MSN TV Blog: News

Shayne and Matt: Did They Actually Break Up?

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:23:42 GMT

Page Six says that "The Bachelor's" Matt Grant and Shayne Lamas are dunzo.

This is at least the third time this news has been reported since the show wrapped this spring. Every other time it's turned out not to be true. In fact, I've been sitting on this little item for a whole day so I could post it and a retraction at the same time.Well...no one's saying they're still together yet, so we'll call it a break up (for now).

- Posted by Kate

Goodbye, Estelle Getty

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:20:52 GMT

Estelle Getty, who played Sophia on "The Golden Girls," died yesterday at the age of 84. Her three former co-stars weighed in on the sad news. Bea Arthur, who played Dorothy, said that Sophia and Dorothy were "one of the greatest comic duos ever." Betty White (Rose) reminded reporters that Getty will always be with us, "as Sophia." Rue McClanahan (Blanche) paid possibly the best tribute of all when she talked about how funny Estelle Getty was:

"'I always told her she should be a standup comic. She was so funny in person,' McClanahan recalled. 'She would always say, 'Why couldn't we make these characters Jewish? Why am I Sicilian?'"

- Posted by Kate

Thank You, '60 Minutes!'

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:29:19 GMT

So I just got back from a pub trivia contest, and things were pretty close. The last category: TV and history. So me and my teammates are like, "We've got this" and wagered all our points.

The question: During which president's administration did "60 Minutes" debut?

We struggled with the answer for a little bit, but in the end, got it.

Lyndon B. Johnson.

And with that, the sweet, sweet taste of victory and some cold hard cash. Not to mention avoiding the agony of flubbing that one, given what I blog about.

- posted by Raoul

Revolving Door: Two Big Stars Are Bowing Out

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:32:05 GMT

I have two pretty big pieces of casting news for you guys this morning. First, William Petersen is definitely leaving "CSI." The rumors have been flying for a long time on this one. Tuesday the show's exec producers finally announced his departure:

"'Whoever comes in and joins the team after Grissom is going to be a different guy. But the nature of the show and what fans get out of it, that's not going to change,'" Naran Shankar told press.

Yesterday at the TCA press tour Bill Lawrence, the creator of "Scrubs," said that season nine will be scruffy antihero Zach Braff's last on the show. I guess nine years is a charm?

If "Scrubs" goes on after his departure - and who knows if it will - I guess we'll see one of the interns bumped up to narrator/plot magnet.

- Posted by Kate

The One Where There's No Movie After All

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:13:51 GMT

Last week lots of blogs were gleefully reporting that a "Friends" movie was in the works. I was excited...but skeptical. Nothing was official, you know? I held off posting about it because I always feel like a dope when I tell you guys some fantastic piece of news that turns out to be a gross exaggeration or an out-and-out rumor. Well, guess what? T here won't be a "Friends" movie:

"It was rumored earlier this week that Cox and Aniston were keen to reprise their roles for a movie version of the show, as long as the story was right. They were alleged to have been inspired by the massive box office success of "Sex and the City: The Movie," which was turned from a TV series into a big-screen film earlier this year.

But executives at Warner Bros, the studio behind "Friends," have refuted the claims. Jayne Trotman, Warner's director of publicity in the U.K., says, "(There's) no truth in the story."

And publicists for both Cox and Perry have also stepped in to deny the rumors. Perry's spokeswoman, Lisa Kasteler, adds, "Nothing is happening in this regard, so the rumor is false."

We can still hope the movie comes together in the future.

- Posted by Kate

Should You Be Worrying About Another TV Strike?

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:16:46 GMT

Today is June 30. Wow, I'm just as helpful as Outlook first thing in the morning, eh? The reason I'm telling you the date is because tonight at midnight the contract between the Screen Actors' Guild (SAG) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) will expire.

There have been rumors of another strike for a couple months now. I haven't had the heart to blog about it too much. Can you blame me? The writers' strike almost killed Raoul and me. I have been firmly pretending that there's no way this could happen again. But now the deadline is here.

Guess what - there's no need to cry into your morning cup of sunshine! Nikki Finke, the Los Angeles reporter who rose to prominence with her coverage of the writers strike', says you don't need to worry about another strike. Here's her reasoning:

"Now take a deep breath and calm down. To understand what's going on right now, I first need to ask you to do the following: reflect on everything you knew surrounding the writers strike, and then throw it all out the window. What's going on with SAG and AFTRA and the AMPTP is the complete opposite of what happened a few months back. The writers were for the most part united. The actors are divided to the point of distraction. The writers went after the AMPTP and the Big Media behemoths. The actors are going after each other...

