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GSNN Originals Dancing with the.... Bachelor? |
Posted 3/10/10 |
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Jake Pavelka has made his choice... He's decided to extend his 15 minutes of fame by appearing on "Dancing with the Stars". Jason Block has his view of him and the 10 other "stars" to grace the dance floor this season in the Block Party podcast. Meanwhile, I offer a lesson
in risk management in inSites, Travis Eberle offers a lesson in race
relations on the Buzzer, and the guys get together to redo "Instant
Recall" in WLTI. |
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Modest Start for "Minute" Catch It on NBC Sunday From Zap2it TV |
Posted 3/17/10 |
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"Undercover Boss" carried CBS to a
ratings win Sunday night, while a handful of new shows had
mixed results. "The Celebrity Apprentice" got off to an OK
start for NBC, building in its second hour, and game show
"Minute to Win It" also grew from start to finish. FOX's "Sons
of Tucson," meanwhile, was unimpressive. CBS scored 11.35 million viewers and a 6.8 rating/11 share in households for the night, beating out ABC's 9.1 million and 5.6/9. NBC (7.1 million, 4.3/7) finished third, and FOX was off the pace a bit with 4.3 million viewers and a 2.5/4. In the adults 18-49 demographic, CBS' 2.8 rating was good enough to take the top spot. ABC and NBC tied for second at 2.6, and FOX posted a 2.0. "Minute to Win It" started with 4.6 million viewers (2.8/5 in households) to place third behind "60 Minutes" (11.7 million) and "America's Funniest Home Videos" (7.5 million). That number grew to 7.2 million (4.0/7) at 8p, still in third behind "The Amazing Race" (10.2 million) and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (8.6 million). "The Celebrity Apprentice" (7.4 million) couldn't top "Undercover Boss" (13.3 million) and "Desperate Housewives" (11.8 million), but in the 10p hour, it rose to 9.1 million to take the lead.
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Vh1 Gives You "What Chilli Wants" Catch It April 11 From Examiner |
Posted 3/17/10 |
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Missy Elliott might have taken a
break from music, but she's not afraid of dating or reality
television. In fact, the "Work It" chart-topper will be seen
lending support to TLC singer Chilli in the forthcoming VH1
reality series 'What Chilli Wants'. Set to premiere this April, 'What Chilli Wants' finds the "Waterfalls" and "Creep" singer on a desperate search to find love. While you might be aware of Chilli's past with Usher, the "Dumb, Dumb, Dumb," diva is not settling for less as she's enlisted the help of author Tionna Smalls for the series. Good friends, Elliott and fellow TLC member Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins, appear in a recently released preview of the show (watch below) giving advice while trying to cut down Chilli's confirmed to be lengthy list of requirements. As previously reported, 'What Chilli Wants' has been picked up as an eight episode series. It follows TLC's UPN reality series 'R U The Girl' and Missy Elliott's UPN reality competition 'The Road To Stardom (2005)'. 'What Chilli Wants' premieres April 11 at 10pm (VH1). |
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"Top Chef" Goes on Tour Two Cheftestants to Host Each Stop From the Futon Critic |
Posted 3/17/10 |
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Today, Bravo announced the
official third annual kick-off for its highly anticipated and
widely successful "Top Chef: The Tour," a 21-city tour, that
for the first time ever expands to the Pacific Northwest with
stops in Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon. Sponsored
by Dial Nutriskin, the annual tour brings the Emmy and James
Beard Award-winning, No. 1 food show on cable, "Top Chef," to
fans and foodies nationwide, beginning Wednesday, April 14th,
with its first stop at Soulard Farmers Market in St. Louis,
Missouri. This year's tour will feature an updated,
restaurant-style format with table seating for 64 guests,
bringing fans a fuller, more enjoyable culinary experience as
they interact with their favorite chef'testants. For the second year in a row, the "Top Chef" tour truck will make its way to Churchill Downs for a two-day stop at the Kentucky Derby, in advance of NBC's live coverage of the event on May 1. "Bravo viewers like to truly engage in the shows they are passionate about," said Ellen Stone, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Bravo. "With 'Top Chef: The Tour,' we are able to give our fans the hands-on experience with our chef'testants and the opportunity to finally judge and taste what they had only experienced by watching." |
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"Star Search" to Return?
