Penthouse 10

Bonnie Hammer of USA & Sci Fi

NATPE's 2007 Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award winner Bonnie Hammer, president of USA and Sci Fi Channel, is in the news today with the unveiling of USA's development slate.

Hammer said: "With The Starter Wife and Burn Notice joining our hits Monk, Psych, The 4400, The Dead Zone and WWE Raw, we're looking at about 100 hours of original content... It clearly positions USA as an industry leader, the go-to place for strong original programming."

Read article on HollywoodReporter.com.

The Tudors

This Sunday is the premiere of the Showtime 10-part series, The Tudors, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, not that you could have missed this bit of news as the ad campaign for this show has been abundant.

And of you can’t wait til Sunday, the first two episodes of the series are available on Showtime On-Demand, and it is worth watching. Rhys Meyers’ performance is excellent and the show is captivating, intriguing and visually satisfying. Looking forwad to episode 3.

Today in History

In 1987, Hulk Hogan took 11 minutes, 43 seconds to pin Andre the Giant before 93,136 Wrestlemania III fans at the Silverdome in Pontiac, MI. The event was the biggest indoor sports/entertainment promotion ever. 2.5 million people watched on Pay-Per-View TV, as well.

In 1967, the first nationwide strike in the 30-year history of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) began this day, lasting for 13 days. Many familiar faces were absent from the TV screen during the strike, including that of Walter Cronkite of CBS News.

NATPE Birthday To:

Eric Idle, Christopher Lambert, Christopher Lawford, Lucy Lawless and Amy Sedaris.

An Emmy for your Digital?

So you’ve made your digital short and put it on YouTube. What’s next? Will the Emmy’s recognize it? Here is what the judge says about it. Yes, the judge.

Today in History

In 1974, a streaker ran onto the set of The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. The NBC censors decided to blackout the lower half of the TV screen on the videotape to prevent an ‘X’ rating. The streaker was arrested, but released, for “lack of evidence,” said Johnny.

NATPE Birthday To:

Ken Howard, Reba McEntire, Max Perlich, Julia Stiles, Vince Vaughn and Dianne Wiest.

Apple TV

Well the latest must have from Apple is starting to ship to those who pre-ordered it. Their slogan for the device is simple, "if its on your itunes its on your wide screen TV"
So you can watch your purchased shows, your music library and even have your photos play on your TV.
To see a demo of this new product, take a look at their official site APPLE TV

Friday Fun

Its Friday, so to add a little bit of entertainment I thought  would share a fun video. It always puts a smile on my face!

It's from Jamie Kennedy...ENJOY!! And Happy Friday!

This American Life

Bottom Line: The radio program successfully tunes into television by making the ordinary lives of others seem extraordinary.

On a recent tour to support his weekly Public Radio International program and to promote its Showtime premiere, This American Life host Ira Glass recalled hearing his show encapsulated on Fox's The O.C. A character asked, "Is that the show where all those hipster know-it-alls talk about how fascinating ordinary people are?"

Read more on HollywoodReporter.com.

News Corp., NBC Universal team for net video

News Corp. and NBC Universal announced plans Thursday to launch a video distribution site this summer featuring thousands of hours of content from at least a dozen networks and two major film studios.

Time Warner Inc.'s AOL, Microsoft Corp., News Corp.'s MySpace and Yahoo Inc. will partner with the two companies to distribute the service to their users, who the companies say represent 96% of the U.S. Internet audience, and more partners will be sought. Each of these portals will have their own embedded player featuring the video content, which will include shows such as Heroes, 24, House and My Name is Earl and movies such as Borat, Little Miss Sunshine and The Devil Wears Prada.

Read more on HollywoodReporter.com.

Today in History

In 1956, Perry Como became the first major TV variety-show host to book a rock and roll act on his program. Como booked Carl Perkins for the show and Perkins sang Blue Suede Shoes.

NATPE Birthday To:

Matthew Modine, Lena Olin, William Shatner and Reese Witherspoon.

'Simpsons' on the bigscreen

The plot's still under wraps, but show creator Matt Groening shares a sneak peek.

Watch it on VarietyVideo.

Daylight-saving dock ratings

More than 15 million viewers warmed to CBS' 'Cold Case,' making it Sunday night's top program.

The early start of daylight-saving time hit the broadcast nets hard last week, as virtually every show -- even "American Idol" -- seemed affected.

Fox again dominated the weekly ratings races, prevailing in all key demo categories for the week of March 12-18, with "Idol" claiming the top two spots in the rankings.

Read more on Variety.com.

NATPE Birthday To:

Laura Allen, Matthew Broderick, Timothy Dalton, Sabrina LeBeauf, Rosie O'Donnell, Gary Oldman and Kathleen Widdoes.

VH1 'Showstopping' Its Way Into Upfront

VH1 has executed the first live test of an initiative designed to keep viewers from wandering off during commercial breaks, and while the network has merely dipped a toe into the water, the early results look promising...

Read more on MediaWeek.com.

