The Dark Knight and Lost Lead Saturn Nominations March 11, 2009 6:06 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Awards, News, Television.Tags: Battlestar Galactica, Evangeline Lilly, Heroes, Lost, Matthew Fox, Saturn Awards, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
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ABC’s Lost led the way at the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films’ 35th annual Saturn Awards nominations. The ABC series received 11 total nominations including best network TV series, TV actor (Matthew Fox) and TV actress (Evangeline Lilly).
NBC’s Heroes followed with the second most nominations, grabbing six (including best network TV series) and SCI FI’s Battlestar Galactica and Fox’s Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles each with four nominations.
In the film category, it was WB’s The Dark Knight leading the field, also with 11 nominations, including for bBest Adventure/Thriller Film, actor (Christian Bale), actress (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and supporting actor (Aaaron Eckhart and Heath Ledger).
A complete list of nominees can be found here. The awards will be presented June 25.
You can view a complete list of nominees at SaturnAwards.org.
Broadcast TV Ratings for Tuesday, March 10, 2009 March 11, 2009 4:54 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.Tags: Broadcast TV Ratings, Tuesday
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American Idol dominated the competition last night, not only doubling up on second place A18-49 finisher NBC, but out-rating all English-speaking broadcast nets combined by nearly 1 full ratings point.
CBS finished in second among households and viewers with strong performances by NCIS, The Mentalist and Without a Trace (all repeats).
NBC was third in households and viewers but did quite well among adults 18-49, with both a two-hour edition of The Biggest Loser and an original episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit drawing an average 3.7 A18-49 rating, with the network peaking in the 9:00pm hour with a 4.2 rating.
Following in fourth place was ABC, which failed to garner much of an audience with original episodes of Homeland Security USA and Primetime: What Would You Do? (and back-to-back repeats of Scrubs sandwiched in between).
That leaves us with The CW which finished in a, expected, fifth place. Reaper was basically flat from the week prior.
Full ratings and breakdown’s, including week-to-week comparisons, etc., follow after the jump.
Comedy Central Cancels Chocolate News March 11, 2009 2:26 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Cancellations, News, Television.Tags: Chocolate News, David Alan Grier
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Fans of David Alan Grier will have to hope the comedian does well in his gig on Dancing With the Stars, because they won’t be seeing him on Chocolate News. The NY Times has been informed by a Comedy Central rep that the network has decided not to renew Grier’s news/sketch-comedy series, confirming a report that appeared on the website of The Baltimore Sun newspaper.
The series debuted on October 15th and ran for just 10 episodes.
“Sci-Fi Saturday” at TrekMovie.com March 11, 2009 12:30 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Site Info, Television.Tags: TrekMovie.com
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Every weekend I contribute a column titled “Sci-Fi Saturday” (sometimes “Sci-Fi Sunday”) to TrekMovie.com. If you’re not aware of the site, do give it a browse. The site’s owner/editor, Anthony Pascale, has done a wonderful job making it “the source for everything new in Trek”, as the site’s tag line rightfully claims.
And if you have any sort of interest in Sci-Fi entertainment, I think you’ll enjoy the weekly columns I contribute to the site. To that end, you can find the latest edition of “Sci-Fi Saturday” linked below.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Sci-Fi Saturday: Watchmen, Terminator, Transformers, Tron + Lost, Heroes, Smallville, Doctor Who + more
Note: You’ll always find a link to the most recent article on the newly created Sci-Fi Saturday Page. As I said, the article goes up every Saturday (although occasionally on Sunday).
Friday Night Lights Close to Renewal? March 10, 2009 4:37 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in DirecTV, NBC, News, Television.Tags: Friday Night Lights
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Just came across this very interesting report over at Michael Ausiello’s EW page. Apparently, and despite declining ratings, NBC and DirecTV are close to renewing their partnership, announced last year, to keep Friday Night Lights on the air.
According to Ausiello, NBC says they’re only interested if they can get a commitment by DirecTV to air TWO more seasons. Although a spokesperson for NBC Universal declined to comment, an NBC insider acknowledged to Ausiello that the studio is “actively looking at ways to keep FNL going,” with another adding, “We’re very optimistic a deal will be worked out.”
About those ratings. Eight episodes into its third season, Friday Night Lights is averaging just 3.99M viewers and a 1.4/4 A18-49 rating/share (its household rating/share is 2.5/4). The season high came with the season premiere (2.8/5; 4.53M; 1.6/5) and the season (also series) low came at episode five (2.1/4; 3.46M; 1.1/3).
