Broadcast TV Ratings for Wednesday, September 17, 2008 September 18, 2008 8:40 pm
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America’s Got Talent led NBC to another Wednesday win as the nights most-watched program, while Bones (most-watched in the adults 18-49 demo) kept Fox afloat in second place, despite week-to-week dips from comedies ‘Til Death and Do Not Disturb.
Meanwhile, The CW’s flagship program America’s Top Model continued its upward trend from the season premiere three weeks back, keeping third-year network out of last place with a fourth place finish on the evening among A18-49.
Check out all the above and more, including my full analysis of the night’s lineup, after the jump.
HBO Announces Abraham Lincoln Miniseries “Manhunt” September 18, 2008 8:27 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in HBO, Manhunt, News, Television.1 comment so far
The premium cable network HBO has just announced that they are developing a new mini series based on the assassination of the America’s 16th president Abraham Lincoln. The series, entitled Manhunt, will deal with the 12 days after Lincoln was shot, focusing on the the manhunt for assassin, John Wilkes Booth. The network has tapped acclaimed TV producers David Simon (The Wire on HBO) and Tom Fontana (Homicide: Life on the Streets on NBC). ‘Homicide’ was an adaptation of David Simon’s novel of the same name.
“The chance to put another project on the boards with [Fontana],” Simon told B&C, “there’s something psychically cool about that.”
The mini series is based on James L. Swanson’s best-selling novel. Simon and Fontana will write the miniseries script and if HBO Films gives the project a greenlight, the duo will serve as executive producers alongside Lawrence Bender and Kevin Brown and Walden Media (publisher of the novel).
Source: Broadcasting & Cable
Fox Developing Animated Series About NASCAR; Jeff Foxworthy to Voice September 18, 2008 8:18 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Fox, News, Television.1 comment so far
Fox has greenlit a new animated series focusing on a NASCAR family. The series will be voiced by comic Jeff Foxworthy. Fox has also announced that they’re developing a daily syndicated version of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, which Foxworthy currently hosts on the network.
Foxworthy is heading the untititled animated series, along with 10 Items or Less executive producers Nancy Hower and Lehr. The three willa lso write and executive produce.
Source: Variety
Broadcast TV Ratings for Tuesday, September 16, 2008 September 17, 2008 10:30 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.2 comments
While down year-to-year, the fifth season premiere of House in a new time slot easily powered Fox to a first place finish last night. However, the network was helped by an impressive second week showing by new series Fringe, which retained a remarkable 93% of its lead-in’s audience.
Elsewhere on the evening, Big Brother 10 closed out the season on a high note, while Wipeout’s first season finale didn’t fare that well.
The CW, meanwhile, got some good news as week three of 90210 stabilized after a weak showing last week.
Check out all the above and more, including my full analysis of the night’s lineup, after the jump.
HBO Renews “True Blood” September 17, 2008 10:15 pm
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Confident in its quality, and impressed by its cumulative audience viewings when repeats are counted, HBO has given an early second season renewal to the Alan Ball vampire drama True Blood. True Blood premiered on September 7th to just 1.4 million viewers, but HBO says that when all the repeat airings were added in, the premiere attracted a total audience of 4 million viewers. The network also noted that the second episode grew by 24%.
“We’re in a business where we have to believe in the show — and the show is fantastic,” said Michael Lombardo, president of HBO’s programming group and West Coast operations. “It gets better in every episode. The show deserves a second year whatever the ratings.”
The network also announced that season two will roll air much sooner than expected, airing next summer as part of HBO’s plan to air year-round programming on Sunday nights.
“Last couple years our volume of Sunday night series went down, and we’re hoping to have a distinctive night of series on for 52 weeks a year next year,” Lombardo said. “Our intention is not to have periods where we’re not delivering originals.”
True Blood airs Sunday nights at 9pm on HBO.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
New Poster for “Frost/Nixon” September 17, 2008 9:23 pm
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Entertainment Weekly has a first look at the new poster for Frost/Nixon. Check it out on the right hand side.
Frost/Nixon hits theaters on December 5, 2008.
Synopsis
Hollywood heavyweight Ron Howard adapts playwright Peter Morgan’s West End hit for the silver screen with this feature focusing on the 1977 television interviews between journalist David Frost (Michael Sheen) and former president Richard Nixon (Frank Langella). At the time Nixon sat down with Frost to discuss the sordid details that ultimately derailed his presidency, it had been three years since the former commander in chief had been forced out of office. The Watergate scandal was still fresh in everyone’s minds, and Nixon had remained notoriously tight-lipped until he agreed to sit down with Frost. Nixon was certain that he could hold his own opposite the up-and-coming British broadcaster, and even Frost’s own people weren’t quite sure their boss was ready for such a high-profile interview. When the interview ultimately got under way and each man eschewed the typical posturing in favor of the simple truth, fans and critics on both sides were stunned by what they witnessed. Instead of Nixon stonewalling the interviewer as expected, or Frost lobbing softballs as the truth-seekers feared, what emerged was an unguardedly honest exchange between a man who had lost everything and another with everything to gain. In this film, viewers are treated to not only a recreation of that landmark interview, but a behind-the-scenes look at the power struggles that led up to it as well. Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, and Brian Grazer team to produce a film adapted for the screen by original play author Morgan (The Queen and The Last King of Scotland).
