2007 Upfronts: The CW announces Fall Schedule

Monday
8:00 p.m. Everybody Hates Chris
8:30 p.m. Aliens in America (new comedy/sitcom)
9:00 p.m. Girlfriends
9:30 p.m. The Game

Tuesday
8:00 p.m. Beauty and the Geek (new day and time)
9:00 p.m. Reaper (new drama)

Wednesday
8:00 p.m. America’s Next Top Model
9:00 p.m. Gossip Girl (new drama)

Thursday
8:00 p.m. Smallville
9:00 p.m. Supernatural

Friday
8:00 p.m. Friday Night Smackdown!

Sunday
7:00 p.m. Online Nation (new reality)
7:30 p.m. CW Now (new reality/newsmag)
8:00 p.m. Life is Wild (new drama)
9:00 p.m. America’s Next Top Model (repeats)

"One Tree Hill" and "Pussycat Dolls" are held until midseason. No "Veronica Mars" on the schedule, but the CW has until June 15 to make a final decision on its future.

New Program Descriptions (from Mediaweek)

Dramas

GOSSIP GIRL
Based on the series of young adult novels of the same name, the lives of a privileged, but dysfunctional group of prep school teens on Manhattan’s Upper West Side is the focus. Being super-rich and super-popular are not necessarily synonymous with finding true happiness. The cast includes Penn Badgley, Chace Crawfrod, Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Taylor Momsen, Matthew Settle and former Melrose Place star Kelly Rutherford.

LIFE IS WILD
A blended family living in New York City relocate to spend a year at a broken-down lodge in a game reserve deep inside South Africa. Outsiders at first, the family begins to appreciate the breathtaking scenery, the enchanting locals, and the vibrant culture surrounding them. Brett Cullen (Friday Night Lights) leads the ensemble cast.

REAPER
When a 21-year-old slacker (Bret Harrison) learns that his parents sold his soul to the devil before he was even born, he must now serve as a bounty hunter, tracking down evil souls that have escaped and returning them to Hell. With his friends and trusty vessel-of-the-week at his side, Sam is ready to face his destiny as the Reaper.

---------------

Comedy

ALIENS IN AMERICA
A sensitive, nerdy 16-year old (Justin Tolchuk) trying to make it through high school with the help of his well-meaning family finds his world turned upside down when a Pakistani exchange student of the same age (Adhir Kalyan) arrives. The cast includes My Pietz (Caroline in the City), Patrick Breen (Kevin Hill) and Lindsey Shaw as popular sister Claire.

--------------------

Non-Scripted

CW NOW
In this adult 18-34-targeted newsmagazine, the focus is on the hottest fashions, the coolest music, the A-list movies, and the best in technology.

ONLINE NATION
Scouring the endless number of websites, blogs and user-generated materials on the Internet, Online Nation will feature everything and anything that has captured the attention of the online world. Viewers, in addition, will be able to communicate with each other live on the air.

CROWNED: THE MOTHER OF ALL PAGEANTS (midseason)
In this eight-episode competition judged by Carson Kressley (Queen Eye for the Straight Guy) and former Miss U.S.A. Shanna Moakler, teams of mothers and daughters are pitted against each other in a no-holds-barred beauty pageant.

FARMER WANTS A WIFE (midseason)
In this reality sounding hybrid of Green Acres and The Bachelor, a group of 10 women fed up with bad dates in the big city will compete for the hand of a charming, hard-working farmer.

2007 Upfronts: CBS announces Fall Schedule

Mondays
8 pm - "How I Met Your Mother"
8:30 p.m. - "The Big Bang Theory" (new)
9 p.m. - "Two and a Half Men"
9:30 p.m. - "Rules of Engagement"
10 p.m. - "CSI: Miami"

Tuesdays
8 p.m. - "NCIS"
9 p.m. - "The Unit"
10 p.m. - "Cane" (new) (was called "Los Duques")

Wednesdays
8 p.m. - "Kid Nation" (new reality)
9 p.m. - "Criminal Minds"
10 p.m. - "CSI: NY"

Thursdays
8 p.m. - "Survivor: China"
9 p.m. - "CSI"
10 p.m. - "Without a Trace"

Fridays
8 p.m. - "Ghost Whisperer"
9 p.m. - "Moonlight" (new) (was called "Twilight")
10 p.m. - "Numb3rs"

Saturdays
8 p.m. - "Crimetime Saturday"
9 p.m. - "Crimetime Saturday"
10 p.m. - "48 Hours Mystery"

Sundays
7 p.m. - "60 Minutes"
8 p.m. - "Viva Laughlin" (new)
9 p.m. - "Cold Case"
10 p.m. - "Shark"

I really like this schedule, much better than the one I proposed actually. Moving "Without a Trace" back to Thursday at 10 is incredibly wise. "Shark" did well in the spot, but it was always a little soft. Also glad to see "Shark" get the 10 PM spot on Sunday, which I wasn't sure would happen, but since CBS was willing to move "Trace" back to its old time slot, it makes perfect sense. I'm not sure how good a fit "Viva Laughlin" is into "Cold Case", but we'll see. "Swingtown", "Amazing Race" and "Old Christine" sit on the bench until midseason. I got Friday right, but Wednesday I got thrown a curve by CBS adding "Kid Nation", a reality show in that hour. Now "Two and a Half Men" is safe on Monday with "Rules of Engagement". It's a solid lineup. We'll see how it flies against the other nets, but I think this will keep CBS at the top of the heap for another year.

CBS Schedule Predictions

CBS once again has a relatively stable schedule. They renewed a large number of their shows, and only have a few time periods to really worry about. Still, I'd like to see CBS mix things up a little bit to counter some of the moves by their competitors.

Monday

This is one night where CBS should stay the course. Monday is a good comedy night for them, but ratings have been weaker of late. Still, I think we'll see "How I Met Your Mother" paired with newcomer "The Big Bang Theory" in the 8 PM hour. For 9 PM "The New Adventures of Old Christine" could play lead-in to "I'm in Hell". At 10 PM CBS will most likely stay with what works -- CSI: Miami.

Tuesday

CBS has done well on Tuesday nights, and since they are keeping NCIS and The Unit, I'd expect them to continue airing these shows on this night. This could be the night that new series "Swingtown" gets a tryout at 9 PM, sandwiched between the aforementioned shows.

Wednesday

An hour of comedy on Wednesday seems to work well, so I think we'll see "Rules of Engagement" appear here after "Two and a Half Men". If ROE gets bumped to midseason, the slot will go to "The Captain", another new half hour. 9 PM would be a good hour to premiere "Viva Laughlin", but if they decide to be lame and keep their night the same, we'll see "Criminal Minds" followed by CSI: NY. Pardon me while I yawn at the prospect.

Thursday

This one's a cakewalk: "Survivor" and "CSI" for sure. Now, at 10 PM I really think they'll try out a newbie and bump "Shark" to another night, so my money is on "Los Duques", the new Jimmy Smits show to get the pimp spot.

Friday

This has been a good night for CBS, except for the lackluster numbers for now cancelled "Close to Home". I think "Twilight" would be a decent fit out of "Ghost Whisperer" and before "Numb3rs". Vampires after ghosts makes total sense to me.

Saturday

48 Hours and whatever other crap they come up with. Did I mention this is a wasteland night?

Sunday

CBS went with Race-Case-Trace as their lineup this night (which I kinda dug the mnemonic for), but I expect this to get a shakeup. For one thing, I think "Amazing Race" will get held for spring, and in its place we'll see either "Shark" relocated from Thursday to 8 PM or "Cold Case" bumped to 8 and "Shark" at 9. Of course, "60 Minutes" will continue to air at 7.

Tune in bright and early for the real schedule.

And now, the news many of you have waited for...

UPDATE:

Veronica Mars is Cancelled...Maybe.

5/16: Futon Critic reports this morning that The CW may not make a final decision on this until June 15. So I guess I *will* shut my big fat mouth and see what happens...

Other CW news: Series orders confirmed for half hour "Aliens in America" and hourlongs "Gossip Girl", "Reaper" and the untitled South Africa project.

"One Tree Hill", "Supernatural", and "Smallville" are all renewed for next year. Sitcom "All of Us" has been cancelled, but "Girlfriends" and "The Game" have been renewed.

CBS has renwed "How I Met Your Mother" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and dramas "The Unit", "Shark", "Criminal Minds" and "The Ghost Whisperer." "Rules of Engagement" is also renewed for next year.

"Close to Home", "Jericho", and "The Class" are cancelled.

A moment to reflect

...and pay homage to the first casualty of the 2006-2007 fall season... Fox's "Happy Hour". R.I.P.

Video clips of new NBC shows

The Bionic Woman

Fighting! Jumping! Katie Sackoff!! Miguel Ferrer. I already love this show.

Interview with Exec Producer David Eick

Chuck

Car chase in Nerd Mobile

The NSA catches up with Chuck and Sarah

Life

Charlie and his partner are escorted out.

Journeyman

Dan saves Neil.

Dan is thrown out of his house in 1987.

2007 Upfronts: ABC announces Fall Schedule

First, the schedule:

MONDAY:

8:00 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars"
9:30 p.m. "Sam I Am" (new comedy)
10:00 p.m. "The Bachelor"

TUESDAY:

8:00 p.m. "Cavemen" (new comedy)
8:30 p.m. "Carpoolers" (new comedy)
9:00 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars the Results Show"
10:00 p.m. "Boston Legal"

WEDNESDAY:

8:00 p.m. "Pushing Daisies" (new)
9:00 p.m. "Private Practice" (new)
10:00 p.m. "Dirty Sexy Money" (new)

THURSDAY:

8:00 p.m. "Ugly Betty"
9:00 p.m. "Grey's Anatomy"
10:00 p.m. "Big Shots" (new)

FRIDAY:

8:00 p.m. "MEN IN TREES"
9:00 p.m. "Women's Murder Club" (new)
10:00 p.m. "20/20"

SATURDAY:

8:00 p.m. "Saturday Night College Football"

SUNDAY:

7:00 p.m. "America's Funniest Home Videos"
8:00 p.m. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
9:00 p.m. "Desperate Housewives"
10:00 p.m. "Brothers & Sisters"

"Cashmere Mafia," "Notes from the Underbelly" and "October Road" will premiere after "Dancing with the Stars" and "The Bachelor" conclude their fall seasons.