"...The result is that Hollywood has to rewire, reboot and rethink everything. In this case, past doesn't have to be prologue. There doesn't have to be a strike. In fact, I can definitely tell you that SAG has 'never suggested that a strike was an objective or essential,' I'm told by an insider. 'Yes, it is an option. But SAG leadership has not been the ones threatening it or sabre-rattling.'"

Let's hope she's right, eh?

SAG president Alan Rosenberg made a statement to the press yesterday. He said that any talk of a strike at this point is just "a distraction" from what's really going on at the bargaining table. So (for now!) SAG doesn't want a strike any more than we do.

- Posted by Kate

FOX News Apologizes for Obama Coverage...Again

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:45:44 GMT

This time, FOX News had a graphic saying, "Liberals: Stop Picking on Obama's Baby Mama!" For those who don't know, "baby mama" is black slang for a woman who has given birth to a man's child, typically unmarried and with little other relationship to him beyond that.

So applying it to Michelle Obama both insults Michelle Obama on its face, as obviously she and Barack have a deep and committed relationship, and also borders if not crosses over into the realm of racism.

I mean, trying to give the network every benefit of the doubt, they might have been trying to rhyme "Obama" and "baby mama" without fully realizing what "baby mama" meant.

It becomes harder to give the benefit of the doubt, though, when there have been a couple of other recent gaffes against Obama, including alleging that he did a terrorist fist bump and joking about him being shot.

Why doesn't fair and balanced FOX make these kinds of missteps with McCain?

- posted by Raoul

Another Strike? I Won't Pretend I'm Not Worried

Wed, 07 May 2008 13:20:52 GMT

Remember how awful the writers' strike was? Yeah, that could never happen again. Wrong! The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and the Screen Actors' Guild (SAG) have been in contract negotiations for weeks...and the talks have now broken off.

What are they fighting over? Well, maybe you'll laugh when I tell you. New media rights: streaming video, DVD residuals, etc. Sound familiar?

And now to the burning question: will there be another strike? Let's hope not, but things are not looking good.

- Posted by Kate

When Worlds Collide: Hillary Clinton On 'The O'Reilly Factor'

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:36:30 GMT

It's been quite a week over at Fox News! Barack Obama was a guest on "Fox News Sunday," and now Hillary Clinton will appear on "The O'Reilly Factor." The interview is pre-taped, and will air in two parts starting tonight. Gutsy move on her part! What to expect? Mediabistro's TV Newser blog has some details:

"O'Reilly said tonight's discussion focuses on why Obama is more popular 'as a person than Hillary Clinton, which is pretty interesting,' O'Reilly said. Also, immigration and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright are discussed. Then tomorrow night they'll talk 'Iran, Iraq and foreign policy.'

"O'Reilly said there were no restrictions put upon him by the Clinton campaign. 'You won't be able to take your eyes off this interview," plugged O'Reilly."

- Posted by Kate

Is Katie Couric Heading for the Exits?

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:47:07 GMT

A Wall St. Journal article says that Kouric, who came to host the CBS Evening News to much fanfare but who never managed to give the network a ratings boost, may be heading for the doors as soon as after the nomination of the next president rather than staying around for the two years that would remain on her contract after that.

Couric and CBS are denying that. But they almost would have to, wouldn't they?

I tend to trust that the WSJ wouldn't go forward with this kind of story if they didn't have it on pretty darn good authority.

If this is true, I think it's going to have real plusses and minuses. On the plus side, I think it will force TV news to go for more solid journalism credentials than Couric possesses. On the other, I think it is a setback that will make it harder for even stronger candidates who happen to be female to get prime gigs.

One thing is for sure: Somewhere, Dan Rather is smiling.

- posted by Raoul

The Strike Is Over!

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:47:22 GMT

Great news for everyone: Hollywood writers voted to end their strike yesterday. I think I can safely speak for everyone when I say...yay! About time! I'm sure the writers are thrilled to be heading to their offices instead of the picket lines. I know I'm thrilled about the prospect of more "Lost" and "Gossip Girl" instead of "Wrenched: The Search For America's Next Great Plumber" or something.

- Posted by Kate

Writers Will Vote Tomorrow...And Might Be Back At Work On Wednesday

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:56:31 GMT

Tomorrow the members of the WGA will vote on whether to accept the deal drafted by negotiators over the weekend and end their three month strike. So what's gonna happen? Is it a good deal? At this point, everything looks great! Ace reporter Nikki Finke has posted a statement made by Patric Verrone, one of the key players on the writers' side:

"Since we began negotiations in July, we've been saying, 'If they get paid, we get paid.' This contract makes that a reality. It's the best deal this Guild has bargained for in 30 years after the most successful strike this Guild has waged in 35 years. It was arguably the most successful strike in the American labor movement in a decade, clearly the most important of this young century. It is not all that we hoped for, and not all that we deserved. But as I told our members, this strike was about the future, and this deal assures for us and for future generations of writers a share in the future..."

