Posted by Dustin on 05.13.2008 at 11:33 am

ABC UNVEILS 2008-09 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

New Series Include “The Goode Family,” “Life on Mars,” “Opportunity Knocks,” “Scrubs” And “Untitled Ashton Kutcher/Tyra Banks Project”

Returning Series on the Fall Schedule Include “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “Boston Legal,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Dirty Sexy Money,” “Eli Stone,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “Pushing Daisies,” “Samantha Who?,” “Supernanny,” “Ugly Betty,” “Wife Swap” and “20/20”

Stephen McPherson, president, ABC Entertainment, today outlined ABC’s plans for next season and unveiled the network’s 2008-09 fall schedule before the advertising and media communities at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall.

Scheduled to debut this fall are new drama “Life on Mars,” and new alternative series “Opportunity Knocks” from executive producer Ashton Kutcher.

Returning series on the fall schedule are “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “Boston Legal,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Dirty Sexy Money,” “Eli Stone,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “Pushing Daisies,” “Samantha Who?,” “Supernanny,” “Ugly Betty,” “Wife Swap” and “20/20.”

In addition, “Saturday Night College Football” will return for a fourth season.

New series for midseason include “The Goode Family,” “Scrubs” and “Untitled Ashton Kutcher/Tyra Banks Project.”

Other returning series include “According to Jim,” “The Bachelor,” “Lost” and ABC News’ “Primetime: What Would You Do?”

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Posted by Dustin on 05.13.2008 at 11:27 am

ABC ANNOUNCES ITS SUMMER SCHEDULE WITH THE PREMIERE OF EIGHT ORIGINAL SERIES

ABC announces its summer schedule with the premiere of eight original series, including the return of “The Bachelorette” on Monday, May 19 (9:00-11:00 p.m.), following the performance show finale of “Dancing with the Stars”; “The Mole” on Monday, May 26 (10:00-11:00 p.m.); “Wipeout” on Tuesday, June 24 (8:00-9:00 p.m.); “I Survived a Japanese Game Show” on Tuesday, June 24 (9:00-10:00 p.m.); ABC News’ “Hopkins” on Thursday, June 26 (10:00-11:00 p.m.); “Dance Machine” on Friday, June 27 (8:00-9:00 p.m.); “High School Musical: Summer Session” on Sunday, July 20 (8:00-9:00 p.m.); and “Wanna Bet” on Monday, July 21 (9:00-10:00 p.m.).

Read On For Show Details
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Posted by Dustin on 05.01.2008 at 2:31 pm

It was no “Project Runway,” but in its own way it was fun. For those who enjoyed “Shear Genius” the first go round, it’s set to return this summer on Bravo. It will go on the list of things I’ll be watching, along with BB10 and whatever else comes along.

BRAVO’S ‘SHEAR GENIUS’ RETURNS FOR SEASON TWO AND STYLISTS CUT OR GET CUT

Series Premieres Wednesday, June 25 At 10 PM ET/PT

NEW YORK – April 30, 2008 – Lather. Rinse. Compete. Bravo turns the spotlight on high-end hair styling with the premiere of the second season of the creative competition series “Shear Genius” on Wednesday, June 25 at 10 PM ET/PT. Hosted by Golden Globe nominated actress, designer and entrepreneur Jaclyn Smith, “Shear Genius” offers a behind-the-scenes look at the competitive and creative world of high-end hairstyling. Famed celebrity hairstylist Kim Vo and Allure West Coast editor Kelly Atterton join the series this season as lead judges, and accomplished stylist Rene Fris returns as the competitors’ mentor.

Bravo’s nationwide search for talented hair stylists unearthed a group of gifted competitors from all over the country who will vie for the ultimate title of “Shear Genius,” $100,000 in seed money courtesy of Nexxus Salon Hair Care, an apprenticeship with Nexxus and a chance to style hair for an Allure magazine feature. This season, every challenge will be done on living hair models, and with challenges that range from cutting hair blind-folded to styling with food products that include caramel and even mustard, you can bet the drama will be bigger than ever. In each episode, host Smith, delivers the news to the chosen winning and losing stylist with input from Atterton and Vo, as well as a lineup of guest judges. Some stylists will get “cut” early and others will “blow away” the competition.

