SNL’s Maya Rudolph—Victim of Bedbugs
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Late Night, NBC, Saturday Night Live,
I guess it’s a slow entertainment news day when you have to report on bedbugs. But those critters can really wreak havoc, apparently. Saturday Night Live cast member Maya Rudolph, partner Paul Anderson (director of Boogie Nights) and their baby had to evacuate their SoHo loft when they were infested with the bugs. As a result they are now suing the property owners for $450,000. According to court papers, “The plaintiffs were bitten over portions of their bodies by bedbugs. Apparently unbeknown to plaintiffs, the premises were infested with bedbugs.” The family were told that the apartment was “perfect” and in a “first-class luxury” building, court papers say. For the $13,500-a-month rent, you would think the place would be bug-free. An exterminator came to take care of the bugs, and told Rudolph and family that they should leave for a few weeks to protect their year-old baby.
Read More 
| The Showbuzz
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‘Kidnapped’ Latest TV Casualty
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Drama, NBC, The CW, Cancellations, Ratings,
Kidnapped seemed ill-fated when NBC switched it from Wednesday to Saturday nights—the proverbial “kiss of death.” Well, the series has been kissed, and it’s now officially dead. NBC has removed the show from the schedule permanently. Good news for fans, however—NBC will air the eight remaining episodes on NBC.com. I saw a commercial for Kidnapped the other day, and it’s a surprise that it didn’t take off—with stars like Jeremy Sisto, Delroy Lindo, Dana Delany and Timothy Hutton, there was plenty of star power. The original timeslot averaged under 7 million viewers per week; the move to Saturday proved lethal, with numbers dropping to 4 million. So far, we’ve seen the passing of CBS’ Smith and The CW’s Runaway. Twenty Good Years will reportedly get the axe as well, since it will be leaving the air in a couple of weeks. Warner Bros. TV, however, says the show is still in production.
Read More | Zap2it
Dixie Chicks’ TV Ad Won’t Air on NBC
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Music, NBC, The CW,
NBC has refused to air a TV commercial for the new Dixie Chicks’ documentary, Shut Up & Sing due to the subject of the film. NBC’s policy is to prohibit ads that show “public controversy.” The film looks at the slide from the top the Dixie Chicks experienced after they criticized President George W. Bush during a London concert in March 2003. If you recall the incident, lead singer Natalie Maines told the audience that they were “ashamed” to come from the same state as Bush. Following that, some radio stations refused to play the bands’ records and boycotted ads for their “Accidents & Accusations” tour.
The documentary opened on Friday in New York and Los Angeles, and local affiliates of the big five broadcasters did run promos for the movie in those cities. The Weinstein Co., who is distributing the film, said of the rejection that they are “exploring taking legal action.” Harvey Weinstein made a statement saying, “It’s a sad commentary about the level of fear in our society that a movie about a group of courageous entertainers who were blacklisted for exercising their right of free speech is now itself being blacklisted by corporate America.”
Following suit, the CW network also refused to air the ads, saying they had “concerns we do not have appropriate programing in which to schedule this spot.”
Read More | Yahoo! News
Additional Scripts Ordered for Four New Series
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Drama, Prime Time, ABC, NBC, Ratings, Renewals,
Four new series on ABC and NBC have gotten the go-ahead for additional scripts. Help Me Help You, The Nine, Men in Trees and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip are all big winners—ABC’s shows have gotten the order for four more scripts and Studio 60 is picked up for three more scripts. Studio 60‘s announcement was a surprise to many, as the show has not been a ratings winner. It does, however, rank among the top shows for upscale viewers (incomes greater than $75,000).
This marks a trend of networks to favor ordering more scripts rather than giving full season pickups. In fact, only six new shows have been given the full ride so far—Brothers & Sisters, Ugly Betty, Heroes, Shark, Jericho, and The Game.
Read More | Zap2it
Star of Law & Order Robbed
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Drama, Prime Time, NBC, News,
Jesse L. Martin, who plays Detective Ed Green on Law & Order, was the victim of a robbery during a visit to his hometown of Buffalo, NY. In town to shoot a film, Martin was eating breakfast and signing autographs on Monday morning, only to have his car broken into. The thief got away with Martin’s luggage, iPod and autographed photos. Director Peter McGennis said of the incident, “He’s lived in New York City for 20 years and has never been robbed or a victim of theft. He comes back here and in two days he gets fleeced.” The film Martin was shooting is an indie movie called Buffalo Bushido. Without his luggage, Martin flew to New York City with just the clothes he was wearing and his wallet. Quite a homecoming—Martin graduated from the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts.
Read More | Access Hollywood
Must See TV is Back!