Source: Universal Pictures
New Photos from “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” September 17, 2008 4:21 pm
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The Weinstein Co. has released a new batch of photos from the upcoming Kevin Smith-directed comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Check some out below (and to the side), and click through the jump for even more. As always, click to enlarge.
Synopsis
Kevin Smith writes and directs his newest comedy for The Weinstein Co. with Zack & Miri Make a Porno, the story of two friends (Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks) who get into the amateur porn business to combat their rising debt, only to realize their underlying feelings for each other while doing so.
Zack and Miri Make a Porno hits theaters on October 31, 2008.
IMDb Begins Offering Online Streaming of Movies and TV September 17, 2008 3:59 pm
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The online movie, and TV, database IMDb.com (a subsidiary of Amazon.com), has started to offer free online streaming from their library of over 6,000 movies and TV episodes. The site will also be offering season premieres of NBC shows such as 30 Rock, Chuck and Lipstick Jungle.
Some of the newer shows already offered include Heroes and 90210 just to name a few.
The full press release follows after the jump.
Broadcast TV Ratings for Monday, September 15, 2008 September 16, 2008 9:15 pm
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Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, September 14, 2008 September 15, 2008 2:13 pm
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A complete breakdown of the night’s ratings follows after the jump.
Broadcast TV Ratings for Saturday, September 13, 2008 September 14, 2008 7:35 pm
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Broadcast TV Ratings for Friday, September 12, 2008 September 13, 2008 6:14 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.4 comments
Broadcast TV Ratings for Wednesday, September 10, 2008 September 11, 2008 3:37 pm
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Broadcast TV Ratings for Tuesday, September 9, 2008 September 10, 2008 4:39 pm
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A complete breakdown of the night’s ratings follows after the jump.
NBC Shows Return to iTunes (+HD Option) September 10, 2008 4:17 pm
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About a year ago, there was a fight between NBC and iTunes, resulting in NBC not renewing their contract with the online video/music download service. Now things appear to have been mended, as NBC is returning to iTunes and an option to watch the shows in HD has been added. The new deal was announced during the “Let’s Rock event, where Apple unveiled their newly updated iPods. In addition to the NBC shows in HD, ABC, Showtime, USA and SCI FI are also including options to download their programming in HD. HD episodes will run $2.99 per episode.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Shatner Is the Reason for the Absense of Kirk in Star Trek September 10, 2008 4:02 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Star Trek, Star Trek (2009).1 comment so far
Turns out that William Shatner’s Kirk was originally written into JJ Abrams new Star Trek film.
“We actually had written a scene with him in it that was a flashback kind of thing,” Abrams told AMC SciFi Scanner. “But the truth is, it didn’t quite feel right. The bigger thing was that he was very vocal that he didn’t want to do a cameo. We tried desperately to put him in the movie, but he was making it very clear that he wanted the movie to focus on him significantly, which, frankly, he deserves. The truth is, the story that we were telling required a certain adherence to the Trek canon and consistency of storytelling. It’s funny — a lot of the people who were proclaiming that he must be in this movie were the same people saying it must adhere to canon. Well, his character died on screen. Maybe a smarter group of filmmakers could have figured out how to resolve that.”
Co-writer Roberto Orci chimed in over at TrekMovie.com with the following note:
Alex [Kurtzman] and I did indeed come up with a sequence for Shatner that we wrote before the strike, although technically it wasn’t a flashback.
Orci also promised that once the movie comes out, he’ll “post the sequence in question.”
Sources: AMC SciFi Scanner and TrekMovie.com
NBC To Broadcast Muppets Christmas Special September 10, 2008 3:52 pm
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NBC will be televising a new Muppets special that will star Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Sirico and Steve Schirripa from The Sopranos, Richard Griffiths and Madison Pettis, alongside Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Miss Piggy and the rest of the Jim Henson muppets gang. The movie is entitled Letters to Santa — A Muppets Christmas and according to THR will be set on Christmas Eve when “Kermit and company mistakenly avert three letters en route to Santa Claus, which triggers a race against time to bring a happy Christmas to the kids whose wishes were lost in the mail.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Production on “24” Halted Again September 10, 2008 3:45 pm
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This can’t be good. Fox’s hit drama 24 is taking yet another break from filming. EW is reporting that production has shutdown on the new season for more than two weeks because the writers need more time to “reshape the upcoming season’s creative direction.” One can argue, quite effectively I might add, that the writers and producers have had plenty of time, but I guess that’s not the case. Howard Gordon says that they “just couldn’t get this direction to work” so they’ve “found another one” and “wound up retooling it”.
