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From the monthly archives:

September 2006

How Networks Parse the Numbers

September 29, 2006

Since Thursdays are turning into a quite interesting fight, I'm offering you some different spins on the numbers from that night. First, ABC's release:
For the second straight week, ABC qualified as the #1 network on Thursday night among Adults 18-49, beating out CBS (6.2/16 vs. 6.0/16).  ABC was also the No. 1 network on the [...]

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More Thursday: "CSI" and, oh, yeah, "Shark" (With Brief Update)

September 29, 2006

Update: For those of you tracking the ratings war on Thursday, "CSI" edged "Grey's Anatomy" in total viewers last night, while "Grey's" again had a sizable lead among viewers 18 to 49 years old. Both "CSI" and "Grey's" are still sizable hits, with close to 23.5 million viewers for the CBS show and about 23.3 [...]

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Thursday Night Madness: "Survivor," "The Office" "Grey's Anatomy"

September 28, 2006

I think "Survivor: Cook Islands" is in trouble. Tonight's episode ended the deliberate provocation of the racially divided tribes, turning the show into just plain "Survivor," and not great stuff at that. The eventual double cross that sent Cecelia packing was mildly entertaining but most of the episode dragged. And that's not very enticing when [...]

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Thoughts on "Ugly Betty"?

September 28, 2006

You've had a chance to see it. Comments welcome. And here's an odd one — in the form of a letter to Betty — that arrived in tonight's e-mail, clearly from someone who didn't see the braces as part of the show's overall exaggeration:
Dear Betty, I saw you on Thursday and I want to be [...]

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A Few Print Notes

September 28, 2006

As part of my moving into pop culture, I have a piece in today's Beacon Journal about Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise and whether personal controversy affects how we see performers in onscreen roles. (The answer, by the way, is yes in some cases.) You can find the column here.
Thursday is TV Mailbag day in the [...]

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"Crossing Jordan" Bumped Again

September 28, 2006

Last spring, NBC announced it was holding "Crossing Jordan" for midseason. Then, as part of a schedule overhaul, it decided to bring it back after all, with the return planned for Oct. 20. Now that return has been put on hold while NBC tries to improve its ratings with … another game show. Here's the [...]

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"Dancing" Results (Spoiler)

September 27, 2006

It hasn't been a great year for Harry Hamlin onscreen. Last spring he saw his "Veronica Mars" character done away with, and tonight he found himself in the bottom two on "Dancing With the Stars" along with Jerry Springer.
And we'll get to hear still more professions of disbelief from Springer, since not even Hamlin's having [...]

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A Brief But Passionate Endorsement

September 27, 2006

I am sitting here waiting for a conference call to start. Because I can't just sit for any length of time — you should see the ever-changing book stack in the bathroom — I have also been flipping through  Phil Rosenthal's book "You're Lucky You're Funny: How Life Becomes a Sitcom." Good book, no matter [...]

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"Dancing" Notes

September 27, 2006

Thanks for all the recent comments. Didn't get to much TV on Tuesday night — life keeps getting in the way — except for  "Dancing With the Stars." But that did raise a few questions:
What's with all the hostility toward Emmitt Smith?
Did they seriously think Sara Evans danced well, or were they just blinded by [...]

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"Old Christine": Old Idea?

September 26, 2006

I've been working my way through some of last night's TV, which I missed because of a meeting and a need for sleep. The only thing I saw in real time was "Two and a Half Men." Funny still, good cameo from Mr. Tyler. (For some recent news about Tyler, see here.)
Caught up with "How [...]

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Sunny Days for DVD

September 26, 2006

If you want your children to love the same "Sesame Street" that you did, make note of the following DVD:

Beginning October 24, 2006, fans of all ages can relive their childhood by watching classic footage with the release of Sesame Street: Old School Volume 1: 1969-1974 (Sesame Workshop and Sony Wonder; suggested retail price $39.98). [...]

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"Help Me Help You"

September 26, 2006

I didn't get around to "Help Me Help You" for this morning's Beacon Journal for a couple of reasons. One, I felt a greater need to file a column about the season premiere of "Gilmore Girls" (which was a variation on what I had already posted in this blog). Two, I forgot about it.
And that's [...]

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"Studio 60": Now That You've Seen the Second Episode…

September 26, 2006

… here's the question: Did the cold open live up to the hype? I mentioned before that I didn't think it was all that good, and I still don't think so. I mean, an edgy and contemporary show — and it supposedly wows the crowd with a riff from Gilbert & Sullivan? That cuts [...]

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"Law & Order" Does Mel…

September 26, 2006

This from NBC today:
NBC announced today that Emmy winner and comedy superstar Chevy Chase ("Caddyshack," "Fletch") begins filming this week on NBC's "Law & Order."  Chase guest stars as a television celebrity who is pulled over for drunk driving while wearing blood-soaked clothes, and whose religious prejudice comes out after his arrest.   The episode titled [...]

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"America's Got Talent" News…

September 25, 2006

… or, how to make a show look more like "American Idol." From NBC today:
NBC hit "America's Got Talent" is gearing up for an exciting second season, as creator and executive producer Simon Cowell ("American Idol") announced today the multiple-city casting search for the most talented act in America, and provided a first look at [...]

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"Heroes" Tonight

September 25, 2006

The following was written for today's paper, but didn't get in. So …
Even if heroes are hard to find, a new television show has probably found too many. Heroes, premiering at 9 tonight on NBC, not only has an array of characters but also begins with them spread around the world. Although it quickly becomes [...]

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Where the Money Goes

September 22, 2006

This is from a recent report in Advertising Age:
Marketers will pony up as much as $700,000 for a 30-second spot in Fox's midseason hit, "American Idol," according to an initial survey of media agencies, conducted annually by Advertising Age. The Tuesday-night singing competition, returning in January, is the most expensive show for the third year [...]

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Long Night, Short Takes: "The Office," "Grey's Anatomy," "Survivor" (Some Spoilers) (Now With "CSI" Added)

September 21, 2006

Update: "Grey's" outdrew "CSI" in the overnight ratings…
We wait months for new episodes of our favorite shows, so it's not easy to approach their return without feeling a little overamped. Will it be as good as we remember it? Will we love it the way we did before? Tonight: A mixed reaction.
"The Office," for starters, [...]

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"Scarface": Now It's Really Loud

September 21, 2006

Tonight I'll be neck-deep in new TV ("The Office," "Grey's Anatomy," "CSI") and plenty of you will be, too. Lots of office conversation today about "Grey's." But since the conversation here is going to broaden to include a lot of other topics, let's also consider a movie question.
Specifically, what do you do when you want [...]

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"Dancing With the Stars" Results

September 20, 2006

First the divorce, now this: Shanna Moakler and her pro partner Jesse De Soto got the sack on tonight's show.
But that's less of a story than the survival of Ohio's own Jerry Springer, who was not even in the bottom two. (Willa Ford was there with Moakler) With a radio show and a syndicated TV [...]

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