The TV Zone

Here are the dates - no surprises and most of 'em mid-late-September.

But..."Wanda Sykes" won't be on the air until Nov. 7.

Continue reading "Fox Premiere Dates" »

Moves to fall...

Here it is, gang..."So You Think You Can Dance?" Big winner here...

Other headlines? Not many. This looks like a pretty stable schedule, as evidenced by fact that three new hours are back. "Dollhouse" seemed doomed almost from the day it launched; but Joss Whedon is a persuasive as well as a talented guy....If you read the trades, that renewal was expected anyway. Kevin Reilly, Fox E boss, joked recently that he didn't want to cancel and get a get "a hundred and ten million emails from fans..."

"Dance?" As new Fox boss said on a conference call recently, this move means the fall "mirrors" the winter/spring lineup.

MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM LIE TO ME

TUESDAY
8:00-10:00 PM SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Performance Show

WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Results Show
9:00-10:00 PM GLEE

THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE

FRIDAY
8:00-8:30 PM BROTHERS
8:30-9:00 PM ‘TIL DEATH
9:00-10:00 PM DOLLHOUSE

SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S MOST WANTED
11:00 PM-Midnight THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (working title)
Midnight-12:30 AM ANIMATION DOMINATION ENCORES

SUNDAY
7:00-8:00 PM THE OT (NFL post-game)
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD

Mid season on the jump...plus new series loglines

Continue reading "Your Fox Fall Line-up" »

Stomp 'Em Out Mike. (Tim Boyles, Gettty)

Amazing: I don't think this has ever happened before.

One year, someone helps win the Super Bowl.

Two years later, that someone becomes a wouldbe sitcom star.

What does this mean? I don't have a clue. (As you recall, Strahan had a cameo on "Chuck.")

Here's the program line on "Brothers," launching next fall, Fridays at 8. It's not a surprise really - been in development for months, and that's been widely reported. But fact that it actually made the line-up? That is...

"Starring Michael Strahan (“FOX NFL Sunday”) and Daryl “Chill” Mitchell (“Ed,” “Veronica’s Closet”), BROTHERS is a new half-hour comedy about a former NFL hot shot who learns that even though you can always go home again, the trip back might be tougher than you think. MIKE TRAINOR (Strahan) seemingly has it all – he’s a good-looking, wealthy and recently retired NFL player living the high-life in New York City, but he’s about to get sidelined. When Mike gets a phone call from his MOM (CCH Pounder, “The Shield”) who orders him home to Houston, he quickly realizes the more his life has changed, the more his family has stayed the same. His brother CHILL (Daryl “Chill” Mitchell), whose life was altered drastically after a car accident left him in a wheelchair, is struggling to keep his restaurant afloat with the help of his loudmouth associate, ROSCOE (Colton Dunn, “MADtv”). The dynamics between Mike and Chill are the same as when they were kids, and their sibling rivalry hasn’t lessened with age. If they can stop their bickering, put aside their differences and learn to be teammates, the brothers might just turn out to be each other’s biggest asset. Wedged between Mike and Chill are their parents. Their father, whom everyone refers to as COACH (Carl Weathers, “Rocky”), is the local high school football coach and the conservative, opinionated alpha male of his clan. Coach thinks he runs the show, but really it’s Mom who calls the shots. Saucy, stern and a schemer, she is the mastermind of the family. And when she learns that Mike’s business manager took off with all his money, she orchestrates a plan to keep Mike in Houston, save Chill’s restaurant and bring the family back together under one roof again – all without anyone realizing what she’s up to. Mom’s plan helps Mike realize that his family – however dysfunctional they may be – is the only family he’s got. And although he may not have a penny to his name, as long as he’s surrounded by people who love him, he’ll always be a rich man."

Here's an unusual TV cameo: Leonard Nimoy, who needs absolutely no introduction, will guest on "Fringe." Fox just announced.

The details: "...Nimoy will appear as pivotal person of interest, William Bell...In next week’s all-new “Unleashed” episode, airing Tuesday, April 14 (9:01-10:00 PM ET/PT), animal rights activists ransack a laboratory and get more than they bargained for when one of the caged “animals” unleashes a ferocious appetite. With Charlie’s life on the line, Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) and Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble) come face-to-face with the gnarly piece of fringe science..."

Nimoy will be in "Trek," and J.J. is also directing so...is this a favor or a very clever bit of stunt promotional casting in anticipation of one of the big, maybe THE, big summer releases? I'm going with "favor;" "Trek" needs almost no promotion at this point...

I know it's Passover, and I suppose we shouldn't get into this, being a Holy day and all...But FBN, Cavuto, and Limbaugh got into this "To Hell with New York" business again tonight.

It's the sort of stuff that gets the blood pressure going - only insofar as this guy, Rush, doesn't EVEN LIVE IN NEW YORK.

Everyone has a God given right to blast the Greatest State and City in the Union. That comes with the territory. Call New York names. Give it hell. Tell it that its government is lousy and corrupt and how the taxes are obscene (and of course they are) and how it's just about impossible to live here anymore. And the weather? Don't get me started. Snowflakes today.

But don't - don't - tell us how terrible it is from a big comfy seat in Florida. And then say, well, the next time you'll come up here is to play golf.

That's just pathetic. And whiny. And...

Here's Neil's interview with Limbaugh. Neil didn't stick up for NY. So I will...(and what about those taxes, and the weather, and the traffic, and green fees...)

(Pix: Ben Van Hook, Golf Digest)

So sad...so sad..so very very bad...

Good news!

Your evening won't be completely ruined by one of the worst reality shows to come out of Mike Darnell's chop shop at Fox: The network has cut back the "Osbournes: Reloaded" show (or whatever it is) to just 35 minutes tonight.

Too bad it wasn't shortened to 35 seconds...35 microseconds...