In other 24 news, Michael Ausiello is reporting that Elisha Cuthbert has signed on to reprise her role as Jack Bauer’s daughter.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
Raimi and Maguire Signed for “Spider-Man 4” (and maybe 5) + Venom Spinoff News September 10, 2008 3:33 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 4, Spider-Man 5, Venom.1 comment so far
Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood Daily is reporting that Sony has signed both Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire for Spider-Man 4. DHD further notes that while Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane) hasn’t been signed yet, her character is in the film and Sony “would never recast her”. Sony is also happy with the script turned in by James Vanderbilt which leaves open the possibility for moving directly into a fifth film so they are hoping that Raimi and Maguire are willing to shoot the two films back-to-back.
Additionally, Finke reports that there is no interest in Sony in pursuing a darker tone, ala The Dark Knight, with her source saying “Spider-Man is its own thing” and unlike Batman “Peter Parker has no dark side himself”, instead “Peter Parker’s struggle is about sacrifice.” Also, Finke’s source talked about the villains in the film and hinted that “once you find out who the villain is, you’ll know who’s playing it”. Meanwhile on the Venom spin-off front, Sony is apparently interest in keeping Topher Grace (who played the character in Spider-Man 3) despite his demise in the film because the “likeable actor could be a sympathetic evildoer”.
The news has also been confirmed via the trades.
Sources: Deadline Hollywood Daily and Variety
ABC Developing New Sci-Fi Drama September 10, 2008 3:23 pm
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ABC has announced that they’re developing a new Sci-Fi series from Star Trek alumns Rene Echevarria and Greg Berlanti. The series, called The Return, will focus on a group of extra-terrestrials who land on earth.
Echevarria has worked on other Sci-Fi shows, including Fox’s Dark Angel, USA Network’s The 4400 and NBC’s Medium. Berlanti’s most recent work includes the ABC series Eli Stone.
Source: Variety
Moore’s “Slacker Uprising” Will Be Released Online for Free September 10, 2008 3:18 pm
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Michael Moore’s latest film, Slacker Uprising, will be made available as a free download on the internet for three weeks beginning on September 23rd. The documentary chronicles Moore’s attempts at rallying young voters during the 2004 presidential election. According to Moore, the film–which cost just $2 million to make–was never intended to be released commercially:
This is being done entirely as a gift to my fans. The only return any of us are hoping for is the largest turnout of young voters ever at the polls in November. I think Slacker Uprising will inspire (millions) to get off the couch and give voting a chance.
The download will be available on BlipTV. Then after three weeks are up, you’ll be able to purchase the DVD through Amazon and Netflix.
Source: CNet
Live-Action/Hybrid TMNT Film in the Works September 10, 2008 3:15 pm
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Alright, so this whole will there or won’t there be a new TMNT film, and will it or won’t it be live-action has really been heavy in the news over the last several days. Apparently, the truth lies somewhere in between. TMNT co-creator Peter Laird confirmed to MTV that he has had “several meetings with very interested people” for a live-action/hybrid Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film.
The story is still in the very early stages and Laird even admits that they haven’t targeted a villain yet: “It would be fun to do something with the Shredder, but I am also excited about the possibility of creating some new characters for the movie.”
We’ll see where this takes us over the coming months and years.
Source: MTV
“Ghostbusters III” Writers Signed September 10, 2008 3:10 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters III, Movies, News.add a comment
The trades are reporting that Sony is moving forward with a third installment in the Ghostbusters franchise. Columbia Pictures has just signed The Office co-executive producers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky to write the script for the film. Plans are in place to bring back the original cast of Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson, although the focus of the new film will be on a new cast of Ghostbusters. Ivan Reitman, who directed the first two films, is also involved in this film’s development.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter and Variety
Showtime Developing “BiCoastal” September 10, 2008 3:05 pm
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Mike Kelly, creator of the CBS summer series Swingtown, a drama about partner-swapping couples living in 1970s suburbia, is developing BiCoastal for Showtime, another show that will explore relationships, marriage and sexuality. The show will center on a successful man who struggles to find balance between family life with his kids in Los Angeleles as he falls in love with a man in New York.
“It has a lot of the watermarks of things I love to write about — people with secrets and high-stakes love lives,” Kelley said.
It’s unclear what this means for Swingtown, which CBS has yet to make a decision about. In comparison to that show, however, which was based on Kelley’s childhood memories of his parents and their swinger friends, he says that BiCoastal will have a “bit of a harder edge and heightened sense of drama.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
“The Closer” Spinoff in the Works at TNT September 10, 2008 2:58 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in News, Television, The Closer, TNT.1 comment so far
Given how common spinoffs have been as of late, the news that TNT is developing their own spinoff from The Closer isn’t all that surprising. The Closer is cable’s #1 drama and has even attracted Emmy attention so you can hardly fault the network for trying to capitilize on that exposure.
The spinoff is being headed by creator/executive producer James Duff, and TNT has confirmed that it has handed out a script order for the spinoff but has declined to comment any further. Duff is co-writing the story with his Closer co-executive producer Adam Belanoff and Michael Berchem.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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