The stylists face two challenges per episode – the short cut challenge – testing technical hairstyling skills – and the elimination challenge, testing creativity and advanced skills. Every challenge will be inventive and extraordinary, pushing them out of their comfort zone and requiring more than just finesse with a comb and scissors. The stylists will also need to possess the ability to service the client’s needs, manage a staff and work as part of a team, simultaneously, in order to make it in the competition.

To meet the cast of “Shear Genius,” visit www.BravoTV.com. Photography and bios are available at www.nbcumv.com. Following are the 12 stylists competing on the series:

· Charlie – 38, Hometown: Denver, CO.
· Daniel – 28, Hometown: Tallahassee, FL; Resides in Dallas, TX.
· Dee – 37, Hometown: San Antonio, TX; Resides in Miami, FL.
· Gail – 25, Hometown: Dayton, OH; Resides in Columbus, OH.
· Glenn – 36, Hometown: Los Angeles, CA; Resides in Decatur, AL.
· Matthew – 37, Hometown: Dallas, TX.
· Meredith – 36, Hometown: Cleveland, OH; Resides in Chicago, IL.
· Nekisa – 29, Hometown: San Francisco, CA; Resides in: Concord, CA.
· Nicole – 24, Hometown: Houston, TX; Resides in: New York, NY.
· Oshun – 31, Hometown: Cleveland, OH; Resides in Los Angeles, CA.
· Parker – 31, Hometown: Miami, FL.
· Paulo – 37, Hometown: San Jose, CA.

“Shear Genius” is produced by Reveille Entertainment. Mark Koops, Julie Laughlin and Howard T. Owens serve as executive producers.

Posted by Dustin on 04.15.2008 at 11:26 am

CBS to Present Nearly 90 Hours of Original Programming, Including Three New Reality Series, Two New Dramas, a Summer Edition of “Big Brother,” Two Mixed Martial Arts Live Events, “The Tony Awards” and a New Chapter in its “AFI’s 100 Years” Series

“Greatest American Dog” (Working Title) Premieres Thursday, July 10, 8:00 PM

“Million Dollar Password,” Hosted By Regis Philbin, Premieres Sunday, June 1, 8:00 PM

“Jingles,” (Working Title) from Executive Producer Mark Burnett, Debuts Sunday, July 27, 9:00 PM

“Big Brother” Returns with Three Weekly Editions Beginning Sunday, July 13

Mixed Martial Arts Comes to Primetime Network Television for the First Time with Two Live Events, Saturday, May 31 and Saturday, July 26

“Swingtown” Premieres Thursday, June 5, 10:00 PM (NEW PREMIERE DATE)

Original Drama Series “Flashpoint” Debuts Friday, July 11, 10:00 PM

“The American Theatre Wing’s 62nd Annual Tony Awards” to be Broadcast Sunday, June 15, 8:00 PM

“AFI’s 10 Top 10″ to Air Tuesday, June 17, 8:00 PM

New Summer Time Periods for “Without a Trace,” “Numb3rs” and “Cold Case”

CBS today unveiled its 2008 summer schedule comprising nearly 90 hours of original programming, including three new reality series (GREATEST AMERICAN DOG, MILLION DOLLAR PASSWORD and JINGLES), two new dramas (SWINGTOWN and FLASHPOINT), summer stalwart BIG BROTHER, two live mixed martial arts events (CBS ELITE XC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS), THE AMERICAN THEATRE WING’S 62ND ANNUAL TONY AWARDS and AFI’s 10 TOP 10.

The summer lineup will also see rebroadcasts of WITHOUT A TRACE, NUMB3RS and COLD CASE moving to new time periods.

Read on for show descriptions and schedules . . . .

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Posted by Dustin on 04.05.2008 at 11:48 am

Begining in July, NBC will begin debuting webisodes of “The Office,” “Heroes,” and “Chuck.” But wait, it’s not just the old seasons on the web, these will be new shows developed for the web! There is no news on when they will start, how long they’ll last and how many episodes there will be.

The following is a press release on the webisodes from NBC . . . .