If the strike is called off after the vote, Hollywood will be back in business by the magic (but arbitrary?) deadline of February 15 set by several TV networks. This means that most of your favorite shows could come back with new episodes this season. You might want to check out this list of when individual shows are expected to return.

- Posted by Kate

Hollywood Unions Set to 'Put It In Writing'

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:36:59 GMT

Nikki Finke, the Los Angeles journalist who runs Deadline Hollywood Daily, has posted a very detailed status report on the Hollywood writers' strike. As we know, "talks" have been going on for a while. These have been informal negotiation sessions, and haven't involved all of the members of the negotiation committees of the two unions. The WGA members who were involved in these sessions are going to recommend that their negotiating committee take the deal brokered on Friday if everything gets put into writing to their satisfaction. At that point the deal would be put up for a vote, and if the members of the union approve it then the strike ends.

The deal could be drafted by the end of the week, so a vote could take place as early as next week. It could also take a little longer. It's important to draft a deal that will actually satisfy the thousands of members of the WGA. They do have to vote "yes, " you know? Bottom line: the strike is not over, but there is real progress and it could still end as early as next week.

Nikki Finke also had the lowdown on what happens to the rest of the TV season:

"Right now, if the WGA board accepts the deal, I'm told that the Back 9 of most scripted TV series could be saved along with a no-frills pilot season with less scripted series ordered than ever before. (And expect the upfront presentations to advertisers to consist of a lot more pleading than preening.) Some of the force-majeured deals could be reinstated. (But it's important to remember that three times as many pacts would have been cancelled if the agents and lawyers hadn't lobbied the networks and studios.) Feature films that were halted or thought lost could get going immediately. And, of course, the Oscars could be held. But what happens to all this back-to-work progress if the WGA membership votes down the deal? A bigger mess than even now? "

- Posted by Kate

Hollywood Writers? Still On Strike

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 21:57:32 GMT

Sadly, it seems that The Hollywood Reporter and Variety jumped the gun when they called the writers' strike all but over. Here's E's Kristin Dos Santos on what happened after she and her co-workers e-mailed their TV writer friends to congratulate them:

"Emails came back as a mixture of 'Say wha?' and 'Says who?' Huh.

"Then came the letter from WGA president Patric Verrone to members, which said, essentially, that it ain't over till it's over. "We are still in talks and do not yet have a contract," Verrone wrote. "Picketing will resume on Monday." Damn.

"After interviewing multiple sources close to the negotiations yesterday and today, it has become clear there are a couple of remaining issues on the table...One longtime screenwriter close to the negotiations lobs this allegation: 'We think [the AMPTP] sent out the message that the strike is over to try and weaken our resolve. Why else would anyone try to announce anything before it is actually over?'"

So, yeah, this isn't great news, but let's not forget that the WGA and the AMPTP are still talking, and that's more than they were doing a couple weeks back.

- Posted by Kate

Ground Control to Major Jeff: Making Sense of NBC's Pilot Bail-Out

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 21:11:33 GMT

NBC Universal (NBC, Bravo, USA) has decided to stop making pilots:

"Networks like NBC have long relied on big-budget pilot episodes of television series in an effort to attract advertiser support for the rest of the season. But Mr. [Jeff] Zucker, [chief executive of NBCU] said the pilots, the first episode of a show and whose production cost has shot up to $7 million for an hour from about $3 million three years ago, were a poor indicator of the future success of a series and many never move beyond the pilot stage.

"'So you’re spending money on programs you’re not going to get,' Mr. Zucker said.'"

If there are no more pilots, shows will be picked up based on concept alone. This works a lot better for an insipid reality show than a scripted series. The stupider the idea the better, I'm guessing, because promoting these pilot-less (unpiloted?) shows is going to sound a lot like a game of Telephone.

Here's how I imagine an ad sales pitch going in the post-pilot world: "Well, ma'am, we can sell you air time for one of our hot new shows. No, we don't have screeners, but these are big ideas, so we don't need 'em. Well "Celebrity Pizza Party" is pretty self-explanatory, then there's "The Rogue Apprentice," which is like "The Apprentice" except you've got Gene Simmons and a bunch of people we have development deals with. It's great. We've also got a new scripted series with Lauren Graham. It's great, it's gonna be really hot. It's like "Gilmore Girls" meets "Party of Five" meets "Arrested Development" with a bit of a "What I Like About You." It's hilarious! No, I haven't seen it, it's just a hilarious concept."

Great, eh? Who needs to actually, you know, produce an episode of a show to see if the concept works? Obviously, this decision isn't really about making good TV: it's about increasing corporate profits for ~~The Sheinhardt Wig Company~~ General Electric.