... with Paula Abdul at the Helm? From Entertainment Weekly |
Posted 3/17/10 |
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This just in: Paula Abdul is
straight up headed back to TV! Sources confirm to EW's Michael Ausiello that the ex-American Idol judge is finalizing a deal to headline an updated version of Star Search, the great-granddaddy of all televised singing competitions, for ABC. Abdul’s role is still being defined, but I hear it will likely include some combination of hosting and judging. An ABC rep refused to comment. The Alphabet network had been wooing Abdul since last summer when she officially announced her departure from Idol. There was talk of her joining Dancing With the Stars in some capacity, but a deal never came to fruition. It’s not clear if Abdul’s Star Search gig would preclude her from joining former colleague Simon Cowell as a judge on the forthcoming US version of his UK monster hit, The X Factor, which is slated to debut on Fox in the fall of 2011. (Star Search is being targeted for this summer.) This isn’t the first time that Star Search, which premiered in 1983 with host Ed McMahon, has been resurrected from the TV bone pile. In 2003, CBS brought the show back with Arsenio Hall in an attempt to capitalize on the massive popularity of the then-new American Idol. The revival was axed in 2004. |
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Indian "Power" to Return Host Negotiates Higher Fees From India Today |
Posted 3/17/10 |
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With Salman Khan feeling a bit low
since Veer, we guess the third season of Sony's hit reality
game show will put him in a good mood. He has reportedly negotiated a higher fee with the producers and channel for "Dus ka Dum", the Indian version of "Power of 10", than last season - which sums up to double the paycheque he had received the first time! Sources said after the Rs 80-lakh per episode fee Sallu had got in season one and Rs 1-crore in season two, he has asked for Rs 1.5 crore per episode to commit to season three. The channel is ready to pay the same as they get good returns nonetheless. The show has been scheduled for the summers. So get ready for loads of stars and promotions of Sallu's film Dabanng. |
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Sasha Lynn Barris:
1936-2010 Husband of "Gong Show" Creator Chuck Barris From Philly.com |
Posted 3/17/10 |
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Sasha Lynn Barris, who worked in
the entertainment and TV industry in New York City, a strong
supporter of the arts and an artist herself, died Saturday. She was 73 and lived in New York. Sasha battled lung cancer with courage and determination, never complaining, never even talking about the disease, her family said. She was the sister of Robert P. Levy, prominent local sportsman and businessman. She attended the Stevens School in Philadelphia and Bradford College in Massachusetts. After moving to New York, she married Chuck Barris, producer and host of game shows, including the "Gong Show," "The Dating Game," the "Newlywed Game" and others. Sasha worked with her husband in the TV entertainment field. The marriage ended in divorce. "She was a lovely lady," said Levy, a longtime executive in the horse-racing industry and owner of winning thoroughbreds. "She was very charitable, but kept to herself in recent years. She was an extraordinarily private person." Sasha was an active supporter of the Jewish Museum in New York, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Moore College of Art and other causes. She enjoyed painting, mostly landscapes, but never exhibited her work. "She had a few close friends," her brother said. "She had a good life." Her daughter, Della, died about 10 years ago. Services will be private. |
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"Wipeout" Host John Anderson Honored Alumnus Accepts High School's Award From Green Bay Press Gazette |
Posted 3/17/10 |
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ESPN's John Anderson took the
stage at Green Bay Southwest High School on Tuesday with
characteristic energy and humor. In town to accept Southwest's first-ever award for distinguished alumni, Anderson quipped, "I did graduate at the top of my class — alphabetically." But the 1983 Southwest graduate and current ESPN SportsCenter and "Wipeout" host also had a serious message for the Southwest students of today. He outlined his three keys to success — passion, effort and making good choices — before two packed student assemblies Tuesday morning. "If you follow through on these three things," he said, "… you can do whatever it is you want to, whether it's in journalism, whether it's being a mechanic … whether it's working in IT for the public school — I think you're on your way." This is the first year Southwest has given out the award, and school officials plan to make it an annual honor, said Southwest principal Bryan Davis. The school's booster club, music parents group and parent network pooled resources to cover the cost of Anderson's travel expenses. |
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Carrie Ann Inaba Stuck on a Plane Virgin America to Refund "Dancing" Judge, Other Passengers From Access Hollywood |
Posted 3/17/10 |
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“Dancing with the Stars” judge
Carrie Ann Inaba and a plane full of passengers aboard Virgin
America Flight 404 were scheduled for a direct flight from Los
Angeles to New York on Saturday – but bad weather turned the
