The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Coverage

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Action, Animation, Award Shows, Comedy, Drama, Mini Series, Prime Time, Reality, Sci-Fi/Horror, Specials, ABC, Bravo, Cable, CBS, FX, FOX, HBO, NBC, Showtime, 24, Amazing Race, The, American Idol, Daily Show, The, Dancing With The Stars, Desperate Housewives, Entourage, Extras, Family Guy, Grey’s Anatomy, Heroes, House, Lost, Medium, My Name Is Earl, Scrubs, Saturday Night Live, Survivor, The Office, The Sopranos, Top Chef,

The 59th Annual Emmy Awards has not even started, yet I’m already sensing sensing a weird vibe about tonight’s telecast.  Will the show be a celebration of those young and new (e.g. Heroes)?  Will it be a tribute to those bowing out (James Gandolfini and crew)?  Or will performer Kanye West somehow manage to cast a controversial shadow over the rest of the ceremony?

What a difference a year makes.  Twelve months ago, we were still handing out trophies to stars from Will & Grace and The West Wing (those shows feel so five-years ago now).  Today, we welcome a new crop of nominees including Ugly Betty and 30 Rock for Best Comedy.  Last year, we were entertained by an always-hilarious Conan O’Brien.  This year, we are threatened by a song and dance number from this year’s host, Ryan Seacrest.  Last August, 24 snagged the award for Best Drama.  This September, it’s not even nominated (yet somehow Boston Legal is).

I think it would be safe to assume the voters would predictably (and respectfully) shower The Sopranos with honors, but I’ll still be crossing my fingers for an upset sometime tonight.  We’ll need something to talk about tomorrow…

Here’s the play-by-play of tonight’s events coming to you from the neglected West Coast!

Click to continue reading The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Coverage

Fox Shuffles Schedule for Spring Premieres

Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Drama, Prime Time, FOX,

With new spring programming comes some creative shuffling of existing shows. For Fox, that means a couple of new dramas and a new comedy to fill the schedule. What does that mean for existing shows on the schedule? ‘Til Death, The War at Home and Standoff will still have a place on the network.

The new drama The Wedding Bells, from David E. Kelley, will premiere on Friday, March 9 at 9:00 p.m ET. The show looks at a wedding planning business and the family that owns it, and features Teri Polo, Sarah Jones, and KaDee Strickland. The Winner, from Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, is a live-action comedy premiering on Sunday, March 4 at 8:30 p.m. ET. The show features The Daily Show correspondent Rob Corddry. Drive looks at the participants of an underground road race, and hits the network on Sunday, April 15 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

‘Til Death moves to Wednesdays, following American Idol, in March. The War at Home, moves to Sundays at 7:30 p.m. Standoff will premiere on Friday, March 30 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Read More | Comingsoon.net

Fox puts Vanished to Bed; Orders More Standoff and ‘Til Death

Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Drama, Prime Time, FOX, Cancellations, Ratings, Renewals,

Fox has made some big programming decisions this week. First, two new shows, Standoff and ‘Til Death, have gotten an additional order of episodes. Surprising, considering that neither show is much of a ratings winner. Standoff gets six additional episodes, while ‘Til Death has been given the “back-nine” order, meaning it will continue for the rest of the season. There is speculation that the network is running out of new shows to keep on the air, so they are hanging on to these, even if they fail to perform. Standoff, which stars Ron Livingston in the world of hostage negotiators, averages about 9.8 million viewers each Tuesday night; with a drop to just 5 million viewers when the network changed timeslots to 8:00 p.m. ‘Til Death is only grabbing about 6.4 million viewers each week.

The other big news is that Vanished has been cancelled. With poor ratings of just 6.5 million viewers (and 7.45 million when it followed Prison Break), it was clear this one wouldn’t go the distance.

Read More | Zap2it