From: The KJB  <osiris@idir.net>
Date: Wed Oct 11, 2000 8:46pm
Subject: Re: Andromeda

At 01:32 AM 10/9/2000 -0400, you wrote:
>Totally forgot about it, and caught most of "Majel Roddenberry's Andromeda"
>on WGN. Kinda cute, derivative ship, mildly lame alien costuming, and a few
>characters out of VIP. A few nice twists on the formula, but nothing I can't
>miss a week or two of.

Oh, man, that show is just embarrassing.  Majel should be ashamed of 
herself.  Derivative doesn't even begin to describe it.  The sets look like 
they came out of Glen Larson's "Buck Rogers" and Sorbo's got to be the only 
star ship captain with that Battlestar Galactica hair cut.  I'm still 
trying to watch it but so far, it's pretty painful.  Not Geena Davis Show 
painful, but pretty painful nonetheless.


KJB
Editor, Backstage Pass
http://www.backstage-pass.com
Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
http://www.filmforce.net

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Wed Oct 11, 2000 6:42pm
Subject: Re: Andromeda

Derivative doesn't even begin to describe it.  The sets look like 
they came out of Glen Larson's "Buck Rogers" and Sorbo's got to be the only 
star ship captain with that Battlestar Galactica hair cut.  

       Still it is better than either of the last two Star Drek series, and 
Cleopatra 2525. Hopefully the marauding pirates don't become his new "team." 
I could do with a completely barren, albeit Knight Rider-y, spaceship with 
just a Space Pirate just this once. So we could drop the whole relationshipy, 
holodeck driven crap Trek has been overcome by and get back to decent pulp 
adventuring. 

       Enough of these continent sized ships with a cast of a thousand day 
player extras. I could go for Andreomeda if it becomes the equivalent of a 
Han Solo series. Big goofy guy and his ship that somehow only holds a few 
important folks. No heavy petting or adding bimbos in catsuits. Kinda like 
Red Dwarf. Kill the crew, and only pick up a new main character chen you need 
to.

       Majel did manage to break what I thought was one of the important 
rules of Gene's : makeup or costuming that covers someone's entire face i.e. 
the with the now dead Grasshopper creature. Rudoplh the red nosed wolf 
creature bugs me some, but oh well.

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Wed Oct 11, 2000 9:29pm
Subject: Gideon's Crossing

Maybe it's just the pilot, but it seems like Gideon's Crossing is not 
terribly different from Wonderland. A nice streak of black comedy, faliable 
doctors, etc. 

Well, at least it's not being sued by a teaching hospital yet. 


From someone who still haven't watched ER yet, it'll be around forever.

From: The KJB  <osiris@idir.net>
Date: Thu Oct 12, 2000 11:35am
Subject: Re: Andromeda

At 11:42 PM 10/11/2000 -0400, you wrote:
>        Still it is better than either of the last two Star Drek series, and
>Cleopatra 2525. Hopefully the marauding pirates don't become his new "team."
>I could do with a completely barren, albeit Knight Rider-y, spaceship with
>just a Space Pirate just this once. So we could drop the whole relationshipy,
>holodeck driven crap Trek has been overcome by and get back to decent pulp
>adventuring.

Then I have some really bad news for you at the end of the two part 
pilot.......


>        Enough of these continent sized ships with a cast of a thousand day
>player extras. I could go for Andreomeda if it becomes the equivalent of a
>Han Solo series. Big goofy guy and his ship that somehow only holds a few
>important folks. No heavy petting or adding bimbos in catsuits. Kinda like
>Red Dwarf. Kill the crew, and only pick up a new main character chen you need
>to.

I'm all for that.  I liked shows like Doctor Who because you had a *very* 
finite group of central characters.


>        Majel did manage to break what I thought was one of the important
>rules of Gene's : makeup or costuming that covers someone's entire face i.e.
>the with the now dead Grasshopper creature. Rudoplh the red nosed wolf
>creature bugs me some, but oh well.

It looked like an attempt to try and do something like Farscape but with 
far less success.

KJB
Editor, Backstage Pass
http://www.backstage-pass.com
Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
http://www.filmforce.net

From: The KJB  <osiris@idir.net>
Date: Thu Oct 12, 2000 11:40am
Subject: Cursed reshooting pilot AGAIN

As of last week, The Steven Webber Show, aka Cursed, is doing pilot 
reshoots.  I just got the casting notes.  Looks like the former "Wings" 
boys are having a rough go of it, considering the below expectation 
performance of last week's Fugitive premiere (I still like it, though).

KJB
Editor, Backstage Pass
http://www.backstage-pass.com
Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
http://www.filmforce.net

From: Jeffries, Mark  <mjeffries@krw.com>
Date: Thu Oct 12, 2000 11:47am
Subject: RE: Cursed reshooting pilot AGAIN

>As of last week, The Steven Webber Show, aka Cursed, is doing pilot 
>reshoots.  I just got the casting notes.  Looks like the former "Wings" 
>boys are having a rough go of it, considering the below expectation 
>performance of last week's Fugitive premiere (I still like it, though).

Two former "Friends" writers have been taken on to save the show, which NBC
wants to save because of Weber, Chris Elliott and Amy Pietz (who, I have to
admit, never did anything for me in the few plays I saw her in Chicago when
she lived here).  They're supposedly going to cut down on the slapstick and
soften Weber from being a klutz to just having a little bad luck.

Now that NBC finally has 3/4 of a good Must-See Thursday (argubly), it looks
they don't want another direct-to-USA-morning-lineup show.  They may still
get it.

Mark Jeffries
mjeffries@k...
mjsaints@a...

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Thu Oct 12, 2000 9:14pm
Subject: 'Politically' Indulged

H'wood Reporter sez : 

       'Incorrect' to talk till 2003
ABC has renewed its late-night strip "Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher" 
for another two years. The deal will keep the half-hour panel talk show on 
ABC through January 2003. "Incorrect," produced by Brad Grey Television and 
HBO Downtown Prods., debuted on ABC in January 1997 after a three-year run on 
cable's Comedy Central. "Incorrect" has endured backstage turmoil during the 
past year as executive producers Doug Wilson and Jerry Nachman served short 
tenures as showrunners. ABC senior vp alternative series and specials Andrea 
Wong said the network believes the show "is in very good hands" with 
executive producer Marilyn Wilson. Wong said the network has been pleased 
with "Incorrect's" recent experimentation with themed weeks and shows built 
around single topics. Plans in the works for special episodes include a visit 
to South Central Los Angeles with hard-core gang members and a trip to a high 
school.

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Fri Oct 13, 2000 3:53pm
Subject: Has Tim Daly asked Chevy what pain pills he used to use?

beginnings of Fugitive 2000 Drinking Game

Every time : 
Dr. Richard Kimball jumps off a bridge: take a sip.
Dr. Richard Kimball proves he's a doctor: take a sip.
Dr. Richard Kimball reminds someone his name is Dr. Richard Kimball : take a 
sip.

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Fri Oct 13, 2000 3:53pm
Subject: Re: Andromeda

Then I have some really bad news for you at the end of the two part 
pilot.......

Yeah, I looked at the official website. A scrappy band of do-gooders. Could 
kinda tell by the casting.

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Fri Oct 13, 2000 3:53pm
Subject: Re: Cursed reshooting pilot AGAIN

Now that NBC finally has 3/4 of a good Must-See Thursday (argubly), it looks
they don't want another direct-to-USA-morning-lineup show.  They may still
get it.

Just so long as they change the theme song.

From: Michael Jones  <spikej555@earthlink.net>
Date: Sat Oct 14, 2000 0:11am
Subject: Re: Has Tim Daly asked Chevy what pain pills he used to use?

<Every time : 
Dr. Richard Kimball jumps off a bridge: take a sip.
Dr. Richard Kimball proves he's a doctor: take a sip.
Dr. Richard Kimball reminds someone his name is Dr. Richard Kimball : take a 
sip.>

Or blames some mythical one-armed man for his wife's demise...
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: tomalhe@a... 
  To: tvbarn2@egroups.com 
  Sent: Friday, October 13, 2000 5:53 PM
  Subject: [tvbarn2] Has Tim Daly asked Chevy what pain pills he used to use?


  beginnings of Fugitive 2000 Drinking Game

  Every time : 
  Dr. Richard Kimball jumps off a bridge: take a sip.
  Dr. Richard Kimball proves he's a doctor: take a sip.
  Dr. Richard Kimball reminds someone his name is Dr. Richard Kimball : take a 
  sip.

        eGroups Sponsor 
       

  To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
  tvbarn2-unsubscribe@egroups.com

  And sorry for the advertisements ...





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

From: John Carney  <jicarney@edge.net>
Date: Sat Oct 14, 2000 11:54pm
Subject: Kate does Drew

Kate Hudson's Drew Barrymore impression on SNL tonight was absolutely 
hysterical.  Has she been in Letterman yet?  If not, they need to get 
her to do this the next time she's on.

Oh, and the Japanese Laverne-and-Shirley thing was funny too. Was 
this, by chance, something that Fey and Dratch used to do together on 
stage?

============================================================
John I. Carney | jicarney@e... | http://jicarney.cjb.net
============================================================

From: The KJB  <osiris@idir.net>
Date: Sun Oct 15, 2000 0:34am
Subject: The WB's Hype

Just caught the pilot to Hype, WB's attempt at sketch comedy.  One thing it 
has going in it's favor: it's blessedly short, 30 minutes as opposed to 
MadTV's hit and miss hour and SNL's 90 minutes that seems to drag in the 
last 30.  The cast looks somewhat different than the one trotted out at the 
network dog and pony show, uhm, upfronts.  In all, the gags weren't too 
bad: A political wrasslin match on TNN, the Survivor home game and rappers 
doing TV ads (Lil Kim for Crunchy Ho's) were the targets this week.  The 
format seems to be taking aim at news items or things getting "hype" (hence 
the series title) and lampooning them.  It's an entertaining watch.  It'll 
be interesting to see how it does in the middle of the rest of the WB 
sitcom lineup.  Sketch comedy hasn't done too well in the past before 11 pm.


KJB
Editor, Backstage Pass
http://www.backstage-pass.com
Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
http://www.filmforce.net

From: thumbsup3@aol.com
Date: Sun Oct 15, 2000 6:32am
Subject: Re: Kate does Drew

<< Oh, and the Japanese Laverne-and-Shirley thing was funny too. Was 
 this, by chance, something that Fey and Dratch used to do together on 
 stage? >>

I'm not sure about the answer to your question, but I don't think it was Fey 
and Dratch in the sketch last night. It looked like Kate Hudson and new 
feature player Maya Rudolph. (Speaking of feature players, I noticed Jerry 
Minor was left out of the opening credits, but he did appear in the "Vote 
Sober 2000" sketch.)

Also, I don't remember if this was posted to the list:

SNL MAKES JEFFREY ROSS ALMOST FAMOUS  Jimmy Fallon, the emerging young star 
of Saturday Night Live, evidently has some backstage clout as well. The 
producers recently auditioned a half-dozen or so comics as the new Weekend 
Update anchor, to replace the departing Colin Quinn. The leading candidate, 
an insider says, was Friar's Club roaster Jeffrey Ross -- at least until 
shortly before last Saturday's season premiere. SNL creator Lorne Michaels 
apparently decided at the last minute to give the nod instead to the 
unexpected pairing of Fallon and writer Tina Fey. While an SNL insider says 
that Ross was never formally offered the gig, some speculate that Fallon -- 
who's won acclaim for his role as a sleazy rock manager in the film Almost 
Famous -- made a successful eleventh-hour bid for the plum spot, whose 
previous occupants include Chevy Chase, Dennis Miller and Norm Macdonald. An 
SNL rep declined to comment.

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Sun Oct 15, 2000 9:29pm
Subject: But will WonderBuggy be a PTCruiser?

Hollywood Reporter sez : 

WB considers 'Electra' remake
Fans of the Sid and Marty Krofft oeuvre will be happy to know that the WB 
Network is mulling a remake of the campy "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl" series 
that ran as part of the "Krofft Supershow" on ABC's Saturday morning lineup 
from 1976-77. The original show starred Deidre Hall and Judy Strangis as 
magazine reporters who secretly battled crime with the aid of exotic gadgets 
and gizmos and their triangular, three-wheeled dune buggy. The new treatment 
is being developed for the WB by writers Elisa Bell and Jeff Kline along with 
Randy Pope of Sid & Marty Krofft Pictures. Bell is repped by ICM's Dianne 
Fraser; Kline is with AMG's Paul Haas.

