Idols Hit the Road

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Gossip,

American Idol gives its contestants a grueling schedule during the weeks of shooting live performances, Ford video commercials and sessions with mentors. The show may be over - the hard work is not.

Even while the Idols sing a path across the U.S. (they’ll visit 49 cities in 72 days), some of the finalists will be pulling double duty and making records at the same time. Davids Cook and Archuleta, the season’s final two men standing, will both be working on tracks even as they woo audiences.

Thanks to a new deal with 19 Recordings and Arista Nashville, Kristy Lee Cook (who managed to astound judges and audiences with her unimagined longevity in the contest) will also be working on her debut album. The first single “15 Minutes of Shame,” is scheduled for an August 11 release. Cook was formerly signed to this same label years before, but never had the chance to record a single song.

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E! Online

Tom Brady Outscores ‘High School Musical 2’

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Music, Prime Time, Sports, Cable, ESPN-HD, Ratings,

Monday night’s game between the undefeated New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens earned stellar numbers for ESPN—and record numbers for cable overall.

The Monday Night Football game drew 17.5 million viewers.  This total, just like the score of the game (27-24), narrowly beat the record set by High School Musical 2 for the most-watched cable telecast ever.  (The musical’s August premiere rounded up an impressive 17.2 million for The Disney Channel.)

Assuming QB Tom Brady brings his undefeated team all the way to this year’s championship game, we can expect insane viewing numbers and advertising dollars for FOX. 

The Super Bowl, featuring Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, is scheduled for Feb. 3rd.

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Variety

NBC Programs No Longer Available Via iTunes

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: NBC, Heroes, The Office, Announcements, Video,

Forget to Tivo the latest episode of The Office?  Lose this week’s Heroes due to a power outage?  If you find yourself in one of these predicaments this fall, don’t be looking to iTunes to save your butt.

A dispute over money has severed ties between the Peacock Network and Apple.  It’s reported that NBC Universal wanted a dramatic price increase for their shows in their latest contract (over twice the wholesale cost).  According to Apple, this would have raised the consumer price-per-show from $1.99 to $4.99.  Although the current agreement expires at the end of 2007, Apple has elected to stop offering any new NBC programs before the 2007-08 season even begins.

It’ll be interesting to see which side, if any, caves in first.  Though NBC’s programming accounts for approximately 40% of iTunes’ video downloads, many of its shows have greatly benefited by this popular viewing method.  And let’s not forget—NBC is still considered the fourth place network.

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