NBC DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT BRINGS MORE VIDEO, ORIGINAL CONTENT AND INTERACTIVITY FOR SUMMER AND FALL SEASON PROGRAMMING

“Heroes,” “Chuck” And “The Office” Webisodes On NBC.com Beginning July ‘08

Original Digital Production “Fears, Secrets & Desires” Launches This Summer

NEW YORK – April 2, 2008 – NBC Digital Entertainment today announced its full slate of content for the Summer and Fall seasons. Among the highlights are original webisodes for “Heroes,” “Chuck” and “The Office” as well as “30 Rock 360,” a new original digital production - “Fears, Secrets & Lies” and extensive digital features for each new show. The announcements were made by Vivi Zigler, Executive Vice President, NBC Digital Entertainment.

“The breadth and depth of our digital content is literally exploding this season,” said Zigler. “We’re incredibly lucky to have such collaborative writers, producers and actors to work with, all of whom help us make the entertainment experience so much richer for our users.”

New chapters of webisodes for “Heroes,” “Chuck” and “The Office” will debut on NBC.com beginning in July. Additional chapters of webisodes for each show will roll out throughout the season. Each chapter of webisodes will continue to weave online with on-air creative to give fans a deeper entertainment experience.

“30 Rock” joins “The Office,” “Heroes” and “Lipstick Jungle,” and goes “360″ next season. Fans of the Emmy-winning comedy can learn from the best through Jack Donaghy’s Online Business Courses (or “Jack U”), have access to Jack’s blog and offer their own business advice by uploading videos. Other challenges for users will include submitting skits for “TGS,” enacting provided skits from “TGC,” user response to “Ask Tina” and guided tours of their workplaces (in response to Kenneth the Page’s tours).

NBC.com will also debut its second season of original productions with “Fears, Secrets & Desires.” This series, detailed below, will be available exclusively on NBC.com.

A comprehensive list of digital features, by show, follows.

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Posted by Dustin on 04.02.2008 at 7:01 pm

NBC has revealed its new 2008-09 line-up a month early instead of during the normal “upfront” week in May. The following is an official press release, detailing the new schedule as well as descriptions of their new shows. Reminder: NBC already renewed a few shows such as “Chuck,” “Life” and “Heroes.”

NBC REVEALS COMPLETE 52-WEEK PROGRAM STRATEGY, EARLIER THAN EVER, THAT GIVES ADVERTISERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE UNIQUE MARKETING SOLUTIONS

STAGGERED LAUNCHES AND PREMIERES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF NBC’S ‘SUPER SEASON’ OF EVENTS INCLUDING THE 2008 BEIJING OLYMPIC GAMES AND SUPER BOWL XLIII

WITH ITS EXPANDING COMMITMENT TO YEAR-ROUND ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING, NBC DELIVERS ALMOST TWICE AS MUCH FIRST-RUN ENTERTAINMENT AS THE NETWORK BROADCAST 10 YEARS AGO

FALL, WINTER AND SUMMER SCHEDULES FEATURE NEWCOMERS ‘THE OFFICE’ SPINOFF, ‘MY OWN WORST ENEMY,’ ‘KATH & KIM,’ ‘KNIGHT RIDER’, ‘CRUSOE’, ‘KINGS,’ ‘THE PHILANTHROPIST,’ ‘MERLIN,’ ‘THE LISTENER,’ ‘SHARK TAGGERS,’ AMERICA’S TOUGHEST JOBS,’ ‘CHOPPING BLOCK’ AND MINISERIES ‘THE LAST TEMPLAR’ AND ‘XIII’

RETURNING SERIES FOR NBC’S 2008-09 TELEVISION SEASON INCLUDE THE ACCLAIMED DRAMAS ‘ER’ — IN ITS 15TH AND FINAL SEASON — ‘FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS,’ ‘LIPSTICK JUNGLE’, ‘MEDIUM,’ ‘LAW & ORDER’ AND ‘LAW & ORDER: SVU’

NEW YORK - April 2, 2008 - NBC today unveiled its new Fall lineup for the 2008-09 television season, introducing a schedule earlier than ever that combines some of the most acclaimed and popular returning series on television with four new programs that will join the schedule in the opening weeks of the season, including “Kath & Kim,” “Knight Rider,” “My Own Worst Enemy” and “Crusoe.”

Among the critically hailed series returning to the NBC schedule next season will be “ER,” the most-nominated series in Emmy Award history, returning for its 15th and final season on NBC’s Thursday night lineup, and the acclaimed “Friday Night Lights,” slated to re-join the Friday schedule in February as part of a unique broadcast partnership between NBC and DIRECTV.

