When Search & Rescue goes to air on Global in March, the show's producers are hoping to draw an audience away from the US competition.

Executive producer and creator Raymond Storey says he was approached by the production company, Halifax Film, three and a half years ago with the concept - a drama about four members of the Coast Guard.

"They wanted a series that could go head-to-head with the U.S. competition, and they presented me with an article on the Coast Guard, which I knew nothing about," he says.

The $20 million primetime series has been shooting in Squamish since September and is being co-produced by Steve Hegyes and Shawn Williamson of Brightlight Pictures and Halifax Film's Charles Bishop and Michael Donovan.

Full Story at Playback Magazine

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 2:00 PM | Permalink

Variety reports that Glen Morgan, best known for his work on "The X-Files," is departing NBC's new show, "Bionic Woman," effective immediately. The trade says "creative differences" are the cause of the departure.

David Eick remains in place as showrunner and will assume all responsibility for day-to-day production of the series, working with executive producer Jason Smilovic.

NBC issued a statement thanking Morgan for his contributions to establishing a template for "Bionic" and said it was looking forward to the show debuting later this month as scheduled.

Variety adds that insiders believe it's possible the show--which is now in production on its fifth episode--might take a break for a while in order to give the writers a chance to focus on refining the show's directions. "Grey's Anatomy" and "Brothers & Sisters" did the same thing and ended up becoming big hits.

Posted by Michael Seidelman at 11:49 PM | Permalink

Analyzing clues throughout it's final season, fans of The Sopranos are suggesting the controversial blackout at the end of The Sopranos meant that Tony Soprano was whacked. HBO says, they may be on to to something.

One clue in particular is a flashback where Tony and his brother-in-law Bobby Bacaka talk about what it's like to die. "You probably don't even hear it when it happens," Bobby says while they sit fishing in a small boat on a lake.

David Chase says that it was a "legitimate" clue and that he had a definite ending in mind. Many speculated that Chase had shot three endings.

The jarring, cut-to-black ending sparked debate amongst viewers and critics about whether David Chase had even conceived of an actual ending and if he had left the audience with any clues.

Full Story (Reuters)

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 2:23 PM | Permalink

When the US TV networks reveal their fall schedules next week, viewers can expect few, if any, serialized dramas on television.

Only a handful of shows (i.e. Heroes, Friday Night Lights) have survived like their predecessors of 24, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy and Lost. But, the rest have disappeared, never to be heard from again. Most of which were cancelled mid-season.

So what went wrong?

First, there were too many shows chasing too few viewers. Viewers are also pressed for time. Serialized dramas as a lot of viewers' time and if you miss an episode, you're lost. (No pun intended)

But one of the biggest reasons is that serialized dramas, like 24, don't do well in reruns. Closed-ended episodic series like House and CSI do very well. Most of the studios' profits come from reruns and syndication sales. The license fee for first-run episodes aren't usually enough to cover the cost of production.

One advantage to serialized dramas, however, is that when it becomes a hit, viewers get addicted. It's appointment television that can't be missed. In an age where appointment-based programming is slowly on it's way out, conventional broadcasters welcome it.

Full Story (Vancouver Sun)

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 1:42 PM | Permalink

CBC series Little Mosque On The Prairie has signed a deal with French broadcasting giant, Canal Plus to distribute the show. It is the first international distribution deal for the show, about Muslims living in a small Canadian prairie town.

The show will get it's debut in France in July as well as French-speaking regions of Switzerland and Africa. While Canal Plus is a pay channel, the broadcaster plans to unscramble the show in order to attract more viewers due to racial tentions have surfaced in France over the past few years.

Mary Darling, of Westwind Pictures, the Toronto-based company that produces Little Mosque On The Prairie, says when international buyers view the show, they compliment it for it's success in breaking down cultural stereotypes.

On The Web:
Canal Plus Website (French)

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 10:58 AM | Permalink

ABC announced Monday that is has renewed the addictive hit series Lost until May 2010, where the show will end.

There is a catch for fans of the show however. The next three seasons will be shortened to 16 episodes, beginning next February and it will air over consecutive weeks, no reruns.

This may be a problem for the show's Canadian carrier, CTV, however. Lost's season premiere in February 2010 will coincide with the network's coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics. In all likelyhood, CTV will probably air a marathon of the first three episodes after The Games. ABC will air it against NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics as well.

This is the first time a network announced the end of a top-rated series so far in advance.

Full Story (Baltimore Sun)

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 10:47 AM | Permalink

Canadian specialty, pay, pay-per-view and video-on-demand TV services experienced their highest revenue growth in 2006 than it has in the last 5 years. This according to a report released Wednesday by the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC); Canada's broadcasting regulatory body.

A quick breakdown of the numbers:

Total revenues: $2.5 billion (up 12.5% from 2005)
including
Local advertising: $48 million
National advertising: $834 million
Other revenues: $35 million

$2 billion was earned by the 136 specialty TV services.
$482 million earned by pay TV, pay-per-view and video-on-demand

Total spending on Canadian programming: $880.6 million
News: $149 million
Sports: $221.2 million
Other information programming: $211.6 million
Drama: $162.3 million
Music and variety: $41.1 million
General interest: $61.1 million

These services spent nearly $300 million to acquire Canadian programs from independent producers.

Full Story (Playback Magazine)
Link to the CRTC report (CRTC Website; pdf)

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 9:42 AM | Permalink

After only two seasons, the Global/ABC Family series Falcon Beach has been cancelled due to decisions by both it's Canadian and US broadcasters to pull the plug.

The show's production team at Insight Productions tried shopping it around to other Canadian broadcasters after Global Television pulled it from it's lineup because it wasn't reaching a broad enough audience. But late last week, ABC Family dropped it saying it was strong in the 12 to 17 audience but failed to attract older viewers in the 12 to 49 demographic.

On the other hand, the show has been a success for it's international distibutor FremantleMedia. It has been picked up in 115 territories including the UK, Australia and France.

Full Story (Playback Magazine)

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 2:01 PM | Permalink

Onstage at the National Association of Broacasters (NAB) convention, in Las Vegas this week, Google CEO Eric Schmidt was asked by former NBC Nightly News anchor John Seigenthaler whether the rise of his company meant the decline of conventional TV.

"Google will not replace radio and television," was Schmidt's quick response. But when the suggestion that there is a limited ad revenue base for electronic media, he added "The trick is -- whatever business you're in -- to use the best targeting."

Getting to really know your viewers seems to be the theme at this week's convention.

Sling Media CEO and president Blake Kerkorian declared that "appointment-based viewing is dead." Some broadcasters reluctantly agree with Kerkorian. But some, like Capitol Broadcasting CEO Jim Goodmon, don't believe the "Sling Box model is appropriate or legal." (The Slingbox is a device which allows a user to access their cable or satellite connection at home, via the internet, in any part of the world.)

