LOOK AT THIS”¦
++ Every time I hear the name Steve Guttenberg, it’s like entering a time warp back to 1986 when he was an “A-List” actor”¦Believe it or not, he’s still a working actor today”¦
++ To show that I’m also paying attention to the world of journalism as well, here is a story about Jim Taricani, a broadcast journalist ready to go to jail to protect an anonymous source he used for a story.
++ Thankfully, the Robert Blake trial has fallen out of the spotlight. Well, the AP thought you were worried, so they did the research to catch you up”¦
++ Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Mr. Clark“¦
THE OPENING CREDITS: IP TV: Your guide to the world of television”¦
++ I talk about The O.C. in the return of original content to my “so-called television column.” Frankly, I’m not happy and I think the show has some work to do to regain its top form. In fact, I mention four items of concern specifically and probably could have gone for more. But”¦discretion is the better form of valor. Did I even say that right?
++ Well, it looks like I tried and failed. It looks like Katie from Road Rules will never notice me no matter how hard I pant in my pimping…
She provided the inside dirt on this season’s Real World/Road Rules: Battle of the Sexes right up until she was eliminated, which is covered in her latest, and I think last(?) column for IP TV for now anyway (?). I don’t know”¦they don’t tell me anything around here”¦
Nonetheless, I enjoyed my brush with reality greatness, even if it was largely in my head”¦
++ CONTROVERSY!!! Nick Warnock has CHANGED his allegiances on The Apprentice. First, he supported Andy all the way. Then, he briefly backed Kelly up. Now, it’s someone different. Who? Go find out!!!
++ Welcome aboard Colin and Christie from last season’s Amazing Race Christie’s got the players analysis and Colin looks at the race. Ready”¦Set”¦Go!!! (Sorry”¦had to do it”¦)
++ Jake drops by again with some more Survivor commentary. This column: strategy”¦
++ Looks like the Inside Pulse Survivor crystal ball was right on in the next to last episode of the season”¦
++ I won’t pull a quote from Sarah Quigley’s column about The Apprentice this week because I liked the whole thing. You’d be as tacky as Mr. Trump if you didn’t read it.
And while you’re at it, scroll through her archive and notice she writes about Survivor too.
++ Word on the street is Ms. Didey is taking a hiatus from column writing until 2005. So, check her out before she goes!
++ I HAVE to disagree with Cheri this week. Let’s be honest here”¦the ONLY awards shows worth watching every year are the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Emmys (in that order).
++ Big Bob Reiss wrote a good column this week asking if science fiction television is a dying genre. He answers his own question, but it’s not the answer you might think.
I’ll say this though. Whether he realized it or not, he answered his own question with these four little words from his column: Well, Hollywood likes trends.
This is why NO television genre will EVER DIE. Not sitcoms, reality shows, prime time soap operas, game shows, westerns, or sci-fi series. All it takes is one network to take one chance on a show and have it garner enough attention from the audience or the critics and the copycats start popping up like adult onset shingles.
That’s why I laugh at these media analyses that proclaim a certain genre dead”¦But that’s for another day and another column.
++ As usual, we’ve got loads of Survivor coverage in preparation for the last week of this latest season. Check it out on the Columns page before the show goes away and we have to wait months for it to come back again”¦
TV NEWS
Maybe a REAL step in the direction of establishing “interactive TV”?
The concept of interactive TV is about as old as Desperate Housewives is popular. First surfacing in the 1970s, the idea was that people wanted to be more active while watching television. That included buying items they saw being advertised or that showed up on certain shows or learning about products and people as they showed up on the screen.
I remember working in public relations in 2000 and the beginning of 2001 and having a client exploring this kind of dramatic shift in television viewing. The client never was never to be heard from again and I got laid off within a couple of months. That seemed to be the direction interactive TV was going: nowhere, with people losing jobs in the process (though, in reality the two weren’t related in my case, it just sounds more dramatic the way I said it).
Then, the concept was expanded a bit with the “popularization” of the Internet and networks took full advantage of it by telling viewers to run to their computers to vote in polls or “learn more” about something while a show or a game was on. Of course, you need a computer”¦with an Internet connection (preferably high speed so you can get through all the graphics-heavy sites)”¦and it would be even better so your computer was in the same room as the television so you don’t miss any action. Sure, maybe that’s an improvement in the technology, but it’s hardly perfect and it’s pretty expensive too.