From: Anthony Foglia  <afoglia97@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue Oct 17, 2000 11:16pm
Subject: Xena X'ed out

'Xena' canceled after 6 seasons
 
NEW YORK (AP) — She feared nothing, man or beast. She
wore campy leather armor and affected sultry poses
that drove her fans wild. But in the end, Xena was
defeated by the realities of network television
economics.

After six seasons on the air, Xena: Warrior Princess
will call it quits when the current season ends next
summer. For the legions of fans who have packed the
more than 100 Xena conventions over the past few
years, the blow was swift and painful.

Sharon Delaney, head of the official Xena fan club,
said her e-mail inbox was practically groaning with
messages on Monday morning after the announcement was
made. "There was a huge outpouring," she said.
"They're upset about it."

Xena has become a cult icon since first hitting the
airwaves in 1995, and now references to Xena and the
"Xenaverse" turn up in all kinds of places. A nerdy
character in the new Fox series The $treet wins a
woman's heart after he discovers she is a Xena
impersonator.

The show won high ratings in its early seasons, but it
was gradually forced out of key prime time slots over
the past few years due to the expansion of the WB and
UPN networks, said Jim Benson, a spokesman for Studios
USA, which makes the show.

Xena never aired on network television, and the studio
instead cut separate marketing deals with independent
stations, leaving the show vulnerable when those
stations became WB or UPN affiliates, which quickly
filled their prime time lineups.

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Messenger - Talk while you surf!  It's FREE.
http://im.yahoo.com/

From: thumbsup3@aol.com
Date: Wed Oct 18, 2000 3:24am
Subject: Sports Night on Comedy Central

Los Angeles (Zap2It.com) - Comedy Central has picked up the rerun rights to 
"Sports Night," the acclaimed Aaron Sorkin ("The West Wing") comedy that 
ended its two-season run on ABC in May

According to Hollywood Reporter, the deal for "Night" is expected to be 
completed within the next week. At one time, TNT, HBO and Showtime had 
discussed picking up the series, but the high production cost of show proved 
a major challenge to taking the show to cable.

Details regarding when the 44 episodes of "Sports" would begin running on 
Comedy Central were unclear Monday. Representatives for Comedy Central and 
Touchstone declined comment.

From: Christine Bielinski  <thumbsup3@aol.com>
Date: Wed Oct 18, 2000 9:29am
Subject: Well-kept Letterman secret

From Steve Johnson's column in the Chicago Tribune:

	      		  COMEDIC LICENSE?
                  FOR LETTERMAN'S COMEBACK, THE
                  DOCTOR WASN'T IN THE HOUSE

                  October 18, 2000

                  In his emotionally charged first broadcast back
from heart surgery, David Letterman brought a line of medical people 
onto his TV show's stage, choked back tears and said, "It was five 
weeks ago today that these men and women right here saved my life."

                  For the most part, he was telling the truth.

                  But as Letterman walked along the line shaking 
hands, when he got to the man who had been introduced as the head of 
the quintuple bypass team, the talk-show host's voice lost its
tenderness.

                  "O. Wayne Isom," he said, dripping irony.

                  Barely noticeable at the time, that wink in his
tone was the only clue the show offered that the man on the Ed 
Sullivan Theater stage was not, in fact, Isom, the native Texan
"heart 
surgeon to the stars," but an actor.

                  On a pivotal broadcast for Letterman, one that 
earned him huge ratings and sympathy from an American public that, on 
the whole, finds him too prickly, the host and his staff staged a
portion of its most emotional moment.

                  Seven months later the broadcast won the show its 
third consecutive Emmy for best comedy, music or variety series. But
the man Letterman affectionately introduced as the "cardiac cowboy" 
and "the finest nine-fingered heart surgeon in the world today" was
in truth neither of those things.

                  It is not quite so brazen a betrayal of the 
audience's trust as it first seemed when I found in a September Texas 
Monthly profile of Isom an offhanded mention that "an actor had to 
stand in" for the doctor on the Feb. 21 show.

                  Talk to the people involved and you learn that Isom 
did appear on the show, but only in closeup shots that had been taken 
the day before on the same stage, in an empty theater.

                  "I walked out on the stage to a spot and sort of 
waved at the crowd that was nonexistent and nodded to him [Letterman] 
who was nonexistent," the soft-spoken Isom said Monday.

                  Isom said he couldn't make the actual taping the 
Friday before the Monday air date because of a non-refundable family 
vacation to Jamaica. So, at Letterman's personal request, he came
over the day before.

                  After seeing the result, he said, he was impressed 
with the show's technical wizardry in cutting in his closeups rather 
than bothered by the deception.

                  Isom likened the situation to the use of a stunt
man in movies or a TV journalist getting shots of her reactions to
her 
interview subject after the interview is done.

                  Maria Pope, the "Late Show" executive producer,
said the show wanted to achieve a larger truth, to express
Letterman's 
genuine gratitude to all of the surgical team and present "a more 
perfect culmination of the five-week ordeal.

                  "We felt this was sort of the simplest way to do it 
and the most respectful way to handle it and the best way to 
ultimately include everyone," said Pope, familiar to viewers from the 
show's Campaign 2000 segments.

                  Nor was it kept a secret. At least "a couple" of 
journalists who were on hand for the Feb. 18 taping had asked to talk 
to Isom and were told he was not there, said Pope, although neither 
she nor Isom could recall it being written about until the mention in
Texas Monthly.

                  An explanation to the audience in the theater and
at home that Isom couldn't be there, and so was appearing on tape, 
would only have served to "bog down" the moment, she said.

                  But instead of just not bogging it down, the show 
used the stand-in to heighten the show.

                  The cuts to Isom in closeup were used not just to 
give him the credit he deserved, as Pope said was the primary 
intention, but to leave the impression that he was laughing at and 
reacting to things Letterman was saying.

                  To raise the issue of the heart surgeon's body 
double is not to imply Letterman didn't earn his good will, although 
it would be nice if America would give it to him simply for putting
on a show generally worthy of an Emmy instead of for undergoing what
might now be called an NBC Olympic Athlete Moment.

                  But I'm raising the issueto suggest a serious error 
in judgment was made.

                  The show's CBS network, after all, said recently in 
response to angry birders that it would stop dubbing fake bird songs 
into its golf telecasts, according to reporting by the Washington 
Post.Birders who also watch golf had recognized out-of-region calls
on the network.

                  So what makes a fake heart surgeon more palatable 
than a tape-delayed thrush?

                  Comedy shows, of course, lie all the time. They 
exaggerate or make things up for the sake of a punch line, as when a 
Jay Leno monologue joke playing off allegations that George W. Bush 
had used cocaine, asserted that "the only time anyone in the Bush
family has ever been high was when they picked Dan Quayle as
vice president."

                  But there the viewer is in on the joke, 
understanding that comedic license is granted, just as the viewer 
watching a movie knows that Harrison Forddid not jump off of a dam.

                  The "Late Show" on Feb. 21 was using Isom for
drama, as a real participant in real events, and in such a situation 
the ethics become more like those that bind Dan Rather.

                  Less well known is that the late-night comedy shows 
also on occasion tinker with the tape between the time it is made in 
the early evening and shown to America late at night.

                  Pope said, for instance, a band might have a 
"technical meltdown" during taping and play its song again after the
audience leaves. Or, during the Japan Winter Olympics, the interview 
of Tara Lipinski by Letterman's mom was not ready in time for the
show taping and so was cut in later.

                  Again, though, both are different situations, 
neither involving deliberate deception.

                  What's truly unfortunate is that it simply was not 
necessary. It is not difficult to envision the show using Isom going 
on vacation to advance the theme of self-deprecation Letterman so 
effectively employed during the broadcast.

                  That way, at least, viewers who had responded to
the program's genuine emotional wallop would not now be feeling sucker
punched.

From: James Porteous  <porteous@interlog.com>
Date: Wed Oct 18, 2000 9:35am
Subject: Re: Well-kept Letterman secret

Don't you just hate it when that happens. Reminds me of the recent Sunday 
news shows that excused George W's "mistakes" by saying that they had 
expected some forgetfulness but it was not as bad as they had expected. 
Just what you're looking for in a leader. Perhaps if he wins they'll use a 
stand in so as not to "bog down" the country, I mean moment.

James

At 02:29 PM 18/10/00 +0000, you wrote:
>An explanation to the audience in the theater and
>at home that Isom couldn't be there, and so was appearing on tape,
>would only have served to "bog down" the moment, she said.



J a m e s P o r t e o u s
Just because I have an ice-pick in my head doesn't mean I'm a Trotskyite
porteous@i...  +  http://www.interlog.com/~porteous

NetNomad # 38 is available at http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=9872
SamtheRecordMan.com Newsletters 
http://www.samscd.com/Templates/newsletter/index.tem
BitStream Newsletter http://www.multimediator.com/bitstream/archive.shtml

From: David Bruggeman  <dbrugg@gwu.edu>
Date: Wed Oct 18, 2000 11:51am
Subject: Re: Well-kept Letterman secret

You know, I have a pretty different take on this whole thing.

The authenticity of the whole segment didn't hinge on whether all of 
Dave's medical team were on stage at the moment.  It came down to his 
emotions.  And since I didn't detect the irony in Dave's voice 
referred to in the piece, everything was fine by me.

And a couple of snide side comments.

It's just like the Emmys to recognize a comedy show for a dramatic 
moment.

Placing the kind of expectations for authenticity on a presidential 
candidate as you would a late night comedian either lowers the former 
way too much or raises the latter way too high in my estimation.  But 
considering the current selection of both, it's not too surprising.

In short, so what if Wayne wasn't really there?  I think the same 
people tweaked at this either don't know Fresh Step was a joke, or 
are really mad about it.

David Bruggeman
dbrugg@g...

From: Paul Stephen  <pstephen@escape.ca>
Date: Wed Oct 18, 2000 1:13pm
Subject: TV Movies

A TBS television movie ("Acceptable Risk") starring Chad Lowe begins shooting
in Winnipeg tomorrow.

It's based on the medical thriller by novelist Robin Cook.

There may also be a "Donny and Marie" movie shot in our city.

Paul in the Peg

From: The KJB  <osiris@idir.net>
Date: Wed Oct 18, 2000 1:12pm
Subject: Re: Xena X'ed out

I can't believe the press this is getting, considering Studios USA and 
Renaissance announced at the end of last season that this one would be the 
final one.


KJB
Editor, Backstage Pass
http://www.backstage-pass.com
Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
http://www.filmforce.net

From: Stavros Stathopoulos  <sstavros@her.forthnet.gr>
Date: Mon Oct 16, 2000 9:53am
Subject: Re: Well-kept Letterman secret

It's not true that nobody noticed this "scandal".A couple of days after the
airing of the show-just like a genuine internet nerd-I wrote in
alt.fan.letterman about this issue.Most of the people who replied had not
noticed it and someone-even bigger Letterman fan-said that it had happened
before,during the 80s.I guess anybody can find these posts so as to get all
the information.

But it certainly was a little interesting fun detail for the "internet
freaks" and not a big story especially so many months later. Slow news day
down there I believe.

From: Jeffries, Mark  <mjeffries@krw.com>
Date: Wed Oct 18, 2000 3:48pm
Subject: RE: Sports Night on Comedy Central

>Los Angeles (Zap2It.com) - Comedy Central has picked up the rerun rights to

>"Sports Night," the acclaimed Aaron Sorkin ("The West Wing") comedy that 
>ended its two-season run on ABC in May

I will be very curious if Sorkin will have the laugh track eliminated for
those episodes that had it.  Of course, since the first 13 episodes where
shot with an audience, there's nothing they can do about it outside of
taking out the canned laughs (I don't think they can eliminate a live
audience completely from a soundtrack), but for the rest of the first season
and the few episodes of the second season that had a laugh track (which
still was only heard maybe two or three times in each act), I assume that it
can be done.

Of course, either Sorkin won't have the time, doesn't care any more or has
no power over that now--but COM seems to be against laugh tracks on most of
its fictional shows, so it could happen.

Mark Jeffries
mjeffries@k...
mjsaints@a...