trip into a 16-hour nightmare. Severe winds forced the plane to land at Stewart Airport in Newburgh, New York, located 90 miles north of NYC, instead of JFK, where the plane was stranded for four and half hours on the tarmac. Carrie Ann Tweeted about the ordeal. “Was stuck on a plane for five hours on a Tarmac. They ran out of food, a woman was escorted off by police and I’m grateful to new friends… Sometimes you just have to go with the flow. Made some new friends despite the crazy situation,” Carrie Ann wrote following the ordeal. “Can’t help mother nature but to leave people on the Tarmac for 5 hours should not be acceptable. People were panicking and they had no food.” Help came in the form of one of Virgin America’s competitor’s, JetBlue, who operates out of Stewart Airport. JetBlue arranged for the passengers to be taken to JFK by bus. But Carrie Ann wanted everyone involved in the ordeal to be compensated and she contacted the airline. “Great news!!! Just got off the phone w/ the CEO of @virginamerica - he’s going to refund everyone for yesterday’s flight. He apologized,” she Tweeted on Sunday. " Thank you Virgin America for restoring my faith in your care for your customers. Everyone gets refunded!!!! Yay!!!!! Thank you” When contacted by Access Hollywood a rep for the airline cleared up reports that the passengers were trapped on the plane, saying, “Water was provided for guests and guests had the ability to leave the aircraft throughout the hold to enter the airport. Several guests (20 of 126) did in fact leave the aircraft. The aircraft’s lavs were operable throughout the hold and a total of five additional cases of water were delivered to the aircraft. Food was limited and we did run out onboard at about the 2-hour mark, however guests did have the option to leave the plane and enter the airport.” The rep also said passengers would be refunded and credited. |
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Syfy Faces Off SFX Competition Greenlit From TV by the Numbers |
Posted 3/16/10 |
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Syfy today announced its next
generation of reality programming which partners with the top
producers in the field to create a wide-ranging development
slate of docu-soaps, competition/elimination, and
investigative reality series. As part of its larger mandate to
“Imagine Greater,” this new crop of unscripted series from
Syfy will push the envelope of speculative, alternative worlds
and lifestyles. Amongst them, "Face Off", from the producers
of "WCG Ultimate Gamer". Face Off is an exciting new competition/elimination series which explores the world of special-effects make-up artists and the unlimited imagination which allows them to create amazing works of living art. Each episode involves incredible reveals as we see the finished results of the competitors’ work. The show will go beyond simple effects make-up and incorporate many different skill sets including prosthetics, 3-D design, animatronics, sculpting, puppeteering, casting and molding. Face Off is a production of Mission Control. Executive Produced by Michael Agbadian & Dwight Smith. |
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Syndies: Back to Business... Results for Week Ending March 7 From B&C |
Posted 3/16/10 |
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The results of the February sweeps
period (Feb. 4-Mar.3) are in and Nielsen gave its most
favorable verdict to the court shows, the only genre in which
every strip was up over last year's syndicated sweep ratings.
The February 2009 sweeps were delayed until March due to the
digital TV transition. This year, the Winter Olympics hurt
some shows while not effecting or in a few cases helping
others. Game shows were a mixed bag. CTD's Wheel of Fortune inched up 3% to 7.4. CTD's Jeopardy rose 9% to 6.3. Disney/ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire saw ratings inflate 8% to 2.6. Debmar-Mercury's Family Feud fell 7% to 1.4. NBCU's Deal Or No Deal plunged 35% decline to 1.1.. In first-run, Twentieth's Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader took a 6% demotion to 1.6. |
 "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" scores out of the gate in its syndicated debut (photo courtesy 20th TV) |
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Spend Your Summer at the "Library" Season 3 Drops June 21 on MTV From The Futon Critic |
Posted 3/16/10 |
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MTV today announced the return of
"Silent Library" for its third season with 20 new episodes. "Silent Library" returns to put a twist on the traditional Japanese game show that keeps viewers in silent stitches. During each episode, six friends must watch in silence as one of their team members is put into extreme and bizarre situations. When the team successfully completes the challenges, they will walk away with a cash prize. "Silent Library" Celebrity Week will kick off the season with some of todays hottest names in entertainment who will take on the challenge of playing Americas toughest game show. Brent Haynes, Jason Gwozdz and Amy Emmerich are executives in charge for MTV. Adam Dolgins and Frank Gregory serve as Executive Producers for Fractured Hip Productions. |
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Are You a Good Judge of Talent? Casting Call for Pilot Audience From Reality Wanted |
Posted 3/16/10 |
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Are you a good judge of talent?
Each week on our show, a new set of three contestants will try
to make money simply by watching talent acts perform on stage.
The contestants' goal, is to determine if the talent act on
stage is either "Talented" or "Talentless." The contestants
must lock-in with their answer BEFORE the talent act performs
their talent. Next, the talent act performs on stage and the
audience votes to determine if the talent was indeed
"Talented" or "Talentless." Then we reveal the contestants'
answers and if they match with the audience, they win money.
