Friday, July 29, 2011

Set Your DVR: Bachelorette Programming This Weekend

A preview of Monday night's Bachelorette.
Don't forget to watch or record The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All Sunday night at 9 p.m. on ABC, if you're so inclined.  

Monday night at 8p.m. is the grand finale of the program during which UPenn dental student Ashley Hebert is expected to choose and become engaged to either winemaker Ben Flajnik from Napa or construction manager JP Rosenbaum from Roslyn, Long Island.  

Watch for lots of lame interviews and footage leading up to the only two or three minutes at the end of the program that mean anything.  Although, the producers have teased some drama that plays out between Ashley and her sister (who appears to have a full body tattoo).  I follow this show for some reason, but I admit it's similar to a professional basketball game.  Only the last few seconds count.

Immediately after The Bachelorette comes After the Final Rose featuring Ashley's view of the season and the big debut of the new couple, their first public outing together. 

During the course of Sunday and Monday ABC will air five hours of Bachelorette program.   OMG.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

News & Notes: CHAOS Off the Air, Kudos for Shows, What's Wrong with Morning Joe?

A CBS spokesperson confirmed to me today that CHAOS, the CIA comedy-drama, has not been renewed for a second season.  That's a disappointment since the show was both interesting and funny.  In my opinion, the network did not give it a fair chance.  They placed it on Saturday nights at 8 p.m. when virtually no one is watching TV, particularly during the summer.

ABC's Rookie Blue has turned out to be a pretty good show.  Despite my initial review, I now find that there is good character development and semi-believable plot lines - for a cop drama.  Though it doesn't compare to some of the greats, the writing is solid and the stories involve interesting issues.  I will say that it strains credibility that so many of the cops in the precinct are involved with each other personally.

More kudos for Necessary Roughness on USA.  What a great show and a breath of fresh air.  No dead bodies.  Great writing.  And multi-dimensional characters in the very entertaining sports arena - not a single lawyer or cop among them.

The recent change of executive producers at Morning Joe on MSNBC seems to have led to a new dynamic on the set, and not a good one.  While host Joe Scarborough  has always been the dominant talker, there has been even less air time for co-hosts Mika Brzezinsky and Willie Geist.  Mike Barnicle seems also to have been relegated to a lesser role.  During today's extremely loud and boisterous debate (really a shouting match) about the budget battle in Washington, Lawrence O'Donnell, Grover Norquist and Scarborough dominated. Brzezinksy was silent and Geist was nowhere to be found.  Later, Scarborough asked Brzezinsky if something was wrong.  She started to give an answer, but decided against it.  What's up here? Is Joe taking a larger role with the consent of new EP Alex Korson?  I tried to get an answer from Korson today, but he didn't respond to my e-mail or phone call.  Thoughts?

Monday, July 25, 2011

The Entourage Swan Song: If the Series is Failing, How Can the Movie Succeed?

Entourage returned to HBO last night after more than a year off for its final season of eight episodes, but the wait was hardly worth it.

Nothing happened in the first episode which detracts from any anticipation there might have been for the next seven entries, and particularly for the full length feature film now promised.


As the season begins, Vincent Chase, movie star, is leaving rehab where he spent the last three months weaning himself from cocaine.


His boys are tripping over themselves - and each other - preparing for his return.   

Eric and the newest boy blunder, Scott Lavin (Scott Caan), need to impress him for his business, though Eric is pumping the friendship angle.  Johnny Drama (the only character who seems to be growing) is clearing the house of alcohol and drugs.  Turtle claims to be helping, but he’s still too immature to go a few hours without smoking a joint.  Uber agent Ari Gold is consumed with his family problems – his wife threw him out – but is still so attached to his career that he, too, has to join the Vincent Chase welcoming party.


What follows throughout the episode is a repeat of hijinks from the past seven seasons.   

The guys throw what is supposed to be a dry party for Vince that, of course, gets so out of control that the fire department arrives with lights and sirens.


Weaved into the action is Vince's desperation to produce a new film whose topic doesn't excite anyone, but they're too sycophantic to tell him.

Also, Ari tries to woo his ex and Eric has moments with Sloan.  Their engagement is kaput over a disagreement about a prenup.

[Sigh]


I’m almost ready to stop watching Entourage, but I’ve hung in this long and would like to see the series through to its conclusion, which should arrive with some maturation among these young men.  Though maybe we’ll have to wait for the movie. 