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Fri Oct 20, 2000 7:44pm
Subject: Gideon's Crossing Soundtrack

It seems I've had the "Gideon's Crossing" soundtrack for a while, only it's 
mislabelled as "American Beauty : Original Motion Picture Score." Thomas 
Newman did both. It's not often you hear tablas and kim kim drums in the 
incidental music for a show, unless of course you're watching either 
"Gideon's Crossing" or USA Network's "Strip Poker."

From: James Porteous  <porteous@interlog.com>
Date: Sun Oct 22, 2000 4:58pm
Subject: Salon's Take on Bush & Letterman Show

Meet the press, with David Letterman
The talk-show host proves to be twice as tough on George W. Bush as many 
reporters on the campaign trail.
http://www.salon.com/politics/feature/2000/10/20/letterman/index.html



J a m e s P o r t e o u s
Just because I have an ice-pick in my head doesn't mean I'm a Trotskyite
porteous@i...  +  http://www.interlog.com/~porteous

NetNomad #40 is available at http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=9942
BitStream Newsletter http://www.multimediator.com/bitstream/archive.shtml

From: James Porteous  <porteous@interlog.com>
Date: Mon Oct 23, 2000 10:56am
Subject: HEY, DAVE! GIVE BACK THE EMMY

New York Post
HEY, DAVE! GIVE BACK THE EMMY
  Friday,October 20,2000
http://www.nypost.com/10202000/entertainment/13868.htm

By ADAM BUCKMAN

DAVID Letterman is the Milli Vanilli of late-night.

The singing group's fakery cost them a Grammy. Dave's trickery should cost 
him the
Emmy he won this year.

Think that'll happen?

Fat chance.

It's been 10 years since the National Academy
of Recording Arts & Sciences yanked Milli
Vanilli's Grammy in the wake of revelations that
  the duo didn't actually sing on their 1989 album,
"Girl, You Know It's True." The record sold 7
million copies and earned Milli Vanilli members
  Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan a Grammy as the
  year's Best New Artists.

But it turned out the singing on the album was
provided by three others. It took only days for
  the Recording Academy to order Milli Vanilli to
return their statuette.

Academy President Michael Greene said at the
time, "It was fraud and we're appalled by it."
Plain and simple.

Earlier this year, Letterman pretended some actor was the man who saved his 
life.

For some reason, Dave couldn't just thank Dr. Wayne Isom in absentia and 
explain that the
doctor couldn't be there because of a previously planned vacation.

No, not Dave. On the day in February when he taped his first show since 
undergoing quintuple
bypass surgery Jan. 14, he had to put on a performance that had everyone 
believing Dr.
Wayne was among the doctors and nurses lined up on the stage of the Ed 
Sullivan Theater to
receive his thanks for their roles in rebuilding his damaged heart.

"It was five weeks ago today that these men and women right here saved my 
life," said
straight-faced Dave, including in that statement the distinguished-looking, 
white-haired actor
who was standing in for Dr. Wayne.

An actor helped save Dave's life - plain and simple, that was fraud and I'm 
appalled.

An estimated 12 million people watched Dave's return to "Late Show" on the 
evening of Feb.
21, and many of them wept right along with him when he thanked the doctors, 
nurses and an
actor for pulling him through. That's 12 million people who now know that 
one of the most
emotional moments they experienced on television this year was a put-on.

 From Studio Briefing
October 20, 2000
http://newshare.com/sb/


LETTERMAN FAKED THANKS TO SURGEON
When David Letterman thanked the medical team that performed heart surgery 
on him in January, an actor stood in
for O. Wayne Isom, the surgeon who headed the team, the Chicago Tribune 
revealed Thursday. Close-ups of the
actual doctor, taped earlier, were edited into the tape to make it appear 
that he was laughing at Letterman's jokes
and acknowledging the audience's applause, the newspaper said. Isom told 
the Trib that he was unable to attend the
actual taping because of an already scheduled family vacation and said he 
regarded his stand-in as someone
comparable to a movie stuntman. But critics have pounced on the deception. 
"Plain and simple, that was fraud and
I'm appalled," New York Post TV writer Adam Buckman wrote today (Friday), 
adding that the TV academy should
yank the Emmy it awarded Letterman for that show.



J a m e s P o r t e o u s
Just because I have an ice-pick in my head doesn't mean I'm a Trotskyite
porteous@i...  +  http://www.interlog.com/~porteous

NetNomad #40 is available at http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=9942
BitStream Newsletter http://www.multimediator.com/bitstream/archive.shtml

From: Jeffries, Mark  <mjeffries@krw.com>
Date: Mon Oct 23, 2000 0:09pm
Subject: RE: HEY, DAVE! GIVE BACK THE EMMY

> DAVID Letterman is the Milli Vanilli of late-night.

Consider the source, folks.  This is the far-right-wing TV critic of the
Daily Murdoch who's probably angrier that Dave gangsta slapped Dubya on
Thursday night.

Bet Buckman wouldn't have written this column if Dave was working for Fox.

"The Fox network--HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"--D. Letterman, the late 80s

Mark Jeffries
mjeffries@k...
mjsaints@a...

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Mon Oct 23, 2000 2:28pm
Subject: Re: HEY, DAVE! GIVE BACK THE EMMY

The real Dr. Wayne Isom was was featured in the closeups taped a day earlier, 
but not in the long shots "the night of." Big ripoff. 

Next thing you'll tell me is that : 
    it's not actually Paul Shaffer who gets hit by taxicabs but a dummy!
    it's not actually Leslie Moonves who comes out and sings Eagles tunes
    it's not actually the star of Riverdance, but writer Gerard Mulligan 
    that virtually every visit to a letter writer during viewer mail is 
really to a staff writer on the set
    kids don't actually trick or treat in the theatre wearing "homemade" egg 
salad costumes, 
    the FDA didn't really reject those products, 
    that Hallmark doesn't really sell those cards
and those really aren't ten good reasons Bush deserves to be elected.

NEXT THNG YOU KNOW, SOMEONE WILL TELL ME THE SHOW ISN'T BROADCAST LIVE VIA 
SATELITE EACH NIGHT, AND THAT THEY ACTUALLY EDIT THE SHOW!

From: Michael Jones  <spikej555@earthlink.net>
Date: Tue Oct 24, 2000 0:59am
Subject: Will the real Dr. Wayne Isom please stand up

I'm still convinced that Dave's heart surgery was a hoax--so why should I get all riled up over him  having a phony Dr. Wayne Isom on his show?
 

Michael





From: tomalhe@a... 
  To: tvbarn2@egroups.com 
  Sent: Monday, October 23, 2000 4:28 PM
  Subject: Re: [tvbarn2] HEY, DAVE! GIVE BACK THE EMMY


  The real Dr. Wayne Isom was was featured in the closeups taped a day earlier, 
  but not in the long shots "the night of." Big ripoff. 

  Next thing you'll tell me is that : 
      it's not actually Paul Shaffer who gets hit by taxicabs but a dummy!
      it's not actually Leslie Moonves who comes out and sings Eagles tunes
      it's not actually the star of Riverdance, but writer Gerard Mulligan 
      that virtually every visit to a letter writer during viewer mail is 
  really to a staff writer on the set
      kids don't actually trick or treat in the theatre wearing "homemade" egg 
  salad costumes, 
      the FDA didn't really reject those products, 
      that Hallmark doesn't really sell those cards
  and those really aren't ten good reasons Bush deserves to be elected.

  NEXT THNG YOU KNOW, SOMEONE WILL TELL ME THE SHOW ISN'T BROADCAST LIVE VIA 
  SATELITE EACH NIGHT, AND THAT THEY ACTUALLY EDIT THE SHOW!

        eGroups Sponsor 
       

  To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
  tvbarn2-unsubscribe@egroups.com

  And sorry for the advertisements ...





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Mon Oct 23, 2000 9:12pm
Subject: Re: Will the real Dr. Wayne Isom please stand up

>I'm still convinced that Dave's heart surgery was a hoax--so why should I 
get all 
>riled up over him  having a phony Dr. Wayne Isom on his show? 

I repeat, the REAL Wayne Isom was on the show, and was thanked by Mr. 
Letterman. The alleged "ripoff" was that the studio audience didnt get to see 
him except in taped segments. It's a non controversy.

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Tue Oct 24, 2000 1:14pm
Subject: Hello, American... how are you?

PBS Picks Up a Series From Fox

NEW YORK (AP) - Reality TV was in style this summer, but ``American High'' 
was an unsuccessful exception to the trend. Now, PBS is giving the show 
another chance. 

In an unusual arrangement, the Public Broadcasting Service is picking up the 
series, which originally ran on the Fox network but was canceled after four 
episodes. 

``American High'' follows a group of real students through their senior year 
in a Chicago-area high school. 

The series, produced by R.J. Cutler, maker of the Clinton campaign 
documentary ``The War Room,'' received positive reviews but drew poor 
ratings. Starting next April, PBS will air 14 half-hour episodes and a 
one-hour graduation finale.

From: James Porteous  <porteous@interlog.com>
Date: Tue Oct 24, 2000 5:43pm
Subject: Will Russians Spoil Plans For Mir Survivor Show?

Now just picture NBC saving Mir so it can stage a TV show!
James


Will Russians Spoil Plans For Mir Survivor Show?
http://us.imdb.com/StudioBrief/
Seeming to dash NBC's plans for a Survivor-type show in which the winner 
would win a trip to the Russian
space station Mir, the Russian government announced Tuesday that it plans 
to bring the space station down
in February. MirCorp, a joint venture that has been trying to commercialize 
the space station, immediately
pleaded for more time to raise the necessary funds to save it. In Burbank, 
NBC issued a statement indicating
that plans for the game show, Destination Mir, being produced by Survivor 
creator Mark Burnett, will
continue to go forward. "NBC remains very excited and supportive of 
Destination Mir," the statement said.
"We have every faith in Mark Burnett as a producer, and, as far as we are 
concerned, the countdown has
  begun for the series' liftoff next fall."

J a m e s P o r t e o u s
Just because I have an ice-pick in my head doesn't mean I'm a Trotskyite
porteous@i...  +  http://www.interlog.com/~porteous

NetNomad #40 is available at http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=9942
BitStream Newsletter http://www.multimediator.com/bitstream/archive.shtml

From: Aaron Barnhart  <aaron@tvbarn.com>
Date: Tue Oct 24, 2000 11:20pm
Subject: We're back

Glad to see the message board is hopping.  I'm thinking of shifting over to 
master.com for messages -- if anyone is familiar with that, or would like to check 
it out and offer an opinion, I'm all ears, especially after my recent haircut.

Is the new fall season off to such a slow start? Is that why my fellow scribes are 
wasting time over this Letterman non-controversy?

From: Aaron Barnhart  <aaron@tvbarn.com>
Date: Tue Oct 24, 2000 11:22pm
Subject: Re: Cursed reshooting pilot AGAIN

I have the tape in hand and will be watching it late tonight.  A publicist informs 
me it is "60 percent" reshot.  Sixty percent, incidentally, are about the odds that 
my original review will go to press on Thursday untouched.


--- In tvbarn2@egroups.com, The KJB <osiris@i...> wrote:
> As of last week, The Steven Webber Show, aka Cursed, is doing pilot 
> reshoots.  I just got the casting notes.  Looks like the former "Wings" 
> boys are having a rough go of it, considering the below expectation 
> performance of last week's Fugitive premiere (I still like it, though).
> 
> KJB
> Editor, Backstage Pass
> http://www.backstage-pass.com
> Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
> http://www.filmforce.net

From: Aaron Barnhart  <aaron@tvbarn.com>
Date: Tue Oct 24, 2000 11:24pm
Subject: Re: Xena X'ed out

This is a really interesting story.  If I were more grooved with syndicatio=
n, I'd 
write it.  But basically it's the MOONLIGHTING story all over again -- a fi=
ne show 
with an impossible budget, cut down because of shifting economic forces (in=
 
MOONLIGHTING's case, the arrival of the Cap Cities number-crunchers at ABC;=
 in 
XENA's case, the disappearance of the weekend syndie slot).