In fact, too bad it JUST WASN'T CANCELED.

Man, if it wasn't for "Idol," "House," "The Simpsons," "Family Guy" (every now and then, but more often "then" than "now"), the NFL, and [put your own favorite show here] the Fox Network would just fold like a cheap tin can...

Shows like this will make you feel sad for the human condition...but mostly just sad the Osbournes.

"O:Reloaded" starts at 9:25...Do yourself a favor. Read a book or go to bed or hug your children or look at the stars or...

My very kind review, from yesterday's Newsday...

"The Osbournes left the TV stage almost four years ago after an improbable MTV run that actually spawned a subgenre still begging for a name - reality shows about celebrities with a boundless capacity for self-abasement. Some fans declared "The Osbournes" a masterpiece of its kind - an inverted "Father Knows Best" with father as a former headbanger who has an uneven grasp of reality due to an oceanic ingestion of drugs in his past.

Nevertheless, I'd hazard a guess that even Ozzoids will struggle with an answer to this question: Why are the Osbournes back? Is there something we missed during the MTV run - something so charming and hilarious and special that a return engagement was just a matter of time?

The honest answer is no. We got the joke. It wore thin. We moved on. This clan, apparently, has not. The clip reel wasn't merely execrable: The whole thing just felt so slack and lazy, as if the O's had turned up five minutes before taping. Watch if you must - and Fox is guaranteeing that you must by ramming this down a few million unsuspecting throats after " American Idol." But be mindful of Sharon's sage counsel. If you want a good old variety show, change the -- channel.

(Pix: Fox)

Fox says it's looking for "husky hunks" - the network's euphemism, not mine - to become bachelors in search of the bachelorette on a new dating show.

The only thing between this idea and a patent infringement by ABC?

The dater and datee are big - ummm, heavy, large, not small.

Here's the network propaganda:

"FOX is setting out to prove that love comes in all shapes and sizes with the new inspirational dating competition series "More to Love." Executive-produced by Mike Fleiss (“The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette”), the unscripted series follows a single average guy with a big waist and an even bigger heart as he romances several confident and secure plus-size women. Each week, the husky hunk will wine and dine a group of curvy women to determine if they have more love to give or if they are truly more than he can handle. When the size of competition narrows, he will have to decide if one full-figured lady will become his true love."

And check this out:

“This is the first dating competition show in television history that reflects what most real single men and women look like, which makes it instantly relatable to the vast majority of people in the dating pool,” said Mike Darnell, President of Reality Shows/ Many of Which are Horrific and Jaw-Droppingly Exploitative, Fox Broadcasting Company.

Show out later this year... Be prepared. Be very prepared...

Yes, and it will be right after "Idol." A Tuesday, at nine.

This is, of course, the Osbourne family variety show, "Osbournes: Reloaded."

Here's the Fox propaganda: "Unlike any other series on television, OSBOURNES: RELOADED features audience interaction, rowdy comedy and hilarious stunts that will shock and amuse. Outrageous sensibility and brash humor are at the core of the series filmed on location and in front of a studio audience that never knows what to expect from the First Family of Rock. Whether it's Sharon unveiling a stripping grandmother, Kelly and Jack bringing an unsuspecting playboy face-to-face with his ex-girlfriends or Ozzy soaking the entire studio audience with foam – TV’s most outrageous family is guaranteed to rock the house."

Sight unseen - and if I didn't cover TV for a living, this WOULD remain sight unseen - "Osbournes:Reloaded" sounds truly awful.

We shall see, won't we?

(Pix: AP)

Somehow this was expected, but not today - Peter Chernin is outathere.

The Kingdom of Rupert just announced.

How big is this showbiz news on a scale of one to ten, with ten being big, and one not? A nine.

Chernin - a New Yorker (Harrison, Westchester) and onetime Fox boss who endured the slings and arrows of difficult bosses and bad shows - rose to become head of the world's mightiest media company, only to endure the annual "Chernin May Leave News Corp." stories in the NYT and WSJ.

Now, he's gone. Here's the meat of the presser; hell, here's the WHOLE presser, on the jump...

I imagine there'll be a lot of stories that Chernin is leaving because of Murdoch's "inexplicable" love of print; or the "fact" that Rupert just refuses to get out of the way, so Peter can take over; or that this is another instance of Murdoch's "inability" to choose a successor.

The truth probably lurks behind door number two, but this has been talked about/rumored for years...

(Pix: AP)

Continue reading "Chernin Leaves News Corp: June" »

In all the hub-bub - didn't I just use that line? - I almost forgot to tell you about another new show coming up tomorrow: "Talkshow with Spike Feresten," which goes to an hour at 11, now that "MadTV" has been sent to the glue factory.

Spike? You've never watched his show? Tomorrow night is the time, then, or at least Hulu it on Sunday morning.

Here's why: He's gonna call out Jeremy Piven on the show, and tell the world - or at least his few select viewers - that he thinks the whole business with mercury poisoning was..."bull----."

We talked a couple days ago, and here's what he said (and for some viral "Spike," go to that clip below of the lovely lady trying to figure out her digital conversion techniques; it's been an Internet hit...)

"I'm a big 'Entourage' fan and I enjoy Jeremy Piven on the show, but this has rubbed me the wrong way. I feel it's total bull---- and it appears that David Mamet believes that too...[Piven's] lying and my personal opinion is, he went out on stage [for 'Speed the Plow"] and saw a sea of gray-haired ladies in their sixties and thought, 'I'm not gonna get [any sex] here.'"

Of the mercury business, he says, "I have an opinion about that too. In Hollywood, if you have a problem, or don't want to be somewhere...you usually say, 'I've got food poisoning.' Or, 'I can't come to your party, I've got food poisoning.' I've used it myself. That'll get you out of one night, but it won't get you out of a Broadway show, so you've got to up [the ante.]"