"Lost" returns in January.

Missing from the schedule: "What About Brian", "Knights of Prosperity" and surprisingly "According to Jim" which have all been cancelled, but it is a safe bet that "Supernanny" and "Wife Swap" are waiting in the wings to sub in the spring for any open timeslots.

I got Saturday and Sunday night. I scored on Friday as 'girl's night' but totally got the shows wrong. They picked 'Big Shots' for the post-Grey's spot instead of "Dirty Sexy Money" which will air out of "Private Practice" Wednesday at 9. Overall the schedule has some bold programming moves, though I can't say I'm thrilled that "The Bachelor" is back in the fall. I also think ABC is playing a dangerous game with their reality windfall "Dancing with the Stars" by airing a series in the fall and spring.

I did sit in on the ABC conference call this morning (at 5 AM) and jotted down some notes:

Cavemen - if it was just about the Geico cavemen, it wouldn't work. Exec producer from 3rd Rock from the Sun has come on board.

Miss/Guided - From Ashton Kutcher. No matter where you are, you are still in high school. A woman goes back to high school as a guidance counselor.

Sam I Am - Christina Applegate stars. Single camera, fun romantic comedy.

Carpoolers - Bruce McCullough of "Kids in the Hall" is behind this show about

Tuesday and Wednesday are a big focus for ABC this year.

Lost is a better 9 or 8 PM show. The numbers aren't down at all. Live plus seven ratings are the same, more people are using DVRs now. Lost will air 16 episodes uninterrupted in the spring.

People didn't show up for the serialized dramas last year, but the shows that hit last year were escapist in some way or another. The Nine was not escapism where Ugly Betty and Heroes were. Shift in the viewer right now for what they "thirst for".

Promotional efforts for so many new shows. Not all of these shows premiere in the fall at the same time. Certain shows will be priorities, but ABC feels they have the assets to launch new shows.

Geico will discontinue cavemen ads once show airs to avoid rights issues of the characters.

Testing process needs to improve - hoping to use the internet more in the future to tap into audiences and get immediate feedback on new shows.

Would have loved to have gotten Scrubs, but happy it is going on another year at NBC.

I am working on an article for another website and if it gets accepted, I'll post the link here.

Check out Geekerati

Geekerati is a new blog talk radio show by one of my blog friends, Christian Johnson of Cinerati. The first show is available.

I will be a guest on the show next Monday night at 10 PM PST. Please tune in if you can. It is a live call in show, so just hit the link above to get the number and call in with questions or chat topics.

It should be fun!

Troubled waters for NBC

Thinking more about NBC's announced schedule...they really need one or two shows to hit. Consider this:

ER - 14th season, rumored to be its last
Law & Order - 18th season
Law & Order: SVU - Ninth season

These shows are all long in the tooth and expensive. Law & Order barely escaped cancellation, only surviving after NBC reached an agreement with Dick Wolf to reduce costs on the series this year. A story in the Hollywood Reporter today quotes Kevin Reilly at the upfronts about whether this will be the last season for "ER":

"We'll make a determination in October," Reilly said, noting that NBC will be in the last year of its contract for "ER" with Warner Bros. Television. "If we feel like this is it, we will make a very big deal of it, driving the finale."

If NBC doesn't find some viable replacements out of their development this year, we'll see "Deal or No Deal" on four nights a week. And that's too much Howie Mandel for anyone.

ABC Schedule predictions

This is pure conjecture on my part. In no way is this to be considered ABC's schedule for the fall. ABC will announce tomorrow (and there is a 5 AM Conference call I will join just to get the word that much more quickly to you people), so we'll do the compare/contrast after that.

Okay, so on to my totally non-scientific predictions:

Monday

Monday was tough for ABC this year, but this spring they did bang up business with "Dancing with the Stars" and "The Bachelor". While neither is a shoo-in for a fall premiere date (Dancing with the Stars has a shot), I think ABC will opt for some new and moved programming for this night.

While NBC has "Deal or No Deal", "Heroes", and the new "Journeyman" for its lineup, CBS will likely continue to program sitcoms Monday night, and Fox will continue with male skewing shows "Prison Break" and something new, ABC would do well to counter program Mondays to women. I would suggest a lineup which includes "Men In Trees" on this night and possibly intro new show "Women's Murder Club". Another possible fit would be "Private Practice", but I think it will get a pimp spot on another night. Filling the 8 PM hour should be one of the net's reality shows, possibly "Wife Swap" or "Supernanny", which have performed well here in the past. If they get moved to midseason or summer, this spot is a toss-up to me.

Tuesday

Tuesday again has been decent with "Dancing with the Stars" results show and "Boston Legal" at 10 PM. I think, however, there is room to really compete on Tuesday night. While "House" is dominant on Fox at 9 PM, don't be surprised to see ABC really push the 10 PM hour further with the Grey's spinoff, "Private Practice." This would bump "Boston Legal" to another night, possibly Monday or Friday. When "October Road" comes back midseason, it should be slated in on Tuesdays, but may air out of Grey's depending on how well the new shows airing in the post-Grey's spot performs. At 8 on Tuesday I wouldn't be surprised to see "Eli Stone" get a shot (though I'm on the fence as to whether this is an 8 PM or 9 PM show). Expect all of this to get tossed for "Dancing" in the spring.

Wednesday

A night of trouble for ABC. I think they'll move "Lost" back to 9 PM and try to launch "Pushing Daisies" out of it at 10 PM. I know this strategy didn't really work for "The Nine", but "Lost" performs far better at 9 PM, even with the competition. The 8 PM hour should see the launch of sitcom "Caveman" (ugh) at 8:30 and possibly "According to Jim" resuming it's 8 PM duties.

Thursday

Are you ready for a powerhouse night? Prepare for "Ugly Betty", "Grey's Anatomy" and "Dirty Sexy Money", which I think will take the 10 PM post-Grey's slot. The show has great buzz and will probably be the show (besides the Grey's spinoff) that gets the most promotion. If it takes off, they could then move it to a weaker night to anchor. I think ABC is happy with what they have for Thursday, and the only possible change would come at mid-season with some other show getting a shot post-Grey's.

Friday

ABC for years was king of Friday. I think they'll try to make this a "girl's night", and they should -- Air the two new sitcoms "Sam I Am" and "Carpoolers" in the 8 PM hour to lead off. Then continue the femme vibe at 9 with new show "Cashmere Mafia" and finally "Big Shots", which I hear has tested very well.

Saturday

College football and reruns. Wasteland.

Sunday

This night will remain mostly unchanged. I expect we'll see all the current lineup in their usual timeslots -- "America's Funniest Home Videos", "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition", "Desperate Housewives" and "Brothers and Sisters".

What's left over? Midseason pickups for "October Road" and "Notes from the Underbelly", and we'll probably see "The Bachelor" return in the spring. I also wouldn't be surprised if ABC picks up one or two more dramas for midseason. Depending on ratings for "Traveler" -- that's a long shot -- could still get a midseason order.

Now we wait to see what the professionals will do tomorrow.

2007 Upfronts: NBC announces Fall Schedule

I didn't get up early enough to do my schedule prediction, so we'll skip NBC for that. Here's the new schedule for next year with comments:

MONDAY
8-9 p.m.: "Deal or No Deal"
9-10 p.m.: "Heroes"
10-11 p.m.: "JOURNEYMAN"

TUESDAY
8-9 p.m.: "The Biggest Loser"
9-10 p.m.: "CHUCK"
10-11 p.m.: "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m.: "Deal or No Deal"
9-10 p.m.: "BIONIC WOMAN"
10-11 p.m.: "LIFE"

THURSDAY
8-8:30 p.m.: "My Name Is Earl"
8:30-9 p.m.: "30 Rock"
9-9:30 p.m.: "The Office"
9:30-10 p.m.: "Scrubs"
10-11 p.m.: "ER"

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m.: "1 vs 100"/"THE SINGING BEE"
9-10 p.m.: "Las Vegas"
10-11 p.m.: "Friday Night Lights"

SATURDAY
8-9 p.m.: "Dateline NBC"
9-11 p.m.: Drama Series Encores

SUNDAY (Fall 2007)
7-8 p.m.: "Football Night in America"
8-11 p.m.: "NBC Sunday Night Football"

SUNDAY (January 2008)
7-8 p.m.: "Dateline NBC"
8-9 p.m.: "Law & Order"
9-10 p.m.: "Medium"
10-11 p.m.: "LIPSTICK JUNGLE"

"Journeyman" which is described as a 'time travel thriller'. If so, it's a great fit out of Heroes. Two things which stick out: "Friday Night Lights" will air on Friday now and there are no new comedies on the fall schedule (NBC did pick up "The IT Crowd" for midseason). "The Apprentice" is nowhere to be found, though NBC wouldn't say if it was cancelled. "Medium" gets a January slot opposite "Desperate Housewives", another tough spot, but out of "Law & Order" should be pretty safe. "Lipstick Jungle" will go head to head with "Brothers and Sisters", provided ABC keeps that show in the same time period. Finally, NBC swapped "30 Rock" and "The Office" time periods, I'm sure because "The Office" has a stronger following for a 9 PM show.

Midseason orders include "The IT Crowd" and a 6-episode arc for "Heroes" called "Heroes: Origins", which will fill in while "Heroes" takes a breather, technically that will bring the episode order for "Heroes" to 30. What this does for people's possible specs, I have no clue.

More thoughts on the schedule after all of the upfronts are announced and we can see how the competition shakes out. NBC also wasn't afraid to shift programs after upfronts were over last year, so this is by no means final.

Upfront presentation schedule

Monday 5/14: NBC
Tuesday 5/15: ABC
Wednesday 5/16: CBS
Thursday 5/17: CW and Fox

Each day I'll post a proposed schedule for each network. Then we'll see what they do.