--- In tvbarn2@egroups.com, Anthony Foglia <afoglia97@y...> wrote:
> 'Xena' canceled after 6 seasons
>  
> NEW YORK (AP) — She feared nothing, man or beast. She
> wore campy leather armor and affected sultry poses
> that drove her fans wild. But in the end, Xena was
> defeated by the realities of network television
> economics.
> 
> After six seasons on the air, Xena: Warrior Princess
> will call it quits when the current season ends next
> summer. For the legions of fans who have packed the
> more than 100 Xena conventions over the past few
> years, the blow was swift and painful.
> 
> Sharon Delaney, head of the official Xena fan club,
> said her e-mail inbox was practically groaning with
> messages on Monday morning after the announcement was
> made. "There was a huge outpouring," she said.
> "They're upset about it."
> 
> Xena has become a cult icon since first hitting the
> airwaves in 1995, and now references to Xena and the
> "Xenaverse" turn up in all kinds of places. A nerdy
> character in the new Fox series The $treet wins a
> woman's heart after he discovers she is a Xena
> impersonator.
> 
> The show won high ratings in its early seasons, but it
> was gradually forced out of key prime time slots over
> the past few years due to the expansion of the WB and
> UPN networks, said Jim Benson, a spokesman for Studios
> USA, which makes the show.
> 
> Xena never aired on network television, and the studio
> instead cut separate marketing deals with independent
> stations, leaving the show vulnerable when those
> stations became WB or UPN affiliates, which quickly
> filled their prime time lineups.
> 
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Yahoo! Messenger - Talk while you surf!  It's FREE.
> http://im.yahoo.com/

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Tue Oct 24, 2000 8:09pm
Subject: Re: We're back

>Is the new fall season off to such a slow start? Is that why my fellow 
scribes are 
>wasting time over this Letterman non-controversy?

       I attribute it to partisan politics of Dave picking on Dubya, and the 
hacks reacting. Granted, Gore has had no free ride either, and Dave & Co. 
seem to think both candidates are equally boob-like for his writing purposes. 
But any reason to take whacks at Dave... 

       As for what there is of the new season, Tucker and Daddio are the 
first semi-meaningfull cancellations (well, haitus,  but anything replaced by 
Dateline is kicking up daisies.)

       I finally got the mid level Dish TV package, so I'm exploring things 
like Bull (top notch, can't wait to see how much worse The $treet is), and 
"Majel Roddenberry's Andromeda" (nice that there's no federation and/or Prime 
Directive but for the captain's own code of ethics.) Nice to see Michael J. 
Fox's "Secret of My Success" has held up as well as it could. It appears to 
be TNT's equivalent of Comedy Central's "Fletch."

       Taping Dark Angel, Gideon's Crossing, West Wing (for mom who's a 
newbie). Initially was taping Deadline, but keep hearing such horrible things 
about it I haven't watched them yet... Have lapsed on the Practice for now... 

       Bette episode one was half-assed at best, Bette Midler is playing a 
bad caricature of herself... Can't wait for the new characters to appear on 
Welcome To New York... 

       Why does 20/20 Downtown still exist? Last night's show had exclusives 
on Anna Nicole Smith, PART ONE of the annual Hands on a Hardbody" truck 
competition in Texas, and this year's "Whoomp-There-It-Is" -- "woof woof woof 
woof woof Who Let the Dogs Out."...  (Looks like Anderson Cooper leaving 
Downtown's roster was wise. Interesting to see his career path after "The 
Mole."

       Back to "woof woof woof woof woof"...It was nice for SNL to have the 
Baha Men performing the chorus for than a minute last Saturday Night so we 
wouldn't have to have them as a full slotted Musical Guest...        Having 
Robert DeNiro come pick on his SNL imitators is wearing a little thin by 
now... 

       As I said earlier, I'm new to Bull (4 weks or so), has Stanley Tucci 
appeared since the pilot (which will be repeated next week?

       Brett Sommers-Klugman has never looked better. But then this is the 
mid-to-late-70s.

       Boo-hoo-hoo, Janice is finally leaving The Price is Right for another 
future game show for Pearson TV. No one will ever be able to point and fondle 
boxes of Poli-Grip the way she did. Oh wait, just about everyone in Hollywood 
can.

       Anyone who quotes message in its entirety to respond to only one 
sentence dies.

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Tue Oct 24, 2000 8:34pm
Subject: The HOUSEGUEST that WOULDN'T LEAVE!

[Just as long as Xena gets to kill him in the last episode. -- Tom]

Hollywood reporter sez : HBO has picked up "Arli$$" for a sixth season.

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Tue Oct 24, 2000 8:42pm
Subject: Re: Re: Cursed reshooting pilot AGAIN

>I have the tape in hand and will be watching it late tonight.  A publicist 
informs 
>me it is "60 percent" reshot.  Sixty percent, incidentally, are about the 
odds that 
>my original review will go to press on Thursday untouched.

Maybe they'll substitute the second episode instead. Nah, there's no way we'd 
be able to figure out the plot. When are the Ray Walston, and Bill Daly 
cameos?

From: The KJB  <osiris@idir.net>
Date: Wed Oct 25, 2000 3:06am
Subject: Re: Re: Xena X'ed out

At 04:24 AM 10/25/2000 +0000, you wrote:
>This is a really interesting story.  If I were more grooved with syndicatio=
>
>n, I'd
>write it.  But basically it's the MOONLIGHTING story all over again -- a fi=
>
>ne show
>with an impossible budget, cut down because of shifting economic forces (in=
>
>
>MOONLIGHTING's case, the arrival of the Cap Cities number-crunchers at ABC;=
>
>  in
>XENA's case, the disappearance of the weekend syndie slot).

That and the desire by the series star to try something else. Raimi is 
getting busy in Hollywood, Bob Tappert would like to get out of New Zealand 
for a while (so would Lucy, for that matter).  What gets me is the fact 
that the production announced before the end of last season that this one 
would be it's last.  I reported on it, had quotes, etc. Why is this 
suddenly such a big deal?
There are plenty of action hours out there to take it's place, including 
the not-quite-as-incompetent-as-I-thought-it-would-be "Sheena" (but it's 
still pretty bad).  The loss of the prime weekend syndie slots hurt Xena 
but, it's reached a point where it's just not worth it to keep padding out 
the repeat package for Sci-Fi / USA.  With Back2Back gone at the end of the 
year, it looks like the New Zealand production boom has come to an end.  At 
least they have those Peter Jackson "Lord of the Rings" films shooting 
there for the next couple of years.


KJB
Editor, Backstage Pass
http://www.backstage-pass.com
Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
http://www.filmforce.net

From: The KJB  <osiris@idir.net>
Date: Wed Oct 25, 2000 3:21am
Subject: Re: We're back

At 04:20 AM 10/25/2000 +0000, you wrote:
>Is the new fall season off to such a slow start? Is that why my fellow 
>scribes are
>wasting time over this Letterman non-controversy?

Any fall season that starts off with Presidential debates is slow (insert 
appropriate jab at candidates here).  To be honest, I've liked the fact the 
premieres have been spread across a couple of months.  Makes my job easier.

I've liked Deadline so far. Haven't seen all of them but the few I have 
seen, I've enjoyed.  That usually means the kiss of death for a new series.

West Wing appears to be winning converts after the Emmys. My editor over at 
IGN called me after the season premiere and asked if I had any first season 
episodes on tape.  I wonder how that one's doing overseas?  I'll have to 
ask some of my UK friends.

Dark Angel could be better but it's looking like FOX is about to drop the 
hammer on Freaky Links.  Good thing they've actually started production on 
The Tick and The Lone Gunmen.  FOX might need to call some players off the 
bench in a hurry.

The good news of the week - word that Aaron Spelling's Titans is in 
trouble.  That thing can't leave the air fast enough.  I wonder if Yasmine 
Bleeth will go begging for her old Nash Bridges job?

My favorite bit of viewing this week came in the mail from England.  Sky 
One just played the Blackadder: Back And Forth special which previously 
could only be seen at the Millennium Dome.  This half hour short is a 
fitting wrap up to the series.  Unfortunately, Rupert somehow managed to 
grab exclusive rights to this (even though it's a BBC character).  The BBC 
/ BBC America won't get the broadcast rights until sometime in 2002.  Rumor 
has it that the producers are going to try and qualify it for the Oscars 
short film competition.  It might stand a chance since Nick Park doesn't 
have a short film in competition this year.


KJB
Editor, Backstage Pass
http://www.backstage-pass.com
Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
http://www.filmforce.net

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Wed Oct 25, 2000 0:13am
Subject: Re: Re: Xena X'ed out

>  The loss of the prime weekend syndie slots hurt Xena 
>  but, it's reached a point where it's just not worth it to keep padding out 
>  the repeat package for Sci-Fi / USA.

Well, and as some lame shows are kept around on NBC just to try and make the 
syndication package numbers (i.e., Caroline, Susan, Veronica). Other 
syndicated shows are in fact built only for a specific run. 

I can't find it online but I always remembered hearing that "Star Trek : The 
Next Generation" was only arced by Gene Roddenberry for a specific number of 
seasons.  (Lest of course a show go on too long boring everyone involved like 
say... Murphy Brown).

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Wed Oct 25, 2000 0:35am
Subject: Re: We're back

>  Any fall season that starts off with Presidential debates is slow (insert 
>  appropriate jab at candidates here).  To be honest, I've liked the fact 
the 
>  premieres have been spread across a couple of months.  Makes my job easier.

Presidential debates, the Olympics and the World series.... ugh.  It seems 
like it is already midseason. (Remembering that Becker was hauled out 
incredibly early after the Brian BenBen show tanked. Hey, that sounds like a 
Test Pattern.) (Hey, it probably will be.)

>  I've liked Deadline so far. Haven't seen all of them but the few I have 
>  seen, I've enjoyed.  That usually means the kiss of death for a new series.

At least NBC hasn't reverted back to the Monday Night Who's Stalking Tori 
Spelling Featurette. The one good thing about both NBC and ABC deserting 
Saturday Nights is that they seem to be sticking to video rental former 
blockbusters over the Lifetime Stalker fare. (Besides I've been watching Game 
Show Saturday Night. Last Saturday was the first $100,000 {yramid tournament 
which took 15 rounds of regular (if round robin play, among three fast timed 
bonus round contestants) play for someone to fully climb the tower and win 
the loot. The kind of suspense people are complaining about WWTBAM losing. 
And hey, I happen to like Henry Polic II.

>  Dark Angel could be better but it's looking like FOX is about to drop the 
>  hammer on Freaky Links.  

Dark Angel seems to have enough stories for several seasons, based on the 
variety they've done so far. A more fun take on The Fugitive... 

Haven't bothered with Freaky yet. At least they have Henry Rollins' Zoned Out 
Tales from the Cryp... er. Night Visions.

> Good thing they've actually started production on 
> The Tick and The Lone Gunmen.  FOX might need to call some 
> players off the bench in a hurry.

Well, Fox did allegedly have about 6 series they annoucned were prepping for 
mid-season, (though the series didnt exactly know it). I'd expect Lone Gunman 
to still launch as announced for January-ish, as well as the Untitled Michael 
Crichton Project. Anyone heard anything on that? Yeah I could probably just 
check Harry Knowles sites, but I prefer the pretentiousness intellectualism 
we have here at TVBarn... when the chief is sending out material... aaak, 
stop choking me Aaron! Seems like the type of casting sheet thing Backstage 
Pass was providing occasionally on the TVBarn site. (Remembering Passions, 
among others.)

>  The good news of the week - word that Aaron Spelling's Titans is in 
>  trouble. That thing can't leave the air fast enough.  I wonder if Yasmine 
>  Bleeth will go begging for her old Nash Bridges job?

I can't imagine anyone ever doing that. They have as much chance of having 
Don drive the mocked up Spyder again. Besides, it has yet to tank opposite 
Malcolm2. 

>  My favorite bit of viewing this week came in the mail from England.  Sky 
>  One just played the Blackadder: Back And Forth special which previously 
>  could only be seen at the Millennium Dome.  This half hour short is a 
>  fitting wrap up to the series.  

Been meaning to start watching that, but with all the numbered/labeled 
series, I never knew how much cult history I'd need to learn to appreciate 
it... How accessable is it for a newbie? Dr. Whoish? Or more Are You Being 
Served?

>   It might stand a chance since Nick Park doesn't 
>  have a short film in competition this year.

I'm not sure if the Feature Length Cartoon (provided 6 majors are released in 
the qualifying timeline) competition just announced starts this year or not. 
If so, Nick is likely in competition with Chicken Run, against Titan A.E. and 
Dinosaur.

From: Mark Jeffries  <mjeffries@krw.com>
Date: Wed Oct 25, 2000 9:19am
Subject: A story of interest: http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?12973

The inevitable happens at MTV--it's just official...

