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Daily Archives : Nov 30, 2011

Strange Bedfellows: What Happened When the Dean of American TV Writers Collaborated With the Famous, Flamboyant English Director Who Had Been Described as the King of Pornobiography

It turned out to be the marriage made in hell. TVWeek Open Mic blogger Chuck Ross details the project jointly worked on by the glitzy, lurid English director Ken Russell and America’s own sarcastic, acerbic Paddy Chayefsky, TV and movie…

Shakeup in Cable News Ratings

The ratings battle among cable news channels has had a shakeup, with two networks swapping positions, reports our good friend Bill Carter in The New York Times’ Media Decoder blog. MSNBC has moved back ahead of CNN in prime time…

Is NBC Bubble Show a Candidate for a Viral Save-My-Show Campaign Along the Lines of ‘Chuck’?

Is an at-risk NBC drama a candidate for the kind of viral social-media campaign that worked to save "Chuck," another NBC program? Probably not, writes the Los Angeles Times‘ Mary McNamara. The show in question is "Prime Suspect," which was…

Video: Brian Williams Keeps His Cool in Alarming Situation on ‘NBC Nightly News’

On Tuesday’s "NBC Nightly News," anchor Brian Williams kept his cool and continued broadcasting the newscast despite a blaring fire alarm, reports Poynter.org. Williams was introducing the lead story about the American Airlines bankruptcy filing when the fire alarm started,…

ABC Family Renews Drama for a Third Season

ABC Family has renewed a drama series for a third season, reports EW.com’s Inside TV blog.  The series is the teen-oriented mystery/thriller "Pretty Little Liars." The show’s next season will include 24 episode, the same as the second season, which…

Lifetime Developing Drama About Extramarital Affairs

Lifetime is developing a high-end drama about extramarital affairs, with "Army Wives" consulting producer Barbara Hall writing and executive producing the project, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Gary Randall of “The Glades" will also serve as executive producer through his…

BBC Hires Former ‘CBS Evening News’ Producer, Moves to Expand U.S. News Operations

The BBC has hired a former producer of "CBS Evening News with Dan Rather" as executive producer of BBC News, America, reports TVNewser.com. Dick Meyer will expand the BBC’s U.S. news-gathering operations, along with overseeing "BBC World News America" and…

ABC Says ‘Pan Am’ Not Canceled, ‘In Contention’ for Second Season — Network Contradicts Tweet by Actress

By Dan HirschhornAdvertising Age ABC quickly shot down rumors Tuesday that "Pan Am" is slated for cancellation after one of the series’ stars implied just that on Twitter. "Well, we received THE call, #PanAm is only coming back for one…

Piers Morgan Hits New Ratings Low

A CNN host who stepped into a high-profile spot in the cable network’s prime-time lineup has notched a milestone: his lowest-rated month in the key news demographic, reports Deadline.com. Piers Morgan, who took over the spot held by CNN fixture…

After Latest Allegation, Herman Cain Pulls Plug on Media-Heavy Event

After the allegation surfaced that he had a 13-year extramarital affair, Herman Cain has canceled a private Sunday dinner with top TV hosts, including Bill O’Reilly and Matt Lauer, reports NY1.com. Guests also were to include Greta Van Susteren, whose…