Memo to Mark Wahlberg and the other producers: everyone has to grow up sometime.  And mature people can be interesting, too.  If you do make the movie, let’s see these guys evolve and behave less like frat boys.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Cable Doing Pretty Well vs. Broadcast for the Summer: A Trend?



The America's Got Talent Judges
Their Show is #1 in the Rating
A look at the TV ratings for last week shows that the broadcast networks have bailed on presenting new programs, with the exception of reality shows.  And they are being given a pretty good run for their money by the cable outlets that have stepped up to bring viewers original programs for the summer.  Shockingly, the repeats and reality win out overall, but that won’t continue as Internet television grows and more people watch programs via their electronic devices.

There are tons of viewers for America’s Got Talent, The Bachelorette and Big Brother and, unbelievably, a good number for repeats of NCIS, CSI and only one sitcom, Big Bang.  But there are also millions of people being drawn to The Closer, Rizzoli & Isles, Burn Notice, True Blood, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs and the newest USA entry, Suits.

Kudos to USA and TNT.  They’re producing good, solid programs that, as they say in their promos, are character-driven.  And they are blazing trails by admitting that people do watch television during the summer.

I’m only surprised that White Collar, Necessary Roughness and Hot in Cleveland are not cutting it.  Those are show I highly recommend.  It’s also interesting that Rescue Me, which debuted during the week of July 17, isn’t even in the top 25.  It seems Denis Leary and his co-executive producers have lost their ability to bring anything new to that program.  And, as Verne Gay of Newsday said last week, how many times can you go back to the September 11 angst for stories?

It’s possible that there are many households out there who still do not have cable (the current number of those with cable is estimated at 85%), or who do not venture beyond the channels that they're used to, but I’m sure this trend away from the broadcast networks will continue to evolve.  In a few years, the Big Four (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC) may be way behind, particularly as watching online continues its upward trajectory.  You’d think they’d be making plans to catch up by now.


Broadcast TV Ratings: Week Ending July 17, 2011
Time
Network
Show
#Viewers
Rating
Share
1
NBC
America’s Got Talent (Tues)
14 mil
7.8
13
2
NBC
America’s Got Talent (Wed)
11.4 mil
6.8
11
3
FOX
FOX MLB All-Star Game
11 mil
6.9
12
4
CBS
NCIS (R)
8 mil
5.8
10
5
CBS
60 Minutes
8.7 mil
5.6
11
6
FOX
FOX MLB All-Star Game (Pregame)
8.2 mil
5.2
10
7
ABC
The Bachelorette
8.1 mil
5.4
9
8
CBS
NCIS: Los Angeles (R)
7.5 mil
4.9
8
9
CBS
CSI (R)
7.4 mil
4.8
8
10
CBS
Big Brother 13 (Wed)
7.3 mil
4.4
8
11
NBC
America’s Got Talent (R)
7.2 mil
4.4
8
12
CBS
Big Brother 13 (Sun)
6.9 mil
4.1
7
13
CBS
Criminal Minds (R)
6.6 mil
4.3
7
14
CBS
Big Brother 13 (Thurs)
6.6 mil
4.0
7
15
ABC
Wipeout (Thurs)
6.5 mil
3.7
7
16
CBS
The Mentalist (R)
6.4 mil
4.0
7
17
CBS
CSI: NY (R)
6.3 mil
4.1
8
18
CBS
The Big Bang Theory(R)
6.3 mil
4.1
8
19
CBS
Blue Bloods (R)
6.3 mil
4.0
8
20
NBC
America’s Got Talent (R)
6.1 mil
3.9
7
Nielsen Ratings (rounded to nearest 100,000)
 
Cable TV Ratings: Week Ending July 17, 2011
Time
Network
Show
#Viewers
1
ESPN
Japan/USA Women’s Soccer
13.4 mil
2
HIST
Pawn Stars
7.5 mil
3
TNT
The Closer
7.2 mil
4
HIST
American Restoration
6.7 mil
5
ESPN
2011 HOME RUN DERBY
6.6 mil
6
TNT
Rizzoli & Isles
6.3 mil
7
HIST
American Pickers
6.3 mil
8
ESPN
WORLD CUP LIVE
5.9 mil
9
NICK
SpongeBob
5.7 mil
10
USA
Burn Notice
5.4 mil
11
HBOM
True Blood
5.1 mil
12
USA
Royal Pains
4.9 mil
13
NICK
SpongeBob
4.6 mil
14
TNT
Sprint Cup Racing/Loudon
4.5 mil
15
USA
WWE Entertainment
4.5 mil
16
NICK
SpongeBob
4.4 mil
17
USA
Suits
4.3 mil
18
NICK
SpongeBob
4.3 mil
19
NICK
SpongeBob
4.2 mil
20
USA
Covert Affairs
4.2 mil
Nielsen Ratings (rounded to nearest 100,000)






