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[BACK TO INDEX]March 30, 2001Oscar SlidesThe ratings for Sunday's telecast of the "The Academy Awards" was the lowest-rated Oscar broadcast ever, according to data from Nieslen Media Research. Some blame the absence of Billy Crystal as host-- Steve Martin received mixed reviews for his hosting performance. Others blamed HBO's "The Sopranos," which aired a new episode at 9PM, right in the middle of the Oscars on the East Coast. And if you thought it was a joke, it wasn't. Producer Gil Cates did indeed offer a free High-Definition Television set to the winner with the shortest acceptance speech. And the winner is--- er, the TV goes to... Michael Dudok de Wit, winner of Best Animated Short Film, whose acceptance speech was a mere 18 seconds. Dudok said he will donate the TV to charity.
Midseason Premieres Grab ViewersABC and FOX had successful midseason premieres this week. ABC's "What About Joan?," the new sitcom starring Joan Cusack, bowed to nearly 15 million viewers, easily winning its Tuesday 9:30 timeslot, and even improving on its lead-in, "Dharma & Greg." On Wednesday, the net also had success with the debut of the sitcom "My Wife & Kids," which also won its timeslot with 15 million viewers. But FOX's new reality series "Boot Camp" took the lead at 9PM. With 15.7 million viewers, the series premiere won its timeslot, beating ABC's "The Drew Carey Show" and "The Job," and a rerun of NBC's "The West Wing."
Anchors Away!NBC News may be facing some changes come 2002. That's when contracts will expire for anchors Tom Brokaw, Brian Williams, and Katie Couric. Word is that Couric may leave her post at "Today" and start a syndicated talk show, which would give her both better hours and better pay. Meanwhile, Brian Williams, who anchors on the cable channel MSNBC and frequently subs for Brokaw on NBC, is definitely attractive to other networks. Word is that Williams is loyal to NBC, but with network management changing, anything could happen. Brokaw is expected to continue at his anchor post, though some rumors have surfaced that he might be ready to step down. Definitely a wait-and-see.
FOX Lands (Animated) BuffyFOX Kids has picked up the animated version of "Buffy, The Vampire Slayer," which could debut on the network as early as next February. This is an interesting development, because "Buffy" producer 20th Century-Fox TV, which is also a sister company to FOX Kids and the FOX TV network, is still in negotiations with The WB to renew the original live-action "Buffy, The Vampire Slayer." Apparently, 20th Century Fox is asking for more money than The WB is willing to pay. If negotiations fail, "Buffy" could be shopped to other networks, and its likely FOX would then pick it up.
Big Brother Casting CallIt seems that "Big Brother" will indeed return to CBS this summer, as the network is now accepting applications for castmembers on its website. The network is promising a revamped version of the series, which did okay ratings-wise but was critically panned when it aired last fall. Though not many details have been released about the new format, CBS is describing it as "an exciting, cut-throat, dramatic COMPETITION that will require players to use brain, brawn and charm to win." One change for sure is that the castmembers will vote each other out until 3 remain, then the audience picks the winner. On the previous version, castmembers nominated people that the audience then voted out. Stars Sign On For PilotsVariety is reporting the following casting moves for pilots:
Temptation Lawsuit"Temptation Island" contestants Ytossie Patterson and Taheed Watson are suing the producers of the show and FOX for defamation of character. Patterson and Watson were one of the couples on the island, and midway through the series, it was discovered that they were actually parents of a child, which would disqualify them from the competition. The show depicted the producers discovering this fact after the competition began, and the producers removed them from competition. However, Patterson and Watson claim that the producers new about the child before taping began, and told the couple not to divulge that information. The shows producer, Rocket Science, has made no comment on the case.
"Sports Night" Suffers on Comedy CentralIf you thought ABC ruined "Sports Night" by adding a laugh track, wait until you see what Comedy Central has done to it. First, the cable channel has decided to not put the commercial breaks where they are supposed to go. So, the music and picture fade to black, then fade back up. And the commercials end up stuck in the middle of a scene change later on. Also, the network can't even air the episodes in order. This becomes obvious at the end of the episode, when they air scenes from "the next" episode, only you recognize them as scenes from the episode that aired last week. With its continuing plot line, "Sports Night" is not the kind of show that you can air out of order. The network doesn't even seem to know what episode it is airing, as its programming information lists different episodes than the ones that actually air. And lastly, this week during the show they put up an animation that takes up about a sixth of the screen promoting the premiere of another show. Yes, the network does this with all of their programming, but how hideous is it when during a dramatic, emotional outburst from one of the main characters, the scene is partially covered up by animation with a character mugging for the camera? The drama of the scene is ruined. "Sports Night" is the kind of show that deserves a better showcase than Comedy Central. An example would be A&E's broadcast of "Newsradio" reruns. There, each episode is shown in its entirety, with the complete open, and commercial breaks where they are supposed to be. Fans of "Sports Night" are the type of viewers who actually notice these things, and it's just sad the Comedy Central either doesn't realize that, or just doesn't care. [BACK TO INDEX]
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