Google CEO Eric Schmidt has said in the past "Don't bet against the Internet." Some broadcasters seem to be doing just that.

Schmidt answered, "[The Internet] is as big a possible land grab as enjoyed by the founders of television." He then added "But the new model of broadcasting will have to address user empowerment."

Full Story (Playback Magazine)

On the web:
National Association of Broadcasters website
Sling Media

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 2:33 PM | Permalink

Maria Topalovich, the president and CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television has decided she will step down at the end of April.

Topalovich, whose accomplishments include helping to launch the Genies and the Geminis, in 1980 and 1986 respectively, will not renew her contract when it expires at the end of the month.

"I feel the time is right to pursue my own personal goals," Topalovich, who has been with the Academy for 30-plus years, said in a statement.

Paul Gratton, the Academy chair and Quebec chair Charles Ohayon and founding chair Ron Cohen are beginning their search for a replacement. In the meantime, Gratton will serve in Topalovich's place.

Full Story (CBC)

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 3:21 PM | Permalink

A new TV version of the classic comic strip adventure Flash Gordon is set to start filming in Vancouver next month and starring in the lead role is Canadian actor, Eric Johnson (Smallville).

The new series promises to update the story of Flash Gordon, who travels in a home-made space ship fighting evil. The original comic book hero was drawn in 1934 by Alex Raymond and has been featured in many newspapers, radio plays, and films.

The series will debut on the SciFi channel in the US in August. Matthew O'Connor, Peter Hume and Tom Rowe will executive produce.

Full Story (BBC)

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 3:10 PM | Permalink

Britain's PACT, the Producers' Alliance for Cinema and TV, says British TV earned £593 million ($1.34 billion CDN) in 2006, up 20% from 2005.

Hits like Doctor Who, BBC's Strictly Come Dancing (US title: Dancing With The Stars), Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and Shaun the Sheep are among the top-selling shows.

Europe was the top buyer of UK TV accounting for £125 million ($283 million CDN), compared with the 30% jump to £77 million ($174 million CDN) the United States bought.

Sales to Eastern Europe were up 42%, the bigger increase, thanks to new TV channels and a history of British TV being popular in that part of the world.

PACT says that a renewed interest in studio-based programs and gameshows are responsible for the increases.

Full Story (BBC)

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 2:55 PM | Permalink

Business news network, CNBC, is said to be developing an animated series based on the comic strip CEO Dad, which might become a half-hour series on the the network this fall.

The network will likely air five one-minute shorts cut from the pilot based on the cartoon strip written by LA executive recruiter Tom Stern. A 30 minute series could follow, but nothing official has been announced.

CEO Dad is about the chief executive of a Styrofoam peanut manufacturer, Frank Pitt, who tries to balance work life and home life with his wife, Chloe, 10-year-old son J.D., 7-year-old daughter Grace and dog Taylor. His family believes he's more focused on work than home life.

"CEO Dad is the kind of man whose prenup has a noncompete clause," Stern said. "The irony of the situation is that his family is everything he hopes and dreams it would be if he weren't in it."

Sources say Bob Balaban will likely executive produce and direct. Stern and Matt Goldman would get the creator/executive producer/writers credits. CNBC declined comment Tuesday.

On The Web:
Full Story in The Hollywood Reporter
"CEO Dad" Website

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 12:02 PM | Permalink

CBC series Little Mosque On The Prairie ended it's first season on a high note with 1.2 million viewers. Still a far cry from it's debut at 2.2 million. But a ratings success by Canadian TV standards nontheless.

While a second season hasn't been green-lit by CBC, the show's producers have lured away Corner Gas writers Paul Mather and Rob Sheridan. The network says that "discussions are ongoing."

Meanwhile, Corner Gas aired it's much anticipated season finale Monday night. They were poised to deliver their 69th consecutive episode with the season-ender "Out of Gas," in which Brent (Brent Butt) closes his gas station and Lacey (Gabrielle Miller) moves back to Toronto.

CTV is to announce this week whether Corner Gas will be renewed for another season. The show has emerged as the most successful comedy (American or Canadian) on Canadian TV since it's debut in 2004.

On The Web:
More in Playback Magazine
'Little Mosque' Website
'Corner Gas' Website

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 2:43 PM | Permalink

Reality TV producer Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice) and legendary film director Steven Spielberg have joined forces on a new Fox/CTV reality series airing this spring.

The show, where 16 directors will compete for a seven-figure development deal at DreamWorks, is accepting applications from both US and Canadian filmmakers until Feb 16. After that, the producers will hold invitation-only casting calls.

Casting will take place in Toronto in March. Applicants from Western Canada will be sent to Seattle.

"Canadians have a great track record of competing with the best from around the world, both on reality TV and otherwise," said Burnett in a statement. "We look forward to seeing what Canada has to offer."

CTV is the first foreign network to pick up the series and announced the deal on the floor at NATPE in Las Vegas.

The host and judges for the show have not been announced. The show is produced by Mark Burnett Productions, DreamWorks Television and Amblin Television.

More in Playback Magazine
Details of how to enter at the On The Lot website

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 1:51 PM | Permalink

A continuing feud between IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees - representing film and theatre technical crews) and the Writers Guild of America has heated up dramatically. On Tuesday, IATSE president Thomas Short accused the writer's union of "irresponsibility and incompetence" for backing out of early producer negotiations for a new film and TV contract.

WGA president Patric Verrone and executive director David Young cancelled early talks aimed at settling a new contract between writers and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers before September. The current contract expires on October 31, 2007.

"The fact that the WGA backed out of their own proposed talks shows their complete and utter disregard for the vast majority of motion picture and television workers in the entertainment industry," Short said. "A small faction inside the WGA is determined to undermine the health and welfare of an entire industry."

Short warned if a contract was not settled upon by September, as planned by the WGA, it would lead to an actual strike in Hollywood effecting 100,000 IATSE members.

Nick Counter, lead negotiator for the producers union, said that the WGA's resistance to early talks on a film and TV contract could prompt studio and network execs to act as if a "de facto strike" were in effect and begin to slow production almost immediately.

The WGA president sent an e-mail to WGA members this week calling Counter's 'de facto strike' talk as rhetoric and underscored his intent to delivering a new contract without a shut down. On Tuesday, the Writers' Guild responded to the Short statement from earlier in the day.

"The 'de facto strike' threat is a boogeyman conjured up by the AMPTP to try to intimidate Hollywood unions into giving up their most effective leverage," WGAW exec director David Young said. "It is unfortunate that president Short has joined with the AMPTP in using this scare tactic.