- Posted by Kate

Strike Update: Now We're Talking

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:53:14 GMT

Great news! The writers and producers are resuming negotiations! Talks start today...let's hope they wrap up quickly and well. Variety's Dave McNary is optimistic:

"Informal negotiations between WGA leaders and several moguls are set to start today with the goal of mimicking the process used by the Directors Guild of America to reach its deal last week -- laying the groundwork and sorting out potential deal breakers prior to going into formal bargaining."

- Posted by Kate

Studios Give Up On This Season...And Maybe Next Season

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 14:51:26 GMT

It seems that the WGA's Golden Globes power play was all for naught. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that four major television studios have canceled writers' contracts, as well as production and development agreements. This means that the current season is absolute toast and next season, well, it's not looking good:

"The move signals that development of next season's crop of new shows also could be in jeopardy because of the 2-month-old writers strike. Typically, January marks the start of pilot season when networks order new comedies and dramas. But with writers not working, networks do not have a pool of scripts from which to choose.

"20th Century Fox Television, CBS Paramount Network Television, NBC Universal and Warner Bros. Television each confirmed that they terminated development and production agreements. Such arrangements typically cost the studios $500,000 to $2 million a year per writer in order to pay them and their staffs and overhead while they develop ideas for new TV shows."

- Posted by Kate

Kucinich Loses Bid for Debate Inclusion

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 02:18:40 GMT

I'm watching the Democratic debate mainly because my curiosity got piqued after reading that Dennis Kucinich tried to get a court to allow him to be involved.

The congressman had won a lower-court victory that MSNBC breached a contract when it originally told him he could participate and then revoked the invite. But today the Nevada Supreme Court shut the door on that.

I can't really speak to the ins and outs of the legal issues involved in the case, but I do have to say I appreciate the outcome.

As badly as I feel for the Kucinich campaign, I think it would set a terrible precedent if a network couldn't retract an invite.

- posted by Raoul

Just How Do You End This Thing?

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:20:25 GMT

As the writers' strike drags on it gets harder to remember just what the issues are and how we got here in the first place. Mark Harris has published an interesting piece on the writers' strike over at EW.com. He argues that the strike could be settled in three days if the producers would quit worrying about winning at all costs. He's also critical of the WGA's strategy. He points out that stopping the Golden Globes might have been a bad move on the union's part:

"And knocking the Golden Globes off TV is a self-defeating move that sacrifices a potential big win for a guaranteed small one. Yes, it demonstrates that, with a major assist from the Screen Actors Guild, the writers can outmuscle the producers on the silliest possible battlefield. And yes, SAG's solidarity with the WGA has been impressive. But if the WGA had announced that it had no problem with actors going to pick up their little round trophies, there's a great possibility that one popular performer after another would stand up and urge the studios and networks to treat the writers fairly and make a deal — and 20 million people at home would hear that message. A very public shaming from within Hollywood's creative community would have been a spectacular PR weapon. The WGA tossed it away, and they may try to do the same thing with the Oscars, a decision that, as The New York Times' David Carr has astutely pointed out, amounts to little more than ''picking a fight with many of their natural allies.'' This is too much noise and effort put into something that's the equivalent of the Wyoming caucus when writers should be shouting the same message every single day: Pay us fairly."

- Posted by Kate

Hollywood's Writers Are Taking Back the Prom

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 18:51:38 GMT

NBC bigshot Ben Silverman has put his foot in it! Earlier this week he sniped about the cancellation of The Golden Globe Awards: "Sadly, it feels like the nerdiest, ugliest, meanest kids in the high school are trying to cancel the prom. But NBC wants to try to keep that prom alive."

Yikes! Keep in mind that this is the guy who lured Isaiah Washington to NBC after his curt dismissal from "Grey's Anatomy"...with an eagle talon cake.

Well, the nerdiest, ugliest, meanest kids in the high school are fighting back. They're throwing a prom in Silverman's honor!

"You may have slammed our head into a locker, taken our milk money and gotten to third base with our girlfriend while we were in band practice... but we don't hold a grudge and we certainly didn't try to cancel prom."

Benjamin Silverman High School's Winter Prom
When: Thursday - January 17th from 11AM - 2PM
Where: Benjamin Silverman High School (located at 3000 W. Alameda - often referred to as NBC Studios)
Dress: Prom Formal.

"Benjamin Silverman High School - Home of the Fighting Cocks since 1970"*

We're going to party like it's 1988!!

*As a fundraiser for the Industry Support Fund, we are working on printing Benjamin Silverman High School t-shirts. You know, "BS HS."

- Posted by Kate

TV (Strike) On the Radio

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 21:11:59 GMT

I think it's safe to say we're all a little sick of the writers' strike by now. Talks have broken off again, and we could be looking at months and months of reruns and second and third string reality fare.

