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Here’s What Some Opinion Makers Think About the Disney-Marvel Deal

Here are three analysis pieces about Monday’s news that Disney is buying Marvel for $4 billion. First up is Dorothy Pomerantz’s piece for Forbes, "Marvel: How Good a Deal For Disney?" Next is Rick Marshall’s blog on MTV’s Splash Page: "Three…

Aug 31, 2009

In a Special Guest Blog, Starz’ Executive Tom Southwick, Who Once Served as Press Secretary for the Late Sen. Edward Kennedy, Talks About How Kennedy Worked With the TV Press, and How the TV Press That Covers Public Policy Today Is Failing Us

The following is a guest blog by Tom Southwick. For the past six years Tom has been with Starz in Denver, where he is senior VP of corporate communications. Earlier in his career he was the founder of the trade…

Aug 27, 2009

With the New TV Season Almost Upon Us, the Biggest Issue for All Stations With Newcasts is How the Leno Move Will Affect Them. Here Are the Concerns—and the Strategies—Stations of All Affiliations Are Discussing

Comedy is big news this season, particularly in September, when NBC goes from dark and bloody to light and funny – dropping Jay Leno into the 10 p.m. prime slot traditionally reserved for scripted drama. It’s a move, however, that’s…

Aug 24, 2009

Memo to Paula and All the Rest of Us: Are You Happy Doing What You’re Doing? If Not, Here’s a Blueprint for What to Do Now (And No, You Cannot Let It Be All About the Money) [Well, This One Oughta Crash Our Servers … ]

Well, the headline tells it all here. And I’m not gonna be your guide. Instead I’m gonna send you off our site to read a terrific piece about Brian Graden. Brian is the president of entertainment at the MTV Networks….

Aug 20, 2009

A Show I’m Mad About, And it’s Not on HBO. Come Join the Fun

This may not be the golden age of television, but perhaps it’s the titanium age: high quality in large quantities. There are so many good shows now that the people who watch TV for a living are being forced to…

Aug 19, 2009

Now That I’m on a Roll, Here’s What The Primetime Emmys Need to Do to Survive

Yesterday I wrote about what Fox should do about replacing Paula Abdul on “American Idol.” Having solved that crisis, I now feel it’s my duty to suggest to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) what it needs to…

Aug 13, 2009

What Fox Should Do About the Paula Abdul Situation

Based on my conversations with some Fox insiders and others close to the situation, here’s the skinny: A number of folks at Fox were pissed when Abdul went public with her negotiations. Personally, I think Fox is playing with fire…

Aug 12, 2009

Notes on Comedy Central’s Rollicking Rivers Roast

Ah, the good old days … drinking, smoking and telling dirty, filthy jokes at the Friars Club—all in service of roasting the top comics of their time. Minus the smoking and drinking but with plenty of bleeped out vulgarity, Comedy…

Aug 10, 2009

Am I Being a Twit Because I Wish Tweet Was Just the Sound Tweety Bird Made?

My colleague Elizabeth Jensen told me of this item in the New York Post today: That the romance between "Dancing with the Stars” pro Derek Hough and last season’s contestant Shannon Elizabeth (“American Pie”) is over. And how does the…

Aug 9, 2009

Matt Damon’s ‘History’ is made (finally), With Marisa Tomei

     In the movie “Good Will Hunting,” Matt Damon’s character sees a book on a shelf. It is “A People’s History of the United States” by radical historian Howard Zinn. “This,” Damon tells his shrink, “will knock you on your…

Aug 5, 2009