Upfront-o-rama

Lots of stories on the eve of upfronts. Let's take a look:

First, from the Hollywood Reporter comes word that Law & Order (Original Flavor) will be back for another season on NBC. The interesting news is that Law & Order: Criminal Intent will move to USA with a replay window on NBC. No word yet on where (day/time) each show will be scheduled.

Another article in the Reporter -- Fox has picked up "Canterbury's Law", "The Sarah Connor Chronicles", "K-Ville" and "New Amsterdam" for drama and "Back to You" (was called 'Action News'), "The Return of Jezebel James" and "The Rules of Starting Over". They've also renewed "Til Death".

NBC has picked up "The IT Crowd" (sitcom), "The Lipstick Jungle" and "Scrubs" for a seventh season (18 episodes).

But wait, there's more! One more time the Reporter gives us news on ABC pickups. In a world with no justice, ABC has picked up the "Cavemen" sitcom. I weep for the future. Otherwise, they've picked up "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Eli Stone", "Private Practice," "Cashmere Mafia," "Pushing Daisies," "Women's Murder Club," and "Big Shots" (formerly untitled Jon Feldman project). Other sitcom pickups include "Sam I Am" and "Carpoolers". ABC also renewed "October Road" and "Notes from the Underbelly" for 13 episodes each.

Variety has the skinny on CBS shows with news of orders for comedies "The Big Bang Theory", "The Captain" and "I'm in Hell". Drama pickups include "Viva Laughlin," "Swingtown," "Twilight" and "Los Duques."

No word out on the CW pilots except what I've already reported. More to come...

NBC news

Friday Night Lights is a go for Season 2 (thank you Kevin Reilly, my new best friend!)

Bionic Woman -- confirmed pick-up. So are 'Life' and 'Journeyman' in the dramas. 'Chuck' looks like a pick-up for comedies. Read more on this at the link above (Futon Critic).,

Drive burn off on July 4th

From Zap2it:

The remaining 2 episodes of 'Drive' will be aired from 8-10 PM on July 4th.

Tim Minear has posted show scripts over at his website.

Danger Zone

I feel like pulling this out of the Watch List just so I can keep track of changes.

These shows are considered 'on the bubble', or in danger of cancellation:

Close to Home (CBS)
Jericho (CBS) (though I'm hearing things are looking up a bit here)
The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS)
The Class (CBS)

Scrubs (NBC)
Law and Order (NBC)
Law and Order: Criminal Intent (NBC)
Crossing Jordan (NBC)

According to Jim (ABC)
Notes from the Underbelly (ABC) (hearing this one has a shot of making it)
October Road (ABC) (I think it will get a 13 ep order)
What About Brian (ABC)

The War at Home (FOX)
Til Death (FOX) (hearing this will live and be paired with the new 'Action News')

Veronica Mars (CW) (news on this changes daily)
Girlfriends (CW)

As more news emerges, I'll update with changes here and in the Watch List. Stay tuned.

Pilot news and rumors keep coming

According to the Reporter (click the link above for article) the nets aren't picking up a lot of comedies, but dramas appear to have turned out well. Latest word:

Reaper (CW) and Sam I Am (ABC) have been given permission to hire staff.

The Bionic Woman (NBC) is a lock at this point, they started hiring staff last week, and now Glen Morgan has been tapped as showrunner for the series.

Looks like Shark will get renewed and may move to allow the new Jimmy Smits show in at 10 on Thursday.

I'll be pulling together a round-up of changes to post as upfronts begin on Monday.

Yay! It's Jack Bauer Appreciation Day

Dammit!! Appreciate Jack Bauer today or thousands of people will DIE!!

Over at Blogs for Bauer they are celebrating JBAD. I love the rules: (as posted on that site)

1) Give somebody your word. When Jack gives you his word, he's forging an iron-clad bond with you. When you live up to your obligations, you're inching closer to being like Jack.

2) Commandeer a vehicle. This one is always a good time. Let's say you're walking out of Dunkin' Donuts and you realize your car is on the other side of the parking lot. "DAMMIT!" you say to yourself. But right in front of you is some insurance salesman in his brand-spanking new Jeep Liberty. Perfect. Approach the man, announce yourself briefly and inform him that you are commandeering his vehicle. To help sell the urgency of this moment, mutter "I don't have time for this" to yourself, but loud enough for the person to hear. And if you have your hands free at the moment, push the person down to the ground in a firm yet gentle manner. This shows that you're all business, but you're not a sadist.

3) Whisper. Man, I gotta tell ya, when I'm sitting in my office and I hear Emily over the cubicle partition yapping away about some sort of silliness, I feel the Bauer inside me start to rage. Most people do not know how to use their voice effectively. But not Jack. Oh no, he is the master. When Jack is emphatic, he starts to express himself in an urgent yet dignified whisper. So, when you're on the phone with Jill from accounting and she's telling you there is no time in the day to get a budget estimate out on that last-minute project, you better start that whispering, pal. "Jill, if I don't get that estimate before the end of the day people are going to die, do you understand me?" Also, inform Jill that you are a federal agent, and give her your word for good measure (see #1 above).

4) Scream. So, now you've gotten the whispering in and you've drawn people into your sphere of influence. But wait, they're not moving fast enough in following your instructions. Well, that's the moment when you put aside the whispering and start screaming like your pants are on fire. Obviously, you need to start it off with "DAMMIT!" as that is what cuts through all the bullshit of the moment. From there you have to reiterate your instructions with gusto-- "DAMMIT JILL, I NEED THOSE BUDGET ESTIMATES NOW!" Sure, she'll be a little flustered, she may even cry a little, but the only thing poor Jill wants more than a Valium is to get those budget estimates done so you'll stop yelling at her.

5) Don't eat Chinese food today. This one is tough for me personally, because I could eat Chinese food everyday if... ya know, what am I saying? This one isn't that tough at all. Well, anyway, the Chinese government tortured Jack for 18 months (boo!) and they broke Audrey 's brain (yay!) but they stole a vital computer chip that has the Russians crapping their pants (boo!) but they drive American vehicles (yay!). I go back and forth on the Chinese. But because of the whole 18 months of hell that Jack had to endure, I think it makes sense to skip the spare ribs and egg rolls for at least today. Well, if you really wanted to honor Jack, you'd skip ALL food for the day, as he never gets a chance to eat. But that's for the more orthodox followers of Jack Bauer. For the rest of you people, have a taco instead.

I can't wait to celebrate 'Talk Like Jack Bauer Day'. It could be my favorite day next to 'Talk Like a Pirate Day.'

(Hat Tip: The Colossus)

New Wijit

I got one of those 'hi, try our cool widget' emails, and decided to give it a go.

Say hello to Lijit. It's a search engine you can use to search the blog, etc for stories about, say, 'Veronica Mars' (I've done a few of those). Not all of my posts have meta tags (this blog is a couple of years old after all) so this will help you find some of the older posts that don't have tags. It will also search blogs in my blogroll, so it may help you find info somewhere else in the scribosphere.

I'm open to feedback. Like? Dislike? Want something different? Inquiring minds want to know.

If you want to check it out for yourself, hop on over to Lijit to give it a looksee.

Now this is interesting...

TNT may be willing to play the part of White Knight if NBC decides to finally kill the OLO (Original Law and Order) golden goose. TNT has indicated they would be willing to take over the production and air new episodes of the series.

Very very interesting...

Veronica Mars lives!

...and it looks like 'Gossip Girl', from Josh Schwartz (he who hath created 'The O.C.') is gonna get a pickup from CW also -- they were given the go ahead to start staffing.

Yes, the news is trickling in. I've also heard 'Action News', the comedy pilot with Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton is a lock at Fox and 'Dirty Sexy Money' is gonna get a pimp spot, just like the new Grey's spinoff 'Private Practice' will...my bet is one of them goes to Monday and Brian hits the trash heap. But more about my predictions later...

UPDATE (10:49 AM WED): Or maybe it won't live. Ratings last night were beyond dismal into non-existant. Even with fire coverage pre-empting the show in L.A. there was an approximate loss of 500,000 viewers. The show has been pulling in less than 3 million viewers all season. Last night it was probably less than 2 million. Sadly, I'm not sure even a retooled VM could take off next season, certainly not if there are less than 3 million viewers for it...

'Medium' gets another season

So the news I had heard is confirmed.

My spec lives to fight another day!!

(Watch List updated)

Gilmore Girls Cancelled

Reported yesterday. No word yet on the future of Veronica Mars...

Welcome to Specville (or What to Spec, Part III)

It's that time again. Time to knuckle down and hammer out a new spec. Based on a number of sources, I present to you a partial list of what shows are "specable". Also, since most people assume a show not on the list should never be spec'ed, I include a list of the shows you should UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES condsider a spec for. Anything which isn't on either list could be considered, but probably didn't make the 'hot' list for one reason or another. Most likely, because no one mentioned it.

UPDATE: The Riches and Dirt on FX have been renewed. I think there *may* be a case for a spec of 'The Riches' -- but I am skeptical about 'Dirt'. I also think 'Psych' is a borderline choice. Stick with shows which actually get some ink in the trades or online...

Hot Specs (Drama):

Ugly Betty
Heroes
Shark (likely to be picked up next season)
Dexter
The Closer
House
Criminal Minds
Desperate Housewives
Boston Legal
Men In Trees
The Wire (one season left -- get in while you can)
Big Love (I'm personally skeptical, but I know someone who mentioned it, so it's on the list)

Losing Ground, but still viable (Drama):

Medium
Cold Case
CSI
L&O: SVU
The Unit
Monk
Rescue Me
Veronica Mars (until it gets cancelled)


Forget it; Spec only if you enjoy rejection:

Las Vegas
CSI: Miami
The Ghost Whisperer
Prison Break
Crossing Jordan (likely cancellation)
Close to Home (possible cancellation)
What About Brian (possible cancellation)
24

Hot Specs (Comedy):

Entourage
Weeds
The Office
How I Met Your Mother
My Name is Earl
The New Adventures of Old Christine
30 Rock

Fading, but still viable:

Everybody Hates Chris
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Don't Bother (Comedy):

The Class (likely cancellation)
The War at Home
The George Lopez Show

She's alive!