      

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The Real Journalism: Emmy Nominations for News & Documentary Announced

I’d like to give a nod to those who are nominated for Emmy® Awards in the news and documentary areas as the list includes outstanding journalists who work tirelessly to deliver information and to preserve the Fourth Estate as it should be, with solid reporting and investigatory journalism. (Not via those other methods, like hacking phones.)

CBS leads the pack for programs broadcast in 2010 (with 60 Minutes as a standout), followed closely by PBS and then NBC, National Geographic, HBO and CNN.

The News and Documentary Emmy® Awards will be presented Monday, September 26th at Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City’s Time Warner Center.  This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to icon Larry King who spent 25 years at CNN as host of Larry King Live.

With apologies to those in the creative categories (editing, cinematography) and to those in specific areas like science and nature, below is a list of the major areas of programming and reporting preceded by a breakdown of the various news entities and the number of nominations received by each.  For the full list, please visit: www.emmyonline.tv

CBS
34

MediaStorm
2
PBS
32

NPR
2
NBC
19

Smithsonian Channel
2
National Geographic
15

Airshowbuzz.com
1
ABC
12

Council on Foreign Relations
1
HBO
12

Detroit Free Press
1
CNN
8

Los Angeles Times
1
Discovery
7

San Jose Mercury News
1
CNBC
            6

Yahoo!
1
BBC America
4

(Planet Green)
1
HD Net
4

Science Channel
1
MSNBC
4

Showtime
1
A&E
3

Sundance
1
New York Times
3

VH1
1
Animal Planet
2

Washington Post
1
History Channel
2




OUTSTANDING COVERAGE OF A BREAKING NEWS STORY IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST
ABC World News with Diane Sawyer (ABC), Tragedy at the Mine
ABC World News, Nightline, Good Morning America (ABC), The Printer Bomb Plot
AC360 (CNN), Haiti in Ruins
NBC
Nightly News with Brian Williams (NBC), Earthquake in Haiti
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (NBC), Iraq:  The Long Way Out

OUTSTANDING CONTINUING COVERAGE OF A NEWS STORY IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST
BBC World News America (BBC America), Haiti's Earthquake
BBC World News America (BBC America), Victims of the Flood: Pakistan in Need
CBS Evening News with Katie Couric (CBS), Afghan Bomb Squad
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (NBC), The War Next Door

OUTSTANDING FEATURE STORY IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST
BBC World News America (BBC America), Inside the North Korean Bubble
BBC World News America (BBC America), The Harsh Lives of Kabul's Street Children
Good Morning America (ABC), Taylor's Heart
Sunday Morning (CBS), Gift of a Lifetime
Sunday Morning (CBS), Jan's Story
Sunday Morning (CBS)Where's Molly?

OUTSTANDING INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST
CBS Evening News with Katie Couric  (CBS), Ethiopian Adoption Scams
CBS Evening News with Katie Couric (CBS), Photocopiers Hidden Dangers

Nightline (ABC), Brian Ross Investigates:  CIA Shoot‑Down ‑ 10 years later
World News with Diane Sawyer (ABC), Cord Blood Investigation

OUTSTANDING BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC REPORTING IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST
CBS Evening News with Katie Couric (CBS), Follow the Money
PBS NewsHour (PBS), Cubans Grapple with Challenges and Promises of Economic Change
Street Signs (CNBC), Transammonia:  An American Business in Iran
Sunday Morning (CBS), Paving the Way
Sunday Morning (CBS), The Money Issue
Sunday Morning (CBS)
, The New Normal

OUTSTANDING COVERAGE OF A BREAKING NEWS STORY IN A NEWS MAGAZINE
60 Minutes (CBS), Haiti
60 Minutes (CBS), The Blowout
Dateline (NBC), The Passenger in Seat 19A