That's to mercury poisoning.

By the way, I think Spike's kidding. I'm not sure though. In any event, he did ask Jeremy to come on tomorrow's show. So far, no answer.

And what of his star, 97-year-old Mae Laborde, who got into show business only a few years ago? Says Spike, "I find her a real inspiration to anyone who says, 'I don't know what to do with my life' and they're only 35. She started a new job in one of the toughest careers there is - at age 90."

Watch tomorrow night (or Hulu on Sunday). Spike is a funny guy and so is his show.

E.D. Hill, the tough, tart cookie who got "Fox & Friends" off the ground, is leaving Fox News. TV Newser broke the story this morning and has a confirmation from Bill Shine -- top programming exec -- who says something to the effect that he wishes her well, etc.

A big surprise? Not really: She's been an anchor without a show for months, or since that "terrorist fist jab" comment landed her in some very tepid water (remember? That's how she referred, however briefly or however sardonically, to the famous First Couple fist-bump.)

Whatever: Hill was, if not one of the original front line crew at Fox News, certainly came quickly after them (arriving -- I think -- in '98). She was a very energetic host on "F&F;," and certainly deserves credit for getting that off the ground -- along with "Loosey" Doocy, of course, and "Killer" Kilmeade. I'm just not sure how popular she was around the halls of 'ol Fox, and while popularity contests are only rarely held at FNC, it doesn't hurt to have a few friends either.

As predictable as the rising sun, "American Idol" will be back mid-January, and Fox had the decency to finally give us the exact dates yesterday: January 13 and 14.

That's a Tuesday and Wednesday, by the way.

What's interesting about the new sked announced late yesterday? Well, "Idol" Results goes at 8, and will lead in to "Fringe," which is a sure sign that Fox has decided that this newcomer is the Next Big Thing.

And "Dollhouse," the much anticipated (by fanboys and Joss Whedon groupies) series with "Buffy's" Eliza Dushku, will launch Friday the 13th in February, alongside "Terminator." What means this? Well, really nothing very good for "Dollhouse," honestly. That's a tough time period, and while some people with long memories might like to point out that "The X Files" once aired Fridays at 9, that was also last century, when there were just four TV networks; there are five hundred now.

Here's the relevant graf from the presser:

"On Friday, Feb. 13, FOX presents a thrilling new action-packed lineup featuring the return and time period premiere of TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) and the highly anticipated series premiere of Joss Whedon’s DOLLHOUSE (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). DOLLHOUSE reunites Whedon with Eliza Dushku (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), who stars as a member of a highly illegal underground group of individuals who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas.

OK, now please go to the jump for the full schedule, and after you're done perusing that, I've also posted the full press release, which will tell you more about that newcomer starring Tim Roth, "Lie to Me."

Continue reading ""American Idol:" January 13 and 14" »

The press release should be hitting my in-box just about any minute now announcing, proclaiming, celebrating the news that Fox News Channel has re-upped Bill O'Reilly for another four years.

The Sean Hannity news is now official - he's been re-upped for "several more years," per a press release from FNC's Bill Shine.

Big news? No, of course not, but expected. Bill O and FNC actually leaked his new contract extension to the Washington Post's Howard Kurtz yesterday; his piece reads that Bill O will make "more than" or "over" (or words to that effect) $10 million per, which seems amazingly coy to me. "More than" ten, could mean - like - $50 million more than ten, or 50 dollars more than ten. What IS the figure, Bill? I think I smell spin here...

I imagine a lot more than $10 million simply because without either him or Hannity, and with Roger Ailes' energies and attentions focused in a thousand other places, the network's future is murky indeed. Honestly, I can't think of a place more dependent on one single individual - Bill O - than FNC. Without him or Hannity, FNC might actually be in a dog fight with MSNBC; imagine.

So, I imagine this should probably read "under $15 million...and over $14 million..."

Begs the question: What other role, if any will he have at the network? He says to Kurtz he's dropping his radio show, so that means time and energy will be freed up. Brit Hume's leaving; will he have some sort of role on "Special Report?" Unlikely, but still an outstanding question...

Interesting aside on this deal: Both are for four years, which - I believe - is the duration of a presidential tour of duty. Bill O's last deal was for four years too, and I imagine they've been four year deals for as far back as FNC has been on the air. But if the polls are to be believed, this does mean that Bill O will be spending the next four years counter-punching the Obama administration, and the same with Hannity, only more so.

We await the press releases on Shep, Greta, Alan...

(Pix: AP)

"Sunny" premieres...

Sorry...Been a long day, and just now catching up on all the important news of this day, September Eighteenth Two Thousand and Eight.

So tonight, a special treat. We give you the headlines and then we give you our quickie analysis:

HBO Re-News "True Blood"

Q.A.: HBO has nothing else going, and will re-new, after a mere two episodes, one of the worst dramas in its history. Cancel your subscriptions posthaste.

Oprah Stars on "30 Rock"

Q.A.: The beginning of the end for one of TV's really smart shows, which is now believing its own press clips about how "brilliant" it is, and what a "genius" Tina Fey is, and how Alec Baldwin is the Sir Derek Jacobi of the sitcom world. Oprah's cameo means that the shark is not only about to jump "30" but eat the whole damned enterprise. I'm inconsolable.

"Everything's Sunny in Philadelphia" Begins New Season

Q.A. Oh...My...God. The sickest show in the history of the universe. And EEEvil. Oh,yes, this show is pure evil. Do not watch it tonight. No, I'm serious. Do not watch it. A bolt of lightning will come down and destroy your TV set, or something. This episode has to do with human flesh, and raccoons, and poor Cricket. Evil, I tell you. Evil. The sickest show on TV. But also one of the funniest. (The devil's work.) I see an Oprah cameo next season.