The game continues like so for multiple rounds of game play. We are currently searching for three contestants to film the pilot for this series. Apply with head shot and why you think you are a good judge of talent. Please provide a primary contact number. We would like to bring people in for a casting interview ASAP, as early as March 16 and 17! |
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Busted "Button" ITV Defends Ant & Dec Game From Digital Spy |
Posted 3/16/10 |
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ITV has insisted that it is
"pleased" with the ratings performance of Ant & Dec's new show
Push The Button. The gameshow made a strong debut by attracting 6.57m viewers on February 27, but its audience had fallen to 4.89m when episode three aired at the weekend. As well as shedding viewers since its launch, Ant & Dec's new project has received a mixed response from TV critics and fans in recent weeks. However, defending Push The Button's performance, an ITV spokesman told the Daily Star: "Saturday's show steadily grew and peaked at 5.5m. "The first series of Saturday Night Takeaway averaged at 4.7m viewers and that turned into a big show. Push The Button is above average for its first series and we are pleased with its progress." Ant & Dec have described the program as "an old-fashioned show like ones we grew up with". |
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Endemol Opens Shop in Argentina Will Export "XXS" to Countries From Variety |
Posted 3/16/10 |
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Endemol is opening another
production hub in Argentina following fresk commissions for
its formats.
"XXS" launched at last fall's Mipcom sales mart in Cannes, has been ordered by Telefe in Argentina, Brazil's TV Globo, Canal 13 in Chile, Star V in Turkey, and SIC in Protugal. On the show, three families vie for cash prizes to see who can finish the housework first in a house where everything is 100 times bigger than they are. Localized versions of the show will all be made at the set in Argina, where a similar production hub is being used for "101 Ways to Leave a Game Show," recently sold to the BBC. |
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Peter Graves:
1926-2010 "Mission Impossible" Actor a Hollywood Square From Examiner |
Posted 3/16/10 |
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Peter Graves died at 83 on Sunday
just days before his 84th birthday. Peter Graves was probably
best known for playing Jim Phelps on the TV show “Mission:
Impossible,” and playing Clarence Oveur in the movie
“Airplane.” Graves was married for 60 years to Joan Endress and celebrated that marriage earlier in the day Sunday. Graves appeared in over 150 movies and TV shows during his lifetime. He also played Nazi spy Price in the war drama, "Stalag 17." Born Peter Aurness in 1926, Peter Graves took his grandfather's last name so that he could avoid confusion with his older brother. His brother dropped the "U" from their family name, according to the Associated Press. His first few films were "It Conquered the World" and "Beginning of the World," and later on he appeared weekly on "Mission: Impossible" from 1967 to 1973. Graves had this to say about the creative writing on “Mission: Impossible:” "It made you think a little bit and kept you on the edge of your seat because you never knew what was going to happen next," he said. According to Peter Marshall's "Backstage with the Original Hollywood Square", Graves was listed as being a panelist for at least one episode. GSNN's Doug Morris contributed to this story. |
 Peter Graves (photo courtesy Examiner.com) |
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More Names Join the Hub New Kids Network to Drop Fall From WebWire |
Posted 3/16/10 |
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Margaret Loesch, president and CEO
for The Hub, today announced the appointment of six senior
executives to the staff of the children’s television network,
scheduled to launch in late 2010. Joining the network are
Joshua Meyer as senior vice president of business & legal
affairs, Jordan Beck as vice president of creative services &
on-air promotions, Lou Fazio as vice president of scheduling,
acquisitions & planning, Greg Heanue as vice president of
marketing & promotions, Fred Poston as vice president of
operations, and Michael Ross as vice president of production &
post-production. "Adding these best-in-class executives further strengthens our already solid management team at The Hub. Each of these leaders brings significant industry expertise and talent to help us build a world-class, family-friendly destination for children" said Loesch. |
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Betty White's "Hot in Cleveland" First Lady of Game Shows Joins Cast of TV Land Series From the Futon Critic |
Posted 3/16/10 |
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TV Land announced today that it
has signed Emmy(R) Award-winning and audience-adored actress
Betty White to star in the highly-anticipated TV Land PRIME
Original sitcom "Hot in Cleveland" scheduled to premiere in
June. Betty White will take on the role of the snarky but
lovable Elka Ostrovsky, property caretaker of the home that
co-stars - Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick -
rent after their plane makes an emergency landing in Cleveland
and they decide to stay. "Hot in Cleveland" is written by
Emmy(R) Award-winning Suzanne Martin ("Frasier," "Ellen") and
is produced by Emmy(R) Award-winner Sean Hayes ("Will &
Grace") and Todd Milliner of Hazy Mills Productions. "Hot in
Cleveland," a TV Land PRIME original production has been
picked up for ten episodes and is the network's first venture