NPR's "Studio 360" has a feature this week on the strike, and it's not just more of the same. Irreverent reporter "Fiona Chutney" talks to some of the striking writers as they head to a rally. She even asks one woman, Bridget, about her "strike boyfriend." Heh. These interviews were conducted before talks broke off late last week, so the writers are sounding pretty upbeat.

You can find out when "Studio 360" is airing on your local affiliate or download Fiona's segment as a podcast, on the NPR web site.

- Posted by Kate

Strike Update: No Deal

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:57:47 GMT

The WGA and AMPTP have been in talks all this week - and both sides agreed not to talk to the press. Even so, "word on the street" (blogs) was that negotiations weren't going so well. Yesterday the WGA rejected an offer from the AMPTP, which is definitely a setback for those of us in rerun hell.

It's possible that the proposal the WGA rejected yesterday was only "half" of what the AMPTP was prepared to offer and we could still see an end to this thing soon. Reporter Nikki Finke had this to say late last night:

"I'm told WGA negotiators are still waiting for the other "half" of the AMPTP's Day #4 new proposals (the half that presumably contains the missing terms on ESTs, electronic sell-throughs?) which agent Bryan Lourd said should be in their hands by Tuesday if not before. Then the writers will make a counter-offer to producers on Tuesday."

- Posted by Kate

Back to the Bargaining Table

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:52:37 GMT

I've got some good news about the strike, for a change. The WGA and the AMPTP have agreed to resume negotiations next Monday, November 26. There's no guarantee that the parties will be able to agree to terms, but the fact that they're sitting down together at all is a big deal:

"Now the Writers Guild of America has just issued a statement: "Leaders from the WGA and the AMPTP have mutually agreed to resume formal negotiations on November 26. No other details or press statements will be issued." The exact same statement was issued moments later by the Alliance Of Motion Picture And Television Producers, whose president Nick Counter earlier this week quietly dropped a demand that his side wouldn't go back into negotiations until the writers strike was stopped or at least suspended for a few days while talks proceeded. But tonight's statements from both sides indicate the strike continues."

Let's keep our fingers crossed.

- Posted by Kate

Who Needs Writers?

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 20:57:35 GMT

The writers from "The Office" tell you why they're on strike.

Want more? Well, Best Week Ever has posted a great video about what the fall season would look like without writers. Jackie Schnoop over at TV Squad has a ten step plan for coping with the strike:

"I recall the last writers strike. It was during that time that I wrote a really horrible horror novel to occupy my time outside of my day job. I'm not doing that again this time. I refuse to spend weeks writing dreck just because the television and film writers are on strike."

- Posted by Kate

Strike Update

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:57:14 GMT

Well, the writers' strike is starting to take its toll on Hollywood. The debut of "Cashmere Mafia" has been pushed back indefinitely. Conan, Dave, and Jay have gone into reruns. Shooting on "Cane" and "Desperate Housewives" was interrupted by protests. "The Office" has only managed to shoot a few scenes so far this week because Steve Carell and Rainn Wilson both called in "sick." Hey, good for them.

Right now it seems like actors and production crews are behind the striking writers. When protests disrupted filming on "Desperate Housewives," "[m]any on the production side raised their hands in support and at times appeared to encourage the striking writers and their supporters to yell louder." Many writer-producers, like Shonda Rhimes of "Grey's Anatomy," are refusing to work. Eva Longoria brought pizzas to the writers. Cobie Smulders and Alyson Hannigan from "How I Met Your Mother" joined picketers outside Fox studios.

Unfortunately, no one's saying this will be over quickly.

"'My gut tells me at this point that it's going to be a long strike," said Alan Brunswick, a former AMPTP staff counsel now with Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. 'Both sides at this point are too entrenched for it to end quickly. I want to be wrong about this one, but the two sides are so angry with each other that it's probably going to be awhile.'"

I hope he's wrong, too. I'll keep you posted as things develop.

- Posted by Kate

Tina and Seth, Reunited At Last!

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 20:16:22 GMT

On the picket line, that is. (Gothamist has art.) Tina Fey of "30 Rock" and Seth Myers of "SNL" are out picketing with the WGA. John Oliver from "The Daily Show" is out there too, and there's a rumor that the boss man could be joining him shortly.

Portfolio has a cool story about Jon Stewart paying everybody from "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" for the first two weeks of the strike. It's a little unclear if this is true or just has elements of truthiness - a Comedy Central rep is denying the story.

- Posted by Kate

Will 'Corporate' Join the Strike?

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 14:48:12 GMT

Variety has an interesting story about possible double team players in the Writers' Guild of America strike. "The Office," for example, has several writer-actors: B.J. Novak (Ryan), Mindy Kaling (Kelly), and Paul Lieberstein (Toby). All three have are writers on the show, and members of the WGA - but NBC expects them to show up to work today. Well, we know what B.J's character Ryan would do.