From a friend...
Check out the following story on Zap2it.com:
http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?12973
____________________________________________

Zap2it.com:  Your Guide to What's Onscreen -
         TV,   Movies,  Internet
           http://tv.zap2it.com

From: Bob Sassone  <bsassone@earthlink.net>
Date: Wed Oct 25, 2000 9:57am
Subject: The Fall Season...Ugh

Am I just getting more picky as I get older, or are the new shows really as
bad as I think they are?  I mean, truly, THIS is as what networks think is
the cream of the crop?  Yikes.

The Michael Richards Show was horrifying.  No laughs, a supporting cast not
quite sure of why they are there, and soooooo many lame Kramer-lite physical
gags.  You can see Richards trying desperately to make it non-Kramer, but
juuuuuust Kramer enough to get some viewer recognition going.  It seemed
like a bad SNL sketch gone on too long (having Meadows there just reinforces
the comparison).  

Bette isn't completely horrible, but then again, I can't see myself watching
it again.  And the other comedies:  Yes, Dear, The Geena Davis Show, The
Trouble With Normal, etc.  My God, these are comedies?  They seem like
dropouts that didn't wouldn't even make the daily rerun list at USA (though
I loved Wings and The John Larroquette Show and Something So Right).

Damn, now that I look at these shows, maybe Tucker wasn't so bad after all.

Deadline just bores the hell out of me, and I usually try to love
newspaper-based TV shows (though TV rarely gets it right).  But I think
Deadline is as much about journalism as Star Trek is about computers.
Speaking of Roddenberry, I gotta admit I really like Andromeda.  It's not a
deep, morality based show, I look at it more as a Buck Rogers, 50s shoot em
up.  The first few episodes have kept me going back.

I also don't hate Titans!  (Oh, oh...does that get me kicked off this
list?).  It won't last, and everything about it, especially the writing and
acting, are absolutely laughable.  But I watch it the same way I watch Plan
Nine From Outer Space, and it's fun.

The Fugitive:  it's better than the lame Ford movie, but I'm just not sure
that in this day and age it can be "event TV" where everyone talks about the
show, how close he got to catching the one armed man, where he's off to
next.  It worked in the 60s, but it's old hat today.  Especially on a Friday
night.  Which is a shame because it's pretty good.  CSI is pretty good too,
though I wish they would get into more complex "howcatchum" like Columbo
than the fairly obvious clues that drive the show now.  Still, it's nice to
see a show like this that actually concentrates on the subplots of various
characters, and is willing to throw a few curveballs now and then.

Oh, and I really like Ed a lot.  Cavanaugh is a find, and the cast and plots
are likable.  One complaint, and it's a biggie:  that horrible 5 minute
montage in the first episode that explained what happened to him in NYC and
why he moved back home.  I'm sure this was done because of editing or
retooling or an actor left or something, but it really drained the power
away from the whole premise of the show.  Still, I hope NBC sticks with this
one.

Well, that's my 2 cents.  If the above is choppy and/or rambles, I just woke
up.

Anxiously (?) awaiting Cursed, (heh...heh)

Bob
http://www.bobsassone.com

From: Zeuce  <wplj@newnorth.net>
Date: Wed Oct 25, 2000 10:19am
Subject: Re: The Fall Season...Ugh

Thanks for making me not feel alone in despising all that crap.

Bill


----- Original Message -----
From: Bob Sassone <bsassone@e...>

> Am I just getting more picky as I get older, or are the new shows really
as
> bad as I think they are?

From: The KJB  <osiris@idir.net>
Date: Wed Oct 25, 2000 11:10am
Subject: Re: Re:Trek

At 05:13 AM 10/25/2000 -0400, you wrote:
>I can't find it online but I always remembered hearing that "Star Trek : The
>Next Generation" was only arced by Gene Roddenberry for a specific number of
>seasons.  (Lest of course a show go on too long boring everyone involved like
>say... Murphy Brown).

No, that was Viacom who decided that 7 years was the way to go.  Plenty of 
episodes to strip, plus another series in first run syndie at the time and 
a brand new Trek series for their little network experiment.  Contracts 
were coming due for TNG and actors (especially Patrick Stewart) were about 
to ask for a lot more money.  This coming after a couple of pretty intense 
contract re-negotiations around the fifth season.  Gene never developed an 
arc for any of the Trek series.  Beyond cannibalizing a lot of what he'd 
created for the proposed Trek revival in the mid-70's and "Star Trek: The 
Motion Picture", Gene's involvement was pretty minimal.

I thought it was interesting that, given the success of TNG, Paramount 
still only signed the DS9 actors to 6 year contracts and still had to 
renegotiate for that least year.  In the case of "Voyager", everybody 
signed 7 year contracts.  One of the actors (forget which one right now) 
told me at the time that they had to really think about taking the 
job.  Most television series sign you up to a multi year contract but you 
know the show will only last a couple of years if it's lucky.  You sign on 
for a Star Trek series for 7 years, you better be ready to work all 7 years.


KJB
Editor, Backstage Pass
http://www.backstage-pass.com
Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
http://www.filmforce.net

From: The KJB  <osiris@idir.net>
Date: Wed Oct 25, 2000 11:19am
Subject: Re: We're back

At 05:35 AM 10/25/2000 -0400, you wrote:
>Well, Fox did allegedly have about 6 series they annoucned were prepping for
>mid-season, (though the series didnt exactly know it). I'd expect Lone Gunman
>to still launch as announced for January-ish, as well as the Untitled Michael
>Crichton Project. Anyone heard anything on that? Yeah I could probably just
>check Harry Knowles sites, but I prefer the pretentiousness intellectualism
>we have here at TVBarn... when the chief is sending out material... aaak,
>stop choking me Aaron! Seems like the type of casting sheet thing Backstage
>Pass was providing occasionally on the TVBarn site. (Remembering Passions,
>among others.)

Last I'd heard on the Untitled Crichton Project was that it was still 
untitled and the people at FOX knew about as much as they did at the 
upfronts.  For all they know, it could be Crichton's take on "The Dukes of 
Hazzard".

> >  My favorite bit of viewing this week came in the mail from England.  Sky
> >  One just played the Blackadder: Back And Forth special which previously
> >  could only be seen at the Millennium Dome.  This half hour short is a
> >  fitting wrap up to the series.
>
>Been meaning to start watching that, but with all the numbered/labeled
>series, I never knew how much cult history I'd need to learn to appreciate
>it... How accessable is it for a newbie? Dr. Whoish? Or more Are You Being
>Served?

Very accessible.  Blackadder had four series, all of them only 6 half 
hours.  I know they've been out on tape here in the US and BBC America runs 
them daily.  The four series are self contained, taking place at different 
points in history.  Series one is in the Middle Ages, Series two during the 
reign of Elizabeth the 1st (as played by Miranda Richardson - this series 
was by far the best), Series three somewhat later and Series four during WW1.


> >   It might stand a chance since Nick Park doesn't
> >  have a short film in competition this year.
>
>I'm not sure if the Feature Length Cartoon (provided 6 majors are released in
>the qualifying timeline) competition just announced starts this year or not.
>If so, Nick is likely in competition with Chicken Run, against Titan A.E. and
>Dinosaur.

Yes, but he won't be in the short films category with another "Wallace & 
Grommit" (which is Nick's way of deciding he needs another Oscar for his 
collection).


KJB
Editor, Backstage Pass
http://www.backstage-pass.com
Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
http://www.filmforce.net

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Wed Oct 25, 2000 0:59pm
Subject: like most critics won't miss Diagnosis Murder

says the Associated Press : 

 Dick Van Dyke says he plans to retire from television after this season 
of "Diagnosis Murder" and that he won't miss acting.

From: thumbsup3@aol.com
Date: Wed Oct 25, 2000 1:09pm
Subject: Re: The Fall Season...Ugh

I'm in complete agreement about Ed. It's completely won me over. I know I've 
worn many people out with my Sports Night devotion, but to me, Ed has the 
same feel as SN in terms of the earnestness of the characters and the 
occasional tangents taken by the dialogue. ("I enjoyed hearing you use the 
word 'sully.'")

The one criticism I've heard from friends is that they don't buy Ed's 
infatuation with Carol. Even people who've seen all three episode say they 
don't quite understand why she's so special to him and why he's basically 
stalking her. So I ask those lucky few who've seen the original pilot: Do 
they go into more detail about this in that condensed first episode? What 
exactly was said on that first date when Carol first kissed Ed and inspired 
him to buy the bowling alley?

Christine

<< Oh, and I really like Ed a lot.  Cavanaugh is a find, and the cast and 
plots
are likable.  One complaint, and it's a biggie:  that horrible 5 minute
montage in the first episode that explained what happened to him in NYC and
why he moved back home.  I'm sure this was done because of editing or
retooling or an actor left or something, but it really drained the power
away from the whole premise of the show.  Still, I hope NBC sticks with this
one. >>

From: tvnutboy@hotmail.com
Date: Wed Oct 25, 2000 5:55pm
Subject: Not all shows are bad...

Before I begin, I would like to point out that this is my first 
ever "Post job" here, so try to cut me some slack. Now down to 
business, No matter what people say... I think The Michael Richards 
Show is great and has performed well last night BTW (10.5 rating/15 
share aint so bad for a first time.) I think that people have been 
grosly misinformed on how "Bad" it is. The show is actually kind of 
good, and I'm glad that they aired last nights show as their pilot, 
and not the pilot they had originally intended to air. It even beat 
out the World series' first half hour. (losing out only to 
"millionaire") I think people have bad perceptions on certain things 
even before it happens, this just happens to be a good example. As 
they say, "Don't judge a book by it's cover". and clearly, the 
critics seem to have done this. But hey, I'm just an ordinary guy 
with ordinary opinions like everyone else, and you don't have to 
agree with me. Well, that's it, feel free to say whatever you want to 
say to me. I won't mind it.

J.K.---

From: tvnutboy@hotmail.com
Date: Wed Oct 25, 2000 6:00pm
Subject: First up on the chopping block...

Looks like we found some fresh meat, Seems as though Tucker
(no suprise) and Daddio (slight suprise) are the first shows to go 
this season. after this past monday's dismal ratings (Tucker 2.5/5, 
Daddio 4.3/6) NBC is going to make a smart no brainer choice this 
time around. and where these shows exit, "Dateline Monday" enters

From: David Bruggeman  <dbrugg@gwu.edu>
Date: Wed Oct 25, 2000 6:28pm
Subject: Book on TV with an interesting argument

Hey folks,

I guess if I encourage folks to read around here, it should be a book 
about TV :-)

Anyway, I just read an excerpt from "The Sound Bite Society: 
Television and the American Mind" by Jeffrey Scheuer.  He sets out to 
answer the following question.

What does such a media environment really mean--how does it shape the 
values and ideals that underlie our political life?

In the excerpt I read, he makes an interesting argument that the 
structural nature of television plays into conservative hands.  I'd 
rather not clutter up email with the excerpt, but you can find out 
more about the book at www.thesoundbitesociety.com.  If you really 
want the excerpt, send me an email, and I'll forward it to you.

David Bruggeman
dbrugg@g...

From: Bob Sassone  <bsassone@earthlink.net>
Date: Wed Oct 25, 2000 11:35pm
Subject: Re: First up on the chopping block...

Oh boy, just what we need:  a 15th night of Dateline!

--- In tvbarn2@egroups.com, tvnutboy@h... wrote:
> 
> 
> 
>         Looks like we found some fresh meat, Seems as though 
Tucker
> (no suprise) and Daddio (slight suprise) are the first shows to 
go 
> this season. after this past monday's dismal ratings (Tucker 
2.5/5, 
> Daddio 4.3/6) NBC is going to make a smart no brainer choice 
this 
> time around. and where these shows exit, "Dateline Monday" 
enters

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Wed Oct 25, 2000 9:05pm
Subject: Who says TGIF is dead?

[Now they just have to add an hour of "Boy Meets World" reruns and everything 
will be back to normal -- Tom]

Hollywood Reporter sez : 
For November sweeps the WB Network will be double running "Sabrina, the 
Teenage Witch" on Friday nights while shipping "Grosse Pointe" to Sundays.

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Wed Oct 25, 2000 9:09pm
Subject: Anything But Saget

Meanwhile (also in the H'wood Reporter) ABC has ordered 13 hour-length 
episodes of "America's Funniest Home Videos" to be used ala Dateline and/or 
Millionaire to fill holes in the lineup.

From: Mark Jeffries  <mjeffries@krw.com>
Date: Thu Oct 26, 2000 9:10am
Subject: A story of interest: http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?12999

It could've been worse--they could've had the song "Chains of Love" on the album...