The flare-up is related to an ongoing debate over the jurisdiction of reality TV writer jobs. WGA has been campaigning to unionize reality "storytellers" because of the grueling work hours and lack of benefits from producers of reality TV.

Several months ago, the writers for "America's Next Top Model" went on strike for better working conditions only to be fired by the show's producers. The two unions are waiting for a decision by the National Labor Relations Board to determine if the fired writers should be represented by IATSE or the WGA.

On Monday, technical crew members of "America's Next Top Model" voted by secret ballot to be represented by IATSE. The union is now negotiating their first contract.

There's more to this story in The Hollywood Reporter

On The Web:
IATSE International Website
WGA West Website
AMPTP Website

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 2:31 PM | Permalink

In the tradition of Not Necessarily The News, This Hour Has 22 Minutes and the very popular Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Fox News Channel may air it's own fake news show.

Originally pitched to the Fox Network, but rejected, it caught the attention of Fox News Channel Chief Roger Ailes.

"I showed it to Roger, and he really liked it and thought it could work on Fox News if we could make it conform to some of the restraints" of a cable news channel, EP Joel Surnow (of "24" fame) says. He says it's a "satirical news format" that would "tip more right as 'The Daily Show' tips left."

FNC may air two episodes of the show in January with the possibility of being picked up as a regular series on Saturday nights.

More from Reuters

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 9:04 AM | Permalink

ABC has won the bidding war with Fox for a new comedy series from executive producers Joel Surnow, Howard Gordon and Bob Cochran. The Call is a half-hour comedy centred around some paramedics and their friends and will have plotlines that take place in real time.

Kitchen Confidential creator and American Dad writer, Dave Hemingson, is slated to pen the pilot scheduled to air in the fall of 2007.

On The Web:
CBC.ca

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 7:42 AM | Permalink

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron's Storyline Entertainment has inked four new cable and broadcast TV projects in an overall deal with Touchstone Television.

US cable network Lifetime has ordered a script for a drama inspired by the life of songwriter Diane Warren. She is known for writing hit songs like Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me," Aerosmith's "You Don't Want To Miss A Thing," and "Unbreak My Heart" by Toni Braxton.

The hour-long project centers on a fictional female songwriter in the midst of trying to start her fledgling career and has to deal with her large, overbearing and dysfunctional family. It will also feature a lot of Warren's music.

Other projects Storyline has picked up include "The Box." A one-hour ABC drama that focuses on a legal case that takes place over the course of a season.

NBC has ordered a pilot for "The Family Game." A half-hour, single camera sitcom from British scribe Alex Spiro. It's centred around a fortysomething man who, after being fired from his respectable job, discovers that by taking his life in a new direction, he has a newfound freedom that begins to cause huge problems with his well-bred wife and conservative family.

Storyline is also developing a variety show pilot for ABC Family. It's described as "a unique and new approach for a variety series for a new generation."

On The Web:

More in The Hollywood Reporter

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 7:43 AM | Permalink

After widespread rumours of cancellation, NBC has ordered a full season of "Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip."

The future of the Aaron Sorkin-created show has been in doubt due to it's low ratings and talk on the internet that the cast had no faith in the show. However, the network decided to order the remainder of the season. But, at a lower licensing fee than what was negotiated for the first 13 episodes which was reported at $2.5 to 3 million per episode.

Airing behind the breakout new hit "Heroes," "Studio 60" looked promising from the start. But ratings fell quickly. Last week's episode averaged 7.7 million viewers overall and finished third in the hour.

NBC temporarily took "Studio 60" off its 10pm Monday slot last week to try out another critically acclaimed but low-rated new drama, "Friday Night Lights."

"I've never wavered in my belief in the show," NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly said. "With the talent we have in front and behind the camera and with the direction Aaron is taking the relationships, I think the show's passionate core audience will be excited, and the other viewers who sampled it can be won over."

Reilly wouldn't speculate on whether "Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip" will remain in its Monday berth. He said the network is looking at several possible scheduling moves, with a new midseason schedule set to be announced next week. A schedule that is said to be less focused on scripted dramas in favour of game shows and reality TV.

"Studio 60" airs in Canada on Sunday nights at 10pm on CTV.

On The Web:

More at Yahoo! News

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 4:44 PM | Permalink

The latest canceled show to hit the web is "Smith", which was canceled by CBS last month with four episodes yet to air. Fans of the show -- few though they may have been -- will be able to watch those four, as well as the three episodes that did air, for free (with commercials) on CBS's Innertube website or download them (without commercials) for $1.99 at Apple's iTunes Music Store.

I like this new trend. At least it gives the fans of canceled shows a way to see the "lost" episodes. I wish they did this when Fox canceled "Reunion."

Posted by Michael Seidelman at 10:03 PM | Permalink

NBC has found a novel solution to the problem of what to do about a serialized TV drama that has attracted millions of fans -- but not enough millions to justify keeping it on the air. That has been the case of the critically praised Kidnapped, which failed to capture a significant audience when it was launched on Wednesday nights against strong competition. When the network moved it to Saturday night, the lowest-rated night of the week, the audience slumped even further -- especially since many potential viewers had not been able to follow the serialized plot. The program has now been yanked from the network altogether. But so as not to upset the remaining fans of the series, NBC has decided to air the final eight episodes of Kidnapped on the Internet, on NBC.com, following the November sweeps.

Story From the Internet Movie Database

Posted by Michael Seidelman at 9:38 PM | Permalink

WGA West members rallied in LA's Pan Pacific Park in an effort to drive home the message to reality TV producers that the guild plans to organize reality TV writers.

Reality writer-producers have considered unionizing in recent months because of long work hours, no benefits and lower non-union wages. Networks have generally been apathetic to their cause.

Among those addressing the crowd in the park, Marc Cherry ("Desperate Housewives") and Shawn Ryan ("The Shield").

"The truth of quote-unquote reality shows is that some of them require people to write them," Cherry told a reporter. "I know the networks would like to avoid that reality because it costs them money. But to me, it's just a simple matter of fairness."

The rally eventually moved to CBS' nearby LA headquarters where the march represented a demand for support for organizing "America's Next Top Model." Twelve of the show's writer-producers have been on strike as of late and Wednesday was the season premiere of the reality show on the CW network - co-owned by CBS and Warner.

Many industry insiders suggest that the WGA and other guilds are intensifying organizing efforts of reality shows to keep the networks from using cheaper reality programming to fill primetime schedules during a strike. The current WGA film and TV contract expires in October 2007 and the SAG and DGA pacts are up for negotiation the following year.

But management-side sources say that any aggressive campaign to organize reality show employees would be futile as networks have embraces reality TV largely because of it's lower production costs.