Recap: Dancing With the Stars – 8×01 March 10, 2009 3:47 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in ABC, Recaps, Television.Tags: Dancing with the Stars
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The eighth season of Dancing With the Stars kicked off Monday night, a season that has already lost two stars to injury. Both Access Hollywood host Nancy O’Dell and singer Jewel were on hand, as were last minute replacements Holly Madison (announced a few days ago, see related story) and ‘Bachelor’ castoff Melissa Rycroft.
Because I’m not very good with critiquing dance, which is probably a good thing, I’ll simply recap the night’s scores. So, head on through the jump to see who fared the best with the judges and to vote for who you believe was the best. (more…)
Matt Barr Joins Gossip Girl Spinoff March 10, 2009 3:03 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in News, Television, The CW.Tags: Gossip Girl, Gossip Girl Spinoff, Matt Barr
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One Tree Hill alum Matt Barr has been cast in The CW’s Gossip Girl spinoff as Keith van der Woodsen. The character is described as a rich and handsome Malibu prince who is the love interest to Lily Rhodes (Brittany Snow). Although The CW isn’t confirming it, speculation is that the character is Serena’s (from Gossip Girl) father.
The Gossip Girl spinoff, still untitled, is set in 1980’s Los Angeles and chronicles the teen years of Lily.
Source: THR
Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, March 8, 2009 March 9, 2009 11:10 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.Tags: Broadcast TV Ratings, Sunday
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Rebecca Romijn Joins ABC Pilot Eastwick March 9, 2009 8:16 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in ABC, Casting, News, Television.Tags: Eastwick, Rebecca Romijn
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Rebecca Romijn has joined the cast of ABC’s Eastwick, the networks drama pilot based on the 1987 feature-film The Witches of Eastwick, and based on the John Updike novel of the same name.
Romijn will play the lead character on Eastwick, Roxi Torcoletti, joining previously cast Lindsay Price (who’ll play “Joanna Frankel”), Jaime Ray Newman (“Kat Rougemont”) and Paul Gross (“Darryl Van Horne”).
Source: Variety
Casting Underway for Live-Action Star Wars TV Show March 9, 2009 7:24 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in News, Television.Tags: Rose Byrne, Star Wars
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During a press junket for the Nicolas Cage thriller Knowing, co-star Rose Byrne let slip that George Lucas has begun casting for his live-action TV series based on Star Wars: “A lot of my friends have been auditioning for it,” she said. Byrne (who played Dorme in ‘Episode II’) will not be auditioning for the series, noting she already has a steady gig on the FX series Damages, where she was nomianted for a Golden Globe: “I’m on a show,” she said. “I don’t know if I look that good in space.”
According to past reports, the live-action Star Wars series will focus on minor characters from the franchise and will be set in the time period between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and the original Star Wars. Lucas plans to write and shoot an entire year’s worth of episodes before looking for a cable channel to air the series.
Source: MTV Movies Blog
Watch: First 13 Minutes of Castle March 9, 2009 6:54 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in ABC, News, Television, Videos.Tags: Castle, Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic
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Tonight is the premiere of the new ABC drama Castle, starring Nathan Fillion (Desperate Housewives, Firefly) and Stana Katic (The Spirit). But ahead of the show’s debut tonight — at 10:00pm following the season premiere of Dancing With the Stars — you can watch the first 13 minutes of the show online, right now. Head on through the jump to watch. (more…)
Ashlee Simpsons-Wentz Headed to Melrose Place March 9, 2009 5:07 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, News, Television, The CW.Tags: Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, Melrose Place
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Singer/Actress Ashlee Simpson-Wentz will star on The CW’s Melrose Place update, returning to network television seven years after her role on The WB’s 7th Heaven. Simpson-Wentz will play Melrose Place’s newest resident, Violet, a bright-eyed but shrewd small-town girl and recent L.A. transplant who has come to town with a secret. THR reports that the character will draw parallels to the original series’ Sandy Harling (Amy Locane).
Simposon-Wentz joins the previously announced cast of Michael Rady and Katie Cassidy (see related story).