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, NBC, My Name Is Earl, Scrubs, The Office,
Remember when Thursday nights were ‘Must See TV’ on NBC? Well, Thursday nights are about to get a great lineup again. Of course, this is just in my opinion, but I’m sure plenty will agree. First, Scrubs is coming back on November 30th! The long-awaited return is finally just around the corner, and here’s hoping that the 9 p.m. slot on the Thursday night lineup will bring more viewers to this great comedy. Second, 30 Rock, the new Tina Fey/Alec Baldwin sitcom will move to Thursdays at 9:30. This little comedy has got potential and Thursday may give it more exposure. My Name is Earl and The Office will continue at 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Oh my god, settle in to your comfy chair for the best night of TV! Kevin Reilly, President of NBC Entertainment, said of the news, “We are excited about the prospect of two-hours of top-notch comedy on Thursday nights, which includes the return of Scrubs. We will stay on-brand with the best comedy block on television, which will position us for the future on the night.” Look for it all on November 30th (and of course, ER is still hanging in the Thursday 10 p.m. spot).
Read More | ComingSoon.net
Farrelly Brothers Pilot Coming to NBC
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, BBC, NBC,
The Farrelly brothers (Peter and Bobby) are perhaps best known for their films There’s Something About Mary, Kingpin, Stuck on You, and Shallow Hal. Now they’re bringing their brand of humor to the small screen, joining forces with Ben Silverman, producer of The Office and Wil Calhoun, a writer for Friends. The pilot, called I’m With Stupid, is an adaptation of a British show that pairs a homeless man with a disabled man in a wheelchair. The man comes to live at the home for the disabled where the wheelchair-bound man lives. So where is the Farrelly brothers’ signature gross-out humor? Well, it’s sure to have some people prickly over the nature of the show and possibly the title (who is the “stupid” one in this friendship?). The brothers will direct and serve as executive producers. The British version has received high marks for its potrayal of disabled people. We’ll see if the Farrelly’s can bring any sensitivity to the subject. The Farrelly’s are currently working on a Three Stooges project.
Read More | Zap2it
1 vs. 100 Gets Full Order
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Games, Prime Time, NBC, Ratings,
OK, I admit it. I watched 1 vs. 100—and it was pretty entertaining. For anyone who is tired of Deal or No Deal, this just may be the change of pace you need in a game show. With solid ratings, 1 vs. 100 was given the go-ahead by NBC, who ordered 10 additional episodes of the show (they already had 5 on the docket). “1 vs. 100 grabbed the public’s attention when it delivered solid ratings last Friday and staked out its own identity to become a great extension of our game-show franchise.” says Craig Plestis, head of alternative programming at NBC. 1 vs. 100 also brings Bog Saget back in the limelight and he does a fine job as host. If you’re unfamiliar with the premise, this game show puts one player up against a “mob” of 100 others—testing their knowledge of trivia. The individual player wins money for each correct answer as more members of the mob who answer incorrectly are eliminated from the game. The twist here is that if the individual player answers incorrectly, the remaining mob members split his or her earnings. The show premiered last week with almost 12.8 million viewers.
Read More | Zap2it
Friday Night Lights to Replace Studio 60 on October 30th
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Prime Time, NBC, Ratings,
Ruh-roh. This decision sounds like a bad sign for Studio 60—for one night only, Friday Night Lights will replace the Aaron Sorkin lovefest. NBC is trying to switch things up, and may just be trying to decide which one of these ratings stinkers will get the boot. On October 30th, during the 10 p.m. slot that Studio 60 normally fills, the football drama will get a shot at seeing whether it sinks or swims. Friday Night Lights will air following Heroes, NBC’s most successful freshman show. The new episode of Lights will air on October 30th, with a repeat of the episode in its usual 8 p.m. Tuesday time slot on October 31st. Studio 60 will take the week off—and for you Studio 60 fans, let’s hope it’s not more than a week. The much-hyped behind-the-scenes look at sketch comedy has steadily dropped viewers, now dipping below 9 million. People have a lot of complaints about the series, and I’m beginning to wonder if it will make it at all.
Friday Night Lights also seemed to be in danger of cancellation, but NBC ordered more scripts and now has the night switcheroo plan in place. The series has only averaged 6.6 million viewers.
Read More | Zap2it
Grey’s Anatomy Gives The Fray a Boost
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Drama, Music, Prime Time, ABC, NBC, Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs, Internet,
In other Grey’s Anatomy news, the series has featured two videos by the band The Fray—and given the rock group significant exposure. The hit series aired a four-minute video following the September 7th episode for the single “How to Save a Life,” featuring clips from the show. They followed it up two weeks later with an extended video with additional scenes. And that’s not all—the videos were available on web sites, including ABC.com, as well as electronic magazines. ABC Entertainment senior VP of marketing, Michael Benson, said that the value of the videos were in their ability “to become great content for TV viewers… going beyond the 30-second promo and driving people back to television.”
The band has definitely seen a jump in sales, with between 2,000 and 3,000 copies being sold per week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. To date, the album has sold 897,000 copies, while the title track has sold 622,000 digital downloads. The song “How to Save a Life” is also featured on the Grey’s Anatomy, Volume 2 soundtrack.
For my money, however, I think the tune “How to Save a Life” was a much better fit on last season’s episode of Scrubs, titled “My Lunch.” I was bawling—Scrubs has always done an excellent job of integrating music into every storyline and the inclusion of “How to Save a Life” made me rush out and buy The Fray’s CD the very next day.
Read More | Yahoo! News
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