Read the FULL STORY in The Hollywood Reporter

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 11:02 AM | Permalink

Two weeks after their master tapes were stolen in Hungary, producers of the BBC mini-series "Robin Hood" say they have been located by police.

Hungarian Police say two suspects were arrested Friday.

The production company, Tiger Aspect, which leased a film studio in the town of Flot, near Budapest, said it was "delighted." But, they would not comment further on the Hungarian investigation.

The company said in a statement, "Obviously investigations are not complete and therefore we do not wish to make any further comment about an ongoing Hungarian enquiry."

The BBC described the news as "very positive."

Filmed in HD and the £8 million ($17 million) budget partly funded by BBC America, stars Irish-born actor Jonas Armstrong. The 13-part drama will be screened on Saturday evenings on the BBC starting in October. At it's launch in London, the show's stars revealed they had been reshooting scenes on location.

On The Web:
Full Story on the BBC News site

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 3:48 AM | Permalink

"South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone gave a master class at the Edinburgh TV Festival this week describing their weekly routine when producing episodes of their hit TV show.

"It's changed somewhat, but what's remained constant is that we write, direct and produce every single episode and do all the voices."

They went on to say that each episode is dreamed up the week leading up to the show's Wednesday night broadcast. It usually starts with a brainstorm session Thursday night and by the following Wednesday morning they sometimes don't even have an ending.

"A week before the show airs, we don't even know what the show is going to be - which is cool because we can do exactly what is happening that week. It's also really stressful. It keeps it exciting."

On the web:
More secrets on the BBC Website

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 12:10 PM | Permalink

The website MySpace.com has given Earl of "My Name Is Earl" his own space. Through a collaboration with 20th Century Fox Television serves to anchor a collection of sneak previews, merchandising and community activities. Through Sept. 5, MySpace users can log onto the social networking site and submit their photo on a special "My Name Is Earl" profile page. Each week, five photos will be selected at random to be featured on the page. Then for three straight weeks, one MySpace winner will appear in executive producer Greg Garcia's production company logo, fittingly dubbed "Amigos de Garcia" (Friends of Garcia). The first winner will appear on the show's season premiere Sept. 21.

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 5:29 PM | Permalink

Accompanied by dozens of supporters, the 12 writer-producers on the hit reality series "America's Next Top Model" have gone on strike to protest executive producer Ken Mok's refusal to let them sign with the WGA West and be represented by the union in a collective bargaining negotiation. The staffers on the modeling competition hosted and executive produced by Tyra Banks marched Friday morning in front of the show's production offices in West Los Angeles. They wore red T-shirts with the WGA logo and carried signs with such slogans as "Top Model means top $. Top Model writers don't have health care," "Reality needs a rewrite" and "Tyra is union. Why not me?" At a rally on the picket line, the show's writers received support from WGA West interim executive director David Young, SAG president Alan Rosenberg, California Assemblyman Paul Koretz, WGA West board member Phil Alden Robinson and a representative of the janitors working at Hollywood studios who also are trying to get unionized.

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 5:23 PM | Permalink

In what amounts to the first case of the video website YouTube.com's resuscitating a canceled TV series, NBC is expected to announce today (Friday) that it will resurrect Nobody's Watching, which was canceled last year by The WB. Two weeks ago, the New York Times reported that a copy of the pilot had been downloaded more than 300,000 times since it was posted on YouTube.com in mid-June. Daily Variety reported today that NBC plans to fund a series of video clips featuring the characters from Watching that will also be posted on YouTube and on its own website. In an interview with the trade publication, Watching's producer, Bill Lawrence, praised NBC for being willing to take the risk of resurrecting a show that had already been discarded by another network because of the demand of Web viewers. "If network TV doesn't embrace the Internet as both a place to launch and test shows but also as a place where shows can live, they're going to fall further and further behind," he said.

ABC.com

Posted by Michael Seidelman at 9:35 AM | Permalink

CBS President Nina Tassler faced dozens of reporters Saturday at the Television Critics Association meeting where she was asked repeatedly how network television would deal with serialized TV shows that have been cancelled before the end of their storylines. In the end Tassler admitted it was a problem and hinted that fans left hanging might be served through another medium.

Earlier this year fans of HBO's "Deadwood" were up in arms when it was revealed that the cable channel would not be giving the series its final season in a planned four-season arc. In the end the public battle between HBO and creator David Milch resulted in a compromise: two HBO-movies to tie up the loose threads. (HBO also announced this weekend that expensive costume drama "Rome" would be ending this season as well.)

More about CBS' quandry in the San Jose Mercury >>

More on the Deadwood fallout in the Kansas City Star >>

Posted by Keith Loh at 12:33 PM | Permalink

Film and television studio Lionsgate announced Wednesday it bought Debmar-Mercury LLC, an independent television distributor.

Lionsgate hasn't disclosed the terms of the purchase, but said it allows for the creation of a new distribution outlet for it's own films and programming. It will also help bring in revenue from third-party entertainment properties. For the 2007 fiscal year, the studio is planning it's own slate of nine primetime TV series and said it would benefit from Debmar-Mercury's "distribution capabilities across new and traditional media outlets."

Debmar-Mercury has distribution rights to "South Park" and the Lionsgate series "The Dead Zone."

Debmar-Mercury will retain its name and operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lionsgate under principals Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein.

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 4:33 PM | Permalink

The Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the regulatory body for Canada's airwaves has called for two reports on the state of the Canadian TV industry. At the recent Banff Television Festival, CRTC chairman Charles Dalfen said that the outcome of the reports may lead the commission to amend it's controversial 1999 TV policy.

The regulator wants to review aspects of it's regulatory framework for over-the-air TV, including revisiting whether broadcaster expenditure requirements on Canadian programming should be reinstalled. Many blame the lack of growth in Canadian drama on the removal of the requirements in 1999.

"We haven't observed any significant movement in spending on Canadian drama," Dalfen told the crowd on June 12, citing a mere 3% broadcaster spending increase between 2001 and 2005.

It's the first time Dalfen has acknowledged that, perhaps, the CRTC policy may have hurt Canadian drama production.

"We're very encouraged, actually," said CFTPA president and CEO Guy Mayson. "To us, Mr. Dalfen's speech is really opening the door on a rethink on the effectiveness of the '99 policy, and may be opening the door to new ways of producing more programming."

The CAB, representing private broadcasters, which prefer a more free-market approach, issued a diplomatic response, saying, "Such reviews [are] essential in order to modernize the existing regulatory framework."

One report will focus on advertising and whether alternative ad methods such as product placement should be tallied in the 12 minutes of commercials broadcasters are allowed. It will also focus on the economic status of small market TV and if broadcasters should be required to switch to digital over-the-air transmission in a country where less than 20% of viewers still use 'rabbit ears.'