Microsoft Denies Pulling Seinfeld Ads Because They Stink

Q.A.: Microsoft pulls the Seinfeld ads because they stink.

Bill Clinton To Pay First Visit to "The View"

Q.A.:And he won't say anything. He'll just sit there mute. Not a word. Silence. For a full hour. It'll be like pulling teeth. (Have you noticed how the ex-prez NEVER has anything to say?) He has no opinions on anything. I sure hope Babs doesn't ask him about the economy, or Hill, or Obama, or AIDS in Africa, or the situation in Georgia, or the Republican Congress, or the weather outlook in Albuquerque, because he has absolutely no opinion on anything...at all...

Awright! That should about cover it. Did I miss anything? Tomorrow: My annual Emmys predictions, which I hope will contradict conventional wisdom, but probably won't. Thanks for tuning in.

(Above: These guys are sick. Do not watch their hilarious show. It's evil.)

Fox seems reasonably happy with the launch of "Fringe" - 9 million total viewers, or, per Fox "the network's highest-rated drama series debut in total viewers in two years..." (Nine mil? Yeah, it doesn't seem like much to me either, but you do have to compare with other time period performers and Fox says the comparison is favorable, so...) The show'll encore this Sunday (8 to 10 p.m.), but Fox promises a couple goodies to make this repeat a little more alluring. First, there'll be an extended scene preview from "The Day the Earth Stood Still," the Keanu Reeves remake set for mid-December, though Fox didn't say how more extended it would be than the trailer that's been playing on the "DTESS" Web site. Second: Fox is previewing "24: Redemption," which of course arrives in November. Finally: The first four minutes of "Fringe's" second episode. Per my calc, this could mean that both the "24" and "DTESS" teases could run about 10 minutes each. When will they air? My hunch: The 9:30 slot.

As all you mediologists now know, MSNBC leaked to their partner, the New York Times, over the weekend that it was gonna remove its unintentionally hilarious anchor duo, Keith and Chris Bickerson, in favor of David Gregory for the balance of this election year. But I've now learned that the BEST way to get news about MS or CNN is via Fox News - which has never been accused of bias of any sort, and always gives the news straight up without any gloating whatsoever or any editorial asides that might betray how they feel about something.

Watch this clip from "Fox & Friends" and see how the fair-and-balanced pros do it...* I can hardly wait for "Talking Points" tonight...

( * Yes, there was one instance a couple months ago when "F&F;" photoshopped a couple of Timesmen into simians, but I like to think of that as an anomaly.)

Remember that scene waaaaay back during the NH primaries, when Bill O got into some sort of shoving or shouting (or both! Hey, it's Bill!!) with someone while he was trying to get close to Barack Obama? Anyway, O'Reilly finally got to Obama, and asked him on the show; Obama said, sure, and that was that. Well, finally, the interview: Fox News Channel just now officially confirmed that this will happen this Thursday, a couple hours before John McCain speaks. Here's the presser from FNC:

"Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly will sit down for a one-on-one interview with Democratic Presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama on Thursday September 4th in York, Pennsylvania. Part one of the interview will be presented on The O’Reilly Factor at 8:00pm ET that evening with additional parts following in the days thereafter.

"O’Reilly will address a variety of topics including Obama’s political career, domestic issues and foreign policy in Iran and Iraq. The interview marks Senator Obama’s first appearance on The O’Reilly Factor..."

There's much to say about Bernie Mac and his all-too-brief life and career but the bulk of the work I know was from a five-year span on Fox - "The Bernie Mac Show" - which may be the bulk of the work you know as well, so this appreciation may be preaching to the long-ago-converted.

The show was brash, brilliant, in-your-face, and full of humanity. It was an alternate universe "Cosby Show," where life and love didn't always end with a smile, and where the laughs didn't come from an easy and eager to please studio audience because Mac refused to have one. The show drew comedy from that old sitcom foil, fatherhood, (or in Bernie's case, unclehood) but established - hilariously - that the daily business of taking care of kids was messy, complicated, difficult, full of anxiety, but - most of all - full of joy.

"The Bernie Mac Show" celebrated life and celebrated children, and celebrated all of this through the unique prism of Mac's own unique brand of comedy. Mac was a fighter - quite literally, because I believe he was a boxer before he went into stand-up - and this show was one of his hard-fought victories. Most of the networks passed on it - and for reasons I can't possibly fathom, although Bernie Mac wasn't exactly a "safe" comedian like his idol, the great Bill Cosby. He was a little dangerous and the premise of this show was a little dangerous too: His drug-addicted sister has to give up her three children and Bernie and his wife, Wanda (Kellita Smith), took over the parenting. The kids were tough, and in countless asides - known in TV as breaching the fourth wall - Mac explained his parenting dilemmas in words sometimes best suited to the pugilist arts (millions of parents understood exactly what he meant.)

The show bowed in November of 2001, right around the time another celebrated and groundbreaking comedy, "Scrubs," got off the ground; "Scrubs" is still going but "Mac" ended five years (and 103 episodes) later. The final episode, "Bernie's Angels," aired April 14, 2006. Loglines say that in this episode, "Bernie suffered a near-death experience..." I'm sorry to say I don't remember the finale, but I think I can also safely say that it was first rate. The series, after all, certainly was.

One more thing: "The Bernie Mac Show" was one of the best sitcoms in Fox history. It defined the network, and pointedly established the fact that Fox WAS doing something differently and OFTEN doing something better than its rivals. During its run, Bernie Mac (and his writing partner, Larry Wilmore) got credit for this, but not nearly enough.

Finally...at the end of this post, I've appended a readers' note, and it's for anyone who read - or responded - to an earlier post I wrote when Mac was first hospitalized last weekend.