TV shows can obviously carry on with scripts they already have, but they need their actors, you know? The story also talks about the dilemma of so-called showrunners (writer-producers), who are expected to magically take the place of an entire team of writers. Doesn't that sound fun? Like I said on Friday, let's hope this gets resolved soon.

- Posted by Kate

The Strike Is On

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 13:43:50 GMT

Well, guys, Hollywood's writers are off the job as of Monday. The strike was announced at a WGA meeting in Los Angeles yesterday afternoon. Writers will be picketing the studios where they work and there will be no new scripts until everybody can play nice.

At this point the strike is a bigger deal for the thousands of people employed - directly or indirectly - in the television industry than the millions of us watching at home. Still, if it drags out long enough everybody will feel the pinch. It could even change the landscape of TV programming - again. The New York Times argues that the rise of reality television can be traced back to the Hollywood writers' strike of 1988:

"Much about entertainment changed because of the earlier strike. Reality television began to flourish, their cheaper production costs and decent ratings appealing to both broadcast and cable networks. And a booming market in so-called 'spec' scripts — presumably fed by work written at home during the walk-out — followed the strike.

"Too, writers were forbidden that year even to write for the Oscar broadcast, leaving presenters to quip for themselves. And it could happen again, for the 80th Academy Awards this coming February.

"'People who complain about the humor on awards shows should wait to see what they’re like without writers,' said Bruce Vilanch, the longtime gag writer, Oscars contributor, and, soon, a striking guild member.'"

Let's hope this strike ends quickly.

- Posted by Kate

Hollywood Writers May Walk Out This Friday

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 20:39:45 GMT

Well, it's Halloween and the contract between the Writers' Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) turns into a pumpkin come midnight. Negotiations are happening right now, and if the parties can't come to an agreement then TV writers could start picketing studios as early as Friday. This info comes from a Los Angeles journalist currently running a blog centered around the negotiations:

"Tonight, I obtained an email from one of the strike captains informing members, 'We were told, "It looks like we are going to have to strike.'"Basically we are at a standstill. Rumors suggest that the AMPTP is internally divided. The WGA asked to negotiate over the weekend. The AMPTP refused that.'

"On Thursday, the WGA is holding a large general membership meeting at the LA Convention Center, West Hall "B", at 7:00 pm where it will be announced if the negotiating team is calling a strike or not at 12:01 am."

Pretty serious stuff! The big issue in negotiations is so-called "new media rights." Who gets the big bucks for webisodes? The revenue split from DVD sales is also an issue on the table.

If the writers do strike, late-night talk shows would initially be the hardest hit. "The Colbert Report," "Late Night with David Letterman," and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" all use lots of union joke and sketch writers. Primetime comedies and dramas have been stocking up on scripts this fall, so we wouldn't move into rerun territory right away. The last WGA strike lasted an alarming 22 weeks! If this strike goes on even half that long we'll all be stuck watching reruns, reality shows, and The Weather Channel.

- Posted by Kate

New Ratings Mean More Waiting

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 13:50:56 GMT

This fall there's a new ratings system in place for TV shows. For the first time, networks (and advertisers!) are thinking about the fact that a lot of us might TiVo a show on Monday and not get around to watching it until Wednesday.

Overnight ratings are still important, but the "real" ratings for a show can take a long time to come to light:

"'We now have to wait 15 days for time-shifted data and 21 days for commercial plus three days of DVR viewing. And that’s if there are no processing delays at Nielsen — a very big if,' said Steve Sternberg, the senior vice president for Magna Global, a media agency of the Interpublic Group of Companies."

It's worth waiting, however, since 20 percent of American households own at least one DVR. Let's just hope the Nielsen people and the advertising people don't put their heads together to figure out how to get around the 30 second skip button anytime soon.

- Posted by Kate

Dan Rather Sues CBS

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 22:11:35 GMT

Now comes news that Dan Rather is suing CBS for $70 million over the whole "Memogate" debacle that ultimately led to his resignation.

He maintains that CBS essentially scapegoated him and went back on some of its promises in the case.

Part of me wants to say, "Dude, let it go." I know it probably sucks to be at HD Net compared to working for a big muckety-muck network. And yeah, nothing's more precious to someone than one's reputation. But from all indications, the report was flawed and should have been vetted better. Take some responsibility, man.

But if his allegations are true, it seems to me that he should get his day in court.

I was hoping the Smoking Gun would have a copy of the complaint to see if there were more details, but no luck as of now.

But if you want to see Dan make his own case, he's scheduled to be a guest on "Larry King Live" tomorrow.

- posted by Raoul

Americans Are Unhappy With TV

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 13:44:57 GMT

The Associated Press has the results of a poll about Americans and television. A whopping 62% of those polled say that TV programs are getting worse. And that's not all:

"Midwesterners are most likely to think TV shows are getting worse, the poll found. And a startling 85% of white evangelical Christians who attend church at least once a week said TV is going downhill.