Today in History

In 1948, Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra were featured in the first televised symphonic concert. CBS, with help from its then Philadelphia television station, WCAU-TV 10, carried the program from the Philadelphia Academy of Music, the home of the world-famous orchestra. The concert was televised live, at 5 p.m. Ninety minutes later, NBC carried TV’s second symphonic concert. This one was from Carnegie Hall in New York City. Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra was featured in a presentation of Wagner compositions.

DVDs on 03.20.07

Batman Beyond (Season 3), Christy (The Complete Series), Deadliest Catch (Season 1), Garfield and Friends (An Ode To Odie, An Ode To Odie - With Toy), JAG (The Complete 3rd Season), Justice League (Unlimited: Season 2), Kong: The Animated Series (The Animated Series Gift Set, Volume 1 & Volume 2), Masters of Horror (Pro-Life - John Carpenter), Maude (The Complete 1st Season), McHale's Navy (Season 1), Miami Vice (Season 3 & Season 4), Milton the Monster (The Complete Series), MythBusters (Mega Movie Myths), NewsRadio (Season 5), Run's House (The Complete Seasons 1 & 2), Sleeper Cell (American Terror: The Complete 2nd Season), The Wild, Wild West (Season 2).

NATPE Birthday To:

Lesley-Anne Down, Patrick Duffy, Rob Lowe, Kurt Russell, Gary Sinise and Mathew St. Patrick.

Blazing a new trail

Steven Bochco, creater of countless TV hits, which made him an obvious choice for a NATPE Legacy award in 2006, is trying something radically different for someone with his credits.
He is going on-line! Well, somewhat. He is creating clips for the on-line site Metacafe ( The number 3 video site), for an internet series called "Cafe Confidential".
This is very exciting, someone with Bochco's resume making it alright to create for on-line is really going to blaze the trail so that others will also create for on-line content.

Let's see who is next?
Read more

Here is a sample:

My Most Embarrassing Moment - Cowabungal - The best bloopers are a click away

Watch the series

CBS to Bring NCAA Tourney to YouTube

CBS has announced a deal with YouTube in which the TV network will launch CBS Sports NCAA Tournament Channel on the YouTube site. The channel, to be sponsored by Pontiac, will feature NCAA tournament game clips and highlights, uploaded by College Sports Television (a unit of CBS) in near real time, from the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, which begins airing today (March 15) on CBS. The site will also show post-game press conferences and other tournament video produced by CBS Sports.

Read more on MediaWeek.com.

28th Annual College Television Awards Gala and Festival

Each year, hundreds of students from all across the nation enter this competition. Whether they’re from a small community college or a large university, they have the opportunity to showcase their talent and bring their vision to the small screen.

Check it out.

Today in History

In 1985, IBM announced that it was planning to stop making the PCjr consumer-oriented computer. The machine had been expected to dominate the home computer market but didn’t quite live up to those expectations. In the 16 months that the PCjr was on the market, only 240,000 units were sold.

In 1977, the last episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show was broadcast.

In 1953, The Academy Awards celebrated their silver anniversary -- and came to television. NBC paid $100,000 for the rights to broadcast the event on both radio and TV. Hollywood’s best turned out to hand out the Oscar statuettes for the movies of 1952. The party was held at the RKO Pantages Theater, Los Angeles, with Bob Hope hosting. A dual celebration was staged in New York City, where Conrad Nagel was host.

NATPE Birthday To:

Ursula Andress, Glenn Close, Patrick McGoohan, Phyllis Newman, Renee Taylor, Craig Lamar Traylor and Bruce Willis.

Today in History

In 1977, the U.S. House of Representatives began a 90-day test to determine the feasibility of showing its sessions on TV.

In 1954, CBS television inaugurated its Morning Show, with host Walter Cronkite.

NATPE Birthday To:

Judd Hirsch, Eva Longoria, Park Overall, Kim Raver and Craig Wasson.

Hear it is!

Ever heard a song, and don't know the name? Or if you're anything like me, somewhat lacking in the singing department...and too embarrassed to go to the record store to humm the song for all the staff to hear.
Now here...hear the solution!
Midomi is a user generated music search tool that is powered by your voice! You heard me, your voice!
So go ahead belt out your best Pat Benatar and see if the database will pick it up! It's still in Beta version, but its still FUN! Enjoy!

R.I.P. Gareth Hunt

Avengers actor Gareth Hunt dies at age 65.
if your a fan of BBC shows such as Doctor Who, Upstairs Downstairs and briefly appeared in EastEnders.
Read more from the BBC, and a complete listing of Gareth's credits visit his IMDB listing.

And the Nominees Are...

This morning the Nominees for the 34th Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards were announced!
Take a look at the complete list of nominees at Emmy Online

The show will be aired on the CBS network on
June 15, 2007
Kodak Theatre
Los Angeles, California

Good luck to all the Nominees!

OAAA: Outdoor Advertising Up 8% in '06

Out-of-home advertising, the second fastest-growing ad segment behind the Internet, grew 8 percent last year to $6.8 billion, according to figures released Tuesday by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. With new digital technologies springing up every day, ad spending in out-of-home has grown 68 percent over the past decade, with out-of-home recorded revenue of just over $4 billion...

Read more on MediaWeek.com.