Now...here's a clip from "Tavis Smiley" which aired June, 2007. Smiley and Mac were pals, so there's a warm intimacy to this conversation. (I've posted the entire conversation on the jump.) After the clip, I've posted what Bernie had to say about the show.

Here's what Mac told Smiley about his show...

Tavis: When you look back now at those five seasons, you hit the magic number - 100 episodes. When you look back on that series now, what do you make of it in retrospect, what do you think, to your earlier point, when you look back on your career, on your body of work? What did that TV show do for you? What did it mean for Bernie Mac's career?

Mac: It was innovative, it was new, it was different, it was mine, it was my vision, it was my heart, it was my life, it was nothing fictitious, it was a true story, it was my humor, it came from my heart, and that's why I felt so much. Being a different style of comic, my comic is wide open. I'm very open with my comedy. And what I mean by that, Tavis, is I'm not the type of guy to do punch line jokes.

I'm not the kind of guy to sit there and just talk about a topic just on the strength of trying to get a laugh. Everything that I talk about comes from here. I have experience, I've lived it, I've done it in some form, shape, or fashion. So when I take it to the stage, it's ideal is that the people understand and they get a glimpse of it's a part of them.

They see it coming from my heart. One thing people - especially the new comics - don't give credit. They don't give the audience credit. The audience is not dumb. You might get by, but you ain't gonna get away. And that's something the television show when I did that, they wanted a laugh track so bad. They wanted a multi-camera.

But the multi-camera, personally, didn't fit me. The multi-camera didn't fit my story. It didn't fit the story that I was trying to tell. I wanted to not insult the audience; I wanted the audience to understand that I was coming at them. They knew what's funny, they know when it's time to laugh, they don't have to be coached, they don't have to be guided.

So when we did the single camera, I wanted to shoot it like a movie. And the single camera was interested in me, because the look was different. I didn't want to be like everybody else. And they thought I was crazy at first, but that's okay. But I fought for it. I stood strong on it. And one thing I can say, out of five years, regardless of how they took us off and how they played us because that show should have done everything.

Because that show was hot, that show was good. And that show survived for five years on its own. They moved us, we was on every time, date, every different day of the week for five years. People didn't even know where we were. But our ratings were still top flight, top notch. And I'm proud of that. That's one thing I learned, if you've got a true product, and if you stay true to yourself, Tavis, can't nobody beat you.

[Readers' Note: Last Monday I posted an entry on Bernie Mac's admission to a Chicago-area hospital, and I received some blowback from a few angry (some very angry) readers. They said that I had been dismissive of his illness, or treated it lightly - at least that seems to be the substance of the criticism. Allow me to state here that my intention never was - and never possibly could be - to treat someone's illness with levity. It certainly was not the case in that posting, which attempted to reflect the confusion over conflicting reports by the Chicago media. The Chicago Sun-Times had reported that he was in "very critical" condition, and obviously, the S-T report, in hindsight, was accurate. However, Mac's representatives dismissed that report, saying that it was inaccurate and overblown, and that he was NOT suffering from a recurrence of his previously diagnosed illness, sarcoidosis. The Tribune reported that. I - like everyone else - was left to sort out two diametrically opposed reports, and when I contacted Mac's reps, they told me that indeed, he was on the mend. Nevertheless, I still saw nothing wrong with telling readers that we were left with dueling news reports, but - meanwhile - also offered a quick overview of Mac's TV career and why it was so important. That was it. Again, in no way would or could I ever be dismissive of anyone's illness, and was certainly not in this instance. Thanks for reading. Rest in peace, Bernie Mac.)

Continue reading "Appreciation: Bernie Mac" »

"Wipeout's" already begetting copycats (now THAT's success...) although one could argue that a newcomer on Fox this September entitled "Hole in the Wall" isn't technically a copy-cat insofar as it's made its way around the world several times already in various editions. "Hole in the Wall:" It's exactly that, where you've gotta somehow fit through a hole in the wall. Ah, TV...Fox just announced a time period for this newcomer (Thursday 8 p.m., Sept. 11) and potential canon fodder. But "fodder" it may not be if it has any of the juice "WO" has. The details, per Fox: "one of the trickiest, fastest, funniest and wettest shows on the planet where speed, agility and a hearty sense of humor are essential tools to survive. During each episode, two teams of three compete against each other in multiple rounds of play, facing various barrier walls speeding toward them with weird and wacky cut-out shapes. Each team must contort their bodies individually or in unison to fit through the wall or be swept away into a pool below. As players struggle to strike a pose, points – and dignity – can be easily lost with a simple miscalculation." Check out this clip from the Japanese edition, if you've got four minutes to kill...

It's not often you open a press release from the folks at Media Matters and laugh out loud, but that's pretty much what I did this afternoon. Ever-enterprising, "MM" studied some photos of NY Times TV reporter, Jacques Steinberg, and TV editor, Steve Reddicliffe (which Fox News aired on "Fox & Friends" this ayem) and determined that they had been photoshopped.

Photoshopped in a way not particularly complimentary to my hard-working counterparts at the Gray Lady. In fact, I do believe Fox turned them into serial killers or psychopaths. You be the judge...

What was their sin? Having the GALL to question the fact that FNC's ratings are blah while CNN/MSNBC's are growing. Here's what Loosey Goosey Doocy said on the air this morning:

"There was a hit piece by somebody in The New York Times. The writer was a fellow by the name of Jacques Steinberg, and he's been doing a bunch of attack stories on Fox News Channel. Well, there's some backstory to it, and that is this: His boss, the guy who assigned him to this, is a fellow by the name of Steven Reddicliffe, and Mr. Reddicliffe actually used to work for this company. He worked -- I think he was the editor in charge of TV Guide until circulation went down under his tenure -- something like, 40 percent. So, he got fired, and according to Radar Online, this guy has had an ax to grind."

Then, up come the pictures! MM has the real pix on the left, the doctored FNC one is on the right...Get me makeup!!!