"The poll found 71% of Americans believe there are too many reality shows on television, but that's actually an improvement from the 80% who said the same thing in an AP-TV Guide poll in 2005. And here's a caution for CBS: 9% of respondents spontaneously mentioned "Survivor" as the program they'd most like to see canceled.

"'I'm not entertained by watching people eat spiders,' said Jeanie Peterson, 59, of New Orleans."

- Posted by Kate

President Bush to Address the Nation Thursday

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:28:33 GMT

So President Bush is going to give a prime-time address Thursday in which he will say what we all know he'll say: Gen. Petraeus has shown us the way and we should go forward with his plan to maybe possibly begin withdrawing troops only after the surge is given more time to succeed.

I can appreciate that the president is due deference. But whether it's him, Hilary or whoever in office, I really think the live address for non-news events on all major channels is a relic that broadcasters should do away with.

It made sense when essentially there were only three national channels.

But now that there's roughly a gazillion, why should we be deprived of "The Office" or "Ugly Betty" just because the president is going to engage in some mostly empty rhetoric? Call me superficial, but I don't think we need that any more.

I hope one of the major broadcasters sees this eventually and is bold enough to take the plunge of airing its originally scheduled programming.

- posted by Raoul

To Catch a Predator Catcher

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 14:00:28 GMT

Tonight's episode of "20/20" will dig deep into a "Dateline: To Catch a Predator" sting run in a small town in Texas. Charges against 23 men who were called out as internet predators by "Dateline" were dropped by the district attorney's office of Murphy, Texas. "20/20" wants to know why. Investigative reporter Brian Ross - who once worked for "Dateline" himself - lays out the story in a preview video on the ABC News web site. ("A Sting Gone Bad") It seems that the sting might have more fairly been called a setup.

- Posted by Kate

What Should Networks Do about a New Bin Laden Video?

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 03:02:02 GMT

Now there's news that al Qaeda plans to release an Osama bin Laden video to coincide with the 9/11 anniversary.

This of course makes us have to revisit the dilemma: If you're a news organization, what do you do about that?

I can see the argument that airing it gives terrorists propaganda.

But at the end of the day, isn't it the mission to distribute the news without fear or favor? And even if it's just a madman's ranting on the tape, isn't that still news? I think that's particularly true if it establishes one way or another if bin Laden is alive or not.

It'll be interesting to see if the tape does surface, and if so, what the networks do about it.

How do you think they should handle it?

- posted by Raoul

To Catch a Reporter

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 19:12:43 GMT

"Dateline NBC" got a little taste of its own medicine over the weekend. One of its reporters tried to go undercover at a hacking convention, even though she was offered the chance to cover it with a press pass. The organizers called her out, and she left with hackers acting like paparazzi. The video is embedded below.

Naturally, I feel somewhat bad for the actual NBC employee who had to endure that humiliating treatment. She was just trying to do a job.

But really, the organization brought it on itself.

First of all, sending a cute woman to go undercover at a convention of computer geeks -- hello, McFly? Think she's NOT going to stick out like a sore thumb?

But more seriously, there's the problem of NBC trying to go for the sizzle instead of the steak. I'm sure there's lots of stuff that went down at the conference that would have been interesting to a lay audience. But rather than cover it straight up, NBC thought it would be better to try to catch random moments of people being off-guard in some sort of expose.

The Society of Professional Journalists says in its code of ethics that news organizations should "Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public. Use of such methods should be explained as part of the story." By and large, I think we'd be better served if more journalism organizations took that to heart.

- posted by Raoul

From One ‘K’ Name to Another

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 20:04:45 GMT

Some of you loyal MSN TV Blog readers may have already noticed that Kim, one of this site’s original bloggers, has recently departed. And while we’re sad to see her go, we’re thrilled to have Kate starting this week. Blogging from New York City, Kate will be contributing to the site daily, alongside Raoul, making sure you’re informed and (hopefully) entertained about all that goes on in TV land. We’ll let Kate give her own introduction, since, well, she likely knows herself a lot better than we do, but please welcome her to the site, and we’re sure you’ll enjoy reading her posts as much as we have.

-- MSN TV Editor

Michael Moore vs. CNN

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 15:35:03 GMT

Michael Moore takes on Wolf Blitzer in this lengthy clip that's very interesting viewing.

Moore argues a lot about how CNN didn't do its job looking into administration claims about Iraq, about several of the facts in the report about his new film, and about how CNN is funded by pharmaceutical companies. (He later posted his list of alleged factual errors in the CNN report)

Blitzer maintains his cool despite Moore's antagonism but doesn't really address any of his questions/claims other than to defend reporter Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

I'm not sure who comes off better in the segment. You be the judge.