into scripted comedy series. "The talented Betty White is the finishing touch to this outstanding sitcom ensemble," states Larry W. Jones, president, TV Land. "Betty's illustrious career spans more than 60 years and makes her one of Hollywood's most iconic and sought after actresses in television today. Her lively role as Elka in "Hot in Cleveland" is what viewers love to see from her - an amazing sense of timing and fantastic comedy genius. We are confident audiences will love her in this project, TV Land's first foray into scripted television." |
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Report: "Top Chef" Heading to DC Next Season Coming in June From DCist |
Posted 3/15/10 |
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Yesterday, DCist linked to a blog
post over at metrocurean reporting a rumor that Bravo's
popular culinary competition, Top Chef, would likely be
heading to D.C. soon to film its next season. And now today,
the Washington Post's Joe Yonan is saying the same thing. Both of those stories are citing unnamed sources, and as the Washington Business Journal reports, Bravo has not yet announced its Season 7 location, and has declined to confirm the rumor. This also isn't the first time we've heard this rumor. Still, with two well connected D.C. food writers feeling comfortable enough with their sources to share the news, the odds appear to be fairly good. Until we can get official confirmation, we anxiously await our first Padma sighting. |
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CBBC Escapes from Scorpion Island Show to Also Air in Australia From Worldscreen |
Posted 3/15/10 |
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The Foundation, part of the RDF
Media group, has been commissioned to produce a fourth and
fifth season of the children's game show Escape from Scorpion
Island for CBBC in the U.K. and ABC TV in Australia. The two 13x1-hour seasons will air in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The series will be co-produced by The Foundation and Freehand Productions. Escape from Scorpion Island watches as ten children from the U.K. and Australia, ages 11 to 13, ,are marooned on an island. The first team to conquer the island and learn how to escape win the game. The executive producer for CBBC will be Alison Gregory and Carla De Jong for ABC TV. The executive producers for The Foundation will be Nigel Pickard and Rebecca DeYoung. Pickard, the group director for children's, family entertainment and drama at RDF, said, "We’re delighted to be producing another two series of Escape from Scorpion Island for both the U.K. and Australia and look forward to creating amazing new challenges that the children taking part and the viewers at home will love." Damian Kavanagh, the controller of CBBC, commented, “Scorpion Island is an ambitious and adrenalin fuelled brand that we are proud to have in our schedule. The scale and production value of the setting and the games make it a must-see series for our audience. In series four and five, the stakes are raised again on this mysterious island, and Scorpion will continue to be an exhilarating addition to our output." |
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To Tell the Truth, Alex Trebek Reprises
Host Role for DirecTV New Ads Invoke 70s Version, Uses 90s Version Host From Brandweek |
Posted 3/15/10 |
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After sitting back for six months
or so as rival Dish Network ran attack ads, DirecTV last week
fired back with a new campaign featuring Jeopardy! host Alex
Trebek that resurrects the game show To Tell the Truth. The initial ad in the campaign, created by Deutsch, shows a representative from DirecTV facing off against a contestant from Dish and another generically tagged as “cable.” Trebek, who once hosted the show, asks which of the three offers the best value. The cable rep said, “We offer the best value in entertainment,” which gets a skeptical response from the panel. The Dish rep, meanwhile, says that “we offer the same TV as DirecTV for less,” which prompts the DirecTV rep to question whether “the same” means including AMC, Animal Planet, Bravo and FX. The panel votes with DirecTV. Until now, DirecTV’s ads have promoted its picture quality and used a creative motif in which actors like David Spade and Kathy Bates re-enact famous scenes from their movies to break the fourth wall and make a direct plea to viewers. But Paul Guyardo, chief sales and marketing officer for DirecTV, said it was time to change course. “DirecTV historically takes the high ground,” he said. “But we felt we’d gotten to a point where there was so much misleading advertising in the marketplace that we had to set the record straight.” DirecTV isn’t just pursuing the battle in TV ads; the company sued Dish last month over its “Why pay more?” ad campaign, which claimed it offers the “same programming” as DirecTV. Bryan Kraft, senior analyst at Cross Research in Livingston, N.J., said those ads had bitten in to DirecTV’s market share. “That’s the big reason they’re doing it,” said Kraft. “They let those ads stay out there for a while to see what impact they’d have, and they did have one.” |
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Bobby Flay Tapped for "Restaurant" Former "United Plates of America" to Launch Next Season From the Futon Critic |
Posted 3/12/10 |
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Critically acclaimed celebrity
chef/restaurateur Bobby Flay ("Iron Chef America: The Series")
is the first of five key restaurant and business leaders to
join NBC's new reality competition series "America's Next
Great Restaurant" (working title) premiering next season. Flay
will be an investor, judge and sometimes mentor to the zealous
contestants who are vying for arguably the biggest prize in
reality show history -- the opportunity to open a new
