Emmy Media Release)

NBC Day 1: Reeling in the Laughs

Published
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Blogger Reps
on July 17, 2007
in TV and TCA Conference
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Now that the cable networks have finished their run, the TCA Press Tour is moving into its network-specific days and panels, which will extend until the end of the event. Yesterday marked the first day of NBC-centered programming, which featured an executive session with NBC’s new co-chairmen, Marc Graboff and Ben Silverman; a panel on the new drama Life; and a session focused on NBC’s Thursday-night comedies: My Name Is Earl, Scrubs, The Office, and 30 Rock.

The biggest hit by far was the half-hour comedy panel, which hosted a creator and star for each of the above series - Greg Garcia and Jason Lee for My Name is Earl, Bill Lawrence and Zach Braff representing Scrubs, Greg Daniels and John Krasinski for The Office, and Lorne Michaels and Tina Fey from 30 Rock. All of these guests got a chance to talk about the upcoming seasons of their shows - and found time for quite a few jokes in between.

Scrubs: Will the upcoming season of Scrubs truly be its last, and will J.D. and Elliot finally end up together for good? Bill Lawrence addressed the first question by saying that unless “we finally become a huge mainstream hit,” Scrubs will end its run with this season. As for the tangled love story of J.D. and Elliot, Lawrence admitted that he has looked into the online fan base for his show, and will try to satisfy the fans with his series finale.

My Name is Earl: Everybody’s asking whether Earl ending up in jail at the end of last season was a fluke, but creator Greg Garcia took advantage of the comedy panel to put those rumors down. According to Garcia, Earl will have to stay in jail much longer than the end of the season premiere. The show’s surprising new direction is one more way Garcia hopes to shake up the TV formula and keep My Name is Earl out of a rut.

The Office: Most of the issues broached with the panel revolved around the whos, whens, and relationships of the now hour-long episodes. Greg Daniels announced that Rashida Jones, who plays Karen Filipelli on the show, will be back this fall, and that while David Denman’s Roy has been fired and isn’t with Pam any longer, he’s still liable to pop up at any time. B.J. Novak’s character, Ryan Howard, is also going to spend a little more time in the spotlight, according to Daniels.

30 Rock: Despite rumors to the contrary, Tina Fey and Lorne Michaels announced that Alec Baldwin will be playing Jack for another season of 30 Rock, and Tracy Morgan will stay on the show as well. Fey also confirmed that Jerry Seinfeld will be playing himself in the season premiere, which she hopes will drum up a lot of interest: “Maybe people in America will actually watch it, even if it’s just for that one time,” Fey said.

(Sources: E!Online, NJ.com)

Want one blogger’s live diary of Monday’s NBC events? Check it out here.

TCA Day 1 - PBS

Published
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Blogger Reps
on July 11, 2007
in TV, TCA Conference and Blogger Reps News
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Blogger Reps CEO Marjorie Kase reports live from the Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour

DucksI arrived just in time on Day 1 to catch the tail end of a lunch panel about NATURE: What Females Want and Males Will Do, a documentary on the science behind reproductive anatomy in animals. It was an unusual choice for mealtime, given that duck rape dominated most of the presentation.

Following the animal sex-fest was a panel discussion on Wired Science, a fun-for-the-whole-family science show brought to you by Wired Magazine (Mr. Wizard’s World for the Gen Z 2.0 set, judging by the preview.)

The last panel and the highlight of my day came during the Pioneers of Television panel, featuring Tim Conway, Dick Cavett, Ed McMahon, Tony Orlando, and my favorite Golden Gal, Betty White. (Betty looked fetching in a red pants suit surrounded by her male counterparts in black. ) Sadly, Phyllis Diller, who was originally slated to attend, could not due to illness.

All of them were surprisingly with it, regaling us with tales of early television glory. It was a real treat seeing all of my childhood comedic heroes on one stage. No topic was taboo for these folks, who voiced their opinions on issues such as beating up Jackie Gleason, industry institutional racism, and Simon Cowell’s lack of class.

Sexy!Following the presentation were a fancy dinner buffet and interviews with the panelists. Most of them were tied up, but I did manage get one with Betty White. When asked about her favorite Golden Girls episode, she immediately lit up and mentioned ” The Operation,” the one about performing her tap dancing routine with Blanche while Dorothy was in the hospital - quite possibly the best dance/musical GG episode, second only to “Bang the Drum, Stanley,” where Blanch and Rose audition for Cats.

Stay tuned for more interviews and daily updates. Tomorrow, I’ll be covering “Jewish Americans”; Ken Burns’s newest doc series, “The War”; Carol Burnett (my all time favorite childhood comedic hero) from American Masters; and “Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story.” Angie Stone will be performing. Isaac Hayes will be dodging South Park/Scientology questions. Should be interesting.