At Yahoo News Today:

NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker finally did something on Friday he has long been reluctant to do -- proclaim the impending end of the smash hit sitcom "Friends."

Speaking at NBC's winter showcase for television critics, Zucker said "Friends," now in its ninth season as the network's biggest comedy success since "Seinfeld," will positively, absolutely end its run after its upcoming 10th season.

NBC last month struck a deal with Warner Bros. Television to bring the Emmy-winning show back in the fall of 2003 for 18 more episodes, six segments fewer than a typical season order, for a reported license fee of $10 million per episode.

"Yes, that will be the final season. Even I acknowledge that -- the 10th and final year of the best comedy on television," Zucker said. "The door is not open after that."

posted by Kay Saturday, January 18, 2003

 
NBC and IFILM Corp., a leading entertainment marketing company providing services in online advertising, market research and publishing, announced it has entered into a marketing relationship to support the promotion of NBC’s highly anticipated new drama series, “Kingpin” on the IFILM Network. Beginning today, visitors to the IFILM site (www.ifilm.com/kingpin) will have an extended eight-minute sneak-peek of the premiere episode of “Kingpin,” which will debut on the NBC Network, Sunday, February 2 at 10 p.m. (EST).

posted by Kay Thursday, January 16, 2003

 
CBS says you won't sympathize with, or feel sorry for, this title character!

HITLER, a new four-hour mini-series event based on the best-selling book Hitler: 1889-1936 HUBRIS by Hitler historian Ian Kershaw, has been ordered and is in production for broadcast for the 2002-2003 season on the CBS Television Network. Multiple Emmy Award and Golden Globe-nominees Peter Sussman and Ed Gernon (“Joan of Arc,” “Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows,” “Nuremberg”) are the executive producers.

The mini-series, following the book, will explore how Hitler rose to power. Ian Kershaw is the preeminent scholar on Hitler, having written numerous books on him, culminating in his double set, “Hitler: 1889-1936 HUBRIS” and “Hitler: 1936-1945 NEMESIS.” Both bestsellers, HUBRIS and NEMESIS are considered the definitive biographies of Hitler.

HUBRIS was the first biography to use Joseph Goebbels’ diaries, which were discovered in Moscow only a few years ago. Kershaw was also the first to put forth the concept that in order to examine Hitler, one must look at the society that brought him to power. Kershaw asks the question: “How did Hitler become Hitler?”

“I’d be lying if I said we aren’t a bit nervous about attempting to examine one of history’s most heinous characters, but in this age of megalomaniacal terrorism, we feel it is all the more important and relevant. Professor Kershaw and CBS have been courageous supporters of what is unquestionably one of the most ambitious and controversial films to date,” Gernon said.

posted by Kay Tuesday, January 14, 2003

 


"You measure a dog by how much sound he can make. A boy you judge just the opposite."
- from the teleplay, "Sounder"
"Sounder," the classic story of a boy who grows into manhood while on a years-long search for his beloved father, returns in a powerful new production based on the award-winning book by William H. Armstrong. The movie airs SUNDAY, JANUARY 19 (7:00-9:00 p.m., ET), as a presentation of "The Wonderful World of Disney" on the ABC Television Network. Carl Lumbly ("Alias") stars as the Father, Suzzanne Douglas ("The Parent 'Hood") plays the Mother, and 16-year-old newcomer Daniel Lee Robertson, III, portrays the Boy. Two stars of the original (1972) Oscar-nominated feature film, Paul Winfield (who was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of the Father) and Kevin Hooks (who played the Boy), return in new roles. Winfield is the Teacher and Hooks, still an actor as well as director and executive producer of projects including "Philly" and "City of Angels," directs the telefilm of "Sounder."

It's the Depression era in the American South, and a loving family of sharecroppers, headed by the dignified, hard-working Father (Carl Lumbly) and Mother (Suzzanne Douglas) eke out a meager living while raising their three fine children. The eldest is the 11-year-old Boy (Daniel Lee Robertson, III), a thoughtful, intelligent youngster with a hunger for books and appreciation for his Mother's retelling of Bible stories, especially the ones about Joseph and Pharaoh. The family is enlarged by a young coon dog puppy, Sounder, a loyal friend to the Boy and an enthusiastic hunter. Though their hardscrabble existence is tough, the family is filled with warmth, faith and the companionship of each other.

posted by Kay Monday, January 13, 2003

 

CBS's freshman drama WITHOUT A TRACE garnered a record audience of 16.34 million viewers, the second edition of the Network's twice-weekly STAR SEARCH retained a healthy +95% of its premiere audience against much tougher competition and CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION was Thursday's most watched and highest rated program, according to National Nielsen ratings for Jan. 9.

This is the most watched episode of WITHOUT A TRACE ever, posting the show's second best adults 25-54 delivery and matching the second best households and adults 18-49 performance.

This is WITHOUT A TRACE's closest competitive position ever to "ER" (13.7/23, 21.52m) in household rating (-3.0 rating points) and total viewers (-5.18 million) for a first-run episode.

As for Star Search: Compared to the Wednesday premiere of STAR SEARCH, Thursday's edition, broadcast in a much tougher competitive environment (opposite "Friends"), retained 98% of the households delivery, 95% of viewers, 94% of adults 25-54 and 86% of adults 18-49. STAR SEARCH was up from Wednesday in boomers (+8%) and even in women 25-54.

posted by Kay Sunday, January 12, 2003