From a friend...
Check out the following story on Zap2it.com:
http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?12999
____________________________________________

Zap2it.com:  Your Guide to What's Onscreen -
         TV,   Movies,  Internet
           http://tv.zap2it.com

From: tvnutboy@hotmail.com
Date: Thu Oct 26, 2000 4:24pm
Subject: Re: The Brandon Tartikoff Curse...

--- In tvbarn2@egroups.com, tvnutboy@h... wrote:
> 
> I should amend something here, It seems as though NBC is going on 
with DESTINATION: MIR. According to a website called tvgameshows.net, 
The show may go according to plan if a group of private investors 
with a $100 Million dollar cash flow decides to invest in the MIR.

So, I guess I mislead people there. (There's a first time for 
everything, I should read these things ahead of time. Oh well, my bad)

Also, it wasn't money lost by NBC, it was Mark Burnett who plunked 
down the 40 mil.for the show. I got to be careful next time

J.K.---
> 
>          I have come up with this theory that many of you people 
> might find interesting. Once there was this guy named Brandon 
> Tartikoff, who saved the rump of NBC in the (entire) 80s. He left 
in 
> 1991, and died of hodgekins disease 6 years later. And since then, 
> NBC has kind of been plauged with a proverbial disease that has 
only 
> gotten worse recently. (to some degrees) Since The Bevis and 
Butthead 
> of network tv (Garth Ancier and Scott Sassa) came into this town, 
> this peacock is sheading feathers faster than the real thing. Here 
is 
> the latest trouble the peacock has gotten in recently:
> 
> DESTINATION MIR Won't happen due to the fact that the Russian Gvt. 
> want's the space station to dissolve in the atmosphere in February 
> ($40 million down the drain)
> 
> CHAINS OF LOVE Won't happen due to the fact that the producers 
> (endemol) "chain"ged their mind. ($20 Million down the drain)
> 
> TUCKER AND DADDIO Got canceled due to the fact that no one watches 
> NBC on Monday anymore. (APX. $5 Mil. Down the drain)
> 
> CURSED Could very well be the Icing on the cake come thursday Oct.26
> 
> DAG Not starting till november
> 
> TITANS is pretty much spoken for
> 
> Suprisingly, there are some positive sides to this:
> 
> THE WEST WING
> WILL AND GRACE
> THE MICHAEL RICHARDS SHOW (Performing well last night)
> DATELINE
> ED
> FRIENDS*
> ER*
> 3RD ROCK*
> JUST SHOOT ME
> 
> (* Indicating a potential "Next season no-show")
> 
> As they 'ironically' said about themselves in 1981, "NBC, Our Pride
> (age) Is showing. NBC Better come up with something better up their 
> sleeves soon. By now, poor Brandon Tartikoff is getting dizzy from 
> spinning in his grave.

From: The KJB  <osiris@idir.net>
Date: Thu Oct 26, 2000 4:53pm
Subject: Re: Anything But Saget

At 02:09 AM 10/26/2000 -0400, you wrote:
>Meanwhile (also in the H'wood Reporter) ABC has ordered 13 hour-length
>episodes of "America's Funniest Home Videos" to be used ala Dateline and/or
>Millionaire to fill holes in the lineup.

Hey, I'll take cheezy Bob "I'd drop my pants on camera for a laugh" Saget 
over the two twits that hosted the show after he left / got thrown out.


KJB
Editor, Backstage Pass
http://www.backstage-pass.com
Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
http://www.filmforce.net

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Thu Oct 26, 2000 9:38pm
Subject: Ben Affleck's Million Dollar Glad Trash Bag Mystery

From ye Hollywood Reporter : 

Affleck, ABC get clued in to series
It's a drama. It's a reality show. It's a hybrid drama-reality show offering 
a real pile of money to be pocketed by some keen-eyed viewer who watches all 
13 episodes of the limited-run series that Ben Affleck is setting up at ABC. 
Affleck is in talks with the network to produce a scripted mystery series 
that would give out clues each week as to the location of a cash cache. ABC 
declined comment on the project, and sources stressed that the network has 
yet to finalize a deal with Affleck.

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Thu Oct 26, 2000 9:39pm
Subject: Re: Ben Affleck's Million Dollar Glad Trash Bag Mystery

> all 13 episodes of the limited-run series ...  at ABC. 

Which means it'll be cancelled in 2, 3 at the most.

From: Mark Jeffries  <mjeffries@krw.com>
Date: Fri Oct 27, 2000 9:12am
Subject: A story of interest: http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?13067

"Dick?  Les Moonves.  Wanna do 'Celebrity Survivor?'"

From a friend...
Check out the following story on Zap2it.com:
http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?13067
____________________________________________

Zap2it.com:  Your Guide to What's Onscreen -
         TV,   Movies,  Internet
           http://tv.zap2it.com

From: Justin Kaplowitz  <tvnutboy@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri Oct 27, 2000 3:08pm
Subject: A story of interest: http://tv.zap2it.com/news/dailynielsenrankings.html?13072

And they (I) said it (Cursed) wouldn't fly...

From a friend...
Check out the following story on Zap2it.com:
http://tv.zap2it.com/news/dailynielsenrankings.html?13072
____________________________________________

Zap2it.com:  Your Guide to What's Onscreen -
         TV,   Movies,  Internet
           http://tv.zap2it.com

From: Jeffries, Mark  <mjeffries@krw.com>
Date: Fri Oct 27, 2000 3:17pm
Subject: RE: A story of interest: http://tv.zap2it.com/news/dail ynielsenrankings.html?13072

> And they (I) said it (Cursed) wouldn't fly...

On the other hand, it still seems to be true that NBC could put a laugh
track on a tape of Scott Sassa and Garth Ancier having lunch, air it at 8:30
p.m. ET on Thursday nights and still get good numbers.  (I used to say
"Warren Littlefield," but times have changed.)

Mark Jeffries
mjeffries@k...
mjsaints@a...

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Fri Oct 27, 2000 1:54pm
Subject: Re: Cursed ratings

>On the other hand, it still seems to be true that NBC could put a laugh
>track on a tape of Scott Sassa and Garth Ancier having lunch, air it at 8:30
>p.m. ET on Thursday nights and still get good numbers.  

I didn't think it was possible but "Cursed" had a more annoying laughtrack 
than "Get A Life." (Then again, it's possible that the USA Network has didn't 
want to pay for the laughter and replaced it with meowing.) 

Kind of easy to tell what was reshot, even easier given that John O'Hurley 
never made it past the first scene. The only possible influence of any of the 
Friends producers/writers must be that at Steven Weber's place of employment, 
work is never actually performed, just talked about. 

And did "Caroline in the City" have some grand finale where Annie moved into 
Caroline's apartment? Talk about a Cursed set.

From: The KJB  <osiris@idir.net>
Date: Sat Oct 28, 2000 2:22am
Subject: Guess this means another season of Diagnosis Murder

From AP / Yahoo:

Van Dyke Backtracks on Retirement

LOS ANGELES (AP) - It was a joke, people.

Dick Van Dyke, the star of CBS' ``Diagnosis Murder,'' said he was taken too 
seriously when he said he planned to retire.

``I've been talking about retiring for years,'' the 74-year-old actor said 
Thursday. ``It's my standard answer to the question, 'What are your future 
plans?' The truth is I'll always be interested in things that are 
worthwhile and fun.''

In an interview earlier this week with AP Radio, Van Dyke said: ``It's time 
for me to go to pasture,'' adding he planned to retire from TV after this 
season of ``Diagnosis Murder.''

It was nearly 40 years ago that he starred in ``The Dick Van Dyke Show,'' 
which ran from 1961 to 1966.


KJB
Editor, Backstage Pass
http://www.backstage-pass.com
Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
http://www.filmforce.net

From: John Carney  <jicarney@edge.net>
Date: Sat Oct 28, 2000 2:22pm
Subject: Re: Anything But Saget

--- In tvbarn2@egroups.com, The KJB <osiris@i...> wrote:
> 
> Hey, I'll take cheezy Bob "I'd drop my pants on camera for a laugh" 
Saget 
> over the two twits that hosted the show after he left / got thrown 
out.

Bad call. John Fugelsang is actually very funny, and used to be great 
on VH-1.  I think he was hobbled by bad writing and having to play 
the butt of Daisy Fuentes' jokes.

============================================================
John I. Carney | jicarney@e... | http://jicarney.cjb.net
============================================================

From: Mark Jeffries  <mjeffries@krw.com>
Date: Sat Oct 28, 2000 4:42pm
Subject: A story of interest: http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?13109

We can only hope...

From a friend...
Check out the following story on Zap2it.com:
http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?13109
____________________________________________

Zap2it.com:  Your Guide to What's Onscreen -
         TV,   Movies,  Internet
           http://tv.zap2it.com

From: The KJB  <osiris@idir.net>
Date: Sat Oct 28, 2000 6:08pm
Subject: Re: Re: Anything But Saget

At 07:22 PM 10/28/2000 +0000, you wrote:
>Bad call. John Fugelsang is actually very funny, and used to be great
>on VH-1.  I think he was hobbled by bad writing and having to play
>the butt of Daisy Fuentes' jokes.

I think the focus of that version of the show WAS Daisy Fuentes' butt.

Sorry, couldn't resist.  As for Saget - he's a pretty funny standup but 
years of having to force a smile while wanting to go postal around the 
Olsen twins has had serious, long term effects on the man.

KJB
Editor, Backstage Pass
http://www.backstage-pass.com
Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
http://www.filmforce.net

From: tvnutboy@hotmail.com  <tvnutboy@hotmail.com>
Date: Sat Oct 28, 2000 7:00pm
Subject: A story of interest: http://tv.zap2it.com/news/networkupdate.html?13116

It's not a quiz show, And It's not a reality show. (per se) It's AMERICA'S MOST WANTED with a high price tag written all over it.

From a friend...
Check out the following story on Zap2it.com:
http://tv.zap2it.com/news/networkupdate.html?13116
____________________________________________

Zap2it.com:  Your Guide to What's Onscreen -
         TV,   Movies,  Internet
           http://tv.zap2it.com

From: Aaron Barnhart  <aaron@tvbarn.com>
Date: Sat Oct 28, 2000 11:18pm
Subject: Re: Book on TV with an interesting argument

I wrote a full-length review and interviewed the author for EM a year ago. For 
some reason I can't find it in the archive (I think I was on hiatus) so here it is:

    Had I not spent one maddening hour watching a John Stossel special on ABC, 
I may not have been as receptive to the new book by Jeffrey Scheuer, *The 
Sound Bite Society* (Four Walls Eight Windows, $23.95). As it turns out, I was 
inspired to pick Mr. Scheuer's book off the review pile and discovered one of the 
most incisive critiques of television and its cultural impact I've read in years. 
    Mr. Scheuer, a political leftist, contends that TV has a bias toward conservative 
opinions that is practically wired into its chassis. It's a provocative thesis -- at 
times needlessly so -- and if that doesn't drive away readers, the book's 
densely-packed, 192-page argument just might. (When I e-mailed Mr. Scheuer to 
inform him I'd be reviewing his book, he suggested I try the Gracie Allen method 
of reading the first and last chapters before attempting the more esoteric middle 
parts. He must've thought my attention span had shrunk after years of 
professional TV watching.)
    But this is one book that is worth the reader's effort. Mr. Scheuer makes his 
case with a precision and clarity that will resound with anyone who's ever 
wondered if Chris Matthews *has* to run his CNBC show that way, or who's ever 
asked how we managed to let our national political discourse become a 
incomprehensible blur of sound bites and 30-second campaign spots.
    *The Sound Bite Society* essentially takes two familiar subjects of media 
criticism and finds the unexpected common thread between them. The first is 
the way TV has taken over the election process. The second is the rise of the 
conservative wing of the Republican Party. Mr. Scheuer contends that the two 
trends happened in tandem and for a very good reason: conservatives are an 
ideal fit for today's frenetic pace of TV. Because conservatives tend to favor 
simple principles -- less government, tough on crime -- their arguments are  
more telegenic than those of liberals, whose pet issues often involve more 
explanation than a typical sound bite can handle.
    ``Shouting heads and ideological food fights may be bad political discourse,'' 
writes Mr. Scheuer, ``but they are great television and so, without intending to, 
they privilege conservative messages.'' There's also the matter of complexity. 
``Outrage at tax increases plays well on the air; it is a simple, self-regarding 
conservative idea. Arguments for equalizing public school finance are less 
sound-bite-ready.'' 
    Take, for example, that ``John Stossel Reports'' I mentioned. Mr. Stossel, a 
reporter with a talent for putting zip into dull topics, is one of the few 
non-network anchors who can command an hour of prime time on a regular 
basis. But last month's installment, entitled ``Is America Number One?'', was not 
much more than an excuse to celebrate liberty and capitalism and everything 
that makes America great. 
    The program would not have been so infuriating had Mr. Stossel not tried to 
pass it off as a debate over the role of the U.S. in the world, instead of what it 
really was: an infomercial for free-market thinking, led by none other than 
economist Milton Friedman, whose book *Free to Choose* was once a popular 
PBS special. To buttress Mr. Friedman's points, Mr. Stossel also brought in a 
younger conservative, Dinesh D'Souza, and a simpatico libertarian from the Cato 
Institute.
    The opposing view was presented in perfunctory style a few 
persons-on-the-street who offered varying degrees of anti-American sentiment, 
by Jim Hightower, a left-wing talk radio host, or by Mr. Stossel himself (followed, 
of course, by a rebuttal from the free-market side).
    After my initial annoyance, however, I must admit I struck out thinking of any 
better critics for Mr. Stossel to interview. Mr. Friedman's natural counterpart 
would be a liberal like John Kenneth Galbraith; but witty as Galbraith is, even he 
would be strained to pack an argument for income distribution into nine 
seconds. I also scanned a listing of recent guests on ``Politically Incorrect,'' 
hoping to find the Generation X version of Mr. D'Souza. No luck.
    That, Mr. Scheuer contends, is just the nature of the beast.
    *The Sound Bite Society,* like many books of its kind, is long on diagnosis and 
short on prescriptions. What solutions Mr. Scheuer does propose are so 
unrealistic -- repealing the 1996 Telecommunications Act is one -- you wonder 
why he even brings them up. But he does make one salient suggestion: more 
media literacy education that teaches kids to think for themselves and not just 
passively ingest thousands of messages TV bombards them with daily. ``We 
need more critical thinking and robust debate, not just the classic American 
quick fix of more technology,'' writes Mr. Scheuer.
    But who will start the ball rolling? When I worked at a conservative foundation 
in Washington, D.C., in the late 1980s, the torch of the Reagan revolution was 
mainly being carried in print, by the Wall Street Journal editorial page, journals 
like National Review and books like *The Closing of the American Mind*. When 
Rush Limbaugh came along, some of the people I knew were caught up in the 
excitement, but others weren't so happy at Limbaugh's mocking, 
take-no-prisoners approach to political discourse. 
    In the book's most helpful suggestion, Mr. Scheuer says that such ``thoughtful 
conservatives'' should break their silence and find common cause with liberals. I 
doubt that will happen soon, but it would be nice someday to tune in the Policy 
Channel and see opposing sides trading more than bon mots and campaign 
slogans.



--- In tvbarn2@egroups.com, "David Bruggeman" <dbrugg@g...> wrote:
> Hey folks,
> 
> I guess if I encourage folks to read around here, it should be a book 
> about TV :-)
> 
> Anyway, I just read an excerpt from "The Sound Bite Society: 
> Television and the American Mind" by Jeffrey Scheuer.  He sets out to 
> answer the following question.
> 
> What does such a media environment really mean--how does it shape the 
> values and ideals that underlie our political life?
> 
> In the excerpt I read, he makes an interesting argument that the 
> structural nature of television plays into conservative hands.  I'd 
> rather not clutter up email with the excerpt, but you can find out 
> more about the book at www.thesoundbitesociety.com.  If you really 
> want the excerpt, send me an email, and I'll forward it to you.
> 
> David Bruggeman
> dbrugg@g...

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Sat Oct 28, 2000 8:01pm
Subject: Re: Re: Anything But Saget

>Sorry, couldn't resist.  As for Saget - he's a pretty funny standup but 
>years of having to force a smile while wanting to go postal around the 
>Olsen twins has had serious, long term effects on the man.

Yeah, Saget is one of the few comedians who's funnier with Blue material 
instead of saying making gugrling noises, and broad lame jokes. Then again, 
out of a half hour only 2 -3 videos were even funny or unique. 

Wow. he's gonna get hit in the crotch, oops the pants are falling down.... 
gee another person falling off a roof, a baby spitting up.... HI-LARIOUS...

From: Michael Jones  <spikej555@earthlink.net>
Date: Sun Oct 29, 2000 9:49am
Subject: Re: Re: Anything But Saget

<Wow. he's gonna get hit in the crotch, oops the pants are falling down.... 
gee another person falling off a roof, a baby spitting up.... HI-LARIOUS...>

Great sound bites!  
And I've heard Bush is looking for another speechwriter...

Michael
(not from Washington)


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: tomalhe@a... 
  To: tvbarn2@egroups.com 
  Sent: Saturday, October 28, 2000 9:01 PM
  Subject: Re: [tvbarn2] Re: Anything But Saget


  >Sorry, couldn't resist.  As for Saget - he's a pretty funny standup but 
  >years of having to force a smile while wanting to go postal around the 
  >Olsen twins has had serious, long term effects on the man.

  Yeah, Saget is one of the few comedians who's funnier with Blue material 
  instead of saying making gugrling noises, and broad lame jokes. Then again, 
  out of a half hour only 2 -3 videos were even funny or unique. 

  Wow. he's gonna get hit in the crotch, oops the pants are falling down.... 
  gee another person falling off a roof, a baby spitting up.... HI-LARIOUS... 

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From: tvnutboy@hotmail.com  <tvnutboy@hotmail.com>
Date: Sun Oct 29, 2000 5:17pm
Subject: A story of interest: http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?13135

Does this mean a new "whazzap" commercial in the future?

From a friend...
Check out the following story on Zap2it.com:
http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?13135
____________________________________________

Zap2it.com:  Your Guide to What's Onscreen -
         TV,   Movies,  Internet
           http://tv.zap2it.com

From: Anthony Foglia  <afoglia97@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon Oct 30, 2000 2:11pm
Subject: Frekylinks 404'ed, NBC Wants More Ed

Darn, I don't think I had FreakyLinks in my deadpool
guesses.

---
Sunday October 29 10:52 PM ET
NBC bets on ``Ed'' but Fox's ``Freaky'' falters 

By Josef Adalian

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - NBC is close to ordering a full
season of its critically acclaimed rookie drama
``Ed,'' while Fox has shelved its struggling Friday
frightfest ``Freakylinks'' for all but one week of the
monthlong November sweeps.

Meanwhile CBS has ordered three more scripts of its
midseason comedy ``Kiss Me Guido,'' which is expected
to launch in January or March.

While a few final details are still being hammered out
on ``Ed,'' NBC is expected to commit to nine more
episodes of the show as early as this week, bringing
to 22 the total number of episodes slated for
production.

The early show of confidence in ``Ed'' comes in the
wake of a mixed ratings performance by the show, which
airs Sundays at 8 p.m. After a solid premiere, ``Ed''
took a noticeable hit in its second week but rebounded
solidly by week three. It's also still unclear how
``Ed'' will perform once Fox's 8-9 p.m. Sunday comedy
duo of ''The Simpsons'' and ``Malcolm in the Middle''
returns Nov. 5.

But ``Ed'' has been a favorite of NBC executives,
who've been further impressed by the show's creative
direction in scripts of future episodes. CBS stalwart
David Letterman is an executive producer.

As for ``Freakylinks,'' Fox said Friday it will
preempt the series Nov. 10 and 17 to test out the new
reality series ``Million Dollar Mysteries,'' in which
viewers are offered a chance at a million bucks for
helping solve actual mysteries.

``Freakylinks'' had long been scheduled to take off
Nov. 24 due to Fox's traditional post-Thanksgiving
movie night, leaving Nov. 3 as the only remaining
sweeps night on which ``Freakylinks'' is scheduled to
air.

While the show is set to return Dec. 1, it's likely
Fox will stick with ``Million Dollar Mysteries'' if
the replacement performs noticeably better in the
Friday slot. Remaining episodes of ``Freakylinks''
would be given a new home.

Reuters/Variety REUTERS

__________________________________________________
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Yahoo! Messenger - Talk while you surf!  It's FREE.
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From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Mon Oct 30, 2000 1:20pm
Subject: ugh.

from the daily list of NBC press releases OCTOBER 31ST : 

STONE PHILLIPS INTERVIEWS HEATHER LOCKLEAR ON 'DATELINE NBC'

From: The KJB  <osiris@idir.net>
Date: Mon Oct 30, 2000 6:42pm
Subject: Re: ugh.

At 07:20 PM 10/30/2000 -0500, you wrote:
>from the daily list of NBC press releases OCTOBER 31ST :
>
>STONE PHILLIPS INTERVIEWS HEATHER LOCKLEAR ON 'DATELINE NBC'

I guess there aren't any unjustly convicted killers on death row this week.


KJB
Editor, Backstage Pass
http://www.backstage-pass.com
Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
http://www.filmforce.net

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Mon Oct 30, 2000 5:40pm
Subject: Re: ugh.

> >STONE PHILLIPS INTERVIEWS HEATHER LOCKLEAR ON 'DATELINE NBC'

>  I guess there aren't any unjustly convicted killers on death row this week.

You're right, Amanda Woodward  was never *CONVICTED*, Stacey Sheridan might 
have had to kill in the line of duty... and I know precious little about 
Sammy Jo Dean's rap sheet.

From: The KJB  <osiris@idir.net>
Date: Tue Oct 31, 2000 2:13pm
Subject: Steverino Passes on

http://www.backstage-pass.com/steveallen10312000.htm

10/31/2000
Steve Allen, best know in later years for his series of political specials 
for PBS, has died at the age of 78.  No official cause of death has been 
reported but doctors are assuming a heart attack was responsible.
Allen's youngest son, Bill Allen, told the Hollywood Reporter that "He was 
at my home with his grandchildren and he was watching them carve their 
Halloween pumpkins. He said he was tired and wanted to lie down. When I 
went to check on him a few minutes later, he had passed away peacefully."
Steve Allen had performed to a sold out crowd just Sunday at Victor Valley 
College in Victorville, Calif.
Allen was the original host of NBC's The Tonight Show and also featured 
prominently in the television landscape in the 50's and 60's.
Steverino, as he was known to his fans, made his first film appearance in 
1949 film Down Memory Lane, a film that consisted of clips from old Mack 
Sennett silent comedies.  The next year, 1950, Allen had the first of many 
series he would headline, The Steve Allen Show.  The series ran for two years.
Allen went on to appear in or host several shows until hosting Tonight in 
1954.  Allen would host the series until 1957.
Never one to sit idle, Steve Allen worked in both television and film, 
including appearances in the classic series That Was The Week That Was and 
the mini series Rich Man, Poor Man.  At the time of his death, the comedian 
was at work on a number of books and personal appearances while also 
spending at least three nights a week with his grand-children.
Allen married film star Jayne Meadows in 1954 and with her help created and 
hosted the series Meeting of Minds, a great "painless history lesson" 
series that brought actors portraying historical figures together around 
the dinner table.  This series introduced a number of young people to 
history and is still syndicated in some markets to this day.
Meadows described her late husband as "my best friend and my partner on 
stage and off for more than 48 years. He was the most talented man I've 
ever known and the one true love of my life."
Steve Allen in survived by his wife, four sons, 11 grandchildren, three 
great-grandchildren and a legion of fans, young and old.

KJB
Editor, Backstage Pass
http://www.backstage-pass.com
Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
http://www.filmforce.net

From: David Bruggeman  <dbrugg@gwu.edu>
Date: Tue Oct 31, 2000 5:38pm
Subject: Re: Steverino Passes on

I might need some education here...

--- In tvbarn2@egroups.com, The KJB <osiris@i...> wrote:
> http://www.backstage-pass.com/steveallen10312000.htm
> 
> 10/31/2000
> Steve Allen, best know in later years for his series of political 
specials 
> for PBS, has died at the age of 78.  

When did Steverino do political specials?  I think they're confusing 
him with Mark Russell.  Of course, they could also be confusing 
Allen's ads against TV 'smut' for political specials.  All I know is 
*I'm* confused.

David Bruggeman
dbrugg@g...