The View Enjoying Its Most-Watched Season Yet March 9, 2009 4:55 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in ABC, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.Tags: Barbara Walters, Broadcast TV Ratings, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, The View, Whoopi Goldberg
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ABC daytime talk show The View is riding a ratings high. The talk show, featuring a panel of Whoopi Goldberg, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Sherri Shepherd, Joy Behar and for a few times a week series co-executive producer Barbara Walters, drew its largest audience ever on the morning after Barack Obama was elected president (6.2 million) and has maintained that momentum ever since, enjoying its most-watched season to date with an average audience of 4.2 million viewers (+20% over last season’s 3.5 million).
ABC Daytime president Brian Frons believes that the election has elevated the series, but that it has been making positive strides over the past few years:
“We used to be an internally focused show, more introspective, but now we’re more outwardly looking,” Frons said. “Rosie (former moderator O’Donnell) looked out into the society, and we have built and grown from that.
“We have a group of diverse, intelligent women who filter the news and say, ‘Here’s how we feel about it and here are some things for you to think about.’ “
Source: Variety
ABC Picks Up Impact, New Four-Hour Sci-Fi Miniseries March 9, 2009 4:41 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in ABC, News, Sci Fi, Television.Tags: David James Elliot, Impact, James Cromwell, Natasha Henstridge, Steven Culp
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ABC has picked up Impact, a four-hour miniseries about humanity’s efforts to survive after the moon is hit by a meteor and enters into a collision course with Earth. The $14 million production was directed by Michael J. Rohl and stars David James Elliot, Natasha Henstridge, Steven Culp and James Cromwell.
The SCI FI Channel has second-window rights, while Sony Pictures Home Entertainment acquired the video rights to the miniseries.
Source: Variety
Heroes May Be Returning, But It’s Still in Trouble March 8, 2009 10:36 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.Tags: Broadcast TV Ratings, Heroes
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Although NBC promises the show is coming back for another season (see previous story), and insists that even season four won’t be its last, it’s time to face facts: Heroes is in deep trouble. Based just on season averages, over the course of three seasons the show has shed 5.78M viewers (-42%) and 2.3 A18-49 rating points (-38%).
But the bigger issue here is the more recent slide in viewers which has resulted in continued week-to-week series lows and an overall low viewership standing. Much more after the jump, including a full look at the ratings charts teased above. (more…)
Knight Rider Probably Not Coming Back March 8, 2009 7:33 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in NBC, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.Tags: Broadcast TV Ratings, Knight Rider
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Last Wednesday’s season finale of Knight Rider will likely serve as the show’s series finale. TV Guide is reporting that despite heavy reto0ling, the show will not be returning for a second season. Last Wednesday’s finale drew just 5.68 million viewers and a 1.7 A18-49 rating, down 23 and 32 percent, respectively from the show’s season premiere last fall (7.35M viewers and a 2.5 A18-49 rating). NBC refused comment.
Broadcast TV Ratings for Saturday, March 7, 2009 March 8, 2009 6:08 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.Tags: Broadcast TV Ratings, Saturday
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Broadcast TV Ratings for Friday, March 6, 2009 March 7, 2009 6:38 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.Tags: Broadcast TV Ratings, Friday
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Broadcast TV Ratings for Thursday, March 5, 2009 March 6, 2009 5:01 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.Tags: Broadcast TV Ratings, Thursday
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DWTS: Nancy O’Dell and Jewel Out, Holly Madison In March 6, 2009 2:37 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in ABC, News, Television.Tags: Dancing with the Stars, Holly Madison, Jewel, Nancy O'Dell
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ABC has confirmed that injuries have forced Access Hollywood host Nancy O’Dell and singer Jewel out of competition for the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars (premieres this Monday on ABC).
E! Online reports that Holly Madison of E!’s reality series Girls Next Door will be on the season instead. Hugh Hefner has confirmed the news himself, saying he “made the arrangements” for Madison to replace Jewel on the show. “It’s a show she’s wanted to be on for a long time,” Hefner said, adding “I’m delighted. It’s all good stuff.”
The other replacement will be announced on the season premiere Monday night, where both Jewel and O’Dell will appear to talk about their injuries. Sex and the City star Gilles Marini is also battling injuries (diagnosed with tendonitis in his shoulder and groin) but is still hanging in.