Well, as first reported in The Hollywood Reporter, it looks like all the talking and various baby steps are going by the waste side in favor of a big move coming out of NBC and San Francisco technology company Delivery Agent. The two companies are teaming up to advertise products seen on network’s shows. The technology will enable viewers to buy apparel, beauty products, housewares, furniture and accessories that appear on each show, though it’s not known how it will work to this point.
Also, ABC has already made a deal with Delivery Agent with ABC to sell products on such shows as Alias, Desperate Housewives, Lost, All My Children and The View.
Stephen Andrade, of NBC Interactive Development, offered this generic quote to The Hollywood Reporter, that as plain as it is, does help provide reasons why the technology is important.
After consistently receiving viewer inquiries about products seen in our shows, we welcomed Delivery Agent’s solution to connect viewers with products.
It’s probably music to the ears of potential advertisers that potential consumers are calling the network to find out about what they’re seeing on TV. Also, it’s probably music to the ears of television executives everywhere that in the age of people TiVo’ing or DVR’ing shows and fast forwarding the commercials, that they might be able to find a new way to secure advertising revenue when the traditional advertising format eventually dissipates and disappears completely. Sure, that probably won’t happen any time soon, but as that technology becomes more readily available to anyone who has a cable box, it could be a possibility. Keep it in mind”¦
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++ How do the Scrubs people DO IT – Creator Bill Lawrence and the Scrubs team have secured guest appearances from such A-List stars as Matthew Perry and Brendan Fraser. They’ve also been lucky to secure multiple episode appearances from Heather Locklear, Julianna Margulies and Kelli Williams.
But now? Probably the biggest coup yet:
Colin Farrell.
According to material published on E! Online’s TV “diva” Kristen Veitch, Scrubs star (and aspiring director) Zach Braff posted on his Garden State blog that he (and the show) “just scored the most awesome, super-secret, mac-daddy, one-episode guest star for Scrubs.”
Veitch did her homework and reported it was Farrell on Monday (Dec. 6) and NBC released a statement confirming it on Wednesday (Dec. 8).
It’s not known what kind of storyline Farrell will be placed into but according to the network, he will play “a life-loving Irishman” named Billy Callahan in the episode. The episode is scheduled to air Tuesday, Jan. 25.
How did this happen? Well, it appears that Braff and Farrell somehow became friends and Braff must have somehow turned on the same charm that got Natalie Portman and Sir Ian Holm to appear in a little film called Garden State.
Either way, it’s a go”¦Scrubs gets another A-List star and has endeared me even more”¦
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Does the life as we know it switch make any sense? Maybe, maybe not”¦
It’s hard to believe such a miniscule schedule change could provoke such an intense debate, but here we are: ABC is switching up its Thursday night lineup, putting life as we know it at 8 p.m. and Extreme Makeover at 9 p.m.
Why is this significant? Well, the move itself isn’t that significant and that’s why it’s significant. It’s like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Instead, the better strategy for ABC would have been to move the show to an entirely different night in order to build a better audience instead of keeping it on Thursday against the toughest competition of the week.
Also, it appears the move is a bit silly because the move to 8 p.m. will run right into the young person friendly shows Survivor, Joey and, especially, The O.C.. As an article on Zap2it.com put life‘s new predicament well:
However, ABC has now moved “life,” a sex-drenched high school soap opera about attractive teens and their complicated home lives, into direct competition with Fox’s “The OC,” a sex-drenched high school soap opera about attractive teens and their complicated home lives.
Sure, the descriptions on both sides aren’t entirely accurate, but the point is there. In several ways The O.C. and life are similar. So, life should get a chance to develop its own audience instead of being forced to snag The O.C.‘s.
BUT”¦Zap2it.com also makes a convincing argument as to why this would be a good idea for life. Primarily, it comes down to the number of viewers that watch the top two networks every night at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. The news source notes that a whopping 44.6 million people watch C.S.I. on CBS and The Apprentice on NBC on average per week. However, only 32.6 million people watch Survivor on CBS and the Joey/Will & Grace comedy block on NBC. So, ABC might see that there are likely 12 million more available viewers that might give life a chance in the new timeslot rather than watching the shows on at 8 p.m.
It’s a risky strategy that probably won’t pay off though. After all, even though life is grittier and more realistic, yet just about as intriguing as
* * * * * *
And we HAVE a WINNER”¦
After two, long, painstaking, but publicity filled months, CBS has finally found a replacement host for Craig Kilborn on the “Late Late Shows.”