I pronounced her dead two days ago, but she started blogging again yesterday. I like getting fast results like that.

Things They Won't Tell You in Film School.

And all was put right in the world. Except Nathan Fillion still doesn't have a TV show. Dammit.

Please hire Nathan Fillion

...because he's unemployed again.

Fox has cancelled 'Drive' after 3 airings (the 2 hour pilot and two episodes). In its place Fox will air repeats of 'House' on Monday nights.

I weep for Tim and Nathan. And everyone else. This makes me very sad.

Time Bandits

Time-shifting. It's all the rage. Many refer to the practice as 'TiVoing' or 'DVRing' or heck, even the antiquated and totally inaccurate 'taping'. What it is is digitally recording a program and replaying it at a later time (and if you are like me, gleefully skipping through the commercials).

For the networks, it's an interesting trend and a dilemma.

Read this USA Today article for details, but I'll pull out one bit:

For some shows, time-shifting accounts for most of the falloff. Last year at this time, only 5% of the homes in Nielsen's sample had the recording devices; now 15.8% do. That has sparked a wider gap between ratings for shows watched live — the only yardstick used by Nielsen last year — and those watched within seven days of their initial airing.

"If you look at live plus seven-day viewing, those declines for several shows start to vanish," says Fox's Preston Beckman. Lost lost 14% of its live viewing this season, but when time-shifting is factored in, the show is down only 1%. The Office, down 10%, is actually up 2% with delayed viewing included.

"We can't really examine things in the same mind-set that we did a year ago," ABC research chief Larry Hyams says.

You ask "what does this have to do with writing for TV?" EVERYTHING. The networks are still the primary source for scripted series, drama and comedy. While there is certainly a gain in the number of cable shows, most people are still going to be looking to the networks for signs of where the jobs will be. The DVR revolution is coming. To go from 5% to 15% of households using DVRs is enormous. If this pace continues, Nielsen will have better luck measuring the viewership of test patterns.

Already Nielsen has reacted to this new trend and is attempting to develop new ways to measure ratings for shows, based on timeshifting. The problem is with the advertisers, not the networks.

The advertisers believe (mostly rightly) that people who record shows to watch later are skipping through the commercials to watch the program. If you aren't watching commercials, there's no reason to advertise. If there's no reason to advertise, networks lose money. If networks lose money...well, I think you see where this is going.

Keep an eye on this. Some people are considering this the 'tipping point' for networks focusing more on content for the internet or VOD. We'll only know by looking back on this time, but for now, we must all be aware of the changes to the status quo.

Bring out Your Dead

I'm not the only one watching the networks and reading the tea leaves of what will be spared execution and given new life, and which shows are being sent to the gallows.

Read this article in the Olympian for other thoughts. You'll notice most of them line up with my previous musings and Watch List predictions.

(Hat tip: a poster at the Programming Insider Forum.)

"October Road" actors get an upgrade

This news bodes well for "October Road" getting a pick up for next year. The article states that two of the actors on the show have been upgraded to regular cast status for next season...we'll keep an eye on this. I expect we won't hear confirmation until after the last episode airs on Thursday this week.

Link: "October Road" actors get an upgrade

By the way, in case you haven't noticed, I've been a busy blogger bee today. The watch list and blog list are updated, and I posted an Obit for blogs which are departing my blogroll (and hello to those I've added recently).

More to come tomorrow -- I have two more posts in draft status!

TV Show Blogs 2006-07

UPDATE: 4/24/07 - Poked around again and found some more show blogs and podcasts. When in doubt, check the home page for the network/cable channel which airs the show.

I particularly like blogs that aren't 'character blogs' but rather blogs written by the writers about the show. I've scoured the web to find these blogs and bring them to you.

'Behind the Scenes' Blogs

• Brothers and Sisters (ABC)
  
• CSI:Miami (CBS) The Executive Story Editor, Corey Miller blogs.
  
• The Closer (TNT) Written by show creator James Duff
  
• Friday Night Lights (NBC)
  
• Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
  
• Heroes (NBC)
  
• Men In Trees (ABC) Written by Creator/Showrunner Jenny Bicks
  
• Monk (USA) So far, only one post, but hopefully this will continue forward. Also a couple of fun character blogs on the site.
  
• Criminal Minds (CBS) Okay, it's an actress's blog, but every once in awhile there are some insights into the process of making a TV show.
  
• Prison Break (FOX) Huh, this one is new -- written by Wade Williams who plays Bellick on the show. In fact, there are several blogs at TV Guide written by actors on shows such as 'The Office' (Jenna Fisher) and several others...
  
• Standoff (FOX)
  
• Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (NBC)
  

I'll add to the list as more pop up. I think it is a good trend as it gives us insight into what makes these shows tick.

Character blogs

These are blogs written in the 'voice' of a character on the show. Sometimes they are maintained by the actors, other times a writer on the show writes the blog. For the 'Lost' diary last year, the writer's assistant maintained it (not sure who is doing it this year). I have listed these by show in alphabetical order.

• Crossing Jordan (NBC) Nigel's Blog
  
• Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
  • The Nurse's Station
    
  • Emerald City Bar
• Heroes (NBC) Hiro's Blog
• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) Barney's Blog
  
• The Office (NBC) Dwight's Blog

Podcasts

• Lost
  
• Ugly Betty
  

Miscellaneous

• NBC Blog (with blogroll of all show/character blogs)
  
• ABC.com Home Page (including link to watch shows online with commercials for free)
  
• CBS.com Home Page (with link to Innertube)
  

In Memoriam

Normally the loss of a screenwriting blog in the scribosphere is a time of mourning. I'm finding more and more of the links in my blogroll lead to a 'file not found' type error, or a blog that hasn't been updated in months.

So I thought I'd present an obituary of "dead" scribe blogs.

First up, Sal Calleros's Blog, "Let us in!" provided us a great wealth of information on the ABC Fellowship Program, what with him having been in it. I actually rejoice at this blog death since he got an agent who advised him to shut the blog. Hmm, keep blogging, get a writing job...yeah, I'd close up shop too.

Shawn at "Agents are Evil" closed very recently. He said he lost interest in blogging. All I know was that he could rant with the best. His blog will be missed.

Reaching Above the Line was a fairly recent add to the blogroll, by virtue of linking me. Sadly, he seems to have been MIA since November. I've given him 5 months to return, with no signs of life. It's time his link was laid to rest.

Things they Won't Tell you in Film School -- a classic blog. Julie was detailing her many attempts to break into the industry long before I was. Fortunately, she too is a victim of success. Best of luck to you Julie! At least you left the blog up so that we could look back at your journey fondly.

ScreenwriterBones - Philip Morton, one of the few pros who blogs has been gone since September. He's pulled this disappearing trick before, so I hold out hope he will one day return. In the meantime, his blog is still there, and has a wealth of advice and information for aspiring screenwriters.

Writergurl's blog was always a fascinating read. I met her once at the Screenwriting Expo, and I am sad that's been gone from the scribosphere for more than six months. Come back to us!

New Yorker in Hollywood has also vanished as of the end of October. Now, I happen to know this blogger, and it is possible that work has kept her from updating. Again, I hope she returns.

Scriptweaver has an excuse for the demise of his blog -- he got a writing job! Good luck to you!

How to Write Screenplays, Badly at least tells us it is dead. Thanks for the heads up.

52 Screenplays seems to have turned into a search page with popups.

Todd A. has left us archives and a link to published articles.

Chained to the Keyboard may be the oldest corpse I'm burying. He hasn't updated since July last year.

I Want to Write has completely vanished. No trace...perhaps Google can find some old relic.

Finally, Cathy Seipp was one of those writers I really admired. She was funny, smart and could hold her own in a debate. Sadly, she died last month of lung cancer, having never smoked in her life. My condolences to her daughter, the rest of her family and friends.

But where there is death, there is also life, and I am happy to add new blogs to the blogroll:

12 Months
Screenwriter Guy
The Good, the Bad, and the Whatever
Day Al-Mohamed
Ancient Wisdom from a Young Man
The Rouge Wave
The Working Screenwriter

Pilot dirt

Oh I love a good rumor mill story. Especially if it is in the Reporter.

Read it and feel enlightened as to which pilots may make the cut next month.

Too lazy to click the link at the top of this post? Fine, here's a summary:

ABC: "Dirty Sexy Money" appears to be a frontrunner for a spot on the schedule. "Marlowe", "Suspect", "Pushing Daisies" and "Football Wives" are also looking good.

CBS: "Viva Laughlin", "Babylon Fields", "Swingtown", "Protect and Serve" and "The Man" are said to be favorites.

Apparently "Demons" got leaked last week accidentally...anyone got a copy?

Fox: "Action News" and "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" look to be making the grade. "The Return of Jezebel James" and "The Life and Times of Tim" are also "heating up" in Reporter-speak.

NBC: "Lipstick Jungle", "Life", "Winters" and "Chuck" seem to be early front-runners.

The CW: They like "Gossip Girl" and "Reaper" and the untitled South Africa wildlife preserve show.

I won't speculate on the comedies until they are all shot. I'm sure they'll follow up with those later.

New York State of Mind

I know, I know...a whole week. You hate me, right? Well, consider this: Upfronts are fast approaching. And you know how I am about upfronts. That's right, make predictions, follow the announcements, praise and snark. So, stop whining, you know there's lots of content to come in the next month. In fact, if you are new here and have an interest in TV shows that get picked up/cancelled (and I know you are out there -- you googling people you) bookmark my site (shameless promotion) and come back at least once a week leading up to the big shew in NYC -- THE UPFRONTS. I'll do a primer on the upfronts next week to prepare you.

But today, I thought I'd recount my trip to New York City this weekend. Now, a lot of you have been to New York or lived in New York. You might be thinking, 'why do I care about YOUR trip to New York?' Answer: I don't know, but you're at my friggin blog, so you might as well read it. (Yeah, I'll update the watch list later...sheesh, no pleasing you people).