restaurant chain in three cities across America. Open casting calls for the series are set to take place March 19 - April 5 in New York City, New York (March 19, 20), Raleigh, North Carolina (March 22), Nashville, Tennessee (March 24), Columbus, Ohio (March 26), Chicago, Illinois (March 28), Kansas City, Kansas (March 30), Denver, Colorado (April 1) and Los Angeles, California (April 5). The reality competition series is from Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz of Magical Elves, the Emmy Award-nominated producers of "Project Runway" and "Top Chef." Flay will kick off the first open casting call in New York as casting teams set out on a cross-country bus tour to scour the nation for potential contestants. Participants do not need to have any cooking or restaurant experience -- just a great idea for a unique restaurant concept. Flay joins a select panel of some of the most important names in both the dining and business worlds who will ultimately select the winner. These individuals will invest their own money in the final restaurant chain, and will have a huge stake in the game's winner. These larger-than-life personalities will offer the hopeful restaurateurs their expertise, support -- and the kind of tough love it will take to overcome great odds. Ultimately, after much-heated debates, the panel will choose the winning concept and decide which idea will become America's newest restaurant chain. |
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Wanted: One "Shuffle Up" Sponsor Producers Look to GSN From Poker News Daily |
Posted 3/12/10 |
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In December, Oates Media Group,
the creators of the poker game show “Shuffle Up and Deal,”
announced an online casting call seeking contestants. Three
months later, the franchise is still looking for a sponsor to
bring its product to life. World Poker Tour (WPT) Host Mike Sexton was named the front man for “Shuffle Up and Deal,” a game show in which contestants select cards from an electronic tote board in an effort to make the best hand and reap the most prize money. Whichever player banked the largest cash total at the end of every episode would have a shot at winning a progressive jackpot that began at $250,000 and rose by $10,000 each time it wasn’t hit. The show featured a “Follow the Ace” home game in which viewers could nab $10,000. The show originally signed a letter of intent to air on My Family TV, a local station located out of Palms Springs, California, but that is no longer the case. Instead, producer Dewey Oates has been vehemently searching for a larger audience by taking on a sponsor and a cable or network television partner. Oates told Poker News Daily, “If we had a sponsor, we'd start filming immediately. The production company is ready to go.” Meanwhile, Oates and company have approached a couple of the industry’s major online poker sites, which have purportedly taken a cautious approach about expanding further into the U.S. market due to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Sexton is a sponsored pro of PartyPoker, which does not accept action from the United States, while PokerStars pro Chad Brown was tapped to host a live stage show version of “Shuffle Up and Deal” in casinos. On Sexton’s involvement, Oates told Poker News Daily, “He got us in touch with the people at Party Gaming, but he can't go to Full Tilt and ask for a sponsorship if he's the host.” Oates approached officials from the WPT, who stated that their sponsorship of the show would hinge on a signed television contract. Meanwhile, Oates reached out to GSN, which airs the popular cash game franchise “High Stakes Poker,” but the network was seeking a title sponsor or partial sponsor of the show before it would hop on the bandwagon. Oates added that “Shuffle Up and Deal” was not in a position to purchase airtime on major television networks, which would likely come with a hefty price tag. Oates revealed that prices on major stations could top $1 million for a half-hour program, potentially leading to an expensive debut for an upstart program like “Shuffle Up and Deal.” Despite the lack of success of the franchise in procuring a television sponsorship, “Shuffle Up and Deal” may soon make its way to a casino near you. Oates and company have been reaching out to top-tier Indian casinos around the United States pitching a floor promotion whereby patrons would swipe their players’ cards to register for a chance to play a miniature version of “Shuffle Up and Deal.” Oates told Poker News Daily, “We're marketing it to Indian casinos nationwide. We’ve teamed up with SCA Promotions to insure it. We started that two weeks ago and we’re getting phone calls now.” |
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Michael Vick Added to "Pros vs. Joes" Catch It on Spike July 14 From the Futon Critic |
Posted 3/12/10 |
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One of the NFL's most electrifying
and controversial stars, Michael Vick, has joined the cast of
"Pros vs. Joes," taping this week in Los Angeles. Vick will
join a star-studded cast, including fellow Philadelphia
Eagles' QB Donovan McNabb, Terrell Owens, Antonio Gates,
Warrick Dunn, Isaac Bruce, Derrick Brooks and former Eagles QB,
Jeff Garcia. The basketball legends are Hakeem Olajuwon, Chris
Mullin, Kenny Smith, Brent Barry, Isaiah Rider and Rick Fox. "Pros vs. Joes" features regular guys competing against an array of popular sports legends from the last two decades. As with last season, there will be only one sport played in each episode featuring three skill competitions and a three-on-three game pitting the Pros against the Joes. The sports this season will be football (4 episodes) and basketball (4 episodes). "Pros vs. Joes" premieres on Spike TV Wednesday, July 14 at 10:00 PM ET/PT. The new season, hosted by Michael Strahan and Jay Glazer, will consist of eight one-hour episodes. |