FX Izzard Show Draws 3.8 Mil.

FX may have yet another hit on its hands with the Eddie Izzard vehicle, The Riches, as the Monday night premiere drew 3.8 million total viewers and 2.52 million adults 18-49 in its 10 p.m. time slot...

Read more on MediaWeek.com.

NATPE Birthday To:

Michael Caine, Megan Follows, Steve Kanaly, Chris Klein, Tamara Tunie and Adrian Zmed.

Is there anything left on YouTube?

Viacom Inc. filed a 26 page lawsuit against YouTube for copyright infringement. They claim that there are more then 160,000 clips that have been viewed over 1.5 billion times.

Read More from the LA Times

Monday, Monday

Michael Yarish/FX
FX's "The Riches" stars, clockwise from top, Minnie Driver, Shannon Woodard, Noel Fisher, Eddie Izzard and Aidan Mitchell.

I never thought I would say this, but I can't wait till Monday! Why, you ask...the new FX show that premiered last night, The Riches! I know that we generally never talk about specific shows, but being the resident TV addict I thought I would tell you how brilliant I thought the show was.
The story is about a family of gypsies, travelers, grifters...what is the politically correct term this week? Who take over the life of a deceased couple, thats the quick version, you have to watch it to get all the intriguing details! Trust me its good!
The casting I was hesitant of when I first heard about the show, Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver? Really, I can't see them as Southern travelers? Minnie, gypsy royalty of sorts, and Eddie the outsider who takes her away. Then after last night I am convinced, they are really good in their roles and together. The entire cast is very believable as a family, special note to their youngest son played by Aidan Mitchell, who likes to wear his sisters clothes, I wonder if thats an Eddie influence?
I just have to say, I can't wait till Monday! I can't wait to see what happens!

For more take a look at the official site
http://www.fxnetwork.com/shows/originals/theriches/

NATPE Birthday To:

Christopher Collet, Dana Delany, Annabeth Gish, Emile Hirsch, William H. Macy, and Danny Masterson.

DVDs on 03.13.07

Baby Looney Tunes (Volume 3: Puddle Olympics), Bosom Buddies (The 1st Season), Cool McCool (The Complete Series), Loonatics: Unleashed (Season 1), The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (The Final Seasons 7, 8 & 9), Match Game 73 (Dumb Dora Edition), Mile High (Season 1), The Pretender (TV Movies), Robin of Sherwood (Set 1 - Seasons 1 & 2), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Season 4), Without a Trace (The Complete 2nd Season).

Nick to Bow User-Gen Series iCarly

During its annual upfront presentation, Nickelodeon last week heralded its greatest commitment to user-generated content, announcing a new live-action series that will thread material created by viewers into a scripted narrative…

Read more on MediaWeek.com.

NATPE Birthday To:

Julia Campbell, Tyler Patrick Jones, Jerry Levine, Samm Levine, Jon Provost and Courtney B. Vance.

Intellectual Property Web Seminar

A week from today, we’re offering a FREE Web seminar about Intellectual Property in the Digital Age (or how to keep your wits while losing your mind to YouTube), presented by Professional/Media Insurance and sponsored by Microsoft.

The one hour Web seminar will cover:

An overview of the basics of copyright.

An overview of fair use (and what’s not fair to use).

YouTube and other new platforms.

Take-down procedures and other safe harbors under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Register now!

NATPE Birthday To:

Boris Kodjoe, Camryn Manheim, Andrea Parker, Freddie Prinze Jr., Aidan Quinn, Lynn Redgrave and James Van Der Beek.

Today in History

In 1981, Walter Cronkite, the dean of American television newscasters, said “And that’s the way it is” for the final time, as he closed the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. An audience estimated at 17,000,000 viewers saw ‘the most trusted man in America’ sign-off. Cronkite retired after more than 30 years in broadcasting. He was replaced by Dan Rather at the anchor desk.

NATPE Birthday To:

Tom Arnold, Connie Britton, Moira Kelly, Eli Marienthal, Ed McMahon, D.L. Hughley, Joanna Miles and Rob Reiner.

Buyers Vetting Web Video Models

Nobody’s quite sure what distribution or business model will ultimately take hold for traditional media as they tackle Web video. So they’re trying everything…

Read more on MediaWeek.com.

BBC With Google to Create YouTube Channels

The BBC has signed a non-exclusive deal with Google that will create three branded channels on YouTube featuring clips from the UKbroadcaster’s original series, as well as news and fare culled from its BBC Worldwide archives…

Read more on MediaWeek.com.

NATPE Birthday To:

Jolene Blalock, Kevin Connolly, Penn Jillette, Jake Lloyd, Eva Mendes and Marsha Warfield.

FCC to ask Congress for violence parameters

The FCC is preparing to ask Congress for a broad expansion of its authority to regulate the content of television programming, but it hopes to leave the thorny issue of defining the parameters of how much violence is too much to Congress, an FCC commissioner said Thursday…

Read more on the HollywoodReporter.com.

NATPE Birthday To:

Daniel Craig, John Cullum, Robert Iler, Heather McComb, Laraine Newman and Cassie Yates.