The regulator will also be preparing a separate but related report on the impact of digital technology on Canadian broadcasters.

On the web:
Full story at Playback Magazine
Transcript of Charles Dalfen's speech on CRTC website

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 2:06 PM | Permalink

During a May cross-country tour talking to 1600 producers, newly minted CBC brass announced they are looking for pitches.

CBC network programming executive director Kirstine Layfield, arts and entertainment executive director Fred Fuchs, and factual entertainment executive director Julie Bristow did a 10 city tour with the following shopping list:

- 11am weekday talk show
- A family drama for Sundays at 7pm
- Adult drama for weeknights at 9pm
- 11pm weeknight talk show
- Documentaries
- Original reality series

One promise CBC executives have made is a quicker response with a 'yes' or 'no' to producers. The bureaucracy-stricken public broadcaster has a tendency to leave producers in 'development hell.'

That being said, executive VP television Richard Stursberg told producers at the CFTPA's Prime Time conference in February that new dramas will be expected to pull down audiences of a million-plus and documentaries 800,000 - wildly ambitious targets by any measure, but numbers that had skeptics wondering if the pubcaster's cultural mandate would be forgotten in the process.

As a plus, though, to many producers, the CBC's new direction has opened the door for those who don't normally work with the pubcaster.

"I'm talking to the CBC for the first time in a long time," says Vancouver producer Julia Keatley (Godiva's, Cold Squad). "It's not that I didn't like the previous regime of people - they just weren't as interested in doing things like drama series as bigger specials."

Read more at Playback Magazine

With that, the CBC has also announced it's fall lineup. Included are a Canadian remake of the ABC reality show "The One" and an English version a Radio-Canada sitcom called "Rumours" produced by Moses Znaimer.

(CBC hasn't posted their fall schedule online yet)

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 12:36 PM | Permalink

Two months ago, Disney owned ABC tested putting already aired episodes of some of their shows, including favourites like Lost and Desperate Housewives, on their site for free downloads (from internet connections in US households only.) The shows had one three minute break for commercials which could not be skipped, unlike ITunes, who charges $1.99 for commercial-free episode downloads.

ABC now reports that the project was a huge success. Not only were their shows have over 11 million viewings in the first month of the program but an exit survey posted the first week of the two-month trial showed that 87 percent of respondents could recall the advertisers that sponsored the episodes they watched. That compares to with typical ad recall of about 40 percent for commercials viewed on television.

A retooled program will resume with fall programming and Canadian broadcasters such as CTV and Global are in negotiations to launch a similar program for US shows in Canada. Currently CTV airs a similar program for Canadian shows like Robson Arms and Corner Gas.

Read more about ABC downloads

ABC

CTV

Global TV

Posted by Michael Seidelman at 12:17 AM | Permalink

The three big players in Canadian TV; CTV, Global and CHUM (CityTV, Space, Bravo. Muchmusic) held their Upfront presentations this week to woo advertisers to their new fall lineups. Here's the new stuff:

CTV will have 7 New Series in it's lineup including: Justice, Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, Smith, The Class, Let's Rob and 30 Rock.

Canwest Global has opted for 14 new series including: Brother and Sisters, Standoff, Kidnapped, Shark, Vanished, Friday Night Lights, Sex Degrees. In midseason: The Black Donnelly's and Day Break.

The CHUM group of stations has introduced 5 new series included are: Duets, Jericho and Betty the Ugly

On The Web:
Article on CTV's Upfront
Article at CTV.ca
CTV's Fall Schedule (Scroll down to schedule)

Article on Global's Upfront
Global's Fall Schedule

Article on CHUM's Upfront
CHUM's press release on the new fall schedule

(All Article links are The Hollywood Reporter unless specified)

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The US House of Representatives has passed legislation that will increase the fines broadcast radio and TV networks and stations for airing material the FCC deems indecent. 'The Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act' now moves to President George Bush - who looks forward to signing - for final approval.

"I believe that government has a responsibility to help strengthen families," he said in a statement. "This legislation will make television and radio more family-friendly by allowing the FCC to impose stiffer fines on broadcasters who air obscene or indecent programming."

Congress voted 379-35 in favour of increasing the fines from $32,500 per incident to $325,000. While the bill had little opposition in the house, some lawmakers believe the bill goes too far and infringes on free speech.

"What is at stake here is freedom of speech and whether it will be nibbled to death by election-minded politicians and self-righteous Pietists," Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., said.

Read more in The Hollywood Reporter

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 12:07 PM | Permalink

The CTV Network announced at it's upfront presentation to advertisers yesterday that they are now providing free online streams of its programming.

Currently only the Canadian shows like "Degrassi: The Next Generation", "Instant Star", "Corner Gas" and "Canadian Idol" are available along with news clips and sports. Interspersed into the shows will be 5 to 6 minutes of commercial content that viewers will not be able to fast forward.

CTV isn't streaming any of it's popular US shows yet, but hopes to negotiate deals with the US distributors.

More at CTV.ca

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 10:41 AM | Permalink

Canadian actors took a swipe at Canadian broadcasters buying new U.S. series, this week, at the Los Angeles Screenings, accusing them of turning their backs on homegrown production.

Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists' (ACTRA) national executive director Stephen Waddell said "Canadian private broadcasters are spending hundreds of millions in Hollywood, and the rising Canadian dollar means U.S. producers will be less inclined to bring work up to Canada this year."

"CTV and Global are bound to spend millions buying (U.S.) shows they have no intention of airing just to keep them away from the others," he added.

Canadian broadcasters started screening new shows in Los Angeles last weekend and started buying Thursday. Often, they will buy shows they have no intention of airing to keep them away from competing networks.

CTV dismissed ACTRAs attack as "inflammatory" and said in a statement: "Buying U.S. reserve programs is a necessary and normal course of the business of building a complete schedule. Canada is a small country -- we all need to work together to achieve success."

ACTRA also took shots at the US suppliers accusing them of "dumping" US programs into Canada at cheap rates saying it's tantamount to "cultural product dumping."

On the web:
Article in Hollywood Reporter
ACTRA
CTV
Global

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 3:06 PM | Permalink

After unveiling it's fall lineup just last week, NBC has made the unusual move of reshuffling it.

Included in the changes, finding new nights for the "Law and Order" franchise and it's only hit "Deal or No Deal" expected to move to Mondays.

In a conference call Thursday, NBC president of entertainment, Kevin Reilly, acknowledged that it was unusual for a network to make multiple changes so soon after an upfront, but stressed how important it was to "platform our new crop of series, which we think are very strong."

