Media Scribbler

Jay Leno is about to shake the television landscape merely by changing timeslots.
According The New York Times writer Bill Carter, who wrote an incredible book called “The Late Shift” about Leno’s original ascent to The Tonight Show after a protracted public battle for the slot with David Letterman),  the longtime Tonight Show host is signing a new deal with NBC to host a show every weeknight, only 90 minutes earlier.

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It’s hard to debate that Britney Spears has been pretty unforgettable this year. How many of us woke up on a couple of mornings in January to find out that she’d been the subject of another media circus, with paparazzi and mainstream press nudging each other aside as she was committed to some sort of involuntary treatment? She was the first story on CNN’s live morning coverage, for crying out loud.
Now Britney’s back and from all appearances will cement her “comeback” on Dec. 2, when her new album comes out on her 27th birthday. Shortly before …read more

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In a country where each day seems to bring more “reality” with job losses and stocks plummeting, could TV watchers be looking for a little less reality television? This season’s ratings point toward “yes”.
According to the Los Angeles Times, several network mainstays are performing so badly that their futures are now in doubt. Fox’s “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?,” has lost nearly half its share of the 18-to-49-year-old demographic since last year, and viewership for NBC’s “Deal Or No Deal” has falled nearly 29 percent for its Wednesday show. Even ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars” has lost 9 percent …read more

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If anyone out there has put a bet on how long it would take for Hollywood to greenlight some sort of project based on the life of President-Elect Barack Obama, hope you took the under on 48 hours.
HBO announced Tuesday that they have acquired the rights to an as-yet-untitled documentary (anyone want to lay a bet on it being named “Yes, We Can” or “Change Has Come”?) directed by Amy Rice and Alicia Sam and produced by Edward Norton and his production company, Class 5 Films.
The movie will document the journey taken by Obama in moving …read more

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There was a big article in the Los Angeles Times today about how networks are sucking wind at the moment after 10 p.m. EST.
Sez the LAT:
Broadcasters have had trouble coaxing audiences back to all of their shows since the three-month writers strike ended last season, but nowhere have the troubles been more acute this fall than at 10 p.m., with disappointing ratings for such dramas as ABC’s “Dirty Sexy Money” and “Life on Mars,” CBS’ “Without a Trace” and NBC’s “Lipstick Jungle” and the new Christian Slater caper, “My Own Worst Enemy.”
I think it’s early to call “Life On Mars” …read more

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ABC: Wife Swap –A Cajun swamp wife switches places with a ballet dancer in California. Cue to culture shock.
Supernanny — Jo tries to make piece in a family where a father and his 16-year-old daughter fight over issues of trust. In the meantime, the kids come and go from the house as they like. Sounds like a bit of a double-standard here.
CBS: Ghost Whisperer — As Melinda tries to enjoy a romantic cruise with Jim, she encounters an angry ghost who’s haunting an elderly couple. Man, you can’t take her anywhere…
The Ex List –Bella reconnects with a surfing boy ex, …read more

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You know that a remake of a foreign show is doing badly when it gets canceled in the country where the original hailed from. It only took “Kath & Kim” about three weeks to earn that.
Australian network Channel 7 has dropped NBC’s remake of the Aussie hit comedy after two weeks. According to News.com.au, the second week’s airing only attracted 729,000 viewers.
A spokesman for Seven said the re-airs will return later during the summer after the key ratings period.
“The figures didn’t stand up for its second outing,” the spokesman said.
For comparison’s sake, the premiere of the fourth season of the …read more

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It seems like the wait for new episodes of “Lost” has been long and torturous for many of its fans. But according to creator J.J. Abrams, there may be new life for the show after it ends its ABC run in May of 2010.
“The one thing that makes you think maybe there could be [a movie] is that ABC agreed to end the series after six years,” says Abrams. “Which is a gift, because you know you won’t have years seven and eight where you’re thinking, ‘They should’ve ended at year six,’ and you know how …read more

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NBC’s “Knight Rider” and Fox’s “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” haven’t been winning over masses of viewers this season. But it appears that the networks believe the younger demographics of the action shows merit full-season pickups.
“Knight Rider” was given an order for the final nine episodes of the season by NBC executives. Despite the show spinning off of a hit NBC movie last year, executives were initially hesitant to pick up the show after lukewarm ratings during the first month of the fall season.
Last Friday, Fox ended speculation about the fate of “The Sarah Connor Chronicles” by completing the order …read more

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I’ve already posted the usual “Today on TV”, but a few special items have been passed along to add to the list.
NBC: My Own Worst Enemy — Henry is recovering from learning the truth about his fabricated memories, as he hides it from Edward’s boss (James Cromwell, who plays a bad guy wonderfully.) There are two Webisodes (1 and 2) that feature stories behind the show’s plot, plus another online video that features the cast of the Webisodes talking about their storylines. Confusing much? Since there’s so much backstory behind the characters on the show, the Webisodes help fill in …read more

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