- posted by Raoul

Channel Surfing--June 28, 2007

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 15:01:29 GMT

Random happenings in TV land today …

- CBS has introduced the cast for next week's "Big Brother" premiere and the new twist: There will be some bitter enemies in the cast, along with a new feature that lets viewers dictate challenges to the houseguests, who'll get money if they complete the tasks. They really are like hamsters running on a treadmill now.

- "Veronica Mars" star Jason Dohring has landed a new gig for next season with a role on the CBS vampire PI series "Moonlight."

- "The 4400" star Billy Campbell wants to be on "Battlestar Galactica" so badly he's reportedly offered to work for free.

- Wanna have dinner with Joss Whedon? Prepare to make a hefty bid.

- And VH1 is planning a reality version of "Ugly Betty" called "America the Ugly." Nice. That'll do wonderful things for the collective self esteem of American women.

- posted by Kim

Channel Surfing--June 27, 2007

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:37:01 GMT

Random happenings in TV land today …

- "X-Men: The Last Stand" writer Zak Penn is, well, penning, a new hour-long TV drama, which promises to be very watchable.

- The BBC has landed a TV interview with scandal-plagued music producing legend Phil Spector.

- A new installment of VH1's the "World Series of Pop Culture" debuts on July 9, but the show's Website is live now, and features lots of cool trivia goodies.

- I seemed to be the only one who thought former "Dawson's Creek" star Josh Jackson would make a good big-screen Fletch. But here's one I think we'll all agree on: The latest rumored "Fletch": "The Office" star John Krasinski.

- Rosie O'Donnell and Portia di Rossi are headed to the new season of "Nip/Tuck."

- Speaking of Rosie, I get what she's trying to do here, but putting ammo on her young daughter to make a stupid political point might just be the sign that she's tipped over into cuckoo land, no?

- Wow, young people really are fleeing the tube: A new study shows that, for the first time, all of the four major networks have a median age of 40 or above for viewers.

- And those of you who are coveting the new iPhone, tune into G4's "Free Stuff" show Friday night at 10 p.m. (ET), for a chance to win one of 12 iPhones.

- posted by Kim

Channel Surfing--June 22, 2007

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 15:18:16 GMT

Random happenings in TV land today …

- NBC is reportedly the front runner to nab a post-jail interview with Paris Hilton. Poor Matt Lauer.

- The British series "Balls of Steel" was headed to U.S. airwaves, but may be held up by insurance issues. It's the show most famous for that water-squirting incident with Tom Cruise.

- Will "24" feature a female president next season? That's the rumor, along with other rumors that suggest Kiefer Sutherland and Mary Lynn Rajskub will be the only returning cast members, that CTU won't be part of the action at all, and that the show may be set in New York City or Washington, D.C.

- "Grey's Anatomy" star Katherine Heigl is launching her own line of designer hospital scrubs.

- "Buffy's" James Marsters will guest star on the "Doctor Who" spin-off "Torchwood."

- "Sex and the City" sidekick Mario Cantone is reportedly the newest contender to replace Rosie O'Donnell on "The View." Methinks people would quickly come to the conclusion that he's not someone they want to see on a daily basis. That voice of his … he can be very funny, but a little goes a long way.

- And it's about time: Stan Lee is getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

- posted by Kim

Channel Surfing--June 20, 2007

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 14:15:56 GMT

Random happenings in TV land today …

- The Dunder Mifflin staffers are coming to a PC, PSP or Nintendo DS near you this fall, as "The Office" becomes a videogame.

- Donald Trump on MTV? Is this the official sign that the network is no longer the place for cool kids?

- "Apocalypse Now" writer John Milius will pen a new Vietnam miniseries for AMC.

- BET's going into the late-night biz with a hybrid game show/talk show.

- "Cupid" star Paula Marshall will play Sean's new love interest on the upcoming fifth season of "Nip/Tuck," which began filming on Monday. As last season's finale set up, the action will now take place in Los Angeles.

- The producers weren't kidding about the plethora of new "Heroes'" cast members for next season. "Alias" baddie Julian Sark, a.k.a. David Anders, is among the new faces we'll see regularly in season two.

- If you're in New York this week and happen to have a fondness for the décor of "The Sopranos" sets, you might just be able to buy a few mementos.

- No surprise: Elisabeth Hasselbeck says she and former co-host Rosie O'Donnell are not exactly buddies these days.

- Is Jon Stewart headed to NBC? If so, does that mean Conan is out? Does the network really want to keep lame Leno around and oust Conan? Looks like there's another potentially explosive Letterman/Leno-ish late-night drama in the works. Hey, at least it might make for another great Bill Carter book/HBO movie.

- And, here's Cracked.com's list of the top 10 best '30 Rock' moments from season one. Not the ones I'd probably pick, but 10 very funny moments nonetheless.

- posted by Kim