OUTSTANDING CONTINUING COVERAGE OF A  NEWS STORY IN A NEWS MAGAZINE
60 Minutes (CBS), A Relentless Enemy
60 Minutes (CBS), The Lost Children of Haiti
Dateline (NBC), Father's Mission
Dateline (NBC), America Now: Friends and Neighbors

OUTSTANDING FEATURE STORY IN A NEWS MAGAZINE
20/20 (ABC), 7 Going on 70 ‑ A Barbara Walters Special
60 Minutes (CBS), Derek
60 Minutes (CBS), Football Island
60 Minutes (CBS), Stand Down
Dateline (NBC), Hurricane Katrina: The First Five Days

OUTSTANDING INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM IN A NEWS MAGAZINE
20/20 (ABC), Brian Ross Investigates: Make‑A‑Wish Swindle
60 Minutes (CBS), 21st Century Snake Oil
60 Minutes (CBS), Blackwater 61
Dan Rather Reports (HDNet), Spiritually Bankrupt

OUTSTANDING BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC REPORTING IN A NEWS MAGAZINE
60 Minutes, (CBS), Brazil
60 Minutes (CBS), Davos
Dan Rather Reports (HDNet), Home Loans From Hell
Dan Rather Reports (HDNet), The Mysterious Case of Kevin Xu

OUTSTANDING NEWS DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS
Education Nation (MSNBC), Teacher Town Hall
MSNBC Special Presentation (MSNBC),Beyond Borderlines
The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC), Good Morning, Landlocked Central Asia
This Week with Christiane Amanpour (ABC), Holy War:  Should Americans Fear Islam?
Washington Week ((PBS)), Mid‑Term Election Coverage

OUTSTANDING LIVE COVERAGE OF A CURRENT NEWS STORY – LONG FORM     
ABC News Special Events (ABC), Vote 2010
AC360 (CNN), Crisis in Haiti
Decision 2010 (NBC), Election Night

OUTSTANDING CONTINUING COVERAGE OF A NEWS STORY – LONG FORM
FRONTLINE (PBS), The Quake
FRONTLINE (PBS), The Wounded Platoon
HBO Documentary Films, (HBO), War Don Don
Independent Lens (PBS), A Village Called Versailles
Restrepo:  Afghan Outpost (National Geographic Channel)

OUTSTANDING INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM – LONG FORM
Client 9:  The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer (A&E)
FRONTLINE (PBS), Law & Disorder
POV (PBS), Presumed Guilty
POV (PBS), The Oath

OUTSTANDING INFORMATIONAL PROGRAMMING – LONG FORM
FRONTLINE (PBS), The Confessions
HBO Documentary Films, (HBO), Monica & David
HBO Documentary Films (HBO), Reporter
POV (PBS), Food Inc
POV (PBS), Off and Running
POV (PBS), Wo Ai Ni (I Love You) Mommy

OUTSTANDING BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC REPORTING – LONG FORM
FRONTLINE (PBS), The Spill
Houston We Have a Problem (Planet Green)
POV (PBS), Good Fortune
The New Recruits (PBS)

OUTSTANDING INTERVIEW                
60 Minutes (CBS), Facebook
60 Minutes (CBS), Medal of Honor
          
CNN (CNN). The Odd Couple
Dateline (NBC), Rescue on the High Seas
Investing in America:  A CNBC Town Hall Event with President  Obama (CNBC)

BEST STORY IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (NBC), Afghanistan:  From the Front Lines to the Home Front
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (NBC). Desperate Days:  The Floods of Pakistan
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (NBC), Earthquake in Haiti
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (NBC), The War Next Door:  Mexico Drug Violence
TODAY (NBC), The World's Most Dangerous City

BEST REPORT IN A NEWS MAGAZINE                                                     
60 Minutes (CBS), 21st Century Snake Oil
60 Minutes (CBS), Endless Memory
60 Minutes (CBS), The All American Canal
60 Minutes (CBS), The Blowout
60 Minutes (CBS), The Lost Children of Haiti

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Client 9:  The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer (A&E)
HBO Documentary Films (HBO), A Small Act
POV (PBS), Food Inc
POV (PBS), Presumed Guilty
      
POV (PBS), The Oath
Restrepo:  Afghan Outpost (National Geographic Channel)