Penthouse 10

Birthday Intent

NATPE Birthday to Vincent D'Onofrio, Monica Potter and Fantasia Barrino!

There are 208 days until NATPE 2006.

More "i"

Perhaps it was the giddy atmosphere of Southern California, the sunshine, the ice cream social, or the great musical entertainment, but something in the air made most folks realize that we were all there to meet each other and get on with the business of Digital Media.

- Viewpoint West Partners on the recent iHollywood Digital Media Summit

(PS - NATPE Mobile++ is produced in conjunction with the good folks at iHollywood)

Cubic

The Z-agon prototype TV could change all this, plus the way we watch and where we watch the goggle-box. It’s a wireless cube-shaped TV with six 12-inch screens each capable of displaying a different channel. So the idea is that rather than wedging it in the corner of your lounge you can pop it on a coffee table with sofas arranged around it for a more communal vibe.

- says T3

2 cents

Overall, there's much better stuff on TV these days than there are in the theatres... so why would anybody want to pay a babysitter, endure the traffic, pay exorbinant ticket prices, get gouged for popcorn and soda (it's cheaper to eat at Ruth's Chris than my local Regal Cinema)  put up with a noisy crowd and sit on sticky seats?

- If you ask Lee Goldberg

Better than 'eh'

Paxson Communications said Tuesday it is dropping the Pax TV Network name and changing its programming strategy. The company's new brand, called "i," will focus on offering independent producers and syndicators a national platform for their content. The new format and brand will launch July 1.

- From TV Week

Birthday Boat

NATPE Birthday to Richard Lewis (58), Fred Grandy (57), Sharon Lawrence (44) and Amanda Donohoe (43)!

There are 209 days until NATPE 2006.

New...

New on the NATPE Home Page: For Your Consideration, an occasional tv-centric survey (look on the right-side column).

Also: a PDF of the Boot Camp agenda-at-a-glance that you can print out and hang in your room!

And: The NATPE Career Center is new and improved - check it out!

Times to Read

Mid-week reading in the NY Times:

Tivo, which makes digital video recorders, named a former chief executive at Primedia, Thomas S. Rogers, as chief executive yesterday, succeeding Michael Ramsay.

Brian Graden, president of Logo and MTV Networks Entertainment, explained the philosophy behind Logo's schedule. "When you tell a story about gay rodeo or gay surfers it's not a story about sex nor does it need to be," he said in an interview. "So much connects us beyond sexuality."

Comcast will gain access to 1,500 films a year in the Starz Encore library. In any given month, Comcast subscribers will be able to choose from 325 of those movies, including 75 from Starz and 250 from Encore.

Nearly halfway through the season, the Nationals' games on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, or M.A.S.N., are not being carried by Comcast and are seen only by consumers served by RCN Cable and DirecTV.

The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that cable companies do not have to allow rivals to offer high-speed Internet access over their systems.

The Supreme Court handed a major victory to the entertainment and recording industries on Monday by reinstating a copyright-infringement suit against two file-sharing services.

Through their broad alliance, Microsoft and Toshiba hope to make video players and other consumer electronics devices that have a friendlier interface and are easily compatible with home computers.

It is certainly no "I, Claudius" or even "Rome," a new HBO series scheduled for the fall. But that does not mean the ABC mini-series doesn't have it moments, most of them in the gladiators' arena or in the backrooms of the Roman Senate.

"We wear suits because when you're dressed up and act as stupid as we do, people will be less turned off."

Candle Power!

NATPE Birthday to Pat Morita, Kathy Bates and Gil Bellows!

On this date in 1990, Joan Rivers won her first Daytime Emmy Award as a talk show host.

New releases on DVD this week include Homicide: Life on the Street (Season 7), The Twilight Zone (Season 2 & 3, 1980s version), The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Indecision 2004, The Doris Day Show (Season 1), The Sid Caesar Collection: 50th Anniversary Edition, The Ren & Stimpy Show (Seasons 3 and a 1/2ish), A Touch of Frost (Season 6) and The House of Elliot (Series 1).

CURRENTly Catching

Want to know more about the Catchers taking Pitches in the Pitch Pit at the Producers' Boot Camp in July? Look no further than this week's issue of Broadcasting & Cable with a Fifth Estater on David A. Neuman, president of programming, Current Network. While it won't be David you'll be meeting with, this article does give a useful glimpse into what the cabler might be looking for during their pitch meetings.

As Boot Camp Pitch Coach Laurie Scheer advises in numbers 5 and 6 of her Top 10 Things to Know Before You Pitch,  "Be in the know -- read industry trade papers every day and know where to go to get more information on the industry."