Naturally, got me to thinking - what would those photoshop trolls at FNC do to ME if I had the temerity to question the deterioration of their ratings...

Mike Huckabee, who won in Iowa, gave John McCain a scare, and made a lot of people think for a couple minutes, "what would it be like to have someone in the White House named 'President Huckabee?'" is joining Fox News Channel as a talking head. This is one of those gigs similar to what Karl Rove has - which is explain stuff to viewers, but not actually preclude the person from looking for other work. Nevertheless, it's a pretty dramatic move - first reported this morning by the WaPo's Howard Kurtz - and who knows where it goes from here? Maybe he'll replace Katie Couric. (Hmmmm..."The Evening News with Mike Huckabee." ) Here's Fox bossman Bill Shine's canned quote: “Governor Huckabee’s campaign experience and knowledge of politics makes him a great addition to our ongoing election coverage.”

Laura Ingraham -- who sort of reminds me of Anne Coulter, but is no relation, best I can tell -- will get a big career boost starting Monday: the 5 p.m. slot on Fox News Channel. The show is called "Just in With Laura Ingraham" but don't get too comfy with it; FNC plans to rotate other guest hosts in here too. Ingraham is (of course) no stranger to FNC and has subbed on "The Factor" any number of times.

In all the excitement yesterday about "Lost," I almost entirely forgot to mention: Fox gave critics a first look at "Fringe," the new J.J. Abrams series for the fall. (Was the timing a coincidence, on the day of the "Lost" finale? I think not...)

Here's my quick read: Good, very good on occasion, though not quite the spectacular eye-candyfest I expected. It also skirted self-parody at moments, but that's OK. Near-self-parody is, after all, par for the course with a lot of TV sci-fi...

Why is "Fringe" such a huge deal? Because it's Abrams and was the subject of a network bidding war and because - to a certain extent - this a retro-"X Files," with a truth-is-out-there ethos and a tug at the hearts and souls of those many millions who have made "Lost" (not to mention "Battlestar Gallatica," "Heroes," and...) a small screen classic.

"Fringe," by the way, WILL be a hit. That is a given.

There's much much to commend the production - notwithstanding the off-screen bloodline, which includes "West Wing's" Alex Graves and big screen scribe Alex Kurtzman. Joshua Jackson - "Dawson's Creek" - is on a career revival bender with this, and newcomer Anna Torv - who I honestly believe I have never seen in ANYTHING - is terrific. (Torv's an Aussie and was born in Melbourne.) Plus...Lance Reddick is here, while Mark Valley lends a whole new meaning to the word "transparency..."

Best of all is John Noble, though. He plays mad scientist Dr. Peter Bishop, released from his padded cell to help Torv's FBI agent Olivia Dunham find the secret formula that will save...Sorry, I can't say anymore or Fox will do what they do to crix who give away plot lines four months before show premiere (See: John Locke.)

Noble is quite a story: A veteran Aussie actor and a star theater director down under, he was also Anatoly Markov on "24," while "Lord of the Ring" fans will vividly remember him as Denethor, the foul-tempered lout of a king willing to hand over his kingdom to the Orcs.

(Above, Torv; picture from Scificool.com.)

That's the headline out of Fox's new fall schedule (other than the fact that a "24" prequel will air late November.) Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse" will air Monday's at 8 in January. "Fringe" will air Tuesdays at 9 this fall.

This is worth noting if only because these two are the standout "must-see" shows of the fall on any network, per industry buzz (though I guess you must add CW's "Bev Hills 90210" remake to that frothy mix.)

Both are not merely big budget but huge budget; their pedigree is TV royalty; and...they actually sound good too....

Here's the Fox description of "F," produced by J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman..."When an international flight lands at Boston’s Logan Airport and the passengers and crew have all died grisly deaths, FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) is called in to investigate. After her partner, Special Agent John Scott (Mark Valley, “Boston Legal”), is nearly killed during the investigation, a desperate Olivia searches frantically for someone to help, leading her to Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble, “Lord of the Rings”) [but] he’s been institutionalized for the last 20 years, and the only way to question him requires pulling his estranged son Peter (Joshua Jackson, “Dawson’s Creek”) in to help. When Olivia’s investigation leads her to manipulative corporate executive Nina Sharp (Blair Brown), our unlikely trio along with fellow FBI Agents Philip Broyles (Lance Reddick, “The Wire”), Charlie Francis (Kirk Acevedo) and Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole) will discover that what happened on Flight 627 is only a small piece of a larger, more shocking truth."

And "Dollhouse:"

"'“Buffy' alumna Eliza Dushku is Echo, an “Active,” a member of a highly illegal and underground group who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas. Confined to a secret facility known as the “Dollhouse,” Echo and the other Actives including Sierra (Dichen Lachman, “Neighbours”) and Victor (Enver Gjokaj, “The Unit”) carry out engagements [and) immerse themselves in all manner of scenarios – romantic, criminal, uplifting, dangerous, comical and the occasional good deed. After each scenario, Echo...returns to the mysterious Dollhouse where her thoughts, feelings and experiences are erased by Topher (Fran Kranz, “Welcome to the Captain”), the Dollhouse’s genius programmer....Her memories begin to return and she slowly pieces together her mysterious past. [Show] revolves around Echo’s blossoming self-awareness and her desire to discover her true identity. But with each new engagement, comes a new memory and increased danger inside and outside the Dollhouse."

Now...the rest of the fall lineup:

Monday:
"Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" (8)
"Prison Break" (9).

Tuesday:
"House" (8)
"Fringe" (9)

Wednesday:
"Bones" (8)
"'Til Death" (9)
"Do Not Disturb" (new sitcom about NYC hotel called the Inn; 9:30)

Thursday:
"The Moment of Truth" (8)
"Kitchen Nightmares" (9)

Friday:
"Smarter...5th Grader" (8)
"Don't Forget the Lyrics" (9).