The peacock network had the disadvantage of announcing its schedule before the other broadcasters, indicated it would likely make changes after the upfront presentations.

On the web:
New NBC Fall Schedule

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 5:10 PM | Permalink

After Lost fans complained about a haywire 2005-2006 schedule and the show's ratings fell slightly, ABC has announced that fans of the show will no longer have to suffer through a crazy schedule of scattered new episodes amid many reruns. Next season, Lost will likely begin airing new episodes in October and play 7 new episodes before the show takes a break. ABC will then replace Lost with a new Drama called "Daybreak" until Frebruary, when the show will return - commercial free - until the end of the season in May.

Read more at Lost-TV.com

Posted by Michael Seidelman at 10:24 PM | Permalink

Believe it or not but the Canadian TV market is one of the most sought after by LA TV distributors. Traditionally, Canadian broadcasters buy more US programming than anyone else in the world.

This week the Canadian TV buyers will be at LA screenings in hopes of acquiring the broadcast rights to some, hopefully, new hits.

CTV is said to be buying and sometimes shelving new TV series to protect it's US saturated schedule. They already have the biggest audience share at 13.6% in primetime with 8 of the top 10 shows. The network often buys and shelves new series to keep them from Canwest (Global/CH) and often sublets the series to cable networks.

Canwest is desperately trying to find some hits. With only two of the top ten shows, "Survivor" and "House", they hope to give CTV a run for their money this year and acquire some hits to boost their schedule.

In the past, they did well with an output deal with NBC for shows like "Friends", "Will and Grace", and "Frasier." But NBC's days of domination are over with the current roller coaster ride for #1. Last year Global picked up "Prison Break" and "My Name Is Earl", but those shows have a long way to go to be a top 10.

CHUM Limited (CityTV, Muchmusic, Bravo, Space) is in a new position this time around. Last year they hadn't quite gone to air yet with it's newly acquired 'Craig' stations in Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg. This year, they have more buying power and are expected to spend a little more on it's primetime lineup.

The networks will also be vying for shows from the US cable networks as well with the quality of programming becoming equal. The market for US dramas on conventional and cable networks is becoming a more competitive one.

Read more in The Hollywood Reporter

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 1:03 PM | Permalink

A group of primetime's top showrunners, including Marc Cherry ("Desperate Housewives"), John Wells ("The West Wing") and Neil Baer ("Law and Order: SVU"), met with the Writers Guild of America earlier this week calling for a policing on excessive product placement in scripted television. They claim advertisers are frequently overstepping their creative bounds to dictate story lines featuring their products.

The group argued that accepting sponsorship for sitcoms and dramas was tantamount to networks selling off plot points to the highest bidder.

At a press conference in New York, Marc Cherry said "There's growing concern that if the advertisers start to dictate a story line, just how horrible that would be." He adds, "I haven't been asked to do anything I didn't want to, but what about writers who work on shows that aren't big hits? We must establish a policy of consultation and compensation."

While product placement that doesn't alter a storyline isn't really a concern, they are opposed to deals that compromise artistic integrity.

For example, a character drinking a Coke is okay, to have characters in a conversation about Coke is a no-no.

Some members of the group admit that product integration is the future of TV advertising. Especially in an age with digital recording allowing viewers to skip past commercials. But the group wants writers and producers to be more in-the-loop and want something decided before the WGA contracts expire.

Alliance of Motion Pictures & Television Producers president Nick Counter said that the networks were more than open to kicking off discussions with showrunners and have already created a forum in which to do so.

More at E!Online

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The CBC has a laundry list of programming wants and it's up to Canadian producers to jump in. According to the Globe and Mail the national broadcaster is seeking:

one great family drama series for Sunday at 7 p.m.

one or two adult drama series for weekdays at 9 p.m.

a couple of narrative comedy series, for both family and adult audiences

a daily talk show, lifestyle program or soap opera for the daytime lineup

the next Greatest Canadian or similarly exciting reality program for the broadcaster's expanded and "critically important" factual-entertainment programming

On the way out are miniseries, MOWs, sketch comedies and anything "too weird" (??). Executive director of network programming Kirstine Layfield and executive director of arts & entertainment programming Fred Fuchs are travelling around the country letting producers know "not to waste time pitching ideas that aren't wanted".

More in the Globe and Mail >>

What do you think? Is what the CBC wants what you want to watch or develop?

Posted by Keith Loh at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This is the week that the US commercial TV networks unveil their plans for the fall schedule to it's advertisers.

NBC releases it's lineup first. They've already renewed the "Law and Order" trilogy and "Medium." "My Name Is Earl" and "The Office" show promise, but even with "Deal or No Deal", the game show hosted by Howie Mandel, they have no real hit shows. They are testing the waters with three new dramas in the fall.

ABC has a strong Sunday night lineup with "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy." But that's not enough to make a network. They may risk breaking it up to spread the wealth to other nights. The alphabet network also produced 33 pilots this spring, indicating they recognize the need to develop and build.

Fox has a lot of strength in it's schedule with "24" and "American Idol." Even "House" is a surprising top 10 hit. "Prison Break" and "Bones" also show promise. The network has commited to four new series in the fall including a new crime drama from Jerry Bruckheimer's production house.

CBS still has it's schedule chalked full of crime dramas like the "CSI" series and "Criminal Minds." Unfortunately, their biggest hits "Survivor" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" are getting a little long in the tooth. They need to diversify their programming more to stay on top in the future. They should be safe for next season though.

CW (the CBS/WB joint venture) will take the top shows of The WB and UPN and jam them into a new network. "America's Next Top Model" and "Gilmore Girls" will be among them. But in the last 10 years the two soon-to-be-former networks have had a hard time creating a solid image for their networks. The CW will have it's work set out for it if it wants to be the fifth major network.

On The Web:
More on what the networks have in store at AP

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 1:40 PM | Permalink

One of TV's finest shows - Deadwood - will likely end after the upcoming third season. HBO has decided not to pick up the options of the actors on the show for a fourth season, leaving them to pursue other projects. Deadwood's creator, David Milch, will be focusing on a surfing-themed drama called "John From Cincinnati" that he is writing for HBO.

Read the original article here
Deadwood Official Site

Posted by Michael Seidelman at 4:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Keifer Sutherland, who plays Jack Bauer on the hit TV series "24" says the movie version of the show will be shot in London.

Appearing on BBC One's "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross," Sutherland revealed his plans in an interview that airs tonight. "We're working on that," he said. "We'll shoot the film here. We're really excited about it."

He added, "In the US, 24 was slow to catch on but in the UK it was big so Fox stuck with it, so thank you Britain."

Kiefer Sutherland has starred in the Fox TV show for five seasons and just recently signed a $40 million deal for three more.

