Happy Hour and ‘Til Death—Still Kickin’?
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, FOX, Cancellations, Ratings,
In a surprise move, Fox has requested additional scripts of Happy Hour and ‘Til Death—two new sitcoms seemingly perched on the edge of cancellation. The ratings indicate that both of these freshman series are in jeopardy of the axe, but the network is willing to give them some more opportunities to make ‘em laugh. Media reports are saying that Fox wants three more scripts from each—and we’ll see where things go from there. Both shows air Thursday nights, with ‘Til Death averaging about 6.9 million viewers. Happy Hour averaged under 5.6 million viewers in its three airings. Both went on hiatus because of baseball games on Fox, while ‘Til Death took additional time off when Brad Garrett put the brakes on production because of the quality of the scripts.
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| Zap2it
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Leonardo DiCaprio Pitches E-topia
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Reality, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Survivor, News,
The latest reality show premise comes courtesy of Leonardo DeCaprio—and promises to deliver some environmental messages. Currently in development, DiCaprio’s environmental series, E-topia serves up home makeovers of the eco-friendly variety. In this case, a team will reconstruct a town in America into a “‘green’ utopia of tomorrow.” While the reality series is not yet on any network’s plate, it is being shopped around. The makeover is no quickie solution, as it’s anticipated that each eco-friendly re-do will take months. Adding to the mix are a team of workers unfamiliar with working with “eco-idealists.” The idea came from executive producers Craig Piligian (Survivor) and Tom Mazza (Treasure Hunters), with DiCaprio, an environmental advocate, taking on the task as co-creator and executive producer. “We’re going to take a devastated community and help transform it as a prototype for the future,” Piligian said. “At the end of the day, we’re all going to have to change the way we live, the way we burn and use fuel ... We’re trying to show the country and the world by example, town by town by town, how we can change the way we live and fight global warming.”
Read More | Yahoo! News
Crocodile Hunter’s Daughter in Upcoming Show
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Kids, Cable, Cable/Satellite,
Following Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin’s death, his daughter Bindi Irwin will be carrying the wildlife torch. Bindi, The Jungle Girl is a 26-part documentary for Discovery Kids that is currently being filmed. The series is set to begin in January 2007. 8-year-old Bindi says of the documentary, “I’m trying to get across the message that don’t be afraid of animals, they’re just put on this earth to help the environment and everything like that.” Steve Irwin will also have a presence in the show—he filmed some scenes prior to his death. Bindi and dad are animated in the opening credits, with a theme song that says “The Croc Hunter taught her/and now his only daughter/is Bindi the Jungle Girl.” Bindi was praised for her brave tribute to her father during the September 20th memorial service and her appearance at the recent Nickelodeon Australian Kids’ Choice Awards.
Read More | People Magazine
Brothers & Sisters Signed on for Full Season
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Drama, Prime Time, ABC, Desperate Housewives, Ratings,
More good news for another freshman series—Brothers & Sisters has been given a full season order. ABC made the announcement today, citing the pairing with Desperate Housewives as a reason to keep the show going. According to Stephen McPherson, president of ABC Entertainment, “Brothers & Sisters is a great addition to our Sunday night lineup and has given us a strong complement to Desperate Housewives.” I have to agree. With Housewives seeming to be on the upswing this season in terms of storylines and Brothers & Sisters providing an interesting character drama, Sunday is a great night for chick TV. If you haven’t seen this drama, it stars Calista Flockhart, Sally Field, Ron Rifkin, Rachel Griffiths and a large cast of characters. The story is about the Walker family, the differences among the siblings, and the company they must hold together following the death of the family patriarch. As the story unfolds, more is being discovered about the mess that their father left behind, adding to the drama among the family members. There is a lot to follow, but the storylines are interesting and for the most part, it’s very well done and believable. I’m just glad that another show I’ve devoted my time and attention to has been given a full season ride.
Read More | Access Hollywood
Salma Hayek Brings Her Beauty to Ugly Betty
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Drama, Prime Time, ABC, Ratings,
It was only a matter of time, I suppose, before Salma Hayek would step front and center on the show she executive produces, Ugly Betty. Until now, she’s had some fleeting moments on the show in a background soap opera. Her role will encompass multiple episodes, according to an ABC announcement today. Look for Hayek in her first guest star gig on the November 2nd episode—she will appear on three more episodes during November. Hayek will play Sofia Reyes, “a newcomer to the Mode scene who will leave a lasting impression on Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius) and Betty Suarez (America Ferrera).” This announcement comes on the heels of the news that ABC ordered a full season of the popular freshman show. It’s not too late to jump on the bandwagon—this is a fun show, and as I reported earlier, America Ferrera brings so much heart to the Betty character.
Read More | Access Hollywood
Ugly Betty Gets a Full Ride
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Drama, Prime Time, ABC, News, Ratings,
ABC announced on Friday that Ugly Betty would get the full season order. That makes it the third new series to get the go-ahead, behind Heroes and Jericho. Great news for star America Ferrera and executive producer Salma Hayek. Ugly Betty took several years to make it to the small screen, with several producers, writers and networks trying to adapt the Colombian telenovela Yo Soy Betty La Fea to an American audience. When it finally made it to air, it surprised many by gaining solid viewership against the heavy-hitters in the 8:00 PM Thursday time slot (Survivor, My Name is Earl and The Office). While Ugly Betty continues to come in second to Survivor, it does maintain an average of 15 million viewers per episode. According to ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson, “The show has proven to be competitive in a very strong time period, and we’re thrilled with Ugly Betty‘s performance.”