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Live from New York, It's Betty White! First Lady of Game Shows Hosting May 8 From USA Today |
Posted 3/12/10 |
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Facebook has gotten Betty White
the gig she never asked for: host of Saturday Night Live. The 88-year-old actress, beloved by generations of TV fans, will host NBC's late-night veteran May 8. The Mother's Day episode also will feature a reunion of six former female cast members, most of them moms: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, Maya Rudolph, Ana Gasteyer and Rachel Dratch. SNLexecutive producer Lorne Michaels says he has "always wanted" White to host. "Years ago, I turned it down three times," White says. "It's so New York, and I'm not New York at all. "But my agent said he'd divorce me if I didn't do it, and I love my agent." (That agent, Jeff Witjas, says he was only joking, but "it's perfect timing for her career right now. I said, 'Do it now, or when you're 95.' ") But it wasn't the legacy of White's Emmy-winning roles as the cutting happy homemaker Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show or naive Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls or being Mrs. Allen Ludden that nabbed her the gig. Nor was it the lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild in January, or last year's role as Ryan Reynolds' crazy grandma in The Proposal. It was her appearance in a Super Bowl candy commercial in which she's tackled in the mud by a football player. The spot lit a fuse on a Facebook campaign, where a "Betty White to Host SNL (please?)!" group — started in late December — has attracted nearly half a million members. |
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Bob Barker Donates $2.5 Million to PETA Money Earmarked for New LA Offices From AP |
Posted 3/12/10 |
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Bob Barker has donated $2.5
million to help the People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals open a new location in Los Angeles. The retired game show host and spay and neuter champion will cut the ribbon Wednesday at the Bob Barker Building on Sunset Boulevard and Alvarado Street. PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk says Barker could have just given the group a refrigerator but instead he paid for an entire building to be renovated. The building will be home to the group's media, marketing, youth outreach and campaign departments. The 86-year-old Barker delivered his spay and neuter message on "The Price Is Right" for a quarter century. Since he retired in June of 2008, he has taken his activism on the road, promoting freedom for whales, an end to the fur trade and other causes. |
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Mark Burnett Has "Trust" Issues ABC Orders New Series from "Survivor" EP From The Hollywood Reporter |
Posted 3/11/10 |
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Mark Burnett is back in the game
show business. ABC has ordered a pilot from the prolific producer for "Trust Me, I'm a Game Show Host." In a format twist, the show will have two hosts who will match wits about various subjects with contestants culled from a studio audience. One of the hosts will be telling the truth, the other will be deceptive, and contestants will have to figure out which to trust. Casting is under way for the two hosts. The pilot, produced by Mark Burnett Prods. and Monkey Kingdom, comes after Burnett's game show "Our Little Genius" was pulled from Fox's schedule before its debut after Burnett alerted the network that young contestants might have received information about the show's questions in advance. Burnett's "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" was a long-running quiz show on Fox. The producer still awaits a verdict from ABC on the fate of his reality series "Shark Tank." The show debuted in the fall but struggled in the ratings in tough time periods.
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"Got Talent" Gets Taping Catch It in LA Tomorrow & Saturday! From the Futon Critic |
Posted 3/11/10 |
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NBC's top-rated summer show
"America's Got Talent," will tape shows in front of a live
audience in cities across the country beginning this Friday,
March 12, and Saturday, March 13, in Los Angeles. After Los
Angeles, the #1 talent competition series will travel to
Portland, Dallas, Orlando, New York and Chicago through March
and April. Host Nick Cannon, returning judges Sharon Osbourne and Piers Morgan as well as this season's new judge, comedian Howie Mandel, will be at each taping. To attend a taping please apply for tickets at: http://www.ocatv.com/. If viewers would still like to audition for season five, videos can be submitted online only at www.agtauditions.com. |
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Ochocinco of Love Bengal to Hold "Tournament" on VH1 From the Futon Critic |
Posted 3/11/10 |
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Cincinnati Bengals star wide
receiver Chad Ocho Cinco (formerly Chad Johnson) is using his
off-season to pursue happiness off the field in his new VH1
reality show "The Tournament" (working title). The series is a
mix of Ocho Cinco's on-field charisma blended with the drama
of the dating pool played out in a bracket-style dating
tournament. The 10 episode, one-hour series is set to premiere