This was a milestone event for me. While a trip to New York on its own is exciting, and a first trip to New York is even more anticipated, there was something very special about this trip.

September 11, 2001. I was standing in the boarding line of a Delta flight, waiting to board a plane at the Orlando airport, headed to LaGuardia. I noted after a few minutes that our line wasn't moving. It was 8:30 AM.

Then an attendant announces that our flight is delayed. There had been the remains of a hurricane on the northeast coast in previous days, and I mused that perhaps the weather was still bad in New York.

If it weren't for the TVs in the terminal, we might never have known what was happening.

I was supposed to attend the wedding of a friend at Block Island. Going to New York was a treat I was giving myself. I had asked a friend to accompany me, a friend who had been to New York a couple of times and could serve as my guide. The events of the day made that trip impossible.

April 19, 2007 - Redeye: I finally breathe a sigh of relief as my life comes full circle. The trip, so long ago postponed would now come to pass. 9/11 marked a turning point in my life. In the wake of the tragedy, my sister got laid off and broke up with her long time boyfriend, our family dog died, and four months later my grandmother died. It was a dark time. From the darkness came new hope, however. My sister and I vowed to jumpstart our lives -- pick up and move to Los Angeles. I didn't know how I was going to get here 5 years ago, I just knew I had to do it. By the one year anniversary of that fateful day, I had a ticket in hand to visit Los Angeles. In January 2003, I was transferred by my job to L.A. And the rest you can deduce from my journey the last few years.


I was haunted by the aborted trip over the years. Yearning to close the book on that chapter of my life. I know that 'getting closure' is a cliche' worthy of an eyeroll, but I'll tolerate your looks of disdain to tell you that I really needed closure on this.



I was only there for two days. I met up with new friends who had never been there either. We wandered around like lost lambs for most of one day. But I didn't care. I was in New York...finally.

Medium and Friday Night Lights -- picked up?

I haven't seen this tidbit in any of the usual places, so let's hope CNN International knows what they're talking about.

Medium and Friday Night Lights (according to this source) have received script orders for next year. Not full-fledged pick ups but it is encouraging.

I'll keep an eye out for confirmation on this...

I saw "Hot Fuzz" this weekend.

It's good. Really really good.

Shaun of the Dead is one of my new favorite films. In fact, it may be the only film not starring Will Ferrell produced in the last five years which is quoted by me often. I can watch the film any number of times and it never gets old.

I think Hot Fuzz will be the same way.

I'm for serious here, peeps. I don't "do" movie recommendations much, but when this one comes out (on April 20th)... Go. See. It.

For serious.

It's done

Well, it took almost a year. It went through 3 (official) and an untold number of unofficial rewrites. It's possible it will get one more, depending on the readers it is going to now. But my first pilot spec is done.

I'm working on the bible now, and very soon it will go out to a few readers outside of my usual suspects (congrats, you all are now free!!) Once I feel that it is getting a passing grade there, it goes to the top of the portfolio, with the two show specs.

I see the light, and it is neon, blinking...

NEXT PROJECT.

30 Rock gets another year

Futon Critic reports the news this morning. 30 Rock will live!

As a side note, I know many people have speculated that it would be an either/or situation with 30 Rock and Friday Night Lights -- both critically loved but low rated shows. Well, Friday Night Lights is getting a Peabody award. While this doesn't mean NBC MUST keep it, I do think it helps make their case that the show is worth saving. (Ugly Betty and Showtime's Brotherhood also received Peabody recognition this year).

More fallout from the schedule

This Variety article gives the details, but the basics are clear:

Six Degrees - gone.

Black Donnelly's - yanked from the schedule, probably never to return.

Notes from the Underbelly - so bad they keep moving the timeslot (now it's scheduled for Wednesdays at 8:30, behind According to Jim)

7th Heaven is dead...again.

Watch List needs a lot of updating today.

The Wedding Bells gets pulled

Looks like a couple of episodes will still air on 4/6 and 4/20, but then it's done.

In its last airing, it pulled a 1.5 rating. WWE Smackdown ranked higher. Ouch.

Back in the Saddle

Good to be back home. It was a long week, and I'm sure most of you know what it's like to deal with a family funeral. Lots of visits, lots of grieving, lots of emotional burnout.

I'm still sifting through all the news I missed. I have so much stacked up on the DVR to watch, I'm cross-eyed looking at the list (3 weeks of Lost??)

In writing news, I developed good ideas on a new pilot I'm working on. Hope to start outlining the sucker soon. Still rewriting my draft pilot. All other rewrites locked and loaded. Once the pilot is done, I'm going out...and yes, I realize my timing now sucks. Well, I was planning on going through the manager/agent gauntlet 2 weeks ago, but the fates conspired to ixnay that.

So, bad timing or no, I'm going.

Thanks to all who emailed or left well wishes here. It really helped.

Hiatus

Sorry for the hiatus. My grandfather died on Sunday so I'm home for the funeral.

I'll be back next Monday to regular updating and such. Sorry for the unusual quiet on the blog.

Fox schedule updates

Last year's minor comedy success 'The Loop' returns to the schedule on June 10th.

Hell's Kitchen, one of my favorite non-scripted shows, is back on June 25.

The new Mark Burnett produced show, 'On the Lot' will premiere on May 16 and then settle into a Monday-Tuesday pattern. This one may be of particular interest to writers/directors as it is the show produced by Spielberg to find a great unknown directing talent.

ABC to Introduce October Road to Thursday Lineup

Starting March 15 in place of 'Men in Trees' at 10 PM Thursday...

ABC to Introduce October Road to Thursday Lineup

Michael and son permanently off the island?

According to this story, Harold Perrineau will be co-starring in a new CBS pilot, 'Demons'. The article notes:

There has been talk about Perrineau possibly returning to the Emmy-winning adventure series, but sources said the sides could not reach an agreement.

If this show gets picked up, I guess we'll never know if Michael and Walt made it back to land.

Perrineau to face 'Demons' for CBS

Random Observations about last night's tv

No new BSG. BOOOO!!!

The Puppy Bowl is fascinating. I almost got sucked in so long I neglected the real game. Although, by the end of the third quarter, I wasn't missing much.

Rex Grossman sucks.

Robert Goulet rules! Although, I think it is fair to say that the ad companies are in danger. If an ad that cost 12 bucks is at least as entertaining as a few of them that cost 2 million, why the heck do we need ad companies?? (I mean, some of those ads last night were just LAME).

Criminal Minds sucks worse than I imagined. I've only watched two episodes, so I didn't think I was a fair judge, but the episode last night was dreadful. You'd have to have the IQ of a small woodland creature not to figure out what was going on with the 'unsub' (Criminal Minds speak *roll eyes*) by the end of the teaser, yet it took the whip-smart team 3 ACTS to figure it out. This wasn't dramatic tension, it was poor plotting. CBS really blew it with airing this after the Super Bowl. Fellow TV geeks are saying that CBS should have opted for a couple of sitcoms, notably 'How I Met Your Mother' and premiere 'Rules of Engagement' instead. I think they have a point. Who wants to watch dark, ugly serial killer drama after America's favorite televison event?? (Considering that the fast nationals show that CM drew 26 million viewers, 12 million less than 'Grey's Anatomy' did last year, I'd say not that many.)

MTR loses a member

I've had it.

Today was the day tickets for MTR members were to go on sale for the Paley Festival. So, I waited dutifully on the Ticketmaster site for a full 10 minutes before sales would open (at 9 AM). I struggled to order. The letter I got in the mail said to use my member ID, but every time I entered it, I got an error. So, at 9:15 I decided to try calling Ticketmaster. At 9:18 I got a human, and explained my problem.

She told me all the presale tickets were sold out. My jaw dropped.

"It's 18 minutes past 9. How is that possible?"

"I'm sorry," she said. "You can try calling back on the 4th."

No, no I won't. Goodbye Paley Festival. Goodbye MTR. I will no longer WASTE (and yes, it is a waste) 50 bucks a year to become a member for a benefit I DON'T GET TO USE!!

Oh and the festival hotline has been busy all morning. I'm guessing I'm not alone in this.

Human Sacrifice

In the life of every script, key decisions must be confronted and made. Is this the right beat for an act out? Should I use flashbacks? What do I do about this gaping plot hole?

Sometimes the hardest decisions involve homicide -- specifically, excising a character. I am currently struggling with this decision in regard to my pilot.

My pilot spec has no less than 20 (!) speaking characters. Keeping them straight is a chore for the reader, and I am sympathetic to this. In fact, I dislike having so many dang people cluttering up my world. The problem is, I NEED most of these characters.

First, there's the lead. He can't go away, no way, no how. Then there's his 'entourage' or 'team' -- those three are necessary too. The boss stays, as does the best friend. So does the heavy. As for the second tier characters, most of those serve a purpose too. I've already taken 3 characters and rolled them into one. Still, the world is too populated. Someone must go.

I've chosen Coulter for this honor.

Dan Coulter is a man's man. He's also an arrogant SOB. He was in the story to be a thorn in the side of my lead and provide some meaty conflict. Trouble is, he isn't really that necessary anymore. When I created him, he was unique, serving a singular purpose. Now I have two or three other characters who duplicate that role. So, Coulter is headed to the dustbin.

Here's the problem, it's not that simple. He is woven into some scenes that feed important information. He was a structure point too -- serving as a justification for our lead to make a critical decision. If he is gone, the decision doesn't make sense. So just cutting him out of the story leads to a number of rewrite issues. Now, I'm not afraid of rewriting, far from it. At first glance, however, the task is daunting. Once I figure out how to patch over the gaps left by this character, I'll be good to go. Right now I'm just trying to find enough dirt for filler.

In the end, I'll have 19 (!?!) speaking roles in the pilot. It may not seem like a significant reduction, but I think it will still help. After all, Lost in any given week seems to have 25, and Lord knows how many there are for 24 (actually, I counted last night -- I counted 21 name characters at least...got a little fuzzy in the detention center, but that's still a hefty number.)

