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CBS Adds Showtime’s ‘Dexter’
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Drama, Cable, CBS, Showtime,
The writers’ strike has forced the networks to creatively fill their programming gaps. Some shows have been brought back earlier than planned (e.g. Big Brother) while others are airing multiple times a week (e.g. House). Then there are those networks who have sister channels to steal from. Thanks to NBC’s relationship with the USA Network, Law and Order: Criminal Intent was available to occupy an open Wednesday time slot. Now CBS will be adopting the same recycling strategy to beef up their Sunday nights.
Starting next month, the Eye network will re-air episodes of Showtime’s Dexter. Fortunately for CBS, the series about a forensics expert who moonlights as a vigilante serial killer already had a syndication version in the making. (Think Sex and the City on TBS.) Although many worry the Michael C. Hall vehicle will lose its edge under the editing scalpel, the show’s graphic content is supposedly on par with other network programs.
Look for the sanitized updates to hit the airwaves on February 17.
(Can’t keep up with all scheduling changes? Check out TV Envy’s Revamped Programming Schedule.)
TV Guide
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Leno, Kimmel Provide Each Other Assistance
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Late Night, Talk Shows, ABC, NBC,
Although they are technically competitors, the inconvenient writers strike has given Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel something in common to gripe about: the struggle to land a guest. And since misery loves company, they have decided to set aside network differences to help each other out.
Usually one has to wait for a sweeps period to see a special crossover appearance. In this case, we only had to wait several weeks into January…and we get two in one night.
So if you really need your Kimmel fix, catch him as a guest on The Tonight Show this evening before flipping channels to see him as host. (The same remote instructions apply to Leno lovers as well.) Or you could simply stick to scripted fare and stay on CBS all night long.
Entertainment Weekly
Academy Says Oscars Won’t Change
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Awards,
It seemed like a fairly simple issue to resolve. It looked pretty cut-and-dry. But that was back in November, when the Writers Guild first went on strike. More than two months later, the picture is much more grim.
Now, LA businesses are out $1 billion and stand to lose another $80 million when the Golden Globes don’t go forward as planned. Now, the strike is affecting more than House, 24, and all those others. Now, it’s cutting into the award shows.
But, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences isn’t going down that easily. Scheduled for Feb. 24, a spokesperson for the Oscars said things are being planned and arranged as they traditionally have been in the past - and that the show will go on with or without writers. Meanwhile, the Guild has denied the use of film clips and past Academy Award broadcasts, and says no writers will work the event. Should this show also be canceled, LA will lose an estimated $130 million more in revenue.
E! Online
Comedy Central Hosts Return
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Comedy, Late Night, Cable, Daily Show, The, Editorial, Gossip,
Late night TV (and Comedy Central) got a boost Monday night with the return of The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report. Absent from TV since November 1, 2007, both hosts winged it on-air without their writers, and neither was afraid to comment on the current scriptless situation. But even with these valiant efforts, viewers didn’t see the same shows they’re used to.
It’s been pondered for weeks now, and finally the question has been answered. How will Comedy Central’s two late night shows fare without writers? For these first episodes back, both hosts talked about the strike at length, each interviewing experts on labor relations and unions. Stewart, who has a background in stand-up comedy, seemed as relaxed and at home as ever on stage, though he referred to the present as “uncomfortable circumstances.” Stewart also announced a name change for the show, to be in effect for the duration of the strike: ‘A Daily Show’.
Click to continue reading Comedy Central Hosts Return
Chicago Tribune
WGA Makes Deal with United Artists
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: MGM, Filmmaking, Scripts,
Tom Cruise may not have a beard, but he does now share something in common with David Letterman: working writers.
Days after the talk show host welcomed back his writing staff, United Artists reached its own agreement with the WGA. The studio is partially owned the actor and his production partner, Paula Wagner; Lions for Lambs was the first movie released since Cruise became involved with the company.
The deal will not only allow projects to be taken off hold, it will help films currently in production (like Tom Cruise’s Valkyrie) to finish on time.
It is expected that the interim agreement - which does not extend to UA’s parent company (MGM) - could spark a series of deals made by other independent studios.
Variety
Golden Globes Officially Canceled
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Award Shows, NBC, Cancellations, News,
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced today what most people have known for weeks: the Golden Globe Awards simply cannot go on as planned. Even though the WGA failed to grant the awards ceremony an interim deal, the show’s producers had still hoped they could somehow carry on. Unfortunately, the Screen Actors Guild put the final nail in the coffin last week. After being told their presentation would lack all nominees, the HFPA finally conceded.
Although there was hope for something a bit splashier, the awards show was officially scaled down from a three-hour gala to a one-hour press conference today. The dry presser - to be hosted live by NBC News - will air this Sunday @ 6pm PT. Why the news division? Well that’s because their writers work under a different contract.
While I’m sad I won’t get to see my faves in their finest, there is one good thing to come out of all this. Now we won’t have to see Rumer Willis in her awkward stint as the next Miss Golden Globe.
Why Jay Leno’s Monologue Must Not Go On
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Late Night, NBC, News,
Hey, even celebrities have to follow the rules - a fact that is being pointed out to late night host Jay Leno by many major media outlets. Here’s the deal: there’s an active writers’ strike going on, but the Tonight Show must go on anyway. At least, that’s the stand taken by NBC.
During a recent new episode of his late night show, Leno delivered a monologue and announced that he’s writing his own jokes. However, under Writers Guild rules those who are still on strike are not allowed to write for any studio’s project. NBC maintains they’re following the rules, while the Guild says Leno is a member and subject to all the strike rules therein - which means, no writing. The entire issue is now going before a union panel.
With all this itty bitty quibbling, it’s no wonder no one can seem to get any negotiations scheduled which might actually end this thing.
E! Online
The Funniest Shows on Cable
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, Reality, Cable, MTV,
Need a cure for the rerun blues? Forget about network and don’t worry about repeats - if you’ve never seen the show, it’s not a rerun to you. Get acquainted with some of the shows you may not even know about…and in some cases, you might wonder how you ever got along without them.
Cable TV offers plenty of diversion, and sure a lot of shows get repeated. But in the middle of a writers strike while studios scramble to find anything to put on the tube, those obscure (and hilarious) cable shows may just become the saving grace of evening TV watching. Check out four relatively obscure, yet hysterical, cable shows and find out just how fun reruns can be.
Click to continue reading The Funniest Shows on Cable
TV Guide
FOX Readjusts Winter Schedule
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Drama, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, News,
Realizing it may have been a mistake to release a strike schedule waaay back in November, the execs at FOX have decided to change things up once again.
Two mid-season entries, New Amsterdam and Canterbury’s Law, will now premiere much earlier in the week (Mondays) instead of hidden away on Fridays. Meanwhile, When Women Rule the World has been taken off the winter schedule altogether.
Oh! And for those who just can’t get enough American Idol, your wish has been granted. The show was (temporarily) expanded to three airings a week at the end of February.
You can find a list of all premiere dates on TV Envy’s updated Revamped TV Programming Schedule.
Writers Continue Without Studios
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Internet, Movies, Videos,
And the beat goes on. As studios continue to lose millions to make a point, many of the writers on strike have taken it out online as we reported earlier. At the very least it can be a sort of therapy. Director/Writer George Hickenlooper has developed a series of short films to show his support. Dubbed “Speechless,” it seems proof that if a writer has to write, they can always skip the middleman. In all, 7 Silcon Valley investors and Hollywood folks have formed companies to create work without studio assistance.
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