And it looks like the network stationery won’t have to change that much. They can keep the name “Craig” on it anyway”¦
That’s because the network has tapped longtime actor and comedian Craig Ferguson (The Drew Carey Show) to take over permanently for Kilborn who abruptly left his cushy late night gig when his contract was up.
Since then, more than 20 people took turns hosting the show. Some had no intention of pursuing the spot permanently (Bonnie Hunt, Jason Alexander), but others did until it came down to four finalists in November: Ferguson, D.L. Hughley (The Hughleys), Michael Ian Black (Ed, frequent VH-1 contributor) and MTV VJ Damian Fahey were named as finalists for the job and each got a longer stint as host.
After naming Ferguson, Rob Burnett, president and CEO of Worldwide Pants had this to say about the new full-time host:
Craig is a smart, funny and versatile personality who we feel can build a following on late-night television. This was a difficult decision to make among talented candidates, but Craig is clearly a gifted comic who will be an outstanding host of ‘The Late Late Show.’
Normally, there isn’t much “analysis” needed in something like this, but it is interesting to consider the evolution of this show and its host.
After all, as recently as six years ago, Tom Synder, primarily known as a news broadcaster, hosted the show in that timeslot and it had a dark, low key feel to it. Contrast that with Craig Kilborn who has some legitimate broadcasting experience, but really isn’t that funny (even he thinks he is) and the feel of the show that changed considerably.
Now, with Ferguson, who’s definitely more of an actor and comedian than a broadcaster, The Late, Late Show has turned into much more of a zoo than any sort of current events related broadcast. That’s not necessarily a bad thing at all. It’s just interesting to see the network so sharply change their strategy for that timeslot and mirror exactly what NBC is doing, letting a former comedian and comedy writer entertain the masses for two hours every night. Then again, the younger you are, the more likely you’re going to stay up late.
* * * * * *
++ Winner: CNBC; McEnroe eliminated from play – In a move that shouldn’t be considered surprising to onlookers, CNBC has canceled John McEnroe’s low rated talk show, McEnroe, which debuted this past summer. New episodes will run through the end of the year, according to Zap2it.com, a courtesy to show staff members who will need a salary over the next two weeks during the holiday season.
As the AP reported last week before the Groove Tube Update was published, McEnroe was averaging 75,000 viewers a night, less than half of the viewership for business programming in the time slot before the tennis playe’s show went on the air.
Even more humiliating from a broadcasting point of view, on some nights, McEnroe didn’t get a Nielsen Media Research rating at all, meaning the audience was too small to measure. Ouch.
While not a surprise considering the ratings, word is the relationship between CNBC and McEnroe was actually quite good, making the decision to cancel the show harder, but made the option to tape new shows until the end of the year easier.
CNBC, still trying to fill its evening programming with shows that draw higher ratings, will replace McEnroe with The Big Idea, a talk show hosted by advertising executive Donny Deutsch (who recently appeared in an episode of NBC’s The Apprentice).
* * * * * *
Here’s a question”¦Will Martha Stewart be welcomed back to TV with open arms?
The deal is done. It looks like Martha Stewart has made a deal with the devil and will continue her television career when she gets out of jail next year.
Though she can’t conduct any business while in prison in West Virginia, her representatives brokered a deal with NBC Universal that will bring back a new cooking show starring the domestic diva to the air in September 2005.
According to multiple sources, including the AP, NBC-owned stations in 14 major cities have already agreed to air the daytime show, and deals will be sought in other markets.
As reported previously by oodles of news sources, including this column, reality God Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice) has signed on to produce her new show and will follow a different format. Instead of working in a studio and talking to the camera, she’s going to perform in front of a studio audience and also involve various celebrity guests.
Burnett has noted that many people believe Stewart got a “raw deal,” don’t think she should have gone to jail and will likely follow her to her new television home regardless of her time away. Plus, reports have indicated her fellow inmates at the facility in West Virginia like and appreciate her. If THOSE women are behind her, chances are her standard audience will forget the bad as well.
Burnett also noted that celebrities such as Rosie O’Donnell, Bill Cosby and Brian Dennehy came to her aid when she was going through her heavily publicized trial, so he believes there won’t be any problem attracting celebrity guests to appear on the show.
Is it a good idea? Mark Burnett is involved, everyone from Bill Cosby to convicted felons love her and are probably willing to “forgive and forget.” Besides, she still offers practical advice that crafty people and cooks across the country still find interesting and useful. She’s going to pick up where she left off”¦
Too bad that doesn’t apply to every person who does a five-month stretch for stock fraud.