On to the rewrite.

Spec episode or spec pilot?

There's been some debate this week about the viability of specs, thanks to a blog post from Jane Espenson unofficially declaring the spec episode of an existing show dead.

Fortunately for us, BooM started asking questions. Her answers are a bit of a relief.

Let's hope the spec episode isn't completely dead. Either way, start writing some pilots people.

Paley Festival Events Announced

(panel attendees TBA)

3/1 American Idol
3/2 The Office
3/3 An Evening with George Lucas
3/5 Brothers & Sisters
3/6 The Closer
3/7 Dexter
3/8 Nip/Tuck
3/9 Prison Break
3/10 Heroes
3/12 Ugly Betty
3/13 Jericho
3/15 The Simpsons

More information at Museum of Television and Radio

Updated Fox Spring Schedule

(From Fox press release, as found at Futon Critic:

FOX SPRING PREMIERES RECAP (All Times ET/PT)

Sunday, March 4:
THE WAR AT HOME Time Period Premiere (7:30-8:00 PM)
THE WINNER Series Premiere (8:30-9:00 PM)
THE WINNER Series Premiere (9:30-10:00 PM)

Wednesday, March 7:
THE WEDDING BELLS Preview (9:00-10:00 PM)

Friday, March 9:
THE WEDDING BELLS Series Premiere (9:00-10:00 PM)

Wednesday, March 14:
TIL DEATH Time Period Premiere (9:30-10:00 PM)

Friday, March 30:
STANDOFF Time Period Premiere (8:00-9:00 PM)

Sunday, April 15:
DRIVE Series Premiere (8:00-10:00 PM)

Monday, April 16:
DRIVE Time Period Premiere (8:00-9:00 PM)

FOX SPRING SCHEDULE
(Effective Sunday, March 4; All Times ET/PT)

MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM PRISON BREAK/DRIVE (Premieres 4/16)
9:00-10:00 PM 24

TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM HOUSE

WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-9:30 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:30-10:00 PM TIL DEATH

THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM TBA
9:00-10:00 PM TBA

FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM STANDOFF (Premieres 3/30)
9:00-10:00 PM THE WEDDING BELLS

SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICAS MOST WANTED: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK
11:00 PM-Midnight MADtv
Midnight-12:30 AM TALKSHOW WITH SPIKE FERESTEN

SUNDAY
7:00-7:30 PM COMEDY REPEATS
7:30-8:00 PM THE WAR AT HOME
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM THE WINNER/KING OF THE HILL (Returns 3/25)
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM THE WINNER/AMERICAN DAD (Returns 3/25)

Bonds

No, not savings bonds or Barry Bonds, but the kind of bonds you make with people in the trenches, as a writer.

Bonds. Now the word looks funny. Ahem.

Some writers find it difficult to forge relationships with other writers. A lot of writers tend toward the reclusive side. If this is you, I recommend you use the tool in front of you to break out of that.

Bonds can be formed online now, you know.

The best relationships are obviously the ones where you see and talk to the person and they are within 2 feet of you, and no, not on your computer screen. However, if you've been on message boards or chat rooms or blogs and found a kindred spirit, take advantage. Writer colleagues are good for motivation, support and assistance.

This is a love letter of sorts to my best writer friends.

I can't thank you all enough for your insightful notes, your suggestions (yes, I love notes and suggestions, I know some writers don't want someone telling them how to fix their problems, but I like solutions, even if it isn't the right one. Sometimes it leads to the right one). Hopefully I am just as helpful as you are to me.

To my L.A. writer friends, I appreciate being able to meet with you, blow off steam, laugh and cry and share our work so that we may become stronger writers. To my non-L.A. writer friends, I appreicate you too. We may not be able to meet in person all the time, if ever, but you have diverse viewpoints which are appreciated. Sometimes it helps to hear from those of you outside of the Hollywood bubble to see if my idea 'plays' to a larger audience. That is invaluable insight.

Forging bonds is important in life. While you may feel writing is a solitary occupation, I can't stress enough the importance of fellow aspirants to keep you motivated.

Go make some friends.

The new hot specs list

While not all of this season's crop of shows has had their fates decided, it's getting easier to read the tea leaves. I'm also hearing buzz about certain show specs from friends and industry contacts:

New 'hot' one-hour specs: (in order of perceived hotness)

Ugly Betty
Heroes
Dexter
Grey's Anatomy
The Closer
Criminal Minds
House
Brothers & Sisters

*This does not mean other shows cannot be specced. I'll be posting the revised hot specs list within a few weeks.

New 'hot' half-hour specs: (in order of perceived hotness)

The New Adventures of Old Christine
The Office
My Name is Earl
How I Met Your Mother
Scrubs
Two and a Half Men
Everybody Hates Chris (this has really fallen off since last year)

NBC sets Raines premiere dates

Raines, starring Jeff Goldblum will premiere in ER's time slot on March 15 and 22, and then air on Fridays at 9 beginning March 30. Earlier NBC had reduced the order for the series from 13 to 7.

Unless it pulls incredible numbers, Raines isn't long for this world.

Link: the futon critic

NBC renews The Office, Earl, Heroes and L&O: SVU for next season

NBC has announced the renewal of 'My Name is Earl', 'The Office', 'Heroes', and 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' for the 2007-08 season. This makes 'Heroes' the first freshman show to get picked up for next season.

Watch List updated.

Link: Futon Critic

Fox Spring Schedule Announced

Fox has announced some premiere dates and schedule changes coming in March and April (editorials are all mine):

• Drive - 2 hour premiere on Sunday April 15. It will then begin airing on Monday nights (starting April 16) replacing Prison Break, which will have its season finale on April 2nd. A repeat of 'House' will air in the slot on April 9.
  
• Til Death will move to Wednesdays following the 90 minute AI on March 14. This will likely prolong the life of the show...at least short term.
  
• Hell's Kitchen will return in March on Thursdays once The O.C. wraps. Remember 'The Loop'? (it was never actually cancelled last season) Looks like it could return and air the same night alongside ailing 'The War at Home'.
  
• Standoff comes back in March and is sent to the gallows of Friday night. I weep. But at least it won't die alone. David Kelley's new show 'The Wedding Bells' will air along with it on Fridays.
  
• Seth MacFarlane/Rick Blitt produced show 'The Winner' will launch on Sunday March 4 with two episodes, one after The Simpsons and one after Family Guy. American Dad, which normally airs in those slots, will return in April.

I'll update the Watch List with this info today.



Link: Futon Critic

Quick hits

• Dancing with the Stars returns on March 19, airing Mondays and Tuesdays. Yes, that means it avoids the American Idol carnage.
  
• Stargate will live on with a couple of direct-to-DVD films, 'Stargate: The Ark of Truth', and 'Stargate: Continuum'.
  
• Lost may air with no repeats next season, but to do so, it may not premiere until January 2008.
  
• Golden Globes: YAWN. Hugh Laurie will always win because he's British. Same with Helen Mirren. And Jeremy Irons. And Bill Nighy. And Sacha Baron Cohen. AND Emily Blunt. Alec Baldwin is British by default, since he vowed to leave the country after Bush was reelected. Recounts are pending for how Peter O'Toole, Toni Collete (okay, she's from Australia, close enough), Cate Blanchett, and Stephen Frears lost. I'm sure heads will roll for letting some Americans win those categories.
  
• ABC has suffered a lot of serialized show fatigue, with only a couple of small successes in that realm this year and lots of failures (Six Degrees, The Nine, Daybreak). They are focusing on procedurals this year. Of course, ABCs recent track record with procedurals has been dismal (In Justice, The Evidence, Dragnet).
  
• So, uh, 24. Yeah. In their world I'd be dead several times over. I know the show is set in L.A. but do we always have to be hit with big horrible weapons? At least they spread it around the country a little bit this season...

Not a lot of TV news to report. I scoff at the Globes handing the best tv show award to Grey's, but you know my bias there anyway...

Link:the futon critic

TV Show return dates

Want to know when your favorite show starts showing new episodes again? Check below. Organized by date. (Reality, news programs, and specials excluded...unless noted). UPDATED on 1/16, fixed some premiere dates

1/16

American Idol Sixth season premiere
NCIS
The Unit

1/17

One Tree Hill

1/18

CSI
Shark

1/19

Monk Fifth season (winter) premiere
Psych First season (winter) premiere

1/21

The Dresden Files Series premiere
Battlestar Galactica Third season (winter) premiere

1/22

Everybody Hates Chris
Prison Break
Heroes (up against 24, program your DVRs accordingly)
What About Brian
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

1/23

FYI: STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
Gilmore Girls
Veronica Mars

1/24

The George Lopez Show Sixth season premiere

1/28

King of the Hill Tenth season premiere

1/31

Top Design Series premiere on BRAVO

2/5

Rules of Engagement Series premiere on CBS

2/7

LOST ** time period change! 10:00 PM Eastern/Pacific

2/14

Jericho

How to keep your favorite show from being cancelled

I suppose the short and sweet answer is to WATCH THEM.

*sigh*

I suppose you want more than that. Fine. Become a Nielsen family. THEN WATCH THEM IN REAL TIME.

Still no good? Have any friends who are Nielsen metered homes? Go over to their place, make them watch your show in real time. Repeat this about 1,000 times.

Networks care about their ratings. Ratings dictate how much they can charge for ads. If a show gets terrible ratings, in most cases it equals not getting enough people to pay ad rates for that show. The network then tries to salvage what they can by putting something else on the air which companies will buy ads during.

But wait, what about me? The viewer! Don't I get a say?

Not really.

If you pay for a channel, like HBO, you have a say. They cancel your show, you cancel your HBO. Pretty easy. Network and basic cable are a different ballgame.

It's all about the ad dollars.

Look, I've been where you are, I'm there now. You fall in love with a show. It's funny, dramatic, interesting, quirky, different...all the things you want in a TV show. But it only pulls a 3 share (a share point represents about 1.2 million households). Even with close to 7 million people watching, it just isn't enough. Advertisers can get more eyeballs on the competing show. Your favorite show loses advertisers. If it loses ad dollars, it loses the game.

