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Monthly Archives : December 2008

TBS Eyes Late-Night Frat Comedy

TBS has ordered a presentation for a half-hour late-night comedy that follows three grown men who, as in the 2003 Will Ferrell comedy “Old School,” yearn for the easier life of a frat house, the Hollywood Reporter says. The project…

Retail Ad Spending Down for Holidays

Most chief marketing officers at the retailers are cutting their advertising budgets during the fourth quarter, Advertising Age reports. A survey by BDO Seidman found that 57% of the CMO plan to spend the majority of budgets on print; 21%…

SAG Members Endorse Strike Push

About 400 members of the Screen Actors Guild who met Monday in Hollywood endorsed the group’s push to authorize a strike, Daily Variety reports. SAG will hold two more meeings, one in New York next Monday and another in Hollywood…

Dolan Cablevision Stake Shrinks

The Dolan family’s stake in Cablevision Systems dropped to 21.2% from 23.8%, Dow Jones reports. One member of the family settled a 1999 transaction by giving 8 million Class A shares in the cable operator to Bear Stearns International, the…

Viacom Expects Strong Prices for Carriage Deals

Viacom Inc. CEO Philippe Dauman said he expects strong prices when the owner of cable channels such as Comedy Central negotiates new carriage deals with operators, the Hollywood Reporter says. Dauman, who spoke yesterday at the UBS Global Media and…

Spears Invited Back to ‘GMA’

Singer Britney Spears has been invited back to “Good Morning America” for a sit-down interview with Diane Sawyer following her lip-synced performance on the ABC morning news program last week, the

‘Baywatch’ Creator Seeks Star for New Show

“Baywatch” producer Walter Brown is searching for an actress to star in a pilot of a show set in New Zealand, the New York Post reports. Brown and fellow “Baywatch” producer Greg Bonnan are considering a storyline about three adventurous…

ABC’s ‘Wipeout’ Changes Course

ABC’s reality program “Wipeout” is changing most of the obstacles contestants face, although it’s keeping the large red balls, the Hollywood Reporter says. Contestants won’t wear helmets on the next iteration of the program so that viewers can see their…

FCC Inquiry Report May Be Released

The House Energy & Commerce Committee may release its report on an inquiry into the Federal Communications Commission this week, Broadcasting & Cable says. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), who leads the subcommittee that is undertaking the report, has said the report…

‘Makeover’ Home in Jeopardy

A Michigan couple may face foreclosure on home rebuilt for them and their blind, autistic son on a ratings record-setting “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” the Associated Press reports. “We didn’t have bad spending habits,” Judy Vardon tells the wire service….