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YouTube to Offer MGM Movies, TV Episodes

Internet site to announce new partnership with studio

(Newser) - YouTube and MGM are about to announce a partnership in which movies and TV shows will be offered on the video-sharing website, reports the New York Times. The deal is part of a strategy by YouTube owner Google to cozy up to Hollywood in a bid to compete with rival...

'Kenneth the Page' Talks Weak Chins, 30 Rock

Jack McBrayer dishes on his character and connection with Tina Fey

(Newser) - Yes, Jack McBrayer is like Kenneth the Page, his 30 Rock character. Sort of. In an interview with Salon, the actor admits he’s “somewhat of a people-pleaser”—though the former Applebee's employee of the month has serious comedy chops. The Southerner met creator Tina Fey at Chicago’...

Leno Gets First McCain Interview on Veterans Day

GOP candidate has kept off of TV since Election Day loss

(Newser) - John McCain will help Jay Leno celebrate Veterans Day by appearing on NBC’s “Tonight Show,” Monsters & Critics reports today. The Tuesday appearance will mark the Republican’s first TV interview since his loss to Barack Obama in the Nov. 4 election.

NBC Axes 'Heroes' Writers
 NBC Axes
'Heroes' Writers
Nov 5, 2008 4:46 AM CST

NBC Axes 'Heroes' Writers

Ratings falling on budget-busting drama

(Newser) - The top writer-producers of the struggling NBC drama series "Heroes" have been axed. Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb were fired because NBC executives were frustrated by falling ratings and increasing budget overruns, reports Variety. The program, costing some $4 million an episode, has struggled to hold viewers' attention in...

TV's Gimmickry Diminishes Election
 TV's Gimmickry 
 Diminishes Election 
OPINION
Nov 3, 2008 1:27 PM CST

TV's Gimmickry Diminishes Election

News operations aim for ratings, shoot viewers instead

(Newser) - Tomorrow night will be a high-water mark for TV news gadget gimmickry as the networks try to hook some of the millions of viewers who will tune in for election coverage, Rick Kushman writes in the Sacramento Bee. Some, like the technology that will allow TV networks to have instant...

With Conan on Deck, NBC Thinks Young

Subversive, cerebral humor will attract younger audience, say execs

(Newser) - With the Tonight Show's June transition from Jay Leno to Conan O’Brien on the front burner, NBC is already anticipating a jump in younger viewers. The June handover "is as important an event as is going to happen to this company in 2009," an NBC VP tells...

Economic Woes Mean Reprieve for Weak Series

Alternatives to underperforming TV shows may be worse

(Newser) - The financial crisis and the lingering effects of last year’s writers’ strike are breathing life into TV shows that would already have worn out their welcome in years past, reports the Hollywood Reporter. In previous seasons, ratings dogs like NBC's Knight Rider and ABC's Private Practice likely would have...

How Jim Popped the Question
How Jim Popped the Question
Oct 26, 2008 7:12 PM CDT

How Jim Popped the Question

Long-awaited Office proposal cost big bucks and required huge rain machines

(Newser) - Jim’s proposal to Pam at a gas station rest stop may have looked spur-of-the-moment, but a top creative on The Office says it took weeks of planning and high-tech special effects. To create the 52-second scene, the production team built a replica of a rest stop on Merritt Parkway...

NBC Stalls Runway, Readies Copycat

Lifetime switch stalled as Bravo launches Fashion House

(Newser) - NBC is using its legal muscle to keep Project Runway from airing on Lifetime while it launches a copycat show on its Bravo channel, reports the New York Post's Page Six. Details about Fashion House in Cragslist casting calls make it sound like a replica of the fashion original. The...

Drenched in Watercooler Moments, SNL Is Hot Again

Late-night is the standout hit of the fall season

(Newser) - The fall TV ratings are in, and while Heroes needs saving and House is collapsing, Saturday Night Live has emerged as the biggest hit of the season, Maureen Ryan writes in the Chicago Tribune. Unlike other shows, SNL’s live ratings have jumped nearly 50% in its 34th season. “...