So, the best solution is to know how to cope with a show you love not going the distance. Some people form cult like support groups (Firefly fans come to mind). Others just find something else to watch. Some form letter writing campaigns.

Campaigns targeted at a network are pointless. Target the advertisers. Tell them how much you love their commercials and products and are happy they support your favorite show on TV. Tell them you will happily buy more of their products if they keep supporting your show. I have no idea if this works, but believe me, it's more on target than bitching at ABC for cancelling Daybreak. If the advertisers left and it didn't get good reviews- the only saving grace for some shows is award cred. Win some awards, and a network will save a low rated show because awards are like free advertising that your show is good. More people may start watching it. More people equals higher ratings equals more $$ for advertising.

You getting the drift?

Welcome!

A quick hello to those of you who found me from the 'Boogie Board'. I have no idea what is posted over there that lead you here, but welcome. Please, feel free to poke around. In the Taylor universe I am TeelaJBrown.

Two Carry-ons per person

(NOTE TO PARENTS: I am fine. Yes, I am spewing forth in a public forum about my ups and downs this year. At this present time, I consider myself in good mental health. Now, don't call me all worried. Yes, I really do have to post these kinds of disclaimers or I'll be on the phone for an hour with my mother. I love you mom, but truly, I'm fine.)

So, I talked about my writing journey this year. In the grand scheme, it was a good year for that. Sometimes it feels like the wheels of progress just don't move fast enough. I want to have an agent NOW. I want to be on staff NOW. The wheels, however, only move as fast as you can turn them.

I have a day job. It isn't a glamorous job, and in fact, right now I find myself wondering what it is I do most days. Still, it keeps me fed, clothed and sheltered, and helped me buy my swank TV. It also allows me to even consider writing in my spare time.

One thing I relearned this year -- I need goals and deadlines. It may seem like a waste of time and money to some to keep taking UCLA Extension classes each semester, but let me tell you -- I'm not sure I could have reached my goals without them. Knowing I have pages to submit to classmates, knowing I have deadlines, it's a motivator. I've tried to impose my own deadlines, and it is nearly impossible. I slow down without this motivation. I will definitely be back in the classroom come spring.

A friend of mine showed me a video called The Secret. Basically, it posits that we attract good and bad occurences to ourselves by our thoughts. I tend to be skeptical of this kind of baseless stuff, but I do believe in the power of positive thinking.

Some of you may know about my pilgrimage to Birmingham this year. Most people I told about it looked at me like I had sprouted another set of arms out of the top of my head. Rewind.

May 2006. Taylor Hicks wins American Idol. I cannot explain to you what it was that posessed me to follow this guy on the show and after. It was like I fell under some mass hypnosis, but for three months, other than some writing because I had a class, I thought of NOTHING but Taylor Hicks. I met a lot of interesting, good people online suffering the same obsession. Word came that the American Idol tour was stopping in Birmingham, and that Taylor's band was performing a show the night before. Rumors flew that Taylor would appear onstage with his old band. A wave of giddy excitement overtook the mostly middle aged housewives who wanted nothing more than to converge on Birmingham and see him in concert with the rest of their new online friends. I got caught up in the tidal wave, and before I knew it, I had bought my tickets to the show and booked a flight to Birmingham.

The next three months were happy prosperous months. I lost ten pounds. I had a regular gym schedule. I was writing, and I had this new network of funny, strange friends. I had only one goal in mind for those three months. MEET TAYLOR HICKS.

I don't know why the desire, the need to meet him was so overwhelming. It wasn't like I thought the man would drop everything and, like in bad romance novels, sweep me into his arms and declare his undying love for me. In fact, that wasn't even what I wanted. It's hard to explain, but... Music. Music was this force in my life when I was young. My mother sang in a band when I was a wee tot, and through some osmosis I developed this need to sing. Over the years, music wasn't the glorious creative fountain it had been when I was young. And then Taylor comes along. And I'm suddenly listening, really listening to music once again. And not just him -- I'm buying CDs of blues, jazz, r&b, rock, soul music. I'm dipping back into my own collection. I'm discovering new artists, and seeking out new music. It was like being reborn. I think I needed to meet him to validate all that was good in my life, that it wasn't some dream. And I wanted to thank him for bringing music back to me.

But how do you thank somebody who doesn't know you? I'm sure pro-screenwriters get it all the time from us wannabes -- the 'thank you for being brilliant' kind of thank yous...what do you do with that? And Taylor had given me so much. Music is a gift that is beyond measure, like being given the sun or air to breathe. Still, I felt a need to give something to him.

As I said, those were happy months filled with happy thoughts. The happiness radiated around me. I was more positive about my future than I had ever been. It was like this giant snowball effect. The positive feeling in one area of my life, cascaded and reverberated all around me. It was scary. I had never felt so free or happy.

Of course, there were the naysayers. The friends who shook their heads and laughed at my folly. My sister griped that I was online chatting with my new friends too much and all I could think about was Taylor. She called it obsession. I called it focus.

So I wanted to give him something. I figured, he's on the road...if I were on the road, visiting new places, I'd want a good journal around to scribble thoughts, maybe a poem or two, story ideas...so I bought a masculine looking journal. Leather with a wrap around tie. But I wanted to inspire him the way he had inspired me.

I sought out a notebook of mine which contained quotations I keep for my own inspiration. If I am inspired by the wisdom (and humor) of others, perhaps he would be too? Every night for a month I copied by hand my favorite inspiration quotations onto post-it notes, which I stuck on random pages in the journal. When I ran out of my own quotations, I went online and looked for more. Quotes about music, the road, the soul, goals, passion, creativity...I had copied almost 100 quotations. And in a cheeky and bold moment, I stuck my phone number on the back page. Hey, a girl can dream right? We are both artists, I reasoned, if he liked his gift, perhaps he'd want to chat about artistic expression...or ask me on a date.

You're laughing. That's okay, I'm laughing too. I know how crazy it all was. But I went to Birmingham. I met Taylor Hicks. I gave him my gift. The next night I was singing karaoke in a bar with 30 of my new crazy friends. And I cried. I was overwhelmed with joy. I hadn't felt pure joy like this in...well, the last time I can recall this kind of joy was when I was in high school and we had finished performing the musical 'L'il Abner'. I was a senior, and performing on stage is a heady experience. I remember standing on the stage after the performance, trying to soak up those last few moments of utter bliss. This joy I felt in Birmingham was more powerful than that old half-forgotten memory.

I had another event to keep my going for the two months following that trip -- Austin Film Festival. I was going to meet some of my online writer friends in person for the first time and be in a total environment of writing creativity and appreciation.

After Austin, I started to drift. I was still writing, but I felt myself slipping. There was nothing big on the horizon for me now. What would I work toward?

Then, I got the call. ABC Fellowship. Semi-finalist. It was as if someone had flipped the light switch back on in my soul. This was PERFECT. It was exactly what I wanted and needed, and if I got it, the timing would be sublime. And then I didn't get to the Finalist round. I didn't get to make my case in an interview. Of course, I did my best to stay strong, think positive, look at the bright side. But inside, I crumbled. I fell into a spiral of self-doubt and negativity. I started gaining more weight. I had been at near ideal weight in August, but by the end of the year, I had put on 25 pounds. I became apathetic about everything, including my writing.

I'm just now coming out of it. Funny thing about depression. Most of the time you don't know you are depressed until you aren't. You have to look backward on it to see what it is. Now I know what I experienced for about six weeks was soul sucking.

And I went on vacation. I'm writing again. It's slow going, but I'm making progress every day.

Keeping this blog has been a struggle the last month or so, as I had no desire to write anything. Somehow, I got through it. I have some good friends. Most of them don't know how depressed I was, but the nature of good friends is that it doesn't matter. They were there, supporting me, encouraging me. You know who you are. I thank you with all my heart for keeping me going during my troubled times.

And now, I really am thinking positive, looking on the bright side. I'm setting new goals. And yes, I'm going back to Birmingham in a few months, to see my friends and share good music. I've got some weight to lose. Good incentive.

This is my year. I know this because I believe in the power of positive thinking. If I feel it in my bones, that this is the year I will get my wheels of progress turning faster, it will happen. No negative thoughts. No doubts. Make it happen.

Don't carry on too much baggage. Don't weigh your progress down with doubt. Let the wheels fly.

Fox cancels The O.C.

You've probably already heard that The O.C. has been cancelled. In case you have not seen the news, however, click above to the story on Mediaweek.

Link: Mediaweek.

Watch List will be updated shortly...

My year in review

2006. I had a plan. For the most part, it succeeded. For the most part.

The year started out pretty uneventfully. I was writing my Cold Case spec. My House spec first draft was finished. I had set a goal to complete at least one more TV spec by end of year and finish my pilot.

Check. Check.

Having set out a writing plan and having stuck to it, I can honestly say I will be doing this every year. I might not make it every year, but the plan at least gives you a roadmap. And let's say you get an opportunity -- a contest win, an agent or A JOB. Obviously the plan changes. But let's say these things don't happen, the plan keeps you on track. The goals keep you focused. They keep you writing.

This year my plan consists of rewrites and polishes, one new spec starting in April, and one new feature. That's right, this year I'm finally circling back to where I started.

And I want 2007 to be the year I finally get my foot wedged into the door. I doubt I'll end the year with a job, but I plan to end the year with an agent. This is it, I have decided, and it WILL happen.

You watch.

Missed 'The Wire' on HBO? Watch it on BET

Starting on January 10th, BET will start airing episodes of 'The Wire'. You probably hear everyone who loves TV lavishing praise on this show. Find out what all the fuss is about. The episodes will air in 90 minute blocks, so program your TiVOs appropriately.

Link: The Futon Critic

My Favorites

I'm often asked what websites I visit to accumulate my vast knowledge of all things TV. Well, dear friends, I will share with you my list of daily visits so that you can abandon me and find your info in the same places I do.

Or maybe you just like getting your news second hand. Your call.