Source: E! Online
Seinfeld Cast to Guest on Curb Your Enthusiasm March 5, 2009 11:16 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in HBO, News, Television.Tags: Curb Your Enthusiasm, Jason Alexander, Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Larry David, Michael Richards, Seinfeld
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The cast of Seinfeld is returning to television. EW is reporting that the four stars of the nine-year NBC series Seinfeld — Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Michael Richards — “will be featured in a multiple-episode story arc” the seventh season of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm this fall.
Larry David, creator of Curb Your Enthusiasm, co-created Seinfeld with Jerry Seinfeld. The re-uniting of the four main cast members marks the first time they’ve all appeared together in a scripted TV show since Seinfeld went off the air nearly 11 years ago.
Heroes Likely Returning for a Fourth Season March 5, 2009 10:59 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in NBC, News, Television.Tags: Heroes
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NBC entertainment president Angela Bomstad tells THR that Heroes is not “on the bubble”, despite series low ratings, and will be renewed for a fourth season of 18-20 episodes.
That would be a smaller full-season order than usual for network television (usually 22-26 episodes).
Despite the low ratings — which I’ll address in an upcoming post (by the end of the weekend) — the show has one thing still going for it: international appeal. Bromstad said that she experienced the drama’s global popularity first-hand in her previous NBC post, heading the network’s international efforts:
“Every single place you go has heard about ‘Heroes’ — whether you’re in China or Japan or Russia,” she said. “And to me, that is global content.”
Despite Bromstad’s confidence that the show will be renewed, nothing is official until it’s official, but apparently NBC is not deterred by the current ratings. The THR article also notes that the network has privately discussed setting a series end date for Heroes, but if such a move were to be made, they wouldn’t want next season to be the conclusion.
Broadcast TV Ratings for Wednesday, March 4, 2009 March 5, 2009 10:40 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.Tags: Broadcast TV Ratings, Wednesday
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Full ratings and breakdown’s, including week-to-week comparisons, etc., follow after the jump.
Broadcast TV Ratings for Tuesday, March 3, 2009 March 4, 2009 5:09 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.Tags: Broadcast TV Ratings, Tuesday
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Full ratings and breakdown’s, including week-to-week comparisons, etc., follow after the jump.
Broadcast TV Ratings for Monday, March 2, 2009 March 3, 2009 4:48 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.Tags: Broadcast TV Ratings, Monday
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There’s no doubt that one of the biggest surprises of the TV season is the performance of The Bachelor and no where is that more evident than in the ratings for last night. The show’s season finale, it’s 13th, drew an impressive 15.46 million viewers and a 5.4 rating in the key A18-49. Not only is that an episode-to-episode increase in the double-digits, but that’s an improvement over the franchise’s weakened 12th season finale in May of last year by an extraordinary 75% in viewers and 69% in A18-49 rating.
If that wasn’t amazing enough, the 10pm special, After the Final Rose (which effectively served as hour #3 due to the Bachelor’s uneasieness with his original choice) grew, drawing a record 17.47M viewers and a 6.7 A18-49 rating (that’s growth of 5% among viewers and 12% in A18-49 from hour two of The Bachelor finale).
Even though ABC had a dominant performance, there was still room for the night’s number two network, CBS. The always consistent comedy and CSI: Miami line-up put the network placed second in households, viewers and adults 18-49. Worth noting is that the season three premiere of Rules of Engagement saw only a slight loss of viewership (although its decline in A18-49 rating was slightly more concerning at low double-digits).
Fox finished in third with a special two-hour edition of 24. I’d say the results were mixed. The show did well, but it still shed a few viewers from the week prior. Let’s put it this way, when ABC did their special ‘movie event’ type Brothers & Sisters episode on Sunday night, it resulted in a double-digit increase for the program. So Fox no doubt were hoping for a slightly better performance.
Moving to NBC…boy, where to begin? The network is just struggling on Monday night’s. The once reliable and buzz-worthy series Heroes is a shadow of its former self. It just barely managed to draw over 7 million viewers for the second week in the row, teetering on series lows, and lost more steam in the key A18-49 demo, posting a 3.2 rating (down 6%). I think I’m going to go ahead and put together a feature on the show to be posted on the site later in the week. The show’s incredible loss of viewership, and in such a short amount of time, simply can no longer be ignored.
Medium did better (in terms of overall viewership), but was hurt by direct competition with Bachelor, shedding more than 1 million viewers from the week prior.
The CW closed out the evening with barely viewed repeats of Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill.
Full ratings and breakdown’s, including week-to-week comparisons, etc., follow after the jump.
(more…)
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