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Daily Archives : Sep 16, 2008

More Money Sought for DTV Switch

Democratic congressmen are questioning how the Bush administration suddenly realized it is not going to have enough money to pay for administering the coupon program for the digital television switch, TelevisionWeek reports. Two months after saying they had plenty of…

Fey’s Future on ‘SNL’ Undecided

Tina Fey’s interpretation of Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin helped this past weekend’s season premiere of “Saturday Night Live” reach new ratings highs, but future appearances by Fey on the show are yet to be set, the Hollywood Reporter says….

YouTube, Google Called TV ‘Parasites’

Michael Grade, chairman of the U.K.’s ITV, claims that YouTube and Google are “parasites” that reap the benefits of TV content created by other companies, the Hollywood Reporter says. Grade, who spoke at the IBC tech conference in Amsterdam, believes…

Current TV Viewers to Tweet Debates

Current TV is giving viewers a chance to share instant commentary during the upcoming presidential debates through updates from Twitter, the Hollywood Reporter says. The feature, called “Hack the Debate,” will allow viewers to share their opinions on screen as…

Sci Fi’s ‘Children’ Update Gets Stars

Sci Fi Channel’s upcoming TV remake of “Children of the Corn” has added David Anders, Kandyse McClure, Preston Bailey and Daniel Newman to its cast, the Hollywood Reporter says. The film, directed by Donald P. Borchers, will film in Iowa…

DTV Switch May Cause Oscar Problems

Some viewers may miss out on next year’s Academy Awards telecast, scheduled for Feb. 22, five days after the national DTV switch, Daily Variety reports. Some viewers who had put off on preparations for the switch may not be ready…

Brillstein TV Nails ABC Studios Deal

ABC Studios has signed Brillstein Entertainment Partners TV for a three-year deal, Daily Variety reports. The company, responsible for ABC comedies “Samantha Who?” and “According to Jim,” in addition to HBO’s “The Sopranos,” is planning to explore unscripted series and…

Foxworthy’s Fox Animation Project

Fox has given the greenlight to an animated pilot from Jeff Foxworthy about a NASCAR-centric dysfunctional family, Daily Variety reports. Foxworthy will lend his voice to the pilot with other talent to be selected later. He will serve as writer…

‘Homicide’ Writers Join HBO’s ‘Manhunt’

HBO is in the early development stages for an adaptation of James L. Swanson’s’ book “Manhunt,” based on the search for John Wilkes Booth after he assassinated Abraham Lincoln, Daily Variety reports. The network has tapped David Simon and Tom…

Product Placement Ads Down

A new Nielsen report finds that product placement advertising in prime-time TV dropped almost 15% during the first half of the year, Daily Variety reports. The number takes both cable and broadcast into consideration. Alone, placement in broadcast prime time…