On The Web:
'24' Website at Fox
'24 Inside' (An official behind-the-scenes site. Watch an interview with the stars, producers even script coordinators on the show.)

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 11:52 AM | Permalink

CBS has signed on "Innertube", it's new free, advertising-supported broadband channel unveiled Thursday at CBS.com. It is the first effort by a broadcaster to spin off a separate channel online, where most of the younger viewing audience and advertisers are swiftly migrating.

"Innertube" will include a mix of original, low-cost shows and operate under the standards of advertiser supported cable. it will allow the network to be more edgy than CBS but isn't expected to be too avant-garde.

The series opening day had a rotation of three shows including "Greek to Chic," a fashion makeover series dedicated to college students. Throughout the spring and summer other original scripted and animated series will be added to the schedule. Some programs will only be a few minutes long.

Some shows will have primetime tie-ins like "Beyond Survivor" offering behind-the-scenes footage for the hit reality show "Survivor." All original shows scheduled are produced by CBS' digital division.

Companion programming will give producers of CBS series a bigger canvas outside the traditional 30- or 60-minute episode for storytelling.

On The Web:
Innertube
More in The Hollywood Reporter
Discuss this in The Forum

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 11:08 PM | Permalink

Fans of the ABC series "Commander in Chief", starring Geena Davis, will have to wait until June to see the season's remaining three episodes.

It's a bad sign for the series, that originally started strong for ABC but started slipping. The alphabet network had taken the show off the air at one point, but gave it a second chance this spring. The show also went through three supervising producers in one year.

This announcement comes, ironically, the day Geena Davis picked up an award at the United Nations Tuesday night for her role on the show as a female president. The award is from The White House Project, a non-profit organization that works to promote women's voting, political participation and leadership, with a goal of electing a woman president.

The US networks are headed in to the crucial May sweeps before they announce their Fall schedules.

ABC's website is stating "The next episode of Commander in Chief has not yet been scheduled. Check back for more details!"

On The Web:
More details at Yahoo! News
"Commander In Chief" Website (at ABC)
The White House Project

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 2:30 PM | Permalink

Another mystery popped up on Wysteria Lane Friday as the top producer on the hit comedy-drama "Desperate Housewives" walked off the job and may be replaced next season.

Tom Spezialy, the show's executive producer/showrunner, left after an apparent falling out. According to sources, things calmed down over the weekend. A spokeswoman from Touchstone TV says Spezialy returned to work Monday with only a few days of production left on the series' second season.

This season of the popular TV series has been dogged by critics who are saying it's has lost it's edge and creative footing. The spokeswoman from Touchstone denied any imminent shake-up.

On The Web:
Desperate Housewives Website (ABC)

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 1:00 PM | Permalink

Fox has picked up two series for fall already. " 'Til Death" and "Vanished" were both picked up for debut this fall.

"Death" features "Everybody Loves Raymond" star Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher ("Desperate Housewives") as a longtime married couple who live next door to newlyweds, played by Eddie Kaye Thomas ("Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle") and Kat Foster ("The Book of Daniel").

"Vanished" is a one-hour serialized drama chronicling a conspiracy enveloping the disappearance of a senator's wife. The cast features Christopher Egan ("Empire"), Gale Harold ( "Queer as Folk"), Joanne Kelly ("Jeremiah"), John Allen Nelson ("24") and Rebecca Gayheart ("Nip/Tuck").

NBC also renewed the three "Law and Order" series for another series. That will put the original "Law and Order" series into it's 17th season, making it the second-longest running drama series on US TV. Three other NBC dramas, "Medium," "Crossing Jordan" and "Las Vegas," will be back next season, the network also said Friday.

On The Web:
More details at The Hollywood Reporter
Fox
NBC

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 12:09 AM | Permalink

British commercial TV network ITV has snapped up the exclusive UK terrestrial rights to the James Bond movie 'Casino Royale' as well as new runs of the complete 22-title 007 archive. The deal with Sony Pictures Television Internationsl and MGM was secured Friday in what was an apparently tough bidding contest with Channel 4. It ensures ITV will continue its legacy as the traditional home of bond in the UK.

"ITV is delighted to have secured the rights to this hotly contested catalog of movies," said Simon Shaps, ITV director of television. "Films form a key part of the ITV schedules in both peak and off-peak hours, and we are looking forward to building upon the hugely successful relationship we have with Sony Pictures Television International and MGM."

"Casino Royale," penned by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade based on the novel by Ian Fleming, stars Daniel Craig and will be released in November in the UK

On The Web:
Casino Royale site
ITV Website

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 10:44 AM | Permalink

As the hit WB series '7th Heaven' enters it's final stretch of the season, questions linger about it's return next season. This fall the WB will fold and the new CBS/Warner Brothers joint venture "The CW" will launch and there has been on-and-off speculation that the Spelling TV series might continue on the CW for its 11th season.

A month ago key cast members were approached about the possibility of returning for another year on the show, but no formal offers have been made and there haven't been recent inquiries to the cast or their agents.

Industy insiders indicate CW executives are keeping the option to bring back '7th Heaven' on the table. But no final decision will be made until the future network's four drama pilots come in and are evaluated.

"The CW" was created after the sale of Paramount to Viacom (who owns CBS, MTV). The UPN network, owned by Paramount, will also cease operations and become part of the CW. Many WB affiliate stations are also UPN affiliates. Most of the new network's fall schedule will consist of hit WB shows and some new drama series as well.

On The Web:
The WB
The CW announcement on CNN Money
CW Network @ Wikipedia

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 10:23 AM | Permalink

Global might re-run the first season of the nighttime soap 'Falcon Beach' this summer. The Canadian-produced series premieres on the ABC Family network in the US and Global hopes to bank on any publicity that might spill over the border.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the show pulled in a modest average of 250,000 viewers in it's first run. But Barbara Williams, Global's SVP, says those numbers don't paint an accurate picture of the series performance.

"In the first three or four weeks, we were averaging between 350,000 and 400,000," says Williams. "To us, [those] numbers said we have a good show that appeals to the right demo. In the second half of the season we had some scheduling conflicts, so the show didn't grow the way we would have liked it to."

She admits that bouncing the show around the network's schedule might have been responsible for some of the shortfall in audience numbers.

On the web:
More Ratings News at Playback Magazine
Falcon Beach Website
Global TV's Falcon Beach Page

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 6:48 AM | Permalink

In an unusual show of unity, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and their affiliate associations plus a major independent TV station owner, Hearst-Argyle have joined forces against the FCC (Federal Communications Commission). They filed notices of appeal in Washington and New York late Thursday and Friday as first steps to challenge the FCC's rules on racy language on television.