Madden Takes First Weekend Off in 28 Years

NFL commentator ends 476-game streak to see the grandkids

(Newser) - For the first time in 28 years, sportscaster John Madden will not call a regular-season NFL game this weekend, ending an impressive run of 476 without absence, the Washington Post reports. The hiatus is expected to be short for Madden—now 72 and working NBC’s Sunday-night broadcast—who crisscrosses...

NBC Pages Seek Bigtime on $10/Hour

Ted Koppel, Regis Philbin alums of yearlong program

(Newser) - Screaming girls, predawn starts, and 6-day weeks are a lot to handle on $10 an hour—but NBC pages see success at the end of the tunnel, the New York Times reports. They know that hours of smiling schlep work—think photocopies and coffee—have led luminaries like Regis Philbin...

Fey's Everywhere; 30 Rock MIA
 Fey's Everywhere; 30 Rock MIA 
Oct 13, 2008 3:09 PM CDT

Fey's Everywhere; 30 Rock MIA

NBC's moves to promote show's popularity miss the mark

(Newser) - Tina Fey’s popularity is at an all-time high, but NBC hasn’t tried to capitalize by moving up the season debut of her critically acclaimed sitcom 30 Rock. NBC has struggled to boost the show’s ratings, the New York Times reports, and hopes three Saturday Night Live specials...

In Tough Times, TV Goes Blue-Collar

(Newser) - As the financial crisis deepens, expect TV to trade upper-crust environs for jokes about crustiness, reports the New York Post. Entertainment execs are pushing the development of blue-collar comedies that allow for a little old-fashioned escapism. "I don't think audiences want to see a show about the fall of...

Kath &amp; Kim Is Floppy Seconds
 Kath & Kim Is Floppy Seconds 
TV REVIEW
Oct 9, 2008 12:16 PM CDT

Kath & Kim Is Floppy Seconds

Aussie remake misses satirical mark

(Newser) - As if Knight Rider wasn't bad enough, NBC continues to look like a college kid "furnishing an apartment out of mom's hand-me-downs" in debuting the "witlessly Americanized" sitcom Kath & Kim, writes Robert Bianco in USA Today. The Australian remake wastes Molly Shannon's talents while "exposing the...

'YouTube of Variety Shows' Will Star Rosie

(Newser) - Rosie O'Donnell will launch an attempt to revive both her TV career and the variety genre the night before Thanksgiving, hosting Rosie's Variety Show live on NBC, Variety reports. The 1-hour show will feature celeb guests and musical and comedy acts. It's is believed to be the precursor to a...

Buffett Grabs $3B Chunk of GE

Shrewd market player aiming for windfall after chaos clears

(Newser) - Mega-pockets investor Warren Buffett is sinking $3 billion into General Electric, whose share prices have slumped a third amid the financial chaos on Wall Street, Reuters reports. Buffet, 78, negotiated a 10% dividend, which could generate $300 million income a year. The move comes a week after he invested $5...

In His Encore, Brokaw Again a Heavy-Hitter for NBC

Russert's fill-in has played diplomat between NBC, McCain

(Newser) - NBC is preparing for a post-Brokaw Meet the Press, but replacing the elder statesman won’t be easy, the New York Times reports. Brokaw has exceeded expectations as a fill-in for Tim Russert, keeping NBC’s Sunday show atop the ratings. Less publicly, he’s been a crucial diplomat between...

Is Brady's Injury a Financial Disaster?

CBS execs expect to lose millions, but hope Favre will draw viewers

(Newser) - Tom Brady’s season-ending knee injury may have crippled the New England Patriots, but what will it cost in dollars and cents? As the NFL’s marquee player, Tom Brady is a money-making machine—yet executives at CBS, which pays $622 million for the AFC package, won't say how many...

Obama Set for Return Engagement on SNL

Democrat will appear in sketch during tomorrow night's season premiere

(Newser) - Barack Obama will make his second appearance on Saturday Night Live tomorrow night, the AP reports. The Democratic presidential nominee first appeared on the NBC show in November, playing himself in a skit set at a Halloween party thrown by his then-rival and Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. Michael Phelps will...

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