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++ In a surprise to no one, Wayne Brady is working again”¦ – Actor/comedian/singer/former talk show host/general jack-of-all-trades, Wayne Brady has signed a development deal with NBC to work on a new comedy about personal injury lawsuits.
Brady will star and executive produce the show written by Saladin Patterson (Frasier, The Bernie Mac Show). Patterson will also executive produce the show.
At this time, only a pilot has been ordered, so NBC hasn’t added it its schedule yet, but Brady seemed optimistic in talking to The Hollywood Reporter:
We were trying to find a workplace that hasn’t been tapped yet. It seems like a world that would be full of great characters and great cases that can be really, really funny.
Brady is a funny and charming man that appeals to all ages. I’ll take his word for it.
THE CLOSING CREDITS: Why I love Law & Order: SVU
For good reason, the procedural law shows like Law & Order and C.S.I. take a lot of heat for being too predictable and boring in their storytelling. Many of them take the exact same route every episode and it becomes obvious what’s going to happen. Plus, they keep doing well in the ratings, so the networks keep greenlighting more of them, just with different people in different cities. It could be argued that it completely stifles creativity in television production and writing and that’s not good for people who make the shows and people who watch them.
But every now and then, these shows surprise you. While crime fighting and prosecuting criminals are always part of the storylines, sometimes the writing abandons the straight “crime is committed, perpetrator is arrested, perpetrator is found guilty, roll credits” format and focuses more on one side over the other. Also, there are times when the writing invites the viewers into the lives of the characters as more than just legal robots without an emotion filled pore in their bodies. That happened on Law & Order‘s most recent episode, “Haunted” (which originally aired on Tuesday, Dec. 7). Here’s a brief outline of the episode:
++ Fin (played admirably and with a great deal of passion by Ice-T) and Benson (Mariska Hargitay) are staked outside a Manhattan bodega and waiting for some potential robbery suspects. Towards the end of the shift, Fin went in to the bodega to get coffee and ended up witnessing the robbery in progress. After the perpetrators shot the man working the counter, Fin whipped out his gun and shot both perpetrators, but took a bullet in the shoulder, right above his chest.
++ Fin made it out alive, but the situation was certainly dicey. In the process, he saw the son he essentially abandoned years before and emotions came rushing back. Once he got out of the hospital and made it back to the police station, his image was splashed allover the New York media as a “hero cop.” Good for Fin.
++ However, a woman looking for her lost daughter recognized him as an asshole bodyguard protecting a known drug lord in New York. Fin attempted to explain that he was working undercover for the narcotics division and did what he had to do to keep his cover. The woman wasn’t interested in what he had to say, she wanted her daughter back.
++ Fin visited his old boss in the narcotics division and got a young, but obviously talented, new detective named Nick Sandoval (played by Nicholas Gonzalez who’s also doing a run as D.J. the lawn guy on The O.C.) to temporarily be his partner in the case.
++ He discovers the girl they are looking for is dead but that she had a healthy baby boy less than a year previously who couldn’t be accounted for either.
++ The ending of the episode is predictable as Fin and Nick solve the crime and reunite the grandmother with the grandson she didn’t know she had.
Despite the predictable ending, I loved the episode because the episode did two things I appreciate that usually don’t show up on these series (as I mentioned before”¦).
1. We saw Fin as a real person, not just a cop. – The viewing audience got a chance to learn several vital personality traits about Fin. First, he’s always been married to his work. It got to the point where he alienated his family and went several years without seeing his son. He’s been a great cop but a bastard father who’s beginning to realize that. Also, while he screwed up as a father, he did show a caring and sensitive side not always shown on these legal shows. Despite the word of advice to not get emotionally involved in a case, Fin ignored that plea and went full force into it instead. He showed how admirable he can be while also being a bit bull-headed too. It’s satisfying to be able to watch these stories unfold and make these conclusions about characters. I wish it happened more often.
2. The general procedural format was thrown out the window – Law & Order: SVU generally doesn’t follow the same format every episode, but more often than not, the courtroom action is just as prevalent as the storylines involving finding the criminals. However, the courtroom action was completely ignored and the episode was more about Fin’s quest for personal satisfaction and to “make things right.” Yet, despite the different story, the show also didn’t abandon its roots and reason for being: fighting crime and putting the bad guys away.
Hopefully, we’ll see more of this in the future and not less. Creativity is a good thing, not bad.
After that wise nugget of advice, please consider it and have a good weekend.
— Coogan