"You've got all four networks and all four affiliate organizations and Hearst-Argyle corporation agreeing with each other," said one industry executive. "Most of the time they can't agree on the color of the sky."

In the last few years, under more conservative leadership, the FCC has clamped down on content it deems inappropriate; fining stations for violation of new stricter rules.

It started with the so-called "Nipple-gate" incident where Janet Jackson's nipple popped out in her performance at the Superbowl several years ago. After thousands of complaints from viewers, despite an apology from CBS calling it a "wardrobe malfunction", the FCC imposed six-figure fines to many CBS affiliates. Since then, the FCC has been on a war path leaping at the opportunity to impose fines on stations they say have aired racy material.

While this appeal is not related to that event specifically, it's the broadcasters intent to try to overturn the 2004 FCC decision tightening indecency regulations. The commission decided that virtually any use of certain expletives would be considered profane and indecent, even if it was a slip of the tongue.

"In filing these court appeals we are seeking to overturn the FCC decisions that the broadcast of fleeting, isolated -- and in some cases unintentional -- words rendered these programs indecent," a statement from the broadcasters said. They say the FCC "overstepped its authority" acting arbitrarily as it failed to give the networks a clear standard for objectionable content.

On the Web:
More Details in The Hollywood Reporter
FCC Website

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 1:55 PM | Permalink

"I felt like I was really pressured to settle for something that I didn't necessarily feel like I wanted." says Dave Chapelle in a 10-page spread of Esquire magazine arriving Saturday. Just one of many reasons he decided to leave Comedy Central last May.

His sudden departure left fans and industry insiders scratching their heads and questioning his motives and his sanity.

He told Esquire that putting on "Chappelle's Show" was the best television experience he ever had. He plans to continue telling jokes and entertaining audiences, he says, so long as he can retain a degree of personal and creative freedom.

On the web:
Esquire Magazine
Story at CNN.com

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 12:11 PM | Permalink

Spike Lee, Callie Khouri, Jon Turteltaub and Andy Tennant are just a small handful of the directors frantically shooting or posting projects this weekend to meet studio deadlines. Those projects aren't features, however, but pilots.

It's becoming increasingly more common to see prominent feature directors at the helm of TV pilots. McG got behind the cameras for "Fastlane," Doug Liman did "The O.C." and Bryan Singer helmed "House," all for Fox. But this year, their numbers have reached new highs.

Shows like "The Sopranos," "Sex and The City," and "Six Feet Under," on cable and broadcast network shows like "Desperate Housewives," "Lost," and "CSI" are helping to quash the old adage that feature films are a more intelligent medium and that TV is a sitcom world.

Bigger concepts and better, character-driven writing are contributing to this trend. "We're shooting a lot of pilots that are big ideas that are conceptually challenging but are grounded in really strong character-based drama, and they are all attracted to that," said Maria Crenna, executive vp at CBS Paramount Network TV.

Some directors currently working on pilots: Spike Lee, F. Gary Gray, Tim Story, James Mangold, Frank Darabont, Callie Khouri, Barry Sonnenfeld, Adam Shank-man, Jon Avnet, Joe Carnahan, Peter Berg, Jon Turteltaub, Bruce Beresford, Andy Tennant and Simon West.

Read the Full Story in The Hollywood Reporter

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 4:06 PM | Permalink

Executive producers/co-showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse will stay "Lost" for another season.

They have signed new seven-figure deals with Touchstone Television, the hit series' producer, to continue their jobs during the 2006-07 season.

Damon Lindelof wrote the pilot for "Lost" with J.J. Abrams. Cuse joined the series in October 2004, shortly after the show debuted to big numbers.

The series has received critical acclaim with a Best Drama Series Emmy in 2005 and a Best Drama Series Golden Globe in 2006. Awards that Lindelof and Cuse shared with fellow executive producers J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk and Jack Bender and the rest of the 'Lost' production team.

Lindelof is also using his writing skills in other ways. He recently tried his hand at comic book writing in a series of "Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk" for Marvel comics.

On the web:
'Lost' Website (at ABC.com)
Article about Lindelof's Comic book debut
Article on 'Lost' competing for International Audiences

Posted by Mike Laverdiere at 10:42 PM | Permalink

By Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The widely hyped merging of the PC and TV is finally taking shape in a way that only a few people imagined in the late 1990s Internet boom.

From independent producers like Mondo Media to big media companies like MTV, and even kids who post videos on community sites like YouTube.com, the World Wide Web is becoming a sort of worldwide TV network for audiences seeking offbeat entertainment not shown on mainstream television.

Mondo's cartoon characters, "Happy Tree Friends," survived the dot-com bust of 2000 and are now a thriving, worldwide phenomenon. And this week a little-known British rocker named Sandi Thom signed a record deal with Sony BMG after building an audience by webcasting her own concerts from her basement.

"I still don't think people have a handle on the fact that, for all intents and purposes, we have a TV network working for us, essentially free, that is worldwide," said John Evershed, co-founder of Mondo Media, which owns "Happy Tree Friends."

The "Friends" are a collection of lovable forest animals with names like Giggles and Lumpy who get into trouble that inevitably leads to violence and death.

San Francisco-based Mondo shows 16 million, two-minute programs monthly on the Web which have spawned the sale of 750,000 DVDs. The "Tree Friends" Web site, its t-shirts, toys, and cell phone episodes are hot items in more than 20 countries in Asia, Europe, North and South America, Mondo Media says.

The "Tree Friends" were a product of the technology boom when venture capital and advertisers chased producers who were delivering TV-like episodes on the Web. When the boom ended, money dried up and only a few players like Mondo remained.

WORLD WIDE TV

Evershed said this new wave of Web video is fueled by the rising number of people with high-speed Internet access which makes video watchable on PCs. Moreover, younger audiences are increasingly accustomed to watching video on PCs and laptops.

Other independent producers building audiences with a TV network on the Web include Joe Cartoon, Homestarrunner and JibJab.

Community building sites like YouTube.com are thriving by making it easy for users to post video clips. Teens also turn to the Web when traditional TV shows get boring.

Seeing this trend, major media companies are getting in on the act so they don't lose viewers and advertising to Web competitors.

Viacom Inc's MTV has started "MTV Overdrive" at MTV.com. E! Entertainment webcasts "The Vine" at eonline.com and The Walt Disney's Co.'s ABC Television Group has plans to stream shows for kids on its Disneychannel.com and Jetix.tv sites in coming months.

As with the "Friends," keys to success for "MTV Overdrive" have been offering short programs and original content that fans do not see on broadcast or cable TV.

That philosophy is a far cry from the late 1990s when the dot-com boom fueled the notion that eventually all TV would be delivered on the Web, on-air broadcasting would become wired webcasting and computers would be the TV sets of the future.

"Really, I