If you haven’t caught this new series yet, give it a try. It’s different than anything that’s on right now and Ferrera brings so much heart to the role. She really brings across the beauty that lies beneath the ugly facade, and her subtle comedic moments are so sweet. America Ferrera’s first film role was Real Women Have Curves (2002) and I highly recommend it. If you enjoy her performance on Betty, you’ll find her role in this film endearing as well.
Read More | Zap2it
Watch Out Ugly Betty, Prada is in the Works
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, ABC, FOX, Ratings,
If it works for Betty, why not give Prada a try? Fox is planning to develop The Devil Wears Prada into a half hour sitcom. The Devil Wears Prada was recently a hit movie starring Meryl Streep, based on the bestselling book of the same name. Given Ugly Betty‘s success, Prada has a good chance of making it. While the stories are not exactly the same, there are parallels between the two. Namely, the non-fashion-sensible woman thrown into a world of self-absorbed fashionistas at a magazine. Beyond that, the stories have few other similarities. Fox TV Studios acquired the TV rights, with Robin Schiff (Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion) on board as writer and executive producer of the single-camera comedy. Fox TV Studios president, Angela Shapiro-Mathes will include elements of the hit movie, but is “not looking to directly translate the movie into a TV show.” Hey, if there’s room for two shows about a behind-the-scenes-look at a fictional sketch comedy show, then there should be room for two shows about the world of a fashion magazine.
Read More | Comingsoon.net
Nineteenth Season of The Real World—Casting Call
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Reality, Cable, Cable/Satellite,
Man, don’t I feel old! MTV is now auditioning for the nineteenth edition of The Real World. If you were a faithful follower of this early reality show concept, chances are you’ve grown tired of the whole thing… or perhaps just grown up. I find that the older I get, the more disconnected I get from these youngins’ idea of what the “real world” is all about. Seems MTV likes to just throw booze into the mix, record it all, and call it a day. Nothin’ says fun like a bunch of drunk 20-ish kids. OK, not like I’m that old, but I’m sure some of you find that it gets harder and harder to relate with what this bunch of real-worlders are going through.
While The Real World: Denver has yet to air, that won’t keep MTV from keeping the reality machine rolling. Producers are holding open auditions Saturday in New York, in addition to auditioning for the upcoming The Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Fresh Meat (sticking with the “fresh” concept, I see). According to the producers, they are looking for people who have “charisma and big personalities.” For those lucky enough to make the cut, they are further screened and interviewed—if chosen, they receive an appearance fee and get reimbursed for most expenses. And they get to live in some swank apartment or house. And this is the real world? Ah, bitter, I know…
Read More | Reality TV World
CBS Orders Full Season of Jericho
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Drama, Prime Time, CBS, Ratings,
Seems morbid show premises do actually bring in the viewers. While the concept of Jericho didn’t appeal to me—it’s about the aftermath of a nuclear explosion in a small Kansas town—it has gained steady viewership and hasn’t been impacted by baseball on Fox. Given the solid numbers, CBS has ordered the final nine episodes of the drama, for a full 22 eps. Jericho stars Skeet Ulrich (the poor-man’s Johnny Depp) and Gerald McRaney (remember him from Major Dad?) and airs Wednesdays at 8:00 PM. Ratings for the show average 11.3 million viewers, with a boost to viewership of 48 percent compared to that timeslot last year. So, it’s not all doom and gloom news when it comes to this freshman show—other newbies, however, are hanging on for dear life.
Read More | Zap2it
Grey’s Anatomy Gives The Fray a Boost
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Drama, Music, Prime Time, ABC, NBC, Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs, Internet,
In other Grey’s Anatomy news, the series has featured two videos by the band The Fray—and given the rock group significant exposure. The hit series aired a four-minute video following the September 7th episode for the single “How to Save a Life,” featuring clips from the show. They followed it up two weeks later with an extended video with additional scenes. And that’s not all—the videos were available on web sites, including ABC.com, as well as electronic magazines. ABC Entertainment senior VP of marketing, Michael Benson, said that the value of the videos were in their ability “to become great content for TV viewers… going beyond the 30-second promo and driving people back to television.”
The band has definitely seen a jump in sales, with between 2,000 and 3,000 copies being sold per week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. To date, the album has sold 897,000 copies, while the title track has sold 622,000 digital downloads. The song “How to Save a Life” is also featured on the Grey’s Anatomy, Volume 2 soundtrack.
For my money, however, I think the tune “How to Save a Life” was a much better fit on last season’s episode of Scrubs, titled “My Lunch.” I was bawling—Scrubs has always done an excellent job of integrating music into every storyline and the inclusion of “How to Save a Life” made me rush out and buy The Fray’s CD the very next day.
Read More | Yahoo! News
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