Saturday:
Song remains the same.

Sunday:
Ditto.

(Above: Eliza Dushku, AKA Faith, from "Buffy" days...)

Obama - surprise! - has been avoiding "Fox News Sunday" like the very plague for what seems like forever. And in fact, he agreed to come on the show over two years ago, but...still a no-show. (He has been kinda busy, but there have been plenty of appearances elsewhere, including FNC) So the guys at FNC then had an idea: An on-air clock which ticked away the minutes since he first agreed to appear. At last count, it was 765 days, 13 hours, 54 min, 47 seconds.

Anyway, the clock is dead: Obama is finally gonna come on this Sunday's show, in what's billed as an "exclusive one on one" sit down with Chris Wallace.

Amazing the ways of television, but typically when your head is cut off, you don't normally return to the show in which you starred. Ah, but what if viewers didn't actually SEE the headless body? Or the bodyless head? what if...

Anyway, Sarah Wayne Callies is coming back to "Prison Break" next season, and her head - TV Guide is now reporting - will be firmly attached to her body. Check out the Michael Ausiello piece here - amazing. Just amazing. As you may vaguely recall, Wentworth Miller squeeze Doc Sara Tancredi got her head taken off last year - the rather unexpected outcome of a particularly unpleasant contract dispute with Fox/producers. ("You want a raise, Callies? Raise THIS!")

But bygones are bygones - particularly now that "PB" has a new two-year deal and has to goose ratings (FAST!). Bringing Tancredi back should help.

Here's how Matt Olmstead wiggled out of Ausiello's obvious question:

"Initially when we realized that we never actually saw the character get killed, we just had that knowledge in our back pocket and moved forward with the narrative as we intended. Which was: she's out of the picture, Michael's [feeling guilty] and Lincoln is freaking out because if they did that to her, they could do that to his son. It really gave us a real push for the season..."

Sara's head would beg to differ...

(Above, Callies, head photoshopped back on.)

This is finally official so no sense in waiting around any more to tell you about it: "Prison Break" has been picked up for a fourth season. "PB" is certainly no barn-burner in terms of audience appeal, but it does have a core audience and the core'll keep the show around another year. No details on the new season, but Fox does appear to be making some concession to costs: Show will shift production from Dallas (where it's been the last two season) to L.A. So...somehow Scofield, now out of that Panamanian prison, is presumably heading north, way north, to Los Angeles where he'll wreak havoc on the Company next fall. This is OK, because L.A. - already nuked by "24" - knows full well how to deal with maniacal revenge. Meanwhile, no worries about bumping into Bauer cuz he'll be in D.C. next season.

Laurie Dhue - not to be confused with Jane Skinner, but if you did confuse the two, you'd be forgiven - is bolting Fox News Channel. Anyone who doesn't watch FNC would go right about now, "huh? so what?" but anybody who does will go, "huh! WHAT!" She's been a reasonably visible fixture on the channel that has essentially cornered the market on attractive blonds. There are exceptions - FNC has also "indefinitely" cut loose "Big Story with John Gibson," and as you accurately note, he is not an attractive blond. (He's not leaving FNC, but Eric Burns - longtime media critic - is.)

What's going on over at Fox News? Honestly, I'm not certain: It's always had this swaggering, biggest-baddest-dude-in-town attitude - all courtesy of Roger Ailes - but lately the dude feels pale and wan, like a pitcher who's just lost his devastating breaking ball and everyone on the opposing team knows it. (I'm into mixed metaphors today - just can't help it.)

Is Dhue's departure a huge deal? Of course not. People leave TV networks all the time...but it's still gotta make you wonder. TVnewser, which broke this over the weekend, got a statement out of Fox which says,"Unfortunately, we were unable to come to terms on a new agreement with Laurie. She has been a valued member of Fox News, and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors." (A spokeswoman who just called added nothing to this.) TVnewser added, "Since September she has been working as ombudswoman for The O'Reilly Factor for a segment called 'The Dhue Point.' In what would be her last installment Thursday night, Bill O'Reilly told Dhue, 'I hope you know, this is my favorite segment of the week.'"

Yeah, yeah - everyone might automatically assume Fox would be the first out the box to do a primetime special on William F. Buckley, and in fact it will - this Saturday at 10, in a David Asman-hosted hour.

But what's so surprising is a.) why only an hour? and b.) why on Saturday (late)? WFB's the patron saint of conservatism, for crying out loud, and FNC is, well, FNC. Per Fox: "During this program, FNC will show never-before-seen interviews with Buckley detailing his 60 years in the conservative movement and will feature interviews with some of the most influential figures in the conservative moment who discuss the impact Buckley had on them, America and the world."

Remember that huge kerfuffle in December '06 between News Corp. and onetime Fox News Channel contributor/publisher-with-big-stick/Bernard Kerik-very-close-friend Judith Regan? Of course you do (who could forget?): She got fired over that ridiculous "If I Did It" O.J. autobiography which was going to be turned into a TV doc, and subsequently sued News Corp. It got uglier and uglier after that. News Corp. said she was anti-Semitic, and then Regan - who really knows how to go nuclear - went nuclear on her ex-employer.

In any event, peace has been achieved in our time. News Corp. and Regan have settled out of court, and here's the (rather bizarre) press release announcing the detente:

"Judith Regan and News Corporation announced today that they have settled her lawsuit arising from the termination of Ms. Regan’s employment in December of 2006. The parties are pleased that they have reached an equitable, confidential settlement, with no admission of liability by any party.

News Corp. said, “After carefully considering the matter, we accept Ms. Regan’s position that she did not say anything that was anti-Semitic in nature, and further believe that Ms. Regan is not anti-Semitic.”