Additionally, the most highly anticipated comedy of the upcoming season, “The Office” spinoff, from Executive Producer Greg Daniels, will get the highly coveted premiere timeslot post Super Bowl XLIII following a special original telecast of “The Office.”

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Posted by Dustin on 03.31.2008 at 7:34 pm

ABC released its summer line-up of shows. Reality TV lovers may want to take note that “The Mole” is returning!

ABC ANNOUNCES ITS SUMMER SCHEDULE WITH THE PREMIERE OF EIGHT ORIGINAL SERIES

ABC announces its summer schedule with the premiere of eight original series, including the return of “The Bachelorette” on Monday, May 19 (9:00-11:00 p.m.), following the performance show finale of “Dancing with the Stars”; “The Mole” on Monday, May 26 (10:00-11:00 p.m.); “Wipeout” on Tuesday, June 24 (8:00-9:00 p.m.); “I Survived a Japanese Game Show” on Tuesday, June 24 (9:00-10:00 p.m.); ABC News’ “Hopkins” on Thursday, June 26 (10:00-11:00 p.m.); “Dance Machine” on Friday, June 27 (8:00-9:00 p.m.); “High School Musical: Summer Session” on Sunday, July 20 (8:00-9:00 p.m.); and “Wanna Bet” on Monday, July 21 (9:00-10:00 p.m.).

Keep reading for the show descriptions.
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Posted by Dustin on 03.13.2008 at 9:10 pm

Normally we are approaching the time in the television industry known as upfront week, where all the networks announce their new shows for the fall season. Unfortunately it seems the fall season is going to be heavily impacted by the writer’s strike. ABC apparently has not picked up a single new show. Instead next fall they’ll be relaunching a lot of shows that got hit hard and cut short by the strike (Private Practice; Dirty, Sexy Money; etc). It remains to be seen yet what the other network’s strategy might be. NBC cancelled many of their new shows, so they may be looking to pick up new ones. Their recent movie remake of “Knight Rider” could very well become a new fall show for them.

Posted by Dustin on 03.06.2008 at 11:37 am

The following is a press release detailing NBC’s summer line-up, mostly reality shows. I have to say “Celebrity Circus” has my interests peaked, only because it looks like a reality version of the old “Circus of the Stars” show, which I loved watching as a kid.

NBC LIGHTS UP SUMMER WITH A BURST OF ORIGINAL PROGRAM PREMIERES AS PART OF ‘NBC’S ALL-AMERICAN SUMMER’

BURBANK, Calif. – March 5, 2008 – NBC to celebrate America, its communities, athletes, songs, heroes, talent and Gladiators all summer long as part of “NBC’s All-American Summer” – the network’s run-up to its exclusive coverage of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. The network will ignite a late spring and summer of original programming paced by the premieres of series favorites “American Gladiators” (Monday, May 12, 8-10 p.m. ET), “America’s Got Talent” (Tuesday, June 24, 9-11 p.m. ET), “Last Comic Standing” (Thursday, May 22, 9:30-11 p.m. ET) and the network debut of “Nashville Star” with new host Billy Ray Cyrus (Monday, June 9, 9:30-11 p.m. ET).

In addition, NBC will unveil the new suspense and horror anthology series “Fear Itself” on Thursday, May 29, 10-11 p.m. ET, as well as two new alternative series “Celebrity Circus” (Wednesday, June 11, 9-11 p.m. ET) and “The Baby Borrowers” (Wednesday, June 25, 8-9 p.m. ET).

The announcements were made today by Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.

“NBC’s All-American Summer” will kick off with the return of the high-octane hit “American Gladiators” which will follow its May 12 premiere by settling into its regular day and time on Monday, May 19 (8-9:30 p.m. ET). Likewise, “America’s Got Talent” will follow its June 24 debut with another two-hour episode on Tuesday, July 1 (9-11 p.m. ET) and then subsequently follow with hour-long episodes beginning July 8 (9-10 p.m. ET). The series will take a brief hiatus during the Summer Olympics and return August 26 (performance episodes) and “results shows” will begin starting August 27 (8-9 p.m. ET).