• The Futon Critic - The great grand daddy of all TV news. If you aren't reading this every day, you just aren't paying attention.
  
• Mediaweek - Sometimes Mediaweek gets press releases out before Futon Critic. Rare, but it happens. I also visit to read Berman's Programming Insider and his offshoot forum PI Feedback. That forum is where you can find the overnights by 9 AM every day. You want Nielsens, they got 'em. You'll also get some good discussion with other tv junkies in the forums.
  
• TV Week - Hey, get a free subscription and understand the dynamics of the industry! Visit the website daily to see who is hired, who is fired, and what is happening around the tv industry. The site is less focused on the programs, and more on the business, but I think a very strong argument can be made that understanding the business can be very helpful to a writer. (Did I mention you can get a free subscription to the weekly mag?)
  
• The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. The industry rags. Check the Reporter in the evening if you want to read tomorrow's headlines early.
  
• Google Alerts. Want to know when articles about certain topics are published? Sign up for google alerts. I have one for tv upfronts, which becomes invaluable when I want to know what is being announced, what is anticipated, etc from the wide world of print media and blogs. I also have a Google Alert for news on Nathan Fillion, but that's a topic for another day.

I also visit a variety of other sites less frequently (like TV.com for episode guides for every show on the air), but these are the daily visits. Now go forth and gobble up TV news

New Year, Old Year

Yippee, it's 2007! Start practicing for your check writing people!

Wow, this internet thing -- I've been away for like 20,000 years (2 weeks) and man, you can get anything on the internets.

What did I miss? People died (R.I.P. Peter Boyle, James Brown, Gerald Ford. Rot in Hell Sadaam). UFOs were spotted in Chicago! And I went on vacation.

That's right, I went on VACATION, those things were you go rest and get away from internets. My days -- lay on beach, eat, sleep. Repeat. Good times.

Yeah, the 'review of my writing journey' post is coming. Cram it, I was busy doing as little as humanly possible. And playing Guitar Hero.

Is it just me or does 'Dirt' look like the worst new show of the year? I know the year is young, but I'm willing to bet this thing is a DOG. We get enough celebutard gossip and grime in real life. I seriously doubt anything this show can do will shock us within an inch of our lives and will probably just be tacky and vile instead. Blech. Plus I don't like how good Courtney looks on the billboard. You suck, Mrs. Cox-Arquette.

Saw 'Apocalypto' (was majorly inspired after visiting Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza on Christmas Day). Wow, incredible movie. Get your life in order Mel so I can respect you fully once more.

There's a really long and interesting article you should all read in The New Yorker here. After you read it, come back and we'll discuss.

I'll update the Watch List by tomorrow at the latest. Until then, you'll just have to ponder the future of all things on your own.

The Year in Review Part One: That's Entertainment

Yes, it is the end of the year, or nearly so. It's time to look back on the last 11 months and ruminate about what was good, what was bad, and what was odd. Fortunately, I won't be commenting on world events or fashion dos and don'ts. In fact, I'm pretty self-absorbed with my yearly review.

It's got three parts, and each week I'll post one segment. Part one is about the TV and film landscape. Part two will go more personal as I look at the state of my writing life in 2006. Finally, I'll wrap up with probably the most personal post I've ever made on this blog. If that is at all intriguing to you, well, you'll have to wait for New Year's Day for that package.

So let's talk film first (It'll be short).

I got Netflix, and yet somehow I saw fewer 'new' films this year. I did finally see what all the fuss was about with 'Network' (stop booing at me, you have some film skeletons in your closet too I bet). I also branched out into watching a lot of silent films and Expressionist films...The Seventh Seal, M, The Cabinet of Dr. Calgari, Nosferatu.

As for films released this year -- there were a lot of films that just didn't scream out for me to see them in a theater for $11-14. When I did get a chance to take in a film, I was usually treated to a good one -- The Departed, Inside Man, Little Miss Sunshine, United 93, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

Films which surprised me (in a good way): Cars, Casino Royale, Clerks II, Nacho Libre, World Trade Center, Slither, The Benchwarmers (I told you it surprised me -- I laughed more than I thought I would), The Guardian, even Tenacious D: In the Pick of Destiny.

Movies I hated: V for Vendetta, Failure to Launch, A Prairie Home Companion (sorry Altman).

Movies I still feel mostly indifferent about: Stranger than Fiction, MI:3, X-Men3, Hostel.

Movies I was disappointed by: Snakes on a Plane, The Descent, Saw III, Lucky Number Slevin, Firewall, and The DaVinci Code.

I usually see at least 35-40 movies in a theater every year. By my count I saw only 25 this year. You might attribute that to me watching more TV (which is very true), but I have to say, only two films on this list did I actually catch on DVD after their runs (Failure to Launch and The DaVinci Code, both sucked). That tells me I lacked interest in most of the offerings.

Now, there are some films I still want very much to see -- For Your Consideration, The Queen, Borat, Superman Returns, The Devil Wears Prada, Thank You for Smoking, The Good Shepherd, The Fountain, Blood Diamond, Apocalypto, and a few others -- most being released right at the end of the year (attention studios: you are releasing too many films at the end of the year!!)

So, let's talk about my obsession -- I mean, area of intense study: television.

I think we all know what's good. And I've mentioned (repeatedly) what was bad. But let's talk about those shows that make up the rest of the schedule...the shows which defy all reason and are still on the air. That's right, I'm talking about you, One Tree Hill. And you, NCIS. Where would we be without Crossing Jordan or America's Funniest Home Videos on the schedule? They are like old friends, the mere existence of whom give us comfort when we look at the TV Guide. "The world can't be all bad. 'According to Jim' is still on the air." And with that, we change the channel, secure in the knowledge that Jim Belushi must make *someone laugh* (right?)

Okay, I kid. But, seriously...I can't be all scripted, all the time (as much as I'd love to)...no, there are some alternative programming skeletons in my closet...

I love Dog. Not just any Dog, but Dog The Bounty Hunter. I have also been known to catch an episode of My Super Sweet Sixteen. Don't scoff until you've seen that trainwreck. Hell's Kitchen and American Idol are my idea of good quality reality show entertainment. Also a big fan of Ghost Hunters. And Cash in the Attic (on Beeb America). Proj Run? Appointment viewing, obviously, but so is Breaking Bonaduce. And you thought my eyeballs were bleeding just from all the 'scripted' TV I watched. Little did you know, I gobble up all this other stuff too!

And really, I can sleep at night knowing that at practically any time of day, I can find a COPS rerun. Sometimes you just need to see some K-Fed poseurs trying to outrun the fuzz to fulfill your humor quotient.

Okay, so next week I'll bring it 'round to discussing my own personal writing journey this year. It's been quite a year, as most of you know.

Daybreak, Show Me the Money Cancelled

Look at the bright side: Taye Diggs gets to stop living the same day over and over again AND Shatner is confined to one crazy hour a week on 'Boston Legal'.

Daybreak is pulled effective immediately, and Show Me the Money will be replaced with episodes of 'America's Funniest Home Videos', sure to pull in at least twice the number of viewers of the Shat-tastic SMTM.

Link: Variety

Help Me Help You cancelled

Another one bites the dust. Sorry Ted Danson. It just wasn't meant to be.

Watch List updated shortly...

Best. Christmas Present. EVER.

Minear. Fillion. DRIVE.

Discuss.

I think I'm in love all over again...

I have got to stop letting this stuff annoy me

From an article posted on The Hollywood Reporter:

I laugh less at Sorkin's witty banter than I do at the thought that viewers in Peoria are futilely looking up jargon in the dictionary such as "upfront" and "demo" in an attempt to understand the dialogue.

Sigh. My parents live in Peoria, and I can assure you they know what an 'upfront' and a 'demo' is. Sheesh, what arrogance.

AFI names top ten shows of the year

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
DEXTER
ELIZABETH I
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
HEROES
THE OFFICE
SOUTH PARK
24
THE WEST WING
THE WIRE

You gotta love it -- they name 'Battlestar' the best show of the year. I'm also thrilled to see 'Friday Night Lights' and 'Heroes' AND 'Dexter' make the list! I'd swap out 'The West Wing' for 'Lost', but I understand that there were a lot of people who felt the last year of 'The West Wing' had significantly increased in quality. I am surprised that 'House' didn't make the list. Then again, if you really want to list the best shows on TV you could easily make it a 'top 20'...

Here would be the next 10 shows I'd put on the list:

LOST
HOUSE
ROME
THE CLOSER
MONK
DR WHO
DEADWOOD
VERONICA MARS
UGLY BETTY
SCRUBS

Agree/disagree?

** interesting it included mini-series. Otherwise how to explain 'Elizabeth I' on there? And not 'Rome'??

Link AFI AWARDS 2006

(by the way, I'm having blog issues as it is converting over to the 'new' blogger. It is taking a looooong time to convert, so I hope this even shows up)

ABC Moves Lost to 10 p.m. on Wednesday

Well isn't this interesting. ABC has resolved their Wednesday at 10 problem -- sort of. Lost will move to 10 when it returns on February 7th to avoid the AI results show, and ABC will air a block of comedies from 8-10, including the returning George Lopez and According to Jim. Knights of Prosperity and In Case of Emergency will fill the 9 PM hour on January 3rd. Here's the new lineup:

Tuesday
8 p.m. Show Me the Money (new day) (as of 1/2)
9 p.m. Big Day
9:30 p.m. Help Me Help You
10 p.m. Boston Legal

Wednesday
8 p.m. George Lopez (return)
8:30 p.m. According to Jim (return)
9 p.m. The Knights of Prosperity (new) (premiere 1/3)
9:30 p.m. In Case of Emergency (new) (premiere 1/3)
10 p.m. Lost (new time)

Mediaweek notes (and I agree) that more changes are in store for Tuesday since the two sitcoms seem to be in trouble. No word yet on if or when Daybreak will burn unaired episodes. I'd consider it close to cancelled at this point.

Link: ABC Moves Lost to 10 p.m.; Avoids Idol Battle

30 Rock gets picked up

Late breaking news.

Link: NBC picks up '30 Rock' for full season