From: The KJB  <osiris@idir.net>
Date: Tue Oct 31, 2000 10:50pm
Subject: Re: Re: Steverino Passes on

At 11:38 PM 10/31/2000 +0000, you wrote:
>When did Steverino do political specials?  I think they're confusing
>him with Mark Russell.  Of course, they could also be confusing
>Allen's ads against TV 'smut' for political specials.  All I know is
>*I'm* confused.

It's possible - I tried to get hold of my writer on that and he's been out 
all day so I edited that bit. I couldn't remember any PBS political 
specials either but I'm not an expert on Allen.


KJB
Editor, Backstage Pass
http://www.backstage-pass.com
Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
http://www.filmforce.net

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Tue Oct 31, 2000 5:55pm
Subject: Re: [This Week at the TV Barn] Steve Allen, 1921-2000

Of course when Barnhart took one of these 2 week vacations a year or so back, 
Tom Snyder announced he was quitting CBS...


TVBarn and Late Show News -- Look out, Charlie Rose.

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Tue Oct 31, 2000 6:26pm
Subject: Re: Re: Steverino Passes on

> It's possible - I tried to get hold of my writer on that and he's been out 
>  all day so I edited that bit. I couldn't remember any PBS political 
>  specials either but I'm not an expert on Allen.

I find no answers at the official list @ website steveallen.com

From: John Carney  <jicarney@edge.net>
Date: Tue Oct 31, 2000 11:43pm
Subject: Steverino passes on

As much as it pains me to admit it, Leno's farewell to Steve Allen 
was more appropriate than Letterman's.  Dave started out sort of 
flippantly, which was OK and which Steve would have respected, but 
then when he got to the point, it came off like "Hey, remember that 
guy? Well, he died." I know Letterman's not one to get emotional on 
camera (except for the post-cardiac episode), but this came off as 
just, well, half-hearted.

Leno, on the other hand, may have overplayed -- blowing the kiss 
looked a little silly -- but at least he gave you a sense of who 
Steve Allen was.  I think it was also a better idea to do the tribute 
at the end of the show, where you don't have to worry about bringing 
everyone down.

============================================================
John I. Carney | jicarney@e... | http://jicarney.cjb.net
============================================================

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Tue Oct 31, 2000 9:06pm
Subject: Mondays to return to Tori Spelling films?

[So.... Two hours of Dateline? or the reodering of the Tori Spelling diesease 
of the week/stalker film?... Hey, how about Monday Night XFL? When exactly 
did NBC's monday night scheddule become the equivalent of FOX's Thursday, 
ABC's Friday, and well, most of UPN? -- Tom]

Hollywood Reporter sez : ''Deadline' passes at peacock
"Deadline" is dead. NBC has canceled the high-profile newspaper drama from 
Dick Wolf after five airings as the network continues to clean up its poorly 
performing Monday night lineup. Last week, NBC canceled "Tucker" and benched 
"Daddio," the comedies that formed the Monday 8-9 p.m. comedy block. The 
producers of the Oliver Platt-starring drama, Wolf Films and Studios USA TV, 
so far have delivered 12 of the 13 episodes ordered by NBC

From: The KJB  <osiris@idir.net>
Date: Wed Nov 1, 2000 2:29am
Subject: Re: Mondays to return to Tori Spelling films?

At 03:06 AM 11/1/2000 -0500, you wrote:
>Hollywood Reporter sez : ''Deadline' passes at peacock
>"Deadline" is dead. NBC has canceled the high-profile newspaper drama from
>Dick Wolf after five airings as the network continues to clean up its poorly
>performing Monday night lineup. Last week, NBC canceled "Tucker" and benched
>"Daddio," the comedies that formed the Monday 8-9 p.m. comedy block. The
>producers of the Oliver Platt-starring drama, Wolf Films and Studios USA TV,
>so far have delivered 12 of the 13 episodes ordered by NBC

I'm told they're filling it with a Law & Order" rerun for the foreseeable 
future (don't they have something like a million years worth of those?).

As for those 7 unaired episodes, look for them as 1 hour fills after 
basketball games for the West Coast.


KJB
Editor, Backstage Pass
http://www.backstage-pass.com
Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
http://www.filmforce.net

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Tue Oct 31, 2000 9:57pm
Subject: so whats left on the NBC shelves?

among the ordered sitcoms for 2000-2001
    Kristin-- Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth

    Go Fish -- Kieran Culkin from “The Cider House Rules” (High school comedy 
ala Boy meets world?)

    These Women -- (trio of sisters from the writers of Ellen, Murphy Brown 
and Roseanne)

Among the ordered dramas  for 2000-2001: 
    News from the Edge -- light X-files ripoff, with Supermarket Tabloid 
reporters

    Steven Spielberg’s Semper Fi -- Marines from boot camp to active duty [As 
I recall Semper Fi had been scrapped as a series, tho NBC wanted to air the 
pilot. "SF - the series" was being shopped to FOX, i think.]

Among the unsold sitcoms for 2000-2001: 

    Dog Years (woman and her talking dog)

    The Fighting Fitzgeralds (My three Older sons)

    David "Airplane!" Zucker's H.U.D. (Get Smart at HUD)

    Just Married (Mad about You 2)

    The Peter Principle (How to succeed in business by failing)

    Rocky Times (interracial couple in small Colorado town)

    The Thing About Family (multicacial comedy)

    Those Who Can (Head of the Class 2)

    Turner Family Project (Wayne Knight as basic wacky sitcom dad with teens 
and sympathtic wife)
    
Among the unsold drama pilots for 2000-2001: 
    Fortunate Son (Interracial romantic mystery set in San Diego)

    Tom Fontana's "Good Guys, Bad Guys" (Parallel lives of a female FBI agent 
and male crime boss.)

    L.A. Sheriff's Homicide (guess)

    Sherman's March (Moonlighting at competing ad agencies)

    Silent Witness (Female Quincy)

    This Life (Young Lawyers In Love)

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Tue Oct 31, 2000 10:11pm
Subject: Re: Mondays to return to Tori Spelling films?

> I'm told they're filling it with a Law & Order" rerun for the foreseeable 
>  future (don't they have something like a million years worth of those?).

Tisk Tisk... this is NBC...  they're not reruns... they're special and/or 
encore presentations of the show you love and/or your favorite episodes.

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Tue Oct 31, 2000 10:13pm
Subject: Re: Mondays to return to Tori Spelling films?

> As for those 7 unaired episodes, look for them as 1 hour fills after 
>  basketball games for the West Coast.

Or PAX (How about a switch of Mysterious Ways and Deadline?).. or perhaps  
the oddly sitcom packed A&E.

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Tue Oct 31, 2000 10:29pm
Subject: CBS the Quicker Picker upper...

picked up for full season runs (so far, and poor TeeVee Deadpool choices, I 
might add, even though frankly TVBarn runs circles around TeeVee when it 
comes to above average witty writing) : 

CBS's Bette, C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation, The District, The Fugitive, 
and Yes Dear

NBC's Ed, and 

the WB's Nikki

From: Mark Jeffries  <mjeffries@krw.com>
Date: Wed Nov 1, 2000 9:18am
Subject: A story of interest: http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?13258

Considering that Aaron has been one of the few white people to notice BET and its highlights and shortcomings, this is news.  However, I'm afraid Viacom will drop anything off BET that isn't music videos.

From a friend...
Check out the following story on Zap2it.com:
http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?13258
____________________________________________

Zap2it.com:  Your Guide to What's Onscreen -
         TV,   Movies,  Internet
           http://tv.zap2it.com

From: The KJB  <osiris@idir.net>
Date: Wed Nov 1, 2000 11:13am
Subject: Re: Mondays to return to Tori Spelling films?

At 04:13 AM 11/1/2000 -0500, you wrote:
>Or PAX (How about a switch of Mysterious Ways and Deadline?).. or perhaps
>the oddly sitcom packed A&E.

Speaking of A&E - has anyone else heard about the deal they made for all of 
the old Gerry Anderson ITV series?  I know they're going to be running "The 
Prisoner" (which isn't Gerry Anderson but was part of the ITV / ITC deal) 
but they also have plans for "Thunderbirds", "Captain Scarlet", "UFO" and 
"Space:1999".  Sounds like the Arts & Sci-Fi channel to me.


KJB
Editor, Backstage Pass
http://www.backstage-pass.com
Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
http://www.filmforce.net

From: The KJB  <osiris@idir.net>
Date: Wed Nov 1, 2000 11:16am
Subject: Re: A story of interest: http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?13258

At 03:18 PM 11/1/2000 +0000, you wrote:
>Considering that Aaron has been one of the few white people to notice BET 
>and its highlights and shortcomings, this is news.  However, I'm afraid 
>Viacom will drop anything off BET that isn't music videos.

I'd take more notice of it is they hadn't decided to move BETJazz to a 
digital format I can't even pay for on my big dish and decide that standard 
BET needed to be a "premium" channel.  Sorry, I'm not ponying up extra cash 
just for BET so I can watch "Benson" reruns and UPN / WB sitcoms I couldn't 
even stand when I had the chance to see them for free.  What is worth 
watching on the channel doesn't justify the expense.


KJB
Editor, Backstage Pass
http://www.backstage-pass.com
Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
http://www.filmforce.net

From: thumbsup3@aol.com
Date: Wed Nov 1, 2000 1:42pm
Subject: Re: Mondays to return to Tori Spelling films?

In a message dated 11/1/00 4:11:14 AM Eastern Standard Time, tomalhe@a... 
writes:

<< > I'm told they're filling it with a Law & Order" rerun for the 
foreseeable 
 >  future (don't they have something like a million years worth of those?).
 
 Tisk Tisk... this is NBC...  they're not reruns... they're special and/or 
 encore presentations of the show you love and/or your favorite episodes.  >>

And if you haven't seen it, it's new to you!

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Wed Nov 1, 2000 8:45pm
Subject: more fall pickups...

More bad choices for TV Deadpools : 

Fox has ordered full seasons of "Boston Public" and "Dark Angel."

ABC has ordered a full slate of The Geena Davis Show" for the entire season.

From: The KJB  <osiris@idir.net>
Date: Thu Nov 2, 2000 11:04am
Subject: Re: more fall pickups...

At 02:45 AM 11/2/2000 -0500, you wrote:

>ABC has ordered a full slate of The Geena Davis Show" for the entire season.

Ugh.  I had that one picked for "three and out".  What an awful series.


KJB
Editor, Backstage Pass
http://www.backstage-pass.com
Film Writer, FilmForce.Net
http://www.filmforce.net

From: Jeffries, Mark  <mjeffries@krw.com>
Date: Thu Nov 2, 2000 11:13am
Subject: RE: more fall pickups...

> >ABC has ordered a full slate of The Geena Davis Show" for 
> the entire season.
> 
> Ugh.  I had that one picked for "three and out".  What an 
> awful series.

Geena Davis should buy Jenna Elfman a vegeterian pigout every week to show
her gratitude for the full-season pickup.

Mark Jeffries
mjeffries@k...
mjsaints@a...

From: Mark Jeffries  <mjeffries@krw.com>
Date: Fri Nov 3, 2000 9:16am
Subject: A story of interest: http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?13322

NBC's trying to make up for 31 years ago...

From a friend...
Check out the following story on Zap2it.com:
http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?13322
____________________________________________

Zap2it.com:  Your Guide to What's Onscreen -
         TV,   Movies,  Internet
           http://tv.zap2it.com

From: tomalhe@aol.com
Date: Fri Nov 3, 2000 1:18pm
Subject: Gideon continuing

ABC has picked up six additional episodes of its new medical drama 
''Gideon's Crossing.'' [I have no idea what the initial order was offhand. -- 
I'm betting it was only 6 + the pilot, or else they'd say it was picked up 
for the full season.  -- Tom.]

From: Jeff Metzner  <jeff@jmetzner.com>
Date: Fri Nov 3, 2000 11:07pm
Subject: RE: Gideon continuing

According to the Hollywood Reporter, adding 6 episodes brings ABC's order to
a total of 19 episodes.

-----Original Message-----
From: tomalhe@a... [mailto:tomalhe@a...]
Sent: Friday, November 03, 2000 7:19 PM
To: tvbarn2@egroups.com
Subject: [tvbarn2] Gideon continuing


ABC has picked up six additional episodes of its new medical drama
''Gideon's Crossing.'' [I have no idea what the initial order was
offhand. --
I'm betting it was only 6 + the pilot, or else they'd say it was picked up
for the full season.  -- Tom.]

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