After its two-hour premiere, “Celebrity Circus” will resume in its regular day and time on Wednesday, June 18 (9-10 p.m. ET). Following its May 22 debut, “Last Comic Standing” will settle into its regular day and time on Thursday, May 29 (8:30-10 p.m. ET).

Read on for the show descriptions . . .
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Posted by Dustin on 03.04.2008 at 11:53 am

The following is a PR announcing a 13 week series of horror shorts called “Fear Itself.” I love the horror genre myself, so I’ll give this a try. However on network television, I’m not sure how scary we can get.

NOTED DIRECTORS JOHN LANDIS, DARREN BOUSMAN, RONNY YU SIGNED TO DIRECT ‘FEAR ITSELF,’ NBC’S UPCOMING NEW SUSPENSE AND HORROR ANTHOLOGY SERIES FROM LIONSGATE AND INDUSTRY ENTERTAINMENT

Additional Marquee Directors Signed Include Brad Anderson, Breck Eisner, Mary Harron, Stuart Gordon and Ernest Dickerson

Brandon Routh, Shiri Appleby, Elisabeth Moss, Cynthia Watros, Eric Roberts and John Billingsley Are Cast in Episodes Along with Russell Hornsby, Pablo Schreiber, Stephen Lee, Stephen R. Hart, Jack Noseworthy and Larry Gilliard Jr.

Among Writers Set Are Joe Gangemi, Steve Niles, Dan Knauf, Lem Dobbs, Matt Venne, Richard Chizmar & Johnathon Schaech, Victor Salva, Mick Garris, Drew McWeeny & Scott Swan, Kelly Kennemer and Max Landis

BURBANK, Calif. - March 3, 2008 - A host of provocative directors, actors and writers - including award-winning directors John Landis (”An American Werewolf in London”), Darren Bousman (”Saw II, III and IV”), Ronny Yu (”Freddy vs. Jason,” “Bride of Chucky”), Brad Anderson (”The Machinist”), Breck Eisner (upcoming Universal Pictures film “Creature from the Black Lagoon”), Mary Harron (”American Psycho”), Stuart Gordon (”Re-Animator”) and Ernest Dickerson (NBC’s “Heroes”) - have been signed for NBC’s “Fear Itself,” a new 13-episode suspense and horror anthology series from Lionsgate in association with Industry Entertainment.

Brandon Routh (”Superman Returns”), Shiri Appleby (”Charlie Wilson’s War”), Elisabeth Moss (”Mad Men”), Cynthia Watros (”Lost”), Eric Roberts (NBC’s “Heroes”), John Billingsley (Star Trek: Enterprise”), Russell Hornsby (”Lincoln Heights”), Pablo Schreiber (”The Wire”), Stephen Lee (”Boston Legal”), Stephen R. Hart (”Shoot ‘Em Up”), Jack Noseworthy (”Judging Amy”) and Larry Gilliard Jr. (”The Wire”) are among the sought-after actors who will be portraying various characters in three episodes of the series.

Among the writers set are Joe Gangemi (”Wind Chill,” the novel “Inamorata”), Steve Niles (”30 Days of Night”), Dan Knauf (”Carnivale,” “Supernatural”), Lem Dobbs (”The Score”), Matt Venne (”White Noise 2: The Light”), Richard Chizmar & Johnathon Schaech (”Masters of Horror,” “From a Buick 8″), Victor Salva (”Jeepers Creepers”), Mick Garris (”Riding the Bullet,” “Amazing Stories”), Drew McWeeny & Scott Swan (”Masters of Horror”), Kelly Kennemer (”The Music Within”) and Max Landis (”Masters of Horror”).

The announcement was made today by Teri Weinberg, Executive Vice President, NBC Entertainment. “We’ve teamed up with some of the most illustrious writers, actors and directors to create a distinctive, scare-filled series that will push the boundaries of this classic genre,” said Weinberg. “‘Fear Itself’ will deliver memorable and horrifying moments that will keep fans on the edge of their seats, begging for more on this fun-filled ride of terror.”

“We and our partners at Industry Entertainment couldn’t be happier about NBC’s enthusiastic support of ‘Fear Itself’ and the caliber of artists who have been drawn to the project,” said Kevin Beggs, Lionsgate’s President of Television Programming and Production. “Our goal is to offer audiences a fantastic thrill every week and we’ve certainly got the all-star team to do it.”

Read on for all the descriptions of the episodes
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