in July 2010. One of the NFL's brightest stars, 32-year-old Ocho Cinco has been selected to the Pro Bowl six times and named an All-Pro three times. He legally changed his surname from Johnson to Ocho Cinco prior to the 2008 regular season to reflect the number 85 on his Bengals uniform. In the 2009 season, Ocho Cinco caught 72 passes for 1,047 yards and nine touchdowns. An avid user of social networks, Ocho Cinco has close to one million followers on Twitter and hundreds of thousands of fans on Facebook. "The Tournament" will start with Ocho Cinco finding his "first 85" by traveling all over the country meeting women that may be interested in dating him. Then, during the first episode, he will narrow the playing field down to the sweet sixteen - four women from each of the four regions of the country Northern, Western, Southern and Central Divisions. The sixteen chosen women will be invited to join Ocho Cinco for the rest of the tournament-style dating competition. Once the competition begins, Ocho Cinco will follow a tournament bracket where each of the ladies will have an opportunity to spend quality time with him while also facing off against one another in double-dates. The winner of each dating face-off will receive a game ball from Ocho Cinco and move on to the next round of the tournament, while the loser goes home. Ultimately the sweet sixteen will be narrowed down to eight and then the final four. In the end, the championship date between the two remaining women will result in Ocho Cinco awarding his chosen love the coveted Championship Ring. Hopefully, she turns out to be his greatest catch this season! "Chad Ocho Cinco is one of the most electrifying individuals in sports today. His bigger than life personality on and off the field and his notorious skills as a social networker, connecting daily with his fans, makes him a perfect fit for VH1," said Jeff Olde, Executive Vice President, Original Programming and Production, VH1. "This show will not only give viewers a look inside his professional life, but also reveal his softer more romantic side when playing a very different kind of game." VH1's "The Tournament" is executive produced by Bob Horowitz and Lewis Fenton (for JUMA Entertainment) and Mark Cronin and Cris Abrego (for 51 Minds Entertainment, LLC. an Endemol Company). Ben Samek and Matt Odgers also executive produce for the series and the company. Jeff Olde, Jill Holmes, and Kristen Kelly oversee the series for VH1. |
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Far East Gets Translated Zig Zag to Port Asian Game Shows to West From Broadcast |
Posted 3/11/10 |
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Broadcasters in Japan and South
Korea have commissioned Zig Zag to make English-language
versions of their quirky gameshow formats. The networks have asked the UK indie to make pilots of the shows that can then be sold as formats for the international market. Love Fighter, which airs on South Korean youth broadcaster MNet, invites warring couples to take their dispute into a boxing ring in front of a studio audience. The show features verbal arguments alongside punishments and stunts. Zig Zag is also piloting a version of Move This, It’s Yours after spotting the Nippon TV format at Mip. The gameshow puts consumer durables such as TVs and washing machines up for grabs - but to win them, contestants have to carry them along various obstacle courses. “There’s a growing market for us in Asia,” said Zig Zag managing director Danny Fenton. “You can see from the likes of Hole In The Wall that there’s a lot of interest in wacky formats from that region, and we fought off other companies to get Move It.” |
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Nerds to Try Games New Firm Teams with US Producer From C21Media |
Posted 3/11/10 |
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Two British indie TV producers
formerly of Raw Television and Tiger Aspect have hooked up to
form a new production outfit, which will specialise in
documentary, entertainment and scripted formats. New Entertainment Research & Design (aka Nerd) is the brainchild of former Tiger Aspect executive producer Jago Lee and ex-head of development at Raw John Farrar. The firm is developing its first series, a gameshow set in a purpose-built underground town in the west of England. Talks are underway with an unnamed US investor to move the show's production forward. Nerd added it is working on coproduction partnerships for most of the shows on its debut development slate. Of the start-up, Lee said: "We feel there is a hunger in the industry for a new, more collaborative approach to ideas. Nerd is built on a tailored approach to development and production - we're aiming to achieve a perfect match of idea, talent and funding model, project by project." |
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First for the Top 12... Rolling Stones Top 12 Revealed Tonight From Entertainment Weekly |
Posted 3/11/10 |
| EW has learned that American Idol’s Top 12 contestants will perform the music of the Rolling Stones next week. During an ad break at the top 8 guys performance show, Ryan Seacrest taped a radio promotion in which he mentioned that the first week for the 12 Idol finalists will feature songs by the iconic British rock group. | |
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No, It Wasn't Her... Porn Peddler: Rozlyn Doesn't Have Tape From E! Online |
Posted 3/11/10 |
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From the With Friends Like This
Department... The latest person to come to Rozlyn Papa's defense in her sex-tape saga is none other than Mr. Lexington Steele. The porn purveyor brags to tells E! News that he is the man in the video that has been making the Internet rounds, and he can say without hesitation that Papa is not his costar. "I feel for Rozlyn, because that is not her," says Steele. "The girl in the video is from the Czech Republic, all of the girls in this release were shot on location in Prague. That girl has never traveled to the United States of America." Steele identifies the woman as one Lucy B. He adds that his cinematic tour de force, titled Pole Position Lex POV #1, was shot on June 6, 2004, and released by his company, Mercenary Pictures. |
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Reuters