News Corp. also said, “Ms. Regan is a talented publisher who created many award-winning and bestselling books during her twelve and a half years at the company. News Corp. thanks Ms. Regan for her outstanding contributions and wishes her continued success.”

Ms. Regan said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with so many gifted people and am looking forward to my next venture.”

So much for “Day 7” with Cherry Jones and Janeane Garofalo. In view of the current Writers Guild strike, the Fox network announced late Wednesday it’s postponing the planned January launch of “24” until it knows the entire seventh season can run “non-stop.” (Oh, well. We can watch the trailer over and over. And over.)

The first WGA-strike-prompted wholesale lineup revision also includes premiere dates for new Fox shows, along with some other shakeups: “Bones” moves to Friday at 8 on Jan. 4 to make way for “American Idol” (back Jan. 15-16), while “Prison Break” picks up on Monday, Jan. 14 at 8.

New arrivals announced include the action movie spinoff “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” which previews Sunday, Jan. 13 at 8, before moving the next night to its regular Monday 9 p.m. slot (where “24” was supposed to run).

Other shows are slated further down the line, which means their premiere dates could well shift depending on strike resolution (or lack thereof). “New Amsterdam” (due Feb. 22) is about an immortal New York homicide detective, while “The Return of Jezebel James” (March 7) is a city-shot comedy from “Gilmore Girls” creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Parker Posey and Lauren Ambrose as estranged sisters.

The gritty Denis Leary-produced drama “Canterbury’s Law” (April 11) also shoots in New York, but was already delayed due to the pregnancy of Julianna Margulies, starring as a tough defense attorney.

Also slated: the single-camera comedy “Unhitched” (March 2), from the Farrelly brothers, about thirtysomethings who include Craig Bierko and Rashida Jones.

Fox’ strike-reflecting lineup loads up on game/reality/“unscripted” offerings. Mark L. Walberg hosts the lie-detecting hour “The Moment of Truth” (Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 9). “When Women Rule the World” (March 3) eavesdrops on women in charge of men in a “primitive, remote location.” Gordon Ramsay’s competition “Hell’s Kitchen” is back April 1.

When I dropped by Peter’s restaurant in Babylon last night, an hour before the premier of Kitchen Nightmares, they were hooking up auxiliary speakers to the flat-screen TV. As Fox’s viewing public now knows, Peter’s was the first recipient—or victim—of Gordon Ramsay’s culinary counsel. Back in March, the pugnacious British chef had swept into this modest Italian restaurant and had exposed everything—family strife, non-working stoves, frozen crab cakes—to the cold light of a television production crew.

The restaurant is owned by Tina Pelligrino, but its dominant presence is that of her brother, Peter. (He’s not the restaurant’s namesake, Tina explained; the place was named for their grandfather who founded it.)

Now that the specter of Joey Buttafuoco has faded, the South Shore of Long Island needs another poster boy and, in the show, Peter Pelligrino rises to the challenge. He comes off as selfish, crass, vain and violent: skimming money off the restaurant’s profits to buy a fancy car, an expensive tan, gleaming teeth and jewelry. He insults the wait staff within earshot of their tables, he physically threatens his creditors and, worst of all, neither he nor Tina seem to care that their kitchen barely functions and sends out consistently mediocre food.

Was Peter nervous about his upcoming small-screen debut? “As Shakespeare said,” quoth he, “‘All the world’s a stage.’”

The fledgling thespian—“this restaurant is my Carnegie hall”—said he has studied with acting coach Olinda Turturro. Years ago, he was stopped on the street by “Bobby De Niro” who liked his look. This led to a small role in “A Bronx Tale” (uncredited) and other De Niro movies. “I read seven times for the Soprano’s,” he said.

The five days Ramsay spent in Babylon, Peter said, were life-changing ones. “He made me toe the line,” he said. “I concede—he was right and I was wrong.” At the end of the one-hour episode, the bull has turned into a pussycat. He works hard, praises his employees and even sponsors a Family Day for Babylon. I asked him if, six months later, he feels that he has still turned over a new leaf. “I turned over a whole forest,” he responded.

We’ll see. I witnessed some very dismissive words directed at his long-suffering sister.

But I don’t think he’ll be around for long. Peter is an avowed scenester who considers himself “part of the woodwork” at Cipollini, the trendy Manhasset restaurant. He’s also a regular at the Manhattan Eurotrash magnets Da Silvano, in the Village, and Nello’s on the Upper East Side. Tony Danza loves his artichokes.

And he’s got some television projects “in the works.”

For all that, he makes for some very entertaining TV. Which was probably his intention all along.

Kevin Reilly's back in the game - though heaven knows, after his recent exit at NBC, one wonders why. Fox Broadcasting this afternoon said he's coming aboard as president of entertainment.

Reilly - I should add, Long Island's own Kevin Reilly - did a terrific job at NBC and for his trouble got shown the door last month. In his new gig, he'll report to former colleague at FX, Peter Liguori, who was upped to chairman of FBCE. All this, by the way, was predicted in Variety late last week.

Here's the canned quote from the press release:

“The television industry has changed more in the last five years than in the past 20,” said [Peter] Chernin [News Corp prez]. “We need to be structured in a way that puts us in the best position take advantage of the myriad new opportunities digital technology has afforded the broadcast television business. When Peter Liguori approached me with the idea of re-teaming with Kevin Reilly, I thought it was a bold move to redefine the structure of the network behind a pair of dynamic executives who have a proven track record of advancing the medium.”

Nice quote and I'm fairly certain it means nothing. But who cares? Fact is, Reilly is a genuine talent who catapulted NBC's Thursday back to its rightful place (ratings may come in time), did a lot of other good things there, and who is one of the brightest guys in the business. FBC is lucky to have him.

Kev's looking good! And "American Idol's" got his back.